The Beautiful Top Being Pursued Relentlessly [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 38

What “Prince feeding him personally”? What would the Prince be feeding him?

Manager Liu, who had followed them out, was shocked to hear such a sentence. Looking at Jiang Yi’s blushing, bashful face, it was impossible not to think of the secret Auntie Chunhua had shared with him a few days ago.

The Prince likes men.

Beneath the moon gate, Xie Cheng took a few steps forward. His light green outer robe, swept up by a gentle breeze, brushed against the back of Jiang Yi’s hand. He leaned in and whispered into his ear, “Say that again.”

The voice was low and steady, its warm breath hitting the shell of Jiang Yi’s ear, sending a tiny shiver through him. Jiang Yi cautiously covered his ear with his hand.

By tilting his head just slightly, he could see Xie Cheng’s lips within reach. Their color was somewhat pale, but the shape was exquisite the lower lip fuller than the upper, looking very much like it would be lovely to lick. If only he moved a fraction closer, and if the Prince allowed it, he could be a bit more reckless.

“Why have you stopped talking?”

The lips that were nearly touching suddenly moved. Jiang Yi forced his thoughts to halt, his Adam’s apple bobbing involuntarily as his voice went husky. “I want the Prince to feed me… personally.”

“Feed you what?”

They were already so close that no further movement was needed; just the slight forward tilt of their heads as they spoke would cause their lips to meet without warning. Xie Cheng showed no sign of panic. He simply stood there, his arm resting against the wall, eyes lowered as he watched Jiang Yi, waiting for his response.

“The chicken leg.”

Jiang Yi nearly bit his tongue. Then, acting almost purely on instinct, he gave Xie Cheng’s lower lip a very light, very quick peck.

It was softer than a flower petal, carrying a faint, cool scent of medicinal herbs.

A touch, and it was over. Like a big tiger that had managed to steal a treat, Jiang Yi was startled by his own bold move. He pulled back abruptly, his heart thumping wildly and his already red cheeks turning a deep, blood-like crimson.

“What are you doing?”

Xie Cheng, having been offended and forcibly kissed, still showed no reaction. He simply pressured him, quite wickedly demanding an answer, forcing him to admit certain things out loud.

“Huff… huff…”

Jiang Yi breathed in short gasps like a little tiger. But Xie Cheng’s calm expression made him feel a bit panicked. His gaze flickered away as he replied in a small, soft voice, “K-kissing the Prince.”

“Why?” Xie Cheng pressed in a flat tone.

Questions, questions, questions. He’d answered once; there was no harm in answering twice. Jiang Yi simply decided to throw caution to the wind, shouting out in desperation: “Because I like Your Highness!”

After shouting, he pressed his lips tight, looking like a man awaiting sentencing. His lowered head nodded repeatedly from the tension.

Silence filled the air. Not far away, Manager Liu covered his face, only daring to peek through the gaps between his fingers. After a long while, Xie Cheng finally gave a reaction. He idly brushed back his sleeves, turned around, and walked slowly toward his courtyard. Only at the moment of turning did a subtle curve appear at the corner of his mouth.

He had gotten the answer he wanted, so he was in a good mood and wouldn’t bother nitpicking minor details. For instance, the fact that a certain silly tiger hadn’t followed him yet.

“Keep up,” Xie Cheng called out.

Jiang Yi snapped his head up. “Ah? Ah!”

Xie Cheng glanced back at him. “Grind the ink.”

Jiang Yi was still standing there like a fool.

“Any later, and I shall call for someone else.”

Call someone else? Not a chance. Jiang Yi’s mind cleared instantly as he sprinted after him. “Grinding ink, grinding ink! I’m coming to grind the ink!”

Under Manager Liu’s subtle hint, Jiang Yi moved into the prepared side room quite naturally. He stayed there for a full half-month. Everyone in the Prince Zhao Manor knew Jiang Yi was someone special, so in their free time, they didn’t dare order him around.

His days consisted of accompanying Xie Cheng to read for a few hours and sharing meals; the work was exceptionally easy. At night, “Study-boy” Jiang Yi would return to the side room to sleep, while the “Little Tiger” who had been “playing outside” all day would return, naturally climbing onto Xie Cheng’s bed to handle the bed-warming duty.

For half a month, Xie Cheng “never” noticed any discrepancy.

Early one morning, Xie Cheng woke up and was surprised to find the tiger cub still fast asleep. He let out a soft “tsk.” How long did he think he could hide? He’s shown his tiger tail so soon.

Should I pretend to be oblivious? Xie Cheng didn’t like being the one to expose a secret; he preferred people to tell him themselves. If he had to be the one to break it, it meant he was angry. And usually, he wasn’t easy to coax.

“Awoo-woo-woo…”

The cub on the bed rolled over, talking in its sleep. Its four paws were tucked beneath its body—not a comfortable position, yet it was sleeping soundly.

Manager Liu’s voice came at just the right time. “Is Your Highness awake? Breakfast is ready. Young Master Jiang should be waiting in the dining hall. Does Your Highness wish to rise?”

“I know.”

Xie Cheng replied, his eyes fixed on the cub on the bed. Waiting in the dining hall? Xie Cheng chuckled softly. He pinched the cub’s ear and then grabbed the base of its tail, stroking it all the way to the tip. “Stop sleeping. Get up.”

The ears and tail were the most sensitive spots for a tiger. A wave of ticklishness instantly surged through its body. Being grabbed in its sensitive area, the cub’s fur exploded as it snapped its eyes wide. “Roar-roar-roar!”

“Who are you roaring at?” Xie Cheng said unhurriedly, reaching out to pat the cub’s back.

Hearing Xie Cheng’s voice, Jiang Yi woke up completely. He looked up, and his fur puffed out even further. He  woke up late, aaaaah!

“Why are you so nervous?”

Every time he was guilty, his body went stiff as a board, like a dried corpse. Xie Cheng pondered this, his fingers not moving away; instead, he gave a little squeeze at the very, very, very sensitive root of the tail. The force wasn’t heavy.

“Awoo!”

Jiang Yi let out a bewildered cry. Being so heavily stimulated first thing in the morning, Jiang Yi felt like his whole tiger-self was about to go up in flames. Fortunately—fortunately, there was fur to hide it, and… and he was a little tiger, it wouldn’t be obvious…

“Are you in heat?”

Jiang Yi: “!”

He  saw it. The Prince saw it! Waa-woo, Tiger is so embarrassed.

In the moment Jiang Yi was most vulnerable, clingy, and in need of the Prince, Xie Cheng suddenly let go. He calmly rose and put on his outer robe. “Handle it yourself. I’m not going to find a tigress for you.”

Jiang Yi covered his face with his paws, his hind legs weak. He flattened himself into a rug on the bed. Handle it myself, huh.

“Oh, by the way.”

Just as Jiang Yi was tossing and turning on the bed, Xie Cheng’s voice drifted back. “Do not.

get anything” Xie Cheng spoke with clear implication. Through the screen, his gaze landed unerringly on the cub. “on my bed.”

Boom!

The entire Jiang-Yi-Tiger was about to turn translucent red; the color of his skin was faintly visible through the thick fur. He scratched at the bed with his claws. The Prince is so mean.

The “Mean Prince” finished dressing and walked back behind the screen. Seeing the face-less cub on the bed, his lips quirked. “Stay here then. I’m going to eat.”

“Awoo-woo” Go ahead and eat. Wait, eat?! “AWOO!”

The only response he got was the sound of the door closing. Jiang Yi didn’t care about “handling things” anymore. He skillfully leaped off the bed, climbed through the half-open window, landed in the grass, and sprinted toward the dining hall.

By the time Xie Cheng walked slowly to the dining hall, the early morning sunlight was filtering through the leaves, casting dappled spots on the path. The eaves of the dining hall were in sight, and beneath them stood a grinning, dorky Jiang Yi.

Oh? That was fast. Xie Cheng arched an eyebrow.

“Your Highness, Your Highness! You’ve arrived.”

Xie Cheng gave a light response, idly scanning him from head to toe. “The same clothes as yesterday. Aren’t they dirty?”

Jiang Yi looked down at his robes. “Your Highness actually remembers what I wore yesterday?”

Xie Cheng: Dirty tiger.

“They’re not dirty, not dirty! I changed, it’s just that all my clothes are identical,” Jiang Yi explained.

Xie Cheng: Incomprehensible.

Jiang Yi patted his head and muttered, “The ready-made clothes in the shop are cheaper if you buy the same pattern. They all look the same anyway, hehe.”

The Jiang Yi of this world was pitifully poor.

Xie Cheng clutched his hand-warmer and walked past. “Don’t just stand there like a fool. Come in and eat.”

“Yes, yes!” Jiang Yi followed close behind.

“Did you have the kitchen prepare what you like?”

“I did, I did.” Jiang Yi looked a bit embarrassed. “I’m technically here to work at the manor. Is it… is it a bit like ‘living off’ you?”

Xie Cheng sat in his chair and shot him a glance. “Don’t want to eat?”

“No, no!” Jiang Yi sat beside him quite naturally, propping his chin on his hand. “If it’s the Prince’s ‘soft rice,’ I’ll definitely wolf it down, awoo-awoo.”

Xie Cheng chuckled. Some people might be living off others, but they certainly knew how to read a room. Before he even picked up his chopsticks, his bowl was already filled with small steamed buns.

“I know Your Highness doesn’t like greasy meats, so I specially made these vegetable buns. See, I made them small so you can eat them in one bite.” Jiang Yi picked one up and ate it to show him.

“You made them?”

“Yeah, yeah! I made the filling and pleated the buns.” Jiang Yi moved a bit closer to Xie Cheng. “Manager Liu said Your Highness hasn’t had much of an appetite lately. I thought a change of flavor might help you eat more.”

“When did you make them?” Xie Cheng took a small bite of a vegetable bun, chewing slowly.

“I got up very early to make them,” Jiang Yi answered cautiously.

He would absolutely not let the Prince discover that secret at least not yet. He wanted the Prince to overcome his fear of the Witch Clan first, then he’d reveal it casually. Xie Cheng didn’t know his thoughts, and hearing this didn’t strike him as odd; he simply assumed he’d gotten up in the middle of the night to cook, which was why he woke up late this morning.

One slip-up, and the tiger tail comes out. Let’s see how much longer he can pretend.

Xie Cheng was in no hurry to force him to show his true colors. After all, watching him panic and try to hide his “tiger tail” was quite entertaining.

“Your Highness, try a few more.” Jiang Yi’s voice pulled back his thoughts, so he took another bite. This person knew his tastes exceptionally well; even when he wasn’t hungry, he’d take a few extra bites.

“Your Highness, should we go out for a walk later?”

“I’m going back to the study to read”

“What’s so good about those raggedy books?” Jiang Yi blurted out. Catching Xie Cheng’s expression, he quickly added, “I mean, we could go for a walk in the streets and buy some new books along the way.”

“Does one need to go out specifically to buy books?” Xie Cheng countered. He took the handkerchief from Manager Liu to wipe his lips. “If you want to go, go. I’m not going.”

Environment truly influences people. He’d suddenly realized that a slow, idle life was quite nice; he wasn’t restless or uncomfortable at all. Besides, this period was technically a long-overdue vacation. If it weren’t for the mess made by the “nepotism hire” in the Romance Division, he’d be lying down on some planet right now, never leaving his room.

“Please go, please go! I’m scared to go alone.” Jiang Yi shook Xie Cheng’s arm, acting spoiled. “Only Your Highness can pick out interesting books. If we let the servants buy them, what if they buy something weird?”

Noisy again. My head hurts. Xie Cheng couldn’t stand such a dense barrage of words, especially with so many “Your Highness, Your Highness” repetitions.

“Your Highness, Your Highness”

“Fine.” Xie Cheng took a deep breath.

Fifteen minutes later, Xie Cheng regretted his compromise.

The carriage was spacious, but Jiang Yi clearly didn’t intend to sit still. One moment he was peeking out the curtain, the next he was leaning close to Xie Cheng, tugging his sleeve and pointing outside, chattering incessantly.

“Your Highness, look! Does that sugar-sculpture look like a big tiger?” “Wow! There’s a street performance! Can we stop and watch when we go back?” 

Xie Cheng rested with his eyes closed, hands clutching the hand-warmer. He sat perfectly still. The curtain swayed, letting in occasional slivers of light that brushed over his beautiful features. To every “Your Highness,” he only gave a vague “mm” as a response.

Shortly after, the carriage stopped at “Ink Pavilion,” a bookstore in a bustling district. It was quieter here, away from the street vendors. Ink Pavilion sold all kinds of books, including some less-than-formal miscellanies and unofficial histories.

“We’re here, we’re here!”

Jiang Yi hopped out first and turned to help Xie Cheng, but his movement suddenly froze. His peripheral vision caught a movement on the second floor of a teahouse across the street. The bamboo curtain flickered.

“Your Highness!” SHOOO!

Before he could finish, a sharp sound of whistling air pierced his ears. An arrow shot out from the second-floor window, its cold tip aimed directly at Jiang Yi’s forehead.

Xie Cheng leaned out of the carriage. His reaction was lightning-fast; he grabbed Jiang Yi’s arm and yanked him into his embrace while drawing his sword with his other hand. CLANG! He struck the arrow down.

The arrow snapped in two, but the assassin had used immense force. Although the sharp arrowhead lost its mark and shifted a few inches, its residual power grazed Jiang Yi’s cheek. Jiang Yi didn’t have time to dodge; a chill hit his left ear, and blood immediately began to flow from a large gash.

“Your Highness, be careful!” Jiang Yi ignored his own wound, covering his bloodied left ear as he shouted.

Xie Cheng’s gaze turned cold instantly. He stepped down from the carriage, scooped up the broken arrowhead from the ground, turned, and threw it with a fluid, powerful motion. With a muffled thud, the arrowhead buried itself deep into the wooden frame of the teahouse window, vibrating violently.

“Assassins! Protect the Prince!” Jiang Shui and the hidden guards leaped from the rooftops, drawing their swords and surrounding Xie Cheng, warily watching the source of the arrow. The scattered pedestrians on the street fled in terror.

Several dark figures leaped down like hawks, their blades glinting in the sunlight. They moved with speed and precision, aiming straight for Xie Cheng.

Assassins. Well-trained ones.

“Your Highness, get back in the carriage!” Jiang Yi produced a sword from somewhere and stood firmly in front of Xie Cheng. He grabbed Xie Cheng’s hand to push him back inside.

“Let go,” Xie Cheng said coldly.

“Eh?” Jiang Yi looked back.

Xie Cheng didn’t explain. Still holding his sword, he walked past the fighting guards and assassins. His steps were steady, his face marked with a suppressed rage as he walked straight toward the teahouse.

Someone shouted “Your Highness!” in a panic. Xie Cheng ignored it. He stared at the door before him and kicked it open.

“Filthy scoundrel. Get out here.”

Support