When Ye Yunting said this, he was stunned at first.
He thought he would feel some hesitation or internal conflict, yet the words that slipped from his mouth were so swift they surprised even him. Though he believed he hadn't made his decision, unbeknownst to himself, he had already reached one. It was just that he had been lying to himself, unwilling to admit it until now.
Afraid of experiencing feelings he'd never felt before, Ye Yunting had wrapped himself tightly and refused to advance.
In truth, his heart had long found its resting place; Li Fengqi was no longer merely a comrade-in-arms with whom he shared the same boat. His every action, intentional or not, affected Ye Yunting's emotions. Whether he admitted it or not, this was reality.
Ye Yunting pressed his lips together slightly, and his chaotic thoughts suddenly became clear and bright. Tjrough layers of timidity and hesitation, he saw the sincerity hidden behind the veil of mist.
He couldn't let go of Li Fengqi, or perhaps it could even be said that he liked him.
A faint smile spread across Ye Yunting's face, recalling how Li Fengqi's would shamelessly pester him. If he were to learn of his thoughts, the man would probably be even more audacious.
Chang Yu'an saw the change in expression. At first he was taken aback, then he understood clearly. In the end, he sighed, knowing he could not persuade him otherwise.
Ye Yunting was a child he had watched grow up. Although he possessed a mild temperament and rarely engaged in disputes, he was a person of strong opinions. Once he set his mind on something, nothing could change it.
Chang Yu'an stopped trying to persuade him. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, "Since you have already made your decision, I will not attempt to persuade you otherwise." He pulled out an unassuming wooden token from his waist and handed it to Ye Yunting. "Changgou and I have been residing in Nanyue these past two years. If you wish to find us, come to the capital city of Nanyue, present this token at Wangyue Restaurant, and mention my name."
Ye Yunting accepted the token, noticing that it was plain without any carvings save for a simple character 'Yuan' engraved upon its center.
He tucked away the wooden token and solemnly promised, "If I have the chance, I willd definitely pay Teacher and Shixiong a visit in Nanyue," he promised. Then after a pause, he smiled. "When Beizhao is stable again, Teacher and Shixiong may also return to Beizhao to see me."
Though Nanyue had yet to clash directly with Beizhao, considering Ye Yunting's current status, he likely wouldn't be able to travel there openly.
Chang Yu'an nodded, clearly understanding his concerns. "Don't worry, we'll make our way back when we can."
The master-disciple trio shared one last drink together as a farewell.
***
Upon Li Fengqi's return, he found Ye Yunting sitting atop a bench in the corridor draped in a cloak, his eyes unfocused and face slightly flushed.
"What are you doing sitting here?" Li Fengqi walked over and was first greeted by the scent of alcohol. He frowned slightly, pulled Ye Yunting's hood tighter around his head, then tested his temperature with the back of his hand. He was slightly cool to the touch. "Why did you drink so much all of a sudden?"
Knowing he had a poor tolerance for alcohol, Ye Yunting rarely drank on ordinary days.
"Ye Wang is gone, and Teacher and Shixiong as gone, too." Ye Yunting brushed aside Li Fengqi's hand, squinted his eyes, and stared into the distance, muttering as if to himself but also addressing Li Fengqi, "They've all left, but I didn't go."
Recalling those magnificent mountains and rivers that he hadn't yet seen, anger
surged within him, and he looked up at Li Fengqi, saying, "It's all your fault."
If it weren't for Li Fengqi's repeated pestering, how could he have been unwilling to leave, staying instead in this city he most wished to depart from? Glaring angrily at Li Fengqi, his gaze like that of a seductive fairy tempting an innocent scholar, he repeated, "It's all your fault."
Li Fengqi sighed quietly, wondering why he would be so unreasonable when he was drunk.
But Ye Yunting's snow-pale face was flushed, his eyes hazy, and when he lifted his head to say "it's all your fault," it seemed as though he truly believed he had done something terrible.
Li Fengqi clicked his tongue, but his heart softened at this display. He could only yield to him and coax gently, "Yes, it's all my fault; I was wrong."
Ye Yunting blinked at him, then sniffled for a long time, looked off into the distance, and then softly said, "Forget it. I'm not blaming you. I am willing."
Li Fengqi's heart skipped a beat as he asked with burning eyes, "What were you willing to do?"
But Ye Yunting refused to answer.
He stared for some time at the snow falling outside, then began to feel sleepy. He stumbled back toward his room to sleep.
Li Fengqi: "..."
That "I am willing" seemed to contain many things that he had always hoped for.
Li Fengqi was anxious, but didn't dare force anything upon him. As he watched him return to bed to sleep, he could only accompany him politely back to his room, call Ji Lian to bring a hot water bottle to warm the bed, and ask him to undress and retire.
Drunk beyond measure, Ye Yunting quickly drifted off once he lay down on the bed.
Only Li Fengqi beside him remained awake, unable to find answers. He tossed and turned restlessly. In the end, he could only rise from his seat and leave to seek the answer himself.
Upon arriving at the guest courtyard, they discovered that Master Chang and his disciple had indeed left; their room was empty. They must have departed while Li Fengqi was out.
Ye Wang had also left for Yunrong earlier today, so Ye Yunting's words "they've all left" were true.
But what did he mean when he said, "I didn't go"?
Li Fengqi's gaze grew deeper as he recalled Yue Changgou's vague hostility these past few days, along with some information he'd recently uncovered. An unbelievable answer surfaced within him.
Chang Yu'an and his apprentice weren't ordinary people, and they had a close relationship with Ye Yunting. In order to rest assured and know himself and his enemy, Li Fengqi secretly sent someone to investigate them. Recently, he received word from his subordinate, which revealed some new information about the master-disciple pair.
Over a decade ago, Chang Yu'an had been active in Beizhou for a period of time. He had ranked third in the imperial examination but chose not to enter public office, instead becoming a teacher. With his impressive scholarly achievements and reputation, he gained much respect among noble families, who revered him highly. Later, when the Duke of Qi sought a teacher for his youngest son, someone recommended Chang Yu'an.
After this, Chang Yu'an and Ye Yuting's formed a teacher-student relationship at the Duke of Qi's estate.
At first glance, none of these events seemed out of the ordinary. The only thing that caught Li Fengqi's attention was that after Chang Yu'an left the Duke of Qi's estate, he declined all other invitations and set off on travels across the land, never to return.
Perhaps it was just his overactive imagination, but Li Fengqi couldn't help but feel that Chang Yu'an had appeared solely to instruct Ye Yuting, then decisively withdrew as soon as his task was complete.
Of course, this guess was unfounded, just an inexplicable intuition.
However, Chang Yu'an and his disciple truly cared deeply for Ye Yuting. Li Fengqi also discovered that Chang Yu'an had disappeared from Beizhou territory within recent years, and his most notable disciple, Yue Changgou, would occasionally make a rare visit back home. Most of the time, they resided in Nanyue.
And this time, the master-disciple pair suddenly came back for Ye Yunting.
Although it appeared that the master and disciple pair roamed freely without settling anywhere, they actually owned quite a few businesses, most of which were inconspicuous shops hidden among the common people's markets. Though these shops were small, their steady profits coming from the locals ensured a stable and reliable income.
Combining this information with Ye Yunting's rambling words, Li Fengqi suspected that perhaps this trip back to the capital was also an attempt to take Ye Yunting away.
Though none of the three had ever shown any signs of such intentions, Li Fengqi's keen senses allowed him to deduce their plans after several rounds of logical reasoning.
But now, Chang Yu'an and Yue Changgou had left while Ye Yunting remained behind.
Why didn't he leave?
The answer was so tempting that Li Fengqi couldn't believe it for a while.
The corner of his lips lifted imperceptibly, then gradually, until it curved upwards in a smile. He rang the bell again, calling Wu Geng to push him back to his room.
He couldn't wait to ask if Ye Yunting had stayed for him.
Wu Geng pushed Li Fengqi back to his room, only to see him enter through the front door with great haste and slam the door shut behind him, even locking it as well.
Wu Geng: ?
Damn, why is he in such a hurry?
It's going to be dark soon, can't you bear it for a little while?
But Li Fengqi couldn't bear it at all.
With a smile lingering on his lips, he sat beside the bed and carefully looked at Ye Yunting through lowered lashes before eventually calling out to him again and again.
Sometimes he would call him as "Young Master" and then other times as "Yunting." From time to time, he would even reached out to touch his cheek or nose...
In his sleep, Ye Yunting could not bear this disturbance and opened his eyes irritably, only to meet an upturned face so close to his own, close enough that he could feel the heat of the other's breaths.
Ye Yunting: ...?
Ye Yunting calmly retreated a bit, putting some distance between them, then asked, "What are you doing?"
Had this man become shameless to such a degree? Did he dare steal kisses while Ye Yunting slept?
Li Fengqi straightened without a care, still smiling. ""I want to ask the Young Master something." ."
Ye Yunting frowned, clearly not buying his nonsense.
The man was obviously trying to take advantage of the opportunity to steal a kiss.
Ye Yunting hadn't even confessed his feelings yet, and already this person was like this. If he were to do so, this person might grow even more bold and arrogant.
So, Ye Yunting chose not to expose him. With a quiet "oh," he asked expressionlessly, yet with utmost vigilance, "What is it?"
He wanted to see what kind of story Li Fengqi could weave together.
"What did the Young Master mean when he said 'I didn't go'?" Li Fengqi's gaze fixed firmly on him as he slowly spoke. "Did the Young Master consider his options? Is he willing to stay now?"
Ye Yunting's heart skipped a beat. After quickly scanning through his memories, he finally dug up his slurred words from earlier. Confused and perplexed, he asked, "When did I say that?"
"..."
Li Fengqi met his eyes. Ye Yunting looked perfectly confused.
He ground his teeth, held back his indignation, and said, "You said it while drunk."
"Ah...I see." Ye Yunting wore an apologetic expression. "Wangye knows my alcohol tolerance isn't good..."
In other words, he didn't remember because he had gotten too drunk.
Li Fengq: "..."
There were indeed previous instances where Ye Yunting had drunk so much he couldn't remember anything, and his expression remained perfectly blank. Li Fengqi could not immediately tell if this was an act or if he truly did not recall.
The two stared each other down for a moment until Li Fengqi finally gritted his teeth and smiled insincerely. "If you don't remember, then never mind; the Young Master can continue sleeping."
Ye Yunting pretended not to notice his odd behavior. He pulled the quilt over his head, leaving only a fluffy lock of hair visible, and continued to sleep.
Li Fengqi stared at the top of his head, his gums itching once more. He thought to himself that no matter whether it was true or false today, next time, he would make sure the man admitted it personally, without any excuse.
===Author's Notes===
Tingting: Flirt and run, so exciting.
77: ?????
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