Chapter 108

Chapter 108

He gently patted Meng Shuping's face, "Wake up, wake up."

Meng Shuping, dead tired from drinking, was rather annoyed at being suddenly roused. He groggily opened his eyes and grumbled, "What do you want?"

Jiang Cihe patiently said, "Just a little longer; you can sleep when we arrive."

Meng Shuping slowly processed this, "Oh."

He pushed himself up and walked forward unsteadily. Jiang Cihe quickly moved to his side, ready to catch him if he stumbled. But despite his swaying gait, Meng Shuping surprisingly didn't fall.

As they exited the gates of Prince Ning's residence, they saw a carriage already waiting. Jiang Cihe boarded first, then turned, extending a hand to Meng Shuping, "Come up."

Xing Lai and Jia Yue quickly helped Meng Shuping. Meng Shuping squinted as he stepped onto the carriage step. He was steady at first, but as he lifted his foot again, he missed his footing and lurched forward.

Jiang Cihe, with lightning speed, caught him, but felt a sudden jolt in his chest—Meng Shuping's forehead had bumped against him.

Meng Shuping looked up dazedly, meeting Jiang Cihe's gaze, then abruptly leaned closer. Under such scrutiny, Jiang Cihe's heart rate quickened. He swallowed silently, about to speak, when Meng Shuping rubbed his forehead and complained, "You're so hard!"

The others quickly lowered their heads, stifling their laughter.

Jiang Cihe: "..." He happened to have some loose silver in his chest; how could it not be hard? Fortunately, it was winter and he was wearing thick clothes; otherwise, that impact would have left a mark on his face.

He cleared his throat and said, "Let's go inside."

"Oh." Meng Shuping nodded and wobbled into the carriage. Jiang Cihe followed, sitting beside him.

It wasn't as noticeable outside, but once inside the carriage, Meng Shuping felt his face flush and his body radiate heat.

He yanked open the collar of his robe, revealing a large expanse of pale skin, "It's so hot!"

Jiang Cihe's breath hitched. He immediately pulled Meng Shuping's collar back up, "Don't strip, you'll catch a cold."

But no sooner had he straightened Meng Shuping's collar than Meng Shuping began tugging at his belt. Jiang Cihe seized his hand, "Stop moving around."

Firmly restrained by Jiang Cihe, Meng Shuping was initially quite displeased. But in his daze, he suddenly noticed that where Jiang Cihe touched him felt cool and comfortable. Instinctively, he snuggled into Jiang Cihe's embrace.

Jiang Cihe had no choice but to let him cling. Fortunately, his mansion wasn't far from Prince Ning's, and they arrived soon. He hastily tidied Meng Shuping's clothes and helped him out of the carriage.

Noticing the somewhat disheveled state of both Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe's clothes, Ling Feng eyed them suspiciously and whispered, "Your Highness, what were you two doing in there?"

Hearing this, Xing Lai and Jia Yue also pricked up their ears. They had wanted to ask earlier but hadn't dared, given his princely status.

Did he do something to their young master? Having grown up in the earl's household, they knew well what powerful men were capable of.

Jiang Cihe gave Ling Feng an exasperated look, "What could we be doing? He kept complaining about the heat and wanting to take off his clothes. Could I let him undress in the carriage?"

Xing Lai and Jia Yue breathed a sigh of relief. So that's what it was! But just as they relaxed, a cold wind blew. Despite Jiang Cihe's efforts, the wind still found its way through the gaps in Meng Shuping's clothes. Meng Shuping shivered, his consciousness clearing for a moment, "It's so cold!"

Ling Feng and the other two immediately scrutinized Jiang Cihe.

Jiang Cihe: "..."

A moment later, he said helplessly, "Alright, let's go inside quickly. Any longer and he'll freeze."

So, the group led Meng Shuping into the house. Meng Shuping had held on all the way and was utterly exhausted. Now, warmed by the heat inside, he felt even sleepier.

Fortunately, he remembered to take off his clothes before sleeping, but after struggling with his belt for a long time, he still couldn't get it undone.

Xing Lai and Jia Yue were conflicted. Did he need their help? It seemed their young master intended to sleep here, but Prince Zhao hadn't given permission yet!

Just as Jiang Cihe had ordered someone to bring sobering soup, he saw Meng Shuping trying to undress again. He quickly took Meng Shuping to the inner chamber, helped him remove his clothes, and by the time Meng Shuping was down to his inner garments, the sobering soup was brought in.

After drinking the soup, Meng Shuping couldn't hold on any longer. He collapsed onto the bed and rolled inside.

Jiang Cihe sighed. This little rascal was truly at the mercy of others when drunk. If this happened again, he would have to keep a close watch on him, or who knew what trouble he might get into?

Seeing that Meng Shuping and Jiang Cihe had gone in and not come out, Xing Lai and Jia Yue exchanged glances. What were they supposed to do? Noticing their hesitation, Ling Feng patted their shoulders, "Let's go. Your young master is probably asleep. We'll wait in another room."

The two had no choice but to follow Ling Feng. Surely Prince Zhao wouldn't do anything inappropriate, right?

Jiang Cihe took a quick bath to wash off the smell of alcohol, then had a basin of hot water brought in to wipe Meng Shuping down.

Since the charcoal fire in the room was burning strongly, Meng Shuping felt hot and restless even in his sleep. He was sleeping soundly when he felt a cool sensation on his body, which was very comfortable. But the comfort lasted only a moment before the source of it moved away. Instinctively, he pressed closer and wrapped his arms around Jiang Cihe's waist.

Jiang Cihe tried to gently pry Meng Shuping's hands away but found him holding on tightly. He looked down at Meng Shuping, "Fine, it's you who asked me to sleep with you. Don't go back on your word later."

Meng Shuping's arm moved slightly, unconsciously holding on tighter.

Jiang Cihe tossed the cloth into the water and said to the maid, "Take it away."

The maid kept her head down, not daring to glance at the bed, "Yes."

Once the maid left, Jiang Cihe yawned, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep.

Meng Shuping didn't know how long he had slept. When he regained consciousness, he realized he was holding onto something warm and soft.

He opened his eyes abruptly and met a familiar profile. He was instantly stunned, "What's going on? Jiang Cihe? Why is he lying in my bed? Am I dreaming?"

He carefully moved his hand away from Jiang Cihe and took a moment to look around. To his surprise, he realized this wasn't his room.

Meng Shuping rubbed his forehead, trying hard to recall, and gradually remembered. He remembered drinking at Prince Ning's residence, and then... he must have blacked out?

So what happened? Why was he sleeping with Jiang Cihe?

Could it be...

Meng Shuping turned back to look at Jiang Cihe in shock and unexpectedly met his gaze. He jolted, "Whoa! Scaring people like that can kill! Why didn't you say something when you woke up?"

Jiang Cihe propped his head on one hand and looked at Meng Shuping with interest, "You're awake?"

Meng Shuping glanced down at his upper body, stripped down to his inner garments, and quickly wrapped himself in the blanket, "Mm."

"Tsk..."

"Did he take advantage of me while I was drunk? That bastard! How could he exploit someone's vulnerability? And I thought he was a gentleman—turns out it was all just to lower my guard! Bah! My innocence!"

Jiang Cihe: "..."

Little Bold's imagination was truly wild. Was he that kind of ruthless person? He sat up abruptly, startling Meng Shuping, who shrank back, "Wh-what are you doing?"

Jiang Cihe adjusted his expression and put on a serious face, "Do you know what you did to me today?"

Meng Shuping was baffled, "Huh? Wh-what did I do?"

"Did I lose control after drinking? No way! Am I that wild? Wait, but with his physique, could I even overpower him?"

Jiang Cihe suppressed a laugh, "You undressed in front of me and threw yourself into my arms."

Meng Shuping didn't buy it, "Impossible! I'm not that kind of person!"

"Even when drunk, I have principles!"

He secretly glanced at Jiang Cihe again, "Even if he’s easy on the eyes, I wouldn’t jump his bones, would I?"

Jiang Cihe paused for a moment before adding, "You also said I was really hard."

Meng Shuping looked shocked, "That’s even more impossible!"

But just as he finished speaking, Jiang Cihe added, "Your two attendants heard it too. If you don’t believe me, you can ask them."

Meng Shuping was totally questioning his existence, "Could it be? Am I that filthy and wild? I’m a reserved person! Or do I act differently when I’m drunk?"

Although he felt it was unlikely for Jiang Cihe to lie—after all, his two attendants weren’t Jiang Cihe’s subordinates and wouldn’t help him lie—Meng Shuping still doubled down, "If that’s the case, why would I be at your place?"

"I think he must have lured me over here while I was drunk, right? Thinking he could fool me just because I forgot? I’m not that stupid!"

Jiang Cihe explained, "I invited you to my residence to have a bowl of hangover soup. Don’t you remember?"

Meng Shuping thought carefully and seemed to have a faint memory. Before he could ponder further, Jiang Cihe added, "Who knew that once you came in, you took off your clothes and hugged my waist so I couldn’t leave? I was a bit drunk too and couldn’t break free. I didn’t want to hurt you, so I just went with it."

As if afraid Meng Shuping wouldn’t believe him, Jiang Cihe said, mixing truth with lies, "Your two attendants saw it too."

Meng Shuping covered his face, "Ahhh! Just let me die! Why were they both there? This is so humiliating! Couldn’t they have spared me some dignity?"

"Wahhh, have I ruined my virtue? No, I’ll deny it to the death, absolutely deny it. I was drunk, but he wasn’t. Whatever happened has nothing to do with me!"

Just as he was about to pass the buck, he saw Jiang Cihe looking at him sadly, "Do you not want to take responsibility?"

Under Jiang Cihe’s gaze, Meng Shuping felt a little guilty. He didn’t dare look Jiang Cihe in the eye, "What, what do you mean, not take responsibility? I didn’t do anything!"

After saying this, he heard no response from Jiang Cihe for a long time. Anxiously, he sneaked a glance at Jiang Cihe, "Is he angry with me? But it’s not entirely my fault, is it?"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Cihe suddenly laughed, "Alright, I'm just messing with you. You just slept here after getting drunk."

Meng Shuping immediately breathed a sigh of relief but couldn’t help cursing inwardly, "What a jerk! Is it fun to mess with me?"

Jiang Cihe suddenly got right in Meng Shuping’s face, "But if this were true, would you seriously take responsibility for me?"