The blood on his fingers seems exceptionally red against the smooth and pale skin on her neck. Her eyes were wide open but there were no fear and pleading in them. A mist slowly covers those eyes but it wasn’t because of tears but just how her eyes naturally were. A mist that is like a dream, like a flower that blooms right before sunrise…a flower in the dark…lonely.

His fingers trembled suddenly.
His heart is at war.
She knows too many secrets. She is so cunning that she could possibly spoil all his plans. She is the poison that he has to get rid of at all cost. Yet, faced with her silent and steady gaze, his fingers seem to have lost all their strength to tighten their grip.

If she begged, he would kill her.
If she cried, he would kill her.
But when she does nothing and just calmly accepts his intention to kill, he suddenly remembers everything he has seen since the day he met her.
Like him, fighting all alone, a soul unwilling to accept her fate.
His fingers slowly let go…like a gust of storm that had suddenly slowed itself when passing through a field of flower, giving up the destruction that should’ve come to the tender and beautiful.
When his fingers finally left her neck completely, he lets out a silent sigh in his heart as he comforts himself with the excuse that he can’t kill her right now, there are too many people outside, he wouldn’t be able to explain…hmm…yes, that’s the reason.
Gingerly touching her own neck. There was no finger marks, no feeling of suffocation, in fact, she didn’t even feel any hint of malice from him. However, Zhi Wei knew for a certainty that out of all of their many interactions, this is the one time he truly wanted to kill her.

Just now, when she was closest to death than she has ever been, Zhi Wei’s mind was a complete blank. All her strength and quick wit gone, she had simply stared at him, wanting to know what he was thinking.

With no clue why he gave up on killing her, Zhi Wei was unusually silent for a long moment before she picks up the medicine bottle and slowly walks over to Ning Yi’s side.
Silent the whole time while Zhi Wei helped him take off his outer robe then carefully put the medicine on him, Ning Yi was extremely cooperative. The tense and dangerous atmosphere suddenly switched to one of comfortable silence, Zhi Wei pulls down the robe until the man’s smooth silky skin is exposed, revealing the taut strong muscle that hides the explosive power of one who is a trained fighter. It is a beautiful body but Zhi Wei’s whole attention is focused on the gaping wound on the man’s shoulder where the bone is almost exposed. Unconsciously drawing a sharp intake of breath at the bloody sight, Zhi Wei has no idea how Ning Yi chased after the assassins after suffering such a severe wound.

His dark expression receding slightly when he sees the grimace on Zhi Wei’s face, Ning Yi’s eyes brightens a bit.
Carefully, Zhi Wei dumps a bit of the medicine powder on the wound causing Ning Yi’s body to jerk in response. Zhi Wei immediately asks “It hurts?” then bends down to blow softly on the wound.

So amused by Zhi Wei’s unexpected response, Ning Yi whose mood has lightened considerably by now asks “What are you doing?”
Mildly embarrassed, Zhi Wei explains “I remember when I was little and scraped my knee, my mom would blow on my wound…”
His smile fades as Zhi Wei’s voice trail off and he remembers why she ran away from her uncle’s manor.
After a few moments, Ning Yi gently replies “It’s good that someone blew on your wound…”
Taken aback, Zhi Wei casts a disbelieving glance towards Ning Yi- Is he trying to comfort her?
Promptly regretting his words the second he said them, a somewhat frustrated Ning Yi coughed and stopped talking. Biting her lips, Zhi Wei bends down to continue on what she was doing, unaware of the wisp of hair that has fallen on Ning Yi’s shoulder while she did so. Slightly ticked by the wisp of hair, Ning Yi instinctively wants to move his shoulder away…but then he suddenly doesn’t want to.
The sound of loud arguments from the outside floated in. Ning Yi knows he should pay attention to it but the words have become gibberish to his ears and he is feeling too lazy to care.
Not giving heed to the arguments outside either, Zhi Wei’s attention is still focused on the gaping wound and the reason for it.

Pierced by a sudden ache in her heart, Zhi Wei blurts out without thinking “Why come!”

His body stiffens, Ning Yi turns slowly to stare at Zhi Wei.
Zhi Wei doesn’t say anything more- Why come? Why such an elaborate trap, why go to the extent of hurting yourself when there is no one around who would even ask you if it hurts? To sit on top of this world, on the throne, the glory of it all…is it really worth it?

Reading everything she wanted to say in her eyes, Ning Yi didn’t get mad but instead replies after a long moment of silence “You don’t understand.”

Still not saying anything, Zhi Wei thinks to herself “Perhaps I understand more than you would guess.” You lost your mother at a young age. You are harboring some sort of illness. You are extremely smart but is suppressed by your older brothers. You are good friends with Xin Ziyan but have to pretend to be strangers. You had control of Qing Ming college first but then were forced to turn it over to the Crown Prince. The Emperor’s indifference to you means you have to give the Crown Prince your allegiance but then thanks to his foolishness, you are constantly his scapegoat. You have too many secrets and hidden wounds but no one has ever cared so you learned to be even more ruthless towards yourself.

Reaching for the fabric strips on the table, Zhi Wei slowly wraps it around Ning Yi’s wound and says in a nonchalant voice “You have let me go today so one day, I will also let you go once.”

Unfazed when Ning Yi looks at her with a stunned expression, Zhi Wei returns his gaze calmly.
After a moment, Ning Yi laughs and shakes his head without saying anything.
He has vowed to control his life in his own hands. And what he wants, he will get. She is extremely intelligent but even then, how could she possibly have the chance to control his life?

Reading the doubt in his expression, Zhi Wei doesn’t bother to argue with him but just smiles as she finishing tying the last knot and says “It’s all done.”

 

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