Xingyuan’s gentle personality often made people in high society sigh — how could that old fox Hua Su have given birth to such a pure-hearted son?
Of course, the reason was most likely that Xingyuan had spent most of his time growing up at his grandfather’s.
After Aisley finished grilling the fish, Xingyuan couldn’t wait to get his hands on it. His fingertips were scalded red, but he couldn’t bear to let go. The young man made “om nom” sounds bite after bite, his eyes narrowing with pleasure.
Xingyuan was naturally used to eating delicacies from mountains and seas, but he savored this hard-won food just as carefully. Xingyuan never believed that food made with sincere effort could taste bad.
A smile flowed in Aisley’s eyes; he took in fully the young man’s — born into wealth and status — greedy enjoyment while eating the grilled fish, which made Aisley pay even more attention to the heat, and he tried hard not to let even a bit of the fish burn.
This meal left Xingyuan completely satisfied. Although the grilled fish wasn’t top-tier in flavor, Xingyuan tasted a different kind of deliciousness. This taste lingered in his heart. Xingyuan even thought that if he encountered Aisley again in the future, he could pay to hire the man to make him a grilled fish feast.
Training was canceled today, and Xingyuan felt a bit down. He looked up at the empty training ground, took a deep breath, and told himself in his heart that even alone, he could still run.
Just then, Aisley, who had been following beside him all along, suddenly crouched down and rolled up his pant legs. Xingyuan turned his head and saw the man stand up, stretch his waist a little, and then start jogging around the training ground. Aisley’s pace was about the same as during new recruit training, and the sound of his footsteps alone echoed across the vast training ground.
Xingyuan was stunned at first, and by the time he came to his senses, Aisley had already run a third of a lap. Xingyuan’s deer-like eyes gradually brightened, he curved his eyes into a smile, and started warming up too.
After Aisley finished one lap, Xingyuan seized the chance to catch up.
Don’t underestimate Xingyuan just because he was physically weak — in the entire military camp, there were few besides Aisley whose legs were longer than his. Xingyuan was smart; he knew his stamina couldn’t match Aisley’s, so he took the initiative to run on the inside track.
At first, Xingyuan felt like he had endless energy. He turned his head to look at Aisley’s sharply defined features, and his mood couldn’t help but lift with joy.
Gradually, he started having trouble catching his breath. Xingyuan took deep breaths, his footsteps growing heavier. Aisley’s expression remained as usual; in his spare moments he glanced at the boy, the smile at the corners of his mouth undiminished.
After a while, Xingyuan’s panting grew heavier and heavier, beads of sweat clearly visible on his eyelashes. His deer-like eyes narrowed into half-moons from the strain, he coughed a few times while running, and his slender waist trembled slightly.
This child is about to give out, Aisley thought quietly to himself. His own energy, however, was abundant — the distance that could exhaust the boy to death was, for him, like taking two steps, without the slightest difficulty.
The young man went “huff, huff,” his head bobbing along with each breath. Though Aisley was smiling, his hand had already reached out behind the boy — the moment the boy fell, he would catch him.
After another while, just as Aisley thought Xingyuan was about to collapse, the boy wiped away the sweat on his forehead and, gritting his teeth, ran toward an even inner lane.
Aisley’s hand paused. He looked at the boy, dizzy yet still running, and his gaze gradually grew clouded with emotion.
He smiled. This child was better than he had thought, more capable of perseverance. Xingyuan was like a fishing line — seemingly so thin and fragile, yet hard to snap.
Aisley felt an emotion that was like teasing yet wasn’t quite teasing. With his stamina, speeding up two or three times over would have posed no problem at all, yet at this moment he slowed down instead. Yes — he wanted to see just how long the boy could keep going.
Lap after lap, Xingyuan’s legs sometimes trembled; he felt dizzy, as if he were about to lose consciousness. Still, subconsciously, he was happy. He could feel that this time, his running had lasted longer than last week’s. Even when his strength finally gave out and he collapsed to his knees on the ground, he was still smiling.
Xingyuan went “huff, huff,” his eyes hazy, and in his dim consciousness there was only the rhythmic sound of the man’s footsteps. He rested for a long while, and only once he felt less exhausted did he manage to prop himself up and sit cross-legged.
The man was still running, his rhythm as steady as always. Xingyuan rested his chin on his hand, envy showing on his face — this man was truly amazing, running double the distance he did every single lap, and yet he could still keep going even now.
Just as Aisley had been looking forward to seeing how far Xingyuan could go, Xingyuan too looked forward to seeing how long Aisley could keep running. He sat there watching, lap after lap, and just when he thought Aisley couldn’t possibly hold on any longer, the man suddenly sped up.
Xingyuan: ?
He was stunned for a moment. Before his eyes, Aisley’s speed suddenly increased to three or four times what it had been, the withered grass swaying wherever he passed.
Xingyuan: ……
He blankly pursed his lips, thinking to himself that maybe the man had gotten tired of running and wanted to do a final sprint. However, another half hour passed, and the man’s speed showed no sign of decreasing — if anything, it seemed to be increasing.
Xingyuan: …… Does this kind of body really exist?
Xingyuan’s deer-like eyes widened; he watched, wide-eyed, as the man ran from daytime all the way into the evening, without so much as flushing or panting. Xingyuan was greatly shaken inside. This man… was simply too amazing!
Aisley’s physical stamina exceeded the limits of Xingyuan’s understanding. By the time they walked back that night, Xingyuan supported his own aching waist and limped along beside him, looking up at Aisley all the while.
Aisley knew the boy’s body was frail, so he deliberately slowed his pace to let the boy keep up. In the corner of his eye, he noticed the boy’s gaze kept fixing on him — first on his face, then on his waist, and finally on his legs…
Aisley had never felt this uncomfortable before. His scalp tingled, and he unconsciously wanted to dodge the boy’s gaze, but the boy’s eyes seemed almost glued to his legs.
Aisley tensed the muscles in his legs and adjusted his angle, trying hard to put some distance between himself and the boy.
In the silence, he heard the boy’s voice — faint, yet full of longing.
“If only I could have your legs…”
Aisley: ?
“I would treasure them so much,” the boy murmured softly.
Aisley: ……
Xingyuan recalled the agile figure on the training ground, his eyes filling with little starry sparkles. For a moment, everything he had ever seen about Aisley’s body came flooding into his mind — that tall, sturdy body, those well-built muscles…
Xingyuan’s eyes were full of envy. He sighed and stole a glance at Aisley. Xingyuan thought no one could hear his voice, which was the only reason he dared say such presumptuous things.
“If only everything in the world could be bought with money. Of course, only if you agreed to it. I’d really love to buy your body — even just for a week… no, a day… even just one night would do. Just name your price, and I would definitely buy it.”
The boy’s voice was always so clear and pure, just as his thoughts were nothing more than what lay on the surface of his words. However, the boy’s innocence didn’t mean that the old rogue steeped in the ranks of men wouldn’t let his mind wander.
Aisley pressed his chapped lips together, the emotions in his eyes shifting endlessly, until at last his eyes narrowed to half-closed, and he directly quickened his pace. His fingers trembled before clenching tightly together, and Aisley held his breath. At the same time, thankfully it was already dark, which hid the flush creeping up to the tips of his ears.
The officers of the Legion probably could never have imagined that their boss — always known for being roguish and worldly-wise — could ever wear an expression like this.