ITF Chapter70

Today the wind was biting and the waves ran high. The hull of the boat jolted from time to time, and the person in his arms did not sleep peacefully, as though trapped in a painful dream. Supporting his head with his right hand, Luo Congye lifted the blanket slightly and carefully examined that suspicious new wound.

When under attack, a person will subconsciously curl their body to protect their head and abdomen. With Bai Heting’s skills, the fact that he took a knife blow like this meant that he…

Luo Congye’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he completed the conjecture in his mind.

When he took that knife blow, Bai Heting had very likely already lost the ability to resist.

The moment his fingertips touched the scar, his wrist was instantly gripped tightly. Luo Congye looked up to find that Bai Heting had actually opened his eyes. His expression was dead serious, yet the gaze he directed over was bewildered, looking as if he were half-awake and half-dreaming. Luo Congye pulled his wrist from his grip before raising his hand to cover the back of his neck.

The estrus heat had already subsided.

Gently stroking the smooth, delicate skin beneath his hand, he asked, “What did you dream about?”

Before Bai Heting could speak, the boat suddenly jolted again. In the brief moment he lost his balance, he was pressed right back into that strange yet familiar, warm embrace.

But this jolt woke him up completely.

He backed away slightly, lifting his head from Luo Congye’s embrace, and asked, “Where is Jiang Han?”

Luo Congye froze for a moment, “Who is Jiang Han?”

“The physician,” Bai Heting said. “The one you guys took away the night before last.”

Luo Congye stared at him intently for a while. A moment later, he released the hand supporting his back. “I was just thinking earlier about what the very first sentence you would say to me would be when you opened your eyes.” He rolled over to lie on his back beside Bai Heting, raising an arm to block his eyes. “I thought of many possibilities and finally concluded that you would definitely scold me. I really didn’t expect it to be this.”

He moved his arm away, turning his head to look at Bai Heting, and asked in a joking tone, “What, did you just dream about him?”

“Yes.” Bai Heting answered candidly.

Luo Congye nodded nonchalantly, and then said, “I threw him into the sea to feed the sharks.”

Bai Heting stared at him for a few seconds.

This young man had completely transformed, becoming a completely different person from three years ago. He could not judge the truth of those words from that indifferent expression.

“If it’s true, you will regret it.” He said coldly.

Luo Congye let out a soft laugh, “Is that a threat?”

Bai Heting replied, “It’s a statement.”

Luo Congye’s gaze shifted away from those placid eyes before sliding down his smooth neckline and finally landing on a hickey on his shoulder. His hand followed, pressing down on that purplish-red mark and rubbing it.

“In theatrical plays, the heroine fakes her death to be with the protagonist.” The shoulder beneath his hand flinched backward slightly, only to be firmly gripped by him once more. “Why did you fake your death? To enjoy a pastoral life with that Beta?”

Bai Heting didn’t bother to pay attention to him. He propped himself up with his elbows to sit up but was pressed back down by the hand on his shoulder.

As he bent his right leg, Luo Congye’s left leg immediately pressed down over it.

“But what should we do now?” Luo Congye rolled over and locked him beneath his body with his right hand moving to the side of his face as the pad of his thumb rubbed forcefully against those dry, thin lips. “You kissed me. You have to take responsibility for me.”

The two bodies were pressed too tightly together, turning every struggle into flirtation. Unable to move, Bai Heting had no choice but to tilt his head to evade his hand.

“Where are you going?” Luo Congye forced his head back.

Bai Heting furrowed his brows, raising a hand to push against his waist as he commanded, “Let go of me.”

“It’s useless even if I let you go.” Luo Congye pinned him down tightly to prevent him from moving and tilted his head to look toward the porthole meaningfully. “We’re out at sea. You have nowhere to go.”

Bai Heting tightly pursed his lips, which had been rubbed bright red. A moment later, he spoke again, “Give me my clothes.”

Luo Congye couldn’t help but laugh.

“Three years without seeing each other, and this part of you hasn’t changed a bit—discarding me the moment you’re done using me.” He exhaled a long sigh and said sluggishly, “How heartless, Bai Heting. I thought you would at least ask how I managed to survive.”

The wound on his left shoulder hadn’t received timely treatment. Although it was no longer bleeding, the swelling was very pronounced. Bai Heting averted his gaze before softening his voice to ask, “How did you survive?”

“I survived on a single conviction.”

At this point, the smile on Luo Congye’s face gradually faded, leaving nothing but a profound melancholy in his expression. He said in a flat tone, “I was going to go to the capital, break into your mausoleum, dig up your grave, and see for myself the skeleton inside that coffin.”

A beam of scalding sunlight shone through the porthole into the cabin, striking Bai Heting’s face and making him close his eyes. Silence spread wordlessly throughout the cabin. When that beam of sunlight vanished, Luo Congye also sat up, grabbing his pants from the side to put them on before putting on his shirt.

“It is truly hard for me not to hate you.” He said with his back turned to Bai Heting as he dressed.

Everything that happened three years ago was still vivid in his mind. He had given Bai Heting a kiss, but Bai Heting had returned it with a knife blow. That day, if Bei Yang and the others had been even a little slower, he would only have been able to meet Bai Heting in the next world.

“I was joking. That Beta is alive and well,” he said in a calm voice after finishing dressing while tossing a new set of clothes to Bai Heting. “Well, I can’t say he’s perfectly fine. It seems Bei Yang accidentally dislocated his wrist.”

Bai Heting still kept his eyes closed. Luo Congye bent down to pick up the pants prepared for him, inquiring out of sheer goodwill, “Do you want me to help you put them on?”

Only then did Bai Heting slowly sit up. He picked up the white linen shirt, asking as he put it on, “What is Bei Yang’s relationship to Bei Chengzhou?”

“They are biological brothers.”

Luo Congye wanted to say something more but was interrupted by a chilling scoff from Bai Heting that carried an indiscernible meaning.

“He will regret it too.” Bai Heting said.

Luo Congye tossed the pants back down, turned around, and walked out of the cabin.

*

The wind and waves outside were far larger than Bai Heting had imagined.

Last night, he had been wrapped in a blanket and carried onto the ship by Luo Congye; this was his first time seeing the full appearance of this sailing vessel with his own eyes. The nearly thirty-meter-long, three-masted grand ship cut through the waves, its massive sails billowing in the wind and almost blotting out the sky and sun. He walked to the edge of the deck, looking down as he silently counted the number of long cannons. He had only reached the fifth one when a heavy cloak was suddenly wrapped around his back.

Bai Heting turned his head to look over.

Luo Congye took a step forward to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him by the railing. His hair was ruffled by the sea breeze, and his eyes were staring straight ahead in the direction they were sailing.

“The wind is strong on the deck.” He said.

Bai Heting wrapped the cloak tightly around himself and followed his gaze forward. An island had faintly appeared there, which should be the destination of this trip.

“What place is that?” Bai Heting asked while looking at the island.

Luo Congye remained quiet for a brief moment, then softly uttered a single word.

“Home.”

Bai Heting turned his head to look at him again, a look of confusion appearing on his face.

“Urdan Island.” Luo Congye also turned to look back at him before giving him a faint smile. “Just like you, it’s my first time here too.”

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