81 6.5 (1/2)

Although he was rather affected by the man's familiar magnetic tone, instead of pausing to answer the question, Chen Yu promptly wrinkled his brows and shot up, swinging his hand out to retrieve the medicine. Unfortunately, reality was cruel. From his inspection of this body, Ning He was quite tall for his age, but even on his tiptoes, he couldn't reach the packet that Moqi Lirong was dangling in the air. Thus, for the sake of recovering his dignity, he was forced to settle his weight back onto the ground and cross his arms as if he didn't care.

Once he'd at least demonstrated his irritation by puffing out his cheeks, Chen Yu tilted his chin up to glare arrogantly into the other's eyes and complained, ”Master Moqi, what do you think you're doing?” While it wasn't as if he wanted to drink this unsavory thing, he would have to at some point in order to confirm his guesses, which meant that he'd have to deal with this man.

At the sight of the figure in front of him, Moqi Lirong's thin lips hooked imperceptibly. Perhaps the boy could look down his nose at most people, but in attempting to do so now, he'd tipped his head back as far as it could go and still had to open his eyes wide to glower at him. The angle was perfect for displaying the youth's clean jawline and the defined muscles leading to his sharp collarbones, as well as the cute Adam's apple sliding up and down in his throat. En, Ning He had by far the most flawless bone structure he'd ever seen...

Having noticed the man's fixation on his neck, Chen Yu filed the clue away then took advantage of his distraction to jump up and grab the packet, getting a mouthful of the bitter brew before Moqi Lirong reacted and struck his acupoints to stiffen his jaw. Unable to swallow or spit, Chen Yu was tearing up from the disgusting taste rolling around on his tongue when the man used his thumb to pry open his mouth, thereby causing the liquid to trail out of the corner of his mouth.

After swiping his fingers around the hot cavity to ensure that no trace of the tonic remained, Moqi Lirong at last undid his seal with his eyes glued to the mysteriously fascinating traces of the fluid that had leaked out from those sulky lips, only for the boy to sway and bend over, heaving rapidly.

As he scowled at the ground, Chen Yu furiously wiped his wet chin with his robe's sleeve, cursing the man out to his eighteenth generation. Did the fool really believe that he'd missed the way he'd slowed down to grope his teeth and tongue? Damn pervert, making him suffer that horrible flavor just to waste time fondling him!

Shoving aside his scorn for the moment, however, Chen Yu scanned the ground for his lifesaver, then his already reddened eyes became covered in a sheen of water. While it was dark, he could clearly discern that the sole sweet food which the original owner had kept in his storage space had been crushed under this stupid idiot's huge foot...

Since all his focus was on the gagging boy, Moqi Lirong had perceived every change in his expression, including how aggrieved the small face had turned in the end. Inquisitive, he followed the boy's stare, glancing down to find that, in his haste, he'd accidentally stepped on some treat.

Was Ning He that upset at losing his dessert? Truly a child, ah. Still, if he was sensitive enough to cry from such a small incident, how could he possibly be the cruel bully described by gossipmongers? While he was undeniably silly and unbridled, perhaps the rumors were exaggerated and he simply needed some strict guidance?

Observing the mirth in the other's eyes, Chen Yu gritted his teeth, enduring the lingering taste in his mouth, and repeated himself. ”I said, what do you think you're doing?!”

But right as Moqi Lirong was preparing to respond by giving the boy his first lesson on propriety, his twin approached swiftly, his cultured air spoiled by his mussed hair and rushed pace. Moqi Baihui, who had grasped the gist of what had happened from the soaked spot on the ground and Ning He's scrunched up face, politely handed a handkerchief to the youth and confronted his brother. ”Lirong, what's wrong?”

Despite being somewhat disappointed by the interruption, Moqi Lirong explained himself this time. ”Something in that packet was dangerous.” Then, as if realizing that he'd been too vague after having thrown down this broad statement, without hesitation the man spent some time licking the fingers that had swirled around in Ning He's mouth, then pronounced, ”One of the ingredients is the Golden Honey Flower.”

Actually, Chen Yu had understood what the man had been referring to from the first sentence alone—he had, after all, tried countless herbal concotions during his thousand lives, so that, with his experience and the aid of this body's particularly picky palate, he had immediately recognized from the brew's aftertaste a hint of what the people here called the Golden Honey Flower.