Why it never ends

Chapter 1219 Audition
Almost at the same moment, Boheng felt a sense of threat from being challenged. He looked at Hershta, who was enjoying applause on the podium, and their eyes met inadvertently.

The moment their eyes met, Boheng immediately smiled and raised his hands again to applaud Hershta.

The cart on the ridge also started at this moment and turned around to head towards the imperial palace.

……

Inside the palace, Lü Qizhen sat in the greenhouse where Clara and Bo Heng had talked the night before. She stared blankly at the green plants in front of her, leaning back in her chair almost as if she were lying down.

Si Lei had already left. Before leaving, she repeatedly asked Lü Qizhen if she needed to go back to her room to lie down for a while. Lü Qizhen firmly refused. She knew very well what she needed: a space that was completely her own, nothing more.

Going back to her room would be nice, of course, but the shady bedroom would only make her feel more lonely. How could it compare to the greenhouse under the setting sun? As she nestled among the lush plants, she clearly felt a kind of vitality, like an invisible trickle, slowly seeping into her body.

She closed her eyes wearily, letting her thoughts wander. Countless ideas flashed through her mind, but she didn't grasp any of them. Thus, she thought about many things, yet thought about nothing at all. Only in this state did Lü Qizhen feel relaxed.

Her breathing gradually calmed down, and drowsiness crept in. In her half-awake state, she suddenly heard a man talking nearby, which startled her so much that she almost fell off the recliner.

But then came a young woman's voice, trembling, as if she was trying her best not to cry.

“Listen, Xi… I’m grateful… uh, grateful for your kindness,” the man’s voice suddenly hardened and lowered, “but I’m married! You understand? I’m married, I can’t—God, please, don’t complicate things—”

“Why won’t you face your own feelings?” the girl asked again, her voice urgent. “If you truly love your wife, why have you never taken her to any banquet—don’t deny it! I’ve been watching! You’ve never—never—taken your wife—to any dinner party, whether it’s ours or a mutual friend’s. Your wife is like a ghost; you keep her out of your social life. Haven’t you ever thought about why?”

"That's because I—"

"That's because you don't love her!"

Lü Qizhen was fully awake. She held her breath, her cheeks puffed out like a fish, and her eyes widened instantly—her drowsiness had long been dispelled by the astonishing conversation. The embarrassment of eavesdropping made her face contort, but then Lü Qizhen instantly returned to her expressionless state. She tilted her head and pretended to be fast asleep.

—What else can we do but stay where we are and pray that the two main characters don't find us?

"Listen, listen... Sheena!"

Upon hearing the name, Lü Qizhen felt a tremor run through her body. She gasped, almost letting out a soft cry—fortunately, she managed to restrain herself.

"There's absolutely no way we can be together... Don't make things so ugly, let go—let go! What if someone sees us—"

"Teacher, no..."

"Calm down."

As the sound of hurried footsteps faded into the distance, Lü Qizhen heard a dejected sob. She silently turned her head, opening one eye to peek towards the source of the sound—

Sheena was kneeling alone on the carpet at the top of the second-floor steps, covering her face and weeping bitterly.

Lü Qizhen's expression froze, and she quickly closed her eyes as if nothing had happened.

"Oh my god, oh my god..." Lu Qizhen exclaimed in her heart. She suddenly felt a headache. Was this God punishing her for overthinking and letting her mind be swept away by a flood of trivial thoughts? Was it punishing her for not being brave enough to stay at the scene like Chloe and instead running away alone?
Lu Qizhen anxiously watched for Xina's movements. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally heard Xina sobbing as she went downstairs and headed towards the garden. Lu Qizhen almost immediately sprang from her recliner and rushed towards the stairwell.

Officer Si Lei was right; she should have gone back to her room to rest earlier today. She was just being overly sentimental and wanted to stay outside. However, as soon as she rushed through the lobby, Lü Qizhen felt a chill—out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to see Xina's figure.

Turning around, sure enough, for some reason, Sheena had turned back from the doorway.

When the two saw each other, they were both terrified.

silence.

"...I...I was just over there, sleeping." Lü Qizhen reacted first, pointing to her forehead, "Headache, I..."

Sheena's eyes were still wet, and with red eyes, she strode aggressively towards Lü Qizhen. Lü Qizhen stumbled backward until her heels hit the wall, almost losing her balance, her back pressed against the wall.

Lü Qizhen said in a low voice, "I didn't hear anything..."

“If Chloe finds out about this, you’re finished!” Sheena said through gritted teeth. “Don’t tell anyone!”

"it is good."

Lu Qizhen stared into Xina's eyes the whole time, and watched her turn away angrily and go back upstairs.

The entire greenhouse and hall returned to tranquility.

……

That night, Lü Qizhen lost her appetite for dinner. Exhausted, she returned to her room and woke up at nine o'clock. The bedroom was quiet, but there were lights and sounds coming from the small living room outside.

At first, Lü Qizhen thought Turan had returned, but when she opened the door, she found Chloe and Gahodore sitting outside chatting.

"You're awake?" Chloe turned around. "We brought you some food and put it in the mini-fridge. Are you hungry now?"

Lu Qizhen looked at Chloe, suddenly becoming somewhat dazed, and after a long while nodded: "Mm."

Chloe nudged Gahodore with her leg: "Go get it for her and heat it up."

"Why should I go? You should go."

Lu Qizhen took a few steps closer and discovered that the two were playing a jigsaw puzzle on the large table. The puzzle, consisting of a thousand pieces, had already been pieced together with a complete border, and neither of them wanted to leave the table.

"No need, I'll go by myself," Lü Qizhen said softly. She went to the bathroom alone, washed her face, stared at herself in the mirror for a while, and then somewhat absentmindedly took out the dinner her friends had brought her from the small refrigerator.

Lu Qizhen sat quietly opposite Jiahedolei, holding a plate and eating with her head down. For some reason, Turan hadn't returned yet at this hour.

Gabrielle and Chloe recounted the afternoon's gathering to Lü Qizhen, one after the other. Lü Qizhen felt a pang of heartache after only hearing the beginning—

She actually missed this speech for some inexplicable reason!