AWB Chapter 297 How to Express Love
Chapter 297 How to Express Love
"My dear, I am truly a heroine of the Great Zhou. No wonder even that kid Chen Zigui is obsessed with you." He deliberately mentioned Chen Zigui with a barely perceptible hint of jealousy in his tone, trying to test her reaction.
Cen Jiexiao's heart trembled, but she remained composed, maintaining a respectful smile. "Your Majesty, your compliments are unmerited. I, a humble servant, do not deserve such praise. As for Lord Chen, he is merely an old acquaintance of yours."
Chai Zhen's gaze lingered on her face, growing increasingly intense. "Old acquaintance? I've heard he's deeply in love with you." He slowly reached out his hand, his fingertips gently caressing Cen Jiexiao's cheek. His movements were gentle, yet held a hint of irresistible dominance.
"Such a beautiful woman, I can't bear to let her go."
Cen Jiexiao cleverly avoided his touch, still maintaining a decent smile on her face, but her heart was in turmoil.
"Your Majesty, you are joking. My loyalty to you is evident to all." Her tone was firm, yet there was a slight tremor in it.
"What I want is not just loyalty," Chai Zhen's voice was low, with a hint of dangerous magnetism, and the ending tone rose slightly, as if a feather gently brushed across Cen Jiexiao's heart.
"What's more...My dear, the way you look at me sometimes can't deceive me." He paused, staring at her with burning eyes, as if he wanted to see through all her disguises.
His words carried a hint of certainty, a hint of teasing, and even a hint of unquestionable dominance. He slowly reached out his hand again, this time with a more determined gesture, and pulled her into his arms.
Cen Jiexiao felt a warm breath envelop her, the scent of ambergris intensifying, making her feel a little dizzy. His embrace was broad and powerful, with an irresistible attraction. She tried to break free, but it was as if she were under a spell, unable to move. His movements were domineering, yet with a subtle tenderness. This conflicting feeling left Cen Jiexiao at a loss for words, her heart beating like a drum, pounding against her chest.
"I know exactly what you're thinking." Chai Zhen whispered in her ear, his warm breath spraying over her earlobe, a tingling sensation spreading across her, causing her to tremble slightly. His voice was deep and magnetic, as if holding some kind of magic that made her unable to think, leaving her at his mercy.
"I like you, Cen Jiexiao." He paused, his tone became more serious, his eyes full of anticipation.
"Would you like to enter the palace and stay by my side?" This sudden confession was like a thunderclap, exploding in Cen Jiexiao's mind. She had never imagined that the emperor, so high and mighty, would actually say such words to her.
Entering the palace as a concubine, ruling the country as the mother of the nation, this is the glory that many women dream of, but for her, it is like a huge cage that imprisons her. Her heart is full of contradictions and struggles. On the one hand, there is the emperor's favor, and on the other hand, there is the freedom in her heart. She doesn't know how to choose.
Cen Jiexiao's heartbeat suddenly quickened, like a wild horse running free. She wanted to break free, but she didn't dare. Chai Zhen's embrace was too warm, leaving her feeling a little bewildered and flustered. This sudden confession caught her off guard, and her mind went blank.
After a while, Cen Jiexiao regained some of her composure and secretly thought that entering the palace as a concubine was something she had never thought of. She had never thought of being trapped in a canary cage, losing her freedom and herself.
"Your Majesty..." She finally found her voice, but it was still trembling, helpless, and full of indescribable complex emotions.
She only called out "Your Majesty" and could not say anything else. Thousands of words were choked in her throat and turned into a sigh.
"Shh..." Chai Zhen gently placed his slender fingers on her lips, stopping her from continuing. His eyes were deep, like a bottomless pool of water, trying to draw her in. His touch was gentle, yet carried an irresistible dominance.
"You don't have to answer me now. Give me, and yourself, some time to think about it." His voice was gentle, but with a hint of unquestionable firmness.
Chai Zhen let her go, giving her some breathing space, but also left her with a question that she could not escape.
In the following days, Chai Zhen's kindness to Cen Jiexiao became more and more obvious. He would send her precious gifts from time to time, such as pearls from the South China Sea, gems from the Western Regions, and silk from the south of the Yangtze River, all of which were priceless treasures.
He would invite her to enjoy the flowers in the garden, go boating on the lake, and recite poetry. His words were filled with ambiguity, making it difficult for her to resist. He also hinted that if she agreed, he would make her a concubine, second only to the emperor, and enjoy all the wealth and glory. This made Cen Jiexiao extremely troubled.
She had to deal with Chai Zhen's enthusiasm while secretly maintaining contact with Chen Zigui. At this moment, she was like a blade of grass caught between two huge rocks, ready to be crushed into dust at any moment. This double pressure exhausted her physically and mentally, but she had to force herself to cope.
One day, Cen Jiexiao was strolling through the Imperial Garden, trying to relax her frayed nerves. Suddenly, Chen Zigui appeared, blocking her path. His face was pale, and his eyes held a hint of pain, disbelief, and deep hurt.
"Sister Cen, you...you and the emperor..." He hesitated to speak, his voice trembling, as if he couldn't believe what he saw, couldn't believe that the woman he loved so much would actually fall into the arms of the emperor.
Cen Jiexiao's heart tightened. She knew that Chen Zigui had noticed the ambiguity between her and Chai Zhen. She opened her mouth, but didn't know how to explain...
Cen Jiexiao's lips moved, but she seemed to have lost her voice, unable to utter a single word. Her throat felt as if an invisible hand were tightly gripping it, making it difficult for her to breathe. The suffocation came not only from the physical pressure, but also from the psychological weight that made it almost impossible to think. She wanted to explain, but found that a thousand words were stuck in her chest, unable to find a suitable outlet. The floodgates of memory suddenly opened, and those sweet moments she spent with Chen Zigui in Linkang City came flooding back like a tide.
She recalled the first time they went out together after he traveled through time and space to Cen Jiexiao's body. On that rainy afternoon in spring, Chen Zigui held up an oil-paper umbrella for her, and under the umbrella, the two young hearts were close to each other.
She remembered them in the peach blossom forest outside Linkang City, fingers intertwined, peach petals falling on their shoulders like a blessing from heaven. She remembered them boating on the lake under the moonlight, Chen Zigui softly reciting poetry to her, tenderness and sweetness filling the air. She remembered them eating steaming wontons together at a street stall, the simple food filled with the taste of happiness. She remembered...