Several days passed.

Zhou Wangshu avoided Wu Yingyue everywhere from court to the gardens, to the halls where they used to walk side by side. If their gazes met, Zhou Wangshu looked away first.

Wu Yingyue could only watch.

He felt helpless. He wanted to reach out, to speak, to explain. Maybe it was pointless. Maybe it would all lead back to nothing. But he had to try. Even if he couldn't tell Zhou Wangshu everything, at least he could tell him this—

'Trust me, just for now. It's all coming to an end soon.'

The court was in whispers. Everyone knew.

The Duke of Canghe had withdrawn his support from the Crown Prince. The prince's faction was weakening by the day.

A storm was coming.

So Wu Yingyue made the first move.

He sent a message in silence to Zhou residence.

Just a simple call, one that Zhou Wangshu could not ignore.

And so, he came.

The chamber was dim, the only light flickering from candles. Wu Yingyue with brush in hand. The air was thick with the scent of ink as he dragged black across white canvas, stroke by stroke. His sleeves slipped down, revealing slender wrists, but he paid no mind, his focus entirely on the painting before him.

"Come in, A-Shu," he said quietly. "We have much to talk about."

Zhou Wangshu looked at him with indifference. "This lord does not think there is anything to talk about anymore, Your Highness."

"You've been ignoring me at court."

"And why I'm doing that, His Highness knows best."

Wu Yingyue waved a hand, and the servants in the room bowed before silently retreating.

The Zhou family was a family of generals, they held a high and powerful position and were unparalleled among government and public in both government and the public's favor. After General Zhou's death, the Emperor, in a grand display of generosity, had granted Zhou Wangshu the title of Duke. He was only sixteen then, but his achievements were already countless.

Wu Yingyue knew well—if Zhou Wangshu pulled all his power in one move, the balance would crumble. The court would fracture, and the officials and nobles would scramble to place him as their figurehead.

A puppet, nothing more.

Wu Yingyue's fingers curled slightly around his brush. His eyes darkened for a fleeting moment.

And the Emperor... seemed to have his sights on Zhou Wangshu's army.

He might be selfish, but he needed to speak with Zhou Wangshu about this.

Even if Zhou Wangshu hated him. Even if trust between them had long shattered.

Wu Yingyue finally turned fully to face him. "We cannot ignore this, A-Shu."

Zhou Wangshu scoffed, arms crossed, but his posture was rigid. "Ignore what? That the Emperor is using me? That you knew and said nothing?"

"It's not as simple as that."

"Then make it simple!"

"If you let go of the Crown Prince now, the court will devour itself. And you... you will be their next target."

Zhou Wangshu still. A shadow of something unreadable passed through his gaze.

Wu Yingyue exhaled, his voice quiet but firm.

"I don't expect you to trust me, but at least listen, A shu."

It was still fortunate that Zhou Wangshu could only guess.

That he suspected Wu Yingyue had something to do with Wu Yiming's disappearance. That he was involved in his grandmother's death.

But suspicion was not the same as truth. Not yet.

Everything had not been revealed.

There was still something Wu Yingyue could do.

Then Zhou Wangshu started, "On that day, three years ago, it was you who drugged me, wasn't it?" He stepped forward, his tone unwavering. "How did it feel to assault me like that, Wu Yingyue?"

Wu Yingyue still.

The brush in his hand slipped, striking the canvas with an unintentional smear of black. His gaze snapped to Zhou Wangshu, disbelief flashing across his face.

"What?" His voice was sharp, edged with something dangerously close to fury.

But Zhou Wangshu firmly stared at him, as if already made up his mind.

Wu Yingyue sucked in a breath, his fingers tightening around the brush until his knuckles turned white. His entire body went rigid, as if struck.

"You're accusing me of that? You think I would—" His entire body went rigid, as if struck.

Zhou Wangshu's lips curled slightly, bitter. "You're reacting so strongly, Wu Yingyue. Did I hit the mark?"

Wu Yingyue let out a sharp breath, his expression twisted, "You're a fool, Zhou Wangshu! Why would you think I would ever do that to you!"

Zhou Wangshu's gaze burned. "All these years, you used that night to guilt me." His voice was shaking now, with anger. "You knew I would have never touched you—I only loved Wu Yiming!"

Wu Yingyue's breath stilled, but Zhou Wangshu didn't stop.

"How do you think I was drugged that night! When I had just lost Wu Yiming, when I was drunk out of my mind! Was it a coincidence? Who was there at that time, huh? Who was the one closest to me?"

Wu Yingyue's fingers clenched, knuckles turning white.

"For years, you always got what you wanted," Zhou Wangshu hissed. "You never cared a bit about me."

Wu Yingyue laughed softly, but it was empty, hollow. "Is that what you think?" His lashes trembled as he lowered his gaze. "That I never cared?"

Zhou Wangshu's breath turned ragged, "Yes, you didn't. Do you take me for a fool, Wu Yingyue? Why do you think I mistook Wu Yiming for that assassin that day?"

His voice was sharp, every word hammer in ears of Wu Yingyue, "Because I know the way Wu Yiming moves—his unique way of fighting. And then there's you, the one who can recreate any martial art flawlessly! The only reason I didn't suspect you sooner was because I was blinded by this sweet friendship trap you set up for years! I thought it was him—"

Wu Yingyue let out a low, mocking chuckle. "Yes, you thought it was him."

His eyes gleamed coldly as he stood up, lips curled into a sneer. "So, after you came back from mourning, you went straight to interrogate him. That's how limited your love was—suspecting my brother over a mere jade slip! If you had known him better, you couldn't have guessed with your toes that how someone with personality of his could do such an underhand trick!"

He continued as his voice was laced with disdain. "You really used that amazing brain of yours, the same one that can deduce hundreds of strategies on the battlefield, so well, didn't you? And now you dare blame me for every night we spent together? As if you weren't the beast who couldn't control his lower body, diving into any cave you found!"

Zhou Wangshu's face darkened. "You—"

Wu Yingyue cut him off, "If I am to be blamed for years of skinship, then what about you? Are you going to pretend to be some white lotus drowning in the mud?!"

Zhou Wangshu's breath hitched, his fingers twitching at his sides. His fury surged, but beneath it, something colder, something deeper curled in his chest.

"Shut up," he hissed.

Wu Yingyue only tilted his head, an insane gleam flashing in his eyes. He could feel himself getting dizzy from blood loss a few days ago, 

"Or what? Will you silence me with that temper of yours, Wangshu? Will you strike me? Tear my throat out? Or perhaps you'll simply run—just like you always do when faced with something you don't want to hear?"

"Oh, by the way—don't you want to hear how amazing it was when Wu Yiming screamed for me that night? Calling my name, begging me to save him." Wu Yingyue let out a chuckle. "Like a pathetic, drowning dog, thrashing in the river—helpless, with no direction, completely at the mercy of nature!"

Zhou Wangshu saw red.

"That was your biological brother!" he roared, stepping forward and grabbing Wu Yingyue by the collar. "Do you have even a shred of humanity left?!"

Wu Yingyue only laughed, breathless and shaking, but his smile never wavered. "Humanity?"

"Do I look like someone who still has any left?"

Zhou Wangshu's grip tightened on his collar, trembling with barely restrained fury, but Wu Yingyue only leaned in closer, his breath warm against Zhou Wangshu's skin.

"As the eldest prince, I should have been the Crown Prince!" 

"But what did your father do? What did your Zhou family do? You all supported that second prince and took away what was mine!"

Wu Yingyue's smile widened, his expression twisted in madness. "It was good that the man died."

Zhou Wangshu's vision blurred with rage. His fingers curled into fists before he grabbed the inkstone from the table and hurled it straight at Wu Yingyue.

Crack.

The inkstone struck his head with a sickening thud. Wu Yingyue staggered back. A thin trail of blood dripped down from his temple, mixing with the black ink as it smeared across his pale skin, staining his pure white robes.

And Wu Yingyue, He laughed. He laughed like he had lost his mind, the eerie sound echoing through the chamber, filling every corner with its chilling vibration.

"You disgust me," Zhou Wangshu spat.

Their gazes locked.

And for the first time, Wu Yingyue saw it in Zhou Wangshu's eyes, unlike before, there was no hesitation, no lingering doubt. He really was disgusted by him.

Unlike before, there was no going back.

The air reeked of ink and blood, the candlelight flickering against the ruined white of Wu Yingyue's robes stained with black and red.

Then, he smiled.

A slow, crawling thing that spread across his lips, unnatural in the way it didn't quite reach his eyes. His fingers trembled as they lifted, tracing the dark ink seeping into the fabric, pressing into the wetness of his own blood.

"Let's play the game of colors, Wangshu."

Zhou Wangshu froze.

Wu Yingyue took a step forward, swaying slightly. He reached out his fingers and took Zhou Wangshu ink stained hands dragging the black across his chest, as if savoring the way, it ruined him, tainting his ruined white robes.

"You paint me in black because you want me gone."

His voice was light, almost teasing, but his eyes, those beautiful, wicked eyes, gleamed with something utterly deranged.

Then, he lifted his hand, fingertips smeared with blood, reaching for Zhou Wangshu as if to stain him too, to mark him.

"And I..." Wu Yingyue sighed, his head tilting like a marionette barely held together by its strings. "I paint you in red—" His lashes fluttered, his breath slow, "Because I love you."

His laughter came soft, yet it rang louder than anything else in the room.

This is the longest chapter so far, I am so sleepy and drained, Haha!

I hope y'all liked it!

Take care, sweets!