How To Polish A Pearl

Chapter 47 - Begging

A/N: Will Daiyu survive this chapter? 

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"Guzhu, can I get you anything?" It is clearly asked by auto-pilot more than loyalty or fear. Like she has forgotten her place or that it is Guzhu's husband that she is swooning over right in front of him. She even forgot to bow. It does not go unnoticed by either of the men.

Ant. Why are you crawling all over my Ah-Xu? "No, I will just have one of these bottles." He says, walking up to the table, squeezing in between the two to snatch one from the table. Turning his back towards Daiyu to stare at his man, he continues with a flat voice, "You can leave now."

"Nu Zhuren?" Uncertain, she seeks Zhou Xu's eyes without any luck. The two men are staring at each other so intensely that the air almost sparks between them.

"Why are you still here?" Though Wen Ke Xing's voice is calm, his eyes are anything but.

"Don't tell my servants what to do." He just can't help himself. He wants Wen Ke Xing to be jealous. He wants to pick a fight. He wants to poke the sleeping bear, well more like whack that bear over the head with a sledgehammer, not that Wen Ke Xing had ever been sleeping.

"I am the Guzhu, they are all my servants."

"..." Technically, the stupid man is right. He is the Guzhu. Remaining silent all he can do is stare back at the man standing way too close.

"Nu Zhuren?"

Fine, if that is how he wants to play this. Two can play this game. With a sparkling smile and his voice velvety, he peeks out from behind Wen Ke Xing to look at her, "It's okay Daiyu, I will see you tomorrow morning."

With disappointment written all over her face, she bows towards them both and slips out the door. Turning as she closes the door behind her she sees the two men still staring at each other, neither moving even a millimeter. With a smile on her face, she skips down the steps already looking forward to tomorrow morning.

With one eyebrow raised, Zhou Xu sighs and asks, "Was that really necessary?"

"I don't know what you mean." Wen Ke Xing smiles and sits down on the closest chair, Not even bothering pouring the liquor into a cup, he takes a few chugs straight from the bottle.

Sitting down in his usual chair, he looks out the window and pours himself a large cup of liquor. Smiling, his voice ready to continue the fight, "You are just extending the inevitable. She will be back tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that." Emptying the cup in one go, he continues, "You can't always be here."

Clenching his jaws, his fingers tightening around the bottle, Wen Ke Xing spits out the words between his pale lips, "I can just have her killed."

"Are you going to kill all the women in Ghost Valley? Including Ah-Xiang?" Enjoying how easy his husband is to bait, Zhou Xu turns towards Wen Ke Xing with a smirk on his face. "What about all the men, are you going to kill them too?"

"..."

Zhou Xu enjoys watching his husbands pupils dilate as the realization of the meaning behind those words hits him in full force.

Holding up his bottle towards Wen Ke Xing as a toast, he finishes the rest, not caring that the liquid is spilling on the sides. When the bottle is empty, he puts in on the table and watches his husband in silence.

Standing up, he turns to leave when he feels a tug on his sleeve. Turning to look down at Wen Ke Xing, he sighs.

"Can I please stay?"

The voice is pitiful and throws Zhou Xu off. He wasn't supposed to be like this. He was supposed to get angry. He was supposed to start a fight. They were supposed to test their kung fu against each other. He was actually quite eager to try how much stronger he had become in the past week. "What? No, leave."

"I don't want to."

"What?"

"I don't want to leave."

"... then sit here all night for all I care."

"Please."

"No." Pulling his sleeve free from the sitting mans grip, he walks away not really sure what had just happened or what the surging feeling is deep in his stomach. He just knows that he needs to get away. Walking, maybe a little to quickly, he slips into the bed chamber and catches his breath. What the hell is wrong with him?

Holding his breath, he hears Wen Ke Xing get up and move across the room, but not towards the bed chamber but on the opposite direction. Oh no. He clearly hears Wen Ke Xing picking up something followed by the ruffling sound of pages turning. He found the booklet...

Shaking his head, he choses to ignore the embarrassment, instead walking towards his bed. Undressing the outer robes, well all robes, the manor was way too warm with all that glowing hot coal in the room down the hall. Slipping in between those warm and silky sheets, he struggles to relax knowing that Wen Ke Xing is in the next room.

Laying on the side, staring into the dark for a long moment, he hears those familiar almost silent footsteps approach. Like every night the past week, he feels the blanket move and a cold arm circling his waist. Though, this time it's not as gentle as before. This time he isn't trying to avoid waking him up. The touch is deliberate, sending all sorts of feelings throughout Zhou Xu's body.

Wen Ke Xing snuggles up against Zhou Xu's back, breathing in his scent from the spot between his shoulder blades below the neck. The scent that he has become addicted to. The scent that makes him feel warm. The scent that makes him feel like home. Pulling his man close, as close as he can, he slowly kisses the length of his neck, gently, longingly.

When Zhou Xu hears the word 'Please' whispered into his ear, the top of his head starts to tingle again. Crap... With a deep sigh, he takes the mans hand, interlinking their fingers. Wrapping the arm around himself as he pulls the hands up closer towards his face, he subtly moves closer so that he can feel the smooth skin against his back. "Just go to sleep."

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