Nan Zhiyun didn't receive a response from Yu Jingchen, and her heart grew more uncertain.
"No..." Before Nan Zhiyun could finish speaking, she heard Yu Jingchen say, "Of course. If you don't want to do something in the future, just say so. If you can't do it, just refuse."
Nan Zhiyun couldn't quite believe it, her mind feeling hazy.
"What? Stunned into silence?" Yu Jingchen's lips curved upward.
Seeing Yu Jingchen's faint smile, Nan Zhiyun felt as if her eyes were deceiving her. Was Yu Jingchen smiling just now? And it was a smile devoid of coldness or contempt.
"Your Majesty... this concubine feels it's not real," Nan Zhiyun said.
"Hm? Why isn't it real?" Yu Jingchen asked.
"It just feels unreal, as if in the next moment, all of this will vanish like mist, and I'll never be able to find any trace of it again," Nan Zhiyun voiced her true thoughts.
"Didn't you feel all of this was a dream before?" Yu Jingchen said.
"Yes, but sometimes I felt it wasn't. Your Majesty, this concubine honestly doesn't know if it's a dream anymore. I just feel that Your Majesty seems a bit different from before, and this concubine is afraid that Your Majesty might revert back one day."
"Therefore, this concubine is willing to believe this is a dream, because then I can tell myself it was just waking up from a dream. But if I knew all of this was real, then when it all returns to its origin one day, this concubine fears I wouldn't be able to accept it," Nan Zhiyun replied.
Yu Jingchen hadn't expected Nan Zhiyun to say something like this, nor had he anticipated that she felt this way.
He reached out and held Nan Zhiyun's hand, which rested on her knees. "So, what do you think all of this is, truly?"
"This concubine feels it's real," Nan Zhiyun said.
"Mm, it's real, so?" Yu Jingchen's tone was calm.
"So... Your Majesty, this concubine begs you, please don't go back to how you were before, okay?" Nan Zhiyun gently tugged at Yu Jingchen's sleeve, her voice full of entreaty and humility.
Yu Jingchen remained silent for a moment, making Nan Zhiyun increasingly uneasy. She even wondered if she was pushing her luck too far.
But just as she was about to say something, Yu Jingchen spoke to her, "It won't be the same as before."
"And there's no need to be so cautious in the future," he added to his previous statement.
"Can it be? So Your Majesty doesn't detest this concubine anymore?" Nan Zhiyun asked.
"I don't detest you. Don't overthink it," Yu Jingchen replied.
Perhaps these words struck a chord in Nan Zhiyun's heart. Upon hearing the latter part of his statement, tears began to stream down her face like a broken dam.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying again? I already said I don't detest you," Yu Jingchen said, a hint of helplessness in his voice. He then slightly opened his arms, leaving Nan Zhiyun looking bewildered.
"Give me your hand," Yu Jingchen prompted her.
Nan Zhiyun gently raised her hand and, with some uncertainty, placed it in Yu Jingchen's palm. To her surprise, Yu Jingchen gently pulled her closer, causing Nan Zhiyun to stumble into his embrace.
Nan Zhiyun's heart skipped a beat, and she felt a sense of helplessness. Yu Jingchen's arm wrapped around her back, pulling her closer into his embrace.
"This is an exception, just this once. I'll allow you to cry this time, but no more after this. You mustn't push your luck again," Yu Jingchen said, genuinely at a loss for what else to do.