Chapter 32 Cui Xiao's Troubles
However, Liu Cong's inner torment did not diminish because the plan went smoothly.
Whenever it was late at night and Cui Xiao left, he would be surrounded by the vast emptiness and silence of Ninghui Palace.
The mask of calmness and gentleness forced upon me during the day was removed, leaving only surging longing and unspeakable desire.
That beautiful dream about Cui Xiao did not happen only once.
As their contacts increased, Cui Xiao's figure became clearer and deeper in his mind, and his dreams became more frequent and... explicit.
Sometimes they were chasing and playing in the imperial garden, and Cui Xiao turned around and smiled at him;
Sometimes Cui Xiao was reading under the lamp, and he would walk over and stop to remind him of the "heretical" and "shocking" nature of this relationship.
What follows is deeper self-loathing and fear.
The three days when Cui Xiao was away from the palace during his rest period more than a month ago were like hell for Liu Cong.
Without Cui Xiao in the palace, it seemed as if the entire palace had lost its color and warmth.
He fidgeted, lost his appetite, and couldn't concentrate on reading. Every corner of Ninghui Palace seemed to be filled with Cui Xiao's presence, yet it felt so empty that it made him uneasy.
He paced around the hall restlessly like a trapped beast.
The huge emptiness and strong physical desire made him do something even crazier.
He summoned the palace maid again to prove that his desire for Cui Xiao was just an illusion.
But... Liu Cong suddenly felt a surge of nausea in his stomach.
He pushed the maid away violently, his face livid, and shouted sternly, "Get out!"
The palace maid was so frightened that her face turned pale and she crawled back.
Liu Cong slumped down on the cold floor tiles, gasping for breath.
The huge sense of absurdity and despair overwhelmed him again.
He punched the ground hard, his knuckles instantly broke and bled, but he didn't feel any pain at all.
He staggered to his feet and walked to the bronze mirror. The young man in the mirror still had a beautiful face, but his eyes were bloodshot, filled with a kind of paranoia and pain that bordered on madness.
However, this time, Liu Cong did not feel ashamed and disgusted as usual.
He gradually became sharp and cold, and finally settled into a determination of desperate measures.
After a long while, he suddenly laughed softly, and the laughter echoed in the empty hall, with a hint of sadness, but more of determination.
“I see…I see…”
It's not an illusion, it's not pathological.
He, Liu Cong, had truly fallen in love with Cui Xiao. He had fallen in love with a man so desperately, so... unacceptable to the world.
But so what? !
The paranoia and madness in the eyes of the person in the mirror gradually faded away, replaced by a rock-hardness and determination.
Fear? Disgust? Self-torture? These emotions are meaningless!
Since God has given him this wish, he will accept it! Liu Cong has never failed to obtain what he wants! The country is like this, and so are people!
He walked to the basin and washed his face vigorously with cold water. The biting cold made him completely sober.
His "boiling frog in warm water" plan is no longer just for the purpose of "falling in love over time", but also carries an aggressive attitude of winning.
When he looked at Cui Xiao, the suppressed heat in his eyes would occasionally leak out uncontrollably, with a terrifying concentration and determination to win.
Delicious food and storybooks are still excellent bait.
He fed Cui Xiao more attentively and selected more exquisite scripts. He even occasionally included some chapters describing the mutual understanding and deep friendship between men, quietly planting vague seeds in Cui Xiao's heart.
His care also became more meticulous.
When Cui Xiao gets tired of studying, he will hand him a cup of ginseng tea at just the right temperature;
Cui Xiao sweats during martial arts training, and he will "just" prepare a clean sweat towel and a change of underwear
When the weather turns colder, he will "inadvertently" remind Cui Xiao to put on more clothes, and even prepare a high-quality cloak in advance to "lend" him to keep warm.
He was like an invisible and tough net, wrapping Cui Xiao gently and tightly.
He wanted Cui Xiao to get used to his presence, rely on his kindness, and eventually... become inseparable from him.
Cui Xiao, who was in the center of the net, was completely unaware of this.
He was still moved by the delicious food and the novels, and touched by the Second Prince's "understanding" and "care".
He just vaguely felt that the way the Second Prince looked at him recently seemed... a little different?
It was more focused and deeper than before, sometimes even making him feel a little hot on his face and his heart beat faster for no apparent reason.
"Perhaps it's because Your Highness is in a good mood recently?"
Cui Xiao comforted himself in this way, attributing those strange feelings to his awe and gratitude towards the noble prince.
His biggest worry is still that "sweet burden" - is it really appropriate to frequently visit the Second Prince's Palace?
Every time he made up his mind to decline, when Liu Cong looked at him with a smile, holding his favorite snack or the storybook he wanted to read the most, his determination melted instantly like ice and snow in the sun.
"Just this once... I'll definitely turn it down next time..."
While eating the rose crystal cake that Liu Cong specially left for him, Cui Xiao silently swore in his heart.
The pastry melted in his mouth, sweet but not greasy, with a rich rose scent, and was so delicious that he wanted to swallow his tongue.
At the same time, Liu Cong was sitting opposite him, flipping through the same book, "Records of Six Tribulations in a Floating Life", occasionally looking up to exchange a few words with him about the plot in the book. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
Looking at Liu Cong's handsome profile and focused expression, the insignificant worries in Cui Xiao's heart were once again diluted by this comfortable atmosphere.
He even felt that it was a blessing to have such a prince who "understood" him so well as a friend.
As for the look that occasionally makes his heart beat faster... well, it must be because His Highness is naturally gifted with a deep gaze, right?
He had no idea that the "comfort" and "sweetness" he was enjoying at the moment was the result of Liu Cong's elaborate love network.
What he didn't know was that far outside the palace walls, in the Weiyuan Marquis Mansion, a storm that could overturn his entire life was sweeping towards him with the force of thunder.
Inside the palace walls, on a spring day, the warm breeze is blowing, and love is quietly growing under the cover of delicious food and storybooks.
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