Chapter 149: Staying the Night

Inside the room, Chu Yi took off his blood-stained jacket, his shirt tucked naturally into his waistband, outlining a lean and powerful waist; where the fabric clung tight, one could see the well-defined contours of his abdominal muscles.

"Creak!"

Ling Wu had asked the old butler Chen for a first-aid kit, opened the door to enter, walked to the table to spread the kit out, took out ointment and gauze from inside, then stood before him and said, "Chu Yi, hold out your hand."

"Alright."

The wound on the back of Chu Yi's hand, sliced open by glass, was about 6 centimeters long, but fortunately, while the wound looked terrifying, it was not deep.

Ling Wu placed the gauze beside his leg, held his hand in their palm to steady it, rested their thumb on his index finger joint, cleared the glass shards from the wound, and then disinfected it with iodophor: "Does it hurt?"

Chu Yi's hand was held together with Ling Wu's, his palm sweating and slightly sticky; he was somewhat distracted and didn't notice what Ling Wu had said, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on their profile, counting those distinct, individual eyelashes.

Soon, the owner of those eyes turned their head to look at him and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Chu Yi: "What's wrong?"

"Saw you were distracted." Ling Wu wrapped the gauze around his palm a few times, tied a neat knot, packed the items back into the first-aid kit, and with their back to him, said: "The wound is bandaged, be careful not to get it wet."

They packed the first-aid kit away, preparing to open the door and leave.

Chu Yi stood up and chased after them: "Are you leaving already?"

"Why..." Ling Wu placed one hand on the doorknob, turned their body to look at him, and smiled: "Do you want me to stay for a meal?"

Chu Yi stood by the door, using his uninjured hand to brace against it; he was tall with long legs, and standing at the doorway made the space seem a bit cramped: "It's getting late outside, the manor is remote and very far from your home; stay the night, and I'll have someone send you out tomorrow morning."

【Chu Yi: I don't want to keep you for a meal, I want to keep you to sleep.】

【Scheming Number 1】

【Calculating boy】

【Your Highness, you really have a trick for everything!】

【The sky getting late is just your lie; the beads of your abacus are practically flying into my face.】

Ling Wu took down Chu Yi's hand that was bracing the door: "No need to trouble yourself, Xi Huaizhi drives very steadily; it won't take long for us to get from the manor to the city."

They patted Chu Yi's shoulder lightly, preparing to pull the door open and leave: "Going now, see you at the Academy."

"Wait!"

Chu Yi said: "It's no trouble."

Ling Wu stood in the hallway, eyes fixed on him, not knowing what they were thinking, when they heard Chu Yi say earnestly: "The Fu Family has many guest rooms that are already tidied up, and Butler Chen has sent people to deal with the assassin in the banquet hall; for safety's sake, you should stay at the Fu Family tonight."

"Ling Wu, you wouldn't want me to fail in the etiquette of a host, would you?"

Ling Wu agreed.

1:00 AM.

Chu Yi lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep, while Ling Wu was sleeping in the room next to his; he sat up, the desk lamp on the nightstand emitting a dim glow, casting his tall, upright figure in a somewhat lonely and dejected light.

His fingertips brushed against the wall.

The Chu Yi of the past had been insecure when facing Ling Wu, not daring to let them stay at his home, but fortunately, heaven had mercy, and those gloomy, insecure circumstances had long since changed with the passage of time.

Chu Yi pushed open the glass door to the balcony; every room in the Fu Family had an independent small balcony, and at this moment, moonlight shrouded the quiet courtyard...

He subconsciously looked toward the neighboring balcony.

Ling Wu was standing on the arc-shaped balcony; they had taken off their jacket, leaving only that thin shirt on their body, the bottom two buttons undone, and as the wind blew, the hem of the shirt lifted, revealing half of their waistband through the gaps in the pillars; their left arm was propped against the European-style railing, and they held a cigarette between two slender fingers.

Chu Yi's breathing grew lighter.

He smelled the drifting scent of smoke; it wasn't pungent, but a faint, citrus fragrance.

Chu Yi knew that Ling Wu smoked.

But this was the first time he had seen it, and his heart felt a little stirred.

Chu Yi still remembered when they were in the Lower City District, he had picked up the Cigarette Case that had fallen out of Ling Wu's belongings and asked a simple question or two, to which Ling Wu had replied with a very normal expression—"I smoke when I'm under a lot of pressure."

So... are they under a lot of pressure now?

"It's very late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Ling Wu followed the source of the sound and looked toward the neighboring balcony; Chu Yi was wearing a loose bathrobe, his pupils pitch-black, also resting one hand on the railing.

Ling Wu took a drag of the cigarette, their features blurred by the smoke, their eye corners seeming to have a hint of redness, their voice low and hoarse from the smoke: "A bit of insomnia."

"Why the insomnia?" Chu Yi stood at the edge of the balcony, closer to them, and asked: "Are you in a bad mood?"

"I remember you telling me that you rarely smoke, only when you're under a lot of pressure."

"Hmm, this..." Ling Wu lowered their eyes, leaving the sentence unfinished, and abruptly changed the subject: "Did I say that? Was it the time I went to your house? It's been so long, I almost couldn't remember, yet you still remember."

They were a little surprised.

Of course Chu Yi remembered.

That dilapidated house had hidden his heart's worries for the entire night.

Chu Yi associated this with the citrus scent that had only recently appeared on them, guessing it was because of the smoking: "Ling Wu, is your cigarette citrus-flavored?"

Ling Wu: "Didn't you already smell it?"

"I've never seen this kind of flavored cigarette."

Ling Wu paused for a moment, not knowing if Chu Yi's words were a probe or something else, and did not answer the question directly: "Privately customized."

"Oh."

Chu Yi said: "Could you recommend one? Or are there other flavors?"

There was a low chuckle from that side.

Ling Wu blew out a smoke ring, flicked the ash with their fingertips, and only then looked back at him: "Good student, do you know how to smoke?"

Wasn't Chu Yi's image in the past exactly that of a good student? Following the rules, respecting teachers and teachings, always silently grinding through problems, his school uniform always worn neatly, no dyed hair, no ear studs, his zipper always pulled to the very top.

It was a pity that beneath the obedient exterior lay a paranoid and gloomy heart.

Such a twisted image, except for the time he was pushed to the limit by Ling Wu in Darkness, had been well-hidden and disguised at all other times.

So it was no exaggeration for Ling Wu to call him a good student.

Chu Yi looked at him: "I can learn."

Ling Wu could feel Chu Yi's profound gaze even through the air, as if it were fanning a wave of dry heat that gradually enveloped him; he felt as if he were drawing near a bonfire, unable to turn a blind eye to Chu Yi's burning heart: "You should learn to behave."

He should not like him.

Even less should he pry into his affairs.

Ling Wu knew that when Chu Yi liked him, it was very bewildering; he had never considered such matters, and he preferred not to see it.

And even less to accept his kindness.

Then, if the day came when they had to cross blades, Ling Wu could strike to kill without mercy or hesitation.

Just like with Yin Huaiyu in Ganan.

Ling Wu's heart was as still as stagnant water; he understood the hints, but simply refused to grasp them. From beginning to end, the only path he walked to the very end was revenge. He knew clearly that freedom and the future were both very distant, and even reaching out to grasp them might not be enough. He could only be like a dull mountain, making no response, ignoring everything.

Chu Yi understood the deep meaning in his words, yet still could not help but draw closer. The wind could not be caught, water could not be kept, and Ling Wu was like the moon hanging high—always visible, yet always untouchable...

Though the distance was very close, their hearts were a thousand miles apart.

Take it slowly.

Take it slowly.

Ling Wu stubbed out his cigarette butt and looked up at the sky: "The night is deep, go to sleep early."

"Good night."

Chu Yi: "Good night."

He stared at Ling Wu's figure as he left the balcony.

The manor remained quiet, the moon was bright and the stars sparse. He felt a chill and hugged his arms; it was strange, there was clearly no wind blowing, yet he felt the moonlight was cold and clear.

Chu Yi soon smiled in relief; his bony fingers hungrily rubbed the skin at his collarbone, placing the back of his hand, which had been wrapped in gauze by Ling Wu, against his lips like a secret kiss. The small patch of shadow cast by his messy hair fell onto his face, making his expression dark and unclear. It doesn't matter... mutual affection is merely the icing on the cake.