47 47

After the examination, Zhao He seemed to have lost all his vital energy. Fortunately, he still had some martial arts foundation in his body, so he didn't fall directly onto the person who came to meet him once he stepped out of the door like others but could still sit in the sedan chair steadily.

As soon as he sat in the sedan chair, his tiredness finally hit him and he directly fell asleep. When he woke up, he was not surprised to find himself lying in bed.

Zhao He yawned and got up. He could smell the odor from his body since he hadn't taken a bath for a long time. Frowning at first, he struggled to get out of bed to move his arms and legs. In a daze, he planned to go to bathe when suddenly, he stopped walking and clapped his hands.

Ah!

How could he just fall asleep like that? He should have asked about Brother Lin before sleeping!

He barely lasted through with his strong body, but Brother Lin was so weak… What if he didn't make it…

Forgetting to even take that bath, Zhao He hurriedly went outside. As a result, as soon as he pushed the door open, he happened to meet a book boy who was bringing in a cup of tea.

"Young Master! You're awake!"

When the book boy saw him, he immediately cried out with surprise. He placed the tea on the table and said, "Master, you really scared us. You've slept all day. Now that the exams have just finished, all the physicians have been called away. I really didn't expect that Master Lin, who had always been in poor health, would be safe and sound, while you actually collapsed, Young Master."

Zhao He was just about to ask after Lin Shiheng, but he sighed in relief after he heard this sentence.

"Is Brother Lin really ok? When I came out, I already thought that it really was too cold in the capital. If it weren't for the hot pot base and the copper beads, I would probably have suffered until I was half-dead."

"He's fine, Master Lin is fine. Right! Young Master, let me tell you ah…"

The book boy has always been with Zhao He; so naturally, he knew how bad the relationship between him and Hu Chuan was, and now that his young master had woken up, the book boy was immediately unable to conceal the gloating and murmured about Hu Chuan vomiting blood in front of the examination entrance.

"This matter has already spread all over! At that time, Master Lin was also there, and from the appearance of it, it looked like it was a dispute with Master Hu. Because of this, many people mistook Master Hu's vomiting of blood was due to Master Lin. But Master Hu expressed that it had nothing to do with Master Lin, and it was because of his own frail body that he vomited blood after being in the examination room for so many days."

Book Boy said so with a smile on his face, a look full of joy. So Zhao He, who had been staring at the book boy while being mentally shaken by the incident, rolled his eyes and weakly lifted his hand to knock the book boy on the head.

"Are you so happy about Hu Chuan's accident? I can hear you laughing through your teeth."

"How can I not be happy? Before, Young Master was ostracized in the academy. Wasn't it precisely because of them? Young Master spent so much time inside the academy, but because they stirred things up, someone like you, who liked to make a wide range of friends, had such a hard time making even a single friend…"

"Go go go."

Zhao He knocked on his head again, "When making friends, it's better to be precise than to have many. Can't you see that Brother Lin and I are good friends? When you're making friends, you have to find people like Qinzhi who are pure and kind-hearted yet also share your interests. Most of those people in the academy are only pedantic scholars, how would I even be interested in them."

The little book boy quirked the corners of his lips but made no reply.

The door to the room was pushed open, and a scholar in a white cloak came in with a smile, just in time to hear those words which were added in passing.

"That's not what Brother Zhao said to me before when we were drinking and chatting."

Zhao He immediately remembered that scene when he became drunk and spat out all the grievances he had suffered at the academy to Lin Shiheng.

What had he said at that time again?

It shouldn't have been about that time cold water was thrown on his blanket in the middle of winter by someone, right?

"Well …"

Lin Shiheng yawned and smiled as the book boy retreated outside, "Now we just have to wait for the rankings to be released. I wonder if we passed…"

"What's the point of thinking about it if the test has already been taken."

Zhao He suddenly sighed in relief when he saw that Lin Shiheng didn't plan to continue the previous topic. If he hadn't been drunk, he definitely wouldn't have told anyone about this matter of him being bullied.

"Brother Lin, I heard that Hu Chuan was quarreling with you before he vomited blood. How was it that the people didn't go on to misunderstand you?"

The handsome scholar, who had removed his white cloak and placed it on the chair, seemed to be very confused and bewildered as he tilted his head and slowly knelt to sit. As he picked up the teapot and poured the tea, he asked curiously, "Why would they misunderstand me?"

Zhao He wasn't too surprised at this reaction. After all, Brother Lin had always been such a pure and good-natured person. So even if people talked about it, he probably wouldn't become angry.

However, remembering that Hu Chuan wasn't a friendly character on any scale, Zhao He asked again, "Brother Lin, although I know it has nothing to do with you, before he vomited blood, what exactly did that Hu Chuan argued with you about?"

If Lin Shiheng tells him now then later, if Hu Chuan's trio came to attack back, he could still help to think of a way to counteract it.

"In fact, it also wasn't anything serious."

Lin Shiheng took a sip of tea, "It was just that the hot pot base had smelled too fragrant. And since I sat behind Brother Hu, it affected him."

Zhao He was stunned, he also knew how fragrant the hotpot base smelled. Although the taste was indeed good, if the taste was 8 points then the aroma was 12 points, so even if you were not hungry, you would still want to eat it. Therefore, once you smell it, you wouldn't be able to help but crave it.

Was it really because of this smell that Hu Chuan became angry?

Ah, that man is too petty…

To actually vomit blood because of a bite of food. Tsk tsk.

Although he felt that Hu Chuan made a mountain out of a molehill, a good friend was still the most important after all. So Zhao He spoke righteously, "Brother Lin doesn't have to worry about those rumors outside. If someone really blames you for Hu Chuan's vomiting blood and misunderstands, I will definitely argue for you!"

"Why argue?"

Zhao He sighed in his heart because his Brother Lin was truly too simple-minded but this purity also seemed a bit too much. A scholar's reputation was most important to them. Although Lin Shiheng didn't have much of a relationship with that Hu Chuan, they were in the same examination room, so they were also considered to be classmates. If others insisted that he vomited blood from anger, wouldn't Brother Lin have to bear a bad reputation on his back?

But it doesn't matter, even if Brother Lin didn't care about these hollow rumors, he must help out.

Thinking of this, Zhao He immediately looked serious.

"Of course, you must argue! Otherwise, what if you are misunderstood by others, Brother Lin?"

"Others are others, they have nothing to do with me."

Lin Shiheng smiled warmly and looked a little embarrassed as he hung his head slightly before taking a sip of his tea, "Besides, there isn't a misunderstanding."

"Brother Lin, you don't have to blame yourself. It is Hu Chuan who is narrow-minded. I know you are a kind person, but reputation is a lifetime thing."

The handsome scholar who took off his white cloak to reveal the blue clothes inside pursed his lips and smiled before putting his cup down, he spoke warmly, "Brother Hu was right. I deliberately tried to use food to affect his rest."

Zhao He almost suspected that something was wrong with his ears. He stared at the person in front of him.

A gentle smile, clear and warm eyes, a temperament like an ancient gentleman, as elegant as orchid…

How could such a person do such a, such a…

"You… you did it on purpose?"

Lin Shiheng smiled sheepishly, "Actually, it really wasn't too intentional…"

"Before the exam, I offered the hot pot base to Brother Hu, but Brother Hu refused to accept it, so I can't be blamed."

Phew!

Zhao He heaved a sharp sigh of relief. He knew it! How could a gentleman like Brother Lin do something to plot against someone?

He tried to calm down the excited mood from just now and waved his hand, "Brother Lin, next time you speak, don't sound like you're so breathless like just now. How was this 'being deliberate'? It was clearly Hu Chuan who was ungrateful and blaming you. You don't know what kind of person he is, so how could you know he was going to refuse before you asked him."

"I knew."

"Brother Hu had always been enemies with Brother Zhao. Naturally, he wouldn't have believed me as I was a good friend of Brother Zhao. I said I want to gift him the base before the test precisely to make him regret not taking it once he smelled it."

When Lin Shiheng saw Zhao He's dazed, stiff and incredulous gaze, his eyes revealed some confusion, "Why is Brother Zhao looking at me like this? Wouldn't you have done so if it had been Brother Zhao?"

"This, this is not…"

Zhao He smirked, "Hu Chuan and I have an old grievance, and I didn't want to dispute it with him at first. But it turned out that he was really going to try and ruin me at every opportunity, so of course, I had to make the first move…"

He just didn't expect… Lin Shiheng, who he always thought was so pure and innocent, had actually silently plotted against Hu Chuan.

Zhao He thought about it, then suddenly there was a flash in his mind, and he clapped his hands and stood up.

"Brother Lin! Could it be that you were already plotting against Hu Chuan since you asked them to make the hotpot base?"

"If that's the case, you're too powerful, Brother Lin!!"

Faced with Zhao He's praise, the scholar in blue somewhat bashfully revealed a shy smile, "Brother Zhao is overpraising, it's just an average ability."

Zhao He was so excited that he sat down again with a thump and slapped the table, "How is this an ordinary ability?! If I had a brain like yours, I wouldn't have lost half my life before when Hu Chuan and the others tortured me!"

"You wouldn't know but the three of them would stay together every day. Whenever someone else was there, they would treat me incredibly well, but when there's no one around, they would do all sorts of tricks. So when people were around again, people would only see how they were good to me and give me an expression as if I was a bastard who didn't know what was good for me. To begin with. the people in the academy were already reluctant to associate with me, so with such a disturbance, they despised me even more."

Lin Shiheng raised his eyebrows slightly, "When the late emperor was around, he began to promote the status of merchants. We obviously have descendants of merchants going to study. Even if some people have grievances, at least they should maintain peace on the surface. Why was Brother Zhao's academy so full of stubborn people?"

Zhao He shrugged, "Brother Lin wouldn't know but our side of Wei County was once occupied by the now-defunct Eastern Dynasty. It was only 35 years after that our ancestors finally won back the land. Therefore, Wei County was more deeply influenced by the previous dynasty than other places, thus the status of merchants is not as high as other places. Otherwise, my family would not be as adamant in having their children become officials."

"I am a merchant's son, so it was originally already rather embarrassing at the academy. Although the teachers would not despise me, they also wouldn't favor me. At that time, if I hadn't known I was the only one at home who could study, I would have long wanted to go back."

Lin Shiheng listened thoughtfully, but Zhao He was full of excitement after speaking.

He was not at all afraid of Lin Shiheng, who had silently made a big move with his excellent methods. The only thing left was excitement and thrill after the previous hint of disbelief faded away.

Of course, he was excited. Brother Lin was on his side after all. If he could teach him a trick or two, when he met those three again in the future, he definitely wouldn't be so overwhelmed every time.

"Brother Lin, since you are so powerful, can you teach me how to deal with Hu Chuan? I'm not saying to plot against them or make them lose an arm or a leg, just make them feel a bit more humble…"

"That's simple."

The blue-clad scholar was still well-spoken, "Since Brother Hu treated you like that, why don't you treat them back in the same way? The reason Brother Hu held back the story about vomiting blood was that when he had gone to the exam room, I had offered him the food but he didn't want it, however, he hated me after the exam for not giving him any; If that spreads, even if I would be affected in some way, Brother Hu would inevitably have a reputation for being narrow-minded and ungrateful."

"If Brother Zhao wants to vent some anger, just like this…"

Lin Shiheng called Zhao He to come closer, and he whispered a few words in his ear. Zhao He listened and his expression seemed more and more enlightened.

***

"Great!"

"Still, Brother Lin, you're amazing! I'm going to go wash up and we can go out soon!"

He just stood up before he suddenly remembered something and sat back, "Brother Lin, we have been together for so long, and I also know that you have always been tolerant and generous. Your gentleman's bearing doesn't seem to be faked at all… Why did you use such a sly trick to deal with Hu Chuan this time?"

After saying this, Zhao He was afraid that Lin Shiheng might misunderstand that he was disdaining him, so he waved his hand to explain, "I'm not saying that I don't agree with it, I just think… With Hu Chuan being how he is, if you make a move, aren't you just getting your hands dirty?"

"From beginning to end, I never touched Brother Hu with my own hands, so how could my hands get dirty?"

Lin Shiheng looked up slightly and continued earnestly, "Since I met Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao has always taken care of me. I'm ill, so I can't help Brother Zhao much with other matters, but I heard a few book boys mention the old grievances between Brother Zhao and Brother Hu in the past few days, so I made my move."

Zhao He opened his eyes wide, "It was actually for me?"

The blue-clad scholar nodded reservedly, "Didn't Brother Zhao say that we are best friends?"

"You have taken care of me a lot, so I would naturally want to reciprocate. How can one just take advantage but not contribute?"

Having said that, he coughed a few times with a pale face and a pair of long, light, elegant brows knitted together with a hand pressing on his chest.

"Just a few days in the examination room, in the end, it still injured me a bit. Unfortunately, it is hard to find a doctor now, otherwise, it would be good to ask how to make up for it…"

"It's okay! No problem! I'll find someone to take your pulse. Although we might not be able to get an accurate reading, prescribing a tonic recipe or making a medicinal meal will still work!"

Zhao He was almost moved to tears by what Lin Shiheng said before. Seeing that Brother Lin was so sincere and uncomfortable at the moment, he hurriedly patted his chest and stood up without hesitation.

"Brother Lin, don't worry! Even if my family has nothing else, we would still have enough supplements! You haven't eaten yet. Wait here. I'll have someone cook something delicious!"

Lin Shiheng frowned and stood up slowly with an embarrassed expression, "How can I allow this? I already shamelessly stayed at Brother Zhao's house because I had nowhere else to go for the upcoming exams, but now that I've finished the exams, I should leave. How can I continue to shamelessly bother you?"

The blue-clad scholar just stood up weakly but was pressed to sit down by Zhao He.

"What do you mean by bothering? You and I are best friends! My home is your home! What's more, as Brother Lin has said, it's a return favor! Brother Lin helped me vent my anger, so I will naturally repay Brother Lin as well!"

"Go ahead and sit down, I'm going to call someone to prepare."

Lin Shiheng coughed twice in a low voice with some helplessness, "Brother Zhao warmly invited me, so I can't refuse again, but the food should not be too good. Especially that steamed fish from Wei County, it was too much work to make last time, so don't do it anymore."

Zhao He, who hadn't thought of steamed fish at first, was reminded and immediately said, "Yes, I almost forgot! Brother Lin likes steamed fish, so I'll tell them to make it. Ok, Brother Lin, you can rest, I'll tell them first. Then we'll go out together after eating."

Lin Shiheng nodded with a gentle smile and picked up the teapot on the table, "Then I will make tea, it just so happens that the tea is almost ready."

"Eh… No! You don't need to!"

Zhao He quickly took the teapot and looked up and down at his good-looking friend who was in poor health but was unable to help himself, "Brother Lin, you are weak, how can you do this kind of work? I'll just go out and let them brew it."

He walked out after saying that, thinking quite emphatically as he went out, Brother Lin was really too polite.

After helping him so much, he still doesn't want anything…

Ah, a friend like him should be treasured…

Watching as Zhao He left, Lin Shiheng stood up and casually took a book from the shelf to look at.

When he sat back on the bench, he found that the bench had moved slightly.

He was still pale and with his eyes still looking at the book that he held in his left hand, then with just a slight effort from his right hand, he lifted the solid stone bench that had shifted and moved it back to its original position.

Although the hot pot base tasted delicious, the steamed fish from Wei county had the best taste in terms of delicacy.

If you wanted to talk about what nourishes your body the best, naturally, you have to love what you eat.

After convincing himself, the blue-clad scholar nodded satisfactorily and read the book with peace of mind.

***

The meal at Zhao's house was just as delicious as Zhao He ordered it to be, without affecting at all its medicinal properties to nourish the body.

They ate to their hearts' content, and when they had finished, they got up and went out together.

According to the little book boy who was the best with gossip, Hu Chuan finally invited a doctor to see him, but he only said it was because he was short of breath. Because there were so many people at that time that everyone heard it and thought it was Hu Chuan who didn't do well in the exam before he got angry and so vomited blood. Although it was a shame to say it so frankly, it was not their own shame anyway, so the rumors were spread around quite merrily.

Spitting up blood in a fit of rage sounds pretty serious, but in fact all it only required one prescription. The book boy had heard the news that recently, Hu Chuan probably felt that his reputation has taken a hit and so started to frequent the Scholars' Pavilion to discuss with other same-ranked scholars every day.

From what Zhao He knew about this guy, he was just trying to use the title of 'gentle and polite' for himself again.

Zhao He used to hide whenever he saw Hu Chuan, but now, it was different.

Now, he is backed by Brother Lin!

Even if he couldn't win against Hu Chuan by himself, wasn't there still Brother Lin, a man with a brilliant mind?

Zhao He, who thought he had great momentum, took Lin Shiheng to a very imposing restaurant.

"Brother Lin, take a look. This is the capital city's Scholars' Pavilion; this place is close to where the rankings will be posted. Although it would be hard to see the rankings itself, it is a good place to wait for the release. Plus there have been many Juren waiting for the list and learned that they have passed the exam here, so this place became even more popular among the educated."

It was just for luck.

Lin Shiheng nodded and stood at the bottom to look up at the three words inscribed on it.

The Scholars' Pavilion… To be able to give such a name, but also to occupy such a large area in the capital as a restaurant, it was impossible for them not to have an official backing them.

He raised his eyebrows and stepped in with Zhao He.

***

In the middle of the building, some people dressed as scholars were gathering on the first floor to discuss, while some who liked quiet would choose a private room, and those that didn't like to discuss but only wanted to watch the fun, they could look down on the railing of the second floor. Looking around, it was indeed an elegant atmosphere, very much in line with the pursuit of the four gentlemen's scholarly aesthetic.

(TNote: the four gentlemen's scholarly aesthetic = Plum, Orchid, Bamboo, and Chrysanthemum; every flower/plan symbolizes a few things in this. Please google for more info.)

At the moment, Hu Chuan was sitting at a table talking with a few Jurens, while he would from time to time glance at the people who were gathered in a discussion.

It was about to get dark, but there were still a lot of people in the building. After all, they had studied hard for many years to get to this Juren position. If they succeeded in the exam, they would be officials in the future. And the exams had just finished, so how could they not come and relax for a bit?

The reason why Hu Chuan, who had just lost face, came out, was because of all the Jurens sitting in the Scholars' Pavilion, some who must have passed. After finishing the exam, he knew that he was absolutely hopeless, but this didn't prevent him from making a few successful friends. In the future, they will become officials, they could correspond with each other and lay a good foundation for their later life as an official.

Unlike his bloodshot eyes when he had just finished the exam, Hu Chuan was extremely energetic at the moment and spoke with the other people he met with a lot of energy.

When the others saw him, they only assumed he had done well on the exam, which was why he was in such a good mood, so they were more than envious.

***

The two splendidly dressed gentlemen with their attendants were led in by the servant boy as they made their way up to the second floor, choosing an unoccupied spot near the railing to gaze down at the view below.

"So that's who Third Brother chose?"

Shen Huyang frowned slightly and looked while being a little puzzled, at the plain-faced person beneath them. From head to toe, she couldn't see anything good about Hu Chuan.

"Is it really him? Why does it look like he doesn't have the air of a scholar in the slightest?"

The one who stood a little taller than her, Shen Hu'an, laughed somewhat helplessly, "If it wasn't for the fact that as soon as he was contacted by Third Brother, he immediately got excited and went looking to meet the Jurens to drag them into Third Brother's house together, I wouldn't have known his identity so quickly."

"Third Elder Brother's eyes are getting worse and worse. I thought it was some remarkable person and wasted an opportunity to get out of the palace in vain."

"In fact, it's not bad. My people have found out that his grades are fair and he is young. He has a good reputation in Wei County. Although his character is a bit poor, at least he is usable. What's more… Isn't he recruiting Jurens everywhere? He is also a good subordinate."

Shen Huyang fixed her gaze at Hu Chuan, who had no gentlemanly appearance at all, and withdrew her eyes, "He can only be called a subordinate, not a scholar."

"Sister, there you go again. Then you tell me, what kind of person can be regarded as a scholar?"

Shen Huyang replied without hesitation: "Naturally, like Grandfather, someone with talents that others cannot match."

"Yes, yes… The scholar three years ago was quite talented, but unfortunately, he was an old scholar in his fifties, who was already a grandfather."

Shen Hu'an looked even more helpless, "Father said, Sister's flowering period has arrived, he knows you love talented scholars most, so this time he's planning to choose one of the talented among the top rankings to bestow marriage."

"I know."

Shen Huyang looked indifferent, "That's why Third Brother started looking around for a scholar who is willing to join him. If it wasn't for the loyalty of that person Grandfather left you, I wouldn't have known that Third Brother was actually eyeing my marriage."

Speaking of that, the hint of relaxation on Shen Hu'an's face also completely disappeared, "I'm the one who got Sister into trouble. If it wasn't for me…"

"Even if it weren't for you, I still wouldn't have been able to make my own decisions about my marriage."

"We'll just leave it up to fate…"

Shen Huyang looked down at the people who were talking and laughing together, "I've been watching a lot of Jurens these days, and they're pretty much the same… Since Father Emperor decided to look for a son-in-law for me this time, it's the same no matter who I choose."

"It's just a matter of mutual respect. Either way, with my status as a princess, even if I don't have a good relationship with my husband, I would still be able to live a comfortable life."

She was born as a princess without the protection of a biological mother, and although she had a younger brother, it only made it harder and harder for the two of them to live in the palace.

Shen Huyang was not favored and neither was her younger brother. She was fine; being a woman, at most, she would only be subjected to the ridicule and sarcasm of the other princesses. But her younger brother was different. He was a prince; as soon as he was born, he was a thorn in some people's side. Losing their mother's protection didn't lead to people showing them mercy, instead, they became more and more unscrupulous.

They grew up, alive and well, but if they didn't start to fight back, based on the nature of their brothers, no matter who gets the throne in the future, they wouldn't be able to live well. So why not fight?

The expression of the man on the other side, who still had some youthfulness in his features, became obscure, "I'm the one who got Sister involved."

Because he was a prince, others wouldn't let his sister marry a husband with a good family background.

Thus this time, the choices for Shen Huyang's husband were very few. They had almost exhausted all the connections left by their maternal grandfather, but this time, none of the jurens with good grades and were of appropriate age managed to enter the eyes of the two.

They were born as a prince and a princess, so even if they were bullied, the education they received made it difficult for them to take interest in an average person.

Just thinking that his wonderful sister, because of him, could only marry a random person, he clenched his fists tightly as determination flashed in his eyes.

He must get the throne and protect his sister's health for the rest of her life!

Someone hurriedly came upstairs and approached the two, "Fifth Highness, someone has come with a letter."

Shen Huyang saw the anxiety on the guard's face and told her brother, "Go to the private room. I'll stay and look around a bit more."

"Okay. I'm going to go in first, you guys, stay and protect the princess."

"Yes!"

Seeing her younger brother leave, Shen Huyang's expression was somber as well.

She was a woman and had lived in the palace since she was born. How could she not have imagined, if she gets married in the future, what her husband would look like, what kind of conduct would he have, whether he was really talented, or whether he was willing to treat her well?

But she just didn't expect to be married off in such a hurry.

Right now, the imperial rankings haven't been published yet, but during this time, her younger brother has already searched out those Jurens who scored good results with the connections left by their maternal grandfather. There were also some good ones, but generally, they had already married early while the remaining ones… Though there were no problems with their academic knowledge, everything else was very mediocre.

Shen Huyang sighed, a bitter smile hung on the corner of her mouth.

What else do you expect? She and her younger brother didn't have their biological mother anymore, so they were lucky enough to have grown up safely. Asking for too much would only add to their sadness.

She was about to turn around and leave when two young gentlemen walked in.

***

"Brother Hu!"

Hu Chuan was talking with some people when suddenly there was a cordial call from behind. The voice sounded familiar yet very strange and held a hint of excitement and affection.

Feeling strange, he turned, recalling that he didn't have any particularly close friends who he hadn't seen in a while, and he met Zhao He's smiling face.

"Brother Hu! Long time no see, long time no see!!"

Zhao He disregarded Hu Chuan's expression, which was like he had seen a ghost, stepped forward and greeted him.

Hu Chuan stiffened for a while, then slowly responded, his voice had become a bit obscure, "Brother Zhao…"

What was this Zhao He doing? He used to run away once he(ZH) saw him(HC)! So why was he so attentive and can come up to him now!?

Could it be that he was going to become like that treacherous villain Lin Shiheng, and they were teaming up to deal with him again?

As soon as he thought of this, the blue-clothed juren who followed behind Zhao He slowly stepped forward with a gentle smile and performed a slow, methodical salute, "Brother Hu, it's been a long time since we last met."

Hu Chuan, who had just finished getting up after returning Zhao He's salute: "…"

What haven't seen each other for a long time?! They clearly met yesterday!

These two people! They really could lie with their eyes open!!

No matter how much resistance and reluctance he had in his heart towards returning the salute, he was in the full view of the public, so Hu Chuan still gritted his teeth and bent over slightly in return while being extremely wary of these two people.

"Haven't Brother Zhao and Brother Lin always been reluctant to attend such gatherings? How is it that both of you are also here today? I wonder which brother managed to invite you two?"

Hu Chuan also hasn't heard from anyone that they had invited them.

To have come uninvited, if the word spread…

"Brother Lin! Brother Zhao!"

One of the organizers of the get-together happened to come over. When he saw the two people, he had a face full of surprise, and he hurriedly came forward to salute, "I had thought that Brother Lin would be weak after the exam and would need to recuperate, while Brother Zhao would need to take care of Brother Lin, so I didn't send you two an invitation… Unexpectedly, to find the two of you here… If I had known this, I would have sent the invitations. This is my fault."

"Where's the fault in that? It was Brother, you, who was being considerate."

Lin Shiheng bowed his head slightly and coughed twice with a pale face, then he looked up as if there were starlight in his eyes and smiled gently, "It is true that I am not feeling quite well, but I was just thinking about how Brother Hu vomited some blood yesterday and I couldn't rest assured, so I asked Brother Zhao to bring me here to take a look."

"So that's the case! I didn't expect Brother Hu and Brother Lin to have such a good relationship! Then I won't bother the three of you."

After the host had left, Zhao He smiled at Hu Chuan, who had a gloomy face but could only put on an 'I'm good, everyone's good' expression because there were so many people around.

"Brother Fang was mistaken, I'm the one who has a good relationship with Brother Hu. After all, we studied in the same county, and now, we are both testing in the same examination season. If we were to speak about 'fate', naturally, it would describe the two of us best."

Having said this, he raised his eyebrows at Hu Chuan who was sporting a stiff expression, "Brother Hu, don't you think so?"

Hu Chuan: "…"

He took a deep breath and tried to keep himself from gnashing his teeth, "Naturally, of course."

"That's good, I thought that Brother Hu's expression was a sign that we were not welcome… Come, Brother Lin, sit down quickly! Brother Hu has invited us to sit with him!"

Hu Chuan, who did not extend an invitation: "…"

Just now, several Jurens had already sent their greetings and left, but at the moment, there were still scholars coming and going all around. So with this many pairs of eyes watching, he really couldn't directly try to get rid of them.

It was fine if Zhao He just planned to sit down, but his mouth kept on chattering, "Brother Hu, I heard you vomited blood yesterday? I was very worried after hearing that and couldn't bear to wait before coming to see you right away. By the way, from what Brother Lin told me, I heard you liked the hotpot base from my house? In that case, I've brought some for you today."

He took out a small box and handed it to Hu Chuan.

"Brother Hu, this is unique to my house. And you've already seen it before during the test, so naturally,click you know how delicious it tastes, don't you?"

Hu Chuan looked at the little box on the table with a sullen face, and immediately remembered how he had been miserably tortured by its fragrance during the exam.

As he was struggling to write, the fragrance wafted by his nose.

As he was eating rice congee, the fragrance wafted by his nose.

As he was sleeping, it was still that same fragrance!

Every time he opened his eyes and drooled because of the aroma in his sleep, he would think about how nice it would have been if he had accepted it when Lin Shiheng said he wanted to gift it to him. Even within his dreams, he was surrounded by the aroma, night after night.

However, although he could smell it every day, he just wasn't able to eat it.

Thinking of those days of holding back, Hu Chuan clenched his fists in a death grip, while next to his ears, Zhao He asked him extremely affectionately again, "Brother Hu, you haven't answered me yet. Yes or no?"

Hu Chuan gritted his teeth, "Yes."

"That's great. Here, put it away. We're classmates, so it's only right that we look after each other."

Damn you, classmate!!

Hu Chuan endured so much anger that he had to take a few vigorous gasps. Zhao He quickly y leaned over with concern, "Brother Hu, why do you look so pale? You're not going to vomit blood again, are you? Quick, quick, I'll pour you a cup of tea to suppress it!"

"I'll be fine after a bit."

Lin Shiheng smiled and lowered his eyes slightly. He picked up the teapot with a pair of white hands. First, he moved the teacup forward, then aligned the teapot's spout and slowly poured out a cup of tea.

"Brother Hu, please."

Hu Chuan stared at him, this was the exact same pose the other made when he moved the bowl of soup to make him hungry during the middle of the exam. Hu Chuan's chest choked with a fierce tightness.

He stiffly picked up the cup.

"Many thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Lin Shiheng looked up and smiled at him.

This landed in Shen Huyang's eyes, who was watching them from above, and she was slightly startled.

He really was a pure and innocent gentleman.