HR Chapter 45

Lu Qinyuan had imagined countless scenes of reuniting with Xiao Qi, but he never expected it would be like this.

As soon as he stepped into Tail Street, Lu Qinyuan sensed that something was off. Tail Street was an exception in the red-light district. No matter day or night, people were always picking fights and brawling there; it was a very lively place. But now, Tail Street was unusually quiet. The ground was no longer stained with dark brown bloodstains, as if someone had cleaned it.

Faint cheers came from ahead. Lu Qinyuan quickened his pace and saw Xiao Qi, whom he had been longing for day and night. However, the Xiao Qi before him was quite different from the one he knew before.

Xiao Qi sat at the table, one hand holding down a bowl, calm and collected. The surrounding noise didn’t affect him at all. He had a smile on his lips, his expression firm and confident. His short, ear-length hair made him look even more heroic.

Sitting opposite Xiao Qi was a red-haired young man, also holding down a bowl, shouting loudly, “Seventh Master, don’t go back on your word if you lose!”

The people standing behind Xiao Qi laughed loudly, “Dream on! Win Seventh Master first!”

“Alright, not only guaranteeing a kiss, but also a warm bed,” Xiao Qi’s voice was like sunlight breaking through the clouds, exceptionally clear amidst the laughter. “Provided you win me. Stop talking nonsense, open!”

With Xiao Qi’s shout, the two simultaneously lifted the bowls in front of them. Instantly, the cheers reached another peak. The red-haired youth even jumped onto the table, twisting his waist and stomping his feet wildly. The reason was simple: Xiao Qi had lost.

Xiao Qi raised his hand, and the voices immediately quieted down. The red-haired youth jumped directly from the table to in front of Xiao Qi. His head, flushed with excitement, cooled down, but the thought of winning against Seventh Master made him a little excited again. He licked his lips, asking in disbelief, “Seventh Master, does the bet still count?”

“Yes! Guarantee a kiss, and a warm bed!” Xiao Qi’s voice was bright, and he leaned forward.

Just as the red-haired youth was about to stretch his head forward, something suddenly smashed between them. Although the force was great, it didn’t hurt. Looking at the ground, they saw that it was a doll that had been thrown: a Totoro plushie, grinning happily.

The red-haired youth was very annoyed, and the people around him were also regretful, shouting, “Who doesn’t want to live! Looking for a fight!”

Lu Qinyuan slowly walked over: “Winning guarantees a kiss and a warm bed?”

The red-haired youth immediately felt threatened, and said loudly, “I’ve already won!”

Lu Qinyuan asked, “Then if I win you, your bet will be mine, right?”

The red-haired youth didn’t speak. Someone next to him answered for him, “That’s right! The bet goes back to the original winner if you lose!”

“I challenge you!” Lu Qinyuan walked to the table and placed the dice cup on the table. The red-haired youth cherished the hard-won bet. Just as he was about to refuse, someone reminded him, “Refusing means giving up the challenge, which means automatically admitting defeat!”

“Where did this kid come from? Doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth!”

“Scorpion, compete with him, show him what you’ve got!”

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, and the red-haired youth’s fighting spirit was aroused. He walked to the other side of the table and raised his hand to Lu Qinyuan: “Please!”

The two shook the dice simultaneously. The red-haired youth was also an expert. His wrist strength was steady, and his movements were stable. He quickly made a few rounds and slammed the bowl on the table. Compared to the red-haired youth, Lu Qinyuan’s movements were simple, shaking it lightly back and forth, as if cooperating with the red-haired youth. He slammed the bowl on the table almost at the same time as the red-haired youth.

As soon as he slammed it down, Lu Qinyuan immediately lifted the bowl. A full house. The red-haired youth’s hand on the bowl tightened unwillingly, then slowly relaxed. He let out a breath and said, “I lost.”

The crowd let out a sigh.

The red-haired youth quickly cheered up and lifted the bowl. Four of a kind. The crowd was even more disappointed.

Lu Qinyuan asked unhurriedly, “Guarantee a kiss, and a warm bed?”

Xiao Qi nodded, “Yes!”

Lu Qinyuan reached out and touched his short, ear-length hair. The touch under his hand was still smooth. He gently pressed down a few unruly strands of hair, pinched Xiao Qi’s ear, and tugged it gently: “I’m here to take you home. But, please cash out the bet for me first, Seventh Master.”

The crowd wasn’t stupid. As soon as they heard it, they knew there was something going on. One person pointed to a shop behind him: “Seventh Master lives here, it’s very convenient!”

Lu Qinyuan gave Xiao Qi a meaningful look and pulled Xiao Qi’s hand towards the shop. The shop was also an ordinary small storefront, with business downstairs and living quarters upstairs. Xiao Qi was temporarily living here.

As soon as they went upstairs, Lu Qinyuan picked up Xiao Qi, kicked the door open, and closed the door in one go.

After a long separation, their reunion was naturally filled with passion. By the time the two were exhausted, it was already afternoon. Lu Qinyuan embraced Xiao Qi tenderly. Xiao Qi was so tired that he squinted his eyes and let Lu Qinyuan be affectionate.

Lu Qinyuan touched Xiao Qi’s hair and kissed him on the nose: “You’re even more alluring with short hair.”

Xiao Qi glared unhappily. Lu Qinyuan kissed his eyes again and said softly, “Don’t glare, you’ll steal my soul.”

Xiao Qi reached out and hugged Lu Qinyuan’s neck, boldly returned the kiss, and said in a soft voice, “It’s so good that you could come, A-Lu.”

“You have to change your habit of speaking in riddles. Can’t you just say what you want to say properly?” Lu Qinyuan pinched Xiao Qi’s chin and turned it towards himself: “You’ve lost weight.”

Xiao Qi smiled and said, “You understand me like I understand you. You must have guessed…”

Lu Qinyuan’s heart stirred: “What if I didn’t guess?”

Xiao Qi curled the corners of his lips and smiled slightly: “But you did guess.”

If he hadn’t guessed, the two of them would still be like this. Lu Qinyuan didn’t dare to delve deeper. Delving deeper would hurt. Lu Qinyuan wasn’t afraid of being sad, but no one would be stupid enough to rub salt into their wounds.

Lu Qinyuan asked him about what happened after they separated. Xiao Qi said, “As soon as I separated from you, I was targeted. I was like a rat crossing the street, chased everywhere. I was exhausted.”

“More exhausting than making love?” Lu Qinyuan teased, “Using yourself as a commodity, you’ll lose everything in one game.”

Xiao Qi sighed, “I’ve never lost before. As soon as you came, I lost.”

Lu Qinyuan asked, “You don’t want me to come?”

“I’ve been looking forward to you like the stars and the moon. Your little uncle is really something. He was afraid you wouldn’t find me, so he directly detained me here. I’ve been hanging around with them playing games.” Xiao Qi leaned in Lu Qinyuan’s arms and squinted his eyes, looking very comfortable. He glanced at Lu Qinyuan and said casually, “I don’t play those kinds of bets. Who would want to play with me? If I offered that kind of bet, who would dare to win me? Even if they won, who would dare to sleep with me? Even if I offered it to them for free, they wouldn’t dare. They cherish their lives.”

Lu Qinyuan thought about it and it made sense. Xiao Qi was smart, even ten Su Nan couldn’t compare. But he said, “It’s hard to guarantee you won’t meet someone who’s blinded by lust. What if you lose and go back on your word? Speaking of which, Seventh Master is quite impressive!”

“If I was going to go back on my word, I wouldn’t be here now.” Xiao Qi chuckled twice. “Seventh Master is just a nickname. It can’t compare to your awesomeness, Lu. You’re the real master.”

Lu Qinyuan said, “But no matter how awesome I am, I’m still being played around by Seventh Master.”

Xiao Qi was as well-behaved as a lazy cat, but sharp-tongued and unforgiving, immediately retorted, “I wouldn’t dare. I remember your teachings, Lu. I’m your doll, your accessory.”

Lu Qinyuan’s heart felt like it had been scratched hard by a cat’s paw, hasty and painful. His voice unconsciously turned cold: “It’s rare that you still remember. I thought you were having so much fun that you forgot your identity.” He stood up by the bed, looking coldly at Xiao Qi: “Say what you just said again and let me hear it.”

Xiao Qi crawled up, facing Lu Qinyuan, kneeling on the bed, looking down, and said in a low voice, “You told me to remember. It’s not right to remember, and it’s not right not to remember. What do you want me to remember?”

“Aren’t you very smart? Can’t you understand?” Lu Qinyuan snorted: “You don’t want to be human, you insist on being something that’s not human, you…” Lu Qinyuan swallowed the curse, feeling angry to death.

Xiao Qi raised his head, looked at Lu Qinyuan with fire in his eyes, and said sincerely, “It’s so good to have met you.”

The fire in Lu Qinyuan’s heart immediately died down. He touched the short hair beside his ear and asked, “Why did you cut it so short?”

Xiao Qi tugged at his hair, thought for a while, and sighed in disappointment, “I wanted to shave it all off, but the sister in the shop wouldn’t let me, saying it would be a pity. It’s just hair, it’ll grow back, what’s the pity? It’s better than being threatened by having your hair pulled.”

Lu Qinyuan chuckled: “If you become a little monk, how will you warm my bed? You have such a long memory, why don’t you remember some good things about me?”

Xiao Qi raised his chin: “I remember everything.” Then he asked, “Lu, when are we leaving?”

“Anxious?” Lu Qinyuan put an arm around Xiao Qi’s waist: “If you can stand up, we’ll leave now.”

Xiao Qi turned around and threw himself into Lu Qinyuan’s arms, rubbing against him ingratiatingly: “Carry me.”

Xiao Qi’s voice was originally extremely pleasant to hear. At this time, the lingering charm after the lovemaking was still there, slightly hoarse,Beautiful with a hint of anger, like a feather gently stirring up ripples in the heart lake. Lu Qinyuan hugged Xiao Qi back and asked in a low voice, “I don’t know if my understanding of the meaning is the same as yours? Which kind of hug do you want?”

Xiao Qi hugged Lu Qinyuan’s waist tightly, indicating: “This kind.”

Lu Qinyuan was generous: “I’ll spare you this time, don’t do it again.”

After getting dressed, the two went downstairs one after the other. Xiao Qi was in front. As soon as they went downstairs, they were noticed by everyone. The gazes were blatant and intense. Xiao Qi had never experienced this kind of thing before, it was simply undisguised visual rape, and he couldn’t help but blush. He hurriedly found a small corner to sit down, too embarrassed to even raise his head.

As soon as Lu Qinyuan came down, everyone stood up and bowed, “Lu!”

Lu Qinyuan waved his hand repeatedly and said kindly, “Don’t call me that. Your Second Master Qu will be angry if he hears it. I’m not your boss, you don’t have to be afraid of me.”

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time felt that Lu Qinyuan was different from the Weak Yama King in the rumors. But with his reputation outside, no one dared to underestimate Lu, who now looked friendly and kind.

Sitting next to Xiao Qi, his tall body blocked Xiao Qi tightly. Lu Qinyuan chuckled in a low voice: “So it’s all just lip service?”

Xiao Qi blushed and retorted, “Don’t you know whether it’s lip service or not!”

Lu Qinyuan was flipping through the thin two-page menu, slowly saying in a low voice: “I know it too well.” He pointed to several dish names on the menu and said to the waiter standing by, “I don’t want anything I ordered. Just bring whatever is easy, our Seventh Master is in a hurry.”

The people who had been gambling with Xiao Qi were almost all sitting in the shop. Hearing what Lu Qinyuan said, they realized he was leaving, and they felt a little reluctant: “Seventh Master, aren’t you staying for a couple of days? You haven’t taught us how to shake the dice yet.”

Someone was unwilling: “I haven’t won you even once. At least let me win once.”

One person laughed: “If you stay, we’re willing to be your underlings.”