QWTBWASIFOC Chapter 39
by VolareThe rear residence of the Lu Manor.
Lu Yunqi, residing in a secluded courtyard, leaned his face on his hand, gazing towards the neighboring direction, his brow furrowed in distress.
Half an hour prior, he and Changli had returned to the Lu Manor, and then they had gone back to their respective courtyards, but he was still wide awake.
His mind was still preoccupied with the earlier question.
‘Why was I so happy that Changli agreed to spend the Lantern Festival with me every year? And why was I angry when I heard Liu Yiyun mentioning Changli? I even don’t want Changli to marry another woman.’
Could it be that he was truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
But he genuinely harbored no ill intentions towards Changli; he simply didn’t want Changli to marry someone else.
However, after a man came of age, he would always have to marry and have children. He couldn’t possibly prevent Changli from marrying, as people nowadays emphasized bloodline inheritance and family continuation.
Lu Yunqi rubbed his face, utterly conflicted.
Because he really didn’t want Changli to marry and have children. If Changli got married, what would become of him?
He suddenly widened his eyes. “…No, why would I have such thoughts?”
After a few seconds of stunned silence, he continued to ponder.
‘What should I do if Changli gets married?’ Before he could delve deeper, the mere possibility caused a pang of pain in his chest, and his tightly furrowed brow remained that way for a long time.
It seemed that deep down, he didn’t want Changli to marry any woman. The thought alone sent a surge of fire through his head.
But he and Changli were sworn brothers!
Could it be that he truly harbored ulterior motives towards Changli, actually setting his sights on his own sworn brother!?
Alright, he seemed to be exactly that.
Gradually acknowledging his inner thoughts, Lu Yunqi nervously tapped the table, his mind wandering, various thoughts surfacing in his mind.
When he first met Changli, heartache overwhelmed his infatuation. Later, events such as Changli’s illness struck, leaving him no time to delve into his true feelings.
He thought his feelings for Changli were brotherly affection, but they turned out to be a tender, lingering love.
So his odd behavior was a manifestation of his affections.
He would feel sadness because of Changli’s sorrow, be overjoyed by Changli’s promise, and feel jealous when other women liked Changli…
Lu Yunqi caressed his chest, feeling the intense unease within, or rather, the shock and joy of recognizing his feelings.
“If Changli insisted on marrying someone, it wouldn’t be impossible for me to marry Changli.”
Wait, ahhhh! What was he saying!
He bent over and collapsed onto the table, banging his forehead against the wooden surface, as if confessing his sins or trying to clear his head.
“Changli is a man, and I’m also a man…”
“How could we get married? But the Liang Kingdom hasn’t explicitly prohibited same-sex marriages.”
“Since it’s not prohibited, doesn’t that mean it’s allowed?” He desperately sought legal and emotional justifications for his beastly behavior.
“I can marry Changli.”
“Changli has no family, and my parents are gone too. Our marriage wouldn’t affect anyone, and this way, I can take care of Changli for a long time.”
“Yes! That’s it, I’m right!”
Lu Yunqi abruptly stood up, striding confidently towards the neighboring courtyard, only to be caught in another round of hesitation at the courtyard gate.
That’s not right, he didn’t seem to have asked for Changli’s opinion.
And he had overlooked a very important point.
Although he didn’t care about outside opinions, Changli had finally started living a normal life. How could he let his love subject Changli to criticism again?
Wuwuwu, he couldn’t be so selfish!
But he was truly unwilling. He couldn’t bear to give his beloved to another woman, nor did he want his love to burden Changli.
Lu Yunqi stopped at the entrance of Changli’s courtyard, his heart filled with deep sorrow, like a self-pitying, poisonous mushroom going mad everywhere.
Having just laid down, Changli heard the footsteps outside and immediately got up, threw on a robe, and walked out of the room, pulling the man at the door inside.
He sat in a chair, calmly watching the flustered and sweaty Lu Yunqi.
“Speak, what are you doing up instead of sleeping?”
Lu Yunqi nervously wrung his hands, his eyes darting to Changli’s face from time to time, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.
He pursed his lips, finding it difficult to speak.
If he told Changli now that he liked him, would Changli think he was a pervert!
Changli leaned forward, approaching Lu Yunqi, expressing his confusion at the man’s reticent silence, his eyes fixed on the other.
“Lu Yunqi, are you hiding something from me?”
That shouldn’t be. This guy had spilled the beans about his ancestors for eighteen generations; what big secret could he be hiding and too ashamed to reveal?
Wait, it seemed there really was one thing.
The youth poked Lu Yunqi’s slightly flushed cheeks, his calm voice tinged with a hint of enticement. “Could it be that you’ve discovered you’ve fallen in love with me?”
Lu Yunqi’s pupils constricted. “!!!!”
Ahhhh! Changli actually knew!
He looked at the youth in shock, his handsome face displaying an indescribable complexity.
“How… how did you know I liked you?”
Changli poked the man’s tense jaw, saying calmly, “Just because I don’t like to talk doesn’t mean my eyes are useless.”
“I still know a thing or two about love between a man and a woman.”
“You’re doing everything you can to be good to me because you’ve developed feelings and love for me.”
Lu Yunqi’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his hands clenching tightly.
So his unknown feelings had long been exposed to Changli, but why hadn’t Changli revealed them and even followed him back to the Lu Manor?
Thinking this, he asked directly.
Changli pinched Lu Yunqi’s chin, the robe he was wearing suddenly falling to the ground, his beautiful peach blossom eyes slowly filled with sparkling tenderness.
“Because I like you too…”
“If the person who offered me a helping hand on the desolate mountain that day wasn’t you, I wouldn’t have accepted it at all. I chose to go with you because that person was you.”
If the person who reached out to him wasn’t Lu Yunqi, he would have only thought they were meddling in his business and might have even said some unpleasant words.
After all, he was originally so sharp-tongued.
“!!!” A buzzing sound filled Lu Yunqi’s ears. He had never imagined this was the reason.
It wasn’t one-sided love, but mutual affection.
And Changli was willing to accept his kindness back then because he had also been moved by him.
He reached out and hugged the youth in front of him, his eyes filled with unconcealable joy and excitement.
“Changli, thank you for liking me too.”
“I definitely won’t let you down. I will definitely cherish this relationship.”
What grievances and concessions, he didn’t care about any of it!
Anyway, he was going to be with Changli. Any busybody who dared to talk nonsense and slander Changli, he would beat them until they didn’t dare to spout shit again.
Changli’s eyes were clear and bright, filled with joy.
He gently hugged the ecstatic Lu Yunqi, his eyes sparkling with brilliant light.
“Yes, I believe you, and I will too.”