The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 36

Xie Cheng’s lunch consisted of a bowl of steaming noodles.

It was the most common type of soup noodles found in the streets and alleys. A bundle of cooked noodles was scooped from a large pot, drenched in hot broth and chili oil, and sprinkled with a few pinches of scallions before being served.

Four people crowded around a small square table set with three bowls of noodles. Two bowls were plain and simple; the third had a spoonful of sauce, extra pickled greens, a boiled egg, and a braised chicken leg bobbing in the hot soup.

The bowl with the egg and chicken leg was placed in front of Xie Cheng. Jiang Yi bustled about, practically pressing Xie Cheng into his seat. Of the remaining bowls, one was for Jiang Yi himself because he was hungry, and the other was for the Crown Prince because he was the Prince’s brother. Shitou had nothing in front of him because Jiang Yi had run out of silver.

The noodle stall was reasonably clean, without any pungent or unpleasant smells. Xie Cheng picked up a spoon and idly stirred the noodles before him.

“Your Highness, Your Highness, try it! I searched for so long before finding a stall that had the perfect color, fragrance, and taste.”

“Perfect color, fragrance, and taste?”

“Mm-hmm!”

Jiang Yi propped his chin on the table, staring at Xie Cheng longingly. If it weren’t for the constraints of their status and a lingering shred of reason, he probably wouldn’t have been able to restrain himself from picking up the slippery noodles and feeding them directly into Xie Cheng’s mouth.

“Where? I don’t see it,” Xie Cheng asked.

“Mix it! Mix it a bit more!”

Jiang Yi thought the pampered Prince Zhao didn’t understand how to eat street food, so he hurried to stir his own noodles with wooden chopsticks. Then, he looked up with a brilliant, seeking-praise smile. “Just like this.”

Xie Cheng watched his frantic yet earnest movements, arched an eyebrow, and pushed his own bowl toward Jiang Yi’s hand. He spoke quite naturally: “You do it.”

Those three simple words didn’t sound like a command to Jiang Yi; they felt like an intimate permission. So much so that Xie Cheng’s cold voice sounded exceptionally soft to his ears, as if he were relying on him and acting a bit spoiled.

His cheeks grew warm as he hurriedly replied, “Alright.”

They sat face-to-face. Xie Cheng watched him work with poise, his fingertips lightly tapping the rough surface of the table, enjoying the silly devotion of a certain someone.

Is this his way of apologizing?

Rushing in front of him like a fool, caring for nothing and fearing nothing, just like the tiger cub that had barged into the palace banquet that night.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

The Crown Prince, unable to bear the way Jiang Yi’s eyes were glued to his younger brother, let out a series of heavy coughs in an attempt to break the stifling atmosphere.

Xie Cheng lowered his long lashes and pulled his snowy-white cloak tighter, hiding himself deeper within the soft fox fur, effectively blocking the Crown Prince’s prying gaze. “If Brother has urgent business, you may leave first.”

The Crown Prince’s heart broke. “You’re driving me away?”

Leave!

Hearing that word, Jiang Yi nodded in agreement. “Great matters are important; the Crown Prince should return quickly.”

The Crown Prince grit his teeth. “I am not leaving.”

“As you wish,” Xie Cheng said flatly.

Jiang Yi followed his lead. “As the Prince wishes.”

The Crown Prince gulped down some noodle soup to suppress his irritation. The broth without sauce, eggs, or chicken was truly bland. He endured it for a moment before taking out his own wallet to pay for some savory sauce.

“Your Highness, the noodles are mixed.”

Jiang Yi held the bowl for Xie Cheng with one hand and pushed the eye-sore Shitou away with the other. He hooked a chair over with his foot to sit right next to Xie Cheng. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

“Hot?” Xie Cheng looked down at the noodles, which were no longer steaming. “You stirred them until they were cold, and they’re still hot?”

“Sorry” Jiang Yi slumped against the table.

“And this.”

Xie Cheng picked up the braised chicken leg that Jiang Yi had bought with his last three coins and waved it before his eyes. Seeing Jiang Yi’s eyes follow the oily, glistening leg, Xie Cheng chuckled and stuffed it into Jiang Yi’s mouth.

“Mngh” Jiang Yi’s mouth was stuffed full. He looked at Xie Cheng, stunned.

“I do not care for oily meats.” Xie Cheng looked at Jiang Yi’s puffed-out cheeks and reached out to poke one.

His fingertip met warm, soft skin. Beneath it, Jiang Yi froze instantly. He sat there with the chicken leg in his mouth, forgetting even to chew. He felt as though the small patch of skin had been brushed by the tip of a feather; a tingle of numbness shot straight to his ears.

“Mngh. Your Highness”

Jiang Yi uttered a few muffled sounds, the tips of his ears turning red. Xie Cheng, however, withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened and picked up his chopsticks to take a few bites. “They’re getting cold.”

“I  like it,” Jiang Yi said, looking at Xie Cheng with total bluntness. “I like anything the Prince gives me best.”

“Mm,” Xie Cheng responded casually.

Feeding a pet was simply what a master should do. He considered himself quite responsible.

With a soft thud, the Crown Prince set his chopsticks on the bowl and stood up to walk toward the carriage. He was fuming; he had truly had enough of these two acting so lovey-dovey.

“Why did the Crown Prince leave?” Jiang Yi watched him go.

“Likely some urgent matter at his manor,” Xie Cheng replied.

“Oh, oh.” “I should leave too.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi stood up in shock. Xie Cheng glanced at him. “What is it?”

“Can I ” Jiang Yi quickly stopped himself from saying, go home with you” and asked cautiously, “I mean. are we considered ‘bosom friends’ now?

“Bosom friends?” Xie Cheng’s tone was unreadable.

Jiang Yi nodded frantically. “Mm-hmm!”

Xie Cheng rose gracefully. “You think a bowl of plain noodles is enough to trade for a title?”

Jiang Yi was undeterred. “Is it not?”

“That depends on how much you want it.”

Leaving that ambiguous remark, Xie Cheng stepped into the carriage where a brazier was waiting. Jiang Yi followed him all the way, his arms propped against the small carriage window.

“I want it, I want it!” Jiang Yi said quickly.

“Come to the Prince Zhao Manor tomorrow.”

Xie Cheng tapped the carriage, and Jiang Shui, who was waiting, immediately drove forward. Jiang Yi shouted after the carriage, “Okay!”

“Does Your Highness wish to bathe?”

After returning to the manor, Xie Cheng read for a while. Unknowingly, night had fallen outside. Hearing Manager Liu’s voice at the door, Xie Cheng set his book aside and called him in. “I do.”

“I shall prepare it immediately.”

“Wait,” Xie Cheng called him back. “Tidy up the side room in my courtyard. Someone will be staying there tomorrow.”

The side room? Manager Liu was surprised. Although it was a side room, it was spacious and bright. Most importantly, it was separated from the Prince’s bedchamber by only a single wall, with a hidden door connecting them.

Who is staying there tomorrow? In all these years, he had never seen the Prince bring someone home.

Manager Liu asked tentatively, “For a long-term stay?”

“A long-term stay.”

“And what of the allowance for food and clothing?”

“Follow my own standards in all things.”

Manager Liu: 

Who is it? Moving into the Prince’s courtyard with the same standards as the Prince? So favored! Seeing Manager Liu still dazed, Xie Cheng repeated coldly, “Go and prepare.”

“Yes.”

Behind the Prince Zhao Manor lay a natural hot spring, the water steaming with mist, adding a touch of warmth to the cooling weather. Every few days, Manager Liu would add medicinal herbs for the Prince to soak in for a few moments, which helped strengthen his constitution.

Xie Cheng shed his layers of elegant robes and stepped into the spring, leaning against a bluestone at the edge. The warm water enveloped him instantly, driving away the chill. Xie Cheng closed his eyes, letting the rising steam dampen his silver hair and his face.

From the distant woods came the occasional cry of a bird, breaking the silence. Soon, a rustling sound followed, mingled with faint breathing coming from the bushes. Thick leaves were pushed aside, and a pair of bright, deep brown eyes peeked through.

The eyes were wide, staring unblinkingly at Xie Cheng’s back in the spring. Xie Cheng’s skin was naturally pale; in the mist, every inch of him radiated a cold, jade-like luster that held those eyes captive. He tilted his head back slightly, and droplets of water condensed from the steam slid down his neck, over the smooth lines of his back, and along the curve of his spine before vanishing beneath the shimmering surface, outlining his lean waist.

The owner of those eyes instinctively swallowed. It was as if he were following that rolling droplet, successfully kissing that flawless skin.

Gulp.

A very soft, very careful sound of swallowing.

Jiang Yi tried desperately to cover his throat with his tiger paws. Xie Cheng opened his eyes in the spring and brushed his wet hair away from his shoulder. “Have you seen enough?”

His voice pierced through the mist, hitting Jiang Yi’s ears. Jiang Yi froze, burying his face in his front paws.

“Come out,” Xie Cheng spoke again.

Jiang Yi knew he couldn’t hide any longer. He sluggishly moved one leg out, his furry head hanging low, not daring to look at the person in the spring. “Awoo, awoo…”

“Oh?” Xie Cheng took a towel from the bank to wipe his face. “Look who’s back.”

Back? The Prince still recognizes me as the Big Tiger!

Jiang Yi looked up excitedly, his voice growing loud. “Roar-roar-roar!”

“Jiang Shui mentioned the other day that a section of the wall had a hole. I didn’t expect you to take advantage of it.”

Jiang Yi wagged his tail proudly. He had never been to the manor before and was worried about how to sneak in, but finding that hole while circling the perimeter felt like a gift from the heavens.

“I’ll have Jiang Shui fill the hole another day.” Xie Cheng’s gaze locked onto his pricked ears. He added, “You may leave now.”

“Awoo?” Jiang Yi’s ears twitched.

“I do not keep disobedient pets by my side.”

Leaving secretly without explaining in person that was the first act of disobedience. Telling you to come tomorrow, only for you to crawl through a dog hole tonight that was the second. Xie Cheng didn’t like disobedient.

“Awoo!”

Before Xie Cheng could finish his thought, his arms grew heavy as a warm, furry bundle crashed into him. He looked down into the tiger cub’s teary eyes. The cub’s front paws were retracted so the sharp nails didn’t show, using its soft pads to cling to Xie Cheng’s chest. A series of whimpering grunts came from its throat.

It looked like it was acting spoiled, but also like it was admitting fault. Before Xie Cheng could react further, the cub tentatively extended its tongue and lightly licked near his collarbone, curling up the water droplets against his skin.

“Get down,” Xie Cheng said coldly.

“Awoo.” No.

“Using that sound again. Do you want to be a little kitten”

Something soft, accompanied by a faint tickle, brushed quickly across his lips. It was clumsy.

His words faded into a wet kiss.

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