He understood Jiang Yunzheng’s gaze all too well. It was admiration.
This person wanted to steal his Master away from him.
……………………..
No. He was no longer his Master.
His Master no longer wanted him.
Not only that, his Master was even unwilling to spare him a single glance.
Xi Yu didn’t want to offend the elders, so he had no choice but to sit down.
But he really didn’t want to see either Lu Zhixing or Luo Cheng’an. He simply lowered his head, gazing at the mineral water bottle in his hands as he absentmindedly picked at its label.
Lu Zhixing was even more taciturn than usual. You couldn’t get a single sentence out of him no matter how hard you tried. Only Luo Cheng’an kept the conversation going, trying to liven up the atmosphere.
But everyone present was shrewd. Before leaving, Xi Yu and Lu Zhixing had been so affectionate with each other. Now, after returning, they weren’t even exchanging half a sentence. Anyone could tell something was wrong.
Seeing that her brother had eyes only for Xi Yu, Jiang Xuewei rolled her eyes inwardly and picked up Luo Cheng’an’s conversation. The two of them went back and forth, keeping the atmosphere from becoming awkward.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Lu Zhixing, who kept looking toward Xi Yu. Girls were always sensitive to other people’s emotions.
She used to be a fan of Lu Zhixing, too. When Xi Yu and Lu Zhixing had publicly announced their relationship, she’d thought they made a pretty good match. At the time, however, she’d been immersed in the joy of her own brother waking up, so she hadn’t paid them much attention.
Who would have thought that just a few days later, when she and her brother visited the Luo residence to express their gratitude, she’d learn that the two had only been pretending? She’d even felt a little regretful about it.
But her brother had gone home that day in an unbelievably good mood. He’d even replayed Xi Yu’s variety show clips over and over again. That was when she’d begun to sense something was off.
Lu Zhixing was certainly excellent. His character, family background, and looks were all first-rate. Moreover, from those variety shows, she could tell that Lu Zhixing liked Xi Yu.
But as his younger sister, of course she would stand on her brother’s side.
Xi Yu was so capable. If he could get together with her brother, it would be an enormous blessing for him.
Looking at the dejected Lu Zhixing, Jiang Xuewei silently apologized to him in her heart before pretending to respond to Luo Cheng’an with great excitement. “Really? That sounds so thrilling! It’s a shame I’m afraid of adventures, or I’d really want to go, too.”
As she spoke, Jiang Xuewei shifted her body, pushing Jiang Yunzheng closer to Xi Yu.
Naturally, Luo Cheng’an wasn’t going to reveal what had really happened to them. He merely pretended to reminisce and made up some empty stories about their adventures to keep the atmosphere from turning awkward.
The exaggerated expression on his face paused for a brief moment when he noticed Jiang Xuewei’s movement, but the change vanished in the blink of an eye.
Jiang Yunzheng had originally only been sneaking glances at Xi Yu. Caught completely off guard when he was suddenly pushed, he leaned toward Xi Yu.
With a clack, the mineral water bottle Xi Yu had been loosely holding slipped from his hand and fell to the floor.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Jiang Yunzheng hurriedly picked up the bottle and handed it back to Xi Yu. “I didn’t mean to.”
Jiang Xuewei put on an expression of regret and quickly shifted toward the other side. “It’s my fault. I got too excited listening to Brother Cheng’an and squeezed Brother Yu.”
Xi Yu waved a hand. “It’s fine.”
He hadn’t absorbed a single word Luo Cheng’an had said. He’d been completely lost in his own tangled thoughts.
Jiang Yunzheng’s little mishap had brought him back to his senses.
Xi Yu didn’t like sitting too close to other people. But with three people on one section of the sofa, things were already rather cramped. There wasn’t really anywhere else to move, so he stayed where he was.
After Jiang Yunzheng handed the bottle back, Jiang Xuewei had already made room for him. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately didn’t move.
Their legs were pressed together.
Jiang Yunzheng’s earlobes were slightly red, and his eyes sparkled as he looked at Xi Yu.
But Lu Zhixing’s eyes were completely dark. The hand resting at his side had clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.
In the past, wherever he was, the place beside his Master had always belonged to him.
But now, what gave Jiang Yunzheng the right? His Master was treating him so warmly. The two of them were sitting so close, their knees touching.
And Jiang Yunzheng looked at his Master with such ardent affection.
His Master now understood matters of desire, and Jiang Yunzheng was exactly the sort of person his Master liked most.
Would Jiang Yunzheng take the place that had originally belonged to him and become the tool his Master used to satisfy his desires?
Lu Zhixing’s gaze grew increasingly feverish, and his breathing became more and more uneven.
Sensing the turbulent fluctuations in the demonic aura around him, Xi Yu abruptly stood up and looked coldly at Lu Zhixing.
“Come with me.”
After saying that, Xi Yu turned and walked toward the back garden.
Lu Zhixing followed behind him. Before leaving, he glanced at Jiang Yunzheng, who looked somewhat disappointed.
When Jiang Yunzheng met his gaze, a chill crept over his back.
“B-Brother?!” Jiang Xuewei nudged the somewhat dazed Jiang Yunzheng. “What’s wrong?”
Only then did Jiang Yunzheng come back to his senses. “N-Nothing.”
For a brief instant just now, he’d felt that Lu Zhixing… wanted to kill him.
Looking at her brother’s distracted expression, Jiang Xuewei assumed he was feeling down because Xi Yu had called Lu Zhixing outside. She shook her head.
People in love, honestly…
\*
In the back garden of the Luo residence, the pink and white hydrangeas resembled enormous scoops of ice cream, giving off an overly sweet fragrance.
Xi Yu’s fingertips rested on one of the flower clusters. When Lu Zhixing’s footsteps stopped behind him, he withdrew his hand from the hydrangea, turned around, and looked at Lu Zhixing through half-lidded eyes.
The next second, Xi Yu raised his hand.
A crisp, resounding slap landed across Lu Zhixing’s pale face.
Xi Yu hadn’t held back in the slightest. His expression didn’t change either. He was cold and merciless.
Lu Zhixing’s face was slapped to the side. After the faint fragrance of pear blossoms faded, a burning pain spread across his cheek. Clear red finger marks appeared almost instantly.
Lu Zhixing pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek. The taste of blood spread through his mouth. He turned his head and looked at Xi Yu numbly.
His Master had never slapped him across the face before.
A thousand years ago, when he was about to be sacrificed as an arrow, his Master had merely kicked him away.
Even when Lu Zhixing occasionally annoyed him until he lost his patience, his Master had only patted his face lightly.
After Lu Zhixing’s identity was exposed, even when his Master had wanted to kill him, he’d merely grabbed him by the throat.
This was the first time his Master had slapped him.
Without any magic behind it, the slap didn’t hurt much. It carried more humiliation than pain.
His Master wants to humiliate him.
The thought suddenly surfaced in Lu Zhixing’s mind.
Lu Zhixing thought that whether it was a slap or a punch, all he could smell was the fragrance of his Master’s hand.
How could that be humiliation? It was nothing but a blessing.
He could still have physical contact with his Master. He was so grateful.
The force of an action was mutual. Xi Yu’s palm was also somewhat numb and sore. He had no idea what Lu Zhixing was thinking. He merely asked in a chilly voice, “Do you know why I hit you?”
Lu Zhixing lowered his eyes, concealing every emotion. “Because my emotions were unstable, and my demonic aura leaked out.”
“Very good.” As he spoke, Xi Yu conjured a handkerchief and wiped the palm he’d used to slap Lu Zhixing. “Since you know, then keep your filthy aura under control. Otherwise, things won’t end with just one slap.”
After saying that, Xi Yu flicked his hand and threw the handkerchief at Lu Zhixing’s face. His gaze was contemptuous.
“I can’t kill you, but if you make me uncomfortable, I have plenty of ways to make you suffer.”
The soft, smooth handkerchief landed against Lu Zhixing’s face, carrying the distinctive fragrance of pear blossoms that belonged to Xi Yu—faint, yet intoxicating.
Lu Zhixing caught the handkerchief and held it in his hand. Looking at Xi Yu’s face, he found it both unfamiliar and distant.
“Zhi Li.” Xi Yu took a step forward. “You like me.”
……………..
Xi Yu’s words weren’t a question. They were a statement.
From the moment Lu Zhixing’s demonic identity had been exposed until now, Xi Yu had been unable to forget the look Lu Zhixing had given him just before he died.
Painful, infatuated, filled with reluctance and love.
For tens of thousands of years in the Divine Realm, Xi Yu had always thought that Zhi Li’s clinginess and jealousy stemmed from dependence.
But now, thinking carefully, he realized they had all been signs of love.
Just as he had fallen in love with Zhi Li, he discovered that Zhi Li had loved him even earlier.
This should have been a happy thing.
But now, because of Zhi Li’s demonic identity, a funeral banner had been hung over that happy occasion.
Xi Yu stared at Lu Zhixing, waiting for him to speak.
Lu Zhixing’s body was as rigid as a beautiful, hollowed-out puppet. Looking into Xi Yu’s certain gaze, he spoke softly.
“Yes.”
The love he’d been unable to express for tens of thousands of years had its final veil torn away at this moment, laid bare before Xi Yu.
“How disgusting.” Xi Yu spoke in a low voice, almost as though sighing.
For an instant, Lu Zhixing heard a roaring in his ears. Xi Yu’s words struck him so hard that he could barely remain standing. The handkerchief slipped from his fingers and fell to the ground, and fine, dense pain spread throughout his body.
It was like the pain that came when one’s limbs, numb from being curled up for too long, were suddenly stretched out again.
It wasn’t fatal, but it was agonizingly difficult to endure.
Xi Yu seemed unaware of how hurtful his words were. With an almost innocent expression, he looked Lu Zhixing up and down.
He didn’t say another word, yet it felt like a cruel, slow execution.
After a long while, Xi Yu finally continued, addressing Lu Zhixing, who was swaying as if on the verge of collapse.
“Just thinking about your feelings for me, your identity, and even the divine bone of yours inside my body makes me feel so disgusted.”
Xi Yu’s tone remained gentle throughout, like a feather falling to the ground. Yet those words became a weight Lu Zhixing could not bear.
“I-I’m sorry.” Lu Zhixing lowered his head, his voice terribly hoarse.
The blue handkerchief was still caught between his fingertips. As Lu Zhixing lowered his head, a single tear fell onto it, soaking into the fabric and leaving a small, darkened mark.
Xi Yu’s expression stiffened for a brief moment, but Lu Zhixing, with his head bowed, didn’t see it.
Xi Yu lowered his eyes to the damp mark spreading across the handkerchief. The ache and anguish rising in his chest made his throat tighten.
You must feel wronged, Zhi Li.
You had clearly traded your life for his, given him everything you had, only to receive this kind of treatment in return.
And even now, after being treated this way, you were still apologizing. Still saying you were sorry.
Xi Yu felt that he wasn’t even human.
But Zhi Li was too stubborn. He had to teach him a lesson that would leave a scar deep in his heart.
Xi Yu couldn’t bear to look at Lu Zhixing any longer. He walked past him and said coldly,
“Keep that disgusting demonic aura of yours under control!”