The King's Dancer

Chapter 30

After Hua Cheng had told his story, they'd cuddled for a while, and Xie Lian had asked him about several points he wanted to confirm, for example if he'd picked Banyue up on the same day he'd gone out to assess the situation with the female beggars, which Hua Cheng had refuted, saying he'd found her on another outing to the city, and he'd seen her stealing from the trash baker named Qi Rong.

The baker had seen her as well, and proceeded to try to give her a lashing with a whip he conveniently kept under his stall. Hua Cheng, had been reminded of his own childhood when he saw the scene, and stepped in before Qi Rong could land a single hit. He'd warned him off from using that whip on anyone ever again, but apparently Qi Rong hadn't listened, and once someone reported him to the king a while later, he had been banned from entering the marketplace completely.

Banyue on the other hand was an incredibly skittish and easily frightened child, and Hua Cheng hadn't been able to bear leaving her on the streets, which was why he'd promptly decided to take her in. He knew how harsh the streets were, and a weak and frail little girl like that, who was already on the verge of starving, wouldn't have been able to last much longer.

Hua Cheng told him proudly how she flourished into a much more self-confident, manipulative little demoness who knew exactly how to get what she wanted from him, and Xie Lian couldn't help but feel endeared.

The sudden and unbidden thought that Hua Cheng would make a really good father had flashed through Xie Lian's mind and now, hours later, he still couldn't get his blush to calm down.

Hua Cheng was currently in the throne room, and Xie Lian was left to his own devices. He had half a mind to go and find Mei NianQing, because he wanted to spend some time dancing, but three days hadn't passed yet, so he could only sigh.

But then he realised that he didn't necessarily need Mei NianQing if he wanted to dance. So, he went upstairs, to the entertainment room and practised by himself for a bit. And really,, this was probably the best decision for him at this moment.

Hua Cheng's story had honestly been a lot to stomach, and he needed some time to himself to process it all. It wasn't the fact that he'd killed the previous king that occupied his mind; he'd done his own fair share of killing as well after all, but what really gnawed at him was the fact that Hua Cheng was Wu Ming. And that Wu Ming hadn't just abandoned him, like he'd always thought.

Xie Lian remembered very well the months... years, if he was honest with himself, he spent wondering just what he had done to drive his best friend away without so much as a prior hint or warning. Only to find out so many years later that it was Xie Lian himself who was being the worst friend, who hadn't even realised Wu Ming had been prevented from coming to see him again, just because he was too insecure to believe he had a real friend in him. He knew it had been many years since then, but he still couldn't help but feel guilty at his inaction at the time.

He didn't know how long he'd been dancing there, but at some point he saw his alpha standing in the doorway, watching him with a gentle smile on his face. Xie Lian came to a halt, and blushed at having been caught off guard like this.

"San Lang! You're back already?", he asked, and went to greet him with a quick kiss to his lips.

"Already? Gege, it's already hai shi", he said, and led him into the dining room for a late dinner.

The next few days passed peacefully in a similar manner. They woke up, stayed in bed and just talked about anything and everything for a while, before they had breakfast together, and Hua Cheng left to do his duties, while Xie Lian was left to his own devices. He used the time to visit Banyue, or Shi QingXuan, or Pei Su, and, once he gathered his courage, even went to Mei NianQing's quarters again.