Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Luo Qianyu froze. Without turning around, he heard a cold voice from the shore behind him:

“What are you doing?”

It was Wen Yu.

The Young Marquis trembled violently. Just as he was about to speak, he found himself unable to make a sound—Liu Cixue had sealed his mute acupoint, wrapping an arm around his waist and practically enveloping him in an embrace.

“The young master is drunk and taking it out on me.” Chun Sheng lifted his face, his gaze softening slightly, his voice lingering with an undertone of urging the guest to leave. “Does Guard Wen intend to watch the action here?”

Wen Yu didn’t speak, only his eyes grew colder, chilling to the bone.

The next moment, a second attack was already streaking toward them.

Having just taken a solid blow, Liu Cixue’s internal meridians were severely damaged. Whether through delay and maneuvering or a direct confrontation, he no longer stood a chance. He had no choice but to release the person in his arms as he gritted his teeth. The impact of the sword blade arrived in an instant, slicing through the pool’s surface and sending water spraying violently.

By the time the water settled, Liu Cixue had vanished without a trace.

And the jade hairpin and rabbit corpse pinned to the wall had disappeared along with him.

Luo Qianyu, now without support, felt his heart drop. Moreover, he was in the very center of the hot spring pool. As the water churned, he quickly began to sink.

To make matters worse, the aphrodisiac’s effects took hold, his limbs feeling as if bound by invisible shackles, robbing him of even the strength to struggle.

He tried to hold his breath, but his throat felt stuffed with cotton. Before he could even suck in a breath, the warm pool water swiftly enveloped him, gushing into his nostrils.

In an instant, drowning panic seized him, and in his daze, he was thrown back to that night by West Moon Lake.

His consciousness seemed to be devoured inch by inch by the darkness.

Only this time, he didn’t have to wait long.

Just as the bubbles began to disperse, a pair of arms suddenly caught him around the waist. Breaking through the water’s surface, Luo Qianyu coughed up a mouthful of water, his vision blurred. He tried to push himself up but collapsed weakly against the man’s shoulder.

He had no choice but to let Wen Yu carry him out of the hot spring. Both of them were soaked, steam swirling around their bodies, yet the air was cold.

Luo Qianyu instinctively clutched at Wen Yu’s lapel, then weakly let go. Vaguely, he felt himself being held even tighter.

This scene felt familiar.

That night on the painted boat, he, as the Mysterious Guest, had been rescued from the water by Wen Yu and brought ashore. Back then, he had been drowning, barely conscious. Later… how had he regained consciousness?

Why couldn’t he remember?

As his mouth was opened, the Young Marquis’s eyelashes trembled. He instinctively clutched at Wen Yu’s vambrace, suddenly choking and coughing up water. Turning his face aside, he coughed intermittently in soft bursts, his eyes reddening from the strain.

Wen Yu went still.

By the moonlight, he saw the bite marks on the youth’s ear and arm.

“Did he bite you?” he heard Wen Yu ask, his tone unreadable.

He wished he hadn't brought it up. It only made Luo Qianyu feel even more awkward. After all, he had been the one who tried to take liberties with Wen Yu first, only to end up having someone else take advantage of him instead. His lips moved, but no words came out.

The next moment, his acupoint was unsealed.

Seizing this opportunity, Luo Qianyu not only didn’t explain but swiftly lifted his foot and kicked Wen Yu.

During this period, he had diligently practiced martial arts, and his control over his inner breath and meridians had greatly improved. He hadn’t realized it before, but now it showed. He wasn’t wearing boots or socks, and his clothes were wet and heavy. Although the drug’s effects were still at work, sapping more than half his strength, if this had happened during the first two incidents, he definitely wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.

So after kicking the man, Luo Qianyu himself was a little surprised.

But that didn’t stop him from saying what came next.

“Being my guard, does it humiliate you?”

Luo Qianyu looked at him, pursed his lips, and as if still unsatisfied, kicked the man’s knee.

To his surprise, the other not only didn’t stagger but didn’t budge an inch. One after another, they were all like this. Frustration simmered in his heart, though at least the kick landed with a dull thud. “You promised to keep me safe. So where were you, Guard Wen?”

Since Wen Yu began teaching him martial arts and the two had grown much closer, the Young Marquis hadn’t addressed Wen Yu as “Guard Wen” for a long time. Usually, calling him that meant he was angry.

His voice carried accusation, and so did his expression. Wen Yu paused, surprise flashing in his eyes, yet he faintly detected a note of grievance in those words.

The undercurrents beneath the unmelted ice and snow quietly churned.

Luo Qianyu’s throat hitched before he whispered, “Our Jade Ball is dead.”

“…”

After he spoke, a heavy silence fell all around.

Because his gaze wasn’t fixed on Wen Yu, when he was lifted from the poolside daybed and placed sitting on the other’s lap, Luo Qianyu was still dazed.

“It was this subordinate’s negligence. I should have remained by the young master’s side without leaving even a step.” Wen Yu went down on one knee, bowing his head. Though his tone was as calm as ever, his expression was more serious than before. Just as Luo Qianyu was stunned, he heard the other say in a low voice, “…This is the last time.”

“If there is another oversight or mistake, this subordinate will atone with death.”

Luo Qianyu’s pupils contracted sharply. This time, it was he who was left speechless.

Atoning with death… it wasn’t that serious. Wen Yu was the protagonist, after all. Even if he was living under someone else’s roof, it was only a temporary expedient. He had no feelings for him, so for him, a cannon-fodder character, to make such a vow seemed strange no matter how one looked at it.

Moreover, although the initial agreement was for a Personal Guard, the so-called “personal” didn’t necessarily mean being by his side at all times. That Wen Yu would say such words ultimately stemmed from him being an upright gentleman with an overly strong sense of responsibility.

But he had to admit, these words gave him an indescribable sense of security deep in his heart. The Young Marquis fell silent for a long while, sniffled, turned his face away, and let out a soft “Mm.”

He muttered gloomily, “I’m never keeping a pet again.”

Wen Yu didn’t say it was good or bad, only listened quietly to his soft grumbling.

Sitting in the other’s embrace, though it was due to the effects of the aphrodisiac, the Young Marquis belatedly felt a sense of awkwardness, inexplicably a bit embarrassed. So he turned his head aside and added, “And I’m never celebrating my birthday again.”

This time, Wen Yu still didn’t respond. Instead, he stood up.

As the man rose, Luo Qianyu was forced to lift his waist. His heart tightened, knowing Wen Yu intended to take him back to the school dormitory. He hurriedly said, “No, we can’t go back. In this state, if Zhao Nian sees me, he’ll make a fuss again.”

Wen Yu paused. “The Young Marquis doesn’t wish to return?”

Luo Qianyu nodded. “Let’s stay here.”

Noticing the flicker of doubt in Wen Yu’s eyes, Luo Qianyu cleared his throat softly. To avoid any suspicion of being a bully occupying the Imperial Academy’s former residence, he had no choice but to explain: “Before his passing, His Highness the Crown Prince permitted me to come and go from this room as I pleased. So I used to come here often, and staying overnight was common. So even though it’s the Crown Prince’s former residence, it’s permissible to spend the night.”

Wen Yu fell silent for a moment, his voice faint. “Very well.”

Luo Qianyu changed into clean clothes and sat on the bed. The drug’s effects hadn’t worn off, so he could only manage to sit up by himself for a while before toppling sideways onto the bed. Fortunately, the bedding was soft, even softer than in his school dormitory. It didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. If it weren’t for the fact that coming here every day would seem too shameless, he wouldn’t want to go back.

Once relaxed, he couldn’t help but think of Jade Ball. A sour, achy emotion welled up in his heart, and his nose tingled along with it.

Wen Yu had slipped away somewhere, and the Young Marquis’s eyebrow quirked when he suddenly heard faint sounds coming from the direction of the stove, followed by the smell of cooking.

A moment later, Wen Yu returned holding a wide porcelain bowl, steam rising invitingly from it.

Beside the couch, a small rosewood table had been set up earlier, seemingly just for the person on the couch. Even if you wanted to cook a private meal or have a late-night snack, there was no need to get out of bed.

Luo Qianyu stared, dumbfounded, at the steaming bowl of noodles placed before him. “What’s this?”

“Longevity noodles,” Wen Yu said.

Longevity noodles?

…

Wen Yu made them for him!

When the chopsticks were placed beside the bowl, Luo Qianyu was still in a daze. The wafting steam made his eyes misty, and he pondered silently. Could it be that because Wen Yu heard what he said earlier, he was marking his birthday for him?

In the original book… did the protagonist shou ever do something like this for the Young Marquis?

He hadn’t eaten much at the Moon-Viewing Pavilion earlier, and after all the twists and turns today, he was genuinely a bit hungry now. After a long day, a bowl of warm, soupy noodles was just the thing to whet his appetite. Once the bowl was finished, he felt warm inside.

The young man lowered his gaze and, without hesitating too long, picked up the chopsticks.

As Luo Qianyu was eating with his head down, he felt a sudden coolness on his cheek. It turned out Wen Yu was dabbing medicine on the cut left by Liu Cixue’s silk ribbon.

The original host had a relatively low tolerance for pain. For most people, such a scratch wouldn’t hurt for long, but when Wen Yu’s fingertip touched it, the Young Marquis still flinched, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, and he even stopped eating.

Then, his wrist was suddenly clasped by a warm palm. Wen Yu spread open his palm and gently dabbed medicine over the fine, scattered cuts with his fingertip—

These were from when he held the broken porcelain shard before leaving the study quarters.

He’d originally meant to guide the protagonist shou to follow the plot and cut himself, but who would have thought Wen Yu not only didn’t resist but instead made him lose his cool in the rush and injure himself.

The blood on his palm had already dried, but the one on his cheek hadn’t.

He had a vague feeling, as if everyone around him was carefully protecting him, yet the original host was still easily injured and had a low pain threshold.

Was it a matter of constitution or a plot-driven inevitability?

As he ate the noodles, he noticed there were two eggs added. The taste wasn’t amazing at first bite, but it was really delicious—better than any longevity noodles… no, any noodles he had ever eaten before.

By the time Wen Yu finished applying the medicine for him, he had already eaten most of the bowl. The Young Marquis’s eyelashes were damp from the steam, and he almost suspected this bowl of noodles was meant to distract him while he was being treated. He couldn’t help but glance at Wen Yu and said softly, “I know what you’re thinking.”

Hearing this, Wen Yu merely paused. “What?”

Luo Qianyu lowered his gaze and murmured quietly, “That I’m delicate.”

…

He thought someone as upright and overly serious as Wen Yu wouldn’t humor him, but unexpectedly, after a moment’s thought, Wen Yu’s voice remained calm. “Not very delicate.”

Luo Qianyu: “…”

Well, that wasn’t comforting!

As if sensing his dissatisfaction with this answer, Wen Yu paused again and added, “Being a little delicate isn’t a bad thing.”

Luo Qianyu fell silent. Once the bowl was empty, the Young Marquis’s seventeenth birthday had passed without major incident, though not without scares.

The Crown Prince’s study quarters had separate rooms for pages and attendants. Seeing Wen Yu about to leave, Luo Qianyu, unprecedentedly, called out to stop him.

“I won’t lay a hand on you again tonight,” Luo Qianyu said, his face buried in the quilt, only a pair of cat-like peach blossom eyes visible. He blinked, remained silent for a moment, then said, his voice muffled and nasal, “…You can share the bed with me.”

It sounded like a reward, but in truth, he was still shaken, afraid to sleep alone and even more afraid that if Wen Yu left, that scoundrel Liu Cixue might return. Right now, he was at his weakest, and if they clashed again, his rear might truly be in danger.

Wen Yu seemed to see through his worries and didn’t refuse. He silently got into bed, spreading out a soft quilt only on his side near the edge, lying on his side and sleeping on the outside.

Although it was a fairly wide couch, the Young Marquis scooted subtly toward the inside. After all, he had overstepped many boundaries tonight, and he assumed Wen Yu wouldn’t want to be too close to him.

“Why did Young Master act that way today?”

He suddenly heard Wen Yu ask.

Luo Qianyu’s heart skipped a beat, realizing Wen Yu was referring to that outrageous incident in the study quarters where he pinned him down, bit his earlobe, and nearly kissed him. A faint blush spread across his face, and feeling awkward, he naturally couldn’t tell the truth. He shook his head vaguely and said, “…I don’t know either. Perhaps I was drunk and mistook you for someone else, so I couldn’t help myself.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Don’t overthink it. What happened tonight stays between us, as if it never happened.”

But Wen Yu fell silent, his gaze heavy on him. That stare felt like a weight on his back, making him restless, until he heard the other speak again. “Who?”

Luo Qianyu hadn’t expected Wen Yu to focus on this point, nor had he anticipated being grilled for details. Unable to come up with an answer on the spot, he could only stammer evasively, “An old acquaintance. You haven’t met them.”

Despite explaining so earnestly, Wen Yu instead fell silent. Luo Qianyu inexplicably felt the quilt was a bit cold and shrank further into the covers.

At the same time, he suddenly remembered something.

According to the story Su He wrote, on the Young Marquis’s birthday, the sequence began with bathing, then the 'gong' character's lust leading to an attempted assault, followed by the same flirtatious ancient poetry about fair wrists, even the ear-biting and having his face scratched during resistance… All these events, interrupted on Wen Yu but happening to himself in the hot spring pool, matched the original plot one by one!

The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed.

But if his speculation was correct, then tonight he still had one plot point left to complete—

He hadn’t yet painted on Wen Yu’s body.

Since time was almost up, once tonight passed and the Young Marquis failed to complete the plot on his birthday, he had no idea what cruel tricks the damned author would come up with to torment him next.

At this thought, the Young Marquis gave a full-body shudder and suddenly propped himself up. By now, only one candle remained lit.

Wen Yu looked at him, his expression somewhat inscrutable.

“Wen Yu,” Luo Qianyu’s throat tightened, finding the words difficult, but he tried to sound as natural as possible, “…Can I paint on you?”

Wen Yu’s brow paused slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Paint?”

“Yes, with a brush.” The candlelight illuminated the young man’s eyes; he didn’t seem to be joking. Instead, he seemed to be observing Wen Yu’s expression, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly before he said, “On your body… on your hand will do.”

Perhaps because it was his birthday, tonight’s Wen Yu seemed more indulgent toward him than usual.

In the original book, the Young Marquis had painted freely and wantonly, almost covering the other’s entire body with an erotic scene out of malicious humiliation. But now, though it was still painting, he deliberately restrained his strokes, carefully drawing only petals on Wen Yu’s palm.

After painting a few petals, he couldn’t help but lift his head and look at it with Wen Yu for a moment.

Although it was a miniature version… strictly speaking, it still counted as painting. No issue there—it should still fulfill the plot requirement.

But aside from flowers, the original host seemed to have painted something else as well…

The Young Marquis lowered his head and earnestly added a few more strokes. When he came back to his senses, a crooked, wobbly outline had already appeared on the palm.

Wen Yu looked down for a long moment before finally speaking. “Why did you draw a chicken?”

Luo Qianyu sputtered, "...This is a crane!"

Following Wen Yu's gaze downward, the more he looked, the more that round, plump shape did seem a bit like a speckled chicken that had sneaked out of its coop...

The tips of Luo Qianyu's ears grew hot; he instantly lost interest. Just as he was about to grab a handkerchief to wipe it off, Wen Yu had already withdrawn his hand and asked softly, "Are you tired, Young Master?"

Luo Qianyu hadn't felt sleepy, but Wen Yu's question somehow made him feel drowsy. Yet, he felt something was left undone; going to sleep now would lead to trouble. Though he couldn't pinpoint why, he still felt uneasy.

But he had already completed the day's birthday events. What else could be missing?

When the candle flame died, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness, the night breeze brushed past the window lattice, lifting half a curtain.

Luo Qianyu pulled up the covers, fighting off his sleepiness in an attempt to drift off. That thread of unease pricked at his heart like a fine needle. His eyelashes fluttered lightly, and when he opened his eyes again, it was as if something had seized his soul, his pupils contracting in shock.

—His folding fan!

It had been knocked into the pool during the struggle with Liu Cixue and now lay at the bottom!!

Had Wen Yu noticed?

No... he mustn't panic. The pool wasn't shallow, and the scene had been so chaotic. Without looking carefully, one couldn't even tell what the object was, let alone make out the writing on it.

It was deep into the night, but the Young Marquis couldn't sleep no matter what.

He hesitated for a moment, then forced himself to sit up. Holding his breath and moving stealthily, he tried to slip past the sleeping figure to get out of bed. But just as he extended a leg over the edge, a hand with prominent knuckles suddenly clamped around his wrist.

"Where are you going?"

A cool voice, tinged with a hint of weariness, yet the gaze that met his was clear and sharp, especially distinct in the silent night.

It was Wen Yu's voice.

-

At the same time.

Chun Sheng was discovered by the night-watch servants. Lanterns lit up one after another, weaving through the corridors and garden paths. The marquis's estate was a hive of activity, occasional exclamations breaking the silence. The tranquil night was stirred into clamor, bright as day.

For a time, it was exceptionally lively.

Liu Cixue sat on the roof ridge, his fitted black clothes rustling in the wind. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, then fished out the little creature trying to burrow into his sleeve. Grasping it by the tail, Jade Ball twitched its nose as the man wiped the blood from its ears with his thumb.

He lowered his head, his voice lost in the wind, murmuring faintly:

"Just a worthless rabbit... what on earth made him like it so much?"