Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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As soon as he left, Qiao Huaize actually fell asleep.
When Wan Ding returned, Qiao Huaize heard him, but he was too lazy to open his eyes and went back to sleep.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already evening.
It was already dark in Qiao Huaize’s room, but he saw a light shining through the crack in the door. He got out of bed, his steps slightly unsteady, but he could control them. Qiao Huaize pushed open the door and saw Wan Ding cooking; several dishes were already laid out on the table.
“Mr. Qiao, you’re awake?” Wan Ding said with a smile. “It’s New Year’s Day, so I’ll cook a couple more dishes. Please wait a moment.”
Qiao Huaize taught students at Wan Ding’s martial arts school, and Wan Ding received a percentage of the class hours. Now, this nominal boss was busy running around in his house, while Qiao Huaize remained unperturbed.
“You really didn’t need to do this.” When Wan Ding finished cooking the last dish and sat down, Qiao Huaize looked at him. “We have an employer-employee relationship.”
“Then consider this your year-end bonus.” Wan Ding shrugged.
Qiao Huaize frowned slightly. “But today is the Spring Festival. You should go home.”
“Why don’t you go home?” Wan Ding asked instinctively. Then he realized what he’d said and wanted to slap himself— how could he have spoken so thoughtlessly?
“I have no home,” Qiao Huaize said calmly, lowering his eyelashes.
Wan Ding scratched his head, almost on the verge of a breakdown.
Qiao Huaize looked at him first and said calmly, “Don’t pity me. My current situation and my job are exactly what I want.”
“Do you want to isolate yourself from people like this for the rest of your life?” Wan Ding asked, puzzled.
“Why not?”
In his previous life, he lived a carefree life, far removed from worldly affairs.
Wan Ding fell silent.
He felt that even in terms of their level of understanding, Qiao Huaize was already different from them.
But how could this be? This wasn’t a TV drama, it was the real world. Aside from his martial arts skills, Qiao Huaize was still an ordinary person, subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death. He had a heart yearning for distant horizons, but his physical constitution couldn’t keep up.
Wan Ding was particularly afraid that one day Qiao Huaize would tell him he wanted to cultivate immortality and practice lightness skills, so he was going to jump off the 30th floor. Now, seeing Qiao Huaize like this, he felt it was quite possible.
Wan Ding insisted on having dinner with Qiao Huaize. When his grandfather heard that he was spending time with Qiao Huaize, he was very pleased and told Wan Ding to make a good impression. Wan Ding could only smile wryly.
After dinner, Wan Ding went to wash the dishes again.
In his previous life, Qiao Huaize held a high status. Before he successfully transcended his tribulation, he was already the most powerful person in the entire sect, and even the entire martial arts world. Apart from cultivating and practicing martial arts, he didn’t need to worry about any other trivial matters, and countless people below him were eager to take care of him.
In this life, Qiao Huaize himself was unremarkable; he wasn’t particular about his lifestyle. However, when Wan Ding insisted on doing this and that, Qiao Huaize wouldn’t stop him. Thus, a man accustomed to taking care of martial arts masters was washing dishes, while the master, used to being taken care of, was pushed back to bed.
Wan Ding’s brother had a three-year-old daughter, and Wan Ding occasionally helped him take care of the child. Now, Wan Ding was using the same methods he used to take care of the child to deal with Qiao Huaize. He made Qiao Huaize drink the medicine, then tidied up outside, and it took him half an hour to finish.
He came back to check on Qiao Huaize, only to see Qiao Huaize take a bottle of wine from his bedside table, seemingly intending to drink it. Wan Ding felt a headache coming on; it was as if in an instant Qiao Huaize had transformed from a child who had just resisted taking medicine into his family’s old man who secretly loved to drink.
“You can’t take the medicine you just took with alcohol, it could be fatal!” Wan Ding nagged on and on. “You’d better not drink alcohol for the next seven days, okay?”
Taking advantage of Qiao Huaize’s sluggish reaction after taking the medicine, Wan Ding quickly searched his bedroom and found several bottles of wine in different places.
Qiao Huaize loved drinking too much. For all the years Wan Ding had known him, the one thing he disapproved of most was Qiao Huaize’s drinking habit.
After hiding all the wine, Wan Ding returned and sat down by Qiao Huaize’s bedside.
Qiao Huaize never fell sick, but when he did get a fever, it came on fiercely, and the medication made him drowsy. So Qiao Huaize lay in bed, feeling weak and listless. But he was so handsome that even when he was sick, he had an aesthetic appeal, like a sickly beauty.
His usually indifferent and aloof eyes seemed to have warmed up because of his fever.
Qiao Huaize blinked his long, narrow gray eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling. He seemed to be thinking and recalling something, his eyes reflecting the damp light. Wan Ding had never seen him like this before; he was so vulnerable, it was almost unlike Mr. Qiao.
“What’s wrong?” Wan Ding asked cautiously.
“I want to drink,” Qiao Huaize said. “I feel terrible.”
“You can’t drink when you’re feeling unwell, you can drink when you feel better,” Wan Ding comforted him. “Is something on your mind? You can talk to me about it.”
Qiao Huaize remained silent.
In his past life, he was a cultivator who successfully transcended tribulation. A person who can successfully transcend tribulation must be calm and undisturbed, thus transcending ordinary people.
So in this life, although he returned to the human world, he still lived a serene life, and it was already quite remarkable that he occasionally developed some emotions.
Qiao Huaize should be indifferent to everything.
He survived the tribulation four times before succeeding. If he hadn’t succeeded on the last attempt, his body wouldn’t have been able to withstand the torment and would have vanished.
He failed so many times simply because his inner demon was the woman who danced with a sword for him, the only person in the world who called him Xiao Ze, his mother.
Qiao Huaize’s cultivation and state of mind had long since reached the standard for transcending tribulation, but he failed each time because he couldn’t let go of Jiang Shining. It wasn’t until his third failure that Jiang Shining passed away. After immense pain, Qiao Huaize finally let go of worldly affairs and successfully transcended tribulation.
But in the long days that followed, alone, Qiao Huaize found it increasingly strange. He had a premonition that Jiang Shining had died for him, or that she died by suicide, but it was disguised as an accident.
Even with these thoughts, Qiao Huaize never dared to return to his hometown, fearing that his suspicions would be confirmed. If it were true, Qiao Huaize would never be able to overcome his inner demons. To distract himself, he focused all his energy on other things, and in the end, he seemed to have truly let go.
Reincarnated into a world unsuitable for cultivating immortality, Qiao Huaize’s physique was merely that of a normal person. He could finally yearn for Jiang Shining. However, a long-standing sense of guilt weighed heavily on his shoulders, preventing Qiao Huaize from actively thinking of Jiang Shining, and recalling her always triggered his past remorse.
As a proud man, Qiao Huaize did not allow himself to lose his composure in ordinary times.
Only when he was drunk late at night would Qiao Huaize recall some of the good things from the past.
Wan Ding was still by his side. Qiao Huaize sighed softly, his tone softening a little.
“Go back, Wan Ding,” he said. “Don’t keep your family waiting.”
“It’s alright, I live at home every day, I have plenty of opportunities to spend time with my family,” Wan Ding said. “I’ll stay with you this New Year.”
Qiao Huaize opened his eyes and looked at Wan Ding, his misty eyes seeming to regain their clarity. Wan Ning’s heart skipped a beat, as if in that instant, Qiao Huaize’s gaze had penetrated to the deepest recesses of his eyes.
Wan Ning thought his enthusiasm made Qiao Huaize uncomfortable, and that Qiao Huaize would teach him a lesson. Unexpectedly, Qiao Huaize lowered his eyelashes again.
“If you took my wine, you should drink a few more glasses when you get home for me.”
The author has something to say:
Remember, you can’t drink alcohol while taking cephalosporins! Mild cases result in poisoning, severe cases can be fatal. Although it’s common knowledge, I’m just reminding you again in case anyone doesn’t know =3=
….
It’s so hard to be friends with Qiao Zai Zai or take care of him! (* /ω\*)
Also, the identity of the last baby has been decided, but I won’t tell you yet, but you’ll love it!
Thank you everyone for feeding us and providing the nutrient solution!
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