Chapter 30
This was the second time Ning Qingxi had so openly entered someone else's bedroom, and she restrained herself from looking around. Her composure was so remarkable that even she found it unbelievable.
What are you looking at?
Huo Yanci suddenly said something next to her, and Ning Qingxi gritted her teeth and said, "I didn't see anything!"
Huo Yanci said in an annoying tone, "It's precisely because we haven't seen anything that it feels so novel."
Ning Qingxi silently tossed him onto the bed with a dull thud, then narrowed her eyes and threatened, "I'm warning you, you're powerless right now, so you'd better go along with me, or I'll beat you black and blue."
Huo Yanci: "I'm so scared."
It lacked sincerity and even carried a hint of provocation.
Ning Qingxi snorted: "It's good that you know how to be afraid."
Huo Yanci: "I feel a little unwell."
Ning Qingxi looked at him and saw that he had raised one arm and put it on his forehead. His face was indeed not good and was a little pale. She was a little worried for a moment: "Are you going to throw up? This kind of big scene should be handled by someone else. I can't stand it."
Huo Yanci: "...It's not that bad, I'm just dizzy."
"I'll go check if the plum juice is ready," Ning Qingxi said, hurrying out the door. She ran into the maid who was delivering the juice at the door and took it from her. "I'll deliver it. You go ahead and do your work."
Just a few steps away, when Ning Qingxi turned back, Huo Yanci was already asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly and rhythmically, looking very peaceful.
After finally falling asleep, Ning Qingxi was too lazy to disturb him. She placed the plum juice on the table, the still-melting ice cubes clinking together. She sat there watching Huo Yanci all afternoon until night fell, when he finally woke up.
"Water," Huo Yanci said in a hoarse voice without turning her head.
Ning Qingxi handed over the plum juice, which had been completely melted with ice. Huo Yanci took a sip, then frowned and said with disdain, "It tastes awful."
Ning Qingxi: "...If you had woken up any later, it would have tasted even worse."
Huo Yanci then realized that the person in the room was Ning Qingxi, and rubbed the bridge of her nose: "I didn't see it was you."
Ning Qingxi was very magnanimous: "It's okay, it's not too late to apologize now."
Huo Yanci asked, "What time is it?"
"I don't know, it's getting dark."
The sky outside was like splashed ink, spreading from east to west, with only a sliver of afterglow remaining.
It's time to light the lamps.
Huo Yanci sat on the bed, still not fully awake, her gaze following Ning Qingxi as she slowly turned on the lights in the room.
"What did you do this afternoon?" Huo Yanci asked. "It's a pity, I slept all afternoon and didn't do anything."
"What else do you want to do? You've drunk so much, what else can you do?" Ning Qingxi teased, carrying a candle to Huo Yanci's bedside. She then lit the last lamp, watching the dim light shine on his face, making everything hazy and dreamlike.
Ning Qingxi's heartbeat was particularly strong for a moment, so strong that it made her eardrums vibrate and she couldn't ignore it.
Suddenly, she felt like she had lost her mind. She put down the candle, bent one knee and knelt beside Huo Yanci's bed, bent down and brushed her lips against Huo Yanci's, saying, "Happy birthday, Huo Yanci."
Huo Yanci was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Is this my birthday gift?"
"..." Ning Qingxi slapped him on the forehead: "I told you to study more, but you insisted on herding cattle. I already said this afternoon that your birthday gift was at the construction site! What's wrong with your brain, Huo Yanci!"
Ning Qingxi's romantic thoughts dissipated, and she got up to leave. Suddenly, she felt a tightness on her arm, and then the world spun around her. When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on Huo Yanci's bed, the two of them so close that it was somewhat indecent.
Huo Yanci smiled and teased, "Is this what you call throwing yourself into someone's arms? How can Miss Ning be so enthusiastic? It's too much to handle."
Ning Qingxi reached out and braced her arm between the two of them, barely able to catch her breath: "Aren't we being a little... too ambiguous right now?"
Huo Yanci said, "It seems so."
Ning Qingxi: "Since you know that, then hurry up and get off the plane."
Huo Yanci lowered her head and buried it in her neck: "I'm dizzy and can't move."
"You were quite strong just now?" Ning Qingxi pondered for a moment. "Shouldn't you take a cold shower right now?"
Huo Yanci chuckled softly on her shoulder. After a moment, he obediently got up and called for someone to prepare water for a bath. Ning Qingxi, who was standing behind him, added, "And bring some food over while you're at it."
Huo Yanci was shocked: "So lazy?"
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Ning Qingxi was furious: "Stop preparing, let's eat by ourselves. Get him some hot water, we'll deal with it if he faints!"
They ended up eating in the bedroom. Dinner wasn't too oily, just some congee and side dishes. After dinner, Ning Qingxi sat there lost in thought. Huo Yanci asked, "Aren't you going out?"
Ning Qingxi: "Huh?"
Huo Yanci grabbed her pants and turned around, looking puzzled. "I'm going to take a shower. Are you looking at this too?"
Ning Qingxi propped herself up on her arm, looking quite interested: "Take it off."
Huo Yanci: "..."
Her words were direct and blunt, but without any ambiguity. Huo Yanci pondered for a long time, feeling that this person was probably being sarcastic and uneasy, and for a moment he didn't know what to do next.
After a brief standoff, Ning Qingxi took the initiative to hook her arm around Huo Yanci's sleeve and said, "Why aren't you taking it off? Let me take it off for you."
Ning Qingxi saw herself reflected in Huo Yanci's eyes.
Inexperienced, awkward, even his seduction didn't seem like seduction at all.
After a while, she gritted her teeth, stood on tiptoe, and tried to kiss Huo Yanci's lips. Huo Yanci, that rascal, remained unmoved until Ning Qingxi got tired of kissing him, and then he began to conquer her.
A night of love and passion.
The next day, Ning Qingxi was very satisfied. Huo Yanci's performance was as outstanding as his face. Ning Qingxi had long forgotten about his pride. When he woke up, Huo Yanci had half his face pressed against the pillow and was still sleeping. Ning Qingxi held his face and watched him until his hand ached. Finally, Huo Yanci's eyelids twitched and he woke up.
Ning Qingxi placed her hand on Huo Yanci's lower back and smiled broadly: "Your Highness Prince Jing's training has yielded remarkable results."
Then she saw Huo Yanci's ears and neck turn completely red.
Huo Yanci rubbed her head: "Were you drunk yesterday too?"
"No, I didn't get to drink any yesterday, didn't you save any for me?"
Huo Yanci: "...Isn't it a bit inappropriate to be discussing whether or not to leave some wine now?"
After a while of revelry, the sheets and blankets were all wrinkled and grimeed, a sight too painful to look at.
Huo Yanci tried hard not to look, and said with a serious face, "The wedding needs to be put on the agenda. The next auspicious day is in the middle of this month, so there is still time to prepare."
"Okay, I'll take care of the blueprints, you can handle that, I'm not going to worry about it."
After saying that, Ning Qingxi grabbed her clothes and was about to leave, acting like a shameless rogue who would turn his back on her after getting rid of her. She didn't seem to feel much shame about something that everyone tacitly agreed to keep quiet about.
There was no way around it; Ning Qingxi was naturally thick-skinned, and she had her own reasons.
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may," as the saying goes. Huo Yanci is young and beautiful now, but who knows what he'll be like when he gets old? And even someone as young and beautiful as him might not be able to predict what he'll be like when he's old. Those who are just average to begin with will only grow old and ugly. Ning Qingxi couldn't do something so wasteful.
Moreover, what about self-discipline and restoring propriety? Chastity?
Screw it, wouldn't she live without these things?
Therefore, Ning Qingxi's views on chastity were very detached. When she arrived at the construction site, she was still very happy. However, when she entered the drawing room, Zhuo Miao asked hesitantly, "Miss Ning, didn't His Highness Prince Jing come with you?"
Ning Qingxi casually replied, "He's busy with other things and probably won't be here for the next few days... By the way, after this garden is finished, do you have anywhere else to go?"
Zhuo Miao asked, puzzled, "It's not decided yet, what's wrong?"
"It's okay, I opened my own shop, I'll have you come work there," Ning Qingxi said in a great mood, recruiting on the spot, which was practically a BOSS recruitment.
"Really?!" Zhuo Miao was moved to tears and decided to risk her life to save Junzi. "Young Lady Ning! You have a red mark on your neck!"
Ning Qingxi: "...Then why didn't you say so earlier?!"
She quickly straightened her clothes, wishing she could cover her entire head with a blanket.
It's one thing for her to be shameless, but it's another thing for her to embarrass herself everywhere.
Zhuo Miao suddenly realized something: "Wasn't yesterday Prince Jing's birthday?"
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Zhuo Miao: "Did he go out with his lover? You're really not going to do this for revenge, Miss Ning! It's not worth it! What's the difference between this and taking revenge on yourself!"
Ning Qingxi: "Who told you that?"
Zhuo Miao: "I guessed it myself."
Ning Qingxi was speechless: "Don't make wild guesses next time. If I hear any rumors, I'll twist your head off."
Ning Qingxi's threat clearly worked. After staying there for three days, no inappropriate rumors appeared. Instead, Huo Yanci arrived.
"Where have you been these past few days? I couldn't find you anywhere," Huo Yanci said casually, sitting on the armrest of her chair. "Here, I brought you some dried fruit. Want some?"
Ning Qingxi rolled her eyes: "If you didn't look for me, just say you didn't look for me. What do you mean you couldn't find me? Where else could I go besides here?"
Huo Yanci chuckled and said, "You left me with a huge mess and then just walked away. The fact that I'm here to finish up and come find you is already a great effort."
Ning Qingxi picked up a dried apple and popped it into her mouth. She didn't comment, but said, "The groundwork and stone placement are all done now. I estimate I can go back by the end of the year. The remaining details will be fixed after the New Year. It will be finished by spring... If that's the case, you might have to help me find a few more teams of craftsmen. It's too slow now."
Huo Yanci nodded as she listened to her instructions: "Okay, I'll find it for you tomorrow."
Ning Qingxi continued, "I also need some small ornaments made by craftsmen from the south. You'll have to help me find some. By the way, ask Boss Zhang if his budget is enough. If not, I'll use Xuan paper for the windows."
Huo Yanci thought to himself, "If I say this, even if I don't have the money, Zhang Fuhu will probably have to sell everything he owns to come up with it." However, he just nodded and wisely kept quiet about it.
The garden has been built to this day, and the majority of the money has been spent. Every day, money is flowing out like water. Not only that, but the maintenance of those precious flowers and trees will also be a long-term project. Huo Yanci looked at the garden and it was becoming more and more impressive. She was filled with emotion.
That day, the girl who looked very poor signed up with a determined look on her face. Huo Yanci was amazed that "she can actually write." As time went by, he would never have imagined that this person could actually design a garden and was so talented. Whenever Huo Yanci saw all the projects being completed according to Ning Qingxi's instructions, he always felt a sense of pride.
It's like watching a flower grow from seed to sprouting, and now it's growing with unstoppable momentum, with nothing able to hold it back in the future.
Ning Qingxi is a gem; he shines wherever he goes. Even if it weren't him, someone would naturally recognize his talent.
Thinking this way, Huo Yanci felt very gratified.
Ning Qingxi will soon no longer be the little girl who has to look back at him and ask for his help with every step she takes; her talent and courage will make her more and more confident.
Ning Qingxi was walking ahead when she suddenly realized that no one was beside her. She turned around and looked at him in confusion: "What are you doing?"
Huo Yanci smiled and said, "I didn't do anything, I just feel like I've struck gold."
“I’ve struck gold too,” Ning Qingxi turned back, gave him a flirtatious look, and swiftly patted his butt before running away happily, leaving behind only the words, “Even if you’re just a pretty face, you’re still the most beautiful and glamorous person in the entire capital!”
Um...maybe I was just overconfident.
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