HR Chapter 12
by VolareHis sister was the softest spot in his heart, yet Zhu Yan tirelessly recalled those memories.
“My sister was clever. Every time, she’d take a bunch of red string and tie it to every single branch, so the whole raspberry bush belonged to her. The other kids couldn’t eat any, so they’d ask her for some. Then she’d make them call her ‘Boss’ (boss), and they had to kneel down and kowtow three times before she’d give them any.” Zhu Yan laughed as he spoke, “My sister was the king of the kids in our village. She was also a great fighter. If I hadn’t taken her out to find our parents, she wouldn’t have died. Still the king, the sole owner of the raspberry bush.”
“Uncle, I like sour things too, they’re delicious. Look, I’m eating the raspberries you planted for your sister. If I die one day, will you plant a raspberry bush for me too?” Xiao Qi tilted his head to look at Zhu Yan standing above him, his eyes sparkling with laughter, red raspberry juice smeared around his lips, making it look like blood. Zhu Yan subconsciously said, “Xiao Qi won’t die. I’ll protect you.”
“Hehe, Uncle, you should still plant a raspberry bush for me. I want my own raspberry bush too.” Xiao Qi tossed a raspberry into his mouth and chewed. “That way, I can eat them whenever I want.”
Tired from picking, Xiao Qi sat cross-legged on the ground, eating a whole handful of raspberries. Zhu Yan watched, his teeth aching, and couldn’t help but advise him, “Eat a little less, your teeth will hurt terribly if they get too sour.”
Xiao Qi laughed nonchalantly, “How can I do that? I said I’d eat my fill. I can’t even feel anything in my stomach yet. I’m just treating raspberries as lunch. It’s worth it even if my teeth fall out.”
“Don’t eat so much that your stomach hurts. If I’d known you were going to eat like this, I wouldn’t have brought you here.” Zhu Yan was alarmed. Even if you like them, you shouldn’t waste raspberries like this.
“Uncle, you still haven’t agreed to plant a raspberry bush for me. Will you agree or not?” Xiao Qi was still thinking about the raspberry bush. Zhu Yan said helplessly, “Alright, alright, I’ll plant one for you next to it someday. Can you eat a little less then?”
“Okay, since Uncle agreed to plant a tree for me, I won’t eat anymore. Uncle, pick some more for me. I want to take them back and share them with Min Jia, Brother Bai Ze, and the others.” Xiao Qi clapped his hands, gathered the uneaten raspberries in his arms, and leaned back onto the grass, closing his eyes to feel the warm sunlight on his thin eyelids, like a seed deeply buried in the ground suddenly breaking through the soil and receiving the sun’s rays. The beautiful feeling made him feel as if this was a temporary luxury.
Zhu Yan responded and went to pick raspberries, carefully selecting the ripe ones. When he had picked enough and turned around, he saw that Xiao Qi was already asleep. The midday sun was a little strong, making Xiao Qi’s face flushed, and his clothes and face were warm. Zhu Yan touched his forehead, which was a little hotter than usual.
Zhu Yan had no intention of waking Xiao Qi. He took off his coat, gathered the raspberries in it, stuffed it into Xiao Qi’s arms, and carried Xiao Qi back to the villa.
Lu Qinyuan was sitting in a lounge chair in front of the house, drinking tea and talking to Mo Qiu beside him. When he saw Zhu Yan carrying Xiao Qi back, he turned his head. “Xiao Qi fell asleep? Give him to me.”
“Yes, Master Lu.” Zhu Yan carefully placed Xiao Qi into Lu Qinyuan’s open arms, grabbed the coat filled with raspberries in his hand. A plump, red fruit slipped out and fell into Xiao Qi’s neck. Lu Qinyuan reached in with two fingers to retrieve it, while instructing Zhu Yan, “Wash some and bring them over. Let Mo Qiu have a taste too.”
His fingers remained inside for a long time. The raspberry was being pushed further and further in, making it difficult to reach. Mo Qiu glanced at them, stood up, and said with a smile, “I’ll go with Second Brother. I haven’t had a good chat with him since I got back.”
“You guys have a good chat.” Lu Qinyuan finally retrieved the fallen fruit, which had been crushed and left some residue on Xiao Qi’s exposed skin. Xiao Qi’s skin was as delicate and fair as his face. A little pressure could leave a red mark.
Lu Qinyuan lowered his head and gently licked the red juice from Xiao Qi’s skin, then pecked him on the lips. He adjusted Xiao Qi’s position, letting Xiao Qi’s head rest on his chest, so that even in his sleep, he could hear his heartbeat.
He didn’t know when he had developed the habit of asking where Xiao Qi was whenever he couldn’t see him. When he learned that he had gone out with Zhu Yan, Lu Qinyuan was a little angry, not because he went out with Zhu Yan, but because he didn’t tell him. He wanted to know what Xiao Qi was doing, he wanted to keep Xiao Qi within his control.
Lu Qinyuan had been thinking of giving Xiao Qi a good lecture when he came back, to remind him not to forget his position as a dispensable Doll and that he was his master.
But who knew that Xiao Qi would fall asleep and be carried back by Zhu Yan? As soon as Lu Qinyuan took Xiao Qi from Zhu Yan’s arms, he had completely forgotten his original intentions, his heart and eyes filled only with Xiao Qi. He thought that Shu Xiu’s worries had become a reality, but he was enjoying it, even feeling satisfied and happy.
Sha Tang prepared a sumptuous dinner. After tonight, there would be a brief gathering before parting, and it would be difficult to meet again, or perhaps they would never meet again.
Xiao Qi’s teeth were aching from eating raspberries, so he could only watch the others feast while he held a bowl and drank porridge. Min Jia sat down next to him and said with a smile, “I’ll keep you company while you drink porridge.” He lowered his head, revealing a kiss mark on his collarbone that couldn’t be concealed, densely layered into an alluring red. Xiao Qi’s gaze lingered on it for a while. Min Jia noticed but only smiled, saying nothing.
When Min Jia sat down, his dog looked at him mournfully across the table. After a while, he suddenly got up and began to propose toasts, going around the circle until he reached Min Jia’s side. Min Jia lowered his head and drank his porridge, unmoved. Qi Yue nudged him with his elbow. “Jia Jia…”
He called out several times, but Min Jia still ignored him. Anxious, he pointed to the sky and swore, “I’ll never dare to do it again. I promise, Jia Jia, please forgive me, okay? Baby?”
It wasn’t the first or second time Qi Yue had gone crazy. Everyone was very calm, but Shu Xiu couldn’t stand it every time, gritting his teeth and yelling, “Qi Yue, go crazy somewhere else! It’s disgusting!”
Qi Yue shot a row of cold daggers with his eyes, then turned back with a face full of flattery. “It’s because I love you too much, Jia Jia. You have to understand me. We’re about to be separated. I’ll miss you even more when we’re apart. I feel terrible just thinking about it.” He secretly looked at Min Jia’s face, and when he saw Min Jia’s indifferent expression, he felt even more upset. He lowered his head and walked back like a wronged dog, but as soon as he took a step, Min Jia spoke. “Get me a bowl of porridge, oh, and Xiao Qi’s too.” He handed over two bowls.
Qi Yue happily took the bowls, first filled Xiao Qi’s and brought it over, then filled another bowl and personally handed it to Min Jia. “Jia Jia, eat more.” He obediently returned to his seat and sat down.
“What do you mean by toasting everyone but leaving me out?” Xiao Qi stirred the steaming porridge in his bowl with a spoon, glancing at Qi Yue sideways. “Am I not worthy of your toast?”
“I’m toasting others with wine, but I’m toasting you with porridge. It’s filling too, aren’t you satisfied?” Qi Yue raised his glass to Xiao Qi across the table. “Young Master Jian, cheers to you!”
Xiao Qi had already lowered his head, biting his spoon and eating his porridge little by little. Lu Qinyuan glanced at him. “Sulking for no reason, what a temper.”
Xiao Qi ignored everyone and just ate his porridge, continuing until dinner was over and everyone had dispersed. Xiao Qi was still sitting at the table, not moving.
“Who are you angry with?” Lu Qinyuan took the bowl from his hand and handed it to a servant, pulling him onto the sofa and holding him in his arms, pinching his chin and asking, “Tell me, who are you jealous of?”
“No one.” Xiao Qi shook his head in denial, dejectedly lowering his eyes.
Lu Qinyuan turned his chin and kissed his lips, hugging Xiao Qi tightly.
Moonlight squeezed in through the gap in the curtains, splitting a bright line in the thick darkness, piercing Xiao Qi’s eyes like a needle.
This was the first time he had woken up in his sleep without warning. Xiao Qi opened his eyes wide, staring at the blurry shadow of the crystal lamp on the ceiling, and sighed softly, lifting the blanket and walking out of the bedroom barefoot.
There was a night light in the hallway, its light dim. Xiao Qi walked silently like a cat, stopping at the staircase and listening, he heard the rapid breathing, extraordinarily thick and intense in the night.
Following the sound, Xiao Qi stopped in front of a guest room, leaned against the wall, and slowly sat down, hugging his knees.
The soundproof door couldn’t block the intermittent moans from inside, mixed with unbearable joy and urgency, frolicking like fish in water. The sound was suppressed and deep, sharp and high-pitched, painful endurance, desperate plea, unattainable, and unbearable when obtained. The feelings inside were like the bowl of eight-treasure porridge on the table, so thick that it was impossible to distinguish each ingredient.
“Qi Yue, are you trying to take my life!” The hoarse resistance, filled with crying, was helpless yet indulgent.
“Jia Jia, baby, I love you, I love you!” Accompanied by murmured sweet words, there was an even more unbearable sob.
Suddenly, a pair of hands passed through his knees. Xiao Qi returned to his senses in fear, looking into eyes as deep as water, with emotions he couldn’t understand in their depths, just like the lovemaking he couldn’t understand coming from the room. Xiao Qi obediently rested his head on Lu Qinyuan’s chest. He really didn’t understand.
“Why aren’t you sleeping? What are you doing out here, eavesdropping on people?” Lu Qinyuan carried him back, held him directly in his arms, rubbed his chin against Xiao Qi’s earlobe, and laughed softly, “Qi Yue used to have a first love. He loved this first love very, very much, but his first love liked Min Jia, following Min Jia like a little tail, very carefully. But Min Jia completely ignored him, rejecting all his advances. Qi Yue saw it and felt both distressed and helpless, so he decided to confess, but he was rejected. Encouraged by being confessed to, the first love also went to Min Jia to confess and was also rejected. He suffered a great blow and was hit by a car while crossing the road and died.”
“The person Qi Yue cared about was rejected, which was even more painful than being rejected himself. And his first love died because of it. Qi Yue couldn’t swallow this bitterness, so he started pursuing Min Jia. Min Jia wasn’t stupid. He played hard to get and hooked Qi Yue for three months, agreeing to be with him on Qi Yue’s birthday.”
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The above is all self-disclosure from the manuscript. Sensitive words will be modified one by one to avoid them later.