While Qiang Yan was feeling guilty outside, Li Yin’s brows inside the study twitched. He had just managed to get Leng Lu to calm down and drop his latest episode of paranoia which was telling him that everyone was plotting against them and now, they were interrupted while he was still trying to steer him out of the Court of Justice and to some place where he was less likely to fly into a rage and attack somebody. He could imagine how that would end up.

As expected, Leng Lu’s gaze was now fixed on the door, the thought ‘this person has deliberately come to separate us as part of the Heavenly Emperor’s vile ploy’ basically written on his face. He hadn’t jumped up and rushed over yet but he looked like he was only a short moment away from doing so.

Li Yin sighed, cupped Leng Lu’s cheek, and turned his lover’s face back around to him. “I deliberately arranged for someone to inform any visitors that I wouldn’t see them. Seems like I will have to have a good talk with Qiang Yan to not just ignore what my officials say in the future.”

Leng Lu’s gaze returned to Li Yin’s face and he seemed to lose focus for a moment. He felt angry as if a fire had ignited his heart and the flames couldn’t be put out. But at the same time, looking at his lover’s face, he couldn’t say for sure whether this had really been anger or something else. He continued to stare at Li Yin’s expression and couldn’t help but think that it might be both.

“You spend a lot of time with him.” Heaven knew that Qiang Yan was the person he was most jealous of. He was Li Yin’s lover. They even had a child together. Yet why was it that that man got to spend more time with Li Yin than he did? It wasn’t right.

Li Yin’s brows faintly raised. He had worried that Leng Lu would launch into another tirade but … it seemed he was just jealous this time around. Well, he knew how to deal with that.

His fingertips brushed over Leng Lu’s cheek, following the curve of his cheekbones, down his jaw, and finally reached his chin. His fingers remained there as the corners of his lips lifted slightly. “We occasionally have a drink together.”

“You had drinks with me in the past.” Leng Lu’s brows furrowed.

“I did.” Li Yin straightened up, leaning in closer. “And nobody said that I can’t still do that in the future. It is just … that there are things I’d prefer to that. Things I’d only share with you.”

Leng Lu tilted his head. That fire in his heart sure didn’t feel like anger any longer. He lowered his head, meeting Li Yin halfway. He closed his eyes as their lips touched, his thoughts traveling to the past.

It seemed … they had always had this kind of secret rendezvous that nobody was allowed to find out about. Even at the very beginning, it seemed like this had only ever been between the two of them. As a result, how many pretty butterflies had been fluttering around his lover, moving their painted wings to get his attention? How maddening!

His fingers climbed up and pulled the hairpin out of Li Yin’s hair, making the black strands fall down over his shoulders. His fingertips brushed over the elegant designs and he opened his eyes when he found it to be somewhat familiar.

He raised the hairpin to his eyes, finally staring in a daze. This … seemed to have been chosen by him. While they were traveling recently, he saw it from the distance as they were resting in their room on the second floor. He had wanted to go buy it for Li Yin but as a fallen god, he couldn’t appear without causing a panic so he had only stared at it, regretful that he wasn’t able to do as he wanted right that instant. Later that night, he went to find the shop that sold it but he couldn’t find it anymore. Finally, he returned in a bad mood.

“Where did this come from?” He didn’t look at Li Yin and just continued to stare at the hairpin. He was sure that it was that one. But how did it appear here when he hadn’t been able to find it for his lover?

Li Yin reached up, his hand covering Leng Lu’s that was still holding the hairpin. “I saw you looking at it that day so I send Ru Zhen to buy it.” He hesitated for a moment but finally sighed. “This is what I meant earlier: I wish this kind of thing could be done by you yourself. But it’s impossible as a fallen god. I know that well.

“I don’t resent you for it, Leng Lu. What happened …” He shook his head. Leng Lu had fallen while still on his trial. To be honest, that was incredibly rare and also made the situation difficult to deal with because as soon as he woke up, he had all the memories and the wish for revenge was overwhelming. It was also proof of just how badly the trial had hurt him. Even without knowing his true self, the pain had been great enough to shatter his soul. And at the core of it all had been his death so yes, how could he resent him for it?

Li Yin sighed and squeezed his lover’s hand a little more tightly. “There is nothing that can change the past. I am simply worried about our future. I … want us to be together for however long we may have. I know you are worried as well. I can see that. But your worry and mine … I sometimes wonder if there is any way to reconcile them. Nonetheless, I love you. Just as much as I did back then.”