The two emerged from the woods into the central plains, basked in the bright moonlight, Tao Hua following behind Shan Si. Fiddling with the skirt of his inner robe, he only peeked glances at Shan Si's back, a faint, pink blush shrouding his cheeks.
Shan Si led the way to a lone tree, with a few bushes around and the quiet of a moat nearby. Ahead of the tree stood a large wall—a wall that housed the Imperial Capital.
Tao Hua was left befuddled, and any trace of embarrassment finally vacated at the mutter of a confused sound. But Shan Si just continued forward.
Off to the edge stretched a large lake where countless people, all celebrating in a radiance of warm light. Though they could barely hear it, there was still the faint murmur of excitement wafting through the breeze on a perfectly clear night.
Laying out the red cloaks on the ground, Shan Si plopped himself on them, patting the space between his legs.
"What…is this?" Tao Hua asked, approaching with hesitation. He first looked over at the many lights, all packed together to create a scene as luminous as the rising sun, then back to Shan Si.
Those were people from the Imperial Capital. What if they were to get caught? Tao Hua couldn't help but fret as he stood, sweat trickling down his forehead.
Offering him a reassuring, serene smile, Shan Si said, "Just keeping my promise. Come here."
"Mmm…" Tao Hua glanced away once, but relented and hastily rushed to Shan Si's beck and call. He curled up between his legs blushing wildly at the recounted memory of what they had just done.
Shan Si's thighs acting as an armrest for Tao Hua, his knees propped up on both sides like a declaration of protection. He rustled around the lapels of his robe, pulling out two wrapped, rigidly round items, laughing to himself.
Tao Hua tilted his head back, curious. They smelt faintly sweet; however, from the look of them, it was damped wet.
"Ah, I guess these are no good, huh?" Shan Si set them aside. "What's a moon-viewing session and lanterns without cakes? Some animal will enjoy them."
There was a softness in how Shan Si was acting, which differed from his typical composure. Tao Hua couldn't quite understand it, but it made him dip his head, his ears a low red. They grew vibrant in colour at the warm arms that enveloped him, a shoulder nudging for Tao Hua's attention.
"Look," Shan Si smiled, motioning his head up a few times.
When Tao Hua adhered, he slowly reeled his head toward the sky. His eyes immediately widened, as round as the moon, his lips parting in awe.
The lanterns reflected against the peach of his iris, like petals in the wind. The sight was spectacular, and it was as if watching a million stars being sent to the heavens, all flickering as they swayed.
Tao Hua couldn't quite think of anything else, his mind consumed with the brilliant sight. He no longer thought about what had happened between them earlier, nor did he worry about getting caught. All he had was a once-fluttering heart slowing down considerably.
He cushioned his back against Shan Si and squished a cheek against his arm, wrapping his own arms around it as if to hug it.
To think a year ago, he was sitting in his room, watching the sky set aglow from his window in a quiet estate, unable to see the lanterns.
And now? He was sitting against the greatest place in all of Zhonglai, just outside the Imperial Capital's festivities, filled with wonder.
A lovingly innocent smile crossed his lips, melting right into his lower lashes. Tao Hua was completely dominated by his happiness, and he wasn't aware of the joyful hum that slipped past his lips.
This happiness was one he only truly felt with the person who embraced his waist, keeping him close. How could he not succumb to that bliss? He finally felt like the luckiest man to exist, and it all happened because of one measly, small accident of running into someone on the busy streets of a small town.
The same could be said about the man behind him. While Tao Hua basked in the lanterns above, Shan Si enjoyed every reaction without once taking his eyes off him. In this world filled with the hymms of poetry, and riches doused in gold, nothing was more worth adoring at than the treasure he held in his hand.
This thief was finally certain. Forget relics. He'd kidnap this peerless beauty over and over again just to grab another glimpse of his face. Just as his curiosity provoked him to slide open that bookstores door that day, and just as it did when he left the town and couldn't stop thinking about him.
Chapter end.