After The Coquettish Fake Master Was Driven Away - Chapter 23

The bitter smell of medicine wafted over. Xie Jinning wrinkled his face and said, “Do I really have to drink this? I feel much better today already…”

He blinked rapidly, trying to hint for Yan Yi to take the bowl away, but the man only pushed it closer.

“No,” Yan Yi’s gaze didn’t waver. “The doctor said you must drink it, otherwise there’s a risk of lingering illness. Besides, you hardly drank any last night—”

“Alright, alright, I’ll drink it, okay?”

Not wanting to hear the nagging, Xie Jinning reluctantly took the bowl. He drew in a deep breath, pinched his nose, and gulped it down, trying his best to keep his tongue from touching too much of the liquid.

The mark on his neck had completely faded. Smooth white skin stretched over a delicate throat, his small Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed. Each gulp came with a soft hum, almost like he was whining and acting spoiled.

Cute.

When he finished, the empty bowl in his hand was immediately replaced with something soft.

“Mm… what’s this?”

Tongue thick, Xie Jinning opened the cloth pouch and found dried fruit inside. His eyes lit up, and he quickly pinched one and popped it into his mouth.

“!”

Not bitter anymore, but the sourness shot straight up to his skull. Xie Jinning shivered, nearly spitting it out.

He looked around for somewhere to spit but couldn’t find any, his little face twisting miserably again.

“Spit here.”

Yan Yi extended his palm, signaling him to spit it out there.

Startled, Xie Jinning shoved the apricot back between his teeth and chewed furiously, finally swallowing it whole. Luckily it wasn’t too big, or he might’ve choked.

“You—you what are you doing?!”

His mouth still tingled with sourness, making saliva pool. The way he spoke, wet and sticky, made his tone sound oddly damp.

Yan Yi calmly drew his hand back. “If it’s unpleasant, you can spit it out, that’s all.”

“But still—” Xie Jinning muttered under his breath, “People who don’t know better might think you’re my servant.”

Even back at the Xie estate, he would never spit chewed things into a servant’s hand! That was saliva, how dirty!

But Yan Yi only said, “Until you recover, I’ll take responsibility. It’s just spitting something out, not a big deal.”

That was too responsible! If this wasn’t a big deal, then what if he told Yan Yi to eat what he just spit out?

The wicked thought flashed through, and Xie Jinning shivered at himself, curling his lips: “Forget it. Even if you don’t mind, I’d find it disgusting.”

The air instantly went cold.

Yan Yi’s brow shifted. After a moment of silence, his voice dropped, “Is it really… that bad?”

Looking carefully, the man’s features were handsome and his figure tall. Even in the capital, where fine looks were common, he’d still stand out as a masculine beauty—likely to attract the eyes of noble ladies.

But he always wore a cold, expressionless face. His sharp brows and deep eyes radiated a natural severity that most people dared not meet directly.

That was why, upon first sight, Xie Jinning had been a little frightened.

Yet now, the man’s brows drooped slightly, his lips pressed thin—he almost looked… disappointed.

“I saw the little flowers eat them happily. I thought they were sweet, so I exchanged some for you to ease the bitterness.”

Yan Yi sighed softly, almost imperceptible, but from Xie Jinning’s angle, he saw it clearly. Like a fierce beast folding away its claws, lowering its head. “If it disgusted you, I apologize. I’ll find something else instead.”

But—he didn’t mean the apricot itself was disgusting. And they’d been swapped just for him…

Though yes, it was really sour.

His lashes quivered. Just as he was about to speak, a wave of sweetness spread through his throat, easing the sharp sourness.

Intense sourness, followed by an equally intense aftertaste of sweetness—like clouds parting to reveal the sun, the contrast made it strangely addictive.

Unconsciously, Xie Jinning began savoring it. His tongue pressed and rubbed against his mouth, producing sticky, wet sounds in the quiet courtyard.

Yan Yi suddenly lifted his gaze.

His hand still hovered midair. If he moved just half an inch more, he could snatch the cloth pouch from Xie Jinning.

But he didn’t—only kept his palm extended, waiting silently for it to be returned.

Xie Jinning coughed lightly, stuffed the pouch into his own chest, and awkwardly averted his eyes. “It’s… alright. Barely edible.”

A flush crept up his pale ears.

Yan Yi’s lips curved faintly.

He wasn’t sure why the boy kept appearing in his dreams. Perhaps it was simply that he was too beautiful—like a dazzling gem dropped into this mountain village.

Admiring beauty was human nature. Just as one would pause to enjoy a fine view, it didn’t necessarily mean anything more.

Besides, wanting to keep close to Xie Jinning wasn’t just guilt over his injury. Perhaps also because he was young, delicate, soft-hearted—easy to treat like a younger brother.

Nothing more.

“What are you laughing at?”

Catching it from the corner of his eye, Xie Jinning’s ears burned. He frowned in mock anger: “I haven’t even told my father about you injuring me, yet you’re laughing at me first.”

Yan Yi’s expression straightened. “I wasn’t mocking.”

“Whatever you call it.”

Xie Jinning huffed. “Yan Yi, don’t think you can buy me off with a bag of fruit. If one day you annoy me, I’ll tell my father, and he’ll make you pay for it!”

His eyes sparkled, hair tied back swaying lightly like a soft tail brushing across someone’s heart—ticklish, teasing.

Yan Yi chuckled, “Then I should thank Jinning for sparing my life.”

A pause.

“Yeah, you should thank—”

Wait. What did he just call me?

“You—” Realizing it, Xie Jinning’s eyes widened. “Who gave you permission to call me that?!”

Yan Yi looked puzzled. “I heard Uncle Xie call you that. He treats me like a brother, and I’m older than you. Isn’t it fitting?”

Fitting?! Not at all!

If his father was Yan Yi’s brother, then wasn’t he automatically dropped down a generation? That was shamelessly taking advantage!

“Besides, you called me ‘Brother Yan’ yesterday…”

“Stop, stop, stop!”

Before he could say anything stranger, Xie Jinning slapped a hand over his lips. “I only called you that yesterday because—because it was a stopgap. I didn’t actually mean to treat you like a brother.”

The boy’s palm still carried the scent of sour apricot, faintly floral and honey-sweet, heady enough to intoxicate.

Soft and warm, like fine jade, it hovered against his lips—not quite touching, yet close enough for the fragrance to seep into his lungs.

Old clothes, washed with nothing but plain soap, carried no perfume. So how did this young master exude such fragrance from his very bones?

Yan Yi said nothing, only adjusted his breathing.

Hot air brushed across Xie Jinning’s palm, making him flinch, shrinking closer instead of pulling away. “You get it now?”

Yan Yi nodded. His lips brushed against that tender palm, and the hand shot away like a startled bird.

Xie Jinning raised his brows. “Besides, you’re not qualified to be my brother!”

“I’ll work hard.”

Wiping his hand on his robe behind his back, Xie Jinning sneered, “Hmph, suit yourself.”

Pointless effort anyway.

From outside, Xie Nong’s voice called: “Jinning, Little Yan, time to go.”

“Coming!”

Xie Jinning turned to leave but was caught by the wrist.

This time Yan Yi used a different title: “Young master, you’re coming too?”

“Of course.”

Yan Yi pressed, “We’re going to work, not play. You understand that?”

“I know, we’re just harvesting wheat, aren’t we?” Xie Jinning tugged his hand, but it didn’t come free. His peach-pink lips pouted in annoyance. “Let go, you’re hurting me.”

The grip instantly released.

“Sorry.”

(It hadn’t hurt at all.) Xie Jinning snorted inwardly: “You don’t even know your own strength. Don’t touch me again.”

Those hands had applied his medicine, kneading until he sweated, until he felt strange sensations he couldn’t name…

Lifting his face, proud and tender, fine peach fuzz gleamed under the sunlight, like a ripe peach ready to burst with sweetness at the slightest squeeze.

Yan Yi’s throat bobbed.

“…Understood. Next time I’ll ask before touching, is that alright?”

His sharp features softened deliberately, and his tone carried a coaxing lilt, like tempting a child.

Xie Jinning’s heart prickled.

It was like—like what exactly?

A flash of memory. Oh. Like those child-snatchers luring kids away!

Don’t ask him how he knew.

He didn’t remember that part of his past…

But ever since, the Xie family had despised such criminals, even helping to take down several gangs.

Xie Jinning shivered, shaking off goosebumps, snapping: “Can’t you talk like a normal person, you block of wood?!”

“?”

Isn’t this how you talk… to a younger brother?

Yan Yi awkwardly cleared his throat. “Then… how should I speak?”

He doesn’t even know how to talk?! Xie Jinning was stunned.

Great. His brain must be broken.

…

A quarter-hour later, the three of them walked toward the wheat fields.

After the last relocation, Hetian Village was farther from the river, though farmland still lay near the water for easier irrigation—about several thousand paces away.

The sun was still gentle, though it would grow harsher by the time they arrived.

Wearing the straw hat Yan Yi had given him, shading most of his face, and with thick cotton padding in his shoes, Xie Jinning stomped his feet. A bit stuffy, but not hot or uncomfortable—he was satisfied.

Xie Nong and Yan Yi carried shoulder poles ahead, while he trailed behind at his own pace. The dirt path was uneven and studded with stones, forcing him to keep his eyes on the ground lest he stumble.

The two men walked briskly, glancing back now and then to check on him.

Yan Yi had initially planned to carry him, but Xie Jinning firmly refused. Seeing him walk steadily enough, he finally let it go.

The boy hadn’t been entirely wrong calling himself childlike.

Fragile porcelain, a pampered pet, a younger brother needing care—

He was all three, rolled into one.