CH 56

Ji Lan returned to the Ji family in the divine realm and was met at the entrance by her father, Ji Changfeng, who was also the head of the Ji family.

“Did you see him?” Ji Changfeng’s long hair flowed elegantly, and despite being middle-aged, he showed no signs of aging. He and Ji Lan looked more like siblings than a father and daughter.

Ji Lan nodded, “Yes, I saw him.”

Ji Changfeng asked, “How was it? Is that boy willing to come back to the Ji family with you?”

Ji Lan looked at him with surprise, “Why would he come back?”

Ji Changfeng’s nose twitched in annoyance. As the head of the Ji family, he always presented a tough and cold demeanor to the outside world, but he had been repeatedly defeated by his only daughter. Moreover, he couldn’t do much about it, especially because this “little thing” was born from him and his partner.

“What do you mean, ‘why would he come back’? He is a child of our Ji family! Of course, he should return to the Ji family to receive the best education. He will be the next heir of the Ji family!”

Ji Lan was getting impatient, “Here we go again. First of all, you’re not old yet, and you still have many years to live. Secondly, even if you step down as the head of the family, I can take over. Why put so much pressure on a child so young? Besides, has our Ji family ever taken care of him? We haven’t even provided him a meal, yet you want to bring him back immediately. You want to claim a child without any responsibility. If you have a thick skin, that’s your business, but I can’t ask for that.”

“And let me warn you, this is my son, and you are not allowed to interfere in his affairs over me!”

Ji Changfeng’s nose twitched again. How did he end up with such a creature? It seemed like this “thing” could make him angrier than other people’s sons.

Ji Lan paid no attention to her father’s trembling anger. She was used to it by now and continued, “In a few days, I will return to the Time-Space Battlefield, and the child will stay with his foster father. I think that foster father takes good care of him.”

Ji Changfeng calmed down and firmly stated, “No! You cannot go back to the Time-Space Battlefield!”

If Ji Changfeng considered the matter of Xiao Long not returning to the Ji family as a trivial one, just something to be annoyed about and let it go, then Ji Lan’s plan to go to the Time-Space Battlefield was his absolute bottom line.

“Why do you still want to go to the Time-Space Battlefield? You are the next heir of the Ji family! You should be learning how to govern by my side. What’s the point of wasting your time there, fighting those brainless stone creatures all day?”

Ji Lan showed no emotion as she spoke to her father, “It’s interesting! Resisting the stone creatures is better than enjoying the privileges of being a member of the Divine race without doing anything useful.”

Ji Changfeng was so angry that he was panting heavily, “You despise the Ji family so much, why don’t you just stay away?”

Ji Lan remained calm, “Why can’t I come back? My parents are here. Even if you don’t like me, I will still return.”

Ji Changfeng: “…” This is so frustrating!!

After the anger subsided, their father-daughter relationship immediately returned to normal. Both of them were used to it – one frequently made the other angry, while the other was often at the receiving end. As for their bottom line, well, wasn’t it meant to be broken? Ji Changfeng had never opposed his daughter when it came to the issue of the Time-Space Battlefield.

“I want to take a few people from the branch with me this time,” Ji Lan said.

“Why? Does a group of brainless stone creatures need several Divine race members?” Ji Changfeng asked.

Ji Lan looked at him expressionlessly until Ji Changfeng couldn’t bear it anymore and said, “Okay, okay, I’ll listen to you.”

“I vaguely sense that something is changing in the Time-Space Battlefield. Taking a few more people is just being prepared,” Ji Lan explained.

Ji Changfeng also became serious. His daughter might be infuriating at times, but she never compromised on important matters. “You choose the people yourself, taking a few more is not a problem, but you must ensure their safety.”

Ji Lan nodded, “I know, don’t worry, it shouldn’t be a big problem. Besides, how could the stone creatures ever hurt me?”

Ji Changfeng glared at her, “Of course, I know!” Of course, I know you are the most powerful child the Ji family has had in hundreds of years. If not for your strength overpowering your peers and even those older than you, how could I let everyone in the Ji family accept that a girl would be the next head of the family?

….

“Brother Bai, I want to take a day off tomorrow.”

Bai Xianzhi was washing the pots. The sky outside had already darkened, and there were almost no customers coming to Wutong Lane to eat at this hour. He glanced at the boy standing at the kitchen entrance and asked, “What’s the matter?”

This boy was Wang Aunt’s son, named Li Yi. He had fair skin, didn’t speak much, and always carried an air of being a scholar. When he worked, he was very diligent and earnest. Every time Bai Xianzhi saw him washing dishes in the kitchen, he felt as if there were not dishes in the sink but some obscure and difficult ancient texts.

Li Yi had excellent grades, and Bai Xianzhi had learned from Wang Aunt that he had been accepted into a prestigious university. Later, when he accidentally saw Li Yi’s photo online, he found out that Li Yi had actually been the top scorer in the city!

The self-proclaimed “failure at school,” Bai Xianzhi, almost kneeled in admiration. Who could have imagined that he would be able to get close to a top scorer like this?

Distantly, the divine student, Feng Ye, sighed.

Because of this secret admiration, Bai Xianzhi almost wanted to worship Li Yi, and he even felt heartache when he saw Li Yi hurt his hand while using the detergent. This was the hand of a divine student, the hand that wrote, answered questions, and created miracles! So, he replaced all the detergents in his shop with the most expensive ones from the supermarket.

Returning to the topic, Li Yi wanted to take a day off, and of course, Bai Xianzhi couldn’t refuse. However, since he worked for him, it was just routine to ask about the situation, and besides, he was genuinely curious about what a top student like Li Yi would do in his spare time.

“My classmate is coming to visit me tomorrow, and I want to take the day off to meet him,” Li Yi said.

Bai Xianzhi immediately agreed, “No problem. There won’t be much business in the shop tomorrow anyway. You should spend a good day with your classmate. High school is so tiring, and it’s time to relax with your classmates.”

After finishing his words, he checked the time, and it was almost eleven o’clock. The shop was also tidy, so he said, “Alright, it’s time to close. I’ll take you both home.”

Because the Three Thousand Food House closed too late, and Wutong Lane was too dark, there were hardly any people outside at eleven o’clock at night. Even though their homes weren’t too far from the Three Thousand Food House, it was still dangerous for two high school graduates, especially for the girl, to walk alone at this hour.

Since their first day at the shop, Bai Xianzhi had been taking them home. At first, the two kids declined the offer, but now they were used to it. Upon hearing Bai Xianzhi’s invitation, they took off their aprons and followed him.

When Li Yi got home, he asked his mom to go to bed and then washed up before lying on his bed and opening his messaging app. The first message he saw was:

【My flight is at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. Can you come pick me up at the airport?】

His slender fingers tapped on the screen as he replied with a simple “Okay.”

….

The next day, after finishing his classes with Feng Ye, Bai Xianzhi saw Feng Ye taking out the book “Marxist Philosophy” from his bag. When he flipped it open, he saw that Feng Ye had made notes in the book, marking the unfamiliar words. Bai Xianzhi explained each one of them, and by the time they finished, it was almost eleven o’clock. He was about to suggest ending their session for the day when Feng Ye spoke up, “Thank you. Let’s stop here for today.”

As Feng Ye spoke, he took out a black-gold bordered item from his pocket and handed it to Bai Xianzhi. Bai Xianzhi received it and saw two golden embossed characters on it: “Invitation Card.” Upon opening it, he found that it was an invitation to Feng Baoer’s thirteenth birthday banquet.

Feng Ye said, “Baoer really hopes you can come, and you don’t have to worry about getting there. I can come to pick you up.”

Bai Xianzhi thought for a moment. It happened to be his day off, and there were no scheduling conflicts. Besides, Xiao Long and Xiao Lu rarely went out with him, so this was a rare opportunity. Also, it had been quite some time since he last saw Feng Baoer and Feng Beier. So, he said to Feng Ye, “Sure, I’d appreciate that, but I wonder if I can bring Xiao Long and Xiao Lu along?”

Feng Ye nodded, “Sure.”

Bai Xianzhi said excitedly, “That’s great! I’ll trouble you then on that day, Mr. Feng!”

As he spoke, he revealed a grateful smile. Perhaps due to spending a lot of time with Xiao Lu, or maybe because he had lost weight, a faint dimple appeared on his left cheek when he smiled, which made Feng Ye’s hand itch.

At that moment, Xiao Long and Xiao Lu came downstairs with a clatter. Seeing the terrified looks on their faces, Bai Xianzhi knew that they had probably sneaked a horror movie again—scared yet wanting to watch it. The two children rushed over to him and gestured for him to pick them up. With a smile still on his face, Bai Xianzhi had to bend down and hold them in his arms. On his left side, Xiao Long noticed the dimple on his face and poked it with his finger, exclaiming, “Daddy, you have a dimple too!”

Xiao Lu leaned in and also poked it, then widened her eyes, saying, “Daddy has one too! It seems boys can have dimples too!”

Feng Ye, feeling itchy, said, “…”

….

In the afternoon, as expected, Ji Lan showed up at the shop again. At that time, Xiao Long and Xiao Lu were following Bai Xianzhi downstairs. When they saw her coming in, Xiao Long grabbed Xiao Lu and quickly went upstairs. Bai Xianzhi looked at both of them and then at Ji Lan. “Maybe… you should sit down first?”

Ji Lan sat in the waiting area, and Bai Xianzhi poured her a cup of tea, comforting her, “Don’t worry about the kids.”

“I understand,” Ji Lan took a sip of tea, her expression calm, neither surprised nor angry nor sad. It was as if her purpose of being here was simply to have tea. Faced with her composed demeanor, Bai Xianzhi couldn’t find any comforting words to say and could only awkwardly laugh.

“By the way, please relay a message to Xiao Long,” Ji Lan said.

Bai Xianzhi asked, “Please tell me.”

“In five days, I won’t be able to visit him anymore. I have to return to the Time-Space Battlefield.”

Hearing the word “battlefield,” Bai Xianzhi’s expression turned solemn, but he asked, “So, you can only see Xiao Long for five more days?”

Ji Lan nodded, “Yes, after that, I have to wait until I get another break from the Time-Space Battlefield.”

Bai Xianzhi sighed. Xiao Long’s biological mother seemed to be quite strong-willed. She had only seen her child for six days and would have to return to her post. However, he couldn’t blame her; after all, she was going back to the battlefield for the safety of the Three Thousand Worlds. But with only five days left, he wasn’t sure if Xiao Long would have a chance to see her again and how he would feel about it. His biological mother came to see him and then left after just six days. The child might be very saddened by that.

So, he hurried upstairs and informed Xiao Long about the situation, patiently explaining to him that his mother wasn’t unwilling to visit but had to return to her post on the battlefield, where she had to obey orders. As a result, she had to go back.

Xiao Long’s response was a slight turn of his head. He still refused to go downstairs, but Bai Xianzhi didn’t force him. After he returned downstairs, he informed Ji Lan about the situation and continued with his work.

Honestly, looking at Ji Lan’s expression, Bai Xianzhi felt that even if she heard Xiao Long’s refusal, this lady probably wouldn’t be sad at all. He didn’t say much about it and, as he entered the kitchen, he turned around to look. Sure enough, Ji Lan was sitting calmly in the resting area, drinking tea without any hint of sadness.

Bai Xianzhi: “…” What a mentally strong woman!

With Li Yi not washing dishes today, Bai Xianzhi was a bit busier and had to wash some dishes himself, but it was manageable. He still found time to go upstairs to check on the two kids.

In the evening, after closing the Three Thousand Food House, Bai Xianzhi accompanied the little girl back home alone. On their way back, strange noises echoed in the dark alley at the intersection.

Recalling Liu Qingshan’s chat about the recent incident of a thief in Wutong Lane and considering that the place wasn’t too far from the Three Thousand Food House, Bai Xianzhi used his hand to cover his phone’s flashlight and placed it in his pocket while keeping his hand on it. He cautiously approached the alley, and then he suddenly and loudly shouted into the darkness, “Who’s there?”

Under the flashlight’s beam, everything in the alley’s forked path was exposed. Two boys covered their eyes with one hand while facing him. The taller one of the two boys clicked his tongue and said, “Can you turn it off already?”

Bai Xianzhi quickly turned off the flashlight, and the sudden dimness made everything pitch-black. However, in his mind’s eye, he still had a picture of the two boys standing close together. This… this was so embarrassing!

“Brother Bai,” a figure emerged from the alley, and the distant dim streetlight finally illuminated him. “Can you not tell anyone about this?”

Bai Xianzhi felt embarrassed. “No, I won’t say anything, I promise.”

He actually understood the situation very well. With the intense pressure and tension of senior year, both school and family didn’t allow dating. Now that they had graduated, it was natural to start dating. Even though Li Yi and the other boy were both boys, Bai Xianzhi understood that love had no gender. However, given the current environment in China, it wouldn’t be good if others found out. So, even if Li Yi didn’t say anything, Bai Xianzhi wouldn’t tell anyone about it.

At that moment, the other boy also came out. The dim light outlined his facial features, and Bai Xianzhi noticed that he was quite handsome too, though not any less than Li Yi. His brain seemed to malfunction, and he blurted out, “Is this the classmate you are picking up?”

Li Yi’s voice was gentle, “Yes, he is my classmate.”

The other boy immediately interjected, “Classmate? No, I’m his boyfriend!”

This declaration of sovereignty seemed to be filled with awkwardness and a touch of cringe. Bai Xianzhi was at a loss for words, but fortunately, Li Yi gave the other boy an elbow to the stomach. The boy grunted and clutched his belly, though Bai Xianzhi could tell from the sound that it wasn’t too painful. Nevertheless, the awkward tension was broken, and Bai Xianzhi quickly said, “You two take your time… I’m heading back now; it’s getting late.”

“Sure, take care, Brother Bai.”

Bai Xianzhi quickly responded, almost fleeing back to the shop. He hurriedly closed the door and went upstairs. After making sure that the two kids were asleep, he washed up and lay on his bed with his mind racing. Eventually, he couldn’t help but think, “I never expected that the ‘academic god’ also has a boyfriend. I wonder if dating will affect his studies?”

As Bai Xianzhi’s figure disappeared, Li Yi said to the person beside him, “Let’s go.”

The tall boy leaned against Li Yi like a lazy dog. The dim streetlight outlined the gentle curve of Li Yi’s profile. Suddenly, a phrase popped into the tall boy’s mind: “Like a beautiful jade among strangers, a true gentleman stands unrivaled in the world. The more I look, the more my heart races, and the more I realize my good taste. My heart itches uncontrollably.” He couldn’t help himself and kissed Li Yi on the cheek.

Li Yi wiped his cheek and said helplessly, “You got saliva on me.”

Boy: “What’s wrong? Do you dislike me?”

Li Yi: “… No.” Yeah right, saliva is pretty gross, you know?

The tall boy, knowing that Li Yi has cleanliness issues, smirked and kissed him again, then asked without waiting for Li Yi to speak, “Was that person your boss at the part-time restaurant?”

Li Yi wiped his face again, “Yes, how did you know?”

The tall boy clicked his tongue, “I know everything about you!”

Wiping his face once more, Li Yi sighed, “Do you have a skin thirst or something? I never noticed this when we were at school.”

The tall boy’s face darkened, and before Li Yi could react, he pulled him close and kissed him fiercely on the lips, saying fiercely, “What skin thirst? I’m just exercising my normal rights as your boyfriend!”

—–

Author’s Note:=3=

Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated nutrient solution from 2020-08-12 14:16:19 to 2020-08-13 14:27:54~

Thanks for the grenade throwers: 1 frag grenade from Susu Mustard Seed;

Thanks for the landmine throwers: 35266482, Susu Mustard Seed, White Peach Oolong Duck, 1 landmine each;

Thanks for the nutrient solution irrigators: 139 bottles from Fujinomiura; 1 bottle each from Bamboo Leaf, Fruit Fruit, Wanting to Pinch Panda’s Little Ears, and Think About It Properly_10; 2 bottles from Jiumo; 1 bottle each from Ruo: Carefree Gentleman, Bean, and Bean.

Thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to work hard!

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”