Ji Qinglin was still in a daze, but when he was asked this question, his eyes seemed to dim.

“This student…..wants to be an official….in order to…..” He was going to say ‘in order to serve in the Imperial court,’ but when he looked up into Liu Zhenqing’s knowing eyes, he immediately got stuck and said, “Bring honor to my family.”

“How many people are in your family? Do they need such a thing?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“In the past, my father was implicated in a crime and was dismissed from his post, then died of illness. I was also expelled from the family, and my mother raised me alone. So my goal since childhood has been to restore my family’s reputation,” Ji Qinglin said without holding anything back. He knew that the Crown Prince would thoroughly investigate the backgrounds of anyone he employed, so there was no need for him to cover anything up.

Bai Yu was somewhat astonished at Ji Qinglin’s words. The reason he had no affection for Ji Qinglin was because he felt that he was too goal-oriented at times and openly sought benefits, which made him uncomfortable. For example, he didn’t bother with painting or playing the zither, which were of no use in the Imperial Examinations, and it seemed that all of his learning was solely for the purpose of exams and assessments. Ambitious people like this would carefully consider benefits when making decisions, and would not be loyal ministers devoted to serving the people.

But Bai Yu also understood that people like him didn’t understand those from different circles, so he wasn’t qualified to judge Ji Qinglin. It was just that his perspective was different from Bai Yu’s, so he was unable to appreciate it.

But after hearing his words today, Bai Yu felt ashamed of being so superficial in his judgement of people. 

He knew that Ji Qinglin might not appreciate his change of heart, but he had no choice. Every step he took in the future would be difficult, so he must be careful to cherish every opportunity, and to spend his time and energy wisely.

But why had he learned the Rubik’s Cube? And to be so good at it – was it just to show his face in front of Liu Zhenqing?

Liu Zhenqing was also quite impressed by Ji Qinglin’s words, and patted him on the shoulder, saying: “Work hard, and you’ll be able to achieve it.”

Ji Qinglin was stunned, and Liu Zhenqing said jokingly: “I’ve already painted a sun on your forehead. Won’t it shine on you and bring honor to your family?”

Liu Zhenqing knew that Ji Qinglin was exactly the kind of person the Crown Prince liked to cultivate – he had no family background, wasn’t naive, was able to overcome adversity, and was competent.

The surrounding had become lively as they talked, so Liu Zhenqing let the two of them go: “It’s a crucial moment now, so I won’t stand in the way of your romantic pursuits. You two go ahead and enjoy the party.”

Bai Yu’s cheeks reddened, and he seemed to want to continue talking with Liu Zhenqing. He didn’t have anyone he liked in the Imperial Academy, and didn’t want to be confessed to, but it wasn’t a good thing for him to continue to occupy Liu Zhenqing’s time.

Ji Qinglin glanced at Bai Yu almost imperceptively, then bowed and took his leave.

“This Ji Qinglin, could it be…..” Liu Zhenqing touched his chin.

“He likes Bai-dage,” Huo Fenglie said abruptly.

Liu Zhenqing turned to Huo Fenglie in astonishment: “How do you know?”

Huo Fenglie said: “Bai-dage helped him when he was being bullied before. Although he’s never taken the initiative to befriend Bai-dage, I caught him secretly helping him a few times without Bai-dage’s knowledge.”

“Why did he keep it secret?”

“He feels that he’s not worthy of him, and that any confession will surely fail, so he definitely won’t tell him. But perhaps when he works hard enough to become worthy of him…..”

“How do you understand this so clearly?” Liu Zhenqing asked in amazement.

Huo Fenglie lowered his eyes. Perhaps it was because they shared the same brand of suffering.

Liu Zhenqing observed Huo Fenglie’s expression and touched his chin, then suddenly asked: “Then what about the one you like, ah? Will you confess your feelings today?”

Huo Fenglie froze and glanced at him. Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed, and for some reason, he kept staring back.

Huo Fenglie looked away: “Didn’t you say I’m still young?”

Liu Zhenqing was stumped: “Yes…..you’re young.”

In fact, Huo Fenglie had grown taller than him, but his face was still immature, and he overwhelmingly possessed an aura of youth. Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched awkwardly as he looked at him. Perhaps he shouldn’t question the kid about who he liked. Who didn’t become restless during adolescence? This sort of restlessness would disappear over time, and perhaps whether the person he liked was a man or a woman would change accordingly.

Wait, what about Liu Zhenqing’s own adolescence? Considering how busy he was in modern times, with no time to think, and then coming here as a teenager……it seemed he’d spent his time causing trouble everywhere and babysitting this kid.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t take responsibility for his own faults, but instead looked at Huo Fenglie with some resentment, thinking that it was because this kid was so clingy that he’d never been able to develop during adolescence.

But Huo Fenglie looked back at him and said: “It’s just that…..I’m only young in Qing-ge’s eyes.”

There was a hint of grievance in his words.

Liu Zhenqing was leaning on the bench with one foot up, and when he heard this, he couldn’t help but kick at him.

Huo Fenglie immediately grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s slender ankle. His hand was broad enough to wrap completely around it, almost making him lose his balance. Liu Zhenqing felt an instinctive panic, as if he was at someone’s mercy.

He tried to retract his foot, but Huo Fenglie didn’t let go.

The night breeze was accompanied by the scent of peach blossoms and a hint of alcohol. He kept feeling that recently, Huo Fenglie was no longer as well-behaved and obedient. He constantly exuded a sense of rebelliousness, which made Liu Zhenqing uneasy.

But since he couldn’t resist, he would just enjoy it. Liu Zhenqing straightened his legs so that they lay across Huo Fenglie’s thighs: “My legs are sore.”

Huo Fenglie stared for a moment, then resignedly raised his hands to massage Liu Zhenqing’s calves. But as Huo Fenglie proceeded to massage him, Liu Zhenqing felt that something was wrong. His legs went from sore to weak, and he immediately had regrets.

“Um…..what are your future ambitions?” Liu Zhenqing quickly brought up a conversation topic.

Huo Fenglie said directly: “To be your bodyguard.”

Liu Zhenqing choked on his wine, then sent him a speechless look: “Are you joking?”

“I’m not joking. You chose someone else.” Huo Fenglie paused before saying, “It’s because I’m not as skilled as him.”

There was that complaining tone again, as if he was the one who had done something wrong. Liu Zhenqing instinctively declined to ask why he wanted to be his bodyguard, because he had a feeling that asking would be a very bad thing.

“Okay, okay. Since you can’t be my bodyguard, what about something else? Will you take the Imperial Examinations and become a court official, or follow your brother? I hear that the old instructors at the academy want you to take the exams, but your family members all want you to inherit the family business. Your brother also says that your abilities are not inferior to his,” Liu Zhenqing said with curiosity.

Huo Fenglie considered for a moment, then looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “I don’t have any big ambitions. Mostly just…..eating, drinking, having fun, traveling all over the world, helping others when I see injustice, doing what I want, and going with the flow.”

Liu Zhenqing paused. That was exactly what he’d said about his own ambitions, word for word.

Huo Fenglie suddenly smiled and said: “May I go with Qing-ge?”

Liu Zhenqing was dumbfounded.

Huo Fenglie’s eyes gradually dimmed, and he said with a deep gaze: “It’s impossible for Qing-ge to bring someone with him other than me.”

The night breeze suddenly became a little chilly.

At that moment, several young girls approached and prudently called Huo Fenglie’s name. They clearly wanted to express something to him, but Huo Fenglie headed them off with: “Sorry, I don’t have time.”

There was no chance for anyone to speak at all.

The group of girls looked embarrassed, momentarily frozen as they glanced at a girl with pale cheeks.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t bear to see the young girl embarrassed. He immediately kicked at Huo Fenglie again, who was still holding his ankle, warning him to be a little more polite.

The girls in the Imperial Academy finished their schooling earlier than the boys, so these girls likely only dared to approach him since they were leaving soon. Even if he rejected the confession, he should still take the feelings of others into consideration. After all, memories of youthful impulse and bravery were few and far between.

Huo Fenglie glanced at him with a frown. He seemed a little unhappy, but he obediently stood up and left with the girl.

After a while, Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo returned. Seeing Li Xingruo wiping Huo Feihan’s sweat, he smiled and said: “Are there any good seedlings?”

Huo Feihan shook his head: “It’s hard to find good officers.”

“Nobody is as good as Fenglie,” Li Xingruo said.

Liu Zhenqing thought of the ambitions Huo Fenglie had just mentioned, and suddenly didn’t know how to respond.

“Where’s Fenglie?” Huo Feihan was rather surprised to not find Huo Fenglie at Liu Zhenqing’s side. From their perspective, wherever Liu Zhenqing was, Huo Fenglie was sure to follow.

“A girl called him away,” Liu Zhenqing said as he handed over the wine.

“Ah? And he actually went?” Li Xingruo said in shock.

Liu Zhenqing had criticized Huo Fenglie’s rude behavior just now, and now Li Xingruo was glaring at him.

“What?”

Li Xingruo didn’t even know where to start. Whether it was Liu Zhenqing’s gentle rejections or Huo Fenglie’s heartless ones, it was hard to say which was more effective. It all depended on what the girls thought. But Huo Fenglie must be hurt that Liu Zhenqing had told him to go.

“You’ve done wrong, and you’ll get your comeuppance sooner or later,” Li Xingruo said with a scoff.

Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Huo Feihan, saying with his eyes: Is there something wrong with your wife?

Huo Feihan didn’t have such a meticulous mind, and felt that Liu Zhenqing’s approach was correct. One must give the other person face when rejecting them.

The three were drinking when someone came looking for Liu Zhenqing.

The girl was extremely beautiful, and looked familiar.

Li Xingruo recognized her: “Sister Jian Shuang?”

The girl had a cold personality, and her cheeks were red at the moment, but there was no love in her eyes when she looked at Liu Zhenqing. He really couldn’t tell if she was interested in him, and she was about the same age as Huo Fenglie, which was too young for him, but he still followed her to an empty part of the peach grove.

When the girl stopped, she turned her head and said with a resolute expression: “I’m not here to confess my love, but I have some questions to ask you.”

Liu Zhenqing had thought this was the case: “Ask away.”

“Does the young master have a sweetheart?”

Liu Zhenqing was confused. Was she asking on behalf of someone else?

“Not yet,” he said.

“Then…..does the young master like men?” the girl asked with a blush.

Liu Zhenqing nearly dropped the wine jug in his hand. What was this girl doing, ah? She shouldn’t be asking for her brother back home.

“I…..what do you want to ask, ah? Just say it.” 

The girl’s expression eased. She calmed down and said: “I want to ask, do you…..like Huo Fenglie?”

At this time, Huo Fenglie had already rejected the other girl and heard that Liu Zhenqing had been taken away, so he quickly chased after him. And hidden behind a tree, he heard every word that was said.

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(Alt Universe) Extra 16 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 18