Tears streaked her eyes as she drifted back to sleep in a daze.
***
The hangover wasn't pleasant. When Shen Yue woke, her temples throbbed with a thousand needle-like pains.
After lying in bed for a while to recover, Shen Yue got up. The warm room was empty, but the charcoal fire was still burning. A maid brought in water, and after a simple wash, Shen Yue tied up her hair.
As the maid was about to leave, Shen Yue asked, "Where is he?"
The maid immediately understood who "he" referred to. "The master is outside."
Although Cheng Qian Gong stayed here in a less than honorable capacity, the people around him still respectfully called him "master." This was Shen Yue's specific instruction. Before this, she didn't want Cheng Qian Gong to be treated poorly.
What Shen Yue didn't know was that Cheng Qian Gong found this extremely ironic. He was nothing more than a plaything, what kind of "master" could he be? He was no longer the man he once was.
Shen Yue frowned. It was so cold outside; what if he caught a cold from the wind?
With that thought, Shen Yue put on a large black cloak and hurried out the door.
The snow had stopped. Icicles hung from the eaves, sparkling and crystal clear. Melted snow water flowed down the overlapping red tiles.
Shen Yue quickly found Cheng Qian Gong.
It was a plum grove. The ice was frosted over, and the plum branches were also coated in frost, standing proudly in the cold wind. The vibrant red petals bloomed defiantly on the branches, so dense they looked like a ball of burning flame.
Cheng Qian Gong stood quietly in the snow, gazing at the plum blossoms.
He must have been standing there for a while. Dewdrops clung to his hair. He wore a white cloak, its fluffy fox fur framing his face. His brows and eyes were as clear and handsome as jade, even more dazzling than the plum blossoms.
Even in his heavy attire, his tall, broad frame couldn't be concealed.
Shen Yue walked over, her footsteps crunching softly on the snow. The sound was faint, but Cheng Qian Gong still heard it.
He turned his head, and Shen Yue had already reached his side.
He was a head taller than Shen Yue, looking down at her. His face was devoid of any expression, his pupils even colder than the snowflakes on the branches.
His long eyelashes, dusted with water, revealed no emotion.
Shen Yue didn't notice his peculiarity. It was truly cold outside, and the warmth from her body had dissipated, causing her to exhale thick clouds of white mist.
She was very sensitive to the cold and shivered slightly.
She even asked Cheng Qian Gong,
"What are you looking at?"
Cheng Qian Gong had maintained his posture, like a frozen sculpture. His movements were still stiff.
He seemed unaffected, his gaze captured by the girl's delicate and beautiful features, his thoughts pausing for a moment.
Cheng Qian Gong slightly lowered his eyelashes and then said in a detached tone, "Nothing. It's cold outside, let's go in."
Shen Yue found his demeanor somewhat strange but couldn't pinpoint why. She could only suppress her doubts, glance at the vibrant plum blossoms, and follow Cheng Qian Gong away.
Cheng Qian Gong, with his long legs, walked quickly, paying no heed to Shen Yue behind him.
Shen Yue didn't voice her thoughts, merely trying her best to keep up with his pace, though a distance remained between them.
The charcoal fire in the room was strong. As soon as Shen Yue entered, warmth enveloped her, feeling comfortable and dispelling the cold from her body.
During breakfast, Cheng Qian Gong was also quiet. While he was naturally a quiet person, today's silence was suffocatingly oppressive.
After the meal, Shen Yue didn't leave. Instead, she sat beside Cheng Qian Gong with a sense of apprehension.
Cheng Qian Gong was playing chess alone. His fingers were long and fair, holding the white jade chess pieces, a truly pleasing sight.
"Cheng Qian Gong..." Shen Yue maintained a normal demeanor, trying her best not to reveal her inner unease.
Cheng Qian Gong looked up, gazing at her quietly. Shen Yue felt that Cheng Qian Gong's eyes were a bit cold, though she wasn't sure if it was due to the lighting.
After a pause, she finally voiced her confusion.
"Are you unhappy?" she asked vaguely, as she didn't know why Cheng Qian Gong was unhappy.
Cheng Qian Gong lowered his gaze, and Shen Yue couldn't discern his expression. She could only hear his faint words, "I'm not unhappy... Your Highness, do you remember what you said?"
Shen Yue was somewhat stunned, not quite understanding Cheng Qian Gong's meaning. She had said so many things; she didn't know which one he was referring to.
Her thoughts were a tangled mess, and Shen Yue couldn't figure it out. Meanwhile, Cheng Qian Gong's gaze grew increasingly calm as time passed.
Shen Yue grew anxious and asked softly, "Which sentence are you referring to?"
"..." Cheng Qian Gong remained silent. He gazed at the seemingly gentle and cautious Shen Yue, his expression faint, his voice devoid of emotion, "It's what Your Highness said about liking."
He looked truly cold, even when speaking words that carried a hint of ambiguity, they were icy.
Shen Yue pursed her lips and involuntarily shifted her gaze. A faint blush colored her earlobes, appearing exceptionally noticeable against her pale skin, as if she were shy.
Her jade-like fingers clutched the hem of her clothes, a sign of her nervousness.
Her heart pounded a little faster, but her voice remained steady, "Of course."
It was more than just a simple "liking"; it was someone she had thought of for years, someone she had always yearned for.
Someone she had liked for a long time, yet never dared to truly touch.
"Then, Your Highness, will you keep only me by your side?"
Cheng Qian Gong's tone was light yet steady, as if he were discussing something of great importance. He gazed into Shen Yue's eyes, which seemed like a dark abyss of a trap, yet were veiled by a thin layer of cobwebs, making them unclear.
The girl nervously clutched his sleeve, seemingly afraid of misunderstanding. After a moment's hesitation, she whispered an explanation, "I haven't touched them, they are merely decorations."
Her dark, moist eyes seemed to hold crushed starlight, shining brilliantly.
It was as if she truly liked him immensely, as deeply as she claimed.
Was this how she acted with every favorite? Did she appear deeply affectionate to everyone, deceiving herself or trying to deceive others?
She spoke those words without any guilt. If not for the marks from the previous night, Cheng Qian Gong might have believed her without question.
He might have believed that Shen Yue's affection was pure and unadulterated.
But, in the end, it was all a lie.
Cheng Qian Gong almost admired Shen Yue's acting skills; she was too good, almost fooling him.
Cheng Qian Gong felt like laughing, but a heavy stone seemed to press upon his heart, making his chest ache. His fingernails dug into his palm, and with great effort, he managed a faint smile.
"I believe you. I believe everything Your Highness says."
"So, send them away."
"I don't like it."
The words "I don't like it" were spoken so lightly, yet Shen Yue held them in her heart.