DEJA VU
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Qin Yijun no longer bothered with Qin Luozhuo. He picked Lin Xiao up in a princess carry before finally leaving the area. At this moment, all his thought was on Lin Xiao. The worry in his heart will never be eased until he knew what happened to him earlier.
As soon as Qin Yijun’s figure disappeared, Qin Luozhuo finally raised himself from the ground. His face was dark and his eyes were full of resentment. ‘Lin Xiao! Benwang will remember this debt!’ he thought to himself. He committed Lin Xiao’s face to his mind as he thought of several ways of revenge.
He was just about to leave himself when he was suddenly surrounded by several guards clad in crimson armors. It was only then did he remembers that Qin Yijun did mention about letting the Crimson Guards escort him back to his residence. “Do you really have to personally escort me?” Qin Luozhuo asked as he scrutinized the guards around him.
“Wangye, this is what His Majesty has ordered us to do. Please do not cause trouble or we will have to act accordingly,” one of the Crimson Guards answered.
Left with no choice, Qin Luozhuo could only follow them as they journeyed to his residence.
Only when he left did the rest of the guards and servants of the palace got up. Their heart were restless. They wanted nothing more than to gossip about what happened but when they remembered how the Emperor had stated his desire to bury the matter, they didn’t dare to. So, they could only return to do their task while comforting themselves that they were lucky enough to still retain their lives after what happened.
Meng Chen was left alone. In fact, he didn’t even realize that he was left alone. When he got up earlier, he saw that Lin Xiao and the shadow guard brother were gone. Though he knew that Lin Xiao is probably safe since the Emperor had came earlier, he was still uneasy now that he didn’t know where he had gone. ‘Ah! I should’ve at least sneaked a peek earlier so that I know where he went!’
Unfortunately, no matter how much Meng Chen scolded himself, there was no use. In the end, he could only return to Bai Chenyi’s residence and report to him alone.
At Tianlong Palace, Qin Yijun had just arrived. The state of his arrivals had made the servants of the palace panic but Qin Yijun did not pay them any attention. He walked straight to his bed chamber and laid Lin Xiao down on the bed. The head eunuch who had been following him tacitly closed the door in understanding.
When he turned his head, he saw several servants sending him a questioning look. His brow furrowed and his hand raised to make a ‘shooing’ gesture. “Return to your duty. If I found that you are too idle, I do not mind adding more tasks for all of you!”
The servant’s face paled when they heard what the head eunuch had said and quickly scampered off the place to escape that fate. Once the servants left, the head eunuch lets out a heavy sigh before glancing at the closed door again. A complicated look crossed his face.
For someone who has reached his current position, he’s naturally not an idiot. He could sense that the Emperor is placing Lin Xiao in high regards. Or else, why would the Emperor drop everything for Lin Xiao time and time again?
Then his mind went to the desolate Hua Baihe Palace and a heavy sigh left his lips. Hua Baihe was built with the intention of filling it with flowers for the Emperor. Yet, years has passed and their Emperor has yet to show any interest in picking flowers to fill up the palace. ‘Maybe… His Majesty’s interest has finally been roused?!’ he thought excitedly.
Unable to hold back his excitement, he called over one of the female servants and whispered to her ear. The female servant’s expression changed from calm to restlessness. She looked at the head eunuch, eyes wavering to show her hesitance.
“Don’t worry, this joyous matter, once the Empress Dowager knew, you will naturally be rewarded!”
It was only with the promise of a reward did the female servant finally moved to do the head eunuch’s task. When the figure of the female servant disappear, the head eunuch also left the area.
While Lin Xiao lay on the bed, his mind were chaotic. At first, he was surrounded by layers of fog. No matter how much he walked, he can’t seem to escape at all. Just as he was about to give up, the scenery around him changed.
It was night, and he was now surrounded by gardens of flowers. Before him, stood a familiar pavilion. He remembered seeing it when he was touring the palace with Meng Chen earlier. But something about this pavilion compelled him to come closer. One step, then another. As if being entranced, Lin Xiao were unable to control his feet.
The closer he got, the more erratic his heartbeat became. As he got close enough, he noticed that there was body sprawled on the cold floor made of marble stone. At first, he thought that it was someone who fell asleep and thought that he should wake the other up before they get sick. But as he slowly approached the body, he felt a sense of familiarity. He knelt down beside the body and carefully lifted it to his arm. It was only then did he notice that the robe was covered in blood.
Based on the appearance, Lin Xiao learned that this was a man, barely reaching his prime age. A familiar face, making Lin Xiao feels nostalgic and at the same time, there was also remorse and guilt. On the corpse’s chest, a dagger that Lin Xiao recognize easily. This was the same dagger that the Emperor had taken away to be locked for their game. ‘So why is it here?’ he wondered.
His hand reached to the hilt of the dagger, wanting to pull it out when suddenly, the supposedly dead corpse opened his eyes. In his surprise, Lin Xiao almost dropped the corpse.
“___,” the man’s lips moved but Lin Xiao couldn’t hear a word. He saw him struggle to raise his hand. It was unknown what prompted Lin Xiao to grab the hand but by the time he realized it, he was already holding it with his free hand. “___,” the man spoke again. Lin Xiao knew that it was him being called. But somehow, he could not hear it.
“_____, you… must get away. L-live… and protect… Yijun…”
Lin Xiao frowned. He could not understand why he could hear the rest but not the first few words. “You… who are you? Do you know me? From before I lost my memories?” Lin Xiao asked despite suspecting that he wouldn’t receive an answer.
“Luo—” the man was struggling to say more but his time was up. His body grew lax and Lin Xiao could see the unwillingness in his eyes as he drew his last breath. Lin Xiao lay the body down and gently pulled down the corpse’s eyelid to close.
‘To die with his eyes open, the grievance is not small…’ Lin Xiao let out a sigh, pitying this dead man. He was just about to get up to leave when suddenly, he was surrounded by guards. They pushed him down to the ground and another person appeared before him. Lin Xiao also knew this person. After all, he had just had dinner with him not too long ago.
“_____,” there it is again, the words that Lin Xiao was unable to hear. By now, he confirmed that it should be a name and he has an inkling feeling that it was his name. The name given to him before he lost his memories. “_____, for your greed, you have murdered the Emperor. Benwang have caught you red handed. You will be thrown to the dungeon and awaits for your punishment!”
Lin Xiao felt the hold on his shoulder got tighter and because he didn’t want to die, he made a choice to fight. He pushed one of the guards holding him and grabbed guard’s sword. He swung the sword in a circle around him. The guards, seeing this, took few steps back to move away from the sword’s reach. Lin Xiao knew he is out numbered and he did what he could to survive in this situation.
Back inside the bed chamber, Qin Yijun stared at the unconscious Lin Xiao on his bed. His face was filled with worry as he wiped the sweat off from Lin Xiao’s face. Lin Xiao lost some colour on his face, and Qin Yijun could feel the skin turned slightly cold. “Lin Xiao… wake up,” he called out to the unconscious man softly.
A groan left Lin Xiao’s lips, while his brow furrows into a frown. With his eyes still shut close, he started to move restlessly, as if being plagued by unwanted dreams. This continues until his movement became more erratic and he began to trash in his sleep.
Qin Yijun realizes that something is wrong and he immediately held Lin Xiao down, fearing that the injury he suffered from the whip might reopen. “Lin Xiao! Wake up! Whatever it is, it is merely a dream. It can’t hurt you!”
Unfortunately, Lin Xiao was unable to hear it. Instead, he began to struggle when he felt himself being restricted. When the struggle became too much, Qin Yijun took a drastic action. Getting onto the bed, he straddled Lin Xiao, pinning him to the bed.
“Lin Xiao, stop!” Qin Yijun once again called out to him, hoping that the other would be roused to consciousness. When there was no response, Qin Yijun decided to change the way he addressed him.
“Ming-er!
As soon as the name left Qin Yijun’s lips, Lin Xiao let out a gasp and his once tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open. His breathing laboured, and his eyes glazed with unshed tears. Because he was struggling hard, his face is now slightly flushed.
Paired with how Lin Xiao’s robe was in disarray from the struggle before, this scene made Qin Yijun heart beats faster. His throat felt dry, forcing him to swallow his saliva. His body starts to heat up as his desire awaken.
Lin Xiao was still in a daze after regaining his consciousness. It appears that his mind was still hovering between dreamland and reality. Therefore, when he saw that the Emperor’s face was moving closer, he still failed to understand what was going on.
Soft and warm lips pressed against his own, yet Lin Xiao could only stare blankly at Qin Yijun’s eyes. He could see the burning desire within, but rather than fearing it, he felt mesmerized by the Emperor’s eyes. ‘So… this is the double layered pupil of the legend?’
Not perceiving a rejection from Lin Xiao, Qin Yijun decided to be bolder. One of his hands moved to cup both sides of Lin Xiao’s face and he slowly moved his lips. Qin Yijun made sure to keep his eyes on Lin Xiao, wanting to see if there was any hint of disgust. Seeing none of it, his action started to become adventurous and daring, bordering to being audacious.
The gentle movement of the lips turned to nibling and biting. This action made Lin Xiao frown, as if sensing that something is wrong with this situation. He attempted to turn his head, wanting to escape from the offending lips only to find that the hands on his face are kept him from moving.
Wanting to voice out his protest, he tried to open his lips to speak. But before he could even say a word, a warm, wet tongue entered his parted lips. It moved against his own as it invades and plunder, not even leaving a tiny corner left unturned.
A feeling of deja vu, and Lin Xiao’s mind began to clear up from its dazed state. His eyes widened in disbelief when he finally registered what was happening.
‘Why is this Emperor kissing me again?!’