Huo Fenglie’s expression went stiff. He opened his mouth to explain, but knew that with Liu Zhenqing’s intelligence, he wouldn’t be able to fool him.

Qing-ge would be angry. After all, Qing-ge was a person who valued freedom, and absolutely hated being monitored. He instinctively felt that Qing-ge would be angrier about this than about being forced into intimacy.

But how could he rest at ease if he didn’t keep an eye on him?

“I’m s…..” Huo Fenglie started to apologize. Even though he would do it again, he decided to start with an apology.

But before he could finish, Liu Zhenqing smacked him hard on the head.

Liu Zhenqing regarded Huo Fenglie with both anger and amusement: “I didn’t think you would resort to such means. How did you do it? I was obviously on the road most of the time, so was it the guards? Huo-dage found them for me, and they would naturally listen to you since they belong to your Huo family. But I usually only bring Liu Qiao with me when I’m in the capital, ah. You…..”

Huo Fenglie covered his forehead and stared blankly at Liu Zhenqing, who wasn’t as angry as he had imagined. Seeing his uncertainty, Huo Fenglie quickly said: “It was my friends. He Lan, Qin Yu, Bai Su…..and Yuan Jue.”

“Oh, the East Palace, the Imperial Guard, the Dongchang, and Bai Yu, who was at my side. You were really omnipresent. Brat, you turned out to be like this……” When Liu Zhenqing came to this conclusion, he was truly shocked.

After all, in his impression, although Er-gou was talented in both civil and military affairs, he had been well-protected by their trio and had always been their little didi, so his thoughts should be fairly simple. Even after expressing his feelings for Liu Zhenqing, some of his actions toward him were purely impulsive, like a child throwing a tantrum. Even though Liu Zhenqing was ashamed, angry, and embarrassed during the process, he’d felt powerless afterward and unable to dispute it with Er-gou.

Therefore, Liu Zhenqing had never thought that one day, Huo Fenglie would quietly set up a trap around him so that his every move would never escape his eyes. And for two years, he’d never even known he was being watched. Quite suddenly, he had the feeling that he was no match for the person in front of him.

All of this deeply shocked Liu Zhenqing. The subversion of the hierarchy of their relationship made this sense of unfamiliarity even stronger, and the changes in Huo Fenglie’s appearance and temperament  were even more unfamiliar than when they’d met again just now.

Before, he had cradled Er-gou in his palms with care, which was the equivalent of complete control – but now, it felt as if someone was holding him by the scruff of his neck. This made him realize that Er-gou had grown up and was on equal footing with him, no longer a puppy trailing at his heels.

This conclusion astounded Liu Zhenqing, and he could only stare blankly at Huo Fenglie, not knowing how to react.

Seeing Liu Zhenqing like this, Huo Fenglie felt uneasy. He immediately reached out and grasped Liu Zhenqing by the arms, saying: “Qing-ge, I’m sorry. Don’t…..don’t be angry with me. I just…..couldn’t stop thinking about you. I wanted to know everything about you. I….won’t make excuses. If you’re angry, just hit me. And if that’s not enough, let Liu Qiao beat me. I won’t fight back at all.”

Huo Fenglie was in close proximity to him as he spoke. Liu Zhenqing looked at him, and heat immediately flooded his face. They had already kissed, but for some reason, their closeness at this moment made him flustered. In particular, the deep affection in Huo Fenglie’s eyes made him avert his gaze.

He actually…..wasn’t all that angry. It just seemed to feel…..right. 

Liu Zhenqing reached out uneasily and pushed against Huo Fenglie’s chest, keeping him at enough distance that he could breathe smoothly. “I’ll hit you. Of course I’ll hit you. Just wait until your injury is healed – I’ll beat you up!”

Huo Fenglie stared, as if in disbelief at Liu Zhenqing’s reaction. He keenly realized that Liu Zhenqing wasn’t truly angry, and infinite hope began to surge in his heart. At once, he reached up and grasped Liu Zhenqing’s hand on his chest.

Liu Zhenqing was startled and tried to pull his hand back, but Huo Fenglie tugged so hard that he lost his balance and nearly fell into the other’s arms again. Liu Zhenqing caught himself with his other hand and glared at Huo Fenglie.

But Huo Fenglie’s eyes were as deep as the sea as he asked: “Qing-ge, can you answer my question now?”

Question, what question…..ah…..whether his behavior the past two years had anything to do with Huo Fenglie.

How should he answer this, ah?

After two years with no contact, Liu Zhenqing initially thought that Huo Fenglie had gradually forgotten about his infatuation that shouldn’t have existed. He delightedly kept the jade cube, but there was a constant voice inside him telling him that Huo Fenglie had opened his heart to him, and he should respect that even if he didn’t return his feelings.

So until he was completely certain of Huo Fenglie’s intentions, he didn’t remove it – only out of respect. The same was true for marriage.

From the moment Huo Fenglie confessed his feelings to him and made that vow, Liu Zhenqing had been bound.

After coming here, being molested by him, and learning the truth of the past two years, Liu Zhenqing felt that his unresolved questions had been answered, and he felt relieved. But he…..

“I don’t know…..I’ve been so busy these past two years that I really haven’t thought too much about it,” Liu Zhenqing said frankly.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Huo Fenglie’s eyes, but he immediately looked up at Liu Zhenqing, saying gently but firmly: “Qing-ge, no matter what you think, I just want you to know that after being away from you for two years, my feelings for you have not diminished. They’ve only grown stronger. I know that I can’t live without you in this life. If you had someone you liked, I definitely wouldn’t pester you so much. The thing I’m afraid of most is that you’ll hate me. But if you don’t have someone you like, then I…..”

Huo Fenglie’s gaze gradually became sharper: “Then I’ll never let you go.”

Liu Zhenqing grew flustered under his gaze. He had an inexplicable feeling that his undiminished feelings these past two years would likely never diminish in the future. A voice in his mind told him that he should give up – that since he was so entangled anyway, he might as well compromise.

But while he was lost in thought, a certain person couldn’t take it anymore, overwhelmed as he was after confessing his feelings. He leaned in to kiss him, but the quick-eyed, quick-handed Liu Zhenqing stopped him with a hand over his mouth.

“Don’t push your luck!” Liu Zhenqing said angrily. What was going on, ah? He was used to being the one flirting with others, so why was he the one being flirted with now? What exactly had gone wrong, ah?

Huo Fenglie sent him an aggrieved look, as if saying, you’re right in front of me – how can I help myself?

Liu Zhenqing was endlessly furious, but in the next second, he sensed that something wasn’t right. The hand pressed to Huo Fenglie’s lips touched his cheek instead. Huo Fenglie’s eyes widened at once. His excitement was beyond words.

“Qing…..”

“Such a high temperature. You have a fever.”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback. He averted his eyes and grumbled: “I had a fever when I came here. Haven’t you been paying attention to me?”

At this thought, Liu Zhenqing’s cheeks grew warm. There was also the time when they kissed…..it had seemed that the inside of his mouth was overly hot, but at that time, he couldn’t pay attention to such things, ah. And he had been focused on the condition of the wound when he was bandaging it just now. With such a serious injury, how could he not have a fever?

Liu Zhenqing sent Huo Fenglie a fierce glare: “Why did you come here if you have a fever?” He pressed a hand to Huo Fenglie’s forehead and forced him to lay down. He had initially wanted to chase him off, but now he could only allow him to recover from his injuries.

“Lie down for me,” Liu Zhenqing said unhappily.

“Then Qing-ge can’t leave the carriage. He must stay with me, otherwise there would be no point in me coming here.

Liu Zhenqing raised a hand and smacked him, then took out a towel and wrapped ice inside it to cool him down.

After a while, Huo Fenglie felt drowsy: “Qing-ge, I’m cold.”

“That’s normal. Just go to sleep.”

“In this situation…..shouldn’t I hold onto something warm?”

“If you don’t want to sleep, then get out.”

Liu Zhenqing didn’t bother paying attention to him, but Huo Fenglie still reached out and tightly grasped his wrist. Liu Zhenqing looked over impatiently to find that he had already closed his eyes. His face looked wan, but his mouth was curled up at the corners. In the end, Liu Zhenqing didn’t pull his hand back.

There were still three days left of the carriage ride. Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a heavy dose of medicine to keep him quiet and help him recover from his injuries, so he spent a lot of time sleeping, sometimes outdoors. When the other officials asked if Liu Zhenqing wanted a tent to sleep in, Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie beside him and could only refuse. He continued to stay with Huo Fenglie inside the carriage.

He often stared at the sleeping Huo Fenglie in a daze, keeping silent for hours. When he came to his senses and realized that he hadn’t said a word, he didn’t feel like himself anymore.

Sometimes, he would fall asleep at night and wake up in Huo Fenglie’s arms. There was no telling if this kid had secretly done something to him after waking up. In any case, he often felt strange sensations in his dreams, and his lips would be sore when he woke up. Already numb, Liu Zhenqing didn’t bother to make a fuss about it.

One morning, he heard the sound of hurried hoofbeats and opened the curtain to take a look. Then he heard a familiar voice shout from afar: “Zhenqing!”

Huo-dage had come twenty li outside of the city to personally greet him. He hadn’t expected to see his little brother here. He’d heard that Huo Fenglie had come to pick someone up right after leaving the battlefield without notifying anyone, and scolded him angrily. But the long-awaited reunion with his good friend still occupied most of his thoughts, so he let his unruly little brother off. 

After pulling Liu Zhenqing close, he started to lead everyone into a gallop on horseback.

“What are you doing?” Before Liu Zhenqing could start a conversation with him, he heard Huo Feihan say: “Ruoruo is about to give birth. She told me to come and get you quickly.”

“What? She’s about to give birth, and you still came to pick me up. You two really are…..quickly, I won’t take a horse, Qiaoqiao will take me flying!”

“Qing-ge, I can…..”

“You can’t do anything. Your injury hasn’t healed yet, so follow the troops. Huo-dage, let’s go!”

He arrived in a hurry, and had no time to admire the newly-constructed General’s Manor. Midwives scurried in and out, and Li Xingruo’s shouting voice came from inside. Even the dauntless Huo Feihan turned pale and weak-kneed when he heard her. He grabbed Liu Zhenqing and said: “Is she okay? Ruoruo seems to be in a lot of pain.”

Truth be told, Liu Zhenqing was flustered when he came upon this scene, but he had to comfort his friend: “Huo-dage, go to Shimei’s window and offer her words of encouragement!”

“Right, right, right…..” Huo Feihan wasn’t allowed to go inside, and could only say a few things at the window.

Li Xingruo didn’t know what he was saying, and called out: “Where’s my Shixiong!”

Liu Zhenqing hurried forward and said: “Shimei, I’m here.”

There was silence inside, and then Li Xingruo cried out in pain again.

Huo Fenglie arrived soon after, and a cry broke through the sounds of torment.

The twins were born.

Inside the room, Huo Feihan and Liu Zhenqing each held a child and comforted them. Li Xingruo watched from where she reclined weakly in bed, and Huo Fenglie stood beside Liu Zhenqing.

In a good mood at last, Liu Zhenqing said to Huo Fenglie with a smile: “Er-gou, it’s so strange, ah. I feel like this niece looks more like you did as a child.”

Liu Zhenqing had held the newborn Huo Fenglie in his arms. Thinking of that time, his eyes became gentle.

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed slightly. He wasn’t very happy about Liu Zhenqing’s recollections of that time, and as he watched him coax the two children, his eyes gradually dimmed.

Huo Fenglie rarely revealed his emotions to others, even to his brother and sister-in-law. Even the expression on his face didn’t change much, but Liu Zhenqing still sensed his low mood from the first moment. 

When Liu Zhenqing put the child back to rest with her mother, he turned around to find that Huo Fenglie was gone. When he went out to the courtyard and found Huo Fenglie standing alone under a tree, he approached him and said: “Why are you still here? Go back and continue to heal.”

Just as Huo Fenglie was about to speak, he saw Huo Feihan come out.

“Fenglie, the other envoys can go to the government inn. Zhenqing will stay here…..”

“There’s an empty room in my courtyard,” Huo Fenglie cut in.

Huo Feihan froze and sent Liu Zhenqing an awkward look. Liu Zhenqing frowned, about to refuse out of instinct. But seeing Huo Fenglie’s gloomy mood, he decided that the courtyard didn’t matter. They wouldn’t share a room, and he still had Liu Qiao with him.

When Liu Zhenqing didn’t respond, Huo Feihan just went with the flow: “I’ll come find you later.”

Liu Zhenqing nodded in agreement.

When they arrived at the courtyard, Liu Zhenqing saw a familiar willow tree.

The layout was different from Huo Fenglie’s courtyard in the capital, and instead looked like his exclusive guest quarters, the Snow Catkin Courtyard. 

Liu Zhenqing and Liu Qiao were taken to a side room, and were even more taken aback after entering.

“Did you know I would come?” Why were all the furnishings in the room the same?

“It was arranged when it was built a year ago,” Huo Fenglie said in a deep voice.

Liu Zhenqing paused for a moment. It wasn’t just the layout – even the incense in the room was specially for him. Huo Fenglie had only come to pick him up after learning about his arrival late, so it was impossible for him to have had his servants prepare everything in advance. Everything was just like it always was, and the feeling of being taken to heart made him a little uneasy.

Liu Zhenqing asked Liu Qiao to put their luggage away and bring something over. After sitting down, Huo Fenglie poured him tea as usual.

Then Liu Zhenqing spoke up: “Why are you unhappy? Shouldn’t you be happy about your niece and nephew?”

Huo Fenglie tensed up, then looked at Liu Zhenqing and said seriously: “Qing-ge, do you…..do you want children?”

Liu Zhenqing stared in shock before coming to an understanding: “I do, ah.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression froze. Since the moment they met again, Liu Zhenqing hadn’t seen such a sad expression on his face. It was as if he had invisibly stabbed Huo Fenglie in the heart.

Liu Zhenqing’s heart sank. As expected, ah. He couldn’t bear to see such an expression on Er-gou’s face, and felt very distressed. He sighed helplessly: “Don’t I already have some? Yunci and Yunqian are my children, ah. With their temperaments, how will your brother and sister-in-law ever teach them well? They’ll definitely need my help to teach them and watch over them…..just these two are enough for me to worry about.”

Huo Fenglie’s expression changed again and again. All of a sudden, he reached out and grasped Liu Zhenqing’s hand. Liu Zhenqing exclaimed and tried to free his hand, saying: “Stop it!”

Huo Fenglie was a little agitated, and was about to say something when Liu Qiao came over with a long wooden box and set it on the table.

Liu Zhenqing patted the box and said: “I missed you turning eighteen, but this is your birthday gift. Try it and see if you like it.”

Huo Fenglie was stunned. When he opened the box, a pure black sword sat before him.

He picked it up and immediately drew the sword out to examine it. Along with a slight exclamation, Huo Fenglie’s eyes suddenly lit up. He knew this was a good sword. It was made of the same material as the sword Qing-ge had given to his brother many years ago, and he had wanted one ever since.

Huo Fenglie jumped out of the room elatedly and began to dance around the courtyard with the sword. This made Liu Qiao’s blood boil, and he wanted to go out and fight him.

But Huo Fenglie quickly came to a stop and rushed toward Liu Zhenqing, who was standing at the door watching him.

“How do you like…..” Liu Zhenqing started to ask.

But then Huo Fenglie rushed over and wrapped him in his arms. And without waiting for him to say anything, he grabbed the back of Liu Zhenqing’s head with one hand and kissed him.

Liu Qiao to the side stared blankly, then turned his head away, following his instructions to not look at anything inappropriate. Huo Feihan, who had just stepped in, froze in his tracks. The shock of this scene caused his older brother brain to boil over. But since Liu Qiao hadn’t reacted, his little brother shouldn’t be forcing Liu Zhenqing into anything. Otherwise, Liu Qiao would have already taken action. 

Since Liu Qiao looked so indifferent, could it be that…..his brother and Zhenqing had fallen in love with each other?!

He had to tell Ruoruo the good news!

Today was a day of double happiness!

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(Alt Universe) Extra 25 << Table of Contents >> (Alt Universe) Extra 27