Chapter 53 Do You Still Want This?

Chapter 53: Do You Still Want This?

"Young Master Cheng, are you here to see the eldest young master?" The gatekeeper, a young servant, recognized Cheng Ge from his previous stay at the Lin residence.

"Yeah, is he around? I'd like to see him. Could you let him know I'm here?" Cheng Ge hugged the lacquered box and peered into the Lin estate.

The gatekeeper smiled. "Bad timing, Young Master Cheng. Our eldest young master just stepped out. Why don't you come in, have some tea, and wait?"

Everyone in the household knew that the eldest young master was on good terms with Young Master Cheng, so they made sure to treat him right.

"How long's he been out? When's he supposed to be back?" Cheng Ge glanced at the sky, hoping to get back to the prince's place for lunch.

The young servant wasn't sure either and could only give a rough estimate. "He's been out for a while. Usually, anyway, he should be back soon enough."

Cheng Ge nodded. "Okay, I'll just wait out here."

The Lin place was huge and twisty; he'd walk in and Lin Nanshu might walk right back out, so waiting out front was easier.

Seeing Cheng Ge was set on it, the servant didn't push and offered to grab a chair, but Cheng Ge declined.

Cheng Ge hugged the lacquered box, watching people go by, and got bored fast.

He leaned back against the stone lion by the gate, grabbed a longan from the box, peeled it, and popped it in his mouth.

No wonder the Lin family was the top clan in the Great Zhou—the daily stream of visitors was thicker than mosquitoes in the hills.

And every single one was decked out in fancy silks, clearly rich and important.

He then looked down at his own clothes and pouted.

As they say, clothes make the man, but a hot face makes the clothes. A stud could wear a potato sack and still be drop-dead gorgeous.

And someone as ridiculously handsome as him didn't need any external trappings to stand out. Just standing there, he was the hottest guy on the block.

Besides, being frugal and simple is a traditional Chinese virtue. People shouldn't obsess over looks but focus on inner stuff and promoting truth, goodness, and beauty.

Cheng Ge grabbed another longan and ate it, mentally brainwashing himself.

...

The sun was high up. Cheng Ge rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the stone lion's head, counting the fruit in the box one by one.

"One, two, three, four, five..."

Staring at the few remaining lychees, he swallowed and quietly started making excuses to himself.

"One lychee equals three flames of fire—eating too many will make you heaty, a dry throat and coughing. Yuli probably can't take it.

But I'm fine; I don't get heaty from them. I'll help him out by eating them. What a hero I am."

With that, he quickly popped all the remaining lychees into his mouth.

"Mmm... sweet, but the Guiwei kind is still a bit better.

Hiss... these longans are heaty too. Yuli probably can't have these either. I'll reluctantly help him out.

Uh... this grape looks a bit bruised, ruining the whole look. Guess I'll eat it too..."

Lin Nanshu came back from outside, stepping down from the carriage with a slight stoop.

As he got down, he noticed a few people glancing toward the stone lion at the gate.

Following their eyes, he saw a familiar figure.

There was Cheng Ge, lying on the stone lion, totally focused on spinning the ball in the lion's mouth, with the red lacquered box by his feet.

Lin Nanshu's lips curled up without him meaning to as he walked toward Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge was so into his game that he didn't notice Lin Nanshu coming.

It wasn't until Lin Nanshu stood right in front of him that he looked up suddenly, still with a grape in his mouth he hadn't swallowed yet.

"Yuli, you're back!" Cheng Ge's eyes lit up, his words muffled, cheeks puffed out like a hamster.

Lin Nanshu smiled at the sight and nodded. "Why didn't you go inside? Isn't it hot?"

He then pulled a clean handkerchief from his sleeve and carefully wiped the sweat from Cheng Ge's forehead.

Cheng Ge shook his head. "Not hot. It's fine for a man to get some sun."

Lin Nanshu didn't argue, subtly raising his sleeve to shield Cheng Ge from the sun. "Did Muyu come looking for me? Are you in some trouble?"

At the question, Cheng Ge immediately remembered his purpose.

"No... I came today to give you—" He bent down to grab the fruit box at his feet.

But just as his hand was about to touch it, his movement froze, as if struck still.

He slowly straightened up, looked up at the curious Lin Nanshu, and couldn't help licking his still-sweet lips.

Cheng Ge's toes curled involuntarily, and his hand unconsciously fidgeted with the ball in the lion's mouth, his eyes darting away.

He stammered, "Uh... well... I just haven't seen you in a while, so I thought I'd come by and see you."

Hearing this out of the blue, Lin Nanshu paused, looking at the man before him, unsure how to respond.

Cheng Ge felt his face burn—not from the sun, but from embarrassment. His hand gripped the ball tighter.

After a moment, Lin Nanshu came to his senses and asked softly, "Have you eaten yet?"

Cheng Ge shook his head, keeping his head down, not daring to meet Lin Nanshu's eyes. "Not yet... I was planning to eat back home."

Lin Nanshu's lips curved upward, his gaze tender as he tucked a stray strand of hair behind Cheng Ge's ear.

"Since you haven't eaten, why not stay for a meal? The cook just made your favorite jujube cake."

Cheng Ge's head shot up, his eyes shining brighter than Ultraman. "Really?"

Lin Nanshu chuckled at his expression. "I wouldn't lie to you."

Cheng Ge hesitated for two seconds, then sneaked a glance at Lin Nanshu.

"What's wrong?"

Cheng Ge rubbed his nose and held up the ball in his hand. "This thing fell out. Do you still want it?"

Lin Nanshu: "..."

In the end, Cheng Ge and Lin Nanshu struggled for a long time in front of the stone lion before finally managing to stuff the ball back in.

The two of them entered the mansion together, and Lin Nanshu led Cheng Ge to his own courtyard.

Along the way, Cheng Ge still felt a bit awkward inside and silently resolved.

If that Dog Emperor ever gave him something nice again, he wouldn't be so greedy next time.

Once they were in the courtyard, Lin Nanshu ordered the servants to prepare the meal, then guided Cheng Ge to sit in the pavilion.

The pavilion was near the pond, making it cooler and giving a nice view.

Cheng Ge sat by the edge, watching the koi fish swim back and forth in the pond.

Before long, a maid in lotus-colored clothes came up with a small tray.

“Young Master, the medicine you requested has arrived.”

Lin Nanshu hummed in acknowledgment, reaching out to take the small celadon porcelain bottle from the tray.

After confirming it was fine, he gently handed it to Cheng Ge and said, “This medicine is quite good. Put this on the scrape on your knee.”