Chapter 41: Heartbeat

Chapter 41: Heartbeat

"Today, Prince Ping praised me to my face for being accomplished at a young age, but he was fishing for information between the lines. In recent years, the Liu family has seen a slight rise, and even a sickly guy can crawl out of the woodwork."

Yuan Rang's knuckles tapped lightly on the armrest, producing a dull, heavy thud: "No, I saw his brisk stride—he's no sickly man."

"Prince Ping has been visiting the temple at Mount Cang on the city's outskirts every month to pray for blessings, and his health has improved considerably," Liu Fengnian said, a sharp glint in his eyes. "I only found this out yesterday."

"He sure knows how to keep a secret," Yuan Rang said with a light chuckle. "What's he getting his health back for? To fight for the throne?"

"Exactly. As long as the Crown Prince is brought down, wouldn't he, Prince Ping, become the legitimate heir?" Yuan Rang spoke with his brow relaxed, his expression indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with him.

"Our people snuck up the mountain to take a look around," Liu Fengnian said, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his lips. "There's a miracle doctor being kept in that temple."

Yuan Rang tilted his head, meeting his eyes.

Liu Fengnian continued: "In two days, it'll be their monthly meeting between Prince Ping and the doctor. He'll head out to the outskirts tomorrow."

The wooden window in the room was wide open, and at that moment, thunder crackled across the sky, a bolt of lightning splitting it with a deafening roar, turning the earth bright as day and casting an eerie, pale glow on their faces.

Liu Fengnian walked to the window and closed it, muttering under his breath: "A storm's coming."

Yuan Rang stood silent in the dark, speaking softly: "The roads are slick from the rain. On Prince Ping's way to Mount Cang, his carriage will just happen to overturn, and he'll break both his legs."

"I'll handle it."

"Once it's done, spread the news and let my brothers get a good laugh. Swap the doctor for one of our men, keep him in the temple—first come, first served."

————

Chen Shuoan lay on the familiar bed, listening to the thunder that seemed to crash right over his roof, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

This is so annoying, can't it just get it over with? It's keeping me awake.

At that moment, Yuan Rang pushed open the door to come to bed. He strode quickly to the bedside, climbed onto the bed, still radiating warmth from a fresh bath.

Chen Shuoan looked up at him and said sarcastically: "Oh, so you do remember to sleep? I thought you weren't gonna show tonight, bro."

Yuan Rang chuckled and pinched his cheek: "Watch your mouth."

"You came so late, my hands are freezing."

As he spoke, Chen Shuoan mischievously snuggled into Yuan Rang's warm embrace.

Yuan Rang lay down beside him, stroking his cold hands with a sigh: "What am I, a space heater?"

At the same time, he slid his hand under the covers and found an equally cold pair of feet.

Yuan Rang frowned, a hint of displeasure creasing his brow. He placed one large hand on the back of Chen Shuoan's thigh, hauled him forward, and tucked him between his legs to warm his feet.

"Still cold under the covers?"

Hearing this, Chen Shuoan felt helpless—in his previous life, he'd been a human furnace in winter.

So he defended himself: "I used to be amazing. Come winter, I'd run hot all over, and everyone loved piling into my bed to cuddle."

Yuan Rang's body stiffened, his hand on Chen Shuoan's back suddenly clamping onto his arm, his face black as a storm cloud, like he wanted to eat him alive.

"Them?"

Chen Shuoan winced at the grip, pushing at the hand clamped on his arm, looking utterly innocent: "Just the guys in the bunks above, left, and right of me."

Yuan Rang was momentarily speechless, jealousy driving him crazy.

He rolled over, pinning Chen Shuoan underneath him, one hand covering his face and rubbing his lips—slow and deliberate, almost vicious.

"And then what? Did you kiss? Huh?"

Yuan Rang murmured, rubbing his lips until they turned bright red, kneading and stroking until a lewd, rosy flush spread across them.

Chen Shuoan thought this guy's crazy streak was acting up again. He raised his hand to press against Yuan Rang's chest, trying to push him away, but found the man utterly immovable.

"They weren't psycho, why would they kiss me?"

Seeing he couldn't push him off no matter what, Chen Shuoan got flustered and tried to kick up.

He didn't know what he'd grazed, but he froze solid, his face beet red.

"You, you..." He immediately began struggling desperately, flailing his hands wildly, and when he found he couldn't escape Yuan Rang's grip, he gave up and covered his face with his hands, speaking in a muffled voice: "Your Highness, Your Highness..."

Yuan Rang's jealousy hadn't subsided, his eyes bloodshot, and he had no intention of letting him off.

He feigned innocence: "Shuo'an, I feel a bit uncomfortable... my legs still hurt..."

Yuan Rang's fuzzy head nuzzled into Chen Shuoan's neck, tickling him terribly.

Chen Shuoan was a bit panicked—nothing like this had ever happened when he'd slept with the guys in the bunks above, left, and right.

Fortunately, Chen Shuoan had strong mental fortitude. He summoned the same courage he'd used for the college entrance exam and gently soothed: "Your Highness, don't be uncomfortable..."

You've just grown up...

Huh?

How embarrassing! How could he say that?!

"Has Minister Liu left? Why don't you go ask him?"

The courage he'd just mustered evaporated into thin air. Chen Shuoan peeked at Yuan Rang's expression through the gaps between his fingers and spoke weakly.

Minister Liu is older and has eaten more salt than Yuan Rang has eaten rice—he'd definitely give His Highness the Sixth Prince a proper lesson.

Yuan Rang's tongue lightly pressed against his canine tooth, smiling with pure innocence, saying nothing, but his eyes said it all.

Chen Shuoan closed his eyes, steeled his heart, let his mouth run wild, and spoke at quadruple speed: "Your Highness, you're thinking about women."

Yuan Rang: "..."

Caught off guard.

He chuckled, bundling the person up tightly in the blanket, and continued teasing: "Is that so? Then does Shuo'an know what a kiss tastes like?"

Chen Shuoan: "..."

How am I supposed to answer that, my dear Your Highness?

Should I say I've been single in both of my lives?

His little face flushed bright red, and he reluctantly admitted: "I don't know."

Yuan Rang let out a sudden laugh, looking satisfied.

Afraid of scaring him off, he softened his voice and reassured, "Shuo'an, don't be nervous. It's just a normal reaction—everyone gets them."

Chen Shuoan saw that Yuan Rang wasn't affected by his reaction and even comforted him in return, so he relaxed and blurted out what was bothering him: "But to me, you're still just a little kid, Your Highness."

Have I really watched him grow up with my own eyes?

Yuan Rang caught his fidgeting hand under the covers, holding it tightly in his palm to warm it.

Seeing that Yuan Rang stayed silent, Chen Shuoan carefully inched closer. Only when he felt that Yuan Rang's body had cooled down from its earlier heat did he relax and nuzzle against him, coaxing softly, "Doesn't Your Highness's leg hurt? Let me help you."

Yuan Rang's brow twitched, a sudden bad feeling washing over him. He quickly stopped him and asked, "How will you help?"

Chen Shuoan wriggled out of his grip like a fish, ducking his head under the blanket, and answered in a muffled voice through the covers, "I'll rub it for you."

Seeing that he was set on it, Yuan Rang was at his wit's end, terrified that his own reaction would scare the person away.

The next second.

Chen Shuoan shot out from under the blanket, his face flushed an unnatural red. He threw off the covers and made a dash for the edge of the bed, shouting, "I'm not helping anymore!"

Before he could even reach the bedside, he was caught by the waist by the waiting Yuan Rang and dragged back.

Yuan Rang frowned, putting real force into his grip, pressing the person firmly onto the bed and wrapping him up in the blanket like a zongzi.

"Running off? Not afraid of the cold?"

Trapped in Yuan Rang's grip, Chen Shuoan avoided his gaze and mumbled, "It hasn't gone down yet..."

Yuan Rang stared at his flushed, stunning face, and as if he could no longer hold it in, he suddenly burst into laughter, his phoenix eyes sparkling like stars.

Chen Shuoan looked up, watching the corner of Yuan Rang's lips curl upward. The laughter, mixed with the huskiness unique to his changing voice, struck his eardrums, inexplicably falling into sync with the rhythm of his heartbeat.