Chapter 122 – The kitty is drunk

Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen

The next day, during break time, Tang Qing and Wen Lele walked together on the road.

“Tang Qing.”

A low, pleasant male voice sounded from behind.

The students turned around to look.

It was General Shen Yanxia.

Tang Qing glanced at him indifferently, unmoved.

“Tang Qing, can we talk for a moment? I have something to say to you.”

Tang Qing still held Wen Lele’s hand, somewhat impatiently replied, “General Shen, please speak your mind.”

He was really fed up with this person.

Always speaking in riddles. They hadn’t known each other for long, and he believed there were no secrets between them that required a private conversation.

How long had they been broken up? Couldn’t he have some awareness of an ex?

Shen Yanxia looked at Tang Qing’s cold face and felt increasingly estranged.

This former Empire’s Icy Beauty, though aloof to others, used to reveal a softer side and smile at him. Now, he seemed completely unfamiliar, icy and distant.

Approaching Tang Qing, Shen Yanxia whispered, “Tangtang, can you forgive Tang Xiaobai?”

Tang Qing was puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong with him?”

Shen Yanxia explained, “Because he plagiarized your work, he’s about to be expelled from the Imperial Academy.”

Tang Qing was taken aback.

He thought at most Tang Xiaobai would be given a warning or some form of punishment, not straight-up expulsion.

The Imperial Academy resorting to such drastic measures was somewhat unexpected for him.

Shen Yanxia continued, “Tangtang, did you have a hand in this?”

Confused by his questioning, Tang Qing replied, “Tang Xiaobai copied my work on his own accord, I didn’t force him.”

Shen Yanxia added, “I’ve looked into it. Plagiarism can be a serious matter. I tried to find someone to intercede on Tang Xiaobai’s behalf, but the school officials informed me that there was no room for leniency.”

“Because there are higher-ups pushing for Tang Xiaobai’s expulsion. So no matter how I try to help him, it’s useless.”

Tang Qing finally understood and chuckled, “Oh, you’re feeling sorry for him now, huh? You think I’ll trip him up for you?”

Shen Yanxia felt a bit embarrassed and lowered his eyes, whispering, “Tangtang, can you spare Tang Xiaobai? He’s already realized his mistake, and he’s quite pitiful. His mother is already in prison because of your brother’s matter. Tang Xiaobai is facing expulsion now due to the plagiarism incident.”

Tang Qing scoffed, “Pitiful? His mother went to jail because of her attempt to poison the Empire’s General! He’s facing expulsion because he copied my design. They brought this upon themselves, I never forced them to commit these illegal acts. Why don’t you ask him why he schemed against me and my family?”

He looked at Shen Yanxia, finding it all rather ridiculous.

Tang Xiaobai pitiful? Wasn’t his brother in a coma for years, almost becoming a vegetable, not pitiful?

If it weren’t for His Grace Xie Qingzhi’s timely intervention, his work would have been credited to Tang Xiaobai, who would have won a design award based on the designs he had painstakingly drawn for months.

Now, Tang Xiaobai’s efforts had come to naught. It was truly a case of reaping what you sow.

Shen Yanxia urgently pleaded, “Tangtang, I’m not blaming you. I’m saying, Tang Xiaobai has already faced the consequences. His mother is in prison, and news of his plagiarism is spreading throughout the school. Can’t you forgive him, for the sake of your family ties, at least let him finish college?”

Tang Qing could easily see through a situation that even the Empire’s General couldn’t manage.

This was definitely His Grace Xie Qingzhi’s doing.

Since His Grace Xie Qingzhi wanted to stand up for him, he had no reason to pretend to be forgiving and spare those who had harmed him.

So Tang Qing asserted, “No. He stole my work and entered a competition with it. This is the price he has to pay. General Shen Yanxia, not everything can be smoothed over by connections. Tang Xiaobai is not a child anymore, he should understand that by now.”

Upon hearing Tang Qing repeatedly refuse him, Shen Yanxia couldn’t help but feel irritated. “Tang Qing, are you still angry with me for breaking off your engagement and getting betrothed to Tang Xiaobai? I’ve explained this to you before, it’s because Tang Xiaobai saved me during my most difficult times in childhood that I had to choose him.”

“Tangtang, please don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Tang Qing was most annoyed when Shen Yanxia brought up these matters, and impatiently replied, “I’m not angry, I’m very grateful that you broke off my engagement. I’m now happily married to the Duke. You and Tang Xiaobai are also a good match. Please, if there’s nothing else, don’t come looking for me.”

Shen Yanxia looked at Tang Qing helplessly and said, “Tangtang, how did you become like this? You used to be so kind and sensible, but now you seem so unyielding and unreasonable.”

Tang Qing coldly remarked, “In the past, I pretended to be sensible because no one would cherish me. Now, I don’t need to be so mature anymore because someone will pamper me, stand up for me, and punish those who bully me.”

“Why should I show mercy when I’m clearly in the right? Why should I repay evil with kindness?”

“I only want an eye for an eye now, to make those who bully me and my family face the consequences they deserve.”

Tang Qing held Wen Lele’s hand and said, “I have to go back to class now. Please don’t look for me anymore. If His Grace Xie Qingzhi gets upset, it might make things worse for Tang Xiaobai, and that wouldn’t be good.”

Shen Yanxia watched Tang Qing leave without hesitation, his emotions complex.

He realized that the post-marriage Tang Qing had become a completely different person.

Compared to the previously aloof yet easygoing Tang Qing, the current Tang Qing only smiled at his brother and the Duke.

It had been a while since he had seen Tang Qing show any signs of goodwill towards him. Every time they met, Tang Qing would give him a frosty reception.

While he also looked down on acts of plagiarism, he couldn’t understand why Tang Xiaobai would resort to such actions.

Nevertheless, Tang Xiaobai was his unrequited love. Seeing his childhood savior, tearfully begging for his help, tugged at his heartstrings.

He acknowledged that Tang Qing was right. From another perspective, he admired the kind of person Tang Qing was.

That was also why he had agreed to the marriage with the declining heir of the Tang family.

When he first saw Tang Qing, the serene and beautiful young man who smiled gently under the tree had stirred his heart. That was why he had readily accepted this somewhat disparate marriage proposal.

However, that person from his childhood was the most persistent individual in his life. The young man he had been searching for all these years, determined to repay him.

No matter how much he liked Tang Qing, he had to choose Tang Xiaobai.

Yet, for some reason, as he watched Tang Qing’s departing figure without any nostalgia, he felt a sense of loss.

It was as if he had lost something precious, something he could never regain.

After bidding farewell to Shen Yanxia, Tang Qing dropped his earlier icy demeanor and somewhat speechlessly complained to Wen Lele:

“Why are these Alphas so lacking in self-awareness? They all seem to have a straight-A complex, constantly imagining that everything others do is for their sake.”

Wen Lele couldn’t help but join in the complaint:

“In that case, Tangtang, being upset about your stolen hard work is completely justified. How can they blame you for that? It’s truly self-centered.”

“And that Zheng Nian from before, he’s also unbelievably self-centered. Saying that only an Omega could match him, it’s truly laughable.”

Thinking about these two straight-A complex exes, Tang Qing also felt exasperated. He casually picked up a drink from the table and took a sip.

“Tangtang! You’re drinking my drink…” Wen Lele nervously watched Tang Qing with the beverage in hand.

Tang Qing glanced casually, then handed the drink back, smiling, “What’s wrong, stingy? Let me have a sip of yours too.”

Wen Lele wasn’t being stingy, but his drink contained alcohol. He remembered Tang Qing was averse to alcohol.

However, it was just a 1% alcoholic beverage, so it should be fine.

Wen Lele thought about it and didn’t say anything further.

…

In the evening, after taking a shower, Tang Qing’s face was flushed.

He revealed his cat ears and tail, sitting blankly on the sofa, his eyes gleaming with a dazed light, lazily swishing his furry tail.

When Xie Qingzhi returned home, this was the sight that greeted him.

Tang Qing turned around, looking at the newcomer, a sweet smile playing on his lips. “Your Grace, you’re back… I’ve been waiting for you for so long…”

Tang Qing cooed with a drawn-out tone, his voice filled with the drunkenness and playfulness brought on by alcohol.

“Tangtang, are you drunk?”

Tang Qing shook his head absentmindedly, his eyes shining. “No, I’m not drunk. Tangtang is a good boy, Tangtang never drinks.”

Xie Qingzhi looked at his wife’s coquettish display and thought to himself that he must be intoxicated.

He just didn’t expect his tipsy wife to be so adorable and a bit fuzzy-headed.

“Why are you sitting here?”

“Your Grace, I’ve been waiting for you to come back. I was also looking for ants.”

“Are there ants in the house?”

Tang Qing looked disappointed. “No, the house is very clean, no flying insects, no mosquitoes or ants… My paws are itching. Since coming to the Duke’s residence, I haven’t played bug-catching in a long time.”

“I used to sneakily transform into a cat and go to the garden to catch butterflies.”

Xie Qingzhi couldn’t help but chuckle. “Why were you catching butterflies?”

Tang Qing lifted his head, straightened his chest, and answered off-topic, proudly saying, “My Lord, I can catch butterflies, grasshoppers, and cicadas very quickly! No matter how fast they fly or how unpredictable their trajectories are, I can catch them in an instant!”

“Cats are amazing!”

Xie Qingzhi couldn’t help but imagine the image of a large and beautiful silver cat bullying little butterflies in the Tang residence garden.

He took a few steps forward, then easily picked up Tang Qing in his strong arms, carrying him effortlessly into the room.

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