LGSG Chapter 23
by VolareAt the same time, Xia Ran was squatting in front of the white-haired youth, very nervous: “Are you alright?”
If he’s Mr. Xie’s brother…
If I hit him too hard, will it affect Mr. Xie’s impression of me? TAT!
“Xie He” came back to his senses from the surprise just now.
He slowly got up from the ground and whispered, “Thank you.”
Xia Ran: “…… Huh?”
Xia Ran cautiously took a step back.
Thinking to himself, is he really okay?
How could he thank me after being hit?
Seeing Xia Ran’s exaggerated reaction, “Xie He” knew that Xia Ran had misunderstood something.
As a soul fragment of the main body, certain memories and emotions were automatically triggered when he first saw Xia Ran.
It seems that the main body values this human very much.
“Xie He” sized up Xia Ran with his eyes that lacked highlights, and explained: “I was hanging up there just now. You saved me, so thank you.”
“I see, but I think I knocked you unconscious just now, right?” Xia Ran said, “Are you really okay?”
The white-haired youth showed an awkward, unfamiliar smile: “Judge the deed, not the intent.”
Xia Ran: “……”
Is that how you use it?
For some reason, he felt like he was seeing a bit of Mr. Xie.
Was Mr. Xie like this in his youth?
No, no, no, he should be even more handsome and elegant, perhaps a young master doted on by everyone?
The soul fragment sized up Xia Ran.
Although he sensed some emotions and memories, he didn’t personally experience them after all, so his feelings for Xia Ran weren’t that deep. But he was also indirectly influenced by the main body and didn’t have any negative emotions. More than anything, he felt curiosity.
Curious about what else was special about this person besides his face.
Even “Xie He” had to admit.
The main body’s taste has always been extremely high. Xia Ran’s appearance undeniably fell completely within his preferences.
But the main body shouldn’t be so… superficial, right?
Seven or eight-year-old Xie He hadn’t fully understood the ways of the world. Fifteen-year-old Xie He wore an ill-fitting mask, but his sharpness hadn’t been completely concealed. Nasty, mean, yet pretending to be hypocritically gentle.
When facing the beautiful but seemingly not-so-smart black-haired youth, those malicious thoughts instantly surged. Not malice of the destructive kind. Xie He, who had never mingled with peers like a normal person, didn’t know that this was just the only way the most childish age could explosively vent emotions.
The two of them were silent for a long time.
Xia Ran’s fingers landed on the small box containing the tea cakes, and his knuckles tapped the edge of the box, making a crisp sound.
“Since you’re okay, it’s getting late. You should go back early.”
This bamboo forest is kind of creepy.
Just now, Xia Ran was too scared and mistook the youth hanging on the tree for a dangerous bird or beast, which led to this misunderstanding.
“Xia Ran,” the youth spoke, “Aren’t you going to ask me why I was hanging on the tree?”
Such a mature and skilled question made Xia Ran subconsciously think: “What you want to do is your privacy.”
The youth drew out his voice: “Ah, I see.”
After he finished speaking, he waved at Xia Ran: “Goodbye, brother.”
The fog grew thicker and thicker. The white-haired youth took a few steps back and disappeared into the twilight.
Xia Ran held the box: “……”
The black-haired youth stared with dead fish eyes and looked around.
Ah, it seems like I forgot to ask for directions.
So how should I get back to the Bamboo Pavilion?
I should have asked a question just now.
The other party left so easily, he must know the way.
Xia Ran’s arm holding the box suddenly tightened a little.
That’s not right.
I don’t think I introduced myself, did I?
How did that youth know my name?
Twilight fell, and the fog was misty. The surroundings were quiet, which made Xia Ran’s heart inexplicably flutter.
Fortunately, soon, the sound of footsteps crushing fallen leaves came from afar.
A warm yellow hand-held lantern came into view.
It was Mr. Xie.
“I saw that you hadn’t returned for a long time,” Xie He held the lamp in front of him, and the light transitioned a layer of warmth between him and Xia Ran, “so I came out to look for you.”
Xia Ran sniffed and said in disbelief, “Mr. Xie?”
Xie He asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xia Ran hesitated.
He always felt that the youth’s identity might not be as simple as Mr. Xie initially said.
He had a bad feeling.
But Xia Ran wasn’t used to telling others about some overly profound thoughts. In reality, wild and unconstrained ideas would be laughed at and treated as a freak. Even though it was a game, another dimension in the virtual world, Xia Ran instinctively didn’t want Xie He to discover his unusual side.
I’ll just verify the answer myself.
I can’t rely on Mr. Xie for everything.
Xia Ran said vaguely, “Mr. Xie, I think I accidentally injured someone just now.”
Xie He said calmly: “Dead? It’s okay, I’ll help you dispose of the body.”
Xia Ran: “……”
Xia Ran stared straight at Xie He.
Xie He: “Just kidding.”
Xia Ran: “I knew it.”
But after being deliberately interrupted by Xie He, he stopped dwelling on that faint, suspicious feeling.
Xia Ran roughly explained why he was trapped here and the misunderstanding with the white-haired youth when he was trapped here.
Although he knew that he wouldn’t get an answer from Mr. Xie, Xia Ran still asked cautiously, “That youth looks very similar to Mr. Xie, could it be…”
Xie He smiled: “Yes.”
Xia Ran said softly: “Mr. Xie is fooling me again.”
Xie He: “If you want, he can also be our second child.”
Xia Ran: “……”
The outrageous rumors he had just heard from Shen Hua were now being said so vividly by Mr. Xie, who was smiling like a spring breeze.
The speaker didn’t mean anything, but the listener took it to heart, and Xia Ran’s cheeks flushed red.
“Wh…what second child…” Xia Ran said, “Isn’t that over already?”
Xie He: “Let’s go back quickly, the soup will get cold.”
Now it was night, and there were no players or NPCs on the Bamboo Garden side, so Xie He didn’t sit in a wheelchair to pretend to be a character anymore. He was wearing a plain long shirt, holding a lantern in his left hand, and some fireflies surrounded the light. As Xie He spoke, he took Xia Ran’s hand.
Before the black-haired youth could fully react, he led him out of the Bamboo Garden.
It wasn’t until they returned to the Bamboo Pavilion and Xia Ran sat down in a chair that he belatedly reacted.
He was distracted by Mr. Xie again!
They finished dinner.
The butler cleaned up the study with a mysterious smile and then exited, closing the door tightly.
Xie He watched quietly.
He probably knew who started the rumors about him and Xia Ran.
But it’s also good.
“I roughly cut out a shape, the details haven’t been done yet,” Xie He said, “Do you want to try it on?”
Xie He took out the red long shirt. It was in the style of a Tang suit. The collar had knotted buttons winding from the side to the waist. The deep red knotted buttons were like a bay of carp. The collar was a stand-up collar, and Xia Ran’s neck was slender and fair. After covering half of it, with the black hair over his shoulders as a backdrop, the bit of exposed skin appeared even more like smooth snow.
The design of the clothes obviously contained some personal preferences.
But the pure college student didn’t see it at all.
Xia Ran took the clothes, feeling flattered. He wondered if this could be considered a return gift from a game NPC after reaching a certain level of affection.
“Thank you, Mr. Xie!” Xia Ran said, “I’ll go change right away!”
He usually changed between shirts, casual sweatshirts, and even Chinese-style long shirts, depending on what clothes Xie He put in his closet the next day.
Today he was wearing ordinary staff uniform. A wide robe on the outside, with an undershirt and pants inside.
To try on this dress, it was clear that he only needed to take off the outer robe.
From the perspective of a modern person like Xia Ran, it was no different from a coat, just a bit longer. It’s not like he wasn’t wearing clothes underneath.
Therefore, Xia Ran naturally put his hand on the buttons, holding the new clothes in one hand and preparing to untie the outer robe in front of Xie He.
Slightly cold fingertips suddenly rested on Xia Ran’s wrist as he made his preparatory movements.
The smile on Xie He’s face faded slightly, revealing a hint of awkwardness.
“Wait a moment, I haven’t turned my back yet,” Xie He said.
Xia Ran: “0.0?”
The black-haired youth stared with innocent eyes, and several question marks popped up out of nowhere on his head.
“There’s no need, Mr. Xie,” Xia Ran said, “We’re both men, there’s no need to be so reserved, right?”
Xie He: “……”
He didn’t hear a single heartbeat.
This shows that this is indeed the youth’s single-minded, true thought.
The veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly.
Xie He thought expressionlessly, sometimes, being too stupid isn’t good either.
“If you’ve thought it through, then you can,” Xie He gave him a deep look.
Xia Ran: “……”
He hadn’t felt anything at first. But after being interrupted by Mr. Xie, everything seemed a little off.
Especially the way Mr. Xie looked seemed a little strange.
Why is he staring at me while I take off my clothes?
It almost made Xia Ran forget his next action.
Is he afraid that I won’t know how to wear clothes of this style?
Xia Ran said embarrassedly, “Why don’t you turn your back, Mr. Xie…”
Xie He hummed softly.
He turned around.
Xia Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
Mr. Xie is too oppressive when he doesn’t smile sometimes.
He quickly took off his outer robe and put it on the desk next to him.
Then he tried to put on the red shirt.
Xie He seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and reminded him gently, “There’s less fabric, I made it a bit more form-fitting. If you can’t put it on, you can take off the undershirt.”
Xia Ran: “Okay!”
Xia Ran held it in his hand and compared it to his body. He found that wearing the undershirt was indeed bulky.
He was now glad that Xie He had turned his back.
Otherwise, it would be too embarrassing to be so honest with each other.
Xia Ran quickly put on the new clothes to relieve this sense of shame.
But the more anxious he was, the more flustered he became.
Not long after, Xie He heard the youth’s slightly embarrassed voice.
“Mr. Xie, I think I buttoned the buttons wrong.”
Xie He turned around and found that Xia Ran had basically put it on, but was tightly covering his waist.
The youth was clearly very suitable for this bright color. His appearance was already intense, but he didn’t appear vulgar because of his temperament. After putting on the red shirt, he wasn’t ostentatious at all, but instead highlighted the most unique coldness in Xia Ran.
“Let me see,” Xie He said, sitting in his wheelchair and sliding to Xia Ran’s side.
The youth’s hands slowly moved away.
Because the buttons were complicated, a gap appeared where they were buttoned wrong, revealing a smooth waistline.
The red fabric clung to his skin, setting off a white expanse all around.
If it were someone else, this would have been considered a deliberate seduction.
But the person involved was actually unaware.
The flower viewed in the mist is the most evocative.
Xie He paused.
He said, “It might be a little complicated, you have to bear with it.”