What?! We're going to share a bed?!

When Tang Qi took Hu Xingche to meet Cheng Junshi, he noticed that Cheng Junshi had another boy with him. Just a few steps closer, the boy beside Cheng Junshi waved enthusiastically. Tang Qi raised an eyebrow and looked at Cheng Junshi with a puzzled expression, asking, "Why did you bring him along?"

“Hey, Zhengye, what do you mean by ‘why did you bring him here’? This is my master. Is it strange that he brought me along?” Lu Juezhen said to Tang Qi, raising his chin with his hands in his pockets.

“I had someone send Cheng Lu and others to a distant place, and the remaining one kept insisting on following me.” Cheng Junshi also seemed a little helpless.

"Little tagalong, do you even know what we're going to do? You just follow us around like that?" Tang Qi said with a chuckle, patting Lu Juezhen on the shoulder.

“My brother is gone, and it’s so boring for me to stay here alone. I’d rather stay with Master and you guys—” Lu Juezhen’s eyes suddenly turned to Hu Xingche next to him, and he tilted his head and asked, “Brother Zhengye, who is this?”

"Oh, let me introduce you," Tang Qi said, pulling Hu Xingche, who was standing dumbfounded to the side, over to him. Then, she suddenly changed the subject and said, "Never mind, you can do it yourself."

"Tiger Walks Clearly".

Simple and straightforward, without saying a word.

Lu Juezhen: ?

Tang Qi shrugged as if he was used to it and said, "Don't worry about it, he's a slow starter, he'll warm up to you once you get to know him."

"You've got personality, I like it!" Lu Juezhen jumped in front of Hu Xingche and stretched out his hand: "My name is Lu Juezhen, the Lu of 'smooth journey'!"

Hu Xingche stared intently at his neck without immediately grabbing it, until Lu Juezhen followed his gaze and noticed the thing hanging around his neck. Just as he was about to pull his hand back, Hu Xingche grabbed it.

The handshake was brief; Hu Xingche quickly withdrew his hand, and Lu Juezhen nonchalantly picked up the object from around his neck, then smiled innocently at Hu Xingche and asked, "Were you looking at this just now?"

Hu Xingche remained silent, but his eyes were fixed on her. Lu Juezhen chuckled before saying, "This is a longevity lock. My parents made it for me."

"Childish," Hu Xingche muttered, turning his head away.

"Hey? You—"

Before Lu Juezhen could get angry, Tang Qi quickly stepped in front of the two to stop the fight from spreading.

This is terrible. I feel like I'll never have a moment of peace again. Tang Qi felt exhausted and turned to look at Cheng Junshi beside her, only to see that he also looked desperate. The two of them looked at each other and inexplicably laughed. What a life of toil.

Lu Juezhen was pulled over by Cheng Junshi, and they mounted the horse on either side of him. Cheng Junshi held the reins and looked at Tang Qi with a leisurely gaze, saying, "Those two horses are prepared for you."

"Thanks." Tang Qi raised an eyebrow at him and then mounted the horse alongside Hu Xingche. Cheng Junshi and Lu Juezhen led the way, while Tang Qi slowly drove the horse behind them, with Hu Xingche following silently with his head down.

"Boss." Hu Xingche spoke slowly, but Tang Qi continued humming a song as if he hadn't heard him. It wasn't until Hu Xingche called him several more times that Tang Qi slowly turned his head to look at him.

"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong," he said in a low voice, his head still bowed.

"I remember reminding you to bring your brain with you when you go out yesterday. What, do you think you're being cool just now?" Tang Qi's voice was cold; he rarely spoke so icyly.

"I...I..." Hu Xingche suddenly felt guilty, like a child who had done something wrong.

"Do you know you were wrong?" Tang Qi glanced at him sideways. After all, he was a child he had watched grow up, so he didn't want to say anything harsh.

"knew."

“What’s the use of knowing this just from me? The person you should apologize to is right in front of you.” Tang Qi looked at him again as she spoke.

Hu Xingche gave an "oh" and spurred his horse to approach Lu Juezhen. Lu Juezhen had just been chatting and laughing with Cheng Junshi when suddenly someone came up to him with a gloomy look in his eyes, which startled Lu Juezhen.

Upon recognizing the newcomer as Hu Xingche, who had just retorted to him, Lu Juezhen assumed he was there to pick a fight again. His eyes narrowed, and he arrogantly raised his chin, ready to argue. But then—

"I'm sorry," the person on the other end said to him very seriously.

"Huh?" Lu Juezhen was completely taken aback. Hu Xingche looked into his eyes and repeated, "I'm sorry. It was wrong of me to say you were me just now. I apologize to you."

Lu Juezhen suddenly laughed, lowered his guard, and slapped Hu Xingche on the shoulder, saying, "It's alright, it's alright. We'll be together anyway, so let's not cause these unnecessary conflicts. How about we shake hands and make peace?"

He extended his hand first, and Hu Xingche grasped it quickly. Once their eyes met, they both turned their heads and chuckled, thus ending the feud. After all, they were both hot-blooded young men; resolving conflicts was a matter of a few words. They dealt with the matter at hand to avoid it escalating into deep-seated hatred later.

Seeing them both laughing, Tang Qi rode up from the back and pressed his horse against Cheng Junshi's, whispering, "Don't you think their antics remind you of when we first met?"

Cheng Junshi glanced at him and said with a sneer, "You mean arguing? We didn't have any 'apology and reconciliation' drama in the beginning."

"You still dare to talk! If you hadn't forced me to go to school back then, I probably wouldn't have argued with you for ages." Tang Qi started recounting the past again.

Cheng Junshi shook his head and said softly, "I really can't stand it. I don't want the Marquis of Jianbei's illustrious reputation to be ruined by his own son. Is it good for the illiterate young marquis to have such a bad reputation?"

Tang Qi was speechless for a moment, and could only purse his lips and say, "Tch, you always have a point."

“I am right,” Cheng Junshi said frankly.

Tang Qi chuckled and shook his head, not wanting to argue with him any further. They traveled for a long time, accompanied by Lu Juezhen's curious voice throughout the journey. Tang Qi would chime in occasionally and laugh along the way. When the mood struck them, the two even spurred their horses on, determined to see whose horse was faster.

The other two could only impatiently follow, and then, amidst Lu Juezhen's panting and unconvinced voice, they looked at Tang Qi, who was sitting opposite them with a smug and delighted expression, and said, "How can you not respect the elderly and care for the young?"

Tang Qi just laughed and, holding the reins, raised his eyebrows and said, "It's been a long time since I've felt this good."

As the group joked and played, night fell. They found an inn, dismounted, and went inside. Tang Qi led the way, and as soon as he entered the inn, he shouted, "Is anyone here? We need a place to stay!"

He called out a few times but received no response. The group then peeked into the yard and took a few more steps. Lu Juezhen was just peeking around casually when suddenly a pair of dark, unyielding eyes met his head, startling him so much that he jumped three feet high on the spot, screaming "Ah ah!" repeatedly.

Hu Xingche was startled and immediately drew his sword when Lu Juezhen screamed, glaring at the person in front of him.

The man, carrying an oil lamp and with a slightly hunched back, looked at Tang Qi and the others and slowly said, "They've come in, please come in."

The man's voice was hoarse, and his words sounded fragmented, as if they had been cut off, making them particularly eerie in the already dark night.

Lu Juezhen clung to Cheng Junshi's clothes, cowering behind him. Tang Qi, with a mischievous grin, suddenly yelled in Lu Juezhen's ear while he was still nervously staring at the waiter. Then, he laughed heartily as Lu Juezhen jumped up and down in fear, his soul nearly flying out of his body, without any remorse for his wicked behavior.

After he finished laughing, he lifted his foot and followed the boss inside first, leaving his words behind: "What's there to be afraid of? There are no harmful ghosts in this place."

Lu Juezhen had just calmed down when he looked at the back of Tang Qi's head and said, "Brother Zhengye! How can you be so scary! You can't do this! Master, look at him!" As he spoke, he turned his face to Cheng Junshi, trying to seek comfort. However, Cheng Junshi just smiled at him and said, "You really should work on your courage. Otherwise, you might not even have the courage to run away when you encounter danger in the future."

Lu Juezhen: ? ? !

After Cheng Junshi and Tang Qi went inside, Hu Xingche slowly brushed past him, smiling as he said, "Your screams are scarier than a ghost's."

Lu Juezhen: "...This is outrageous! What a bunch of heartless people!" Despite his words, he still obediently followed them into the shop.

Tang Qi slapped his money pouch at the counter and said grandly, "Give me four superior rooms."

The innkeeper looked them up and down, then said, "My inn's best rooms are very expensive. I can tell you four guests have traveled a long way, so four best rooms are a bit too many. Since you're all men, why don't you squeeze in? That way you can save the money for two rooms."

Before Cheng Junshi could speak, Tang Qi waved his hand and said, "It's alright, just book four rooms, money's no object."

On the first night, I should at least get a good night's sleep.

Seeing his reaction, the boss didn't say much. He just smiled and accepted the money bag from the counter, then turned around to get the key to the main room and handed it to Tang Qi.

"Wait a minute—why did you only give me two keys? Didn't I want four superior rooms?" Tang Qi stared blankly at the two keys lying in his hand.

"Yes, but the money you gave me is only enough for two rooms," the shopkeeper explained with a smile.

"My bag was full!" Tang Qi glared angrily at the shop owner in front of her—he looked kind and gentle, so how could he be running such a shady business?

"Sir, didn't I tell you? The best rooms in my shop are very expensive." The owner's voice drifted over again.

Tang Qi suffered a loss he couldn't speak of. He knew it was expensive, but he didn't expect it to be this expensive.

"Then let's change it to something else, no upstairs rooms, four rooms in total."

"All rooms except for the superior rooms are booked."

"You!" Tang Qi snapped angrily.

If he turns around and leaves now, he's not sure he can find another inn. He'll be sleeping on the streets on his first day, which seems rather bleak.

While he was still stunned and conflicted, the key in his hand was suddenly taken away. The next moment, Cheng Junshi's voice fell lightly in his ear: "Two rooms are fine, it's not like we can't squeeze in."

Squeezing in is certainly possible, but the key question is who to squeeze in with—four people standing in front of two doors faced a major dilemma.

“Boss, I’ll go with—” Hu Xingche broke the silence first. As soon as he spoke, Tang Qi and Cheng Junshi’s eyes turned to him at the same time. Cheng Junshi, in particular, stared at him so much that he was startled and swallowed back the words “I’ll go with you”. He then reluctantly pointed at Lu Juezhen and said, “I’ll go with him. It’ll be good for us to get to know each other.”

Lu Juezhen didn't care who shared a room with whom. After they finally made their decision, he grabbed the key from Cheng Junshi's hand and pushed the door open without hesitation. Hu Xingche followed quietly behind him.

"Next time I'll definitely save up enough money to open four rooms," Hu Xingche thought to himself.