Where is the early stage of the marriage alliance?

Xiao Ce slowly loosened his embrace slightly, his deep eyes looking directly into hers without flinching.

"If it weren't for you, what would be the point of me keeping this life?"

Ling Xi's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly reached out to cover his lips.

Ling Xi stared intently at the man before her, the man who had tormented her for five long years, her eyes misting over. Those five years had been long and arduous; she had been trapped in deep suffering, and he, too, had been walking alone in boundless loneliness.

"Xiao Ce..."

She called his name softly, her voice choked with suppressed sobs.

"Um."

"Stop doing this. Stop putting yourself after everyone else."

Ling Xi's eyes softened with a hint of heartache as she slowly raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes.

"Neither the Prince Rui's Mansion, nor Mu Wanning and An'er, have ever been your inherent responsibilities. And I am not a shackle binding you. Let yourself go, stop being bound by anyone, you... should live for yourself."

Xiao Ce stared intently at her with his deep gaze, then suddenly reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace with all his might, resting his chin lightly on her shoulder.

"But I can't do it, Xi'er, I can't do it."

At this moment, he resembled a lone wolf, covered in wounds and with nowhere to go. Ling Xi could clearly feel his body trembling slightly, and her already wavering heart softened completely. All the words she wanted to say were stuck in her throat, leaving only a heart full of pity. She raised her hand and gently stroked his back to comfort him.

"Go back to bed and lie down first; you're still injured."

Xiao Ce didn't move an inch, still holding her tightly and refusing to let go.

"You'll stay with me."

"Xiao Ce, don't push your luck."

After a moment, he slowly pulled away a little, his hands still around her waist, a hint of hurt appearing on his serious face.

"Xi'er, in the five years since you left, I have suffered from insomnia every night. It has been five whole years since I had a good night's sleep."

Ling Xi's heart stirred slightly, and she looked up at him suspiciously, feeling as if she had fallen into this man's trap.

"I didn't lie."

Xiao Ce's eyes showed even more grievance. Seeing his wounded and dejected appearance, Ling Xi's heart could no longer harden.

"I...I didn't say you were lying."

"So you're agreeing?"

Xiao Ce's eyes lit up instantly, and before she could react, he bent down and scooped her up in his arms.

"Xiao Ce, what are you doing? You're still injured."

Ling Xi was caught off guard and lifted into the air. She instinctively reached out and wrapped her arms around his neck. Before she could break free, he had already carried her back to the bed in a few steady steps.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead from the exertion. The next moment, he turned sideways and sat down, pulling her into his arms and lying down, his arms tightly wrapped around her waist, making it impossible for her to move.

"What does it matter if I get hurt? As long as you come back to me, I'd be willing to get hurt a hundred or a thousand times."

Xiao Ce's warm breath brushed against her ear, carrying a hint of lingering fear from having regained what he had lost. Ling Xi could clearly feel the subtle tremor in his chest. She pressed her fingertips against his chest, wanting to push him away but unwilling to use force, so she could only gently press against him.

"Xiao Ce, five years have passed, have you learned the art of feigning injury?"

Xiao Ce lowered his head, his chin brushing against the top of her head, his eyes brimming with the bitterness that had accumulated over the past five years.

I'm telling the truth.

Ling Xi couldn't see his expression, but listening to the steady, powerful heartbeat in front of her, she inexplicably felt that what he said was true.

"Xiao Ce, I have a question for you..."

"Go ahead and ask."

"Qin Qi said that you went to Jicheng again four years ago. Why didn't you come to explain to me that time?"

Ling Xi buried her face deeply in his warm chest, remaining motionless. If he had truly not harmed her brother, perhaps she would have already forgiven him by then.

The person in front of her remained silent, but the arms wrapped around her waist tightened their grip little by little.

Ling Xi gently pushed against his chest and pulled back a few steps. When she looked up, she saw that his eyes were deep and his jaw was tightly clenched, with a heavy and gloomy aura surrounding him.

"Xiao Ce?"

He suddenly reached out and pressed her head back into his arms, his hand trembling slightly as he placed it on the top of her head.

"When I arrived in Jicheng, you were not at the Huan Prince's residence. I waited for ten whole days, and then..."

"And then what?"

Seeing that he had paused, Ling Xi couldn't help but ask softly.

"I saw with my own eyes that you returned with a man, and he personally helped you down from the carriage..."

"That's my cousin."

"I know. I immediately sent Lu Ming to inquire, and the news I received was that you and he are about to get engaged..."

"So you became afraid, chose to back down, and fled back to Jinling alone."

Ling Xi calmly finished speaking the words he hadn't finished saying.

"I'm sorry. I took all those angry words you said seriously. You said that you didn't have much affection for me. I even thought that the marriage fortune you got at Nanyin Temple was for your cousin."

Ling Xi's heart trembled slightly, a wave of bitterness washing over her. So those harsh words she'd casually uttered in a fit of pique had actually been held against him, tormenting him for five years. She raised her hand and gently wrapped it around his lean waist, pressing herself closer.

"Xiao Ce, you should already know that Yue'er is your child."

"Yes, I know..."

He tightened his arms around her, holding her even closer, his warm breath falling on her head, carrying an uncontrollable bittersweet feeling.

"At that time, I was pregnant with Yue'er and went to the mountain villa in the suburbs to give birth. I lied to everyone and said that I went to my aunt's house for a short stay. Later, when Yu'er was about to be born, my mother took Yue'er back to the mansion first, and I naturally had to go back to the mansion from my aunt's house. That's why you saw my cousin escorting me back to the mansion."

Xiao Ce listened quietly, but the hand on her waist tightened more and more.

"I'm sorry... I've caused you and Yue'er to suffer."

Xiao Ce's voice choked with sobs, filled with regret, as he stroked her back repeatedly.

"Xiao Ce, I have never felt wronged. I was very happy to give birth to Yue'er. It's just that at that time I thought there was no possibility between us, and I thought that raising him under my brother's name was for his own good. I never thought that he had overheard my conversation with my mother and already knew about his background."

Xiao Ce's body stiffened abruptly. He loosened his grip on her slightly and stared at her in disbelief.

"Yue'er...he already knew?"

"Um."

Xiao Ce froze. No wonder his attitude towards him had been unusual since the first day they met. The next moment, a sense of unease suddenly arose in his heart.

"Yue'er...do you resent me and dislike me as your father?"

"Yue'er is sensitive and intelligent, with a delicate mind. I should have noticed his change long ago. But you don't need to worry too much. If he really didn't like you, he wouldn't have sneaked off to see you so many times."

"Xi'er, thank you. Thank you for giving birth to Yue'er back then. Thank you for still loving me."

......