Chapter 47

“Huaijing, you’ve been sleeping for a long time, oh.” Rong Tang stood up, hastened over to Su Huaijing, and raised his head a little to look at him.

He’d been sleeping away obliviously for seven days, and didn’t feel much change when he saw Shuang Fu. His fainting was too common for him—it wasn’t as if he’d fainted for two months, so he didn’t forget that feeling.

But Su Huaijing stood before him, with the moonlight beaming into the courtyard. He looked at Rong Tang expressionlessly, his head lowered. Rong Tang’s heart tightened as his gaze fixed on the dark circles under his eyes, unable to contain his sadness and heartache.

Rong Tang pursed his lips, feeling that he was wrong. His voice dropped an octave, and he asked guiltily, “Are you hungry? Do you want to go eat?”

It is a windy night, and trees are planted in the courtyard. The wind blows through the leaves, making rustling sounds, which is pleasant and cool.

It was noon when Rong Tang went out. He was wearing a slightly thin set of moon-white spring clothes. Standing in front of the eaves beneath the moonlight, he increasingly resembled a heavenly immortal.

Su Huaijing’s eyes were dark, and he looked at Rong Tang, who was asking his question with obvious timidity. He suppressed the thoughts that were growing in his heart for a moment and asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

The voice that came out was low and hoarse. Rong Tang was startled for a moment, then shifted a little closer and shook his head: “Not cold—”

Before he finished speaking, an itch rushed up his nose. Rong Tang quickly took half a step back, turned his head, and covered his mouth and nose. “Ah—choo!”

Rong Tang: “……”

He felt even more guilty as he rubbed his nose. He looked up sheepishly at his Boyboy, and then met a pair of chilly eyes.

“……” It’s over.

Rong Tang made amends at the speed of light: “I’ll go back and put on some clothes! How about you go to the dining room and wait for me? I’ll get the kitchen to stew your favourite snow lotus soup.” Don’t be angry!!!

Rong Tang turned on his toes and was about to slip away. Before he could take two steps, his wrist was grabbed with a surprisingly strong force. It was rougher than Su Huaijing had ever held his hand before. Rong Tang intuitively thought that he was still venting his anger.

Venting his anger but still holding back……

Rong Tang lowered his head, silently turned his feet around, and said in a low voice, “I was wrong.”

Su Huaijing didn’t utter a word and led him all the way back into his room. He then wordlessly took out a cloak from the closet and handed it to Rong Tang.

Rong Tang felt a bit guilty, a bit apprehensive, and a bit cowardly, but he dared not to respond, and then asked, “Aren’t you going to help me put it on?”

There were only a few lit candles in the room. Outside, the moonlight was shining brightly. There were lanterns hanging on the eaves. Su Huaijing paused and stared at Rong Tang for a long time.

Rong Tang realised that he seemed to be pushing too far, so he shrank his neck in resentment and then reached out to grab the clothing: “Fine, I’ll—”

“Turn around.” Su Huaijing interrupted him, his voice still hoarse, like waves carrying a storm.

Rong Tang was stunned, then quickly reacted. He blinked and immediately turned around in obedience.

The air froze for a moment. Su Huaijing lifted the cloak and draped it on him from behind.

Rong Tang wanted to turn around so that he could fasten the collar button, but Su Huaijing’s hand tightened, forcing Rong Tang to inadvertently retreat, and causing his whole body to crash against the former’s chest.

A warm and solid sensation came from behind, separated by several layers of fabric. The light in the room was dim. Rong Tang couldn’t see anyone. His wrist glided along the shoulder, then fell to the front of his neck, pulling two thin ropes. Su Huaijing slowly and carefully fastened the collar button, then tied the knot for him.

The movement was both elegant and composed, as if it were being recorded by a camera. It flowed so smoothly that it could be included in etiquette textbooks for noble children to learn from. Yet Rong Tang inexplicably felt a sense of oppressive fear.

After the knot was tied, Su Huaijing didn’t remove his hand from Rong Tang’s body. Ultimately, Rong Tang realised that he seemed to have signed his own death warrant.

He swallowed and tried his best to reduce his sense of existence, but with little success.

The wind blew through the window, making the candlelight on the table flicker. Rong Tang blinked and said softly, “I was wrong.”

Su Huaijing stood behind him, clearly not embracing him, yet presenting a posture of embrace.

He asked, “Where are you wrong?”

Rong Tang: “I shouldn’t have fainted suddenly and made you worry.”

Su Huaijing remained quiet as a deathly silence spread in the air.

Rong Tang took a step back, tilted his head back, and rubbed it slowly: “I shouldn’t have neglected my health, and I shouldn’t have stayed up all night.”

He assumed a rather humble and submissive posture. He was extremely adaptable: “I was wrong. Just hit me.”

If you make a mistake, you should be punished. Rong Tang feels that there was nothing wrong with him saying this.

But he also knew that Su Huaijing would most likely be reluctant to hit him, so in the end, he was being a bit cunning.

Young Prince Rong silently despised himself.

But after the words fell, Su Huaijing continued to remain silent for a long time.

Rong Tang probed in a soft voice, “Huaijing?”

The wrist moved from the front of the nape, fingertips pointing upward. Su Huaijing’s movements were still gentle, but there was an inexplicable ruthlessness in them.

Rong Tang, with his eyes wide, watched his movements, but in a split second, his chin was pinched and his head was forced up.

Su Huaijing lowered his head while he lowered his other hand to land in front of Rong Tang’s waist. He exerted forceful pressure as he pulled him back and bent down to whisper in his ear.

All his limbs were instantly restrained, and Rong Tang couldn’t break free even a little bit. Danger signals came from all directions, and he couldn’t help but widen his eyes, feeling the pressure coming from behind.

But in an instant, Rong Tang’s pupils relaxed. He released the resistance that his body had instinctively generated at that moment. He obediently leaned his body into Su Huaijing’s embrace and asked softly, “Are you really very angry?”

Su Huaijing finally spoke after this question, and Rong Tang heard him say “ng” softly.

It was only one syllable, but he felt that the main villain had used all his strength to suppress it.

Rong Tang felt distressed.

This shell was ridiculously lousy. He’d fainted too many times, but never once after waking up did he feel as panicked and dejected as he did now.

Rong Tang did not struggle with Su Huaijing’s restraint at all. He just stood there and thought for a while, his eyes landing on the edge of the window, where the moon beam cut off and slanted into the inner hall.

His chin was pinched until it hurt, and his waist and abdomen were also painfully bound, but he said, “Just lock me up.”

The voice is soft and gentle, blending into the moonlight, easily overlooked if not careful.

Su Huaijing was slightly startled, and his rigid movements became much more relaxed due to the moment of stupefaction. The pressure on his arms and waist also eased. Rong Tang discreetly breathed a sigh of relief and repeated softly, “Just lock me up. I’ll eat well, sleep well, and won’t see anyone except you. When your temper has subsided, you can let me out again.”

Rong Tang raised his head and asked him, “Alright?”

The door was open, and any sound in the courtyard could be heard inside.

The wind blew through the foliage, cicadas chirped under the leaves, and the newborn frogs croaked. Su Huaijing was silent for a long time, his breath scattered atop Rong Tang’s head.

After a long, long while, Rong Tang heard him ask, “Tangtang, are you coaxing me?”

His arms tightened unconsciously, and his wrists slowly moved downward, from his chin to his neck, as if he could immediately cut off his words as long as he uttered a word of affirmation.

Rong Tang smiled and shook his head a little. “I’m apologising.”

He said, “I am apologising to the spouse I married for being reckless, impulsive, disobedient, ignorant, and for causing worry.”

He continued, “Just lock me up until your anger has subsided.”

–

Rong Tang sometimes feels that this house in Yong’an Lane gives him more peace of mind than Duke Ningxuan’s Palace.

There’s no need to worry about whether there will be troublesome relatives openly or covertly creating difficulties; no need to devise ways to deal with family members with sinister intentions; no need to diligently pay respects to the Wang Fei day and night.

All he needs to do here is be awoken by the morning sunlight trickling into the house, lie quietly on the bed, listening to the birds chirping outside the window for a while, and slowly wait for the body’s organs to rouse one by one before getting up, getting dressed, and going out.

Someone will have breakfast prepared. The books he wants to read, the things he wants to play with, and even the snacks he casually mentioned the day before will be readied and placed within his reach.

He actually locked Rong Tang up.

And it was Rong Tang who’d taken the initiative to request it.

On the third day of not seeing anyone else, the system finally woke up from its dormant state. It took some time to sort out the situation, and the entire system was almost alarmed to the point of data disorder and scrapping.

Subsequently, Rong Tang said to it, “I requested it myself.”

The system abruptly experienced a hang.

When Rong Tang gave it a little response, he asked, “Did you go dormant for a little too long this time?”

System: [I was forced to go dormant the day you passed out.]

Rong Tang frowned when he heard this.

He often fainted in his first two lives, but despite his fainting spells, the system always functioned normally. Each time he awoke, the system will immediately tell him what happened in those days. This is the consensus between the two of them.

But this was the first time that Rong Tang fainted, and the system was forced to go dormant.

Rong Tang asked, “Is it due to insufficient energy?”

The system replied to him, like it wasn’t a big deal: [I don’t know ne, host.]

Rong Tang’s expression turned cold.

He can’t enter the system space. If the system itself wasn’t clear, the two of them would be like two blind men fumbling around in Dayu together.

But the system comforted him in turn: [It doesn’t matter; you can’t live for more than three years. At the very least, I won’t dissipate before you die. We are bound.]

Rong Tang: “……” Yeah, that is indeed comforting.

On the seventh day after he woke up, Su Huaijing brought a little kitten back.

It looked to be less than two months old, its entire body was not much longer than a palm, and it could be picked up with one hand.

Rong Tang found it amusing and played with it all afternoon.

Su Huaijing sat under the tree in the courtyard and read all afternoon. When dusk set, he asked him, “Do you want to raise it?”

Rong Tang blinked and wanted to nod at first, but when he glanced up and saw the expression in Su Huaijing’s eyes, he inexplicably felt that it was better not to nod.

He pondered for two seconds and shook his head. “I won’t raise it.”

Su Huaijing asked, “You don’t like it?” He frowned as he spoke, turning his gaze to the kitten, with some hidden notions brewing in his eyes. The little kitten instantly shivered in Rong Tang’s hold.

It was extremely rare for Rong Tang to feel a moment of speechlessness about his own Boyboy.

He silently turned to the side, placed the kitten next to himself, blocking Su Huaijing’s line of sight, and said, “I can’t keep it alive, and there should be an adult cat taking care of such a small kitten. I’d be making things bad for it instead if I took it away.”

He lifted his head and said, “Send it back.”

Su Huaijing lowered his gaze and stared at him for a long time, as if determining the truth of Rong Tang’s words.

But before he could conclude his judgement, Rong Tang gave a brilliant and beautiful smile: “And didn’t I tell you to lock me up and not see anyone except you? I think it’s quite unfair of you to allow me a kitten to relieve my boredom.”

His eyes curled, a flicker of light passing through them. He appeared to be genuinely puzzled, yet craftily asking at the same time, “Or perhaps your anger has already subsided?”

Su Huaijing: “……”

The main villain kneeled down without saying a word and carried the cat that Rong Tang had been playing with all afternoon out of the courtyard.

“……”

Rong Tang was almost amused by him. He squatted on the spot, watching Su Huaijing’s figure disappear from the courtyard gate. Then he lowered his head and chuckled quietly: “He’s so cute.”

System: [???]

[Is there something wrong with you?] The system asked, [You’re now being locked up like a prisoner.]

“What’s bad about that?” Rong Tang stood up and lay down on the beauty couch, blocking the sunlight with his hand. Through the gaps of his fingers, he watched the ethereal clouds in the sky and the brilliant glow illuminated by the twilight: “Outside must be chaotic now. Here, I’m lying down like a lazy bug. When clothes arrive, I’ll stretch out my hand. When food arrives, I’ll open my mouth. I don’t have to worry at all. What’s so bad about that?”

[……]

“Furthermore—” Rong Tang slowly lowered his fingers from the sky towards the ground. His gaze landed on the courtyard gate until he noticed a tall figure leaving and returning.

He looked along the seams of his fingers for a moment and smiled: “Compared with all that, coaxing Boyboy is the most important thing.”

Rong Tang raised his hand and shook it. Without any sense of being under house arrest, he playfully complained to his caretaker: “Huaijing, I’m hungry! When is mealtime?”