After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 53

A young lady… a mute?

Zhou Xun covered his Adam’s apple with his hand and looked down at his white attire—he had been squeezed out of his blue outer robe in the crowd, leaving only this embroidered silver-patterned inner garment. Then he looked at his long hair draped over his shoulders…

Zhou Xun: …

Having spent half a month with the emperor, now with just an added mask… This mask’s effect was surprisingly magical?

However…

The light was dim, and the emperor was a head taller than him, and they were in such a place filled with fireworks… It was understandable that the emperor mistook him for a young lady.

Zhou Xun clearly hadn’t watched many modern dramas. Compared to those works where beautiful actresses only needed to tie their hair to be considered cross-dressing, he had not only let down his hair but also wore a mask. Even a melodrama director would consider him a dedicated impersonator. Moreover, while it might be strange for actresses with ample figures to pass as men, it wasn’t exaggerated for him to pass as a woman with a relatively plain figure—after all, there are few men with ample figures, but there are plenty of plain women…

Zhou Xun shivered at his own thought.

But the emperor had always seemed uninterested in women. How could he be so taken with this “young lady”?

Zhou Xun was suddenly displeased.

The atmosphere was awkward. The celestial maiden’s float continued to move towards them, and the cheering crowd surged in their direction. The shifting shadows of the crowd reflected on the wooden door as Zhou Xun leaned against the wooden wall. A sliver of his white garment gleamed under the lantern light, like a patch of moonlight hidden in the dark.

“Celestial Maiden! Celestial Maiden!”

Among the clamor, the emperor reached out to Zhou Xun. “The crowd is getting closer. Let’s move over there. Hold my hand, and be careful not to get separated from the crowd…”

The emperor watched as Zhou Xun, after his words, actually withdrew his hand.

The emperor: ??

What was going on with Zhou Xun? Oh, right, they were strangers. As the saying goes, men and women should not touch each other. It seemed that both of them were putting in effort to maintain their roles.

Double the effort should bring double the joy. The emperor recalled some historical dramas he had seen and quickly cleared his throat, saying, “Miss, please don’t misunderstand. I am a gentleman. I have no intention of making advances. I saw you fall and couldn’t help but assist…”

Zhou Xun: …

His expression grew increasingly complex.

The emperor saw him as a friend but was helping someone mistaken for a woman… It was quite…

After speaking, the emperor felt Zhou Xun’s silence growing. He pondered his next move.

Unaccustomed to acting, he thought very seriously.

Firstly, the best strategy would be to take Zhou Xun back to the palace, as he would eventually return to the palace anyway. However, Zhou Xun’s current identity was a mute young lady who had fallen in the fireworks area and must not reveal his true identity. If the emperor directly suggested taking Zhou Xun back to the palace, there would be two outcomes—either Zhou Xun would realize he had seen through the disguise, or Zhou Xun would think him a lecher.

Neither letting Zhou Xun’s efforts go to waste nor damaging his own reputation was what he wanted! And even if it was the latter… Once Zhou Xun was indeed taken back to the palace, wouldn’t the fact that he was a “mute young lady” be exposed anyway?

So this approach definitely wouldn’t work!

The most appropriate solution would be to find an inn to stay for the night. The next morning, he could quietly leave while Zhou Xun was still asleep and send someone to fetch him, pretending to have just discovered him there.

The emperor was somewhat touched by his own concern and said to Zhou Xun, “It’s getting late, and there are too many people here, which can be dangerous. Let me take you to find an inn to rest?”

Zhou Xun: “You…”

He only made a sound before realizing he was supposed to be a mute!

Fortunately, his previous sound was very brief, so the emperor might not have heard it. Seeing the emperor looking over, Zhou Xun paused and made his voice sound like a cough.

Why is the emperor so attentive to him?

From what the emperor was saying, it seemed like he was determined to help this “fallen young lady,” even suggesting taking her to an inn… Given the dim lighting, the emperor couldn’t tell that this “young lady” was him, but if they got into the light…

Zhou Xun gestured a few times, indicating that he didn’t need help. He then pointed at the street outside, trying to convey his intentions. The emperor, struggling to understand his gestures (actually not understanding at all), said, “You mean the inn on that street is more suitable?”

Zhou Xun: ?

This highlighted the difficulty of poor communication. Zhou Xun shook his head, trying to indicate he wasn’t looking for an inn. The emperor, after a lot of effort, finally seemed to understand: “You’re saying you don’t have any money?”

Zhou Xun: …

The emperor said, “It’s alright, I have money!”

He patted his belt as if he were a bumbling landowner.

Zhou Xun: …

Noticing a strange look of despair in Zhou Xun’s eyes behind the mask, the emperor realized he was meeting Zhou Xun for the first time. He quickly explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I was just passing by and saw you, so…”

Zhou Xun: …

The emperor continued, “…I just wanted to do a good deed.”

Zhou Xun: …

A good deed? For a mute in the fireworks area?

Zhou Xun’s expression became more and more peculiar.

Someone bumped into him from behind, causing Zhou Xun to stagger and almost fall again. The emperor, seeing that Zhou Xun had no visible injuries on his feet, hurriedly stepped forward to support him…

Zhou Xun stiffened completely.

The emperor: …

Wait, wait, this didn’t seem like something that should happen between two strangers meeting for the first time. The emperor quickly said, “Miss, don’t take this to heart. I’m just the kind of person who likes to do good deeds. Supporting you, I’m treating it like helping an old lady across the street.”

Zhou Xun: …

The emperor continued, “This place isn’t safe. Let me take you to the inn…”

Zhou Xun: …

It seemed the emperor wasn’t planning to leave.

“Come, hold my hand.” The emperor noticed he was reluctant to reach out and, after thinking for a moment, picked up a stick from the ground.

Zhou Xun: …

The emperor said, “How about you hold one end of the stick?” He suggested, “I’ll hold the other end so we don’t have to touch hands.”

Zhou Xun: …

The emperor, feeling a bit touched by his own ingenuity, believed he was being a refined and caring young man.

Zhou Xun, reluctantly, looked at the stick, still hesitant.

The emperor watched him for a while before reaching out his hand. Just as he was about to say something, he felt the other person’s hand reach across the stick and grasp his own.

He placed his hand on the hand of the young man in the white fox mask.

The emperor: …

He rubbed his nose and turned away, quietly dropping the stick on the ground.

With the crowd surging, the emperor walked in front while Zhou Xun followed behind. The emperor held Zhou Xun’s wrist tightly, as if afraid he might be swept away by the crowd, while his other hand was busy pushing people aside.

The two finally escaped the crowd and reached a place under some trees. The crowd continued to move with the float, but they were no longer involved.

“Finally out of there,” the emperor wiped the sweat from his forehead. “You’d think we were at an airport with so many fans following us… You…”

He turned to look at Zhou Xun and noticed his ankle, gasping in shock, “Your ankle is hurt?!”

Zhou Xun: …

“Damn, why didn’t you tell me earlier? Does it hurt? Is it broken?” The emperor, in a moment of panic, completely forgot about pretending to be a stranger and quickly knelt down to inspect.

At the moment he knelt, Zhou Xun’s heart was in turmoil!

He forgot about his disguise and struggled to get up.