Editor and proofreader: Oceanblue

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Ye Qingyun was beside himself, torn between anger and exasperation. He couldn’t believe Gu Shenyuan had wasted the precious antidote. He was furious!

Gu Shenyuan would rather suffer than break their bond, keeping him locked in this room—was he trying to die?

His first confession had failed, and he was fuming! Even his five-year-old nephew hadn’t been rejected by the girl he confessed to!

Ye Qingyun sat there quietly, refusing to speak or look at Gu Shenyuan, which made Gu Shenyuan’s heart clench.

How ironic. He’d done something so over-the-top, yet he still wished Ye Qingyun wouldn’t ignore or resent him.

Realizing he was being foolish, he forced a bitter smile and knelt in front of Ye Qingyun.

“If you’re mad, you can hit me,” Gu Shenyuan said softly. “Don’t keep it bottled up. It’s not good for you.”

“Hit you?” Ye Qingyun glanced at him with a pout. “Why would I do that? My hand would hurt.”

Gu Shenyuan was silent, his lashes casting a slight shadow of loneliness.

Ye Qingyun had mostly calmed down by now, quickly thinking of his next steps.

They couldn’t keep going on like this; it wasn’t good for either of them.

Gu Shenyuan didn’t believe his confession, nor would he drink the antidote, all because of one problem.

He didn’t truly believe that Ye Qingyun cared for him, so he’d assume any expression of love was a trick to get him to take the antidote and leave.

Fine, he’d just have to prove his sincerity. He’d make Gu Shenyuan understand that he wouldn’t leave, even if the bond was broken. That should solve everything!

Perfect—two birds with one stone!

Ye Qingyun made up his mind and looked at Gu Shenyuan.

Gu Shenyuan’s expression softened as he looked back, the usual coldness fading. The high and aloof man had finally come down to earth, showing a warmth and humanity that was almost comforting.

Ye Qingyun reached out and placed his hand over Gu Shenyuan’s heart.

Gu Shenyuan had just resisted his command, so he must still be feeling the pain from the bloodline restriction. Ye Qingyun needed to find a way to stop his suffering.

According to his research, to restore a disobedient humanoid weapon to normal, he needed both the affection of their beloved and some form of punishment. 

The type of punishment was flexible. Any non-lethal action in a critical area would suffice as a warning to the disobedient humanoid weapon.

Feeling Gu Shenyuan’s heartbeat under his hand, Ye Qingyun realized that with just a bit of force, he could end Gu Shenyuan’s life.

Gu Shenyuan didn’t resist. He looked at Ye Qingyun quietly, as if to say that whatever Ye Qingyun wished to do, he was free to do it as long as it made him happy.

After all, he was the one who had angered Ye Qingyun, so taking punishment was only fair.

But to Gu Shenyuan’s surprise, the pain gradually ebbed away, and Ye Qingyun looked at him with an amazed expression.

Ye Qingyun, both impressed and somewhat annoyed, said, “I’ve never seen you work out, so why do you have more muscle than I do when you’re just as much of a homebody as I am?”

Could it be protagonist perks? He wanted them too; he wanted to become a strong, muscular guy.

Ye Qingyun traced his hand over Gu Shenyuan’s muscles, but Gu Shenyuan caught his hand.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” Gu Shenyuan asked in a low voice.

It didn’t make sense. Ye Qingyun should hate him right now, for locking him up, for his dominance and unpredictability—so why…?

Ye Qingyun replied, “Of course. I’m trying to stop you from hurting.”

Gu Shenyuan frowned, showing a hint of restrained disapproval. “Do you know that by doing this, you’re letting the tiger back into the wild? You’re enabling my unrighteousness. Right now, I’ve locked you here, and you’ve forgiven me. But what about the future? What if I go further—forcing you to hold me, to kiss me, or even to…”

Before he could finish, Ye Qingyun wrapped his arms around Gu Shenyuan’s neck, resting his head on his shoulder.

Gu Shenyuan stopped mid-sentence, stunned.

Ye Qingyun mustered up his courage and, swallowing his pride, rubbed his head against Gu Shenyuan’s shoulder. “Isn’t that a good thing? This is normal! I like you, you like me, so if you want to do these things, I’ll go along with it.”

Ye Qingyun wasn’t experienced in relationships and rarely thought about romantic matters, so coming up with anything remotely romantic was hard for him. He could only grit his teeth and say these embarrassing words.

Gu Shenyuan said nothing, and it was unclear if he believed him. Since Ye Qingyun couldn’t see Gu Shenyuan’s face from this angle, he pushed on with more boldness, saying, “I do like you. Why can’t you just believe me?”

Ye Qingyun thought that if he was rejected again, he might explode with frustration. Lowering his tone, he warned, “Gu Shenyuan, I’m telling you, this is my second confession. If you still won’t accept it, you’ll never get another chance. I’ll go find someone else.”

Gu Shenyuan felt both happiness and unease—an uncertain happiness, coupled with very real anxiety.

What was in Ye Qingyun’s eyes as he said these words? Was it resentment and suppressed hatred?

Even if he knew that was the most likely truth, Gu Shenyuan couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of forbidden hope.

He wanted to see for himself… to confirm it with his own eyes and extinguish that dangerous spark.

Gu Shenyuan gently held Ye Qingyun’s shoulders, intending to pull him away.

Ye Qingyun was startled. “Are you pushing me away? You’re pushing me away?”

“No,” Gu Shenyuan said softly, “Qingyun… let me see your face.”

Finally, Ye Qingyun reluctantly moved, letting Gu Shenyuan see his expression.

The words he’d just spoken were so out of character for him that his entire face, down to his neck, was flushed a deep pink. He looked shy and sweet, with his amber-colored eyes shining as if about to melt into a pool of honey.

Gu Shenyuan saw no trace of reluctance, and he felt himself nearly swept away in those warm, sparkling eyes.

But he needed to be closer to see his true feelings, to be sure.

Thinking this, Gu Shenyuan inched closer, pressing his forehead against Ye Qingyun’s.

At this distance, he couldn’t see Ye Qingyun’s expression, but he could feel the warmth of his forehead, the light breaths close against him.

Gu Shenyuan breathed in Ye Qingyun’s scent greedily, cautiously releasing a trace of his mental energy to observe Ye Qingyun’s expression more clearly.

At this distance, if Ye Qingyun truly disliked him or didn’t want this closeness, there should be a hint of repulsion in his eyes.

But instead, Ye Qingyun closed his eyes.

Gu Shenyuan’s heart sank.

Ye Qingyun was clever; he must have realized that his eyes could give him away, so he’d closed them immediately.

Ye Qingyun was disgusted by him, unwilling to be this close. His claim of affection was likely just a ploy to get him to drink the antidote.

Closing his own eyes, Gu Shenyuan took one last lingering moment to feel the warmth from Ye Qingyun’s forehead, then summoned all his strength to pull away.

It was time to leave; he shouldn’t cling to unrealistic hopes.

Gu Shenyuan stood, about to turn and leave, but felt a tug on his hand.

Ye Qingyun: ‘???’

Ye Qingyun gripped his hand tightly, incredulous. “Are you kidding me? Teasing and then leaving—are you that kind of person?”

Gu Shenyuan pressed his lips together, hesitating before speaking, “Qingyun… after everything we’ve been through, I don’t want to force you anymore or make you hate me more.”

Ye Qingyun scoffed, “What are you talking about? Why would I hate you?”

Ye Qingyun was completely at a loss. What did Gu Shenyuan mean by “the current state” between them? Hadn’t they already crossed the final boundary, with Gu Shenyuan coming so close as if to kiss him?

He had even closed his eyes, fully prepared, yet Gu Shenyuan seemed to be retreating.

Was he kidding?

Gu Shenyuan didn’t want to spell everything out; he wanted to leave some room for both of them, a final buffer zone. Even with Ye Qingyun pressing him, he only turned his head and slowly said, “Don’t ask. From the moment you closed your eyes, I already understood.”

Ye Qingyun was speechless.

What in the world did Gu Shenyuan think he “understood”? Because Ye Qingyun certainly didn’t know!

This was too much—though Ye Qingyun was usually quick-witted, even he couldn’t maintain constant mental agility while in the heat of the moment, trying to navigate a romantic confession.

Seeing Ye Qingyun’s genuine look of confusion, Gu Shenyuan sighed softly and continued, “If you didn’t want to look at me, why else would you close your eyes?”

Ye Qingyun was exasperated. If he had a weapon right now, he would slam Gu Shenyuan against the wall, making sure he wouldn’t come off easily.

He clearly remembered that Gu Shenyuan had been skilled at flirting before! How could he suddenly turn so clueless? Didn’t he understand that closing his eyes meant he was expecting a kiss, not an invitation to leave?

Earlier, Gu Shenyuan had boldly told him how he hoped they could be together, that he wanted Ye Qingyun to forget others and look only at him. Now that Ye Qingyun was ready to meet him halfway, why wouldn’t Gu Shenyuan believe it?

…It seemed that the antidote had quite an intense effect on Gu Shenyuan.

Gu Shenyuan said, “You don’t have to force yourself into this if you don’t like me.”

Ye Qingyun couldn’t stand it any longer. Annoyed, he let go of Gu Shenyuan’s wrist, crossed his arms, and scolded him, “What do you mean, forcing myself? When you kiss, don’t you close your eyes too? I closed my eyes for you to kiss me, not to watch you walk away! Go ahead and try leaving again!”

Though Ye Qingyun had released him, Gu Shenyuan now felt as though he couldn’t move, frozen in place.

Closing his eyes in anticipation of a kiss—of course, he understood that.

Yet, somehow, that possibility hadn’t even crossed his mind just moments ago.

His heart pounded wildly, his palms damp with nervousness.

“Qingyun…” Gu Shenyuan called softly.

Ye Qingyun didn’t reply. He closed his eyes again, the tense corners of his mouth betraying a touch of nervous anticipation.

Gu Shenyuan took a step closer, feeling that precarious happiness return, an unbelievable, uncertain joy.

“May I?” he asked.

“Don’t ask,” Ye Qingyun murmured, barely above a whisper. “Ask again, and it’s a no.”

Gu Shenyuan placed his hand on the back of Ye Qingyun’s neck, preventing him from pulling away, then leaned down.

He knew this was dangerous, a sugar-coated poison. Yet, even though he understood it might be a trap, he plunged in eagerly, like the most foolish prey, craving just a taste of sweetness.