Wang Ren came too, though not as often as Shen Jinghong, because every time he came, Shen Jinghong would taunt him with his usual sarcastic barbs.
Shen Jinghong’s tongue was sharp enough to be poisonous. In just three sentences, he could make Wang Ren flush from the neck up.
But Wang Ren was stubborn. The more Shen Jinghong mocked him, the more determined he was to come. And whenever he did, he would immediately start sparring with Shen Jinghong.
Gu Changning had come once.
He had stood at the entrance to Shou’an Hall, handed over a book, and said it was for Shi Huai to read before leaving.
He had stayed for less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea.
When he left, his footsteps were hurried. The dark-blue hem of his robe flickered once along the corridor before vanishing, like a wind that came and went without a trace.
When Shi Huai opened the book, he found a sheet of paper tucked between the pages. Written on it was a poem.
It was one Gu Changning had written himself.
The poem contained several allusions that only the two of them understood.
The handwriting was so neat it looked carved into the page, but upon closer inspection, one could see that the strokes of a few characters trembled ever so slightly.
Lin Mo had also come, carrying a food box and a pot of asparagus fern. The pastries in the box were ones he had made himself, and he had planted the fern with his own hands.
When he stood at the entrance to Shou’an Hall, his face was already red all the way to the roots of his ears. After entering, he became even more tongue-tied. He stammered out a few words to Shi Huai before fleeing in disarray.
Watching Lin Mo’s retreating figure, Qinghe could not help laughing. She turned to Shi Huai and said, “Young Master, am I really that frightening? Why did this Young Master Lin run away the moment he saw me, like a rabbit?”
Shi Huai was reading the book Gu Changning had sent. Hearing this, he lifted his eyes and glanced at Qinghe, a helpless smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“He was just shy. It wasn’t because you frightened him.”
Qinghe stuck out her tongue, picked up the empty tea tray, and left. When she reached the doorway, she nearly collided with a young maid who came rushing in.
The maid was panting as she braced herself against the doorframe. Her face was flushed, and even her voice trembled.
“Young Master, His Highness the Crown Prince is here!”
The book in Shi Huai’s hands paused. He raised his eyes to look at the maid, his brows drawing together slightly.
“What did you say?”
“His Highness the Crown Prince! His Highness the Crown Prince is here! He’s already at the entrance!”
The maid’s voice rose so sharply that it nearly broke. Her entire body trembled with excitement, as though she had just seen someone of extraordinary importance.
Shi Huai set down the book, straightened his collar, and left the study. He crossed the courtyard of Shou’an Hall and headed toward the main entrance.
Halfway there, he saw that the Crown Prince had already entered.
The Crown Prince wore an apricot-yellow python robe. Four eunuchs and six guards followed behind him.
The procession was absurdly grand.
The Crown Prince’s gaze passed over the crowd and landed on him. His eyes lit up at once.
He quickened his steps toward Shi Huai. When he reached him, he stopped and looked him up and down, a smile slowly rising at the corners of his mouth.
“Shi Huai, I came to see you.”
The Crown Prince’s voice was filled with barely contained excitement and delight.
Shi Huai gave a proper salute, his voice clear and smooth as a stream running through the mountains.
“Shi Huai pays his respects to Your Highness. May Your Highness enjoy boundless blessings.”
The Crown Prince reached out to help him up. The moment his fingers touched Shi Huai’s arm, he showed no intention of letting go. Instead, he held Shi Huai’s arm and led him forward as he spoke.
“I heard you caught a chill, so I brought you some tonics. They’re all fine things from the palace. Make sure you take good care of yourself.”
Shi Huai lowered his eyes to the hand gripping his arm, then looked back up at the Crown Prince’s face. A faint smile touched his lips.
“It’s only a slight chill, Your Highness. It’s nothing serious. You’re too kind.”
“Not at all, not at all. Your health is what matters. Don’t talk about whether it’s a bother or not.”
The Crown Prince never loosened his hold. He kept Shi Huai by the arm and led him into the main reception hall of Shou’an Hall.
The instant he crossed the threshold, the Crown Prince’s footsteps faltered.
His gaze swept around the room, passing over the orchid Shen Jinghong had sent on the windowsill, the inkstone Lin Mo had given him on the writing desk, and the small-leaf red sandalwood bonsai Wang Ren had placed in the curio cabinet...
The corner of his mouth twitched faintly, and an indescribable irritation flashed in his eyes.
“There certainly are quite a few things in this room.”
His voice was mild, but carried a displeasure he was deliberately trying to suppress.
His gaze lingered on the orchid for a moment. He recognized it as a rare variety cultivated in the hothouses of the Shen residence.
Shi Huai followed his gaze, a smile at the corners of his lips.
“They were all gifts from my classmates. It would have been rude to refuse them, so I simply put them on display.”
The Crown Prince withdrew his gaze and sat down in a chair.
The four eunuchs immediately lined up behind him, while the six guards took up positions on either side, filling the small reception hall to the brim.
Qinghe entered carrying a tea tray. When she saw the imposing formation, her legs nearly gave way. Her hand trembled, and she almost dropped the teacup, barely managing to steady herself by biting her lip.
She placed the teacup on the table beside the Crown Prince, then retreated three steps and lowered her head, not daring to raise it.
Her fingers twisted together inside her sleeves until her knuckles turned white, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.
The Crown Prince lifted the teacup and took a sip. His brows immediately furrowed, and he set the cup back down, his voice carrying a hint of criticism.
“This tea is no good. I’ll have someone send you some better tea another day.”
Shi Huai sat across from him, his back straight. His simple dark-blue robe set off his refined, otherworldly features, and a faint smile rested on his lips.
“I’m accustomed to plain food and coarse tea, Your Highness. There’s no need for you to trouble yourself.”
Shi Huai’s calm, neither servile nor overbearing manner made the Crown Prince’s heart itch with longing and urgency. He leaned forward, narrowing the distance between them.
His gaze remained fixed on Shi Huai’s face.
It traveled from the curve of his brow to the line of his jaw, then from his jaw to the glimpse of pale skin exposed above his collar...
The Crown Prince’s eyes seemed pinned in place by some invisible force. He simply could not look away.
“Shi Huai, have you become even more handsome?”
The Crown Prince’s voice drifted slightly, colored by a fascination of which even he himself was unaware.
The question caught Shi Huai off guard. Then he answered with a gentleness that made one’s heart tremble.
“Your Highness is joking. I look just as I always have.”
That smile made the Crown Prince feel as though someone had seized his heart and wrung it hard. The pain nearly stole his breath.
He drew in a deep breath and held it in his chest for a long while before finally exhaling. His voice was lower than before.
“I’m not joking. I mean it. You’re even more handsome than you were the last time I saw you in the Eastern Palace.”
Shi Huai lifted the teacup before him and took a sip, using the motion to avoid the Crown Prince’s heated gaze. His lashes lowered, casting a small fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes.
His fingers were long, slender, and fair, his nails trimmed perfectly neat. The way he held the white porcelain cup was beautiful in every detail—beautiful enough to make a person want to keep him hidden away, where no one else could see him.
The Crown Prince’s gaze fell upon those hands, and his throat bobbed.
His fingers unconsciously tightened around the robe over his knees, his knuckles paling as though he might tear the fabric apart.
The Crown Prince had seen countless beauties, each with her own charms—some plump and graceful, some slender and delicate. Yet he had never felt such an overwhelming urge to hide anyone away and keep them for himself alone.
A burst of hurried footsteps sounded outside the main hall, drawing closer from the distance, accompanied by a young man’s cheerful voice:
“Shi Huai... I’m here... Guess what goodie I brought you today?”
