After Lin Meng finished her work, she hurried back, fearing that Xia Xingchi, who was “timid and weak,” would be bullied if she was not around.

As a result, as soon as she came through the door, she saw Xia Xingchi wave his hands and give up the performance rather stubbornly, and while packing up his things to leave, he was verbally warring against the other stars……no, warring against lackeys.

He didn’t speak much, but every word was a gem, and each time he opened his mouth, he made people so angry that they almost tried to start a gang fight.

“What’s going on?” Lin Meng was taken aback by the battle.

Xia Xingchi handed over the advertisement script, and she hurriedly stepped up to glance over it.

Just now when these angry people saw his agent approaching, they were full of anticipation, thinking that there was finally someone who would discipline him.

Look at how this ignorant kid was still struggling to live as his doom approached.

The atmosphere stagnated for a moment, before there was a pa! as Lin Meng threw the script aggressively onto the table!

Under the expectant eyes of everyone who thought Xia Xingchi was going to be scolded, she said angrily: “Xia Xingchi, we’re leaving! What a bullshit script, don’t perform.”

Everyone: ……?

Were low-tier artists and third-rate agents so capricious nowadays? 

Lin Meng had always been very protective of her artists, and things that hit her bottom line were completely off-limits. Naturally, she wouldn’t even consider such an obviously insulting script.

She found that Xia Xingchi, who used to be timid and cowardly, had finally stood up for himself and would no longer be kneaded like dough by others. Instead, she felt the kind of happiness of watching her family’s child grow up.

Seeing that both of them were so unyielding, the project manager couldn’t help being dumbfounded. He was speechless for a long time before saying with insufficient confidence: “……You are in breach of contract! You can leave, but you must make reparations!”

Xia Xingchi had already packed his things, and he was smarter than anyone else when it came to money: “Didn’t you violate the contract by changing the script randomly? Doesn’t the revised content violate advertising law?”

This hit the nail on the head and revealed the root cause of the project manager’s lack of confidence.

Even if this brand had the investment of Han Ningyu’s patron, in fact, it was impossible for them to change the content of the advertisement blindly.

It was nothing more than a tactic to scare the ignorant newcomer to the circle. They would wait for Xia Xingchi to bow his head, apologize, and admit his mistakes, and then pretend to change it back.

Xia Xingchi smiled and kindly reminded: “You broke the contract, remember to call us for liquidated damages.”

The project manager couldn’t help but grit his teeth. Bullying newcomers was a common occurrence, but judging by the situation, he still had to give in to him.

Otherwise, paying the damages was a small matter, but having personal influence in the shooting was a big deal that he wouldn’t be able to explain later.

The two parties were at a stalemate. Then the door opened with a boom! that was Han Ningyu’s signature high-profile way of making appearances, and he rushed in with hurried strides.

His target was quite clear, as if he were a human-shaped bazooka aiming straight at Xia Xingchi.

Xia Xingchi watched him suspiciously, wondering if he was going to pick a fight. Would he have to switch from literary combat to martial combat?

Just as he was preparing to toss him over his shoulder, Han Ningyu quickly snatched the outrageous script that had been tossed aside and then eagerly thrust his own script into Xia Xingchi’s arms.

“Gege!” In the blink of an eye, Han Ningyu had transformed into a smiling face like a chrysanthemum blooming, and “gege’d” at him for a long time.

“It is my eyes that failed to see the sacred Mount Tai!^[1] I’ll give you my script, you use mine, don’t remember this insignificant person, Sir! I’m sorry, I was wrong!”

Xia Xingchi was taken aback by this Sichuan opera-style face change, and didn’t know what the hell this guy had been smoking. Was it because he was wearing sunglasses and couldn’t see where he was going, so he ran into a wall and damaged his brain?

That was really miserable. He wasn’t smart in the first place, which really added insult to injury.

Including the project manager who was currently flabbergasted, no matter if it was the one who kindly persuaded Xia Xingchi to apologize or the one who taunted him for being full of himself, they were all dumbfounded when they witnessed this scene.

Xia Xingchi’s advertising fee was only 20,000 yuan, and the liquidated damages were calculated according to the advertising fee, so it wasn’t much.

Seeing Han Ningyu urging him to stay, was it possible that the man could lose his family fortune?

Unless……Xia Xingchi was the real hidden boss.

The few people who hadn’t participated in the mocking and ridicule were instantly relieved and exchanged glances. Those who played Han Ningyu’s henchmen were presumably very regretful.

Xia Xingchi tilted his head slightly — The world of the rich was really full of chaos. If you turned your head 180 degrees and weren’t afraid of twisting your head off, you could see it everywhere.

He had a good guess as to what was going on, so he perfectly reproduced Li Chengyuan’s terrifying fake smile and asked Han Ningyu quietly: “But didn’t you just say, ‘you remember me’ earlier?”

“No, no, no! I just meant for you to remember that you will always be my ge!”

When Han Ningyu thought that Xia Xingchi was not only the young master of the Xia family, but also Li Chengyuan’s lover, he wanted to slap himself.

“You are so old, who is your ge, ah?”

Having another person who misidentified him as a brother even though they had nothing to do with each other, just like Xia Yu, was already a headache.

Witnessing this abrupt change in demeanor, Lin Meng was the most confused.

She knew that Han Ningyu was well-known for stepping on the weak and flattering the strong, and this whole scene seemed to be some kind of bug. Her bleak career suddenly ushered in a bright moment —

After the arrogant project manager answered a phone call and returned, his attitude made an abnormally sharp turn. He served tea and water again, and kindly invited her to experience this brand of massage chair.

She knew her silly didi quite well, and working as background support had never been like this. The more she thought about it, the more she had a guilty conscience. If it turned out that they had the wrong person, it would be extremely awkward.

Xia Xingchi had already gone to shoot the commercial, so she had no choice but to pretend to be calm and knowledgeable for the time being – then wait to catch that little bunny when he came back and torture him to extract a confession.

– – –

It was nearly midnight when Xia Xingchi finished the advertisement and called it a day.

He was very happy when he thought about the salary of tens of thousands he would receive in a few hours, and the little money-grubber began to joyfully plan in his heart:

In the past, he maintained three or four jobs at the same time, but now he was debt-free.

As long as he concentrated on making money in the entertainment industry and played the role of Li Chengyuan’s lover, he would be rich!

Wait……Li Chengyuan?

In the middle of leisurely studying and fiddling with the massage chair, Xia Xingchi’s hands froze.

He’d felt like he was forgetting something, and at this moment, he finally realized that he had failed to remember the most important person! 

Xia Xingchi had always lacked relatives or friends, and was completely unaccustomed to suddenly being accompanied. Coupled with the fuss of all kinds of comedy scenes tonight, the matter of feeding the big cat was simply forgotten.

He hurried to the window in just a few steps and tremblingly opened the curtains to see —

In the dense night, the dazzling Shelby was still parked there quietly in front like a husband-watching stone.

……Why did he suddenly have the illusion that he was an irresponsible scumbag?

Shouting in his heart that he was dead meat, he jumped up as if he had received an electric shock and rushed into the dressing room, grabbed all of his things like a whirlwind, and then dashed out.

Fortunately everyone had already dispersed, and no one noticed him silently sprinting 100 meters in the dark.

He ran to the front of the car before barely managing to stop, lying on the windshield to look inside: Li Chengyuan’s eyes were closed as he leaned back in the car seat. In sleep, his hostility was nowhere to be seen, leaving only a quiet and fragile beauty.

Xia Xingchi blinked, his gaze subconsciously wandering between his long, thick eyelashes, the high bridge of his nose, and his pale, thin lips.

In the end, it inadvertently landed on the attractive jut of his throat.

The hand that he originally wanted to knock on the car door with paused for a moment, and then he silently put it back down. Regardless of the fact that this was the frightening villain, his title of “pinnacle of attractiveness” in the book was really well-deserved.

While Xia Xingchi was watching intently, Li Chengyuan suddenly felt something and opened his eyes just in time to meet the gaze of this sneaky peeper.

In the middle of the night, anyone who opened his eyes and saw the horrifying scene of a face lying on the car windshield and watching him with wide eyes would probably be shocked.

— But Li Chengyuan only squinted slightly when he saw this, as if he was not fully awake. He was in an uncharacteristically good mood, as if he was very satisfied with the picture outside the glass —

The corners of his lips were slightly raised when he saw Xia Xingchi’s face so close, finally revealing a faint smile as if he were in the middle of a dream.

Xia Xingchi was stunned, and when he came back to his senses after a long moment, he quickly took a few guilty steps back.

Li Chengyuan also seemed to realize that something was wrong. His eyes swiftly regained their calm indifference along with a bit of impatience, and he raised his hand to signal him to get into the car.

— The villain could actually dream?

Xia Xingchi wondered who or what he was dreaming about just now that could make him smile so nicely.

Just as he was about to walk around to the passenger seat and get in, Lin Meng’s voice suddenly came from behind him: “Xingchi? Why haven’t you left yet? What are you looking at?”

It was too dark, and she wouldn’t be able to see anyone inside the car unless she got closer, so she saw Xia Xingchi studying the car carefully and stupidly alone.

Xia Xingchi suddenly trembled, as if someone had caught him in a love affair.

He instinctively blocked Lin Meng’s view of the front seat and quickly changed the topic: “Sister Mengmeng, why haven’t you left yet?”

Lin Meng temporarily canceled the online rideshare she had booked. Although the vehicle was heading here, it was still a few kilometers away.

This was just right. She didn’t have a chance to “torture” him just now, and had no choice but to say goodbye to Xia Xingchi as if nothing had happened. But now that there was no one around, she happened to catch him alone.

“Child, tell me quickly and truthfully, what happened with them today? Are you hiding something from me?!”

“Ah–” Xia Xingchi drew the sound out guiltily when he heard these words, and said in a low voice, “It’s, it’s a long story.”

He didn’t know where to begin with the identity of the real young master and the forced marriage.

Because it couldn’t be said that the marriage was only an agreement. How could Lin Meng accept that someone other than pregnant single mothers could want a flash marriage for no reason?

Xia Xingchi was organizing his words quickly when he heard the soft sound of the car door opening behind him – It was over. It seemed that Mr. Money Tree was tired of waiting.

Facing Agent Lin, he hadn’t figured out how to talk his way out of this yet when the boss actually showed up directly. Xia Xingchi’s mouth twitched as he drew a blank on how to introduce him.

Lin Meng was startled, never having expected that there was a person in the car all this time.

The man had a tall, upright figure with wide shoulders and a narrow waist. His legs were long and lean, and his height could be estimated to be 1.9 meters.

In the hazy darkness, one could vaguely see his handsome face. It was almost seductive, so good-looking that he almost didn’t look like a real person, and his complexion was extremely pale……

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Lin Meng shivered. Could this be a ghost in the middle of the night?!

Then she saw the “ghost” turn his head away from the wind, cover his lips, and cough a few times.

Xia Xingchi heard Li Chengyuan cough, and quickly turned around and pushed him: “It’s cold outside, you get in the car first.”

In the end, he didn’t know what this big guy was thinking again, but he just stood there motionless, as if determined to remain there and stare at him.

The problem was that he couldn’t leave Miss Lin Meng and simply get in the car with Li Chengyuan. There were wolves before him and tigers behind, so he had no choice but to pray that a certain madman would not suddenly do something outrageous like kidnap him and leave on the spot.

“Sister Mengmeng, this……” Xia Xingchi thought for a moment and said, “He is my friend……”

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Li Chengyuan frown slightly and cough again.

Maybe he was still waking up or wasn’t feeling well, but he didn’t look as strong and indifferent as usual.

Xia Xingchi had never witnessed such a fragile side of him, and had been soft-hearted and caring since he was a child, so he immediately felt distressed upon seeing it.

Disregarding everything else, he quickly turned around and buttoned up the windbreaker the other was wearing.

But the moment he lowered his head to do up Li Chengyuan’s buttons, he failed so see the change that came over his face —

Looking at him now, where was the slightest vulnerability and sickness?

Lin Meng was watching the two blankly at first, but was caught off guard by Li Chengyuan’s fierce and terrifying gaze. A huge sense of oppression suddenly overwhelmed her!

Immediately afterward, she watched Li Chengyuan incline his head and lightly kiss Xia Xingchi’s forehead, his eyes full of possessiveness.

It was like he was claiming true sovereignty. This was obviously not a “friend” like Xia Xingchi had alleged he was.

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[1] This idiom means a “failure to recognize a person of importance/eminence.” ⮐

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Chapter Ten << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twelve

Everyone was amazed by the car, and deeply moved by the “true love” attitude of this mysterious benefactor.

Although they looked down on low-skilled actors who “relied on a gold master” to get into their position, in reality, they were actually quite envious.

Especially when being outclassed by Han Ningyu’s shameless domineering, they would be even more envious and jealous.

As Xia Xingchi listened, he felt more and more guilty. As the party in question, he could only quietly shrink down like a little quail, pretending that he didn’t exist.

But he only shrank down for a moment, and then couldn’t help but stretch out his neck to look out: 

He saw a vague figure in the driver’s seat. Li Chengyuan never left.

Xia Xingchi couldn’t help being a little worried. He hadn’t eaten yet, so would he have hypoglycemia? Would his stomach feel uncomfortable?

And it was chilly at night, what if he caught a cold and had a fever?

Alas, such a rich and handsome benefactor, it was true love to pick him up and drop him off in person……Huh? Wait?

Xia Xingchi finally came back to his senses, then lost his mind for an instant, roaring in his heart: No! I’ve been bewitched! Why worry about this paranoid guy!

What kind of bullshit true love? He stayed here the entire time because he’s afraid I’ll run away!

Xia Xingchi could feel that Li Chenyuan seemed to be very upset for no reason when he was out of his sight and control.

Before he got out of the car, he had ordered in a rather terrifying tone: “Shooting commercials is okay, but don’t run around where I can’t find you.”

The more he thought about it, the more helpless he felt. That person was simply unreasonable.

Even a “passer-by who got married at random” like himself had to be watched in person. Fortunately, now that the Qing Dynasty was dead, it was out of fashion to have three wives and four concubines.

Otherwise, Li Chengyuan might have to disassemble himself into eight pieces and use them separately.

– – –

The car was silent. Li Chengyuan’s slender fingers rested on the steering wheel and curled up slightly as he suppressed the surging restlessness.

— His freedom cannot be restricted. He is already afraid of me enough.

His eyes were filled with anxiety. If he just ran away……

Li Chengyuan took a deep breath. At this moment, his phone suddenly vibrated. He didn’t want to pay attention to it, but found that it was Xia Xingchi who had sent a WeChat message.

Like a barrage of gunfire, it was as if that chatterbox was right in front of his eyes:

“Why are you still downstairs?”

“Sir, I promise I won’t run away. Can you stop guarding like this? It’s scary.”

“If you turn on the air, be careful to leave a gap in the window.”

“I met a big idiot. I’m afraid he can’t see where he’s going with those sunglasses on, and will become even more stupid if he runs into a wall.”

“Thanks to him, I don’t know how long it will take to film the commercial. Don’t wait for me, go back and eat something and go to bed early.”

……..

Xia Xingchi was frightened in front of Li Chengyuan, and didn’t dare to say too much.

But it seemed he felt much safer when they were separated by a phone screen, and he immediately revealed his true nature, talking endlessly and without restraint.

Li Chengyuan looked down and smiled after a moment. Then he ignored him, and continued to wait in the car.

– – –

There were gradually “traitors” among the few people in the dressing room, who meant to turn against each other and become henchmen.

Some people would do anything for the sake of popularity, and naturally would not hesitate to curry favor with Han Ningyu.

The atmosphere became increasingly delicate, and everyone stopped gossiping about him.

Xia Xingchi was silently dismantling the phone with his bare hands.

After a dizzying operation, the broken cell phone that was nearly scrapped was once again functional, so he had contacted Li Chengyuan.

A big guy couldn’t help blurting out: “Fucking awesome!”

Xia Xingchi smiled deeply when he heard these words: “Life isn’t easy, so it’s good to be versatile.”

A jack of all trades had the kind of versatility that could accomplish anything.

Because of the “whose benefactor” debacle, he was guilty of not chatting with these people.

For example, everyone complained that the company didn’t provide a car, and discussed how they got here.

He feared letting his mouth slip and revealing that the luxury car outside was for him.

As for other entertainment industry topics, he, a “true newcomer” who had just entered the profession two days ago, really didn’t know what to ask or talk about.

So he was clearly at a loss , but in the eyes of others, he was arrogant and cold.

It was likely because Xia Xingchi was a difficult person, but this cold attitude was about to suffocate the chatterbox to death.

So Xia Xingchi had no choice but to bow his head and type frantically on the broken cell phone. Going to harass Li Chengyuan, the only one he could talk to, he advised him to go back and eat and rest, and not to waste time here.

After typing for a long time, he received a word from Li Chengyuan: En.

Xia Xingchi: ……?

Did this mean he would stop watching him, or “I have read it?”

This feeling was like raising a big, fragile, precious kitty cat. He feared that if he didn’t raise it right, he would feel sorry if it was driven away.

The problem was that this cat was very annoying, arrogant, and not obedient at all.

Before Xia Xingchi could think any further, that bastard Han Ningyu finally tidied himself up to achieve a radiant look, and everyone was finally able to work.

– – –

Before receiving their respective commercial scripts, Xia Xingchi looked over and saw fruit candies and soda crackers on the table in the lounge.

He glanced out the window again, and the outrageously expensive sports car was still parked quietly in the darkness, a bit like……a husband-watching stone.^[1]

If the villain heard this description, he would probably bite his head off.

Getting back down to business, a certain person was asking for trouble. Obviously he could help him get a taxi or ask the driver to pick him up, but he had to be paranoid and watch him personally.

However, in the end, Xia Xingchi still had a soft heart and feared that Li Chengyuan would feel unwell.

So he quietly took a few packets of crackers and candies, planning to sneak out and give them to him as soon as he got the chance.

As soon as he put the crackers in his pocket, he heard a sudden voice from the side: 

“Yo, are you stealing something over here?”

Xia Xingchi was in disbelief. No one would be unpleasant enough to paste this label on someone. What’s more, even a fool knew that the things here were free to eat.

A glance sideways confirmed that it was indeed Han Ningyu’s haughty, punchworthy face, sporting an expression of contempt.

Han Ningyu thought for a moment, then continued: “But your counterfeit clothes look rather genuine. You can’t even afford to buy them, so you want to steal the crackers and take them back with you to eat?”

There were many people in the lounge. Whether young artists or staff involved with the filming, it could even be said to be a little crowded.

Han Ningyu’s voice was loud enough that everyone could hear it.

It was a vivid performance of “I’m going to beat you, just pick a date” to set an example for others.

This move was clearly effective. No one said a word when they saw this, meekly lowering their heads.

They were fully aware of who was right and who was wrong, but it was impossible to stand up for that poor and unpopular Xia Xingchi. In all likelihood, he could only endure it alone.

Against expectations, Xia Xingchi smiled and asked: “Such concern, do you also want to buy counterfeits? But you’re too blind to tell counterfeits from the genuine article, so find a garbage bag on the side of the road and put it on. Hey, the black plastic bags from the cleaning lady outside aren’t bad. Would you like one?”

After speaking, he unceremoniously picked up another bag of crackers, thinking that he would feed some to the big, fragile cat made of glass later.

Han Ningyu became furious upon hearing his words.

As a pro at stepping on the weak and flattering the strong, he had bullied young artists many times since becoming close with his benefactor.

He had never discovered such a difficult person, who continued to not give him face and had an exaggerated opinion of his own abilities.

“Xia Xingchi, right? Just wait, you remember me!”

Upon saying this, he turned around angrily and left. The door slammed even louder this time.

Xia Xingchi was baffled, and wondered if there was a salary for bullying people. It would be meaningless if you couldn’t make a profit.

He opened an orange candy and put it in his mouth: “So anxious to grab the cleaning lady’s garbage bags? No one will fight him for them.”

The scene was silent for a moment as everyone remained speechless, and then there was a sense of comfort that came from letting go of resentment after getting justice

But they didn’t even have time to give him a thumbs up when someone said in a lukewarm tone: “Do you know why Han Ningyu can throw his weight around? His sponsor has invested the most into this brand, and he has the final say here today.”

Another person quickly said: “Ah? Will that bring disaster to innocent people? We didn’t do anything, but we’ll suffer too? I heard from a friend that Han Ningyu……”

After a dubiously authentic story about vented anger and collateral damage was told, the little artists who were already scared fell silent.

When everyone looked at Xia Xingchi, their expressions also changed.

One person turned to Xia Xingchi and said in a rather tactful tone: “Brother, little guys like us can’t provoke him. Why don’t you go and apologize?”

“He’s so petty that he’ll definitely try to squeeze you out in a while.”

When the commercial scripts were delivered, everyone was still chattering and gradually becoming unfriendly. A few of them began to educate people as if they were seniors: 

“You have to know that arrogance requires capital, but do you have power and capital?”

“You’ve only been in the industry for half a year, right? I’ve seen a lot of tough newcomers like this, but in the end they all came to nothing.”

“Go apologize and let Han Ningyu vent his anger. Not to frighten you, but it’ll be a breeze for him to sort you out.”

Xia Xingchi paid them no heed, and only opened his script to read it over: In this advertisement, besides Han Ningyu playing the “male lead” and the massage chair users, a majority of the others will be playing anthropomorphic massage chairs.

The reason he said “the majority” was because Xia Xingchi was the only “minority.”

What he had to do was bring footwashing water to Han Ningyu and then……give him a foot massage?

Even more outrageous was that Han Ningyu would kick the footwashing water all over his head and body, and then gallantly hold this brand’s electric foot bath machine and wash his feet again with a smile.

Xia Xingchi: ……?

Such blatant revenge, wasn’t it great to have a financial backer?

After everyone finished reading the script, several of them immediately donned expressions of “I knew it,” and “Serves him right.”

One said derisively: “Aren’t you going to apologize?”

This was a live performance of the comical drama where the weak become mentally unbalanced and draw their swords on the weaker.

Xia Xingchi tilted his head and looked at the script with the orange candy in his mouth: “No. Laozi will stop shooting.”

Although he had lived in miserable poverty all his life, it only made him look smooth, but did not smooth out his sharp edges and hard temper at all.

Like a prickly little hedgehog, he had suffered a lot because of this, but would always stubbornly do it again the next time.

The “huge” advertising fee of 20,000 yuan really made the little money-grubber a little distressed, but Xia Xingchi thought again —

Now I am a person with a monthly income of one million. Who doesn’t have a financial backer?

Thinking this way, he immediately straightened up and touched the sky-high priced pigeon egg diamond hanging close to his chest.

The confidence of “I can’t die from starvation” instantly went through the roof!

Seeing him appear so unyielding, the project manager sneered with disdain: “What is it, ah? Do you want to threaten not to shoot as blackmail? Who is begging you to shoot?”

Low-tier artists had no human rights or dignity, and people from all walks of life trampled on them all day long.

Someone deliberately favored one side and said: “Xia Xingchi, in this matter, you were the first to be impolite. Don’t hold up everyone’s progress, okay?”

“Quickly apologize to Brother Han. He is a senior, after all.”

Xia Xingchi listened and sincerely expressed his doubts: “The older you get, the more popular you are in this circle?”

– – –

Han Ningyu returned to his VIP room dedicated to “putting on airs,” and stomped about angrily.

“What advantages does he have besides being good-looking?!”

“Who gave him the right to be so arrogant?”

“How dare he say that I can’t tell real clothes from counterfeits? And his phone is broken like that, so how could he afford hundreds of thousands of dollars for an outfit? They fucking have to be counterfeits!”

Being a lackey for too long would distort a person’s mind. 

While kneeling and sucking up to the boss, he would showcase his split personality by being domineering in front of the low-tier artists to save face.

The assistant had long been accustomed to Han Ningyu’s behavior, so he quickly spoke up to comfort him.

At this time, the mobile phone rang, and Han Ningyu saw that it was his benefactor who took the initiative to call.

He was flattered, so he quickly dropped the ugly look he was wearing just now and answered his phone with an obedient and pandering smile, thinking that he would take this opportunity to file a complaint.

His change of attitude was as quick as turning the page of a book.

If this was not fast enough, then immediately after, the assistant watched helplessly as he changed from “smiling” to “terrified” and then to “ashen” after listening to the call.

In the end, it directly became “mourning for deceased parents.”

Those who were unaware might think that Han Ningyu had received news of his benefactor’s death.

It took Han Ningyu a long time to recover his voice, and then he said tremblingly: “So, so Xia Xingchi is……?!”

T/N: I’ll have the next chapter up quickly since this one is so short!

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[1] The husband-watching stone is a rock formation on Beishan Mountain that resembles a woman with a child on her back, watching for the moment her husband comes home. There is a whole legend based on it. ⮐

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Chapter Nine << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eleven

Seeing him coughing like this, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help being alarmed. His mind, dazzled by the huge sum of money, didn’t point himself out as the culprit at all.

In order to prevent his benefactor from accidentally dying on his first day on the job, he quickly got up and patted Li Chengyuan gently.

Meanwhile, he thought to himself, this person’s body is so precious and fragile, he needs to be taken care of carefully so that he can live longer.

Li Chengyuan covered his mouth with one hand and pushed him away with the other.

He didn’t expect Xia Xingchi to be so flexible. He was obviously terrified of him before, but now, for the sake of money, he could call him husband casually.

After coughing for a long time, he finally calmed down and said with an unnatural expression on his face: “Just call me by my name.”

Xia Xingchi noticed that he seemed unhappy, so he resolutely grabbed the shiny golden bank card and put it away before he could change his mind.

After so much excitement, Xia Xingchi finally remembered to ask: “Mr – Li Chengyuan, may I ask why me?”

This pie that fell from the sky was too big, and the poisonous ones should not be eaten.

“I needed a legal partner and you just showed up.”

As Li Chengyuan spoke, Summer finally managed to jump on top of him.

This time he didn’t drive it away. He just absent-mindedly touched its head, and it immediately started up a happy purr, like a small engine.

Xia Xingchi tilted his head. If you need a legal partner, you can marry casually regardless of gender?

This method of resolving a lifelong matter seemed a bit too unreasonable.

But remembering that Li Chengyuan only had half a year to live, he felt that it would be better to be casual.

Otherwise, if he really fell in love with someone, how sad would his lover be when he died?

This idea finally convinced Xia Xingchi, and he no longer had any doubts about this pie from the sky. He even felt that he was just right for this job.

Just as he was thinking happily, he heard Li Chengyuan say: “Come here.”

Xia Xingchi didn’t know what he wanted, so he got up obediently and walked around the table to stop in front of him.

He couldn’t help but silently look down, and saw Li Chengyuan’s slender fingers with well-articulated joints lightly resting on Summer’s flawless pure white fur, caressing it casually.

Xia Xingchi looked more and more greedily, and saw Li Chengyuan lift his chin slightly: “Touch it.”

 — Huh? He knows I keep thinking about his cat? It’s so obvious?

But most importantly, he could finally stroke the big fluffy tail of the cat of his dreams!

With Li Chengyuan around, it was a rare moment when Summer’s fur didn’t puff up. It squinted its eyes in enjoyment on its master’s lap, letting Xia Xingchi’s fingers stroke its soft, fluffy fur.

Even grasping the tip of its tail lightly didn’t annoy it.

Xia Xingchi happily squatted on the ground and petted the cat. He buried his face in the fragrant fluff, raising his head and sighing contentedly.

In just ten minutes, he had received money and the freedom to play with a cat at the same time.

Was this the joy of having a wife, kids, and a warm bed?^[1]

“Right, I —”

The second half of the sentence stuck in his throat.

Because when Xia Xingchi raised his head, Li Chengyuan wore a very strange expression.

He……was smiling.

It was a terrifying smile, and those dark amber eyes were staring at him intently, filled with strong, unknown emotions.

Like the ecstasy and obsession after getting something you had only dreamed of.

Xia Xingchi suddenly shivered, forgetting what he was going to say. He just felt his hair stand on end and immediately sat down on the ground.

— I’ll go, this scary expression is really inappropriate for the crazy villain, please excuse me.

Fortunately, Li Chengyuan also realized the problem. He turned away awkwardly, his expression suddenly restrained as he returned to his usual indifference in an instant.

Xia Xingchi’s heart was still beating wildly, and he wondered what had happened to him.

It can’t be that he’s unhappy because I petted his cat.

Or is he so vicious all the time, and it wasn’t directed at me?

The scene fell into silence for a time.

The two of them didn’t speak to each other, and it just went on like this until Aunt Li happened to knock on the door: “Sir, Young Master, dinner is ready.”

Xia Xingchi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard these words and jumped up to run downstairs.

– – –

Dinner was quite sumptuous. It would have been a month’s worth of meals for him before.

Coincidentally, it seemed to particularly suit his tastes. The delicious smell of braised pork ribs seduced him, and the weird occasion in the study was left behind at last.

Due to poverty, Xia Xingchi had always adhered to the revolving principles of “eat just enough” and “eat everything.” But in fact, there was a clear distinction between what he liked and what he didn’t like.

The dishes in front of Li Chengyuan were very light. He didn’t move his chopsticks immediately, but silently watched Xia Xingchi eating happily.

The person in question was enjoying the freedom of eating meat, and didn’t notice.

Then the phone suddenly vibrated, and he turned to look with a small fish in his mouth. There were two big characters, “Lin Meng,” on the screen.

It was his agent. He was now a low-tier, low-key artist, and Lin Meng was an unpopular little agent on the bench. The two of them were simply like two peas in a pod.

Xia Xingchi chewed the little fish and thought, yes, I am not a vagrant now, I am……ah! It’s over!

He finally remembered what that half sentence he uttered in in the study just now was, before Li Chengyuan’s smile frightened him into forgetfulness —

He had a commercial shoot tonight!

Having only transmigrated for a few days, he was still not familiar with the business, so he completely forgot about his current occupation.

As a flop who had been secretly suppressed by “Popular Idol Xia Yu” before he could get popular, Xia Xingchi had countless anti-fans and black materials.^[2]

As well as the pitiful leftover resources, such as this ad.

Thinking that he was done for, Xia Xingchi quickly answered the phone.

On the other side, Ling Meng pressed: “Xingchi, have you set off yet? Let’s go early today.”

“This is Han Ningyu’s home field, he’s a notorious bully who steps on the weak and is afraid of the powerful. His favorite thing to do is show off in front of the bottom tier artists for a sense of superiority.”

Lin Meng was an agent and an assistant all in one. Clearly very busy, she urged him to leave quickly and then hung up the phone in a rush.

Xia Xingchi freaked out as soon as he glanced at his watch. No wonder she was in a hurry. Let alone getting there ahead of time, it was likely that he would have to examine the circumstances before he took action when he arrived at the shooting location.

Luckily, the original owner was forcibly dragged into the entertainment circle by Xia Yu as a foil character. It had only been half a year, and like himself, he was not very skilled in the business.

Otherwise, it would be more than just forgetting to work, and he might invite even more ridicule.

Xia Xinchi quickly clicked on the rideshare app, praying in his heart that a driver would pick up the order soon.

While typing the location, the screen went blank, and no matter how hard he poked it, there was no response.

This weather-beaten mobile phone with a cracked screen actually went on strike at this critical moment.

Xia Xingchi:……

Why did his unlucky self always open the door to bad fortune?

I was just born unlucky!

Li Chengyuan abruptly said: “Go change your clothes, I’ll drive you there.”

This reminded Xia Xingchi that he was “kidnapped” back from the engagement banquet, and all of his clothes and luggage were at the Xia residence.

At this time, he saw the servants carrying a lot of paper bags in, all of which contained the latest clothes from high-end luxury brands. When he opened them, he found that they were sized just right for him.

It was a gift in his time of need. When Xia Xingchi glanced at Li Chengyuan, the look in his eyes became a little more worshipful.

This was more than a big villain, this was a Doraemon.^[3]

It was actually like the engagement was premeditated. These clothes were ready two days ago.

On the night Xia Xingchi transmigrated, when Li Chengyuan regained consciousness briefly and pushed him down on the bed, he already roughly knew his size.

So Secretary Ye got the opportunity to “go shopping on Imperial orders.”

Under the eyes of the shocked and awed female clerks, she took out Mr. Li’s black card and swiped it to experience the fabled joy of completely booking a place.

It was too late to choose, so Xia Xingchi grabbed a paper bag and rushed to his room. Before closing the door, he advised: “You eat your meal, just lend me your phone and I’ll take a taxi.”

Taxi drivers didn’t even pass by this mansion, and encountering one randomly on the road would be hopeless.

Unexpectedly, when Xia Xingchi ran out of the room like a rabbit, Li Chengyuan was also completely dressed.

But he hadn’t even taken a bite of the food on the dining room table.

Xia Xingchi hesitated: “Wait, you haven’t eaten yet……”

He had a delicate, fragile glass stomach. If he didn’t eat any dinner, he would probably fall ill that night.

Li Chengyuan turned a deaf ear to this. He picked up the car keys and walked to the villa’s elevator, obviously not to be argued with.

Xia Xingchi had no choice but to obediently shut up, and followed him all the way downstairs, visiting for the first time the underground garage that was comparable to a top auto show.

Likely because he didn’t bring a driver along, instead of the standard Rolls-Royce, he chose a rather cool silver-gray sports car.

He didn’t recognize the car logo, but Xia Xingchi guessed that it must be very expensive.

– – –

“Ancestor, ah, you are finally here! I was really afraid you wouldn’t be able to get a taxi at this point” Lin Meng hurriedly pushed Xia Xingchi to the dressing room.

The company didn’t provide him with a complementary car, and the original owner was too poor to buy a vehicle.

Lin Meng, as the dismal, unpopular agent, was no match for Xia Xingchi’s misery.

In the makeup mirror, Xia Xingchi’s rather attractive countenance was reflected. He had a defined look, with bright and delicate features, but didn’t show the slightest femininity. It only made people feel that the youth was full of warmth and vigor.

Lin Meng watched from the side, and the more she watched, the more amazed she became.

It took her a while to realize —

Good-looking was good-looking, but it seemed……that it wasn’t like this before?

But no matter how carefully she thought about Xia Xingchi’s original appearance, or looked back through photos and videos, the three characters “Xia Xingchi” always corresponded to this face.

There were just silent and mysterious changes that no one could detect.

Several people entered the dressing room one after another.

They were all young male artists who conformed to the current aesthetics, but were also unknown and had extremely low social status.

This was an advertisement for a new brand of massage chairs. Because there was no money to hire high-value celebrities, they had to get together seven Calabash Brothers^[4] and try to save grandpa together.

The only well-known artist was “Han Ningyu,” whom Lin Meng had mentioned earlier on the phone.

Because Xia Xingchi looked so good, the makeup was done quickly and without much effort on the part of the makeup artist.

Lin Meng looked out of the corner of her eye and happened to see something glittering on his middle finger.

Taking a closer look, she found that it was a blindingly big pigeon egg diamond surrounded by more diamonds, and she quickly reached out to tap his finger: 

“Quickly take it off. You can’t wear this ambiguous style, it will be interpreted as a love affair or engagement ring……and since it’s fake, it will be easy to draw ridicule.”

With such a large size, it would be worth several million, but how could Xia Xingchi have that kind of money?

Xia Xingchi was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly remembered this major life event and that Sister Lin Meng didn’t know he was engaged.

As a result, various questions arose in succession:

Can an artist get engaged and get married?

How is the content of the contract written, will it be a breach of contract?

And the most concerning issue for a little money-grubber – whether there would be fines.

Forget it, it’s not really love anyway.

Xia Xingchi shook his head. Li Chenyuan would be gone within a year at most, and it would be better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

He obediently took off the ring. Lin Meng nodded, and then went out again in a rush.

– – –

Although there were more and more people in the dressing room, they didn’t converse much. This was likely due to unfamiliarity, and that it would be embarrassing not to recognize each other since they all shared the occupation of “artist.”

The atmosphere was tranquil until the door opened forcefully without warning!

The other party walked in loudly, as if carried by the wind.

Baffled, Xia Xingchi raised his head to look with disdain, and saw a very conspicuous man walk in, wearing sunglasses at night.

Followed by two assistants, he stood out from the crowd among the lonely low-tier artists.

“Brother Sunglasses” frowned and looked around for a moment, then asked contemptuously then and there: 

“There aren’t even separate dressing rooms here? Do you expect me to squeeze in with them?”

He also specially emphasized “them,” full of superiority.

Xia Xingchi immediately understood. It seemed that this was the protagonist of today’s advertisement, Han Ningyu.

The atmosphere was silent. Of course, there was no one who wasn’t irritated at having someone show off in front of them.

But no one refuted him. Some kept silent, but some even said hello to “Brother Han,” and others had no choice but to politely follow suit.

Everyone here without exception had very little backing, otherwise they wouldn’t be so conflicted.

Therefore, even if Han Ningyu was not a big figure, no one wanted to confront him head-on.

“Brother Han, your separate dressing room is next door.” A staff member of the ad group quickly greeted him with a smile. “I’ll take you there right away.”

The person who spoke was polite, but was also speechless in his heart: How had such large signage gone unnoticed?

It was nothing more than the fact that the pheasant couldn’t wait to show off his prestige after turning into a phoenix. For the sake of his new backer, everyone had to endure it.

Han Ningyu looked at everyone’s flattering expressions through his sunglasses, and was immediately very satisfied.

But as he glanced around, he frowned once more —

In the corner, a young man dressed head-to-toe in luxury brand clothes not only did not look at him, but kept his head down as he fiddled with a ring and a length of string.

Han Ningyu’s eyes were suddenly unkind, and he stared at Xia Xingchi for a long moment, perhaps hoping to threaten him in this way.

The others couldn’t help turning their heads to look at him.

The embarrassing thing was that Xia Xingchi didn’t respond by the time Han Ningyu’s eyes were sore, as if he didn’t intend to acknowledge him at all.

Although it was harmless, it was extremely insulting.

Therefore, Han Ningyu was incredibly annoyed when he left and closed the door in a grandiose manner, as if he intended to shatter the windowpane.

The earth-shattering sound of the door closing echoed for a long moment, and someone couldn’t help but say angrily: “Fuck! He has a lot of nerve!”

“I heard that Han Ningyu has a new benefactor. His resources are really good now, and he’s made a lot of money!”

Fully absorbed in his work, for fear that his hand would slip and drop the pigeon egg diamond, little money-grubber Xia finally finished his project.

Hearing the word “money,” the radar antenna on the top of his head immediately stood up, wanting to learn how to make more money in this circle.

“Benefactor? Seeing that he’s such a pompous ass, who is the benefactor?”

“I don’t know, but they must be rich – I was just downstairs and saw a Shelby!”

Xia Xingchi tilted his head, wondering what a Shelby was.

He heard someone exclaim: “Oh my god, that top supercar with a starting price of at least 50 million? I’ve never seen one with my own eyes!”

“The chauffeur certainly wouldn’t drive this car, so was it his benefactor who personally sent him here? He’s really favored, ah, no wonder Han Ningyu dared to become like this.”

The more Xia Xingchi listened, the more astounded he became. The values of a small money-grubber were shattered several times in one day by the power of money. It turned out that in life, there was a luxury car worth tens of millions?

Was it made of gold? This must not be on offer at an auto show. Was the owner really willing to drive it?

In any case, Han Ningyu was truly blessed. Making money and doing whatever he pleased, where could such a benefactor be found?

One of them looked out the window, and then took a breath: “Is that the one you’re talking about? His benefactor didn’t leave, but is actually waiting downstairs.”

Everyone had nothing to do, so they all leaned toward the window and looked out.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchi also raised his head curiously.

In the vast night, a rather conspicuous silver-gray sports car was parked in the dark, and it couldn’t be more familiar.

Xia Xingchi: ……!!!

Were they talking about Li Chengyuan?!

This person who had been eating melons with relish as he stayed out of the matter was stunned, and the non-existent melons were dropped to the ground in fright.

---

[1] Having “a wife, kids, and a warm bed” is an idiom for “living a good and simple life.” ⮐

[2] “Black material” is kompromat/dirt/skeletons in the closet. ⮐

[3] Doraemon is an old Japanese manga series where the titular character is a robotic blue cat. The context here is that Doraemon comes from the future and uses various future tools to help a family in their time of need. ⮐

[4] The Calabash Brothers is a popular 80’s animated show that featured seven brothers who successively went to rescue their grandfather from a monster and were captured. They won in the end, of course. ⮐

---

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Chapter Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten

Yan Mingting saw the shock on his face that he tried his best to hide, and knew that he was right.

A courtesy name should have been chosen by his parents, elders, or perhaps His Holiness. But Zhao Yelan’s parents had died in his early years, and Zhao Xuan was the most likely to choose the courtesy name for him.

At first, when he heard the word “Mengting” from Zhao Xuan’s mouth, there was an indescribable familiarity, but after careful inspection, he noticed that Zhao Yelan’s reaction to this was not within the norm. It seemed that he was caught off guard when he heard this name, and his expression changed unexpectedly.

Later at the hunting grounds, he had asked the other party why Zhao Xuan had called him Mengting. 

Zhao Yelan said it was a courtesy name.

He called him that all the way, but every time he said it, Zhao Yelan was very annoyed. It wasn’t until they returned and he called “Mengting” in front of Housekeeper Qin that Zhao Yelan became furious, as if he didn’t want this name mentioned in front of outsiders.

So he didn’t speak it in front of others anymore, and only occasionally called him Mengting when they were alone together, just for fun between the two of them.

His name had been changed since childhood, and even though he became a noble official, there was no ancestral hall in Zhao Mansion to honor his ancestors……he had a vague guess, but he didn’t want to delve into how many stories were hidden behind the name Zhao Mengting.

He firmly believed that human nature was inherently good. If Zhao Yelan could be driven into the abyss step by step, the story behind it must be heart-wrenching. He didn’t want to investigate secretly, so as not to uncover that bloody scar again. The other party couldn’t bear it, and he may not be able to face it calmly.

As soon as the two of them returned to the General’s Mansion, they saw Housekeeper Qin and Gao Tan squatting on the steps, arguing endlessly.

Housekeeper Qin: “Why did Zhao-daren go to the brothel? It’s too outrageous, can’t he stay in the mansion honestly?”

“The brothel smells fragrant and savory, my lord will naturally like it.”

“You sure know how to talk to adults, kid, do you know what that place is?!”

“Of course I know, but I’m afraid you don’t. You’re too old to go.”

“Who are you looking down on! Who wasn’t powerful when he was young?! Back when I was messing around with girls, you didn’t even know how to breastfeed!”

“Old is old, I only hear boasting.”

“Believe it! I could tell my wife to have a third child now, how about you!”

“Of course I can’t, I don’t like your wife, I don’t want her to have my baby.”

“How can this be so!” Housekeeper Qin was so angry that his beard puffed up. He stood up to beat him but knew that he couldn’t, so he just postured and waited for him to admit his mistake.

At this time, someone grabbed his arm and he inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head to see that it was the General, and quickly said to Gao Tan: “For the sake of the General, I won’t fight with you, brat!”

Xiao Gao ignored him, stepping forward to say aggrievedly: “My lord, you are back. You didn’t take me with you when you went out today, am I still your favorite Xiao Gao?”

The veins on Yan Mingting’s forehead twitched, and he let go of Housekeeper Qin’s arm: “Aren’t you going to beat him up? Go do it.”

“Ah, this……” Housekeeper Qin looked at him in shame. How could he beat him, ah!

Yan Mingting dragged Zhao Yelan back to the room, leaving the youth and the elder looking at each other.

Housekeeper Qin was in a dilemma for a moment. When he saw someone passing by, he hurriedly asked the person to grab his arm in a whisper, and shouted: “Xiao Gao, if someone hadn’t stopped me, today I would show you the meaning of ‘old but still vigorous.’ There is no one I dare not face!”

Zhao Yelan heard the two people’s bickering and simply closed the window and let them mess around.

Yan Mingting waited for a while and seeing that he had no intention of talking about today’s events, he had no choice but to order someone to boil water. He guessed that he would definitely want to wash away the filth, but the clothes……

“Whose clothes are you wearing?” Yan Mingting had never seen him wear this outfit. He had clearly changed it, but where? The brothel? Humph!

“I don’t know,” Zhao Yelan replied truthfully. “This is a spare from the brothel, it should be new.”

Ah!

Yan Mingting gave a bitter smile: “Spares from the brothel – doesn’t it usually bother you for others to touch your clothes? How can you wear spares from the brothel?”

“……Otherwise, do you think it would be more appropriate for me to come out covered in blood?”

Yan Mingting choked, and went to the kitchen to speed up the process of heating the water. He paced over and pulled away the servants in front of the stove, sat down by himself, picked up the firewood, and tossed it in.

Moments later, a cloud of smoke rose from the kitchen.

“Is it on fire?!” Housekeeper Qin detected the smell of smoke from a long distance away and hurried to the kitchen.

Zhao Yelan also rushed over when he heard this, and just outside the kitchen window, he saw servants pulling Yan Mingting out and coaxing him: “General, you can just stay in the room and wait, ba. The hot water will be ready soon, no matter how urgent it is, it can’t be rushed, ah. That isn’t how firewood is burned, you’ll set the General’s Mansion on fire.”

Yan Mingting looked back at them in embarrassment as they waved away the smoke. Some got into his throat and he coughed uncontrollably. At this moment, a pair of white jade boots appeared in front of him. He froze for a moment, then looked up at Zhao Yelan.

Zhao Yelan held out a brocade handkerchief. He awkwardly refused to take it, thinking that it would be over after a couple of coughs, and that there was no need to bother covering his mouth and nose.

Unexpectedly, the other party wiped his face.

He looked at him in surprise, and then saw that the piece of white fabric was stained black.

Yan Mingting’s expression was as dark as the bottom of a pot. The genuine bottom of a pot.

He immediately rushed to the nearby well and looked at himself in the moonlight. Somehow ash had smeared on his face, which really made his handsome appearance ugly!

Zhao Yelan was unable to restrain his smile: “Can you wipe it properly now?”

Yan Mingting fetched a basin of water and set it aside. He was just about to accept the handkerchief, but withdrew his hand and simply wrote himself off as hopeless and acted recklessly: “You wipe it for me.”

“Who is willing to spoil you?”

Yan Mingting tilted his face towards him, making it clear that he wanted him to wipe it: “Mengting, wipe it……Mengting!”

Zhao Yelan looked around and saw that everyone was busy in the kitchen and no one had noticed, so he gritted his teeth and crouched down to wet the handkerchief, then wiped his face viciously: “Is this what you said you wouldn’t investigate?”

“What’s the matter? I only called you, and that’s not enough? You are too domineering.” Yan Mingting dangled his legs, pleased with himself.

“I’m not as bad as you, scoundrel.”

After wiping the cold well water on his face from side to side, Yan Minting smiled at him, refreshed.

As soon as Housekeeper Qin came out after rescuing the kitchen, he saw the two of them flirting with each other by the well. He couldn’t understand, why did Zhao-daren leave the General at home to go look for wild flowers, ah? Was it really just for tea?

At night, Zhao Yelan lay on the bed with his eyes open in the dark, thinking about the day he would leave and what he would do. He suddenly heard Yan Mingting ask: “When you killed that man today, there was a Madam in the house.”

“Yes?”

“She looked pretty.”

“En.”

“She wasn’t frightened by you?” Yan Mingting asked tentatively, “Or, did you actually know each other a long time ago?”

It was only after Yan Mingting walked out of the brothel that he realized something was wrong. It was such a big brothel and the door was closed tightly, but he was able to enter with ease, as if they were expecting him. And Zhao Yelan, in front of a woman, on her territory, executed a person in such a slow manner. That woman’s expression did not change, as if she didn’t care at all. There was definitely a problem.

Zhao Yelan thought for a moment. Knowing that it was impossible to hide it, he simply confessed: “Yes, I know her.”

“How do you know each other?” Yan Mingting asked curiously. It couldn’t be because he was a regular customer could it?

Zhao Yelan didn’t answer. He closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, and fortunately Yan Mingting didn’t ask any more questions.

Early the next morning, Li Yucheng came to visit and waited in the foyer for a while. Seeing Zhao Yelan coming out in his official uniform, he hurriedly stood up and asked: “Zhao-xiong, I was drunk yesterday, and I only realized when I woke up that Yan Mingting came to the brothel to look for you. Are you alright?”

“Is there something I can do for you?” Zhao Yelan walked toward the gate.

“Okay, forget it, then can you help this younger brother, ah?”

“That girl is not a good match for you, and you are not the only one waiting to redeem her. She is not absolutely loyal to you, so you should give up as soon as possible so as not to cause trouble. You can rest assured and wait for your father to arrange a marriage for you. Your father is the best person in the world to you.” After Zhao Yelan finished speaking, he got into the sedan chair and disappeared down the street.

Li Yucheng was stunned for a while, and then left in disappointment. He heard someone calling his name, and when he looked back, it was Yan Mingting returning from morning court.

“What are you doing sneaking around here?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Who’s sneaking around……” Li Yucheng muttered, about to run, but the other party grabbed him and pulled him over.

“Can you live in peace for two days, boy? You either gamble or whore all day long, are you deliberately trying to anger your father?” On the surface, Yan Mingting was teaching him a lesson for Li Jingyu, but in fact his teeth itched with hatred for this kid who tried to take Zhao Yelan to brothels several times. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he simply boxed him twice with his fist.

“Otherwise what can I do? Wuwuwuwu, don’t hit.” Li Yucheng put his head in his hands. “My father never let me learn scholarly arts, and I’m not allowed to join the army. I also want to do something to make him happy!”

Yan Mingting understood Li Jinyu’s desire to protect him, but he did not agree with excessive safeguarding. No father would like his child to endure hardships, but some hardships must be experienced.

When people grew up, it was easy to go astray without something serious to do. Li Jinyu could protect him for a while, but he could not protect him forever.

Yan Mingting said: “Aren’t you good at eating, drinking, and having fun all day long? You should have some understanding of these trades, how about doing some business?”

“Ah, business……my father is the Prime Minister, if I become a merchant, will I hurt his credibility?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Mingting patted his head hard: “Have you hurt his credibility less? If you don’t want to endure hardship, just say you don’t want to endure hardship. Make whatever excuses you want and get out of my way.”

Li Yucheng held his head and stepped aside. Seeing him enter the mansion, he at once stepped forward and stood at the gate to shout: “Yan Mingting, I’m sorry! I wronged you before, and I will seriously consider your suggestion!”

Yan Mingting turned his head and saw that he had run away: “Brat.”

In the Imperial Academy, Wang Guisheng was clearly being isolated. Only Ruan Xian occasionally took the time to converse with him, and he worked alone most of the time. When asking others for the classics he needed, their answers were exceedingly perfunctory.

After a few days, he was somewhat frustrated, so he came to a corner of the pavilion and sighed alone with a mixture of depression and loss. He was very disheartened by the current situation.

At this time, he saw that Zhao Yelan was alone by the window under the eaves not far away, bending over to pick up a brush and write something.

He got up and walked to the window, standing in place. Only then did he realize that he was drawing a map of the Xuan Dynasty. He was a little puzzled, but the other party spoke first: “What? Are you feeling wronged?”

“I don’t think I was wrong, obviously they are the ones who are too pedantic. Why should they refuse to face their own shortcomings?”

“This is the Imperial Academy. Just like you, they all came from a scholarly background. If you have pride, so do they. You think they are wrong and they also think you are wrong, why do you persist in the end? What is in it for you?”

“But if you blind your eyes, you will only stagnate and not think about making progress. If we don’t do practical things for the people, what meaning is there in being an official?”

“But you are only sixth-rank, a junior who has just entered the officialdom and is now trying to correct their shortcomings. Isn’t this too aggressive? Why should they listen to you, a little brat? You have no power over them, and no real ability to convince them. Can you carry out your so-called official morality just by opening your mouth?” Zhao Yelan didn’t want to talk too much with him, but needed to impress upon him the dangers of officialdom so that he would understand the truth of rigidity and change. “If you still want to blame others, just find a cool patch of shade and stay there, don’t bother me.”

Wang Guisheng pursed his lips and said after a long moment: “Then what do you think I should do?”

“Go and learn worldly wisdom from him, ba.” Zhao Yelan raised his chin in a certain direction.

Wang Guisheng looked over and saw that Ruan Xian was listening to the lectures of those old scholars. Whatever he said caused those old pedants to stroke their beards and smile, and then take the initiative to bring up some knowledge.

Zhao Yelan saw that he was finally willing to put down his pride and go to Ruan Xian for advice, and let out a sigh.

Of these two, one was tactful but lacked real talent and learning, so he placed the idea of prosperity on the people around him, urging everyone on so that there was a greater chance of ascending to the top together.

The other was too prideful and upright. He was ambitious and talented, but too solitary. One could not prosper in officialdom based solely on one’s own integrity.

The two of them were good partners who could learn from each other. If they could make use of their strengths and avoid their weaknesses, they would also be able to assist the Emperor in the future and help solve the big mess left behind by the previous Emperor.

After leaving the government office, he took his purse and made purchases all the way from the street to the end of the alley. Minji’s stuffed steamed buns, Huichunlou’s drunken shrimp, Jinxuan’s silk, street trinkets……he accidentally bought too much.

After returning to the mansion, he found a few servants to move things from the sedan chair.

“My lord, why did you suddenly buy so many things, ah?” Housekeeper Qin saw that there were all sorts of purchases, and also helped to carry them.

“Be careful.” The things in the bag fell, and Zhao Yelan picked them up. They happened to be two tanghulu that he had casually purchased on the street.

Housekeeper Qin turned back again, saw the tanghulu in his hand, and suddenly realized: “I see. My lord, this is a birthday gift for the General, right?”

Zhao Yelan paused: “Birthday?”

“Yes, ah, it will be the General’s birthday in six days.”

Zhao Yelan looked down at the tanghulu, clenched his fingers, and frowned slightly – would it be inauspicious to “die” right before his birthday?

Forget it, it wouldn’t be too late to wait these few days and “leave” after Yan Mingting’s birthday.

“Oh! General, will……you?” Housekeeper Qin seemed to have seen Yan Mingting appear at the gate just now, but he vanished in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Yelan stared at the gate together with him and said: “You must have the blurred vision of the elderly, ba.”

At the corner outside the gate, He Cuizhang whispered: “General, why are we hiding?”

“Nonsense, didn’t you hear what they said about birthday gifts?” Yan Mingting rubbed his hands, standing on tiptoe to look into the courtyard at the people coming in and out. “More likely than not, those are all congratulatory gifts prepared by Zhao Yelan. If I go out now, won’t I destroy his carefully prepared surprise?”

“It makes sense……let me see what he has prepared?” He Cuizhang also stood on tiptoe to look into the courtyard, and reported in a whisper: “He has two tanghulu in hand!”

Of course!

It absolutely must be a congratulatory gift for him. Yan Mingting inwardly made a fist.

He Cuizhang: “Oh! Xiao Gao asked for one.”

Damn Xiao Gao! ! 

---

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Chapter Forty-Three <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Five

In the brothel, the red gauze tent was full of fragrance.

Because it was the afternoon, it was not as noisy as it was at night. Most of the girls were still resting, and only a few maids and the Madam poured wine for the two at the table.

“Li-gonzi is so powerful that he even brought someone like Zhao-daren here,” the Madam said with a smile.

“That’s right, my popularity is not just average.” Li Yucheng laughed loudly. Seeing that she was about to pour wine for Zhao Yelan, he reached out and stopped her. “Zhao-xiong doesn’t drink wine, go and fetch a cup of tea.”

“Don’t worry, I have a very good Mingqian Longjing here, which is only used for entertaining distinguished guests.” The Madam had already changed the kettle. She smiled coquettishly at him, and reached out to touch Li Yucheng’s face, which made him giggle non-stop. If she didn’t have the scar on her face, her charm could be considered stunning.

Zhao Yelan turned his eyes away and simply didn’t look.

Seeing this, Li Yucheng swiftly corrected his posture. Instead of joking with the Madam, he said seriously: “Are the doors closed?”

“Naturally, since Li-gongzi has already reserved the venue, I have done so for you. There will not be a third guest coming in.” The Madam smiled.

“Then can we ask Lady Miaoyin to come up now?” Li Yucheng asked eagerly.

“Wait a moment, she is dressing. Don’t worry, young master.” The Madam lit incense in the censer on the table, and a wisp of white smoke drifted out from the crack, overflowing with fragrance after a while.

“The fragrance of Hongxiu House is really varied. Don’t you love sachets? You can ask them where they get so many strange fragrances. There are always seasonal ones throughout the year, no wonder the business here is getting better and better.” Li Yucheng continued introducing the benefits of brothels to Zhao Yelan, as if he came here for the incense and pastries. “Don’t scholars and sophisticated guests like a few tunes with their wine? This Hongxiu House has everything you could want, auspicious days, good wine, and beautiful songs. This is one of the greatest joys in life!”

Zhao Yelan saw that he had only had a couple of sips, and drank the tea by himself. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the Madam passing by downstairs. Coincidentally, the other party looked up and their eyes met. The Madam smiled and said: “Zhao-daren, don’t worry. The person you want has already arrived.”

Li Yucheng looked down excitedly and saw the woman following behind her. She walked up slowly while holding a pipa, opened the bead curtain, and saluted whole-heartedly: “Li-gongzi is safe and well.”

“Safe and well, safe and well.” Li Yucheng’s face was full of joy, and he stepped forward to hold her hand. “A-Chang, this is Zhao-daren. Quickly sing a tune for him to listen to, and maybe he will intercede for me to marry you back…..”

A-Chang unobtrusively pulled out her hand and looked at Zhao Yelan, saying with a nod: “This one will show her inadequacy.”

“Not inadequate, not inadequate!” Li Yucheng said.

Zhao Yelan had truly used up his patience to come and listen to music with this fellow, and pushed the wine glass in front of him: “Can you please shut up!”

A-Chang pursed her lips and snickered. Li Yucheng was stunned, and immediately drank three cups. The sound of the pipa was mournful. The lingering sorrow, coupled with A-Chang’s ethereal voice, complemented each other just right. As she sang emotionally, Li Yucheng actually cried, drinking his wine silently.

Zhao Yelan: “……” Revolting.

After one song, Li Yucheng wanted to hear it again. A-Chang got up and drank a cup of wine with him, then continued to play and sing. As Li Yucheng listened, he felt that the alcohol was coming on. His head became dizzy, and he fell on the table with a bang.

The sound of the pipa did not stop, and when A-Chang finished singing the song, only then did she carefully put away the pipa, walk to the table, and see if he was breathing. She called out: “Li-gongzi, wake up.”

“He won’t be able to wake up for more than two hours, so take him down.” The Madam opened the bead curtain and walked inside. A few maids behind her carried him out and to a side room.

“Yes.” A-Chang stepped back slowly and went to guard Li Yucheng’s room.

There were only two people left in the room. The Madam took up the jug and poured the wine mixed with sleeping medicine on the ground. Then she poured a cup of tea from the tea kettle and smiled: “I thought you wouldn’t be able to drink my tea this year.”

“If I hadn’t come in person, would you still have to hide this tea for the next year?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“How can this be? It would be a waste if it stayed with me. I was planning to send it to you in a few days, but I didn’t expect you to come here of your own initiative. Has everything been arranged outside?”

“En, thanks to this kid, I’m afraid there are rumors that I was dragged along to become a brothel patron by Li Yucheng.” Zhao Yelan sneered. 

She frowned, fumbled the teacup with her fingers, and smiled peculiarly: “Become a brothel patron……you are not afraid of what other people see or say. Aren’t you afraid of General Yan?”

Zhao Yelan hesitated slightly: “Afraid of him doing what?”

“Afraid that he will become furious and flatten my little brothel. You’re not distressed, but I am. Aren’t you afraid that he will overturn a jar of vinegar, ah? Last time, he carried you back from this brothel in front of everyone. This time, I am not sure how to get you back if you are imprisoned for life……”

“Gu Niaoniao!” Zhao Yelan set his teacup down on the table heavily.

“Aiyo, he’s getting angry from embarrassment.” Gu Niaoniao giggled behind a handkerchief.

“Stop messing around and get down to business.”

“It’s rare to get together and reminisce about the old days. You really have a heart like iron~”

“Is that what you call reminiscing about the past?”

Gu Niaoniao grinned, then suppressed the smile on her lips and said seriously: “The cell boss is in the cellar now. What do you want to do with him?”

Zhao Yelan tightened his grip, clutching the teacup with bulging veins: “Are you sure you didn’t identify the wrong person?”

“No mistake, I would recognize him even if he turned to ashes,” Gu Niaoniao said in a dark voice.

Zhao Yelan stood up and suddenly heard the sounds of soldiers’ horseshoes outside. He walked to the window, glanced out, and saw that they had returned from the training grounds. Looking at the sky again, Yan Mingting should have also already left the training grounds.

“Bring that person here.”

Gu Niaoniao left for a while, and when she returned, the maids behind her dragged in a tall, burly man. After throwing him down, they were sent to guard the gate.

“Wuwuwu –!”

The man was filthy, bound with his arms tied behind his body and a rope looped around his neck. His mouth was stuffed with a dirty cloth, and he hadn’t eaten in two days. The cloth strip covering his face was abruptly torn away, and his pupils shrank before adapting to the bright light. When he opened his eyes, he saw a young, handsome man with a gloomy expression, who seemed as if he wanted to eat him alive, but he couldn’t remember when he would have provoked such a person.

“Wuwu –”

Zhao Yelan glanced at Gu Niaoniao, and she pulled the cloth bundle from his mouth.

“Are you wondering who we are?” Zhao Yelan crouched down and looked at him levelly.

The man instinctively recoiled, nodded, and was about to speak, when a reflected light suddenly lit up before his eyes as a sharp dagger was pressed against his mouth.

“But I don’t want to hear your voice. You just need to nod and shake your head, understand?”

“You……” As soon as the man made a sound, he felt the knife dig in a little bit. Blood oozed from his lips and he nodded in terror.

“Have you ever served as the head of a prison?”

The man continued to nod, staring anxiously at the knife in front of him, but he didn’t dare to nod too hard for fear of poking his nose onto the blade.

Zhao Yelan looked at him in disgust for a moment, then got up and asked Gu Niaoniao for a jar of salt.

“Who are you? What are you going to do!” The man finally had a chance to catch his breath, and ask a few questions. “I have no grievances nor enmities with you, why did you tie me up?”

“Who let you talk?” Zhao Yelan looked back at him with dark eyes and slowly wiped the salt on the blade. Then he walked in front of him and said with a voice like a demon crawling out of hell, “Listen well, if you dare to make a sound in the future, I will make another cut. The harder you scream, the more I will make you hurt.”

The man stared at him and the knife in his hand, as if guessing what he intended to do. With sweat dripping down his face, he fell headlong onto the ground and crawled forward to flee. In the next moment, his waist was stepped on by a woman’s foot. Then there was a sudden pain as his hamstring was severed. The wound was bloody and stained with salt, excruciatingly painful.

“Ah ah ah ah ah!” The man cried out in agony.

“Hush.” Zhao Yelan comforted him softly. “Didn’t I tell you to keep quiet? Why are you disobedient?”

The man’s forehead was bulging with blue veins as he watched the other stop in front of him again. Another tendon was cut.

The man still couldn’t hold back, and screamed sharply, writhing on the ground.

Zhao Yelan’s ears hurt from hearing this, and he said: “If you scream again, I still have other ways to play with you. Skinning, cooking, sticking with bamboo sticks, or quartering the body? Which do you prefer?”

The cell boss cowered suddenly, forgetting the pain for a moment and only looking at him with tear-filled eyes.

“You, fellow, don’t you enjoy using the death of a thousand cuts on people the most?” The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched, and he plunged the knife into his chest without hitting the vitals. The knife was covered in salt, and the pain brought him to within an inch of his life.

The man didn’t dare scream anymore. He clenched his mouth shut and endured it. The veins on his forehead were nearly popping out, and his entire body was covered in sweat.

“I can still hear you, ah.” 

After an incense stick of time, there was a sudden knock on the door downstairs: “Zhao Yelan, Zhao Yelan, are you in there!”

“Open the door?” Gu Niaoniao glanced at Zhao Yelan, and he nodded.

The door opened, Yan Mingting ran in two or three steps, and the door closed again. He looked around. The whole building was empty, which was very strange, and he subconsciously searched for Zhao Yelan’s figure. Then muffled groans sounded from upstairs, and he dashed up quickly, opened the beaded curtain, and saw Zhao Yelan holding a short knife. A vast amount of blood stained his sleeves and robes, and there were a few drops of blood on his fair cheeks, extremely bewitching.

A dying man lay on the ground, riddled with stab wounds, blood and flesh flung everywhere. It seemed as if he couldn’t feel the pain, breathing in vain as he looked at the ceiling blankly.

“What are you doing?!” Yan Mingting took a few steps forward, only to see the large bloodstains obscured by the table. Some had dried up, and new ones covered the old. Zhao Yelan stepped on these bloodstains and smiled faintly.

He was clearly smiling, but Yan Mingting only felt that the environment was very cold, so he stretched out his hand to grab his wrist: “Come back with me.”

“Let go!” Zhao Yelan withdrew his hand, pointing the knife at him. The corner of his mouth lifted up. “Don’t you always say my knives are useless? Let’s see if it works today.”

After saying this, he crouched down and slashed the prisoner’s leg again. The man on the ground twitched twice and passed out once more.

Zhao Yelan splashed the tea on the table into his face: “Don’t play dead, wake up for me.”

“Zhao Yelan, enough is enough.” Yan Mingting reached out to stop his knife, looking at him with heavy eyes. “It’s getting late, follow me back.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him with a complicated expression, and then his eyes turned hard: “Leave, you are in my way.”

“Come back with me!”

The two were in a deadlock. Zhao Yelan said: “Yan Mingting, we are not the same kind of people after all. You go back to your high road.”^[1]

Yan Mingting took a deep breath as he was pushed aside by him. Then the other continued to torture the cell boss.

Yan Mingting took one last look at his back, turned around, and strode away.

As soon as the door opened and closed, the silence returned and Zhao Yelan paused, turning to look at the closed door downstairs. The knife fell to the ground weakly and was picked up by Gu Niaoniao.

“You……I really don’t know what to say about you. You’ve been tossing around for so long just waiting for him to come. Do you care about him or not?” As Gu Niaoniao spoke, she slit the cell boss’s neck and spit on a corpse a few times. It seemed that she had not vented her anger, so she stabbed the knife into his heart. Seeing that his breathing had stopped completely, her eyes suddenly turned red as tears welled up in them.

After a while, she wiped away her tears, looked upward with a sigh, and said weakly: “It’s over. It’s finally over……”

Zhao Yelan was a little fatigued. He stood up slowly and sat to the side, then picked up the teapot to pour a cup of tea, but it was empty. He threw it aside so hard that it shattered into a pile of porcelain when it hit a pillar.

Gu Niaoniao wiped her face, fixed her makeup, and ordered someone to tidy up the room. Then she took the hairpin from her hair to the dark case next to the porcelain, inserted it into a crack, and a secret door slowly opened.

“Let’s go get the medicine, ba,” Gu Niaoniao said.

Zhao Yelan regained his composure and followed.

Ten years ago, relying on Zhao Yelan, Gu Niaoniao went from a servant doing odd jobs to the new owner of Hongxiu House, and she procured news for him while doing business. The brothel was a mixed bag of crooks mixed in with the honest folk, and there were many high-ranking guests, including officials. In this way, it was easy to grasp the handles of many people in the court. There were also merchants and strange people traveling from north to south, and Gu Niaoniao was in communication with a group of Westerners as well. She learned that there was a sort of false death medicine in the Western Regions. After taking it, a person would appear to be dead, without breath or feeling, and would not revive until seven days later.

“This medicine is not completely safe. It is very potent, and after taking it, the memory will gradually decline and the mind will not be as good as it was before. In short, there is a chance you will become a fool,” Gu Niaoniao said, pretending to be at ease. She opened a drawer and took out the box inside, opening it with a step shaker^[2] to reveal a smaller box inside.

This one she opened with a hairpin, and there was yet another small box inside.

“Are you finished?” Zhao Yelan frowned. “What is the point of hiding it in such a way?”

“I just wanted to show off my jewelry,” Gu Niaoniao said proudly.

Zhao Yelan took a look at her hair full of pearls and didn’t know how long this process would take, so he simply found a chair and sat down, saying: “There is nothing to show off. These accessories are available everywhere.”

“I didn’t learn from you. If one has money, it must be spent in order for it to count, lest I have worked hard all this time in vain.” Gu Niaoniao smiled, and asked while opening a box, “Though I hear what you mean. Do you still have good accessories that can’t be bought?”

Zhao Yelan raised his chin proudly.

“Where is it? Let me see?”

“I didn’t bring it.” Zhao Yelan paused and added, “It’s a relic from the previous dynasty, and it is the only one.”

“Talk is useless, unless you bring it before me, I have seen as many treasures as you.” Gu Niaoniao gave a snort of disdain, and after hearing a click, she said, “Okay.”

Zhao Yelan looked up at her, and she picked up a pill and walked over.

“Before you take it, ask Xiao Gao to come up with a secret signal, so that I can prepare for the follow-up matters. If he really can’t bring any news, that’s fine, the General’s Mansion will definitely arrange for your funeral, and I will arrange for someone to pick you up at that time so that you can rest assured and die.”

“……” You certainly know how to talk.

Gu Niaoniao wrapped it in a brocade handkerchief and set it in front of him. Seeing that he didn’t put it away immediately, she teased: “What, can’t bear to part with life now?”

“It’s nothing.” Zhao Yelan packed it away in his pocket.

This was the plan two years ago, when the struggle for the throne was at its most intense, and Zhao Xuan had no time to take into account that he already had his own industry and arrangements in Beijing. He ordered Gu Niaoniao to take people and find the false death medicine, and at the same time helped Zhao Xuan ascend the throne, leaving a way out for both sides. But the medicine was not easy to find, and on the contrary, Zhao Xuan ascended the throne first.

He naturally understood the concept of casting aside the bow once the birds were gone.^[3] After Zhao Xuan was firmly seated on the throne, Zhao Yelan had planned to resign and travel around the world, but there were still a few enemies in the officialdom that needed to be eradicated, so his departure was delayed for some time.

Unexpectedly, the long delay caused complications, and the sudden marriage decree broke his original pacing.

This Imperial decree also dispelled his plan to resign voluntarily. After many years of turmoil in officialdom, he and Zhao Xuan were no longer what they used to be. Even if he resigned sincerely, the other party would only think that he was planning a bigger conspiracy. That was why he restrained him with the Imperial decree without saying a word.

Zhao Xuan had long forgotten that his purpose from the beginning was revenge and survival.

If he didn’t leave now, he feared that he would not have a good end in the future.

“Here are the bank notes I exchanged, which can be used within the territory of the Xuan Dynasty. If you go to Nanjiang or the Western Regions and beyond……remember to send a letter occasionally to let me know whether you are alive or dead,” Gu Niaoniao said.

Zhao Yelan accepted them with a smile: “Aren’t you going with me?”

“No, you spend money like running water. Who will earn money for you if I leave?” Gu Niaoniao snorted softly.

“Many thanks.”

“Isn’t it a bit strange for us to say thank you?” Gu Niaoniao smiled helplessly. “Anyway……everything outside is ready, but what about the capital? Are you really willing to leave?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at her: “If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Yan Mingting……are you willing to part with him?” Gu Niaoniao said, “Although he didn’t recognize me, I discovered a lot of things. One day when I was having dinner in Huichun Tower, I saw with my own eyes that he was drinking too much and kept telling his subordinates how beautiful your paintings are, how beautiful your calligraphy is, and how beautiful your clothes are……he never left you out of any sentence, just short of printing the words ‘I like you’ on his forehead.”

Zhao Yelan’s fingers moved slightly, and he said: “So what? Do I have to take responsibility for those who like me?”

He was not a fool, so he could not fail to see Yan Mingting’s intentions.

Gu Niaoniao laughed: “There are many people who like you, but the only person you care about is that one, ah……” 

Zhao Yelan shot her a look, but said: “People’s hearts are subject to change. Even Zhao Xuan said in the early years that he would never look upon me with suspicion in his life, but what about now? Yan Mingting and I have only known each other for less than half a year, so leaving as soon as possible is a good thing for both of us.”

“En, it makes sense, it seems that you are still that heartless fellow.” Gu Niaoniao patted his shoulder. “Change your clothes, they’re full of blood. I can’t stand it anymore, it really dirties my beautiful eyes.”

“……”

There were usually spare clothes in the building in case the guests needed them, so Zhao Yelan changed into clean clothes. He exited through the secret door, passing through the cellar to leave the small building, and hired a sedan chair to go back.

After getting off the sedan chair, he realized that he had arrived at the General’s Mansion. He estimated that Yan Mingting did not want to see him at this time, and didn’t want to quarrel with the other party, so he sat back in the sedan chair and said: “To Zhao Mansion.”

The streets were still very lively, and he could hear the discussions outside from where he sat in the sedan chair. They said that Zhao Yelan had gone to the brothel with a rich young master today, and that Yan Mingting rushed in angrily but came out alone, obviously catching him in bed, and was furious.

After the sedan chair stopped, he stood in front of Zhao Mansion. The two guards were about to speak, but he raised his hand to stop them. He didn’t want to listen to their polite nonsense, and only wanted to go to his room and lie down.

Who knew that as soon as he stepped through the gate, a voice would ring in his ear: “You still know how to come back, ah.”

Zhao Yelan was startled. He turned to look over and saw Yan Mingting emerge from the darkness, and couldn’t help saying in surprise: “What are you doing here?”

“I knew you wouldn’t go back honestly.” Yan Mingting clasped his wrist. “Now you can go back with me.”

“Go back for what?”

“To sleep, of course.” Yan Mingting picked him up without another word.

Zhao Yelan couldn’t evade in time. The world spun for a while, and when he came to his senses, he was already sitting on horseback with the other person behind him.

Yan Mingting rode the horse through the busy city, immediately attracting countless eyes. Some whispered, while others pointed at them and laughed.

Yan Mingting at once said sharply: “Good, Zhao Yelan, you’ve been dragged around by that Li Yucheng! He urged you to go to a brothel, so you went to the brothel? Although the girl who sang was not selling herself, you can’t go to such a place for fun, ah, the same tea is several times more expensive! Sooner or later, I must change your extravagant and wasteful habits, see if I don’t sort you out when we return!”

Zhao Yelan looked back at him and asked in a low voice: “What nonsense are you talking about?”

At this time, a commoner shouted in the distance: “The General is mighty, teach him a lesson!”

“And sort out that Li Yucheng too, that rich dandy, everyone hates that lowlife!”

“Hongxiu House’s tea is expensive, but it’s really delicious, ah!”

“Delicious, my ass,  I see that your brain is completely full of girls! This old lady will break your dog legs today, and see if you dare run off to that place!”

The common people quarreled amongst themselves, and it seemed that no one cared about Zhao Yelan going to the brothel for an hour or two, only that he and Li Yucheng listened to music and drank tea together.

Zhao Yelan was silent along the way, and when they reached a secluded area, he said: “You didn’t need to deliberately say those things. Anyway, I……”

“Don’t talk to me, I’m still angry.” Yan Mingting harrumphed.

Zhao Yelan shut up.

After a while, Yan Mingting said unhappily: “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m angry?”

“You didn’t allow me to talk.”

“Right now you’re allowed.”

“Oh.”

“……Quickly ask me, ah!”

Zhao Yelan sighed: “Then, daring to ask this big brother, why are you so angry?”

“I’m angry with a certain person who promised me that he would tell me everything, and then went and broke his promise!” Yan Mingting said in a powerful, resonating voice.

Zhao Yelan was taken aback for a moment. He had thought that he would be blamed for his cruelty, or for killing innocent people indiscriminately, but had never entertained such a reason. He said: “What do you want to know?”

“Who was that person that you killed?”

Sure enough, this was what he asked.

Zhao Yelan would not tell him, so he simply kept quiet for a long time. Then he heard him say: “Do you really think I don’t know anything? If I wanted to check, the person’s family registry would be presented before my eyes. And yours, of course.”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes flickered, and he looked back at him suspiciously.

“Mengting, Zhao Mengting, that is not your courtesy name at all, but your original name, right?”

Zhao Yelan’s complexion suddenly changed.

Yan Mingting looked down into his eyes and said softly: “I won’t look into things about Mengting. I’ll wait for the day when he takes the initiative to tell me.”

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[1] This is part of the idiom, “You take the high road, I will cross my single-plank bridge.” ⮐

[2] A step shaker (步摇) is a dangling ornament worn by Han women. It is usually made of gold bent into the shape of a dragon or phoenix, and decorated with pearls and jade. It jingles when you walk, hence the name. ⮐

[3] Casting aside the bow once the birds are gone (鸟尽弓藏) is an idiom that means getting rid of something once it has served its purpose. ⮐

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Chapter Forty-Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Four

Uncle Ding had been waiting at the door, and when he saw Xia Xingchi fleeing out, he took the tray and the empty medicine bowl with a smile: “Sure enough, you went to deliver the medicine and Sir did not refuse it. Young Master, why don’t you just —”

Xia Xingchi gradually grew fearful and quickly shook his head like a rattle drum, saying, “No, no, no, he definitely wants to kill me now.”

According to Li Chengyuan’s horrible facial expression, it was pretty good if he didn’t sharpen his teeth and bite his head off on the spot.

“That is unlikely, did you see if Sir drank all the medicine?”

Xia Xingchi could only be honest: “I accidentally exposed that he is afraid of bitter things, and he tried to cover up the truth.”

And he might want to silence him.

Uncle Ding paid no attention to this, but continued to look at him with earnest eyes that Xia Xingchi found difficult to refuse, begging him to take on this arduous task.

As if he was the only person in the world who could make Li Chengyuan drink Chinese medicine. Xia Xingchi naturally didn’t believe it, but in the face of this look, he couldn’t refuse.

— Just think of it as contributing to the goal of keeping Li Chengyuan’s body healthy so that he could live a few more days.

The “brick mover”^[1] Xia shook his head helplessly, but agreed in the end.

Watching Uncle Ding descend the stairs with a satisfied smile on his face, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but silently look toward the study again. Hearing no movement from inside, he then wandered back to his own room.

His room was next to the master bedroom, only a wall away from Li Chengyuan’s.

Last night he was too sleepy and fell asleep quickly with no time to look around, but now he was able to look around attentively, and there was the same sense of admiration as when Grandma Liu entered the Grand View Garden.^[2]

The bright and spacious bedroom was decorated luxuriously, and this single room was several times larger than the total area of his shabby apartment.

Xia Xingchi poked around curiously, inspecting all of the expensive decorations, and was finally lured in by the luxurious bathroom —

There was a built-in bathtub, expensive wine and goblets on a shelf, a large hanging display screen to watch movies at any time, and the beautiful garden could be viewed outside the curtains.

The evils of capitalism were truly enjoyable.

He was instantly moved. There was still time before dinner, which was perfectly suitable to experience how the rich and powerful bathed.

– – –

In the study, a fancy chocolate candy wrapper was carefully smoothed under Li Chengyuan’s fingertip.

He opened a drawer that contained a half-empty wooden box, and the completely empty candy wrapper was placed inside.

There was only a bracelet made of red string, a few coins, and a bus ticket to nowhere.

At that time, Young Master Li was out of touch with the world. He had never taken a long-distance train, and didn’t know what the tickets looked like. He had indeed been fooled by such a “fake ticket” with the wrong style, design, and even color.

He even looked for the non-existent destination on the ticket for many years, and the end result was, of course, nothing.

Whenever he thought of those sworn promises and the little liar’s bright smile, Li Chengyuan gritted his teeth with resentment and wanted to catch that person back and imprison him by his side day and night.

For his promises and lies, let him pay a terrible price for a lifetime.

Li Chengyuan lowered his eyes, stroked the ring on his finger, and finally bowed his head and kissed it gently.

– – –

Glug, glug, glug ……

Xia Xingchi buried his head in the water and spit out a stream of bubbles, then raised his head above the surface.

He reached out and took a grape from the fruit tray on the side, put it in his mouth, and sucked on it hard. Sweet juice bloomed on the tip of his tongue.

As he moved, the big diamond engagement ring that he was reluctant to take off glinted. Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but kiss it excitedly.

Was this what it felt like to “marry” into a wealthy family?

It was so invigorating!

He carelessly splashed around for a while, experiencing a life of wealth like never before.

In passing, he also filled in the gaps of his empty childhood, childishly blowing big bubbles with the shower gel in his bare hands —

Bang!

The thin bubble suddenly vanished, and the sudden loud noise was simply earth-shattering!

The bathroom door had been opened vigorously. It was less like opening the door, and more like someone was here to fight.

Xia Xingchi immediately shuddered with fright and instinctively hid in the water, but the water in this tub was clear, so of course there was nowhere to hide.

In hindsight, sure enough, no one aside from Li Chengyuan would do something so deranged.

Xia Xingchi could help but get irritated. His heart had almost jumped out of his throat in fright, and while he was still recovering from the shock, violent anger gushed out from beneath.

For a moment, he forgot to continue pretending to be cute in front of the big villain, and showed his true colors on the spot, like a little hedgehog with bristles standing up all over its body in anger: 

“What the hell are you doing! Li Chengyuan, do you want to fight!”

“Come on, if you have the guts, take off your clothes right now and come fight in the water!”

Li Chengyuan: “……..”

After Xia Xingchi finished yelling, he realized that something was wrong.

He had meant to say that fighting should not deliberately be provoked while he was taking a bath, which was a fair point.

But why did he say something so……erotic?

Wait a minute, it seemed that the most important thing was not his colorful choice of words.

— God, why did he just scold the big villain?!

Xia Xingchi’s habitual irritability was temporarily suppressed, but at this moment he suddenly realized what he had done.

He quickly observed the changes in Li Chengyuan’s expression, thinking that if this person was going to commit a crime, he didn’t want to flee naked.

However, Li Chengyuan’s expression was obscure and indeterminate. Instead of being angry, his eyes flashed as if an intense panic had suddenly eased.

Xia Xingchi blinked suspiciously, unable to think of why he would display such a look, let alone what caused the madman to act this way.

But after careful inspection, Li Chengyuan’s face only carried calm indifference, and what he saw just now seemed to have been an illusion.

So the two stared at each other without knowing what to do, and the scene fell into a death-like silence.

Xia Xingchi thought that Li Chengyuan would either say something or leave quickly, but this person was oblivious, just staring at him intently.

It was fine to endure this kind of sudden and terrifying stare from time to time, the only problem was that he was taking a bath at the moment, and he was completely naked.

The whole picture was very absurd.

The corners of Xia Xingchi’s mouth twitched, but he dared not speak out. He could only hold back his greetings to the eighteen generations of ancestors^[3] and ask with a fake smile: “Sir, there is a fee for watching, two hundred per time. Mortgage, credit, and loan installments are not supported. Do you prefer Alipay or WeChat?”

These words finally brought Li Chengyuan back to his senses.

The panic and anger from not being able to find this person just now ebbed away like the tide, and he immediately looked away with a frown, not deliberately wanting to stare.

Unexpectedly, he couldn’t help painting a complete picture in his mind —

Surrounded by misty steam, the young man leaned back in the water and looked up at him slightly. His wet hair matched his beautiful eyes, and he looked very well-behaved.

Fair, milky skin, slightly reddened from soaking in the hot water……

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips. The more he tried not to think about it, the more this scene continued to show up in front of him.

The temperature in the room seemed to be continuously rising, and the atmosphere gradually became indescribably heated and strange.

On the contrary, Xia Xingchi didn’t think much of it, and insouciantly soaked in the water without hiding.

Although he preferred men, it didn’t look like this man was deliberately taking advantage.

What’s more, his opponent was Li Chengyuan. If he really wanted to, he wouldn’t use this sort of dirty method. He would just strip him naked and look at him openly.

There was an 80 percent chance that he was just out of his mind and didn’t know what he was doing.

Li Chengyuan took a deep breath and finally calmed down completely. He said in a solemn tone: “Don’t let me be unable to find you again.”

That expression was terrifying, as if he was going to swallow someone alive.

In the face of this, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help feeling fearful and baffled.

— For fuck’s sake, I’m just taking a bath. You’d think I had violated some kind of rule.

“Sir, I’m right here, I can’t just evaporate on the spot.”

They were already in his territory. Even if he wanted to run, where would he go?

To his surprise, Li Chengyuan didn’t say a word upon hearing this, his face cold as he remained silent.

It seemed that he was really contemplating the possibility of him performing a magician’s trick and disappearing out of nowhere.

Xia Xingchi: “……?” Sir, why are you thinking so seriously?

The big villain was not only crazy, but also appeared to have a serious brain disease.

Whichever mental asylum he escaped from, please hurry up and take him back.

– – – 

Even if there was a small interlude that was less than fantastic, taking a bath was always amazing.

Xia Xingchi put on a bathrobe, feeling as comfortable as if he was about to melt.

As soon as he went out, he saw the big white dumpling appear at the door of his room in the classic posture of a kitty cat squatting like a loaf of bread.

Summer looked inside curiously, as if it wanted to secretly observe and approach the newcomer in its home.

But the person and cat looked at each other for a moment, and then it hurriedly raised its tail and ran away.

How could a cat be delivered to his door without being petted? Xia Xingchi was overjoyed, and swiftly chased after it without even thinking to dry his hair.

When approaching the study, he heard Li Chengyuan’s voice: “Xia Xingchi, come in.”

Xia Xingchi promptly came to a stop.

There was an illusion that he was being called to the office by the cold-faced principal, and he stood there in shock without daring to move.

But in the end, the villain was too scary, so Xia Xingchi had no choice but to poke his head into the study, praying internally that he had heard wrong.

At first glance, he saw Summer, who was not to be trifled with just now, sitting obediently on the desk and rolling upside down to beg for pets.

Its grim owner ignored it completely, and pushed it aside for being in the way.

The two locked eyes, and Xia Xi had to bite the bullet and enter the room. “Mr. Li, what do you need from me?”

There was an extra chair in the study, but Li Chengyuan didn’t signal for him to sit on it, and only ordered: “Go dry your hair first.”

“Huh?” Xia Xingchi tilted his head, waved a hand casually, and said, “It’s okay, it will be dry in a while.”

He’d had this bad habit ever since his old knock-off hair dryer malfunctioned and nearly caught fire. Anyway, air-drying would do, and he was reluctant to buy a new one.

To his surprise, Li Chengyuan sent someone to deliver a hairdryer directly, and the servant plugged it in very considerately before handing it to Xia Xingchi.

Xia Xingchi was very puzzled – Sir, are you going to stare at me and let me blow-dry my hair in your workplace?

The aura of the big villain was too strong. Xia Xingchi had a limited understanding of him, and felt that if he didn’t follow along, blood would splatter on the spot.

He was forced to quickly surrender and obediently comply.

Li Chengyuan looked at this person’s slightly long, soft, and fluffy hair, and finally nodded: “Sit.”

Summer lay on the desk between the two of them and raised its fluffy white paw to scratch the pen holder beside it.

Li Chengyuan tapped the desk with his slender fingers, and it immediately “meowed,” standing up lightly and jumping into his arms.

It pretended to be a big, cute hand warmer.

Xia Xingchi sat to the side, his eyes wide and envious.

Then he watched as Li Chengyuan casually tossed it onto the ground.

Summer pushed lightly at his trousers to request pets, unwilling to give up, but its cruel owner was completely indifferent.

How could he refuse the spoiled behavior of a beautiful cat?

Seeing this, Xia Xingchi wanted to roar “If you don’t want it, just give it to me! You really don’t know what a blessing looks like!”

But Li Chengyuan pointed at the place where Summer had just been sitting – there was a bank card.

A little money grubber had a particularly strong sensitivity to “money” and various related things, and his attention was instantly diverted from the kitty cat.

Is it for me?!

Although he was instantaneously excited, he still tried to hide the big tail of his true nature.

So the corners of his mouth were clearly raised to the sky, but he still sat quietly, staring at the desk without blinking.

From Li Chengyuan’s perspective, that person seemed to be like a little hedgehog who had put away his spikes in an instant, pretending to be cute as he waited for a meal.

He laughed inwardly and couldn’t help wanting to touch Xia Xingchi’s soft, fluffy hair.

This idea passed in a flash, and he said very perfunctorily: “This is your pocket money.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the little hedgehog’s eyes lit up.

Even though he tried his best to conceal it, he still had his emotions written across his face, eagerly poking his head over to find out how much money was on it.

Xia Xingchi never expected to have income.

Enjoying the life of a wealthy family with food and lodging included, he was already quite happy without bringing in money.

In addition, the cold, abstinent villain obviously didn’t need some kind of bed-warming service.

As an unproductive little waste, a lucky accessory with nothing to do, Xia Xingchi estimated that he wasn’t worth much.

But he still couldn’t help but hope that the super-rich tycoon would be very generous, such as giving him thousands of dollars a month for free.

He heard Li Chengyuan calmly say: “One million a month.”

Oh, only a……

— A million?!

That voice was not loud, but it seemed as if it pierced the sky and cracked the earth, stunning Xia Xingchi on the spot.

Good god, even if you weighed him and sold him, he wouldn’t have that much meat, let alone be worth so much money!

Who was the crazy, ruthless villain?

Anyway, it couldn’t be his dear fiance whom he had fallen in love with at first sight. His benefactor was of course the best and most handsome person in the world!

Li Chengyuan saw that he was stupefied at first, and then giggled foolishly as if he was having an out-of-body experience, and he also smiled slightly.

But he soon returned to his indifferent expression, and coughed lightly to signal him to return to his senses.

“Your job is to play my……lover.” Li Chengyuan picked up his teacup, and the awkwardness in his eyes was hidden by the liquid. “This includes marrying me.”

Even if he wanted him to pluck the stars out of the sky, the huge monthly salary of one million was enough for the little money-grubber to work hard.

“Not a problem.” Xia Xingchi nodded as if his life depended on it. “Don’t worry, Mr. Li, I can play all types of lovers, I can be a partner of any style!”

“Whatever style is fine. But first you need to change how you address me —”

As soon as he spoke, Xia Xingchi changed his words quite simply: “Husband!”

Li Chengyuan was drinking tea, and when he heard this unexpected word, he coughed violently.

---

[1] “Brick mover” refers to hard, thankless work. ⮐

[2] Grandma Liu is a character in the well-known story “A Dream of Red Mansions.” This phrase refers to a person who comes from the countryside/poverty and steps foot for the first time into the world of wealth and luxury. ⮐

[3] One might use this as an insult, such as, “screw your ancestors to the eighteenth generation.” ⮐

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Chapter Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

Xia Xingchi instantly conjured up a series of scenes with scary background music.

Li Chengyuan silently opened the door to his room in the middle of the night, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared at him expressionlessly —

He watched for an unknown amount of time, and there was no telling what the ruthless madman was thinking then.

Xia Xingchi swallowed, asking reluctantly: “Aunt Li, is this the nightgown that Li Chengyuan wore last night?”

Aunt Li didn’t know why he asked, so she just nodded in affirmation.

Xia Xingchi shuddered, thorns popping up all over his body like a wary little hedgehog.

He knew that Li Chengyuan was paranoid, but he didn’t expect this person to be so scary and strange, going to observe how he slept in the middle of the night for no reason.

But he heard Aunt Li sigh with distress: “Sir was not well last night. I’ve told him before that he can ring the bell to call me or someone else at any time, but he doesn’t like to bother others and prefers to look for medicine himself.”

When she got up at night, she happened to see that the wall lamp on the second floor was on. She thought she had forgotten to turn it off, but when she went upstairs, she saw Li Chengyuan standing in front of the medicine cabinet in the living room with a pale face and one hand on his chest.

She guessed that he was taking medicine due to chest pain. If she didn’t see it by chance, no one would have even known.

— He was unwell last night?

After hearing this, Xia Xingchi tilted his head slightly and wondered if he was wrong.

After all, Li Chengyuan was a super popular big boss, so it stood to reason that he wouldn’t be so bored that he would end up enduring physical discomfort in the middle of the night in order to scare an unknown person.

After thinking it over, he still felt suspicious but didn’t dare to rush forward and question him boldly, so he had no choice but to keep a card up his sleeve before going to bed next time.

– – –

In the living room on the second floor, Xia Xingchi finally ate the egg tarts he had dreamed of, and at the same time, began to sort out all kinds of doubts about Li Chengyuan.

Putting aside the frightening incident in the middle of the night, what was more terrible was that the plot had gone off the rails. Why did the big villain not call off the engagement, but kidnap him instead? 

He was just a small cannon fodder, and had been miserable and poor for two lifetimes, with no gain worth seeking.

And Li Chengyuan had no romantic lines in the book, let alone such a niche hobby as engaging in this sort of gay thing.

The big financial tycoon, who was always alone until death, really wanted to get engaged and married?

Et cetera?

Xia Xingchi patted his head, connected the words “marriage” and “death,” and was enlightened.

This magnificent sky-high mansion and an inheritance of hundreds of billions……

A flash of inspiration flashed through the mind of the little money-grubber as he remembered that the first in the line of inheritance was the “spouse!”

When all was said and done, he died poor and feared poverty, so the temptation of wealth could double Xia Xingchi’s courage in an instant.

A few minutes ago, he was still thinking of various ways to ask Li Chengyuan to withdraw from the engagement.

But now there was a huge money tree in front of him. Even if he had to face the moody, paranoid, and cruel villain, Xia Xingchi instantly wanted to shout, “I can do it! It was love at first sight and I just want to get married!”

— Anyway, Li Chengyuan isn’t gay, so he’s not interested in me. As long as I’m an invisible shrinking quail for half a year, I can have hundreds of billions of zeros every day.

For a rich man who was only twenty-five years old, this death was too sudden. Even if Li Chengyuan was not in good health, it was reasonable to say that he was not near death.

Perhaps it was a forced arrangement of the plot, so that the cheap pair of Xia Yu and Li Shengrui, the villain protagonists of the original book could be gong and shou.

The protagonist gong, Li Shengrui, was Li Chengyuan’s “good brother,” after all. He would obtain the inheritance according to the legal succession order, and then have a happy ending.

Li Chengyuan probably didn’t expect that he would have a sudden illness, and didn’t have time to arrange a funeral, let alone leave a will to divide up the property.

It was a pity that it wasn’t a supernatural novel, otherwise if he knew everything about that cheap bastard Li Shengrui from the netherworld, he would surely rise from the grave and donate it all in advance.

Xia Xingchi ate the last bite of egg tart and habitually licked his fingertips.

After realizing that he had transmigrated, he had tried his best to recall the plot after hastily reading it, but found that the whole text was focused on how the protagonist happily did evil, and there were not many descriptions of the villain.

Li Chengyuan’s background story and the reasons for his madness and paranoia were unknown, and even the cause of death could only be summed up as “succumbed to disease,” with little useful information.

While he was worrying over not knowing what to do, he suddenly saw a round ball of fur “rolling” over from the stairs in the distance to abruptly appear in his line of sight.

Its speed was extremely fast, like a soft white cloud.

When it got close, Xia Xingchi realized that it was a rather beautiful pure white long-haired cat.

The big dark amber eyes were round and bright, its big fluffy tail held high as it flicked back and forth.

Xia Xingchi’s eyes widened. This coat color, this appearance, it was simply his dream cat!

The kitty cat gradually slowed down, walked past his feet reservedly and with grace, and looked back arrogantly at the strange visitor in its home.

Xia Xingchi didn’t even care about the small calculations in his mind any longer as he was looked at by it. He could only squat down and carefully stretch out his hand, trying to touch its head.

His fingertips touched the soft fur and gently stroked it back. It was like catching a soft cloud, filling him with extreme satisfaction.

Comfortable to the point that he almost squinted his eyes.

It was a shame that before he had time to stroke it a second time, this big white dumpling who seemed to have a bad temper got annoyed.

It gave a dissatisfied “meow!” and then its big tail unceremoniously slapped the tip of Xia Xingchi’s nose as it ran away without looking back.

“Hey!” Xia Xingchi hurriedly got up and tried to catch it. He was addicted and hadn’t touched enough.

It just so happened that Uncle Ding was going upstairs with a tray and saw him staring in the direction the cat had disappeared. He said with a smile: “You like cats too? Summer^[1] usually only allows Sir to touch it, and if other people try to touch, it will explode with anger.”

“Summer……” Xia Xingchi tilted his head slightly when he heard this, and asked in shock after a moment, “Could this be Li Chengyuan’s cat?”

This was Li Chengyuan’s villa, so it must be his cat, but how could the villain keep such a cute and beautiful cat as a pet?

It wasn’t a terrifying creature like the traditional tiger, crocodile, or python.

He even gave it such a warm name as “Summer,” which wasn’t in the style of crazy or gloomy at all.

But the white dumpling was indeed “similar to its master.” Both the big one and the small one were handsome, especially the noble and arrogant eyes that could not be provoked, and the easily explosive bad temper. It really resembled Li Chengyuan.

That is to say, Li Chengyuan seemed to be a bit like a cat……no, no, no, you would have to be crazy to equate such a scary person with a cute kitty cat.

Xia Xingchi quickly shook his head to rid himself of this thought, and suddenly heard Uncle Ding speak again: “Young Master, may I ask you for a favor?”

Facing the old man’s series of respectful words, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help feeling embarrassed: “Of course, whatever I can do for you, just say it.”

He was trying to get Uncle Ding, Aunt Li, and the others to call him by his full name at will, especially without the honorifics, but he had obviously not had much success.

“Can the Young Master give this bowl of medicine to Sir?”

On the tray in Uncle Ding’s hands was a bowl of some pitch black concoction, and Xia Xingchi could only just faintly smell the bitter medicinal scent dispersing in the air.

It wasn’t until he automatically took the tray that he realized something was wrong.

Xia Xingchi was instantly struck dumb. He looked at the medicine, and then at the closed study door.

It was as if the one in the study was not a sickly and handsome financial tycoon, but a vicious and cannibalistic white tiger, the kind that would puff up and eat people when they got close.

“Uh……go and give it to Li Chengyuan?”

Although he was willing to help the kind old man, even if he lent Xia Xingchi some more courage, he would not dare to go.

For some reason, Uncle Ding mistakenly believed that he was “deeply loved” by Li Chengyuan.

But in fact, he was clearly quite unpopular. Perhaps if he was the one who brought the medicine, that person might not want to drink it.

Just as he was about to refuse, he noticed the old man looking at him earnestly. His face was full of vicissitudes and the wrinkles left by the years, and his eyes were very sincere.

Xia Xingchi: ……

Those evasive words reached the tip of his tongue, and he couldn’t utter them in the end. As he was in a stupor, Uncle Ding’s appearance overlapped with that of someone else in his memory.

Forget it, Li Chengyuan was not really a cannibal, so he probably wouldn’t lose a piece of meat if he helped out.

– – –

“Mr. Li?” Xia Xingchi knocked on the study door three times with the tray in one hand, and then directly opened the door as instructed.

 Li Chengyuan was sitting at the desk reading documents, and his white casual clothes made his face look extremely pale.

His whole body exuded a forbidding aura, and after realizing Xia Xingchi’s reason for coming, he was even more indifferent and had no intention whatsoever to take the medicine.

Xia Xingchi could only clear his throat and remind him: “Mr. Li, the current temperature is just right for drinking, but it won’t taste good after it cools down.”

Although it also wouldn’t taste good when it was hot.

“Get out.” Li Chengyuan still didn’t even give him a look, but just spoke coldly.

Xia Xingchi: ?

His fist clenched. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was a big boss and couldn’t be offended, this bowl of medicine would have been directly used to wash his hair.

Calm down, calm down……

Xia Xingchi suppressed his violent temper and said silently in his heart: He is dying, so let him make orders, ba. Just think of it as giving him the best end-of-life care for the sake of the inheritance, and not have a falling-out with him.

Xia Xingchi looked at his stubborn expression, then at the bowl of medicine —

Nope, I can’t calm down at all.

He almost wanted to yell: Li Chengyuan, hurry up and take your medicine for me! Live longer! If you die, who will punish the protagonist villain gong and shou?

Xia Xingchi pondered for a moment, then said abruptly: “Mr. Li, you wouldn’t be – afraid of bitterness, right?”

There was no basis for this statement. It was just nonsense to try to force him to drink the medicine.

Contrary to expectations, before the words fell, Li Chengyuan’s expression instantly went cold.

Like……like Summer getting its head touched, it seemed as if he would explode in the next second.

But the lethality between a kitty cat and a big white tiger was absolutely different, and Xia Xingchi was taken aback when he saw this.

For god’s sake, did I accidentally hit the mark?

Li Chengyuan really didn’t drink the medicine because he thought it was too bitter?

Putting the words “crazy villain” and “afraid of bitterness” together was simply unimaginable.

Having inadvertently discovered Li Chengyuan’s shocking secret, Xia Xingchi hurriedly took two steps back, suspecting that he would be splattered with blood and promptly killed.

Just as he was scared witless, Li Chengyuan picked up the medicine bowl very calmly and indifferently, and drank it down in one gulp.

This seemed to prove Xia Xingchi’s statement wrong, but after careful observation, it appeared that he was trying to cover up —

It was so bitter that there was a slight, barely noticeable trembling in his shoulders.

Li Chengyuan impatiently put the bowl down with a bang, and said angrily: “Leave!”

Xia Xingchi just stared at him speechlessly. After a long moment, he finally came back to his senses and could help but want to laugh wildly.

A certain person actually had such a lively and human side.

Thus, although he was still a little afraid of him, Xia Xingchi was not scared away this time.

Instead, he swiftly took something out of his pocket, and with a pa, slapped it down on Li Chengyuan’s desk with pizzazz.

Then he rushed out like a gust of wind.

With the bitter taste of medicine still lingering on his tongue, Li Chengyuan pursed his lips as he saw an extra piece of chocolate on the table.

Printed on the wrapping paper was a quirky smiling face sticking out its tongue, exactly the same as Xia Xingchi’s expression just now.

---

[1] In the text, the cat’s name is spelled out in English as “Summer.” Xia Xingchi’s surname is Xia (夏) which also means summer. Coincidence?? Hm…… ⮐

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Chapter Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eight

A few days later, it was the grand concubine selection day, and the palace was busy from top to bottom.

Zhao Yelan stayed idle at home, tasting the newly arrived lychees.

Lychees were hard to come by. The south had only paid tribute to Beijing yesterday, and the Emperor gave these to several hard-working officials this morning, including Yan Mingting

Yan Mingting himself didn’t like to eat this thing, thinking that it was a waste of time to peel them and really troublesome to wash the juice off one’s hands.

But he sat on the sidelines and watched Zhao Yelan peel the lychees. His two slender hands peeled off the scale-like shell, revealing the plump, tender flesh. The moist juice touched his fingertips, and there was a basin of cold water beside him that he could wash his hands with if they felt sticky.

Then a mouth bit into the pulp, bright red lips becoming moist. The pit spit out was only the size of a fingernail, with a touch of sweet flavor.

He continued in this way without a care, over and over.

Yan Mingting was fascinated by the sight, and he was salivating a little. After another one was peeled, he leaned over and bit off the flesh in one bite.

Zhao Yelan was startled as the lychee meat heading towards his mouth suddenly disappeared. His face sank and he said in displeasure: “Do you not have hands?”

“Stingy, I’ll give you one back.” Yan Mingting peeled one eagerly, and fed it to his mouth. “Here.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at the lychee meat and reached out to pick it up. Unexpectedly, the other party stuffed it into his mouth without warning, so he had to open his mouth and swallow it, glancing at him angrily. 

Yan Mingting thought it was funny. The look in his eyes seemed to be smiling rather than angry, making his heart flutter.

Yan Mingting simply placed the basket in front of himself, intending to feed them to him one by one, but Zhao Yelan stopped eating after realizing his careful plan. It so happened that Gao Tan came back with a basket, which contained a big watermelon. To quench summer thirst, it was put into the well to cool down first.

There was also a bunch of grapes in the basket, which were big and plump, very attractive. If these were fed to him……Yan Mingting began to fantasize, feeling a little hot for some reason.

He reached out to grab the grapes, but was slapped away by Zhao Yelan: “Go eat your lychees, don’t come and grab my things.”

As if afraid that he would snatch it away, he carried the basket and walked towards the bedroom. As soon as he entered the door, he turned around and asked Gao Tan with his eyes: Is anyone following?

Gao Tan shook his head.

Zhao Yelan took out the note from the basket, unfolded it, and was stunned.

– There are two pieces of good news. One, the cell boss has been found and is in my hands. What do you want to do with him? Second, the medicine is finally ready. When do you plan to act?

“I just want to eat a few of your grapes, why hide so far away?” Yan Mingting’s voice sounded at the door, and he faltered imperceptibly. Pretending to be calm, he pinched the note in his palm, turned around, and changed the subject: “Is there any news about Yao Muze’s master?”

“Still searching.” Yan Mingting didn’t know why he had suddenly asked about this, but when he thought of him being so caring, he couldn’t help but be grateful. “If there is any news, I will definitely notify you as soon as possible.”

“Let’s go and eat grapes, ba. “ Zhao Yelan lowered his head, eyes dimming, and then stuffed the note into a sachet without any trace.

In the evening, after eating, the two sat in the courtyard to enjoy the moon and drink tea.

News came from the palace that the general election was over. A total of thirty-two people were selected, and Sun Muyun was named nobility.

“An idle member of nobility?” Yan Mingting laughed. “I think she is quite independent, but how can she be so in the palace from now on?”

The corner of Zhao Yelan’s mouth curved up: “Perhaps she will make great achievements in the future. Had we met in Jiangnan, she would have been a good friend.” 

“You want to go to Jiangnan to play?” Yan Mingting thought for a moment and smiled. “Why don’t I take a leave of absence from the Imperial Court, and we can go south for a trip. How about it? I also haven’t been to the south, I don’t know if it is really as great as Sun Muyun said.” 

Zhao Yelan pinched the sachet and gave it some thought: “Let’s talk about it, there are still many matters to attend to in Beijing.”

“What matters?” Yan Mingting put his arms behind his head and gazed up at the moon. “Ever since I returned to Beijing, I have had nothing to do. I go to early court every day and then it is over. I don’t have the authority to take care of any major issues, and all I can do is listen to the quarrels of those civil servants.”

“Is this not a good thing? You earn a salary with no need to work, which is a job that many people can only dream of,” Zhao Yelan said with a smile.

“But I’m idle and bored, ah.” Yan Mingting sighed. 

“If you are so idle, go and cut up the watermelon in the well.”

Yan Mingting immediately went to cut up the watermelon and returned with a large plate full of watermelon slices. As soon as Zhao Yelan reached out to take a piece, it was snatched away.

“It’s too cold, let it sit for a while before you eat,” Yan Mingting said.

“Nonsense.” Zhao Yelan reached out once more, but was stopped by him again.

“Be good, you finally stopped coughing recently, so don’t mess around and get sick again.”

Zhao Yelan sighed deeply, feeling that Yan Mingting’s nagging was also quite difficult to deal with. Wasn’t it the point of icing the watermelon to be able to cool his mouth?

Two days later, Yan Mingting reported the border news to the Emperor. Although the Mongols had surrendered, there was still a little movement from time to time recently, and they needed to send more people over to keep watch. He planned to order Zhong Yuehong to bring three thousand soldiers back to the border. 

After thinking about it for a long time, Zhao Xuan agreed. He also rewarded Zhong Yuehong with some good things and elevated her by a rank.

On the day of departure, many officials went to meet with each other before they left.

Yan Mingting rode out of the city at the head, followed by He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong. In the carriage was Mother Zhong and all her belongings.

To leave with this party now was to never return.

After arriving outside the city, He Cuizhang saw Zhong Yuehong looking all around. He poked her shoulder with a horsewhip and pointed to a pavilion in the distance: “Look, Zhao-daren is over there.”

In order to prevent those censors and civil officials who had nothing to do from accusing him of being close to these military officials, Zhao Yelan went out of the city first and waited in the pavilion. This way, he wouldn’t bump into other colleagues and have to come up with excuses.

“Zhao-daren!” Zhong Yuehong swung her whip and galloped to the pavilion. As soon as Zhao Yelan stood, he watched her swing off her horse. With a plop, she went down to one knee and said solemnly: “Many thanks to Zhao-daren for saving my life. This daughter will remember her benefactor for as long as she lives. From now on, the heavens will be high and the water far.^[1] Please take care of your body, Zhao-daren, and live in good health for the rest of your life.”

Zhao Yelan helped her up and smiled sincerely: “It was nothing more than a little effort. Although the capital is dangerous, it is less so than the frontier with its swords and spears. Proceed with caution and never be careless.”

“Yuehong will keep this in mind.” Zhong Yuehong nodded heavily, her eyes a little red. She raised her arm and wiped away her tears vigorously, then picked up the wine cup on the table. “My lord, General, we part here.”

Yan Mingting also picked up his wine cup: “Take care, and send me a message if you need anything.”

“I will substitute the wine with tea and drink for you, ba.” Zhao Yelan poured a cup of tea.

The three of them drank together. Zhao Yelen took out another package and gave it to her, and when Zhong Yuehong opened it, she saw that it was a newly made dress.

“The material was gifted by a nobleman before, and I naturally don’t need it. If you want to wear a dress, you can wear it without fear. If you meet your perfect person in the future, you can wear it for him too. If no man can make your heart beat, then you should be your own hero and wear it for yourself,” Zhao Yelan said.

Tears welled up in Zhong Yuehong’s eyes again, and she nodded solemnly. As if afraid to be seen crying, she turned and quickly mounted her horse, waved back at them, and led the troops away without looking back.

The mighty group gradually faded from sight. Yan Mingting turned to look at Zhao Yelan and saw his distant gaze, not knowing whether he was looking at the traveling group or the sky. He said: “We can go to the border to see her in the future. Let’s go back.”

They returned to the city, because after Zhong Yuehong’s departure, someone needed to be arranged to take over her duties. Yan Mingting hired a sedan chair, told Gao Tan to protect him, and went to the training grounds with He Cuizhang. 

Unexpectedly, the sedan chair was stopped by someone on the road. Li Yucheng opened the curtain with a smile: “Hey, I said it must be you. What a coincidence, Zhao-xiong.”

“Unfortunately.” Zhao Yelan looked at his bruised nose and swollen face and said coolly: “You fought hard.”

“That’s right.” Li Yucheng touched his black eyes. “I beat Fu Qian like this to help you save that person.”

“You and Fu Qian have been at odds for a long time,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Sure enough, I can’t hide anything from you, ah,” Li Yucheng said. “Since we’re here, it is better to take advantage of the occasion than to choose another time to meet. Do you want to listen to music with me?”

Zhao Yelan took a good look at him, recalled the conversation he had heard when they met Fu Qian in front of Hongxiu House that day, and said clearly: “Could it be that you fell in love with that beauty and wanted to marry her, but your father refused to agree, so you want me to be a lobbyist?”

Li Yucheng blushed, faltering as he said: “I’m a good-for-nothing in my twenties. If I can start a family, maybe Dad will be happier. But you also know my reputation. No woman from a good family is willing to marry me, but A-Chang is different. Not only does she sing beautifully, but she never looks down on me.”

“You are her benefactor, so of course she won’t despise you.” Zhao Yelan jabbed straight at his heart.

“She sells her art but not her body! A lot of people throw money at her, but she ignores them,” Li Yucheng said.

“Then why are you looking for me? You should go to a matchmaker, or someone else more suitable.”

“My father’s colleagues don’t want to see me at all, and they don’t understand the beauty of rhythm! And my dad actually admires you quite a bit. I used to make trouble for you all the time, and besides telling me not to provoke you, he also incidentally complimented you, which made me even more angry……” Li Yucheng smiled sheepishly.

The sedan chair happened to pass Hongxiu House. Li Yucheng continued to urge him, and as he was distracted, the sedan chair missed it.

“Zhao-xiong, I beg you, please help me! You can do anything, ah!” Li Yucheng pleaded bitterly.

Zhao Yelan changed his mind and said: “It’s getting late, let’s try another day.” After speaking, he pulled down the curtain.

“Okay, another day is fine, I will leave my life’s important affairs to you!” Li Yucheng shouted at the sedan chair, and then ran excitedly back to Hongxiu House to discuss marriage with his confidante.

In the evening, after Yan Mingting came back, he heard that Zhao Yelan and Li Yucheng were chatting on the street. This time he didn’t sulk, and said directly to Zhao Yelan: “Can you eat and drink less with those little white faces in the future?”

“I don’t drink.” Zhao Yelan was feeding the rabbit. He patted the rabbit’s head, stood, and walked to his side. “Who did you hear it from? Yu Dali?”

Yan Mingting did not answer.

“Didn’t you promise me that for them, my orders would definitely override yours? How are they different from the people sent by the Emperor to monitor me? You should remember what happened to those people, ba. If you don’t want Yu Dali and the others to die tragically, then don’t ask them about my whereabouts,” Zhao Yelan said coldly.

“No, my lord……I told the General,” Gao Tan muttered beside him.

Zhao Yelan swiftly looked at him and said: “Who the hell do you think you are? !”

“The General gave me this……” Gao Tan tremblingly took out a bunch of tanghulu and said with a very pitiful tone, “He said that he would take you out to swim in the lake tonight, so I said you might be a little tired today……”

“Swim in what lake at night?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting said: “I saw that you are a little bored in the mansion all day long, so I wanted to take you to relax. Do you want to go?”

Zhao Yelan’s throat choked up. He had just finished being vicious toward someone, and they turned around to invite him to go to the lake. It was really embarrassing, so he refused: “I don’t, I’m going to bed.”

“Okay then, let’s go to the lake another day,” Yan Mingting said.

After he left the courtyard, Yan Mingting asked Gao Tan in a low voice: “What’s wrong with your family’s lord? His temper came out of nowhere, was he angry outside today?”

“I don’t know, ah, his temper is really unpredictable. Don’t you know that, General?” Gao Tan ate tanghulu and said, “It seems that there are a few days every month where he is particularly quick to anger.”

“……”

Yan Mingting only felt that his reaction this time was a little too big. He was clearly fine when he saw Zhong Yuehong off in the afternoon, so could it be that Li Yucheng angered him?

At night, Yan Mingting lay on the ground and asked softly: “Are you asleep?”

“What is it?”

“What is the matter with you these days?”

“Nothing, why?”

“Are you weak and faint, emotionally unstable, with unbearable abdominal pain? Will there be any blood?”

Zhao Yelan’s brow creased: “What nonsense are you talking about? !”

Yan Mingting covered his mouth with embarrassment and said: “You haven’t promised me yet that you won’t go out with those little white faces in the future.”

“Why?”

“Because……there will be gossip, ah! And isn’t Wang Guisheng your pawn? How can anyone hang around with chess pieces all day long? Isn’t this clearly telling others that the two of you are in the same group?”

Zhao Yelan was inwardly amused, so he didn’t expose him, only saying: “All right, I won’t do it again.” There would also be no such opportunity.

Only then did Yan Mingting fall asleep satisfied.

For several days, Yan Mingting saw Li Yucheng’s figure nearby. He would make a fist at him from afar, and then Li Yucheng would run away like a mouse that had encountered a cat.

On this day, Li Yucheng had already figured out Yan Mingting’s routine, and while he was out, he came to the General’s Mansion and called: “Zhao-xiong, Zhao-xiong, are you there?”

Zhao Yelan walked out in splendor and looked at him without saying a word. 

“I brought you something good!” Li Yucheng took out a sachet. “This was my sister’s favorite kind of sachet in the past. There are dozens of floral fragrances mixed in it, which is cool and pleasant in summer. I made this, and if you like it, I will give it to you. I’ll even tell you the recipe!”

Zhao Yelan took it and sniffed it: “Let’s go.”

“Okay!”

An hour later, Yan Mingting returned from the training grounds, but hadn’t yet arrived at the General’s Mansion when he heard passers-by chattering about Zhao Yelan. He immediately reined in his horse, pulled someone aside, and asked, “Where did you say Zhao Yelan went?”

“He went to the brothel with Li Yucheng!”

Yan Mingting: “ ! ! ! ”

Very good, he only just promised him last night that he wouldn’t have dinner with the little white faces, and today he was looking for girls instead!

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[1] This phrase describes a long journey or a vast distance. ⮐

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Chapter Forty-One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Three

“Why did you go to a brothel again?” Yan Mingting asked during dinner.

Zhao Yelan’s chopsticks paused. He said unhurriedly: “I was just passing by.”

“Then why did Li Yucheng call you to go to the brothel to listen to music?”

When Zhao Yelan heard this, he turned his head and glanced at Gao Tan, who immediately covered his face with his hands and turned away. “He said that there was a new lady who could sing well, and asked me to go and listen.”

“I didn’t know that your relationship was so good that he could invite you to a brothel to listen to music!” Yan Mingting said with emphasis on the word “brothel,” for fear that the other party would not be able to hear that he was angry.

Zhao Yelan gave him a piece of radish, and Yan Mingting’s expression softened slightly. He was just about to eat it when he heard him say: “Eat salty radishes and worry less.”^[1]

Yan Mingting scoffed, put down his chopsticks heavily, and left the table.

A few days later, as soon as Zhao Yelan left the Imperial Academy, he was stopped by Li Yucheng.

“I’ve found you. I went to the General’s Mansion every day, but no one was there. Now I’ve caught you,” Li Yucheng said. 

“What?”

“Let’s go eat. There is a new restaurant in the east of the city. I’ve reserved a private room for you, hurry up and get on the sedan chair.”

Zhao Yelan looked at the luxuriously soft sedan chair next to him. He turned around and got in.

The newly opened restaurant was very lively, and in the lobby, there were entertainers specially invited to play instruments. The surrounding area was full of applause.

There were also a lot of very colorful dishes, including carrots carved into the shape of phoenixes. After a table of delicacies was served, Zhao Yelan looked at Li Yucheng, who was hesitant to speak: “Tell me, what is the matter?”

Li Yucheng took a deep breath, then raised the wine glass in front of him and solemnly said: “I want to formally apologize to you. I was arrogant and conceited in the past, and inexplicably blamed you for all the anger my father received at court, so I targeted you everywhere and even tried to make trouble for you several times. I will drink this cup first in respect.”

This could be interesting. Zhao Yelan nodded slightly.

Li Yucheng poured a second cup of wine and said: “This cup is for gratitude. The cause of my sister’s death……if you hadn’t helped his Holy Majesty ascend the throne, the late dog……that person might have killed countless others.”

After gulping it down, he poured a third cup, but couldn’t open his mouth. After struggling for a while, he said in shame: “This cup is my apology to Yan Mingting. I shouldn’t have taken it upon myself to believe rumors and hold grudges against him. He has served the country and the people all his life, but I pressed unwarranted charges against him. It was truly hateful.”

“You should drink this cup of wine directly with him,” Zhao Yelan said.

“I dare not……anyway, aren’t you both family?”

Zhao Yelan couldn’t speak.

“Go back and convey it for me.” Perhaps because Yan Mingting was so upright, Li Yucheng was ashamed and always felt that he didn’t fit in with him. But Zhao Yelan, who was both righteous and evil, was easier to talk to. “If you accept my apology, drink this.”

“I don’t drink,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Then……have a meal?” Li Yucheng looked at him beseechingly. “Just forgive me, or my father won’t take it easy on me.”

“What does your father want me to do?” Zhao Yelan had already guessed that Li Jinyu had sent him here, otherwise it would be impossible for him to apologize so obediently.

“You misunderstand, my father didn’t mean to ask you for help, he just wanted me to apologize to Yan Mingting. I was too ashamed to face him directly, so I took a detour……and turned up here with you.” 

“Did it need to be so roundabout?” Zhao Yelan was amused, but his face remained blank.

“Of course, the two of you have such a good relationship, the effect is just the same.” Li Yucheng took out three banknotes. “This is all my savings from over the years. My father has never embezzled, so I can’t afford ten thousand taels of gold, and I can only use this to make amends to you. If one day I become prosperous, I will definitely make up the rest.”

Dislike was dislike, but who couldn’t get along with silver? Zhao Yelan put away the banknotes without changing his expression, and then paused abruptly: “Who said I have a good relationship with him?”

“Does this still need to be said?” Li Yucheng’s lips curled. “I’ve cursed him to his face, calling him my natural enemy, a bearer of ill luck, an evil star, and he just pretended he didn’t hear it. But last time in front of you, when I cursed at him that he would kill you……he slapped me twice in an instant! It took a fortnight for the swelling to subside!”

“You deserved it.” Zhao Yelan thought to himself, if it wasn’t useful to keep you at that time, you would have died at my hands long ago.

“Yes, yes, yes, I deserved it. My father told me not to cause trouble for you, but I refused to listen,” Li Yucheng said, smiling ingratiatingly. “But not anymore. I’ve decided to make you a friend!”

Zhao Yelan looked at him in disbelief: “Who gave you the face?”

“Why, what threshold needs to be reached before someone will be considered your friend?”

“They must at least have a functioning brain.” Zhao Yelan looked at his empty head with distaste and shook his head.

“It’s because my dad didn’t let me go to school when I was a child!” Li Yucheng said with conviction. “He didn’t want me to practice martial arts, saying that the battlefield was too dangerous, and he never wanted me to be an official, so he didn’t care about my studies. Otherwise, there’s no telling who this year’s top scholar would be.”

“Oh? Who is talking about a new top scholar, ah?” Someone laughed outside the door.

Li Yucheng opened the door curiously and saw two strangers. He was about to shoo them away when a smiling man walked in and said: “Zhao-xiong, it really is you. I saw your back just now and thought I was mistaken.”

“You guys know each other?” Li Yucheng asked in surprise.

“I’m Ruan Xian, of the Imperial Academy.” Ruan Xian smiled, then pointed to the person behind him and introduced, “This is the number one scholar, Wang Guisheng.”

Li Yucheng was dumbfounded, and wondered if he had run his mouth too much. He immediately muttered: “Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, appear quickly before me. If that doesn’t work, Xichi Diaochan^[2] will also do, ah.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him speechlessly. It was a mystery how this person could think he was intelligent enough to be his friend.

“It is crowded out there, and there are no empty tables. I wonder if I can share a table with Zhao-xiong?” Ruan Xian asked.

“Take a seat.” Zhao Yelan simply didn’t want to share a table alone with this Li idiot, so he ordered two more sets of bowls and chopsticks.

Each of them sat on one side of the table. Ruan Xian and Zhao Yelan talked about the changes in the current situation. Li Yucheng found that he couldn’t get a word in edgewise and was a little bit down, so he nudged the top scholar next to him: “You and Zhao Yelan have a good relationship?”

Wang Guisheng didn’t know how to answer, and subconsciously looked at Zhao Yelan. He found him sitting on one side with a natural and casual posture, but without losing any elegance. Eating slowly, he occasionally nodded in agreement with Ruan Xian’s comments. He couldn’t help but stare at him in a daze, thinking that some people were born in such a way that people couldn’t take their eyes off them.

He didn’t answer this question, and then heard Zhao Yelan mention the Jiangnan matter.

“A few days ago, the water report from the Huaihe River was submitted to the Imperial Court. Didn’t it say that precipitation has increased significantly compared to the past, and floods are predicted?”

“Yes, Guisheng should be more aware of this matter, he was the one who drafted the decree for delegating disaster relief funds,” Ruan Xian replied.

When the late Emperor was alive, there was a flood one year that led to people having no way to make a living. Therefore, as soon as Zhao Xuan came to power, he set up newsmen at the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. At the end of spring, they began to regularly report the precipitation to the court, so as to prepare flood control in advance.

Zhao Yelan looked at Wang Guisheng: “Where did the disaster funds go?”

Wang Guisheng was surprised, and said, “It will be distributed to Huaizhou and Zhizhou as appropriate when the time comes. According to the distance, there should be more than ten days left.”

Zhao Yelan frowned. A few days ago, when talking with Sun Muyun about the customs of Jiangnan, the other party had warmly invited him to visit Jiangnan, saying that the weather had been good recently and that it had been sunny for more than ten days in a row, making it easy to travel.

“Is there an issue?” Ruan Xian asked.

As soon as he spoke, there was the sound of a table overturning in the lobby. Li Yucheng, an excitable fellow, immediately opened the door. Looking down, he saw his old nemesis, Fu Qian, who was known as the most beautiful man in the capital. 

The other party firmly grasped a short young master, asking: “Who are you? Do you dare to strip off your clothing and reveal yourself?”

“You let go of me!”

Zhao Yelan paused. The voice was inexplicably familiar, and he calmly walked to the corridor overlooking the two arguing people. He suddenly remembered who this jade-faced young man was, and said: “Go and bring this man up.”

The three of them were taken aback, and went downstairs one after another. Li Yucheng was the first to act, grabbing Fu Qian by the collar and cursing: “Everyone, come and see! In broad daylight, Fu Qian actually wanted to strip off the man’s clothes. Could this be the goodness of Longyan?”^[3]

In an instant, everyone burst into laughter. In consideration of saving face, Fu Qian quickly released his grip and turned around to argue with him, but he was dragged out before he could speak, and the two scuffled at the gate.

The jade-faced young man caught his breath and was just about to flee, but was instead politely invited upstairs by two gentlemen. When he caught sight of the person sitting in the private room, he said excitedly, as if meeting a relative: “Zhao-daren!”

“You are too bold,” Zhao Yelan said, displeased. “Where is your handmaiden?”

“Handmaiden?” Ruan Xian looked at this young man in surprise. Thin skin and tender flesh, slender fingers, a crisp voice, and upon closer look, no Adam’s apple……it was clearly a girl!

“She’s gone to look for someone.” Sun Muyun smiled after having a close brush with disaster. “Fortunately Zhao-daren helped me, otherwise I would be finished.”

She wouldn’t just be finished. As she was here to participate in the draft, if she consorted with other men in public and someone had the mind to accuse her of adultery, the gains would not make up for the losses.

“I was wrong, I thought my disguise was flawless.” Sun Muyun was quick to admit her mistake, and said aggrievedly, “I heard that the most beautiful man in Beijing was here, so I disguised myself and came to have a look, but who would have known that he was nothing but a useless person only fit for drinking. He saw that I was a girl and said that I was attracted to him, and had put on these clothes to have a private meeting with him. When he wanted to get closer to me, I refused, and we started arguing……hmph, I saw his oily face, how could he be worthy of the title of most beautiful man? He doesn’t hold a finger to Zhao-daren.”

“I agree with this!” Ruan Xian clapped his hands and laughed.

“Wow, you two……are pretty handsome too!” Only then did Sun Muyun notice the other two people in the room, looking at them with piercing eyes.

Zhao Yelan was speechless for a moment. He didn’t know if he should admire her simple-minded courage or her sweet-talking skills. A mere sentence made these two blush inwardly.

He thought for a moment and said: “If Sun-guniang wants to see a handsome man, after entering the palace, she can glimpse the face of the Emperor. That is true excellence and grace.”

“Is this true?” Sun Muyun lowered her voice and struggled to say, “But I saw the late Emperor once when I was young, he was really ugly……”

Ruan Xian and Wang Guisheng hid their smiles. Zhao Yelan did so as well. “The Holy Majesty is more like his mother concubine, with a face like a crown of jade. You won’t be disappointed.”

“Exactly,” Ruan Xian agreed, “I saw the Holy Majesty and felt inferior.”

Sun Muyun looked at Wang Guisheng doubtfully, and when he nodded, she was instantly moved. Let her see this famous handsome man in Beijing. The only two men with heavenly looks were husband and wife, so there was only one left that she hadn’t met.

In any case, her plan from the start was to see if there were any handsome men she liked in Beijing. If she found one, she would make herself look undesirable during the draft, and when the process was over, she would be inseparable from her ideal person. If she couldn’t find one, then she would submit to the will of heaven.

“Okay, I’ll go back and prepare for the draft!”

“Don’t go out and cause trouble for the next few days. The draft is not just about you alone. You have the Sun family behind you,” Zhao Yelan reminded.

“I know, thank you, Zhao-daren.” Sun Muyun nodded. Her maid arrived just then with someone in tow, so she left first.

The three of them left the restaurant one step later, and when they walked out the gate, they glanced at Li Yucheng and Fu Qian, who were still wrestling. Zhao Yelan walked around them without a sideways glance, but his footsteps halted suddenly, and he looked at the person standing in front of him with surprise.

Ruan Xian and Wang Guisheng also saw him. Facing the other’s gloomy eyes, they took the lead in politely saying: “General Yan.”

For some reason, Ruan Xian felt that General Yan seemed to hate him even more! What could have gone wrong, he hadn’t even seen him a few times in total!

This frustrated the sophisticated and tactful Ruan Xian. He had coaxed all the old and young of the Imperial Academy to view him favorably, so why did he fail with Yan Mingting?

Yan Mingting didn’t even glance at them, and went straight to Zhao Yelan. Pulling him by the arm, he stuffed him into the sedan chair next to him and then sat inside with a dark expression.

“What’s wrong with you?” Zhao Yelan rubbed the place where he had been dragged, feeling that it hurt a little, and was unavoidably somewhat aggravated. “Have you eaten firecrackers?”

Yan Mingting scoffed coldly: “You’ve had quite a carefree day, ah.”

His purposeful coldness these few days had been in vain!

Ever since their last dinner, Yan Mingting had intentionally ignored him so as to let him reflect on himself and preferably to realize his mistakes. Then he came to show his affection for him, but who knew that the other party not only did not show the slightest regret, but also came out to eat and drink with these two little white faces from the Imperial Academy. How happy!

There were so many knowledgeable old men in the Imperial Academy, so why didn’t he see him sharing a meal with those people?

However, Zhao Yelan thought he disliked him going to the restaurant and spending extravagantly, so he said: “It was Li Yucheng who arranged the table, and he also paid for everything.”

Hurray, there was also Li Yucheng!

Yan Mingting was so angry that his hair stood on end.

There was silence all the way back. Zhao Yelan looked at his face, thinking that every time he went to a restaurant outside, he would chide him about wasting money, and couldn’t help getting angry, saying: “It’s my money, so why does it bother you? In the end, did I cost you a penny?”

As soon as the sedan chair stopped, he forcefully opened the curtain and furiously walked into the General’s Mansion.

“……” Yan Mingtiing looked at the curtain that was still swaying. What did he have to be angry about?

The atmosphere at the table during dinner was so abnormal that even the servants noticed it. Xiao Gao secretly asked Housekeeper Qin: “Is the General forcing my lord to do horse stance again? Otherwise, why is my lord so unhappy?”

“How can a couple not quarrel?” Housekeeper Qin sighed. He could see that something was wrong a few days ago, but he didn’t expect that instead of the two people reconciling, it had intensified instead. He would have to figure out a solution.

After Zhao Yelan took a bath in the evening, he locked the door tightly, but tonight this scoundrel didn’t come to knock on the door or open the window.

He tossed and turned for a long time, a little curious about what this fellow was doing. Would he really go to sleep in the study obediently?

But at this moment, the voice of Housekeeper Qin passing by came through the door: “The General is injured, you should be careful when serving him and not touch his wound.”

Zhao Yelan frowned, recalling Yan Mingting’s lively appearance. He really didn’t feel that he was injured, so he turned over and went to sleep.

A quarter of an hour later, a candle was suddenly lit in the house. He put on his outer layers, searched around, and saw a light on in the study. When he walked inside, he happened to see Yan Mingting nimbly stuffing the thing in his hand into his bosom and asked: “What are you doing here?”

“Um……reading a book. Why are you still awake?” Yan Mingting asked nervously.

Zhao Yelan walked up to him with the candle, looked him up and down, and asked with a frown: “Where are you injured?”

“Injured?” Yan Mingting was taken aback. From the corner of his eye, he saw Housekeeper Qin poking his head into the study and desperately winking at him. Hearing Zhao Yelan’s slightly concerned tone, he immediately covered his chest with his left hand: “An old injury has relapsed, and my heart aches.”

“The heart is on the left.” Zhao Yelan remained expressionless.

“I misspoke, it’s the middle of my chest.” Yan Mingting looked at him with an expression of suffering. “It hurts so bad.”

Zhao Yelan narrowed his eyes slightly: “Take off your shirt.”

“This isn’t good, ba……” Yan Mingting said shyly, but quickly peeled off his shirt, revealing his muscular chest covered in several knife scars. 

But none of them passed over the heart or the middle of the chest.

Zhao Yelan pulled out the short, gaudy knife and slid it against his chest: “It seems that your injury is somewhat light. You might as well properly feel what it means to have heartache, ba.”

“Don’t, don’t, don’t,” Yan Mingting hurriedly begged for mercy and stepped back. He was putting on his clothes again when a booklet suddenly fell in front of Zhao Yelan.

Zhao Yelan swiftly picked up the book, which was as big as his palm. It had a few large characters written on it – Thirty-Six Strategies of the Qin and Jin Dynasties.

Yan Mingting’s expression changed slightly, and just when he was about to grab it, the knife pressed against his neck.

Zhao Yelan quickly turned to the title page, which read: Marriage is like a battlefield. If you want to live in harmony with your husband or wife and have an unbreakable bond forever, you must use some small tricks to make it long and enduring.

Turning to the first page, the first plan was: Bitter meat plan.^[4]

Zhao Yelan looked up at him with eyes like knives.

“……” Yan Mingting gulped and said: “You may not believe it, but this is a family heirloom left to me by my father, and it was given to me by Uncle Qin just now. You can……you can tear me up, but can you not tear up the old man’s posthumous work?”

“You sleep in the study!” Zhao Yelan angrily threw the posthumous work back to him, then pinched the other’s mouth with both hands and started to tear.

“Hiss – wuwuwu.”

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[1] Eat salty radishes and worry less (咸吃萝卜淡操心) is an idiom, meaning that someone is nosy and worries about something without knowing the truth of the facts. ⮐

[2] Diaochan is one of the four legendary beauties of ancient China and a character in “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” ⮐

[3] The goodness of Longyan (龙阳之好) is an allusion to homosexuality, referring to a historical record of Lord Longyan and King Wei, who were two men in a dedicated romantic relationship. ⮐

[4] The bitter meat plan is the plan of last resort. ⮐

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Chapter Forty <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Two

The vehicle drove into a courtyard and slowly came to a stop. The interior was very quiet.

Xia Xingchi was sleeping soundly. In his dream, there was a huge golden money tree covered in glittering yellow gold standing before him.

The branches of pure gold were cold to the touch, and one wrapped around his waist to imprison him, while the other lightly touched his lips……

The cool tingle spread all the way from his lips to his collarbone, and Xia Xingchi unconsciously crooned, stretching out his hand to grab the gold —

Then he grabbed Li Chengyuan’s fingers.

Upon opening his eyes, he saw Li Chengyuan’s expressionless face close by. This hand had been touching his lips just now as lowered eyes gazed at him silently.

Xia Xingchi was dazed for a moment, then woke up with a start!

From his perspective, the villain almost seemed like he was observing whether he was fat and tender enough to be cooked.

……For god’s sake, one sleep-in mistake wasn’t enough? He had accidentally fallen asleep in front of Li Chengyuan again.

This really couldn’t be blamed on Xia Xingchi. After all, he had hardly slept at all the whole week before transmigrating, working hard every day to earn money.

After finally repaying his debt this month, he wanted to go back and sleep, but was struck by lightning on the way.

In the end, he never got a good night’s sleep.

On such a quiet night, which was very suitable for terrible crimes, Xia Xingchi and the big villain looked at each other at close range as soon as he woke up and the horror meter of this scene was instantly full.

He suddenly realized that he was still holding Li Chengyuan’s fingers, and let go as if he had been electrocuted.

Fortunately, Li Chengyuan didn’t do anything else. He just looked away and got out of the car, and Xia Xingchi had no choice but to follow, gazing around as if sleepwalking:

There was a luxurious French villa with a courtyard and a lake. There were sculptures and fountains in the garden that reflected the bright gleam of the lights, manicured lawns, carefully trimmed flowers……

In the capital where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, all of this showed that the owner’s wealth was unparalleled. 

This display of fortune gave Xia Xingchi a shock.

It wasn’t until he walked through the gate that he realized that his life was still in danger, and that he was a fish waiting to be slaughtered on the chopping board.

Li Chengyuan hadn’t completely lost his mind yet, but who knew if he would go crazy in advance?

Inexplicably, the engagement banquet was not only ahead of schedule, but also hadn’t ended with a divorce as in the original plot.

The fish meat didn’t dare to ask why he had been captured by Li Chengyuan. Xia Xingchi was afraid of stepping on the tiger’s tail again, so he could only hold back his talkative nature, shut up, and follow behind.

The interior of the villa was quite large, and the luxury was astonishing. Xia Xingchi looked up and saw the elevator described in the book.

When reading the book, he got to thinking. There was a garage on the ground floor and a swimming pool on the first floor, then three other floors. Installing an elevator on the fifth floor was simply an inhuman extravagance.

When he delivered food, he used to climb ten floors in one go to catch up on time.

But luxury was luxury, and Xia Xingchi knew it was because of Li Chengyuan’s illness:

This person looked fine now, but he only had half a year to live.

It was difficult to walk when you were that ill, and such a proud and bad-tempered person would not allow himself to be carried.

He couldn’t go back to his room without an elevator to carry his wheelchair.

The butler, Uncle Ding, stepped forward to take Li Chengyuan’s coat and hang it up, saying with a smile: “Sir.”

Then he turned his head and said kindly and cordially: “You are Young Master Xia, right? Is there any luggage that needs to be settled in, or anything I can help with?”

Xia Xingchi cutely shook his head. Seeing that there were five or six servants and a kind-hearted butler around him, his tense heartstrings finally relaxed —

The big villain couldn’t commit crimes in front of so many people.

His life should be safe for the time being. Xia Xingchi finally dared to ask: “Mr. Li, when will I go back, ah?”

Li Chengyuan was walking up the stairs while undoing his tie.

Hearing these words, he asked lightly: “We are already engaged, where would you go?”

Light from the crystal chandelier shone down, and the diamond engagement rings on the middle fingers of these two sparkled brightly.

This answer was reasonable. Xia Xingchi was slightly taken aback, and let out a prolonged “Ah.”

Right, they had previously had an outrageously exciting engagement party……but was this really an engagement?

Not to mention that the original plot was not like this at all, but considering Li Chengyuan’s worth, what kind of lover would he not be able to obtain?

How could he make such a hasty life decision?

Bang! With the cold sound of a door closing, Li Chengyuan entered his room and directly shut Xia Xingchi out.

Xia Xingchi……

It was more likely for pigs to climb trees than for the big villain boss to want to marry him.

He really wanted to shake his shoulders vigorously with both hands and question him loudly: We barely know each other, why didn’t you call off the engagement according to the script at the engagement banquet?

The villain boss and the cannon fodder, two characters who were destined to meet their ends. It was impossible for two negatives to make a positive.

Thinking this, Xia Xingchi suddenly turned into a sad frog,^[1] frowning as he contemplated how he would die as cannon fodder.

“Young Master, the room is ready. Do you want to eat something or have a glass of milk before going to sleep?” Uncle Ding asked upstairs.

Seeing Xia Xingchi crouched dispiritedly at Li Chengyuan’s door and drawing circles on the ground with his finger, he guessed that he was sad because he couldn’t share a bed with his fiance.

The old man at once comforted him sincerely: “Don’t think too much, Sir might want to get a marriage certificate before the two of you stay together – but he must love you.”

His tone was quite confident.

Yet he saw Xia Xingchi’s expression of utter disbelief, and added: “Really. He specifically asked us to watch you and report to him at any time.”

Xia Xingchi: ……

Thank you, I am not relieved at all. I suspect that he just wants people to watch me in order to directly foil all of my escape plans.

He didn’t quite understand why the old butler who had watched Li Chengyuan grow up and knew him quite well had this illusion.

– – –

Supper that night was steaming hot rib noodles.

The noodles were soft and smooth, and the pork ribs had been stewed soft and delicious, dotted with a few pieces of golden corn. Xia Xingchi took a bite and felt perfectly fulfilled, as if his soul had been healed.

— Truly happy. Even if he was about to be caught and slaughtered by the villain, he would become a satiated ghost.

The ups and downs of the engagement dinner were too stimulating, and he hadn’t been able to eat anything. At this moment, after eating two full bowls of noodles, he finally paused his chopsticks in satisfaction.

After the meal, he did not forget to express his gratitude to Aunt Li:^[2] “It’s so delicious, thank you, Auntie!”

Although Xia Xingchi was a difficult person, he looked quite well-behaved and cute when he smiled sincerely with his eyebrows curved.

Aunt Li was instantly flattered.

These years, she had been responsible for Li Chengyuan’s diet and daily life, but Young Master Li had been weak since he was a child, and his stomach was also poor. If his diet was not suitable, he would suffer from stomach pains, and was not interested in eating anything.

It got to the point that Aunt Li had to suspect that her cooking was not very tasty, and she always hoped that he would eat more.

Unexpectedly, something happened later on and his temperament, words, and actions changed drastically. This time he was “normal” —

Completely normal. He didn’t avoid raw, cold, or spicy food, and ate as much as he wanted, uncaring if his body could bear it as this vicious cycle continued.

It wasn’t until he left the old house that his daily behavior gradually improved.

At any rate, it was rare for Aunt Li to meet such a flattering child as Xia Xingchi. A sweet child with such a healthy appetite was simply a compliment to her culinary skills.

She straightaway asked Xia Xingchi with benevolence and contentment: “I recently came up with a set of recipes. Would you like to order food every day in the future?”

Free luxurious board and lodgings, and the freedom to eat meat. Xia Xingchi immediately pricked up his ears.

Just as he was about to nod excitedly, he stopped at once —

Wait, live here every day……?

Are you sure it will be me who will order the food, or will I become a dish stewed by Li Chengyuan?

Xia Xingchi thought for a moment, and then asked cautiously: “Li Chengyuan, he……”

He opened his mouth, but didn’t ask anything in the end.

Even Uncle Ding was under the misapprehension that Li Chengyuan liked him, so he figured that Li Chengyuan’s motivation and purpose for keeping him wouldn’t be found through Aunt Li.

While tidying up the dishes, Aunt Li said enthusiastically: “Young Master, go to bed early. Sir will be at home tomorrow, so you can sleep until you wake up naturally.”

The room had been prepared in advance, and all kinds of daily necessities were available.

Xia Xingchi was originally full of energy, but the word “sleep” jogged his sleep-deprived brain.

Heavy fatigue fell over him, and he couldn’t help yawning.

He climbed the stairs as if sleepwalking, and after sloppily washing up, he quickly got into the warm and comfortable bed.

Forget it, he could sleep even when the sky was falling. No matter what Li Chengyuan wanted to do, he didn’t believe that he could enter his dreams and scare him.

– – –

He didn’t expect that he had spoken too soon, and that the horror villain that could “scare children into silence at night” would actually enter his dreams.

In the dead of night, Xia Xingchi opened his eyes in a daze, half awake. Some light came in through the half-drawn curtains

It wasn’t too bright, but it was enough to see the inside of the room —

Then he saw that Li Yucheng was actually sitting beside his bed, staring at him motionlessly.

Xia Xingchi: ……

I swear, no horror movie has such a terrifying opening.

Li Chengyuan was wearing a black nightgown, which made his face look even paler.

The belt was tied casually, and the neckline was slightly open, clearly revealing the beautiful lines of his muscles.

There was no expression on his face, and messy hair hung over his forehead, but even though he was dressed casually, the aura around him in the dream was still very intimidating.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Xia Xingchi quickly acted on a semi-conscious “effective” idea:

He retracted his head into the bedding at once, closed his eyes, and hid himself.

The subtext seemed to say, as long as I can’t see you, you can’t see me.

Then he simple-mindedly fell back to sleep.

– – –

As if making up for his lack of sleep, when Xia Xingchi awoke the next day, it was already after noon.

The feeling of being fully rested was very satisfying, and the soft bed and blanket gave him an incomparable sense of happiness.

It even gave him a sense of “it would be nice to live here all the time.”

Xia Xingchi felt refreshed, and stretched his waist in the warm golden sun that filled the room.

After a simple wash, he put on the well-fitting house clothes that Uncle Ding had delivered. He had missed lunch, so he had to hungrily go downstairs and look for food.

Aunt Li was carrying a clothes basket and preparing to do the laundry. When she saw him sticking his head into the kitchen, she asked with a smile: “Young Master, you’re awake? Dinner isn’t ready yet, but if you’re hungry, I just baked some egg tarts for you. Would you like some?”

Xia Xingchi nodded at once when he heard this, and it was just now that he was attracted by a sweet fragrance.

In his previous life, he was reluctant to even buy an extra vegetable bun, let alone eat egg tarts and other small desserts.

He had always had a child’s sweet tooth. As a versatile migrant worker, he could actually bake all kinds of desserts.

But after making them, he could only stare at the tempting sweetness and watch someone else buy them. There were only a handful of times he could try it.

As he happily entered the kitchen with Aunt Li, his eyes subconsciously moved toward the clothes basket in her hand — on top was a black nightgown.

He knew without asking that it was Li Chengyuan’s.

The style was very familiar, as if he had just seen him wearing it…….the question was, when had he ever seen him wear it?

Li Chengyuan was wearing a white shirt when he returned to his room last night, and even after taking a shower and changing clothes, he never went out where he could see him.

In the blink of an eye, that horror movie-like dream reappeared in front of his eyes.

Why were they exactly the same style and color as the clothes on Li Chengyuan in his “dream?”

A question that made his blood run cold hung in his mind. Xia Xingchi suddenly realized something, and the smile on his face slowly froze.

Could it be that he came into my room last night, sat by my bed, and watched me sleep?

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[1] Picture any sad Pepe the Frog meme here. ⮐

[2] The “aunt” here is just a respectful way to address a woman older than you. Also, the name “Li” here uses the 李, or “plum” character, rather than the 黎 character in Li Chengyuan’s name, which can mean “many” or “dark.” They aren’t actually related. ⮐

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Chapter Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seven