Translated by Manami
Edited by Gaby & Asaki
“What were you doing? Look at you, being all sneaky.”
When ZhenBei Wang came in, he saw Shen Yu stuffing something into his pocket.
Shen Yu shakes his head, smiling.
ZhenBei Wang watches him smile with pursed lips, exerting a buoyancy he had never seen before. ZhenBei Wang couldn’t look away. He flicks Shen Yu’s delicate nose lightly.
“Little guy, hiding secrets from me.”
ZhenBei Wang bents down and sits, enveloping Shen Yu from his back. Then, he takes out something from his sleeve.
Shen Yu stares at it. It is a piece of Hetian jade. It had been carved into a sculpture of a beautiful person. Exquisite eyes and lips parted slightly, which gave the statue a delicacy akin to a willow in the wind.
“Me?”
Shen Yu points at himself.
“Correct, Do you like it?”
Shen Yu picks it up. It’s so heavy he almost drops it. He inspects it, intrigued. So this is how he looks. No, that sculpture was a blessing from God, he could not possibly look like that.
“This is not me.”
Shen Yu partly wrote and gestured, so that ZhenBei Wang would understand him.
“True. This was made by the painter and the sculptor after they heard my description, after all. It’s different from you.”
Zhen Beiwang continued, “Look, even though the jade sculpture is fair, it’s not as translucent and rosy as your skin. Those eyes can never be as expressive as yours either. Yu Er, your eyes are the most mesmerizing in this world. Also, the sculpture is inert, but you’re as bright as the moon. That day when you danced the Lanlingqu, you were as gracious as a fairy.”
Shen Yu stares at ZhenBei Wang, flabbergasted. That was the most heart-warming thing he had ever heard. Was that how he looked in ZhenBei Wang’s eyes?
“Stop kidding me.”
Shen Yu pushes ZhenBei Wang away, but his heart wouldn’t stop fluttering. He didn’t dare to meet ZhenBei Wang’s deep gaze, afraid that once he fell into those eyes, he would never be able to get out.
“You don’t believe me? After telling those things to the painter and to the sculptor, they didn’t believe me either. They said it was because I’m smitten, and how could there possibly be someone like that? But they haven’t seen you. Yu Er, tell me honestly…”
ZhenBei Wang grows solemn suddenly. He spins Shen Yu around so that they face each other.
“Have you been deceiving me?”
Did… He find out?
Shen Yu’s heart skips a beat, his throat feels tight. He is scared that he was too indulged in ZhenBei Wang’s affection. But he has a secret: his identity. If ZhenBei Wang found out that he was not the beloved daughter from Zhi Mansion, would he still treat him like that?
Shen Yu is afraid that all he had experienced until that moment was just a dream. He was a lowborn, who was he to stay with ZhenBei Wang from dusk till dawn, until the end of times?
“If you’re not deceiving me,” ZhenBei Wang says seriously, “then why do I like you so much as if I’ve been possessed?”
Shen Yu lifts his head, dumbfounded.
“You must be a little demon. They do say beauty is trouble. Now even my soul has been taken by you.”
ZhenBei Wang’s voice is deep and gentle, grasping Shen Yu’s heart tightly.
Shen Yu snuggles into ZhenBei Wang’s chest. He knows, even if he didn’t carve ZhenBei Wang’s name on his Linglong dice, they couldn’t be together.
They are interrupted by Song Qing.
“My lord, after hearing about the second imperial concubine bestowment, the princess threw a tantrum in Liqingyuan, saying that if you don’t go to her, she would kill herself.”
ZhenBei Wang frowns but stands up nonetheless.
“Yu Er, I’ll be back soon.”
Shen Yu feels empty. But can’t tell him, he is ZhenBei Wang after all, he never belonged to him alone.
Shen Yu knows full well that he shouldn’t be greedy, but he couldn’t help feeling bitter.
Translated by Manami
Edited by Gaby & Asaki
“What were you doing? Look at you, being all sneaky.”
When ZhenBei Wang came in, he saw Shen Yu stuffing something into his pocket.
Shen Yu shakes his head, smiling.
ZhenBei Wang watches him smile with pursed lips, exerting a buoyancy he had never seen before. ZhenBei Wang couldn’t look away. He flicks Shen Yu’s delicate nose lightly.
“Little guy, hiding secrets from me.”
ZhenBei Wang bents down and sits, enveloping Shen Yu from his back. Then, he takes out something from his sleeve.
Shen Yu stares at it. It is a piece of Hetian jade. It had been carved into a sculpture of a beautiful person. Exquisite eyes and lips parted slightly, which gave the statue a delicacy akin to a willow in the wind.
“Me?”
Shen Yu points at himself.
“Correct, Do you like it?”
Shen Yu picks it up. It’s so heavy he almost drops it. He inspects it, intrigued. So this is how he looks. No, that sculpture was a blessing from God, he could not possibly look like that.
“This is not me.”
Shen Yu partly wrote and gestured, so that ZhenBei Wang would understand him.
“True. This was made by the painter and the sculptor after they heard my description, after all. It’s different from you.”
Zhen Beiwang continued, “Look, even though the jade sculpture is fair, it’s not as translucent and rosy as your skin. Those eyes can never be as expressive as yours either. Yu Er, your eyes are the most mesmerizing in this world. Also, the sculpture is inert, but you’re as bright as the moon. That day when you danced the Lanlingqu, you were as gracious as a fairy.”
Shen Yu stares at ZhenBei Wang, flabbergasted. That was the most heart-warming thing he had ever heard. Was that how he looked in ZhenBei Wang’s eyes?
“Stop kidding me.”
Shen Yu pushes ZhenBei Wang away, but his heart wouldn’t stop fluttering. He didn’t dare to meet ZhenBei Wang’s deep gaze, afraid that once he fell into those eyes, he would never be able to get out.
“You don’t believe me? After telling those things to the painter and to the sculptor, they didn’t believe me either. They said it was because I’m smitten, and how could there possibly be someone like that? But they haven’t seen you. Yu Er, tell me honestly…”
ZhenBei Wang grows solemn suddenly. He spins Shen Yu around so that they face each other.
“Have you been deceiving me?”
Did… He find out?
Shen Yu’s heart skips a beat, his throat feels tight. He is scared that he was too indulged in ZhenBei Wang’s affection. But he has a secret: his identity. If ZhenBei Wang found out that he was not the beloved daughter from Zhi Mansion, would he still treat him like that?
Shen Yu is afraid that all he had experienced until that moment was just a dream. He was a lowborn, who was he to stay with ZhenBei Wang from dusk till dawn, until the end of times?
“If you’re not deceiving me,” ZhenBei Wang says seriously, “then why do I like you so much as if I’ve been possessed?”
Shen Yu lifts his head, dumbfounded.
“You must be a little demon. They do say beauty is trouble. Now even my soul has been taken by you.”
ZhenBei Wang’s voice is deep and gentle, grasping Shen Yu’s heart tightly.
Shen Yu snuggles into ZhenBei Wang’s chest. He knows, even if he didn’t carve ZhenBei Wang’s name on his Linglong dice, they couldn’t be together.
They are interrupted by Song Qing.
“My lord, after hearing about the second imperial concubine bestowment, the princess threw a tantrum in Liqingyuan, saying that if you don’t go to her, she would kill herself.”
ZhenBei Wang frowns but stands up nonetheless.
“Yu Er, I’ll be back soon.”
Shen Yu feels empty. But can’t tell him, he is ZhenBei Wang after all, he never belonged to him alone.
Shen Yu knows full well that he shouldn’t be greedy, but he couldn’t help feeling bitter.
