Chapter 88 Honesty (First published on Jinjiang Literature City)
After a long silence in the study, Zhou Xiaoyan finally spoke: "You may not believe it, but I have actually been reborn."
These words were like a thunderbolt, causing Fu Mingzi to completely lose control of her emotions.
He had thought before that perhaps Zhou Xiaoyan, like Fu Yunjia, had dreamt of predicting the future, but he never imagined that the answer would be like this.
"What... what do you mean?" Fu Mingzi pursed her dry lips, her eyes still filled with shock.
Zhou Xiaoyan looked somewhat embarrassed, and after a long while he finally said, "I was supposed to die five years later, but when I opened my eyes, I found myself back on the day before we met."
Fu Mingzi felt it was absurd, but seeing Zhou Xiaoyan's nervous appearance, he didn't voice his doubts. He simply said in a deep voice, "Go on."
Upon hearing Fu Mingzi's words, Zhou Xiaoyan's previously tense nerves immediately relaxed. It wasn't that he was afraid of anything else, but he was afraid that Fu Mingzi wouldn't believe him and that she would think of him as a madman. Now that Fu Mingzi was listening to him, it was the best outcome.
Zhou Xiaoyan couldn't wait to tell Fu Mingzi everything he knew about the future. At first, Fu Mingzi was skeptical, thinking that Zhou Xiaoyan might have lost his mind and had some kind of delusion. But the more he listened, the more he felt that Zhou Xiaoyan might be telling the truth.
Because if he hadn't truly experienced these things, he wouldn't have had such genuine feelings and reactions. More importantly, some of his words also matched the information Fu Yunjia had told him.
Fu Mingzi gradually began to feel that perhaps Fu Yunjia was the one who had deceived him, or perhaps Fu Yunjia, like Zhou Xiaoyan, had been reborn.
When Zhou Xiaoyan announced his death, Fu Mingzi's initial distrust vanished, replaced by a surge of intense anger, even stronger than knowing the manner of his death.
"I..." Seeing the anger hidden beneath Fu Mingzi's restrained expression, Zhou Xiaoyan wanted to say something more, but he only managed to utter one word before Fu Mingzi pulled him into her arms.
"No need to say anything more." Fu Mingzi's voice was a little hoarse: "I believe you." He held Zhou Xiaoyan's waist tightly, wishing he could pull the person into his arms.
He finally understood Zhou Xiaoyan's long-standing unease and worries. The tragic ending of their previous life made him, a listener, tremble, let alone Zhou Xiaoyan, who had personally experienced it.
“This will never happen, I swear to you,” Fu Mingzi said, her voice trembling.
Zhou Xiaoyan pursed his lips and listened to Fu Mingzi's words. His previously uneasy heart instantly calmed down.
He leaned gently against Fu Mingzi's chest and hugged him back.
"I believe everything you say," he replied softly, his tone suggesting he was about to burst into tears.
Fu Mingzi felt a sharp pain in her heart, but she didn't dare to look at him, afraid of seeing his disheveled appearance and embarrassing him. So she could only hug him tighter and gently kiss the top of his head.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Xiaoyan finally calmed down and looked up at Fu Mingzi.
"I never thought you would believe such absurd words, which is why I never dared to tell you."
Looking at his cautious eyes, Fu Mingzi couldn't help but feel pity for him. She smiled, patted his head, and whispered, "At first, I was a little hesitant to believe it, but after hearing about your experiences, how could I not believe you?"
Hearing this gentle tone, Zhou Xiaoyan felt a lump in his throat. Perhaps their tragic past life was due to a lack of trust between them. Although he decided to treat him well in this life, he didn't truly trust him. But now, he truly understood just how good this person was.
Zhou Xiaoyan's heart pounded wildly. Looking at Fu Mingzi's handsome and charming face, he felt his blood rush to his head and his hands trembled with excitement.
He tiptoed forward without thinking and rushed over.
It wasn't until he kissed Fu Mingzi's lips that his reason returned. Looking at Fu Mingzi so close, her eyes filled with astonishment, his shame returned. Zhou Xiaoyan hurriedly tried to back away, but Fu Mingzi, who had already come to her senses, grabbed him and kissed him back.
Fu Mingzi's kisses, like the man himself, were aggressive and passionate. Zhou Xiaoyan barely managed to resist before he was overwhelmed by the kisses and could only lean against him, letting him invade his lips and tongue.
After what seemed like an eternity, just as Zhou Xiaoyan felt he was about to suffocate, Fu Mingzi finally stopped. His voice tinged with laughter, he leaned close to Zhou Xiaoyan's ear, his warm breath making Zhou Xiaoyan dizzy: "Idiot, don't you know how to breathe when you're kissing?"
Zhou Xiaoyan was dizzy and unable to respond. He took a few deep breaths before he came to his senses.
But once he calmed down, his shame returned, and his face turned bright red. He gritted his teeth and said, "Let me go."
Fu Mingzi didn't care about him and kept holding him tightly. She even pulled him to sit on a chair and forced Zhou Xiaoyan to sit on her lap.
"No, His Highness himself came to me this time. How can I let His Highness get away with it so easily?" Fu Mingzi replied with a sly smile.
Zhou Xiaoyan's face flushed with anger, but he didn't know how to respond, because he was in the wrong.
Zhou Xiaoyan felt a headache coming on. He had really lost his mind just now. How could he have... how could he have...
Zhou Xiaoyan dared not recall his bold actions just now, and could only bite his lower lip and plead in a humiliating manner: "You go first, it's almost lunchtime, if we don't go out soon, people outside will start gossiping."
Seeing his troubled expression, Fu Mingzi found it amusing and continued to play along for a while until he finally got a little angry, at which point she let go of his hand with a grin.
"Alright, alright, Your Highness said to let go, so I'll let go." Fu Mingzi picked Zhou Xiaoyan up, straightened his clothes which were a little messy from the struggle during their kiss, and then let go: "But Your Highness has to give me some treats in the future, like today's is good enough." Fu Mingzi said with a grin, acting spoiled.
Zhou Xiaoyan's face hadn't faded yet, but upon hearing this, it turned even redder. He wanted to refuse, but looking at Fu Mingzi's smiling face, he couldn't bring himself to say it. He could only grit his teeth and say, "Stop messing around."
Fu Mingzi seized the opportunity: "Alright, as long as I don't cause trouble, Your Highness must reward me every day." Without waiting for Zhou Xiaoyan's rebuttal, she hugged him again as if she were being unreasonable: "It's settled then, Your Highness is not allowed to go back on your word."
Zhou Xiaoyan reached out his hand, intending to pat him a few times, but upon hearing his almost coquettish words, he ultimately refrained from doing so, and could only grit his teeth and tacitly accept the humiliation.
Fu Mingzi was secretly pleased with himself, feeling that he couldn't have been more brilliant. He knew that Zhou Xiaoyan was thin-skinned and would never say anything on his own initiative, so he simply said everything to make him look better.
Fu Mingzi, who had gotten a good deal but was still acting innocent, didn't feel like she had gone too far at all; on the contrary, she looked smug.
&&
Because of this, the lunch time at Prince Jin's residence was delayed by half an hour. Wei Baocheng was a little puzzled, but since it concerned Young Master Fu, he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He only mentioned a few of Young Master Fu's favorite dishes when he was instructing the preparation of the meal.
Fu Mingzi and Zhou Xiaoyan enjoyed their lunch together sweetly, which made Wei Baocheng, who was serving them, feel extremely uncomfortable. When he saw Fu Mingzi serving food to the fastidious Fifth Prince, Wei Baocheng's hands paused. But when he saw the Fifth Prince eat without changing his expression, Wei Baocheng was shocked and his gaze towards Fu Mingzi changed.
After finishing their meal and watching Wei Baocheng and his men clear the table, Fu Mingzi asked curiously, "Why was Eunuch Wei looking at me just now?"
Zhou Xiaoyan knew perfectly well what Wei Baocheng's surprise was about, but he didn't intend to tell Fu Mingzi. He simply said in a low voice, "Perhaps he was thinking of something else."
Fu Mingzi didn't take it seriously. Hearing Zhou Xiaoyan's answer, she didn't ask any further questions. She just smiled and leaned closer, saying, "Your Highness, I'm afraid I won't be able to stay with you for a few days. I'm going to Qinghe with Ze Fan."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaoyan's initial excitement immediately subsided, and after a long pause, he said, "How long are you going to be gone? I received the imperial decree yesterday, and the army will be rewarded in the next few days."
"Just these few days? So fast?" Fu Mingzi was somewhat surprised.
Zhou Xiaoyan nodded: "At the latest, within three days."
Fu Mingzi frowned. In Zhou Xiaoyan's memory, this military reward in his previous life allowed Zhou Xiaoheng to make contact with the Yuntai Camp and also allowed Zhou Xiaoheng to begin to control Zhou Mingguang, the commander of the Yuntai Camp who had long been subdued by the emperor.
However, Zhou Xiaoyan wouldn't get such a good opportunity. Zhou Mingguang was the emperor's man, and Zhou Xiaoyan's visit this time was mostly just for show. It was probably impossible for him to take control of the Yuntai Camp. But at least it would allow Zhou Xiaoyan to gain some goodwill among the generals and soldiers, which could be considered a small benefit.
“In that case, I do have an idea,” Fu Mingzi said, raising an eyebrow.
Zhou Xiaoyan frowned at him: "What are you thinking?"
Fu Mingzi smiled and recounted Fu Mingsong's investigation, then said, "My trip there this time is actually similar to yours; it's just a pretense. In that case, why don't we go together? Yuntai is in the same direction as Qinghe. Once you get to Yuntai, you'll definitely stay for a few days. After I finish what I did in Qinghe, I'll come find you. This will also help to mislead those people behind the scenes."
Zhou Xiaoyan was slightly surprised when he heard Fu Mingzi's words. He didn't expect that the third master of the Fu family would actually side with the Xia family. In that case, he could understand why Fu Mingzi hated the Xia family so much later.
“Okay.” Zhou Xiaoyan had a vague idea in mind after hearing Fu Mingzi’s suggestion, but he still needed to think about it more before discussing it with Fu Mingzi.
Once the two had settled the matter, Fu Mingzi was overjoyed. He had originally thought that he would have to part ways with Zhou Xiaoyan when he left the capital, but now he had managed to spend time together again, which was a good thing for him.
Fu Mingzi chatted with Zhou Xiaoyan for a while longer, but as it grew darker outside, she had no choice but to leave reluctantly. Staying overnight at the Prince of Jin's residence was a bit hasty; they had just opened up to each other and should be given some space to process their feelings.
Zhou Xiaoyan escorted Fu Mingzi to the door, watching his figure disappear around the corner, before turning back to the palace.
Standing behind Zhou Xiaoyan, Wei Baocheng secretly clicked his tongue in amazement. It seemed that the relationship between the Fifth Prince and Young Master Fu was getting better and better.
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