Chapter 105: Beneath The Same Moon
The night had long since deepened.
Outside, the entire Xie residence was enveloped in silence. The moonlight filtered through the lattice windows, casting pale shadows across the bedchamber.
Wang Gege stirred. Her eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.
For a fleeting moment, her thoughts were muddled, still lingering somewhere between dream and reality.
Then her vision gradually cleared. She blinked once.
A face was only inches away from hers and it made her heart skip a beat.
The pair of eyes before her quietly met her gaze.
One was hazel. The other shimmered with an unnatural sapphire blue beneath the moonlight.
There wasn’t the slightest trace of drowsiness within them.
It was as though, their owner had been watching her all this time.
Wang Gege froze.
"Young Master?" Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
Xie Rong did not move away. Instead, the corners of his lips lifted ever so slightly.
"Suddenly awake?" His low voice broke the silence of the room. "Did Furen have a bad dream? You’ve been frowning deeply several times."
Wang Gege blinked several times before finally finding her voice.
"I..." She looked at him in bewilderment. "What time is it?"
"It should be a little past midnight." He answered.
She stared at him, then glanced toward the dark window before back at him again. "You haven’t slept?"
Xie Rong remained silent for a brief moment.
"No." His answer was so straightforward that it caught her off guard.
"You’ve... been awake this whole time?" Her eyes blinked a few times.
"Mhm." He hummed as an answer.
Wang Gege couldn’t help but sit up slightly, her expression filled with confusion. "Why?"
Xie Rong looked at her quietly. His voice remained as gentle as ever. "I wished to make sure... that Furen would not have another nightmare."
"I’m sorry if I kept Young Master awake." Wang Gege lowered her eyes apologetically. "I didn’t even realize when I fell asleep."
Feeling increasingly embarrassed, she pushed the quilt aside and began to sit up.
"I’ll sleep in the other chamber so Young Master can finally—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a warm hand gently wrapped around her wrist.
Wang Gege froze. She instinctively lowered her gaze.
Xie Rong’s slender fingers rested lightly against her wrist. He was not gripping her tightly but it was enough to stop her from getting out of bed.
"No." His answer came without the slightest hesitation.
Wang Gege slowly looked back at him. "Young Master—"
Without a word, he gave the slightest tug.
Caught off guard, Wang Gege found herself losing her balance.
Rather than allowing her to stumble, Xie Rong supported her by the shoulder and carefully guided her back onto the bed.
The soft mattress sank slightly beneath her weight. Before she could sit up again, he pulled the quilt over her.
His movements were unhurried and unexpectedly gentle, as though afraid of startling her.
"Young Master..." Wang Gege tried to argue again.
Xie Rong met her bewildered gaze.
"If Furen is still angry with me..." His voice remained calm, carrying neither grievance nor complaint, "then this husband shall sleep in another bedchamber."
Wang Gege was momentarily speechless.
"But tonight..." He lightly tucked the edge of the quilt around her shoulders, "Furen is not leaving this room."
"Young Master, I wasn’t—"
"Rest." His tone was soft, yet left no room for argument. "Everything else can wait until morning."
With those words, Xie Rong slowly rose from the bed. He lowered the bed curtains slightly, careful not to let the cool night breeze drift inside.
Before leaving, he turned back one last time.
Wang Gege remained sitting quietly beneath the quilt, her gaze lowered, refusing to look in his direction.
A faint sigh escaped his lips. "Sleep well, Furen."
He did not wait for a response. Turning around, he quietly walked toward the door.
The bedchamber door opened. Moments later, it closed just as gently behind him.
Silence returned to the room.
Wang Gege continued staring at the spot where he had been standing. Only after she was certain he had truly left did she slowly lift her head.
Her eyes drifted toward the closed door.
"Liar." The word escaped her lips so softly that even she barely heard it.
She slowly curled herself beneath the quilt once more, pulling it up to her chin. She wanted to forgive him, she truly did. But every time she remembered the conversation she had overheard at the palace... Every word he had spoken, her heart tightened all over again.
Wang Gege closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Yet the heaviness in her chest refused to subside. Instead, it only grew more suffocating.
"Ugh."
Frustration swelled inside her until she could no longer bear it. She suddenly kicked the quilt away.
"Why did he really leave?" She puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. "Couldn’t he have coaxed me a little more?"
The moment the words escaped her lips, Wang Gege froze.
"What am I even saying?" She covered her face with both hands. "I’m clearly still angry with him."
Then why...
Why had she secretly hoped he would stay?
Why had she wanted him to explain himself again... Or even shamelessly refuse to leave?
"This is so frustrating." Wang Gege buried her face into the pillow.
"Wang Gege..." She clicked her tongue at herself. "Have you forgotten already? Even your own mother chose herself over you."
"So why are you still foolish enough to believe in love?" She let out a bitter laugh. "Look at you. The moment someone treats you a little kindly... you fall headfirst."
She squeezed her eyes shut. "Once was more than enough."
A familiar figure flashed through her mind.
Tall, quiet and always watching her from afar.
Before she could grasp the image... She forcefully shook her head.
"No. That life is already over. He’s gone. Just like everything else."
She pulled the quilt over her head, as though trying to bury the memories along with herself.
Outside...
The moon hung quietly above the Xie residence.
Xie Rong stood alone in the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back as his gaze rested upon the pale moonlight.
His expression remained unreadable.
Yet the chill surrounding him was enough to keep every servant from approaching.
"Young Master."
A shadow descended soundlessly onto the courtyard.
Gui Lin stepped forward before bowing respectfully, his fists cupped.
"This subordinate greets Young Master."
Xie Rong did not turn around. "Speak."
"We have found the servant who deliberately directed Young Madam to the Punishment Courtyard that day."