After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 12

“Xiao Qing’er, Xiao Qing’er! Are you at home?”

 

Xie Zhiqing had just finished lunch and was playing with Fufu, who was sprawled out on his desk.

 

Lan Xiaoxiao rushed over, out of breath, and knocked forcefully on his door, urgently calling out to him, “Xiao Qing’er, I have something for you! Please open the door quickly!”

 

Fufu was frightened and darted around in a panic. Xie Zhiqing hurriedly went to catch her.

 

While following Fufu’s frantic movements, he raised his voice to address the person outside his door, “Coming, coming! I’m coming!”

 

After finally managing to put Fufu back into her rabbit cage, Xie Zhiqing shook his head, laughing, and went to open the door for Lan Xiaoxiao.

 

“Xiao Qing’er, here’s your letter!” Lan Xiaoxiao slapped the item in her hand into Xie Zhiqing’s arms with a loud thud.

 

It was somewhat amusing, really.

 

The wolves that couldn’t shift into human form often gathered in groups, but the relationships among the fully intelligent wolves were not as close. While Lang Sa had a good relationship with his parents and younger sister, they didn’t interact much on a regular basis, and certainly not with outsiders.

 

Lan Xiaoxiao had grown up with Tannis since childhood, so she felt a sense of camaraderie with him. She frequently came to his place, and as a result, Xie Zhiqing had become the person she interacted with most frequently on the grasslands.

 

Lan Xiaoxiao sat down in his room, occasionally playing with Fufu and sometimes touching the decorations in his room. She had never seen these things from the Central Plains before and found them fascinating.

 

Fufu wasn’t very comfortable with her presence; she seemed scared. Every time Lan Xiaoxiao came by, Fufu would even refuse to drink water.

 

Xie Zhiqing found it amusing but had to warn her a few times, saying, “Don’t scare her.”

 

Since Lan Xiaoxiao couldn’t sit still for long, he had no choice but to follow her around.

 

While Lan Xiaoxiao was busy running around, Xie Zhiqing opened the letter and carefully read its contents.

 

It was from his father, the Emperor.

 

The letter was concise and mainly mentioned that the princess wanted to visit the grasslands to see him. The Second Prince was concerned and also wanted to come along. The timing wasn’t confirmed yet, so they needed to discuss it with him first.

 

After reading the letter, Xie Zhiqing put it down and stared blankly for a while.

 

Lan Xiaoxiao had finally stopped her activities and sat down beside him.

 

“Ah, your little sister and older brother are coming!” She leaned over to peek at the letter. “That’s great! We should welcome them warmly! When are they coming?”

 

“We don’t know yet; we need to discuss the timing,” Xie Zhiqing said, unfolding the letter and pointing to the words. “My little sister is very young, and my older brother isn’t in good health. They…”

 

Xie Zhiqing pondered for a moment, then sighed with a wry smile. “Both of them, put together, aren’t self-sufficient.”

 

Lan Xiaoxiao couldn’t understand. “What’s there to worry about? There must be skilled guards to protect them, right? And if I recall correctly, you mentioned that your eldest brother is highly skilled in martial arts, isn’t he? Can’t he come? If he does, you and your siblings can reunite on the grasslands!”

 

“No, my elder brother, the Crown Prince, needs to stay in the palace to assist our father with state affairs,” Xie Zhiqing smiled, “That’s why it’s complicated. The suitable individuals can’t leave, and those who can leave, I can’t trust them. Besides, the journey from the palace to the grasslands is long and arduous. My siblings… I just can’t rest easy; it’s better for me to return to visit them and spare them the hardships of the journey.”

 

Lan Xiaoxiao’s young mind couldn’t comprehend the intricacies of state and family matters, and she couldn’t fathom what was bothering Xie Zhiqing and his family. She muttered, “It’s so complicated,” but didn’t press further.

 

However, she couldn’t sit still for long and quickly shifted to another topic.

 

“Oh, Xiao Qing’er!” Lan Xiaoxiao suddenly dragged a chair over, looking extremely anxious, “Xiao Qing’er, I have something to tell you!”

 

She had rushed over after lunch and intercepted a letter intended for Xie Zhiqing.

 

“My parents are looking for a marriage partner for me!” Lan Xiaoxiao said loudly.

 

“Hush, hush,” Xie Zhiqing extended his hand with a smile, pretending to cover her mouth, “Lower your voice, or the whole grassland will hear you.”

 

The wolf tribe had a laid-back nature and didn’t consider discussing such matters embarrassing. Lan Xiaoxiao pouted and said, “Let them hear. Everyone already knows! I’m 18 now. If I don’t find a mate soon, I won’t have many good years left…”

 

Xie Zhiqing furrowed his brows in confusion. “What do you mean by ‘won’t have many good years left’?”

 

However, his words were completely drowned out by Lan Xiaoxiao’s booming voice.

 

“I don’t want to marry just anyone!” Lan Xiaoxiao exclaimed with a distressed expression, “I want to choose a mate like my brother did. I want to marry a man I like!”

 

“…,” Xie Zhiqing didn’t know how to respond to this and looked up at the ceiling, his ears quietly turning red.

 

Lan Xiaoxiao was unstoppable. She immediately stood up, slapped the table, and declared, “I’m going to find a man!”

 

Xie Zhiqing quickly stopped her, “Hey, hey! Xiao Xiao!”

 

But before Lan Xiaoxiao could open the door, it was kicked open with a thud.

 

Lang Sa had returned.

 

“What man are you looking for?” Lang Sa pushed past Lan Xiaoxiao and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Little brat, stop blabbering nonsense all the time.”

 

Lan Xiaoxiao made a face at him and repeated, “I’m going to say it! I want to find a man as handsome as Xiao Qing’er to mate with! To spend the mating period together!”

 

“You shut your mouth, you little rascal!” Lang Sa quickly covered her mouth. “Mate, mate, mate—what’s with that word? It doesn’t sound good!”

 

Lan Xiaoxiao nimbly avoided his grasp, “Mate, mate, mate!” She made faces at Lang Sa. “What’s wrong with that? I’m just saying!”

 

After that, she disappeared like a whirlwind.

 

Lang Sa couldn’t control Lan Xiaoxiao, so he just waved his hand and didn’t say much. He turned to face Xie Zhiqing, who was sitting on a chair, looking embarrassed, with his fingers twisted together.

 

“…,” Lang Sa walked over and tousled Xie Zhiqing’s hair, covering his face, “Lan Xiaoxiao is so outspoken; you shouldn’t…”

 

Even as he said this, Lang Sa felt embarrassed and chuckled.

 

“You should be able to feel it too, we wolves…” Lang Sa tried to find the right words, “We are fundamentally beasts. She doesn’t think some things should be kept unsaid, so…”

 

But Xie Zhiqing didn’t want him to explain further. The more he explained, the more uncomfortable Xie Zhiqing felt. He quickly waved his hand and said, “Okay, okay, I know. You don’t have to say anymore.”

 

Lang Sa was also a bit awkward. He touched his nose, changed the subject, and asked, “Why did Lan Xiaoxiao come over today? She’s always running around on the grasslands and can’t sit still.”

 

“Oh, yes!” Xie Zhiqing grabbed the letter from the desk, unfolded it, and showed it to Lang Sa. He said, “She came to deliver a letter to me. Lang Sa, you came at the right time. I was just thinking of discussing something with you!”

 

“Ah, I understand now. You mean, Xie Zhixue and Xie Zhiqing want to visit you, but one is a young girl, and the other has mobility issues that require care. So, your father, the Emperor, is having trouble choosing escorts and wants to discuss it with you. However, you feel…” Lang Sa paused and asked in a low voice, “You feel that it might be too strenuous for your elder brother and younger sister to make the round trip, so you want to go back to Anyu and ask me when I have time, is that right?”

 

Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips, nodded, and said, “Yes, that’s right.”

 

“I see. Xiao Qing’er, if you want to return to Anyu, you can do so anytime. You don’t need to ask me specially. As long as you want to go back, I can make time to accompany you. But there’s one question…” Lang Sa tucked the letter away in a drawer and pinched Xie Zhiqing’s cheek, “There’s something you might not have considered. They want to see you because they miss you, right?”

 

Xie Zhiqing was a bit dazed, blinked his eyes for a while, and then asked, “Is that… is that the case?”

 

Lang Sa tousled his hair and smiled, saying in an imitation of Xie Zhiqing’s soft tone, “Yes, that’s how it is.”

 

“…,” Xie Zhiqing tugged at his ear and said, “Don’t imitate me.”

 

Lang Sa chuckled and ruffled his hair.

 

After thinking for a while, Xie Zhiqing realized that Lang Sa’s words made sense. He rubbed his fingers together and started counting the days.

 

“It’s almost winter, and it’s too cold. Maybe we should wait until spring…”

 

Before he could finish counting, Lang Sa waved his hand and quickly wrote a few words on paper.

 

【Arrange for two maids to accompany them, and I’ll take care of the escort team. That’s it.】

 

After writing that, he realized it was a letter to Xie Zhiqing’s father, a senior figure, and added a respectful closing:

 

【Lang Sa, written by this prince】.

 

Xie Zhiqing couldn’t help but smile wryly. He used his fingertips to trace the thin pages of paper and chuckled at the three characters “written by this prince.”

 

Lang Sa’s handwriting was not particularly elegant, and the characters were large and round, filling the entire page with just a few lines. However, when Xie Zhiqing looked at those chubby, jade-like characters, he felt that the little uneasy feeling in his heart had diminished considerably.

 

Lang Sa was right. Xie Zhiqing realized that he had been too concerned about his older brother’s disability. He always felt that Xie Zhiqing had difficulty moving around, and if he could help him, there was no need for his elder brother to do it himself.

 

Over time, it had become a matter of course. Xie Zhiqing had forgotten that his elder brother had his own thoughts—his elder brother’s current thought was to come to the grasslands to see him, regardless of the mobility issues or the long journey.

 

Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips and smiled. He picked up a piece of paper and a pen, following Lang Sa’s suggestion, he wrote another letter himself. Afterward, he placed these two letters together and handed them to Lang Sa to send out together.

 

Lang Sa called for Aetes and instructed it to deliver the letters to the relay station tomorrow. He then said to Xie Zhiqing, “If it’s my people, it will take about seven days to travel from the grasslands to Anyu. Bringing them over will probably take about half a month. You can arrange the timing yourselves, and once it’s confirmed, just let me know.”

 

Xie Zhiqing smiled shyly. He reached out and grabbed Lang Sa’s wrist, using his fingertip to scratch lightly.

 

Xie Zhiqing had always been a smiley person, but after spending time together, Lang Sa could distinguish between polite smiles and formalities and those that came from the heart.

 

He looked at Xie Zhiqing’s smile and couldn’t help pinching his cheek.

 

Xie Zhiqing laughed foolishly, his round eyes forming crescents.

 

He used one hand to cover Lang Sa’s wrist and the other to encircle his arm, swaying it back and forth in a playful manner.

 

Lang Sa observed him for a while and found himself quite pleased with Xie Zhiqing’s small actions. He cleared his throat and said, “When the time comes, I’ll arrange for my personal attendants to go over, the same ones who accompanied me to Anyu last time. You can rest assured; it will be absolutely safe.”

 

Xie Zhiqing nodded vigorously, his expression earnest. “I know, I trust you completely. You’re very reliable, I know that.”

 

Lang Sa looked him up and down and nodded expressionlessly, saying, “Hmm, this prince is the most reliable.”

 

At that moment, Aetes pushed the door open.

 

It wagged its tail as it walked over to Lang Sa, shook its ears, and took a couple of steps back. Then, it bumped its head hard against Lang Sa’s thigh. Without waiting for their reactions, it quickly picked up the two letters and ran away.

 

“Hey, this little wolf!” Lang Sa was furious and was about to chase after it.

 

Initially, it was a normal scene, and Xie Zhiqing didn’t think much of it. Lang Sa and Aetes had always been like this, playfully roughhousing with each other—it was nothing out of the ordinary.

 

It wasn’t until Lang Sa grabbed Aetes’ ear and returned to the room that Xie Zhiqing realized what had happened.

 

He walked over and patted Aetes on the head, then tugged at Lang Sa’s sleeve, lowered his head, and chuckled.

 

This time, he could taste a hint of sweetness.