Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The further he walked inside, the sweeter and heavier the scent became.

Xie Licheng stopped in front of a semi-transparent screen, suddenly feeling like he couldn't go any further inside.

The young master within was as beautiful as a dazzling white serpent.

He, on the other hand, was a male slave who seemed honest and loyal on the surface, but was actually sly and wicked.

He was quite worried that if he went inside, he might do something inappropriate.

He had his principles—he didn't pick on the elderly, the weak, women, or children.

But having principles didn't make him a good man, nor did it mean he could stay completely unaffected by temptation.

Xie Licheng simply stood outside the screen and spoke to the person within: "Young master, your humble servant came because I have something to tell you."

The person inside didn't respond immediately. Xie Licheng vaguely heard the sound of someone putting on clothes.

Thinking that it was spring now and the weather was fairly warm,

and that Gu Zhangyuan's room was this hot, Gu Zhangyuan probably wouldn't be wearing much clothing when resting at night.

Xie Licheng felt the place getting even hotter, and it was getting hard to breathe.

After a long while, Gu Zhangyuan's voice finally drifted out from inside.

"Come in and talk."

Xie Licheng felt this was a bit improper, but he wasn't the type to overthink things.

Thinking that Gu Zhangyuan, a young master, didn't care, why should he, a grown man, act all hesitant and shy?

Besides, they were both adults—if he went in and couldn't hold back and did something, honestly, Gu Zhangyuan would be partly to blame for that too.

Before Xie Licheng could keep letting his mind wander, the person inside urged him on.

Gu Zhangyuan: "Come in and talk."

Xie Licheng said "yes," then lowered his head a bit and walked around the screen to go inside.

Gu Zhangyuan was lying on the bed, with a gauze curtain hanging over it.

The candlelight from the nearby candlestick was dim, so he couldn't see clearly what was inside.

Xie Licheng walked to the bedside, hesitated for a moment, then continued: "I feel like something's off about this estate."

The beauty behind the gauze curtain seemed to move a little. "What's off about it?"

Xie Licheng: "It's just... just now, I couldn't sleep and went out for a walk, and I vaguely saw someone sneaking around outside your courtyard, young master."

Gu Zhangyuan didn't say anything right away. To be honest, he was feeling a bit regretful too.

He'd been pretty brave when he came, but now that he'd actually arrived, he found the place remote and backward, with a few big mountains connected nearby.

Hearing this horse slave suddenly bring this up, he wondered—was he saying this on purpose to scare him and then take advantage of him? Or had he actually found something?

Thinking about how this man always liked to hide his true nature, Gu Zhangyuan wanted to use this chance to test him.

"What person? Did you... get a good look at what he looked like?"

Xie Licheng: "No. When I was walking toward your courtyard, I sensed someone running off in a hurry. He ran off right next to your courtyard, young master. I felt uneasy, so I just came in to check."

"You didn't even get a good look at who it was, and you're coming here to scare me with something like this?"

Hearing that Gu Zhangyuan seemed a bit unhappy, Xie Licheng frowned slightly.

"I didn't mean to scare you, young master. I'm genuinely worried about your safety and wanted to come protect you."

"But... there are so many people in this estate. You don't know who means me harm, so how exactly are you going to protect me?"

Xie Licheng wanted to say he'd stick close to Gu Zhangyuan from now on, but thinking about how it was already late at night and he'd come running over in the middle of the night saying he wanted to protect him in person—no matter how he looked at it, it seemed like he had bad intentions.

Xie Licheng: "Your humble servant would like to stay in your courtyard, young master, so I can keep an eye on things if anything happens."

Gu Zhangyuan suddenly reached out and pulled the gauze curtain aside. Xie Licheng quickly looked down, afraid that if he was even a second late, he might see something he shouldn't.

Gu Zhangyuan wasn't disheveled at all—he was wearing a set of snow-white underclothes.

He got up from the bed and stepped down, walking slowly to stand in front of Xie Licheng.

From Xie Licheng's lowered gaze, he could only see the slender waist under the underclothes.

A young master's waist was always a lot slimmer than a man's.

Gu Zhangyuan took two or three steps in front of him, and Xie Licheng's eyes followed his waist as it moved.

Xie Licheng wasn't thinking much of anything—he was just thinking... such a slender waist, he could probably wrap one hand around it.

Gu Zhangyuan said: "Can I really trust you?"

Xie Licheng: "Yes."

"But... the feeling you give me is weird. You see a dead person and you're not scared at all, yet you put on this act of being simple and honest. To be honest, I'm kind of afraid of you, especially when you stare at me with those eyes—I can tell you're not as simple and honest as you look."

Hearing him say this, Xie Licheng raised his eyes to look at his face.

Xie Licheng's disguise was indeed crude. It wasn't that his acting was bad, but rather that he felt time was running out and there was no need to play the part too convincingly.

Being called out directly by Gu Zhangyuan now, he didn't find it particularly surprising.

Xie Licheng: "Young master, don't be afraid. There are indeed lies in what I've told you, but one thing is one hundred percent true. That is—I will never betray you, young master. I hope you won't fear me in your heart, and won't be wary of me. I'll protect you, take care of you, and never let you run into danger."

As Xie Licheng said this, his gaze was locked onto Gu Zhangyuan's handsome face.

Such a great beauty—he truly was willing to take care of him, protect him, and keep him from harm.

The only question was whether the other party was willing to let him take care of him and protect him.

Gu Zhangyuan felt uncomfortable all over under his intense stare. He frowned slightly, a bit displeased, and said to him: "Kneel!"

Xie Licheng didn't hesitate at all upon hearing this, immediately dropping to one knee in front of him.

Gu Zhangyuan saw that his attitude was fairly respectful, and felt a bit satisfied but also a bit dissatisfied.

Every time he knelt to him, he did it quickly and cleanly.

But when he knelt to him, it was always just on one knee.

The way he looked now made him seem less like a loyal servant to his master, and more like... a suitor trying to win him over.

His demeanor was far from humble, with a hint of pride and swagger instead.

Gu Zhangyuan looked at him through lowered lashes and said, "I don't know why, but sometimes I really want to hit you. I always feel that deep down, you don't really respect me."

Not only did he lack respect, but he probably even wanted to... have his way with him, right?

At that thought, Gu Zhangyuan suddenly regretted it.

He regretted choosing such a wild and unruly fellow, and also regretted meeting him alone in the dead of night.

Xie Licheng was sharp and observant in many other ways.

But when it came to love and romance, he had absolutely no experience.

He didn't pick up on the hidden meaning in Gu Zhangyuan's words, assuming instead that Gu Zhangyuan still didn't trust him.

So Xie Licheng said, "If you want to hit me, go ahead. I'm tough, so it won't hurt."

As he spoke, he reached out and grabbed Gu Zhangyuan's wrist, trying to get him to hit him.

Xie Licheng wasn't a masochist; he dared to say and do such things only because he knew Gu Zhangyuan had a soft heart.

He knew that someone like Gu Zhangyuan was more likely to respond to gentleness than force and wouldn't have the heart to punish a servant harshly.

It was exactly because he had nothing to fear that he could act so boldly.

Clearly, Gu Zhangyuan knew what he was thinking, which just made him angrier.

Moreover, this horse slave was becoming more and more presumptuous, daring to grab his hand without asking.

Gu Zhangyuan pulled his hand back, annoyed, and when he thought about how Xie Licheng had even squeezed his fingertips when he pulled away, he felt violated.

He had a temper of his own, after all—he wasn't some pushover to be bullied.

So he decided to kick Xie Licheng to remind him who was the master and who was the servant.

But to his surprise, the moment he lifted his foot to kick, Xie Licheng caught his ankle.

The man's strength was astonishing; with a slight tug, he pulled Gu Zhangyuan entirely into his arms.

And so, the beautiful young nobleman was held tightly in Xie Licheng's arms.

The moment the beauty fell into his embrace, even Xie Licheng, who had great composure, wavered.

For a fleeting second, he wanted to ask Gu Zhangyuan if letting him get so close at such a late hour meant he truly wanted to sleep with him.

Unfortunately, now didn't seem like the right time.

As he stood up with him in his arms, he glanced at the window nearby.

This really scared Gu Zhangyuan.

He had said it—this damn servant didn't respect him at all deep down.

See, now he was already showing his true colors.

Xie Licheng easily lifted Gu Zhangyuan with one arm, and seeing the panic and anger in his eyes, which were turning red, he quickly covered his mouth with the other hand.

Held tightly and with his mouth covered, Gu Zhangyuan panicked and struggled desperately.

The beautiful young master did have some strength, but it was only enough to deal with useless scholars; against Xie Licheng in his current state, his efforts seemed like he was just squirming playfully.

Afraid of truly scaring him to tears, Xie Licheng carried him toward the bed while whispering in his ear, "Don't be afraid, I won't do anything to you."

Gu Zhangyuan let out a couple of muffled whimpers, glaring at him with his pretty eyes.

His glare said, "If you won't do anything, then why won't you let me go?"

Xie Licheng gestured for him to look at the window, and Gu Zhangyuan, startled by his gaze, turned to look.

A figure was vaguely visible by the side window, and sensing something odd in the room, it quickly realized the situation and fled.

Gu Zhangyuan was very familiar with the figures of Xuan Cui and Yuan Qiao, and he knew their personalities well.

If Xie Licheng had come to see him now, they wouldn't be hiding outside eavesdropping.

Thinking of the shadow he'd just seen, Gu Zhangyuan suddenly felt a chill of fear.

He quickly turned around in Xie Licheng's arms, instinctively burrowing closer, and asked in a frightened voice, "Who is that? It looked like a man—could it be bandits?"

Xie Licheng didn't answer, instead gently laying him down on the bed.

Gu Zhangyuan lay on his back, looking up at Xie Licheng, who loomed over him.

He had felt embarrassed a moment ago, being held and embraced by a man.

But now, he had no time to dwell on shame or other trivial thoughts.