Bai Yi bit down on Xiao Shiyun’s shoulder. Xiao Shiyun’s breathing hitched. “Are you a dog?”
“Are you not concerned about my reputation, carrying me in front of so many people? If you will not let me go, then I will not go. Being illiterate is not a big deal anyway. Since I am just a cleaner here to grind your ink and tidy the palace, knowing how to sweep is enough.”
“Do not say things you do not mean.”
“After I leave the palace, I can go kill fish, stir-fry dishes in a kitchen, or work as a stable boy for someone else. I will survive just fine.”
Xiao Shiyun threw Bai Yi into the carriage. “You are still thinking about leaving?”
“Yes. You will not go home with me, so if you will not leave, I have to find a way to do it myself.” Bai Yi was fed up with this place. Every day was spent working like an ox, having to watch other people’s expressions and rack his brains to please Xiao Shiyun.
Once he returned, he wanted to sleep until he woke up naturally every day. He would not have to sweep floors or wipe tables for a month, and he could disconnect, ghost everyone, and stay offline without having to socialize.
“You think you are worthy of having the Emperor return with you? Who do you think you are? You are nothing but a servant. Wherever you go, you must follow my arrangements. I could even lock you up with a chain for the rest of your life.”
Bai Yi’s chest heaved violently. “Do you think I enjoy pleasing you every day? If it were not for the sake of going back, only an idiot would bother with you. Getting close to you was purely intentional. Never mind, then. I will not go back. Is it okay if I just die here? I have already said what I needed to say, and the act cannot go on any longer. Let us just part ways on good terms.”
“Part ways on good terms, my foot.” Xiao Shiyun picked up the handcuffs from the corner of the carriage and locked Bai Yi’s wrist to his own.
“From now on, where I go, you go. I will pretend I did not hear a word you said today. If you cannot even hold onto something as simple as liking me, what else could you ever succeed at in the future?”
It was absurd, truly absurd. Every time Bai Yi moved his wrist, it tugged at the chain. “Xiao Shiyun, you were not like this before. If I absolutely had to choose one version of you to get along with, I would definitely choose the old you.”
Xiao Shiyun stubbornly interlaced his fingers with Bai Yi’s, locking them together. “Even if you do not like it, you have to endure it. You were the one who provoked me first.”
“I regret it, is that enough? I really regret ever getting entangled with a person like you.”
Before he could finish, his lip was bitten. Xiao Shiyun pinned his free left hand down and kissed him fiercely.
The taste of blood spread between them. Through their tangled lips and tongues, it seemed they were trying to vent all their resentment; Xiao Shiyun wanted Bai Yi to know that he was on the verge of being driven mad by anger.
Xiao Shiyun led Bai Yi out of the carriage. Wherever Xiao Shiyun walked, Bai Yi was forced to follow. When they entered the great hall, the two doors suddenly slammed shut.
One side of the handcuffs was released, only for Xiao Shiyun to fully secure both of Bai Yi’s wrists and push him onto the bed.
He knelt between Bai Yi’s legs, his large hands gripping Bai Yi’s ankles, folding his legs back. “Can I break you? Hmm?”
“Are you insane? Xiao Shiyun, let me go, get lost!” Bai Yi’s pupils contracted, his body trembling in a moment of shock. Xiao Shiyun used a handkerchief to wipe his long, slender fingers.
Bai Yi felt nothing but disgust. When the scenes from the scripts he had read actually happened to him, he found them unbearable. Every stupid task was tossed into the trash.
“You damned sodomite, you pervert! I like women! I do not like someone like you.”
His jaw was gripped tightly, forcing his unfocused eyes to meet Xiao Shiyun’s pitch-black pupils. “You like women? Fine. Why do I not castrate you so you can only look for women in a flat position? How about that?”
Bai Yi was truly afraid. He wondered if he should fight Xiao Shiyun to the death.
Xiao Shiyun took off his outer coat, his lean waist and abdominal muscles rising and falling with his breath. “From now on, you can only look at me. You can only like me.”
“If you cannot do that, I am not sure what extreme things I might do. Perhaps dig out your eyes and turn them into specimens to display at my bedside, or keep you from ever being able to get out of bed again,” Xiao Shiyun whispered into his ear.
He was inherently vicious; the darkness in his bones only revealed itself in front of Bai Yi. Xiao Shiyun’s fingers traced Bai Yi’s lips.
“You know, I am a very loyal person. I do not have three wives or four concubines, and I have never liked anyone else. So, Bai Yi, do not dare disappoint me.”
Bai Yi felt something warm run from his nose. He reached up to wipe it, and it was bright red blood.
This should not be happening. His illness was supposed to be cured, was it not? Why was it relapsing? The doctor had told him he could not have extreme mood swings or get angry, as it would prevent his condition from worsening.
Xiao Shiyun grabbed a handkerchief to cover Bai Yi’s nose, his voice dropping as he asked, “Where do you feel unwell?”
“I do not feel anything, except when you talk to me, I feel sick.” Bai Yi reluctantly took the handkerchief to wipe the blood; he could not even force a smile. Had it really worsened?
“Bullshit.” Xiao Shiyun put his coat back on, scooped Bai Yi up in his arms, kicked the hall door open, and strode toward the Imperial Hospital.
On the way, Bai Yi thought he was truly unlucky. He could not even manage to return to his roots and was destined to die miserably in a foreign land.
Bai Yi began to give his last words. “Xiao Shiyun, you used to be my best friend. We used to go out for skewers and drinks, and we played video games together.”
“Later, we traveled through time. Every time I teased you, it was just so we could go home. But seeing as you do not really want to go back with me, I will not force it. Let us just let today’s events pass. I will not take it seriously. In the future, you—”
“Shut up. You are not dead yet, so stop giving your final words.” Xiao Shiyun feigned composure as he carried Bai Yi into the hospital, but his panicked eyes betrayed him.
Bai Yi was already too wilted to speak. The royal physician held his breath and quietly took his pulse, then suddenly let out a long sigh.
Xiao Shiyun tightened his grip on Bai Yi’s hand. Bai Yi closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
“Young Master Bai, you! Oh, my.”
“It is fine, just say it. How many days do I have left?” Bai Yi felt a wave of bitterness.
Even looking at Xiao Shiyun, he did not seem quite as detestable anymore. After all, Xiao Shiyun had accompanied him for a portion of the journey. This time, they really were parting on good terms, so he would not hold today’s absurdity against him.
Xiao Shiyun’s fingers, which were holding Bai Yi’s, trembled uncontrollably. “Tell me exactly what illness he has.”
“Young Master Bai, you…”
“Speak!” Xiao Shiyun’s remaining shred of reason was on the verge of collapsing.
“Young Master Bai, you are not sick at all! You had a nosebleed because your liver fire is too strong. Young people should really exercise some restraint. What else do you want this old subject to say?” The physician flicked his sleeves and turned his head away.
“You nearly scared me to death. I will prescribe two doses of herbs. Avoid the heat this summer, and whatever you do, do not get angry these next few days. Practice restraint; otherwise, you will suffer from deficiency and dizziness.”
Bai Yi sprang up from the bed like a carp. “What did you say?”
“Young Master, you are not sick.”
“Huh? I am not sick?” Bai Yi asked, stunned.
Xiao Shiyun wiped the sweat from his forehead, let out a long sigh of relief, and scolded, “I think you are the one who is sick—you are mentally ill.”
Bai Yi could not accept this result. So, he had gotten a nosebleed just from being stimulated by Xiao Shiyun’s physique?