Can You Keep Me Company?

The heavy rain had yet to stop when the two of them entered Qianqing Palace.

Xiao Bing still possessed some cultivation, which was just enough to keep the rain from touching them.

"Why is it raining so heavily..."

Not a drop of rain had touched either of them. Xiao Bing complained under her breath before hurrying over to knock on the door.

"Your Majesty, Mister Chu is here..."

Her room was right next to Ye Qinglian's, so she could immediately notice anything that happened.

She had heard Ye Qinglian's cry when the first thunderclap sounded. Hearing her call out Chu Ning's name, she had gone to find him at once.

There was movement from inside the room, and Chu Ning entered without hesitation.

Under the dim yellow lamplight, Ye Qinglian was lying against the bed, her face pale. The moment she saw Chu Ning arrive, her gaze turned to him, as if she had been anxiously waiting for him.

"You... you're not dead?"

Chu Ning frowned slightly as he walked to Ye Qinglian's side and sat down beside the bed, taking her hand, which was already almost icy cold.

"How could I be dead?"

Ye Qinglian shook her head vigorously, her thoughts a mess as she gave a bitter smile.

"I just dreamed that someone had taken your head, then carried it to find me..."

Chu Ning waved his hand to signal Xiao Bing to leave, then smiled faintly at Ye Qinglian.

"You really have been too idle lately. Why think about such things when you have nothing to do? How about I give you a few memorials to read tomorrow and help you regain the feeling you had before becoming pregnant? Then you won't spend all day imagining things."

Ye Qinglian looked at Chu Ning with complicated emotions and explained, "My brow kept twitching just now, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. I couldn't rest properly, and then I dreamed about... You really aren't dead?"

"Uh... Were you hoping I'd hurry up and die? Could you raise the child by yourself?"

That was right.

Of course, she hadn't been hoping for Chu Ning to die...

She had merely felt relieved.

This was the Chu Ning she knew.

Ye Qinglian let out a long breath.

"I don't know why I suddenly dreamed of that, but seeing you has finally put me at ease."

Chu Ning smiled and tightened his grip on the woman's hand.

This had not happened to Ye Qinglian, but the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty would probably be unable to sleep through the night.

"It's fine. Don't worry. I'm here. It's still early, so get some more rest."

Ye Qinglian's expression gradually calmed, and her mood settled as well.

It really had only been a dream, though she couldn't help feeling that it was some sort of omen.

"Now that we're about to have our Grand Wedding, I'm worried that people from the other dynasties will come looking for trouble. By custom, Great Zhou has to send invitations to the other four great dynasties. The others should be manageable, but the Luohan Dynasty..."

"I'm worried that even if they don't dare to cause trouble openly, they'll certainly do something behind the scenes. Elder Fang and I have the highest cultivation in the palace. During this time..."

Her brow began twitching again as she looked at Chu Ning before murmuring in a low voice,

"During this time, stay near me. If anything happens, I can look after you..."

Chu Ning paused, then the corners of his mouth lifted.

"Are you worried something will happen to me? You care about me that much?"

Ye Qinglian's face flushed slightly, and she pressed her lips together.

"I already told you, I won't kill you. Naturally, I won't let anyone else kill you either. Elder Fang has to patrol the entire palace, and he won't set foot in the Inner Palace. My cultivation is very high, so I can keep you safe."

"It has nothing to do with what you're thinking. I advise you not to overthink it. And you won't be staying in my bedchamber either. There's another room next door..."

After saying this, she was still afraid that Chu Ning might misunderstand, so she explained again, "You're merely the father of my child. If something happened to you, how would that be any different from me killing you with my sword early?"

Ye Qinglian's words usually carried a distinctly threatening tone, but now she was lying in bed, clutching Chu Ning's hand tightly. Her words sounded far more like arrogance and an attempt to hide her feelings.

"You... can at least help with some things. It's inconvenient for me to handle everything alone..."

She did not know why she cared so much about this man at that moment. After that dream, she seemed especially afraid of losing him.

Their relationship had gone no further than holding hands, with the only more excessive incident being when he had stolen a kiss. Aside from that, they had barely done anything.

Although Ye Qinglian usually found Chu Ning exceptionally annoying, that was only on the surface. Even as a monarch and a powerful cultivator, she could not simply disregard his concern for her...

That bastard is better off alive. He absolutely mustn't die for no reason...

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes. Naturally, he would not refuse this proposal.

This was a great opportunity!

Only, his gaze slowly moved down from the woman's face.

She had suddenly sat upright and leaned against the headboard. Her only cover was now the dark yellow Dragon Pattern bellyband, which tightly wrapped around that expanse of snowy white.

Ye Qinglian's gaze grew hesitant.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Could it be..."

As if she had noticed something, she followed Chu Ning's gaze downward...

"Who told you to stare wherever you wanted!"

That was it!

This was the familiar feeling!

A smile appeared on Chu Ning's face.

This was his Child's Mother. She had suddenly become so gentle that he had almost failed to recognize her...

Ye Qinglian covered her chest in shame and fury, glaring at Chu Ning fiercely.

"You're still looking!"

"Why can't I look at my own wife?"

"You!"

She gritted her teeth. "You're merely the father of my child right now. Do you really think every good thing in the world will fall into your lap? Get out!"

Chu Ning sighed when he heard this, releasing her hand and getting to his feet.

"All right, then I won't look. I'll go rest. You should get some rest too..."

However, before he could turn around, Ye Qinglian grabbed him with a flushed face.

Shame and anger flickered in her eyes, but she still spoke in a trembling voice.

"You... Aren't you usually shameless? Why are you acting like this now..."

She could not bring herself to say the rest.

She did not understand why she had suddenly tried to keep Chu Ning from leaving. The man before her was obviously incapable of behaving himself and would certainly look around and make shameless comments. Yet now that she was carrying his child, she felt that he was actually quite decent. Besides, before long, they would be husband and wife in name as well as in fact...

That dream had given her too great a shock. If Chu Ning had truly died, she did not know what she would do afterward. Only after seeing the utterly real Chu Ning before her did her heart finally settle a little.

She released his hand, wrapped the quilt around herself, and lowered her head tightly, her expression captivating.

"Could you... keep me company?"

"Just stay and chat with me. If you're really tired, you can leave..."