I See Roses

I See Roses – Chapter 28

Ming Si’s alcohol tolerance could be considered good; when she got drunk, she didn’t make a scene and instead quietly fell asleep.

Half of her body was lying on the table, her long black hair cascading down in waves, forming soft curls on one side, and under the reflection of the lights, it looked like satin, exuding a gentle softness.

Below, the emerald green strap dress complemented her fair and snow-like skin. Her shoulders were slender, revealing the attractive shape of her collarbones.

Liang Xian couldn’t wake her up. He was about to bend down to lift her up when his gazed at her exposed shoulder and arm. He paused for a moment, then took off his suit jacket and draped it over her.

“I’m leaving then,” He carried Ming Si horizontally in his arms, casually said goodbye to Cheng Yu and the others, and then strode away with long strides.

“Wow, my brother is really cool,” Cheng Yu watched as Liang Xian carried Ming Si in a princess-carry. Then he stared at himself and fell into contemplation, “Why do I feel like I’m just a bricklayer?”

Ke Lijie paused for a moment, “Don’t doubt yourself; it’s all about appearance.”

Cheng Yu snorted, once again admiring and trying to mimic Liang Xian’s way of carrying someone. In the end, he couldn’t figure it out and gave up, leaning against the door frame. Anyway, he didn’t have a wife to carry.

“Actually… Have you ever felt that they look quite compatible?”

Having a simple mind has its advantages; one of them is getting over things quickly. At this moment, Cheng Yu recalled the engagement between the two and didn’t find it as hard to accept as he had initially thought.

On the contrary, the brief CP fan identity of his from high school began to stir again.

“What’s the use of compatibility? You know that Brother Xian isn’t Ming Si’s type,” Ke Lijie felt that the main issue was with Ming Si. He shook his head, “They don’t have a chance.”

Cheng Yu sighed with melancholy.

Ke Lijie’s point made sense.

Since their high school days, Ming Si never liked the type of men that Brother Xian embodied—too dazzlingly handsome and seemingly unreliable. If she were awake now, she would definitely jump down and beat Brother Xian up before causing an explosion on the spot.

She would never allow Brother Xian to carry her.

On their way out of the club, Ming Si woke up intermittently a few times.

She leaned against the backrest, occasionally opening her eyes to catch glimpses of neon lights flashing by outside the window, the fragmented lights blurring and dazzling.

She couldn’t remember the cause and effect, nor did she know where she was at the moment. She just felt dizzy and sleepy, losing consciousness in a matter of seconds.

When Liang Xian carried her out of the car, Ming Si was still fast asleep, not even the cold night wind of the city could wake her up.

She shivered slightly and instinctively turned her head to bury it in his chest.

Ming Si felt somewhat thirsty in her hazy state.

She turned over and felt a soft pillow nearby, so she grabbed it and unconsciously murmured, “I want water…”

When Liang Xian walked over, he saw Ming Si, who had been sitting on the sofa, had somehow turned over and was now lying on her back with the pillow still in her arms.

So peacefully.

Her sleeping posture was quite elegant.

The next second, the Ming Fairy turned over again, throwing the cushion aside and casually propped one leg on the back of the sofa.

He Sui, who was originally standing on the backrest of the sofa, was startled by her suddenly swinging leg, and its fur bristled.

Liang Xian: “…”

Ming Si had a pair of straight and attractive long legs, with a fair and slender ankle, forming a stark contrast against the black leather sofa.

Liang Xian’s gaze lingered on her for a moment and suddenly felt a slight tightness in his throat.

He looked away, turned around, and found a thin blanket in the bedroom. He bent down and covered her.

At this moment, Ming Si, in a semi-conscious state, said, “I want to drink water…”

He whispered, “Get up and drink.”

She curled up and didn’t move.

Helpless, Liang Xian had to bend down to help her up.

In the hot summer weather, Ming Si was only wearing a thin strap dress. Despite Liang Xian’s intention to keep a distance, he inevitably touched her waist and back.

Delicate and soft.

Liang Xian’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly, his movements when standing up were almost hasty.

He splashed cold water on his face, leaned against the washbasin, calmed himself, and suppressed the fleeting inappropriate thoughts.

When he came back, Liang Xian saw Ming Si with her face turned upwards, leaning against the sofa. It took a while before she opened her eyes and asked, “Where is this?”

Her voice sounded confused and hesitant, like someone who had lost her memory, but at least it seemed normal, without any drunken madness.

Liang Xian handed her a cup of warm water, “My house.”

Unexpectedly, Ming Si raised her hand and blocked the cup. She straightened her posture, crossed one leg over the other, and said in a particularly noble and aloof manner, “Servants, prepare a carriage to Jiayun Palace.”

Her demeanor didn’t show a trace of drunkenness; yet she blurted a line from a historical drama, staying perfectly in character.

Liang Xian glanced to the side, “What did you say?”

Ming Si glanced at him, still maintaining that tone of an empress from ancient times, she enunciated word by word, “Don’t you understand human language? Bengong1 is tired and wants to return to the palace to rest.”

As she spoke, she elegantly extended a hand as if preparing to rest it on the back of a servant’s hand.

Liang Xian took two seconds to confirm that she was quite drunk.

But she still maintained her noble and aloof goddess demeanor.

He found it both amusing and ridiculous. He was about to bend down to help her when he paused and instead extended his arm, “Alright, let’s return to the palace.”

“Not you,” Ming Si pushed him away. Her gaze swept around the spacious living room, and she pointed her finger at Shi Tai, who was standing in the corner, “Let him do it.”

Shi Tai instinctively stuck himself to the wall.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.

Liang Xian glanced in that direction, his voice indifferent, “Oh? Why him?”

Ming Si squinted her eyes and raised her hand to point at his nose, speaking in a leisurely tone, “You, you’re not a good person.”

Liang Xian held her hand and put it down, following her words, he asked, “How am I not a good person?”

“Forcing me to get married, breaking my leg, making me sit in a wheelchair…” Ming Si raised her fingers one by one and pressed them down, even mentioning their school days’ incidents, “Stealing my little seashell, not wearing the school uniform, fighting and skipping class, you even hit me…”

It sounded quite scandalous. Liang Xian placed one hand in his trouser pocket and gently tugged at the corner of his lip, “Why do I feel like several of these accusations are not true?”

When did he ever hit her?

Ming Si ignored him and continued to list the ten major crimes of Liang Xian all by herself. She let out a long sigh and concluded, “Bengong hereby decrees — execution by caning!”

She even agreed with herself in a satisfied tone, “The Empress is wise!”

Liang Xian: “…”

Only now did he realize that when she took a nap just now, she was accumulating her energy for the drunken act, and the more she acted out, the more she got into the role.

Seeing that there was no one cooperating with her now, she even learned to play both sides.

Ming Si looked at him, her lips slightly curled up, feeling proud, she asked in a serious tone, “Do you know your crime?”

Liang Xian couldn’t be bothered to argue with a drunkard, so he simply picked her up and walked towards the bedroom.

He Sui cautiously jumped off the sofa, tilting his head and looking at their backs. It followed them for a while, however, halfway through it was picked up and taken away by Shi Tai.

To some extent, Shi Tai, the clueless and straightforward guy, had a clear mind at this moment.

On the way, Ming Si kept fidgeting in Liang Xian’s arms. Finally, she reached out and waved her hand in front of his eyes, quite seriously saying, “Liang Xian, after careful consideration, considering our many years of friendship, if you ask me nicely, I will grant you a pardon.”

He should thank her for that. Liang Xian replied indifferently, “Oh.”

“But you have to ask me first,” Ming Si played with her long hair and looked up at him.

Her lips were very red, her cheeks had a hint of blush, her skin was fair as snow, and her tone was slow and seductive, with a unique allure.

With them being so close, their breaths almost mingled, her faint exhales seemed to be teasing him, though barely perceptible.

Liang Xian felt a vein throb on his forehead. When he entered the bedroom, he practically threw her on the bed.

The feeling of weightlessness was terrifying. Ming Si screamed in surprise and fell down.

Only then did Liang Xian come to his senses, quickly striding over, “Did you hurt yourself?”

He remembered that last time she slept here, she complained about the mattress being too hard, and he hadn’t had a chance to replace it.

Ming Si held her waist and glared at him with resentment.

What kind of person was he?

She kindly granted him a pardon, yet he acted as if he didn’t care at all. Being aloof was one thing, but now he threw her as if she were nothing!

Didn’t they reconcile?!

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Coupled with the effects of alcohol, she surprisingly felt her nose turn sour.

Seeing Ming Si remain silent for a while, Liang Xian thought she might be hurt from the fall. He coughed lightly, apologizing, “Ming Si, I’m sorry…”

Their eyes met, but before he could finish speaking, he saw tears rolling down her fair cheeks.

“Go away,” Ming Si seemed to feel embarrassed, wiping away her tears with her hand, she turned her back, repeating, “Go away.”

In that moment, Liang Xian’s throat felt like it was choked.

Although he knew that Ming Si was probably just throwing a tantrum because she was drunk, he couldn’t help but feel an indescribable bitterness when he saw her cry.

He even felt a bit at a loss.

“Ming Si, I’m sorry,” she turned her back and didn’t look at him. Liang Xian went around to the other side of the bed, squatting down, speaking in a gentle tone, “Let me see, where does it hurt from the fall?”

Ming Si hugged her knees, the corners of her eyes turning red.

That added a touch of charm on her fair face like blooming peach blossoms.

Liang Xian’s Adam’s apple rolled gently, and when he spoke again, his voice was slightly hoarse, “Don’t cry, okay?”

After a long while, Ming Si finally spoke, still looking somewhat unhappy, “Then promise me one condition.”

Liang Xian breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t hesitate, “Alright, what is it?”

The distance between them was very close now; Ming Si could easily reach for his face.

“Here,” she moved forward slightly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. She extended a finger, slowly moving down, tentatively poking at his Adam’s apple, “Let me touch it.”

“…”

When she woke up again, her head was throbbing.

Ming Si opened her eyes, unable to recall what had happened. She felt dizzy and disoriented, and the ceiling in front of her seemed too bright, almost blinding. She opened and closed her eyes several times, taking a while to adjust before slowly sitting up.

Her consciousness was blank, and she felt a bit nauseous.

Ming Si lifted the blanket to get out of bed, but suddenly noticed that she was still wearing the dress she had on last night. She snapped out of her half-awake state and let out a long string of screams, “Ah ah ah ah!”

She was done for! She had actually slept like this last night, without brushing her teeth, taking a shower, or removing her makeup!

Why did she have to be so messy like this?!

Restart life, please!!

Just then, there was a knock on the door outside. Ming Si’s regretful scream instantly got stuck in her throat, and she couldn’t produce a sound for a long time.

After two seconds of silence, she immediately wrapped herself in the blanket, covering her head as well.

The next second, Liang Xian opened the door and called for her, “Ming Si?”

Just now, he seemed to have heard her voice.

Ming Si clenched her teeth and pretended to be asleep with her eyes closed—she didn’t want to be seen in this unwashed and uncombed state even if it cost her life.

Too embarrassing.

Clutching the white blanket, she tightly wrapped herself into a cocoon, just short of putting a Keep Away sign on the blanket. It was evident that she was trying to escape from reality.

Liang Xian chuckled lightly, walked over with long strides, and reached out to grab the corner of the blanket, seemingly trying to pull it away.

“Don’t move. You better leave,” Ming Si had no choice but to speak up and stop him, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself.

“Are you awake?” Liang Xian knowingly asked and withdrew his hand, leisurely tucking it into his pocket. He chuckled softly, “Do you remember what you did to me?”

 

 

Literally translates to “This Palace”. Historically, “本宫” was used as a way for imperial concubines or the empress in ancient China to refer to themselves when speaking in the first person. ↩︎