Yang Lianting was slightly taller than Dongfang Bubai, standing side by side they looked well-matched. Yang Lianting had a tall and strong stature while Dongfang Bubai had a clean and slender appearance. The small handyman blankly stared at them, unable to speak a word for a while.
Dongfang Bubai did not look at him, all his attention was on Yang Lianting. He helplessly glanced at him and simply smiled. Shaking his head, he asked in a clear and light voice, “Lian di, why the sudden interest in competing with this small handman?”
“Hahaha,” Yang Lianting laughed out loud and led Dongfang Bubai along by the hand. “Dongfang, you don’t understand. I’m declaring my sovereignty.”
Declaring sovereignty?
Dongfang Bubai looked confused for an instant, once he saw Yang Lianting’s unconcealed passion in his eyes, he lightly coughed and his cheeks blushed bright red. Even though he thought it was a little inappropriate before an outsider, he could not control the hint of sweet desire arising in his heart.
“Fine, let’s return.” Yang Lianting softly squeezed Dongfang Bubai’s hand. “Do you feel tired today? Every day, you’ve been worrying about me and you’ve received injuries before too–”
“Dongfang, why don’t we have a drink tonight?” He raised a brow, the more he thought about it, the more he found it feasible. “Oh! I think the wine I brewed before shouldn’t taste too bad. If you want, we could take it out and have a few cups.”
“Hmm, I’ll listen to you.”
The small handyman kneeling on the ground all this time had not dared to rise. He watched the two people leave and only after he could no longer see their backs did he let out a sigh of relief and fall to the ground, his body drenched in cold sweat.
Once the youth came back to his senses, he lifted his hand to slap his own face with his palm and cursed himself for babbling nonsense. “Qi Fu, Qi Fu, ah! You’ve got a big life!”
“Luckily, the Cult Master’s kept man–” The small handyman embarrassingly laughed. “No, luckily Guard Yang didn’t lower himself to my level.”
The youth recalled the scene from before and could not avoid silently sighing in regret in his heart. The Cult Master’s truly too good-looking, like an immortal. Standing beside Guard Yang the two of them look really well-matched. Although he had not read many books and did not know how to describe them, he thought that these two people were born to be a pair. But… the handyman scratched the back of his head, thinking that something was off. They’re well-matched, but that kept man– No, the man whom the Cult Master likes, shouldn’t he look feminine and delicate? That Yang Lianting didn’t look like the one below at all! The youth’s face flushed red at the mere thought.[10]
Slap–
Exerting his strength, he slapped himself hard then hurriedly stood up and fled.
Seeing Dongfang Bubai and Yang Lianting return, the guards and maids in the courtyard instantly halted their duties and knelt down on the ground.
“Greetings to the Cult Master!”
“Greetings to Chief Steward Yang!”
Hearing this familiar yet unfamiliar address, Yang Lianting furrowed his brows and turned his head to doubtfully look at the one beside him.
“What’s wrong, my Chief Steward?” Dongfang Bubai lightly laughed, a clear and subtle smile in his eyes as he looked at him. Rays of light shone down between the trees’ branches and leaves and formed an aura around his body. From Yang Lianting’s view Dongfang Bubai seemed to shine brightly for an instant. Unable to look away, he fell into a daze.
In his past life, when he had coaxed Dongfang into promoting him to chief steward Dongfang had smiled like this as well. Back then, he had still sought him and treated him very well, he hadn’t imprisoned him to slowly wither in isolation yet. Dongfang had said ‘My Chief Steward’ as well, sounding slightly awkward yet very joyous. He had looked forward to making him happy.
The memories of his past and present lives were like a mighty torrent of time rapidly rushing past Yang Lianting’s eyes. In an instant, time and place overlapped. Throat faintly hoarse, he took a deep breath to calm his mind and held Dongfang Bubai’s hand.
“Yes, my Cult Master.”
“Why did you suddenly promote me to chief steward?” Yang Lianting lightly stroked Dongfang Bubai’s hand, shook his head and smiled. In his previous life, he had staked his life to climb to this position and exhausted all his schemes to win Dongfang’s favor by deceit. In this life, he did not harbor the slightest ambition and never expected that in the end he still became the cult’s chief steward.
Seeing his expression change unpredictably Dongfang Bubai could not help but ask, “Lian di, are you unhappy?”
“Of course not.” Fearing Dongfang Bubai thought too much, Yang Lianting quickly cleared away all the messy thoughts and emotions in his heart, and vehemently shook his head in denial, “Of course I’m happy! Why’d I be unhappy? But it doesn’t make a difference to me whether I’m your little guard or chief steward, as long as I’m by your side.”
“I understand your kind intentions.” The world ridiculed him, Yang Lianting, as a lowly kept man who satisfied his master with his beauty.[11] Thus, Dongfang Bubai gave him the position of chief steward after they had returned to Blackwood Cliff. This person had never cared about rumors and reputation, about criticism and curses, in this lifetime he only cared about him.
He chuckled yet sighed in his heart, My good fortune isn’t all too shallow. He must’ve amassed three lifetimes’ worth of virtue to gain Dongfang’s wholehearted love and concern. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind as he sighed in sorrow. He questioned, “By the way, didn’t anyone object when you made this decree?”
Dongfang Bubai shook his head.
Expression indifferent, without any emotion.
“No one dares to oppose.”
Listening to him, Yang Lianting could not help laughing and shaking his head slightly. Looking at Dongfang Bubai’s cold and arrogant eyes he only felt his heart soften. He reached out to take this person before him into his arms, then lowered his head and deeply kissed his lips.
He ruthlessly and relentlessly kissed him for a long time until Dongfang Bubai’s breath turned short and unstable. Reluctantly, he released him.
“If these outsiders weren’t watching, I’d–” Dark light flashed in Yang Lianting’s pitch-black eyes, he took a deep breath then pulled Dongfang Bubai along with him toward the house.
“These people are all here because you were injured a month ago. I couldn’t take care of you properly on my own and ordered them to serve in the courtyard. If you think they’re inconvenient, I’ll–” Dongfang Bubai suddenly stopped speaking mid-sentence and coughed lightly. He feigned calmness and looked away.
Yang Lianting’s dark smile deepened as he pulled Dongfang Bubai into the house and closed the doors behind them. Pushing the one beside him against the doors, he bowed his head and did not halt nearing him until both their breaths were entwined.
Looking at Dongfang Bubai’s bright red cheeks, he chuckled and teased him in a low and deep voice that sounded deliberately ambiguous. “In your opinion, once all those servants outside are transferred, you’ll let me do whatever I want here, right?”
Dongfang Bubai pushed Yang Lianting away and escaped his hold. Face stretched taut he clearly appeared calm and collected, yet his pair of eyes were terribly moist and his earlobes were red. He clearly wanted to harden his heart to harshly reprimand Yang Lianting for not knowing shame. The words reached his lips yet he remained silent for a long time. He pursed his lips and glanced at Yang Lianting before he softly said, “We are already married. If you like, we can naturally–”
This treasure!
Boom–
Yang Lianting only felt his head explode and heart catch fire, unable to resist he pulled this person swaying and staggering towards the bed.
Dongfang already agreed, am I still a man if I can hold back? Yang Lianting had always thought of himself as a man, let alone he had watched Dongfang Bubai sleep beside him night by night and had hardly been able to hold himself back long ago.
If not for their injuries–
They had gotten married after three bows and nine kowtows, they were a true married couple!