Chapter 197: Chapter 197: "Then Have You Ever Considered Why That Is?

He had only ever heard her say that her mission in Great Yue was to obtain the Hundred Diseases Pill to save her foster brother.

As for anything else, things between them had been so chaotic lately that he never had a chance to ask more.

A thought occurred to Xie Jinbai, and his gaze darkened slightly.

"You..." His voice was strained. "In your world... you’ve never had a lover, have you?"

Cui Lingyao: "..."

She was speechless for a moment. Seeing the sudden change in his eyes, she said in exasperation, "No!"

"Is that so?" Xie Jinbai stared at her intently. "If you didn’t, why did you hesitate?"

"..." Cui Lingyao took a deep breath, suppressing her irritation. Patiently, she explained, "I just find it frustrating. How unscrupulous must I seem in your eyes for you to think I could be your wife so nonchalantly while my heart belonged to someone else?"

If her heart had already belonged to someone, then no matter how desperate she was to save her brother, she would have found another way to complete her mission.

She wouldn’t have just married him so decisively.

Having been so thoroughly deceived by her, Xie Jinbai was still skeptical.

After a few moments of silence, his lips moved. "How old are you in that world of yours?"

"I’m twenty-one now. Three years ago, I was eighteen."

Cui Lingyao said, "In my world, eighteen is still young. Dating before eighteen is considered puppy love, and teachers and parents wouldn’t approve."

She explained the differences between their two worlds, briefly touching upon the different flows of time. "When I first came to Great Yue, I was only eighteen. I had just finished my college entrance exams and was getting ready to find a nice guy and have a proper romance when the system found me and asked if I wanted to take on this mission with you."

And so, she ended up in a romance with the future Emperor of this other world.

’If you could even call it a romance.’

She seemed quite vexed.

It was unclear if she was vexed about how deeply entangled she had become with him...

...or if she regretted not having that beautiful "first love" she had planned for at eighteen.

Xie Jinbai was extremely displeased, but he had no time to dwell on such things right now.

He desperately wanted to understand her world, to know about her life without him in it—how she grew up, the environment she lived in.

Since they were on the topic, he knew how to prioritize and wouldn’t let a bit of jealousy distract him.

He asked many questions.

Cui Lingyao summoned all her patience and answered his questions one by one.

Piece by piece, she described that world to him, a world with no distinction between ruler and subject, no division between noble and commoner.

Girls could go to school and study, not just be confined to the inner quarters their whole lives.

No matter how noble your birth, how photographic your memory, or how diligent your studies, you couldn’t build a future for yourself.

All your honor and disgrace were tied to the men in your life.

Before marriage, obey your father. After marriage, obey your husband. If your husband dies, obey your son.

If the men of the family rose through the ranks, the women received titles and honors.

But if disaster struck one day, even if you knew nothing and were completely innocent, you would be dragged down into the mud with them.

The Music Bureau was filled with wave after wave of girls, all from wealthy families, who were now official courtesans. They couldn’t even buy their own freedom and had to spend their entire lives on bended knee, serving men.

Were they truly so wicked?

Xie Jinbai listened quietly, not saying a word, but the arm holding her tightened inch by inch.

’So, that’s the kind of world she comes from.’

’Used to being free and unrestrained, completely unfettered.’

’The rules of the Great Yue Clans are too numerous.’

’The class divisions are too stark.’

’That’s why she doesn’t want to stay here.’

Even if he promised her the position of empress, above all others, allowing her to no longer follow those rules but to become the one who made them, she seemed completely uninterested.

Noticing the man beside her had been silent for a long time while his hand on her waist grew tighter and tighter, Cui Lingyao stopped talking and tilted her head up to look at him. "What’s wrong?"

"...Nothing."

Xie Jinbai answered in a low voice, then suddenly leaned down and captured her lips.

It was a very gentle kiss.

The faint scent of cedar filled her senses, and Cui Lingyao’s heart fluttered.

She swallowed, unable to stop herself from wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer. Her lips parted slightly in response.

Their lips and tongues intertwined.

A sweet, tangled passion.

The large hand on the small of her back tightened its grip.

Their lovemaking had ended abruptly moments ago, and neither of them was wearing any clothes.

Now, they could feel every subtle change in each other’s bodies with perfect clarity.

Besides, it was hardly subtle.

His heavy panting stopped abruptly. Xie Jinbai suddenly released her, falling back onto the bed and breathing raggedly.

"..." Cui Lingyao froze.

She blinked. "You..."

"Don’t talk yet." Xie Jinbai covered his eyes with his hand, cutting her off in a rough voice.

It seemed he had no intention of continuing.

Cui Lingyao was silent for a moment, then reached for his wrist. "I can handle it."

Xie Jinbai grabbed her hand in return. "Doesn’t it hurt?"

"..."

Thinking about just now, Cui Lingyao felt a little embarrassed. "I wasn’t thinking about..."

She couldn’t finish her sentence.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she had seemed awfully eager just now.

So impatient that she...

"Yaoyao..." Xie Jinbai sighed softly. "We were husband and wife for three years. Never mind climbing on top of me—even if you sat on my face, you shouldn’t be this embarrassed."

Sat... on his face...

Cui Lingyao was dumbfounded.

Xie Jinbai lay on his side, leisurely admiring her for a moment before suddenly reaching out to pinch her cheek. "What about those three years?"

The question came out of nowhere, and Cui Lingyao didn’t understand at first. "...What?"

Xie Jinbai smiled. "I’m asking if you found someone else during the three years you were back home. You know... dating."

She had just said that after the mission was completed, the flow of time in both worlds was the same.

So, during the three years he was going mad, she had been living her life, day for day, in another world.

From eighteen to twenty-one.

During what she described as a vibrant and colorful university life, had she...

His tone was stiff as he said the last word.

Hearing the word "dating" come from the mouth of a born-and-bred Prince sounded extremely strange to Cui Lingyao.

She froze for a second, then shook her head frantically once she understood. "No!"

Afraid he wouldn’t believe her, Cui Lingyao set aside her annoyance at being interrogated and said earnestly, "By then, you had already taken a concubine. I had completed my mission and left. I never thought I would be able to return to this world. In my eyes, our marriage was over. Even if I had found someone else, it wouldn’t have been a betrayal, and I wouldn’t hide it from you."

Xie Jinbai believed her.

He didn’t believe in anything else, just in her sheer audacity.

She had never been afraid of him.

In his presence, she had always dared to act and dared to take responsibility for her actions.

If she had really done it, she wouldn’t deny it.

Therefore, she really hadn’t been with anyone else during those three years.

As this conclusion settled in his mind, Xie Jinbai felt his throat go terribly dry.

He propped himself up on his hand beside her pillow, looking down at her. "Then have you ever thought about why that is?"

From eighteen to twenty-one.

The age when she said she had the most leisure for romance. Why hadn’t she let any other men get close?

Inside the bed curtains, there was a moment of silence.

Cui Lingyao’s lips moved. "I’ve never thought about it."

"Then think about it now," Xie Jinbai said, pinching her chin to stop her from retreating into her shell. "Think about whether it might have been because of me."

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