LC chapter 20

 

Based on Lin Ruan’s experience, Zhan Xi must be angry.

The troupe master invited them to a private room. Zhan Xi sat on a chair wearing a light-colored, long robe, looking like an elegant young gentleman. Shi Ning stood by his side while the troupe master served tea. Lin Ruan and Meng Zhen tried to stand in the corner.

They actually looked quite disheveled after all, they had just fought, and Meng Zhen’s mouth was still bruised blue.

Soon, another young man walked in. He wore a sky-blue, standing-collar robe embroidered with pine needles. He had a quiet temperament and delicate features. He was Song Shuangqi, the mainstay of Zhexian Tower.

He cupped his hands slightly before Zhan Xi and said, “It’s an honor to perform with the Third Master.”

Zhan Xi put down his teacup. “You’re welcome.”

Lin Ruan lowered his head. This was originally a very good play, but he had ruined it.

Zhan Xi said, “The child was unaware and ruined the play. I will apologize to both of you on his behalf.”

The troupe master quickly replied, “I dare not accept.”

Zhan Xi glanced at Lin Ruan. Lin Ruan stepped forward and bowed deeply to the troupe master and Song Shuangqi.

“It was my reckless audacity that caused trouble in the theater and ruined the play. I apologize to both of you.”

The troupe master hesitated, unwilling to accept, but Song Shuangqi calmly accepted Lin Ruan’s apology.

Zhan Xi waved his hand, and Lin Ruan stepped back. Meng Zhen glanced at him, but neither of them dared to speak.

“I will compensate for all the damages in the theater,” Zhan Xi said. “As for the guests who were frightened, tomorrow I will rent Zhexian Tower and invite them to watch another performance. It won’t damage Zhexian Tower’s reputation.”

Zhan Xi looked at Song Shuangqi. “This performance is a pity. Since you don’t hold it against us, Boss Song, I will remember this favor.”

One favor from Zhan Xi was worth more than gold and silver combined. Song Shuangqi’s expression softened slightly, and he said politely, “Third Master, you’re too kind.”

They exchanged a few more polite words. Zhan Xi got up to leave. As he stood up, he glanced at Lin Ruan, who hurried to follow him.

Meng Zhen walked last. He called out to Song Shuangqi, took a small box out of his bag, and said, “This is something my cousin, Bai Zhenzhu, gave you.”

Everything started because of this jewelry box.

When he heard Bai Zhenzhu’s name, Song Shuangqi’s expression darkened, showing neither dislike nor fondness.

He opened the box and glanced inside, his voice calm. “This ring was given to her by Young Master Qian, right?”

“How do you know?”

Song Shuangqi closed the box. “This is my territory. I know everything that happens here.”

It seemed that Song Shuangqi knew the whole story about Young Master Qian fighting with them.

“Take it back,” Song Shuangqi said. “Tell her not to give me anything again. I don’t want it.”

Meanwhile, Lin Ruan followed Zhan Xi and Shi Ning into the car. Shi Ning drove with Zhan Xi and Lin Ruan in the backseat.

Zhan Xi’s voice was deep. “Then tell me everything about this from beginning to end.”

Lin Ruan didn’t dare hide anything and explained everything, including how he climbed over the wall from the backyard. Zhan Xi frowned at him.

Lin Ruan’s voice grew lower. “They said no ticket, no entry.”

Zhan Xi closed his eyes, clearly not wanting to respond.

Shi Ning glanced at Zhan Xi through the rearview mirror and said softly, “That was a bribe. You give him some money, and he lets you in.”

“…” Lin Ruan said, “Oh.”

The sky had fully darkened, and multicolored neon lights lined the roadside. After Lin Ruan finished explaining, an awkward silence fell over the car.

Zhan Xi kept his eyes closed and remained silent, and Lin Ruan did not dare to speak. After a while, the car arrived at the Lan residence.

Zhan Xi went straight upstairs, with Lin Ruan following closely behind. Tong Bo emerged from behind them. The two had already gone upstairs when Shi Ning entered the house. Tong Bo asked, “What happened?”

Shi Ning pointed at Lin Ruan. “He caused trouble.”

Tong Bo stood downstairs looking up, but Zhan Xi had already closed the door.

Zhan Xi took off his cloak and threw it on the sofa, then walked into the bedroom. When he came out, he held a disciplinary ruler in his hand.

As soon as Lin Ruan saw the ruler, his back ached instantly. It had not been used in years. Lin Ruan had deliberately placed it at the back of the cabinet and was unaware that Zhan Xi had taken it.

Zhan Xi looked at him, and Lin Ruan immediately knelt before him.

Zhan Xi’s voice was deep. “If I weren’t here today, how would you have resolved this matter?”

Lin Ruan lowered his head, unable to speak. If he could have resolved it, things wouldn’t have escalated so much. One never knows how serious the trouble they cause will be.

“Twenty strokes. Do you think that’s fair?”

Lin Ruan lowered his head. “Fair.”

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Zhan Xi’s ruler fell on Lin Ruan’s back. Lin Ruan flinched, the struck area burned.

Tong Bo stood quietly at the second-floor doorway, listening. When he heard movement, he knocked on the door quickly.

He pushed the door open and looked at the two inside. “The master just returned. Would you like something to eat?”

Zhan Xi stopped moving, still angry, but he calmed down when Tong Bo reminded him.

“No need.”

Tong Bo nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

Zhan Xi tossed the ruler beside Lin Ruan and forced himself to control his temper. “Go face the wall.”

Lin Ruan obeyed, going to the wall and kneeling with an upright upper body, neither sitting back on his heels nor leaning for support. Kneeling like this, his knees would soon ache and his back and waist would grow sore.

Lin Ruan looked at the pure white wall, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply.

He remained kneeling until late at night. Zhan Xi did not rest, he worked in the study under the light of the desk lamp, which shone like a source of warmth on a cold night.

Tong Bo came by with a late-night snack for Zhan Xi, essentially reminding him that it was late and time to rest.

Zhan Xi saw him out and turned to find Lin Ruan still kneeling by the wall, body straight, clearly not slacking off.

Zhan Xi entered the bedroom, his voice calm. “Come in with me.”

Lin Ruan breathed a sigh of relief, held the wall to stand up, took the ruler, and followed Zhan Xi into the bedroom.

Zhan Xi stood in front of the dressing mirror and unbuttoned his long robe. After a day of rushing around, his hair was slightly messy, adding to his decadent beauty.

Lin Ruan remained kneeling on the carpet. Zhan Xi took off his robe and took the ruler from Lin Ruan. He sat on the edge of the bed.

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Zhan Xi asked.

“You shouldn’t have caused trouble in someone else’s theater.” It had been a long time since Lin Ruan had spoken, and his voice was still hoarse.

“Anything else?”

Lin Ruan braced himself. “I should prepare first before doing something.”

This answer seemed unsatisfactory to Zhan Xi. The ruler fell with a “crack” on Lin Ruan’s arm, not hard, just a warning.

“Think again,” Zhan Xi said.

Lin Ruan defended himself. “I didn’t expect it to turn out this way. I thought it was just a small matter of giving a gift.”

“But you didn’t handle even a small matter properly.” Zhan Xi’s deep voice accompanied another strike from the ruler.

“Lin Ruan,” Zhan Xi said. “It doesn’t matter if you mess things up or cause trouble. The important thing is whether you can resolve it yourself. Can you resolve today’s situation?”

Lin Ruan could not.

“You might think it was just a coincidence that there was a Young Master Qian who happened to have a grudge against Meng Zhen. Without these coincidences, things wouldn’t have escalated like that.” Zhan Xi continued, “But the fact remains, people must take responsibility for the outcomes of their actions.”

Lin Ruan lowered his head, clutching his clothes tightly.

“I…I remember.” His voice was hoarse.

Zhan Xi’s expression softened. He put down the ruler. “Take off your clothes.”

Lin Ruan obeyed immediately, taking off his clothes piece by piece. He had been injured in the fight with Young Master Qian’s group, his lower back was bruised and had turned a purplish-blue, which was quite alarming. Zhan Xi’s few strikes left only red marks.

After taking off his shirt, Lin Ruan hesitated about removing his pants. Zhan Xi remained silent, so he continued.

Soon, Lin Ruan was completely naked.

His skin was fair, showing the healthy color of someone raised in luxury. His body was perfectly proportioned, what the old courtesan circles called “beautiful bones,” covered with just the right amount of flesh—any more or less would not be perfect.

Zhan Xi reached out and touched Lin Ruan’s shoulders and neck with his slightly cool fingertips, causing him to tense up instinctively.

Zhan Xi’s hand moved down along the spine, the smooth curve dipping at the waist like a captivating story. Zhan Xi pressed his palm on the wound on Lin Ruan’s lower back. With slight force, Lin Ruan shivered.

“You need to learn your lesson.”

Zhan Xi bent down, lifted Lin Ruan, and let him rest on his shoulder. Lin Ruan did not resist or show the slightest bit of embarrassment. This did not mean he understood the erotic implications; he was just following Zhan Xi’s instructions.

The bathtub in the bathroom was already filled with hot water. Zhan Xi placed Lin Ruan in it, and the hot water immediately covered his whole body.

Lin Ruan turned and knelt in the bathtub, splashing as he lifted water. Amid the rising steam, he looked up at Zhan Xi.

Zhan Xi saw this as an act of devotion, as if he were offering himself. In reality, Lin Ruan understood nothing.

Zhan Xi left.

Lin Ruan exhaled deeply as he lay in the water, letting the hot water cleanse every pore of his skin.

That night, Lin Ruan and Zhan Xi slept together. By the time Zhan Xi applied the medicine, Lin Ruan was too tired to keep his eyes open. Zhan Xi also examined his knees, which were bruised from kneeling for so long and would take a few days to heal.

The next day, Lin Ruan went to school as usual. His knees ached with every movement. Before leaving, Tong Bo lectured Lin Ruan at length, unaware of the trouble he had caused. Tong Bo repeated old admonitions.

Zhan Xi ate breakfast nearby without glancing at Lin Ruan.

At school, they ran into Meng Zhen, whose eyes were darkly bruised and who was walking awkwardly. Lin Ruan asked, “How are you?”

“Fine,” Meng Zhen replied lightly. “Just got thirty or so strokes with a rattan cane.”

Meng Zhen sat down and inhaled sharply. Lin Ruan looked at him. He waved his hand and asked, “And you?”

“Kneeling for several hours,” Lin Ruan replied.

Meng Zhen nodded in understanding. “Old-fashioned.”

 

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Acargoreng: Zhan Xi: living in the Republic era physically, palace era mentally 😅