Winning the male lead

The palace servants of Guanju Palace were lazy, often working sporadically and leaving their duties unattended. Whenever no one was around, Han Qi would unlock Lin Le Tian’s chains and take him out into the palace garden to sit, admire the flowers, and enjoy the scenery. From physical needs to emotional well-being, he took care of Lin Le Tian meticulously, leaving nothing unattended.

Le Tian was so touched he almost cried. He turned to the system and said, “This is the life I’ve always dreamed of.”

The system: “Haha.”

A cool autumn breeze rustled the falling leaves. Han Qi wrapped him tighter in his cloak, fearing that the wind might make him sick again. When he looked down, he noticed Le Tian’s eyes were slightly red, his thin, almost transparent eyelids shimmering with a layer of moisture. His hand paused. “Cold?”

Le Tian wanted to say, Yes, a little. Hold me tighter.

But he couldn’t. He had to stay in character. Halfheartedly, he muttered, “Freezing to death is as good a way to go as any.”

Han Qi had grown immune to his insults. He paid no mind to his sarcastic tone and simply replied, “When a person is too cold, their body starts to feel unbearably hot, like they’re on fire. It’s a terrible feeling—you wouldn’t like it.”

Le Tian realized he was referring to his own past experiences. He fell silent for a moment before softly saying, “Han Qi, let’s call a truce, shall we? Let’s forget all past grudges. If you let me go, I promise I won’t seek revenge.”

“Alright.”

To Le Tian’s surprise, Han Qi answered lightly and easily.

Le Tian looked up in shock, meeting his gaze. “Really?” His round eyes widened, appearing almost lively. Han Qi found the sight unexpectedly adorable, and his heart softened. Gently, he said, “Really.”

“Then why aren’t you letting go?”

“I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.”

Han Qi said it so earnestly that Le Tian finally realized he was being played. Anger surged through him. He struggled in Han Qi’s grasp, but he was held firmly. His frustration made his lips tremble.

Han Qi watched his fuming expression, amusement flickering in his eyes. He leaned down and kissed his soft lips. “You tricked me, so I tricked you back.”

He never believed Le Tian’s empty words. Never seek revenge? He was certain that if Le Tian ever escaped his grasp, he would immediately plot his demise.

Le Tian, both embarrassed and furious, turned away, glaring at the falling autumn leaves. He gritted his teeth. “Han Qi, you treat me like some kind of plaything… One day, I will kill you.”

Han Qi chuckled. “I never thought you were a rabbit. You’re a tiger.”

Seeing Han Qi smile, Le Tian assumed he was being mocked. He raised his heel and kicked him hard.

Han Qi immediately slid a hand under his cloak, lightly patting Le Tian’s waist. “Only a donkey kicks like that.”

Le Tian was so livid he couldn’t even speak.

Through this exchange, Han Qi finally discovered the best way to deal with Lin Le Tian—by shamelessly teasing him. As long as he remained calm, he would be powerless against him. That said, he sometimes relented, afraid that if he pushed too far, Le Tian might actually die of rage.

Le Tian, for his part, secretly enjoyed this shift. Teasing Han Qi alone wasn’t as fun—this back-and-forth made life much more interesting. Of course, he buried this happiness deep inside, maintaining his usual performance of fury whenever he saw him.

Time passed quickly—sunrises and moonsets, seasons shifting in the blink of an eye. Soon, it was summer again. On the third day of the eighth month, Lin Le Tian’s birthday arrived.

Han Qi brought a finely crafted food box and led him outside to admire the moon.

Le Tian sneered, “What’s so special about a waning moon?”

Han Qi lifted his head to look at it.

Indeed, the crescent moon wasn’t particularly remarkable—it was only significant because of the date. Earlier that day, he had been drinking with Zong Yan, who also remembered Lin Le Tian’s birthday. Zong Yan had vowed that as long as Lin Le Tian was alive, he would never give up.

Perhaps emboldened by the alcohol, he leaned close to Le Tian’s ear and murmured, “Let’s take a closer look, shall we?”

Before Le Tian could refuse, Han Qi had already carried him up into the treetops. The tree was thick and sturdy, and the two of them sat steadily among its branches. Le Tian struggled. “Put me down!”

“Are you afraid of heights?” Han Qi lifted his chin with one hand and pointed to the sky. “Look at the moon. If you focus on the moon, you won’t be scared.”

Le Tian caught the scent of alcohol on Han Qi’s breath and stopped struggling. He whispered, “Put me down first. Then we can look at the moon. How about that?”

“The higher you sit, the better the view.”

“I’m hungry. Let me down so I can eat something.”

Han Qi turned to him, studying him intently. Then he spoke with firm certainty: “No. If I let you go, you’ll run away.”

Clearly, he wasn’t drunk enough to be completely foolish. Le Tian gave up arguing. The two of them sat quietly in the tree, with Han Qi’s arm wrapped securely around him, never loosening for even a moment.

After a long while, Han Qi finally carried him back down and asked, “Was it beautiful?”

Le Tian found that a slightly intoxicated Han Qi was surprisingly endearing. He wanted to tease him further but worried he would sober up and remember everything later. So, he kept his face cold and said, “Let me out, and I’ll see something even more beautiful.”

Han Qi said nothing. Instead, he pulled Le Tian into his arms, opened the food box—and inside was not food, but a familiar crystal fishbowl. Two plump fish swam inside, blowing bubbles at them innocently.

“Do you like it?” he asked softly.

Le Tian’s hands were still trapped in Han Qi’s grasp; otherwise, he would’ve slapped him. Frustrated, he cursed, “Are you insane?”

“Don’t be mad. These are the fish you gave me,” Han Qi said with a small smile. “Last year, the ones you ate weren’t them. I tricked you.”

Idiot… Le Tian could barely stand Han Qi’s sudden decline in intelligence. He turned his face away, unable to look at him any longer. But as soon as he moved, Han Qi followed his gaze, shifting with him.

Le Tian: …I’ll just sit here quietly and watch how dumb you can be.

Han Qi, seeing him stop moving, smiled brightly—pure and free of any shadows. He leaned in, pressing against him. Le Tian had initially planned to resist as usual, but then he thought, This fool is already drunk like this. Forget it.

So, he let Han Qi kiss him, the taste of alcohol lingering between them.

After seven years of captivity, Han Qi never expected to find such peace in guarding Lin Le Tian. He thought, perhaps this was always the choice he was meant to make.

When the system announced, “Seven days left,” Lin Le Tian lay on his couch with hands folded in contentment. “I should spend more time with our little Han.”

Seven days later, his world dissolved.

The last thing he heard was Han Qi’s deep voice, “From now on, we can start over.”

Goodbye, Han Qi.