Chapter 112

Chapter 112

Although Jing Xi occasionally used his internal energy to expel the alcohol, he and the foster father both ended up succumbing to it. Fortunately, Jing Xi was pretending and maintained a semblance of consciousness as he went down.

The foster mother, helping her husband to bed, chattered away but her eyes were clearly smiling. On such a festive occasion, she allowed him to drink a little more. After all, not only he, but she was also happy.

Initially, after the mix-up with the child, the foster mother thought they would have a lonely New Year, especially since the incident almost drove the foster father to his wit's end.

But now, everything was as it had been before, which was more than enough for them. They desired nothing more.

Xie Qingfeng helped his foster mother take the foster father back to their room.

The foster mother urged Xie Qingfeng to attend to Jing Xi: “I can manage here. Go and see how Xiao Jing is. There’s some sobering soup in the kitchen that was prepared earlier. Give him a cup if he feels unwell.”

Xie Qingfeng, seeing his foster father passed out but safe, didn’t linger. After closing the door, he carefully looked around the table and indeed saw a ring of water stains – the alcohol Jing Xi had expelled using his internal power.

Ignoring Jing Xi for the moment, he first mopped up the area. After washing his hands, he looked up to find Jing Xi lying there, propped on his arm, inexplicably watching him with half-closed eyes that usually were clear and sharp, following his movements but always a beat too slow.

As Xie Qingfeng approached, Jing Xi struggled to lift his head and gave a foolish grin.

Xie Qingfeng wasn’t buying it, touching his cheek with the back of his hand: “Still pretending to be drunk? I saw you forcing out the alcohol.”

Jing Xi closed his eyes and then reopened them, looking half-drunk, half-sober, and murmured, “Not all of it came out, I still drank a lot. I am drunk, really drunk.”

Xie Qingfeng chuckled: “A drunk person never admits they’re drunk.”

Jing Xi immediately retorted, “I’m not drunk, I’m not.”

Wary of waking the foster parents, Xie Qingfeng covered his mouth: “Alright, you’re not drunk. Get up and go back to your room.” He planned to simply ignore Jing Xi’s antics later, but not here, not wanting to startle his foster parents with any nonsense.

Jing Xi, seeing the situation, raised his arm but didn’t move: “I’m not drunk, but I can’t stand up.”

Xie Qingfeng looked at him for a moment, too tired to argue, pulled him up to stand, and then let go: “Walk on your own.”

Jing Xi tried to step forward, but the next moment he toppled forward, startling and angering Xie Qingfeng: “Fine, you won’t walk on your own?” He then scooped Jing Xi up in his arms under his startled gaze.

Jing Xi: “???”

When he realized he was being princess-carried by the Grand Master, he was completely numb, this was entirely different from his usual tone.

Xie Qingfeng didn’t care about Jing Xi’s reaction. Though not physically strong, his cultivation was high. Carrying one or even two Jing Xis would be easy for him. Didn’t Jing Xi not want to walk? He would fulfill his wish!

Jing Xi practically leaped down as soon as Xie Qingfeng actually started carrying him away, quickly conceding: "I can walk now, really, I can walk." Was he really so shameless?

Xie Qingfeng looked at him: "Really? If not, I can still carry you."

Jing Xi, imagining that scene, found it too glorious to behold.

Jing Xi walked back on his own, but his earlier words weren’t entirely false. He did expel some of the alcohol, but his tolerance was limited. After drinking with the foster father for so long, he indeed wobbled back to bed, collapsing onto it.

But he couldn’t bear to close his eyes, listening to the fireworks outside. He lay there, eyes open, watching Xie Qingfeng, unwilling to miss a moment.

Xie Qingfeng, meeting his gaze, felt a softness in his heart, especially remembering Jing Xi’s comment about receiving a New Year's gift for the first time, which brought a wave of sadness. Though Xie Qingfeng was an orphan, he hadn’t suffered much and lived better than most under his master’s care, pampered by his older apprentices as if he was their younger brother.

In contrast, Jing Xi's life seemed to be a series of hardships. Although Xie Qingfeng had saved him, he soon distanced himself from Jing Xi.

Later, when Jing Xi finally became the emperor, he abandoned everything to follow Xie Qingfeng into this unfamiliar world after his death.

Xie Qingfeng didn't know when he started to soften, but after spending so much time together, this softness had transformed. Unknowingly, he kept giving in.

He sighed, went to the kitchen to fetch the sobering soup, brought it back, and sat beside the bed: "Drink this sobering soup."

Jing Xi lay there lazily, still staring intently at him: "Feed me." It was a casual remark, not fearing a scolding, just wanting to be close.

To his surprise, Xie Qingfeng actually propped him up, placed a pillow behind him, and began to spoon-feed him.

Jing Xi: "???"

He took a sip in a daze, feeling somewhat overwhelmed. But it was the national advisor feeding him, so he took another sip.

No, one more sip.

By the time the bowl was finished, Jing Xi looked at Xie Qingfeng to confirm there was no follow-up and finally relaxed. As Xie Qingfeng returned the bowl and came back in, Jing Xi suddenly clutched his head with a groan.

Xie Qingfeng, frowning, approached: "What's wrong?"

Jing Xi, while holding his forehead, looked at Xie Qingfeng with pitiful eyes: "My head hurts."

Before Xie Qingfeng could ask anything, Jing Xi continued: "I need a kiss from the national advisor to make it better."

Xie Qingfeng: "..." He's still pretending to be in pain.

Jing Xi wasn't too drunk. After drinking the sobering soup and feeling a bit better, Xie Qingfeng sent him to freshen up. When he returned, he was dressed properly in long sleeves and pants.

Xie Qingfeng, who was reading, glanced at him unexpectedly and raised an eyebrow.

Jing Xi smiled: "We're staying up late for New Year’s Eve. It wouldn’t be good if the foster mother saw me dressed inappropriately."

Xie Qingfeng clicked his tongue: He still cares about appearances? Seems like he hasn’t reached the ultimate level of shamelessness.

Jing Xi, after drying his hair, sat cross-legged beside Xie Qingfeng, not doing anything else, just counting the New Year's money given by the foster parents.

It was a lot, a whole ten thousand.

Jing Xi was shocked: "Is New Year's money usually this much?"

Xie Qingfeng shook his head: "Usually not." In previous years, he only received a thousand, but this year they probably felt sorry for Xie Qingfeng and wanted to compensate, so they gave ten thousand.

The reason they gave Jing Xi the same amount was to avoid favoritism.

After hearing the explanation, Jing Xi glanced at the foster parents. No wonder the national advisor was so different with them. Hearts respond to each other. The national advisor felt their sincerity and naturally reciprocated.

Otherwise, with the national advisor's character, he probably wouldn't have come for New Year’s.

Fortunately, there’s still a lot of time ahead to care for each other.

However…

Jing Xi, counting the money again in front of Xie Qingfeng, said with a grin: "I heard that bringing a partner home for the first time usually involves a meeting gift. Does this count as receiving one?"

Xie Qingfeng paused with the book in his hand, glancing at him: "No, it doesn’t."

Jing Xi: "Then what is it?"

Xie Qingfeng looked at him again, leisurely saying, "You can consider it as a betrothal gift."

Jing Xi: "?"

Xie Qingfeng continued, "What's with that expression? Don’t you want to marry me?"

Jing Xi: "??"

Seeing his bewildered expression, Xie Qingfeng struggled to control his rising smile: "First, you undress in front of me, then you insist on sharing a blanket with me. Aren’t you planning to give our relationship an official status, or do you just want to be fleeting lovers?"

Jing Xi: ...No, that’s not it. But why does something feel off?

Before he could figure it out, Xie Qingfeng suddenly took something and placed it in his hands, holding the New Year's money – another large red envelope, equally thick: "Here, take this."

Jing Xi shuddered slightly: "Wh-What is this?" It couldn’t be another gift, could it?

Xie Qingfeng, watching his guilty and evasive gaze, waited before speaking: "It's New Year's money."

Jing Xi looked up in a daze to see Xie Qingfeng leaning in closer, gently touching his head, softly saying, "I’m sorry." He had given Jing Xi hope in the past but hadn't arranged things properly for him.

Now that he had recognized his own feelings, they would be together properly. He would make up for everything Jing Xi missed in his childhood.

This was just the beginning.

Jing Xi paused, his throat dry, turning his head just before his eyes reddened, touching the thickness of the envelope: "What’s this? You're younger than me now; how can I accept your New Year's money? And this money isn’t from the New Year's money your foster parents gave you, is it?"

Jing Xi hadn’t seen the national advisor use cash on a regular basis, so when it suddenly appeared, he was sure it had come from there.

Xie Qingfeng looked at him helplessly: "What are you thinking? I originally took it out to leave on the table for the foster parents before we left. Now I give you a part of it as New Year's money and you complain? If you don’t want it, give it back to me."

Jing Xi embraced him: "Once given to me, how can it be taken back?"

Xie Qingfeng didn’t really intend to take it back, just huffed lightly without saying anything.

Just then, as midnight struck, fireworks erupted outside. Xie Qingfeng instinctively turned to look, but could only hear them behind the curtains.

When he turned back, he found Jing Xi close up. In his moment of surprise, Jing Xi gently pressed a kiss on his lips, his eyes brimming with Xie Qingfeng’s reflection and a bright light. The kiss was brief, and Jing Xi whispered, "Happy New Year, national advisor…"

Xie Qingfeng looked into those eyes, his mind momentarily muddled, lips tingling, and he murmured back, "…Happy New Year."

Jing Xi, seeing this unfamiliar yet entirely his Xie Qingfeng, had a deeper smile in his eyes. The initial cautious testing now turned into a passionate embrace, and he kissed Xie Qingfeng again, more fiercely, causing them both to tumble down, with Jing Xi accidentally hitting Xie Qingfeng's teeth.

Xie Qingfeng instantly snapped back to reality, pulling Jing Xi up by the neck: "Jing, Xi!" But then he saw the person with a split lip, bleeding, and couldn’t help but laugh, "On New Year’s, there’s no need for such fiery enthusiasm."

Jing Xi, covering his mouth, looked resentfully at the laughing man: "..." So love disappears, right? Shouldn’t the national advisor be more concerned about his injury?