Since you're here, give me a kiss!
Tang Qi swallowed hard, glancing at the faces of the people next to him every now and then.
He was still sitting next to him, and Cheng Junshi still had the same upright and gentlemanly appearance. Apart from their hands being clasped together, they were no different from usual.
Cheng Junshi stared at the moon, and Tang Qi stared at him.
"Cheng Wang, how come I never noticed how good-looking you are before?" After the two opened up to each other, Tang Qi became increasingly unrestrained in his speech, acting like a shameless rogue who was flirting with people.
Cheng Junshi was still gazing at the moon: "Because you never looked at me before."
Tang Qi choked for a moment, then a few seconds later suddenly reached out and turned his head around, then stared at Cheng Junshi and smiled: "Then I really didn't know what was good for me before."
"Forgive me, Shaoqing~" Tang Qi winked at him.
Cheng Junshi couldn't help but chuckle softly, but quickly put on a calm and serious expression and said, "I won't forgive you."
"Ah, how could this be—" Tang Qi pretended to be hit and kept clutching her chest as she said to him, "How could Lord Cheng be so heartless? Harsh words can be like a chilling winter day. If you don't forgive me, I'm afraid I'll die here alone and lonely."
Cheng Junshi was completely amused by his exaggerated acting skills and looked at Tang Qi, saying, "Remember to tell me where you are before you die, so I can come and collect your body."
"If you come, I won't die."
Cheng Junshi paused for a moment, listening to him continue, "You look better when you smile. I don't want to see you cry."
The person opposite seemed to be stunned for a moment, and then actually started to smile slowly under Tang Qi's gaze.
"Like this?"
“Cheng Junshi, this doesn’t look like a smile,” Tang Qi said after a few seconds of silence, then suddenly said seriously, “It looks like seduction.”
Cheng Junshi: "...?"
While he was still in a daze, the face of the person in front of him suddenly loomed larger, and the next moment a dull pain shot through his nose, causing Cheng Junshi to lean back.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch..." Tang Qi covered her nose and rubbed it vigorously.
Cheng Junshi was so startled by his actions that he stood frozen in place.
At this moment, Tang Qi was so embarrassed he just wanted to disappear into the ground. He didn't know what had gotten into him; before he could even react, he had impulsively lunged forward. And to make matters worse, he hadn't succeeded. Not only did he fail to kiss her, but their noses bumped together, and it still hurt. Tang Qi buried his face between his legs, his ears burning red with embarrassment, his heart pounding.
Was he too abrupt in doing that? Will Cheng Junshi be angry? Doesn't doing this so soon after getting together seem like he's not taking it seriously?
...
"Well, actually... oh, I'm sorry, I was being abrupt just now. Just pretend I was possessed by a ghost, and nothing happened." Tang Qi's muffled voice came through.
"It's not abrupt, I'm willing."
"What?" Tang Qi slowly straightened up.
The person on the other end smiled and continued, "Because I like you, so I'm willing."
And so—he lunged forward and gave her a reckless kiss.
One should press on with one effort, then rise again, and finally reach full strength.
...
When the two of them returned, the banquet was almost over. Yun An was completely drunk, the two younger ones were lying unconscious on the table, and even Zhui Feng was fast asleep. Only Ye Qian and Shen Zhiqing were still awake.
"Wow, how much did you guys drink?" Tang Qi walked over and poked Hu Xingche's cheek. The cheek bounced back nicely, so he couldn't help but poke it a couple more times. Hu Xingche was so annoyed by him in his sleep that he started whining. Meanwhile, Tang Qi, the instigator, just suppressed his laughter and went on to the next victim to shower him with affection.
"You've come back just in time. I was worried about not being able to drag them back," Ye Qian said to the two of them.
"Why don't I see Elder Yao?" Tang Qi looked around as he walked, and soon heard Shen Zhiqing say, "You've come at the wrong time. He was just carried to the next room half an incense stick ago, and he's probably fast asleep now."
"We haven't even had a drink yet and we're already starting to work. This is really a losing proposition, isn't it, Cheng Wang?" Tang Qi picked up some peanuts from the table, tossed a few to Cheng Junshi, chewed them, and laughed as he spoke.
"You went off to enjoy the flowers and the moon yourself, so you deserve to have no wine to drink," Shen Zhiqing retorted.
Hearing Shen Zhiqing's words, Tang Qi not only wasn't annoyed but became smug, smiling broadly as she said, "You have no idea how worthwhile it is not to drink this wine."
Ye Qian glanced at Tang Qi, then at Cheng Junshi behind him who looked slightly awkward. He shook his head helplessly and smiled faintly. Just as he was about to speak, a sudden commotion arose around him.
"Qing...Qingqing, let me tell you something." Yun An suddenly jumped up from the table, grabbed Shen Zhiqing's neck, and said drunkenly, "Actually, I think...I think you've all changed."
The group of people were all taken aback.
Yun An continued, still slightly drunk, "You...you all seem...you all seem to be avoiding me."
"You all have secrets, you, Ye Qian, and even Zhou Ziye, you all have them. So many secrets, and you won't tell me any of them, none of you will tell me anything—" Yun An was dizzy and spoke like a child throwing a tantrum: "You never take me with you wherever you go, and this time is no different. You're all here, leaving me alone in Jingzhou. This isn't fun, it's not fun at all!"
"We weren't like this before...we weren't like this before."
The air suddenly fell silent.
After a long while, Shen Zhiqing silently put the cloak on her and said softly, "You're drunk."
"I'm not drunk!" Yun An insisted, throwing his cloak at Shen Zhiqing and saying, "Qingqing, I'm not a child anymore."
“You can’t fool me,” she continued, looking at Ye Qian over there. “Neither can you.”
“Ever since Qiqi died, all of you have changed. I don’t understand, I don’t understand why. Are you all blaming me—”
Yun An choked up: "I blame myself for not stopping Qi Qi from going to war, but I didn't know. I thought he would win... I thought he wouldn't die... I didn't know Qi Qi would die, I really didn't know."
“I don’t want him to die,” Yun An finally cried out, “I don’t want Qi Qi to die.”
"If Qiqi were still alive, would we still be the same as before?"
"No more." Ye Qian's voice was calm, yet it pierced everyone's hearts like a thorn: "We've all grown up."
"Whether Zhongle is alive or dead, we can never be the same as we were as children."
Shen Zhiqing helped Yun An look at the person who had spoken, her eyes filled with reproach. Ye Qian, however, ignored her and continued, "But I am still me, Qingqing is still Qingqing, and you are still yourself."
"Nothing has changed for everyone, they've just grown up."
Yun An choked up, wiped away her tears in Shen Zhiqing's arms, and then looked at Ye Qian with a flushed face, pouting, "What are you saying? I don't understand a word."
The air fell silent again, a few seconds later.
"puff--"
"I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks he likes to use fancy words."
"Hahahaha, the thing I've never understood the most since I was a child is what you say."
"You're too late. When will you ever come down from heaven and talk to us mortals?"
Ye Qian: "..."
He silently looked at the group of people laughing in front of him.
never mind.
It's nice to be able to get together and laugh like this.
So he smiled too.
"It's a pity we're still missing one person." After laughing enough, Yun An sniffled and continued, "How could Zhou Ziye run away so fast! It's been so long since we've all gathered together like this, and he actually sneaked off by himself?! Next time I see him, this princess will definitely settle the score with him!"
"Yes, yes, Your Highness is mighty," Shen Zhiqing coaxed and steadied Yun An's swaying figure, then nodded to the maid waiting beside her. The maid took Yun An and quickly walked steadily away from everyone's sight.
Tang Qi kept staring at the maid's back until she was far away before he chuckled and said, "The Emperor is really afraid that something else might happen to Yun'an."
Several people looked over, and Tang Qi said, "These maids' skills can't be learned in less than six or seven years."
“Being watched by them always gives me a feeling of being monitored,” Shen Zhiqing said, frowning.
"Maybe so?" Tang Qi shrugged and chuckled. "Alright, enough chit-chat. Shall we each take one of these?"
As he spoke, he scooped up Hu Xingche and hoisted him onto his shoulder. When he looked down, he caught a glimpse of the safety lock hanging around Hu Xingche's neck.
Bright and clear, it sits obediently in the center. Although Tang Qi carved it crookedly in the middle, it's clear that its owner cherishes it.
Tang Qi smiled slightly, a slight curve to her lips.
After he helped Hu Xingche back to bed, he turned around and saw Cheng Junshi leaning against the door waiting for him.
"Shaoqing, you're in such a hurry, aren't you? You can't wait to see me?" Tang Qi walked over and teased him on purpose. Unexpectedly, Cheng Junshi grabbed his hand and jumped onto the roof.
"Hey, Cheng Wang, where did you get this wine?" Tang Qi sat down on either side of him, picked up the wine jar, and asked him with bright eyes.
“Didn’t you not get a drink?” Cheng Junshi raised his own jar and clinked it against his, saying, “Then let’s have another round.”
“You understand me,” Tang Qi said, taking a sip of his drink and then laughing loudly. “You understand me so well.”
Cheng Junshi also took a sip with him, his face beaming with delight.
"Cheng Wang".
"Um?"
"Cheng Junshi".
"Um."
“This is so strange,” Tang Qi said readily, hands behind his back. “I never imagined I’d be sitting here drinking with you one day.”
Fate is such a strange thing.
"Hey, when did you start liking me?" He suddenly turned to Cheng Junshi, asking with a gossipy look on his face. Tang Qi was extremely curious about this.
When talking about these things, Cheng Junshi did not feel embarrassed. His expression remained unchanged, and he simply took a sip of wine and said, "A long time ago."
"How early is 'very early'? The school?" Tang Qi suddenly became interested, sat cross-legged again, and stared at Cheng Junshi's face, afraid of missing any details.
Cheng Junshi nodded frankly, while Tang Qi's mouth dropped open: "Back then, you caught me like a mouse. You were responsible for several of the beatings I got. Did you like me back then?!"
Cheng Junshi nodded seriously again, then looked at Tang Qi and earnestly pulled out a profound saying: "Skipping school is bad."
If you like someone, you can't let them go astray.
Tang Qi choked for a moment, then asked, "There must have been a trigger, right? Given how incompatible we were back then, how did you start liking me?"
Cheng Junshi was silent for a moment, his eyes flickered, before he slowly spoke: "Do you still remember the couplet assignment that the teacher once gave us?"
"A matching couplet?"
Tang Qi pondered for a while, and it seemed that there was such a thing. At that time, the teacher who taught them used couplets to teach, requiring everyone to write a second couplet. After all of them were handed in, their names were erased and the couplets were posted in the classroom, and the students could freely match them with each other.
Could it be that Cheng Junshi was so impressed by his extraordinary talent that he fell in love with him?
That's not right. He was busy arguing with his father at the time and didn't do his homework on learning official cloth at all. There were no couplets written by him in class. How could Cheng Junshi be impressed by his talent?
"I didn't write a couplet back then," Tang Qi said, puzzled for a moment.
Cheng Junshi looked at him and smiled, saying, "You didn't write it, but you did match one, remember?"
"I've matched them..." Tang Qi's mind wandered again. When had he matched them? He remembered that he found matching couplets boring and hadn't taken it to heart at all. Moreover, he hadn't had any desire to match the couplets he looked at. Tang Qi remembered that he had clearly just played around with Lin Jiacuo for a while, and then—
No, it seems he actually got one right.
It was after school had ended. He had just returned to the school to get something when he saw that a new couplet had been hung on the board in front of the hall, which had been removed. Out of curiosity, Tang Qi went over to take a look.
Unexpectedly, this sight actually made him want to continue.
"So you wrote that couplet?!" Tang Qi was immediately shocked.
Cheng Junshi hummed in agreement.
Tang Qi still remembers the surprise he felt when he first saw that couplet. The couplet gave him a very oppressive feeling, and it could even be described as a rebellion. He never expected that it was written by Cheng Junshi.
“At that time, my mother had just passed away in front of me. My father was afraid and refused to investigate the truth of her death. I felt hopeless and even had suicidal thoughts. Even what I wrote was filled with pain.”
The wind destroys mountains and rivers.
He didn't even dare to take it out in front of others.
"Back then, after everyone had left school, I dared to stick the paper on it, and you arrived right after I did." Cheng Junshi chuckled lightly, as if recalling the past.
"Huh? You were there too?" Tang Qi's jaw still dropped.
Cheng Junshi nodded again. He still remembered hiding behind the wooden plank back then, watching Tang Qi come in, watching him stand in front of the plank, watching him remain motionless.
Then, Cheng Junshi witnessed Tang Qi dip his brush in ink, pick it up, and finish the poem in one go. After finishing, he threw the brush down, clapped his hands, and left.
After he left, Cheng Junshi came out and saw only a flamboyant, bright figure running into the sunlight.
When Cheng Junshi looked up at the paper again, he saw a line of elegant and unrestrained words added beneath his neat handwriting.
With just one glance, Cheng Junshi was stunned.
"Clouds shine on the plains and the northern lands flourish."
It was as if a drop of water had suddenly fallen on Cheng Junshi's already parched heart. Following it came the wind, the sunlight, and everything else.
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