At night, after Zhaxi stealthily called Wu Xie away, a dark figure slipped out of a tent. The dim campsite was brightly lit by the campfire, but the shadow stood in a dark corner, completely unnoticed even by the patrol guards.
"Who's there? Come out."
Xie Yuchen had been dozing lightly in his tent, but upon hearing footsteps coming from Wu Xie's direction, he felt uneasy and came out to check.
"Master Hua, why are you still awake so late?" The shadow stepped out from the darkness.
"Hei Xiazi? What are you doing standing over there?" Xie Yuchen asked with a frown.
"If Master Hua isn't asleep yet, how could a bodyguard like me possibly sleep?" Hei Xiazi walked over, draped an arm around Xie Yuchen's shoulder, and said with a grin.
"Take your hand off. Where's Wu Xie?"
With an expression of disgust, Xie Yuchen stepped aside to shake off Hei Xiazi's hand, then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the spot where Hei Xiazi had touched him.
Seeing Xie Yuchen's look of utter aversion, Hei Xiazi glanced at his own hand, wisely deciding not to mention the fact that he hadn't washed his hands after using the latrine, lest Master Hua kill him on the spot.
"He and Mute Zhang have things to talk about, so you shouldn't go disturbing them," Hei Xiazi said, sidestepping the truth about Wu Xie's whereabouts.
"Oh? What on earth couldn't be discussed during the day, requiring a secret chat in the middle of the night?"
Xie Yuchen didn't believe a single word Hei Xiazi said. He wasn't stupid; given how relentlessly Wu Xie had cross-examined Zhang Qiling today without getting a single answer, there was no way Zhang Qiling would suddenly start talking at night.
"Oh come on, Master Hua, don't meddle in the young couple's business. It's a long night, let's go get some sleep."
Pretending not to notice Xie Yuchen's disgust, Hei Xiazi hooked an arm around his shoulder and forcefully dragged him away toward the tents.
Their receding figures looked remarkably harmonious under the glow of the campfire, accompanied by faint voices drifting back:
"Let go, I can walk myself."
In the end, under a barrage of Xie Yuchen's sarcastic remarks, Hei Xiazi stopped right outside the tent flap. Seeing the guards' eyes still fixed on him, and having no desire to make a spectacle of himself, Hei Xiazi sighed, clasped his hands behind his head, and strolled leisurely toward his own tent.
Early the next morning, the campsite was bustling with activity.
A-Ning's crew were busy loading equipment onto the trucks, occasionally making quite a racket.
As soon as Zhang Qiling returned from his morning workout, Hei Xiazi woke up, splashed some water on his face, grabbed his backpack, and sat down next to Zhang Qiling, pulling out a carton of milk to hand to him.
He had spotted it back in Lancuo, and remembering how malnourished Zhang Qiling looked, he had brought it along.
"Here, drink this. You've lost so much weight on this trip, you need to build your strength back up." Seeing Zhang Qiling's puzzled look, Hei Xiazi offered a rare explanation.
Although Zhang Qiling didn't feel like he had lost weight, he was never one to reject someone else's goodwill. He took the straw and began to drink, which, paired with his expressionless face, made him look extraordinarily docile.
It made Hei Xiazi's hands itch, and behind his dark glasses, his eyes were filled with parental affection. Though Zhang Qiling thought Hei Xiazi was a bit weird, sensing no malice, he didn't mind. Besides, Hei Xiazi treated him quite well, so when it came to minor things, Zhang Qiling was rather indulgent with him.
Case in point: right now, Hei Xiazi's hands were already shamelessly kneading Zhang Qiling's cheeks, while Zhang Qiling merely glanced at him sideways before turning his head back to focus on his milk.
This scene left everyone in the camp dumbfounded, but Wu Xie, who had just woken up, reacted the loudest. He shouted:
"Hei Xiazi, stop bullying Xiaoge!"
Hei Xiazi and Zhang Qiling's attention was drawn to Wu Xie. Hei Xiazi withdrew his hand, raised an eyebrow, and smiled.
"When did the Little Third Master see me bully Mute Zhang?"
"I saw it with my own two eyes! You pinched Xiaoge's face until it turned red!" Wu Xie rushed over, pointing at Zhang Qiling's face as he protested righteously.
"That's just because Mute Zhang has tender skin. Besides, I paid for the privilege—otherwise, you think he'd let me pinch him?"
Wu Xie was indignant, but Hei Xiazi was even more brazen. When it came to talking back and shamelessness, if Hei Xiazi claimed second place, no one dared claim first.
"Paid?" Wu Xie lowered his gaze to the carton of milk Zhang Qiling was holding, and asked in a low voice, "Xiaoge, did Hei Xiazi give you this?"
Zhang Qiling looked up at Wu Xie and nodded. It was indeed from Hei Xiazi.
Remembering Hei Xiazi's remark that he had given it to him because he was too thin, Zhang Qiling looked at Wu Xie and decided that Wu Xie looked thin too. So he reached into Hei Xiazi's bag, pulled out another carton of milk, and handed it to Wu Xie, figuring he should build his strength up as well.
"For me?" Wu Xie cradled the milk, his cheeks turning slightly pink as he asked.
Zhang Qiling nodded.
"Hehe, thanks, Xiaoge!" At that moment, Wu Xie had completely forgotten everything else; his mind was entirely occupied by the milk his Xiaoge had given him.
"Tsk."
Standing off to the side, Hei Xiazi watched the scene unfold and suddenly felt a bit full.
"Using my milk to curry favor—Mute Zhang, you've really outdone yourself."
Hei Xiazi gave a thumbs-up in admiration. If even mutes knew how to win over a spouse these days, how could he possibly fall behind?
Zhang Qiling said nothing, but Wu Xie proudly retorted:
"That just shows Xiaoge's capability." With Xiaoge by his side, Wu Xie felt exceptionally bold.
Before Hei Xiazi could fire back, he saw his major financial backer walking toward them. How could Hei Xiazi let slip such a prime opportunity? He pulled the last carton of milk and a pack of bell pepper and shredded pork fried rice from his backpack and bounded right over.
"Master Hua, eaten yet? Care to try Hei Xiazi's signature bell pepper and shredded pork fried rice? I've got milk, too."
Looking at the fried rice in Hei Xiazi's hand, Xie Yuchen asked doubtfully, "Is this fried rice expired?"
"How could it be? This has a ten-year shelf life!" Faced with Xie Yuchen's skepticism, Hei Xiazi explained with utmost solemnity. No one was allowed to slander his fried rice.
"Ten-year shelf life? Is it even edible with that much preservative?" Before Xie Yuchen could speak, Wu Xie chimed in first with a puzzled look.
"Of course it is! Haven't you seen how handsome and dashing Master Hei is? It's all thanks to this bell pepper and shredded pork fried rice." Hei Xiazi spoke absolute nonsense with a straight face.
Wu Xie twitched the corner of his mouth. Naive as he might be, he wasn't stupid—he didn't believe a single word Hei Xiazi said.
And if Wu Xie didn't believe it, the cunning Xie Yuchen was even less likely to buy it. Besides, he didn't have much of an appetite.
"I don't like bell peppers. Give me the milk instead. How much?"
Seeing Wu Xie and Zhang Qiling both clutching cartons of milk and drinking with expressions of absolute satisfaction, Xie Yuchen felt a bit curious about the milk himself.
"Sure, two hundred."
Though it was a pity his fried rice hadn't sold, selling the milk wasn't a bad outcome either.
"Two hundred? How is this any different from robbery?" Wu Xie looked at the tiny carton of milk in his hand, suddenly feeling that Xiaoge was truly good to him for snatching up such expensive milk just for him.
"No, no, no, there is a difference. The difference is that while I can rob you of two hundred bucks, I still hand you a carton of milk. Aren't you even a little touched?" Hei Xiazi wagged a finger and said.
Wu Xie rolled his eyes at him.
As for Hei Xiazi's exorbitant price, Xie Yuchen readily forked over the cash. To someone of his immense wealth, such a trivial sum meant nothing at all.
Clutching the freshly acquired two hundred yuan note, Hei Xiazi grinned from ear to ear.