“Your Majesty?” Because Ye Shanshan would occasionally call him “Your Majesty,” Gong Yue seriously looked into ancient historical knowledge.
Thus, before Ye Shanshan realized what was happening, his feet left the ground as Gong Yue directly picked him up and slung him over his shoulder.
“!!” Feeling that something was amiss, Ye Shanshan started struggling, twisting and turning, refusing to give in. “Ge, where are we going? Ge, there’s still the family Christmas party later, and I need to try on outfits! Brother, don’t act impulsively—”
His tone was perfectly in character, and his struggle was earnest, but his eyes showed no panic and even a hint of anticipation.
Ye Shanshan should have felt that his imperial dignity was being challenged, but in reality, he did not at all. He almost urged Gong Yue to carry him to the bedroom.
The light turned on, and after a few steps, they saw the items on the bed. Gong Yue’s expression was a bit helpless. “Shanshan, what are you trying to do?”
On the dark bedspread lay two pairs of handcuffs, their cold metallic sheen reflecting under the light. Ye Shanshan, somewhat eager, said, “You mentioned before that I would understand their purpose in the future. Isn’t now the future?”
Then, he patted Gong Yue’s solid shoulder, signaling him to put him on the bed. Ye Shanshan deftly flipped over, quickly picked up the handcuffs, and then cuffed himself to the bedpost.
Ye Shanshan, lying flat on the bed with his hands bound, turned his head to look at Gong Yue standing by the bedside. He licked his somewhat dry lips and spoke excitedly, “Ge, want to play together?”
At this moment, Ye Shanshan’s hands were fixed above his head. The contrast between the metal and his fair skin created a striking, even oddly beautiful, visual. His raised shirt revealed a slender, pale waist, and his clear eyes were looking at Gong Yue, like glass in the water.
Gong Yue looked at the person on the bed, took a deep breath, and loosened his tie. Ye Shanshan then spoke pitifully, “Sir, why are you kidnapping me?”
“…”
Seeing Gong Yue didn’t respond, Ye Shanshan, playing along with his impromptu script, continued, “You can make me do anything, but you must let me go back tonight.” He acted the part of a frightened, helpless little thing.
“Why?”
“My brother is waiting for me to have dinner at home.”
“Anything?”
Gong Yue had already taken off his jacket, removed his tie and cufflinks, leaving only a white shirt on. The sleeves of the shirt were neatly rolled up to his elbows, revealing his appealing muscle lines. He didn’t move his feet, just looked at the restless person on the bed, his expression deep.
Unexpectedly, Gong Yue played along. Ye Shanshan got even more into it, “Yes, anything. What do you want to do?”
Gong Yue stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed, placing his hand on Ye Shanshan’s waist, stroking from the ribcage and gradually exploring underneath the shirt. The skin beneath his fingertips was smooth and soft, making it hard to be rough.
Then he leaned down and bit Ye Shanshan’s waist, eliciting a soft cry from him.
That night, until dawn, Ye Shanshan’s pleading whispers could still be heard at the door, “Sir, please let me go, I still need to go back and—”
“Accompany who?”
The voice paused for a moment, then quickly changed, “Accompany my uncle for dinner.” The last word turned into a muffled groan, as Ye Shanshan could no longer speak clearly.
But this game was indeed very interesting!
On the morning of the 25th, the two changed clothes and got into the car heading to the old house.
Because they got up too early, Ye Shanshan clearly wasn’t fully awake, nodding off against Gong Yue’s shoulder, rubbing against him and messing up his neatly combed hair again.
Gong Yue, worried that sleeping like this would give him a stiff neck, had Ye Shanshan lie on his lap and instructed the driver to drive slowly.
This time, besides the old lady Gong, there were also the families of Gong Yue’s sixth and eighth uncles.
When Gong Yue and Ye Shanshan arrived at the old house, everyone was already there, sitting in the living room chatting. But the atmosphere was dull; it was more like a question-and-answer session with the old lady Gong. At over eighty years old, she sat in the main seat, her emerald jewelry matching her attire elegantly and without excessive formality.
Seeing them enter, she just coldly said, “You’re here?”
“Yes.” Gong Yue, with Ye Shanshan, bowed to his grandmother and then sat down in his place.
Ye Shanshan, now fully awake after getting out of the car, sat next to Gong Yue and glanced around the room. He noticed little had changed from last year and lost his curiosity.
The annual Christmas gatherings were always very boring.
After sitting in the living room for a while, the atmosphere remained cold. Ye Shanshan stared at an oil painting on the wall, lost in thought, making eye contact with a little naked angel with wings in the painting. He amused himself by mentally playing both roles in their imaginary dialogue, enough to fill ten thousand words.
When the old-fashioned clock chimed twelve, the old lady Gong was helped up by a servant. “Let’s go,” she said, slowly making her way to the long table. Despite her efforts to maintain her dignity, her steps were shaky.
Ye Shanshan walked at the back with Gong Yue, in high spirits. He would have hummed a tune if the occasion were different. He took the second seat on the right at the long table, where Gong Yue placed all his favorite foods in front of him.
Thus, Ye Shanshan paid no attention to the cold atmosphere at the dining table and ate happily.
The Gong family had a long history, with many strange but obligatory traditions for the descendants to follow. For example, they had to have a Christmas dinner, even though they weren’t religious; New Year’s Day required a family gathering; the younger generation couldn’t return to the old house unless necessary; and during meals, they couldn’t make any noise. Only after the elders left the table could the younger ones put down their chopsticks.
The meal was eaten in silence, with only the occasional clinking of utensils. The old lady Gong was the first to leave the table and returned to her bedroom. Her personal doctor advised her to rest for an hour after lunch.
Once she left, the tense atmosphere immediately relaxed.
“I was really hungry, but I had no appetite at all before!”
“Brother Ye has a really strong heart, to eat so happily under grandmother’s pressure!” Gong Yan and Gong Yu, Uncle Gong Tuo’s children, were twins in college. They were always intimidated by Gong Yue but were familiar with Ye Shanshan.
After lunch, they chatted in the living room for a while. Ye Shanshan didn’t like discussing serious topics like current affairs, politics, and economics with Gong Yue and the others, so he followed Gong Yan and Gong Yu, giving Gong Yan tips on playing video games.
“Brother Ye, look!” Gong Yu opened her phone, showing Ye Shanshan her wallpaper, which turned out to be his Ice Prince look.
Gong Yu, who resembled her mother, had a sweet smile. “I was stunned when I saw that show. It’s a shame I couldn’t be there live. Big brother didn’t even tell me! But this look was so beautiful that I made it my wallpaper!”
“Brother Ye, how do you beat this? Don’t mind Gong Yu!”
When Ye Shanshan went upstairs with Gong Yue, his mouth was dry from talking so much. He yawned, feeling sleepy again.
Instead of going to his own bedroom, Gong Yue led him to the third floor and opened the door to his parents’ suite. It was a spacious bedroom connected to a study, with a large terrace. No one had lived there for a long time. Although the servants cleaned daily, there was still a musty smell in the air.
They took some cloths and carefully wiped down the entire room. When Ye Shanshan was cleaning a photo frame on the bookshelf, he looked at the picture of Gong Youli and Gong Yi, touched it with his finger, and, after wiping it clean, gently put it back.
The bookshelf held many things: trophies from Gong Yi’s equestrian competitions and awards from Gong Youli’s university days. The room seemed frozen in time, unchanged over the years.
While wiping the carvings on the door frame, Gong Ze happened to pass by on his way back to his room. Gong Yue put down his cloth and nodded in greeting, “Sixth Uncle.” Gong Ze nodded in return.
Gong Yue’s father, Gong Yi, was one of three brothers, ranked third, sixth, and eighth according to the family’s seniority.
“How is Gong Ji?” Due to being bedridden, Gong Ji could never attend the annual gatherings.
“He’s the same as always. Before I left, he was very reluctant to see me go and asked me to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.” Gong Ze, whose temples had already turned gray, smiled kindly. Looking from the doorway at the photo of Gong Yi and Gong Youli on the wall, his expression was somewhat nostalgic.
“Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law had a very good relationship. Third Brother was usually very serious, but he would smile more whenever he saw Third Sister-in-law. Although Third Sister-in-law didn’t smile often, even I could tell her gaze was very gentle.”
Gong Yue nodded, his eyes also falling on the photo of his parents. “Father said that after Mother became pregnant with me, she became much gentler and even changed her daily habits, switching her professional books to those about prenatal education.”
“Yes, during that time, Third Sister-in-law would pull us every day, taking turns to tell stories to you while you were still in her belly.” Gong Ze looked at his nephew, who was now taller than him. “Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law both valued you very much, especially Third Sister-in-law. When she was pregnant with you, she walked very cautiously. For a while, there was a problem, and your fetal heart rate was almost undetectable, which brought Third Sister-in-law to tears.”
A tense string in Gong Yue’s heart suddenly trembled, though he remained calm. “I never heard them mention it before.”
At the time of his birth, the Gong family was fiercely fighting with several rival families. His father, Gong Yi, was often away, and his mother, Gong Youli, was not a talkative person. Later, when his mother left the family, no one mentioned it again.
“It’s understandable they never brought it up. It was a psychological shadow for Third Sister-in-law. I remember you were my and my brother’s first nephew, and we were very worried too. Fortunately, when you were born, you were very healthy. Third Sister-in-law, who never believed in God, went to church several times, and whenever he had time, Third Brother would accompany her.”
After Gong Ze left, Gong Yue entered the room and closed the door behind him. He stared at the photo of his parents on the wall for a while, then sent a message to Chris, “Get me the records of the Gong family’s doctor from twenty-eight years ago.”
Two hours later.
On the terrace, the winter sunlight was warm. Ye Shanshan was feeding the pigeons, keeping a rhythm of letting the pigeons eat one bite of food for every bite of biscuit he took.
Gong Yue sat in a chair, intently watching Ye Shanshan while his mind repeatedly turned over what the family doctor had said when they contacted him earlier.
“Fifth Young Master, I’m old now, but I do remember this. At the time, the Third Madam was six months pregnant, but the fetal heartbeat was nearly nonexistent. I told her to be mentally prepared. However, a month later, during another check-up, the fetus’s heartbeat was normal. The Third Madam was so relieved that she cried. When you were born, your cries were very loud, and you were always very healthy.”
“Shanshan.”
“Hmm?” Ye Shanshan looked up and scattered the pigeons’ food on the railing before quickly sitting down next to Gong Yue.
He leaned in to let Gong Yue help him wipe the biscuit crumbs from the corner of his mouth, listening intently to him.
Ye Shanshan knew Gong Yue must have discovered something earlier, but he didn’t press him.
After wiping away the crumbs, Gong Yue kissed Ye Shanshan on the corner of his mouth. Their eyes met, as if they were giving each other strength.
“I suspect that when Mother was six months pregnant, to avoid losing her child, she used some kind of special medicine to keep me alive.”
Ye Shanshan squeezed Gong Yue’s hand tightly and continued, “But this medicine had huge risks, so did Mother Youli join ‘the plan’ after realizing this?”
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you and Enjoy reading! ❤️”
