Ji Ling sat on the stepladder, looking down on Carlos from above. Taking advantage of the situation and bringing out his rising bravado, he frowned displeased and said, "I feel like you didn’t invite me over whole-heartedly, Uncle Carlos. I’m going home!"
A bewildered look suddenly showed on Carlos’ face. He knitted his brows and said, “Why do you say that? What made you unhappy?"
Ji Ling sounded wronged and dissatisfied. He batted his eyes saying: "I just wanted to come in and look for a few books to kill time, but your people wouldn’t let me enter.”
“I can’t do this, I can’t do that…" Ji Ling pursed his lips and snorted coldly, "I wouldn’t have come if I’d known it’d be like this.”
Carlos was silent for a moment and said, "I understand.”
Ji Ling finished speaking and stared nervously at Carlos. What do you understand? I'd like to see how you handle people like me breaking into your study! This is your secret place, isn’t it?!
Although he suspected Carlos had been reborn, that didn’t mean he dared to act recklessly. After all, Carlos was not the kind and honest type, but cold, cruel and moody instead. He’d wanted to test Carlos' stance, but was afraid of going too far and suffering severe consequences. It was like walking on a tightrope.
Ji Ling's heart pounded.
Then he saw Carlos turn to Anderson, eyes cold. Carlos said slowly, "I ordered you to serve Ji Ling as if he was the master here, and that he cannot suffer the slightest displeasure. But what did you lot do?"
Although Carlos' tone was very calm, Anderson's face turned pale as a sheet, and cold sweat ran down his forehead. He bowed down and said shakily, “My apologies, we..."
He started, but halfway through, realized he didn’t know how to continue since he wasn’t sure of the duke's true intentions. This study was indeed the grand duke's secret place and no one else was permitted entry. Did His Excellency want to blame his servants for not watching over Ji Ling’s actions closely enough… or was he really blaming them for stopping Ji Ling?
No, whether Ji Ling was blocked or not, it seemed there was no way to avoid punishment. This made Anderson feel extremely nervous and troubled.
As for the other servants behind him, they were now crawling on the ground, trembling with fear.
Carlos looked at Anderson, his voice was devoid of any warmth as he said: “Since you’ve followed me for so many years, I’ll let you off with giving yourself 50 whips as a warning. As for them…" His gaze turned to the servant kneeling on the ground, then he said lightly: "The grand duke’s estate does not require people who can't even do this one thing well. Take him away and dispose of him. "
As his voice fell, the servant who had stopped Ji Ling and was kneeling on the ground burst out in tears and cried out: “Mercy, Your Excellency! Mercy! I know I was wrong, but I won’t next time…”
Ji Ling gawked as he watched the scene. He was so shocked by the servant crying abruptly at the top of his lungs that he lost his balance and fell off the ladder. Closing his eyes, he gave a cry of alarm, but didn’t feel any pain as he instead fell into a warm embrace… A pair of strong arms had firmly caught him.
Opening his eyes, he was faced with Carlos’ refined and deep visage.
Carlos held the young man in his arms, looking into his dazed and lost eyes. His heart was full of tender affection as he said softly, "Be careful.”
The man's face was so close to his own that Ji Ling could clearly see the worry in those brown pupils, and it didn’t look feigned at all. This made Ji Ling fall into a confused daze. It was like the man in front of him was actually gentle to this extent and meant him no harm. No matter what he did, this man wouldn’t get angry... He subconsciously stretched out and touched a handful of Carlos’ hair. Lightly grasping a brown strand, he felt that the texture was slightly coarser than his own hair...
Then his hand stopped in mid-air and froze... FML, what possessed me just now?! I even touched Carlos' head!
Is Carlos the kind of person you could just pat on the head? Absolutely not!!!
But something happened then that frightened Ji Ling even more...
Carlos still wasn’t angry. Instead, his eyes looked even gentler, along with a trace of some kind of complex and dark emotion that Ji Ling couldn’t make out. Carlos curled his lip and said in a low magnetic voice: “All doors here will forever be open to you. If anyone ever dares stop you again, you can simply tell me, all right?”
Ji Ling: "......"
Although Carlos acting like this was very frightening, Ji Ling hadn’t forgotten what had scared him off the ladder! Don’t just kill people off randomly! Keeping harmony in civilization is the most important. Can’t we just talk it out?!
Ji Ling struggled for a moment, and jumped out of Carlos' embrace. With a straight face, he said furiously, "Uncle Carlos, what you’re doing is wrong.”
Carlos wasn’t displeased, and instead followed-up asking, "What did I do wrong?"
Ji Ling held his head high. Opening his eyes widely, he said agitated: "They only dared to stop me, because entry to this room is prohibited. They got in my way, because they were afraid you’d punish them. You were the one who didn't tell them in advance I was allowed in, and now you blame them for not doing their job. Aren't you in the wrong?"
You get it clear. I’m going against you personally, not your servant, okay?
If you have the guts, come at me. What kind of a man are you to make your servant the scapegoat?!
Ji Ling was almost driven mad by this villain who didn’t play his usual tune; Calling for people’s lives at the slightest thing!
Carlos looked at the youth in front of him who was all in a huffy. After a while, his lips parted, and he let out a chuckle. He seemed to be in a very good mood. As if he was coaxing an angry child, he went with the flow and agreed, "You’re right. I was wrong this time and shouldn’t have blamed others."
Ji Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked away with a humph.
If another person’s life was in jeopardy because of him, he’d never be able to forgive himself. He had to be more careful going onwards…
Carlos saw the youth in front of him looking haughty (tsundere) but awkward, and insuppressible warmth and tenderness welled up from the bottom of his heart. What a nice and kind boy. He was even willing to defend the life of this kind of lowly servant. Ji Ling appeared to be willful and arrogant, but was actually more sensible and kinder than anyone else. He had the resolve to always uphold the bottom line of his morals.
He was the most beautiful treasure Carlos could ever meet in his whole life.
Carlos' eyes brimmed with deep affection and yearning. He took the youth’s hand, and said warmly with lidded eyes, “We’ve been at this for so long, you must be hungry.”
Ji Ling thought a little, and then nodded in the end.
Carlos’ eyes showed a smile and he said, "Then let’s go eat dinner. It should already be prepared.”
He said that and brought Ji Ling to the dining hall.
The long dining table was filled with all sorts of exquisite delicacies, and the clear tableware was carved with precious gemstones that shone radiantly under the soft light. It felt really luxurious and extravagant!
Carlos personally pulled the chair back for Ji Ling, and smiled as he watched him sit down. Then, he sat down beside Ji Ling.
Ji Ling quietly glanced at Carlos. Although he was still doubtful inside, he wasn’t going to leave his belly unsatisfied. You couldn’t fight a war on an empty stomach, after all!
Thinking of this point, he immediately turned his grief into power, and ate his food up with no hesitation.
Carlos slowly took a sip from his glass of red wine. His line of sight was always on the youth’s side profile. His eyes slowly turned darker.
The youth looked like he had something against his food. His cheeks puffed up so adorably like a hamster hoarding food. No one was going to steal it from him… It appeared that he was eating a little too fast, and he choked by accident. Suddenly, he started coughing and his eyes glistened with tears.
Carlos stretched out his hand and patted him on the back. He picked up a cup of water and brought it to Ji Ling’s mouth, conveniently grazing those lips gently with his thumb while he was at it. Such a soft feeling… He could hardly restrain himself.
The person in front of him was so close at hand. How could he make Ji Ling accept himself willingly?
For Carlos, this was probably more of a headache than killing Emperor Sui. After all, it was much easier to kill a person than to make them like you.
Especially so for this boy, because he still had someone in his heart right now.
Carlos pressed down his thoughts and saw that the youth had finally eaten enough. He then asked softly, "Are you full?"
Ji Ling belched, and then his face turned slightly red. That was really bad for his image. "I'm full,” he nodded.
As he said this, he looked at Carlos again, puzzled. This guy didn't eat anything all night. Most of the time he’d just been looking at him. Can he get full by just watching?
He looked at Carlos’ expression, and saw there was no problem. Still, it felt creepy somehow, as if he was a prey being targeted…
Ji Ling still had thoughts about saving himself, so he stood up and said to Carlos, “I’m tired and want to rest."
Carlos’ lips hooked up slightly, and he gave a deep laugh: “All right.”
He stood up and personally took Ji Ling to his room. It seemed to have been specially arranged for him. Carlos smiled and said, “The guest room is seldom occupied, so I just had it cleaned at the last moment. I hope you don’t mind that it’s so simple."
In fact, it wasn’t just that nobody stayed there, but that there were no other bedrooms besides Carlos' here. This room was originally a sunroom next to Carlos' own bedroom, and he had it arranged overnight. Moreover, it didn’t look shabby at all. In fact, it appeared extremely luxurious, warm and cosy.
Ji Ling didn't know this. He only wanted to get away from Carlos as soon as possible. Although he’d come to test Carlos’ tolerance, he had to take it slowly. That’s why he said, "Then I'll rest first."
Carlos smiled and closed the doors for Ji Ling after going out.
Ji Ling saw the doors were closed, and immediately crept over quietly like a cat. With his waist bent, he carefully checked the lock to make sure there was no problem before he finally gave a huge sigh of relief!
Today was too tiring!
Earlier, he’d always had the feeling that the way Carlos looked at him was kind of abnormal. That’s why he felt like he was walking on eggshells the whole time. However, from the beginning to the end, Carlos hadn’t done anything unusual. Maybe he was thinking too much...
It was too bad he didn't get any useful information today. Ji Ling had originally intended to ask the system for its opinion, but remembering that they were still at cold war, he stifled the thought.
He lay on the bed, and smelled a relaxing scent that filled his nostrils. Very quickly, he soon fell asleep, exhausted.
In the quiet of the night, only the rustle of leaves could be heard from outside the window.
"Click,” a faint noise sounded. It quickly passed, and didn’t startle Ji Ling out of his waves of sleep. The doors slowly opened inwards, and a pair of black leather shoes quietly stepped onto the soft thick carpet without making a sound.
The tall man stood with the light at his back. He stayed by the door for a moment, then slowly walked to the bed, step by step.
Carlos looked down fixedly at the youth on the bed.
The boy was sleeping soundly. His soft blonde hair was scattered on the pillow and a wisp of hair had fallen onto his forehead. The moonlight on his face outlined the beautiful and bold lines of his side profile. Although his eyes were closed, they looked just like his person, willful and free. You could just imagine how dazzling his clear blue eyes would look when they were opened.
After a long time, Carlos bent over and reached out his hand. He gently helped the boy straighten out the short hairs that were out of line.
His fingertips flitted across the boy’s bright and clean forehead, his eyelashes, the bridge of his nose and his chin… Finally, they landed on those soft lips.
Carlos’ emotions surged up in his eyes. That desire he’d been keeping hidden deeply at the bottom of his heart, was completely apparent in his eyes at the moment, explicit and clear.
The boy was right in front of his eyes now.
Last life, if he had to say, he felt only something vaguely similar to guilt and remorse towards Ji Ling... This life, he was very certain that he wanted to have him.
He wanted to have his body, his heart… everything. He wanted Ji Ling to belong completely to him.
Every time I get closer to you, I understand you a bit more, and I find that I love you more each time, more than I’d imagined…
You are so dazzling and beautiful. At the same time, you also have the gentlest and kindest heart in the world. Your goodness… could even melt my cold and unfeeling heart. You were the only one to ever make me feel that having someone by my side would fill the void of loneliness.
Carlos slowly bent down, and bowed his head to solemnly kiss those lips he’d long thirsted for.
They were sweeter and fresher than he’d imagined. Like a huge unescapable whirlpool, they engulfed him completely and pulled him in.
Carlos propped one hand on the side of the youth’s neck, and couldn't help but intensify the kiss. His eyes were sharp and penetrating like an eagle’s, but there was a dark and crazed look mixed in his expression. Insatiable desire swept away his reason like a hurricane.
I won’t let anyone take you away from me…
not even that man.
Ji Ling sat on the stepladder, looking down on Carlos from above. Taking advantage of the situation and bringing out his rising bravado, he frowned displeased and said, "I feel like you didn’t invite me over whole-heartedly, Uncle Carlos. I’m going home!"
A bewildered look suddenly showed on Carlos’ face. He knitted his brows and said, “Why do you say that? What made you unhappy?"
Ji Ling sounded wronged and dissatisfied. He batted his eyes saying: "I just wanted to come in and look for a few books to kill time, but your people wouldn’t let me enter.”
“I can’t do this, I can’t do that…" Ji Ling pursed his lips and snorted coldly, "I wouldn’t have come if I’d known it’d be like this.”
Carlos was silent for a moment and said, "I understand.”
Ji Ling finished speaking and stared nervously at Carlos. What do you understand? I'd like to see how you handle people like me breaking into your study! This is your secret place, isn’t it?!
Although he suspected Carlos had been reborn, that didn’t mean he dared to act recklessly. After all, Carlos was not the kind and honest type, but cold, cruel and moody instead. He’d wanted to test Carlos' stance, but was afraid of going too far and suffering severe consequences. It was like walking on a tightrope.
Ji Ling's heart pounded.
Then he saw Carlos turn to Anderson, eyes cold. Carlos said slowly, "I ordered you to serve Ji Ling as if he was the master here, and that he cannot suffer the slightest displeasure. But what did you lot do?"
Although Carlos' tone was very calm, Anderson's face turned pale as a sheet, and cold sweat ran down his forehead. He bowed down and said shakily, “My apologies, we..."
He started, but halfway through, realized he didn’t know how to continue since he wasn’t sure of the duke's true intentions. This study was indeed the grand duke's secret place and no one else was permitted entry. Did His Excellency want to blame his servants for not watching over Ji Ling’s actions closely enough… or was he really blaming them for stopping Ji Ling?
No, whether Ji Ling was blocked or not, it seemed there was no way to avoid punishment. This made Anderson feel extremely nervous and troubled.
As for the other servants behind him, they were now crawling on the ground, trembling with fear.
Carlos looked at Anderson, his voice was devoid of any warmth as he said: “Since you’ve followed me for so many years, I’ll let you off with giving yourself 50 whips as a warning. As for them…" His gaze turned to the servant kneeling on the ground, then he said lightly: "The grand duke’s estate does not require people who can't even do this one thing well. Take him away and dispose of him. "
As his voice fell, the servant who had stopped Ji Ling and was kneeling on the ground burst out in tears and cried out: “Mercy, Your Excellency! Mercy! I know I was wrong, but I won’t next time…”
Ji Ling gawked as he watched the scene. He was so shocked by the servant crying abruptly at the top of his lungs that he lost his balance and fell off the ladder. Closing his eyes, he gave a cry of alarm, but didn’t feel any pain as he instead fell into a warm embrace… A pair of strong arms had firmly caught him.
Opening his eyes, he was faced with Carlos’ refined and deep visage.
Carlos held the young man in his arms, looking into his dazed and lost eyes. His heart was full of tender affection as he said softly, "Be careful.”
The man's face was so close to his own that Ji Ling could clearly see the worry in those brown pupils, and it didn’t look feigned at all. This made Ji Ling fall into a confused daze. It was like the man in front of him was actually gentle to this extent and meant him no harm. No matter what he did, this man wouldn’t get angry... He subconsciously stretched out and touched a handful of Carlos’ hair. Lightly grasping a brown strand, he felt that the texture was slightly coarser than his own hair...
Then his hand stopped in mid-air and froze... FML, what possessed me just now?! I even touched Carlos' head!
Is Carlos the kind of person you could just pat on the head? Absolutely not!!!
But something happened then that frightened Ji Ling even more...
Carlos still wasn’t angry. Instead, his eyes looked even gentler, along with a trace of some kind of complex and dark emotion that Ji Ling couldn’t make out. Carlos curled his lip and said in a low magnetic voice: “All doors here will forever be open to you. If anyone ever dares stop you again, you can simply tell me, all right?”
Ji Ling: "......"
Although Carlos acting like this was very frightening, Ji Ling hadn’t forgotten what had scared him off the ladder! Don’t just kill people off randomly! Keeping harmony in civilization is the most important. Can’t we just talk it out?!
Ji Ling struggled for a moment, and jumped out of Carlos' embrace. With a straight face, he said furiously, "Uncle Carlos, what you’re doing is wrong.”
Carlos wasn’t displeased, and instead followed-up asking, "What did I do wrong?"
Ji Ling held his head high. Opening his eyes widely, he said agitated: "They only dared to stop me, because entry to this room is prohibited. They got in my way, because they were afraid you’d punish them. You were the one who didn't tell them in advance I was allowed in, and now you blame them for not doing their job. Aren't you in the wrong?"
You get it clear. I’m going against you personally, not your servant, okay?
If you have the guts, come at me. What kind of a man are you to make your servant the scapegoat?!
Ji Ling was almost driven mad by this villain who didn’t play his usual tune; Calling for people’s lives at the slightest thing!
Carlos looked at the youth in front of him who was all in a huffy. After a while, his lips parted, and he let out a chuckle. He seemed to be in a very good mood. As if he was coaxing an angry child, he went with the flow and agreed, "You’re right. I was wrong this time and shouldn’t have blamed others."
Ji Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked away with a humph.
If another person’s life was in jeopardy because of him, he’d never be able to forgive himself. He had to be more careful going onwards…
Carlos saw the youth in front of him looking haughty (tsundere) but awkward, and insuppressible warmth and tenderness welled up from the bottom of his heart. What a nice and kind boy. He was even willing to defend the life of this kind of lowly servant. Ji Ling appeared to be willful and arrogant, but was actually more sensible and kinder than anyone else. He had the resolve to always uphold the bottom line of his morals.
He was the most beautiful treasure Carlos could ever meet in his whole life.
Carlos' eyes brimmed with deep affection and yearning. He took the youth’s hand, and said warmly with lidded eyes, “We’ve been at this for so long, you must be hungry.”
Ji Ling thought a little, and then nodded in the end.
Carlos’ eyes showed a smile and he said, "Then let’s go eat dinner. It should already be prepared.”
He said that and brought Ji Ling to the dining hall.
The long dining table was filled with all sorts of exquisite delicacies, and the clear tableware was carved with precious gemstones that shone radiantly under the soft light. It felt really luxurious and extravagant!
Carlos personally pulled the chair back for Ji Ling, and smiled as he watched him sit down. Then, he sat down beside Ji Ling.
Ji Ling quietly glanced at Carlos. Although he was still doubtful inside, he wasn’t going to leave his belly unsatisfied. You couldn’t fight a war on an empty stomach, after all!
Thinking of this point, he immediately turned his grief into power, and ate his food up with no hesitation.
Carlos slowly took a sip from his glass of red wine. His line of sight was always on the youth’s side profile. His eyes slowly turned darker.
The youth looked like he had something against his food. His cheeks puffed up so adorably like a hamster hoarding food. No one was going to steal it from him… It appeared that he was eating a little too fast, and he choked by accident. Suddenly, he started coughing and his eyes glistened with tears.
Carlos stretched out his hand and patted him on the back. He picked up a cup of water and brought it to Ji Ling’s mouth, conveniently grazing those lips gently with his thumb while he was at it. Such a soft feeling… He could hardly restrain himself.
The person in front of him was so close at hand. How could he make Ji Ling accept himself willingly?
For Carlos, this was probably more of a headache than killing Emperor Sui. After all, it was much easier to kill a person than to make them like you.
Especially so for this boy, because he still had someone in his heart right now.
Carlos pressed down his thoughts and saw that the youth had finally eaten enough. He then asked softly, "Are you full?"
Ji Ling belched, and then his face turned slightly red. That was really bad for his image. "I'm full,” he nodded.
As he said this, he looked at Carlos again, puzzled. This guy didn't eat anything all night. Most of the time he’d just been looking at him. Can he get full by just watching?
He looked at Carlos’ expression, and saw there was no problem. Still, it felt creepy somehow, as if he was a prey being targeted…
Ji Ling still had thoughts about saving himself, so he stood up and said to Carlos, “I’m tired and want to rest."
Carlos’ lips hooked up slightly, and he gave a deep laugh: “All right.”
He stood up and personally took Ji Ling to his room. It seemed to have been specially arranged for him. Carlos smiled and said, “The guest room is seldom occupied, so I just had it cleaned at the last moment. I hope you don’t mind that it’s so simple."
In fact, it wasn’t just that nobody stayed there, but that there were no other bedrooms besides Carlos' here. This room was originally a sunroom next to Carlos' own bedroom, and he had it arranged overnight. Moreover, it didn’t look shabby at all. In fact, it appeared extremely luxurious, warm and cosy.
Ji Ling didn't know this. He only wanted to get away from Carlos as soon as possible. Although he’d come to test Carlos’ tolerance, he had to take it slowly. That’s why he said, "Then I'll rest first."
Carlos smiled and closed the doors for Ji Ling after going out.
Ji Ling saw the doors were closed, and immediately crept over quietly like a cat. With his waist bent, he carefully checked the lock to make sure there was no problem before he finally gave a huge sigh of relief!
Today was too tiring!
Earlier, he’d always had the feeling that the way Carlos looked at him was kind of abnormal. That’s why he felt like he was walking on eggshells the whole time. However, from the beginning to the end, Carlos hadn’t done anything unusual. Maybe he was thinking too much...
It was too bad he didn't get any useful information today. Ji Ling had originally intended to ask the system for its opinion, but remembering that they were still at cold war, he stifled the thought.
He lay on the bed, and smelled a relaxing scent that filled his nostrils. Very quickly, he soon fell asleep, exhausted.
In the quiet of the night, only the rustle of leaves could be heard from outside the window.
"Click,” a faint noise sounded. It quickly passed, and didn’t startle Ji Ling out of his waves of sleep. The doors slowly opened inwards, and a pair of black leather shoes quietly stepped onto the soft thick carpet without making a sound.
The tall man stood with the light at his back. He stayed by the door for a moment, then slowly walked to the bed, step by step.
Carlos looked down fixedly at the youth on the bed.
The boy was sleeping soundly. His soft blonde hair was scattered on the pillow and a wisp of hair had fallen onto his forehead. The moonlight on his face outlined the beautiful and bold lines of his side profile. Although his eyes were closed, they looked just like his person, willful and free. You could just imagine how dazzling his clear blue eyes would look when they were opened.
After a long time, Carlos bent over and reached out his hand. He gently helped the boy straighten out the short hairs that were out of line.
His fingertips flitted across the boy’s bright and clean forehead, his eyelashes, the bridge of his nose and his chin… Finally, they landed on those soft lips.
Carlos’ emotions surged up in his eyes. That desire he’d been keeping hidden deeply at the bottom of his heart, was completely apparent in his eyes at the moment, explicit and clear.
The boy was right in front of his eyes now.
Last life, if he had to say, he felt only something vaguely similar to guilt and remorse towards Ji Ling... This life, he was very certain that he wanted to have him.
He wanted to have his body, his heart… everything. He wanted Ji Ling to belong completely to him.
Every time I get closer to you, I understand you a bit more, and I find that I love you more each time, more than I’d imagined…
You are so dazzling and beautiful. At the same time, you also have the gentlest and kindest heart in the world. Your goodness… could even melt my cold and unfeeling heart. You were the only one to ever make me feel that having someone by my side would fill the void of loneliness.
Carlos slowly bent down, and bowed his head to solemnly kiss those lips he’d long thirsted for.
They were sweeter and fresher than he’d imagined. Like a huge unescapable whirlpool, they engulfed him completely and pulled him in.
Carlos propped one hand on the side of the youth’s neck, and couldn't help but intensify the kiss. His eyes were sharp and penetrating like an eagle’s, but there was a dark and crazed look mixed in his expression. Insatiable desire swept away his reason like a hurricane.
I won’t let anyone take you away from me…
not even that man.
