Chapter 3: Can a Mad Tyrant Be Forced? [3]

Chapter 3: Will the Mad Tyrant Be Forced Too? "3"

Ying Huaifeng's fingers itched with temptation.

He had once kept a cat that would always lie in front of him, exposing its belly to tempt him into petting and squeezing it.

Wasn't the little emperor lying there in front of him now just like that cat?

Mu Jin had already been somewhat drowsy, tugging at the blanket, ready to sleep, but that scorching gaze remained fixed on him, making it impossible to ignore.

"Tsk..."

Mu Jin propped himself up with one hand on the bed, his tone laced with impatience.

"Kneel."

Ying Huaifeng knelt obediently by the bedside, and hearing this, Mu Jin smiled, reaching out a hand toward him.

Ying Huaifeng, who had been a short distance away, saw the hand extended toward him, a flicker of darkness flashing through his eyes as he willingly shuffled closer and pressed his face against Mu Jin's hand.

"Your Majesty..."

Ying Huaifeng's voice was soft and slow, and he even nuzzled against Mu Jin's palm, couldn't help narrowing his eyes.

The little emperor's hand was pleasant too—slender and long yet not frail, the soft flesh of the palm begging to be squeezed.

Mu Jin: "..."

Mu Jin fell silent. Mu Jin was bewildered.

Huh... why wasn't the male lead reacting the way he'd expected?

For a moment, Mu Jin suspected that the male lead who had just cast a gu curse on him had been swapped out for a well-behaved, clingy good dog.

But the sensation in his palm told him the person before him was still the same person, hadn't been swapped out.

Alright...

Mu Jin figured the male lead must have his reasons for acting like this.

Perhaps he was just pretending to be like this to lull him into letting his guard down.

After all, based on the plot, Ying Huaifeng was exceptionally tolerant when facing such humiliation.

Having figured this out, Mu Jin patted Ying Huaifeng's face again and gave an ambiguous smile. "Such a good dog."

He withdrew his hand and spoke casually with eyes lowered:

"Since you're so obedient, you can serve at my bedside from now on."

Ying Huaifeng answered without a moment's hesitation. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

With that, he lay down right by Mu Jin's bed. Seeing that Mu Jin remained silent, the faint regret in his heart was replaced by delight.

Though he couldn't climb into bed and share a pillow with the little emperor just yet, sleeping right by the bedside meant chances to sneak into bed would be plenty.

Ying Huaifeng pressed a hand to his chest, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.

The heart that had held only hatred now cleared a small, clean space the moment he saw the little emperor.

Ying Huaifeng closed his eyes and thought, this must be what those storybooks meant by love at first sight... or perhaps lust at first sight?

But Ying Huaifeng was certain—whether it was love at first sight or lust at first sight—he wanted this little emperor for himself.

Affection was too foreign a concept for Ying Huaifeng. He hadn't understood it before, but now he seemed to understand it a little better.

Mu Jin had no idea what Ying Huaifeng was thinking. Now that the staring gaze was gone, he tugged at the blanket again and lay down quietly to rest.

But Mu Jin, deep in slumber, didn't know that after he fell asleep, Ying Huaifeng—who should have been sound asleep by his bed—suddenly opened his eyes and climbed onto the bed.

Ying Huaifeng lifted the blanket, lay down beside Mu Jin, and wrapped his arms around him, nuzzling gently against Mu Jin's shoulder and neck, a deeply satisfied smile on his face.

He seemed utterly confident that such bold moves wouldn't wake Mu Jin, and his fingertips slipped directly through the hem of the garment.

The silver ring on his wrist brushed against Mu Jin's lower abdomen as his cool fingertips touched the small red mole at the dimple of his lower back.

"Mmm..."

Mu Jin let out a soft moan, his lashes trembling as he instinctively leaned into Ying Huaifeng's embrace, yet showing no sign of waking.

Ying Huaifeng masked the madness in his eyes and murmured softly, "So obedient..."

How could such an obedient little emperor be the tyrant those people talked about?

Ying Huaifeng figured this was likely another scheme by that Yun Fuyue, and his gaze toward Mu Jin softened with pity.

Mu Jin only felt he'd had a deep, endless dream.

In the dark, damp dream, a silver serpent kept chasing him, as if he were its only prey—no matter how he fled, he could never escape.

Until finally, his legs suddenly went numb, and he could no longer run.

He could only let the serpent coil its tail around his calves, then coil around his waist.

Mu Jin forced himself to stay calm, his hands groping around beside him.

As the serpent's head drew close to his face, he touched a sharp stone.

His eyes sharpened, locking onto the serpent's vital spot. He grabbed the stone and was about to strike!

But the next moment, darkness swallowed his vision.

Mu Jin's heart trembled as the darkness enveloped him, leaving him lost and helpless, the stone in his hand slipping away somewhere unknown.

In his ears came the haunting jingle of silver bells, along with the serpent's hissing, and a damp sensation creeping along his neck.

The serpent was licking him.

Mu Jin could feel the serpent's tail coiling tighter and tighter around him, yet his whole body seemed drained of every ounce of strength, unable to break free.

After what felt like an eternity, the serpent suddenly spoke in a human voice, coiling around him and whispering "So obedient" in his ear, then sinking its fangs deep into his chest!

"Hiss!"

Mu Jin jolted awake from the nightmare, his eyes snapping open, dazed and confused, a fine layer of cold sweat beading on his forehead.

He pressed a hand to his chest—the spot that ached faintly, the same place the strange silver serpent had bitten in the dream.

Mu Jin took a long while to shake off the nightmare, the fact that the two spots matched so perfectly making it hard not to overthink.

He felt that his strange dream must be related to the gu curse Ying Huaifeng had placed on him last night.

But he couldn't see Ying Huaifeng, so he could only frown and speak with displeasure:

"Ying Huaifeng!"

Ying Huaifeng, who had been leaning over the bedside watching Mu Jin, blinked and responded:

"I'm right here, Your Majesty~"

Mu Jin could hear the delight in Ying Huaifeng's voice, and his brow furrowed even deeper.

That happy? Seems he did plenty behind my back last night.

Thinking of the snake in his dream, Mu Jin said coldly, "Send Zhou Fuhai in."

Ying Huaifeng found the little emperor adorable in every way and didn't want anyone else laying a hand on him.

But he'd never waited on anyone before and didn't know how to go about it.

Though somewhat reluctant, he still got up to fetch Zhou Fuhai, who had been waiting outside the door the whole time.

Zhou Fuhai smiled at Ying Huaifeng. "Much obliged, Young Master Ying."

With that, he led the palace maids waiting behind him into the bedchamber and laid everything out.

Ying Huaifeng kept following Zhou Fuhai, watching how he directed others to dress Mu Jin, how he wheeled over the wheelchair and helped Mu Jin into it, then how he bound his hair and washed his face...

His eyes grew colder and colder, and he fought the urge to replace Zhou Fuhai and stand by Mu Jin's side, silently memorizing every step.

The real Mu Jin had only lost his sight the night before, but perhaps because Mu Jin appeared so composed, Zhou Fuhai didn't notice anything wrong.

It wasn't until he wheeled Mu Jin to the table that something felt off. Faced with a table full of dishes and tea, Mu Jin showed no reaction at all.

Zhou Fuhai's eyelids twitched, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart. He spoke cautiously:

"Your Majesty... is the food today not to your liking?"

Mu Jin said calmly, "All of you, leave now."

"Ying Huaifeng, come attend to my meal."

Ying Huaifeng, who had been glaring darkly at Zhou Fuhai and plotting to take his place by tomorrow, instantly changed his expression.

"Coming, Your Majesty~"