But a faint, cool fragrance carried by the night breeze instantly disarmed Song Ting. He recognized the fragrance, and he recognized the hand.
He was like a tamed wolfhound, carefully retracting his claws, revealing his soft belly to his tamer, and trusting him wholeheartedly.
On that summer night, Song Ting thought that the most important thing in his life had changed from his own life to the person in front of him.
If it were for Chu Huaixu, he would be willing to give up everything, including his life.
He was willing to die for Chu Huaixu.
...
The cicadas' chirping gradually faded, and the ginkgo tree in the backyard of the Prince's mansion changed color. That was another year later.
After Chu Huaixu returned from the palace after seeing the late emperor, the two of them hid in his room and shared a long, tender kiss.
A moment later, Chu Huaixu hugged him, buried his face in his neck, and said in a muffled voice, "Little dog, I'm scared."
After autumn arrived, the late emperor fell seriously ill, and since then his health has deteriorated day by day. In recent days, he has even stopped attending the morning court sessions.
Chu Huaixu had always wanted to enter the palace, but the late emperor doted on him and was afraid that he would suffer from his illness, so he never allowed him to enter the palace until today.
The late emperor was already old enough; even if he were to live to the fullest, he would eventually run out of energy and his life would end.
Amidst the turmoil in Chang'an, various forces began to stir, but only Chu Huaixu was truly worried and heartbroken for his beloved imperial grandfather.
Song Ting didn't know how to comfort him, so she could only let him hold her, patting his back gently, like soothing a wounded kitten.
Chu Huaixu's eyes reddened, and in his immense unease, he demanded a promise from Song Ting:
"Little dog, you must stay by my side and never leave me."
"Little dog, you're the one I found. You're not allowed to die without my permission..."
"We made a promise and a vow at the White Horse Temple that you must stay with me forever..."
There was no Soul-Severing Gu poison in the dream, and Song Ting was not some pawn planted in the game. He was just a little beggar picked up by Chu Huaixu, and the person in front of him was his everything.
So he responded to those hurried kisses, making a serious promise:
"Okay, the puppy won't leave you. The puppy will always be yours, your puppy..."
The term "puppy" might sound insulting to others, but to Song Ting it was a gift, a favor.
He asked for it himself.
That was in his third year at the royal palace, when a small country presented him with a puppy as tribute.
The dog looked quite different from the dogs of Dayan. Its fur was white, long and curly, and its eyes were blue, like two fine gemstones.
The princes and princesses in the palace all loved it, and even the empresses vied to hold it.
Chu Huaixu liked it too, and once he hugged the puppy, he wouldn't let go.
The dog was adept at reading people's expressions, as if it knew which of these princes and grandsons was the most favored, and it clung to Chu Huaixu's arm affectionately.
This made Chu Huaixu laugh uncontrollably, and he gently stroked the puppy's back.
This made Song Ting extremely jealous. He wished Chu Huaixu's hand would land on his back, and that it would be him, not this damned dog, who was being gently stroked by Chu Huaixu.
At that time, he had not yet realized his feelings for Chu Huaixu, but his possessiveness towards this person was already quite strong.
He hated anyone who tried to get close to Chu Huaixu, and he also hated that this person's attention was drawn to anyone or anything other than him.
He wanted this person's eyes to always be on him, only on him.
So when Chu Huaixu handed the puppy to the eunuch and prepared to wash his hands and have dinner, he knelt at the eunuch's feet and boldly took Chu Huaixu's hand in his.
He gently pressed that warm, clean palm against his face, tilted his head slightly, and said to the other person:
"Young master, could you please stop keeping puppies? I can be your dog."
"I will be very good and obedient. I will do whatever you want me to do. I am your little dog."
His actions were completely unexpected for Chu Huaixu. The boy stared at him in astonishment, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a single word.
Song Ting stared at his beautiful, slightly protruding Adam's apple and softly woofed.
This surprised Chu Huaixu even more. As if greatly shocked, he suddenly pulled his hand back, dropped it, and fled in panic.
Song Ting knelt on the spot, watching Chu Huaixu's figure grow ever more distant, her fists clenched, her eyes red-rimmed.
He felt like he had made a mistake; he had scared people away.
His little fairy doesn't want him anymore.
But if he had to do it all over again, he might still make the same choice and do the same thing.
He was jealous of that mute, hairy beast; he wanted that person's gaze to be fixed solely on him.
Whether he's a person or a dog, as long as Chu Huaixu only has eyes for him, it doesn't matter what he is. He can be anything.
Song Ting wiped away her tears, stood up, and took a deep breath.
He had made up his mind that even if Chu Huaixu no longer wanted him, he would still go back with him.
As long as Chu Huaixu doesn't kill him, he'll still follow him.
...
Dinner was eaten with the late emperor, and when Song arrived, the meal had already begun.
Their eyes met briefly, and Chu Huaixu abruptly lowered his head, no longer looking at Song Ting.
Song Ting pursed her lips, silently walked behind him, and stood still. Chu Huaixu then stopped looking at him.
Song Ting took it as a sign that he truly didn't want to talk to her anymore, and became even more heartbroken.
But after a while, Song Ting felt someone tug at her sleeve.
He was distracted and didn't immediately notice that the person tugged at him a few more times.
Song Ting looked down and then noticed two fingers resting on her sleeve.
—This is the Chu-Huai preface.
He took a step forward without making a sound.
Chu Huaixu sensed it and quickly withdrew his hand. Song Ting watched as those two beautiful, slender fingers disappeared into his wide sleeve, and a trace of regret inexplicably swept through her heart.
At the same time, he was also very happy that the young master had not ignored him.
Just as he was secretly delighted, Chu Huaixu reached out again, but this time he grabbed his hand instead of his sleeve.
He secretly slipped a piece of pastry into Song Ting's palm.
The whole set of movements was very quick, and while he did so, his gaze remained on the dancing girl, who was sitting upright.
No one noticed his playful little gestures. It seemed to be a secret shared only between him and Song Ting.
Seeing that Song Ting was still in a daze, he turned his head slightly with concern and said, "Eat quickly."
As she spoke, her ears turned red again.
She's probably still upset about what happened before. But she really isn't ignoring Song Ting.
Even before the pastries were put into her mouth, Song Ting's heart was already filled with sweetness.
However, his joy was short-lived, as the late emperor suddenly brought up the curly-haired puppy.
With Chu Huaixu around, the late emperor always thought of him first, and this time was no exception.
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