They Are Archenemies, But They Have A Child - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Gossip

“Huang’er, A-Niang heard you have someone you are fond of? Why don’t you bring them for A-Niang to meet?”

After piling the porcelain bowl in front of Yun Qingwu into a small mountain, Meng Ping finally found an opening to bring up the topic she had been holding back for nearly half a day.

“Who said that? That’s not true.”

Yun Qingwu instinctively denied it, but his gaze inexplicably lingered on the “small mountain” in front of him, avoiding eye contact with Meng Ping.

“It’s spread everywhere today, saying you—”

“Cough, cough.”

Meng Ping was interrupted by Liu Ya’s cough. She then lowered her volume again: “They say there was a red-haired girl lying in your bed.”

“Cough, cough, cough—”

This time, the one coughing was Yun Qingwu. He choked on a mouthful of soup, feeling his blood surge.

That A-Ge!

Meng Ping gasped, quickly patting Yun Qingwu’s back: “Drink your soup slowly. Speaking of which, I’ve never seen anyone with red hair before. Are they a local?”

Once Yun Qingwu recovered, her gaze turned towards the doorway, deep in thought: “Hey, Little Flame is also red.”

Hearing this, Yun Qingwu’s eyes followed the fox that was slowly walking closer to the door. His heart instinctively tightened.

Could she have noticed something amiss?

“Oh, it seems my son truly likes the color red! How about A-Niang makes you a set of red clothes tomorrow?”

Yun Qingwu suddenly sighed in relief, maintaining a smile: “No need to trouble A-Niang.”

Absolutely not. He hated red!

Despite saying so, his gaze continued to follow that flash of red.

Leng Licí was led by the maidservant to his dinner. His indifferent golden eyes flickered for a few moments.

On the ground was a wooden basin the size of a face, filled with bloody raw meat and internal organs.

“I don’t like red. Red is bloody and glaring, especially when paired with black. It reminds one of evil creatures.” Yun Qingwu’s peripheral vision fell on the red-and-black fox staring intensely at its “feast.” The knot of frustration in his heart cleared a little.

However, this relief only lasted a moment before it returned even stronger.

Leng Licí glanced at Yun Qingwu at the table. He walked around a pillar, and when he emerged, he was in his human form.

He brazenly walked to the dining table, ignored the stunned looks of the people present, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He began serving himself food.

Meng Ping stared at Leng Licí’s distinct red hair, and then subconsciously looked at his chest, which was flat like a man’s. Ah, wait, he clearly is a man!

She turned to Yun Qingwu, taking a deep breath to try and process the information, but her voice was still uncontrollably trembling: “Huang’er, you… you… have a penchant for same-sex relationships?”

No wonder… no wonder her son hadn’t made a move and hadn’t actively brought up the arranged marriage with Huan Yu.

It was because he liked men!

Yun Qingwu: “…”

He glared angrily at Leng Licí, offering a useless rebuttal: “I am not gay.”

“Huang’er, don’t worry. Although A-Niang is a bit surprised, as long as it’s the person you love, A-Niang supports you, and so does your A-Die!” Fearing that Yun Qingwu wouldn’t believe her, she secretly nudged Liu Ya next to her with her foot, urging him to declare his stance immediately.

Liu Ya was still struggling to digest the information. Nudged, he could only regain his composure. In any case, his wife’s principles were his principles: “Yes, you decide your own emotional affairs.”

Yun Qingwu raised his right hand and rubbed his forehead.

It was impossible to clear his name now.

However, he looked at the instigator on the side. As if to deliberately anger him, the usually picky eater was now eating everything, trying a bite of every dish.

He hatefully extended his chopsticks.

Wherever Leng Licí’s chopsticks reached, he preemptively blocked it.

Leng Licí gave Yun Qingwu a fleeting glance, showing no anger. Instead, he quite cooperatively engaged in this subtly fraught chopstick battle, clearly finding some enjoyment in it.

Due to their intense focus, their fingers inevitably collided. The intense actions stopped simultaneously, and the point of contact felt slightly hot.

Leng Licí subconsciously looked at Yun Qingwu, only to find Yun Qingwu looking back at him. Their gazes seemed to carry the residual heat of their physical intimacy from last night.

Disturbed by this, the two simultaneously looked away the next second.

But whether out of rivalry or some other psychology, their hand movements showed no sign of stopping.

“Hey, hey, hey, Huang’er, what are you doing!”

Meng Ping leaned over and blocked Yun Qingwu’s chopsticks. Then, she moved every dish that Leng Licí had touched closer to him, allowing him to eat freely.

She took this opportunity to carefully examine the future son-in-law before her. Setting aside the significant deviation from the expected gender, she had to admit that his appearance was outstanding, in no way inferior to her son’s.

He was just a bit too thin.

“Come, don’t be shy. Eat more.”

Leng Licí looked at the dishes constantly being moved in front of him. He was momentarily confused. His competitive spirit with Yun Qingwu subsided, replaced by a sudden sense of helplessness. He didn’t reach for his chopsticks.

Seeing this, Meng Ping assumed he didn’t like the dish, so she swapped it for another: “Don’t like fish? Then try this?”

Leng Licí stared at the fish, not speaking.

“A-Niang, you don’t need to mind him. He’ll eat by himself.” Yun Qingwu timely interrupted the dish rotation. He stared intently at Leng Licí, afraid that this revered ancestor would flip the table if he was displeased.

Meng Ping realized she had been overly enthusiastic. She waved her hand, wanting to call Leng Licí by name, but then realized she didn’t know his name yet.

“Huang’er, why don’t you formally introduce him to A-Die and A-Niang?”

Yun Qingwu had already given up resisting, muttering: “Leng Licí.”

Meng Ping silently repeated the name and looked towards Leng Licí: “Little Cí, where do you live? Perhaps we can invite your parents to the palace for a visit sometime.”

Leng Licí’s movement of picking up food paused. His expression turned cold: “No parents.”

Meng Ping clearly hadn’t expected this answer. She was stunned for a moment, and her eyes towards Leng Licí were filled with pity. She couldn’t help but stand up and personally poured a bowl of chicken soup, placing it in front of Leng Licí. She said softly: “Then this is your home. I’ll arrange a room for you later. Stay here and feel at peace.”

Leng Licí touched the spoon with his finger. The warmth conveyed by the chicken soup made him instinctively curl his fingers. Finally, he nodded.

Yun Qingwu was noncommittal, saying nothing more, but…

He watched Meng Ping’s frequent glances at Leng Licí. The compassion in her eyes grew stronger each time.

The thought that the recipient of his mother’s affection was a ruthless and vicious demon made his heart feel like a giant stone had been placed inside, making the food before him tasteless.

“Come, Huang’er, you have some too.”

As if sensing Yun Qingwu’s dissatisfaction, Meng Ping smiled and poured another bowl of soup, handing it over.

“Next month is my son’s birthday! A-Niang has prepared a birthday surprise for you and A-Ze.”

Birthday surprise…

Yun Qingwu couldn’t help but recall Meng Huang’s completely pink embroidered attire on his tenth birthday, the “Summon Wind and Rain” one-day experience on his eleventh birthday, and countless other birthday “surprises.”

This distinctive kind of thoughtfulness caused Meng Huang to sulk almost every year on his birthday, eventually demanding to exchange gifts with him.

Yes, every year on this day, Meng Ping would also prepare a gift for him, as if they were celebrating their birthday together.

Of course, his gift was much more sensible.

At that time, he celebrated his birthday twice a year: once as the Primal Lord of the Celestial Realm, and once as a member of the Meng family in the Southern Ze Kingdom. Compared to the solemn customs of the Celestial Realm, he looked forward more to this borrowed birthday in the mortal world.

But he often wondered how wonderful it would be if they could all see him.

“A-Niang, I also prepared a surprise for you.”

Fortunately, he had this chance now.

…

“If your identity couldn’t be rationalized today, did you consider the consequences?!”

In the bedroom, which was larger and more comfortable than the west room, Yun Qingwu’s cold interrogation could be heard.

From the moment Leng Licí appeared at the dining table in human form, a sense of anxiety had been growing inside him. That anxiety had not calmed down even now; instead, it was intensifying.

The person being questioned sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed, and he said lightly: “Since you didn’t consider the consequences, I naturally don’t need to.”

Yun Qingwu thought of the “carefully prepared” meal and felt somewhat guilty, but wasn’t that because…

He couldn’t control the flush on his face. He took a deep breath, unwilling to bring it up again. He looked coldly at Leng Licí and said sternly: “In any case, if you don’t want to die here, you’d better behave yourself.”

“That depends on your performance.” Leng Licí scoffed, adding: “Instead of warning me, you should warn yourself. This place is just an illusion. Being too immersed is taboo.”

“I don’t need you to remind me.”

Yun Qingwu turned his back, intending to leave, but stopped, remembering something: “I will prepare your food separately from now on. Don’t go disturbing Aunt Meng and Uncle Liu again.”

“Suit yourself.”

“Did His Majesty come to the kitchen again today?”

“Isn’t that right? It’s been a month, and he comes every single day. His Majesty spoils that mysterious Madam too much!”

“Yes, and tomorrow is His Majesty’s birthday! He’s still specially preparing a meal for the Madam today. How many people can compare to that devotion?”

Several maidservants pruned potted plants while occasionally glancing into the kitchen, discussing in low voices.

“I’ll deliver it myself today.”

Inside the kitchen, Yun Qingwu picked up the finished food, gesturing for A-Ge to withdraw.

He walked out of the kitchen, heading towards the bedroom where Leng Licí resided, leaving a chorus of gasps behind him.

Yun Qingwu pursed his lips in self-mockery. He had heard all the discussions—about love, about spoiling. It was nothing more than that person being too picky, and he happened to figure out the other party’s preferences during that unbearable memory.

After all, if cooking could appease this uncontrollable ancestor, this small sacrifice was acceptable.

“Dinner is served.”

He knocked and entered the room, placing the dishes one by one on the low table. Leng Licí detached himself from his meditative state and opened his eyes, walking over naturally.

During this past month, A-Ge delivered the food most of the time, but sometimes Yun Qingwu personally brought it. Without exception, it meant he had something to discuss.

“Go ahead.” He picked up his chopsticks and casually grabbed a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs.

The sweet and sour flavors burst on his tongue. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, waiting for Yun Qingwu to speak.

“For the birthday banquet tomorrow, Aunt Meng might invite you to attend. I will politely decline on your behalf.”

“Oh.”

Leng Licí’s movement only paused for a moment. Then, he carelessly reached for the next dish.

“That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s it. I won’t be in the palace during the day tomorrow. You must behave yourself.”

Leng Licí swallowed the food in his mouth and sneered: “I have no interest in dead people.”

Yun Qingwu clenched the corner of his clothing, then released it, and stood up to leave the room.