Yang Ruoning and A Jing lay side-by-side on the narrow bed. Yang Ruoning waited for a moment, but A Jing remained motionless. She asked softly, "What should we do next?"
"What else should we do?"
"Have the people outside left?"
"Not yet."
"Ha, then it's best they leave quickly," Yang Ruoning said, sitting up and starting to stretch. It had been a while since she had stretched, and she wasn't particularly flexible. The sudden movements caused her to let out involuntary sounds.
"Ah, ah, ah, it hurts, it hurts... A Jing, help me again..."
In the darkness, though she couldn't see A Jing's face, she could clearly feel him trying his best not to laugh. He reached out and gently pressed her body down a little further. "What are you doing?"
"It's too strange to just pretend to make these sounds, so I need some help," Yang Ruoning replied. "You make a couple of sounds too, so it seems real."
"No need," A Jing refused immediately.
"Why? Can't men make sounds?" Yang Ruoning fumbled for A Jing in the darkness.
"What are you doing?" A Jing grabbed her wrist sharply. "Stop touching me."
"Ah, here," Yang Ruoning's other hand traced his shoulder, then his chest, before landing a punch. She hit him a bit too hard, and A Jing grunted, caught off guard. Outside the tent, a few muffled laughs could be heard. Yang Ruoning said triumphantly, "See?" She then punched him again, harder this time, eliciting a louder groan from A Jing.
They maintained their awkward positions and waited for a while. The outside seemed to have quieted down. After a long pause, Yang Ruoning finally asked in a low voice, "Did they leave?"
"Yes, they left."
Yang Ruoning finally let out a sigh of relief. She released A Jing and collapsed onto the bed. A Jing, however, got up and moved away from the bed. "Where are you going?"
"I'll sleep here."
Her eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. Though she couldn't see clearly, Yang Ruoning could vaguely make out a dark silhouette by the bed.
A Jing sat on the floor, leaning against the bed.
Then, silence. After the charade they had just put on, as they were finally alone together, an awkward atmosphere slowly crept in. This awkwardness made Yang Ruoning feel as if she had to breathe cautiously.
"Are you leaving tomorrow?" Yang Ruoning, unable to bear the silence any longer, finally spoke first.
"Yes."
"Oh," Yang Ruoning replied, unsure of what else to say. She thought this might be the last time they saw each other.
"Are you going to see General Luo?" Yang Ruoning asked, trying to make conversation.
"...Yes, A Jing needs to report back."
"If possible, could you not mention me to anyone?" Yang Ruoning turned sideways, looking towards the dark silhouette by the bed.
"Why?" The silhouette turned to look at her, his eyes remarkably bright in the darkness.
"It's nothing... I'm just an insignificant little slave you happened to meet here; besides, this is likely the last time we'll see each other, so... can we just consider it a little secret between us?"
"We will never see each other again in this life?" he asked.
"Yes, probably. Oh, right, thank you for teaching me how to ride a horse," Yang Ruoning suddenly remembered something. "Let me give you a parting gift."
She nudged herself towards the edge of the bed, closer to A Jing. "You know, I have a bit of a foresight ability now and then."
"Oh, really?" A Jing's voice rose, betraying his curiosity.
"Yes, when I came here, I saw the future of Da Song," Yang Ruoning said. "I saw Luo Yuan becoming emperor, so you should perform well and flatter him a lot. You'll have a good position and a big house in the future."
"Is that so?" his tone was full of doubt.
"Really, believe me. If we were in Bianliang, I could even show you the prophecy, but not now," Yang Ruoning continued, trying to dispel his doubts. "I saw his coronation ceremony, and I saw his beautiful empress..."
"So... you... also saw the empress... Who is she?"
"How would I know the empress? But I know she is beautiful. I read in novels that Luo Yuan has a cousin with whom he had a betrothal since childhood. I wonder if it's her?"
A Jing lowered his head. "So that's how it is. Now I understand..."
Human gossip is an innate instinct. Yang Ruoning found her tongue. "So you know Luo Yuan's cousin? Ah, never mind, you probably don't."
"General Luo..." A Jing looked up, his voice slightly louder. "Once told me that when he was young, he met a woman by chance. Later, that woman had to return to her hometown. Before she left, she told him to wait for her. He waited for her for fifteen years."
"Wow, I wouldn't have thought you'd believe such common gossip, haha," Yang Ruoning laughed. "Luo Yuan is the emperor. He will marry many, many women and have many, many children with them. Even if he told you this story is true, it's just a romantic interlude from his time living among the people. Moreover, I think this story is rather ordinary. I prefer stories about Luo Yuan and the top courtesan."
"Yang Ruoning, sometimes, you are truly foolish," he said.
"I'm foolish? Well, you're the second person to tell me that... but I don't mind," she said, unconcerned about others' opinions, and continued with what she wanted to say. "Look, not all women dream of meeting a handsome prince and living happily ever after. But you know, all fairy tales end there. They never tell you what happens next. Phenylethylamine makes people fall in love; norepinephrine makes people feel excited when they're in love; endorphins make people happy in love. Love is actually a product of hormones, but how can the body secrete hormones indefinitely? It secretes them for a maximum of two years. So when the hormones stop secreting, love will eventually fade. If I were that woman, and if... I mean, if I fell in love with the emperor... I wouldn't live like that. I would have a passionate, earth-shattering love, and then when the hormones stopped, I would leave gallantly. I don't want to live in a luxurious prison. Even if that person is precious and I love him dearly, I value myself more. I wouldn't put myself through suffering. If I can't have him completely, I'd rather have nothing."
"So romantic relationships can sometimes be very cruel," Yang Ruoning turned over and looked at the dark silhouette by the bed. "In fact, it's very, very difficult for two people to stay together for a lifetime. Often, love alone is not enough. What do you think?"
Silence, a dead silence. The figure by the bed became extremely stiff. Yang Ruoning thought he probably didn't understand what she was saying. She explained, "Oh, I have many strange ideas, if you didn't understand..."
A Jing suddenly interrupted her. "Why did you come here?"
"I told you, I was knocked unconscious and sold here."
"...You said you came from a very far place. Why did you come here?"
"I came because my family is here."
"Family?"
"Yes, family... My story is very long, anyway, my family is here. They are in danger, and I need to protect them."
"Your family... Who are they?"
"I can't tell you."
"Why do you never tell me?!"
Yang Ruoning found this a strange question. They had only known each other for just over a month. Why would she tell him such personal matters? Had she done something to mislead him? She changed the subject. "A Jing, do you have family?"
"Only a wife who just married me."
"Oh..." Yang Ruoning thought, *What the fuck, A Jing, you little rascal, you have a wife.*
"But she told me she's preparing to leave me..."
"..."