kvmb Chapter 161 Slap
Chapter 161 Slap
With a sharp "slap," the entire room fell silent, the sound of the slap ringing out exceptionally clearly.
A voice came from outside, asking in a low voice, "My lord?"
Zheng Hao replied, "It's nothing, go back to the courtyard."
Compared to usual, Zheng Hao's voice was a bit hoarse, and in the dim candlelight, a faint handprint appeared on his handsome right cheek.
Gu Lin snapped out of his reverie and recognized the voice outside as Da Zhuo. He stared warily at Zheng Hao, opening his mouth slightly as if to call out to Da Zhuo, but Zheng Hao abruptly asked, "Are you sure you want to call Da Zhuo in?"
Meeting the young man's dark eyes and seeing his calm and composed demeanor, Gu Lin understood the implication in his words. Da Zhuo had followed Zheng Hao for a long time, so he would definitely listen to him no matter what.
He called Da Zhu in, but it not only did nothing to help, but also embarrassed himself.
He looked up at the young man in front of him. The man was always reserved and aloof, with extreme pride. He didn't react at all after being slapped. His dark eyes were fixed on him, refusing to move an inch. Seeing this, Gu Lin felt annoyed.
He didn't know when Zheng Hao had developed such feelings for him, but when he carefully recalled everything he had done over the years, none of it had been out of line. Gu Lin couldn't understand Zheng Hao's actions just now, and could only attribute it to the hormones of a young man, coupled with the fact that there were no suitable young women around him, so he lost his sense of proportion when he was drunk.
Gu Lin tried to calm himself down by giving himself a pep talk.
He looked at the young man standing by the bed and said calmly, "It's easy to lose your temper when you're drunk. If you leave now, I'll pretend nothing happened."
The young man felt that he had handled the unexpected incident rationally and without any emotional bias, but he didn't take a good look at himself in the bronze mirror.
Her fair, slightly round face was flushed with a rosy glow, and her eyes, as she looked at the young man, seemed to be filled with spring water, becoming even more moist and clear.
Hearing Gu Lin's words, Zheng Hao understood that the other party wanted to shift the blame for what had just happened onto the drinks. However, Zheng Hao, who always went along with Gu Lin, spoke up, his voice calm: "I didn't drink a drop tonight. I am very clear-headed about what I am doing."
"shut up!"
In stark contrast to his usual gentle and kind demeanor, Gu Lin reprimanded him.
He raised his eyes and glared at Zheng Hao, his light brown eyes burning with fierce flames. His body trembled slightly, whether from emotional excitement or from being provoked by the other's words.
However, Zheng Hao remained unaffected. He looked down at the young man sitting on the bed, staring at him warily, and continued, "As early as fifteen, or even earlier, when I was twelve or thirteen, I understood my own feelings. In the past, I was worried that I was too weak and might hurt you, so I never showed it."
Zheng Hao said, "I originally intended to keep it a secret for a few more years, until I had established myself in the court, before revealing my feelings to you. I didn't expect you to insist on leaving the capital with the merchant caravan."
"How could you be so heartless as to abandon me?" he whispered.
It's as if Gu Lin has committed a heinous crime!
Gu Lin gripped the bedding tightly with his right hand, warning himself not to be fooled by the other party's pitiful appearance.
He gathered his thoughts and carefully chose his words to say to Zheng Hao: "You don't like me, you just can't get used to being apart from me."
Hearing that the other party was still trying to argue and refused to admit his feelings, Zheng Hao's lips curled up slightly, softening the coldness on his face. However, he opened his mouth and said to Gu Lin, "Is that so?"
He asked a rhetorical question without saying anything, yet it seemed as if he had said something.
The entire room fell into a suffocating silence.
Over the years, whether it was their nominal relationship or how it appeared to outsiders, Zheng Hao felt increasingly distressed after he grew up and realized his feelings for Gu Lin.
What Zheng Hao found unbearable was not the opinions of outsiders. For him, the opinions of others were not important; what mattered was how Gu Lin viewed him.
When he was thirteen or fourteen, a vague idea began to take root in his mind: he wanted to be with Gu Lin forever and didn't like being treated like a child. At that time, he thought he wanted to grow up quickly, stand up for himself, and protect Gu Lin under his wings.
Later, as he grew older and learned more about the relationship, Zheng Hao gradually realized that it was impossible to wait for Gu Lin to come to his senses, seeing that the other person still treated him like a child.
Constrained by his status, he could not pursue her openly like other men, yet he also benefited from it. While other men were met with coldness and indifference, he could go out with her and talk about everything with her.
He planned to take it slow, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water, gradually infiltrating Gu Lin's life, giving Gu Lin the best of everything, supporting his business, and nurturing him from the inside out so that he could not accept the men of Daqian. Those men demanded obedience and virtue from their wives and children, and did not allow them to show their faces in public. But he was different. He would not only not stop Uncle Gu's behavior, but would also provide him with convenience when needed.
The only exception was that he would never allow Gu Lin to leave him.
Gu Lin took a deep breath. His mind was in complete chaos, but he knew he couldn't let things continue like this.
He tilted his head slightly, pointed towards the door, and said to Zheng Hao, "If you leave now, we can go back to how things were before."
After saying this, Gu Lin received no reply from Zheng Hao for a long time.
He couldn't help but turn his head to look at the other person.
But Zheng Hao's eyes were fixed on her: "But," Zheng Hao said with a tone of helplessness and tenderness, "I don't want to."
With these words, he completely blocked any room for maneuver between the two.
He lifted his leg and walked closer to Gu Lin. A look of tension and panic flashed across Gu Lin's face. He got up and tried to escape from the bed, but Zheng Hao was only two steps away from him. Before Gu Lin's feet even touched the ground, Zheng Hao's tall figure approached. Gu Lin tried to back away, but he couldn't escape.
Zheng Hao
Gu Lin, though outwardly fierce, was inwardly weak, and glared at the young man.
Facing the angry glare from the young man below, Zheng Hao spoke, still with the same good temper he always had towards him, and said softly, "As long as you promise not to leave the capital to go out and do business, we will get along the same way we did before."
He can endure it for a few more years.
Gu Lin tilted his head slightly and said "impossible" without thinking. However, when he met Zheng Hao's dark and cold eyes, Gu Lin forced himself to calm down. The situation was not suitable for a head-on confrontation.
His expression softened, and his tone slowed, but it still sounded somewhat stiff: "The decision to go on the trade route has already been made. If I don't go tomorrow, the journey of the entire caravan of several hundred people will be delayed because of me."
Zheng Hao said, "I did not stop the caravan from leaving the capital."
He said to Gu Lin, "As long as you stay!"
Gu Lin suppressed the anger rising in his heart: "This is no child's play. It concerns the livelihoods of hundreds of people. If I decide to back out at the last minute, it will not only shake the morale of the troops, but in the long run, I, as the boss, will also lose all my prestige."
Looking at Zheng Hao, Gu Lin held his breath and said to him, "You...be obedient."
Gu Lin felt like he was going to vomit. He was the one suffering, yet he still had to coax this brat with all his might. He really owed the other person something.
However, when you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. If you confront the other person head-on, you'll definitely not come out on top.
Go outside first, then find an opportunity to teach the other party a lesson.
Gu Lin looked at Zheng Hao and coaxed him in a low voice, "Let me go, let us both calm down, and we can talk again after we return from our trade, okay?"
Observing the young man's expression carefully, Gu Lin saw that he was in a deep and silent state, as if he was thinking. Gu Lin felt a little relieved, as long as the other party was willing to listen to advice.
With his eyes half-closed, Zheng Hao watched the young man's clear, bright eyes sparkle, and saw him cautiously observing his appearance out of the corner of his eye. He smiled slightly.
A slightly mocking laugh reached his ears. Seeing Zheng Hao's self-deprecating expression and downcast eyes, Gu Lin's heart clenched and his gaze flickered.
Zheng Hao opened his lips, the smile on his lips not fading. He stared at the young man's subtle movements and said slowly, "After I let you go, you left the capital with the caravan, and then you could justifiably live in the south and not come back, right?"
Gu Lin's eyes widened. This idea was something he had just come up with. He thought he would first appease Zheng Hao and get him to release him. Then he could go south with the caravan and stay there for a while, letting Zheng Hao stay in the capital to calm down. Once Zheng Hao had given up on his feelings for him, he would return to the capital.
How could the other party possibly know what he was thinking?
Noticing the young man's uneasy expression, Zheng Hao knew his guess was correct. However, he did not feel the joy he usually did when he accurately guessed the other man's intentions.
His voice deepened as he said to Gu Lin, "Don't even think about it."
Seeing that he couldn't fool the other party, Gu Lin couldn't hold back any longer.
He turned cold and said to Zheng Hao, "Don't forget who I am..."
"Identity?" With his eyes half-closed and Adam's apple bobbing, Zheng Hao's voice became slightly warm and humid. He displayed an unprecedented assertiveness in front of the young man: "What identity? Don't mention other men in front of me again."
Seeing the forbearance between the young man's brows and hearing his words, which sounded like an announcement, Gu Lin found it absurd.
Gu Lin, however, did not comply with his wishes and coldly rebuked him, "Get out!"
Zheng Hao had prepared himself for Gu Lin's cold and indifferent response after he confessed his feelings, but when he saw the other man glaring at him angrily, he still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable.
However, he did not back down.
Having done what he did tonight, he was prepared that if he left now, he would never have another chance.
The ending was somewhat better; due to the presence of Zhao's wife and others, Gu Lin would maintain a superficial relationship with him. However, how could Zheng Hao possibly accept such an outcome?
He leaned forward, ignoring the young man's wide eyes, and pressed himself against him.
The curtains fell.
Da Zhuo, who had already left the house and come to the courtyard, paced back and forth anxiously. He had never expected that his master would have such thoughts about the master.
Or rather, he had sensed something was off between the two of them before, but as a servant, he couldn't take certain things seriously, even if they were true, and he had to find a good excuse for Lord Zheng.
However, he never expected that after enduring for so long, Lord Zheng would not be able to maintain his pretense of docility for so many years, not because his master met someone he loved or got married and tore off his disguise, but because his master made the decision to go into business.
Thinking of the slapping sound that came from inside the house, Da Zhuo looked pained and raised his hand to cover his face.
Inside the room were two people: one was his employer, who had bought him from the brokerage and was a benefactor to him; the other was Lord Zheng, a ruthless man who had mentored him.
He felt as if he had been torn in two, one half standing on the side of the master and the other half on the side of Lord Zheng.
Those on the landlord's side urged him to be grateful and rush into the house to save his employer, while those on Lord Zheng's side advised him not to be foolish, saying that if he ruined Lord Zheng's plans, Lord Zheng could crush him with a single finger.
Slowly, the scales in her heart tipped in favor of Lord Zheng. A voice rang in her mind: "The master and Lord Zheng are family. No matter how much they quarrel, they are still connected by blood. If you, an outsider, rashly interfere, you will end up pleasing neither side."
Moreover, Lord Zheng's official career is going very well, and Da Zhuo's eyes are gleaming. If he wants to continue working for him, then at certain times, he will have to pretend to be deaf and blind.
However, a struggle flashed across his face.
If his employer hadn't lent him a helping hand back then, he wouldn't be where he is today.
As if he had figured it out, Da Zhuo lowered his head, clenched his fists, and then, to bolster his courage, started walking toward the house.
Recalling how Lord Zheng dealt with those people, Da Zhuo shuddered, but finally raised his hand and knocked on the door.
He said softly, "My lord, it's almost midnight. Shall we return to the manor?"
After knocking on the door, Da Zhuo was filled with anxiety. He pricked up his ears, trying to catch any sounds coming from inside, but after a long time, he still didn't hear anything.
Suddenly, the door in front of them creaked open to both sides.
The young man came out, his clothes slightly disheveled, his collar open to the sides, revealing his snow-white undergarment. Da Zhuo dared not look at him for long and quickly lowered his head.
His heart sank, worried about the owner inside the house and what his situation was.
Zheng Hao's expression was aloof, but a hint of satisfaction appeared between his usually furrowed brows. He stood by the door, his voice hoarse, and said to Da Zhuo, "Bring your husband's personal servant over tomorrow."
Da Zhuo paused, momentarily stunned.
Zheng Hao looked at him and said calmly, "Clean things up and don't let Sister Zhao and the others find out that something is wrong."
Now is not the right time to let Sister Zhao, Brother Yu, and others know about his relationship with Gu Lin. The capital is full of eyes and gossips, and Emperor Jian'an is using him as a weapon to target powerful families. In the future, more and more people will inevitably plant spies around him. He doesn't care about the opinions of others, but Gu Lin does. Therefore, he wants the two of them to be known to the world openly and honestly, rather than letting the other person bear the infamy along with him.
He immediately understood that Lord Zheng was giving him a warning. Having followed Lord Zheng for a long time, Da Zhuo knew his methods better than anyone else.
If he dares to reveal tonight's events to Zhao's wife and the others...
Da Zhuo replied in a deep voice, "Yes."
The door closed, and Zheng Hao returned to the room.
He walked towards the bed, raised his hand and lifted half of the curtain. He saw that the young man who had just been glaring at him and telling him to get out had fallen asleep. His fair face and round, upturned eyes were red and swollen, like walnuts, making him look extremely pitiful.