Guardian: Zhen Hun (Novel) Vol. 2

by Priest

“I was just thinking that if I’m old and senile someday, I’d like it if you still took care of me like this.”

Shen Wei’s heart stirred, and his expression softened.

“What do you have planned for me? Do you want to lock me up and force me to be yours?” Shen Wei was struck speechless.

Suddenly being lifted into the air was an exciting experience while blind; Zhao Yunlan actually let out a delighted whistle, as if wanting Shen Wei to do it again.

Zhao Yunlan responded by stroking Shen Wei’s back and smiling,

Zhao Yunlan bent down to kiss the back of it.

The truth, as Shen Wei knew perfectly well, was that he must have been silently counting while being led downstairs that afternoon. Perhaps it was simply his personality, but somehow, no matter the circumstances, Zhao Yunlan always gave off an impression of “it’s no big deal.” Sometimes, even when whatever was happening was a big deal, people around him couldn’t help being affected by his attitude.

Shen Wei closed the window, leaned down, and slowly caressed the corner of Zhao Yunlan’s eye. “I’ll figure out a way to fix your eyes.”

Instinct told Shen Wei that the next words out of Zhao Yunlan’s mouth would be indecent—and his instinct was absolutely correct. Even blindness wasn’t enough to put a damper on Zhao Yunlan’s perverted streak.

“Not being able to see is awfully inconvenient. Can you help me shower tonight?”

In the darkness, a rare peace descended on him. This particular moment was almost enjoyable.

Zhao Yunlan ignored him. Following Shen Wei’s voice, he walked in carefully, then slowly reached out and hugged Shen Wei from behind. Resting his chin on Shen Wei’s shoulder, he shut his eyes

Then he looked down at Shen Wei, who was in his arms.

From the moment he’d embraced Shen Wei, a bright blood red had begun spilling outward from Shen Wei’s heart. It flowed throughout the absolute blackness of Shen Wei’s silhouette like molten lava, outlining a slim, graceful figure in Zhao Yunlan’s ink-black vision. It was as if life had suddenly burst into existence.

As he said it, the fiery colors on his body softened. The bright flow of crimson took on a strikingly warm orange hue, like the first glimpse of the sun after the break of dawn.

Shen Wei let himself be hugged, and Zhao Yunlan moved along with him, swaying from side to side

His eyes were dark. When he looked down, they didn’t seem dull, o...

After another stretch of silence, Zhao Yunlan leaned in closer and asked, ...

In his hands, this simple task seemed like something to enjoy wholeheartedly, without a spare thought for anything else. “Whether or not you’re hot is irrelevant to me. You could be a hulking giant with a head covered in scabs and feet covered with sores. You could be hideous and repulsive and still hold the exact same place in my heart.”

“Next thing I know, you’ll be proposing to me,” teased Zhao Yunlan.

Shen Wei kept facing away. After a moment, voice low, he said, “I will not lie to you, nor will I ever harm you.”

As he watched, the light flowing through Shen Wei slowly dimmed, like a firework burning out. It had happened in just the time it took him to say a few sentences. An inexplicable sadness welled up in his heart.

Zhao Yunlan smiled. “If it’s you, I’ll believe anything you say.”

His chin rested naturally on Zhao Yunlan’s shoulder. Zhao Yunlan was suddenly still and silent.

Zhao Yunlan tilted his head and felt around for Shen Wei’s chin. Once he’d touched it, he lightly ran a fingertip from Shen Wei’s jaw to his ear, then leaned in. “You,” he murmured. “I want to eat you.”

Under that gaze, Shen Wei felt like his very soul was trembling.

Zhao Yunlan slipped a hand under Shen Wei’s shirt, sending shivers through the entire length of his body. Shen Wei seized Zhao Yunlan’s wrist, holding his hand in place. Zhao Yunlan lowered his head further and nibbled at Shen Wei’s collarbones. His tone was downright oily as he said, “Mmm, it just takes one touch to get you hard? You miss me that much?”

His fingers found Shen Wei’s hair and gently smoothed it. Keeping his voice low,

Shen Wei’s grip tightened, and Zhao Yunlan found himself wrapped in a fierce embrace, with Shen Wei’s face buried in the crook of his neck. The embrace continued for an eternity, and Shen Wei was incredibly strong. Zhao Yunlan had planned to take advantage of the mood and get up to a little bit more, but there was no breaking out of Shen Wei’s hold. Shen Wei just kept holding him possessively, as though he had no intention of letting go until daybreak.

“Why did you have to go through all this effort over an offhand comment?”

Why did it sound like his own voice?

Red for merits, black for sins.

You scared me half to death. If you do that again… If you do that again, I’ll…”

Zhao Yunlan’s eyes suddenly stung as an emotion crashed over him, surging up from someplace he couldn’t identify. It was as though some memory had been buried deep for hundreds of thousands of years, and a hurricane had just passed through and blown away the deep layers of dust covering it. What was revealed was some naked, inescapable truth that stabbed into the heart, setting off cascading waves of pain.

He took a stab at smoothing things over with a joke. He tugged on Shen Wei’s sleeve, deploying his most mischievous grin. “You like me? How come you’ve never mentioned it? Shen-laoshi, I think you have a very serious problem. If you like me, why would you tell her about it and not me?”

But Shen Wei was too worried to think straight and didn’t notice.

One look at Shen Wei told Daqing that he was genuinely worried.

Zhao Yunlan normally lacked the patience for this kind of work, so it always fell to Chu Shuzhi. But right now—perhaps it was due to his blindness, perhaps he was affected by Shen Wei’s presence, but currently—he sat quietly and calmly in a rare moment of stillness.

“Not only that, but I’ll be bringing the family. Right, wifey?”

Zhao Yunlan only meant exactly what he said, but Shen Wei read more into it than he’d intended. There was a brief silence before Shen Wei asked, “Then you and I…as a ghost and a human, shouldn’t we stay apart?”

At some point, Shen Wei had closed the distance between them; now he placed his hands on the chair’s armrests, trapping Zhao Yunlan with his arms. Almost piously, Shen Wei closed his eyes and leaned in close. He held his breath, and there was the faintest quiver to his eyelashes. Ever so carefully, he kissed the tip of Zhao Yunlan’s nose. Then, even more slowly, he dared to move his mouth lower. This cautious exploration continued until his lips brushed Zhao Yunlan’s.

It was incredibly gentle and warm, even as he parted Zhao Yunlan’s lips, feeling their slight dryness and dipping so, so softly between them.

He was so helplessly in love, yearning for the sweetness of a kiss, for the simple touch of skin on skin.

This man before him was like some sort of deadly poison.

He had only fallen ev...

“You have two minutes. If you dare say a single word of bullshit, I’ll skin you and turn you into a scarf!”

The question hit Shen Wei right where it hurt. After a bit more silence, he shook his head.

Shen Wei said simply, “How could I? As long as he still wants me, I will not betray him in life or death.”

Many, many years had passed since he’d seen such sincerity in anyone.

Shen Wei’s hand was still holding his. Zhao Yunlan squeezed it, then lowered his voice, pitching it to blend with the sound of the wheels. “I was just thinking about how traditionally our relationship has progressed. First, we got to know each other, and then we exchanged information about our respective backgrounds. The next step, starting with holding hands, is to go shopping together and go out on dates. If we continue down this road, we’ll soon be able to meet the parents and get married.”