After Sheng Jun Chapter 47 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 47 Completely Unaware (part 1)
The body buried in his embrace was warm and carried the scent of alcohol. A pair of arms clung dependently around his waist, and Zhong Ming's heart nearly began pounding like a drum in an instant. He lowered his head to examine the person in his arms—
Jiang Xingzhi's eyes were lightly closed, as if he were too drunk to distinguish who was in front of him.
But who else could it be besides himself? Zhong Ming thought. His Deng Deng must have mistaken him for "Xu Jian," otherwise he wouldn't have thrown himself into his arms like this.
But he was originally Xu Jian—they should be embracing like this.
With this thought, Zhong Ming felt perfectly at ease.
He bent down to lift the person horizontally into his arms, softly responding "alright," then carried Jiang Xingzhi and flew back to Kunlun.
…..
At the peak of Kunlun was their courtyard.
Zhong Ming expertly carried Jiang Xingzhi into the house and, like last time, placed him on the bed. Just as he was about to get up, the arms around his waist suddenly tightened, pulling him back down.
Bang! Zhong Ming braced his arms on either side of Jiang Xingzhi, looking down at the person beneath him. "Deng Deng?"
Jiang Xingzhi lay on his side on the bed, eyes still closed, looking completely befuddled with drunkenness. He reached out to hook onto Zhong Ming, not letting him leave. Sensing the increasingly erratic breathing above him, he added fuel to the fire by pulling the person even closer.
The sound of pounding heartbeats echoed in the dim, silent room.
A hoarse voice called his name, "...Xingzhi."
The other's pulling force wasn't strong, yet Zhong Ming seemed unable to resist, following that force as he leaned down. His gaze traveled along Jiang Xingzhi's flushed cheeks, moved to the expanse of exposed neck, and finally settled on those translucent red earlobes.
After a moment, he couldn't help but place a gentle kiss there.
Slightly dry lips mixed with burning breath pressed against the soft earlobe—just a light touch, yet it made Jiang Xingzhi, who was pretending to be drunk with closed eyes, suddenly shiver!
His entire face flushed red in an instant!
Fortunately, his face was already red, so the change wasn't very noticeable.
Damn! Jiang Xingzhi spent considerable effort restraining his impulse to spring up—Xu Jian, Xu Jian was truly shameless, actually secretly kissing his ear!
When he was drunk last time, this person probably did something similar.
His fingers gripping Zhong Ming's waist unconsciously tightened, and his eyelashes trembled. Soon, the hand he liked—the one with sword calluses—caressed his lips.
The rough fingertip pressed against his lips and rubbed gently.
Mmm...! Just when Jiang Xingzhi could barely resist opening his eyes, that hand suddenly withdrew.
"I'll let you off this time."
Zhong Ming straightened up, lifted Jiang Xingzhi's arms away, and carefully tucked him into the blankets. Dense emotions fermented in his chest—if he didn't brake in time, he might have kissed him.
But it would be better for their first kiss to happen when both were sober.
Zhong Ming began to regret again: this disguise was truly bothersome! He could probably only kiss his Deng Deng after he resumed his identity as "Xu Jian."
He looked down to see the person bundled in blankets showing only a bright red face, with the blanket tucked tightly under his neck.
His Deng Deng was truly adorable.
Zhong Ming stood by the bed watching him for a long while before saying "good night" and turning to leave the room.
Bang—the door closed.
As soon as the person left, Jiang Xingzhi immediately opened his eyes and let out a long breath: Whew...
The temperature on his face was alarmingly hot. He reached out from under the blankets to pinch his earlobe. It still seemed to retain the feeling of being gently kissed by thin lips, and Jiang Xingzhi gritted his teeth, cursing "shameless" in his heart.
In his belated embarrassment, he suddenly remembered the look Xu Jian had given his earlobe when they left the Great Sky Illusionary Realm.
Jiang Xingzhi suddenly understood: So he had been coveting his earlobes even then!
He flopped over on the bed with a "thump," wrapped himself in the blanket and closed his eyes—he really hadn't expected Xu Jian to be this kind of person!
****
The next day, Jiang Xingzhi got up.
After a night of psychological adjustment, he had accepted the reality that "the aloof object of his centuries-long secret crush was actually this man with superb acting skills and extremely thick skin standing before him."
Who told him to fall in love with him?
But the best love was tolerance and companionship. Since Xu Jian enjoyed wearing disguises and acting so much, he would naturally accompany him to the end.
Jiang Xingzhi got dressed and pushed open the door, just in time to meet the other lead actor in this charade.
As usual, Zhong Ming brought over hangover soup. Having just entered the courtyard gate and seeing that Jiang Xingzhi was awake, he immediately stepped forward and told him to drink the soup. "Does your head hurt?"
Jiang Xingzhi held the soup bowl and drank gulp by gulp. "A little."
"It'll get better after drinking this."
"Mm."
After Jiang Xingzhi finished drinking in a few gulps, Zhong Ming took the empty bowl and cleared his throat. "Do you remember what you did yesterday?"
Ha, here it comes. Jiang Xingzhi looked at him deeply: Let me see what you're going to say.
He asked, "What did I do?"
Zhong Ming spoke with a straight face, "You asked me to hold you."
"Cough!" Jiang Xingzhi suddenly choked.
What the hell—this was several times more ambiguous than what he had actually said! He had clearly said "carry me back," and while that was also somewhat... the meaning was different, okay?
Jiang Xingzhi denied it, "Impossible, you're lying to me."
Zhong Ming's expression remained unchanged. "If I'm lying, I'm a puppy." After saying this, he added with apparent seriousness, "You also actively burrowed into my arms. Did you mistake me for someone else?"
Jiang Xingzhi: Heh heh, starting to fish for information again.
He could see the hidden expectation in Zhong Ming's eyes, practically eager to serve as someone's substitute. It made him wonder in his heart whether Xu Jian's brain was broken.
Jiang Xingzhi deliberately didn't take the bait, asking instead, "Mistook you for whom?"
Zhong Ming, not hearing what he wanted to hear, pressed unwillingly, "Did you mistake me for your Xu Jian?"
Your. Xu. Jian.
Jiang Xingzhi almost lost his composure: Didn't Xu Jian feel ashamed saying these words himself?
Zhong Ming was still putting on an act, "Just tell me, I won't be hurt."
Jiang Xingzhi just quietly watched this person perform: Of course you won't be hurt—you'd be too busy laughing.
Seeing that this topic would go on endlessly, he stepped forward to close the distance between them, tilted his head up and asked softly, "Bai Mu, do you want me to mistake you for someone else?"
The performance suddenly stopped—Zhong Ming immediately held his breath. Jiang Xingzhi's face was right in front of his. With their eyes meeting, he could even see his own reflection in Jiang Xingzhi's amber eyes.
How should he answer this?
Zhong Ming held his breath for a moment, "How, how could that be."
Jiang Xingzhi said gently, "Then that's settled. Don't worry, I won't mistake you for anyone else. You are you—you are Bai Mu."
Zhong Ming choked up, "...Mm."
These words were correct.
And judging by the tone, it seemed he was no longer suspicious of his identity.
Especially that gentle voice, thread by thread, like a needle and thread sewing his disguise tight and secure—Zhong Ming felt he should be at ease, but why was his heart still pounding?