Chapter 85: Covenantor (VIII)

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Chapter 85: Covenantor (VIII)

“Little Ze, are you planning to bring a medical kit to the banquet?” Lu Xiufan, already dressed formally for the evening, entered Shang Ke’s room and found him organizing the kit while the outfit prepared for him still lay neatly untouched on the bed.

“Just in case.” Shang Ke answered without looking up as he checked the instruments and medicines. Lu Xiufan was frequently targeted by assassins, and poisoning was one of their preferred methods. According to the System’s information, Lu Xiufan had been poisoned at least three to five times before. He had survived every attempt without serious consequences, but who knew whether Shang Ke’s presence might change something? It was always better to be prepared.

Lu Xiufan loved watching Shang Ke bustle around taking care of him like a little wife. It gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

He did not interrupt. He simply sat nearby and quietly watched until Shang Ke finished, then said, “Go change. We should get ready to leave.”

“The banquet doesn’t begin for another three hours, and it only takes fifteen minutes to get from the mansion to the palace. We have plenty of time.” Shang Ke closed the medical kit, set it on the floor, picked up the clothes from the bed, and headed toward the dressing room.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Lu Xiufan casually followed him.

Hearing the footsteps behind him, the corner of Shang Ke’s mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. Don’t think pretending to wander over casually means you can sneak into my dressing room!

Shang Ke calmly shut the dressing-room door in Lu Xiufan’s face.

Lu Xiufan: “…” I followed him that closely and still ended up one step too slow.

A short while later, Shang Ke emerged in his formal attire. Lu Xiufan’s eyes brightened. Shang Ke was already exceptionally handsome, but the exquisitely tailored clothes made him appear even more elegant. Combined with his cool expression, he gave off an almost ascetic, untouchable air.

This person belongs to me. Lu Xiufan’s gaze burned as he wrapped an arm around Shang Ke’s waist and murmured, “Let’s go, my dance partner.”

Today was Prince Yi Yun’s fourteenth birthday. The Queen had arranged a grand banquet for him, inviting numerous aristocratic and prominent families. Reporters from major media outlets had also flocked to the palace gates, competing for photographs.

Lu Xiufan usually kept a relatively low profile, but as the younger brother of the Prince Consort and Prince Yi Yun’s imperial uncle, avoiding attention at an event like this was impossible. The instant he stepped out of the car, cries rose from the crowd and camera flashes erupted wildly.

At the same time, Shang Ke, following behind him, attracted no less attention. Lu Xiufan had never brought a dance partner to a banquet before; Shang Ke was the first. Even in aristocratic circles overflowing with beautiful men and women, his appearance and bearing stood out among thousands. Beside Lu Xiufan, he looked neither intimidated nor overshadowed.

Who is that young man? The reporters immediately sprang into action, using every resource available to investigate Shang Ke’s identity.

Yue Xuan had tried desperately to suppress Yue Ze, wishing he would remain obscure for the rest of his life. After tonight, however, Shang Ke’s identity would no longer be a secret. The Yue Family had existed for centuries, and although Yue Ze rarely visited the capital, he was fairly well known in Luoxu. With a photograph in hand, reporters would have little difficulty uncovering who he was.

Once they entered the hall, every eye turned toward Lu Xiufan and Shang Ke, yet no one dared step within three meters of them. Lu Xiufan’s status was unusual and his reputation formidable; nearly every powerful noble and official kept a respectful distance. The only people willing to test the limits of their courage were probably those infatuated men and women who still harbored fantasies about him.

Lu Xiufan brought Shang Ke before the Queen, the Prince Consort, and Prince Yi Yun, formally introducing him as Yue Ze, eldest son of the Yue Family.

Surprise flashed through the Queen’s eyes. Lu Xiufan’s tone made it obvious that he cared considerably about this eldest young master of the Yue Family. She examined Shang Ke carefully and found him striking in appearance and impeccable in conduct, leaving her reasonably satisfied.

“Yue Ze, isn’t your younger brother called Yue Xuan? He’s also on the guest list. Bring him over to meet us later,” the Prince Consort said with a hearty smile. He and the Queen had both reviewed the guest list, so hearing the name “Yue Ze” immediately reminded him of Yue Xuan.

The Queen cast her husband a quiet glance. “Yue Ze, there’s no need to be formal. Let Xiufan show you around.”

She was far more perceptive than Lu Xiuqi. Yue Ze had attended as Lu Xiufan’s dance partner, while the official guest list included only the second son, Yue Xuan, and not the eldest. Clearly, there was more to the situation than appeared on the surface. If Yue Ze wished to make introductions, that decision should be his own.

After completing the formal greetings, Lu Xiufan took Shang Ke to his private lounge area.

Shang Ke had not expected Yue Xuan to attend. Scanning the hall, he soon spotted him among the group surrounding Prince Yi Yun. Logically, considering Yue Xuan’s status and the prince’s poor impression of him, he should not have received an invitation.

“Yue Xuan’s mother is quite close with many of the noblewomen,” Lu Xiufan explained, as though he had read Shang Ke’s thoughts.

Oh. Shang Ke looked away, picked up a plate, and began selecting food for Lu Xiufan.

Lu Xiufan leaned back on the sofa, sipping his wine while watching Shang Ke carefully choose items from the buffet, his gaze deep and intent.

Shang Ke placed a full plate of food on the glass table in front of Lu Xiufan, then prepared an identical serving for himself. Lu Xiufan reclined beside him, one arm resting along the back of the sofa behind Shang Ke while he lightly sipped his wine with the other hand.

Everyone else at the banquet was busy networking and socializing. Only the two of them sat quietly in their corner enjoying the food, as if everything beyond their small space had nothing to do with them.

At that moment, Lu Xiufan paused almost imperceptibly while drinking his wine, then immediately resumed as though nothing had happened.

When the birthday ceremony began, Lu Xiufan went forward to make the required appearance. After enduring the speeches, acknowledgments, and ceremonial toasts, he took Shang Ke to bid farewell to the Queen.

The Queen knew his temperament well and did not try to keep him, merely instructing Shang Ke to take good care of him.

The two left the palace and drove straight back toward the mansion.

Halfway there, Lu Xiufan suddenly asked, “Do you have an antidote in your medical kit?”

Shang Ke immediately looked over and was startled to find Lu Xiufan’s muscles stiffening and a bluish-black tinge spreading around his eyes.

Lu Xiufan added, “The wine I drank earlier seems to have gone bad.”

Wine prepared inside the palace went bad? Gone bad, my ass! Shang Ke’s expression turned distinctly unpleasant as he immediately grabbed Lu Xiufan’s wrist and checked his pulse.

After checking for a moment, Shang Ke tried his best to keep his expression from becoming too murderous. He bent down, pulled the medical kit from beneath the seat, and handed Lu Xiufan a tube of medicine. Then he took out a silver needle and pricked the tips of all ten fingers. Dark red beads of blood immediately welled from them.

This man got poisoned and didn’t say a word, then calmly stayed at the banquet for several hours without changing expression! He’s even better at courting death than I am!

Shang Ke kept his gaze lowered rather than looking at him, afraid his surging anger might show if he wasn’t careful.

“I underwent poison-resistance training from childhood. Ordinary poisons can’t kill me,” Lu Xiufan explained unhurriedly. “And at Yi Yun’s birthday banquet, it wasn’t appropriate to cause a disturbance.” This was hardly his first poisoning attempt; he had long since become accustomed to dealing with them. But being targeted inside the palace was a first.

It wasn’t appropriate to cause trouble, so you just endured it the whole time? What did you think this was—constipation? Something you could just hold in until it passed?!

Shang Ke’s face remained dark as he ignored the explanation. Only after the dark red blood turned bright red did he wipe Lu Xiufan’s fingertips clean and apply medicine to stop the bleeding.

Lu Xiufan leaned against the seat and quietly let Shang Ke tend to him.

“Go to the hospital,” Shang Ke said abruptly.

“No. Back to the mansion.” Lu Xiufan’s identity was far too conspicuous; appearing at any hospital would immediately leak the news that he had been poisoned. He still intended to investigate the culprit in secret and did not want to alert them prematurely.

Shang Ke checked his pulse once more and only accepted the decision after confirming that his life was no longer in danger.

Back at the mansion, Shang Ke supported Lu Xiufan toward his room. As they walked, however, the man somehow seemed to become heavier and heavier until nearly his entire weight was leaning against Shang Ke.

Is the poison flaring up? That makes no sense. I already cleared most of it out. It didn’t incapacitate him before treatment, but now it suddenly does afterward?

“Come help support him,” Shang Ke said in confusion when he saw the nearby servants simply standing there.

At his words, the servants not only refused to help but actually took a step backward. Who would dare? Couldn’t he see Master glaring at them ominously?

Shang Ke had no idea what was wrong with these servants and could only support Lu Xiufan by himself, expending considerable effort before finally getting him into the bedroom.

After settling Lu Xiufan onto the bed, Shang Ke opened the medical kit again and began preparing another detoxifying medicine.

Lu Xiufan turned onto his side and silently watched Shang Ke sitting cross-legged on the carpet while preparing medicine for him, his gaze gradually darkening.

Suddenly, Lu Xiufan sat up and swept Shang Ke off the floor by the waist.

Caught off guard, Shang Ke let out a startled sound before quickly regaining control of himself. He looked straight at Lu Xiufan and allowed himself to be carried onto the bed.

“I think it’s time we fulfilled the terms of our new contract.”

Wait—you’re still poisoned!

Lu Xiufan’s gaze burned as he lowered his head and kissed him before Shang Ke could object.

Stay calm! Stay calm! The ultimate test of my expression control and acting skills has arrived!

The kiss deepened, and Shang Ke’s eyelashes trembled faintly as a shiver raced through him from the place where their lips met.

Their clothes gradually came away, and the intimacy between them quickly grew heated.

Shang Ke tilted his head slightly, cheeks flushed and eyes hazy. His hands gripped the sheets tightly as he bit his lip, stubbornly refusing to let a sound escape.

Lu Xiufan’s gaze darkened, and whatever restraint remained finally broke. Their intimacy deepened completely, and for a fleeting instant Shang Ke’s normally cool expression softened into something so vivid and beautiful that Lu Xiufan could scarcely look away.

Suppressed, uneven breathing filled the room as the quiet night gave way to their shared passion…

Shang Ke discovered that restrained intimacy had its own particular charm. Having to suppress every reaction only made the eventual loss of control that much more intense—the appeal was difficult to put into words.

The next morning, Shang Ke woke groggily and instinctively tried to get up for work, only for a pair of strong arms to pull him back before he could even sit upright. He was promptly dragged into another round of intimacy.

“Today is a day off,” Lu Xiufan murmured hoarsely beside his ear.

Seeing that Lu Xiufan apparently had no intention of stopping, Shang Ke grabbed his wrist and seriously began wondering whether residual poison had somehow caused a physiological imbalance.

“You need to take your medicine at nine,” Shang Ke reminded him seriously, though his languid voice carried very little authority.

Lu Xiufan glanced at the time. “There’s still an hour. That should be enough.”

In the end, he still failed to take his medicine on time…

As punishment, Shang Ke prepared the bitterest medicine imaginable to “reward” Lu Xiufan for his admirable habit of concealing poisonings—and for somehow maintaining such extraordinary enthusiasm even while recovering from one…

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