Li Yan’s lips twitched. Had Hu Bai lost his mind? Did he think he would agree to an unreasonable clause?
His stare fell to Li Yan’s mouth, then slowly traveled upward. Nothing gentle lingered in those jade eyes—only a burning intent. When their gazes met, Li Yan felt his heart pounding in his chest.
"Can I touch you? I promise I will be gentle. Only your face will do."
Li Yan swallowed hard; those eyes... Those eyes staring at him were dangerous.
"You promised me you would not touch me until I was older."
Hu Bai’s hand paused in mid-air; Li Yan’s face suddenly seemed farther away from his reach.
"You are right, I cannot touch you until you are of age. I lost myself for a moment."
Hu Bai got out of the bed, his robes covering his arms. "I only came to fetch you for breakfast. Hu Biyan still has much to teach you, so you must eat now and gather your strength."
Li Yan followed Hu Bai down the corridor toward the dining hall.
The man was unusually quiet.
Hu Bai usually had something to say about everything, especially when it gave him an opportunity to tease Li Yan. Yet since leaving the bedroom, he had barely spoken a word.
Li Yan glanced at him several times as they walked.
He wondered if what had happened in his bedroom had affected him.
When they entered the dining hall, however, his attention was immediately drawn to the table.
Breakfast had been prepared in abundance.
There were steamed buns, porridge, vegetables, eggs, and several different meat dishes. There was considerably more meat than usual, enough that Li Yan suspected someone had finally figured out just how much he enjoyed it.
After growing three inches overnight and awakening his cultivation, his appetite had increased considerably.
He sat down and began eating without hesitation.
The food tasted even better than usual.
Li Yan happily reached for another piece of meat, only to notice that Hu Bai was still unusually quiet.
He swallowed before turning toward him.
"Are you all right? You seem a bit... not like your usual self."
Hu Bai looked up. Li Yan hesitated before asking, "Are you angry at me?"
Hu Bai shook his head. "No."
His answer came without hesitation. "I am angry at myself."
Li Yan’s chopsticks stopped. Hu Bai lowered his gaze, his usual playful smile nowhere to be found.
"I behaved inappropriately earlier. I am sorry."
Li Yan blinked. The apology caught him completely off guard.
Hu Bai continued before he could respond.
"I should not have asked to touch you after promising that I would not. You reminded me of that promise, and I realized how badly I had behaved."
He paused, his fingers tightening slightly around his cup.
"You are fifteen. I am three years older than you, and I should have been the one to exercise restraint. Instead, I allowed myself to become carried away."
Li Yan remained silent. Hu Bai looked directly at him.
"If you had not spoken up for yourself, I might have crossed a boundary you had every right to protect."
His expression tightened. "I am ashamed of that."
Li Yan stared at him.
He did not know what to say. He had always been the one apologizing.
Whenever something went wrong, he had learned to lower his head, admit fault, and try to make things right, even when he had not been the one who caused the problem.
He had never been particularly good at receiving an apology. Now that the situation had been reversed, he found himself completely at a loss.
"You don’t have to apologize," Li Yan said eventually.
"Yes, I do."
Hu Bai’s response was gentle but firm.
"What happened was my fault. You should not have to reassure me about it."
Li Yan lowered his eyes. Their engagement was nothing more than a contract between the two of them.
Their families knew nothing about it. As far as his family was concerned, he had died.
There was no family expectation tying Hu Bai to him.
No obligation forcing him to stay.
Yet Hu Bai had still chosen to respect the boundaries they had established between themselves.
Li Yan was not sure what to make of that.
After a moment, he quietly said, "Then... I accept your apology."
Hu Bai’s expression softened. "Thank you."
Li Yan returned to his food. For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Hu Bai reached for the serving dish and placed another piece of meat onto Li Yan’s plate.
Li Yan looked down at it. Then he looked at Hu Bai.
"You’re giving me more?"
"You have been eating continuously since you sat down."
"I grew taller."
"I noticed."
"My body needs more food now." Li Yan murmured.
"I can see that..."
Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you smiling?"
Hu Bai’s lips curved. "Because my sweetheart has finally discovered an excuse to eat as much meat as he wants."
Li Yan’s lips twitched. Did he have to point it out in such a way?
"Are you implying I’m going to get fat?"
Hu Bai’s lips twitched, then stretched to pinch Li Yan’s cheeks. "Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. You will still be beautiful, no matter how much you weigh; I will always be able to carry you."
Li Yan slapped his hand away and rubbed his cheek. "Who asked you to carry me?"
"No one." Hu Bai picked up his chopsticks again, completely unbothered. "I was simply stating a fact."
"You say things like that so casually."
"Would you prefer I make a formal announcement next time?"
Li Yan rolled his eyes and continued eating. Hu Bai was impossible when he got into one of these moods, but at least his earlier apology had not been meaningless.
He had returned to his usual teasing self without once pushing the boundary Li Yan had set.
After a moment, Hu Bai’s expression became more thoughtful. "You really have changed quite a bit."
Li Yan looked at him. "Because I grew taller?"
"That is part of it."
Hu Bai studied him for a moment before continuing, his tone still casual. "Your features have changed too. You are a lot more mature now, still pretty, but you do not possess your earlier childish features."
Li Yan touched his face unconsciously.
He had noticed the difference, but he had been too focused on his breakthrough to pay much attention to his appearance.
Now that Hu Bai had mentioned it, he found himself wondering how much the transformation had actually altered him.
"I suppose advancing in cultivation really does affect the body."
"It does." Hu Bai nodded. "The stronger your foundation becomes, the more your body will change. You should get used to it."
Li Yan hummed in response and reached for another piece of meat.
Hu Bai watched him eat for a moment before his expression turned serious again.
"There is something else you should know."
Li Yan looked up.
"The commotion outside was because of your breakthrough."