AYM Chapter 25

He was no longer lying on the cold, hard ground, but on a warm and soft bed. The water he drank was warm, and the porridge he ate was fragrant and soft.

 

Yan Yihuan still didn’t have the strength to open his eyes. He couldn’t tell whether he was dreaming or awake, whether it was real or just an illusion. He remained in that hazy state for quite some time before gradually realizing that he had indeed been rescued.

 

“Third Young Master, your eyes may still feel a bit uncomfortable, but it’s nothing serious. You can try opening them slowly.”

 

As if noticing that he had woken up, an unfamiliar voice sounded by his ear, calm and steady, making him feel very at ease.

 

Yan Yihuan still remembered how it had felt like needles pricking his eyes, so he nervously clenched the bedding beneath him before finally daring to open his eyes slowly.

 

Although he was still a bit unaccustomed with it, it no longer hurt. Relieved, Yan Yihuan waited as the brightness before his eyes gradually faded. He blinked hard a few times and finally saw the person in front of him clearly.

 

It was a middle-aged man, seeing that Yan Yihuan’s gaze had focused on him, he smiled gently and lightly loosened his unconsciously clenched fingers.

 

“Relax. It’s all right now.”

 

His voice was warm and soothing, making one instinctively calm down. It wasn’t until he felt the man’s fingertips press lightly against his pulse that Yan Yihuan realized the person in front of him was a physician. He quickly glanced around and saw that he was in an ordinary bedroom.

 

“Where is this, who saved me?”

 

When he was being rescued, everything had felt like a dream, so Yan Yihuan was eager to confirm what had truly happened.

 

“I am Sun Zhicheng, a physician. This is a residence in the capital. It is very safe here, you can rest assured, Third Young Master.” Feeling Yan Yihuan’s pulse stabilize, Sun Zhicheng revealed a satisfied smile, “As for who saved you, it would be best to wait for him to come and tell you himself.”

 

“Other than your eyes and some external injuries, the main issue is you’ve caught a chill in your stomach. Although I’ve alleviated the symptoms for now, you’ll still need proper care and recovery.”

 

Yan Yihuan nodded. He could already feel the discomfort in his abdomen easing. This Physician Sun was clearly very skilled.

 

But what he really wanted to know was whether the person who came to save him that day was Zhao Chufeng. However, he didn’t have to wait long for an answer because soon after Sun Zhicheng left, Zhao Chufeng appeared before him.

 

Their eyes met for only a moment, but all the suppressed emotions in Yan Yihuan’s heart surged up like a flood breaking through a dam. The calm he’d forced himself to maintain in front of the unfamiliar Sun Zhicheng crumbled in an instant.

 

“Don’t cry.”[mfn]Original text is more like a demand. A more direct translation of “不许哭。” would be “(You’re) not allowed to cry.”[/mfn]

 

Yan Yihuan, whose eyes were already red, was startled by those words. He truly hadn’t expected Zhao Chufeng to speak so fiercely to him, even in such a situation!

 

Now the tears really couldn’t be held back, and came rolling down, blurring his vision. But in the next moment, a soft cloth brushed gently against his eyes, accompanied by a sigh.

 

“Your eyes still haven’t fully healed. It’s best not to cry.”

 

Emotions weren’t something that could be switched off at will. Yan Yihuan clutched Zhao Chufeng’s sleeve and burst into tears, pouring out all the fear, despair, and lingering terror from the past few days in one overwhelming rush.

 

Li Xuanming was worried that crying might strain his eyes, but seeing Yan Yihuan cry so aggrievedly, he couldn’t bring himself to persuade him any longer. Instead, he simply helped him sit up and let him cry to his heart’s content. Only when the sobs gradually quieted into soft sniffles did he gently pat Yan Yihuan’s back, leaned in, and kissed away the tears still clinging to his lashes.

 

“I’ve come to take you home. There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.”

 

Yan Yihuan had never cried like this before even as a child, let alone in front of Zhao Chufeng.

 

How could he have let him see such a disgraceful side of him? Yan Yihuan took a deep breath, forcefully steadying his breathing, then asked in a muffled voice,

 

“To where?”

 

“To my place.”

 

“Your place…?” Yan Yihuan caught the confirming look in his eyes and immediately shook his head, “I’m not going.”

 

Zhao Chufeng hadn’t expected such a firm refusal. “Why not?”

 

“My home is in Linjing. Why should I go to yours?”

 

That reply made Li Xuanming pause for a moment. That answer wasn’t wrong, but he didn’t like hearing it.

 

“Then stay here and recover for now. We’ll discuss this matter later.”

 

But how could Yan Yihuan not know how domineering this person could be. He immediately panicked and grabbed tightly onto Li Xuanming’s sleeve again.

 

“Zhao Chufeng, who do you think you are to me? What right do you have to make decisions for me?!”

 

“I want to go home! Back to Linjing, back to the Residence of King Yan!”

 

“Ever since I came to the capital, you’ve done nothing but bully me! A-anyway, I’ll just treat everything that happened before like getting bitten by a dog. From now on, don’t come looking for me again. No matter what, my father is still King Yan. I… I could even submit a report to the emperor and have you punished properly!”

 

“And ever since I met you in the capital, nothing but misfortune has followed me. This time, someone even managed to kidnap me right under your nose. It’s a miracle I’m still alive. Zhao Chufeng, don’t even think about controlling me anymore. I want to go home, I only want to go home!”

 

Li Xuanming looked at the endlessly chattering Yan Yihuan and unexpectedly felt an unusual sense of peace. It seemed the past few days of recovery were finally showing results. But his complexion was still pale and sickly, with no trace of color apart from his red and swollen eyes.

 

Yan Yihuan seemed to be threatening him with every word, but his trembling body betrayed his fear. He was still scared, only this time, perhaps, it was him that Yan Yihuan feared.

 

Li Xuanming could’ve completely ignored his protests and taken him back to the palace. But facing a Yan Yihuan like this, he felt a strange tightness in his chest that he wasn’t used to.

 

“Alright.”

 

“What?” Yan Yihuan who was still caught in his anger, froze. “What do you mean by alright?”

 

“I said alright, I’ll let you go home.”

 

Li Xuanming’s tone wasn’t exactly pleasant. He knew his current actions were just a moment of soft-heartedness, something he might regret the very next second. He pried Yan Yihuan’s hand off his sleeve, “I’ll send someone to escort you home.”

 

Although Yan Yihuan had rambled on for a while just now, he knew Zhao Chufeng was not someone who could be so easily persuaded. A thought suddenly crossed his mind, making his heart tremble. He reached out and tugged on his sleeve again,

 

“Who were the people that kidnapped me?”

 

“Just ordinary kidnappers. They’ve already been killed.” Li Xuanming didn’t want Yan Yihuan to continue living in fear, so he had come up with an excuse long ago.

 

Of course, Yan Yihuan still remembered the middle-aged man from the first day after waking up in captivity. But right now there was something else he wanted to know even more.

 

“Did His Majesty send you to rescue me? If you let me go home now, what about you? Won’t you be punished for defying an imperial order?”

 

Yan Yihuan, who had just lashed out at Li Xuanming fiercely, now turned his face away, still looking annoyed—but the words that came out of his mouth were filled with concern for him. For the first time, Li Xuanming felt an inexplicable warmth that calmed all his frustration he had been holding in. That warmth seemed to spread through his limbs, soothing him completely.

 

He suddenly felt that temporarily letting Yan Yihuan go home might actually be the right decision. Forcing him back to the palace now would only deepen his resentment, and even hatred, which would not be beneficial for Yan Yihuan’s recovery.

 

“Then I’ll just make something up and bluff my way through with the emperor,” Li Xuanming’s tone was unusually relaxed, and Yan Yihuan couldn’t help but look up at him. His face had grown noticeably thinner, no longer having that jade-like fullness it once had, but his eyes remained as clear as water and appeared even larger.

 

At that moment, those eyes held a worry even Yan Yihuan himself hadn’t noticed. He said in a trembling voice,

 

“You know that’s a crime of deceiving the emperor. You’d be committing one crime on top of another.”

 

Li Xuanming gently caught those lips and kissed them, barely restraining himself from deepening the kiss.

 

“You just have to go home. I’ll take care of everything else.”

 

When their lips parted, Yan Yihuan was still in a daze. That’s it?[mfn]t/n: In my opinion, it’s pretty ambiguous as it could refer to the kiss ending so quickly, or Li Xuanming allowing him to go home without further issues/objections.[/mfn]

 

Author’s note:

Li Xuanming, don’t be such a jerk![mfn]t/n: Not sure what this implies, honestly😵‍💫 btw, it’s said in a playful tone, often used by readers or authors to vent frustration when a character is being annoying in a dramatic way.[/mfn]