chapter 57

Chapter 57: That Must Have Hurt.

Shen He, with a pastry in his mouth, heard Qi Zhuoyun boarding the carriage and hurriedly bit off the remaining half, causing his soft cheek to puff out noticeably.

The puffed-up look on his cheek was so tempting to poke.

Shen He chewed a few times, swallowed the extra pastry, and with more space in his mouth, mumbled: "Brother, is Doctor Zhou on our side? He lies so convincingly that I almost believed I was seriously injured."

Qi Zhuoyun sat down, poured a glass of water for him: "Finish what's in your mouth before speaking, be careful not to choke."

Shen He took the cup and gulped down the pastry with two sips.

There was still blood smeared on his face, which looked particularly jarring.

Qi Zhuoyun, with his gaze lowered, instructed him: "Come here."

Having been by Qi Zhuoyun's side for so many years, Shen He might not grasp all his emotions precisely, but he could definitely discern his moods.

He cautiously observed Qi Zhuoyun's expression, obediently moved over to sit and chuckled softly, "Hehe, brother, I'm truly unharmed."

He boasted, "I was the one who hit the crown prince. Others don't dare hit me. I knew they wouldn't, so you can rest assured."

Brother isn't foolish. If he couldn't handle it, why would he willingly approach trouble?

Relax, protagonist.

Qi Zhuoyun grasped Shen He's chin, stabilizing his face so he couldn't move.

His fingertips traced the cut made by the porcelain shard.

The wound here had already clotted, forming a thin dark-red line.

He gently brushed over it with his fingertip, causing Shen He to sharply inhale with a hiss.

Qi Zhuoyun's lips pressed tightly, "Didn't you say you weren't injured?"

Shen He attempted to lift his head and free his chin.

But the fingers holding his chin were firm. Shen He reluctantly yielded, resting his face against Qi Zhuoyun's hand, "This isn't a significant injury. Moreover, it wasn't from a punch. Prince Yun's heir broke a cup, intending to intimidate me. Unexpectedly, a shard flew out and, just so perfectly, struck my chin."

Shen He seemed quite proud, adding gleefully, "However, he's in a much worse state. His face will surely be as swollen as a pig's head by tomorrow morning, hehe!"

Holding the warm cheek in his palm, the anger in Qi Zhuoyun's heart piled up. Yet when he met the youthful, round eyes of the boy, it dissipated uncontrollably.

More than anger, it was closer to retrospective fear.

Who knows how many images of a wounded Shen He he had envisioned on his way from the Eastern Palace?

He was terrified that something might have happened to Shen He.

Yet here was this carefree lad, gleefully bragging about beating someone up.

Qi Zhuoyun wiped away the dried blood on Shen He's face, which was stubbornly adhering to his skin.

Applying a bit more pressure, Shen He frowned and murmured, "Brother, are you taking this chance for revenge? If you're mad, just say so. Don't mistreat my face. It's unhealthy to bottle up feelings."

Even if Qi Zhuoyun was still upset, Shen He's words made him chuckle.

He pinched Shen He's chubby cheeks, "Let me clean this for you. Now you know pain? I didn't hear any complaints during the fight."

Shen He immediately raised his hand, looking utterly pitiable, “Not true! It really hurts! Brother, you have no idea, that crown prince's face is so hard! Of all the places on my body, the fist I used to punch his face must be the most injured!"

As he spoke, Shen He lifted his hand to inspect it himself.

Indeed, his knuckles were red.

Against his fair skin, the reddening was pronounced, clearly visible even without drawing closer.

Even though Qi Zhuoyun knew Shen He was exaggerating to garner sympathy and diffuse his anger, he couldn't help but genuinely feel a pang of compassion.

He held Shen He's hand, inspected it for a moment, then gently blew on it, "There, brother blew on it. It won't hurt anymore."

He continued holding Shen He's hand without letting go. As he spoke, his lips were so close to Shen He's hand that the warmth of his breath brushed over the reddened knuckles.

Qi Zhuoyun was undeniably handsome.

Shen He often marveled at how the original protagonist seemed to be bathed in a halo, impeccable in both stature and appearance.

His long, dark lashes hung down, high eyebrows curving gracefully, a prominent nose, all making his gentle, focused gaze on Shen He's hand all the more endearing.

For some reason, Shen He felt an itchiness and a touch of nervousness.

He withdrew his hand, chuckling awkwardly, "I can blow on it myself; it doesn't hurt that much, hehe."

Qi Zhuoyun, consequently, looked down, continuing to wipe the blood off Shen He's face with a cloth.

Shen He obediently allowed his face to be held, the brief flutter in his heart subsiding quickly.

His mind wandered, building upon his previous thoughts, musing, "I'm already sixteen. In four more years, I can leave the capital."

Where should he go after leaving the capital?

Right, he should definitely head to a place brimming with handsome men!

Even if he doesn't find a boyfriend as stunning as the protagonist, he shouldn't settle for much less, right?

After all, he considers himself rather handsome too, doesn't he?

Plus, he's wealthy! And with a powerful ally like the protagonist by his side, why shouldn't he pick a handsome man as his boyfriend?

When the time comes, he'll first find out where the most handsome guys are, and head there.

The more Shen He thought about it, the more delighted he felt. The corners of his eyes crinkled with pleasure, his pupils gleaming.

But his gaze was distant, and one could easily tell that he was daydreaming, lost in thoughts that brought him such joy.

Seeing him in this state, Qi Zhuoyun's lips curved slightly. He pinched Shen He's soft cheek, making him pout, "What pleasant thoughts are you entertaining? Share them with your brother?"

Shen He blinked, pulling Qi Zhuoyun's hand away and chuckled, "I can't tell you now, I'll share it later!"

In the future, he'd definitely introduce his boyfriend to his brothers; it's the proper thing to do.

But, the protagonist might not be ready to accept it now.

Shen He can wait until the protagonist sees him as an adult and discusses with him as equals. He'll then share his decision!

He believes that the protagonist will support and respect him!

As Shen He continued to muse happily, Qi Zhuoyun folded the handkerchief he held and placed it on the carriage's small table, holding Shen He's right hand and looking at his reddened knuckles.

Shen He pulled at the tattered hem of his clothes and sighed, "It's a pity about this garment; Lianqiao personally made it for me."

If he had known earlier, he would've worn the outfit sent from the embroidery workshop today.

Seeing Shen He's sentimentality, Qi Zhuoyun softly said, "As long as you're not hurt, Lianqiao will be relieved."

"Ah!" Shen He exclaimed, his eyes wide, "Oh no, did you inform Lianqiao and the others before you came here? What did the messenger say? Were they terribly worried?"

Qi Zhuoyun replied, "Yes, the messenger said you were assaulted by a group of young noblemen."

Shen He looked exasperated, "I knew it wasn't necessary to inform so many people..."

Thinking of this, he impulsively pulled back the carriage curtain.

He saw that the carriage was nearing the palace gates and would soon enter the palace, making him even more frustrated.

He muttered under his breath, "I haven't had a chance to inform Aunt and Grandfather yet. Today, Yan brother came to my rescue. I forgot to ask him how he happened to be there."

Qi Zhuoyun comforted him, "You can leave the palace tomorrow and visit them then."

Shen He's eyes lit up as he turned to Qi Zhuoyun, "Brother, my hand hurts. Can I take a day off from the academy tomorrow?"

Just moments ago, he claimed it wasn't that painful. Now, he glanced at his hand with a subtle look, his delicate brows furrowing, displaying an expression of discomfort.

Qi Zhuoyun raised an eyebrow.

With his deep, dark eyes, he looked Shen He up and down, even leaning back slightly, seemingly assessing whether Shen He truly needed the day off.

Shen He tried to widen his eyes, portraying himself as innocent and pitiful, "Brother, my hand really hurts. It's so painful that I can't even hold a pen!"

As he spoke, he pressed his hand into Qi Zhuoyun's palm, adding, "If you don't believe me, just see for yourself. The physician just said that I've suffered a sprain. By tomorrow morning, it'll be bruised and extremely painful. Missing one day of school won't hurt, right?"

Qi Zhuoyun pressed his lips together, holding back for a moment, but eventually, he couldn't resist and chuckled softly, covering his mouth with a clenched fist.

He replied, "Alright, you can take the day off tomorrow. But, Hehe, think about it, how many times have you taken a day off since I've been back? It's not a big deal, but given what you've said, you must be doing well in your studies. Can you promise to rank first in the academy's exam for me?"

Shen He's eyes widened in shock: "?!?"

Wait, how did the conversation turn to ranking first?

Was it all because he wanted a day off?!

Was that what he meant?

Clearly, what he meant was, whether he took the day off or not, he wouldn't rank first. It wasn't about being confident enough to rank first no matter what!

To this day, Shen He was still astounded by the male lead's obsession with academics.

Somehow, everything always circled back to studying hard.

Tears welled up in Shen He's eyes, and thinking of another academic-obsessed character, Song Shaofu, made him even more emotional.

With a resigned slump, he leaned against the carriage wall, stretching out his legs and exclaimed, "Fine, I'll aim for first place, always. If I don't get it, I'll study until I'm eighty."

Counting on his fingers, he added, "After the academy exam, I'll take the county exam, then the provincial exam, then the imperial exam. If I don't become the top scholar, I'll start all over. After all, I eat and live on your dime, and I don't support the family, so I can keep trying forever."

A heavy aura of resentment emanated from him.

Qi Zhuoyun chuckled, "Alright, I'll keep supporting you until you become the top scholar. In the future, I might even have to change some rules for you. If you don't rank first in one go, you should be allowed to try two or three times more."

Shen He: "..."

Great, he made a sarcastic comment, and the male lead just takes the bait!

How audacious! Just because he's the future emperor, he thinks he can change the law on a whim?

Honestly, what's so great about being an emperor?

Well, it is a big deal. If he says he'll change the law to allow retaking exams, then it'll happen.

Shen He lifted his hand to cover his face, accidentally touching the wound on his chin, causing an involuntary hiss.

Hearing the noise, the mirth in Qi Zhuoyun's eyes faded slightly. He pulled back the carriage curtain to look outside.

In the time they had chatted, the carriage had already arrived at the East Palace.

Lianqiao and the others had been anxiously waiting. Hearing the noise, they all rushed out, eager to see how Shen He was doing.

Qi Zhuoyun stepped out of the carriage, still holding onto Shen He's hand.

Standing by the carriage, he reached up towards Shen He, a gentle smile in his eyes, and softly said, "Come down, brother's here to catch you."

Shen He responded, "Brother, I'm grown up now. I can get down by myself, no need to carry me."

Saying that, he touched Qi Zhuoyun's hand and easily jumped down from the carriage, tilting his head up with a grin.

Qi Zhuoyun's arms were left empty.