With the position of Deputy Minister of Works vacant, everyone coveted such a lucrative and powerful role.

Xiao Huaiguan naturally wanted to promote his own person, but now, everyone had a chance except for the Xiao family.

Deputy Minister of War Qiu Songbo stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, this official does not believe that Official Wang’s suggestion is appropriate.”

“Where is it inappropriate?” Bai Lihong asked.

“Official Liu Junqi is the protégé of Minister Wang. The fact that Official Wang is promoting him for Deputy Minister of Works raises concerns about nepotism.”

Wang Yu immediately retorted: “When selecting officials, we must choose the most capable and virtuous, and avoid recommending relatives or friends.”

“Liu Junqi, as a senior official in the Ministry of Works, is ever-diligent and has never slacked off, and performed exceptionally well in the disaster relief efforts in Hexi Prefecture. He is certainly qualified for this position. Perhaps Minister Qiu is judging a gentleman by his own petty standards.”

“It is impossible to see into a person’s heart. Official Wang speaks such genteel words, but who knows what is really on his mind? Besides, Liu Junqi is currently out of the capital, and the Ministry of Works cannot be without someone in charge.” Qiu Songbo bowed toward the dragon throne. “Your Majesty, this official believes that Meng Wenxiao, an official with the Ministry of Works, is capable of temporarily taking up the position of Deputy Minister.”

“Isn’t this blatant nepotism by Deputy Minister Qiu?” Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi gave a light scoff and stepped forward. “Your Majesty, this official also believes that Liu Junqi will be a capable Deputy Minister of Works.”

Minister of Justice Qiu Heng looked up and swept his gaze over Qin Xiao’s expression, but didn’t see anything unusual. However, just as Qiu Songbo was about to say something, he turned his head slightly and gave him a look.

Qiu Songbo was given a shock, and swallowed back his words.

The court fell momentarily silent as everyone lowered their heads with their own thoughts in mind.

Now that the Xiao family was weakened, the Wang family had become the most prominent among them.

Looking at the court, their family already had four people in positions of power: Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan, Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi, Official Wang Yu from the Ministry of Personnel, and Deputy Minister of Justice Wang Ruzhen.

If a protégé of Wang Zhiyuan such as Liu Junqi were to become the Deputy Minister of Works, the Wang family would have influence over five of the six ministries in the Imperial Court. 

Upon realizing this, everyone understood that the Wang family had quietly grown in power.

They were also the most reputable and esteemed clan among the four great families. If their development continued unchecked, the Imperial Court would likely become the Wang Family Court!

What occurred to them would naturally have occurred to Qin Xiao as well, so they all felt that Liu Junqi had no chance of being promoted.

However, Chu Jiubian stepped out of the queue at this moment. His cool and aloof voice was particularly distinctive.

“Your Majesty, this official also believes that Liu Junqi is capable of this task.”

He felt gazes coming at him from all directions, but lowered his eyes and pretended not to notice.

Bai Lihong had been told by Xiansheng and Jiujiu yesterday that once Xiansheng made a recommendation, he should give the nod. 

The child’s clear voice echoed throughout the hall: “Then the Grand Tutor’s request is granted.”

From initially only being able to utter phrases like “rise” and “what do you have to report?” during morning court, it had only taken a little over a month for him to learn how to say more complex things at just the right times.

For a child who was only three years old, this rate of growth was astonishing.

Qin Xiao spoke at last: “Since there are no objections, Official Liu Junqi will be promoted to Deputy Minister of Works.”

Since the emperor had spoken and Qin Xiao had made his final decision, the others had no way to refute him – but their suspicions only deepened.

Were Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian not afraid of the Qiu family’s growing power?

Or perhaps they had reached some sort of agreement with Liu Junqi, the new Deputy Minister of Works?

Liu Junqi had truly put in a lot of effort on this disaster relief mission to Hexi Prefecture. Who knew if he had actually received some sort of guarantee?

In an instant, everyone seemed to unintentionally turn their gazes toward the Wang family members – especially Minister Wang Zhiyuan.

Wang Zhiyuan, however, remained calm and unmoved.

Now that morning court had ended and all of the most important matters had been discussed, everyone had their own thoughts in mind and intended to go home to hash out their future plans.

“Your Majesty, this subject has another matter to discuss.” The young man’s indifferent voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it startled everyone into looking up.

The officials who had stepped forward to plead their case had long since returned to their positions, leaving only Chu Jiubian remaining in place.

“Please speak, Grand Tutor,” said Bai Lihong.

“In recent days, there have been many matters to attend to in court. From the magistrates of Guizhou and Guangxi who previously delayed disaster relief efforts, to Xiao Wendao and Lu Yuan, who embezzled money intended to repair the dams, and then Zhou Boshan, who used common people to block a dam – all of them were wicked and corrupt officials.”

Chu Jiubian spoke in a cool tone and made no effort to raise his voice, but with each sentence spoken, the court grew even quieter than before.

One could hear a pin drop.

Nobody knew what his purpose was in saying these things, but their intuition told them that it wasn’t anything good.

Chu Jiubian continued: “There are countless officials such as these, which lays bare the flaws in our dynasty’s official selection system.”

The moment the words “official selection system” were uttered, everyone’s expressions changed drastically. 

A series of nearly-tangible gazes immediately shot toward Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian raised his eyes slightly and met Qin Xiao’s deep gaze.

“What insight does the Grand Tutor have?” Qin Xiao’s voice was low and stern.

Chu Jiubian said unhurriedly: “Everything under the sky belongs to His Majesty, and also to the people. The Imperial Court belongs to His Majesty, but should also belong to the people.”

“This official believes that the selection of officials in our dynasty should not be limited to scholars, but should be expanded in order to give all common people an opportunity to enter officialdom.”

Qin Xiao said: “Currently, the recommendation system for selecting officials emphasizes both virtue and talent, and is open to all common people. Anyone who possesses these qualities is able to be recommended for officialdom by their superiors who are at the level of prefect or above.”

Chu Jiubian: “If the power to recommend officials is held by those at prefect level or above, there will be suspicions of nepotism. For example, Prefect Zhou Boshan of Hexi Prefecture was recommended and promoted by Governor Lu Yuan, but was neither talented nor virtuous. On the contrary, many talented merchant families have people who embody these qualities.”

“Indeed.” Qin Xiao nodded. “During the disaster relief effort, this lord also met many talented and virtuous people. But due to their poverty, they are unable to provide their superiors with enough money to buy official positions, which is why they remain unaccomplished.”

“What Lord Ning-wang says is true.” Chu Jiubian replied immediately after. “Therefore, this official believes that such an official selection system does more harm than good, and should be changed.”

“How should it be changed?”

“Selection through an Imperial Examination System,” Chu Jiubian said. “The Imperial Court will set up different subjects students are to be tested on. Anyone in Great Ning will be eligible to take the exams, and those who pass will become officials.”

The two of them sang in unison, and each line of their song was like a tidal wave crashing onto the minefield of the Imperial Court.

The two tacitly went quiet, and as expected, nobody in attendance was able to sit still.

Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan was the first to step forward, saying in a deep voice: “Your Majesty, Lord Ning-wang! The Grand Tutor’s idea is tantamount to shaking the very foundations of our nation! His words must not be heeded!”

For hundreds of years, the official selection system had been firmly controlled by the powerful and influential families.

The proposal made by Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao would not just shake the foundations of the nation, but also undermine the very basis of the noble families’ control over the Imperial Court.

Immediately afterward, Minister of Revenue Su Sheng stepped forward from the ranks: “This official seconds Minister Wang’s rebuttal!”

Then, one after another, the other five ministers minus the absent Jian Hongzhuo stepped forward.

These ministers usually only spoke up at critical moments, but they had no capacity to bother with such behavior now, and jumped out one by one.

Now that they had all made their stances known, the remaining officials bowed in unison and said: “These humble officials second the rebuttal.”

For a moment, apart from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, only Bai Lihong on the throne and Hong Fu to the side held their heads high. Everyone else bowed deeply in a rare display of unity.

Bai Lihong stared in wide-eyed surprise, then looked up at Hong Fu beside him.

Hong Fu shook his head with a smile, and the boy nodded obediently and remained silent. 

It seemed that whatever followed had nothing to do with him; Jiujiu and Xiansheng would handle it alone.

Silence returned to the hall, but suddenly, a low chuckle rang out.

Everyone’s minds subconsciously turned to Qin Xiao, but when they listened closer, they found that it was coming from Chu Jiubian.

This ethereal Grand Tutor maintained a perpetual aloofness toward everyone, and would at most wear a polite smile on his lips, but he had never laughed out loud like this before.

“Why are you all reacting so strongly?” Chu Jiubian asked in a mild tone. “Could it be that what Lord Ning-wang and I spoke of just now was wrong?”

“My Lord’s example of Zhou Boshan is a generalization based on a single instance,” said Wang Zhiyuan. “The recommendation system has been in place for centuries, through which countless talents have been selected for the court. Among the officials in court today, who hasn’t entered officialdom through these means?”

“Indeed, who hasn’t entered officialdom through these means?” Chu Jiubian turned his head to look at him. “Minister Wang, take a look at how many Wang family students and disciples are standing behind you.”

Wang Zhiyuan’s brow furrowed slightly: “Many talents have emerged from the Wang family’s student body. There is nothing wrong with them entering officialdom.”

“Since the implementation of the official recommendation system, half of those recommended as candidates for officialdom have come from prominent families, and most talents have been students from those families.”

Chu Jiubian swept his gaze over the ministers standing beside him, and his voice grew colder: “Do the officials selected through the recommendation system belong to the Imperial Court, or to you?”

“Grand Tutor, be careful with your words!” Minister of War Lu Youwei said in a deep voice. “The officials selected through the recommendation system are naturally chosen for His Majesty and the court. The process has its own regulations, so how can it be considered nepotism? Grand Tutor, don’t look down on us mortals simply because you consider yourself to be an immortal.”

“Minister Lu. Everyone,” Chu Jiubian said, turning his head to look at the crowd. “You say that the process has its own regulations, but it hasn’t been long since the matter of Zhao Qianhe selling official positions. Would you like me to read out the list of who bought those positions?”

At least half of those people were connected to the four great families.

Naturally, they all knew that Chu Jiubian was right. No one understood the drawbacks of the recommendation system better than them.

But they would not admit to it, much less allow Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao to change the system!

Imperial power was constantly growing in strength these days. If the Imperial Court were to take back the power to select officials, the consequences would be dire.

Chu Jiubian glanced up at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao then said: “Enough.”

Their original goal was not to start the Imperial Examinations right this minute. If they forced the matter, these noble families would go crazy, and if they were pushed to the brink and united in a fight to the death, their side would experience more losses than gains.

They had already been sufficiently provoked; Qin Xiao should step in as the peacemaker, give each side a good scolding, and make them stand down.

Qin Xiao looked at Chu Jiubian and said gently: “The Grand Tutor means well, but the Imperial Examination system could threaten the foundations of the state at present, so let’s put it on hold for now.”

Everyone else was stunned, and reflexively stared at the two of them.

What were they up to now?

Could it be that these two hadn’t reached a private agreement after all?

Qin Xiao then focused his attention on the ministers, and his tone chilled considerably: “His Majesty is wise, and my colleagues in the court are all equally intolerant of evil. At present, there are problems within our administration. Some subordinates have grown restless, and have brought monsters and miscreants into my Great Ning’s officialdom. Surely, gentlemen such as yourselves would like to eliminate parasites such as Zhou Boshan.”

He was being unusually flexible and lenient, but everyone felt a chill run down their spine.

And their vigilance heightened even more.

“But after the parasites are removed, people will be needed to fill the gaps.”

Qin Xiao said: “Why don’t we establish an “Imperial Academy,” and select talents from the public through examinations? By further assessing their characters over time, we will truly be able to select individuals with both virtue and talent to fill those vacancies.”

This was a significant step back for him. If he didn’t directly abolish the recommendation system, then the noble families would still have many ways to promote their own people.

But establishing an Imperial Academy with the intention of supporting scholars from poor families was naturally for the purpose of competing with them.

Everyone’s thoughts raced.

Very quickly, they calculated all of the pros and cons.

As long as the recommendation system existed, the foundation of the noble families would remain.

As for the Imperial Academy —

Nowadays, those with the means to study and comprehend Confucian principles were mostly from families with some financial resources.

These families strove desperately to make a name for themselves, all in the hope of attracting attention from prominent families and being recommended for official positions.

Therefore, as long as these prominent families established some kind of “clan school” for outsiders, these scholars would flock to them and completely disregard the Imperial Academy.

And who among the truly impoverished had the means to access books?

Even if a group of uneducated people were to enter the Imperial Academy and receive training from Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian, it would still take a considerable amount of time for them to develop enough to become officials.

However, even if they did enter the court, they would be unable to contend with the great families whose roots were deeply embedded in the bureaucracy.

Everyone knew that Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian were preparing for a protracted war, and since that was the case, they just wouldn’t give them an opportunity.

They had all planned to take things slowly, but now that they were being put under such pressure from the two of them, they couldn’t help but become impatient.

They could no longer allow Imperial power to develop unchecked. They should use stronger tactics sooner rather than later.

“This official has no objections,” Chu Jiubian said abruptly, breaking the court’s silence.

Imperial Censor Qi Zhili, his eyes gleaming with a strange light, loudly echoed from within the ranks: “This official seconds the measure!”

He had joined the others in opposing the previous measure, partly out of concern that the great families might resort to desperate measures.

But if this Imperial Academy program was established now, it would be the best starting point for suppressing the prominent families!

His heart beat faster at the thought of this.

If these self-concerned bigwigs could be removed from their posts, a new dawn would break across Great Ning!

A few others chimed in, all of them low-ranking officials from the Ministry of War – and also Qin Xiao’s men.

“This official seconds the measure.” Suddenly, Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan spoke up.

At once, most of the Xiao family and Ministry of Personnel officials joined in to voice their approval.

And so it went, one after another, until at last there were no objections.

Qin Xiao gazed out at the crowd. Among those bowing and making obeisance, Chu Jiubian stood out starkly with his upright posture.

The young man stood tall and elegant, with some of his silver hair spilling over his shoulders. Dappled light reflected in his usually indifferent light-hued eyes, dispelling the original barrenness to make way for the slow sprouting of a vigorous life force.

But in just two breaths, that force retreated like the tide, returning to a state of calm stillness.

Like a flower that had just begun to bloom, then withered and died without warning.

Qin Xiao’s breath momentarily caught in his throat.

All of the countless complex thoughts in Chu Jiubian’s mind fell silent.

He felt his heart pounding at the thought of the Imperial Academy, the future of Great Ning, and the lives of tens of millions of common people.

As if waking from a dream, Chu Jiubian struggled to break free from his “role.”

He remembered that his original purpose was not to save the rotten Great Ning Dynasty. The Imperial Examinations and Imperial Academy were merely means for him to cultivate power and ensure his survival. He was not a genuine, benevolent god, but a false one skilled in subterfuge. 

He also recalled that he was in the world of a novel, and had fallen into the trap of method acting. He shouldn’t have gotten so caught up in the role, seeing himself as a savior, nor should he have become entangled with the novel’s characters.

He looked up at Qin Xiao, this powerful official who would stop at nothing to gain power.

He would abandon and sacrifice everything for that power, and would put on the most perfect disguise in order to gain influence and status.

Chu Jiubian was currently his most important asset, so Qin Xiao would do everything he could to keep him by his side.

Whether it was testing his preferences or pretending to be a benevolent ruler who cared for the common people, perhaps all of his previous actions had been for the sake of using that so-called “love tribulation” to make Chu Jiubian unswervingly loyal to him.

That could also be the reason for that unexpected kiss last night.

And why he had said “just this once.”

Qin Xiao had sensed Chu Jiubian’s subtle, ambiguous feelings for him, and had no choice but to make that sacrifice in order to appease him.

Yes.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes.

How could anyone possibly care about someone like him?

How much sincerity could there be in the vortex of power?

Even Chu Jiubian only had a slight liking for Qin Xiao. It had nothing to do with feelings – he was simply someone with exploitative value.

Everything could be an act, something that Chu Jiubian, as an actor, knew very well. If he could talk about a “love tribulation” without giving any explanation, and act affectionately toward Qin Xiao, the man could naturally reciprocate by pretending that he cared about him.

Very good.

It was good that it was “just this once.”

It was perfectly normal for mutual respect and appreciation to arise during a game of strategy, but when faced with the prospect of gains or losses, they could still rationally analyze the actions and outcomes that were the most beneficial to them. Only when there were emotional ties would they have misgivings.

Therefore, a purely cooperative relationship made it easier to take action when weapons were drawn.

In order to survive, Chu Jiubian could only rely on himself, the System, and his Believers. Not on Qin Xiao or Bai Lihong.

Whether it was the Imperial Examination System or the Imperial Academy, it didn’t matter who approved of them.

The important part was for Chu Jiubian to place his own people in the government and promote them to advantageous positions.

In this way, he would be better able to protect himself.

Chu Jiubian stepped beyond his framework, and even his own ego, to calmly analyze everything. His face remained composed and expressionless, his eyelashes slightly lowered. For a moment, he didn’t notice the commotion of the outside world.

Only when his hands were grasped and lifted did he look up, only to meet Qin Xiao’s very close deep, cold eyes.

“What are you thinking about?” Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian then realized that court had ended some time ago, and that all of the officials had left, except for Bai Lihong and Hong Fu, who had gone back to the inner hall.

At present, only he and Qin Xiao remained in this vast hall.

“I was thinking that I should start training those teachers,” Chu Jiubian said in a tranquil tone. His attitude toward Qin Xiao was the same as it had been the day before.

“Is that so?” Qin Xiao gripped his wrists with both hands. The veins stood out on the backs of his hands, but he didn’t dare to actually use any force. “That’s what you were thinking about?”

“ ? ”

Chu Jiubian looked down at his hands with a frown.

Qin Xiao was holding them up at chest height, and his pale skin contrasted sharply with the trails of blood winding across it.

Chu Jiubian was momentarily stunned.

It turned out that at some point, he had scratched off several of his fingernails. Blood flowed down, coating his hands.

His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he instinctively tried to clench his hands into fists to hide his injuries, but Qin Xiao held them still.

Chu Jiubian looked up into his deep, cold eyes. The pressure on his hands loosened, and he stopped struggling. 

Qin Xiao then took out medicine and bandages from his pocket and carefully treated the wounds.

Neither of them spoke again.

*

*

Outside Fengtian Hall.

Deputy Minister of Justice Wang Ruzhen descended the long staircase and hurried a few steps to catch up to Wang Zhiyuan. He whispered: “Minister, may I speak to you in private?”

Wang Zhiyuan was accompanied only by his grandson, Wang Pengyi.

Wang Pengyi knew that Wang Ruzhen was giving him a hint, so he moved to leave, but Wang Zhiyuan stopped him and said: “We’re all family here. Just speak your mind.”

Wang Ruzhen glanced at Wang Pengyi.

The Wang family may seem like a powerful force now, but internally, it was subtly split into two factions.

One faction was led by the family head, Wang Huanzhi, while the other faction was led by Young Master Wang Qichen.

Wang Ruzhen himself was loyal to the family head, but his cousins Wang Pengyi and Wang Qichen had a good relationship that stemmed back to their childhood, so there were some things he really didn’t want Wang Pengyi to know.

But now that Wang Zhiyuan had declared them all “family,” he could no longer insist, and said: “Grand Tutor Chu just suggested that Liu Junqi be promoted to Deputy Minister of Works. Could there be something going on here…..?”

Before he finished speaking, he raised his eyes to observe Wang Zhiyuan’s expression.

Wang Zhiyuan remained indifferent: “I know my student Liu Junqi well. He is upright and honest, and entered officialdom for the purpose of doing practical things for the common people. He is uninterested in all the rest.”

What family ties, what political infighting? Although Liu Junqi was a bit simple and naive, he was indeed a good child who served the people and the country.

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were willing to promote him because they had witnessed his abilities and ambition. Using him was no different than using a pure and loyal minister.

Therefore, it was completely unnecessary for Wang Ruzhen to worry that he had a business deal with Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao.

Wang Zhiyuan understood this, and Wang Pengyi beside him understood it even better.

It was he who had facilitated Liu Junqi’s apprenticeship with Wang Zhiyuan, and only he knew that this person had been sent to him by Wang Qichen.

In other words, Liu Junqi was Wang Qichen’s man.

Wang Pengyi was overjoyed by his promotion.

This subtly elevated Wang Qichen’s position within the family, and if things really came to the point where they had to break ties with Wang Huanzhi, they would be better able to protect themselves.

“With My Lord’s words, we can rest assured.” Wang Ruzhen smiled faintly.

Wang Zhiyuan gave no response. His steps were steady, but a dark glint flickered in the back of his eyes.

The capital had truly been thrown into chaos.

*

*

Yangxin Hall.

Bai Lihong sat in the head seat as he practiced writing large characters, and would glance toward Chu Jiubian from time to time with his little face all wrinkled up.

Xiansheng was really prone to injury. He didn’t know how it happened, but after the morning court session, the fingers on both of his hands were injured!

Xiansheng had said that when gods were injured after descending to earth, it was called “divine retribution.”

Bai Lihong didn’t understand, but that didn’t stop him from hating the so-called “divine retribution.”

Despite his reluctance, he still wanted Xiansheng to return to heaven where he couldn’t get hurt. But Xiansheng had said that he wanted to remain here for him while he grew up…..and Bai Lihong changed his mind again. He wanted Xiansheng to stay.

But how could he keep getting hurt like this?

Ai.

The young boy gave a quiet sigh with his face in his hands, wishing he could bear the pain for Xiansheng.

But he was so little. He wondered how many of the injuries he could take…..

Chu Jiubian was unaware of the child’s troubles. He crossed his legs and flipped through the memorials, setting aside the pointless ones.

All of these only required drawing a simple circle on them, and he would do that for the Emperor in a while.

The remaining useful reports, such as those on local finances or the appointment or removal of officials, he took a close look at and set aside. Qin Xiao would reply to each of them later.

He set down another memorial and turned his head to look at the person beside him.

The two of them had previously faced each other across the aisle, each with their own table to review memorials. But now, the two tables had been pushed together, with their chairs side by side.

After Qin Xiao finished reviewing a memorial, Chu Jiubian said: “I can still hold a brush.”

Qin Xiao paused, then set down the memorial and selected another one, silently rejecting his suggestion.

“Then are you going to feed me when we eat later?” Chu Jiubian asked.

Qin Xiao hummed in agreement.

Really?

Chu Jiubian couldn’t tell whether he was serious or not.

When lunchtime came around, Qin Xiao sat down beside him, picked up a bite of food with his chopsticks, and held it to Chu Jiubian’s lips: “Eat.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..I can eat by myself.”

He reached for the chopsticks as he spoke, but Qin Xiao dodged and stubbornly held the food to his lips.

Bai Lihong sat opposite them, slurping as he ate. He would occasionally glance at the two of them and giggle, then continue to eat.

Xiansheng’s hands were injured, so it was a matter of course that Jiujiu would feed him.

Chu Jiubian stared at Qin Xiao in silence, but he couldn’t find a trace of warmth in the other’s eyes, only calm indifference.

Chu Jiubian lowered his eyes and ate the food that was offered to him.

The same thing happened at dinner.

Chu Jiubian didn’t try to grab the chopsticks this time, and just ate what Qin Xiao gave him.

But strangely enough, every bite Qin Xiao fed him was exactly what he wanted to eat.

After dinner, Qin Xiao reviewed more memorials while Chu Jiubian sat silently beside him.

The council chamber was now empty aside from the two of them. A dim oil lamp flickered on the table.

Chu Jiubian took a high-powered flashlight out of his spatial storage and turned it to its lowest setting, illuminating the entire room.

Qin Xiao saw the sudden flash before his eyes and turned his head to look.

Amidst the light and shadow, the young man gently pressed the light source against his cheek, his face appearing somewhat hazy and dreamlike.

He was so close, yet seemed so far away.

Chu Jiubian’s gaze moved slowly, as if it was a tangible thing, from the high bridge of the man’s nose to his slightly pursed lips, and then to his prominent Adam’s apple.

When he looked farther down, the light in the room abruptly dimmed.

Qin Xiao had reached out to block the light, holding his palm against it.

Chu Jiubian’s eyes hadn’t had a chance to adjust to the darkness, and he vaguely glimpsed the other man moving closer to him.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately turned his head. The kiss landed on his ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

The atmosphere became slightly tense.

Qin Xiao didn’t back away, and Chu Jiubian could feel the other’s hot breath against his ear and neck.

“Are you angry?” Qin Xiao’s voice was very soft, even gentle.

Chu Jiubian kept silent for a moment before finally saying with a smile: “Lord Ning-wang, this isn’t necessary.”

He stood up and put away his flashlight, moving toward the exit: “No need to see me off.”

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T/N: CJB has some trauma to work through, the poor guy. He’ll get there eventually!

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Chapter 50 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 52