I Faked My Death After Choosing the Wrong Protagonist - Chapter 37

As soon as Shen Qingzhuo returned, Qi Ye lunged into his arms. Qi Ye held him in a death grip; though Shen Qingzhuo had only been gone for an hour, it felt as if they had been separated for years.

If they were alone, Shen Qingzhuo wouldn’t have cared what Qi Ye did, but since there was someone else present, he gave the boy a gentle push. “Alright, let go of me. There are people watching.”

To his surprise, the bun shop owner promptly covered his eyes. “No one’s here, no one at all! Just carry on, pretend I don’t exist… actually, no, I’m leaving, I’m leaving right now!”

With that, the man scurried toward the back kitchen with his eyes shielded. Heaven knows that the moment the gentleman in white returned, the owner felt like he’d seen a savior he finally didn’t have to worry about being eaten! As he fled, he hummed a little tune, feeling the joy of having cheated death. “Da Wang, Er Gui, I’m back! How are the buns coming along? Chicken legs for everyone tonight!”

Now that they were the only ones left outside, Qi Ye held him tight for a while longer. He noticed that while Shen Qingzhuo’s attire was the same as when he left, the green jade hairpin he usually wore was gone, replaced by a cheap white silk ribbon.

Shen Qingzhuo explained, “I went out and pawned my valuables for some useful things.”

Qi Ye continued to look him over from bottom to top, finally sliding his fingers into the gaps of Shen Qingzhuo’s hair while his other hand remained around the man’s waist. They were so close their eyes nearly collided. He knew that if it weren’t for him, Shen Qingzhuo wouldn’t be drifting out here, forced to sell his own hair accessories just to buy supplies.

Shen Qingzhuo was startled. After a few seconds of eye contact, he tried to break free, but the hand on his waist tightened, and the hand at the back of his head gently pressed him closer.

Qi Ye watched him without blinking his gaze was cautious yet daring. Very slowly, he leaned in, bit by bit. He was actually giving Shen Qingzhuo a chance to resist. He didn’t want to let go, but if Shen Qingzhuo truly got angry or disgusted, he would stop.

As Qi Ye drew closer, Shen Qingzhuo felt a brief moment of panic and fear, but remarkably, no shame or anger. His eyes darted around nervously as Qi Ye’s lips neared his own.

Under the bright daylight, Shen Qingzhuo and Qi Ye shared their third kiss.

During the kiss, Shen Qingzhuo wondered: Do I actually have feelings for Qi Ye after all? If I truly date the protagonist, will it affect his fate? Should I respond a bit more so it isn’t so boring for him?

Just as Shen Qingzhuo gathered the courage to reciprocate, he realized Qi Ye had already pulled away. The youth’s lips had left his, but he still held his waist, staring at him with those large, dark eyes. The boy was perfectly composed; only Shen Qingzhuo’s gaze was shifting aimlessly, wanting to look at Qi Ye but not quite daring to.

Qi Ye said seriously, “Master, we are dating. It is permitted for lovers to kiss each other.”

Shen Qingzhuo was stunned again. He couldn’t tell if Qi Ye was making excuses for the kiss or if the boy was dissatisfied with his lack of response. He nodded. “Then… I won’t push you away next time.”

When the two went inside, the owner and his two employees had already steamed several baskets of buns. The middle-aged owner feared Qi Ye, but with Shen Qingzhuo present, he felt safer and greeted them warmly. “Young Master, would you like a bun?”

Shen Qingzhuo shook his head and stated his intent. He brought out the fabric and medicinal herbs he had purchased and asked the owner if there were tailors in Lan City who could distribute these to the needy. Additionally, he wanted to buy six thousand buns to give to the poor.

The owner’s eyes went dark, and he nearly collapsed again. It wasn’t about the money; six thousand buns meant he’d have to steam day and night for three days and give up his entire food reserve!

He tried to advise, “Young Master, I know you are kind, but six thousand people is no joke. Even if you help them this once, there will come a time when you can’t!”

Shen Qingzhuo smiled. He’d help whenever he could. Lan City had many people skilled with a needle; the reason he bought fabric instead of ready-made clothes was that it was hard to find such a large quantity at once, and buying cloth was cheaper, allowing him to help more people. He marveled at the fact that he was finally learning to be frugal.

That day, the homeless—who usually had to wait days for Young Master Jun’s relief ate meat buns and hot porridge early. The owner, while grumbling about Shen Qingzhuo’s “unnecessary” kindness, found his own altruism flaring up. Besides the buns, he took on the task of cooking porridge and brewing medicine, working as if he were eight people at once.

While the owner and his staff distributed food, Shen Qingzhuo and Qi Ye went among the sick. These people had essentially been abandoned; when even the healthy were starving to death, no one cared for the ill. Shen Qingzhuo felt they needed the most attention.

He went to great lengths to bring a doctor into the city. The physician was initially reluctant, making a thousand excuses, but upon seeing the reality of the situation, he fell silent for a long time. Finally, he said, “Fine. I will treat them. Consider it an act of merit for my years of practice. I won’t charge for the consultations, but I cannot be responsible for the cost of the medicine for so many people.”

They worked until late at night. It was the day with the fewest deaths Lan City had seen in a month.

By nightfall, the owner’s kind heart overflowed once more, and he momentarily forgot that one of his guests enjoyed killing. “Young Masters, it’s late and the city has no inns. Why don’t you stay here for the night?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to slap himself. His shop was tiny; he and his two employees shared one room, and the only extra space was a woodshed. How could I dare ask Master Shen and the Demon Seed to sleep in a woodshed?!

Based on his observations throughout the day, he was now certain of Shen Qingzhuo’s identity. He was only confused by one thing: rumors said Master Shen’s beauty was peerless, yet this man… while refined and clean, looked rather ordinary. That was why he hadn’t confirmed it immediately.

To his shock, Shen Qingzhuo agreed. The owner’s expression went through a series of contortions before he managed a steady, “Great… then let me have my workers clear out our room for you! I promise to scrub it clean!”

Shen Qingzhuo was puzzled. “Why clear your room?”

The owner sighed and admitted that besides the one bedroom and the woodshed, there was no other space. He couldn’t exactly suggest they go sleep with the beggars.

Shen Qingzhuo smiled. “It’s fine. No need to clear anything. We’re the ones intruding; we can sleep in the woodshed.”

The owner’s jaw nearly hit the floor. Who else in the world could be as amazing as me making Master Shen and the most feared demon sleep in my woodshed? Since Shen Qingzhuo insisted, he was more than happy to retreat to his own bed, feeling a mix of pride and lingering terror.

Shen Qingzhuo and Qi Ye went to the woodshed behind the shop. Because the shop used a lot of firewood for steaming buns, the shed was large, with half of it being empty space. It was cluttered with wood and straw, but Shen Qingzhuo used his magic to tidy it up instantly.

Though they were in a woodshed, Shen Qingzhuo didn’t intend to sleep on the floor. He pulled a bed from his Spatial Ring. It was a single bed he had prepared for himself long ago; sleeping two would be a tight fit. For some reason, despite having shared a bed with Qi Ye before, Shen Qingzhuo felt unusually nervous this time. Likely because we are ‘dating’ now, he thought. Still, he felt that dating Qi Ye wasn’t a bad experience at all.

Seeing Qi Ye standing at the door, he asked, “Don’t you want to sleep?”

Qi Ye hesitated, feeling a bit empty, as if something needed to be filled. Hearing the invitation, he felt a surge of joy and went toward the bed.

Though they shared one bed and one quilt, they were initially very respectful of the “middle line.” Suddenly, Qi Ye rolled over and pinned himself on top of Shen Qingzhuo.

Shen Qingzhuo, who had been unable to sleep, opened his eyes in surprise and confusion. “Hmm? What’s wrong?”

Qi Ye stayed there for a moment, then climbed back down and rolled away. “No… nothing.”

Despite being the culprit, Qi Ye was the one whose face turned red first. Realizing he had pulled the quilt away from Shen Qingzhuo, he tucked the man in tightly before closing his eyes, leaving himself completely exposed to the cold air.