Chapter 25
Morning light filtered through the gaps in the window paper, casting pale golden watermarks on the blue bricks. The silver charcoal in the stove had long since burned out, leaving only its residual warmth that seeped up the ground, warming the moisture behind the screen.
Sheng Xuan was awakened by the cold—his neck was pressed against the cold wall, but a warm weight was pressing on his shoulder. He opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze falling on Su Zhelan's open collar and landing precisely on her protruding collarbone.
Su Zhelan was still lost in her dream, her eyelashes trembling gently with her breath.
Last night, sandwiched between Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun, his sleeping posture was already tilted to one side, with half of his body almost resting on Sheng Xuan's shoulder. The light pink scar on the back of his neck was faintly visible in the warm light, making Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bob violently.
Sheng Xuan unconsciously raised his fingertips, almost touching Su Zhelan's cheek, then suddenly pulled them back, his fingertips rubbing against the seam of his pants—he had been secretly cursing Xiao Qiyun for being pretentious last night, but now, seeing Su Zhelan's unguarded appearance, he felt that all his jealousy and rivalry had vanished.
He held his breath, even blinking lightly, afraid of disturbing the stolen peace. The shadow on the wall moved slowly with the morning light, making his gaze towards Su Zhelan appear long and soft.
The sound of wind drifted in from behind the screen, and Su Zhelan's hazy consciousness gradually returned. The first thing that caught her eye was Sheng Xuan's profile, which was very close to hers—Sheng Xuan's jawline was taut, but his eyes were unusually soft, staring at her without blinking, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"!" Su Zhelan's cheeks flushed instantly, and the tips of her ears turned as red as ripe plums.
He instinctively tried to shrink back, but a familiar feeling of confinement came from his waist—Xiao Qiyun's hand was wrapped tightly around him, his palm pressed against his flesh, even the gaps between his fingers were embedded in the curve of his waist, and it tightened slightly with his movements, like an unbreakable lock.
Su Zhelan's subtle struggle caused ripples to spread.
Sheng Xuan snapped back to reality, her ear tips even redder than Su Zhelan's, but she stubbornly refused to look away, like a thief caught red-handed who was determined to keep quiet.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Qiyun's voice was hoarse from just waking up. His fingertips tightened first, and he slowly loosened them half an inch only after confirming that Su Zhelan was not uncomfortable.
His gaze swept over Su Zhelan's flushed cheeks, then fell on Sheng Xuan's stiff profile. His eyes darkened, but his fingertips lightly brushed against the fabric at Su Zhelan's waist.
Caught between the two men's gazes, Su Zhelan felt the warmth that had just begun to rise turn into embarrassment.
He shrank further under the covers: "N-nothing..."
Before he could finish speaking, he heard Sheng Xuan and Xiao Qiyun reach out at the same time from his side. The backs of their hands collided, and Sheng Xuan gripped Xiao Qiyun's wrist tightly, with a force so great that it felt like she was going to crush his bones.
“Your Highness,” his voice was hoarse from the early morning, yet it was laced with undisguised sarcasm, “stop pretending to be asleep here and get up—do you expect Zhelan to help you get dressed?”
With a flick of his wrist, he forcefully lifted Xiao Qiyun's hand outwards, his fingertips turning white from the force, which also caused the corner of the blanket on Su Zhelan's waist to be pulled askew.
Xiao Qiyun frowned, but his fingertips lightly brushed against Su Zhelan's fabric, as if in silent protest. He didn't break free from Sheng Xuan's grip, but instead looked down at their clasped hands, his tone as calm as a frozen hot spring: "What's the rush, Second Young Master? Su Zhelan just woke up; she needs time to recover." His fingertips, however, subtly exerted force, trying to break free of the restraint. The two wrists collided with a soft sound, like two stubborn rocks locked in a struggle.
"Let go." Su Zhelan's voice was tinged with helplessness as her fingertips gently pressed on their clasped hands, landing precisely on Sheng Xuan's hand where the veins were bulging. "Stop fooling around, it's really time to get up."
Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed, but he ultimately didn't exert any more force. However, he deliberately ground his fingertips over Xiao Qiyun's wrist bone before reluctantly letting go.
Xiao Qiyun rubbed his reddened wrist without making a sound, his gaze lingering for a moment on Su Zhelan's reddened ear tips, then sweeping over Sheng Xuan's tense jawline, a faint smile playing on his lips—this contest has only just begun.
Just as Sheng Xuan finished fastening his belt, he heard Xiao Qiyun's voice drift over, like a honey-soaked blade: "Since the Second Young Master woke up early, why not trouble yourself to prepare some breakfast?" His fingertips were still on the back of Su Zhelan's hand that he had just touched, and his tone was as calm as if he were discussing the weather. "After you finish eating, you can go back to the manor, so that Zhelan won't go hungry."
Sheng Xuan abruptly stopped. He was clearly angered by Xiao Qiyun's jealousy, so how did he end up being the one being manipulated? Just as he was about to retort, he caught sight of Su Zhelan looking at him, her eyes filled with helplessness mixed with a faint smile—her gaze seemed to say, "Don't bother with him." The words that were on the tip of his tongue turned into a grinding sound: "I know."
As Sheng Xuan slammed the door and left, the lanterns under the eaves were still swaying.
As Xiao Qiyun listened to the fading sound of his footsteps as he descended the stairs, he slowly turned his head, his gaze lingering on Su Zhelan's reddened earlobes before he suddenly leaned closer. The steam from behind the screen seeped in, dampening his temples, which added a touch of vulnerability to his close movement.
“Last night…” Xiao Qiyun’s voice was very low, his fingertips had already quietly hooked Su Zhelan’s wrist, and his fingertips were gently rubbing the back of her hand, “I slept outside, and the wind was blowing in through the cracks in the window, it was terribly cold.”
His eyelashes drooped, casting dappled shadows beneath his eyes, like a bamboo stalk touched by frost. "Look," he said.
He stretched out his other hand in front of Su Zhelan, and sure enough, the inside of his wrist was tinged with a light red.
The moment Su Zhelan's fingertips touched that coolness, he gripped her hand tightly, the warmth of his palm enveloping the lingering chill, like a piece of warm jade just pulled from the snow.
Su Zhelan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. Looking at the deliberately concealed grievance in Xiao Qiyun's eyes, he suddenly felt that his earlier attraction had not been in vain. He pulled his hand away from Xiao Qiyun's grasp and instead reached for Xiao Qiyun's forehead, his fingertips touching the warm skin: "Are you cold?" He slid his fingertips down and gently pressed on Xiao Qiyun's pulse. "It's alright, the pulse is still relatively stable."
Xiao Qiyun's fingertips seized the opportunity to entwine with Su Zhelan's fingers, like vines climbing a tall tree, and a sudden grievance welled up in his voice: "But it's still cold." His thumb brushed against Su Zhelan's fingers, the cold light of the lapis lazuli reflecting on their clasped hands, "Warm me up?"
Looking at the smile flickering in his eyes, Su Zhelan suddenly realized that this was not coquetry at all, but a contest disguised as gentleness.
The cool touch from his fingertips couldn't lie; he didn't pull his hand away after all, only sighing helplessly, "How old are you?" Even so, his fingertips gently rubbed Xiao Qiyun's wrist.
"It's time to change your clothes." Xiao Qiyun's voice was damp with sweat as he got up and took out a clean undergarment from his bag.
The fabric shimmered softly in the candlelight—he had deliberately chosen a loose-fitting one to avoid rubbing against the scar on Su Zhelan's neck.
Su Zhelan's fingertips clenched the blanket tightly: "I can do it myself, I'm much more capable now." He tried to lift his arm, which was still a little sore, but strong enough to take care of himself. But before he could finish speaking, Xiao Qiyun's fingertips gently pressed on his shoulder, his fingertips lightly brushing against his back.
"Don't push yourself." Xiao Qiyun's voice was warmer than candlelight as he began to unbutton Su Zhelan's clothes. He used his fingertips to loosen the tie at the collar, avoiding pulling on Su Zhelan's wound. "I'm more worried about you getting tired."
Su Zhelan's Adam's apple bobbed as she watched the faint shadow cast by Xiao Qiyun's eyelashes under his eyes as he lowered his gaze.
His fingertips were sliding down his clothes, the movement as light as playing a zither.
“Really, there’s no need…” Su Zhelan’s words were interrupted by Xiao Qiyun’s action of adjusting his clothes.
The inner robe was gently draped over his shoulders. Xiao Qiyun's palm pressed against his back through the fabric, helping him put on one sleeve, then around to the front to put on the other. His fingertips intentionally or unintentionally brushed against Su Zhelan's waist, causing Su Zhelan to tremble slightly.
"See, isn't that enough?" Xiao Qiyun fastened his belt for him, tying a small knot with his fingertips. As he turned his head, his breath brushed against Su Zhelan's earlobe. "So you don't have to do it yourself."
Su Zhelan's ear tips were burning red, and the scar on the back of his neck glowed slightly in the warm light. He gazed at Xiao Qiyun's earnest profile in the bronze mirror.
"Alright." Xiao Qiyun took a half step back, admiring his work. The lapis lazuli necklace that Sheng Xuan had given him yesterday was now tied around Su Zhelan's wrist, shimmering with a deep blue light.
Su Zhelan slowly turned around. "Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness." Su Zhelan's voice mingled with the sound of wind behind the screen, but her fingertips lightly brushed against Xiao Qiyun's fingertips that had just tied the knot. "I always trouble you."
"Of course." Xiao Qiyun lowered his voice even further, his fingertips lightly brushing against Su Zhelan's fingertips, as if responding to this rare honesty, "You are the most important."
Su Zhelan's cheeks began to burn again. Just as she was about to say something, Sheng Xuan's heavy cough suddenly came from behind the screen. The two turned their heads at the same time and saw Sheng Xuan standing outside the screen with breakfast in his hand. He had obviously heard every word, and his ears were as red as if they had been scalded by hot water.
"What are you dawdling for!" Sheng Xuan's voice was deliberately rough, but his gaze lingered on the lapis lazuli on Su Zhelan's wrist. "If we don't get moving soon, Su Yan might really skin us alive!"
"Eat quickly, or you'll choke if it gets cold." Sheng Xuan's voice was harsh as she shoved the bun in her hand into Xiao Qiyun's hand, as if venting her anger.
He turned to hug Su Zhelan, but suddenly softened his movements, his arm brushing against the edge of the bed with a soft sound. He half-squatted down, his palms loosely cupping Su Zhelan's knees, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Hold on tight."
Su Zhelan instinctively grabbed his collar. Sheng Xuan's arm muscles tensed, and as he steadily lifted Su Zhelan up, his nose suddenly bumped into Su Zhelan's loose hair—scented with mugwort and medicinal fragrance. This made him pause for half a second, almost causing Su Zhelan to fall into the wheelchair.
"Clumsy." Xiao Qiyun's voice drifted from behind, still holding the flattened bun in his hand, but he had already stood on the other side of the wheelchair without making a sound, his fingertips hovering over Su Zhelan's lower back, ready to help at any time.
Sheng Xuan glared at him, then carefully placed Su Zhelan down before letting go, his fingertips brushing against the other's slightly cool hand: "It's better than some people who only talk the talk."
After saying that, he pulled the thin blanket over Su Zhelan's legs, but deliberately tucked the corner of the blanket half an inch more towards Xiao Qiyun, almost brushing against the other's boots.
Xiao Qiyun handed over the remaining buns. Just as Su Zhelan was about to reach out to take them, Xiao Qiyun said again, "Be careful, they're hot." Xiao Qiyun's voice was gentle, but his fingertips lightly brushed against the back of Su Zhelan's hand, as if soothing a frightened bird.
Sheng Xuan's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly snatched a bun and took a big bite. "Is Your Highness addicted to serving people?" He raised an eyebrow, but the fire in his eyes did not ignite. "Instead of wasting your time, you should think about how to make up a lie to Su Yan when you get back."
Xiao Qiyun ate his steamed bun slowly and deliberately, and licked his lips at the end: "Just tell the truth. We went too far at the temple fair and it got too late. The Second Young Master and I escorted Su Zhelan to rest at the inn for two days. What's wrong with that?" When he looked at Su Zhelan, his gaze suddenly softened. "Besides, Su Yan loves you the most and would never really punish you."
"Let's go." Sheng Xuan suddenly stood up, the wheelchair making a soft sound as it rolled on the blue bricks. After helping Su Zhelan fasten her blindfold, he said, "I'll push the wheelchair."
Su Zhelan was taken aback by his sudden assertiveness.
Xiao Qiyun pulled his clothes up a little, his voice so soft it sounded like a sigh: "That's fine, let him stretch his muscles a bit more."
The breeze under the eaves carried the scent of bamboo, and Sheng Xuan pushed the wheelchair with exceptionally steady force. Su Zhelan could feel his fingertips occasionally brushing against the hem of her clothes. As they turned the corner of the corridor, the wheelchair suddenly paused, and Sheng Xuan's voice drifted down from above: "That chain looks quite nice wrapped around your wrist."
Su Zhelan's ear tips began to burn again, and her fingertips unconsciously twisted her sleeve: "Mmm."
The road back to the manor was quieter than the way there. Sheng Xuan's footsteps pounded on the bluestone slabs, creating a regular rhythm, while Xiao Qiyun lagged half a step behind, occasionally brushing the fallen leaves that had landed on Su Zhelan's shoulders.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shimmering spots of light on the three of them, carrying away their unspoken concerns in the warming breeze.
As they approached the General's Mansion, Su Zhelan suddenly tugged gently at Sheng Xuan's sleeve. The lapis lazuli stone made a soft clinking sound as she did so. "Sheng Xuan," he said softly, "go back... and don't mention the attack at the temple fair."
Sheng Xuan's steps abruptly halted. The wheelchair's wheels stopped at the alley entrance. As he looked down, he saw the pleading look in Su Zhelan's eyes, like a fledgling bird afraid of being wet by the wind and rain. The words tumbled in his throat, finally turning into a muffled "I know."
Xiao Qiyun stepped forward from behind and smoothed Su Zhelan's collar, which had been ruffled by the wind, with his fingertips: "Don't worry, we've already prepared our statements." His gaze swept over the back of Su Zhelan's neck, where the light pink scar was still visible. "Just say that we had too much fun and forgot the time. We were worried you'd get tired, so we found an inn nearby to rest."
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