Jiang Wu had never gone out alone before. Whether it was for a haircut or buying clothes, his parents always took him personally.
Since he was a child, his parents worried that he was always so drowsy that if someone carried him off, he’d probably be too lazy to even call for help.
Because of this, no matter where he went, he was almost always accompanied by someone.
When Yin Wuzhi mentioned taking Jiang Wu to get a haircut, Mother Jiang hesitated. “I’ll have the driver take you.”
“No need. We’ll just ride our bikes there.”
“It’s uncomfortable.”
Yin Wuzhi glanced at him. “What?”
“Uncomfortable.”
Yin Wuzhi rubbed his head. “Good that you said it. Now, no more complaining.”
Jiang Wu: “.”
Mother Jiang chuckled. “He means it’s uncomfortable to ride. Let me have the driver take you instead.”
The two of them ended up sitting in the car. Yin Wuzhi rested his chin on his hand, staring out the window, lost in thought.
After a while, he casually stretched out his arm, draping it over the back of Jiang Wu’s seat.
Jiang Wu didn’t pay it any mind.
Leaning closer, Yin Wuzhi asked, “What hairstyle do you want?”
“Shaved.”
“Shaved again?” Yin Wuzhi placed a hand on his head, looking at his side profile. “If you go bald, what if your Empress stops liking you?”
Jiang Wu: “.” He already couldn’t feel the Empress’s love anymore.
“It’s hot lately, but shaving your head means sunburned scalp. Better to just cut it short.”
Yin Wuzhi ruffled his hair.
Jiang Wu said, “Go away.”
His tone was flat, but Yin Wuzhi still sensed a hint of annoyance. He pulled back and asked, “What’s wrong? Not happy? Want me to get you some ice cream?”
Jiang Wu slumped to the side, resting his neck awkwardly against the car window. Yin Wuzhi reached over, straightened his posture, and let him rest naturally against his shoulder. “After the haircut, I’ll buy you one.”
Looking sullen, Jiang Wu let himself be dragged into the barbershop. He plopped down on a chair. Since the new school term was approaching, the shop was full of students. Yin Wuzhi grabbed some hairstyle reference photos and showed them to Jiang Wu. “How about this ear-length cut?”
“Oh.”
“Or this one?”
“.”
Yin Wuzhi suggested a few more styles, but Jiang Wu remained indifferent. Finally, he asked, “What about you? What are you getting?”
“I’m thinking of getting a light perm.” As he browsed, he noticed the atmosphere wasn’t quite right. When he looked up, Jiang Wu was slumping to the side again, this time toward an empty spot where he would have fallen to the ground if not stopped.
This guy could sulk anytime, anywhere.
Yin Wuzhi quickly reached out and pulled him into his arms. “What’s wrong? Why are you like this again…”
He suddenly realized. “Oh, but high school students aren’t allowed to have perms, are they?”
Jiang Wu buried his face in Yin Wuzhi’s chest, his head radiating frustration.
“None of these hairstyles are really appealing. Maybe I’ll skip it,” Yin Wuzhi said.
Jiang Wu slowly lifted his face, his clear eyes staring at him.
After the haircut, Yin Wuzhi carefully brushed the loose strands off Jiang Wu’s neck with a clean brush and asked, “Ice cream?”
“Gaming.”
“You want to game?”
“Mm.”
Yin Wuzhi had the driver take them to the arcade. Jiang Wu obediently sat on a chair and said, “You play. I’ll wait for you.”
Yin Wuzhi raised an eyebrow.
The emperor’s mood had improved again. Was this a reward for him?
Yin Wuzhi teased, “I might get carried away while playing. You’ll have to wait a long time.”
“Mm.” His expression was one of pure willingness.
Yin Wuzhi’s heart felt inexplicably warm. Taking Jiang Wu’s hand, he said, “How about we go skating instead?”
Jiang Wu: “Mm.”
Jiang Wu liked low-effort activities like skating. Even as a child, he found ways to be lazy. He learned both skating and riding a hoverboard, but eventually preferred the hoverboard since it didn’t require putting on skates.
Holding his hand, Yin Wuzhi said, “I’m speeding up. Keep up.”
Jiang Wu: “Mm.”
When Yin Wuzhi told him to keep up, Jiang Wu mostly just focused on maintaining his balance while being pulled along entirely by Yin Wuzhi. The wind generated by skating brushed past Jiang Wu’s ears, and he turned to look at Yin Wuzhi. The carefree lift of Yin Wuzhi’s brows reminded him so much of the spirited elegance of his past life.
In that past life, Yin Wuzhi was obsessive and fanatical, devoting nearly all his patience to Jiang Wu. After their grand wedding, his possessiveness only grew stronger. Though Jiang Wu didn’t dislike such extreme affection, he often noticed Yin Wuzhi’s subtle restraint and coldness when dealing with others.
All of Yin Wuzhi’s emotions were tethered to Jiang Wu—just an extra half bowl of rice at dinner could lift his spirits. Conversely, if Jiang Wu was unhappy, the entire palace would fall under the shadow of the Empress’s low mood.
So, perhaps it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if Yin Wuzhi didn’t like him as much as before.
Jiang Wu tried to match his pace, but as soon as he moved, the gap in speed between them became glaringly obvious. Without Yin Wuzhi pulling him, he immediately lost control and stumbled forward.
Yin Wuzhi caught him just in time, one arm pulling him up while the other hooked around his waist. The wheels spun rapidly as they skated straight toward the railing.
Jiang Wu reached out to brace himself against the rail, preventing Yin Wuzhi from hitting it with his waist.
Both of them came to a halt.
Jiang Wu’s head was cradled in Yin Wuzhi’s arms.
Yin Wuzhi glanced at the railing behind them. He had prepared himself to crash into it but hadn’t expected Jiang Wu to suddenly reach out and cushion the impact.
Looking down at the person in his arms, Yin Wuzhi saw Jiang Wu straighten up, only to plop down on the ground with a thud.
Yin Wuzhi crouched to pull him up. “Did you hit yourself?”
“No.”
Their eyes met, and Yin Wuzhi sat down beside him.
Jiang Wu laid flat, and Yin Wuzhi followed suit, lying down as well. Whatever happy thought had crossed his mind caused a faint smile to tug at his lips.
A passerby slid over and said, “Excuse me, I noticed you two skating so well. Could you help those beginners over there?”
The passerby pointed to a group of girls clinging nervously to the railing, inching forward and falling occasionally—clearly newbies.
Jiang Wu couldn’t be bothered to respond. He closed his eyes, his arms sore and powerless from bracing against the railing earlier.
“Sorry,” Yin Wuzhi said, “We’re exhausted. Please find someone else.”
After turning the person down, Yin Wuzhi rolled onto his side to face Jiang Wu. Under the shimmering lights of the rink, Jiang Wu’s face alternated between light and shadow.
… What kind of person could make someone as lazy as Jiang Wu instinctively reach out to protect them?
No wonder this guy kept calling him “Empress” and had once clung to his chest, sobbing about his hair.
Yin Wuzhi felt both reassured and annoyed.
Reassured because it seemed the Empress Jiang Wu was fixated on was, in fact, him. Annoyed because it was only the him from a past life.
No wonder Jiang Wu had treated him differently since they were kids.
It was a longing for someone else.
Yin Wuzhi sulked for a moment, checked the time, and then nudged him. “Jiang Wu, wake up. Let’s head back.”
Jiang Wu had fallen asleep.
Yin Wuzhi sighed silently, hoisted him onto his back, and picked up their skates.
What kind of “Empress” was this? No husband would be such an inconsiderate spouse.
Since Mother Jiang wasn’t home, Yin Wuzhi carried him upstairs, placed him on the bed, and watched as Jiang Wu let out a soft hum, his fingers curling and twisting unconsciously.
Yin Wuzhi touched his own shoulder but found nothing there.
He climbed into bed beside Jiang Wu and gently clasped his fingers. Jiang Wu’s restless movements ceased, and his fingers obediently curled around Yin Wuzhi’s, settling down.
Yin Wuzhi laid still, staring at him, his thoughts drifting to that colorful, extravagant dream. His face grew increasingly red.
Two completely different timelines—what was going on? The Yin Wuzhi of history was clearly a man, so how had the two of them ended up together?
Yin Wuzhi sat up and loosened his fingers. As soon as their hands separated, Jiang Wu let out a small noise: “Hmm.”
Tentatively, Yin Wuzhi put his hand back, and Jiang Wu calmed down. When he withdrew again, Jiang Wu frowned uneasily.
Yin Wuzhi had no choice but to fully entwine their fingers, his emotions complicated.
Which Yin Wuzhi did Jiang Wu like, really?
Was it him, the childhood friend? Or was it Yin Wuzhi, the Empress wife from a past life?
