Xia Weibao suddenly turned over and lay on top of him.

Her hand trembled nervously, "What did you just call me?"

Lu Hualiang raised his hand, gently stroking her cheek, "Empress, I have finally found you."

Tears instantly welled up in Xia Weibao’s eyes, her lips trembling slightly with excitement.

Splat, tears fell, splashing into a tiny water flower on his chest.

The searing heat almost burned the skin there.

"Sob..."

He remembered, he finally remembered.

She had waited so long for this day, waited until her heart almost shattered...

She had imagined countless times the scenario of him remembering, and also envisioned what her reaction would be.

Excited, happy, sweet, angry, sad, furious.

Maybe she’d be so happy she’d jump up, or maybe she’d be so angry she’d give him a good beating.

However, when this moment truly arrived, she only wanted to cry.

In front of him, crying like a child.

Lu Hualiang felt a pang in his chest, and tenderly wiped away her tears.

He had made her cry.

"How could you just remember, how could you forget me, sob..."

Lu Hualiang reached out, pulling her into his embrace, holding her tightly.

Holding this woman, for whom he had given his life and traversed ten lifetimes to find.

This woman, engraved in his bones.

"I’m sorry."

"I missed you so much, how could you forget me, why didn’t you remember me sooner, sob."

Lu Hualiang gently stroked her back, his gaze gradually growing cold, why did he forget her, why didn’t he remember her sooner...

This question, he also wished to know.

In the past nine lives, there were memories of her, even when reincarnation hurt the soul, he remembered within a few years, but this time...

He was reborn with memories, yet he forgot when he was a teenager.

"You don’t know how I thought you were dead back then, thought I’d never see you again, how sad I was..."

Lu Hualiang cupped her face, "You were sad?"

Hadn’t she always wanted to leave him, the palace like a cage, becoming a prison confining her life.

Before, she always looked at him with a resentful gaze, blamed him for breaking her wings, hated him for forcing her to bear children, forcing her to do things she didn’t want to do.

She hated him, that was the only thing he had felt from her a thousand years ago.

He thought his death would be a relief for her.

Opening her eyes to find he wasn’t there, she’d be happy.

Yet unexpectedly, she actually said she was sad.

Xia Weibao’s face reddened slightly, wanting to lower her head.

But Lu Hualiang insistently cupped her face, his gaze burning, "Empress."

In this past half year when he hadn’t remembered, she had said she loved him.

But he didn’t know whether it was said to him, or to the version of Lu Hualiang without memories.

Though they were both him, the meaning was different.

Xia Weibao’s face turned even redder, before when he had no memory and was acting out, it was not so hard to say.

Now, in front of this man she had spent decades with, an old married couple, yet she had to say such mushy words.

She couldn’t say it.

"Empress, say it for me to hear."

Xia Weibao glared at him, "You’re asking when you already know."

"I know nothing."

"Then forget it."

Lu Hualiang pinched her waist, making Xia Weibao wriggle around to escape.

"Will you say it or not?"

"Don’t... don’t pinch... it’s sore... hiss..."

In twisting around, she pulled her waist, the pain contorting her face, her gaze full of grievance.

Lu Hualiang dared not tease her further, gently pressing on her waist.

Xia Weibao wrapped her arms around his neck, her face resting on his chest, her lips curling into a sweet smile.