Futile Devices Scans

“He… he actually…!”

Wei Fu seemed as though someone had struck all the major pressure points across his body—he froze on the spot.

“So it was stolen by him all along?!”

Overwhelming shock mixed with the earth-shattering embarrassment of having his carefully hidden feelings from years ago exposed. Wei Fu grabbed Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s hand and clasped it tightly in both of his, like a wronged commoner finally seeing an upright magistrate, and accused bitterly:

“Xie You Lan told me to change clothes and bring only the most important things, to leave everything else behind, saying we needed to travel light to return to Fengdu. I never imagined he was secretly plotting something so underhanded!”

He deliberately cursed Xie You Lan to conceal the delicate feelings in his heart, feelings delicate enough to rival those of a sixteen-year-old maiden. Conveniently, Yu Gong Zhao Ye also did not wish to honestly explain his own emotional journey, so he followed along smoothly:

“The human heart is treacherous.”

Wei Fu indignantly said, “He’s absolutely outrageous! How can someone have such a twisted personality!”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye was nearly dragged off the bed by him. Helplessly, he patted him in comfort, though inwardly his thoughts shifted subtly.

After suddenly learning he had been deceived by Xie You Lan for so many years, he genuinely felt some anger. Yet although Wei Fu spoke critically of Xie You Lan, the emotion in his voice did not sound like hatred. It resembled something closer to complaint, unconsciously carrying the familiarity of someone who felt free to casually badmouth him.

“You mentioned your past experiences to Xie You Lan. He must have guessed my identity, so to prevent me from coming back for revenge, he deliberately left himself an extra safeguard.” Yu Gong Zhao Ye spoke as though casually. “But as you said, Xie You Lan comes from the demonic sects, has an eccentric temperament, and acts with a rather sinister edge. What sort of favor did your mother do for him, for him to help you so wholeheartedly?”

“Uh…” Wei Fu stalled awkwardly. “Hard to say. Anyway, it was a very great favor. He actually didn’t like me much. After that incident, his debt of gratitude should’ve already been repaid.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye lightly raised a brow, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “Really.”

Wei Fu hurriedly nodded like pounding garlic. “Really, really.”

Eager to change the subject himself, he pressed on enthusiastically:

“What happened afterward? What did you do next?”

This time it was Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s turn to choke.

He answered carelessly, “…Went our separate ways, each crying at our own grave. What else could we do?”

Wei Fu was unconvinced. “Your Highness cried? You even made me a grave? A cenotaph?”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye turned his face away coldly. “No.”

Wei Fu dragged out a long, disappointed “Oh——,” sounding so dejected that his disappointment seemed to overflow past the top of his head, even his hair losing its shine like a wilted flower.

“Alright then.”

He forced out a faint smile filled with self-mockery.

“I suppose that makes sense. Once the person is gone, the tea grows cold. No wonder Your Highness never recognized me before. In Your Highness’s heart, I was already someone from a closed chapter long ago…”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye thought to himself: Today I’ve finally seen a real-life version of “casting flirtatious glances at a blind man.” Who exactly are you performing for?

Their conversational dynamic now had completely reversed from back then. Wei Fu had become the one with no trouble speaking, while the person responding with terse two- or three-word replies had become Yu Gong Zhao Ye.

“I fought him.”

The sound he made was so soft that even a mosquito flying past could have drowned it out, but Wei Fu immediately perked up like a thief catching a clue, eyes sparkling suspiciously.

“What? ‘Burst into tears’?”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye: “……”

Maybe it would be better to just faint on the spot.

“I fought him,” he repeated with utmost brevity. “Both sides suffered.”

“Oh… huh??”

Wei Fu’s eyes widened a beat late.

“Is it what I think it means?”

He practically wanted to yank Yu Gong Zhao Ye off the bed and shake him until more honest feelings fell out of this clam shell of a person.

“Your Highness, Your Highness? Back then… were you trying to kill him to avenge me?”

The exceedingly skilled-at-avoidance Your Highness replied calmly:

“Unfortunately, I failed.”

Wei Fu murmured, “Xie You Lan’s martial arts are extremely formidable. He’s not an easy opponent. I was only a stranger you met by chance… we had even already separated…”

“Was it really necessary to go that far?”

He thought only his voice was trembling, but he already sounded on the verge of tears.

It felt like receiving a long-overdue reply to a letter sent years ago. Affection fermented by time had become so rich and enduring that it effortlessly pierced through the armor he had painstakingly built over the years—the armor called “mature and steady.”

“Do I need to carry a scale around with me?” Yu Gong Zhao Ye said. “Should I weigh every decision first to see whether someone is worth it?”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye was already finding him noisy. He wanted to turn away, but his limbs were weak and powerless, so he could only lie flat with his eyes half-closed, pretending he was about to sleep.

“Besides, although I failed to kill him that time, I never pursued him afterward.”

“At the time I didn’t think too much about it. I just felt I should give you an explanation. Otherwise… it would’ve been too careless.”

They had survived natural disasters and human calamities, crossed through near-death situations again and again. That little mute who always thought of abandoning himself first had promised him he would live well. Yu Gong Zhao Ye had not even gotten the chance to see Xiao Guan’s true face before the only news he received about him was Xie You Lan’s casual: “He’s dead.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye did not like recalling how he felt back then. It was one of the few things in life that left him with lingering regret. Whenever he thought of it, his heart would suddenly ache with a sour pang—not enough to be heartbreaking, merely a long, faint regret, like a small cloud forever raining, never clearing.

Plop.

A warm raindrop landed on the back of his hand.

“If you insist on digging to the bottom of it, even if I told you, you wouldn’t be able to bear hearing it… In the end, I still made you cry.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye felt a familiar helplessness.

“Young Master Wei… Xiao Guan? If your eyes swell from crying, how are you going to face people tomorrow? Pull yourself together.”

Wei Fu blinked hard to force the moisture from his eyes and admonished himself not to be so pathetic. With a trace of nasal tone, he demanded:

“Hug me.”

“How old are you, exactly?” Yu Gong Zhao Ye rejected him mercilessly. “Do you still think you’re the child lost in the mountains?”

Wei Fu: “Wuu…”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye: “Fine, fine, come here then…”

Wei Fu leaned down to hug him through the blankets, but before he could settle against him, Yu Gong Zhao Ye urgently stopped him.

“Wait. Better help me sit up first. If you cry while hugging me in that position, it feels a little inauspicious.”

Wei Fu: “…That actually makes sense.”

He carefully supported Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s back and helped him sit upright. Then, in that posture, he completely embraced him.

There was no earth-shattering drama, no flowers raining from the heavens. This moment was more ordinary and commonplace than every reunion scene he had ever imagined, not thrilling in the slightest.

But he no longer wanted anything else.

Years of anticipation finally joined seamlessly into completeness within this deep embrace.

“Your Highness,” he asked softly, “may I call you A’Ying?”

“Yes,” Yu Gong Zhao Ye replied. “But don’t overdo it.”

Wei Fu laughed, his chest vibrating, his chin affectionately brushing against Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s temple.

“A’Ying.”

“Mhm.”

“Was A’Ying Your Highness’s childhood name?”

“Something like that… Back then my mother wanted to use that character, but the former king said the names of my generation all had to be two characters, so it was changed to ‘Zhao Ye.’”

“When making up a fake name outside, you used ‘Xie Ying’?”

“Mhm. My mother’s surname was Xie. Same logic as your ‘Jiang Guan.’”

“Then we’re pretty well matched.”

“……”

“A’Ying, I missed you a lot.”

“Mhm.”

“Say it: ‘Xiao Guan, I missed you too.’”

“……Xiao Guan, get lost.”

The former crybaby had now grown into a beautiful wall of a man, his build well-proportioned and sturdy. Unlike when he was younger, he was no longer bony to the touch; leaning against him was actually rather comfortable. It was just that—perhaps because of his height, or perhaps because of the posture—Yu Gong Zhao Ye somehow felt like the way Wei Fu was holding him… didn’t quite resemble brotherly affection anymore.

His Highness the Prince had not yet become worldly enough to distinguish such subtle differences. He only felt that Wei Fu’s smiling breath against his ear was making it a little hot, so he lightly pinched the back of his neck and lifted—though unlike before, he could no longer casually haul him away with one hand. With his other hand, he patted Wei Fu’s back.

“That’s enough. From what I can tell, you’re all thunder and no rain. Once you’ve had enough of clinging to me, let go already.”

The moment Wei Fu opened his mouth, he sounded on the verge of tears again, like pear blossoms bathed in rain:

“When you were still A’Ying, you used to coax me. Now that you’ve become the noble Your Highness, I’m not even allowed to hug you a little longer?”

The noble Prince Yu Gong Zhao Ye, fearing he might truly get swept away by a flood of dramatics, could only swallow his irritation.

“Fine, hug away…”

Though Wei Fu complained verbally, he still worried about Yu Gong Zhao Ye’s poor health. He loosened the embrace and carefully helped him lie back down, tucking the blanket around him attentively.

“It gets cold at night. I’ll have someone prepare another warming brazier for you.”

Dealing with a whole crowd of Ten Aspects Sect disciples had not exhausted Yu Gong Zhao Ye as much as half an hour of heartfelt conversation with him. Nestled against the soft pillows and blankets, he secretly let out a breath of relief, thinking he could finally rest for a while.

Unexpectedly, this chatterbox, once excited, became even more energetic. After stepping out to give instructions, Wei Fu immediately returned, sat eagerly by the bedside, and asked:

“My side of the story is completely explained now. What about Yours Highness’s?”

So all that emotional crying and embracing earlier had only been the warm-up.

“What?” Yu Gong Zhao Ye replied lazily. “Now you’re interrogating me? I have nothing that needs explaining.”

Wei Fu, idle hands ever troublesome, hooked a strand of his long hair around his fingers and twirled it absentmindedly.

“That’s cheating. Your Highness even investigated how much trouble I caused in my youth, but I still don’t know why A’Ying became Your Highness.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye played dumb. “I don’t know either. Why don’t you elaborate?”

It seemed Young Master Wei’s nonsense flowed as endlessly as his tears. He would probably make an excellent sleep aid. As long as Yu Gong Zhao Ye handed him a lock of hair to play with, he himself could sleep undisturbed for an entire night.

Wei Fu asked softly, “Is Your Highness tired? Should I extinguish the lamps so you can rest?”

For a fleeting moment, he seemed to carry traces of the familiar figure from the past—the quiet, considerate Xiao Guan from years ago. Yu Gong Zhao Ye felt deeply comforted and answered warmly:

“Alright. You should rest too.”

“Your Highness’s movements are inconvenient. How could I feel at ease leaving you alone?” Wei Fu said sincerely. “Rest peacefully, Your Highness. I’ll keep watch over you.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye suspected he had misheard.

“You plan to sit here staring at me all night?”

Wei Fu explained innocently, “There’s only one old servant in the household. If Your Highness needs tea or water in the middle of the night, or develops a headache or fever, someone has to be nearby to answer your needs. Since I brought Your Highness home, naturally I must take responsibility to the end.”

“Who asked you to take responsibility?” Yu Gong Zhao Ye said with a headache coming on. “Back then we could sleep in caves. There’s no reason for me to become delicate and pampered now. Sleep properly and stop fussing over me.”

Wei Fu replied, “I don’t care. There aren’t any spare beds in the house. If Your Highness keeps driving me away, then I’ll have no choice but to sleep in the woodshed.”

Yu Gong Zhao Ye thought to himself: The nerve of this brat. Who would actually be threatened by this sort of “If you won’t play with me, I’ll hang myself with a noodle” nonsense?

He opened his eyes and glared furiously at Wei Fu, all traces of drowsiness gone.

“Fine, let’s talk, then. Talk. Where were we just now?”

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