Three days later, He Ying appeared at the Shu family's old house on time.
She was in better shape than last time; the fear in her eyes had been replaced by a cold, focused intensity, as if she had poured all her emotions into a gun barrel.
Shu Bai routinely checked the maintenance of her "fading" effect and began preparing for the second consolidation.
Li Yuheng was still floating by, but this time he didn't get close to gossip. Instead, he crossed his arms, stroked his chin, and looked at He Ying thoughtfully.
"Something's not right," he said to Shu Bai in his mind. "She smells strange."
Shu Bai was preparing the medicine when he heard this. Without stopping, he only thought to himself, "What's that smell? The smell of gunpowder from a sniper?"
“No. It’s… the feeling of tracking and counter-tracking, too tense, like a fully drawn bowstring.” Li Yuheng’s illusory figure floated halfway around He Ying. “She’s looking for someone. Or rather, she’s being looked for.”
Shu Bai looked up at He Ying.
She lay on the soft cushion with her eyes closed, her breathing steady, but the knuckles of her two fingers, which were clasped together on her abdomen, were slightly white.
Shu Bai withdrew his gaze, dipped his fingertips in the medicinal liquid, and began to draw runes around her eyes. "We just need to complete the commission."
Li Yuheng pouted, "Aren't you afraid she'll bring this trouble to you?"
"With you here at the Shu family, would ordinary trouble even be considered trouble?"
Li Yuheng was pleased by these words and proudly raised his chin: "That's true."
…
The treatment went smoothly.
When it ended, He Ying opened her eyes, and the gray world made her breathe a sigh of relief once again.
"The effect can last for about thirty-six hours." Shu Bai handed over a cup of calming herbal tea. "Next time..."
Before he could finish speaking, He Ying suddenly turned her head sharply and looked at the only high window in the quiet room that faced the courtyard.
Almost simultaneously, Li Yuheng floated to the window, turned back to look at Shu Bai, "She ran pretty fast, she slipped away. It seems that her 'destined beauty' is still thinking about her, even chasing her all the way here."
He Ying's face turned pale. She stood up and said to Shu Bai, "I'm sorry, Mr. Shu, for causing you trouble. I'll leave now."
“If you go out now, you might run into a gun,” Shu Bai reminded her. “Although the person ran away, they haven’t gone far; they’re circling around nearby.”
He Ying stopped in her tracks and pursed her lips.
Shu Bai put down the medicine cup: "How about this, you can stay here temporarily during the treatment."
He paused, then added, "However, it's not free."
He Ying glanced at Shu Bai with some surprise, then nodded: "Understood. Thank you."
Li Yuheng leaned close to Shu Bai's ear: "Oh, when did you become so sentimental? Even inviting guests to stay?"
Shu Bai remained expressionless, replying in her mind, "If she goes out now and gets cornered, or if something happens to her, it will damage the reputation of our Shu family. It will make it seem like we can't protect our client."
Li Yuheng raised an eyebrow: "That's it?"
Shu Bai: "Otherwise what?"
Looking at his serious expression, Li Yuheng suddenly laughed and reached out to pinch his earlobe: "If you say so, then so be it."
…
That night, Shu Bai arranged for He Ying to stay in a guest room in the west wing.
Li Yuheng lay flat on the bare white bed, his head hanging upside down against the edge, and said, "Really staying? Aren't you afraid of a fight tonight?"
“They won’t fight.” Shu Bai lay down next to him, flipping through an ancient book. “With you here, they’re not that stupid.”
“That’s true.” Li Yuheng swayed smugly, then changed the subject, “However, I have a question.”
"Speak."
"If, and I mean if, someone were to pursue me like that someday, what would you do?"
Shu Bai looked up from between the pages of the book and glanced at Li Yuheng's upside-down head.
The reversed blood flow made his cheeks slightly flushed, which made him look rather cute.
Shu Bai reached out and poked Li Yuheng's forehead: "Aren't you uncomfortable with your head hanging like that? All the blood is rushing to your brain."
Li Yuheng shook his head: "I have a special constitution, so I like to think like this. Don't change the subject."
Shu Bai closed the ancient book, turned to the side, propped his elbow on the bed, and looked at Li Yuheng, whose head was hanging upside down: "...What kind of pursuit? Is it the pursuit of killing, or the pursuit of love?"
Is there a difference?
"Yes," Shu Bai answered readily. "Those who are chasing me, I'll help you fight them off. Those chasing after your love..."
He paused, then reached out and gently pinched Li Yuheng's chin, which was hanging upside down, his tone firm:
Don't even think about it. You're mine.
Li Yuheng's heart skipped a beat, and it felt as if all the blood rushed to his head, making him feel hot.
He rolled over and sat up.
"Oh?" Li Yuheng leaned closer, his eyes brimming with barely suppressed amusement and smugness. "So domineering? Little Shubai, I never saw that coming before."
Looking into his bright eyes, Shu Bai's unease quietly dissipated.
He knows Li Yuheng too well; this is exactly the kind of person he falls for.
"It's not being domineering, it's stating the facts. You said yourself that you would always love me. Can you take back what you've said?"
"No way! A guardian's word is law!"
Li Yuheng happily lay back down, this time in a normal position, using both hands and feet to grab Shu Bai.
"I am yours, and you are mine. Let's lock each other in, and I'll swallow the key."
Shu Bai let him hold her, "Mm. It's good that you know."
After hugging for a while, Li Yuheng suddenly let go of Shu Bai, and an idea popped into his head: "Shu Bai, come on, try what I just did, head upside down."
Shu Bai remained lying on her side, too lazy to even lift her eyelids: "I don't want to. The blood will flow backward, and it will easily cause a brain hemorrhage."
And also incredibly stupid. Shu Bai silently added in her mind.
"Try it!" Li Yuheng reached out and pulled him. "Experience it, the perspective is different, the world is especially novel! A fun project certified by the Guardian!"
Shu Bai, unable to resist his tugging, struggled to sit up: "How novel can it be?"
"You'll see once you try!" Li Yuheng said without waiting for a reply, helping Shu Bai slowly turn him upside down so that his head was hanging over the edge of the bed.
My vision suddenly turned upside down.
The furniture was glued to the ceiling, and the floor became a dome.
A slight rush of blood to the head brings a dizzying, throbbing sensation.
Li Yuheng squatted down in front of him, his entire face reflected upside down in Shu Bai's eyes.
Those eyes, which always held a flamboyant smile, now appeared somewhat unfamiliar, yet exceptionally clear, in this inverted vision.
"How is it?" Li Yuheng's voice carried a hint of coaxing. "Doesn't everything seem quite new and interesting?"
Shu Bai blinked, adjusting to the upside-down view: "...Hmm. You're quite a novelty."
From this angle, Li Yuheng's smug expression makes you want to reach out and pinch him.
"What?"
"Looking down, your thick skin didn't even fall off."
Li Yuheng was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly.
He moved closer, and in the sparse, upside-down view, his face appeared larger and larger.
"And there's something even fresher. I'll let you in on a secret: this angle... is perfect for kissing."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already pressed his lips against Shu Bai's, which were slightly parted due to being upside down.
The inverted perspective makes the tactile sensations strange.
Li Yuheng's breath brushed against his forehead, and his warm palms steadily supported the back of his neck.
Shu Bai closed his eyes, and in a dizzying, inverted state, he could clearly taste the lingering mint flavor on the tip of his tongue.
This feeling was truly novel; even my heartbeat became clearer and more intense.
After the kiss ended, Li Yuheng stepped back slightly, raising an eyebrow triumphantly: "How was it? Wasn't it a unique experience?"
Shu Bai breathed slightly heavily, her cheeks burning from the rush of blood: "...You did this for?"
"Of course not!" Li Yuheng denied it outright, but his eyes flickered for a moment. "...Does a guardian deity need a reason to act?"
He reached out and scooped up Shu Bai, rubbing his slightly flushed cheeks.
Shu Bai's unusually compliant demeanor made him itchy to tease her: "But you were quite well-behaved just now."
Shu Bai pushed Li Yuheng's hand away, her brows furrowed: "Good boy?"
Using that word to describe him just sounds awkward.
Li Yuheng nodded: "Mmm. Head down, be a good boy and let me kiss you, aren't you?"
Shu Bai sat up straight, straightened her collar, and glanced at him sideways: "Li Yuheng, tell me honestly, what kind of person am I in your eyes?"
He suddenly became very curious about how Li Yuheng perceived him.
Li Yuheng blurted out without hesitation: "You are, of course, pure, sexy, and cute."
To be honest, this is truly Li Yuheng's deepest thought.
Shu Bai: "..."
Curiosity killed the cat. He shouldn't have asked.
He paused for two seconds, then reached out and touched Li Yuheng's forehead: "Are your eyesight bad? Do you need me to 'cleanse' them for you?"
——
I saw an interesting emoticon today, and I'd like to share it:
(? | ?)
That's right, it's fasting, hahaha.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com