Chapter 63: Grandpa Bai knows

Ignoring the old man’s doubts, Housekeeper Yang made another nonsensical reason without batting an eyelid.

"Yes, Master Hou doesn’t like people knowing about it, but he actually has some sleepwalking habits. In fact, it’s not something that is harmful to anyone; he would not attack anyone, but according to the psychologist’s advice, we must not disturb him at all. He’s actually much better now; it happens very rarely nowadays."

Grandpa Bai was still a little doubtful, but since they already said this much, how could he still insist on opening the door?

The old man felt silent before finally nodding.

Just as Housekeeper Yang thought that he had already passed through the hurdle, the old man’s next words raised his guards up again.

"My grandson is just like your master, not responding at all despite the loud knocks. Can you help me open the door with a master key? I would like to check up on him. Unlike your master, my grandson should not have any kind of hidden illness that stops me from disturbing him."

The old man’s voice was laced with meaning.

Housekeeper Yang: ’It seems he really suspects something.’

However, the master’s instructions were not to let anyone find out, so as a competent housekeeper, Housekeeper Yang naturally had to help the master and the young master hide their affair.

Housekeeper Yang sighed. "...Although it may not be my place to say this, I advise you not to disturb the young master."

The old man’s brows twitched. ’What is it now?’

"The young master has been deeply plagued by all the recent events and has not had much rest, tossing and turning at night. That must be why he’s sleeping so soundly now."

Grandpa Bai did not speak, but his gaze was piercing.

Housekeeper Yang: ’This old man is quite difficult to deal with.’

With a sincere look in his eyes, mixing truths and lies, the middle-aged housekeeper continued, "His situation is quite special, so he kept overthinking many things. I have been worried that he might get sick if he still doesn’t get enough rest, but perhaps because he managed to talk things out with you, it is only now that he can finally rest."

Silence fell over the hallway.

Housekeeper Yang turned sideways and gestured. "However, you are the young master’s grandfather, after all, so as you wish, I shall go fetch the master key." He paused. "Please try not to disturb the young master’s sleep."

After a few seconds without a response, and sensing the old man’s gaze on him, Housekeeper Yang finally bowed and turned away, walking out of the hallway.

Housekeeper Yang was thinking of a countermeasure. ’If it doesn’t work, then delay. Let’s call Master Hou and have him carry the young master to the balcony of the master’s bedroom... Hmm. Perhaps I should tell Master Hou to clean themselves first with warm water to ensure there will be no weird smell...’

When he was about to finally leave the hallway connecting the bedrooms, the old man’s voice behind him finally sounded.

"Housekeeper Yang."

The middle-aged housekeeper’s footsteps stopped. He turned around and looked at the old man. "Yes, Elder Bai?"

Grandpa Bai put his hands behind his back. "Forget it. Let’s not disturb his rest. You should also rest for the night."

After throwing one gloomy glance at the guestroom door that was still tightly closed, the old man finally walked to his room, opened the door, and closed it.

Silence returned to the dark hallway.

A helpless sigh sounded in the air, and the middle-aged housekeeper also looked at the closed guestroom door with a little condemnation in his eyes.

’Master Hou really needs to learn how to control himself. The old man is still clearly suspicious, he obviously knows what is going on. Poor young master, tomorrow must be another harrowing day.’

Lin Feng had no idea of what had just happened in the hallway. He had fainted into sleep, unable to bear the exhaustion that built up in the past few days.

Just as Housekeeper Yang had said, the boy was indeed unable to rest well at night due to various thoughts that filled his mind in the quietness of the night.

Now that Lin Feng had vented himself and was surrounded by the presence of the man he relied upon the most, he finally sank into a very deep sleep.

Hou Yizhen did not wake the boy up. He cradled the boy gently in his arms, brought him to the bathroom, and carefully stepped inside the bathtub with the boy, washing every inch of their skin clean.

Hou Yizhen knew that someone had knocked earlier in the room at the highest point of their entanglement.

Considering the people at home right now, there was only one person who would dare to do it in the middle of the night.

Old man Bai.

Hou Yizhen: ’I must have overdid it earlier on the bed.’

He, Hou Yizhen, was not bothered about what the old man would say to him.

However, now that he had calmed down from the earlier recklessness, he wondered if the old man would be too hasty and confront Lin Feng.

The strands of his black hair was wet and clumped together, with some locks falling on his forehead.

Hou Yizhen brushed the wet locks back, lowered his head, and gazed down at the fair-skinned boy peacefully sleeping in his arms.

Lin Feng’s eyes were closed, his cheeks still with a rosy cloud, the tip of the nose had beads of sweat, and his lips ruddy and moist.

Hou Yizhen himself was unaware of how gentle his gaze was.

His large hand gently stroked and wiped the filth away from the boy’s tender skin, careful not to wake Lin Feng up.

Finally, he could not help but bow down and kiss the boy’s forehead.

He thought of the boy’s earlier heartfelt words, every word striking straight at his heart, warming his nerves and filling him with a strange, inexplicable feeling at the gut of his stomach.

It was a new and unfamiliar experience.

Hou Yizhen did not know where it would lead, but he was willing to give it a try.

He was willing to be the quiet fortress guarding the boy, to be the large stone where the boy could rest his back.

If the boy wanted to step out into the world, then let him be.

Hou Yizhen would be guarding him from behind.

He tenderly pressed another kiss on the boy’s forehead.

.....

Lin Feng had a long dream.

In that dream, he was back to being Madam Lin.

Madam Lin saw the man who was to be her future husband from the carriage window.

The man stood with a straight back, the cross collared clothes tightly covering every inch of his body, his shoulders broad and his waist slim, with pendants hangin from his belts, and a sheathed sword hung on his waist, the long tassels swaying with the wind.

Half of his hair was neatly tied back, secured with a black ribbon and a jade crown, and the lower half cascaded down his back like a waterfall.

His skin was fair, his brows heroic, his nose tall and straight, and his pitch black eyes aloof and distant.

At that time, Madam Lin was still a young girl, her face hidden behind a round embroidered fan, only showing a pair of wet and large peach-blossom eyes.

The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the pink petals flying around with the the wind.

The man’s pitch black gaze suddenly shifted and looked directly to Madam Lin’s direction.

Startled, the hand holding the curtain shrank back, and the curtain fell in place, shaking with the wind.

The young maiden blushed, and her maids all giggled as they blushed the same way, praising the young man’s handsome bearing.

At that time, the naive maiden did not realize the awestruck and infatuated gaze on one of her close maid’s face, nor did she notice how the maid kept glancing at the curtains before finally unable to resist reaching out to peek out again from behind the curtains.

Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes, the amber shade wet as if made of liquid pools, before slowly clearing up into a grey-amber gem. His soft light brown hair was tousled from sleep.

After a dazed moment when dreams and reality overlapped, a tear slipped down from the corner of his eyes. He raised a hand to cover his eyes.

It turned out that the signs had appeared since the very beginning.

Madam Lin simply was too trusting and naive, failing to notice such an obvious sign.

In this lifetime, Lin Feng must learn not to trust others so blindly.

Only his husband, only Hou Yizhen... Because Lin Feng knew that once the man liked someone, he would never betray.

If in the past life, Madam Lin’s husband was obligated to share the dew with the concubines according to social norms, especially with Madam Lin herself willingly pushing her husband to the concubines during inconvenient times...

Then in this life, Hou Yizhen would only belong to him, Lin Feng.