After the death of the host: the tyrant cried red eyes

Under the moonlight, Shen Bingning's face looked particularly gentle, and her slight breathing seemed to be telling one unfinished story after another.

Xiao Yi's heart was filled with complex emotions, including relief at having found her, as well as curiosity and uneasiness about the unknown reasons.

He sat quietly beside the bed, staring at the face that haunted him. All his doubts and anger were temporarily replaced by this tranquility.

At this moment, he only wished that time could stop and let this rare peace last a little longer.

"Xiao Qian."

There was a subtle hint of provocation in Shen Bingning's tone, as if she was testing Xiao Yi's reaction.

Her eyes flickered, as if she had caught a glimmer of light in the darkness, which was both a memory of the past and uncertainty about the future.

Xiao Yi's pupils shrank slightly, but his face still maintained that elusive calmness.

"Oh? That's quite a coincidence."

There was sarcasm in his words, and every word was like a carefully carved ice blade, cold and sharp.

Shen Bingning chuckled, and the laughter sounded particularly crisp in the quiet bedroom, as if it was the first flower blooming in spring, bringing vitality and challenge.

"It's really a coincidence, so coincidental that it makes me wonder if all this is a carefully planned scheme by you."

The air seemed to freeze, and the atmosphere between the two became subtle and tense.

Xiao Yi did not answer immediately. Instead, he slowly stood up and walked to the window, with his back to Shen Bingning. The moonlight filtered through the window lattice, making his figure slender, lonely and distant.

"Layout? Why would I go to so much trouble?"

His voice was low and contained a hint of self-mockery, "If I really wanted to plan this, how could I let you get away so easily and stand in front of me again."

Shen Bingning sat up straight, her eyes closely following Xiao Yi's back. Her heartbeat inexplicably accelerated, but she still tried to remain calm.

"Perhaps, he wants to see if I still have feelings for him and if I am willing to take risks for Xiao Qian."

Xiao Yi turned around, the moonlight shone on his face, reflecting his complex and indecipherable expression.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would use emotions as a weapon?"

There was a hint of chill in his voice, but also a subtle tenderness.

Shen Bingning shook her head and a bitter smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

"I don't know, but I know you, Xiao Yi. Your methods are never simple. Every move you make has a profound meaning."

Xiao Yi walked slowly to the bedside and sat opposite Shen Bingning again. It seemed as if there were thousands of mountains and rivers between them, yet they were very close.

"Then tell me, what exactly do you think of me and Xiao Qian?"

Shen Bingning raised her head and looked directly into Xiao Yi's eyes. There was both determination and confusion in those eyes. "I have hatred and resentment towards you, but I also..."

She paused and lowered her voice, "I can't let go of my feelings. As for Xiao Qian, he is my past, but now, everything I do is only for myself."

Xiao Yi heard this and smiled with an ambiguous meaning. "Very good, at least you are honest."

He reached out his hand and gently touched Shen Bingning's cheek, his movements so gentle as if he was afraid of disturbing something. "Remember, if you dare to lie to me again, you will bear the consequences at your own risk."

Shen Bingning did not dodge, but just looked at him quietly, with a complicated light flashing in her eyes.

"I remember this. I hope there will be no more lies between us."

The night fell silent again, and the atmosphere between the two seemed to have subtly changed. It was no longer pure opposition and suspicion, but a search for some kind of balance in the interweaving of complex emotions.

In this magnificent yet lonely palace, they each carry their own secrets and calculations, yet inadvertently reveal the true tenderness in their hearts.

"Xiao Qian!"

Shen Bingning deliberately raised her voice a few notches, and a look of disbelief flashed between her brows, as if the appearance of this name was a shock to her cognitive world.

She took the opportunity to turn the fog of doubt in her heart into a gentle inquiry: "Shouldn't he have already fallen into the dust of history? Why is he wandering like a ghost in the depths of this cold dungeon at this moment?"

Xiao Yi's face was still as calm as an ancient well, and there was no emotion in his deep eyes, as if what he was talking about was just an insignificant matter.

He asked back, with a barely perceptible hint of amusement in his tone: "Why, don't you want him to be alive? Does his life or death still touch your heartstrings?"

Shen Bingning felt the subtle changes in the air, as if an invisible pressure was slowly approaching.

She waved her hands hastily, trying to draw a line between the two, and spoke hurriedly, "No, his life or death has nothing to do with me. I'm just worried that his presence may become a thorn in your throne and affect your peace..."

The corners of Xiao Yi's mouth drew up a meaningful smile. He tilted his head slightly, and his black eyes, under the dim candlelight, shone like the brightest stars in the night sky, but also contained a venomous coldness: "I think you don't seem to be surprised at all that he is still alive, while I sit on the throne. You seem to have an unusual understanding of how I got to where I am today."

In the eyes of ordinary people, if they knew that the previous emperor was still alive, they would be shocked and have many doubts about the legitimacy of the new emperor, especially when he imprisoned Xiao Qian in the dungeon, the crime of usurping the throne was almost a foregone conclusion.

However, in the face of all this, Shen Bingning chose to remain silent. Although a hint of surprise flashed across her face, it was not fear, but shock at Xiao Qian's tenacious vitality.

Her body tensed up involuntarily. She had never expected that Xiao Yi's insight was so sharp that he could capture her inner fluctuations just by the slightest changes in her expression.

The lie was on the tip of her tongue, but she hesitated when she thought of the oath she had made to never lie again. After a brief struggle, she decided to be honest: "Yes, I'm not surprised."

Xiao Yi obviously didn't expect her to admit it so directly. With a gleam of interest in his eyes, he asked, "Oh? Why is that?"

Shen Bingning's gaze was firm, as if it could penetrate all hypocrisy and reach the depths of the other person's soul. She spoke each word clearly and forcefully: "Because I know you too well, your desires, your determination, and I will never give up until I achieve my goal, no matter what the cost."

After hearing this, Xiao Yi fell into a brief silence. Then, a low laugh escaped from his throat. The corners of his eyes slightly raised, and his originally cold and hard face softened at this moment. His eyes slowly moved across Shen Bingning's face, and there was an indescribable ambiguity in his tone: "Since you know me so well, then guess what I want most now?"