My Frail and Vicious Little Husband - Chapter 5

In his dream, Su Ce transformed into a rootless green leaf. The wind carried him past the fragrance of flowers and the chirping of birds, until a sudden gust flung him high into the air, where the scorching sun seemed intent on burning his entire being.

He felt his skin burning with pain, and it was then he abruptly opened his eyes, gasping for breath.

“You’re awake?”

Su Ce glanced around, discovering Qin Zijin sitting beside him, smiling as he blew the hot steam from his teacup. He spoke, “My apologies, Young Master Su. I did not realize your tolerance for alcohol was so low, nor did I know where you lived. I had no choice but to let you rest in this carriage for a while.”

Su Ce felt the soft cushion beneath his palms and asked nervously, “What time is it now?”

“It has likely passed the Shen hour (3:00 PM – 5:00 PM).”

“The Shen hour!” Su Ce exclaimed, visibly panicking.

Watching him, seeing the lingering confusion in his eyes combined with his attempt to appear stubborn, Qin Zijin felt a mix of emotion and curiosity. He prodded, “In such a rush to return home at this hour—could it be that you are already married, Young Master Su? Are you on very good terms with your wife?”

Su Ce was about to answer Qin Zijin, but feeling something was off, he only said, “Could you please take me to that place you mentioned earlier, the pastry shop on the street east of the city…”

Seeing his desire to avoid the question, Qin Zijin did not press further, only saying, “I couldn’t tell; you have a fondness for sweets.”

“Not for me,” Su Ce denied flatly.

For a time, the two had no further topics of conversation, and they remained silent the rest of the way.

Su Ce felt somewhat awkward. Just before getting off, he murmured, “I suppose it’s not too bad…”

Qin Zijin understood that Su Ce was answering his previous question.

He smiled, “And do you know what a good relationship looks like?”

Su Ce lifted his gaze to look at Qin Zijin with a pale, hollow, and even bewildered expression. Seeing that the other party seemed to have no malice and had merely asked a passing question, he bit his lip and pulled back the carriage curtain to look out at the street.

Fortunately, the shop was almost there. After thanking him and exiting the carriage, he began walking toward the pastry shop, but after only a few steps, Qin Zijin saw him pause, turn around, and walk back. Looking up at him, he asked, “Do you have any money? I left in such a hurry today that I didn’t bring my purse…”

For a grown man to be out without money and forced to hold his palm out to someone else was highly unusual.

“How much do you need?”

Qin Zijin didn’t ask further, which took a weight off Su Ce’s mind.

Su Ce thought for a moment, then hesitantly and cautiously said, “Fifty wen, would that be alright?”

Qin Zijin stood with his back to the light, and where Su Ce couldn’t see, the corners of his mouth curled upward. As he handed the money to Su Ce, his fingertips brushed against his palm, and he didn’t forget to add, “Remember to come to the theater to return it next time.”

Su Ce nodded, very earnestly and politely saying thank you.

Only then did he turn and dive into the pastry shop without looking back.

When Su Ce appeared at the palace gate, Xiao Huai was walking at the front of a group, looking furious, with Fu Ning trailing closely behind.

Su Ce looked at the overwhelming crowd approaching him, steadied his nerves, dropped his head, and walked up to Xiao Huai, flashing a brilliant smile: “What a coincidence! Why are you walking this path today? Are you heading out of the palace too?”

Xiao Huai did not speak. Because the sky had turned dark, Su Ce could not clearly see his expression.

But after two years, Su Ce could clearly sense that Xiao Huai was angry—very angry!

The night wind was biting. The moment Su Ce sneezed, he heard Xiao Huai finally speak to him: “Get in the carriage.”

Su Ce stood dazed for a moment.

He immediately understood Xiao Huai’s intent: he was likely planning to “settle scores” with him once they returned to the palace.

Before he could even lift a foot, Xiao Huai, seeing him dawdling, shoved him into the carriage.

Knowing Xiao Huai was in a foul mood, Su Ce sat cautiously beside him, clutching the pastries in his arms even tighter.

The carriage stopped in front of the palace hall. Xiao Huai exited first, and Su Ce followed closely behind; he was a man who knew how to read the room. If he were to contradict Xiao Huai at this moment, he would be asking for trouble—this was a lesson he had learned over the years.

Seeing them enter the room, Fu Ning immediately dismissed the servants.

The room had already been warmed to a spring-like temperature by the charcoal fire.

Just as Su Ce wanted to put down the pastries, he saw Xiao Huai standing a step away, tossing his cloak casually to the floor, turning around, and grabbing him to kiss him.

Su Ce felt that Xiao Huai was quite urgent today; his hand roamed his back and gave a twist as it slid down to his waist. Xiao Huai’s strength wasn’t great, but through his thick winter clothes, it felt like a tickle, making Su Ce’s body go limp against him. But he was afraid of crushing the pastries he had worked so hard to bring back, so he stood there bent over like a shrimp, looking both awkward and ridiculous.

Xiao Huai frowned, pulled Su Ce half a step away, ripped open his cloak, and stared intensely at the square package wrapped in oil paper held in his arms, asking in a cold tone: “What are you holding in your arms?”

Only then did Su Ce carefully take out the package of pastries and unfold the oil paper: “I heard this shop east of the city had good pastries, so I went to buy some for you…”

Xiao Huai looked at the colorful, oddly-shaped pastries and asked with a heavy, deep gaze: “Heard? Heard from whom?”

Xiao Huai had always been good at seizing the key point.

Su Ce gasped, fearing Xiao Huai might find out about Qin Zijin’s existence, so he prevaricated: “I just heard people downstairs saying so while I was watching the play at the theater.”

Xiao Huai scrutinized Su Ce’s expression.

Su Ce felt unnatural under his gaze and used his hand to pick up a piece of pastry to feed Xiao Huai: “Would you like to taste it?”

Xiao Huai leaned his neck forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Su Ce’s face, and opened his mouth to take a small bite.

He wrapped an arm around Su Ce, pulling him into his embrace, lowered his head to kiss his lips, and thrust his tongue into his mouth.

Su Ce felt the sweetness Xiao Huai had just bitten into spreading across his taste buds, and the rest of the pastries were knocked onto the floor.

“Xiao Huai…” Su Ce wanted to save the remaining pastries that hadn’t completely fallen from the oil paper.

Su Ce felt a stinging pain on the tip of his tongue.

Xiao Huai was punishing him for his lack of focus; Su Ce’s waist grew limp, and a muffled groan escaped his throat.

Desire appeared in Xiao Huai’s eyes; the corners of his lips curved upward, and his hand moved gradually downward. Su Ce felt his palm ironing against his skin, and when he touched his flat, slightly muscular abdomen, his whole body couldn’t help but tremble, his body sagging downward—but Xiao Huai’s thigh was wedged between his legs, making him look like a koala clinging to Xiao Huai.

Xiao Huai pressed him down onto the bed, insatiably sucking on Su Ce’s lips until his chest heaved violently, forcing him to push Xiao Huai away to catch a moment of breath.

But Xiao Huai simply held his hands above his head.

“Xiao Huai…”

Su Ce’s eyes were already hazy, brimming with moisture, his cheeks flushed with a layer of scarlet.

The candles flickered throughout the night as the two indulged in their pleasure.

By the time it ended, Su Ce lay on Xiao Huai’s chest, both of them covered in a sticky film of sweat.

Su Ce traced the muscles on Xiao Huai’s chest that tightened with each breath, then suddenly looked up with shining eyes and said: “Xiao Huai, I saw a jade pendant on the street today. It would look very good on you, but I didn’t have any money.”

Xiao Huai rolled his eyes: “How much do you want?”

Su Ce actually sat up from Xiao Huai, thought seriously for a while, and then cautiously said: “How about fifty wen each time?”

Xiao Huai was silent for a moment, but ultimately agreed to Su Ce’s request.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Pear Garden, Su Ce was still in a daze.

“Young Master Su, long time no see.”

Hearing Qin Zijin’s voice from outside the carriage, Su Ce saw that he was smiling as usual, as if he didn’t care at all that Su Ce had waited a week to return to the Pear Garden.

Su Ce felt a bit embarrassed: “Long time no see, Young Master Qin.”

“Shall we go in together?” Qin Zijin held out his hand in the air, intending to help Su Ce out of the carriage.

Su Ce looked at that hand, hesitated for a moment, then dug an exquisite purse out of his clothes and placed it in Qin Zijin’s palm: “This is the money I borrowed from you last time. I’m returning it to you today.”

Qin Zijin looked startled, but quickly adjusted: “It’s just a small amount of money; why would Young Master Su keep it in your heart? Could it be that you don’t consider me a friend?”

Su Ce paused, looking at Qin Zijin with a complex expression. Weren’t they just people who had shared two drinks? Moreover, he had lost so much face over that incident; how did he suddenly become a “friend” in Qin Zijin’s eyes?

However, Qin Zijin hadn’t ridiculed him for it, and he had been willing to lend him money. In that sense, Qin Zijin did indeed seem like he could be his friend—after all, the concept of a friend seemed somewhat strange yet novel to the current Su Ce.

He had lived in the deep palace for so long that the number of people he could speak to every day could be counted on one hand.

“Oh, friend.” Su Ce smacked his lips, “Precisely because we are friends, that is all the more reason to return it.”

Qin Zijin smiled: “Let’s go, Du Bai is inside as well.”

The two walked into the Pear Garden one after the other. Du Bai didn’t see Su Ce following behind Qin Zijin with his head down, instead grabbing Qin Zijin’s shoulder and saying: “Tell me, if he hadn’t come today, were you still going to keep waiting for him here? This is too boring!”

Qin Zijin pushed Du Bai’s hand away and said calmly: “Didn’t he come? Besides, watching plays isn’t boring.”

Du Bai looked past Qin Zijin and saw Su Ce staring straight at him. He was momentarily flustered, his expression shifting between blue and red, before finally saying: “Young Master Su, long time no see.”

Su Ce nodded slightly, but his throat was constricted by what Du Bai had just said. He whispered an explanation: “There was a heavy snowfall these past few days, and my family wouldn’t let me leave the house.”

Du Bai was skeptical of this explanation and was about to speak when Qin Zijin interrupted: “No matter. Rain and snow make the roads difficult; it is only natural for your family to be worried.”

“Then why don’t we go drink tea today?”

When Su Ce made this suggestion, Du Bai and Qin Zijin exchanged a glance.

“It’s mid-winter; drinking tea without anything to distract us is boring. It would be better to stay at the theater,” Du Bai seemed dissatisfied with this proposal.

Qin Zijin touched the jade pendant at his waist and suggested: “Then how about we go play Pai Gow (a domino game) together? We can drink tea at the same time and find some distraction.”