When someone came to haul the Eldest Young Master away, he had not yet woken up. He had been on a bender for months; his spirit was flagging, and his eating and sleeping habits were utterly erratic, heedless of day or night. Fortunately, the curtains of the Jade Tower were thick enough that his daytime slumber remained undisturbed by the light.
It was somewhat farcical; though he had stayed in the eastern wing of the Jade Tower for a year, he had never once seriously listened to a song, nor had he ever looked up at that legendary "Number One Beauty."
He was only here to hide.
Zhongli Zixu did not understand what his younger brother’s intentions were. He only knew that anyone he showed affection for would inevitably meet a miserable end.
The people he was closest to.
Once he realized this, he looked at the young guard who had followed him for a long time, Zeque, and was suddenly drenched in a cold sweat. The mere thought that Zeque might be separated from him by the boundary of life and death felt like an impending apocalypse. It was then he realized he had already fallen in love.
One day, while intoxicated and incoherent, he had been unable to restrain himself and kissed his little guard.
The moment his lips touched the boy, the image of those nameless, solitary graves beneath the Wuding Cliffs immediately flashed before his eyes. His drunkenness vanished instantly, replaced by a sensation of falling into an ice cellar.
The only saving grace was that Zeque had also been drunk that day. When the Eldest Young Master flatly denied the incident, Zeque believed him.
Zeque merely said with a hint of disappointment, "So it was a dream... what a shame."
From then on, Zixu dared not have any contact with Zeque. He kept his distance from the Zhongli Estate and found excuses to send Zeque away on errands.
Zeque was inexperienced and simple-minded, lacking the ability to read between the lines.
A few times when the two brothers met, the Second Young Master would casually order Zeque to do some minor task, but the boy would stiffen his neck and refuse: "I only listen to the Eldest Young Master. I will do whatever he commands."
The Second Young Master showed no hint of anger. He merely smiled, his eyes curving. "Oh? As expected of my brother's man. I truly cannot command him."
The Eldest Young Master’s heart hammered against his ribs. Afterward, he pulled Zeque aside to lecture him sternly: "In the future, you do whatever the Second Young Master says. Don't ask questions, don't doubt him. Do you understand?"
Zeque asked blankly, "Why? You are my master."
How could the Eldest Young Master dare tell him about the Second Young Master’s sinister methods? He could only lie: "He and I are biological brothers; we are of one mind. His will is my will. I am often away from the Zhongli Estate, so just follow his orders."
Zeque seemed to half-understand. "Oh... alright."
Zixu knew clearly that he lacked the power to protect this little guard. It was safer for the boy to follow the Second Young Master.
The days of hiding were difficult at first, but he gradually grew accustomed to them. Using this obsession as a pretext to hide for a lifetime might not be a bad thing.
Even if it was lonely, he didn't want to involve anyone else ever again.
Unexpectedly, after half a year of peace, news suddenly arrived that Yue Changsheng wanted him to "enter the curtain" as an intimate guest.
In his sleep, the Eldest Young Master waved his hand in refusal. "No, no... I’m fine right here..."
Yue Chou, brook no argument, grabbed the Eldest Young Master and dragged him onto a small skiff.
It wasn't until the Eldest Young Master had been on the boat, basking in the sun for a while, that he gradually cleared his head. In the center of the lake, aside from the water lilies, there was only his single skiff gliding slowly forward, drawing every eye. The gazes of the other guests in the Jade Towers were fixed on him, and the air was already thick with hushed discussions.
The Eldest Young Master’s heart sank. *It’s over. The whole city is going to know I’ve met Yue Changsheng.*
From behind the pearl-beaded curtains, Yue Changsheng saw the Eldest Young Master’s bewildered expression and let out a triumphant, soft huff. Holding the Jiuxiao Huanpei zither, he leaned out and spoke at a leisurely pace: "I heard you wished to see me—"
The Eldest Young Master immediately blurted out a frantic denial: "I don't want to see you!!"
The second half of Yue Changsheng’s sentence got stuck in his throat.
The Eldest Young Master wailed, "Why did you have to bring me up here?!"
Yue Changsheng was at a loss for words.
He paused for a moment before saying, "I heard the Eldest Young Master hasn't missed a single day in a year, yet never requested an audience. I couldn't help but be curious..."
Driven by a surge of desperate fury, the Eldest Young Master spoke without thinking: "I'm nothing special! Oh, wait—I... I'm even more wretched! Every day, all I think about is how to get into bed with you!!"
Yue Changsheng: "???"
"Hey, hey, you... you really! You really are!!" The Eldest Young Master stomped his foot, gritted his teeth, and rushed forward. He grabbed Yue Changsheng’s collar and yanked it hard to the side. The brocade fabric tore with a sharp sound, exposing a large portion of the beauty's torso to the open air.
Yue Changsheng’s logic snapped; he was utterly stunned.
The Eldest Young Master had always had little resistance to beauties. Suddenly faced with the sight of such exquisite skin, his face flushed crimson. He jerked his head away, closing his eyes, and hurriedly tried to clumsily pull the torn clothing back over the other man.
Yue Changsheng had just regained his senses and was about to explode in anger when he was confused by this "pure-hearted" action. He froze.
His shoulder and collar were both shredded; the moment Zixu let go, the fabric would slide down. The Eldest Young Master was forced to press his hand against the torn cloth on the other's shoulder to hold it in place, cursing inwardly that Yue Changsheng didn't have the sense to take over. The two stood in an awkward, silent standoff. The Eldest Young Master wailed internally that this stalemate couldn't continue, so he steeled his heart and ripped the clothes down once more.
Yue Changsheng was on the verge of a breakdown. He truly could not follow the Eldest Young Master’s train of thought. *What on earth does this man want?!*
"Why aren't you angry? Stop me!" the Eldest Young Master hissed through gritted teeth in a low voice. "Aren't you a top-tier martial artist? Hurry up and throw me into the water!"
"I should throw you just because you tell me to? Why should I follow your orders?" Yue Changsheng’s suspicion flared. He felt he absolutely must not do as the man said; there had to be some trap or ambush waiting for him.
"...Ugh!!" The Eldest Young Master was as anxious as if his hair were on fire. He recklessly pulled his hand back. "Fine! I'll do it myself!"
With that, he delivered a vicious slap to his own face, hard enough to make him see stars. Without even pausing to wipe away the blood from his nose, he sprinted two steps, scrambled onto the lakeside railing, and made a move to jump. Yue Changsheng was quick, grabbing his wrist. "What are you doing?!"
The Eldest Young Master shouted at the top of his lungs, "I was wrong!! Don't push me!!!"
He violently slapped Yue Changsheng’s hand away and dove headfirst into the water.
Yue Changsheng stood frozen on the spot. He watched as the Eldest Young Master sank beneath the lily pads, leaving only his limbs to thrash and flail on the surface, splashing wildly.
"Help... help... glub glub glub..."
...This guy... he doesn't know how to swim??
Yue Changsheng, the man whose heart was usually as still as water and devoid of worldly desires, skimmed across the lake's surface. He grabbed the man by the collar and hauled him out of the water, then said with a pleasant, gentle smile, "Are you fucking insane?"
The Eldest Young Master was choking too hard to speak. He crawled on the floor, coughing repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Seeing him cough so painfully, Yue Changsheng thought, *Forget it, forget it. I won't hold a grudge against a fool.* He leaned down, circulating his internal energy, and patted the man's shoulder to help him catch his breath.
The moment his hand landed, the Eldest Young Master’s shoulder twitched. He suddenly rolled away to dodge, looking around frantically. "The boat! The boat!!"
Spotting the lone skiff he had arrived on, he grabbed his soaking wet hem and leaped onto the small boat in one stride. He began rowing away with hands and feet as if fleeing from some monstrous beast.
The person was gone, leaving only a puddle of water in the Langyuan. Yue Changsheng stood there, his hand still frozen in mid-air, feeling both the whistling of the cold wind and the surging of his own rage.
***
