Honesty - I Miss You, Take Me Away

The Moon-Plucking Tower in Fengling City is the tallest building in Great Qin. The view from the top is boundless, as if one could reach out and pluck the moon.

As Shen Mengzhi was pressed against the railing, his mind rarely drifted for a moment, and he turned his face to glance at the surging river water behind him.

The next second, Chu Jin seized his chin and turned it back straight. He had no choice but to tilt his head up slightly to meet his gaze.

After a long, silent stare, the latter suddenly smiled. His expression was quite intriguing as he said softly, "Just okay?"

"..."

Shen Mengzhi was stunned for a moment. He realized Chu Jin was referring to the perfunctory remark—that their relationship was "just okay"—he had made when talking to Tingxia earlier.

Chu Jin didn't give him time to argue, adding, "What else? We keep to ourselves. I can't stand rigid people like you, childish... hmm?"

His final syllable was drawn out, exceptionally low and deep, like a jar of Gardenia Brew, sealed for many years, its fragrance rich and mellow—especially alluring and intoxicating.

Shen Mengzhi's eyes curved, a faint smile spilling from them. Having been exposed, he became even more composed, as if knowing the other person couldn't do anything to him.

Chu Jin lowered his gaze, his fingers brushing past the corner of his lips, wiping them neither lightly nor heavily. The touch was soft. Under the pressure, his lips paled slightly before quickly returning to their rosy hue, a very beautiful color.

"This mouth of yours, your words haven't matched your heart for years," he said in a low voice, "...It really deserves to be punished."

It was rare for the Prince Regent to be so petty. Shen Mengzhi endured the itchy feeling on his lips and said with a smile, "Didn't you also say that you hold a grudge against me?"

"..." Chu Jin gritted his teeth. "You know perfectly well I said that on purpose."

He didn't want Shen Mengzhi to get involved in his feud with the Prince of Liang at all. If he hadn't said that, Chu Rong would definitely have caused more trouble, and Shen Mengzhi's situation would have become even more dangerous.

"I haven't asked you yet, why did you leave Xufang?" He frowned, a rare hint of nervousness in his voice. "Did Li Sheng find you? What did he say to you?"

The wind on the rooftop was a bit strong. The night breeze was cool, and just as Shen Mengzhi was about to reply, the wind tickled his throat. He covered his mouth and let out a light cough.

Chu Jin's expression changed. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he reached out to place his hand on Shen Mengzhi's forehead.

"I wanted to ask during the banquet just now, why do you look so pale?"

The skin under his hand was cool, almost cold—a sign of someone who was just recovering from a serious illness.

Shen Mengzhi instinctively tried to brush it off. "It's nothing, just a cold."

Hearing this, Chu Jin gave him a dark look. His hand suddenly slid down, moving toward his shoulder.

Seeing that things were not looking good, Shen Mengzhi immediately raised his hand to block him. But Chu Jin was too fast. He seized his resisting hands with one hand, while the other continued to pull at the fabric on his shoulder.

As his fingertips touched the cool fabric, Shen Mengzhi called out in a low voice, "Chu Jin!"

Chu Jin's movements paused, and he looked down at him.

When Shen Mengzhi met his gaze, the excuses in his mind suddenly wouldn't come out. He froze for a moment before finally managing to utter a few useless words: "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Whether you're fine or not is for me to decide."

Chu Jin's expression turned cold.

"If you're fine, why are you being so secretive and not letting me check your condition? When you move, your left shoulder is slower and stiffer than the other. Is that also because of a cold?"

"The person Li Sheng brought back to the Censorate, the one who was tortured... was that you?"

Shen Mengzhi was a bit dazed by this string of questions. "...Torture?"

He quickly realized what was happening. Someone must have seen the marks on his neck at the time. But he was in the Censorate, and Li Sheng would surely have made his people keep their mouths shut. So how did Chu Jin find out?

It wasn't impossible that Chu Jin had planted a spy by Li Sheng's side. Thinking it over, Shen Mengzhi realized he had indeed overlooked one person.

He blinked. "That Lord Du, is he your man?"

Chu Jin looked at him with a dark expression and did not deny it.

With his admission, things started to make sense. Du Changfu, as the mole Chu Jin planted by Li Sheng's side, had secretly passed on intelligence, which was how Chu Jin knew about his injury.

Who knew how long this hidden piece had been in place. Perhaps Chu Jin's ability to launch a surprise counterattack against Li Sheng during the Qiu Jiang Painted Boat incident was also thanks to this person's handiwork.

Chu Jin said calmly, "It doesn't matter if you don't tell me. I can just go ask him myself."

Judging by his posture, he clearly had no intention of letting him off easily. Shen Mengzhi sighed and said, "Alright. My left shoulder was just slightly dislocated. It will heal soon."

After he finished speaking, he felt the hand on his shoulder tighten its grip.

After a long while, Chu Jin spoke again, his voice a little hoarse. "What else?"

Shen Mengzhi's heart beat a little faster, but he still played dumb. "What else? There's nothing else."

He didn't want to confess, because the scar wasn't pretty, and he didn't want Chu Jin to see it.

Chu Jin's gaze fell on Shen Mengzhi's neck. The collar of the robe he wore today was high, and the Black Jade button was fastened all the way to the top, completely covering the skin beneath.

"They told me," he reached out, his fingertip tapping the Black Jade button, "that you have a wound here, too."

The throat has always been a person's vital point. Shen Mengzhi's heart leaped. He avoided the other's gaze. "No, they must have seen wrong."

Chu Jin said, "I'm not reassured."

With a flick of his finger, the Black Jade button came undone, and a line of moon-white skin jumped into view.

The action was far too intimate. Shen Mengzhi turned his head away uncomfortably and said in a low voice, "Don't do this."

Chu Jin had already undone all three buttons, only to see that the man's neck was as smooth as ever, with no so-called choke marks.

Shen Mengzhi breathed a sigh of relief. "See? I told you there was nothing. Look."

At this moment, he was incredibly grateful that he had applied a layer of powder just in case. Although it felt a bit awkward, it was enough to fool the other person.

Just as he thought he had finally pulled the wool over his eyes, he heard Chu Jin suddenly ask, "When did you change your fragrance?"

Shen Mengzhi paused slightly.

Chu Jin frowned and suddenly raised his hand, wiping lightly at his neck.

A layer of pale powder appeared on his fingertip, accompanied by a strong, unfamiliar scent.

Chu Jin understood what was going on almost instantly. He froze for a second, then raised his eyes to look at Shen Mengzhi, who was rooted to the spot.

The skin of the person before him was fine and porcelain-white, nearing perfection. Only the scar on his neck seemed extremely discordant, like a crack on fine china.

The choke mark had already faded somewhat, but it was still terrifying, a long line stretched across his skin. It was clear the attacker had intended to kill.

Chu Jin had originally thought the wound wouldn't be that obvious, and that the other person would be fine. Now he realized he had been completely wrong.

He dared not imagine what it was like to be on the line between life and death, or the suffocating pain. He was afraid that if he thought about it in detail, he wouldn't be able to contain the surging killing intent in his chest any longer.

After an unknown amount of time, he heard Shen Mengzhi ask softly, "Is it ugly?"

Chu Jin snapped back to his senses, his breathing a little shaky. He suppressed the terrifying thoughts in his heart and gently, repeatedly caressed the choke mark with his fingers. "It's not ugly. Not ugly at all."

After a pause, he asked again, "Does it still hurt?"

"The doctor said it will fade soon." Shen Mengzhi shook his head. "It stopped hurting long ago."

Chu Jin took a deep breath, his expression turning grim. "Was it Li Sheng?"

Shen Mengzhi paused, his expression complicated. "No, it was the Prince of Liang."

"The Prince of Liang?"

Chu Jin repeated in a low voice.

Why would the Prince of Liang be with Li Sheng?

He carefully recalled Chu Rong's behavior at the banquet and slowly said, "...So, he is indeed connected to Li Sheng."

It made sense that the Grand Censor would seek the Prince of Liang, who held half the military power, as his backer.

Shen Mengzhi touched the mark on his neck and met Chu Jin's gaze. He smiled. "It seems the Prince of Liang holds a great grudge against you too."

Chu Jin said hoarsely, "I'm sorry. In the end, you were still implicated."

He gently touched Shen Mengzhi's eyelashes, not even daring to use too much force, for fear that his touch would hurt the other person again.

He was so afraid, so terrified, that the mere sight of a tiny crack would send him into a constant state of panic that the person he loved would shatter.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have suffered this."

Young Master was right. He had a weakness.

Chu Jin lowered his hands. After a long moment, he tugged at the corner of his lips and muttered to himself, "Maybe back then in Xufang, I shouldn't have sought you out and disturbed your peace. Looking back, I was too presumptuous."

He wanted to pull his hand back, but the next moment, it was seized.

Shen Mengzhi clasped his five fingers tightly, just as Chu Jin had intertwined their fingers at the hundred-day banquet.

"I don't want to hear this." He was angry, for once. "You already found me, and my peace is already disturbed. Are you abandoning me now?"

His expression was calm, but his voice was slightly unsteady, making Chu Jin's heart clench.

His beloved, whose words never matched his heart, was finally being honest for once.

"Heshan is too lonely." Shen Mengzhi said in a low voice, "I admit it, I miss you very much... Take me away."

The author has something to say:

If you can still refuse this, it's just unreasonable, Chu Jin ＼(`Δ’)／