The next morning, when Qin Sizheng woke up, Lu Xianqing was already getting dressed.
His back was covered in marks, and there were even teeth marks on his shoulder. It was obvious how fierce he had been the night before.
Qin Sizheng buried himself in the blanket in embarrassment. Even though Lu Xianqing had held him and cleaned him afterward, that overwhelming, stretched-to-the-limit fullness still lingered, making him too shy to even poke his head out.
“Did I wake you?” Lu Xianqing asked as he slipped on his shirt and turned around to button it up.
Qin Sizheng noticed that the front of his body looked even worse—long streaks of scratches that looked painful just to see.
He had been terrifying last night. The threat that he would cry until no sound came out had somehow come true. In the end, Qin Sizheng could not even make a sound, his neck taut as he trembled.
That feeling of being pushed to the brink of death had been terrifying. He had no doubt that one step further and he might truly have died in Lu Xianqing’s hands. Like someone clinging to driftwood, he had wrapped himself around Lu Xianqing, begging him to save him.
“Fourth Brother, save me… save me.” He had cried out incoherently, but that had only driven Lu Xianqing further past reason, dragging him down into that abyss—and then winding around him like vines.
“Little one, who knew you were this wild?” Lu Xianqing finished buttoning his shirt, leaned down to kiss him, and pulled him up along the way. “Want breakfast? An Ning bought something.”
Qin Sizheng did not dare face anyone. “I do not want to eat.”
Lu Xianqing knew he was just shy. He picked up his clothes and helped him dress, smiling. “An Ning is sensible. Besides, this will happen again in the future. What, you think I will not dote on you anymore?”
Qin Sizheng’s face heated up again. “My voice is hoarse. Sister An Ning will laugh at me. You went too far last night. I told you not to make me cry out.”
“Do you still think I need to eat physalis to supplement myself?” Lu Xianqing pressed his forehead against his and kissed the center of it. Then he turned the blame around. “And besides, if Yanyan had not been so bold last night, I would not have lost control.”
Qin Sizheng remembered how outrageous he had been. He had looked at Lu Xianqing and, emboldened, leaned over to kiss him there. That had been the moment Lu Xianqing’s reason had shattered.
He had thought Lu Xianqing had forgotten about Shi Jianshu, but halfway through, he had brought it up again, making Qin Sizheng promise in his hoarse voice that he would never touch anyone else’s abdominal muscles again, nor let anyone else touch his. Only after tormenting him for quite a while had he finally let him go.
“You are not allowed to tell anyone that I… kissed that!”
Lu Xianqing laughed at his foolishness and tapped him lightly on the head. “Who would I tell? Do they deserve to know how obedient my Yanyan looks?”
After washing up, they went downstairs together. Without even looking, An Ning knew what had happened the night before. She sprawled over the table, scratching at it dramatically. “The beautiful cabbage I raised has been eaten by a pig. My little cabbage!”
“…”
Lu Xianqing, well fed and satisfied, even had a lightness in his voice. “Who are you calling a pig? Have you ever seen such a handsome pig? Have I spoiled you too much lately?”
An Ning lay half-dead over the table. “You bully my precious and will not even let me scold you. Why are you so strict with a hater? I have decided. From today on, I am your hater.”
Lu Xianqing swatted her lightly on the head. “Have you eaten? Want to join us?”
Propping her chin in her hands, An Ning’s eyes gleamed as she looked at Qin Sizheng behind him and spread her arms wide. “Baby, your sister needs comfort.”
Qin Sizheng reached out and patted her head. “Have you eaten? Want to join us?”
An Ning collapsed back onto the table, knocking her forehead down weakly. “I am now a hater of both of you. Hurry up and eat. Afterward I will take you home and take him to the set.”
Lu Xianqing clicked his tongue. “Breaking up mandarin ducks.”
Qin Sizheng chimed in, “Even the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl did not have it this bad. Sister An Ning, I thought you were a magpie, but it turns out you are the Queen Mother of the West.”
An Ning put her hands on her hips, exasperated. “Eat! Or I will call the real Queen Mother. If she sees how many marks you left on my baby’s neck, she will carve a real Milky Way between you two on the spot.”
Qin Sizheng had not lowered his head while dressing under Lu Xianqing’s care, nor had he looked in a mirror. He had no idea what marks she meant. He looked blankly from one to the other.
With a pained expression, An Ning dug a mirror out of her bag and tossed it to him. Qin Sizheng caught it and looked—and his face instantly turned red.
Just then, his phone rang. Thinking it was Shen Changfeng, he picked it up and answered. Instead, the screen lit up with the smiling face of a woman.
“Oh my, baby is awake? Come on, call me Mommy so I can hear it.”
“Mom—Auntie!” Qin Sizheng almost blurted out Mommy, his ears turning red as he straightened up properly to speak with her. “How do you have my contact information? Are you looking for Fourth Brother?”
“I am not looking for him. I am looking for you.” Ye Xu cupped her face in her hands and smiled at him. Her gaze lingered on the marks trailing down his neck, and judging by that, there were probably plenty elsewhere. Her smile deepened.
That was fast. Next step: go public. Then bring him home and have him call her Mommy openly and properly.
“Do you like the clothes? One for you and one for Xianqing. I even watched the livestream for a while. You looked beautiful,” Ye Xu said.
Qin Sizheng froze for a moment, glanced at Lu Xianqing, and immediately understood—the outfit had been from her. Then why had Lu Xianqing admitted it so calmly?
Lu Xianqing continued eating breakfast as if nothing was happening.
“Auntie, the clothes are very beautiful. Thank you,” Qin Sizheng replied politely. Ever since he had blurted that line in front of Lu Mingxun last time, he had been uneasy, afraid he had left a bad impression.
Now it was even worse. With the marks all over his neck, anyone with eyes could guess what had happened.
Confessing, in front of someone else’s mother, exactly what he had done with her son—Qin Sizheng felt he might as well hang himself in repentance.
He had not even properly met Lu Xianqing’s parents yet, and his image was already completely ruined.
Afterward, Ye Xu went and watched every single one of Qin Sizheng’s public appearances. Her secretary cautiously told her, “He did not speak very tactfully before. His emotional intelligence was a bit low, so he had a lot of haters. He is much better now. He matches Young Master Lu quite well.”
Ye Xu frowned. “So telling the truth is not allowed? Is that not like getting plastic surgery? He had plastic surgery and cannot say so? What kind of ridiculous atmosphere is that? Lying counts as high emotional intelligence? Who decided that?”
Her secretary was stunned by the rapid-fire questions. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
The more Ye Xu watched, the more she liked the boy. She wished she could bring him home immediately, dress up her two treasures herself, and have them wear matching outfits every day.
When she heard Qin Sizheng was attending a gala, she immediately went to Yalusi to design the clothes. She insisted that the two outfits had to look like a couple’s set, but not too obviously so. Yalusi was so exasperated she pointed at her nose and scolded her.
After a week of staying up late, Yalusi handed the clothes over to Ye Xu and slammed the door in her face.
Ye Xu walked around to the window with her bag and knocked lightly. When Yalusi opened it, she asked in utter confusion, “Back then, that little girl held up a sign on the street begging for sponsorship, asking for a chance in life. If we round it up, I am practically your reborn parent. I am giving you a creative opportunity—why the attitude?”
Yalusi slammed the window shut again.
Ye Xu made time to watch the livestream. From the moment Qin Sizheng appeared arm-in-arm with An Ying, to Lu Xianqing getting out of the car, she said regretfully, “It is a pity he walked out with someone else. It would have been so nice if you had been holding Xianqing’s arm.”
Qin Sizheng’s body stiffened. Lu Xianqing saw how tense he was, as if attending a political study session, and could not help laughing. “Hey, your Mommy is so upset. Are you not going to call her something sweet to cheer her up?”
Qin Sizheng told him to stop stirring things up. Ye Xu seized the opportunity and looked aggrieved. “I am heartbroken. My biological son is useless. Calling me Mom is like asking for his life. There is no meaning in living anymore. I might as well die.”
Qin Sizheng: “…”
He really wanted to complain. The acting was terrible. It was practically written across her forehead: I am extorting you. I am blatantly extorting you.