The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

56

Shang JunLin propped himself on the soft couch with one hand and looked sideways at Shen Yu. "This emperor can wait, but the noble monarch shouldn't make excuses not to fulfill your promise when the time comes."

Shen Yu sat down on the side of the couch. "Why is Your Majesty so sure I'll lose? What if Your Majesty loses?"

"Of course this emperor will keep my promise." Shang JunLin slowly sat down.

The couch was the same one that was there before. Shang JunLin looked at the distance between himself and Shen Yu and said, "This emperor will tell someone to change the couch."

"Why do you suddenly want to do that? This one is comfortable." Shen Yu thought about it. The couch was large and luxuriously soft. Sometimes he liked to lie there on Shang JunLin's lap.

Shang JunLin pursed his lips and said nothing. It wasn't the comfort level of the couch that was the problem. He just wanted a smaller one. When the two of them sat in it he couldn't quite reach Shen Yu on the other side.

"Your Majesty." Shen Yu moved closer to Shang JunLin. "What don't you like about it?"

"The noble monarch was too far away from this emperor just now," Shang JunLin answered evasively.

Doctor Shen Yu didn't understand how the two things were related until something occurred to him. He poked Shang JunLin's arm and asked teasingly, "Does Your Majesty think the couch is too big?"

"What does the noble monarch think?" Shang JunLin took Shen Yu by the waist and dragged him into his arms. Then he felt content.

After confirming his theory, Shen Yu was amused. He chuckled and leaned against Shang JunLin's shoulder. "Your Majesty, you're too cute."

Shen Yu remembered that when they were outside the palace, Shang JunLin had a special liking for the couch in their residence. He liked to drag Shen Yu to sit there with him. Even when he was dealing with official business, he wanted Shen Yu to sit beside him. So that's why he was so determined.

"If Your Majesty wants me to sit closer, just say so. Why bother changing the couch? Besides, its size has advantages. When you're tired of sitting you can just lie down. What does Your Majesty think?"

Shang JunLin wasn't going to insist. "If the noble monarch doesn't want to change it, don't change it."

Shen Yu rested his head against Shang JunLin and half-closed his eyes. The truth was that after his loss of health, Shen Yu had been sleepy recently. After a while, he fell asleep.

His shoulders slipped down. Shang JunLin gazed at the young man who was leaning against him, asleep, and the light in his eyes became softer and softer.

He took the blanket and draped it over the young man. Shang JunLin held Shen Yu in one hand and wrote with the other. In the quiet afternoon, the only sound was the occasional rustle of memorials.

With the approach of the spring exam, the students stopped going out as much. They remained in their temporary lodgings and concentrated on preparing for the exam.

The closer the exam got, the less Jiang HuaiQing was able to sit still. He rapped on the door of the next room.

"ChengYu Xiong, are you busy?"

After a while, the door opened and a man in a dark blue robe appeared. "Come in."

Jiang HuaiQing walked inside with a book in his arms.

"I haven't seen Young Master Lin and Young Master Yu for several days. Aren't they going to take the exam? Why haven't I seen them?" Jiang HuaiQing was familiar with the room and casually set his book next to Hè ChengYu.