Chapter Text
Shang Qinghua hates his luck. Of course there's a peak lord meeting scheduled the day he has heavy flow and debilitating cramps. Maybe the universe will have a little mercy on him and everyone will have all of their paperwork done. It doesn't even have to be correct, just done!! It's easier to fix mistakes than fill it all out himself!!
He stifles another whimper as pain dances through his guts. He, of course, managed to forget his good quality, reusable warming talismans in his rush to get here on time. He has single-use ones in his qiankun sleeves, he's not an idiot, but they have barely any affect at all on this much pain.
His hands are shaky as fuck, which isn't helpful at all considering he's in charge of taking all the notes for these meetings. He doesn't dare look at what he's already written. It's probably unintelligible.
He feels an uncomfortable prickle down the back of his neck and looks up to see Liu Qingge staring at him. He lets out a surprised squeak at the sudden eye contact and looks back down at his notes just as another wave of cramps hit, bringing tears to his eyes. Sorry shidi!! Whatever you're trying to communicate through eye contact isn't going to work today!!
Shang Qinghua completely zones out as he tries to focus on just making it through the meeting without bursting into visible or audible tears. Surprisingly, this method seems to work quite well, because in the next few minutes everyone begins to pack up and leave the hall. He busies himself writing down some nonsense in English so that he has an excuse as to why he's not leaving just yet; he does not feel ready to stand up just yet.
Unfortunately, it seems someone is waiting for him to available, considering the legs awkwardly waiting in his peripheral vision. He sighs and looks up to see… Liu Qingge?? He didn't break another building, did he?? Shang Qinghua would rather die than have to make an entirely new kitchen from scratch just because Liu Qingge can kick his disciples through walls.
"Yes, shidi?" He says, slowly standing up, thankful for the support the low table gives him. He can feel the rush of blood moving as he stood. Ugh. So fucking gross.
Liu Qingge hovers nearby, looking unsure of himself. "Is. Is shixiong injured?" He eventually says in a low voice.
Shang Qinghua eyes him. "No..? What brought Liu-shidi to that conclusion?" Aw, man, his king didn't leave another bruise that he forgot about, did he? He really doesn't want to have to sneak into Qian Cao tonight.
Surprisingly, Liu Qingge blushes, a bright crimson thing that takes up nearly his entire face. What the fuck? "You, uh. You smelled of blood. Again. Lots of it."
Okay, who the fuck decided Liu Qingge would have a sense of smell to rival the gods? Shang Qinghua definitely didn't do that. "This shixiong is fine, just busy," he says, desperately hoping for a way out of this conversation. Liu Qingge looks doubtful, but says nothing when Shang Qinghua moves to leave.
Something has got to be wrong with Liu Qingge. This is the second time now that he's made sure Shang Qinghua is… okay. Seriously, what the fuck.