IF route: Childhood sweethearts, revealing their true feelings to each other.
Setting: The two are of similar age and grew up together. Lou Jin unfortunately contracted a serious illness, and Ye Xunyang sought out famous doctors to save him. Lou Jin eventually recovered and asked for a marriage proposal at the celebration banquet after his recovery.
The grand banquet continued, and the sounds of music and revelry from the front hall could be faintly heard, as if through a hazy veil.
Lou Jin quietly left his seat, took Ye Xunyang's hand, and walked through the familiar corridor to the Wutong Garden, a place deep within the Prince's Mansion that belonged only to them.
This place was once the secret base where the two practiced martial arts and played when they were young. Now the pavilions remain, and the moonlight, like water, flows quietly on the bluestone slabs and also flows in their hearts.
Under the tall sycamore tree in the courtyard, the stone table and benches stand quietly.
Lou Jin stopped, but instead of letting go, he gripped Ye Xunyang's hand even tighter.
He turned around and, by the soft moonlight, gazed intently at the person before him.
Ye Xunyang felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, and touched his nose, trying to break the overly quiet and romantic atmosphere: "Why did you drag me here? The banquet isn't over yet, it wouldn't be good if you, the main character, ran away."
Lou Jin did not answer his question, but simply raised his hand and gently brushed his fingertips across Ye Xunyang's eyes. There, due to the hard work of the past few days and the alcohol from the banquet, there were traces of fatigue, yet they appeared particularly soft in the moonlight.
“Xunyang,” his voice was deep, still carrying the lingering effects of the banquet, and even more so, an unprecedented solemnity, “look at me.”
Ye Xunyang subconsciously looked up and met those deep, dark eyes.
It no longer contained the despair and hopelessness of illness, nor the calm composure of handling government affairs in daily life, but rather surged with emotions as gentle as the moonlight at this moment, yet even more scalding and burning.
“These years,” Lou Jin’s fingertips slowly slid down the contours of his cheek, finally stopping at his chin, the pressure gentle yet undeniable, “you’ve had a tough time.”
Ye Xunyang's heart skipped a beat. He wanted to say something, but Lou Jin stopped him with a look.
"Don't interrupt me," Lou Jin shook his head slightly, his voice becoming even deeper, "Let me finish."
He took a step closer, so close that they could feel each other's breath.
"I remember the bone-chilling cold when the poison took effect, as if it was freezing my soul. I also remember that every time I was about to be swallowed by that cold, a warm current would flow into my body again and again, pulling me back from the edge of the abyss."
His gaze traced Ye Xunyang's features.
“I know what that is. I know how much suffering you endured and how much pain you went through to practice that Pure Yang Technique. Every time you finished practicing, you forced a smile at me, but when you turned your back, you couldn’t even stand up straight.”
Ye Xunyang's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes felt slightly hot.
He hadn't expected that Lou Jin knew all this. He thought he had hidden it well.
“I remember too,” Lou Jin’s voice was a little hoarse, filled with indescribable heartache and lingering fear, “You held me in your arms at night, your embrace was so warm, so warm that I felt like I could live again.”
He raised his other hand and cupped Ye Xunyang's cheeks in both hands, his gaze intense.
"Xunyang, you asked me why I brought you here. It's because there are some things I don't want to say amidst the noise and flattery. There are some feelings I only want to share with you."
He took a deep breath, and spoke each word clearly and firmly, like a vow striking Ye Xunyang's heart:
"I did not ask my father for a marriage because I was grateful for your saving my life."
"Perhaps at first, when I was in a daze, it was dependence. But when I came to, seeing you busy for me, seeing you overjoyed because of my gradual improvement, my heart could never leave you."
"Ye Xunyang, I love you."
"Not because you are my cure, but because you are you."
"It was Ye Xunyang, who was my vanguard when I was a child, who used all his strength to snatch me back from the brink of death and let me see the sunlight again."
His thumb gently caressed Ye Xunyang's slightly trembling lips, his eyes filled with a tenderness that could drown a person.
"I want to stand beside you, not as a king and his subject, but as each other's only true love. Every day in the future, I want to wake up to see you in the morning and fall asleep in your arms at night."
"Are you... willing?"
Ye Xunyang listened in a daze, his heart pounding wildly in his chest, almost as if it would burst out of his chest.
Lou Jin's every word was like the most intense flame, instantly igniting all the emotions he had buried deep in his heart over the years.
It turns out that he wasn't the only one who cherished that special feeling.
Tears welled up unexpectedly, blurring my vision.
He suddenly raised his hand and gripped Lou Jin's hand that was cupping his face tightly, his voice choked with emotion, yet his response was incredibly clear and unwavering:
"Lou Jin, you idiot."
His voice trembled with tears, yet he couldn't help but laugh, tears streaming down his cheeks and dripping onto their clasped hands.
"I've done all this for you without ever expecting anything in return!"
"I practice my skills, I watch over you, I... I hold you in my arms at night because I can't bear to see you in so much pain, because... because I'm afraid of losing you!"
He took a deep breath, met Lou Jin's expectant and affectionate gaze, and finally shouted out the words buried deep in his heart.
"I love you too! I've loved you for a very, very long time. I don't just want to be your vanguard; I want to be the one who can always stand by your side, sharing your joys and sorrows, and being with you through thick and thin!"
After the words were spoken, the two fell silent for a moment, with only their rapid breathing and pounding heartbeats echoing in the quiet courtyard.
The next moment, Lou Jin's eyes erupted with indescribable joy and excitement. He suddenly hugged Ye Xunyang tightly, with such force that it seemed he wanted to crush him and embed him into his own bones.
He called his name softly over and over again, his voice hoarse and trembling, filled with the preciousness of something lost and found, and immense happiness.
Ye Xunyang hugged him back tightly, burying his face in the crook of his neck, inhaling the reassuring scent emanating from him. All his anxiety transformed into endless sweetness and contentment at that moment.
The moonlight, like water, quietly enveloped the two embracing figures. The leaves of the sycamore trees rustled softly in the night breeze, as if playing the most tender blessing for this couple who had overcome many hardships to finally be together.
Lou Jin loosened his grip slightly, lowered his head to find Ye Xunyang's lips, and kissed him deeply with immense respect and love.
This time, it was no longer an unconscious dependence during illness, nor a comforting touch, but a mark of mutual affirmation and surrender between two souls.
When the kiss ended, their foreheads touched, their breaths mingling.
Lou Jin looked at Ye Xunyang's watery eyes and slightly swollen lips, and whispered, "From now on, it's my turn to protect you."
Ye Xunyang's eyebrows curved into a smile, brighter than the moon in the sky: "Okay. We'll protect each other for a lifetime."
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