Yu YongTian's Crimosn Night Palace was as grand as it could be, yet eerily quiet in the dim glow of lanterns. The scent of rare incense curled lazily through the air, its faint traces blending with the cool night breeze seeping through the half-open windows.
On the large, intricately carved bed, Shen YiJun stirred. His inhaled sharply, as his mind caught up with his body, awarenes snapping back like a drawn bowstring. The silk sheets beneath him were unfamiliar, as well as the chamber. His pulse steadied as his fingers twitched, tracing the soft fabric before his eyes flickered fully open.
He carefully scrutinised the room. It was lavish, the walls adorned with intricate tapestries, shelves lined with scrolls and treasures that reeked of Yu YongTian's refined arrogance. A subtle shift of his head confirmed his suspicion, he was not alone.
Across the room was Yu YongTian seated with effortless grace. He lounged with one leg casually crossed over the other, a scroll held between slender fingers while his free hand idly swirled the tea in his cup. His fan was resting on the table, next to him. His expression was blank, half-lidded eyes scanning the words as though the world beyond the parchment did not exist. As if Shen YiJun was not there, awake, watching him.
Shen YiJun did not move immediately. He observed, eyes narrowing at the sheer audacity. He had expected hostility, restraint, perhaps even confrontation—but this? This nonchalance, this infuriating indifference? Yu YongTian always had ways to make him angry and it seemed that had not changed a bit even after being apart for so long.
Finally, Shen YiJun spoke. "What place is this?" His voice was steady, firm, betraying none of the lingering weariness from his forced slumber.
Yu YongTian did not react immediately and instead turned a page, fingers gliding smoothly over the parchment as he exhaled softly. Only then did he glance up, and when he did, it was with an amused tilt of his lips.
"Awake already? That was fast. I thought you'd enjoy the rest." He set the scroll aside, stretching slightly as if this were the most casual of encounters. "You should thank me, you know. You fainted so dramatically, I had no choice but to bring you back."
Shen YiJun's jaw tightened, and just his gaze silently told Yu YongTian, 'I did not faint.'
Yu YongTian smirked, resting his chin against his knuckles. "Fine. If it makes you feel better, you can call it an involuntary nap."
Shen YiJun sat up slowly, testing the weight of his limbs. Nothing felt particularly strange, but he knew better than to assume Yu YongTian had done nothing while he was unconscious. His gaze darkened. "Why am I here?" he asked.
Yu YongTian exhaled through his nose, leaning back. "Because I decided it."
The arrogance in those words made something flare in Shen YiJun's chest, but he forced it down. "Come back with me."
At that, Yu YongTian's fingers paused over the rim of his teacup. His expression did not change, but for a moment, his gaze sharpened, too fast for most to notice, but Shen YiJun caught it. It was there, beneath the practiced amusement, something heavier... he just couldn't discern what it was.
Then, just as quickly, it was gone. Yu YongTian took a slow sip of his tea before setting the cup down with a soft clink. "You always were stubborn, Shidi. This... You've been asking me to return with you–" He tilted his head slightly, his voice dropping into something softer and more taunting. "Tell me, YiJun… Did you miss me that bad?"
Shen YiJun continued gazing at him coldly, never intending to reply. Instead, he asked, "Why won't you come back?"
Yu YongTian stayed silent for a while, then chuckled, then again and again, till he started laughing like a crazed person, then went quiet at once. His eyes lingered on Shen YiJun but before he could answer, before he could even process the weight of that question, the doors burst open with enough force to shake the nearby lanterns.
"YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!"
A blur of black and blue fur shot into the room, tail bristling in righteous fury. Ling You skidded to a halt, his bright blue eyes blazing with a fury rarely seen from the small spirit beast. He sucked in a furious breath, puffing himself up as much as possible before launching into his tirade.
"You LEFT ME! AGAIN!" His voice cracked with disbelief, pure betrayal laced in every syllable. "You always do this! You throw me aside like I'm nothing— everytime you see him!" His tiny paws stomped against the polished floors as he advanced, briefly glancing at Shen YiJun. "You are replacing me with him? Huh! How cheap! I'm a thousand times better—"
Yu YongTian's lips twitched ignoring Ling You and turned to Shen YiJun, lazily gesturing toward the small creature still raging at his feet. "See what I have to deal with, YiJun? I've not had it easy either. Can't you be a little warmer and ask how I've been all these years? Is it seven or eight?"
Shen YiJun did not reply. He simply watched, his gaze unfathomable as Yu YongTian crouched down, reaching out for his fan and flicked Ling You's forehead with it, his motion effortless.
Ling You yelped. "Don't TOUCH me, you ungrateful, cold-blooded—"
Yu YongTian smirked. "Hush now. You're ruining the atmosphere. Don't you see we've have a guest?"
Ling You let out a strangled scream of rage, his tail puffing up like an angry cloud as he threw himself at Yu YongTian's robes, biting at the fabric in sheer frustration. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate—"
Yu YongTian let him, the amusement in his eyes deepening as he turned back to Shen YiJun, utterly ignoring the furious creature clawing at his robes. "Now, where were we?"
Shen YiJun remained silent, but his grip on his sleeve tightened, nevertheless, he rephrased his question. "Why won't you come back?"
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End Note
"Some wounds never heal, but they are the lessons we carry, hidden in silence."