Xie Yi could feel Lin Zhiji leaving his body.
It was as if something had been peeled away from his mind.
That ever-present sense of being watched was gone.
The chatter in his ears was gone too.
He had always known the boy was a smooth-talking little liar.
Xie Yi indulged him, but had never truly trusted him.
Xie Yi manipulated hearts, testing him bit by bit. Everything he had done for him had only been deliberate—making him feel guilty and soft-hearted to draw clues from him. He had never actually intended to let him stay in his mind forever.
Yet in that instant, he unexpectedly felt reluctant.
Xie Yi frowned.
But immediately afterward, he sensed the presence of another person in the room.
Almost instinctively, Xie Yi pressed his hand against the blade in his palm.
Though he could not see, his other senses had become exceptionally sharp.
He heard short breaths that suddenly turned hurried.
Unsteady footsteps, stumbling and bumping into things.
Clearly someone with no martial arts foundation whatsoever.
Temperament… not especially composed either.
Then he heard a small cry of surprise from behind him.
Xie Yi instinctively tilted his head.
His vision filled with pale white.
Although he quickly turned his head back, his eyesight was too sharp, and his memory far too good.
It had been only a glance, but every tiny detail felt carved into his mind.
The youth’s frame was slender, his spine rising beneath thin flesh like a string of beads. Deep hollows dipped at his waist, tapering downward into a startling narrowness before sweeping into smooth pale curves.
Like flawless white jade, untouched by blemish, save for the vivid raindrop-shaped mark resting on his shoulder.
That was the birthmark Lin Zhiji had mentioned.
…At least he hadn’t lied about that.
Xie Yi closed his eyes.
Suppressing the roughened breath that had escaped him in that instant.
Soon after, he heard the rustling sounds of clothing being put on behind him again.
The breath he had just suppressed seemed to spread with a strange itch through his limbs and bones, leaving him feeling… hot.
Time seemed stretched unbearably long.
For the first time, Xie Yi felt that perhaps he wasn’t quite as patient as he thought.
Who knew how much time passed before he finally heard Lin Zhiji call for him.
“Host.”
It was clearly a familiar voice, but at this moment, for both of them, it carried an unfamiliar strangeness.
Xie Yi withdrew the blade and turned around.
The youth’s bright smile instantly fell into his eyes—
A hundred times more vivid than the portrait.
Lin Zhiji felt a little embarrassed and pressed his lips together, dimples appearing and disappearing.
After sharing senses with Xie Yi for such a long time, they should have already felt familiar with each other.
Yet this was their first real face-to-face meeting.
Things that had once felt familiar suddenly became strangely unfamiliar.
Details he had never paid attention to before suddenly became impossible to ignore.
For example, Xie Yi was actually a whole head taller than him. Even standing silently, he carried an overwhelming presence that was impossible to overlook.
It left Lin Zhiji feeling a little helpless.
His thoughts began wandering.
What should people like them call this situation? Meeting an online friend in real life?
So… should he greet him first?
Just as he was about to speak, Xie Yi suddenly stepped toward him without warning.
The tall figure instantly enveloped him.
Lin Zhiji reflexively tried to step back, only to forget that he still hadn’t fully adapted to controlling this body.
His body swayed as he toppled backward.
Xie Yi frowned slightly, but his body moved faster than his mind.
In almost an instant, he swept in front of Lin Zhiji. One hand clasped his wrist while the other wrapped around his shoulders and back.
The body tipping backward was locked firmly into his embrace like a cloud, while the wrist in his palm was so slender and soft it felt as though it could snap with barely any force.
The heat he had already suppressed surged back, now mixed with an indescribable restlessness.
Still shaken, Lin Zhiji steadied himself, only to realize he was pressed tightly against Xie Yi’s chest.
A cold, sharp fragrance mixed with startling warmth rushed over him, making his breath hitch.
Instinctively, he pushed against him.
Xie Yi sensed the faint movement in his arms, his gaze darkening slightly.
Just as Lin Zhiji was thinking about how to free himself, the arm around him suddenly loosened.
Caught off guard, his balance gave way again.
That dreadful sensation of weightlessness returned, his only point of support being the wrist Xie Yi still held.
The next second, the fingers gripping his wrist tightened. A powerful force pulled him forward, and without the slightest ability to resist, Lin Zhiji stumbled right back into Xie Yi’s arms.
A few low chuckles sounded above his head, accompanied by the faint vibration of Xie Yi’s chest.
“What? Can’t even stand properly?”
Both embarrassed and irritated, Lin Zhiji pressed his hands against Xie Yi’s chest and tried to back away.
Yet Xie Yi stepped back first.
All the emotions bottled inside Lin Zhiji suddenly had nowhere to land.
If Xie Yi weren’t still holding his wrist, he might have thought the whole thing had just been his imagination, and that the man before him was simply some kind-hearted gentleman helping him up.
After all the commotion, the clothes Lin Zhiji had painstakingly put on were now in disarray again.
Xie Yi lowered his eyes, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He raised a hand toward Lin Zhiji’s collar.
Lin Zhiji jumped in alarm, only to realize moments later that Xie Yi was simply fixing the wrinkled neckline of his robe.
The rough pads of Xie Yi’s fingers brushed lightly across Lin Zhiji’s neck as if by accident.
Warm and smooth—beneath the skin, he could almost feel blood rushing rapidly because of tension.
Feeling awkward, Lin Zhiji shrank his neck back slightly, somehow feeling that something about this was strange.
But Xie Yi acted perfectly normal. Once he finished straightening the collar, he withdrew his hand, making Lin Zhiji seem overly sensitive instead.
Then Xie Yi asked, “What’s going on with your hair?”
The boy’s waist-length black hair was messily tied with a ribbon, hanging carelessly down his back.
Only then did Lin Zhiji remember. Frustrated, he pawed at his hair.
Probably to better fit into this era, the exchanged body didn’t have the short modern hairstyle he was used to, but instead came with long hair.
Although it spared him strange looks from others, Lin Zhiji had absolutely no idea how to tie it up. After struggling for ages, he had only barely managed to bundle it together with a ribbon.
Though a little embarrassed, he quietly asked Xie Yi if he could have a maid help him comb his hair.
Xie Yi narrowed his eyes, his voice cooling slightly.
“I can do it.”
Lin Zhiji: …?
Before he could react, Xie Yi had already pressed a hand onto his shoulder and guided him toward the couch.
Still dazed, Lin Zhiji sat down under the force of Xie Yi’s hand—only then realizing what was happening.
Xie Yi was actually going to comb his hair!!!!
Immediately, Lin Zhiji felt like he was sitting on a basin of burning charcoal. So startled that he nearly jumped up, only to be pressed back down by the force on his shoulder.
He swallowed instinctively. “H-host, you’re really going to comb my hair?”
“Don’t want me to?”
Xie Yi’s tone gave away neither anger nor amusement.
But Lin Zhiji’s heart leapt into his throat. All he could do was say miserably, “N-no.”
Xie Yi’s fingers slipped through his hair. Smooth strands like silk flowed between his fingers before being gathered back up.
Lin Zhiji sat stiffly on the couch, constantly feeling like the back of his neck was cold.
It felt strangely like exposing a vital weakness beneath the jaws of a beast.
In truth, Xie Yi’s touch was light, and he didn’t tug painfully at his hair.
Yet Lin Zhiji couldn’t shake the feeling that what he held wasn’t a comb but a knife.
“Don’t move.”
Xie Yi lowered his voice, lifting Lin Zhiji’s chin slightly with the handle of the comb.
Lin Zhiji: …
One sitting, one standing. Sunlight filtered through the paper windows onto them, creating an oddly peaceful scene.
After who knew how long, Xie Yi finally stopped.
“Done.”
Stretching his stiff neck, Lin Zhiji turned toward the bronze mirror.
His black hair had been gathered into a neat topknot, secured with a white jade crown.
Like some sheltered young nobleman untouched by worldly troubles.
Xie Yi’s skill was actually pretty good.
What magical hands—capable of both killing people and styling hair.
Xie Yi’s palm still seemed to retain that satin-like softness. He unconsciously curled his fingers and asked, “What are your plans now?”
Lin Zhiji froze.
Honestly, he hadn’t thought about it.
Before this, his entire mind had been occupied with exchanging for a body. As for what to do afterward, he had absolutely no idea.
But…
His eyes darted around. “Host, um, I want to go out for a walk…”
Xie Yi lifted his gaze, that clouded eye fixed heavily on him.
Lin Zhiji startled, then quickly straightened up and said righteously, “It’s not like I’m trying to run away…”
Xie Yi glanced at his legs. “You couldn’t escape anyway.”
Lin Zhiji: (▼皿▼#)
But immediately afterward, Xie Yi stood and once again grabbed his wrist.
Lin Zhiji: “W-what are you doing!”
Xie Yi replied, “Didn’t you want to go out for a walk?”
Lin Zhiji widened his eyes. “You’re coming too… No—even if you are, there’s no need to hold my hand!”
They weren’t kindergarteners holding hands to go to the bathroom together.
Xie Yi looked at him with a half-smile.
“Afraid you’ll fall?”
Lin Zhiji: …
The next second, pressure tugged at his wrist, forcing him to stand and follow after Xie Yi.