"I'm here, Qingfeng."
Lu Yan's voice exploded beside his ear. Shen Qingfeng trembled all over and suddenly looked up at him.
He saw that although Lu Yan was smiling, there was a different meaning in that smile. Shen Qingfeng sighed softly in his heart, slowly stood up, reached out and touched his cheek. His thumb brushed across the tear mole at the corner of his eye, and he joked, "When did the majestic Marquis of Dingbei become a lecher who climbs through windows every day?"
Lu Yan looked at him deeply, opened his arms and embraced him. He buried his head in Shen Qingfeng's neck, took a deep breath, and said, "For you, why not be a lecher?"
Shen Qingfeng gave a bitter smile. He sensed that something was off about Lu Yan today, and he knew it must be because of what happened during the day. He reached out and patted Lu Yan's shoulder, saying, "Lu Yan, I'm fine."
Lu Yan tightened his arms around Shen Qingfeng, his voice low and hoarse: "I'm not fine."
Shen Qingfeng fell silent.
Lu Yan added, "Do you know that when I saw him about to order someone to strip your clothes off today, my first thought was to kill him."
"Lu Yan..."
"I don't want to go on like this anymore." Lu Yan said, "I want everyone in the world to know that you're mine. I want to protect you openly. I want to stand in front of you and become your barrier... Qingfeng, I love you. I don't want my love for you to become a burden to you."
Shen Qingfeng was startled. He quickly raised his head from Lu Yan's embrace and said, "Lu Yan, why would you think like that? You're not a burden to me!"
The room was a bit dim, but Lu Yan's eyes looking at him seemed to be shining. Lu Yan slowly leaned down and brushed his lips against Shen Qingfeng's like a dragonfly skimming the water, saying, "I know you want to support Xia Chuli to become the king. I'll help you, but I want to stand side by side with you. No matter what it is, I want to be with you openly."
"Lu Yan..." Shen Qingfeng's eyes were slightly sore. He cupped Lu Yan's cheeks with both hands and said, "If King Xia Jie finds out about our relationship, he won't agree to our marriage. Please be patient for a while longer, until I marry you, okay?"
Lu Yan took a deep breath and said, "I have the imperial edict of marriage bestowed by him. A king never goes back on his words. Would he dare to revoke the marriage?"
"Even if he doesn't revoke the marriage, do you think he won't find other ways to obstruct it?" Shen Qingfeng said. He knew King Xia Jie too well. This man was ruthless and decisive. That was why he had to be extremely careful with every step.
Lu Yan pursed his lips and said nothing, but just hugged Shen Qingfeng even tighter.
"Lu Yan, there are only a few days left until the fifteenth of February." Shen Qingfeng said softly, "Shall we make a promise?"
Lu Yan straightened up and looked down at him.
Shen Qingfeng smiled and said, "I promise you that on the day of the marriage, I will definitely put on the red robe and marry you. How about that?"
Lu Yan's eyes flickered slightly.
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Shen Qingfeng blinked and said, "Don't you believe me?"
"I believe you." Lu Yan said. Then he picked Shen Qingfeng up horizontally and walked towards the couch.
Shen Qingfeng laughed heartily. He reached out and punched Lu Yan's chest, saying with a smile, "You don't look like someone who has just had his salary deducted at all."
Lu Yan placed him on the bed, looked down at him, and also smiled, saying, "Then what do you think I look like?"
Shen Qingfeng thought for a while and said, "Like a cat that has stolen fishy food."
Lu Yan let out a low laugh. He lowered his head and kissed the tip of Shen Qingfeng's nose, saying, "Then are you the fishy food?"
Shen Qingfeng let out a "giggle" laugh. He reached out and wrapped his arms around Lu Yan's neck, looked at his crotch suggestively, bent his leg and rubbed against him, saying, "Why is the Marquis of Dingbei so impatient? I haven't even..."
Lu Yan took a deep breath. Before Shen Qingfeng could finish speaking, he leaned over and pressed on top of him. He held Shen Qingfeng's face and kissed his lips deeply.
The temperature in the room suddenly rose. The sound of their lips and tongues intertwining sounded extremely confusing and addictive in this quiet night.
Shen Qingfeng responded to Lu Yan's kiss instinctively. They kissed each other. As their skin touched, their clothes were gradually removed.
Shen Qingfeng thought that he had really changed. This kind of thing was supposed to be pleasurable, but in his previous life, he had taken off all his clothes and lain on the bed humbly and humiliatingly, only to receive a fleeting glance from Xia Chuli in the end.
But now, he was holding the man's shoulders and sinking into the sea of desire. The scene in front of him was strange and surreal. Sweat dripped down his forehead and from the corner of his eye.
Shen Qingfeng tilted his head back and let out a sigh. But the pleasure of his body and mind made him think of those things in his previous life even more. For a moment, he was a bit confused between the past and the present, and a few teardrops oozed from the corners of his eyes.
"You still haven't gotten used to it after so many times." Lu Yan sighed softly. He kissed away the tears from the corner of Shen Qingfeng's eye, brushed the wet hair on Shen Qingfeng's face behind his ear, kissed his lips, and said, "Does it still hurt?"
Shen Qingfeng nodded slightly.
But Lu Yan didn't intend to let him go. Lu Yan grabbed Shen Qingfeng's shoulders and turned him over while they were still joined. He made Shen Qingfeng lie on the bed, buried his head in his neck, kissed him, and said, "Qingfeng, bear with it for a while."
On the cold night of early spring, it was the most amorous time.
The night watchman struck the gong three times. Shen Qingfeng slowly woke up. His body had been fully enjoyed by Lu Yan, and he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. He couldn't help but curse a few words in his heart. He turned his head to look at the culprit who was wiping his hair beside him.
Lu Yan looked extremely satisfied. Seeing that Shen Qingfeng was awake, he walked to the bedside and sat down. He hugged Shen Qingfeng in his arms and gently rubbed his waist, saying, "It's not dawn yet. Why did you wake up? Go back to sleep."
Shen Qingfeng felt as if his body had fallen apart. How could he still fall asleep? He shook his head and leaned on Lu Yan's shoulder. He felt sticky and uncomfortable all over, so he said hoarsely, "I want to take a bath."
"Wait a while." Lu Yan threw the towel for wiping his hair aside. He was very satisfied that this porcelain-like person was filled with his own aura both inside and out. So with a secret thought in mind, he didn't directly agree to Shen Qingfeng.
Shen Qingfeng was extremely tired. He didn't have much strength in his body. He just leaned weakly in Lu Yan's arms and asked softly, "There will be a sacrifice at the Golden Peak tomorrow. Did King Xia Jie assign you any tasks?"
Lu Yan nodded and said, "Although he's angry that I beat his son, I'm still a feudal lord after all. He wouldn't stop me from going to the sacrifice." When Lu Yan said this, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "I heard that you've taken an idle position in the Wenzhu Pavilion. Was it arranged for you by Xia Yonglin?"
Shen Qingfeng let out a soft "hmm".
Lu Yan pondered for a while and said, "Gong Tan, the left-string guard of the imperial guards, is an old acquaintance of mine. If you need anything in the palace, you can go to him."
Shen Qingfeng smiled and said, "You, the majestic Marquis of Dingbei and the great general of Li Xia, only have a left-string guard as your confidant in the imperial guards?"
Lu Yan's expression darkened and he said, "Before Gong Tan entered the imperial guards, he served with me for more than a decade. He's definitely trustworthy. He's very capable, but Tian Che took his position by trickery. I've been away from Lige for a long time, and I've had little contact with my other confidants. Their trustworthiness is doubtful, so I don't dare to let you use them."
Shen Qingfeng fell silent and nodded slightly: "Lu Yan, Xia Chuli will preside over the sacrifice tomorrow. This is very strange. I'm afraid someone will attack Xia Chuli. You should pay more attention."
Lu Yan said, "I know."