After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 79

Xie Zhiqing could never have imagined that Lang Sa would be so bold.

 

He covered his face, anxiously glancing around, afraid of being seen by any palace maids or old ladies. He said angrily, “You! You!”

 

Lang Sa shrugged and innocently spread his hands, “What’s wrong with me?”

 

“In broad daylight, you!” Xie Zhiqing had never seen someone so daring before. His face was too shy to seriously reprimand Lang Sa for his actions. He stammered for a while, unable to find the words.

 

Lang Sa, unperturbed, responded confidently, “What’s the matter? I married you in a grand procession. Isn’t it okay to kiss you? You’re being too unreasonable.”

 

Xie Zhiqing was infuriated by Lang Sa’s blatant excuse. He grabbed Lang Sa’s sleeve and tried to catch his arm, “Lang Sa, you!”

 

Lang Sa pouted, “Am I really that annoying?”

 

“…” Xie Zhiqing was exasperated, “At least you know!”

 

He pushed Lang Sa away with force, intending to leave him behind.

 

However, Lang Sa was as solid as a rock and didn’t budge.

 

Xie Zhiqing pounded his arm, only slightly moving his sleeve.

 

This made him even more upset.

 

Lang Sa looked at Xie Zhiqing’s puffed-up back and found him even more endearing. He lazily followed behind, teasing, “Hey, Xie Zhiqing? Little Qing’er? Little Prince? Aren’t you going to acknowledge me?”

 

Xie Zhiqing ignored him and walked faster.

 

Lang Sa chuckled to himself and quickly caught up.

 

After a playful and bumpy journey, Xie Zhiqing stopped and turned to Lang Sa, saying, “I’m going to find my brother.”

 

His face still held a faint blush from earlier anger, but Lang Sa knew that Xie Zhiqing wasn’t truly angry. This slightly irritated expression only made Xie Zhiqing seem even more vivid to Lang Sa.

 

Everyone liked Xie Zhiqing because of his good nature. When talking about him, people usually praised him more.

 

Lang Sa had never heard anyone describe Xie Zhiqing like this: throwing small tantrums, being shy, yet very…

 

“I’m going to find my brother,” Xie Zhiqing repeated when Lang Sa didn’t respond, “Will you return to the residence, or…”

 

The little prince’s gaze wandered, clearly wanting to invite Lang Sa along but too embarrassed to say it out loud.

 

Lang Sa said, “Of course I’ll come with you.”

 

Xie Zhiqing pursed his lips and gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t say whether he agreed or not. He just turned and continued walking.

 

Lang Sa moved to walk beside him, naturally putting his arm around Xie Zhiqing’s shoulder.

 

Xie Zhiqing stiffened for a moment but soon relaxed. He pouted and glared at Lang Sa, though he leaned closer to him.

 

Lang Sa looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then pinched Xie Zhiqing’s earlobe.

 

He thought about what he had just seen. Xie Zhiqing could throw tantrums and be shy, but he was also very cute.

 

Lang Sa couldn’t find a more suitable word to describe Xie Zhiqing’s every move—it all felt incredibly endearing to him. Lang Sa didn’t have the words, only feeling that every action of Xie Zhiqing touched his heart.

 

He liked him more and more.

 

On the way, they encountered several young palace maids.

 

They greeted Xie Zhiqing but hesitated on how to address the other person.

 

Xie Zhiqing, feeling awkward, shook his shoulders to make Lang Sa’s hand fall away and blinked at the maids, saying, “You can just call him, um, what should we call him…”

 

One brave maid giggled and said, “The Duke.”

 

Xie Zhiqing was surprised, “What?!”

 

Lang Sa nodded approvingly and took out a small piece of silver from his pocket, tossing it to the maid, praising, “You’re very clever.”

 

The maid received the silver happily, “Thank you, Duke!”

 

Xie Zhiqing: “…”

 

He looked at Lang Sa speechlessly.

 

Lang Sa raised an eyebrow and shrugged, “Lang Sa is really annoying!”

 

Xie Zhiqing was truly speechless. He looked at Lang Sa resentfully, his lips pouting again.

 

In these past two days, Xie Zhiqing’s expressions of pride and annoyance were more frequent than in the past few years.

 

Before they could continue their banter, Xie Zhiqing’s servant came out to greet them.

 

The girl softly called, “Third Prince, you’ve arrived?”

 

Xie Zhiqing turned and waved, speaking gently, “Yes, it’s me. I came with… I came with General Lang to see my brother.”

 

The maid, surprised by the presence of an outsider, paused. She blinked and said, “Oh,” then turned and went back to prepare.

 

Xie Zhiqing paid no more attention to his previous teasing with Lang Sa and pulled at his sleeve, saying, “My brother probably needs to tidy up. Let’s wait outside; there’s no need for us to go in.”

 

He wrinkled his nose, making a fierce expression, “When you see my brother later, don’t say anything inappropriate!”

 

Lang Sa touched his nose, saying “Okay.” He thought, Well, I wouldn’t say anything to others anyway!

 

They lingered outside for a while, waiting until they thought Xie Zhiqing’s brother was ready before walking into the Second Prince’s palace.

 

Xie Zhiqing spoke softly, “When we were younger, I lived with my brother. Later, when we grew up, Father thought it was inconvenient, so I moved to another palace. Afterward…”

 

He glanced at Lang Sa and hesitated, “Later, they even built me a residence outside the palace…”

 

Xie Zhiqing cleared his throat and quickly added, “My brother and I rarely separated.”

 

Lang Sa said, “I know, you two have a good relationship.”

 

Xie Zhiqing nodded emphatically.

 

As they spoke, they entered Xie Zhiqing’s brother’s quarters.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s brother was already dressed and seated in his wheelchair, smiling at them.

 

“Xiao Qing’er, you’ve come.” He greeted his younger brother and then looked at Lang Sa, “Uh…”

 

Xie Zhiqing’s brother also struggled with how to address Lang Sa.

 

Having heard his younger brother complain yesterday, Xie Zhiqing’s brother was caught off guard by their visit today. He hadn’t prepared anything and didn’t even think about how to address Lang Sa.

 

“…General Lang,” Xie Zhiqing’s brother said awkwardly, “Nice to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you…”

 

Lang Sa wasn’t looking to cause trouble, but hearing this, he immediately thought of Xie Zhiqing scolding him as annoying yesterday. Lang Sa’s face darkened as he huffed, “Nice to meet you!”

 

Xie Zhiqing’s brother subtly moved his wheelchair closer to his younger brother.

 

Xie Zhiqing, seeing his brother’s distress, came to his rescue, “Brother, Lang Sa and I came to pay respects to Father and to see you.”

 

Soon, Xie Zhiqing’s brother’s maid came in with tea. Xie Zhiqing stood up to receive it, instructing her to wait outside and not to serve them inside.

 

Just as he touched the teapot handle, Lang Sa took it from him.

 

Lang Sa gently pushed Xie Zhiqing’s back and nodded towards Xie Zhiqing’s brother, indicating that Xie Zhiqing should talk to his brother while he took care of the tea.

 

Xie Zhiqing smiled shyly and touched Lang Sa’s hand lightly. He winked and then jogged back to his brother’s side.

 

Lang Sa shook his head with a smile and settled into a corner, quietly making tea for the young prince.

 

It was somewhat surprising that a military man like Lang Sa actually had quite a skill in tea-making.

 

Xie Zhiqing was busy talking with his brother and didn’t pay much attention to what was happening with Lang Sa. However, Xie Zhiqing’s brother was more observant.

 

He nudged his younger brother’s hand, subtly signaling him to look over.

 

Xie Zhiqing glanced and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? Is there a problem?”

 

“General Lang doesn’t seem like the type to take leisure in tea.” Xie Zhiqing’s brother laughed, “Could it be… that he learned it specially because he married you?”

 

“Brother!” Xie Zhiqing’s face turned bright red, “What are you saying!”

 

“Shh—” Xie Zhiqing’s brother whispered, “Keep your voice down. He might hear you.”

 

Xie Zhiqing shook his brother’s shoulder in frustration, “Ah, ah, ah, ah!”

 

Xie Zhiqing’s brother covered his mouth, laughing. He took his younger brother’s arm and coaxed him to bend down, saying, “Xiao Qing’er, I think you and Lang Sa seem to have a good relationship.”

 

Xie Zhiqing stopped and sat down awkwardly. He looked up at Lang Sa, who was also looking back at him.

 

Xie Zhiqing quickly averted his gaze, clearly trying too hard. From the corner of his eye, he saw Lang Sa smiling and then lowering his head to tend to the teapot.

 

Looking closer, Xie Zhiqing noticed a small teacup in front of Lang Sa—clearly meant for someone.

 

Xie Zhiqing lowered his head, his face flushed all the way to his neck. He mumbled, “I’m not sure if it counts as a good relationship, but…”

 

He scratched his face, feeling embarrassed, “Even though Lang Sa and I just met, I find it very easy to be with him.”

 

He glanced at Xie Zhiqing’s brother, then shyly lowered his head again.

 

Over the years, Xie Zhiqing had grown up with his brother, and there were almost no secrets between them—there was nothing he was hiding from Xie Zhiqing’s brother. But now…

 

He felt somewhat bashful when talking about Lang Sa with his brother.

 

Xie Zhiqing’s brother, being very perceptive, immediately understood his younger brother’s feelings. He nudged Xie Zhiqing’s shoulder and said, “That’s good. If you two have a good relationship, I’m relieved. As soon as you both came in, the atmosphere was different! I can’t really describe it, but it just seemed very harmonious!”

 

Xie Zhiqing pushed his brother’s face away and said softly, “Oh, stop it, Brother…”

 

Seeing that his younger brother’s marriage was going well, Xie Zhiqing’s brother was very pleased. He wanted to chat more with his younger brother but didn’t want to take up too much of their precious time together, so he soon feigned a health issue and playfully urged them to leave.

 

Lang Sa didn’t probe further and was content not to delve into the siblings’ little secrets. He remained quiet and respectful.

 

Xie Zhiqing, however, was deep in thought throughout their way back.

 

He kept pondering what his brother had said.

 

He mentioned… he mentioned that the atmosphere between Xie Zhiqing and Lang Sa was very harmonious.

 

Though Xie Zhiqing didn’t fully understand what a harmonious atmosphere was, he could somewhat sense Lang Sa’s genuine feelings.

 

He stopped and tugged at Lang Sa’s sleeve.

 

“Hm?” Lang Sa turned around, his handsome face showing a hint of curiosity, “What’s up?”

 

“Lang Sa, I want to ask…” Xie Zhiqing puffed out his cheeks and began slowly, “Why did you marry me?”

 

Lang Sa wondered why Xie Zhiqing suddenly asked this. He answered patiently, “Didn’t I say before? Because… because…”

 

Lang Sa couldn’t easily articulate his feelings of love, so he simply said, “Because I like you…”

 

Xie Zhiqing looked up at him with an unclear expression, finding it hard to determine if he was satisfied with the answer. However, his eyes were bright, and the warmth in his gaze was undeniably radiant.

 

“But, but… we didn’t know each other before, so how could you… how could you like me…” Xie Zhiqing asked quietly.

 

The young prince was shy and would blush even when his brother teased him, but now he asked these earnest questions with an open heart.

 

Lang Sa pressed his chest, feeling a warm sensation.

 

“Ah, you.” Lang Sa said, reaching out to flick Xie Zhiqing’s forehead. He looked at Xie Zhiqing with undeniable affection.

 

“I knew you wouldn’t remember,” Lang Sa said with a smile, “How could we not know each other? I saw you when you were four years old.”