After Sheng Jun Chapter 21 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 21 It Was Him (part 2)
Spending two spirit stones to board the painted pleasure boat, waves of fragrant air greeted them immediately.
Crystal curtains hung from the doorways, and translucent gauze screens danced in the breeze. The clear, pleasing sound of a zither drifted from behind layered screens, while people in brocade and fine clothing brushed past them along the way.
Jiang Xingzhi, carrying an armful of snacks and flowers, moved sideways to avoid other tourists. As the music reached his ears, he instinctively sighed, "Finally, I'll get to see a complete dance and recitation..."
His words suddenly halted.
In a similar scene, a familiar conversation suddenly floated into his mind:
"Why are you here again?"
"Hmph, it's none of your business."
"Coming here every few days, have you fallen for some pretty girl's dancing?"
"Yes, and I've also fallen for a certain handsome young man's poetry recitation."
"Jiang Xingzhi! You really are—"
…..
Crash! The snacks in his hand scattered across the floor. Jiang Xingzhi's eyes widened as he grabbed Zhong Ming, who was walking ahead. "You...!"
He pulled with such force that Zhong Ming was yanked around abruptly.
The two collided with a "thump," and bunches of roses were crushed between their chests, petals scattering all over them. Zhong Ming's heart pounded wildly as he instinctively steadied the other man by the waist, holding him securely.
The person in his arms looked up, his gaze anxious and urgent.
A delicate rose petal fell onto his slightly parted lips, looking like it was waiting to be plucked.
Zhong Ming's hand tightened around the other's waist, his lowered eyelashes concealing the turbulent emotions in his eyes.
Jiang Xingzhi didn't notice their posture, his mind completely occupied by the old memory that had suddenly rushed into his mind. "You, what you just said….why did you say that?"
"What did I say?"
His gaze carefully scanned Zhong Ming's features, not missing a single expression. "You said I came to watch which pretty girl dances, or which handsome young man recites poetry."
Thump—Zhong Ming's heart skipped a beat as he finally realized.
He inwardly felt annoyed at having spoken so carelessly.
Taking slower breaths, Zhong Ming tried to appear as natural as possible. "Aren't these just the common performances on pleasure boats? What else did you want to see, street performers with dragon dances?"
"..." Jiang Xingzhi was momentarily speechless.
Before he could say anything else, several tourists walked by. They looked at the two embracing in the corridor and lightly coughed, "Excuse us, could you make way?"
Zhong Ming glanced sideways, and turned while still holding Jiang Xingzhi's waist, making room for them to pass. "Sorry."
The group hurried past while Jiang Xingzhi remained in a daze.
A voice came from above his head, "Jiang Xingzhi, do you remember what my feelings are toward you?"
He looked up and met those deep eyes. Zhong Ming was leaning against the corridor wall, a beam of light falling on his head, his eyes like a drowning ocean.
With the rich fragrance of roses surrounding his nose and a cool petal sliding down his neck, Jiang Xingzhi's heated mind finally cooled down as he suddenly came to his senses.
He quickly released Zhong Ming and stepped back.
He had almost forgotten! Bai Mu had those kinds of feelings for him.
Jiang Xingzhi pressed a hand to his startled heart. Then he definitely had nothing to do with Xu Jian.
****
Exiting the corridor, the view suddenly opened up before them.
In the center of the painted boat was a dance floor. Beyond the carved railings, dancers in bright red costumes flew like startled magpies, their water sleeves floating like ripples on water.
Jiang Xingzhi glanced hesitantly at Zhong Ming twice. "Were you really just speaking casually earlier?"
Zhong Ming looked straight ahead, lifting his chin slightly forward.
Following his gesture, Jiang Xingzhi saw pretty girls dancing on the floor, and handsome young men reciting poetry in the second-floor seats.
...Indeed, all pleasure boats were more or less the same.
Jiang Xingzhi sighed in relief, though his heart felt somewhat empty after settling down. He knew his momentary thought had been absurd, but he didn't know what kind of expectation he had been harboring.
Perhaps it was because he often glimpsed similarities between Bai Mu and Xu Jian, and over time had developed a psychological suggestion.
This wasn't good, especially since Bai Mu had feelings for him. He needed to clarify things quickly.
Just as he was thinking this, the person beside him spoke, "Didn't you say you wanted to watch the dance? Why aren't you watching properly?"
Jiang Xingzhi refocused his attention. "I am watching. It's so beautiful I lost myself."
Zhong Ming glanced at him. The remnants of red roses framed that profile, creating a visual impact of both elegance and sensuality that made it almost impossible to look away.
Looking back at the dance floor, Zhong Ming said in a flat tone, "Is that so? I find it ordinary."
Jiang Xingzhi had also lost interest in watching the performance. He pointed to the corridor visible through the carved windows. "Then let's not watch anymore. Let's go there for some fresh air."
To clear his muddled mind.
Zhong Ming's eyes flickered. "Mm."
Leaving the painted boat, there was a corridor along the side.
Red lanterns hung every few steps outside the corridor. The sky was dim, and light and shadow alternated beneath their feet.
Few people came here, making it rather quiet. Jiang Xingzhi stopped and turned to Zhong Ming, clearing his throat. "Bai Mu, I have something to tell you."
Zhong Ming stopped, seemingly sensing something.
Outside the boat was the sparkling river, its surface reflecting dots of light, while the crowds on the riverbank blurred in the fading light. Jiang Xingzhi's face in the waning lamplight was like warm jade, drawing one's gaze.
"What is it?"
Jiang Xingzhi organized his thoughts before speaking, "It's fine if you want to spend more time with me, but I can't waste your feelings."
"..." A voice squeezed through gritted teeth, "Waste?"
Jiang Xingzhi tried to keep his tone as gentle as a spring breeze, to prevent the other's heart from withering like autumn grass. "I already have someone I like. If I don't make this clear with you, enjoying your kindness while giving you false hope only to break it—wouldn't that be wasting your feelings?"
Zhong Ming's fingers at his side clenched until they turned white. "I don't think it's a waste."
Jiang Xingzhi was deeply distressed: How could such a good person insist on running into a wall?
He advised, "Why not recycle your emotions and invest them in another relationship?"
The other held his breath, and after a long moment, a self-mocking laugh slipped from his lips. "You like him that much?"
Seeing that gentle persuasion wasn't working, Jiang Xingzhi decided to be direct. "Yes, I dream about him constantly. I think about kissing him, embracing him, doing this and that every day!"
Zhong Ming's breath trembled.
Jiang Xingzhi pressed on, "I even left him a romantic confession before... leaving, along with a huge fortune enough for him to live worry-free for the rest of his life!"
Buzz! Zhong Ming's mind rang as if a string had snapped.
Scenes from before and after Jiang Xingzhi's tribulation replayed before his eyes.
From their whispered conversation on the Mystic Platform, to hearing Lin He say he needed to collect an ascension insurance payout, to Jiang Xingzhi's various reactions to "the sword cultivator" after rebirth... everything matched up.
Zhong Ming closed his eyes briefly, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.
Well well, he finally knew which bastard Jiang Xingzhi liked.