CHAPTER 645: WHEN DID YOU START TO LIKE ME?

Han Xin finished the last spoonful of chicken soup with a soft sigh, warmth blooming in his chest from the man who had made it. As Xiang Yu set the porcelain spoon down, he smiled, genuinely, despite the uneven salt and mushy carrots. Xiang Yu took the empty bowl and placed it aside with quiet satisfaction.

"You have to eat from now on," Xiang Yu said, brushing his hands together. "I will find the best chef and bring them with us."

AN: More like kidnap them.

Han Xin didn’t respond. He was staring at Xiang Yu, heart in turmoil. The soup had settled in his stomach, but the truth churned restlessly inside him. How was he supposed to say it? That in his divine state, he had done something reckless, something irreversible. That now, because of it... they were going to have a child.

His finger curled around Xiang Yu’s wrist, thumb gently stroking the warm skin. He opened his mouth, trying to summon the words.

"You should take a bath before you sleep," Xiang Yu said suddenly as ge stood up. "It’s cold outside. I will prepare it for you."

Han Xin tightened his grip, stopping him. Xiang Yu turned, startled, and met those dazzling eyes, eyes that held something fragile, something trembling.

He hadn’t shown it much, but Xiang Yu was nervous too. They had barely spoken in their own world before everything went down. Their closeness had bloomed in other worlds and they had done everything couples do together but not here, not in their original world. Now they were finally face to face feeling distant yet close at the same time.

Xiang Yu sat back down his mind a whirlwind of questions. He wanted to ask everything his banishment about, about the pain Han Xin had endured, about the moment they took his power. But after the chaos of the day, after watching his lover collapse into his arms and the way he clung to him, Xiang Yu knew better than to press. He swallowed his curiosity and kept busy, skirting around sensitive topics to make things feel less heavy.

Telling Han Xin to take a bath was just an excuse. Xiang Yu had already used a cleansing talisman on him when he passed out. The suggestion was a distraction. A way to buy time, to calm the storm inside his chest.

But then Han Xin tilted his head and asked, "Can we bath together?"

Xiang Yu: "..."

He blinked with a dazed look in his eyes. "Umm..."

Han Xin saw his hesitation and softened his voice. "It’s okay... I just wanted to be close to you."

He might not remember every moment they had shared across the different worlds, but he remembered how to pull Xiang Yu’s heartstrings. And he executed it perfectly. That face, that quiet vulnerability, made Xiang Yu’s pulse stutter.

Xiang Yu pursed his lips, trying to hold firm. "I won’t join you... but I can accompany you."

Han Xin didn’t push. He took the offer as a win. A smile crept across his face, warm and content. "Okay."

Their gazes locked and Xiang Yu’s heart thudded. ’Crap,’ he thought, ’I can’t say no to that face.’

AN: No you can’t. You know you can’t lol.

Steam curled through the bathhouse like silk threads unraveling in the air, rising from the wooden tub at the center of the room. The scent of sandalwood and plumeria mingled with the heat, creating a haze that softened the lantern light and blurred the edges of everything.

Han Xin stepped behind the koi-patterned folding screen, his robe sliding down his shoulders with slow grace. Wisps of steam floated past his exposed butterfly bones, the delicate angles of his back catching the light in fleeting glimmers. Xiang Yu who was standing nearby, caught a glimpse of the view and his adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.

He shouldn’t look. He knew that. But the shadow cast on the screen was impossible to ignore.

Han Xin’s silhouette moved with quiet elegance, the robe slipping further down until it pooled at his feet. Xiang Yu’s gaze lingered on the outline of Han Xin’s body, each curve and line etched in vapor and light. Then, with a teasing smile, Han Xin flung the robe over the screen right where Xiang Yu’s shadow had been watching.

Xiang Yu flinched, startled, and cleared his throat. He dragged a stool closer and sat down, trying to regain composure. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Han Xin paused, sliding his inner pants down his thighs. His smile widened, playful and warm. "How could I forget?" he said, stepping out of them. "You called me an ugly bastard."

Xiang Yu: "..."

He stared at the screen, lips twitching, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

"I never called you that," Xiang Yu said, voice firm, almost too fast. "You remembered wrong."

Han Xin chuckled from behind the folding screen, the sound light and teasing. "Really? But I remember it so vividly. My chest still hurts when I think about how my husband called me ugly. Before that, no one had ever dared."

Xiang Yu’s ears burned crimson. He waved his hand as if to swat the memory away. "Okay, okay! Let’s not talk about bad things."

He wanted to cover Han Xin’s mouth, to stop him from talking. But Han Xin’s laughter only deepened, echoing softly in the steam-filled room.

Han Xin’s fingertips skimmed the surface of the bathwater, testing its warmth. It was perfect. He climbed in slowly, the water rippling around him, soft waves lapping against the wooden tub.

Xiang Yu heard the sound and swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. Then, quietly, he asked, "When did you start to like me?"

Silence followed. Only the gentle sound of water rippling answered him.

Han Xin leaned back, eyes half-lidded, steam curling around his face. He didn’t speak right away, but Xiang Yu could feel the weight of the answer forming in the quiet.

The lantern light flickered, casting long shadows across the bathhouse walls, dancing like memories too stubborn to fade. Han Xin’s gaze drifted upward to the beams of the roof.

"Since the day I first laid eyes on you," he said softly. Xiang Yu, seated behind the koi-patterned folding screen, froze. His breath caught in his throat. That day?

He remembered it vividly. He remembered how dishevelled he had looked, how he had snarled and snapped, how he had called Han Xin names to mask his own panic. He couldn’t imagine anyone falling in love with that version of him.