Hearing Guan Xingchen talk about “the future,” Si Nuo felt a slight stir in his heart. He didn’t respond, but instead carried his tray alongside the man to an empty table. The cafeteria was buzzing with activity. Si Nuo felt that someone of Guan Xingchen’s status would rarely dine in a place like this, yet Guan Xingchen showed no signs of discomfort.
“I have something to give you. After lunch, would you like to come to my dorm for a moment?”
Faced with such an invitation, Guan Xingchen naturally wouldn’t refuse. “Is that alright?”
Si Nuo nodded, and Guan Xingchen’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “Then, I’ll be imposing on your hospitality.”
After lunch, as Si Nuo and Guan Xingchen were about to leave the cafeteria, they ran directly into Ren Ju, who was walking toward them with a bowl of soup. At the moment they brushed past each other, the man suddenly wrapped his arm around Si Nuo’s shoulders, pulling him abruptly into his embrace. Then, with a bang, the bowl of soup was doused completely over Ren Ju’s face.
“Ah!” A sharp scream echoed through the cafeteria, bringing the bustling room to a sudden standstill. Ren Ju stood frozen in place, dripping with soup and vegetables from head to toe, clearly never having expected things to turn out this way.
“Fatty,” who had been following behind, was shocked when he saw Ren Ju’s condition. “Ren Ju, what happened to you…?” He trailed off, noticing Si Nuo standing not far away, and a sudden realization dawned on him. “Si Nuo, how could you do something like this?”
Si Nuo had been startled when Guan Xingchen flipped the soup onto Ren Ju, but before he could react, Guan Xingchen spoke up. “You’ll have to ask him why I did it!”
The man’s voice was cold, carrying an undeniable, commanding force. “Fatty,” who had only been focused on Si Nuo, looked up instinctively. The moment he met Guan Xingchen’s piercing black eyes, his heart trembled.
Ren Ju finally seemed to snap out of his shock, stammering in humiliation, “You… how could you…” His voice cut off abruptly as he felt a bone-chilling coldness wash over him. In the next second, his body refused to move, as if something had bound him to the spot, and the surrounding air felt thick with a terrifying, murderous aura. Ren Ju’s face turned paper-white in an instant.
Guan Xingchen didn’t give the two men a chance to spout nonsense. He pulled his hand from Si Nuo’s shoulder and shifted his grip to hold his wrist instead. “Let’s go.”
It wasn’t until Guan Xingchen led Si Nuo out of the cafeteria that the invisible killing intent binding Ren Ju seemed to vanish. Ren Ju immediately went limp and fainted on the spot.
Once they were out of the dining hall, Si Nuo looked at the hand still holding his wrist. “Thank you.”
Guan Xingchen let go, looking down at him. “There’s nothing to thank me for.” He had seen Ren Ju’s attempt to collide with Si Nuo and spill the soup on him the moment they passed each other.
Si Nuo offered him a small smile, not wishing to discuss Ren Ju further. “Anyway, let’s head to my dorm. I have something for you.”
Seeing that Si Nuo didn’t want to talk about it, Guan Xingchen wisely refrained from asking.
When Si Nuo brought him back to the dorm, Zhang Yu hadn’t returned yet. “We have two-person rooms here. My roommate is Zhang Yu the guy you saw earlier. He takes good care of me. Would you like some water?”
After entering, Guan Xingchen didn’t wander around. He stood neatly and respectfully, observing the small but warm, well-organized room. However, when his gaze landed on some items belonging to someone else, he couldn’t help but feel they were an eyesore. After Si Nuo handed him a bottle of water, he took out the board he had previously sealed. “It’s a painting. You can look at it when you get back.”
Guan Xingchen reached out and took it. The board was wrapped, hiding the contents. “Is this a gift for me?”
Si Nuo smiled. “It’s a return gift. Thank you for the cake.”
Guan Xingchen understood his meaning and didn’t decline. “Then, I won’t stand on ceremony.”
He didn’t stay long. As Si Nuo walked him to the school gate, Guan Xingchen stopped. “I’ve enjoyed seeing you today. No need to walk me further; I’ll head back myself.”
Si Nuo nodded. “I enjoyed it too. I hope you like what’s inside once you look at it later.” He gestured toward the painting in the man’s hand.
Guan Xingchen nodded and asked, “May I come watch you paint again tomorrow?”
Si Nuo, surprised by the question, laughed. “If you don’t find it boring, you’re always welcome.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
Watching Guan Xingchen leave, a wave of unfamiliar emotions stirred in Si Nuo’s heart. Throughout the better part of the day they’d spent together, the man had seemed to consciously restrain his aura, as if he knew that Si Nuo was afraid. He was overbearing, yet strangely gentle. He felt like a spring rain, nourishing him quietly and imperceptibly. He felt a bit happy.
When he returned to his dorm, Zhang Yu was back. Seeing him enter, he jumped up from his chair. “Si Nuo, do you know? I heard Ren Ju got covered in soup at the cafeteria and was so angry he fainted! I don’t know who did such a heroic deed what a pity I wasn’t there, or I would’ve cheered!”
Seeing his excitement, Si Nuo didn’t hide it and recounted what happened. After listening, Zhang Yu looked at him with pure admiration. “As expected of His Highness! That was a masterclass move. That’s exactly what should’ve happened it serves that jerk Ren Ju right!”
“You said he fainted, did they take him to the infirmary?” Si Nuo wondered. Ren Ju was such a vain person; being humiliated like that in public was enough to make anyone pass out from anger.
Speaking of that, Zhang Yu laughed again. “Don’t even mention it. Fatty carried him to the infirmary, but when the school doctor saw he was covered in vegetable soup, he told Fatty to just drop him on the floor instead of the bed. It’s a pity Ren Ju wasn’t awake; if he had been, it would’ve been even better!”
Si Nuo couldn’t help but laugh. “By the way, you sent that painting off? I saw it’s gone.”
“Yeah, just gave it to him.”
Zhang Yu chuckled. “He definitely didn’t expect you to draw him a portrait!”
Guan Xingchen, indeed, hadn’t expected Si Nuo to give him a portrait. Looking at himself on the canvas, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. The adjutant standing nearby was equally amazed. “Your Highness, is this the painting Lord Si Nuo gave you?”
Guan Xingchen stayed focused on the portrait, not responding. The adjutant looked at the painting, acknowledging that not only was it a perfect likeness, but it captured his essence and temperament incredibly well. “This is how he sees you, Your Highness. You look very handsome in Lord Si Nuo’s eyes!”
Guan Xingchen glanced at the adjutant. “Handsome? Why do I feel like he painted me looking quite… fierce?”
The adjutant: “…” Well, looking closely, it does look a bit fierce that gaze is quite intimidating!
“Hang it in the bedroom. Right above the headboard.”
The adjutant grinned. “Understood, I’ll hang it right away!” Although his master said it looked fierce, he was clearly more than satisfied. Their Highness was truly acting contrary to his heart, though his actions were very honest.
As the adjutant hung the painting, Guan Xingchen supervised. “A little to the left, move it to the right… okay, that’s good.”
Once the painting was perfectly centered, Guan Xingchen let the adjutant step down. The adjutant smiled. “Your Highness, since Lord Si Nuo has gifted you a painting, does this mean things are progressing well? Should I start preparing for the wedding?”
Guan Xingchen stared at the portrait. “You can start preparing. How is the investigation going?”
When asked, the adjutant dropped his smile and turned serious. “I went to check personally and questioned the students who own the paintings. The healing effect only works for those with A to S-level mental power, which is why our scouts didn’t feel anything. I have obtained the painter’s contact information; should I bring him in for questioning?”
“Investigate the painter’s background first.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
Just as Guan Xingchen was initiating an investigation into Si Nuo, Si Nuo received a message from Lu Cen. Learning that his paintings had caught the attention of some high-ranking officer in the military, Si Nuo wasn’t surprised. It was only a matter of time, given the miraculous properties of his art. He just didn’t know when they would come looking for him.
Zhang Yu was worried. “Will this cause trouble?”
Si Nuo shook his head. “It’s too late to worry about that now. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
Watching his “come what may” attitude, Zhang Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You’re too casual about this! Aren’t you worried they’ll take you away for research or give you a hard time?”
“I have no other choice. Selling paintings is how I stay alive; if I don’t sell them, I’ll die anyway. It’s death either way, so why worry?” Si Nuo felt that with his fragile health, he had nothing to lose. He didn’t believe they would actually do anything to him, especially since his art was clearly effective against mental instability.
Zhang Yu misinterpreted his calm. “Actually, you really don’t need to be afraid. You have the best backer there is His Highness! Honestly, he’s handsome, but he’s just too fierce. I felt weak in the knees just looking at him today. Aren’t you afraid?”
When “fierce” was mentioned, Si Nuo couldn’t help but smile. He now knew clearly that Guan Xingchen’s “fierceness” was only reserved for outsiders.
Seeing him smile, Zhang Yu clutched his chest dramatically. “Ahhh, heavens! Is this the sour, rotting smell of love?”
Si Nuo’s cheeks reddened. “Don’t talk nonsense! We don’t have anything going on!”
Zhang Yu scoffed. “Nothing going on? He already knows how to defend you, if there really was something going on, what would that even be like?”
Si Nuo couldn’t out-argue him and landed a punch on his shoulder. “Why do you have so much to say today!”
Perhaps it was because he’d had such a pleasant day with Guan Xingchen, but Si Nuo felt too excited to sleep. After lying in bed for a while, he climbed back up to set up his easel.
While Si Nuo was busy painting, Guan Xingchen received a message from his adjutant: “Your Highness, we have verified the identity of the healing artist. It is Lord Si Nuo.”