The figure of that muddled and naïve little girl was blurring and fading away. Nangong Jingnu was bathed in the light, while she herself… stayed within the filthy darkness, carrying a secret that could be exposed at any moment.

The west? Qi Yan’s bedchamber was in the west garden! Nangong Jingnu sprinted out, then her petite body quickly disappeared among the crowd… Qi Yan could not see at night. He would not be able to run away! You have to be alright!

But you said to me: all of everything was just a mirage. ‘You’ were not a gentleman, and even your name was fake. How can that be possible? How could we be… enemies who cannot live under the same sky? You clearly… treated me sincerely. Qi Yan… How could you?

She suddenly understood why Qi Yan would choose to cross-dress for so many years. In this world… It was truly difficult for women to progress for a single step.

She was a true failure. She was born with the identity of a woman, causing her mother’s hopes to fall flat. And as a Prince, she could not face the imminent battle with Khagan Father. She could not even protect her younger sister…

Her gaze swept over Qi Yan’s inky brows, then to his long and dense eyelashes. Seeing that scar on his left cheek which was just as startling to see despite its fainter color, her gaze turned even more tender.

The sound for midnight rang very soon, but Nangong Jingnu had only read half of the books. Qi Yan had sharp insight and penetrative criticism; there was not a single useless sentence throughout the work. Each word cut straight to the point.

Qi Yan’s singing voice was very moving to hear. There was a slight clarity in her mildly husky voice, and the leisurely tune was just like her usual speaking pace. It was neither too slow nor too fast, but it did not lose the strength of the grass plains.

Some people had even deduced that the hermit shepherd should be in his forties, simply because it was impossible to achieve that profound strength in his brush strokes or learn such comprehension of calligraphy in a short amount of time.

Nangong Jingnu pushed the door open, then the two of them nearly bumped into each other. Qi Yan instinctively wanted to run, but when she saw that the person in the painting was actually right before her, she was stunned on the spot.

Qi Yan suppressed her wistful thinking. She raised her hand slowly as she wished to caress Nangong Jingnu’s thinned face, but Nangong Jingnu grabbed Qi Yan’s hand right away to bite the back of her hand harshly.

A year later 🥺❤️

i’ll worry about the setup another day bc i didn’t expect the standee to be bigger than qi yan’s ten inch BUT LOOK WHO’S HEREEEEE 😍🫶

Part 2: Qijing vs Qiya shippers during the banquet scene dhdjsj sorry but i’m livinggg for the drama 😭

The soundly sleeping Nangong Jingnu looked so fragile, yet tranquil. If Qi Yan had even a shred of malice, Nangong Jingnu would have already died a hundred times over.

Just as she was about to throw a temper, she met a tender gaze. She lost her temper at once. Nangong Jingnu was both angry and embarrassed: she was angry that she was such a loser to fall for all of this person’s tricks. And yet, she was somewhat happy in the bottom of her heart

Qi Yan still loved Nangong Jingnu deeply, but this love was mixed with too many other elements. It was no longer pure.

“I won’t lose.” Qi Yan was silent for a long while, then she answered gently: “This subject will absolutely not live alone.” Nangong Jingnu: “We won’t lose.”

There was a soft sensation on her lips, but she did not actually know what the next step was supposed to be. She just wanted to stop this mouth from saying what she did not want to hear. She did not dare to hear it…

Just as she had expected, Nangong Jingnu did not respond. Qi Yan took a deep breath. She held Nangong Jingnu while she pressed her chin to her forehead: “Your Highness… I’m actually just like you. I’m a woman too.”