Transmigrated As My Former Uncle's Sweetheart

Despite his light movements, the little girl awoke from her sleep.

She opened her swollen eyes and stared at him blankly for a moment. A thought then came to her, and she quickly grabbed onto his sleeve and whimpered, "Don't leave me again…"

Chu Qi felt a lump in his throat as he sat down by the bed. After a good long while, he finally responded in a slightly hoarse voice, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be beside you, guarding you."

Ji'er's tears melted away into a smile. She pulled his arm to herself and rested her head on it, leaning into him affectionately.

"Go to sleep." Chu Qi reached out and patted her gently on the back.

"All right," Ji'er replied and closed her eyes obediently.

Chu Qi sat by the bed and gazed at her.

After a year of being away from her, he found that she had grown a lot and her facial features had become more mature as well.

As he observed her sleeping face, his heart swelled with contentment.

Soon, Ji'er's breathing became even, indicating that she was asleep.

There was a flicker of tenderness in his black eyes, and he stroked her head as he murmured, "I missed you very much too, Ji'er…"

It was already dark when Ji'er woke up.

When she opened her eyes and found that Chu Qi was nowhere to be seen, she thought she had been dreaming.

She sat there in a daze for a while until Chang came in to help her clean herself.

"Mother Chang, is Lil Qi back?" she asked softly.

Chang glanced at her in surprise. "Don't you remember?"

"Huh?" Ji'er stared at her with glittering black eyes.

"Lil Qi's back. You even wiped all your tears and snot on him," Chang said teasingly as she wrung a towel out and wiped her face.

Ji'er widened her eyes. "He's really back? I wasn't dreaming?"

"Of course not. You cried yourself to sleep this afternoon, and it was Lil Qi who carried you in here," Chang said gently.

Hearing this, Ji'er immediately jumped up. "Where is he?"

"He went to Jade Dew Hall. The Emperor's hosting a banquet to welcome him back. The Empress came to see you in the evening, but you were asleep, so she didn't wake you up," Chang explained.

Ji'er disliked crowded places, especially banquets.

However, she could not help getting agitated when she remembered what Yaoyao had told her that afternoon.

According to Yaoyao, Father intended to betroth the princess of Southern Xinjiang to Lil Qi.

She did not want Lil Qi to get married and have children.

If he did, it would make her very, very sad.

Although Ji'er was still young and ignorant of romance, it did not stop her from wanting to have Chu Qi all to herself.

How could she allow anyone else to take Chu Qi's attention away?

He had always belonged to her and her alone!

The thought of the Southern Xinjiang princess brought an alarmed expression to her face. Without warning, she threw the covers back and dashed outside barefoot before Chang could register what she was doing.

When she came to her senses, she hurriedly grabbed Ji'er's cloak and shoes and ran after her. "Princess, the floor's cold. Put on your shoes first…"

Jade Dew Hall.

The banquet had just begun.

This banquet was mainly held to celebrate Chu Qi's victorious return and also to welcome the envoys from Southern Xinjiang.

Southern Xinjiang's defeat meant that it had to forever submit and pay annual tribute to Great Shang in the form of gold and silver. As a show of good faith, it also offered up the most beautiful woman in its land, Princess Man Li.

The banquet began with a Southern Xinjiang dance performance by Princess Man Li.

Dressed in a bright red dress with distinctive Southern Xinjiang elements and holding a muslin handkerchief in one hand, she launched into a light and graceful dance in the hall.

Unlike what was observed in ordinary dance pieces, her every move emanated strength, and the muslin handkerchief in her hand glided nimbly through the air like a snake.

Everyone was spellbound by Man Li's dancing, but her mesmerizing eyes were fixed on Chu Qi, who was sitting alone in a corner.

Chu Qi sat upright in his seat, the food and wine in front of him untouched. He seemed a little distracted, and it was hard to tell if he was looking at Man Li or not.

Narrowing her eyes, Man Li suddenly waved her handkerchief in Chu Qi's face. The flirtatious intent in her movement was unmistakable.

The crowd gasped loudly before immediately realizing her intentions.