Chapter 29 Call Me Daddy

Chapter 29: Call Me Daddy

Cheng Ge tossed the guy up a bit, adjusted his breathing, glanced at the sky outside, and plunged straight into the rain with the guy in his arms.

A few shadow guards watched from a distance as their master was carried off by some guy, exchanging confused looks.

Would their master have them killed for this when he gets back?

"You even know how to get out of the palace?" Cheng Ge's voice was muffled, his chest rumbling with each breath.

Cui Ji, still in shock, was caught off guard by the question. He paused a beat before replying, "Mm."

The rain suddenly picked up, forcing Cheng Ge to hug the wall for whatever cover he could get. After all, this crappy body wasn't as tough as his old one.

But there was one big problem: this guy's legs were way too long.

This position was fine for carrying a hot chick, but with a tall, handsome dude over six feet, if Cheng Ge hadn't been using his core to hold him up, Cui Ji's feet would've been dragging on the ground.

Not that Cheng Ge was short, of course~

Though he was just shy of six feet, in this era where the average guy was around five foot six, he was already a solid tall, rich, and handsome catch.

Still, it was messing with his movement. After a moment's thought, he found a low eave and set him down.

Cheng Ge caught his breath, keeping his hands tight around Cui Ji's waist so he wouldn't fall.

Cui Ji's arms were still wrapped around Cheng Ge's neck, their bodies pressed together, making it look pretty intimate.

Given the obvious height difference, from a distance, it looked like a small sapling being wrapped up by a big vine.

But Cheng Ge didn't think much of it. He even took a second to pat Cui Ji's abs.

"Rock hard, dude. Looks like you've been hitting the gym a lot," Cheng Ge said, a little jealous. "Let me tell you, I used to have abs harder than this—eight whole packs, like rice terraces."

As he spoke, Cheng Ge looked up at Cui Ji, only to find the guy staring down at him with a faint, knowing smile.

To an outsider, the smile might seem harmless, but to Cheng Ge, it felt a little mocking.

"Don't believe me? Back in the day, my physique and my lines rivaled the five great mountains." Cheng Ge puffed out his scrawny chest, all proud.

Cui Ji let out a low chuckle, his warm breath brushing against Cheng Ge's neck, making him ticklish.

"Mm..." Cui Ji dragged out the sound on purpose.

Seeing Cui Ji didn't believe him, Cheng Ge added, "Just wait till I recover. I'll be able to lift you up with one hand."

"Mm, sure I do."

Cheng Ge glanced at the sky, then instinctively wiped the water from his forehead on Cui Ji's clothes.

Cui Ji: "..."

"Let's go. I'll piggyback you; it'll be faster." With that, he turned around, bent down, and hoisted Cui Ji up by the ass.

Cui Ji tensed up, and his hands instinctively wrapped around Cheng Ge's neck.

Rain slid down their hair, drenching their clothes.

Cheng Ge slogged through the rain, his steps steady despite the uneven ground.

Cui Ji rested on Cheng Ge's back, staring at his profile. Water droplets traced from his temple down his jaw, disappearing into his collar.

Cui Ji's Adam's apple bobbed subtly. He thought to himself, this guy is so pale, like a little girl.

Cheng Ge, unaware of Cui Ji's thoughts, shifted the guy higher on his back. A famous scene from some movie suddenly popped into his head.

"Call me 'big bro.'"

Cui Ji: "..." He wondered if his ears were messing with him.

Setting aside age, as the Prince of Zhenbei, even the current emperor wouldn't dare say something like that.

Yet here was this little punk making such a request. He found it both ridiculous and funny.

"What's wrong? Don't want to call me 'big bro'? Then 'daddy' works too." Cheng Ge grinned, shameless as always.

Cui Ji was once again stunned into silence by Cheng Ge's outrageous remark.

He knew what "daddy" meant—some northern folks called their fathers "Aba" or "Baba."

Cheng Ge's words were practically treason.

"Look, if I hadn't been sheltering from the rain in that pavilion, you'd be stuck in the palace all night. You're delicate and weak, and getting soaked like this could give you a fever. There's not a soul around—no one would save you, and you'd kick the bucket. But me, I descended like a savior, rescuing you from disaster. As the saying goes, saving a life is like being reborn as a parent. Asking you to call me 'daddy' isn't such a bad deal."

"Sophistry."

"Oh, come on, man, that's not cool." Cheng Ge laughed, not slowing his pace. "If you don't say it, I'll just leave you here."

With that, he started zigzagging deliberately. "With a face like yours, if some lecherous palace maid drags you off and has her way with you, you'd be done for."

Cui Ji turned his head away, refusing to listen to the crude talk. Anyone else would have lost their life for such words.

The palace gate wasn't close, and it took a while before they finally made it out.

Cheng Ge was about to ask where Cui Ji lived and if he should see him home, but as soon as they exited, he spotted a luxurious carriage parked not far away.

Its opulence rivaled that of a modern-day Rolls-Royce.

An old man with a white beard hurried over. "Your Highness, you're finally out! This old servant was worried sick."

The moment the words left his mouth, Cheng Ge's mind went blank, and his entire body froze.

One word echoed in his head, lingering endlessly.

Your Highness.

Your Highness~

Your Highness—

Cheng Ge: "!!!"

Before the current emperor ascended the throne, the imperial family went through a massive bloodbath, wiping out almost all of the late emperor's sons.

As far as Cheng Ge knew, the only ones left who could be called princes were Prince Jing, the third son of the late emperor, and Prince Zhenbei, Cui Ji.

He'd heard Prince Jing was already over forty, while the guy in front of him was at most under thirty, so it couldn't be him.

One option crossed out, so the answer had to be the other.

He'd heard Prince Zhenbei, Cui Ji, became a prince young, with a cold and ruthless temperament and merciless methods.

At fifteen, he led troops to crush the Southern barbarians, killing without blinking, using enemy skulls as drinking cups.

Thinking back to the cheeky remarks he'd just made, Cheng Ge's brain felt like it was running on empty.

He wondered if dropping to the ground, foaming at the mouth, convulsing, and rolling his eyes back might somehow get him out of this mess...

Cheng Ge stood frozen, staring at the old steward, his hands, holding Cui Ji's butt, were starting to burn.

Obviously, playing dead wasn't gonna work; it'd be better to ditch this hot potato when no one was looking and make a run for it.

But just as he was about to let go, Cui Ji poked his head out from under the robe and asked slowly in Cheng Ge's ear, "Why aren't you moving?"

Cheng Ge's fingers curled, and his face froze into a forced laugh.

"Ahaha... well, you're home, so I won't disturb you any further," he said, about to set him down.

But Cui Ji tightly wrapped his arms around Cheng Ge's neck and said with a half-smile, "Aren't you going to see me to the carriage?"

Cheng Ge's face fell, cursing himself inwardly—if he'd known this guy was a prince, he wouldn't have dared to be such a smartass even with a hundred times the guts.

"I... I'm a bit tired. How about you walk the rest of the way yourself?"