CH 53.1

to be honest, si chu had no clue how on earth xiao zhenyun managed to get this massive box into his backpack. through his magical thought process, he naturally rounded it up as an accidental slip.

in si di’s mind, there was absolutely no such thing as an ‘accident.’

but xiao zhenyun was stuck; the box pressed against his legs, and he had no choice but to play along with si chu’s wicked accusation: “hey kid, why did you take it out in front of him? doesn’t that ruin the surprise?”

“no, i’m very sur-pri-sed,” si di said coolly. he glanced at the man in the wheelchair, whose gaze was drifting, and confidently declared, “this is a gift for si chu, right?”

“…” faced with si di’s questioning, xiao zhenyun felt a bit guilty but not that guilty.

the guilt lay in si di exposing his lie, but in reality, he was quite helpless. objectively speaking, he hadn’t done anything to betray si di; if blame had to be assigned, it should go to xiao nian.

xiao zhenyun averted his gaze and slowly said, “how is that possible? it’s not his birthday, and why would i give him a gift?”

“but you don’t even know my birthday, so it wouldn’t be a birthday present for me,” si di exclaimed with frustration. his tone carried a hint of disappointment, and he had to hold back from breaking out.

he could imagine what the answer would be if he pressed for the truth, xiao zhenyun would impatiently say, ‘as an uncle, it’s my duty to look out for my nephew.’

uncle taking care of his nephew—such a legitimate reason, right?

moreover, xiao zhenyun had emphasized multiple times that he had no romantic feelings for si chu. having spent so much time together, si di could sense that it wasn’t a lie, but he still felt aggrieved. as a sentinel, he was born with a strong desire to monopolize his guide. he didn’t want xiao zhenyun to pay special attention to si chu, not even xiao jiali or anyone else…

wolf ears sprouted from the silver strands of hair, pressed backward, and a wolf tail hung from behind. si di’s eyes were burning with fire, his voice deep and husky, “it’s not his birthday, not any special holiday, you just saw it and wanted to buy it for him, right? xiao zhenyun, have you gotten used to subconsciously remembering everything about him, wanting to give him anything good you come across?”

“…” xiao zhenyun was somewhat surprised; if these analyses were matched with ‘xiao zhenyun’s’ actions, they were pretty accurate.

si di didn’t receive a fierce rebuttal or opposition from xiao zhenyun, believing he had hit the mark. disappointed to the extreme, he said, “little uncle, i don’t like this. even if it’s si chu, you can’t do this. if you want to be with me, i hope you can focus all your attention on me in the future. blame me for being selfish or resent me for being jealous. si chu has ye feiran, has me, has parents to take care of him, and you only need to look at me.”

after a pause, si di added, “little uncle, how do you really see me? how do you see our current relationship? i thought we were implicitly preparing to be together… i used to think it’s fine not to clarify, enjoying the tacit ambiguity… but now i want you to admit it with your own words.”

“little uncle,” si di knelt down in front of the wheelchair, hands resting on xiao zhenyun’s knees. in a submissive posture, he looked up at the man before him and said, “promise me, okay? from now on, only pay attention to me.”

xiao zhenyun’s face remained expressionless, but deer antlers and ears emerged from the top of his head, revealing that his inner feelings weren’t as calm as his exterior suggested.

“xiao di…” his hand on the box curled, hesitating several times, he was defeated by this unusually frank sentinel. reluctantly, he pushed the box out, “it’s indeed not a birthday gift, but… maybe you can open it and see…”

si di found it strange, took the box, and unwrapped the exquisite packaging. on the pale green velvet lay a beautifully crafted black-and-white gemstone collar. in the middle hung a cat’s eye emerald, adorned with jade and diamonds on the side, and the back featured turquoise and chrysocolla. it was undeniably a well-made gemstone collar.

xiao zhenyun didn’t intend for it to be so extravagant, but the novel explicitly stated that the collar ‘xiao zhenyun’ gave to si chu was adorned with expensive gemstones. he could only decorate it lavishly following the narrative.

however, the original text didn’t specify the type of gemstone. left to xiao zhenyun’s own choice, he first thought of si di’s eyes, bright green. when the designer handed over the blueprint, he subconsciously pictured how si di would look wearing it.

i have to say, it’s quite interesting… he seemed to understand some of the special preferences of the ‘xiao zhenyun’ in the novel.

“for tai ji,” xiao zhenyun said.

this was the excuse ‘xiao zhenyun’ had come up with in the original text, hinting to si chu that it was a gift for the wolfhound xiao mu. when asked, he could simply say it was for him. but in reality, he wanted someone specific to wear it, without saying it outright.

in the transmigrated world, xiao zhenyun had no doubt that si chu would believe this lame reason from the original text.

however, the elder brother wasn’t as easily fooled as the younger one. after seeing the real appearance of the gift, si di’s expression visibly softened. anyone could tell that this collar was related to him—the black and white contrast resembling the yin and yang face, and the uniform green gemstones matching his eye color. the decorative rivets also made it aptly named the wolf collar.

once, he had mocked xiao zhenyun for choosing someone with amber eyes to deal with his desires. now, it seemed that green had become the special color in the other’s heart.

“are you sure it’s for tai ji?” si di smirked, stood up, and took off the electric collar around his neck. holding the gemstone collar, he compared it to his neck, saying, “…seems to be about the same thickness as mine?”

xiao zhenyun: “…”

his hesitation stemmed from finding this thing downright kinky. he hadn’t expected the little wolf’s acceptance to be so high.

xiao zhenyun silently took out a tablet of medicine from his pocket, knocked out two, and swallowed them with hot water. then, as if he had lost all worldly desires, he said with absolute certainty, “it’s for tai ji.”

si di was happy, carefully inspecting the collar in his hand under the sunlight. turning back with a smile, he asked, “then, can i accept it on behalf of tai ji?”

xiao zhenyun wearily waved his hand, gesturing for him to do whatever he pleased.

“don’t leave, little uncle.” si di quickly walked behind xiao zhenyun, hugging him from the wheelchair’s back, indicating that this matter wasn’t over yet. “you haven’t explained why this thing ended up in si chu’s bag.”

“it was a slip of the hand; this box looks too much like another tea box.” xiao zhenyun began to fabricate, anyway, there were quite a few delicate tea boxes at home. “i wanted si chu to bring some tea back for your dad, si qiaorong.”

“oh…” si di reluctantly accepted this explanation. “but next time, it’s not allowed.”

xiao zhenyun couldn’t guarantee that. in the future plot, he still had to give many more things to si chu…

“what about your answer?” si di lifted xiao zhenyun’s chin from above, forcing him to look up directly. “what are we to each other?”

“isn’t a 97% match enough to put your mind at ease?” xiao zhenyun said helplessly.

“don’t play with these percentages. tell me,” si di demanded sternly.

xiao zhenyun couldn’t help but chuckle, and the laughter caused si di’s fingertips against his jaw to produce a faintly tingling sensation.

“do you like me?” the guide’s smoky-blue eyes stared without blinking, above him, the sentinel’s grass-green pupils lightly lowered, and he replied affirmatively.

“i naturally like you,” si di said and, finding it insufficient, added, “i like you enough to want to be with you.”

a deeper smile played on xiao zhenyun’s lips, reaching his eyes. “then, we’re in a mutual liking relationship.”

“and what about union?”

xiao zhenyun raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“…”

si di’s fur all over his body was smoothed out. he contentedly pushed xiao zhenyun onto the balcony to bask in the sun while he went to the kitchen to prepare an unusually lavish dinner.

so lavish that xiao jiali, who returned from the hospital check-up, thought it was a last meal before his impending doom. he stood stiffly by the table, a look of despair on his face, muttering his last words.

xiao nian: “???”

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