(three)
"Because you look really good in it." Zhou Ziqiu smiled, recalling his time in Thailand, where quite a few Thai girls in bars were eyeing Wen Su.
“No,” Wen Su chuckled, “wearing it reminds me of when I was sick before.”
"Why do you say that?" Zhou Ziqiu became even more curious after Wen Su asked this, looking as if he wanted Wen Su to explain in detail.
Wen Su naturally wouldn't say anything. Looking at Zhou Ziqiu's face, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. Just then, the elevator arrived, and he changed the subject: "Let's get in the elevator."
"Really not going to tell me?" Zhou Ziqiu was very disappointed. His tone made it hard for Wen Su to refuse him. In a daze, Wen Su felt that the prince who had been pampered and spoiled for thousands of years ago was standing in front of him, and he was a loyal subject who would offer him all his treasures.
“…Well, smoking, drinking, gambling.” Wen Su still said it, but only briefly mentioned a few things. “After they passed away, I didn’t stay in the country for long. I only came back a hundred years ago.”
Zhou Ziqiu knew how chaotic that period in the Republic of China was, and he guessed why Wen Su didn't stay in the country. He nodded and stopped asking questions. Instead, he asked, "You don't seem to smoke much anymore."
The elevator doors opened automatically after reaching the first floor. As Wen Su walked beside Zhou Ziqiu, he heard Zhou Ziqiu ask this question. He smiled and said, "I want to quit. It's bad for my health."
Zhou Ziqiu looked at Wen Su with admiration.
The hotel is located in the center of Houcheng, surrounded by many commercial streets. The two of them randomly found a restaurant in the mall, sat down facing each other, and ordered their food.
But when Zhou Ziqiu tasted the first bite of the dish, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What's wrong?"
Wen Su took the plate from the waiter, thanked the waiter, and then saw Zhou Ziqiu frowning.
Zhou Ziqiu couldn't speak, but after swallowing the food in his mouth, he took a big gulp of water: "It doesn't taste good."
Wen Su chuckled, picked up the kettle and refilled Zhou Ziqiu's water glass: "Then just have a few bites, and I'll take you to eat something else."
"Okay." Zhou Ziqiu had no choice but to pick up other dishes, but he still didn't enjoy the meal. In the end, there was a lot of food left on both of their tables.
"It's not good." As he walked out of the store, Zhou Ziqiu couldn't help but repeat himself.
“Then I’ll buy the groceries and cook for you next time,” Wen Su replied.
Zhou Ziqiu remembered that Wen Su could cook; the fish soup in Changnan Village was a vivid memory he couldn't forget. "Good!"
Wen Su smiled and took Zhou Ziqiu to eat a lot of snacks. When they passed a clothing store, he suddenly had an idea and pulled Zhou Ziqiu inside.
After entering the store, Wen Su declined the sales assistant's help. He walked to the clothes rack, looked at Zhou Ziqiu standing under the light, and then took a white open-collar shirt and light-wash jeans from the rack. He handed them to Zhou Ziqiu and gestured with his chin: "Go try them on."
In Thailand, those flashy clothes didn't suit Zhou Ziqiu; only simple, clean colors and styles could bring out his youthful charm.
“My neck…” Zhou Ziqiu said softly.
"Huh?" Wen Su raised an eyebrow in confusion, not immediately realizing what he was talking about.
Zhou Ziqiu then realized that Wen Su didn't know about his neck or his ghost form. Not knowing how to explain it to Wen Su, he pulled Wen Su into the dressing room and showed him the secret on his neck.
When Wen Su saw the long scar on Zhou Ziqiu's neck, he realized what Zhou Ziqiu had been talking about, and his eyelids drooped.
This was what Zhang Yifeng told him, the scar that could kill: beneath the small Adam's apple, a brown, centipede-like, ugly scar cut straight through Zhou Ziqiu's fair neck.
The scar stung Wen Su's eyes, and he quickly looked away after only one glance, feeling inexplicably sad.
He should have guessed it.
Wen Su's Adam's apple bobbed as he turned and pushed open the dressing room door, leaving behind only the words, "Change your clothes and wait for me to come back."
Zhou Ziqiu didn't know what Wen Su had gone to do, but he still changed into the two pieces of clothing that Wen Su had brought over.
A moment later, Wen Su pushed the door open again and entered, holding something in his hand.
Zhou Ziqiu looked down and saw a black strip about one and a half fingers wide. He knew it was something called a choker.
"Don't move."
Wen Su bent down, raised his arms and encircled Zhou Ziqiu in his arms without touching him. The movement of their necks intertwined allowed their breaths to exchange. Zhou Ziqiu immediately smelled the incense on Wen Su's body, and Wen Su could also smell the sweet shampoo scent in Zhou Ziqiu's hair. The boy's nape was so white that it seemed as if pressing it would immediately leave a red mark. He could only focus all his gaze and attention on the choker's clasp.
However, this choker was newly bought, and the silver clasp was a bit sluggish. Wen Su tried to fasten it several times but couldn't. Just as he was about to fasten it again, Zhou Ziqiu suddenly leaned against him.
"Hmm..." Zhou Ziqiu couldn't help but let out a muttered sound, but he couldn't be blamed for it. His neck was very sensitive, and Wen Su's fingertips would always touch him lightly, each touch sending a tingling sensation through his body.
Zhou Ziqiu's face turned slightly red when he realized what sound he had made.
Wen Su couldn't see Zhou Ziqiu's face, but he could see a slight redness on the back of the boy's neck. His eyes darkened, and a number of unpleasant thoughts popped into his mind.
“…Sorry.” Zhou Ziqiu quickly composed himself, sat up straight, and immediately pulled away from Wen Su’s embrace.
This startled Wen Su awake. He calmed himself down and spoke again, his voice slightly hoarse: "It's nothing."
Fortunately, the ordeal for both sides ended quickly. After Wen Su fastened the choker, he stepped back and adjusted its position to ensure that it completely covered the scars on Zhou Ziqiu's neck.
After adjusting the choker, Wen Su asked Zhou Ziqiu to stand up and then reached out to tuck one corner of his shirt into his pants.
Looking at the handsome young man in front of him, Wen Su smiled and said, "Very good-looking."
Zhou Ziqiu also looked at himself in the mirror. It was clear that Wen Su's choice of outfit suited his taste very well. After looking at it for a moment, he smiled and said, "Your taste is excellent."
Wen Su was very satisfied with Zhou Ziqiu's clothes. After having the sales assistant pack Zhou Ziqiu's clothes up, he paid the bill directly and then pulled Zhou Ziqiu into another clothing store.
A few hours later, when the two came out of the mall, Wen Su was carrying large bags of clothes, some for Zhou Ziqiu and some for him. Zhou Ziqiu's hands were full of snacks, and he would eat a couple of bites himself and then feed Wen Su a bite.
It was already evening when they returned to the hotel. Cui Yongle stared dumbfounded at the things Wen Su had brought back, feeling somewhat indignant: "I worked so hard to play cat and mouse with those bastards, and you two just abandoned me to go out and have fun?!"
Wen Su put the bag on the ground, took out a gift box from it, and handed it to Cui Yongle: "I'll treat you to dinner when we get back tomorrow."
Cui Yongle took the box, opened it, and saw a tie worth tens of thousands of yuan inside. Hearing Wen Su's words, he pretended to be reluctant and said, "That's fine too."
Zhou Ziqiu, sitting on the sofa, smiled.
Back in his room, Wen Su packed his luggage and turned his attention to the backpack placed to the side. He walked over to the backpack, bent down, and took out the books inside.
In the morning, he hurriedly turned to a page, and the first sentence that caught his eye was: "This is the secret that the Wen family has guarded for thousands of years. I hope Asu understands its importance."
This was a book his grandfather wrote for him, a book he wanted him to find, as if he believed Wen Su would be the first person to find it.
Wen Su turned to the second page of the book, where his grandfather's confession came into view—
"When my grandson was born, I had a premonition that this child would bring bloodshed. But since he is my grandson, I must love him dearly. Therefore, the entire Wen family has kept silent about this matter."
In the past, Emperor Jing of Zhou sought the help of Wen's family to guard a certain object. My ancestor agreed and took this object away from the capital. He lived in Mengju for a thousand years. Several years ago, he suddenly sensed that this object was about to erupt. In order to prolong the time when this object would erupt, he stayed here. But as things stand now, I fear that it will erupt soon after my grandson grows up. Moreover, I fear that my grandson will be harmed by it and become evil. I am worried.
Therefore, I summoned my servants and told them that we should set up an array to protect my grandson and draw his blood to the evil spirit. If the evil spirit were to erupt, we would all die, but my grandson would still live, and his life could suppress the evil spirit.
I...feel guilty.
Next comes his grandfather's record of the past—
"My grandson is five years old. He is very intelligent, but also mischievous. I love him."
“My grandson is seven years old and can recite the Book of Changes backwards fluently. Everyone is amazed by him, and I love him.”
...
“My grandson is eighteen years old, a young man just coming of age, full of vigor and ambition. Several families have asked matchmakers to arrange marriages for him, but I have refused, fearing that it would harm others.”
"My only wish is for my grandson to be safe and happy."
Wen Su lowered his eyes, closed the book after turning to the last page, and gave a self-deprecating laugh after a long while.
The next day, the three of them boarded a flight back to Luoqi, landing at 1 p.m.
"Shall we go? I'll treat you to dinner," Wen Su asked, pulling his luggage.
"Okay, where to?" Cui Yongle asked, taking out his phone to contact the fat man who was coming to pick up the three of them.
“Let’s go to my place, I’ll cook,” Wen Su suggested.
Upon hearing this, Cui Yongle looked at Wen Su with surprise and asked doubtfully, "You can cook?"
"Maybe." Wen Su shrugged.
The last time Wen Su answered like this was when Cui Yongle asked him if he knew foreign languages. Obviously, he already knew the result, and Cui Yongle was now at ease: "Okay, then I'll try your cooking. What about Xiao Qiu?" He looked at Zhou Ziqiu.
Zhou Ziqiu nodded as well.
Thus, the afternoon's itinerary was confirmed: Wen Su and Zhou Ziqiu went to the supermarket to buy groceries, while Cui Yongle went to the Qingdeng headquarters for the handover.
When they told the fat man who had come to pick them up, he was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Great! I can eat the boss's cooking again!"
Now, Cui Yongle was even more curious.
18:58:07
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