As Song Qingchao drew closer.
Bai You'an's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.
"Chaochao, stop messing around."
Song Qingchao, however, shot him a glare.
"Let me see where you're hurt."
"I'm not hurt anywhere."
"If you're not hurt, why is your face so pale?"
Song Qingchao didn't give Bai You'an a chance to argue, directly reaching out and pulling open his clothes.
Startled, Bai You'an grabbed her wrist, "There's really nothing."
But by then, it was too late to close his clothes.
Song Qingchao's other hand had already pulled his clothes open by more than half.
His bare shoulder led down two collarbones to a firm chest.
The chest was wrapped with layers of white bandages.
"You hurt your chest?"
Song Qingchao exclaimed in surprise.
Bai You'an, not panicking, tried to comfort her.
"No, it's my back. It's nothing."
"What do you mean, nothing..."
Bai You'an looked at her slightly swollen eyes and intended to appease her.
"Did you put on the medicine?"
He could only nod.
Song Qingchao lowered her head and carefully refastened Bai You'an's clothes.
Her fingers fiddled with the buttons on his clothes, "You've worked hard."
"It's nothing."
Bai You'an propped himself up with one hand and pulled Song Qingchao into his arms with the other.
Song Qingchao rested her head on his shoulder, her voice tinged with sadness.
"I didn't expect you to get involved too."
"What are you saying?"
Bai You'an's voice sounded muffled.
"If we're being honest, it's because of me."
He gently patted Song Qingchao's shoulder, "If it weren't for me, the Song family might not have had trouble."
Song Qingchao shook her head in his arms.
"It has nothing to do with you. If it weren't for you, they would have found other ways to drag my family down."
She let out a heavy sigh.
"Now that you are the young master of Luoyunjian, what do you plan to do?"
Bai You'an looked down and reluctantly lifted Song Qingchao's face, "The reason I became the young master was for the secret the old village chief wanted to tell me. He said there was more to the Bai family's past. But after I won, I passed out. It's too late today, I plan to ask tomorrow. Perhaps my family's affairs and your family's affairs are orchestrated by the same group."
Song Qingchao nodded, "Then you must be careful."
Bai You'an chuckled.
His thumb brushed against Song Qingchao's face, "There's no danger, it's all family."
Song Qingchao shook her head, "One must always be on guard."
"Alright."
Bai You'an smiled exceptionally gently.
He held Song Qingchao tighter, as if holding a rare treasure in the world.
He murmured, "It's truly wonderful that you can forgive me."
Song Qingchao rested her head on his shoulder, enjoying the brief warmth.
"What are your plans afterward?"
"Afterward... I might go to Beiman to handle things. If I get any clues, I might return to Chang'an."
Return to Chang'an?
Song Qingchao mused silently.
"I'll go with you."
But this time Bai You'an refused her, "No, it's too dangerous."
"It's dangerous everywhere. Rather than waiting for danger to arrive, I'd rather go and confront it."
"But..."
"No 'buts'."
After a long internal struggle, Bai You'an finally agreed to Song Qingchao's request.
"But you must stay with me."
"Always."
Song Qingchao was a little happy to have gotten her way.
Bai You'an chattered on about many things.
He spoke of how much he missed her and how conflicted he had been.
Song Qingchao nodded obediently, letting out soft "mmms."
That night,
She had experienced too much.
So much so that she eventually fell asleep in Bai You'an's arms.
When Bai You'an noticed, she seemed to have been asleep for a long time.
Bai You'an carefully observed Song Qingchao's features.
Her long eyelashes cast shadows on her pale skin.
He wanted to engrave her appearance into his memory, every inch, every detail, he didn't want to forget.
"I... love you."
He whispered softly.
"In this life and the next, I love you."
With that, he lowered his head and gently kissed her smooth forehead.
He carefully picked Song Qingchao up and placed her on the bed, then lay down beside her.
He held her, curled on his side, unwilling to close his eyes.
As long as he held her, he was content.
As long as he looked at her, he was content.
It must have been heaven helping him, giving him a chance to start over.
He had been solitary on the mountain peak for decades, missing the departed person countless days and nights.
He had seen the world's prosperity, experienced its joys and sorrows, but had no one to share them with.
Every time he looked back, there was no one behind him.
But this time was different.
She was standing right there.
Obedient and gentle.
But she was also different.
She was independent and opinionated.
He thought that this time, he would absolutely not let go of Song Qingchao's hand.
No matter what happened.
The gentle breathing beside him was incredibly comforting.
It seemed the very air had become sweet.
He, too, gradually fell asleep.
In his dreams,
He held her hand and they ascended the tallest tower in Chang'an.
Together, they watched the prosperous age, the flourishing world.
Actually, having a second chance, he had no lingering desire for power.
Nor for revenge.
The human heart is twisted by hatred.
Looking forward is the most difficult.
The wicked will be punished by the wicked; there's no need to fall into the abyss yourself.
He could let go of hatred.
But he could not let go of Song Qingchao, nor the people of this world.
He knew that in the coming years, people would be displaced by war, and he knew that even with a new emperor, Da Yuan had been heavily damaged.
In his previous life, he had spent a lifetime's effort to only barely restore Da Yuan to a normal level.
Yet, there were still people without homes, without food.
Since he couldn't let go.
Then he wouldn't.
Stopping Beiman was the priority; the rest could be dealt with later.
In any case, he would protect Chaochao, he would protect his entire world.
The dreams of the two gradually merged.
They both dreamed of each other...
However,
What happened far exceeded everyone's imagination.
They were awakened by a commotion.
Before they could fully sober up, they heard Zhou Zhengxi frantically pounding on the door outside.
"Master! Mr. Bai! Something's happened!"
Song Qingchao sat up abruptly, rubbing her eyes that wouldn't open.
Then Bai You'an also got up with a serious expression.
He got out of bed first, then helped Song Qingchao down from the bed.
As he went to open the door,
Song Qingchao quickly put on her clothes.
"Mr. Bai! Where is Master?"
Zhou Zhengxi asked from outside the door, his voice somewhat anxious.
Bai You'an frowned and turned sideways, "What happened?"
As Zhou Zhengxi entered the room, he explained, "Mr. Bai, look outside, there's a fire."
As his words fell, Bai You'an rushed out and then saw a blaze.
"It's the old village chief's residence!"
His expression instantly turned grave.
"It seems something has indeed happened."
He intended to go back inside to arrange for Song Qingchao.
Then he saw the master and servant couple walking out.
He heard Zhou Zhengxi say, "It was arson. They're already chasing the perpetrators. Master and I can't explain it here."