Futile Devices Scans

“Have you figured out how to restore it?” At some point, Yi Hua had silently moved closer. He bent beside Ning Xuan’s ear, his warm, damp breath brushing the tender skin behind it. Ning Xuan instantly went rigid, becoming as stiff as a block of wood.

Using his greater height to his advantage, Yi Hua reached both arms around Ning Xuan from behind and planted his hands on the table. Ning Xuan felt scorching heat close around him from every direction, trapping him so thoroughly that he could not move. One large hand rested on the table before his chest, while the other casually lifted a page and flipped backward and forward as though consulting a reference. “The artist was exceptionally skilled. Look at the expressions, the composition, and the changes in the ink—the way light and shadow, substance and emptiness are balanced…” He paused, apparently considering the matter, and made a low sound in his throat. Then he turned back to the first page and pointed without hesitation at the blurred, intimately joined area in the center. “How are you planning to redraw this?”

Ning Xuan’s already burning face instantly reached its limit, and every shred of rational thought exploded from his mind. Why had he been unlucky enough to pick up a Spring Palace illustration while innocently airing books? And why had the sweat from his hand smeared precisely the most fatal section?

“Heh… This… this part can wait. There’s no hurry.” Ning Xuan forced the words out with great difficulty. His throat felt painfully dry. The mouth normally famed for creative insults and relentless mockery had stiffened until he could only stammer.

It was already strange enough for two grown men to sit alone together in the dead of night, talking by lamplight. But what did it mean for them to huddle over Spring Palace illustrations—and ones depicting male love?

Ning Xuan hurriedly reached out to close the book and laugh the matter off, but Yi Hua reacted faster and slipped a hand between the pages. “Why are you closing it? With our current status, something like this is difficult to see. We may as well study it while we have the chance. We might learn quite a lot—and perhaps use it someday.” He spoke with complete seriousness, as though the object he was studying so intently were not a volume of Spring Palace illustrations but a work on statecraft or military strategy.

“Look here.” Yi Hua reopened the book to the page marked Riding Position and pointed at the entwined figures. “How deeply do you think he had to go to make the other person look like that?”

Damn it! Not only was Ning Xuan inexplicably studying Spring Palace illustrations of male love with another man in the middle of the night, but he was also expected to discuss every intimate technique in detail! Even if Yi Hua’s family had fallen into ruin, he had supposedly once been a scholar. How could he possess no sense of shame whatsoever? His skin was so thick that the walls of the imperial capital would have to admit defeat!

“Sons of wealthy families do not study solely to pass the imperial examinations and glorify their ancestors like poor commoners do. Have you never heard of a profligate young master?” Although he could see only Ning Xuan’s profile, Yi Hua seemed able to read his mind.

The arms around Ning Xuan slowly tightened, leaving him even more flustered. He was so embarrassed that he forgot to push Yi Hua away. The uncontrollable twitching of his face earned him a soft chuckle beside his ear.

Ning Xuan’s round, bright eyes shifted. Only then did he realize that Yi Hua was deliberately teasing him in revenge for what had happened earlier. At last understanding, Ning Xuan’s brows drew sharply together, and his delicate face—still carrying the faint softness of youth—puffed up with anger. He turned, intending to repay the man with a solid punch, but forgot how dangerously close they had become.

A scorching warmth brushed his cheek. Their lips touched as lightly as a dragonfly skimming water, yet countless tiny currents seemed to race from that single point of contact, striking Ning Xuan’s mind and spreading through every limb.

The accidental contact startled them both. Even Yi Hua, whose lips had carried an amused half-smile all night, stiffened in surprise. Ning Xuan, already rigid, instantly became a stone statue—one twisted awkwardly halfway around, wearing an expression of absolute disbelief.

Their eyes met. Their dark pupils were like polished mirrors reflecting one another. Ning Xuan saw himself in Yi Hua’s gaze as the distance between them narrowed and the reflected image grew steadily larger. By the time he understood how compromising their position was and how intimate the atmosphere had become, Yi Hua’s hot breath was already mingling with his own. Ning Xuan could clearly smell the man’s distinctive scent.

“Mmph!” Ning Xuan had only just begun to push him away when Yi Hua’s face suddenly filled his vision, freezing him in place. His dark eyes widened in alarm as their warm breaths flowed together.

He remained motionless as a moist softness traced slowly over his lips. Yi Hua seemed almost as disbelieving as he was, but when that agile, heated tongue attempted to slip farther inside, Ning Xuan finally woke as though struck by lightning. He bit down fiercely upon the offending intruder. Yi Hua reacted quickly, but not quickly enough.

“Mm.” Yi Hua lightly wiped the streak of blood from the tip of his tongue with the back of his hand. He clicked his tongue as though savoring the lingering taste. “You taste rather good, but weren’t you a little ruthless? Look—you drew blood.” He even extended his tongue pitifully for Ning Xuan’s inspection.

Seeing not the slightest remorse on Yi Hua’s face, Ning Xuan’s anger surged. He gathered all his strength and rammed into him, only for Yi Hua to dodge with ease. Ning Xuan immediately lost his balance and resigned himself to falling face-first onto the floor, but Yi Hua caught him around the waist and pulled him safely into his arms.

“Tsk, tsk. There’s no need to rush if you want to throw yourself at me. If you’re interested as well, naturally it would be impolite of me to refuse.” From Yi Hua’s aggrieved sigh, one might have thought he was the person being taken advantage of.

How had Ning Xuan forgotten that Yi Hua was a guard and therefore knew martial arts? Why had he lost his temper and attempted to fight him head-on?

Held tightly against Yi Hua’s chest in a pose resembling a heroic rescue of a beauty, while the man continued murmuring teasing nonsense beside his ear, Ning Xuan ground his teeth in fury. He was the one being taken advantage of! His glossy black eyes glared upward, stretching his alluring phoenix eyes as round as they could possibly become. He stared fiercely at Yi Hua’s handsome face as it drifted closer with lingering interest, his expression plainly warning, Try that again and I’ll bite you to death. Since Ning Xuan reached only Yi Hua’s chest and stood a full head shorter, his entire body was pulled taut, ready to strike.

They remained locked in a standoff until Yi Hua finally laughed. “What sort of expression is that? We’re both men. It was only a kiss, and it barely even counted. You haven’t lost any flesh.” He released Ning Xuan. “Anyone who saw your face without knowing the truth would think I had murdered your parents, violated your wife, and was now preparing to violate and kill you.”

The instant Yi Hua let go, Ning Xuan darted to the far side of the table as though fleeing a highly contagious disease. His lively black eyes remained fixed warily upon the man in case he suddenly suffered another bout of madness. “Is there something wrong with your head? You appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the night, caused me one disaster after another, and then— And now you stand there righteously telling me I didn’t lose any flesh? Go outside and let a complete stranger force a kiss on you. Then see whether you still say that!”

Yi Hua remained entirely unmoved. He merely shrugged and smiled. “Certainly. You’re welcome to return the favor whenever you wish.”

Damn it! He’s impossible to reason with! There is an uncrossable gulf between me and everyone in this era!