CPS Chapter 6: Zhaixing Tower

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However, later, Xia Qing's impression of Lou Guanxue changed.

Lou Guanxue wasn’t like a mad dog; he was like a fairy.

"Fairy"—what a sarcastic nickname—perfectly encapsulated his fussy, neat-freak, pampered, and picky personality.

Xia Qing thought he was a genius at naming.

During the half-month he had to stay at the Zhaixing Pavilion, the Empress Dowager was worried sick. She sent beauties and delicacies every day, but the table was always filled with rare and exotic dishes that Lou Guanxue never touched.

Day after day, he drank only a small cup of sake, as if he could live without food.

Fairies must live on dew, after all.

Xia Qing asked, "Are you afraid of being poisoned?"

Lou Guanxue replied, "Not really. It’s just not to my taste."

Xia Qing was puzzled. "Don’t you feel hungry?"

Lou Guanxue spun a delicate wine cup with his fingers, smiled faintly, and said, "I don’t think I can feel hunger."

Xia Qing: "What?"

Lou Guanxue explained, "When you’ve been in pain for too long, you don’t have the energy to notice hunger or cold."

Xia Qing froze, silent for a moment, and mumbled, "Oh."

When Lou Guanxue wasn’t losing his temper, he didn’t resemble a tyrant at all.

Gentle and elegant, as radiant as a pearl. Of course, Xia Qing now had a shadow in his heart because of him and wouldn’t be fooled by his outward demeanor.

The Empress Dowager still sent beauties every day.

Seeing that Lou Guanxue had summoned so many mermaids last time, she assumed he liked them. She catered to his preferences and sent a parade of stunning mermaids to theZhaixing Hall for several days.

Pure, holy, alluring—each more breathtaking than the last.

Xia Qing watched for days on end.

He couldn’t leave Lou Guanxue, so his favorite place became the beams above.

It was a high spot where he could see everyone without disturbing them.

When Xia Qing watched people, he was always focused. His light brown eyes remained calm and devoid of admiration for beauty or interest in performances. It was as if he were observing flowers or grass—clean and detached.

One evening, Lou Guanxue casually asked, "You watch so intently—are you trying to remember everyone’s faces?"

Xia Qing, exhausted, yawned and honestly said, "No, it’s just a habit I’ve had since I was a kid."

Lou Guanxue became intrigued. "A habit?"

Xia Qing, unsure how to explain, replied vaguely, "Yeah, a habit of watching people."

It was a strange hobby he discovered in elementary school.

At first, he couldn’t control it—he’d find himself staring at someone and zoning out. His gaze would stick to them like a little creep, earning him quite a few beatings. As he grew older, he learned to restrain himself.

Rather than enjoying people-watching, it felt more like an instinct, compelling him to observe.

To observe every person in the world—beautiful, ugly, young, old—all kinds of people. And he still didn’t know why.

Xia Qing had no parents and grew up in an orphanage. According to fortune-tellers, he was a "natural calamity bringer."

He brought misfortune to others and himself, leading to turbulent foster homes filled with arguments or abuse. Once, a drunk foster father, who was a pervert, tried to molest him. Terrified, he jumped out of a window in the middle of the night, clutching an ice cream bar, and called the police. The fact that he grew up healthy and decent was nothing short of a miracle.

Lou Guanxue asked, "What have you learned from watching people?"

His voice was cold but low, making him sound unexpectedly gentle and alluring.

Xia Qing was already numb, his eyes reddened from drowsiness. He looked up and said inexplicably, "Nothing at all."

If he knew, that would be great.

He had lived this long without finding an answer.

Lou Guanxue paused, then said, "Tomorrow is March 14th."

Xia Qing, slumped over the table, was startled awake by the statement. He looked up. "What the hell? March 15th already? Are you leaving?"

How did time pass so fast?

"Yes." Lou Guanxue nodded, lazily flipping a page in his book. "Do you want to get used to my body first?"

Xia Qing’s expression stiffened, and he thought of the excruciating pain of reshaping his bones the last time. His face turned pale.

Lou Guanxue noticed and tapped the table with his finger, smiling reassuringly. "Don’t worry. The demonic aura has dissipated. It won’t hurt anymore."

Xia Qing shook his head, forcing himself to stay calm. "Whatever. Pain is pain. You’re helping me earn merit points, and I’m dealing with the Empress Dowager for you. It’s what we agreed on."

Lou Guanxue asked, "Are you really going to deal with Yan Lanyu for me?"

Xia Qing hesitated for a few seconds, suddenly unsure. From what he’d seen in TV palace dramas, every concubine was more cunning and ruthless than the last. The Empress Dowager, as the reigning champion of palace intrigue, couldn’t be easy to handle. A straightforward young man like him wasn’t very confident.

He rubbed his nose sheepishly. "I’ll try to say as little as possible to avoid mistakes."

Lou Guanxue smirked. "Say as little as possible? That’s not a good idea. If you don’t refuse, she’ll arrange everything for you, including how you die."

That terrifying?

Xia Qing was already feeling intimidated by the Empress Dowager. "If I end up getting you killed, whose fault is it?"

Lou Guanxue looked into his eyes. "Mine."

Xia Qing: Well, with that reassurance, I feel better.

Lou Guanxue put down his book. "You’ve spent ten days with me. Have you learned how I speak?"

Xia Qing thought for a moment. "No, but I know I just need to smile."

Lou Guanxue raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

Xia Qing sat up straight, earnestly analyzing, "I’ve noticed something, Lou Guanxue. Whenever you smile, everyone around you gets terrified. They either kneel or lower their heads, not daring to look at you. I can learn that—so they won’t have the chance to notice anything unusual about me."

"Oh, and there are different types of smiles: cold, faint, or weird. But to me, they all look fake when you do them."

He asked his ultimate question, "What’s so funny? Why do you smile all the time?"

Lou Guanxue’s expression was blank for a few seconds. Then he looked at him, his lips curling up slowly before the smile vanished like a gust of wind.

"Indeed, there’s nothing funny," he said lightly.

Xia Qing blurted out, "So you’re just pretending to be crazy? Acting all mysterious to scare people?"

Lou Guanxue tilted his head, thought for a moment, then chuckled. "Now that’s a little funny."

Xia Qing: "..."

I want to curse at him.

Xia Qing took a deep breath. "I’m serious."

Lou Guanxue remained unperturbed, tapping the table and smiling faintly. "Do you want to have a heart-to-heart with me?"

Xia Qing looked puzzled. "Aren’t we already having one?"

Lou Guanxue said, "Not like this."

Xia Qing: "What?"

What do you know about heart-to-hearts, you lunatic?

Lou Guanxue’s smile was enigmatic. "A heart-to-heart is a gradual process. You should get to know me first."

"Start by learning that I was born in the cold palace, unloved. My mother went mad, and people were cruel. Then find out that I loved candied hawthorns as a child and have unresolved feelings about kites. Step by step, begin to capture my attention and draw closer to me."

Xia Qing: "..." What is this?

Seeing Xia Qing’s expression, Lou Guanxue chuckled and continued, "Start with meticulous care, then show deep, lingering gazes and repressed yearning. Or take the opposite approach—dislike and question me in my presence. Be smart, and create opportunities. Do you know how many kites have accidentally landed at my feet over the years?"

Xia Qing was baffled. "What are you even talking about?"

"The steps to a heart-to-heart," Lou Guanxue explained. "Xia Qing, you’ve skipped quite a few steps. You know, all those men and women before you meticulously followed each step before daring to ask me such questions or have a heart-to-heart."

Xia Qing’s "What the hell" got stuck in his throat. His pupils quivered, and he stammered, "You—you think I’m deliberately seducing you?!"

What kind of celestial misunderstanding is this??

You think you’re a fairy, and now you’re really flying?

Lou Guanxue turned away, laughing uncontrollably. He covered his lips with his hand, coughing before shaking his head. "No, I just suddenly remembered something."

When he brought up those memories, he had no extra emotions. He just said plainly, "Why did they think I enjoyed heart-to-hearts?"

Xia Qing clicked his tongue and slumped down to sleep. "Talk or don’t, your choice!"

Lou Guanxue raised his head, looked at him seriously, and smiled. "No. I’ll talk with you. Ask me anything, and I’ll answer."

Xia Qing, still reeling from Lou Guanxue’s earlier words, sat up and felt the need to redirect his thoughts. "I think you’re overthinking things. Maybe those people genuinely care about you? Don’t you think it’s unfair to assume everyone’s kindness is selfish?"

Lou Guanxue considered this seriously and looked at him innocently.

"I never denied their concern."

Xia Qing: "..."

These words sounded incredibly selfish and narcissistic. From anyone else, they would seem arrogant or ungrateful.

But the moment Lou Guanxue said it, Xia Qing felt a chill.

His almond-shaped eyes were stunning, with that cold mole adding an icy touch. There was pure doubt in his gaze.

At that moment, Xia Qing realized that Lou Guanxue’s calmness was far scarier than his madness.

Lou Guanxue’s gaze drifted to the window, overlooking the sprawling palace.

The red light from the Pagoda had faded, and the bright moon illuminated the eaves.

In the candlelight, his expression softened. His black hair fell over his pale collarbones, and he suddenly asked, "Do you remember the wall mentioned in Eastern Continent Miscellanies?"

Xia Qing froze. "Yes." The wall that stood upon the Sea of the Heavens, blocking the merfolk’s path home.

Lou Guanxue smiled with a hint of mischief and said softly, "To truly get my attention, they might as well break that wall down."

Xia Qing: "..."

Seriously?! If someone could break that wall, who would bother with your attention? You really think you’re the center of the universe!

Lou Guanxue turned back and said, "Just kidding. Isn’t this a heart-to-heart? Ask me anything."

Thinking about the near-death experience with the merman and the events in the golden hall, Xia Qing asked hesitantly, "What’s your deal with the merfolk?"

Lou Guanxue replied without hesitation, "My mother was a pure-blooded mermaid."

Xia Qing was stunned.

Lou Guanxue added, "Besides Yan Lanyu, you’re the second person in the entire Chu Palace to know this."

Lou Guanxue’s mother was a pure-blooded mermaid?

"Then..." Xia Qing carefully looked at Lou Guanxue’s ears.

Lou Guanxue said blandly, "I’m not a merman."

Xia Qing: "...Oh. You said your mother was mad—did she treat you badly? Is that why you dislike the mermaid?"

"Ah, that." Lou Guanxue drew out the syllables, smiling. "Hard to say."

Xia Qing thought for a long time and then bluntly asked, "Do you really like killing people?" Having been around Lou Guanxue, he found this aspect very confusing.

Lou Guanxue thought for a moment before laughing. "You’re really bold, aren’t you? Being a ghost, you think you can ask me anything."

But he answered seriously nonetheless. His eyelashes fluttered as he untied the cyan ribbon from his hair, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"I laugh because things amuse me. I don’t need to feign madness since, in their eyes, anything I do is dangerous. I don’t like killing, whether human or merfolk—the blood is equally filthy. The only person I’d like to kill is Yan Lanyu, but only after I survive her. Anything else you want to ask?"

"...Yes."

Xia Qing: "You being so normal right now makes me think the ghost I saw on Jingzhe Night wasn’t you."

Lou Guanxue smiled faintly. "Oh, just think of it as seeing a ghost."

Author’s Note:

Gong: If you want to have a heart-to-heart with me, you have to pursue me first. I’ve already taught you how. 😊

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