Chapter Four
'If I catch that Qin Lei, I'll tear his tendons out and skin him alive.' Xing Liu sat cross-legged on Fei Yu's lap, his hands trembling with rage, as if Qin Lei was already waiting to be tortured in his hands.
Xingliu still wore a sweet smile, a smile that would make ordinary people's hearts flutter and send chills down the spines of those who understood him. As for Feiyu... Feiyu stirred Xingliu up, but remained calm and composed.
In his eyes, Xingliu was a cute child and there was no way he would lay a hand on Qinlei. He was just saying it in anger and had no intention of doing anything.
Faced with a child's annoyance, how could he put on a stern face? Naturally, he would just listen with a smile.
'No! That's too easy on him. I'm going to strip him naked and make him run around in the street. Let's see how he'll still have the face to be the Flame Emperor.' Xingliu continued to laugh, tormenting Qin Lei in his mind.
In fact, Xingliu's plan was simple: when he and Feiyu left Yanwu Kingdom, he promised to follow Moyan.
The lover you were holding in your arms one day is gone and disappeared with someone else the next. That must be a huge blow!
"Actually, he was doing it for my own good," Fei Yu said gently.
Xingliu glanced at Feiyu's still-smiling face, turned his head away dismissively, and once again thought of the saying that it's best to rely on yourself.
Little did Fei Yu know that his actions and gaze, coupled with his stunningly handsome face, appeared to her as nothing less than coquetry.
"Stop being temperamental," Fei Yu gently shook Xing Liu, her soft lips landing on the crown of Xing Liu's hair. "One day, you won't even know how you died." Xing Liu sighed.
He didn't want to say anything harsh to Fei Yu, but this time he was really angry. The happiness that was about to be in his hands was ruined by a jealous bastard. How could he not be angry and furious?
'But you'll stay with me, right? If I really die, you'll die with me, right?' Fei Yu smiled.
"Hmm." Xingliu suddenly relaxed his facial features, and the anger in his eyes was replaced by tenderness.
There's no way around it, he just loves this about Fei Yu, he loves his tolerant attitude towards everything, he absolutely adores him!
Xingliu turned to gaze at Feiyu, carefully confirming the light flickering in Feiyu's eyes, then slowly raised his face, his red lips slightly parted, waiting for Feiyu to lower her head and kiss him.
In this respect, Fei Yu was not an insensitive person; he could understand what Xing Liu's silent movements meant.
Fei Yu tightened her grip on the person in her arms, and after confirming the expectation in Xing Liu's eyes, Fei Yu slowly lowered her head and accurately met his soft lips.
Even though Yanwu Kingdom is located in the south, winters are still cold.
Because of the cold, Xingliu's lips seemed even hotter. When Feiyu shyly probed into Xingliu's mouth, she was immediately enveloped by Xingliu's nimble little tongue.
"Ugh." Fei Yu let out a gasp, her body still supple, not resisting the star flow.
Although he had done bolder things with others before, and his first kiss was not with Xingliu, this was the first time he had kissed so deeply, a truly genuine first time.
Fei Yu felt timid, staring at Xing Liu's long eyelashes, lowered her eyes, and prepared to retreat.
Xingliu refused to comply, and suddenly got up, kneeling on one knee on Feiyu's body, while placing his other foot on the ground to distribute the weight.
Now, Fei Yu had to look up at Xing Liu, gazing at his beautiful and captivating face with intense intensity.
Xingliuzai looked closely at Feiyu's face, from her well-proportioned forehead, long and curled eyelashes, and bright, clear eyes, down her delicate nose, across her slightly flushed cheeks, and finally her gaze settled on her lips.
Fei Yu seemed to know what was about to happen, yet not truly knew, but his anticipation remained unchanged. He parted his lips slightly, waiting for the moment when Xing Liu would descend to kiss him.
Xingliu stared intently at Feiyu, his gaze as menacing as a hunter scrutinizing his prey.
As Xingliu's lips touched Feiyu's, Feiyu thought he would be burned, but nothing happened. Only his frantic heartbeat and the feeling of Xingliu's tongue entering his mouth were real, and everything else began to blur.
Xingliu carefully counted each of his teeth, tenderly stroking his gums that no one else had ever touched before... Feiyu reached out and wrapped her arms around Xingliu's waist, locking them tightly, and suddenly lifted Xingliu up and carried him to the bed.
Xingliu loosened her entangled lips, obediently hugged Feiyu's neck, buried her head in Feiyu's shoulder, and looked shy.
In fact, his mind was racing, conjuring up a cunning idea that would leave Fei Yu somewhat dazed.
Fei Yu gently placed Xing Liu on the bed, lightly nibbling at Xing Liu's fair neck, gradually moving upwards, licking her alluring collarbone.
Xingliu's skin is very fair, partly because he was born that way, and partly because from the time he entered the Yanwu Imperial Palace as a child until he came to Panying Tower, he never suffered a day of hardship. He was pampered with fine clothes and delicacies every day, so it would be difficult for him not to be fair-skinned.
However, the biggest reason is that he lies in bed all day, neither sunbathing nor doing any hard work, and he can't even walk a few steps, so it would be very difficult for him to have dark skin.
Because Xingliu has fair skin, after Feiyu gently kissed her, faint pink marks were immediately visible, further arousing the hunter's desire.
Fei Yu considerately sat down on the edge of the bed, not letting Xing Liu's excessive weight press down on her.
In the blink of an eye, Xingliu put his hand on Feiyu's shoulder, sat up halfway and kissed Feiyu, then pressed Feiyu down on top of him... At first, Feiyu enjoyed the intense kiss, but the wonderful feeling didn't last long. He started to feel strange. Why... why was he the one being pressed down?
Uh… Xingliu started taking off his clothes… his outer robe was pulled open, revealing his inner garment… Feiyu didn’t spoil the mood by asking questions; he simply quietly regained control. Even though Xingliu was more experienced than him, he wasn’t a virgin. He knew exactly what to do and how to do it, so there was no reason for him to let Xingliu lead him.
He first wrapped his arms around Xingliu's slender waist, and then, taking advantage of a moment when she was catching her breath, he picked her up in his arms.
Xingliu is much lighter than him, which is probably Feiyu's biggest and only advantage.
The next instant, Xingliu skillfully stood up straight, then leaned over and pressed Feiyu back onto the bed, continuing his undressing spree, as if Feiyu would obediently submit once he had completely stripped her naked.
In terms of skill, Fei Yu is definitely no match for Xing Liu, but to overpower him, one would need to rely on strength. However, Xing Liu is too lazy to move all day, so his strength cannot possibly be greater than Fei Yu's.
"Starflow," Fei Yu whispered.
He only managed to find out the name after Xingliu had left, after going to great lengths to do so.
To be precise, he tried very hard to convince himself to ask about it.
Because once he opened his mouth, there was no need to inquire about anything. Anyone in the palace with even a little bit of information knew the name of the beautiful, bedridden young man who had been ordered not to get out of bed all day.
When Fei Yu first heard the name Xing Liu, she was stunned for a long time.
These two words reminded him of Xingliu's eyes, as if stars from the sky had fallen into his eye sockets, causing them to shimmer like stars in his dark pupils.
"Hmm?" Xingliu giggled, her expression innocent.
"Our location seems a bit odd," Fei Yu whispered a reminder.
"Really?" Xingliu feigned ignorance.
Looking at Xingliu's flickering expression, a strange thought surfaced in Feiyu's mind.
'You wouldn't be thinking...' Fei Yu hesitated, unable to bring himself to say the rest.
How could he possibly ask Xingliu directly if he wanted to hug him? He couldn't bring himself to say such a thing, how could he possibly say it?
"I lost my virginity in front of everyone when I was twelve. From that day on, I was taken every few days. Until I left the palace, I was always the passive one. Even after arriving in Zhaoyang Kingdom and becoming a courtesan at Panying Tower who only sold her art, I was still the one being taken advantage of. Every time I saw their lecherous faces, seemingly enjoying themselves, I always wanted to experience what it was like to be the one initiating it, to know why they were all so happy about it."
Xingliu spoke with tears welling up in his eyes during the first half, which made Feiyu, who had a soft heart, feel a lump in her throat. She was almost ready to nod and let Xingliu hug her. But then he changed the subject and said that he wanted to taste it. This made Feiyu realize what was going on and she refused to let Xingliu touch her.
"Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you." Fei Yu quoted the classics to try to persuade Xing Liu.
"I'll return the favor with the same words." Xingliu smiled, her eyes narrowed, looking beautiful in every way, yet also suspiciously scheming.
Fei Yu didn't respond; his kind eyes were filled with surprise. He couldn't answer Xing Liu's words.
However, one thing he was certain of was that even if Xingliu's "using their own spear to attack their own shield" strategy was very successful, he still would not let Xingliu embrace him.
"Alas!" Xingliu sighed.
His beauty, which he usually uses to the extreme, is completely useless when it's necessary. Strange... 'Sigh!' Fei Yu sighed as well.
He never imagined that Xingliu would think of this... He wasn't prepared for this at all... The negotiations had completely broken down, and the two of them would have to wait until next time to gently embrace their beloved!
'Strange, this is just too strange...' Xingliu lay on the couch, muttering to himself in a voice only he could hear.
The night was deep, and the west courtyard of the Third Prince's mansion was very quiet. It was already sparsely populated, and after Mo Yan went to the palace and was eaten by Qin Lei, it became even quieter, like a dead city.
'If you like me, why won't you let me hug you?' Xingliu sighed deeply.
He once told Mo Yan that if you want to hug him or be hugged by him, that is love.
He said it so easily back then, but now it seems like a pipe dream. For him now, only Fei Yu being able to be hugged by him counts as love; everything else is meaningless!
'Sigh...' Xingliu let out another long sigh.
Mo Yan and Qin Lei just left, saying a bunch of silly, couple-like things.
If it weren't for Mo Yan's antics that made him laugh uncontrollably, Qin Lei and Mo Yan would probably still be arguing right now, because he would try to sow discord between them. But in the end, he let them go and chased away those two idiotic lovers.
Although Xingliu kept thinking to himself that the two of them were idiots, on the other hand, he also envied them.
Fei Yu still lives in the Yanwu Imperial Palace, and there is still no future between them. Why won't Fei Yu let him hug her? If only Fei Yu would let him hug her, everything would be fine... Lying on the couch, Xing Liu pulled up the brocade quilt next to him to cover his delicate face.
If—he meant if!
If Fei Yu really refuses to let him hug her, and he doesn't want to lose Fei Yu over such a small matter, then... he'll let Fei Yu hug him! Actually, it's okay, it's better than losing Fei Yu.
However, he would never give in easily until the very last moment.
Hmm... It seems he has no choice but to give in. The last time he met Fei Yu was before Mo Yan entered the palace. Before leaving, Mo Yan kindly left behind the gold token he used to enter the palace, but he never used it.
He misses Fei Yu so much, so much.
Mo Yan and Qin Lei have gone from complete strangers to a perfect couple, so why is there still no progress between him and Fei Yu, even though they knew each other the longest?
But he couldn't bring himself to go to Fei Yu, and Fei Yu was confined to the palace and couldn't come out, making it extremely difficult to see her.
'Forget it, breaking up over something like this is ridiculous,' Xingliu said sullenly, nestled in the quilt.
He was really unwilling to accept it!
Why is he always the one being hugged? He's a man too, he also wants to hug others.
A light knock suddenly sounded at the door. The knock was light but the sound was clear, showing that the person knocking was very careful and did not want to frighten the people inside, but only hoped to attract their attention.
This way of knocking reminded Xingliu of Feiyu. Feiyu was a gentle and meticulous person. Although Feiyu had naive ideas about many things, she was very careful in this kind of matter.
Hmm... Why did he think of Fei Yu again? If this continues, he'll have no choice but to surrender to Fei Yu.
The knocking started again, this time very urgent, as if the person outside insisted he open the door.
"Come in," Xingliu said coldly, preoccupied with thoughts of his beloved Feiyu and not wanting to be disturbed.
Xingliu's thoughts suddenly stopped, and a strange feeling entered his heart, warm and gentle, much like the feeling of Feiyu.
Impossible! Fei Yu is still under house arrest in the palace, so she can't be here. Mo Yan and Qin Lei have just returned to the palace, so it's impossible for her to be here either. Fei Sheng should be at the banquet with Qin Yu, so it can't be Fei Sheng... Could she be a servant in Qin Yu's household? He never knew that there was anyone in the world as warm as Fei Yu.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and Fei Yu's gentle, warm scent grew stronger and stronger, so strong that Xing Liu couldn't help but think that the person behind him was Fei Yu.
The more he felt this way, the less Xingliu dared to peek out from under the quilt, for he feared his beautiful dream would shatter easily.
'Starflow…' The voice calling out was extremely soft, much like Fei Yu.
Xing Liu sensed that he was afraid of disturbing his sleep, but also hoped for a response to put his mind at ease... So his gentle face was tinged with worry as he called out timidly.
The feeling was so vivid, as if Fei Yu were right beside him... Xing Liu pulled the quilt tighter, afraid that even a wisp of reality would seep into the quilt and wake him from his beautiful dream of Fei Yu coming to find him.
By this time, the sky had turned from gray to dawn, making it easy for the visitor to spot Xingliu's figure lying on the couch by the window.
The man turned around, closed the door, walked closer to Xingliu, sat down on the couch, and snuggled up to Xingliu.
'Xingliu…' he called again, his voice and manner exactly like Feiyu, whom Xingliu deeply loved.
"Take whatever you want, then leave and don't bother me," Xingliu muttered.
Xingliu continued to be a coward, ignoring the increasingly vivid feelings in his heart.
"But that's exactly why I came here to find you." The owner of the voice chuckled, as if Xingliu were saying something childish.
Xingliu, lying in bed, froze for a moment, then suddenly threw off the quilt and stared incredulously at the person beside her.
His warm smile, downturned eyes, and gentle, water-like temperament truly embody Fei Yu.
"No way!" Xingliu exclaimed in surprise, tears streaming down her face.
I missed you, so I came to find you.
Fei Yu smiled faintly, which made Xing Liu cry even harder.
'I miss you too.' Xingliu threw herself into Feiyu's arms, drawing warmth from his boundless embrace.
Fei Yu hugged the slender figure tightly, buried her head in Xing Liu's hair, and smelled the fragrance on Xing Liu's body. Her smile disappeared and replaced with a serious and cherishing expression.
He loved his parents, he loved the civil official who was praised by everyone, but they had both left him long ago. Now he only had Xingliu left, and he didn't want to lose even Xingliu.
After a long, intimate embrace, Xingliu, displaying his lazy, "I'll rely on anyone" spirit, leaned against Feiyu and examined the face he loved most.
"How did you get out? Did Qin Lei have a change of heart?" Xing Liu asked curiously.
He didn't think Qin Lei would let Fei Yu go, not because Qin Lei had lost his conscience, but because Qin Lei had just chased Mo Yan back to the palace not long ago. He didn't believe that Qin Lei could have thought of letting Fei Yu leave the palace while he was trying to win Mo Yan's heart.
Moreover, judging from the conversation between Mo Yan and Qin Lei just now, a few days ago Qin Lei was busy trying to arouse Mo Yan's jealousy in order to confirm that the two of them were really in love. As a result, Mo Yan ran away in a fit of rage!
Qin Lei, who was extremely anxious, finally caught up. After all this back and forth, it would be very strange if Qin Lei had let Fei Yu go.
"I miss you." Fei Yu's eyes drooped, but her smile was as warm as the spring sun.
"I miss you too," Xingliu said, lifting her head to plant a kiss on Feiyu's cheek.
Xingliu was so engrossed in his love that he didn't realize that his conversation with Feiyu was even more of a silly couple than Qinlei and Moyan's.
But people in love often find cheesy sweet talk funny, and neither of them thinks there's anything wrong with it.
After Xingliu's kiss, Feiyu responded with a kiss in return, quickly turning into a kissing chase scene. Finally, Xingliu's lips touched Feiyu's, and the two kissed passionately.
The two kissed until they were breathless before letting go of each other, but their eyes remained locked in a passionate embrace.
"I don't know if it's because of my deep longing or because God took pity on us, but something reminded me of something." Fei Yu continued her story after catching her breath.
"Hmm," Xingliu replied casually, not really paying attention.
He was captivated by Fei Yu's eyes and brows, gazing at her with affection, unable to look away. Of course, if Fei Yu kissed him, that would be a different story.
'There are secret passages in the palace. The passages are interconnected. Not far from the lotus pond, behind the artificial hill, there is a doorway leading out of the palace...' Fei Yu said calmly.
Xingliu's eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, suddenly snapped open, staring at Feiyu, unsure of what to say.
If he hadn't loved Fei Yu so much, if he hadn't been so deeply in love, he really would have used his soft voice to yell at Fei Yu on the spot, "You idiot!"
"I found the map of the tunnel in the Imperial Study before. I didn't expect that Emperor Yanwu of each generation had been digging it. The tunnel I'm taking leads to an empty house in the capital. I've been through it once before, and this is the second time, probably the last time." Fei Yu didn't notice Xing Liu's strangeness and continued talking to herself.
Fei Yu raised her head slightly, her tone tinged with sadness. Xing Liu knew that the last time Fei Yu left the palace through the tunnel, it was to offer incense before the spirit tablet of the civil official.
He could tell from Fei Yu's breathing, the arms that embraced him, and even from Fei Yu's eyes, which he couldn't see, that Fei Yu had disguised himself and stood for a long time before the coffin, sighing as he looked at it.
If he weren't too lazy to argue with the dead, and if Fei Yu weren't so sad, he would have told Fei Yu that there's no cure for stupidity. If you had remembered sooner, we wouldn't have had to suffer so much. Do you think it's fun to think about someone all day long while not knowing where they are?
But Xingliu didn't say anything. He just stared at Feiyu, blinked, and squeezed out two lines of fake tears.
'It's all over now,' Xingliu said softly.
Xingliu pressed his face against Feiyu's cheek, not to comfort her, but to let her feel his tears and to let her feel what an understanding lover he was.
Fei Yu was deeply moved. She lowered her head and kissed Xing Liu again, gently stroking Xing Liu's back, again and again.
"If I were to settle in Xia Yu Kingdom... I know a little about disguise. Once I leave the heavily guarded capital region, crossing the border shouldn't be a problem. There's an underground tunnel that leads directly out of the capital; I can go through there," Fei Yu said with a smile.
These past few days, Fei Yu had been fantasizing about his bright future with Xing Liu, imagining them sitting by the pond again, admiring the lotus blossoms. The door to his heart, which had remained closed all along, finally opened, and he took the first step to pursue the love he desired.
Let them go to Xia Yu Kingdom! They can live out a beautiful dream that many people dare not even imagine—to stay together forever.
Regarding the power struggle between him and Xingliu... it's all in vain when he's not around, so what does it matter who's in charge or who's out of charge!
"Hmm." Xingliu snuggled up to Feiyu, not really paying attention to what Feiyu was saying.
Xingliu just kept thinking that the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" was indeed a wise saying, just like it was to him and Feiyu now.
'I've thought about it for a long time...' Fei Yu said softly after a long while.
Xingliu slid down and pressed against Feiyu's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat.
"It's ridiculous to separate over who hugs whom. As long as our hearts are close, what does it matter who hugs whom?" Fei Yu's words contained genuine affection.
Fei Yu gazed at Xing Liu with tender eyes, and the latter raised her head in surprise to respond, her eyes overflowing with emotion, which turned into two streams of hot tears.
He never imagined that Fei Yu was thinking the same thing as him, and he never expected that Fei Yu would be willing to let him hug her, just because they loved each other and cherished their love.
"Actually, I can too." Xingliu's low, husky voice was filled with deep affection.
"It doesn't matter who it is, as long as we're together," Fei Yu said emotionally.
Xingliu didn't speak, but his slightly parted lips kissed Feiyu's soft spot.
And so it was settled. Poor Fei Yu, having surrendered earlier, became the one being hugged... Fei Yu, kissed with her eyes closed, probably never dreamed that Xing Liu's open eyes would be filled with a cunning expression, and her lips would curl into a triumphant smile.
Haha! He still won!
'I will cherish you.' Xingliu said meaningfully as the kiss ended and her lips, still entwined with Yinxian's, lingered on his lips.
Fei Yu's cheeks flushed red.
However, things didn't go as planned. Something unexpected happened that allowed Fei Yu to regain control.
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