“It’ll be fine,” Lu Zhixing said, unusually giving Xi Yu a pleasant look. “I like playing hide-and-seek.”
After several days, Lu Zhixing was still resistant to Xi Yu. Fortunately, there weren’t many people in the Luo family, and Luo Cheng’an hadn’t felt like talking much over the past two days. With no one else to play with, Lu Zhixing would occasionally exchange a few words with Xi Yu.
Luo Cheng’an rubbed his chin. “I think it’s fine too. If we don’t hide him away, there’ll be no way to explain why he’s turned into an idiot.”
“We can just lock him in his room.”
Luo Cheng’an pondered for a moment. “He’ll run around.”
“Then should we knock him unconscious and send him back to the Lu family?” Xi Yu suggested.
“He’s as fragile as paper right now. If I hit him too lightly or too hard, I won’t know how long he’ll sleep.”
Hearing that, Xi Yu closed the wardrobe door. “Then we’ll just stuff him in here.”
Lu Zhixing’s clear voice came from inside the wardrobe, already sounding somewhat muffled. “I’m all hidden! Hurry up and come find me~”
Xi Yu: …
Luo Cheng’an: …
Xi Yu and Luo Cheng’an went downstairs together. Shen Qing and Luo Yuan were visibly taken aback when they saw the two of them.
Shen Qing asked Xi Yu, “You haven’t gone out?”
Xi Yu gave an awkward laugh. “I’m back, I’m back.”
Back then, he had been prepared to die, so he had said that he didn’t know when he would return.
He had already instructed Luo Cheng’an that if he failed to make it out of the execution formation, then after a year or so, he should fabricate a new identity and claim that the two children had somehow been switched back by mistake. Since he already knew about it, he had simply decided not to return.
Although this explanation was full of holes, all they needed to do was falsify the DNA test results. That would be no difficult task for Luo Cheng’an.
As long as there was no blood relationship between them, his departure shouldn’t cause them too much grief.
But now…
He would just pretend nothing had happened.
He quite liked the human world. More importantly, he really liked the Luo couple.
Being in such a healthy, loving family environment made him feel happy both physically and emotionally.
Shen Qing and Luo Yuan had no idea what had happened during the month they were away. They were absolutely delighted to come home and find both their grown sons there.
“Should we spend the New Year in City Y this year?”
At the dining table, Shen Qing made the suggestion. “I saw a report saying this year’s winter will be especially cold.”
“I’m fine with anything,” Luo Cheng’an replied.
The temperature fluctuations in the mortal world hardly affected him or Xi Yu at all.
It made no difference where they spent the New Year.
Seeing that Luo Cheng’an had no objections, Shen Qing turned to Xi Yu.
Xi Yu nodded. “I’m fine with anything too.”
There were still several months before the New Year. Who knew what condition Zhixi would be in by then?
If he still hadn’t recovered, neither family would be able to keep the truth hidden. By then, Xi Yu could simply bring Lu Zhixing along. There was no need to worry about anyone discovering him.
Seeing that neither son objected, Shen Qing and Luo Yuan looked quite excited.
Luo Yuan chuckled happily. “This is the first New Year we’ll be spending together as a family.”
“Exactly,” Shen Qing said sentimentally. “In the blink of an eye, it’s already been almost half a year since Xiaoyu came home.”
Xi Yu’s expression grew complicated at those words.
Almost half a year.
That was true. By the strictest count, he had been back for less than five months.
Yet those five months had felt unbearably long.
Luo Cheng’an picked up the conversation with Shen Qing and Luo Yuan, chatting with them.
“Oh, right.” Shen Qing suddenly remembered something and turned to Xi Yu. “Why did Xiao Jiang suddenly move out? I completely forgot to ask you earlier.”
Xi Yu was stunned for a moment before realizing who Xiao Jiang was.
“Maybe… he wasn’t used to living here?”
“I don’t think so,” Luo Yuan said. “He didn’t even say goodbye. He moved in hurriedly and moved out just as hurriedly. Xiaoyu, weren’t you two on good terms? Did you ask him about it?”
Xi Yu shook his head. He felt somewhat guilty about Jiang Yunzheng.
“That child even bought me a tea cake before. I brought him something back from this trip,” Luo Yuan said. “Invite him over for a meal sometime so I can give it to him.”
“All right,” Xi Yu replied.
Zhixi had lost his memories for now, but even if he recovered them, he should be able to guess why Jiang Yunzheng had stayed with them during that period.
Naturally, the exchange that had taken place back then no longer existed.
He should also check how well Jiang Yunzheng had recovered physically.
In some ways, Xi Yu was very much like the Luo family. None of them liked owing other people favors.
Xi Yu didn’t rush through the meal, but he was worried about Lu Zhixing and eventually became too restless to sit still. After saying a few words to the Luo couple, he went upstairs.
Inside the room, Xi Yu closed the door and hurried over to the wardrobe, opening it with some urgency.
Perhaps he had been waiting too long. Lu Zhixing had curled up inside and fallen asleep.
He was hugging his knees, his cheek resting against them. His breathing was slow and even, and his long eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes.
So obedient. So easy to bully.
Xi Yu’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He was beginning to feel like he no longer wanted to be human.
…………………..
Xi Yu slipped an arm beneath Lu Zhixing’s knees and lifted him into his arms.
Even in his sleep, Lu Zhixing seemed uneasy. He reached up and hooked an arm around Xi Yu’s neck, burying his face against the side of Xi Yu’s neck. His slightly cool lips brushed against Xi Yu’s skin, and his warm breath fell there, making the short walk to the bed feel unbearably long.
When Xi Yu laid him on the bed, he touched his own neck. The tips of his ears had quietly turned a little red.
Lu Zhixing rubbed his head against the pillow, as though searching for a comfortable position.
Xi Yu climbed onto the bed and gathered him into his arms, his gaze settling on Lu Zhixing’s pale pink lips.
His heart itched with longing, and even his fingertips seemed to itch. Without realizing it, Xi Yu placed a hand against Lu Zhixing’s waist and then… slipped it beneath the hem of his shirt.
His slender fingertips glided along Lu Zhixing’s spine. It was a section of bone, an ordinary piece of bone.
Zhixi’s divine bone had created him. Now, every inch of his skeleton had been shaped from Zhixi’s divine bone.
The two of them shared a single divine bone, as though they were destined to remain entangled with each other for all eternity.
That was right. They were supposed to be together for all eternity.
Warmth surged through Xi Yu’s chest. He held Lu Zhixing in place, planting a trail of scattered kisses that traveled from his chin down to his neck.
He was as gentle as if he were handling an extraordinary treasure.
Xi Yu truly had little experience with matters of love. He simply relied on instinct to kiss the person he loved, as though doing so might release the love overflowing inside him.
What little experience Xi Yu had gained had come from Wutong Village. He knew nothing about romance. He simply wanted to be closer to Lu Zhixing, closer and closer…
Xi Yu was fumbling without knowing what he was doing, while Lu Zhixing slept deeply. The frustration building inside him became unbearable, and in a fit of annoyance, he lightly bit Lu Zhixing’s Adam’s apple.
He bit very gently. Afterward, he actually found himself amused. He then ran the tip of his tongue over the spot, as if soothing it.
Afraid that continuing would only make things harder for himself, Xi Yu sighed and reluctantly pulled his lips away. When he raised his head, he unexpectedly met Lu Zhixing’s terrified eyes.
“D-Don’t… don’t eat me.” Lu Zhixing’s teeth were chattering.
Xi Yu immediately realized that things had gone wrong. He hurried to reassure him. “I’m not going to eat you. I’m kissing you. I like you.”
His explanation clearly did nothing to calm the trembling Lu Zhixing. His gaze shifted downward, and the fear in his long, narrow phoenix eyes intensified. He let out a horrified scream, shoved Xi Yu away, and scrambled out of bed.
“Brother Cheng’an, help!”
As he ran, Lu Zhixing shouted, “Pretty Bad Brother wants to eat me! He’s even hiding a stick to beat me with! Help!”
Xi Yu was half-reclining on the bed. At those words, he abruptly sat up and chased after Lu Zhixing. “Stop shouting nonsense!”
Did he even want to show his face ever again?!
Xi Yu followed Lu Zhixing, intending to run out after him, but just as he reached the doorway, he glanced down at himself… and immediately stopped.
If he went out like this, he would lose whatever dignity he had left.
Xi Yu returned to the bed and lay down again, expressionless, pulling the blanket over himself. He folded his hands over his abdomen and lay there as peacefully as a corpse.
He might as well stay lying there forever. A lifetime would pass quickly enough.
After an unknown amount of time, the bedroom door opened. Xi Yu’s eyelashes trembled. Before he could even open his eyes, he heard a burst of laughter.
Luo Cheng’an laughed as he teased him. “He’s in that state right now, and you still had the nerve to make a move on him? You really are something else.”
It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s FINE!
Xi Yu pretended he couldn’t hear anything. He merely pulled the blanket higher, covering his face, which was so red it looked ready to drip blood.
“All right, stop pretending. He’s sleeping in my room tonight. I’m staying here with you.” Luo Cheng’an waved his hand, and a mattress appeared beside Xi Yu’s bed. He rolled his eyes. “There’s no way I can share a room with him.”
Luo Cheng’an yawned and lay down. Only after hearing his even breathing did Xi Yu lower the blanket, revealing a pair of dark, glossy eyes.
Xi Yu turned his head to look at Luo Cheng’an. For a moment, he was reminded of the time when he had first returned to the Luo family. Things had been just like this.
Xi Yu blinked.
Forget it. There was nothing embarrassing about this in front of a good friend. He might as well get some sleep first.
*
Perhaps Xi Yu still hadn’t fully recovered, because he slept exceptionally long. By the time he opened his eyes, it was already noon, and his stomach was growling.
He had been woken by hunger.
His spiritual power was gone. He was truly just like an ordinary mortal now.
He couldn’t even perform the cleansing spell, so he resigned himself to getting out of bed to wash up and get dressed.
When he went downstairs and didn’t see Lu Zhixing, Xi Yu headed toward the garden.
The weather had grown rather cold. Winter was approaching, and the wind carried a chill.
Hearing footsteps, Luo Cheng’an turned around and froze for a moment. “What are you wearing…?”
Xi Yu leaned lazily against a stone pillar. His pink satin shirt hung loosely from his body, revealing a stretch of exquisitely shaped collarbone. His neck, which had always been bare, now bore a string of pearls. Diamond tassels dangled down from it, brushing past the V-shaped neckline in a way that made anyone looking at him want to reach out and catch them. Matching white wide-legged trousers completed the outfit, their lightweight fabric fluttering gently in the breeze.
Hearing Luo Cheng’an’s voice, Xi Yu shifted his gaze away from Lu Zhixing and looked toward him instead. His starry eyes and sword-shaped brows were accompanied by a peaceful, gentle expression.
He was truly peerless in bearing and unmatched in beauty.
Xi Yu rarely dressed so… flamboyantly.