By the time Ye Cheng returned, the sky had already darkened. The stars were faintly peeking through the thin clouds. Ye Cheng was in a very good mood, even his steps were lighter than usual. Although his clothes still smelled of soot, his expression was relaxed.
Bai Jing, who had been waiting in the yard, hurried forward when he saw him: "You're back. I've prepared hot water."
Ye Cheng raised a brow: "Were you waiting for me?"
"Yes, but I haven't waited long." Bai Jing said softly, leading him inside. The wooden tub in the corner steamed gently, as faint herbal fragrances rose from it. Bai Jing knelt and adjusted the fire beneath the iron pot, then carefully helped Ye Cheng out of his outer robe.
His movement was awkward, he has never done this before, and had never even thought about the possibility of it occurring.
Their hands brushed against each other, and Bai Jing's face warmed up. He lowered his gaze, pretending to busy himself with folding the clothes. Ye Cheng didn't speak, he lowered himself into the steaming bath. The water lapped at his shoulders, easing the tension from his muscles.
He has to admit, although he doesn't think much of Bai Jing, he doesn't dislike his care.
Bai Jing wrung out a clean cloth and passed it to him: "Be careful not to catch cold."
Ye Cheng glanced at him. Something in the boy's careful tone and lowered lashes softened the frost in his chest. He closed his eyes, leaning back as Bai Jing tended to the small chores around him.
Afterward, Bai Jing brought out a clean night robe and helped him change. Then he quickly set the small wooden table in the room, warming the stew and carrying it carefully to Ye Cheng's side. Along with the stew, he placed a small plate of wild fruit he had found on the hillside that morning.
The fragrance filled the house.
Ye Cheng took a sip, and lifted his brows: "The taste is good."
Bai Jing froze, then looked up, eyes wide: "You… Do you like it?"
Ye Cheng gave a small nod: "Better than last time."
It was only a few words, spoken lightly, but to Bai Jing it was as though the sun had burst through weeks of clouds. His lips curved into a bright smile: "I'll make more for you in the future!"
Seeing his happiness, Ye Cheng's chopsticks paused. Thinking: how can you be so easily excited?
...
Seeing that the meal was almost done, Bai Jing filled a clay cup with drinking water and brought it to Ye Cheng's side. But the small table was already full, crowded with the fruit plate, the bowls, and most importantly, the booklet Ye Cheng brought back was also on the table.
Bai Jing wanted to remove the booklet but he didn't want to touch Ye Cheng's valuable belongings and get scold.
Bai Jing bit his lip, searching for a spot. Finally, he decided to place the cup carefully on the narrow top of the table. Ye Cheng also just watched and said nothing.
The moment Bai Jing turned to leave, the cup wobbled—
Then, Crash!
Cold water spilled, splattering across the table… and soaking directly into the booklet.
Ye Cheng's eyes snapped in disbelief.
The refining technique he had suffered humiliation for years to earn. The incomplete yet precious manual he hadn't even read yet. Its ink blurred instantly under the spreading water.
"You—!" Ye Cheng was so angry he didn't know what to say. He shot to his feet furiously.
Bai Jing froze in horror, his hands trembling as he reached for the booklet: "I… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
But the damage was already done. The pages were ruined, and the words were bleeding into each other at a visible speed. There was no saving the booklet.
When Ye Cheng thought of the endless taunts at the guild, his blistered hands, and the hours of swallowing humiliation, only for this one chance to be destroyed so carelessly… rage consumed him.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
The sounds rang sharply in the small room.
Bai Jing's head snapped to the side repeatedly as three slaps landed on his cheeks. His cheek stinging red. He gasped from the pain, tears spilling from his eyes, but he didn't fight back. Instead, he kept apologizing: "I'm sorry… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to—please, I'll fix it, I'll find a way… please." His voice broke into sobs.
"Fix it?" Ye Cheng's voice was cold, shaking with restraint: "Do you know what I went through to get this? Do you know how much this mattered to me?"
Bai Jing fell to his knees, clutching the ruined booklet as though he could shield it from further harm. His tears soaked the cover: "I really didn't mean to… I just wanted to bring you water. I thought—it would make you happy…"
Ye Cheng's chest heaved. The sight of Bai Jing trembling, crying, apologizing so desperately made his anger waver slightly, but the sting of loss, the frustration of helplessness, he can't just let this go.
"Then think before you act! If you can't even handle such a small thing, how do you expect to survive here?"
"I'll be careful next time," Bai Jing whispered, his shoulders shaking: "Please… don't hate me."
What should he do? He's new to all this, and didn't even ask to be here. But, it's his fault for having bad karma.
The room fell into tense silence, broken only by Bai Jing's sobs.
Ye Cheng looked at Bai Jing for a long moment, then turned away with his fists clenched and left the room without another word.
Why does this person keep ruining his chances? First it was Limitless Academy, and now it's the Refining Manual that he had finally obtained with great efforts. What would he ruin next?!
Bai Jing remained kneeling on the floor, clutching the ruined booklet, tears falling silently. In his chest, a hollow ache spread. He had only wanted to bring warmth to this cold marriage, yet everything he touched seemed to shatter.
He buried his face in his arms, speaking with a breaking voice: "Why does it always turn out like this?"
...
After kneeling for an entire hour, Bai Jing slowly pushed himself to his feet. His knees were stiff and numb, forcing him to lean against the wall for support. His cheeks were still swollen from the slaps, and dried tear stains remained on his face.
Looking at the broken bowl and scattered fragments on the floor, he let out a sigh before crouching down to clean everything up.
The house soon returned to its usual neat appearance, but Bai Jing's heart remained heavy. He sat alone in the living room, resting his chin in his hand.
"How am I supposed to make it up to him?"
The refining manual meant everything to Ye Cheng. Years of effort had been poured into it, only for the only valuable manual he possessed to be destroyed. If their positions were reversed, Bai Jing knew he would have been furious too.
He scratched his head in frustration: "If only I have twenty silver coins..."
He just checked the system store. If he can replace this manual with the authentic refining manual inside the System Store, his problem will be solved. But twenty silver coins might as well have been twenty mountains.
His mushroom business had only just begun, and every copper coin he earned, hasn't reached that amount yet.
He remained seated for a long time, thinking of countless possibilities, yet none of them seemed realistic.
Bai Jing occasionally looked toward the wooden gate as the night deepened, hoping Ye Cheng would return so he could apologize properly. He rehearsed the words in his mind over and over, but the courtyard remained silent.
Hours passed, the oil lamp gradually burned lower until only a faint glow illuminated the room.
"He still isn't back..."
Bai Jing's worry slowly replaced his guilt. He knew Ye Cheng often returned late from the Refinement Guild, but tonight is different. After what had happened earlier, he couldn't help imagining all sorts of possibilities.
Did Ye Cheng decide not to come back?
Did he hate him that much now?
Would he rather stay outside than share the same house?
The thoughts made Bai Jing's chest tighten.
Unable to stay still, he stepped outside several times, looking down the quiet village path before returning inside. The moon had already climbed high into the sky, yet the familiar figure never appeared.
He was also afraid to go too far, after his encounter with the village thugs the previous day.
Eventually he gave up waiting. He spread his blanket on the cold wooden floor in the sitting room as usual. The bed belonged to Ye Cheng, and after today's events, he felt even less qualified to enter that room.
He curled himself into the blanket and whisper: "I'm sorry..."