"Sis, it's Xichi. Are you asleep?" A coquettish female voice sounded at the door.
Xichi? Who was she?
As far as Li Qiyu could recall, neither she nor her family had ever mentioned having such a younger sister.
Li Qiyu got up curiously and was about to open the door when Song Jiaye had already taken the lead, pulled the door open and walked out.
Standing by the door, Li Qiyu could still hear the conversation between Song Jiaye and Li Xichi.
Song Jiaye remained as cold as ever. "What are you doing here?"
"Brother Ye, I... I came to see Eldest Sister." Finally, she added, "And I also wanted to see you by the way."
Song Jiaye pulled the half - open door tighter and said to Li Xichi, "Let's go. We'll talk in the yard."
With that, the two walked away. Li Qiyu couldn't hear anything anymore.
It was obvious that they didn't want her to hear.
Li Qiyu pursed her lips. It seemed that Song Jiaye still had many female admirers around him.
However, since Song Jiaye had been lured away by his "favorite concubine", it actually saved her some trouble.
Ignoring the sour feeling welling up in her heart, Li Qiyu buried herself in the quilt like an ostrich.
In the quiet night, the little bit of grievance in her heart was infinitely magnified, turning into boundless panic.
She could no longer hold back her emotions and began to sob softly.
"No, Li Qiyu, you're a daughter of the Li family. Don't cry!"
But the more she said that, the more fiercely the tears flowed.
This was a completely strange environment. How could she not be afraid?
Obviously, her father, elder brother, and even her little nephew looked exactly the same as before, but their identities, clothes, and appearances had all changed. And it seemed that they hadn't lived in the same world as her before.
At first, in the hospital ward, the only people she could see were those few. She didn't know what the outside world was like, so like a newborn calf not afraid of tigers, she thought that everyone just dressed differently.
After all, Li Qiyu considered herself to have seen the world. She had seen foreigners with shaved heads and strange clothes. Not to mention iron beds, when she went horse - racing on the grassland with her elder brother, she had even seen houses made of felt.
But since she left the hospital and returned to the Li Mansion, she found that not only the small ward but also the outside world had completely changed.
Cars running everywhere, and crystal - like reflective buildings everywhere - later she learned that they were called skyscrapers, and the reflective material was not crystal but glass.
What was even more terrifying was that no one understood her.
Everyone thought that the life she had lived and the world in her mind were not real.
But just as they were confused about her, Li Qiyu was equally confused about this world.
Why, although they were her closest relatives and they all recognized her, the things they had experienced in their memories were completely different?
Why was there a voice answering her when there was clearly no one in the room?
Why was the TV so small but could hold so many people?
But she found that the more she asked, the more annoyed her father, elder brother, and sister - in - law would be. Even her little nephew would occasionally get annoyed with her and say, "Why are you so stupid?"
Li Qiyu had her own pride. She was a daughter of heaven, a daughter of the Li family, and a queen.
But she could never be a fool.
So, Li Qiyu stopped asking and started to explore on her own.
At first, the voice from the smart voice system in the room scared her so much that she didn't dare to go back to the room to sleep. But later, she got used to its existence. She regarded it as a talking parrot that wasn't a real person. When she felt too stuffy alone, she would talk to the "parrot" to relieve her boredom.
Moreover, this "parrot" could tell her many things in this world that she didn't understand.
She was addicted to watching TV, especially costume dramas, because that was a world she was familiar with. Although the rules were different, seeing those people wearing clothes like those in her dynasty, with no one playing with mobile phones she couldn't understand, and everyone talking about things like the four arts of the Chinese scholar and horse - riding and archery instead of things like finance and stocks that she couldn't understand at all, she would feel at ease in such an environment.
Of course, occasionally she would force herself to look at things in this world. She wanted to understand this world, but she didn't dare to look on her own and couldn't understand either. Since her father and elder brother were very busy, she could only drag her little nephew to watch with her.
To be more precise, she accompanied her little nephew to watch TV.
So, she had watched "Ultraman", "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf", and "Boonie Bears".
At first, she also thought that everything on TV was real. She was curious why the sheep, flowers, and trees in the TV dramas were different from what she had seen. Later, her nephew Li Tong told her that the things on TV dramas were all fake, just like storybooks and operas, all acted out.
Of course, not everything on TV was fake. There were also real things.
Li Qiyu once saw Song Jiaye on TV.
He was wearing a dragon robe, going to court, leaving court, having meals, and taking a stroll in the imperial garden.
That was just an ordinary day for him in his previous life.
When Li Qiyu saw that scene, it seemed like a different world.
She didn't know what was real and what was fake for a while.
She asked her elder brother, "Is what's on TV real?"
Her elder brother replied, "That's the documentary 'A Day in the Life of an Emperor'. It must be real. Archaeologists have studied it. Don't you know? You fell in love with Song Jiaye because of this documentary."
She didn't understand what her elder brother said later. She didn't know what the word "documentary" meant.
But she understood those five words: "It must be real."
So, in Li Qiyu's understanding, this world was different from the one she was familiar with, and the dynasty had also changed. It was no longer the Mu Dynasty.
But there were also some things that were the same.
For example, Song Jiaye was still the emperor, and she was still his long - suffering wife. Their identities hadn't changed, and presumably, the ending of their story wouldn't change either.
If she stayed by his side, she would only be sad and heart - broken, just like now, watching him leave with another woman.
Moreover, she might even drag the entire Li family down with her.
Just thinking about this made Li Qiyu feel heart - ache.
"Why? I've given you my whole heart and everything, but why do you treat me like this?" She angrily threw off the quilt, sat up, and roared in a low voice.
"No, Li Qiyu, don't cry. No matter how difficult it is, don't cry. At least father and elder brother are still here. It's much better than before." Wiping away her tears, Li Qiyu clenched her fists. "A daughter of the Li family should have integrity!"
Even though this world was completely strange to her, as long as her relatives were still there, there was still hope.
Li Qiyu pulled up her sleeve to wipe away her tears.
Yes, there was still hope.
Stay away from Song Jiaye and then slowly adapt.
Adapt to the environment and adapt to a life without Song Jiaye.
Everything could still be saved.
Li Qiyu didn't know that when she was crying and sniffling, Song Jiaye, standing outside the door, frowned and heard everything.
Could Li Qiyu actually cry?