Chapter 40: Is it really crying because of the change?
Qi Qing was stunned.
In the flying snow, Yue Ji's fingers gently inserted into his fingers one by one, and their ten fingers were tightly clasped.
The temperature of the boy's palm was incredibly hot, and it was particularly bright in the wind and snow.
He raised his eyes, with the warm light of lanterns in his eyes, and smiled at Qi Qing.
"Master," the young man said softly, "your hair has turned white."
Hearing this, Qi Qing raised his hand and casually brushed away the snow that had fallen on his shoulders: "It will melt in a while."
The clasped hands suddenly tightened, and Yue Ji's voice became tense, with an imperceptible temptation hidden in his voice: "Master, why... do you want to make it snow?"
Qi Qing thought his question was strange, and asked, "Haven't you ever seen snow?"
"So, this snow was sent by Master to me?"
The young man seemed to be happy all of a sudden. He shook Qi Qing's hand childishly and said coquettishly, "Master, please stop brushing the snow. Let it stay for a while, okay?"
Qi Qing said: "Be careful not to get caught in the cold."
He raised his hand to brush the snow off Yue Ji's head, but the young man turned his head away and held Qi Qing tightly with his other hand.
His eyes flickered as he looked at Qi Qing, his cheeks slightly flushed with excitement.
Freshly brewed rice wine was served from the Kitchen God Temple. The aroma of the wine became stronger and stronger, and the lanterns became softer, exuding a warm feeling in the snow.
Yue Ji stared at Qi Qing without blinking, as if he wanted to say something but was a little nervous.
Qi Qing was too familiar with this expression - every time Yue Ji stared at someone like this, it was either because he had done something bad or because he was struggling.
Perhaps it was because the lanterns were too beautiful tonight and the snow fell just right, his heart skipped a beat, and an inexplicable premonition spread in him - it would be better not to let Yue Ji say it out loud.
Otherwise, something has changed.
But before he could interrupt, the boy had already spoken, his voice smiling and mixed with a little drunken innocence.
"Master, does this count as growing old together?"
Qi Qingfuxue's movements paused.
His eyes widened a little, and he blurted out: "Do you know what it means to be together?"
Yue Ji nodded.
“It means growing old together.”
Qi Qing subconsciously retorted: "The premise of growing old together is to be with the one you love, not to be with just anyone..."
"Master is not just any master." The young man interrupted him.
There was silence between the two of them.
Qi Qing's expression was blank, and his mind was blank, as if he was suddenly struck by lightning.
Yue Ji could see that his expression was not right, but his fingertips stubbornly entangled Qi Qing's hand and refused to let go, repeating word by word: "Master is not just any one, I think..."
Qi Qing's fingers trembled slightly, and then he slowly and without giving any room for rejection pulled his hand out of the boy's hand.
I didn't dare to listen anymore, hoping it was just his hallucination.
He lowered his eyes to avoid the young man's burning gaze, and said in a somewhat stiff tone: "Master drank too much rice wine, and I felt dizzy and hallucinated. I will go back and rest first. You... remember to come back early after watching the snow."
Yue Ji rushed forward and said, "Master, you know what I mean."
"I don't know." Qi Qing's throat rolled slightly, and he said calmly, "You're just too happy, a little too excited. Okay, I'll go back first."
"I……"
Before Yue Ji could say anything else, Qi Qing stopped, turned around and added, "Also, don't get into my bed again."
After saying this, it sounded like he admitted something. The person behind him stopped talking, and Qi Qing walked back with stiff hands and feet.
The boy is too immature.
He had not yet learned to give hints of when to stop, nor could he distinguish between a momentary impulse and mistaking dependence for admiration. Those intentional or unintentional closeness and overly passionate gazes all concealed such thoughts.
The wind and snow grew stronger. Qi Qing pulled his coat closer, but he couldn't hide the huge absurdity and confusion in his heart. He left the crowd with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
He walked very fast, as if something was chasing him from behind, and he could no longer even look at the lanterns.
When the door of the inn closed, the young man slowly exhaled, still a little dazed.
What is this? A boomerang?
Thinking of the title he had chosen at the beginning, "a mentor-apprentice relationship with a younger man," he regretted it - people really need to learn to avoid prophecies!
It was just talk, how could it come true?
Qi Qing was in a daze and was quite devastated. What was worse, when he came to his senses, he realized that the live broadcast was not turned off and the barrage of comments was refreshing frantically.
[Yay! It’s a drama about the development of a mentor and a younger man! ]
【Finally getting to the point, I thought the anchor's title was a scam! 】
[Did the anchor cry? Really? ]
[It’s ok, anchor. Life is like this, with ups and downs——]
[The kid is still young, the host is not angry, there will be plenty of opportunities to get angry in the future. ]
Qi Qing found this even more ridiculous and clarified: "I didn't cry!"
He finally understood, the story of a hero saving a beauty turned into him saving the city lord, and the story of Long Aotian turned into a plot of a hero saving a beauty - from the moment Miao Zheng became a man, the plot went astray from beginning to end!
In the original plot, the "master" in the "master-disciple development drama" should be Qianyuan Jianzun who is in seclusion at the moment.
Retreat...yes, retreat!
Qi Qing suddenly had an idea.
Since Qianyuan Jianzun can change the plot by seclusion, why can't he learn to seclude himself and strangle Yue Ji's budding feelings?
I’ve decided. I’ll go into seclusion when I get back!
The snow outside the window was getting heavier, blowing in through the window cracks, bringing with it the chill of the autumn night.
Qi Qing stood up and closed the window with a "click". The candlelight was dazzled by the wind he created, and the shadow cast on the wall became messy.
He simply blew out the candle, turned off the live broadcast, and forced himself to meditate.
But there are some things that he can't stop thinking about and won't cause trouble. The laughter and joyful voices from afar can be heard in the distance, and the lanterns are no longer visible. The inn seems to be isolated from the wind and snow, and it is terrifyingly quiet.
Qi Qing failed to enter into meditation. He stared at the bed curtains for a while. Finally, he gave up on himself and wrapped himself in the quilt, staring into the void with his eyes open.
If he had known earlier, he would not have given Yue Ji snow, and he should not have accompanied him to Xiwuzhou... No, he should not have accepted Yue Ji as his disciple in the first place!
Qi Qing checked the clock in his mind and began to review and criticize everything, when he suddenly heard the door creak.
The sound of the door hinge turning interrupted his thoughts. He sat up abruptly, and was shocked to realize that he had forgotten to set up the magic circle.
But it was too late now. Yue Ji was seen holding a lantern, standing quietly by the door. The warm yellow light reflected on his smooth profile, making the emotions in the boy's eyes unclear.
Yue Ji didn't say anything or close the door, just looked at him.
Qi Qing looked at him awkwardly and said calmly, "You're back so soon?"
The boy's eyes moved upwards a little, landing on his hair that was messy due to being covered by the quilt. He took the initiative to step into the house and closed the door behind him.
"Master is avoiding me?" he asked.
Qi Qing said unhappily, "Didn't I tell you not to enter my room again?"
"Master only said that you are not allowed to get under the covers." Yue Ji walked to the bed with confidence and gently placed the lantern in his hand on the table.
The paper covering of the lantern he brought back was as thin as a cicada's wing, and it had a rare glass-like translucence. Qi Qing recognized that it was the rarest riddle in the Thousand Lantern Festival.
He retracted his gaze and said, "I've told you now, go back and rest."
Instead of leaving, Yue Ji sat down on the edge of the bed.
He pursed his lips and asked stubbornly: "Why is Master hiding from me?"
"You're still asking?" Qi Qing turned away: "You know it yourself."
Yue Ji was silent for a few seconds and said, "I don't understand, Master."
He suddenly leaned forward and looked into Qi Qing's eyes, "Why not?"
Qi Qing pulled the corner of the quilt tightly and said, "Do you know what a master is? It means that I am both your teacher and your father, and I work three jobs every day to support you. If you still have some filial piety, you should prepare to support me in my old age instead of thinking about these messed up things."
Yue Ji said sullenly, "Master is not old."
"…I will be pissed off by you sooner or later."
Qi Qing snorted, wrapped himself in the quilt again, turned his back to him and said, "I have said all the things I should say. Whether you want to watch the snow or rest, it's up to you. We will set off early tomorrow morning."
After a long time, a rustling sound came from behind.
Qi Qing turned around when he heard the noise: "What are you doing?"
Yue Ji answered with action.
He neither left nor turned off the lights. Instead, he made his own bed on the floor next to the couch and took out his ugly stand, seemingly intending to place it next to it as an ornament.
Qi Qing took a deep breath and felt his head hurt.
I'm really impressed. How could I raise such a stubborn kid?
The young man stood up angrily and planned to confiscate his bed: "Go back to your room and sleep."
Yue Ji refused and pulled with him like a stubborn donkey. After a few pulls, he seemed to be defeated and fell into his arms due to inertia.
Qi Qing was unexpectedly pushed back onto the bed, "Asshole!"
The young man immediately hugged his waist tightly and pleaded, "Master... don't chase me away..."
Qi Qing tried to pull his arm, but Yue Ji clung to him even tighter like an octopus. During the shoving, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they rolled into the depths of the bed together.
"You're taking advantage of the fact that I don't dare to hit you, right?" The young man rolled up his sleeves in anger, intending to teach him a lesson. "You're really losing your manners as you get older..."
He was just about to pick up the person when he suddenly felt a wetness around his waist.
Qi Qing paused, frowned and asked, "Crying?"
The boy didn't answer. He wanted to look out, but when he thought about the attitude he had to show tonight, he forced his voice to become cold and hard again: "It's no use crying, get up!"
The young man in his arms buried his face even deeper, and his tears seemed to fall more and more, soon soaking a large area of his clothes.
His shoulders twitched slightly and he buried his head silently.
Qi Qing had never seen him cry so hard before, and his conscience and reason were in fierce conflict.
After hesitating for a while, he finally slowly put his hand down.
"Are you really crying?"
He turned his head to look, and his tone softened unconsciously: "You are so old and you are still crying over such a small matter... Okay, Master will not be mean to you anymore."
The boy rubbed against his waist and refused to look up.
Qi Qing hesitated for a moment, but still rubbed the furry head, "Don't cry, we saw the snow tonight, shouldn't we be happy?"
"Then Master, don't chase me away." Yue Ji took a breath and bargained aggrievedly.
Qi Qing immediately refused: "No."
Yue Ji buried his head and was about to cry again.
Qi Qing gritted his teeth and held out for a while. He felt the water stains on his waist spreading and his head was getting bigger. He finally accepted his fate and gave in: "...Tonight."
He pulled the quilt over the two of them and said in a self-deprecating tone, "Go to sleep quickly. If you dare to move, I'll throw you out."
Yue Ji's sobbing stopped abruptly.
At an angle where Qi Qing couldn't see, the young man lowered his eyes and quietly put the half-melted snowman back into his arms.
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