Chapter 276 - 274. Don't Leave Me Again

Third-person POV

Weisheng leaned his head on the crook of her neck like he always did in the past. The scent and the warmth that he had longed for, finally he could feel it again. After he hugged Hong er, he realized that she was thinner than she used to be. From his touch, he could tell that she had lost almost all of the muscles that she gained from practicing martial arts.

Another thing that he noticed was her hair, the length of her hair was shorter than the last time he saw her. From the choppy haircut, he guessed that she carelessly cut her hair without minding much about the length as it would be much more convenient to take care.

And although her hair was still soft and straight, it was undeniable that her hair had become rougher. During her time in the Xu family and as Empress, she received the best treatment she could ever get. But he didn't mind it at all, he wouldn't ask for more as long as she was here.

Hong er's heart almost stopped for a second. A pair of strong and thick arms circled around her, pulling her closer to the embrace. Her arms were folded in between her body and Weisheng's body and her head was pressed on his hard chest. Although Hong er had lost her hearing ability, she could still feel the heartbeat with her ear.

After listening to it for a while, Hong er felt that the rhythm of the heartbeat was familiar yet she couldn't remember where she had heard it from. While she was pondering, she could feel a warm breath brushed over her neck. At that moment, her brain suddenly clicked that a stranger and to make it worse a man was hugging her.

Hong er twisted her body and shouted incoherently, she wiggled her hands out and mercilessly slapped and scratched Weisheng's face. Yet, Weisheng was as solid as rock, he didn't even flinch. On the other side, Weisheng was too immersed in holding her that he didn't give an ounce of care to the injuries that Hong er left on his face. On the contrary, he was thankful that he could feel the pain, with that he was sure that he wasn't in a dream.

"Hit me, slap me, kill me even if you want to. But please…" Weisheng's voice came to a halt.

Although she knew that her effort was useless against the giant in front of her, she still persistently scratched and bit Weisheng's shoulder. The embrace around her tightened but not enough to hurt Hong er.

"… don't leave me again…" Weisheng whispered as his tears fell on her shoulder.

Hong er's hands froze, the droplets seemed to increase by the second and soon her shoulder became damp from Weisheng's tears. Man and woman couldn't be spotted alone or else they would be stamped as uninhibited which Hong er definitely didn't want to. Furthermore, she still held her dead husband in high regard and didn't have any plan to remarry.

For that reason, Hong er resisted Weisheng's hold even though knowing that she could hurt herself. But, by guessing from the unstable breathing from the man and the droplets of water that fell in her shoulder, he was crying. And Hong er also noticed at how Weisheng was mumbling as his stubbles poked her skin. She wanted to know what he was saying but her condition wouldn't let her. Reality hurts.

Looking at how he hugged her so tightly as if he was afraid she would disappear at any time, she felt pitiful towards Weisheng. Just now, the boy she took care of had the same reaction as the man in front of her. She had a hunch that she had a similar appearance as their closest.

The hands that were going to land another hit on Weisheng's head dropped to the side. Her head faced upwards as if she was watching the blue sky through the white blindfold. Seeing how he wouldn't let her go, Hong er would let him hug her but as long as his hands weren't wondering elsewhere.

Zhang Wei who had been watching from the side let out a faint sigh. From how Weisheng's reaction, he was certain that Hong er was his mother. On his stoic expression, A drop of tear fell flowed down his cheek then a sniffle was heard from the side. Zhang Wei turned his head to the side just to find Meiyun kneeling on the ground with her face drenched in tears.

Her lips mumbled, "Your Majesty Empress…"

Di Shang helped Meiyun to get in her feet and slowly approached the imperial couple. Meiyun went to Zhang Wei's side and patted his head. Although Zhang Wei couldn't express his feeling as well as other kids his age, Meiyun knew him long enough to guess what he was thinking.

"Go hug your mother," Meiyun said softly.

Her wording wasn't the same as usual where she always identified herself as a slave in front of the Royal Family. Her tone was full of serenity, just like a mother comforting their child. At first, Zhang Wei was hesitant to disturb his parents' loving time yet he didn't lie that he really wanted to be in their warm embrace.

Just when he was about to discard his thought of interfering with Hong er and Weisheng's time, a rough hand gently pulled him into a tight embrace. He was squeezed between Hong er's soft body and Weisheng's solid body.

Zhang Wei was stunned, his arms were frozen in the air, didn't know what to do with them. Should he hug them back or just enjoy the warmth in silence? A slender yet rough palm enveloped Zhang Wei's lean hand. Zhang Wei glanced at Hong er's face with his glassy eyes, he looked closer to the corner of her lips and noticed it very slightly arched into an unnoticeable smile.

In Hong er's mind, Weisheng was a very peculiar man, hugging a widow and pulled an innocent child into his childish act. But little did she know that deep in her heart she enjoyed every second in his embrace.