After The Soft And Cute Beauty Marries The Wolf King - Chapter 80

Xie Zhiqing let out a soft “ah” in confusion, saying, “Four years old? We met? I don’t remember…”

Lang Sa replied, “I certainly can’t remember what I was doing at four, so it’s normal if you don’t.”

“Then tell me,” Xie Zhiqing prodded his shoulder. “But you can’t make things up just because I don’t remember.”

“I wouldn’t make things up. I’m just afraid that some people might be too embarrassed to admit their shameful childhood stories.”

Xie Zhiqing stubbornly said, “Just tell me!”

Lang Sa crossed his arms and smiled, “Alright, do you remember when you secretly sat in Xie Zhiqing’s wheelchair when you were little and ended up falling?”

Xie Zhiqing: “…”

His eyes widened, his face was a mix of shame and urgency, looking as if he wanted to argue but didn’t know how.

“Um, well…” Xie Zhiqing stammered, “It did happen, but!”

Lang Sa looked at him quietly: “But what? You fell and cut your hand, and your clothes got torn. Someone took you to get medicine, and you cried all the way behind them. Wasn’t that how it went?”

“Ah!” Xie Zhiqing suddenly realized, “It was you!”

Indeed, it happened like that. Xie Zhiqing couldn’t remember the exact details. He was curious about his brother’s wheelchair, so one afternoon, while his brother was napping, he sneaked out with the wheelchair and sat in it.

He clumsily tried to control the wheelchair—of course, it was expected that a four-year-old couldn’t manage it. The wheelchair tipped over, trapping him underneath.

The little prince was quite resilient and managed to push the wheelchair off himself and climb up.

He sat there for a while, feeling confused and stunned. The pain only registered in his mind after some time.

He looked at his chubby hand, where a small cut had formed, dirty with dust and small stones.

Xie Zhiqing’s eyes welled up with tears. He touched the cut, trying to brush off the dust, which only made him wince in pain.

He tried to stand up but found he couldn’t muster the strength. When he sneaked out with the wheelchair, he had deliberately sent away the servants, so now no one was around to help him.

Wiping his tears made his dirty hands smear his face further. He struggled to get up using the wheelchair, his eyes full of tears, trying to make his way back to his quarters.

At that moment, someone behind him said in confusion, “Hey.”

Xie Zhiqing awkwardly turned around, looking up at the person.

At that time, he was too young to remember the person’s identity or appearance, only recalling that when he saw an older boy, he burst into tears.

“Later, you hugged my leg, smearing snot and tears all over my pants,” Lang Sa vividly described the scene, “I couldn’t stand it, so I helped you lift the wheelchair, put you back in it, and pushed you all the way back to your quarters.”

Xie Zhiqing: “…”

He weakly defended, “That part is true, but the rest, the rest must be made up…”

Lang Sa didn’t respond, just smiling as he looked at him.

At his words, Xie Zhiqing indeed started to recall.

…There was such an event. After being taken back to his quarters by that person, he cried all over his brother Xie Zhiqing.

Lang Sa continued revealing his past teasingly, “Do you remember now? Should I help you recall more? At that time, I even helped you apply medicine. You sat in the wheelchair, crying and kicking your legs.”

He held up his thumb and index finger, showing about an inch long, and said, “That’s how long your legs were back then.”

Xie Zhiqing angrily said, “No way!”

“Okay, okay,” Lang Sa exaggerated a bit more, “This long, this long, is that long enough?”

“You! You!” Xie Zhiqing was so annoyed he bumped his head against Lang Sa’s, “You’re too annoying!”

Lang Sa laughed heartily, “Short legs!”

He didn’t dare tease too much and quickly held Xie Zhiqing in his arms before he got too angry. He gently kissed Xie Zhiqing’s hair and then started speaking earnestly about the past.

“At that time, my father and I entered the palace. I was wandering around and happened to see you being crushed by the wheelchair in the back garden,” Lang Sa said seriously, “I was used to carrying medicine, so I helped you apply some. I didn’t intend to take you back, but then you said you had sneaked out and didn’t want others to know. Otherwise, the emperor might blame the servants.”

Xie Zhiqing rubbed his face, “Ah… I was so sensible when I was four?”

“…” Lang Sa chuckled, “Saying such things at four was sensible, but now at your age saying you were sensible at four is…”

Xie Zhiqing poked him again.

The two continued their journey back to the mansion. Lang Sa chatted a lot along the way.

“At that time, I was also quite young, just ten years old, knowing nothing, only that you were a child in the palace. Later, as I grew older, I realized you must be the emperor’s youngest son.”

Lang Sa couldn’t help but laugh again, “Actually, we met many times after that, but you never remembered. For example, two years ago when I returned from the north, we also met at the palace gate.”

He looked at Xie Zhiqing and raised an eyebrow, “Do you recall? At that time, you were pushing Xie Zhiqing and watching the excitement at the palace gate.”

“Oh! It was you!” Xie Zhiqing remembered.

That time was the Crown Prince’s birthday. Xie Zhiqing wanted to secretly prepare a gift, so he took Xie Zhiqing out of the palace to play.

After buying the gift, he heard that the national general was returning that day, so he persuaded Xie Zhiqing to stay out a few more hours.

Later, he squeezed in the crowd with Xie Zhiqing, stretching his neck to look outside.

Xie Zhiqing laughed at him, “Why do you want to see the general? Isn’t it more convenient to see him in the palace?”

Xie Zhiqing replied, “I’m not like you and the Crown Prince. I don’t understand court matters. Just seeing the excitement is enough. Oh no! He’s leaving!”

Distracted by talking to Xie Zhiqing, he missed seeing the general’s face clearly.

So, it became another one-sided “meeting.”

There were many similar occurrences, and Lang Sa laughed while recalling them, “It’s strange, we always missed each other. Later, I even specially went to the palace to find you a few times—”

He pointed at Xie Zhiqing’s head, “But every time, you were out playing, and I was always empty-handed!”

“…” Xie Zhiqing pouted, saying, “No one told me!”

Lang Sa smiled and pulled him closer, “Alright, it’s my fault for not notifying you in advance.”

Xie Zhiqing squinted, smiling shyly.

Lang Sa spoke a lot, and Xie Zhiqing soon forgot the question he had asked. He found the stories he hadn’t thought about before very interesting.

He felt both curious and a bit regretful. He seemed to have missed out on a lot without realizing it, but…

Lang Sa held him close, his hands gently resting on his shoulders, the warmth not covered by clothing at all. Xie Zhiqing’s shoulders and heart felt warm.

At the same time, Lang Sa quietly answered the question in his heart.

Why did he like Xie Zhiqing? Lang Sa couldn’t explain it clearly, only vaguely remembering that his regret grew into anticipation with each missed encounter.

Until one day, he saw Xie Zhiqing’s back from afar.

Strangely, even the back of that person’s head seemed to exude happiness and warmth.

At that time, Lang Sa thought that when he returned from this war, he had to find a way to get closer to Xie Zhiqing.

Afterward, they didn’t continue discussing this topic.

The two chatted and walked slowly, and without realizing it, the sun was almost setting.

The sunset stretched their shadows long.

Their shadows on the ground made the height difference more pronounced.

Xie Zhiqing, feeling competitive, jogged a few steps ahead, stepping on Lang Sa’s shadow, then turned around and made a face at him.

As they continued walking, he noticed that the distance between them cleverly joined their shadows together, creating a hand-holding image.

Xie Zhiqing slightly opened his mouth, staring at the two shadows on the ground, his ears turning red.

Lang Sa quickened his pace to come beside him, his broad palm firmly holding Xie Zhiqing’s hand.

“Let’s go,” Lang Sa whispered, “home.”

Xie Zhiqing’s gaze moved slowly from their intertwined hands to Lang Sa’s face. He bit his lip, his cheeks slightly flushed, and his tone carried a hint of sweetness.

“Mm, let’s go home!”