Gone Mad Part 2

Wen Ying's voice was extremely low and deep, seemingly calm and undisturbed, yet as if he were forcefully suppressing something. He stared into Ling Qiyan's eyes the entire time.

Ling Qiyan was stunned into silence.

He never expected Wen Ying to tell him these things, much less that this was how he had spent the past few years.

He knew that making a living on the battlefield was not easy, but he didn't know it would be this difficult. He knew even less that Wen Ying claimed he did all this for him.

To truly stand before him, to be seen by him.

But, why?

"I don't understand what you're saying," Ling Qiyan subconsciously avoided his gaze and said dejectedly, "Just because I drove you away and looked down on you before, do you have to be so stubborn and insist on winning or losing against me? Fine, I admit you're amazing and capable. It was me who was blind and misjudged you. I apologize. Is that still not enough?"

"You think that's all I did it for?"

Clearly sensing the greater anger hidden in Wen Ying's words, an anger that was almost bursting out, Ling Qiyan became even more abashed. "...Am I wrong?"

Wen Ying stared at him fixedly, his thoughts unreadable.

Ling Qiyan's heart grew flustered. Wen Ying had already walked closer, step by step, stopping before the bed.

"You..."

Before Ling Qiyan could finish, Wen Ying suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him up from the bed.

Ling Qiyan's face paled in shock. He kicked out with his foot. "What are you doing! Let me go!"

Wen Ying paid him no mind, gripping him tightly and hoisting him onto his shoulder.

Carried back to the main room and thrown onto the bed, Ling Qiyan scrambled frantically toward the inside of the bed, only to be grabbed by an arm and dragged back by Wen Ying.

Wen Ying's tall body loomed over him. Seeing the crazed look in his eyes, Ling Qiyan finally felt a sense of fear, his bravado gone. "...Let me go. We can talk things over."

Wen Ying's hands were braced on either side of his body. He stared down at him intently, like a bird of prey eyeing its prey, contemplating where to strike first.

"If you dare touch me, I'll tell the Empress Dowager when we get back." Ling Qiyan threatened without much confidence. He could feel that this bastard didn't care at all, nor was he afraid of what the Empress Dowager might think.

He should have realized it sooner. This man had always been audacious. Back when he was a nobody, he dared to kill a vice-minister's son and dared to take advantage of him while he was drunk. There was nothing in this world he wouldn't dare to do; it only depended on whether he wanted to do it.

Seeing his threat had no effect and the man remained completely unmoved, Ling Qiyan had no choice but to soften his voice again. "Can't we just talk things over properly? Stop being so handsy all the time..."

Wen Ying's body pressed closer. Hearing his harsh, suppressed breathing, Ling Qiyan raised a hand, poking a finger at his shoulder, trying to push him away a little. "Then tell me yourself, what does it mean to be 'seen by me'? You're so capable, and so handsome. I'm not blind, how could I not see you?"

"Are you really this clueless, or are you just playing dumb?" Wen Ying finally spoke, his voice hoarse and sharp-edged.

Ling Qiyan paused, guiltily averting his gaze.

Wen Ying's hand clamped onto his chin, forcing his face back. He lowered his head and kissed him fiercely.

Ling Qiyan didn't struggle anymore. He stared helplessly at the ferocious yet urgent expression on Wen Ying's face as he kissed him, only turning his head aside again when his lips and tongue were bitten painfully.

Wen Ying panted in his ear. Ling Qiyan closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "You're done kissing. Get up."

Wen Ying clenched his fists tightly, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

'...It's not time yet.'

He finally pulled back from Ling Qiyan. Just as he sat up, he was met with a forceful kick from Ling Qiyan.

Wen Ying took the blow, unmoving.

Ling Qiyan propped himself up, pulled his leg back, and scooted further into the bed, putting some distance between them. "What you said before, about joining the army, fighting your way to the top... was it because of me?"

Wen Ying didn't reply, but his gaze flickered slightly as he looked at him.

"...Not wanting to get married, deliberately spreading those rumors to ruin your own reputation... could that also be because of me?"

Wen Ying still said nothing, but his eyes told Ling Qiyan that it was true.

For a moment, Ling Qiyan really didn't know what to say. He just found it strange. For a good-for-nothing person like him, was it worth it to risk life and limb for a future, and even refuse to marry?

"What exactly do you see in me? Is it just because I'm good-looking?"

Before Wen Ying could speak, Ling Qiyan sighed again, "Wanting to bed someone good-looking, I get it. You're good-looking too. In the past, I always wanted you to be my paramour—wasn't that just because you looked good? But even the most handsome face will become tiresome after a while. In ten or twenty years, even the most beautiful person will age and lose their looks. Why go so far as to refuse marriage, or even risk your life, over something like this?"

"Whether I marry or not, what does it have to do with you?" Wen Ying asked, suppressing his anger.

"Look, you're angry again," Ling Qiyan said, completely exasperated. "You're just too petty. Can't we talk things over properly? Why do you always have to put on that funeral face and annoy people."

"Whether you marry or not has nothing to do with me, but if you have designs on me, then it does. To be honest, I quite like you."

Ling Qiyan stared at Wen Ying's face, thinking, 'A beauty is a beauty, after all. Even with such an unpleasant expression, this face still makes one's heart pound.' "I'm actually quite willing to do that sort of thing with you, even if I'm the one being taken advantage of."

"But you can't always make me angry, and you especially can't bully me."

"And I will never be your catamite. Even if I'm a nobody now, don't even think about it."

Wen Ying's face darkened. "Does this mean you're willing to let anyone you find attractive take advantage of you?"

Ling Qiyan choked, retorting irritably, "What are you talking about! I was a prince, for crying out loud. How could I let just anyone take advantage of me? You're the only one who's ever done anything to me, and you're still so fierce with me!"

Wen Ying suddenly yanked him close, stared into his eyes, and squeezed the words through his teeth, "You think that's all I want?"

"What else then? Don't tell me you actually want to be a married couple with me?"

After the words were out, Ling Qiyan himself froze. Meeting Wen Ying's indescribable gaze, he couldn't say another word.

"...You're joking, right?"

After a dead silence, Ling Qiyan managed to ask, "Have you really lost your mind?"

"You don't want to be the Emperor anymore?"

"Are you insane?!"

An inexplicable panic rose in his heart, though he himself couldn't say why. Ling Qiyan subconsciously retreated, shrinking down, pulling the blanket up, turning his back, and wrapping himself in the quilt, unwilling to speak to Wen Ying any longer.

Until the candle on the stand went out, leaving the room without a speck of light, the person behind him made no further sound, remaining silent.

At first, he was on edge, but eventually, he couldn't hold on any longer. Ling Qiyan's eyelids drooped, slowly closing, and just like that, in the bed in Wen Ying's room, he fell into a deep sleep.

The only thought that drifted through his hazy mind before he fell asleep was that this person was truly and utterly a madman.