Ch 106: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Boss Chang’s younger brother was someone Jing Li never liked.

To put it kindly, the man was aimless and unmotivated; more bluntly, he was a scoundrel. He spent most of his time frequenting gambling dens and opium houses, only returning to his older brother when he ran out of money to beg for more.

He was a complete disgrace.

Yet, Boss Chang always showed him patience and indulgence.

Having lost his parents at a young age, Boss Chang had only been left with the bookstore and an unruly younger brother. Jing Li had witnessed Boss Chang’s tolerance firsthand and had even tried to persuade him otherwise.

At the time, Boss Chang had merely sighed and said, “He’s my only family, after all.”

Jing Li knew Boss Chang’s character well enough. He was an honest and upright man, running his business with integrity. To think he could kill someone was something Jing Li simply could not believe.

And to murder his own brother? Even more unthinkable.

“It’s not entirely impossible,” Gu Heng remarked. “Didn’t Boss Chang’s younger brother use the bookstore as collateral? Maybe they had another argument over money, and Boss Chang killed him to protect the store.”

Jing Li remained silent.

“Sister-in-law, you should stay out of this,” Gu Heng advised, noticing his troubled expression. “The Ji family knows about our relationship. They won’t trouble you anymore. As for the bookstore, now that it’s tied to a murder case, there’s no point in involving yourself further. You and Boss Chang aren’t related by blood.”

“But…” Jing Li hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you truly believe Boss Chang is the culprit?”

Gu Heng opened his mouth but didn’t immediately respond.

The whole matter was indeed suspicious.

Logically, the bookstore issue had already been resolved. All Boss Chang had to do was wait patiently, and Ji Zhifei would eventually return the deed. He had no reason to escalate the situation into a murder case.

Now he was in prison. Not only had he lost the bookstore, but even his own life was at stake.

Moreover, why had his younger brother, missing for so long, suddenly returned home? Where had he been all this time? And how could a scholar like Boss Chang manage to kill a grown man and secretly transport the body out of the city?

It wasn’t just suspicious—it was all too coincidental.

Gu Heng had been preoccupied with preparing for the county examinations and had no time to look into Ji’s affairs. Once the exams were over, he had planned to push Ji Zhifei to return the deed. Yet, right before the exams concluded, this murder case had erupted.

The timing was far too convenient.

A flood of suspicions filled Gu Heng’s mind in an instant. He even had a vague idea of what the truth might be. But he said nothing, avoiding Jing Li’s gaze as he murmured, “Sister-in-law, let it go.”

No matter what the truth was, the case had already been handed over to the authorities. They had neither the reason nor the need to get involved.

Jing Li heard the implicit meaning in Gu Heng’s words.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t intervene—it was that they shouldn’t.

Gu Heng’s willingness to help last time had been due to Qin Zhao’s favor and because it required little effort on his part. He had already been at odds with Ji Zhifei and was happy to see him suffer.

But this time was different.

Being involved in a murder case meant that if Gu Heng insisted on intervening further, it would inevitably alarm his father and even the prefectural magistrate.

This would change the nature of the matter entirely.

It wasn’t worth wading into such murky waters.

As for Jing Li, he was just an ordinary commoner. Getting entangled in this matter would bring him no benefits, only harm.

For the sake of a mere acquaintance, there was no reason to take such a risk.

“I understand…” Jing Li lowered his head, murmuring softly.

Hearing Jing Li say this, Gu Heng sighed in relief. “It’s good that you’ve thought it through. If anything were to happen to you because of this, I would never be able to face Mr. Qin.”

Jing Li forced a small smile. “Don’t worry, I understand. You should go now. Don’t keep your friends waiting.”

Gu Heng nodded and quickly strode away, boarding the carriage that had been waiting at the door with the help of a servant.

Jing Li watched the carriage disappear into the distance, then closed the door and headed back inside.

In the main hall, Qin Zhao was holding little fry while Ah Qi was sorting through the gifts Gu Heng had brought. Seeing Jing Li enter, Qin Zhao glanced at him and immediately frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Jing Li looked distracted. Hearing Qin Zhao call out to him, he belatedly lifted his head.

Qin Zhao set little fry down and walked over, taking Jing Li’s hand. “You look pale.”

“…Did Gu Heng say something to you?”

Qin Zhao was far too perceptive and knew Jing Li too well. He immediately sensed something was off.

Jing Li suddenly felt a pang of sourness in his nose. He lowered his gaze and shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

“Xiao Yu—”

“Really, it’s nothing,” Jing Li interrupted, his voice firm yet soft. “I’m just a bit tired. I’ll go rest for a while.”

Gently pulling his hand away from Qin Zhao’s, he turned and left the main hall, heading toward the courtyard.

“Sir…”

Ah Qi paused what he was doing, and even little fry looked puzzled, tugging at Qin Zhao’s sleeve. “Da… Da…”

“Mm, something’s definitely wrong,” Qin Zhao murmured with a nod.

Who had upset his little spouse this time?

When Qin Zhao returned to their room, it was empty.

He searched inside and out, eventually finding that familiar splash of vibrant red in the transparent fish tank on the desk.

The koi fish’s body was mostly buried in the thick aquatic plants and pebbles, with only a small section of its translucent tail gently swaying at the bottom of the tank. It was so well hidden that it would be hard to spot unless you looked carefully.

Qin Zhao shook his head.

Here we go again.

Every time something’s wrong, it hides in the water like this, that little creature.

Qin Zhao sat down by the table and knocked on the fish tank. “Your son, who isn’t even one year old, doesn’t hide in the water anymore.”

The koi fish trembled slightly, flicked its tail, and swam further into the plants, hiding itself even better.

Qin Zhao couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Don’t worry, little fry is still playing with Ah Qi in the outer courtyard, didn’t see your embarrassing behavior.”

Jing Li: “…”

“I’m not upset, I was just sleeping inside,” Jing Li said as he sat in front of the vanity, Qin Zhao drying his hair and pinning it up with a hairpin.

“Okay, you were sleeping,” Qin Zhao said as his long fingers ran through Jing Li’s hair. He asked gently, “Did you sleep well?”

Jing Li gave a soft “hm” in response. “It was alright.”

Qin Zhao asked, “Do you want to go out with me for a walk?”

Jing Li blinked.

Since mid-February, the weather in the capital city had begun to warm up, and Qin Zhao’s health had been gradually improving.

Not long ago, the doctor had finally given permission, saying that walking outside in good weather would help with his recovery.

Today, the sun was shining brightly, and it was a perfect time to go out.

Jing Li said, “Then I’ll go get little fry and change clothes.”

“No need,” Qin Zhao said as he brought Jing Li his outerwear. “I want to go out alone with you.”

Since little fry had been born, Jing Li and Qin Zhao hadn’t had many opportunities to go out alone together. Qin Zhao, not shy in the slightest, boldly held Jing Li’s hand, and they slowly strolled along the main street of the capital.

The early spring air was slightly cool, the sun warm but not too harsh, and the light felt cozy, bathing them in a pleasant warmth.

It had been a long time since Jing Li had wandered the streets with Qin Zhao like this, and he gradually pushed all his worries aside. As they ate and played along the way, they filled their hands with things by the end of the street.

At the end of the street, there was a bookstore.

This bookstore was quite large, with a long line outside, making it the busiest spot on the entire street.

Qin Zhao walked over, holding Jing Li’s hand, and just as they approached, they saw someone who appeared to be the store owner walk out and shout to the waiting crowd, “The last copy of ‘Dream Notes’ has sold out, everyone, please try another store.”

“It’s gone? I came all the way from outside the city!”

“This is the third bookstore I’ve been to!”

“Several bookstores have sold out, when will you be reprinting?”

“…It’s not up to us,” the shopkeeper replied awkwardly. “We don’t publish the books ourselves, and the author can’t be reached. We still have other books here, like this one, ‘Spring Night Collection’…”

No one listened to his explanation. The crowd muttered angrily for a while, and soon, someone said, “I heard there’s still stock at the bookstore in the south of the city,” causing everyone to scatter.

“Hey, don’t leave!”

The shopkeeper shouted, but it was ineffective.

In an instant, only Qin Zhao and Jing Li remained in front of the bookstore.

The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up, and he quickly approached them. “Gentlemen, would you like to take a look at this ‘Spring Night Collection’?”

Jing Li did not respond, but Qin Zhao asked, “Shopkeeper, what’s going on with that situation just now?”

The shopkeeper sighed heavily. “They all came to buy ‘Dream Notes.’ This book has been selling out in bookstores all over the city recently, and we sold the last copy this morning. When the customers found out they couldn’t get it, they just left.”

Qin Zhao asked again, “Why is it in such short supply?”

“Didn’t you know?” The shopkeeper replied. “The book was published by Boss Chang of Jing’an Bookstore. He’s said to be involved in a murder case, and the government arrested him early yesterday morning. Many people witnessed it.”

The shopkeeper continued, “It’s Boss Chang who handles this book, and only he knows how to contact the author. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have asked him for a few hundred more copies. Now, we don’t even know if Boss Chang will survive his time with the authorities, and the situation has become quite a mess…”

“A murder case…” Qin Zhao mused, “According to the law of our country, killing someone results in the death penalty, I fear…”

Jing Li’s gaze flickered, and his hand instinctively tightened around Qin Zhao’s.

Qin Zhao glanced at him thoughtfully before turning to the shopkeeper. “I’ll take this book. Thank you.”

By noon, the sun had become fiercer. The two of them went to a lakeside pavilion to rest.

The lake sparkled under the sunlight, and Qin Zhao and Jing Li sat close together beneath the pavilion, casually flipping through the book they had just bought. As they read, Qin Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. “This story is really…”

Jing Li leaned against his shoulder and softly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“This ‘Spring Night Collection’ is about a prince who spends a fortune for a courtesan, and in a fit of rage, does anything for his beloved,” Qin Zhao closed the book, amused but exasperated. “It’s pure nonsense.”

Jing Li replied, “People nowadays love this kind of thing.”

“Unrealistic,” Qin Zhao commented. “A prince would never have his head full of romantic fantasies, nor would he go to such lengths for someone he barely knows.”

“You’re right,” Jing Li gently agreed. “Then let’s not read it.”

Qin Zhao pulled him into his embrace with a smile, saying softly, “But if I really think about it, if it were you, things would be different.”

Jing Li blinked. “How would it be different?”

“You’re my husband,” Qin Zhao said, tilting his head and giving him a kiss on the cheek, speaking tenderly. “As your husband, wouldn’t I do anything for you?”

Qin Zhao’s hand lightly stroked his back, and he lowered his voice, asking, “So, don’t you have anything you want to tell me?”

Jing Li pressed his lips together, feeling a bit teary. “You figured it out…”

Qin Zhao, seeing his little fish’s sad expression, felt a pang of sympathy, though he also found it amusing.

Not just him, even Notes had noticed.

But he didn’t say anything, quietly waiting.

Jing Li buried his head in Qin Zhao’s shoulder, his voice soft and choked with emotion. “I… I think I did something wrong…”