Chapter Text
Not even three days after Shen Qingqiu unlocks the ability to go OOC, he begins inspecting an unused room in his home. It has a large window allowing ample natural light, and there are already shelves on the walls for him to use. He’ll still need to make a proper display, but the shelves will do well enough for now.
Shen Qingqiu glances at the door behind him, just to make sure Luo Binghe is still away on that errand he assigned, before finally smiling without restraint. He lowers his fan, humming happily as he starts thinking of display measurement and which great master he can find to build one. In fact, he should probably find a few great masters for merch to fill the display.
That’s right! Merch! He can finally start restoring his poor lost merch collection! How many hard-won figurines, standees, charms, mouse pads, dakimakuras, clothes, blankets, cups, plates, and bowls did he leave behind? Who knows what his family even did with it all? None of them could understand his otaku heart; the best they could do was nod along and support the spending of his own money.
He wanted to cry for a week when he realized that he’d lost his entire collection built over nearly a decade. After wanting to cry, he immediately started thinking of how to rebuild it here. He didn’t even need much. Just a poster or two. Maybe a recreation of a sword or even a simple tea cup tastefully designed with some character symbol.
Unfortunately, the system immediately declared it OOC and banned him from pursuing the idea. But now he’s no longer bound by the system! Shen Qingqiu doesn’t bother smothering his derisive laugh, his smile turning smug as he mentally prepares a list of most-to-least important items to be made.
If anyone else were there, they’d wonder if Shen Qingqiu had somehow lost his mind or completely fallen into evil ways.
Luo Binghe stands in the doorway of the previously empty room, squeezing the broom in his hand a little tighter as he stares at the connected shelves Shizun had ordered. In addition to the shelves, his shizun had also reached out to a few artistic masters. Some of them had finished their pieces shortly after the shelves were delivered, and Shizun had spent nearly the whole day arranging them just so.
There’s a jade statue of a fluffy dog with an odd mark on its forehead, something Shizun had called a scale replica of a sword, an odd-looking flower made of what seems to be glass and precious jewels, and paintings. Several paintings. Of the same man.
The man is tall and handsome. He’s wearing dark robes that open just slightly to reveal a muscular chest. His hair is long and wavy, he has strong eyebrows and a stronger jaw, and the same odd mark as the jade dog decorates his forehead. In most of the paintings, he’s smirking, looking down from the scroll as though the world and everyone in it is beneath him.
“What are you doing?”
Luo Binghe starts and looks behind him with wide eyes, his heart nearly jumping into his throat at the sight of his shizun. “I, um, was going to sweep,” he says, lifting the broom in his hands by an inch to prove his claim.
Shen Qingqiu snaps his fan shut, tapping it lightly against his chin for a moment. He seems to be thinking very hard about something, his eyes flicking between Luo Binghe and the shelves in the room. After a few minutes of tense silence, he apparently comes to a conclusion. “There are special instructions for cleaning this room,” he says, his voice leaving no room for argument.
“If Shizun tells this disciple, I will make sure to follow them exactly,” Luo Binghe promises, already looking forward to the praise that’s sure to follow a perfectly executed cleaning.
The fan snaps open again, covering the lower half of Shen Qingqiu’s face, and Luo Binghe knows he’s hiding the slightest upturn of his lips. “Unfortunately, I do not currently have the time to teach you. Sweep for now, but avoid the display. I will show you how to properly clean this room tomorrow.”
Luo Binghe’s face lights up at the promise that Shen Qingqiu will spend an extended period of time with him tomorrow. “Yes! This disciple is looking forward to it!”
His excitement is rewarded with a light pat on the head before Shen Qingqiu leaves. Luo Binghe waits to hear the door close before turning back to the room. His smile drops when he sees the paintings of that man again.
“Who are you?” he asks, frowning at the paintings as he takes a step into the room and begins to sweep. The quiet brush of the broom dragging along the floor accompanies his speculations. Is this someone Shizun recently met? He’s never requested such paintings before. But when would Shizun have had time to meet this man? He barely leaves the sect.
Maybe…maybe the man is a lover from Shizun’s past. Maybe they were separated by fate, and he’s become the white moonlight in Shizun’s heart. The thought makes Luo Binghe’s heart and stomach clench, a feeling similar to anger (but not quite) building up in him. He gets the sudden urge to tear down the paintings and rip them into shreds.
He grits his teeth, looking away from the paintings to focus on sweeping the same spot he’s been stuck in for five minutes. Luo Binghe lasts all of three seconds before he sighs, leans the broom against the wall, and walks over to the display. He makes sure to stay a few steps away, just to ensure he doesn’t accidentally fall on it, and inspects the paintings closely.
The man is especially handsome when he gets closer, and Luo Binghe hates to admit that, if his shizun were to be with anyone, this man at least meets the minimum aesthetic requirements. That smirk tells him the man is too confident, though. He’d have too much pride to listen to Shizun and do whatever makes him happy. The man would just anger and frustrate Shizun.
Luo Binghe snorts derisively at that. Maybe it’s for the best that this man is no longer in Shizun’s life. At least that gives Luo Binghe the chance to make Shizun forget all about the man. Maybe…maybe he could even replace the man in Shizun’s heart. Would Shizun then commission paintings of him to hang up instead? Could he occupy Shizun’s heart so thoroughly that nobody else could ever take his place, not even this man?
The thought fills Luo Binghe with renewed energy, a fire lit deep within him to make this man in the painting irrelevant to Shizun. He’ll be the best disciple, and when he gets older, he’ll become even more handsome and…and sweep Shizun off his feet!
Luo Binghe stands in the doorway of the Merch Room (that’s what Shizun calls it, but he refused to explain what “merch” actually means) with a tray holding two teacups and a teapot. He takes careful, practiced steps into the room, silently placing the tray on the table. He glances up at Shen Qingqiu, taking in his bored look before quickly focusing on pouring tea.
In front of the shelves, a young woman is studying the paintings. She leans as close as she can without touching the shelves or anything on them, her brows furrowed. From what Luo Binghe knows, she’s a renowned sculptor known for how life-like her works are. The day Shen Qingqiu finally managed to contact and arrange this meeting, he smiled more and gave Luo Binghe extra pats on the head.
“Ah, Peak Lord Shen, are you sure I can’t borrow one of these?”
Luo Binghe’s hand pauses for less than a second before he continues pouring. He internally shakes his head, unsurprised when his shizun’s voice sounds not a second later. “Absolutely not,” Shen Qingqiu replies, his words ice-cold as he taps the end of his fan on the table.
The artist pauses and turns around, smiling apologetically. “Of course, I understand. Then, I will use these paintings now and Peak Lord Shen’s description to draw the man from the front, back, and sides.”
Shen Qingqiu pauses, frowning slightly as he picks up the teacup in front of him. “What sort of descriptions do you need?” he asks, nodding to Luo Binghe once he’s placed the teapot in the middle of the table.
“What does his hair feel like? Do his eyes darken when he sees something he likes? Does he always smirk, or is there another expression you’d like him to have? Things like this, so I can understand the soul of the piece.”
As she speaks, the artist opens a bag on the floor next to her. She removes several sheets of parchment and a piece of graphite, spreading them across the table. She begins to sketch an outline of a head on each piece, ensuring she can draw the subject of her sculpture from each angle as Shen Qingqiu describes him.
Luo Binghe perks up slightly as he moves to stand by the door, ready to do whatever Shizun asks of him. He’s never heard Shen Qingqiu describe the man like this before, and he won’t pass up this excellent opportunity to discover what makes his shizun so obsessed. He hugs the tea tray to his chest, ready to commit everything to memory so he can surpass this mystery man.
“To be honest,” Shen Qingqiu begins, his eyes focusing on one of the paintings, “I am unsure.”
The artist and Luo Binghe show the same confused expression as they look at him. “Is this…not someone Peak Lord Shen knows?” the artist asks, her voice cautious as she glances at Luo Binghe. Her gaze is asking if this is something he knew, but Luo Binghe doesn’t bother meeting her eyes, too focused on his shizun’s answer.
Shen Qingqiu snaps his fan open, covering the lower half of his face as he coughs lightly. “Well,” he says, glancing briefly at Luo Binghe. When their eyes meet, he quickly looks away, the fan pressing closer to his face. “This is a…character from a book I once read.”
Silence follows Shen Qingqiu’s words, and the slight wave of his fan becomes a little more intense. After a few more seconds, the artist manages to compose herself and clears her throat. “In that case, could Peak Lord Shen tell me how that character was described?”
What follows is Shen Qingqiu’s automatic recitation of what must be the character’s description in the book. He seems to have the words memorized, but Luo Binghe isn’t paying any attention to what’s actually being said. He’s too overcome with joy and relief from knowing the man in the paintings isn’t actually real. There’s no living person Shizun is obsessed with, which means Luo Binghe can easily pull ahead of that character to win Shizun’s heart.
Luo Binghe passes the rest of the meeting with the artist in this same daze, his imagination running away from him as he pictures Shizun one day tearing down those paintings for good because that man is no longer important. Before he knows it, the artist has left and he’s working on reflex to clean the teacups from the table.
He glances up to see his shizun standing in front of the display shelves again, his eyes bright and full of anticipation. Luo Binghe suddenly stops, holding the teapot with both hands as he says, “Shizun, I have a question.”
“Mn.”
“This character…what does Shizun like so much about him?”
Shen Qingqiu pauses, his back stiff as he turns to look at Luo Binghe. The question is innocent, but he still finds himself hesitating to answer. Would it be a spoiler to say anything about the novel? How might Luo Binghe change if he learns about his adult self now? Though, so long as Shen Qingqiu doesn’t actually specify that this is an adult Binghe, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? At the very least, the system isn’t saying anything to stop him.
He coughs lightly and covers the bottom half of his face with his fan. “This master read the series when he was younger, so some parts are a blur, but I remember this character being powerful and impressive,” he finally says, proud of himself for remaining vague while still complimenting the novel’s Binghe.
“So, Shizun liked him because he was powerful? Is that the reason you read the series, too?”
This question throws him for a loop. He’s not quite sure how to explain why he read the series; there’s so much that just wouldn’t be understood by Luo Binghe because this isn’t the modern world. Shen Qingqiu frowns behind his fan, glancing at the paintings for a moment. “The setting was also interesting when the author bothered to write about it,” Shen Qingqiu finally says, his tone bitter. He pushes aside the bitterness, though, and continues, “This master liked the character for more than being powerful.
“The character faced much adversity, especially in his childhood, but he came out on top in the end. All the people who wronged him got what they deserved, even if it was rather…violent. The character didn’t let anyone hurt him again after that, and he had many loyal subordinates. Most importantly, he was surrounded by…love in the end.”
Shen Qingqiu can’t think of a better way to describe the harem. Luo Binghe is too young and innocent to be exposed to such things just yet. Besides, it isn’t a lie to say the grown Luo Binghe is surrounded by love. He has endless wives to love him, after all! He could go for over a year and sleep with a different wife each day! If that’s not love, what is?!
He still isn’t looking at Luo Binghe, so he doesn’t see the myriad of expressions that pass over his disciple’s face as he speaks one final, throwaway sentence, “I often hope your future will be similarly filled with love.”
Luo Binghe finally settles on determination and eagerness. He holds the teapot a little tighter, his eyes lit up. “Don’t worry, Shizun! This disciple will definitely have that kind of future,” he says, smiling brightly when Shen Qingqiu looks at him.
He perks up when Shen Qingqiu walks over and gently pats his head. “Mn, you will. This master looks forward to seeing it,” he says, rubbing Luo Binghe’s hair for a few more seconds before leaving the room.
Luo Binghe watches him until Shen Qingqiu’s robes are out of sight before looking back at the paintings on the wall. He smirks at that man in the painting, superiority rushing through him as he thinks about the advantages he has. Shizun wants to see his future full of love, and Luo Binghe is determined for Shizun to be right at the center of that future.