CH 72

Fu Yichen trailed behind Su Zhan in an unhurried manner. Unexpectedly, instead of going to the imperial study, Su Zhan went directly to the place where the Emperor had his meals. The Imperial dining hall? Fu Yichen raised his eyebrows. Wasn’t the Imperial dining hall supposed to be a kitchen for cooking? Needless to say, it must be another masterpiece of this Mary Sue’s author.

After Su Zhan sat down on the main seat, he gave a smile to Fu Yichen, “Guo-shi, please1.”

This could be said to be quite a high-levelled treatment from an emperor towards his subject. But Fu Yichen remained calm and just sat down in the position that Su Zhan had pointed at, precisely on his left-hand side, not far away.

After all, the character design of the Second Male was high2 and cold. But in the original text, the Male Lead had never deliberately shown his favor to the Second Male.

After Fu Yichen sat down, Su Zhan signalled the old eunuch standing behind him and the eunuch immediately understood, shouting to the group waiting outside, “Bring in the meal.”

Afterwards, Fu Yichen heard the rustling of clothes as a group of maids came in the room, each holding a plate. In the blink of an eye, half of the table had already been set up.

Fu Yichen’s heart skipped a beat. It was obvious that these things were prepared beforehand.

Fu Yichen suddenly had a strange feeling, as if he knew that he was about to be tricked by someone but was still looking forward to it. So what he had to do now was to continue to maintain the aloof attitude of the National Teacher and just watch this person perform quietly.

After a while, except for the elderly eunuch Fu, who was carefully serving behind Su Zhan, the other court ladies all retreated after serving the dishes.

“Guo-shi, there’s no need to be so cautious. There are no outsiders here, just do whatever you want.” Su Zhan tried his best to make his smile look natural. Originally, this was easy for him as an actor. But as soon as he was faced with this man, he couldn’t do it. One was because of those dreams he had, the other was because he always felt that this man’s aura can somehow suppress him. Anyways, he wasn’t in a good condition to act.

Fu Yichen maintained the lofty and cold attitude that he should have on his face and even deliberately put on a somewhat ignorant and alienated posture, saying in a somewhat cold voice, “Many thanks, Your Majesty.” He then stopped talking, acting not only indifferent but also taciturn. Giving off an attitude that showed ‘the Emperor is nothing special to Laozi’.

It can be said that he acted ignorant towards the flattery. But the current Baili Wuji wasn’t the real Baili Wuji anymore. The key point was that he3 wanted to get close to this person because of his own purpose. So Su Zhan not only didn’t lose his temper but also fell into a state of self-loathing.

If he hadn’t been wandering around without purpose in the middle of the night last night, he wouldn’t have wandered into the National Teacher’s residence by accident. If he hadn’t thought of using the old Emperor’s death as a card to win sympathy while he was in a daze, he wouldn’t have to put on a low profile and show weakness. If he hadn’t shown weakness at the beginning, he wouldn’t have been in an embarrassed state at the moment.

Su Zhan only felt that he had lowered the prestige of an Emperor, which made him feel awkward. The key point was that he was a person with thin skin and high self-esteem. Besides, it had always been others who flattered him. How could he deliberately flatter others?

But if he suddenly tried to raise his prestige, he was worried that this guy would think that he was using him. So Su Zhan greeted the Guoshi with a smile at the corner of his mouth while constantly self-deprecating himself in his heart. Even until the end, the Guoshi was still cold, polite and alienated. Su Zhan felt that his actions were a bit self-defeating.

Fu Yichen just observed Su Zhan who was sitting next to him quietly the whole time. He saw that this person slowly became a little depressed from his initial reserved and enthusiastic approach at the beginning. It could be seen from the number of times he glanced at him and the tone of his speech.

As always, he really couldn’t understand his brain circuit.

Could it be because he acted too cold? Fu Yichen secretly examined his previous actions and found that his reaction just now was indeed a bit too cold. Since it can clearly be seen that he’s deliberately approaching him, then he’s going to have to give him some appropriate responses to make him feel that his approach was useful.

At this time, Fu Yichen just saw an arm stretch out in front of him. Su Zhan seemed to have wanted to grab some tofu from the plate that was a little far away from him. But when he stretched out his hand, he realized that the table was a bit too long and the plate was out of reach. But it was impossible for him to stand up, not to mention that he was currently the Emperor of a country. So after giving a glance to Fu Yichen, his hand turned a corner and picked up another dish.

They were seated close to each other, so Fu Yichen could clearly see a certain someone’s small movements out of the corner of his eye. With a thought in his heart, Fu Yichen naturally reached out and put a piece of tofu into Su Zhan’s bowl using his own pair of chopsticks.

His movements were so natural and his face was so calm that Su Zhan almost thought that what he saw just now was only an illusion.

What a man that’s cold on the outside and hot on the inside. He helped him pick the dishes that he wanted to take but couldn’t reach. This showed that even though this man didn’t look at him and was even a bit indifferent towards him, he had actually been paying attention to him this whole time. A man who was full of care was always full of charm. So for a moment, Su Zhan felt his face burn as his gay heart which had been silent for more than twenty years began to throb.

The most important thing was that this person had used his own personal chopsticks4, which he had been using… Su Zhan felt agitated. He seemed to have forgotten that he himself was a person who cared about such details. Unless it was his family members, he would never accept the food that others picked for him with their personal chopsticks.

[Obtained a dish picked by the Second Male, +1 point.]

“Thank you.” The system’s notification came at the right time, snapping Su Zhan out of his thoughts and making him regain his sanity. Only then did he realize that he, as the Emperor, said such words which weren’t appropriate for someone of his status. So he had no choice but to lower his head and start eating. Eating the piece of tofu that a certain someone had picked for him.

Eunuch Fu, who was standing not far behind them, just watched this jaw-dropping scene and even forgot to react.

As for Fu Yichen, while listening to Laji chatter in his mind, his face was devoid of any emotions. But he smiled lightly from an angle that Su Zhan couldn’t see. Sure enough, Su Zhan was still Su Zhan, no matter how many times he changed his shell and even if he couldn’t remember him. But his reactions at times like this were the same as always, cute and pleasing.

The rest of the meal was silent. The huge imperial dining hall fell into silence again for a while. Fu Yichen sat upright, even if the emperor was seated right next to him. He just ate calmly. It seemed that even his chewing speed was still the same. He probably didn’t even notice the aura that he unconsciously emanated.

He didn’t ask why he was invited to eat when he was initially asked to discuss matters. Not to mention why the Emperor treated one of his subjects like this. Anyways, Fu Yichen put on an attitude of being unaffected by flattery.

But Su Zhan was still stunned by the sudden olive branch that was handed to him just now. Why did he help him pick up food? Why is he paying attention to him? Why did he use his personal chopsticks?

While his mind was wandering, Su Zhan’s mind filled with the images of the National Teacher serving him food. Unconsciously, his eyes focused on the pair of chopsticks that the other person was using. He always felt that the National Teacher wasn’t someone who didn’t care about such things. But he had just used his personal chopsticks to serve him food. What did he mean? Is it possible… that he’s hinting at something?

In a daze, Su Zhan raised his head slightly and accidentally glanced at the man sitting next to him. His eyes were unconsciously stuck on the pair of chopsticks that the man was using. He watched helplessly as the chopsticks brought vegetables to the man’s mouth.

His lips were neither thick nor thin. His chin was sharp and gave him a hint of condescending aloofness, making people feel intimidated. But it also revealed a sense of fatal allure to him.

His lips parted slightly. As if in slow motion, food was brought into his mouth. He chewed unhurriedly, revealing some deliberate seduction…

Su Zhan’s Adam’s apple unconsciously rolled and the picture in front of him suddenly overlapped with his dreams. For a moment, Su Zhan fell into a trance and even forgot to pretend. He just raised his head halfway as his eyes kept falling on the man’s lips.

It wasn’t until that man’s magnetic voice suddenly sounded that Su Zhan suddenly came back to his senses.

“Your Majesty.”

Su Zhan was startled and blurted out a ‘huh’. But when he raised his eyes, he could see the man looking at him with a very strange yet familiar look. There was even a teasing smile at the corner of his mouth that was very obvious.

Immediately, Su Zhan felt his face burn. He lost face because he didn’t pay attention. Su Zhan really wished that he could erect a board right in between them to shield himself.

There was an unnoticeable smile on Fu Yichen’s cold face and a hint of teasing in his calm eyes, “Is there something on my face?”

After looking at him for so long, did you think I didn’t notice?

“No.” Su Zhan secretly took a deep breath to readjust himself and blinked, returning back to be the gentle Emperor with a refined smile. As an actor, his ability to adapt to the situation wasn’t inferior to others, “Zhen just wants to ask the Guoshi. Do you want some soup5? Guoshi, you probably don’t know, but this soup is quite unique. Zhen had specially asked the imperial chefs to prepare it for you.”

Su Zhan really wanted to praise his wits, although those words were said in a panic. Su Zhan silently wiped off his sweat. The smile on his face remained undiminished and there was no expression that shouldn’t be there on his face.

His reaction was quite fast. Fu Yichen raised his brows in acknowledgement and subconsciously became a little interested, “Then Chen6 would rather be respectful than obedient7.”

“Let Zhen give you a bowl.” Su Zhan, who was obviously trying to hide how strange he was, opened his mouth without thinking. In order to try and cover up his gaffe previously, he had accidentally said the wrong thing again.

But the Emperor’s golden words had already been said. How could he swallow back his words? So, Su Zhan could only bite the bullet and take the soup bowl from the constipated-looking elderly eunuch.

A bowl of soup served by the Emperor himself, how would it taste? Even handing it over in person, the elderly eunuch’s jaw almost dropped to the ground. He had served three generations of Emperors and had only seen others serving soup for the Emperor. Other than the servants, only favoured women have this opportunity of serving the Emperor. But he had never seen the Emperor serve soup to anyone. This kind of situation was unheard of.

The corners of Fu Yichen’s indifferent mouth held a hint of a smile. The tips of his slightly slanted eyes unconsciously not only held a hint of teasing but also some unclear probing. Now he really was more and more curious about Su Zhan’s system.

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.” While speaking, Fu Yichen stretched out his hand to hold the exquisite porcelain bowl. But when his slender fingers touched the porcelain bowl, intentionally or not, his fingers brushed Su Zhan’s finger inadvertently.

For a moment, Fu Yichen clearly felt Su Zhan stiffen up for a moment. Then Su Zhan retracted his hand a bit faster.

[The favorability of the Male Lead towards the Second Male +2]

Fu Yichen suppressed a smile that was about to form on his face and took a sip of the soup. His family’s Film Emperor Su was really interesting. There was always a cute side to him just waiting to be discovered.

On the other hand, Su Zhan, who had quickly retracted his hand, felt that his hand was on fire. This kind of accidental touch was simply fatal for him. Instead of this being a task that needed to be done by him, it was more like the process of falling in love for him.

But at this moment, Su Zhan was stunned by a sudden mechanical notification that sounded in his mind.

[Obtained a light touch from the Second Male, +1 point.]

[The host was teased once, -2 points.]

Su Zhan, “!!!”

Su Zhan felt his head buzz. He, who had been obsessed with the beauty of the National Teacher, woke up. ‘What do you mean? How can the points be reduced?’

Su Zhan had originally thought that with the rate of how many points he got in a day, a thousand points wouldn’t be a problem at all for him. Never would he have thought that his points would be deducted?

However, the system was as dead as usual, there was no response. 

‘Trash system.’ Su Zhan secretly despised it.

He felt an ache in his heart. But he still kept a smile on his face.

“Is there a reason why the Emperor is looking for Chen?” After they finished their meal, Fu Yichen broke the silence by speaking first. He noticed that Su Zhan seemed to be a little anxious.

“It’s like this.” Su Zhan, who didn’t know how to start the conversation, heaved a sigh of relief. 

“The matter of the bandits in Jiangnan has been consistently brought up for many years. But you are aware that the bandit problem still hasn’t been solved till now. It’s time to completely solve this scourge.”

Su Zhan held back his smile as his gentle brows filled with sorrow. He acted very well as the new Emperor who was passionate about serving the citizens and the country.

Fu Yichen was still as steady as a mountain, “So what is Your Majesty implying?”

“Zhen knows that Guoshi’s martial arts skills are outstanding and unmatched by anyone. So… Zhen would like to invite the Guoshi to accompany Zhen for a trip, is that acceptable?” Su Zhan’s last two words were definitely filled with some kind of anticipation that even he was unaware of.

Fu Yichen’s heart moved slightly. In the original text, the Male Lead had brought the Female Lead along with him to investigate the situation in private. From this point, Su Zhan’s system was really interesting.

“Chen is happy to be of help.” Fu Yichen was not only willing but was also very much looking forward to it.

please help yourself and sit down

unreachable

Su Zhan

well in a more fancy/formal occasion, one would occasionally get 2 pairs of chopsticks, one is the public one which you use to pick up food, the other is the personal one which you use to eat. Normally it comes in black(personal) and white(public)

excuse me what?

this subject

to accept than to be forced to accept