Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

A bleak smile curved his lips. His voice was low and deep. With a slight flick of his wrist, he poured the wine from the pot into a cup.

The evening breeze blew in through the window, ruffling the hems of their clothes. As the alcohol took effect, Xiao Ce swayed slightly involuntarily, his eyes filled with a deep sense of intoxication.

Looking at his dejected and lost appearance, Qin Qi hesitated, swallowing back the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue.

……

Qinlan Courtyard.

Ling Xi had just finished bathing when Pei Lan slowly entered, carrying a bowl of medicine.

"Princess, the medicine you instructed me to brew again is ready."

The bowl was steaming with bitter medicinal vapors. Peilan's brows furrowed with anxiety as she placed the bowl on the small table in front of the bed. During the day, the princess had come and tried to persuade her for a long time, and she thought the princess had given up the idea, but unexpectedly, she was asked to brew another dose of medicine.

Perrin stood there for a long time, not leaving, and kept stealing glances at her expression, anxious but not daring to say anything rashly.

"Just leave it there, you can go now."

Ling Xi slowly raised her eyes, her voice flat and calm. Her pale face flickered in the candlelight, and her eyes held an inescapable weariness.

Pei Lan gently closed the door, and for a moment, only the crackling of the candlelight remained in the room. Wisps of medicinal steam rose slowly from the bowl, and the bitter aroma of the medicine wafted out.

Ling Xi leaned against the couch, a few strands of her loose black hair falling to the side of her neck. Her fingertips were curled on the soft cushion beside her, and she did not move forward even an inch.

She stared quietly at the medicine bowl, the warm medicinal steam making her eyes slightly sore. After a while, she sat up, raised her hand and hovered in mid-air, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to lower it.

Just then, a creaking sound came from the door.

Ling Xi suddenly looked up, her gaze abruptly freezing. Xiao Ce, covered in dust, stood in front of the door, his bright red phoenix eyes fixed on her, his aura terrifyingly heavy.

Ling Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stood up from the couch. The hesitation and anxiety that had been lingering on her brows instantly turned into a sudden panic.

"You... what brings you here?"

Her voice trembled, and her gaze unconsciously swept over the steaming medicine bowl on the table before quickly returning to Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce's attention was completely focused on her, and he didn't even notice the medicine bowl beside him. He approached step by step, his phoenix eyes bloodshot, the fatigue and pain accumulated over many days etched on his face.

"Are you really that heartless? You won't even see me?"

He stared intently at Ling Xi, his once noble and composed eyes now filled with desolation and hurt, like a caged beast abandoned by its master, holding his breath and waiting for her comfort. His sharpness and fierceness had vanished, leaving only a trace of trepidation, fearing that he might hear any resolute answer from her.

Ling Xi was thrown into turmoil by his burning yet sorrowful gaze and subconsciously looked away.

"I......"

Before she could finish a single word, Xiao Ce suddenly leaned down and pulled her tightly into his arms.

"Ling Xi...you have such a cruel heart. You left a farewell letter and then left me without a word. Why...why?"

Ling Xi felt a slight unease as his familiar scent and faint smell of alcohol lingered in her nostrils, and her eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.

"Xiao Ce, we... are not suitable for each other."

Ling Xi's voice trembled, and the grievances she had accumulated over the past few days surged forth with tears.

"What's wrong with it?! What's wrong with it?!"

"Have you forgotten? We were enemies to begin with."

Ling Xi's nose turned red, and she gave a sad, soft laugh.

"Oh no... I forgot myself. I used to have the delusion that you, the Crown Prince of Liang, would give your heart completely to me, a man from Chu."

"No! My feelings for you are genuine, completely genuine! Xi'er... you must believe me."

"Xiao Ce!"

Ling Xi suddenly used all her strength to push him away, tears finally rolling down her cheeks, her eyes filled with disappointment and resentment.

Xiao Ce was suddenly pushed away, staggered half a step, and almost lost his balance due to his drunkenness. He stared blankly at the tears hanging in her eyes, his heart suddenly ached, and he hurriedly wanted to step forward, but she blocked him from the spot with her eyes full of disappointment.

"We've always been enemies, and I don't blame you for being wary of me from the start. But you can't hurt my family! You knew back then that Mu Wanning poisoned my brother, yet you conspired with Lu Baixu to deceive me. Is that what you call true love?"

The candlelight flickered in the night wind, casting an unsteady glow on Xiao Ce's pale face.

"I'm sorry, I was wrong to do this, but I had my reasons. Wan Ning, she..."

"I don't want to hear it! Xiao Ce... whatever the reason, I don't want to know. All I know is that she almost killed my brother, and even so, you still choose to protect her!"

Ling Xi interrupted him sharply, her eyes brimming with resentment.

Xiao Ce's lips moved slightly as he looked at her tear-streaked face, his eyes filled with regret.

"sorry……"

Ling Xi bit her lower lip tightly, her chest heaving violently with surging anger.

"And you dare say that in your heart you never wanted my brother dead? Didn't you also send assassins to Night City?!"

Xiao Ce's body stiffened abruptly, the effects of the alcohol instantly dissipating at the question.

"I'm sorry, I admit that at first, I was indeed filled with hatred, but later..."

"Later...didn't you do the same thing?"

Ling Xi stared at him indifferently, tears streaming down her face.

Xiao Ce felt a lump in his throat and subconsciously raised his hand to wipe away her tears, but Ling Xi abruptly turned her head away, avoiding his touch.

His outstretched hand froze in place, the pain in his eyes turning into an unspeakable desolation.

"Go ahead. After all, we never had any deep feelings for each other. It's better to see each other clearly sooner rather than later. I'll go back to my Jicheng, and you go back to your Jinling. From now on, we'll have nothing to do with each other."

Ling Xi lowered her eyes, wiped away her remaining tears, and spoke with a resolute tone, as if the past had already turned into smoke.

But those words were like silver needles piercing Xiao Ce's heart. His hand, which was suspended in mid-air, slowly clenched. His drunken dejection instantly sank to the bottom. He just stared at her blankly, unwilling to move an inch.

"There's no real connection...we're completely unrelated..."

He repeated it softly, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"All the days and nights we've spent together, all the little things that have happened, don't you think they mean anything?"

He gazed at her deliberately cold and hard profile, reached out and pressed down on her thin shoulders, his previously maintained composure crumbling completely.

Ling Xi looked away, unwilling to meet his gaze again, and forcefully suppressed the bitterness rising in her heart.

"That's right. All that happened in the past means nothing to me. Now that I think back, when you risked your life to protect me on the Lantern Festival, I was only moved for a moment. Did you really think that with Mu Wanning and An'er standing between us, there could be any deep affection between us?"

Her voice was light and weak, each word weary, and a faint, desolate smile forced onto her lips.