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Luckily, no brawl had broken out. In that case, he might as well go home!

Zhu Bafu hitched up his waistband and hummed a little tune as he prepared to leave. When his hand brushed over the belt, a crumpled piece of paper made him suck in a sharp breath. Only then did he remember that he had rushed into the brothel to deliver a love letter to Li Chenjing.

Oh, no! He had been so captivated by the drama of two men fighting over one woman, so consumed by the thought of watching a good show, that he had completely thrown Lord Long's serious instructions to the back of his mind!

Young Master Li, Li Chenjing, please! Don't run so far away just because you don't want to see your former lover cuddling with another man! Take pity on him and let him muddle through this mission!

He slapped his forehead, hurriedly turned around, and dashed after Li Chenjing.

"Li... Young Master Li! Wait! Young Master Li!"

"..."

"Don't ignore me! Is it, is it... because I helped that young master kick the door into you? Th-that wasn't what I wanted! He kicked me into you!"

"..."

"You can't ignore me! T-turn around and look at me! I had such a hard time chasing you!"

"..."

"Li..."

"Bang."

"Ow! Oh, my nose! You should've warned me before stopping!"

"You're noisy." Li Chenjing halted and immediately flung out the words of disgust.

"That's because you kept walking forward without stopping! I didn't want to stand at the entrance of a brothel shouting either! At least I'm still a scholar."

"You've been following me this whole time. What exactly do you want?"

"No, no! You've misunderstood. I have absolutely no interest in your personal life. It's just that, by some terrible twist of fate, I... happened to see a tiny little bit... Hehe! But don't worry, I'll keep it secret!"

"..." A glare, a cold glare, a fierce, icy glare.

"Don't be so unfriendly! A great man needn't worry about lacking a wife. When it comes to women, you just have to take it easy. I, I know you're in a terrible mood right now, too. If I had any humanity, I shouldn't be provoking you at a time like this, but... I'm also at the end of my rope. Please be generous, make an exception, and accept this?"

A sheet of crumpled white paper, folded into a small square, was clutched in Zhu Bafu's hand. His head drooped in guilt as he raised both hands and presented the letter before him.

With his fair, dainty hands and slender fingers, Li Chenjing thought he looked completely like a little boy who had not yet grown up. Except for his eyes, all his features were small and clustered together on his face. At that moment, he had buried his head between his arms, as though he were being coy, fidgeting and insisting on presenting a love letter to him.

To be honest, he truly had no mood to continue fooling around with some little boy. Nor did he want to know what was written in that apparently important letter. It was undoubtedly more crude poetry, full of filthy language and lacking proper rhythm, yet written under the delusion that it was any good—and given the grand name of a love letter, no doubt.

"A love letter?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

A mocking snort escaped his lips. He was just about to raise a hand and refuse when, after lifting his head slightly, he caught sight of a paper window in the side wall of Chunfen Pavilion being gently pushed open by a slender jade hand.

A graceful figure pretended to lean lazily against the windowsill, poking her head out to look toward the route he had to take home. The candlelight from the Inner Chamber illuminated her exquisite face, flickering and wavering uncertainly.

Liu Rongrong.

She was studying him, gauging his mood and wondering whether this time would truly be the last—as he had claimed—the last time she used him as a tool to provoke someone.

A cool breeze swept over them. The lantern hanging from the side eave of Chunfen Pavilion swayed, and the little boy before him could not help shivering at the chill. He gave a soft hiss and timidly raised his head. Instinctively, he bit his lower lip and pouted. Candlelight spilled across his face, making him look exceptionally delicate and alluring in the night. A tiny flame trembled in his large, dark pupils; the tip of his nose was daintily turned up, and his lips, shifting with the candlelight, seemed sharply defined, haloed in radiance.

...Like a woman. Like a woman gazing at her lover with tender affection—shy, coy, and ill at ease.

Then why not use him as a woman?

He admitted that he must have lost his head to catch a trace of feminine allure flowing from a little boy beneath the afterglow of the lantern. He admitted that desperation had driven him to seek any doctor in an emergency, making him think of such a means of resistance. He admitted that, in order to break free and escape, he had stopped at nothing and dragged the boy into the mess for no reason.

But at that moment, he simply could not make himself stop.

Leaning forward slightly, he raised one hand. His wide sleeves swept out in a magnificent arc as he pulled the fellow before him into his arms, drawing his entire body beneath the feather-light sleeve and filling his embrace.

"Young Young Young Young Master Li!!! W-what are you doing? How can you hug, hug, hug me! I-I-I have a man's dignity too! You're being far too reckless and outrageous—this goes against all propriety!"

"Shh. Be quiet." With a little more force, he pushed Zhu Bafu deeper into his warm embrace and leaned close to his ear with a threatening hum.

"I can be quiet, but don't hold me so tightly!" His face kept rubbing against Young Master Li's solid chest. This was far beyond acceptable!

"I'll loosen my hold." He eased his grip slightly, but his hand still possessively encircled Zhu Bafu's shoulder. Seeing him try to twist free, he raised his brows and barked coldly, "Don't move. Otherwise, don't expect me to accept your love letter."

"Huh! You're actually threatening me with this? How can you, the Prime Minister's Son, be so vile and shameless!"

"..." A glare.

"Fine... fine! As long as you'll accept my love letter, a great man can let you eat his tofu however you like. If you want to hold me, then hold me! A real man isn't afraid!"

Zhu Bafu finally accepted reality. He raised his head, closed his eyes, and rose onto his toes, bringing his face forward with an expression of generous self-sacrifice and fearless defiance. Taking the initiative, he leaned closer and closer. Before Li Chenjing could dodge, the reckless fool went "smack" and brushed across Li Chenjing's slightly parted lips.