Chapter 399 Did I Disturb You?

Chapter 399: Did I disturb you?

Cheng Ge felt a pang of guilt upon hearing this.

He lowered his head abruptly, his gaze fixed firmly on his tightly clenched sleeve, where the crumpled truth still lay hidden.

"I..." His throat tightened, his voice dry. "N-no rush..."

Without giving Wuliji a chance to speak again, he added, "I'm sleepy! Early to bed, early to rise!"

As he spoke, he scrambled up from behind the desk, practically on all fours.

He didn't dare look back to see Wuliji's expression, his gaze darting anxiously across the floor.

"Right, early to bed, early to rise! Tomorrow—there's stuff to do tomorrow!"

He nearly jogged toward the bedroll, grabbed the largest and warmest blanket, and without even glancing at Wuliji, flung it haphazardly over himself, then quickly curled up facing the tent wall.

After wrapping himself tight, he held his breath, pretending to be asleep.

Beneath the heavy blanket, Cheng Ge's eyes were wide open, staring intently at the weave of the tent wall just inches away.

Time crawled through the dead silence, each breath stretched out endlessly.

The occasional crackle of the charcoal fire sounded like a thunderclap right against his eardrums.

Just as he was about to think Wuliji had left, the hide blanket over him was tugged ever so slightly.

The tug was so light, he almost didn't feel it.

Then, the bedding beside him sank slightly, and a tall figure, carrying the night's chill and the smell of the grasslands, lay down next to him.

Close enough for Cheng Ge to feel his presence, but not so close as to touch.

He continued playing possum, not even daring to move his eyes, maintaining his stiff curled-up position.

After what felt like an eternity—so long that Cheng Ge nearly drifted off—the person behind him stirred.

The movements were faint: first the rustle of fabric, then the weight of a body slowly leaning toward him.

Then, a sturdy arm gently draped over his wrapped blanket.

Cheng Ge's body stiffened instantly, as if a python had coiled around him.

But it didn't end there.

He felt Wuliji adjusting his position, his forehead slowly, hesitantly inching closer.

Finally, a faint wisp of warm breath gently brushed against the exposed skin at the back of Cheng Ge's neck.

The breath was warm and steady, yet it felt like thousands of ants skittering from his neck, spreading rapidly across his entire body.

All his acting was about to fall apart under this too-intimate contact.

"Huff!" Cheng Ge finally couldn't hold it in, throwing off the blanket covering his head.

He turned around quickly, and under the dim, flickering firelight, came face to face with Wuliji, who was mere inches away.

Wuliji clearly hadn't expected his sudden movement, his expression momentarily startled.

His eyes looked hazy in the dim light, a hint of tenderness still lingering in them.

Their eyes met, and the air went still.

Wuliji looked at Cheng Ge without blinking for a long moment.

Then he spoke, his voice a low whisper, "Did I... disturb... you?"

The irritation that surged in Cheng Ge's chest at the sudden closeness felt like a knot in his throat.

He wanted to lash out, but all the anger rushing to his head collided with Wuliji's eyes—so focused, even cautious, in the dimness. It dissipated like a red-hot iron plunged into cold water, hissing into steam, leaving only a stifled, powerless frustration.

The fire in his throat couldn't come out, but he couldn't swallow it back down either. It choked him.

He opened his mouth, the accusations he'd planned rolling on his tongue, but in the end, they took a stiff, almost laughable detour, turning into a dry question that had nothing to do with the moment:

"Those... the livestock taken a few days ago," his gaze drifted vaguely past Wuliji's shoulder, settling on some dark point, "how are they? Can we... get them back?"

As he spoke, Wuliji was clearly taken aback.

He didn't answer immediately, his gaze still lingering on Cheng Ge's face.

Cheng Ge's scalp tingled under his stare, and his cheeks flushed against his will.

Wuliji stayed silent for a moment.

The silence hung between them like a heavy stone, pressing down on the already thick air.

"...Not necessarily." He finally spoke, his voice firmer than before.

He wasn't brushing Cheng Ge off—he genuinely wasn't sure.

After all, with Hutuke's dictatorial nature, compromise wouldn't come easily.

And even if he did concede, it would likely cost Wuliji in the long run.