“How can they not be put in the same category? This bed belongs to Master, and aside from you, only Master has ever slept in it. It is saturated with Master’s scent. Master has slept upon this bed for so many years that we have essentially merged into one. It… represents Master.”
Yu Qinghan delivered this straight-faced fabrication with absolute solemnity, yet matched with that serious, upright expression of his, it possessed a startling degree of credibility.
Wen Xu’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped, staring blankly and dumbfoundedly at Yu Qinghan. This… what a fiercely formidable piece of logic!
What was he supposed to do? He suddenly felt that everything Yu Qinghan was saying made complete sense!
He even felt as though his entire body was coated in the other’s scent—that cold, aloof fragrance resembling winter’s weeping plum blossoms, emitting an ethereal, chilly aroma.
A fragrance that the wind could not scatter, lingering persistently right beneath his nose.
Wen Xu couldn’t help recalling the scene earlier when he had been held tightly in Yu Qinghan’s embrace. That pleasant, chilling fragrance had surrounded him, inhaling through his nasal passages and spreading outward to all four limbs and hundreds of bones.
“Ah-Xu, your face has suddenly turned awfully red.”
“Red? Has it?” Wen Xu immediately reached up to touch his face. Whether it was red or not, he couldn’t be certain, but the sensation of growing hot was undeniably real.
“Does Ah-Xu also feel that what Master just said makes a great deal of sense?” Yu Qinghan abruptly leaned forward, closing the distance until he was merely a fist or two away from Wen Xu’s face, his warm breath lightly fanning against those tender, fair cheeks.
Unable to stop himself, Wen Xu leaned backward, blinking his large eyes rapidly. With slightly unstable breathing, he stammered, “What Shizun said just now makes… a tremendous amount of sense, leaving this disciple entirely speechless…”
He had no desire to acknowledge that such crooked logic was correct, yet fearing that speaking the truth might displease Yu Qinghan, he had no choice but to simply play along.
“Then shouldn’t my obedient disciple take responsibility for Master?” Yu Qinghan maintained his leaning posture, his deep, dark pupils locked fixedly upon Wen Xu’s eyes.
This left Wen Xu feeling remarkably like a hunted prey pinned beneath a hunter’s gaze sitting on pins and needles, enduring a sense of mounting panic as though needles were pricking his back.
Swallowing hard twice, Wen Xu braced himself and forced out a laugh. “Hehe, Shizun, you certainly know how to joke around. Having logic is one thing, but taking responsibility is an entirely different matter! How could this disciple possibly be worthy of taking responsibility for Shizun?”
Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best option!
The moment those words left his mouth, Wen Xu abruptly rolled across the bed and scrambled down from the foot of the mattress, nearly tumbling straight onto the floor in his frantic haste.
“Um, this disciple still has matters to attend to, so I shall head back first! I will come tomorrow to attend to Shizun please get some rest early, Shizun! Goodnight!”
Flashing Yu Qinghan a massive, bright grin, Wen Xu turned on his heel and bolted.
Yu Qinghan raised an eyebrow, genuinely not expecting his little disciple to pull such a stunt. It was simply too adorable.
If anyone else had been present to witness this, they undoubtedly would have been utterly astounded to see such a smile grace that icy visage resembling winter snow melting away in the warmth of a spring breeze.
Breathtakingly stunning.
Unfortunately, no one was there to see it.
Yu Qinghan lowered his gaze to look at the small white boots left on the floor, knowing full well that the owner of those shoes couldn’t possibly have large feet.
“What’s the use of scrambling away so fast? Won’t you have to come back shortly to retrieve your shoes anyway?”
Murmuring to himself with a curling smile, Yu Qinghan seated himself at the edge of the bed, resting at ease as he waited for the little fellow to return for his footwear.
Instead of waiting for the person to return, however, what greeted him was a sharp: “Ouch!”
Frowning, Yu Qinghan stood up instantly, drifted outside like a gust of wind, and upon arriving in the outer area, discovered his little disciple seated right on the floor outside the study doorway. The boy was wringing his face in a grimace while miserably cradling his left foot.
His fair toes were flushed bright red.
Glancing down at the smooth, level ground that didn’t even possess a raised doorsill, Yu Qinghan knelt down with a helpless sigh. “Running off in such a panic that you manage to trip on flat ground looking at that scrunched-up little face, I take it that hurt quite a bit?”
Pulling his lower lip down into an exaggerated pout, Wen Xu nodded vigorously. “It hurts! It hurts so much I could cry!”
If he had tripped while wearing his shoes, it certainly wouldn’t have hurt this badly, but he was barefoot wuwu, it was all Yu Qinghan’s fault for always saying things that left him completely defenseless!
Noticing the faint sheen of tears welling in his little disciple’s eyes a sight that carried a surprisingly endearing, heart-tugging quality, Yu Qinghan found his tone softening of its own accord. “Stop looking like such a pitiful little creature. Move your hand aside a bit and let Master take a look.”
Obediently, Wen Xu shifted his hand away just a fraction, revealing his fair, rounded toes, which looked rather cute.
Unsure of what Yu Qinghan intended to do, he watched as the man suddenly lowered his head, positioning himself as though he were about to kiss his foot.
Wide-eyed, Wen Xu hesitated over whether he should pull his foot back, right when Yu Qinghan suddenly blew a warm puff of air directly against his toes.
In the next instant, the pain vanished entirely.
“!!!” Staring in utter astonishment, Wen Xu pinched his own toes, crying out excitedly, “It doesn’t hurt anymore! Shizun, you’re amazing! What kind of breath was that you just blew? It’s practically magic! It feels like we don’t even need Murong-xiansheng anymore!”
“Murong Wenyu remains quite essential; my breath can only alleviate minor, superficial pain. If you had actually fractured your toes, a hundred breaths wouldn’t save you.” Yu Qinghan placed the boots right in front of Wen Xu. “Put your shoes on properly. Walk steadily from now on and don’t panic so much; if you manage to trip again, I won’t be blowing any more air for you.”
Recalling the serious yet strangely gentle profile Yu Qinghan had worn while blowing warm air against his toes, Wen Xu felt as though the words “blowing air” were fluttering endlessly around inside his mind.
It felt almost as though Yu Qinghan hadn’t been blowing air against his foot at all, but rather directly against his heart.
Ah-ah-ah! Why did Yu Qinghan’s persona suddenly take such a drastic shift?!
He vividly remembered how, right after transmigrating, Yu Qinghan had mercilessly tossed him into a freezing pool of water without a shred of mercy, those thin lips uttering words far colder than minus thirty degrees.
Yet now, he was acting as gentle as a mother!
Wen Xu seriously suspected that Yu Qinghan had been handed the wrong script or had secretly swapped souls with Yuan Xiuzhu behind the scenes!
“Why are you sitting there staring blankly? Put your shoes on already or are you waiting for Master to put them on for you?” Yu Qinghan arched an eyebrow, his expression neutral, his dark gaze sharp and carrying an air of stern aloofness.
Wen Xu: “…”
It seems everything just now was merely an illusion, Yu Qinghan is still very much Yu Qinghan!
Could he not maintain that gentleness for just a little longer?
The sensation felt precisely like watching fireworks: blindingly brilliant, yet vanishing into the night sky almost instantly, leaving behind nothing but boundless, lingering fantasy.
Not daring to voice his complaints out loud, Wen Xu could only mentally grumble a few grievances to himself before hastily pulling on his shoes and standing up.
“I wouldn’t dare trouble Shizun; this disciple has hands of my own. Many thanks to Shizun for curing my pain just now this disciple is endlessly grateful. However, the hour is late and the night is deep, so I shall return tomorrow to await Shizun’s bidding!”
After reciting this speech with the utmost respect and propriety, Wen Xu turned on his heel and marched away, his retreating figure resembling a bristling, ruffled little cat harboring lingering dissatisfaction.
Behind him, upon that cold, handsome face of Yu Qinghan’s, a faint smile slowly bloomed. His dark eyes grew even more fathomless, where a faint reddish gleam remained faintly visible.
He’s acting angry.
Which makes him all the more adorable.