Reborn Princess

"No, no!"

"Don't go, don't!"

Shen Lilan woke up from a nightmare. When she opened her eyes, the man in front of her made her mind go blank. Was she dreaming again?

"Hiss" she moved her body and the pain in her shoulder stunned her. This was not a dream.

Everything in the bedroom was the same as it was when she had just gotten married. Has she come back?

Shen Xilan's expression at this moment made Zhou Cechen tighten his grip. If he had been with her today, she might not have fallen into the water.

Zhou Cechen was just worried when he saw Shen Lilan staring at him, with misty eyes and red corners as if he was about to cry.

He had cold eyes and thin lips, and stood with his hands behind his back. His innate aura made Lu Nong beside him dare not breathe.

Shen Lilan was indeed stunned. Looking at Zhou Cechen's appearance, although he was less matured by the years at this moment, the cool atmosphere around him still reflected his steadiness and luxury.

Even so, Shen Lilan could detect traces of youth in his eyes and brows.

"Awake?" The man's voice was gentle and clear, like the whisper of a spring breeze.

When Shen Xilan heard the man's voice, she felt as if she was in another world. Her heart ached. She endured the pain, stood up, knelt on the edge of the bed, hugged the man's waist, buried her head in his arms and started crying.

Smelling the familiar scent, she hugged him tighter, fearing that the man in front of her would disappear in the next second.

Zhou Cechen, Zhou Cechen...the person she had mentioned countless times in her heart.

Zhou Cechen's body froze. Looking at the girl in his arms trembling and crying, he felt helpless, so he reached out and gently hugged Shen Lilan.

This was the first time that Shen Lilan took the initiative to hug herself, and it was also one of the few times she showed her emotions.

After a long while, Zhou Cechen finally spoke to coax her, "Are you having a nightmare?"

Shen Lilan looked up at the man in front of her, tears in the corners of her eyes.

Zhou Cechen sighed lightly. It seemed that she was really scared today.

Shen Lilan didn't know how to start. She just wanted to cry and just wanted to keep looking at him.

Under the dim candlelight, Zhou Cechen stood by the bed and hugged Shen Lilan, while Shen Lilan knelt on the edge of the bed and hugged Zhou Cechen tightly. The two of them had the innate temperament that made them a perfect match.

After seeing this, Lu Nong retreated cautiously. In the past, the queen always kept her distance from the prince, but today seemed different.

Zhou Cechen also felt that Shen Lilan was different. He stretched out his thumb and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. He was so cautious as if he was afraid of hurting her.

Shen Lilan raised her head and looked at the man in front of her with tears in her eyes. She said, "I had a nightmare. It was a very long dream. In the dream, you left and you didn't want me anymore."

After saying this, my nose felt sore, as if I was trying hard to hold back the tears in my eyes but couldn't.

Hearing Shen Lilan's words, Zhou Cechen's heart tightened as if he couldn't breathe, and he hugged the woman in his arms tightly.

"No." The man's voice was firm.

"As long as you are willing, I will never leave you for the rest of my life."

Shen Xilan listened to the man's words, as if she was still dreaming. She was unwilling to leave Zhou Cechen for the moment. She was afraid that if she let go, the man she had been thinking about would disappear.

The room was very quiet, so quiet that you could hear the two people's breathing.

Zhou Cechen carefully carried Shen Xilan back to the center of the bed and covered her with a blanket.

His eyes are so deep that you can't see to the bottom at a glance.

"Does it hurt?"

Shen Lilan replied pitifully, "Yeah, it hurts." His heart also hurt.

"What happened today was due to my negligence. It will not happen again." Zhou Cechen looked at the woman on the bed worriedly.

"Have a good sleep. I'll take care of the rest. Lu Nong will be guarding outside. Don't be afraid."

After saying that, he stood up and prepared to leave.

The moment he turned around, a hint of darkness and loneliness flashed across Zhou Cechen's eyes.

The gentle tug on his sleeve brought Zhou Cechen back to his senses. He looked at the white and tender little hand on his sleeve, turned around and saw Shen Lilan's pleading eyes.

"Don't go, don't leave me." Shen Lilan was really scared. Was he going to leave again?

Hearing the girl's words, Zhou Cechen was stunned for a moment, then he sat back on the edge of the bed and stuffed Shen Lilan's hand back into the quilt.

"No." Zhou Cechen extinguished the candle and looked at Shen Lilan and said, "Go to sleep peacefully."

The room suddenly became dark, and the outline of the other person could be vaguely seen in the moonlight outside.

Zhou Cechen saw that Shen Lilan's eyes were full of fear and anxiety. He really hated himself for being useless and failing to protect her.

Shen Lilan opened his eyes wide and was unwilling to close them. "Don't you want to sleep?" Shen Lilan asked.

The room suddenly became quiet, and Zhou Cechen said in a gentle voice, "I will stay with you and will not leave."

Shen Yanlan realized that Zhou Cechen had misunderstood, so she moved closer to the bed and said, "Come up and sleep with me."

When Zhou Cechen heard her words, he was shocked and stood still without making any move.

After a while, the man sat down beside the bed, his eyes dark and his emotions unclear.

Shen Xuanlan's heart sank when he saw that Zhou Cechen didn't move.

Forget it, let's take it slow. She will never let them make the same mistake again in this life.

The night was very quiet, but Shen Yanlan's heart could not calm down. Thousands of things lingered in her mind, one after another, weighing on her so much that she couldn't breathe, tossing and turning...

Zhou Cechen had already sensed Shen Lilan's discomfort, and it had been almost half an hour, and she still hadn't fallen asleep.

Shen Xilan was daydreaming when suddenly a hand appeared around her waist. Before she could react, she was pulled into an embrace that was familiar yet strange.

"Close your eyes and go to sleep." The man's warm breath sprayed on the woman's ears, making her feel itchy and shrink her neck.

She hadn't felt this close to him for years, and that moment just now made her face turn red.

All the messy things in her mind have gone away, and her mind is now blank.

Zhou Cechen seemed to be aware of Shen Lilan's discomfort, so he retracted his hand and moved closer to the bed.

Shen Lilan felt empty around her waist, and her heart was empty too. She turned over to face Zhou Cechen, her cheeks flushed as she hugged him and buried her head in his chest.

Not willing to let go.

Zhou Cechen froze at this moment. His princess had never taken the initiative to approach him.

Now, this action made him panic and at a loss.

There was a hint of struggle in Zhou Cechen's eyes.

Shen Xilan felt the man's strong embrace, her heart trembled, the sourness in her nose came again, she bit her lips to hold back the tears.

It was late at night and Lunong stood at the door not daring to move.

However, she stood there for more than an hour and the prince still didn't come out, and the lights in the room went out.

Lu Nong felt that everything that had just happened was incredible.

……

Shen Xilan was still in a hazy sleep. She reached out to hug the man beside her, but there was no one beside the bed. She was immediately awakened from her sleep.

When she opened her eyes, Zhou Cechen was gone. The bed was surrounded by curtains and was pitch black. Her heart seemed empty and her hands were clenched and shaking.

She opened the bed curtain with trembling hands. The glaring light from the window made her eyes feel uncomfortable.

But she didn't care about anything else. "Lunong, Lunong." Shen Luan called anxiously.

Lu Nong heard Shen Lilan's voice outside the door and went in immediately.

When Shen Yanlan saw Lu Nong, he asked in a trembling voice, "My Lord, where is my Lord?"

Lu Nong could hear the fear of their master from Shen Lilan's voice.

Lu Nong quickly replied, "The prince is in the study. When he woke up this morning, he told you to sleep a little longer."

Shen Lilan finally put his mind at ease.

Fortunately, he is still here.

"By the way, the prince also asked the kitchen to prepare a lot of food, all of which are your favorite." Lu Nong said happily.

"Wash me up." Shen Yanlan ordered.

"Yes."

Immediately afterwards, Chaoyun and Birui came in with water and helped Shen Lilan wash and dress up.

Lu Nong combed Shen Xilan's hair and made her up.

Shen Xilan was very happy to see that they were still by her side.

In the previous life, some of them died, some were injured, and in the end, only Lunong remained by his side.

She would never let such a thing happen in her life.

Shen Yanlan looked at Lu Nong in the bronze mirror, who was combing her hair and seemed to be hesitant to speak, and said, "If you have something to say, just tell me."

Lu Nong's men paused for a moment and said, "Chunhua and Qiushi are still kneeling outside the courtyard. They... are still kneeling outside the courtyard."

Shen Xilan frowned, "Still kneeling outside the yard?" In their previous life, they were punished to kneel for two days because they fell into the water. It was freezing and snowy outside, and they developed illnesses because of it.

"Let them get up and tell the kitchen to prepare some ginger soup." Shen Lilan said.

"Yes."

Chaoyun responded to Shen Lilan's words and then left. Lunong and Birui continued to help Shen Lilan with her makeup.

Each rosewood box is filled with various jewellery, which is exquisite and dazzling.

Shen Xilan's fingers brushed across the wooden boxes one by one and stopped in front of one of the golden wood boxes. Inside lay a double-stemmed magnolia hairpin, the white jade hairpin was as bright and translucent as snow.

She picked up the hairpin, with several tassels hanging down. Looking at the swaying tassels, Shen Xilan was slightly distracted.

This was a gift from him. He pinned it in her hair on their wedding night. After that... she never pinned it in her hair again.

"This one." Shen Lilan handed the hairpin to Lu Nong.

When Lu Nong and Bi Rui saw their princess pick up the hairpin, they were stunned and their hands slowed down. They looked at each other and smiled knowingly.

Lu Nong carefully put on the hairpin and pearl flower for Shen Xilan, but was disturbed by the sound outside the screen.

Shen Lilan raised his eyebrows when he heard the familiar voice.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was Liuchun who failed to protect you. Your Majesty, Liuchun voluntarily asks for punishment..." Kneeling outside the screen was a pretty maid who was wrapped in a lavender plain dress, a white gauze dress on the outside, and her hair was tied in double buns with purple ribbons.

Shen Lilan chuckled, "How could I blame you? You fell into the water to protect me, so even if you are guilty, your merits and demerits are offset."

Liu Chun pursed his lips and said nothing as he listened to Shen Lilan's words.

"Get up and come over to help me dress up." Shen Lilan said.

Seeing that Shen Lilan did not blame him, Liu Chun curled his lips slightly the moment he stood up.

Liuchun walked around the screen and saw Birui and Lunong on both sides of Shen Lilan. She stepped forward and said to Birui with a smile, "Let me do it." So she took the pearl flower in Chaoyun's hand and pushed Birui aside.

Lu Nong frowned when she saw her actions.

"My queen, Liuchun will never let you fall into danger again next time." Liuchun took a pink crabapple pearl flower and inserted it into Shen Lilan's hair.

Shen Yanlan smiled but said nothing.