Although Xi Xianqing hadn’t managed to obtain much valuable information from Shen Ying, his initial exchanges with her gave him some understanding of her spiritual manifestation and personality.
When he woke up the next day, he began expanding his ideas centered around the snake motif. He sketched a few rough drafts and selected several softer-toned main gemstones.
These jewelry designs, at a glance, seemed to align with Shen Ying’s gentle yet tough temperament. However, on closer inspection, though beautiful, they appeared superficial and lacked any depth or compelling narrative.
They were the kind of pieces that would fetch a good price sitting in the cold display cases of a high-end jewelry store, but they didn’t meet Xi Xianqing’s personal standards for meaningful design.
Frustrated, he set down his pen and left the room, only to find an unusual stillness in the living room.
The door to the guest room was open, and the bed inside was neatly made, indicating that its occupant had left some time ago.
Xi Xianqing froze for a moment, and an inexplicable irritation surged within him.
I’ve never seen one who can’t walk and still runs around like this daily.
He immediately realized something and he turned to look at the lab pod in the center of the garden outside the window.
Zhu Ming had just set down the pipette gun in his hand when the door to the lab pod swung open.
“Either stand there without moving, or put on the lab coat and gloves next to you before coming over.”
Without turning around, Zhu Ming softly reminded him, “It’s not just to protect you but also to make sure my painstakingly nurtured little cells from this past week don’t get contaminated.”
Xi Xianqing’s footsteps halted and stayed in place.
Through previous consultations, Xi Xianqing had already vaguely begun to sense Zhu Ming’s extraordinary abilities.
However, Zhu Ming’s consistently playful tone, along with his casual demeanor that lacked the loftiness of a professional scholar and his always smiling and crooked look, made it hard to associate him with someone of a professional scientific researcher.
But at this moment, Zhu Ming was wearing a white lab coat and sitting in front of the lab pod with a calm face.
Zhu Ming’s current demeanor was something Xi Xianqing had never seen before—focused and efficient, his every move skillful and precise. It was a complete departure from the usual impression of his flippant behavior.
He held the pipette steadily, adding an unknown liquid into the small hole of a microplate. Afterward, he sealed it with clear plastic film and placed it into a machine with an unknown function.
He skillfully tapped a few buttons on the screen. When the machine began to hum and whir, Zhu Ming let out a breath and removed his gloves.
Turning to Xi Xianqing, he returned to his usual smiling self. “I thought you’d be busy sketching designs this morning. What brings you here?”
Only then did Xi Xianqing barely come back to his senses.
He certainly wouldn’t admit that he was drained of inspiration with nothing to do. After a long time, he replied, “The lab pod is something I paid for, and you’re someone I hired. I came to check your progress. Is that a problem?”
“There’s no problem.” Zhu Ming took off his lab coat as he gestured to the machine beside him. His tone became calm and professional as he reported, “Actually, we just need to complete a few more checks before we can test the first batch of medicine.”
Xi Xianqing gave an “en”.
“This round of PCR1It refers to a polymerase chain reaction, a laboratory technique commonly used in molecular biology to amplify DNA sequence. ZM is doing a PCR run which involves machine cycling through specific temperatures to enable DNA amplification process. will take a while. I was thinking of using the time to revisit a fan from yesterday’s offline consultation.”
Zhu Ming tilted his head slightly, his voice inviting yet gentle. “Zhou Zhou has plans to meet his friends today, so he won’t be coming along. You’re welcome to join me. This fan’s restaurant is by the seaside—it’s much livelier than this ethereal mountaintop.”
Xi Xianqing: “Not going.”
Zhu Ming added a tempting offer. “You haven’t left the mountain since you arrived in District Two. Why not visit the seaside? You might even find some inspiration.”
Xi Xianqing subconsciously retorted, “Who said I don’t have inspiration?”
Zhu Ming said innocently. “I said you might find inspiration. I didn’t say you were lacking it ah.”
“…Not going,” Xi Xianqing interrupted coldly, clearly displeased with the feeling of being seen through. After a moment, he added with emphasis, “I’m very busy and hate crowded places.”
Zhu Ming nodded and didn’t continue to force him.
He tidied up the workstation, packed his sensory gloves and notebook into his bag, then said, “Alright, I’m heading out. You—”
As he looked up, he noticed Xi Xianqing’s gaze fixed intently on his bag, eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Zhu Ming: “…Is there a problem?”
Xi Xianqing: “Do you wear those gloves while giving someone a consultation?”
“That’s natural.” Zhu Ming zipped his bag shut and replied calmly, “Although we haven’t had any cases as rare as our family’s Dish Soap, sheep shedding wool is still quite the valuable research subject.”
The casual use of “our family” and “rare” momentarily pleased Xi Xianqing’s mood, but as soon as he processed the rest of the sentence, his frown deepened again.
Recalling yesterday’s events, Zhu Ming sighed with a bit of a headache as he maneuvered his wheelchair slowly toward the door. “Anyway, I’m leaving now. Let’s just hope the little girl cooperates today.”
In the next instant, an arm blocked Zhu Ming’s way.
He raised his gaze and saw the handsome young man in front of the door with his chin raised, and pursed lips with a wandering expression.
Zhu Ming: “…What’s wrong? ”
Half an hour later, Zhu Ming and Xi Xianqing appeared in a bustling seaside town in District Two.
For reasons unknown, Xi Xianqing had abruptly changed his mind before leaving, giving the excuse that “it might actually help gather some local inspiration.” Begrudgingly, he agreed to accompany Zhu Ming.
With Zhou Zhou absent for the day, Zhu Ming was pleased to have someone with him—if only to lower the chances of his wheelchair getting stuck in the sand.
Zhu Ming in his wheelchair was already quite conspicuous on a regular day. At the moment, there is another behind him wearing sunglasses, shirt collar slightly open, expressionless–Xi Xianqing.
Both of them were impossibly good-looking, effectively doubling their attention-drawing power.
Zhu Ming sighed inwardly, starting to regret a little bit bringing this person along.
Having experienced the overwhelming customer flow during yesterday’s visit, Zhu Ming deliberately chose the restaurant’s afternoon break time for today’s follow-up.
The tables inside the restaurant gleamed, and the blackened pancake oven still emitted warmth. Standing a few steps away from the entrance, Xi Xianqing stopped decisively, maintaining a clear distance as he said curtly, “I’m not going in.”
This person’s temperament and behavior were really out of place with the humble, down-to-earth establishment. Zhu Ming didn’t press the matter. “Alright, I’ll wrap this up as quickly as I can.”
Maneuvering his wheelchair into the shop, Zhu Ming was greeted by the sight of Liang Dachao, with his head down while mopping the floor.
Since there were no customers during the break, Liang Dachao had let out his spiritual manifestation—a lively golden retriever enthusiastically wagging its tail and cheerfully helping its owner with the mopping.
Seeing Zhu Ming, Liang Dachao’s face lit up with delight. “Zhu-ge, you’re here! Aiyaya, about yesterday—I feel so bad about it… Uh, who’s that outside?”
Zhu Ming looked back and said nonchalantly, “My husband.”
For a split second, Zhu Ming felt as if the aloof Xi Xianqing by the door had turned his gaze slightly toward their direction.
“Oh, oh, right. I remember seeing news about your wedding.” Liang Dachao suddenly clapped his hands in realization, then scratched his head with a sheepish grin. “You two are so sweet ya. You guys came for your honeymoon and even came here to help your fans with free consultations. I’m really embarrassed.”
The word “honeymoon” made Zhu Ming’s eyelid twitch subtly.
He smiled slightly and swiftly redirected the topic. “Is your boss here today?”
“She’s in the back resting. I’ll go get her right now.”
Liang Dachao lowered his voice, “My family’s A’Rong’s situation is a little special. She’s a good person, but her temper can be a bit fiery, and, well, she’s got more than a few pet peeves. So, Zhu-ge, I just want to give you a heads-up—”
“Liang Dachao, are you asking for a beating?”
A crisp and assertive female voice interrupted him from behind. “I’ve already said, I’m not sick, and I don’t need anyone diagnosing me. Why don’t you dare bring another one of those fraud quacks again?”
Zhu Ming—a certified graduate of District Seven’s medical exams, ranked first, and the only person to date to achieve a perfect score: “…”
Ji Rong’s loud and hostile tone drew Xi Xianqing’s attention once more. He glanced toward the commotion by the door, frowning deeply.
Liang Dachao hastily explained. “No, no, no. Dr. Zhu is a professional doctor from District Seven. He just happened to be here on his honeymoon with his husband and kindly offered to help you.”
Ji Rong froze for a split second.
The mention of being from District Seven carried weight. Her gaze shifted to Zhu Ming, a flicker of embarrassment crossing her face.
Yet, after a brief hesitation, she pressed her lips together and remained firm. “I’m sorry, but I’m not sick, and I don’t need any medical attention.”
Zhu Ming smiled faintly, unperturbed. Reaching into his bag, he took out two pre-filled bottles of pills and placed them on the table.
“No problem,” he said. “It just so happens that I’ve done extensive research in the field of spiritual manifestation of fur abnormalities, so I brought along some medication you might find helpful.”
“The green bottle is for preventing fur shedding in spiritual manifestations, and the purple one improves the quality of fur growth.”
As Zhu Ming spoke, he began maneuvering his wheelchair back toward the door. “Then, I won’t impose any further.”
Ji Rong stared blankly at the two bottles on the table for a few seconds.
She looked up, her gaze following Zhu Ming, who appeared to be struggling slightly as he wheeled himself toward the exit.
Witnessing the entire exchange, Liang Dachao’s expression became somewhat awkward–After all, when Zhu Ming first entered, his handling of the wheelchair had been so skillful, even smoother than most people walking on foot.
However, Ji Rong hadn’t noticed this. She realized that she might have been too rude. The good-natured District Seven doctor before her was clearly someone who could no longer walk, yet he had traveled so far just to personally deliver medication.
Her expression suddenly became complicated.
Ji Rong’s fingers twisted the edge of her apron, her face flushing red. After holding her tongue for half a day, she finally blurted out, “P-Please wait a moment!”
Zhu Ming stopped the wheelchair and turned back to look at her.
“Reciprocity,” Ji Rong hesitated. “It just so happens that we’re testing a new line of afternoon tea series. If you wouldn’t mind, please stay and try them.”
Zhu Ming seemed momentarily surprised but then responded warmly, “It would be my pleasure.”
Ji Rong quickly sent Liang Dachao to the kitchen to prepare the pastries. Meanwhile, she stood by the table, secretly staring at the labels on the bottles of medicine, glancing from one to the other.
Zhu Ming reminded softly. “For the green bottle, you can try two tablets per day, one after breakfast and one after dinner. If the shedding is particularly severe, you can add one more from the purple bottle before bed.”
Startled, Ji Rong raised her head to look at him, as if still wanting to argue that she “wasn’t sick.”
But Zhu Ming’s voice was soft, and his face carried such an inherent warmth and gentleness that it made refusal almost impossible.
After staring into his eyes for a moment, Ji Rong finally gave up on trying to argue. She carefully tucked the medicine bottles into the pocket of her apron and muttered, “Alright.”
After a brief pause, she seemed to muster her courage before finally releasing her spiritual manifestation—a black sheep.
“If you don’t mind,” she said quietly, her fingers tugging nervously at her apron’s hem, “could you take a look after you’ve had the pastries?”
Zhu Ming let out a silent sigh of relief, “Of course.”
At the same time, Xi Xianqing, who had been standing outside the door for a long while, finally decided to step into the small shop.
As Zhu Ming pulled out the sensory gloves from his backpack, preparing to examine Ji Rong, he lightly teased, “What’s this? Has the future representative of District Six had a change of heart and decided to indulge in some humble afternoon tea?”
Xi Xianqing took a seat, removed his sunglasses, and neatly folded them on the table. “It’s too bright outside.”
Zhu Ming: “…”
Just then, Liang Dachao came running out of the kitchen with great enthusiasm. “Sweet corn pancakes, coming right up la!”
The golden corn pancakes were stacked in a small bamboo basket lined with a red-and-white checkered napkin, exuding a breezy seaside vacation vibe. The aroma of warm, sugary comfort hung in the air like an invitation to happiness.
Unexpectedly, Ji Rong took one look at the plate and smacked Liang Dachao one the head with a sharp flick.
“Liang Dachao, do you even use your brain? How many times did I tell you during recipe testing that this pancake must be served with raspberry sauce for the perfect sweet-tart balance…”
Hands on her hips, she huffed and stomped her foot. “Never mind, I’ll get it myself.”
Each corn pancake had a small design etched into the center.
The top half resembled a petal, while the bottom half looked like a fluffy cloud.
As a designer, Xi Xianqing had an innate sensitivity to geometric patterns. He instinctively stared at the pancakes a little longer than he intended.
Zhu Ming saw that he didn’t move his chopsticks for a long time, “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me it’s not to your taste. You didn’t hold back at all with yesterday’s pancakes.”
This unprovoked jab made Xi Xianqing’s expression shift several times., “It’s not the pancakes—it’s the design. I think I’ve seen it before.”
Zhu Ming hadn’t reacted yet. “Seen? When?”
Xi Xianqing thought for a moment. “The restaurant from yesterday’s meeting.”
Before Zhu Ming could respond, a loud crash rang out from the kitchen.
It was Ji Rong, dropping a tray onto the floor. Her expression turned incredibly grim.
“You’ve seen this pattern?”
She stared deathly at Xi Xianqing’s face, “Where have you seen it?”
Xi Xianqing didn’t like her questioning tone, his brows furrowing.
He crossed his arms and met her stare coldly. “A restaurant. The napkins there had the same design embroidered on them.”
“Was it the restaurant of District Two’s representative?”
Ji Rong’s face turned crimson, her lips trembling as she stammered out her disbelief. “Shen Ying’s restaurant?”
In her agitated state, Ji Rong hadn’t had the chance to recall her spiritual manifestation.
Zhu Ming, sharp-eyed as ever, immediately noticed the effects of her escalating emotions. The black sheep behind her twitched its hindquarters once more, and another few tufts of cottony wool drifted to the floor.
She was too worked up.
At the mention of “Shen Ying,” Liang Dachao’s expression also shifted dramatically. His eyes widened.
His mouth opened and closed as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t. He lifted his hand in an attempt to stop Xi Xianqing from continuing, but Ji Rong’s chest heaved violently. Her next question came fast and sharp: “What’s your relationship… with Shen Ying?”
To Xi Xianqing, his involvement in any assessment was a matter of personal privacy, and he felt no obligation to divulge such information to strangers.
So Xi Xianqing raised his jaw and faintly said, “Friends, why?”
Ji Rong’s eyes widened immediately.
The flush on Ji Rong’s cheeks spread all the way to her neck. She bit her lip, her chest heaving rapidly—a clear sign of her losing control over her emotions, a mix of extreme anger and agitation.
Behind her, the black sheep spiritual manifestation’s butt began trembling uncontrollably, its hindquarters shaking at an alarming rate. In the confined space of the small restaurant, it unleashed a veritable blizzard of black wool.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Ji Rong managed to squeeze out two trembling words, “… Get out.”
“Right now, immediately, get out of my shop!”
Author’s Notes:
The gentle little fox sets the bait, layer upon layer of schemes, skillfully and patiently guiding the patient to hand over their heart.
The elegant big peac0ck wiggled his ass beautifully as he passed by, effortlessly rendering all his hard work meaningless in an instant.
Leave a Reply