Chapter 9
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Sincere?
Once the beloved crown prince, he was adored because of his exalted status. Now, he was just someone who had lost everything, denied even existence. Some may covet his appearance, but it was merely a game for them. He had always thought Lin Qingyang was one of those lascivious individuals, a despicable creature obsessed with carnal desires. However, he never expected to hear such a sincere expression of feelings.
That guy… could it be genuine?
Recalling the scene in the bath just now, with Lin Qingyang holding a scroll and visible scratches on his hand, red scars stood out conspicuously against the fair and smooth skin.
Were those injuries from when he saved him back then?
He remembered insisting on hiding in that rock mountain cave and sustaining several scratches.
The pampered young master, who used to scream at the slightest hint of pain, causing chaos around him, was now getting injured for him?
Thinking about it, Chu Lishu found the situation ludicrous to the point of being laughable.
Yet, in his mind, that voice rang again. Though the words were not entirely clear, the tone of comforting reassurance felt both unfamiliar and oddly familiar.
At this point, having someone protect him like this was a feeling he had long forgotten.
The plan on the edge of a knife allowed no room for error. Despite Lin Qingyang’s recent words indicating that he hadn’t unintentionally revealed any secrets and that he still remained unaware of everything, the fact that a man had developed feelings for him, even if genuine, was nauseating. He should eliminate any potential threats…
The long and dense feather-like eyelashes hung down like a black curtain, concealing the complex emotions in his starry eyes. The discomfort in the injured fingers flared up again, and he glanced down at the bandaged hand. Pausing for a moment.
Chu Lishu disappeared without a sound.
The alarm in Lin Qingyang’s mind was lifted, but he didn’t relax until the navigation information changed, confirming that the male lead had left.
Lin Qingyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. That was close, narrowly escaping death.
“Shuncai, you are truly my lucky star! You showed me a way out.”
Looking up, he saw Shuncai with a constipated expression on his monkey-like face.
“Young Master, I know you’ve genuinely fallen for him, but there’s no need to love so pitifully. I feel like I shouldn’t have reminded you.” Shuncai misunderstood, thinking he had been too nosy and caused Lin Qingyang to confront his true feelings.
Lin Qingyang understood and likened it to someone who had been infatuated with the charming playboy in the grass and suddenly developed a one-sided love for a single flower. Instead of using force, he chose to express absolute devotion, a strategy that would make anyone initially react with such expressions.
Now that the male lead had left, Lin Qingyang had no intention of persisting in professing his love for a man. He felt like he was about to vomit. The fact that the male lead didn’t burst in and kill him showed some restraint on his part.
With the crisis averted, Lin Qingyang made a simple guess that Chu Lishu probably hadn’t fully succumbed to darkness yet. That’s why he still showed some kindness to someone who genuinely admired him, even if it was a man.
Surviving the wrath of the crazy demon king’s hands gave Lin Qingyang hope for the future. It proved that staying alive under the male lead’s hands wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined. Despite the male lead’s unpredictable nature, he still retained a trace of humanity. Unless necessary, Lin Qingyang believed he wouldn’t easily resort to killing.
However, he was sure that he had grossed the male lead out. That guy was just as straight as he was. Lin Qingyang planned to take a risk in the future and try to express his change of heart. If he played his cards right, maybe they could both find happiness, becoming a straight male buddy under the male lead’s hands.
Lin Qingyang was content with his own fantasies. Seeing that Shuncai still seemed inclined to persuade him, he waved his hand and said, “I won’t go to the Secluded Courtyard Pavilion again. You can rest now; I’m tired too.”
Shuncai hesitated, wanting to say something else. In fact, what he wanted to talk about wasn’t related to the Secluded Courtyard Pavilion. Seeing that Lin Qingyang had completely forgotten about that person, and not daring to mention him, Shuncai could only withdraw for now.
Maybe the young master had really fallen for someone else. His young master was just too quick to genuinely like someone.
After Shuncai left, he went to reject the servants from the Marquis Zhongyi’s residence. As he was about to return, he was called by someone.
Turning around, Shuncai saw that it was the servant who attended to Young Master Chu.
“Big Brother Shuncai, about Young Master Chu…” The servant rubbed his hands, looking nervous and awkward. “As soon as I came back, I heard that Young Master Chu is in his own courtyard. Did the Second Young Master’s plan fail?”
This servant was the one who had helped Shuncai drug and kidnap Chu Lishu.
“It didn’t fail. Our young master said he wants to show respect to Young Master Chu from now on, so you go back and serve carefully,” Shuncai replied.
“But…how can this work? What if Young Master Chu blames me…” The servant’s expression turned unpleasant.
“You did it discreetly, right? How would he know it was you? Just act like nothing happened,” Shuncai reassured him.
The servant thought about it and, considering the ten taels of silver he had received, couldn’t help but express his concerns, “If the plan didn’t work out, the reward silver…”
“Take it, it’s yours. Can our Second Young Master take it back?” Shuncai replied.
“I didn’t mean that, hehe… but Big Brother Shuncai, rest assured. If Second Young Master has similar intentions in the future, I’ll continue to cooperate. After all, being able to serve the Second Young Master is a blessing for this fallen young master.”
Shuncai frowned slightly, thinking about his young master’s intentions, and reprimanded, “You, as far as I know, Young Master Chu has always treated you well. Why don’t you understand the loyalty to protect your master? If you ever let down your master again, my Young Master won’t spare you. Remember that!” Without saying much more, he waved his hand and left.
The servant forced a laugh but quickly changed his expression. He had initially thought that if the Second Young Master succeeded in capturing young master Chu, he would also become partially owned by the Second Young Master. It was better than always serving Young Master Chu. Good people were of no use if they had no status or money. It seemed that he needed to find an opportunity to make Second Young Master pay more attention to Young Master Chu, maybe he could profit from it again.
The servant, thinking of ways to please his master, returned to the courtyard. Seeing that Chu Lishu was reading inside, he quickly entered with a smiling face, “Young Master Chu, your servant has returned from visiting his family. How have you been these days?”
The soft yellow light reflected on Chu Lishu’s face as if it had outlined a layer of warm winter sunshine on his features, making him appear ethereal, like a deity descending to the mortal realm.
It must be said that Second Young Master’s desire to possess Young Master Chu, even at the cost of ignoring ethics, was understandable. After all, the beauty of Young Master Chu was truly a rare sight, exquisite and elegant.
Even people who didn’t like men couldn’t help but be stunned for a moment, especially when Chu Lishu turned and smiled gently at him. In an instant, a strange desire arose in him. If he had the chance to be played with by a man…
Chu Lishu ignored the greed in his eyes and said amiably, “You came back at the right time. I happen to have something for you to handle…”
…
Early the next day, Lin Qingyang was having breakfast with his mother when Shuncai and Nanny Ding hurriedly arrived.
“Young Master…” Shuncai’s face was pale. “Someone in the residence has died.”
For a large family like the Marquis’s residence, the occasional death of a servant wasn’t usually worth making a fuss over.
However, Shuncai was genuinely frightened.
The two of them walked towards the scene of the incident. Shuncai stammered, “The person died last night, and I saw him just last night. I don’t know if what I saw was a person or a ghost. It’s too scary.”
Lin Qingyang didn’t respond. Since he heard who the deceased was, he felt a bit dazed. The original plot might not describe such details, but the answer was already evident to Lin Qingyang.
His heart pounded as if echoing in his ears. He had just arrived in this world and wasn’t prepared for such things—dead people, not the deceased in a hospital, but actual dead people.
The surface of the small lake was covered with a thin layer of ice in the winter, with a large hole in the middle and several cracked pieces nearby. A group of people gathered at the edge of the lake.
The steward shouted for someone to carry away the body.
As the crowd parted, Lin Qingyang directly saw the body. In that moment, he stiffened all over, forgetting to breathe. The impact of the stark reality hit him.
It was a young person curled up, with the skin on their body completely turned pale, and their body swollen. The eyes were wide open and lifeless, staring directly at Lin Qingyang from a certain angle.
Lin Qingyang almost stumbled and took a step back. With a quick glance, he saw Chu Lishu standing outside the crowd, quietly watching the body pass by. His lips were tightly pressed, and he approached the steward with a serious expression.
Lin Qingyang could hear the steward’s explanation.
“That child must have tried to take a shortcut to the other side and ended up breaking the ice on the lake, falling in. What bad luck. Young Master Chu, you better not watch. I will arrange for other servants to take care of you later,” the steward explained.
Chu Lishu showed a mourning gesture, sighed, and turned to leave. Just then, he noticed Lin Qingyang not far away. Following the etiquette, he naturally stepped forward and greeted, “Second Cousin, greetings.”
Lin Qingyang’s pale eyes stiffly shifted towards the remarkably handsome man standing before him in the morning sun.
“Greetings…?” Lin Qingyang’s blood felt like it was freezing. He sensed that he was even colder than the servant who had frozen to death.
Before him was the real male lead, not the paper-thin character described in a novel. This was the tyrant who could go mad at any moment, a ruthless character who didn’t hesitate to kill. How could he have thought this guy was easy to deal with just last night?
It was just a tiny difference; if it had gone slightly differently, it could have been him who died last night.
“Second cousin?” Lin Qingyang’s delayed reaction puzzled Chu Lishu.
Lin Qingyang, sensing the intensity of the moment, stammered, “It’s your servant who died, you don’t… have to be afraid.”
Almost biting off his own tongue, he realized he was babbling out of fear.
Seeing a subtle change in Chu Lishu’s expression, Lin Qingyang’s heart pounded like he was walking on a tightrope. Every nuance of emotion on Chu Lishu’s face seemed magnified, making even the most handsome features seem eerie.
A twitch of Chu Lishu’s eyebrow felt like a stab to Lin Qingyang, and as Chu Lishu’s lips moved, Lin Qingyang braced himself for words that could spell his doom.
If it weren’t for the absence of warnings from the system in his mind, Lin Qingyang might not have been able to hold on.
It was like a modern person suddenly facing a sociopath who wouldn’t hesitate to kill. The unpredictability and the two previous attempts on his life, how could he not be scared?
However, Chu Lishu interpreted Lin Qingyang’s behavior differently.
Furrowing his brows slightly, Chu Lishu was not accustomed to being so cautiously handled by another man. He was the one who orchestrated the death of that person; there was nothing for him to fear. The fact that this guy, who seemed afraid of dead people himself, was worried that he might be scared was truly peculiar.
“Lishu is fine, thanks for your concern, Second Cousin. I’ll take my leave now.” Chu Lishu couldn’t stand Lin Qingyang’s furtive glances and evasive behavior, so he decided to leave early.
Being liked by a man was really uncomfortable.
As Chu Lishu was about to leave, Lin Qingyang, who thought he could finally catch his breath, suddenly found himself holding it again. Chu Lishu stopped in his tracks and turned back, causing Lin Qingyang to turn red in the face.
Seeing Lin Qingyang’s blush, Chu Lishu’s gaze became awkward, and he quickly averted his eyes from Lin Qingyang.
“Lishu just wanted to remind Second Cousin that a hibernating venomous snake was found by the lake just now. It seems that the neighboring residence is under renovation, and they accidentally disturbed it. Second Cousin should be careful recently.”
The snake was the one he had the servant dispose of, luring it out to make it easier to attack. He wouldn’t tolerate any traitors by his side.
“Th-thank you for the reminder.”
Chu Lishu smiled faintly and then took his leave.
Once Chu Lishu was out of sight, Lin Qingyang staggered a few steps and nearly fell, but he was promptly supported by Shuncai.
“Shuncai, help me back. My legs are weak.”
“I’m scared too. Let’s hurry back.”
Once back in the room, they finally relaxed. Shuncai poured tea for Lin Qingyang, muttering away, but Lin Qingyang was still lost in thought and paid little attention.
Suddenly, one of Shuncai’s remarks caught Lin Qingyang’s ear.
“Fortunately, Young Master Chu reminded us. If another hibernating snake is disturbed, it could be dangerous for Young Master. Young Master, next time you bathe, maybe consider using a different fragrance.”
Lin Qingyang’s face lost its color in an instant. He somewhat understood how Chu Lishu planned to kill him last night.
The original body had a habit of using scented baths in winter, and it contained a special fragrance that attracted poisonous snakes. However, in winter, it was usually harmless.
The poisonous snake must have been brought by Chu Lishu, intending to use this seemingly natural accident to kill him.
Chu Lishu had just deliberately reminded him. Could it be a genuine friendly warning and not a threat?
“No more fragrances in the future. None at all,” Lin Qingyang almost blurted out.
Shuncai quickly agreed, then shifted the conversation to the deceased man, expressing pity for his misfortune. In the eyes of everyone else, it seemed like an accident caused by the man’s own carelessness.
Only Lin Qingyang knew the truth. How could the male lead let someone who betrayed him go unpunished? He would rather have no one around him than tolerate betrayal. That was his sore spot, as his troubled life began with betrayal.
Lin Qingyang suddenly had a clever idea. With this situation, his previous assumption of changing the straight man persona was probably not feasible. The male lead’s temperament was too unpredictable and uncontrollable. He couldn’t risk jeopardizing the mission by randomly altering the character. Since he managed to survive last night, he decided to continue maintaining a low-key secret admiration, solely focusing on completing the mission for the male lead’s character development.
Anyway, the male lead couldn’t possibly have any feelings for him. As for things like principles and morality, he would deal with them when he was free again.
Lin Qingyang felt like he was in a difficult situation. Who could be more miserable than him among the transmigrated individuals? Just to survive, he had to cling to the male lead’s thigh even in the middle of danger.
Saddened by his own plight, Lin Qingyang spent a sleepless night. The next day, when everyone was supposed to return to the Imperial Academy, he used the excuse of feeling unwell to take a leave of absence.
He needed to distance himself from the male lead, regulate his emotions, or else he might really expose himself when facing him. Even the system’s mission prompts couldn’t stop him from deciding to take a break.
【 Main Mission 1: Assist the male lead as a study companion for the prince. The mission has been initiated, and related sub-missions will be released gradually. Host, please proceed to the mission location as soon as possible to carry out the mission.】
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