[To Become a River of Stars] Dong Xiange - Chapter 53

The next day, the dutiful Jin Zhan, armed with a heap of snacks and toys, knocked on Li Xuanci’s door.

After Li Xuanci had left, Jin Zhan had worked through the night to deploy the shadow guards, then headed out first thing in the morning to scour the streets for “things young girls would like.”

Li Xuanci opened the door but didn’t let him in; instead, he reached out to take the assorted items himself. Jin Zhan was startled but dared not disobey, reluctantly allowing his master to carry the load—a breach of propriety.

A breeze drifted through the window at the end of the corridor. Standing at the doorway, Jin Zhan’s nose twitched. His keen sense of smell caught a faint trace of the same scent that had clung to Li Xuanci the night before.

It was… somewhat indescribable.

His subtle reaction didn’t escape Li Xuanci’s notice. Just as he was about to speak, a rustling sound came from inside the room. The tightly drawn silk curtains around the pearwood bed swayed gently, like morning mist stirred by the wind, softly undulating.

Then, a small head popped out from behind the curtains, drowsy-eyed, cheeks flushed pink from sleep.

“Brother,” Shiliu called out, her eyes still barely open, her voice soft and dazed.

Jin Zhan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. But before he could react, the door slammed shut with a sharp thud, nearly taking his nose with it.

Wh-wh-what in the world was going on?! His Highness was sharing a room with someone? And not just anyone—he was sharing a bed with Shiliu?!

Since when had their relationship become so close, right under his nose without him noticing?

Could it be… that they had suddenly taken a liking to each other?

Jin Zhan recalled Shiliu’s delicate, pretty features—youthful and almost ambiguously gendered—and shuddered. Shiliu looked very young, but there was no denying her striking beauty. If it were her, well, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

But His Highness had never been close to anyone all these years. Last night, he’d first ordered the search for a beauty, and on the other hand, he’d been sharing a bed with Shiliu. It seemed that once his interests were piqued, they branched out in two directions, with neither side neglected.

Tsk, tsk, tsk. His appetite was… impressively diverse.

Jin Zhan smoothed down the goosebumps on his arms, idly—and quite unnecessarily—wondering what he would do if His Highness ever took a fancy to him. Then, duty-bound, he set off to continue gathering information.

Inside the room.

Li Xuanci expressionlessly set the pile of items on the table, then strode coldly toward the bed. He pulled aside the mist-like curtains, seized Shiliu’s small chin, and forced her dazed gaze to meet his.

“Being disobedient again,” he chided softly.

The brilliant morning sun streamed through the paper-covered window, casting a hazy glow over everything. The two of them were enveloped by the white silk curtains, as if submerged in shimmering ripples of light, their bodies gently swaying with the refracted shadows.

Shiliu didn’t understand, only staring blankly at him. Her eyes were filled with innocence, her pupils clear and limpid like water, reflecting only his image. Her lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of her rosy tongue between pearly teeth.

Li Xuanci’s gaze deepened. His fingers, still holding her chin, shifted to brush against her lips. The calluses on his fingertips scraped her skin, bringing a mix of pain and a tickling sensation. Unconsciously, she flicked out the tip of her tongue to lick them.

Her tongue swept lightly over Li Xuanci’s fingertips, leaving behind a fleeting warmth and a faint trace of moisture.

“From now on, you are not allowed to call anyone else ‘brother,'” Li Xuanci said, his thumb slipping into her mouth, toying with her small tongue.

But Shiliu, naive and uncomprehending, didn’t grasp his meaning.
“Brother,” she murmured again.

Her tongue curled slightly, then lifted gently, brushing against her teeth before retreating, forming the two syllables.
With just those two words, her tongue seemed to wrap around Li Xuanci’s finger like a coaxing gesture. The damp, warm tip of her tongue grazed the back of his finger, the heat faintly transmitted through his nail, like a veiled beauty—all the more tantalizing.

Li Xuanci’s gaze remained fixed on her. The sunlight outside was brilliant; even in the coldest, hardest northern lands, glaciers would have melted under such warmth. Thin ice dissolving into water, leaving only the murmuring sound of a stream.

He leaned in, closing the distance between them until their dark, thick lashes nearly touched. With every blink, a faint, tickling sensation passed between them. Their breaths mingled, intertwining into an intimate, inseparable tangle.

Yet the words he spoke were terrifying.
“If you dare call anyone else that, I will cut out your tongue,” he whispered. Even a simple-minded girl like Shiliu could understand the menace in his tone.

Her eyes widened, and she pulled back, his finger slipping from her mouth. Shiliu hastily covered her lips with both hands, mumbling in a muffled voice, “Don’t cut Shiliu’s tongue. Shiliu will be good. Only you are Shiliu’s brother.”

Her words were disjointed and almost laughable, but this foolishness somehow pleased Li Xuanci. His expression remained unchanged, but a glint of dark satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

After frightening her, he offered a consolation. He lifted Shiliu from the bed and set her down before the table laden with novelties.

As expected, Shiliu’s eyes lit up. She busied herself stuffing pastries and sugar figurines into her mouth while clutching a doll tightly, no longer afraid of him.

Li Xuanci watched as crumbs scattered from the corners of her mouth, a hint of disdain on his face, though his thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Just as I thought, he mused, even reduced to such simplicity, she can still eat like a horse.

What a fool.