Lou Yunxiao's heart clenched under his disgusted gaze.
A Ke had never looked at him like that before.
He had always called him senior brother with a grin.
Even after what Lou Yunxiao had done to him in the Underground Palace, he had never blamed him. He had even sacrificed his life to send him away and save him.
Xiao Xiao and Zhuang Yusheng had also said that A Ke liked him.
He could feel A Ke's affection for him, too.
So he refused to believe that A Ke had stayed by his side only to repay his mother's kindness.
Much less that he would abandon him without a backward glance once that debt was repaid.
"It's not... a threat." Lou Yunxiao took a step closer to Ning Ke, gazing deeper into his eyes. His own eyes reddened slightly, betraying his anxiety and helplessness.
He explained.
"It's love."
"A Ke, I love you. I just never said it aloud."
"After I escaped the Underground Palace and learned you had died, I was in constant pain. I hated myself for being powerless, and for never telling you how I felt."
"Now that we've met again, now that I know you're alive, I'm truly... truly happy."
Lou Yunxiao was not good at expressing his true feelings. Having said so much, his entire face was flushed.
He stepped forward and took Ning Ke's hand. "A Ke, I said the wrong thing earlier. I wasn't using my mother to threaten you. I just... I just couldn't bear to let you leave. You've already done more than enough for me. I want to make it up to you, so I'm begging you..."
"Let me stay by your side."
By the time he finished, Lou Yunxiao had exhausted every scrap of courage he had gathered.
He