Chapter 40 Wound

Chapter 40: The Wound

Cheng Ge: If I shout loud enough, even a fifth-rank official can sound like a first-rank one.

The surrounding onlookers, seeing this, started whispering among themselves.

"Oh, isn't that Zhang Hong, Lord Zhang? What's going on here?"

"I know, I know! I saw it all clearly just now. Lord Zhang's carriage cut him off and hit this young gentleman's carriage, but the driver flipped the blame and even tried to drag the young gentleman back to take matters into his own hands."

"What? That's insane! The world's gone to hell—these officials are just thugs."

"I was just saying this young guy looks so classy and handsome, a real catch, like Pan An and Zhou Yu rolled into one—how could he possibly hit someone for no reason? Turns out he suffered such a great injustice."

...

Hearing the crowd, Cheng Ge's head was full of that long string of compliments.

He casually covered his mouth, coughed a couple of times, and flicked a stray hair off his forehead.

Then his gaze fell back on Zhang Hong, and he said, pretending to be generous: "I'll let today slide.

Lord Zhang, make sure you keep your dog on a leash from now on, so it doesn't bark at every person it sees, or it'll piss off the wrong person and end up dead without a clue."

"You..." Zhang Hong was fuming, eyes bulging and nostrils flaring, pissed off at Cheng Ge, but had to hold back because of the crowd.

Cheng Ge was thrilled, hopped into his carriage, and got ready to go.

Suddenly, he remembered something, lifted the curtain and yelled at Zhang Hong: "Oh, by the way, that scumbag Zhang Qinghang is your son, right? Like father, like son.

If you have the energy, spare some time to give him a few more beatings.

Tell him to stop trying to kidnap decent guys—a good-for-nothing brat with no upbringing, not even scared his own kid might be born without an asshole and die from shit."

Zhang Hong was shaking with rage at Cheng Ge's words, pointing at Cheng Ge's carriage but couldn't get a word out for ages.

The crowd around them burst out laughing.

Finally, Zhang Hong's eyes rolled back, and he passed out right there.

Cheng Ge didn't think he'd be that easy to rile up; a few basic moves and the guy was down for the count.

"Go, go! Don't let him pin this on me." Cheng Ge immediately tapped the driver and told him to hurry.

With a "Hyah!" the carriage shot off and soon disappeared from sight.

No surprise, Cheng Ge was late again, and he instantly regretted it.

He shouldn't have wasted so much time on those losers.

Damn! Hope I don't get my pay cut.

Luckily, it seemed the Grand Tutor got called away by the Emperor, so only the Crown Prince and a few study buddies were in Wenhua Hall.

Cheng Ge snuck a book off a nearby shelf and walked over, acting like nothing happened.

But Zhou Zhan spotted him the second he came in and walked right over.

Cheng Ge's heart sank, knowing he was in trouble, but he forced a smile and started to bow.

"You've got some nerve, even lazier than me at slacking off."

Zhou Zhan suddenly shoved Cheng Ge's shoulder hard, and he stumbled, losing his balance.

Seeing that, Zhou Zhan quickly grabbed him, startled.

He remembered yesterday's blood-spitting incident and rubbed his nose guiltily.

"How can you be so fragile, like some delicate girl—falling over at the slightest push?"

Cheng Ge: "..."

"Your Highness is kidding. I ran into a martial arts master recently and picked up a few moves."

Zhou Zhan, still a kid at heart, got all excited. "Really? Which master? What moves?" He grabbed Cheng Ge's arm eagerly, totally hyped.

"The master only taught me one move, called 'Eighteen Falls of the Sticky Robe.' He said if I could master it, it'd bring me a lifetime of riches and glory."

Zhou Zhan didn't get it at first, but after a few seconds, he realized Cheng Ge was messing with him.

"You... how dare you lie to my face? I'll have your head for this!"

Cheng Ge quickly clasped his hands and apologized with a grin: "Your Highness, take it easy. I wouldn't dare."

Zhou Zhan acted like he was going to hit him but then dropped his hand, snorting coldly. "I'll let you off this time. If you mess with me again, you won't get off so easy."

Cheng Ge nodded like crazy, flashing a brown-nosing smile at Zhou Zhan.

This was his future golden ticket; he had to latch on while he could.

Once he reached the top of the official world, he could strut through the imperial city without anyone daring to stop him.

Just thinking about that sweet life, Cheng Ge almost cracked up.

Seeing Cheng Ge's smile, Zhou Zhan instinctively turned his face away, but his gaze suddenly landed on Cheng Ge's hand.

"What happened to the back of your hand?" Zhou Zhan's voice involuntarily rose an octave.

Hearing this, Cheng Ge instinctively looked down at his own hand.

Sure enough, there was a thin cut on the back of his hand.

Though the wound wasn't deep, the dried blood stood out starkly against his pale skin.

Cheng Ge guessed it was probably from when he hit that driver earlier.

He didn't think much of it, casually wiping at the injured hand.

"It's just a small wound, nothing serious," he said dismissively.

But Zhou Zhan was unusually concerned and wouldn't let it go.

He grabbed Cheng Ge's hand tightly, examining it seriously. "How did this happen? Were you bullied?"

Cheng Ge didn't answer, feeling uncomfortable with his hand being held like this, and tried to pull it back from Zhou Zhan's grasp.

"Tsk, don’t move!" Zhou Zhan clearly picked up on what Cheng Ge was trying to do.

Not only did he not let go, but he tightened his grip even more.

"Go get some wound medicine right now," Zhou Zhan ordered the attendant standing nearby.

Cheng Ge couldn't help but roll his eyes—how could this guy be so dramatic? "Ha... it's practically healed already."

"The hell do you know! This wound could be no big deal or it could be serious; if it festers, you’ll be crying later. Are there any other injuries on your body?"

With that, Zhou Zhan, ignoring whether Cheng Ge was willing or not, started pawing and poking at him all over, checking every inch of his body.

Cheng Ge's skin crawled and he quickly raised a hand to block Zhou Zhan’s movements, saying awkwardly, "Your Highness, seriously, there's nothing else. Just this one."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhan’s expression softened, and he pinched Cheng Ge’s fingers gently.

Cheng Ge’s fingers were slimmer than most men's, with long, well-proportioned knuckles.

The blue veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible against his snow-like skin, and his fingertips were rounded and faintly pink.

Zhou Zhan found them soft and smooth in his grasp, soft and boneless, and for a moment, he was reluctant to let go.

A thought popped into his head out of nowhere—recalling the illustrated book Xiao Guizi had brought him days ago; if he were to use this hand to help him...

At that thought, Zhou Zhan’s breath quickened, and his throat felt dry.

"How come your hands are like scallion stalks? Do you slather 'em in lotion and cream every day?"