Your Highness, Please Love Me Tender

47. A Private Talk

Translator: Flying Lines

Xiao ShengNian, Su Jie and Zhou ZaiYue all got out of the carriage, Zhui Xing, with his usual poker face followed in Xiao ShengNian’s wake, while Yu Che was asking the servant to take care of their carriages.

The group of five went into the inn, and a waiter immediately came to welcome them. Throwing a white towel on his shoulder, he asked with a smile: “My distinguished guests, dinner or night-stay?”

“Four of your best rooms for one night,” said Xiao ShengNian with a smile gentle like the spring breeze. His temperament noble and his outfit of superb quality, just a look could tell he was the son of a wealthy family. And the poker-faced Zhi Xing trailing behind looked so cold like wherever his gaze fell would freeze.

The two, standing side by side, gave the feeling of a contradictory combination of spring and winter.

The waiter ushered them in, his head bowed while leading the way. Yu Che and Zhui Xing followed in Xiao ShengNian’s wake, each taking a side. Zhou ZaiYue was the last to go in. He, books in hand, walked in beside Su Jie, looking a bit insignificant with his plain clothes.

“Shifu, this is your room.” Xiao ShengNian first arranged the room for his master shifu.

“Okay.” Zhou ZaiYue nodded then naturally turned to Su Jie: “Come in, there’s something I want to teach you tonight.”

Su Jie involuntarily turned to look at Xiao ShengNian.

There were five of them, but Xiao booked only four rooms, so it was obvious that he intended to share one room with Su Jie.

But under such circumstance, Xiao ShengNian couldn’t refuse his master shifu right in the face. He had been having this feeling for quite a while that his master shifu didn’t like him getting intimate with Su Jie but just couldn’t figure out the reason.

Each went to their own room.

Zhou ZaiYue put down the books and said to Su Jie: “Please allow me to excuse myself for a while.”

His movements and expressions were respectful, and as long as there was no one else present, he couldn’t help but treat Su Jie as his master.

Su Jie stood up from his seat and nodded. Although he was not used to being treated with such respect, he became more or less used to it over time.

Zhou ZaiYue went to Xiao ShengNian’s room.

“Come in.” Hearing the knock on the door, Xiao ShengNian raised his head and had vaguely guessed why his shifu would come to find him.

“ShengNian.” The voice of Zhou Zaiyue was kind and gentle.

Xiao ShengNian also called with a smile: “Shifu.”

“As your teacher, I didn’t want to get involved in what happens between you young people.” Zhou ZaiYue said with a smile while taking a seat.

Xiao ShengNian immediately poured him a cup of tea and said with a gentle smile, “You must have your way of doing things. This student is more than glad to hear it.”

“This boy, NianXuan, is the child of a deceased friend of mine.”

And this deceased friend was the master he had served, someone who he was deeply indebted to.

Xiao ShengNian waited in silence for his master shifu to continue.

“I’ve been looking for this boy for more than a decade, since his family was in trouble.” Zhou ZaiYue took a sip of the tea and put down the cup, a loving look in his muddy eyes. He would have that smile every time he mentioned Su Jie.

Zhou laughed and continued: “I owe a lot to that friend of mine. He died many years ago, and the only thing I can do is to take good care of NianXuan. The boy has suffered a lot these years. He is a good boy. And I can feel that he treats you differently. The thing is, you are the noble prince, and I’m afraid that one day you might get bored of him and abandon him, which might devastate him.”

Zhou Zaiyue said these words with greatest sincerity, but the content was somewhat far-fetched. Sue Jie treated Xiao ShengNian differently because that was his mission, not because he loved Xiao ShengNian. Even though Sue Jie had mentioned to Zhou ZaiYue that he wanted to know the truth about the death of Su Shuche and Jin Zheng and if Prince Qin and the Guqin Master were behind all this, he would swear to take revenge, years of established beliefs and habit were not easy to change. It was impossible to let Su Jie forget Prince Qin overnight.

Since he did not forget Prince Qin, naturally he couldn’t fall for Xiao ShengNian.

Xiao ShengNian understood Zhou ZaiYue’s concerns and pondered for a few seconds before saying: “Please rest assured, shifu. NianXuan is already my boy, and I promise I will not forsake him.”

“You have a calm personality and are a man of your word, so I naturally trust you.” Zhou Zaiyue nodded.