Chapter 63 Betting on His Affection

Looking down at Wu Nian’s peevish face, Xuan Zhi bent to kiss the top of his head, “I’m sorry that I made you worried. It was my fault.” “Zhi, never leave me. I was really afraid that you might disappear.” “I won’t. I will always be by your side.” “I don’t believe you. Yue said it, too, but he broke his promise.” “I’m not like him. I always keep my words,” Xuan Zhi said, raising the middle three fingers of his right hand, “I swear to all the gods that I, Xuan Zhi, will stay with Shui Yinzhu forever. If I break my promise, I will die in a terrible way, and my soul will vanish...” Frightened by what he said, Wu Nian immediately covered his mouth with his small hands, not allowing him to say a word more. “No, no, no. Forgive him, gods. He was just joking.” Wu Nian looked into Xuan Zhi’s eyes. “Zhi, you can’t make random vows anymore,” said he seriously. “OK.” “Zhi, I’d rather you break your words than die before me, you know? I can’t live without you.” “I know.” Xuan Zhi knew how much suffering Wu Nian had been through. The dead were gone once and for all, but those alive had to undergo all the pain. After witnessing so many loved ones passing away in front of him, Wu Nian’s deepest fear was that the same thing would happen to Xuan Zhi! Frightened by his disappearance, Wu Nian kept holding the man in front of him. Xuan Zhi felt sorry. He hugged Wu Nian harder and tentatively reached his lips. The kiss was gentle, like a clear stream of spring, slowly flowing through their hearts. Wu Nian didn’t push Xuan Zhi away but allowed him to go in and responded to the kiss until they began to breathe heavily. The kiss lasted for so long that their bodies even became kind of stiff. Finally, Wu Nian stopped worrying and let go of Xuan Zhi. With his lips red and swollen, Wu Nian kind of staggered around. Rarely seeing him act in such a cute way, Xuan Zhi really wanted to spoil him. He pulled him to his side, carried him in his arms, and sat on a stool, letting Wu Nian comfortably lean against him. Wu Nian blushed. Lucky for him, it was too dark to see it. Feeling extremely shy, he buried his face in Xuan Zhi’s arms. Slowly, Wu Nian started to speak to shift the attention. “Where is Lan Li now?” “He’s at an inn at the corner of the street.” “Oh, will he leave soon?” “At least not until tomorrow morning. He has already checked in today.” “Then I will go meet him tomorrow morning.” “OK.” “Zhi, I’m exhausted. I want to sleep.” “I’ll take you back.” “Sure.” As usual, Xuan Zhi carried Wu Nian up and left the dark dressing room, while Wu Nian turned his face to Xuan Zhi’s chest, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. They never thought about how weird it seemed for a grown-up man to lift another in his arms on the street! Even at night, they still drew quite a lot of attention! Shocked by what they saw, an old man couldn’t close his mouth, and an old lady even dropped her basket... Recently, the weather had been really fickle. Wu Nian remembered the sky was clear the night before. However, when he woke up beside Xuan Zhi, it had already been pouring outside. And the rain would only get heavier. Wu Nian touched his forehead and sighed. He had planned an encounter with Lan Li, but it was totally ruined by the weather! Xuan Zhi sat up and reached out to press Wu Nian’s temples, hoping that he could relieve some of his pressure. Wu Nian was really annoyed! If he couldn’t get to see him today, he didn’t know where Lan Li would be tomorrow. On second thoughts, Wu Nian had to give up his old strategy to bump into Lan Li by coincidence. He decided to visit him straight away, at least not to let him leave again. The heavy rain outside was unlikely to go lighter at all, but it didn’t affect people staying in the inn at the corner of the street. On the second floor, a door was opened. Outside there stood a man in a white robe with a simple pearl hairpin on his head. The man was even prettier than a woman, innocent and charming. His clothes were soaked up and clung to his slender body, making him more pitiful and delicate. Lan Li just got up and really did not expect such a handsome man would appear at his door. He took a closer look at Wu Nian and recognized that he was the princess on the stage that day. But Lan Li pretended not to know him. Despite his doubts, he showed a vulgar smile. “Young Master, where are you from? Why are you at my door so early? You know, if you want to have some fun, you’re definitely welcome. I always take good care of beautiful boys like you,” said he playfully. Lan Li then pulled Wu Nian into his room with his right hand and closed the door with the other hand. After pinching Wu Nian’s face, he smelt the fragrance on his fingers. But to his surprise, Wu Nian’s cheek was so soft and smooth that for a while, he almost thought he had really been attracted by a man. Lan Li thought Wu Nian would be frightened, and he did try to avoid his touch at the moment, but Wu Nian hid his fear. Quickly he wore back that innocent and enchanting smile. Looking at Lan Li, not only didn’t he seem frightened, but he began to tempt the man in front of him. Now his voice was soft in a seductive way. “My lord, my name’s Wu Nian. I work as an entertainer. Remember? You came to watch my show yesterday! I was Princess Shui in the show.” “Who are you? How dare you investigate me?” Since the entertainer called him lord and knew where he had been, he must come with a purpose. Lan Li changed into a hostile face. “My lord, I heard you like pretty boys. I am wondering if I’m up to your standard?” Wu Nian didn’t step back but smiled even more seductively, looking directly into Lan Li’s eyes. “Be careful with what you say.” Lan Li had to admit that Wu Nian was good at flirting. Narrowing his eyes, he took a deep breath and said in a serious tone. “My lord, please don’t be mad. I’m just a poor entertainer...” But before Wu Nian had finished his words, Lan Li choked him and pressed him against the wall. “Who are you?” Wu Nian kept struggling, “I’m...just...an entertainer.” Breathing was getting harder and harder. He was suffocating. As the moment of death came nearer, Lan Li let him go. Falling to the ground, Wu Nian panted loudly for breath. It took a long time before he finally recovered. Now he looked even more fragile. Somehow, Lan Li felt sorry for him. Back then, he would kill anyone who inquired about his past. Yet, for this person, he had felt something special. He couldn’t end his life just like that. Was it possible that he was touched by the story and his acting so much that he couldn’t even hurt the fake Princess Shui? Closing his eyes, Lan Li looked away from Wu Nian. “Tell me, how do you know about me?” He said it coldly on purpose. “I had the honor to meet Lord Yi. He told me about you.” “Why do you come to see me?” “I’d like to make friends with you and know more about Princess Shui so that I can write better plays.” “Get out.” “My lord, I really want to know more about you.” “I said get out.” “My lord...” With his soft voice just recovering, Wu Nian still wanted to say something. But suddenly, he was pushed out of the room by Lan Li and thrown out of the inn by Lan Li’s guards. It was still raining heavily. How unlucky he was! This was the first time that his trick didn’t work! But Wu Nian knew that Lan Li couldn’t kill him. He saw a slight trace of affection in Lan Li’s eyes. Over the years, Wu Nian had been studying men, and he was confident to decipher any man’s expressions, looks, and mindsets. Lan Li, of course, was not an exception. Wu Nian sighed, standing in the heavy rain without moving. He didn’t believe he would fail. Wu Nian wanted to bet everything on the trace of affection he just saw. Allowing his clothes drenched with the rain, Wu Nian glanced at the big tree behind Lan Li’s roof, shaking his head in that direction. Over there, Xuan Zhi had long turned impatient. Stopping Xuan Zhi from showing up, he continued to stand in the rain. On the second floor of the inn, in Lan Li’s room, a guard was kneeling on the ground, waiting for Lan Li’s arrangement. His master was standing by the wall next to the window, from where he could see the outside without being spotted. In fact, ever since Wu Nian was thrown out, Lan Li’s eyes had never left him. “Master,” said the guard. He had waited for a long time without hearing any order. “Um.” “He hasn’t left.” “If he doesn’t mind, just let him stand there.” “If you want, I can send him an umbrella.” “Who said I want that? Let him be.” “Yes.” “Check his background. He’s not as simple as he looks.” “Yes.” After receiving Lan Li’s order, the guard quickly went away. Although Lan Li said he didn’t care about the person outside, he remained standing by the wall. Just like that, he watched the white figure in the rain through the window, without moving his eyes. Time passed as the two of them stared at each other. Wu Nian had been in the rain for several hours. He knew that if he stayed any longer, Xuan Zhi would definitely come to help him, so he made an eye gesture at him and pretended to faint in the rain. With the heavy rain ruthlessly pouring on his body, he seemed so pitiful. In the room, Lan Li had been clenching his hands and calming himself down for a long time. However, the moment he saw Wu Nian fall, he could not bear it anymore.