Mu Xueshi’s hand was still waving before the Third Prince’s eyes when the Third Prince reached out and pinched his exquisitely delicate cheek. Mu Xueshi cried out in pain, looking even more adorable than before. Instead of withdrawing his hand, the Third Prince continued kneading the same spot on Mu Xueshi’s face. His skin was soft, smooth, and remarkably springy.
The instant the Third Prince turned toward him, he had intended to “teach Mu Xueshi a lesson.” Yet for some inexplicable reason, his hand seemed to move of its own accord, reaching for Mu Xueshi’s face and teasing him instead.
Not only was Mu Xueshi unoffended, he even appeared rather pleased. This was the perfect opportunity to curry favor with the Third Prince. In Mu Xueshi’s eyes, the Third Prince was thoroughly neurotic. There was no point worrying about when he might become angry or suddenly laugh again, because every one of his reactions came without warning. Mu Xueshi simply had to learn how to seize his opportunities.
Thus, in the next instant, Mu Xueshi reached toward the Third Prince’s face as well and pinched him viciously. A purplish-red mark immediately appeared on the Third Prince’s strikingly handsome face. Mu Xueshi instantly regretted allowing his desire for revenge to make him use so much force. Yet when he saw the Third Prince’s stunned expression and the ridiculous contrast between the pale and reddened patches on his face, he could not hold back. He burst out laughing, his features filled with mischievous delight at the Third Prince’s misfortune.
The Third Prince fell into a momentary daze. Suddenly, he remembered the young man by the lake several years ago and the smile that had captured his heart at first sight. Could Mu Xueshi’s mind still not have fully recovered after waking, leaving him completely unguarded and revealing the innocent nature of a youth?
The Third Prince had no time to dwell on it. He leaned closer to Mu Xueshi, first placing a gentle kiss upon his cheek before moving his lips to Mu Xueshi’s. After sucking lightly for a moment, he parted Mu Xueshi’s teeth and explored deeper. Mu Xueshi closed his eyes and gave a soft hum, his expression making it seem as though he, too, had become intoxicated by the kiss.
Although this was not the Third Prince’s first experience with intimacy, being close with Mu Xueshi brought an entirely different sensation, stirring an uncontrollable excitement within his heart.
When the long kiss finally ended, the Third Prince sensed that something was wrong. Mu Xueshi had not resisted from beginning to end. Although he had responded, it seemed more like a bodily instinct than conscious participation. The Third Prince cupped the back of Mu Xueshi’s head with his broad palm and stared at that face, beautiful enough to belong in a painting. It took him only an instant to realize the truth—Mu Xueshi had fallen asleep.
Rage immediately flared within the Third Prince. He nearly slapped Mu Xueshi awake, but the moment he saw that peaceful sleeping face, he could not bear to see it twisted by pain or distress.
In the end, the Third Prince silently dressed himself. Moving through the boundless night with the speed of the wind beneath his feet, he carried Mu Xueshi back to the bedchamber in the blink of an eye.
Upon the enormous bed, two peerlessly handsome men slept in each other’s arms. One lay with his eyes closed and an expressionless face, merely pretending to sleep, while the other smacked his lips in the depths of slumber. Doubt filled the Third Prince’s heart. Who exactly was the person beside him? Why had even his sleeping habits changed so drastically?
While he was pondering this, the Third Prince suddenly opened his eyes. He casually took a veined shard of jade from the brocade box beside his pillow and sent it flying through the narrow gap in the window. With no layer of paper covering the window and the Third Prince’s profound internal energy behind it, the jade shard flew with the sharpness of a blade. In the blink of an eye, the heavy thud of something striking the ground sounded outside.
Since Qinyi Courtyard had been granted to the Third Prince, neither person nor creature had ever managed to intrude upon it, much less reach the outside of his bedchamber. Anyone capable of entering this forbidden place beneath Su Ruhan’s watchful eyes must possess an extraordinary identity and background. The Third Prince had not aimed the jade shard at a fatal spot, nor did he intend to open the door and investigate. By tomorrow, Su Ruhan would naturally report the intruder’s identity and origins, so there was no need for the Third Prince to concern himself with the matter.
What interested him far more was whether Mu Xueshi’s temperament would return to normal by morning—or whether he would awaken wearing yet another face.
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