Chu Wanning hadn’t slept for two days, so he slept very deeply. Since Mo Ran’s movements were gentle, he wasn’t even disturbed when he was carried to the bed in Mo Ran’s arms.

     Mo Ran put Chu Wanning in the center of the bed, resting his hand on his neck as he lowered his head to the pillow, and covered him with a quilt.

     After doing this, he didn’t leave. He just stared at his face with fondness, from his pitch-black eyebrows to his thin lips, inch by inch.

     Beautiful.

     How could his Shizun, his Wanning, be so beautiful?

     He was so beautiful that the more he looked at him, the more his heart softened and his lower body turned stiff.

     His mind went numb and his sanity strangled his neck. He knew it was wrong, but with Chu Wanning’s face so close to his, and the faint haitang smell on his body, it was like countless pairs of soft claws tearing through his delicate clothes, seducing him to go to bed with him.

     Maybe it was because of the burning blood surging like a river through Mo Ran’s veins, or because his heart was beating like a war drum, or because his gaze was too intense, burning the sleeping person awake. In short, Chu Wanning opened his eyes and suddenly woke up.

     “...”

     For a moment, neither of them made a sound. Mo Ran stiffened in place, and Chu Wanning turned from drowsy to dumbfounded in an instant. His pair of phoenix eyes opened wide, meeting Mo Ran’s burning eyes.

     Chu Wanning suddenly snapped to attention, fully alert, “What are you doing?”

     The expression on the handsome young man’s face was hard to see clearly. Mo Ran slowly leaned down, and Chu Wanning was so shocked that he didn’t dare to move.

     “You…”

     He was getting closer and closer.

     His heart was beating wildly.

     Clink! A soft sound came from the bedside, and suddenly the light around them dimmed, falling into an even more ambiguous and hazy atmosphere. Mo Ran had leaned over and pulled the bed curtains tight, then straightened up and sat upright on the edge of the bed. He lowered his head to look down at Chu Wanning lying on the bed, and said in a low voice, “I saw that Shizun was asleep, so I wanted to help you put down the bed curtain. I didn’t think I would wake you up.”

     Chu Wanning didn’t say anything. He leaned against the pillow and turned his head slightly to look at him.

     The dull old curtains that had just been moved fluttered behind Mo Ran, the candlelight outside becoming hazy like the mist on the window in winter. It was too dark, and the young man’s handsome face was almost impossible to see. In the dark night, only his eyes were shining brightly, like falling stars.

     Mo Ran suddenly called out to him, “Shizun.”

     “Hmm?”

     “There’s something I want to ask you.”

     “...”

     With the help of the darkness, the disciple’s courage seemed to grow.

     Chu Wanning’s heart tightened. He thought, Is he going to ask about the brocade pouch?

     His face was calm, but his heart was surging with emotions.

     Is it too late to pretend to be asleep?

     “Where should I sleep?” Mo Ran asked.

     “...” Chu Wanning was speechless.

     In fact, Mo Ran regretted it right after he asked. They had been dancing around each other all night, and Mo Ran finally decided to sleep on the floor. His body was still young and full of vigor, so it was best if he didn’t sleep in the same bed as Chu Wanning—he knew how terrible a man’s desire could be.

     “The bed is too small,” he said. “I’ll sleep on the floor.”

     “...Is there any extra bedding?” Chu Wanning asked.

     Mo Ran smiled, “There is.”

     “Will it be cold?” Chu Wanning asked again.

     “No, I’ll just lay down some more straw.” As Mo Ran said this, he went outside to get the straw.

     When he returned, he carried a pile of straw and laid it on the floor. Chu Wanning was no longer sleepy after being woken up so suddenly. He leaned to the side and propped up his head. With one hand, he lifted the curtain and silently watched as Mo Ran went about his business, making a bed for himself on the floor.

     Chu Wanning: “...”

     “Sweet dreams, Shizun,” Mo Ran said. He laid down with his clothes on and pulled a blanket over himself. His dark eyes were gentle and steady as he looked at Chu Wanning on the bed.

     Chu Wanning acknowledged, “Mm.”

     Seeing Mo Ran’s I’m-very-honest look, he sighed in relief. He put on an I’m-very-cold-and-aloof look and casually put down the bed curtain and laid down.

     However, Mo Ran sat up again.

     Chu Wanning asked, “What are you doing?”

     “I’m putting out the lights,” Mo Ran replied as he got up and blew out the candles.

     The room fell into silence. The master and disciple lay on their beds, each with their own thoughts as they looked at the haitang flowers and butterflies that glowed faintly in the long, endless night.

     “Shizun,” Mo Ran called.

     “What’s wrong?” Chu Wanning asked. “Are you still not going to sleep?”

     “I’m going to sleep.” Mo Ran’s voice was very gentle; in the dark night, it was especially soft, “It’s just that I suddenly wanted to tell you something.”

     Chu Wanning pursed his lips. Although his heart wasn’t beating as hard as when he had guessed blindly the first time, he still couldn’t help but feel his throat go dry.

     “I wanted to say…” Mo Ran started. “Shizun, you don’t have to be so formal when you sleep. You always sleep in a corner.” There was a hint of a smile in his voice. It was low, but pleasant to hear.

     “...I’m used to it,” Chu Wanning said.

     “Why?” Mo Ran asked.

     “The room is always too messy. I’ve tumbled and fallen off my bed before and got a cut from a file on the floor.”

     Mo Ran listened, but didn’t say anything for a long time.

     Chu Wanning waited. When there was no response, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

     “Nothing,” Mo Ran said, but his voice seemed to be closer.

     Chu Wanning turned his head to look through the soft curtain and, illuminated by the light of the butterflies and haitang flowers, he saw Mo Ran pull his bed closer to him.

     Mo Ran laid back down and smiled, “When I’m here, Shizun doesn’t have to worry. If you fall, you definitely won’t get cut.”

     He paused, then seemingly casually added, “I’m here.”

     “...”

     After a while, Mo Ran heard the man on the bed give a little snort and say softly, “The muscles on your arm are hard. If I fall, it won’t be much better than a file.”

     Mo Ran smiled, “There’s something even harder that Shizun has yet to see.”

     He had wanted to say something about the muscles on his chest, but before he could explain, he suddenly realized how he sounded.

     He was stunned, and hurriedly said, “That’s not what I meant.”

     Chu Wanning was already silent and awkward after hearing the first sentence. When he heard the second sentence, the atmosphere sank hopelessly into the depths of the abyss. Of course he knew that Mo Ran had something even harder and hotter, something that made people shudder even more than the mechs he made himself. Putting aside that damned Size Ranking of the Cultivation World’s Young Heroes, he himself had unintentionally felt it himself through his clothes. It was a terrifying passion that made one tremble and feel numb all over.

     Chu Wanning said impatiently, “Sleep.”

     “...Right.”

     But how could they sleep?

     The burning fire of love and affection gnawed at the two of them, tormenting them to the point of breaking. The room was so quiet that they could hear the faint sound of each other’s breathing, the sound of their tossing and turning.

     Mo Ran put his hands behind his head and opened his eyes, looking at the fiery-red butterflies fluttering all over the room. A spirit butterfly fluttered down and landed on the bed curtain, making it glow with a gentle red light.

     In this silence, Mo Ran suddenly remembered something. Back then, at Jincheng Lake, the person who saved him from the Heart-Pluck Willow’s nightmare had faintly whispered something in his ear. At the time, his consciousness had been blurred, and he wasn’t sure whether those words were just his imagination or not. But now that he thought about it, he suddenly felt that maybe he didn’t hear wrong.

     Maybe it was true.

     He heard Chu Wanning say, “I like you too.”

     Mo Ran’s heart beat faster and faster. Some of the most minor details that he didn’t notice in the past all sprouted at this moment, turning into fresh and tender petals. Then, they were then nourished by his wolfish ambition, forming a large, lush tree that reached the sky.

     His mind buzzed and his vision was blurry. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong…

     “I like you too…”

     I like you too…

     If he really misheard those words back then—if Chu Wanning really never said that, then why was he so unwilling to admit that he was the one who had saved him after he woke up?

     Unless he hadn’t misheard!

     Unless Chu Wanning really did say—

     Mo Ran sat up abruptly. He was so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn’t control himself. He said hoarsely, “Shizun!”

     “...”

     Even though the person behind the curtain didn’t move, Mo Ran still asked, “Today, when I was washing our clothes, I picked up something. Is it…”

     It was very quiet behind the curtain.

     “Do you know what it is?”

     The moment the words left his mouth, Mo Ran suddenly felt timid. He actually foolishly asked Chu Wanning this question.

     The other didn’t answer for a long time.

     “Shizun, are you still awake?” Mo Ran hesitated, his eyes moist, “Did you hear me…?”

     On the bed covered by the curtain, Chu Wanning was completely still, seemingly asleep. Mo Ran waited for a long time, unwilling to give up. He stretched out his hand several times to open the curtain, but stopped.

     “Shizun…”

     He mumbled and laid down again.

     His voice was very soft.

     “Pay attention to me.”

     Of course, Chu Wanning wouldn’t pay attention to him.

     His entire being was a mess, and the clarity of mind he had always prided himself on was now filled with a cloud of smoke. He lay on the bed, staring at the dark curtain with his eyes open. He thought sluggishly, What the hell is Mo Ran trying to do?

     He thought of many things, made all sorts of outrageous guesses. However, he didn’t dare to guess the most obvious answer—he didn’t dare to guess that Mo Ran liked him too.

     It was like a starving person who had been given a crispy piece of meat pie. Because it wasn’t easy to come by, they cherished it. They would eat all the crust on the pie, but couldn’t bear to eat the last remaining meat filling for a long time.

     Chu Wanning listened to the gentle, yet anxious murmur of the person outside the curtain. He quietly pulled the quilt up over his chin and nose, only revealing a pair of bright phoenix eyes. Then, he covered his eyes as well, hiding his entire body under the quilt.

     Of course he had heard it… but he didn’t know how to answer.

     His heart was pounding and his palms were covered with sweat. He felt like he had been forced into a dead end. He hated that he couldn’t sit up and just yell, “Yes, I hid the brocade pouch! I like you! Are you satisfied?! Don’t ask anymore. Go to sleep!”

     He was tormented and apprehensive, his heart aching.

     “Shizun?”

     “...”

     “Did you really fall asleep…”

     After a while, Chu Wanning heard Mo Ran sigh softly.

     With his head under the quilt, he was in complete darkness. In the darkness, he was overcome with regret, fear, nervousness, and sweetness. He had mixed feelings—sour, bitter, and sweet. He tried to calm himself down, but his cheeks burned and he couldn’t help but secretly kick the quilt.