TSMITB Chapter54

After the cold war ended, Shen Que took the path of “hot violence” smoothly, switching modes so freely that it caught Sheng Qixiao completely off guard.

He had thought Shen Que would be awkward for a few more days, yet the person turned around and instantly changed his demeanor.

Now the positions of the two seemed to have completely reversed.

Before, Sheng Qixiao was doing everything possible to monitor Shen Que, afraid he would run off in the blink of an eye.

Now it was Shen Que who kept watching him, with the wheels of his wheelchair constantly brushing back and forth beside his feet every day, while the question he asked over and over was when they could watch the fluorescent butterfly again.

“Sheng Qixiao, is your skill cooldown over?” Shen Que maneuvered his wheelchair closer again with his arm inadvertently pressing down on the book Sheng Qixiao was reading.

Ever since he told Shen Que that this took a lot of energy and couldn’t be viewed too often, Shen Que always asked him this question.

Although he couldn’t fully understand it, he still grasped the general meaning.

“Who do you want to see again this time?” Sheng Qixiao rescued the book from under his arm, gently closed it, and placed it neatly to one side.

Aside from focusing solely on Shen Yi for the first two days, Shen Que basically treated Sheng Qixiao like a play-on machine, wanting to see one person one moment and another person the next.

It was as if he wanted to fill a certain huge void and loneliness in his chest through this illusory peeping.

Sheng Qixiao knew he was somewhat lonely.

The years in the mountain were lonely and long; people who were used to the hustle and bustle of the outside world could never adapt to this kind of life.

Shen Que was only using this illusion to establish a small, insignificant connection with the outside world, seeking nothing more than a bit of comfort.

So he indulged him, almost never refusing. If Shen Que could endure for a little longer because of this, that would be good.

But could it continue like this indefinitely? It was merely drinking poison to quench thirst.

Shen Que didn’t notice Sheng Qixiao’s reaction, pondering to himself that he had been “peeping” a bit too frequently these past two days, and for a moment, he really couldn’t think of a new target.

Suddenly, Shen Que’s gaze shifted to Sheng Qixiao’s face, which remained completely free of impatience. An idea suddenly struck him, and he spoke the name of a person.

Sheng Qixiao’s expression immediately went from cloudy to overcast, and he didn’t say a word.

“What’s wrong? You can’t see this person? Then I’ll switch.” Seeing that he didn’t speak, Shen Que immediately started to retreat; naming that person was just an impulsive act a moment ago.

Subconsciously, he felt that if Sheng Qixiao’s true temper could lean more towards being gentle, considerate, and understanding, and less towards trying to discipline him or making demands, how could he possibly dislike him?

“Why do you want to see this person? Do you miss him?”

“…Why would I miss him? I just suddenly remembered there was such a person.” Shen Que choked slightly, and continued to talk nonsense, “He is my… friend, what’s wrong with me looking?”

“What kind of friend?” Sheng Qixiao looked up, directly exposing him, “A kind of friend who goes straight to the point, reminiscing on the bed every time you meet?”

“…Who told you that?” Shen Que’s face grew slightly warm, and he pushed the wheels of his wheelchair, rolling himself a short distance backward.

Sheng Qixiao directly raised his hand and pulled him back, “I know every person, around you.”

“Oh, so you’re very proud of that?” Shen Que barely maintained his balance, tapping Sheng Qixiao’s eyebrow with his fingertip, reminding him not to use violence, “Outside, this is called a voyeur, and people get arrested and jailed for it.”

“You still haven’t told me, why you want to see him yet. I’m right here beside you, why do you always want to look at others?”

“Don’t you know who he is? Can’t you figure out why?” Shen Que spoke ‘earnestly,’ “He’s the one who stayed by my side the longest; he was very obedient. Didn’t you ask me why I don’t like you? Because what I like are people who listen to me, not people who make me listen.”

Shen Que shook off the hand Sheng Qixiao had placed on the wheelchair to control it and straightened himself up. “And certainly not someone who strips me of my freedom and even wants me to like him.”

Having said all this, Shen Que only felt relaxed in body and mind, “I was just being extremely kind by wanting to show you a clear path; if you don’t need it, then forget it.”

Sheng Qixiao lowered his head and bit fiercely on his lips, only letting go when he drew blood, and then lightly licked the blood drop away.

“You just want to provoke me, to make me absolutely obedient to you like him, right?” Sheng Qixiao kissed him with a smile, “The provocation trick won’t work on me, Shen Que. He was so obedient, yet didn’t you ultimately still kick him out?”

Sheng Qixiao rose to his feet, looking down at Shen Que’s expression as it instantly turned ugly, each word leaving his mouth clear and forceful, “On the contrary, even if you don’t like me now, what can you do? As long as I refuse to agree, you will never be able to leave me.”

Shen Que was left speechless with blood rushing up, and he got angry all by himself again.

Sheng Qixiao didn’t try to comfort him anymore.

Throughout this entire day, the two ate their three meals separately.

The medicine was a little more bitter; Shen Que inwardly cursed Sheng Qixiao for being petty, how could he not know this was Sheng Qixiao deliberately messing with him? But he insisted on taking the challenge, holding his nose and drinking it down.

But no matter how tense things were during the day, at night, they still had to sleep in the same bed.

Because Sheng Qixiao had locked the other two rooms again…

The two lay back-to-back, separated by an invisible boundary, neither paying attention to the other.

The more Shen Que thought about it, the more aggrieved he felt; Sheng Qixiao’s temper was getting worse and worse now.

Even when he had been angry with him in the past, he had never ignored him for such a long time.

Shen Que discontentedly shifted his body, dragging himself towards the edge of the bed, not wanting to be close to him.

The next second, he was pulled back by Sheng Qixiao.

“What’s wrong?” Sheng Qixiao’s mocking voice sounded above his head, “Did thinking of the obedient little white rabbit, make you unable to stand even being close to me?”

Shen Que was so angry he wanted to turn over, but he was held down even tighter, “Sheng Qixiao! Do you know what you look like right now? You especially look like an unreasonable…”

“What?”

Shen Que thought about it, and still retracted the harsh words that had reached the tip of his tongue.

“I was originally trying my best to convince myself, to take you to the outer village for some fresh air in a couple of days. Now it seems like you don’t need it.”

“Really?” Shen Que quickly covered Sheng Qixiao’s mouth, stopping him from continuing the conditional phrase that followed.

He couldn’t suppress the joy in his heart, and almost immediately tried to sit up, nearly hitting Sheng Qixiao’s chin with his forehead.

“Are you that happy?”

Shen Que cleared his throat, and with great generosity, proactively apologized, “Aiya, fine, Sheng Qixiao, didn’t we agree not to fight anymore? What happened this morning was my fault. I apologize to you.”

Seeing that Sheng Qixiao was ignoring him, he continued to ask, “When are we going out?”

Sheng Qixiao ground his teeth in the dark, “Shen Que, you know, sometimes you really do need to be taught a lesson.”

Shen Que’s palm traced the contour of Sheng Qixiao’s face, accurately pinching his cheek flesh and pulling outward, then vengefully twisting it once, warning him menacingly, “Don’t let me hear those two words again!”

When Sheng Qixiao first told Ke Di he was taking Shen Que to the outer village, Ke Di was truly shocked, “Are you crazy? If you let him leave the mountain, he’ll try to run away the next second!”

“But he is really unhappy staying here.” Sheng Qixiao’s voice was very soft, carrying obvious weariness.

Seeing that he couldn’t be persuaded, and having no standing or identity to persuade him, Ke Di simply gave up, “Well, do as you please then. Anyway, if he leaves, you’ll be the one who’s unhappy, just don’t take it out on me later.”

Sheng Qixiao stared at him for a long time, and then quietly said, “No wonder you and Gang Zi get along so well.”

Ke Di: “……”

Although there wasn’t a single vulgar word in the entire sentence, he just felt it wasn’t a compliment.

For the next two days, in order to gain favor in front of Sheng Qixiao, Shen Que was exceptionally obedient.

Whatever Sheng Qixiao told him to do, Shen Que obeyed; whatever Sheng Qixiao told him to eat, he ate. Even the bitter medicine that felt as though it could make his soul leave his body, he swallowed quickly and completely without even so much as a frown.

Sheng Qixiao let him put on his act, unable to tell whether he felt happy or sad.

Shen Que’s appearance of deliberately concealing his sharp edges was exactly how he looked when he used to trick him.

Even knowing it was an act, he still couldn’t refuse.

That night, Shen Que felt sleepy exceptionally early; his eyelids started drooping almost immediately after eating.

Although his schedule had become much more regular since coming to the mountain, he rarely went to rest this early.

He had a premonition that something would happen tonight.

The night was dreamless.

When he opened his eyes again, the surrounding environment had already become unfamiliar.

The sound of birds chirping outside the window awakened the quiet morning.

Shen Que knew he might already be outside the mountain.

Although Sheng Qixiao’s small building was built deep in the mountains, Shen Que had been in the mountains for quite some time, yet he rarely heard bird calls.

The room’s decor was simple, retaining as much of their unique ethnic characteristics as possible; even the overhead light had a bamboo woven lampshade.

However, Shen Que thought the butterfly lamp Sheng Qixiao made was better looking.

Shen Que sat up from the bed, landed on one foot, and hopped to push open the balcony door.

It must still be early as the thin mist of the morning had not yet fully dispersed.

Shen Que took a deep breath, tasted the air carefully, and finally determined that even if this wasn’t in the city, it must also be close by.

There was a faint murkiness in the air caused by modern technology pollution, completely unlike the purity of E’yun Mountain.

What he could see was no longer a vast stretch of forest, but stilt houses scattered at different heights; although they tried their best to retain the style of ancient architecture, subtle details still revealed a modern touch.

“Why are you up?”

Sheng Qixiao’s voice came from behind, and the next second Shen Que fell into a warm embrace.

“You really brought me out? I thought you were lying to me again.”

Sheng Qixiao caught the happiness in Shen Que’s eyes, and the corners of his own lips curved upward as well. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Of course, I’m happy. It would be great if you had been this sensible earlier.” Shen Que glanced at him while feigning displeasure, “I want to go out and look around.”

“Eat first. There are many things that the mountain doesn’t have.”

“Nothing is as delicious as the food you cook.” Shen Que smoothly added.

Sheng Qixiao showed no reaction, only smiling faintly, placing Shen Que on the wheelchair and pushing him to the dining area.

The wheelchair wasn’t the one used in the small building; Shen Qixiao must have gotten this modern contraption from somewhere.

Shen Que was about to ask him, but his eyes landed on the TV hanging on the wall, so he immediately spun his wheels over, found the remote, and turned on the television.

If this thing had been around before, it would have been a mere ornament that he wouldn’t have touched in centuries, but now he suddenly found it interesting.

“Oh, right, where’s my phone?” Shen Que turned to look at Sheng Qixiao. “The one where you accidentally saw the photos last time…”

“I know. We left in too much of a hurry, I forgot to bring it.”

Shen Que didn’t believe him at all; he knew Sheng Qixiao intentionally didn’t bring it, afraid he would contact others.

But he didn’t dwell on this little incident either, frantically flipping through channels with the remote control while drinking milk and eating the various small breakfast items Sheng Qixiao insisted on giving him.

Anyway, they were out now. How hard could getting a phone be?