Death. A living thing losing its life.

In this world, life is not eternal, but fleeting. Therefore, death is a very common and normal thing.

The Buddha said that all appearances are false. This means that everything in this world is false, untrue, subjective. Therefore, people must know how to set themselves free of entanglements. My family are all scholars, so I naturally know the meaning of this sentence.

But, but…..

The tragic collision of two million-dollar luxury cars had drawn much attention.

In fact, the truth is very simple. The young master of Yuhua’s newly wealthy Fang family drove his new car while drunk. He drove through a red light with three friends and crashed into the car belonging to the chairman of Wen Group. A total of five people died in this car accident, but Chairman Wen’s spouse was only slightly injured because he was protecting him. 

This incident was of great concern, causing an uproar online and in real life. After a long period of time, the news media would still bring it up and rehash it.

People were very distressed over the unexpected death of Chairman Wen. At that time, people who worked with or did not work with him wanted to come to my house and visit me, his family member. There were also many in the media who wanted to interview me.

I rejected them all.

I remember that when I got home, there were many reporters gathered in front of my house, and as soon as I got out of the car, cameras big and small were aimed at me. Many people asked me about the future of the Wen family, asked me how I felt about Mingcheng risking his life to protect me. Some also asked me whether I would remarry in the future and how I felt about his death.

I don’t remember how I responded, or if I even responded at all.

I can’t remember clearly. My brain hasn’t functioned well since Mingcheng died.

I buried Mingcheng quickly after returning home, and denied requests to attend the funeral by anyone other than relatives. 

Outsiders were not allowed to come to the funeral to pay respects to his body, nor were interviews accepted. He was buried in a hurry.

There was a lot of criticism online over this, calling me heartless and suspecting that I was anxious to inherit his estate. What’s more, they suspected that I pulled him to shield me during the car accident so that I only suffered minor injuries, which was why I didn’t dare let anyone see the body.

Of course, there were also many subtle discussions in the real world. It seemed that a child I taught believed the rumors. He ran up to me and scolded me for causing him to be unable to believe in love.

Events will metamorphosize in people’s mouths, and the internet can easily spread and prolong the fermentation of matters. Just because I insisted on burying him early, there were so many inexplicable accusations.

But it didn’t matter. I had no love for surfing the internet at that time. In the real world, I couldn’t tell the difference between reality and dreams, and the comments of others simply did not enter my brain.

I thought there was no problem with burying the body early. After all, there was no custom in this region of having a seven-day moratorium on burying a body.

However, I also admit that there were other reasons why I insisted on burying him early and did not allow others to see his remains.

The car crash at that time was intense. The young master of the Fang family’s car exploded and caught on fire, and the entire front of our vehicle was deformed. He held me tightly under his body, countless pieces of glass and broken iron piercing him. He…..was not so good-looking anymore.

But in the last moments of his life, besides holding me firmly, he still covered my eyes tightly until his body became rigid and difficult to pry from me. His hand was still over my eyes.

In the past many years, he had never appeared in front of me in a slovenly manner. He cared very much about his appearance and whether or not he looked good. Whenever he came to see me, he always looked neat and tidy.

I think…..he didn’t want me to look at him, and didn’t want others to see him like this.

I hired a very capable undertaker in the business at a high price. And I heard from Mingcheng’s mother that the expert had made his remains very lifelike, so I took one last look at him.

The undertaker was truly impressive. When I entered the room, I saw Mingcheng lying in a coffin, covered with white lilies. There were no traces of injury on his body. His face was still handsome and his expression was calm and peaceful, as if he was asleep.

I looked at him for a long time and said to him in my heart: “Wen Mingcheng, you have always been the most good-looking.”

The day of the burial was cloudy, cold, and snowy.

My mom and Mingcheng’s mother hugged each other and cried, weeping without sound. Mingcheng’s father and Mingyi remained silent, saying nothing.

As his widow left behind in the world, I stood in front of the tombstone holding his portrait. Together, we watched his urn be put into a coffin and buried underground. The atmosphere was one of absolute pain and grief.

The funeral lasted for a long time, snowflakes floating in the sky and falling on the heads of everyone present. 

The dead was buried in peace, and the living lived on.

I knew that Mingcheng no longer existed in this world.

. . . . . . .

“I don’t know whether to be happy or sad that you remember this.”

I am half-reclining in bed, watching the little white bird eating food outside the window. When I hear this, I turn to look at the speaker. “You’re my doctor, of course you should be happy for me.”

Dr. Zhao helps me replace the finished IV bottle with a new one. The corners of his mouth twitch briefly. The skin on his face is dark and puffy, and his expression looks more tired than mine.

Probably because he wants to smoke a cigarette, his right hand subconsciously reaches into his pocket, then suddenly pauses and withdraws. “I really should be happy for you. The fact that you can remember means that your condition has improved. But that period of time you forgot…..”

After Mingcheng died, I acted very calm. I didn’t cry or make a fuss, I held the burial with composure, and I helped deal with his funeral affairs. I also dealt with the issue of his inheritance and worked with the directors to help Mingyi take office.

They all thought I likely wouldn’t have too many problems, but not long after, I was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment due to an overdose of psychotropic drugs.

I actually had no thoughts of committing suicide. He saved me, so I would naturally live well. I only wanted to relieve the pain.

I just unknowingly took the whole bottle of medicine. Fortunately, Dr. Zhao found out in time when he went to my house to deliver medicine.

I didn’t die, but I forgot about his death.

During the time I forgot, I told everyone around that Mingcheng was at home. How could there be something wrong with Mingcheng? They thought I was suffering from longing and stress, so they told me to take medicine but were afraid to tell me the truth.

No one, neither my doctor nor my family, was willing to pierce this window covering.

They wanted me to get better, but they thought it would be painful for me to think about.

I refused to stay hospitalized or stay at my older brother’s house. I chose to return to the old Wei family house where I lived as a child. I lived on the second floor, and the medical staff lived on the first floor.

The sun is very bright today, and my little white bird looks plump in the sunlight. Occasionally, out of boredom, it will use its little red feet to grab the grains of rice in its bowl.

Sparrows tease it from time, making it so angry that it flaps its wings and chirps in fury.

I look at it for a moment with a light smile, and then turn to Dr. Zhao: “These days, my mother and others didn’t dare to say anything when they came to see me. Don’t worry, as the saying goes, no child can cry all the time. What’s more, I’m not a child either. It’s been so long, and thinking about it now, I realize that I’ve been very unattached to the world.”

“I also recruited a new student this year. He somehow knows I’m sick, and sends me messages every day saying that he will wait for me and that I won’t let him down.”

Dr. Zhao gives me a deep, gloomy look: “I hope what you’re saying is true.”

He chats with me for a while, but before leaving, he turns to me and says: “A-Zhen, there are many people who like you in this world. You should cherish yourself more.”

In the afternoon, the young guard comes to see me.

I remember his name, Xiao Nan.

He apologizes to me, saying that he is sorry he sent me home alone. As he speaks, he starts to cry: “Why did you run to the police on your own? Wasn’t I on duty outside? What if something happened to you? Wouldn’t it be my fault if you were hurt?”

He looks about nineteen or twenty years old, like he just graduated from a sports school. When he cries, it is with snot and tears, and because he cries with a grimace, his cheeks wrinkle together.

So I comfort him.

Perhaps he opened his mouth too far while crying and accidentally swallowed air, because he begins to hiccup as he says intermittently: “Sorry, I didn’t…..I didn’t know……about Mr. Wen.”

I smile softly and pick up a package of hazelnut biscuits my brother brought me from the table, and hand it to him: “Eat something and be at ease.”

He moves to stretch out his hand and take it with a slightly embarrassed expression, then finishes it shyly and swiftly.

The package of biscuits diverts his attention, and after eating it, he feels much better. He forgets to cry, and stops hiccupping. 

He sits blinking for a while, trying to think of some way to comfort me, but after trying for a long time, he can only squeeze out one sentence.

“Mr. Wei, live a good life.”

I smile and nod: “Thank you, Xiao Nan.”

Maybe because I encouraged him, he thinks for a moment and says: “The puppy I grew up with passed away. I’m sad, but feel that he’s still alive in my heart. I think about him sometimes. When I was in school, the teacher said that as long as I still remember him, he has not really died. I think this makes sense. It’s like saying he’s still with me, so…..um, I mean, we all gotta live well.”

I didn’t expect him to speak so much, although he concluded with a sentence that was logically a bit far-fetched.

I listen to him in silence, then quickly ask him: “Is it possible that he’s really at your side?”

This sentence startles him.

He opens his eyes wide and looks at me in shock: “No way? There are no ghosts in this world, and of course there are no ghost dogs.”

After saying that, he gives me a worried look: “Mr. Wei, are you okay……”

At once, I raise my eyebrows at him and smile: “I was just teasing you.”

He breathes a sigh of relief and says: “You scared me to death.”

As the sun goes down in the evening, he rushes to work the night shift and the nurse comes to ask me to fill in the daily form.

There are a few simple multiple-choice questions on the list, as well as a place for a signature at the end.

I lower my eyes and easily sketch out the answers to several questions, chatting with the nurse: “I’ve heard people say that hospitals are places with a lot of yin energy. Do you feel scared when you work the night shift?”

The nurse laughs. Her voice is clear and sweet, full of vitality. “Of course not. That is to say, the internet always suspects that the hospital is haunted, and we are a psychiatric hospital. How can there be ghosts if people don’t die? Besides, the supernatural doesn’t exist.”

“You’re right.” I agree with a smile, and sign my name.

Wei Zizhen.

After watching me do all this, she takes the list and carefully examines the name I wrote. Before leaving, she clears the table for me and finally bids me farewell with a teasing smile: “Good night, Mr. Wei. If you need anything at night, ring the bell at any time. Although there are no ghosts in this world, you can call us if you are afraid.”

She jests at me, and I pretend to be angry and ignore her.

After the nurse leaves, the raised corners of my mouth lower. 

My gaze returns to the window.

A lot of people came into my room today, and they all thought I was looking at the bird outside, which was true, but not entirely.

Because nobody notices the black figure standing outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The sun moves from east to west, but all of its rays avoid him.

If there are no supernatural beings in this world…..

Then what are you?

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Chapter 23 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 25

Liu Zhenqing suddenly raised his head to look at Zhao Haicheng with an expression of shame, anger, and grievance, saying: “Lieutenant General Zhao, have you…..have you seen Captain Song?”

Zhao Haicheng was slightly taken aback: “I haven’t.”

Zhao Haicheng had not participated in what followed after, and stayed in Pingjin Square at that time. He tried to find an opportunity to steal the portrait, but the opponent was so skilled that he had no chance, so he had to give up and leave. He originally knew that the group would leave here in a carriage, and wanted to come over and inquire about the situation. In the end, he couldn’t catch them, but met Liu Zhenqing here. Although he hadn’t participated, he expected that Song Xingmu had gone to rescue Yi Chuan.

Judging from the look of Liu Zhenqing, Song Xingmu should have been with him before, and when he saw the distress signal, he went off to save that person and left Liu Zhenqing on the street.

Zhao Haicheng probed once again: “Was the carriage that passed by just now Captain Song’s?”

Liu Zhenqing knew that people like Zhao Haicheng must be very cautious, so he couldn’t tell a total lie. Half-truths were the easiest way to deceive people, so he pointed to the alley next to him and said: “I was initially all the way back in there, so I didn’t hear the sound of the carriage. But when I rushed over, he had already disappeared. Could it be that Captain Song was in the carriage? Then why didn’t he call me?”

Liu Zhenqing looked forward anxiously.

Zhao Haicheng said with a frown: “I just saw a carriage pass by, and I’m not sure. But you…..why is Young Master Huo in a dark alley?”

Liu Zhenqing trembled at the question. Zhao Haicheng’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his eyes flashed with a fierce light, but he froze in the next second.

Liu Zhenqing looked embarrassed, and his hands unconsciously grabbed the skirt of his clothes. As if he had a guilty conscience, two red spots showed on his snow-white cheeks.

“I…..we weren’t…..it was Captain Song who….who asked me to wait here…..”

Seeing that Liu Zhenqing looked like he was about to cry, Zhao Haicheng was stunned. His head buzzed, and he turned to look into the dark alley. Thinking of Song Xingmu’s reputation, he could already imagine what the two of them were doing there just now.

“You!” A burst of shock hit the pit of his stomach.

Liu Zhenqing trembled with fright, looking so humiliated that he wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground.

“How can you have so little love for yourself? I thought you were at least a dignified person. You…..” Zhao Haicheng scolded him angrily.

Liu Zhenqing lowered his head and complained internally, but slightly hunched his shoulders.

Zhao Haicheng thought of the portrait and looked at the person in front of him, feeling inexplicably disappointed and restless with anxiety.

“Young Master Huo, now that Captain Song has put you in such an embarrassing situation, you should know that in his heart, you are just a plaything.” Zhao Haicheng couldn’t help saying coldly, “Don’t keep making the same mistake.”

Liu Zhenqing thought he was pretty much done, and that it was enough to eliminate the suspicion in Zhao Haicheng’s mind. He didn’t want to be continuously scolded by a brat.

Liu Zhenqing raised his head and looked at Zhao Haicheng with a pair of fragile eyes that were pretending to be strong, saying: “Lieutenant General Zhao, please leave me alone.”

“You!” Zhao Haicheng hadn’t expected him to say this. He really wanted to turn around and leave him to his fate. “Why are you doing this?”

Liu Zhenqing was impatient. He really feared that if he said it was love, Zhao Haicheng would talk for half a day, so he said simply and directly: “Money.”

Zhao Haicheng instantly choked, looking at Liu Zhenqing as if his brain had shut down.

What was so surprising? Wasn’t money the simplest reason?

The more Liu Zhenqing thought about it, the more he felt that this excuse was very appropriate. “Five thousand taels of gold is nothing to Captain Song. I feel I can live a good life by following someone like this.”

Such a simple and unpretentious reason.

But Zhao Haicheng immediately felt offended and humiliated. The voice that had called out ‘five thousand taels’ indeed belonged to Song Xingmu. And five thousand taels of gold was something that he himself…..didn’t have.

As Liu Zhenqing spoke, he suddenly sensed a familiar gaze.

Liu Zhenqing took a peek and saw Er-gou crouched silently on the roof opposite, staring hard.

Because the building behind Zhao Haicheng was some distance away, Zhao Haicheng didn’t notice at all.

“Are you so…..vulgar?!”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched. Why did this fellow look like he had failed his expectations, ah? Don’t place any weird assumptions on him, okay? After all, they weren’t at all familiar with one another. Liu Zhenqing truly felt that Zhao Haicheng’s expectations about him were baffling.

Liu Zhenqing pretended to be humiliated and donned an angry expression, but said: “That’s just how I am. Whoever can afford five thousand taels of gold, I will follow.”

Sure enough, the expression of Er-gou above was blank.

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help laughing internally, not realizing that he had made Zhao Haicheng furious. The man reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him in forcefully. “You really are…..”

“Don’t!” Liu Zhenqing shouted at once, because he saw that Huo Fenglie seemed agitated by this action and was about to descend.

Liu Zhenqing found a gap to signal to Huo Fenglie not to approach. After all, Zhao Haicheng had seen Huo Fenglie’s portrait and would recognize him.

Zhao Haicheng was also startled by Liu Zhenqing’s shout, and realized that he had lost his composure.

He let go of Liu Zhenqing and looked at him with great disappointment. Unwilling to give up, he finally asked: “Since you only care about money, are you having a difficult time?”

Such persistence caused Liu Zhenqing to be surprised at the boy’s naivete. Liu Zhenqing made a show of being offended and refused to pay any attention to Zhao Haicheng.

Zhao Haicheng was even more disappointed. He was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly remembered something and said: “Who else was with you tonight? Was it Captain Song’s new bodyguard? Since Captain Song had something to do, why didn’t he have him send you off?”

Liu Zhenqing considered the intent behind Zhao Haicheng’s question. Based on what he had just overheard, it could be judged that the purpose of Zhao Haicheng’s group tonight was to deal with Yi Chuan. Zhao Haicheng must have said this because he was not present and didn’t know that Huo Fenglie had gone there too.

In other words, Huo Fenglie’s existence had been exposed. Only, not everyone knew who he was for the time being, and just thought he was a new guard hired by Song Xingmu.

Liu Zhenqing hesitated for a long time, and Zhao Haicheng couldn’t help but be suspicious: “What? You’re following Captain Song and you don’t even know who that person is?”

Liu Zhenqing gave Huo Fenglie a look and said: “How can I interfere with Captain Song’s affairs? It seems he’s felt unsafe recently and hired someone from the jianghu.”

Although Zhao Haicheng accepted this statement, he was a little concerned about Liu Zhenqing’s hesitation. However, he got on his horse without saying anything more.

Seeing that he was going to leave, Liu Zhenqing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Then he heard Zhao Haicheng speak again: “I’m afraid Captain Song won’t have time to return, so I will take you back to the inn.”

Liu Zhenqing looked at Zhao Haicheng expressionlessly, thinking: Will it never end?

Zhao Haicheng was initially very disappointed in Liu Zhenqing, but after mounting his horse, he saw that the surroundings were deserted. He was a lone, frail young master on the streets at night, and even just now, Song Xingmu had…..he was standing there so alone, and he knew that Song Xingmu had no time to care about his little lover at the moment. He still felt a little soft-hearted.

“No need,” Liu Zhenqing said in a clear voice.

In the end, Zhao Haicheng bent down and tried to grab Liu Zhenqing’s waist and force him onto the horse.

Liu Zhenqing was taken by surprise, and it was too late to retreat.

In the next moment, Zhao Haicheng felt a chill on his neck, as if the cold night air had condensed into an arrow that was shooting toward him.

In the blink of an eye, a person appeared behind Liu Zhenqing before the two of them could react.

Liu Zhenqing was already held in the arms of Huo Fenglie, who retreated three meters away.

Zhao Haicheng looked at them in astonishment. Liu Zhenqing quickly turned around, and was relieved to see that Huo Fenglie had put on a mask before coming down.

“Who are you? Let him go!”

Zhao Haicheng had only seen Huo Fenglie’s figure from a distance before, and didn’t recognize him immediately this time.

But when Huo Fenglie heard Zhao Haicheng say “let go,” he hugged Liu Zhenqing tighter in his arms. He gave Zhao Haicheng a look filled with killing intent, shocking him on the spot.

Liu Zhenqing hastily patted Huo Fenglie’s arm. If Er-gou was too obvious, Zhao Haicheng would have to be suspicious of their relationship.

Huo Fenglie was no fool either. After Liu Zhenqing’s reminder, he let go and said in a deep voice: “As Captain Song’s guard, I’ve been ordered to deliver…..Young Master Huo.”

Liu Zhenqing nearly laughed when he heard the words ‘Young Master Huo.’

Zhao Haicheng frowned slightly. Looking at the two people before him, he kept feeling that something wasn’t right. “You…..why are you still wearing a mask?”

Liu Zhenqing’s heart skipped a beat.

Huo Fenglie said coldly: “I forgot to take it off.”

“Then take it off now!” Zhao Haicheng said.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know whether Zhao Haicheng was suspicious or just cautious, wanting to identify the guard at Song Xingmu’s side.

Huo Fenglie said: “You are not my employer! You are not qualified to give me orders.”

The domineering command hidden in his words caused Zhao Haicheng to freeze up, wondering to himself, could he actually be a jianghu man who kills people like flies?

Liu Zhenqing was quick to interrupt: “Where is Captain Song?”

Huo Fenglie said at once: “Captain Song has returned after being attacked.”

“What?! An attack, how could that happen?! Is he okay?” Liu Zhenqing turned pale with fright.

“He’s already gone back.” Huo Fenglie said succinctly: “I will see you off.”

Zhao Haicheng knew there was no reason to stay any longer. “In that case, I’ll take my leave.”

After saying this, Zhao Haicheng rode off.

Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief. Watching Huo Fenglie take off his mask, he said: “Fortunately, you’re quick-witted. That brat has seen your portrait and could recognize you.”

“Why are you here alone?” Huo Fenglie asked curiously.

Liu Zhenqing explained the situation just now and what he had experienced.

Huo Fenglie’s expression immediately turned ugly, and he regarded Liu Zhenqing with lingering fear in his heart. “Sorry. I won’t leave you alone next time.”

Liu Zhenqing waved his hands and said: “I’m the only one who didn’t suffer tonight. Qin Yu should be fine, but I don’t know about Yi Chuan. He Lan picked up Qin Yu to go to Song Xingmu’s villa together.”

Huo Fenglie nodded, and was about to leave with Liu Zhenqing when his footsteps suddenly stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Zhenqing asked in confusion.

Huo Fenglie turned sharp eyes toward a nearby corner. He whispered: “Someone is still here.”

Liu Zhenqing understood at once that it was Zhao Haicheng who had left and returned, hiding in the dark to observe them.

Turning around, Liu Zhenqing looked at the maskless Huo Fenglie. If Zhao Haicheng looked over, regardless of seeing his face, the action of Huo Fenglie putting on his mask again would seem very abrupt.

Huo Fenglie naturally understood, and ducked into the alley where Liu Zhenqing was hiding just now to buy time to put on the mask.

Liu Zhenqing considered how to explain them entering the alley. Should he pretend that he dropped something and came to look for it?

Just as he was thinking, he heard Huo Fenglie say: “Come here, Qing-ge. I’ll fly you away. He won’t catch up.”

Although he couldn’t catch up, it would be strange.

Liu Zhenqing pondered how to get Zhao Haicheng to stop spying on them. If he was suspicious and traced him to the inn, a great many things would be suspect.

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie prompted.

Liu Zhenqing raised his head and looked over. Wearing a black half-mask, Huo Fenglie seemed to have a strange sense of stoicism, which gave Liu Zhenqing an impulse in this dark alley. Sure enough, his Er-gou was handsome even with half his face covered. Looking at him made him itch to see.

It was true that lust arose in danger.

Ai? Wait.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes flashed and the corners of his mouth rose slightly, giving him a calculating look. Without waiting for Huo Fenglie to react, Liu Zhenqing directly tugged his collar and whispered: “If you cooperate well, I can expel all his doubts.”

Huo Fenglie was wondering what Liu Zhenqing had come up with when there was a soft touch on his lips.

His eyes immediately opened wide, and he stared at the person so close at hand. Because he had just been pulled closer to talk, and Huo Fenglie was unprepared. He didn’t expect that Liu Zhenqing would do this, and could only stiffen up like a piece of wood.

Liu Zhenqing’s mouth parted slightly, and he said in a serious tone: “Don’t think of trivial matters when there is something important at hand. Don’t be stiff.” Having said this, he hooked his arms around Huo Fenglie’s neck so that his whole body was hanging on him. Then he leaned backward with force so that the two of them were pressed against the wall.

And at this time, Zhao Haicheng had jumped to a roof next to the alley. He did feel that the atmosphere between the two was strange, not unfamiliar like Liu Zhenqing had said, which caused Zhao Haicheng’s previously dead suspicion to spring back to life. When he returned and tried to follow them, he found that they had suddenly hidden in an alley, which was even stranger. Zhao Haicheng didn’t know the reason, and wanted to find out.

But when he looked down, his entire body froze.

The two people were actually…..kissing, with the guard forcefully pushing Liu Zhenqing against the wall.

Zhao Haicheng was so angry that he lost his mind. His first reaction was that Liu Zhenqing was being coerced. After all, he was Song Xingmu’s lover. Perhaps this savage guard was attracted to him, and after he left, the guard bullied him. With his martial arts skills so high, how could Liu Zhenqing resist? The atmosphere between the two was so strange just now that he feared this wasn’t the first time he had been bullied. Liu Zhenqing must be afraid that Song Xingmu wouldn’t want him, so he did not dare to complain and could only endure the humiliation.

Zhao Haicheng was immediately biased toward Liu Zhenqing and thought about his difficulties, intending to go down and save him.

But he suddenly heard Liu Zhenqing’s voice come from the alley in a completely different tone.

It was a tone he had never used when talking to him. Rising slightly and a little mellow, as if there was a hook in every word, and also like the caress of a feather, sultry and tempting.

“Gege, don’t worry. Since Captain Song has no time for me and also specially appointed you to send me back, we’ll have plenty of time.”

This was clearly voluntary, and their relationship was very close.

Zhao Haicheng was frozen on the roof. He also had to admit that he could see Liu Zhenqing hugging the guard’s neck tightly with both arms, completely ingratiating.

And below, Huo Fenglie’s cheeks were already burning hot when Liu Zhenqing finished these words. The cry of “gege” caused him to stiffen even further, and just as he was about to open his mouth, Liu Zhenqing kissed him again.

Huo Fenglie clenched one fist and pressed it against the wall behind them. Nearly all of his internal force was sent into the wall through this fist, cracking it in order to just barely maintain a stable state. Otherwise, he may really lose control.

The previous accident on the ship had already left him at a loss. Why did Qing-ge come up with such a bad idea? Was it really unintentional?

He felt that Qing-ge was really driving his sanity into chaos.

Not only that, but while Liu Zhenqing teased him with his lips, he also scratched his neck with his fingers. Although he knew he was doing this to express his intentions, Huo Fenglie still felt like he was in hell. His body unsurprisingly reacted, and he could only keep his distance to prevent Qing-ge from noticing.

Liu Zhenqing drew on Huo Fenglie’s neck: [Tell me to stop when he leaves]

“He hasn’t left yet?”

“Do we still need to continue kissing?”

“Ai, there’s no helping it.”

“How about acting more intensely to scare him away?”

Huo Fenglie froze for a moment. What…..what was something more intense?

Feeling the warmth on his lips move away, Huo Fenglie looked down, only to see Liu Zhenqing blinking his eyes at him. But all of his attention had moved to Liu Zhenqing’s slightly red and kiss-swollen lips.

They had really kissed for a long time just now. Although it was just their lips touching, he…..really kissed Qing-ge for a long time.

It was like a dream. His brain felt like it had been given an electric shock, and he couldn’t even describe the incredible taste just now.

In a daze, he heard Liu Zhenqing continue to say in that silky voice: “Gege, don’t be angry. I’m not close to Captain Song, it’s for our future. Wait until we’ve saved enough money. When the time comes, we’ll find an opportunity to fly far away.”

Liu Zhenqing gave a perfect explanation for this situation. But Huo Fenglie had no intention of listening to what he was saying, because he felt Liu Zhenqing lift one leg and coil it around him.

Huo Fenglie’s pupils shrank. Because of the force, he was entirely caught off guard and pressed down on Liu Zhenqing’s body.

Liu Zhenqing, who was still acting, suddenly moaned. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he still turned red. He was somewhat at a loss and even wanted to let go, but in the end, bad intentions and a cool head prevailed.

And at this time, Huo Fenglie no longer wanted to raise his head.

Liu Zhenqing’s eyes shut slightly, and it was like his heart was being scratched by a kitten. Not only did his leg not let go, but he still embraced Huo Fenglie’s neck as if he was kissing his throat. Then he whispered deliberately in his ear: “Gege, not…..not here, okay?”

Huo Fenglie had to use up all of his strength to maintain his sanity. How could he talk to Liu Zhenqing?

Liu Zhenqing snickered. Seeing as Zhao Haicheng didn’t seem to have left yet, Liu Zhenqing ran out of patience. Standing on one leg was very tiring, so he came up with the ultimate killing move, a soft cry of pain like the signal of something beginning.

“Gege, it hurts, be gentle…..”

In an instant, all of the blood in Huo Fenglie’s body rushed to his head, and he reflexively pressed in further.

And the person on the roof finally couldn’t listen any longer. He flew off almost as if running away, without even a care for exposing himself. The tiles on the roof were broken by his steps. This time, Liu Zhenqing didn’t have to be a martial arts master to tell that Zhao Haicheng had finally been scared away.

Before Liu Zhenqing could put down his leg, Huo Fenglie suddenly stepped away. Almost instantly, he turned his back to Liu Zhenqing and faced the deep alley as if facing the wall in reflection of his misdeeds.

Liu Zhenqing suppressed his laughter and didn’t disturb him. After tidying his clothes, he thought about it and stepped forward to say: “What’s wrong? Wasn’t it the perfect plan? Even if Zhao Haicheng knows General Huo is here, he won’t suspect us. And from now on, when we are at or away from Song Xingmu’s side, he won’t look twice at us.”

“En.”

“Then what are you doing? Did you hate being kissed by Qing-ge?”

“No! I don’t…..”

“Oh, then you liked it?”

Huo Fenglie drew a sharp breath and said: “No…..that’s not what I meant!”

Liu Zhenqing was unhappy, saying in his heart, your body is more honest than your mouth. But through their clothes, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t say firmly that he had felt it. If the other party wouldn’t admit it, should he take off his pants on the spot?

Just thinking about it put him in a dilemma. Oh well, back to business.

“Let’s go back to the inn,” Liu Zhenqing said with a sense of loss.

Huo Fenglie quickly turned and went back to him. He lowered his head and nodded like a child who had made a mistake, then flew back with Liu Zhenqing in his arms. He also peeked at Liu Zhenqing the entire time, as if observing his expression and mood.

Liu Zhenqing really didn’t lose his temper at all.

When the two returned to the inn and were about to open the door and enter, Huo Fenglie grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s wrist.

Liu Zhenqing turned to look at him in puzzlement, only to see Huo Fenglie’s face full of shock. Then he pulled Liu Zhenqing downstairs with an embarrassed look on his face.

Judging from Huo Fenglie’s reaction, could it be that he had heard something?

Liu Zhenqing came to a realization in a moment and was filled with astonishment. No way, since he was in their room, he should have taken the antidote. Was he still out of control?

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Chapter Eighty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Nine

I don’t know how many times I hit him on the head.

When I come to my senses, his refined and elegant face is no longer the same.

Blood gurgles out of his head, gore splashed everywhere.

The sheets and pillows are stained. There is blood everywhere on the floor and walls, and on me from hitting him.

I stand beside the bed, my hands stained with blood, and warm liquid drips from the hammer onto the floor.  I hear the drip, drip, drip, and the disgust and terror make my scalp numb.

The body is breathing vigorously on its own, but in fact, there is no flesh left.

I feel a drop of blood fall from my forehead into my eyes, coloring them blood red.

This is a prison.

I am banished to my own hell.

When he gets up after pretending enough, I will definitely be very miserable, and he might kill me.

But I really feel so much hate. I hate Wen Mingcheng who betrayed me, I hate the replacement who deceived and toyed with me, and I hate myself.

Time passes little by little. He does not get up from the bed, and I see his blood gradually stop flowing.

The blood coagulates on his face and turns dark red. The flesh is curled up and covered in blood clots, making it look ever more ferocious and terrifying, and the color of the body’s skin has also turned pale purple.

I see that his nails have turned white and blue, and that his skin has become horribly stiff to the naked eye.

The blood all over my body seems to have stopped dripping, and the cold crawls upward from the soles of my feet, making my limbs stiff.

After a while, I slowly and hesitantly reach out to touch his body.

The skin that my fingertips touch is cold, and the muscles have lost their elasticity.

I try to move his hand, but his joints are difficult to rotate, and the fingers that I forcibly straighten slowly return to a slightly clenched fist.

This is rigor mortis.

He…..looks like a real corpse.

. . . . . . .

“You’re saying you killed your husband?”

It is late at night at the police station, and the lights in the duty room are very dim. I huddle on a chair next to a desk, and two police officers sit in front of me with pens and notebooks. 

The young-looking policeman on my left has been staring at me since I came in, and the officer on the right who asked me the question looks to be in his thirties. He has rimless frames and a steady, intimidating temperament. After writing in the notebook for a moment, he looks up and questions me.

I don’t know why they didn’t take me to an interrogation room. Am I not scary enough?

“Yes! No, it’s possible that…..I might have killed him.” The air feels like it is made of knives, drilling into my trachea and cutting into my internal organs.

The sticky smell of blood still lingers, and fragmented colors and terrifying, distorted visions ravage my mind. When I close my eyes, I see a murder scene and an unrecognizable corpse.

“I thought he was a demon, so I beat him to death. I think he’s deceiving me, but I’m still so scared…..please go back with me to take a look.”

Wen Mingcheng is a very particular Achilles heel of mine.

I have loved him longer than I have hated him, loved him unforgettably for many years. He is deep in my mind, carved into my bones, occupying my soul.

Even though my reasoning tells me that he is not a good person, that he has deceived me and possibly betrayed me, and that the imposter I seemingly beat to death must also be playing a trick on me…..

The sight of Mingcheng’s body lying dead before my eyes still scares me.

I can’t help but recall the story Dr. Zhao told me about the woman who mistook her husband for a goat spirit and strangled him with her own hands.

“I felt like he had been replaced, and he acknowledged it tonight. But…..he seems to really be dead. Could it be that I’m having hallucinations? No, I can’t be!”

Mingyi was right. I’ve been toyed with miserably by him.

My Wei family are all honest, kind people. I admit that I was pampered by them as I grew up, and I’m a person with a gentle personality and a soft heart. When he and I fell in love, I really loved him wholeheartedly and without defenses. If he is truly a cruel person and used my feelings to hurt me, then I will have no power to resist, and I’ll really be played with to death by him.

The tears must have dried up. My eyes hurt so much that there is even pain in my eyebrows and temples, like my skull is about to burst.

I no longer care what others think of me and lay on the table, hugging my head.

A policeman in front of me seems to stand up. I hear the sound of a chair being dragged, and hear his footsteps moving around the room before they finally stop next to me.

A piece of clothing is draped over my body.

It is the young policeman.

He has found a plainclothes jacket from somewhere and covered me.

It’s always a little cold at night in coastal cities. I’m wearing very thin clothes, and I don’t know if it is because of the temperature or my emotions, but my body is shivering slightly.

This piece of clothing covers my body and helps me block the cold wind blowing through the window. I stare up at him blankly.

He is still very young, with thick eyebrows and round eyes. His skin is fair and soft, but fine lines have appeared prematurely between his eyebrows. The way he looks at me with sympathy and compassion is inconsistent with his age. 

I don’t know why he’s sympathizing with me. Logically speaking, shouldn’t I be interrogated strictly?

And when he does this, the other officer doesn’t stop him. He writes on the paper for a moment, puts down the pen, and raises his eyes to give me a deep look. “I have notified your family and your doctor. They will be here soon to take you back to your older brother’s house.”

They’re letting me go home?

“…..Why?! I might have killed someone, Officer.” I am astonished.

I think of something and urgently reach out to grab his arm. “Do you not believe me?”

He lowers his head with a heavy glance at my hand, then pushes the notebook he was using in front of me and passes me the pen. “Someone has already visited your home. Please write your name here.”

I pick up the pen and write my name where his finger indicates, then push it to him and say anxiously: “I hit him with a hammer…..”

He says nothing. He glances down at my signature and pauses imperceptively. Then he raises his eyelids to look at me again. 

“Mr. Wei, do you see what you wrote?”

I don’t understand, so I take another look and realize that I’ve written “A-Zhen.”

My brain really is broken.

“I’m sorry, can I correct it?”

He doesn’t say if it’s okay, and just turns another page before pushing it to me.

This time, the entire page is blank. I don’t know where to write, so I write in the upper lefthand corner.

He watches me the whole time. When he sees that I’m done writing, he takes it back, looks at it, and pushes it toward me again.

I looked at his pointing finger.

I had still written “A-Zhen.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

His finger moves to the right, gesturing for me to write again.

I quickly write again on the right side.

There is no need to show him this time. I freeze when I look at the name I wrote.

It is still A-Zhen.

His finger continues to slide to the right: “Continue.”

I write it again.

The room falls into a deathly silence.

After a few minutes, I impolitely take the notebook and write my name frantically.

The sound of the pen scratching rapidly on the paper is particularly clear in the silence, and the sound of the paper being punctured is also harsh.

Gradually, my hand shakes to the point that I can no longer hold the pen.

I have written an entire page of ‘A-Zhen.’

Neither policeman speaks.

And I also stare straight at the handwriting in the notebook in disbelief. I freeze in the chair, completely stunned.

……I don’t know what my name is.

I can’t remember.

Wait, I need to calm down.

First of all, what is my last name?

My surname is Wei!

Right, my surname is Wei!

Then which ‘Wei’ is it?

They call me A-Zhen, so my name is…..Wei Zhen?

It doesn’t seem right. I probably haven’t even heard this name.

My name is Wei A-Zhen?

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

A-Zhen should be a nickname.

…..Then what is my name?

I suddenly recall something crucial.

Where is my ID card?!

My name will be on my ID card.

I raise my head abruptly: “Officers, where is my ID card? I came here with my ID card, right?”

“I suddenly can’t remember my name. Please let me look at it.”

“Please give it to me quickly…..”

I am probably in a state of complete madness.

“Mr. Wei!” The young officer next to me suddenly calls in a deep voice.

He startles me and I look up blankly, only to see that his eyes are red.

The young police officer grimaces bitterly and says to me: “Mr. Wei, stop looking. You don’t have your ID card.”

I don’t have my ID card? Why didn’t I get my ID card when I called the police?

How could I be so forgetful?

I don’t even know myself. How do the police know my name if I didn’t bring my ID card?

Ai…..that’s not right?

I don’t know what my name is, so I didn’t introduce myself to them. I also didn’t give them my ID card, so…..how do they know that my surname is Wei?

All police stations have facial recognition, and it is said that the identity of the other party can be confirmed through that technology. There happens to be such a lens beside this table and computer. Is this how they know who I am?

Feeling hopeful again, I plead with the officer who seems most likely to speak: “Officer, do you know my name? Please tell me.”

He listens to me quietly, then reaches out to hold my shoulders and leans down to look at me.

“Mr. Wei…..have you forgotten me?” He says something I don’t understand, pointing at the other officer. “This is my mentor, have you forgotten him too?”

I am struck dumb.

I look at his face, trying hard to remember, but there is no such face in my memory, nor the face of the older police officer at the table.

“…..Have we met before?”

“You don’t remember.” He opens his police ID and shows it to me. There is his personal photo and name on it.

I look at it carefully, but his name is unfamiliar to me, and so is his photo.

Likely noticing my confusion, he takes back the ID. Looking down at himself in the photo, his voice carries the weight of memories, and each word sounds particularly heavy. “This photo was taken when I first joined the force half a year ago. At that time, the first case my mentor and I handled was the car accident with you and Mr. Wen…..”

My eyes suddenly open wide. He is telling me of an experience I have no memory of.

He falls silent again after saying this. 

In the photo, his smile is bright and sunny. But now, although he still looks young, his face is already mature, heavy with fatigue and compassion.

He looks at me again, his eyes deep and solemn.

“Mr. Wei, your husband passed away a long while ago.”

“When you returned from your honeymoon, there was an asshole drunk driving and racing…..the cars collided. It was a terrible accident.”

“You were shielded by him, but fragments from the windshield cut his throat. He bled to death before the ambulance arrived.”

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Chapter 22 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 24

Lu Qi had successfully achieved his goal. He wanted to get a haircut before school started, but the newbie stylist ruined the haircut with his clippers. In the end, he had no choice but to get a short haircut that was a little longer than a buzz cut.

Fortunately, he had a good-looking face and could manage a haircut disaster. Wearing a hat regularly was not a big problem. As for his hair, it would be fine once this embarrassing period passed.

It was just that Mu Nanqiao liked to rub his short, stubbly hair and call him a little hedgehog when they were being intimate. It was particularly hateful!

One time, Lu Qi was almost late because he had been kept up too late the day before. Boss Mu had one car undergoing maintenance and the other one had driving restrictions, so they took Lu Qi’s vehicle.

Shenmei was very close to his work, so after Lu Qi arrived at school, Mu Nanqiao walked to the company.

Lu Qi put his long legs on the ground and removed his helmet, shaking off the sweat on his head. He said in a huff: “Hurry up, go by yourself!”

But the big fox stood still, looked at Lu Qi with a smile in his deep eyes, and licked his lips maliciously.

Lu Qi’s alarm bells blared: “What are you doing?”

Mu Nanqiao said: “Baby, I suddenly feel that your haircut is very tasteful. Speak honestly, is there anyone at school pursuing you?”

Lu Qi felt a little guilty.

There was. Although he was not as good as the perfect male model big fox, he could still achieve a score of 7 or 8. After changing to this short hair, two male dancing students inexplicably skipped over to add his WeChat.

But he didn’t give it, ah. He didn’t want to give a certain person opportunities to use the topic to his advantage at night. He shook his head fast: “There’s not, there’s not.”

“Baby…..” Mu Nanqiao stepped forward to stand beside the motorcycle and grasped the back of his neck, saying: “Do you know that when you feel guilty, you shake your head really fast like a little dog shaking off water?”

Lu Qi: “You’re the dog…..ah……”

Mu Nanqiao quickly nibbled his lips, then took a step back and smiled, waving his hand: “Lu Baby, you say I’m a dog, so it’s not excessive for me to bite you, right? I’ll leave a mark so that undiscerning people can have some sense of proportion.”

Boss Mu had recently discovered the benefits of casual wear. Nowadays, other than on formal occasions, he usually dressed in casual, loose clothes. As soon as he raised his hand, his sleeve slid down, revealing a large gold bracelet.

Lu Qi’s eyes were nearly dazzled, but when he returned to his senses, he was so embarrassed that he asked in a whisper: “Why are you wearing this again?”

“Is there a problem?” Mu Nanqiao waved his wrist proudly. “I like it very much.”

Lu Qi: “…..As long as you’re happy.”

They separated in a secluded place. Lu Qi found a parking spot, then took his helmet and hurriedly went to find his mentor.

Little did he know that the big fox rolled up his sleeve and strolled around Shenmei. After ravaging the eyes of Shenmei with his shiny gold bracelet, only then did he turn around and go to work with extreme pride.

In short, by the time Lu Qi found out about this, the rumor had already spread: A low-key rich second generation with an extravagant lifestyle took a person to school, and a kept first-year graduate student wore a big gold bracelet and wandered around campus. The world is declining. Is this the distortion of human nature or the decline of morality?

Lu Qi: ……

I’m also a rich benefactor for a day!

[Proud cat.jpg]

The post affectionately called this new graduate student the “Double-Door Vixen.”^[1]

Fifteen minutes after it was posted, the post was deleted by the administrator due to having bad values. 

Lu Qi ate his own melons, but didn’t catch any fresh ones. He only got a few screenshots from his friends and went back to share them with “freshman graduate” Mu Nanqiao.

This sort of speculation obviously didn’t cause any trouble. When Lu Qi found out, the brief discussion was already over, because no one could find this so-called Double-Door Vixen at all. But these people analyzed that it was still very possible that Lu Qi was a rich second generation. 

“I told you not to walk around wearing that big gold bracelet. Now look, you’ve been misunderstood…..” Lu Qi’s eyes curved as he smiled mischievously. Taking particular joy in another’s misfortune, he said in a drawl: “Mr. Double-Door Vixen?”

Mu Nanqiao’s eyebrows rose. Just as he was about to say something, Lu Qi’s phone vibrated.

He hadn’t finished reading the forum screenshots yet, and his phone was unlocked. Mu Nanqiao lowered his head and looked at the WeChat message.

[I’m the Latin dancing brother, please add me and request that I add you as a friend]

Lu Qi was still laughing while hugging his pillow. He turned his back toward Mu Nanqiao to grab the milk on the coffee table, and suddenly couldn’t help but shiver. His small animal instincts came into play, and he felt like he was being targeted by some large animal.

Turning his head, he looked into Mu Nanqiao’s fox-like eyes that seemed to be smiling but not smiling. He swallowed carefully: “That, it’s not good to spread rumors, but not many people know about it, so…..”

Mu Nanqiao said: “That doesn’t matter. I think I’m having a sense of crisis.”

Lu Qi was puzzled: “Why?”

The big fox leaned down and drew closer little by little, very much in a hunting posture. His hands were already placed on Lu Qi’s waist.

“Young Master Lu is handsome and has a good temperament. There’s no telling how many people believe the rumors and are just waiting to be taken care of by you…..” He paused to drag back this person who was trying to escape. “I must work hard to serve my benefactor well.”

“No, no, no need. Your professional skills are very good now!” Lu Qi fumbled around in a flutter. An idea floated through his mind during the turmoil, and he quickly explained: “Did someone send a friend request? Don’t be jealous, I won’t accept any of those people who added me!”

Mu Nanqiao: “Those? Which ones?”

Lu Qi: ……

I’m dead!

. . . . . . .

Early the next morning, Lu Qi woke up and immediately posted on his WeChat Moments.
[The Double-Door Vixen is my fiancé and will be the legal wife after graduation! There is no sugar baby relationship! Don’t add me as a friend! He’s going to make trouble! (sobbing, sobbing)]

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T/N: That’s the end, friends! I hope you enjoyed this cute little story as much as I did. As always, your donations help keep this site ad-free!

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[1] A man referred to as “double-door” in physique is well-proportioned and muscular, with slim legs. ⮐

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Chapter Fifty-Six << Table of Contents

Two simple men’s rings were embedded in the black velvet cloth. They had a low-key, classic design that wasn’t too exaggerated, no problem to take to class or work. When he looked closely, he found that the relief patterns on the rings were antlers, a very thoughtful design.

Mu Nanqiao asked the question so easily, as if it was really just a gift. But Lu Qi was still trapped in his arms with his back pressed against his chest, and even through the thin winter jacket, he could feel his rapid heartbeat.

He was nervous, but Lu Qi was relaxed. Tilting his head slightly, he asked with a smile in his deer-like eyes: “Boss Mu, it needs to be made clear, are there any freebies that come with it?”

Mu Nanqiao, as the freebie, was amused by his cunning look. He lowered his head and kissed the side of his cheek that was blown by the cold wind: “There’s a freebie, a big, sleek fox who can run a household and make money. En, he can also warm the bed. Doesn’t that sound like a good deal?”

Lu Qi turned around and looked at him.

The fireworks in the sky were reflected in those beautiful fox eyes, like countless stars rising and falling. What remained unchanged was the figure he was gazing at.

Lu Qi knew what Mu Nanqiao was nervous about.

Looking back on the past year, time seemed to have accelerated. He had met a scumbag and received malicious messages from many people, and everything looked so dreadful. At this most terrible time, he met Mu Nanqiao.

The handsome and mysterious Mr. Fox.

He once hesitated over whether to accept this person he hadn’t known very long as his boyfriend or not. But later, he realized that he had already left traces in Mu Nanqiao’s life, and this person had been thinking about him for many years.

Mu Nanqiao’s psychiatrist had said that he may not have caught Lu Qi as a person, but as the beam of light from his boyhood. In other words, anyone who showed kindness to Mu Nanqiao at that time may have become this beam of light.

If he were a pedantic type of person, he might have struggled with this issue, but Lu Qi did not.

He didn’t need to think about what-ifs. The fact was, he was the one who appeared in that small window, pushed it open, and picked up the little fox covered in bruises.

The fireworks in the sky were coming to an end. In the midst of these grand, gorgeous fireworks, Lu Qi softly exhaled a misty breath.

“It’s okay…..” Mu Nanqiao spoke at this moment. “Baby, if you think our time together has been too short, I can ask next year…..”

“Short?” Lu Qi blinked and interrupted him gently, pointing at the brilliantly burning fireworks under the night sky. “Look, the fireworks actually burn for a very short time, but they’re very beautiful, ah. How many times in a lifetime can you see such beautiful fireworks?”

He stretched out his hand to Mu Nanqiao. His eyes were bright, and he raised his chin proudly. “Детка, be brave!”

For a moment, Mu Nanqiao had an illusion.

He seemed to have grabbed a stuffed marshmallow and kneaded it, causing the sweet syrup to flow out and fill up the holes in his body bit by bit, making the past that had trapped him feel like just a long dream.

The sun rose, and he awoke from his nightmare.

He had said the words “I love you” so many times that the turbulent emotions piled up in his chest were about to burst out, but he didn’t know what to say.

His love was deafening, but what came out of his mouth was: “Should I go down on one knee when proposing to make it more sincere?”

“Cough, no need…..” Lu Qi’s ears felt hot. “Don’t kneel to me during the New Year. If you kneel, I will have to give you lucky money…..”

Mu Nanqiao laughed softly. Under the dim light, his handsome face was incredibly gentle. He took Lu Qi’s cold fingertips and rubbed them twice. Taking the ring out of the small box, he put it on Lu Qi’s slender and beautiful finger.

He did so with such earnestness that his expression was almost pious. Finally, he bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Lu Qi’s fingertips.

“Thank you, Baby…..” He whispered: “Not just for agreeing to my proposal, but for much, much more…..”

“You’re welcome.” Lu Qi calmly and confidently picked up the other ring. Taking Mu Nanqiao’s hand, he said in a brisk and cheerful voice: “Boss Mu, please give me more advice in the future.”

The finger he put the ring on was also slender, and their ten fingers intertwined.

“But, wearing it on the middle finger?” Lu Qi raised their clasped hands and asked uncertainly: “So we’re engaged? Then should I call you…..fiancé?”

Mu Nanqiao was stunned for a moment by this word. He still couldn’t adapt to this sudden surprise, feeling as if he was floating in the clouds. Lu Qi, on the other hand, spoke it calmly and only blushed afterwards. 

He couldn’t help but take this little deer into his arms. Mu Nanqiao kissed his hair and asked with a teasing smile: “So you want to wear it on your ring finger? Baby, do you want to call me…..husband?”

The cool, light woody fragrance on his body was carried by the winter night wind to surround Lu Qi. It was initially a bit cold, but when he was hugged, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. But Lu Qi was a little unconvinced, and asked with a scoff: “Why don’t you call me that?”

“Okay, ah.” The big fox didn’t mind at all, and called out softly and hoarsely in Lu Qi’s ear: “Husband…..”

Lu Qi: ……

Not only was it not cold anymore, it was actually a little hot.

Seeing that ear turn red, Mu Nanqiao laughed out loud in triumph and embraced Lu Qi, shaking him from side to side. “Baby, the wedding ring should have a pigeon egg diamond, this is just for convenience…..”

Lu Qi thought about a big jeweled diamond ring and couldn’t help but sigh: “You and my dad sometimes have rather the same aesthetics…..”

As soon as he finished speaking, the balcony door opened a crack and a very happy cough sounded. 

“Ahem…..” Lin Chunhe was turned sideways so as not to look at the two shameless hooligans. He waved. “You two, don’t get too cold. Come in quickly, cough, Xiao Mu…..”

When the two of them entered the house, Lin Chunhe took out a very festive red velvet box from behind his back. There was also a gilded dragon and phoenix printed on it. He handed the box to Mu Nanqiao and coughed awkwardly.

“Cough, this daughter-in-law, ah, or is it son-in-law?” The old father really couldn’t find a suitable identity for this big fellow. In the end, he waved his hand resignedly and said, “Anyway, you’re a good boy, Xiao Mu. Me and your auntie like you very much. This is a New Year’s gift for you. Take a look, do you like it?”

Mu Nanqiao and Lu Qi looked down at the box together, then exchanged glances, and finally couldn’t help but smile at each other.

The big gold bracelet was late, but it had arrived.

(The End)

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Chapter Fifty-Five << Table of Contents >> Extra

Liu Zhenqing pressed his temples: “Let’s steal them.”

“I can still afford one hundred taels,” Song Xingmu said with a smile.

“How can it be possible that his two brothers are only worth one hundred taels?” Liu Zhenqing said: “And…..if it’s a trap, we have to stay concealed.”

Song Xingmu suppressed a smile and said: “After saving them, don’t tell them that you spent five thousand taels of gold to buy a painting, but couldn’t pay one hundred taels to buy them.”

Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this, and looked at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie pursed his lips in embarrassment.

Watching the bidding go one by one below, Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie took a closer look. There shouldn’t be any external injuries, but the effects of the drug were too strong. They could only sit paralyzed, unable to even speak, and completely at the mercy of others. But there was no need to worry about the poison. When he left his master, Liu Zhenqing was re-equipped with antidote pills.

The three people discussed the possible causes of the situation.

Song Xingmu said: “First, they were incidentally sold when they were escaping. After all, even with great martial arts skills, they were still on the sea. Second, it is possible that the enemy discovered their identities and are using them to draw us out.”

“But each point has its contradictions.”

“What are they?”

“For the first point, who arranged for the letter to be delivered?” Liu Zhenqing said: “In this state, they probably didn’t have a chance to send a letter to the Huo family.”

Song Xingmu said with a nod: “That makes sense.”

“If it is the second point, then they shouldn’t have been sent out together. Whether to keep one as a hostage, or separating them into two auctions to increase the probability of us finding out, these are more reasonable than sending them both out.”

“It seems we’ll only know when we save them,” Song Xingmu said.

Liu Zhenqing looked at Huo Fenglie and said: “Be careful later.”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have Yi Chuan go with him later. If they join forces, they can’t fail to save them.” Song Xingmu looked outside as he spoke. “That’s strange, why has he been gone for so long? Is there really some important news?”

At this time, Qin Yu had been sold at the auction below.

Although neither of them could move, the killing intent in Qin Yu’s eyes and the fury on He Lan’s face could still be seen.

The person who bought Qin Yu was a bloated uncle. One look at the way he spoke, and it was clear that he was interested in Qin Yu’s appearance. He then immediately wanted to buy the medicine, and followed the Pingjin Square people to the back. 

And the person who bought He Lan was a lady, who had also fallen in love with He Lan’s appearance. She had brought enough men with her, so she didn’t need to buy the medicine, and confidently sent her men to put a collar and chains on He Lan.

Although He Lan was furious, he still stared after Qin Yu.

Fortunately, Song Xingmu knew the people who bought them, so even if they couldn’t be rescued at the same time later, their whereabouts were still known. Song Xingmu also divulged the information in rigorous detail.

The auction soon ended, but Yi Chuan had not yet returned, and Zhao Haicheng and the governor were about to leave.

“This bastard,” Song Xingmu cursed. “Is it possible that he’s continuing to follow?”

“Perhaps he heard something important,” Liu Zhenqing said.

“The two parties that bought He Lan and Qin Yu are also leaving,” Huo Fenglie said.

Song Xingmu could only say: “Let’s go save them first. Yi Chuan said he has great martial arts skills, so let’s just wait for news.” 

Thus, the three of them went out together and chose the closest person, who was taking He Lan with her.

The thugs were holding the chain around He Lan’s neck. Because he had no strength, he was practically stumbling and crawling as he was dragged forward. But he still attempted to struggle, and frequently looked in the opposite direction, where Qin Yu had gone.

Song Xingmu and Liu Zhenqing were hiding out of sight, waiting for Huo Fenglie to launch a sneak attack and steal that person.

Because of He Lan’s struggling, he and the thugs fell to the rear of the procession. However, this gave Huo Fenglie an opportunity to attack. When they turned a corner, a blind spot appeared.

Huo Fenglie descended at once.

He Lan was still struggling with all his strength when a figure flashed out and the thug holding him from the front fell down. When he took a closer look, he was immediately ecstatic. 

Huo Fenglie broke He Lan’s chains and flew away with him.

The entire process took no longer than three seconds. Liu Zhenqing and Song Xingmu, who were hiding in the distance, silently observed.

When the buyer realized that person was gone, she was furious. She looked for him everywhere, but there was nothing unusual in the area.

Was it really not a trap?

When Huo Fenglie appeared with He Lan, he was about to turn back and look for Qin Yu, but was stopped by Liu Zhenqing: “I brought the antidote pills. Let’s let He Lan speak first.”

Huo Fenglie waited a moment for He Lan to take the antidote pill. After a while, He Lan opened his mouth and said: “Save Qin Yu!”

Huo Fenglie acted instantly, and Liu Zhenqing knew that what He Lan said proved this was not a trap.

As they waited for He Lan to regain his strength, Liu Zhenqing told him about the situation. Just as he was about to ask what had happened to them, he found that Song Xingmu was getting increasingly uneasy. Suddenly, a whistling signal arrow exploded somewhere in the sky.

Song Xingmu’s expression changed. He stood abruptly and said: “It’s Yi Chuan, something has happened to him!”

According to Yi Chuan’s martial arts skills and temperament, if it wasn’t a matter of life or death, he would never send such a signal. And once the signal was sent, the enemy would be even more ruthless.

Liu Zhenqing swiftly threw a bottle of medicine to Song Xingmu: “Red delays death, white detoxifies, go! Fenglie will arrive soon!”

He couldn’t carry around a bunch of pill bottles, and had randomly put a few different types of pills in the bottle. He had considered Qin Yu’s situation for a moment, but it was no problem if the toxin wasn’t detoxified in a timely manner.

Song Xingmu stopped talking and flew away at once.

Liu Zhenqing was just about to look at He Lan when he leaped up. “You hide well. I’ll go take over rescuing Qin Yu and ask Zhanyuan to rescue Yi Chuan as soon as possible!”

He Lan’s movements were still a little unsteady, but he took off as quickly as he could. It was impossible for him to go help Song Xingmu since his strength had not yet been restored. The best method was for him to take over Qin Yu’s rescue while Huo Fenglie rushed to save Yi Chuan.

He inwardly agreed with He Lan’s judgment. After all, Yi Chuan’s martial arts were stronger than Song Xingmu’s, and something had happened to Yi Chuan. Song Xingmu could only delay time at best, but might not be able to save him, so they could only depend on Huo Fenglie.

Liu Zhenqing obediently went to the dark alley beside the street, quietly blending into the night.

On the other side, Huo Fenglie had caught up with Qin Yu’s group, but the situation was not as good as He Lan’s. Qin Yu was brought into a carriage by the buyer.

Huo Fenglie thought for a moment, then attacked the horse directly. When the horse rushed out wildly with the carriage, Huo Fenglie followed.

When the carriage finally stopped, the buyer climbed out and vomited on the ground. Behind him, Huo Fenglie had already ducked inside.

Upon entering, he found Qin Yu unconscious. Huo Fenglie thought that the poisoned Qin Yu had been knocked out by the wild carriage, and felt awkward all of a sudden. There was nothing visible in the dark environment, so Huo Fenglie came out holding Qin Yu.

After coming out, he saw a whistling arrow explode in the sky. Huo Fenglie frowned slightly, but decided to take Qin Yu to meet up with the others first.

He ended up meeting He Lan halfway. He Lan quickly picked Qin Yu up and said asked, “Why is he unconscious?”

“He was knocked out. You guys…..”

He Lan hastily spoke again: “I saw that Captain Song’s expression changed drastically when he left, so I suppose something happened. Brother Liu is still hiding where he was.”

Huo Fenglie was about to turn around, but stopped in his tracks.

“You go, I’ll take Brother Qin to find Brother Liu! There’s nothing we can do to help now.”

Huo Fenglie nodded and headed off in the direction of the whistling arrow.

He Lan at last breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave with the person in his arms. When the person moved, He Lan immediately said in surprise: “Zichuan?”

But when Qin Yu opened his eyes, there was something wrong with them, as if the calmness in them was gradually disappearing. Thin red marks also appeared on his neck. As soon as He Lan saw these marks, he recalled how the man who bought Qin Yu followed Pingjin Square back to buy medicine, and his expression changed slightly. It seemed that Qin Yu had been drugged again.

“Damn it, Laozi is going to kill them…..I’ll go back and get medicine first!”

Qin Yu had already begun to whimper in pain. This kind of drug was actually the most dangerous to a eunuch’s body. He Lan could only rush back with the person in his arms to find Liu Zhenqing.

Liu Zhenqing was shocked to see this and said: “I gave all the medicine to Captain Song, didn’t you see?”

“You gave it all? I thought you kept at least a little?” He Lan sucked in a sharp breath.

“How could I have known he would be poisoned like this?” Liu Zhenqing was speechless.

Liu Zhenqing reached out to examine Qin Yu’s pulse and found that his skin was frighteningly hot. It also seemed that he had reached the limit of his endurance, but because the medicine also affected his strength, he couldn’t do anything even though he felt uncomfortable.

“Do…..I need to…..” He Lan glanced at Qin Yu’s blushing, amorous face. His heart jumped, but he still shook his head and said: “Right, I’ll go to Captain Song to get some medicine.”

“That’s very dangerous, ah. Look in the third room in the middle of the second floor, that’s mine and Fenglie’s guest room. I put medicine in the box next to the bed. With your qinggong, you can take Brother Qin back in time!” Liu Zhenqing pointed him in that direction.

He Lan returned to his senses and said: “You…..”

“Nobody will catch me, I’ll stay and wait for the others. Go quickly and do not delay detoxification. The longer the drug stays in his body, the greater the damage it will cause! Too much time has been wasted…..” Liu Zhenqing didn’t say anything further.

“What, will something happen?!” He Lan looked frightened.

Liu Zhenqing hastily said: “No, I just mean, if you delay for a long time, even if the poison is cured, the effects of the drug will continue. Brother Qin has suffered enough. You…..you can figure it out yourself.”

In any case, Liu Zhenqing also didn’t say much about the relationship between the two. Qin Yu’s body was no different from that of an ordinary man. For the good of his health, it was best to detoxify and give Qin Yu release.

He Lan didn’t dare to delay any longer, and flew away with this person first.

On the other side, when Huo Fenglie arrived, he saw Song Xingmu wearing a mask and holding Yi Chuan, who was unconscious and covered in blood. He was fighting to retreat. At least six enemies were also wearing masks, and it was unknown if Zhao Haicheng was among them. But their purpose was to kill Yi Chaun, and they weren’t after Song Xingmu’s life.

Huo Fenglie was wearing the mask given to him by Pingjin Square, and flew down directly to join the battle. Because of Huo Fenglie’s participation, Song Xingmu had time to give Yi Chuan medicine and watch anxiously.

The opponents’ combat effectiveness was quickly destroyed by Huo Fenglie’s arrival. Seeing that Huo Fenglie was a martial arts master, these people no longer cared to fight. White smoke instantly spread everywhere, containing medicinal effects that would cause people to lose their fighting ability. Huo Fenglie sensed that something was wrong and quickly covered his nose, backing away. Now he knew why Yi Chuan was defeated even though he should be stronger than these people. It turned out this was the method used.

He wouldn’t chase a desperate enemy, lest the tables turn. Huo Fenglie wanted to ensure the safety of the two remaining people, so he withdrew from the smoke’s range. When he arrived at Song Xingmu’s side, the smoke soon dissipated and the enemy vanished.

“How is he?”

“With the medicine given by Zhenqing, his condition is stable, but the wounds are also very troublesome. I need to take him back for treatment first.”

“To the water village?”

“No, my other courtyard. You come too when you’re done.”

Huo Fenglie nodded.

But Liu Zhenqing, who had been implicated in this matter, was holding his breath, not daring to make a sound.

Because just outside the entrance of the alley, several people were supporting each other and waiting for a carriage. Looking at those outfits, he feared they were the people who had attacked Yi Chuan. Considering the timing, it should be them.

“Damn it, what a failure!”

“At least Yi Chuan isn’t a threat to us in the short term.”

Liu Zhenqing: I am indeed unlucky, ah.

This really couldn’t be said. After all, this was the most secluded place in the entire area, very suitable for a person to hide. It could only be said that their judgment was about the same.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t know how many martial arts masters there were. He could only try his best to apply the breathing method taught to him by Huo Feihan and make his breathing as light as possible, so that it would be difficult for anyone who wasn’t a master to spot him. Although half of his attempts before had failed, now he had to take the risk.

Liu Zhenqing closed his eyes, and his breathing gradually became calmer. Sure enough, nobody outside noticed.

“Who was that who came after?”

“Who knows, he was wearing a mask, ah. He should be with Song Xingmu. Because of him, all of us are injured. I don’t think it’s worth it!”

“But his martial arts were too high for him to be a normal person. Where did he find a new guard?”

“Could it be…..Huo Fenglie. Wasn’t there news that his whereabouts are unknown? Maybe he’s already here! Huo Fenglie’s martial arts are very high…..”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone couldn’t help but become anxious. “It doesn’t matter, let Zhao Haicheng test him out. He must have recognized Huo Fenglie’s portrait before.”

Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank. It seems that…..I’m still lucky. Wouldn’t it be troublesome if we let Huo Fenglie show up carelessly later?

Heaven had sent him a message. Moreover, Liu Zhenqing was rather surprised to hear that their attitudes were mild toward Zhao Haicheng.

Just as he was contemplating, the sound of a carriage arrived. Once everyone had left, Liu Zhenqing breathed a sigh of relief. It was safe now that the assassins had left, and he would just wait until everyone came back.

In light of those sounds, Liu Zhenqing stepped out of the alley slightly and stood by the street, watching the carriage depart and considering the direction it was headed.

Suddenly, there was the sound of horse hooves not far behind. Startled, Liu Zhenqing looked back and immediately made a quick judgment, knowing that it was too late.

While he was calm inwardly, his behavior revealed awkwardness and embarrassment. He even dared to raise his head and take a few glances until the horse stopped and the person on it dismounted.

“Young Master Huo?”

Liu Zhenqing greeted him with an embarrassed look: “Lieutenant General Zhao. What a coincidence, ah, that I met…..you.”

“Why are you here alone? What did you just see?” Zhao Haicheng’s voice was cold and full of scrutiny.

---

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Chapter Eighty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Eight

It turns out he has been following me.

I quickly take a step forward to avoid his touch, then turn around abruptly. There is nobody behind me. But as soon as I turn my head to look at the glass wall, I can see his silhouette.

He puts down his hand, but presses closer to me.

I grab a random person passing by me and ask: “Can you see anyone behind me?!”

“Someone is following me. He’s a very tall man. Can you see him?!”

The passerby looks at me like I’m crazy, and several girls eye me with fear and vigilance.

I see. It’s not that I got away from him, but that he didn’t let me see him.

I flee again, running aimlessly down the streets.

But as long as there is a reflective surface, I see his presence. Even when I try to take a taxi, I see his silhouette in the car window.

Wen Mingcheng’s mother is right. There is nothing I can do.

I panic, and I don’t know if I’m running in the direction of the Wei family house.

With the last of my awareness, I hear someone calling me.

“Mr. Wei? Mr. Wei, how are you?!”

I recognize this voice. It belongs to that young guard.

“Help me…..”

As if grasping a lifeline, I grip the hand he extends to me extremely hard. I try to tell him to take me back to the Wei family, and I try to tell him their address, but I unknowingly lose consciousness after speaking.

. . . . . . . .

Melodious piano music flows through the renovated villa.

The night sea breeze carries the fragrance of midsummer flowers as it drifts through the wide open windows. The scent of peonies is fragrant and intoxicating. The interior is neat and tidy, and the windows are bright and clean wherever the light shines.

And the round table next to the windowsill is still covered with a white lace tablecloth, with a goblet full of wine that is deep red and transparent.

The person playing the piano is probably quite happy. A song prelude begins with a light and graceful feeling.

I wake up and find myself lying on the living room sofa. The surrounding atmosphere is warm and comfortable, but I don’t feel relaxed. On the contrary, my heart is utterly cold.

Because this is not the Wei family house, but mine and Mingcheng’s marital home.

I am back again.

I have no power to resist. 

I move to get up from the sofa, but I realize that I’m completely naked. Naked, with only a thin blanket wrapped around my body.

“A-Zhen, you’re awake.” The sound of the piano had stopped at some point. ‘Wen Mingcheng’ slowly walks down from the second floor.

He seems to have dressed up with care. His clothes are very straight, and there is a white gem corsage on his chest. He smiles at me with a face so handsome that a person would not dare look for too long. His figure is tall and straight, with deep concave lines on his waist and back, and the undulations of his muscles are faintly visible beneath his clothes. His whole person shines under the lights, elegant as always, lambent like jade.

But I know this is all fake.

He is well-dressed, but I struggle to cover myself with the blanket.

I look up at him as he walks over. “……Why are you doing this?”

He curves his lips at me and stands next to the sofa, looking down at me: “You were covered in sweat. I thought it would be uncomfortable to sleep like that, so I gave you a bath.”

“You know that’s not what I’m talking about!” I reach out a hand and grab his arm, numb to the fear.

I can really do nothing to him. I’m completely at his mercy. I am a madman in everyone’s eyes. Nobody can save me. I am completely desperate.

I am done.

I instinctively plead with him, humbly showing him my weakness. “I-I’m begging you, I’ll give you whatever you want. Please let me go. I’ll never ask what you are again. My husband invited you behind my back, I didn’t do this voluntarily. If you want to go back, I will send you there…..”

My emotions surge up violently. My state of mind is terrible and my body shakes uncontrollably, tears flowing from my eyes. I’m so choked up that every word I speak is difficult.

He listens silently to my incoherent, stammering words, and sends a deep look toward my hand holding his arm.

He is silent for more than ten seconds after listening to me. Grabbing my wrist, he takes my hand away before leaning down to kiss one of my eyes.

At such a close distance, I see that his eyes have no brilliance under the lights, like a bottomless black abyss. I stare at him, and he stares back at me.

His hands touch my face, the back of my ears, and my neck.

“But A-Zhen, I am your husband. I am Wen Mingcheng.”

I’m going crazy.

“Why does it have to be like this?! You clearly know that I know everything, so stop tormenting me! Please, I’m begging you…..”

I collapse on the sofa and put my head in my hands. The blanket slowly falls off my body, and I feel a chill down my spine. I begin to cry heartbreakingly, calling out for the Mingcheng who had brought me to this point.

I should look like a complete lunatic right now.

It’s possible that I’ve gone crazy.

The man before me looks at me with his head tilted, his expression one of heartache. He leans down to hug me, reaching out to touch my back, but there is no warmth on his body.

I raise my hand and slap him. 

He face is turned slightly away by me, but then he forcefully opens my teeth and kisses me.

It really hurts, and I try to push him away, but it’s like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

At last, he releases my mouth.

I gasp like a dying fish, but he isn’t affected in any way.

“A-Zhen,” he says while looking at me quietly. There are emotions in those eyes that I can’t understand, and his voice is particularly clear in the empty house. “I know you think I’m abnormal. Yes, I’ve noticed it too.”

“I’m different from you. I don’t need to eat, I feel no pain, nor cold or heat. I can’t even enter the house during the day, and there is so much more.”

“But I knew that my name was Wen Mingcheng the moment I appeared. I also knew that you belong to me. I like your body very much, and your soul. I especially like the way you call me Mingcheng.”

“You say I’m not Wen Mingcheng, and perhaps I’m not.” His lips rise in a smile, the indents at the corners of his mouth particularly deep and sharp. There is great malice in that smile. “But I feel that loving him is not as good as loving me. Because for me to appear here instead of him, I think there should be a possibility…..”

“That he gave you to me.”

After he says these words, I have no strength to resist and no longer struggle.

I seem to be dead, and let him peel me out of the blanket.

Just like the first day he showed up, and just like when Mingcheng and I were newly married, I am carried toward the bedroom.

The bedroom door closes softly.

The room seems to have been sprayed with perfume, and has a soft, creamy scent.

I lay on the bed, watching him stand looking down at me from the foot of the bed. Tossing his jacket to the ground, he undoes his buttons one by one with his fingers…..

I suddenly roll over and hide under the bed in a ridiculous and embarrassing manner.

He doesn’t seem to have expected me to hide, and after a pause, he calls to me.

I watch as he walks to the side of the bed and lowers himself to one knee, stretching a hand under the bed.

“I don’t have that intention. Don’t be afraid.”

The floor is very cold, and the only things I can cover myself with are the clothes he threw on the ground. I wrap them tightly around my body, watching his hand reach closer and closer to me, and I duck back.

The space under the bed is very narrow, and my shoulder hits something. I subconsciously look back, and then I lose my breath again.

I have found the doll. It turns out that it was tied to the bottom of my bed.

No wonder. There was no electricity in the house that day, and the bottom of the bed was dark, as well as the doll. No wonder I searched the bottom of every bed and every corner of the house, but didn’t find anything.

It turns out it was sleeping with me every night.

I’m finally grabbed by the wrist and dragged out.

The jacket I’m holding onto is easily snatched away by him and thrown out of the room. He tosses me on the bed and holds me from behind, whispering for me to go to sleep. But I can feel the changes in his body.

They both lied to me.

Are they both beasts?

Everything is quiet during the second half of the night. The “person” next to me maintains his position of holding me. His eyes are closed.

I don’t know if he is really asleep, but what if he is deceiving me? I have been fooled so many times that it doesn’t matter.

I get out of bed and go to the closet to find clothes to put on. After fastening the buttons one by one, I go to the small garden and find a stainless steel hammer on the flower stand cabinet.

At two o’clock in the morning, I stand in front of my bed with this hammer.

The man on the bed is motionless.

It is so quiet at night that I can clearly hear the sound of the old-fashioned clock in the living room swinging.

After watching him silently for a while, I trace his outline again and again with my eyes, and ultimately lift the hammer high.

Then I smash it down hard on his head!

---

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Chapter 21 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 23

Although the Wei family’s background was not as good as the Wen family’s, they were in the Yuhua upper class and were not a small family. As the son my parents had when they were older, I was cherished more than a girl when I was a child. So Mingyi is right, I really was easy to deceive when I was young.

When I was a teenager, I fell in love with Mingcheng unknowingly. I think it was because Mingcheng was beautiful and gentle. Spring buds bloomed in my heart, and I was in love with him for a long time. However, there were many things that I didn’t think were a big deal when I was young. Now that I consider them as an adult, I find them somewhat thought-provoking.

Probably noticing that I’ve stopped talking, or that my expression isn’t right, Mingyi lets me go.

I turn my head slightly to look at her. Her face is dripping with tears, and the dark remnants of lipstick on her lips looked like dried blood, shocking against her cold white face.

Adults shouldn’t cry, let alone people in the Wen family, and Mingyi has a strong personality.

I think I’m the only one who has seen her cry as an adult.

When she sees me looking at her, her face relaxes a little and she raises her hand to roughly wipe away the tears on her face. Her expression is somewhat bitter: “A-Zhen, did you remember something? My brother isn’t as good as you thought, right? Do you remember coming out as gay your freshman year? You never thought our parents would know about it, did you?”

Yes, that incident was indeed unexpected. I had no intention of coming out so early.

My parents were very conservative people, so I was also somewhat conservative in my bones. I was only eighteen years old, and leaving home for the first time.

The most outrageous thing I ever did in eighteen years was on Valentine’s day my freshman year. Maybe it was because I was infected by the festive atmosphere, or many it was another reason, but I didn’t refuse when Mingcheng’s fingers reached for my collar.

In fact, after that night, when I woke up in bed the next morning and saw Mingcheng laying next to me, I didn’t feel happy, or like we had come together as lovers.

I just felt very scared and regretful.

Although same-sex marriage was legal at that time, the general public was not very accepting of same-sex people, and parents like mine were even less likely to accept it.

I liked Mingcheng, but I was scared when it came to this point.

I was so afraid that my older brother and parents would find out, and that Mingcheng’s parents would find out.

If they found out, I wouldn’t know how to face them. I should still be like a child in their hearts.

Maybe this kind of thing should have happened later on, but I knew it was too late for regrets. This was of my own free will. Nobody forced me, and I could only blame myself for not being clear-headed.

Of course, I could still be glad I wasn’t a girl, and that even though I had tasted the forbidden fruit, there would be no terrible consequences. I could also comfort myself that they were hundreds of miles away from my school and had no way of knowing.

I spent a long time anxious like this. Life went on as usual and nobody knew about my relationship with Mingcheng, not even my classmates.

Day by day, I gradually forgot about the fear.

And physical intimacy made our relationship closer.

Before, I was at least a little bit unfamiliar with the role change of Mingcheng becoming my boyfriend, but after that, it became easier for me to accept him.

Our relationship heated up. In terms of study, I went to class and painted as usual every day, and my grades were very good.

It all went so well, and I felt so immeasurably happy that I began to celebrate the boldness of my Valentine’s Day adventure.

The Lantern Festival would arrive soon, and we decided to go home.

Because my teacher was Russian, he took me to study over the new year, and Mingcheng didn’t return home in order to accompany me. Thus, we didn’t go back for the New Year as freshmen, but had to go home for the Lantern Festival.

I happily prepared a lot of local university specialities with Mingcheng, and we brought gifts to our families. 

At that time, bullet trains were not yet popular, and there were no flights between the two cities. Our train ride hom was very tiring, but I was also very happy.

I missed my parents, my older brother, Mingyi, and my room and my bed so much.

Mingcheng and I brought the things home together. When I opened the door to my house, I was surprised to find four people in the living room. They were both sets of our parents.

I didn’t notice the tense atmosphere between them. Instead, like a fool, I ignored Mingcheng blocking me and ran to my dad. “Dad, did you miss me?”

What I got from my dad was a hard slap.

This slap was extremely hard. I had never been hit so forcefully by him. Hot liquid instantly flowed out of my nose and I fell to the floor in a panic, unable to breathe for a long time.

He tried to pull me up to continue beating me, and I curled up in fear. “Dad…..”

“Lao Wei, don’t hit the child.” Mingcheng’s parents stepped forward to stop him.

And Mingcheng quickly stepped forward to stand in front of me: “Uncle Wei!”

He was still a teenager, but he was tall and strong enough to block my figure.

My dad was furious, but when he looked at him, he suddenly smiled. However, his smile was very cruel and angry. He had said that Mingcheng was the sort of child to emulate, but that day he looked at Mingcheng with a dark expression and said: “Boy, you have real skill. I’ve misjudged you.”

Then, unceremoniously, he slapped Mingcheng in front of his parents.

This slap was harder than the one that hit me. The hit turned Mincheng’s head away.

I saw that the corners of his eyes and mouth were cracked. Blood flowed down the stark contours of his face. The veins on his neck bulged from the pain, but he still persisted in standing in front of me.

And when Mingcheng’s parents saw their son being beaten, they did nothing to stop it. They looked at their son with unclear meaning and dull eyes.

I was so scared that I cried and called out to my dad.

My dad gave me a deep look and pointed at the door, saying to the Wen family: “All of you, get out of here!”

When they walked to the courtyard, I saw that Uncle Wen, who had always been gentle and approachable, punched Mingcheng.

The young man was hit very hard. He staggered and leaned against the wall to steady himself, but the expression on his face was still calm.

I didn’t know if it was an illusion, but I thought he seemed to be smiling. His eyes were lowered and his face was covered in blood, but there was a strange and subtle upward trend to the corners of his lips.

I figured he was probably in a lot of pain, or beaten silly.

And my dad threw some papers and photos at me.

When I picked them up and took a look, my whole body suddenly went cold.

These were of Mingcheng and I. Room records, and several photos of us kissing under school surveillance.

I didn’t know where these things had come from. Perhaps a school teacher or a student discovered it and sent them secretly. 

It turned out that we had been discovered a long time ago.

And these hidden, invisible things were shown to my parents and the uncles and aunts in the Wen family.

I didn’t have the face to look at them.

“Mom and Dad!” I wasn’t mature enough at that time, and thought that this was a big deal. For a moment, I felt as if the sky had fallen, so ashamed that I couldn’t bear it. I collapsed to the floor and grabbed these things, holding them tightly in my arms as I cried and said I was wrong.

And my dad said with a sneer: “It doesn’t matter if you regret it now or regret it later. It’s all my fault for raising you to be so foolish. It’s my fault.”

He seemed to not want to look at me anymore. He walked past me with a cold face and said with a chuckle: “That is a wolf, A-Zhen. He started to bite as soon as he lost control. This is your choice. As your father, I wish you happiness.”

Although he said this, he practically announced that he would have no contact with the Wen family until he died. But after Uncle Wen came over many times, my dad relented.

Only our parents knew that we had fallen in love……

“How do you know this? Your parents probably didn’t tell you back then.” Taking a deep breath, I return from the memories of the past. My speaking voice is low and ugly.

We only told my older brother and Mingyi years later.

“Haven’t you already guessed?” Mingyi smiles miserably. “My brother found a way to send those things to your dad. Later, when I found out, I went to question him.”

I rub my face, no longer able to describe the feelings in my heart that are pricking me like needles. “…..What did he say?”

Wen Mingyi says: “He admitted it very frankly, with no regrets. A-Zhen, there are still many things that only our Wen family knows. He was a very awful person, so my parents would rather let me play with you than play with him. It was you who let him join us later on.”

Why did I let him in?

Because at that time, I thought he was very pitiful all alone, and I felt bad for him.

My head hurts. I feel dizzy and nauseous, and I don’t want to think about it anymore.

But there is one more thing I want to know.

“Do you know why Mingcheng insisted on going to Southeast Asia for our honeymoon?”

This is currently the most important thing.

But Mingyi looks at me with a frown when she hears this. “I don’t know, A-Zhen. Wasn’t it what you wanted to go? My brother pretends to be a completely good person in front of you and obeys your words. I thought you wanted to go to that hellish place.”

“Of course it wasn’t me! Does everybody think this?!”

That’s right, Wen Mingcheng did obey only me when in my presence, and didn’t look like someone who would like that sort of place. On the contrary, I often went abroad for inspiration and to collect cultural material. If I suddenly went to that sort of place, they would naturally think that I wanted to go. 

No wonder my mother kept persuading me, and not Mingcheng.

“Mingcheng wanted to go there, I had never heard of the place!”

After listening to my words, Mingyi’s face instantly becomes serious. She suddenly looks for her phone all over, and finally finds it on the armrest. Then she taps on the table anxiously and makes a phone call. 

The call goes through after a long time, and I can vaguely hear her talking to the person on the phone.

“……Xiao Yi?”

“Mom, why did my brother take A-Zhen abroad?”

The person on the other end of the line is silent for a long time.

Without waiting for a reply, Mingyi raises her voice louder, “You must know that, right?! What kind of person is my brother that you’re still helping him! Mom, if you commit too many sins, you will be punished, ah! Don’t you believe in Jesus?! Don’t you pray to him every day?”

Having seemingly been persuaded, Mother Wen finally speaks, her voice low and persistent: “Let A-Zhen speak.”

She actually knows I’m here.

I take the phone.

She suddenly starts crying.

She cries for about two minutes, her sobs muffled and eerie. After a long time, the crying stops. “Accept your fate, A-Zhen. There’s nothing you can do anyway, right?”

She hangs up the phone after that, and my heart sinks completely.

It turns out she knows.

She knows why Mingcheng went abroad, and also knows that he brought something back without my knowledge. She knows the true nature of the thing in my house, so she should also know my situation.

But she won’t tell me.

I have always regarded them as my own parents after marrying, but she is cruel enough to treat me like this.

The world is a huge lie called Wen Mingcheng.

Everyone lives with outside lies, and I live with internal lies.

What I believe in, what I love deeply, what I rely on, what I can’t lose, one day they tell me these are all scams.

And I don’t know the purpose behind this scam, but it’s possible that it is extremely scary.

Wen Mingcheng, my childhood sweetheart, my boyfriend, my husband.

He is part of my life.

But I no longer know if his tenderness and thoughtfulness are real. When our skin connected, did our hearts beat the same?

I really don’t understand why he did this to me. Did I hurt him somewhere?

I didn’t, ah. He is a considerate lover, but…..so am I.

I clearly followed his lead. I can’t understand him.

In a daze, I suddenly remember a poem I read in the library when I was a teenager.

“My love, please cover my eyes when you kiss me.”

I was just reading it at that time, but now I find that I am the one who has been blindfolded.

My dad called me a fool back then, and it turns out I really am.

“A-Zhen…..” Mingyi calls me from behind, but I don’t look back. 

The Wen family are all terrible. Wen Mingcheng’s subtle and involved thinking is sinister and paradoxical. Wen Mingyi disregards ethics and rebels against orthodoxy, and the Wen family parents help to perpetrate evil.

I must get away from them.

Rain starts to fall in the sky outside. It isn’t raining heavily, just drizzling. I wander onto the urban streets in a daze. Many high schoolers have just finished their evening self-study. They ride bicycles through the streets, their lights dividing into many pieces before merging again.

I seem to be reminded of my childhood.

Back then, I also got out of school at the same time. After school, Mingcheng and I would go to buy roasted sweet potatoes. Good-looking people also eat food that is pleasing to the eye. When he was a boy, his facial features were not as firm as when he was an adult. He was gentle and beautiful, and I secretly looked at him all the time.

Time flies, and I have been blindfolded by him for more than ten years.

Suddenly, lightning flashes across the sky.

When thunder sounds, I see my reflection in the glass wall of the building next to me.

There is another person standing next to me.

He is extremely tall, and stands behind me in the darkness with no expression on his face.

When he sees me looking at him, he takes a slow step forward and steadily stretches one hand toward my face…..

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Chapter 20 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 22

There were three people waiting for Zhao Haicheng in a private room, and when he came back, it was with a sullen face.

“Big Brother, why did you go alone?”

Zhao Haicheng did not answer.

Another said more insightfully: “There is a figure beside the Sea King who looks like that handsome young master. Big Brother, if you like him, just snatch him when this matter is over.”

Zhao Haicheng suddenly turned cold and said: “Remember, we are not bandits.”

The younger brother quickly apologized and said with a smile: “What I mean is that the young master is so handsome and elegant, and he should not be ruined by the Sea King. Now that he is stubbornly determined to make the wrong choice, you can only use extraordinary measures to persuade him. Since you like the man, let him see Big Brother’s glory!”

Zhao Haicheng abruptly looked at the younger brother who was speaking, his expression already quite unhappy.

The third person coughed and said: “Don’t speak nonsense. Big Brother respects that young master. By the way, Big Brother, there is only one person in their group that is certainly Yi Chuan. The other…..looks very tall. Is he another guard at his side, ah? Their actions tonight…..”

The first younger brother immediately said in a cold voice: “We can’t hesitate even if there is one more person. Our brother’s death cannot be in vain. Since it was Yi Chuan who did it, he must pay with his life. Moreover, something big is about to happen, and Yi Chuan can’t continue to be in the way. Without Yi Chuan, the Sea King will be easier to deal with in the future.”

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about what the Sea King said yesterday,” the third person said. “He said those people were here to silence someone. Could it be…..”

“What nonsense are you speaking? We must trust our own people.”

Zhao Haicheng stopped him with a deep voice: “There is no need to argue. Whether or not Yi Chuan is at fault, there are only benefits to getting rid of him. And I believe Song Xingmu solely trusts Yi Chuan with certain things.”

On the other side, Huo Fenglie and Yi Chuan stepped forward decisively to pull them apart.

Song Xingmu also accused them of breaking up a loving couple, and deliberately taunted Huo Fenglie: “Yo, I can understand Yi Chuan’s behavior, he’s jealous. But why are you so anxious?”

Other than Liu Zhenqing, Huo Fenglie didn’t have the patience to go along with other people teasing him, so he just ignored him with a stern expression.

Furious, Yi Chuan said: “Who’s jealous! Don’t drag me into it!”

“How is it, Er-gou?” Liu Zhenqing inquired about his progress.

Huo Fenglie shook his head. No sign of He Lan or Qin Yu had been found.

Liu Zhenqing asked again: “When you were just coming here, did you bump into…..”

“Yes, ah, we bumped into Zhao Haicheng,” Yi Chuan said. “Why did he come here, ah?”

Song Xingmu promptly said with a laugh: “Perhaps he accidentally saw us together, and thinking that the young master he tried so hard to persuade is still with me, he was so angry that he lost his mind. It seems Zhao Haicheng is truly interested in you.”

Liu Zhenqing instantly felt awkward. To be honest, he was a straight man, and it always felt weird to be liked by a man. Except for Er-gou, of course.

Huo Fenglie looked at Liu Zhenqing and said with a slight frown: “Don’t go alone later.”

“Don’t worry, he won’t take him away by force,” Song Xingmu said with a smile. “He still has a bottom line.”

Liu Zhenqing suddenly said: “The fact that he still has a bottom line is what’s strange.”

“How is it strange?” Huo Fenglie asked.

Liu Zhenqing analyzed: “Wasn’t the military official who died in the water prison one of his people? His man had just died, and he was so impulsive with his questioning, which shows that he still has some loyalty toward his people. In this case, how could he come here tonight just for some entertainment? He must have a purpose.” 

Upon hearing this, Song Xingmu couldn’t help but frown: “You have a point.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Yi Chuan said.

Song Xingmu felt inexplicably uneasy for a moment, and reflexively wanted to refuse.

However, Huo Fenglie said in advance: “No, we just walked around. There are many martial arts masters in Pingjin Square, so it is easy to attract attention.”

Yi Chuan scratched his head and looked toward Song Xingmu.

Song Xingmu was about to speak, but Huo Fenglie suddenly stopped him.

Because the auction had already started, Huo Fenglie and company hadn’t closed the door just after they came in. Most of the guests had already taken their seats, and nobody would be running around to disturb people in a private room watching the auction.

There were very few guests who arrived later, like now.

An attendant guided a guest past their door.

Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing didn’t react, but Song Xingmu and Yi Chuan were stunned on the spot.

Yi Chuan almost instantly went to the side of the door, covertly observing which room the man went to.

Song Xingmu also frowned slightly.

“What is it?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“That should be…..the governor.” Song Xingmu said softly: “That person looks like a peacemaker, but Yi Chuan followed him secretly, and he has close ties with my uncle.”

Sure enough, Yi Chuan soon returned: “He came looking for Zhao Haicheng.”

“Is it possible that the county governor is also involved?” Liu Zhenqing frowned.

Song Xingmu scoffed coldly, and heard Yi Chuan say: “No good, I need to go and listen. I’ll stay away from the main area. Now that Song Jing is out of the picture, they might be plotting something.”

When Yi Chuan finished speaking, he didn’t take action immediately. Instead, he looked toward Song Xingmu, as if waiting to be given an order.

Ultimately, Song Xingmu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and let Yi Chuan go. “Remember, keep your distance, and evacuate if anything happens.”

“Now that General Huo has come, do you think my martial arts skills are useless? I’m better than you now,” Yi Chuan said, dissatisfied.

Song Xingmu couldn’t help but poke at Yi Chuan. “But you are not as cautious as others. Go, and come back if you don’t hear anything of value when eavesdropping.”

Yi Chuan curled his lips resentfully, then left in a hurry.

However, looking at Yi Chuan’s departing figure, not only was Song Xingmu now feeling inexplicably uneasy, but even Liu Zhenqing felt that something was strange.

They discussed among themselves.

As a result, they didn’t know what items were being auctioned off below. Suddenly, there was a burst of exclamations, which seemed to set off a small surge in the auction.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I suppose there is no need to say more flattering words. Although the painting ‘The Goddess Marries’ is average in painting skills, the beauty in the painting has been judged by many painting experts to be the most beautiful woman in the world. However, no one knows who the woman in the painting is, hence the name. We just happened to acquire it. Since we already spent 5,000 taels on the purchase, the starting price is 6,000 taels!”

“Heavens, this is the highest price tonight.”

“This painting is worth it.”

“Who is the beauty in the painting? Who is it based on?”

“Weren’t you listening? Pingjin Square even went for a professional appraisal and couldn’t identify her.”

“It must be an immortal from the painter’s dreams. Otherwise, if there was such a stunning beauty in the world, how could nobody know about her?”

“Yes, ah, it can be seen that the wedding dress she’s wearing is clearly the standard in our region. We haven’t had a beauty of this level for hundreds of years, ah.”

“That’s right. It must be a goddess from a dream. I must get this painting!”

They saw a meter-long scroll depicting the top half of a bride in a red wedding dress and makeup. That woman was extremely beautiful, gorgeous but not vulgar, and charming but not seductive. The painting depicted her raising her hand to lift the red veil and look outside. A pair of peach blossom eyes seemed to look out from the scroll, shooting straight into everyone’s hearts. That expression was half angry and half happy, mesmerizing people. In addition, there were two moles near the tip of her left eye, red and black. After looking for a long time, one would feel overpowered by rapture.

The more people discussed, the more interested they became.

And at this time, in Zhao Haicheng’s room, the governor had arrived just as agreed. The group were putting up their guard when they were suddenly disturbed by the situation below.

The governor looked down, and his eyes lit up. He said in surprise: “What a beautiful woman.”

Zhao Haicheng was originally paying no attention to his surroundings. When he heard what the governor said, he glanced up. In the next moment, he stood and walked quickly to the door, as if he wanted a closer look.

But Yi Chuan, who was lying in the loft not far away, saw him acting strange. Looking over, his eyes opened wide in disbelief.

In Song Xingmu’s private room, Liu Zhenqing had already jumped up. Huo Fenglie stood almost at the same time with a look of astonishment on his face. Song Xingmu also froze while holding a teacup, then turned to look blankly at Liu Zhenqing as he said: “At that time…..who painted your portrait?”

Liu Zhenqing: I want to know too, ah!

What is ‘The Goddess Marries’ ? !

That was clearly the disguise he used when he and Song Xingmu pretended to be brides to capture Yi Chuan and the others. That was him in the painting!

It was completely presented with gender-changing makeup, and the painter also trended toward female looks. Ordinary people would not be able to tell that this painting was originally a man dressed as a woman, so people who hadn’t met Liu Zhenqing often wouldn’t recognize him. At most, they would think of those two moles as a coincidence, but those who were very familiar with Liu Zhenqing should still be able to tell that it was him.

Liu Zhenqing glanced at Huo Fenglie, because he and Song Xingmu had put on makeup in the Huo family courtyard at that time. There had also been a lot of people in the Huo family courtyard, and after so many years, he really didn’t know who painted it afterward.

Huo Fenglie was even more astonished, and said to Liu Zhenqing with a sullen expression: “I’m sorry, Qing-ge. I will tell Uncle Ding to investigate.”

Because the scene on the scroll happened just after putting on makeup, it must have been seen and painted in the Huo family courtyard.

“After so many years, it doesn’t matter. I supposed it was done incidentally by someone skilled at painting. I can only say that at least my name wasn’t added, otherwise I would have had another scandal.”

Liu Zhenqing was in a daze while looking at the portrait, and many memories from that year came to mind.

At that time, Liu Zhenqing had just put on makeup and was about to try on the veil. Li Xingruo to the side said with a dissatisfied look on her face: “Am I not a woman? Can’t you just let me go?”

Liu Zhenqing laughed and said: “You’re so rude that I fear you couldn’t do it. You’d just poison them to death or scare them away, so I’ll sacrifice myself.”

Li Xingruo mocked mercilessly: “I think you just want to wear women’s clothing. I’m embarrassed to say it, seeing how excited you are.”

Liu Zhenqing thought it was rather funny, but couldn’t admit it, so he lifted his veil and looked toward the door where Li Xingruo was sitting and said: “How can that be?”

There was already a circle of people standing outside the door watching the fun, and everyone was stunned when they saw such a scene.

The person guarding the door was Er-gou, who also stared at him blankly. 

Liu Zhenqing was rather proud when he saw everyone’s amazement. He stepped forward to tease Er-gou, saying: “Er-gou, look at Xiting-gege’s beautiful women’s clothes. You will also want to find a girl this beautiful in the future.”

After saying this, he walked around in front of Er-gou and gave him a wink.

Er-gou’s cheeks instantly turned red, and he stood uneasily with his head lowered.

Li Xingruo saw the dazed look on his face and couldn’t help but shake her head, saying: “Stop doing evil. If he looks at you like this too much, Er-gou will look down on other women and end up alone, ah! When the time comes, you will compensate him!”

“Tch, I just want to establish the correct sense of aesthetics for Er-gou so that he’s not as blind as gege when the time comes.”

Huo Feihan was organizing self-defense weapons for Liu Zhenqing nearby, and wore an innocent look upon hearing this.

Li Xingruo instantly flew into a rage. “You’re looking for a fight!”

Liu Zhenqing quickly ran away. The two Huo brothers stepped forward skillfully. One stopped Li Xingruo and the other stood in front of Liu Zhenqing until Song Xingmu surprised everyone when he packed up and came over.

However, everyone was in agreement that Liu Zhenqing was more beautiful than Song Xingmu. Song Xinmu held in his anger until they arrived on the pirate ship, where Yi Chuan’s family told him to choose a bride. Yi Chuan chose Song Xingmu at a glance, and was extremely firm. Song Xingmu stood with his head up high, absolutely elated.

So when he was pulled to worship and kissed with his veil lifted, he didn’t feel disgusted at all, but smug.

But Song Xingmu and Yi Chuan had to admit that Liu Zhenqing in women’s clothes was stunning.

Moreover, this “beauty” no longer existed in the world, and no one had the chance to see her, so it caused such a big reaction at the auction this time.

When he returned to his senses, he heard someone shout from below: “Two thousand taels!”

Liu Zhenqing was taken aback: “Wait, wasn’t it six thousand taels just now? Why is the price reduced?”

Although it was very embarrassing, it was even more embarrassing for it to be depreciated and sold. 

Song Xingmu rolled his eyes at Liu Zhenqing and said: “Because the unit of bidding is no longer silver, but gold.”

Shocked, Liu Zhenqing couldn’t help but say: “So I still have such a way to make money.”

“Riiiight, but you currently don’t exist anymore.”

“Jealous?” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

“It’s only that I wasn’t painted back then, or my price would be higher.” Song Xingmu began to grow petty again, and directly shouted a price: “Two thousand one!”

“What are you doing?” Liu Zhenqing asked.

“It’s better not to let your painting leak out,” Song Xingmu said with a smile.

As a result, Song Xingmu’s bid was quickly topped.

Song Xingmu was unresigned and continued to fight. After a few rounds, only he and one other person were left competing.

“Why does that sound like Zhao Haicheng’s voice to me, ah?” Song Xingmu smiled at Liu Zhenqing and said: “Is this considered a transference of love, or…..infatuation with the same person?”

The corners of Liu Zhenqing’s mouth twitched.

Zhao Haicheng raised the price again in the next second. 

But the people in that room were a little uneasy.

“Isn’t this too high? It’s already at three thousand six hundred taels of gold!” The governor said in shock: “Is Lieutenant General Zhao so wealthy?”

Several of his subordinates began to sweat. How could they be so wealthy? They didn’t know what had possessed their boss. Although it was beautiful, it was not desperately so. But to be honest, they also felt that the person in the portrait looked familiar. Was she really a goddess from a dream?”

Zhao Haicheng was still waiting for Song Xingmu to bid, knowing that it was certainly him who was competing for this portrait.

But in the next second, a low, chilly voice sounded.

“Five thousand taels!”

These words came out soon after! In an instant, everyone exclaimed, and even the Pingjin Square people were a little discomfited. Five thousand taels of gold was truly an unprecedented price.

The Pingjin Square people couldn’t help but look around, trying to determine who the guest was. As soon as they saw that it came from the direction of Song Xingmu’s private room, they believed that the other party was not speaking in vain.

They immediately double-checked to see if anyone was still bidding, but such a price should have frightened most of them. Nobody followed the bid, all of them talking about which nobleman was so ostentatious.

Right then in the private room, Liu Zhenqing had grabbed Huo Fenglie’s ear and was scolding him angrily: “Are you crazy? You prodigal son, five thousand taels of gold, ah! Just let Pingjin Square have it, it’s still my portrait, you, you, you…..”

He felt that someone had stolen his portrait, and felt aggrieved to have to spend money to buy it back.

Huo Fenglie remained calm and silent, allowing Liu Zhenqing to pull his ear.

“How can you have so much money? Don’t you just have two taels left on you…..”

“There is some in another courtyard. I’ll have Uncle Ding deliver it,” Huo Fenglie said.

Liu Zhenqing drew in a sharp breath and said: “You fool, that’s too much money!”

“Hey, hey, you didn’t stop me when I called out the price, ah,” Song Xingmu said with instant resentfulness.

“How can it be the same?” Liu Zhenqing said reflexively.

Song Xingmu cursed internally. Even before marriage, he knew that his friend was being snatched by the Huo family.

“I also planned to stop you when the time came, but I just wanted to cheat Zhao Haicheng out of money,” Liu Zhenqing complained.

When people from Pingjin Square came to collect the money, Huo Fenglie directly handed over his wallet. He gave part of it, and would pay the rest when he collected the goods. This was also a method of transaction, even if a deposit was collected.

Liu Zhenqing was extremely distressed when he saw the money being taken away. “In fact, I originally wanted to have Er-gou steal it after Zhao Haicheng bought it.”

Huo Fenglie…..

Song Xingmu patted his head and said cheekily: “Right, ah, this is our style. I was foolish too.”

Huo Fenglie didn’t respond at all. How could that painting be given to others? Even if it was bought in name only, he couldn’t bear it.

Seeing Huo Fenglie’s unrepentant appearance, Liu Zhenqing felt a little dissatisfied. But what was really on his mind was that Er-gou really liked the way he looked in the past.

Song Xingmu smiled with a provocation: “But it can be considered that General Huo spent a lot of money on a beauty. It’s a story that captures the imagination! But you have no money now. If you come across something you like later, you can ask me to buy it for you.”

Liu Zhenqing became even more unhappy. “I wasn’t here to buy anything anyway!”

Huo Fenglie knew that Liu Zhenqing was displeased and didn’t dare to get into more trouble. He could only say: “I’ll go look around again.”

Just as Liu Zhenqing was about to nod, he heard that slaves were being sold below

Song Xingmu said nonchalantly: “Wa, what’s happening tonight? There are actually beauties among these slaves? They also have good physiques. How about buying them?”

Huo Fenglie, who had stood up, looked down with Liu Zhenqing. Both of them were stunned.

“He Lan, Qin Yu!” Liu Zhenqing said in shock.

Huo Fenglie wore a grave expression: “Those chains shouldn’t hold them. They’ve been poisoned.”

“Hey, hey, you’re saying there are people from the Jinyiwei and Dongchang below?” Song Xingmu said in bewilderment.

Ten people could be seen sitting slumped on the stage below, and two of them turned out to be He Lan and Qin Yu! They were powerless, bound by chains, and were being auctioned off with the other slaves.

“As you can see, there are very good ones among these slaves. Everyone must seize this opportunity. As a rule, they are all pirates we received from the sea, and after buying, you are free to decide what to do with them! If you fear that the other party will resist, our medications can be purchased for continued control. Okay, for the first one, the starting price is one hundred taels.”

Liu Zhenqing turned to look at Huo Fenglie in astonishment and said: “What do we do? I don’t know if it’s a trap or…..”

“Buy them first.”

Liu Zhenqing narrowed his eyes. “You still have money?”

Huo Fenglie finally choked.

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Chapter Eighty-Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Seven

I didn’t take it seriously. 

My heart was tied to Mingcheng.

Perhaps my dispirited appearance was too obvious. One day while eating, my dad smacked my hand with his chopsticks and ridiculed me with a drooping face: “Your face is uglier than that braised duck. I’m going to die from anger, Lao Wen has a son, so why is he so worry-free…..”

My dad was very disappointed in me, and Mingcheng had stopped playing with me.

But when my dad mentioned Mingcheng again, I felt even worse. I looked down at my white rice, tears about ready to fall into the bowl.

I rewarded myself with a bowl of rice mixed with tears.

My dad looked at me in this dead state and likely couldn’t bear it anymore. After dinner, he called me to the study, scolded me up and down, and finally poured a drink to calm himself down.

After drinking enough water, he sat down with a sigh. “Forget it, what that Wen family boy has been advising me these days is somewhat reasonable, I think. Everyone has his own destiny, so you go ahead and learn your lousy painting.”

He waved his hand and told me to get out.

But I keenly picked up the information in my dad’s words.

Mingcheng pleaded for me?

He had been helping me persuade my dad these days?

Wow! I understood that he was truly generous and wouldn’t really ignore me.

I was happy, and the depression in my heart immediately dissipated.

At that time, every household still had a landline phone. So after I left my dad’s office, I couldn’t wait to call the Wen family, and pretended to be sophisticated. I didn’t say that I was looking for Mingcheng, and only said that I was looking for Mingyi. After talking for a long time, I finally asked her: “What is your brother doing? Homework?”

I wanted to take the opportunity to go to the Wen house and do my homework, and to see Mingcheng, whom I had lost and found.

But Mingyi told me that their aunt had gotten married recently. As the eldest child in the family, Mingcheng was going with his parents to send his aunt off, so he was not at home during this time.

No wonder I hadn’t seen him in the past few days.

I had really blamed him wrongly.

He was good.

The next time I saw Wen Mingcheng was at Auntie Wen’s wedding.

He was wearing a white suit, and the contours of his body were smooth and beautiful. With a gentle temperament and light smile, he just stood under the crystal lamp. A halo of light danced around him, as if he was meant to shine.

Many people were attracted to him, and I also saw him for the first time in the crowd.

My elder brother told me: “There are so many people, he won’t be able to hear you say hello to him.”

I thought the same, so I didn’t intend to greet him. But I thought that Mingcheng looked very good that day, so I took out the camera I had prepared early in the morning and pointed it at him.

I put him right in the center of my camera. Above his head was a feather crystal lamp, and behind him was a bouquet of decorative white roses.

And the moment I pressed the shutter, he suddenly raised his head as if sensing something.

The camera clicked, leaving this scene behind.

In the photo, the young Wen Mincheng stood in the bustling city, looking through the crowd at me from a distance.

At that moment, we seemed to be looking at each other.

My heart moved, and when my older brother urged me to hurry up, I hid the camera in my bag.

When the wedding began, Mingcheng and I finally reunited.

The two of us sat at the same table. The wedding banquet was sumptuous and the bride was very beautiful, but my eyes were secretly directed toward the person next to me.

The mottled light flickered across his face, making it look like a carefully crafted sculpture.

I was a little distracted, but he looked sideways at me after the bride walked down the carpet, and the light broke into a soft halo over his eyelashes. His eyes curved and he said softly: “A-Zhen, do you want to take out your camera and take some pictures?”

He must have seen my camera bag. I nodded subconsciously, but then I thought of something and felt guilty, so I stopped taking out the camera.

This feeling was truly strange. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t want Mingcheng to know that I had photographed him.

It was the first time I had such a feeling, and I didn’t know how to deal with it, stammering to find an excuse: “I think that……the camera cannot replicate the happiness of the bride, and doesn’t reflect the love between them. It’s easy to make people look ugly.”

He seemed very interested in what I had to say: “Oh? What should be done?”

What should be done? How should I know. But now that I had spoken, no matter what, I had to bite the bullet and pretentiously act cool.

“Hmmm…..wait for me to go back and paint it.”

This was absolutely pretentious.

I was talking nonsense with the mentality that Mingcheng would forget about it when I got back, but what I didn’t expect was that he didn’t forget, and came to ask me how my painting was going again and again.

Damn it, why didn’t I know that he had such a good relationship with his aunt?

Even after the wedding, he still remembered this matter.

Of course, I was so-so at painting, but I had no choice.

As a result, there was no problem with the composition and color of the painting, nor with the figures, but the bride and groom were smiling very strangely. Their smiles were bright, but looked more like they were networking than getting married.

I could honestly say I tried my best, but it was awkward for a high school student to paint romance.

And at that time, I didn’t understand what love and life-long blessings were at all.

This was my highest level painting, and I gave it to Mingcheng.

At that time, he was practicing cello in the conservatory. I entered the glass room, accompanied by low, elegant music. It was the season when peonies bloomed, and the pink flowers were round and delicate. There was a sweet fragrance in the air. Probably to prevent them from being burned by the strong sunlight at noon, thin white gauze was drawn around the glass room.

I showed him the wedding portrait I had painted. He raised his eyebrows at me as he took it, and there was a bit of amusement in his expression.

I suddenly realized that he was probably just teasing me, and didn’t actually want me to paint it.

This made me a little embarrassed, so I angrily told him to return it to me.

Not only did he refuse to give it back, but he shook his head and laughed at me unabashedly: “I wonder if the bride and groom holding hands should be more natural.”

What he said was rather tactful. I knew that the way they were holding hands didn’t make it appear that they were lovers, and that there was something a bit wrong. There was a different atmosphere between them than I had seen at weddings.

But I was just an ignorant bystander.

I observed other people’s love, but couldn’t empathize with it myself.

I snatched my painting back and turned my head, somewhat angry. “You don’t understand. And you can’t paint, so why are you telling me how to do it?”

Having been briefly scolded by me, he pondered for a moment and seemed to really be thinking about it.

A slight breeze blew at this time, and the white tulle was blown high by the wind before falling back gently.

Because I was close to the glass, half of my body was enveloped by the white tull when it fell down.

I moved to take it off, but a slender, well-proportioned hand stretched out in front of me.

It was Wen Mingcheng. He seemed to understand my problem, and smiled as he reached out to me: “A-Zhen, hold my hand.”

My eyelashes brushed the tulle. Looking at the world through this layer of white tulle, it seemed as if everything was coated in a dreamy, snow-white filter.

As if compelled, I held his hand.

The next moment, he suddenly took a step back and pulled me in front of him. 

I jumped forward because of his sudden movement, and the white tulle slid from my chest to the top of my head before slipping off.

He held my body steady and raised his head toward the glass wall to the side: “Look, A-Zhen. I think holding hands should be like this.”

The bright glass wall opposite was like a large mirror, showing the scene in the conservatory. More than a dozen types of delicately-colored flowers were either budding or in full bloom. The green branches of the weeping vines swayed with the breeze, and the white curtains rose and fell like clouds.

And in the center of the conservatory, two teenagers were leaning against each other and holding hands, the taller one holding the other halfway into his arms.

I saw Mingcheng and myself.

Looking at myself, I suddenly understood.

At this moment, I had become a person in the painting, and understood the state of mind of those two people.

I also knew how to paint it.

I remember.

That was when I fell in love with Mingcheng.

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Chapter 19 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 21