Wishes fulfilled [revised]

Qi Wu reluctantly returned to his own room-because Chu Qingjiu had promised to say it again after his bath.

Chu Qingjiu controlled the wooden puppet beside the door to turn on the lights, then went to the bathroom to bathe.

The bathroom mirror reflected his figure. A few strands of hair hung beside a face so cold it seemed almost unapproachable, and he pinned his waist-length black hair up with a hairpin.

Though his face was expressionless, the curve of his waist and his straight back alone made his figure captivating.

Looking at that cool, exquisite face, Chu Qingjiu instead pictured Qi Wu's wounded expression.

He was different from Qi Wu. He could not smile at everyone the way Qi Wu did, nor did his emotions fluctuate as dramatically.

Aside from getting angry, he rarely smiled.

Even when he did, it was usually a mocking smile or a sneer.

That was why Qi Wu had been so stunned he could not speak when he saw such a gentle, ardent smile on his face.

His fingers stroked the beautiful, delicate brows and eyes of his reflection, then stopped on those pale, thin lips.

Was I too cold?

He blinked and tugged up the corners of his mouth at the mirror, forming a faint curve. Yet that small change was just enough to break through his longstanding coldness and make him look gentle.

So all it took was changing the curve of my lips to give a different impression.

With that thought, Chu Qingjiu turned and took off his shirt, revealing his smooth, fair back.

The groove of his spine ran down his straight back, with two distinct dimples at his waist. He was so beautiful that even the light seemed to cherish him as it fell softly over his body.

The young man lay prone in the bathtub, his thick lashes lowered, looking weary and languid as his fingers drifted aimlessly over the surface, splashing the water.

In truth, he did not know what to say to Qi Wu. He knew nothing about the feeling called "love." Aside from his master, Qi Wu was the only person who had ever made him feel loved.

He knew what it felt like to be loved, but he did not know what it felt like to love someone.

Qi Wu was different from his master. One was a lover, the other family. He would never entertain improper thoughts about his master.

"Old man, do you think I made the right choice, choosing him?"

He murmured softly to himself, as though talking in his sleep.

Unfortunately, his master was gone. If he had known Chu Qingjiu had fallen for a man, he might have scolded him.

But Chu Qingjiu quickly dismissed that thought.

The old man had wanted him to be happy, so he would not have scolded him. He would only have helped him figure things out.

"This is the happiness you wanted me to find, isn't it?"

He tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused, as though lost in remembrance.

Of everyone Chu Qingjiu had ever met, Qi Wu was the most passionate.

No matter what expression or attitude he showed Qi Wu, Qi Wu always met it with his smooth, even somewhat rakish manner, and always found time to flirt with and tease him.

Though it had felt strange at first, after spending enough time with Qi Wu, he had come to accept it all.

Whether it was hugs or kisses, as long as Qi Wu did not go too far, he always let him have his way.

Inside the dungeon, the influence of the affection rating could make him wary of Qi Wu. In the real world, it could not.

"If I weren't a Dungeon Boss..."

Chu Qingjiu murmured, then abruptly stopped.

If he were not a Dungeon Boss, he might never have met Qi Wu at all.

His identity as a Boss kept him from being honest with Qi Wu, yet it had also given them the chance to meet.

He knew their identities put them on unequal footing, yet he could not control his heart. Had he really compromised and given in time after time just because he found Qi Wu's crying annoying?

Or was it because he did not want to see Qi Wu looking sad, even if it was only an act put on for him?

In Qi Wu, Chu Qingjiu saw the spirit and vitality he longed for, things he had once yearned for but never possessed.

The young man was undeniably bold, unrestrained, and fearless. The sight of him waving in the sunlight, his little fangs showing in an innocent smile, was enough to stay with Chu Qingjiu forever.

Qi Wu had taken it upon himself to declare that he liked him and pull him out of his lonely, isolated life. Qi Wu had approached him first, while he had always passively accepted everything involving Qi Wu.

Let me take this final step.

"Knock, knock-"

Qi Wu was tying the belt of his bathrobe when the sudden knocking left him momentarily bewildered.

But he quickly went to open the door with a bright smile, because Chu Qingjiu was the only person who would come looking for him at this hour.

"Gege!"

Sensing the change in Qi Wu's emotions, Chu Qingjiu recalled the expression he had practiced in the bathroom and lifted the corners of his mouth slightly, offering a faint, gentle smile.

He asked softly, "Are you ready? Shall we talk in my room?"

"Yes!"

The warm light made the entire room feel soft and intimate. Qi Wu obediently followed Chu Qingjiu, looking at his long hair pinned up with a single hairpin.

I bought that hairpin.

The door closed, and Qi Wu glanced at the human-sized wooden puppet standing beside it. It was the one they had brought over from Chu Qingjiu's home.

Chu Qingjiu sat on the edge of the bed, while Qi Wu sat in the armchair. Their positions were the reverse of when Chu Qingjiu had first arrived.

"I promised I'd explain things properly once we left the dungeon. Is there anything you want to ask me?"

Of course Qi Wu had plenty of questions for Chu Qingjiu. For instance, why could he see other people's affection ratings? And why had he shown such intense murderous intent when they first met?

He was no fool. In the Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, Chu Qingjiu had made no effort to hide his murderous intent toward him, and his attitude had been visibly hostile. That intent was precisely why he had approached Chu Qingjiu in the first place.

He had only meant to sound Chu Qingjiu out, but the more he looked at him, the more familiar he seemed, and before he knew it, he had fallen for him. Yet his flippant, frivolous behavior at the beginning had left Chu Qingjiu constantly suspecting him of ulterior motives.

He really wanted to say that he had put on that frivolous act deliberately. How else could he have caught Chu Qingjiu's attention?

But none of those questions mattered to him anymore. Neither the familiarity nor the murderous intent mattered.

"Do you feel hurt?" Chu Qingjiu looked at Qi Wu's face, then added, as though afraid he might not understand, "By liking me."

Does liking me make you feel hurt?

Does my distant coldness make you sad? Do you want to give up when you get no response? If I'm a stone you can never warm, what will you do in the end?

These were the answers Chu Qingjiu wanted to find in Qi Wu. He did not understand where Qi Wu's devotion to him came from, nor could he comprehend why Qi Wu would willingly give his life for him.

Whenever they spent time together, Qi Wu would take him out to have fun, buy him clothes, give him gifts on holidays, and take him out for delicious food. He took very good care of him.

Though younger than him, Qi Wu was better at looking after others.

He gave so little in return, nowhere near as much as Qi Wu gave him. So why was Qi Wu so devoted, so passionate?

"Not at all."

Qi Wu took Chu Qingjiu's hand and nuzzled it affectionately, then brought it to his lips and kissed it.

"I like you, so I want to be good to you. If I only treated you well because I wanted something in return, how would that be any different from a transaction?"

"When you put your feelings into something, you don't count the costs or weigh the gains and losses. I'm not a businessman. Why would I keep such careful accounts?"

Qi Wu spoke as though it were so obvious that even Chu Qingjiu began to feel love ought to be exactly as he described.

Qi Wu crouched between his legs and gazed up at him, hemming him in like a cage. Their fingers intertwined, as though declaring that he would never have another chance to escape.

"No matter how you treat me, I won't give up. I've never failed to get something I wanted."

"You're mine."

Such forceful, domineering words surprised Chu Qingjiu. He had sounded so casual before, yet he was still an unreasonable robber after all.

Chu Qingjiu's expression remained cool, because he was not used to smiling all the time, but his answer was utterly sincere. "Yes. I'm yours."

His life before had been far too bland. Without Qi Wu, he probably would not have been as clearly aware of his own joy, anger, sorrow, and fear as he was now.

If he had kept living that same uneventful life, how would he have been any different from a puppet controlled by life?

Puppets had no joy, anger, sorrow, or fear. They merely obeyed, following each prescribed step.

Seeing Chu Qingjiu so utterly earnest made Qi Wu's heart pound fiercely. His blood burned for him, and his soul fell captive to him.

"Gege... you've fallen for me, haven't you?"

Qi Wu gazed at Chu Qingjiu with hope in his eyes, longing to hear an affirmative answer. Then Chu Qingjiu would belong to him completely.

Chu Qingjiu leaned closer to Qi Wu and looked into his beautiful eyes. That focused gaze was for him alone.

He asked softly in return, "Do you need to ask me that?"

Qi Wu's heart beat faster and faster. He had never realized Chu Qingjiu could be so alluring, with that cool face that made him seem as though he knew nothing and could do nothing.

Yet this deft, effortless push and pull made the relationship between them ever more charged with unspoken desire.

Their mingling breaths mirrored this flirtatious exchange of words. Which of them would lose patience first and break through that last thin barrier?

Looking at the face so close to his own, Qi Wu instinctively swallowed.

His expression was utterly serious as he tried to contain his heart, which was pounding so nervously it felt ready to leap out of his chest. Just as he was about to speak-

Chu Qingjiu reached out to cup his face, smiled gently, and said, "I love you."

An immense joy erupted in that instant. Those three softly spoken words exploded beside his ear like brilliant fireworks, flooding his world with dazzling colors.

Chu Qingjiu had said love.

The smile in Chu Qingjiu's eyes deepened, because he could clearly feel Qi Wu's heartfelt joy.

Qi Wu was delighted-he could even say he felt profoundly happy at that moment. There was nothing false about those intense emotions. Every day since meeting Chu Qingjiu, he had waited for his answer.

Today, at last, his wish had come true.

Qi Wu really likes me. Now I'm sure.

His perpetually anxious heart finally found somewhere to rest. Like someone who had drifted far out at sea and finally found a lighthouse, Chu Qingjiu was overwhelmed by immense joy.

Today, both their wishes had come true.