EHW Ch65

Night had fallen.

Gu Fangzhi sat at the edge of the bed, hands clasped before his face, elbows on his knees, looking as calm and lifeless as a man three days in the grave.

Behind him, Pei Xin was fast asleep, no nightmares, no sleep-talking, just deep, peaceful rest.

Gu Fangzhi glanced down at himself and sighed softly.

Two hours earlier, the system had been about to trigger yet another Bad Ending. In a moment of panic, Gu Fangzhi had shouted a few desperate words, “He’s of age!”, and somehow, by sheer accident, managed to complete Pei Xin’s anti-addiction real-name verification.

When Pei Xin tentatively guided his hand lower, Gu Fangzhi hadn’t refused.

He’d thought it would end there. It was already late at night, after all.

But Pei Xin turned clingy.

The young man, perhaps a little shy, perhaps simply overwhelmed by sweetness, buried his face in Gu Fangzhi’s neck, murmuring “Teacher” over and over again.

Then he began to kiss his neck, softly at first, then more insistently.

Breathing heavier, he tugged Gu Fangzhi’s clothes out of place until his shoulder and chest were half exposed.

Pei Xin’s tongue traced downward along his throat.

Gu Fangzhi’s fingers clutched the bedsheet tightly. He wanted to say let’s just go to sleep, or the system could glitch again at any moment, but seeing the boy’s bright eyes in the darkness, eyes so open, so unguarded, so full of affection, his mind went blank, as if set on fire. All that escaped his lips were broken, breathy sounds.

They kept at it nearly the whole night, taking turns helping each other find release twice before finally quieting down.

Pei Xin fell asleep almost immediately afterward. Gu Fangzhi, on the other hand, was wide awake.

Bathed in moonlight, he looked down at his own body, then sat cross-legged by the headboard for a while. His expression was half helpless, half amused.

Truth be told, he didn’t really understand much. Everything he knew about that sort of thing came from novels and TV dramas, censored ones at that.

But Pei Xin’s technique… was terrible.

He couldn’t tell if the young man just didn’t know how to control his strength or if “using brute force” was his only way of expressing affection.

Gu Fangzhi’s shoulders and chest were covered in bite marks, some deep, some shallow; his wrists were red from being gripped too hard; and the insides of his thighs were raw from the friction through their clothes.

[Congratulations, Player has reached BE Ending – “For the Greater Sacrifice.”]

Gu Fangzhi: …

Seriously?!

He loaded the auto-save created right before the Bad Ending.

Unfortunately, that autosave had overwritten the file from before they got into bed, but it didn’t matter. Pei Xin was sleeping so peacefully for once that Gu Fangzhi didn’t have the heart to rewind further.

After sitting a while longer, he lay back down beside him.

Sensing movement, Pei Xin shifted closer, wrapped an arm around him, and mumbled, “Teacher…”

Nestled in Pei Xin’s embrace, Gu Fangzhi’s heart softened.

Then he pinched Pei Xin’s cheek, and hardened it again.

Before Pei Xin’s skills improved, there was no way they were taking that final step.

Otherwise, he’d probably die from pain, not pleasure.

The next morning, Gu Fangzhi woke to find Pei Xin propped on one elbow, smiling down at him.

Seeing him stir, Pei Xin lifted something for him to see, a small braid he’d made from a strand of Gu Fangzhi’s hair while he slept.

Compared to the radiant Pei Xin, Gu Fangzhi looked a little worse for wear. Still groggy, he mumbled, “…What is it?”

Whether from happiness, intimacy, or both, Pei Xin didn’t even refer to himself formally. “I slept really well last night.”

He hadn’t even taken his usual medicinal bath before coming to see Gu Fangzhi, just a quick wash, and yet, after spending the night holding him, he’d slept like a baby and awoken refreshed, even with color in his normally pale cheeks.

Had he known this was the secret all along, he would have done it sooner; he’d wasted so many nights before.

Pushing his fringe back, Pei Xin stood and stretched. “Teacher, up you get.”

Ah, youth. So much energy.

Gu Fangzhi watched him go, dragging his own thoroughly exhausted body out of bed.

From that day onward, whenever Gu Fangzhi stayed overnight at the palace, he slept on the same dragon bed as Pei Xin.

It wasn’t a big deal, spring was coming, and Pei Xin’s body ran cooler than his, which actually made it comfortable to sleep together.

The only problem was how easily things got… heated. More than once, Gu Fangzhi had ended up covered in marks again.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell Pei Xin his technique needed serious work, it was that every time he tried, those eyes would look at him, and whatever words he meant to say would dissolve into a breathless hum.

That night, Gu Fangzhi stayed once more at Yangxin Hall.

They’d just returned from an evening banquet, and Pei Xin, unusually, was tipsy.

Still, his drunkenness manifested only in a faint daze and quietness; he didn’t stumble or ramble.

Yang Luhai finished clearing away the washbasin and called out to the white blur darting around the room. “Snowball, let’s go.”

Normally, Snowball spent nights in the side chamber, but for some reason tonight, the dog refused to leave. He ran circles around the pillars, wagging his tail, tossing his ball, shredding paper, licking ink, and barking all at once.

After several failed attempts to catch him, Yang Luhai gave up.

Gu Fangzhi, unable to watch any longer, said, “Just let him stay here tonight.”

Pei Xin: “……”

His philosophy had always been: either me or the dog. Never both.

But since Gu Fangzhi had spoken, he could only grunt, “Fine. But he’s not allowed on the bed. Understood?”

Snowball barked, “Woof-woof!”, and promptly jumped onto the bed.

Pei Xin: “……”

His imperial dignity was in shambles.

Gu Fangzhi had to bite his own thigh to keep from laughing out loud.

Later, when they finally lay down, Pei Xin leaned over again, kissing him, his breath tinged with wine.

The young Emperor, flushed and eager, once he’d tasted sweetness, was unwilling to stop. He pinned Gu Fangzhi’s wrists and kissed him again and again, while Snowball jumped back and forth across the bed, over them, around them, between them.

Pei Xin bit Gu Fangzhi’s tongue, then his shoulder; Snowball bounded over their tangled bodies and back again.

Gu Fangzhi: “…………”

No.

He truly admired Snowball’s stamina, and Pei Xin’s focus.

Please. For heaven’s sake. Could everyone just stop for a moment?

Gu Fangzhi gave Pei Xin a little push, only then did the latter finally realize that Snowball had gone berserk again.

He hadn’t even noticed when that had become… normal.

Pei Xin glared at the wriggling ball of fur trying to burrow under the covers. “Mad dog! Stop it!”

At that, Snowball finally quieted down, trotting off to a corner where he began gnawing on a bone, or possibly on the wall itself.

But now Gu Fangzhi was the one in trouble.

Pei Xin rolled over and pinned him beneath his body.

Still drunk, his body radiated heat, half from wine, half from desire.

Tracing a finger along Gu Fangzhi’s brow, Pei Xin murmured, “…I want you.”

Then he leaned in again for another long, deliberate kiss.

Every nerve in Gu Fangzhi’s body screamed in alarm.

He pushed at Pei Xin, pinched his cheek, but instead of pulling away, Pei Xin only pressed closer, until Gu Fangzhi’s own pulse began to flutter.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Fangzhi decisively reloaded a save.

Snowball flew over their heads as time rewound. Pei Xin tilted his head, baffled at the sudden emptiness where his hands had just been.

Gu Fangzhi patted his shoulder. “Your Majesty is drunk. Please, go to sleep.”

Pei Xin grabbed his wrist again and pushed him back down.

Gu Fangzhi reloaded another save. Snowball once more soared past above their heads.

Pei Xin: “……”

Pei Xin’s temper flared, he lunged for Gu Fangzhi again.

Gu Fangzhi reloaded. And reloaded. And reloaded. And reloaded.

After this tug-of-war went on far too long, Pei Xin finally frowned.

He pressed one hand to Gu Fangzhi’s shoulder and the other clamped tightly around his wrist. “Gu Fangzhi!”

Teeth gritted, drunk eyes clouded yet accusing, he growled, “You can rewind as many times as you want, I won’t give up! Will you dare refuse Your Emperor’s grace?”

Gu Fangzhi: “……”

He had thought Pei Xin would forget everything by morning once he sobered up.

But being rejected over and over, now the boy just looked hurt.

Gu Fangzhi opened his mouth. “…Your Majesty.”

Pei Xin stared back with a look that said, Go on. Let’s hear your excuse.

Gu Fangzhi clenched his jaw, forced himself to speak the truth. “Your… that… is too… um… too much. And your… technique… is also too… that. I was… afraid… of… that…”

Pei Xin: “?”

What? Was this supposed to be a midnight poetic essay titled ‘On That’ by Scholar Gu?

He rubbed his aching temples, frowning as he tried to make sense of it.

Then, after a long moment, sudden realization dawned.

Pei Xin: “…………”

The world had ended.

---

Double update for new year!!!