Chapter 310 Can You?

Chapter 310: Would You?

Cheng Ge slept soundly, not stirring until dusk when Lü Rou came in to call him for dinner.

He groggily poked his head out from under the blanket, his hair a total mess, looking like a groundhog popping out of its hole.

He snuck a glance around first, then lowered his voice and asked Lü Rou, "Um... where's Cui Ji? What's he doing?"

Lü Rou was taken aback by his furtive demeanor and answered honestly, "The general? The general hasn't returned yet. Did you need him for something, young master?"

"Not back? Oh... nothing, nothing! Great!" The moment Cheng Ge heard that, it was like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He heaved a long sigh of relief and perked right up.

He scrambled off the bed in a flash: "Food! Food! I'm starving!"

With his mood relaxed, his appetite naturally improved, and Cheng Ge really enjoyed this meal.

However, after eating his fill, a bigger headache popped up—he still had to share the bed with Cui Ji that night.

Just thinking about it made Cheng Ge's stomach tie itself in knots over the food he'd just eaten.

That brief but earth-shattering kiss from the afternoon was now replaying in his mind in crystal-clear detail. How... how was he supposed to share a bed with him tonight?

Face to face? Back to back? Every position seemed awkward enough to make him want to dig a castle with his toes.

"No, no..." Cheng Ge rubbed his chin, his eyes darting around. "I need to find a way to dodge this."

Then it hit him: "Oh! I'll go sleep in the bunk room! With all those brothers around, it's way better than facing Cui Ji alone!"

And so he did. Cheng Ge grabbed his pillow and marched off to the soldiers' bunk tent, full of determination.

But he'd barely been gone a minute before he grabbed his pillow and slunk back into the main tent.

Enduring hardship was all well and good, but passing up comfort when it was right there was just plain wasteful.

Back in front of that big, comfy bed, Cheng Ge was stumped again.

Just sleeping there? That was a bit awkward. Going back to the bunk room? No way!

His eyes darted around, and then a plan hit him. He waved Lü Rou over and whispered something in her ear.

Lü Rou looked a bit surprised, but she nodded and went off to take care of it.

As the night wore on, Cui Ji finished up his military duties and returned to the tent when the moon was already high.

Only a dim oil lamp was still burning inside. He walked straight to the bed but stopped short at the edge.

In the faint lamplight, he keenly sensed that something under the blanket seemed to be... moving?

Cui Ji leaned in slightly and gently lifted a corner of the blanket. The next second, he was staring into a pair of big, round eyes.

Cui Ji: "..."

There, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was a baby.

Its little mouth was smacking, as if drawn to the sudden light and the figure before it.

It wasn't crying or fussing—just staring at him with those big, innocent eyes.

Seeing Cui Ji approach, the baby suddenly grinned, showing off its pink, toothless gums.

It flashed him a gummy smile, its tiny hands flailing in the air, letting out soft little "ah-goo" sounds.

Cui Ji looked at this unexpected bedmate, stunned for a moment.

Then a flicker of understanding crossed his eyes, and he quickly recovered. He couldn't help but let out a very soft chuckle.

The moment that laugh faded, the back facing him—the one pretending to be asleep—stiffened almost imperceptibly.

The amusement in Cui Ji's eyes deepened, but he didn't call him out.

He bent down and, with the utmost care, moved the babbling baby further toward the inside of the bed.

Only then did he slowly climb into bed, lie down in his spot, and pull the blanket over himself.

The baby was clearly wide awake, sucking its wet fingers.

Its big, dark eyes curiously studied this tall new companion beside it.

Then it turned to look at the little lump of a person buried motionless under the blanket, quietly amusing itself.

Cui Ji turned on his side, facing Cheng Ge's back and the little baby.

He didn't rush to expose the one who was pretending to sleep. Instead, he took a jade pendant from his chest and dangled it in front of the baby, swaying it gently and rhythmically.

The pendant shimmered softly in the dim lamplight, instantly capturing the little one's full attention.

It stopped chewing its fingers, widened its eyes, and waved its little hands, trying to grab at the swaying light, letting out giggles.

Under the blanket, Cheng Ge's ears were pricked, listening to what was going on outside.

He blinked and muttered to himself, This little rascal, not sleeping at night—what's he giggling about?

Doesn't even have a single tooth, and he's not afraid of catching a chill from the night air. He'll be crying when his belly hurts—then we'll see if he's still laughing.

After a long while, the swaying of the pendant and the baby's giggles gradually died down.

The tent fell quiet again, leaving only the sound of steady breathing.

Cheng Ge closed his eyes, warm and cozy under the covers. His guard dropped, and he nearly dozed off for real.

But just as he was starting to doze off, a faint, weird, indescribable smell slowly crept into his nostrils.

At first, the smell was faint. Cheng Ge wrinkled his nose but didn't think much of it.

But as time passed, the smell didn't go away—it got stronger, spreading through the not-so-roomy bed.

Cheng Ge was completely buried under the blanket, so the smell had nowhere to go, building up into a thick, overwhelming presence.

Wave after wave, like a physical attack, it slammed hard against his sense of smell.

Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. If he kept smelling it, he felt like he might become the first person in history to be knocked out by "poison gas" on a general's bed.

He yanked the blanket off his head in one swift motion, like a drowning man gasping for air, tilting his head back and gulping in huge breaths, his chest heaving.

Fresh air flooded his lungs. Once he'd caught his breath, he frowned.

His suspicious gaze swept around like a searchlight before locking right onto the little one still playing with the jade pendant, looking completely innocent.

Cheng Ge pinched his nose and demanded in a muffled voice, "Hey! Was it you... was it you who just farted?!"

The little guy naturally didn't understand the accusation, just staring back at him with big, glossy dark eyes, even cracking a toothless grin.

Cheng Ge edged closer, suspicious, hunting for evidence.

As he leaned in, under the dim light, he was startled to see something below the swaddle.

After a moment, Cheng Ge pinched his nose and pointed from a safe distance at the golden "trophy" in the swaddle.

Then he turned to Cui Ji, who had been silent the whole time, his voice tinged with despair.

"This... this looks like... he's pooped... do you... do you know what to do?"

Cui Ji's gaze followed his finger for a brief glance, his face expressionless.

He shook his head very honestly and replied succinctly, "No."

He even fired back, looking up at Cheng Ge and asking flatly, "You don't?"