After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 102
Zhou Xun silently ate his breakfast at the dining table, feeling a bit awkward. The Emperor sat beside him, lost in thoughts about his past experiences with dramas.
As a straight man, although he wasn’t fond of idol dramas himself, he did spend time watching them with his mother. He remembered that in idol dramas, whenever the female lead was eating, the male lead would always gaze at her intently, with a gentle and focused look…
And the Emperor was indeed doing just that.
Zhou Xun felt a bit unnerved by the Emperor’s gaze. He looked at the dishes on his table and then at the Emperor’s expression…
He realized something.
Zhou Xun: “Your Majesty, are you hungry? Lotus Seed Paste, please bring another set of chopsticks and a bowl for the Emperor.”
Emperor: … Wait, isn’t this supposed to be a deep and affectionate gaze? Why is he asking if I’m hungry?
After finishing his breakfast and feeling uneasy, Zhou Xun saw the Emperor hastily pull out a handkerchief from his sleeve, intending to follow a typical drama trope and wipe Zhou Xun’s mouth.
According to the drama script, the Emperor should stretch his arm across the round table, successfully bring the handkerchief to Zhou Xun’s mouth, gently wipe it, and then say something like…
‘You silly, you’ve gotten food all over your mouth. What would you do without me…’
For some reason, just thinking of this made the Emperor shiver all over.
This was too shameless. No, this was impossible. He could never do it, not in this lifetime.
In the moment of hesitation, Zhou Xun had already cleaned himself up. When he looked up at the Emperor again, he saw the Emperor pulling the handkerchief back into his sleeve…
Zhou Xun: ??
Then he saw the Emperor seemingly halting his action upon seeing him.
In the end, the handkerchief made a perfect arc in the air, like a stage performer tossing a water sleeve. The Emperor awkwardly smiled at Zhou Xun.
Zhou Xun: …
Forget it, he decided to pretend he didn’t see it. Zhou Xun wisely thought.
“This morning, let’s go shopping. Ah, there’s a threshold here, be careful, I’ll help you over—”
Zhou Xun: …
He looked at his reflection in the bright door.
…Am I looking old?
Having lost an opportunity to show his attentiveness, the Emperor wasn’t discouraged. He was determined to be a gentle and considerate lover for the whole morning and wasn’t afraid of initial difficulties—well, the kind that doesn’t involve acting or tomb raiding.
He recalled various ways to please a lover that he had read about on forums and nodded with confidence.
…Throughout the ride in the carriage, Zhou Xun felt a bit creeped out.
The Emperor sat beside him, watching him with an almost paternal expression, and frequently asked if he was cold or hot, with a concern level akin to “Did your mother make you wear thermal underwear?”
Finally, when they arrived at the commercial district, Zhou Xun let out a sigh of relief. To be honest, he didn’t usually like coming here, but today, seeing the bustling street in the distance, he actually felt in good spirits.
“Look around and see if there’s anything you want to buy,” the Emperor said as he got out of the carriage, seemingly relieved. “If you want something, just say it; everything can be bought!”
Zhou Xun: …
The Emperor rubbed his nose.
He was genuinely troubled. He hadn’t been on a date before and didn’t know where people went in ancient times. He remembered his roommates and their girlfriends going to haunted houses, cat cafes, zoos, and shopping…
Haunted houses and cat cafes were out of the question in ancient times, and going to a zoo? He wasn’t Wu Song! So after much thought, the Emperor decided that “shopping” seemed like the most plausible option.
Zhou Xun was led by the Emperor from the first store to the last. The street mostly had stores selling ready-made clothes, fabrics, or jewelry. Zhou Xun felt a bit uninterested as he walked around. As the sun grew hotter, he noticed the Emperor’s face turning redder, which finally gave him an idea.
“Your Majesty—”
The Emperor quickly said, “Out here, call me Master Rong.”
—Although calling me Brother Rong is fine too. The Emperor secretly delighted in this.
Zhou Xun: …
“Alright, Master Rong,” Zhou Xun said, looking at a clothing store nearby. “Let’s go in there and have a look.”
Throughout the day, the Emperor had been discreetly observing Zhou Xun’s reactions. Seeing him disinterested, the Emperor felt uneasy. Now that Zhou Xun had shown interest, the Emperor’s heart was filled with joy.
“Alright, let’s go in,” the Emperor said, leading him into the store. “You can buy whatever you want.”
The shopkeeper had long noticed the two young masters on the street. They looked like exceptional figures, clearly of noble background. Seeing them approach, the shopkeeper had already prepared some fine tea and led them upstairs to a private room to try on clothes.
However…
The shopkeeper couldn’t help but glance at the mink around the Emperor’s neck. It was a fine mink, but it wasn’t even late autumn yet, and he was already wearing it…
The young master might be a bit physically weak? It’s said that those who are physically weak or have kidney deficiencies might be more sensitive.
The shopkeeper mused quietly. Meanwhile, Zhou Xun was tapped on the shoulder by the Emperor.
Zhou Xun: ?
The Emperor whispered to him, “Did you see how the shopkeeper kept staring at me just now?”
Zhou Xun: ??
The Emperor continued, “Is it because I made such an effort to dress up and look handsome today?”
Zhou Xun: …
He twitched his eyebrows and his mouth trembled.
“But I feel like you look much better than I do. Why did he only look at me and not you?” The Emperor added, “I suspect he might have recognized my identity and is coveting my power.”
Zhou Xun: …
“Master Rong, you might be overthinking it,” Zhou Xun said carefully.
“I just find it strange. If I were in his place, I would definitely look at you first.”
Zhou Xun: …
He felt unusually happy for once.
“… Here we have the finest Shen embroidery. All our clothes are unique in style. You can either buy ready-made clothes or customize them,” the shopkeeper said, noticing the big business opportunity. He immediately had someone bring out some new clothes for them to choose from. “For example, this outfit…”
The shopkeeper was very talkative, and his constant chattering was a bit overwhelming. Zhou Xun looked at the clothes, and then glanced over to see the Emperor leisurely sipping tea and eating sweets while still wrapped in the mink.
He picked out an outfit and said to the Emperor, “Why don’t you try this one on?”
Emperor: “Me? I should try it on?”
Zhou Xun: “Yes.”
The Emperor looked at him for a moment, then suddenly realized and whispered, “Oh, do you have a bit of a cleanliness obsession and don’t want to wear clothes that someone else might have tried on? So you want me to try it first and then you’ll buy a new one?”
Zhou Xun just smiled and said nothing.
After the Emperor tried on the clothes, Zhou Xun calmly said, “We’ll take this set. Let’s go.”
Emperor: ??
He quietly asked, “Huh??”
Zhou Xun looked at the mink that the Emperor had finally taken off and then at the cool new clothes, raising his eyebrows and said, “It was originally chosen for you.”
Emperor: …
In the next room, Chu Yunkuo and the strategist group were listening at the wall and making plans. The veiled woman frowned and said, “If this continues, it won’t work. As the saying goes, either the east wind suppresses the west wind, or the west wind suppresses the east wind. It now seems like the Emperor is being overshadowed by Young Master Zhou.”
The scholar in green who was eating sunflower seeds said, “Don’t panic. At least it’s the Emperor who is paying.”
“That makes the problem even bigger!” another woman said anxiously. “It’s the Emperor who’s paying and taking people out shopping, but now it seems like Young Master Zhou is the more dominant one. How can we proceed with the nighttime plans like this?”
Everyone fell silent for a moment, and Chu Yunkuo made a decisive decision: “I’ll handle it.”
As the two of them left the ready-made clothing store, the Emperor was wearing his new outfit and sneakily glanced at Zhou Xun.
At that moment, Zhou Xun also looked back.
They exchanged glances, and the Emperor suddenly blushed: “Let’s go, let’s go to the next store, quickly.”
Saying this, he had already taken Zhou Xun’s hand.
The two walked hand in hand under the cover of wide sleeves. The Emperor was happily enjoying himself, but in his other hand, he received a crumpled piece of paper.
Emperor: ??
He turned around and saw a friend giving him a knowing wink before walking past him.
Their next stop was a bookstore and art supply shop.
In the shop, the Emperor stood behind Zhou Xun, holding the small note from Chu Yunkuo, trying to find a moment to open it when Zhou Xun wasn’t paying attention. Meanwhile, Zhou Xun listened to the shopkeeper’s introduction.
“Are you looking to add to your scholar’s supplies? You seem like someone who knows their stuff. This is Xuelang paper, this is Bipao paper, and this… there are more than a dozen types of paper, each with its own characteristics…”
“And this pen, this is wolf hair, this is mouse hair, and this penholder is… This penholder is made by Master Xie’s craftsmanship… Each pen in this set has Master Shen’s signature…”
“And this ink, this is pine smoke ink, this is Shen ink… This ink, although cheaper than Shen ink, is still a master-made, boutique item, each with a different number…”
Zhou Xun felt a bit dizzy from looking for a long time. Noticing the Emperor standing silently beside him, he decided to find a topic of conversation and asked, pointing at a few pens, “Which set do you think is better?”
The Emperor glanced at them absently and said, “Don’t they all look the same?”
Zhou Xun: … Not pleased.jpg
“Uh,” the Emperor snapped back to his senses after a while and hurriedly said, “I suppose there are some differences…”
Zhou Xun: …
Emperor: “These pens, the thickness is different? Or the bristles? Oh, the bristles seem to be the same, they all feel soft…”
Zhou Xun: … Never mind.
Emperor: “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Just buy them all.”
Zhou Xun: … Alright.
Zhou Xun thought with a bit of exasperation that perhaps his skill at finding topics wasn’t very high.
He decided to give up on finding a topic, but after the Emperor left the art supply store and saw a shoe store across the street, his eyes suddenly lit up: “There’s a shoe store here!”
Zhou Xun: ??
Emperor: “Let’s go in and have a look!!”
Zhou Xun nodded.
Then…
“These shoes, can we add some studs to the soles?”
“And this pair, can we modify the tongue and laces? I’ll draw it out for you…”
“And these, which one do you think is better?” The Emperor asked Zhou Xun while holding two very similar pairs of boots.
Zhou Xun: … I think they’re the same.
“Never mind,” the Emperor scratched his head and put the shoes down. “Let’s go, we’re done shopping. Let’s go have a good meal.”
Zhou Xun: “Aren’t you buying them?”
“No, let’s go. We’ll get something nice to eat,” the Emperor said.
He put his arm around Zhou Xun’s shoulders as they left the store and whispered in Zhou Xun’s ear, “I just realized.”
“Realized what?”
“It’s like having you stay here is the same as me staying there, uninterested.” The Emperor gave him a wink, “Rather than torturing each other, why don’t…”
“Let’s do something that we both find enjoyable.”
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