After Zhu Ming affectionately buried his cheek against Xi Xianqing’s stomach and then lay still, not moving an inch.

The scene seemed to freeze at that moment, and for a time, the world fell into complete silence.

The person who had fallen into a deep sleep appeared utterly relaxed, but the one who remained awake was in a much less enviable state.

In truth, if someone observed closely, they would notice that the hand Xi Xianqing was using to support Zhu Ming was trembling slightly.

His mind was a complete blank as he forced himself to remain calm. His throat felt parched, and he spoke with difficulty, “Grandfather, he’s usually very measured in his actions. Today, perhaps… he simply drank a bit too much.”

Xi Jianfeng stared at the two tightly entwined figures without saying a word. After a brief pause, he set down the tea cup in his hand and said coolly, “Take the child outside to sober up a bit.”

His thoughts were a jumbled mess. Xi Xianqing could only rely on instinct as he gave a response, his voice dry, “Understood.”

The person in front of him was so drunk that they were clearly incapable of moving on their own. Xi Xianqing bit down slightly, steadying himself before simply scooping the other person up in his arms and heading out of the private room.

“By the way,” Xi Jianfeng’s voice sounded behind them just as he had taken a few steps. “Don’t forget what I said earlier. While assessments and your career are important, you should also spend more time with your family when you can.”

Xi Xianqing dared not dwell on the deeper meaning behind these words. His ears burned as he replied, “…I understand.”

As he carried Zhu Ming out of the room, they brushed past Xi Hongming, who had been waiting by the door.

Xi Hongming’s expression was difficult to read. He clenched his teeth, deeply regretful that things hadn’t gone according to his plan. It felt like a bone was stuck in his throat.

Dark undercurrents flowed in the atmosphere, but Xi Xianqing had no time to deal with such matters. He quickly averted his gaze and carried the person away with determined, steady strides.

The private room’s door had been left open earlier, and those queuing to offer their congratulations weren’t limited to Xi Hongming’s family. Social elites from both within and outside of District Six were waiting outside, naturally witnessing the entire scene that had just unfolded.

Even after walking some distance away, Xi Xianqing could faintly hear murmured discussions accompanied by light laughter behind him. “Youth is really good ah… so fiery and passionate ah. Just look at Mr. Xiao Xi’s flushed ears.”

“They’re said to be from District Seven, so I expected them to be rigid and traditional, but who knew they’d kiss so boldly? Turns out they’re more open than we are.”

“They’re newlyweds, utterly infatuated. It’s only natural to see such affection.”

The person in his arms breathed hotly against Xi Xianqing’s neck, the scorching warmth seeping into his skin. Xi Xianqing pressed his lips into a stiff line and silently quickened his pace.

“Looks like that supposed ‘sleeping in separate rooms’ rumor was just a typical couple’s quarrel.”

Outside the private room, Xi Sen, who had also been watching the spectacle, smirked and commented dryly, “I’d advise you two to focus on properly congratulating Grandfather tonight. I haven’t fallen to the level of relying on random slanders and whispers to win the assessment.”

Zhang Yuan couldn’t help raising a hand to playfully swat her arm. “This girl. We worry every day over your future, and here you are siding with outsiders?”

Xi Sen pretended not to hear, stepping back into the private room in her high heels with gifts in hand.

Xi Hongming’s brows were locked tightly, staring at the back of the two people who were far away.

When Li Shun briefed him on their schedule, he had mentioned that the two were unusually affectionate on the car ride when they had just arrived in District Two.

Although the claim that they slept in separate rooms had seemed suspicious… now, it looked more like a case of a regular couple’s quarrels. Had he overthought the matter?

A trace of doubt still remains in Xi Hongming’s heart. But no matter how he looked at it, the kiss between the two earlier seemed entirely genuine. If they were acting… they really have too much dedication.

Everyone present, including Xi Jianfeng, could see it: the two were clearly lovestruck newlyweds, sweetly bickering and flirting like honey-coated oil.

At this point, it seemed that at least for tonight, Xi Hongming had no choice but to quietly offer a congratulatory gift without causing further trouble or embellishing his pre-prepared gossip.

After leaving the private room, Xi Xianqing finally found a quiet corner and placed the person in his arms onto a chair.

Zhu Ming lowered his gaze and drowsily lifted his eyelids to glance around. A moment later, his head drooped once more.

A thousand of subtle emotions clouded Xi Xianqing’s heart. He stared at the person in front of him, struggling to control his expression as he hoarsely asked, “What exactly were you… doing back there?”

Zhu Ming kept his head down, remaining silent.

The teary-eyed, sulky, and aggrieved expression he had worn earlier in the private room was nowhere to be found now, making it clear to Xi Xianqing that Zhu Ming’s earlier act hadn’t been drunken madness but a deliberate performance using the effects of alcohol as cover.

But something about Zhu Ming’s current state didn’t feel quite right either—his head hung low, one hand pressed against his stomach. His brows were furrowed, the corners of his eyes were faintly red, and he seemed far from being in a lucid state.

Xi Xianqing felt something was wrong. “What’s wrong with you?”

For a long time, he heard the person in front of him murmur in a small voice: “Why are the floor tiles and you… both spinning?”

Xi Xianqing: “…?”

Zhu Ming raised his hazy eyes to look at him for a while. Then, frowning slightly, he tipped his head forward, and before Xi Xianqing could react, he toppled directly into his chest—

This time, he was truly drunk on top of Xi Xianqing.

Zhu Ming had a dream.

This one was neither beautiful nor unfamiliar—in fact, it was a dream he had experienced countless times. The night outside the window was as thick as ink, and the sound of shattering glass mingled with piercing horns and screeching brakes filled his ears sharply. The world spun wildly as he was thrown back once more to the moment of the car crash years ago.

The sharp pain in his waist and legs was as vivid as ever. In the next moment, he plunged into an abyss of darkness, only to suddenly wake from the dream.

The moment he woke up, the source of pain shifted—from his legs to his temples. Or rather, his legs no longer hurt at all.

Zhu Ming struggled to open his eyes and was greeted by the sight of a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Turning his gaze, he noticed a dark bed sheet and a black lacquered wooden bedside table. The overall décor was understated and elegant but couldn’t completely hide the air of luxury in its finer details.

Zhu Ming even remembered that behind the door not far away was a massive walk-in closet, as Xi Mufei had brought him here once before.

This was… Xi Xianqing’s bedroom.

Fumbling to sit up, Zhu Ming’s stomach cramped violently. His body felt unbearably heavy, his head throbbed as if splitting, and even his throat was inexplicably hoarse, making it nearly impossible to speak.

Then, a cold voice cut through the silence, “There’s warm honey water on the bedside table.”

Still dizzy and lightheaded, Zhu Ming instinctively followed the direction of the voice, grabbing the glass on the bedside table. The warm, sweet liquid slid down his throat, soothing it slightly and bringing him back to life.

He was just barely able to see the world in front of him, and then he was stunned. “You…”

Xi Xianqing was seated on an armchair not far away, his legs elegantly crossed as he flipped through a magazine.

Hearing the commotion, he raised his eyes briefly to glance at Zhu Ming but didn’t say anything.

The memories about last night flooded into his mind bit by bit.

Zhu Ming’s expression gradually became pained.

The slow, torturous recollection was excruciating. Pressing one hand against his throbbing temple, he raised the other to make a halting gesture. “Just give me the gist… How bad is it?”

Xi Xianqing’s gaze remained fixed on the magazine in his hands. With a faint flick of his fingertips, he turned a page without looking at Zhu Ming. “You can guess. What do you think the number one trending topic in District Six’s entertainment news is today?”

Zhu Ming: “…”

He was silent for a moment before picking up his phone, scrolling briefly through it for a few seconds.

Moments later, he slowly set the phone aside on the blanket, leaned back, shut his eyes, and gritted his teeth. “Why is there even a video?”

“Because you were very good at picking the place last night—inside the room was my grandfather, and outside it was the wealthiest and nosiest group of people in District Six.”

Closing his magazine, Xi Xianqing delivered another calm and cutting remark, “Which of them do you think would bother keeping their mouths shut for us?”

Zhu Ming took a deep breath and buried his face in his palms.

After a long moment of silent suffering, he finally raised his eyes to look at Xi Xianqing and squeezed out a confession, “What happened last night… was definitely my fault.”

Xi Xianqing didn’t say anything.

“I know you’re someone who values boundaries a lot. Last night was such an important occasion, and your family is strict about rules and etiquette. So, first off, let me sincerely apologize for my actions.”

Letting out a heavy breath, Zhu Ming quickly pivoted. “However, I had valid reasons for what I did.”

Xi Xianqing’s expression was unreadable. It was unclear whether he was angry or feeling something else entirely.

He was silent for a long time. “Speak.”

Zhu Ming sipped the honey water by the window to moisten his throat, steadied his breathing, and recounted everything—the overheard conversation between Xi Hongming’s family, the details leading up to his actions, and his motivations for what he’d done.

“I later thought about it. The person he mentioned, the one with ‘connections in District Two,’ is likely the resort manager, Li Shun.”

Scratching his hair, Zhu Ming glanced at the white fox at the head of the bed and also put on a rare serious look. “Our fake marriage—and Dish Soap’s, well, inability to stand up—if Grandfather finds out, it’ll have serious consequences for your future.”

“And once your family knows, it won’t take long for my aunt to find out too. So at that moment, I… just had to think fast and improvise a little.”

“At first, I just wanted to stage the argument between us in District Two, thinking that would suffice to explain the separate rooms.”

Zhu Ming began, sipping his water slowly. “But after that, I felt it wasn’t quite convincing enough—like Xi Hongming still wouldn’t buy it. So I thought I needed to go all in, hit them with something so decisive that they’d be left speechless. And then…”

He was a bit unable to speak.

Xi Xianqing’s chest rose and fell as his fingers pressed tightly on the edge of the magazine. “And what you mean by all in is…”

“Well…”

Zhu Ming swallowed hard and said, “Looking at the outcome now, the play went over pretty well. At least no one’s speculating about our fake marriage or, that, it can’t get up. It seems Xi Hongming believed it.”

Only the spread of this act was much larger than Zhu Ming expected.

Xi Xianqing was silent again.

“Despite that, I think I made two mistakes.”

Zhu Ming admitted, fiddling with the glass in his hand before exhaling heavily. “First, I panicked a little, so I mixed whiskey with red wine to give myself some nerve. The alcohol did give me inspiration and courage, in a way.”

He painfully clenched his teeth. “But it might’ve given me too much. I forgot one crucial fact—I really can’t hold my liquor. Looking back, though the scene worked, it might’ve… gone a bit too far.”

The memory alone was enough to make him curl his toes in embarrassment.

“Second,” Zhu Ming added sincerely, “if I’d had more time, I probably would’ve come up with a more suitable plan.”

“But at the time, I saw they were about to step into the room and badmouth you, and I didn’t have time to coordinate with you. My brain only had one thought: beat them to the punch by getting inside first and then—”

He paused, choosing his words carefully. “In short, I’m really sorry… for not discussing it with you in advance.”

Xi Xianqing remained silent throughout, leaving Zhu Ming uncharacteristically timid as he clutched the blanket and avoided meeting his gaze. For a long moment, no one spoke.

Finally, he heard Xi Xianqing say, “Know your limits when it comes to alcohol in the future.”

Zhu Ming murmured an “Mm” in response. The white fox by his feet, equally guilty, tucked its tail beneath itself, mirroring Zhu Ming’s reluctance to lift his head.

It wasn’t until the faint sound of movement from the other side of the room reached him that Zhu Ming cautiously lifted his eyes. To his surprise, Xi Xianqing had already stood up, taken his coat, and looked every bit ready to leave.

Prepared for a thorough scolding, Zhu Ming blurted out, “Huh? That’s it?”

Xi Xianqing gave him a sideways glance. “What else do you want to hear me say?”

Zhu Ming hesitated, “Aren’t you… angry?”

He vividly recalled how irritated Xi Xianqing had been just at Zhu Yingying faking a kiss. Back then, it was all about “boundaries” and “keeping your distance.”

Now, they’d actually kissed—really kissed. Even Zhu Ming felt a twinge of guilt. But here was Xi Xianqing, the very person who’d always harped on about boundaries, brushing the matter off like it was nothing.

Xi Xianqing stood in place for a long time. “I don’t have time to be angry.”

“You’ve explained the reasoning behind everything you did, and as long as Grandpa isn’t suspicious and it doesn’t affect the assessment, there’s nothing unacceptable about it.”

Xi Xianqing didn’t meet Zhu Ming’s eyes as he added coldly, “Besides, I have a meeting with a friend from District Four to prepare for the next round of assessments. I don’t have time to dwell on this nonsense with you.”

He paused and finally added, “Next time, be mindful of your alcohol tolerance.”

Zhu Ming gave a dumbfounded “Oh”.

He watched as Xi Xianqing left, realizing that he was still in a dream world.

En, just like that… it was dismissed, so effortlessly.

Zhu Ming was supposed to feel relieved, but instead, an inexplicable weight pressed on his chest. Whenever he tried to delve deeper into the feeling, the splitting headache that followed distracted him.

His mind was a mess.

The motivations behind that kiss could be explained in many ways—For Xi Xianqing, it was to safeguard his future and shut the mouths of malicious relatives. For Zhu Ming, it was to ensure their fake marriage wasn’t exposed and to cover the colossal lie he had told Zhu Yingying.

Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t the kind of person who would act impulsively, let alone cross such a line simply because of alcohol and a fleeting rush of emotion.

But the outcome was already there… Yes, it had happened—almost as if it were fated.

Taking a deep breath, Zhu Ming forced himself to stop dwelling on it.

At the very least, Xi Xianqing didn’t seem too bothered by the kiss anymore. He was already focused on his next round of assessments. Zhu Ming decided he should also fulfill his responsibilities as a doctor and help Xi Xianqing recover as quickly as possible.

Feeling a tightness in his chest, he moved to the balcony, opened the window, and took a deep breath of fresh air.

As he sipped slowly from a cup of honey water, letting his mind drift, a sound came from the garden.

The garden at Xi Xianqing’s private residence was exquisitely designed. Expensive plants and flowers adorned the space, and even the simplest bushes were pruned with artistry, a clear sign of professional care.

In the middle of the garden stood an elegant pavilion, nestled in a lush bamboo grove. It served as a highly private tea room.

Zhu Ming saw Xi Xianqing standing on the garden’s stone path, talking with a bespectacled man whose warm smile gave him a simple, unpretentious air. This was likely the friend from District Four that Xi Xianqing had mentioned earlier.

The man patted Xi Xianqing’s shoulder and said something with a smile. A sleeping koala lay sprawled on his shoulder.

Perhaps out of consideration for his old friend, Xi Xianqing hesitated for a moment before finally releasing his green peac0ck.

Zhu Ming saw the bespectacled man lean down slightly while Dish Soap calmly lifted its head and gently pecked at the koala’s tail with its beak.

It had been a long time since Zhu Ming had seen Dish Soap in person. Taking another sip of the sweet honey water, he squinted and carefully examined the green peac0ck from head to toe.

En, perfectly healthy and full of energy.

He watched as Ye Lu approached politely, said something, and then guided the bespectacled man into the pavilion ahead.

Xi Xianqing followed at the rear, his steps slowing slightly, as though lost in thought. He stared at the grass for a moment, seemingly distracted.

In Zhu Ming’s perspective, his expression looked very plain.

It seemed as though Xi Xianqing was recalling something. After a moment, he raised his hand and lightly touched his lips.

Thinking he was simply zoning out, Zhu Ming didn’t give it much thought either. However, the honey water in his cup tasted increasingly bland the more he drank. Lowering his head, he picked up the silver spoon and stirred it gently, trying to mix the honey stuck at the bottom more evenly.

When he raised his head again and glanced downward absentmindedly, his hand suddenly froze.

A loud clang echoed as the spoon slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.

But Zhu Ming had no time to pick it up. His gaze was fixed on the green peac0ck behind Xi Xianqing, and for a moment, he even forgot how to breathe.

—Because Dish Soap, standing behind Xi Xianqing, was frantically vibrating its tail feathers… at an incredibly high frequency.

This wasn’t the casual shake he’d observed in the past. No, this was rapid, continuous, and intense shaking.

Zhu Ming watched in stunned silence as Dish Soap’s tail feathers kept trembling and, along with the movement, its butt swayed twice. Then, at a visibly slow yet steady pace, the feathers unfolded completely, bit by bit!

Without any warning… it spread its tail!

Zhu Ming’s breathing abruptly stopped.

At the same time, Zhu Ming noticed Xi Xianqing press his lips together, his fingers curling slightly before he dropped his hand back to his side.

He didn’t seem to notice the movement of the green peac0ck behind him. Or perhaps he never thought there could be any change in the green peac0ck standing there.

The slightly sticky honey water trickled from Zhu Ming’s hand down his arm. A breeze swept past, sending a cool sensation across his skin.

It was then that Zhu Ming abruptly came back to his senses.

Gripping the balcony railing, he shouted down, “Xi Xianqing, turn around!”

But the distance between them was too great, or perhaps Xi Xianqing was still lost in thought. In any case, he didn’t hear him.

Zhu Ming watched helplessly as Xi Xianqing turned away, lifted a leg, and walked in the direction of the pavilion.

Behind him, Dish Soap, who had just completed the first independent tail-spreading display of its life, shook its gorgeous fan-shaped feathers with a flourish. It spun proudly in a circle, even wiggling its butt twice in delight.

It gloriously and proudly took a few steps to the left–da da da–, and then a few steps to the right–da da da.

It was as if… it were frantically showing off its triumphant first display of its tail.

When it realized that no one was paying attention, its round, beady eyes blinked in confusion. Shaking its feathers again, it made an effort to spread its tail even wider, determined to show off the full extent of its beauty.

Unfortunately, no one was ever around to notice it.

In the end, it seemed a little dejected, lowering its head slightly as it awkwardly followed behind its master. With its massive tail fanned out, it waddled clumsily, swaying unsteadily with each step.

Zhu Ming finally snapped out of his daze. He hurriedly pulled out his phone, fumbling to capture the moment before it passed.

However, just as he opened the camera, he noticed that the edges of the green peac0ck’s tail feathers had already begun to blur, gradually dissolving into translucent, ethereal neuroprotons.

It was the master, walking hurriedly ahead without sparing it a single glance, who had retracted it.

Author’s notes:

Big Peac0ck: Calmly reminiscing, as if nothing had happened.

Little Fox: Shocked, deeply contemplating the principle of spreading tail.

Dish Soap (Furiously Spreading Its Tail) (Butt Twisting Back And Forth): Excuse me, can someone please admire my beauty? ψ(｀∇´)ψ