Ch 120: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

Qin Zhao was about to give chase when a voice called out from behind him: “The magistrate has already left.”

“Alright.” Qin Zhao halted his steps and replied casually, as if nothing had happened.

Ah Qi spoke again: “Can Deng Tianyou really be trusted to stand on our side? Should we send someone to keep monitoring his residence?”

“Let Gu Changzhou handle it,” Qin Zhao instructed. “After all, it’s been years since I last saw him. A measure of caution is always necessary.”

“Yes, understood. Then—”

“Ah Qi,” Qin Zhao interrupted, his patience wearing thin.

“You’ve been with me for so many years. You should know what to do without constantly seeking my input. Besides…”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling to keep his tone calm. “I have more urgent matters to attend to right now.”

Ah Qi blinked in confusion.

Standing behind Qin Zhao, he had been so focused on reporting his news that he failed to notice his master’s subtle shift in mood. Following Qin Zhao’s words, Ah Qi glanced down and noticed faint water trails by the drainage channel, leading toward the backyard.

Ah Qi froze.

He seemed to realize something… extraordinary.

Fearing he might get caught up in it, he hurriedly bowed and excused himself. “This subordinate takes his leave.”

A light breeze swept past, and by the time Qin Zhao turned around, Ah Qi was already gone.

… He’s running faster these days.

Qin Zhao sighed silently and slowly made his way to the backyard.

Jing Li had already returned to the bedroom. Quietly shifting back into his human form, he changed clothes and looked up, only to meet a pair of round, curious eyes staring at him from the bed.

He walked over. “Why are you awake?”

“I… I miss Daddy,” the little fry murmured softly, hiding half his face under the blanket.

The little one knew his daddy was still recovering, and he had been worried all day.

Jing Li huffed in mild exasperation. “What’s there to miss? He’s busy and has no time for us.”

The little fry blinked, looking a bit puzzled.

Wasn’t Little Dad’s attitude just now a little… different?

Rolling himself into a ball, the little fry wriggled into Jing Li’s arms like a small animal, nuzzling him. “Little Dad… don’t be mad.”

No matter how upset Jing Li might be, he couldn’t bring himself to scold his son. He bent down and patted the little fry’s back gently. “Little Dad’s not mad. Go to sleep.”

It was well past bedtime for the little one. Earlier, he had stayed awake out of worry for Qin Zhao and because Jing Li wasn’t by his side when he woke up.

Now, lulled by Jing Li’s comforting words, he quickly grew drowsy.

Not long after, the door creaked softly. The little fish stirred, murmuring, “Daddy…”

The little one was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open, but he was still anxiously waiting to see if his daddy had come back. Jing Li paused briefly, not turning around, and gently reassured him, “Yes, Daddy’s back.”

“Tell me a story…”

“I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” A faint scent of medicinal herbs wafted from behind as Qin Zhao leaned down, wrapping an arm around Jing Li and gently patting the little fish’s head. “Sleep now.”

Satisfied with Qin Zhao’s promise, the little fish curled up snugly in Jing Li’s arms and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Confirming that the little one in his arms was sound asleep, Jing Li gently placed the child back on the bed, tucking in the blanket. After finishing this, he carefully slipped out of Qin Zhao’s embrace and got up to leave the room.

He had barely stepped out when Qin Zhao pulled him back into a hug.

“Xiao Yu?” Qin Zhao lowered his voice, asking softly, “Why are you ignoring me?”

Jing Li didn’t turn around and mumbled, “You should lie down and rest. You’ve been exhausting yourself all evening—what if you fall ill again?”

“Just tell me why you’re angry.”

“…”

Jing Li was silent for a moment before replying, “You knew Deng Tianyou from before. He didn’t come here on his own; you deliberately lured him here, didn’t you?”

He had overheard Qin Zhao saying so earlier.

Qin Zhao, not realizing this was the source of Jing Li’s displeasure, admitted, “That’s true, but I had my reasons for doing so.”

“And was making yourself sick also part of those reasons?”

Jing Li’s voice grew louder, almost waking the child sleeping inside.

Taking a deep breath, Jing Li struggled with his frustration. “Qin Zhao, do you think I’m so easy to fool? You were perfectly fine yesterday, but as soon as the invitation to the Banquet arrived, you suddenly fell ill. I already thought it was suspicious but didn’t dare to overthink it. Then tonight, the magistrate came looking for you…”

Qin Zhao and Deng Tianyou knew each other, and Qin Zhao likely feigned illness to avoid being recognized at the banquet.

The logic wasn’t hard to piece together.

Jing Li could barely keep his voice steady. His words trembled with anger, “I worried about you all day, and this is how you treat your body?”

So that’s why he’s upset.

Qin Zhao sighed inwardly.

Seeing how his little spouse was genuinely distressed because of him, Qin Zhao had resolved to come clean about everything. Yet before he could even explain, Jing Li had already figured out the truth.

This wasn’t going to be an easy situation to mend.

Qin Zhao spoke softly, “Calm down, Xiao Yu. There’s more to this than you realize. Let me explain everything to you.”

“No need,” Jing Li cut him off. “You’re still unwell tonight. I don’t want to discuss this right now. Just rest.”

“Then you…”

Before Qin Zhao could finish, Jing Li broke free from his embrace and returned to the inner room.

Moments later, he came out holding the fish tank, which he placed firmly on the table in the outer room.

“Until I cool off, I’m not sleeping in there.” Jing Li huffed, puffing up with indignation. “We’re sleeping in separate rooms.”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Qin Zhao wanted to coax him further, but Jing Li gave him no chance. A flash of red light illuminated the room as the little koi leapt back into the fish tank with a splash. It swam through the dense aquatic plants, burying itself among the foliage and leaving behind nothing but a trail of bubbles.

The decision to sleep in separate rooms was firm and unyielding.

Qin Zhao stood in place for a long moment before sighing helplessly and turning back to the inner room.

Having been together for so long, Qin Zhao rarely saw Jing Li so resolute. If he insisted on pursuing the matter, it would likely backfire.

Besides, the root of this issue was his own illness—he couldn’t afford to worsen his condition further.

The priority now was to recover.

Returning to the bed, Qin Zhao found their little one sleeping soundly and peacefully, completely unaware of the household tension. He glanced back toward the outer room and sighed again, lying down next to his son.

Jing Li, however, barely slept that night. It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that he finally dozed off, exhausted.

Some time later, Jing Li felt something nudging him.

Still in a haze between sleep and wakefulness, he lazily flicked his fin in irritation. Instead of water, it brushed against something smooth and small.

The little creature, spun around by his flick, soon swam back and began nudging insistently at his belly.

“Stop fussing…” Jing Li realized what it was and used his fin to scoop up the restless little one, pinning it down firmly.

The little fry, unable to move under the pressure, didn’t seem upset. It spoke in its soft, sticky voice, “Little Dad, wake up.”

“How did you get here?” Jing Li, who had slept lightly all night, quickly came to full awareness.

The little fish replied, “Came to play with Little Dad.”

Though the tiny one could only form simple sentences, it communicated clearly.

Jing Li released it and floated up from the aquatic plants, surfacing just in time to see Qin Zhao entering the room with breakfast in hand.

Seeing Jing Li finally emerge, Qin Zhao immediately called out, “Awake?”

Jing Li blew a bubble, picked up the little fry, and transformed into a red glow, leaping out of the fish tank and into the bedroom. When they reappeared, both father and son were fully dressed.

Qin Zhao served Jing Li a bowl of congee and nudged it toward him. Turning to the little one, he said, “Let me feed you so Little Dad can eat in peace.”

The little fry glanced at Qin Zhao, then at Jing Li. After a moment of deliberation, it shook its head. “No.”

“Be good.”

All three adults in the house had taken turns feeding the little fry, and the greedy child had never shown any preference—until now. Today, it clung tightly to Jing Li’s clothes, refusing to let go, even burying its head into Jing Li’s embrace.

“You’re pushing too hard,” Jing Li said, his tone cold and detached. “It probably just woke up and didn’t see me, so it’s feeling clingy.”

His voice was neither warm nor harsh, and he didn’t even spare Qin Zhao a glance.

…He was still angry.

Qin Zhao was helpless but didn’t push further. He had planned to find an opportunity to coax his spouse in private, but the little fish fry seemed determined to thwart him today. The entire morning, the child clung to Jing Li and refused to be carried away even when Qin Zhao asked Ah Qi to take him out.

That brat—just here to cause trouble.

Qin Zhao could only watch from afar as father and son played in the courtyard, sighing quietly to himself.

It wasn’t until after lunch that the little fish fry finally grew tired and agreed to let Uncle Ah Qi take him for a nap. Jing Li was about to follow them when Qin Zhao stopped him.

“Xiao Yu,” Qin Zhao softened his tone, “I’m all better now.”

For once, his body cooperated. After a good night’s sleep, he had fully recovered. Seizing the chance, Qin Zhao wasted no time in seeking praise from Jing Li.

Jing Li responded with a muffled “Oh,” clearly reluctant to engage with him.

Qin Zhao tried again, “You don’t need to worry about the little one for now. You didn’t sleep well last night, right? Let me lie down with you for a bit?”

Without waiting for Jing Li’s agreement, he half-embraced, half-carried him to the bed.

“I’m still mad,” Jing Li protested.

“I know,” Qin Zhao replied gently. “You can sleep first. Afterward, you can keep being mad at me, okay?”

Jing Li: “…”

Having barely slept the night before and spent the morning playing with their son, Jing Li was indeed tired. Perhaps it was due to this exhaustion that he forgot his own rule about sleeping in separate rooms until he’d cooled off. He obediently took off his shoes, climbed into bed, and lay down with his back to Qin Zhao.

The mattress dipped behind him as Qin Zhao lay down and wrapped an arm around him.

But Qin Zhao didn’t say anything.

The afternoon sunlight filtered in, warm and soothing, casting a lazy atmosphere over the room. Jing Li pursed his lips but didn’t have the heart to push him away, eventually letting him stay.

Qin Zhao remained silent until Jing Li was nearly asleep. Only then did he whisper softly in Jing Li’s ear, “I was wrong.”

“…I shouldn’t have made you worry like that. I won’t do it again. Forgive me this time, will you?”

“You don’t get it.” Jing Li’s face was buried in the blanket, his voice muffled. “That’s not what I’m angry about.”

“What is it, then?”

“I don’t understand. If you just wanted to fake an illness to avoid the banquet, why did you have to hide it from me too?” Jing Li grew angrier as he spoke, sitting up abruptly. “If you’d told me in advance, couldn’t I have helped you fool the prefect? If neither of us nor Ah Qi said anything, who could possibly see through your act?”

“Why did you feel the need to lie to me too?”

Qin Zhao could have simply been honest with Jing Li, and together they could have staged an illness to avoid attending the Deer Call Banquet. But Qin Zhao hadn’t even considered that option.

He never thought to involve Jing Li.

In fact, part of the reason for his performance was to keep it a secret from Jing Li.

Jing Li’s voice trembled slightly as he continued, “I know you must have your reasons, and I can understand that. But you can’t treat your body this way. If something happened to you, what would I do? What would our son do?”

Qin Zhao silently watched Jing Li.

After a long pause, he asked softly, “Xiao Yu… have you already guessed my true identity?”