I Promise

An indescribable desire had taken root in the darkness.

Shen Ranxin looked at the silver-haired youth kneeling before him. He parted his lips and asked, "What is your name?"

Hearing this, the youth raised his head. "Zhi Zhi."

Shen Ranxin's eyes shifted. Perhaps he had recalled something; after a long while, he sat up from the bed.

The silk sheets slid from his body. By the moonlight, Shen Ranxin reached out and touched the side of the youth's face. He felt the youth's delicate skin warm his palm, then the youth gently nuzzled against it like a puppy.

"Do you know what you need to do tonight?" His lips were pale, and his voice carried a trace of chill. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen." The silver-haired youth tilted his head, reached out to cup Shen Ranxin's hand, and rubbed harder against his palm. "I know. I need to mark you, Young Master."

Shen Ranxin abruptly pulled back his hand, his thin eyelids lowering. "I don't need your mark. Get out."

Lu Zhi rose slightly, bracing both hands at Shen Ranxin's sides. "You do. Without this mark, you'll die."

Shen Ranxin gave a soft laugh. "Is that so?"

Lu Zhi's eyes were filled with the joy of reuniting with someone from his past. No one knew how much effort he had made to stand before him.

Even after all these years, Lu Zhi had recognized at a glance that Shen Ranxin was the young master who had given him his name at the slave market.

Only, he seemed somewhat different now. Lu Zhi could not say exactly how.

In any case, his young master now looked as though he did not particularly want to live.

Unable to stop himself, he leaned close to Shen Ranxin and gently touched Shen Ranxin's chin