Before dawn the next day, everyone packed up their things and prepared to leave.

Liu Xian’an dreamt all night, and now his head was muddled. Half-wrapped in a blanket, he stared ahead in a daze. A-Ning stepped forward and shook him several times, but failed to bring him to his senses.

Gao Lin passed some food to Liang Shu and took two more servings to give to A-Ning, turning around just in time for the red sun to burst out of the clouds. The light from the sky was soft like a dream, enveloping Liu Xian’an where he sat under a tree. The young master’s white clothing was dyed gold, and the surrounding fields were full of brilliance as the entire world awoke and lit up at this moment. The birds were melodious, the vegetation was verdant, and everything was full of vitality.

Gao Lin had never witnessed such a spectacle. He stopped and looked at Second Young Master Liu in front of him, whose hair was shining, and was rather stunned: “Wow.” Did he become an immortal or what?

Liang Shu glanced at him: “What, you want to marry him?”

Gao Lin immediately withdrew his gaze and shook his head firmly. “Won’t marry. I stand at the prince’s side, and if I want to marry, I can only marry the prince.”

Liang Shu ruthlessly refused: “But I don’t want to marry you.”

Unaffected, Gao Lin was full of confidence for the future: “Then who can say for sure.”

Cheng Suyue stood to the side and listened to this strange conversation, feeling as if she was going deaf.

Under the tree, A-Ning finally managed to drag Liu Xian’an away from the boundary of Immortal Ascension and then quickly stuffed him with a warm pancake and a pot of tea: “Hurry up, Young Master, everyone is waiting for us.”

Liu Xian’an made a sound of agreement and took a slow bite of pancake, chewing it twice without tasting it. He was still sleepy and his unfocused eyes wandered here and there, drifting around until they met the gaze of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.

“…….”

The two looked at each other, and remembering what had happened last night, Liu Xian’an suddenly became more awake.

Liang Shu nodded slightly, fully demonstrating his noble bearing and broad mind. It seemed that he didn’t care at all about the matter of being woken up in the middle of the night by someone hitting him with their head. Just as he was making a persistent effort to further show off his charming royal demeanor, Gao Lin, who had been staring on the sidelines for a long time, couldn’t take it any longer. He took two steps forward and forcibly took his prince away, ending this one-sided posturing game early.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Liu Xian’an quickly swallowed the cake in his mouth, stood up, and got into the carriage with haste.

“Young Master, Young Master!” A-Ning lifted the curtain. “Didn’t you agree to ride a horse today? Why are you being lazy again?”

Liu Xian’an closed his eyes and pretended justly and righteously to be asleep, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, knowing nothing.

Entering the gates of infinity, touring the unbounded wilds. In short, completely shielded from outside noises.

He wouldn’t wake up.

A-Ning had a headache: “Ai, seriously.”

There was absolutely nothing to be done.

The convoy continued on.

Cheng Suyue obeyed her elder brother’s order to guard Liu Xian’an’s carriage at all times, but she didn’t fully understand her task. What did it mean to “beware the prince?” The prince was not a rogue bandit, what was there to guard against?

Gao Lin said: “This matter is a bit complicated. First do what I tell you, and I will explain it slowly when we return to the Northwest in the future.”

Cheng Suyue proposed: “But if the prince wants to talk with Second Young Master Liu, how can I stop him?”

“We’ll be in Chixia City soon, and our prince won’t have a chance to……chat for some time. You just be smart.” Lieutenant General Gao patted the girl on the shoulder. “All right, I’ll lead people to find the way.”

Cheng Suyue was bewildered. She only partly understood and wanted to ask more, but Gao Lin had already poked her horse’s buttocks with the hilt of his sword. The horse leapt forward in fright and Cheng Suyue tilted back. She grabbed the reins with haste and said irately: “Ge!”

Gao Lin laughed loudly and beckoned a few guards to go ahead together and check the road conditions.

In the carriage, Liu Xian’an also heard the sharp “Ge” from outside. He called A-Ning and whispered a few words in his ear. After a while, A-Ning got out of the carriage and handed a smoky pink porcelain jar to Cheng Suyue: “Cheng-guniang, this is for you from my young master.”

Cheng Suyue took it and smelled a light fragrance before opening the lid.

“The winter in the Northeast is so cold, this pot of flower oil can cure frostbite,” A-Ning said. “It was made by the Third Young Lady of my family, and smells better than the ones in ordinary pharmacies. By taking advantage of summer to heal old wounds, one will not easily relapse in winter.”

Actually, Cheng Suyue didn’t like to use these kinds of fragrant things. She was used to smelling the wind, sand, and moon dew in the desert, and these flowers and plants were too sweet and cloying. But even if she didn’t like the smell of flowers, it didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate kindness, so she clasped the pot in her palm and said with a smile: “Then it is my pleasure.”

If one accepts a gift from others, one must return it. Cheng Suyue rode forward on her horse, thinking about what Second Young Master Liu might need. On the other side of the mountain road, Gao Lin had already turned back with his guards. In addition, there were more than ten people behind him, driving carts filled with containers. It looked like a caravan.

“Boss.” Gao Lin reported to Liang Shu, “These are members of the Northwest Merchant Group, selling wine and silk to and from the south. They just passed Chixia City two days ago.”

The caravan leader appeared upright. Cheng Suyue threw over two pieces of silver: “What good wine is there, brother? Let us try some.”

The merchant caught them and said with a smile: “Then I will make it cheaper for the girl.” While speaking, he personally picked out two jars of fine wine. Once the business was done, the conversation started. He casually said: “You fellows are going to Chixia City?”

“Yes, to see a friend.” Liang Shu nodded.

“That’s probably not good,” the merchant kindly warned. “There seems to be a plague in Chixia City. The gates of the east, west, north, and south are locked, and the defenses are tight. I asked the city guards there, and they said they would not open for three to five months.”

Cheng Suyue was surprised: “Then how did you enter the city?”

“We didn’t enter the city.” The merchant explained, “In order to make it easier for passers-by, the local officials of Chixia City built a small road more than ten li away from the city so that the city could be circumvented. There are also a lot of officers and soldiers guarding along the way. In addition, there are three tea sheds where you can rest for supplies. Although the food is definitely not as good as the restaurants in the city, at least you will not go hungry.”

“What is sold at the tea sheds?”

“Tea and sesame seed cakes. I heard that if you get there early, you can still find braised beef.”

“Is it expensive?”

“It’s not expensive, only slightly higher than the normal market price. After all, it takes some effort to transport things in the wilderness. This is nothing, very understandable.”

After hearing this, Chegn Suyue let out a pei to herself.

Liu Xian’an knew what she was upset about. Chixia City had a famine and plague recently, and the state of the common peoples’ lives could be accurately guessed without thinking. Things were like this, and the government still had enough energy to set up stalls on the mountain road to sell cakes and meat. There was no telling whose pockets the money earned would fall into.

After the caravan finished unloading the wine, they chatted a little more before continuing south.

A-Ning had distributed the anti-plague pills to the group early in the morning. Presently, they took them one after another, then started on the road again. In the afternoon, there was indeed a fork in the road ahead. A group of officers and soldiers stood at the intersection, raising their hands to signal the group to stop.

Gao Lin dismounted his horse: “Officers, we are going to Chixia City.”

“You cannot, the city gates have been closed, entry and exit are currently prohibited.” An officer waved his hands, “Go back quickly.”

Gao Lin was taken aback: “It was fine a while ago, why did it suddenly shut down? What happened?”

The officer was impatient: “Why are you asking so many questions? In any case, you cannot enter the city now. You must turn back or go to the next city by detour. Do you understand?”

“We have urgent business in Chixia City.” Gao Lin took out some broken silver from his sleeve and stuffed it covertly into the hands of the officer. “Further asking these officers to make it convenient.”

The officer accepted the money with a smile but still did not let them go, turning his face without acknowledging the debt. Gao Lin said impatiently: “Hey, you —”

“Ge, Ge!” Cheng Suyue stepped forward and grabbed him. “Don’t embarrass these officers, let’s detour to the next city, ba. We can stay there for a few days and wait for the city to reopen.”

She had a charming appearance and a pleasant voice. When the officer saw the pretty girl, this attitude finally improved a little. “We are just following orders, there is no need to deliberately embarrass anyone. All right, you can take the path next to the city, but if you want to wait for Chixia City to open, a few days may not be enough.”

Cheng Suyue asked: “Then how long must we wait?”

The officer shook his head: “It’s hard to say. By my estimate, it will take at least three months, so you had best go back to where you came from. Don’t wait, otherwise staying at an inn will be a big expense.”

Cheng Suyue did not follow his suggestion. After thanking him, she still directed the convoy to follow the path, and the officers and soldiers did not stop her. Liu Xian’an lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked out, seeing that the road was very flat and wide. After traveling for a while, there was indeed a tea shed ahead, which was also run by officers and soldiers.

Gao Lin went up to inquire about prices. Tea was a copper coin for a big pot – this could not be considered swindling, but if there were still sky-high prices in this kind of place, the passers-by would suffer a loss. They would inevitably complain elsewhere, which could easily cause trouble. Small profits but quick turnover was indeed the most convenient arrangement.

There were officers and soldiers patrolling the road at all times. At the end of the mountain road, there was another deep, dense forest. As long as one passed through it, they would be completely out of the jurisdiction of Chixia City.

Cheng Suyue said: “That person surnamed Shi has no skills elsewhere, but he planned meticulously to see guests off and collect money.”

Gao Lin found a dry, open space in the forest and ordered everyone to set up camp there, planning to go to investigate the city in person after nightfall.

Liu Xian’an got out of the carriage: “Lieutenant General Gao.”

Gao Lin walked up to him: “Is something wrong, Second Young Master Liu?”

“En.” Liu Xian’an nodded. “Currently, everything about Chixia City is unknown. If the plague is truly fierce and Lieutenant General Gao breaks in like this, I fear that it will be dangerous. How about you take me with you?”

He was sincere, and his request was reasonable, but Gao Lin wanted to protect Master Liu’s son, and had some doubts about whether Liu Xian’an could cure the plague. Thus, he found an excuse and said that he would just act as a spy, going and returning quickly. There would be no trouble in such a short amount of time, so naturally there was no reason to bring the highly-skilled doctor with him.

“All right, then.” Liu Xian’an didn’t force it, but before leaving, he still dutifully warned that when there was a plague in the south fifteen years ago, anyone who came in contact with it would get sores all over their body. Even three or four layers of cloth towels would not prevent contracting it. There was also a wilderness village twenty-one years ago, where the villagers would be infected through talking with one another. In addition, there were those who passed by each other, who lived in the same courtyard, who washed their hands in a stream, and who burned incense in a temple…..all of them had the possibility of getting sick. In short, Lieutenant General Gao must be careful, I will go back to the carriage to sleep first.

“Wait!” Gao Lin crumbled a little upon hearing that. “If it is useless to use three or four layers of cloth to cover the mouth and nose, how should I be careful?”

“I don’t know,” Liu Xian’an said truthfully. “Treatment depends on the specific disease. The pills prepared by A-Ning before can only prevent the most common plagues, and cannot cure all diseases, so I suggest that it is best to bring me on this trip.”

“This……” Gao Lin was in a dilemma.

“This lord will enter the city with you.” Liang Shu’s voice came from behind.

“My prince, absolutely not.” Gao Lin hastily dissuaded, “We don’t know what it is like in the city. This subordinate can go alone, how can the prince go with —-” His words cut off abruptly as he realized, oh, it turns out that he didn’t mean to go with me.

Liang Shu looked at Liu Xian’an and repeated again: “Tonight at midnight, I will take you into the city.”

“Okay,” Liu Xian’an said. “Midnight it is.”

So Gao Lin began to worry again. It was truly hard for him not to worry. According to past practice, such nightly visits were usually carried out by him and his sister. Why did the prince suddenly become interested this time with Second Young Master Liu involved? Wasn’t this really another way of having fun? And when it came to controlling a plague, the more experienced the doctor, the safer it was. It was best to be over half a hundred years old with a white beard stretching all the way to the chest. That would be more reassuring. Someone like Liu Xian’an……he was really worried. 

But no matter how anxious he was, there was no way that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang would listen to him, and Second Young Master Liu would not listen either. Afterwards, Gao Lin went to find A-Ning in an attempt to work through a proxy, asking him to come forward and persuade the young master. As a result, with the righteous face of a doctor, the young boy resoundingly stated: “The disciples who come out of Baihe Mountain Village will only rise to the challenge. What reason could there be to avoid a plague? Not only my young master, but I will also go into the city to give medical treatment. I also ask Lieutenant General Gao not to make such unreasonable demands in the future.”

With him standing on the moral high ground like this, Gao Lin left abruptly in shame.

Cheng Suyue looked at her brother with sympathy: “When has our prince ever done something he wasn’t certain about? Why are you so nervous?”

“He can have certainty on the battlefield and in the court, but can he handle a plague simply because he wants to? Besides, the prince has never dealt with this sort of disaster before.” Gao Lin urged her, “Go, you try to persuade them again.”

“I won’t persuade them. I think Second Young Master Liu is quite capable, he must be able to find a way.” Cheng Suyue refused to move. “You mind your own business and just wait to provide support tonight.”

Lieutenant General Gao had run into walls everywhere, and was physically and mentally exhausted.

How could no one but him understand?

Night fell once more.

At midnight, the dew condensed into a sheet of white fog, and the forest was quiet.

Liu Xian’an took out his red bay pony, brushed its mane, and fed it half a piece of delicious soybean radish cake.

Liang Shu asked: “Are you going to ride it?”

Liu Xian’an nodded.

He had only one horse.

His Highness Xiao Wang’s black horse also paced over at this time. It was almost twice the size of the mare, with flared nostrils and a wide body. It looked like a peerless overlord who could travel thousands of miles each day. So Liu Xian’an said apologetically: “My horse runs relatively slowly, so there may be a bit of delay on the way…..Ai!”

Liang Shu lifted the person one-handed and mounted the horse together with him. Xuan Jiao let out a long neigh into the air, and without waiting for its master to prompt it, it swept through the mountain air and galloped into the distance, its four hooves like iron, crushing the moonlight along the way.

A-Ning was dumbfounded by this set of natural and flowing bandit tactics, and stood open-mouthed for a long time. When he came back to his senses, he hurriedly chased two steps after them and shouted: “Young Master, you didn’t bring your cloak!”

Liu Xian’an naturally did not hear this. He was jolted so hard that he almost fell off the horse’s back. He didn’t even bother with the cloak, and only had time to grab the handlebars on the saddle with both hands, turning his head with some confusion.

Liang Shu caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye. In a good mood again, he lowered his stance slightly and kicked the horse’s belly with the soles of his boots, and the speed became as fast as lightning.

As Xuan Jiao passed by, the fireflies in the grass were startled and flew up altogether. They gathered and tumbled in the air, suddenly wrapped around the two of them like ribbons, and then blew with the mountain wind all over the trees and blooming flowers, glowing beautifully.

Gao Lin looked at this dreamy summer night scene in the distance, thinking that the paintings of those court painters amounted to a fart, and nudged his sister with his arm: “Yue, ah, do you think our prince will become an immortal after spending a long time around Second Young Master Liu?”

“The prince is already an immortal.” Cheng Suyue took a bite of wild fruit. “Isn’t it true that he has been saving people all these years?”

A-Ning was as pure as paper in this regard, and asked in amazement: “The prince actually understands the teachings of Buddha?”

Gao Lin choked, and said quickly and humbly: “Not much, just a little.”

As for the specific amount, it was probably just enough to send his opponent on the battlefield to reincarnate at an auspicious time.

T/N: Liu Xian’an is a Disney princess, confirmed.

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Chapter Eight << Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten

The ancestral hall of the General’s Mansion had been tidied up, and there were two vacant spots beside the old general’s tablet. Yan Mingting solemnly placed the two tablets there.

The two names “Zhao Jian” and “Yu Yin” were written on the tablets respectively, and Housekeeper Qin handed them three more incense sticks. Zhao Yelan was led through the whole process by them, first offering incense and worshiping, and then kowtowing.

All the ancestors of the Yan family were displayed in the ancestral hall. It was a family of meritorious service, and any name picked out at will would be a respected person. Only his parents had not been in the light until now.

After making a name for himself, he also wanted to rehabilitate his parents’ reputations. However, the Marquis of Anqing’s rebellion was a fact, the incident was very complicated, and it was an old story. No one would care who died in the case of the Marquis of Anqing’s rebellion. Instead, everyone would know that he was born as a criminal slave.

According to the regulations of the Xuan Dynasty, criminal slaves were not allowed to serve as officials, but could only be sent to the streets of the market, where they would be picked and purchased like objects.

Because his parents had never confessed that they took part in the conspiracy even until death, he had stayed in prison for more than a month before being released.

It was only that before being released, people like him would be branded with the word “slave” on their backs. When the red-hot iron pressed against his back, he immediately fainted from the pain. When he woke up, he had been locked in a cage for people to watch, laugh at, and purchase.

He had been looked over and rejected by many buyers. He was too immature, too thin, and he didn’t look like a good hand at work. Coupled with his gloomy face and dirty body, he looked like a white-clothed ghost who would come to take their lives. No one bought him as a slave at all.

He also saw Gu Niaoniao passing by the cage, standing with a group of girls as they were led to the brothel in front.

Gu Niaoniao was the daughter of the nanny in the Marquis of Anching’s mansion. The nanny was captured and exiled, but because of her good looks, she was forced to become a prostitute.

The crime of treason implicated the entire family. Men were slaves for generations, and women were prostitutes for generations. This was the most terrifying criminal sentence in the world.

Naturally, Gu Niaoniao also noticed him. They had known each other since prison, but they hardly spoke.

Once, a prison guard slapped Gu Niaoniao, but his mother stepped forward to stop him. After his mother passed away, Gu Niaoniao had no one to protect her, so she subconsciously hid behind him without speaking to anyone, and then the two of them were beaten together. But neither of them cried, only silently gritting their teeth while being bullied.

Life was but a trifle, and crying and fussing was useless.

Zhao Yelan stayed in the cage for a few days, during which it rained all the time. He was shivering with cold and had nothing to eat or drink. The other criminal slaves had almost all been sold, and only a few people remained.

He was lying motionless on a stack of hay, with only a pair of black eyes moving to remind passers-by that he was still alive.

He was not waiting to die. Others were picking slaves, but he was also picking masters.

Suddenly, he saw a well-dressed pampered son of a wealthy family pass by, not a few years older than him.

He heard someone calling that man the third prince.

It was the third prince, ah……the unfavored and ambitious prince must hate the dog emperor very much, right?

Zhao Yelan moved his fingers, turned his head toward the sun, and raised the corners of his mouth – the opportunity had come.

Zhao Xuan didn’t pay much attention to him in the beginning, a little slave who was younger than him, but because he looked pitiful and had a strong will to survive, he brought him back to the manor as a servant. But who would have thought that from time to time, he would make surprising remarks at staff meetings. It was only then that he gradually noticed him, and gradually entrusted him with important responsibilities.

After changing his name, Zhao Xuan asked him what he wanted to do.

“I want to be a master.”

“All right, if there is a day when we succeed, I will definitely let you be an official. No one will know of your origin except me.”

Now, there was one more person who knew his origin, and had fulfilled his long-cherished wish.

— He lived a splendid life as Zhao Yelan, but his parents couldn’t even have an ancestral hall.

“Father, mother.” It was Yan Mingting’s voice.

Zhao Yelan was slightly surprised. Looking at his familiar appearance, he was both amused and moved while Yan Mingting said sincerely to the two memorial tablets: “I am Yan Mingting, and now I am also Mengting’s husband by law. We are living a very good life. If you hear these words, be sure to bless him with good health.”

Zhao Yelan turned his face away. There was a sudden warmth in his heart, which stirred up his blood and almost melted the year-round snow in his eyes into water. 

He suppressed this unknown emotion. It seemed that he had been losing control of his emotions recently, his eyes growing red from time to time, which was a little embarrassing.

“Okay, my lord’s parents’ tablets have also been moved to the ancestral hall, so I will clean it more often and you can come to offer incense at any time in the future,” Housekeeper Qin said with a smile. He didn’t know what sort of characters these parents were, but he just thought that the old general and his wife would not be lonely in the afterlife. Maybe the four of them could get together and play card games.

After everything was cleaned up, Yan Mingting was about to take him to dinner, but the other party silently lit another three sticks of incense, inserted them into the old general’s incense burner, and bowed with a salute: “……Father, I have been disrespectful in the past. I hope you will forgive me, and I will treat Fangli well in the future.” He offered incense to the old lady. “Mother, the tea you grew is really delicious.”

Yan Mingting listened to him talk to his father and mother, and his heart was so warm, ah, he was so happy. He didn’t simply eat at home, but took that person to Huichun Tower, where he ordered a lot of dishes.

“Why have you started to waste money?” Zhao Yelan teased.

“What is given to you is not wasted.” Yan Mingting happily picked a lot of dishes for him. “Try it quickly, ba, you haven’t eaten here for several months.”

Zhao Yelan ate a few mouthfuls and his appetite improved. After all, he was a native of Beijing, and eating local cuisine was the most appetizing.

“You eat too, ah, why are you watching me?”

Yan Mingting didn’t even eat, just propping up his head and looking at him with a foolish smile: “Mengting, you are very good.”

“How am I good?”

Yan Mingting placed the Chisha Sword on the table. He had been carrying it for a whole day, and the whole capital knew that he had received the Imperial sword. And after his persistent showing off, everyone naturally knew that Zhao Yelan got it for him.

But no one raised any objections. No one was more suitable than Yan Mingting as the master of the Chisa Sword. Everyone focused on congratulating him, and expressed curiosity about their relationship by the way.

But this evening, Zhao Yelan had embraced him in public, and it would likely be known to everyone soon.

Yan Mingting was happy just thinking about it.

“Just because of this sword?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Isn’t that enough?” Yan Mingting thought for a while, then said, “But it’s actually more than that. How can your goodness be explained clearly by one or two things?”

“This is clearly your love……” Beauty was in the eye of the beholder.

But Zhao Yelan stopped talking in time, and didn’t have the nerve to continue.

After eating for a while, Li Yucheng’s voice sounded from downstairs, asking the waiter which room they were in.

When Yan Mingting opened the door, Li Yucheng raised his head and immediately ran into their room, taking a few sips of tea as soon as he sat down, and saying: “I just went to your place and heard that you were here.”

“What’s the matter?” Yan Mingting asked.

“I was summoned by the Emperor this afternoon! Heavens!” This was the first time that Li Yucheng had been summoned by the Emperor for an important matter. He was excited just thinking about it, and said, “He officially handed over the silk and tea business between Jiangnan and the capital to me, and also conferred upon me some kind of official position as a civilian envoy. I have never heard of it, how should I do this, ah?”

Zhao Yelan smiled: “You can just handle business normally. The Emperor simply wants to make you an official, so as to frighten those merchants in Jiangnan. In this way, on the surface, the officials in court will control the trade between the two places and those people will not dare to mess around.”

“So it is!” Li Yucheng laughed and talked with him about future arrangements.

Zhao Yelan saw that he had a lot of ideas and a wide range of methods. He was a good fellow for doing business, only he easily floated with the wind and had no real talent to learn. It was difficult for one person to maintain such a large business.

“Go and call Yin Pinglu,” Zhao Yelan instructed Xiao Gao.

After a while, Yin Pinglu and Zuo Ran came together. They had been called to eat before they could have dinner.

Only then did Zhao Yelan ask Li Yucheng to keep talking. Yin Pinglu knew that his true intentions would be revealed, so she listened carefully and even forgot to eat.

Zhao Yelan listened to their conversation while eating, and felt a little relieved. With Yin Pinglu to manage and supervise, Li Yucheng should be more steadfast and focused. One worked on the inside while the other worked on the outside, and they matched up quite well.

It took an hour and a half to finish the meal, and they mainly conversed about business. Towards the end, Zuo Ran was drowsy and fell asleep leaning on Yin Pinglu.

Yin Pinglu smiled, patted her head, and continued to talk about business, but she was interrupted by Zhao Yelan.

“All right, now that we’re done talking, let’s go back, ba.” Zhao Yelan glanced at Yan Mingting, who was also fighting with his eyelids.

“Okay.” After Li Yucheng finished speaking, he also brought up another thing, “By the way, Fu Qian is back today.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes: “What? Does their family really plan to send him to the General’s Mansion as the second wife?”

Yan Mingting immediately woke up: “What second wife? Whoever speaks to me about a second wife, I’ll lose my patience with them, even if it’s you.”

Li Yucheng: “Tsk, tsk, you are so brave, oh. Aren’t you afraid of sleeping in the study at night?”

Yin Pinglu smiled silently, woke Zuo Ran up, and the two of them left first.

“Don’t worry, ba, the rumors about him and Fu Qian have long been self-defeating. After he received the letter from his family in Beijing, he was so frightened that he quickly clarified that it was a rumor, and he didn’t dare to have anything to do with you.” As Li Yucheng was speaking, he suddenly noticed that Yan Mingting had been touching the sword on the table, and said in surprise, “Is this the famous Chisa Sword?!”

“Yes, ah.” Yan Mingting raised his chin.

“Can I touch it?”

“You have to ask his opinion first.” Yan Mingting gestured to Zhao Yelan.

“Why?”

Zhao Yelan also didn’t understand. Since it was already his sword, why did he ask for his permission?

“Because he asked the Emperor for it as a reward for me,” Yan Mingting said. “Do you know how difficult it is to get this sword? Do you know how hard he has worked?”

Li Yucheng: “……”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

“Won’t touch, I won’t touch! This unmarried person can’t bear such grievance!” Li Yucheng ran away angrily.

“I haven’t finished talking yet,” Yan Mingting called, then turned to look at Zhao Yelan.

Zhao Yelan pressed his forehead, but the corners of his mouth were curled up: “Let’s go, we should go back.”

There was still work to be done.

The mansion had already prepared hot water. Ever since Zhao Yelan moved into the General’s Mansion, these servants had become accustomed to his lifestyle and would boil hot water every night, waiting for their master to take a bath.

After mixing the water, Yan Mingting was about to go out, but Zhao Yelan grabbed his wrist: “Where are you going?”

“I’m going out, ah.” Due to force of habit, every time the other party took a bath in the past, he would be driven out. 

Zhao Yelan didn’t allow him to go: “Wash my back.”

“Okay, ah.” A gleam of light flashed in Yan Mingting’s eyes. Perhaps it was because he knew of the secret on his back that he invited him so generously.

Yan Mingting looked down at his fingertips. There were many calluses, and he was afraid they would scratch the other’s skin, so he washed his hands first and specially used soap.

After washing, he sniffed it. It was fragrant, like sweet-scented osmanthus.

He picked up a clean handkerchief, walked behind the screen, and was stunned at the sight before him.

Zhao Yelan stood beside the bathtub with his back facing him. His clothes were draped over the screen, and his inner layer was halfway off, exposing his smooth, firm back. His shoulder bones protruded slightly, like a butterfly about to take flight.

Hearing movement, Zhao Yelan turned his head to glance at him, and then took his shirt off casually. He knew that Yan Mingting was looking at his back and the brand mark. He could even feel a bit of distress in the other party’s fiery gaze.

Taking a deep breath, he removed his trousers. Then he raised his hand to take off the jade crown, and the black hair poured down like a waterfall, hanging softly down his back to cover the brand mark that was neither deep nor shallow.

As exquisite as he was, he also felt a little worried at this time, wishing his body could be as smooth as satin, without any wounds or scars. But when he turned around, he saw the heat in Yan Mingting’s eyes that was hotter than the hot water in the tub, to the point where it could burn someone if he wasn’t careful.

The last time they faced each other so frankly was at night. Yan Mingting hadn’t had time to take a closer look at his body, but now when he saw it for the first time, his heart beat fast. Then he watched Zhao Yelan step into the water. His hair floated on the water, but his body was glowing white under the surface.

“Then I’ll start to wash, ah.” Yan Mingting’s throat was itchy as he announced this shakily, and then he wiped his back with the handkerchief.

After a while, Zhao Yelan said: “You rubbed it into my ear.”

“Oh, oh, I’m sorry.” Yan Mingting quickly withdrew his hand, not daring to have fantastical thoughts, but heard him say: 

“You haven’t washed yet, ba, do you want to come in and wash together?”

Could this be refused?

Overjoyed, Yan Mingting quickly stripped off his clothes and entered the bathtub in two or three movements. The water level immediately rose and rushed out.

“……” Zhao Yelan turned his head to watch the water rushing out. At least a third was missing, and when he glanced back at the other party, he was smiling like a silly dog and stepping on his foot.

Zhao Yelan stepped on him back.

The two stepped on each other silently for a while before Zhao Yelan said: “Childish.”

“Yet you’re still playing with me?”

Zhao Yelan scoffed lightly and turned his head away from him. At this time, he heard the sound of water as Yan Mingting approached him, but he didn’t move.

Then the other party came over and kissed his cheek. Zhao Yelan turned his head sideways, and when the other was about to touch his lips, he moved back as if nothing had happened.

Yan Mingting watched his mouth retreat and couldn’t wait to kiss him. He grabbed the rim of the tub with one hand and imprisoned him in his other arm, very tough and domineering, not giving him a chance to escape at all.

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched imperceptibly and he responded: “Come in?”

Of course Yan Mingting wanted to come in, but he was afraid of failure. It would be too embarrassing for his wife, and he would never be able to look at anyone again in this life.

Seeing that he was silent, Zhao Yelan didn’t ask any further questions, but simply put his arms around the other’s neck and kissed his lips, neck, and ears back and forth. He deliberately elevated the sound of his breathing, deep and shallow, puffing hot air until Yan Mingting’s soul departed from him.

Yan Mingting wanted to endure, but couldn’t help himself, and was so uncomfortable that he was about to explode. He picked the other party up, and the water splashed around.

Zhao Yelan said, “Go to the bed and wait for me first, I’ll put on some clothes.”

“ ? ” What clothes should be worn at this time?

Yan Mingting still did as he was told. After drying himself off, he hurried to sit on the bed, then lowered his head and muttered internally: You can do it, ah!!

After a short time, Zhao Yelan came out from behind the screen, casually wearing an undershirt. Yan Mingting’s throat rolled, and he stretched out his hand to pull him in, but was pushed back.

“I’ll do it.” Zhao Yelan sat on him, pretending to be calm, and leaned over to kiss him. After feeling that he had begun to relax, a suspicious blush appeared on his face and he whispered confidentially, “I just made some preparations.”

As Yan Mingting wondered about this, he was suddenly taken into the Peach Blossom Spring.

He looked at the owner of this hot and humid land in disbelief. The other party frowned tightly, as if he had encountered a winding and difficult road. He was a little lost, and his forehead was sweating a bit, but he still insisted on leading the way.

Yan Mingting’s heart was in a mess. He sat up and embraced the other, feeling his eyes grow a little hot: “Mengting, Mengting, why are you so good? I love you so much, what should I give you in return?”

Because he sat up suddenly, Zhao Yelan was caught off guard and walked to the end of the path. He let out a muffled grunt, and heard him repeat this again after a while. He replied uncomfortably: “Why don’t……you move, ba.”

Yan Mingting obediently moved a little, and hearing the other’s uncontrolled voice, he seemed to have found pleasure.

The lowered curtains swayed until the middle of the night.

Zhao Yelan was exhausted, and felt a little regretful. He had helped Yan Mingting solve the cause of his ailment, but felt that he was going to be ill himself. Yan Mingting seemed to realize that his problem had healed, and was eager to show off his abilities. He was as energetic as a dog and never stopped.

Zhao Yelan pushed him away, angry and annoyed: “That’s enough, go to sleep!”

Yan Mingting reluctantly got up and opened the door. Then he knocked on Housekeeper Qin’s door and looked at him hesitantly.

Housekeeper Qin looked up at his expression, then at the moon, guessing the time, and suddenly understood: “I see, hot water!”

Yan Mingting gave a thumbs up.

A drowsy Zhao Yelan was carried by him to the bath again. He felt sleepy as soon as his head touched the pillow, but he kept hearing Yan Mingting whispering in his ear.

“Mengting, are you asleep? I can’t sleep.”

“Mengting, I’m so happy, extremely happy.”

“I want to do it again right now.”

“Mengting, why are you so beautiful?”

“Mengting, Mengting, wake up and take a look at me, I’m swollen again……”

“Mengting, I am pleased with you and admire you, what about you?”

Zhao Yelan also forgot whether he answered his questions or not. He probably did. Who could refuse such an annoying whisper?

He only remembered that when he weakly opened his eyes, the other party couldn’t wait to pull him in and rock together until dawn.

The bath was wasted again.

---

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

“Li Chengyuan?” Xia Xingchi tried hard to conceal his shock, trying to act as if nothing had happened. “Are you talking to yourself?”

When he asked this question, he was afraid that this person would say something scary like “there are invisible people.”

Fortunately, Li Chengyuan quickly calmed down after being startled, and lightly replied: “No. I…..am memorizing a speech. The annual meeting is coming up.”

Xia Xingchi heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Just as long as there was no mental problem.

But after some thought, he felt that was wrong: “But where’s the manuscript? What are you memorizing from, ah – the thing in your hand just now wasn’t a cell phone, was it?”

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips. His steadied heart suddenly jumped again as he saw Xia Xingchi walk up right after speaking and try to touch his coat pocket.

Unexpectedly, just as Xia Xingchi grabbed the corner of Li Chengyuan’s clothes, the other suddenly frowned and clenched his teeth, bending over and holding his stomach.

Xia Xingchi was taken aback at this sight: “What’s the matter with you?”

This was too suspicious. Could it be such a coincidence that he was about to torture him to extract a confession when he suddenly had a stomachache?

Li Chengyuan’s health was not well-preserved, so his face was always pale and it was impossible to see if he was truly uncomfortable.

Xia Xingchi touched his hand. Even though it was an enclosed balcony, it was still chilly, and the cat’s paws were freezing cold.

It seemed that the stomach pain was getting worse. Li Chengyuan couldn’t help but let out a groan. The hand that was gripping the balcony loosened, and his whole body shook and almost fell down.

Xia Xingchi was taken aback when he saw this. He didn’t dare to doubt anymore, and quickly reached out to support him and help him back to the room.

Unexpectedly, at this time, Li Chengyuan said in a hoarse voice: “Xia Xingchi, you doubt me.”

Because of the low voice, there was a slight illusion of grievance. Xia Xingchi suddenly felt his conscience condemn him, and had no choice but to help him into bed and comfort him:

“That’s not it, I don’t doubt you. Only, it’s so coincidental……”

Xia Xingchi had already figured out the pattern. Li Chengyuan usually only showed some physical discomfort when he was faking it.

But when he was truly uncomfortable, he kept silent. Because illness would inevitably bring back bad memories, making him subconsciously suspect that he would be rejected and abandoned, so he would pretend to be fine.

Li Chengyuan didn’t wait for Xia Xingchi to say “coincidental,” and turned over to curl up with his back facing him, as if he was so unhappy that the pain intensified.

“Okay, okay, okay! I won’t say anything, all right? Where did such a big temper come from?”

Xia Xingchi could only stretch out a hand to stroke the irritable big cat’s head comfortingly, lest he anger himself to death.

Li Chengyuan lay motionless on his side of the bed. After a while, he felt the warm hand shrink back. Then he heard the sound of footsteps and boiling water, and breathed a sigh of relief —

He quickly took the ring box out of his pocket and put it under the pillow for the time being.

“Come on, drink some hot water.” Xia Xingchi didn’t dare to pour too much for him, for fear that it would make him even more uncomfortable and induce vomiting.

Li Chengyuan reclined in bed with a pale face and held the paper cup in one hand. When Xia Xingchi threw off his slippers and climbed into bed, he rubbed his hands together as if he wanted to rub his stomach.

In fact, when Xia Xingchi reached out his hand, he “accidentally” touched the coat that he hadn’t taken off and deliberately rubbed the pocket, wanting to see what was inside.

Of course, it was a step too late to think about it now. Xia Xingchi didn’t feel anything, so he sneakily rubbed and touched the other side, unwilling to give up.

Li Chengyuan’s whole body was sneakily touched all over by him until he felt like he was about to catch on fire, and he finally stopped, figuring he had just seen it wrong.

Xia Xingchi couldn’t help being a little disappointed. After all, what he had vaguely seen just now was a ring box.

But Li Chengyuan didn’t seem like such a romantic person. At that time, even when he was wearing an engagement ring, it was like wearing handcuffs. He figured there would be no surprises.

“Are you feeling better? Do you want me to get your stomach medicine?”

As he said this, Xia Xingchi reached into his hospital gown and felt that his stomach pain should not be serious, as his abdomen was neither stiff nor cold.

After all, he was pretending. Li Chengyuan dodged his hand awkwardly, so as not to reveal his flaws: “No need, I’ll just drink some hot water.”

Fortunately, Xia Xingchi didn’t doubt him. When all was said and done, stomach pain was a very metaphysical thing, and it was not always possible to detect it by touch.

“It’s so cold on the balcony and there’s no heater. It’s easy for you to catch cold. If you want to memorize speeches, you can memorize them here. You don’t have to worry about waking me up.”

After thinking about it, he threatened fiercely: “You’ll be out of the hospital soon. If you have a fever or stomach problems again, be careful of being detained for a few more days!”

Li Chengyuan nodded.

When a bodyguard knocked on the door and Xia Xingchi went to get their food, he immediately got up and took the ring box from under the pillow, then hid it in his briefcase.

The series of movements were quick and soundless, completely eliminating the risk of being discovered. It was not at all like what someone with a stomach ache could do.

In fact, Li Chengyuan also knew that wearing a ring during their engagement was too flagrant. It was too impatient and urgent, very much like putting Xia Xingchi in handcuffs.

Naturally, they would wear them well at the wedding. But somehow, perhaps because big plans could be spoiled by a little impatience, the more nervous he was, the more wrong he felt.

He was such a calm and reserved person, and wasn’t even sure how to get the ring. In the end, he just took out the wedding ring that Secretary Ye sent the day before yesterday and tried it on in advance.

The wedding ring was a rather large “pigeon egg.”

Although Li Chengyuan preferred a low-key style, his little money-grubber liked these kinds of shiny things, so he deliberately chose the largest and most expensive one.

He had originally wanted to choose a bigger diamond, but during this period of time, he had been watching several top diamond sellers in the world. He changed his usual dignified and low-key young master style, turning to the high-profile style of a local tyrant, which really terrified the jewelry designers. He had to gently remind them not to make it bigger, otherwise even the ingenious design would inevitably affect the aesthetics.

. . . . . .

After passing various physical examinations, the doctors finally jointly decided that Li Chengyuan could be discharged home. 

He had originally wanted to go through the formalities and leave in a discrete manner, but for some reason, the media was alerted. As soon as he went out, he was surrounded by entertainment reporters and media.

The melee in front of the emergency room was still fresh in his memory, and Xia Xingchi had unpleasant associations with this kind of scene where everyone was holding up microphones and cameras and scrambling to be the first to talk.

Even though he knew that they were different from the group of paparazzi that Xia Yu maliciously hired, Xia Xingchi still reacted with a conditioned reflex. As soon as he saw this scene, he subconsciously grabbed Li Chengyuan’s hand.

Li Chengyuan held it back. He had heard about this incident after waking up, and the result of his furious rage was naturally the suffering of that group of paparazzi.

“I don’t want to be interviewed,” Xia Xingchi whispered.

It stood to reason that he could answer a few innocuous questions. After all, the two of them seldom put in an appearance, so this was a way to get to know them.

“Okay, then don’t answer.” Li Chengyuan squeezed his hand. “Should we leave directly or should I answer a few questions?”

He had originally wanted to slip away quickly, but thinking of the group of eagerly awaiting fans, Xia Xingchi changed his mind: “Do it, ba.”

Most of the questions were about their marriage and his physical condition, and Li Chengyuan revealed a rare patience as he answered them.

Suddenly, he heard a different question: “Mr. Li, is it true that you said you knew Teacher Xia when you were young? Because Teacher Xia and Xia Yu had exchanged lives by mistake……”

Perhaps due to everyone’s attitudes being more polite, Xia Xingchi listened with pricked ears and answered with a smile after hearing this question: “Yes, we knew each other……I also made him suffer poverty with me, and fed him steamed buns and pickled vegetables.”

Li Chengyuan smiled when he heard this.

It was the first time for Young Master Li, who had always been well-clothed and well-fed, to eat such crude and simple food. But for some reason, sitting on the ground with Xia Xingchi and eating steamed buns, they seemed to be particularly delicious.

His stomach, which had always been fragile and delicate, put up no resistance, and he even felt that the hot steamed buns made him very comfortable.

When asked “Wasn’t Teacher Xia not in the capital at that time?” Li Chengyuan replied lightly:

“Hence, this was all the greatest arrangement of destiny.”

Everyone thought that Xia Xingchi had also been in Beijing, or that Li Chengyuan had traveled to another city when he was a child. Therefore, they didn’t have any doubts, let alone think that the arrangement of destiny came from a different time and space.

After this answer, the hospital’s security team and the bodyguards jointly escorted the two of them into the car, putting an end to the crowded and lively scene.

“How much do you remember?” Li Chengyuan turned his head and asked after getting into the car.

“I still don’t remember much.” Xia Xingchi shook his head, then said with a giggle, “But you looked so cute eating steamed buns hahaha.”

The little porcelain doll was already beautiful, and he looked like a noble and elegant little prince huddled in the corner gnawing on steamed buns and pickles as if they were delicacies from the mountains and seas.

Li Chengyuan rubbed Xia Xingchi’s head helplessly: “What sort of messy things are you thinking about?”

. . . . . . .

The house was still as clean and tidy as before, and Aunt Li was preparing a sumptuous meal for the two who had finally returned.

The news of Li Chengyuan’s discharge from the hospital had not only alerted the media, but people from all walks of life in the business world had also mobilized, and the storage room was so full in the morning that there was no more room for gifts.

Everyone knew that Mr. Li was reticent, and that he hated people visiting the most. What’s more, this time was different from the past. Not only would it disturb his rest, but more importantly, it would affect their two-person world. Only fools would rush to their deaths.

Therefore, the only way to please him was to give gifts, and it just so happened that they had a lot of new excuses:

Li Chengyuan was discharged from the hospital, the wedding was approaching, and Xia Xingchi’s birthday was coming up.

Xia Xingchi had just finished changing his shoes when he received a call from Xia Pingjian: “Xingchi, do you like the gifts from Dad?”

The words were filled with excessive affection. Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but frown at the greasy, hypocritical voice, and moved the phone away from his face.

Not so long ago, this old bastard would beat people according to his mood.

Relying on the original owner’s weakness and timidity, he slapped and beat him wantonly at every turn. The current speed of his face-change could actually make the Beijing Opera feel ashamed.

“What gifts?” Xia Xingchi said languidly and perfunctorily. “There are a lot of things here, and I haven’t had time to count them. Who knows which ones are from you.”

“No, no, no, those things are not enough for your birthday present – I bought you a sports car!”

Xia Xingchi was taken aback and thought, isn’t this the gift that should have been bought for Xia Yu in the original plot?

If he remembered correctly, it should be something that Xia Pingjian generously gave away when the vicious protagonist finally triumphed over Li Chengyuan in the finale, received a huge inheritance, and got married.

He never expected that the gift recipient would now be changed.

“I don’t want it,” Xia Xingchi said immediately. “I’ll ask the driver to send it back, and you can give it to whoever you like.”

Although the little money-grubber loved money, not to mention that this gift somehow had a disgusting “second-hand” feel, the most important thing was that he didn’t take money from others, and didn’t intend to shoot himself in the foot.

The small gift he gave last time was simply a gift, but this one was too expensive, and it was against his principles to take advantage of this.

Xia Pingjian’s pig brain was not suitable for business at all. The Xia family, which looked beautiful on the surface, was actually a decaying building on the verge of collapse.

So from the very beginning, Xia Xingchi was forced into marriage for a purpose and a mandated mission – the prohibitively huge flow of capital was not a lot of money to Li Chengyuan, and it could easily solve the Xia family’s predicament.

When Li Chengyuan emphasized that the true young master of the Xia family must be married to him, Xia Pinjian felt a little regretful that Xia Yu had no chance, but after some thought, he felt that it didn’t matter —

In any case, Xia Xingchi was a good-for-nothing who could be manipulated. Even though he was usually abused, beaten, and scolded, he was still well-behaved.

Who would have thought that since the day of the engagement, he would become like a different person, totally out of control?

Xia Xingchi smiled and said: “Since you were ashamed and refused to recognize this son before, just continue not to recognize him forever and stick together with your precious Xia Yu.”

After speaking, he directly hung up the phone.

Xia Pingjian was now so indifferent to Xia Yu that he drew a clear line between them. In the original book, he drew a clear line with the innocent original owner in this way, letting the original owner be persecuted to death without anyone collecting his body.

To deal with this snobbish, vicious villain of a father who even used his son as a commodity for appraisal, Xia Xingchi didn’t even need to do anything to him.

He could just continue to maintain that he was not recognized as a son, and wait for the Xia family, which had long been ruined, to go bankrupt.

. . . . . .

However, Xia Pingjian’s words also reminded Xia Xingchi of something. After looking at the calendar, he realized that his birthday was in three days.

He had never celebrated his birthday before. For a poor little money-grubber, an extra plate of braised pork for dinner was a celebration.

Now that he was finally getting rich, it was time to upgrade his celebration style.

Li Chengyuan was processing documents in the study while Xia Xingchi lay on the living room sofa, happily thinking about how to reward himself.

But after thinking about it, his terribly inexperienced mind was a complete vacuum, and squeezed out the idea of replacing a small plate of braised pork with a large pot, so as to realize the freedom of eating meat.

On a late night a few years ago, an exhausted Xia Xingchi, who had finished his last job, passed by a closed dessert shop. Looking at the window full of beautiful cakes, he suddenly remembered that today was his birthday.

Originally, he had thought about buying himself a small cake to celebrate, but when he saw the price above, he immediately gave up —

He optimistically comforted himself that at least the shop was closed. Otherwise, if he couldn’t afford it, he would definitely be a little sad and disappointed.

Xia Xingchi shook his head, thinking that he was rich and debt-free this year, so he could finally buy himself a birthday cake.

If he thought about it carefully, it wasn’t worth it. As a small semi-professional pastry chef, since there were ovens and various cooking utensils in the villa, it seemed cheaper to buy the ingredients himself?

If he could, he should. Xia Xingchi rolled up his sleeves that day and began to study how to make birthday cakes. He checked which ingredients were missing, then busily started purchasing and preparing.

Aunt Li was astonished upon seeing this. Young Master Xia was a treasure in Mr. Li’s hands. Why bother to make a simple cake for himself on such an important day as his birthday?

Shouldn’t he find the most luxurious and expensive hotel and buy the most beautiful and high-end birthday cake?

What shocked her even more was that Li Chengyuan had clearly seen Xia Xingchi’s plan, but had no intention of stopping it at all, as if he wanted to let him happily prepare for the celebration on his own.

“Sir,” Aunt Li couldn’t help but ask when serving tea in the study, “Aren’t you going to prepare a birthday party for Young Master Xia?”

Li Chengyuan didn’t stop signing documents, and just glanced at her blankly without answering.

Aunt Li said: “Then, at least the star of the birthday shouldn’t make the cake himself…..”

It was apparent that Xia Xingchi, who had been wandering with no one to rely on all these years, had not received much care from others. He didn’t even realize that there was something wrong with celebrating his birthday through his own efforts.

Li Chengyuan finally put down his pen: “You don’t need to worry about him, let him do it himself.”

After hearing this, Aunt Li was even more worried.

Although this may mean that the husband was secretly preparing some surprises, it may also be literal.

After all, he was an indifferent person who couldn’t even be bothered to celebrate his own birthday. Could he really care about the birthdays of the people around him?

. . . . . .

After preparing the fried dishes for his birthday the next day, Xia Xingchi sat on the sofa with Summer in his arms and watched TV.

During this period of time, the big white dumpling had grown closer to him. Even compared to how it clung to its indifferent master, it obviously preferred to crouch beside Xia Xingchi and beg for rubs and caresses.

Xia Xingchi’s eyes were fixed on the TV screen, but he was holding a red string in his hands, his fingers skillfully flying up and down to weave a beautiful collar.

“Do you know what day tomorrow is?” Xia Xingchi asked Summer.

It tilted its head to look at him with bright amber eyes wide open, and after a moment, it let out a “Meow!” and rubbed its fluffy head against his wrist as if it vaguely understood.

“That’s right!” Xia Xingchi said, “Tomorrow is my birthday!”

As he spoke, the collar in his hands was finished. So he hugged the big white dumpling and tied the red collar around its neck to add a little festive atmosphere.

Just as it was fastened, the housekeeper, Uncle Ding, came up with the medicine.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchi released summer and habitually took the medicine, heading to the study to deliver it to Li Chengyuan.

After all, a certain person was so old, yet still couldn’t change his childlike habit of not liking to drink bitter medicine, so Xia Xingchi had to personally watch him drink it.

When he entered the room, it was a rare time when Li Chengyuan was not looking at his computer to process documents, but was staring at a box sitting in a drawer that was usually locked.

Xia Xingchi only saw the red string bracelet before, and this was his first time seeing the box, so he curiously stretched out his head to see what it was.

Li Chengyuan said: “Come here.”

Xia Xingchi blinked. He directly held the medicine bowl in one hand, sat on Li Chengyuan’s lap, and rubbed his head to make him drink the medicine.

The two of them weren’t so lovey-dovey from day one, and no one could have imagined that the perpetually calm and indifferent big tycoon was like a young man in love in this respect, and that his ears were always hot and red when he was easily teased.

He raised a hand and touched Xia Xingchi’s head, trying to kiss him, but was ruthlessly blocked by the medicine bowl stuffed to his lips.

Xia Xingchi tilted his head and kissed him: “Drink the medicine first – wait a minute, why is the potted flower on the table wilting again? Did you water it with medicine again?”

Li Chengyuan didn’t speak, and his eyes shifted, clearly admitting to the crime.

Xia Xingchi then smacked him hard on the thigh and said with a smile: “Dalang, it’s time to take the medicine.”^[1]

After that, he forced him to drink down a big bowl of bitter Chinese medicine.

He kissed Li Chengyuan’s cheek like he would do to reward Summer: “Good job!”

Then he tilted his head curiously to see what was in the box.

The bracelet was still inside. Xia Xingchi touched it, then picked up a yellowed and faded ticket.

The ticket was a familiar pattern and style – exactly the same as the one used by Xia Xingchi more than ten years ago.

And the place of origin was that distant, nearly forgotten hometown.

Seeing this object with his own eyes was far more astonishing than hearing about its description. Xia Xingchi looked at it continuously for a long time in shock, and finally said:

“T-there is really such a ticket? You still kept it after so many years.”

Li Chengyuan was still holding him: “The lucky ticket that my little liar gave me……of course I want to treasure it.”

When he found out that he had been “deceived,” he was indeed angry and wanted to tear it up, but he was reluctant to destroy any of the things that little Xia Xingchi had left him.

The two were being affectionate when they suddenly saw Summer poking through the crack in the study door, looking curiously at the two humans who had started to stick together before spring.

Li Chengyuan saw the red string collar around its neck at a glance, and immediately became dissatisfied, saying lightly: “You only made one? And gave it to the cat?”

Although a certain person seemed calm and indifferent, vinegar almost overflowed in the study.

Xia Xinchi looked at the sour big cat in disbelief, and asked in surprise: “You even drink vinegar over a kitten? How old are you?”

Having his true thoughts exposed so blatantly, Li Chengyuan immediately felt a little awkward, but continued: “Make one for me too.”

Xia Xingchi: “…….?”

Shocking, a certain boss stole a collar from a cat at home!

This person had probably never been childish in his life, so when he grew up, he occasionally acted like a child.

Xia Xingchi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but when the promise came to his lips, he swallowed it back and said seriously: “No way. Who are you that I should give one to you, ah?”

Speaking of this matter aggravated him.

Li Chengyuan never expressed himself, neither confessing his love nor proposing marriage, as if he just wanted to live and maintain this kind of life. He looked very much like a scumbag who received goods without paying.

Unexpectedly, Xia Xingchi hinted at this point. Li Chengyuan didn’t answer, as if he didn’t grasp his meaning, and only threatened in a heavy voice: “Go get the string now.”

As he said this, his cold fingers lingered on Xia Xingchi’s earlobe, making it clear that if he didn’t follow his will, he would pinch this most sensitive place.

Xia Xingchi had no choice but to sit on his lap and weave a collar for him under coercion….ah, no, a necklace.

Then the two cats in the family, one big and one small, received the same red string.

Li Chengyuan’s collar bones were quite beautiful, and his cold white skin contrasted with the red string very well. It even looked a little risqué. 

Even when he turned off the lights and went to bed that night, Xia Xingchi was still fascinated by the sight.

In addition, he drank a glass of sweet fruit wine brought to him by Aunt Li before going to bed, and was a little dizzy for a while, so he couldn’t help but lean into Li Chenguan’s arms and lightly take a bite of his collar bone.

When biting was not enough, he semi-drunkenly tried to hook the red string with the tip of his tongue, but accidentally licked Li Chengyuan’s skin —

He lit a fire on the spot. Xia Xingchi saw that something was suddenly wrong with Li Chengyuan. His disordered breathing and elevated body temperature seemed quite perilous.

Seeing this, he quickly tucked himself into bed and wrapped himself up tightly, for fear that on his birthday, he would be stir-fried by this “scumbag” who had neither confessed nor proposed.

. . . . . .

Under the influence of alcohol, Xia Xingchi was not only extremely excited before going to bed, but also slept very deeply.

He never felt someone picking him up from the bed in his sleep, putting his favorite star sweater on him, and leaving the villa in the lingering night.

Xia Xingchi leaned into Li Chengyuan’s arms in a daze. He rubbed against his chest and let out a soft grunt, obviously dissatisfied at the feeling of the plane taking off.

Perhaps it was because of the ticket that deep memories were aroused in his mind, and he had a very long, clear dream.

Every bit of what he experienced with his little porcelain doll emerged clearly.

Whether it was when Li Chenguan was sick and writhing in pain, and he handed out his wrist and let him bite until blood dripped down, or when Li Chengyuan was sober and still had a cold little face, but bandaged him with gritted teeth and reddened eyes…….

The memories played like old movies. Although they were naturally damaged due to the baptism of time, many of the details that he wanted to remember were very clear.

The pictures emerged frame by frame until that stormy night.

Seeing that the little porcelain doll had a persistent high fever and had fainted, shivering all over, Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth and had no choice but to grab Li Chengyuan’s wallet and go to buy medicine.

This was the first time he had touched the wallet.

At first it was Li Chengyuan who took money out to give to him. Later, when the two of them were struggling for money, Xia Xingchi came up with the idea of looking for a job farther away, and wanted to send this precious sick young master home.

It wasn’t because he thought Li Chengyuan was a burden, but with his physical condition, he needed to go home for treatment. Otherwise, Xia Xingchi was very afraid that he would die if he vomited blood again.

Like a dead kitten, stiff and cold.

But little Li Chengyuan was at the point where he hated himself the most and felt inferior due to his illness. When he heard these words, he only felt that Xia Xingchi would abandon him too.

Perhaps the only thing he could use to keep the little money-grubber was money. As the cash dwindled, he would only lose value. Or maybe when Xia Xingchi got all his money, he would also abandon him.

Therefore, the insecure Li Chengyuan never gave Xia Xingchi the entire wallet, nor did he let him know how much money he had left.

Xia Xingchi got this wallet for the first time and quickly glanced at the small amount of money left in it, which was still enough to buy a few boxes of medicine, and then rushed into the rainstorm.

He couldn’t open his eyes due to the strong wind, and the torrential rain hit him rapidly in the face. He could only vaguely make out the direction.

Just as he was about to rush towards the door of the pharmacy, there was a sudden explosion of thunder!

There was an immediate fiery pain all over his body, accompanied by the incomparable fear of death – little Xia Xingchi suspected that he had been struck by lightning.

But when he looked up again, he found that the rainstorm had stopped, and the dry ground in front of the pharmacy made it seem as if it had never rained.

Xia Xingchi’s mind went blank. He walked in mechanically and stood in front of the counter, but didn’t know why he wanted to buy medicine or what kind he wanted to buy.

Why am I in such a hurry……is there someone waiting for me?

Xia Xingchi suddenly opened his eyes. The thought that haunted his mind every rainy night but could never be grasped was finally clear!

Yes, my sick little porcelain doll is waiting for me!

He sat up immediately, wanting to tell Li Chengyuan what he had remembered, but when he turned his head, he found that there was no one beside him.

He looked around again. The surrounding environment was extremely strange.

After having just had a bizarre dream, when he opened his eyes and found himself in a strange and unfamiliar environment, Xia Xingchi was immediately startled.

Not only was the bed an unfamiliar one, but he looked down and saw that although he was sleeping on a bed and covered with a blanket, he was wearing a sweater instead of his pajamas.

If there was anything more surreal, it was that the room……seemed to be shaking?

Xia Xingchi was taken aback, and had to wonder if he had not yet woken up and was still in a dream.

He quickly jumped up and found his shoes that had been carefully placed under the bed.

Xia Xingchi opened the door and strode out, and never could have imagined the vast and boundless sea that came into his sight.

The arc where the sea and the sky kissed glowed gold and red next to the warm rising sun, magnificent as it ignited the entire sea —

This was a sunrise at sea?!

Xia Xingchi was shocked. For a moment, he forgot to ask why he was standing on the deck of a luxurious ship.

He was still standing there blankly when he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

When Xia Xingchi turned his head, he saw Li Chengyuan wearing a neat black suit with a large bouquet of delicate blooming roses in his hand, walking toward him in the bright and gleaming dawn.

He looked around again, only to find that there were fiery, classic red roses everywhere, along with countless elaborate decorations.

Xia Xingchi suddenly came to a realization, and his heart began to beat wildly.

He saw Li Chengyuan get down on one knee, devoutly grasp his fingers and kiss them lightly, and then raise his head, equally nervous but full of incomparable affection and determination:

“Xia Xingchi, I love you. Entrust the rest of your life to me, I —”

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Xingchi threw himself into his arms with unrivaled enthusiasm.

He had no relatives or friends all his life, and had never received a carefully prepared surprise from anyone, let alone had such a grand confession waiting for him.

This feeling of joy was almost unreal. Only by throwing himself at the person he loved and feeling his same rapid heartbeat could he feel that nothing in the world was more real than this.

Xia Xingchi, who had been wandering alone, finally obtained a home and a life-long promise, like a boat that had finally found a safe haven that would always shelter him from the wind and rain.

In order to catch the little hedgehog who was so moved and excited, Li Chengyuan had no choice but to stand up and hug Xia Xingchi tightly, embracing his only rare treasure.

Xia Xingchi raised his head and closed his eyes, while Li Chengyuan lowered his head and kissed him devoutly.

Their intersecting lips blocked the rising sun, and light illuminated the blue sea and sprinkled down on the two people embracing each other tightly, bathing them in golden light.

A testament to their eternal passion and love.

T/N: That’s it for the main story! There are two extras that I will post in a day or two. I’m so sad to see this story end, but what a sweet ending it is!

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[1] This quote is from the Chinese classic novel “Water Margin,” and has become a meme. The context is that a character in a book poisoned Wu Dalang’s medicine and persuaded him to drink it, saying, “Da Lang, it’s time to take the medicine.” It sounded loving, but was actually resentful and vicious. So it’s used as a joke to express one’s dissatisfaction with the other party. ⮐

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Chapter Forty-Five << Table of Contents >> Extra 1

There was nothing more embarrassing than this. Xia Xingchi was so humiliated that he covered Li Chengyuan’s face with the pillow, not allowing him to speak and wishing he could kill him on the spot.

It was a pity that this was a big cat that was not easy to raise, and he really couldn’t bear it.

Seeing that he had finally stopped talking, Xia Xingchi simply threw the pillow aside and jumped into bed himself, disguising himself as a rice ball that couldn’t move or talk.

No matter how Li Chengyuan poked him, he would remain still and refuse to come out.

Xia Xingchi’s face turned even redder from being smothered.

Li Chengyuan’s helpless expression when he repeatedly emphasized “it’s really you” appeared in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more denials he remembered. He had even scolded sourly, “You can’t even recognize your own White Moonlight?” He looked exceedingly stupid.

Li Chengyuan reached out to touch the small sushi roll that was wrapped up tightly, his eyes full of smiles, but he deliberately said with a serious face:

“Come out. If you don’t behave well, I will fire you when my “White Moonlight” comes back.”

Seeing that this bastard dared to whip the corpse endlessly, Xia Xingchi became even more furious.

He couldn’t endure it any longer, and directly jumped out of the covers and threw Li Chengyuan on the bed!

In consideration of the wound on Li Chengyuan’s back, Xia Xingchi dared not use too much force, so he straddled his waist and reached out to grasp his face, saying through gritted teeth: “Be careful, Sir, or I will bite you to death right now!”

Obviously in a good mood, Li Chengyuan smiled lightly and held Xia Xingchi’s wrist, stroking the scar bitten into his skin.

“Do you remember this scar?”

Xia Xingchi blinked and shook his head: “It seems I don’t yet.”

There was indeed a brief fragment of memory where he handed his wrist to the sick little porcelain doll and let him bite, but he still couldn’t remember clearly.

Li Chengyuan could only frown: “After you cheated me, you forgot about it.”

All these years, he had been planning to catch the little liar back, brutally imprison him, and make him pay for his actions.

But since the day of the engagement, when Xia Xingchi bumped into him, he neither recognized the “little porcelain doll” he always teased at the time, nor did he recognize his marriage partner.

On the contrary, he took the initiative to bring them together by mistake, throwing himself into his arms as soon as they met……he was too fascinating to let go, and he was also unwilling to do so.

Xia Xingchi shook his head upon hearing this and said firmly:

“Wrong! Although I don’t remember it now, I’m sure I’m not the type to do things like murder – maybe there was a misunderstanding?”

All of this was so mysterious. Just how he met Li Chengyuan across worlds, and how his age changed from being older than him to being younger than him were temporarily unsolved mysteries.

What’s more, when he talked about “cheating him out of all his money and leaving,” perhaps at some juncture he just disappeared from this world?

Li Chengyuan narrowed his eyes, as if contemplating something.

After a while, his tone was calm but sure: “No, you’re a little liar.”

Xia Xingchi disagreed with this statement and grasped his face again: “I’m not! Why are you so sure?”

“Because you deceived me with a fake train ticket.”

On such a stormy night filled with lightning and thunder, when Li Chengyuan found out that Xia Xingchi was gone forever, his first reaction was not that he had scammed him of money and run away. Rather, he was deeply afraid that something had happened to him.

After waiting for a long time with overwhelming restless anxiety, Li Chengyuan, with his high fever and weak body, got up and tried to go out to find Xia Xingchi.

But at that time, he was so sick that he could hardly walk. He’d had a high fever for several days and nights, and would vomit even after drinking water.

When he woke up again, he found that it was already noon the next day. The rain had stopped, but Xia Xingchi still hadn’t come back.

If it wasn’t for his illness, Xia Xingchi naturally wouldn’t have had to leave in the rain to buy medicine late at night, not to mention encounter a possible accident.

At this thought, feelings of fear, guilt, and remorse intertwined. Li Chengyuan lay on the ground trembling, his mind filled with various scenes of accidents.

He hated himself so much for being sick again. He had already killed his mother by driving her crazy, so now had he killed Xia Xingchi? 

This thought made Li Chengyuan extremely miserable, and at the same time, he was burning with anxiety. After returning to the Li residence, he desperately tried to find him.

In the process of searching, however, he found that not only was there no child involved in an accident, even Xia Xingchi’s name and identity were fake, and there was no trace of him.

Li Chengyuan recalled that when he mentioned his hometown city, he was puzzled at the time because he had never heard of this province or city.

But a young person inevitably had less experience, so maybe he was just ignorant and didn’t know about it?

Xia Xingchi saw his confusion, so he conjured up a train ticket: “Look at the words on it, believe me now? This is my lucky ticket that helped me escape them and come to the capital! I’ll give it to you and hope that your illness will get better soon.”

But it was later discovered to be fake. The style and color of the ticket was wrong, and that city was not on the map at all.

Why make this stuff up if it wasn’t intended to be deceptive from the start?

Xia Xingchi was stunned when the other party finished speaking: “A fake train ticket? And fake location names?”

Regardless of whether he was actually so wicked, how could he have such a magical forgery ability?

But after thinking about it, he suddenly came to a realization. Xia Xingchi slapped his head and immediately reported the name of a province, city, and even a street.

Because he had been away from that place for many years, it had taken some time for him to remember it.

However, Li Chengyuan had almost engraved this information into his bones over the years, and immediately nodded with a frown: “Yes, that was it.”

With that affirmative answer, the context of things seemed to become clearer – maybe he had actually transmigrated without knowing it.

Because they were both in “Beijing,” and he was a child who didn’t know his way around upon first arriving, and had no relatives or friends, he had not realized that he wasn’t in his original time and space.

Although it sounded unbelievable, it all seemed to make sense.

“Actually, the ticket isn’t fake…..”

Xia Xingchi opened his mouth, but realized that if he wanted to explain this, wouldn’t the matter of transmigrating be exposed?

No one could easily accept the outrageous statement, “Actually, this is a book, and you are the short-lived villain who died prematurely.”

After hearing this, the other party would surely think Xia Xingchi was crazy.

Xia Xingchi dithered for a long time without knowing what to say, so he could only end the topic abruptly:

“Never mind, never mind! I can’t even remember. If I did, I would tell you, ba.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Li Chengyuan’s eyes slowly focusing on his face, with the familiar keenness and hidden depth of a hunting feline.

Xia Xingchi immediately had a bad feeling.

Sure enough, Li Chengyuan calmly set forth: “Xia Xingchi, you’re not from this time and space, right?”

He mentioned this casually, as if making an off-hand statement such as “The weather is very nice.”

However, Xia Xingchi received five thunderbolts worth of shock, and almost jumped up in fright.

He suddenly realized that Li Chengyuan might have known that he was not a “little liar,” and deliberately said this to test him.

In the process of reporting the location name and avoiding the topic, he had completely fallen into the trap and thoroughly exposed the truth.

“You……what are you talking about, ah?” Xia Xingchi could only feign ignorance. “Are you possessed? After being cheated, have you become delusional?”

Li Chengyuan only showed a smile that was not a smile, and this time he didn’t intend to let him off:

“Why were you afraid of me in the first place? How did you know I would die? And why did you think Xia Yu should have had smooth sailing?”

Every time he said a word, the hairs raised up all over Xia Xingchi’s body. His heart was beating so hard that it almost leaped out of his throat.

He never thought that this person would be so sharp, and didn’t even know when he had been completely exposed.

Li Chengyuan saw that he couldn’t utter a single deceptive argument in his astonishment. He lowered his eyes and stroked Xia Xingchi’s wrist, saying:

“You knew my destined ending – so what kind of ‘role’ did I play?”

As soon as the last sentence came out, Xia Xingchi practically heard a resounding “zap” of shock.

How did Li Chengyuan know everything?!

He set the tune with one beat of the gong, obviously aware of much more than Xia Xingchi had imagined.

“How do you……” Xia Xingchi stammered, “No, I don’t know……”

With a sigh, Li Chengyuan touched the head of the frightened little hedgehog. In fact, he had already guessed what his role should have been.

Thinking back to how terribly afraid Xia Xingchi had been of him at first, it far surpassed the awe and fear of ordinary people.

But in order not to scare him, Li Chengyuan hadn’t shown his paranoid, twisted true self in front of him at that time – one could imagine that he was probably the villain.

Li Chengyuan knew that his mental state had been deteriorating day by day. If not for Xia Xingchi’s appearance, it would be no surprise if he went completely insane soon after.

So his little hedgehog had not only returned to his side, but even changed his original hopeless ending.

Li Chengyuan smiled faintly and didn’t continue to embarrass and frighten Xia Xingchi, raising a hand to touch his head: “So when are you going to get off of me?”

Xia Xingchi was taken aback for a moment, and suddenly found that he was still straddling Li Chengyuan in a position that was not suitable for children, which painted a very colorful picture.

Xia Xingchi: “…….”

Discussing this serious matter in such an unorthodox posture was simply terrible.

He jumped up as if he had received an electric shock, and then quickly lifted the blanket, intending to get back into his hedgehog nest.

But this time, Li Chengyuan gripped him by the back of the neck: “Come out with me for a walk.”

Xia Xingchi refused and continued trying to get under the covers, saying vigilantly: “No way, the doctor said you have to stay in bed and rest, lie down and don’t move around.”

After that, he turned his head to bite Li Chengyuan’s hand that was gripping his collar, but his nose was pinched again when that hand loosened.

Li Chengyuan got up to grab his coat, obviously not intending to follow the doctor’s advice: “It’s uncomfortable to lie down all the time.”

After lying down for several days, the farthest he went was to walk down the corridor while holding onto Xia Xingchi and the IV stand, which was really difficult to bear.

There was nothing Xia Xingchi could do about him, so he stuck his head out from under the covers to make a condition: “Let’s take a stroll down the corridor again, or you can sit in a wheelchair……I can push you for a ride!”

This proposal was rejected by one vote, of course, and he even got a tap on the forehead.

Xia Xingchi compromised in the end, thinking that a walk might improve Li Chengyuan’s appetite and make him eat more. Thus, he quickly put on his coat and agreed to go downstairs to walk the cat.

The most important thing was to put more clothes on his cat, whose body had not recovered. If he caught a cold and got sick, Xia Xingchi would definitely be worried to death.

Xia Xingchi finally felt at ease once he wrapped that person tightly in three layers inside and outside. He euphemistically said, “I’ll hold you up,” but in fact, it was obvious that Li Chengyuan was dragging him crookedly by the arm to go downstairs for a walk.

This was the top private hospital in Beijing, after all, and the supporting facilities were quite exhaustive.

Downstairs, there were not only gardens and beautiful walking paths, but it was also directly connected to a small ecological park with an excellent environment.

The two took a leisurely stroll, and finally stopped in front of a shallow artificial lake. This lake was full of koi, which would come up when people passed by, likely out of the habit of being fed.

It had already entered early winter, but today was a rare nice and temperate day, not particularly cold.

With the warm sun shining on his face, Xia Xingchi squinted his eyes and took Li Chengyuan’s arm, rubbing his head on his shoulder. He suddenly felt that this day was extremely pleasant.

There was nothing more reassuring and joyful than spending time with his family’s big cat.

The two sat on a bench by the lake, and after a while, Li Chengyuan instructed a bodyguard to quickly bring fish food over. He conscientiously unscrewed the lid and handed it to Xia Xingchi.

Xia Xingchi’s eyes lit up at once at the sight of the fish food, and he stood happily by the lake feeding the fish, while Li Chengyuan watched quietly from the sidelines.

As he watched the warm sun outline Xia Xingchi with a golden border, the other’s thick and slightly long hair looked fluffy.

“Li Chengyuan, look, look, I found a……”

Xia Xinghchi stared at the pure golden koi and wanted to have Li Chengyuan take a look, but when he turned around, he found this person standing beside him quietly.

When they turned their heads, their faces happened to meet, and Li Chengyuan leaned down to kiss him gently on the forehead – 

It was clearly a premeditated kiss.

Xia Xingchi was taken off guard by this unexpected sneak attack and immediately wanted to kiss him back, but he suddenly found that there were many fans around them, watching on with eyes full of pink bubbles.

As for Li Chengyuan’s kiss, many people couldn’t help but scream in excitement, and the atmosphere became even more lively.

There were quite a lot of people in the garden, and after recognizing the two of them, they quickly gathered over as if wishing to see another kiss on the head.

After being stared at in such a passionate atmosphere, Xia Xingchi immediately blushed and said: “What are you doing, there are still people here! Did you do that on purpose?”

Li Chengyuan gave a faint smile. Sure enough, he did it on purpose.

In the past, he had used various routines to get Xia Xingchi to officially announce them to the world. A certain person’s definition of “low-key” was really a double standard.

There was a lot of commotion, and there were so many fans and onlookers that it almost became a small meetup.

It was nothing more than showing affection in front of the camera, but now he really couldn’t adapt to being under everyone’s watchful eyes, especially the excited crowd that cheered and shouted: “Kiss again! President Li! Kiss Xingchi again!”

Xia Xingchi subconsciously wanted to run away, and was about to grab his big cat when he suddenly remembered that the doctor told the patient not to exercise vigorously during this time.

Fortunately, this group of fans was really affectionate and friendly, and didn’t rush forward wildly. They were likely taking into account the physical condition of everyone’s male god.

Xia Xingchi had no choice but to stand in place. He was a little embarrassed to see so many fans for the first time, and couldn’t help wanting to shrink back.

After all, Xia Xingchi had been despised for so long during his more than twenty years of life, and had never faced so many kind and loving eyes. He was a little unaccustomed to it, and even a little flattered and disbelieving.

When he took a step back in embarrassment, Li Chengyuan pulled him into his arms protectively. He gently stroked his head as if to comfort him, and then lowered his head and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

The fans immediately burst into cheers, and were so excited that they wished they could move the Civil Affairs Bureau here so that the two could get married on the spot.

“Why are you kissing me again? You want to fight, don’t you, ah?”

Xia Xingchi’s face was hot from the kiss, and he couldn’t help but puff up.

“This is doing business in front of fans,” Li Chengyuan said in a low voice, calmly revealing his righteousness, as if he was actually doing it for the sake of the cheering fans.

Xia Xingchi naturally knew that he no longer cared about business. This was just deliberately making up excuses.

“Sir, what is the relationship between us? I don’t seem to have said that we are going to be together. You’re being so familiar, ah!”

Just as he was speaking, he happened to hear a fan in the crowd shout: “Mr. Li! Xingchi! When will we be able to eat wedding candy? Today is also a working day for the Civil Affairs Bureau!”

Everyone’s goal immediately upgraded from a simple kiss to “Get married! Get married!”

Originally, everyone was just excited after meeting them by chance and wanted to knock cp to make things lively. Unexpectedly, Li Chengyuan actually answered:

He cleared his throat slightly as a signal, and everyone immediately fell silent.

They hadn’t heard him speak in person. His real voice was deeper and more magnetic than it was after being compressed and distorted online:

“We will marry and get the certificate soon – this mainly depends on whether I can please my little fiance. I am endeavoring to do so.”

After speaking, the corners of Li Chengyuan’s mouth turned up slightly and he went to look at Xia Xingchi again. Not only did he tell the truth, but he felt no shame chasing after this person, and was in a good mood.

The crowd was already very excited by his voice, and they immediately boiled up when they heard this, shouting “promise him,” which caused unknowing passers-by to wonder who was proposing.

Xia Xingchi could only stare at Li Chengyuan again. This big boss was already so hungry to get married to the point of asking fans to help force the marriage?

Of course, apart from the matter of getting married, everyone was most concerned about whether Li Chengyuan’s physical condition was better or not, and if it was serious.

After all, seeing him like this, his face was really pale and bloodless.

Xia Xingchi smiled and answered truthfully: “Don’t worry, everyone. The doctor has examined him carefully, and he will be completely fine after a period of rest.”

Li Chengyuan’s body did recover quickly. Although the interval between the two hospitalizations was so short, making it worse for his already injured body, he fortunately did not damage his foundation. Raising him back to health was no problem.

The two had nothing else to do, and didn’t refuse everyone’s requests for autographs and group photos. Xia Xingchi finally caught the feeling of being a legendary star.

It was a pity that the injury on his right hand had not healed. Although the bandage was removed, he couldn’t handle a pen very well. He only struggled to sign his name a few times before turning to take group photos.

Rather than taking group photos with them, all the cp fans obviously wanted to see them taking photos together. Li Chengyuan was uncharacteristically very easy-going and responsive in this regard, and obviously had malicious intentions. Xia Xingchi glared at him several times.

More and more people came, and the scene gradually got out of control.

Only then did Li Chengyuan raise his hand to signal the bodyguards to come forward, so as to avoid any accident that could result in Xia Xingchi being hurt again.

. . . . . .

That night, “Yuanchi cp” quickly became a trending search.

Because Xia Yu and Li Shengrui always made a mess of things before, every time Li Chengyuan and Xia Xingchi were on the trending searches, it was always in regard to wretched things done by those two wretched people.

This time, everyone was finally able to knock cp happily instead of looking for sugar among heartrending shards of glass. The scene was quite spectacular for a while.

[I’m the Civil Affairs Bureau, I moved myself here. Quick, quick, quick, I can’t wait!]

[Oh my god! It’s the first time since the reality show that I’ve seen Mr. Li and Baby Xingchi again, I’m so moved]

[Hahahaha When they met last time, they were still pretending not to know each other! Don’t try to fool our sharp eyes]

[Oooh, his hugging picture is amazing. Which sister thought of this pose, help me, I can still knock!]

[I was there! This is not a posed photo, everyone’s enthusiasm scared Baby Xingchi, and he subconsciously slipped into Mr. Li’s arms!]

[Aaah, that’s even better! It’s enough to see how they usually act around each other! I want to keep this one forever. The car door has been welded shut and I’ve swallowed the key! Get married soon!]

[They finally got close in front of the camera! ! Thanking the sisters who took pictures and videos!]

. . . . . .

This pairing was called “the pinnacle of knocking cp,” and was indeed out of control.

In the next few days, every detail from the reality show was picked out frame by frame, and even the photos of Xia Xingchi at the fashion soiree were re-posted.

The more people, the stronger they were, and in just four or five days, there was enough sugar for everyone to find.

[Hey hey, do you know there is also a black set of Xingchi’s couture?]

[Hmmmm? Ears ready for sugar! Is it for couples?!]

[I remember that dead green tea Xia Yu couldn’t rent it when he wanted to, but it’s said that Xia Xingchi bought it directly. Therefore, nobody could have borrowed it from the brand]

[That’s right! Mr. Li bought it for Xingchi! The most important thing is – I finally dug three feet to find a photo of Mr. Li that day! (image.jpg)]

[Groundhog scream ahhh! Mr. Li was actually wearing a couples style at that time! Wuwuwu these two are so good together!]

[Raising hand! I found one even more beautiful! Look at this one! (image.jpg)]

Xia Xingchi was playing on his cell phone in the dark. Playing in the dead of night was the most enjoyable time. At this moment, he was following the candy-knocking curiously, wanting to know what was more “beautiful.”

At first glance, the photo was dark and the phone screen was dim, so he couldn’t see anything.

But in his uncertainty, he exited the picture and went to the comment area and saw everyone shouting, “Knock it!.” Then he remembered that he could try turning up the brightness.

So at the risk of being blinded during the night, Xia Xingchi squinted his eyes and adjusted the phone screen to the brightest setting, and saw the photo clearly —

It turned out that it was Li Chengyuan hugging him horizontally in his arms. He was so drunk that he was actively clinging to him, hugging Li Chengyuan’s neck tightly and refusing to let go.

This was what happened after getting drunk that day?

Although the memory was a little distant and blurry, the two of them had obviously not had such a close relationship at that time, and were even slightly estranged.

Seeing these photos pieced together, it was obvious that he had insisted on playing tricks and making that person hug him, so Li Chengyuan had no choice but to follow suit.

Xia Xingchi was dumbfounded. There was actually some sugar found by the fans that made the idol look foolish……the sugar was quite sweet, and the shock quite shocking.

. . . . . . .

In the early morning, Xia Xingchi was sleeping drowsily when he had a feeling that something was missing.

He instinctively wanted to stick to Li Chengyuan’s body, but after rolling twice, he failed to roll into the target’s arms like he usually did, and couldn’t help but reach out sleepily to feel around.

But he found that the person next to him had left at some point.

Since Li Chengyuan was about to be discharged from the hospital, Xia Xingchi was worried that he wouldn’t follow the doctor’s advice to stay in bed and recuperate more, so he immediately woke up and wanted to find out where he was.

Just as he put on his slippers and got out of bed, he found that Li Chengyuan was standing on the balcony outside of the ward with his coat on, talking in a low voice as if he was on the phone.

Although his back was facing Xia Xingchi, he could still vaguely see that he was holding something in his hand and was looking down and fiddling with it.

Xia Xingchi tilted his head and gazed at him quietly. One day when he was half asleep and half awake, he had seen him standing on the balcony like this, and it looked pretty much the same —

Who was he talking on the phone with instead of sleeping so early in the morning?

What was even more bizarre was that although the fans had been enjoying themselves these past few days, Li Chengyuan seemed to be getting colder with each passing day.

Although his words and actions were the same as usual, he always seemed a little mysterious. When asked who he was on the phone with and what he was looking at, he replied calmly: “I’m looking at my fingers.”

Xia Xingchi naturally didn’t believe him. Although his hands were indeed extremely beautiful, he imagined the big tycoon playing with his hands while talking on the phone. This scene was too creepy, there was no possibility of it happening at all.

— Was it possible that this person was cheating before the relationship was confirmed?!

Of course, there was still a baseline of trust between the owner and the big kitty cat, and now was just a good opportunity to find out what Li Chengyuan was up to.

Xia Xingchi crept close to the balcony. He stretched out his head to see what Li Chengyuan was holding in his hand, and at the same time, tried to prick up his ears to hear what he was saying.

But the angle was not suitable. Although Xia Xingchi worked very hard, he could only vaguely look from the side and couldn’t see everything. He also couldn’t hear the content of his phone call clearly through the glass.

Just as he was thinking about opening the door and going to the balcony for a surprise inspection, Xia Xingchi suddenly realized in horror —

Li Chengyuan wasn’t wearing a bluetooth headset at all, so what kind of call was he making?!

This discovery was hair-raising. After waking up, he actually found out that his family’s cat was crazy and was standing on the balcony talking to himself?

Xia Xingchi couldn’t care less about tiptoeing. After all, “crazy” was just an adjective for others, but it might be true for Li Chengyuan.

He quickly jumped up and slammed the doorknob, opened the balcony door, and rushed forward!

This action was too fast and sudden, and clearly caught Li Chengyuan by surprise.

A bit of astonishment appeared in his usual calm and indifferent expression, mixed with embarrassment and tension that could not be completely concealed. Even the tips of his ears suddenly turned red.

Xia Xingchi was taken aback. He had never seen Li Chengyuan wear such an expression.

What made him even more confused was that although Li Chengyuan’s reflexes were fast enough, Xia Xingchi still vaguely saw —

The thing in his hand seemed to be a ring box?

---

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

Feeling Li Chengyuan’s thin lips getting closer and closer to Xia Xingchi’s extremely sensitive nape, he feared that if he didn’t answer, he would be kissed in the next second.

In the dim and ambiguous room, a faint smile appeared on Li Chengyuan’s face. After all, it didn’t matter if a certain person didn’t answer —

Thinking of it as an opportunity to kiss his little hedgehog more, he profited either way.

Just as he thought this, he suddenly heard Xia Xingchi say: “Wait!”

Li Chengyuan paused, and then his heart beat faster – he was nervous and eager to hear the answer to that question.

But what he never expected was that rather than answer the question, Xia Xingchi vigorously carp-flopped in his arms and twisted around to face him.

Then he went from passive to active and kissed his cheek head-on!

Soft, warm lips touched his slightly cool skin with a tingling, throbbing sensation like a weak electric current.

As if he was too nervous, Xia Xingchi accidentally licked Li Chengyuan’s face with the tip of his tongue.

Li Chengyuan was immediately dazed. As if the electric current had suddenly strengthened, his mind was blank and slightly numb.

Some instinct made him subconsciously want to reach out and put his arms around Xia Xingchi, but just as he raised his arm, there was a very loud, crisp “muah!” that pierced through the rich, lingering atmosphere.

The hot undercurrent was broken by this sound, and the scene was suddenly a bit amusing.

Xia Xingchi kissed violently like a small vacuum cleaner, and proudly said: “Don’t even think about kissing me!”

After saying this, he just dove under the covers, very satisfied with his adaptable act of making a preemptive strike. 

Li Chengyuan was taken aback for a moment, and when he came back to his senses, he almost laughed angrily, wanting to take this little bastard right out of bed and give him a spanking.

The two were covered with the same blanket. In fact, he could easily pull Xia Xingchi into his arms if he stretched out a hand.

But the restless enthusiasm just now had evoked some indescribable feeling, and the residual heat had not dissipated after rising, but had rather intensified.

Touching Xia Xingchi again at this time would simply add fuel to the fire.

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips. He touched his head through the blanket after a while and then turned his back on him, intending to calm down first.

Under the blanket, Xia Xingchi blinked. Unaware of the fire he had just started, he simply thought angrily, this bastard hasn’t said it himself, and wants me to say I like him first?

This was a loss-making business!

Although he could clearly sense Li Chengyuan’s intentions, it was like flirting between young lovers, and he couldn’t help but want to hear him repeat it two or three times.

If not for Li Chengyuan’s repeated questioning, Xia Xingchi himself wouldn’t have been able to figure out his ignorant feelings.

— Is this what I like? Am I really in love with this big villain?

After much deliberation, he didn’t even know when this had happened. When he came back to his senses, he realized that his entire heart was focused on Li Chengyuan.

An unknown amount of time later, just when Xia Xingchi thought a certain person had fallen asleep, he suddenly felt a slight movement behind him.

Immediately afterwards, he was once again pulled into a familiar embrace.

He was startled, and reached out a hand to gently push Li Chengyuan: “What are you doing! Sir, pillow service is a different price, don’t hug me!”

There was a slight smile in Li Chengyuan’s deep voice: “How much? Are all my assets enough – if not, how about adding me?”

His chest vibrated slightly with his words and happened to be close to Xia Xingchi’s face. The tingling numbness from just now finally affected Xia Xingchi like an electric current, making him hot as well.

“I, I’ll think about it.”

Xia Xingchi naturally knew what these words meant. The shamelessness of the past had completely disappeared, and he whispered, “Sustaining economic losses won’t be good for you, I have to think carefully…..”

Li Chengyuan smiled even more when he heard these words, and kissed his forehead lightly: “All right, then I’ll put my arms around my little pillow on credit first.”

. . . . . .

News of the attack on the two spread like wildfire, and there were already rumors.

The police also subsequently issued a bulletin outlining the circumstances of the case.

Xia Xingchi woke up naturally and reclined in bed to scroll Weibo, watching everyone mourn the male god’s latest hospitalization. On the one hand, Li Chengyuan’s actions in the nine-on-one attack became more and more popular.

It was no wonder everyone had rich imaginations, considering how badly those gangsters were beaten.

Li Chengyuan was able to rely on his own strength to defend himself, dealing out two deaths and three injuries. He deserved to be the cruel, ruthless villain at the center of the original book.

Fortunately, the wheel of fate had changed direction, and the big villain did not embark on the road of a twisted madman. Instead, he reined himself in at the precipice before he became part of the legal system.

Xia Xingchi blinked and moved back, stuffing himself into Li Chengyuan’s arms. He didn’t need to turn his head to know that the big cat must be staring at him right now.

Sure enough, as soon as he moved, an arm stretched out and embraced him.

Xia Xingchi continued to scroll through the comments, wanting to see if everyone’s next step was to regard Li Chengyuan as a hero who could fly over the eaves and walk on walls:

[God, ah, Boss Li is so strong! Of those nine people, the police reported a shocking two deaths and three injuries. Is this real combat power?]

[Mm-mm, I love sick beauties with max force value the most, this contrast is cute! I’m about to have a nosebleed!]

[He is indeed my male god! Just soooo excellent, ahhhh!]

[Wuwuwu But Mr. Li is hospitalized again. I’m so distressed and worried, ah, how is he now?]

[I just want to know who the hell is behind the scenes! I bet a dime that besides Xia Yu, there’s a real mastermind!]

[Let the Sherlock Holmeses deduce, those who dare to commit crimes like this must benefit from it, and benefit from it hugely]

[Didn’t someone say that there’s a disgusting illegitimate child from an affair? That should be the suspect. @Beijing Public Security, why don’t you investigate?]

[No matter who the murderer is, Mr. Li’s stakeholders must have money. Spending money to make people work hard and make them squeaky clean, as long as there is no complete chain of evidence, no one can be found guilty without judgment in a court of law. Alas]

[Begging Uncle Police Officers, if the murderer isn’t caught quickly, we’ll be really worried. We’re afraid Baby Xingchi and Mr. Li will be assassinated again. It’s only been a few days, and it’s happened twice!]

. . . . . .

Xia Xingchi scrolled through the comment section, thinking that this was indeed a problem.

Li Shengrui, that son of a bitch, must have been prepared for a long time and spent a lot of money to clean up behind him. Since he was able to hide the truth in the original book, it would probably be very difficult to pin him down now.

Therefore, no matter how suspicious he was and even if he was the only suspect, as long as there was no chain of evidence, there would be no way to punish him by law.

Just as he was worrying, he saw that the hot search had been refreshed again, and a rather conspicuous entry appeared before Xia Xingchi:

#Xia Yu released on bail pending trial#

Xia Xingchi froze for a moment. Then he sat up abruptly in bed and said in shock: “Is this the protagonist halo – uh, I mean he can still survive?”

In his agitation, he almost made a slip of the tongue in front of Li Chengyuan again.

It was truly impossible not to be shocked. After all, this matter was of great importance. If Xia Yu had a chance to turn things around, then all the previous speculations about changing the ending of the book would have to be overturned.

Naturally, that also included the ending of his family’s big villain.

Li Chengyuan sat up and touched Xia Xingchi’s head, saying: “Don’t worry, I’m the one who got him released on bail.”

“Huh?” This made him even more confused, and Xia Xingchi asked doubtfully, “Why did you let him out?”

. . . . . .

As expected, Xia Yu himself didn’t understand this at all, or perhaps he didn’t care anymore.

He didn’t know who released him on bail and didn’t want to know why. There was only one hateful thought left in his heart.

This was a major criminal case involving attempted murder. The procedure was not easy, but the grounds for bail were indeed legal and compliant —

There were obviously some problems with Xia Yu’s current mental state. When the police weren’t watching him for a moment, he almost brained himself on the corner of a table. When he got emotional, he cried and laughed wildly.

Xia Yu walked out of the detention center in a daze and took the clothes and cell phone he had lost when he came in. But he found that he had done all sorts of bad things over the years and had already been deserted by his friends and relatives. At this moment, there was not a single person who was sincerely willing to pick him up.

Xia Pingjian had of course heard about his bail pending trial, but he only felt that his old face had been lost.

Whether Xia Yu went in or came out temporarily, he coldly drew a line, pretending he didn’t know this money-losing thing.

After all, the Xia family had never experienced such a shameful incident as the police coming to arrest someone. What made it even more embarrassing was that they didn’t know until now that it was Mr. Li whom Xiao Yu dared to murder.

As soon as the news came out, half of Xia Pingjian’s old life was frightened out of him on the spot. He could only go about begging for help and hope that Li Chengyuan wouldn’t hold the Xia family at fault. This was definitely not done on his order.

After much deliberation, he still didn’t feel at ease. People all over the world said that Xia Xingchi was his precious son, and that Xia Yu, a bastard, had nothing to do with the Xia family, much less that he represented them. 

Xia Yu’s hands trembled with nerves as he dialed a number and called.

But no matter how many times he called, he could only hear the prompt tone after being blocked: “Sorry, the user you dialed is busy,” and nothing else happened.

The repeated cold mechanical sound agitated Xia Yu’s mind and almost made him go crazy, screaming and shouting in front of the detention center again.

— Li Shengrui had cut off all contact with him a long time ago, and it was even more impossible to contact him now.

Xia Yu gritted his teeth, trembling with hatred when he thought that he had been tossed away after he had served his use.

Clearly, Li Shengrui was the culprit behind everything, but now that he was free from the law, Xia Yu’s own reputation and life had been ruined.

Those promises they made to each other were all false. It was all just lies and deceit.

Xia Yu held up his cell phone and became hysterical with resentment for the call that he couldn’t get to go through at all: “Li Shengrui……you bitch! Don’t even fucking think about it!”

What followed was a stream of very filthy cursing. Such was the case that passers-by all looked sideways and suddenly recognized this dirty, crazy person as Xia Yu.

In the eyes of the onlooking crowd, Xia Yu really became the “low-life detested by everyone.”

An angry fan was so furious that they poured half a glass of iced Coke on his head and shouted: 

“Damn green tea murderer! Why did you come out! Are you worth of Xingchi and Mr. Li! You thief!”

This seemed to be a symbol of encouragement. In the next second, all kinds of things that could be thrown were thrown at him like darts, and he had to run away in humiliation.

Thus, the hot search term “Xia Yu released on bail pending trial” rushed to the top with countless funny and embarrassing photos.

He finally ran to a place where no one was chasing him. Xia Yu’s face was covered in sticky cola, and he had completely lost his mind.

Clutching his phone, he muttered to himself: “Li Shengrui, lucky I was prepared…..don’t even fucking think about it!”

He grabbed a taxi and named a location, staring fiercely at the phone all the way under the driver’s surprised eyes as he looked at the fool.

In a corner of a hidden alley, Xia Yu lay on the ground with ease and took out a small USB from somewhere, then forcefully inserted it into the phone.

He opened Weibo, ignoring the insults filling his private inbox, and just stared at the screen with red eyes as he quickly edited something.

A moment later, a new Weibo appeared before everyone without warning.

It contained various content such as photos, screenshots, and audio —

And it all turned out to be evidence of Li Shengrui’s crimes.

[What the hell?! I’m shocked, what does this mean?]

[Xia Yu hasn’t been convicted yet, right? Did he go completely crazy and self-destruct?]

[Turned on the recording and listened to it, I was really fucking sick. Why are you still not dead, you fucking bastard?]

[I finally know who Xia Yu was with in the photo, who looked exactly like Mr. Li. I’m suddenly enlightened]

[Hahahaha I laughed so hard. These two were still thinking about taking the family inheritance and getting married ah? That’s when I found out there were a couple]

[This is really in line with the saying – A bitch deserves a dog forever.]

[The fake young master who occupied the magpie’s nest is paired with the successful high-level illegitimate child. You two are really a match made in heaven hahaha]

. . . . . .

Presently, Xia Xingchi was also swiping his phone in shock. He didn’t expect to see everything turned upside down like an avalanche.

Just now he was troubled by the vicious protagonist gong who had no evidence against him, and thought it would be difficult to bring him to justice.

But if he thought about it carefully, if two equally calculating people wanted to cooperate, they were already mutually grabbing each other’s handles. The only person who had evidence may indeed be the green tea protagonist.

After the two people in the original plot committed all their sins, they got a loving happy ending, and naturally, this evidence was not made public.

But now that Li Chengyuan wasn’t dead, the two were facing imminent disaster and respectively broke up.

Xia Xingchi tilted his head to look at Li Chengyuan again, and finally understood why he released Xia Yu.

As expected of a meticulous villain with an outrageously high IQ. Even though he knew nothing about the fantastical issue of transmigration, he could still perceive the key to breaking the game.

This matter of letting the dog out to bite the other dog was simply too funny. The more Xia Xingchi read, the more ridiculous it became. Li Shengrui likely never expected that he would be beaten by his own pig teammate.^[1] His face must be turning green at this moment.

Speaking of which, although Xia Xingchi had heard about the villainous protagonist Li Shengrui for a long time, he had never seen him with his own eyes, and only saw his silhouette at the cemetery that night.

Speak of someone and he was sure to appear – he saw that the omnipotent netizens had quickly picked up Li Shengrui’s photo:

[This is the front view of the scum illegitimate child (picture.jpg), how about taking a look?]

[Ah, this, ah, this. Saying he looks like Mr. Li is the worst Mr. Li has ever been insulted. The male god is much better than him, did he fail to copy him?]

[Wait, why do I feel like he’s deliberately imitating him? Is he perverted? Why did he deliberately dress up like Li Chengyuan?]

[He really is! Save me, ah, ugly people do all kinds of things to get attention. Buyer’s picture of the product vs the seller’s picture of the product? Boss Li must have been disgusted by him all these years, get out of the way for grandpa!]

[The disgusting son born to the shameless mistress, who has been imitating the other young master for so many years with a distorted mind. Blegh.]

. . . . . . 

Xia Xingchi clicked on the picture and couldn’t help being shocked by the similarity.

But if he looked closely at the facial features, he found that this “similarity” did not come from appearance, but by improving upon the four or five points of original likeness with seven or eight points of dressing up.

It could even be seen that Li Shengrui deliberately trimmed his eyebrows just to make them look closer to Li Chengyuan’s.

The circle of the rich was not large, so naturally they all knew Li Chengyuan. This behavior served no other purpose than embarrassment.

Then there was another possibility – Li Shengrui may not have realized he was imitating him.

Li Chengyuan had always been outstanding and radiant, always shining brightly. Even if the vicious mother and son teamed up to trample him into the mud, it would only further prove his excellence.

Living in the shadows of the background, Li Shengrui was more ignoble and senseless. He subconsciously took Li Chengyuan as a benchmark, making comparisons everywhere, and even his aesthetic standards eventually gravitated toward the other.

Xia Xingchi blinked. The more he looked at it, the more he felt that Li Shengrui looked awkward. It was the difference between genuine and fake.

He couldn’t take any more and put down his phone, and decided to take a closer look at his family’s genuine article so as to cleanse his eyes.

Li Chengyuan saw him taking the initiative to come over and stick to him, so he raised his hand and pinched his nose lightly: “Are you happy now?”

Xia Xingchi grinned and nodded. Seeing the villain subdued by the law and getting what he deserved, he itched to jump up and set off firecrackers to celebrate.

Now he wanted to see what punishment Li Shengrui would be sentenced to, but there was no rush —

He had attempted murder twice, and even hired killers. The circumstances were bad. Perhaps he could be sentenced to death directly, or even life imprisonment, so that he would spend the rest of his life behind bars to reflect and regret.

Li Chengyuan said: “Such a happy ‘little stand-in.’ It’s time to work, go for a walk with your boss.”

He deliberately emphasized the words “little stand-in.” Coupled with that faint smile that was not a smile, it was clear that this was another matter to solve.

Xia Xingchi was slow for a few seconds, before he remembered being jealous of himself.

He thought about all the embarrassing things that happened during that time. No matter that Li Chengyuan had said “you’re the one I was looking for,” he still insisted on not believing it. Not only did he come up with all kinds of sadomasochism in his brain, but he also grew jealous because of it……

Xia Xingchi promptly blushed, flew into a rage out of humiliation, then picked up a pillow and jumped on him!

He covered Li Chengyuan’s face, as if trying to silence him on the spot, and said angrily: “You’re not allowed to say it!”

After being sidetracked by so many messy things, he had almost forgotten about this important matter.

In fact, Xia Xingchi still hadn’t figured out the cause and effect. Since that fragment, no new memories had appeared.

But based on this alone, it was at least enough to confirm that he was the “Original White Moonlight.”

Thinking about all the sour, jealous scenes before, he even beat up his delicate, frail boss in embarrassment because the fact that he was “drinking vinegar” was exposed —

The more he thought about it, the more he itched to find a crack in the ground and crawl inside.

---

[1] A “pig teammate” (猪队友) is a teammate who is more of a hindrance than a help. ⮐

---

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

T/N: I’m posting the last four chapters all at once for those who donated before I started doing the two chapter per donation thing. The two extras will also be posted in the next couple of days. Thanks, everyone!

Seeing someone perform a “medical miracle” on the spot, for a moment, the scene was simply shocking and outrageous.

Xia Xingchi’s face was full of tears that hadn’t been wiped clean. After yelling, his mood went up and down like a roller coaster, with mixed feelings.

First, he was almost scared to death by that bastard Li Chengyuan, and then he was so overcome that he almost sat down on the ground and wailed.

Immediately afterwards, he was so annoyed by his deceitful act of sitting up on his deathbed that he wanted to grind his teeth and bite him to death.

But in the end, he was left with the ecstasy of regaining what had been lost. As long as he could live, that was better than anything.

Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth and pushed Li Chengyuan down on the hospital bed firmly but gently.

Although this person was not about to die, his weakness was real, and his body couldn’t bear any amount of strength. With his weak and delicate body, it only took a light push to make him fall directly on the bed.

Xia Xingchi didn’t expect that he would fall after a light push. He immediately froze, and his heart softened for a moment, but then he gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, pretending to punch him.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengyuan started putting on an act again, and as soon as he fell down, he frowned with pain and let out a muffled groan of agony.

Seeing the cold sweat on his forehead, Xia Xingchi was taken aback. Not to mention wanting to settle the score, now he couldn’t even bear to scold him anymore.

“You, you stop pretending, ah.” Xia Xingchi only endured for a moment, and then couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “Where is it uncomfortable?”

Li Chengyuan didn’t speak, but wore that familiar staring expression again. After staring for a long time, he said in a low voice:

“When do you want to go get the certificate?”

Xia Xingchi: “……?”

This scheming big cat was absolutely doing this on purpose, relying on the fact that he was now an invalid who needed to be cared for physically and mentally.

He had temporarily forgotten to care about what had happened earlier, but now he thought it was a hateful thing.

He was tricked into shedding so many tears, and he agreed to get a marriage certificate.

The most infuriating thing was that he was still lured into such a proactive, long, and passionate kiss.

Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but blush at the thought. The warmth seemed to still linger on his lips.

He didn’t dare look at Li Chengyuan again, and said angrily: “Who wants to get a certificate with you!” Then he quickly slipped out of the room as if fleeing.

Looking at his panicked back, Li Chengyuan couldn’t help but smile faintly.

. . . . . .

The little hedgehog, who had rolled himself into a ball in embarrassment, hid for a while before the doctor pushed the stretcher in.

Xia Xingchi pricked up his ears at the sound. Luckily, he had made preparations by curling up on the sofa far away, rather than on the hospital bed.

He turned his head to face the back of the couch, pretending he didn’t exist, like if he couldn’t see Li Chengyuan, then Li Chengyuan couldn’t see him either.

The more he thought about it, the more embarrassed and regretful he felt. He was obsessing over why he had kissed a certain person just now, and couldn’t face him at all.

At this time, he heard a nurse say softly: “Mr. Li, please undress and turn around. The dressing on your back wound needs to be changed.”

Xia Xingchi was taken aback at once, and then remembered that his back was injured. It was probably not serious, but no wonder his face turned pale from the pain just now when he was pushed.

……Wait, undress?

Then Li Chengyuan would be seen and touched by others!

“Wait a minute!”

Xia Xingchi stopped pretending to be asleep and jumped up quickly, rushing forward to talk it over: “Can you let me change his dressings?”

The nurse wore a hesitant expression. After all, the wound on Li Chengyuan’s back was large, and the steps to change the dressing were complicated, so ordinary people might not be able to do it well.

“He…..he doesn’t like being looked at, or touched.”

Xia Xingchi bit the bullet and lied. Even he himself couldn’t explain why he had such a strange possessive desire toward his big cat.

As soon as he spoke, Li Chengyuan looked over with a little playfulness in his eyes, wearing an expression that was a smile but not a smile.

Xia Xingchi was doubly embarrassed by this look, and quickly picked up a pillow to cover the other party’s face.

The nurse was very reasonable, and could see the sweetness between the young lovers at a glance.

She immediately laughed, but then pretended to be serious and said: “This is not an easy task, so the family member will have to work hard.”

Saying this, she picked up all kinds of bottles and jars and carefully taught Xia Xingchi how to apply the medicine. This was obviously much more relaxed than her tense and serious attitude just now —

By covering Li Chengyuan’s face, the two of them could perform the deception of “if you can’t see him, he isn’t there,” and the nurse was not so nervous and afraid of the big boss.

Xia Xingchi was versatile and had some experience with many professions, so he learned quickly.

After the nurse left, he immediately lifted the pillow and said fiercely: “Beauty, hurry up and take off your clothes!”

After speaking, he remembered that Li Chengyuan was injured and couldn’t move easily, so he simply rolled up his sleeves and pretended to be ill-mannered, going forward to remove his clothing.

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips and looked at Xia Xingchi helplessly, finally raising his hand to gently stroke his head and touch his eyes: “Why didn’t you sleep well?”

Xia Xingchi shrank back from the cold touch, blinked, and realized that he was like a rabbit with red eyes.

“It’s fine, I’ll just catch up on sleep…..so how dare you make me worry more!”

A certain person simply did everything he could to obtain a marriage certificate. Who would believe that this national-level male god was so anxious to marry?

Xia Xingchi sat by the bed and looked at Li Chengyuan’s back after he took off the nightgown.

His skin was so cold and pale that it was almost morbid, and his back, which had always been beautiful, was now covered in shocking and ferocious bruises. The bloody wounds were quite frightening.

Recalling that all of these injuries had been blocked for him, Xia Xingchi’s heart trembled, and at the same time, there was a surge of warmth that made his eyes sore.

He suddenly wanted to hug Li Chengyuan, and stick to him in the simplest and most direct way like a small animal to express his affection. He also wanted to kiss him again.

Xia Xingchi took a deep breath, shook his head, and warned himself that the most important thing was to apply the medicine. However, he stared at the horrifying wounds for a long time without doing anything, and could only continue to prepare himself mentally.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt too much,” Li Chengyuan said.

He didn’t really want Xia Xingchi to change his dressings just now. After all, he knew this little hedgehog’s nature. He would probably feel distressed when he saw the wounds, and perhaps be quick to shed tears.

Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth. His hands were shaking a little, so he could only use the lightest and slowest force to carefully apply the medicine to Li Chengyuan.

Although his big cat said that it didn’t hurt, that was apparently just to comfort him.

The moment the debridement medicine was sprinkled on, Xia Xingchi watched Li Chengyuan’s back automatically tense up. He was obviously suffering extreme pain, but he endured it without saying a word.

Xia Xingchi was so distressed that he was at a loss for what to do, so he lightly touched Li Chengyuan’s lower back to comfort him, hoping that the side effects of the medicine would pass soon.

Unexpectedly, because Li Chengyuan’s whole body was tense, the originally smooth and beautiful muscle lines on his waist became even more distinct. They not only looked good, but also felt very good under his hand.

Xia Xingchi’s heart moved, and he couldn’t help but want to touch it again, so he stretched out his hand and stroked it from top to bottom without thinking.

After touching it, he realized something was wrong. His strong heartache was mixed with throbbing ambiguity, which almost made him forget where to look and put his hands.

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips, clearly also at a loss. While feeling gut-wrenching pain, he was also tickled and warmed by this restless hand.

But he didn’t put a halt to Xia Xingchi’s behavior. Instead, he pretended not to notice and let him do whatever he wanted.

Xia Xingchi still thought that his little tricks were hidden from others, and he was glad that Li Chengyuan had his back turned to him so that he couldn’t see his blushing face.

With great difficulty, he tried his best to change the dressings as his heart beat like a drum. It happened that the bodyguard at the door knocked and then came in to deliver food.

He jumped up hastily and finally found an excuse to get rid of this strange atmosphere, so that he would no longer be attracted by the big villain’s beauty and be tempted to do small tricks:

“Okay! You get dressed. I’m so hungry, I’ll go and see what looks good first.”

Aunt Li’s cooking was enough to fill several large lunch boxes. After hearing about what happened to the two of them yesterday, she was terrified. Knowing that she couldn’t do anything else to help, she could only try her best to cook some delicious food.

The process of opening a lunch box was like opening a surprise gift. Xia Xingchi opened his favorite pork rib noodles and tomato beef brisket soup in the first box.

There were also various stir-fried side dishes and black chicken soup to nourish the body. The whole ward was full of fragrances  for a while.

Li Chengyuan sat up, and while doing up his buttons, he noticed that a certain little hedgehog was reaching out to pick up a roast chicken drumstick and stuffing it into his mouth.

Just as he wanted to tell him to eat slowly so that he wouldn’t choke, he suddenly discovered that Xia Xingchi was using his left hand.

And his right hand had been hanging motionless at his side – it seemed that he had also used his left hand when he opened the lunch box.

“Xia Xingchi, what happened to your hand?” Li Chengyuan immediately frowned. “Come here and show me.”

Xia Xingchi held the chicken leg in his mouth and showed a confused expression when he heard this. After a while, he remembered the injury on his hand and shook his head, saying: “It’s okay, it’s just a small cut.”

Li Chengyuan ordered: “Come here.”

Xia Xingchi had no choice but to wipe his greasy left hand with a napkin, then step forward and spread the palm of his right hand, saying nonchalantly: “See, it will heal up in a couple of days.”

There was a distinct wound on the palm of his hand. Although it was not long, it was deep, and looked very tragic against his white skin.

Fortunately, Xia Xingchi had always healed fast. After the doctor sprayed him with a healing treatment last night, he recovered even faster.

Although the flesh looked a little awful, he estimated that it would not be long before he recovered.

Li Chengyuan’s face darkened at the sight, his expression suddenly full of fury, but the hand holding Xia Xingchi’s was very gentle.

“This is called a small wound?” Li Chengyuan asked in a heavy voice. “How did you get hurt yesterday?”

He thought he had protected this person well, but he didn’t expect that Xia Xingchi had not come out unscathed. Li Shengrui must pay with interest for this.

“It’s really okay, don’t be like this. I’m not so delicate.”

Xia Xingchi was a little embarrassed to be stared at by him with such a serious attitude. Anyone who didn’t know would think it was a huge wound.

The little part-time worker had suffered a lot in recent years. There were so many ups and downs, but it didn’t matter back then. In comparison, Li Chengyuan’s back injury was really something to be worried about.

When Li Chengyuan saw the hideous wound and his indifferent attitude, his heart trembled with pain —

He didn’t need to ask in order to know how much this little liar had suffered outside during these years, and what kind of life he had lived.

He took a deep breath: “Go and wrap it with a bandage first.”

“No, I deliberately didn’t let them put a plaster on me. My right hand was wrapped up like a bear’s paw, but I couldn’t even eat, which was inconvenient.”

Li Chengyuan didn’t listen to him, and directly rang the bell to call the nurse. Then medicine was applied again and it was tightly wrapped.

Xia Xingchi: “……”

Xia Xingchi held up his tightly wrapped paw and sat at the dining table mournfully, staring at the sumptuous meal, especially the pork rib noodles that had to be eaten with chopsticks.

Just as he was about to continue sadly eating chicken legs to satisfy his hunger, he heard a certain instigator say: 

“Bring it here, I’ll feed you.”

After those words were spoken, Xia Xingchi immediately donned a suspicious expression – Sir, why do I suddenly feel that you did this on purpose?

Because the bed in the VIP room was so wide, even the moveable bedside table was extra large.

He simply put all the food on the table and stared at Li Chengyuan with wide eyes, obviously not believing that this person would really feed him.

Unexpectedly, Li Chengyuan kept his word. He first picked up a mouthful of steaming scrambled eggs, carefully blew it cool, and then said gently: “Come, open your mouth.”

“Ah—?”

Xia Xingchi’s tone rose, and he just wanted to express his doubts, but he was directly fed.

This was rather ambiguous behavior, not to mention that the two of them were sharing a pair of chopsticks. The strange atmosphere from when he applied medicine for Li Chengyuan had only just subsided when it returned once more.

“Ai, that,” Xia Xingchi said in embarrassment, “You used the wrong chopsticks…..”

Li Chengyuan showed that smile that was not a smile, and said lightly: “We’ve kissed more than once.”

Not talking about it was fine, but once the words were out, the atmosphere became even stranger. Xia Xingchi lowered his head in embarrassment to stare affectionately at a piece of pork rib, and didn’t dare to look at Li Chengyuan again.

Halfway through the meal, the nurse came back to the ward due to her worry that Xia Xingchi had not learned how to apply the medicine.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she opened the door, she saw the tableau of one person feeding another, full of rainbow bubbles. As if she had been slapped in the face with dog food, she gave a sugar-knocking^[1] smile, gave a quick “excuse me,” and strode away.

— There was more material to knock sugar with her good sisters.

This left Xia Xingchi in even more embarrassment, and he had no choice but to glare at Li Chengyuan fiercely.

Fortunately, this didn’t affect the little foodie’s appetite, and he even ate a bigger bowl than usual, all fed to him by his family’s big cat.

. . . . . .

The Xia family was currently living in a world of ice and fire.

Xia Pingjian was practically drooling while he sat in the living room on the phone, looking elated:

“The birthday cake must be big enough! Yes, en, then buy the most expensive one with 12 layers, and remember to write the name Xingchi!”

“No, this hotel is not up to standards. If Mr. Li also comes to participate, it would be a slight to him.”

He had always had a loud voice, but now it practically resounded to the heavens, passing into Xia Yu’s room as if piercing through the clouds.

Xia Yu gritted his teeth and covered his ears, not wanting to think about the fact that his own birthday had been celebrated over the years without that bastard Xia Xingchi getting a share.

In a short period of time, Xia Yu had completely transformed. His own crazy fans might not be able to recognize him upon seeing him again.

Because of his long-term lack of sleep, he had deep, dark circles around bloodshot eyes that were full of resentment and frightened madness.

After these days of unresolved torturous fear, Xia Yu was already on the verge of collapse, and his weak and delicate nerves were easily stirred up.

To him, Xia Pingjian’s voice on the phone was torture, like a blunt knife plunging into his head or fingernails scraping down a chalkboard. 

Xia Yu couldn’t bear it anymore, and finally strode out of the room, howling hysterically: 

“Dad, did you forget that it’s my birthday too? Don’t you always celebrate my birthday?!”

“Xia Xingchi is a bastard from a mountain valley! How could you —”

Slap! Before he could finish speaking, Xia Pingjian had already slapped Xia Yu’s face viciously!

Xia Yu’s ears buzzed from the blow. His face was full of astonishment and resentment.

Xia Pingjian had never beaten him like this before, but Xia Xingchi had often been beaten and scolded like this……how could everything be reversed now?!

Xia Pingjian had already hung up the phone, and said in a shaking voice: “It’s best to clarify your identity. Xingchi is my own son, who do you think you are!”

“For what reason!”

Xia Yu couldn’t care less about the burning pain in his cheek, yelling: “It obviously wasn’t like this before! Is it because he’s popular now and he’s more valuable than me?”

In the end, before Xia Pingjian could answer, Xia Yu began to laugh like crazy —

From the very beginning, Xia Pingjian shouldn’t have been counted on. This person could treat his own son harshly because his adopted son was excellent, but now he could naturally change his face because that adopted son had nothing.

Xia Yu gritted his teeth and strode wildly back to his room.

Now it was all a wasted effort, and everything was taken from him by that bastard who never should have appeared.

He opened Weibo and saw that there was still a lot of condemnation for him online, but there were fewer and fewer speaking up for him.

Nobody answered his calls to his management company. Apparently, those bastards didn’t dare to provoke Li Chengyuan, so they completely regarded him as an outcast.

Xia Yu gritted his teeth. He couldn’t care less about that anymore. He tapped his phone screen wildly, typing out a long article of resentment and injustice.

Perhaps it was because he believed that he was firmly in the right, but in the process of writing, he inexplicably had a strange confidence that he would be sympathized with and supported by everyone.

Within it, the content that Xia Yu resented and was most unable to reconcile himself with was repeated many times unknowingly:

“Obviously I have been the young master of the Xia family since I was born, this is clearly my life!”

“Xia Xingchi never should have existed from the very beginning. Why condemn me, it’s obvious that he is the thief, it’s his appearance that stole my life!”

“Without him, Li Chengyuan would definitely marry me, this is my marriage ah!”

. . . . . .

Xia Yu was already crazy, and the moment this long microblog was posted, it truly caused another uproar.

Although there were still various sentences with typos that had not been edited, it was enough to make everyone able to grasp his meaning and shatter their three views even more:

[I don’t understand, was Xia Yu’s account hacked? Can you fucking see yourself? Are you even speaking a human language?]

[Shocking, why didn’t he continue to pretend to be a lovely and pitiful white lotus today? Is it now <<True Intentions Revealed In the End>> or <<Resorting to Desperate Measures>>?]

[He occupied Xingchi’s life for more than twenty years in vain, and let Xingchi live so bitterly, eating bran and swallowing vegetables. How dare he say that he is the one who was robbed of his life?]

[Damn, I’m really gonna vomit. This is crazy, right? When the thief became addicted, did he really think that all of this belonged to him?]

[@Xia Yu, thank you for showing your true face. We condemned you because of your illegitimate status? It’s obviously because of the bad things you’ve done, OK?]

[If you do many unrighteous deeds, you will dig your own grave. Now you blame fate and your identity. Why don’t you see how many immoral things you’ve done? This is your own fault!]

[Wasn’t it the sentence about marrying Li Chengyuan that made everyone laugh the most? Let’s just say that he really married a disgusting thing like Xia Yu, maybe President Li would have divorced him?]

[A typical hand of good cards poorly played. @Beijing Public Security, so who committed the poisoning? I suspect that the real identity of that person is an ugly-hearted green tea. Squatting online for a notification]

. . . . . .

During these years, Xia Yu was always like a god. Everyone trusted and liked him unconditionally. Even if he was vicious and despicable, he could always be forgiven.

Maybe it had been too long since he lived this kind of life, because he never imagined that he would be condemned so thoroughly at this moment, with everyone regarding him as garbage and a street rat.

As soon as the long Weibo post went up, which he had thought would win him sympathy and fight for “justice,” even his few support groups collectively put on all-black avatars and announced that they were no longer his fans.

[We thought you would recognize your mistakes and correct them, but we didn’t expect that you still don’t think you’re wrong. Being your fan is the most disgusting thing for me. Vomit]

[Xiao Yu, I originally thought that no matter what others said, I would always support you……damn it, no more being mushy, I’m going to delete all traces of being the fan of this shriveled calf^[2]]

[Is this what you really look like? Was the cute, innocent young master from before just a public persona?]

[I’m really going to vomit, don’t you think his previous character design was imitating Xia Xingchi? It’s so nauseating, ba. You robbed another person of their life and even imitated their character?]

Seeing the myriad taunts and abuse, Xia Yu screamed frantically:

“Impossible! This is all fake! Fake!”

“These must be the water armies that Xia Xingchi bought! I’m clearly the victim, why is no one supporting me?!”

“I’m going to kill them……why isn’t Li Chengyuan dead?! It was almost all mine, ah!”

While screaming and shouting, he tore at his hair, looking nothing at all like a “popular idol.”

It took an unknown amount of time before Xia Yu finally calmed down, crying and laughing.

He muttered to himself: “Do you think Xia Xingchi is something good? I want everyone to see his nude photos…..”

This was the blackmail he had prepared long ago.

At that time, “Xia Xingchi” had just come out of the mountain valley. He was out of tune with the rich and powerful, and under Xia Pingjian’s harsh treatment, he wasn’t even given a penny.

In such an extravagant circle, the people around him were wearing expensive clothes. He cringed, seeing a pair of jeans on the floor that were washed white and even shrunken, and his feelings of inferiority instantly soared.

Seeing this, Xia Yu deliberately poked at him from various angles under the banner of “it’s for your own good,” to aggravate his inferiority complex.

Then he “accidentally” left the contact information of a usury lender and told him it was a normal thing, then taught him how to gamble.

For a sensitive person with low self-esteem, who was eager for success and wanted to be like everyone else, this trap was too easy.

“Xia Xingchi” took out usury loans to buy various high-end clothing in order to cover up his inferiority complex and satisfy his gradually twisted vanity, falling deeper and deeper into the trap of gambling.

Desperate and in need of money, he could only earn more by taking indecent photos —

Of course, this method obviously wouldn’t have been attempted without instructions from Xia Yu.

Xia Yu thought of this, and as if grasping at a new straw, he gritted his teeth and thought that if he was going to die, he would drag the other person down with him.

Let everyone see Xia Xingchi’s unspeakable appearance. Maybe Li Chengyuan would also cancel the marriage rather than lose face.

Thinking of this, Xia Yu couldn’t help but laugh again, as if he had seen Xia Xingchi’s disastrous ruin.

While laughing, he called the loan sharks to ask them to release the photos.

Unexpectedly, after more than a dozen calls, none of them could be reached. Either their phones were off or there was no answer.

The vicious smile on Xia Yu’s face gradually froze. There was obviously something wrong here.

Someone finally answered the phone, but it was a woman’s voice.

After the other party heard his intentions, she immediately cursed:

“My husband was taken to jail because of you, you bitch! It was because of those photos that he was targeted for revenge!”

In the end, before Xia Yu could speak, she hung up the phone.

Xia Yu was already stirred up again by the screaming and cursing, and shouted at the phone that had already been hung up:

“But it’s not my fault?! This must be Li Chengyuan’s doing……there’s no one else it could be but him!”

“You useless idiots deserve it! Usury loans are illegal in the first place, stupid trash, you got what was coming to you!”

Xia Yu was hysterically losing his mind like a dog mindlessly biting itself, when he suddenly heard an unceremonious knock on the door.

Immediately afterwards, the door was directly opened —

The cold-faced policeman stood at the door and said sternly: “Xia Yu, come with us now.”

Xia Yu froze for a moment. This scene was the source of all his nightmares, waking him up countless times.

He stared at them with wide bloodshot eyes, full of horror and disbelief.

After so many days, as if waiting for the moment  he finally relaxed and thought he had escaped the catastrophe, the guillotine still fell viciously from above his head.

. . . . . . 

In the dead of night, Xia Xingchi was lying on the bed with his cell phone in hand, eating melons with great relish, when he saw a hot search topic suddenly appear out of nowhere:

#Police arrest Xia Yu at his home#

[Whoa, so he was really behind the poisoning?]

[God damn it! He almost killed Boss Li, this is murder, ah!  He’d better rot in prison!]

[Why is it “arrested?” You looked at the picture without reading the article, he was only taken in for questioning. You’re just spreading rumors!]

[Upstairs, are you okay? Why does Xia Yu still have fans, ah, is there no one in the entertainment industry worthy of fans like you?]

[Aiya, after all, we have a large population, so it’s not surprising that there are several diverse species]

[In any case, since the police are specifically questioning him, they probably have some evidence. Just wait for the good news that he’s in jail!]

. . . . . .

Xia Xingchi was swiping his phone, watching the bloody wind that came on the heels of evil, and was naturally in a good mood.

The more he looked at it, the more he couldn’t help but want to laugh. This big green tea spirit wasn’t stupid, right? He had thought he was a clever and insidious person, but today’s showmanship was outrageous.

On the contrary, it deeply confirmed the iron law that “Those whom God wants to destroy, he drives mad.” Had this person done so many evil things that he lost his mind?

Unable to rejoice in others’ misfortunes and at the same time in disbelief, Xia Xingchi couldn’t help but turn his head to poke at Li Chengyuan and ask: “Ai, you said Xia Yu is really screwed, right? You’re sure there’s no room for him to maneuver?”

This was the smooth-sailing protagonist shou with the attributes of a heartthrob. This was really unbelievable, and obviously a dramatic reversal of the original book’s ending. 

Such a big and powerful protagonist with a gold finger and a protagonist’s halo couldn’t handle his defeat, but from this, one thing could be confirmed – and it was that man could conquer nature, and destiny could be changed.

Could it be that the fate of the big villain Li Chengyuan had also been successfully changed?

Unexpectedly, Li Chengyuan narrowed his eyes slightly and then asked in a low voice: 

“Why do you feel that what happened to him now is unexpected – or should I say, what was originally supposed to happen to him?”

Xia Xingchi was instantly dumbfounded. He naturally understood Li Chengyuan’s meaning.

He was so frightened that his heart missed half a beat. Did this peerlessly keen big cat already know something?

But such a mysterious and fantastical thing as transmigrating couldn’t be spoken of. Xia Xingchi said falteringly: 

“What was originally supposed to happen? I, I just think Xia Yu was so successful before……I didn’t expect his end to come so soon, ah……”

After thinking about it, he repeated an old trick and preemptively and loudly took the lead to bluff with bravado: “Otherwise, what do you think it is! What nonsense are you thinking!”

Contrary to expectations, Li Chengyuan didn’t buy it this time. Xia Xingchi was swiping his phone with his back facing him, and suddenly felt a heat on his back —

He was directly hugged from behind into Li Chengyuan’s arms.

Li Chengyuan’s voice was deep and low, revealing his strong aura as he said coldly and oppressively: 

“If you won’t answer this question well, let’s try another one.”

“For example, how did you know I might die? Another example……how did you appear in my bathtub out of nowhere?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Xia Xingchi was frightened out of his wits. His hands trembled and he almost dropped his phone on the ground.

He automatically wanted to jump up and run away, but he was held tightly by Li Chengyuan and couldn’t move.

— His suspicions are so pointed, has he really guessed it?

— What’s even more frightening is that he actually saw it with his own eyes, and knew all along that I appeared out of thin air?!

Xia Xingchi was nearly trembling. After hesitating for a moment, he tried to feign ignorance:

“What are you saying……I, I’m going to sleep, don’t talk to me! Otherwise, I’ll wake up very angry and hit you!”

Unexpectedly, at this time, he suddenly felt something warm covering the back of his neck. Li Chengyuan branded him with a kiss like a dragonfly touching water.

The back of Xia Xingchi’s neck was also a sensitive spot. He was immediately stunned by the kiss, and his hands and feet trembled weakly as he said: “What are you doing!”

Unmoved, Li Chengyuan continued his ruthless “interrogation”:

“Or another question, which you didn’t answer today — do you like me?”

Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth, suddenly feeling as if he had been tricked. This was the question that Li Chengyuan really wanted to ask.

Warm breath swept over the sensitive nape of his neck, getting closer and closer, and the ambiguous atmosphere between the two of them became more and more intense.

Xia Xingchi’s heart was beating wildly, and the thorns all over his body were standing up vigilantly. He had to suspect that if he didn’t answer, Li Chengyuan would continue to kiss him again.

---

[1] Knocking sugar (磕糖) is basically the same as “knocking cp,” where you see your favorite stars being sweet together and want to ship them romantically. ⮐

[2] A shriveled/deflated calf is a derogatory term for someone with no backbone. ⮐

---

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

Xia Xingchi’s dazed and flustered brain completely crashed, and it was completely impossible to understand what Li Chengyuan was talking about.

Watching him spit out another mouthful of blood, obviously in excruciating pain with his whole body silently trembling, Xia Xingchi’s heart seemed to be trembling too.

“Don’t cry……”

Li Chengyuan’s voice was hoarse, and he spoke with difficulty, but he still tried his best to say: “The bank card password is your birthday……the will is in the drawer……it’s all for you.”

He was already having trouble breathing, and it took a lot of effort to say this.

Xia Xingchi saw that his chest almost didn’t rise again after speaking and was horrified, scared and angry at what were obviously intended to be his last words.

“Stop talking! Shut up and don’t talk!”

“You’re going to be fine, don’t think about all that nonsense!”

Li Chengyuan smiled through his exhaustion and slowly closed his eyes.

Last time, he had lost consciousness very quickly and didn’t have time to say anything. He didn’t have such a strong and painful sense of dying at this moment.

The injury on his back was naturally very painful, but compared to the knife-like pain in his heart, it was nothing.

Fortunately, emergency personnel had followed closely behind the police and arrived quickly.

In the ambulance, Xia Xingchi stared wide-eyed at Li Chengyuan while holding his hand, as if he would disappear before his eyes if he got distracted.

Beijing was too big, and the journey was long and difficult.

Li Chengyuan woke up for a while during this time. Seeing Xia Xingchi’s overly-terrified appearance with thorns bursting all over his body, he seemed to want to say a few words of comfort.

But the oxygen mask was on his face, and he couldn’t speak due to drowsiness, so he could only squeeze Xia Xingchi’s hand with all his strength to comfort him silently.

— If he had known he would be so afraid, he would not have mentioned the inheritance.

Li Chengyuan had always been meticulous. Where there was a possibility of death, he also wanted to explain what he was leaving behind as clearly as possible, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble and confusion for Xia Xingchi.

But in Xia Xingchi’s eyes, this was extraordinarily terrifying. Perhaps due to the influence of various film and television works, he firmly believed that a person who spoke his last words would die.

Li Chengyuan lowered his eyes slowly, helpless and unable to explain any further. He could only hold Xia Xingchi’s hand as hard as he could, but lost consciousness again after a moment.

. . . . . .

Up until he sat outside the emergency room, Xia Xingchi’s mind was blank. Even though it was not the first time he had experienced this scene, he was still in a state of confusion.

His mind was full of Li Chengyuan’s cold, powerless hands hanging down, the bright red at the corners of his lips, and his paper-pale face that seemed like it would vanish at any moment.

In the ambulance, because he was so nervous and frightened, the doctor took the initiative to comfort him and say that he would be fine. Although the patient’s condition was not ideal, the mortality rate was not terrible.

Xia Xingchi nodded numbly, but didn’t feel relieved at all.

Even if there was a one percent chance of death, it would be one hundred percent hopeless for Xia Xingchi if it fell on Li Chengyuan.

What’s more, his heart had been damaged before, and he hadn’t fully recovered. It was the most vulnerable recovery period, and the possibility of rescue failure was not so low.

Xia Xingchi was sitting in a chair at this moment. He reached up and rubbed his face vigorously, his heart in a mess, and all kinds of thoughts crowded inside his non-functioning brain.

For Xia Yu and Li Shengrui, those idiots who wore protagonist halos, maybe they could survive even if they were at death’s door.

But for Li Chengyuan, as the villain of the original book, perhaps his established destiny was to be killed by the vicious protagonists.

Then the last time he tried to turn the tide and drag him out of the gates of hell, what if it was just a fluke and the ending couldn’t be changed at all?

Was everything just a powerless, futile struggle?

At this moment, the police came forward and asked if he could make an immediate statement.

The clearer everything could be made initially, the sooner they could solve the case and prevent the would-be murderer from destroying evidence or even absconding for fear of punishment.

Xia Xingchi bit the tip of his tongue when he heard these words, and took another deep breath, finally regaining some of his senses after the chaos of utter stupefication.

Although he not only wanted to stay here and guard Li Chengyuan at all times, and also wished he could go into the emergency room and watch over him, thinking of Li Shengrui made him gnash his teeth with hatred, so he naturally couldn’t give him another chance to escape.

Because family members may need to be present at this time, the police officers were very considerate and didn’t make Xia Xingchi go down to the police station to make his statement. It was simply carried out in a single office prepared by the hospital.

Xia Xingchi took a sip of water from a paper cup. Although his heart trembled as he recalled the whole story, he still had to speak clearly in order to bring the devil to justice.

The car that intentionally smashed through the gate, as well as the series of events such as the gangsters who suddenly began trying to brutally murder people, Xia Xingchi described them as carefully as possible and took a deep breath:

“That’s right. I saw Li Shengrui on the path. He might have wanted to pretend to be Li Chengyuan to lead me there, but I didn’t follow him.”

At this thought, another heinous plot emerged in Xia Xingchi’s mind along with a deep fear:

— What if I had really followed him?

Once he fell into Li Shengrui’s hands, he would inevitably become the biggest advantage to manipulate and threaten Li Chengyuan.

Before this incident happened, Xia Xingchi didn’t know how important he was in Li Chengyuan’s heart, and only thought of himself as an insignificant hired substitute.

But after experiencing the moment when Li Chengyuan didn’t even care about his own life, desperately protecting him with his own flesh and blood, there was nothing more powerful to show that his estimation of himself was wrong.

It was hard for Xia Xingchi to imagine what would have happened had he become a hostage.

Thinking in the simplest and crudest direction, for example, if Li Chengyuan was threatened to stand in the middle of the road, waiting for that deadly speeding car to come……

And if he really agreed……

Xia Xingchi couldn’t help being horrified, but also gritted his teeth in hatred.

If it weren’t for Li Shengrui, that asshole who deserved a miserable death, Li Chengyuan naturally wouldn’t have had his life hanging by a thread twice in a row. 

After a lot of effort, he had managed to raise the body of his big cat to be a little healthier. Two days ago, when Li Chengyuan’s pale face had finally gained a bit of color, Xia Xingchi was extremely excited and felt a sense of accomplishment and a desire to continue to work hard.

But in such a short period of time, they were able to strike so crazily and boldly twice in a row.

Just now when those iron rods were swung down viciously with the aim of killing Li Chengyuan, Xia Xingchi hardly dared to recall the terrifying sound of the impact falling on his back.

Just the thought made him tremble with pain, wishing he could bear it for him.

Xia Xingchi tried his best to keep calm, biting the tip of his tongue and forcing himself to recall every detail as carefully as possible, trying to explain everything that could be said with absolute clarity.

If Li Chengyuan could escape the fate of death this time, then the most urgent thing was to immediately bring the vicious protagonists gong and shou to justice and put them in prison for life.

The person who tied the bell on the tiger’s neck should be the one to untie it, and by completely blocking the source of death, maybe his fate could be changed —

Of course, that was on the premise that Li Chengyuan survived.

Xia Xingchi finally finished speaking. He raised his eyes and saw that there were so many reliable and friendly police officers present who were comforting him, but he still felt extremely helpless.

He didn’t know when it started, but Li Chengyuan had become his safe haven in the world. The drifting boat with no family or friends had finally found a harbor willing to block the wind and rain for him.

Someone suddenly knocked on the door at this time, and the three thump thump thumps seemed to beat in time with his heart.

Xia Xingchi quickly stood up, knowing that if someone had come to look for him at this moment, it probably had something to do with the result of the rescue.

The doctor opened the door and said: “The patient is currently out of immediate danger, but his vital signs are still unstable, and sudden cardiac arrest may occur at any time.”

“I read the previous medical records, and the heart problem is serious. Old injuries are piled on top of new ones. Whether his life can be saved depends on the situation tonight.”

Hearing this, Xia Xingchi frowned and pursed his lips for a long moment, then sat back on the chair dejectedly.

This result was obviously not good news, but it was indeed not the worst.

Because he couldn’t accompany him in the intensive care unit, he couldn’t even take a look at how his big cat was doing. He could only sit outside and wait anxiously.

He wanted to stay outside and guard the room all night, but was stopped by Zhao Yinhe, who hurried over after hearing the news.

Zhao Yinhe patted him on the shoulder: “Don’t worry, it’s useless to stay here, right? Go back and have a good rest, maybe there will be good news tomorrow?”

Xia Xingchi lowered his eyes, then heard Zhao Yinhe suddenly speak again: “Wait, your hand is hurt! Why hasn’t such a deep cut been bandaged?”

Hearing this, he looked down and realized that the palm of his right hand had been cut to pieces in the chaos.

It wasn’t until now that the blood had solidified and stopped flowing. He hadn’t realized, nor did he feel the piercing pain.

“Come on! Hurry up and get the wound treated. I’ll ask if you need a tetanus shot in a while — after you’ve taken care of it, hurry up and sleep!”

Zhao Yinhe knew best how much Li Chengyuan treasured Xia Xingchi. Let alone such a deep cut, Li Chengyuan couldn’t bear for him to have even a little scratch.

Xia Xingchi had been through too many things in one night, and was still a little slow and confused.

So even as he used a cotton swab soaked in alcohol to wipe off the dust, dirt, and debris in the wound, and got a tetanus shot, he forgot to feel the pain.

The nurse promptly encouraged: “Our teacher Xiao Xia is awesome!”

She took the initiative to get a staff lunch box for Xia Xingchi, so that he could have some dinner.

Xia Xingchi looked at the lunch box, but suddenly remembered his promise to treat a guest earlier and take Li Chengyuan to have a luxurious meal.

— But this man had saved him money.

. . . . . .

After reluctantly eating some dinner and drinking some water, Xia Xingchi lay on the bed, unable to sleep.

He was anxious at first but in the dead of night, he suddenly remembered Li Chengyuan’s words “of course my loved one is……”

There was too much confusion before, so he didn’t pay attention to the ambiguous and implicit meaning, but recalling the sentence now, Xia Xingchi was shocked.

— Does this sentence mean what I think it means?!

This sentence was vague and ambiguous. After all, their employment relationship was also on the basis of him being a “loved one.”

Both of them showed their affection every day, so he and Xia Xingchi naturally also had the status of lovers.

But it seemed wrong to think so. Li Chengyuan was trembling in pain at that time, but still insisted on saying these words.

If it was really just to emphasize their employment relationship, this boss was too dedicated.

However…..

Xia Xingchi’s heart was beating like a drum. On the one hand, he was apprehensive about the crisis situation where the big cat’s fate was uncertain, and on the other hand, he was throbbing with this sudden ambiguity.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears, shaking him so much that he couldn’t fall asleep. It wasn’t until dawn that he finally dozed off for a while.

His sleep was not peaceful, and he woke up again after just a few hours.

He was looking forward to receiving the good news that Li Chengyuan was out of danger, and nervously prayed that the gears of fate would change the direction of their rotation and let go of his family, the “big villain” who had yet to do anything bad.

Then he would ask if the meaning of Li Chengyuan’s words was the same as what he thought.

Anxiety and fear blended together with a trace of ambiguous sweetness. The feeling was so strange that Xia Xingchi was even less able to sleep once he woke up, and lay on the bed with his eyes open, hoping for good news.

He was stretching out his hand to stare at the diamond engagement ring on his finger, thinking that it might not be impossible to spend the rest of his life with Li Chengyuan, when he suddenly heard footsteps at the door.

There was only this one VIP ward on the entire top floor, so the owner of those footsteps would naturally be looking for him.

Xia Xingchi jumped up at once, his heart beating faster, and stared at the door with wide eyes.

There was a knock on the door, but to his disappointment, his big cat was not being sent back to the ward at this time.

A doctor came in, wearing a serious expression.

He slowly took off his glasses and said in a calm tone: “Family member, go take a good look at the patient again.”

Xia Xingchi was startled when he heard these words, and there was a loud boom in his head, which made him instantly tremble.

“What do you mean…..? Doctor, what do you mean?!” 

Xia Xingchi felt that he might be having an extremely terrifying nightmare, but he was exceptionally awake.

He jumped up quickly, put on his coat and shoes, and rushed all the way downstairs. 

— How could Li Chengyuan fail to survive the critical period?

— But I haven’t asked him what that sentence really means!

Xia Xingchi gritted his teeth and followed the signs all the way to the room’s open door.

Li Chengyuan had been transferred out of the intensive care unit. Maybe since he was dying, everything was unnecessary and he wasn’t even hooked up to the monitoring equipment. 

He had already woken up, and seeing Xia Xingchi hurriedly pushing the door in, he turned around weakly and with difficulty.

“How could this be…..” Xia Xingchi stepped forward and grabbed his hand, tears close to dripping from his eyes.

Li Chengyuan’s lips moved, and he said in a low voice: “You heard what I said last night……don’t you like money? I will give you all my inheritance.”

Xia Xingchi’s tears fell down at once. 

He had obviously been waiting for this moment, planning to happily inherit the huge inheritance of the short-lived villain and then eat, drink, and be merry.

But now that everything was happening before his eyes, he didn’t feel any joy at all. The little money-grubber who had always loved money choked up and said: 

“I don’t want money – please don’t scare me like this, please don’t die, okay?”

Li Chengyuan suddenly coughed for a moment.

Seeing this, Xia Xingchi hurriedly moved to help him up a little, so that he wouldn’t choke if he coughed up blood.

“Xia Xingchi, can you promise me……cough cough……”

He began to cough again before he could finish speaking. Xia Xingchi saw that he was going to voice his last wish, and wipe away his tears, saying firmly in a low voice:

“Say it, I agree to whatever you say!”

Li Chengyuan struggled to get his coughing under control and said with a pale face: “We have been engaged for a long time, but you’ve been unwilling to get the certificate.”

Xia Xingchi was taken aback.

He had thought his procrastination was just a trivial matter, and had never thought that this would become Li Chengyuan’s regret.

Since he knew he was going to die, why bother to think so much? Why couldn’t he accommodate him a little bit and get a pair of red books?

Xia Xingchi lowered his head and couldn’t help thinking —

Not to mention, I might really fall in love with Li Chengyuan.

“All right, let’s get married now.” Xia Xingchi looked into Li Chengyuan’s eyes. “I’m willing now, okay? Can you hold on a little longer? You have to be alive for us to get married.”

Li Chengyuan heard this and said with a sigh: “If I survive, you’ll marry me?”

“Yes! I promise to marry you,” Xia Xingchi swore earnestly, extremely determined as he wiped away his tears.

Li Chengyuan asked again: “But, do you really like me?”

“I……”

This question really stumped Xia Xingchi.

He had never thought about this matter, and just when there was a slight throbbing and germination in his heart, he was directly asked by the other party.

He himself couldn’t figure out what kind of feeling this was, so how should he answer?

Seeing his hesitation, Li Chengyuan smiled faintly.

Xia Xingchi was immediately filled with infinite disappointment in himself, and couldn’t help but feel guilty for treating a dying person like this. How good would it be to make him happy by giving an affirmative answer?

Before he could speak, Li Chengyuan said calmly: “Kiss me, okay?”

Xia Xingchi’s eyes widened, and his heart throbbed even more.

He naturally knew that in the current context, the ambiguous meaning contained in this kiss would be completely different from the impulsive kiss when the two first met.

“But…..”

This time, he only hesitated for half a second. Thinking that he would never be able to kiss or touch the person in front of him again for the rest of his life, he immediately stopped hesitating.

He was even more proactive than ever before.

First he kissed Li Chengyuan’s forehead lightly and tentatively, and then kissed him again on the cheek. 

Li Chengyuan’s familiar and pleasant fragrance lingered on the tip of Xia Xingchi’s nose, and he suddenly felt that he could answer that question now —

It seemed that he had really fallen in love with Li Chengyuan.

Li Chengyuan’s eyes narrowed slightly at the kiss, and it went unnoticed that he looked like a satisfied, happy big cat at the moment.

The tips of his ears were slightly red, and he was thinking that since the purpose of getting a promise of marriage had been achieved,  it was time for a showdown. He could no longer provoke his little hedgehog —

But Xia Xingchi suddenly bent down without warning and kissed Li Chengyuan’s lips directly!

The kissing technique was extremely unproficient, but unprecedentedly intense and passionate.

Li Chengyuan was stunned for a moment, unable to recover from the “unexpected joy” for a long time.

It took some time before he stretched out his arms to embrace Xia Xingchi, turning from passive to active and leading this reckless and passionate kiss. For a moment, his sanity completely dissipated.

. . . . . .

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Xingchi finally pushed Li Chengyuan away again due to a lack of oxygen, but suddenly realized that this position was wrong —

Someone who was originally “weak” to the point of struggling to speak had sat up in shock at the moment of dying, getting up to pull him into his arms and hug him tightly.

The kiss after losing the upper hand was even more intense. Xia Xingchi was almost unable to bear the lack of oxygen, yet a certain person’s expression never changed, and he didn’t even seem to have kissed enough.

Xia Xingchi: “……”

Seeing his sudden change of expression, Li Chengyuan remembered that there seemed to have been some script that was washed away by strong affection, and he had completely forgotten to keep pretending.

The scene froze, falling into deathly silence.

After a long time, Xia Xingchi finally came back to his senses and roared loudly at once: “Li Chengyuan! How dare you deceive me?!”

---

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

Liu Xian’an listened carefully for a long time. Because he was so focused on hearing it, he even had some ringing in his ears.

Enveloped by the night wind and a thin layer of white mist, Liang Shu’s body became even more clammy and cold, and the chill seemed to seep into his bones. Such a cold, stiff person, coupled with a heartbeat that couldn’t be found and a pulse that could not be felt, was he really still……alive?

Liu Xian’an shivered unconsciously.

The corners of Liang Shu’s mouth rose, and he continued to bully people with a noble bearing, careless and lazy.

Cheng Suyue whispered between her teeth: “Ge, did Second Young Master Liu fall asleep in the prince’s arms?”

Gao Lin was also very confused. Why hadn’t he moved or said a word for so long?

In the end, Liang Shu took the initiative to push Liu Xian’an away.

After all, no matter how strong His Highness Xiao Wang’s internal strength was, he still couldn’t stop breathing forever, as it was easy for something to go wrong. Viewing Liu Xian’an’s shocked and bewildered expression, he felt that his goal had been achieved, so he leaned in slightly and looked into the other’s eyes, asking him for advice in a good mood: “This lord’s injury, is something wrong?”

Liu Xian’an didn’t know how to answer, because if an ordinary person lost their heartbeat……however, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang looked nothing out of the ordinary. Was it possible that there was such a wicked martial art in the world that could turn a flesh and blood body into a piece of stone?

He had never read relevant records in serious medical books, but in the unscrupulous little stories, he had seen many Southern barbarian undead and living people made into puppets. All of them were very cruel, but the dignified commander of the nation would not take such a wicked path. Liu Xian’an thought about it, and asked again: “Has the prince felt unwell recently?”

“I have.” Liang Shu pulled his cloak back together, falsely massaging his temples, “Headaches, palpitations, stomach pains, occasional numbness and weakness of the hands and feet, poor appetite, insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, and nightmares.”

Cheng Suyue was dumbfounded by this series of symptoms. She looked at her elder brother beside her and wondered, when did our prince become so sick, why didn’t you mention it to me at all?

Gao Lin placed his hand on his sister’s shoulder with complicated emotions, and thousands of words stuck in his throat.

Believe me, the prince is fine, he is simply too idle.

Cheng Suyue: “……”

Liu Xian’an checked Liang Shu’s pulse again. He didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but he felt that the other’s wrist seemed to be colder this time. Although he didn’t know the exact reason, the deficiency of yang qi and the excess of yin and cold were always harmful to the body. Just as he was thinking, the still pulse beneath his fingers suddenly jumped a bit. He hurriedly went to search again, but Liang Shu had already calmly withdrawn his hand into his sleeve.

Liu Xian’an hesitated to speak: “Prince.”

Liang Shu said magnanimously: “This lord’s injury has been going on for years. If Second Young Master Liu cannot make a diagnosis, there is no need to force it.”

Liu Xian’an actually wanted to try again, but he was really not sure if he could get a result. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang could not be casually used for practice, so in the end, he just prescribed a warming tonic and handed it to Cheng Suyue, apologizing: “It’s because I’m not good at medicine.”

“Second Young Master Liu, please don’t say that.” Cheng Suyue comforted him, “The prescriptions prescribed by those people in the Imperial Hospital are also the same medicines, and each time, they say to take a good rest. Maybe this injury needs recuperation, but the prince won’t stay still.”

Under the moonlight, Liu Xian’an picked out things used for decoction among the pile of herbs: “Why won’t he stay still?”

Cheng Suyue sighed: “There are always troubles in the eighteen cities in the northwest. When I go back to the capital, those old men in court are just talkative farts……uh, they talk too much. Although the situation in the past two years has been more stable than before, it is not so stable that the world is peaceful. There was chaos in the southeast and northwest, and for the sake of peace of mind, the prince had no leisure for some time. He had to straddle a horse and lift the sword even though his body was covered in injuries. This time when the emperor asked the prince to go to Baihe Mountain Village to seek marriage, he also wanted to find a reason for him to rest for a while, and set up a home instead of always running around alone. There is no one to look after Xiao Wang Manor, and the weeds will grow ten feet high.”

When it came to marriage, Liu Xian’an paused, then turned around and suggested earnestly: “Then His Royal Highness Xiao Wang should find a stable girl to run the home. A-Yuan is used to being arrogant and pampered.”

Cheng Suyue smiled: “Second Young Master Liu said that on purpose, because he is reluctant to let his sister marry far away? I heard that Miss Liu is as beautiful as a fairy, and all the young people in Baihe City admire her.”

“No, she isn’t.” Liu Xian’an thought of Liang Shu’s “just be beautiful” marriage requirement and strongly denied it. “How can the rumors outside be true? If you want to find a stunning beauty, you should go to the splendid and prosperous Wangcheng.”

Cheng Suyue did not quite agree with his statement, because the facts were in front of her eyes. No matter how beautiful and prosperous the royal city was, there was no man there who could look better than Second Young Master Liu. It could be seen that beautiful or not beautiful, it had nothing to do with the size of the location.

Liu Xian’an asked again: “What sort of person does the prince like?”

“The prince, ah.” Cheng Suyue thought for a long time before shaking her head. “The prince seems to have never taken this matter to heart. Last year, the Nanyang Fei kingdom proposed marriage to the emperor, but it didn’t work out afterwards. As for why it didn’t work out……it seems that because the princess of the Fei Kingdom was so good at singing and dancing, the prince found it troublesome.”

Too much noise was troublesome? Liu Xian’an noted this down mentally and felt that he seemed to have found a key point to break up the marriage.

On the other side, Gao Lin was also worrying like an old lady, asking what had happened during the doctor’s examination just now. Why did Second Young Master Liu have such an expression?

Liang Shu replied: “Because I concealed the pulse and heartbeat.”

Gao Lin was dumbfounded, almost perplexed to death by this strange thought. Why did he hide his pulse from a doctor? For what purpose? Where was the sense? The one who suffered in the end – in any case, it would not be Second Young Master Liu. At most, he would be a little surprised, and then a little confused, without further losses.

That bear son of Old Zhao from the prince’s palace tried to pull little girls’ braids and make them cry. From this point of view, his prince was not even as good as little Zhao, who wore open-crotch pants.^[1]

Lieutenant General Gao sighed and didn’t want to speak.

This night, Liu Xian’an was a rare sight. He was writing a letter in the carriage, mainly asking if his father knew of any sort of injury, poison, or martial arts that could make someone lose their pulse and heartbeat and feel cold all over. After writing it, he placed it in his sleeve, planning to wait until the next post station to send it out as soon as possible.

This turned out to take more than a month. They passed a post station along the way, but it was already locked up. A-Ning took out half a broken notice from the crack of the door. It said that the post station had been moved to another location, but as for where it had moved to, that was not clear. There was the four-squared seal of Chixia City, which showed that this place was under the jurisdiction of Shi Hanhai. It was estimated that they would be able to enter the city after ten days or so.

“Not much rust on the locks and chains.” Liu Xian’an glanced at the gloomy sea of clouds in the sky. “This season is humid and rainy. The station should have just closed for a while.”

“Food shortage and a plague, the government does nothing about official business but can spare time to move a post station.” Cheng Suyue put her sword back into its sheath and kicked open the gate. Slag and dust flew everywhere, and the guards went in to clean up and prepare to spend the night here.

A-Ning also went to the back kitchen to help boil water. Liu Xian’an followed him and wandered around idly. He caught a glimpse of a large jar in the corner on the edge of his vision, and lifted it casually, but was taken aback.

“What is inside?” Liang Shu stood at the door.

“Food.” Liu Xian’an moved aside. “Although there is not much, if Chixia City is in the midst of a disaster, it would be enough to eat for ten days. How could it be left here for no reason?”

Liang Shu walked in and grabbed a handful of grain from the pot. It was not moldy or mixed with dirt, and was indeed edible.

Presently, the guards outside also discovered that most of the daily documents in the station were still stored in the cabinet and had not been taken away. There were even clothes in several bedrooms. It didn’t look like a normal relocation, but instead like people in the post station rolled up their bedding overnight and hurried to another place after hearing some news.

“The official seal is not forged.” Gao Lin read the half notice again. “Why did Shi Hanhai close this place, does he want to completely cut off Chixia City from the outside world?”

Cheng Suyue said: “The sky is high and the emperor is far.^[2] Once the gate of the city is closed, who knows how domineering he is within. Now the people are not even allowed to send a single letter.”

“Cheng-guniang, we didn’t seem to see many refugees during our journey.” A-Ning as already very familiar with the people from Xiao Wang Palace, so he asked her in a low voice, “It would be reasonable to say that patients infected with the plague can’t travel far, but there are always people in the city who are not sick, and if they have no food to eat, why do they not flee?”

“It’s probably because the person surnamed Shi fears that his crimes would be exposed, so he locked the gates of the city, ba.” Cheng Suyue gripped the hilt of her sword. “He’s a real piece of shit.”

Liu Xian’an stood aside and listened, imagining what might be happening in the city, and couldn’t help but sigh at the suffering of the world. He turned his head and glanced to the side. The sky was completely dark, so Liang Shu was shrouded in twilight. Although his expression could not be seen clearly, the murderous aura on his body did not diminish in the slightest. On the contrary, it also added a bit of biting coldness – piercing other people’s bones.

Thus, Second Young Master Liu recalled the situation of taking his pulse that night. He still hadn’t found the answer as to what could make a living person feel like cold stone. As for this matter, A-Ning didn’t believe it at all. He once said categorically that the young master must have made a mistake! But Liu Xian’an felt that he was not wrong, and wanted to find a chance to prove it.

Because they had to get up early the next day to get on the road, everyone rested early that night. Those rooms had a strong musty smell, and lying in them could marinate the brain. No one wanted to sleep, so the guards lit a few fires in the courtyard and leaned on pillars to make ends meet and rest.

A-Ning fetched hot water and waited for Liu Xian’an to wash up, busying himself with arranging bedding for the night. Turning around, he saw that his young master was tiptoeing towards the other side of the front hall like a thief. He couldn’t help being stunned, and asked in a soft voice: “Young Master, Young Master?”

Liu Xian’an waved his hand at him, signaling him not to make noise, and his footsteps didn’t stop. He walked all the way to Liang Shu, crouched down cautiously, and even held his breath this time as he placed just two fingers lightly on the other’s wrist.

Still no pulse.

Liu Xian’an let go of his hand, and instead of listening to his heartbeat, he bent his index finger and brought the back of it close to Liang Shu’s nose, trying to test whether he was breathing. Unexpectedly, before he got close to him, his knee suddenly softened for some reason and he promptly lost his balance, throwing himself into the arms of the person in front of him.

“Hiss!” His nose was sore from bumping it, and he hurriedly sat up.

Liang Shu opened his eyes, looking at him in surprise and puzzlement.

Liu Xian’an quickly found an excuse for himself. I was passing by and accidentally fell down and disturbed the prince’s rest, hoping for forgiveness, I will leave immediately.

He walked away after speaking at the fastest walking speed of the whole trip. The hem of his white clothes rustled across the fire, disturbing a dark red spot. The person was almost burned, and he seemed to stagger a bit.

“Young Master, come here!” A-Ning pulled him behind a pillar, puzzled. “What were you doing just now?”

It was a long story, but Second Young Master Liu didn’t want to say that his nose still hurt and tears were coming out due to the pain. Thus, he pulled the blanket over and wrapped himself up to escape from reality, and began to once again climb the sky and traverse the fog, wandering round and round the infinite and touring the great avenues.

A-Ning: “…….”

And not far away, Gao Lin was trying to persuade  – can you stop scaring Second Young Master Liu next time? Thinking about it carefully, my prince, this is the first doctor who came to see you on his own initiative without urging or threats from the emperor. Shouldn’t you cherish it?

Liang Shu tossed the small soybean grain in his hand into the fire. He had used this thing just now to hit a certain person’s knee. No matter how light a scholar’s footsteps were, they couldn’t hide from the ears of a master, let alone two cool fingers resting on his wrist, repeatedly pressing and pressing – His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, even if he was poisoned with knock-out drugs, might even be pressed awake.

Gao Lin really didn’t understand this Little Zhao sort of fun, because in his past experience, the so-called “teasing” by his prince referred to luring a group of barbarians to run around like headless chickens in the desert, or tricking a group of corrupt officials in Daliang City to throw themselves into the net overnight along with their wealth. Or worse, he would be a sour, pedantic, sharp-tongued old man with a qi disorder when he returned to Wangcheng. This kind of teasing method of working for a long time just to make another family’s young master bump his nose was really incomprehensible.

Liang Shu waved his fingers, signaling Gao Lin to disappear from his view immediately and stop being an eyesore.

He found that his pulse, which could be hidden at any time, functioned like bait. It caused Liu Xian’an to poke his head out from time to time, briefly leaving that suspended, unseen world of little emotion for a while. Although he would shrink back soon, at least when attempting to find his pulse through various methods, there would be a rare surprise and tension on the other party’s face.

Liang Shu leaned back against the pillar and glanced to the side.

The campfire was leaping, and Liu Xian’an had wrapped himself in a blanket like an airtight cocoon.

Although he was motionless, he wasn’t actually asleep either.

The Three Thousand Avenues were shaken by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. It was rare for him to experience embarrassment, and after realizing it, he simply stretched out a hand from the blanket and pressed it firmly on the soft muddy ground beneath him, his fingers turning white from the force.

All things were born from the soil and returned to the soil. Since everyone was soil, life and death were not important matters.

And if even life and death were not important matters, then falling into someone’s arms in the middle of the night was even less important.

This was rational.

Second Young Master Liu let out a sigh of relief.

He felt a little better at heart.

---

[1] Open-crotch pants are what children wear before potty training. ⮐

[2] “The sky is high and the emperor is far,” 天高皇帝远, means that something is far from the central government and therefore beyond its control. ⮐

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Chapter Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

After dinner, Zhao Yelan went for a run in the courtyard after changing his clothes. 

Yan Mingting looked troubled, and while running with him, he didn’t want him to run for such a purpose.

After running a full lap, Zhao Yelan was out of breath and wanted to find a recliner to lie down, but was pulled up by Yan Mingting to walk slowly: “Don’t lie down immediately, first walk to cool the blood.”

Zhao Yelan wiped the sweat from his face and said exhaustedly: “I really invest too much energy for you.”

“En, en.” Yan Mingting was also very moved.

Zhao Yelan: “If you dare to find someone else behind my back in the future, I will definitely kill you first.”

“En, en. The atmosphere is so good, don’t tell these horror stories,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan smiled and broke free from his grip, starting to stride again: “Look, does the motion meet official standards?”

Yan Mingting adjusted his movements, but couldn’t help persuading him: “Why don’t we rest earlier? You will be very tired like this, it is more appropriate to exercise step by step.”

“That makes sense, you should be fine waiting another three to five years.” Zhao Yelan was immediately persuaded, and the main reason was that he was a little tired from horse stance. Anyway, Yan Mingting couldn’t escape from his palm, so it was fine to delay him for a few years, and they would talk about it when he got stronger in the future.

Thinking this way, he went to take a bath and go to bed without any psychological burden.

Yan Mingting, on the other hand, was practicing the sword in the courtyard with a sad face. When he heard footsteps, he turned his head to see that it was Housekeeper Qin passing by with snacks. He walked over and sat down on the corridor railing in front of Housekeeper Qin.

Housekeeper Qin was taken aback, and asked: “General, do you have anything to tell me?”

Yan Mingting gestured to him, and Housekeeper Qin brought his ear closer.

“Is that picture book you prepared before the only one?” Yan Mingting asked furtively.

“I only bought that one, do you want something else? Shall I buy it for you now?” Housekeeper Qin asked in a low voice.

“Go, ba.” After saying so, Yan Mingting added, “Buy them all for me.”

That night, after Zhao Yelan fell asleep, Yan Mingting secretively lifted the blanket and went to the study on tiptoe. Lighting a few candles, he took out a large stack of picture books and began to study them carefully.

His eyes were red in the middle of the night. He read all the postures in these books and didn’t see any man with his problem. On the contrary, he looked at the people in these books who stayed up all night until dawn and couldn’t get out of bed for three days, and felt indescribably jealous in his heart! It made his eyes turn red, damn it!

At this time, footsteps sounded outside. He frantically put away these books and stuffed them into a drawer. Before he could finish stuffing them, the door was pushed open. Zhao Yelan walked in with a candle, wearing his white underclothes.

“What are you doing here instead of sleeping at night?” 

“I, I’m……reading a book.” Yan Mingting picked up the book in his hand and quickly stuffed it into the drawer, pushing it hard, but it got stuck in the crack and couldn’t be pushed further.

“You have such leisure and elegance?” Zhao Yelan didn’t believe his nonsense. He rarely came to the study, let alone snuck around in the middle of the night. There must be something wrong. His eyes narrowed. “You didn’t come to steal my account book, did you?”

“Do you think I’m that kind of person?” Yan Mingting said with a straight face.

Zhao Yelan approached and shone a candle on his face, revealing the guilty expression. He glanced down, accidentally touched the book by his feet, and picked it up.

“Don’t look.” Yan Mingting’s expression shifted, and he tried to grab it, but was a step too late.

Zhao Yelan turned around, opened a page casually, and saw two men entwined on it.

“This is the book you want to read instead of sleeping?” Zhao Yelan looked at him calmly.

Yan Mingting’s face flushed. He rubbed his face and simply broke the jar since it was already cracked: “Yes, yes, ah……what’s the problem?”

With a “snap,” Zhao Yelan tossed the book on the table and said: “Go back to sleep.”

“Oh……” Yan Mingting raised his head and suddenly asked, “Didn’t you fall asleep? Why did you get up?”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment.

He had turned over in the night and subconsciously reached to the side, but found that it was empty. He woke up, picked up a candle, and started looking for a certain person until he saw a light in the study, and came over.

As if guessing the reason, Yan Mingting suddenly smiled and took his hand, pulling him onto his lap. He buried his head in the other’s neck and took a deep breath.

Zhao Yelan had loved spices for many years, so there was always a faint scent on his body. Yan Mingting sniffed the faint fragrance and seemed to feel that it wasn’t enough, so he kept sniffing until it left traces on his neck, and Zhao Yelan pushed him away gently.

“What is that against me?” Zhao Yelan said, lowering his head.

“What is the deal with this?” Yan Mingting was already extremely puzzled. Looking down, he was so invigorated when he was being intimate, but when he was about to attack, he fell so fast that he really lost his old face.

Zhao Yelan frowned when he mentioned this matter and lost confidence, knowing that persuasion was useless. After all, a man’s dignity was involved. Even if he said a thousand times that he didn’t care, it was impossible for Yan Mingting to not mind at all.

He could only divert the other party’s attention. Grasping the other party’s chin, he lowered his head and kissed him.

Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, Yan Mingting was muddle-headed by this kiss and had forgotten his other troubles. He was only focused on responding and touching the other party.

Suddenly, he noticed something poking his waist and couldn’t help being taken aback, looking at Zhao Yelan with a smile. A blush dusted Zhao Yelan’s face. He turned his head and put it on Yan Mingting’s shoulder, saying in a low voice: “Help me.”

Yan Mingting helped him relieve it for a long time, and saw him huddling into his arms with a face full of satisfaction. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, but he was still fragrant. The blush on his face had not faded, and he felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction in his heart.

Only he could see this kind of unrivaled beauty.

Yan Mingting was about to take a handkerchief to wipe his hands, when he heard the other party put his arms around his neck and say softly: “This is very comfortable, ah.”

Suddenly becoming more energetic, Yan Mingting picked him up and put him down by the window, leaning over to embrace him. After holding him tenderly for a while, he heard the sound of the cock crowing and reluctantly carried him back to the room.

“Go back to sleep, ba, I’m going to court.”

“En……” Zhao Yelan felt drowsy and gave a weak response, turning over to expose half his shoulders.

Yan Mingting leaned over and took a bite, then covered him with a blanket and set off for the palace.

His state today was obviously different than yesterday. His colleagues couldn’t help but feel happy for him, seeing that he was in a much better mood. He really deserved to be a great general, ah. He worried about the common people’s problems first, then shared in their joy. He was really a role model for his generation.

Yan Mingting didn’t know that so many people were observing the changes in his expression, and soon he was a little dizzy from surprise.

The Emperor even rewarded him with the Chisa Sword!

Although he lacked interest in extraneous rewards, he had no resistance to swords and the like. Let alone the famous Chisa Sword, the most powerful sword in the hearts of all soldiers and the most respected Imperial weapon in the eyes of the common people and officials.

He took the heavy sword solemnly with both hands, his face full of joy. Hearing the congratulations from his colleagues, he couldn’t wait to show it to Zhao Yelan.

After court was over, he deliberately sought out the Emperor to thank him again, but Zhao Xuan said: “This is what you deserve. I hope you will continue to dedicate yourself to your duties and protect the peace of the nation, so that the trust that Zhao-qing^[1] and I have placed in you is not in vain.”

“Zhao-qing?” Yan Mingting was stunned for a moment.

“What? Don’t you know that he begged for this sword for you?” Zhao Xuan was very surprised, because Zhao Yelan was never a person who did good deeds without leaving a name, ah. So he hadn’t informed Yan Mingting in advance?

Zhao Xuan looked at Yan Mingting’s back as he briskly walked away. His expression gradually sank, and his heart was inexplicably sour.

Yan Mingting hurried back to the General’s Mansion, but failed to catch him. Zhao Yelan had already set off for the Imperial Academy. He turned around and went to the training grounds, and showed the Chisa Sword to his soldiers, which made He Cuizhang and the others envious.

“The Emperor is wise! Only this sword is worthy of the General!” He Cuizhang cautiously tried to touch the sword, but was slapped away by Yan Mingting.

“Be careful, don’t break it.”

“……I won’t, I won’t.”

Those soldiers also gathered around, and each one of them seemed to be beholding a treasure, asking him whether it was the real Chisa Sword.

“How can there be a fake? The Emperor personally handed it to me!” Yan Mingting said proudly.

“That’s great, ah, when can I get a sword bestowed by the Emperor?” He Cuizhang said enviously.

“First of all, you must have a capable wife……you guys actually know that Zhao Yelan got this sword for me?” Yan Mingting faked a look of shock.

Everyone: “……..?” No, we didn’t know.

In the end, Zuo Ran was young and had few opportunities to be around him. She still didn’t know what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd, unlike He Cuizhang and the others, who were already numb to it. She said in surprise: “What? Zhao-daren got this for you? Heavens, Zhao-daren is so capable, Zhao-daren loves the General so much!”

Yan Mingting was satisfied, and even praised her for being bright.

Everyone: “…….”

As if showing off wasn’t enough, he also specially wrote letters to Zhong Yuehong and his uncles who were far away at the border to inform them of this matter. After all, receiving the Chisa Sword was indeed a matter of glory.

It would have been better if he didn’t write so much about how much Zhao Yelan loved him. It made the teeth of those old uncles ache.

After doing all this, Yan Mingting began to think again. Zhao Yelan won such a big treasure for him, so what could he do to reciprocate?

On the other side, Zhao Yelan left at noon and went to the small liaison building, where Yin Pinglu was already waiting.

He handed over all the ledgers to Yin Pinglu and told her what was to be done, and Yin Pinglu wrote everything down one by one.

In addition, he planned to introduce Gu Niaoniao to her, so that it would be more convenient to do things in the future.

“Yo, why did you bring a beauty here today?” When Gu Niaoniao walked into the room, she saw a strange woman. When she got closer, she realized that she and the woman were wearing the same sort of clothes and sat down with displeasure. “Good on you, Zhao Yelan, I thought I was the only one who had this dress, but it turns out everyone does.”

“I wouldn’t pick out women’s clothes. I saw that she had a good eye, so I just bought those,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yin Pinglu blushed slightly and explained: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know that Gu-guniang would wear this dress today.”

“You know of me?”

“Zhao-daren just gave me a brief introduction.”

Gu Niaoniao glanced at Zhao Yelan, who introduced Yin Pinglu to her again. After listening, Gu Niaoniao was silent for a moment, and her tense expression relaxed: “Magistrate Yin’s daughter? Isn’t your family broken up and destitute? Why are you all right?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at her in surprise. After she became the madam of Hongxiu House, she became accustomed to having everything go her way, and always greeted everyone with a smile. It was rare to see her be so tit for tat.

Yin Pinglu’s reply was neither humble nor overbearing: “Yes, but the mistakes were all made by my father and brothers-in-law, and had nothing to do with me. Neither my brother nor my sister were implicated. I would also like to thank Zhao-daren for his help, and for being willing to find me some work to do.”

Gu Niaoniao took an unhappy sip of tea. The corners of her mouth twitched, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes: “Great, ah, it’s great to meet a noble person, and it’s good to be so knowledgeable……you can still do these jobs openly and aboveboard.”

Zhao Yelan understood, knowing that she was thinking of her past. It was difficult to comfort her. After all, this was a past that neither of them wanted to mention.

Fortunately, Gu Niaoniao’s mood came and went quickly, and she donned a smile again in the blink of an eye, speaking with them about serious matters.

After half an hour, the conversation was almost over. Gu Niaoniao stretched her waist and said that she wanted to go back and check on the situation at the building: “That nobleman came again last night. He obviously couldn’t do it himself, it wasn’t because our girls weren’t working hard. They couldn’t solve it after trying several times in one night. I wonder if he has the face to come tonight.”

Yin Pinglu’s face turned red upon hearing this, but Zhao Yelan blinked, picked up his teacup, and asked casually: “Can’t he?”

“Yes, ah. He still likes to come to play with girls even when he is advanced in years, but it has long since died,” Gu Niaoniao said.

“Advanced in years……what about when he was young? Was it okay then?”

“How would I know about when he was young?” Gu Niaoniao smiled and patted his shoulder as if she had heard some joke, spilling the tea in his hand.

Zhao Yelan stabilized the teacup, maintaining his composure as he asked: “Then are there any guests who can’t do it when they are young?”

“There are, some will come to try with our girls and if they fail, they will bully them. Did you forget Qingyan? She was tossed so fiercely in other houses before, so you asked me to take her to our building.”

Zhao Yelan only remembered that when he was passing by, he saw a certain brothel throwing a frail girl out. He asked Gu Niaoniao to find out what happened, and then Gu Niaoniao spent a lot of money to buy her for Hongxiu House.

“Why doesn’t it work?” Zhao Yelan asked with puzzlement.

Gu Niaonaio: “There are many reasons. Some are inherently bad, and others are broken later.”

Zhao Yelan thought about it carefully, and felt that neither of these fit Yan Mingting’s situation. He asked, “Then how should it be treated?”

Gu Niaoniao’s eyes shifted, and she suddenly approached, inquiring: “Why are you asking about this? Could it be you who can’t do it?”

“Pfft —” Zhao Yelan sprayed out the tea.

Yin Pinglu’s face was already flushed, and she covered her ears.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Zhao Yelan said angrily.

“Then why are you asking these questions? It can’t be the General, can it? It’s impossible for him to be like that, ah.” Gu Niaoniao said sonorously.

“……” Zhao Yelan didn’t want to refute, and wiped the tea on the table with a guilty conscience.

“Actually, it’s not completely impossible.” Gu Niaoniao was certain that he couldn’t do it, so she said quietly, “A large number of people are too nervous and inexperienced the first time, so when they get excited, they encounter problems. There are many such cases.”

Zhao Yelan’s eyelashes fluttered. It seemed he had found the cause.

“Then what should be done?”

Gu Niaoniao said with an expression of ‘It’s really you who can’t do it, and you still want to quibble?’: “Usually at times like this, our girls will make some preparations first, then make the guests relax, tease them for a while, and let nature take its course……but in your situation, you should first see if the General is willing to tease you, ba.” After she finished speaking, she laughed to herself.

Zhao Yelan looked embarrassed but thoughtful.

In the evening, Zhao Yelan returned home from the Imperial Academy, and when he passed by the market, he heard commotion outside. He opened the curtain and asked: “What’s going on ahead?”

Xiao Gao raised his head and looked into the distance: “It seems that someone came out of Zhao Mansion……wait, isn’t that the General?”

Zhao Yelan stepped out of the sedan chair curiously and found that they had already arrived near Zhao Mansion, but there were many people around the door. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yan Mingting came out holding a box with two plaques inside.

As he stood behind the crowd, he heard people in front say: “I heard that the General is going to move the memorial tablets of Zhao Yelan’s parents to the General’s Mansion, so that they will enjoy the same standard of treatment as the old general and the old lady.”

“Ah? By the way, who are Zhao Yelan’s parents?”

“It must be a common family, otherwise why would no one know their names?”

Yan Mingting was followed by Housekeeper Qin and his servants, and beside him was an eminent monk. As soon as he walked out of the crowd, he noticed the person standing in the corner and immediately stepped forward, saying: “You’re back?”

“What are you doing?” Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes and looked at the two tablets in the box. After staying in a dark and humid place for many years, they were moldy and exuded a rotten smell, but now they had been wiped clean and held in a certain person’s hands.

“Didn’t you say that you wanted to bring me to see your parents? You hadn’t done so for a long time, so I asked this eminent monk to calculate the date. Today is an auspicious day for moving the memorial tablets. The next time will be next month, and I didn’t want to wait so long. I want to take our parents back to the General’s Mansion as soon as possible and enshrine them. I waited for you today, but you didn’t come back. When I saw that the auspicious time was about to pass, I came here first on my own initiative. If you disagree and feel it is abrupt, I will take our parents back now,” Yan Mingting said.

“Do you know who they are?” Zhao Yelan lowered his voice.

They were sinful slaves, people who would never see the light of day, people who had been branded as slaves for generations.

“I know, ah, they are our parents,” Yan Mingting said.

After a while, Zhao Yelan raised his head. His eyes were slightly red as he looked at him with restraint.

Yan Mingting panicked: “Are you upset? How about I go now and……”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yelan opened his arms and embraced him.

Yan Mingting heard gasps all around, then heard Zhao Yelan laugh, his voice a soft rustle: “All right, let’s take our parents back.”

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[1] The suffix -qing (卿) was used by the Emperor to refer to his subjects. It could also be used as a term of endearment between spouses. ⮐

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

Yan Mingting had never fought such a failure of a battle!

It was late at night, and the surroundings were completely silent, but Yan Mingting didn’t feel sleepy. He sat and pondered it for a long time, but received no answer.

And the person with him was already fast asleep after many days of difficult travel. Listening to his even breathing, Yan Mingting caressed his cheek in the dark. Zhao Yelan’s sweating and panting appearance took shape in his mind. It was obvious that a certain place was scorching hot again, and he obviously still had inexhaustible energy, so what was going on?

The General was worried, ah, so worried that he didn’t fall asleep all night. He worried when the rooster crowed and then got up lightly and went to court, where he was so worried that he frowned in the court hall.

Seeing him like this, the civil and military officials and the Emperor took turns praising him for his performance in Jiangnan, but the results still did not improve. Everyone took it for granted that he was worried about the country and the people. Even though the disaster was over, the General was still so worried about the country and the people!

After court was concluded, Yan Mingting was surrounded by officials scrambling to ask about the affairs in Jiangnan. He dealt with them one by one, and in the end only Kan Chuan was left standing by.

“Did the General encounter any danger during this trip?” Kan Chuan asked meaningfully.

Yan Mingting knew that he was inquiring about Zhao Yelan, and said: “The sun was so hot that I suffered heat stroke once, and I caught a cold after it rained again, but it is no longer a serious problem. Thank you, Kan-daren, for your concern.” 

Kan Chuan nodded, but noticed that he was sizing him up intentionally or otherwise, and asked: “What do you want to ask, General?”

Yan Mingting looked away abruptly with an embarrassed cough. After organizing his words for a long time, he finally choked out a sentence: “Daring to ask if you and your wife……forget it, it’s nothing. I heard you’ve been blessed with a daughter, congratulations, ah. It’s a pity that I couldn’t be there for the child’s full moon wine. This is the golden lock brought back from Jiangnan just for the baby.”

Yan Mingting took out a small golden lock from his bosom. It was shaped like a little tiger, on account of it being the Year of the Tiger.

“Many thanks, General.” Kan Chuan took it with a smile. He had no friendship with Yan Mingting, so he naturally knew it was a gift from Zhao Yelan. He solemnly placed it in his sleeve and cupped his hands, saying, “The General and my lord have worked hard these days. After you have rested, I will visit with my wife and daughter.”

“Okay.” Yan Mingting walked to the gate of the palace with him before parting ways with him, and couldn’t help but look at his frail back.

Tsk, the gentle and scholarly Kan Chuan had a child, so what was the use of his own muscles, ah? Ah?!

Thinking of this, Yan Mingting once again fell into deep melancholy. He returned to the General’s Mansion in a daze, and learned that Zhao Yelan had already gone to the Imperial Academy.

The people in the Imperial Academy wore different expressions upon seeing Zhao Yelan. Although they maintained their usual sense of distance, they glanced at him from time to time, wanting to speak but not daring to do so.

Until Ruan Xian came in and broke the deadlock. He walked quickly to Zhao Yelan and said, pleased beyond expectations: “You’ve returned, how was it? Nothing happened on the trip to Jiangnan, right?”

“It was fine,” Zhao Yelan answered.

“You worried us to death! You don’t even know that when we heard there was a drought, we were all anxious to death, trying to find ways to alleviate the disaster every day. But fortunately you came back safe and sound, and rescued so many people,” Ruan Xian said rejoicefully.

“You all?” Zhao Yelan was at a loss.

“Yes, ah.” Ruan Xian pointed at the others. “They were all worried about you.”

Zhao Yelan looked around doubtfully and the other people’s expressions tightened as if feeling embarrassed, and they turned their faces away awkwardly.

It had been less than half a year since he entered the Imperial Academy. At the beginning, these old men didn’t like him, and he didn’t intend to please them. Everyone saw to their own business and lived in peace for a while. Had these people’s attitudes toward him changed so quickly after being away for only two or three months?

“You don’t know, but first, in the case of the Jiangnan officials, several of our colleagues were sent to fill the vacancies. Others have been promoted one after another. Even I am now taking the place of Wang Guisheng, and I’ve become sixth-rank.” Ruan Xian pulled him aside and whispered, “Therefore, in public and in private, everyone admires you in their hearts. Not to mention the measures you took during the drought, which changed everyone’s opinions about you.”

Zhao Yelan understood. 

These people spent their days with brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and their minds were simple and stubborn. When they thought that he was of low character, they naturally didn’t want to be close to him. But correspondingly, if they found that he also did things for the common people, they would naturally want to get close.

It was only that they wanted to save face.

Zhao Yelan walked to the courtyard gate, found Xiao Gao, and had him go back home to bring some special snacks from JIangnan. He put them on the table: “Everyone come and try them, ba.”

Ruan Xian was the first to join in. He picked up the cloud crisps and ate them, praising them over and over again.

The others were moved, but were too embarrassed to go forward, so Zhao Yelan called them one by one and everyone went down the steps and there were smiles all around. They asked him for details while eating, and when they heard him speak about the scene of the drought, they were terrified at the thought.

Not long after, Zhao Yelan was summoned to the palace to report on his duties.

Zhao Yelan had already prepared a bag to carry, and when he reached Xuanzheng Hall and prepared to salute, Zhao Xuan stopped him.

“There is no need to be so polite. Come, have a seat.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan looked him over carefully and said: “You’re thinner.”

Zhao Yelan smiled wryly: “It’s a blessing to be able to come back alive.”

“Yes.” Zhao Xuan said apologetically, “If I had known that there would be a drought in the future, I would not have sent you to Jiangnan.”

“It’s no matter.” Zhao Yelan habitually pretended to cough twice and was suddenly taken aback, thinking of Yan Mingting. He was not unprotected now. Perhaps he could stop flattering the master for personal gain and abandon the method of humbly beseeching him for mercy.

So in the blink of an eye, he straightened his back again and looked at Zhao Xuan as if nothing had happened: “Others may not necessarily have been able to do this well.”

Zhao Xuan laughed. Although the words were arrogant, they were indisputable fact. He would rather that other courtiers could be so arrogant and submit a satisfactory answer sheet, but the others were not Zhao Yelan, after all.

Zhao Yelan reported the details of the drought meticulously. This talk lasted an hour, and his mouth was so dry that his tea was refilled several times.

Speaking of the merchants raising 80,000 taels for disaster relief, and therefore wanting the market in the capital to be open to them, Zhao Xuan agreed without question.

Zhao Xuan himself hated the late emperor’s method of managing the harem, and as soon as he heard that he wanted to circulate silk to the common people, he readily agreed.

Zhao Yelan also had a good idea of how he thought, so he had dared to open his mouth to the merchants in Huaizhou. He knew that Zhao Xuan’s original intention of fighting for power and profit was nothing more than wanting to win for his mother concubine.

Zhao Xuan’s mother concubine was just a maidservant. The late emperor had intercourse with her while drunk, but didn’t seem to remember it at all afterwards. It wasn’t until her belly grew big that she was given a promised position, and she was never favored.

And the rewards in the harem never belonged to this mother and son. The other favored concubines had a few sets of good clothes from Jiangnan every day, but his mother concubine still wore old clothes that had been washed white, and even the court ladies and eunuchs didn’t treat them well.

Zhao Yelan also mentioned Li Yucheng who had helped this time, and let him manage this batch of goods shipped from Jiangnan.

Li Yucheng had a special status. His father was the Prime Minister, but he had no official position. It was better to let him manage the business as a son of the family. With such a special status, those merchants dared not create difficulties or come up with other crooked ideas, and it was conducive to business exchanges.

After hearing this, Zhao Xuan had no objections.

Zhao Yelan mentioned Magistrate Sun’s performance again, and commented pertinently: “Magistrate is a true local magistrate, and persevered until the end.”

As he spoke, Eunuch Gao passed by outside and said: “Your Majesty, Concubine Xian is asking to see you.”

“Tell her to come.”

Sun Muyun hurried in, and was told by Zhao Xuan: “Walk slowly if you are pregnant,” so she slowed down and went straight to Zhao Yelan’s seat with a troubled look: “Zhao-daren, may I ask if you have any news about my father?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at her belly, knowing that she had a dragon vein, and her status had risen again.

“My lady, do not worry, the magistrate is fine. When I was in Wangcheng, I received the news that he fainted in the government office and was rescued by a doctor. He should have almost recovered by now,” Zhao Yelan said.

“That’s good, that’s good……” As Sun Muyun spoke, tears fell down her face. This carefree person seemed to have stabilized a lot in a short period of time, and her eyes were not only filled with eating, drinking, having fun, and looking at beautiful men.

“My lady, take care of your health.” Zhao Yelan handed her the package that had been set aside. “These are some hometown snacks prepared for you by the magistrate. There were still a few jars of lotus flower wine, but we used them to quench our thirst and drank them all.”

“Thank you for your life-saving grace, my lord.” Sun Muyun glanced at him gratefully and didn’t bother them further, quickly leaving the palace with the package in her arms like a baby.

Zhao Xuan looked after her anxiously, sent Eunuch Gao to follow, and then gave Zhao Yelan a sudden smile: “You really contributed a lot this time, ah. Tell me, what reward do you want?”

“The ones who contributed the most this time were actually Yan Mingting’s subordinates, who still insisted on implementing every order despite being exposed to the sun every day. Without them, I couldn’t have achieved anything without support, and it would have been impossible to evacuate the people so easily. So if it pleases Your Majesty, they can be rewarded,” Zhao Yelan said sincerely.

“Yan Mingting already mentioned this matter in early court, and I have already rewarded them generously.” After Zhao Xuan spoke, he looked at him with some novelty. “You are a little different.”

“How so?”

“At a time like this, the first thing you think of is those subordinates.”

Zhao Yelan smiled helplessly: “Perhaps it is because I witnessed it with my own eyes.”

In the past, he always thought that Yan Mingting’s heart for the world was innate, and that because he was born in the General’s Mansion, he should take on this important task as a matter of course.

But during this period of time, when every moment was so difficult, he himself was treated the best. The journey was hard, but the only carriage was given to him.

When he was sitting in the carriage, he looked at the long queue behind him. Everyone was sweating profusely, with tanned skin and chapped lips, but no one complained of suffering. They still listened to his transfer arrangements and protected the people.

He suddenly understood where Yan Mingting’s heart came from. Facing so many soldiers who sacrificed their lives for righteousness and worked hard every day, whose heart would not be moved?

Even if he lacked the strength to truss a chicken, he still wanted to do something for this group of people, not to mention Yan Mingting.

“Is there any other reward you want?” Zhao Xuan asked again. “Do you want to go back to court?”

“No.”

Zhao Xuan was stunned for a moment, not having expected him to refuse so quickly: “Are you angry with me?”

“No, I just think the Imperial Academy is pretty good.”

Of course, there was also an element of anger. He didn’t want to become accustomed to Zhao Xuan’s current mood. When he was in a good mood, he gave an official position and expected him to be deeply grateful.

What’s more, now was the time when he had the best reputation. He didn’t want to return to court right away, because it would make people think that his previous behavior was all for the sake of returning to court, and he would soon become the target of public criticism as his achievements were forgotten.

He would do things for the people, but he was not a good, selfless person. If you did good deeds, you must leave a name. He wanted the common people to remember him. He wouldn’t be as famous as Yan Mingting in history, but at least he wouldn’t drag Yan Mingting into infamy.

In the past, he did things of his own accord and didn’t care about the opinions of the outside world, but now that he had thought about it, he would definitely be with Yan Mingting forever in the future and would not allow him to have anyone else. As such, he didn’t know how future generations would comment on their relationship, but he didn’t want the history books to reduce the relationship between the two of them to unofficial gossip, thus obliterating Yan Mingting’s hard work and contributions over the years.

His person would definitely be remembered by future generations.

So he would do his best to create a good image and not allow himself to be a stain on him.

“At present, I just want to study in the Imperial Academy so that I can lead a more relaxed life,” Zhao Yelan said.

Zhao Xuan stared at him for a while, but couldn’t find any trace of deceit, and said: “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” Zhao Yelan took a sip of tea. “After this experience, I have also opened my eyes. What power, ah, what benefits, ah, they are not as important as living well.”

Like hell.

Zhao Xuan smiled: “Do you remember what you told me when you were young? You said you wanted to be a master.”

“It’s different now.” Zhao Yelan looked down at the tea leaves with a twitch of his mouth. “I have been a master, but I wasn’t happy.”

Zhao Xuan was uneasy. Why did such words seem to be talking about him?

Now he was the ruler of a country, but he was busy and exhausted, overwhelmed by the responsibility on his shoulders. After some thought, he actually felt that the happiest time was the Lantern Festival many years ago. With Zhao Yelan’s help, he snuck out of the palace, and they watched the lanterns together, guessed the lantern riddles, and had fun out in the world.

“Then when do you feel the happiest?” Zhao Xuan asked.

Zhao Yelan pondered for a long time, but couldn’t say anything, because the daily life in the General’s Mansion made him feel the happiest.

He shook his head and didn’t answer, so Zhao Xuan didn’t ask any more questions and said with a smile: “Since you want to stay in the Imperial Academy, then do as you wish. It is only that rewards should be given, otherwise people will say that I am unfair.”

“This official obeys.”

Zhao Xuan quietly observed his demeanor, feeling that he was not the same as before, but he couldn’t tell exactly what had changed. It wasn’t until he looked into the other’s eyes that he realized that it was his eyes that had changed.

When he brought him in as a child, his eyes were dim and gloomy, and even his speech was icy.

Later, both of them had glory and wealth, and his eyes became less dim, but they were still as deep as an ancient well without waves. Even when he smiled, there were no ripples in his eyes, and it was clearly a perfunctory smile at first glance.

And now, he obviously didn’t do anything else, let alone smile, but his eyes were vivid, and they were a little brighter when he looked at people. Maybe the scorching Jiangnan sun had fallen into his eyes and stained them with light.

Zhao Xuan was slightly moved, and even happy for him. In a good mood, he said: “Are you satisfied with fourth rank? Don’t you want things like gold and silver jewelry, silk and spices from the Western Regions?”

Zhao Yelan began to think seriously.

Seeing this, Zhao Xuan said even more grandly: “Speak, ba, as long as it is something in my treasury, I will reward it to you. Pick whatever you want.”

“Your Majesty isn’t deceiving me?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“En, I keep my word,” Zhao Xuan declared.

“I want the Chisha Sword,” Zhao Yelan said. The words were astonishing.

The Chisha Sword was the weapon used by the founding emperor of the Xuan Dynasty when he conquered the country. Later, the Imperial sword was given to the General Protecting the Nation. Before his death, the General Protecting the Nation returned it to the Zhao family, and since then it had been kept in the treasury and never saw the light of day.

Zhao Xuan’s expression changed a few times: “This is the country’s most important weapon, what do you want to do?”

“If the country’s most important weapon has not been exposed to the light, it is nothing more than broken copper and iron. It is better to give it to the right person, which not only highlights the benevolence and righteousness of His Majesty, but also inspires the hearts of the courtiers to serve the country,” Zhao Yelan said.

“The right person……” Zhao Xuan thought about his words, and realized that this was a reward for Yan Mingting. He couldn’t tell what he was feeling, and the smile at the corners of his mouth drooped. “You two have such a good relationship?”

In the past, Zhao Yelan would have definitely avoided suspicion, but today he blurted out: “Yes.”

Zhao Xuan frowned slightly.

“Your Majesty does not have to worry about his high position and authority. He, more than anyone else, does not wish for war. This trip to the south, he contributed no less than me, but he has no official position to be promoted, so I want to ask for the sword for him. When the soldiers see it, they will also believe that His Majesty is a benevolent ruler.” Zhao Yelan lifted him up to high place so that it would be difficult for him to step down.

Zhao Xuan was silent for a long time, but agreed.

This sword was truly useless to him, but the Yan family’s two generations of generals were indeed worthy of the name and worthy of this sword. Moreover, he had already shamed the Yan family by bestowing a marriage, so he simply gave away the sword.

“Since you want this reward, I won’t let you casually take it back now. Tomorrow, I will personally reward him in front of all the civil and military officials.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Zhao Yelan said solemnly.

Zhao Yelan left the palace and went to the Imperial Academy. It was not until dusk that he returned to the General’s Mansion in a sedan chair.

As soon as he entered the gate, he saw Housekeeper Qin circling anxiously in the front hall and asked: “What happened?”

“My lord, something is wrong, the General is sick!” Housekeeper Qin hurried forward to say.

“What sort of illness?”

“I just don’t know what’s causing it, that’s the trouble.” Housekeeper Qin led him to the bedroom. “Today he practiced the sword all day in the residence. Just now, he called Doctor Yao and said that he was sick, but when Doctor Yao asked him what the symptoms were, he didn’t speak. The two stared at each other for almost half an hour.”

Zhao Yelan paused, thinking of something, and raised his eyebrows. His shoulders trembled slightly and he walked into the bedroom with a suppressed smile, just in time to bump into Yao Muze, who was about to faint.

He sent Yao Muze away with a few words, and the man took his leave immediately as if he had received amnesty.

Zhao Yelan asked Housekeeper Qin to see to his own business again, and closed the door. Walking in front of Yan Mingting, he tilted his head to observe his dull expression, and knew that he hadn’t come out of the shadows yet.

Zhao Yelan smiled softly and scratched his chin.

Only then did Yan Mingting slowly raise his head, feeling very wronged, and look at him helplessly: “What should I do, ah……tell me, do I have some unspeakable illness?”

“It’s all right.” Zhao Yelan sat on his lap, put his arms around his neck, and lowered his head to kiss his lips. “As long as we understand each other, we don’t have to do that sort of thing.”

Anyway, hadn’t they been alone for the past twenty years or so? It wasn’t like they couldn’t live anymore, as long as their souls had sustenance.

Moreover, he was really afraid of pain, and opening up yesterday nearly killed him. He didn’t know why so many people were obsessed with it.

“Thank you for your comfort, but it didn’t work.” Yan Mingting felt that his dignity was about to shatter, and he wouldn’t be able to hold his head up as a man anymore wuwu.

Seeing that he was wilted like a frosted-over eggplant, Zhao Yelan pondered for a moment, touched his strong arms and chest, and sighed in embarrassment: “If you must experience it, then I will try hard to give it a shot? Tomorrow I’ll just get up early to do horse stance? Are you losing weight?”

“… … … …” Yan Mingting heard the sound of his dignity being completely shattered.

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Chapter Seventy-One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Three