He overheard the whole secret in Chapter 23.
Qiao Xi didn't notice Morax's gaze; she and Jin Lan were completely absorbed in their art and couldn't pull themselves away.
The two whispered among themselves, occasionally revealing a strange smile, and finally came up with an extremely explosive story, full of melodrama. Jinlan sat back and waited for dinner to be served.
Morax overheard their entire discussion, but he didn't understand the strange vocabulary. Starting with the word "older than," he gradually lost track of Qiao Xi and Jin Lan's conversation.
Morax shook his head helplessly, then habitually picked up the teacup in front of him and brought it to his lips.
As his lips touched the rim of the cup and his tongue brushed against the tea, a bitter taste spreading through his mouth, he suddenly remembered that the water had come from Qiao Xi's fingers, and that it was from the spot where Qiao Xi had touched the teacup. He paused slightly, put the teacup down, and pushed it away.
He glanced down at Qiao Xi, and just then, Qiao Xi turned around as if she had something to say.
In the crackling light of the campfire, it was as if countless stars had fallen to the ground, and then, the starlight, lost in its own way, gently illuminated everyone's joyful, smiling faces.
Morax looked at Qiao Xi and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Qiao Xi said, "Jin Lan and I will leave first."
Morax couldn't have been deaf; the deep color at the corner of his eye was reflected in Qiao Xi's gentle smile. He thought that at this moment, Morax probably hadn't heard clearly.
So he tilted his head slightly and looked at Qiao Xi expressionlessly.
The lively atmosphere brought people closer together. Surrounded by bonfires and starlight, Qiao Xi moved closer to Morax. She wore a red cloak and had her hair in fishbone-shaped braids. The firelight reflected on her young face as she leaned forward.
Morax was taller than her, but almost at the same moment Qiao Xi made her move, he bent down towards her.
Qiao Xi successfully leaned close to his ear, her warm breath especially noticeable in the cold winter night, landing on Morax's ear.
"Morax, Jinlan and I are going to play first."
Upon hearing this, Morax looked down at Qiao Xi. In the instant he turned his face to the side, the two were face to face. Their sudden eye contact seemed to suggest that if they crossed just a few centimeters, they would reach the ultimate intimacy.
His gaze remained calm, while Qiao Xi smiled brightly, awaiting his permission.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Qiao Xi's skin was exceptionally good.
“Go,” he said.
"Thank you." Qiao Xi thanked him and then pulled Jin Lan away from the table.
She had originally planned to tell Jinlan the story after the party, but as they chatted, her creative urge exploded, and inspiration struck in the blink of an eye. She couldn't hold back any longer, afraid that the cold wind would make her forget all the exciting details after the party ended.
Morax watched Qiao Xi and Jin Lan running with hurried steps, their backs both excited and furtive. Recalling the bunch of things he couldn't understand in their previous conversation, he couldn't help but frown slightly.
He said to Yixiao, who was standing beside him, "Yixiao."
Yi Xiao and Li Shui were enjoying their drinks when Morax called out to him. He initially thought he was hallucinating, but once he realized it, he immediately sobered up and replied, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
Morax said calmly, "I'll leave first, so as not to disturb everyone."
Yi Xiao replied, "I understand."
Although he didn't know why the Emperor suddenly left his seat, he was relieved that the Emperor must have his reasons. However, after Morax left his seat, his previously obscured view was exposed, and Yi Xiao saw that Qiao Xi and Jin Lan's seats were empty.
He was furious that these two children dared to run off to play right in front of the Emperor.
*
In the sparse forest, Jinlan found two large, dry leaves and laid them on two stones, one for Qiaoxi and one for him.
Then he pushed the snow aside to reveal the ground, piled some dry branches and leaves on it, and took out a tinderbox from his pocket and lit it.
A small fire was quickly set up. Qiao Xi warmed her hands in the fire, while Jin Lan watched her expectantly.
Qiao Xi said mysteriously, "This story is a compilation of all the melodramatic elements from Master Qiao, which is myself. Listen carefully."
"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me." Jinlan slapped her.
Neither of them knew that Morax was standing silently behind them, poised and composed. Had either of them been more observant, they would have noticed, but neither of them did.
If Qiao Xi had known that Morax would hear this story, she would have changed the entire content to praise the Emperor, instead of telling a story that would ruin her image for life.
But there are no ifs. Amidst the splattering of melodrama, Morax finally understood, with a subtle expression, those words he hadn't understood before.
*
Qiao Xi began her story.
"August was a well-known wealthy man in the area. He was thirty years old, single, extremely handsome, with an impressive eight-pack, a height of 1.85 meters, thick hair, and always had a faint scent of perfume. His eyes were always filled with melancholy. He had a sensitive stomach and a doctor friend who was always available. Many people had a crush on him. He received a hundred love letters every day, each one filled with expressions of love for him, but Augus would not even glance at them before throwing them into the fireplace."
Jinlan listened intently, and couldn't help but exclaim, "What a mysterious man!"
Morax frowned.
Qiao Xi continued, "Because he had a white moonlight, Miss Bei, who passed away many years ago, so he was cold and ruthless. He was busy with work 23 hours a day, 24 hours a day. He was strict and rigid. He thought he would never fall in love with anyone else in his life, until—"
Jinlan: "Until what?"
Qiao Xi smiled: "Until he met Miss Leng Die. Leng Die was young and beautiful, and more importantly, she had a face exactly like Miss Bei's."
The cold wind in the forest stirred the firelight. Morax stood behind her, listening as the girl recounted with great enthusiasm her story, from the canary's escape to the fall of the old man; from punishment for disobedience to willingly drawing a line in the sand; from iron chains and bracelets to giving up the initiative; from amnesia due to a car accident to lovers becoming siblings; from misunderstandings being resolved to a sudden terminal illness.
After listening to this series of words, Morax frowned, looking at Qiao Xi's back with a subtle and complicated expression.
The girl was dressed warmly and looked so obedient. Where did she learn all these random and even strange things?
He sighed inwardly, but a faint smile flickered across his lips. This girl wasn't as naive as he'd thought; she was quite interesting. It was just that he needed time to process the impact of this story. "Finally," Qiao Xi said solemnly, "he repented for his mistakes at the grave, ending the story with a double suicide."
Jinlan wiped away her tears and shook her head: "Qiaoxi, you're really inhuman! Why won't you let them be together?"
Qiao Xi: "But you didn't like the less dramatic stories I told you last time."
Jinlan paused, then took a deep breath: "Is there such a thing? Let me calm down first."
Qiao Xi rested her chin on her hand and said, "In this world, it's only you. If anyone else heard this, especially Master Yi Xiao and Morax, my life would be in danger."
"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret for you."
Jinlan wiped his eyes, turned his head to look for a piece of paper in his back pocket, and the moment he found it and looked up, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning and his whole body stiffened. He stammered, "Emperor... Your Majesty?"
Qiao Xi, unaware of what had happened, rested her chin on her hand, nodded, and continued Jin Lan's words: "That's right, Morax is a very good person, but he probably can't accept this kind of story either."
“It’s alright,” Morax suddenly replied.
Qiao Xi paused, her previously relaxed brows instantly furrowing into a knot. She asked Jin Lan uncertainly, "That sound just now was yours, right?"
Jinlan felt like he had been dead for a while, and he had no will to live: "Qiaoxi, look behind you."
Qiao Xi felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this. She stood up decisively, said goodbye to Jin Lan without looking back, and was about to slip away.
Before she could take a step, Morax called out to her, "Qiao Xi."
Qiao Xi pretended not to know who was behind her and said, "Well, let's talk about it later. I need to go back and rest tomorrow because I have to practice horse stance."
She started to run away as she spoke.
But before he could even take a step, Morax grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back.
Qiao Xi remained rooted to the spot.
Morax released his grip, paused for a moment, and said, "Turn around and look at me."
Qiao Xi reluctantly turned around, looked up at Morax pitifully, and forced a smile from the corner of her mouth: "What a coincidence, Morax, you're here too."
Jinlan realized that people in extremely stressful situations don't care about sweet moments. Even with Qiao Xi and the Emperor right in front of him, all he could think about was getting back to the camp as quickly as possible.
He seized the opportunity to ask Morax, "Your Majesty, shall I return now?"
Morax nodded, his gaze still fixed on Qiao Xi.
Jinlan mouthed "Take care" to Qiaoxi and then ran away.
Looking at Jinlan's retreating figure, Qiao Xi's eyes were filled with envy.
"Qiao Xi, don't get distracted." Morak's voice startled Qiao Xi.
She quickly and obediently continued to look into Morax's eyes.
Morax then showed a slight expression of satisfaction.
Qiao Xi sighed and took the initiative to admit her mistake: "I'm sorry, you heard some nonsense."
Morax looked down at her and answered simply: "You don't need to apologize. This was just a conversation between you and your friend. I overheard it by accident. Besides, even if you told me directly, I would just think that everyone has different interests and I wouldn't blame you for having different views."
It was rare to see Morax talk so much. Joe looked at him and thought he was a really nice guy.
But, one thing at a time, Qiao Xi couldn't help but ask Morax, "So, how much did you hear?"
If it's just the latter part, it's not too bad, since the ending, apart from being a bit sad, is still normal.
Under her expectant gaze, Morax replied, "I heard everything, and I even learned some new things."
A note from the author:
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My next book, "NPC But Zhongli's Shield Farming," is coming soon! Hope you're interested, please add it to your favorites! [hugs]
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