Chapter 25#
Fine Rain, Pei Ziyu: The Crown Prince Is So Impressive!…#
As his body sank into the hot water, Pei Xiting let out a comfortable sigh, the sticky, damp discomfort completely dissolving.
The people at the villa hadn’t expected the prince to bring someone, let alone to join him in the hot spring. They hadn’t had time to set up a screen in advance, and the crown prince hadn’t given any orders, so no one dared to enter. Now the two of them were simply sitting side by side in the water, with only a person’s width between them.
Earlier, when Pei Xiting soaked in hot springs with a few friends he often played with, he only found them noisy. But now, in this quiet, soothing atmosphere, he sensed something unusual—perhaps it was because he was harboring certain thoughts about the crown prince?
After soaking quietly for a while, Pei Xiting turned and leaned toward the long table by the shore. He rummaged around and finally picked up a jar of herbal ointment labeled “Ling Tiao.” Turning his head, he asked, “Your Highness, do you wash your hair?”
The crown prince was resting with his eyes closed and replied, “I’ll wash it under the eaves later.”
Pei Xiting said, “Alright,” then smeared the herbal ointment onto his head. The stuff didn’t lather, but it had a fresh scent, used natural ingredients to remove oil and dirt, and was said to promote hair growth and thickness—though his hair didn’t really need that.
Being alone together was a perfect chance to close the distance. So, as Pei Xiting tilted his head to wash his hair, he glanced at the crown prince. His gaze traveled from the prince’s triceps and deltoids upward, past his long neck and sexy Adam’s apple, finally landing on that handsome side face, now tinged with a faint rouge-like blush from the steam, and the small, increasingly alluring mole. He pretended to admire it casually several times.
—The fish sinking into the water, the wild goose falling from the sky—really, you couldn’t say they lacked ambition.
The crown prince was incredibly perceptive. Even with his eyes closed, he could track all of Pei Xiting’s movements. That person’s gaze was like the wind—light and soft, yet hard to ignore. And precisely because it was light and soft, it was even harder to ignore.
Just as the crown prince was about to tell the owner of that gaze to behave, he heard the other ask curiously, “Your Highness, when you soak in the hot spring, do you always just keep your eyes closed like this? Would you ever fall asleep and topple in, then flail around splashing water?”
The crown prince said flatly, “I’ve never had such an experience.”
“That figures. You look like someone with good sleeping posture—probably sleep like a dead… like a wooden doll.” Pei Xiting cupped some water with his fingertips and watched it trickle through the gaps. Suddenly, he remembered something. “Oh, by the way, that little tiger—the one called Little King—does it have any siblings?”
“No,” said the crown prince. “Why?”
Pei Xiting massaged his scalp as he spoke, “I think it’s pretty cute and nice to pet. I’d like to raise one.”
“It’s only three months old, so naturally it’s cute. Wait until it grows up—it’ll be different,” the crown prince said.
Pei Xiting replied, “If you raise it yourself, you have that rose-tinted filter. Besides, when it grows up, it’ll be even more majestic.”
When the crown prince usually soaked in the hot spring, it was very quiet around him. Today, there was a sparrow in the water—talkative, but not noisy. Perhaps it was because the sparrow’s voice was pleasant and his manner relaxed, so it didn’t annoy anyone.
He said, “Shao Yun often takes it out for walks at night. If you like, you can be its second attendant.”
Pei Xiting said, “I’m not really familiar with it yet. It won’t bite me, will it?”
The crown prince recalled how Little King couldn’t let go of that long-life thread and said, “It won’t hurt people indiscriminately.”
Feeling reassured, Pei Xiting paddled forward with his hands, sticking his head out to swim a short distance.
His hair floated on the water like surging ink waves. When the crown prince opened his eyes, he saw Pei Xiting playing in the water, his crane-like neck leading his upper body out of the surface. Water droplets lingered on his back, reluctant to leave—from his straight shoulders, past his shoulder blades like white butterfly wings, all the way down his slender, smooth spine. Plop, they followed the groove of his spine and disappeared into the pool, as if hinting at something without saying it outright.
The rain had raged enough and now returned to its initial momentum, falling like small jade beads onto the roof.
That body sank and rose again, playing with endless delight. The charming dimples at his lower back were like a pair of white jade cups—anything placed in them would probably be a delight to behold.
The crown prince recalled Yu Shaoyun’s earlier accidental discovery and said, “Pei Wenjuan.”
The sudden address didn’t startle Pei Xiting, because the crown prince’s gaze had disturbed him even before his words. Shaking the water off his hands, he tilted his head slightly to meet the crown prince’s gaze and said, “I’m here. What are your orders?”
The crown prince looked at him and said, “Turn around.”
The tone was flat, yet unmistakably a command. Surprisingly, Pei Xiting didn’t feel repulsed. Without hesitation, he turned to face the crown prince. The prince’s gaze then slid downward, stopping at his waist and abdomen, scrutinizing him as earnestly as if appraising a painting.
Back in school, Pei Xiting had been a model for a fashion design senior a few times. Even draped in several yards of fabric, he could walk down the runway calmly. But now, under the crown prince’s gaze, he felt a bit uneasy. The “shyness” he thought had died out ages ago suddenly sprouted anew.
“This tattoo is exceptionally exquisite,” the crown prince said, lifting his gaze back to Pei Xiting’s face. “When did you get it?”
“At fifteen,” Pei Xiting replied. Then, without a script, he said with great seriousness, “I met a man on the road during a spring outing who had poems tattooed on his arm—very vivid. So I had him do this piece for me. Judging by his attire, he was probably some wandering hero from the jianghu. I never saw him again after that parting, or I’d have gotten another one on my back.”
His back was indeed a perfect canvas. The crown prince asked, “What would you get?”
Pei Xiting thought for a moment and said, “Iron-hearted hero?”
The crown prince let out a faint smile at that, as if to say, You call yourself an iron-hearted hero?
Pei Xiting felt a bit offended. “Given what happened earlier, most people would have peed their pants just from the fright. I managed to keep up with you and run a stretch—that’s already pretty brave. It’s not like everyone has crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood like you few.”
The crown prince didn’t argue with that but said, “Still, don’t get that one. It wouldn’t look good.”
Pei Xiting had only been joking anyway, so he said, “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
The hot spring water couldn’t be soaked in for too long. After a short while, the crown prince rose from the water and stepped up the stairs by the shore.
His pure white undergarment trousers clung to his long legs. Pei Xiting stared and thought to himself, The crown prince is not only broad-shouldered and long-legged; his butt is rather pert too.
As if sensing his gaze, the crown prince turned sideways to look into the pool. Pei Xiting blinked and quickly averted his eyes, but inadvertently caught a glimpse of something even more eye-catching.
Splash!
The person in the water suddenly turned his head, as if he’d seen something terrifying. The crown prince didn’t understand why but said nothing, simply turning to grab a towel to dry himself.
The crown prince is truly ‘convex in front and protruding behind’—so impressive… Pei Xiting sank himself into the water, staring at the water in front of his chin, silently admiring. If it’s that obvious normally, when it’s… fuck!
He suddenly raised his hand to cover his face, slapping it lightly a couple of times, quickly admonishing himself: Ah, don’t get carried away, don’t get carried away. Appreciating the human body is fine, but no fantasizing. Respect the model!
A fabricated police officer knocked on the door of his heart, shouting sternly, “Freeze! Vice raid!”
Brain, clear out quick, clear out, clear out, clear out—
“Pei Wenjuan.” The crown prince called. The person in the water didn’t respond, too absorbed in his face-slapping game. After a pause, the prince raised his voice slightly, “Pei Wenjuan.”
“Huh?” Pei Xiting finally turned around, his face flushed and his expression dazed. The crown prince had never seen him like this before and was momentarily stilled. Then he asked, “Did you soak yourself silly?”
Pei Xiting snapped back to reality under that cool gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the crown prince had already changed into a clean inner garment. He let out a breath and said, “I’m sharp as ever. I’ll get up now.”
The crown prince withdrew his gaze, turned, and said, “Come in.”
The two inner attendants who had been waiting outside immediately pushed the door open and entered. One approached the crown prince to attend to him, while the other carried a tray to the nearby long table. Just as he was about to help Pei Xiting dry off, Pei Xiting declined, “I can do it myself.”
The attendant nodded and withdrew behind the screen.
Pei Xiting wrapped his hair in a towel, took off his undergarment trousers, and dried and changed swiftly. The clothes were soft in material and exquisite in stitching, but clearly not up to the crown prince’s standard. The attendants, not having received instructions from His Highness, wouldn’t dare to lend the prince’s clothes to someone else. They were probably new clothes prepared for others.
Slightly too long and wide, Pei Xiting fastened the belt, leaving a short tail-like end dangling behind him.
The crown prince glanced at it and suspected that the Pei family was skimping on Pei Xiting’s meals. That waist—it looked like it could snap with a single firm squeeze.
When they went out, the rain had almost stopped. A fine drizzle hung like a veil in the air.
Yu Shaoyun and Attendant Lai were lying under the eaves drinking tea. The two had simply washed up and changed into clean clothes, their expressions leisurely, in no way resembling people who had just come back from killing someone. But when they saw Pei Xiting and their prince walk out together from the door, they were clearly shocked.
“You two,” Pei Xiting said, rubbing his wet hair as he walked over, “may I ask if you’ve seen my page?”
Attendant Lai, who had over thirty more years of experience, digested the situation more quickly. “When I saw him, he was leaning against the carriage door, fast asleep. We had him come over to pick up Third Young Master Pei. He’s right outside the villa now.”
Seeing that the two seemed at ease and hadn’t noticed anything unusual, Pei Xiting said, “That’s good… Oh, by the way, Your Highness,” he turned to look at the crown prince, who was sitting nearby on a reclining chair, “the assassins today were after you, right? Then why did that guy who jumped down from the tree come at me first?”
An attendant sat behind the crown prince, washing his hair. With his eyes closed, the prince said, “Maybe because I glanced at him the moment he jumped down.”
Defeating enemies with a look—so cocky.
Pei Xiting had nothing to say to that. “Oh, I thought maybe the assassin was a buy-one-get-one-free deal, specifically targeting me. The white-clad assassin… are they with the same group that tried to assassinate Her Majesty the Empress earlier this year?”
The crown prince said nothing, nor did he forbid anyone from speaking, so Yu Shaoyun said, “Yes.”
“What a ritualistic organization, handing out uniforms,” Pei Xiting said, rubbing his hair thoughtfully. “First trying to assassinate the Empress, then the Crown Prince—are they dissatisfied with the imperial family? And doing it so blatantly, like they’re provoking the court… but they’re not very capable.”
“If they’re all pushovers, why bother running an organization?” Yu Shaoyun said with a smile. “Of course, there are skilled ones out there. They just didn’t show up today.”
Pei Xiting was a bit puzzled. “They come around often enough. Don’t they know the crown prince’s strength by now? And yet they still don’t send their top fighters…”
Yu Shaoyun said, “Actually, quite a few came this time—thirty or forty, I’d say. Maybe because they knew His Highness only brought the two of us out. Besides, skilled fighters are rare treasures. In early spring, the Marquis’s son Shangguan took out one, and later I killed two. They have to use them sparingly.”
Hearing Shangguan Jie mentioned, Pei Xiting’s mind turned. He said, “The young marquis is so powerful—no wonder Your Highness rewarded him with Po Yinlin. What a shame it was stolen. Speaking of which, those thieves have some nerve, stealing anything. Even though Po Yinlin is a forbidden palace treasure, it’s not really worth getting a warrant out for it, is it?”
Before Yu Shaoyun could respond, the crown prince opened his eyes to look at Pei Xiting. “There’s something behind your words. Are you trying to probe whether Po Yinlin has other uses?”
Their eyes met. Exposed, Pei Xiting showed no guilt. “Ah, actually, I’d rather just ask directly.”
He gave an apologetic smile. “If it involves confidential matters, I’ll never ask again. Please don’t be angry with me, Your Highness.”
The crown prince said, “Why shouldn’t I?”
“If you get angry, you might not invite me out again,” Pei Xiting said sincerely. “Our positions are so different, Your Highness. If you don’t wish to see me, how could I ever get to see you?”
The crown prince paused, then asked, “Do you very much want to see me?”
“Naturally,” Pei Xiting countered. “Is there any reason I wouldn’t want to see you?”
This Pei clerk’s wording was truly simple, plain, and blunt. If he weren’t a man, and if he showed no hint of shyness or awkwardness, these words could even sound suggestive. Attendant Lai secretly glanced at the crown prince and, with his sharp, experienced eyes, discerned something:
His Highness seemed to have some subtle resistance to this, yet he didn’t stop it. Why was that?