AUBTN -Chapter 111 Wishing to Spend Every Year With You

“This hairpin is made from agarwood. It calms the mind and steadies the spirit—perfect for a young lady to use.”

“Why are you giving it to me?” she asked, a hint of expectation in her voice.

Shen Jue turned his head. In his long, narrow phoenix eyes were reflected the vast river of stars above—and her figure alone.

“Wanwan.”

He called her name softly, his voice carrying a trace of barely perceptible nervousness.

“My answer… is all inside it.”

By the lantern light beside the bridge, Su Hewan carefully examined the wooden hairpin.

Suddenly, she noticed a tiny line of characters carved along the inner side of the pin.

If one didn’t look closely, it would be impossible to notice.

The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, carved deeply into the wood—

“May I spend every year together with you.”

Only seven short characters, yet they carried a weight like a thousand pounds.

Su Hewan’s heart skipped a beat.

He was a eunuch—an infamous schemer in the eyes of the world, a lonely official destined for a tragic end.

Yet the promise he gave her… was to share every year together.

【Shen Jue… do you know what such a promise means in this era?】

Just then—

Boom!

With a thunderous sound, the first firework shot into the sky, bursting open in the dark night and cascading down like a brilliant meteor shower.

Soon after, countless fireworks blossomed one after another, lighting up the entire sky as bright as day.

In the shifting glow of light and shadow, Su Hewan tightened her grip on the wooden hairpin and lifted her gaze to meet Shen Jue’s eyes.

She said nothing.

Instead, she stood on tiptoe and gently inserted the hairpin into her hair.

Then she smiled.

That smile was even more dazzling than the fireworks filling the sky.

“It looks beautiful. I really like it.”

Shen Jue looked at her steadily. In that moment, the ice in his eyes melted completely, turning into a pool of gentle spring water.

Late at night, Wutong Courtyard.

Two sneaky figures slipped under the blankets like thieves and pulled the bed curtains tightly shut.

“Wanwan, Wanwan! Pinch me quickly! Am I dreaming today?!”

Yu Qing rolled around on the bed excitedly, clutching the quilt with a lovestruck expression.

“That big block of ice, Lu Yan, actually gave me a lantern! And he even said he’ll give me one every year! My god—is this really the same Commander of the Imperial Guards who threatens to chop people’s heads off at the slightest disagreement?”

Su Hewan lay on her side. Under the dim candlelight at the bedside, she was still holding the wooden hairpin, staring at it absentmindedly, a smile lingering at the corner of her lips that she simply couldn’t suppress.

“And that’s all it took to buy you over?” Su Hewan reached out and tapped Yu Qing on the forehead.

“Have some dignity.”

“And what about you? What about you?” Yu Qing leaned closer like a gossip-hungry melon-eating spectator, staring at the hairpin in Su Hewan’s hand with shining eyes. “Did Chief Shen give you that? Wow! Look at this craftsmanship! This must be custom-made! What’s carved on it? Let me see!”

Su Hewan’s face turned red, and she hurriedly hid the hairpin against her chest.

“Go away, go away. Kids shouldn’t look at things like that.”

“I already saw it! ‘Spend every year together!’” Yu Qing grinned mischievously, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Tsk, tsk. Who would’ve thought? Our Lord Factory Director looks gloomy and ruthless, but when he’s in love he’s so poetic! He’s basically a pure-love warrior!”

Su Hewan rolled her eyes at her, but her gaze was filled with warmth.

“He… actually had a very hard life.”

“Lu Yan too,” Yu Qing sighed, dropping her playful expression as she rolled onto her back.

“The two of them—one carrying a blood feud as deep as the sea, the other serving as the emperor’s blade.”

“Yes,” Su Hewan said softly.

“We both know the course of history. We know this is a road of no return.”

The room fell silent.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but inside it was warm like spring.

“But Wanwan,” Yu Qing suddenly turned to her side and grabbed Su Hewan’s hand, her eyes sparkling.

“Since we’ve already come this far, we can’t just make the trip for nothing, right? Even if it’s just for these two lanterns, for this hairpin, we have to give it a shot. Don’t you think?”

Su Hewan held her hand back, feeling the warmth in her palm.

She remembered the lonely yet affectionate look in Shen Jue’s eyes on the bridge, and the words engraved on the hairpin—to spend every year together.

History is written by people.

Since they had come here, perhaps the ending really could be rewritten.

“Mm.” Su Hewan nodded firmly.

“That’s right! Sisters united can cut through metal!” Yu Qing waved her fist.

Then she suddenly thought of something and said, “Do you think we’ve become a little too love-brained?”

Hearing that, Su Hewan let out a very soft laugh.

She turned over and sat up, her dark hair falling over her shoulders.

“This isn’t being love-brained.”

Su Hewan’s voice was light, but resolute.

“Qingqing, before, all we thought about was surviving—just trying not to become cannon fodder, trying to scrape by in this chaotic world. But now it’s different.”

She lowered her head, gently rubbing the agarwood hairpin in her hand, still carrying a trace of warmth.

“Precisely because we care, we want them to live even more—to live with dignity. From this moment on, our goal is to live well together with them.”

Yu Qing paused, then her eyes lit up. “Exactly! Why should transmigrated girls like us have to fight to the death in the harem? We’re carrying five thousand years of Chinese wisdom—how could we lose to a few old fossils?”

“And besides!” Yu Qing’s eyes rolled mischievously.

“Does being in love conflict with building a career? Of course not! This is called men and women working together—making the work easier! What we’re doing is… investing with technology!”

Su Hewan burst out laughing and poked her forehead. “Go to sleep, Miss ‘Technology Investor.’”

If the ending was destined to be a tragedy, then they would simply tear up that script and write a new one.

Early the next morning, in the dining hall of Yuyuan.

Usually, when everyone ate, it was strictly no talking during meals, no speaking before sleep.

But today, the air seemed filled with pink bubbles, so sweet it almost made one’s teeth ache.

Yu Qing was lowering her head, battling the bowl of plain porridge in front of her, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible.

Suddenly, a hand reached out in front of her.

A freshly peeled egg was placed into her bowl.

“Eat.”

Lu Yan spoke concisely, not even lifting his eyelids.

Yu Qing: 【Big brother, can you keep it low-key?!】

Yu Qing glanced at Su Hewan a little shyly, only to see her smiling without saying a word, which made her even more embarrassed.

Hearing the scream in her heart, the corner of Lu Yan’s lips curled up ever so slightly. As if deliberately, he casually added a piece of pickled cucumber to her bowl.

“Eat more. You’re too thin.”

Yu Qing: “…”

She mechanically took a bite of the egg, her face red like a boiled shrimp, yet her heart was as sweet as if a jar of honey had been overturned.

Across from her, Su Hewan was gracefully drinking her porridge. Watching the scene, she couldn’t help covering her mouth with a smile.

But the next second, she couldn’t smile anymore.

“Full?”

Shen Jue’s lazy voice sounded beside her ear.

As soon as Su Hewan nodded, her wrist was caught by a slightly cool hand.

“Since you’re full, then it’s time to do some proper work.”

Without giving her a chance to refuse, Shen Jue pulled her toward the study.

Inside the study, a huge defense map of the capital was spread across the desk, densely marked with red circles.

“On the third day of the third month, during the Heaven Worship Ceremony, Zhao Shuo will definitely make a move.”

As Shen Jue spoke, he leaned slightly forward.

Both his arms were braced against the edge of the desk, completely enclosing Su Hewan within his embrace.

Su Hewan’s body instantly tensed.