Jie Jie: Thank you so much VitaB for the ko-fi! :blobaww: (1/2)

The conversation came to an abrupt halt. In the next moment, there was a knock at the door of the private room; it was the server asking if they could start serving the food.

Zhu Ming saw Xi Xianqing tilt his head slightly. In the following second, the grand peac0ck standing before them trembled gently, and its tail blurred at the edges, fading into nonexistence as it dissolved into neural particles.

—Xi Xianqing took the initiative to put away his spiritual manifestation.

He said in a deep voice to the outside, “Come in.”

The door opened, and the servers entered, carrying steaming hot dishes. They carefully introduced each dish and explained how to use the sauces.

The warmth of the food filled the air, and Zhu Ming kept his eyes fixed on Xi Xianqing’s face.

Xi Xianqing didn’t say anything.

“I think by now, Xiao Zhu, you have a general understanding of our situation here,” Ye Lu sighed with a faint smile. “For the moment, though, let’s focus on enjoying the food.”

After the dishes were served, servers came and went frequently, so they tactfully avoided continuing the topic of spiritual manifestation.

Ye Lu, being socially adept and experienced, occasionally chatted with Zhou Zhou and Zhu Ming about the cultural differences between District Seven and District Six, keeping the atmosphere warm and preventing any awkwardness.

Still, the meal felt somewhat tasteless. Zhou Zhou couldn’t help but glance at Xi Xianqing, sitting across from him, after every couple of bites.

Zhu Ming also occasionally turned his head slightly to look at the person beside him.

Unlike their first meeting, where he was detached from the mundane world, Xi Xianqing now seemed either genuinely hungry or willing to let down his guard and his reserve; he finally picked up his chopsticks.

Compared to Zhou Zhou and Zhu Ming’s straightforward approach of grabbing a drumstick and digging in, Xi Xianqing’s table manners were on an entirely different level. He folded his napkin neatly on his lap, deboned the chicken, cut it into bite-sized strips with chopsticks, and ate quietly and elegantly.

After the meal, Zhu Ming carefully put away the agreement, stating that he would send it back to Ye Lu once it was signed.

Ye Lu said, “Xiao Zhu, I know you’re busy with your streaming work, so please leave the wedding arrangements to us. District Six has plenty of professional planners and designers, and they’ll keep you updated as needed.”

Zhu Ming shook his head. “There’s no need to go to so much trouble. Just registering is enough; we’ll keep it simple. But I do have one request.”

“Xi Xianqing.” He looked at Xi Xianqing. “Would it be possible for us to talk alone?”

Since he’d first met Xi Xianqing, Zhu Ming had addressed him in only two ways: the polite and formal “Mr. Xi” or the slightly teasing “Mr. Xiao Xi.”

This was the first time he called Xi Xianqing by his full name, those three crisp syllables spoken directly. Ye Lu was taken aback, and Xi Xianqing, who had been standing silently by the door, turned at the sound.

Zhu Ming didn’t say more. He just moved his wheelchair, heading first toward a quiet corner of the restaurant.

Xi Xianqing followed him for a couple of steps and then spoke, “If you have other terms you want to add, you can communicate them directly with Aunt Ye.”

“Aunt Ye’s intelligence and handling of things are certainly comforting,” Zhu Ming said. “If she had been present when we first met for that blind date, maybe I would’ve agreed to the arrangement you proposed back then.”

“But,” he looked up, his gaze meeting Xi Xianqing’s, and smiled lightly, “it’s you I’m about to marry, and it’s you I’m going to cure, isn’t it?”

Xi Xianqing’s body froze subtly.

“Even if it’s just a superficial, fake marriage, we’re still going to live together in the future, and there are times when no one else can step into our lives.”

Zhu Ming steered his wheelchair to a stop by the window. “So now, I’d like to hear your honest thoughts, without anyone there to polish them up for you.”

“Do you have any questions you want to ask me?” He smiled, his eyes curving slightly.

Xi Xianqing’s Adam’s apple moved.

“Three questions.” After a long time, he spoke.

“Go ahead.”

“First, how long does this marriage need to last?”

It was an expected question; after all, theirs was a contractual marriage and naturally couldn’t last a lifetime.

Zhu Ming replied, “One year. I just need to give my aunt some reassurance right now.”

He simply wanted to be “married” so that Zhu Yingying could set her worries aside and live her life freely, without feeling responsible for him.

By the time the contract expires, Zhu Ming would only need to say they couldn’t get along due to differences between their districts, and Zhu Yingying wouldn’t actually force him to stay with someone he couldn’t get along with.

One year wasn’t too long or too short, and from any perspective, this answer made sense. Xi Xianqing nodded.

“Second, although experts in District Seven have said that you’re currently the best at treating difficult spiritual manifestations, and Aunt Ye has investigated your background and called it outstanding,” Xi Xianqing lifted his chin slightly, “I want to know, can you actually cure me or not?”

Zhu Ming answered straightforwardly, “It can be cured. But curing it in a month is still a cure, and curing it within a year is also a cure. I can give you an outcome but can’t promise an exact timeline.”

Xi Xianqing immediately felt as if he had boarded a pirate’s ship. “I don’t have the time to spend too long with you… what’s the earliest you can cure me?”

Zhu Ming was frank. “I don’t know ah.”

Xi Xianqing looked at him in disbelief. “But haven’t I just… shown it all to you?”

Zhu Ming: “Seeing is seeing. But I’ve never encountered symptoms like yours before. Generally, with bird-type spiritual manifestations, their owners can control their feathers autonomously. In your case, it’s as if a connection between your brain and your spirit entity has been severed—it’s a bit tricky.”

“…Then how do you plan to cure it?”

“Well, I’ll develop some medicine and test them on you. If they work, we’ll use them for your treatment; if not, I’ll keep researching.”

His careless tone was simply adding fuel to the fire, Xi Xianqing’s tone was mixed with hidden anger, “It’s that simple?”

Zhu Ming sighed, “This is the simplified version, so you can understand.”

“What’s the complicated version?”

“Are you sure you want to hear it?”

“I’m sure.”

Zhu Ming let out a very soft sigh, then began.

“First of all, peac0ck spirit entities are very rare, and a congenital inability to spread its tail is an unprecedented symptom in clinical cases. So, I’ll start by eliminating the most basic factors.”

He explained methodically, “First, we’ll do a brain CT scan to rule out the possibility of tumors that might be affecting the spirit entity’s development. Then, we’ll conduct biopsies of certain tissues and culture neural cells, screening them sequentially at the DNA, mRNA, and protein levels. I’ll develop and test suitable drugs for different targets, conducting experiments one step at a time.”

Xi Xianqing: “…”

“But given my understanding of those old men in District Seven, they’ve likely already done tumor screenings on you.”

Seeing that Xi Xianqing was silent, Zhu Ming knew he’d guessed correctly. “So, we can skip straight to testing a few suspicious targets, creating some neural pathway activators and inhibitors to test them one by one.”

“Of course, this is only the pathological side of the research.” He added precisely, “We also need to rule out the possibility that your psychological state is affecting your spirit entity’s form, so I’ll run some tests on you and observe you long-term. There’s quite a bit to do—in fact, to be precise, I’m the one with most of the work here—”

Xi Xianqing: “…Enough. I understand.”

Zhu Ming gazed at him with a gentle smile, choosing not to expose him. “It’s normal for patients to sometimes question their doctor’s decisions. I’m glad you could ask today.”

“So, what’s your final question ya?” He placed his hands on his lap, speaking warmly.

The first two questions had been sharp enough, yet he didn’t expect to hold this last question for even longer than the previous ones.

Zhu Ming waited until his eyes felt a bit strained before he finally heard Xi Xianqing murmur, “What kind of… partner do you want?”

His voice was so low that Zhu Ming wondered if he had misheard, leaning in a little. “What?”

Xi Xianqing’s chest rose and fell as he looked away, staring out the window. “Didn’t you say this marriage is to fool your aunt? So, how exactly do you want me to play the part? And what should I… specifically do?”

“Good question.” Zhu Ming thought for a moment. “To be honest, I haven’t fully decided yet.”

Xi Xianqing was silent.

“I plan to say that we fell in love at first sight during our first blind date,” Zhu Ming proposed. “After that, we kept in touch and had a few dates in private… We’ll talk through the specifics closer to the time. I’ll communicate with you again.”

Whether it was because the scenery outside was so captivating or for some other reason, Xi Xianqing kept his gaze fixed on the window, he responded in a very curt tone, “…Fine.”

“I also have a small question.” Zhu Ming asked softly, “Why do you want to marry me?”

“What?”

“To be honest, I found it odd from the start. The first time we met, you immediately proposed this transaction—marriage in exchange for treatment.”

Zhu Ming’s tone softened, almost tender and ambiguous. “From my perspective, it felt like a timely downpour, arriving both perfectly and conveniently. It was hard to say no.”

“But why marriage, specifically?”

Zhu Ming looked at Xi Xianqing’s face. “I know that I never hid the fact that I was on a blind date during the live broadcast. So maybe, when you investigated me, you thought that was the perfect bait to get me to agree to treat you.”

“But from your perspective, it still doesn’t logically make sense.”

Zhu Ming seemed thoughtful. “If I were just seeking a doctor’s help, I would first offer various material rewards. Why would I add a marriage that ties my life to someone else?”

District Seven people were known for their intelligence, but even Xi Xianqing hadn’t expected Zhu Ming would be perceptive to such an extent.

After a moment, he looked back at Zhu Ming and asked, “What do you think the reason is?”

Zhu Ming: “You’ve had a secret crush on me for a long time?”

Xi Xianqing: “…?”

“Just kidding.” Zhu Ming waved a hand. “The answer I came up with is that once treatment begins, I’ll need to work closely with you, which will naturally increase the amount of time we spend together and the events we attend jointly. If a person from District Seven suddenly starts appearing frequently by your side, people will naturally start talking.”

“I suspect that more than a partner, you don’t want others to know I’m your doctor. Or rather, you don’t want others to know your mental manifestation has a problem.”

“That is to say, you need to keep your condition a secret—not only from outsiders but to the point of hiding it from even those closest to you.”

Zhu Ming looked at Xi Xianqing with some surprise. “Even your family members don’t know about your condition, right?”

Xi Xianqing didn’t speak.

Zhu Ming looked at the young man before him—posture was always arrogant, always impeccably dressed, much like his beautiful and elegant spiritual manifestation, seemingly flawless to the naked eye.

But then, as if to keep people from seeing through him, he seemed to have chosen to cloak himself in a kind of armor, as if his arrogance could shield his deepest secrets from view.

“What is your family like?” After a long pause, Zhu Ming heard Xi Xianqing ask.

“My mom passed away and I don’t have a dad.”

Zhu Ming replied frankly, “So it’s just me and my aunt.”

Xi Xianqing nodded. “Currently, there are 21 people with inheritance rights in the Xi family.”

Zhu Ming: “…How many?”

Xi Xianqing’s expression remained calm. “It’s impossible for them to truly support or understand one another like regular family members. Just preventing them from turning against each other is already an unattainable task.”

“After all, everyone with the surname Xi has only one common goal from the day they’re born.”

He said, “And that is to wait for my grandfather, Xi Jianfeng, to die—so they can take his place as the representative of District Six.”

Author’s Note:

A flock of birds fighting in Xiao Xi’s family!