The Sickly Beauty Substitute Called It Quits

"I originally planned to teach you, but it seems Ah Yu doesn't need it," Shang Junlin said with a hint of regret.

"It's been a long time since I last rode a horse. If Your Majesty doesn't mind the trouble, you can teach me again," Shen Yu replied. The white horse was gentle, and Shen Yu's presence didn't bother it as a stranger.

"Ah Yu, try it first. I'll be watching by your side."

Hearing that, Shen Yu mounted the horse. His movements indicated that he wasn't a novice; his mounting was graceful.

Seated on the horse, a gentle breeze blew, and Shen Yu blissfully narrowed his eyes.

Shang Junlin also mounted his horse and guided the black horse to walk alongside the white horse.

The black horse didn't enjoy the leisurely pace, and it let out a few snorts.

Shen Yu pressed his legs against the horse's sides and allowed the white horse to take a few slow steps. Once he regained his sense of familiarity, he gradually increased the speed.

Shang Junlin kept pace with him the whole time.

As they galloped around, Shen Yu felt increasingly exhilarated. In his previous life, he had only ridden horses for practical purposes, rarely purely for the joy of riding like now.

"Why did His Majesty think of bringing me to ride horses?" Shen Yu pulled the reins and gradually slowed down the horse's speed.

The black horse also slowed down, approaching the white horse on its own.

"I thought that spending the whole day in the palace would become boring. Riding a horse can uplift the spirits," Shang Junlin held the reins and looked at Shen Yu. "Before you entered the palace, you rarely rode horses, didn't you?"

Based on the initial information obtained by the Hidden Dragon Guards, Shen Yu shouldn't have been familiar with horse riding, or at least not proficient. Shang Junlin silently suppressed another doubt in his heart.

"The Marquis of Zhenbei used to have someone teach me how to ride, but that person took advantage of the situation and treated me poorly. For a long time, I didn't enjoy riding horses," Shen Yu shared, reminiscing about distant memories that had long faded and settled in some unknown corner of his mind. It no longer stirred any emotional fluctuations when mentioned.

After learning how to ride, Shen Yu had no desire to ride again for a long time. Whenever he mounted a horse, the harsh and belittling words from that person would resurface, reminding him of the undeserved scars.

It wasn't until later, for the sake of survival, that he had to ride on his own. Faced with life and death, the shadows left by his childhood were dispelled, and the influence that person had on him disappeared completely.

Shang Junlin tightened his grip on the reins, sensing from Shen Yu's casual tone that he didn't care much about this matter. But Shang Junlin couldn't help but care, couldn't help but feel heartache.

At what age do most people learn to ride? Little Shen Yu faced a teacher who harbored ill intentions. Learning to ride must have been a frightening experience for the young Shen Yu.

The disdain from his father and the malice from his father's concubines—how much suffering did the young Ah Yu endure before he became strong enough to face everything calmly?

Feeling Shang Junlin's gaze, Shen Yu smiled and said, "Your Majesty knows me well. If I hold a grudge against someone, I'll settle it on the spot. That person who taught me how to ride didn't end up well."

"In truth, he didn't dare to do anything to me. After all, if something happened to me, the Marquis of Zhenbei wouldn't spare him. It was just a matter of enduring some hardships," Shen Yu explained. The comforting words he spoke unintentionally escalated Shang Junlin's anger and fear.

Shang Junlin rode his horse closer to Shen Yu, stretched out his long arm, and lifted Shen Yu in his embrace, eliciting a soft gasp from Shen Yu, who grabbed onto Shang Junlin's drooping sleeve.

"Your Majesty?" Shen Yu's body slightly quivered as he held onto the sleeve that fell in front of him.

"It's all in the past now. From now on, I won't let anyone have the chance to harm you," Shang Junlin said, his voice firm. He held the reins in one hand and tightly embraced Shen Yu with the other.

"It was already in the past," Shen Yu chuckled softly. "If I had known Your Majesty cared so much, I wouldn't have mentioned it."

To him, these events were akin to something that happened in a previous life. Separated by such a long time, and considering he had already taken his revenge, reminiscing about it now didn't evoke any pain or discomfort.

"There's nothing I can't talk about with you. Those things happened to Ah Yu, and I feel distressed," Shang Junlin said. He didn't feel anything regarding his own experiences, but he couldn't tolerate even the slightest injustice suffered by Shen Yu.

Leaning against Shang Junlin's chest, Shen Yu felt the steady and powerful heartbeat within the man's chest. An indescribable emotion gradually filled his chest.

So, this is what it feels like to be cherished.

So, this is what it feels like to be genuinely loved.

And what about him?

Does he also love Shang Junlin?

The black horse leisurely continued walking on the grassland. Shang Junlin didn't utter a word to release Shen Yu from his embrace, and Shen Yu didn't mention it either.

Nestled in the man's arms, Shen Yu seemed to be lost in thought, pondering many things and yet, perhaps, nothing at all.

The white horse followed beside the black horse, occasionally lowering its head to chew on the grass.

Shang Junlin lowered his head and rubbed his cheek against Shen Yu's. "What are you thinking?"

"Your Majesty, tell me about your past as well." At this moment, Shen Yu wanted to understand Shang Junlin more.

"My past? There's nothing much to say. I couldn't bear staying in the palace, so I voluntarily went to the border. Although life on the border was tough, it was better than the palace. Later, I achieved military merits and returned to the capital. No one dared to disrespect me anymore. Those imperial princes instigated by others to come looking for trouble with me only ended up causing trouble for themselves. Afterward, they didn't dare to provoke me again."

Shang Junlin thought he wouldn't like mentioning these past events. However, now that he spoke of them, he realized that the things he once believed he could never let go of had become insignificant in the endless passage of time.

"Is this grassland Yours, Your Majesty?" Shen Yu had never heard of such a place in the capital.

"After I ascended the throne, I had someone prepare it," Shang Junlin nodded. "Having spent a long time at the border, I never felt quite accustomed to life in the capital. Whenever I had free time, I would come here."

"Very few people know about this place, right?" From the time they arrived until now, they hadn't seen anyone else.

"Other than the servants who remained here from the beginning, not many people have come here. Well, there was a little boy who accidentally stumbled upon this place once. He was covered in dirt. I had someone send him away. At the time, I had just returned from the battlefield, and my aura of killing intent frightened him. He didn't respond when I asked him questions."

"Didn't Your Majesty punish him for disturbing your royal presence?" Shen Yu turned his head to look at him.

"Am I someone who kills indiscriminately in Ah Yu's eyes?" Shang Junlin smiled, as if he could still remember the young boy's bright eyes.

Seeing those small beast-like eyes, Shang Junlin suddenly lost interest in pursuing the matter further. He didn't punish the guard for negligence either. Instead, he only had the child sent away and repaired the damaged area. Since then, no one had accidentally stumbled upon this place again.

"It was just a child. He didn't even know how he got in there," Shang Junlin pointed in the left direction. "I saw him there myself."

Shen Yu followed Shang Junlin's gaze and looked in the direction he indicated.

"There were several fences there at the time, but they were later dismantled."

Based on Shang Junlin's words, a scene formed in Shen Yu's mind. Those fences weren't very old, just worn and dilapidated from exposure to sun and wind, leaning haphazardly against each other...

Shen Yu blinked and spoke softly, "Your Majesty, didn't you investigate the origin of that child?"

"I only stayed in the capital for a few days at the time. The border was in crisis, so I left it unresolved. If it weren't for mentioning it today, I wouldn't necessarily have remembered it," Shang Junlin realized something was amiss. "Why does Ah Yu care so much about this matter?"

"Your Majesty, do you know? When I was young, a group of unknown individuals chased and tried to kill me. I managed to escape and found myself in an uninhabited grassland. To avoid being recognized, I made myself dirty, covered in dirt and mud. Later, it started to rain heavily, and I took shelter under a broken fence, praying for the rain to stop. Then, a cloak fell from the sky and covered me."

This was an experience that Shen Yu firmly remembered across two lifetimes. On that day, he was soaked in the rain and later developed a high fever. His memories of the pursuit became blurry, but the only thing he remembered clearly was the cloak that descended from the sky.

Now, it was Shang Junlin who became astonished. His arm, encircling Shen Yu's waist, unconsciously tightened its grip, and his voice was filled with uncertainty. "The child I encountered back then was Ah Yu?"

"That's what I'm saying. That day, I discovered a suspicious group of people near the horse ranch. I thought they were after me, but it turns out they were after Ah Yu," Shang Junlin said.

At that time, the relationship between Da Huan and other countries was tense, and Da Huan had various internal problems. Shang Junlin encountered groups of people attempting to assassinate him every few days. He had become accustomed to it and didn't bother to inquire further. He simply dealt with them one by one.

"I didn't know that Your Majesty had saved me so early on. After that, those people never appeared again. I think they were also wary of Your Majesty's presence," Shen Yu's voice tightened. He now realized that Shang Junlin had been protecting him for so long, even before he knew it.

Shang Junlin sighed and rested his head on Shen Yu's shoulder. "If only I had brought you back directly, even if I had asked a few more questions."

Unfortunately, he didn't ask anything. He simply handed the unconscious child over to someone else and subsequently neglected the matter due to various circumstances.

Shen Yu raised his hand and gently touched Shang Junlin's face, whispering, "This is already enough. We didn't miss each other."

Shang Junlin turned his head and kissed Shen Yu, a surge of relief washing over him. If there had been even the slightest deviation at that time, would he have completely missed out on Ah Yu?

Shen Yu embraced Shang Junlin's neck and took the initiative to kiss him. This kiss was initiated by Shen Yu, and Shang Junlin sensed Shen Yu's possessiveness towards him. It ignited a desire within him.

As the kiss deepened, Shang Junlin's grip on Shen Yu's waist tightened.

The two of them clung tightly to each other, able to sense any changes in each other's bodies.

"Ah Yu..." After the kiss ended, Shang Junlin nuzzled against Shen Yu's cheek, his voice husky.

Shen Yu leaned against Shang Junlin's shoulder, his body moving slightly, causing Shang Junlin to instinctively tighten his grip on the reins.

"Ah Yu?"

His voice grew even huskier.

"I want you to take me back," Shen Yu whispered, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I don't want to go back."

In Shang Junlin's eyes, a storm brewed. He struggled to control his urge to devour Shen Yu whole.

Little did he know that the chosen prey not only didn't resist but even provoked him, moving closer and whispering, "I want to stay here, on horseback, under the open sky, just you, Your Majesty, and me..."

"Is that what Your Majesty desires?"

Author's Note:

The previous chapter's lighthearted interlude unexpectedly turned into a preview for the next chapter. Haha.

I apologize for the slow update of the new chapters. There is now a solution on the Huanyuan App, where you can both download the app and read the latest chapters from multiple sites.

Please offer more nourishment for a double update! (^o^)/~

Translator's note: 

UwU they are truly meant  for each other ToT Shang x Shen 4evah