RUHIP Chapter 013

While Lin Ye went shopping, he left the horse and carriage at the horse market. There were simply too many people that day, and pulling a carriage through the crowded streets would have been extremely inconvenient.

His first stop was a stall selling lanterns, where he bought several pairs in various sizes. The lanterns of this era were made from paper stretched over a bamboo frame. When not in use, pressing a certain wooden slat inside allowed the entire lantern to collapse for easy storage.

After that, Lin Ye went to buy Spring Festival couplets. Although Lin A’mo had forced him to practice calligraphy, he honestly couldn’t tell good handwriting from bad. So he simply followed the crowd, buying from whichever stalls everyone else seemed to favor.

As he passed a frail-looking scholar, however, a painting hanging behind the man’s stall caught his eye.

It was a landscape painting. Only a few light brushstrokes had been used, yet the piece possessed remarkable artistic depth and atmosphere.

Lin Ye might not understand calligraphy, but he knew a little about painting.

When he was young, he had often watched his grandfather paint. Many of his grandfather’s works had been presented to local officials, and some collectors had even paid to have them professionally mounted and preserved.

Because of that, Lin Ye had developed a modest appreciation for art. The moment he saw the ink landscape, he couldn’t help stopping.

“May I ask how much this painting costs?”

The scholar looked pale and exhausted.

Even when Lin Ye stopped to admire the painting, the man didn’t greet him. Instead, he kept his eyes lowered, concentrating on his calligraphy.

Only after hearing the question did he slowly raise his gaze. The instant their eyes met, Lin Ye caught a fleeting flash of sharpness in the scholar’s eyes.

It disappeared almost immediately.

But as a former psychologist, Lin Ye noticed it clearly.

“Hey, young master.”

“That painting isn’t for sale.”

“Don’t bother asking.”

“We’ve already tried.”

Several young men dressed like wealthy, idle playboys had been drifting closer ever since they noticed Lin Ye approach the stall. Hearing his question, one of them couldn’t help speaking up.

Lin Ye turned toward the speaker. The young man froze the moment he got a clear look at Lin Ye’s face.

His eyes widened in amazement.

“W-Wow…”

“He’s ridiculously handsome.”

At those words, the young man’s companions exchanged mischievous grins. Then they quickly surrounded Lin Ye.

Lin Ye looked at them in complete confusion. He honestly couldn’t understand what had gotten into them. The apparent leader of the group was about half a head shorter than Lin Ye. Yet that did absolutely nothing to stop him from openly staring at Lin Ye with undisguised desire.

Yes—There was no mistake about it. He was practically drooling over Lin Ye’s looks.

This young man was one of the city’s most notorious playboys. He had a well-known preference for men and had little interest in ge’er. Instead, he was particularly fond of handsome hanzi.

“Well, well… let’s have a look.”

“Where did this pretty young fellow come from?”

“How did you end up looking this handsome?”

As he spoke, he reached out to lift Lin Ye’s chin.

Lin Ye didn’t move. He was simply too confused by the situation to react immediately. Before the lecherous man’s hand could reach him, however, a folding fan suddenly appeared between them.

The man immediately turned toward the scholar and snarled, “Poor scholar, you always have to ruin my fun. Do you not want to live in Yue City anymore?”

The scholar lazily blinked, let out a yawn, and casually waved the fan in his hand. “Don’t cause trouble in front of my stall.”

The lecherous man’s name was Qi Zhou. He was the youngest son of the wealthy Qi family in Yue City and had been spoiled since birth.

Qi Zhou himself wasn’t bad-looking. He was simply a little short. He also had an odd habit of wearing flamboyant, unconventional clothing, which gave him a somewhat sleazy appearance.

Later, after his family discovered that he preferred men, they never tried to correct him. Instead, they indulged him completely, allowing his arrogant and unruly personality to grow worse over the years.

In Yue City, Qi Zhou feared almost no one. The sole exception was the impoverished scholar standing before him.

In his youth, the scholar had been famous for his literary talent. He had once been one of Yue City’s most admired young gentlemen, riding fine horses in splendid robes. Although his family had later been convicted of serious crimes and he himself had been stripped of his xiucai (county-level scholar) title, no one in Yue City truly dared provoke him.

Everyone knew the reason.

Despite the enormous charges against his family, the Crown Prince himself had stepped forward to protect him because of his extraordinary talent. Throughout Yue City, there was a saying: Only the Crown Prince had the right to decide this man’s fate.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, Qi Zhou waved at his companions.

“Take him.”

Without much resistance, Lin Ye allowed himself to be led away, still looking rather bewildered. Only after they had dragged him into a narrow alley did he finally ask the question that had been bothering him.

“…Why exactly are you kidnapping me?”

Seeing Lin Ye’s innocent, confused expression, Qi Zhou burst into laughter. He reached out, intending to cop a feel. But Lin Ye effortlessly dodged the hand.

“Obviously so we can have some fun.”

“Come with your big brother.”

“I promise I’ll make you feel very, very good.”

Lin Ye looked at him helplessly.

“…Oh.”

“So you took me for a ge’er?”

“But have you ever seen a ge’er this tall?”

Qi Zhou laughed even harder. The men accompanying him joined in, roaring with laughter.

A fat, round-faced man pointed at Lin Ye. “We know you’re a hanzi.”

“That’s exactly why Master Qi grabbed you.”

“If you weren’t a man, Master Qi wouldn’t be interested.”

Another skinny, short fellow chuckled as he looked Lin Ye up and down.

“Master Qi, honestly…”

“This guy’s really handsome.”

“I’d say he’s even prettier than the ge’er at Lanhua Garden.”

At that remark, everyone burst into another round of laughter. Several of them immediately grabbed the short man, laughing as they shoved and jostled him.

“Oh my, has Young Master Liu been corrupted by Master Qi too?”

“Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for this handsome fellow as well?”

Lin Ye felt as though his worldview had just been rewritten.

Looks like I’ve spent too long living out in the countryside…So the big city is this… open? In other words… these guys dragged me here because they want to sleep with me?

He slowly rolled his wrists.

Being handsome really is troublesome. It’s one thing to be pursued by ge’er*…*

Now even a group of men have their eyes on me? Looks like I need to stretch my muscles a little. Otherwise people are really going to start thinking I’m some harmless house cat.

Before Lin Ye could make a move—

Four or five ge’er suddenly came running into the mouth of the alley.

A ge’er who looked about fourteen or fifteen years old planted his hands on his hips and shouted sternly, “What do you all think you’re doing?!”

The moment the group turned around and saw who it was, they didn’t hesitate for even a second. They spun on their heels and bolted as fast as they could.

The ge’er standing there was none other than Qi Xiaoyuan, the youngest ge’er of the Qi family—and Qi Zhou’s younger sibling. Like Qi Zhou, Qi Xiaoyuan was the apple of the family’s eye, cherished by every elder in the household.

But although both siblings had grown up equally spoiled, they couldn’t have turned out more differently.

Qi Zhou had become more crooked and unruly with every passing year. Qi Xiaoyuan, on the other hand, had grown from a chubby little ball of fluff into an increasingly adorable young ge’er.

Qi Xiaoyuan’s friends were all the refined sons and daughters of Yue City’s most prominent families, each of them graceful, fair, and well-bred. What they disliked most were people like Qi Zhou and his gang, who were forever causing trouble wherever they went. If that had been all, it wouldn’t have been such a problem.

The truly terrifying thing was that Qi Xiaoyuan knew martial arts. Whenever he witnessed something he couldn’t stand, he never showed the slightest mercy. Every encounter ended with Qi Zhou’s gang bruised and battered, their skin split open from the beating.

Even Qi Zhou himself was never spared. In fact, Qi Zhou usually had it the worst.

He might be selfish and unscrupulous toward outsiders, but Qi Xiaoyuan shared the same A’mo with him. Although the siblings frequently came to blows, Qi Zhou couldn’t bring himself to resent his younger brother. He had to sneak out in secret whenever he wanted to flirt or fool around, always on guard in case Qi Xiaoyuan tracked him down.

Then, after getting beaten half to death by his own younger brother, he still had to comfort the unfortunate friends who had been dragged into the fight with him. Sometimes, people genuinely admired Qi Zhou for surviving such a life. That was why everyone jokingly addressed him as Master Qi.

Qi Xiaoyuan and his companions charged into the alley in a noisy rush. Qi Zhou and his gang scattered just as quickly, fleeing like a flock of startled ducks.

Watching his older brother disappear into the distance, Qi Xiaoyuan snorted. “Hmph! Lucky for you that you ran fast. The next time I catch you… I’ll definitely, definitely break your legs!”

The young servant following behind him couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

“Young Master, you’re a ge’er. How can you keep talking about breaking your own brother’s legs?”

“If people hear you, they’ll laugh at our family.”

Qi Xiaoyuan ignored him completely. Instead, he turned to Lin Ye. “Are you alright?”

Lin Ye rarely spoke in such a formal, old-fashioned manner, but this time he politely cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks, Young Master, for coming to my aid. I am unharmed.”

The moment he finished speaking, however, the ge’er who had come with Qi Xiaoyuan swarmed around him.

Lin Ye sighed inwardly.

Here we go again…I just wanted to quietly buy a few things. Why is that so difficult?

“Young master, where are you from? We’ve never seen you in Yue City before.”

“That’s right! Someone as handsome as you couldn’t possibly have gone unnoticed if you lived here.”

Lin Ye slowly took several steps backward. Spotting a gap in the circle, he immediately seized the opportunity and ran like the wind. He sprinted through several streets before finally daring to slow down. Seeing a narrow alley ahead, he ducked inside, leaned against a wall, and took a moment to catch his breath.

As soon as he looked up…

He found Qi Zhou and his gang staring back at him in stunned silence. Qi Zhou’s face stiffened.

“…Uh… Brother… are you hiding from my little brother and the others too?”

Lin Ye nodded.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Well… they’re… a little scary.”

The moment they heard that, Qi Zhou and his companions looked as though they had finally met someone who truly understood their suffering. They immediately threw their arms around Lin Ye’s shoulders as if they were old friends, enthusiastically chatting away. Apparently, they had completely forgotten that only moments earlier they had intended to abduct him.

“That brat Qi Xiaoyuan is way too fierce.”

“Master Qi, isn’t your family worried no one will dare marry him in the future?”

Qi Zhou sighed.

“My A’mo already said… If he really can’t find anyone, I’ll just have to choose one from among my friends.”

The moment those words left his mouth…Everyone instantly backed away from him. Their expressions changed faster than flipping a page.

“Ah… I just remembered.”

“My husband asked me to accompany him to buy cosmetics today.”

“I-I suddenly remembered…”

“I still haven’t finished reviewing today’s lessons.”

“Oh, right.”

“My A’mo hasn’t been feeling well these past few days.”

“I should head home instead of hanging around.”

“…”

Watching his friends abandon him one after another, Qi Zhou looked up at the sky with indescribable sorrow. Just as he was about to pull Lin Ye aside for a heartfelt conversation…

He discovered that Lin Ye had quietly slipped away as well.

Qi Zhou’s heart filled with grief. “Heaven gave birth to Qi Zhou… so why did it also create Qi Xiaoyuan?”