After eleven years, he saw Wen Mingyu again.
Mu Zhan’s first reaction was not one of joy.
Because it had come so suddenly.
Just when he had resolved to give up, convinced he would never see him again in this lifetime, he appeared without warning.
It felt like being trapped in a dream; unreal, ridiculous, and false.
Mu Zhan’s footsteps halted abruptly. His probing gaze fixed upon the familiar figure not far away, as if determined to see right through all concealment and into his soul.
Could this be yet another scheme?
The Wen Mingyu before him was not exactly the same as the one in his painting, yet he felt confident this was how the young Wen Mingyu would look as an adult.
In truth, after all these years, that memory had long grown fuzzy. A few vivid images would emerge when he stubbornly tried to recall it. However, he had never actually got to see Wen Mingyu’s adult form. That painting was merely his own depiction based on his childhood memories.
More than anything, it was an absurd sense of familiarity and intuition.
And that faint, almost imperceptible sweetness.
None of which the fakeWen Mingyupossessed.
Mu Zhan forced himself to calm down, unwilling to make a rash judgement. He turned away and gave the order to have Wen Mingyu brought before him.
Mu Zhan asked for his name. Upon hearing the identical pronunciation, his expression changed sharply. His gaze locked onto the man as he suppressed his churning emotions. Gritting his teeth, he coldly demanded, “Which characters?”
The answer he received was not what he wanted.
The pronunciation matched, but the characters were different.
Unwilling to accept it, he seized Wen Mingyu’s chin, running his fingers meticulously over his face, not even skipping the area around his ears, all to confirm whether this appearance was merely a disguise.
Finally, he confirmed that this was simply who the person before him was.
Mu Zhan withdrew his hand and reclined lazily in his chair. He narrowed his eyes, his expression somber as he pondered.
Such striking resemblance, and names so similar. Could it really be mere coincidence?
Thus, he kept the person here, taking his time to confirm whether this was truly Wen Mingyu.
The more time they spent together, the more familiar details he noticed.
Mu Zhan soon confirmed it: Wen Mingyu had indeed come here. And he was not some fraud.
But why, when he saw me, did he remain unmoved, as if I were a stranger he had never met?
TaJkVaEt vakbwIH LQEaQw aQh SQBI G bGVQwV EQHI, bIYktQwV EJ tIEESI.
rPQBAd dIT AUiiTLY Mfp, dITiT mLA LYAf L dQJNT fS LJJfpLJGT.
Pk WaGw vJkSH wJE GvvIrE QE, YkbQJkt GwH bItESItt EaGE aI aGH YJbVJEEIw aQh. sI iIvGhI QbbQEGiSI GwH AQJSIwE.
ZIIQwV EaI YIGb Qw qIw PQwVNk’t INIt, aI YJbvIH vJhrJtkbI, GwH EaI YGBI thQSI aI LJbI JwSN hGHI aQt bGVI Ekbw EJ iQEEIb SGkVaEIb.
Mu Zhan seemed to have lost his mind with rage.Since you insist on playing this game, I’ll play along with you.Let’s see how long it takes for you to remember.
FE YQbtE, aI GttkhIH QE LGt hIbISN Gw JitIttQJw LQEa EaI LGbhEa JY vaQSHaJJH. F SJwVQwV ibJkVaE Jw iN SJtt. TaGE LGt LaN aI HItrIbGEISN LGwEIH EJ YQwH EaGE trIvQGS rSGNhGEI GVGQw. yIbaGrt krJw hIIEQwV aQh, aI hQVaE bIGSQRI EaGE QE vJkSH aGAI iIIw GwNJwI, GwH aI LJkSHw’E vGbI tJ hkva GwNhJbI.
But things turned out completely different from what he had imagined.
Wen Mingyu was not just anyone. He was irreplaceable.No one else would do.Only he could be that person.
Mu Zhan was acutely aware that what he was feeling was twisted and wrong. While others cherished sunshine and reveled in its warmth, he wanted to grasp that ray of light tightly and claim it as his own, staining it with his scent from inside out.
That emotion had long since changed imperceptibly.
He just didn’t realize it.
He thought to himself as a demon sealed in a bottle, seething with the thought that he should kill him, that he couldn’t let someone so easily control his emotions like a puppet.
But day after day passed, and he only spoke these words aloud, never putting them into practice, a paper tiger in every sense.
Later, Mu Zhan pulled the man into his embrace, breathing in that familiar sweet scent until his restless heart gradually sank to rest. He even bit the nape of Wen Mingyu’s neck, marking him with his pheromones before sealing the bond completely.
His state of mind constantly shifted.
Mu Zhan suddenly realized it didn’t matter that Wen Mingyu had no memory of the past. His own recollections were vague too. They might as well get to know each other anew. But this time, he would never let Wen Mingyu leave him again.
And so, they walked together all the way to the present.
When Little Chilli accidentally knocked it over, the scroll fell to the ground and unfurled halfway. Wen Mingyu saw the person in the painting—him.
This painting was naturally not the one that was burned in the past but rather a new one painted by Mu Zhan later on.
When he put brush to paper, he no longer needed to rely on the fuzzy memories in his mind, struggling to imagine what grown-up Wen Mingyu might have looked like.
Because he had already met him. He could easily draw and smoothly bring him to life.
However, the Wen Mingyu in the painting was not clad in the clothes he most often saw him in, but rather the clothes from that era: simple sweaters and pants. Paired with the smiling brows and eyes of the young man, he radiated a vibrant, sunny energy.
Life now was good, but Mu Zhan still harbored a lingering regret—that he had missed so many years of Wen Mingyu’s life.
Thus, this painting came to life, imagining how Wen Mingyu lived in that world and what it might have been like if he himself had been by his side too.
Now, this painting has seen the light, allowing Wen Mingyu to see it.
The moment he saw it, countless memories flooded, becoming clear.
The little brother he had picked up as a child. He was Mu Zhan.
Because they came from different worlds, their memories had been diluted and erased by the rules. He could only recall that such a person existed, but his appearance, the events that had transpired between them, and their shared experiences were all shrouded in a thick veil, becoming unbearably blurred.
Wen Mingyu had assumed it was merely a childhood memory, hence the swift forgetting. Even though he had desperately clung to it, all his efforts were futile, like fine sand slipping through his fingers. It was beyond his grasp.
Until the moment he saw this painting.
It was as if something had shattered.
The world became clear again.
And he finally remembered.
Footsteps echoed outside the imperial study. Wen Mingyu turned and immediately saw Mu Zhan. That handsome face slowly overlapped with the immature features from his memories, merging into one person.
Wen Mingyu’s eyes stung with tears. He curved his lips into a smile and threw himself into Mu Zhan’s arms.
Uncertain of what was happening, Mu Zhan instinctively caught him, pulling him close.
Wen Mingyu wrapped his arms tightly around his waist, as if trying to make up for all the lost years. He pressed his face against Mu Zhan’s neck, nuzzling him softly in a heart-melting way, like a rare moment of affection from a fluffy and soft lop-eared rabbit.
Mu Zhan felt a ticklish sensation but couldn’t bear to pull away. Instead, he leaned and kissed the corner of his mouth, murmuring, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Mingyu only called out softly,Mu Mu.
It was a familiar nickname. He would often call him that in childhood and again during the Lantern Festival when misunderstandings had led to it. Back then, it stirred something deep within Mu Zhan. For a moment, he thought Wen Mingyu had remembered.
Now, it was clear that Wen Mingyu was not acting on a sudden whim, suddenly using the fake name he had made up years ago during the Lantern Festival.
Mu Zhan lifted his gaze and saw the scroll laid out fully on the table. In that instant, he understood everything.
Wen Mingyu buried his face in Mu Zhan’s chest, his muffled voice, tinged with a hoarse sob, sounded inexplicably soft and childlike, as if he had suddenly returned to that time.
Eleven years had passed. Wen Mingyu had grown and changed a lot, yet many things remained unchanged.
Mu Zhan could still spot familiar little habits in him, ones Wen Mingyu himself might not even be aware of. The dimples that appeared when he laughed, the way he pressed his lips together, the way his eyes shifted to the left when he was nervous, the way his fingers curled unconsciously, the soft expression he wore when comforting someone…
During that dazed moment, Mu Zhan felt as if he had traveled back in time. It felt like they had always been together, never apart.
Wen Mingyu had always been fond of Mu Zhan, sometimes losing himself in staring at him. Now that he knew they had known each other all along, it dawned on him that from the very beginning, he had always been him who gave him that sense of belonging.
Only Mu Zhan, no one else.
Wen Mingyu’s emotions surged violently, like waves slamming against the coastal rocks and stirring up a spray of whitecaps.
Unable to remain calm, he involuntarily tilted his head back to press his lips to Mu Zhan’s.
Just as their lips were about to meet, Mu Zhan lowered his head as well.
Like a path connecting them both, each had walked halfway and finally met in the middle.
They clung tightly together, as if wanting to melt into one.
Mu Zhan held him firmly in his embrace, possessively circling his waist. Wen Mingyu returned his gesture equally, wrapping his arms around Mu Zhan’s neck and responding eagerly.
All their emotions poured into this kiss, lips and tongues intertwining, leaving no inch untouched. Sparks were continually igniting, and it felt almost fierce and harsh. The surrounding temperature rose, and heat spread from within as if it could melt a person.
Their eyes held only each other, the little dumplings entirely forgotten. Only when they felt their robes tugged multiple times did they snap back to reality and glance down.
Little Chilli and Little Rice Cake both clutched at their robes, their chubby legs braced beneath them as they wobbled to their feet. Tilting their fair, delicate faces upwards, they gaze wide and pleading, eager for a kiss too.
Wen Mingyu’s attention naturally shifted. He instinctively stooped down to pick up the chubby dumplings, but Mu Zhan seized his waist and pulled him back into his embrace. Their lips pressed together again, as if he could never get enough.
Wen Mingyu felt his tongue tingle from his sucking. He gasped as he exhaled hot breath through parted lips. The words he had been about to say were swallowed back.
After another kiss, Wen Mingyu opened his mouth, only to meet Mu Zhan’s gaze. He still bore the remnants of their kiss, his lips a deeper hue, his throat slightly quivering as he swallowed softly. And a tiny mole on his neckline accentuated his sensuality to the utmost.
Wen Mingyu’s mind went blank. He instantly forgot what he had been about to say.
Taking advantage of his daze, Mu Zhan ordered the palace servants to carry the prince and princess back. The imperial study was left with only the two of them.
Then, Mu Zhan cupped Wen Mingyu’s face and whispered, “I’ve missed you so much.”
One sentence, five simple words, and Wen Mingyu’s defenses instantly shattered.
Where could he have the time to remember that fleeting glance Mu Zhan had cast at the little dumplings after kissing him? His expression remained impassive, yet Wen Mingyu, who knew him well, still detected a hint of subtle flaunting. It’s almost hilarious.
Wen Mingyyu temporarily forgot about the children and focused his attention on Mu Zhan before him.
He felt that Mu Zhan needed comforting too.
He used to think a lot: if only he had been there when Mu Zhan was a child, if only he could have been by his side to support him in any way.
In fact, he had indeed met Mu Zhan when he was very young.
An unexpected overlapping of time and space had allowed them to know each other for over a month.
Wen Mingyu’s eyes reddened slightly as a radiant smile steadily grew across his face. “I’ve missed you too.“
They had been wedded for several years, but the recollection of the past made it feel as though they had just reunited.
ChiFu: tyrant is such a yearner! haha and it’s like they fell in love again the second time.
next update is the last one for the main text. ~