Chapter 94 Update.

Chapter 94 Update.

Xie Qingfeng took Jing Xiu suit shopping. It wasn't their first time shopping for clothes together. Xie Qingfeng had bought clothes for Jing Xiu before when he acted poor and pitiable. He thought this time would be as straightforward as before, but things didn't go as planned.

Both of them having keen hearing, they were in a high-end men's store when Xie Qingfeng selected a black suit for Jing Xiu, asking him to try it on.

Jing Xiu, without hesitation, changed into the black suit, his tall and leggy figure becoming even more striking, drawing looks from passersby outside the store window.

Jing Xiu turned around and asked, "How does it look?" Since he was going to be the acting CEO, his usual casual clothes were no longer appropriate.

Xie Qingfeng, holding a shirt, tie, and suit pants, thought for a moment and handed them over, "Try these on together."

Jing Xiu raised an eyebrow but didn't object, obediently taking the clothes to change.

Wearing a mask due to Jing Xiu's recognizable face, they still managed to catch the admiring gaze of a store clerk, "Sir, your brother has an amazing figure. We've just got some new arrivals. Would you like to take a look?"

Xie Qingfeng, knowing Jing Xiu would be staying for a while, agreed, selecting three more suits in Jing Xiu's size. The clerk, thrilled, noted that one suit needed to be fetched from the back, asking Xie Qingfeng to wait a moment before quickly retrieving it.

In the mid-afternoon lull, with few people around, Xie Qingfeng browsed other styles but found them similar, deciding not to choose any more.

As he spoke, the changing room door opened. Xie Qingfeng turned instinctively to look. Seeing Jing Xi in a suit for the first time, he paused, momentarily stunned. He knew Jing Xi was handsome and well-built from years of training, but the sight of him in a suit still caught him off guard.

Snapping back to reality, Xie Qingfeng turned away, only to find Jing Xi already striding toward him, his shirt collar open, holding a tie in his hand. Standing in front of Xie Qingfeng, he looked up with a hint of vulnerability in his voice, "I can’t tie this."

Xie Qingfeng took a moment to respond, "I don’t know how either. Just leave it untied, and you can practice with a video at home later."

Jing Xi suddenly leaned in closer, "What if I can't learn it? After you leave tonight, I'll be alone here."

Xie Qingfeng looked up, perhaps swayed by Jing Xi's pitiable tone, "Do you really expect me to believe that?" They had known each other long enough for Xie Qingfeng to know that Jing Xi learned things quickly. Tying a tie was just a matter of practice, and if not learned in one try, then a few more would do.

Or, he could just not learn it at all.

Seeing that Xie Qingfeng genuinely had no intention of helping, Jing Xi sighed dejectedly, "Alright then."

The store clerk, holding the right size they had found, noticed the tie in Jing Xi's hand and instinctively asked, "Sir, do you need help with that?"

Jing Xi's eyelids drooped, about to decline, but a glance at Xie Qingfeng made him change his mind, "…Yes, I need help. I don’t know how to tie this."

The clerk offered, "May I teach you then, sir?"

Jing Xi turned to Xie Qingfeng, "You might need to wear suits on certain occasions too. Want to learn together?"

Xie Qingfeng instinctively frowned. The image of the clerk getting close to Jing Xi to tie his tie flashed through his mind, and he felt uneasy about Jing Xi's audacity. Although wearing a mask, someone might recognize him as Jing Mianfeng up close.

But seeing Jing Xi's eager demeanor, Xie Qingfeng didn't say anything. His phone rang at that moment, and as he answered and turned away, he casually said, "Whatever you want."

The call was from Hao Jixin, sounding urgent, "Master, there's trouble. Some jerk leaked the news that Jing Yingdi is planning a comeback and will become the acting president of Minghuan Entertainment. It's blown up on the trending searches. Finish shopping and come back quickly, in case you get recognized. They've got photos, probably from surveillance, and Jing Yingdi's long hair is too noticeable."

The likelihood of being recognized was too high. Jing Yingdi wasn't a concern since he was accustomed to the spotlight, but it was different for Xie Qingfeng. If they were photographed together, who knows how the story might spin.

Xie Qingfeng frowned and hummed in response, hanging up the phone. Just as he was about to turn around, realizing it might take a while to learn, he waited a bit longer before turning.

When he turned, Xie Qingfeng was surprised not to see the scene he had imagined. Jing Xiu was standing a few steps away, attentively watching a clerk demonstrate how to tie a tie on a plastic model.

Noticing Xie Qingfeng looking over, Jing Xiu's eyes curved in a smile, pointing at the diligent clerk, "Are you sure you don't want to learn? It's fine if you don't. If you need to tie a tie later, I can help you." He liked the idea of assisting Xie Qingfeng, hoping he wouldn’t learn so he could step in.

Xie Qingfeng, discerning Jing Xiu's anticipation, let go of his worry about exposure, stepping forward, "No need, I’ll learn on my own."

Jing Xiu sighed in disappointment, "Alright." It seemed the National Master really didn’t give him any chances.

But was he someone to give up easily?

Xie Qingfeng learned quickly; by the clerk's second demonstration, he had already mastered it. Confirming the sizes brought were correct, he didn't make Jing Xiu try on more, instructing the clerk to process the purchase.

After the clerk left, Xie Qingfeng was about to mention the hot search issue, but Jing Xiu, already fumbling with the tie he'd been holding, tried to tie it himself, creating a tangled mess. His unbuttoned shirt added to the disarray, causing Xie Qingfeng's eyes to ache.

Jing Xiu, failing to untie the knot, looked pitifully at Xie Qingfeng, "Master, I can’t untie it..."

Xie Qingfeng laughed, half in exasperation, "Didn’t you say you learned it?"

Jing Xiu: "My eyes and brain did, but my hands didn’t keep up."

Xie Qingfeng initially didn't want to help, but leaving him with such a tie would draw more attention. Reluctantly, he stepped forward, maintaining a distance and not looking at him.

Jing Xiu's eyes grew more woeful, "Master, you don’t have to dislike me so much. It makes me look so pitiful."

Xie Qingfeng paused in his actions, "No, I was just thinking." As he untied the knot and formed a simple one, he thought how simple it was, yet Jing Xiu hadn’t grasped it even after three demonstrations.

Jing Xiu's eyes twinkled with mirth, "The Master is indeed smart. I couldn't learn it, overestimating myself." Leisurely buttoning up his shirt and adjusting the tie, he suddenly called out. When Xie Qingfeng looked over, Jing Xiu pulled down his mask, "Does this look okay now?"

Xie Qingfeng instinctively looked up and froze for a moment, then quickly stepped forward, pulling Jing Xiu's mask back up, leaning in close, "Why did you pull down your mask?"

Jing Xiu: "I wanted to check the overall look. I didn’t want to waste the Master's money if it didn’t look good."

Xie Qingfeng, exasperated: "Your photo was leaked, and you're now trending online. Don’t change clothes, let’s head back to the hotel."

The outfit Jing Xiu was wearing was the same as in the trending photo, so recognition was inevitable.

Fortunately, the news had just hit the trends and hadn’t blown up yet. When they returned to the hotel with bags of clothes, Hao Jixin was already waiting at the door. As they got out of the car, he immediately draped a coat over Jing Xiu.

Jing Xiu, scowling, pulled the coat off slightly, "Are you trying to kill me?"

Hao Jixin nearly jumped, "Someone leaked the hotel address. We need to move fast. The way you look now, you’d be mobbed the moment you enter the lobby. If I get photographed with you and the Master, how will he freely go out again?"

Jing Xiu, realizing the gravity, paused in his action. He hadn't experienced being mobbed like the old Jing Mianfeng, and hadn't considered such a scenario. But if it affected the Master, he got back in the car, pulling Xie Qingfeng with him.

Hao Jixin quickly got into the passenger seat, directing them to another hotel several streets away.

Once parked, Hao Jixin ushered Jing Xiu out, shut the door, and hopped into the passenger seat. Rolling down the window, he grinned at Jing Xiu, "I've sent your luggage to this room. Here's the key card, go on your own. The Master and I have sent our luggage to the airport, we won’t accompany you. Good luck." He even pushed out the bags of clothes Jing Xiu had just bought.

Jing Xiu, laughing in frustration: "The plane doesn’t leave for another four hours!" He was miserable enough being left alone, and now he couldn't even have dinner with the Master? Since when did Hao Jixin call the shots?

Hao Jixin shrugged innocently, "Can't help it. If someone tracks us being with you, we might not leave B city."

Jing Yingdi’s comeback was explosive news. People were already digging into his whereabouts in recent years, even dredging up a Weibo post thought to be similar, showing him eating noodles on a street curb.

It was only a matter of time.

Jing Xiu, frowning, turned away from Hao Jixin to look at Xie Qingfeng in the back seat.

Xie Qingfeng reassured, "Call me if you need anything. Once Zhu Zong's issue is resolved, I'll come to pick you up."

Jing Xiu, clutching a pile of clothes, felt reluctant. Since his arrival, this was the first time he had to part with the Master for so long. How long would he have to stay here? What if someone took advantage of his absence?

Jing Xiu, holding the clothes, moved closer. The imposing aura of his well-tailored suit was striking. Xie Qingfeng instinctively leaned back but then slowly leaned in again, hearing Jing Xiu ask through the window, "Can I come back next Saturday to see you?"

Being a temporary CEO surely meant weekends off, right?

Xie Qingfeng thought about Jing Xiu's recently exposed identity and the difficulties in traveling. He also needed to find out who harmed Zhu Zong, "I'll come to B city on Friday night. Stay safe here."

Jing Xiu's eyes lit up at the thought of Xie Qingfeng visiting, and he pulled his hand back from the window, obediently saying, "Then I'll wait for you here."

Xie Qingfeng looked through the window, the setting sun casting shadows, making it hard to see clearly, but he could imagine Jing Xiu's eyes filled with longing. This stirred an inexplicable emotion in Xie Qingfeng's heart. It was the first time the young emperor was left alone, plus the exposure of Jing Xiu's identity. His concern was understandable.