HR Chapter 27

Still knows how to use chopsticks! Lu Qinyuan was both helpless and speechless, taking out two pairs of chopsticks, giving a pair to Xiao Qi. Xiao Qi took the chopsticks and started eating, telling him as he ate, “It’s really delicious, you should try it.”

Looking at the colorful concoction in the bowl, Lu Qinyuan had no appetite at all and couldn’t bring himself to use his chopsticks. Suddenly, he felt a warmth, a slice of thousand-layer tofu pressed against his lips. Xiao Qi looked at him with a smile, demonstrating, “Open your mouth, ah.”

Lu Qinyuan turned his head to dodge, pushing Xiao Qi’s hand away. Xiao Qi turned around and stuffed the thousand-layer tofu into his own mouth. Lu Qinyuan perked up, giving himself a boost, and picked up some greens with his chopsticks, putting them in his mouth. After chewing a couple of times, Xiao Qi looked at him expectantly, “How is it? How’s the taste?”

“Tastes like greens.” Lu Qinyuan answered truthfully. Xiao Qi bit the tip of his chopsticks, beaming with pride, “Hmm, not bad, not bad.”

Almost the entire pot of stew ended up in Lu Qinyuan’s stomach. It was the most disgusting meal he had ever eaten, having every flavor and yet no flavor at all.

After the meal, the two of them sat under the flower trellis, each holding a glass of iced plum juice to cool off. There wasn’t a breath of wind, and the heat made them sweat profusely. Lu Qinyuan wiped away beads of sweat, steaming with heat, but Xiao Qi was calm and collected, not a single drop of sweat on his forehead, feeling refreshed, as if they weren’t experiencing the same season.

Lu Qinyuan finished his plum juice and went to drink the remaining half of Xiao Qi’s glass. Xiao Qi suddenly looked up, his eyes fixed on the nearly empty plum juice in his hand. His gaze lingered for a few seconds, then he casually withdrew it, suddenly reciting, “It is said that marriages in this world are predetermined, and cannot be forced. If it is not a destined match, no matter how hard you scheme or how deceitful you are, it will never work out. But if it is a destined match, even if others obstruct it, even if others sow discord, it will still come together after being scattered, the dead will come back to life, and they will become husband and wife, like ‘Cui Hu Thirsts for Water,’ the dead will…”

“Don’t talk about the dead, I’ll make you come alive until you’re exhausted.” Lu Qinyuan abruptly interrupted, “Change the subject.”

Xiao Qi smiled slightly, calm and composed, casually flipping a few pages, and continued to read, “It is said that a life for a life is the biggest thing in the world, not to be taken lightly. Therefore, it is difficult to discern what is true from what is false. In truth, even if money can reach the heavens, and one escapes the law for the moment, heaven’s justice will not allow it, and one will inevitably be exposed unintentionally; in falsehood, even if there is severe torture and coercion, and witches remain silent, there will still be a day for defense. If, by mistake, the guilty die in prison, and the innocent lose their lives between shackles and saws, does the old man above have no eyes?”

“So the ancients said it well, the way is…” The rest of the words were blocked by his lips, his mouth filled with a sweet and sour breath. Lu Qinyuan bit and licked Xiao Qi’s lips, using one hand to snatch the book from his hand, “This book is no good, don’t read it.”

Xiao Qi tilted his head, his wet lips brushing against Lu Qinyuan’s, his words containing a smile, “The principle is still good.”

Lu Qinyuan pressed the glass, with a thin layer of plum juice remaining, against Xiao Qi’s face, staring into Xiao Qi’s eyes through the glass, and said, “You don’t need to say these words to ruin the atmosphere, I understand the principle.”

“Okay, I won’t say it anymore.” Xiao Qi bent his index finger and tapped the glass. Lu Qinyuan took the glass away and put it back on the table, reaching out to pinch Xiao Qi’s cheek, praising him with a low laugh, “Good boy.” His lower body temperature was as cool as ice in midsummer, making him want to pinch it a few more times.

Xiao Qi tilted his head to dodge, picking up the book on the table and holding it in front of him, tilting his head to reveal one eye, smiling at Lu Qinyuan, “There’s new wine in the cabinet, do you want to drink some?”

Of course he wanted to drink, Lu Qinyuan nodded, and Xiao Qi put the book on the table, the two of them switching battlefields.

One wall of the dining room was converted into a built-in wine cabinet, filled with all kinds of drinks, whether it was red wine, white wine, or soft drinks, in bottles, cans, or glasses. Even Sha Tang’s plum juice was mixed in, a few pitiful glasses squeezed into a pile of random drinks, but it didn’t seem out of place.

Cheng Ruoyu had complained that this wall was the only thing in the whole villa that was tasteless.

Lu Qinyuan took two tall glass cups, two cans of Sprite, and a bottle of Lafite that Sha Tang had recently added, placing them on the table. He also went to the kitchen to get a spoon, setting up the scene, “You take care of the food, I’ll take care of the drinks.”

As he spoke, he opened a can of Sprite, pouring half of it into a glass, pinching the back of the spoon and propping it against the mouth of the glass. The red wine fell into the glass through the spoon’s barrier, producing a chemical reaction with the Sprite, instantly dyeing a cup of rosy clouds. The red wine floated on top of the Sprite, gradually spreading from deep red to the bottom of the glass, very beautiful.

Lu Qinyuan pushed the glass over, “Red Sprite.”

Xiao Qi followed suit, mixing a glass and gifting it back to Lu Qinyuan. The two of them clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp. Xiao Qi then started mixing the second glass, watching the bright red wine bloom like a flower in the Sprite, smiling and saying, “Let me give it a name.”

“What should we call it?” Lu Qinyuan casually swirled the wine glass in his hand, waiting for Xiao Qi to finish mixing his own glass, clinking glasses, and taking another clean gulp. Xiao Qi licked his lips and said, “How about calling it ‘Child Sacrifice Blooming’?”

Lu Qinyuan turned around and brought four cans of Sprite, lining them up one by one, pouring Sprite into the glass while shaking his head. Xiao Qi, however, thought the name was quite good, nodding his head in satisfaction.

One glass after another, drinking most of the Lafite mixed with Sprite, a pile of empty cans had accumulated on the table, almost burying the two of them. Apart from taking a few trips to the toilet, neither of them was drunk, nor did they have any intention of stopping. They would occasionally chat about trivial matters, but they were all talking about their own things, not caring whether the other was listening.

Xiao Qi said, “Are you very idle? You’re the boss of the night, shouldn’t you be leading your little brothers to fight, seize territory, and conquer the world?”

Lu Qinyuan snorted coldly, “You talk about principles every day, is there anyone more sensible than you in the world? What’s the use of being sensible?”

Xiao Qi shook the wine in his glass, continuing the previous topic, “That’s right, with so many loyal and capable subordinates, you’re the most comfortable boss of all.”

Lu Qinyuan was a bit smug, “The more sensible you are, the more helpless you feel among the muddled crowd. Everyone is drunk and I’m sober, that feeling, humph.”

Xiao Qi drank a glass, covering his stomach and frowning, “No, I’m full again.”

Lu Qinyuan casually pointed, “Go quickly, come back and continue drinking.”

Xiao Qi stood up, leaning on the table, his body swaying slightly, a little drunk, his cheeks flushed with pink rouge, but his eyes were clear, his feet barely steady. He wobbled a few steps and then steadied himself.

Bai Ze dragged Sha Tang into the house right at mealtime, just as they were encountering Xiao Qi turning towards the kitchen. Sha Tang almost instinctively asked, “Hungry?”

Xiao Qi nodded slowly, continuing to walk towards the kitchen. After taking two steps, he remembered someone asking a question, and after thinking for a while, he said, “Peeing.”

Sha Tang almost choked on his breath, pointing to the kitchen and excitedly saying, “That’s the kitchen, it’s a place to eat, not a place for you to pee!” He repeatedly emphasized, “That’s the kitchen, the kitchen! The kitchen!”

Bai Ze held back his laughter and asked, “Did you drink? Are you drunk?”

“Not drunk.” Xiao Qi answered quickly. Bai Ze comforted Sha Tang, “He’s drunk, don’t argue with him, go cook, I still have to go out later.”

“Still have to go out, can your body handle it? Delegate things to your subordinates, don’t exhaust yourself.” Lu Qinyuan appeared behind Xiao Qi, holding a wine glass, one hand pressing on Xiao Qi’s shoulder to prevent him from moving forward. Xiao Qi turned his head and bit Lu Qinyuan’s hand, grinding his teeth, and spat it out with a “Pooh” sound. Lu Qinyuan cursed, calling him a little madman, but still kept his hand on Xiao Qi’s shoulder.

Bai Ze casually said, “It’s okay, if Master Lu is willing to work, I’ll arrange it for you.”

Lu Qinyuan waved his hand in refusal, handing the wine glass to Bai Ze, reaching out to grab Xiao Qi under the armpits and leaving. Bai Ze pinched the wine glass and took a look into the dining room, shocked by their magnificent achievements, wondering what kind of anger they had worked themselves into, never stopping for a moment.

Rolling up his sleeves to start cleaning, the entering servant stopped him, “Mr. Bai, let me do it, you go rest.”

Just as he was about to refuse, his phone suddenly rang. Looking at the caller ID, Bai Ze couldn’t help but smile, nodding apologetically to the servant, answering the phone and walking away, his tone relaxed, “What a coincidence, come back and eat fish, the fish tastes different when you’re not here, missing the right fire.”

Zhu Yan laughed heartily, his voice particularly bold, “Okay, I’m already at the door, come pick me up, there are too many things to carry, or you can call two people to come too.” He remembered that Bai Ze’s health wasn’t very good, and his luggage wasn’t heavy but the bag was big, it would take two people to lift it.

“You smelled the fishy smell and came back, wait for me.”

Bai Ze hung up the phone and went to greet the person. As soon as he walked to the screen wall, he heard the sound of tires rubbing against the ground outside the door. Walking out, he saw a military jeep parked in front of the door, a man in camouflage uniform leaning into the car to pull out luggage. A huge woven bag had already been thrown on the ground, looking bulging and full. Bai Ze first told people to carry the one on the ground in, and Zhu Yan threw two more big bags on the ground, making a loud “Bang bang” sound one after another. After pulling out all the luggage, Zhu Yan wiped away his sweat, closed the car door, and then looked at Bai Ze standing on the steps.

In the sweltering heat, Bai Ze was still wearing a crisp suit, wrapping himself up tightly, standing straight and upright, like a standard, smiling gently, his gaze soft, as if he had been waiting here to welcome his loved ones back, accepting him with an inclusive attitude.

The softest part of Zhu Yan’s heart was touched, his nose felt slightly sore, he rubbed his nose and opened his arms to hug Bai Ze, “Little Bai, your senior brother is back.” After hugging him, he let go, and the two sat on the steps chatting.

Zhu Yan was even darker than the last time he came back. Although he had never been fair, looking like a big black bear, this time he looked like a charcoal head, even darker. Bai Ze asked, “Where did you go, you’re tanned like charcoal, be careful Sha Sha doesn’t use you for charcoal burning.”

“I took a trip to Tibet, to experience the local customs and culture.” Zhu Yan said, taking off a string of beads he was wearing on his hand, pulling Bai Ze’s hand to put it on him, “I specially asked for it for you, to protect your health and safety, a lama has blessed it, don’t mind that I wore it, there were too many things to carry, I was afraid they’d get mixed up. It’s my thank-you gift to you.”

Some time ago, for Xiao Qi’s sake, Zhu Yan had unswervingly gone down a blind alley, constantly criticizing himself for not protecting Xiao Qi well, for letting Xiao Qi suffer. He wasn’t a good brother, and he also thought of his deceased sister, remorse and grief overwhelming him, crushing the tough guy to tears. Bai Ze had tried to persuade him for most of the night without effect, so he used his position for personal gain, ostensibly giving Zhu Yan work, but secretly giving him a vacation, letting him go play by himself, and come back whenever he figured things out. Unexpectedly, in just a few days, he ran to Tibet and was resurrected with full blood, congratulations.