Chapter 118
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“My legs…” Xue Yao’s mind raced as he embraced Lu Qian. “My legs feel numb, so I need his support while moving.”
Lu Qian turned sharply, his eyes sharp as blades. “Numb legs? Any lingering effects?”
Xue Yao turned awkwardly. “Lingering effects? What do you mean?”
Lu Qian informed the little reader-in-waiting about the possibility of paralysis after the acupoint was unlocked with a silver needle.
“There’s no such lingering effect.” A’Zhu explained to these two suspicious men. “Master Chen’s silver needle only induces a half-day sleep. There’s no side effect. He just wanted to invite you here.”
“……” Did this mean his Long Aotian had fallen into a trap?
Xue Yao nervously glanced at Lu Qian.
Lu Qian stared coldly at A’Zhu. “Do you want to hear the story of Houyi shooting the suns?”
Xue Yao: “……”
Oh no, Lu Qian started actively changing the topic! He was obviously embarrassed about falling for the trick!
The scammer had run into big trouble!
In the novel, Prince Ning occasionally slipped up, always diverting others’ attention and swiftly dealing with opponents in private, pretending as if nothing happened!
“Houyi… shooting the suns?” A’Zhu looked puzzled, turning her head to the maid with questioning eyes, silently asking: Is this some kind of secret code?
The maid, with an “I don’t understand, but it seems dangerous” expression, signaled to her mistress to retreat quickly.
“We won’t disturb you two any longer,” A’Zhu responded graciously.
“No disturbance at all!” Xue Yao quickly showed goodwill. “Feel free to drop by anytime.”
A’Zhu breathed a sigh of relief, gratefully lifting a bright smile toward Xue Yao. “Really?”
“Not really,” Lu Qian said coldly.
A’Zhu’s smile froze on her lips.
Xue Yao hurriedly reassured, “Really, really! He’s just teasing you!”
A’Zhu, grateful once again, smiled at Xue Yao. “By the way, Young Master hasn’t told me your name yet?”
Xue Yao: “I……”
【Lu Qian’s sense of security -1】
“…I won’t tell you!” Xue Yao’s gentle smile suddenly twisted, his expression turning fierce as he scolded the young girl!
【Lu Qian’s sense of security +1】
The smile vanished from A’Zhu’s face completely!
It turned into a look of grievance.
In the end, Xue Yao bid farewell to A’Zhu in this mischievous manner.
“I’m truly disappointed in Your Highness.” Watching A’Zhu leave, Xue Yao felt disheartened. “Back when the Crown Prince went to Jiangnan for grain collection, he was liked by all the girls wherever he went. Your Highness should reflect on himself.”
Eldest Brother?
Lu Qian glanced at the little reader-in-waiting.
【Tyrant’s acid level 26%】
Acid level?
Xue Yao turned to look at Lu Qian in bewilderment. “Just because I talked to her a bit? You don’t engage in serious conversation with her, so of course, I have to help you keep her!”
What was there to be sour about? Too petty!
Lu Qian squinted at the little reader-in-waiting, languidly and slowly saying, “Do you really enjoy collecting grain with Eldest Brother?”
“The main point isn’t about collecting grain at all!” Xue Yao wanted to teach Lu Qian the basic etiquette of wooing a girl, but considering his own experience, imparting techniques in hormonal attraction to someone who, in the novel, gathered fans wherever he went, seemed unreasonable. He could only swallow his words.
“I don’t want to deal with Your Highness anymore!” Deflated, Xue Yao turned around and flopped onto the bed.
Two knocks on the door echoed from outside, followed by a servant in black entering, placing a food box on the table, swiftly serving the meal without a word, then leaving.
“Did they bring food?!” Xue Yao, eyes gleaming with hunger, immediately jumped off the bed.
The two brothers walked to the table, lowering their heads to see two bowls of white rice, a plate of pickled vegetables, and a chicken leg.
“They’re trying to starve your grandpa to death,” Lu Qian said, eyeing the frugal meal with a murderous look.
Xue Yao bent down, pulled out a small stool, sat quietly at the table, arranged bowls and chopsticks for both himself and His Highness, then placed the pickled vegetables in front of him and the chicken leg into His Highness’ bowl. He looked up at Lu Qian and said, “Dig in.”
Lu Qian looked at him. “Aren’t you eating the chicken leg?”
“I…” Xue Yao gulped. “I have no appetite. Your Highness, please eat. If the taste isn’t good and you can’t finish, I’ll handle it for you.”
Lu Qian remained silent, turned away, opened the door, and pointed towards the roof to the north, “You, come down.”
Xue Yao watched in confusion as Lu Qian spoke to the empty air.
Soon, a person in black descended from mid-air, glaring menacingly at Lu Qian. “What do you want?”
Perhaps not wanting the little reader-in-waiting to witness his less graceful side, Lu Qian strode forward, crossed the threshold, and, with a backward sweep, closed the door. He coldly stared at the black-clad figure before him.
Unable to see what was happening outside, Xue Yao lowered his head and started eating.
Accompanied by a few pitiful pickled vegetables, he finished a bowl of rice and yawned.
There must be anesthesia on those silver needles. Xue Yao felt drowsy again. After eating, he returned to bed for a short nap.
When Lu Qian entered with three chicken legs, Xue Yao was already fast asleep.
His Highness had no choice but to eat alone.
After finishing, the little reader-in-waiting still hadn’t woken up.
“Yaoyao.” Lu Qian bent down, grabbing a small tuft of the little reader-in-waiting’s hair, giving it a shake.
Xue Yao grabbed his head, looking bewildered as he sat up. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
“The food is getting cold. Get up and eat.”
“Food? Didn’t we finish eating?” Xue Yao turned his head in confusion toward the table, only to discover a piece of chicken leg still sitting there!
After a brief moment of puzzlement, Xue Yao’s eyes welled up. He looked at the thoughtful and considerate cub in disbelief!
Touched and stunned, Xue Yao couldn’t help but choke up a bit as he asked the cub, “Did Your Highness leave this chicken leg for me?!”
Lu Qian, who had just finished eating three chicken legs, was momentarily stunned. His tea-colored pupils turned slightly under long lashes. He looked somewhat guilty as he glanced at the little reader-in-waiting. In a low and slightly trembling voice, he replied, “Yes…”
“Your Highness!!” Overwhelmed with emotion, Xue Yao hugged Lu Qian tightly and rubbed his cheek against his. “I shouldn’t have said those things earlier. In fact, compared to the Crown Prince, I prefer being with you…”
【Lu Qian’s sense of security +9】
Extremely moved, Xue Yao finished the chicken leg and then practiced flirting games with His Highness, making him thoroughly enjoy the time.
Thinking that Miss A’Zhu must have given up on Lu Qian, unexpectedly, the progress of the tyrant’s fluttering heart quest kept rising throughout the afternoon, reaching 17% by evening!
Truly weird. Perhaps that girl was a masochist, enjoying when Lu Qian showed her attitude, and the more she thought about it, the more excited she got?
Harmonious companionship continued until evening.
Xue Yao accidentally discovered three bones placed side by side under the table. Squatting down for a closer look, he realized they seemed to be chicken leg bones?
“Your Highness, are these three bones chicken leg bones?” Xue Yao asked with suspicion.
Lu Qian, as if unaware, glanced casually under the table and nonchalantly replied, “Perhaps.”
“Why would there be three chicken bones under the table?” Xue Yao’s eyes gleamed with Sherlock Holmes-like scrutiny.
“Left behind by the previously imprisoned individuals,” His Highness attempted to mislead the little reader-in-waiting.
“But the oil on the bones hasn’t dried yet, and this room seems quite humid.” Xue Yao stared with a death ray at the now uncooperative little rebel.
Lu Qian, expressionless, teased the little reader-in-waiting, “Maybe they used milk masks with Yaoyao.”
Blushing, Xue Yao jumped up. “I was just trying to cheer up Miss A’Zhu! I never applied a face mask!”
“Does cheering her up work?” Lu Qian stepped forward, leaning down to remind the little reader-in-waiting, “She won’t release you. Only your grandpa can get you out.”
“I cheered her up for you!”
Drawing out his words, Lu Qian mockingly said, “Ohhh—?”
“I did. Just to let you experience the joys of love! Your Highness has always been childish, mischievous troublemaker since childhood. Didn’t I always have to step in and fix things? If you upset Miss A’Zhu, we both suffer. Of course, I have to placate her.”
“You’re helping your grandpa fix things?”
His Highness always believed the little reader-in-waiting survived this long under his protection.
“Supporting Your Highness is my duty,” Xue Yao proudly said.
“Like helping Your Highness eat a chicken leg?” Lu Qian expertly teased.
Xue Yao, who had been providing unwavering support for over a decade, stared in disbelief!
Could this disobedient rebellious brat be trying to deny his actions?
“Does Your Highness forget all the things I’ve done for you?” Xue Yao earnestly reminded.
“Your Highness is the one protecting Yaoyao.” Lu Qian firmly believed the little reader-in-waiting’s care was a return for his protection.
“Clearly, I’m the one protecting you!”
This was a chicken and egg problem.
Xue Yao was the one who initiated efforts, dedicating over a decade before receiving even a small response. Unexpectedly, the rebellious brat’s wings grew strong, wanting to snatch away all the credit!
Xue Yao argued logically, “To prevent Your Highness from being frightened by the Third Prince, every time before the archery practice, I would take the risk to find out when the Third Prince would participate, so I could help Your Highness avoid danger.”
“Yaoyao doesn’t study properly. Every time the master quizzes, your grandpa is the one who writes the answers.”
On this point, Xue Yao had no counterargument.
You see, studying with a child prodigy was a terrifying experience.
The chubby rebel had an impeccable memory, skipped grades effortlessly, soared academically. As an attendant, Xue Yao had to force himself to keep up. The amount of learning was beyond human capacity. Even with three more brains, it would be impossible to catch up.
So, every time the master quizzed, the chubby rebel quickly wrote down answers, providing “prompts” to help Xue Yao. This ensured that he remained as a reader-in-waiting with Lu Qian, never replaced due to falling behind in grades.
The disobedient rebel actually exposed this old secret, infuriating Xue Yao!
An argument about who was protecting whom ultimately turned into a full-fledged session of exposing each other’s past, escalating further…
•••
A’Zhu and the maids discussed all afternoon, but still couldn’t come to a definite conclusion.
After all, Xue Yao’s shyness and attentiveness to her were genuine, and his occasional unusual reactions could be due to his shyness.
As for that “awkward” conversation, it might indeed be because of numb feet, making it challenging to move, so he asked the young man for help in wiggling his body.
Xue Yao’s two refusals stirred A’Zhu’s conquering desire. If these two men didn’t have that kind of relationship, she could still try to prove her charm.
So, in the evening, she personally brought stir-fried lamb with a strong smell and went to the backyard again.
“In Your Highness’ eyes, am I really someone who can’t carry any burdens or lift a finger?” After an afternoon of arguments, Xue Yao saw through the rebellious brat.
“Someone who needs your grandpa’s protection.” Lu Qian insisted on his position as the guardian.
“Then, when I protect Your Highness, does that not count?”
“Your Highness can handle things alone.”
Xue Yao slowly clenched his fists. He always thought that his efforts were understood by the other party. It turned out, in his eyes…
“Then Your Highness can handle it yourself.” Xue Yao turned and ran out of the door, wanting to avoid Lu Qian, breathing in the fresh air, swallowing his disappointment.
Running out of the corridor, just stepping into the courtyard, a dull sound suddenly came from under his feet.
Xue Yao hadn’t had time to lower his head when he felt a massive object crashing towards him!
His brain instantly reacted — there might be traps set in this courtyard.
But his body couldn’t react in time.
He didn’t even have time to see clearly what the enormous object was made of, only managing to let the blood in his limbs turn icy.
The colossal object, carrying the wind, crashed towards him head-on, and Xue Yao had no way to avoid it.
A warm hand forcefully grabbed his wrist.
Xue Yao was pulled backward by a force, flipping and falling, ultimately being shielded in an embrace — the embrace of a young man who still lacked romance to shake off his youthful awkwardness.
Pressed down on the ground, Xue Yao watched helplessly as the colossal object passed over Lu Qian’s head.
After a loud crash, an abrupt silence settled over the courtyard.
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