Chapter 3: Weak and vulnerable
Because of the lightning strike incident when he returned to secular life, He Qing stayed in the room for a few days to let Duan Chenhui forget about it.
But he was still caught by Duan Chenhui that day. Even though he had returned to secular life, his daily routine remained the same.
Duan Chenhui was sitting in a wheelchair, blocking his door: "I asked someone to send some clothes over." After he said that, he started the wheelchair and left, meaning for him to follow.
He Qing thought that he was really overbearing. He followed him and came to a large dressing room. There was a row of simulated robots standing next to them. The mechanical servants were holding piles of clothes in their hands, and there was also a real butler - Uncle Cai.
"Go and try it." Duan Chenhui held the armrest of the wheelchair and raised his chin.
"General, there's no need to spend money." He Qing touched the Buddhist beads on his chest, trying to draw a clear line.
Duan Chenhui glanced at him and said, "I have already completed the transfer procedures for you. You can continue to study your previous botany and flower arrangement, but you need to change your clothes into something more convenient."
He Qing looked down at the robe on his body, raised his hand slightly and gathered his sleeves: "I'm used to it."
“There are a lot of outdoor classes at Central College, even if you’re just learning flower arranging.”
He Qing paused, then quickly changed his words: "Then I will follow the local customs. Thank you, General."
"Yes." Duan Chenhui signaled to the butler, "Put away your ID."
The housekeeper handed a box to He Qing. He Qing took it and opened it. Inside was not only his admission certificate and various certificates, but also a stack of gold cards...
He Qing closed the box and glanced at Duan Chenhui. The general was quite reserved in his attitude towards sex. Did he really treat him as his wife?
"General, I may not need it." He Qing smiled and took out the gold card.
Duan Chenhui stroked the armrest of the wheelchair, looked up into his eyes, and said in a more serious voice: "He Qing, Central College is not the White Tower. You have to pay for all the expenses there."
He Qing was suddenly stuck. His original body's parents died early, so all expenses in the White Pagoda were free. His impoverished family didn't give him a penny, so he was really poor. Moreover, this was not the world of cultivation, so it was really difficult for him.
"Well...thank you, General." He Qing looked at Duan Chenhui's feet. As long as he could find his original body, he could cure him. Just consider it as his advance payment. After comforting himself, He Qing put away the gold card and the box together, then went to change clothes to show Duan Chenhui.
He changed into a black suit and came out holding a tie.
Duan Chenhui looked up and said, "Black is indeed too dark." He was like a strict judge.
He Qing turned around and looked at himself in the mirror. He was not used to wearing modern clothes. Suddenly, he saw Duan Chenhui standing up and walking towards him.
He Qing turned around: "Shall I go change into another one?"
Duan Chenhui stopped him, took the tie and tied it for him: "You must wear formal clothes on formal occasions, you must learn how to tie a tie." He paused, "The freedom in the White Tower is another kind of freedom."
"I know." He Qing looked down at Duan Chenhui's hands. He tied them very slowly so that he could see clearly.
After tying it, Duan Chenhui straightened his tie, put on the tie clip, stepped back and sat down. He looked at him for a moment, still not satisfied: "Change to the white one."
"Yes." He Qing turned around and changed his clothes again. He performed a dress-up game for General Duan like a doll in a store.
Except for the first few suits, the ones behind are modern clothes with ancient style. He Qing turned slightly in front of the mirror and looked around. These clothes are simpler than robes, but retain the basic characteristics. They are more comfortable to wear than suits.
Duan Chenhui asked him to change into a platinum-colored one. He walked over and straightened the knot on his chest: "Besides the school uniform, you can wear this on weekdays."
He Qing touched the pattern and metal clip on the cuff, raised his hand and pulled the metal clip off: "Hidden weapon?" But this hidden weapon was too beautiful, with sapphires inlaid on it.
Duan Chenhui looked at him and said, "I had this custom-made based on ancient books. This weapon is too old and can only be used as a decoration."
He Qing played with the sparkling clip for a while, then put it back on: "General, you are so kind, I really have no way to repay you, why don't you -"
"The wedding is already being prepared." Duan Chenhui raised his eyes and interrupted him, "You can repay the favor now."
He Qing closed his mouth pitifully. What happened to the promise that he didn't like O, who was weak and couldn't take care of himself? He was so useless that he couldn't even wear a tie.
Duan Chenhui put a space ring on his hand: "The space inside can accommodate a mecha."
"I don't have much mental strength..."
“You can also put other things in it.”
"..." He Qing was unable to refute and touched the ring. This was probably Duan Chenhui's test of him.
*
With nothing to do in the general's mansion, He Qing couldn't perform to his heart's content.
One morning, after He Qing finished his meditation, he ran to the lotus pond to feed the koi. The fat and strong koi rushed over and opened their mouths to ask for food when they saw people. He Qing scattered a handful of fish feed, and the colorful koi scrambled for the food.
"How did the general manage to keep you so fat?" He Qing squatted down, reached out and touched them one by one, then withdrew his hand in disappointment, as not a single one of them was spirit-filled.
He Qing scattered the remaining fish food and clasped his hands together: "I hope you will have another dinner."
That’s right, what Duan Chenhui ate last night was koi. It is said that the original carp from Blue Star is very expensive and even members of the royal family can hardly eat it.
But General Duan actually ate koi.
General Duan also said it tasted bad.
He Qing also tried it and agreed deeply that carp smelled like mud... and the interstellar chef lacked the skills to cook carp.
After He Qing finished feeding the koi, he heard the sound of a wheelchair behind him. He turned around and saw that it was Duan Chenhui.
"You can pick the flowers here." General Duan seemed like a wealthy boss. In fact, lotus is indeed very expensive in the interstellar space.
"Thank you, General." He Qing was polite. He trotted over and pushed the wheelchair and asked attentively, "General, you seem to be quite free recently."
Could it be that he was sidelined because of his leg injury? He Qing felt a little sad when he thought of the ancient emperors who loved to kill the donkey after it had done its job.
"The Zerg have retreated temporarily, so it's a good opportunity for me to take a break." Duan Chenhui glanced at him and answered calmly.
"Well... let's take a walk." He Qing looked at Duan Chenhui's feet, his strong character, his calmness and composure, worthy of being the God of War.
He pushed the wheelchair around the general's mansion, checked out the environment, and pushed General Duan back inside before lunch.
*
Eating and drinking in the general's mansion, He Qing felt that he was gaining weight. As his wedding day approached, he received a message from the He family. They finally couldn't hold back any longer.
He told the housekeeper about this: "I'm going home today."
The butler immediately understood: "I will go and inform the general."
"No, I'll go back by myself." He Qing declined, "Besides, the general is so busy, I don't want to disturb him."
The butler glanced at him and said, "Then I'll prepare a gift for you to take back. There is a blue-eyed gem in the storeroom. I think it's very suitable."
"I already have a gift I like." He Qing declined again. The butler was silent for a moment and didn't say anything else.
He Qing turned around, holding the flower basket, and rowed the boat to pick lotus pods in the lotus pond. The housekeeper held a bamboo pole and watched him flapping his boat worriedly.
"Mr. He, we can help." He was afraid that He Qing would fall into the pond.
"Picking it yourself shows more sincerity." He Qing broke off a lotus pod and said, "They will definitely like it."
The butler was silent again. Although the lotus pod was quite expensive, it could not be compared with the value of the jewelry, and the lotus seeds in the lotus pod could only be eaten.
Upstairs, Duan Chenhui looked down at He Qing who was picking lotus pods in the lotus pond. He Qing's skin was very white, and it looked even smoother against her black hair. Duan Chenhui watched for a moment and went back to continue working.
*
He Qing broke off another lotus pod, turned his head to look at the window upstairs, and touched the Buddhist beads on his chest. As long as there was something wrong with him, Duan Chenhui would know. It was indeed dangerous for the two of them to live under the same roof.
He Qing thought about it again and felt a little excited.
He looked down at the flower basket, having already picked half of the lotus pods: "That's enough, let's go back."
The housekeeper breathed a sigh of relief and rowed the boat back to the shore. After thanking the housekeeper, He Qing took the lotus pod back to her parents' home.
*
My mother's family has fallen into decline since the central government abolished hereditary titles and has never recovered, but a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and the family compound is still very impressive, and the inside is more like a castle.
He Qing pondered for a moment. This is not a camel. This is a skinny whale that is bigger than a camel...
He Qing was brought to an empty hall and asked to sit down at the end of a long square table. He put the flower basket on the table and looked at his uncles and brothers who were sitting in rows on both sides.
This is like a three-court trial.
"Good day, everyone." He Qing greeted them, but no one paid attention to him. Instead, those pairs of eyes full of green light stared at him, like jackals and ferocious beasts.
The white-haired great-grandfather sitting in the main seat opposite nodded slightly.
He Qing smiled slightly, closed his eyes and silently recited the Heart Sutra.
The great grandfather lifted his wrinkled eyelids and said, "We have raised you to this age, you should also make some contributions to the family."
As soon as the great-grandfather opened his mouth, the rest of his uncles and brothers echoed him.
"Your cousin is in the army now. Go talk to the general and ask him to help you."
"Recently, your uncle wants to develop an industry, but he doesn't know if it's developed above. He wants to know some inside information, which will be more secure."
"I heard that you were injured. I paid a large sum of money for medicine at the auction. I will definitely allow you to give birth to a son for the general."
Everyone was talking at once, wanting He Qing to do some pillow talk, but they soon discovered that He Qing didn't move and ignored them.
"I'm asking you a question? Are you mute?" the eldest cousin was angry.
"I don't think the general would like this kind of vase, so why should we try to please him?"
The second cousin also disliked He Qing. His younger brother was an Omega and was better than He Qing. Why didn't he choose his younger brother? If it was his younger brother, he would definitely be obedient.
He Qing finished his meditation, opened his eyes, and stood up: "Amitabha, is there anything else you need? If you have nothing else, I will go back first."
"He Qing, we are asking you a question." The great grandfather was full of energy and finally said the second sentence of the day. As the head of the family, he probably had never been ignored like this by the younger generation.
He Qingchong's great grandfather nodded in greeting, then looked at his tall and strong cousin with a warm smile: "If your cousin's spiritual power can be improved to Class B, I will definitely strongly recommend it to the general. Cousin, you have to work hard."
The veins on the eldest cousin's forehead were throbbing. His mental strength was only D. Was He Qing mocking him? !
He Qing looked at his uncle again: "Uncle, politics and business cannot collude. If it is discovered, everyone will receive court documents."
The uncle's eyes twitched, and he stiffened his neck: "I just asked you to find out a little bit! I'm not going along with them!"
He Qing ignored him and looked at the medicine held by Third Aunt: "Thank you for your kindness, Third Aunt. I am weak and I am afraid that if I drink it, I will die."
"What do you mean?" Auntie San exploded on the spot, "My medicine is very mild! Do you think I'm giving you a strong medicine that would harm people?!"
"He Qing wouldn't dare." He Qing clasped his hands together, looking calm and composed.
Uncle San slammed the table and stood up: "You are so arrogant and disrespectful to our elders! Since you are an Omega, I will punish you by whipping you ten times according to the family rules and making you kneel in the ancestral hall for three days!"
"Feed him the medicine first! General Duan will be grateful to us if he has a descendant!" Aunt San's face was grim. "I have tried this medicine before!"
"Let me hold him down!" My second cousin came over to watch the fun.
He Qing took a step back with the flower basket in hand: "The general is watching you outside."
“?!!!” Everyone suddenly turned their heads to look out the window, and then realized that they had been fooled.
"He's scaring us!" The eldest cousin rushed over, but fell halfway, "Ah--!!"
The eldest cousin's screams were so tragic that everyone felt heartbroken, and the second cousin seemed to be gloating.
He Qing smiled and silently moved the Buddhist beads: "The general will be angry if you torture me in private. I am doing this for your own good."
"We are following the family rules!"
"Who wants to torture you?"
Two voices rang out at the same time, and the door at the back was pushed open. A man in military uniform strode over with his back bare.
He Qing ran over with a flower basket: "General, you are here?"
"Who wants to torture you?" Duan Chenhui looked at him and asked repeatedly.
In Duan Chenhui's eyes, domestic discipline is equivalent to domestic violence. This is a well-known fact. General Duan is not only decisive in killing, but also hates all forms of lynching.
"No, we just..." The uncle wanted to explain something, but suddenly he couldn't make a sound. He looked at Duan Chenhui in horror. What kind of powerful mental power was this?
Everyone immediately realized that even if Duan Chenhui didn't like He Qing, both Alpha and Enigma would think that Omega was their property and would never allow others to interfere.
Duan Chenhui glanced at them, turned around and asked He Qing: "Let me ask you."
"I am lamenting that the family rules of some families are more feudal than those in ancient times. What do you think, General?" He Qing held the flower basket, her smile becoming more and more charming.
Duan Chenhui looked at He Qing for a moment, then glanced at everyone and said, "Then let's abolish it. What do you think?"
The eldest cousin stared at He Qing in astonishment. How dare He Qing complain? He would never do this before!
The hall was silent, and the He family members looked at Grandpa He and asked him for help.
Old Master He stood up and said with great force: "General Duan is right. We are also advancing with the times, but some families do not." He was thicker-skinned than a city wall and he even blamed other families, as if saying that those old feudalists were more feudal than him.
Everyone: “…”
He Qing also gained some insights. He blinked and said nothing.
Duan Chenhui said, "Mr. He is right. I will draft a law and submit it tomorrow to put an end to this cruel lynching."
"?!!" If the outside families knew about this, wouldn't the He family be the scapegoat? Did the general really like He Qing? And was he angry for his blue face?
The He family members were all shocked and looked at He Qing. So General Duan liked Bai Lianhua? The rumors outside were all false!
He Qing was a little surprised and looked back at Duan Chenhui. It seemed that the general had wanted to do this for a long time and was just using him to find an excuse.
The uncle looked around and forced a smile on his face: "General Duan, I'm sorry for not welcoming you. Let's not stand here and talk. Let's go to the living room."
Duan Chenhui took the next step and said, "I am here today to deliver invitations and gifts." After he finished speaking, a row of robots carrying things came in from behind.
He Qing was shocked to see that the general who said that feudalism was not allowed was actually offering a betrothal gift? Such a double standard.
The uncle looked at the betrothal gifts, suppressed his restlessness and said at the right time: "General, please come this way, let's discuss the wedding."
Duan Chenhui nodded and went with them.
He Qing followed behind with a flower basket, like a flower girl, and came to the living room. Duan Chenhui sat down and pulled him. He Qing sat beside him, holding the flower basket and listening.
He found that Duan Chenhui only came to inform everyone about the wedding, instead of discussing the wedding with them.
The He family also noticed this and continued to chat for a while without any awkwardness.
Duan Chenhui looked at the terminal on his wrist: "It's getting late, and I have things to do."
Uncle San quickly stood up and said, "Haha... Since the general is ready, we must be there on time. I will take the general out."
Duan Chenhui nodded slightly to everyone, stood up and left. He Qing followed him with a basket of flowers, and the two of them got on the hovercraft parked in the courtyard.
He Qing leaned over and waved to the people who were seeing him off: "Goodbye, everyone."
The third cousin glanced at He Qing's flower basket and thought, "Wait, this seems to be a gift He Qing brought back? Although it's a bit shabby, it can still be used to make soup."
"He Qing, what's in your hand——"
Duan Chenhui's hovercraft disappeared into the sky with a "whoosh", and his third cousin Erkang held his hand.
He Qing touched the lotus pods on the flower basket with a sigh, then looked up and smiled at Duan Chenhui: "General, they don't want my gift, let's take it back and make soup."
"Okay." Duan Chenhui smiled as he looked at the lotus pod in his hand. How could He Qing be a vase? He was the white lotus on the vase that was good at disguising itself.
"By the way, why did the general come here suddenly?" He Qing thought of the space ring and asked casually.
"There is a tracker in the space ring I gave you." Duan Chenhui spoke frankly and tested back.
"General, are you afraid that I'll be in danger? I'll take good care of him." He Qing remained calm. Not only was he not angry, he also tried hard to make amends for Duan Chenhui.
"Then you have to keep it well. If it disappears, I will hold you accountable." Duan Chenhui raised his eyebrows. He did intend to monitor it. He would not let strangers enter and leave the general's mansion at will.
"Yes, General." He Qing responded obediently.
Duan Chenhui looked at him for a moment. He Qing's expression did not show any rejection. He Qing looked embarrassed. Neither of them was his type, but they could treat each other with respect and act out this scene well.
They are indeed 100% compatible when it comes to acting.
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