Ch 104: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Gu Heng was visibly nervous in front of Qin Zhao. He quickly muttered, “Nothing,” and turned his head to bury himself in his books.

Left alone to face Qin Zhao, Jing Li could only watch as Qin Zhao entered the room and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Tell me, where are we going?”

Jing Li bit his lip and instinctively hid the items in his hand behind his back.

Of course, Qin Zhao noticed this small movement.

In front of the student, Qin Zhao didn’t address it directly. Instead, he turned to Gu Heng and said, “Go over that article I asked you to memorize again, then you can leave.”

Gu Heng quickly nodded in agreement.

“Also, the county exam is in three days. Don’t study anymore these next few days. Go out and relax a bit,” Qin Zhao added.

“Yes, I understand,” Gu Heng replied.

Qin Zhao withdrew his gaze, took Jing Li’s hand, and led him out the door.

Once they were outside, Gu Heng finally raised his head, still feeling uneasy, and muttered, “It’s just going to the gambling house. This is so awkward…”

Qin Zhao led Jing Li back to the bedroom in the courtyard.

Little fry was lying on the bed, hugging a blanket and sleeping soundly.

At this age, children need a lot of sleep, and since little fry’s transformation into human form consumed a lot of energy, he needed at least seven to eight hours of sleep each day.

Qin Zhao tucked the blanket around little fry, but then he noticed Jing Li still standing outside the room, making him chuckle softly.

It had been so long, and he still acted so guilty when he did something wrong.

He lowered the bed curtains to block little fry from view, then walked back to Jing Li’s side.

“Is there something you need to tell me?” Qin Zhao asked as he casually began to undo the buttons of Jing Li’s outer robe.

Jing Li had been out for a long time, and his robe was chilling from the cold. He instinctively shrank away, worried that the cold from his clothes would transfer to Qin Zhao, though his behavior in this situation made it seem a little guilty.

Qin Zhao smiled and helped him take off the robe, then took the object that Jing Li had been hiding in his hand.

“You didn’t go to buy books, what’s this?”

“This is…” Jing Li swallowed nervously and quietly said, “A gambling bowl.”

The thing wrapped in oil paper was indeed a gambling bowl.

Inside, there were three dice.

Qin Zhao placed the object on the table and sighed helplessly. “I’m not going to scold you. Is it really necessary to act so awkward about it? What do you need this for?”

“Well… I just wanted to try it.” Jing Li lowered his head, not daring to look at him, and lied nervously, “When I came back earlier, I saw someone selling it. I’ve never played before, so I thought I’d give it a try.”

Qin Zhao asked, “You didn’t want to let me see, so you went to find Gu Heng?”

Jing Li gave a small, embarrassed “mm” in response.

Qin Zhao didn’t answer, only lowering his head to fiddle with the gambling bowl.

He’d played with these things many times when he was younger. Of course, he wasn’t doing it for money. Now, thinking back, those hobbies were nothing more than an outlet for the pressure of political affairs that had suffocated him.

Qin Zhao skillfully placed the dice into the gambling bowl. When he looked up, he saw Jing Li still standing by the table like he was being punished. He smiled and said, “Come here. How am I supposed to see you like this?”

Jing Li froze. “Didn’t you say you don’t like me playing these games?”

“It’s not that you can’t play,” Qin Zhao replied. “It’s just that, with how tight our life is right now, and with your terrible luck, what will you do if you gamble away all our assets? How will you support the child?”

Jing Li: “…”

This was also one of Jing Li’s worries.

Although he could improve the luck of those around him in some ways, he himself had always been incredibly unlucky.

He even wondered if it was because he hadn’t had any bad luck for so long that it caused such an unfortunate disaster to happen to Boss Chang’s bookstore.

“But, well, it’s fine to play casually.”

Qin Zhao placed the gambling bowl into Jing Li’s hands.

He gently wrapped his hands around Jing Li’s from behind, guiding him to hold the bowl. “…Make sure to press it tight like this, grip it firmly, and then shake it slowly…”

Qin Zhao stayed close, his palm warm against Jing Li’s, making Jing Li’s fingers feel even colder.

As he smelled the faint scent of medicine on Qin Zhao, he felt the slight vibration in Qin Zhao’s chest as he spoke in a lowered voice. Jing Li found himself unexpectedly distracted.

They had been together for so long, and such intimate gestures should have become second nature. Yet this simple action reminded Jing Li of the time when they were still in Linxi Village, when Qin Zhao would hold his hand like this every day, guiding him as he practiced writing.

Jing Li turned his head to look at the side of Qin Zhao’s face.

The sharp line of his jaw, the thin lips that moved as he spoke, curling into a gentle smile, soft and tender.

“Lost in thought again?” Noticing Jing Li’s gaze, Qin Zhao looked a little helpless. “I told you to look at the gambling bowl, not at me.”

“I was thinking about something important,” Jing Li said.

Qin Zhao: “What is it?”

Jing Li: “I was thinking about why I like you so much.”

Even someone as steady as Qin Zhao was caught off guard by his husband’s straightforwardness.

He paused for a moment, then chuckled lightly through his nose, his voice low as he asked, “Have you figured it out?”

“No,” Jing Li leaned into Qin Zhao’s embrace, looking a little troubled. “I thought about it, and the only explanation is that you’re a little demon who charms people’s hearts.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Qin Zhao pinched his waist: “The little fish demon is calling someone a demon?”

Jing Li was ticklish from the pinch, squirming left and right but unable to escape the height difference. As they played around, the gambling bowl lightly fell onto the table, and the dice scattered all over the floor.

Both of them froze in unison.

The two fathers held their breath and leaned their heads toward the room. On the bed, completely covered by the curtains, everything was quiet. They gazed for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Ever since this little rascal came into the picture, everything we do feels like we’re sneaking around,” Jing Li muttered in complaint.

He turned his head quickly and gave Qin Zhao a quick kiss on the lips, then whispered, “But no matter who you are, I still love you.”

Love to the point of being willing to give him everything the best that he has.

And being willing to become a better person for him.

Qin Zhao returned the kiss, pressing his cold nose against Jing Li’s, his eyes full of laughter: “You said it, so you have to follow through.”

He let go of him, bent down to pick up the dice scattered on the floor, and asked, “Still not going to study?”

“Of course I will!”

Jing Li grabbed Qin Zhao and spent the entire day teaching him how to play the gambling game. The next day, he found an excuse and sneaked out again.

First, he went to the bookstore to meet Boss Chang, and together, they went to the gambling house.

It was still early in the morning, but the gambling house was already bustling with people. The environment was extremely noisy, and this was Jing Li’s first time visiting such a place. The smell inside made him wrinkle his brow.

They had the attendant notify someone, and soon, they were led upstairs to a private room.

The gambling house had three floors, and the second floor and above were all private rooms.

However, gambling was all about atmosphere, so the guests who came to the private rooms were few. Most of them were for those who spent the night playing and needed a place to rest.

In the center of the private room was a gambling table, surrounded by several chairs and small tables with tea and chips. A faint sandalwood incense burned in the corner, and once the door was closed, the noise and tobacco smell outside were immediately diminished.

The attendant told them to wait inside, then closed the door and left.

Once the door was shut, Boss Chang seemed a little restless. “Mr. Zhao Li, are you really going to gamble with that Ji family person?”

Jing Li wasn’t sure either, but he still tried to maintain a calm expression. “If we don’t gamble, won’t Ji Zhifei just take your bookstore? At least if we gamble, there’s a chance we can win it back. This business doesn’t seem like a loss, does it?”

“But…”

Boss Chang looked at the young man beside him, a deep sigh in his heart.

This gamble was a trap. Even if they won, would that young master Ji really return the bookstore to them?

In this day and age, when something ends up in the hands of the powerful, what reason do commoners have to expect to get it back?

Jing Li comforted him, “Don’t worry, I still need to make money from publishing. I won’t let him get away with this arrogance.”

As he was speaking, the door to the private room was pushed open.

Ji Zhifei entered, surrounded by people.

This time, in addition to the gambling house staff, there were a few young men dressed like rich heirs, clearly his friends.

Jing Li had seen many wealthy young men in the capital, but the ones present here were unfamiliar to him.

This was normal.

Jing Li usually met people who were friends of Gu Heng. Ji Zhifei, however, was not liked by Gu Heng, so he was never introduced to him.

When Ji Zhifei first proposed the gambling bet to make things difficult for Jing Li, Jing Li had thought that if Gu Heng had a good relationship with him, he could ask Gu Heng to mediate. Unfortunately, Gu Heng didn’t like Ji Zhifei, so it was unlikely that he would help.

He could only take things one step at a time.

Ji Zhifei lazily sat down across from the gambling table and yawned. “You’re here quite early.”

The whole group seemed a bit drowsy, but their spirits were still good, clearly from a night of revelry.

“Young Master Ji, is this the little beauty you mentioned, the one who dared to argue with you in the street?” One of the men leaned close to Ji Zhifei and teased him.

He covered his mouth, pretending to whisper, but his voice was loud enough to cause a burst of laughter from the surrounding people.

Ji Zhifei slapped him on the back of the head. “Shut up, stop being an idiot.”

“Oh, so you’re defending him now.” “Looks like Young Master Ji is fond of him!” “Shut up, or you’ll be calling him sister-in-law soon. Show some respect.”

Jing Li: “…”

These spoiled young men in the capital really were something else.

Jing Li didn’t care much about their verbal teasing, and interrupted, “Young Master Ji, don’t waste time. How do you want to play?”

“Alright, I’ll start now.” Ji Zhifei instructed someone to bring over two gambling bowls. “I’ll keep it simple since you might not know the more complicated games. We’ll just play a high-low game. We’ll each roll five rounds, and the highest total wins. If you win, you get the bookstore back. But if you lose…”

Jing Li asked, “What happens if I lose?”

Someone interrupted, saying, “If you lose today, don’t leave, stay and play with us for a while longer.”

This comment caused another round of laughter from the crowd.

Boss Chang, sitting next to Jing Li, gently tugged at his sleeve. “Sir, we should leave. They’re clearly up to something…”

“Shut up!” Ji Zhifei snapped, then turned to Jing Li. “Don’t listen to them, there’s no such rule.”

Ji Zhifei pushed one of the gambling bowls toward Jing Li and, noticing the uneasy expression on the young man’s face, lowered his voice a little. “Let’s play first, we’ll talk if you lose. I won’t make things difficult for you.”

Jing Li ignored him and raised the gambling bowl in front of him.

He didn’t have much confidence, either.

The entire afternoon yesterday, Jing Li had spent learning how to shake the dice with Qin Zhao, getting the technique down fairly well. If his luck wasn’t too bad, beating Ji Zhifei shouldn’t be too difficult.

But his luck was never good.

Jing Li bit his lip and began shaking the gambling bowl.

His movements were awkward, clearly showing that he wasn’t used to this. Seeing this, Boss Chang quietly shook his head, while on the opposite side, the rich young men couldn’t hold back and started laughing.

Jing Li ignored them, focusing intently on shaking the gambling bowl.

The bowl was lifted.

Three, five, four.

The total wasn’t very high. Jing Li felt a sense of unease in his heart and quickly glanced at Ji Zhifei’s dice.

— Three ones.

Jing Li: “…”

Boss Chang: “…”

One of the spoiled rich kids: “…”

Ji Zhifei couldn’t hide his surprise.

The gambling house was officially owned by the Ji family patriarch, but it had always been managed by Ji Zhifei. He’d been in the gambling business long enough to understand that gambling was a 50-50 game—half skill, half luck.

But in any case, rolling three ones in a high-low game was nothing short of miraculous.

Ji Zhifei forced a smile and said, “Let’s go again. Let’s go again.”

In the second round, Jing Li rolled a total of 13 points.

Ji Zhifei… five points.

In the third and fourth rounds…

Ji Zhifei’s expression became more and more unpleasant, and he started to feel increasingly perplexed.

Why was his luck so bad today?

“Let’s go again!”

After Ji Zhifei finished speaking, he was about to shake the dice again, but both the dealer and the people on the opposite side remained silent. Someone tugged at his sleeve, hesitant to speak. “Young Master Ji, with those points…”

Only then did Ji Zhifei look at the dealer’s records.

They had already played four rounds, and while the opponent’s performance had been mediocre, Ji Zhifei had lost miserably each time. After four rounds, he had to accept defeat.

Even if Ji Zhifei rolled three sixes in the next round, it would be impossible to turn the tide.

He lost.

Jing Li let out a heavy sigh of relief and collapsed into his chair. It wasn’t until he caught his breath that he realized a thin layer of sweat had formed on his forehead.

After watching the first round, Boss Chang had a feeling they might win, and now he could no longer hide the joy on his face. He praised, “Sir, your luck is remarkable.”

“It’s okay, just bad luck on his part.” Jing Li wearily took a sip of water.

After speaking, he looked toward the opposite side. “Can the deed be returned now?”

Ji Zhifei’s face turned ashen.

Boss Chang’s shop was located in a prime spot, and his father had been eyeing that place for a long time. Ji Zhifei had bought it from Boss Chang’s second brother this time to score points with his father.

As for the gambling bet, it had been an unexpected turn of events.

Ji Zhifei considered himself not someone easily swayed by beauty, but after meeting this little beauty in the bookstore yesterday, he had been less than calm. By the time he regained his composure, the gambling bet had already been made.

Ji Zhifei did regret it afterward, but he was confident in his gambling skills and didn’t fear a seemingly harmless young man.

Besides, this was his gambling house, and everything was under his control. Even if he lost, he had ways to avoid returning the shop.

—Though, today, the loss was a bit too embarrassing.

Ji Zhifei thought to himself, slamming the gambling bowl onto the table. “No, that round doesn’t count. Play a few more rounds with me.”

Jing Li frowned. “Why? I already won!”

“Is this your first time here?”

Jing Li: “Yes.”

“First time playing and you win four rounds in a row. How do I know you didn’t cheat and fix the game?” Ji Zhifei said, speaking with righteous indignation. “Do you know what happens to people who cheat in my gambling house?”

“I didn’t…” Jing Li was almost laughing in frustration. “Why can’t you just accept losing?”

“If you had won fairly, I would accept it,” Ji Zhifei said. “But now your win is unclear, how can I accept it?” He turned to the people beside him and asked, “Have any of you ever seen a newcomer win several rounds in a row like this in a gambling house?”

“It is a bit suspicious…”

“Besides, Young Master Ji was just playing with us, his luck wasn’t this bad.”

“…Could he have really cheated?”

The exchange between the others left Jing Li speechless.

He had never encountered someone so shameless before.

Ji Zhifei asked, “So, are you still willing to continue?”

“You’re not following the rules, why should I continue?” Jing Li finally understood what Ji Zhifei was up to. Annoyed, he said, “You say I won unfairly, but if I lose, you’ll take away Boss Chang’s bookstore. No matter what, you never lose. I’m done playing.”

Jing Li grabbed Boss Chang’s sleeve and turned to leave, but he was blocked by the staff of the gambling house.

Ji Zhifei said, “Did I let you leave?”

He stood up and walked in front of Jing Li, leaning in slightly to whisper in his ear, “Little beauty, are you really talking to me about rules?”

“This entire gambling house is mine, so naturally, I set the rules. Here’s the deal: since you don’t want to continue gambling, I’ll give you another way out.” Ji Zhifei lowered his gaze, smiling as he spoke, “If you come with me, everything that happened before will be wiped clean, and I’ll return the bookstore to Boss Chang. What do you think?”

“…” Jing Li replied, “Then return the deed to me first.”

“Agree to it first, and I’ll return it.” Ji Zhifei masked his playful expression and said seriously, “I’m telling you the truth, I really like you. My family is one of the top in the capital. If you follow me, it’s better than relying on writing books to make a living.”

Jing Li: “…”

What’s wrong with this person?

Jing Li was both amused and exasperated. He asked in return, “Young Master Ji, do you even know who I am?”

“I don’t care who you are.” Ji Zhifei replied, “My family has money, so even if you’re married, it’s fine. Come with me, I won’t treat you badly. You—”

Before he could finish, someone knocked on the door.

The door to the private room was pushed open, and a young master, dressed in luxurious clothes, was escorted in by the crowd. “Oh, looks like you’re playing.”

Someone inside recognized him. “Young Master Gu!”

Gu Heng ignored the people in the room, even ignoring Ji Zhifei. He walked straight up to Jing Li and smiled at him, “Sister-in-law, weren’t we supposed to meet? How did you end up playing here?”