Chapter 84: This is a Twisted Kind of Love! Part 3

The snowy white silk sock was removed along with the boot, revealing a lustrous, delicate foot. In the cool early spring air, the toes curled unconsciously. Their owner muttered in a confused dream: “Stinking dog…”

Yuan Zhuo was initially charmed by the sight, a smile touching his lips, but the smile froze instantly.

The boot was still held in his palm, the smooth silk crinkled into fine folds. The edge of the boot dug into his palm until he snapped back to reality, his skin marked with deep bruises.

He placed the boot gently on the carpet and leaned down, inching closer to the person sleeping on the couch. Those closed eyes looked gentle and peaceful, the thin corners of the lips slightly upturned as if he were having a beautiful dream.

Who are you dreaming of?

Yuan Zhuo thought coldly: In any case, it isn’t me.

His chest tightened, and bitterness spread from his throat to his teeth. When he tried to smile, he was left with nothing but self-deprecation and heartache.

In his haze, Gu Huaiyu sensed a warm breath above him. He unconsciously turned his head and mumbled, “Degenerate…”

Yuan Zhuo froze. His body suddenly pressed down even lower, his lips trembling as they brushed against that skin as delicate as jade. He closed his eyes, his throat bobbing heavily.

An untaught instinct to kiss drove him, moving inch by inch toward those unattainable lips.

Right as he was about to get his wish, the person beneath him suddenly tensed.

Yuan Zhuo snapped his eyes open, only to meet Gu Huaiyu’s suddenly clear eyes—those eyes, usually as calm as a breeze, were now wide with shock.

Gu Huaiyu felt as if he’d been struck by lightning. His fingertips instinctively brushed his own lips. Almost purely by reflex, he swung his hand out.

Slap!

Yuan Zhuo’s shock was no less than his own, but it was instantly dissipated by the strike. He suddenly began to laugh low, his shoulders shaking with the sound. “Why did Huaiyu Gege hit me?”

If it were an ordinary official, Gu Huaiyu could have quickly calmed down to weigh the pros and cons. But the person before him was the “half-son” he had raised for ten years. For him to commit such an act against the natural order and then laugh so wantonly—Gu Huaiyu was so furious his fingertips shook. He backhanded him with another slap.

Yuan Zhuo licked the blood from the corner of his mouth. His hands actually gripped the edge of the couch as he leaned in closer. “I wanted to kiss you, so you hit me?”

The young Emperor’s hot breath fanned against his face. “Then what if I wanted to mate with you?”

Gu Huaiyu’s thin eyelids twitched. What was this?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his long lashes trembling violently. Suppressing his rage, he said in a low voice, “Shut up. Get back immediately.”

Yuan Zhuo acted as if he hadn’t heard, his nose nuzzling intimately against Gu Huaiyu’s cheek. “Does Huaiyu Gege hate me? But I cannot leave you… I love you so much…”

Gu Huaiyu snapped his eyes open, staring at him in disbelief.

If it were just the impulsiveness from before, he could have attributed it to youthful vigor. But such a blatant confession was an absolute violation of their relationship.

Seeing Gu Huaiyu looking at him, Yuan Zhuo actually laughed happily. “I have loved you since I was a child… Huaiyu Gege, why don’t you be my Empress?”

Gu Huaiyu shoved him away, intending to get off the couch, only to realize one foot was bare.

Yuan Zhuo hurried to pick up the boot and sock from the floor. Kneeling, he cupped the fair ankle, lowering his head to put them back on.

Gu Huaiyu could not tolerate such an act. He kicked the Emperor in the chest. “Get out!”

Yuan Zhuo staggered back, falling onto the carpet. He propped himself up with his hands, staring straight at him. “General Pei can put on your boots, so why can’t I?”

“Is it that my hands are dirty?”

Gu Huaiyu felt he couldn’t stay a moment longer. His bare foot stepped onto the floor as he scrambled to grab his boot and sock, roughly shoving his foot into them.

Yuan Zhuo suddenly lunged forward, recklessly hugging Gu Huaiyu’s leg.

“Let go!”

The two of them struggled with four hands over the boot. Enraged, Gu Huaiyu pulled his hand back and delivered another slap.

Both of Yuan Zhuo’s cheeks stung with heat, yet he smiled as he slid the boot onto Gu Huaiyu’s foot. “Is Huaiyu Gege mistaking me for General Pei again?”

Gu Huaiyu didn’t want to argue anymore. He simply allowed the boy to finish putting on the boot. The moment his foot hit the floor, he walked toward the palace doors without stopping.

Yuan Zhuo blinked for a second before springing up from the floor. He caught up in a few strides and grabbed Gu Huaiyu’s wide sleeve.

“Huaiyu Gege, don’t go!”

The open doors were right in front of Gu Huaiyu. He tried to shake his arm twice but couldn’t break free. He whipped his head around.

The Emperor’s pale face bore distinct finger marks, and a trace of blood still hung from the corner of his mouth. Yet he held onto the sleeve stubbornly, a pleading smile touching his lips. “I was wrong… I lost my composure; it was not in line with the Guidelines for Sovereigns… Please don’t be angry.”

Amidst his fury, Gu Huaiyu felt a sense of the absurd.

Am I not supposed to be the iron-fisted, cold-blooded power behind the throne? Why does every single one of them want to get into my bed?