Xiyu stood on the bank, wondering how the situation had ever developed to this extent.
Fuying and Ye Weifeng had both fallen into the water simultaneously. Ye Weifeng deserved what was coming to him, but Fuying…
The nightmare from his youth repeated itself once again. Even if he was not the one who pushed him this time, he still bore some of the responsibility.
Xiyu glanced around and found a bamboo pole. It was not that he did not want to go into the water to save them, but while the original host might have been a strong swimmer, Xiyu himself was truly a non-swimmer.
If he went into the water and failed to rescue anyone while drowning himself, that would hardly be wise. Therefore, as an evolved human being, Xiyu decided to make clever use of tools.
Just as he intended to toss the bamboo pole toward Fuying’s side to pull him up, the system’s anxious voice suddenly rang out in his mind.
“Host, you’re doing it wrong! You should save the target object first. This is a crucial opportunity to reform him! Think about it, if you save his life, the target object will definitely be deeply grateful to you, and your progress bar can move forward a bit.” The system tried to persuade him with earnest advice.
Yet Xiyu let out a cold laugh. Ye Weifeng? Deeply grateful? Absolutely impossible; it would already be a miracle if that man did not repay kindness with enmity.
However, the hand holding the bamboo pole paused for a moment. Wenren Yan’s plan flashed through his mind. This truly was a good opportunity to make Ye Weifeng lower his guard and gain his trust.
It was just that… Fuying.
Xiyu looked at Fuying, who was struggling continuously in the water yet gazing at him expectantly with a pair of teary, doe-like eyes.
Xiyu turned his head away, deliberately avoiding Fuying’s gaze, and whispered silently in his heart.
Fuying, I am sorry.
This time, I still cannot choose you.
Xiyu threw the bamboo pole straight toward Ye Weifeng and shouted, “Catch it, then climb up along the pole with all your strength. I will pull you up.”
Knowing that people tended to panic in such moments, Xiyu gave simple, step-by-step instructions so the other person could easily follow along.
He looked unusually calm and collected, except that he never dared to look into Fuying’s eyes, fearing he would see disappointment in them.
Watching Xiyu extend both hands toward him, Ye Weifeng felt joy surge endlessly from his chest, making him feel as though he had sprung back to life.
He was saved. Xiyu still belonged to him.
Ye Weifeng scrambled toward the bamboo pole step by step until Xiyu grasped his hand and hauled him ashore, tackling Xiyu to the ground and letting the moisture from his entire body dampen Xiyu’s clothes.
“I knew it, I knew it! You love me. You have always loved me.”
Hearing these words, Xiyu shoved Ye Weifeng away abruptly, a relentless wave of nausea rising from the pit of his stomach. It felt as sickening as swallowing a fly, making his whole body crawl with discomfort.
The pushed-away Ye Weifeng looked momentarily surprised and somewhat at a loss. Just as he wanted to embrace Xiyu once more, Xiyu had already turned around and hurled the bamboo pole back into the pool.
This time, it was aimed at Fuying’s direction.
Yet Fuying had been watching him the entire time, and those round, dark, bright eyes had now lost all their luster. He had choked on several mouthfuls of water, and his lungs felt painfully tight.
However, that was not what pained him the most.
He knew that he seemed destined never to become Xiyu’s primary choice, no matter how many times things repeated themselves. This was not something that could be achieved through hard work alone.
When saving Ye Weifeng just moments ago, Xiyu had only used the bamboo pole to pull him up, but when pulling Fuying ashore, he had extended his bare hand.
Yet Fuying did not take it. His eyes were brimming with moisture as he forced himself to hold back.
“It’s dirty!” Fuying explained to Xiyu. His entire body was covered in muddy water, and even his hands were stained with thick grime; he did not want to use such hands to defile Xiyu’s palms.
In his heart, Xiyu was forever clean and radiant, an existence that ought to be revered on high rather than being soiled by his own filth.
Yet to Xiyu, this action carried an entirely different meaning. He lowered his head, his gaze dark and unreadable.
Xiyu thought that perhaps because his hands had just saved Ye Weifeng, Fuying was disgusted by his perceived uncleanliness and therefore refused to take his palm.
Both of their moods were somewhat low, their endless loops of tangled thoughts concealing unspeakable worries.
Only Ye Weifeng appeared exceptionally elated, rejoicing that he had triumphed over Fuying once again and proven his standing in Xiyu’s heart.
Much like that time in their youth when they exchanged floral wreaths, even though so many people wanted Xiyu’s prize, he had kept it solely for him.
Undeniably, one of the major reasons he harbored such special feelings for Xiyu was because Xiyu was his ultimate vanity trophy.
An aloof, untainted Xiyu, the most enviable existence in the entire capital, to have precisely this kind of Xiyu held firmly in the palm of his hand, was there anything in this world more exhilarating than that?
Palace attendants finally brought over outer garments and wiping cloths. Ye Weifeng handed one directly to Xiyu first. Although he himself had not fallen into the water, he had still gotten Xiyu wet with his own dampness.
However, Xiyu passed it over to Fuying instead, and Ye Weifeng did not get angry. The earlier incident had fully demonstrated his position in Xiyu’s heart, so he would not bicker with Fuying over such trivial matters.
When leaving the palace, Xiyu walked side by side with Fuying, though unlike their usual intimacy, a wide gap separated the two of them.
Xiyu felt a dull ache in his chest; this was the first time his emotions had ever been dictated by someone else.
“Are you blaming me…” Xiyu had just intended to voice those words when he heard Fuying speaking to him.
He stopped in his tracks, turned toward Fuying, and looked at him earnestly.
Only then did Xiyu realize that Fuying’s stature had actually reached his shoulder. Yet for some reason, he had always perceived him as frail and desperately in need of his protection.
Perhaps Fuying was far stronger than he had ever imagined. He had survived the contempt of others after losing his wits, the bitterness following his birth mother’s death, and those long, neglected years in the cold palace.
He was not a delicate flower needing protection; he was a sapling capable of growing tall on its own.
He heard Fuying say to him, “Brother Xiyu, if only I were a little stronger, then I could have saved the Fifth Brother together with you today, and I wouldn’t have dirtied your hands. You wouldn’t have had to feel awkward before the Fifth Brother because of me.”
Although Fuying’s six senses were incomplete, Xiyu suddenly felt at that moment as though he understood everything.
Furthermore, Fuying never blamed him the way Ye Weifeng did; he always stood firmly on his side and considered things from his perspective.
He only hated himself for not being strong enough to help him, and feared becoming a burden, yet he never once harbored resentment.
Ye Weifeng was always blaming his birth mother’s background, blaming His Majesty for not loving him, and blaming Xiyu for failing to focus all his attention on him. He always cast himself in the role of the victim.
Yet the true victim, Fuying, was always the one apologizing.
He said, “I am sorry, Brother Xiyu. It is just that I am still not good enough or strong enough to protect you or make you fall in love with me.”
Xiyu blinked, holding back the stinging sensation in his nose. “Fuying, do you know? Sometimes, only the children who cry end up getting a piece of candy.”
He lowered his head, gently unfolding Fuying’s palm, and placed a jade pendant into his hand.
“It was left to me by my mother. I am leaving it with you now, so you must help me protect it well, Fuying.”
Fuying nodded solemnly.
From this moment onward, Xiyu and Ye Weifeng were about to wage a hard-fought battle.
“Has everything been deployed?”
On the eve of Wenren Yan’s welcoming banquet, Xiyu stood before the window with his hands behind his back.
“Naturally. As long as Ye Weifeng desires those two cities, he will inevitably take the bait.” Accustomed to wearing black, Wenren Yan had once again entered the Xiyu estate clad in dark robes, almost melting into the night.
“I, Xiyu, shall engrave this kindness in my heart,” Xiyu walked over and placed a hand on Wenren Yan’s shoulder.
Wenren Yan’s body stiffened slightly. “Why say such things? If not for you back then, I would have lost my life entirely. How could I have lived to see today?”
The two exchanged a glance, everything left unsaid understood between them.
After Wenren Yan took his leave, Xiyu summoned Ji Qingzhou to confirm once more, “How are the brothers of the Xuanhu Camp doing?”
“Rest assured, General. They swear allegiance unto death to the General. The moment your order is given, they will not retreat half a step.” Ji Qingzhou cupped his fists, reporting respectfully to Xiyu.
Xiyu nodded, flashing a smile that felt somewhat mesmerizing to Ji Qingzhou, and heard his General praise him.
“Well done, Qingzhou.”
With just those words, everything he had done was worth it. A faint smile involuntarily bloomed across Ji Qingzhou’s typically stern and icy face.
This deployment had been planned ever since the day Xiyu entered the cold palace. For all this time, while Xiyu was inside the palace, Ji Qingzhou had been running about outside at the risk of his own life for his sake.
Ji Qingzhou was no longer that little beggar who had fled to the gates of the imperial city during a famine back then, still struggling to get enough to eat.
Today’s Ji Qingzhou, though not holding an extraordinarily high official rank, commanded a salary and a standing in the military camp that were more than enough to secure a solid footing for himself in the capital, not to mention his youth and the bright promotional prospects lying ahead of him.
As long as he pledged loyalty to Ye Weifeng, a smooth and untroubled boulevard stretched out before him. Yet ever since that day when Xiyu picked him up from beggar’s alley and brought him back to the Xiyu estate, Ji Qingzhou had known his life belonged solely to Xiyu.
“General, did you find the sachet I gave you last time uncomfortable to use? It seems I haven’t seen you wear it for a long time.” After struggling with himself for a long while, Ji Qingzhou finally mustered the courage to ask Xiyu.
Before Xiyu could reply, Ji Qingzhou hurriedly fabricated an excuse for him of his own accord. “It must be because the scent of the previous sachet was too strong. The General has always preferred more delicate and elegant things. Next time, I will make a lighter, more refreshing one for the General. Would you wear it then?”
He spoke to Xiyu almost in a pleading tone, causing Xiyu to silently sigh in his heart, feeling as though he had accumulated yet another debt.
He looked out the window, temporarily casting these thoughts aside, for more critical matters lay right before his eyes.
Everything was already prepared. The night was long, but dawn would always break, and all Xiyu needed to do was steady his heart and wait!