Since that day, Lin Xie hadn’t come by again. At first, Shen Que was on edge every night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. But as time passed and Lin Xie still didn’t show up, Shen Que couldn’t help but feel a bit lucky.

The death warriors always kept a low profile, taking on the toughest jobs, and every time they went out, it was a life-or-death situation. What if one day he died in some accident…

For the first time in his life, Shen Que hoped someone would have a short life.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as he wished. That night, the person he least wanted to see appeared.

When Lin Xie arrived, Shen Que was sitting by a few low candles, making a small jacket for a child. He was always frugal, mending his clothes and bedding when they were torn. But mending was different from making a whole new garment. Only when he started did he realize how much effort and attention it required. It took him several days to make this jacket.

Lin Xie didn’t make a sound, just leaned against the window, quietly watching him.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense, because after a short while, the person inside looked out. Their eyes met, and Shen Que’s hand trembled, accidentally pricking his finger with the silver needle. A drop of blood oozed out, but Shen Que didn’t bother to wipe it. He quickly put down the nearly finished jacket and rushed to close the window.

As soon as the window was shut, the door latch was pushed from the outside, falling to the ground with a “clack,” and a figure slipped inside. The newcomer wore a dark green round-collared shirt, with a chill emanating from his sleeves.

In the dim candlelight, he looked at Shen Que, his eyebrows arching slightly, speaking with a lighthearted tone, “Knowing I could come at any time, why bother locking the door?”

Shen Que leaned against the just-closed window, lowered his head in thought, and then slowly raised his hand to gesture, “Let me go. Apart from things that harm His Highness, and those… other things, I’ll do whatever you want.”

Lin Xie bent slightly, picking up the jacket Shen Que had thrown on the table. It was made of plain silk, with neat stitches and exquisite embroidery. “You can make clothes?”

He pretended not to understand Shen Que’s sign language, tilting his head to look at him standing there, then smiled, “You’re standing in the dark. I can’t even see your face, let alone your hand movements. Do you think I’m a night owl?”

Only then did Shen Que slowly move over, stepping into the candlelight. He was about to raise his hand again when Lin Xie suddenly clasped his hand, intertwining their fingers.

He smiled, mimicking Shen Que’s earlier expression, “Those… other things… what exactly are they? I can’t understand. Why don’t you tell me?”

Shen Que’s face turned red instantly, glaring at him with anger and urgency. Normally, he was a person without a temper, but whenever he encountered Lin Xie, a fire of resentment would ignite within him, almost consuming him entirely.

He clearly saw everything and understood his meaning, yet he pretended it was too dark to see, calling him over just to humiliate him up close.

Lin Xie looked at him with smiling eyes.

Those glaring eyes were as black as ink, reminding Lin Xie of the black grapes on summer vines, and the fluffy pet in the Grand Tutor’s residence. Even when it glared, it only had a hint of fierceness, not enough to scare anyone.

Lin Xie couldn’t help but reach out to touch his eyebrows, and Shen Que immediately closed one eye. Lin Xie then laughed, brushing his thumb over Shen Que’s eyelashes.

“If you keep glaring at me,” Lin Xie suddenly said, “I’ll get hard.”

Shen Que seemed greatly shocked, struggling desperately to pull his hand away, then retreating several steps in a panic, signing with a pained expression, “I’m a man, just like you!”

“So what?” Lin Xie followed him step by step, “I only love the peach, not the soft jade. Besides, where in the world is there a man like you, with two…”

Shen Que was almost driven mad, charging at him like a bull, headbutting him in the chest. He couldn’t bear to hear him continue speaking such outrageous words!

Lin Xie didn’t expect him to suddenly charge, nor did he expect him to use his head to attack. He dodged slightly to the side, but couldn’t completely avoid it, taking a hard hit to his side.

The abdomen was already the softest part, and Lin Xie almost couldn’t catch his breath. After the pain subsided, his face finally darkened.

He grabbed Shen Que’s thin outer garment with one hand, and with the other, he lightly pinched his Adam’s apple, pushing him against the bed frame. This grip wasn’t meant to kill him; Shen Que could still breathe, but he felt humiliated.

The wooden bed shook slightly under the pressure, and the curtain hanging from the bed frame swayed.

“Despicable thing!” Shen Que heard him curse.

He tilted his head slightly, unable to stop the panic rising in his heart, fearing that the little servant living in the back room would hear the commotion inside.

Shen Que forced himself to endure the discomfort of being choked, urgently reminding him, “There’s someone living in the back room! If they hear…”

“So what if they hear?” Lin Xie sneered, “I’m all alone. I might die in this line of work any day. Taking you to hell with me wouldn’t be a loss.”

Shen Que only felt his grip tightening, making it harder to breathe. His face turned redder, but Lin Xie showed no mercy.

“My demands of you aren’t high,” Lin Xie said indifferently, “Just three: First, no more fighting back; second, answer whatever I ask, no giving me the cold shoulder; third, do whatever I tell you, no saying no.”

He pressed against Shen Que’s leg, his fingertips lightly tracing his chin, “If you upset me, I’ll expose your secret, have them strip you, and let everyone in this residence see your flawed body!”

Such harsh words, yet he spoke them casually, with a hint of arrogance and ruthlessness in his eyes, making it impossible not to believe he would follow through.

Lin Xie was no easy target; begging or resisting was useless.

“You don’t have to glare at me like that,” Lin Xie slowly released his grip, watching as Shen Que slid down against the bed frame, collapsing on the ground, gasping for air.

He was tall, standing half a head taller than Shen Que. In the candlelight, he lowered his eyes, his pupils reflecting a golden-orange glow, looking down at Shen Que’s lowered head, “You have secrets that can’t see the light, and I’m a death warrior who can’t be seen. Besides, I’m quite dashing, more than enough for you.”

Shen Que gradually caught his breath but still kept his head down.

They had only met three times, yet Lin Xie’s face was already deeply etched in Shen Que’s mind. Just recalling a shadow of it made Shen Que feel deep hatred.

Hearing Lin Xie’s words, he couldn’t think of anything else, only that this person was shameless. Clearly, his appearance was average, not at all handsome, so how dare he call himself dashing?

In Shen Que’s eyes, he couldn’t compare to even a fraction of the Prince’s elegance, nor a thousandth of his charm.

No, he wasn’t even worthy of being compared to His Highness!

“Alright,” Lin Xie, having vented his anger, was in a good mood again. He graciously bent down to help Shen Que up from the ground, “The floor is so cold, and you’re dressed so lightly. If you catch a cold, I’ll be very sad.”

He acted like a different person, helping him to the bed, wanting him to sit.

The red marks on his neck from Lin Xie’s grip hadn’t faded, and his threatening words still echoed in his ears. Shen Que’s back was still sweating, and he didn’t dare sit, standing there like a wooden post.

“I spoke harshly earlier,” Lin Xie said softly, not really sounding like he was comforting, “You don’t have to take it to heart.”

Shen Que inexplicably got goosebumps, thinking, what a madman.

Lin Xie lay down on the bed, most of his legs hanging off the side, and commanded, “I’m tired, take off my boots.”

Shen Que hesitated, but remembering his earlier threats, reluctantly stepped forward to remove his short boots.

Lin Xie leaned against his pillow, his gaze catching the small jacket on the floor, seemingly thinking of something, and asked, “Who is this jacket for?”

Shen Que didn’t dare not answer, so he raised his hand to gesture, “For the little servant Yuanzhi.”

In the opera troupe, they all had common names. For a little servant like him, without a master, the adults usually called him whatever came to mind. When Shen Que asked, the boy said that Si Xian usually called him Lilac.

Shen Que frowned. Such a feminine name for a boy. He wanted to give him a new name, but unfortunately, he was illiterate, with no knowledge of poetry, and after much thought, he came up with “Yuanzhi.”

“You really treat him like a son,” Lin Xie commented coldly, “At seven or eight years old, coming from a troupe, he’s probably already picked up their habits. What can you raise him into?”

Shen Que’s heart sank. This person knew so much about Yuanzhi’s background, he must be watching him day and night.

How could he have been so foolish to think that maybe Lin Xie would never come looking for him again?

Suddenly, Lin Xie patted the spot beside him, ordering, “Come up.”

Shen Que didn’t move.

“It’s not right for me to take up your whole bed,” Lin Xie smiled, “You forget, I’m a very good and kind person. If you keep standing, I’ll get angry.”

As for what would happen if he got angry, Lin Xie didn’t say, but Shen Que had no choice. He had to take off his shoes and socks and sit beside him.

“Lie down,” Lin Xie said again.

Shen Que took a deep breath, then obediently lay down. He curled up, lying with his back to Lin Xie, his whole body tense with vigilance.

Lin Xie seemed dissatisfied, turning slightly to wrap an arm around his waist, “Why aren’t you facing me?”

Shen Que refused to move, and Lin Xie didn’t push him further. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. The night was long, and tomorrow was a rest day, so he wasn’t in a hurry.

But the hand Lin Xie had on Shen Que’s waist wasn’t idle, snaking over his waist and slipping under the thin outer garment.

Just like that night, Shen Que’s body was almost devoid of excess flesh, just a thin layer of muscle, not hard, but soft to the touch.

Shen Que’s ears turned red, and he grabbed Lin Xie’s wandering hand, resisting as he tried to move away.

Lin Xie tightened his grip, pulling him back, holding him in his arms, burying his head in Shen Que’s neck, sniffing, and asking softly, “What scent do you use on your clothes?”

Shen Que was taken aback. He rarely used fragrance or scented oils, and even the sachet at his waist was something Shen Luo insisted on buying for him, thinking he was too plain.

He was indeed different from most men. Even in summer, when practicing martial arts, he barely sweated, and didn’t have the odor they did.

“Smells like musk,” Lin Xie sniffed again, then said, “And a bit of medicine.”

His sense of smell was indeed sharp. Shen Que’s shoulder had two long nails driven into it in prison, and now, whenever it snowed, the wound ached like needles. The pain wasn’t unbearable, but it was hard to endure at night.

When Shiyi heard about it, he bought some medicine to dispel dampness and cold for him to drink, warming his body and easing the pain.

Lin Xie seemed to like the scent, his breath tickling Shen Que’s neck, making half his body itch.

Before he could make another move, Shen Que naively thought he would stop there.

He considered himself to have an unremarkable face, only taller than average, but not outstanding. He wasn’t literate, didn’t play music or chess, and he was mute, with an unsightly body.

In his mind, if anyone coveted anything about him, it shouldn’t be his body.

But the person holding him seemed truly undiscriminating. Shen Que only heard his breathing grow heavier, and then it felt like something… touched him.