Chapter 279 - 280 - Keeping him vulnerable
Muchen led Yunfeng back toward the house, one hand lightly guiding him by the elbow. Yunfeng’s steps were steady, but Muchen didn’t relax until they were inside again, the soft click of the front door closing behind them like a breath of relief.
Behind them, Jai trailed along silently, glancing over his shoulder at the house next door. His eyes were wide and a little worried, and his bottom lip stuck out just slightly in a small pout. He walked like someone who’d left a part of himself behind—slightly hunched, unsure, distracted.
Muchen noticed. He didn’t say anything, but a quiet smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He recognized that look. He and Yunfeng had been in that same phase once—inseparable, tangled up in each other’s lives so tightly that even a few feet apart felt like an ocean. And then everything had fallen apart, the world had ended, and somehow they’d found each other again anyway.
It was funny, the way things repeated.
He gently lifted Yunfeng’s hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. Yunfeng turned his head slightly toward him, a small smile spreading across his face even though his eyes couldn’t see.
"Did you have anything to eat?" Yunfeng asked, his voice warm but quiet.
"Not yet," Muchen said, brushing his thumb across Yunfeng’s knuckles. "I’ll bring you something, okay?"
Yunfeng nodded, and Muchen gently led him to the bedroom before slipping away to the kitchen.
Left alone in the quiet room, Yunfeng stood still for a moment. The soft creak of the floor under his feet, the faint hum of wind outside, the distant clatter of dishes—everything felt strangely loud.
He slowly walked toward the window. His fingers curled around the sill, and he leaned forward just a little.
He lifted one hand, holding it up before his face. Through the black haze that covered his vision, he could barely make out the shape of it. Just a faint outline—fingers, knuckles, skin. Vague, flickering.