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Shen Jiu's Shizun is stupid. He lets Shen Jiu makes his tea without watching him. Shen Jiu carefully prepares the green tea to his Shizun's liking before adding something a little extra. A colorless, flavorless, serum. It will cause his Shizun to be forced to tell the truth and once and for all Shen Jiu will be able to get to the bottom of what his Shizun must be hiding. No one can possibly be so kind he must be hiding something.
Shen Jiu sets the tea set down on the table in front of his Shizun.
"Thank you A-Jiu." his Shizun says.
Shen Jiu obediently pours the tea and waits. Any minute now…
After about half an incense time has gone by Shen Jiu asks a simple question. "Is Shizun going to make me head disciple?"
"Of course. You have to be for the plot to move forward." His Shizun's hands fly up to frantically cover his mouth.
Plot? It must be what he's hiding. An evil secret plot he's pushing Shen Jiu towards."Shizun, what plot?"
His Shizun clamps his hands over his mouth and shakes his head vigorously.
"Shizun, why are you making me the head disciple?" Shen Jiu asks, sure that his Shizun won't be able to hold out against the pain much longer.
Sure enough, his Shizun's hands pull off his mouth and he blurts. "I have to because you're the scum villain but also you've earned it more than anyone else. You're the best disciple I have, so smart and hardworking, cruel and manipulative. You'll truly make a perfect foil for the protagonist."
Protagonist? Scum Villain? What is all this nonsense? "Scum villain?" Shen Jiu murmurs. "That's what Shizun thinks of me?"
"A-Jiu is my scum villain, yes. He'll be perfect. It's such a shame that stupid hack author didn't portray you properly. You're so much more compelling as a villain in real life."
Hack author? Why is everything book related? And this villain stuff again. Shen Jiu frowns. "Shizun thinks so poorly of me?"
"Of course not. A-Jiu is my good little disciple most of the time. He simply has a role to play and he'll play it very very well. A jiu is so cunning, not like all the other villains who don't have a single spec of intelligence."
All he praise rings through Shen Jiu's head on repeat and he finds himself craving more of it instantly. He needs his Shizun's stupid, beautiful lips to spill adulation by any means necessary.