Chapter 103
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
“Nothing,” Fu Nian replied in a low voice. He picked up the bowl and stirred the osmanthus sauce in the almond tea. When no one was looking, he suddenly opened his mouth as wide as he could, wishing he could make the bowl disappear.
But before he could taste it, the bowl was snatched away.
Chu Zhaoyi picked up a spoon without changing his expression and began to scoop out the steaming sweet soup from the bowl, one spoonful at a time. “Ah Nian, I’ve told you before, you can’t pour scalding food directly into your mouth.” His tone had a hint of reprimand, but his actions in cooling the soup didn’t stop for a moment.
“Under…stood,” Fu Nian replied reluctantly, eyeing the sweet soup that he couldn’t reach with a longing look.
After blowing on it for a while, Chu Zhaoyi finally pushed over more than half of the bowl to Fu Nian.
Fu Nian still didn’t pick up a spoon. When no one was looking, he suddenly opened his mouth and swallowed a large mouthful.
The almond tea had a rich flavor, with the sweet osmanthus honey and crunchy nuts complementing it. After swallowing it hastily, Fu Nian took another big gulp. His cheeks puffed up like a hamster’s before he started chewing patiently.
After a short rest at the stall, Fu Nian thought that the slight discomfort he had been experiencing would have eased.
However, when he stood up, the piercing itch mixed with sharp pain in his chest made him break into a cold sweat.
Fu Nian uncomfortably adjusted his clothes, attempting to alleviate the swelling pain in his chest.
As they walked into the center of the capital, the crowd gradually grew thicker. Vendor stalls lined the streets, and at one corner, a street performer had several monkeys doing tricks.
“Hey there, young sir, have a look at this!”
“Freshly harvested pearls from the South Sea, round and smooth, plump as well. Look at the luster, who wouldn’t be pleased? Whether you buy them for yourself or your loved one, they’re excellent!”
When Fu Nian turned around, he found Chu Zhaoyi had stopped in front of a small stall, his eyes fixed on the various pearl crafts displayed on the stall.
These pearls had vibrant colors, but even someone like Fu Nian, who didn’t indulge in luxury, could tell that these pearls were likely fake.
“How about it, young sir, would you like to get a string?”
Only to see Chu Zhaoyi turning his head, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
Fu Nian:…
When they went out together, Chu Zhaoyi naturally didn’t carry any money, and the most valuable thing on his person might have been the hairpin on his head.
“Young man, you two are—-”
“My eldest brother,” Chu Zhaoyi replied naturally. Afterward, he turned to Fu Nian and said, “Elder brother, I want this.”
Hearing this gentle and intimate address as “elder brother,” Fu Nian couldn’t help but pause for a moment and give a slight cough. Then he turned away. “We’re not buying it; let’s keep moving.”
Chu Zhaoyi had never addressed him this way openly in broad daylight. For a moment, Fu Nian’s mouth felt dry.
“I want it!” Chu Zhaoyi insisted, taking advantage of their different identities outside the palace, his voice softened even further. “Elder brother, you don’t love me anymore. Yesterday, you bought everything my little sister wanted when we went out. I just want a pearl necklace, elder brother…”
Fu Nian gritted his teeth.
He couldn’t help but lean closer to Chu Zhaoyi and whispered softly, “Can’t you see that these pearls have been tampered with?”
“I know. But we don’t have these cheaply processed goods among our precious tributes at home, and I like them.” Chu Zhaoyi replied softly.
“Young sir, as the elder brother, you are also half a father figure. This bowl of water must be held flat, so that the younger siblings can live in harmony. Your younger brother is handsome, and this pearl necklace, especially the flower-carved red agate among these iridescent pearls, is the finishing touch to the entire bracelet, symbolizing eternal prosperity and wealth. Anyone can tell that it’s for a gentleman like your younger brother.”
Fu Nian didn’t respond.
Although it was called an agate, it was probably just wood carved to look like one.
“Elder Brother, buy it.”
Hearing the word “elder brother” again, Fu Nian hesitated.
He was already feeling annoyed with the persistent discomfort in his chest, and this only made him more agitated.
Fu Nian didn’t reply but ran his hand through his sideburns, trying to hide his burning earlobes.
“How much is it?”
“Five taels of silver, sir. It’s a steal—”
“How much?” As soon as he heard the price, Fu Nian instinctively approached the vendor, looking fierce.
Just as he was considering flipping the vendor’s stall and secretly abducting him, Fu Nian felt his robes being tugged.
He knew that this was Chu Zhaoyi’s silent command for him not to cause trouble.
“As you wish,” Fu Nian muttered softly and took out his purse from his sleeve, slowly counting the silver.
“Elder brother, will my wife be upset when she finds out that you bought me a pearl bracelet?”
Fu Nian was in the middle of counting money when he heard this question. The silver slipped from his grasp and scattered all over the ground.
He felt the vendor’s gaze become more complicated.
“Elder brother—”
“No need for change.” Fu Nian hastily paid the money, picked up the items, and pulled Chu Zhaoyi away.
After leaving the stall, it was only then that Fu Nian turned his head and glared at Chu Chaoyi fiercely, sounding like he was scolding him, but in reality, he felt quite helpless. “What are you yelling out there? What…?” The terms like “elder brother” and “younger brother” were just too strange for Fu Nian to say. It felt like a betrayal, like he was still back in his martial arts school, addressing his fellow disciples.
Chu Zhaoyi replied, “Haven’t I called you that before? You seemed to enjoy it.”
Fu Nian:…
He didn’t engage in that suggestive banter. He intended to hand the beads to Chu Zhaoyi, but he found that Chu Zhaoyi had already reached out his hand, graciously presenting his well-defined wrist for Fu Nian to string the beads on.
Fu Nian obediently fastened the bracelet, making sure the knots were neat and aesthetic before releasing it.
Even if it was a fake, on Chu Chaoyi’s noble frame, it exuded a sense of luxury.
“Sesame balls—”
“Braised Jelly Noodles—”
As they reached the busiest part of the market, Fu Nian found it increasingly difficult to move forward due to the persistent pain in his chest.
Taking advantage of reaching a side alley, Fu Nian identified the dimly lit and deserted environment within. “Wait here, I’ll use the restroom,” Fu Nian briefly explained his whereabouts, pointed towards the direction of the latrine, and then released Chu Zhaoyi’s hand.
Inside the alley, it was pitch-black, a world apart from the bustling outside.
As the cries of the vendors and the soft music from boats on the canal gradually faded, and the bright lights that resembled daylight became increasingly invisible, Fu Nian cautiously untied the belt at his waist and quickly loosened his collar.
Although it was winter, his clothes were already soaked from a mixture of cold sweat and other fluids, and there was hardly any dry spot left in the thick coarse fabric.
The skin on his chest came into contact with the cold air, and Fu Nian took in a sharp breath of the cold air.
Then, he reached out his hand, used a piece of gauze to cover his chest, and, enduring the pain, he tried to squeeze out the excess liquid.
“—–!” The pain from squeezing made Fu Nian involuntarily bite his lip, trying to relieve the intense throbbing in his head.
It was strange; he had endured much worse injuries in the past without this level of difficulty.
After a while, a faint milk fragrance filled the air, wafting gently into his nostrils.
Fu Nian took a deep breath and applied more pressure with his hands on his chest.
A large piece of gauze was already completely soaked through, and Fu Nian, trembling, used his left hand to fumble for new gauze within his sleeve.
But before he could find it, he suddenly sensed faint footsteps behind him.
Thinking someone was approaching, he hastily adjusted his clothes, pressed his face against the wall, and tried to blend into the shadows as much as possible.
“Ah Nian.”
The voice behind him came unexpectedly.
Fu Nian froze for a moment, then suddenly, his whole body was turned around, forcibly facing this uninvited guest.
In the dim light, Chu Zhaoyi’s hand that grabbed Fu Nian’s shoulder tightened.
Fu Nian, who was usually as fierce as a leopard cat, seemed to tremble a bit today, perhaps due to the cold winter or some other reason. His snow-white teeth against his reddened lower lip looked particularly alluring. His sharply defined facial features had an unusual softness, and although his clothes looked neat at first glance, the fabric on his chest was completely soaked, outlining a plump chest that didn’t match his slender figure. A faint milk fragrance hung in the air, and his breathing was heavy.
“Don’t… don’t look…” Fu Nian lowered his head, speaking somewhat embarrassedly.
“Your Majesty…”
Before Fu Nian could finish, he suddenly felt himself being lifted up. His back was pressed against the wall, and the level of his chest matched Chu Zhaoyi’s head.
In the end, they were outside, and the last trace of morality urged Fu Nian to protest.
However, no matter how he protested, Chu Zhaoyi refused to put him down.
But Chu Zhaoyi’s actions followed Fu Nian’s wishes, and he didn’t do anything, just hugging him. His head occasionally brushed against the area of Fu Nian’s chest.
Fu Nian was uncomfortable to begin with, and now, with both hands occupied, he couldn’t do anything while Chu Zhaoyi held him like this. He couldn’t do anything in Chu Zhaoyi’s presence.
“Put me down, stop playing.”
“Elder brother, you need to tell me what you want me to do,” Chu Zhaoyi’s tone was innocent, and then he looked up at Fu Nian’s current appearance with a pitiful gaze.
The lips, which were usually thin and dry, looked more moist now.
“…”
“Elder brother.”
Fu Nian gritted his teeth, and in the end, he spoke softly, “He, help me…”
He had thought that this would be the end, but he didn’t expect Chu Zhaoyi to be even more relentless.
“Where should I help?” His tone remained extremely innocent, as if he genuinely didn’t know anything.
Fu Nian couldn’t bring himself to say it.
After a long silence, he mustered the courage to lower his head and lightly tapped Chu Zhaoyi’s lips.
Almost simultaneously, a powerful kiss landed on his chest.
Fu Nian’s left hand firmly gripped Chu Zhaoyi’s shoulder as he bit his lip, refusing to make a sound.
What if someone comes…
As he remained vigilant, suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his right chest, like beads…
In an instant, the pain caused by the beads made him pause his breath.
It was the pearl necklace that Chu Zhaoyi had insisted on buying earlier, and Fu Nian finally understood the true purpose behind Chu Zhaoyi’s extravagant purchase.
“Chu Zhaoyi!”
“What’s the matter, Elder Brother? Did my inadequate medical skills make you uncomfortable?” Chu Zhaoyi’s voice was muffled.
Upon hearing the term “elder brother,” Fu Nian let out an involuntary grunt and his tightly clenched left fingertips turned pale.
“The bead necklace… I bought it for you. I didn’t mean to…” He started to say the second half of the sentence but couldn’t find the right words.
In the darkness, although he couldn’t see clearly, the sweet scent that lingered and the swallowing sounds from Chu Zhaoyi weren’t deceiving.
“Elder brother’s skin is so soft, it matches the color of this bead necklace perfectly…”
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of The Shadow Guard is also the White Moonlight [Rebirth] right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
