Wen Mingyu instinctively followed the source of the sound and was surprised to see Mu Zhan with bloodshot eyes, veins bulging on his forehead, looking extremely unpleasant. His face was filled with ferocity and coldness, a look as if he was about to kill someone.
Wen Mingyu’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately wanted to hide, making sure not to draw Mu Zhan’s attention, to avoid becoming the unfortunate target of his anger.
But everything happened too quickly, and Mu Zhan immediately noticed him. His gaze, filled with volatile anger, landed on Wen Mingyu, and he started walking towards him.
The overwhelming pressure was like a tremendous wave, surging layer by layer, making it difficult to breathe. It felt as if a thousand pounds were pressing down, making it hard to stand, and one could hardly control the legs from giving way.
Wen Mingyu remained seated on the stool, managing not to collapse due to his weakened legs.
In just a few seconds, Mu Zhan arrived in front of him. His towering figure cast a shadow, enveloping Wen Mingyu within it.
Being this close, the sense of oppression became even more intense.
Wen Mingyu was stiff all over, terrified about what might happen next.
Mu Zhan, shrouded in a menacing aura, approached as if something terrifying was about to occur. He bent down, extending his hand toward Wen Mingyu. This frightened Wen Mingyu, thinking Mu Zhan was going to strangle him, and his whole body tensed up. He thought about jumping up to escape but then realized that Mu Zhan’s hand was holding a peeled grape, which he then put into his own mouth.
…..?
Wen Mingyu was completely dumbfounded.
It was like reaching the end of a video game, opening a door with the expectation of facing a fierce and challenging boss battle, only to find a small, soft slime creature inside, peacefully sleeping with half-closed eyes—”Phew~”
The contrast was so stark that he forgot to react.
After a while, Mu Zhan had already eaten half of the grapes Wen Mingyu had peeled. Seemingly dissatisfied with his inactivity, Mu Zhan grabbed his wrist, placed it on the grapes that hadn’t been peeled, and coldly commanded, “Continue.”
Wen Mingyu: “…Oh.”
He indeed continued peeling the grapes.
However, with one person eating, taking one grape at a time, and the other peeling the grape skins, it was impossible for the peeling speed to keep up.
Soon enough, Mu Zhan finished eating the peeled grapes, and his gaze shifted to Wen Mingyu’s hands.
Wen Mingyu’s body stiffened, trying to speed up, but being stared at made him even more nervous, causing some stumbling and hesitating in his movements.
Wen Mingyu’s hands were indeed beautiful—well-proportioned joints, long and fair. Holding the deep purple grapes, they appeared as delicate and smooth as white jade. Anyone looking at him would probably be reluctant to let him do any work, but Mu Zhan didn’t seem to share that sentiment.
Just as Wen Mingyu had peeled the grape down to the last bit of skin, Mu Zhan, seeming impatient to wait any longer, directly grabbed his hand and brought it to his mouth, eating the remaining grape.
With the grape held between Wen Mingyu’s fingers, it naturally made it easy for Mu Zhan to bite down on his fingertip. Wen Mingyu distinctly felt the warmth and moisture on his fingertips, making him want to pull back, but his wrist was held tightly, rendering him unable to move.
To make matters worse, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Mu Zhan, while eating the grape, also licked away the juice that had touched Wen Mingyu’s fingertips.
The soft touch sent a shiver down his spine.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but curl his fingers slightly, and his eyelashes fluttered.
Mu Zhan continued eating the grapes, but his eyes were fixed on Wen Mingyu as if he were a predator eyeing its prey, ready to chew him up and swallow him whole.
A strong sense of danger surged up, exploding in Wen Mingyu’s mind. Even after finishing the grape, Mu Zhan didn’t release his hand, biting down on his finger as if he intended to consume him as well.
Wen Mingyu didn’t dare to struggle rashly and instead said, “Your Majesty, I still need to continue peeling grapes for you.”
Mu Zhan stared at him for a couple of seconds, then slowly released his hand. Wen Mingyu immediately pulled back, picked up a grape, and pretended to be very focused and busy.
After Mu Zhan ate that grape, the bloodshot eyes in his eyes faded away. The gloomy and heavy expression on his face also eased, gradually returning to calmness, and he reverted to his usual emotionless demeanor.
Then, he stood up and walked to the door, giving some instructions to Zhao Dequan.
As soon as Mu Zhan walked away, Wen Mingyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. His body immediately relaxed, and he just wanted to lie on the table and not move.
Faint voices from the door reached his ears, intermittent but still audible. Wen Mingyu could barely make out that Mu Zhan was decreeing the execution of someone.
It was likely related to the memorial that had just been reviewed.
Wen Mingyu tried to divert his thoughts, not wanting to listen. Knowing wouldn’t bring any benefits.
When Mu Zhan returned, he resumed reading memorials without eating more grapes, leaving Wen Mingyu to eat them himself.
Wen Mingyu wasn’t polite; after the near scare he had just experienced, he felt the need to eat something to calm his nerves.
A grape went into his mouth, and as he bit down, the fruit flesh burst, releasing its sweet and refreshing juice, just as delicious as he had imagined.
Wen Mingyu squinted his eyes, finding solace in the taste.
After eating several grapes, he suddenly remembered that his fingers had been bitten by Mu Zhan. Did that mean there was…
Wen Mingyu’s expression went blank for a moment. His emotions were complicated; neither eating nor not eating seemed right.
After a pause, he discreetly cleaned his fingers with a handkerchief, stared at the faint bite marks on his fingertips for a few seconds, then averted his gaze. He acted as if nothing had happened and continued eating.
After finishing the grapes, Mu Zhan instructed him to leave.
After that incident, every time Wen Mingyu came over, he would find some imperial pastries and fruits on the table. Most of them ended up in his stomach.
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