TPWBI Chapter 94

I believe your nonsense!

Yang Yi was almost taken in by Hei Lie’s certain tone and serious expression, nearly thinking that what he said was true.

“Wait, when did I ever say I liked you?!”

Yang Yi couldn’t figure out where this guy’s confidence came from. These past days, he had been acting very modest, completely different from the arrogance he had shown when they first met.

He had actually thought that the man before him had changed, or perhaps that during their first meeting, the agreement was just him taking a tough stance because he had to be responsible for the people behind him.

Turns out, this person hadn’t changed at all. He just usually hid it well.

“My heart has felt it.” Hei Lie lifted a brilliant smile, brimming with confidence.

But for Yang Yi, who was one of the people involved, it was nothing but an eyesore.

This guy was also one of those “Ming School[mfn]refers to a follower of Wang Yangming’s philosophy, characterized by a strong moral purpose, a belief in practical action, a deep sense of social responsibility, and an idealistic outlook.[/mfn]” types—not what you think, but what I think.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t agree with you.”

Yang Yi rejected him outright, without hesitation. What happened today was far too sudden.

Before, he hadn’t exactly been “straight”, but he also wasn’t like others who clearly knew they were “bent”.

After living so many years, Yang Yi had never imagined he would fall for a man, though he also couldn’t picture himself falling for a woman.

He had always been slow on these matters, especially after entering university, where he immersed himself in the world of games and couldn’t extricate himself. His one true love was simply a computer connected to the internet.

And now, out of nowhere, a man suddenly proposed to him. This impact was just too overwhelming! There hadn’t been the slightest buffer at all.

Hei Lie was a little disappointed, but it didn’t discourage him.

“It’s alright, I know you prefer to take things slowly. I’m already prepared to wait.”

Yang Yi had just opened his mouth to refuse when Hei Lie cut him off.

“Don’t be in such a rush to reject me. Accept all possibilities with calm.”

Hei Lie’s deep eyes seemed to carry a kind of magic, gradually soothing Yang Yi’s restless heart. Even the feeling of rejection seemed to fade quite a bit.

“Do you hate me?”

Yang Yi shook his head firmly. If he truly hated someone, he absolutely wouldn’t get this close to them.

It wasn’t just about safety. In fact, he was even less afraid of death than Hei Lie.

After all, he was someone with two lives. If Hei Lie couldn’t guarantee his safety, then all he’d be doing was driving himself into a dead end.

Since coming here, though he got along very well with the locals, it was just like when Chinese people went abroad, especially to Europe, America, or other countries where people looked quite different and the culture was completely unfamiliar.

Many could integrate into local life and work well, but deep down there would always be a sense of estrangement, a feeling that their true roots were not there.

His interactions and exchanges with people here were pleasant, yet still not the same as chatting with his friends on Earth.

Not to mention his special identity. The way he got along with everyone here couldn’t be like on Earth. Without realizing it, he held himself up on a pedestal.

Actually, he rather enjoyed this feeling—being needed and admired by others, satisfying his vanity or something along those lines.

But always being like this, it was inevitable to feel that the heights were too cold and lonely.

Yang Yi was just an ordinary person. Facing such estrangement, he couldn’t help but sometimes feel lonely.

Fortunately, he had Hei Lie by his side.

The bond between them made him trust and relax unconditionally. Hei Lie eagerly studied Earth’s knowledge. His equal attitude when communicating with Yang Yi allowed Yang Yi to regain that familiar way of interacting from before.

Hei Lie was still an outstanding person, while Yang Yi was nothing more than an utterly ordinary man. Yet all of a sudden, he had to lead so many people in building things. The pressure was enormous.

Because of his lack of experience, Yang Yi had made many foolish mistakes and wasted a lot of effort.

For instance, he had once suggested digging a pond to plant lotus roots, and at the same time, making a moat. But as soon as they started digging, he realized something was wrong.

A pond for lotus roots couldn’t be too deep, while a moat had to be very deep.

Such a low-level mistake. If he had seen someone else do it, he definitely would have ridiculed them with a “what a brain-dead move”. Yet he himself had gone and made it.

It was Hei Lie who solved the problem with him, replanning everything so the losses were minimized.

The two of them discussed things together with perfect understanding. Whatever Yang Yi had in mind, Hei Lie knew it clearly and also knew how to use their current resources to transform it into reality.

Yang Yi often had moments when he felt in a terrible mood. In front of outsiders, he didn’t dare show it, afraid of damaging the image of the divine envoy, the banished immortal.

He had built up this persona, and now he couldn’t drop the idol burden.

But in front of Hei Lie, he could be utterly unrestrained. The other was even especially good at consoling him.

They were the best and also the closest of partners. Whether in work or in daily life, in this world, the person Yang Yi was closest to was none other than Hei Lie.

“Being able to meet you in this world is my honor,” Yang Yi said honestly.

A brilliant smile once again spread across Hei Lie’s face. On that sharp, aggressive-looking face of his, it made his whole aura seem a bit silly.

“But that doesn’t mean I should be with you. Two people being together isn’t that simple.”

Yang Yi wanted to explain. But as someone who had been single since birth, his mind was completely blank.

“How complicated can it be? The moment I first saw you, I knew you were mine. For this lifetime, you belong to me alone, and I will only belong to you alone.”

Hei Lie gazed at Yang Yi with burning eyes, the heat in them so intense it seemed it could turn a person into ashes.

Yang Yi had always thought that Hong’s previous love confession was too passionate, but now he understood what true passion really was.

That flame ignited him as well, making him feel inexplicably hot.

It was as though something in his heart was beginning to crumble bit by bit. The closeness of the other was full of temptation, making him want to lean closer, to accept that comforting presence.

Yang Yi didn’t speak. Instead, he instinctively leaned back, trying to escape the atmosphere.

Everything had happened too suddenly. His mind still couldn’t process it.

Hei Lie pulled Yang Yi into his arms for a moment, then quickly let go.

“I have patience. I’ll wait for you.”

Yang Yi parted his lips slightly, wanting to say something, but no words came out.

Hei Lie flipped through the calendar on the table. “Next month, give me your answer. It’ll coincide perfectly with the Sowing Festival weddings.”

“……”

It took Yang Yi quite a while before he squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: “There are only five days left until next month!”

Hei Lie’s proposal hadn’t succeeded, but that didn’t stop him from getting even closer to Yang Yi.

The two of them still slept in the same bed as before, except that at night they lay even closer than usual.

The warmth of Hei Lie’s breath made Yang Yi instinctively shift to the other side, but Hei Lie stuck to him like glue.

It wasn’t until Yang Yi almost fell off the bed that he couldn’t take it anymore and roared, “If you keep this up, you can go back!”

Only then did Hei Lie reluctantly move away. But in the middle of the night, when Yang Yi occasionally woke up thirsty, he discovered he was completely pressed up against Hei Lie.

Hei Lie held him tightly in his arms. Even though there was a blanket between them, his embrace was still extremely intimate.

When Yang Yi tried to break free from Hei Lie’s arms, Hei Lie instantly woke, his eyes filled with alertness.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m thirsty.”

“Wait here, I’ll get you some water.”

Hei Lie immediately relaxed, tumbling out of bed in one motion.

When he returned, he was holding a cup of warm water.

“The temperature is just right.”

Ever since winter began, Yang Yi has always kept water boiling on the floor furnace, so he could have warm water to drink at any time.

He silently took the cup. After finishing it, Hei Lie took it from him and asked, “Do you want more?”

Yang Yi shook his head.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom? I’ll get you a coat.”

Yang Yi’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness. He saw that Hei Lie wasn’t wearing a coat himself.

“Hurry up and get back under the covers, don’t catch a chill.”

Hei Lie chuckled. “Your room is very warm. This kind of temperature can’t affect me. Back in the cold season, I could endure for a long time in the snow.”

The Blackstone Tribe was much colder than here, though the air there wasn’t as damp. It was more of a dry cold.

An ordinary person staying outside too long without enough protection would quickly freeze into a popsicle.

Even so, after saying that, Hei Lie still obediently slipped under the blanket.

Yang Yi’s muddled mind gradually cleared. Spending a lifetime like this didn’t seem so bad.

However, he had no intention of giving Hei Lie an answer so soon.

It wasn’t because he was being coy, or deliberately stringing the other along to enjoy the feeling of being pursued. He wasn’t the type with romantic cells, nor was he like a delicate girl who liked to yearn and daydream.

Yang Yi only considered very practical problems. No matter who topped and who bottomed, he simply wasn’t mentally prepared for it right now!

What’s more, given the general situation here, he would definitely be the one pressed down!

Although Yang Yi didn’t think that being in that position meant anything, nor that one side would be at a disadvantage compared to the other, pain was a very real thing!

In the tribe, people only wrapped themselves up tightly once winter arrived. When it was hot, walking around completely bare wasn’t something anyone felt embarrassed about.

Yang Yi couldn’t even count how many times he had run into Hei Lie while he was stark naked. He was very well aware of the other’s size. It was a weight he absolutely couldn’t bear!

And if he were the one pressing down on Hei Lie…

Yang Yi felt his mind was already influenced by his past notions. Why did that mental picture feel so awkward and wrong?

As a man who owned an ostrich mount, Yang Yi decided to imitate an ostrich for a while—stick his head in the sand. One day delayed was one day gained.

When the first batch of houses, built for the convenience of digging water channels, was completed, a large group of people from the Spark Tribe came in a grand procession.

“Envoys from Maple Leaf City have arrived.”

Yang Yi quickly received information about the group.

“Maple Leaf City.” Yang Yi rubbed his chin. “Are they here to negotiate an exchange of people, or do they have some other purpose?”

The Maple Leaf City caravan had stirred up such a big commotion in the Spark Tribe. Now, only that so-called noble, the city lord’s nephew, Su, was left.

Although Yang Yi had heard from Qiao that this noble was deeply favored by the city lord, he couldn’t be sure whether the other party would agree to an exchange.

It was possible they might fly into a rage and send troops to attack. Or they might simply abandon the man and ignore him.

After all, the compensation they demanded was no small sum, and everything the caravan had brought was already confiscated. Unless the bond was especially deep, this was not a profitable deal.

The tribe had already redeployed their security measures long ago. If the other side wanted revenge, they would show no mercy.

“From the looks of it right now, they don’t seem to intend to be our enemies. They’re just anxious to see Su.”

“They brought a lot of goods? I think I even saw some people with them?”

“Yes. They brought back people from the Eastern Continent who had been abducted to the Western Continent. Someone just reported that among them are members of their tribe.”

Last time, Qiao had come in too much of a hurry and hadn’t had time to find the tribe members who had been sold to the Western Continent.

Unexpectedly, this Maple Leaf delegation had brought them back.

“How many people are there?”

“They’re still verifying the exact numbers, but if it’s truly those people, it’s not a small group—over a thousand.”

Yang Yi narrowed his eyes. It seemed Maple Leaf City’s purpose this time wasn’t just to exchange for the city lord’s nephew, Su.

“What are their demands so far?”

“They want to see Su first, to make sure he’s still alive and well.”

---

Hei Lie: The moment I first saw you, I knew you were mine.

Yang Yi: …

Moonlit: (⊙_⊙) (°〇°) ⸜(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )⸝♡

~

Hei Lie: I’m patient. I can wait.

Also Hei Lie: Give me an answer next month before the Sowing Harvest Wedding.

Yang Yi: … There are only 5 days left before next month!

Moonlit: *wheezing* .·°՞(˃ ᗜ ˂)՞°·. So much for being patient, chief! HAHAHAHAHA (˵ ¬ᴗ¬˵)