"Rest assured, I won't force you to eat anything too awful," Lin Yan said, offering a bit of comfort.
"You must recuperate quickly. What if you stop growing altogether?"
"I'll try my best." Looking at Brother Yan's height and then at his own, Zhao Hao felt a pang of shame. He was determined to grow taller, preferably taller than Brother Yan.
"That's good." Lin Yan then signaled for the people around them to withdraw.
Understanding that Young Master Lin had something important to discuss with their master, they all retreated, save for two guards stationed at the door.
"What do you think about this arranged marriage?" Lin Yan asked, his tone serious now that everyone else was gone.
"It's a good thing the chosen partner is Brother Yan. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so calm. I truly feared I would have drawn my sword and killed that eunuch on the spot!"
Zhao Hao's words were accompanied by a smile, but Lin Yan could detect the anger beneath. It wasn't just directed at the eunuch who delivered the decree, but more so at the person in power.
"If the partner is me, you're not angry. You should be angry no matter who it is."
"Does Brother Yan not wish to marry me?" Zhao Hao stepped closer to Lin Yan, his eyes locked on Lin Yan's. "I thought Brother Yan also wished to be with me."
"It's not that simple," Lin Yan shook his head. "We are both men. How can we marry?"
"But we have already been betrothed by decree. Marriage is only a matter of time."
Hearing Lin Yan deny their union, Zhao Hao felt inexplicably wronged. He had thought Lin Yan would be as happy as he was.
Now, realizing he was the only one happy about this, he felt a deep sense of injustice and confusion. Though he detested that person, he had to admit, that person had done one good thing.
"Yes, therefore, our plan must be expedited. Doesn't An An wish to reclaim her identity and walk openly as Zhao Hao?"
This was the first time Lin Yan had told him directly that he was on his side.
"I wish to very much, but I also wish to be with Brother Yan. If we are married, then I can be with Brother Yan openly, just like we were in Yingchuan, without any further concerns."
He took another step closer to Lin Yan. "Doesn't Brother Yan wish for this? Brother Yan must also find our current interactions inconvenient, right?"
Knowing Lin Yan was on his side filled him with joy, but he still longed for them to be closer, ideally as husband and wife, sharing life and death.
A sudden realization struck him. Was this how he felt about Brother Yan? He didn't want Lin Yan to be with anyone else, nor did he want to be separated from Lin Yan. All of this was because his feelings for Lin Yan were not platonic.
He took a step back, a look of shock on his face.
"What's wrong?" Lin Yan immediately rose to support Zhao Hao.
Zhao Hao subtly dodged Lin Yan's hand, stood firm, and then turned to Lin Yan. "I'm fine, Brother Yan. Are you staying the night? I've already had someone prepare your usual belongings. I wasn't sure of your size, so I had the seamstresses estimate and make a few sets of undergarments. They shouldn't be too small."
"I..." Lin Yan sensed something was amiss with Zhao Hao. He hadn't intended to stay, but Zhao Hao's demeanor made him uneasy. "I will stay, then."
"That's good. I'll have someone bring them for you now." He said this without looking at Lin Yan again and went directly to the door to give instructions.
Lin Yan felt even more certain that something was wrong. He had come today to discuss the arranged marriage, but how could he do that with Zhao Hao acting this way?
"An An, what do you plan to do next?" Lin Yan asked again after Zhao Hao had finished giving his orders.
"What can I do? I'm just a sickly person, so I'll continue to pretend to be sick."
"I think the reason he bestowed this marriage upon us might be because of my reputation for being a bad omen to wives."
"Brother Yan is a bad omen to wives?" Zhao Hao seemed intrigued.
"Yes." Lin Yan did not tell him that this reputation had been deliberately spread by him.
"How so?" If he had such a reputation, something must have happened. He was very concerned about those who might claim the title of Lin Yan's 'wife.' "Did some master divine Brother Yan's fate?"
"Aren't we supposed to be discussing his intentions? Why are you interested in these things?" Lin Yan asked with amusement.
"Brother Yan, please tell me." Zhao Hao ignored Lin Yan's words. After all, the person had wanted him dead for a long time; it was nothing new. He was more interested in the origin of Lin Yan's reputation as a 'bad omen to wives.' Since he could bestow a marriage, it meant there were no issues with Lin Yan's astrological chart, otherwise, he couldn't explain it to his father. Therefore, this reputation must have arisen from some event. He was more interested in those events and people.
"Something did happen, but it has nothing to do with what we're discussing today, so please don't ask."
"Then there's nothing more to say. Anyway, he's wanted me dead for a long time. Brother Yan, we haven't seen each other in ages. Let's not talk about such depressing things. Tell me about the interesting things that have happened to you these past few years."
Zhao Hao concealed his jealousy and concern, then skillfully steered the conversation away from the topic. Lin Yan then began to recount what he had been doing over the past two years.
While Lin Yan went to wash up, Zhao Hao summoned the guards protecting him. "Go investigate how Young Master Lin acquired his reputation as a 'bad omen to wives.'"
"Yes." The man received Zhao Hao's order and left. After the man departed, Zhao Hao also went to wash. While washing, he suddenly realized he hadn't instructed anyone to prepare a separate bedroom for Lin Yan. When Lin Yan had stayed over before, they had slept in the same bed. This meant that just as he had realized his feelings, he was about to share a bed with his beloved.
The skin on Zhao Hao's body that was exposed above the water flushed red. He quickly used water to cool his face, hoping to bring down the temperature. Once the redness subsided, he returned to the bedroom and saw Lin Yan in a set of undergarments, his hair being dried by a servant. The moon-white undergarments were the ones he had ordered made. He still remembered the feel of the fabric...
"Why is your face so red?" Lin Yan immediately walked over and placed a hand on his forehead to check his temperature.
"Just, the bathwater was too hot earlier." He caught the scent of Lin Yan, and the fragrance from Brother Yan was truly wonderful.
"Don't use such hot water next time," Lin Yan said, withdrawing his hand after confirming he wasn't feverish. "Look at your flushed face."
"I understand, Brother Yan. I'll go to bed now."
"Alright, I'll come after my hair is dry." Lin Yan sat back down, allowing the servant to dry his hair with a censer.