Chapter 78.

Chapter 78.

Jing Xi took a long time to fall asleep in bed, his emotions running high until he unknowingly drifted off. Just before sleep claimed him, he felt like he had forgotten something important.

But it didn’t matter, nothing could be more important than the fact that the National Teacher hadn’t sent him away.

The next day, Jing Xi got up before dawn, planning to make breakfast for Xie Qingfeng.

He had checked Xie Qingfeng’s class schedule; there was a class first thing in the morning.

He was very quiet when getting up, glancing at his phone, which lit up just as he was about to leave his room. He didn’t think much of it and was about to head out.

Just as he was leaving, he stopped, finally remembering what he had forgotten the night before.

Going back, he picked up his phone and saw a barrage of messages and missed calls from Liang Chenglei.

Jing Xi opened WeChat.

The latest message read: [Liang Chenglei: Ancestor? Can you reply to me, please? Are you signing today or not? I need to book a flight if you are. I've arranged a meeting with the lawyer in the next couple of days, tonight is the latest deadline!]

Jing Xi didn’t need to scroll up to know what Liang Chenglei had been messaging about.

He noticed the most recent missed call was obviously because he didn’t check the messages, so Liang Chenglei resorted to calling.

Jing Xi had planned to ask yesterday, even thought about bringing it up when Xie Qingfeng told him to leave, hoping for one more glimpse.

Unexpectedly, Xie Qingfeng didn’t mention it.

He spent the whole day pondering whether Xie Qingfeng had forgotten or decided not to send him away, and so he didn’t pay attention to anything else.

Jing Xi sent Liang Chenglei a message: [I’ll ask and let you know.]

Liang Chenglei replied instantly: [Ancestor! Finally, you replied! I’ve been waiting. I hardly slept last night. We need to decide by this morning. It'll take time for me and the lawyer to get there.]

Xie Qingfeng woke up early as soon as Jing Xi started moving around.

Last night, he found Jing Xi's reaction amusing and didn't set up any barrier before sleeping. His cultivation had improved significantly, enhancing his hearing to an astonishing level, so these subtle sounds were clearly audible to him.

Xie Qingfeng didn't get up immediately, instead lying in bed and listening for a while before finally getting up to wash up.

Jing Xi, thinking he was leaving, had stocked the fridge full, providing Xie Qingfeng an opportunity to cook.

In half an hour, he managed to whip up two or three simple dishes.

Not wanting anything too greasy for breakfast, he decided to cook two bowls of clear soup noodles.

The noodles, topped with vibrant green vegetables and two fried eggs, looked appetizing.

Jing Xi, timing Xie Qingfeng's wake-up, turned around to find him already standing at the kitchen entrance, smiling instinctively: "You're up? How about chicken soup noodles?"

Xie Qingfeng hummed in agreement: "Sure."

Both of them had hearty appetites. Despite preparing separate dishes, Jing Xi cooked extra noodles and served them in large soup bowls, anticipating Xie Qingfeng’s appetite.

Xie Qingfeng didn't leave but watched Jing Xi bustling around the kitchen.

The house he bought wasn't large, and the kitchen was correspondingly small.

Jing Xi, with his tall stature, moved back and forth in the kitchen, his head bowed, wearing simple long sleeves and pants with an apron over them. His long hair was tied back, swaying gently at the nape of his neck as he moved.

Xie Qingfeng found his attention drawn to Jing Xi's focused profile. The morning light streaming in through the half-open window bathed Jing Xi in a soft glow, captivating Xie Qingfeng.

It was only when the aroma of food wafted over with the steam that Jing Xi turned to him: "It's almost ready. You can go to the dining room and wait."

Though it was October and not very cold, Jing Xi was concerned Xie Qingfeng might feel hot.

Only when turning around did Jing Xi notice Xie Qingfeng in a daze, lost in thought.

Xie Qingfeng, snapping back to reality, hummed in response, his face expressionless, but his turn was slightly quicker than usual.

After a few steps, he paused and looked back: "Your hair... do you want to cut it shorter?"

Jing Xi had been here for a while, his hair already long when he arrived and now even longer.

Jing Xi paused in his actions, thought for a moment, then shook his head: "No need."

Xie Qingfeng, with a deep look in his eyes, guessed Jing Xi's identity made it inconvenient to go out and he probably disliked others touching him.

Pretending to be casual, Xie Qingfeng said: "Alright then, I was just wondering if you wanted me to trim it a bit."

Jing Xi, who was about to get the soup bowl, turned quickly at this: "You'll cut it for me?"

Xie Qingfeng raised an eyebrow: "Is there a problem?"

Jing Xi’s eyes sparkled with light, quickly suppressed, feigning calm: "Suddenly feel it’s better shorter."

Seeing through his little scheme, Xie Qingfeng leisurely responded: "Is that so? I’ll consider it when I have some free time."

Jing Xi couldn't help but flash a radiant smile as Xie Qingfeng turned, the gloom in his eyes lately vanishing: "Is this an indirect acknowledgment of letting me stay?"

Jing Xi peeked out from the kitchen: "Then I’ll wait for you."

Xie Qingfeng waved his hand: "Focus on your noodles."

He washed his hands and returned just as Jing Xi turned off the stove, helping to carry the noodles and grab cutlery.

After breakfast, as Xie Qingfeng was about to leave for class, Jing Xi gathered his courage and called out: "Wait a moment."

Xie Qingfeng turned back: "What is it?"

Jing Xi didn't want to bring it up, fearing it might remind Xie Qingfeng, but the matter of the shares couldn’t be delayed. Sighing, he said: "The approval for the shares transfer is ready, Le Chenglei wants to meet you today for the signature."

Xie Qingfeng hummed: "This afternoon then, I have no classes."

Jing Xi, not giving up yet: "Actually, transferring the shares back and forth is troublesome. Whether it's under your name or mine, there's no difference."

Xie Qingfeng raised an eyebrow at him, silent, clearly disagreeing.

These things must be distinguished.

Jing Xi, with persuasion: "I don’t lack money, I hardly spend it anyway. The pocket money you give me is enough. Our two 'small treasuries' are essentially the same..."

His voice trailed off under Xie Qingfeng's increasingly serious gaze.

Realizing he couldn’t convince the National Master, he sighed, "Then, if you want to transfer them, go ahead. Just be ready with the handling fee this afternoon. The previous talk about dissolution was false; the money is still in the account. But the fee will be paid from the account, and when the shares are transferred back, I’ll sell some to Zhu Zong as soon as possible and return the money."

Xie Qingfeng, unfamiliar with these matters: "What handling fee?"

Jing Xi explained, something Le Chenglei had told him earlier: "For transferring personal shares from you to me, since I'm associated with the company, there’s a 20% handling fee."

Xie Qingfeng: …

Jing Xi also fell silent, then after a while: "Any problem?"

Xie Qingfeng, with a hint of exasperation: "How much is the current market value of the shares in my name?"

Jing Xi hadn’t thought about the exact amount, but his share was worth several billion. According to Le Chenglei, the shares had appreciated recently: "At least three billion, I guess? The handling fee should be just a few tens of millions."

He hadn’t asked for specifics, but the card given to him by the National Master had eighty million, definitely enough.

Xie Qingfeng: …Tens of millions? Just that?

Jing Xi, noticing Xie Qingfeng's expression, discerned the implications.

Jing Xi realized: “The National Master, wearing clothes for so long, struggled for tens of millions, and now, with my single transaction, tens of millions are gone.”

Jing Xi thought of how to persuade the National Master!

He stepped forward, suppressing the joy in his eyes: "You see, it’s quite a lot, tens of millions. Actually, whether it’s in my name or yours doesn’t really matter. Besides, you wouldn’t embezzle those worldly possessions of mine, right?"

Xie Qingfeng glanced at him, knowing full well he wouldn’t.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have offered to return it.

Jing Xi continued persuading: "So much money... Wouldn't saving it be better? How about... we don't transfer it?"

Xie Qingfeng opened his mouth to say something, but the thought of the tens of millions in fees made it hard to utter the word 'transfer'.

Just thinking about it was painful.

Looking at Jing Xi, he seemed like a wasteful spender.

Xie Qingfeng pointed at him, rotating his finger, massaging his forehead: "Fine, forget it."

These words almost seemed to be squeezed out through clenched teeth.

Jing Xi barely held back his laughter: "Okay, it's settled then. We won’t transfer it. What's mine is yours."

If they didn't transfer it, their relationship would remain tied through the shares, giving him a reason to stick with the National Master.

Why hadn’t he thought of such a good excuse before?

Xie Qingfeng, seeing his triumphant look, couldn't help but let out a soft laugh, but then his smile vanished: "If you deceive me again..."

Jing Xi didn't expect Xie Qingfeng to bring it up, obviously, the National Master hadn’t forgotten. He quickly shook his head: "I won’t do it again." How could he dare?

Xie Qingfeng glanced at the time, not wanting to prolong the conversation, and hurried off to class.

As the door closed, Jing Xi couldn't help but laugh, feeling a delayed sense of bewilderment.

What exactly happened on the night he was drunk? The National Master had just forgiven him like that?

While it was baffling, he was also incredibly curious.

Leaning Lei had been waiting for Jing Xi’s message, fearing he had forgotten again. After an hour, he reminded him: [How did it go? Has Mr. Xie set a time?]

The reply came swiftly this time.

[Jing: The transfer fee is too high, we're not proceeding with the stock transfer.]

[Leaning Lei: ???] Is it really about the transfer fee? Why the sudden change?

[Jing: No transfer means no transfer, isn’t that great? What’s mine is Mr. Xie’s, now I can finally relax.]

Leaning Lei: ? No, I can’t relax just yet.

*

Xie Qingfeng had exams recently, and Hao Jixin didn’t want to disturb him, so he didn’t assign him any work.

Once the exams were over and results were out, Hao Jixin started again.

By 11 in the morning, Hao Jixin arrived early at the school gate waiting.

Surprisingly, someone was even earlier than him. He saw Jing Xi, raised his eyebrows in surprise, parked his car at a distance, and walked over, imitating Jing Xi’s gaze towards the school.

Gazing for a long time but seeing nothing: "Jing Xi, someone might think you're a 'lovelorn stone' waiting here. Master Xie's class won't end for another twenty minutes."

Peering intently, but Master Xie is nowhere to be seen at this moment.

Jing Xi, without changing his posture, clearly had noticed Hao Jixin: "Mind your own business."

Hao Jixin clicked his tongue, about to say something, then remembered something: "Wait, didn't Master Xie ask you to move out yesterday? Why are you still here? Don't tell me you plan to persist annoyingly?"

Jing Xi finally gave him a look, quite smug: "Of course, I'm not leaving."

Hao Jixin exclaimed, "How is that possible? Master Xie always sticks to his words."

Especially since Master Xie seemed quite angry at that time, it was the first time he had seen Master Xie that upset.

And now the anger just vanished?

Hao Jixin scrutinized Jing Xi, feeling it's impossible: "What trick did you use to make Master Xie let you stay? Money? Impossible, Master Xie isn’t like that. Precious stones? Also impossible, Master Xie is wealthy. What could he possibly want?" He kept denying each possibility he came up with, and finally thought of something unbelievable. Stepping back, he distanced himself from Jing Xi, "I can't believe you're such a person, did you, you didn’t use your charm on Master Xie, did you?"

Jing Xi: ... He wished he could.