Martial King's Retired Life

Eventually, Ming Feizhen shifted his line of sight away in case Shen Yiren could read his mind. Little did he know that she saw something else.

Shen Yiren’s mind was focused on the scar that she saw on Ming Feizhen’s other shoulder when she was feeding him. She didn’t know the details, but she could tell it was relatively new, caused by the same weapon and most likely acquired around the same time. What did the weapon pierce? His scapula. She could imagine what the smiling guy went through when he wasn’t around her, yet he hid it all behind his smile.

When the next lightning bolt loudly flashed its might, it cast a shadow over Shen Yiren’s face.

“Feizhen, you won’t lie to me,” softly uttered Shen Yiren.

Despite not following where she was going, Ming Feizhen still nodded. “Mm, I won’t.”

“In that case, I have a few questions… I’d like to ask.”

“As long as it’s you, I’ll answer everything I can.”

“Okay, first question.”

“Mm?”

“Did you suffer a lot?”

Ming Feizhen didn’t have confidence in his judgement when it was hard to see Shen Yiren’s eyes clearly behind the welled-up emotions. That being said, he noticed where she stared. With a smile, he replied, “No. Really.”

“You’re a weirdo.” Shen Yiren suddenly reached out to caress Ming Feizhen’s face. “You promised not to lie to me. Maybe you’re not aware of it, but you’re actually an expert liar. You told me lie after lie when we first got to know each other… and I was totally oblivious. But… But you promised not to lie to me. Ever since then, you stopped telling lies… Or more correctly, you only tell obvious lies.”

With a smile, Ming Feizhen removed the small hand from his face. “You left the capital and Liu Shan Men, and almost ended up in Jiang Chen’s grasp, to save me.” He squeezed her hand as he recalled the poor state she was in upon arrival. “Boss, aren’t you the one who suffered?”

Shen Yiren just stared at Ming Feizhen before responding with a smile, “I didn’t suffer, either.”

“You’re a weirdo, too.”

They didn’t realise that their smiles were identical, but Ming Feizhen soon realised that Shen Yiren wasn’t her usual self. He could smell alcohol on her. While true that she had quite a bit to drink and drank it rather fast, knowing her tolerance, it shouldn’t have impacted her so much. They usually drank three times more than that without showing any signs of inebriation; to the contrary, she’d look wider and wider awake as she drank. Right now, she looked out of it and ready to pass out.

“Boss, are you… sleepy?”

Shen Yiren shook her head. “… No.”

“How… many days has it been since you last slept?”

“Hmm? How many was it again?” Shen Yiren started counted off on her fingers and then cackled as she flashed three fingers in her left hand and four fingers in her right hand. “Ten days!” Realising what she said and showed weren’t congruent, she checked her fingers again. “Hmm? Ten… Ten days? Hmm?”

There was no mistake Shen Yiren was sleepy. The combination of sleep deprivation, relaxation upon seeing Ming Feizhen and alcohol completely wrecked her brain. Shen Yiren’s mannerisms showed that Ming Feizhen wouldn’t be able to receive his reward. Part of him was glad, though, for she’d have whacked him with the inkstone for ogling her lips. The best course of action right then and there was to let her catch up on some much needed sleep.

“Boss, do you… know who I am?” Ming Feizhen tried to pull Shen Yiren over to lay her down, but she put up a feisty fight.

“You’re Ming Feizhen. I… I have a question for you.” Shen Yiren aerated her cheeks. “Whenever I ask you something, you refuse… to give me a straight answer.”

“I’ll give you one, okay? Lie down first.

“… Then, tell me, one plus one…”

“Two. Lie down.”

“Okay… What about two plus two?”

Shen Yiren kept pulling in the opposite direction Ming Feizhen pulled her. Out of nowhere, she pushed in his direction, pushing him down below her. “… Tell me… Tell me…”

Fighting back the pain of his head banging on the bed frame, Ming Feizhen replied, “Okay, ask and I’ll tell you.”

Shen Yiren brushed her hair aside and leaned in. “… Okay…”

Shen Yiren asked a whole series of questions that Ming Feizhen answered, but he didn’t remember the answers he gave for all he remembered was her voice. Not the melody of the rain. Not the roars of the heavens. Her voice. The last spurt of summer heat was right next to his ear.

“… You have good ears? Can… you hear if anyone is around? No one… is eavesdropping? No one… is peeking?

“Yeah.”

The torrent of rain started pouring down, driving out the heat that had permeated on the planet all this time.

She slept with her weight on one of Ming Feizhen’s arms. He placed his free arm on his forehead as he stared at the ceiling. Nothing should’ve been audible but the sound of rain running off the eaves, yet all he heard was her soft and relaxed breaths. His heart beat nearly as loud as the raindrops splattering outside.

Will Boss remember…? Most importantly… why… did she kiss me?