Situ Haonan spun around abruptly at the sound, and saw a familiar figure standing pitifully in the doorway, tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked at him.

That crybaby!

It had been so long, so very long since he’d seen this crybaby, this little pest who used to follow him everywhere — it felt like something from a past life.

Situ Haonan stood frozen. Ever since learning of City Lord Nangong’s death, he had, in truth, been in a daze the whole time. Only now, seeing Yelu Qianqian, did it feel as though something had struck him hard across the forehead — only now did he seem to truly wake up.

Only now was he finally waking from the pain of losing his closest kin — only now did the world feel real to him again, and only now did he himself feel real.

None of it was false. All of it was true. His grandfather was gone — gone from this world forever.

Whether it was seeing Yelu Qianqian cry, or finally being willing to face and accept the truth of his grandfather’s death, a wave of bitterness suddenly surged up in his chest, and his eyes inexplicably stung, reddening.

He wanted so badly to cry…

But a real man couldn’t shed tears so easily.

That was what his grandfather had taught him.

A real man couldn’t easily make others cry either.

That, too, was what his grandfather had taught him.

Suddenly Situ Haonan roared, his voice slightly hoarse, “What are you crying for? Get over here.”

Yelu Qianqian, who had already been crying tears of both joy and grief, only cried harder at his shout, standing rooted to the spot. “Wuwu… Situ Haonan, I thought I’d never see you again in this lifetime! Wuwu… I really thought we’d never have the chance to meet again!”

“Come here!” Situ Haonan said in a low voice. Right now he wished he could pull Yelu Qianqian into his arms immediately. City Lord Nangong and Jun Beiyue were the two people closest to him in this world, and now Jun Beiyue’s own wife had killed City Lord Nangong — he felt as though his entire world had collapsed. Even with all the strength in his body, his shattered heart no longer had the power to hold up that broken sky.

Now, this girl before him was the only one he could trust — the only one standing on his side, the only one who wouldn’t hurt him.

“Come here!”

Situ Haonan urged again and again, but Yelu Qianqian remained rooted to the spot, sobbing away. Once this girl started wailing, there was no pulling her anywhere until she’d cried herself out.

“Wuwu, Situ Haonan, why are you being so fierce, you jerk, why didn’t you come after me, why, why, why!”

Yelu Qianqian was practically hysterical now. Did this jerk not realize that by not coming after her, it meant he’d truly given up on her, didn’t want her anymore!

“Why! Tell me!” Yelu Qianqian stubbornly demanded an answer.

Situ Haonan had no choice but to rise and walk over to her. His once-clear eyes were now bloodshot, and he stared fixedly at Yelu Qianqian without blinking, seemingly not even registering her accusations, walking toward her step by step.

Suddenly, he pulled her into his arms, one hand around her waist, the other pressed against the back of her head, holding her tight, so very tight.

Situ City was no longer home; with City Lord Nangong gone, there would never again be a place for him in Nangong City. As for Jun Beiyue — he didn’t know how he could ever face him. All he could tell himself was that this vengeance must be repaid.

In all the world, the only thing left to him now was the woman in his arms.

Held like this by Situ Haonan, Yelu Qianqian, far from calming down, cried even harder, even more fiercely.

“Wuwuwu… I thought you didn’t want me anymore, why don’t you want me, why didn’t you come after me, do you know that if you had, I could have been even more selfish!”

“Really, I’m not lying to you!”

“You jerk, it’s all your fault, all because of you, I suffered so much, I don’t want to meet you again in my next life!”

…

He let Yelu Qianqian cry and pound at him without saying a word.

Not until Yelu Qianqian grew tired and quiet did he loosen his hold slightly, cupping her small face and gently kissing her to soothe her sorrow. “You silly girl, weren’t you the one who left me first?”

“But… but… but I didn’t know what else to do back then! My brother, my father emperor…”

As Yelu Qianqian spoke, tears began falling again, dripping down uncontrollably — she truly had been in such a difficult position!

If Jun Beiyue and Ziqing hadn’t found her, if Situ Haonan hadn’t gone to the battlefield and become Xijing’s hero, she truly wouldn’t have known what to do!

Once love and hatred became entangled with family, with the fate of a nation, things could never again be simple, could never again be a matter of loving or hating freely and without restraint!

Yelu Qianqian didn’t have the mind to think through such complicated things, nor did she want to.

All she knew was to cherish the person in front of her.

Perhaps only now could Situ Haonan truly understand Yelu Qianqian’s difficulty, her inner conflict.

But he was, after all, a man, entirely different in nature from Yelu Qianqian. No one knew whether he would forgive, or seek revenge.

Forgive — but how? And revenge — what form would it take?

All of it remained locked away in his heart, unreadable even to General Dugu, who had spent days probing for news.

All the General knew was that Situ Haonan had recently written a letter to Nangong City.

Situ Haonan offered no further explanation to Yelu Qianqian — what couldn’t be changed needed no explaining.

But Yelu Qianqian still wanted to explain herself. “Haonan, I didn’t mean those harsh words. Back then, I was truly furious, truly desperate!”

“Silly girl, it’s all in the past. Live in the present — even sages are cold-blooded, and none of us can be sages,” Situ Haonan comforted her, carefully wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes, gently kissing her eyelids, his cold lips resting against her forehead as he fell silent.

He was tired, so very tired — his body worn from battle, his heart worn as well. He only wanted to lean against her like this, quietly, for a while.

His breathing slowed, grew heavy, the distinctly masculine warmth of his breath brushing against Yelu Qianqian’s face, giving her an inexplicable sense of comfort and security.

Yelu Qianqian, too, unconsciously grew still, lost in the moment.

The two held each other, leaning together for a long, long time, and the suffocating tightness in Situ Haonan’s chest finally eased considerably.

He lifted his head to look at Yelu Qianqian, brushing back her disheveled hair with a large hand, and finally asked, “Weren’t you in Akbachu? How did you suddenly come here? Alone?”

“Ah…!” Yelu Qianqian cried out at once, suddenly remembering what Ziqing had told her. She smacked her own forehead, saying pitifully, “I cried myself dizzy and forgot completely! Han Ziqing is outside — she’s the one who brought me here. She said she’s waiting outside for you, that there’s something she needs to discuss with you, at the east side of the camp.”

“Han Ziqing…” Situ Haonan’s eyes suddenly narrowed, his teeth gritting together as though he’d just heard the name of a mortal enemy.

Yelu Qianqian startled slightly. “What’s wrong? What happened? I kept asking her and she wouldn’t say — what’s going on?”

Looking at Situ Haonan, Yelu Qianqian felt an ever-deepening unease, sensing that this man had suddenly become a stranger to her, radiating a terrifying, murderous aura from every inch of his body.