Chapter 136: A World-Shaking Secret

She patted Baili Xian’s face with her hand. "Hey, Baili Xian, how many fingers is this?" Liu Ling’er, suddenly feeling mischievous, held up two fingers and waved them in front of him. Given how drunk he was, it would be a miracle if he could identify them. She was fully prepared to have a laugh at his expense.

Baili Xian opened his hazy, drunken eyes. His dark, deep pupils did not turn red from the alcohol. He suddenly grabbed Liu Ling’er’s hand, pinning her small fingers right before his face, and stared at them without blinking.

This focused, studious expression stood in stark contrast to his usual icy demeanor. Liu Ling’er thought he was actually trying to count the fingers, but to her surprise, Baili Xian leaned his head onto her shoulder. The humid, alcoholic breath from his lips brushed against her earlobe. "Ling’er, do you think I’m drunk? If that’s what you’re thinking, you couldn’t be more wrong!"

The earlobe is a sensitive spot, and as Baili Xian breathed on it, her entire ear flushed a deep crimson. Liu Ling’er rolled her eyes aggressively. *Damn it, you’re a total drunkard claiming you’re sober—do you really take me for a three-year-old?*

Baili Xian lifted her hand and said to her, "You don’t believe me? Look, you asked how many fingers this is—I’m telling you, these are your fingers. Haha, am I right?"

*Right my foot! I asked you for a number, not what they were! Your answer is completely off base.*

Before she knew what he was thinking, Baili Xian took her finger into his mouth. His nimble tongue wrapped around it, and what made Liu Ling’er lose her composure entirely was the fact that he began to suck on it.

Liu Ling’er froze in shock. She never imagined that Baili Xian could be such a wolf in sheep’s clothing. This was an outrageous level of shamelessness; his hidden, lecherous side had reached a peak of absurdity.

She yanked her finger back, her face burning with a fiery blush. She felt like slapping that smug, punchable face of his. She had known that a drunk Baili Xian would be trouble; she shouldn’t have taken him from Tie Wula earlier.

But regret came too late. Baili Xian leaned in close to her face and whispered, "Ling’er, you look so beautiful when you blush. So alluring!"

"Baili Xian!" Liu Ling’er snapped angrily. *Can’t you just go to sleep when you’re drunk? You can’t just shamelessly use your intoxication to flirt with people! If you keep doing this, this girl here might—might lose her self-control!*

Her momentum faltered, and her voice grew weak. "I really don’t understand—are you drunk or sober? Can you be serious for once?"

Baili Xian looked at her quietly. Had it not been for his earlier atrocious behavior, anyone would have mistaken him for an innocent child. After drinking, he found Liu Ling’er beautiful no matter how he looked at her; her face was so exquisite that it seemed one part more would be too much, and one part less would be a lack.

Especially when she spoke, her voice was crisp and lively. Even though she was scolding him, it sounded like coquettish pouting, which was practically an invitation to sin.

Her flushed little cheeks and cherry-red lips were like polished rubies, seemingly issuing an irresistible invitation. Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Baili Xian reached out and brushed his fingers against her red lips.

Liu Ling’er quickly grabbed his wandering hand and asked with a stern look, "Baili Xian, why are you touching my lips? What do you think you’re doing?"

*What do I want to do? I want to be this close to you forever, to hold you forever, to watch you forever, to keep you in my heart forever...*

Even after his hand was swatted away, Baili Xian didn't look displeased. He leaned toward her again. "Ling’er, you are so beautiful. Every look and every smile of yours makes my heart race."

Hearing these words—which sounded suspiciously like a confession—coming from Baili Xian’s mouth, she couldn’t help but feel a warm glow. Liu Ling’er was truly embarrassed now. *If you keep praising me like that, I’m going to get shy!*

She no longer felt repulsed by his earlier flirting. Based on this, it seemed Baili Xian was secretly in love with her. At this thought, she asked, "Is there more? Tell me more!"

Baili Xian probably didn't expect such a question; his brain likely hadn't quite caught up. He blurted out, "Liu Ling’er, how about I tell you a secret?"

A secret! Liu Ling’er was immediately intrigued. A woman’s curiosity is always sharp; hearing there was a secret, she pricked up her ears, fearing she might miss a single syllable.

If time could flow backward, Liu Ling’er would have died rather than listen to his secret. The truth that tumbled from Baili Xian’s lips was a world-shattering revelation. Just hearing it was heart-stopping, and the danger was that once heard, a single misstep could cost her her life.

Unfortunately, time cannot flow backward. Liu Ling’er had approached this with the mindset of hearing a drunk man spill his guts, expecting gossip. She had been guessing what he might say—perhaps about his first love, his hidden influence, his embarrassing blunders, his secret misdeeds, or where he hid his money...

She never expected that when Baili Xian spoke of his secret, his playful expression vanished, replaced by an unnerving seriousness. "Liu Ling’er, if I were to seize the throne, would you be my Empress?"

*What!* Having come for gossip, Liu Ling’er was struck hard by this secret. Her face turned pale on the spot, and her lips trembled. "Prince Xian, you are drunk. Don't scare me like that. You can't say things like this—it could get people killed!"

She looked up and scanned the room. Even though she knew they were alone, she stood up to check the perimeter cautiously and locked the doors and windows tight, terrified that someone might hear what was said inside.

She had wanted him to go to sleep, but Baili Xian had opened the floodgates, and there was no stopping him now. The only audience in the room was suffering; despite it not being the height of summer, cold sweat began to bead on her forehead.

As if an old memory had been stirred, Baili Xian spoke slowly, recounting the secrets buried in his heart. "Ten years ago, I was still a child. My second brother hadn't ascended to the throne yet, and my eldest brother, Baili Hao, was still the Crown Prince. Back then, I lived a life without a care in the world.

"My father the Emperor was still alive. Although I grew up without a mother, the current Empress Dowager, Chu Mei’er, treated me quite well. Even if she was frightening when she was strict, I still called her the 'old witch' behind her back whenever I felt like it.

"My eldest brother was six years older than me; he didn't care for books but loved martial arts. Even at a young age, he could defeat the average expert in the palace. My second brother, however, was a man of deep, calculating thoughts. He was only two years older than me, but he was always full of schemes, and he would look at me and our eldest brother with strange eyes.

"Years ago, it wasn't like this. Back then, if we didn't want to listen to our tutors, we would conspire to skip class, or even plot to sneak out of the palace to run wild in the capital. The worst that ever happened was getting a beating or being locked in a dark room.

"It wasn't until my father named my eldest brother the Crown Prince that I clearly felt my second brother, Baili Hai, change. He became someone completely different from the brother I remembered."

As if recalling some painful event, Baili Xian’s expression grew deeply sorrowful. The agony on his face made Liu Ling’er’s heart ache. At that moment, she didn't want him to continue; she simply wanted to hold him close and keep him from sinking further into that pain.