Thinking about it, it was rather laughable. He was a man, yet his entire body was clean and unmarked, without even a single scar. He remembered that one of his buddy’s girlfriends—who knew which number she had been—had once gazed with dazzling admiration at that buddy’s uneven, scar-covered arm, her eyes sparkling as she blinked again and again, before finally declaring, “A man’s scars are the embodiment of masculinity. The more scars he has, the more masculine he is.”
Fuck! By her logic, he might as well hug a block of tofu and smash himself against a wall. That woman simply lacked the eye to appreciate a perfect man.
He muttered under his breath, only for his sharp eyes to catch sight of Yi Xuan looking utterly gloomy. Ning Xuan immediately perked up and cheerfully went over to express his concern. Unexpectedly, Yi Xuan did not dodge him as though avoiding a disaster.
“What’s wrong?”
In truth, Ning Xuan wanted to do his best to show concern and willingness to share Yi Xuan’s burden. But when he thought about how rare it was to see Yi Xuan, who had always moved through the manor as easily as a fish in water and had always been proud and successful whether in front of the prince or before the servants and maids beneath them, looking so deeply troubled, he could not help secretly enjoying it. After all, Yi Xuan was the only one among the attendants who had served Feng Xuanyi for all these years who had never been publicly reprimanded by him. As for whether he had ever been scolded in private, if others did not say and they could not see, then no one knew. So seeing such a figure actually reveal such a bitter, hatred-filled expression was truly rare. Ning Xuan held back that hidden delight in his heart. He knew perfectly well that gloating like this was unkind, yet he could not suppress it. Even the worried expression he tried to show on his face became twisted. Fortunately, from beginning to end, Yi Xuan had no attention to spare for him.
Yi Xuan looked up at Ning Xuan, seeming as though he wanted to speak but stopped himself.
“Don’t be like that. If you have something to say, just say it. You’re making me—” Ning Xuan forcefully strangled the words “even more curious” in the cradle and secretly stuck out his tongue. If Yi Xuan learned about these little thoughts of his, he would definitely find some way to kill him, and Ning Xuan was unfortunately very easy to kill.
“His Highness is back. He’s in the front hall speaking with Prince Yu.”
“So early?” Had he gone to morning court or just gone out to buy soy sauce? Ning Xuan could not help rolling his eyes inwardly.
“Mm, and he isn’t in a good mood. Oh, right.” As he spoke, Yi Xuan handed the teapot in his hands to Ning Xuan. “Go serve in front for now. Just refill the water. I’ll be back soon.”
Fuck! Pouring tea and water was not the problem. The problem was seeing Feng Xuanyi. But the refusal and excuse that nearly escaped his mouth were swallowed back down the moment he saw Yi Xuan’s deeply furrowed expression. They were short on hands, so what was he doing putting on airs?
“You’d better come back quickly…” Watching Yi Xuan vanish without a trace in the blink of an eye, Ning Xuan stood there with a pained expression, looking like a wife waiting for her husband to return.
He did not know whether he was too delicate or whether the people around him were too insensitive. Who made him face Feng Xuanyi at a time like this? Weren’t they afraid he would rush up with a knife and chop the man a few times to vent his anger? Or did they simply think he did not matter at all?
The small teapot seemed to weigh a thousand catties. Carrying it, he moved half-dead, taking three steps and looking back once to see whether Yi Xuan had finished his business, whether he had returned, and whether Ning Xuan could hand this task back over. Yet even at a turtle’s pace, Ning Xuan still arrived at the front hall. Looking at the hall he had not entered for more than ten days, ever since his hand had been scalded, his heart filled with mixed emotions. The carefree, shameless attitude toward life he had only just cultivated over the past few days instantly withered. He had not even seen the person yet, but he already felt as though he could smell that familiar lemongrass scent on him. He really must have been possessed.
With a miserable expression, Ning Xuan decided that even if an imperial decree arrived right now ordering him to go in immediately, he would defy it without hesitation. Full of tangled feelings, he hugged the teapot and stood beside the door. The door was open, and he could faintly hear the conversation inside. That familiar voice made Ning Xuan feel as though he might explode on the spot. He shuffled around at the entrance, unwilling to go in no matter what. In the end, he firmly resolved to stand right there and wait until Yi Xuan returned, then have Yi Xuan carry the tea inside. Who told Yi Xuan to speak so hurriedly, leave the moment he finished, and not even wait to hear whether Ning Xuan had agreed? Ning Xuan had already done more than enough by helping him carry this pot of water across mountains and rivers all the way here. As for going inside to serve, everyone should do their own duty. He would not get involved.
“You think I want this?”
It was Feng Xuanyi’s voice. He sounded rather furious. It seemed Yi Xuan had indeed been right when he said Feng Xuanyi was in a bad mood today. But inside were only Feng Xuanyi and the Eighth Prince. For Feng Xuanyi to vent such a temper so openly and without restraint, and at a younger brother he had always been close to, was truly strange.
Ever since entering the Prince’s Manor, Ning Xuan had never seen Feng Xuanyi angry. His curiosity immediately surged. He crouched behind the door panel, set the teapot aside, and did his utmost to curl himself into a ball as he tilted his ear to listen.
“If Fifth Brother is unwilling, can’t you just refuse outright? Eldest Brother knows perfectly well that you’ve always indulged in pleasure and neglected proper affairs. You could just say you still like him and haven’t grown tired of him yet, couldn’t you?”
“You think I haven’t tried?”
That voice actually sounded somewhat defeated. Ning Xuan’s thoughts spun quickly. What was going on? If this were modern times, Feng Xuanyi would be the standard diamond bachelor, and the type who would definitely never go bankrupt. Yet even he could feel defeated?
“Do you know what Eldest Brother said to me that day when he came? He thought Ning Xuan was someone I had specially prepared for you in order to win you over. Although I am his own younger brother, he fears that you and I will join forces. He fears I will become a threat to him. So he told me to promise Ning Xuan to him. Right now, he holds the affairs of court in his hands. The civil officials under him can contend with the Crown Prince’s, but when it comes to military generals, he has no one outstanding enough to match those in the Crown Prince’s hands. This time, you returned in glory with illustrious military achievements. Eldest Brother will certainly do everything in his power to bring you under his command. By demanding Ning Xuan from me, not only can he drive a wedge between you and me and force me to rely closely on him for self-preservation, but he can also turn around and present Ning Xuan to you, earning himself a favor from you.”
“But… but there is nothing private between him and me at all. He’s yours, Fifth Brother. I’ve only met him once. Where did any of this come from?”
“Where it came from doesn’t matter. What the truth is doesn’t matter either. What matters is what Eldest Brother believes, and what matters is that he has already decided what he intends to do. I couldn’t even get a word in! Prince? Ha, Prince! Can I even still be considered a prince? I can’t even protect someone who belongs to me. I can’t even speak a single word. Whether he stays or goes is completely beyond my control. Beyond my control!”
A teacup came flying over at high speed and struck the doorframe with only a door panel between it and Ning Xuan, shattering right beside his ear.
Feng Xuanyi collapsed back into his chair and laughed bitterly.
“Fifth Brother…” Feng Xuanzhen had never seen Feng Xuanyi lose control like this and was caught completely off guard, his brows tightly furrowed. “Fifth Brother, you… don’t tell me you’ve truly developed feelings for him?”
“Developed true feelings? How could that be…” Feng Xuanyi said with a laugh.
Ning Xuan’s heart was suddenly seized, then abruptly released, falling heavily to the ground. That was right. How could Feng Xuanyi have developed true feelings for him? He had thought too much. From the very beginning, it had been nothing but wishful thinking, wishful thinking…
He kept hypnotizing himself with those words, yet he could not suppress the ripples stirred up by Feng Xuanyi’s ambiguous remarks. “Someone who belongs to me”—perhaps that only meant he was Feng Xuanyi’s servant.
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