Chapter 24: Kissed Awake
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He thought only naive young girls would be grateful for such a clichéd rescue scene, but to his surprise, his hands were no longer on his head; instead, they were tightly wrapped around that man’s neck! Prime Minister Liu? Is this some kind of physiological reflex in your last moments? This is definitely not the behavior of Officer Liu, damn it!
However, he had no intention of letting go. Maybe the horror of free-falling had shaken his already drifting soul. He just stood there, staring blankly at the person who shouldn’t have returned.
Under the ancient tree, leaves fluttered, green shade and willows with orioles chirping—a romantic and idyllic scene. With a beauty in his arms, Yan Tenghua, who was joking earlier, couldn’t help but swallow and felt his heart race. “Yu Zhen, are you here to seduce me?”
Liu Yu Zhen didn’t react. To be precise, he realized what the king was saying and wanted to retort with “seduce your sister,” but found he couldn’t speak.
“If you don’t let go, I’ll take you to bed,” Yan Tenghua turned his head away to avoid looking at him. The person in his arms was so charming, even in a daze, he looked so pure and handsome that it made one want to take a bite. But he had important matters to attend to and couldn’t indulge himself just yet, which was regrettable.
Hearing the word “bed,” Liu Yu Zhen struggled to get his body to move; he didn’t want to endure such torture again.
Finally managing to let go, Liu Yu Zhen fell to the ground with a thud. Damn! The king had let go!
He rubbed his sore backside and yelled, “You heartless man! Why did you let go if you were going to save me?”
“Haha, weren’t you trying to kill yourself? Now you know what pain feels like.” King Yan laughed and then put on a stern look, clearly annoyed by Liu Yu Zhen’s supposed suicidal tendencies.
“Rubbish! When did I ever try to kill myself? I just got dizzy from the heat. Oh right, Yue Lan! I want ice!” Liu Yu Zhen, seeing he wasn’t injured, happily ordered Yue Lan to fetch ice.
“So crude…” King Yan glared at him coldly.
“Hey? Didn’t you say you weren’t coming back? I slept so soundly because of that, and now you’re telling me you lied?!” Yu Zhen angrily put his hands on his hips, scolding with a serious tone.
“Oh? When I’m around, you can’t sleep soundly?” King Yan teased for a moment, then seeing Yue Lan about to get the ice, his expression changed. He pulled Yu Zhen up and said, “Yue Lan, go pack up for the Prime Minister, we’re leaving the palace immediately.”
“We’re leaving the palace?!” Yu Zhen’s eyes lit up. This meant he could finally escape the boredom and confinement of this luxurious but monotonous life. “But why? Has Liu Ling left already?”
King Yan’s large hand encircled him, pulling Liu Yu Zhen close in a way that made it seem like he was willingly leaning into the embrace. In reality, King Yan used his inner strength to create a powerful grip that held him immobile without causing pain.
“You should know the Crown Prince’s whereabouts better than I do.”
Haha, as if he knew anything. He wasn’t the Prime Minister and didn’t share a telepathic bond with that man.
Liu Yu Zhen observed the palace, noticing everyone rushing about with their heads down, as if each person owed millions. He disliked this atmosphere, preferring the ministers to come and bother him so he could beat them up and get some exercise. But he always seemed to forget one crucial fact—he was just a prisoner of King Yan.
Despite leaving the palace, he brought nothing with him. King Yan held him tightly until they were both in a small carriage that only accommodated two. Xiao Zipei was already waiting outside.
“Where are we going?” Liu Yu Zhen asked curiously.
King Yan ordered the carriage to move and coldly replied, “Liu Country.”
The entire convoy was about fifty men, traveling light and fast. Wasn’t King Yan afraid of any mishaps? After all, he was the king. Even in modern times, high-ranking officials traveled with armed bodyguards, and key figures visiting other countries had layers of protection. Looking out from the carriage, the only one with any real presence was Xiao Zipei on his tall horse. Was King Yan so confident because he had Liu Yu Zhen as a hostage?
Liu Yu Zhen felt a bit uneasy, thinking to himself how careless this king was. If King Yan got assassinated, he would be caught in the crossfire.
“I have found a lead on Princess Zhi Jun. I will personally go retrieve her and send you back to your country along the way.”
Found Yan Zhi Jun? So quickly?
He was stunned, his heart tightening. How did he find Yan Zhi Jun, and would he really send him back home?
After a while, he said, “Then I’ll sleep for a bit. Wake me when we arrive.” With that, he stopped talking.
His long eyelashes slowly lowered until his eyes were tightly shut, and he lazily leaned against the carriage wall.
The carriage was much bumpier than he had imagined. Even within the palace grounds, the roads were uneven, let alone the streets outside.
Liu Yu Zhen fell asleep quickly. Soldiers had a way of falling asleep immediately, as they always needed to be ready to wake up at a moment’s notice. Each sleep was precious, leaving no time to struggle with falling asleep.
King Yan watched him in surprise. This man really just fell asleep against the window without a sound, his breathing quickly becoming steady. Letting him return to his country no longer seemed to be what he wanted. Was it because he wasn’t really the Prime Minister or because he suddenly didn’t want to leave him? Which was it?
He gently pulled Liu Yu Zhen over, letting him lean against his chest. His habitual sense of vigilance made him want to immobilize Liu Yu Zhen with an acupressure point, but he was afraid of waking him.
Such a handsome man!
So close, and yet you can still sleep, Liu Yu Zhen? Aren’t you afraid I will devour you?
His fingers repeatedly traced Liu Yu Zhen’s alluring face, kissing those increasingly irresistible lips. Recently, he’d been saying some unrefined things, but it only made him want to swallow this disobedient person whole.
Prime Minister Liu, how did you become like this?
Have you exhausted all your schemes and tactics, so you’re now trying to seduce me?
Liu Yu Zhen knew he was sharing a carriage with a man whose sexual orientation was questionable. But the carriage was narrow, leaving little room for Yan Tenghua to move around. As long as he resisted, one of them would end up outside the carriage, which Yan Tenghua likely didn’t want. This thought gave him some peace of mind.
“Falcon, why are you sleeping again?” Liu Yu Zhen seemed to hear the voice of Holy Maiden, astonished, and slowly opened his eyes. He was in the most familiar place, the army dormitory. The cold walls still had his favorite Transformers poster on them.
Sure enough, a woman wielding a hundred-pound iron hammer glared at him. Seeing that he had no intention of getting up, the hammer fell, creating a hole in his bed as big as his head. Fortunately, he got up in time, or else he would have lost his head. “What are you doing? Isn’t there no mission today?”
“Others don’t have one, but you do! Hurry up and go scout!”
“Tch…” What was this? Just bullying him because he was young. What was the mission again? He remembered it was to counter-espionage.
“Oh, don’t rush off. I have something for you.” The flat-chested woman in a short-sleeved camouflage uniform took out a handkerchief, with a crookedly embroidered character that should be “Jun.”
“Ugh, it’s so ugly! What is this?” He exclaimed, looking disgusted.
“Shut up! This is a talisman! Even if you die, you have to keep it with you, got it?” The Holy Maiden yelled at him while shoving the handkerchief into his shirt pocket.
“Oh, is it for warding off evil? Hey, if I die, would I still need a talisman?”
“You jerk!”
The hammer was about to fall again, aiming for his head, but he suddenly woke up as if the carriage had stopped.
Carriage?
Was it a dream?
He blinked, feeling groggy. But? Which one was the real dream?
The finely tailored golden silk robe was warm. He looked up and saw a face with a celebrity halo looking sideways at him. “You’re awake? Come on! Time to get off the carriage.”
It’s a dream… This should be the dream.
He didn’t recognize the face of a man who should be on stage being chased by thousands, nor did he think such a star could have any connection with a criminal investigator like him. So… it’s a dream.
“Still unwilling to get up? I have no patience to wait for you.” The arrogant and mocking tone lingered in his ear.
With just this one warning, the hot, wild kiss once again swept over his lips.
Huge shoutout to @denkoumaru on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
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