Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"021"

Huo Shenan taking the car accident for Xiao Anfeng caught Xiao Lancui off guard, but if you had to pin it down, Huo Shenan really did end up in that accident because of him.

After all, if he hadn't butted in, it would have been Xiao Anfeng who got into the accident.

How would Xiao Anfeng know that?

Xiao Lancui studied Xiao Anfeng, then quickly realized he'd read him wrong. Xiao Anfeng stressed each word as he went on, "Third brother just had to street race, and that's what caused this accident."

Xiao Lancui went quiet for a beat. He hadn't thought it would be that kind of "harm."

Xie Jingfang stopped crying, staring at Xiao Lancui in bewilderment. She found the post-amnesia Xiao Lancui so utterly baffling. She couldn't help asking, "You street race too?"

Xiao Lancui replied earnestly, "Just picked it up."

Xie Jingfang, "..."

Xiao Jingli had known all along that Xiao Lancui raced and couldn't care less. The only one he cared about was Lu Siye. Now that he knew Xiao Anfeng had just been at the hospital these two days and hadn't had any alone time with Lu Siye, he dropped it.

Xiao Jingli rose and made a show of dressing down Xiao Anfeng, "Nobody wants an accident to happen. Don't go slinging mud at your brother! I'll let this one night out slide, but if there's a next time, you're out of the Xiao family!"

Xiao Anfeng's head snapped up in shock, his eyes tracking Xiao Jingli's retreating back. He gritted his teeth hard, then let go with a bitter, self-mocking laugh.

Why even be disappointed? He'd always known Xiao Jingli played favorites, hadn't he?

His father's love had never been his. No matter how well he did, no matter how badly Xiao Lancui screwed up, in Xiao Jingli's eyes, the only son who counted was Xiao Lancui.

It had been that way from the moment Xiao Lancui was carried into the Xiao family.

Xiao Anfeng couldn't stop the vicious thought—why hadn't Xiao Lancui just died when he fell into the sea? Why did he have to come back?

If Xiao Lancui were dead, his father would finally look at him again!

His heart slammed against his ribs as Xiao Anfeng suddenly remembered something he'd long buried. Xie Jingfang might be the one who shoved Xiao Lancui into the sea! He shot a glance at Xiao Lancui, saw him staring at Xie Jingfang, and his heart stuttered. He yanked Xie Jingfang along and said, "Mom, let's go."

Xie Jingfang nodded but hadn't moved yet when Xiao Anfeng pulled her along and hurried out. In his haste, a faint gust of air stirred.

A faintly sharp, cloying scent hit him. A glint shifted in Xiao Lancui's eyes. That scent—the same one Lu Siye had on him the night of the race. Xiao Lancui's mind clicked, and his gaze snapped to the left side of Xiao Anfeng's neck.

He caught it just in time. Under Xiao Anfeng's thin white turtleneck, a small patch of mottled red marks peeked out on the left side.

Xiao Lancui had zero interest in bedroom matters. Whenever he skimmed the original story and hit those scenes, he'd just skip right past them.

Unfortunately, the original story had spent two full chapters on Xiao Anfeng and Lu Siye's first time. Xiao Lancui had a photographic memory, so he knew every single detail cold.

In modern terms, Lu Siye's kinks were very S. The first time they slept together, Xiao Anfeng's whole body was covered in marks—neck included.

And sure enough, the next day Xiao Anfeng wore a white turtleneck to hide them, with a tiny blue rose stitched onto the right cuff.

Xiao Lancui looked at Xiao Anfeng's right cuff.

Under the light, the tiny hand-stitched pale blue rose shimmered like water, glinting with a soft sheen.

"..."

Xiao Lancui fell silent.

This happened early too?

In the original story, they'd had plenty of intimate moments, but they didn't go all the way until Xiao Anfeng turned 23.

That year, when Xiao Anfeng was 23, he was reunited with Zhao Lan. On that same day, Zhao Lan took a knife for Xiao Anfeng and died.

Reunion meant eternal parting.

Xiao Anfeng was wrecked with grief, unable to accept it. That same day, he went straight to Lu Siye and actually went all the way with him.

In the original text, Xiao Anfeng sobbed and screamed at Lu Siye, "Don't you love me? Then use your love to fuck the pain out of me!"

...

Xiao Lancui had a dream.

In the dream was the eunuch's disfigured face.

Stricken with plague, trapped behind the fence, his eyes full of tears, he grabbed the fence and knelt begging Xiao Lancui, "My lord, save me, I beg you to save me, I don't want to die... Let me out! I want to see the Emperor, I want to see the Emperor!"

Xiao Lancui didn't understand why he had suddenly contracted the plague.

But—

The imperial physician shook his head beside him. "He cannot be saved. He has only a day or two left. The place where he stays and everything he has used must all be burned, or if it spreads, the consequences would be unthinkable."

The fire burned for two days. He was taking an afternoon nap in his room when a wisp of sweet fragrance drifted over. Lu Ao's soft laughter sounded by his ear, "Is Teacher dreaming?"

He opened his eyes. Lu Ao, dressed in casual clothes, was bending over smiling at him, holding a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "The weather is hot. Linhai Prefecture sent several baskets of bayberries. Most are stored in the ice cellar, and one basket was made into iced bayberry soup to quench thirst and beat the heat. Teacher, have a bowl first."

Xiao Lancui had no particular preferences, except he loved eating a few sweet-and-sour bayberries. Lu Ao had once ordered bayberry trees planted in the capital, but none would survive.

Linhai Prefecture was famous for its bayberries. Every year, the first batch to ripen in May was rushed to the palace. By the time they traveled the long distance and arrived in the capital, fewer than ten baskets remained intact. Lu Ao gave them all to Xiao Lancui.

Lu Ao's mother had passed away, and the several imperial concubines left by the Late Emperor still remained in the palace. Xiao Lancui had once suggested that Lu Ao distribute them to the concubines and princesses, as well as to important court ministers. Lu Ao only smiled and said, "They don't like eating them. Bestowing them would be wasteful."

Xiao Lancui sometimes wondered if he had been too heartless.

Before the eunuch died, Lu Ao had indeed treated him with the respect and care of a teacher and father.

And he had been cold enough to not even allow Lu Ao to see the eunuch one last time.

In the white porcelain bowl, the plump purple-red bayberries gave off a cool mist, their sweet-and-sour fragrance wafting up. Xiao Lancui looked at them for a while.

Lu Ao half-squatted before the couch, gently pressing his legs—the legs without sensation. Lu Ao never gave up, saying, "A method recorded in an ancient text. Press for ten years, eight years, and your legs will heal."

Xiao Lancui sighed softly and moved Lu Ao's hand away.

That day, he stepped into the most prosperous pleasure house in the capital for the first time.

He selected several stunningly beautiful men and had Sun Qinian deliver them to the palace overnight.

Before even a cup of tea's time had passed, Sun Qinian returned looking dejected and reported, "My lord... the Emperor drew his sword on the spot and killed those three top courtesans."

And then it was himself.

Poisoned, collapsing in the snow. In his fading vision, the palace gates in the distance tilted and inverted, until everything completely flipped, the light receded, and he fell into boundless darkness.

He died.

"Huff—" Xiao Lancui abruptly sat up in bed, light flooding his vision.

Outside the window, it was already broad daylight.

Xiao Lancui's chest heaved as he gasped for air. A familiar metallic taste welled up, and he fought back the nausea to get out of bed, stumbling to the bathroom, where he vomited into the sink.

Reddish-black blood streaks stained the spotless white ceramic basin. His trembling hand fumbled for the faucet, turned it on, and cupped warm water to wipe his mouth. After a long moment, he looked up.

In the mirror, his face was soaked, strands of black hair plastered wildly across his forehead, as if he'd just been pulled from ice-cold water. His complexion was sickly pale, yet his lips were flushed a bright red, giving him a strange, unsettling beauty.

Xiao Lancui took a towel, soaked it in warm water, squeezed it out, and carefully wiped his face dry.

Leaving the bathroom, he picked up his phone. The youngest son of the Lu family was due back at the psychiatric ward, and Zhou Fengqiang would contact him.

So far, Zhou Fengqiang hadn't sent a single word, meaning the youngest son of the Lu family hadn't gone back.

And he hadn't come to find him, either.

If it really was Lu Ao, he would've come the second he knew he existed.

Was he wrong?

Xiao Lancui was feeling down but forced himself to eat some breakfast. This broken body of his couldn't take the neglect.

After breakfast, he took his medication and didn't ride to school with Xiao Anfeng. The scent of Lu Siye on Xiao Anfeng made him deeply uncomfortable.

He cabbed to school but didn't go in, following the map to a chemical supply store instead.

It was early, and the clerk was still wiping the counters. Xiao Lancui said directly, "One bottle of analytical-grade 30% hydrogen peroxide, one bottle of anhydrous ethanol, and a pound of Degussa P25."

Professors and students from the college area often came in to buy stuff, so the clerk quickly bagged Xiao Lancui's order. Still, at checkout, she couldn't help sneaking a few extra looks at him.

He was seriously good-looking.

Xiao Lancui left with his stuff and hit a few more places to get everything he needed, arriving at his new rental by noon.

He had a bowl of pork bone wonton soup at a small restaurant near the gate of the neighborhood, plus a matcha milk-pudding ice bread, before heading to the Fengchao locker to pick up a package.

The paper, ink, and brushes had arrived last night.

Taking the key from under the mat, Xiao Lancui unlocked the door and stepped inside. The landlord had already cleared out all the old furniture, leaving only a simple clothes rack, just as he'd requested.

The room was now really spacious, the floor scrubbed spotless. Xiao Lancui opened the package right there, took out the rice paper, ink, and brush, and began to write.

The floor heating was embedded beneath the floorboards, giving off a gentle warmth. By the time Xiao Lancui finished writing the "Granary Preface," the ink had already dried.

For the signature, he left it as "Anonymous."

He carefully lifted the rice paper, hung it on the rack to air, and began experimenting with his newly learned chemical aging techniques.

He had chemical agents, a UV lamp, and an ultrasonic cleaner.

Xiao Lancui tore off half a sheet of fresh rice paper. By dusk, he was done, inspecting the aged paper.

What used to take days in ancient times now took just an afternoon to get that aged look.

So Xiao Lancui started making money.

He wrote ten calligraphy pieces and, on a whim, painted an ink bamboo grove. The courtyard he lived in had a sea of bamboo he adored.

Finished with the painting, Xiao Lancui was pretty happy. He gazed at the signature spot, thought for a second, then dipped his brush and wrote a wild cursive stroke—

Xiao Zixian.

Too bad the seal was missing.

Xiao Lancui had a personal seal, carved from rosewood by his own hand. It had likely turned to ashes with his body by now.

Lu Ao operated just like him—uprooting everything, leaving no trace.

Even one seal had to be destroyed.

Xiao Lancui felt a twinge of regret. He worked late into the night, then took a cab back to the Xiao family home.

The next day, Xiao Lancui left early again, avoiding Xiao Anfeng, and went to school alone.

With yesterday's experiment, he'd gotten really into chemistry. Today, he planned to audit a few lectures on catalytic chemistry.

It was an obscure course, with only a handful of people scattered across the big lecture hall. Xiao Lancui still picked a seat by the window in the front row.

He hadn't slept well the night before, and his eyes were a little sore.

He placed his straw cup on the desk, took out paper and pen, and then his phone suddenly buzzed—a text from Jiang Xing.

"Xiao, it's me, Jiang Xing." Worried Xiao Lancui might not remember him. "There's a quantum symmetry symposium next Wednesday, with a bunch of mathematicians and physicists from all over. Want to come? I can get you an extra spot."

Xiao Lancui replied, "Time and place?"

Jiang Xing immediately replied with the detailed location and time, followed by another message, "Are you at school today?"

Xiao Lancui ignored that one, putting away his phone. A moment later, the bell rang, and class began.

At the same time, a strikingly tall figure slipped through the back door of the classroom.

The young man wore a simple coat and jeans, seemingly having a cold, a black mask covering his face, revealing only a pair of narrow, dark eyes. He was carrying a basket full of—

Bayberries??