Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Xiao Ce weakly opened his eyes. The candlelight in the room was dim, and the surroundings were silent.

"Qin Qi... Qin Qi..."

His voice was slightly hoarse when he first woke up, weak as a wisp of smoke drifting in the empty bedroom. He calmed himself down, looked up at the window, and saw that the night outside was dark and there wasn't a single light in sight.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing for a moment, then struggled to sit up on the bed, his chest tightening as he coughed softly several times.

"Someone come here..."

All around remained deathly silent, without a single response. Xiao Ce frowned slightly. Last night, Qin Qi insisted on staying in the outer room to keep him company, sending away all the servants on duty. Now, there was no one there. He guessed that Qin Qi had probably fallen asleep in the outer room by himself.

He threw back the quilt and got out of bed, his steps unsteady as he walked towards the outer room. When he reached the door, his knees suddenly buckled, and he barely managed to grab the wooden frame to avoid falling. A low cough, which he couldn't suppress, welled up in his throat.

He pressed his other hand tightly against his chest, where it felt like his meridians were being torn apart with throbbing pain. His handsome brows were also slightly furrowed due to the intense pain, losing all of his usual cold and sharp features.

"Qin Qi..."

A weak call, barely audible, escaped his lips. With difficulty, he raised his head, and through his blurred vision, he suddenly saw the figure leaning against the bed—the very person he had longed for through countless long nights.

A sudden, intense light ignited in his eyes, his chest heaved violently, and the wrinkles between his brows furrowed even more tightly with disbelief. He hurriedly closed his eyes to calm himself, and when he opened them again, his vision was still blurry. He checked repeatedly, fearing that it was just a fleeting illusion.

Once he was certain that what he was seeing was real and not a dream, the anxiety that had been building up in his heart could no longer be suppressed. He released his grip on the door frame, staggered, and hurried toward the bed.

He slowly approached, step by step, and with each step forward, the panic in his heart intensified. Finally, he stopped abruptly two feet away from the edge of the bed.

His usually cold eyes gradually filled with warmth and moisture. He stared blankly at the person sleeping peacefully on the bed, his heart churning with bitterness and ecstasy. He still couldn't believe that the person he had been thinking about day and night was really lying in his room.

His legs trembled uncontrollably, and he slowly bent down, raising his trembling hand to approach her. His slender fingers hovered in mid-air for a long time, yet he dared not actually touch her.

"Xi'er... Xi'er..."

His low, broken murmur, tinged with the weakness of a long-term illness and a few sobs, was as he called her name over and over again, as if repeatedly confirming it, or as if trying to soothe his anxious heart.

Ling Xi remained soundly asleep, motionless. The soft candlelight gently illuminated her face, her long eyelashes drooped quietly, and her hair lay loosely on the couch, exuding a completely relaxed softness.

This was the sleeping face he had seen countless times when he woke up in the morning, and the image that had disappeared from his sight countless times after he woke up from his dreams.

Xiao Ce's gaze lingered, tracing her features inch by inch, unwilling to look away even for a moment. His hand, which had been suspended in mid-air for a long time, finally could no longer restrain itself and slowly fell, carefully touching her delicate cheek, afraid of waking her.

The real touch came from my fingertips, warm and real. At that moment, all the longing and fear that had been building up in my heart for many years collapsed.

Ling Xi's eyelashes trembled slightly as she abruptly woke from her deep sleep. Her clear eyes were not yet fully alert, but in the flickering candlelight, she saw the pale and haggard face before her. The moment their eyes met, she froze on the spot.

Before her consciousness had fully returned, her body reacted first. She stared blankly at the face so close to hers, and as if possessed, she raised her hand and gently touched his cheek.

The slightly cool touch on her hand startled her. The next moment, as if she had been burned, her fingertips suddenly curled up, and she frantically tried to pull her hand back.

But Xiao Ce's burning palm had already covered hers, firmly holding her hand. He used the last of his strength to press her hand tightly against his cheek, with a stubborn force, refusing to let go even an inch.

He was already extremely weak, and a fine pain rose in his chest with each exertion. A suppressed itch surged up his throat, but he held back his cough, afraid of disturbing the hard-won warmth in his palm.

"Xiao Ce... let go..."

Ling Xi tried to pull her wrist back, but the strength in his palm, though seemingly unstable, held her firmly in place. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free.

"Xi'er, don't refuse me..."

Xiao Ce's hoarse voice trembled uncontrollably as he pleaded in a low voice, each word filled with deep pain and fear. His haggard phoenix eyes stared straight at him, their depths churning with pain and humility, the aloofness and pride of the past long gone.

He craved the warmth of the only thing in his palm; the pain of the past few days, the endless longing, and the fear of worry all crushed his pride.

"Xiao Ce, let go first."

Ling Xi frowned, her tone urgent and urging, trying to break free from his obsessive control, but Xiao Ce seemed to have grasped at a straw, his eyes filled with fear.

"I won't let go! I won't... cough cough cough cough... cough cough..."

Before he could finish speaking, the pent-up pain and itching in his chest surged up suddenly and he could no longer suppress it. He lowered his head and began to cough violently, one cough after another, heart-wrenching.

His body trembled violently from the shock, his already pale face drained of all color, and a fine layer of cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Even as he coughed violently, he held onto her hand tightly, refusing to let go, though the strength in his grip gradually weakened with the excruciating pain in his body.

Seeing his pained expression, Ling Xi's coldness instantly crumbled.

"Xiao Ce!"

She sat up straight and, taking advantage of his momentary weakness, withdrew her hand. She then gently placed it on his trembling back, stroking it softly to try and ease his discomfort.

But he still couldn't stop coughing. In the end, his pale face began to turn slightly red, and he was so weak that he seemed about to collapse to the ground.

Ling Xi was extremely anxious. She quickly got off the bed and walked briskly towards the table, wanting to pour him a glass of warm water. But she had only taken two steps when a heavy force suddenly struck her from behind.

"Don't go... Xi'er, don't go..."

Xiao Ce tightly embraced her slender waist from behind, leaning weakly against her thin back. His burning chest pressed tightly against hers, and he tightened his arms around her, awkwardly locking her in his embrace. In his haste, he lost his sense of proportion, causing her waist and abdomen to ache slightly.

"Xiao Ce, loosen your grip first."

Ling Xi felt his whole body trembling and dared not resist too much, for fear that he would cough again if he became too agitated.

"Don't go, don't leave me... Please, don't leave me..."

He rested his chin on her shoulder, his breath hot, his voice hoarse after coughing, filled with endless unease, pleading humbly again and again, piercing Ling Xi's heart.

"Xiao Ce, I'm not leaving. I just want to get you a glass of water."