Chapter 972: Long Qingyue’s Confession

“Then think it over more carefully. I want to see how much you truly mean it.” Ye Wenxin maintained Long Qingyue’s usual composed tone and shot her a look. She wanted them to leave immediately before she said too much and risked exposing herself as Long Qingyue’s impostor.

Long Qingyue gave her a nod and pushed her out of the imperial study. Ye Wenxin’s rejection didn’t disappoint the emperor. Instead, he felt over the moon.

‘I knew my sister cared about me! Am I finally seeing a silver lining in the cloud?!’

Ye Wenxin almost turned back to yell at him. Long Qingyue held down her restless head, understanding the source of her rising urge to snap.

Ye Wenxin held it in. Long Qingyue guided her on a stroll through the palace grounds until they reached the garden. Then, she finally asked about Ye Wenxin’s first day pretending to be her.

“How does it feel, Qingcheng?”

Recalling the emperor’s inner monologue, Ye Wenxin gritted her teeth in frustration. “It feels like your brother has delusions of being loved. Want me to kill him so you can become empress yourself?”

Long Qingyue put on a smile. “Being empress is too troublesome. Pulling strings behind the scene is far more interesting.”

Still, Ye Wenxin felt the situation was dangerous. After everything that had happened recently, it wasn’t hard to figure out that the emperor’s ultimate goal wasn’t to kill Long Qingye but to possess her.

“Your brother has ideas about you. Now that I think about it, the Phoenix Feather Robe’s Heart Jade and the Marriage Fate Stone were both means to obtain you.”

Long Qingyue’s smile grew more seductive while still wearing that face, which deeply unnerved Ye Wenxin.

“Yue’er, I know the Bone-shrinking Technique, too. Can you change back to your appearance? Seeing me like this is really unsettling.”

Long Qingyue considered it before using the technique to return to her original appearance. Ye Wenxin also shifted into her Gu Qingcheng form, Long Qingyue’s favorite.

But her lower body still refused to cooperate, so she remained in the wheelchair.

“Qingcheng, let me tell you a secret.” Now that the visuals were finally bearable, Long Qingyue continued the conversation.

She gently lifted Ye Wenxin from the wheelchair and into her arms.

Ye Wenxin felt like a helpless little lamb, staring wide-eyed at Long Qingyue, waiting to see what else she had up her sleeve.

“Go on…” she said warily.

“I sought the Marriage Fate Stone.”

“……”

Ye Wenxin suddenly felt her whole world tilt. She had been worried for Long Qingyue, never imagining the Marriage Fate Stone was her trap all along.

“I was curious about its legend. But you understand—I had no one to test it with. I racked my brains before concluding: if I must be paired with someone, it has to be you.”

The confession came so suddenly that it caught Ye Wenxin off guard.

“But you and I both know that we’re too familiar with each other. So cultivating romantic feelings between us is incredibly difficult. That’s why I wanted to see what it would be like if we fell in love.”

Long Qingyue’s fingers brushed lightly against Ye Wenxin’s cheek, and fervor flickered in her eyes for the first time.

Her hold around Ye Wenxin’s waist tightened. Given she was ten times more sensitive than normal, Ye Wenxin immediately winced in pain. She had a bad feeling that if anything were to happen between her and Long Qingyue while she was in this body, it could be life-threatening.

“But as you’ve noticed, this body can’t withstand any harm. Even a simple kiss is barely manageable.” Long Qingyue recalled what had happened earlier, and emotion crept into her voice.

Ye Wenxin listened silently. Long Qingyue was too serious. She should give her the space to finish letting everything out.

“If you’re unwilling to begin a loveless relationship, I will respect that. But if you fall in love with me, you’ll have to sever all other romantic ties.” Long Qingyue made her final declaration, revealing the stakes to Ye Wenxin.

If Ye Wenxin truly gave her heart, it meant giving up harem life.

Seeing Ye Wenxin still silent, Long Qingyue added more terms. “Of course, I’ll study enough techniques to keep you entertained for the next few centuries at least.”

Her tone was measured, almost like she was negotiating a major business deal. But in reality, this was about their future.

Ye Wenxin couldn’t figure out why Long Qingyue would love her. Maybe she was just used to her. As Long Qingyue waited patiently for her response, Ye Wenxin couldn’t refrain from asking, “Do you even like me?”

Long Qingyue tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “No.”

Ye Wenxin felt exasperated. “Then why are you forcing yourself to be with me?”

Long Qingyue thought before replying, “I just don’t like the idea of someone else holding your hand, kissing your lips, and touching places on you that even I haven’t touched.”

Ye Wenxin found the answer befuddling. “That is what liking someone means.”

Long Qingyue blinked. “No, this is possessiveness. But I’ll work hard to love you. Relationships should be mutual.”

Like Ye Wenxin, Long Qingyue didn’t seem to understand her feelings. The day she saw Ye Wenxin making out with Ghost Mother in bed had lit a flame in her previously calm heart—one that hadn’t stopped burning. Whenever she thought about that day, that moment, and that person, rage consumed her all over again.

The two went quiet again. The heart-to-heart left even these lifelong best friends feeling awkward. Plenty of friends became lovers in fiction, but none were as conflicted as Ye Wenxin and Long Qingyue.

Ye Wenxin was emotionally detached, while Long Qingyue remained convinced she could control her narrative and feelings. She believed that between her and Ye Wenxin, Ye Wenxin would be the first to develop feelings, not her.

Unlike Liu Churan’s straightforward affections, Long Qingyue’s love was twisted. But maybe that was the strange logic that came from being a genius.

“So, what’s your answer? Are you willing to bet your forever on me?”

Since Long Qingyue wasn’t teasing her for once, Ye Wenxin seriously replied, “Love fades, and we’re talking about at least ten thousand years in this life. Do you really think you could stay by my side that long?”

“How would I know if we don’t try?”

Ye Wenxin fell into contemplative silence again. She didn’t believe any feeling could last that long. But she did want to see how beautiful it might feel to fall in love, even if falling for Long Qingyue was tantamount to a death sentence.

“Fine, I accept.” So, Ye Wenxin agreed. Long Qingyue immediately took her hand and said, “Alright then. Now, I’ll teach you how to stand.”