ABRIWMTHM Chapter 98

After finishing two movies, everyone returned to their rooms satisfied and went to sleep.

Upstairs, Chi Yao carried Shi Xing into the bathroom. Shi Xing was so drowsy that he could barely keep his eyes open. Chi Yao squeezed toothpaste onto an electric toothbrush and put it in his mouth, watching him brush his teeth with eyes barely open. He fed him water, watched him spit it out, and then placed Shi Xing in the bathtub to let him wash himself first.

Both rooms were in disarray, and the housekeeping robots needed to be set up. If they left this for Xu Jin and Yan Changyue tomorrow, Chi Yao wouldn’t mind much, but Shi Xing would likely avoid seeing people.

After setting up the master bedroom, Chi Yao turned on the lights in Shi Xing’s room and finally got a good look at it.

Hmm, it was indeed carefully arranged.

He returned the water solution to the master bedroom.

Chi Yao also had the robots collect the scented candles into their room.

After tidying up everything, he initially planned to leave, but remembering something, he stepped back into Shi Xing’s bathroom and, as expected, made some new discoveries.

At the edge of the bathtub, Chi Yao discovered a basin of bath petals.

Each petal had a tiny logo on it. After scanning it with his communicator, a list of ingredients and a usage guide appeared. The raw material was rose, and once submerged in water, the rippling waves would create a dazzling dreamy effect…

Chi Yao glanced at the manufacturer once more, then casually took the basin of petals with him as he exited.

When he left the master bedroom, the housekeeping robots were already set up. Upon returning, he found that the sheets and pillowcases had all been changed, and the robots were preparing to take Shi Xing’s set of pajamas to wash.

Chi Yao set it to be hand-washed. The pajama pants were only cut along the seams with mental power, and the fabric was unharmed.

He quite liked this piece of clothing. Shi Xing would still fit into it and could use it even after the maturity period, but by then… he should be able to enjoy it fully.

Upon entering the bathroom, he discovered that Shi Xing had, unbeknownst to him, fallen asleep.

Chi Yao flipped his hand and poured the petals into the bathtub, activating the cleaning mode. Shi Xing lay in one corner of the tub, the red petals against his white skin, and the water gently rippling, refracting the sheen of diamonds—beautiful yet not garish.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Chi Yao untied his bathrobe and stepped into the bathtub.

……

When Shi Xing emerged from the bathroom, he felt like he was going to die.

Rubbing his eyes, he was extremely sleepy.

His mind was too muddled to be clear.

But the lingering pleasure in his body was real, exciting his nerves, preventing him from closing his eyes.

Shi Xing rolled onto the bed, unhappy, “I’m not injured, don’t check next time, and don’t take it as an opportunity to do other things while checking.”

Chi Yao shamelessly replied, “Not comfortable?”

Shi Xing’s cheeks and neck flushed a deep red like the sunset, and he hummed a couple of times but ultimately did not deny it.

When Chi Yao turned off the lights, inhaling the similar scent of the body wash on both of them, it almost lulled him to sleep. Suddenly, Shi Xing woke with a start, remembering something, and went to check how much mental power Chi Yao had left. Just as he released his mental power, Chi Yao stopped him.

“Rest, I’ll answer you.”

“Not much left, just the bottom, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Oh, okay.”

Shi Xing pulled at Chi Yao’s collar. Hearing this, his tense nerves slowly relaxed.

Realizing something, Chi Yao asked him, “Are you very nervous?”

Shi Xing shook his head, then nodded. Though he didn’t speak, Chi Yao understood his meaning; he was probably just worried about himself.

Shi Xing felt a bit guilty again, muttering, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have brought it up.”

He had made the prince busy, serving him the whole time.

Chi Yao laughed and rubbed his face against Shi Xing’s, causing Shi Xing to lean back, brow furrowing, “You’re shameless.”

Shi Xing felt a little shy while at the same time feeling that Chi Yao was particularly lively at this moment.

Until Chi Yao said, “As for what’s lacking, it’s fine; we can keep a tab.”

In a low voice, he added, “You can pay me back slowly after your maturity period.”

Shi Xing: “……”

Shi Xing turned over, facing away from Chi Yao. Chi Yao laughed again, not annoyed, and hugged Shi Xing from behind. Shi Xing pushed back twice, and finally, the excitement in his body had dissipated. He leaned against Chi Yao’s heartbeat and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Xu Jin immediately checked the communicator.

The energy barrier had been lifted, just in time for morning.

After some thought, Xu Jin still sent a message to Chi Yao, asking if they needed to clean up.

Chi Yao had a regular routine and replied quickly, [Just let Xu Shu come up and check.]

[As for anything left messy in Xing Xing’s room, just tidy up his drawer.]

After a while, he added, [Oh right, he’s shy, no need to tell him.]

Xu Jin sensed the implication regarding last night and didn’t say more. After agreeing to Chi Yao’s request, he informed Chi Yao of Fei Chu’s suggestion, received Chi Yao’s answer, and conveyed it to Fei Chu.

This morning, Xu Jin had sent Yan Changyue away. While Shi Xing was still asleep, he inspected various areas with a critical eye as a guard, ensuring that outsiders wouldn’t find anything unusual. After informing Chi Yao, he quietly left.

Chi Yao got up late and sat in the living room browsing the Star Network when Er Ya walked past.

Just as she was about to walk by, she suddenly sensed something and stopped, turning back.

Chi Yao looked up at Er Ya, and she looked back at him.

Suddenly, Er Ya smiled, a playful grin, “How rare, this is the first time I’ve seen your mental power drop below half, right?”

Chi Yao nodded, took a sip of water, and remained unfazed.

Er Ya pondered for a moment, thinking to remind him about something, but just as she began to speak, Chi Yao straightforwardly said, “Don’t worry, after the maturity period, I’ve already planned for it.”

Er Ya: “Xing Xing suggested it?”

Chi Yao didn’t even raise his eyes, “I suggested it.”

Er Ya sighed, a bit awed. Then, thinking of something, she felt a bit emotional, “He really likes you.”

Chi Yao said nothing, but the corners of his mouth turned upward.

Er Ya didn’t like to be burdensome and after finishing her thoughts, she left without any sentimentality.

Perhaps because she had seen the best form of love, Er Ya even felt no jealousy. It was as if it were just a regular matter in daily life; she understood it, it was over, and even if she could jokingly tease during the moment, afterward, it wouldn’t weigh on her mind.

Shi Xing showed his face at noon, yawning throughout the meal, clearly lacking sleep.

Fei Chu expressed concern, “See, I told you, you can’t just follow him around handling political affairs. You’re a Blue Star human, unlike his imperial physique. You should relax; you know you’re tired, right? Don’t overdo it next time.”

Shi Xing couldn’t say much and could only nod.

Fei Chu didn’t stop at just one comment, and he kept talking, causing Shi Xing’s ears to turn slightly red. Suddenly, Er Ya knocked on the bowl, “Do you want the last Star Lake crab? If you don’t want it, I’ll take it.”

Fei Chu then realized he had lost ground and hurriedly pushed the crab into his own bowl, thanking Er Ya.

Chi Yao pressed his temple, feeling that his cousin was probably hopeless.

God only knows, out of the four crabs, he had picked one for Shi Xing, one for Fu Qing, one for Xu Shu, and Er Ya hadn’t even touched one. The signs… forget it, let him live alone and grow old.

After lunch, Fei Chu, Er Ya, Fu Qing, Bi Zhou, and even Yan Changyue went out to play, bustling at the harvest festival market, planning to eat some specialty snacks from the imperial capital. Before leaving, they asked everyone what they liked who hadn’t gone, promising to bring back what everyone had requested amidst the crowd.

In the afternoon, wanting Shi Xing to move around a bit, Chi Yao pulled Shi Xing to relax in the living room.

When Xu Jin brought over a plate of fruit, observing the screen during yesterday’s movie, Chi Yao remained seated, focused and calm, while Shi Xing had unknowingly fallen asleep on his lap. To let him sleep better, Chi Yao had thoughtfully removed the devices buzzing near Shi Xing’s ears.

After putting down the fruit platter, Chi Yao then had Xu Jin fetch a blanket.

Once the blanket was spread over them, Shi Xing rolled over, snuggling closer to Chi Yao, somewhat hazily muttering a question that seemed to indicate he was waking up.

Chi Yao covered Shi Xing’s ears, saying, “It’s nothing, just continue sleeping if you’re tired; it’s no bother.”

Shi Xing fell back asleep, and Xu Jin watched this scene with some emotions.

Walking away, he secretly snapped a photo and sent it to a retired officer with whom he had worked years ago.

Naturally, that officer had grown up watching Chi Yao and treated him like his own child.

The other party felt gratified upon seeing it.

Xu Jin sighed, [I wonder when His Majesty plans to have children.]

[Also wondering if I can witness it during my tenure.]

[Of course, first and foremost, respect their choices; children are not easy to raise.]

An old friend replied with a laugh: [First, there’s His Majesty, then Prince Bi Zhou. You haven’t had enough of raising, so why not take a few years to rest once things lighten up, without too much stress?]

Xu Jin laughed, “You’re right.”

The conversation shifted, and the two began discussing their current lives.

In the evening, Fei Chu and the others returned, bringing Shi Xing some spicy shell shrimp.

Having brought back plenty of movies earlier, Chi Yao and Shi Xing joined in watching films that night. The table was filled with snacks Fei Chu brought back, and Chi Yao and Shi Xing occupied a sofa together. Chi Yao peeled the shell shrimp, feeding every piece into Shi Xing’s mouth instead of eating any himself.

Fei Chu initially felt envious when he first glanced, then felt it was mushy on the second glance, and by the third glance, he received a comment from Chi Yao.

His cousin overly remarked, “If you want to eat, do it yourself; don’t take from what I peeled; don’t compete with Xing Xing.”

Fei Chu was quite touched and sincerely asked, “Do you still remember I’m your cousin?”

Chi Yao didn’t take the bait, “If I didn’t remember, I wouldn’t have covered for you when your aunt called to urge you to come home for a matchmaking arrangement.”

Fei Chu fell defeated and turned to watch the movie.

Shi Xing completely missed the subtlety between the two, feeling only that the garlic shrimp was fragrant, truly fragrant!

As Yao Star and Can Star shifted orbits, the daylight extended, yet the temperature wouldn’t rise, and snowfall timelines increased.

Before the new year, Shi Xing enjoyed several days of carefree living, aside from the mandatory visits representing the royal family to different corps and significant bureaucratic duties, delivering New Year’s goods. With Xu Jin, Yan Changyue, and Chi Yao indulging him, the weight he lost during the diplomatic phase was regained, and he slimmed down again, moving closer to youthfulness.

During holidays, Shi Xing didn’t want to waste his medical resources, and after discussing with Chi Yao, he opened family slots for officers and senior bureaucrats of the First Army. Anyone like Shu Ning, whose family had inherent mental disorders, could be brought to the palace to seek Shi Xing’s assistance before the new year.

These conditions were usually not difficult to treat; at most, he treated about four patients in one afternoon.

Knowing Ren Yan Yong had a slot, his close relatives also sought Shi Xing’s help. Ren Yan Yong felt quite embarrassed, wandering around the palace for two or three days without Shi Xing noticing his intentions until Chi Yao caught on… Finally, breaking through the metaphorical window paper, Ren Yan Yong managed to bring his relatives over.

When departing, he first violated the Elders Council’s emphasis on thrift, inexplicably gathering three beast cores, which made Chi Yao suspicious of issues regarding Ren Yan Yong’s work ethic due to his noted integrity.

Shi Xing received the cores with joy.

Actually, when Ren Yan Yong was teaching him, he had no complaints about the old council member. Those who couldn’t move past their pride were always just Ren Yan Yong himself.

As one aged, it became increasingly wretched to seek pride.

Later, Wei Zhen sought Shi Xing’s help too, but that was another story.

During the New Year event, Shi Xing quickly received over thirty medical beast cores, which he was very satisfied with.

On the day of the festival, they went to the royal mausoleum first to pay respects, kept the vigil through the night, and Shi Xing had maintained good daily habits lately, able to follow along.

In the afternoon, considering his race, everyone let him sleep for a few hours before dinner called.

When the clock struck midnight in the imperial capital, the group went to Central Park to set off fireworks per Bi Zhou’s request.

These were not holographic images but the old-fashioned type, made from burning materials.

Fireworks that left traces in the air.

During the day, the imperial capital had already released several hundred high-altitude smoke purifiers to mitigate the fireworks’ impact on the environment at night.

Bi Zhou lit one.

For the largest one, everyone collectively decided that Shi Xing would go to light it.

Dressed warmly, Shi Xing rolled over to light it and ran back to where everyone was standing, laughing as Chi Yao caught him, adjusting his messy hat.

As the fireworks rose, a vibrant scene was painted in the sky.

Fei Chu shouted loudly, making wishes.

Shi Xing joined in making one too.

He hoped that every year to come would be like this year.

On the way back, Er Ya took out some snacks and Shi Xing, Bi Zhou, and she enjoyed them happily.

Before bed, they stood by the window and watched the fireworks toward Central Park for a while.

With the resounding chime of the clock, Shi Xing suddenly realized that his life had completely transformed compared to a year ago.

God turned the world upside down.

Having been reborn, his life was going quite well.

Of course, there were some new troubles, like the prince’s mental sea issues and the forthcoming maturity period, which seemed to appear even more challenging for him this time around.

But he loved his new life.

“What wish did you make?” Chi Yao asked him.

“Can I say it?”

Chi Yao replied, “You can tell me secretly.”

Knowing the other party was being playful, Shi Xing still spoke up; he didn’t want to refuse the prince at such a moment.

“I hope that every year in the future can be like this year.”

Before Chi Yao could ask again, Shi Xing suddenly hugged Chi Yao, muttering, “Your Highness, I’ve realized I really like you.”

“I really like you.”

“I’m afraid I can’t leave anymore.”

Chi Yao’s heart softened, and he gently patted Shi Xing’s back, “You are my partner.”

“Naturally, you must always be with me.”

If he wanted to leave, he would not agree to that.