Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Bush Meihua fell silent, and the room was filled with silence.

He chuckled softly, "How could I keep you here? Yi Ye, you think too little of me."

"Is that so?"

Yi Ye touched his own face, "Then help me take off this mask."

"Not now," he quickly refused, then explained, "It's too late today. The mask has a special adhesive. I'll find someone to help you remove it tomorrow."

It was clearly an excuse, and Yi Ye wasn't stupid; he could see through it.

But he didn't say anything, just quietly watched Bush Meihua for a moment before lowering his head and saying, "Alright."

Bush Meihua cleaned up the bed and then left. A few hours later, he returned with dinner, a standard meal for a noble young master, and mentioned it was prepared by a chef he had specially hired. If Yi Ye didn't like it, he could have it changed tomorrow. Yi Ye wouldn't dare say he didn't like it, nor would he ask about the price, fearing that after knowing, he wouldn't even dare to spit out the fish bones.

After the meal, Bush Meihua took the plates away. Not long after, he brought two fairly interesting books for Yi Ye. He also mentioned hearing the butler talk about playing Go earlier and said he'd be happy to play with Yi Ye if he was bored.

He stood by the bed with a pen and grid paper—there was no Go board in the mansion, only this rudimentary method—and asked if Yi Ye wanted to play.

Yi Ye looked up at him, then calmly looked away after a moment.

"I'm tired. I don't feel like playing Go right now."

Bush Meihua was silent.

"You should get some rest too."

He clenched the grid paper, keeping his expression calm, "Alright. Goodnight."

...

Yi Ye was being held captive.

He truly realized this the next morning when Bush Meihua visited him, and he asked for a wheelchair to make it easier to go outside. But Bush Meihua made excuses, saying that if he wanted to go out, he could wait until Bush Meihua came back.

He didn't believe something so simple was beyond Bush Meihua's ability.

As for removing the mask, it clearly hadn't been done either.

Bush Meihua seemed to want to keep him hidden, so the face beneath the mask had to remain concealed.

He was confined to the bed, unable to go anywhere else. If he needed to use the bathroom, he had to call the butler, and most of the time, Bush Meihua would carry him there.

Though it wasn't a big deal for two men to go to the bathroom together, since it was Bush Meihua, he felt awkward and uncomfortable, unable to pee. Each time, he had to be placed on the toilet, and then he would blankly shoo Bush Meihua out.

After all, Bush Meihua's twisted sense of humor in this regard was simply outrageous.

He also tried other ways, like asking the butler for help.

But the chance of this method working was about the same as pulling a tooth from a tiger's mouth without getting hurt—practically zero. The butler was only responsible for his daily needs and ignored his requests to go downstairs for a walk or to the garden to admire the flowers.

Damn old man.

Yi Ye was so angry that he decided to torment the butler with Go! He dragged him into playing from morning till night. As a result, the butler, who had arrived in the morning with a dignified and serious demeanor, left in the afternoon looking as if he had been drained of all energy, with sunken eyes and a shaky gait.

Later, perhaps after reporting to Bush Meihua, the butler's visits decreased, and it was mostly Bush Meihua who came.

Playing Five in a Row with him was utterly boring; this guy calculated every move from the first to the last, just like in Go. All the glory Yi Ye had won from the butler was lost to this man. Frustrated, he vowed never to play Five in a Row again and folded all the grid paper into airplanes.

Bush Meihua even idly folded them with him.

How could a Warden be so free?!

He must be slacking off; he never attended classes even during his time at the Imperial Honor Military Academy!

Yi Ye grumbled and cursed under his breath, feeling utterly exasperated.

In two lifetimes, he never imagined that something like an "imprisonment play" would happen to him. Isn't this something that should happen to the hero? Oh... but due to his diligent efforts, the hero and the protagonist have completely lost contact.

This has to be karma.

Yi Ye buried his face in his hands in despair.

Even if they were going to imprison him, they could at least throw him a bone with some entertainment. How is he supposed to survive with nothing!

Moreover, he couldn't understand why Bush Meihua wanted to imprison him. He didn't seem to want revenge; on the contrary, he took care of his every need.

Even when he went to the imperial prison during the day, he would find time to come back and have lunch with him, constantly watching him like a hawk, as if afraid he would vanish into thin air.

He acted almost overly cautious around him.

At night, if he felt unwell and coughed slightly, Bush Meihua would burst in like a shot, sitting by the bed within ten seconds, his palms clammy as he gripped Yi Ye's hand tightly.

His body, breath, and eyes were all filled with fear.

As if afraid he would "die" again.

Every time he saw this expression, Yi Ye's anger from being confined would be snuffed out like a candle in the wind, leaving him torn between pity and annoyance.

But just as he started to feel a twinge of sympathy, Bush Meihua would drop some bombshell.

Like now.

He nonchalantly asked, "Do you need me to help you bathe?"

Yi Ye: "...Huh?"

Bush Meihua rolled up his sleeves, showcasing his muscular and toned arms, and smiled, "Shall I carry you to the bathroom?"

"No—hey!!!"

Yi Ye thrashed wildly in Bush Meihua's grip, but it was ineffective. He was still carried effortlessly to the bathroom.

He was guided to sit on a low stool next to the bathtub, his back against the misty marble wall. Bush Meihua squatted by the bathtub, meticulously adjusting the water temperature. After confirming the temperature, he turned around to unbutton Yi Ye's shirt.

Yi Ye quickly slapped his hand away, "Put me in, I'll undress myself."

"Okay."

He hooked his arms around Yi Ye's legs and waist, carefully placing him into the bathtub. His fingers slid over Yi Ye's pajama pants, and he asked, "Do you need me to help you take off your pants? It's hard for you, right?"

"...Get lost."

Bush Meihua just smiled.

They locked eyes for what felt like an eternity.

Yi Ye said expressionlessly, "So... shouldn’t you be leaving now?"

"I’ll stay to help you wash your back—"

"No!"

Bush Meihua lowered his eyes with regret and turned to leave. Instead of leaving, he closed the frosted glass shower door and sat down on the floor, leaning against it.

"I’ll stay here. I can’t see anything, so is that okay?"

The broad back of the youth was reflected on the frosted glass, his legs crossed, like a loyal border collie keeping watch.

Since he’d chosen to sit outside, Yi Ye didn’t feel right refusing, especially as a guest in his home. He took it as silent agreement.

The sound of running water filled the misty bathroom.

Yi Ye slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his lean body. The scar on his right chest was jagged. As he touched it, he remembered how he’d once joked about wanting a scar to look more manly. He never thought it would actually happen. But the scar didn’t make him look tough or fierce—it just made him seem even more fragile.

"You said a few days ago..." he recalled Bush Meihua’s earlier words, "that you could cure my leg. Is there really a way?"

Outwardly, Yi Ye acted indifferent, hiding any self-disgust about his disability from Bush Meihua. But with his leg crippled again after so long, how could he stay unaffected?

"It *will* be cured."

Bush Meihua’s voice was soft in the steam, "Yi Ye, you have to believe me, it will definitely be cured. Just... not now."

"Why?"

He dodged the question, "Do you want to leave the main planet? I’ll take you away. Once the people who deserve to die are gone, we’ll leave this place. We can go to Qi Xing, or do you have a favorite planet? The empire is huge. There are so many places you haven’t seen. We can take our time exploring all the interesting places in the hundred or so years we have left."

"You can’t keep me locked up forever," Yi Ye cut in.

Bush Meihua’s breath hitched for a moment before he chuckled softly, "Of course I know. Once your leg’s healed, you can go wherever you want. I won’t stop you."

"..."

"But for now."

Bush Meihua leaned his head back against the glass door, his gray-green eyes looking at the glaring light, "Can you... let me stay in this dream a little longer?"

"..."

"Bush Meihua, even if I leave, we can still be friends."

He laughed softly, "So you think of me as a friend? I thought you just saw me as a sadist."

Yi Ye hesitated. Well, there was a bit of that too.

"Aside from that, we can still be friends."

"But I don’t want to be friends with you."

He stood up, his figure cast long on the frosted glass. Yi Ye clearly felt him turn around, his gaze piercing through the glass to look at him, "In the past, I could accept being by your side as a 'friend,' but not anymore."

"Continue your bath. I’ll go get your clothes."

With that, he left, leaving Yi Ye sitting in the tub, stunned and lost in thought.

...

The next day.

Bush Meihua sent over a wheelchair for him.

Yi Ye wasn't sure if last night's talk had made any difference, but he had a feeling that conversation wasn't exactly leading anywhere good. Still, at least he had a wheelchair now, so he didn't have to stay in bed all day.

But here's the bad news:

The door was locked.

He moved himself onto the wheelchair, intending to quietly open the door and go out, but after pushing a couple of times, it didn’t budge. He figured it had to be Bush Meihua pulling one of his stunts again.

That morning, he heard that Bush Meihua had gone to the Imperial Prison to handle a group of space pirates and would be back late. At this time, the butler was also preparing lunch, and he figured with the huge villa empty, he might have a chance to escape. But no such luck.

He pouted, muttering under his breath, then turned the wheelchair and stopped by the window.

Pulling open the heavy curtains, sunlight came flooding in, and the distant treetops sparkled with light. He was the type to take things as they came. Although he was imprisoned, at least Bush Meihua wasn’t being a complete jerk to him, so he was doing okay and wasn’t spending his days bawling his eyes out, "If you don't let me out, I'll die!"

Except for his legs and not being able to see Xiao Bai, everything else was manageable.

Moreover, his body wasn’t fully recovered yet, and if Bai Chuan saw him, he’d probably freak out and never let go of him. So waiting wasn’t the worst idea—he could figure out a way to escape once he was fully healed.

He’d already been "dead" for five years, so a few more days "dead"... wouldn’t kill him, right?

Thinking this, Yi Ye patted his chest, thinking his attitude was pretty damn impressive. Locked up and still keeping his cool—how many people could do that?

He patted himself on the back, pushing the wheelchair forward and lazing against the windowsill, catching the breeze. His hand grabbed the black hair hanging from his shoulder, and his thoughts wandered, thinking that he should find a barber shop to trim it once he got out. Then he closed his eyes and continued to enjoy the breeze.

...

Meanwhile, on a sycamore tree five hundred meters diagonally across from the Mei Hua residence.

Some guy in a ghillie suit was crouched on a tree branch, toting a telescope and camera, munching on some apple pie.

"I mean..." he mumbled while chewing, "the boss's orders this time are whack. I'm into photography, but I'm no damn paparazzo! Bush Meihua is the Warden, and he must have his reasons for bringing someone back. Maybe it's for a private interrogation... although that's not exactly by the book, but when has any noble's son ever followed the rules?" He continued chewing, "In my opinion, the boss must be trying to find some dirt on Bush Meihua. They've been butting heads since military school."

A voice came from the terminal: "Quit your whining. Just do what the boss says. The boss also said that if you get the photos, there's an extra reward for you—either the latest camera with lenses or cash, your choice."

"You should've said that earlier! I could've stayed here for ten more days! I'd even live in the tree!"

Then he complained again, "But the security around the Mei Hua residence is really tight. It seems even tighter these past two days. I had to go full bird-mode and roost in this tree. Even peeing is a hassle."

"Peeing from a height is equivalent to throwing objects from a height. Be careful not to get reported and fined 3000."

"Bullshit! I would never do something so unethical!" He angrily stuffed the rest of the apple pie into his mouth, then suddenly exclaimed, "Holy crap! Is that him?"

He immediately zoomed in with the telescope, focusing on the figure leaning on the windowsill.

Through clenched teeth, he muttered, "Finally, after dozens of hours, I've got you."

He quickly pulled out the camera, zoomed in to the maximum, and snapped dozens of photos in rapid succession.

...

Inside the spaceship.

Kaiser had just boarded the ship heading back to the Vanguard Legion when his terminal vibrated.

: Boss, we've confirmed the identity of the criminal Bush Meihua brought home.

: Photo.jpg

Kaiser narrowed his eyes, opened the photos sent to him, and zoomed in with his fingers.