Resting her head on Ji Shisu's arm, Zhao Luoning found a comfortable position.
Ji Shisu, however, was in for a bit of torture.
Thankfully, after a year of close and intimate co - existence, their relationship had taken a qualitative leap.
At least when he let his hands wander, Zhao Luoning would no longer be as repulsed as before.
When Ji Shisu slipped his hand under her clothes, Zhao Luoning still felt a bit embarrassed.
She reached out to stop his wandering hand, but unexpectedly, he attacked her earlobe.
Ji Shisu gently bit her earlobe, and she immediately shrank her neck.
"What are you doing!"
"I miss you."
Zhao Luoning's face flushed instantly.
Although they didn't share a bed very often, Ji Shisu would try his best to see her whenever he was free. So they met more often than when they were in Huangcheng.
So, Ji Shisu's so - called "missing" her clearly didn't just mean it in the literal sense.
Over the past year, Ji Shisu had kissed and touched every part of Zhao Luoning's body.
But they had never taken the final step.
The incident at Tianxiang Tower was still a hurdle for Zhao Luoning.
Over the years, thanks to Ji Shisu's unremitting "efforts", Zhao Luoning no longer repulsed such things. In fact, she would even have a reaction when Ji Shisu kissed her.
In the heat of passion, she wanted to give herself to Ji Shisu.
But every time they were on the verge of taking that step, she would suddenly regain her senses.
If Ji Shisu knew what had happened to her...
Would they still be as loving as they were now?
Zhao Luoning had no confidence in Ji Shisu, nor in herself.
The more time she spent with Ji Shisu, the more afraid she was that he would find out the truth.
She didn't know if she could bear the days without him.
Ji Shisu knew about Zhao Luoning's mental block.
He was the one who had created this block in the first place.
He was as conflicted as Zhao Luoning.
So although it was extremely difficult for him to hold back every time, when he thought about the harm he had caused to Zhao Luoning the first time, he forced himself to let her go.
He would wait for her to let go of that incident and truly accept him without any reservations.
Seeing that Zhao Luoning seemed a bit scared, Ji Shisu stopped at the right moment. He helped her tidy up her clothes and then hugged her.
"Go to sleep. I'll be with you."
Zhao Luoning knew full well that he was taking her feelings into account. Gratefully, she buried her head in his chest and silently said, "I'm sorry."
With Ji Shisu by her side, she slept soundly without any dreams that night.
It was the first time Zhao Luoning had slept in since she came to Shiguan.
When she opened her eyes, the bright sunlight had already filled the room.
The space beside her was empty.
Two hours ago, Jing Su and Gui Su had been waiting outside the door.
When they heard movement in the room, they gently pushed the door open. Seeing that Zhao Luoning was about to get up, they stepped forward to attend to her toiletries.
The two maids could only do some simple hair buns.
As they fumbled to fix Zhao Luoning's hair, they said,
"Milady, Young Master Zhao has been waiting for you for a long time. Do you want to go and see him?"
"Zhao Luoming?"
As if on cue, just as she was thinking about Zhao Luoming, Zhao Luoming, who had been waiting outside for over an hour, came in on his own.
"Elder sister?"
"What's the urgent matter that you've come to see me about?"
Jing Su and Gui Su sensibly carried the washing water out of the room, leaving it for the siblings to talk.
"These are troubled times. There are many family affairs and no one to take care of them. I've come specially to bid farewell to elder sister."
After all, they were only siblings in name. Zhao Luoning didn't try to persuade him to stay. She said,
"I'll go and prepare some dry rations and silver for you. Be careful on the road."
Zhao Luoming nodded, and then suddenly seemed to remember something. He mumbled a few words.
Zhao Luoning didn't catch what he said clearly. She asked, "What's wrong?"
Thinking of her father's increasingly haggard figure over the past year, Zhao Luoning finally relented.
"Elder sister, where on earth have you hidden mother? Father has been looking for her for a year. I just can't bear to watch."
The mother Zhao Luoming referred to was Lady Zhao.
Although Zhao Luoming was the son of the second lady of the Zhao family, as a concubine - born son, he had to respectfully address the legitimate mother as mother.
Zhao Luoning never expected this.
Her muddle - headed father could be so persistent.
Even after a year, he still hadn't given up looking for mother.
But Zhao Luoning wasn't touched at all.
Whenever she thought of the decades of suffering her mother had endured in the Zhao family, she got angry.
It had been so hard to convince her mother to change her mind and agree to move out of the Zhao Mansion. Zhao Luoning wasn't going to push her mother back into that fire pit.
Deeply in love? In this world, the person least worthy of this title was him!
Seeing Zhao Luoning's sudden change of expression, Zhao Luoming sighed.
This was the result he had expected.
Father had brought this on himself in the end.
Seeing this, Zhao Luoming didn't try to persuade her any further.
Just then, someone came to see Zhao Luoning. Zhao Luoming sensibly took his leave.
Zhao Luoning asked Jing Su to arrange a carriage to take him out of Huangcheng.
After everything was settled, Zhao Luoning got up to receive the visitor.
General Lian had, out of consideration for her and Ji Shisu as a couple, specially given her an outer wing - room of the mansion as a separate residence.
Although the wing - room was connected to the mansion, it had its own small entrance.
People who came to see her only needed to inform General Lian. There weren't as many check - points as in the main mansion.
There wasn't a proper living room in the separate residence. Generally, guests were received in an unoccupied room or in a pavilion.
This time was no exception.
The guards led the visitor to the pavilion and then left to attend to their own business.
When Gui Su accompanied Zhao Luoning to the pavilion, they saw that in the large pavilion, there was only a young girl in a light - yellow silk dress sitting alone.
As they got closer, Zhao Luoning recognized the visitor.
Liu Qingyun.
Zhao Luoning vaguely remembered the first time she had seen her.
At that time, although she wasn't exactly happy, at least her life was peaceful.
During this period, Zhao Luoning felt the most sorry for her.
She was originally the most non - controversial person, but was forced to stand at the forefront of the storm.
She was the kind of person who couldn't even bear to hurt a flower or a grass, but now had to face killing and death.
"Gui Su, go and bring a cup of tea. This is an old friend of mine. We might talk for a while."
Gui Su didn't realize that Zhao Luoning was trying to get rid of her. She readily agreed.
After making sure she was far away, Zhao Luoning dared to walk up to the pavilion and softly called out.
"Qingyun?"
Liu Qingyun then came out of her thoughts and looked up at Zhao Luoning.
When she saw her, her eyes immediately turned red.
"Luoning, I've finally seen you."
She must have gone through a lot of hardships to be here.
"Take your time and tell me what's going on."
"Luoning, I know it's a big trouble, but could you please find a way to hide me? You're the only one I can trust in this world."