Zhao Yelan suffered from insomnia.

He had been unable to sleep for the past two days, but tonight was somewhat different. Before, he would close his eyes and think about it unconsciously, still hoping that he could fall asleep quickly.

But tonight, with his eyes open, he didn’t think about anything. He simply emptied his mind and didn’t want to fall asleep.

For some reason, he felt that Yan Mingting was not asleep either.

But he didn’t turn over to check. He was afraid that the other party would continue to talk to him. Intentionally or not, some words could confuse people’s minds.

At dawn, he heard Yan Mingting get up and leave the room lightly, and there were footsteps outside.

He sat up slowly, walked to the window, and watched Yan Mingting and Zuo Ran lead the horses to the gate. After discussing the affairs of the mansion with Housekeeper Qin, he raised his head and suddenly looked toward the bedroom.

Zhao Yelan was startled, and instinctively dodged aside. It wasn’t until hoofbeats sounded outside the gate that he returned to the bed without looking back, closing his eyes tightly.

When he woke up again, it was already noon, and he took a three-day leave from the Imperial Academy on the grounds that he had contracted a cold. He put on the sweetgrass sachet again, rested at home, and coughed a few times now and then.

“Did my lord not drink the medicine? Why does the cold seem to be getting worse?” Housekeeper Qin said worriedly, and couldn’t help but nag, “My lord, drink your medicine quickly, lest the General come back and see that you are still ill and punish us.”

Zhao Yelan poured the medicine in front of him, then locked himself in the room, feeling bored after a little while.

He was obviously used to being alone in the house in the past, but today it seemed to be particularly deserted.

As he walked around the mansion, the servants performed their duties and were busy in an orderly manner, but they didn’t get together and secretly gossip about why the two masters were arguing again.

Even Xiao Gao was a little listless: “Why do I feel that even the chickens are quiet after the General left? My lord, when will the General come back, ah?”

“Miss him so soon?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“En.”

“Do you like him very much?”

“En, en.”

In the afternoon, Zhao Yelan received a letter from Yan Mingting.

He opened it in surprise. The handwriting on it was a bit messy, and seemed that it had been written in haste. The letter stated that they had arrived at the first post station, so he wrote to report that they were safe.

In the evening, the second letter came again, from the second station.

After two days, Zhao Yelan received a total of six letters, all of which were small things –

Mengting, we are now at the border of Longzhou, and it is raining heavily here. I wonder if it is raining in the capital? Remember to wear more layers, don’t catch a cold.

Mengting, let me tell you a joke. A soldier went to piss at night and was kicked by a horse, haha! Zuo Ran also walked in on him, and she beat him up again, haha!

Mengting, what did you eat tonight? We could only eat some dry food on the road tonight, because the weather is hot and most of the food is rotten. In fact, I have long been used to this kind of life, but it may be that I have eaten too well in the capital in the past six months. I actually started to miss Mingji’s steamed buns and Huichunlou’s drunken shrimp. It’s all thanks to you.

Mengting, I had a dream last night about when we met for the first time. If at that time I took you directly to the military camp to serve as my military adviser, would the war have ended sooner? Would we have grown up together?

Mengting, He Cuizhang is still in Beijing. If you have any troubles, you can go to him. He has a letter from me and can act in my name.

Mengting, I regret it, I shouldn’t have left without saying goodbye. I thought I would be anxious about saying goodbye in person, but even without saying goodbye, I miss you a little now……I lied to you, I miss your Hongshao.

“General, are you writing a letter again?” Zuo Ran carried a water bag to the river to finish fetching water. She saw Yan Mingting leaning against a big tree with a piece of biscuit held in his mouth, writing on his bent knees.

Along the way, whenever he was free, Yan Mingting would write letters and deliver them at the post station. Some were mailed out, and some were crumpled up and thrown away.

“Are you all rested up?” Yan Mingting quickly chewed on the stale biscuit, then folded the letter and said, “There is food at the next post station, and we can prepare some more dry food.”

“Okay.” Zuo Ran raised her head and looked at the sun. The scorching heat made people sweat profusely. Today was already the seventh day since they left the capital. According to the speed of their traveling day and night, they would be able to reach Huaizhou tomorrow.

“General, I just watched you write a letter. Why don’t you seem to have received a letter from Zhao-daren?” Zuo Ran asked curiously.

“Because we are traveling fast, how could the letters traveling back and forth keep up with our speed?” Yan Mingting got on his horse.

“That makes sense. Then when you arrive in Huaizhou, you might be able to receive a letter,” Zuo Ran said optimistically.

However, on the third day after arriving in Huaizhou, he did not receive any letter from Beijing.

Zuo Ran didn’t have the time to ask about Yan Mingting’s letter, because she was worried about how to rescue Yin Pinglu.

When he first arrived in Huaizhou, Yan Mingting received good news from his subordinates. The troops who had arrived first, together with Huaizhou officers and soldiers, captured a large number of bandits alive, and they had been put in prison. They had destroyed all their strongholds, but two leaders escaped.

Yan Mingting sent people to investigate the whereabouts of these two, and then he was taken over by the Huaizhou Magistrate.

After conversing with the Magistrate for a while, he then brought up Yin Pinglu: “Yin-daren is so lucky to have such a good daughter as Pinglu.”

Magistrate Yin asked doubtfully: “General Yan knows Pinglu?”

“Didn’t she tell you? We met at the border once. She has a clever mind and was a great help to me,” Yan Mingting said.

Magistrate Yin had of course heard Yin Pinglu say this, but he didn’t believe it at all. She was a weak woman, how could she know Yan Mingting on the battlefield? Not to mention being of  help. If this was the case, why didn’t anyone mention Yin Pinglu’s name when the court discussed meritorious deeds and rewards? It must be a lie that this girl made up in order to escape.

But now hearing Yan Mingting admit it in person, he was aghast, but there was still a smile on his face: “It turned out to be like this. Maybe she was just lucky and happened to come up with some crazy ideas.”

“You can’t say that, the battlefield changes rapidly and a few fleeting ideas can’t turn the tide. Your daughter is very talented,” Yan Mingting said seriously.

“Ai, what’s the use of having great talent? She studied and practiced calligraphy in her early years, so she was a little ignorant of worldly matters. Who would look down on this, ah. Not only did she take the initiative to break off the engagement with her fiance, but she also ran away with a lowly girl. It has long been the biggest joke in Huaizhou. This woman is not married, how can this be proper, ah? I almost lost all face because of her,” Magistrate Yin said in vexation.

Yan Mingting saw his stubborn nature. He feared that in his eyes, even the main daughters should be used to marry higher up and improve his official position, not to mention Yin Pinglu, a rebellious concubine.

Yan Mingting once heard Yin Pinglu mention that Magistrate Yin had eight daughters and a young son who was just three years old. The sisters were all married to dignitaries, and the last one was also married to a magistrate. Among the remaining daughters of age, only Yin Pinglu was still unmarried.

He knew that it would be difficult to change Magistrate Yin’s mind with these few words, so he said: “I came to the mansion today because I actually have something to ask. The bandit leaders fled, but I’m new here and not familiar with the terrain, so I wanted to borrow Pinglu to help.”

“This……” Magistrate Yin wiped the sweat off his face. This wasn’t good. “It’s really not that this humble official wants to refuse the General’s request, it’s just that Pinglu has been infected with a serious disease lately and is still recuperating in the house. Whether she can recover is unknown, and we are powerless, ah.”

“If that’s the case……then I won’t disturb her. There are many women in the house, so I won’t borrow a room. I will be staying at the biggest inn in the city. If Yin Pinglu recovers well, you just let her come to me directly, ba,” Yan Mingting said.

“All right, all right.” Magistrate Yin repeatedly agreed, then graciously sent him to the inn himself.

After the people left, Zuo Ran appeared covertly: “General, how is Pinglu?”

“Not too great.” Yan Mingting frowned. “You go to her house late at night to see what the situation is like with the guards. Don’t alert the enemy.”

“Okay.”

At midnight, Zuo Ran returned and said: “The security is heavy, especially around Pinglu’s room. It is full of guards, with senior officials coming in and out. Is Magistrate Yin afraid of her escaping and wants to imprison her?”

“No, she should have already escaped,” Yan Mingting said.

“What?”

“With Magistrate Yin’s temperament of cozying up to others, how could he be willing to refuse such a good opportunity when he heard that I wanted to borrow someone? And clearly he gave me a warm invitation to be a guest in his house, but after hearing me ask for someone, he didn’t urge me to stay. This is likely because he was afraid that we would find out that the person had already run away, so he lied about her being ill and sent people to strictly guard to create false appearances.”

“Then what should we do? Nothing will happen to Pinglu, right?” Zuo Ran was nervous.

“We split into two groups. You take a team and stay at the inn. Keep an eye on the movement in the Yin Mansion at all times, and send someone to deliver some medical materials and supplements in my name every day or two. In this way, Magistrate Yin will have to speed up his search for Yin Pinglu. If she is found, don’t act rashly, and notify me immediately.” Yan Mingting said, “I still have to track down the whereabouts of those two thieves.”

“All right, I understand,” Zuo Ran said calmly.

Yan Mingting glanced at her in surprise: “You seem to be……a lot more stable.”

“I am stupid and weak, so it is hard for me to find her by myself, but I trust the General. Since this is the case, I cannot panic and drag my feet,” Zuo Ran said firmly. “And I believe in her. She is so smart, she will definitely be able to save the day.”

“Right,” Yan Minging said with a smile. “Perhaps she has escaped safely. We’re staying at this inn, with a lot of people coming in and out. The news will spread quickly, and once she finds out, she will come to us.”

“En!”

Early the next morning, Yan Mingting went to the prison to interrogate a few bandits about news of the two bandit leaders, and came up with a piece of information –

They had backers, and those two were coaxed into making trouble.

But this information didn’t need to be tortured out at all. He could guess that bandits had appeared in several areas simultaneously, and why else would that be if it was not premeditated? Were bandits like cats, who when the season comes, would go into collective heat?

In the afternoon, he took people to the stronghold to check the situation, and it was already destroyed. However, that did not rule out that there could be something left and that the two would come back secretly. He sent a handful of teams in several directions to track down a trail.

One day later, he finally found a clue. Not far from the stronghold was a grass field with a line of shallow marks where the grass was obviously sparser than on the sides. He walked down this path and found a secret passage, leading people in to search it. The inside was a mess, and there were a few pieces of jewelry on the ground that they hadn’t had time to take away.

He looked around and found a letter. It ordered the two to rush to Quzhou, and said that someone would meet them.

He immediately summoned three teams to chase along several roads, then sent news to the officials in Quzhou while keeping some people in Huaizhou to prevent the other party from deliberately luring the tiger away from the mountain.^[1]

After several days of busy work, he had time to write a letter after dinner. He wrote down everything that happened these past few days in detail, and unexpectedly wrote four voluminous pages. Instead of using his own people to deliver the letter, he went out to find a messenger.

However, before he could find a messenger, he first met Zuo Ran, who was standing on a bridge and staring at the calm water in a daze.

“What are you thinking about?” Yan Mingting walked over and asked.

Zuo Ran was startled, and turned to look at him: “General……have you eaten yet?”

“En, what about you? Why aren’t you guarding the Yin residence?”

“I kept someone there, but I don’t want to be near that place right now.” Zuo Ran curled her lip and turned to walk over the bridge.

The two walked along the river and finally came to a pavilion. Zuo Ran then said: “Today that old man went to the Yin mansion, that fellow who wants to marry Pinglu. You should have seen Magistrate Yin’s groveling look……”

Yan Mingting knew that she was feeling indignant and angry on Yin Pinglu’s behalf, so he didn’t speak immediately. After she vented for a while, scolding those two people bloody, he laughed and asked, “Has your temper cooled?”

“It hasn’t.”

“Then you can scold them for as long as you want.”

Hearing this, Zuo Ran laughed self-consciously: “Forgive me, ah, I’ve wasted your time with my complaining.”

“It’s nothing, I’m happy to hear it, and it improved my mood a little bit.”

“Is the General worried about the bandits?” When Zuo Ran received no response after asking, she guessed at another reason. “Or is it because you haven’t received a letter from Zhao-daren?”

As expected, Yan Mingting’s expression changed slightly.

“When we first met you, we thought you were ignorant and didn’t understand feelings at all. You saved a beautiful woman, and no matter how many times she clearly approached you, your heart was as firm as iron and stone and you said that you would never marry a wife in this life.”

“She ran into the military camp without authorization, disrupting military discipline. That I didn’t punish her was already good.”

“Then Zhao-daren will obediently observe your military discipline?” Zuo Ran teased.

Yan Mingting glanced down at her and Zuo Ran stopped teasing him. After a while, she heard him sigh deeply: “If it’s just that he won’t write back, then that’s fine.”

“Why?” Zuo Ran wondered.

“He may……have left.”

“Where did he go?”

“I have no idea.” Yan Mingting said in a heavy voice: “He should have been planning it for a long time.”

Judging from Zhao Yelan’s abnormal behavior recently, while on the surface he seemed to agree to all of his requests meticulously and thoughtfully to celebrate his birthday, when he thought about it deeply, it seemed more like he was dealing with funeral arrangements. In particular, the identities of Gu Niaoniao and Kan Chuan had been exposed to him. If it wasn’t for a sudden incident, how could Zhao Yelan have revealed this to him so easily?

So the plan on that note probably referred to a plan to leave.

It was unknown how he would go about leaving, but with Zhao Yelan’s temperament, if he truly planned to disappear, he would certainly make arrangements.

He feared that after returning to Beijing this time, Zhao Yelan would no longer be in the General’s Mansion.

Zuo Ran was very surprised, but she didn’t quite understand what took place between these two people, so she just asked: “Since you guessed that he was leaving, why didn’t you stop him?”

Yan Mingting gave a wan smile: “He was an important minister above tens of thousands of people, he has endless money, and he has cultivated many powerful forces. It would not be difficult for him to return to a prominent status. That he would rather give up this kind of life only shows how much he wants to leave……there is nothing in Beijing for him to recall fondly.”

Including Yan Mingting.

He had tried to use his family property and birthday wishes to keep him, but if the other party was still indifferent, then what was the use of forcing him to stay?

Zuo Ran frowned, and when she looked at him again, she actually saw an unprecedented desolation on his face. She didn’t know how to comfort him, so she could only stay quietly at his side.

The night in the Jiangnan canal town was very lively, but it was a bit more gentle than the capital city. There were many talents and beautiful women boating down the middle of the water pathways.

One of the most beautifully painted boats was gliding slowly over the water with several beauties standing on the bow alongside a pavilion. The girls in rouge and powder raised their heads to look at Yan Mingting with unconcealed surprise. They looked at each other a few times, then got off the boat one by one, went to the pavilion, and saluted: “This gongzi, our master has prepared tea and snacks, and would like to invite you aboard for a talk.”

Yan Mingting smelled a flowery fragrance and then saw the bouquets of flowers on the ornately decorated boat. Guessing that these were boudoir girls, he thought that the folk customs in the south of the Yangtze River were really open.

“No need.” Yan Mingting bluntly refused.

Zuo Ran stepped forward and stopped in front of him, saying to the girls: “My family’s gongzi is already married, I hope that you can respect that.”

The group of girls glanced at each other with varied expressions and returned to the boat one after another, truthfully replying: “Master, that young gongzi already has a family and refuses to board the boat.”

“Since he already has a family, let’s not bother him.”

Yan Mingting had already turned around and was about to leave, but when he heard this faint voice with a hint of a smile in it, he turned his head in surprise and jumped onto the bow in the blink of an eye. The girls exclaimed one after another.

A row of beaded curtains faintly concealed the person inside. For a moment, Yan Mingting was afraid that he had misheard and that the master only had a similar voice. He hesitated and lowered his eyes, asking: “May I know who this lord is?”

“Gongzi will know at a glance.” A girl pushed him suddenly from behind. Caught off guard, he broke through the curtains.

There were laughing voices from behind and Zuo Ran’s worried cry: “Gongzi!”

“It’s fine, you go back first,” Yan Mingting ordered.

Zuo Ran was taken aback for a moment, and then was dragged away by those girls.

There were only two people left on the boat. Yan Mingting stared dumbfounded at the person sitting at the table. Dressed in blue and purple and wearing a jade hairpin, his fair face was like the reflection of the moon on the water, so handsome that it made people feel hazy and lightheaded, unreal, as if they were unable to tell whether it was an illusion or reality.

After a long while, Yan Mingting spoke with difficulty: “Why are you here?”

“Long time, no see.” Zhao Yelan smiled slightly, put one arm on the table to rest his chin in his hand, and watched him leisurely as he said, “You’ve gotten thinner.”

Yan Mingting walked up to him in a handful of steps and suddenly grabbed his face.

“ ? ”

“Are you itching for a beating?” Zhao Yelan glared at him irritably.

This expression was Zhao Yelan’s, no doubt. He wasn’t dreaming.

“Why are you here? Didn’t you plan to leave?” Yan Mingting blurted out.

Hearing this, Zhao Yelan stood up with a scoff, slowly grabbed his collar, and raised his head slightly, saying: “Yan Mingting, do you know who I am?”

Yan Mingting lowered his eyes to meet his gaze, staring at him intently.

Zhao Yelan said word by word: “The first time you and I met, I said to you, ‘General Yan is only fighting for the common people,’ but it was just a self-preservation scheme. If Zhao Xuan couldn’t convince your father to join him, then I would ask that none of your Yan family’s forces stand with any side. The doctor sent to the frontier to treat you was just to win you over.”

“What are you doing all of a sudden……Mengting?” Yan Mingting looked at the face that was so close to him, a little dazed. “If that’s what you wanted to say, I had already guessed……”

Zhao Yelan clenched his neckline tightly. His eyes were sharp: “I am selfish, mean, and ungrateful, greedy for money and power, and full of calculations. I have punished corrupt officials, and I have also persecuted good and loyal men. I will do whatever it takes to achieve my goals. People like me go to hell when they die. But there is a person who is blind and deliberately wants to provoke me. How can I let him alone enjoy glory, wealth, honor, and groups of wives and concubines? I want him to never leave me in life or in death.”

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[1] To lure the tiger away from the mountain (调虎离山), is to lure the enemy away from one’s territory. ⮐

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Chapter Forty-Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-One

It wasn’t until the sun was high that Xia Xingchi opened his eyes in a daze.

He turned over to the side a bit, and his face was buried in soft, fragrant fur —

Oh my god, Li Chengyuan turned into a cat?!

Never mind, it was Summer who snuck in while its owner was away, having fun on his bed. Seeing that Xia Xingchi had woken up, the big white dumpling who was lying beside him with wide eyes and silently watching him immediately got up and left.

Tsundere and nonchalant, as if it wasn’t the one who had just been peeking — just like someone else.

Xia Xingchi had slept soundly. He hadn’t the slightest clue that he had burrowed into Li Chengyuan’s arms and slept like that all night.

Contemplating how he had not been picked up in the middle of the night by the vicious villain and beaten violently, he thought it must be the effect of the pillow he had hugged for that purpose. With it, he wouldn’t hug people randomly. Maybe he hadn’t disturbed Li Chengyuan’s rest?

Little did he know that the pillow that was “in the way” had been tossed aside mercilessly long ago, and when Li Chengyuan got up in the morning, it was silently returned to him.

– – –

After that, nothing happened for several days. As a laborer who had worked hard until death, it was rare for Xia Xingchi to live a leisurely salted fish life.

The only job left was to “warm the bed.” In the meantime, Li Chengyuan drank medicine to nourish his body while trembling and pressing his head.

Although Xia Xingchi wished to fill his daily itinerary and make money, the company deliberately didn’t allocate resources, and naturally, the low-tier actor could not expect anyone to come to his door.

The reason why that bastard Xia Yu allowed the original owner to enter his management company was not only to create a point of comparison, but also to deprive the original owner of various resources as the company’s celebrity and top-ranked male artist.

Xia Xingchi reclined on the sofa, carefully searching for profitable jobs that he could take the initiative to apply for. But it seemed that there was nothing reliable, only daydreams and fraud.

The screen flashed as Lin Meng called.

Ever since she saw Li Chengyuan that night, she became more and more worried about Xia Xingchi’s situation —

An expensive limited edition supercar, a young man with the astonishing appearance of an immortal, and her good brother’s unspeakable expression at that time……

According to the various plots in dog-blood dramas, Lin Meng deduced a rather credible answer: That young, handsome guy was the driver responsible for picking up Xia Xingchi!

The benefactor was someone else.

Other financial backers gave resources and connections to their young artists, but her didi was stuck at home every day and could only ask longingly: “Sister Mengmeng, don’t I have a work schedule yet?”

— That unreliable old bastard actually allowed Xia Xingchi to be half-concealed by the company and did nothing! This was simply receiving services without paying!^[1]

The sadomasochistic love triangle between the sweet, innocent boy, the wealthy old scumbag, and the handsome driver immediately played out in Lin Meng’s mind.

“Hello? Good morning, Sister Mengmeng.” While talking, Xia Xingchi lured Summer with a cat treat, trying hard to pet it.

Lin Meng often called to see if he was being bullied.

However, today she was uncharacteristically excited and said: “There’s good news, Xingchi! You’re invited to next week’s fashion soiree!”

Those who could receive invitations to the dinner party were all popular celebrities and leaders from all walks of life, along with many rich and famous people with status.

There were only three people in the entire management company who received this invitation letter. Who would have thought that Xia Xingchi would suddenly become the fourth one after the time for invitations had already passed?

“Soiree? So we have a job!” Xia Xingchi immediately pricked up his ears upon hearing that.

This was something he knew about. After all, Xia Yu had been “low-key” showing off for a long time. Yesterday he pretended to be modest and announced that he had borrowed a top luxury brand’s high-end suit, and his smug look could almost pass through the screen.

Just as he was thinking, he heard Lin Meng change the subject: “But……there is still the matter of a high-end outfit.”

After all, the most competitive aspect of the red carpet was brand name quality, and the media from all walks of life were eager to go over it with a magnifying glass, and then write lengthy and overly critical articles.

Xia Xingchi didn’t have any endorsements, and was currently not well-known, so of course no brand would provide him with a suit for free. The top luxury brand wouldn’t even let him rent one.

And even if it was a slightly inferior brand, it would cost tens of thousands for a single rental. What was more troublesome was that the company would not reimburse him, so if he wanted to rent, he would have to pay for it himself.

Xia Xingchi sucked in his breath after hearing the price —

It was so expensive that it would be better for him to take off his clothes altogether and run around naked.

– – –

Thus, for the rest of the morning, he sat in the cloakroom, thinking hard about the cabinet full of everyday clothes that Li Chengyuan had bought for him.

After much deliberation and no ideas, Xia Xingchi sighed and asked Lin Meng like a sad frog: “Sister Mengmeng, how about we buy a suit online? I checked and found a set that is only 88 yuan, and it also includes postage.”

Lin Meng naturally knew that he was joking, but was also aware that he was truly helpless when it came to clothes.

She hesitated for a long time before saying: “Actually, you……can you ask your benefactor?”

After speaking, she couldn’t help but visualize that dog-blood drama again. The more she thought about it, the more depressed she became, imagining all kinds of painful “prices” that Xia XIngchi would have to pay for this.

Little did she know that Xia Xingchi was not poor now, and had an annual salary of tens of millions. The only thing holding him back was the word “stingy.”

“Those big brand names are something ordinary people like us can’t even afford, but your benefactor definitely can – he certainly won’t make you pay.”

If he could drive a luxury car worth tens of millions, he couldn’t ask his lover for tens of thousands.

Xia Xingchi blinked, thinking that this made sense. With Li Chengyuan’s status, he could easily obtain any brand, and Xia Xingchi probably wouldn’t be asked to pay.

But how could he tell him, “Although you give me a monthly salary of one million, I am reluctant to spend it, and want to continue to squeeze your wool^[2] because I’m stingy.”

Noticing Xia Xingchi’s silence, Lin Meng thought that he was really reluctant to pay that kind of “price,” so she had to persuade him with distress: “It’s okay if you don’t want to do ‘that.’ Try to coax him in another way, and as soon as he’s happy, he may rent the most expensive clothes for you.”

The two were actually not on the same channel at all, but they could communicate without barriers. Xia Xingchi only heard the second half of what she said, and his eyes lit up as if he had glimpsed a way to save money: “How do I coax him? Sister Mengmeng, please teach me!”

Lin Meng: ?

Why didn’t he fight to the death for his beloved driver? How terrible was his cruel benefactor that the child was so scared that he dared not resist?

“First of all, you have to be sweet. No one hates being praised. After you speak sweetly, you can tactfully say what you want.”

“Secondly, give him delicious food to show that you value him. Whoever eats delicious food will be in a good mood. When he is happy, he will definitely grant any request.”

“Finally, physical contact can also shorten the distance between hearts. Think about it, even between good friends, the closer they are to each other, the stronger their relationship will be.”

Although Xia Xingchi was a jack of all trades, making people happy was really difficult for him. He had no parents, and had been basically alone since he was a child. There was no one at home to coax.

When working outside, he hated using his looks for profit, and would never flatter customers – but for some reason, coaxing Li Chengyuan gave him a sense of willingness, and he didn’t feel uncomfortable.

Seeing that what Lin Meng said was sound and well-founded, Xia Xingchi immediately believed in these “cheat codes” and took them as his guiding principles.

Little did he know that Lin Meng was actually single and had never been in a romantic relationship. She had no love experience or benefactor, and only possessed the accumulation of knowledge derived from reading countless dog-blood novels.

While on the phone, she quickly picked up <<The Overbearing Tycoon’s Little Contract Wife>> and flipped through it.

She tried hard to find a “reliable” answer.

– – –

After receiving Agent Lin’s teachings, Xia Xingchi did as she said and worked hard in the kitchen for a while.

Immediately afterward, various desserts were placed on the table, reflecting the current afternoon tea time – According to Secretary Ye’s tip-off, Li Chengyuan had left work for some reason today and would be home soon.

Time was running out. Xia Xingchi ran to the garden after preparing some refreshments and quickly plucked a few of the freshest and prettiest roses, arranging them with skill.

He was trying to create an atmosphere that would make him seem sincere enough.

Just as the last flower was inserted into the vase, a car engine sounded, followed by the beep of the electronic door lock.

Li Chengyuan had come back.

Xia Xingchi took a deep breath and muttered: “Sweet talk, physical contact……”

Li Chengyuan opened the door and saw at a glance that the villa was uncharacteristically quiet, not at all like he was raising a noisy little hedgehog who was never idle.

He immediately frowned, and the sense of panic and viciousness of “Xia Xingchi disappeared again” arose at once. It seemed that if he wasn’t watched for a while, that person would vanish in place.

As soon as he took a step off the porch to go find that person, he suddenly saw a milky white figure rushing toward him with the speed of a 100-meter sprint!

Before Li Chengyuan could react, Xia Xingchi had already appeared before him in an instant, crashing into his arms like a small bowling ball.

It was so sudden. One second he was restraining the irritable mood of “that person disappeared,” and the next he was thrown into his arms. He even staggered back two steps in his defenselessness before standing still.

Xia Xingchi raised his head, trying to put his arms around Li Chengyuan’s shoulders. But he was too tall, and this posture was very awkward, so he had to put his arms around his neck instead.

Looking up at him with his eyebrows curved, he asked softly: “Chengyuan, are you tired from work today? I made you dessert, come on, open your mouth —”

Li Chengyuan: “……?”

Even though he was usually apathetic, he couldn’t help but frown, revealing a confused and baffled expression.

Xia Xingchi was holding a freshly baked cookie, firstly to make someone happy using “sweetness,” and more importantly, to take the opportunity to test whether Li Chengyuan’s “white moonlight” was the gentle type.

It was self-evident that as a stand-in, the more he behaved like the white moonlight, the more satisfied the other would be with his service – and for the little money-grubber, there would be more wool to squeeze.

But although his tone was gentle, his behavior was difficult to change. While Li Chengyuan was hesitating, he had already savagely stuffed the cookie directly into his benefactor’s mouth.

The extreme contrast was apparent as he went on to ask gently: “Chengyuan, do you like it?”

Li Chengyuan: “……..”

At this moment, Xia Xingchi’s eyes shifted slightly to the side, and he abruptly realized that there were five other people standing outside the open door behind Li Chengyuan.

These people were dressed very formally, all of them staring at the scene before them in shock and bewilderment.

They had never seen such a lovey-dovey couple, nor had they met such a “sweet and gentle” young master with such an inconsistent style.

Several pairs of eyes exchanged glances, and the scene fell into a sudden and deathly silence.

Now it was Xia Xingchi’s turn to be speechless. He deflated like a punctured balloon, his soul draining out to take off into the sky.

He had pretended to be “gentle” until he was nauseous from disgust, but unexpectedly, someone had watched the whole process?

The mental preparation he had worked so hard on and the thick skin that he had desperately built up collapsed in an instant. Xia Xingchi justed wanted to shout “Fuck my life!” and “Save me!”

So much so that the arms that were around Li Chengyuan’s neck forgot to loosen, and instead hugged it even tighter. At the same time, he ducked his head and tried his best to hide in Li Chengyuan’s arms, as if this was a hole in the ground and he could hide by drilling in hard.

Li Chengyuan was already uncomfortable because of this sudden initiative to throw himself into his arms, and this ambiguous movement made him freeze.

The tips of his ears were stained a suspicious red, spreading all the way down his neck.

After a while, Xia Xingchi finally realized that the important point wasn’t his social death in front of strangers. Rather, he had hugged the big villain so fiercely, and even tried his best to cuddle into his arms?!

How could there be such a lack of distance between them on a normal day? Except for the “after falling asleep” that Xia Xingchi didn’t know about, the closest distance he could think of was at the dinner table, and it was impossible to have physical contact with each other.

Even if Li Chengyuan hadn’t shown his crazy side in the past few days, it couldn’t be forgotten that he was still a cruel and insane boss.

Xia Xingchi suddenly had the hair-raising sensation of forcibly hugging a big white tiger. Fearing that his head would be bitten off in the next second, he quickly let go and moved away from Li Chengyuan.

When he looked up, he saw that the cruel villain still had half a cookie shaped like a cute bear’s head hanging from his mouth.

Xia Xingchi: “……”

I am dead, burn paper for me.

If there was anything that made Xia Xingchi a sad little frog, it was noticing that those strangers were carrying a very shiny and beautiful white suit.

– – –

After working half the day, Xia Xingchi didn’t expect that Li Chengyuan had gone above and beyond to have someone customize a suit for him.

Perhaps he had heard the news of the fashion soiree very quickly, or he had instructed the organizer of the event to send out an invitation.

Surrounded by everyone as he tried on clothes, Xia Xingchi felt that the logo looked vaguely familiar.

After careful consideration, he suddenly realized that this was the super luxury brand that Xia Yu had proudly flaunted!

Judging by Xia Yu’s cocky look and the praise in the comment section, this should be the out-of-reach brand that was quite difficult to obtain.

As a result, the service at this moment was very enthusiastic and well-planned, with a designer, three assistants, and a particularly sweet-talking account manager. It was said that this was special treatment for a few supreme VIPs.

The manager was indeed eloquent, and when he opened his mouth, he praised with hype:

“Young Master Xia is so good-looking, he really looks good in anything, ah!”

“Your body proportions are really great, with long legs and a thin waist. This suit is meant for you!”

“If you stand on the red carpet in this, you will definitely look the best, ah!”

These sounded like compliments to Xia Xingchi, but in fact, they were meant for Li Chengyuan, who was sitting beside him. While speaking, the man carefully watched the changes in Li Chengyuan’s expression.

Xia Xingchi shook his head, thinking, it’s useless for you to praise him.

He is so difficult to coax. Whether it is physical contact or sweet talk, I have tried so hard and made such an embarrassment of myself, but he still shows no expression.

Who knew that just as he was thinking this, a faint smile flashed across someone’s face after tasting the tea in front of him —

This so-called “difficult to coax” person, after discovering that Xia Xingchi took care to make the refreshments the salty kind he liked, was quite satisfied.

It was a pity that a few people didn’t know the truth:

The account manager thought that praising Young Master Xia really made Mr. Li happy, while Xia Xingchi thought that Lin Meng’s “secret knowledge” really worked. Or maybe his white moonlight was actually gentle and virtuous?

“Mr. Xia, come and test the size so that I can crop and modify it.” Unlike the manager’s hospitality, the designer’s attitude was neither humble nor overbearing.

Xia Xingchi knew that he had quite the status and reputation in the industry. Even if he didn’t know much about the fashion world, he had heard of him.

So how much did it cost to rent such a suit?

Xia Xingchi tilted his head, recalling the rental fee in the hundreds of thousands quoted by this big brand, but suddenly realized that the designer was talking about “cropping and modifying.”

This meant that Li Chengyuan hadn’t rented clothes for him, but bought them directly?!

Xia Xingchi was shocked for a moment, and realized that he might be wearing a suit that cost several million yuan. He dared not move, and turned his head stiffly to stare at Li Chengyuan.

Li Chengyuan remained expressionless, sitting silently as he drank tea and ate snacks.

After an afternoon of hasty preparations, it seemed that a lot of wool was easily picked up. Xia Xingchi was flattered, and even a little embarrassed.

He thought hard for a while, and finally decided to compensate Li Chengyuan with something……for example, quietly playing a more dedicated “sweet” stand-in?

– – –

The account manager had been flattering and nonchalantly chatting for two hours, and Xia Xingchi finally understood why “Supreme VIPs” received this service.

It was said that because top designers were very arrogant, it was difficult for them to please clients courteously. When meeting a bigwig like Li Chengyuan, someone had to act as support.

But in Xia Xingchi’s opinion, this person was here to promote.

After the other party talked for a long time, he finally got around to the point: “Mr. Li, this suit is not only our latest style, but also a couples style with one black and one white!”

“Will you be accompanying Mr. Xia to the fashion soiree this year?”

“Perhaps you would like to consider us for your suit? This couples style —”

Li Chengyuan’s perpetually expressionless face suddenly darkened.

The account manager was taken aback at this sight, so he shut up with haste and dared not speak again, confused as to which sentence he had said wrong.

While Xia Xingchi was considering how this suit was worth millions, he guessed the problem for him: 

Hehe, didn’t expect that the two of us actually agreed to get married without affection, right?

You said that the big boss wanted to accompany me to the soiree, are you flattering me too much or looking down on him?

Besides, he had a cold and low-key personality. How could he participate in such a thing?

The account manager dithered for a while, and finally had to attribute it to Li Chengyuan’s disdain for the quality of his brand.

This was already the most luxurious brand, and was highly respected among entertainers and the rich, but this was because what stars needed were the big names that the general public were familiar with in order to gain face.

However, with Li Chengyuan’s identity, he usually chose a legendary brand that was not market-oriented. The public had not even heard of it, and this legendary brand only created tailor-made clothes for a few top people in the world.

So if he could wear their clothes publicly once, that would not only mean millions in sales, but would also be quite an honor and an upgrade in status.

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips. Suddenly being exposed by this undiscerning person about going to the soiree, he was embarrassed and angered, but also felt a little complex.

So he calmly looked to the side, from the fitting mirror to Xia Xingchi, whose back was facing him.

In the end, Xia Xingchi acted as if he hadn’t heard it. He didn’t care about the whereabouts of his “fiance,” let alone about whether they wore couples clothes or not, and only concentrated on the button texture of the expensive suit.

Thus, embarrassment turned into displeasure and annoyance.

Li Chengyuan’s expression was gloomy, and in the end, the account manager didn’t dare to speak again.

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[1] 白嫖 (báishí) can also mean “visiting a prostitute without paying money.” ⮐

[2] To “squeeze wool” is to hunt for the best price/deals. ⮐

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Chapter Seventeen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nineteen

Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan with burning eyes.

The others also looked over one after another, wondering what gift Zhao Yelan had prepared.

Zhao Yelan pondered for a while before saying: “In the study.”

As soon as his voice fell, a collision of tables and chairs sounded in his ears. Yan Mingting hurried to the study, and He Cuizhang and Xiao Gao quickly followed. Zuo Ran looked around, then followed behind curiously.

“……”

After a moment, Zhao Yelan walked leisurely to the study and heard Yan Mingting’s joyful voice: “You see, this one looks much better than Bao Lun’s portrait!”

A ruler pressed a sheet of rice paper on the table. It was a painting, in which the person’s hair was flying as they sat on horseback while shooting wild geese.

“Yes, yes, this painting is very beautiful! So lifelike, just as if he had seen the General hunting with his own eyes!” He Cuizhang spared no effort in his praise, not knowing that Zhao Yelan had also entered the hunting grounds with Yan Mingting.

It suddenly seemed like a secret between the two of them. Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan with a smile as he came in. Their eyes met, and Zhao Yelan lowered his head and hurriedly looked away.

“My lord, I want a portrait too,” Xiao Gao said expectantly, and made a gesture of drawing a bow. “Do you think my posture is okay?’

Before Zhao Yelan could reply to him, Yan Mingting patted his head: “What do you want, go feed Hongshao.”

Xiao Gao went to feed the rabbit with grievances. Yan Mingting rolled up the painting happily, and then prepared to go out with great enthusiasm.

“General, where are you going?” He Cuizhang called.

“To find someone to frame it,” Yan Mingting said without looking back.

“Wait for me, I’ll go too!” He Cuizhang chased after him.

Only Zuo Ran and Zhao Yelan were left looking at each other. She smiled shyly and turned to go after them as well. After all, she didn’t know Zao Yelan very well.

Hearing the sound of their footsteps gradually fading away, Zhao Yelan walked to the desk and opened the lower drawer. There was actually another painting inside.

He unfolded it and took a look. The person in the painting was turning around to wave his hand with a smile on his face. It was the scene of when he had watched Yan Mingting go to court today, when the other party turned around to wave goodbye to him.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly in a fleeting smile, and he put the painting in the cabinet, storing it together with the luggage that needed to be taken away with him.

In the afternoon, even though Yan Mingting said that he would not accept guests, many officials still came to visit. However, Yan Mingting was not in the mansion at this time, so only Zhao Yelan could receive them.

He was just about to take a nap when he heard a servant come to report the matter, and he really didn’t have the patience to deal with it. He walked to the front hall and gave the officials ugly expressions, and those people found reasons to leave with embarrassment.

“Wait, take everything back,” Zhao Yelan said coldly.

The group of people took their congratulatory gifts and left in a desperate manner.

He turned around and was about to go back to the room when he heard another guest coming, and waved his hand: “Tell them to go back instead of bringing them in.”

“It seems that I have come at an inauspicious time?”

Zhao Yelan paused and turned his head to look at Eunuch Gao, who walked in with a smile on his face, and his expression softened slightly. “Eunuch Gao, what is your purpose in coming here?”

“Isn’t today General Yan’s birthday? His Majesty specially sent me to give something.” After Eunuch Gao spoke, the young eunuchs following behind him respectfully offered congratulatory gifts.

Zhao Yelan didn’t look at what they were, ordering Xiao Gao to take it all.

Xiao Gao glanced at Eunuch Gao, then went to the storeroom with Housekeeper Qin in silence.

Eunuch Gao looked at his retreating back and smiled with gratification. He told everyone to leave, then took a box from his sleeve and said: “General Yan will go south tomorrow and will pass Zhizhou. Concubine Xian is very homesick and wants the General to bring something to her family. I hope the General can do her this favor.”

“Concubine Xian?”

“Yes, Sun Muyun, the daughter of the Magistrate of the prefecture, has been promoted to concubine Xian,” Eunuch Gao said with a smile.

It hadn’t been long since she entered the palace, and the speed of promotion couldn’t be ignored. It seemed that Sun Muyun was rather easy to like.

“Zhao-daren is not an outsider, so I’ll just tell you the truth.” Eunuch Gao whispered in his ear, “This concubine was promoted due to your blessing.”

“When did I do this?”

“When the Emperor summoned all the concubines, he happened to hear her muttering, ‘Zhao-daren really didn’t lie to me.’ The Emperor asked why, and she said that Zhao-daren once praised the Emperor for being handsome, which made him laugh.”

Zhao Yelan: “……”

As soon as Eunuch Gao left, Yan Mingting came back and said: “The painting can be picked up in three days. I won’t be here then, so you can pick it up for me.”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then nodded and told him about Eunuch Gao’s visit. Yan Mingting was not curious about what the Emperor had given him, but felt strange about Sun Muyun entrusting him with a token: “Although the distance is long, it shouldn’t be a problem for her to send a few people back to Zhizhou to bring some tokens, right? Why did she ask me to take it for her?”

“Who are you? You are the famous General Yan Mingting.” The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched. “It turns out that she also has brains. She is likely unaccompanied in the harem, and her status rose too fast, drawing the hatred of others. In addition, her father is far away in Zhizhou. A magistrate can be regarded as a family of status in a local area, but in this harem, she is really not a person with powerful connections. Because of this, she considered the prestige of the General’s Mansion and wants you to be her backer.”

Yan Mingting understood: “So I just need to help her deliver this token, and outsiders will know that I have a good relationship with her. If it is for my sake, they will go easy on her?”

Zhao Yelan nodded.

“Why is this so troublesome? In your opinion, should I help her deliver it?”

Zhao Yelan considered for a moment, then said: “Deliver it. She has a lively temperament and is not too stupid. If she really continues to be favored in the future, it will do no harm. If she loses power, it has nothing to do with you. Anyway, you were just being kind, not meddling in the affairs of the harem.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Yan Mingting put the token away.

After dinner in the evening, Yan Mingting proposed to go out for a walk, and took Zhao Yelan out with him together.

There were many more small merchants and hawkers who came out to set up stalls in the night market than in the daytime, and their hawking was constant. The lanterns on both sides of the street were hung high, not only for lighting, but also for the unique scenery of this night.

Zhao Yelan walked for a while before unknowingly coming to the tailor shop and walking in.

Yan Mingting quickly followed, and subconsciously went to look at those colorful clothes. He wondered which ones would be taken away by Zhao Yelan, but he didn’t expect the other party to pick up the black silk on the other side and give the shopkeeper a meaningful look.

The shopkeeper followed his gaze, understood immediately, and went up to measure Yan Mingting with a smile.

“The General is so lucky, Zhao-daren personally chooses clothes for you. Don’t worry, I will sew it up as soon as possible and send it to the house.”

Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan, flattered, but seeing that his expression was normal, he could only laugh inwardly and ask: “Can it be made tonight?”

The shopkeeper’s smile froze: “Of course not.”

“Oh……” Yan Mingting was a little frustrated. It seemed that he couldn’t go out in new clothes.

Hearing this request, Zhao Yelan raised his head and looked around. He also chose a ready-made garment, paid for it, and handed it over to him.

Yan Mingting held the new clothes and walked happily beside him with light steps: “So this is the joy of wearing new clothes on your birthday?”

“Have you never worn new clothes on your birthday?”

Yan Mingting shook his head. In his memory, his birthdays were almost always spent in the military camp, so there was no room to think of such trivial things.

“What about you?” He asked back.

Zhao Yelan seemed to be in a good mood, and actually answered this question: “En, my mother……would give me a new outfit every year.”

The family was poor, and there were only these things that could be gifted, such as his father’s calligraphy paintings, new clothes, and snacks that could not usually be eaten……these gifts couldn’t compare to those of the children of rich and noble families, but they were also things that were normally difficult to obtain.

He looked around and walked swiftly over to an old man, looked at the bunch of tanghulu, and asked, “How many skewers do you want?”

Yan Mingting: “One skewer is enough.” There were still ten skewers given by Xiao Gao back at home.

Zhao Yelan bought one and then asked him what else he wanted to eat. Walking a few steps, he looked back and found that the other person was stunned: “Why aren’t you moving?”

“I’m not used to you……being like this,” Yan Mingting said. “You didn’t do something to offend me, did you?”

“……”

“Just say it straight. I’m in a good mood today and won’t fight with you,” Yan Mingting said generously.

Zhao Yelan’s expression changed several times, and he finally gave him a cold look: “It’s just because it’s your birthday. The sky and the earth are big, but the birthday star is the biggest.”

Yan Mingting looked into those familiar eyes and relaxed again at once. Walking to his side with a smile, he said: “Then whatever request I make today, will you satisfy me?”

“What else do you want?”

“Let me think about it, ah……” Originally, Yan Mingting was really serious about taking the opportunity to make some requests, but while he was thinking it over, he became absent-minded and stared at the person in front of him intently.

The two stood under the eaves as the red and yellow lanterns above their heads shone down on their faces. Zhao Yelan’s fair face reflected a bit of warmth, and in today’s clothes, he really couldn’t take his eyes off him.

Not only him, but everyone around subconsciously paid more attention to him, although they didn’t dare approach.

“Can you promise me one thing……” Yan Mingting looked at him hesitantly, his eyes sincere.

Zhao Yelan looked at the other for a moment, almost burned by his fiery eyes, and seemed to guess what he was going to say. He immediately covered his mouth: “Can’t’.”

“I haven’t said it yet.” Yan Mingting took his hand away. “I want you……”

“No, you don’t.” Zhao Yelan covered his mouth again.

“Wu……I want to say it!” Yan Mingting pushed his hand away again, and held it down to prevent him from moving.

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes tightly, but heard him say: “I want you to move your foot away, you are stepping on me.”

“……?”

Zhao Yelan opened his eyes blankly and looked down. He had indeed stepped on his foot by accident. Moving his foot away in embarrassment, he walked away without a backward glance.

Yan Mingting laughed on the spot. In fact, he was almost about to speak his mind just now.

But he was going to head south soon, and the round-trip journey alone would take at least ten days, not to mention the delay in suppressing the bandits and other things, and it should take at least a month to come back.

Now was not a good time. To say those words right before leaving, like a romantic man who could only talk sweetly, he worried that the other party would blame him for having no sense of propriety and be anxious during the days he was gone. Anyway, the future was long, so there was no rush.

However, when he looked over again, Zhao Yelan was nowhere to be found.

He quickened his pace and searched around, but he didn’t see that figure’s back. His expression tightened and he expanded his search area.

No matter how fast Zhao Yelan’s steps were, it was impossible to be as fast as him. Either he had reached some hidden corner, or……he was taken away.

Thinking that it might be the latter, he frowned and showed a rare bit of hostility, even exerting strength when pushing a passerby aside.

“Have you decided on a date?”

At this time, on the second floor of a pawn shop, a woman in casual clothes held the deed to Zhao Yelan’s house and hesitantly asked this of the man opposite her.

Just now, Zhao Yelan had walked a few steps when he bumped into Gu Niaoniao, who had come out to do errands. He gave her a meaningful look, then they walked into the nearby pawn shop one after the other and went to the second floor to find an empty room, closed the door, and began to talk in low voices.

“Three days from now,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Okay, I’ll get ready.”

“See if you can secretly bring Gao Tan out at that time. If it will easily arouse suspicion, just leave him alone and let him find another way to make a living with Eunuch Gao,” Zhao Yelan said.

“En, I’ll try.”

Zhao Yelan once again thought about what he had left behind for Yan Mingting. His two most powerful informants had been exposed to him, and if anything needed to be done, they would help him. A birthday gift was also given, and a ten thousand-tael banknote was left in the bedroom. He did everything that should be done, which was already benevolent and dutiful.

“Hey, your jade hairpin has a pretty color,” Gu Niaoniao suddenly said. “Is this the hard-to-find accessory you spoke of?”

Zhao Yelan subconsciously touched the jade hairpin on his head.

“Where did you get it, will you ‘bury’ it with you?” Gu Niaoniao eagerly said, “If you find it cumbersome, why not leave it to me? Or do you want to set a price?”

“You’re dreaming,” Zhao Yelan scoffed at her.

Gu Niaoniao shrugged resentfully, took an inadvertent glance out the window, and said: “Is that Yan Mingting? It seems that he is in a hurry to find someone, could he be looking for you?”

Zhao Yelan turned his head and looked out the window, and saw Yan Mingting’s anxious figure looking around.

“Go back quickly, lest he find you here,” Gu Niaoniao said.

Zhao Yelan went downstairs first and lowered his head to quickly walk somewhere else. After finding a secluded place, he stood there silently and waited for the other party to come over.

Unexpectedly, a bright light flashed across the sky at this time, followed by a bang as if the sky had split in two. The crowd suddenly startled, looking up at the sky until big raindrops hit their faces, and then quickened their pace and fled in all directions.

There was no defense against the torrential summer rain. As soon as it came, it would rain heavily for a short while.

Yan Mingting was even more anxious, calling Zhao Yelan’s name everywhere. When he was just about to find some nearby officers and soldiers to search for him, he heard a faint voice: “I’m here.”

He paused and immediately turned around, running toward the source of the sound. The voice became clearer and clearer, until he saw the person sheltering from the rain under the eaves. When he was about to step forward, he turned around and borrowed an umbrella before returning.

Zhao Yelan had originally thought he would ask him where he had been, and had even thought of what to say, but the other put the umbrella over his head and the first thing he said was: “Let’s go home.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him in astonishment.

“You are all wet.” Yan Mingting touched his clothes. “I don’t know when the rain will stop, and it’s no good to wait here and let the cold enter the body. It’s better to go back and soak in hot water now.”

Zhao Yelan nodded.

There were no sedan chairs or carriages to hire at this time, so they had to return in the rain. The umbrella was fluttering in the storm, and Yan Mingting firmly held it in one hand over Zhao Yelan’s head, with the other arm around his shoulders.

“You’re soaking wet.” Zhao Yelan frowned.

“I’m used to it, I won’t get sick easily like you,” Yan Mingting said.

As the icy rain poured down on his body, Zhao Yelan seemed to have forgotten how much he hated rainy days. He just lowered his head silently, looking at his feet as he walked, as if an invisible force had dispelled the cold.

As soon as the two returned to the mansion, Yan Mingting urged people to find Yao Muze, who was the closest doctor to the General’s Mansion.

The servants rushed to boil hot water, and they went back to their room to change into dry clothes.

When the hot water was ready, Yan Mingting asked Zhao Yelan to take a bath first, and then went out with their wet clothes. It happened that Yao Muze had arrived, so he stopped him and took him to the foyer to wait. While talking and holding the clothes, he accidentally touched Zhao Yelan’s sachet hanging on his clothes. With a sudden frown, he took off the sachet, opened the inside, and took out a small note.

He calmly asked his servants to entertain the guests, then handed the clothes over to the maids and went to the study to unfold the note. Upon it were two lines of fine characters.

 – The cell boss has been found and escorted back to the capital today. What do you want to do with him? In addition, the medicine has been prepared. When are you going to act?

Cell boss? Medicine? What action?

After a while, he put the note into the sachet. Once Zhao Yelan finished bathing, he quietly put it back in its original place, secretly took another sachet, and then called Yao Muze in to feel his pulse.

Zhao Yelan had already started coughing, but it wasn’t too severe. Yao Muze brought medicine and asked his servants to brew it.

When Yan Mingting sent Yao Muze away, he pulled him into a corner, took out the sachet, and handed it to him while saying in a low voice: “I’ve always been very sensitive to this stuff and have to sneeze when I smell it. Is there anything wrong with my nose?”

“Is this sweetgrass?” Yao Muze sniffed it, then opened it to sniff it more carefully, and gradually frowned. “Sweetgrass’s smell is already particular, but the contents are generally heavy and it doesn’t have such a strong scent. I used to go to gather herbs, and it took about eight taels of sweetgrass to achieve this level of smell. There may be other things in this sachet. Can you let me take it back and examine it thoroughly?”

He definitely couldn’t directly take it away. Zhao Yelan often wore it, so it was easy for him to find out and become suspicious. Yan Mingting poured some out for him: “Is this enough?”

“It’s enough.”

Yan Mingting didn’t go to take a bath until he sent this person away, and when the two of them lay down, it was almost midnight.

“There is nothing wrong with your body?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“En.” In the darkness, Yan Mingting kept his eyes open, deep in thought.

Zhao Yelan became quiet, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he heard a rustling sound. He opened his eyes and found that the room was lit up again.

Yan Mingting went out holding a candle, and when he returned, he moved the blanket on the ground to the bottom of the bed. He sat cross-legged on it to block him in, clinging to the bed, and said: “There is still a quarter of an hour before my birthday will pass. Can I still make a request?”

Seeing his serious expression, Zhao Yelan also sat up and asked: “What request?”

Yan Mingting handed a stack of booklets to him: “This is the account book of the General’s Mansion and all my salary, as well as the property left to me by my parents. I will give it all to you. Can you keep it for me?”

Zhao Yelan froze: “Why do you want me to keep it? Isn’t there an accountant?”

“In the end, an accountant is an outsider, so I’m worried,” Yan Mingting said. “It’s okay if you don’t want to take care of it. In any case, I don’t know how to check the accounts, so you can use it however you want, whether it is to buy nice clothes or expensive meals.”

Wasn’t this just giving him family wealth for nothing? Zhao Yelan said in disbelief: “Why are you leaving this to me?”

“I specifically asked Kan Chuan this morning why his wife is so considerate. He said that because he handed in all his salary, his wife trusted him very much.” Yan Mingting paused for a moment, showing a smile. “It turns out that husbands should also be considerate to each other. Don’t you like shopping? You can take all of this. Although I don’t have as much wealth as you, I won’t starve you.”

Zhao Yelan looked slightly mournful, not sure how he felt, and gave back all of these things: “It isn’t necessary, I can’t even spend all of my own.”

“If you don’t promise me, I won’t leave,” Yan Mingting said resolutely.

The two confronted each other for a long time before Zhao Yelan was defeated: “All right, first release me.”

“Okay.” Yan Mingting laughed, and his tense back finally relaxed a little. Urging him to fall asleep early, he tucked him in the blanket and said again, “Actually I still have some wishes.”

“Don’t be too greedy!”

Yan Mingting smiled: “The first wish is for Zhao Mengting’s wishes to come true, the second wish is for Zhao Mengting to always smile and be in good health, the third wish……”

Zhao Yelan: “Whose birthday is it? How can you speak about my wishes?”

“But this is indeed what I hope most for, ah.” Yan Mingting smiled softly, leaning over to touch his forehead. “The third wish is as the years pass by, you will always have today’s glory. Let’s spend the next birthday together, okay?”

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Chapter Forty-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty

Xia Xingchi took a deep breath and finally made up his mind to ring the bell and let the waiter in.

“This porridge, and this, and this……”

He jabbed on the menu with his finger. In addition to the seafood porridge, there were also dishes with a light taste, with less oil and salt, and an order of beautiful crystal shrimp dumplings.

The more “ordinary dishes” one ate here, the more expensive it was. While ordering, he felt as if someone had chopped off a piece of meat from his small wallet.

But he couldn’t let his family’s big golden cat only eat porridge. A certain person was so sick in the morning that he barely ate, and now he would feed him a bit more to avoid sudden hypoglycemia.

The waiter reminded in a low voice: “Sir, our portions are relatively small and may not be enough for the two of you.”

Xia Xingchi blinked, and then subconsciously glanced at the veal steak and milk cake that he had been thinking about.

He swallowed, but in the end he just waved his hand and said: “I won’t eat, just order these.”

Li Chengyuan, who was sitting on the sidelines, frowned slightly when he heard these words.

At first he was prepared to eat vegetable salad, or at most greasy sausage fried rice. 

He never thought that this stingy little money-grubber would only be willing to buy things for him, and wouldn’t be stingy about spending money on him……even though his original intention was to make Xia Xingchi feel bad.

Seeing the seafood porridge being served on the table, the warm heat seemed to penetrate Li Chengyuan’s heart instantly.

His fingers curled up slightly. It turned out that this was the surprising feeling of being cared for.

“Wow, it smells so nice!” Xia Xingchi admired it, leaning over to study the reason it was so expensive and the difference between seafood that was shipped by air and seafood that was bought casually at a street stall.

Being drawn in by the scent made him even more greedy, and his stomach let out a gurgle that was very clear in the quiet booth.

“Haha……” Xia Xingchi smiled awkwardly.

Li Chengyuan lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Over the years, he had often been filled with resentment for this little liar, and had thought of many ways to make him pay a terrible price.

Unexpectedly, Xia Xingchi had not been allowed to eat for a while now, and his heart had already softened so much that he couldn’t do anything more.

“Try it quickly, what are you thinking about?” Xia Xingchi reached out and poked him.

Li Chengyuan stood abruptly, said with a sullen face, “I’m going to the bathroom,” then opened the door and left.

So Xia Xingchi was left alone in the room with the fragrant smells and a hungry stomach.

He had no choice but to divert his attention by going on Weibo and aimlessly typing the words, “Li Chengyuan.”

It was just for fun at first, but he was shocked when he saw the search results — he actually had so many fans?!

Although Li Chengyuan was very low-key, he couldn’t hide his high-profile face. The industry of Li Group involved all walks of life. Its branches were astonishingly huge, and its strong capital was obvious to all.

Therefore, several groups of keywords were put together: “Young and handsome, mysterious big tycoon.” It was full of impact, the perfect match for a male god.

As for those rumored shortcomings such as “ruthless means,” “cruel personality,” and “bad health,” fans obsessively called him the perfect male protagonist.

— But wasn’t this obviously the character design of the crazy villain?!

Xia Xingchi continued to scroll down, but suddenly found that not everyone was sure about Li Chengyuan’s appearance. 

Even though his blurry photos and back view were on the trending searches not long ago, it was the same every time. The hot search terms and pictures could only persist for a few minutes before disappearing completely due to his money-making ability.

In fact, there were pictures of Li Chengyuan on the internet, but there were dozens of versions of Li Chengyuan who were “suspected” to be the rightful owner.

It was rare for someone to take a clear picture of his face, and he was the first to be excluded by everyone. He saw the following piece in the comment area:

[Ah, this……Although Mr. Li is said to be handsome, there’s no need to exaggerate it so much, right? Is it possible for him to be more handsome than a celebrity who relies on their face to make a living?]

[Let it go, it’s easy to see which internet celebrity is hot (rolls eyes.jpg)]

[This picture is so handsome (drooling.jpg). I’ll take it first, asking for the Weibo of his internet celebrity brother]

[Who will delete it? Don’t confuse this fake picture with Mr. Li’s super topics.]

Fans were curious and eager to see the real face of the male god, so they sorted out the nine versions that were most likely to be correct, and then tagged the Li Group and asked them to claim their own boss.

But of course no one dared to speak up and reveal the truth.

Xia Xingchi couldn’t help laughing wildly at the thought that the correct answer had been kicked out long ago and all nine of them were wrong. Everyone was still seriously voting. Which choice was the right one?

He laughed and laughed, but was unavoidably a little sad —

It occurred to him that fans would suddenly learn of the male god’s death in the near future. They would definitely be heartbroken and in disbelief.

It would be great if Li Chengyuan didn’t die. Maybe everyone would have a chance to see him later, take a look at the book’s pinnacle of handsomeness and not have to guess if he was good-looking or not.

Li Chengyuan had just pushed the door open and come in when he saw Xia Xingchi’s sad expression and drooping eyebrows.

He was stunned for a moment, thinking that he was aggrieved because he couldn’t eat.

Subtle distress and self-blame spread through the bottom of his heart, accompanied by sourness.

But even so, he didn’t say anything. He just sat down and drank the porridge without speaking, pretending like he hadn’t seen anything.

His aching stomach was gradually comforted by the warm sensation, and a bowl of seafood porridge, which had always been commonplace in his eyes, was more cherished than ever because of its extraordinarily different meaning.

“Is it delicious?!” Xia Xingchi was always optimistic, and his sadness was fleeting as he became cheerful again.

As soon as he spoke, there was a knock on the door and a waiter entered with a tray.

On it were a variety of delicacies, including of course Xia Xinchi’s long-coveted veal steak and many dessert milk cakes.

The other party quickly showed a standard service smile: “Hello, Sir, congratulations on becoming our store’s 99th customer! This is a gift for you —”

“Wait a minute, what event?” 

Xia Xingchi was taken aback upon hearing this, then went to look at those things again and finally asked: “You mean……all of this was given to me?”

— Such a high-end restaurant actually had such a strange down-to-earth activity?

— More importantly, why were these “gifts” more expensive than the meal he ordered?

— Could it be a lie? Didn’t everyone know about anti-fraud precautions?

Countless question marks circled in Xia Xingchi’s mind, but at this moment, he smelled the aroma of the veal steak.

It was more fragrant than he had imagined…..after greed consumed half his soul, he suddenly felt that there was nothing to doubt.

“This event is our tradition! Our boss is commemorating his and his wife’s wedding anniversary, and it signifies long-lasting love.” The waiter smiled with enthusiasm. “You really are super lucky!”

His rhetoric was very authentic, and his smile was contagious. Xia Xingchi finally believed it and became excited: “Wow! Even I can be a lucky koi for a moment!”

Li Chengyuan looked at his smiling appearance and curved eyes, and smiled slightly. He nodded faintly when looking up at the waiter, implying his affirmation of the other party’s acting skills.

A large pie from the sky was obviously the happiest thing for a little money-grubber. The joy that came from a sense of luck could not be exchanged for money.

So until the waiter left, Xia Xingchi was still giggling foolishly, and it took him a long while to remember to eat.

It was indeed the delicacy he coveted, and it was expensive for a reason: The milk cake was very tender, sweet but not greasy, and had a rich milk flavor. The veal steak was also cooked well, tender and juicy.

Every dish was very tasty. Xia Xingchi narrowed his eyes contentedly, and Li Chengyuan couldn’t help but want to poke his puffy cheeks.

– – –

It was only that when the little money-grubber was about to pay the bill with the heartache of cutting off his own flesh, he saw that the waiter in charge of the checkout didn’t perform so well: “Sir, because Mr. Li……is our senior VIP, the dishes today are, are…..”

 Xia Xingchi looked at him doubtfully, wondering if this waiter had a stammer or just wasn’t too smart. 

Seeing this, Li Chengyuan gradually frowned, and had no choice but to make a silent “five”  gesture.

“Right! Today’s dishes are 50 percent off!” The waiter who was nervous to the point of freezing up finally finished his task with difficulty.

When it came to money, a little money-grubber was very shrewd and sharp, especially when facing one of his waiter “peers.”

Realizing that something was off, he astutely asked the other party: “Are you reciting a manuscript? Who told you to say that?”

While speaking, he quickly turned his head to stare at a certain suspect, and realized that the “99” event just now was also very deliberate.

However, Li Chengyuan still wore his usual cold expression and calmly took a sip of warm water. It seemed that he didn’t care about such “trivial things,” and looked even more indifferent.

“Li Chengyuan, did you……” Before Xia Xingchi finished speaking, he noticed that the waiter was about to cry from stress.

In order not to embarrass the hard-working waiter, he had to swipe his card to pay first – he used the salary he earned from making the advertisement, which was regretful but also filled him with a sense of accomplishment.

After the waiter left and the room became quiet again, Xia Xingchi turned his head again, trying to find some clues from a certain person’s expression.

But Li Chengyuan lowered his face first and changed the subject, asking: “Why aren’t you wearing your ring?”

When Xia Xingchi swiped his card, he noticed that there was nothing on his right middle finger.

“I’m afraid of it being seen by others.” Xia Xingchi pulled out the ring on a string from his collar. “In the end, I’m also a small artist.”

After some thought, he felt that he was in the wrong, so he hastily imitated Li Chengyuan and passed the blame: “It’s all your fault for being so popular. If your fans know that you married young, they’ll kill me!”

In an instant, he changed his identity from “The little scumbag who wants to hide his marriage in order to make money” to “The poor little guy who had to marry secretly because his other half was too popular.”

Li Chengyuan: “……”

After saying so, Xia Xingchi felt ashamed of his wages. If his status as an artist made this relationship invisible, what would happen if his salary was deducted by his sponsor?

So he had no choice but to come up with a plan to delay the attack: “It’s okay to make it public, but you have to give your fans a period of preparation and buffering. Let them accept it gradually, all right?”

This was the honest truth. If it was suddenly made public, Xia Xingchi suspected that he would be directly slaughtered. Not to mention stardom and making money in the entertainment industry.

Anyway, Li Chengyuan always kept a low profile and didn’t care about such things. Coupled with the fact that he had to deal with all sorts of affairs all day long, even if he had the leisure to manage and pave the way in front of everyone, he would definitely set it aside.

But what Xia Xingchi didn’t know was that these words made a certain villain ponder quietly for a while.

Finally, after the two left the restaurant and boarded the car, Li Chengyuan lowered his eyes silently and sent a few messages.

– – – 

The autumn night was clear, and twinkling stars could be seen in the sky above the villa.

As a worker who kept his promises, although the boss went to the company in the evening and hadn’t come back yet, Xia Xingchi obediently brought over his pillow and blanket.

He really didn’t know what kind of madness was plaguing Li Chengyuan, but after thinking of it for a long time, he finally found an explanation — Li Chengyuan wanted someone to warm him up.

After all, this person had poor health and was always afraid of the cold. If he wanted to sleep comfortably, hot water bottles and electric blankets were certainly not as comfortable as a large human-shaped heater that maintained a constant temperature.

When this thought occurred to him, Xia Xingchi hesitated for a moment, and in the end took back the blanket he had brought, leaving only Li Chengyuan’s blanket on the bed.

He waited until ten o’clock in the evening, but never saw Li Chengyuan’s silhouette.

“Aunt Li, why hasn’t he come back? It’s so late.” Xia Xingchi eventually became worried. “Is there a party tonight? Then he can’t drink, his delicate stomach can’t handle it.”

Aunty Li saw that the couple was so “loving,” so she smiled and replied: “Don’t worry, Sir is well aware. Besides, no one would dare to make him drink — it’s likely that too much work has accumulated these past few days and he hasn’t finished it yet.”

Since Xia Xingchi suddenly appeared in Li Chengyuan’s bathtub a few days ago and fled in a hurry, he first cast a wide net to find someone and then immediately afterwards proceeded to get engaged as if on a whim. He had indeed accumulated a lot of work.

Xia Xingchi could only nod.

On one hand, he was worried that he hadn’t eaten dinner, and on the other hand, he thought that this was a good thing, lest he be so frightened that he couldn’t sleep while there was a crazy villain lying next to him.

Taking advantage of Li Chengyuan’s absence, he quickly soaked in the bathtub to wash himself clean, then went ahead and dried his hair with a hair dryer. 

He even took out a new pair of pajamas and put them on.

After taking a bath and changing clothes to make sure that he was clean enough to climb onto the dragon bed of His Irascible Majesty without being violently beaten, only then did he turn off the lights and burrow into the bed to lie down.

The blanket smelled a little like Li Chengyuan’s shampoo and aftershave. He was ensconced in the very nice, cool scent.

Xia Xingchi buried his head in it to sniff, and in the end, he was easy to please and didn’t mind sleeping in a different bed. He wrapped himself up completely, falling asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow.

– – –

When Li Chengyuan returned in the early hours of the morning, as soon as he entered the room, he saw a round, bulging silhouette on the bed, which seemed to move a little bit.

He was stunned for a moment, not realizing what it was.

Perhaps the “joy” came on too suddenly, and it took him a while to realize that he had already tricked a certain liar.

His heart like a pool of stagnant water came alive in an instant, and Li Chengyuan’s eyes showed some warmth as he gently lifted the blanket like opening a gift —

Xia Xingchi was sleeping with a pillow in his arms. His white and slender legs were exposed below his loose pajama pants, draped over the pillow like a little koala hugging a tree.

The corners of his pajamas were also lifted crookedly, revealing a slim and youthful waist.

He had clearly used the same shower gel, but on him, it smelled even more pleasant.

Li Chengyuan pursed his lips. A trace of passion and forbearance flashed in his eyes, and after a long while, he leaned over and gently touched Xia Xingchi’s hand.

---

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Chapter Sixteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighteen

In Yan Mingting’s memory, birthdays were rarely celebrated and he was at the border all year round, so he didn’t have the heart to hold a birthday party. What’s more, since his loved ones all passed away one after another, he never looked forward to his so-called birthday. Without relatives, the meaning of the day was gone. On the contrary, it reminded him that he was the “evil star” among the world’s population, and he was left to live alone.

But this year was different.

There was one more person beside him, a person bound to him in marriage. They were one in name, and he was the closest person he had now.

He also couldn’t tell when his thoughts toward Zhao Yelan had shifted.

At first, he just noticed that Zhao Yelan was different from the rumors in the market, but he didn’t let down his guard easily. While observing him and getting along with him, he gradually became aware of his interest.

The person kept emphasizing how cold-blooded and ruthless he was on the surface, but in fact, when he got angry, he would just use the chickens in the back courtyard to vent. There was also the rabbit that he didn’t seem to pay much attention to, but immediately went to check on when he saw the braised rabbit head.

He may be kind, but when he really got serious, he was like the king of Hell. It had to be said that Yan Mingting was still deeply impressed by the scene where he personally killed that strange man in the brothel.

Simple good and evil did not seem to easily define Zhao Yelan.

It was likely that Yan Mingting also had rebellious bones in his body. Once he discovered that Zhao Yelan had an evil side, he would not believe what the world said about him having a cruel nature. On the contrary, he felt that someone else was at fault for torturing a good person until he became like this, and he felt sorry for the other even more.

No matter how miserable Yan Mingting was, at least his father guided him for more than ten years before passing away. But Zhao Yelan had grown up alone in the capital city, surrounded by wolves.

The world was vicious, and no one treated Zhao Yelan well, so why should he cling to the true, the good, and the beautiful?

In the early morning, Yan Mingting was still going to court as usual. To his surprise, Zhao Yelan also woke up, and when he was about to go out, he personally escorted him to the gate.

Yan Mingting suspected that he was still dreaming.

Otherwise, how could Zhao Yelan be so thoughtful!

He had hinted and outright said to Zhao Yelan more than once that he hoped he could follow the example of Kan Chuan’s wife and send him off when he went to court.

But he also knew that according to Zhao Yelan’s temperament, it was absolutely impossible for him to agree to this request.

Now that he did it obediently, Yan Mingting was not accustomed to it and felt flustered for some reason.

In the past two days, Zhao Yelan’s kindness toward him seemed a little too much, but he thought – maybe it was because of his birthday?

He turned his head. It was truly darkest before dawn, and only a waning moon hung in the sky. Faint moonlight fell on the man as Zhao Yelan stood upright at the gate and saw him off. His heart warmed and he waved his hand, urging: “Go back, ba, go back to sleep! I’ll be back soon!”

Zhao Yelan nodded slightly, not knowing if he could see it or not, and then turned and went back. He went to the study with a candle in his hand, and quietly studied the ink and paper laid out.

Yan Mingting had said he would be back soon, but he was still caught up in the affairs of the court. First he discussed with everyone the suppression of the bandits, then after a prolonged time in court, many people held him back to congratulate him on his birthday. They all said that they had prepared congratulatory gifts and were waiting to visit him for a drink.

How could this work!

Were they very close?

Yan Mingting didn’t want to trade sham gestures of politeness with them on a good day, so he rejected all entertainments, let it be known that he would not attend banquets, and did not accept gifts, let alone guests.

Everyone was resentful, but Kan Chuan followed in his footsteps discreetly and handed over a land deed to him.

“How can this be done!” Yan Mingting repeatedly refused. Although he knew that Kan Chuan belonged to Zhao Yelan, he could not accept such an expensive gift. “Take it back quickly, or I will beat you.”

“The General misunderstands, this is not for you.” Kan Chuan glanced around and saw that no one was nearby, so he whispered, “It is for ‘him.’ He accidentally dropped it in my child’s gift, please return it to him.”

How could Zhao Yelan be so obsessed with money, yet leave such an important thing behind? It must have been given to Kan Chuan on purpose, but Kan Cuan wouldn’t keep it, ah.

“I understand.” Yan Mingting frowned, and the suspicions in his heart became even deeper. After a moment, he patted Kan Chuan’s shoulder with a smile and raised his voice, “All right, since what you gave is a calligraphy painting, I’ll make an exception and accept it. No more spending money in the future, ah!”

Although no one was around, Kan Chuan was amused by his cautiousness and agreed: “Okay, it will be the General’s turn to give my child a one-month celebration gift another day.”

“Not a problem, not a problem. But there is one thing that I would like to ask you……”

Breakfast in the General’s Mansion was almost getting cold, and Yan Mingting came in late.

When Xiao Gao saw that he had returned, he immediately called out loudly: “My lord, the General is back! Come and eat!”

Yan Mingting smiled and sat down first, looking at the dishes on the table. There was a bowl of longevity noodles with two eggs in it, along with other side dishes.

“General, eat this bowl of longevity noodles quickly,” Housekeeper Qin said with a smile.

“Where is Zhao Yelan……” Yan Mingting paused as he saw Zhao Yelan coming out of the gatehouse. He wore clothes the color of amber, the shade deep and gorgeous, with flowing clouds embroidered on the sleeves and the hem. The patterns on his body were stitched with intersecting gold and silver threads, so complicated that the pattern wasn’t discernable, but he found it so pleasing to the eye that he couldn’t take his eyes off it.

Yan Mingting suddenly understood why Zhao Yelan enjoyed buying clothing so much.

Clothes made the man look good, and the man also made the clothes look good.

Only by complementing each other could this effect be achieved.

Buy! No matter how expensive, you must buy! Buy them all! Only good-looking clothes were worthy of his person!

Not to mention Yan Mingting, the servants had also been staring blankly for a long time. They had not recovered from the shock all morning, and just thought it was an immortal that had come down to earth, arriving here to open their eyes.

Zhao Yelan was accustomed to these kinds of gazes, and could tell whether they were good or not. It was only that when dressing today, he couldn’t find anything he liked after picking and choosing. After all, he seldom wore the same clothes twice, but today might be the only time he wore it – he was celebrating Yan Mingting’s birthday with him, and the color matched the occasion quite well.

“My lord is so beautiful today!” Xiao Gao was very supportive. “This outfit was bought last year and he has never worn it!”

Zhao Yelan was a little embarrassed when he heard these words just as he was about to sit down. They made it seem as if he had worn them on a specially chosen day.

Well, it was no exaggeration to say that it was special, but this was not the only reason. This set of clothes was very complicated to wear, and was too eye-catching, so he ought not to take it away with him. Since he had spent a lot of money to buy it, he must wear it once.

After convincing himself of this, he looked at Yan Mingting with feigned casualness: “I wear whatever I want.”

“En, I know,” Yan Mingting said seriously. “Even if you dress casually, it will make people feel ashamed in comparison.”

Zhao Yelan touched his nose in embarrassment: “Eat the noodles first, they’ll get lumpy.”

“All right.” Yan Mingting looked at him while eating noodles. At first he just glanced secretly, but later his gaze became more and more unrestrained. In the end, he even drained the soup from the bowl while staring at him.

“……” Zhao Yelan had a difficult time ignoring his gaze. Before finishing the noodles, he put down his chopsticks stiffly, took a deep breath, and maintained a smile: “What are you looking at?”

“I just feel that everything is fine aside from one small deficiency,” Yan Mingting commented very seriously.

Zhao Yelan’s expression changed slightly: “Where is the deficiency?”

“Come with me.” Yan Mingting put down the bowl, grabbed his sleeve, and walked toward the bedroom.

Yan Mingting’s steps were a little too big, and Zhao Yelan had to increase his speed to keep up. The sleeves of his outfit fluttered beautifully.

Yan Mingting paused for a moment, then led him from one end of the corridor to the other, and then back again.

“Yan Mingting, are you ill?!” Zhao Yelan was dreadfully tormented by him. It was rare for him to decide to spend a good birthday with him today without getting angry, but this fellow repeatedly tested the boundaries of his patience.

Yan Mingting laughed, coaxed him with a few words, and took him back to the room to search through a drawer. After a while, he finally found the flowing cloud jade hairpin, inserted it into his hair, and said with satisfaction: “Not bad, not bad, very nice.”

Zhao Yelan subconsciously glanced in the bronze mirror. He didn’t think it was very beautiful, and it was a bit cumbersome. It was not as good-looking as the gold-plated jade crown he had specially chosen today.

But Yan Mingting didn’t allow him to choose, so he gave up.

Yan Mingting began to stare at him unscrupulously again.

Zhao Yelan took a few steps in the room, was unable to divert his attention, and had begun to think about poking his eyes out to blind him when he heard footsteps.

“General, I heard that today is your birthday!”

Zuo Ran had slept from noon to midnight yesterday, got up to get something to eat from the kitchen, and fell asleep again until now. When she awoke, she heard servants happily discussing birthdays, and only then did she know what day it was. She hurriedly came to congratulate him, but found that there was another person in the room. She exclaimed and covered her eyes: “Did I come at a bad time?”

Yan Mingting: Such a bad time!

“It is fine,” Zhao Yelan said. “Come in and talk.”

Only then did Zuo Ran walk in, wondering: “Are you not going to the Imperial Academy today, my lord? At this time yesterday, you had already set off.”

Right!

Yan Mingting had only been interested in the happy proceedings and hadn’t taken this matter into consideration at all. He said: “Hurry up and change into your official uniform, I’ll send you there. There’s still time.”

“No need, I’m not on duty today.”

Nonsense. He and Ruan Xian had switched dates, but he couldn’t say this or else Yan Mingting’s tail would be up to the sky.^[1]

“Very good.” Yan Mingting chuckled, then looked at Zuo Ran. “What do you want from us?”

Zuo Ran swiftly congratulated him on his birthday and took out some coins from her purse: “I didn’t know what you would like, General, so these are my congratulatory gifts. I didn’t expect to ask you to help me on such a day. This trip to the south will take a month at least. My life is as cheap as grass, but I will never forget such kindness!”

As she said this, she knelt down with a plop and kowtowed to Yan Mingting. Her head knocked on the ground almost hard enough to break skin.

“Okay, get up quickly. If Yin Pinglu saw this, she would think I was bullying you.” Yan Mingting helped her up. “You and Pinglu are my friends, so isn’t helping a friend the correct thing to do?”

“Friends?” Zuo Ran panicked. “How can I be worthy of being friends with the General!”

She came from a low family background and didn’t know but a few characters, so how could she dare be friends with General Yan!

“What ‘worthy,’ you value love and righteousness, and you went to the battlefield with us anonymously. Your courage is enough for me to call you my friend. I just reincarnated better than you, but I still need someone to help me when I am in distress. You and Pinglu happened to help me solve a big problem. This is the fate of friends,” Yan Mingting said.

Zuo Ran’s eyes turned red and Yan Mingting teased: “Zuo Ran, why didn’t I realize you were still a crybaby? Where has all your fierceness gone?”

Wiping away her tears, Zuo Ran cheered up again: “Don’t worry, General. After I rescue Pinglu, I will go to the border and formally enlist in the army and join the Yuehong team!”

There were no female leaders in the army, but Yan Mingting favored Zhong Yuehong, and Beijing was too busy with transitioning to a new Emperor to take care of the affairs of the frontier. He set a precedent by promoting a female lieutenant general, which caused a lot of controversy at first, but fortunately Zhong Yuehong persuaded everyone with her strength.

Afterwards, one or two occasional women wanted to join and were arranged under Zhong Yuehong’s command.

“Yes, ah, your women’s army is growing stronger and stronger.” Yan Mingting was very pleased.

Zuo Ran smiled, and also had an idea in mind. She had been trying to escape before, not wanting the Magistrate to discover where she and Yin Pinglu were. But now she realized the importance of status and hated her incompetence. She also wanted to make contributions like Zhong Yuehong and let everyone know how powerful she was, so that no one would dare snatch anyone away from her!

He Cuizhang also came after a while, bringing a few jars of good wine. He said he wanted to drink until they were drunk, but Zhao Yelan gave him a glare and he changed his words: “This good wine should be stored in the cellar first, and we can drink it after the New Year!”

He Cuizhang inwardly patted himself on the back. No wonder the General was henpecked, who wouldn’t be afraid when they saw such a look?

After lunch, everyone began giving gifts. He Cuizhang gave a big sword that he and several other lieutenants had pooled their money to buy, including Zhong Yuehong.

Housekeeper Qin gave a peace talisman, and Xiao Gao also gave a gift – a bunch of tanghulu. He had originally bought twenty skewers, but couldn’t hold back last night and ate ten of them.

The Li family did not come, but their gift also arrived. Li Jinyu sent a compilation of military tactics, and Li Yucheng sent a few gold ingots.

Yan Mingting suddenly felt that perhaps this Li Yuheng and Zhao Yelan could become confidantes, look at this unbearably vulgar money grubber!

Wait……would Zhao Yelan really give him money simply and flagrantly? He couldn’t help but think of last night’s account book. All that money……in the end, should he accept it or not?

He was shamefully moved. Sorry, it turned out that he was also very vulgar, he really deserved to be a member of this family!

---

[1] Tail up to the sky = being arrogant and full of oneself. ⮐

---

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

Wang Chengjin was still talking nonsense: “Mr. Li, this matter is simply too strenuous. Those people are quite difficult, I —”

Li Chengyuan interrupted coldly: “Get to the point.”

Xia Xingchi’s eyes scanned the picture of the little milk cake, thinking that since this person was so desperate to please Li Chengyuan, why didn’t he think about treating the guests to something to eat?

This was on par with his own stinginess, ah.

If Wang Chengjin knew that he thought so, he would definitely feel wronged: Today the boss obviously wanted to bring his lover out to play, and just asked him in passing to come over and report.

He had guessed that he would bring Young Master Xia, but didn’t expect that it would be a good-looking little lover instead……But no matter, he would be crazy to order food and “join them” to eat and talk.

Seeing that Li Chengyuan was impatient, Wang Chenjin quickly finished speaking: “All in all, if you do the math — the money owed by Young Master Xia is 15 million to be settled.”

“What……cough cough cough!”

Xia Xingchi was trying to determine through taste why the lemonade was so expensive, and almost choked to death when he heard these words.

Why didn’t he know that the original owner owed so much money?!

What kind of fate was this to be poor for two lifetimes, his debt increased tenfold after transmigrating?

The original owner had borrowed from more than a dozen loan sharks, so maybe he couldn’t remember the amount. They held his secrets and all kinds of information in their hands, walking on the edge of the law and daring to do anything for money.

Although Wang Chengjin was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, he was actually a local snake with connections and skills. He smelled a huge business opportunity —

This debt was quite messy, with many creditors and an amount that fluctuated erratically.

It was impossible for a busy boss to handle this mess in person. If he wanted to settle this chaotic bad debt, Mr. Li may need a “knowledgeable” right hand man.

A little kickback for this matter was worth millions. So relying on his thick skin and countless connections, Wang Chengjin finally contacted Li Chengyuan and assured him that it would be handled properly, and that all photos and information would be disposed of.

After Wang Chengjin made a quote, he quickly observed the situation, but saw that Li Chengyuan had remained calm and didn’t have a big reaction after hearing this.

The outcome was that the “little lover” sitting to the side could not sit still. Xia Xingchi was astonished and maddened: “Fifteen million? That’s impossible! Why would an ordinary person owe so much?!”

He had lived in the Xia residence for two days after transmigrating. Although the original owner had many luxuries that didn’t match his income, without investing or doing business, it was absolutely not possible to have so much money.

Wang Chengjin: “Some are gambling debts, and there is interest……this is a usury loan, the kind that doubles interest on a day-to-day basis.”

“Then are they not committing robbery?” Xia Xinchi said while pulling Li Chengyuan’s arm, “Usury is illegal. Li Chengyuan, we can’t pay back the money!”

Li Chengyuan deliberately kept silent, sounding out and silently observing Xia Xingchi’s words and reactions.

Now that some conjectures had been confirmed, he had more speculations about Xia Xingchi’s origins.

Wang Chengjin’s mood was not good. This “little lover” actually opposed it so fiercely?

He had wanted to take advantage of Mr. Li’s good relationship with Young Master Xia and extort him more. Who would have guessed that the person who came with him today was not Young Master Xia? This little lover was conceited due to being in the other’s good graces, using pillow talk to convince him not to pay back the “legitimate wife’s” money.

“This can’t be done!” Wang Chengjin hastened to remedy. “If you don’t pay back the money, or the police are called, even if the other party is caught, all the photos will be released and sent to everyone in Young Master Xia’s address book!”

Even if Xia Xingchi was not favored, Li Chengyuan wouldn’t want to lose face, right? He paid more than this for a single watch, and any ill-gotten leaked photo could earn a lot of money.

“But…..” Xia Xingchi gaped, feeling a sense of familiarity.

The original owner’s indecent photos were later exposed, and his career as a star was ruined — it turned out to be caused by this money?

If he didn’t want to be cannon fodder, he needed to avoid the countless pits that the original owner had stepped into, but he couldn’t help feeling at a loss. Let alone fifteen million, fifteen yuan could make him as distressed as if he was cutting flesh from his own body.

— How many veal steaks and milk cakes could that buy, ah!

As Xia Xingchi thought about it, he subconsciously glanced at the delicious food that he was coveting.

“Mr. Li, what do you think should be done?” Wang Chengjin turned his head and asked.

However, Li Chengyuan was still calm about these “serious” consequences, and only observed with interest the beautiful young man beside him who was struggling and thinking hard.

Wang Chengjin was dumbfounded, thinking to himself that this was simply foolishness!

He was indifferent to his fiance’s catastrophe, but instead listened to his little lover’s opinion?

Just as he was about to persuade him again, Li Chengyuan finally spoke, his tone seeming a little resigned: “Xia Xingchi, why are you being so stingy with yourself?”

“Because it is really too much money! And they’re breaking the law!”

While speaking, Xia Xingchi tilted his head and rubbed it against Li Chengyuan. Because a certain person had deliberately not stopped him before, he thought that they had to act as a couple and gradually became accustomed to it.

Wang Chengjin on the sidelines was stunned – Xia Xingchi? So he really was Young Master Xia……?!

But didn’t the rumors say he was average-looking and pudgy? No, no, no, this was not the point. The point was that he was about to share Mr. Li’s wealth. With so much money, how could he be so stingy!

Xia Xingchi rubbed his head so coquettishly that LiChengyuan was a little stiff and unnatural, his heart numb and itchy. But he didn’t push him away, and only pinched his ear lightly.

He made a lucky strike, and happened to grasp Xia Xingchi’s secret sensitive spot.

His earlobe was pinched by cool fingers, and his whole body suddenly trembled, his hands and feet going limp on the spot as if he had received an electric shock.

Immediately a little embarrassed, he remembered that they were “doing business” and had no choice but to endure it, thinking that he would have to tell Li Chengyuan not to touch that place in the future.

Li Chengyuan also noticed his abnormal reaction. He was taken aback for a moment, and then couldn’t help but want to pinch again.

Only then did he remember that there was an eyesore in the private booth, so he turned his head coldly and asked Wang Chengjin: “Do you have anything else to do?”

The double standard attitude was obvious.

Wang Chengjin knew that this was meant to drive away the guest. The boss had run out of patience, and his presence here was preventing them from flirting.

It was a challenge to negotiate this matter in one sitting. It was already good that Li Chengyuan was willing to see him, and there may be hope in the future.

Thus, he quickly left, not daring to be a third wheel for another second.

The booth fell silent.

Li Chengyuan was about to pinch that warm earlobe again, but Xia Xingchi suddenly took the initiative to “get off work.” Not only did he let go of his arm, but he also moved away.

Li Chengyuan: “……”

Perhaps one surnamed Wang should have been allowed to sit a little longer.

“My dear boss, you must have a solution, right?”

Xia Xingchi, who had a huge debt fall from the sky, looked over expectantly with a pair of big black eyes.

Even if Li Chengyuan was truly rich, his money didn’t fall from the sky either. Spending unjust money would make a little money-grubber feel especially distressed regardless of who it was spent on.

But of course it was not okay to just sit and wait for death and let indecent photos go flying around.

Xia Xingchi knew that the villain’s power was not only based on money, but was much more massive and inexplicable.

If he hadn’t died early due to poor health, he could have rewritten the original book as a “bad ending,” so it should be possible to solve this problem without wasting money.

When Li Chengyuan heard these words, he replied indifferently and without expression: “If you ask for help, you must display the attitude of asking for help.”

He had wanted to solve this trivial matter casually at first, but after thinking about it, he had a better plan.

In addition to probing Xia Xingchi’s reaction and identity, he had been waiting for this moment.

“Huh —” Xia Xingchi tilted his head. Although he was right, how could he have the correct “attitude” to repay the expensive favor of this big tycoon?

Just as he was thinking, he saw a cool, pale, slender hand clasp the menu in front of him and slowly knock twice. 

Seeing this, Xia Xingchi slapped his head: “I get it, you want to ask for a meal!”

“En.” Li Chengyuan nodded slightly, his expression calm and cold. “Sleep with me for another month.”

“Okay, no problem…..Ah?!” Xia Xingchi quaked.

He couldn’t believe his ears for a moment. The possibility of a misunderstanding in dialect flashed through his mind, and he suspected that he had heard it wrong.

It was a pity that a certain person not only had a deep and pleasant voice, but also had clear and standard pronunciation. He had obviously heard correctly.

“Li Chengyuan, you —” Dumbfounded, it took Xia Xingchi a long moment to regain his senses and get angry. “What do you mean!”

They had quarreled over this matter just yesterday, so he must be taking revenge by saying such things now.

Or did he want to prove that his so-called “strength of character” was no match for the catastrophe of this fifteen million debt?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and he suddenly spouted off like a submachine gun: “I said I wouldn’t sell myself! If they want to publish the photos, they can publish them! Even if the face on the photos is now mine —”

The words came to an abrupt end here, and he realized at once that he had almost made a slip of the tongue in his anger, so he quickly shut up.

Li Chengyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the little angry hedgehog with its spikes sticking up, but he didn’t pursue this confusing and cryptic sentence.

He just asked indifferently: “Sleeping in the same bed counts as prostitution?”

His anger had already been half-frightened away by his slip of the tongue. Xia Xingchi was taken aback for a moment when he heard these words, and was too slow to be sure of their meaning.

“So you mean……actually sleeping?” He asked belatedly.

“Otherwise, what are you thinking about?” Li Chengyuan revealed a smile that was not a smile.

“I, I was also thinking that.”

Xia Xingchi blushed. It seemed that he lost his temper when he thought wrongly, and his guilt made him agree very quickly: “Okay then.”

Li Chengyuan lowered his head and took a sip of warm water to hide his triumphant smile.

This way, he didn’t have to go to his room to see him in the middle of the night, but could watch him at any time and even hold him in his arms.

Xia Xingchi spoke again: “But I don’t sleep very well.”

He always wanted to hug things when he fell asleep. What if he accidentally used the big villain as a pillow and he got angry when he woke up and beat him violently in the middle of the night?

He knew that Li Chengyuan’s sleep was very poor, and the book mentioned that when it got serious, he had to rely on sleeping pills every day to fall asleep.

Li Chengyuan didn’t give him any time to doubt, and directly made the final decision: “Bring your things to my room tonight – you order first.”

Xia Xingchi’s head was full of questions, and he was unable to solve them. He was at a loss when he saw the menu pushed in front of him.

The whole morning had been a tangle, and as expected, he had no time to mind him. Not only did he obliviously agree to the condition of the lamb entering the tiger’s den, but he was also blinded by all kinds of “sky-high” prices in the blink of an eye.

Since Li Chengyuan asked him to order, he could only bite the bullet and flip through the menu.

He felt his hands shaking more and more – even the cheapest ordinary sausage fried rice cost more than three hundred.

Xia Xingchi hesitated for a moment. Although this fried rice was relatively cheap, someone’s fragile glass stomach couldn’t handle greasy food.

Thinking of Li Chengyuan’s appearance when his stomach hurt, he couldn’t feed him indiscriminately just to save money.

His eyes finally stopped on a seemingly light and healthy seafood porridge, but he really couldn’t figure out why a bowl of porridge could sell for thousands.

In the past, this would cover his food expenses for more than half a year. The little money-grubber felt increasingly distressed as he thought about it, so he looked back and forth through the menu, hesitating over what to order.

Li Chengyuan sat next to him, seemingly expressionless, but in fact his eyes were full of malicious intentions. He vengefully wanted to make this little brat who only had money in his eyes feel distressed, spending money on him as if cutting flesh from his own body.

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Chapter Fifteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventeen

Zuo Ran was originally the daughter of the head guard serving the rich merchant Wang’s family. She had followed her father to practice martial arts since she was a child, and grew up with Wang-gongzi. But Wang-gonzi fell in love with the fire-burning girl at home. The old lady was very angry and forced him to marry his fiancee as soon as possible, planning to give Zuo Ran to him as a concubine.

This matter was known to Yin Pinglu, who was a concubine. She was calm and tranquil, and wrote an unauthorized letter of divorce, which was blocked by the magistrate.

Then something happened to Wang-gongzi. It turned out that the fire-burning girl had come to avenge her father, and after the two died together, Zuo Ran’s father was also executed by the old lady because of his incompetence. 

The magistrate completely canceled the marriage, but he was not idle, and planned to send Yin Pinglu to renew the marriage with an official who was over fifty years old.

Yin Pinglu didn’t want to be a vassal in the struggle for power and profit for the rest of her life, so she packed her bags and prepared to escape. However, she ran into Zuo Ran at the gate of the city. She thought that the other party was there to arrest her, but unexpectedly, she took the initiative to sit in the carriage, driving the horse to gallop away, and said: “I have no home……you’ve brought enough money, and as long as you take care of me, I will always protect you.”

The two went all the way north, wandering around the mountains and rivers, enjoying themselves leisurely until they met the ration team that was besieged by heavy rain on a blocked road. Yin Pinglu happened to be familiar with the terrain, so she took some soldiers to open the way and asked Zuo Ran to take a group to report to the large contingent and bring people to rescue them.

Thus, the two became acquainted with Yan Mingting.

Yan Mingting saw that the two of them had suffered some injuries due to this incident, so they stayed in the military hospital for treatment and Yin Pinglu suggested a few ideas from time to time to help the army fight. Yan Mingting laughed and called her a little think tank.

Zuo Ran also became friends with Zhong Yuehong and the others, spending all day in the military camp, practicing with them and going to the battlefield with them. It was only that she was unwilling to give her name, just wanting to be an unknown person so as not to be found by the Magistrate Yin.

After the war ended in victory, the two stayed at a small town on the border. Yan Mingting left some money for them so that the two could live and work there in peace. 

The good times didn’t last long, and the Magistrate still found them out there, taking Yin Pinglu away while Zuo Ran was out shopping. When she returned home, she found a mess and a note left by Yin Pinglu in the dark – “My father’s people. Quickly go to the General.”

Zuo Ran had been on the road day and night. The skin on both sides of her thighs was worn away, she barely had time to swallow anything but her saliva, and she had hardly closed her eyes.

“General, only you can help us.” Zuo Ran burst into tears and said, “Her father has power and authority. We don’t know anyone more powerful than him, so I’m begging you.”

“Don’t worry, ba, we will find a way.” Yan Mingting patted her on the shoulder to calm her down.

It was easy to say such a thing, but a little troublesome to actually accomplish. As the saying went, even an honest and upright official would have difficulty resolving a family dispute. It was unreasonable for a general far away in the capital to meddle in the family affairs of a prefectural magistrate out of the blue.

It could be said that the magistrate’s daughter was already promised in marriage, and no one would object to him taking her back to marry her off.

Would it be possible to tell the world that Yin Pinglu didn’t want to get married at all, and that she and Zuo Ran could support each other until they grew old?

Would anyone believe it?

They would think that it was a big joke, that it violated the three principles and five virtues.^[1] How could there be a woman who did not marry?

Public opinion would only turn in favor of the magistrate.

“Is it not simple?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Everyone looked at him together and heard him say: “Go and ask the magistrate to betroth his daughter to you, then you can intervene in this matter openly and aboveboard. If Magistrate Yin fears your notoriety as an evil star, he will not agree to this matter. If he is not afraid, you can simply get her through the door and let Zuo-guniang live in the General’s Mansion as a maid. This time they would both be protected, and no outsiders would know what goes on inside the General’s Mansion.”

When He Cuizhang heard this, he also thought it was feasible. In any case, only the people who were close to them would know about the situation inside. The General would not touch them, and no one would dare to bully Yin Pinglu and Zuo Ran in the future.

Yan Mingting, however, said: “I don’t agree.”

Zhao Yelan looked at him, calm and unruffled.

“Although I wouldn’t do anything to them, they escaped because they didn’t want to become vassals and servants. How could they return to the same fate?” Yan Mingting said.

Zuo Ran nodded heavily.

Zhao Yelan raised his brows. He didn’t expect him to reject a simple, effective, and harmless solution for the reason of putting himself in the shoes of these two women. He was confounded, and at the same time felt unavoidable admiration. This was the magnanimous Yan Mingting, ah.

“Let me look at the map first.” Zhao Yelan took out the map in his pocket, and as soon as he unfolded it, they saw the big turtle on the map.

Several people: “……?”

Zhao Yelan’s face froze. He immediately crumpled it into a ball of paper and threw it aside, saying: “Is there a more detailed map in the study?”

“There is.” Yan Mingting glanced at the ball of paper curiously, feeling that the turtle was himself. After all, Zhao Yelan had painted it on his face before. While guessing when and where the other party drew it, he rummaged through boxes to find a map of the Xuan Dynasty that his father had drawn before, which was very detailed.

“Found it!” He took the map out of a drawer and unfolded it on the desktop.

“How long did it take Zuo-guniang to return to Beijing?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“Five days,” answered Zuo Ran.

“Starting from the border town, you, a woman, traveled all the way through the deserts and mountains, and it only took five days for you to reach the capital. This is certainly not easy. The Magistrate’s men must not be rushing as hard as you. If they go at a normal pace and follow the official roads, they must still be in the area of Quzhou. The terrain there is complicated, and the official roads are all built into the hillside, so it is not easy to travel. There should still be ten days before they arrive in Huaizhou.” Zhao Yelan pointed at the map as he made his analysis.

Zuo Ran let go of the fearful uncertainty she had been holding onto all this time. In ten days, they would definitely be able to rescue Yin Pinglu before she got married!

“What if they don’t follow the official roads?” Yan Mingting pointed to another remote path. “From here, Quzhou is directly bypassed, and it should take seven or eight days to get there if they travel overnight.”

“Even if we arrive in Huaizhou in seven or eight days, Magistrate Yin may not be busy with the concubine’s marriage right away.” Zhao Yelan glanced at him, pointing to the route to the south of the capital. “Look at this route again.”

Yan Mingting thought for a moment and suddenly realized: “The teams transporting the disaster relief money are about to arrive in Huaizhou and Zhizhou, and he will soon commence this important matter of the court.”

“Exactly. If you want to go south to suppress the bandits, you will definitely have to set off the day after tomorrow. After arriving in Huaizhou, the excuse of being old acquaintances can be used to temporarily take Yin-guniang out of the manor, and you can make arrangements for the future according to the specific situation,” Zhao Yelan said.

“Thank you, Zhao-daren!” Zuo Ran was very grateful.

“Go back and rest first. Seeing you like this, you must not have slept well last night. Take a good rest these two days, adjust yourself, and then go south with me,” Yan Mingting ordered.

“Yes, I’m going to rest now!” The stone in Zuo Ran’s heart was put down, and she felt a lot more at ease. She turned around and went back to the room to catch up on sleep.

“General, then I……”

“You first send a few teams south today, and then go talk to the Ministry of War again.”

“Yes!” He Cuizhang took the order and hurriedly left the General’s Mansion.

There were only two people left in the room. Zhao Yelan put away the map and stuffed it into his sleeve casually. This map was much more detailed and effective than the one he drew from memory, and it would definitely be more useful in the future.

“I just wanted to ask, could the turtle you drew above be……” Yan Mingting picked up the ball of paper and asked cautiously, “Could it be……”

“Don’t bother guessing, it’s you,” Zhao Yelan said frankly.

“Why are you painting me again, ah? Where did I offend you?” Yan Mingting looked at him aggrievedly.

Seeing this, Zhao Yelan’s mood improved slightly and the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curl up: “I just wanted to paint, do I need a reason?”

Yan Mingting shrugged unconcernedly and put it away with a smile: “Ai, you affirm with your lips but deny with your heart.”

“I what?”

Yan Mingting walked in front of him and arched his eyebrows: “You looked at the map and counted the days. So much trouble, isn’t it just to convince us to set off at a later date?”

“You originally planned to leave the day after tomorrow?” Zhao Yelan looked up at him.

“Yes, the Emperor wanted me to leave tomorrow, but I deliberately postponed it for a day.” There was a hint of a smile in Yan Mingting’s eyes, but it was as bright as the sun shining onto his head. “Because tomorrow is my birthday, and I want to spend this year’s birthday with you.”

The hand hanging by Zhao Yelan’s side pulled back slightly.

“Do you also want me to celebrate my birthday with you before leaving?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan didn’t speak, but the other party took a step closer, caging him in by the table, and he admitted straightforwardly: “Yes.”

Although it was the expected answer, after hearing his confession, Yan Mingting still couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his chest as if he was about to burn up. He restrained his pounding heart and smiled, saying: “I’ve never looked forward to my birthday so much.”

Zhao Yelan returned to the Imperial Academy preoccupied and disinterested in politics. From time to time, Yan Mingting’s expectant look flashed before his eyes, and he couldn’t help but wonder: what kind of expression would appear on that face after he left?

Fortunately, time would heal all wounds. Even if he would be sad for a while, Yan Mingting should also recover soon. The most important thing right now was to spend his birthday with him.

“You’ve been restless all day, are you really all right?” Ruan Xian asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Didn’t you notice that your book is upside down?”

“……” Zhao Yelan calmly turned the book around.

“I lied, you just now put the book upside down.”

“…………” Zhao Yelan gave him a sharp look. “Go away.”

Ruan Xian didn’t intend to go away at all, and started to guess: “Recently, everything in the Imperial Academy has been normal, as well as in the court, so what is it that makes you so unsettled? These few days……by the way, tomorrow is General Yan’s birthday, right?”

“How do you know?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“You are confused, ah, everyone knows the birthday of General Yan. After all, many people are thinking of……” Ruan Xian lowered his voice and said, “Currying favor with him.”

Indeed, his thoughts were very confused. He even forgot such a simple truth, believing that he was the only one who knew about this day.

It seemed that there would be a lot of excitement in the mansion tomorrow. What sorts of gifts could be given that would not be the same as others?

“What are you going to give?” Zhao Yelan asked him.

“I wanted to ask you, what does General Yan usually like?” Ruan Xian asked.

“All kinds of weapons.”

“Anything else?”

“Tanghulu.”

“Uh……anything else?”

Me. Does that count?

Zhao Yelan’s mind shifted, and he inwardly spurned his own wild thoughts.

“You can figure it out, ba.” Zhao Yelan himself was still worried.

When he returned to the mansion, Zuo Ran was still sleeping. It seemed that she wanted to make up for her lack of sleep these past few days all at once.

Yan Mingting said not to disturb her, and after dinner with Zhao Yelan, he went back to the room and pretended to read The Art of War while secretly observing Zhao Yelan’s movements.

He saw Zhao Yelan open a brocade box, take out a wooden hairpin from inside, wrap it properly in a handkerchief, and then put it away carefully.

Zhao Yelan suddenly looked over, and Yan Mingting looked away at once. On the surface, he read The Art of War seriously, but in his heart he wondered what kind of congratulatory gift this was. Regardless, it didn’t matter if it was a wooden hairpin or a gold or silver hairpin as long as it could bind the hair.

Zhao Yelan put away his mother’s belongings so that they could be taken away with him. When Yan Mingting left the day after tomorrow, he would go back to the Zhao mansion and take his parents’ ashes.

He walked around the room while deciding what to take away.

Yan Mingting saw him pick up a knife for a moment, then drop it and change to a sword, repeating this until he finally sat by the bed with a sigh.

Yan Mingting really wanted to tell him: I like them all! I love these knives and weapons! Give whatever you want, don’t sigh!

However, Zhao Yelan fell into deep thought. With so many weapons, he couldn’t use anything. It would be wasted on more than twenty of him, and he couldn’t even lift the dueling sword. In the end, he may still just have to bring his small crossbow.

In the end, Yan Mingting saw him pick up a stack of ledgers and begin to look through them by candlelight. The entirety of the family property was contained within.

Yan Mingting was extremely excited – could it be that Zhao Yelan, an old money fanatic, was going to give him all the family property?!

Seeing him frowning while checking the accounts, Yan Mingting thought that there was no need to worry about it. If he really didn’t want to part with something, it was fine not to give it. Anyway, he wouldn’t take so much property, the thought itself was already touching!

Zhao Yelan was indeed very worried. There was so much money, enough to squander in another lifetime, but alas, he didn’t have another lifetime.

“Don’t you go to bed early?” Yan Mingting was distressed for his eyes. He had been busy with his congratulatory gift up to this point, and he hurriedly urged him to go to bed.

Zhao Yelan rubbed the space between his brows. When the other party went to the kitchen, he put away the ledger, which he also had to take away. But it was possible to save a little for Yan Mingting to let him buy a bunch of tanghulu.

After he took a bath, Yan Mingting returned to the room holding a few freshly made stuffed steamed buns and said: “Come and try my buns, I learned from Shopkeeper Minji last time.”

“You just made buns?” Zhao Yelan walked over in astonishment.

“En, you’ve been busy all night and must be hungry. Eat something first, and we’ll eat better things tomorrow.” Yan Mingting picked the biggest one and handed it to him.

Zhao Yelan accepted it in disbelief and took a few slow bites.

“How is it?” Yan Mingting looked at him expectantly.

Zhao Yelan directly brought the one in his hand to the other’s mouth. Yan Mingting was stunned, and when he lowered his head, his gaze inadvertently swept across his chest.

The weather had become hot, and Zhao Yelan only wore a white undershirt after bathing. The chest was open, and when he stretched out his hand, it hung down to reveal a small piece of fair skin, incredibly white.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter!

Yan Mingting took a deep breath, and then a big bite of steamed bun. As he ate, his expression became ugly.

“Thick skin and undercooked stuffing. You need to practice more.” Zhao Yelan held back a smile, and was about to take another bite when Yan Mingting snatched it away.

“Don’t eat it, be careful not to get an upset stomach.” Yan Mingting threw away the rest of the stuffed steamed buns and solemnly promised, “Next time. I will definitely succeed in making them next time!”

Next time……

Zhao Yelan nodded and lay down on the bed sleepily. He heard the sound of the other party making his bed, the sound of candles being extinguished, and the sound of even breathing.

In the early hours of the morning, Zhao Yelan was still unable to sleep, but a rustling sound was heard.

Yan Mingting knelt down beside the bed and poked Zhao Yelan’s face: “Mengting, wake up.”

Zhao Yelan opened clear eyes and propped himself up with his hands, black hair hanging behind him as he looked at him in the hazy moonlight: “What is it?”

“It’s time.” Yan Mingting was all smiles.

Their gazes met, and although the light was not much, Zhao Yelan seemed to see his eyes shining. The corners of his own eyes unknowingly carried a hint of a smile as he whispered: “Yan Fangli, happy birthday.”

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[1] The three rules are: “Ruler guides subject, father guides son, and husband guides wife.” The five virtues are: “Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Fidelity.” ⮐

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

The scene was dead silent for a while.

What was abominable was that after tossing about, Li Chengyuan finally exhausted his strength, swayed, and fell straight down. This left Xia Xingchi alone to try his best to explain that the two of them were not performing content prohibited to those under eighteen.

But Dr. Zhao only jokingly said “An explanation is a cover-up,” with an expression as if he had discovered a new world, making Xia Xingchi even more embarrassed. Incidentally, he strongly doubted that this crooked “doctor” who was wearing pajamas and cotton slippers was really reliable.

Fortunately, Zhao Yinhe’s proficiency successfully proved that he was fairly trustworthy. Xia Xingchi heaved a sigh of relief and then became angry, wanting to curse Li Chengyuan, that instigator.

Unexpectedly, this person was now so fragile that one dared not touch or scold him —

The stomach medicine didn’t seem to have worked. Li Chengyuan’s face was pale, his long eyelashes were moist with cold sweat, and he was curled up while gritting his teeth silently.

“It looks like stomach cramps.” Zhao Yinhe lifted the bottle. “He vomited even after taking the medicine, so we can only try to make him lie flat, apply hot compresses, or give him a gentle massage.”

Speaking of taking medicine, Xia Xingchi had been very worried that he would be poisoned after taking so many antipyretics, but the result was that he staggered into the bathroom and vomited in the dark as soon as an IV was attached.

The intravenous drip had to be reinserted into a different arm.

Seeing him in pain at this moment, Xia Xingchi unconsciously clenched his fists. He had no choice but to reach out and grip his ice-cold fingers, using the other hand to gently help him rub his stomach.

After Zhao Yinhe finished his work, he began idling again and immersed himself in the suspected romantic scene just moments ago. He was honestly shaken for a long time and couldn’t extricate himself —

Although Mr. Zhao had seen plenty of erotic scenes, if the other party was Li Chengyuan, who was like an ironwood tree, then it was a different matter.

Therefore, when Xia Xingchi turned his head, he saw the teasing expressions of “You love him so much” and “He loves you so much” written all over the face of this casual and familiar doctor.

He even smiled ambiguously and said: “If his fever hasn’t subsided after taking the antipyretic injection, you can help him take a bath. The physical cooling effect is very good.”

It was true that antipyretics were almost useless to Li Chengyuan, who was gradually becoming resistant to them. They were almost pointless apart from making his stomach hurt more, and only physical cooling could be used instead.

But from Zhao Yinhe’s mouth, these words were quite indecent.

Xia Xingchi was rather skeptical of this unreliable doctor’s methods, suspecting that he was only forcing his hand to get the two to cooperate together: “Really? Has anyone cooled him down like this before?”

“Of course not!” Zhao Yinhe only thought that the lawfully wedded wife was drinking vinegar. “Don’t worry, who else would dare to strip him naked and take a bath?”

The two were not on the same channel at all. Xia Xingchi was astonished: “Then he’s had such a fever before? What should we do if his body temperature can’t be lowered?”

Even an iron-strong body couldn’t stand continuous high fevers, not to mention Li Chengyuan’s fragile condition. Could it be that he died like this?

In the past two days, he had tried his best to observe what disease had caused Li Chengyuan’s mortal end, so that he could find a loophole and let him live longer. But looking at it now, this was not checking for leaks and filling in the gaps, this was simply Nuwa mending the heavens, ah.^[1]

– – –

“Uncle Ding, go to sleep.” Xia Xingchi patted his chest. “Don’t worry, I will pull out the IV and stand guard over him tonight.”

Uncle Ding had just sent Zhao Yinhe out, and when he heard these words upon his return, he was almost moved to tears on the spot —

Whoever dared to spread rumors about Young Master Xia’s selfishness and indulgence, he must be the first to knock the other person’s brains out!

Seeing this, Xia Xingchi was a little embarrassed, and thought to himself how bad the reputation of the original owner was. Wasn’t it a matter of course to take care of one’s fiance?

So he touched the back of his neck shyly and said with a smile: “I should take care of him. He’s my fiance, after all, and I love him.”

It couldn’t be helped, the money he gave was too much. Who couldn’t fall in love with a monthly salary of one million and such a generous donor?

Only by providing the highest quality hospice care and preventing Li Chengyuan from falling from grace and dying with hatred as in the book, could the little money-grubber Xia inherit his legacy with a clear conscience.

He was also worried that Li Chengyuan would keep silent if his condition worsened in the middle of the night, or would go crazy and take medicine again.

No wonder the medicine box was kept in the living room. If it was not antipyretics, but nitroglycerin or something tonight, it would be too late to save him. Who would have thought that the word “madman” actually meant “foolish” in Li Chengyuan’s case.

Li Chengyuan was indeed not a burden on anyone at all. Not to mention the gradual drop in body temperature, he was so uncomfortable that he was able to stay silent and not move for the entire night.

Such was the case that Xia Xingchi accidentally fell asleep after removing the IV for him, then woke up in the middle of the night to find him motionless, and was so frightened that he hurriedly felt to make sure he was still breathing and warm.

– – –

It was dawn when Li Chengyuan slowly opened his eyes.

It was rare that he didn’t have the usual chills and stomach ache after a high fever, but instead felt warm and comfortable. He was unused to it.

When he fell ill, he would not completely black out. After waking up, he gradually recalled the absurd events of the previous night. All at once, he realized that Xia Xingchi had witnessed all the embarrassment and ugliness of his illness that he had carefully hidden during the onset, and froze as if struck by a lightning bolt.

……Had Xia Xingchi been frightened? Did he feel disgusted?

Li Chengyuan frowned and tried to get up, but suddenly felt a soft, warm hand across his abdomen. The warmth all over his body was actually because Xia Xingchi was leaning into his arms, holding him tightly.

Because Xia Xingchi felt him move, although he was in a drowsy sleep, he immediately rubbed his stomach in a circular motion on conditioned reflex, and murmured softly as if he wanted to say something comforting.

The force was very light, like a feather brushing the apex of his heart, slightly itchy and tingling.

Li Chengyuan’s slender fingers curled up slightly as he stared expressionlessly at the beautiful young man who was sleeping soundly.

After a long while, he leaned over slightly and laid a light kiss on his smooth forehead, careful and cherishing.

No matter before or now, this little liar always had the ability to make people fall easily. Knowing that he loved money and he himself had been thoroughly cheated once, he still couldn’t help being moved again and again.

Li Chengyuan took a deep breath. When he thought of these things, he nearly gritted his teeth, and looked at Xia Xingchi silently for a long time, his emotions complicated —

In the end, he directly lifted the person out of the bed!

Xia Xingchi had been sleeping soundly. Suddenly, like a little hedgehog pulled out of the nest, he opened his eyes and met the gloomy gaze of the big villain. Confused and terrified, he was so frightened that his soul exited his body on the spot, and his eyes widened. He didn’t dare to move.

Although Li Chengyuan was so beautiful that he was almost seductive, his face and eyes were very cold, and he didn’t look feminine at all. He seemed even more grim when his face was expressionless, lacking anger but still intimidating. It was very scary.

— What the hell! Why is Li Chengyuan in my bed!

He was dazed for a few seconds before coming to his senses and realizing the situation. Xia Xingchi hurriedly said: “Wait! Let me go, this is really a misunderstanding!”

Last night, they had a quarrel over the topic of “going to bed,” and he’d said something like, “I’ll sleep with you tonight if you pay me” in a fit of anger, but just happened to “sleep” in his bed today.

Judging from this person’s appearance, it should be that he didn’t remember what happened after he got sick, so he must think that he was deliberately blackmailing him.

Xia Xingchi clarified forcefully: “Boss Li, what happened last night was what I should do with a monthly salary of a million!”

He was a little money-grubber with a bottom line. It was his duty to take care of his sick benefactor. Of course he couldn’t charge a separate fee and profit from his misfortune.

Li Chengyuan was not happy at all when he heard these words, and his face became even more gloomy —

Again it was because of money. This meticulous care and concern was really just in the name of money. He didn’t even hide it, and said it out loud.

“Get out.” An unknown fire surged again, and Li Chengyuan gritted his teeth.

Although this person’s attitude of turning his face and refusing to recognize anyone after “getting out of bed” was truly abominable, these were the words that Xia Xingchi loved to hear most, and he trundled out happily.

Unexpectedly, he had just taken a step forward when he heard a deep voice behind him: “Wait a minute. Go change clothes, we’re going out later.”

– – –

The car was very quiet.

Xia Xingchi glanced nervously at Li Chengyuan beside him. He had only drank some porridge millet for breakfast and probably still felt unwell. He didn’t know why he wasn’t resting at home.

Words of concern reached his lips, but Xia Xingchi swallowed them back. Presently, Li Chengyuan didn’t look as if someone had stepped on his tail, but rather that someone had pulled his tail and didn’t let go. His expression was full of irritability.

Even driver Xiao Wu felt that something was wrong. Thinking that the boss and his wife were quarreling, he quickly lowered his sense of existence with trepidation, for fear that he would become collateral damage.

Xia Xingchi could only express his innocence. Who dared to quarrel with this grumpy scumbag? Who worked so hard to take care of him for half the night? And today he turned his face and didn’t even say where they were going.

As a “contract partner,” Xia Xingchi had no choice but to sit in the car ignorantly. Although he didn’t know what they were doing, he estimated that they would be acting like a loving couple in a while.

The car slowly came to a stop, and outside was a rather high-end Western restaurant. Xia Xingchi was drowsy, and when he opened his eyes to this scene, he thought in a trance that he was there to work as a waiter.

The doorman opened the car door for him, and Xia Xingchi realized that he was indeed here to “work,” so he quickly got on the job and took the initiative to pull Li Chengyuan out.

He had never been in a relationship and didn’t know how couples were supposed to get along, so he could only recall content from TV shows. After some thought, he obediently rubbed his head against Li Chengyuan’s arm.

Li Chengyuan froze slightly, not understanding what Xia Xingchi was doing.

He figured it out after a moment, but deliberately didn’t tell him that there was no business today, and just patted his head — he had wanted to touch this little soft-furred hedgehog, and finally got the opportunity today.

A man in a suit and leather shoes paced forward at the door, smiling and greeting them attentively: “Mr. Li, you actually came here in person. You flatter me, ah.”

After speaking, Wang Chengjin looked aside at Xia Xingchi and saw that he was charming and handsome, unlike the long-rumored “Xia Xingchi” who was short and chunky.

Could this be Li Chengyuan’s little lover?

Thinking of this, Wang Chengjin’s well-thought-out plan to make a fortune had fallen through a bit, but he just nodded, bowed calmly, and led Li Chengyuan all the way to the private room.

It was unavoidable that an old fox’s bad habits would be hard to change. First, he flattered with all his might, and then talked about other things without just cutting to the point.

Xia Xingchi sat listening on the sidelines, mystified and bored, so he lowered his head to study the menu. When he opened it, he was unexpectedly blinded by the ridiculously expensive prices. The cheapest lemonade cost 30 yuan, which was just a money grab…..the problem was, this thing had been served automatically?!

He picked up the lemonade tremblingly, took a sip to suppress his shock, and silently closed the menu, pushing it a little farther away.

Lest he accidentally look at the top image again and be greedy for the horribly priced veal steak and milk cake.

No one would have guessed that he wouldn’t order because he couldn’t bear it. After all, how could someone next to the boss be short of money?

Li Chengyuan gave him a faint look, knowing that he was being habitually stingy again. He couldn’t help feeling that it was a little laughable. It wasn’t like he was spending his own money, so what was he trying to save?

Just looking at the menu, he could guess what this person was craving. Li Chengyuan was about to order something for him, but suddenly had another idea in mind.

So while Xia Xingchi thought he was quietly browsing the menu, Li Chengyuan calmly pretended not to be aware, and let him bite his lip eagerly like a little glutton.

---

[1] Nuwa is a well-known goddess in Chinese mythology who was the mother and creator of the world. ⮐

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Chapter Fourteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixteen

The pictures filling his brain gradually became unsuitable for children. Xia Xingchi quickly shook his head and suddenly wanted to ask himself, what should my role be?

Twice in a row, Li Chengyuan had pulled at him while unconscious and refused to let him go. He must have identified the wrong person, so there was obviously only one truth —

I look a lot like his White Moonlight!

It all made sense now. No wonder Li Chengyuan didn’t stop the engagement according to the original plot after meeting him, but even offered him a monthly salary of one million to hire him to live with him.

Xia Xingchi had transmigrated with his original body and knew that he was different from the original owner. Li Chengyuan’s so-called “love at first sight” that day must be because he looked suitable as a substitute the moment he saw him!

Xia Xingchi was shocked when he realized that he had entered a new role without knowing it.

In any case, it was not the life of the protagonist, who was awful at first glance, and being a stand-in was better than being cannon fodder. If he performed well, he wouldn’t be doomed.

Li Chengyuan muttered to himself for a moment, and finally let go of his hand in a stupor. Seeing this, he quickly tiptoed out of the room and hurried downstairs to apply for foreign aid.

– – –

Before he could knock, the door to Uncle Ding’s room opened in front of him. The old man had been awakened by the movement upstairs and was about to go out and check: “Young Master, what is the matter? Is Sir sick again?”

Xia Xingchi immediately nodded as if grasping a lifeline: “He has a fever! I mentioned contacting a doctor, but he didn’t cooperate at all and wouldn’t tell me the phone number.”

Uncle Ding understood: “Don’t worry, Young Master, I’ll call Dr. Zhao now, and he’ll be here soon.”

After thinking about it, he added: “Go and rest first, I’ll take care of it.”

Xia Xingchi immediately shook his head, expressing that he would guard Li Chengyuan.

He didn’t dare go to sleep. After all, he knew that Li Chengyuan could die at any moment. He was very nervous when he saw that he was sick, for fear that when he woke up, he would find that such a big fiance was already gone.

Uncle Ding couldn’t help being a little surprised. It was already three o’clock in the morning, but Xia Xingchi wasn’t impatient at all, and his worried expression didn’t have any elements of acting.

Long before the engagement, there were rumors that he was cowardly and selfish, and that he dared to mutter, “I don’t want to take care of a short-lived sick child,” and “I don’t want to marry, why is Li Chengyuan still alive?”

After their short contact two days ago, Uncle Ding felt that the rumors could not be fully believed, and may have been fabricated by someone.

Now it seemed that it really was a deliberate fabrication, and Young Master Xia was not like that at all.

The old man breathed a sigh of relief and explained: “Don’t worry, Sir gets sick easily this time of the year, but he recovers quickly.”

The subtext was a hope that Xia Xingchi wouldn’t find it bothersome. He didn’t fall ill often, and never troubled others when he was sick.

The attitudes of others would not affect the current Li Chengyuan, but if Xia Xingchi loathed him, it would definitely be a fatal blow to the person who had just overcome his psychological barriers.

Xia Xingchi would naturally never be so cold-blooded. He just pointed to his head worriedly to signal Uncle Ding: “Li Chengyuan seems to be —”

Uncle Ding immediately took his meaning, and hesitated for a moment before saying: “Sir has been a little stimulated before, so he occasionally gets confused and thinks he is in the old house……but it has rarely happened in the past two years.”

The summary was overly rough, but Xia Xingchi had no choice but to nod faintly.

The original novel didn’t go over the big boss’s childhood experiences in detail. There was only a brief description:

It was said that Li Chengyuan had been a madman since he was a child, and was even able to sleep peacefully while guarding his mother’s body all night.

Thinking about it now, his mother had hanged herself, and the horror of her death must have been terrible.

What was Li Chengyuan’s state of mind at that time, to be able to watch his next of kin struggle like crazy due to an instinctive desire to survive, and eventually become so ferocious and terrifying that his original appearance could no longer be distinguished?

Although this was used to prove the fact that he was an insane villain, after getting along with him these two days, Xia Xingchi felt that he was not so deranged and that perhaps there was something more to it.

But he must have had a bad time anyway, otherwise someone wouldn’t become so paranoid and twisted for no rhyme or reason.

Xia Xingchi regained his composure with a sigh, then turned to Uncle Ding and said: “You call first, the hot water seems to be ready. I’ll go up and see if Li Chengyuan has taken any antipyretics.”

Uncle Ding paused in the middle of dialing the number, his expression stunned: “Antipyretics? Where did you get the antipyretics?”

“Huh? I just took them from the drawer in his room……” Xia Xingchi choked on his words. The cause and effect were clearly presented, and he had a very bad intuition!

— Why were there no fever reducers in the medicine cabinet? Why were they hidden in such an inconspicuous little drawer along with painkillers, sedatives, and other medicines?

Xia Xingchi immediately rushed upstairs, his heart in his throat.

Upon hastily pushing open the door, everything appeared to look very normal. Li Chengyuan seemed to be fully awake, reclined quietly in bed and back to his usual indifference.

But the more normal this situation was, the more Xia Xingchi’s already bad intuition rose toward its peak.

Taking a closer look, Li Chengyuan was chewing something with a numb face like he was eating candy —

In his hand, there was an entire empty board of antipyretics, and this person who was particularly afraid of bitterness was breaking off the last one at this time and putting it in his mouth expressionlessly.

“I……Fuck…..” 

Except for these two, Xia Xingchi couldn’t find any words to sum up his horrified mood for a moment, and was so frightened by this scene that his soul flew away.

He tremblingly asked: “Li Chengyuan, what’s wrong with you……”

Li Chengyuan raised his deep amber eyes, staring straight at the intruder while hiding the medicine in his hand like a child.

“Get out.”

His expression was intimidating, and his strong aura and tone were the same as usual.

Xia Xingchi almost thought he had recovered, and went to take a step back and leave.

But as soon as he thought about it, he felt something was wrong, so he rushed forward several steps!

He directly reached out to grasp Li Chengyuan’s wrist and went to grab the last pill in a belated attempt at damage control. As to the reason for his madness, they could only discuss it later.

Although Xia Xingchi knew that this person had strength that was quite inconsistent with his appearance, he never thought that with a high fever and illness, he would be so difficult to deal with.

To compare the two, he was no match at all. Not only did he fail to get the medicine, but he was directly dragged down on the bed.

Xia Xingchi had originally assumed a commanding position, but now it had turned into being pressed down hard on the bed and thrashing as he rolled back and forth to fight with Li Chengyuan.

The brain circuits of a crazy man were really incomprehensible. Xia Xingchi was concentrating on grabbing the medicine, but he saw that the white pill that had been clutched so tightly just now, like a life-saving medicine, had been thrown to the ground like trash by Li Chengyuan.

With a crisp sound, it even bounced twice.

And it was between those two clacking sounds that Xia Xingchi suddenly realized he had become the new target of the crazy villain!

Li Chengyuan’s body was burning hot, but his fingertips were cold.

With such strength that it was impossible to resist, he clasped Xia Xingchi’s left shoulder with one hand, and restrained his right hand with the other. Immediately after, he promptly bullied him, bending down to press Xia Xingchi under him!

In the chaos, there was only one thought: “Catch him.” Li Chengyuan gritted his teeth and clamped down on Xia Xingchi tightly, refusing to relax at all. It was as if he would disappear without a trace if he released his grip.

As soon as Xia Xingchi raised his head to meet his terrifying gaze full of unconcealed possessive desire, he shrank down instantly and could only struggle desperately to push him away.

For fuck’s sake, this guy was definitely mistaken again. Don’t spread all your hatred for the White Moonlight onto an innocent scapegoat, ah!

The battle was fierce, and neither paid attention to the footsteps and conversation at the door: “Fever? Has he caught a cold recently? I have already said these days – ahhhh!”

The rest of his words cut off, leaving only a shocked exclamation.

The young Dr. Zhao, who was carrying a medical kit and dressed casually, pushed open the door: The two people on the bed were entangled in a strange posture, with their ten fingers even interlocking.

Crouching to the side and watching for a long time was a white cat ball with a curious face, observing the strange behavior of these two humans.

It seemed to be thinking that it wasn’t spring yet, and wondering why they couldn’t wait.

“You…..!!” The battle was so shocking that Zhao Yinhe could hardly speak from the fright.

Although they became a legal couple immediately, and it was late at night in their own bed, and the time, place, and participants were all right……

Since this was the case, what was he doing here?!

T/N: Posting this early since I won’t have time tomorrow. This hourly wage slave has a big project due before I go on vacation.

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Chapter Thirteen << Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifteen

The mansion was already busy heating water and cleaning a wing of the house. Zhao Yelan stood in the courtyard watching servants hurrying to and fro. Those not in the know might have thought that a new master was about to enter.

Yan Mingting took the woman to her wing of the house and asked her to take a bath before discussing matters, then went to inform the other lieutenants and invited a doctor on the way.

This business had nothing to do with Zhao Yelan, so he picked up a fishing rod and went to fish in the back courtyard’s fish pond. After an incense stick of time passed, he hadn’t caught a single one. With his face sinking lower than the fish pond, he quickly retracted the fishing line and threw it aside angrily.

Xiao Gao picked it up for him again and began to roll up the legs of his trousers: “My lord, do you want me to go down and get you a few like the General did? Do you want to eat some?”

“No need.” Zhao Yelan spoke with a dark face, and when he heard footsteps behind him, he looked furiously at the fish pond.

“It’s getting dark, why did you come here to fish?” Yan Mingting asked.

“Who stipulated that you can’t fish when it’s dark? Do you understand the concept of night fishing?” Zhao Yelan said snappily.

“Okay, I don’t comprehend your sophistication.” Yan Mingting really thought he was delaying his business, so he warned, “Then don’t forget to have dinner later, I’ll go to the front courtyard to check on the situation first.”

Zhao Yelan turned around angrily, but found that he had already turned to leave.

The sun sank, leaving only the last bit of gray in the sky, which fell into darkness in the blink of an eye. Zhao Yelan sat quietly by the fish pond for a while, listening to the movement in the front courtyard. It wasn’t until Xiao Gao began to slap mosquitos to remind him to go back to the house that he stood up and began to walk slowly out of the back courtyard.

“Oh, my lord, have you finished fishing? Go quickly and eat, we’ve been waiting for you.” Housekeeper Qin had come to look for him, and hurriedly led him to the main hall.

As soon as he reached the door, he heard murmurs of conversation. When he stepped over, the conversation stopped. The woman regarded him vigilantly, and gave a shaky nod in a show of friendliness.

There were many good dishes on the table, but no one moved their chopsticks.

“You’re here, sit down quickly, ba.” Seeing him coming, Yan Mingting stood up and pulled out a chair for him.

Zhao Yelan took a seat and looked at the woman calmly. After taking a bath, she had changed into a maid’s clothes and her whole person looked completely refreshed. It was only that her eyes still looked a little red. Yan Mingting comforted her: “It’s all right, wait until after dinner and we will discuss it and figure out a way.”

The woman nodded, but she didn’t have any appetite. She put down the bowl and chopsticks after two mouthfuls, apologized, and hurried back to her room.

Yan Mingting gazed in the direction she had left and sighed. When he turned back, he noticed Zhao Yelan’s gloomy gaze and made introductions: “Her name is Zuo Ran, a friend I met at the border.”

Oh, a friend at the border, ah. Hurrying all the way back to the capital, there must really be deep feelings.

Yan Mingting: “She also participated in combat, and she is as good at martial arts as Zhong Yuehong. But she didn’t want fame, so she didn’t go back to Beijing with us before, concealing her credit.”

Oh, a good woman who doesn’t care about fame and is also good at martial arts. She is the perfect match for you, ah.

Yan Mingting: “We met because she went out with her friend and encountered a team delivering military rations that was trapped, so she helped them and sent them to the front lines just in time, saving all of our lives.”

Oh, there was also a life debt, so shouldn’t it be repaid with gratitude?

Yan Mingting ate two mouthfuls of food in a hurry, and suddenly heard Zhao Yelan ask: “Does she like you, or do you like her?”

“Pfft –” Yan Mingting almost spit out the contents of his mouth. Caught off guard, he choked and beat his chest heavily.

“General! Zuo Ran is here? General, what is wrong with you!” As He Cuizhang rushed in, he continued to yell.

There were several other lieutenants who came as well.

Yan Mingting: “Cough, cough, cough, cough……”

He Cuizhang quickly smacked his back and beat his chest, which seemed to stop his coughing.

Yan Mingting took several sips of water before feeling his throat relax. He pointed to the courtyard door and said: “She is in the west wing.”

“Hey, why did this girl come here without saying a word? I’ll go see what is going on.” He Cuizhang disappeared like a wisp of smoke.

Yan Mingting was worried that he would say something without thinking and poke the person’s sensitive spot, so he had no choice but to bring the others to follow. Without knowing why, he turned back and explained to Zhao Yelan: “I’ll go see them first, and then I’ll come back and explain to you that she and I are just comrades-in-arms.”

Saying this, he disappeared from sight with the others.

After dinner, Zhao Yelan went to bathe before the people who had gone to the west wing came out, and lay down in bed, falling asleep early.

It was late at night when He Cuizhang left, and Yan Mingting returned to the room. It was pitch black, and he walked lightly to the side of the bed, calling: “Mengting, are you asleep?”

Zhao Yelan closed his eyes and did not reply.

Yan Mingting called again, but there was no response, so he went to lay down the bedding and fell asleep.

The bedroom was on the east side, separated from the west wing by a considerable distance. Zhao Yelan couldn’t help thinking: when would the girl move to the east side?

Perhaps because he was about to leave, all sorts of messy things kept appearing in his mind. He couldn’t fall asleep and couldn’t turn over without waking Yan Mingting.

That night, he slept and woke without being able to distinguish between reality and dreams.

There were several dreams on and off, but only the last one made an impression.

In the dream, Yan Mingting went on to take concubines less than a month after his “death,” and a couple of children were born within the year. A few years later, his grave was already covered with grass. Yan Mingting was there among a group of wives and concubines, and had brought his family members to pay homage to him in high spirits. He told the children that it was thanks to the early death of the person in the tomb that he could have so many children, and said that in the future, he would need those beautiful concubines to spread branches and leaves for the Yan family……

Zhao Yelan opened his eyes abruptly, stunned for a moment, and then threw off the blanket and got out of bed to kick Yan Mingting: “Get up!”

Yan Mingting let out an “ouch” and then opened his eyes in a daze. He looked at the dark night outside and asked: “What’s the matter?”

“It’s time to get up, get the hell out!” Zhao Yelan snapped.

Yan Mingting rubbed his eyes, yawning as he got up, and became happy again in a flash. Could it be that he wanted to follow the example of Kan Chuan’s wife and wake up early with him?

Zhao Yelan looked at the person who was suddenly washing and dressing with excitement, and his expression became even uglier: “You’re rather happy about getting the hell out.”

“Ah?” Yan Mingting unconsciously fixed his sword in place and went out in a daze. He turned back to the door after a moment and said in a low voice, “By the way, if I come back late, you help me keep an eye on Zhuo Ran and don’t let her run around alone.”

Look at this caring appearance!

Zhao Yelan gritted his teeth and bolted the door. He couldn’t sleep in the end. As soon as he closed his eyes, there was the scene of Yan Mingting taking his wives, concubines, and children to weed his grave, and he woke up angrily. He dragged Xiao Gao up from bed and went to the back courtyard to kill two chickens.

“My lord, why are you up so early, ah?” Housekeeper Qin took the chickens from Xiao Gao’s hands and brought them to the kitchen for extra lunch that day.

After handing them over to the kitchen, he felt that there were not enough chickens to kill, so he ordered a maid to go out and buy some juvenile chickens, otherwise the coop would be empty sooner or later.

During breakfast, the woman was invited out for a meal by Housekeeper Qin. After a night’s rest, her complexion looked much better, but her legs and feet were still a little awkward and she wobbled a bit when walking. When she saw him, she knew to say in greeting: “Zhao-daren, I have been looking forward to meeting you for a long time.”

“Let’s eat first.” Zhao Yelan nodded, gave her a cold look, and then watched her movements, only to find that she was also secretly looking back at him.

Caught off guard, they stared at each other and looked away in embarrassment at the same time.

Zuo Ran forced herself to eat a few more mouthfuls, then stood looking at the gate, asking the guards beside her: “When will the General return?”

The guard said it would be soon, and she stood guard at the door like a watchman, pacing back and forth.

Zhao Yelan took a deep breath, pretended to be calm, and continued to eat.

At this time, Housekeeper Qin made a cup of tea and called: “Zuo-guniang, the doctor said that your legs and knees are worn out, and you need to rest well. You must come in and sit while you wait, the General will be back soon.”

“What kind of tea are you making?” Zhao Yelan asked abruptly.

“My lord, have you forgotten? This is from the tree planted by the old lady herself ah,” Housekeeper Qin replied.

Very good, the tea from one’s own family, only served to distinguished guests.

Ever since Zhao Yelan set eyes on these tea leaves the second day after entering the door, he had never seen them again. Many guests had come to the General’s Mansion so far, and even Li Jinyu, the Prime Minister, had failed to drink a cup of this tea. Yet this girl of unknown origin could drink it.

He couldn’t finish his meal, so he put down his chopsticks and took Xiao Gao out to the Imperial Academy. When passing through the gate, Zuo Ran called out for Zhao-daren.

Zhao Yelan looked at her suspiciously, but she hesitated to speak, opening and closing her mouth several times before finally shaking her head and saying: “It’s nothing. Walk slowly, my lord.”

Before noon, Ruan Xian walked to Zhao Yelan’s side and wondered: “Zhao-xiong, you have been absent-minded. Is something wrong?”

Zhao Yelan stared blankly: “Nothing is wrong.”

“If nothing is wrong, what do you think you drew?” Ruan Xian pointed to the painting on his desk.

Zhao Yelan looked down, and there was a magnificent turtle on what was originally a map.

“……”

“Who are you drawing?” Ruan Xian joked. Not far away, Wang Guisheng came over at the sound, took a look, and laughed as well.

“You have nothing else to do?” Zhao Yelan cast a glance at the two of them.

“It’s time for lunch soon. If there is anything to do, it is to eat. Let’s go see what dishes are available today,” Ruan Xian said.

The Imperial Academy specially provided lunch, which was convenient for officials who lived far away and didn’t go home at noon. Those like Ruan Xian could also bring their own food. His wife cooked well, but the weather was hot these days. In order to prevent the food from spoiling, he didn’t bring a food box to flaunt in front of everyone.

There were naturally also officials who lived nearby, and they would rather go back than eat this lunch that always consisted of soup.

Zhao Yelan usually stayed, but he wouldn’t eat the food here and ordered Xiao Gao to bring some decent food from the restaurant outside. Only he could eat expensive and luxurious food. Others couldn’t envy him, and could only criticize him secretly.

“My lord, I’m here!” Xiao Gao called from where he stood outside the gate.

Zhao Yelan folded the turtle drawing and put it in his pocket, then went to pick up the food box. Seeing Xiao Gao turning to leave, he said at once: “Wait a moment.”

Xiao Gao stood there waiting for his orders, and Zhao Yelan turned around and handed the food box to Ruan Xian and Wang Guisheng: “I have to go back and do something, you can take this and eat it., ba.”

“How kind of you.” Ruan Xian took it with a smile, pressing Wang Guisheng’s head down and bowing. “Zhao-xiong, don’t worry, we will eat it all!”

Zhao Yelan left the Imperial Academy in a hurry, hired a sedan chair to go back to the General’s mansion, and shouted after a while: “Hurry up!”

The sedan chair soon arrived at the General’s Mansion, and as soon as it stopped, Zhao Yelan swiftly disembarked and straightened his clothes. Then he took Xiao Gao inside and pretended to act natural, just in time for the mansion to serve lunch.

The people who were talking stopped, and He Cuizhang called out: “Zhao-daren, you’re back.”

Yan Mingting, who was deep in discussion with Zuo Ran, paused and raised his head, saying joyfully: “Why did you suddenly come back?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at the way he and Zuo Ran were sitting together, whether it was intentional or not, and said calmly and collectedly: “I left a book in the study and came back to retrieve it.”

“So have you eaten? Do you want to stay and eat something?” Yan Mingting immediately ordered the servants to get another pair of bowls and chopsticks, and then drove He Cuizhang to the other side to make room for him.

As soon as Zhao Yelan sat down, he saw the braised rabbit head in the middle: “What is this?”

“Braised rabbit head,” He Cuizhang said. “Zuo Ran likes to eat this dish the most, she……”

Zhao Yelan stood abruptly, looked at them with a complicated expression, and then walked angrily toward the back courtyard.

“My lord, what’s wrong with him?” He Cuizhang was mystified. “Did I say the wrong thing just now?”

Yan Mingting looked at the rabbit meat on the table, seemed to have thought of something, and went to the back courtyard alone to find him. Sure enough, he saw him standing in front of the rabbit cage, staring at Hongshao, who was eating vegetable leaves.

“You didn’t think we were going to cook Hongshao, did you?” Yan Mingting asked with a laugh.

Zhao Yelan turned around and looked at him.

“How could this be? Who would dare to touch it without its father’s consent?” Yan Mingting teased, then tugged on his wrist and walked back to the main hall. “It’s hot outside, let’s eat first.”

As the two walked down the corridor, Zhao Yelan suddenly shook off his hand. Holding his arms proudly behind his back, he asked: “Who is that woman?”

“Zuo Ran, a friend I met on the battlefield……”

Zhao Yelan interrupted: “She came here specially to find you. Why is that?”

“This……involves her personal affairs, so it’s not convenient to go into detail with you,” Yan Mingting said vaguely.

“All right, I understand. The book has been found, I should go back to the Imperial Academy.” Zhao Yelan parted ways with him.

“Wait!” Yan Mingting immediately grabbed him. “I can’t tell you, but I can let her decide whether to tell you or not, okay?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyebrows, turned around, and walked to the main hall. He wanted to see what was going on.

When the two returned to the table, Zuo Ran’s brow was practically in a knot, and she asked Yan Mingting in a low voice: “General, can you help me with this matter? If not, I must head south today.”

“If you go alone, you will die. I’ll go south with you,” Yan Mingting replied. “It just so happened that early this morning, someone reported that a large number of bandits had appeared in the Jiangnan area, and the officers and soldiers were unable to arrest them. The Emperor just ordered me to suppress the bandits and try to enlist them. When the time comes, you will go with me to meet the magistrate of Huaizhou. He is a stubborn man, after all.”

“Thank you, General.” Zuo Ran was incredibly moved.

Zhao Yelan coughed twice before Yan Mingting said: “Zuo Ran, this is the Zhao Yelan whom I mentioned to you. You came back in a hurry, and you probably don’t know that Yuehong almost had an accident a while ago, right?”

“What happened?”

“I’ll tell it, I’ll tell it.” He Cuizhang took the lead and vividly told her about Zhong Yuehong almost entering the palace as a concubine. Listening to this, Zuo Ran would frown one moment and then rejoice the next, and finally looked at Zhao Yelan a little differently.

“He is the person I trust the most now,” Yan Mingting said to Zuo Ran, and Zhao Yelan glanced at him in surprise.

“If you can trust me, you can tell him about your situation. Maybe you will need his help to mediate. You also know that after I returned to Beijing, there were many differences between officialdom and the battlefield, and he is more suitable for handling such matters……” Yan Mingting said.

Zuo Ran nodded, bit her lower lip, and then looked earnestly at Zhao Yelan: “Zhao-daren, if you help me rescue Pinglu, then I, Zuo Ran, am willing to be at your service for the rest of my life. Mountains of daggers and seas of flames will not stop me!”

“Guniang is serious. Tell me, what happened?” Zhao Yelan’s expression remained unchanged.

Zuo Ran glanced around and said: “Can we go to the study?”

A handful of people wandered into the study room. Zuo Ran took another look at Yan Mingting and He Cuizhang and saw that they both trusted Zhao Yelan very much, so she said: “I have a good friend who is the daughter of the Magistrate of Huaizhou. In the early years, her family, had a marriage contract with a wealthy businessman from the south of the Yangtze river. That is, their son. The old lady wanted me to marry him as a concubine. I didn’t know what it meant to be a concubine at that time, but fortunately, I met my friend. She didn’t dislike my humble background, and taught me to read and write. She showed me how to be my own person instead of an obedient servant. Later, some things happened. I was about to escape from Huaizhou, and learned that she also had this plan. The two of us made an agreement to go out together to travel the rivers and lakes, to see the outside world……”

“Wait.” Zhao Yelan felt that this story was familiar. “That wealthy businessman’s name was Wang, correct? The gongzi that was burned to death by the fire girl?”

“How do you know?!” Zuo Ran looked astonished.

He Cuizhang was also shocked: “As expected of Zhao-daren, he can even calculate this much?!”

“……” Zhao Yelan glanced coolly at Yan Mingting. This was the “bedtime story” that caused him to have a nightmare!

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