After Getting Involved In A Love Triangle With My Mortal Enemy From A Past Life, All I Want To Do Is Lie Down And Relax - Chapter 14

The two remained silent, simply staring at one another.

“Do you hate me this much?” Huo Xun lowered his gaze, his expression unreadable.

“Of course I hate you. You slaughtered every member of the Minister’s estate and left me a displaced wanderer. How could I not hate you?” Sang Luo let out a cold laugh. “I have no peace, day or night. My empty shell of a body holds nothing but resentment. Every time I wake from a dream at midnight, I am thinking of how to kill you with my own hands.”

Every word pierced the heart. Huo Xun instinctively bit the inside of his cheek, remaining silent for a long while.

“The winner takes all. I lost, and I am at your mercy.” Sang Luo curled his lips into a mocking smile. Desolation flashed in his eyes, but he stubbornly suppressed his tears, refusing to show weakness.

Huo Xun’s fingers twitched as he finally regained his senses. He looked down at Sang Luo; the young man’s eyes were rimmed with red, appearing as though they might merge with the tiny red mole at the edge of his eyebrow. He had never truly seen Sang Luo before. Even when he had heard reports of Sang Luo’s escape years ago, he had dismissed it with a single sentence: “A petty thief, nothing to fear.” Afterward, he had sent men to search for the youth, but they found nothing. He had only seen the man’s back in prison, covered in wounds and his face obscured. Later, he had assumed the man was dead.

Their paths crossed again two years ago, but he had not recognized him. The man had been tightly wrapped in black clothing, revealing only a pair of startling peach-blossom eyes. Upon hearing of the man’s death, Huo Xun had merely offered a cold “mm” in response. This was effectively their third meeting, yet it was the first time he had clearly seen Sang Luo’s face. After a moment of trance, he found it laughable. He had developed an indescribable feeling for this person, which felt absurd. When had he become so shallow? Was it merely because of a face or something else? He could not figure it out, so he stopped trying.

“Was it not a deserved punishment?” the deep voice rang out.

Sang Luo looked up in disbelief. “What?”

“I said, was it not a deserved punishment?” Huo Xun remained perfectly calm. “You know exactly why the Minister’s estate was executed. Abuse of power, collusion with officials, and the delusion of interfering in the war for the throne. Combined, those crimes are beyond redemption.”

Huo Xun’s voice was exceptionally cold, much like the persona he presented to the world: unshakable. Sang Luo fell silent. A moment later, he let out a soft laugh. “So what? My mother, my siblings, the servants of the estate, did they participate in those crimes? My youngest sister was only ten. She knew nothing. How was she not innocent? We had no power to interfere with our father’s actions; we only found out when the house was being seized. From the elderly women to the infants, what did they do wrong?”

Sang Luo was immersed in agony, his eyes turning bloodshot with rage. “What right do you have to judge me? By the immense power you hold? By your noble status? Because you stand high above everyone else?”

The tears in his peach-blossom eyes could no longer be held back and spilled over. In an instant, the teardrops vanished into the floor. More followed as Sang Luo’s face turned pale. His lip makeup had been rubbed away at some point, revealing bloodless lips. He coughed a few times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He suddenly smiled. “True. The person you despise most is someone like me, filthy and lowly.”

Huo Xun, who had reached out to support Sang Luo, froze. Those were the exact words he had personally spoken years ago. Although the two were not far apart, an unbridgeable chasm seemed to exist between them.

“Ugh, you”

“Sleep now.” Huo Xun struck a pressure point to knock Sang Luo unconscious, catching his falling body. He appeared almost tender as he quickly brushed a hand over the young man’s furrowed brow. “Get some rest.”

The bright magnesium lights cut out completely, and the backdrop changed once more. The curtain rose to reveal a classical bed canopy. When Sang Luo opened his eyes, his head was still buzzing. He took several deep breaths before finally making out the details of the room. It was the very room where he and Huo Xun had spent their night together. Sang Luo was surprised that Huo Xun had not killed him.

Thinking back to the torture he endured in prison two years ago, Sang Luo could not stop trembling. He realized Huo Xun surely would not let him die so easily. Sang Luo’s beautiful eyes were hollow and filled with numbness. He lay there motionless, like a puppet without a soul.

Huo Xun pushed open the door to find this scene. His Adam’s apple bobbed unnaturally, and his voice remained dry. “Have some porridge.”

Sang Luo did not even shift his gaze, staring wordlessly at the floor. The man walked straight over and sat by the bed, scooping up the golden porridge with a spoon. “Be good.”

Sang Luo seemed lost in his own thoughts and offered no reaction. The two remained at a deadlock, Huo Xun’s extended hand held steady.

“Take it away.” After a while, Sang Luo tilted his head slightly. “Get out.”

“This is my room.”

Sang Luo laughed weakly. “Then let me go.”

Huo Xun stared at him for a long time. “Impossible.”

This sentence seemed to trigger something in Sang Luo. He pushed Huo Xun’s arm away with a violent motion. “What exactly do you want? Kill me! Just kill me!”

Huo Xun pulled the frantic youth into an embrace, offering low-voiced comfort. “Calm down. It is not what you think. We can talk.”

Sang Luo’s hands slowly slid down. He was exhausted and closed his eyes in an act of avoidance. After another while, Huo Xun tucked Sang Luo in and wiped away the stray tear clinging to the corner of his eye. He could not explain his feelings for Sang Luo. He felt the man was familiar, yet he truly could not recall ever meeting him. If he had seen such an exquisite face, he certainly would not have forgotten it. Was he simply making excuses for himself?

Silence filled the room. Outside the window, day turned to dusk. The golden sunlight streamed into the interior, reflecting in the eyes of the man by the bed.

“No, no! Stay away from me! Get out!”

Huo Xun immediately held the sleep-talking Sang Luo. “Do not be afraid. I am here.”

Perhaps sensing the warmth, Sang Luo truly quieted down. The sunlight slipped away, replaced by silvery moonlight. It fell quietly upon the room, witnessing the man stay awake all night.

In the days that followed, Sang Luo remained as silent as stagnant water, while Huo Xun took care of him with daily devotion. Life was peaceful until a month later when Sang Luo struck again. He took a wooden chopstick and stabbed it into Huo Xun’s arm with brutal precision. Blood flowed instantly.

Huo Xun merely frowned and used his internal energy to shatter the stolen chopstick into dust. Sang Luo panted heavily and then suddenly laughed with pure joy. “Does it hurt? Good.” His tone was fierce and his gaze chilling. “This pain is not even a ten-thousandth of mine.”

Huo Xun remained calm. He casually bandaged the wound and threw Sang Luo onto the bed.

“What are you doing?” the youth asked, looking terrified.

“I am doing nothing. I am staying with you.”

That night, the chasm between the two grew deeper, with no possibility of it ever being filled.

[THE END]