With nowhere else to go, A Hua was brought by Ji Huai to his own Schoolhouse, where he cleared out a side room filled with books for her to stay in.

The small courtyard, in a short span of time, became crowded with three people living there.

The overnight journey and a heart-pounding fight had left Ji Huai physically and mentally exhausted. He collapsed onto his hard bed, too tired to get up for food or to wash.

Even though his stomach growled with hunger, Ji Huai didn’t have an ounce of energy left to cook.

The numbness and pain in his arm had subsided or perhaps he had just grown used to it and he no longer felt the ache.

In contrast, Lin Heyu had been tirelessly busy since they returned.

Too drained to care what Lin Heyu was up to, Ji Huai tilted his head and drifted into a hazy sleep.

By the time Lin Heyu had finished most of his tasks, Ji Huai was already sound asleep.

Lin Heyu stood by Ji Huai’s bedside, holding a jar of ointment, quietly watching him.

Moonlight streamed like flowing water over the head of Ji Huai’s bed, casting a shadow that veiled his captivating eyes. Half of his handsome face was illuminated by the moon’s glow.

His nose was elegant and finely shaped, his red lips like delicate petals. With each breath came a slight, gentle rise and fall. Lin Heyu watched, mesmerized, standing motionless in the darkness, gazing at the beauty lying before him.

So beautiful…

Lin Heyu gulped audibly, the small sound starkly clear in the dim, silent room.

Ji Huai frowned restlessly and shifted slightly.

It was a faint movement, but it snapped Lin Heyu back to reality. He picked up the basin filled with herbal water, set it gently on the floor, and dipped a cloth into it.

Kneeling on the ground, he reverently lifted Ji Huai’s injured arm. The wide sleeve slid up easily, revealing a section of skin whiter than lotus root powder.

Lin Heyu’s thoughts began to wander, but he dared not move too abruptly, afraid of disturbing Ji Huai’s rest. Yet, he couldn’t ignore the bruise on Ji Huai’s arm from being struck by a wooden rod which was why he had gone to Old Lady Li’s house late at night to borrow some herbs.

Cradling Ji Huai’s slender fingers in his rough palm, Lin Heyu picked up the cloth, his eyes filled with both pity and displeasure as they fixed on the dark bruise marring Ji Huai’s pale arm.

Lin Heyu recalled in his mind what the servant who had struck Ji Huai looked like he would surely seek revenge.

As the warm cloth touched the bruised area, Ji Huai let out a soft moan. Lin Heyu’s hand stilled, and the cloth slipped from his grasp, falling onto the bed.

In the pitch-black night, the sound of his own heartbeat thundered like war drums. Lin Heyu’s limbs went weak, and he slowly leaned closer to Ji Huai’s face.

Warm breaths brushed against his neck, cheeks, and lips, like a delicate, willow-like touch softly grazing his mouth.

As if entranced, Lin Heyu lowered his head uncontrollably, his wolfish eyes locked intently on Ji Huai’s red lips. A desire, unnoticed even by himself, began to cloud his dark eyes.

An inch, then another the distance between them closed until their breaths intertwined, inseparable.

In pain, Ji Huai furrowed his brow, pressed his lips tightly together, and his arm twitched slightly.

All romantic thoughts vanished in an instant. Lin Heyu struck his own head in frustration, straightened up, and picked up the cloth again to continue tending to Ji Huai’s injury.

“It hurts…”

Half-asleep, Ji Huai murmured in pain, his arm pulling back slightly in resistance.

Lin Heyu grasped Ji Huai’s arm with a gentle yet firm hold, applying the herbal medicine over the entire bruised and swollen area until it was fully covered.

After all this commotion, Ji Huai finally awoke from his nightmare.

His forehead was drenched in sweat, his eyes wide open, and his breathing rapid all signs of his unsettled state of mind.

He had dreamed…

A crowd surrounded him, cursing him, condemning him, belittling him. They accused him of tarnishing the teacher’s virtue, of disregarding moral principles and ethics. Countless mouths opened and closed, listing his every transgression, denouncing his incompatibility with the times.

He abruptly sat up, only to collide headfirst with Lin Heyu, who had leaned in closer. Caught off guard, Ji Huai ended up plunging straight into Lin Heyu’s embrace.

The warmth and vitality of another person dispelled a fraction of the nightmare’s gloom lingering in Ji Huai’s heart. His mind was hazy, adrift like rootless duckweed as he leaned into the curve of Lin Heyu’s arm.

He clung to the warmth of another in the darkness, reluctant to let go, not even refusing the comfort.

For a moment, Lin Heyu’s mind went blank. He froze, unsure how to position his limbs, sitting rigidly upright while maintaining a loose embrace, not daring to move an inch.

In the darkness, two sets of breaths rose and fell unevenly. For a while, neither spoke, the only sound the thunderous beating of their hearts echoing in each other’s chests.

“Ji Huai?” Lin Heyu broke the silence first, his voice soft as he asked, “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

At these words, Ji Huai shuddered and pulled away from Lin Heyu’s embrace, his cheeks flushed, lips pressed together in embarrassment.

How could he have hugged his own student?!

Had he lost his mind?

Flustered, Ji Huai avoided Lin Heyu’s concerned gaze, unsure where to look. The fear from the nightmare had been completely replaced by awkwardness.

He braced his arms on the bed, trying to shift backward, but the movement tugged at his injury. He gasped in pain and nearly collapsed onto the bed, saved only by Lin Heyu’s quick reflexes as he leaned forward to steady the unsteady Ji Huai.

“Take it easy. I just applied the medicine. You’re a grown man, yet you’re still so careless.” Lin Heyu’s tone was a mix of urgency and heartache, unconsciously slipping into a lecturing tone.

Hearing this, Ji Huai’s embarrassment vanished, and his pain seemed to fade. Narrowing his eyes, he retorted, “Look at you, Lin Xiaoniao, daring to lecture your teacher now.”

Lin Heyu didn’t indulge him either. The matter still angered him, and he replied bluntly, “Have you ever seen a teacher charge into battle themselves? As a commander, you should stay firmly behind the scenes. Who else but you would foolishly rush to the front and get ambushed?”

“You I ” Ji Huai was left speechless by the rebuttal. Even though he was in the wrong, he refused to back down. “Hey, you, Lin Xiaoniao, how dare you boss your teacher around?”

With that, he made a move to pinch Lin Heyu’s ear. Lin Heyu didn’t evade but leaned closer instead, making it easier for Ji Huai to tug his ear with his uninjured hand, though his mouth kept going.

“I’m concerned about you, worried for you. If it were anyone else, I wouldn’t care if they got beaten to death. But not you!”

Lin Heyu’s words exploded like a thunderclap in Ji Huai’s ears. He froze, still holding Lin Heyu’s ear, momentarily forgetting to move.

The two were in an ambiguous position Lin Heyu was half lying on Ji Huai, who was pinching his ear while his injured hand rested lightly on Lin Heyu’s shoulder, as if in an embrace.

Neither paid attention to the suggestive posture, one filled with heartache and the other with shock. They stood frozen in place, neither speaking.

After a moment, Ji Huai’s voice tightened as he asked Lin Heyu, “Why do you care about me? Why do you feel sorry for me?”

Ji Huai had been an orphan since childhood, relying only on himself. He had long grown accustomed to bearing all hardships and setbacks alone studying, learning, working swallowing every bitterness and difficulty. Aside from government subsidies and the kindness of strangers, he had never received help like someone applying medicine for him late at night, offering an embrace, or showing concern.

A long-suppressed ache swelled in Ji Huai’s heart. Staring blankly into the darkness, he murmured, “Why do you act so mature, unlike a student?”

Lin Heyu had not yet come of age, but he had been self-reliant since childhood. Relying on his family’s influence, he had once roamed the Prosperous Capital unchecked. Later, he turned over a new leaf, shedding his frivolous ways and joining the military against his family’s wishes without a single complaint. Through hardship, he tempered his delicate nature into resilience, courage, and fervor.

Yet around Ji Huai, Lin Heyu’s independent and steadfast side seemed deliberately blurred. He spent his days teasing and fooling around, acting like an incorrigible slacker who despised studying.

At least, that was how Ji Huai saw him so much so that whenever Lin Heyu showed even a hint of reliability, it took him by surprise.

Lin Heyu held Ji Huai loosely in his arms and sighed, “Ji Huai, don’t always treat me like a child.”

“Then how should I treat you?” Perhaps softened by the warm atmosphere, Ji Huai refrained from his usual sharp tongue and smiled gently. “As a great hero who saves the people from suffering?”

“I will be! I definitely will be!”

The small room was filled with the faint scent of medicinal herbs. No lamp was lit, and even the moon had hidden behind the clouds. In the entire world, only the two of them remained, embracing in the darkness. Lin Heyu’s voice was firm and resolute, his heart stirred by thoughts of the soldiers who had sacrificed themselves for their country.

Ji Huai patted his back, not refuting but encouraging him: “Then you must study hard. Only by mastering military strategy can you be invincible on the battlefield, devise clever plans, and overcome dangers.”

Ji Huai pulled away from Lin Heyu’s embrace, coughed lightly, and said somewhat awkwardly, “We’re both unfortunate souls, without parents. Holding each other for warmth at night is some comfort, isn’t it?”

With those words, he shattered the lingering ambiguity between them.

Lin Heyu licked his lips, unbothered by Ji Huai’s obliviousness. Gazing into Ji Huai’s unusually bright eyes in the dark, he asked softly, “Did you have a nightmare earlier?”

The sweat on his face, his fearful panting none of it seemed like a natural awakening.

“I dreamed…” Ji Huai hesitated, unsure whether to share such things with his student. But the dream felt too real so real that even after the absurd experience of time travel, he couldn’t help but believe it.

“What did you dream?”

“I dreamed of being devoured by this backward and feudal society, dreamed of everyone beating and scolding me, saying I was corrupting teacher ethics. When I encourage women to study, it’s to achieve equality for all in education I have no other intentions.”

Lin Heyu only partially understood Ji Huai’s words, but that didn’t prevent him from comprehending Ji Huai’s ideals and aspirations.

He gently stroked Ji Huai’s waist-length, cool black hair, silently offering his firmest support. After all, behind Lin Heyu stood the entire influence of the Prime Minister’s Residence. In the future, he could persuade his father to support Ji Huai’s dream.

Thinking of his sisters at home who dearly loved reading and writing poetry, yet were now confined to domestic life managing households and raising children, his heart ached.

“You can definitely achieve this. I’ll stand before you and block all the gossip and slander.”