CH 22

At dinner time, Ni Lie, who was training outside, finally returned.

As soon as he stepped into the front hall, he saw Li Yuanmin pulling up his sleeves and was peeling Jin Ru Su (golden milk crisp) for Ni Ying. Ni Ying’s pair of eyes looked anxiously at the thing in his hands. When he saw her in prison early this morning, she was still filthy and in a dire appearance. Now that she had rested and refreshed, her eyelids that were slightly red and swollen, once again returned to their usual lively and bright appearance.

Li Yuanmin looked up and saw that it was Ni Lie, he couldn’t help but feel happy: “A Lie.”

Ni Ying was also happy, but looking at his complexion, she immediately put away the excitement on her face. She said, “Elder brother…”

Ni Lie looked at her coldly, “Have you learned your lesson now?”

Ni Ying bit her lip and nodded lightly. Compared to Li Yuanmin, she was more afraid of her own brother.

It was Li Yuanmin who spoke for her and said with a smile: “It’s fine now, I have just taught her a lesson. A Ying already promised that there will be no next time. Today, she had to stay in the study and copy a book the entire day with an empty stomach, so she should have learned her lesson by now.” 

Ni Ying glanced at him timidly: “Elder brother, I won’t be so reckless in the future.”

Ni Lie nodded slightly, this seemed to be a casual look at Li Yuanmin. After a long while, he whispered, “Is Your Highness still uncomfortable?”

“It’s already fine now.” Although there was still some pain in his forehead, he somehow couldn’t notice it at all when he saw Ni Lie. His eyes showed a delighted look unconsciously: “A Lie, last night I have troubled you a lot.” 

Seeing that pair of watery, clear and bright eyes staring attentively at him like this, Ni Lie felt an indescribable pain in his heart. Then he heard him urging: “Sit down and eat.”

He instructed the little boy servant to have the kitchen add more dishes.

Ni Lie sat down looking away from that gaze. He took his rice bowl, and ate silently.

Since the moment he entered the door, Li Yuanmin’s gaze had always been on him. How could he not notice that something was wrong with him? But it was inconvenient to ask about it now. So, he only picked up some food for him, and Ni Lie ate silently.

Ni Ying unexpectedly saw that her elder brother didn’t intend to trouble her, so her mood relaxed a lot right away. She was optimistic by nature, and was chattering once again. She chatted with Li Yuanmin and talked to Li Yuanmin about who was frightened by the rat in the prison last night, and who secretly threw mud behind the back of the jailers there and so on. She seemingly had forgotten that she was crying in a messy state about it earlier.

Li Yuanmin took the opportunity to mention a few more words, but Ni Lie kept silent and bowed his head to eat his own meal.

Li Yuanmin easily scooped out a bowl of soup and pushed it in front of him: “Drink this chicken soup. Seeing that you’re all blue now, is it because you didn’t sleep well last night?” 

Ni Lie’s chopsticks stiffened. There was a moment of silence: “No.”

Even Ni Ying, who had a carefree temper also noticed something was off with her elder brother. She bit her chopsticks, and the black and bright apricot eyes looked at her elder brother up and down.

“Elder Brother, what happened to you?”

She had good eyes, and immediately saw a piece of white object exposed from inside his bosom’s pocket. She left out a surprise tone and reached out her hand to pull that nuisance out.  

“Handkerchief?”

Before she could observe the style properly, it was taken back at a thunderbolt speed. 

Ni Lie, with a cold face, tucked the handkerchief back in his sleeve.

Ni Ying was stunned for a moment. She suddenly realized something, and was pleasantly surprised: “Elder brother! Do you have a sweetheart?!”

She seemed to have discovered some great secret, and excitedly pulled her seat closer.

“Which family’s girl is it? Do I know her? But no matter what, don’t let it be the Li’s family girl on East Street. She’s too hypocritical!”

Li Yuanmin stared at Ni Lie blankly. The other party with his usual ice-cold expression immersed himself in the soup, as if agreeing tacitly. 

A strange feeling rushed into his heart for no reason, making him very uncomfortable.

“Your Highness Gege?”

Li Yuanmin’s stiff fingers moved lightly and came back to his senses.

“Ah, it’s like this.”

He squeezed his fingers and stabilized his mind: “That’s good.”

Ni Lie suddenly raised his head to look at him, only to see that the person’s misty and watery eyes were still staring at him as softly and tenderly as before.

“If you really took a fancy to someone, then…..Ben Wang…..Ben Wang will make a proper plan for you.”

Words were bladeless, but they were sharper than blades.

Ni Lie had no expression on his face, but if one looked carefully, one will find that his hands hidden under the table were tightly clenched into fists, until his joints turned pale white.

His adam’s apple moved. He swallowed the bitterness of anger, disappointment, and pain in his heart with great difficulty.

“No need.” He picked up the soup bowl, drank the remaining chicken soup, abruptly got up, and walked out of the courtyard without looking back.

“Huo! (sound of surprise) Elder brother is shy!” Ni Ying opened her eyes wide. 

Li Yuanmin pressed down his heart, still unable to adapt to the strange feeling there.

He thought, everyone grows up, the same goes for A Lie. He will leave himself one day because of his beloved girl. For so many years, he had become accustomed to this silent young man being by his side——but he is already 17 years old, and will be 18 soon. He will become a man who can settle down and get married. 

Thinking about this, Li Yuanmin felt bewildered and listless. 

He hasn’t had this moment for many years now. Feeling empty, feeling like something had been dug up from his heart.

“Your Highness, what are you thinking about?” Ni Ying looked up at him.

Li Yuanmin pulled the corners of his mouth with difficulty: “It’s nothing, it just… It feels like time moves too fast.”

Although the person in front of her still had a gentle smile, Ni Ying felt that there was something different.

She scratched her face confused.

***

Since that day, Li Yuanmin hadn’t seen Ni Lie for many days. He rarely stayed inside the mansion, most of the time he was at the outskirts training ground.

“I suppose he is meeting the owner of that handkerchief.” Ni Ying raised her eyebrows and grinned, thinking of the stories and books she hid in secret. The story about the concubine of an official, she had read many of them. Thinking that one day her cold elder brother would also have his first love, Ni Ying could not help but want to investigate it——which family’s girl could be capable of this?  

“Your Highness Gege, do you agree?”

Li Yuanmin could only laugh after listening to her.

After the Qingming Festival, the rain gradually decreased, and the daytime became longer day by day.

Li Yuanmin once again was awakened during his sleep. He first stretched out his hand habitually to lift the curtain and what he saw was still the same empty space as before. He stared silently for a long time, then took a long breath.

He supported his body to sit up, not knowing what to do. He sat in the same posture for a long time.

Today is their birthday.

One day 21 years ago, he was born in this world. Three years later, on the same day, another child was born. They didn’t know each other, but fate was a magical thing. Letting them stay together and relying upon one another for survival to pass through all these years. 

In the first year or two when they first came to Lingnan, the two of them had almost never had a decent birthday. Later, when the days were better, they reminded each other every year and never forgot.

But he hadn’t seen Ni Lie for many days now.

Li Yuanmin’s heart was covered in a layer of gauze. He could not speak it clearly or understand it clearly. 

***

The rising sun rose from the east. 

The sun shone in from outside the small room from the training ground. Ni Lie lay down in bed, the gray dust floated on his wheat-color chest with a slight level of heat. 

He held his forehead irritably, a wave of self-loathing rose up spontaneously.

He had been dreaming of him for several days, and his crotch was sticky, wet and cold, which was evidence of his evil deed.

He was despicable, dark, and evil in his dream, staining him all over, possessing him. 

It was clear that the other party looked at him with clear and gentle eyes.

——He was a disgusting, greedy, and cruel beast.

He had to avoid him, as so to avoid his filth and sharp fangs coming out unbearably and frightening him. 

Ni Lie took a deep painful breath, then slammed his fist on the bed. 

In an instant, a day passed like this again. Ni Lie rode his horse and walked aimlessly in the outskirts among the mountains and rivers. When he got hungry, he simply went to the market to eat a bowl of plain noodles. When he returned to the training ground, he would train until his whole body was stinky with sweat. He washed himself with cold water, ready to lie down. Suddenly, a pair of eyes flashed through his heart.  

He stood in a deadlock state for a long time, then he got up, and ran to the stable under the dark night.

Hurriedly stepping into the familiar mansion gate, Ni Lie quickly strode to the inner courtyard. He looked at the candlelight that had been extinguished through the window frame. He hesitated for a long time. In the end, he sighed and went back to his own courtyard. 

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard’s gate, he found an abnormality. There was someone in the room!

He drew out a dagger around his waist, and quietly stepped into the half-closed door.

The moon white figure was about to light the lamp. Turning around, he was startled at first, then immediately felt happy: “A Lie.”

Ni Lie’s whole body suddenly loosened, a wave of powerlessness hit his heart. He swallowed his saliva,

“…..Your Highness.”

Li Yuanmin specially waited for him in his room. Today he had already bathed and was wearing a plain light garment. His waterfall-like black hair scattered down, hanging on his shoulders, and simply tied with a black cloth to tie it behind his body. 

Ni Lie felt that he had been lowering his head. Obviously he was a frail person, but  nevertheless, he could effortlessly make him lose all his strength.

There was a cold fragrance hitting the tip of the nose. The person on the opposite side walked over to him and tidied his slightly crooked front robe.

“A Lie, today is our birthday. Did you forget it?” 

How could he forget it? How can he possibly forget it? There was another wave of pain inside Ni Lie’s heart. 

And the person in front of him seemed to conjure out two pots of wine from his back.

“Originally, I had made the kitchen prepare a table of good dishes. But after sending someone to find you, we couldn’t find you anywhere.” 

He had some complaints: “There was no choice, so I waited for you.” 

Under the moonlight, the extraordinarily beautiful face of the person in front of him was dim under the light. Beautiful and alluring, strongly fragrant with perfume, he was just like the appearance inside his dream. He bit his lip, pushed him, crying and not crying, dripping wet with juice.  

Everything was in sight but unattainable. 

He listened to the person in front of him dazedly: “Drink two cups with me.”

He wanted to refuse, but his adam’s apple moved, then he let out a hoarse voice:

“Alright.”

He sorrowfully discovered that he could not refuse any of his requests in his presence. 

Ciacia/N: OMGGGGGGG, this is why they said that mistakes are made in the dark hehehehehehehehhehehe. PS: NL, that was just a wet dream…