After Pretending to be an Idiot, I Was Targeted by the Cold-Blooded Zhangyin - Chapter 34

Xie Changsheng hadn’t expected Gu Feiyi to suddenly thrust a finger into his mouth.

He jumped in fright, and watching Gu Feiyi wipe his finger afterward made him feel indescribably awkward. He lowered his head and wiped his lips, trying to scrub away that strange sensation, while giving Gu Feiyi a serious yet perfunctory “Mm-hmm-hmm”:

“You’re right, but the permanent population of Vatican City is only 800. If Australia’s 47 million kangaroos decided to invade the Vatican, every Vatican citizen would have to fight over 50,000 kangaroos. You don’t care about that; you only care about the union of Yin and Yang.” (Note 1)

Gu Feiyi: “…”

He massaged his temples, about to ask what a “kangaroo” was, only to see that Xie Changsheng had already started walking ahead.

Gu Feiyi followed leisurely. “Is the Little Highness not going back?”

Xie Changsheng shook his head. “I’m very busy, I have to build a snowman. If you want to go back, go ahead.”

Gu Feiyi could tell Xie Changsheng was trying to shoo him away, but he didn’t leave. He curled his lips into a smile. “Just as well. If you’re not going back, come to my place first. This servant has prepared a gift for the Little Highness.”

“A gift?”

Gu Feiyi didn’t answer, simply turning around and walking away. “Follow me.”

On the way to Gu Feiyi’s residence, Xie Changsheng secretly threw snow at him three times, rolled in the snow twice, performed an impromptu rendition of Let It Go until a dark-faced Gu Feiyi told him to stop, and explained the Left-Hand Rule to him. Finally, they arrived.

Gu Feiyi let out a sigh of relief, feeling mentally exhausted. He grabbed Xie Changsheng’s wrist to pull him close and, while unfastening the ribbons of the boy’s cloak, suddenly raised his voice: “Come out.”

Xie Changsheng was startled. His first instinct was that an assassin had sneaked in while Gu Feiyi was away and was hiding somewhere.

Xie Changsheng’s eyes went wide with tension. He grabbed Gu Feiyi’s sleeve, trying to pull him behind a cabinet to hide, but he couldn’t budge the man. Instead, he saw a ball of white fluff waddling out from under the bed.

It was a snow-white puppy.

Xie Changsheng froze, looking at the puppy, then back at Gu Feiyi. Then at the puppy, then back at Gu Feiyi again.

Gu Feiyi straightened the sleeve Xie Changsheng had just wrinkled. “Why so stunned? Wasn’t it the Little Highness who asked this servant for a puppy?”

Xie Changsheng continued to stare at him blankly. Gu Feiyi let out a light laugh and pressed his icy hand against the back of Xie’s neck. “Snap out of it.”

Only then did Xie Changsheng finally react. With a cheer, he rushed toward the white cotton ball, flopped onto the floor, and cradled the puppy, rubbing his face against it with a laugh.

The little white ball wasn’t afraid of people at all. It blinked its bright black eyes, wagged its tail vigorously at Xie Changsheng, and licked his face. Xie Changsheng rolled over to lie flat on the floor, holding the puppy high with both hands before letting it step onto his chest.

Gu Feiyi noticed that Xie Changsheng’s outer robe and shoes were completely soaked. He himself had a low body temperature and liked the cold; he even bathed in cold water. But thinking carefully, Xie Changsheng was his opposite. Yuling Palace was always cozy and warm, and every time he touched Xie Changsheng with his icy hands, the boy would shiver.

Currently, Xie Changsheng was so distracted by the puppy that he probably didn’t feel the cold, but that might change soon. With that in mind, Gu Feiyi walked over to the brazier and added more Hongluo charcoal.

The room gradually grew warm. Gu Feiyi felt too hot; he took off his outer robe, changed into a thinner inner garment, and walked back to Xie Changsheng, lightly kicking his calf.

“This dog was personally requested from Prince Rui by this servant. I went to his estate to fetch it myself; the round trip took three full days. Shouldn’t the Little Highness say thank you?”

Xie Changsheng immediately said, “Thank you!”

He liked puppies, but his initial request for one had been a ploy to make Gu Feiyi think he was a fool who couldn’t tell good from bad. Seeing Gu Feiyi stall him for so long, Xie Changsheng had assumed the man didn’t want to give him one and hadn’t brought it up again. He hadn’t expected Gu Feiyi to actually get him one.

Gu Feiyi arched an eyebrow to tease him: “What? This servant didn’t hear clearly.”

Xie Changsheng thanked him again: “Thank you, Gu Feiyi, you are a great person. I wish you health, a long life of a hundred years, happiness, and pea—”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

“Shut up, Little Highness,” he said.

He sat in his chair, leisurely sipping tea while watching Xie Changsheng play with the puppy. He added, “The dog is yours, but this servant has a few requirements.”

Xie Changsheng asked, “What requirements?”

Gu Feiyi said, “You must not spoil it too much. You are not allowed to let it bark, shout, or relieve itself wherever it pleases. And you are strictly forbidden from letting it sleep in bed with you.”

Xie Changsheng nodded. “Mm-hmm, okay, okay, sure, sure.”

It was impossible to tell if any of it actually registered. Gu Feiyi felt helpless, but then remembered something. He asked, “What does the Little Highness plan to name this puppy? Have you a name in mind?”

Xie Changsheng didn’t even think: “Mimi (Kitty).”

Gu Feiyi: “…”

“Is Mimi not good?” Seeing Gu Feiyi’s silence, Xie Changsheng added, “Then call it Xiaobai (Little White). When it grows up, it’ll be Dabai (Big White), and when it’s old, it’ll be Laobai (Old White).”

“Oh, or maybe Xiaohei (Little Black)! Big, Big Black; old, Old Black. How about that?”

Gu Feiyi: “…” He said helplessly, “Let this servant give it a—”

Before he could finish, Xie Changsheng suddenly sprang up and leaned in front of him. “I’ve got it! Let’s call it ‘Changsheng’ (Longevity)!”

“Chang… sheng?” Gu Feiyi truly hadn’t expected that. He squinted at him. “Has the Little Highness forgotten that is your own name?”

“Can it not be called Changsheng too? Just like me.”

“Naturally not.”

Xie Changsheng gave an “Oh” and said dejectedly, “What a pity.”

Seeing him like this, Gu Feiyi couldn’t help but feel curious. He asked, “Why did the Little Highness want to give it your own name?”

“Because it’s a very good name, and I like it very much.” Xie Changsheng lowered his head to poke the puppy’s head, then looked back at Gu Feiyi. Those beautiful, drooping eyes were still filled with daze. He said in a flat, dull voice, “I want it to live a very long time. To live to a hundred years old.”

Gu Feiyi froze. He suddenly asked, “And what about the Little Highness?”

“What about me?”

Gu Feiyi: “The Little Highness likes this name because you also want to live a very long time?”

Xie Changsheng nodded vigorously several times.

Gu Feiyi lowered his gaze, his eyes circling the boy sitting on the floor. He suddenly set down his teacup and patted his thigh. “Little Highness, come here.”

Xie Changsheng reluctantly let go of the puppy, climbed up, and sat sideways on his knees. Gu Feiyi habitually wrapped an arm around Xie Changsheng’s waist, his large palm supporting the small of his back to steady him. He began stroking Xie Changsheng’s spine rhythmically.

His other hand wasn’t idle either; he lifted Xie Changsheng’s right hand and turned the white jade ring with two fingers. His movements were slower and lighter than usual, causing Xie Changsheng to look at him strangely.

Gu Feiyi was also looking at him. Because Xie Changsheng had been rolling in the snow without a care, his hair was completely wet, with a few damp strands sticking to his cheek.

Just as he reached out to tuck the hair away, the little white puppy grew anxious seeing Xie Changsheng leave. It waddled toward them but found that Xie Changsheng was sitting at a height it couldn’t reach. It propped itself up on its hind legs, reaching its front paws out to climb Gu Feiyi’s robes, wanting to reach his lap just like Xie Changsheng.

But before its paws could touch him, Gu Feiyi gave it a cold look. “Get down.”

The puppy’s ears flattened, it let out a small whimper, and retreated a few steps. But it didn’t stay scared for long. After a few wobbly steps, it became fascinated by its own fluffy tail and began spinning around to bite it.

Gu Feiyi tucked the stray hairs behind Xie Changsheng’s ear and suddenly said: “Suisui.”

“Huh?”

Gu Feiyi didn’t answer immediately. He caught Xie Changsheng’s soft earlobe between his fingers, rubbing it gently until the jade-like bead turned bright red and the boy stiffly tried to pull away. Only then did he speak.

His voice and eyes were laced with a faint smile. “Its name is Suisui.” (Part of the phrase Suisui Ping’an, meaning “peace year after year”).

“Suisui?” Xie Changsheng tilted his head for a long time, then clapped. “Good! Suisui it is!”

A while later, Feng Wang’s voice sounded from outside: “Master, the banquet is about to end.”

Gu Feiyi acknowledged him, stopped braiding Xie Changsheng’s hair, and finally released him from his lap. He departed with a look of impatience, while Xie Changsheng carried Suisui back to Yuling Palace.

Suisui had a round head, round eyes, and a round body. The moment they arrived, the palace servants were instantly enamored. Seeing Xie Changsheng standing there holding Suisui—a beautiful person and a cute dog—made everyone’s hearts soften.

Xie Changsheng played with Suisui for half the night, feeding it some cooked goat’s milk. When both man and dog were yawning with exhaustion, he climbed into bed clutching Suisui.

In the middle of the night, the banquet finally dispersed. Gu Feiyi boarded his sedan. “To Yuling Palace.”

He was tired today. Compared to the hard bed in his own room, he wanted to hold Xie Changsheng and sleep. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he felt he slept more soundly with Xie Changsheng by his side.

Upon arriving, he used the washroom first, scrubbing away the smell of alcohol and perfume before entering the bedchamber. By the moonlight and snow-light filtering through the windows, he saw Suisui curled up in Xie Changsheng’s arms.

Gu Feiyi let out a light huff, knowing Xie Changsheng hadn’t listened to his instruction about “no sleeping with the dog” at all. He picked up the puppy and tossed it back into its nest in the corner. Suisui whimpered, but under Gu Feiyi’s stare, it didn’t dare come back, huddling dejectedly in the corner instead.

Gu Feiyi reached out his long arm and pulled Xie Changsheng into his embrace. He played with the boy’s hair, thinking back to the conversation from earlier.

Since becoming a fool, Xie Changsheng occasionally said things that were quite Zen-like and interesting. Regarding the explanation for “Changsheng,” Gu Feiyi knew the boy probably hadn’t thought much of it and was just babbling as usual. But it had genuinely touched him.

The courtiers all thought the Old Emperor was still healthy, but that was news Gu Feiyi had deliberately released. Only he knew that with the toxic pills and the slow poison he was feeding him, the Old Man might not survive the year. When the Emperor fell, chaos would ensue. Xie Changsheng was just a fool; where would he go in that chaos?

The speaker was careless, but the listener took it to heart.

Gu Feiyi thought that even an ant strives to live; even a simpleton treasures his life. Previously, he had only found Xie Changsheng’s dazed face amusing and wanted to tease him. This was the first time he felt a trace of pity and compassion.

Xie Changsheng wanted his puppy to have “longevity.” But Gu Feiyi felt that lifespan was determined by heaven. He didn’t seek “longevity” for his little pet; he could only ensure that while his pet lived, he would have “peace year after year” (Suisui Ping’an).

Thinking that his painstaking efforts might never be realized by this simpleton made Gu Feiyi feel a bit stifled. He grabbed Xie Changsheng’s hand, brought it to his lips, and bit the fingertip with some force. Only when Xie Changsheng woke groggily and hissed while pulling his hand back did he let go.

He licked his lips. “Hmph… little animal.”