In the early spring night, the sky still darkened early. When Shen Que left, there was still a faint trace of light on the horizon, but by the time he returned, the sky was completely black.

In the cold night, under the ink-black sky, not even a sliver of moonlight could be seen. The further Shen Que walked, the more desolate he felt inside, leaving him with only one thought—

What should he do now? What could he do?

Back in his room, Shen Que pulled out the wooden box hidden under the bed, counted the silver and banknotes inside, and then got up to retrieve the green sandalwood bracelet hanging by the bed. He wrapped it in silk cloth and placed it in the box.

He wanted to send all these to Western Sichuan.

But after calming down and thinking it through, he realized that this was already three days ago. The Prince and his master must have received the news immediately and sent someone on a fast horse. Who would be willing to deliver it for him now?

His whole body felt weak, and after the initial impulse, the breath in his heart also dissipated. Shen Que sat on the ground holding the box, his heart gradually growing cold.

Like a forest charred black after a wildfire, all vitality disappeared, and the wind scattered countless ashes in his heart, spreading an endless sense of loneliness.

For Shen Que, the most terrifying thing was not this sudden accident, but the realization that he was powerless.

He could only anxiously wait for news in the Capital City, a thousand miles away from Western Sichuan. Apart from praying for Shen Luo in his heart, there was nothing he could do.

*

It was past the middle of the hour of the pig (around 10-11 PM).

Lin Xie leisurely stepped into Lan Sheng Courtyard. Whether intentionally or not, he stepped on the string of footprints left by the mute, his larger shoe prints completely covering the ones beneath, leaving only a blurred outline.

The door to Shen Que’s room was closed. Lin Xie skillfully took an iron hook from his sleeve and inserted it into the door crack, but he didn’t immediately hear the sound of the latch falling.

He stepped forward and peered through the small gap, realizing that the mute hadn’t latched the door today. Lin Xie gently pushed the door open.

He squeezed inside, locked the door, and then turned to look at Shen Que, who was slumped over the table. One hand supported his cheek, the other held a wine cup. There wasn’t even a plate of peanuts on the table, just cup after cup of wine being poured down his throat.

“Why are you drinking alone in the room?” Lin Xie suddenly spoke.

Shen Que, startled by the sudden voice, choked on the wine and turned his head to cough violently, his face turning red.

Lin Xie took a few steps forward, patted his back, and only spoke again once Shen Que caught his breath: “You’ve learned bad habits, drinking like others.”

Shen Que shivered, shaking off his hand. Even drunk, he still hated him.

Lin Xie wasn’t annoyed. His hand climbed up, rubbing and kneading the bite mark on the back of Shen Que’s neck, making the skin around it redder than the broken skin.

Shen Que was thoroughly annoyed with him, moving his chair aside and forcefully knocking his hand away.

“Why so fierce?” Lin Xie put on a pitiful look, as if the bullying hand didn’t belong to him. His mouth was full of grievances, but his hand was strong, grabbing Shen Que’s wrist and twisting it to take a sip of wine.

“Tusu wine?” Lin Xie frowned, disdainful. “It’s too sweet.”

Shen Que usually didn’t drink, so there was naturally no wine stored in the room. This jar of Tusu wine was sent by the mansion on New Year’s Day, and he hadn’t had a chance to taste it then, so he hid it under the bed.

He couldn’t hold his liquor, and a few cups were enough to get him drunk, let alone half a jar already in his stomach.

Seeing Lin Xie snatch his wine, Shen Que quickly hid the wine jar in his arms. Unfortunately, the jar wasn’t sealed, and in his haste, the wine spilled, soaking a large area of his chest.

“Drunk, aren’t you?” Lin Xie laughed. “What’s so precious about this lousy wine?”

He had never seen Shen Que drunk before. His round black almond eyes were bright, and his cheeks and the corners of his eyes were flushed, like he’d been left in the sun all day, with a bit of rustic foolishness and cuteness.

Shen Que didn’t respond. Having drunk too much, he felt uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

He used to not understand why so many people in the world loved to drink, but now he knew. When sober, life was too painful, and one needed to get drunk to numb the brain, so it wouldn’t hurt as much.

Lin Xie saw even his eyelids were tinged with red, so he couldn’t help but lean in, biting his lip and tasting the bitter-sweet wine.

Shen Que winced in pain, pushing him away.

“I’ve touched you everywhere,” Lin Xie leaned closer again, their noses almost touching, lips less than two inches apart. “What’s wrong with touching your lips?”

His tone was frivolous, and with just one sentence, he stirred up the memories Shen Que dared not recall.

“Why?” He suddenly raised his hand, looking at Lin Xie with eyes like blades, as if he wanted to skin him alive. “Why do you treat me like this?”

Lin Xie was slightly taken aback. It was the first time he saw such extreme and sharp emotions in Shen Que’s eyes. In the past, even when he was extremely angry, he would only glare, as docile as if he had no edges.

“Why.” His gesture lowered, and he seemed to collapse, lying on the table, eyes red but not crying, looking even more sorrowful than if he were.

Why, out of the thousands of people in the world, did the heavens choose him, making his father despise him, his mother hate him, rendering him mute, and giving him such a lowly body!

Why, even though he lived every day by the rules, quietly and obediently, did he still attract people like this to bully and trample on him?

Lin Xie suddenly reached out, brushing back the messy hair hanging over his forehead. The black strands intertwined with his long, white fingers, like a charcoal brazier overturned on snow.

The mute’s slightly wet eyes were forced to reveal themselves, long lashes curled, with a hint of moisture. Lin Xie’s heart skipped a beat, and that boundless desire burned up again.

He wanted to bully him, to ** him, to tear him apart, making every inch muddy, and then this stubborn mute would become soft, with red eyes and cheeks, like a stone with life.

Hate him if you want, Lin Xie didn’t care at all.

So he turned his chin, forcing him to look up, their hot breaths mingling. The mute even responded, like a domesticated beast showing a bit of its fangs, biting in a venting manner.

Fueled by the wine and the fire in his heart, the two kissed, lips and tongues entwining, igniting a fire of desire.

In the dim candlelight, Lin Xie lifted him entirely from between his legs, carrying him on his shoulder like a captured prey, while the dazed mute obediently lay on his back.

When Lin Xie pressed the mute onto the bed, he noticed his lips moving, trying to speak even though no sound came out.

He leaned in, watching his mouth shape, and with just one look, he understood.

He was saying, “Hurt me.”

Lin Xie felt a string in his mind snap, making him feel as if he were drunk, all remaining rationality vanished, leaving only a beast-like desire.

Over and over, the bed was filled with clouds and rain.

Shen Que felt trapped in winter, surrounded by endless frozen rivers, walking thousands of miles to finally find this bonfire. Knowing he’d be burned to ashes, he still masochistically threw himself into it.

After all, it was already painful enough, so what if it hurt a little more?