[BL] Making my Naive Master Love only me

Familiar

AN: So after a lot of deliberation and thought, I've chosen to make Xuejie's love story a side story. So when I finish Naive Master, I'll write a short story about him and his love interest. This is being done mostly cause 1: writing 3 separate love stories in one 'novel' is really hard and 2: I kind of wanted to make it its own story. Honestly, I'm still on the fence about his partner but it does allow me to fulfill my very recent desire to write a story about a shameless kiss ass and his stone-faced partner. Xuejie just happens to fill the role well.

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Faced with no recourse, Liang Fei found himself in quite a situation. One that he, a hard-working and responsible man, had never had to deal with.

He was broke.

He had attempted to do odd jobs and run errands as he'd done years prior but the world was very different from back then. Turns out, when the town was doing well, there was no shortage of errand boys to do tasks.

And him being an adult made things harder rather than easier.

"I don't understand why they would prefer children to do such tasks than an adult." He found himself muttering to himself, after being told yet again that he was not who they needed.

At a later date, he'd learn that children were preferred for their malleable minds and small bodies capable of escaping notice. Liang Fei, even as himself, was very noticeable and firm in his beliefs. The people he'd have worked for could sense how troublesome he could be just by looking at him.

This man had the eyes of a teacher, scolding their disobedient students.

Eyes as cold as the harshest wind, judging them silently and righteously, how could these devious men stand to have such a person look upon them. Better to see the disappointed and heartbroken eyes of children than such a disapproving look that shamed them to their core.

Liang Fei was unaware of his effect on others and continued on his search for work. He'd been in town for a few days and had been relying on Xinyi to pay for their board. Though Liang Fei refused to sleep in the same room as the woman, she insisted on helping him, since he'd saved her.

Liang Fei felt shameful, relying on a child (in his mind) like this. He'd wanted to pay for his own room but Xinyi had chosen the most lavish inn in town and Liang Fei feared to leave her alone in such a large city.

So the money he'd 'borrowed' from those thugs was quickly used up. This left Liang Fei in a bind. He had yet to inform Xinyi about his circumstances, not wanting to worry her but he was at his limits.

He hadn't eaten in two days.

As a cultivator, his body could survive weeks without food or water but he wasn't a cultivator anymore so it was getting hard to go on. He couldn't even beg, his pride refusing to bend to that extent.

He had worked long and thankless hours back when boys his age were out at arcades and with friends. He sacrificed so much just to keep his family afloat. He had hardened his resolve from many disappointments and setbacks in his life. He'd be damned if he started begging now.

Liang Fei stared out into the night, his stomach grumbling loudly. It had been doing so for hours and was quite vocal in its opinion about his pride.

Liang Fei sighed, his breath misting in the cool winter night. His body was tired, hungry and weak yet his mind was still on other matters.

Not on the Shuizhi.

Not on his hunger.

Not even Xieren.