Chapter 27 Part 1

“Fine, fine. You don’t care about me. If you just took care of yourself, that would be great.”

Gu Xiaodeng felt the alcohol kicking in. Dazed and smiling, he magnanimously patted Gu Jinyu’s hand gripping his shoulder, sincerely following Gu Jinyu’s logic, thinking this would calm his good brother’s anger.

Who knew his good brother froze up.

“The night is late, Xiaodeng. If you and Jinyu have heartfelt words to share, why not come inside?”

Su Mingya’s voice came from behind. Gu Xiaodeng turned woozily, calling out sweetly, “Young Master Su.” Gu Jinyu stiffened even more.

He wanted to pull Gu Jinyu by the hand up the steps, swinging their joined hands, his tongue thick as he inquired with concern: “Senqing, how long have you been out of seclusion? Are your eyes having trouble adjusting? Why don’t you rest properly? If you were looking for me, just having Blossom Ashes peck at me would’ve been enough. I could’ve gone to see you. Or were you here to see Young Master Su…”

Before they even reached the Jade Steps, Gu Jinyu pulled his hand free. Full of tangible, dark mood, he said nothing, turned around silently in a huff, and walked away.

Gu Xiaodeng was bewildered. He turned and chased after him unsteadily. Gu Jinyu strode quickly in a straight line, then bumped right into a pillar of the Flower Trellis at the corner, producing a loud thud. But he acted as if nothing happened, turned the corner, and continued his brisk pace.

Gu Xiaodeng’s drunkenness surged, and he couldn’t keep up with Gu Jinyu. He could only rub his head and watch him leave.

A guess surfaced in his muddled mind. Gu Jinyu had probably come looking for him right after getting out of the confinement room. His eyes likely hadn’t yet adapted from darkness to natural light, and he urgently needed to go back and rest.

Ah, his good brother truly walked on thin ice. Such a poor soul.

Gu Xiaodeng muttered to himself as he turned back, passed through the Flower Trellis, and looked up to see Su Mingya descending the Jade Steps. His heart softened again.

Ah, the sickly beauty, Young Master Su, was so frail and delicate. A pitiful little thing.

The pitiful little thing was even more endearing than the poor soul. He ran dizzily to Su Mingya, tucked his head clingily against him, rubbed affectionately, and whimpered sadly: “Young Master Su… Jinyu is angry with me. If he doesn’t want to be my good brother anymore, how can I win him back?”

Su Mingya, upon hearing this, only wanted to laugh. He had never seen Gu Jinyu flee in defeat. This matter thoroughly amused him.

He raised his hand to gently stroke Gu Xiaodeng’s head and tenderly coaxed him: “It’s alright. He’s proud, hard to win back. But you still have me. I won’t leave you alone.”

Gu Xiaodeng was both drunk and sleepy. He leaned against Su Mingya, sliding down softly. In his mind, a tiny boat like a revolving lantern appeared, recalling the time his Sworn Brother Zhang Dengqing had suddenly met with misfortune and left him. Back then, it was Gu Jinyu who sat beside him, comforting him, saying that it was okay Sworn Brother was gone, because he still had him.

Now, this moment felt remarkably similar.

Su Mingya held the sweet, soft little fool. The pleasure in his heart diluted the bitter taste of medicine lingering in his mouth. When a servant stepped forward, ready to help support Gu Xiaodeng, he even dismissed them, personally half-carrying, half-dragging Gu Xiaodeng back to the guest room.

He laid Gu Xiaodeng on the bed. Gu Xiaodeng’s drunkenness surged to eighty percent. Half-asleep, half-awake, he hugged Su Mingya’s waist, acting spoiled. He nestled into the crook of Su Mingya’s arm, curling up into a little human-shaped patty, so soft that a gentle pinch would ooze sugar syrup.

The amusement in Su Mingya’s heart took a turn. Logically, he should push this little drunkard away and hand him to the servants for a wash. But on a strange impulse, when the servant approached, he barked a halt: “Leave. Close the door.”

The servant was startled, speaking somewhat haltingly: “Young Master Gu… is not clean. I fear he might offend you.”

Su Mingya cast a sideways glance. The servant met his gaze and instantly felt as if facing a formidable enemy. Trembling with fear, he hastily retreated, carefully shut the door, and sealed his lips absolutely.

The room quieted down. Su Mingya, satisfied, gently kneaded the person in his arms. His thumb wiped away the remaining tear stains on Gu Xiaodeng’s face, rubbing the spot of his dimple. The smile indentation felt delicate and smooth under his fingertip, silently and addictively alluring.

His fingertip naturally strayed to Gu Xiaodeng’s lip bead. He suddenly recalled his childhood, reviewing lustrous New Year’s pearls in his family’s arms. The more lustrous the pearl, the more he wanted to crush it. Just like now, as he rubbed, he also wanted to bully and shatter it.

Su Mingya chuckled lightly, lowered his head close to Gu Xiaodeng, and gazed at him intently for a moment. In the end, he only placed a gentle kiss on his dimple.

This little exquisite creature was indeed unclean. Someone had bitten his neck, probably kissed him too. As long as it wasn’t Gu Jinyu who had kissed him, Su Mingya didn’t mind.

When Gu Xiaodeng woke up, he found his left foot had swollen again, all thanks to him recklessly bouncing after Gu Jinyu while drunk. But that wasn’t the most important thing. His mind full of troubles, he wanted to find Gu Jinyu. First, he ran off to sound out Zhu Mi.

Zhu Mi’s mood was exceptionally stable, utterly unruffled: “The Fourth Young Master returned from the Outer State with some injuries. He grew weaker during confinement and has been recuperating these past few days. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing him for now.”

“Oh… so miserable.” Gu Xiaodeng looked worried. “He’s already having such a hard time and still got angry because of me. I really am causing him trouble.”

Zhu Mi shook his head: “In my humble opinion, Cousin Young Master is just fine as he is. Just live your academy life well. The Fourth Young Master’s battlefield isn’t here. Don’t mind his reactions. He’ll come around eventually.”

Gu Xiaodeng could only scratch his head: “I hope he makes up with me soon… If not, at least don’t break up the human-bird bond between me and Blossom Ashes.”

He still relied on Gu Jinyu’s diligent, precious big bird to deliver his home letters.

Zhu Mi understood his implication and fell silent for a moment.

Gu Xiaodeng had other questions: “Right, someone in the academy spread that I’m a copycat imitating Jinyu. I didn’t even hear it myself. Why, when it reached Jinyu’s mouth, did it seem like everyone was saying it?”

Zhu Mi asked back: “Are you imitating the Fourth Young Master?”

Gu Xiaodeng nodded honestly: “Yes, but always in private. Learning a bit of his surface, can’t learn the good parts.”

“That explains it.” Zhu Mi spoke pointedly.

“Explains what? That I’m unlucky?” Gu Xiaodeng touched the back of his neck. “Say, if I really learned enough from him to be brilliantly talented, then calling me a copycat would be accurate. But my level isn’t even worth mentioning, just a crude imitation. And ‘copycat’? How am I a ‘cat’?”

Zhu Mi: “…You have a unique perspective and a great mentality.”

Getting no clear answer, Gu Xiaodeng waved and left. As usual, he didn’t miss a single literary class. For martial classes, he slipped back to the Bamboo Courtyard to stick to Su Mingya. To cheer him up, Su Mingya specially transferred a batch of Rare Medical Books from the Su Family. With a wave of his hand, he gifted them all to Gu Xiaodeng, encouraging him to study diligently and independently outside the Gu Family’s control. This shocked Gu Xiaodeng so much his eyes nearly popped out.

“All for me? Really all for me?”

“Whatever you want, I’ll give you.” Su Mingya indulged him more and more. “I hope the little one can be happier, no need to mope around because of Jinyu.”

Gu Xiaodeng was deeply moved. He grabbed Su Mingya’s hand abruptly and wailed exaggeratedly: “Great Benefactor Su! Great Fairy Su! Did you descend from heaven to save this little mud man? You’re my friend, and you’re also my treasure. You’ve helped me so much, how can I ever repay you!”

Su Mingya looked at his dimple and smiled gently: “Just stay with me.”

This request was exactly what Gu Xiaodeng desired most. His clinginess grew unstoppable. Once at the Bamboo Courtyard, he stuck to Su Mingya and wouldn’t leave. When his left foot had completely healed, and it was time to leave the Bamboo Courtyard and return to his own quarters, he was utterly reluctant.

Just then, at the beginning of the seventh month, an autumn chill arose. Su Mingya fell ill.

At the start of every change of seasons, Su Mingya was prone to catching cold. He had amassed a basketful of experience with illness. The Su Family originally wanted to bring him home earlier to stay for a while, but Su Mingya refused. He only found going home boring and had long since prepared to seclude himself in the Bamboo Courtyard.

After all, the Su Family didn’t have a clingy little creature for company, far less comfortable than the Bamboo Courtyard.

Gu Xiaodeng wasn’t worried about catching cold at all. His constitution wasn’t prone to illness. He stuck even closer to Su Mingya’s side to care for him. Looking after people was something he often did as a child. Now, taking care of Su Mingya felt both familiar and full of tender pity.

Su Mingya was taller than him, but due to days of fever and Asthma Affliction, he was weak. Several times he collapsed into Gu Xiaodeng’s arms, his body burning hot. Half-closing his lusterless, moist eyes, he panted lightly, trembling without end.

Gu Xiaodeng’s little heart was poked eight hundred times a day.

By the Qixi Festival, Su Mingya’s illness was at its tail end. Languid and unwilling to go out, he simply claimed to the outside world that he was still severely ill, pushing away all social engagements in Changle. His Su Family members indulged his every wish. The Bamboo Courtyard was even more tranquil, like a paradise beyond the world.

At noon, Su Mingya leaned by the window. His left hand held an Ice Stove containing ice cubes to lower his slight fever. His right hand gently stroked Gu Xiaodeng, who was stuck to his side. His voice, hoarse from days of coughing, sounded uniquely tender: “Xiaodeng, today is the Qixi Festival. You don’t need to keep me company in this dullness. You can go out and socialize with others.”

Gu Xiaodeng put on a fierce little face and said seriously: “The sick need company the most. How could I abandon you? No way!”

Su Mingya laughed softly and gently. He sat tiredly, eyelashes lowered. Gu Xiaodeng thought he looked pitiful and beautiful this way, so he stared hard.

Su Mingya sighed helplessly: “You’re looking at me again.”

Gu Xiaodeng nodded: “Yes, because Young Master Su is beautiful to look at. Isn’t the Ice Stove freezing?”

Su Mingya’s gaze roamed over his face: “Put one in your mouth… and you’ll know.”

“In my mouth?”

“Mhm.”

Su Mingya turned the Ice Stove. With reddened fingertips, he plucked out a round ice ball. Gu Xiaodeng thought he was going to put the ice into his mouth, so he opened his mouth with an “ah” and leaned in to take the little ice ball.

But Su Mingya put the ice ball into his own mouth instead.

Gu Xiaodeng panicked: “Oh no, you still have a fever, you shouldn’t just put ice in your mouth, it might hurt your spleen and stomach…”

Su Mingya suddenly pulled him over, lowered his head, and leaned in.

Gu Xiaodeng’s whole body stiffened. All his senses concentrated on his lips and teeth. The hot breath from Su Mingya, the ice rolled in by his tongue, it all passed into his mouth.