Fan Jiang suppressed the news, leading a trusted team to search beneath the cliff for a full day and night. Finally, by the riverbank, they found the unconscious man.
His faint breathing sent a surge of joy through Fan Jiang.
Thankfully, the water here had cushioned the fall from the cliff’s height—otherwise, survival would’ve been impossible!
But while they’d found Xiao Hanjin, there was no trace of Di Rong Hua.
Fan Jiang personally escorted Xiao Hanjin back to the camp, entrusting him to the imperial physicians and close aides, then returned to the cliff bottom.
He couldn’t forget the Crown Prince’s words before jumping, nor the reason he’d leapt.
If they couldn’t find the princess… he didn’t dare imagine the consequences!
…
Two days passed, and Xiao Hanjin remained unconscious. The search yielded no results.
Mu Qingshuang sat silently by the bedside, staring blankly at the comatose man for an unknown stretch of time.
She’d never imagined he’d jump off a cliff for Di Rong Hua.
Four years ago, his father had nearly killed him to secure the throne. Now, after a hard-fought revenge, wresting away what his father valued most, shouldn’t he be reigning supreme?
Yet how could he throw himself into a bottomless abyss for a woman?
Was Di Rong Hua that important?
Had he truly fallen in love with her?
Mu Qingshuang closed her eyes. “Did you ever think about what happens to me?”
Her voice trembled with bitterness. “You die for her, leaving me alone with little time left. Xiao Hanjin, how can you be so heartless?”
He’d approached Di Rong Hua for her sake—so why could he now abandon her so completely?
Mu Qingshuang gazed at his pale, handsome face, her fingertips quivering as she slowly reached toward him.
But before her fingers grazed his face, his eyes snapped open, as if he’d sensed her.
Her pupils contracted.
Xiao Hanjin’s gaze shifted, a brief blankness giving way to an emotionless sweep over her outstretched hand.
One glance—so cold it made Mu Qingshuang retract her hand. “Your Highness, with that look, it’s as if I were about to take advantage of you while you’re unconscious,” she said, her tone a mix of playful mockery, self-deprecation, and a faint hope he’d refute her.
Xiao Hanjin, expressionless, withdrew his gaze, flung off the covers, grabbed a robe, and strode toward the exit.
Mu Qingshuang’s breath caught. “What are you doing?”
She’d imagined he might comfort her, scold her, or even mock her—she’d braced for it.
But she hadn’t expected him to ignore her outright.
Panicked, she blocked his path, her voice a mix of shock and anger. “Xiao Hanjin, you’re injured and have been unconscious for days—where are you going?”
His gaze finally settled on her face.
But when his thin lips parted, they delivered two toneless words: “Get out.”
Mu Qingshuang froze, staring at him in disbelief.
“Xiao Hanjin,” she laughed bitterly, “I know this mess has upset you, but jumping off a cliff for her—she won’t even know! Fan Jiang’s already searching. You just woke up, so at least—”
Before she could finish, a forceful shove sent her stumbling hard to the side.
…
Beneath the cliff, an oppressive, eerie atmosphere took hold.
“General Fan!” A guard approached, his face grim. “There’s still no sign of the princess. Could she already be…”
“Shut up!”
