Chapter 54

54 DIRT AND DUST

Bai Chen’s head was about to explode once more when he heard how Zhu Ge said that his butt was sexy, but he managed to suppress the detonator on his head when his blue eyes caught sight of an old book in Zhu Ge’s hand.

It was an old book, and it was also so dusty that he almost failed to read the writing on the cover.

“HISTORY OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DONG LANG EMPIRE.”

Even though it was written in calligraphic style using a brush, Bai Chen managed to read it without any hassle.

In his previous life, the social and political use of calligraphy had changed. Calligraphy was no longer an art primarily associated with the traditional scientific elite, and many people were tempted to learn how to write beautifully as in ancient writing.

Calligraphy was practiced by millions of Chinese in the modern era. Most practitioners were amateurs who found pleasure or artistic fulfillment in perfecting their manuscripts, but there were also many calligraphers or professional calligraphy artists in his previous life.

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However, Bai Chen had never been interested in studying such writing because he was too lazy, and just now he was quite surprised when he was able to read the writing on the book’s cover even though the characters used on it were not completely the same from the ones he had encountered in his previous life.

He was surprised, but when he thought about it again, it might be like a privilege he had earned because he was currently using the body of the real Bai Chen. Now he could still read the writings even if they were unfamiliar to him, and perhaps he needed to thank Bai Lang for that.

“This book was what you were looking for, wasn’t it, Your Highness?” Zhu Ge asked again when he got no response even after he showed the book to the Prince. Now, he was even waving the book in front of the shorter man for the man to notice.

.....

Hearing the question, Bai Chen blinked his blue eyes before they sparkled with delight. Not only that, he even nodded his head vigorously as if he was five years old or so. Seeing how the Prince had suddenly acted so docile in front of him, Zhu Ge couldn’t help but feel triggered to tease the man more.

“I will give this book to you, but you must give me one thing in return, Your Highness.”

Zhu Ge continued to address him formally, but it was the thing that managed to spoil Bai Chen’s euphoria. Staring at the taller man with a serious expression on his face, he could tell that the man was up to something.

“What do you want?” Choosing to take the bait since he had no choice, the Prince questioned the man in red.

And Zhu Ge looked satisfied that the shorter man continued to act obediently in front of him, and he wanted to take advantage of the situation. “Give me a kiss on the cheek, and I’ll hand this book over to you. Ah, I mean, you have to do it without the cloth covering your lips.”

See? That perverted man was indeed up to something, and he even took advantage of him in this situation.

However, Bai Chen shouldn’t be surprised because Zhu Ge could even kiss his lips on the first day they met. That was the first time Bai Chen had been kissed by a man, and for some reason, the sensation still lingered on his lips.

He felt so stupid because of that, but now Zhu Ge casually asked him to land his lips on his cheek. It was very irksome, and he stared at the taller man flatly. He made serious considerations in his heart because he didn’t want to give up so easily, but he was also too lazy to come up with a solution.

Even if he could try to use his strength to take the book from Zhu Ge, he wasn’t sure if he could do it because their physiques looked very different from each other. Perhaps he would end up injuring himself if he forced himself to use his strength to fight with the man.

In the end, the easiest solution was too tempting, and the lethargic Bai Chen heaved a heavy sigh before pulling the cloth from his face and tiptoeing so he could complete the ‘mission’ given by Zhu Ge.

He also pulled the cloth from Zhu Ge’s face before landing his lips on the man’s cheek. Instantly, he could feel how warm the man’s cheek was when it made contact with his soft lips.

Zhu Ge’s cheek was also very soft even if the man’s body didn’t scream any tenderness at all. And even if the man’s palms were quite rough when they touched his skin a few days ago, the skin on the man’s face was surprisingly smooth like the sensation when Bai Chen touched dough.

Bai Chen’s mind wandered for a moment, but after regaining his composure, he immediately pulled himself back, and his hands also directly pulled the cloth to cover his mouth and nose again.

“I want more, but maybe we can do it another time,” Zhu Ge said unabashedly, and Bai Chen snorted before he saw how the man had finally handed the book over to him. “Here is the book, Your Highness. You can learn about your ancestors now.”

It was obvious that Zhu Ge was teasing him, but Bai Chen didn’t care about that as he immediately took the book before the pervert changed his mind. Even if the man was quite helpful in finding the book for him, Bai Chen still thought that the man was annoying.

“How did you know that the book was under my ass?” Bai Chen asked as he brought his body to sit on top of the pile of books again.

Seeing how the Prince was casually able to sit on top of the pile of books once again, Zhu Ge raised his eyebrows, and instead of answering the question, he asked back, “Is it okay for you to sit on top of books like that? Those books are like your royal treasure, and you might get in trouble if you accidentally damage them.”

Zhu Ge didn’t answer his question right away, but Bai Chen still looked at the man with his round blue eyes. He remembered how the Crown Prince had even personally kept the keys to the Wenxue Pavilion, and perhaps the cause for that decision was because the books in the pavilion were indeed precious.

He also remembered how the Emperor had treated him coldly yesterday, and if he were to cause trouble here, he might be blacklisted. Thus, he decided to get up from the books and cast his gaze around his surroundings to find a seat.

Unfortunately, there was no space within the pavilion where he could sit quietly except at the top of the books, and he ended up pouting in disappointment.

He was disappointed, but suddenly, he saw the movement of another man in the pavilion. He remained silent, but his eyes followed Zhu Ge’s every move. At first, he didn’t know what the man was up to, but when he saw how the man began to move the books one by one from one pile to another, Bai Chen knew that the man was trying to make room for him to sit down.

Bai Chen was dumbfounded, but he didn’t say anything as he could only focus his gaze on the man in red the entire time. Maybe Zhu Ge could be a pervert most of the time, but Bai Chen had to admit that the guy could also be sensible. Unknowingly, a small smile began to form on his face as he continued to stare at the taller man.

“Done,” Zhu Ge suddenly announced as he stopped his movements, and Bai Chen quickly wiped the smile off his face as soon as he heard the voice.

The man in red straightened his body again as he proudly showed the space that was enough for them to sit together, but Bai Chen didn’t move an inch as he continued to frown on the spot.

Zhu Ge had indeed worked hard to prepare a place for Bai Chen so he could read a book while sitting quietly, but Bai Chen didn’t look happy after his eyes got a better look at the area.

The top of the pile of books was just covered in dust, and he was able to sit on it just fine. However, the situation was different from the floor that was previously covered in books.

After Zhu Ge moved the books to make room to sit, Bai Chen could see how dirty the floor was. The floor was full of dirt, he couldn’t even describe whether the color was black or brown, and he could also see some strange small animals crawling on the floor.

The sight was too awful for him, and he showed an expression of disgust as he replied, “I don’t want to sit there.”