Li Jue instinctively called out to Xi Huai. He could not let him leave. His memories were in chaos and his body was weak; he needed someone to take care of him. He was not sure if he would die of illness in the deep mountains or forests if Xi Huai left, so for his own sake, he had to make him stay.
However, this did not mean he fully trusted Xi Huai. His subconscious was telling him that not everything Xi Huai said was true.
“I will believe you for once.” Despite being full of suspicion, Li Jue still grabbed onto the hem of Xi Huai’s damp robe.
However, Li Jue did not see Xi Huai’s expression. He only noticed that Xi Huai’s body stiffened and he truly stopped in his tracks. Xi Huai was completely numb. Don’t believe him; let him leave.
Despite not having fully recovered from his fever, Li Jue had immense strength; he was pulled back, unable to move.
He had no choice but to maintain the persona of the deep-feeling lover he had established moments ago. “I am not leaving, Ah Jue. You are ill; how could I bear to leave you?”
Li Jue was clearly uncomfortable with the intimate words. His body stiffened, and just as he was about to react, his stomach let out a loud rumble. He was hungry.
Xi Huai was startled, and the next moment, he let out a chuckle. The youth’s face turned bright red, and his veins bulged as he glared at him.
“Shut up!”
“Cough.” He coughed lightly, then suppressed his laughter as if nothing had happened, saying seriously, “You have not eaten all night; have some fruit.”
He placed some wild fruit he had found nearby in front of the youth.
The youth showed a look of disdain. “It is dirty. I do not want it; I want to eat grilled fish.”
Xi Huai: ” ”
Where did this young miss come from? She is even more demanding than the little emperor. And it is the middle of the night; who is going to go into the water to get you grilled fish?
Xi Huai said dismissively, “It is late. Tomorrow; tomorrow I will go into the water and catch fish for you.”
Li Jue was truly furious. He shivered all over, fearing the young miss would make an unreasonable scene. To his surprise, Li Jue only snorted through his nose and shot him a sideways glance. That tone, as if looking at a piece of trash, made him lose some face. But when he saw his own thin, weak arms, he gritted his teeth. Fine, fine; I am just a skinny dog, alright?
Li Jue ignored his expression, crossed his arms, and said, “You said I lost my memory.”
“Yes.”
“I want to know what I was like in your eyes before I lost my memory.”
Xi Huai blinked. He looked at the weak Li Jue, but their gazes accidentally met. The light in those eyes flickered, looking at him with deep scrutiny. It was this very look that made him shudder, with cold sweat breaking out on his back. Is he probing me?
“In my eyes, you were very gentle.” Thinking of this, Xi Huai’s voice became thin and soft. “You never expressed your own opinions; you only followed my wishes and treated me like your own.”
In reality, he was terrified, but he had to act as if he were full of tender affection. He said passionately, “But I know you only liked me. You only treated me differently because you liked me.”
“But the real you? Your temper was exactly like mine: foul and rotten.” He thought of the Li Jue in his dream, frowning and calling him a dog emperor. He also thought of Li Jue during the autumn hunt, when he was about to lose his composure and throw a tantrum. His temper really was not much different from the little emperor’s.
“I have long known who you are.” I have long known you are an assassin, disguised as a woman and lurking by the little emperor’s side. You do not need to pretend in front of me. Anyway, no matter how you act, I am a better actor than you; this is real acting skill.
Thinking of this, Xi Huai relaxed. Once he relaxed, exhaustion surged in like a wave. His eyelids were fighting, and he said, “And compared to your usual self, I want to know the real you even more.”
Li Jue felt bewildered and strange upon hearing this. He could not understand Xi Huai’s meaning. He could be certain he was not a young boy, but who exactly was the person Xi Huai was talking about? He wanted to question him, but he saw Xi Huai smacking his lips and closing his eyes in exhaustion.
Xi Huai had fallen asleep. Li Jue paused and looked at Xi Huai with displeasure. Xi Huai’s head began to bob, and he unconsciously leaned toward his shoulder. Before Li Jue could react, Xi Huai had already rested his head on his shoulder and fallen into a deep sleep.
Li Jue wanted to dodge, but his heartbeat skipped a beat. His body, which had been burning with high fever, felt even hotter. Even his cold heart became scorching. Only when looking at Xi Huai did his emotions calm down. Li Jue understood he should not trust a stranger too much, but Xi Huai gave him a feeling very much like a mother. Eventually, he convinced his instincts and quietly watched Xi Huai’s face in his sleep.
Early morning, warm sunlight slanted down through the clouds, illuminating the cave and signaling the arrival of a new day. Xi Huai woke up quickly. Having been trapped on the cliff for two days, even though his appetite was low, he did not want to eat wild fruit. Therefore, he took out a homemade fish spear, prepared to catch fish, but the moment he stood up, he was startled by Li Jue’s breathtaking beauty.
Li Jue was sleeping soundly, completely unguarded. He could not imagine what Li Jue would be like in two days when he found his memories and recovered them. Xi Huai had a thought: he wanted to take a picture of Li Jue’s current appearance to play the emotional card when Li Jue turned against him. However, just as he finished using the screenshot function in the chat group, he accidentally pressed the wrong button.
Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “Wait, didn’t you fall off a cliff? Why is there a beautiful girl?”
Xi Huai: ” ”
Xi Huai immediately recalled the message. “Sorry, I am not familiar with the group functions yet. Sent the wrong one.”
House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Suggest deleting. I am surrounded by stinky men; I cannot stand seeing beautiful girls.”
Xi Huai said awkwardly, “He is the imperial concubine I mentioned earlier.”
The group fell into a brief silence, then the group exploded.
House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “After the male lead, this time it is the imperial concubine?”
Imperial Harem Novel Supporting Female Lead: “In my experience, this must be a ‘Charmer’ novel.”
House-fighting Novel Supporting Male Lead: “Is there a conflict between a battleground of romance novel and a charmer novel?”
Apocalypse Novel Male Lead: “Tsk, you really are an unfathomable man.”
The group owner even asked inexplicably: “So you like cross-dressers?”
Xi Huai was speechless. “Stop it. You guys, stop joking around.”
The imperial concubine was an assassin meant to kill the little emperor; how could this be a charmer novel? He knew Li Jue wanted to kill the little emperor, but he did not know the reason why. Because he knew he could no longer fake his own death, his current plan was to return to the imperial palace first.
Xi Huai shut the chat group in frustration and walked out of the cave, heading straight for the lake. It was already autumn, and there was a chill in the air. His damp clothes had dried, and he sneezed several times. He had no choice but to wipe his nose, roll up his pant legs, and go into the water to catch fish.
Xi Huai quickly caught a few large fish and started grilling them by the lake. Although the crispy, delicious fish lacked seasonings, the aroma was overwhelming. Saliva secreted in his mouth, and he could not help but swallow his saliva. But before he could take a bite, his wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone.
“Where did you go?!”
Xi Huai turned around to see a sober Li Jue, looking at him, panting. Li Jue’s face was livid, and his bottomless eyes still held a hint of chill. That expression revealed a panic that even he had not noticed.
“I am grilling fish for you.” Xi Huai was panicked and said feignedly, “Did you not say yesterday you wanted to eat grilled fish?” He scratched his face, looking a bit embarrassed. “I am not very good at grilling fish; you try it and see how the taste is.”
Li Jue’s gloomy expression finally eased slightly. Compared to the immaturity of yesterday, today he looked a bit more mature.
“I thought you left.” His expression was listless, as if he was enduring something. His thick lashes lowered, casting a shadow over his eyelids. His voice was hoarse and low, with no detectable emotion. “I thought you were angry and wanted to leave.”
Xi Huai’s lips formed a surprised “O” shape. He thought incredibly: How could that be? Why would you think that? He was right; he did want to leave. Because he was afraid he would recover his memories and kill him. But as things stood, besides returning to the palace, no one could protect him. It was precisely because of this that he had to stay and deal with Li Jue.
Xi Huai took his hand. “No matter what, I will never be angry with you.”
Li Jue’s expression looked unaccustomed, but he did not pull his hand away. “Why are you not angry with me?” Li Jue’s expression was moved.
Xi Huai smiled hypocritically. “Because, are we not lovers?”
Li Jue’s breathing paused. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only Xi Huai remained in those beautiful eyes. His peripheral vision swept over the grilled fish Xi Huai was holding; his previously gloomy expression softened in an instant. Finally, he raised his eyebrows and curled his lips, looking like a proud swan, raising his chin. “You are indeed not my mother.”
Xi Huai: “What?”
“My memory has returned to age fourteen. Although I still do not remember you, you did not deceive me.”
Xi Huai was stunned. Thinking of Li Jue about to recover his memories, he could not help but shudder. When he came to his senses, Li Jue had already firmly clasped his hand, fingers interlaced with his. Seeing him staring blankly at him, the roots of Li Jue’s ears flushed with a faint red, but he stubbornly made eye contact with him.
“Except for my mother, no one has ever grilled fish for me. I must have been willing to elope with you back then because you look very much like my mother.”
Xi Huai: ” ”
Xi Huai was numb. Who looks like a mother? I am barely an adult; I do not want to be a mother without pain. He remained numb, but did not forget to ask vigilantly: “What did you just say?”
Li Jue smiled confidently and recklessly, but he did not let go of his hand. “I know, you did not deceive me.”
“…I was not asking about that.” Xi Huai took a deep breath. “You said you recovered your memories at fourteen?”
Li Jue seemed to find it strange; he tilted his head. “Yes, is there a problem?”
“Nothing.” Xi Huai gave a forced smile. “It is great that you can remember.”
Nothing much, I am just laughing until I want to die. Heaven knows if I can survive until tomorrow.