Thank you very much, Roz for the kofi! :googleredheart:

The delicate paper bag was cradled in Zhu Ming’s arms, who returned with a full load. Letting out a long breath, he felt that the energy spent shopping this time far exceeded what he had used in his rehabilitation session that morning.

The two sat quietly in the sightseeing car, watching the vibrant nightscape of District Six on their way back to the parking lot.

The evening breeze was cool and pleasant, and the fountains rose and fell under the bright lights. The old Zhu Ming would have scoffed at his current self, but now he finally understood why some people were so enamored with a life of indulgence, why they were willing to spend hundreds of thousands just for two bags of fabric.

—Because it was utterly exhilarating.

Zhu Ming murmured, “You know, the dopamine rush from shopping really is irreplaceable. If I didn’t think about the few missing zeros in my bank account, I might’ve stayed happy for a while longer.”

Beside him, Xi Xianqing seemed distracted, only responding with a belated “Mm” after a long pause.

He turned to look at Zhu Ming, his lips moving slightly as if he wanted to say something.

Zhu Ming, however, didn’t notice his expression. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and he answered the call. “Hmm? I’m in District Six right now. I’ll head back in a bit.”

Whatever the person on the other end said made Zhu Ming raise his eyebrows. “…Hmm, next week? That should be fine ah. You can go ahead and set it up.”

After hanging up, Zhu Ming caught Xi Xianqing’s gaze and smiled as he explained, “It was my aunt. She’s planning to go to a friend’s farm in District One next week to pick some fruit and asked if I wanted to tag along for a couple of days.”

“Let me tell you some gossip oh.” Leaning in slightly, he grinned mischievously. “I suspect this so-called friend is actually her new partner.”

Most people would show some interest in gossip, but Xi Xianqing seemed to freeze. He asked, “When are you leaving next week?”

Zhu Ming slipped his phone back into his pocket and thought for a moment. “She said next Friday. Probably just for the weekend.”

Xi Xianqing didn’t say anything for a long time.

Upon learning that Zhu Yingying had a new romantic development, Zhu Ming’s mood brightened considerably. He pinched the edge of the high-end paper bag in his hand and hummed an off-key tune. After a while, the unsettling silence beside him caught his attention. “What’s wrong?”

A moment later, he heard Xi Xianqing reply, “…It’s nothing.”

Zhu Ming sensed that something wasn’t right and wanted to press further, but the person beside him had already turned his face away. His sharp jawline disappeared into the dense darkness of the night.

When they got home, Zhu Yingying was startled by the large number of shopping bags Zhu Ming had brought back.

Rather than scolding him for being extravagant, she was so happy that she and the little rabbit hopped around the living room several times. Then she added hay to the rabbit’s cage, muttering to herself for quite a while.

“Xiao Man ah.”

She squatted in front of the rabbit cage and spoke to the lop-eared rabbit, its cheeks puffed full of food. “Don’t worry over there. Xiao Ming is already married la, just came back from his honeymoon, and even enjoys going out more now…”

Zhu Ming’s lips twitched slightly.

After a long day, he wanted nothing more than to head straight to bed. But when he thought about how much the clothes had cost, he decided he should hang them in the wardrobe first. A few minutes less sleep wouldn’t matter.

A while later, Zhu Yingying appeared at his bedroom door and suggested, “How about inviting Xiao Xi to join you for this weekend’s trip?”

“No,” Zhu Ming replied, decisively refusing while unzipping a suit’s garment bag. “And I’m not planning on going myself, either.”

Zhu Yingying was shocked, “Why?”

“Let me guess, your so-called ‘friend’ probably didn’t plan on inviting me in the first place, did they?”

Zhu Ming poked at this with a sly remark, and purposely pronounced the word ‘friend’ with more emphasis, “I’m not going to be a light bulb.”

The little rabbit at Zhu Yingying’s feet twitched its ears, but she pretended not to understand and put her hands on her hips. “W-What are you talking about?”

“Alright la, you two just enjoy yourselves this time.” Zhu Ming said with a faint smile, hanging the last piece of clothing in his wardrobe. “When you get back from your trip, why not do what I did with Xi Xianqing? Bring your ‘friend’ over to our house for a meal.”

Zhu Yingying’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she huffed angrily. “If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll really get mad! Chen Cheng and I are truly just friends right now—”

The white rabbit at her feet narrowed its eyes slightly. Zhu Ming caught onto the keyword. “Right now? And what about later?”

Zhu Yingying froze, stomped her foot in frustration, and stormed out of the room, unable to speak. Her face burned with the rabbit in tow.

On Friday morning, Zhu Yingying cheerfully carried her luggage and headed off to District One, leaving Zhu Ming to an empty home.

Keeping in mind his role as a personal physician, Zhu Ming didn’t idle away the day. He buried himself in the lab, experimenting with a few new medications in the pod.

While organizing the thermostat storage, he noticed that one of the medications would lose its potency in just a week. After some deliberation, he decided to deliver it to Xi Xianqing so he could try it out as soon as possible.

He sent a text, but there was no reply from Xi Xianqing.

Weighing the options of either “letting his hard work go to waste” or using a “cross-district courier service”, Zhu Ming thought back to the chaos caused by Dish Soap during the last allergy episode. In the end, he decided to deliver it personally and explain the precautions for use in person.

What he didn’t expect was for the person who opened the door to be Xi Mufei.

Xi Mufei was still barefoot, standing on the wooden floor, holding a light screen and an electronic pen. The white peac0ck beside her rested elegantly, its eyes—identical to her brother’s small, beady ones—half-closed as it lounged leisurely at her feet.

Zhu Ming immediately recognized the dress she was wearing. It was one of the two purple dresses that Xi Xianqing had bought that day.

It seemed to be the lavender purple one—En, he wasn’t entirely sure.

When Xi Mufei saw him, her expression displayed a subtle, slightly surprised complexity.

Then she smiled, her eyes curving, and waved enthusiastically at Zhu Ming.

Zhu Ming wordlessly tucked the sealed bag containing the medication behind his wheelchair and slowed his speech. “Is Xi Xianqing here?”

Xi Mufei shook her head, opened the door wider, and motioned for Zhu Ming to come in.

After entering, Zhu Ming saw her write something on the light screen in her hand before handing it to him.

He focused on the screen and read the line: “He went to our grandfather’s birthday banquet.”

At the end, there was even an emoji sticking out its tongue.

Birthday banquet?

Zhu Ming froze for a moment, sensing that something wasn’t quite right. Pressing his lips together, he took the electronic pen and wrote back on the screen: “Did he go alone? Aren’t you going?”

Xi Mufei leaned over to take a glance, shook her head, and replied with the pen: “I don’t like those kinds of events.”

And added, “He never lets me go either.”

Zhu Ming was slightly stunned and nodded.

It seemed that today’s trip was destined to be in vain. After all, Xi Mufei wasn’t aware of Xi Xianqing’s condition… so there was little chance the medication would make it to him.

As Zhu Ming was lost in thought, Xi Mufei handed the light screen back to him.

There was a sentence written on it: “I heard he originally wanted to invite you to grandfather’s birthday banquet with him.”

Before Zhu Ming could process this, Xi Mufei took the light screen back and quickly scribbled another line with bold, flowing strokes: “But it seems you turned him down oh ^_^~”

Zhu Ming: “…?”

Zhu Ming stared at the wavy line at the end of the message on the screen, wondering if there had been some sort of miscommunication between him and Xi Mufei.

He had no recollection of this at all. He was absolutely certain, without a shred of doubt, that he had never even heard the words “birthday banquet” from Xi Xianqing’s mouth.

This time, Zhu Ming didn’t take the pen. Instead, he pointed to himself with his finger. “Me?”

Xi Mufei nodded, then scribbled another line on the holographic screen: “For the past two days, he’s secretly been sulking all by himself oh.”

It was followed by a crying “(>﹏<)”.

Zhu Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry but he genuinely believed he had been wronged. He took the screen and wrote down his defense: “You must’ve mistaken me for someone else. He really didn’t invite me.”

Xi Mufei pursed her lips, her expression serious. She shook her finger as if scolding him, then wrote: “His mind works in very unique ways. You can’t interpret what he says like a normal person would.”

Worthy of being her own sister, she scolded without any softness at all.

Zhu Ming couldn’t help but chuckle.

He watched as Xi Mufei casually filled the screen with more text: “Sometimes, you might not realize he’s inviting you. And other times, you might not realize you’ve already rejected him.”

Zhu Ming froze, his smile faltering slightly. He shook his head with a faint laugh, about to say, “How could that be?”

But then, fragments of memory suddenly surfaced in his mind, and the smile on his face stiffened.

Noticing the subtle shift in his expression, Xi Mufei smiled enigmatically and placed the pen into Zhu Ming’s hand.

Zhu Ming slowly grasped the pen, the tip hovering over the screen, but it didn’t touch down.

First, there was his inexplicable behavior of suddenly buying an expensive formal suit.

Then, there was that interrupted sentence in the fitting room by the sales lady “Next week—”

After leaving the mall and finishing the call with Zhu Yingying—when she asked about the travel date—Zhu Ming recalled Xi Xianqing’s expression, one that seemed to conceal unspoken words.

“Oh no,” Zhu Ming muttered. “It looks like… he really did try to invite me.”

The car traveled smoothly along the road. Xi Xianqing sat quietly, gazing out the window at the steady stream of banquet guests arriving.

After Xi Jianfeng’s grand 90th birthday celebration, every subsequent banquet adhered to the same level of extravagance.

The consequence of this tradition was that each year’s event became increasingly ostentatious. By the time of his 95th birthday, the scale had reached staggering proportions.

Unlike an ordinary family gathering, the banquet served as a public display for the media and countless spectators. Prestige and grandeur were paramount.

Unsurprisingly, the venue was the highest-rated hotel in District Six. Besides the Xi Family, numerous celebrities, wealthy business magnates, and artists connected to Xi Jianfeng had gathered here.

Therefore from the entrance of the hotel, it was already a grand spectacle.

Xi Xianqing looked out the window the entire time, while Ye Lu, who was sitting on the side, looked as though she had something to say but hesitated.

“Xianqing.” Ye Lu’s expression was uncharacteristically laced with a hint of helplessness. “The Old Master specifically mentioned this time that he wanted to meet Xiao Zhu in person. You even went to Tacheng, and picked out clothes, but in the end, why didn’t you say anything to invite him?”

Xi Xianqing spoke faintly. “He already had plans. What would’ve been the point of asking?”

Ye Lu closed her eyes briefly and, with a still-present smile, forced her voice through gritted teeth. “But Xiao Zhu has always been good-tempered and considerate. If you’d asked, he might’ve been willing to adjust his plans to join you—”

“His aunt is important to him,” Xi Xianqing interrupted. “If I had asked, it wouldn’t have been an invitation. It would’ve been putting him in a difficult position.”

Ye Lu was slightly stunned.

A moment later, Ye Lu sighed softly. “I understand, but you two are newlyweds. In a setting like today’s… if Xiao Zhu doesn’t come, Second Uncle’s side will probably make a fuss again.”

Xi Xianqing didn’t respond.

“I’ll go check the crowd at the hotel entrance.” Ye Lu, reading the room, realized she shouldn’t press further. “With so many reporters here today, I’m sure some of them don’t have the best intentions. Best to steer clear of them.”

Xi Xianqing nodded, and Ye Lu got out of the car.

The air inside the vehicle felt stifling. He rolled down the window, exhaled deeply, and closed his eyes to rest.

After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes again and absently looked out the window.

It was already close to evening, the sunset evening sun was soft and the traffic was weaving.

On the opposite side of the road, which had been empty only moments ago, a figure in a wheelchair suddenly appeared.

For a moment, Xi Xianqing thought his eyes were deceiving him.

His pupils contracted, and after a long time, he rolled the car window down further, trying to get a clearer view of the figure.

But it was the middle of a green-light interval. Cars blurred past in the evening traffic, making it nearly impossible to see clearly.

It wasn’t until the light stopped red that he was able to get a good look at the person’s face.

A sharp chin, pale skin, and a sleek black velvet suit. The man sat in his wheelchair, seemingly lost in thought, his gaze downcast as he absentmindedly fiddled with his cufflinks.

Then, as the light turned green, Zhu Ming suddenly lifted his eyes. Across the busy street, his gaze met Xi Xianqing’s through the car window.

Zhu Ming in the distance was stunned for a moment and looked at him, then his lips hooked out a faint smile.

Xi Xianqing’s breathing stopped slightly.

His mind went blank. Entirely driven by instinct, he pushed open the car door, stepped out, and strode forward in disbelief, staring incredulously at the face in front of him. “Why are you—”

Zhu Ming had just wheeled himself across the street, and now the two stood face-to-face by the roadside.

Surveying the opulent hotel before him, Zhu Ming spoke in an easy, unhurried tone, “What a coincidence ah. I was just debating whether to give you a call and now I don’t have to.”

“I’d originally planned to let that 320,000-yuan suit of mine make an appearance tonight, but going back to District Seven and then coming here probably would’ve made me late.”

He glanced at Xi Xianqing’s face, shaking the cuffs of his slightly longer suit. “In the end, your sister found one of your suits for me. It fits well enough. You don’t mind, do you?”

Recalling something, Zhu Ming’s expression grew pensive. “Oh, right. Your wardrobe is really big ah.”

Xi Xianqing’s brain was still buffering. “Aren’t you… supposed to be on vacation with your aunt?”

“I don’t want to be a light bulb.”

Zhu Ming shrugged and smiled. “Besides, she’s headed to some rural farmhouse in the suburbs of District One. Meanwhile, you’re staying at the most luxurious hotel in District Six. I know which one’s more worth checking out.”

“But come to think of it, I don’t think I actually received an invitation ha.”

He bit his lower lip, fixing his gaze on Xi Xianqing’s face, revealing a somewhat embarrassed look. “Aiya, do you think the hotel security will throw me out as soon as I step through the doors?”

Nightfall deepened. The city hummed with noisy traffic as they silently stared at each other by the roadside.

“They won’t,” Xi Xianqing said, his throat tightening. He tried to keep his expression in check, his words faltering. “You’re… you’re invited now.”

Zhu Ming didn’t speak again, just staring at his face with a smiling face.

After a long time, Xi Xianqing dryly ordered, “Raise your hands.”

Zhu Ming obediently raised his hands.

Xi Xianqing lowered his gaze and helped unfasten Zhu Ming’s cufflinks, then neatly rolled up both sleeves to a more suitable length.

Straightening up, his eyes fell on Zhu Ming’s unadorned lapel.

Zhu Ming followed his gaze and let out a soft “Ah.” “Right oh, for an event like this at your family’s level, shouldn’t I be wearing something sparkly ah?”

He heard Xi Xianqing say, “It’s fine.”

Zhu Ming assumed that “it’s fine” meant that it wasn’t a big deal to attend without jewelry or accessories.

He murmured an acknowledgment, but when he raised his eyes again, he saw Xi Xianqing tilting his head slightly, removing the earring from his right ear.

Zhu Ming recalled that during Zhu Yingying’s birthday banquet, Xi Xianqing had deliberately dressed modestly to avoid stealing attention from the host.

However, tonight’s attire was nothing like that. Xi Xianqing was wearing a dark navy embroidered suit that demanded attention.

The craftsmanship was already intricate and luxurious, so he had forgone additional embellishments. The only thing that could be described as shiny was the pair of earrings of the same color on his ears.

—They were a pair of peac0ck plume-shaped studs crafted from sapphire, tsavorite, and diamonds, vividly striking pieces that few could pull off.

Yet on Xi Xianqing’s sharp, handsome features, the bold design blended seamlessly, highlighting the intensity of his refined, striking appearance.

At this moment, Xi Xianqing took off the plume earring in his right ear.

Lifting his hand, he hooked a finger around Zhu Ming’s lapel as if about to pin the earring onto it.

Zhu Ming was stunned and caught his wrist. “If you use it as a brooch for me, you’ll be left with just one earring.”

Unbothered, Xi Xianqing replied calmly, “Wearing just one won’t make me look bad.”

Zhu Ming: “…”

Zhu Ming found himself unable to argue—after all, that person’s face spoke for itself. Wearing earrings on both ears exuded radiant elegance, while a single earring added a touch of sharp, clean-cut charm. Either way, it looked impeccable.

So, he didn’t push back any further and let go of Xi Xianqing’s wrist, allowing him to adjust the earring on his lapel.

After a few seconds, he heard Xi Xianqing say, “Done.”

Zhu Ming lowered his head and lightly touched the tiny diamonds on the peac0ck feather with his fingertip. Then, he looked up, smiled, and softly asked, “How is it? Does it look good?”

Based on what he knew of Xi Xianqing, the response would likely be something along the lines of “Not bad,” “Passable,” or “Barely acceptable.”

As the night deepened, the young man’s emerald eyes seemed to grow darker and more profound. He stared at Zhu Ming’s face, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he awkwardly shifted his gaze away.

“En.” Not knowing whether he was talking about the brooch or the person, his voice was hoarse. “Good-looking.”

Author’s Notes:

The secretly delighted big peac0ck plucked its most beautiful feather and carefully adorned it on the little fox’s body!