Chapter 35 Even male model photoshoots aren't this pleasing to the eye.
Sizzle!
The moment the door opened, the spray of water hit Ning Jinli head and face.
She quickly stepped back, rubbed her eyes, and discovered that a water pipe had broken inside, turning the small bathroom into a waterfall.
Bath products were scattered all over the floor.
Xiao Qidi also fell to the ground.
Without thinking twice, she rushed back in and, braving the torrential downpour of leaking water, turned off the valve.
Then, instinctively, he tried to help Xiao Qidi up.
But when she saw that he was completely naked, she was so frightened that she lost her balance and fell on top of him.
Xiao Qidi grunted and frowned slightly.
Ning Jinli blushed and scrambled to her feet. In her haste, she grabbed a basin from the side and slammed it down on Xiao Qidi's lower abdomen.
The bathroom fell silent.
Ning Jinli's briefly blank mind gradually returned to normal.
thump thump thump...
She could hear her own heartbeat.
God knows what she just saw!
Xiao Qidi broke the silence, "I didn't adjust the water temperature properly, and I scalded the wound on my back. I accidentally broke the switch and knocked things over."
Ning Jinli took a few deep breaths to calm her racing heart. "Are you alright?"
Xiao Qidi shook his head. "It's alright. I'm sorry, it seems I've damaged your bathroom."
Looking at the mess on the floor, and then at the dignified King of Xuan Kingdom lying on the bathroom floor like this, Ning Jinli felt a little guilty.
The bathroom is very small; Ning Jinli usually finds it difficult to turn around while showering.
Xiao Qidi is a full 1.98 meters tall, so it's easy to imagine how disheveled he must have been after all the bumping and bruising inside.
"It's nothing, it's nothing..." Ning Jinli wiped the water off her face, trying her best to avoid looking at his body.
But I couldn't help it.
The tall eighteen-year-old boy...
Not only is she tall, but she also has such a great figure.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, and sculpted muscles.
Coupled with his handsome face, which exuded a slightly gloomy aura, and his long, wet, black hair draped messily over his shoulders.
hiss……
Even male model photoshoots aren't this pleasing to the eye.
She was even tempted to take out her phone and take a picture.
Hey, no other meaning.
It just feels like a work of art; I could take a picture of it and appreciate it at my leisure...
When people are overthinking and feeling flustered, they will unconsciously try to find something to do to cover up their embarrassment.
Ning Jinli was in a panic and, without considering the situation, squatted down to pick up the things that had been spilled on the ground.
Xiao Qidi wanted to get up.
"Don't move, I can clean it myself." Ning Jinli pressed down on the basin covering his lower abdomen.
Xiao Qidi: ...
He hadn't intended to help her pack her things while naked.
Lying on the hard ground was just a bit uncomfortable.
Moreover, Ning Jinli was soaked to the bone, her clothes completely wet, clinging to her body and outlining her slender curves.
The thin short-sleeved top became somewhat transparent.
Xiao Qidi suddenly realized that the strangely shaped, fabric-sparse object he had just seen was indeed clothing.
It was worn under her coat...
That is...
He quickly looked away.
She felt two streams of heat flowing from under her nose, and secretly wiped them clean before Ning Jinli noticed.
The small bathroom was quiet, with only the sound of Ning Jinli frantically tidying up the things on the floor.
Suddenly, thud!
The plastic basin covering Xiao Qidi's lower abdomen made a sound.
Ning Jinli, who was squatting on the ground, turned her head in confusion, "What was that sound?"
Xiao Qidi tilted his head to the side, his cheeks tense, his Adam's apple bobbing, and even the veins on his neck bulging.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ning Jinli asked, even more puzzled.
Thump!
The basin made another loud noise, almost as if it was about to jump up.
Ning Jinli was shocked. "What happened! A mouse has crawled in?!"
The factory dormitories were old and dilapidated, and in the sweltering summer, rats were particularly active and elusive.
Xiao Qidi just lay there without moving, and didn't touch the basin with his hands, so that's the only possibility!
She quickly opened the basin a crack.
Then, her expression froze instantly, and in a mere second, her face turned bright red to the roots of her neck. She silently put the basin back down.
Just then, the basin seemed to lift up on its own.
She instinctively reached out and pressed it.
It wasn't until halfway through that she realized what was happening, and her already red face turned even redder.
Xiao Qidi's expression was beyond just looking ugly.
"I'm sorry... I... I..." Ning Jinli wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.
If there's no floor crack, a floor drain will do!
Xiao Qidi squeezed out a few words from his tightly pursed thin lips, "Why don't you go out first?"
As he spoke, he stood up, one hand covering the basin and the other supporting himself on the ground.
"Okay, okay, I'm going out. You... be careful... I'll go buy you clothes and breakfast!" Ning Jinli covered her face and fled in panic.
How embarrassing!
Her face was still burning even after she drove out of the factory.
They even forgot to change their wet clothes.
"Ugh, what a mess..." Ning Jinli turned the car's air conditioning down to the lowest setting, shivered, and finally felt better.
He then stepped on the gas and headed straight for the nearby clothing store.
The factory is located in the suburbs, in a very remote area.
It took her more than half an hour to find a decent shop.
After giving the sales assistant a brief description of the man's physique, we started choosing clothes and shoes.
"Beautiful lady, your boyfriend has a great physique," the sales assistant said with a smile.
Ning Jinli's cheeks flushed again. "No, no, no, he... he's not my boyfriend."
The sales assistant gossiped, "Buying a whole set of clothes for someone is one thing, but buying underwear too? What else could it be but a boyfriend? Oh... are you still flirting? Haven't you officially started dating yet?"
Ning Jinli wanted to disappear into the ground again.
"Miss, you've picked them all out. Please check them." the sales assistant said.
“Um…” Ning Jinli mustered her courage and whispered, “The… underwear… is a little too small.”
The sales assistant gave her a knowing look, quickly swapped it for a larger one, and said enviously, "Beautiful lady, you're so lucky..."
"Huh?" Ning Jinli looked bewildered.
"Oh, I see, you haven't..." The sales assistant had a mysterious smile on her face. "It's okay, you'll understand later."
A short while later, Ning Jinli finished buying clothes and a lot of breakfast items, and drove back to the factory.
I don't know when it started, but an inconspicuous van was following us from a distance.
Several men with unfriendly appearances were sitting in the van.
He smoked a cigarette while keeping an eye on Ning Jinli's car.
"Is it her?" someone asked.
The other person looked at the photo again and nodded, "Yes, it's her."
The driver grinned maliciously, "So, who'll be first in line then?"
The others immediately started making a ruckus, all vying to claim that they would be first.
They argued fiercely about it and finally decided that whoever didn't want a share of the reward for the task would be first in line.
The van followed Ning Jinli all the way to the vicinity of the factory.
After watching her go inside, the van stopped in a secluded corner nearby. The group decided to wait until dark before making their move.
...
Ning Jinli returned to her dormitory carrying large and small bags.
During this time, Xiao Qidi turned on the valve in the bathroom and took a quick shower.
"Here's a bath towel, dry yourself off first." Ning Jinli turned her head, put the bath towel under her back and stuffed it through the crack in the bathroom door. "Then I'll reapply the medicine to the wound on your back."
A short while later, Xiao Qidi came out.
A long bath towel was wrapped around her waist.
Ning Jinli took a few deep breaths and moved a chair over. "Sit here."
“Yes, Miss Ning.” Xiao Qidi replied calmly.
Ning Jinli stood behind him, holding the medicine for external injuries, and slowly applied it to his wounds.
His broad shoulders also featured muscle lines sculpted like an artist's, making Ning Jinli blush.
Suddenly, she noticed that in addition to the previous injury, there were some linear scars on his back.
It's like thorns, covering the skin.
"This is... an injury you sustained before?" Ning Jinli unconsciously touched it lightly with her fingertips. "What a strange scar, it's so long, how did you get it?"
Logically speaking, he was born into a noble family in the Xuan Kingdom and was the direct heir to the throne, so he didn't need to fight wars abroad all year round.
Why are there so many scars?
Xiao Qidi remained silent.
Ning Jinli pouted, "Fine, don't tell me then, pretend I didn't ask."
After a long while, Xiao Qidi said calmly, "It was from being whipped."
"What?" Ning Jinli exclaimed in disbelief. "You're a king! Who would dare to hit you?"
Xiao Qidi let out a cold laugh, "Before I was born, the Xuan Kingdom suffered a major defeat. My father was sent to the victorious country as a hostage, and I was a hostage from the moment I was born."
Ning Jinli's fingertips trembled slightly.
She remembered that there were general accounts of these things in history books.
Indeed, as he said, he was born a hostage of another country.
Xiao Qidi said quietly, "When I was three years old, my father abandoned my mother and me and fled back to Xuan Kingdom. I continued to be a hostage until I was nine years old when I was brought back."
Ning Jinli felt a dull ache in her heart.
It's really hard to imagine what his childhood was like.
These marks left by the whip are probably the least serious injuries he suffered during his long childhood as a hostage...
Ning Jinli gazed at the wounds, and two lines of tears silently streamed down her face.
Tears fell onto Xiao Qidi's back and slowly slid down.
"Cough..." She wiped her mouth gently, turned around, and said, "I also bought you pajamas. Change into them and then have breakfast."
After saying that, she walked out of the dormitory and closed the door behind her.
Then she leaned against the corridor wall and burst into tears.
A few minutes later, Xiao Qidi's voice came from the room, "Miss Ning, I'm ready."
Ning Jinli wiped away her tears, smoothed her hair, and tried her best to look normal before pushing open the door and going inside.
Xiao Qidi was wearing the summer pajamas she bought him. They were just ordinary pajamas, but he made them look like they were from a model's runway.
Ning Jinli opened the breakfast she had bought and sat down at the table facing him.
"These are meat buns, steamed dumplings, shumai, fried dough sticks, soy milk, tofu pudding, as well as bread, milk, eggs, sausages... I don't know what your taste is, so I tried to buy a little bit of everything."
"Thank you, Miss Ning."
Xiao Qidi looked at the food piled up on the table, almost overflowing, and didn't know where to start eating.
That's too much!
Even in the palace, he had never seen so many kinds of pastries.
"Try the steamed buns first." Ning Jinli broke open a large meat-filled steamed bun and handed it to him.
Xiao Qidi's Adam's apple bobbed as he took the medicine and bit into it.
He devoured a large steamed bun in two or three bites, his eyes shining brighter with each bite.
It's not just because it tastes good, but also because I was exhausted from the continuous battles and travels last night.
Ning Jinli rested her chin on her hand, watching him eat, somewhat mesmerized, and the phrase "a feast for the eyes" popped into her mind.
"Hehe..." She couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Xiao Qidi stopped what he was doing, his cheeks puffed out, and said indistinctly, "Miss Ning, aren't you going to eat?"
Ning Jinli quickly suppressed her unconscious smile, "You eat first, I can't eat much."
"Then I won't be polite." Xiao Qidi continued to eat heartily with his head down.
Enough for several adults to have breakfast, he devoured it all in no time.
He straightened his back, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "I've eaten my fill, I must return to Linxian Village."
Ning Jinli's eyes widened. "Didn't I tell you to rest here?"
Xiao Qidi shook his head, "Last night, the Xuanjia Army wiped out Ba Yong and all his soldiers. There are still things I need to arrange and handle."
"You've taken care of all the enemies?" Ning Jinli asked happily.
"Yes, not a single one was left."
"you are awesome!"
"Miss Ning, you flatter me. It is mainly thanks to the equipment you provided that I was able to build a formidable cavalry force."
"Hehe... The war is over, what else do you need to do?"
As Xiao Qidi pondered, he told her that there was still much to be done.
The enemy's corpses need to be disposed of.
The remains of General Duan of Xitun Pass and thousands of fallen soldiers should also be properly buried.
In addition, we need to inventory the captured enemy supplies, rearrange the defenses of Xitun Pass, and so on...
Ning Jinli's head was spinning.
She frowned. "You're the king, brother."
Xiao Qidi: "Hmm?"
She used to call me "little brother," which I wasn't used to at first, but I gradually got used to it. But when she suddenly calls me "big brother," it feels a little awkward.
“No, little brother,” Ning Jinli tapped the table and said seriously, “I think Duan Wu and Li Yao are quite capable and reliable generals. Why don’t you just let them handle it? Why do you have to do everything yourself?”
Xiao Qidi thought for a moment, "That makes sense, but—"
“No buts,” Ning Jinli said sternly. “If you take on all these things yourself, won’t you be exhausted when you take control of the entire country in the future? What you need most right now is a good night’s sleep.”
"Take my advice, don't think about anything, just rest."
She pointed to the bed next to her, "Just sleep there. It's the only bed in the whole factory that can be used by someone."
Xiao Qidi asked, "And what about you? You didn't rest at all last night either. Aren't you going to get some sleep?"
Ning Jinli tilted her head and teased, "What, you want me to sleep with you?"
Xiao Qidi's ears immediately burned. "Miss Ning, that's not what I meant..."
"Then why aren't you going to sleep?"
"Yes... I'll sleep."
Ning Jinli was worried and insisted on watching him lie down.
Having no other choice, Xiao Qidi slept on her bed.
The pink sheets and pillows were soft, and a pleasant fragrance lingered around me.
He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep...
Ning Jinli watched him for a while, and when she was sure he had fallen asleep, she quietly left the dormitory room.
She was also very tired, but she was too excited to sleep.
He paced back and forth in the corridor, reviewing and analyzing the secret history that Professor Zheng had mentioned earlier.
"Since Xiao Qidi has annihilated the enemy forces of the Yu Kingdom, has he successfully changed his fate?"
"With no enemy troops at Xitun Pass, he will not be captured, turned into a human stick, or replaced by a puppet. Then he will truly become Emperor Xuanzu."
"With his abilities, he can definitely create an even more powerful Xuan Dynasty..."
"So, theoretically, it will affect things that follow, and then affect modern times."
Having finished her analysis, Ning Jinli took out her phone and started searching for information online.
However, nothing has changed.
Ning Jinli muttered, "Could it be that I'm overthinking it? Even though he became the founding emperor in official history, nothing changed afterward?"
"That's not right. Even so, shouldn't the Battle of Xitun Pass be recorded in official historical documents?"
"And I provided so many things, yet I didn't leave a single trace? Putting aside everything else, even gunpowder and stirrups didn't become things that appeared during the Xuan Kingdom period... That shouldn't be the case."
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt, and the stronger her sense of foreboding grew.
After staring at my phone for a long time, I decided to call Mr. Zheng and ask him.
This is currently the only way to verify it.
If the turning point in Xiao Qidi's life at the age of eighteen had truly been changed, then... that tragic secret history would not exist.
The call went through quickly.
Ning Jinli exchanged a few greetings with Professor Zheng, then asked nervously:
"Grandpa Zheng, I'd like to ask you something. When Prince Xuan, Xiao Qidi, was eighteen, did anything unusual happen?"
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