Trying to rid himself of those complex thoughts, Gan Qi turned back to look at Qin Yiran. However, now that he was looking at Qin Yiran again, Gan Qi really couldnât understand what he was thinking.
He clearly knew that Qin Yiran did not like him, and yet he continued to harbour such deep affection for her.
He clearly knew that Qin Yiran came into the palace with ulterior motives and not for him, and yet he kept deceiving himself into thinking that something could happen between them.
He clearly knew that nothing would come out of this, and yet he couldnât give up, infatuated to the point of obsession, completely disregarding his pride and his usual style.
And at this point, he finally began to wonder, what had even captivated him so much in the first place, that caused him to be so tolerant and caring towards this woman??
Gan Qi closed his eyes, feeling like his past infatuation with Qin Yiran was all blurry like a dream, and only now had he fully woken up. And now that he was awake, he could only feel surprise and disdain at how ridiculous this whole thing was.
And sitting by his side, Qin Yiran was still throwing her little tantrum. She was eagerly waiting for Gan Qi to hurry and trip over himself to please her, so that she could finally dish out the punishment that the dog servant Lilâ Shun deserved.
However, after waiting for a while, the only words Qin Yiran received was a cold-sounding, âSince you didnât want to be with me in the first place, then earlier, why did you request to enter my harem?â
Qin Yiran was dumbfounded for a moment, and became vaguely aware of the fact that Gan Qiâs treatment of her seemed to be slightly different from the past. Undoubtedly, they were on the topic of Lilâ Shunâs punishment before, so how did the conversation turn to her?
Qin Yiran immediately became rather annoyed. Before, hadnât he promised her all his love, and was extremely caring and tolerant towards her? And now look â she had just mentioned giving a small punishment to an insignificant servant, and his heart had changed so fast, turning the tables on her! This kind of despicable man, how could he ever be worthy of her heart?
Filled with irritation, Qin Yiran bit her lip and put on an expression of being deeply wronged, and yet she also maintain a haughty air. Raising her chin, she stated arrogantly, âThis concubine has been in the palace for but a day, and your Majesty has already grown weary of her? That servant had offended this concubine, and all I wanted was to seek justice for myself. Whatâs wrong with that? And yet, at the end of the day, it seems that the Emperor is siding with that lowly servant, and not taking this concubineâs words seriously at all!â
The more that Gan Qi listened to Qin Yiran speak, the more he felt that he was utterly blind before. How could he have loved such a woman like this?? At this point, he really didnât want to hear her voice anymore, and seeing her superior, haughty attitude only made him more annoyed. Therefore, he simply stood up and said, âIf you ever decide you want to leave the Palace, then come and speak with Zhen. Zhen definitely wonât stop you.â
Having said that, Gan Qi didnât even spare Qin Yiran a second glance before striding out of the room. Qin Yiran, with a face full of shock, was about to reach out and pull him back but in the end, she really couldnât lower herself to do so. She could only bite her lip and stare full of disgust and vengeance at Gan Qiâs retreating back.
How could he⦠How could he treat me like this!! This time, I definitely wonât easily forgive him, even if he comes begging!
Gan Qi stormed out of Joyful Palace, but didnât hurry to leave. Instead, he stood under the porch and stared with complex emotions at the frail, solitary figure that was still being drenched in the rain.
Whenever his eyes land on the other, Gan Qi is struck by the extremely strong urge to pull the other person into his arms and shelter him from all the storms he could face, but how could he â the king of a country â have such feelings for a servant?
That was impossible!
Gan Qi could only clench his fists tightly over and over again, barely able to suppress this surging impulse. He knew that he shouldnât continue standing there, but it was as if his eyes were glued to the other, and he couldnât move.
On one hand, Gan Qi actually frightened himself with how much attention he was paying to Lilâ Shun, but on the other hand, he found that despite how sudden, turbulent, and unreasonable these feelings were, he couldnât bring himself to hate these emotions.
But, Gan Qi found that he couldnât understand one thing â Lilâ Shun had been serving him all his life, so why had he suddenly developed such a strong, throbbing yearning for him just now?
But even if he couldnât fully understand this, he knew that at the very least, these kinds of thoughts werenât appropriate. However, just as Gan Qi had mustered up the willpower to tear his eyes away from the solitary figure under the rain, he suddenly saw that the frail physique swayed slightly, and then collapse backwards.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
At that moment, before Gan Qi could even process his actions, he had already charged into the rain, completely disregarding his own status and identity. Before Su Yu fell down into the mud, Gan Qi caught him securely in his arms.
The moment that he held the other man in his arms, Gan Qi only felt that his heart instantly erupted in a sense of satisfaction, a satisfaction even more intense than the day he ascended the throne. This feeling came crashing like a river, strong and violent, and Gan Qi even felt some pain to his chest.
It would be nice to hold him like this forever, the thought came subconsciously to Gan Qiâs mind. However, as soon as he realized the terrible thought heâd been having, he became even more worried.
He looked down at the closed eyes and slightly quivering, pale face, and his mood turned to irritable panic in an instant. Even with a clear head, Gan Qi still didnât think twice before picking up Su Yu and carrying him to his own palace, all the while yelling at the servants who had hurried over with an umbrella, âQuick! Call for a doctor!â
By the time Su Yu woke up again, it was a whole day later, and he had also returned to his own small courtyard. Su Yu blinked a few times, until his eyes adjusted, and saw that it was still dark outside.
His eyes swept over the room, and he caught sight of a lower-ranked eunuch crouched at the end of his bed, head down and asleep. Only he lived in this small courtyard, so the man in front of him must have been sent by Gan Qi to look after him.
After figuring out his condition, Su Yu closed his eyes again and summoned the little ball with his mind. Round Ball instantly awoke from hibernation, and it jumped up and down on Su Yuâs head, worriedly saying, âMaster Host, you finally woke up! How are you feeling now? Is there any discomfort?â
Luckily, Su Yu had his eyes closed, or else he would have directly swatted the little ball out of the air and onto the ground.
âIâm fine, my handâs just a little itchy.â Other than having a headache, weakness of the limbs, and feeling soft all over, Su Yu really did feel very good. So why did the prop that Round Ball had redeemed for him have such strong side effects?! [T/N: His hand is itchy to give Round Ball a beating]
Hadnât they agreed that he would just look extremely frail, and then faint??
So what was this now, why was he lying in a bed, feeling sick enough to actually vomit?
Hear the sound of gnashing teeth, the little ball whizzed away from the Su Yu, trembling, and it hastened to explain, âMaster Host, donât be so angry! I redeemed another F-grade cold pill for you after you fainted, so right now, youâreâ¦.â
âAnd why did you do that?â Su Yuâs voice became even more harsh.
The little ballâs heart was full of fear, âBecause after Master Host fainted, the Male Protagonist unexpectedly called a doctor for you. If the doctor had found that you were only unconscious, and had no other issues, then that would have given away everything. So I just, ying ying ying, Master Host, it was for your own good that I bought this prop for you!â
Having said all that, the little ball started sobbing. Knowing how evil its hostâs tastes were, he would definitely get bullied very badly! This poor little cabbage would surely die very miserably!
Su Yuâs eyebrow grew even more pinched, but although his face was still a little gloomy, he stopped reprimanding the little ball. After while, he rubbed his temple and stated, âYour explanation is minimally acceptable.â
The little ball was astounded by this sudden benevolence, and it happily cried out, âMaster Host, so you donât blame me?!â
Although it did indeed have a good reason for doing this, it was also true that it hadnât consulted Su Yu before spending his points and exchanging for the prop, which was a clear violation of the system code of conduct.
Master Host actually didnât mind that it had taken initiative, what a wonderful host! Round Ball instantly became happy and hopeful for the future, shining and glittering with joy.
Su Yu didnât pay the foolish little ball any more attention, and instead closed his eyes, slowly trying to adapt to his headache.
The little ball saw that Su Yu did not speak, and so it carefully complimented, âBefore, I was wondering why Master Host wanted to run into the rain, but it turns out you were actually planning this whole scheme! Did you know? When you fell, the Male Protagonistâs expression was truly terrifying! Although his IQ is not there, the Male Protagonist still cares about you, Master Host! And I have to admit, your trick this time was very effective!â
Su Yu finally reacted, but only to sneer. âAnd what if I say, I only chose to go into the rain to calm myself down, in case in a fit of uncontrollable temper, I decided to just kill the Female Protagonist and be done with it?â
ââ¦â¦â¦â How does it continue the conversation now? What can it do, its host doesnât play by the game rules! Round Ball began to feel a little desperate.
Su Yu didnât wait for the ball to respond. Bearing through the headache, Su Yu slowly opened his eyes and awakened the other eunuch, asking, âWhat time is it?â
The lower-ranked eunuch rubbed his drowsy eyes and stood up respectfully, âItâs been about four days since youâve fainted, and the Emperor had some special instructions to pass along once Han Gong Gong wakes up. His Majesty said that for these coming days, you do not have to go serve him â itâs more important to nourish your body back to health. [T/N: Gong Gong is how you respectfully address a high-ranking eunuch.]
Hearing the address âHan Gong Gong,â Su Yuâs eyebrow twitched uncontrollably. He secretly took a deep breath to calm down and slowly sat up. The lower-ranked eunuch hurried to help, âHan Gong Gong needs to use the washroom? This servant will assist you.â
âNo,â Su Yu waved his hand, his voice a little stiff, âHelp me up, Iâm going to go serve the Emperor.â
The lower-ranked eunuch looked at Su Yu with bewilderment, âThe Emperor has commanded that these days, Han Gong Gong doesnât have toâ¦.â
The lower-ranked eunuchâs voice trailed off, because Su Yu had already stood up and was glaring him into silence. The other quickly bowed, and then began assisting Su Yu with his clothing. On the other end, Su Yuâs head was still in pain, and he was also currently being nagged by Round Ball.
âMaster Host, I know that the Male Protagonist right now has no IQ and you must keep an eye on him in order to feel reassured, but you canât neglect yourself! Your body is very weak right now!â The little ball tried to stop Su Yu, who appeared as if he completely didnât care about himself. âOr how about I redeem a F-grade recovery pill for you? This way, your body can make a full recovery immediately!â
Su Yu ran a hand down his clothes, the corners of his mouth curving into a meaningful small smile, âNo need, this condition right now is perfect.â
Translator: Lone Wolf Translations