novelA Million Times for You (193)
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Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"Who would've known about this if the anonymous sender hadn't mentioned it? The point is, he knows about our past lives, and he even knows my name in my previous lifetime. Qingyan, I'm suspecting something."
Jin Qingyan voiced her thoughts, "He knew us in our previous lives? That's pretty obvious."
"He knew us in our past lives, but why does he still have memories of the previous lifetime? The two of us barely know much about it, and all our knowledge is based on the occasional dreams we have. I've deduced from the messages that the sender seems to know everything. Did he reincarnate with the memory of his previous lifetime or is he a wandering soul who's possessed a human, or did he become immortal? The Second Brother said that he's so invincible that no one in this world is a match for him. Qingyan, I guess I truly understand what it means for there to always be someone who's far greater than one is."
"You killed his subordinates, yet he didn't kill you at all. Instead, he simply gave you a warning and a reminder. Clearly, he's not quite out to annihilate you. You don't have to care or think about who the sender is, as long as he's not trying to kill you. We don't have to think about whether it's a male or a female. It has nothing to do with us, " Jin Qingyan comforted.
An Xiaoning closed her eyes while in his embrace and said, "I really wish to live a life of peace and simplicity. Whenever I recall those few years I had spent in M Nation, I never fail to think of Yiheng. When Yiheng was first born, he was so fair and chubby. I raised him single-handedly, and I could not help but be reminded of you whenever I looked at him."
"You silly. Why didn't you come and find me directly? I ended up missing the years of his childhood."
"Qingyan, from now on, let's not hide anything from each other, alright?"
Noticing that he was not answering, she looked up to discover that he had already dozed off and was breathing rhythmically.
He must be exhausted.
An Xiaoning smiled and pinched his pronounced nose bridge, filled with joy and contentment.
She looked down and hugged his waist tightly before closing her eyes to sleep.
The dim, yellow light from the lamp filled every corner of the room. Jin Qingyan then opened his eyes once An Xiaoning had fallen asleep.
Jin Qingyan stared at the shadow of her long lashes that was cast on her face, an immense agony in his eyes.
——
It was two o'clock in the afternoon.
An Xiaoning was already on her way to the Autumn Palace in B City.
She'd received a timely call from Tuoba Gucheng in the morning, right after her return. He'd agreed to meet her immediately without hesitation.
She felt that he was so quick to agree because he was certain that she was going to surrender.
In fact, An Xiaoning had guessed correctly.
That was exactly what he was thinking.
Tuoba Gucheng's eyes lit up the moment he saw her.
She was dressed in a pink woolen blazer matched with a black pleated skirt and a pair of black-colored high heels. She entered slowly with her bag in her hands.
He had specially requested to meet her in the garden.
They held each other's gaze, and all Tuoba Gucheng could feel from her gaze was her icy cold aloofness.
"Have a seat."
An Xiaoning sat down on a chair beside her, not in the mood to appreciate the flowers and lush greenery around her at all.
He sat down opposite her and gestured for the servants to serve some tea.
"Try this, it's made from premium-grade tea leaves."
She remained still and asked, "Is there poison in this?"
Tuoba Gucheng's face stiffened and he said with a wry smile, "No."
"Still, I wouldn't dare to drink it. Let's call off the agreement we had previously, " she said slowly.
Having already expected her to make such a request, Tuoba Gucheng agreed, "Sure."
"What I mean is, I won't stop seeing Jin Qingyan even if I didn't complete the mission. I'll delete that voice memo too. I came to see you today because I wanted to tell you that you have no right to force me to do things against my wishes."
Supporting himself against the table, he said, "Mhm... who gave you the audacity to say that?"
"No one, that's just how I naturally am. You sent 3000 elite soldiers and special agents on the quest for the treasure map, but they'd all failed. What makes you think I can do it? Or did you assign me to such a Herculean task on purpose... thinking that I'll back off after realizing how difficult it is and promise you to never see Jin Qingyan again? Regardless of what it is, I won't let you have your wishes."
"How did you know that I've once sent my troops there?"
"Don't you know that there'll always be someone more powerful than you are? I suggest you stop trying to get your hands on the treasure map through such painstaking means. The person who has the treasure map is not to be trifled with. Be careful not to lose your life right after you just became the president. Otherwise, you'll incur a greater loss than gain."
A sullen expression formed on Tuoba Gucheng's face immediately. He squinted and said, "You seem to know quite a bit."
"I know what I should know, and I also know a little bit of what I shouldn't. Your Majesty, you're so narrow-minded with your love. You claim to love me even though we're related by blood. However, your definition of love is giving me up to the terrorists when you were compelled to make a decision during the negotiation. It means driving me into a corner and forcing me onto a path toward death. Your definition of love is using me to get what you want. I entered the Autumn Palace back then in order to save my mother, not to get close to you. Otherwise, why would I have worn a mask to disguise my features and endured all the humiliation and suffering during my time here? I really thought you were different from your mother. However, it seems I was wrong. You're selfish and vicious. Did you inherit that from her? At the end of the day, the person you love most is still yourself."
Every word of hers struck a sour note within Tuoba Gucheng.
"Is this really how you perceive me?"
"Not in the past, but I do see you as such a person now. Ever since you became the president, you've changed completely. Maybe that's just your true colors. Before you became the president, didn't you and Her Highness hope that your children would have the freedom to choose who they wanted to marry? But aren't you behaving just like your mother now? You're the leader of the nation, and I'm one of your citizens. Didn't you subject me to the same treatment that your mother did to you previously? Your Majesty, you've become the person that you used to detest."
She stood up abruptly and said, "I've already said what I had to. Let's not meet again forever, unless absolutely necessary."
Tuoba Gucheng watched as she left, feeling as if he had lost everything.
Did I gradually become the type of person I used to detest?
I didn't want this, either.
I didn't want to kill her or force her to a dead end.
Images of the past popped up in his head. He reminisced the days where he was still a prince and she was just a female bodyguard of his.
There was no way he could turn back time and return to those days.
——
After exiting the Autumn Palace, An Xiaoning looked up at the gloomy skies and felt exceptionally at ease and relaxed.
| ← Ch. 0830 | Ch. 0832 → |