TRWSB – Chapter 154 “Confessions, Cosmetics, and Chaos”

Qi Shaorong walked toward the bedroom and saw Zhuang Hao leaning against his door, seemingly waiting for him.

Dressed entirely in black, Zhuang Hao had his head slightly bowed, his long bangs covering his eyes, giving off an eerily gloomy aura—almost like something out of a horror movie at first glance.

“So late at night, and you were still chatting with Bi Liuyun for that long?” Zhuang Hao said coldly.

“I think Liuyun might be troubled by love, so I was comforting him,” Qi Shaorong explained.

Zhuang Hao looked at Qi Shaorong and said sourly, “I’m troubled by love too—how about comforting me a little?”

Qi Shaorong shot Zhuang Hao a sideways glance and said, “You? Troubled by love? You’re too young to be overthinking things. Go to sleep early.”

Zhuang Hao: “…”

Furious and embarrassed, Zhuang Hao shoved Qi Shaorong, pushing him against the wall.

Qi Shaorong frowned, thinking, This kid Zhuang Hao is getting out of hand! He’s learning to do a wall slam at his age?

Qi Shaorong looked at Zhuang Hao and asked, “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Qi Shaorong, Yi Fan, Mu Tingxuan, Bi Liuyun, Qi Heng… Are all of them more important than me in your heart? Am I always last?” Zhuang Hao stared intensely at Qi Shaorong, his voice filled with emotion.

Qi Shaorong wanted to say “yes,” but when he met Zhuang Hao’s clear eyes, the words got stuck in his throat.

Seeing Qi Shaorong’s expression, Zhuang Hao felt a surge of exhaustion deep in his heart.

Qi Shaorong, in turn, felt a pang of sadness as he looked at Zhuang Hao. He subconsciously reached out toward him, but Zhuang Hao grabbed his hand tightly and exclaimed, “Look at me properly!”

“What for?” Qi Shaorong asked in confusion.

“Don’t you like good-looking guys? Look at how handsome I am—how can you not be moved?” Zhuang Hao said, flustered and frustrated.

Qi Shaorong: “…” Still a kid—just listen to that nonsense.

Qi Heng appeared and looked at the two. “Young master, Young Master Zhuang, what are you doing?”

Zhuang Hao glared at Qi Heng, let go of Qi Shaorong, and walked away, looking rather frustrated.

Qi Shaorong watched Zhuang Hao’s departing figure, feeling a bit conflicted inside.

Qi Heng turned to Qi Shaorong and asked, “Young master, are you alright?”

Qi Shaorong closed his eyes and replied, “I’m fine.”

“Looks like Young Master Zhuang is getting a bit anxious,” Qi Heng said.

Qi Shaorong looked at him. “Huh?”

“Young master, you need to give him some hope… Even someone with Zhuang Hao’s tenacity will eventually wear out,” Qi Heng said meaningfully as he watched Zhuang Hao walk away.

Qi Shaorong scratched his head in frustration. Matters of the heart really are troublesome! No wonder in his previous life, even by his thirties, he was still single. Oh wait—he was a diamond-grade bachelor.

Bi Liuyun returned to his bedroom, cradling his zither, only to find Zhuang Hao waiting there.

“Young Master Zhuang, is something wrong?”

Zhuang Hao shook his head. “I came to ask you something.”

Bi Liuyun smiled, “What would you like to ask?”

“I want to know—why does he value you so much?”

Bi Liuyun cupped his face, looking dreamy. “Probably because I’m good-looking. Naturally charming, always popular.”

Zhuang Hao snorted. “I don’t think so.”

“Young Master Zhuang, don’t rush. Take your time. You know, I’ve known the young master for nearly ten years—we grew up together. And you? You’ve only known him for how long? True affection stands the test of time. If you stick with him for ten years, he’ll surely come to like you. So take it slow!” Bi Liuyun said.

Zhuang Hao looked at Bi Liuyun and smiled. “Thank you for the advice, Master Bi.”

Zhuang Hao left in high spirits. Qi Heng came over and said admiringly, “Liuyun, you really know how to handle things!”

Bi Liuyun fanned himself, “It’s not that I’m clever—Young Master Zhuang is just easy to deal with. Honestly, he’s not the brightest… easy to fool.”

Qi Heng: “…”

“You’re up, young master!” Qi Heng greeted Qi Shaorong.

“You’re always up early, Ah Heng,” Qi Shaorong replied with a smile.

“Young master, some weirdo barged in this morning saying he wanted to see you. I couldn’t beat him, so I invited him to wait in the sitting room,” Qi Heng said.

Qi Shaorong: “…I’ll go take a look in a bit.”

Qi Heng nodded. “Alright.”

“What kind of person is he?” Qi Shaorong asked casually.

Qi Heng tilted his head, thinking. “No sense of fashion, overly vain, and quite arrogant.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

“Morning!” Zhuang Hao walked out.

Qi Shaorong looked at him. “You seem really cheerful.”

Zhuang Hao smiled. “Oh, nothing. I’m just ready for a long-term battle.”

Qi Shaorong: “…” Long-term battle—what even is that?

Qi Heng leaned toward Qi Shaorong with a grin. “Young master, it looks like Zhuang Hao has plenty of fight in him!”

Qi Shaorong: “…”

Qi Shaorong entered the sitting room and immediately saw a familiar man in a flashy robe holding a large, tattered banana leaf fan. The huge fan totally ruined the whole look.

“Senior, why are you here again? Is there something that needs repairing?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“No, I came specifically to see you. I found that bastard—scared the crap out of him,” said Heisha (Black Shark).

Qi Shaorong: “…Senior, are you hot or something? Why the fan?”

“I made it myself! Don’t you humans carry fans for that ‘elegant’ look? But your fans are too small—no presence! Look at mine, huge and powerful. Sadly, it’s not even hot today. Funny thing though—why do you humans carry fans when it’s not hot?” Heisha said while proudly showing off his fan.

Qi Shaorong: “…” Because it’s stylish!

“Lord, I heard your cosmetics business is doing great!” Heisha said.

Qi Shaorong smiled. “It’s going alright.”

“I just stopped by your shop—it’s completely sold out,” Heisha said.

Qi Shaorong: “…” Sold out again. That’s fast.

“That cosmetic…” Heisha started awkwardly.

Qi Shaorong suddenly realized what Heisha was here for.

“I was just about to say there isn’t any—” Qi Shaorong began but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“I’ll go see who it is,” he said.

Heisha frowned, clearly annoyed.

As soon as Qi Shaorong opened the door, Ariel barged in.

She pushed past him with an accusatory glare. “Where’s Bi Liuyun? Tell him to come out!”

“He’s not here. If you have something to say, tell me,” Qi Shaorong said coldly.

“Oh right, I almost forgot—Bi Liuyun isn’t here, so I’ll just talk to you. He’s your pet dog, after all,” Ariel sneered.

Qi Shaorong’s expression darkened. He and Bi Liuyun had been friends for years—more than a subordinate, he was a confidant. “Miss, watch your mouth. With that stinking attitude, no wonder you’re still single.”

Ariel, humiliated, snapped, “Whether I get married or not is none of your concern!”

Qi Shaorong laughed coldly. “You’re right. That’s your parents’ headache.”

“Where’s the Sea King’s Pearl? Hand it over,” Ariel demanded.

“It’s not here,” Qi Shaorong replied.

“Don’t lie to me. I know it’s in the city lord’s mansion! Qi Shaorong, are you hiding it because you want to take over Hailing? You lowly human—do you really think you’re qualified…?” she began.

Heisha stepped forward, cutting her off, displeased. “Princess, your information is outdated. The Sea King’s Pearl was indeed lost, but the Sea Dragon Clan has already retrieved it.”

Ariel whipped around to face him. “They did? When? Who found it?”

“It was found just recently—by Hailing himself,” Heisha said.

Ariel’s cheeks flushed. “He found it and didn’t tell me?”

Heisha shrugged. “I’m not sure why, but the fact is—the pearl’s been retrieved.”

Ariel pursed her lips, gave Qi Shaorong and the others a long look, and turned to leave.

Qi Shaorong smiled at Heisha. “Thanks for the assist, senior.”

Heisha laughed. “No need for thanks. Recently, rumors were spreading wildly that the Sea King’s Pearl was hidden in your mansion. Good thing the Sea Dragon Clan found it in time. Otherwise, you’d be in trouble.”

Qi Shaorong nodded. “Indeed.”

He pursed his lips—Bi Liuyun probably gave up the pearl for the safety of the mansion.

“This whole thing is kind of odd, though,” Heisha mused.

“Oh? What’s odd?” Qi Shaorong asked.

“The source of the rumor—it came from your human side,” Heisha said.

“Well, the Sea Dragon Clan retrieved the pearl, so it’s over now,” Qi Shaorong said.

Heisha nodded. “True. By the way, Lord, do you still have any cosmetics in stock?”

“If it were anyone else, I’d say no. But since you asked, how can I let you leave empty-handed?” Qi Shaorong said.

Heisha beamed. “You’re a real friend! In return, if you ever run into trouble, just let me know—I’ll take care of it.”

“Much appreciated. Actually, I’d like to ask you to stay on for a while as a guard. Would you be willing?” Qi Shaorong asked.

Heisha blinked. “Of course! Sounds great!”

Qi Shaorong smiled. “Thank you, then.”

“Oh, by the way—remember that demon girl, Hailan, whom you treated before?” Heisha asked.

“Of course,” Qi Shaorong nodded.

Heisha shook his head. “She’s nuts! She used to be ugly, and no one wanted her. Now she’s pretty, and she’s driven everyone around her away.”

Qi Shaorong: “…”