roccoschili Chapter 188 Even the most rational person can be uneasy
Chapter 188 Even the most rational person can be uneasy
Cen Jiexiao shook her head, trying to put these chaotic thoughts behind her. She told herself that she was just the dean of a small academy, while Chai Zhen was the supreme ruler. Between them, there was an insurmountable gap.
However, the gears of fate quietly turned at this moment, tightly intertwining the fate of Cen Jiexiao and Chai Zhen, making them unable to be separated anymore.
As night fell and the moon rose above the branches, Cen Jiexiao lay in bed, unable to sleep. Chai Zhen's words, "Stay here," lingered in her ears, stirring her restlessness. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep, her mind replaying the day's events like a movie.
Chai Zhen's handsome face appeared before her eyes. His deep eyes seemed to see through everything, making her heart beat faster. But when she thought of him as the almighty emperor and herself as just an ordinary academy dean, she felt a sense of inexplicable loss.
"Dean Cen, please stay here." Chai Zhen's voice, with a barely perceptible pleading, echoed in her ears.
Cen Jiexiao's heart trembled suddenly. Why did he let her stay here? Could it be...could it be that he has feelings for me?
This thought struck Cen Jiexiao's heart like a bolt of lightning. Her face flushed and her heart beat like a drum.
No, it's impossible! Cen Jiexiao shook her head vigorously, trying to drive this absurd thought out of her mind. He was the emperor, and she was just an ordinary academy dean. There was an insurmountable gap between them. How could he possibly...
But if he wasn't interested in her, why would he let her stay here? Cen Jiexiao was puzzled.
She turned over and looked out the window at the bright moonlight, her mind racing. Chai Zhen's sudden appearance was like a stone that had shattered her peaceful life and disturbed her tranquil heart.
She didn't know what Chai Zhen really thought of her, nor did she know what kind of feelings she had for Chai Zhen.
Is it gratitude? Is it admiration? Or...
Cen Jiexiao didn't dare to think any further. She was afraid she would get sucked into it and be unable to extricate herself.
Drowsily, Cen Jiexiao finally drifted off to sleep. However, her dreams were even more chaotic than reality. She dreamed of Chai Zhen's deep eyes, then Chen Zigui's gentle smile. These two contrasting emotions intertwined in her dreams, leaving her feeling tormented.
Suddenly, the dream changed, and Chen Zigui and Chai Zhen actually started fighting! They punched and kicked each other mercilessly. Cen Jiexiao wanted to step forward to stop them, but found that she could not move. She could only watch them hurt each other.
At this moment, the two people fighting suddenly became Xia Chenghao and Xiao Tuo! The two of them were also fighting fiercely. Cen Jiexiao's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible big hand, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.
The four faces that both worried and frightened her kept changing in her dreams, but eventually they turned into nothing and disappeared.
Cen Jiexiao suddenly woke up and found that she was already in tears.
The next morning, Cen Jiexiao woke with dark circles under her eyes and a splitting headache. She rubbed her temples and silently warned herself: Cen Jiexiao, Cen Jiexiao, don't forget who you are! You are an independent woman of the 21st century, not some jealous, resentful woman in the deep palace backyard! Chai Zhen is the emperor, and a single word can decide our life or death. There's a world of difference between you and him. It's best to give up this thought before it's too late!
After breakfast, Cen Jiexiao forced herself to concentrate and plunged into the daily affairs of the academy. The new school needed planning, the new female students needed to be settled, and she also needed to persuade those old-fashioned teachers one by one to accept the concept of a new school.
Cen Jiexiao was so busy she couldn't even find time to drink a sip of water. But the busier she got, the clearer Chai Zhen's presence became, the more lingering it became. Annoyed, she slammed the paperwork in her hand onto the table, making a thud.
"Dean, what's wrong with you?" Xiaozhi, who was arranging books nearby, was startled and asked timidly.
Cen Jiexiao took a deep breath, tried to calm herself down, and forced a smile: "Nothing, I just scratched my hand on this page, and I'm a little upset."
Xiaozhi quickly put down the book in his hand and went forward to check: "Oh, it's really cut, it's bleeding! I'll go get some medicine."
Watching Xiaozhi scurry away in panic, Cen Jiexiao couldn't help but laugh at herself: What's wrong with me? It's just a paper scratch, is it really necessary to be so upset? Ultimately, it's all because of Chai Zhen!
Meanwhile, Chai Zhen wasn't having a good time either. Ever since returning from Zhaoyin Academy that night, the usually calm and self-disciplined emperor had become like a young boy, anxious and worried.
The next day, between reviewing memorials, he couldn't help but think of Cen Jiexiao. That night, under the moonlight, Cen Jiexiao stood before him, dressed in plain clothes, elegant and refined, yet with a certain aloofness. He repeatedly recalled Cen Jiexiao's expression, trying to find a response in her every smile and frown, but each time he ended in disappointment.
"Could it be that she truly has no feelings for him?" Chai Zhen sat in the imperial study, gazing out the window at the bright sunshine, yet he felt no warmth at all. The brilliant sunlight illuminated the blossoming flowers in the imperial garden, each one a riot of color, yet it couldn't reach his now gloomy heart.
He recalled Cen Jiexiao's clear eyes, like a mountain spring, pure and clean, without a trace of impurities; he recalled her confident smile, like the warm winter sun, bright and moving, yet with a touch of distance; he also remembered her spirited expression as she spoke about her new school, confident and elegant, filled with longing and hope for the future. All of this, like a brand, was deeply engraved in his mind, lingering. Every time he thought of it, his heart felt like being scratched by a cat's claws, itching and aching.
He knew he was truly in love, truly in love with an impossible woman. He was the Son of Heaven, possessing supreme power and a harem of three thousand beauties, yet he had only fallen for a commoner. But he also knew his feelings were destined to remain hidden.
"Your Majesty, it's time for dinner." Li Dehai's voice sounded outside the door, respectful and careful, pulling Chai Zhen back from his thoughts.
Chai Zhen withdrew his thoughts and responded lightly: "Come in." His voice sounded a little tired, but it still couldn't hide the hint of irritation in his tone.
Li Dehai walked into the imperial study, carrying a tray and placing bowls of exquisite dishes on the table. There was a wide variety of delicacies from land and sea, but Chai Zhen didn't pick up his chopsticks. He looked at the table full of delicacies, but he had no appetite at all.
"Your Majesty, you haven't eaten much all day. How can your health bear this?" Li Dehai said distressedly, observing Chai Zhen's emaciated face. The Emperor had been losing weight and struggling to sleep and eat. As an elder who had watched Chai Zhen grow up, Li Dehai saw the pain and worried about it, but he could do nothing.