Wang Dian considered himself to have a decent temper. He could handle even the most critical and difficult people, but when it came to facing Liang Ye, all his good manners seemed to vanish.
He rubbed his throbbing forehead, feeling rainwater splattered on his clothes from somewhere, making them wet and clinging to his legs, causing a chill. Yellowed leaves scattered on the ground, covering the earthworms on the bluestone slab.
Wang Dian casually picked up a twig, cleared away the leaves, and flicked the squirming earthworm into the nearby soil. Another dry leaf fell, which he caught, looking up to see that most of the leaves on the tree had already withered, and the wind was growing colder.
Unbeknownst to him, autumn had long arrived.
Originally, he had planned to discuss cooperation with Southern Zhao with Liang Ye today. If Liang Ye wasn’t busy, he would have invited him for dinner and a good night’s sleep together… but when the gu worm attacked, he lost his composure instantly.
He could be Liang Ye’s eye-catching blade, help him deceive others, and even tolerate his unpredictable mood swings, but he couldn’t accept Liang Ye’s emotional violence and threats.
He enjoyed pampering Liang Ye, engaging in playful banter as a form of entertainment, but being forced and suppressed was not his idea of fun.
For him, love was merely a pastime, not a necessity, and certainly not comparable to serious matters. However, Liang Ye’s ability to push him to the edge was unexpected — a few months ago, even if Liang Ye had used the gu worm to force him, he wouldn’t have reacted like this.
He closed his eyes briefly, trying to convince himself to go back, say a few soft words, reconcile, and then discuss important matters. After all, Liang Ye had made a rare trip out of the palace…Wang Dian closed his eyes, trying to persuade himself.
F*cking why.
The twig in Wang Dian’s hand broke into smaller pieces, and the cold wind chilled him to the bone. He tossed the twig aside, lifted his half-dried robe, stood up from the steps, and walked back with wooden clogs.
Liang Ye’s temper was as bad as his own at times, he probably left in a fit of anger long ago. With his hands in his sleeves, Wang Dian walked back, somewhat regretfully realizing that he would be eating hotpot alone tonight… Damn, this weather is freezing.
He sniffed as he entered, glanced around, and upon confirming Liang Ye’s absence, he closed the door tightly, ignoring the faint unease in his heart. He reflected for a second on whether he had been too harsh in cursing him earlier, then decided to go barefoot into the inner room to find a thick outer robe.
As he pulled back the curtain, he saw Liang Ye standing barefoot in his inner garment in front of his wardrobe, holding the rabbit fur coat he had recently ordered, with one sleeve halfway up his arm.
There was a moment of awkward silence as they faced each other.
Wang Dian cleared his dry throat and stared at him expressionlessly, not saying a word.
Liang Ye lifted an eyelid to glance at him, calmly put on the comfortable and soft new coat, and even brazenly pulled on a pair of new socks, the hint of gold flashing between his ankles. Wang Dian’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he glanced sideways, realizing that Liang Ye was also wearing his inner garment.
Feeling uncomfortable under Wang Dian’s indifferent gaze, Liang Ye furrowed his brow, bending down to fasten the dark gold belt.
The buckle was designed by Wang Dian himself, and it took more than a month to make. It cost a lot of money, and Liang Ye hadn’t had a chance to wear it yet. Finally unable to bear it, Wang Dian spoke up, “What are you doing?”
Liang Ye took a bit of time to figure out the buckle but soon mastered it. The belt accentuated his waistline beautifully, coupled with the perfectly fitting coat, he looked like a noble and proud young master from a certain family. He chuckled softly at Wang Dian’s question, “Zhen’s clothes got wet, changing into something clean.”
Wang Dian’s appreciation for beauty didn’t prevent his anger, and he coldly retorted, “But why does it look like my clothes?”
“Zhen is wearing them, so they’re Zhens,” Liang Ye glanced at him, “Even you belong to Zhen.”
Before Wang Dian could explode, he sneezed from the cold, then walked to the wardrobe and pulled out a thicker coat, “Leave, won’t see you off.”
He draped the outer robe over himself, but as soon as he turned around, it slipped off and fell to the ground. Wang Dian looked back and saw Liang Ye’s foot stepping on the hem. Liang Ye shamelessly quipped, “Being delicate is one thing, but you can’t even put on clothes properly.”
“You’re not delicate, you’re freezing and rummaging through my clothes like a dog.” Wang Dian pulled the robe up irritably. “Get off.”
Liang Ye silently moved his foot, arrogantly reaching to untie the jade-studded hairband from Wang Dian’s hair, loosely wrapping it around his fingers, “Quite exquisite.”
Once Wang Dian had the outer robe on, he felt a bit warmer, but his hands and feet were still icy. He went to take the hairband from Liang Ye’s hand, but Liang Ye deliberately lifted his arm to let Wang Dian grab nothing, raising his eyebrows provocatively.
“Stop with the playful attitude,” Wang Dian withdrew his hand decisively, coldly staring at him, “I wasn’t joking earlier. You better figure things out sooner rather than later.”
Liang Ye lowered his arm, staring at Wang Dian’s slightly red fingertips in silence for a moment before saying, “Zhen’s mind is not good, can’t figure it out.”
“How can you figure it out when you’re busy plotting this and that?” Wang Dian scoffed, “If in the future, you’re unhappy or dissatisfied with something, and you can just use this gu worm to suppress me, then lightly brush it off as unintentional, and I should just let you mistreat me, right?”
“That’s not what Zhen meant,” Liang Ye said irritably, scratching at the tangled hairband in his hand, “Zhen didn’t intend to use the gu worm to suppress you, let alone mistreat you.”
Wang Dian looked at him with a deep gaze, “Fine, then apologize.”
Liang Ye’s expression turned cold, frowning as he said, “Zhen is the Emperor.”
Wang Dian didn’t bother arguing with him, pointing to the door, indicating for him to leave.
Liang Ye gave him a deep look before turning and leaving. Wang Dian heard the door open and then close, followed by the sound of rain outside.
That idiot Liang Ye didn’t take an umbrella. He must have soaked his clothes and belt. Wang Dian felt annoyed and reached to close the rain-drenched window. As he did, he noticed an unopened package of pastries on the small table. He reached out and felt that they were still warm.
He unwrapped the paper to find neatly stacked pastries, half of them in his and Liang Ye’s favorite flavors, and the other half in different styles but still in pairs, as if meant for someone else to taste together. He glanced at the wet clothes Liang Ye had thrown on the floor, imagining how far he must have gone through the woods and alleys to buy these. The pastry shop wasn’t close to their residence. Considering the time, Liang Ye must have gone to buy them right after their argument and hurried back.
And now, he had received a scolding.
An emperor with so many people under his command, yet he went to buy things himself.
“Young Master, the food and pots are ready in the pavilion,” a servant knocked on the door from outside, whispering.
Wang Dian looked at the package of pastries, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, picked one up, and ate it. It was delicious but lacked a certain flavor.
“All withdraw.”
