Huo Fenglie didn’t let go when he was sent home. The General’s Manor seemed to be accustomed to this kind of behavior.

But Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan knew the truth. Er-gou had a very good tolerance for alcohol, and was hiding it.

Huo Feihan looked at Liu Zhenqing guiltily, feeling like he was helping his brother cover up the truth and hinder Liu Zhenqing’s blind date. He looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated. Li Xingruo smiled and asked about the events of today.

“Let’s not talk about it right now. Hurry up and get the hangover pills.” Liu Zhenqing was being held tightly, and wasn’t as strong as Huo Fenglie. When he set him on the bed, Er-gou nearly dragged him down with him.

Huo Feihan started to go and pull his brother away – what kind of sight was this? – but he was blocked by Li Xingruo.

“Even hangover pills take time to kick in. Since he won’t let go anyway, just lay down with him,” Li Xingruo said as she pretended to feed a pill to Huo Fenglie. “All right, here you go.”

When he saw his wife playing along to deceive Liu Zhenqing, Huo Feihan could only choose to aid the wicked. “What…..caused him to drink?”

Liu Zhenqing was in an awkward posture, and didn’t hesitate to climb into the bed. He let Huo Fenglie hug him from behind as he lay on his side chatting with them.

“I might have made him angry. Actually, it wasn’t my fault…..” Having said this, Liu Zhenqing told them about what had happened that day.

Both of them were delighted by this astonishing development.

“It turns out that Er-gou is more charming than you. Do you accept defeat, Liu Zhenqing?” Li Xingruo said with a laugh.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t get angry. He just patted the arm encircling him and said: “Er-gou is indeed growing more and more handsome. It’s not surprising that young girls like him, but…..”

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing looked a little strange, the two couldn’t help but get nervous, thinking he had finally discovered something.

But Liu Zhenqing simply asked who Huo Fenglie’s sweetheart was, startling them.

Huo Feihan didn’t dare continue to look at Liu Zhenqing. Li Xingruo wore a smile that wasn’t a smile.

Liu Zhenqing had originally thought that Huo Fenglie was just making up a story to ward off the peach blossoms, and was baffled when the two of them reacted like this.

“Who is it, ah? You know but I don’t! You won’t even tell me?!” Liu Zhenqing suddenly felt a little unwell. After all, he had always claimed them as family, especially Er-gou, who was probably closer to him than he was to his own family. Why did everyone else know about such an important matter, but he didn’t? He felt like he was being kept in the dark, excluded by those closest to him.

Huo Feihan absolutely lacked the confidence to lie to Liu Zhenqing, so he could only send Li Xingruo an anxious look.

Li Xingruo rolled her eyes, saying with a shake of her head: “He probably has a sweetheart, but we don’t know who it is, ah. We thought you knew, so we were going to ask you.”

Liu Zhenqing was stunned: “Then how did you find out? Did he tell you?”

“That’s right,” Li Xingruo said. “He said so some time ago, when the family elders wanted to find a marriage partner for him.”

In fact, he hadn’t said anything at all. He’d just rejected them outright without giving them any face, then turned and fled.

When Liu Zhenqing heard about this marriage partner, he stared blankly for a moment and gave an internal sigh: Er-gou has indeed grown up. He’s old enough to get engaged now?

After she spoke, Li Xingruo saw that Huo Fenglie had yet to wake up. She was tactful, and said directly: “You can stay with him and take a nap. The East Palace just sent a message asking for Feihan’s presence. I’ll go with him and come back to see you in the afternoon.”

“The East Palace?” Liu Zhenqing was taken aback.

“What do you know?” Huo Feihan asked keenly.

“It may have something to do with the instability in the west,” Liu Zhenqing said.

After hearing what Liu Zhenqing said, Huo Feihan had a rough idea in mind. He immediately looked at Li Xingruo, somewhat uneasy.

Li Xingruo looked up and said: “No matter what it is, we’ll be together as husband and wife, so it won’t be too dangerous.”

Now that Great Zhou had the crown prince in charge, everyone was united. Even if other countries wanted to stir up trouble, they were unable to create big waves, and could only engage in minor conflicts at most.

So if they were to travel west, Li Xingruo would want to follow her husband, and Huo Feihan would have no strong objections.

“Oh, the husband sings and the wife harmonizes,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Li Xingruo raised an eyebrow and said to him: “If you can force out the name of Er-gou’s sweetheart, do be sure to tell us.”

After saying this, she just smiled and pulled Huo Feihan away.

Watching the two of them leave together, Liu Zhenqing could only lament that if they went west, he would only have Er-gou by his side.

Wait, if Er-gou also had someone he liked, then Liu Zhenqing…..would be truly alone.

In fact, Liu Zhenqing’s sense of belonging in this world had been weak since he traveled here. There weren’t many people he had bonds with. He always felt a bit detached, and also understood that the people around him would gradually leave and establish their own little worlds.

Liu Zhenqing considered this, consolidated the facts, and determined that he should really find a partner.

He was just daydreaming. It was about time for a lunchtime nap. After all, he did drink some wine while watching the show at noon, and although it hadn’t made him drunk, it did make him sleepy.

Liu Zhenqing had bad sleeping habits. He liked to hug the things next to him tightly, usually a pillow, and wouldn’t let go.

But today, he slept uneasily. The pillow in his arms made him feel uncomfortable, as if he was in peril. He reached out to push it away, but in the next second, there was pressure against his lips.

The somewhat messy kiss fell along with rapid breaths.

It felt like Liu Zhenqing’s breath was being stolen. He opened his eyes blearily and caught sight of a pair of deep, wild eyes that contained a pure yet dangerous light.

Liu Zhenqing’s brain was still muddled. He just felt that this pair of eyes was very familiar, but his vision was strange. At such a close distance that they were nearly touching, his vision was out of focus and he couldn’t tell who it was for a moment.

But he had already noticed that he was being kissed. Where could he have found someone to kiss? It was clear that someone was taking advantage of him. Shamed into anger, Liu Zhenqing tried to shove the person away, but they grabbed his wrists.

The signals this person was giving off were getting increasingly dangerous. Liu Zhenqing started to struggle, and the other party became gentler, as if to comfort him.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if it was his body’s reaction or if he was still asleep, but he felt a familiar and reassuring aura lingering around him, and he gradually began to enjoy the kiss instead of hating it.

Liu Zhenqing was taken advantage of for some time, but he soon came to his senses and had a moment of clarity. And in that moment, he finally realized who was on top of him. But he was so shocked that he stopped breathing and his brain completely shut down.

When he woke up with a start, he was about to get angry when he saw Huo Fenglie lying quietly next to him. 

Liu Zhenqing was immediately filled with questions. 

Wait…..what happened just now…..had he been dreaming?

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but touch his body, feeling a bit hot. He also touched his lips, and although they were a little swollen, it wasn’t too bad.

So he didn’t understand what was going on at all.

Liu Zhenqing was instinctively inclined to think it was a dream. How could it be possible? Er-gou, ah, how could he……and with the look in those eyes and his fierce actions, how could Er-gou have done such a thing to him?

Huh?

And if it was a dream?

Why did I have this dream, ah! ! ! ! ! ! !

The situation suddenly became thus: either Er-gou had made a blunder, or Liu Zhenqing himself had made a blunder.

But Er-gou was so well-behaved, obedient, and sensible that Liu Zhenqing could only conclude that there was something wrong with himself.

But he’s still a child, ah! Am I a beast?!!!

Don’t panic, don’t panic. Dreams weren’t necessarily a reflection of reality. Perhaps his body had needs, and the last person he saw had been Er-gou sleeping next to him. Er-gou’s scent was all around, which caused him to be affected. It didn’t mean anything.

Liu Zhenqing sent a covert glance at Huo Fenglie beside him. His gaze inexplicably moved to his lips, which were red and rosy…..ai, don’t look at them. He didn’t like men, not to mention that Er-gou was his little didi, ah!

In a fluster, he couldn’t help but grab a Rubik’s Cube. He placed small toys around where he slept, and there was one on Huo Fenglie’s bed. Liu Zhenqing knew this, and found it by touch.

The click-click-click sounds were disordered at the beginning, and became regular later on, evidence that Liu Zhenqing had calmed down.

Suddenly, there was movement beside him: “Qing-ge?”

His voice was hoarse, as if he had just woken up.

Liu Zhenqing froze, immediately filled with regret. He had reflected and calmed down, but why had he stayed in bed, ah? He’d clearly been released, and was able to escape.

Thinking of this, Liu Zhenqing was vexed once more. Why should he have to escape, ah? It was just a small gaffe. Why did he feel so guilty?

Just as he was thinking, Huo Fenglie poked his head over.

Liu Zhenqing felt a weight on his back as Huo Fenglie leaned against him. He even rested his head on his shoulder lazily, looking down at the Rubik’s Cube in his hand.

It was a very common action, but Liu Zhenqing’s heartbeat was thrown into chaos.

Because the weight was familiar, and the scent coming closer and closer was familiar. Everything was just like in the dream.

“Qing-ge is so good at playing. Teach me?” As he said this, Huo Fenglie stretched his arms over each side of Liu Zhenqing’s ribs. He seemed to be taking the Rubik’s cube from his hands, but his posture seemed more like he was embracing him.

He originally wouldn’t have thought there was anything wrong with this posture, but Liu Zhenqing roused with a start, feeling that it was a little too much.

Liu Zhenqing turned around with the intention of asking Huo Fenglie to move away, but when he turned over, he saw how close Huo Fenglie was.

Although he wasn’t as close as in the dream, Liu Zhenqing instantly saw a familiar expression on his face, and the eyes staring at him made his heart skip a beat.

And Huo Fenglie’s gaze moved from his eyes to his lips. Even though he had kissed him passionately before, it still felt like it wasn’t enough – but now, he didn’t dare. Before, he was out of control. His emotions had completely erupted, and he didn’t care if he was discovered. But now…..

Huo Fenglie’s eyes gradually darkened. How could someone who had eaten meat go back to drinking soup? It seemed like it was becoming increasingly easy to lose control.

“Er…..gou.” Liu Zhenqing suddenly spoke up, interrupting Huo Fenglie’s slow approach.

“En?”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know if it was all in his head, but Er-gou had looked as if he was going to kiss him. Startled, he’d instinctively opened his mouth to cut through the strange atmosphere.

Liu Zhenqing was flustered, and could only bring up a random topic: “R-right, who is your sweetheart, ah?”

Huo Fenglie tensed up. When he raised his eyes to stare at Liu Zhenqing, his expression gradually became serious, as if he was about to blurt something out.

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(Alt Universe) Extra 12 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 14