A knock on the door was heard, breaking the silence inside the room. 

Meng Gui was pulled from his reminiscing. He glanced at xiao San before he turned to the door. "Yes?" he spoke. 

"Leader." It was a servant. "Xiao Ming has caught some rebels." She said. 

Meng Gui heaved a deep sigh. "En. I'll come see him later." He spoke. "Tell him to squeeze out more information from them as much as he could." He told her. 

"Yes, leader." She answered before she withdrew. 

Xiao San looked at him. "Shall I go?" he asked. 

Meng Gui nodded. "Pry their mouth open as wide as you could." He told xiao San.

Xiao San cupped his hands. "Yes." He answered before he also left. 

Meng Gui watched as the door closed before he walked towards the wardrobe and picked some clothes. But, as soon as he opened the wardrobe, a pair of strong arms pulled him and hugged him tight. Meng Gui was taken aback and was about to struggle free when he smelled the familiar scent coming from the person. 

It was the smell of rosin. The familiar scent caught him off-guard and the person took the opportunity to raise his chin and kiss him. Meng Gui's eyes widened in shock when he felt a pair of soft, full lips were pressed on his lips. He raised his hands to push the person, but the person has already expected for him to do that and immediately caught his hands with his only one hand, while his other hand held the back of his head to prevent him from retreating. Instead, he pushed his head closer to him and deepened their kiss. 

Meng Gui sharply inhaled when their lips temporarily separated, creating a silver thread connecting their lips. Then, the man kissed him again. Sucking, nibbling his lips before sucking them again. 

"Ah Yan… if you don't want to faint, breathe." Shang He spoke before he unceremoniously kissed him. 

Meng Gui's strength has long since left him. His hands held by Shang He almost limped to his sides had Shang He not held them. Now that he felt he no longer resist, Shang He's hand on the back of Meng Gui's head travelled down and stopped on his back while Shang He's hand holding Meng Gui's hands went behind Meng Gui's knees that weakened after Meng Gui was deeply kissed by Shang He. 

Shang He carried Meng Gui, whose face is as red as an apple, towards the bed and then gently placed him down. But, unlike earlier where Shang He abruptly kissed Meng Gui, Shang He didn't immediately kiss Meng Gui. He just stared at him lying on the bed beneath him, catching his breath while his lips that became swollen were slightly agape. His peach blossom eyes are misty after he kissed him to a daze. 

Shang He almost kissed Meng Gui had he not reminded himself that he has something to talk to Meng Gui. "Ah Yan." He called. "After our conversation earlier, my head became muddled because of pain and sorrow after what happened in the past." He started. "But, after I cooled myself off, I noticed that there seemed to be misunderstanding between us." He said. 

Meng Gui's chest heaved up and down as he catches his breath. He didn't speak and just stared at Shang He, waiting for him to continue speaking. 

"You hate me. But, I don't remember anything that I did to incur your hate." Shang He spoke. 

Hearing what he spoke, it seemed as if Meng Gui was splashed on by a bucket of cold water, making the heat on his body recede. "You don't remember?" he asked. 

Shang He shook his head. "I don't." he honestly answered. 

Meng Gui's heart became cold and his eyes narrowed as he sharply looked at Shang He. "Then, let me remind you." He spoke. Before Shang He could react, he grabbed Shang He's collar before he pulled him down, then kissed him! 

Shang He felt his head became bigger and his heart fluttered when he felt Meng Gui's thin lips once again. He didn't hesitate to kiss him back, before his hands started to peel Meng Gui's clothes off of his body. 

Meng Gui didn't stop Shang He and just let him undress him. He stared at him and waited for him to undress himself before they began to roll on the sheets. 

After what happened to Ah Si's – or now, Shang He's, family, he, Shang He and xiao San escaped to another county. No one minded a group of three beggar children. The three of them began a new life in that place. They thought they would be together forever, but something happened. 

A group of merchants arrived and built an orphanage where they would teach the homeless children and feed them. Meng Gui, Shang He and xiao San were among them. Not only did they teach them literature, politics, arts – calligraphy and playing musical instruments, but they also taught them martial arts. 

Meng Gui has always been smart. Shang He, although not as smart as Meng Gui, but he excels in martial arts. Xiao San, although he has studied when he grew up in his family, but because he was always excluded, his learning was impeded and so he became average. Fortunately, with Meng Gui's guide when it was only the two of them living together before, he learns fast. He became proficient in both literature and arts. 

This peace between them three was broken because of a girl. It wasn't that the three, or two, of them became rivals in love because of the girl. Although she was pretty, but she's not as beautiful as Meng Gui. However, she managed to broke them three. Precisely, Meng Gui and Shang He. 

This girl is the daughter of one of the merchants. She was attracted to Shang He. That time, they were sixteen – an age for puppy love. She did all that she could to get Shang He's attention. But, Shang He's attention has always been on Meng Gui. Meanwhile, Meng Gui, who was teaching xiao San for the latter to catch up with their studies, has his attention on xiao San. 

This girl had a wicked idea and taunted Shang He. "Do you like Ah Yan?" she asked. 

Shang He didn't answer. But, it could be seen that his ears became red when he was asked. 

The girl was annoyed, but she hid it. She has always been following her father so she knows how to control her emotions. In short, she learned how to manipulate people. "Too bad. Ah Yan likes xiao San." She said, making her voice sound pity. 

"What did you say?!" Shang He glared at her. 

She was taken aback and almost tripped. "I said, Ah Yan likes xiao San! Weren't they always together?!" she asked. 

Her words kept repeating in Shang He's mind and he didn't notice when she left, nor he noticed her wicked grin. 

That night, some officials came to arrest the group of merchants. It turns out they were planning a rebellion and wanted to use the beggars to train them as dispensable soldiers. Everything was chaotic, and Meng Gui protected xiao San and the other children, planning to make them escape. Then, he noticed that Shang He was missing. 

He has already noticed that there was something wrong with these merchants, so he made an escape. He made the other children dig a tunnel, and tonight they will use it for their escape. Seeing that no one bothers with the children and the officials only focused on the merchants, Meng Gui let xiao San and the other children escape first before he went to find Shang He. 

However, he found him on the bed, his naked body entangled with the similarly naked body of that girl. Meng Gui felt betrayed, and so he left and ran after xiao San and the others. He knows Shang He knows about the tunnel, and Shang He is smart, so he wasn't afraid of Shang He being lost. 

As expected, Shang He found them the morning after and told them that he heard when he was escaping that the officials are planning to catch all of them. Panic spread among them and Meng Gui told the others that they should split up so that the chances of catching them all will be slim. 

Meng Gui, still felt somber because of what he has seen last night, left everything to Shang He. It was then that xiao San asked him why did Shang He come back in the morning. 

"Ah Si? I hate him. So, don't speak his name before me again, you hear me?" he told xiao San, making xiao San taken aback and retreating to a corner. 

It was at this time did Shang He walk back to them, only to freeze when he heard what Meng Gui said. Meng Gui didn't notice Shang He's arrival since he was still drowned in his anger. It was only when he felt someone tapped his shoulder did he turn to see Shang He. 

Shang He, suppressing his emotions, calmly spoke. "How about us three? Where should we go?" he asked. 

"Let's split up." Meng Gui answered.