My Beloved Enemy

19. A Silent 'I love You'

"Are you awake?"

Yu Qiao Bai could only nod as he had no energy to say something.

Du YuShi smiled and straightened him up a bit. "Here, drink some water," he handed him a cup of water which the prince accepted gladly.

"I didn't die, how?" he asked with a hoarse voice, looking at Du YuShi with curiosity.

"Of course not," Du YuShi made him lie down again, "I told you that I wouldn't let you die."

"But-"

"Hssh!" the concerned man shushed the curious man, "you need to rest now, I will tell you everything later," he said as he caressed the latter's hair gently, lulling him into another sleep.

When Yu Qiao Bai was awake for the second time, he felt better. He looked around and saw he was in a small but neat cottage. He took a sitting position and after his head stopped spinning, he rose to his feet and went out to find Du YuShi.

"Having dinner without me?" he asked from the door as he saw Du YuShi, Chun Hua, Dong Feng and a man were having dinner on the veranda.

"Ge!" Chun Hua was first to react, she jumped to her feet and rushed to the prince, "how do you feel?" she asked with concern.

"I am fine, don't worry," Yu Qiao Bai patted her head lovingly.

"Of course you are fine, thanks to me," Du YuShi interrupted them, hiding his happiness, but a cough made him correct his words, "well, thanks to me and the Yang General Wang Li."

Hearing the name, Yu Qiao Bai's eyes widened, so the rumors were true, the Yang General really existed and Du YuShi managed to find him, only Heaven knew how. He bowed to Wang Li and said "thank you so much, General."

Wang Li laughed and shook his hand, "you are welcome, my child, now come and sit with us," he patted the empty cushion next to him, "also call me Lao Li, I am not a general anymore."

Yu Qiao Bai nodded with a bright smile and sat between the old man and Du YuShi. Chun Hua immediately put a piece of chicken into his bowl, but Du YuShi snatched it from the bowl and ate it under the shocked gaze of the others.

"What?" he challenged them as he poured some porridge in the now empty cup, "he can't eat oily food after sleeping that long, he will have stomach problems."

Chun Hua and Dong Feng giggled while Yu Qiao Bai felt butterflies in his stomach in the face of the caring act.

"You found a good man," Wang Li said to the prince, approvingly.

Yu Qiao Bai nodded wholeheartedly, "a real husband material!" he exclaimed and Du YuShi choked on his tea.

"Do you have to be this blunt all the time?!"

The reprimanded man shrugged with an innocent expression, and Dong Feng changed the topic immediately.

Indeed, the general could sacrifice his life for the prince, but he couldn't show his feelings openly, let alone receiving a flirtatious compliment with a smile... Weird, ha?

After they finished dinner and cleaned around, Dong Feng and Chun Hua returned back to the village alongside Wang Li who said he had some business to take care. With that Yu Qiao Bai and Du YuShi were alone for the night.

When Du YuShi came back with some wood for the fire, he found Yu Qiao Bai sitting on the veranda, watching the wheat field. It still felt like a mirage, seeing him well.

"Why the hell you are away from the fire? Are you mental?"

A shrug. 

"Why don't you speak?" Du YuShi asked, irritated.

"Whenever I open my mouth, you only reprimand me, so maybe it is better if I don't speak," Yu Qiao Bai said, almost pouting. That gentle man was back to his harsh self as soon as the prince was cured.

Du YuShi opened his mouth only to close again as he didn't know how to respond. Thinking back, the general realized that the prince was right, he was used to snapping at him as he was not a man of fine words. Still, Yu Qiao Bai never complained about it, so he thought he didn't mind it. Well apparently he minded, but Du YuShi didn't know how to say sorry.

As Du YuShi was silent, Yu Qiao Bai stood up to go in; however, as his body was still weak, he swayed a bit and had to lean on the wooden wall behind him. Seeing it, Du YuShi rushed to him and led him inside, holding his arm. See? He was a soldier not a scholar.

Once inside, Du YuShi helped the dizzy man onto the mattress before lying near him on the second mattress. They lay there in complete silence for a while until the prince broke it.

"Are you happy that I am alive?"

His words echoed in the darkness and reached to the general's ears. "En," he answered, laconically. Of course he was happy, what kind of question was that?!

"I vaguely remember how worried you were, there were even tears. Was it real?"

"What kind of questions are these?" Du YuShi answered the question with another question as he stood up on his elbow, looking at the lying figure.

Yu Qiao Bai mimicked his act and now they were looking at each other, "I just want to confirm as you act harshly again, so why don't you just answer?"

Du YuShi clicked his tongue with irritation, but answered anyway, "what else did you expect? You were literally spitting blood, so of course I was worried."

The prince wasn't convinced, "so you would be equally worried whomever was in that condition?"

"I..."

"Say it," Yu Qiao Bai pressed, "you said you love me, is it true?" he changed the question suddenly as it was the only question he really wanted to ask.

Du YuShi rubbed his face, "you already know I am bad with words, so why do you push me?" he asked with resentment as well as slight irritation.

"Because I want to hear it from you," the prince said softly, "I almost died and I real-"

He couldn't finish his words as Du YuShi suddenly pulled his mattress towards himself and smashed their lips. It was a chaste kiss but it was long enough to convince Yu Qiao Bai about Du YuShi's love for him.

"Thank you for saving my life," Yu Qiao Bai said in a dreamy tone when he broke the kiss, "I would die with regret if I died before kissing you."

"Shh," Du YuShi put his finger on his swollen lips, shushing him, "don't talk about dying."

Yu Qiao Bai sighed, "I wish I could do that, but there is still a mission I have to complete," he said sadly.

"There is no more mission, I handled it already."

"What? What do you mean?" the prince took a sitting position, his eyes trying to see his unpredictable lover's expression.

Du YuShi chuckled at his curious behavior, "didn't you wonder where my soldiers were?" he teased him and felt his confusion, so he continued hastily, "I sent them to my father to inform him about the change of plans."

"What change?" Yu Qiao Bai asked impatiently.

"I decided it was better to marry you than to kill you, after all I had to suffer, it wou-"

"What did you say?" the bewildered prince was sure to misheard him.

"You heard it right. See? I am really good at action."

Yu Qiao Bai threw himself on Du YuShi, hugging him tight, "thank you and I love you too!"