Her mood rose and fell with the raindrops, unable to find peace.
"Your Majesty, don't be so distressed," Donghua said consolingly as he watched Dongfang Yi in such a state.
But she didn't say a word upon hearing this. Was she really distressed? And what on earth was she distressed about?
She knew in her heart that she wasn't bothered by all these noisy affairs, but heart - broken by Helian Qi's indifferent attitude.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help shaking her head, trying to fling all these troublesome thoughts out of her mind.
At present, the most important thing for her was to sort out herself and everything else. Otherwise, she might bring some disaster upon herself.
Just as she was thinking, there suddenly came a shout from outside the palace. It was Granny Li from the Empress Dowager's palace.
"Empress, the Empress Dowager says she wants you to give her an explanation right away," she said.
Dongfang Yi squinted slightly at the woman in front of her. Sure enough, it came. When it came to worrying about the royal dignity, the first one was undoubtedly the Empress Dowager. Now that she had sent someone to find her, it was within her expectation.
After thinking it over, she said to Granny Li, "What's the rush, Empress Dowager! I will surely give her an explanation!"
Only then did Granny Li leave the Empress's palace. The heavy rain soon blurred her back.
After she left, Dongfang Yi sat back on the chair again, but couldn't figure out who was secretly trying to harm her.
Just as she was thinking, she heard a commotion in front of the palace gate. She looked over there warily.
Then she saw Helian Qi standing in front of the palace gate. His hair was a bit damp, and even the clothes on his shoulders were a little wet from the rain.
Presumably, he had walked in a hurry on the way, so he had been caught in the rain.
As soon as Dongfang Yi saw him, her heart tightened uncontrollably. Then she shifted her gaze and asked unhappily, "What are you doing here?!"
She hadn't forgotten how he had left with Concubine Chu just now. So what was he doing here now?
It was really annoying of Xiaoqian not to announce his arrival in advance.
She didn't even realize that she was getting angry for no reason, and all her grievances were because of the man in front of her.
But Helian Qi didn't answer her question. He ignored her impending anger.
Instead, he slowly walked up to her, raised his hand, and stroked her forehead hair.
He had thought a lot on the way. The raindrops beside him were constantly falling, which made him remember that rainy afternoon when he and that woman had embraced under an umbrella.
Thinking of the things he had been keeping from her, he couldn't help feeling reluctant. He knew she must be heart - broken at this moment.
And he remembered that last time he had blindly tried to protect her, but in the end, he had pushed her further and further away.
After all these thoughts, he understood that this time he couldn't keep anything from her anymore.
Because he could no longer bear the pain of losing her again.
After thinking this over, he found that he had unconsciously walked in front of her palace. So he didn't hesitate and walked in.
Dongfang Yi could feel his cold fingertips on her forehead. She frowned unhappily. She was still angry about what he had done just now, but he looked as if nothing had happened.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help getting angry. She quickly brushed off his hand on her forehead hair and asked sharply, "What are you doing?!"
Helian Qi looked at her like this and couldn't help smiling helplessly. Then he asked in a helpless tone, "Are you angry?"
His voice was very gentle, completely different from his usual cold look. Dongfang Yi's heart trembled at the sound.
Her eyes began to turn red uncontrollably.
No matter how strong she was, she was just a woman. When faced with things she couldn't solve, she would be nervous and scared. But since there was no one behind her, she could only pretend to be strong.
But she couldn't resist a soft word from the man she loved.
Helian Qi could see the abnormality in her expression and the redness of her eyes. He felt a pang of heartache immediately. He pulled her into his arms and comforted her by stroking her back, saying, "It's all my fault. Don't be angry."
In Dongfang Yi's memory, the man in front of her had never shown such weakness before. Even at the very beginning, his kindness to her had been aloof.
He had never been so intimate that she felt no distance at all.
Her restless heart finally calmed down because of his comfort and embrace. Tears welled up in her eyes and fell down.
Helian Qi could feel her tears soaking into his neck. He felt even more heartache for her and kept stroking her back.
"Don't cry. It's my fault."
The more he said this, the more aggrieved Dongfang Yi felt. Her tears fell even more fiercely, as if she was going to vent all the sadness pent up in her chest.
It was just right that it was raining. The loud sound of the rain could surely cover up her crying, so that no one would find out her weakness.
Helian Qi didn't expect that she would be so out of control. Usually, she was always too strong, so people always forgot her little - woman side.
After about a quarter of an hour, she finally calmed down. She pulled herself out of his arms and then turned around, not wanting him to see her embarrassed appearance.
"Do you feel better?" Helian Qi asked.
There was a faint smile on his lips. In fact, he didn't like to see her always looking so strong. Her occasional wilfulness and loss of control made him feel that she needed him. This was the feeling of happiness, wasn't it?
Dongfang Yi nodded heavily. Then she turned back, looking at him resentfully and asking again, "What are you doing here?!"
Helian Qi found her like this quite amusing. He thought to himself that she was really an ungrateful little woman. She had cried to her heart's content in his arms just now, but now she was asking such a heartless question.
So he raised his eyebrows and told her, "I came to watch you cry."
His teasing words made Dongfang Yi blush.
"Then... what were those words you said just now?!" she asked, lowering her head and stammering a bit.
She had clearly heard all those comforting words in her ears. She had clearly heard him apologizing to her.
"What are you apologizing for?" she also raised her eyebrows and asked the man in front of her.
Raising her head, with her eyes a bit swollen and red, she looked indescribably cute. Helian Qi immediately felt himself falling.
Then he lowered his head and kissed the lips of the woman who was still asking questions.
The softness and sweetness on his lips were exactly the touch and taste he remembered.