TL: Hua
Chapter 88: Misunderstanding – So it was him!
In the private room, a red silk dance was underway. Pei Xiting walked past the back of the chairs to his seat.
“Why were you gone for so long…?” Zhao Yi, sitting next to him, turned to talk to Pei Xiting, but his gaze landed on Pei Xiting’s face, and he suddenly froze.
His look was one of shock. Pei Xiting asked, puzzled, “Is there something on my face?”
“N-no,” Zhao Yi stammered for some reason, his eyes darting away. “I just saw you were gone for a while and was worried you had an upset stomach.”
“Thank you for your concern. I’m fine. But you,” Pei Xiting leaned closer to Zhao Yi, his eyes full of suspicion, “why are you suddenly blushing?”
Zhao Yi looked at Pei Xiting again. The latter’s expression was puzzled, but his skin was flushed, a blush that seemed to seep from within. His eyes were full of a certain vibrancy, and his eyelashes were still damp.
Zhao Yi wasn’t the only one who noticed something was wrong; he was just the most honest one in the room. Mei Xiu waved away the servant girl who was feeding him wine and walked over to Pei Xiting. He leaned in, examining him for a few moments. “What were you doing just now?”
Pei Xiting said, “The toilet.”
“You did that in the toilet? Aren’t you bothered by the smell?” Mei Xiu clicked his tongue in disapproval. “We’re not strangers. If you liked someone, you could have just had them come here to serve you.”
Pei Xiting suddenly realized what they were thinking and didn’t say a word.
“Look at your lips,” Mei Xiu said with a hint of jealousy. “I’m genuinely impressed you can get that passionate in a toilet.”
Pei Xiting’s face was naturally fair with rosy lips and white teeth, so any mark was especially noticeable. Now his beautiful, rosy lips were swollen, and the area around them was faintly red. Anyone who had been with someone intimately could tell at a glance that he had been passionately kissing someone!
A wine glass “splat” landed on the floor and shattered. The servant girl didn’t dare make a sound, nor did she dare look at the suddenly furious Young Marquis Shangguan. She quickly called someone to come and clean up.
Shangguan Jie stared intently at Pei Xiting’s face. He could see that not only had Pei Xiting been intimate with someone, but he had also been deeply moved. This emotion was hidden in Pei Xiting’s skin, his brows, his eyes—every part of him—and it was undeniable and everywhere!
Who could it be?
In an instant, everyone remembered that Pei Xiting had followed You Zong out. With looks of ferocity, amusement, confusion, and shock, the emotions in the private room were a tangled mess, and for a while, no one spoke.
The musician, in his nervousness, played a wrong note. Only Qu Zhao and Zong Rui noticed. Qu Zhao smiled and clinked his glass with Zong Rui’s.
Zong Rui pulled Qing Lingling, who was standing nearby, into his arms. “One fool makes a whole nest of them.”
“He and…” Qing Lingling murmured. “How did I not realize?”
You Zong was the commander of the Longhe Division and a trusted confidant of the Crown Prince. Everyone at court was wary of him. It was true that he could keep Shangguan Jie in check. So that night Pei Xiting went to the Mei manor; it wasn’t for anyone else but You Zong! They had made a deal that night, which was why Pei Xiting had suddenly joined the Longhe Division and received protection. Tonight, You Zong’s presence wasn’t because Qu Zhao had dragged him along or out of respect for Mei Xiu, but for a tryst with Pei Xiting!
“That’s it,” Qing Lingling said, convincing himself. “So that’s how it is.”
Seeing this, Zong Rui knew Qing Lingling had the wrong idea and just shook his head. Instead, he thought of someone else.
The Crown Prince was extremely reserved and composed. If he wanted to keep this relationship a secret, he wouldn’t have let Pei Xiting come back with such a telling expression. But Pei Xiting had returned so openly that everyone could see something was different, and yet he himself seemed completely oblivious.
Zong Rui glanced at the three people who were staring intently at Pei Xiting, and he just smiled to himself.
Zhao Fan remembered that when Pei Xiting came to Ningzhou, he was accompanied by a guard from the Longhe Division named Fu Shan. Did You Zong send this person to accompany him for official business, or was it mixed with personal motives?
“Xiting, why didn’t Lord You come back?” Zhao Fan broke the silence, looking at Pei Xiting with a deep gaze.
Pei Xiting said, “Lord You is busy with official business. He just received a message that he had to deal with something and had to leave. He didn’t have time to come back and say his goodbyes to everyone. Please don’t be offended.”
He was thinking that he couldn’t talk about Huo Yue’s matter, so it was only right for him to explain on behalf of his superior. However, his words were interpreted very differently by everyone else:
First, Pei Xiting and You Zong had indeed been together after they left. Otherwise, how would he know that You Zong had received a message?
Second, Pei Xiting and You Zong’s relationship was unusual. Otherwise, why would he explain and apologize on his behalf instead of just saying, “I don’t know”?
It was confirmed!
Pei Jintang gasped, leaning back in his chair, not daring to say or ask anything. He and Zhao Yi looked at each other in the strange atmosphere, both recalling how Pei Xiting had actually been honest with them when they bought that male romance novel in the bookstore, but they hadn’t dared to think too deeply about it.
Looking back now, maybe Pei Xiting and You Zong already had this kind of relationship back then!
Walking down the street, You Zong suddenly sneezed.
Yu Shaoyun, walking beside him, kept his eyes fixed on Zong Suiyang ahead and teased, “One sneeze means someone is thinking of you; two means someone is cursing you. Someone is thinking—”
Before he could finish, You Zong sneezed again.
Yu Shaoyun said, “—and cursing you.”
You Zong sneezed a third time.
Yu Shaoyun sighed. “Lots of people are cursing you at the same time.”
Zong Suiyang turned to look at You Zong as he turned a corner. Seeing that You Zong’s expression was normal and he didn’t seem to have caught a cold, he said nothing.
You Zong was not at all concerned about who was cursing him. He said, “Huo Yue is dead. Doesn’t that mean the lead on Fifth Young Master Zong is gone?”
They had previously suspected an alliance between Zong An and Huo Yue and planned to use a long leash to catch a big fish. Now that Huo Yue was dead, the lead was gone. Zong An was, after all, a king’s son, and they couldn’t be certain with just the word of a single person like Zhang Dazhuang.
“One fish has died, but there’s another. No need to rush,” Zong Suiyang said, turning to look at the garden on the water in the distance, deep in thought, but saying nothing more.
He got into his carriage and told You Zong to go back first. You Zong bowed and took his leave. Yu Shaoyun walked over to the carriage window. “Are you waiting for Pei-wenshu to go back to the palace together?”
“Is there a problem?” Zong Suiyang asked.
“Of course not,” Yu Shaoyun said. “But why didn’t you just have Pei-wenshu leave with us earlier?”
Zong Suiyang opened a memorial. “He wanted to have fun. Why would I take him back so early?”
Yu Shaoyun smiled. “Didn’t you find those few people unpleasant to be around?”
Zong Suiyang was noncommittal. “Now, it’s they who are feeling unpleasant.”
Yu Shaoyun didn’t quite understand and didn’t disturb His Highness from reading the memorial again. He just instructed someone to go in and keep an eye out and to bring Pei-wenshu over when he came out.
Zong Suiyang waited for two hours. Pei Xiting, who had been drinking, climbed into the carriage a little unsteadily, lay down in his arms, and whispered, “If you had told me you were waiting outside, I wouldn’t have stayed so late.”
“It’s fine. I have to read memorials in the palace anyway.” Zong Suiyang stroked Pei Xiting’s flushed cheeks, looking down at him. As he watched, Pei Xiting propped himself up, holding Zong Suiyang’s face, and asked, “Hey, are you a little unhappy?”
Zong Suiyang said, “I don’t know how to say it.”
Pei Xiting said, “Just tell me the truth. Say what you’re thinking.”
“My intellect tells me I shouldn’t restrict your freedom, interfere with your lifestyle, or let our changed relationship force you to change your life,” Zong Suiyang said, his voice soft as he looked into Pei Xiting’s watery eyes. “But I spend half of my day forcing myself to be rational.”
Pei Xiting, looking a little silly, asked, “What do you think about when you’re not rational?”
Zong Suiyang looked at Pei Xiting, slowly wrapping his arm around his waist, not allowing him to escape or run. Then he confessed in a tone of negotiation, “For twelve hours a day, I hope you are always in my line of sight, that you only look at me and only think of me.”
Pei Xiting scratched his face. “How can I make that happen for you?”
“Perhaps,” Zong Suiyang said, rubbing Pei Xiting’s nose, his voice gentle, as if trying to entice him, “I could turn you into an idiot, so you’d only stare at me all day; would that be good?”
Pei Xiting was a little rattled, but he didn’t fall for it completely. He said, “If I’m not smart anymore, you won’t like me.”
“It seems you’re not that drunk if you’re still worried about these things.” Zong Suiyang stroked Pei Xiting’s stomach. “Does it hurt?”
“Not really.” Pei Xiting rested his head on Zong Suiyang’s shoulder. “I eat your food and drink your wine every day, completely defenseless. You can’t take advantage of me; that’s not right.”
“I won’t,” Zong Suiyang said.
Pei Xiting cautiously asked, “Are you being rational right now?”
Zong Suiyang thought for a moment. “Still mostly rational.”
“That’s a very conservative answer,” Pei Xiting said, not trusting him. He reached for Zong Suiyang’s hand, forcing him to make a pinky promise. “A gentleman’s word is worth a thousand pieces of gold. You can’t turn me into an idiot.”
Zong Suiyang looked at him, his phoenix eyes full of laughter. He said slowly, “Being a little silly is quite cute, too.”
Pei Xiting pouted at this. He rested his head on Zong Suiyang’s shoulder and started wailing, crying for miles without a single tear. Zong Suiyang couldn’t help but laugh. He hugged him and patted his back to calm him down. “I’m just teasing you.”
“I know,” Pei Xiting said, immediately stopping his crying. He turned to pour himself some tea, but in his dizziness, he couldn’t get the tea stove to work. He just held the teacup and looked at Zong Suiyang with eager eyes.
Zong Suiyang reached for the teapot and poured Pei Xiting a little less than half a cup. After Pei Xiting had slurped it down, he poured him another half-cup. He had realized that every time Pei Xiting drank wine, especially in the evening, he became a little different—more likely to act cute and seek attention. Although the little fox wasn’t always well-behaved, at these times he was more vulnerable.
“Every time I drink, especially at night, I feel like my emotions are overflowing and I’m very sensitive. Of course, I don’t show it when I’m with others,” Pei Xiting said, putting down the teacup and hugging Zong Suiyang’s arm. “Will you be annoyed by me?”
Zong Suiyang put the tea stove back in its place. “Why would I be annoyed with you?”
“We’re both old foxes, so why play games?” Pei Xiting pouted. “Will you look at me like I’m an idiot? When you like me, you’ll think I’m cute, but when you don’t, you’ll think I’m being overdramatic and inconsiderate?”
Zong Suiyang felt he couldn’t just gloss over this topic. He patted Pei Xiting’s back and said, “Did the Huo Yue incident scare you?”
“I didn’t see it with my own eyes, so what is there to be scared of?” Pei Xiting scratched his face. “I just suddenly started thinking about it…”
“Do you know what that’s called?” Zong Suiyang asked.
Pei Xiting shook his head obediently.
Zong Suiyang held the drunken little fox, his hot cheek against his, and said patiently, “That’s called being afraid of losing what you have.”
“Oh…” Pei Xiting nodded, deep in thought.
Zong Suiyang untied Pei Xiting’s belt to let him breathe. “Have you felt wronged in any way lately? You can tell me everything; don’t bottle it up.”
“Nothing to be wronged about, except that I still haven’t received a letter from Yuan Fang,” Pei Xiting said.
Zong Suiyang calculated the travel time. “It should arrive in no more than three days.”
“If you say so, I’ll believe it,” Pei Xiting said. “By the way, in the private room just now, they all noticed I was kissing someone.”
“It wasn’t a secret,” Zong Suiyang said. “Are we not allowed to kiss?”
“Okay, my mistake. They noticed that we were openly and naturally kissing,” Pei Xiting corrected himself, then added, “Will they secretly investigate who I was kissing?”
Zong Suiyang’s hand went under Pei Xiting’s outer robe and held him through his inner clothes. “Who are ‘they’?”
“Young Marquis Shangguan, Prince Zhao, and Fifth Young Master Zong,” Pei Xiting said mysteriously. “They are all eyeing ‘me’.”
The little fox was being surprisingly honest. Zong Suiyang said, “Then won’t it be very exciting when they discover it was me?”
Pei Xiting giggled. “Oh, right. My ‘hugging a big thigh’ plan was a success.”
“Hugging a big thigh,” Zong Suiyang teased. “You only hug my thigh when you’re doing that kind of thing, and you pick and twist it.”
That thing—Pei Xiting’s brain slowly processed the meaning. Ah, it was the thing where he knelt and ate the big sausage.
He glanced at Zong Suiyang with a cold and beautiful look. “How dare you bring that up?”
Zong Suiyang raised an eyebrow. “Why shouldn’t I?”
“You have something you didn’t tell me about! Confess!” Pei Xiting smacked the small table and poked Zong Suiyang’s nose with his finger. “I’m giving you a chance now. Be honest, or I won’t let you off!”
Zong Suiyang was puzzled. What had he not told Pei Xiting about when it came to that kind of thing?
The little fox’s eyes were glistening, and he was glaring fiercely, as if he would pounce and tear him to shreds if he lied or hid anything. Zong Suiyang didn’t dare to resist directly. After a moment of thought, he “confessed” tentatively, “You asked me if I liked deep-throating. I said it was alright, but that was a lie. I like it very much; I love it.”
Pei Xiting’s eyes widened. “?”
No, big brother, is that what I’m asking about?
Pei Xiting said, “You’re sick!”
“I’m just being honest—confessing what’s in my heart and not hiding anything, just as you taught me.” Zong Suiyang pinched Pei Xiting’s cheek. “Xiting, why are you scolding me?”
Pei Xiting struggled out with muffled noises and held Zong Suiyang’s arm. “Who’s scolding you? I said, ‘You have a sickness’.”
“You…” Zong Suiyang paused. A light dawned on him as he looked at Pei Xiting’s determined eyes. He clicked his tongue. “Did you go through my things?”
Pei Xiting said defensively, “Who went through your things?”
He then turned the accusation back on him. “Don’t try to change the subject and point the finger at the person asking the question!”
Zong Suiyang slapped Pei Xiting on his right buttock. Pei Xiting jumped up and fought back against the “tyranny” with his hands and feet. In the chaos, he grabbed his own belt and tied Zong Suiyang’s wrists together, saying fiercely, “Talk!”
The little fox’s hair was disheveled, and his clothes were a mess as he sat on his lap. When Zong Suiyang bent his knees, Pei Xiting was forced to tumble forward and hit his chest.
“Ow, my nose!” Pei Xiting cried, clutching his nose and getting up. Seeing that Zong Suiyang dared to laugh, he grabbed his beautiful, mischievous face and rubbed it vigorously, saying menacingly, “Talk! Talk! Talk!”
“Alright… alright,” Zong Suiyang said, tilting his head back to avoid him. “I’ll talk.”
There was always a hint of laughter in Zong Suiyang’s voice; he was playing along and trying to make him happy. Pei Xiting knew this but pretended to be serious, watching the man with his arms crossed.
“I am indeed sick, and as for what kind of sickness,” Zong Suiyang said, looking at Pei Xiting and coaxing him, “Xiting, come closer.”
Any closer and he’d be sitting on the “root” of the problem. Pei Xiting felt a little tingly inside, but he held the end of the belt on Zong Suiyang’s wrist and said coldly, “You have to listen to me now.”
Zong Suiyang put on a pleading expression but said, “Come closer, and I’ll tell you.”
Pei Xiting didn’t move. He took it upon himself to elevate this standoff into a critical battle for family status and dominance, seriously warning himself: lust is a sharp blade; you must not lose your long-term position in the family for a moment of temptation…
Zong Suiyang leaned in closer. Pei Xiting’s heart skipped a beat, and he couldn’t stay serious anymore. Zong Suiyang rubbed his nose against Pei Xiting’s cheek and chin. “Tingting.”
Pei Xiting shuddered. He almost fell backward, but an arm easily pulled him back. Zong Suiyang leaned in again and coaxed, “Baby, come a little closer.”
“You…” Pei Xiting looked at him as if he’d seen a ghost. “Who taught you that!”
“You did.”
“Me?”
Zong Suiyang looked at him with the eyes of a man who had been cheated on. “You call me that when you grab me for hugs and kisses in the morning.”
Pei Xiting said suspiciously, “Did I?”
“I swear it,” Zong Suiyang said, his tone suddenly shifting. “But you, following your logic, have to explain to me who taught you that?”
“Even if I haven’t eaten pork, I’ve seen pigs run,” Pei Xiting said. “Isn’t it normal to say something mushy when you’re in love? Some people who’ve had too many exes—too many people they’ve dated before—are afraid of accidentally calling out the wrong name when they’re drunk or groggy, so they just use general terms like ‘baby’ or ‘sweetheart.’ Since it’s not a specific name, who knows who you’re talking about?”
Zong Suiyang said, “Oh.”
Pei Xiting sighed, feeling he had talked too much. “I swear, I’m not that kind of person.”
Zong Suiyang didn’t respond but said, “Baby.”
Pei Xiting grumbled, “So annoying,” and abruptly moved forward, not looking at Zong Suiyang. Zong Suiyang laughed. “Don’t break it.”
This devil is so serious even when he’s being dirty. Pei Xiting thought to himself. “Then you must not be very durable.”
Zong Suiyang raised an eyebrow. “Who’s not durable?”
Pei Xiting’s butt landed in his hand, and he shivered. He suddenly realized and looked down. His belt had been untied by Zong Suiyang at some point and was now lying wrinkled on the floor.
“You…” Pei Xiting didn’t have a chance to say anything else. Zong Suiyang held his waist and kissed him. The kiss was dominant and profound, not aggressive but full of possessiveness, just like Zong Suiyang himself. Pei Xiting was immersed in it, unable to pull away.
The tea stove fell, making a loud sound. Yu Shaoyun’s hand, holding the reins, trembled. A map of Yejing quickly appeared in his mind, and he instantly changed his route, choosing a less crowded, quieter road.
The carriage walls couldn’t completely muffle the sounds, especially not to Yu Shaoyun, whose hearing was much more acute than an average person’s. But as a guard, he couldn’t plug his ears. The carriage wall was hit, and Pei Xiting made a sound—it was unclear if it was from pain or pleasure, or a combination of both—but it was huskier than usual, with a very seductive quality.
“Baby, not so loud. We’re outside.”
Zong Suiyang was coaxing him, his voice low and muffled, mixed with the sounds of kissing. Yu Shaoyun could hear the sound of passion and was secretly sighing when he heard Zong Suiyang’s voice from inside.
“Shaoyun, stop the carriage nearby, and everyone retreat three zhangs.”
Yu Shaoyun answered and, while looking for a suitable place for “indecency,” muttered to himself: When you’re out and about, who makes all the guards and hidden guards retreat three zhangs away? For a beautiful companion, His Highness doesn’t even care about his own safety!
Sigh.
Yu Shaoyun, sighing to himself, quickly chose a wide alley with no houses to stop the carriage. He dismounted and gave a signal for the hidden guards to retreat three zhangs and redeploy and for the guards to stand watch at the ends of the alley. Otherwise, people would be spreading stories of “public indecency” tomorrow!
Yu Shaoyun quickly looked around, chose a suitable spot, and continued to diligently perform his guard duties, watching the carriage. This was good; he didn’t have to listen to the embarrassing things the couple were saying. But his relief was short-lived when he noticed the carriage start to rock steadily and evenly.
Well, now.
Yu Shaoyun was dumbfounded but quickly accepted it, standing against the wall and staring at the carriage.
Zong Suiyang didn’t care for extravagant displays, and his usual carriage was not as large and luxurious as those of some noble families. But the horses were top-notch steeds, veterans of battle, and were not easily startled. Yu Shaoyun watched the carriage’s rocking motion gradually speed up, and the noises grew louder. Suddenly, a crack appeared in the carriage window, and Pei Xiting’s hand reached out, as if trying to escape or call for help, tightly gripping the window ledge. The veins on his fair hand were bulging, a very lustful sight, but in an instant, it was seized by a larger hand. The palm covered the back of his hand; their fingers intertwined, rubbed, and finally locked tightly together.
The window was not closed again. Pei Xiting leaned his head back against the window ledge, receiving Zong Suiyang’s deep kiss. Yu Shaoyun saw their hair tangled together and Zong Suiyang’s shoulder, with its old scars, pressed assertively against Pei Xiting.
The sounds eventually ceased after a long while. When Yu Shaoyun moved, he found his legs were numb from standing still. He cleared his throat and limped back to the carriage, grabbed the reins, and turned back toward the East Palace.
The inside of the carriage was a mess. Pei Xiting was nestled in Zong Suiyang’s arms, his body completely limp and exhausted. He took a breath and coughed, choked by the rich scent.
Zong Suiyang was afraid that opening the window more would make Pei Xiting catch a cold, so he wrapped a blanket around him and patted his back to help him breathe.
Pei Xiting’s eyelids and lips were red. His whole body was like a ripened flower, one bite away from bursting with juice. He looked at Zong Suiyang with half-closed eyes, his gaze like a hook. Zong Suiyang suddenly bent down again and kissed him passionately.
When Zong Suiyang released him, Pei Xiting snuggled back into his arms, satisfied, and fell asleep.
The carriage smoothly rolled out of the alley and onto a dark, quiet road, gradually disappearing into the night. Shangguan Jie appeared, his brow furrowed as he stared down the road. “That’s not You Zong’s carriage.”
“Perhaps it’s a diversion,” the guard said.
Do You Zong and Pei Xiting need a diversion? If they did, why would You Zong allow them to be seen and create suspicion about their relationship? Shangguan Jie even suspected that You Zong had done it on purpose—a silent declaration of his ownership.
Shangguan Jie’s expression was grim. “Go and find out whose carriage that is.”
…i love them and their dirty talk and lovemaking scenes which aren’t graphic but actually are, ya know what i mean? ｡◕ ᴗ ◕｡
poor yu shaoyun lmao have to deal with his horny boss and his seductive wife 😭😭😭