Cypress Boat Floating

Night falls.

The biting cold wind raged on the city wall like a knife. A lonely figure sat there quietly, staring blankly at the distant desert, as if lost in endless contemplation.

Ye Jianqing was anxiously searching for Lu Ciqiu in the military camp, but she never saw him. After searching in the military camp to no avail, she set her sights on the city tower. From the beginning, she had thought that the city tower was where he would go, but Ye Jianqing always wanted to leave the city tower for last. No one knew what he was thinking.

As expected, when she climbed up the city wall, she saw the familiar figure sitting there motionless like a sculpture. His back looked extremely lonely, which made people feel sad.

Suddenly, a warm wine jug was pressed against Lu Ci Qiu's cheek without warning, startling him. He raised his head hastily and met Ye Jianqing's eyes. Through the other's eyes, Ye Jianqing vaguely sensed a hint of anger.

"Are you angry?" Ye Jianqing asked softly, then sat down next to Lu Ciqiu and handed him a pot of wine. Lu Ciqiu took the pot silently, held it tightly in his hand, and said nothing.

"I'm sorry. It was really my fault today. I said some nonsense on impulse." Ye Jianqing apologized sincerely, and at the same time followed Lu Ci Qiu's gaze to the vast desert in the distance.

Lu Ci Qiu took a sip of wine and said slowly: "It's okay, you are just speaking your true thoughts." His voice was as calm as water, without any ripples.

The calmer you are, the more terrified you feel inside.

Ye Jianqing slightly pulled the corner of his mouth, revealing a half-smile: "So... I came here specially to apologize to you."

Hearing this, Lu Ci Qiu couldn't help but frown, and turned his eyes back to her with an unhappy look. However, when he saw Ye Jianqing's nonchalant smile, he became more and more anxious. It was obvious that he would be happy to accept it if she just explained it a little, but why did she choose to remain silent?

"What do you need to explain? Do you want me to tell you that I didn't mean to do that, or that those were not my original intentions?" Ye Jianqing stared at Lu Ciqiu, his tone as calm as dead water. "Even if I really said that, would you really believe it?"

What Lu Ci Qiu hated the most was the attitude Ye Jianqing showed at this moment, as if he was just an insignificant stranger to her. She didn't care at all and was even reluctant to give a reasonable explanation. Lu Ci Qiu never knew who Ye Jianqing really cared about. She was always like this, as if she was isolated from everyone.

"In fact, to be fair, do you really think that returning to the capital right now will have any substantial impact?" Ye Jianqing suddenly raised his head and gulped down a big gulp of liquor.

"You know in your heart that it's useless. When your second brother unexpectedly agreed to let you come to Beiguan, you already felt it in your heart. So why did you do this? Do you want to show the deep love between you two brothers, or do you not want to give up?"

Lu Ci Qiu opened his mouth, wanting to defend himself, but swallowed the words back. He wanted to say that he didn't think so, he just wanted to go back to save his second brother. However, as Ye Jianqing said, when his second brother suddenly agreed to let him come to Beiguan, did he really never have any doubts?

Lu Ci Qiu couldn't help but fall into memories, recalling every little detail of his time with his second brother. Back then, his second brother always showed great care for him, but this time he was so abnormal to let him go to Beiguan... Perhaps, as Ye Jianqing said, there was another hidden story.

"Lu Ci Qiu, actually some emotions don't need to be deliberately expressed. Sometimes, not acting rashly is the best choice, isn't it? Even if you do nothing, no one will blame you." Ye Jianqing's words came into his ears again, as if a heavy hammer hit Lu Ci Qiu's heart.

Yes, if I act impulsively like this, I may not only fail to save my second brother, but I may even put myself in danger. Now that I think about it calmly, it may be wiser not to go back rashly. Thinking of this, Lu Ci Qiu's eyes gradually became firm.

Seeing Lu Ci Qiu begin to fall into deep thought, Ye Jianqing knew that her words had worked, so she smiled and tried to break the heavy atmosphere: "Oh, you see, I've been talking so much that I've gone off topic! I came here today specifically to apologize to you, but I hope Your Excellency the Eighth Prince will not bear grudges and forgive my nonsense just now." After that, she raised the slightly heavy wine jug in her hand, smiled and gestured to Lu Ci Qiu, waiting for Lu Ci Qiu to drink with her.

After Lu Ci Qiu stared at Ye Jianqing for a while, he slowly raised the wine jug and lightly touched the other party's wine jug, making a crisp collision sound: "Okay, this king can forgive you."

"Then I would like to thank Your Highness here." Ye Jianqing laughed and took a sip of liquor. The burning sensation went straight from his throat to his stomach, which replenished his body with enough calories in this cold winter.

"Qing'er." Lu Ci Qiu called the name of the person in front of him softly. Ye Jianqing turned around with a hint of doubt in his eyes, staring at Lu Ci Qiu curiously, trying to understand why he suddenly called him.

However, Lu Ci Qiu did not explain the reason immediately, but just stared at her silently, with a deep affection and attachment hidden in his eyes that even Ye Jianqing had not noticed. As time passed, the two of them just stared at each other quietly, and no one broke the silence.

Finally, Ye Jianqing couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?" His voice revealed a bit of confusion and concern.

Lu Ci Qiu trembled slightly, slowly stretched out his fingers, and carefully touched the back of Ye Jianqing's hand, as if he was touching an invaluable treasure. Then, he quickly withdrew his hand, his movements were so gentle as if he was afraid of waking up a beautiful dream, as if the brief contact just now was just an inadvertent mistake.

Actually, Lu Ci Qiu did this for a reason. He didn't know when Ye Jianqing had always given him an unpredictable feeling, as if she would disappear from his side at any time. This feeling of uneasiness suddenly became stronger when Ye Jianqing questioned him just now, forcing him to confirm whether the person in front of him really existed. Every time he felt that he was about to catch her, that unreal feeling would surge into his heart again, making him feel terrified.

Because of this, Lu Ci Qiu never dared to reveal his true feelings to Ye Jianqing easily, always fearing that once he said it, it would be irreversible.

He would rather bury this one-sided love deep in his heart, just to be able to look at her, to be able to stay by her side and treat her well, that's enough. He didn't dare to take risks, and now he and Ye Jianqing have finally maintained this balance, he didn't want to break it, if he lost Ye Jianqing because of his mistakes, then he would really regret it for the rest of his life.

Lu Ci Qiu remained silent, and Ye Jianqing did not force him, but just picked up the wine pot and slowly enjoyed the strong liquor. This kind of liquor, called Shaodaozi, was extremely strong, but in a cold place like Beiguan, it had an unparalleled effect in keeping out the cold.

Ye Jianqing came from modern society, and the wines he had drunk before were all carefully blended and had a relatively mild taste. Even the so-called Shaodaozi was not as strong as the pot in his hand.

The pot of Shaodaozi in her hand was something she tried only after arriving at Beiguan. Beiguan was cold at night. Although she could stand the cold, she couldn't stand the weather. In addition, everyone in the barracks drank this, so out of curiosity, she also tried it. When she first tried it, the strong stimulation made her extremely uncomfortable, as if a sharp knife was cutting her throat and stomach. But as time went on, when the severe pain gradually subsided, a warm feeling would surge up her limbs like a tide.

He raised the glass again, and the taste was still extremely strong, but at this moment Ye Jianqing had gradually adapted to this pain and even began to enjoy the exhilarating feeling it brought him.

"Don't force yourself. Now, not only for yourself but also for your second brother, you have to stay in Beiguan. Believe in your second brother, with his skills and abilities, he will definitely not fall into this matter." As soon as the words fell, Ye Jianqing endured the aftereffects of the burning knife, propped himself up, and slowly stood up leaning on the other's shoulders.

In fact, some things don't need to be said in detail, just mention them briefly, because she knows very well that Lu Ci Qiu has always been a very smart and considerate person, and will naturally understand the deep meaning and listen to the advice.

"I understand." Lu Ci Qiu would never let Ye Jianqing down.