His gaze flickered away, and his breathing became shallow.
Li Fengqi lowered his pant legs, let out a chuckle, then wheeled closer to him, eyes dark yet flickering. “Does the Young Master truly understand?”
As Li Fengqi approached, Ye Yunting unconsciously took a step back, lips parting as he struggled to speak. His eyelashes fluttered; his heart pounded like thunder within his chest, momentarily rendering him speechless.
Of course, Ye Yunting understood what Li Fengqi meant, but he was unable to comprehend his own feelings.
“If the Young Master doesn’t understand, I wouldn’t mind making it clearer.” Li Fengqi chuckled softly again, voice low and husky, carrying a commanding pressure that left no room for argument. Before Ye Yunting could react, Li Fengqi had already grabbed his hand. He instinctively curled his fingers, only to have them uncoiled by Li Fengqi one by one before being pressed against his chest.
First, there was the warmth of a firm bosom, followed by the powerful heartbeat beneath his palm. As if burned, Ye Yunting wanted to pull his hand away, but Li Fengqi held him fast, immobilizing him completely.
Li Fengqi’s gaze remained fixed on him. Though his original plan had been to keep this secret for longer, since he had accidentally broken through the thin veil between them, he decided he might as well stop hiding. He tightened his grip, allowing Ye Yunting to feel his own heartbeat:
“It’s for you that this heart beats. I…am fond of you.” His voice was slightly hoarse, as if scorched by fire, and the words he spoke were scalding hot. “Young Master, do you feel even the slightest bit of affection toward me?”
“I-I…” Ye Yunting was stunned by his forthright and explicit confession. His lips parted several times, wanting to refuse. But when those earnest eyes gazed upon him, refusing became impossible.
His heart raced so fast it felt like it would leap from his throat; his mind was a jumbled mess, thoughts tangled together like a knotted rope. He stared blankly at Li Fengqi, then finally mumbled through pursed lips, “I-I don’t know…”
Over these many years, Ye Yunting had read countless love stories within books, but in real life, he remained inexperienced and fearful of matters concerning romance.
Li Fengqi seemed to have seen through his subconscious avoidance and fear. Laughing softly, he didn’t seem too disappointed and slowly released Ye Yunting’s wrist, murmuring, “But you didn’t reject me, did you?”
Ye Yunting’s temperament had always been clear and transparent; if he disliked or refused something, he would directly say no instead of saying, “I don’t know.” To say, “I don’t know,” meant that he was uncertain.
They had plenty of time ahead of them; he was willing to spend it teaching him to see his true heart.
The questions he raised was more difficult than the last, leaving Ye Yunting unsure how to respond. He silently withdrew his hand and tucked it behind his back, refusing to answer.
Li Fengqi didn’t know what he was thinking, so he didn’t say anything more. Meanwhile, Ye Yunting didn’t know what to say, and even his breathing slowed down.
The atmosphere grew heavy with silence. Ye Yunting was still worried about his legs. Ye Yunting subconsciously glanced down at Li Fengqi’s lower body, only to see that a large patch of white inner-robes had been dyed red at some point without them noticing.
He cried out in alarm, “Your legs!” Then he dropped to one knee, expression panicked, to check on him. When his fingers touched the area, they encountered something damp and sticky, sending a wave of dread through his heart—he was completely unprepared for how to handle this situation. He hastily made to get up again. “I’ll go call the doctor.”
Yet before he could stand completely, Li Fengqi gripped the back of his neck.
Ye Yunting froze, maintaining his half-bent position as he tilted his head back to look up at Li Fengqi.
Li Fengqi stared at him, his right hand pressed against the nape of Ye Yunting’s neck, feeling the smooth skin there along with the fine strands of hair upon it. Unable to resist, he gently stroked those soft stands, sensing the person before him become increasingly tense in response.
Like a rabbit caught by a hunter, unsure how to react and only able to let himself be pushed around.
His eyes grew darker still, a fire burning deep within their shadows.
“It’s no matter,” he rasped hoarsely.
As Ye Yunting’s eyes widened further, Li Fengqi gently pressed his neck with his palm and slowly approached until he left a searing kiss.
It was a brief touch, but one that burned like a brand upon the skin.
Li Fengqi bit lightly on his lower lip before reluctantly letting go, smiling as he gazed at Ye Yunting. “The kiss of the Young Master can cure all suffering.” He then playfully licked his lips, adding a suggestive tone to his words.
Ye Yunting’s cheeks flushed scarlet, even the back of his neck turning red. He broke out of Li Fengqi’s hold, unable to find any words to say. “Y-you…”
He wanted to curse, yet he had never cursed anyone before, leaving him with a severe vocabulary deficiency. His face reddened further from anger.
Smiling indulgently, Li Fengqi took up where he left off, “I am indeed vulgar and depraved; what else does the Young Master wish to call me?”
Ye Yunting’s dark lashes were wet with suppressed fury, though they also held traces of shyness and resentment.
In short, there wasn’t a hint of disgust or distaste.
Li Fengqi’s smile bloomed wider, then swiftly vanished, his long brows drawing together as he sucked in a sharp breath.
His mood had changed too quickly; Ye Yunting was stunned for a moment, a little worried, but concerned that he might resort to his old tricks again. He eyed Li Fengqi’s lower half and kept his distance, wary. “What’s wrong?”
Li Fengqi watched his reaction, then let out a quiet sigh and asked with difficulty, “Is Young Master no longer willing to concern himself with my well-being?”
“…” Ye Yunting stared at him, silently cursing his nonsense.
This man was adept at turning black into white and vice versa.
Perhaps tonight’s shock had been too great; Ye Yunting’s expression was one of many mixed emotions. Li Fengqi looked at him and deduced that the young man must be cursing him in his heart.
He held back his pain and laughed, then said, “Young Master, please bring me another clean knife.” With this, he maneuvered his wheelchair toward the desk and lifted the untreated leg onto a stool.
Ye Yunting brought over a clean cloth and knife, only to see the veins on Li Fengqi’s exposed leg swell more menacingly, as if they would burst at any moment. He heated the knife on the candle flame, then rolled up the cloth and held it to Li Fengqi’s mouth.
Li Fengqi took the knife but not the cloth. He looked at Ye Yunting and said in a rough voice, “With the Young Master here, there is no need for this thing. Talk to me.”
As soon as the words left his lips, the blade fell swiftly down.
Ye Yunting’s heart pounded in fear, and he turned his eyes away. Yet still worried, he asked, “Are you sure we don’t need to find a doctor?”
“Letting out the poisonous blood within should suffice; a doctor’s knife skills may not be as good as mine.” Li Fengqi took a light breath and fixed his gaze on the wound; though his hands remained steady, his tone was rather light. “Young Master, do you trust me?”
“…” Ye Yunting thought, ‘Who would dare trust such a rough and wild person as you?’
He did not want to answer, but Li Fengqi refused to let him off the hook. After releasing the accumulated blood from the veins, sweat beaded his forehead. He exhaled heavily before turning back to Ye Yunting, asking, “Can the Young Master wipe my sweat for me?”
Though he knew Li Fengqi’s intentions were impure, Ye Yunting could only purse his lips and take hold of the cloth, gently dabbing away the beads of sweat on his forehead.
Li Fengqi tilted his face up to wait for him to finish, then proceeded to apply medicine and bandage the bandages, but his mouth never ceased its chatter. “Young Master needn’t worry too much, wounds received on the battlefield are far worse than these.”
“…” Ye Yunting couldn’t stand listening to this one-sided conversation any longer, retorting with a stiff expression, “I’m not worried.”
“Oh.” Li Fengqi’s eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement. “You say one thing and mean another.”
Ye Yunting: “…” He realized that after Li Fengqi had torn through the window paper, there was no shame left on his face.
Why hadn’t anyone else noticed Prince Yong’an’s utter shamelessness before now?
Li Fengqi pressed his eyes shut and carefully tended to his wound, tossing the bloodied cloth and blade into the copper basin. He washed his hands, then let out a long sigh. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ye Yunting’s face filled with concern for his leg, but when he turned to look directly, Ye Yunting had already shifted his gaze away.
The tips of his ears and neck were still flushed red.
He pressed his fingers together, recalling the smoothness of those hands, then leaned back against the chair, voice weak as he said, “I’m feeling rather fatigued; I will have to trouble the Young Master to escort me back. Wu Geng will take care of it from here.”
Ye Yunting examined him with suspicion, unable to discern whether Li Fengqi was truly exhausted or feigning weakness. In the end, seeing that the man really had been poisoned, he pushed him out of the room.
Wu Geng was waiting outside, and he and Li Fengqi exchanged glances briefly before passing each other. Pride was written plainly on his face.
Look, he’d done nothing wrong! Behold, the husband couple returning to their room together!
He went straight to the study to tidy things up while Li Fengqi returned to his own room with Ye Yunting.
Ye Yunting pushed him toward the bed, waiting for him to climb in himself. Though Li Fengqi’s legs were afflicted, his upper body strength still surpassed most, so he usually managed to pull himself onto the bed by leaning against its edge. But today, he sat motionless, clearly conveying, ‘I am too weak to move, please carry me.‘
It was obvious that he was waiting for Ye Yunting to pick him up.
Ye Yunting had no desire to move; the lingering sensation of that kiss earlier still made him uncomfortable.
The two were in a stalemate. Li Fengqi was lying in the wheelchair, barely moving, occasionally letting out pained moans.
In the end, Ye Yunting couldn’t resist him any longer; he gently carried him and put him on the bed.
Li Fengqi smiled at him, saying, “I’ve once again caused trouble for the Young Master.”
Unable to contain his irritation, Ye Yunting retorted, “Is Wangye unafraid of not seeming ‘tall’ or ‘majestic’ at this time?” He was using Li Fengqi’s previous words to stab him.
“Indeed,” Li Fengqi said confidently, unbothered. “What does it matter if my Wangfei carries me when we’re already married? It simply shows our good relationship with each other.”
Ye Yunting: “…” This man was truly a scoundrel!
But despite how infuriating he found him, there was nothing Ye Yunting could do about it. He glared at Li Fengqi for a long time, removed his outer robes and shoes, climbed onto the inner side of the bed, and turned away from Li Fengqi to sleep.
Li Fengqi also rolled over, staring at the back of his head. “My words today were from the bottom of my heart. Young Master, please think about it carefully, there’s no need to rush with your answer—I have the patience to wait.”
Ye Yunting took a deep breath, fell silent for a moment, then buried his face in the blanket, his muffled voice echoing through the room: “I’ll think about it.”
Behind him, Li Fengqi silently smiled.
=== Author’s Notes ===
77: Honey, it hurts, hug me.
Tingting: Shameless!
=== Translator’s Notes ===
Truly a scoundrel. I love them.
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