Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

Lu Che was often awkward. Although he was saying that he had made tea many times, Tao Yao could tell at once that he was actually blaming herself for coming back late.

Tao Yao leaned aside, making a gap in the doorway, and gestured "please" to Lu Che, saying, "Would you like to sit inside? I'll explain things to you."

Lu Che shook his head, his brows drooping, as if a thousand words were tangled in his mind, but in the end he said nothing, only saying lightly: "It's nothing, I'm glad you came back safely. I was just worried that you might have met with something unexpected out there again."

For some unknown reason, Tao Yao subconsciously laughed and said, "Lu Che, you're worrying too much! I'm with Xiao Chu today. With him around, who would dare to do anything to me?"

As soon as these words came out, Lu Che's face suddenly fell, and a look of self-deprecation appeared on his face. Tao Yao suddenly realized that her unintentional words had hurt Lu Che again.

Tao Yao waved her hands hastily, saying repeatedly, "No, no, Lu Che... You know, that's not what I meant... Don't think too much... Oh, look at me, I always say the wrong thing."

The guilt on Lu Che's face suddenly faded, replaced by a calm smile. He whispered, "It's okay, you don't have to explain... What you said is not wrong. I'm indeed not as good as Chu Huanjun. He can protect you, but I put you in danger time and time again."

Tao Yao scratched her head anxiously. "Oh, you see, the more I explain, the more things get out of hand. Lu Che, please don't think that. If it weren't for you, I'd be dead in the wilderness within three days of leaving the capital. It's you who's helped me get to this day. You're quite capable."

"Amazing?" Lu Che's smile suddenly froze. "Arnold, do you think I'm pitiful right now? I've accomplished nothing. I haven't done what I wanted to do, and I can't protect the people I want to protect. Now I'm covered in wounds and crippled. I can only stay in the clinic like a useless person, and even walking is difficult."

Tao Yao stood there in confusion, not knowing why Lu Che had so many thoughts. For a moment, she didn't even know how to explain it.

"Don't give me those hypocritical compliments just because you feel sorry for me... I already know I'm terrible, so don't lie to me anymore, and there's no need to sympathize with me... I don't need it."

After Lu Che finished speaking, he walked away with his head down. Tao Yao stood there in a daze, watching Lu Che's back limp away at the end of the courtyard.

Time passed so quickly. I had just said a few words when it was already night.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. Although it was early spring, the night wind was still a little chilly, and the chill seemed to penetrate deep into her bones. Tao Yao couldn't help but tighten her thin spring clothes. Suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She returned to the house, opened her package, took out the fur coat made by Grandma Tu, and put it on.

Just now, I saw that Lu Che was only wearing a thin shirt. He was injured and in poor health, so he should keep warm - it was cold at night, and patients should be especially careful not to catch a cold.

With this thought, Tao Yao walked out of the house again, subconsciously heading towards Lu Che's room, wanting to remind him to wear more clothes at night. However, after taking just a few steps, she retreated.

Tao Yao thought of what Lu Che had just said, about sympathy and hypocrisy. Lu Che was certainly sad when he said these words, but wasn't she sad too when she heard them?

Tao Yao understood that after this incident, Lu Che must be very confused and lost, even to the point of being disappointed in himself. She wanted to help him, but he still had to resolve his inner demons himself, and no matter how much she said, it would be in vain.

Tao Yao sighed and returned to her room. There was a thermos in her room that Cheng Tianshui had left for her to warm her hands. Cheng Tianshui had taken her pulse and said that she had a weak body and it would be best for her to hold the thermos constantly to keep warm.

Tao Yao filled the thermos with hot water, held it in her arms, and walked up to the attic room where Lu Che lived. It was just nightfall, and the sky was already dark, but the window of Lu Che's room was still dark because he didn't turn on the light.

Tao Yao stood in front of the door and raised her hand to knock, but she stopped as soon as her finger bones touched the door panel.

"Lu Che, are you asleep? It's cold at night. You should wear something thicker and cover yourself tightly with the quilt to avoid catching a cold." Tao Yao said.

After she finished speaking, the room was silent and no one responded to her.

"Lu Che, I need to correct you. What you just said wasn't right... I wasn't praising you because I felt sorry for you. I was praising you because I truly thought you were good. I sincerely thought you were good."

Tao Yao almost put her ear to the crack of the door, but still could not hear any movement in the room.

Lu Che was really angry with her, or perhaps—it couldn’t be said that he was angry with her, but more likely angry with himself.

"I know this is a big setback for you... but I believe in you. This little setback won't bring you down! Don't you still have a lot to do? The road ahead is long. If you get discouraged so early, won't the road ahead be even more difficult?"

At this moment, a sound of light footsteps suddenly came from behind the door. Tao Yao could feel that Lu Che was also standing behind the door.

"Lu Che, you're listening, aren't you?" Tao Yao's voice rose a little. "Everything I say comes from my heart. You have to believe me, and you have to believe in yourself, okay?"

"Um……"

Lu Che finally responded, his voice so low, almost inaudible. But Tao Yao caught his response instantly and said with a smile, "I'm glad you understand, Lu Che. I won't disturb your rest. Oh, and I heated up a thermos and put it on the windowsill. You can sleep with it close to you, so the quilt will warm up faster!"

Tao Yao placed the thermos on the windowsill, gently knocked on the window frame, and then quickly ran down from the attic - Lu Che was not someone who would give in easily, and this was the only way she could avoid hurting his fragile self-esteem.

That night, Tao Yao slept surprisingly well. She hadn't slept this well since leaving the capital. Perhaps it was because Chu Huanjun lived nearby, and she felt safe. She always felt that with Chu Huanjun as a strong figure, no demons, monsters, wolves, tigers or leopards would dare to come and provoke her.

Tao Yao once thought of Chu Huanjun as a dangerous bomb that could explode at any time. However, fate had a different way of seeing her, and now, after everything they had experienced, he had become the one who protected her from harm.