Chapter 95

Chapter 95

Ming Fei Yu had shed the guise of Yun Song to reveal his true appearance.

Xie Zhi Gui emerged cautiously, his heart giving a fierce throb at the first glimpse of him.

Suddenly, he realized that it had been a while since he'd last seen that face, and longing struck in an instant.

How long had Ming Fei Yu been standing there? The snow on him hadn't even melted. He wanted to brush it off for him, to keep him from catching cold, yet feared that any approach might be rejected.

Before opening the door, he had steadied his emotions, reminding himself to stay calm no matter what happened next, and not to run away again.

Little did he know his resolve would falter so quickly.

The door closed, leaving the outside world behind them.

Neither made the first move, their silent gazes locking as if the less than five steps between them were an insurmountable chasm, the wind howling through the gap.

Each harbored their own thoughts, each clung to their own stubbornness.

Silence was more profound than sound.

Ming Fei Yu’s gaze dropped first, landing on the reddened, swollen, and purplish feet that were stark against the paleness of the rest. There seemed to be both distress and reproach in his eyes.

But he said nothing.

Feeling his stare, Xie Zhi Gui grew uncomfortable, with nothing to shield himself, his toes involuntarily curling up. Then he saw Ming Fei Yu holding a pair of shoes in his hand at his side.

His shoes.

Suddenly, Ming Fei Yu closed in, an oppressive presence coming head-on. Xie Zhi Gui, startled, saw Ming Fei Yu's grave expression and instinctively stepped back, accidentally stepping into the snow beside him. A sharp, icy pain shot up his foot and spread throughout his body. He jerked his foot up, but the pain was too great to set it back down. Unable to support himself on one foot, he lost balance, swaying, about to fall to the right.

“Uh!”

This is bad!

But the next second, instead of tumbling into the snow, he fell into a solid embrace.

He was steadied and lifted, his lifted foot hanging in the air, leaning against Ming Fei Yu for support. In his earlier panic, his nails had dug into the flesh of Ming Fei Yu's shoulder, likely causing pain.

But Ming Fei Yu seemed unfazed by the pain, and Xie Zhi Gui, too, was unaware, simply staring at Ming Fei Yu, who was glaring back with suppressed anger in his eyes.

Why was he angry again? Xie Zhi Gui soon realized that his own retreating step must have seemed like an act of rejection and disgust in Ming Fei Yu’s eyes, hence stepping on a sore spot.

But he didn't dislike him.

Xie Zhi Gui attempted to explain, "It's not that I..."

Ming Fei Yu, however, didn't want to listen anymore; he turned his gaze away, looking into the boundless cold night and interrupted in a deep tone, "Don’t run away again."

That was the first sentence upon their reunion.

Xie Zhi Gui detected the emotionless warning in his tone, which meant, put simply, if he ran again, Ming Fei Yu would indeed break his legs.

“……”

"I came out, I'm not thinking of running," Xie Zhi Gui said softly, looking at him.

He raised his hand, wanting to touch Ming Fei Yu’s face to see if it was cold. His own palms were warm, capable of chasing away the chill.

But Ming Fei Yu just hummed noncommittally and turned his head away, his face unmoved, leaving Xie Zhi Gui awkwardly unsure of what to do.

"Will you listen to me, please?" His gaze was earnest, and if Ming Fei Yu looked up at that moment, he would see the tender affection in his eyes.

It’s just that lies, once told too often, lose their power when the truth is finally spoken.

This time Ming Fei Yu was resolute in not giving him a single glance.

Xie Zhi Gui came to truly understand the agony of having a grievance that cannot be aired, the words stuck in his throat like a series of sharp knives, leaving a bitter sweetness.

Ming Fei Yu was surely still furious, and no matter what he said, it would not be heard.

It turns out sorrow can be contagious too.

It seems not only could he torment with cold indifference and ambiguity, but Ming Fei Yu was also capable of it.

Ming Fei Yu could have simply thrown him to the ground and left, yet he caught him in time, and now he held him without a word, as if he couldn’t bear to let go, yet appeared to be dismissive.

Xie Zhi Gui thus looked on with a slight resentment at Ming Fei Yu, wondering how long he could pretend to be deaf and dumb... such a stubborn mule.

Ming Fei Yu, expressionless, helped him to a nearby rock, brushing off the snow, and gestured for him to sit. Then he knelt down, lifting Xie Zhi Gui’s foot to put on his shoe.

The frostbitten areas throbbed painfully at the slightest touch, causing Xie Zhi Gui to inhale sharply, “Hiss, gently, it hurts.”

Ming Fei Yu pretended not to hear, continuing the motion of slipping the shoe on without any intention of easing his touch.

Xie Zhi Gui was not oblivious; if Ming Fei Yu wanted to avoid hurting him, he had ways. He was deliberately grating on him!

Catching a fleeting smirk at the corner of Ming Fei Yu’s mouth, a surge of anger welled up in Xie Zhi Gui’s heart, but just as it neared eruption, he bit it back, clenching his teeth.

He must not fight.

Was it not just a matter of who could endure longer? Whoever lost patience first would lose.

Ming Fei Yu could feel the burning gaze of shame and anger from above, but so what? Was Xie Zhi Gui the only one entitled to anger when hurt? Wasn't he capable of it too?

After they got together, Xie Zhi Gui’s temper worsened. It was just a press on the frostbite, he hadn’t even pressed hard, and Xie Zhi Gui was already playing the aggrieved. Yet, he knew all too well the wounds he had carved at the core of Xie Zhi Gui’s heart were torn and bleeding.

Xie Zhi Gui would never understand, because he had grown accustomed to treating him with a cavalier and self-interested demeanor.

Ming Fei Yu could continue to indulge him like this, but under one condition: Xie Zhi Gui had to belong to him completely, inside and out, forever.

If he couldn’t manage that, Ming Fei Yu had every right to withdraw all his tolerance and affection.

Let’s see, in the end, who would be the more ruthless one.

Ming Fei Yu’s movements were rough as he forced the shoe on, grasping Xie Zhi Gui’s ankle and placing it back on the ground, then he paused abruptly. The cool and slightly slippery feel of the palm gave rise to a cruel thought — to break it.

If he broke Xie Zhi Gui’s ankle, he wouldn't be able to run amok anymore, right?

Once this thought took root, it grew wildly, itching in his mind.

Indeed, why hadn’t he thought of this before?

Ming Fei Yu’s eyes darkened with excitement, and the dim light provided perfect cover. His fingertips casually stroked and probed the joint, quickly finding a protruding bone. A voice within urged, “Right there! Break it before Xie Zhi Gui can react to the pain. Then he’ll never escape your grasp again, do it, now!”

The temptation to possess a beautiful, well-behaved canary that must depend on him for everything was extraordinary.

A dry thirst rolled through Ming Fei Yu’s throat, his gaze on that bone growing more intense, harboring a cruel and mad desire.

Get started...

His expression softened and calmed, a facade before the violence, gently enveloping the entire ankle bone with the tenderest force, believing Xie Zhigui would not perceive a thing.

But how much force to use?

It had to be enough not to knock him unconscious from the pain, yet swiftly break the bone.

He quickly assessed the right measure and was about to act when a twisted sense of satisfaction surged towards its peak within him.

"Ming Feiyu?"

Just at that moment, Xie Zhigui unexpectedly called out to him, pouring a bucket of cold water on his intent.

Ming Feiyu reluctantly lifted his head, his tone far from pleased, "What is it?"

"I have something to tell you."

Xie Zhigui noticed his displeasure, and although he didn't know the reason, it didn't matter; he already had a way to deal with it.

Xie Zhigui leaned in close, stopping where their breaths fully mingled, then to Ming Feiyu's astonished gaze, he cradled his face, gazing into his eyes, and suddenly smiled, "I want to kiss you."

Before the words were even fully uttered, he pressed a gentle kiss.

— All the explosive love and unspeakable words were hidden in those four.

Ming Feiyu was stunned.

At the touch of their lips, it was as if an electric current shot through Ming Feiyu's brain, clearing all cruel and twisted thoughts instantly, leaving only the memory of the moment's soft warmth and the hooked, reddening upward curve of Xie Zhigui's eyes, as if laughing at him for being perplexed at such a time.

Ming Feiyu's pupils contracted, fiercely capturing this particularly enchanting moment of Xie Zhigui, reaching behind him to wrap his arms around his waist.

Such beautiful eyes, he wanted to rub them redder, to coax out the crimson juice, to catch it in his palm, but the palm was too shallow, not enough to hold it, so he could only watch helplessly as it spilled over, trickling down through his fingers, lost, and then to go and ask him for more, much more.

The kiss ended.

Xie Zhigui took small breaths to regulate his breathing.

Ming Feiyu felt it was not enough, this was hardly the beginning, unabashedly coveting more, pressing against Xie Zhigui's sweat-dampened forehead, looking into his bewildered eyes, and seeing within them his own face stained with passion and desire.

Kneeling on one knee, he took Xie Zhigui's hand in his, coaxing him from the clouds with the posture of a guardian, to fall into his embrace.

"Is this okay?" He was not really asking.

"Of course, continue."

The corners of Xie Zhigui's eyes curled with a hint of suggestive mirth, showing Ming Feiyu the blooming, brilliant irises as he boldly extended an invitation.

Ming Feiyu smiled too.

He read the words Xie Zhigui wanted to say through his eyes.

In this moment, he finally confirmed something.

Something that delighted him immensely.

He thought, if Xie Zhigui wasn't human, he must be a fairy that feeds on enchanting hearts, appearing in the most bewitching form to lure those lost in the snowy night, the forlorn souls that no one claimed.

Sometimes, Xie Zhigui regretted not being a fairy; it would have shattered many barriers standing between him and Ming Feiyu effortlessly.

But alas, there are no what-ifs.

This time was different from the past; Xie Zhigui was no longer afraid. He even wrapped his arms around his neck, becoming the initiator, uncaring whether Ming Feiyu got angry. They might as well bite each other, each ending up with a mouthful of blood, with neither gaining the upper hand.

Ming Feiyu wouldn't refuse the tender warmth offered to him, nor did he care who made the first move. In the end, they were both equally lost.

He cradled the back of Xie Zhigui's head, syncing with his rhythm to draw them closer together, seeking mutual warmth, together braving the cool night.

The snowflakes grew larger, drifting down in a gentle cascade from the sky, melting before reaching the space between them in the humid heat of the moment, shrinking into minuscule droplets that continued to fall, turning into salty beads of sweat trembling on their foreheads.

After a few exchanges, Xie Zhigui suddenly pushed Ming Feiyu away.

Suddenly bereft of the warmth in his arms, Ming Feiyu, worried that Xie Zhigui was toying with him as before, saw instead the twinkling, star-like brilliance in Xie Zhigui's eyes as he blinked at him, full of lively spirit.

"Don't move."

That was a phrase Ming Feiyu had repeated countless times to him: sometimes as a warning, sometimes out of exasperation, sometimes as a command. Now it was his turn to say it.

Feeling... Seeing that Ming Feiyu actually stayed still, eagerly watching him, clearly itching to act but restraining himself with difficulty, Xie Zhigui's lips curved in an involuntary smile.

It feels quite nice.

"Don't move, let me do this."

He initiated a kiss for the third time, but this time he tilted his head slightly, kissing the corner of Ming Feiyu's lips.

Very lightly.

Ming Feiyu felt a tickle, remaining motionless, he looked down to see what Xie Zhigui was up to.

He saw him like a little fish, the movement of his lips barely discernible as he tenderly kissed away the blood at the corner of his mouth—blood from a previous bite on the neck and from their recent kiss, merged indistinguishably, whose it was didn’t matter.

It was irrelevant. Since they were mingling, there was no need to differentiate.

His careful, slow actions seemed as if he was engaged in something very serious, yet the slow, provocative lift of his eyes was daring, aware that Ming Feiyu was watching. He sent a half-lucid, half-drowsy gaze back, inscribing his mischievous intentions clear in his eyes—"Do I look good?"

The curve of his lips seemed to smile, now also tinged with a bit of blood, like a delicate petal, the most beautiful, soft, and warm red in this snowy landscape. Ming Feiyu watched with a heated gaze, longing to kiss it away too.

It must be sweet.

But Xie Zhigui cleaned it all up and immediately turned his head away, denying him the chance.

Ming Feiyu felt a few seconds of loss, then he cupped Xie Zhigui's face, making him look back, moving closer until their noses touched, and he asked with a smile, "My Ah Gui, what exactly do you want to do?"

Xie Zhigui looked at Ming Feiyu, his face flushed with blossoming red, taking short breaths. He moved his numb lips and countered, "Are you willing to listen to me now?"

Ming Feiyu replied, "Speak, I’m listening."

Xie Zhigui said with a smile, "I say, I want to hold you."

"If you want to hug, just come here. I'm not stopping you but..."

Ming Feiyu's voice, once lost in a wave of heat, suddenly changed, regaining a brief moment of lucidity as he fixed his gaze on Xie Zhigui's eyes, "How do I know if you're sincere, or just pretending to deceive me?"

Xie Zhigui: "I'm not deceiving you."

Ming Feiyu: "You've deceived me many times before, you’ve no credit of trust left with me."

It was his own doing, Xie Zhigui admitted.

"Big brother, I won't be afraid anymore."

"Tell me, what exactly are you afraid of?"

"Many things."

"Like what?"

"Like..."

Xie Zhigui paused, glanced at him, and then looked past him to the endless snowy expanse behind, saying softly, "Like one day you might lose interest in me and not want me anymore."

And then you would take back all your kindness, casting me into the dark, lonely shadows again.

That was his greatest fear, a fear that even surpassed the non-human identity of Ming Feiyu.

Ming Feiyu stared at him for a while, Xie Zhigui’s words echoing in his ears—"Afraid that you would no longer want me."

Suddenly, he began to laugh, a relaxed and cheerful laugh that spiraled into the night air with the wind, carrying away all the resentment.

So that's how it is, that's it... It was only now that he realized what Xie Zhigui was truly afraid of.

Xie Zhigui muttered, "What are you laughing at?"

What's there to laugh about?

"You're really adorable."

Xie Zhigui: "Huh?"

Ming Feiyu rubbed Xie Zhigui's face vigorously, heating his cheeks.

"Mmm, uh... what are you doing?"

Excitement flickered in Ming Feiyu's eyes.

What am I doing? As long as it's with you, I could do anything, I want to do everything.

Ah Gui, my Ah Gui.

How did I only now realize how innocently adorable you are, in your own foolish way.

A simple rub could not convey the enormity of his surprise, so Ming Fei Yu embraced him and planted fervent kisses for nearly five minutes, only releasing him when he was on the verge of suffocation.

"Uh... cough, cough..."

Xie Zhi Gui's head was spinning, his lips numb, his cheeks flushed as if Ming Fei Yu had poured a couple of shots of strong liquor down his throat, followed by a heavy application of rouge.

Ming Fei Yu caressed his swollen, gleaming lips, lavishing unabashed admiration and fascination on this pitiable beauty.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Don't want to say, get lost!"

He’s an insensitive brute!

Xie Zhi Gui glared at him angrily, turning his head to avoid further caresses.

"You're telling me to get lost?"

Ming Fei Yu couldn't resist prodding his slightly puffed cheek, as if it were a ball of brown sugar dough, sweet and tempting, denting with a poke and rebounding just as quickly, a strangely addictive action.

Xie Zhi Gui's forehead vein throbbed, annoyance flared by his teasing, he exclaimed, "Why aren't you gone yet!"

Ming Fei Yu hooked his chin, drawing his gaze back, "I'm afraid if I really left, you'd start crying immediately."

“……”

Xie Zhi Gui averted his gaze, "I would not cry over you."

"Then I'll go," declared Ming Fei Yu as he stood up swiftly.

Xie Zhi Gui's expression changed in an instant, disregarding his injured foot, he reflexively clutched at Ming Fei Yu's sleeve and attempted to rise, "Don't."

Then, as he looked up, he saw the triumphant smile in Ming Fei Yu's eyes as he leisurely gazed down at his hand.

"And you said you wouldn't cry?"

“……”

He finds my disheveled state amusing, doesn't he?

"Hmm."

Xie Zhi Gui released his grip too forcefully and suddenly felt a pang of pain in his foot. Losing his balance, he started to fall to the side, but Ming Fei Yu quickly steadied him, easing him down to sit securely.

Just as Xie Zhi Gui settled and tried to pull back his wrist, Ming Fei Yu was not ready to let go.

The more he struggled, the tighter Ming Fei Yu held on, reddening the skin around his wrist.

Xie Zhi Gui looked up at him with wide eyes. Ming Fei Yu freed a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear, then pinched his earlobe, which was red either from the cold or from embarrassment.

"Don't be afraid."

"Don't fear that I will hurt you, and don't fear that my heart will change."

"Empty promises."

Looking at him, a sharp coldness suddenly flashed in Xie Zhi Gui's eyes. "Verbal promises are unbinding, easily broken at any moment."

"Today, you may hold your promises dearer than life itself, cautiously upholding them without negligence. But the day your affection wanes, when we loathe each other, those promises become worthless words, not even worth the space in a trash bin."

Ming Fei Yu looked down, as if contemplating something. "You don't want vows?"

Xie Zhi Gui shook his head, stating bluntly, "I don't believe in them unless the one who breaks the vow gets struck by lightning."

"Fine," Ming Fei Yu agreed without a moment's hesitation, lifting Xie Zhi Gui's right hand and sliding a silver ring onto his ring finger.

Xie Zhi Gui stared at the ring dumbfounded for a good five or six minutes, as if struck by lightning into stupidity, "What is this?"

Ming Fei Yu bent down to kiss the ring and his fingertips, a silent pledge of loyalty and an expression of his affection.

When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with a gentle, tender smile.

Xie Zhi Gui's heart raced chaotically, the spot where Ming Fei Yu had kissed burning hot.

"Ah Gui," Ming Fei Yu said, "let's get married."

"By the terms of marriage in my land, the line of longevity will bind our destinies together, forever and ever, with no betrayal allowed. As you wish, the betrayer will be struck by heavenly lightning."

Hearing the words "struck by heavenly lightning," Xie Zhi Gui instinctively tried to withdraw his hand in fright, but Ming Fei Yu's grip was too firm, giving him no chance to flee.

Ming Fei Yu noticed his hand trembling more violently than before.

"Ah Yu..."

"I've told you, there's no need to be afraid."

Ming Fei Yu gently caressed the face that had made him break his principles and boundaries time and again. He tried to soothe the unease and sorrow in Xie Zhi Gui's eyes, his own gaze fervently assuring him—stop hesitating, take a step forward, for I have opened my arms to catch you, to ensure you won't fall.

Xie Zhi Gui knew, he understood everything that Ming Fei Yu wanted to convey.

No words were needed; a look, a gesture, even the slightest change in breath was enough to communicate his love.

What he feared most was not Ming Fei Yu’s rage, but times like these when he would simmer him in waters that seemed lukewarm on the surface but were scalding beneath, cooking him, torturing him, wanting him to become as pliant as the soft water, to merge completely with him.

When Ming Fei Yu shed his strange indifference, all that remained in his eyes was an earnest and sticky love, as if he couldn’t wait to lay it all out before him and he hoped for Xie Zhi Gui to offer him an equal depth of affection.

Xie Zhi Gui bowed his head in silence, needing five minutes to sort through his tangled thoughts.

Without a word, Ming Fei Yu knew to wait for him.

After three minutes—

Xie Zhi Gui made a request, "Could you... kiss me one more time?"

He desperately needed it, a kiss to soothe his heart that was beating so rapidly it felt as though it would burst from his chest, otherwise he didn't know what to do.

Ming Fei Yu immediately cradled the back of his head, coaxing him to tilt his neck slightly, and tenderly planted that kiss upon his lips.

"Of course."

"You can have as many as you want."

It began to snow again, snowflakes settling on Xie Zhi Gui's eyelashes, trembling gently. Ming Fei Yu tenderly wiped them away before they could melt into his eyes, and then draped his coat over Xie Zhi Gui's head, tightly wrapping the most vulnerable part of his neck.

"Are you cold?"

"Not cold."

With only his flushed face exposed, Xie Zhi Gui looked at him, his breath forming small clouds of mist that gently drifted towards Ming Fei Yu's chest.

Ming Fei Yu tightened his embrace, bending over to shield his lover within his arms, letting all the snowflakes fall upon himself, not allowing a single one to touch his beloved.

Xie Zhi Gui's trembling had ceased, strength coursing through his limbs, especially around his heart, now thoroughly soaked in a warm current. His eyes shone clear, like a mirror once buried in mud now picked up and carefully cleaned, reflecting the image of the person he trusted most.

He knew that from this night on, and every snowy night hereafter, he would no longer fear the cold.

Xie Zhi Gui caressed the intricate pattern on his ring, its face glinting with a faint silver-green hue, obviously, such detailed work had taken considerable time and effort.

"When did you start preparing this ring?"

Ming Fei Yu: "The day I took you to the ancestral hall, you joked about whether I would burn bones as a gift for you."

Xie Zhi Gui paused, his expression turning solemn as he remembered the careless words of that day. He hadn’t looked directly at Ming Fei Yu then, but Ming Fei Yu had remembered them, while he had been contemplating how to strike at Ming Fei Yu, a sourness creeping into his gaze.

Fortunately, he had not acted on those thoughts.

Xie Zhi Gui suppressed some of his emotions, chiding with a bittersweet tone, "I was just talking; why did you take it seriously?"

Ming Fei Yu: "I remember every word you say."

"Which bone did you burn?"

"The one closest to the heart."

"That must have hurt," Xie Zhi Gui said, tenderly touching his chest.

Ming Fei Yu soothed him with a smile, "Seeing you takes away the pain."

As he spoke, Ming Fei Yu opened his palm to reveal another ring lying there.

Xie Zhi Gui looked at him, Ming Fei Yu's eyes brimming with expectation, excitement hardly containable.

He could hardly wait.

"Help me put it on. I’ll put one on you, and you on me."

This was a mutual bond.

"Alright."

Without hesitation, Xie Zhi Gui reached for the ring. How could he hesitate any longer? Lifting Ming Fei Yu’s hand, he slid the ring towards the fingertip of the ring finger, but suddenly it got stuck.

Stuck in an awkward limbo, Xie Zhigui remained motionless, his inaction causing Ming Feiyu's tension and discomfort to mount.

"What's wrong?"

Xie Zhigui's gaze fell, fixating on the ring. His lips slightly pursed, his eyes flickered with indecision, as if lost in thought.

"What's wrong?" Ming Feiyu asked again, concern lacing his tone. He didn't want to pressure him, yet he feared Xie Zhigui might suddenly change his mind.

That would be unbearable for him.

Xie Zhigui met his eyes and began slowly, "There are things we need to agree on first."

"Go ahead."

The determination mixed with a hint of resoluteness in Xie Zhigui's calm eyes unsettled him.

Ming Feiyu's heart raced with anxiety, silently praying—Ah Gui, please don't say anything I can't bear to hear. Please, not now. I can't let you go after all this; don't make me become someone you detest.

With a faint smile, Xie Zhigui's lips parted ever so slightly, his voice a soft murmur, "If, and I only say if, you ever grow to dislike me, promise to tell me in advance. Let's part amicably, and please..."

Seeing his troubled expression, Ming Feiyu cut in anxiously, "Please what?"

Xie Zhigui paused, then looking down, whispered so softly, "Don't get struck by lightning, you're too precious."

That whisper, quiet as it was, thundered in Ming Feiyu's ears. Stunned for a few seconds, he regained his senses only to see Xie Zhigui sliding the ring onto his finger, mimicking his gesture with a tender kiss on the band, sealing his own mark of love.

No wonder Ming Feiyu so enjoyed kissing him; it felt distinctly different—not overwhelmingly intense but suffused with a warmth that spread like a gentle electric thrill, tingling right to his scalp.

"It's on."

Xie Zhigui himself might not have noticed, but seeing the two matching rings side by side brought an unconscious smile to his face. There was no trace of hidden troubles as a light, joyful contentment filled his heart, spilling over to his expression.

This smile of his, a first for Ming Feiyu to witness, was searingly etched into his soul, an indelible mark.

Xie Zhigui realized today that it wasn't the exchange of heartfelt sincerity with someone he disliked, but rather, it mattered who the person asking for his declaration of love was.

If it was the one he yearned for, then even without the threat of divine retribution, he would be willing to take their hand and rush together into the uncertain adventure that lay ahead.

In Ming Feiyu’s chest, a tumultuous storm had long been raging, one that seemed impossible to quell.

He gripped Xie Zhigui's hand even tighter, his voice hoarse with an unusual display of emotion and urgency as he said, "Ah Gui, I want to hold you."

"Alright."

Xie Zhigui's smile remained, his eyes soft with affection, warmth seeping through his usual aloofness, nearly causing Ming Feiyu to lose his composure.

Seated, Xie Zhigui’s feet barely touched the ground; releasing his hand, he opened his arms to encircle Ming Feiyu's waist. Ming Feiyu, in turn, held his head close, cherishing and guarding him with a gentle protectiveness, as if to hide him away.

Under the vast night sky, across the endless snowfields and miles of ice, everything was so monotonous, lonely, and dull, except here with them, where spring was boundless and their intense affections transformed into an endless romantic idyll.

Ming Feiyu voiced the deepest obsession of his heart, "Do you love me?"

He thought, this time, he would receive a satisfactory answer.

The person in his arms was silent for a few seconds before a few soft laughs escaped, "The Xie Zhigui of today loves Ming Feiyu."

"Today?" Ming Feiyu was not entirely pleased with the answer.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Come ask me again tomorrow."

Ming Feiyu chuckled, rubbing the clever head in his arms, "Does that mean I have to ask you every day from now on?"

Xie Zhigui buried his head against his heart, "Just ask, and I’ll answer you."

"What if I ask for a lifetime?"

"I’ll answer you for a lifetime."

Ming Feiyu took a deep breath, and in the place within his chest where it felt like the bones had dissolved, Xie Zhigui had filled it with his own way of support.

"Xie Zhigui, can you raise your head for me, so I can see you?"

What’s there to see? Xie Zhigui muttered inwardly, yet he still lifted his gaze to meet Ming Feiyu's.

Ming Feiyu cradled his face, leaning down slowly.

Compliantly, Xie Zhigui closed his eyes.

Their breaths entangled in the stillness of the snowy night, and just as they were about to touch, a deliberately loud cough shattered the intimate atmosphere between them, startling Xie Zhigui. Ming Feiyu quickly pulled him back into a comforting embrace, patting his back soothingly.

An awkward yet graceful voice emanated from the house, "You two outside, in this freezing weather, would you mind going back and lighting a fire? This old iron tree really can't take much more."

Xie Zhigui was mortified to death; how could he have forgotten they were outside the Taoist's dwelling?! Had all their movements just been overheard?

He hid in Ming Feiyu's embrace like an ostrich, wishing he could immediately burrow into a hole in the ground.

"It's all your fault," he muttered under his breath, giving Ming Feiyu a light but pointed slap.

Ming Feiyu was even more displeased, casting a cold glance towards the door.

"Can't take it but still eavesdropped for so long; I see your skin is quite fire-resistant," he remarked dryly.

There was no response from inside the house.

The mood had been ruined, and Ming Feiyu was not one to let it go easily. As he set Xie Zhigui down and was about to storm in to confront the Taoist, Xie Zhigui hurriedly pulled him back.

"Don't go, I'm begging you."

He felt as if he'd lost all his dignity in this one night...

Ming Feiyu relented with difficulty, while Xie Zhigui tugged at him, massaging his forehead in frustration.

"Let's just go back," Xie Zhigui suggested.

Seeing Ming Feiyu still sullen and unmoving, Xie Zhigui added, "I think it's getting colder."

Only then did Ming Feiyu lift him up and start walking towards his own quarters.

After they had covered some distance, Xie Zhigui, figuring they were out of the Taoist's earshot, peeked out from Ming Feiyu's embrace only to find him still sporting an angry expression.

Xie Zhigui poked at his tense cheek, his first attempt unsuccessful. With a laugh, he said, "Don't be angry, I’ll make it up to you when we get back."

Ming Feiyu's face remained expressionless: "Threefold."

"...Greedy bastard!" Xie Zhigui thought, exasperated yet amused by Ming Feiyu's demands.

To prevent him from causing trouble for the old Taoist, Xie Zhigui could only grit his teeth and agree.

"...Fine."

Ming Feiyu glanced down at him, a smile once again playing at his lips.

"Hey, why did you pretend to be Yun Song to deceive me?"

"You tricked me, and I tricked you; now we're even."

“……”

Alright, he admitted his fault first.

As they walked, Xie Zhigui suddenly remembered something. "Also, why did you touch my ankle just now?"

Ming Feiyu: "It's attractive."

"...You weren't thinking of breaking my leg, were you?"

Ming Feiyu declared decisively: "No."

"..." Xie Zhigui was skeptical.

Somehow, he just couldn't shake the doubt.