Chapter 7: Xiao Yezi’s Carsickness

Chapter 7: Xiao Yezi's Carsickness

"Mr. Huo."

The driver opened the car door. Huo Yanchi allowed Shen Junlan to enter first before following. As the door closed, Shen Junlan's excited, chattering voice filled the air, like a bird's song.

"Master, master, the buildings outside are so tall, much taller than the ones at home."

"You really should take me out more to see the world. Xiao Que is amazing—he knows everything. His previous owner always took him out to experience things."

"Master, will I embarrass you? Xiao Que said the richer people are, the more they look down on others. I don't understand many things, so I might make you look bad."

Shen Junlan's good mood evaporated. He gently poked Huo Yanchi's waist, recalling Huo Yanchi's abs—he'd seen them when Huo Yanchi was changing, though he hadn't yet taken human form.

"Am I too stupid? Tree Grandpa used to say I was 'solid,' but later I realized he meant my brain was solid, dull and simple-minded. Will you dislike me?"

Xiao Que was looked down on. Though he never said it, Shen Junlan knew—Xiao Que cared deeply about such things and even considered going to Penglai to seek immortality, wondering if he could transform into a long-tailed tit.

Shen Junlan's mind raced with all sorts of random thoughts, making himself utterly miserable. Not only did his heart ache, but his head also felt dizzy.

His originally upright posture slumped, and he leaned smoothly against Huo Yanchi's shoulder, looking up at him earnestly.

"Master, this is 'cuddling'—Xiao Que taught me."

Xiao Que said humans love it when their pets act spoiled. Shen Junlan naturally placed himself in the pet category—plants are living things too, so it's normal for him to act spoiled.

"I'm cuddling with you, so you can't dislike me."

Shen Junlan's eyes sparkled with tiny glimmers, his curved eyebrows like a crescent moon, boldly shining into Huo Yanchi's eyes.

Huo Yanchi grew increasingly curious about this Xiao Que—what kind of bird knew so much?

The car sped along. Huo Yanchi glanced sideways—his Xiao Yezi was leaning against him bonelessly, perhaps uncomfortable, with a slight furrow between his brows.

Xiao Yezi was very insecure. How could Huo Yanchi dislike him after raising him for eight years?

Huo Yanchi himself couldn't recall how he felt when he picked up the plant eight years ago. Too much had happened that day—even now, recalling it left him breathless.

In his memory, the capital had never seen such heavy rain. The dense lightning seemed intent on striking someone dead. He stood in the pouring rain, blood dripping all over his body.

A tender green sprout was nearly drowned by the rain. Huo Yanchi looked at that patch of green—it was just like him at that moment: a pitiful stray, discarded and kicked around by others.

Huo Yanchi bent down and picked it up. The leaves were spirited, swaying cheerfully, but the roots were covered in mottled cracks, emitting a charred smell.

With one glance, Huo Yanchi knew it had been struck by lightning.

The ivory-white roots were scorched black, yet the leaves stood proud. Suddenly, Huo Yanchi felt determined to fight—to fight against those who wanted him dead.

Huo Yanchi carefully wrapped the plant and brought it home. There were no flowerpots at home, so he randomly picked a larger porcelain piece from the shelf, dug some soil, and planted the flower.

His mental state was poor that day. He couldn't remember how much blood he lost or how much seeped into the plant's roots. He mechanically buried the plant, casually bandaged his wounds with gauze, and curled up in bed.

After just one night, the flower he thought would surely die had grown taller, with a few new sprouts on the stem, vibrant green.

From then on, it became the only green in Huo Yanchi's home.

Huo Yanchi's tone softened. He adjusted his posture to let Xiao Yezi lean more comfortably, then spoke slowly: "My Xiao Yezi is the best in the world. I will never dislike him."

"I've raised Xiao Yezi for eight years. He is my most important thing. How could I possibly dislike him?"

Nothing was more important than Xiao Yezi. He was Huo Yanchi's only spiritual support, his tether to this world.

"Really?!"

"Hehehe, Master, I only have you too."

He had left Mount Buzhou for too long. Times had changed, and the playmates he once spoke with had likely returned to dust, their traces lost forever.

Shen Junlan thought—he truly only had Huo Yanchi now.

For these eight years, he had only one task: observing Huo Yanchi.

Huo Yanchi never spoke while watering the plants. Shen Junlan could only rely on subtle changes in his actions to analyze his mood bit by bit.

Huo Yanchi was very quiet, often going days with only a sentence or two, all about work. He had no entertainment, no hobbies—like a walking corpse, emotionlessly repeating a dull life.

Counting now, in the two days since Shen Junlan took human form, Huo Yanchi had said many, many, many words—all things Shen Junlan wanted to hear.

Shen Junlan immediately cheered up. He loved listening to Huo Yanchi speak—his voice was magnetic, with cadence and melody, more pleasant than any lark he'd known before.

"Master, talk to me more. I like your voice. I want you to speak more."

"You can talk when watering, when wiping my leaves, and especially when feeding me nutrient solution—that's when I'm happiest and most want to hear your voice."

Huo Yanchi was stunned. For the first time in his life, someone said they liked hearing him talk.

From the reflection in the glass, he saw Shen Junlan's eyes—those beautiful, expressive eyes brimming with overflowing joy.

His throat suddenly felt unusually tight. Huo Yanchi subtly swallowed, very lightly clenching his hand, grasping a corner of Shen Junlan's clothes in his palm, tightening it bit by bit.

The driver watched the clock on his watch, observing from the rearview mirror that Huo Yanchi showed no intention of getting out. As time ticked by, he softly called, "Mr. Huo?"

Huo Yanchi lifted his eyelids and hummed in acknowledgment. The car stopped steadily at the company entrance. As he got out, his ears were filled with Shen Junlan's whimpers.

"Master, my head is so dizzy, so dizzy. I feel a bit nauseous too, and my chest feels stuffy."

Shen Junlan weakly tugged at Huo Yanchi's clothes, his forehead pressed firmly against Huo Yanchi's shoulder. Tears welled in his eyes as he bit his lip in distress.

Huo Yanchi retracted the step he was about to take, glanced at the car, and wondered if his Xiao Yezi was carsick.

Hmm, can plants get carsick?

It was Xiao Yezi's first time out—maybe the stuffy car was uncomfortable for him.

"Xiao Zhang."

"Mr. Huo." Xiao Zhang hurried over, hands behind his back, waiting for instructions.

"Change to another car after work—the convertible, a low-key color."

"Okay, okay."

Huo Yanchi thought to himself, surely he won't get carsick in a convertible, right?

After Xiao Zhang left, Huo Yanchi cleared his throat lightly, signaling to Shen Junlan that they were entering the company.

Shen Junlan shuffled his weak legs, hopped behind Huo Yanchi, wrapped his arms tightly around Huo Yanchi's neck, hooked his legs around Huo Yanchi's waist, and hung on his back.

"Master, I have no strength to shrink now. Just carry me."

The person on his back was light as a feather, yet Huo Yanchi instinctively adjusted his grip, restraining his hands from holding Shen Junlan’s bottom, and entered the company with a composed expression.

"Good morning, Mr. Huo. There’s a Mr. Huo here to see you, claims to be your grandfather."

"Zhao Qi told him you were away on business. Three minutes ago, he called again asking if you were back. I said no."

"Hmm."

He knew Huo Qu wouldn't give up easily. If it weren't for his declining health, Huo Qu would have moved into the office, refusing to leave until he got what he wanted.

Shen Junlan shifted slightly, his nose brushing against Huo Yanchi's nape as he carefully observed the company.

He had just one thought: big, quite big—must be a big deal.

Heh-heh, his master truly was an important figure.

"Master, can I request some extra fertilizer today? It’s been rough, feeling dizzy while accompanying you to work."

Xiao Que was right—work drains the life out of you. Even a normal person would feel miserable all day, and I’m just an orchid!

Sigh, Master is so pitiful, having to work every day and manage so many people. It's like doing a workload times a hundred.

"But Master, you work hard too. You should eat well, or you’ll end up feeling dizzy like me."

A hint of a smile crossed Huo Yanchi's eyes. Carrying Xiao Yezi was quite the effort—he deserved a reward for sticking by me.

"Mr. Huo, you’re here."

"These are the documents for you to sign off on. I’ve contacted the executive assistant of Xinxin Xiangrong Co., Ltd., and he mentioned the collaboration to General Manager Chen. However, it seems he wants to discuss it with you privately."

Xinxin Xiangrong was the fertilizer company he and Zhao Qi had discussed earlier. They might have concerns about the pricing and wanted to meet in person.

"Hmm, schedule a time."

Zhao Qi left with the approved documents. Huo Yanchi stood up, took out his drinking cup, retrieved a bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui from the first-aid kit, poured it in, mixed it with some chilled purified water, and placed it on the coffee table.

Shen Junlan, slouched on the couch, blinked resentfully. What is this? It’s so sharp and bitter.

"Master, get that cup away from me. I don’t like the smell."

Instead of moving it, Huo Yanchi slid it closer to Shen Junlan.

It works for heatstroke; it should help with motion sickness too.

Xiao Yezi just needed to get some fluids in him.

"This is the most effective remedy for dizziness."

Huo Yanchi picked up another bottle of Huoxiang Zhengqi Shui and chugged it. He winced for a second but quickly returned to normal as he calmly remarked, "It’s a bit sweet."

"Sweet? Really?"

Shen Junlan curiously peered at it, sniffing the cup. It still smelled sharp and bitter—where was the sweetness?

"Master, you’re lying. It still smells bitter to me."

"Hmm, the aftertaste is sweeter." Huo Yanchi kept a straight face. The water in Xiao Yezi’s cup was Nongfu Spring, which was indeed a bit sweet. He wasn’t lying.

Shen Junlan was half-convinced. He couldn’t bring himself to drink it directly, so he stuck a couple little tendrils from his fingers into the diluted mixture.

The sprouts retracted instantly, and the water level dropped by nearly half. The emerald-green sprouts seemed to turn a dull, gray-green.

Huo Yanchi watched closely. The little sprouts looked no different from when he first saw them eight years ago. If he had to pinpoint a change, he’d say they were even cuter now.

"Bleh! Bleh!"

"So bitter and spicy."

Shen Junlan made a face in disgust. He stuck out his tongue, spitting, then retreated to the sofa, putting as much distance as the Milky Way between himself and the cup, his eyes full of accusation.

"Master, you lied to me again. I can’t taste any sweetness."

Feeling guilty, Huo Yanchi quickly moved away. He had drunk it too, and his mouth was awfully bitter, but he couldn’t complain.

After a moment, Shen Junlan stood up, grabbed the first-aid kit from the desk, stuffed it into the highest cabinet, and blocked it firmly with the file cabinet.

As he worked, he muttered, "Awful stuff."

The real "awful stuff" fidgeted, feeling as though Xiao Yezi was making a dig at him—just shy of adding "Master" before "awful stuff."

Huo Yanchi silently straightened the Nongfu Spring water bottle and turned up his phone’s volume.

"Nongfu Spring is a little sweet."*

"We don’t produce water; we’re merely nature’s porters."*

Shen Junlan: "..."

"Master, are you telling a dad joke?"

Huo Yanchi could only pretend not to hear, silently flipping a page of the document he hadn’t read a word of.

A few seconds later, Huo Yanchi rubbed his temple and said softly, "The dizziness is gone."

Eh? Shen Junlan shook his head too. It really did seem better.

There was still a little left in the cup. Shen Junlan huffed proudly and, while Huo Yanchi wasn’t looking, extended his sprouts to finish it off.

After his mischief, Shen Junlan met Huo Yanchi’s gaze. Even though he knew Huo Yanchi couldn’t see him, he felt totally exposed.

Shen Junlan yanked his tendrils back in a flash, clasped his hands behind his back, and backed away from the coffee table, slowly approaching Huo Yanchi. Pointing at the empty water bottle, he declared, "A bit sweet."

Huo Yanchi couldn’t help but laugh. Talk about a quick study.

"Alright, you’re not a nasty thing—you’re a good master. I’ll forgive you for now."

Huo Yanchi nearly blurted out "thank you." His Xiao Yezi was easygoing and good-hearted. He hadn’t even realized Xiao Yezi was upset—he thought it was just him acting cute.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come in."

Seeing someone enter, Shen Junlan’s eyes darted around. He immediately ducked behind Huo Yanchi, placed his hands on his shoulders, and began giving him a careful massage.

"Master, does it feel good?"

Huo Yanchi clenched his jaw. Xiao Yezi’s touch was light, almost ticklish. Through his suit, he could just barely feel the coolness of Xiao Yezi’s palms. It felt less like a massage and more like a mischievous tease to torture him.

"Eh, Master, why aren’t you laughing? Don’t you have any spots that tickle?"

Huo Yanchi arched an eyebrow. His Xiao Yezi was being adorably silly—who tickles someone like that?

He cleared his throat and stared strangely at Zhao Qi… or rather, at the asparagus fern in his hands.

"What is this?"

"President Huo, it's like this: the girls in our office bought these asparagus ferns—three pots in total. I thought I’d bring one over for you."

Huo Yanchi instinctively straightened up. What kind of nonsense is this? His Xiao Yezi was right here.

"Hello, hello! I’m an asparagus fern."

"I’m not okay."

Shen Junlan widened his eyes, his grip tightening abruptly.

He was not okay. Not at all.

So, Huo Yanchi was thinking of keeping another plant behind his back? He wasn’t the only one anymore.

How annoying.

Author's Note:

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"Nongfu Spring is a little sweet." "We don’t produce water; we’re just nature’s delivery service."* — Nongfu Spring advertising slogans.