After resolving his own issues, Lu Wuming looked at the now cold water in the bathtub and cleaned it up himself.
When he returned to the bedroom, he found that Liu Buli, who had been waiting for him, had already fallen asleep.
He was leaning against the headboard, his beautiful brows furrowed, as if having an unpleasant dream, and not sleeping soundly.
Lu Wuming tried his best to tread lightly, but as he reached the bedside, Liu Buli still opened his eyes.
Looking at him, Liu Buli yawned.
Perhaps it was because he was truly exhausted, he didn't get up. Instead, he shifted into a more comfortable position and reached out to hold Lu Wuming's hand, murmuring as if in a dream, "Wuming should rest too."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes closed again.
His breathing evened out, and Lu Wuming watched him for a while, making sure he was truly asleep. He then slowly leaned in, curling himself up to lie completely in Liu Buli's embrace, and closed his eyes, just as Liu Buli had done.
Liu Buli smelled wonderfully pleasant. Curled up in his arms, Lu Wuming felt as though even Liu Buli's exhales were sweet.
After a while, he felt his body heat up again. He couldn't sleep, his mind filled with Liu Buli's image. In the end, he could only hold Liu Buli's hand, letting him hold him, before he could finally relax his emotions and fall asleep with him.
After a night of turmoil, both of them were utterly exhausted. They slept until nearly afternoon. Liu Buli ordered some food, and after they shared it in the room, he felt too lazy to go out again.
Taking out the books they had bought earlier, Liu Buli began to teach Lu Wuming to read and write.
Indeed, a god was a god for a reason.
His learning ability was far superior to that of ordinary people.
Liu Buli had never taught anyone before, so he didn't know how to teach basic literacy. Thus, he could only look at the book and point to each character to teach. Even with such a clumsy approach, Lu Wuming could understand what he was saying and what he was explaining, which filled Liu Buli with an ineffable sense of pride.
By the afternoon, they had flipped through more than ten pages of the book. Seeing the sky outside darken, Liu Buli turned another page. As he saw the characters on the next page, his eyes lit up, and a smile curved his brows.
Lu Wuming leaned in to look. The characters were somewhat complex.
In the middle was squeezed the character for "heart," which he had just learned and recognized.
Looking up at Liu Buli's face, Lu Wuming asked, "Shizun, how is this character pronounced?"
"It's 'ai'," Liu Buli said. "Love, beloved, cherished love. It's a feeling more intense than liking, the feeling I told you about before, different from the liking you have for me."
Lu Wuming stared blankly, unable to grasp the meaning of the character.
In his eyes, his liking for Shizun was already the most intense emotion he could imagine. He couldn't think of anything that could be more intense than this.
Could it be the feeling he had for Liu Buli in his previous life?
No, Shizun had just said that the feeling he had for his mother was called hate. Then his feelings for Liu Buli should also be called hate.
Hate and liking were opposites.
Moreover, when he recalled now, whether it was his mother, Liu Buli, or that monk, his hatred for them was not as strong as his liking for Shizun.
So what was love?
Lu Wuming couldn't figure it out.
Seeing his bewildered expression, Liu Buli also felt a bit troubled. After thinking for a moment, he pointed to the heart in the middle of the character and said, "The meaning of love is something that you constantly think about in your heart. It could be a person, or an object. When you think of it, you feel warm and fuzzy, or extremely happy. You are willing to give everything for the other person, and you are willing to tolerate all their flaws. This kind of feeling is called love." Liu Buli paused, then added, "For example, if someone is very ugly, but you find them beautiful, and you can't leave them. Or if someone is clearly annoying, but you are willing to protect them, to protect them with your life. That is called love. Of course, my explanation is a bit extreme, but that's roughly the idea. Can you understand?"
Lu Wuming blinked.
This time, he felt like he understood.
Shizun was very beautiful, beautiful in everyone's eyes. This was different from the example Shizun gave.
But in Lu Wuming's eyes, everyone else was like weeds, including himself. Only Shizun was beautiful in a way that words couldn't describe. Perhaps this was another form of the example fitting?
Shizun was very powerful, but he also wanted to protect Shizun. If Shizun needed it, let alone his life, he wouldn't mind going through life and death a hundred or a thousand times. This should also be the same concept as Shizun's example, right?
After a moment of silence, Lu Wuming said firmly, "I love Shizun."
Liu Buli was startled by his sudden confession.
Immediately, he shook his head and denied, "I told you, this isn't called love. What you feel for me is at most liking, a kind of imprinting. You see me as your brother, your family. Can you understand?"
Lu Wuming of course couldn't understand.
Liu Buli was almost worried to death.
After hesitating for a long time, he finally stood up and closed the book in his hands. He said, "Never mind. I'll take you to buy a few more books. I'll teach you what liking between family members is, what romantic love between lovers is, and what lovers should do. You can learn all of this. Since you're of age now, it's time for you to understand some normal things, like how to handle those changes you're experiencing, and who to go to for help. You'll understand by reading books."