Chapter 0139: The Well-Behaved Xie Chengze, and the Pastries That Would Make Anyone Who Eats Them a Dog

Hearing the sarcasm in Shen Yuan’s tone, Xie Chengze couldn’t help but scratch his head and mutter to himself: Who’s the tactless one that pissed him off this time?

Now he’s getting implicated too.

He decisively chose to change the subject, “What happened just now? I thought I saw someone dragging Wuji away?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Shen Yuan turned and walked to the desk, placing the paper package he was carrying on it, saying calmly, “Come have some pastries.”

At the mention of pastries, Xie Chengze’s drowsiness instantly vanished. He quickly put on his shoes and got off the bed, saying happily, “I knew you’d go buy them for me~~”

He trotted toward the desk, and as he passed by, he noticed the food box on the floor, feeling puzzled, “Was this here before I fell asleep? Shen Yuan, did someone else come by earlier?”

“…” Shen Yuan glanced sideways at the annoying food box. His innate gentlemanly demeanor prevented him from lying, but it did allow him to only tell half the truth, so he said indifferently, “Oh, Su Qinghe seemed to have come by.”

“I thought so.” Xie Chengze nodded, thinking to himself that perhaps Qinghe had seen him asleep and didn’t want to disturb him. What he didn’t understand, though, was why the food box was left on the floor instead of on the desk?

After picking up the food box and placing it beside the cushion, Xie Chengze eagerly unwrapped the paper package Shen Yuan had left on the desk. Inside were Liaozhou-style fried cakes he had never tried before, still warm. He couldn’t help but squint with satisfaction, picking up a piece and popping it into his mouth.

Instantly, the rich flavor filled his mouth. “So delicious!”

Seeing that Xie Chengze hadn’t touched the food box but had instead eaten the pastries he bought first, Shen Yuan’s displeasure finally dissipated. He curved his lips into a smile and said, “Then eat more.”

Hopefully, he’d stuff himself to death.

The two ate in silence, and the room was filled only with the soft, crisp sound of the little cat chewing. Shen Yuan sat nearby, flipping through the drawings Xie Chengze had made. Though he couldn’t understand them, he kept looking at them until Su Qinghe brought Da Dangjia and Er Dangjia back.

As soon as Da Dangjia entered, he anxiously shouted, “Where’s the assassin?! Where is the assassin?!”

What assassin?

Xie Chengze was busy eating, his mouth greasy and his cheeks stuffed with half-chewed fried cakes. Hearing this, he looked up blankly at Shen Yuan, “Is someone trying to kill you?”

He was a well-behaved kid, so surely no one would try to assassinate him. That left only Shen Yuan, who was covered in “arrows.”

“Hmm…” Shen Yuan pretended to ponder for a moment, his expression calm as he said, “Wuji has already gone after them.”

For some reason, Wuhen had always refused to appear in front of Da Dangjia and Er Dangjia, so neither of them knew Wuhen was here. Thus, Shen Yuan casually shifted the blame to Wuhen.

After all, he hadn’t mentioned who the assassin was, only that Wuji had gone after someone.

“Fourth Brother is the fastest runner—he’ll definitely catch up!” Hearing that Wuji was the one chasing, Da Dangjia immediately felt relieved. He didn’t blame Shen Yuan for making him run around for nothing but instead said gratefully, “It’s a good thing you were here. Otherwise, if Wuji had gone after them and the enemy used a diversionary tactic, my nephew might have been hurt!”

Shen Yuan nodded in deep agreement, pretending to be concerned as he said, “Indeed, Your Highness. You must be more careful in the future and avoid sleeping so soundly.”

“No problem!” Da Dangjia waved his hand enthusiastically, offering advice, “You should still sleep when needed. From now on, let Fourth Junior Brother sleep with you at night! He’s extremely alert—even when asleep, he can sense the presence of assassins!”

Shen Yuan: …

If you don’t know what you’re talking about, could you just not talk?

“Since everything’s settled, Second Brother and I will take our leave now.” After confirming there was no danger at the scene, Da Dangjia announced.

“Wait, Uncles! Since you’re here, let’s discuss the ice sculpture matter together.” Seeing Da Dangjia and Er Dangjia about to leave, Xie Chengze quickly wiped his mouth and stopped them. “Qinghe, please help me fetch Elder Gu. It’s time to talk business.”

Su Qinghe, who had followed them back, nodded lightly and went to summon Elder Gu.

Once everyone was gathered, Xie Chengze began explaining his plan, primarily addressing Elder Gu. The elder, however, kept frowning as he examined the blueprint.

Although he had to admit Xie Chengze’s idea was excellent, his drawing—like his handwriting—was so poorly executed it pained Elder Gu’s eyes.

“Weren’t the previous kang heating blueprints drawn quite well?” Elder Gu asked, puzzled. “Did you not draw those?”

“Oh.” Xie Chengze recalled something, looking slightly embarrassed. “That was… ahem, my father kindly polished them for me.”

So that was it!

So it was actually His Majesty’s calligraphy! Elder Gu thought to himself, I must treasure this properly when I return.

Holding this terrible blueprint wasn’t helpful, so Elder Gu could only open his toolkit and start redrawing the diagrams.

The Second Prince had already documented the drainage area conditions of the Hun River. Elder Gu could use these data to estimate the workload, but looking at the numbers on paper, he still felt impressed. “Has Your Highness studied geographical surveying?”

The data appeared remarkably precise, with carefully chosen terminology. Though some terms differed from current usage, they were straightforward and even more aptly descriptive.

Xie Chengze rubbed his nose. “You could say that.”

His home contained countless books on geology and architecture.

He suspected his parents’ work overseas was related to these fields, but whenever he asked, they would evade the question and quickly hang up the phone.

Elder Gu nodded without another word, lowering his head to continue drawing while Su Qinghe assisted and observed nearby.

With nothing to do for the moment, Xie Chengze started munching on fried cakes again. Finding them somewhat greasy, his hand unconsciously drifted toward the food box beside the cushion.

I wonder what Qinghe made this time…

Just as his fingers touched it, a slender, large hand suddenly snatched the food box away faster than he could react, placing it on the desk. “Da Dangjia, Er Dangjia, Elder Gu will need some time to finish the drawings. Why not try the pastries Young Master Su made? They’re quite delicious.”

“Oh?” Da Dangjia immediately perked up, leaning over to see the exquisite pastries in the box. “Wow! These look amazing!”

Seeing such delicate treats for the first time, the two burly men carefully picked up a piece each and popped them into their mouths, exclaiming in admiration, “Incredible skill!”

Er Dangjia heartily slapped Su Qinghe’s back. “Young man! Impressive! With skills like this, you’ll surely marry a wonderful wife someday!”

Su Qinghe felt like his soul nearly got knocked out of his body. Struggling to steady himself and catch his breath, he managed a faint smile. “You flatter me, Er Dangjia. There are plenty more in the yamen’s kitchen. You’re welcome to take some back for the brothers.”

As for the contents of the food box, they were the finest pastries he had meticulously selected and saved for the Second Prince. Couldn’t they eat a bit less…

Watching Da Dangjia and Er Dangjia devouring them one after another, Su Qinghe felt his heart twinge with each bite. He thought to himself, if they finished them all, surely the Second Prince couldn’t be expected to eat the scraps from the kitchen, could he?

Noticing Su Qinghe’s distress, Er Dangjia couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Do you think we’re eating too much?”

Su Qinghe pressed his lips together. “Of course not, it’s just that the Second Prince hasn’t eaten yet…”

Da Dangjia and Er Dangjia turned to look at Xie Chengze.

Xie Chengze quickly waved his hands. “It’s fine, you go ahead and eat. I’m full.”

Wahhh, who would dare compete with their martial uncle for food? He’d just sneak off to the kitchen later to eat!

Thinking this, the small hand under the desk couldn’t help but pinch Shen Yuan’s thigh in frustration.

Damn Shen Yuan, are you doing this on purpose?!

Shen Yuan chuckled inwardly but kept a straight face, merely saying, “Indeed, the Second Prince is already full.”

Full?

Su Qinghe’s gaze swept across the desk, then landed on the familiar paper wrapping and fried cakes on it: …

Su Qinghe immediately glared at Shen Yuan, his eyes demanding: Didn’t you say you were feeding them to the dogs? Why did you end up feeding them to the Second Prince?!

Shen Yuan calmly popped a fried cake into his mouth, then reached out to offer one to Su Qinghe, asking with a faint smile, “Want one, Young Master Su?”

Su Qinghe: …

Elder Brother Shen! You’ve changed!!!