Touya Yaoyao

"I said, have you had enough?! Can you let go?"

"Do not"

"You're being annoying."

"No, please."

Shirato spoke with conviction, but his tone was somewhat sullen, even carrying a strange sense of frustration and grievance.

Yu Yaoyao just couldn't understand. It wasn't Bai Taoshi who was kidnapped, so why was he still clinging to her like he was so wronged and wanted a hug and comfort?

That behavior of hugging her tightly like a big dog and burying his head in her neck, rubbing against her, is no different from taking advantage of her!

Yu Yaoyao glanced at Bai Taoshi's tall figure with some disdain, thinking that he was seriously ill. She subconsciously tried to push him away, but he hugged her even tighter.

Wait, what is this guy trying to do?? Why is he hugging me for no reason? We're not even in a relationship, this hugging is really bothering me!

Bai Taoshi showed no sign of noticing Yu Yaoyao's agitation. He simply held her tightly in his arms, and no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free.

Yu Yaoyao felt she couldn't live like this anymore. She just didn't understand what was wrong with this guy again, why he suddenly got into a bad mood for no reason!

He's never been kidnapped, so why is he acting all scared and terrified? He's even trembling, as if he's been frightened!

Whether it was her imagination or not, Yu Yaoyao felt a warm sensation in the back of her neck. She was stunned for a moment, and then she heard a low sob, as if the sob was being deliberately suppressed for fear of being discovered.

Unfortunately, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, so even though he tried to hide it, Yu Yaoyao still noticed.

"Never mind, he's just a child after all. I'll just coax him a little." With that thought, Yu Yaoyao reached out and patted Bai Taoshi's back reassuringly.

Bai Taoshi didn't speak or look at Yu Yaoyao, but tightened his grip on her even more, to the point that Yu Yaoyao could hardly breathe.

Yu Yaoyao felt that she was making trouble for herself, otherwise how could she have ended up like this?

But that's not the most urgent matter. The most urgent matter is to check if what's shown in that video is true! But Bai Taoshi won't let her go now, how is she supposed to investigate?!

Meanwhile, in the palace garden, Zhao Hede sipped the red tea served by a maid while looking at Bai Juncheng in front of her.

Although their relationship has improved somewhat in the past few days, it is only temporary. The chasm between them still exists, and Zhao Hede feels that some things should be clarified.

Doesn't Zhao Hede think she made a mistake by using Bai Juncheng? In fact, she always thought that the two of them were using each other, or that this was a situation where they maximized their own interests?

Even now, Zhao Hede has to admit that Bai Juncheng was very outstanding back then, and the Bai family also held military power. If she hadn't been of royal blood from the Zhao Kingdom, and if the Bai family hadn't deliberately submitted to her, she wouldn't have been able to sit on the throne, and even if she had, she might have been overthrown.

But it won't be so easy for Bai Juncheng to rise to power!

The royal family of Zhao has ruled the country for a thousand years. Over these years, the bloodline of the royal family has spread to all parts of the country, and members of the royal family can be found in every place.

For this reason, even if the emperor of Zhao is not a member of the Zhao royal family, his partner must be a member of the Zhao royal family; otherwise, his throne would not be secure.

This is not just empty talk, but a fact, because from the first emperor Zhao Anping to her, there have only been four emperors who were not members of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family.

The first emperor of Zhao Kingdom, Zhao Anping, was a man of great talent and ambition. He made a vow that the throne of Zhao Kingdom would be held by the most capable person, but compared with other competitors...

From a young age, members of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family have worked diligently, learning various kinds of knowledge and possessing all kinds of top-notch resources.

Therefore, they had a significant advantage over their competitors from the very beginning.

In addition, the conditions for the emperor of Zhao to ascend the throne were that, in addition to ability and strength, he also needed the trust of the people.

Therefore, if you want to become the emperor of Zhao, in addition to being diligent and capable, you also need a good reputation and excellent social skills.

Whether you call it raising Gu poison or selecting the best of the best, this rule has existed for thousands of years and has even been passed down to this day.

This means that, in order for Bai Juncheng to ascend to any position, the enemies he will face include not only Zhao Hede herself, but also other members of the royal family, including that outstanding member of the Elder Council.

Back then, there were nine competitors vying with Zhao Hede for the throne of Zhao Kingdom. Besides the governors of the continents of Asia, Europe, and North America, there was also Bai Juncheng and Zhao Hesheng, her nominal cousin from the Elder Council.

Her cousin Zhao Hesheng was very outstanding and a formidable rival to her ascension to the throne. However, after Zhao Hede successfully won over Bai Juncheng and gained the loyalty of the Bai family, no matter how outstanding he was, he could only submit and become a member of the Elder Council.

Therefore, if Bai Juncheng wanted to become the emperor of Zhao Kingdom, or even marry a member of the royal family, Zhao Hede would be the best choice. Otherwise, he would have to choose from a collateral branch of the Zhao Kingdom's royal family or even her cousin.

The strength of the collateral branches is certainly not as great as that of the direct branches. Therefore, the marriage between Zhao Hede and Bai Juncheng is a powerful alliance that benefits both parties. This is why Zhao Hede was able to admit with confidence that she married Bai Juncheng to take advantage of him, because he also took advantage of her.

But Bai Juncheng is not a power-hungry person; compared to power, he actually cares more about love.

He always believed that it was his charm that made Zhao Hede fall for him and even take the initiative to throw herself into his arms. Therefore, he was convinced that Zhao Hede liked him.

This led to a feeling of anger that all his understanding had been overturned and a sense of desolation that he had been deceived and used when he learned that Zhao Hede liked someone else and was only with him because of his power and status.

So all those times you said you loved me were lies. You were just using me, and it was all because of other things about me, not because of who I am!

It was because of this understanding that Bai Juncheng had a big fight with Zhao Hede, and even broke off their relationship, to the point that he refused to say a word to her or contact her for nearly a decade.

Compared to the Emperor of Zhao, as the Emperor's partner, he had the opportunity to dissolve the marriage and even start over.

He had thought about it himself, but just as the thought crossed his mind, their son was kidnapped.

Bai Juncheng knew how much Zhao Hede cared about this child, not to mention that it was also his son. So the two cooperated briefly, but after the child was found, he still chose to leave Zhao Hede.

He couldn't face his failure, couldn't face the fact that his wife didn't love him, and even more so, couldn't face the realization that he had actually fallen for such a person!

Is cuteness something that can be controlled by human power?

Even though he was traveling to other parts of Zhao Kingdom and not by Zhao Hede's side, whenever he had free time, whenever it was night, whenever he saw other couples being affectionate, he would always think of Zhao Hede and the scenes of their past affection.

The longer time passed, the longer the longing grew, and the less he could forgive. He couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart, so he could only torment himself and Zhao Hede, making her sit on the throne in a marriage in name only, struggling bitterly.

However, he underestimated Zhao Hede and overestimated himself.

As someone in power, and as a member of the royal family who has known since childhood that power is supreme.

If Zhao Hede was willing to sacrifice her marriage and love for power, then she was also prepared to live alone and possibly never see her partner again.

Because she had this understanding from the beginning, she was prepared for the possibility of failure when she chose Bai Juncheng.

Supreme power, a loveless marriage, and the loneliness of living alone—this was the price she willingly paid.

So, over the years, it was actually Bai Juncheng who suffered. For Zhao Hede, the absence of a husband didn't bring much trouble to her world; at most, it caused disharmony in their married life. But without power, that was absolutely unacceptable.

She admitted that she felt a pang of regret and heartache when Bai Juncheng stormed off, but compared to the power he wielded, that heartache was insignificant. Therefore, she felt no resentment, no anger, and no sense that the other party had gone too far. Instead, she looked at Bai Juncheng calmly, as if he were an old friend.