Chapter 24 I want to bully him even more
At this moment, Hua Lang's thoughts were in disarray. He was only focused on pleading and had no idea that he hadn't explained the situation clearly. The few vague words he used made Zhan Yunmei think for a long time.
By the time Zhan Yunmei understood Hua Lang's meaning and realized the situation, a while had passed.
Hua Lang gripped the hem of her clothes tightly at first, but gradually the grip weakened, and eventually he loosened his grip.
With his hands hanging down in front of him, his kneeling posture was filled with an indescribable meaning; he truly looked like a stray dog, an abandoned dog that had lost its owner's love.
After thinking it through, Zhan Yunmei realized that someone must have shown him what Liang Rong had just done.
She knows how to sow discord.
So, is Hua Lang trying to... persuade her to stay?
She understood again, and a soft laugh escaped her lips, but such a soft laugh was too easy to turn into sarcasm.
Hua Lang froze completely, her tightly clenched lips parted, and blood slowly seeped from inside.
Zhan Yunmei tilted her head and looked at Hua Lang, who was hunched over.
A cascade of black hair fell to either side, revealing a white neck with clearly defined bones. She raised her hand and compared the two; his nape was even whiter than her hand.
So thin, it seems it could be broken with a light pinch; it is pitiful and adorable in every way.
This is really... a good thing.
Looking at Hua Lang, who was ashen-faced, Zhan Yunmei grew increasingly calm, and even felt a desire to tease him.
She tentatively took a small step back.
Hua Lang reached out, wanting to grasp her hand, but immediately withdrew it, lowering his head and hunching his back, "I'm sorry, General."
"How should I apologize?" Zhan Yunmei's tone was inscrutable, but her gaze remained fixed on the back of Hua Lang's neck. She wanted to pinch that fair area to see if it had soft skin like a cat or dog, or if she could only feel protruding bones.
Hua Lang moved slightly, "This servant has overstepped her bounds and said some vulgar things. Please pretend you didn't hear them."
He seemed to be getting up, so she pressed his shoulder down.
It appears to be a gentle touch, but in reality, the palm exerts subtle force to stop the movement.
Hua Lang was somewhat surprised and puzzled, but then regained his composure, his heart still heavy. "Please forgive me, General."
“Stretch out your hand,” Zhan Yunmei said.
Hua Lang was stunned for a moment, then obediently did as she was told, extending one hand while keeping her head down.
His hand slowly came over, and she reached out her hand as well, her fingertips slipping between his fingers, teasingly tapping the back of his hand.
That hand is so cold and icy. It's clearly not even winter yet, and it's already this cold. I wonder what it will be like in winter.
Zhan Yunmei felt a little sorry for him, but not much.
“Tell me yourself what you want me to forgive you for,” Zhan Yunmei said, still holding Hua Lang’s hand, as she walked to the edge of the couch and sat down.
He was turned halfway around, not wanting her to see his disheveled appearance, so he lay low to the side, raising his other hand high for her to hold.
Her palms were warm, they must be very hot, right? Then he... could help cool them down.
"Forgive me for speaking such vulgar words, which have offended the General's ears," he said, dragging out his words.
Zhan Yunmei slowly stroked Hua Lang's hand, "Did I ever say such a thing? Eunuch Hua Lang, you are making things up about me."
It was worth it for her to raise him for so long. His hands were completely renewed after the wounds healed and the scars were removed. His skin was so tender that it seemed like it would bleed if you applied too much pressure. Unfortunately, he was too thin, and there was hardly any flesh on his fingers. It felt like holding a bone, so the feel of his hands was just so-so.
She played with his hand, rubbing it against the back of his hand and between his fingers, and later even scratched his palm with her fingernails.
Hua Lang suppressed the strange feeling in her hand and said, "I didn't slander the general; it's what I truly believe."
Zhan Yunmei wanted to click her tongue.
What's the point of him losing his arrogance? She still prefers his swaggering, domineering demeanor.
Spineless, collapses at the slightest blow, yet too soft to breathe properly even after being hit.
“Look up,” Zhan Yunmei said, leaving no room for argument.
Hua Lang frowned, hesitated, and then did as instructed.
When she looked up, her face appeared quite haggard, and Zhan Yunmei felt a pang of sadness.
He's been here for so long, but he hasn't gained much weight. He's only a little bit fatter than when he first arrived.
He raised his hand and struck Hua Lang's face with a light but firm touch.
Hua Lang was taken aback, and tears belatedly welled up in her eyes.
Was she disgusted by his attempts to keep her?
"Who told you to guess my thoughts like that?" Zhan Yunmei pinched Hua Lang's cheek and tilted his head back.
With a firm press of her fingertips into his cheek, she gently squeezed Hua Lang's lips together.
His neck was tilted back to its extreme angle, and blue veins were faintly visible under his slender, fair skin. Zhan Yunmei placed her other hand on his neck and stroked his flat Adam's apple.
Hua Lang was trying to explain or argue, but he was being choked too hard and couldn't make a sound; only sporadic sobs came out.
Zhan Yunmei pressed down hard, lifting Hua Lang's face and forcing him to stand up. He was weak and unusually sensitive today, so he couldn't stand steadily and his knees couldn't support him.
She casually pulled him into her arms and, as she wished, pinched the back of his neck.
Oil lamps were hanging in the tents below, but it was dark outside. This was the time when everyone was leaving.
What it looks like inside, what it's like, can be clearly seen from the outside.
Both Zhan Yunmei and Hua Lang wanted it, but Zhan Yunmei didn't care.
Unable to bear such shame, Hua Lang curled up as much as possible, her face unconsciously burying itself in the back of Zhan Yunmei's neck.
Is it more accurate to say he's timid or bold? Zhan Yunmei couldn't figure it out for a moment, and clenched her fist.
Even if you're thin, there's still a layer of skin behind your neck, just like a cat or dog.
Pinching the scruff of a cat's or dog's neck can soothe them, and naturally, it can soothe the person in your arms as well.
The difference is that you can only soothe him slightly.
A commotion arose outside the camp as more and more people returned.
Zhan Yunmei gradually loosened her grip on Hua Lang to ease his embarrassment. At that moment, he finally raised his head and looked at her timidly.
Raise your eyes, lower your eyes, raise them, lower them.
It was like a small animal trembling as it crawled out, lifting its eyelids to examine its natural enemy.
Zhan Yunmei laughed again, wiping away the remaining tears from Hua Lang's eyes with her finger. "You think this is all you've got to stop me from finding someone else? They're all throwing themselves at you, and you think you can just talk your way out of it? Do you really think I, Zhan Yunmei, am so easily fooled?"
Hua Lang felt dizzy. He had just taken a walk outside and caught a chill in the wind. When he came back and took off his outer robe, he felt excited and feverish, but then quickly cooled down. This back and forth had made him feel unwell.
But he couldn't care less about his dizziness now. Hua Lang frowned. He knew what she meant; she had always liked his initiative.
He pursed his lips, the taste of blood still lingering between them from where he had been bitten, took a breath, and moved away from Zhan Yunmei's shoulder.
He recalled scenes of disciplining people in the past.
No eunuch started out as the highest-ranking official; they all climbed up from the bottom. He had done the job of training people, which basically involved holding a picture book and telling the concubines things he himself had never done.
At least it had some substance, and he knew what to do.
Following her memory, Hua Lang forced back her timidity, mustered her courage, and stepped forward, placing her hands on Zhan Yunmei's shoulders and nuzzling her cheeks.
They parted again, and under her expectant gaze, in the bright light of the tent, he gently touched her lips, kissing her again and again.
He was fully aware of what he was doing, yet he had no choice but to do it. He hated her cold-heartedness and hated himself even more for being crippled, powerless, and incompetent.
With a cautious, inquisitive, and ambiguous feeling, Zhan Yunmei, with a wicked heart, deliberately pursed her lips, giving Hua Lang no chance to kiss her.
He froze, blinked blankly, and moved his lips, "Does it feel... bad?"
Seeing how careful he was, Zhan Yunmei couldn't help but smile. Hua Lang realized that she was teasing him, and that the slap and questioning just now were all her mischievous intentions.
"Is this interesting?" Hua Lang regained some courage and said fiercely.
"Hmm, very interesting," Zhan Yunmei lowered Hua Lang's neck and kissed his already bitten lips, her tongue gently probing as she gestured to him.
What right did he have to refuse? Besides, he was the one who was putting on airs now. She gestured, and he immediately opened his lips to welcome her in.
Zhan Yunmei's kisses were sometimes tender and lingering, sometimes forceful and aggressive, and now they were both at the same time, sometimes gently entwining, sometimes rubbing against each other with the tips of her teeth.
Only when Hua Lang's head became so hot that it burned Zhan Yunmei's nose did she release her lips and touch his forehead to check its temperature.
She hummed in response, only to realize that his flushed face wasn't entirely due to shame, but also to illness.
However, despite his pitiful state, she still didn't give Hua Lang a reassuring answer, nor did she mention her true situation outside. His anxiety and unease were ultimately not relieved.
Outside the tent, Yao Shuniang said, "General, His Majesty wishes to see you."
She's leaving again.
Before she could even react, Hua Lang was stripped of her clothes and wrapped in a blanket by Zhan Yunmei. Her eyelids were heavy and her mind was hazy, but she still managed to tug at Zhan Yunmei's clothes.
Seeing this made people want to tease him even more. Zhan Yunmei pulled the blanket up and coaxed him gently, "Be good, Hua Lang, I'll be back soon."
Hua Lang was in a daze, thinking to himself, "He's been gone for a whole day and night. He keeps saying he'll come back, but every day he's just lying to me."
Thinking this, he blurted it out without realizing it, even though he was burning up with fever.
Zhan Yunmei listened quietly, never expecting that he cared so much about this matter... and that he was so dissatisfied with her.
But she wasn't satisfied. He should be able to accept her, he just couldn't bring himself to say it. She always had a way to get him to say it himself.
I looked away and glanced at the box beside the tatami mat. It had been moved and showed signs of having been opened.
Her eyes flickered slightly as she hesitated before looking at the person on the bed with hazy eyes.
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Author's Note: There will be three more chapters tonight [please!]
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