Chapter 160 Taking the Initiative to Care

Today, Lie Changan was dressed in an ice-blue, front-buttoning narrow-sleeved robe. The collar and cuffs were embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns using royal blue silk threads, and his indigo trousers were tucked neatly into brocade boots, making him look spirited, dashing, and extraordinarily noble.

Guli immediately noticed his hands, which were similarly exposed to the freezing weather. Though his fingers were slender and his bones well-defined, he could not conceal how red they were from the cold, numb and devoid of sensation.

"Your Highness, why have you come here?"

Lie Changan strode up to her, a flicker of tenderness unconsciously crossing the depths of his eyes. The corners of his lips curved upward as he gazed at her earnestly, leaving no room for anyone else in his vision.

This time, Guli truly saw the joy and gentleness in his eyes. It was so obvious that she found it hard to ignore.

A slight blush crept onto Guli's cheeks. Even now, she was mindful of a maiden's modesty; though shy, she mustered the courage to hold out the hand warmer in her hand. "The heavy snow is just beginning to melt, and it is even colder than usual. Your hands are frozen purple. Take this quickly and warm yourself up."

Lie Changan's gaze fell upon the exquisite little hand warmer, and a silent, nurturing warmth spread through his heart. He had not expected her to run all the way out in such freezing weather just to bring him a hand warmer.

Was she worried about him?

Lie Changan smiled, his dark, starry eyes gleaming brilliantly. "Your Highness, this is something for a young lady. I am a man; people will laugh if I use it."

"Since when does freezing have anything to do with whether one is a man or a woman?"

Unable to comprehend his logic and too lazy to argue, Guli directly thrust the hand warmer into his hand. Feeling how cold his hands were—like shards of ice—only made her feel even more heartache.

"Look at what the cold has done to your hands, and yet you still stubbornly argue. Just take it and hold it all the way; once you reach the manor, you won't be cold anymore."

"What about you?"

Seeing that she had not brought Momo with her and that she only had this one hand warmer, Lie Changan wondered what she would use once she gave it to him.

"I have my hand muffs."

Guli lifted her wrists, which were adorned with fox-fur muffs. Keeping both hands tucked inside, she felt thoroughly warm and cozy, no less comfortable than holding a hand warmer.

"Besides, I have plenty of hand warmers in my palace; I'm not short of just one."

Guli smiled. "As long as you aren't freezing, that's enough."

A lump formed in Lie Changan's throat.

For all eighteen years of his life, apart from his grandmother, only the young woman before him had ever cared for him with such genuine sincerity.

Whether it was when she had once endured hardships and painstakingly cared for him in the side hall of the Yunyan Palace, or when she prepared several sets of new inner garments for him to take away, or how she always remembered to keep skin-soothing jade lotion ready for his scars, or even now, running out so early in the biting cold just to deliver a hand warmer to him.

How could such a wonderful woman fail to move his heart? How could he ever say he loved her less?

An ache gripped Lie Changan's heart, choking him like a fishbone in his throat.

He gazed at her quietly for a long moment. Reluctant as he was, he was still afraid she would catch the cold.

"Thank you, Your Highness. Please hurry back; it is far too cold, and you mustn't freeze yourself."

His tone was laden with deep care, and his gaze was overwhelmingly tender, completely melting Guli's heart.

Guli blushed, feeling sweeter than if she had eaten honey. She nodded obediently, quickly put on her hooded cloak, and cast one last lingering, reluctant look at him before turning to leave.

Lie Changan watched as her figure gradually shrank amidst the boundless falling snow, finally disappearing around the corner, before he could bear to withdraw his gaze.

Holding the warm hand warmer in his hands, Lie Changan felt its heat gradually seep into his heart, making his entire body glow with warmth.

"General Chang'an."

Suddenly, an untimely voice sounded from behind him.

Lie Changan turned around to see Zhou Qiyuan standing straight behind him, clad in a snow-white, straight-collared robe. A smile that failed to reach his eyes hung on his face—it was clear that the entire scene just now had been witnessed by him from start to finish.