For the second time, Xiao Bao awoke amidst a cacophony of noise, too exhausted to even move a finger. Glancing out the window, he surmised it was already midday; he couldn't believe he had slept for so long.
Turning his head, he noticed the bed was in complete disarray, the air still tinged
with the lingering scent of last night's intimacies, which made Xiao Bao frown in
disgust. Moving slightly, he felt an overwhelming soreness, particularly in his lower body... it was as if he had lost all sensation there.
Suddenly, he felt a liquid trickling from that area, and the memory of last night's
debacles made him feel nauseous.
Outside, Zhao Cai's loud voice could be heard, "Don't be shameless; this is the Jin
family's turf. Leave if you dare, and if you don't release our young master soon, I'll
ensure you never leave Suzhou city!"
Huai En's icy voice responded, clear though not loud, "I've said he's asleep."
"I don't believe you! It's so late, and the young master never wakes up this late.
What have you done to our young master? Tell me!!!"
With a cold snort, Huai En retorted, "Didn't your young master order you not to
come over no matter what happened yesterday? And now you're demanding him back from me."
Reminded by Huai En, Xiao Bao realized the gravity of his situation. It wasn't just
that he had fallen into a pit of his own making; he was also desperately trying to fill it back up with his last breath.
No, not entirely fill it – he had to leave his vulnerable ass exposed to maximize the last of his value.
If only he had heeded Su Yin's advice to study more in the past, Xiao Bao wondered
if he would still be as naive as he was now.
Despite his urgent need for assistance, his pride still mattered to him.
Gathering all his strength, he yelled out, "Zhao Cai, go entertain Bao Wan! Leave
me be; I'll return shortly!"
There was a brief silence outside before Zhao Cai shouted back, "Young Master, are
you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine. It's just that Young Master Huai En was overly enthusiastic last night,
leaving me a bit worn out." After saying this, Xiao Bao couldn't help but snicker to
himself, enjoying the satisfaction of a sharp retort.
Sure enough, there was a snap outside, likely the breaking of a chair's armrest.
Zhao Cai and Bao Wan were still adjusting to the fact that Miss Zheng had transformed into Young Master Huai En and were displeased with the intrusive group
of arrogant men insisting on staying.
Hearing Xiao Bao's words, Zhao Cai chuckled proudly, "The young master is indeed wise and mighty. I'll ask the cook to stew a soft-shelled turtle for you to nourish your body," he said as his voice faded away, leaving Xiao Bao to heave a sigh of relief.
The bedroom door was then kicked open, and heavy footsteps approached. After a
few steps, the person paused, turned back to slam the door shut, and continued
towards the bed.
Huai En, with a furious look, pointed at him and demanded, "What nonsense are you
spouting?"
Xiao Bao sheepishly replied, "You really can't take a joke. If you're worried about
losing face, why not just announce outside that you've had your way with me?"
Xiao Bao was sure Huai En couldn't afford to lose face like that. As expected, Huai
En glared at him fiercely and coldly retorted, "You think everyone is as shameless as
you."
The smile on Xiao Bao's face vanished instantly. Before, he would have pursued
Huai En eagerly, willing to tolerate such remarks with a forced smile.
However, after the events of the previous night, he had thought their relationship had progressed somewhat.
He was disappointed to realize that, to Huai En, his sacrifices were seen merely as acts of shamelessness. It seemed that Huai En's affection and demands in the privacy of their room vanished the moment he was dressed, showing no regard or eentiment for Xiao Bao's feelings.
(Kipzi - TYPICAL MAN. it's a joke don't kill me XD)
Xiao Bao, despite his usual resilience, was not impervious to having his feelings
trampled on.
His face turned ashen swiftly. Initially, he intended to spring up and hurl a few
biting remarks at the other, but realized that anything Huai en might utter at that
moment could strip him of his pride.
He felt no urge to put himself in a position to be further demeaned. Furthermore, he was plagued by an all-encompassing soreness, a spinning head, and a roiling stomach that made him eager to escape at once.
Huai en, observing Xiao Bao biting his lip and keeping his head down in silence,
struggling as he pulled his clothing over his body with occasional sharp intakes of
breath, understood that Xiao Bao, having been coddled all his life, was now in
considerable discomfort. The thought of assisting crossed his mind, but pride
prevented him from acting.
Moreover, Huai En could not bring himself to even glance at Xiao Bao's nudity,
afraid that he might lose control and overpower him once more.
After getting dressed and checking his appearance, Xiao Bao deemed himself
presentable enough that others would not detect anything unusual. He made his way
to the door and, in a moment of spite, forcefully pushed Huai En, who stumbled but did not react angrily.
Every step Xiao Bao took was unbearably difficult, with a searing pain constantly at
the forefront of his mind. Each movement inevitably caused his injuries to rub and
pull, forcing him to wince in agony.
Luckily, he had arranged for Huai En to be near. Despite the short distance, Xiao
Bao managed to reach his room alone, ordered his servants to prepare a bath, and,
enduring the pain, climbed into the wooden tub to cleanse himself.
At one point, he passed out, unaware of how much time had passed. When he awoke, the water had turned cold. Ashamed for anyone to see him in such a state, he managed to finish cleaning himself and then collapsed into a deep, restless sleep on his bed.
This prolonged slumber alarmed the entire Jin household, as Xiao Bao had come
down with a high fever.
The illness of Young Master Jin was an event of utmost concern within the Jin
residence!
Upon discovering Xiao Bao feverish enough to bake a pancake, Lady Jin, in the dead
of night, frantically dragged the four most renowned physicians in the city to their
home, urging them to treat Xiao Bao with utmost urgency.
The diagnosis was merely a "sudden chill."
Looking at the tub in the room, the water on the floor, and the wrinkled clothes
piled up on the side of the bucket, Mrs. Jin did not understand why Xiao Bao took a
bath in the middle of the day..
"Zhao Cai, Jin Bao, what has happened to the young master?"
Zhao Cai, signaling Jin Bao to remain silent, hurried over and whispered to Lady Jin,
"Madam, last night the young master... uh..."
"Out with it! Speak!"
"The young master was with a beautiful lady last night... uh... perhaps he bathed to
cleanse himself afterward and caught a chill."
Glancing at her son, who lay in bed deliriously muttering, Lady Jin sighed. She knew her son all too well; he was a lover of beauty, yet she wished he would take better
care of his health.
Xiaoyu squeezed through the crowd, calling for her brother and attempting to rush
to his bedside. Lady Jin quickly held her back, "Xiaoyu, your brother is ill. Do not go
near him."
"Mother, I just want to see brother."
"No, what if you get sick too? You've just eaten; have the servants take you to the
garden for a stroll. Do not bother your brother; he will recover soon."
Xiaoyu cast a glance at Xiao Bao and obediently allowed herself to be led away.
After sending the physicians home and instructing the servants to care for the
young master, Lady Jin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Xiao Bao was not in
danger.
It was early spring in Suzhou, the city fragrant with blooms, bringing hardship to the family patriarch with his recurrent asthma attacks at this time of year. Not daring to worry her husband with Xiao Bao's illness, Lady Jin was torn between caring for
her son and her husband.
As she left, she noticed three figures under the osmanthus tree, the young leader
among them strikingly handsome, his demeanor a mix of passion, coldness, and
detachment, irresistibly captivating.
Lady Jin asked Zhao Cai, "Who are they?"
" Madam, I'm your guest. I'm staying in your residence for a few days."
Mrs. Jin uttered an indifferent "oh," her attention fleeting as she cast a few more
glances at the young man before leading her entourage away.
Once Mrs. Jin had departed, Zhao Cai turned with a fierce glare at Huai En,
snorting disdainfully through his nose before attempting to shut the door and enter.
However, Huai En moved with an almost spectral agility, suddenly appearing right
beside him. Startled, Zhao Cai and Jin Bao instinctively swung at him without
thinking, only for Huai En to effortlessly dodge and maneuver behind them, pushing
them off the steps and onto the ground in a disheveled heap.
Huai En, turning back with a dismissive curl of his lip, was about to enter when
Zhao Cai and Jin Bao, seeing this, attempted to pounce again.
They were, however,
stopped by the intervention of two figures, causing a brief skirmish in the courtyard.
The two figures, even though clearly superior in their martial prowess, struggled to subdue Zhao Cai and Jin Bao immediately.
Huai En called out, "Enough, stop fighting."
The two figures immediately retreated to the shade of an osmanthus tree.
Zhao Cai and Jin Bao glared at him fiercely, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just checking on him. Is he ill? What's wrong with him?"
"He's caught a cold, nothing serious. You don't need to worry about it. This is our
young master's place, not somewhere you can just barge into. Now, off with you."
Hearing this, Huai En paused, his hand on the door.
So, it was just a cold.
Without further ado, and without so much as a glance at Zhao Cai and Jin Bao, he
walked away with his hands clasped behind his back, leading his companions.
Zhao Cai and Jin Bao were momentarily taken aback, wondering if the man's wits
had been kicked out of him by a donkey.
Typically, he appeared as if only his shell
existed without a soul, looking at people as if he saw nothing at all. Even in the act of
killing, his face remained utterly impassive, his actions seemingly thoughtless. Zhao
Cai was now seriously questioning if the man was truly unwell.
But their young master was even more mentally broken, captivated to death by such a strange creature—a man, no less.
Falling sick right after their intimacy, it showed he was never meant for such relationships.
Zhao Cai sighed deeply; if only their young
master could be more sensible, both he and Jin Bao might live longer.
Jin Bao nudged him, "Zhao Cai, they're so formidable. Who are they?"
Zhao Cai glared at him, "Do you even remember a word of what Master Su told you that day?"
"Uh… to protect the young master, right?
Isn't it enough that you remember?"
Zhao Cai almost wished he could bite him.
Come to think of it, he was wrong.
Because It seemed that those with nothing in their heads tend to live the longest. Jin
Bao would surely outlive him.