After a long time, the two who had been kissing passionately finally pulled apart, but did not let go of each other.
Both were breathing heavily, their exhaled mist intermingling in the air before slowly dissipating into the heavens and earth.
Li Yue Shu's cheeks were a little flushed.
Having lived two lifetimes, she never expected her first kiss to be lost under such circumstances.
Li Yue Shu's gaze flickered, not daring to look Qin Mo Yuan in the eyes.
But the next moment, she suddenly saw Gu He Xuan standing not far away, and she abruptly realized that there were other people around.
"Boom!"
Li Yue Shu felt as if her cheeks were burning, but she did not push away the person in front of her.
Since she had responded to the kiss, it meant their relationship was confirmed.
A kiss between lovers was perfectly normal!
Li Yue Shu thought this, but the shyness on her face was undeniable.
Perhaps sensing the awkwardness of the atmosphere, she quickly spoke to break the silence, "Well... I'm still going to settle the score with you for deceiving me!"
Qin Mo Yuan was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting her first words to be this.
"Heh!"
He couldn't help but chuckle softly, finally truly feeling that A Shu was alive and safe by his side.
The string that had been taut in his heart snapped, and Qin Mo Yuan felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him.
He bent down, burying his face in Li Yue Shu's neck, his voice tinged with a hint of petulance, "A Shu, my hand hurts."
Li Yue Shu instinctively reached out to look at his hand and saw that his thick, handsome hands were covered in frostbite.
Her heart leaped, and her brows furrowed unconsciously, "What happened?"
Before Qin Mo Yuan could speak, Chai Yang walked over, "His Highness was worried that using tools to dig the snow would accidentally injure the young lady, so he insisted on digging with his hands for three whole days."
"For the three days the young lady was in trouble, His Highness ate and slept at Da Geng Mountain, barely closing his eyes. If the young lady hadn't appeared, His Highness might have died."
The Prince would definitely punish that foolish Xing He, and he didn't want to suffer along with him!
Thinking of this, he added, "This subordinate has followed His Highness since childhood and has never seen His Highness value anyone more than his own life."
Qin Mo Yuan was still resting his head on Li Yue Shu's neck. Hearing this, he turned his head slightly and looked at Chai Yang with approval.
After so many years, Chai Yang was indeed the one who gave him the least trouble, unlike that guy Xing He...
Li Yue Shu looked at the frostbitten hands, a hint of heartache flashing in her eyes.
She reached out to get medicine from her sleeve, but Qin Mo Yuan grabbed her hand first.
"Let's go back and change your clothes first."
As he spoke, he also took off his fur coat and draped it over Li Yue Shu.
Applying medicine wasn't urgent. A Shu was soaking wet all over; she must not catch a cold.
Reminded by him, Li Yue Shu realized she was indeed a little cold.
Looking at his clothes, which were still stained with blood, Li Yue Shu frowned.
Qin Mo Yuan knew her concern, and then turned to look at Xing He.
The latter understood immediately and took off his outer garment to hand it over.
In the past, Chai Yang was the one who did such pleasing tasks. He was surprisingly smart today!
As Xing He was gloating, Qin Mo Yuan's voice suddenly rang out, "I seem to have lost something. Xing He, you stay here alone and look for it."
"Yes!"
Xing He thought his recent actions had earned His Highness's favor and happily agreed.
But when he saw everyone else leaving, he was dumbfounded. "Wait... Didn't His Highness say we should all stay and look for it?"
Gu He Xuan glanced back at him and said calmly, "His Highness said you should stay alone and look."
Xing He: "???"
He looked at Chai Yang for confirmation, and the latter honestly nodded.
Xing He's expression froze.
Had he... offended His Highness somewhere again?
Chai Yang looked sympathetic but made no move to stay and help. He quickly turned and left.
Xing He, left behind, watched their retreating backs blankly. He belatedly remembered an important matter, "Don't go! His Highness hasn't even told me what to look for!"
Everyone ran even faster.
...
Upon returning to the yamen, Li Yue Shu learned that Crown Prince Qin Ye Xiu had also arrived and was currently leading people to deal with the disaster relief in Guan Zhou.
Thinking of her experience at Da Geng Mountain this time, the smile on Li Yue Shu's face faded.
She turned to Qin Mo Yuan and asked, "Can I use your people?"
Qin Mo Yuan nodded without hesitation, "From now on, my people are A Shu's people. A Shu, feel free to command them."
Li Yue Shu's lips curved slightly, and then she beckoned to Chai Yang, whispering a few instructions.
Qin Mo Yuan listened from the side, his eyes full of curiosity and confusion, but he did not stop her.
He suddenly remembered what A Shu had told him before the avalanche.
A Shu never killed easily, and she always avenged herself. Why would she specifically instruct him to kill Li Xiang Ru?
She had no interaction with Qin Ye Xiu; why was she now instructing Chai Yang to cause trouble for him?
Qin Mo Yuan was filled with doubt, but he did not ask proactively.
A Shu would tell him what she wanted to say, in due course.
After dismissing everyone, Li Yue Shu took Qin Mo Yuan into the space.
After both had changed into clean clothes, Li Yue Shu began to tend to Qin Mo Yuan's hand injury.
Mother Mo did not disturb them, and they did not speak, making the atmosphere somewhat quiet.
After treating the wound, Li Yue Shu did not tidy up the things on the table. Instead, she looked up at the person in front of her, "Qin Mo Yuan, do you know why I asked you to kill Li Xiang Ru?"
Qin Mo Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He had a feeling that what she was about to say was something earth-shattering.
He shook his head, sat up straighter, and prepared to listen.
Li Yue Shu thought about her words carefully before speaking, "You also know that I am not the original Li Yue Shu, but I am not a monster either. I come from another world completely different from this one..."
She began with her origins and spoke about the essence of this world.
Because of Li Yue Shu's matter, Qin Mo Yuan was very accepting of even the most outrageous things.
However, when he learned that the world he inhabited was just a book, and he himself was a character without even a name, he was still stunned for a long time.
Li Yue Shu knew that such a thing was difficult for anyone to accept, so she did not speak further, allowing him to digest it slowly.
Qin Mo Yuan was not an ordinary person after all.
Even faced with such a situation, he did not panic. After a long period of silence, he grasped the main point, "So, A Shu wants to kill Li Xiang Ru because she is the chosen one of this world?"
"Yes and no," Li Yue Shu mused for a moment before replying, "You and Mother Mo are both characters who had already died in the book. I saved you, and the plot—that is, what you understand as the 'Heavenly Dao'—does not allow such things to happen, so it wants to erase you."
"Your accident at Da Geng Mountain, and all the troubles we've encountered, are the work of the Heavenly Dao."
Qin Mo Yuan was a smart man and naturally understood her meaning.
In the eyes of that so-called Heavenly Dao, he and A Shu were destined to be stepping stones for Qin Ye Xiu and Li Xiang Ru, which was why it tried to take their lives by all means.
Unfortunately, he, Qin Mo Yuan, was not one to believe in fate!
A cold glint flashed across Qin Mo Yuan's eyes, and then he looked at Li Yue Shu, "Can A Shu tell me what kind of story the book you saw depicted?"