The days flew by.

This was especially true for the senior high school students preparing for the college entrance examinations.

Winter vacation arrived in the blink of an eye. Perhaps worried that the holiday would kill their fighting spirit and let their muscles and bones become lazy, the school holiday was rather stingy, just picking out a few days for the candidates to celebrate the new year.

The Huo family was prosperous and scattered across the world. The family banquet celebrating the marriage of Huo and Chu before could not be attended by all. Those relatives who were far away and could not be contacted more than a few times a year, and the juniors who studied abroad all year round could only get together one by one during the Chinese New Year. The New Year’s Eve dinner was arranged in the manor where Lin Yao and Huo Changyu lived. After all, only the manor could entertain so many Huo family members comfortably.

In the early morning of New Year’s Eve, Ye Hongjun, Ye Ci, and Huo Tinglan arrived at the manor together. They were early, and not many other Huo family members were present, but the ones who had come were close relatives of the married couple. Ye Ci had met them before at various small family banquets, and was no stranger to them. He smiled shyly and took the initiative to say hello to those uncles and aunts.

Except for a few children who got together to play on their gaming consoles, most of these Huo family members were busy with the housekeeping team, picking some easy chores to do. Although all the chores were taken care of by a professional team, some small tasks could be done themselves in order to create a New Year’s atmosphere.

In the study, Huo Changyu was writing couplets and blessings with a brush. Huo Tinglan’s calligraphy was also good, but his handwriting was too sharp, fierce and excessive, with insufficient harmony. Writing festive words such as “Auspicious and joyful wishes for the whole family” was a little incongruous, and Lin Yao had complained about it many times. Therefore, all she could do was roll up her sleeves and grind ink for Huo Changyu.

On the other side, Ye Ci was enthusiastically helping the housekeeper seal money in red envelopes. The brand-new bright red bills with consecutive numbers were crisp and flat enough to cut one’s hand. Flicking and flipping them made a fresh sound, and just hearing it made people feel comfortable physically and mentally.

Lin Yao was practically cultivating to become an immortal, so she didn’t care about these mundane affairs, and pulled Ye Hongjun along to drink tea and nitpick things in the reception hall. During the Chinese New Year, one should always buy some new clothes and things like new year’s goods, but Lin Yao couldn’t be bothered to go out when it was cold. The managers of various luxury stores took turns to go out and deliver the goods to her home for her to choose from.

Lin Yao picked through them, looking and commenting. Ye Hongjun didn’t understand these things, so she held the cup of black tea carefully and politely, nodding and smiling along with Lin Yao.

The clinical trial in San Francisco had resulted in her miraculous recovery, and after returning to China, she had been taken care of by Huo Tinglan as if she were his biological mother. Now she had no worries about food and clothing, and had a lot of savings, but she was used to living a hard life and didn’t know how to relax. She dared not spend money, and still tended to be frugal in terms of food and clothing. Ye Ci had a clumsy mouth and couldn’t persuade her, and also didn’t know how to encourage her. This time she and Ye Ci came to the Huo residence to celebrate the new year, and she simply dressed neatly and decently. Facing a lady like Lin Yao, who had been pampered and cherished since childhood and was dressed luxuriously and bedecked with jewels, she lacked some confidence.

Lin Yao noticed this, and intended to work a new philosophy of life into Ye Hongjun.

“……Their New Year limited design this year is not bad.” Lin Yao picked up a handbag made of embossed calfskin. It had a white background and a red wintersweet^[1] pattern sketched in a European style, but it didn’t lack harmony. Those foreign designers rarely came up with Chinese-style designs that could catch the eye, but this one was elegant and unassuming, which matched Ye Hongjun’s temperament very well.

“Xiao Jun, try this bag.” Lin Yao picked up the small handbag and stuffed it into Ye Hongjun’s hands with a calm demeanor. Taking two steps back, she tilted her head to look and exclaimed softly, “Ai, it looks good. This handbag suits you well.” She turned her head and told the manager who was standing beside her, “Bring me that orange one, please.”

“This……” Ye Hongjun was slightly taken aback, and looked worried.

Seeing that she was clearly going to act polite, Lin Yao took another model with a different color and pattern. Gathering together naturally and affectionately with Ye Hongjun, she put the two handbags next to each other and said with irresistible gentleness: “You use wintersweet and I’ll use hydrangeas. This size is just right to hold red envelopes. How good this is, now we don’t have to walk around holding a stack of red envelopes. How about it? Alas, I have never had sisters and haven’t been able to match styles with someone……”

The style and application of her speech, strength wrapped in tenderness, was exactly the same as Huo Tinglan.

It could only be said that they were worthy of being mother and son.

And Ye Hongjun was as soft and easy-going as her own son, so Lin Yao was able to meticulously dress her from head to toe while she was in a daze.

She also had a traveling manicurist do a round of hand care.

It felt like sleepwalking to Ye Hongjun.

She had a good foundation, and looked naturally beautiful and youthful. Her only shortcoming was that she was less energetic after recovering from a serious illness, and was too thin. However, Lin Yao had good taste and knew how to make use of her strengths while avoiding her weaknesses. Ye Hongjun let her dress her up like this, and she immediately looked radiant. The scars that had eroded her over the years seemed to have been filled in and polished by Lin Yao’s skillful hands and expensive clothing and accessories, and at first glance, she looked like a different person. 

“New year, new atmosphere, that’s how it should be. Changing from head to toe is what the New Year is all about, don’t you think? Lao Huo said that it was unreasonable to buy, buy, buy, but look at you……”

Lin Yao took Ye Hongjun’s arm affectionately, looking for that lovey-dovey young couple to take credit. As expected, Ye Ci’s eyes reddened at the sight, and he took some group photos with Ye Hongjun in silence.

It had been a long time since he had seen Ye Hongjun so resplendent.

That Mom could still do this……was really good.

As the afternoon approached, more and more Huo family members arrived, and many of them were strangers. Huo Tinglan was afraid that Ye Ci would feel awkward, so he asked him to accompany Lin Yao and Ye Hongjun to have afternoon snacks and tea in the reception hall, and also brought the cute and sweet Napoleon short-legged cat for Ye Ci to pet.

An examinee’s vacation time was precious, so there was no need to waste energy with endless small talk. Obviously, he should be comfortable and free.

The short-legged cat knew Ye Ci, and was inexplicably familiar with him. It turned over to show Ye Ci its fluffy belly, and even pulled at Ye Ci’s wrist with his paws, beckoning him to play with it.

After delivering the cat to Ye Ci, Huo Tinglan was about to go to the front hall to entertain guests, but the hem of his clothes was tugged by Ye Ci when he turned to leave.

“Huo-shushu, wait, wait a minute.” The young man touched his chest twice with his fair hands, and didn’t wait for him to get the wrong idea, explaining quickly with red ears, “There were a few……cat hairs stuck.”

After he spoke, the surrounding air subtly went still for a few seconds.

Huo Tinglan also curled his lips in an ambiguous manner.

Ye Ci reacted slowly and belatedly.

He had little contact with Lin Yao before, because he was reserved and seldom spoke. He mainly gave respectful replies and rarely spent time together so naturally.

To put it simply……he didn’t seem to have called Huo-Tinglan in front of her very often.

He called Huo Tinglan “Shushu” with ease, which was originally fine, but when they were in the same room, he still had to call Lin Yao “Mom.” Obviously, something was wrong with this seniority.

–  This was Ye Ci’s interpretation of the subtle atmosphere just then.

However, in fact……

Tsk, tsk.

Lin Yao had a complicated look of “You youngsters know how to play.” Wanting to laugh but afraid to embarrass Ye Ci, she lowered her eyes and sipped her black tea, silently reciting the six-character mantra of, “Laughing too much will cause wrinkles,” to hold down the corners of her mouth.

It looked like he would have to change the name, Ye Ci pondered while petting the cat.

At least in front of outsiders.

But……

What should he call him?

If it was too lovey-dovey, he definitely wouldn’t be able to say it, but it must not appear distant.

Ye Ci mulled it over, and felt that the only way to find out was through trial and error.

So he could call Huo-shushu……Tinglan?

That, that was too much!

It was a very normal address, but the affection and intimacy seemed to make his heart beat harder than the previous one.

Huo Tinglan had already gone out to greet the guests. Lin Yao and Ye Hongjun were sitting on the small sofa opposite Ye Ci, each holding a cup of black tea. Two pairs of eyes quietly watched Ye Ci’s vacant expression, as if swimming around in a void, then self-consciously becoming red-faced, getting redder and redder……

“……”

What was this child thinking?

The two mothers looked at each other tacitly, pursed their lips and the same time, and couldn’t help but laugh.

The Huo family had a fixed process for celebrating the Chinese New Year. When dinnertime came in the evening, everyone would have a New Year’s Eve dinner in the banquet hall, and after the meal, the younger generation would pay New Year’s greetings and the elders would give lucky money. After these procedures were over, because Lin Yao was fond of ostentation, she would also arrange a New Year’s Eve fireworks show at the manner, planned by a professional team.

In order to avoid having the same performance every year, the theme of the fireworks show was different each time. She would usually pick a big happy event that occurred in the Huo family that year and use it as a theme. Last year, for example, Lin Yao and Huo Changyu chose the theme, “Moon Palace,”^[2] to celebrate Huo Tinglan’s cousin successfully entering the top famous school in the United States for further study. The fireworks at the finale were like an icy blue full moon slowly rising into the sky. This year, to celebrate Huo Tinglan’s marriage, they decided on the theme “Eternal Love” – the couple was older, after all, and would inevitably expose the essence of the middle-aged and elderly at certain moments. Ye Ci looked at the dancing pink heart-shaped fireworks, and was teased by Huo Tinglan’s unrestrained younger cousins. He froze in embarrassment and didn’t know where to bury his face. Suppressing a smile, Huo Tinglan pulled him into his arms and embraced him in a very possessive posture.

After watching the fireworks show, the large group of people went back to the house. The elders watched the New Years Gala, played cards, and chatted, while the juniors slipped away to entertain themselves. But at 12 o’clock in the middle of the night, they had to listen to the clock tower ringing and eat dumplings. This completed the set of traditions, and they could go back to their rooms to sleep.

As soon as he was able to, Ye Ci went back to the room to put away the New Years money. 

There were many children in the Huo family, so he had prepared a lot of money for New Year’s greetings and packed a big, thick pile of them. After New Year’s dinner, when he saw someone younger than him, he shyly handed over a red envelope. He thought he would be able to clean out his inventory, but the red envelopes he received numbered many more than what he sent. The Huo family’s rule was that married people gave red envelopes, and unmarried people received them. Marriage was used to determine whether one was “able to live independently.” Although Ye Ci was married, he was young and his temperament made people adore him, so the Huo family elders all regarded him as a child in their hearts. Huo Tinglan didn’t receive half those red envelopes, but Ye Ci’s coat pockets were bursting as he scrambled to put the red envelopes away.

Huo Tinglan picked Lin Yao and Huo Changyun’s from the pile of red envelopes, and placed the two heavy ones beside Ye Ci’s pillow, one on the left and one on the right. He wore a superstitious expression: “The New Year’s money can only bring luck when placed next to the pillow.”

His tone seemed to be teasing, but Ye Ci wasn’t paying attention. He busied himself with a red envelope that was kept separate in his coat pocket, handing it to Huo Tinglan.

The red envelope was very thick, and on the back was Ye Ci’s elegant and handsome handwriting, made with a golden signature pen. Huo Tinglan looked down and caught a few key words.

They were mostly blessings and words of love.

“You. you wait a little later, and look at it when I’m not around.” Ye Ci hurriedly withdrew the red envelope and whispered, “I will send your red envelopes in the future.”

From Ye Ci’s point of view, this had nothing to do with marriage, and were just blessings he hoped for on Huo Tinglan’s behalf.

The cash in this red envelope was from his old card, which he had earned from working and racing. Using this money to give Huo-shushu a red envelope satisfied Ye Ci’s wish – that no matter how much it was, he was making money for Huo-shushu to spend.

This successfully created some illusions of earning money to support the family.

“Thank you.” Huo Tinglan picked up the red envelope, turning his head to kiss his face. “Happy New Year, baby.”

It was quite ceremonial. Ye Ci laughed and said, “You’re welcome. Happy New Year, Huo-shushu.”

“By the way,” Huo Tinglan said in a warm voice, remembering what had happened that morning, “We may have to change the way you address me when other people are around, otherwise they might……”

“I understand.” Ye Ci nodded hastily. “They will feel that my generation is wrong.”

Huo Tinglan smiled. He would never tell people’s true thoughts to Ye Ci.

Lest he die of shame.

“What should we do? If you can’t call me “shushu” in front of other people……” Huo Tinglan smiled helplessly, as if he had suffered a disadvantage, and teased in a low voice, “How about “gege?”

“……”

Ye Ci choked up for a minute.

Although it was a similar address, he couldn’t call him this.

He pursed his lips with a flushed face, looking at Huo Tinglan silently.

Was Huo Tinglan able to transplant his own face?

“It’s better to, to go with your name,” Ye Ci said dryly. “It’s more……conventional.”

“Okay,” Huo Tinglan said softly. “Let me hear it.”

Maybe it was because Huo Tinglan’s expression was too serious, but the little things that originally weren’t a big deal made him shy and inexplicably caused his heart to hammer.

Ye Ci muttered, his shining pair of eyes as serious as Huo Tinglan’s: “Tinglan.”

Two short characters.

The voice was exactly the same as in the previous life, but with so much more in the tone, a torrent that traveled through time and space and fell into his ears again, into his heart.

In this life, it sounded even more fascinating and taboo than “shushu.” 

“Say it again.” Huo Tinglan approached and pressed against Ye Ci, causing him to stagger and fall back on the couch. Ye Ci couldn’t remain still, but obeyed and called out again.

“Good boy,” Huo Tinglan said in a hoarse voice. His love was surging and his heart was sore, in urgent need of venting. He rubbed Ye Ci’s stomach that was slightly round from New Year’s Eve dinner and asked, “Are you so full from dinner?”

Ye Ci nodded: “En, it was delicious.”

“If you want to eat dumplings in the middle of the night, can you eat them?” Huo Tinglan was kind and concerned.

It was said that growing men ate a lot, but at Ye Ci’s age, he could eat five meals, not to mention a few dumplings.

Ye Ci was puzzled, and said frankly: “I can eat. It was four hours ago, and I’ve almost digested it.”

Like a confused and upright Alpha who didn’t know how to flirt.

Huo Tinglan laughed and forced the topic back onto the right track, leaning over to kiss Ye Ci’s lips: “Accompany me for a little exercise? Doesn’t moving aid digestion?”

… … 

“Huo-shushu, lightly……”

“How can you forget, call my name……”

New Year’s Eve passed in festive jubilance.

Dawn in winter was late, and at six o’clock in the morning, the sky was still gray. A warm lamp with weak light was lit in the room, and Ye Ci was sleeping in a trance. His sense of time was confused by the light, and Ye Ci opened his eyes in a daze, then closed them again.

He could feel that Huo Tinglan was playing with him, but that was fine.

Huo Tinglan’s energy in some aspects was no less than that of a male high school student, and may be even a little more exaggerated due to his many years of abstinence……this kind of thing, being moved around while sleeping, happened occasionally.

However.

In fact, Huo Tinglan was helping Ye Ci get dressed.

He had mentioned today’s itinerary before, but Ye Ci had fallen asleep like this and obviously didn’t remember it.

On the first day of the new year, he would go to the temple to offer incense and pray with Lin Yao and Huo Changyun.

This type of thing was handled by Lin Yao in the past. Huo Tinglan was a materialist and just followed Lin Yao’s formalities, but this year he suddenly changed his nature and became more active about these things. 

Lin Yao expressed that they would leave at 6:30. Huo Tinglan would think it was unnecessary in previous years, but this time he did not refuse.

He didn’t dare to neglect anything that could be related to Ye Ci.

Ye Ci was asleep and at his mercy.

During the New Year, people liked to wear red. A few days ago, Lin Yao had asked someone to purchase a set of bright red thermal underwear for him……long underwear.

Last night, Ye Ci struggled internally with the ball of scarlet long underwear for a while. His obedient and soft nature had a tug of war with his “cool guy” side and finally lost.

He really couldn’t wear them.

Although it was close-fitting clothing that others couldn’t see, it was shameful, and if he moved too much, a section of red would show at his ankles or wrists……

This was definitely a devastating blow to an eighteen-year-old boy.

However……

If he wore it under long clothing, no one would be able to see.

The new year brought new weather, and it was normal to go out on the first day of the new year in new clothes from the inside out.

What bad thoughts could Huo-shushu have?

The corners of Huo Tinglan’s mouth curled up evilly as he unfolded the socks, passed them over Ye Ci’s feet, and stretched them upward to wrap around.

White contrasted strongly with the pure red. Perhaps Lin Yao saw that Ye Ci was so thin and accidentally bought too small a size. The fabric was tight, the fibers stretched thin, and it felt delicate and light.

It didn’t look as ridiculous as Ye Ci had worried, but……

Huo Tinglan came back to his senses and called out in a deep voice: “Baby, get up and let’s go burn incense.”

As he spoke, he patted Ye Ci gently.

Nearly a year had passed, and Ye Ci had gained more flesh compared to when he first moved into the Huo residence.

But he belonged to the category of people with a thin, tall frame. Just by looking at him, he still seemed thin, but when you patted it, it trembled with some sensuality.

“You really won’t get up?”

He patted again.

“……”

Ye Ci still stubbornly and lazily slept.

This was quite different from the Ye Ci who was terrified when Huo Tinglan helped him put on socks before.

Huo Tinglan smiled and continued to help him get dressed.

Ye Ci finally struggled to get up when he even zipped his jeans for him. He was sleepy-eyed, with strands of hair curled up here and there, like a newly-hatched chick.

“On the first day of the new year, we have to go early to offer incense. I told you a few days ago.” Huo Tinglan pinched the soft flesh of his cheek and looked down at his watch. “Your clothes are taken care of, and I’ll give you five minutes to wash your face and brush your teeth. Is that enough?”

“……It’s enough!” 

Ye Ci was stunned. Feeling himself from top to bottom, he found that he was indeed dressed. Not thinking much about it, he shook his head to wake himself up and jumped like a carp onto the floor, rushing to the bathroom to wash up.

He had slept too late on New Year’s Eve night, and had strenuous exercise before eating dumplings. Ye Ci got in the car and was still drowsy. He lay his head on Huo Tinglan’s shoulder and fell asleep with his hands falling naturally on his lap.

He had once washed dishes as a part time job in the past two years. At that time, he hadn’t finished high school and didn’t have many choices, so he was satisfied with the job. The conditions in the small restaurant were poor, but he dared not quit his job. In winter, the back kitchen was wet and cold, and the plastic gloves were useless. His hands were stuffed inside for several hours, and when they were taken off, his fingers were often red and white, swollen like ten summer radishes. After a few months of washing dishes, he fell ill as soon as winter came, and his fingers were red, painful, and itchy.

Last winter, he bought some ointment according to what he found on the internet, regardless of whether it was useful or not, and smeared it all over just to try it out. This winter, Huo Tinglan discovered the frostbite on his hands as soon as some clues appeared, and he was taken to the hospital for several rounds of treatment, and some ointment was prescribed to be applied every day. He had been cured now, but Huo Tinglan was worried that the symptoms would recur, so he watched him apply hand cream every morning and evening. Ye Ci had forgotten to apply it since he was in a hurry to go out today.

Fortunately, Huo Tinglan had previously stored a spare in the car.

In terms of these details of life, he was indeed like a thoughtful and considerate “good uncle.”

He unscrewed the tube of sweet, almond-scented hand cream, squeezed some into his palm, and then grabbed Ye Ci’s hands to apply it for him.

Ye Ci’s thin calluses from holding the handlebars of his motorcycle and doing physical labor had long since disappeared. Over the past year, not only his disposition, but even his hands had been pampered. The skin was tender and new, the joints and nails faintly pink, and the color was like a lotus flower, easily arousing an Alpha’s interest.

The two people’s fingers intertwined, and Huo Tinglan rubbed the back of Ye Ci’s hand in an almost lingering way. The moisturizing hand cream was very oily and sticky, hard to absorb, and he had applied too much. The oiled palms and the backs of his hands constantly emitted wet sounds.

The sounds were very ambiguous.

Ye Ci couldn’t maintain his feigned sleep. His eyes were half-closed as he watched Huo Tinglan apply hand cream, his face reddening.

The atmosphere was enchanting. According to his experience, Ye Ci felt that something might happen next. Subconsciously peeking from the corner of his eyes at the privacy screens in the front and rear windows, he had just confirmed when his hand was held down on the leather seat.

The metallic sound of belt buckles being undone came from below.

Ye Ci held Huo Tinglan’s wrist and said in a whisper: “There’s no, no change of clothes in the car.”

“I know.” Huo Tinglan’s lips twitched, and he knowingly took liberties. “I’ll just take a look……what are you wearing today?”

Eighteen-year-old boys would indeed become excited when they were casually teased by someone they liked.

There was a round, fingernail-sized pattern that bled out of the red. After being dressed up by Huo Tinglan, he never took the clothes off. At this moment, following Huo Tinglan’s line of sight, he was stunned.

Ye Ci’s face was red, and he pulled the belt desperately to cover up, quickly fastening it.

After a moment of silence, Huo Tinglan commented leisurely: “Baby is so festively dressed.”

“……”

Ye Ci stiffly supported his chin and looked out the window.

He remembered that he was obviously dressed in white when he went to bed last night.

To be exact, his underwear drawer was basically all white, so he didn’t even need to think about it.

Thinking back to when Huo Tinglan helped him get dressed early that morning……

Huo-shushu!!!

Was still here!!!

Huo Tinglan praised sincerely: “The little tiger is very cute.”

Because it was the Year of the Tiger, there was a little cartoon tiger printed on the front of the long underwear.

His shame doubled.

“Huo-shushu!” Ye Ci was so embarrassed and angry that he wanted to hit someone. He rushed forward and covered Huo Tinglan’s mouth, but Huo Tinglan grabbed him into his arms and bullied him.

… …

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, pilgrims gathered at the temple. The inner courtyard where the incense burner was placed was surrounded by smoke and haze, but the mild sandalwood scent was very pleasant, and didn’t make people feel like coughing.

Among all the incense sticks, the dragon head incense that Lin Yao offered was very eye-catching.

Ye Ci had never come to the temple to offer incense, but it was not a matter of not wanting to. Out of respect, he knelt down on the cushion and prayed for blessings. During this time, he pulled at the back of his down jacket in a nervous reaction, worried that if he bent down too much, he would reveal something red.

After completing a set of procedures for offering incense and praying for blessings, the group headed back home.

Before leaving, Ye Ci received a silver amulet from the priest of the monastery. It was small in size, almost half the size of his little finger. Sanskrit and lotus patterns were engraved on it, and it was said to be consecrated. In addition to the blessing of peace, it could also make one’s nature clear and increase their wisdom. Ye Ci didn’t know what the wisdom of Buddhism referred to, so he understood it in terms of improving academic performance, and was quite willing to wear it.

The amulet was strung on a red string, and there were two small silver bells for decoration. Huo Tinglan carefully wound the red string twice around Ye Ci’s wrist and tied it in place.

Those white wrists were decorated with red string and silver, and the colors made a person’s heart throb.

Huo Tinglan turned Ye Ci’s palm over, bowed his head, and kissed the inside of his wrist.

“Huo-shushu……” Ye Ci caught himself halfway and changed his words awkwardly. “Tinglan.”

“What is it, baby?” Huo Tinglan smiled.

“It seems that you, you really believe in these things.” Ye Ci watched him adjust the string and said casually, “We got up so early to burn incense.”

“It doesn’t count.” Huo Tinglan stroked the little silver pendant with his fingertips and smiled softly. “I only believe in things related to you.”

That fingertip seemed to warm his heart along with the silver pendant. Ye Ci’s eyes trembled slightly, and he rushed forward to hug Huo Tinglan.

On the first day of the new year, there were no other arrangements except for dinner, and everyone was free to move around.

Those juniors of the Huo family were trying to curry favor, and wanted to serve Ye Ci well. The young masters and young ladies raised in this sort of wealthy family that had existed for generations were well-educated and well-mannered. As he was Huo Tinglan’s spouse, they must have a good relationship with him.

It was too cold, and playing outdoor sports would be looking for abuse. At first, someone proposed to accompany Ye Ci in the manor’s indoor swimming pool. After thinking about the unreasonable possessiveness of an A+ level Alpha, he thought it might be against his best interests and gave up on the idea. A group of half-grown children discusses and discusses, and finally decided that it would be safest to ask Ye Ci to play videogames.

“What does Little Uncle usually play?” Huo Tinglan’s nephew, Huo Wenyu, was selected to compete against Ye Ci. He was a rare “unworthy descendent” in the Huo family. His grades were a mess and he played truant all day long, practicing at all times in his determination to embark upon the road of e-sports.

These ignorant children of the Huo family thought that Huo Wenyu was the first choice for “playing chess with the emperor.” He could be sure of losing or winning, and would not be noticed even when he let Ye Ci win.

“I don’t, don’t usually play games.” Ye Ci took the remote and fiddled with it.

The Huo residence had all kinds of gaming consoles, but Ye Ci barely had enough time to study and usually wasn’t in the mood to play.

“Then you can choose one at random.” Huo Wenyu said confidently, “I can play them all.”

Ye Ci flipped through the disks and smiled shyly: “Is racing okay?”

This was the latest racing masterpiece. It was said that the image quality of the scenery and the driving details were precise enough to be almost lifelike, and players could even smell the burning scent of the graphics card while playing……

“Okay, come on.” Huo Wenyu maneuvered his wrists with skill.

In the first round, Ye Ci, who worked hard to learn the buttons and joystick, was thoroughly thrashed by Huo Wenyu.

In the second round, Huo Wenyu went easy on him and was able to draw even with Ye Ci.

In the third round, Huo Wenyu realized that the situation had changed in the middle of the game and stopped letting him get ahead, but it still wasn’t a good-looking loss.

“I’m going to be serious, Little Uncle.” Huo Wenyu had gradually lost face and couldn’t care less about making Ye Ci happy, so he planned to use his full strength for this round.

After he spoke, as he tried to overtake, Ye Ci swayed from side to side in front of him in a disorienting way, knocking a row of virtual spectators into the air.

Huo Wenyu: “…….”

Huo Wenyu became excited and rolled up his sleeves: “Little Uncle, if you play with such shady tricks, I won’t hold back, ah.”

This was shady?

The corners of Ye Ci’s lips curled up, vaguely revealing the demeanor of dominating the Fengchi racetrack a year ago, and said concisely: “Don’t hold back.”

… …

Game X, European Town Circuit.

Huo Wenyu was forced by Ye Ci to go up the acceleration ramp when he shouldn’t be accelerating, and soared into the sky. The Aston Martin hung on a church spire and got stuck due to a bug.

Game X +1, Hawaiian Gulf Circuit.

Huo Wenyu was swept into the sea by Ye Ci’s fishtail drift, and had a close encounter with a great white shark.

Gam X +2……

“Little! Uncle!!!” 

Huo Wenyu’s heart-piercing wail resounded through the main building on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

The half-grown children who were onlookers had long forgotten that the reason for inviting Ye Ci to play games was to build relationships. They were youthful at heart, after all, and their intention of worming their way into friendship gradually became true worship. All of them eagerly geared themselves up. Huo Wenyu, who had lost his dreams and become stuck in the mire, fought to beat Ye Ci, from racing to fighting and shooting. The speed of Ye Ci’s brain was ridiculously fast, and no matter what he played, he became familiar with the controls and commenced the destruction of his opponent. The whole main building listened to these children make an uproar.

The group of people played from noon until dinner. Ye Ci exchanged WeChat IDs with them and agreed to chat after the college entrance examination.

He had slept too little the day before and started to feel sleepy after eating, so Ye Ci went back to the room with Huo Tinglan to rest before nine o’clock.

The short-legged cat seemed to have spotted Ye Ci. As soon as the two of them lay down, it yowled and scratched at the door. Ye Ci asked Huo Tinglan for permission and then stuffed the cat into the bed, hugging the soft, cloud-like ball as he fell asleep.

It was uncertain why, but perhaps due to the pressure of his studies, Ye Ci had a dream with a rather sad tone.

The color of the dream seemed to have been absorbed by a sponge. The saturation was low, and the scenes and sounds were chaotic, like an old-fashioned silent film. It also seemed to have salvaged some extremely old and vague memories from the depths of his ocean of consciousness.

Ye Ci only remembered when he opened his eyes in a daze.

He’d had a sad dream and couldn’t remember the details. The only clear scene occurred when he was on the verge of waking up from the dream. A big hand stretched out from somewhere, warm and powerful, dispelling the cold haze. The originally gray dream was suddenly filled with color, and the sky and earth turned brilliantly bright.

“Wu……”

Ye Ci fumbled for the phone under his pillow.

It was eight o’clock in the morning.

The short-legged cat clung to him, purring reassuringly with one soft paw resting on his chest.

Ye Ci’s movement disturbed it, and it arched its furry head coquettishly into Ye Ci’s arms.

Huo Tinglan sat by his side, leaning on a pillow and using a laptop to handle business.

“Huo-shushu……” Ye Ci arched his head against him. He had just woken up, and his words were not very articulate. “I had, had a nightmare. Give, give me a hug.”

“What did you dream about?” Huo Tinglan saved his file and put down the laptop.

“I forgot.”

He answered confidently.

“Forgot?”

Huo Tinglan laughed in spite of himself.

“I remember it was, was very bad……In the end, you caught me.”

“……En, don’t be afraid, baby.”

Huo Tinglan took Ye Ci’s hand that was tied with a red string and pulled him into his arms.

“I’m here.”

Happy warmth spread across every inch of this corner of heaven and earth.

It was another new year.

【End of Happy Chinese New Year】

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[1] Wintersweet is a flowering shrub native to China. The flowers are usually yellow with a purplish tint inside. ⮐

[2] “Moon Palace” is part of the idiom, “Plucking a branch of osmanthus from the Moon Palace,” which is a metaphor for passing the Imperial exams. ⮐

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Extra Six: The Necktie << Table of Contents >> Extra Eight: Ye Ci’s Boyfriend Power

Zhao Yelan ignored Yan Mingting and Housekeeper Qin for the rest of the night, and in the morning, still half asleep, he heard someone say: “Mengting, I’m going to court.”

He rolled over drowsily and continued to sleep.

He went to the Imperial Academy that morning, and it was quite lively. This was the day that the new batch of scholars went to work. Aside from Wang Guisheng, the number one scholar who became a sixth-rank editor in the Imperial Academy, the others were assigned positions as seventh-rank editors.

In other words, Wang Guisheng’s current rank was higher than that of Zhao Yelan and Ruan Xian.

Ruan Xian was around the same age as them and enthusiastically went around to meet everyone. He soon became acquainted with them and was able to call them brothers.

Some people were gearing up for their upcoming official careers: “Ruan-xiong, does the Emperor attach great importance to this place?”

“Naturally.” Ruan Xian smiled and nodded. “Although we don’t have to go to court, the Emperor often summons us to draft documents. If he discusses important matters with you, that is where you can show off your intelligence.”

“Very good, then do we usually have many chances to see the Emperor?”

“Are you an Imperial Editor or a concubine?” Wang Guisheng answered unexpectedly with disdain in his eyes. “Why do you only want to see the Emperor’s face? Wouldn’t it be good to do your job well?”

The expressions of the others changed slightly. Due to his official position and high favor, they didn’t talk back to him and only looked at his impatient appearance.

Ruan Xian’s eyes shifted, and he said with a smile: “Wang-daren is correct, and this is exactly what I was going to tell you next. Although our Imperial Academy is highly valued, we cannot go to court after all, so you need to restrain yourselves and serve the Emperor well. Do not be impatient.”

Wang Guisheng nodded in agreement, and his esteem for the other increased a bit.

After everyone was appeased by Ruan Xian, they went to perform their duties. Ruan Xian deliberately stayed two steps back, and Wang Guisheng stepped forward to inquire about daily affairs with him.

Ruan Xian spoke to him patiently and meticulously for half an hour. The two sat down and had a cup of tea, and he said with emotion: “You are worthy of being the number one scholar, ah. You easily comprehend these things, and it seems that you are not far from soaring to the top.”

“Ruan-xiong’s praise is too much.” Wang Guisheng smiled, but then looked around and wondered, “Isn’t Zhao Yelan also in the Imperial Academy? Why haven’t I seen him all morning?”

“Oh, he’s in a room editing the collection of Imperial edicts. He doesn’t go outside very often. That is to say, I am idle and have little work, and unlike you two, I don’t have the temperament to do such things,” Ruan Xian said.

“He is in a room?”

“Yes, would you like to go and visit?” Ruan Xian led him through a few courtyard gates to the innermost Jingshi Pavilion, and stood by the window. “Look, Zhao-daren is right there.”

Wang Guisheng cast his gaze around. There were several colleagues in the room, all of them  elderly with gray temples, muttering the words from their books. And in front of the bookshelf next to them was a handsome young man reading with a dignified posture, like some family’s noble son who had come to join the old scholars.

“Do you want to go in and meet him?” Ruan Xian asked in a low voice.

“Another day.” Wang Guisheng shook his head, looked back at Zhao Yelan, and left him alone. “Let’s not disturb him now.”

“Of course, there is no need to hurry. In any case, Zhao-daren admires you very much, and sooner or later you will become friends.” Ruan Xian said with a smile.

“He admires me?”

“Yes, Zhao-daren has talked to me about your articles many times, and we have also discussed the article when you scolded him. You really treat the brush as a weapon, which makes one admire your courage.” Ruan Xian laughed out loud.

Wang Guisheng’s expression froze: “He has really read that article?”

“Naturally, otherwise I wouldn’t be impressed with you either.” Ruan Xian patted him on the shoulder, half serious and half joking. “Don’t underestimate Zhao-daren, and don’t look at him from a worldly perspective. That perception is too narrow.”

Wang Guisheng nodded thoughtfully.

The footsteps of the two gradually faded. Zhao Yelan put down the book and walked to the window with the corners of his mouth raised enigmatically, pulling the window shut a little to block the incoming wind.

In the afternoon, when Zhao Yelan returned to the General’s Mansion, Xiao Gao greeted him and whispered: “My lord, that Li Yucheng came by.”

“What was he here for?” Zhao Yelan walked slowly to the main hall.

“He said he was here to compete with you.”

“Compete for what?”

“I don’t know, he refused to say. He waited for us for most of the day and ate your tea and snacks before leaving.” Xiao Gao felt sorry about that food.

Zhao Yelan gave a light chuckle: “It’s okay, I understand.”

“My lord, are you going to compete with him?”

“Why not?” Zhao Yelan took a sip of tea and said leisurely, “Just wait, he will come again.”

“All right.” Gao Tan stood aside for a while, then asked hesitantly: “My lord, can I go and play with Hongshao?”

Zhao Yelan paused: “Hongshao what?”

“Yours and the General’s rabbit. Lieutenant General Zhong sent it back in advance yesterday. Everyone is rushing to play with it, and I only pet it once today.” Xiao Gao pouted, “You help me and let me play for a while, okay?”

“……Where is the rabbit?”

Zhao Yelan had forgotten about the rabbit at first, and didn’t expect it to appear again in the mansion. Was it really called “Hongshao?”

“The back courtyard.”

The two went to the back courtyard. When Yan Mingting returned, he saw the servants and asked: “Where is Zhao Yelan?”

“Answering the General, my lord has gone to the back courtyard.”

“The back courtyard?”

Normally, Zhao Yelan thought the chicken pen stunk and seldom went to the back courtyard, aside from when he was angry and wanted to kill a few chickens and fish.

There was no telling why he was so angry today.

Yan Mingting strode to the back courtyard and happened to see Zhao Yelan mentioning the rabbit as he asked Gao Tan beside him: “Hongshao?”

“En, Hongshao!” Gao Tan nodded enthusiastically.

Yan Mingting’s complexion changed. He ran forward quickly and grabbed the rabbit, hugging it in his arms and patting its head: “What happened, why should it be braised?”

Hearing this, and seeing him look so protective, Zhao Yelan’s eyes gradually turned cold: “Do you think I’m going to braise it?”

“Then otherwise……could it be that I misunderstood?” Yan Mingting looked at his face, not so sure anymore, and cautiously offered the rabbit to him. “Then you pet it.”

With ice in his eyes, Zhao Yelan turned around and left.

“General, my lord is not going to braise the rabbit, but was just calling its name,” Gao Tan said.

“It is really called Hongshao?” Yan Mingting originally thought that Zhao Yelan had chosen that name yesterday as a joke. When he realized that he had truly misunderstood the other party, he hurriedly called out, “Zhao Yelan, wait for me!”

Zhao Yelan quickened his pace and ordered without looking back: “Xiao Gao, kill all these stinky chickens.”

Gao Tan looked at Yan Mingting in embarrassment, and Yan Mingting shook his head at him: “One, just kill one, ba.”

“But my lord said……”

“I’ll explain to him.” Yan Mingting hugged the rabbit and gave chase, but when the other party returned to the room, he locked the door tightly and didn’t let him in.

He called outside the door for a while, but there was no response from inside. When he was about to break in, he heard someone coming to report that they had a guest, so he had no choice but to go to the main hall to entertain the visitor.

The person who had arrived was a young man. His face was a bit dark, but his eyes were piercing. Seeing Yan Mingting’s attire, he said politely: “Dare I ask if this is General Yan?”

“Yes, who are you?” Yan Mingting asked.

“This one is Yao Muze, Ruan Xian’s brother-in-law. A few days ago, my brother-in-law wrote to me and asked me to come to Zhao-daren for a consultation. I only returned today, my apologies.”

Yan Mingting glanced at the medicine box on his shoulder and said, “Come in, ba.”

“Yes.” Yao Muze followed behind him, secretly sizing up the legendary evil star general. Before coming here, he believed that he was a valorous and powerful rustic fellow. He really hadn’t expected him to be so handsome, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. He carried himself majestically, and one did not dare to approach him easily.

“He’s in the room, you go there and wait a moment, and I will call him out,” Yan Mingting said, pointing to the front courtyard.

“All right.” Yao Muze didn’t understand why he had to stand so far away, but he did as he was told and obediently walked to the front courtyard to wait.

Then he saw Yan Mingting knock on the door: “Cough……Mengting, open the door, Ruan Xian’s brother-in-law is here to see you.”

The door was ajar, revealing a small gap.

Yao Muze was a little curious as to what Zhao-daren looked like. He turned his head to look inside, but who would have thought that a bucket of water would suddenly splash out, soaking Yan Mingting from head to toe.

“General!” Yao Muze exclaimed and trotted forward, looking at him in astonishment. “Are you all right?”

Yan Mingting wiped his face, opened his eyes, and said with a smile: “It’s okay, you can go in, ba.”

“But you……”

“It’s no matter.” After speaking, Yan Mingting put an arm over his shoulders and walked inside with him, using him as a shield. “We’re coming in, there’s a doctor next to me, ba.”

Yao Muze somehow felt that this place was too dangerous! He walked inside vigilantly and saw the person inside toss away the bucket in their hands, then turn around and look straight at them.

Hiss –

Yao Muze gasped. Why didn’t his brother-in-law say anything in advance? With these two, each was even more good-looking than the other!

“Okay, okay, don’t be angry.” Yan Mingting immediately stepped forward to coax him. “It’s important for you to see the doctor first.”

Yao Muze watched their interaction silently, inwardly surprised – General, I really misread you, how majestic you are!

“Let’s go to the study to talk.”

Zhao Yelan took Yao Muze to the study and closed the door. He glanced at the person following him and wordlessly moved his gaze away to look at Yao Muze and say: “Please take a seat.”

“I don’t need to sit, it is getting late. I will see to your consultation early, my lord, so that you can go back and have dinner.” Yao Muze smiled and opened the medicine box. He took out a cloth bag and placed it under his wrist to begin feeling his pulse, frowning and sighing for a while.

“How is it?” Yan Mingting asked from the side.

“My lord’s body is weak and chilled. Long-term stagnation has led to illness, but it seems it is also caused by an injury. This is not something that can be rectified in a short while. However, it is not impossible. I will prescribe some mild prescriptions first, and my lord should pay more attention to his health. Regulate your emotions and do not overwork,” Yao Muze said with a sigh.

“En, I understand.” Zhao Yelan knew a lot about his own body, so he started to get to the point and said, seemingly unintentionally, “Doctor Yao, I have a distant relative who acquired some sort of disease a few days ago. The doctor who saw him said it was caused by poisoning.”

“What kind of poison?” Yao Muze became interested.

Zhao Yelan glanced at Yan Mingting, and Yan Mingting answered: “It is a colorless and odorless poison. After taking it for a period of time, it will cause dizziness, fatigue, and confusion.”

“That is too inconclusive, may I meet this relative?” 

“He passed away,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Was there anything unusual about the corpse?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head. He had never even seen Bao Lun’s face, so how could he know the condition of his corpse?

At this time, Yan Mingting suddenly spoke up: “There was. The skin had turned black after death, but there was no obvious corpse odor.”

The other two were startled. Yao Muze began to think about poisons, but Zhao Yelan looked at Yan Mingting in astonishment. 

Yan Mingting hadn’t known that Bao Lun had also been poisoned, so that he knew of the corpse’s abnormality, it could only be because……the old general had succumbed to the poison in the same way.

To open the coffin and examine the body of his own father – how courageous, and how bitter.

Yan Mingting’s body was still wet, his hands covered with water. He stared straight at Yao Muze, hoping for an answer. At that moment, a brocade handkerchief was stuffed into the palm of his hand.

He looked down, and Zhao Yelan withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened, saying lightly: “Don’t drip water everywhere.”

Yan Mingting tightly clenched the handkerchief, and then loosened his grip, lowering his head and wiping his hands. He glanced over from the corner of his eye and happened to meet Zhao Yelan’s covertly scrutinizing gaze.

The other party was taken by surprise, and turned his head away quickly.

Yan Mingting smiled silently, returned the handkerchief, and patted his shoulder: “Thank you.”

Zhao Yelan stared at the ground silently, without replying.

“I remember that I once heard Shifu mention that those in Nanjiang^[1] are proficient with poisons, one of which is colorless and odorless, which makes people confused and dizzy. It begins to emit some fragrance after death, which will cover up the corpse smell,” Yao Muze said.

“Nanjiang?” Yan Mingting asked.

Nanjiang was once the biggest enemy of the Xuan Dynasty, but was eventually defeated by the Yan family army and proclaimed a vassal to the Xuan Dynasty as a subordinate state. Unless summoned, they were not allowed entry into the territory of the Xuan Dynasty.

“En, I also heard from Shifu that he used to work in Tai Hospital and had seen some envoys from Nanjiang come on pilgrimage to show off various poisons to civil and military officials.”

“I see, thank you, Doctor Yao.” Zhao Yelan glanced at Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting understood and politely sent him to the door, giving him some rewards: “He is miserable about this relative, so I ask the doctor to not make this matter public, in order to avoid exposing his scars.”

“This is natural, my mouth is sealed.”

“Your brother-in-law……”

“I only took a look at Zhao-daren’s body and prescribed some medications.” Yao Muze said astutely.

Zhao Yelan sat alone in the study, recalling the details of the envoys from Nanjiang. It was a pity that Zhao Xuan was not favored at that time and was forced into seclusion for three months. He was unable to participate in the session, so he was unaware of these details.

At this moment, footsteps sounded outside.

He raised his eyes and stared at the door, waiting for a while, but saw no one. Walking to the door suspiciously, he looked outside but only saw a white rabbit jumping in front of him.

A small piece of paper hung from a string around the rabbit’s neck.

He picked up the rabbit and took the piece of paper, upon which was written a line of small characters –

Zhao-daren, don’t be angry.

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth curled up unconsciously, and after looking around, he saw Yan Mingting emerging from behind the pillar next to him.

“Hongshao, help me look, is your father still angry?”

“Who is a father?” Zhao Yelan gave him a gouging look.

“Of course it’s you. You even gave it the name “Hongshao,” and if you don’t want to braise it, don’t you just want to raise it?”

Yan Mingting walked up to him with a smile, bent over slightly, and looked at him in the moonlight.

Zhao Yelan gazed back without evading.

The jasmine flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom, swaying gently in the evening wind under the moon, pure white and flawless, with a permeating fragrance, just like the person in front of him.

The corners of Yan Mingting’s mouth curled up: “It seems that he isn’t angry anymore.”

Zhao Yelan scoffed lightly and turned around to walk back into the room with the rabbit in his arms, Yan Mingting following behind him.

Under the moonlight, one in front and one behind, they stepped through the old, quaint corridor, their footsteps ringing in tandem.

Zhao Yelan stood in front of the bedroom door and was about to enter, when he glanced sideways at Yan Mingting’s wet body. His brow furrowed slightly, and he called, “Housekeeper Qin.”

“This old slave is here.” Housekeeper Qin came in response, a smile on his face. 

“Prepare a tub of hot water.”

“Yes!” Housekeeper Qin said predictably. “It is already heated, and I will ask someone to move it here right away.”

“Prepare more, one tub of water may not be enough for your General.” Zhao Yelan looked at Yan Mingting’s tall body with disdain.

Housekeeper Qin stumbled: “Ah? For the General?!”

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[1] Nanjiang refers to the regions south of the Yangtze River. This term will be used quite a lot in the coming chapters. ⮐

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

“Your Majesty, today your Majesty was the most valiant during the hunt. Hunting this huge beast is truly extraordinary and mighty!” The officials on the side flattered.

Zhao Xuan’s ears were ringing. He disliked hearing these flattering words. These people were used to praising the powerful and oppressing the weak, and when he was powerless in the past, he never heard such things.

There was only Zhao Yelan who grew up at his side, urging him on and encouraging him, never deliberately flattering him. Even though he was now honored as the Emperor and had hunted a fierce tiger, the other party only gave him a smile to show affirmation, which was instead more comfortable than such vain flattery.

Thinking of this, he looked at his prey again and planned to reward Zhao Yelan with both the tiger skin and the stag to make him happy. Of course, there was also some pride in it. 

Perfectly satisfied, he moved forward and looked toward Zhao Yelan, then saw a white rabbit jump out of his hands and Zhao Yelan taking two steps after it.

Zhao Xuan was wondering where the live rabbit came from when he saw Zhao Yelan turn around and say to the other person: “What are you doing still in a daze, are you just going to let it run away?”

“Ask me, ah,” Yan Mingting said with a smile.

“In your dreams.” Zhao Yelan stood in place and said, “Forget it, I don’t care if it runs away.”

“I care.” Yan Mingting quickly caught the rabbit and stuffed it into his arms. “You have literary talent, give it a name.”
Zhao Yelan thought for a while: “I’ll call it Hongshao,^[1] ba, I haven’t eaten rabbit head in a long time.”

Yan Mingting: “……”

The rabbit flinched, and the others laughed out loud.

Zhao Xuan looked at the group of people, staring straight at Zhao Yelan and not letting the expression on his face slip. He clearly saw the cunning that flashed in his eyes, like he was deliberately teasing Yan Mingting to play, and the joy that came after success.

When did Zhao Yelan ever tease others?

Zhao Xuan’s eyes gradually darkened, his heart feeling bitter and sour. When he looked over again, Zhao Yelan had returned to his original appearance, as if it had just been an illusion.

He walked over with heavy steps and asked with a forced smile: “Where did this rabbit come from?”

“Answering Your Majesty, the General caught it,” Zhong Yuehong said.

“It is likely that the person in charge accidentally mixed in this rabbit,” Yan Mingting explained.

It stood to reason that there would only be wild rabbits in the hunting grounds, not domestic ones, but not long after Yan Mingting entered, he saw this white and tender domestic rabbit and supposed that the palace servants had accidentally let it in. It had no experience living in the wild. In these hunting grounds, it would either die to an arrow or at the mouth of another beast, so he simply took it away. It also looked inexplicably like Zhao Yelan, who was also soft and white, and insisted on looking at others fiercely despite the lack of red eyes.

“So that is the case.” Zhao Xuan reached out to touch the rabbit’s head with a gentle smile, and said to Zhao Yelan, who was holding it, “This is really a good thing, don’t you love rabbit meat? This is a blessing, right, Mengting?”^[2]

The people around were stunned. Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Xuan in surprise, and then at Zhao Yelan with a complicated expression. 

Zhao Yelan nodded, calm and composed: “En.”

After saying a few words, Zhao Xuan went on to inspect other prey.

This group of talents regained their noisy atmosphere, and Zhong Yuehong couldn’t bear it, saying: “My lord, do you really want to braise it? In that case, give it to me, I’ll buy it from you.”

Zhao Yelan was distracted, staring at Zhao Xuan’s back. He couldn’t quite understand why the other party had suddenly called him “Mengting.” Could it be that he was threatening him because he saw him lingering with Yan Mingting and his group?

Yan Mingting followed his line of sight to Zhao Xuan’s tall, straight back. His eyes darkened a bit, and he raised his hand to stroke the rabbit’s head.

The atmosphere was a bit strange, and the two of them were completely silent, standing in place with their own thoughts. They didn’t come back to their senses until everyone began to return home.

At sunset, there was only a little bit of warm afterglow in the forest as everyone left in an orderly manner. Zhao Yelan turned to go, but Yan Mingting grasped his arm.

“Wait.”

Yan Mingting was responsible for the security of the hunting grounds, and had arranged many people around him, so he had to deal with the aftermath. Zhao Yelan thought for a moment, then stayed and waited for them to go back together.

The crowd gradually dispersed. When Li Yucheng passed by him, he gave him a fierce look and whispered: “Zhao Yelan, you wait for me, I will remember the grudge from last time.”

Ignorant fool.

Zhao Yelan didn’t even bother to respond to him, and put the rabbit on the ground. As soon as it  ran away, Zhong Yuehong caught it again for a thorough petting. 

He could see that she liked it very much, and said: “Take it back and keep it for yourself.”

Zhong Yuehong shook her head: “Forget it, the General caught it for you, my lord. If I take it away, he will punish me with fifty blows with a cane.”

Zhao Yelan wondered: “You will be caned?”

“Of course, I’ve been through it many times and couldn’t get out of bed for days,” Zhong Yuehong complained.

He Cuizhang leaned down to touch the rabbit and joined the conversation: “Who told you to disobey orders and act without authorization? Besides, the General said that military merit would be awarded based on meritorious deeds, but according to military discipline, there is no difference between men and women. If you make a mistake, you will be punished.”

Zhong Yuehong glared at him, and the two started shoving and fighting.

Zhao Yelan nodded: “It should be so.”

As a female lieutenant general, Zhong Yuehong was very uncommon. If it wasn’t for the old general and Yan Mingting’s efforts to protect her, perhaps she would be a married woman by now, with a husband and child, and then how could she have thousands of soldiers under her command?

Therefore, if she made a mistake, she could not be shown favoritism, lest anyone think that General Yan would be partial to her for being a woman. If it were not this way, the soldiers under her would inevitably be dissatisfied, and she would be more likely to lose credit. If the hearts of the people were not in harmony, it would be difficult to resist the enemy.

“See, my lord also said there is nothing wrong with it. They really deserve to be a family.” He Cuizhang smiled and said, “Yuehong, you just be honest, how is it possible that you still want to use Zhao-daren to petition the General?”

Zhao Yelan’s expression froze slightly. He glanced away, ignoring the two people.

After a while, Yan Mingting returned. Zhao Yelan had been sitting for a long time and was slightly dizzy when he stood up, but he was supported firmly.

“You all go back first, we have something to do.” Yan Mingting grabbed the rabbit and handed it to Zhong Yuehong. “Send it back to the General’s Mansion.”

After everyone had left, Zhao Yelan turned and asked: “What else do we need to do?”

“I’m going to take you somewhere.” Yan Mingting whistled, and his horse trotted over. He mounted it easily, and stretched out a hand with a smile: “Let’s go.”

“Go where?”

“Hunting.”

“Hunting?” Zhao Yelan gave him a surprised look.

“That’s right.” Yan Mingting bent down a little and looked at him with a smile on his face. “Do you want to go?”

Zhao Yelan frowned slightly and stood there for a time while the other waited for him patiently.

He unconsciously bit his lower lip, and then held that hand. Immediately afterwards, his body lightened and he easily sat on the horse’s back.

“Ya!”

The strong horse spun and galloped into the hunting grounds, then slowed down to walk steadily down the path.

Zhao Yelan’s tense body gradually relaxed, and he looked at the surrounding environment. The trees covered the sky and blocked out the sun, making it a bit dark. The grass around them made a little noise from time to time, and there was no telling what could be hiding within. 

“Come, take the bow.” Yan Mingting took an arrow from the quiver and handed him both.

Zhao Yelan took it and fumbled for a moment before getting the arrow stuck on the string.

“Pull,” Yan Mingting said softly.

Zhao Yelan raised the bow, but it took some effort to draw it. After trying a few times with difficulty, his arms began to shake. Then the back of his hand was covered by a warm palm, wrapping around his hand and pulling back hard.

“Hold it steady, look straight ahead, and hold your breath,” Yan Mingting whispered in his ear.

Zhao Yelan looked forward intently. It was silent for a moment, and then he heard a sudden movement.

“Release.”

As Yan Mingting spoke, he let go of his hand. The arrow shot out with a swish, and then the sound of something falling to the ground could be heard.

Zhao Yelan’s eyes lit up slightly, and he asked in a low voice: “What is it?”

“Let’s go and have a look.” Yan Mingting slowly rode his horse forward, then leaned down and picked up an arrow embedded in a hare.

Zhao Yelan immediately became more energetic and asked: “Are there more hares?”

“There are.” Yan Mingting instructed him again on how to exert strength.

“Next time I will do it by myself,” Zhao Yelan said.

“All right.”

Zhao Yelan sat on the horse and drew the bow again according to his instructions. When he heard the sound of movement, he let loose in a fluster. In the end, the hare escaped unscathed and the arrow shot out crookedly and landed nearby.

“……”

Yan Mingting laughed. Zhao Yelan turned his head to look back at him, and he waved his hand: “It’s okay, your first time was never going to be smooth.”

“Don’t play around.” Zhao Yelan pulled a long face.

“There is a sheep. The target is bigger and easier to hit.”

“Where?” Zhao Yelan looked around but saw nothing. Realizing that he was being teased, he was about to get angry when Yan Mingting took his hand again, readied the bow, and they released together. There was a plaintive cry in the distance.

Zhao Yelan gave him a surprised look, and in the blink of an eye, the two approached on horseback. It was indeed a sheep.

“How did you know it was a sheep?”

“I listened to the sound it made to distinguish its shape.” Yan Mingting asked with a smile, “How about it, do you still want to play?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t speak, but Yan Mingting suddenly urged the horse into a gallop through the forest

He quickly grabbed the saddle and focused on the path ahead. After a while, he relaxed again and felt the thrill of galloping, the corners of his mouth curving up unknowingly.

The sky was darkening swiftly. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a running deer and shouted hastily: “Quick, over there!”

“You steer the horse.”

“Me?” Zhao Yelan was about to refuse, but the other party had already handed the reins over to him and drawn the bow.

Zhao Yelan’s heart beat fast as the horse galloped along. He didn’t dare stop recklessly, so he could only hold the reins apprehensively and shout: “Hurry up, we’re going to fall!”

There was the sharp sound of an arrow piercing the air. He glanced over to see that the deer had been hit by the arrow, and turned his head without realizing it to give Yan Mingting a delighted look.

Who knew that the horse would panic at this time and suddenly jolt, its two front hooves rearing up. Zhao Yelan cried out and fell backwards. Despite Yan Mingting hugging him tightly, the two fell from the horse together.

They rolled a few times through the grass before coming to a stop.

Zhao Yelan, having survived the catastrophe, slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was being embraced in Yan Mingting’s arms. After moving a little, he found no injuries on his body and pushed Yan Mingting away.

Yan Mingting chuckled and turned over to lay next to him, staring motionless at the sky.

Zhao Yelan panted heavily for a while, and regained his composure after lying down for a period of time. He asked: “Are you hurt?”

“No,” Yan Mingting said.

“Did you shoot the deer?”

“Of course.”

Zhao Yelan turned around and found that the other’s hand was still under his head. He had just moved to push his hand away when his back was pressed down. He lay down obediently.

Unable to move anymore, he asked: “Why did you give me the reins?”

“I don’t know, I just thought you would like it.” Yan Mingting raised one leg lazily, where he was slightly injured.

“Like what?” Zhao Yelan was puzzled.

“Riding horses and hunting.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t answer for a moment and remained silent.

“So you liked it?” Yan Mingting asked again, turning his head to look at him.

Zhao Yelan nodded faintly. However, it was dark now and Yan Mingting couldn’t see his movements, so he reached out to touch his cheek and asked: “Did you just nod or shake your head?”

Zhao Yelan slapped his hand away. “I liked it, okay?”

What man in the world didn’t like luxurious clothes and strong horses, drawing a bow to shoot wild geese, or becoming a great scholar, a talent in the prime of his life?

But as it happened, he couldn’t do it.

“It’s easy, ah.” Yan Mingting patted his back. “Follow me in the future to exercise well. I will teach you horseback riding and archery, and you will be able to come and show off your hunting skills in the coming year.”

Their surroundings were quiet. Zhao Yelan listened to his words in silence. It seemed that he could hear the lively beating of the other’s heart, which contained the incomparable vitality that he envied.

The two lay on the grass for a long time, until Zhao Yelan sneezed. Only then did Yan Mingting help him up, then turn and retrieve the arrow from the deer.

The deer was not dead yet. After a moment of struggle, it fled unsteadily.

“Let’s go back.” Yan Mingting led him to the horse, and they exited the hunting grounds together.

“By the way……” Yan Mingting hesitated to speak, and after deliberating for a long time, he couldn’t hold back the question. “Why did the Emperor call you Mengting?”

He still hadn’t escaped this problem. Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes and said slowly: “Mengting is my courtesy name.”

“Really?”

“En.”

Yan Mingting was slightly dissatisfied: “The Emperor knew your courtesy name, but I didn’t.”

“Then why don’t you reflect on yourself?” Zhao Yelan retorted.

“Clearly you didn’t tell me.”

“Well, you didn’t tell me yours, so why should I……”

“Fangli. I am called Yan Fangli,” Yan Mingting interrupted.

“Oh……”

“That is how you react?”

“How should I react?”

“Call it out for me to hear.”

“Hehe.”

After returning to the General’s Mansion, Housekeeper Qin saw that the two of them were a little out of sorts and said worriedly: “Did something happen during the hunt today?”

“Something happened,” Yan Mingting said solemnly. “Mengting was very stingy.”

“Who is Mengting?” Housekeeper Qin was at a loss.

Zhao Yelan felt a lot of regret. Ever since telling him that name, Yan Mingting kept saying ‘Mengting’ all the way –

“Mengting, after we go back, do you want to pick a good horse from my stables?”

“Mengting, sit back a little, don’t ride on the horse’s neck.”

“Mengting, hey. It’s fine, I just wanted to call you.”

“Mengting, you look so good today.”

“Mengting, Mengting, Mengting……”

The recitation made his brain buzz, until he almost couldn’t recognize these two characters.

“Mengting is certainly……”

“Yan Mingting!” Zhao Yelan hissed.

“Who is Yan Mingting? I only know Yan Fanli,” Yan Mingting said with a pleasant smile.

When Housekeeper Qin heard these familiar words, he suddenly realized: “I understand, the General is flirting with his wife, right?”

Yan Mingting: “ . ”

“……” Zhao Yelan gave Housekeeper Qin a sharp look.

Housekeeper Qin hurriedly covered his mouth, and then slapped himself lightly across the face – look at his big mouth, how could he accidentally say such a thing?

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[1] Hongshao (红烧) means “braised.” ⮐

[2] Different from General Yan’s name, Mingting (明庭), which means “bright courtyard,” Zhao Yelan’s real name is Mengting(梦亭), or “dream pavilion.” They sound similar but consist of completely different characters. I can already tell this is going to be a joy to keep straight while translating…… ⮐

---

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Chapter Thirty-One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Three

Many people had already arrived at the camp and were greeting each other. When those people saw them, they immediately came forward to say hello.

“General Yan will have a big harvest today, ah.”

“Lieutenant General He and Lieutenant General Zhong are also energetic. It looks like they’re going to hunt a lot of good things today.”

They praised these military officials one by one, automatically ignoring Zhao Yelan, who was powerless.

Zhao Yelan also didn’t want to make sham gestures of politeness with them. Taking a seat, he saw those martial arts masters approaching Yan Mingting and the others, their voices full of longing and admiration.

The father and son of the Yan family could be said to be role models in the hearts of all warriors.

The others also slowly arrived. At this time, Eunuch Gao shouted: “The Emperor is here!”

Everyone got up and saluted one after another. Zhao Xuan walked out well-dressed, and said in a loud voice: “You don’t need to be so polite, today is the day of the hunt. Everyone goes into battle according to their skills, and what they hunt can be brought back directly. Anyone who can hunt down the tiger will receive a generous reward.”

The group of people were eager to compete, and when he finished speaking, they could hardly wait to ride into the forest.

Most of the officials were old, but their children were in the prime of their youth and bustled with noise and excitement in search of prey. Even Li Yucheng was among them.

Bows and arrows were distributed uniformly. Zhao Xuan picked up a quiver and was about to set off, when he subconsciously looked at Zhao Yelan.

They looked at each other, and Zhao Yelan smiled and nodded as if in encouragement.

Zhao Xuan smiled tacitly and raised his voice: “General Yan, let us go together.”

“Yes.”

Yan Mingting raised his bow, jumped onto his horse, and tightened the reins. He glanced at Zhao Yelan in high spirits, but Zhao Yelan looked back at him indifferently: “Do not be complacent.”

The corners of Yan Mingting’s mouth rose: “Let’s go.”

He Cuizhang and the others followed in sequence. The sound of horseshoes gradually faded away, and the people who remained waved away the dirt and dust that rose into the air.

After entering the hunting grounds, Zhao Xuan separated from Yan Mingting and the others. He was good at riding and shooting, and didn’t want to use Yan Mingting’s martial arts to obtain his prey. With a small entourage, he went in the other direction.

“General, what should we do now?” He Cuizhang asked.

“There is no need to stay together. Everyone enjoy within your own abilities, ba.” After Yan Mingting gave his orders, Zhong Yuehong turned her horse’s head and rushed into the forest excitedly.

Even at a distance from the hunting grounds, the civil officials sitting in the camp could hear the neighing of the horses and the growling of the game inside. It sounded a bit terrifying. Particularly worrying was that some people’s children were still inside.

The Prime Minister seemed to fear that Li Yucheng would have an accident, so he wanted to call up a few followers and go in search of him.

Someone laughed at him: “Minister Li, don’t you write poetry now?”

Li Jinyu wiped the sweat from his forehead: “I can’t right now, I’ll do it later.”

The others laughed out loud, and someone added fuel to the fire: “By the way, I heard a few days ago that Zhao Yelan and General Yan hung Li-gongzi from a tree. Is this true? You are the Prime Minister, ah, how can he live as such a good-for-nothing? If it was me, I would be sure to……”

“What would you be sure to do?” Zhao Yelan asked with a smile.

The man’s voice paused. He didn’t expect him to say this, and stammered without saying a complete sentence for a long time.

Zhao Yelan: “I recall that your young master is thirteen years old and won’t die after being hung up for a night. One of these days, I will……”

“Zhao-daren, excuse me, I made a slip of the tongue. Don’t mind me, have mercy on my son, ba.” The man hurriedly begged for leniency, knowing that he had forgotten himself for a moment. Even though Zhao Yelan was currently only a seventh-rank scholar, he could regain the Emperor’s favor at any moment. What’s more, Yan Mingting had already accompanied him to do wicked things, so there was no guarantee that he would not be spurred on by him.

Zhao Yelan smiled faintly: “I’m out of tea.”

“I’ll pour some for you.” The man trotted over with haste, respectfully poured him tea, and handed the teacup to him with a smile on his face.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Yelan poured the tea out as soon as he accepted it.

“Too hot.”

The man bore with it under everyone’s complicated gazes and poured him another cup. Zhao Yelan took it and said indifferently: “All right, you have no business here. Go back.”

The people around Kan Chuan couldn’t help muttering, and the Imperial Censor said: “Why is this Zhao Yelan still so powerful? It is too outrageous! Tomorrow morning, I will certainly censure him!”

“It’s useless,” Kan Chuan said. “He will say that the other party offered the first insult, and that he splashed the tea because it was too hot and his hand was unsteady. The Emperor will not deal with such a small matter, and will only think that you focus on trivial matters every day.”

“It is as Kan-daren says. But since this Imperial Censor can’t speak out, why doesn’t Kan-daren go to speak to the Emperor? The Emperor has always summoned you alone these days, so he should take your opinions seriously, right?”

“The Imperial Censor should speak carefully. The Emperor summons me to speak about important matters concerning the common people, not to listen to me suing officials. If I truly did such a thing, what would be the difference between me and Zhao Yelan and his ilk?” When Kan Chuan finished his righteous speech, all the respectable people around him agreed and admired him greatly.

“However, should he continue to be so arrogant?” Asked another.

Kan Chuan looked at Zhao Yelan, who happened to be looking over too. Their eyes met, and he said calmly: “Although nowadays he is a tiger who has come down from the mountain, it is not good to provoke him easily. A rabbit may bite when it is desperate. Whoever crosses him now will suffer disaster in the future if he is allowed to return to power.”

When the others heard this, they also had the same reasoning. Wasn’t that the case with Liu-daren just now? This Zhao-daren had yet to return to power, yet he dared to ask Liu-daren to pour tea for him in front of so many people. They dared not think about how things would develop in the future.

Sitting nearby, Wang Guisheng listened to their conversation and looked at Zhao Yelan with a complicated expression. There was arrogance in his heart, and he wanted to completely remove this treacherous person, but he always thought of the night when Zhao Yelan talked about poetic essays with him. Warm dishes and warm wine, earnest words, and gaining genuine appreciation that he had never received before.

When Zhao Yelan looked over casually, he subconsciously straightened his back and didn’t know how to face the other. While he was struggling, Zhao Yelan had already glanced away. Although he was relieved, there was also a subtle sense of loss.

“Zhao-daren, I’ve found you.” Ruan Xian walked over with a smile. The camp was spacious and there were many officials who had come to participate. Ruan Xian had searched around while carrying a flagon of wine, only to see the slightly lonely-looking Zhao Yelan and sit beside him familiarly. “How is your health?”

“Thank you for your concern, there is no……” Zhao Yelan withdrew his inquisitive gaze, covered his mouth and nose, and coughed a few times before continuing, “……big problem.”

“This is what you call not a big problem?” Ruan Xian said with concern. “It so happens that my brother-in-law is out to see a patient and hasn’t returned yet, but I have already sent him a letter, and he will return to Beijing in two days. He will definitely give you a good diagnosis.”

“There is no need to bother him in this way.”

“Hey, isn’t that being too polite? Our first meeting was like that of old friends, and although I call you Zhao-daren, I treat you as an elder brother in my heart,” Ruan Xian laughed.

Zhao Yelan smiled: “Thank you, Ruan-daren, for your kindness.”

Ruan Xian smiled in surprise. “If you don’t mind, could I address you less formally, and instead call you Zhao-xiong?”^[1]

“All right.” Zhao Yelan nodded in agreement.

Ruan Xian was a little happy and wanted to drink with him, but it could be seen that he was frequently coughing, so he had to sip the wine alone.

The two sat and conversed for a while. Something occurred to Ruan Xian, and he asked in a low voice: “Zhao-xiong, I see that you have a very good relationship with General Yan. Can you tell him not to look at me so fiercely every time he sees me? It makes my heart uneasy, and I don’t know how I offended him.”

“What is this?” Zhao Yelan asked in surprise.

“Yes, ah, the few times I’ve seen him, he would glare at me a few times without giving a reason. I’ve never had much contact with him, and I don’t know what could have made him unhappy. Although he is big and handsome, he can be intimidating when he looks fierce. I’m really afraid of him,” Ruan Xian complained without end.

“No, what I’m asking is, when did you see that our relationship is good?”

“……” Ruan Xian frowned. “Is it not okay?”

“Okay?”

“Uh……” Ruan Xian saw that he was confident that his relationship was not good, and was not sure of himself anymore, beginning to suspect that it was his own illusion. “It may be that I read it wrong, ba.”

“You must have read it wrong,” Zhao Yelan affirmed.

The time limit for the hunt was one day, so lunch was also eaten at the camp. Everyone gathered together to eat, and heard the sudden sound of hoofbeats as someone returned.

“Ya!” Li Yucheng was the first to come back, his head soaked in sweat as he shouted excitedly, “Dad, I caught something!”

Everyone looked over curiously and saw a group of attendants following him carrying a dozen rabbits.

In an instant, everyone burst into laughter. It went without saying that there were no words for his riding and shooting skills. They laughed so hard that Li Yucheng was too ashamed to show his face, and he lowered his head listlessly.

Only Li Jinyu patted him on the head with a smile on his face: “Very good, Dad is very happy as long as you are safe and sound. Tell Dad how you hunted them?”

Li Yucheng’s face was full of joy again and he pulled him to sit down, animatedly talking about the scene inside: “There are so many things in there! Leopards and big tigers as well, so scary……”

Smiling, the other people turned back around. Zhao Yelan couldn’t help but take another look, and saw that no matter what Li Yucheng said, Li Jinyu would listen very carefully and repeat a few words, offering him praise.

“You said that our Prime Minister has great literary talent, but why is his son so useless?” Ruan Xian said in a hushed voice, shaking his head with a sigh.

Zhao Yelan lowered his eyes sadly: “This is Li Yucheng’s good fortune.”

“That is true, Li Yucheng has such a doting father, and has been comfortable all his life, unlike me……” There was a hint of sourness in Ruan Xian’s tone, and he immediately laughed. “Forget it, since there is no such father, I can only rely on myself.”

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched, and he said, “Yes, ah.”

The temperature rose a bit in the afternoon. Fortunately, the camp was shaded by trees, so it wasn’t overly hot. Zhao Yelan sat in his chair and dozed off for a while. He heard the sound of hoofbeats but didn’t bother to open his eyes. In any case, there were countless voices reporting the results.

Which official had hunted a deer, which gongzi had shot a wolf……there were congratulatory voices all around, which was very noisy.

After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes and examined the people who had hunted trophies. They were encircled by crowds as they told about their experiences inside, arousing everyone’s curiosity.

“I heard that the tiger is difficult to subdue, did any of you try?”

“The Emperor, did he……look, isn’t the Emperor coming back now?”

Everyone looked over one after another, and Zhao Yelan followed suit. He saw Zhao Xuan ride out in a mighty manner, his clothes stained with blood. The entourage behind him was pulling a wooden cart, upon which was the corpse of a tiger. It was so big that just looking at it was terrifying.

The officials approached in succession to observe, and didn’t forget to say a few words of flattery.

Zhao Xuan was in a good mood, and ordered the tiger to be cut up and divided among everyone. When he caught a glimpse of Zhao Yelan’s figure, he couldn’t help but step forward and ask with a smile: “How is it?”

“Your Majesty’s prestige remains unparalleled,” Zhao Yelan complimented.

Zhao Xuan laughed loudly and patted him on the shoulder, saying in a low voice: “In due course, the tiger skin will be given to you to protect you from the cold.”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”

Zhao Xuan turned around to inspect other people’s achievements, praising them without hesitation. The scene was very lively.

Not long after, He Cuizhang and Zhong Yuehong also returned. He Cuizhang had hunted the wolf king, and Zhong Yuehong had captured a leopard.

“Not bad, the two lieutenants are really young and promising.” Zhao Xuan walked up to them, laughing loudly. When he looked at Zhong Yuehong, he was full of praise. “Lieutenant general Zhong’s skill is extraordinary, she is truly a heroine.”

“Your Majesty flatters me.”  Zhong Yuehong clasped her hands in a soldier’s salute.

Zhao Xuan glanced at her appreciatively and then looked away: “Your people have all returned. Why do I not see Yan Mingting?”

“Yes, why hasn’t the General come back yet?” Someone asked.

“The General wasn’t with us, we don’t know,” He Cuizhang said.

Zhao Xuan counted the people and found that there were still a few gongzis from aristocratic families who had not returned , so he ordered the people to continue to wait.

“How about we guess what General Yan will bring back?” One person suggested.

“But the tiger has been captured by His Majesty, and the wolf king and leopard have also been caught. What else can be hunted?”

“There is also a bear. It seems that no one has brought it back yet.”

“True, General Yan must have caught the bear.”

Just then, the person in charge shouted: “Report! Wu Zhuangyuan hunted down one black bear, twelve wild geese, and one deer.”

“Whoo, it turns out that Wu Zhuangyuan gets the credit!”

“What else can General Yan catch?”

“There is nothing great left in the forest, maybe General Yan is going to fight a phoenix, ha ha ha ha.”

Everyone laughed, and at this time some people had already revealed mocking expressions. They suspected that this famous general had a reputation with no substance. Was it really all right if he couldn’t even hunt the heads of prey?

The other lieutenants also came back one after another, and their harvest was not small. Seeing that Yan Mingting had not come back, they automatically came to Zhao Yelan’s side.

Zhao Yelan turned his head and asked: “What is he doing?”

The lieutenants were clearly aware of the taunts from others, and He Cuizhang replied: “I haven’t seen him either……could something have happened, ah?”

Zhao Yelan frowned and covertly glanced around, inexplicably feeling that everyone present might have set a trap for Yan Mingting.

On the one hand, it might be because the Yan family had too much power, and on the other, it might be because of himself. They had made enemies of too many people, so he would start with the people closest to them first.

They would not normally be able to murder Yan Mingting without difficulty, but today, taking advantage of the Spring Hunt, they could set up some traps in the hunting grounds and declare that he had died at the mouth of a beast……

He looked at Zhao Xuan abruptly.

Zhao Xuan noticed his pointed gaze and looked sideways at him. When he met those deep, dark eyes, he couldn’t help but freeze.

Over the years, he had seen Zhao Yelan reveal such a dangerous look countless times, but never toward himself. Every time Zhao Yelan looked at him, his eyes were always fragile and filled with unspeakable emotions.

When he looked again, the other party had already returned to normal, as if it had been an illusion. He even gave him a gentle smile, making him really suspect that he was overly tired and having hallucinations.

Not Zhao Xuan, Zhao Yelan thought.

He soon came to his senses. Although Zhao Xuan feared Yan Mingting, his army was still needed, and he would not use such lowly tricks to murder Yan Mingting.

If he wanted to harm Zhao Yelan, it would be an easy task, and he would not have to go through such trouble to dispense of Yan Mingting first.

At this moment, the slow plodding of horseshoes sounded in the forest. Everyone heard the sound and looked over to where Yan Mingting finally appeared at the entrance.

Yan Mingting emerged slowly on horseback, his long hair half held back and blowing in the wind, his eyes like bright stars, and looked around with an unreadable expression. There was clearly nobody behind him, but people inexplicably felt that there were thousands of troops at his back, poised for action, an invisible deterrent.

“Son!” An official in the back of the crowd suddenly shouted, pushing forward. “Son, what happened to you?!”

Only then did everyone come to their senses and notice the person lying in front of Yan Mingting. The person heard that voice and raised his head, stretching out a hand helplessly. “Father, cough cough cough.”

Yan Mingting lifted him from the back with one hand, and others instantly went to retrieve him. He said to the people: “Ling-gonzi was bitten by a wild dog. Take him to a doctor and have him checked carefully.”

“Many thanks, General Yan!”

There was an Imperial physician accompanying them, and Zhao Yelan immediately ordered him to check on the injury.

Others also clearly saw that Yan Mingting had not brought back any prey, but saving someone’s life made for a good story, and nobody sneered anymore.

Yan Mingting didn’t know that he had been secretly mocked. He dismounted, threw his quiver to He Cuizhang, and walked right up to Zhao Yelan.

He Cuizhang enumerated his shortcomings: “Hey, General, this is no good, did you not hunt at all?”

“How could this be?” Yan Mingting spoke without care and noticed that Zhao Yelan’s face was gloomy, asking in concern, “Why are you unhappy?”

Zhao Yelan looked at him silently, not saying a word, and couldn’t explain why he was so depressed.

In the silence, he suddenly saw Yan Mingting’s chest move and pointed to it: “What is that?”

Yan Mingting’s eyes curved: “It’s for you.”

Several other lieutenants also looked over curiously. Zhao Yelan looked down again, and in the next instant, a fluffy white rabbit poked its head out from the hem of his clothes. The little mouth moved and moved, and it opened a pair of innocent red eyes, meeting Zhao Yelan face-to-face.

“Ah, rabbit!” Zhong Yuehong fell in love with it, and just as she reached out to touch, her hand was smacked away by Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting grabbed the rabbit by the ears and stuffed it unhesitatingly into Zhao Yelan’s hands, saying with a smile: “Hold it firmly.”

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[1] The suffix -xiong is the equivalent of “elder brother.” So, Elder Brother Zhao. ⮐

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Chapter Thirty <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Two

After the Emperor commissioned the new scholars and rewarded them again, the banquet officially began.

Musicians and dancers filled the room, playing music and dancing in the courtyard. The elegant beauties fluttered the long sleeves of their dresses, dazzling people.

While enjoying the entertainment, everyone drank freely, and after some time, people started to walk around.

The high-ranking officials who were closest to the Emperor went to toast one after another and make some compliments. Yan Mingting couldn’t be bothered to climb up and smile, so he drank by himself and glanced at Zhao Yelan from time to time.

“General, I see that Kan Chuan looks pretty good, and I heard that he has a good character and a bright future,” He Cuizhang came around from behind and whispered. “How about making him Yuehong’s husband-in-law?”

When Zhong Yuehong heard this, she immediately became serious: “Don’t talk nonsense, he is already married, and I won’t be a concubine.”

Yan Mingting looked slantwise at Kan Chuan, and knew that the other party was secretly sizing up Zhao Yelan. He frowned subconsciously, but the other party only paused for a moment, then looked away.

“So, ah……the main thing is that all these officials have families, so it’s really not good to be too choosy……hey, I heard that the number one scholar has not yet married a wife, what do you think about him?” He Cuizhang said.

Zhong Yuehong glanced at him, and only then did she see the appearance of the new number one scholar, saying in surprise: “Isn’t that the little white face we saw by the river last time?”

He Cuizhang took a closer look: “Aiyo, damn, isn’t this the good friend of Zhao-daren?”

Yan Mingting gave him a sidelong glance.

“Pei, pei, definitely not a good friend.” He Cuizhang pretended to slap his mouth twice. His eyes had been fixed on Wang Guishang, and they widened in the next moment. “General, he went to find Zhao-daren!”

The three of them looked over together. The high-spirited first place scorer was surrounded by countless people, but he walked outside of the circle.

Wang Guisheng was also quite puzzled. The first-place scorer could be seen as proud and elated, and many people came to converse with him, but Zhao Yelan remained indifferent.

He had guessed beforehand that Zhao Yelan had visited him in advance to win him over, but right now he took no action, as if he didn’t exist. This piqued his curiosity. 

But he didn’t go directly to Zhao Yelan. Instead, he went to exchange pleasantries with a few bachelors from the Imperial Academy.

He had been observing Zhao Yelan from the corner of his eye, and the man had been fiddling with pastries and drinking tea leisurely. A bachelor took him to briefly introduce his colleagues, and when Zhao Yelan was introduced, the other lifted his head and smiled at him: “Congratulations to Wang-gonzi for achieving first place. Please give me advice in the future.”

It was very perfunctory. Wang Guisheng was stunned for a moment. There was an inexplicable emotion lingering in his heart, and he was debating whether to be polite. 

When the other members of the Imperial Academy saw this, they all observed with the mentality of watching a good show. After all, Wang Guisheng’s previous article insulted Zhao Yelan’s party. In the future, the Imperial Academy would be very lively.

Ruan Xian feared that the atmosphere between the two would be awkward, so he stood forward and talked with Wang Guisheng and introduced the affairs of the Imperial Academy in a lighthearted manner. Wang Guisheng smiled lightly, feeling good about him.

The senior officials near the center also noticed Zhao Yelan. This previously powerful person was now sitting on the outermost edge, and also had to smile ingratiatingly for the new generation of scholars. They watched this with great joy, muttering and whispering as they ridiculed him inwardly and out loud.

As it happened, Yan Mingting had good eyes and hearing, and his expression gradually dimmed as he stared at these people without saying a word. He didn’t even hear the Emperor calling him.

It wasn’t until He Cuizhang nudged him that he came back to his senses and heard the Emperor ask: “General Yan, I am sorry to trouble you with the Spring Hunt.”

“It’s all right, it is only a small matter,” Yan Mingting replied.

Zhao Xuan saw him sitting in his seat drinking alone with no one around him, and then looked at Zhao Yelan who was sitting on the periphery. He had the impression that there was discord between the two, so he smiled lightly and rewarded Yan Mingting with a pot of Jade Dew fine wine as a token of the Emperor’s favor.

After drinking three rounds, the Emperor and the Empress left first.

The courtiers were also a little drunk, drinking wine in small groups. Yan Mingting picked up two jugs of wine and walked to the opposite table, and those people looked at him foggily.

He gave them a simple and honest smile: “My lords, I wonder if you can do me a favor and have a few drinks with me?”

Those people were already dizzy from drinking, but it wasn’t easy to deny him to his face, so they had to continue drinking with him. Who knew that Yan Mingting would continue pouring wine for them, saying with a smile: “It hasn’t been long since I returned to Beijing, and I will need you all to take care of me in the future. This is good wine rewarded by the Emperor, I’ll offer it first in respect.”

These few people couldn’t evade in time, and after they were force-fed by him two or three times, they ran out of the banquet hall to vomit.

Yan Mingting looked at their backs, snorted coldly, and then immediately met Zhao Yelan’s eyes. Zhao Yelan gave him a questioning look, but he didn’t reply, sitting back down in his seat and gazing at him all the while.

Zhao Yelan wasn’t clear on why, so he planned to question him after he returned. He looked around, his eyes paused in a certain direction, and then he got up and walked out.

“Zhao-daren, where are you going?” Ruan Xian asked.

“Out.”

Zhao Yelan walked unhurriedly, and someone bumped into him from behind. It was Kan Chuan, who was in a rush.

“Kan-daren is in such a hurry, what is he planning to do?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Kan Chuan looked directly at him and replied: “I’ve had too much to drink, and I just want to alleviate it.”

Zhao Yelan nodded, appearing to mockingly say: “Kan-daren is now favored by the Emperor. There must be a lot of people who want to drink with you, just be careful not to drink too much, ah.”

Kan Chuan gave him a profound look: “What is the problem?”

The two looked at each other for a moment. Zhao Yelan was about to speak when he caught a glimpse of Yan Mingting approaching from the side. He ignored the other man and went straight to Yan Mingting instead: “Why did you come?”

“I feared you were being bullied by a drunkard,” Yan Mingting said, reeking of alcohol as he looked straight at Kan Chuan.

Kan Chuan sneered, turning around to stride away.

“I think you’re the biggest alcoholic.” Zhao Yelan frowned and dragged him toward the banquet hall.

“Aren’t you going to the toilet?”

“No.”

Yan Mingting hiccuped and followed behind him. It took him a long time to say: “Holding it in is bad for your health.”

“……”

Zhao Yelan ignored him. After thinking about it, he asked him a question in a low voice: “Why did you drink with those old-timers just now? Do you want to get closer to them?”

Yan Mingting said: “No, I just think they are a bit annoying and talk a lot.”

Zhao Yelan stopped abruptly, and it seemed he had guessed the reason. That group of people used to love to impeach him in court, and said mocking words behind his back. He looked back at Yan Mingting, lowered his voice, and said: “Don’t mind those old-timers.”

“Are you not angry?”

“Why be angry? They cannot make political achievements, so they can only wag their tongues.”

“It’s not pleasant to listen to idle gossip.” Yan Mingting hmphed coldly.

Zhao Yelan said dispassionately: “It is nothing to be uncomfortable with. If they truly annoy me, they won’t even have a chance to speak. They’re just a bunch of old things waiting to die.”

“Hush.” Yan Mingting suddenly covered his mouth, leading him to jump into the bushes next to them, hiding in the dark. “Someone is there.”

Zhao Yelan vigilantly pressed down the leaves in front of him, he looked around and caught a glimpse of two figures approaching each other in the distance, a man and a woman. It looked like a palace maid and a sixth-rank official.

The official whispered some orders to the maid and they began to flirt, chirping and chattering shamelessly and looking like they were about to kiss.

“……” Zhao Yelan was completely speechless. Turning his head to look at Yan Mingting, he found the other looking at him teasingly and raising a hand to remove a leaf from his head.

Zhao Yelan froze for a moment, then cast a meaningful look over there.

Yan Mingting nodded. He picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the official’s head.

“Who is it?” The official yelled in fear, then led the other person away in a panic.

Zhao Yelan stood up and patted down his clothes: “Fancy that, you are also capable of sneaking around and listening to other people’s business.”

“When I heard stealthy footsteps, I thought it was something big, but who knew they were here to flirt.” Yan Mingting smiled helplessly.

“It wasn’t for nothing, don’t let him steal the scene.”

The official had arranged for the maid to lead the Emperor to a set position on the day of the Spring Hunt, so that he could lead people to pretend to be heroes. Such a clumsy drama.

“Don’t worry, I’m in charge of the hunting grounds. Would I let him take advantage of a loophole?”

Neither of them went back to the banquet hall, walking out the door together. Zhao Yelan asked: “Are you going back as well?”

“It’s so late, why not go back? I don’t know many people who like to drink, unlike you, with so many little white faces drinking together.” Yan Mingting suddenly got kicked for his sarcastic remark. 

“Stop talking. Li Jinyu is over there, you go feel him out,” Zhao Yelan said in a low voice, and raised his chin toward the southeast.

“How do I feel him out?”

“You hit Li Yucheng. Apologize to him and see how he reacts.”

Yan Mingting nodded. After the other got into a sedan chair, he turned around, walked up to Li Jinyu with a smile on his face, cupped his hands, and said: “Li-daren, this Yan Mingting wanted to have a drink with you just now, but couldn’t get away. I hope you will forgive me.”

“It is no matter, General Yan is young and promising. It is normal for him to have a lot of entertainment.” Li Jinyu smiled kindly.

“Speaking of which, I also wanted to apologize to Li-daren. I drank too much wine in the restaurant last time, acted recklessly, and beat Li-gongzi. I regretted it afterwards……”

Li Jinyu smiled: “I would like to thank the General. If you had not hung him up, I’m afraid I would never be able to find that villain. Now he is behaving himself and staying in the mansion, he just doesn’t know how to be obedient.”

He and Yan Mingting smiled at each other and conversed for a while, then Yan Mingting returned on horseback to the General’s Mansion.

“How did he react?” Zhao Yelan asked when he came through the door. He was in the middle of washing his hands.

Yan Mingting recounted it in detail. Zhao Yelan pondered for a moment and wiped his hands: “This old fox is putting on a good face. It seems that just a beating can’t get him to act.”

“Then what? Kill Li Yucheng?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Do you dare?” Zhao Yelan looked askance at him.

“I don’t think so. Although Li Yucheng is a bit of a dandy, his nature isn’t that bad. Not to mention that I almost became his brother-in-law, how could I……” Yan Mingting stopped talking abruptly and gave Zhao Yelan a meaningful look. Seeing him wiping his hands as usual without a trace of jealousy, he felt a little disappointed for no reason.

“It’s useless to kill him. It would just be a waste of effort. As I said, all human beings have weaknesses. Li Jinyu’s weakness is Li Yucheng, and Li Yucheng’s weaknesses are……” Zhao Yelan put down the handkerchief slowly. The corners of his mouth curled up, but there was no smile in his eyes. “Many.”

Yan Mingting stared at him for a moment, and then wondered: “Everyone has a weakness……then what is yours?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyebrows: “I have no weaknesses.”

“Impossible.” Yan Mingting at once drew his sword and placed it at his own throat. “You won’t say, so how about I kill myself before your eyes?”

Zhao Yelan raised his hand: “Please proceed quickly.”

“……” Yan Mingting felt disheartened. Sometimes he felt that Zhao Yelan liked him, while other times he felt that the other party didn’t care at all.

Zhao Yelan sat down to rest for a while, and was about to go wash, but Yan Mingting pulled him up.

“What are you doing?”

“Running.”

“It’s so late and you still need to go for a run?!”

“Persistence is the most important thing.” Yan Mingting took him to the courtyard without any explanation.

“Wait, wasn’t it decided before that you had to promise me something?” Zhao Yelan said.

“En, what have you thought up?”

“I want you to promise me that you will not pull me to exercise in the future.”

“……Impossible.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t expect him to refuse, and said scathingly: “A real man of character who doesn’t keep his word.”

“Yes, I am truly a villain, what can you do to me?” Yan Mingting stood upright and self-confident, with his hands on his hips. “Tonight, you must keep exercising.”

“……”

It seemed that this guy was determined to cheat.

Zhao Yelan had no choice but to be dragged along for a run. After half a circle, he was leaning weakly against a beam of the house, gasping for breath.

Yan Mingting came back and stood in front of him. To prevent him from escaping, he placed one hand against the beam and looked at him silently.

Zhao Yelan raised his head weakly. He no longer had the strength to scold him, and could only condemn his scoundrelly behavior with his eyes.

Yan Mingting looked into his eyes, averted his gaze, and reached out to smooth back the hair that had been blown to his cheeks by the wind. Then he turned around and walked into the house, sighing: “Okay, that’s it for tonight.”

Zhao Yelan turned his head and watched him slowly disappear into the corridor. He leaned on the railing and sat down on the chair next to him, taking in the evening breeze for a while before returning to his room.

Three days later, it was the Spring Hunt.

For the past three days, Yan Mingting left early and returned late every day. The two rarely met face to face, and Zhao Yelan had a few rare tranquil days.

This morning, he changed into light clothes and departed with Yan Mingting.

Several lieutenants were standing outside the door and followed them, riding on horseback around the sedan chair.

Zhong Yuehong had armed herself again, and exuberantly let it be known that she would hunt a leopard.

Everyone talked about the prey they were after. Zhao Yelan casually asked Yan Mingting: “What prey do you want to hunt?”

“I haven’t thought about it, I’ll see what’s there.” Yan Mingting lowered his head, wiping his sword.

Zhao Yelan originally wanted to remind him that the Spring Hunt was centered on the royal family, and tell him not to show off. But looking at his heroic profile and the group of lieutenants eager to try, he didn’t say anything in the end.

At worst, he would just let the Emperor save some face.

“What is wrong with you these past few days?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting eyed him uncertainly: “What’s wrong with me?”

“There is something wrong with you.” Zhao Yelan had naturally sensed his strangeness these past few days. He showed no small amount of reticence, and seemed more mature and steady than before, but it was just inexplicable……he wasn’t used to it.

“What’s wrong with me?” Yan Mingting asked again.

Seeing that he refused to speak, Zhao Yelan did not ask again, and remained silent the rest of the way.

After arriving at the hunting grounds, the group of people walked inside. This place was a closed royal hunting ground, usually reserved for only the children of the royal family. Only during the spring and autumn hunts could civil and military officials enter.

The camp was not far from the entrance, and as soon as they entered, they saw a lush forest which was stocked with countless prey.

After walking for a while, there was a sudden noise in the forest nearby, rushing toward them with a whoosh.

Zhao Yelan exclaimed in fright and grabbed Yan Mingting, squeezing in front of him in panic: “There’s something over there!”

Yan Mingting looked down and saw that his eyes were tightly closed, and he was so frightened that he practically clung to his body. The corners of his mouth rose wildly, and then he coughed, wrapping his arms around the other’s back to comfort him: “It’s all right, see for yourself what it is.”

Zhao Yelan slowly opened his eyes and raised his head to look at the branch. It was a squirrel.

The surrounding lieutenants all pursed their lips and held back their laughter.

“……” Zhao Yelan took a deep breath. Donning a straight face again, he was about to go forward alone, but Yan Mingting grabbed his arm.

“The road ahead is dangerous, don’t go too fast.” Yan Mingting took a step in front of him. “Follow me.”

Zhao Yelan lowered his head, always paying attention to the movement around him, and yielded after making a show of resistance. Suddenly, the hand holding his forearm slid down and grabbed his wrist.

He looked over at the other party. Yan Mingting smiled at him and said: “Keep up, don’t be frightened out of your body by kittens and puppies.”

Zhao Yelan struggled a bit, but the other held his wrist even tighter and said shamelessly: “I’m disinclined to protect normal people, but since you took the initiative to ask for help, I will take extra care of you.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

Good, the familiar Yan Mingting was back again.

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Chapter Twenty-Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-One

After the permanent marking, Ye Ci’s fever periods became stable and regular.

There would be a milk case on a fixed date every month, which would basically not affect daily life.

Once night, Huo Tinglan got stuck in an impromptu meeting and couldn’t go home for a while.

“……I understand, Huo-shushu.” Ye Ci was talking on the phone, his voice extraordinarily soft due to the fever. “I’m okay, not, not particularly uncomfortable……one hour is no problem……don’t, don’t worry.”

After cutting off the call, he curled up under the blanket that contained Huo Tinglan’s lingering pheromones.

Beneath the blanket, a number of Huo Tinglan’s personal belongings had been piled up.

Needless to say, there were clothes picked up from the dirty clothes basket, a few watches that Huo Tinglan wore frequently, a commonly used fountain pen, and a few shiny and expensive cufflinks……he was like a little male bird building a nest, finding many shiny things for himself.

In addition, there was a necktie. Huo Tinglan had fastened it yesterday.

Made of navy blue silk, the delicate fabric had a lion pattern embroidered with silver thread. It was wrapped around Ye Ci’s left hand, and a line of smooth luster rolled along the pattern’s angles.

A short section in the middle of the tie had clung to the glands at the nape throughout the day, soaking in the scent of tequila.

Ye Ci flattened the tie and pressed the tip of his nose against it, his eyes half closed, and a shallow layer of water gathered in his eyes.

He didn’t intentionally restrain his desire, and there was no one around, so he was engrossed with each inhale, unconsciously letting out soft nasal sounds, humming and sighing.

In this way, he didn’t know how much time had passed.

During the fever period, the mind was somewhat chaotic.

Thus, when Huo Tinglan ended the meeting early and rushed back to the Huo residence, what he saw was this scene –

The light from the wall lamp was dim, and the bedding was wrinkled and messy. The bulging quilt was covered in mounds and arches, and a few soft and muffled calls came out from time to time.

“Huo-shushu, Huo-shushu……”

Ye Ci in a normal state would never speak in such a tone.

So this seemed extraordinarily……seductive.

Perhaps the quilt blocked the sound, or he was too focused and had relaxed his vigilance, but this time Ye Ci failed to hear Huo Tinglan’s footsteps.

A luxurious, overripe aroma hit his face warmly.

Huo Tinglan closed the door behind him, locking the potent Omegas pheromones in the room. His Adam’s apple rolled slowly.

This scene was very familiar.

Before the two of them got together, Ye Ci had snuck into Huo Tinglan’s bedroom once during the fever period, sniffed the bedding he slept on, and “built a nest” with the blanket. In the end, he caught him in that state of excitement and the other was so frightened that he cried, while Huo Tinglan tried his best to coax him.

It almost left a psychological shadow on poor Huo-shushu……

Huo Tinglan smiled and behaved in a well-behaved manner when he received this bargain, standing at the door and watching quietly. After a full minute, he had seen enough and coughed heavily.

The little blanket shook, and a disheveled head popped  out.

“Huo-shushu –”

Naturally, Ye Ci didn’t turn pale with fright like last time. Instead, he blushed and opened his arms towards Huo Tinglan, begging for a hug. Those staggeringly expensive diamond jewelry and watches and high-end clothes were in disarray, lying under the hot and humid blanket. Like a kitten that had eventually been spoiled, it grinded its tender claws into the furniture when no one was around.

Huo Tinglan glanced down at the pile of wrinkled clothes and smiled softly: “Missed me so much?”

Ye Ci nodded lightly and plunged happily into his arms, undoing the tie against his chest as if looking for something to eat. He pressed the tip of his nose against his shimmering shirt and inhaled, eagerly sucking in the fresh Alpha pheromones.

Huo Tinglan keenly grasped his left hand wrapped in the tie.

He had worn this one yesterday.

Because Ye Ci had wrapped it around his hand and pressed his nose against it, the fine fabric stip had absorbed the sweat from his palms and the heat from his mouth and nose, making it damp.

Huo Tinglan touched the moisture on the tie and said: “Did you lick it?”

“No, I didn’t.” Ye Ci still retained some sanity, and hurriedly denied, “I just sniffed it for a while.”

Huo Tinglan knew that Ye Ci would not, but he mischievously pinched the delicate cartilage at the tip of his nose, pretending not to believe it, and said in a low voice: “Can sniffing it make it wet?”

“I really just……smelled it. This isn’t saliva but, but the sweat on my hands.”

“Little liar.”

“……”

The two entangled for a while, and Ye Ci saw that Huo Tinglan was teasing him, so he didn’t insist on explaining and just sniffed and rubbed.

“Give me five minutes, baby.” Huo Tinglan kissed those two red lips, fed some pheromones to Ye Ci, and walked towards the bathroom.

“Huo-shushu, where are you going?” Ye Ci wasn’t having it, and hugged his sharp waist under the suit. He raised his head and pressed his soft cheek on Huo Tinglan’s shoulder. His temperament was turned upside down by the fever period, and he became clingy, but his voice was still youthful and clear. “I’m uncomfortable……”

“I’m going to take a shower.” Huo Tinglan tilted his head to brush against that dear cheek, coaxing softly, “Baby, be obedient.”

“Don’t, don’t wash.” Ye Ci’s eyes were bright.

“Together then?” Huo Tinglan thought this was what he meant.

Ye Ci shook his head. His voice gradually became as quiet as a mosquito, and his eyes wandered: “Just don’t, don’t wash……”

He had smelled it just now.

The Alpha’s rich pheromones mixed with a slight amount of light, not unpleasant masculine sweat……it seemed wild and strong.

The burning hormonal reaction made Ye Ci’s throat go dry.

If it changed to the aroma of shower gel, he would suddenly feel that something was missing.

Huo Tinglan raised his eyebrows slightly in astonishment, and smiled implicitly: “I’ve been out all day……”

Ye Ci lowered his eyes in embarrassment, but refused to release his grip. He said nothing, but his meaning was very clear.

“Baby,” Huo Tinglan grasped his chin and took one bite at a time, pressing hard against him. “Why didn’t I realize you were so……”

The words that could make Ye Ci explode in shame were swallowed up in a thin murmur.

… …

“Like my tie?” Huo Tinglan asked.

Ye Ci kept clutching the navy blue and silver embroidered tie with his left hand, and Huo Tinglan wondered if he had discovered some little hobbies that he didn’t have in his previous life.

“En.”

An affirmative answer.

“Huo-shushu will teach you how to tie a tie……be good.”

Huo Tinglan picked up another slate gray tie that was tossed aside half an hour ago, slowly tied Ye Ci’s wrists with it, and said: “This one is for the hands.”

He immediately pulled out the navy blue one embroidered with silver. “Do you know what this one is for?”

… …

When the fever period ended, Huo Tinglan and Ye Ci simply changed rooms to rest.

The mattress might have to be replaced, and it would take too much time to sort it out. Huo Tinglan didn’t like outsiders touching things that were soaked in a lot of Omega pheromones, and he had a full work schedule the next day, so he had to rest first.

Everything in the guest room was prepared, and the bedding was replaced regularly to avoid dust even if no guests had used it, so they could go directly to sleep.

The two of them took a shower, put on clean clothes, and left the original room, but Huo Tinglan had something extra in his hand.

“What, what is that in your hand?” Ye Ci intuited that something was off.

The corners of Huo Tinglan’s lips curled up. He shook out the navy blue cloth and said: “A tie.”

It was so wrinkled that it couldn’t even be ironed and looked like it had been pulled out of the water, heavy and wet.

The male lion embroidered with silver thread had become mottled.

It seemed like a waste.

“You still took it? For what?!” Ye Ci could hardly look at it, and grabbed it with his hands. “It’s dirty.”

That tie was no good!

Huo Tinglan raised his hand and held it high. The height difference of nearly ten centimeters was no exaggeration, and Ye Ci couldn’t reach it no matter what. He was lying up against Huo Tinglan’s chest, and it looked as if he was throwing himself into his arms.

“If something is dirty, it must be washed quickly.” Huo Tinglan had a gentle appearance as he taught him diligently, “Otherwise it won’t wash out, and this is a good tie. Have you forgotten the Huo family motto? ‘Tranquility cultivates morality, and frugality fosters character.’ I taught you last time……”

He had the nerve to mention last time.

“Don’t deceive me, I asked mother later and, and there is no such thing as the Huo family motto!” Ye Ci absolutely didn’t buy it, and jumped up and down to snatch the tie.

The mother in question was naturally Lin Yao.

Huo Tinglan’s heart burned, and he was even more unwilling to give it over. This scoundrel even imprisoned Ye Ci, kissing him again and again: “It’s the newly created family motto, how about it?”

Ye Ci’s fever period had just passed, and his body was weak. In addition, it was the middle of the night and he was exhausted, unable to move anymore. After being suppressed by Huo Tinglan a few times, he wilted and had to give up on regaining the tie, then fell into a deep sleep.

Seeing that he was sleeping, Huo Tinglan pressed the tie against the tip of his nose and sniffed it for a while, then stuck it to his lips.

At this moment, the concentration of Omega pheromones on it was the highest.

……He was a bit reluctant to wash it.

Truly perverted.

Huo Tinglan laughed at himself.

The next day was Sunday.

Ye Ci didn’t have to go to school, so after tossing and turning until the early morning last night, he naturally had to stay in bed. However, Huo Tinglan, who had a full schedule, had already gotten ready. With a touch of the fragrance of citrus aftershave, he leaned over and kissed Ye Ci’s forehead.

“Wu……”

Ye Ci’s eyes were half-opened. Sleepy but obedient, he just barely lifted his head and touched Huo Tinglan’s cheek. Before losing consciousness, something flashed in front of Ye Ci’s eyes for a moment, but he was too sleepy. He had no time to think, and fell asleep again like slipping into a coma.

It was already ten o’clock in the morning when he woke up again. In order to make up for lost time, Ye Ci didn’t leave the study all day except for meals and trips to the toilet. Now and then, he thought of something important that he had overlooked that morning, but couldn’t remember what it was.

However, when he saw Huo Tinglan again at the dining table that evening, the “important matter” that Ye Ci had been pondering this morning in a half-asleep state suddenly broke through.

– Huo Tinglan, who had just come home after a busy day at the company, was wearing that navy blue and silver embroidered tie around his neck!

That one! ! !

Ye Ci was stunned at first, as if his soul was being sucked out by that tie through the top of his head. After a few seconds, everything from his ears to his collarbones boiled with heat. Seeing that there was no one else around, he opened his mouth: “Why did you put, put it on……”

“This?” Huo Tinglan glanced down at the tie with raised eyebrows. He looked at Ye Ci innocently and asked softly, “I didn’t sleep most of the night, so I washed and dried it and rubbed it clean……why can’t I wear it out, baby?”

“……”

Ye Ci’s fists tightened when he heard this, and he almost broke his chopsticks.

Washing ties without sleeping in the middle of the night was very problematic in and of itself, ah!

Was he afraid that washing it too late would destroy evidence of his crime?

“Today,” Ye Ci swallowed, muttering, “What, what did you do while wearing this tie?”

Huo Tinglan smiled slightly, sat up straight, and reported the itinerary to the little gentleman: “At nine o’clock this morning, I attended a board meeting, and at ten o’clock in the morning……”

To put it simply, there was no time that he was idle.

If that was all……

He also took the time to accept an exclusive interview with a famous financial magazine, and cooperated with the other party to shoot the cover of the next issue of the magazine.

The revolving lantern of life flashed before Ye Ci’s eyes.

Yes, outsiders didn’t know the significance of that tie.

But Ye Ci did, ah!

He was dead! ! !

After a while, Ye Ci hooked back his soul in a fugue state and looked at Huo Tinglan with red, accusing eyes.

“You are too, too bad.”

Huo Tinglan nodded, wiped the corners of his lips with a napkin, and sighed. “Who says otherwise?”

Ye Ci: “……”

What a shameless answer.

Ye Ci put down his chopsticks, stopped eating, and sat on Huo Tinglan’s lap with a red face, forcibly untying the tie.

“You, you give me this tie……I’m, I’m confiscating it.”

“Are you going to throw it away, baby?”

“It’s none of your business if, if I throw it away or not.”

“How can this be? The Huo family motto, frugality……”

“Why, why doesn’t the Huo family add the motto, ‘One should have self-esteem and live life with dignity? Are, are you afraid that you will take the lead in, in violating the family motto every day?

That little stutter was getting worse and worse.

Huo Tinglan laughed and walked toward the second floor with Ye Ci kicking his arms and legs: “Not eating? Since you won’t eat, we’ll go upstairs.”

The tie was going to be confiscated anyway.

And then used one more time.

【End of The Necktie】

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Extra 5: Sports Competition << Table of Contents >> Extra Seven: Happy Chinese New Year

Housekeeper Qin was cleaning the ancestral hall when he heard the commotion outside, and was so alarmed that he hurried out to inquire about the situation. He saw Yan Mingting running wildly through the courtyard, and finally fleeing to the old tree.

Zhao Yelan stood under the tree and shouted: “Yan Mingting, get out of there!”

“Climb up if you have the ability!”

“Yan Mingting!”

“That’s me!”

“……”

“Put down the broom first. If you have something to say, say it. What other wife hits like you?” Yan Mingting persuaded with good advice.

“How dare you mention the word ‘wife’?!” Zhao Yelan sneered. “Fine, you won’t come down. Xiao Gao, cut down this tree!”

“Yes!”

This was a hundred-year-old tree, which was not easy to grow. It would be a pity to cut it down so easily!

Housekeeper Qin was about to run and stop him, when he saw Yan Mingting leap through the air, stepping on branches and leaves to stand in place. 

Zhao Yelan smacked him with the broom several times and kicked his feet twice before the two went to the study one after the other.

Housekeeper Qin wiped off his sweat and dispersed all the servants who were watching the fun before returning to the ancestral hall to continue cleaning, muttering: “Master, old lady, don’t take offense, the General and Zhao-daren are in love. En, yes, hitting is kissing and scolding is love. You can rest assured, ba.”

On the other side, Yan Mingting walked into the study, muttering: “I lost all face.”

“Do you still know how to save face?” Zhao Yelan was furious and threw the broom back to Xiao Gao. “Does the shopkeeper know who you are?”

“Probably not, otherwise would he have dared to ask me to help?” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan was panting where he sat. After running around for a while, sweat was dripping from his forehead.

“Have some tea first.” Yan Mingting poured him a cup of tea as an apology, and then explained, “If I didn’t make up such a reason at the time, how could I have let you eat hot stuffed steamed buns?”

“So it’s my fault?”

“That’s not true.” Yan Mingting had just sat down when he was kicked again. “No, I mean that I didn’t go in vain last night. While I was doing it, I secretly learned the craft. In the future, if you want to eat buns in the middle of the night, you don’t have to bother others. I can make them for you.”

Zhao Yelan didn’t believe his words at all. He drank his tea angrily, calmed himself down, and then asked about business: “You found the doctor?”

“I found him. Thanks to your portrait, a doctor soon said he had treated this person.” Yan Mingting looked serious as he said in a low voice, “The doctor said that Bao Lun was suffering from a colorless, odorless poison, and that he didn’t notice any abnormalities at first, just felt dizzy and weak. The doctor and Bao Lun just thought that he had contracted a cold, and they didn’t realize something was wrong until long-term treatment was ineffective. The doctor couldn’t cure him, and was afraid of his reputation being ruined, so he didn’t continue to treat him.”

“He was poisoned…..”

“It was the same poison that was used on my father.” Yan Mingting’s face was somber. “I didn’t expect that he would end up harming himself after harming others, and that he would die of this type of poison in the end.”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then said: “Now we must discover the origin and effect of this poison. People at the hospital might understand it, but they may make it known.”

“Let’s see if there are any good doctors among the people.”

“I have someone to try.”

“Who?”

“Ruan Xian’s brother-in-law.”

“Ruan Xian?” Yan Mingting felt somewhat disgusted when he thought of that little white face’s appearance.

“He just said today that his brother-in-law once traveled with the former envoy of the Imperial hospital, returned from his studies, and is now preparing to be admitted to the Imperial hospital.”

“That’s okay, then. Do we just call him over?”

“No rush.” If Zhao Yelan went to find the person now, he would be asking for something from Ruan Xian, and there was no guarantee that the other party wouldn’t beat around the bush and make some demands. He didn’t want to fall into a passive position. “When Ruan Xian takes the initiative to send him to the door in a show of favor, the meaning will be different and we can better seal their mouths.”

Yan Mingting didn’t expect that a simple move would involve so many interests and benefits, so he gave him a sincere thumbs up: “It’s all up to you.”

After dinner, Yan Mingting said that he had something urgent to discuss with him and brought him to the courtyard. However, he still refused to say what was going on, and just walked quickly ahead with his head down.

At first, Zhao Yelan thought he was looking for a meeting place, so he followed along. It wasn’t until they had walked all the way around the General’s Mansion that he realized the other party’s intentions and stopped suddenly, saying in a heavy voice: “You did this on purpose.”

Yan Mingting turned around and smiled a little: “Yes, it’s good for your health to digest fully after meals.”

After this brisk walk, Zhao Yelan’s body was already a little hot. He turned to go back to the room, but Yan Mingting stopped in front of him and said temptingly: “If you go around again, you will have a long life.”

“Go on, keep talking nonsense.”

“Would I harm you?” Yan Mingting grasped his thin arm. “I’ve figured it out, it’s more difficult for you to walk than to reach the sky, so how about you change it up and run around first?”

Zhao Yelan remained motionless.

“Run slow, I’ll run with you.” Yan Mingting thought for a moment, and added another bargaining chip. “If you run a lap, I will promise you one thing.”

“What thing?”

“It’s up to you. As long as it’s not arson, killing, or looting, anything that doesn’t violate morality is fine.”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a time, pondering the pros and cons, and finally nodded. “All right, it’s a deal.”

Although it was only a lap, the area of the General’s Mansion was not small. Yan Mingting skillfully ran around each corner, and when he finally saw that Zhao Yelan was truly exhausted, he stopped at the gate.

Zhao Yelan leaned back against the post, gasping for breath, his forehead covered with sweat.

Gao Tan had seen them running one after another and also ran all the way with them with ease. He couldn’t help being curious: “My lord, what are you doing?”

“None of your business, go play on your own,” Zhao Yelan said.

Aggrieved, Xiao Gao complained to Housekeeper Qin: “I feel more and more that my lord doesn’t like me anymore. He used to take me with him everywhere, but now that he has the General, he thinks I am in the way.”

Housekeeper Qin comforted him: “Don’t be sad, he is not to blame for this, you really are in the way.”

Gao Tan: “ ? ”

After taking a bath that night, Zhao Yelan smelled himself carefully, only to feel that the stench on his body had disappeared. 

Yan Mingting brought him another bowl of medicine: “The Imperial exam banquet and the Spring Hunt are soon. You must recover as soon as possible to avoid any trouble.”

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes, drank the medicine in one go, and then lay down early to rest. He did not immediately divulge his condition for the run regarding what exactly he wanted Yan Mingting to do, but Yan Mingting knew that he would not let it go, so he must keep it in mind and wait for the day when he would be ordered to do something.

After Qingming, it was rare to see a few days of clear weather. Zhao Yelan gradually recovered from the cold. 

The Imperial exam banquet was set up at night. Zhao Yelan changed into his official uniform and wore a sachet at his waist.

Yan Mingting sniffed it: “Is it jasmine?”

“A dog’s nose is quite effective.”

“You haven’t worn that sweetgrass sachet for a long time.” Yang Mingting was a little moved after thinking about it. “Are you worried about me sneezing?”

“I dislike you losing face.” Zhao Yelan rolled his eyes at him and got up to walk out the gate, seeing that the group of lieutenants had come. Everyone was joking around with Zhong Yuehong in the crowd.

Zhong Yuehong, who was usually in uniform, now wore an emerald green dress. As soon as she heard the jeering from her brothers, she couldn’t help but want to draw her sword, but when she touched her waist, she could only touch her purse.

“Say, Yuehong is really beautiful today.” When Yan Mingting came out, he was also taken aback for a moment, and then laughed.

“General, even you are making fun of me!”

Zhong Yuehong seldom showed a trace of shyness. She knew very well that she had an ordinary appearance. Even though she was skilled in martial arts, from the bottom of her heart, she was still a little envious of the dresses of those ladies, which were curious and novel.

Today, because the Emperor was hosting a banquet, her mother earnestly told her to change into this fairy dress. No matter how good the clothes were, they would only look good when they were worn.

“How is that making fun? Yuehong, you are really good-looking. It just so happens that all the officials are going to the banquet today, so you just look around and see if there is anyone you like……”

“General!” Zhong Yuehong blushed. “Stop talking nonsense! I don’t want to marry!”

“All right, I won’t say anything.” Yan Mingting got on his horse with a smile and said, “When the time comes, everyone will help to see if there is a man who is suitable for Yuehong. If he refuses, how about carrying him back to the camp and making him the camp husband?”

After speaking, he rode his horse and slipped away first.

Everyone laughed, and Zhong Yuehong got on her horse to chase after him in a fit of embarrassment, the others following suit one after another.

Zhao Yelan sat in the sedan chair and watched the group of people riding horses across the street, young and vigorous, and said: “Let’s go.”

After a while, he heard the unhurried sound of horseshoes next to him, opened a corner of the curtain, and looked at the person and horse outside: “Why are you back again?”

“I was afraid you would be bored by yourself.” Yan Mingting sat on horseback and gazed at him leisurely. “Do you want to ride together?”

This was a busy city. Not to mention how eye-catching the two men riding on a horse would be, their identities were enough to make the common people gossip over dinner, and even more so those officials and ministers.

“Get a move on. Don’t talk to me at the banquet today, I have something to do.” Zhao Yelan lowered the curtain mercilessly.

“Okay, ba.” Although he didn’t know the other’s plans, Yan Mingting was obedient and left quickly.

When the sedan chair arrived at Qionglin Garden, Zhao Yelan got out and immediately saw Yan Mingting and his group standing outside the door arguing and fighting, but they didn’t enter right away, as if they were waiting for someone.

“Zhao-daren is here.” Zhong Yuehong noticed him first, and waved to him.

Zhao Yelan stepped forward unhurriedly: “Why don’t you go in?”

“We’re all waiting for you,” Zhong Yuehong said.

“Okay, since everyone is here, let’s go in first.” After Yan Mingting gave his orders, he walked to the back and said in a whisper: “Sit with me later.”

Zhao Yelan: “I am rank seven.”

The banquet was set up according to rank, and the seventh rank could only be at the outermost periphery. They might not even be able to see the Emperor’s face.

“But you are my family. Those Imperial wives also came, and they sit at the same table as their husbands,” Yan Mingting said with conviction.

Zhao Yelan thought for a moment, but still refused: “It’s easier to deal with things separately. I have to go and meet Ruan Xian for a while.”

It turned out that he would be busy with Yan Mingting’s own affairs. Yan Mingting’s heart skipped a beat and he was almost overwhelmed with emotion, his eyes practically glued to him.

Zhao Yelan walked to his seat, which was next to Ruan Xian’s. They exchanged simple greetings, and after he sat down, he picked up a handkerchief and coughed continuously.

Ruan Xian asked: “Zhao-daren is still not in good health?”

“It’s an old problem, and it won’t get better. The Imperial doctor can’t help me.” After speaking, he coughed twice.

“Why don’t you ask my brother-in-law to come look at it for you, he traveled abroad and saw all kinds of difficult and miscellaneous diseases. My wife’s long-term incurable disease was cured by him,” Ruan Xian said.

“I fear it will delay your business.”

“It is no matter. Anyway, he is idle and has his hands free.” After several rounds of persuasion, Ruan Xian finally brought Zhao Yelan around. He secretly rejoiced, and only hoped that his brother-in-law could cure his illness, which would be considered a bridge between them.

After the matter was settled, the banquet also began. The Emperor and the Empress walked slowly into the scene and took the main seats. They looked down at the officials and conversed politely with everyone for a while, then brought forth the main topic of discussion and ordered the new scholars to come forward and receive their rewards and appointments.

Ruan Xian stretched his neck out curiously, then moved to Zhao Yelan’s side and muttered: “This year’s candidates are getting too much attention. The Emperor personally got official uniforms for them, unlike us last year.”

“Naturally.” Zhao Yelan smiled slightly.

The former Emperor was still alive in the spring of last year, and he didn’t care about the Imperial examination at all. But Zhao Xuan was in urgent need of talents, and couldn’t take it more seriously.

“That Wang Guisheng looks delicate and pretty,” Ruan Xian said. “Zhao-daren, take a quick look, he looks a bit better in an official uniform.”

Urged by him, Zhao Yelan had to raise his head to look, but caught Yan Mingting’s gaze unexpectedly. 

Candlelight illuminated the entire banquet hall, and everyone was scrambling to look at the new scholars who were bathed in grace. Only Yan Mingting looked away. He sat there with a rebellious posture, his facial features enveloped in light. They were obviously hazy and blurred, but it made people feel that his eyes were so clear and vivid.

Zhao Yelan was dazed for a moment and forgot what he was doing. He heard Ruan Xian’s voice faintly ringing in his ears: “How about it, isn’t he quite good-looking?”

“En,” he responded with a grunt, and hurriedly lowered his head to take a sip of tea, thinking that he was sometimes too childish.

After a while, he raised his head again. Before Yan Mingting looked away, he took another sip of tea and simply smiled back.

Yan Mingting’s eyes flickered for a moment, then he turned back abruptly to awkwardly pick up the wine in front of him. His hands trembled and he drank it in one gulp.

“My lord, what are you smiling at?” Ruan Xuan asked in a low voice.

“Nothing.” Zhao Yelan held the teacup in front of him and deliberately suppressed the curve of his mouth, but no matter what, he couldn’t keep it down.

Truly childish.

---

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Chapter Twenty-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty

“Mother!”

“Ting’er……” The beautiful, gentle woman stood in the fenced yard, wearing a washed white sarong and a wooden hairpin that tied all her hair behind her head. Hearing the sound, she turned to wave with a smile. “You’re back, come and help Mother.”

“Mother, what are you going to do?”

“Mother wants to plant some flowers and melons and fruits in the courtyard, and when spring comes, the garden will be full of spring colors. It will surely look good, and your father will love it too.”

“Okay, I’ll help you.”

The two figures, one big and one small, were busy from morning to evening. His mother wiped the dust from his face and suddenly turned to look at the person at the courtyard gate with a smile.

“Father! You’re back, I want to eat steamed buns!”

“I bought some for you, but have you finished your homework today?”

“Finished!”

The scene of the three at the gate talking and laughing gradually blurred, and in an instant, the dream of the past began to collapse like tiles suddenly being pulled out one at a time, smashing everyone’s heads to pieces……

“Father……Mother!”

Zhao Yelan woke up from the dream, covered in cold sweat. He gasped for a moment with his mouth open, and his eyes gradually regained clarity.

“You’re awake?”

Only then did he realize that there was a person next to him, hugging him and patting his back repeatedly.

He slowly raised his eyes to meet Yan Mingting’s gaze, and his voice was still a little dry: “Why are you here?”

“When I came back from sweeping the tombs, I found that you weren’t in the mansion. So I came here to find you,” Yan Mingting said.

“Let go.”

“Then don’t kick the blanket off. You have a serious fever, you have to sweat.” Yan Mingting released his grip and took a defensive posture, thinking that he was going to be beaten or kicked. Against expectations, the other party sat up from his arms indifferently, put on his clothes without expression, and got out of bed without any intention of fighting him.

“Where are you going?”

Zhao Yelan pushed open a window and stood in front of it, silently looking at the blooming flowers in the courtyard.

Yan Mingting put on his outer robes. When looking at him, he got a sense of inexplicable loneliness from his moonlit back. The moonlight shone on the side of his face, which was pale and brittle, like porcelain that would shatter if he wasn’t careful.

“You miss your Mother?” Yan Mingting walked to his side.

Zhao Yelan looked at him stiffly.

“You just called for your Mother several times,” Yan Mingting explained. Seeing that he was silent, he said, “I also miss my mother. She passed away early and I’ve almost forgotten what she looked like, but the feeling of her accompanying me is still clearly stored in my memory.”

Zhao Yelan’s expression eased. He turned his head and continued to look out the window.

After a long time, Yan Mingting asked at once: “Are you hungry? You’ve been sleeping and haven’t had dinner yet.”

Zhao Yelan seemed to be in a daze for a while, before he murmured: “I want to eat steamed buns.”

“Okay, then you go back and lie down first. I’ll go out and buy them now.” Yan Mingting went to Mingji’s steamed bun shop without pause, only to find that it was closed.

He knocked loudly on the door, and the shopkeeper opened it to drive him away.

“Shopkeeper, just do me a favor and sell me another basket,” Yan Mingting said as he took out the bag of silver.

But the shopkeeper continuously waved his hands and refused: “No good, no good, I’ve packed up all my things and it’s too troublesome to start a fire again. You should come early tomorrow.”

“No, my wife is about to give birth and just wants to take a bite of your stuffed steamed buns, otherwise she won’t survive, and she won’t be able to give birth to a child no matter what, ah. She’s just waiting for your stuffed steamed buns in order to live, do us a favor and help us.”

“……But my pals have all gone back, and I can’t do it alone.”

“I’ll do it for you! Will that work?! I’ll pay the money!”

Half an hour later, Yan Mingting returned to the Zhao residence with the buns, but there was no one in the room.

“Zhao Yelan……Zhao Yelan!” He shouted anxiously.

“Are you calling for my soul?”

Zhao Yelan’s voice was not loud. Thanks to Yan Mingting’s good hearing, he immediately turned around and followed the voice to the person.

The other party was planting flowers in the back courtyard of the bedroom. He dug a hole with the small trowel in his hand and placed a peach sapling in it.

“It’s late, why aren’t you lying down properly?” Yan Minging asked, stepping forward.

“Hurry up and help,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting held the peach sapling steady while Zhao Yelan and Gao Tan worked together to fill in the soil and finish the job.

“Where did the peach tree come from?” Yan Mingting couldn’t help asking.

“My lord ordered me to dig it out from the mountains outside the city just now.” Gao Tan patted his chest triumphantly. “Qinggong is good, I can run very fast. Isn’t it great?”

Zhao Yelan: “All right, enough prattle, hurry up and fetch water to wash our hands.”

After the three of them washed their hands, they sat down in the bedroom. Zhao Yelan had sweated a lot after going through all the trouble just now. He took out a handkerchief to wipe his brow, and immediately saw two dark marks on Yan Mingting’s face that didn’t look like smudged soil from planting the tree. He pinched his chin suspiciously, looking left and right: “Where did you get this?”

“I just lit a stove fire,” Yan Mingting explained.

Zhao Yelan promptly guessed the reason. Mingji steamed bun shop’s business was very good. Once the shopkeeper closed the door, no amount of money could make him open it again. He originally thought that Yan Mingting would be smart enough to find stuffed steamed buns from another shop. Regardless, he just wanted to eat stuffed steamed bun at this time. Any shop would do, but he didn’t expect this fellow to be so stubborn that he would actually work as a cook for others in order to buy Mingji’s buns.

“Why not just take out your General’s badge, the bun shop would still give them to you,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Isn’t that bullying?” After Yan Mingting spoke, his face was rubbed twice. He couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes narrowed comfortably.

Zhao Yelan wiped off the stains on his face in a bad temper, and scoffed coldly: “General Yan is upright, so he naturally looks down on bullying fellows like us.”

“What are you talking about.” Yan Mingting pushed the stuffed steamed buns in front of him. “Eat quickly, they’re hot, just out of the oven. They won’t taste good when they’re cold.”

Zhao Yelan picked up a hot bun, eating it carefully as he asked: “You helped someone light a fire, and he agreed to do this for you?”

“Ah……yes.” Yan Mingting nodded guiltily. “I said my family needed buns urgently, so he had me help.”

Zhao Yelan cast a half-disbelieving glance at him and continued to eat the buns quietly.

“Will you return to the General’s Mansion later?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan refused: “Go back by yourself, I will go directly to the Imperial Academy tomorrow.”

“How can I do that? No, I’ll stay here with you one more night.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him and said nothing.

Not long after eating the buns, Zhao Yelan was about to fall asleep but was stopped by Yan Mingting, who brought a bowl of medicine to him with a smile: “Come, drink the medicine first.”

“……”

“Drink.”

Zhao Yelan took the bowl and drank it down.

Yan Mingting laughed and said: “You will spit out the medicine every time you’re unconscious, but you can obediently drink it when you’re awake.”

Zhao Yelan ignored him and lay down with a frown. Suddenly his mouth tasted sweet as Yan Mingting stuffed a candied fruit into his mouth.

He froze for a moment, and after feeling the sweet and sour taste, he ate it slowly and raised his eyes to look at the other person.

Yan Mingting said with a laugh: “My younger brother didn’t like to drink medicine, so he insisted on pestering me to feed him some candied fruit. How do you like it?”

“Don’t like it.” Zhao Yelan turned over and prepared to sleep.

“Yet you still ate it so fast.” Yan Mingting smiled and made another floor bed.

When he woke up the next day, Zhao Yelan still overestimated his own body. He had gotten up last night to plant trees and was struggling with fatigue. His head was still a little bit fuzzy, but he didn’t ask for leave and insisted on going to the Imperial Academy.

Gao Tan sent him to the door. When he was about to go back, he was stopped by Zhao Yelan, who ordered him in a low voice: “Go to the Mingji shopkeeper and ask him.”

“Yes.”

Seeing that he was unwell, Ruan Xian came over to help him with his work. The two sat together, chatting casually about the Imperial examinations and guessing who would take first place.

Zhao Yelan nodded perfunctorily, and only praised Wang Guisheng slightly when the other party asked who he favored.

“I also think that this person has good literary talent, but his writing is too harsh. I don’t know if he can catch the eye of the Emperor.”

“He can,” Zhao Yelan said firmly.

Ruan Xian looked at him meaningfully: “Zhao-daren, you mean the Emperor likes this type?”

Zhao Yelan curled the corners of his mouth and said no more, leaving him to ponder it himself. If he was clever enough, he would know what to do next.

In the afternoon, the Imperial Academy received an order and immediately drafted an Imperial edict. The results of the Imperial examinations had been released, and there were already successful candidates named, as well as the first ranks.

The whole courtyard became lively. Ruan Xian stood by and read the list. The first place scorer was indeed Wang Guisheng. He looked at Zhao Yelan with surprise. The other party was sitting alone in a corner and flipping through the history books. He either didn’t care about this matter as much as the rest of them did, or he already knew.

Ruan Xian shifted his eyes, thinking about something internally.

After being released from the government office, Zhao Yelan and the others rubbed their temples and walked out the gate wearily. 

Ruan Xian approached him furtively and asked in a low voice: “Zhao-daren, I don’t understand something. Please enlighten me.”

“What is it?”

“I have read that Wang Guisheng’s article. He scolded you and made insinuations against you, but you have no grudge against him and often praise him. Why?”

“Because he is a useful person.”

“Understood, thank you for letting me know. Zhao-daren is not feeling well, why doesn’t he come to my house for a while? My brother-in-law happens to be a doctor, perhaps he could have a try?” Ruan Xian said.

Zhao Yelan was about to speak, when he heard a spirited voice outside the gate: “Zhao Yelan.”

He looked up and saw Yan Mingting standing outside with his arms folded, a sedan chair parked beside him.

“Why are you here?” He walked forward slowly.

“I was passing by and thought I would take you home with me on the way.” Yan Mingting stretched out a hand to touch his forehead. “It’s still a little hot. Hurry up and get in the sedan chair.”

Zhao Yelan did not refuse, needing this sedan chair in order to continue to live. He opened the curtain and sat down firmly, but found that he was not immediately followed. He opened a corner of the curtain suspiciously and saw Yan Mingting asking Ruan Xian in a serious tone: “Who are you?”

“Answering the General, I am Ruan Xian, editor of the Seventh Rank Imperial Academy,” Ruan Xian said respectfully.

“Do you have a wife?”

“Of course. I have been married to my wife for more than a year.”

“En, okay, it’s getting late. Hurry back to accompany your wife.” Yan Mingting’s expression relaxed slightly, and he turned around and got into the sedan chair.

After they traveled a certain distance, Yan Mingting asked: “Who was that little white face?^[1] Are you two on good terms?”

Zhao Yelan shook his head.

“But you two were still talking and smiling?”

“What were you talking and smiling about?”

“You were smiling at him like this.” Yan Mingting took two fingers and pushed the corners of his mouth up, complaining, “You always smile like this towards others but show a cold face to me.”

Seeing this, Zhao Yelan pursed his lips to suppress a smile and said, “They are just for show.”

The corners of Yan Mingting’s mouth twitched: “That is to say, you are perfunctory to others, but you are truthful to me?”

Zhao Yelan smiled, shot him a look, and then closed his eyes to rest.

Yan Mingting intentionally didn’t disturb him, and only after arriving at the General’s Mansion did he give him a light pat: “We’re here.”

Zhao Yelan gradually opened his eyes and got off the sedan chair after him slowly. Seeing him quickly step through the gate, something occurred to him and he turned to ask the bearers: “How long were you waiting at the Imperial Academy?”

“A little less than half an hour,” said the bearer.

“Aren’t you coming in?” Yan Mingting came back to the door again. “What’s the matter? You haven’t recovered yet and have trouble walking?”

Zhao Yelan walked to the door with profound meaning, and when he passed him, the corners of his mouth curled up.

“Wait.” Yan Mingting grabbed his arm in surprise. “Did you just smile at me?”

“Didn’t.”

“Still saying no, what are you smiling at, tell me.” Yan Mingting held his shoulders and walked inside in a good mood. “Oh, by the way, let’s go to the study first. There’s a bit of a clue in the matter of the doctors.”

Zhao Yelan continuously tried to break free from his grip, but was unsuccessful. He caught a glimpse of Gao Tan sweeping the courtyard from the corner of his eye, and called: “Xiao Gao, come here.”

“My lord, you’re back!” Gao Tan dashed over with a broom in hand.

“What happened with the matter I asked you to check?”

Gao Tan took a cautious look at Yan Mingting, then covered his mouth and whispered a few words into his ear.

Yan Mingting saw that Zhao Yelan’s eyes were becoming increasingly gloomy, and picked out the key word ‘Mingji’ from Gao Tan’s whisper. He seemed to have guessed something, and immediately raised his hands in surrender.

“May I ask General Yan, which of your wives is having a difficult labor and needs buns to survive?” Zhao Yelan narrowed his eyes slightly.

Yan Mingting sensed danger, taking two stiff steps back as he smiled innocently: “……I don’t seem to understand what you’re talking about?”

After speaking, he dashingly lifted the hem of his clothes and then fled in a desperate manner.

Zhao Yelan snatched the broom from Gao Tan’s hand: “Yan Mingting, you stop for me!”

---

[1] A ‘little white face’ (小白脸) is basically an insult toward an educated person who doesn’t do labor under the sun, or it can refer to a boy toy who relies on a rich woman. ⮐

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

The inner side of the patch was soft and sticky bio-silica gel, which absorbed into the skin and felt cool.

Like a secret reminder.

Fortunately, it was quickly warmed by body heat.

Huo Tinglan helped Ye Ci stick them on and then exited first. There was no one else outside. He folded his cuffs back, straightened his shoulders, and pretended to wash his hands in front of the sink.

Whether it was intentional or not, he was wearing a black shirt today, and after rubbing against Ye Ci’s wet sportswear for a long time, the front of the shirt was stained with water that could not be seen on the dark fabric. It looked no different from a clean shirt.

In the stall, Ye Ci tugged at the hem of his clothes and pushed the door open slowly, walking out.

Perhaps because his thigh ligaments had been over-stretched, his steps were unsteady.

The permanent marking had happened over a month ago during the summer break, and school had started just a few days after. Ye Ci’s study schedule was very tight and Huo Tinglan was afraid that his energy would be affected, so over the past month or so, he had been showing restraint. Most of their intimate contact had been simple touches.

Thus……he had firmly held back.

He also hadn’t done anything too serious just now.

After all, it was impossible for him to really do anything to Ye Ci in the school bathroom.

When they went home tonight, would Huo-shushu……

Ye Ci recalled the day of the permanent mark during summer break and curled his fingers up nervously, clenching them together.

Even recalling a few scenes was not good. The back of his neck was faintly hot, the skin that had finally cooled down flushing a passionate pink, and he had no choice but to wash his face with cold water.

The events were not over yet, and the students were all gathered on the sports field. There were not many people in other areas of the campus, but fortunately, the milk tea shop was open like normal.

“Try it.” Ye Ci handed Huo Tinglan a glass of grape smoothie. “It’s really delicious.”

Water droplets condensed on the outside of the purple-red cup, and the thick snow-white cream was dotted with a few round, green grapes. It was a childish drink, and Huo Tinglan took it and sipped it with a smile: “En, it’s delicious.”

Ye Ci’s cheeks puffed out slightly as he chewed the grapes without saying a word, his bright eyes slightly curved with happiness.

The noise of shouting and announcements came from the sports field. The distance was too great, and the sound quality was a bit muffled. The two of them sat in the shade of a secluded tree and drank while enjoying the breeze.

Aside from the age difference, they were like a school couple on a secret date.

Ye Ci bit his straw, and his mind finally drifted off for a bit as he silently replayed the 1500 meter run. Did his running posture look cool enough? Did he look silly when he was sweating and panting? He also regretted that he didn’t look on both sides of the track and wave at Huo Tinglan or something……

His thoughts were all rather uncomplicated.

Nothing more than the small thoughts of a teenager, always thinking about looking cool in front of his lover.

“……What are you thinking about?” Huo Tinglan had been observing him for a long time.

“I’m, I’m thinking about the competition,” Ye Ci said truthfully.

“Why is your face getting redder?” Huo Tinglan bent his index finger and pressed the back of it against his spreading blush.

It was soft and hot.

Ye Ci turned his face to look at him. His eyes were very obedient: “I don’t know.”

“Are your glands hot?” Huo Tinglan lightly touched the back of his neck.

They were hot.

The exuberant heat could be felt through the layers of barrier patches.

“Do you have enough strength?” He smiled with faint ill intentions.

Ye Ci stretched his legs. “……Maybe I’m a little, little tired.”

“Baby,” Huo Tinglan said in a low voice, his eyes dark, “Your fever period is here.”

Even if it was a few days early.

After the permanent marking, an Omega’s fever periods would become regular.

And the hormonal fluctuations caused by close contact may cause the fever to advance within a certain range……

Ye Ci was startled, and touched the back of his neck.

He hadn’t been an Omega for long enough, and often ignored those signs.

“Want to go back and watch the events?” Huo Tinglan softly asked Ye Ci’s opinion. “Or go home with me first to……deal with it.”

Because of the permanent mark, Ye Ci’s fever symptoms would not be very serious. Other Alphas would not be sensitive to the soaring pheromone concentration, but it had a huge impact on Huo Tinglan.

So there was no rush to deal with it.

Ye Ci hesitated for a moment. Today’s sports competition had come to an end. He wouldn’t be able to stay long once he went back, and his classmates would see him blushing like this.

It was noticeably his fever period, and in case it got worse……

Ye Ci squeezed the cup that he had unconsciously crushed, sucked up the grape pieces at the bottom, and pretended to be calm as he said: “It’s not, not convenient to go back……let’s go home first and, and deal with it.”

As the saying went: First time unfamiliar, second time well-accustomed.

Having experienced such an intense, days-long permanent mark, Ye Ci felt that there was nothing left to be shy about, so he put on a steady and experienced look. After returning home, he first went to find his pajamas, and when he looked up, he saw that Huo Tinglan had also walked into the cloakroom to look for something. Ye Ci raised his chin toward the bathroom, his face bright red, and said coolly: “I’m going to take a shower.”

After saying as much, he was about to turn around and leave when Huo Tinglan embraced him. His thin back pressed against the firm muscles of his chest, and he felt the vibration as Huo Tinglan laughed.

He had clearly laughed, but his tone regained its composure the next second.

“Wait a moment, baby, I have something to ask you.” 

“What?” Ye Ci felt that it wouldn’t be anything serious.

– Huo-shushu at once acted demure in order to play dirty tricks.

“At the opening ceremony of the sports competition this morning, your class performed a group dance……” Huo Tinglan smiled, and while continuing to embrace him from behind, he pulled Ye Ci to sit on the cloakroom’s changing stool. He wrapped his arms around the other’s arms and clasped his wrists with his hands, fully encircling the boy who was a full size slenderer than himself, but his tone was gentle and upright, as if they were having a heart-to-heart conversation. “Wasn’t it all Omegas who did it?”

Ye Ci’s intuition wasn’t good, so he pursed his lips and remained silent.

It was a pity that his thoughts were still too pure, so he went over Huo Tinglan’s words again and again but couldn’t find anything wrong with them, giving a low “En.”

“What about you, why didn’t you do it?” Huo Tinglan asked softly.

“I……” Ye Ci instinctively ignored the important and dwelled on the trivial, avoiding the real reason of, ‘seeking to dress a male Omega in a skirt like a girl,’ and said, “No, since I can’t, can’t dance, I couldn’t do it.”

He felt that he couldn’t mention the skirt business.

“It was because you can’t dance?” Huo Tinglan smiled softly.

“Yes,” Ye Ci insisted.

Huo Tinglan nodded, and said clearly, “Then that means……you have no objection to wearing skirts.”

“ ? ! ”

Ye Ci licked his lips, dumbfounded.

What an unexpected interpretation.

“No, that’s not it,” Ye Ci shook his head vigorously, stuttering out a quick, “I object, I object.”

Huo Tinglan sighed: “So antisocial.”

Although his popularity was so high that he would be welcomed by the students as soon as he walked into the stands of Class 7, not wearing a little skirt along with the other Omegas was antisocial.

– What a good trick to confuse black and white.

Ye Ci stared in amazement, and his lips that had been licked moist and tender opened in shock.

Could it be that Huo-shushu would block him no matter what he said, taking advantage of his anxious, clumsy mouth……

Huo Tinglan’s eyes were fixed as he said solemnly: “Huo-shushu is very worried about you.”

“Could it be that, that you want me to wear……” Ye Ci gulped, unable to believe it. “But, but today didn’t you see what they, they were wearing?”

There were no short skirts at home!

And, and it was too late to prepare one!

“Indeed.” Huo Tinglan paused for two seconds, then said naturally, “That’s why the style is not the same.”

A laugh escaped after the slight pause.

He had made an error in his performance.

With this laugh, Ye Ci was instantly enlightened.

……Although it wasn’t flawless Buddhist enlightenment.

Huo Tinglan’s plan was premeditated. It just happened that the Omegas had danced at the sports competition and Huo Tinglan was there to see it.

The skirt in question was probably not a standard skirt.

It wouldn’t be as good as their dancing skirts! At least those were decent!

This penetrated into Ye Ci’s mind, and his voice trembled with embarrassment: “Then, then you……”

That voice gradually became fainter, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

“……are being perverted?”

Facing this question, Huo Tinglan fell silent.

Ye Ci thought he was going to play at being decent again and tease him with ridiculous words such as “Huo-shushu is helping you integrate into the group” or “other Omegas wear them, Xiao Ci.” 

Unexpectedly, Huo Tinglan smiled and said: “Indeed.”

He didn’t even try to conceal it!

It wasn’t that he had special hobbies, it was just that when the little gentleman’s legs looked so good, a few untoward thoughts surfaced when he was distracted.

It wouldn’t hurt to try once in a while.

He let go of Ye Ci and leisurely rummaged through the closet.

Ye Ci was in his fever period and couldn’t leave him.

In the changing mirror, his ten fingers were as thin and white as scallions as they held onto his trousers. His knuckles protruded sharply, and he was so embarrassed that he wanted to beat someone up. However, he still waited motionlessly for Huo Tinglan to find a skirt for him to wear, blushing. The corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose were also stained a slight red, aggrieved and bullied.

After Huo Tinglan found the clothes, he smiled apologetically: “I didn’t have you try it on, so I don’t know if it will fit……is it too short?”

Ye Ci glanced at Huo Tinglan’s hand and was too ashamed to speak. He lowered his head and leaned his forehead on his hand without saying a word.

“But the stockings are elastic, so they should fit,” Huo Tinglan consoled him, but gradually couldn’t speak human words. “Baby, will you wear the skirt? I can help you.”

The swivel mirror in the cloakroom was turned to face the changing stool.

Ye Ci resisted passively, not struggling but not cooperating.

And let Huo Tinglan dress him like a doll.

… …

Due to the rise in body temperature, even his white back, chest, and abdomen were light pink.

The silk and lace rippled with different shades of broken light along with the movements of his body, complementing that pink skin.

“I, I have an event tomorrow……I’ll need to, to wear a tracksuit,” Ye Ci said tremblingly. “Don’t touch my, my arms and legs, okay, Huo-shushu?”

Touching, of course, referred to “leaving traces.”

“Okay,” Huo Tinglan responded first, and then asked politely, “Then where can I touch?”

“……”

“Make me a list?”

After a long silence:

“Face, belly, and……”

So cute.

Huo Tinglan followed his words and kissed his face.

– Then followed the list one by one.

On the second day of the sports competition, Ye Ci had a few events to participate in, but they weren’t high-intensity.

Events such as the javelin throw only required a short run-up, and was very friendly to his sore waist and legs. Moreover, the students were not very good at such professional things, so everyone had fun messing around together.

After all his events were over, Ye Ci returned to the Class 7 stands to concentrate on watching the competition.

Today’s sun was unbelievably hot. He and Jiang Yan each contributed a hand to prop up a school uniform jacket as a sunshade, freeing up the other hand to eat the potato chips sitting between them.

“I used to think you didn’t like these things.” Jiang Yan frowned. “You’re so cool, you don’t look at first glance like someone who loves snacks.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t like to eat them, but mainly because he hadn’t eaten them much before.

“Before, I didn’t know that I could love snacks so much.” Ye Ci’s lips curled up.

Jiang Yan opened a huge extra-value pack that barely fit when he stuffed it in-between them: “These cheesy onion ones are also super tasty, try some……”

Under the simple school uniform awning……

Crunch, crunch.

Crunch, crunch.

Like two happy little hamsters.

Tsk –

A Coke can was cracked open.

“Our class should be number one in total points. I went to ask just now.”

“That is, is a must.”

“Later, you must represent our class to accept the award. The class monitor and the sports committee have agreed. You have contributed the most and your appearance is good.”

“……I’m going?”

“There’s no need to make a speech. There are so many representatives, just bow when it’s your turn.”

“Then……okay, I’ll go.”

“……”

In the distance, another burst of cheers and encouragement sounded.

“Look, look! The head of the sports committee is about to cross the finish line!”

The students in the front row stood abruptly.

Ye Ci also stood up with potato chips in his mouth, looking up with interest. He was not accustomed to shouting, but he silently cheered for his teammate in his heart.

On the synthetic track of the bright green and brick-red stadium, vigorous figures were striding forward in the autumn wind, cheering and laughing like a tidal wave.

It was a beautiful autumn day.

【End of Sports Competition】

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Extra Four: Sports Competition << Table of Contents >> Extra Six: The Necktie

After changing his clothes, Ye Ci returned to the sports field. Like a young seedling that was so green and tender that water could be squeezed out, he stood tall and straight in the pale sunlight, drawing countless eyes.

Among them, a dark and solid gaze came from the platform.

Wherever Ye Ci went, that line of sight followed.

A high-level Alpha’s eagle-eyed vision was put to unscrupulous work once more, and at such a long distance, those eyes could still clearly pick out details that should or shouldn’t be seen.

It made his heart itch unbearably, and there was a scorching fire rolling in his stomach, but he put on a reserved and steady air, keeping his face tranquil.

This morning, Ye Ci would be going back and forth between track and field competitions. Roll-call was held for an event, and then it soon began. When he easily took first place, the broadcast was full of limericks from Class 7: “The spring breeze is blowing, the war drums are beating, who is Class 7’s Brother Ci afraid of……Class 7, Class 7, competing for Tiansheng, Brother Ci, Brother Ci, salute the outstanding hero……”

Ye Ci had thin skin, and when he first heard the shameful title of “Class 7’s Brother Ci,” he directly got a stitch in his side while on the track. He sprinted the remaining 100 meters in pain, and stood beside the finish line rubbing his stomach. He hung his head fearfully, afraid that people around would see that he was the domineering “Brother Ci” of legend.

He clearly still lacked a clear understanding of how well-known he was in other classes.

There were not many people around who didn’t know……

It was only that they were more covert.

After rushing through a few rounds, Ye Ci temporarily returned to the class stands to rest. Later on, he had the 1,500 meter run, which was a major event. The sports committee was quite conscientious, studying the race schedule and digging around to set aside a period of rest for him.

As soon as he appeared, there was a burst of deafening cheers and applause from Class 7’s area in the stands, with no less enthusiasm than if they were meeting a celebrity.

Ye Ci smiled shyly and triumphantly, and two small dimples appeared on his face. He feared that people would notice and tease him, but he couldn’t hold back his smile, and lowered his head as he walked towards the empty seat that his classmates had reserved for him.

After several events, he was sweating so much that his back was drenched. An Omega name Jiang Yan who had accompanied him throughout the run was afraid that he would catch a chill from the wind, so he put a sports jacket over his shoulders.

Ye Ci had a well-proportioned figure, with a shorter upper body and long legs. The jacket hung so loosely that it almost covered the track shorts, making it look like he wasn’t wearing any at first glance.

Beads of sweat rolled along the muscles, dripping down in liquid streams to set off those jade-white legs. The traces of Omega pheromones in the sweat accumulated more and more, and the powerful barrier patch on the back of his neck couldn’t block them. The sweet scent of vanilla diffused in the autumn wind.

Damn.

Cheng Xiao stared straight at Ye Ci and turned his head to chase after the sight of him with a sour feeling in his heart.

An old cow eats young grass.^[1] Surnamed Huo was really able to enjoy it.

“Brother Ci, wipe off your sweat!” A sports committee member who was also an Alpha sensed that something was wrong and threw a freshly opened towel through the air at Ye Ci.

“Thank you.” Ye Ci raised his hand to catch it.

“Cheng Xiao, stop staring at others!” Jiang Yan was the Omega who told Huo Tinglan previously that he would “watch” Ye Ci. He had a hot temper, and seeing that Cheng Xiao still had some hope in his heart, he stood in front of him and vigorously exposed him. “You don’t have a chance, ah, go take a look at yourself.”

Cheng Xiao was greedy and jealous, and it was clear that he couldn’t beat Huo Tinglan. He knew that in the eyes of the other, he was just a brat who couldn’t even grow facial hair, and estimated that even using a finger to deal with him would be overkill. He could only vent his anger on others, and choked out angrily at Jiang Yan: “You’re watching me? The control is pretty widespread.”

“That’s right, ah, I have a wide range. The school was built by my family, so why shouldn’t I take care of what goes on at school?” He stared, hands on his hips, and spoke plausibly.

The project to build the school was indeed taken over by the Jiang family. Cheng Xiao was dumbfounded. But when an Omega who couldn’t speak so eloquently uttered a “fuck,” and he lost his temper.

“……”

Ye Ci could hear what they were arguing about, but he didn’t feel offended. His emotions didn’t even fluctuate for this childish Alpha, and he just gave Cheng Xiao a light glance and raised his head to drink water.

Cheng Xiao was embarrassed and turned back with a blushing face.

Ye Ci took a chocolate energy bar from his classmate and gnawed on it, then grabbed his mobile phone from his schoolbag. There was a new message from Huo Tinglan.

[Huo Tinglan]: Baby, you’re really amazing. How many times have you won first place?

He had actually counted all the times he’d won, and just wanted to give Ye Ci a chance to show off to him.

Ye Ci scratched his head and quickly reported his results.

Huo Tinglan didn’t hesitate to praise him, and complimented him effusively.

Ye Ci reaped considerable benefits. Scrolling on his phone, the corners of his mouth were raised all the way up. Worried that he was smiling too widely, he pressed his fist against his lips and squeezed them tightly shut.

– He had been coaxed to show his belly again.

Ye Ci was proud of himself for long enough, and worrying that Huo Tinglan would get bored, he lowered his eyes and typed.

[Ye Ci]: I won’t have any events today after I finish the 1,500 meter run. How about walking around the campus with you?

Huo Tinglan had also studied here, so he probably wanted to see the changes made to his alma mater.

Huo Tinglan smiled and sent an “okay.”

Ye Ci racked his brains to figure out how to entertain him, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

[Ye Ci]: Our school milk tea shop has a grape smoothie that is very delicious. I usually drink one glass per day.

After posting, he was a little embarrassed. Huo Tinglan was not a student in his teens or twenties. It was too tasteless to treat someone to a smoothie at a milk tea shop for less than 20 yuan……

He hesitated, and withdrew the message.

The other party came back quickly.

[Huo Tinglan]: I saw it, I want to eat.

[Huo Tinglan]: Treat me.

It was like a date.

Ye Ci’s heart beat hard a few times.

[Ye Ci]: En, my treat.

That chat history was filled with the atmosphere of campus romance, as refreshing as lemon and sea salt.

But at this time, Huo Tinglan sent another message.

[Huo Tinglan]: I have something to say, but I don’t know if it is convenient for me to tell you now……is there a classmate next to you?”

Ye Ci glanced around. Of course there were classmates, but they were all watching the events with their chins raised, and no one was paying attention to him.

He was paralyzed by the sweet, fresh atmosphere of love, and replied unguardedly: Yes, but they’re all watching the races. What do you want to say?

A few seconds later.

[Huo Tinglan]: Baby’s legs are really white.

“……”

Ye Ci fell silent.

[Huo Tinglan]: I want to taste your sweat.

What followed was even more unsightly.

This person who looked so dignified and elegant was sending this stuff to a male high school student from the stage.

What was the strength of this wolf in sheep’s clothing!

Ye Ci abruptly looked away. As if he was holding a white-hot poker, he locked the screen in a rush and tossed the phone into his schoolbag.

Presently, he blushed and raised his butt, pulling down his sports shorts a little.

An extra centimeter was still a centimeter.

Some people were real scoundrels.

Ye Ci rested, and then the 1,500 meter run commenced.

After three and a half laps around the track, Ye Ci was still running effortlessly, but the sun that had been hiding his face before slowly emerged from behind the clouds. There was sweat on his skin, and when it was exposed to the harsh sun, it became slightly itchy and uncomfortable.

When he crossed the finish line first amidst the joyful cheers of his classmates, he rushed several meters with the streamer trailing from him, then stopped to take the mineral water Jiang Yan handed over. He twisted the top off and took two drinks, then poured it over the top of his head, simply and roughly driving away the heat and itching all over his body.

The water soaked through his clothes, and the light fabric of the sportswear firmly stuck to the wet skin.

Ye Ci was not like some fastidious little Omegas who wore tight-fitting vests under the sportswear to prevent exposure.

So some details and contours……were instantly revealed.

“You, do you want to put on a jacket……”

Jiang Yan averted his eyes, but Ye Ci still thought it was normal to pour water over his head after strenuous exercise. Wiping the water droplets from his face, he shook his hands toward the grass and said frankly: “No need, I’m almost about to, to suffer heat stroke.”

“……Want to go to the locker room and change?” 

However, Huo Tinglan’s deep, gentle voice came from behind, and he couldn’t hear the slightest hint of displeasure. “There is air conditioning inside the building.”

After the start of the 1,500 meter race, he had left the stage to wait for Ye Ci at the finish line.

He was a young man as vigorous and nimble as a leopard. The wind blew his hair back, revealing the entirety of his small face, and his eyes were as bright as stars……

He had come to the sports field. However, Ye Ci was not distracted during the race and basically didn’t look to the sides of the track, so he hadn’t seen him.

“Ah, okay.” Ye Ci turned his head. “When, when did you come?”

“I’ve been standing here for a while to see you cross the finish line.” Huo Tinglan smiled and raised the paper bag in his hand containing fresh clothes. Then he stood in front of him unobtrusively and led him towards the gymnasium.

There was a public changing room in the gymnasium. Ye Ci thought that Huo Tinglan’s purpose was to let him change clothes, but just as he entered the door, Huo Tinglan grasped the back of his neck gently. He immediately softened into a ball and was conscientiously moved to the bathroom.

The standard of hygiene was comparable to that of a five-star hotel. There was no smell, and no one else in sight. Huo Tinglan carried Ye Ci into a stall, locked the door, and then leaned in toward his ear and said in a hoarse voice: “I saw it all, baby.”

Hot breath warmed his ears, and the temperature jumped a bit in the cramped compartment.

“Saw what?” Ye Ci was slightly taken aback.

“What do you think?” Huo Tinglan twisted the drenched fabric on his chest.

Ye Ci’s face abruptly turned red, and he stuttered badly: “I, I wasn’t paying attention……I was, was running, and, and it was so hot……”

Huo Tinglan wore a half-smile: “En.”

“I’ll just, just change it.” Ye Ci snatched the paper bag containing the change of clothes from Huo Tinglan’s hand and put it on the shelf behind the toilet.

“Wait, put this on first.” Huo Tinglan loosened his own neckline.

Then he undid his tie with one hand and tugged.

The silk tie rubbed against his collar quickly, making a thin, sharp whoosh.

“I thought of this when I saw you put on the tracksuit……” Huo Tinglan clamped Ye Ci’s wrists with one hand and twisted the hem of the half-sleeved shirt with the other.

Fingertips poked between Ye Ci’s slightly parted lips along with silky fabric.

“Bite down,” he whispered.

“……” Ye Ci’s cheeks flushed red and he grabbed the piece of cloth with his small white teeth, turning his head away shyly.

Huo Tinglan carried out all the ungentlemanly things he had messaged him on WeChat previously.

He didn’t know if the grape smoothie in the milk tea shop was good, and had no interest in sweets.

But the fruit in early autumn was indeed sweet.

“Huo-shushu, the, the swelling is pretty obvious……” Ye Ci changed into the replacement clothes Huo Tinglan had brought, feeling extremely embarrassed and indignant.

Those red and purple marks and fingerprints were not a problem, and with trousers covering them, nothing could be seen.

But elsewhere, they were a bit harder to hide.

“Use these.” Huo Tinglan took out a pair of patches from the paper bag.

The bandages were flesh colored and round.

Little things that could prevent similar embarrassing situations.

“Will they work?” Huo Tinglan asked softly.

Ye Ci shook his head in confusion.

In the end, Huo Tinglan took advantage of what could be explained in three minutes and educated him for ten minutes on the spot.

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[1] An old cow eats young grass (老牛吃嫩草) refers to a romance where one person is significantly older than the other. ⮐

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Extra Three: Sports Competition << Table of Contents >> Extra Five: Sports Competition