Chapter 71
AFTER WRITING THE PLEDGE, Gu Fuzhou solemnly handed it to Lin Qingyu. When Lin Qingyu read it, he saw that it was written in Gu Fuzhou’s signature style—ramblings in informal prose scrawled all over the paper. When writing letters to others, or memorials to the emperor, Gu Fuzhou’s wording was concise and refined. He wasn’t an excellent writer, but he was certainly one of the best among the military officials. He only wrote whatever he wanted to Lin Qingyu. He even doodled a few drawings occasionally.
Logic told Lin Qingyu that both spoken promises and written pledges rested completely on wishful thinking. How could a page of words prevent misfortune? For now, though, Gu Fuzhou’s pledge calmed his heart.
Whether he was in Lu Wancheng’s or Gu Fuzhou’s body, this young man had never let him down, however lazy and irresponsible he was. Lin Qingyu was willing to trust him.
He put the written pledge away carefully. “I’m all right now.”
Gu Fuzhou heaved a sigh of relief, simultaneously feeling a bit regretful. Such a vulnerable, teary beauty was truly too rare. While Lin Qingyu gazed at him gently, there had been a few moments when he felt like he’d fallen into the dangerous flames of infatuation—that he could give Lin Qingyu anything he asked for. He would even get up early for the rest of his life if that was what Lin Qingyu wanted.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyu felt embarrassed by his brief loss of composure. “Let’s get some sleep,” he said, trying to act calm.
“Okay.” Gu Fuzhou flipped the covers down and helped Lin Qingyu into bed, then lay beside him.
Lin Qingyu’s eyes widened. “You…”
Gu Fuzhou’s face burned. He scorned his own shamelessness as he covered them both with the blankets, saying nonchalantly, “I’ll go back up once I’ve lulled you to sleep.”
“You, lull me to sleep?” Lin Qingyu found that amusing. “Who will fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, I wonder?”
When Gu Fuzhou had ordered this bunk bed made, he hadn’t taken into account that he’d be sleeping alongside Lin Qingyu in Great General Gu’s body. The bottom bunk was the perfect size for two young men to sleep side by side, but now it was clearly too small. He’d changed bodies, and Lin Qingyu had grown taller as well. The petty young beauty of the past had become a scheming mature beauty who knew to repress his emotions—however angry he felt—and find ways to pick people off in secret. Only in front of Gu Fuzhou would Lin Qingyu unabashedly reveal his malice.
Gu Fuzhou laughed and scooted closer to Lin Qingyu. Their long hair spilled onto the pillow, the strands intertwining.
“Want to hear a bedtime story?” Gu Fuzhou asked.
“Talk about your hometown,” Lin Qingyu replied.
“You seem very interested in that.”
“I’m interested in anything that has to do with you.”
Gu Fuzhou smiled widely. “Then let me tell you about mobile phones. They’re very important tools there. If you go there one day and get separated from me, you can find me using a mobile phone. You just have to memorize a string of numbers…”
As Gu Fuzhou spoke, his voice got quieter and quieter. Soon enough, he fell completely silent. Honestly, Lin Qingyu was surprised that he’d been able to stay awake for so long. He tucked them both in and closed his eyes, lying next to Gu Fuzhou.
After a long time, when he felt Lin Qingyu’s breathing even, Gu Fuzhou opened one eye to make sure that his wife really was asleep, then opened the other.
Gu Fuzhou’s gaze was clear and bright, without a hint of sleepiness. He lay facing Lin Qingyu, a hair’s breadth of space between them. Although Lin Qingyu’s facial features were blurred in the dark, Gu Fuzhou’s heart still trembled as he watched him sleep. He couldn’t help reaching out to brush back a lock of hair that had fallen in front of Lin Qingyu’s eyes.
“Good night, Qingyu.”