mesbooks Chapter 287
Chapter 287
The door gap widened, and a thin, frail body squeezed through the crack. In the darkness, Nalan Jingwen could see it clearly.
The timid and cowardly boy, dressed in a thin white undergarment, stood at the door during the day. He lowered his head, seemingly out of fear, his fingers twisting his clothes incessantly. His dark hair was draped over his body, and his thin frame trembled as the night wind blew by.
Nalan Jingwen waved his hand, and the candlelight in the room was relit, making the view even clearer.
The boy seemed startled, shrinking back slightly, his clear, pure eyes looking at her with fear.
Nalan Jingwen's expression was not good, but he suppressed his temper and asked, "What is it?"
The boy clutched the hem of his clothes helplessly and whispered, "Could... I come in?"
"...It's a bit cold outside."
Nalan Jingwen rubbed his temples and quickly dressed. "Come in."
The boy, having received permission, quickly closed the door and entered. Nalan Jingwen frowned as he looked at the veil on the boy's face.
"It's so late, is there something you need, Your Highness?"
He looked up at Nalan Jingwen, then quickly lowered his head again, "I...I'm sorry..."
"I...I'm scared to sleep alone..."
"Sorry……"
"Auntie is very tired...I'm scared..."
He paused, then glanced at Nalan Jingwen again, a look that Nalan Jingwen found somewhat amusing.
"My aunt said you're a good person..."
After he finished speaking, he lowered his head and stood there awkwardly.
He spoke haltingly, but Nalan Jingwen understood. He was afraid to sleep alone, and Xiao Congyu was too tired. He was embarrassed to trouble her, so he came to find him.
Her temple throbbed, and she almost laughed.
It's true that people can laugh when they're speechless.
"Who told you I'm a good person?"
The boy's eyelashes fluttered, his head drooped even lower, and he murmured, "Auntie..."
He paused after speaking, then mustered his courage to look up at her, "My aunt said you're a good person, so it's okay..."
"You don't need to be afraid of me."
So according to his logic, being a good person proves that she is someone he can rely on, and therefore he can come to her when he is afraid.
This was the first time Nalan Jingwen had been called a good person, and she didn't know how she felt. But right now, the priority was to resolve the problem at hand.
Has no one ever told you that men and women are different?
If a man dressed so thinly walks into a woman's room, it means he's offering himself to her. Doesn't he understand that at sixteen?
Nalan Jingwen guessed wrong this time; he genuinely didn't understand.
The boy looked puzzled again, as if he truly didn't understand the meaning behind Nalan Jingwen's words.
Nalan Jing heard the words she was about to say, but under his clear and questioning gaze, they caught in her throat. She took a deep breath.
"You are a man and I am a woman. We should keep our distance. What you are doing is very misleading."
"……Why?"
His voice was very soft, as if he sensed that Nalan Jingwen was in a bad mood, but he couldn't help but ask his question.
Nalan Jingwen's brow furrowed slightly. "Didn't your mother teach you that?"
Perhaps because the voice was somewhat serious, the boy was frightened and took a step back, nervously twisting the hem of his clothes. The clothes in his hands were so wrinkled that they were unrecognizable, like a tattered rag. His voice was trembling with tears.
“My mother won’t let me go out. She says there are bad people outside, and I don’t know anything about it…”
Nalan Jingwen finally understood that the person in front of him was truly a blank sheet of paper, knowing nothing at all.
But why wouldn't the family that adopted him allow him to leave the house? Was it to prevent people from discovering that he was the prince abandoned by Baiji? And how did that family find out?
Nalan Jingwen pondered, wanting to ask something more, when he saw him swaying precariously, as if he were about to collapse at any moment.
She shut her mouth and stood up.
"You can sleep here."
There's no point in talking so much to a child.
The boy's originally dim eyes lit up in an instant, like dazzling pearls in the night. Nalan Jingwen was stunned for a moment, then quickly turned his face away.
He was given permission, and carefully climbed into bed, covered himself with the blanket. The warmth of the blanket brought a look of satisfaction to his eyes. He held the blanket in his pale fingertips and looked at Nalan Jingwen with his clear and beautiful eyes.
Nalan Jing frowned slightly when she noticed that he didn't even take off his veil when he slept.
Why not remove the veil?
He seemed surprised that Nalan Jingwen would ask this, and after thinking for a moment, he said in a low voice, "Mother and Father said that we shouldn't pick it in front of others..."
"So you even wear it to bed?"
The boy nodded, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Nalan Jingwen rubbed his temples. "Take it off. You don't need to wear it to sleep."
The boy gently pinched the corner of the veil, without saying a word.
Nalan Jingwen continued, "There's no one else around when we sleep, so it's okay to take it off."
He then softened somewhat, finally nodding and whispering "okay."
He gently removed the veil, revealing his hidden face, which shone with brilliance in an instant.
Nalan Jingwen was immediately stunned, his breath catching in his throat.
The room fell into a deathly silence, all sound blocked out.
The young man had skin as white as snow and an exceptionally handsome appearance. One glance was enough to leave people stunned. No words could describe the shock Lan Jingwen felt. She prided herself on having seen countless beauties, and even the men beside her were all exceptionally handsome, equally matched, and no one could tell who was better.
While both possess striking beauty, temperament becomes paramount. Take Rong Hengyu, for example: dignified and elegant, noble and poised. Liu Qishan, on the other hand, is as pure and refined as bamboo, resilient and unyielding. Jinse, meanwhile, is gentle and tender, like flowing water. It is precisely this combination that makes them all so breathtaking.
But the person in front of her was different. She couldn't use any words to describe his beauty. To say that he was a beautiful jade would be an understatement.
His beauty surpassed all expectations, making it impossible to look away.
It is the purest, without a trace of impurity, with a light and ethereal aura, stunningly beautiful and breathtaking. Such beauty should not exist in this world, nor should there be such beauty in the Three Realms. It is beyond words, incomparable, and indescribable. To look at it even once would be a desecration.
Nalan Jingwen finally understood why he wasn't allowed to remove his veil. Under such absolute beauty, no one could remain calm, and what kind of shock would it bring to the world?
With great self-control, she managed to look away.
The boy seemed oblivious. He carefully placed the veil on the bedside table, then obediently lay down, looking at her with his pure and beautiful eyes. He then moved over to the side, as if making room for her.
Nalan Jingwen's breath hitched again, and he turned his face away.
Such beauty, yet a blank slate, unaware of the distinction between men and women—if she were not properly protected, she could not imagine what she would encounter. The darkness, greed, and wickedness of human nature would only cause this flower to wither, decay, and ultimately die.
Perhaps after death, the petals will be left behind, starting a new round of torment.