Chapter 60 The Betrothal Gift of His Highness

“Please rise.” She supported his arm to help him up from the ground.

The warmth from her palm quickly transmitted through his thin clothes to his sensitive skin, causing Yue Guanyi to blush instantly.

Qiu Shuzhi looked at his dazed and silly appearance, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

Shy and embarrassed, despite being a figure who could make the entire court tremble with a stomp of his foot, the rumored living Yama as fierce as a ghost, yet in front of her, he always appeared as innocent as a young master raised in seclusion who had never seen a woman before.

His pale, jade-like face would unconsciously flush with a bashful red, so delicate and soft, like a blooming camellia with petals so tender they seemed about to drip, adorned with glistening dewdrops. One touch would melt one’s heart.

“Since I’ve given my betrothal jade pendant to Your Highness, shouldn’t Your Highness give me something in return?”

Lovers always like to exchange items with special meaning, and Qiu Shuzhi was no exception. Having lived two lifetimes, the iron tree finally bloomed, and she wanted to learn from the ancients: I gift you a jade pendant, you return a jade hairpin, following the refined customs.

Yue Guanyi let out a muffled sound, his fingers trembling as if burned by warm jade, seemingly awakening from a grand dream.

What should he give to Qiu Niang?

Yue Guanyi tightly clutched the ice flower lotus warm jade, his eyes flickering with emotion. His amber phoenix eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if hiding the world’s deepest thoughts.

He carefully placed the ice flower lotus warm jade in his bosom, treasuring it at his heart. It was as if a gentle stream flowed through his entire body, threads of warmth penetrating his inner garments and nurturing his heart.

Then, he took out a white mutton-fat jade pendant from his sleeve. In the center of the white jade was a piece of deep red blood jade, carved with a special symbol.

Although the meaning of the symbol was unclear, it possessed a unique beauty.

“This is my personal item.” Yue Guanyi’s voice was extremely low with nervousness, his face flushing red all the way to the nape of his neck as he spoke. He lowered his head, his ink-black long hair falling from his neck to his chest, revealing a large patch of skin on the back of his neck, a snowy expanse visibly dyeing into a rouge color.

“Please accept it, my lady.” He respectfully offered the jade pendant, like an envoy from a small state presenting the most precious treasure to the celestial empire.

Qiu Shuzhi smiled silently, the curve of her lips gentle and gradual, but the smile reached her eyes, her cold gaze melting into utter tenderness.

She really wanted to pinch him! Resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck, she accepted the jade pendant from his hand.

The white mutton-fat jade with a touch of deep red in the center looked invaluable, but for someone of Yue Guanyi’s status, it was quite ordinary, so she felt at ease accepting it.

“Then I’ll accept it,” she said with a smile.

Yue Guanyi nodded, his head almost buried in his chest, the blush on the back of his neck even more evident.

Take it!

Yue Guanyi kept his head lowered, his long hair hiding his pitch-black eyes, his hands tightly clenched together, his heart pounding wildly as if it might break free at any moment.

He watched those perfectly exquisite hands holding the jade pendant, the deep red blood jade glowing with an unusual luster in her pale white hands.

Just as Qiu Shuzhi was about to tuck the jade pendant into her sleeve, Yue Guanyi suddenly spoke.

“My lady, I’ve always worn this jade pendant against my skin… No one knows except Chang’an…” His voice trembled with nervousness: “Perhaps you could wear it at your waist, carrying it with you always.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yue Guanyi seemed to have exhausted all his strength, thin sweat breaking out on his back, almost soaking through his clothes.

Qiu Shuzhi paused, observing Yue Guanyi’s nervous and timid demeanor, and instantly understood.

Just like how people madly in love in her previous life liked to have their partners wear matching outfits or wear small wristbands, it was probably a way to claim ownership.

Seeing Qiu Shuzhi remain silent, Yue Guanyi suddenly panicked, fearing her disgust. Anxiety and unease raged in his heart like a violent storm, and he said with an unsteady, trembling voice: “If you don’t want to carry it with you, that’s fine too. This jade pendant isn’t anything important.”

Yue Guanyi’s eyes were filled with panic and fear. He seemed terrified of seeing even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction or displeasure on her face. If she showed even a trace of such emotion, he would become anxious and use every method to please her – wealth, power, even his body.

Like a battered, homeless stray dog that finally found a willing owner, he had no sense of security. Every move was cautious; even when bullied, he wouldn’t make a sound, just wagging his tail incessantly to please, terrified the owner might abandon him again.

Qiu Shuzhi sighed softly and embraced him, her palm constantly soothing his trembling back. “Your Highness, you needn’t be like this.”

Yue Guanyi raised his eyes tremblingly, his tall frame weak and thin, the light in his eyes flickering and broken.

“I’m sorry, I… shouldn’t have spoken out of turn… I shouldn’t have…” he stuttered, each word seeming to take all his strength.

The gentler Qiu Shuzhi was, the more terrified Yue Guanyi felt in his heart. He truly believed he was unworthy; he didn’t deserve Qiu Shuzhi’s kindness.

Qiu Shuzhi didn’t know how much of his unsightly, filthy side he had hidden. He had merely donned a beautiful human skin, but inside he was rotten and disgusting.

The kinder Qiu Shuzhi was to him, the deeper his guilt became. He felt increasingly lowly and vile, unworthy of the bright, warm moon. Even the moonlight shining on him felt like something he had deceived her into giving. He feared that one day when the truth was revealed, he would be exposed for what he truly was, turned back into the worthless, dirty stray dog in the gutter.

“Your Highness, I truly like you. You don’t need to humble yourself like this in front of me. You can treat me just like you would any ordinary woman.” She spoke softly, each word firm and resolute.

She wanted to give him a sense of security.

She wanted to remove the collar chaining his neck, allowing him to be normal, unrestrained, like an ordinary man, rather than a wretched little dog confined to a small space by heavy iron chains.

Yue Guanyi’s body swayed, his slender frame seeming about to snap in two.

Treat Qiu Niang like an ordinary woman? His very soul shook, as if he had heard something outrageously absurd. The beast caged within his soul howled frantically.

“Qiu Niang… has never been an ordinary woman.” He suppressed the scream about to burst from his heart, painfully forcing out a few words from his throat.