flstandardbreds Chapter 315
Chapter 315
The water flowed gently, and all around was quiet, with only the silent intertwining of their breaths.
The morning sun peeked in through the cracks in the window, casting dappled shadows on the ground through the rustling leaves, creating a vibrant and hopeful scene.
Despite the sun shining brightly, there was no warmth at all inside the house; it was stuffy and suffocating. The person in his arms had dim eyes, trembling as they lowered their eyes, concealing the emotions within, yet they couldn't help but move closer to the source of warmth.
His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with moisture.
"I will be obedient and listen to my aunt. I will take that position and do my best to fulfill my duties as Chunyu Yongnian."
Bai Ji's royal surname was Chunyu, which he had known for a long time. By adopting this surname, he meant that he had accepted his fate.
The sudden change in attitude made Nalan Jingwen want to ask a question, but before she could speak, A'nian gazed at her with his clear and pure eyes, his pale lips curving into an extremely obedient smile.
“I know that my sister protected me so that Feng Tian could cooperate with Bai Ji and become allies.”
“Since you want it, sister, I will do as you wish and offer you the white yam with both hands.”
He gripped Nalan Jingwen's hand tighter, but with little strength, like a kitten scratching an itch, almost imperceptible.
"But sister..."
"Can you stay by my side forever?"
Ah Nian looked at her and pleaded softly, his voice trembling slightly.
"I……"
"I'm all alone, and I'm a little... scared..."
A-Nian had been confined to his home since childhood due to health reasons, which fostered his timid and cowardly nature. It was only after following Nalan Jingwen that he became much more cheerful and bold. However, if Nalan Jingwen left him and he ended up in that strange place where people would devour him without spitting out the bones, with no one he could trust, he would not know what to do.
He will be afraid, he will be terrified.
Everyone was staring intently at him, wanting him dead, and he really didn't know what to do.
But if his sister were here, everything would be alright. Even if he was surrounded by darkness and an endless abyss enveloped him, as long as his sister was here, he would have someone to rely on, and he would no longer be alone.
"Sister...I can give you anything you want..."
"But... could you stay with me forever..."
The boy pleaded softly, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. A single, glistening tear rolled down his cheek from the corner of his eye and disappeared into the water.
Nalan Jingwen could not ignore his plea, but calmly met his gaze. Finally, she lowered her head, gently pressed her cheek against his smooth forehead, sighed, and did not answer.
She couldn't make promises about things that were unpredictable, especially since Bai Ji and Feng Tian were thousands of miles apart. She would eventually have to return to Feng Tian; she couldn't stay by his side all the time. The people in the Wangfu were also waiting for her.
Anian didn't get the answer he wanted, so he stopped begging. He just buried his face in her chest, his thin and frail body trembling slightly. Warm, dampness spread through him, and his low, suppressed sobs were particularly noticeable in the room. He didn't speak, just silently shed tears, not even daring to cry out loud.
Nalan Jingwen held him quietly, without making any other movement.
Ultimately, why should a man bear all of this?
It was nothing more than a struggle between women, yet they were made to be the victims of that struggle. How cruel that was for them.
But she had no right or status to interfere in Baiji's affairs. From initially being an observer to now constantly worrying about the person in her arms, protecting him and guarding him all the way, unwilling to let him suffer any harm, Nalan Jingwen was actually a little confused herself.
Her mind was in turmoil, and she couldn't find a solution.
The person in his arms was crying uncontrollably, his eyes were red and swollen, and a bitter taste was spreading in his mouth. He could hardly breathe. Nalan Jingwen suddenly came to his senses and asked him in a panic as he traced his thin back.
"Where does it hurt?"
Ah Nian shook his head, struggling to pull at her clothes and prop himself up. Under Nalan Jingwen's somewhat puzzled gaze, his cold and pale lips touched hers, very lightly, like fine snowflakes, almost weightless, yet it made Nalan Jingwen's heart sink rapidly.
She caught his falling body, stroked his cheek with one hand, looked down at him, her eyes deep and thoughtful.
"Do you know what you're doing?"
Ah Nian was panting, the previous action had exhausted all his strength. He leaned gently against Nalan Jingwen's chest. Hearing her words, he could only manage a weak smile, but the smile quickly faded.
“I know… my sister taught me…”
"But sister, didn't you already sense it?"
As he spoke, he pulled her hand down to a spot, and the moment he touched it, he trembled all over and gasped uncontrollably.
"My sister already knew, didn't she?"
He paused, his eyes brimming with tears.
"A-Nian likes his older sister."
Nalan Jingwen suddenly tightened her grip, and the person in her arms immediately tensed up and stiffened, his pupils dilated, staring blankly at her face. After a few breaths, he went limp again, as if he had no strength left, and closed his eyes, with tears still clinging to his long, dark eyelashes.
Once that fragile barrier was breached, Nalan Jingwen could no longer pretend he knew nothing, and he could no longer use such a clumsy excuse as taking care of his younger brother to get along with Anian.
Ah Nian is right. She had known all along that those pure and clear eyes held a surge of love that even he himself might not have realized when they looked at her. The eyes that love someone cannot be hidden, let alone Ah Nian, who either couldn't hide it or didn't want to.
She has been running away and deceiving herself all along.
Because she couldn't give him any promises, let alone accept his love. If A-Nian wasn't Chunyu Yongnian, but just an ordinary man, perhaps she would have taken him back to the palace long ago and hidden him away.
In fact, Nalan Jingwen often thought that it might be because A Nian was too dependent on her. She was the woman who had spent the most time with him, and he might have mistaken dependence for love. That's why she kept teaching him, telling him about the proper relationship between a woman and a man, and telling him that kissing was only allowed on his wife.
If he understood, perhaps he would realize that dependence is not love.
That's why it's only now that the unspoken understanding has been revealed, and that's why she's been ignoring his love all this time, so she doesn't feel any guilt.
But things didn't go as she expected. Ah Nian confessed his feelings to her today, and she could no longer pretend she didn't know.
Nalan Jingwen cupped his face and gently pulled his head into her arms.
The voice was calm, without any inflection, yet it sounded like a promise, incredibly heavy.
"I will always protect you. Get some sleep."
She would protect him, help him sit in that position, make everyone fear him, and dare not covet his throne.