No matter how Liu Zhenqing struggled, the other party was unmoved. He bullied him willfully and recklessly, as if to vent years of emotions.

Liu Zhenqing felt as if a well-fed dog had bitten him, and was angered to death.

He couldn’t push him away, so he could only pound Huo Fenglie’s back with his hand. But with Huo Fenglie’s physique and musculature, it was probably like a massage to him.

In the end, his hair was messed up in the struggle and fell across his shoulders in wisps. Some of it brushed against Huo Fenglie’s cheeks, making his heart itch even more.

Due to lack of air, Liu Zhenqing finally lost the strength to resist and fell completely into Huo Fenglie’s embrace. 

Huo Fenglie had also lost his mind. No longer was he trembling with fear and sneaking around – he was openly close to the person who meant the most to him. How could he possibly stop in such a situation? His mouth possessed everything, even the air he was trying to draw in, as if he could devour it all. But it still wasn’t enough.

Feeling Liu Zhenqing’s body go increasingly soft against him, Huo Fenglie’s heart surged, and his body naturally experienced a change as well.

Young people were always impulsive. Even though Huo Fenglie possessed a calmness and restraint far beyond that of his peers, he was currently holding the person he had been thinking about day and night. He was a man in a state of hot-bloodedness, revealing his most primitive side regardless of anything else.

The person in his arms was already muddle-headed, his eyes hazy and dazed, as if covered in a layer of mist. But suddenly, Liu Zhenqing’s pupils constricted as if he had been struck by lightning.

Er-gou’s body, Er-gou’s hands, they…..

Unleashing practically all of the strength he had left, Liu Zhenqing first bit Huo Fenglie hard. Perhaps the pain sobered him up for a moment, because Liu Zhenqing then used the opportunity to immediately shove Huo Fenglie away.

Huo Fenglie was reluctant to let go of him, and instinctively tried to embrace him, but was met with a slap to the face.

With that pa! sound, the peach grove seemed to fall into silence.

Liu Zhenqing had used so much force that Huo Fenglie’s face turned to the side.

“Bastard!” Liu Zhenqing leaned against the tree on weakened legs. Although he was trembling slightly, his aura was like that of a volcanic eruption. The anger of betrayal flushed his cheeks, and he glared at Huo Fenglie.

But when Huo Fenglie turned back to face him, Liu Zhenqing’s heart momentarily softened. Not because of the bright red slap mark on his youthful face, but because Huo Fenglie’s eyes were full of grievance.

Liu Zhenqing had never lost his temper with Huo Fenglie, much less taken action against him. This was the first time in his life that Huo Fenglie had been hit by him. He should have felt panic and anxiety, but at this moment, he was inexplicably filled with grievances.

He had the nerve to be aggrieved?! Not only had he forcibly kissed him, but he had even wanted to do something even more excessive. He treated Liu Zhenqing like this and was still able to feel aggrieved? 

When Liu Zhenqing was able to react, he laughed out of anger. He pointed a finger at him and intended to scold him, but couldn’t come up with the words. He was too embarrassed to mention what had just happened, and didn’t want to face it.

“Don’t come near me!” Liu Zhenqing immediately shouted.

Huo Fenglie went stiff, as if he had been frozen in place, and looked at Liu Zhenqing with a helpless expression: “Qing-ge, I’m sorry…..”

When he heard this apology, Liu Zhenqing became even more furious: “You still know to be sorry?! Good, ah. Huo Fenglie, I never thought you would be so brazen as to do this to me…..It’s no use having regrets. You’ve made a big mistake!”

But Huo Fenglie slowly lowered his head and said in a muffled voice: “I don’t regret it.”

Liu Zhenqing paused mid-reprimand and looked at Huo Fenglie in disbelief: “You…..what did you say?”

Huo Fenglie raised his eyes, and his gaze seemed somewhat tragic, but with an element of madness: “I don’t regret kissing Qing-ge. I want to be with you like this, to kiss you, to embrace you, and to possess you! This is what I have always wanted. I’ve liked you since I was very young, and I don’t want to hide it anymore. Qing-ge, I like you, and I want to be with you forever.”

Huo Fenglie suddenly became agitated, stepping toward Liu Zhenqing again.

Liu Zhenqing’s whole body tensed up, and he instinctively tried to step back, but there was nowhere to go.

“Qing-ge, I don’t want to be your didi anymore. I want to be your sweetheart. I want you. I only want you,” Huo Fenglie growled in a hoarse voice, as if the pot had already been broken and he had nothing to lose. His eyes were fixed fiercely on Liu Zhenqing, like those of a wild beast.

“I don’t want you to marry someone else. If you try to marry someone else, I’ll do everything possible to destroy it. I won’t marry anyone else either. You can only be with me. You must be with me. I…..I beg you…..stay with me.”

After shouting for so long, he actually felt aggrieved again.

Huo Fenglie approached Liu Zhenqing as he had done before. He raised a hand and gently stroked Liu Zhenqing’s cheek, lowering his eyes to look at him with unconcealed love and obsession.

Faced with such a confession, and such a look, Liu Zhenqing really didn’t know whether to be shocked or furious. He’d never thought that Er-gou would look at him like this one day.

Liu Zhenqing’s chest heaved, and he glared as he raised his hand to slap him again.

But Huo Fenglie saw Liu Zhenqing’s hand pass before his eyes and had no intention of blocking it, nor did he turn his head to avoid it. He didn’t even blink, and just looked steadfastly at Liu Zhenqing, as if he wouldn’t back down no matter how he scolded him or beat him.

Liu Zhenqing’s hand didn’t make impact, not because he was reluctant to strike him, but because he knew that beating him wouldn’t put him back in his right mind. But Liu Zhenqing was clear-headed. How could he accept such a relationship?

Liu Zhenqing lowered his hand and looked at Huo Fenglie, who was alarmed by the gradual calm that returned to his eyes.

“Huo Fenglie, listen carefully. I don’t like men, and I don’t like you either. I don’t care what methods you use – just give up on this idea and get your head on straight as soon as possible…..You say that you don’t want to be my didi anymore, so we don’t need to have any relationship at all.”

Huo Fenglie’s face went blank.

Liu Zhenqing shoved him away and walked out of the peach grove with firm strides.

When he came to his senses, Liu Zhenqing didn’t know where to go, and could only walk aimlessly. He didn’t want to go out and face Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo, nor did he want to see Huo Fenglie again. 

This was utterly absurd. That was the child he had watched grow up, ah. It was so uncomfortable…..what just happened felt like a dream.

Liu Zhenqing paused for a moment and reached up to touch his swollen lips. The taste of Huo Fenglie seemed to linger in his mouth. He reacted with anger and grabbed a peach tree branch next to him, plucking the petals wildly.

Huo Fenglie’s words flashed through his mind again. He really couldn’t understand that child’s earnest look. But thinking of his own response, he began to feel conflicted again. Had he said too much and hurt Er-gou, ah? He had been admired and confessed to by many people, but this was the first time he had rejected someone so ruthlessly. It wasn’t his style at all. But he grasped Er-gou’s quiet stubbornness, and knew that anything but ruthless tactics would fail.

Liu Zhenqing gave a plaintive sigh, and even blamed Er-gou a little. They’d had such a good brotherhood, and now he’d ruined it like this. He feared that they wouldn’t be able to be pure brothers anymore. This was so embarrassing. What should he do from now on?

“I’m angry to death!” Liu Zhenqing kicked a nearby peach tree hard, and suddenly heard a sound come from nearby.

“Liu Zhenqing, what’s gotten into you!” Li Xingruo and Huo Feihan walked out from between the trees.

Li Xingruo’s expression was full of anger, but Huo Feihan’s face was red, as if they had been interrupted during a lovey-dovey conversation behind the trees.

Liu Zhenqing should have made a joke, but he stuttered out of embarrassment: “You guys…..are here, ah…..”

Such a reaction immediately caught Li Xingruo’s attention, and she looked him over suspiciously.

His lips, hair, clothes…..the evidence was solid!

“Did Fenglie come to see you just now? What did you talk about? Did you……”

“What!” Liu Zhenqing instantly panicked. He was usually able to talk nonsense with ease, but now he was completely unable to do so.

Li Xingruo’s eyes narrowed, and she smiled: “Oh.”

“What is it?” Huo Feihan had not yet realized.

Liu Zhenqing tensed up: “Nothing!”

Li Xingruo scoffed: “You’re protesting too much. Looking at your current state, it must not have turned out well. Did you leave Fenglie behind?”

Liu Zhenqing came to a sudden realization: “You…..you knew…..”

Huo Feihan finally understood, and let out a cough. “Zhenqing, did you reject my brother?”

Liu Zhenqing’s expression changed several times, and in the end, he walked up to them dejectedly: “What’s wrong with you? You knew about this but didn’t tell me? This kind of mistake should be nipped in the bud, ah. Aren’t you his brother and his sister-in-law? You’re not taking care of him now that he’s grown.”

“Aren’t you the one who always takes care of him?” Li Xingruo said self-righteously.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing and said: “He’s not wrong to like you, ah.”

Liu Zhenqing immediately stared at him in bewilderment.

Huo Fenglie didn’t know who to side with, and could only say awkwardly: “I know my brother is serious about this, but if you don’t like him, then just reject him. Your own happiness is important. In any case, Ruoruo and I won’t…..”

“You don’t have to interfere, but I support Fenglie,” Li Xingruo cut in. She returned Liu Zhenqing’s glare and said: “You don’t have anyone you like, and since he likes you so much, why not give it a try? I can guarantee that he likes you more than all of the people who have confessed to you combined. He knows you so well, takes care of you, and lives his life entirely with you at the center of it. If you let him go, you’ll never find someone who is so good to you in this life. We could all rest at ease leaving you in his care.”

“You…..are you speaking human language?” Liu Zhenqing was so angry with her that his lungs were about to explode. He’d thought that the two people in front of him would think as he did, that it was unreasonable for Er-gou to have such thoughts toward him, but it turned out that they were happy to see it happen. What was going on, ah?

Li Xingruo pointed directly at the tree behind him and said: “Do you remember?”

Liu Zhenqing stared blankly, then looked up and noticed the peach trees they had planted when they were in the Imperial Academy…..huh? The two closer ones belonged to Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo, and the other was his. But why was there a small sapling next to it?

“He planted it,” said Li Xingruo.

Liu Zhenqing was momentarily stumped.

“Liu Zhenqing, I remember you saying before that as long as you like someone, gender, age, and identity aren’t important. He likes you, so just let him like you. You know well how important he is to you, so why not make him happy and see if you can accept him? Why do you keep denying him?” Li Xingruo said.

Liu Zhenqing shook his head and said: “I can’t accept him.”

Li Xingruo snorted: “Then did it disgust you when he kissed you?”

Liu Zhenqing was shocked. His face instantly flushed, and he stared at her in astonishment.

Li Xingruo smiled and said: “You kissed just now, didn’t you? Are you disgusted with him? Was it unbearable? Is it true that your body rejected him and had no other reaction?”

Liu Zhenqing’s lips trembled, and he wanted to deny it. Li Xingruo looked like she had no intention of listening, and said: “You don’t have to tell us the answer. Just as long as you know it yourself.”

In the end, Liu Zhenqing was so angry that he turned around and left: “I’m not listening to you!”

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(Alt Universe) Extra 18 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 20