Zhao Yelan paused, and his brow furrowed slightly: “Yan Mingting has returned to Beijing so soon?”

The border war had been chaotic for several years, and neighboring countries had continued to invade. Yan Mingting’s family had two generations of generals, stationed at the border all year round. They had made great military achievements and had long become the stabilizing force of the Xuan Dynasty. Beijing received the good news last month that Mongolia, the most disobedient country in the north, had finally surrendered, willing to cede land and pay tribute for peace.

At this point, the border was finally at peace. The Emperor’s noble face was exultant, and he immediately ordered the army to return to court.

Counting the days, there should still be a few days before they returned to Beijing.

“It wasn’t the general who came, but the old housekeeper of the general’s mansion, who is quite an amiable fellow. He came to discuss the details of your marriage. If you are not in the mansion, I will let him go back first,” Xiao Gao replied.

“He……” Zhao Yelan was at a loss for words, and asked in confusion after a long moment, “The people in the general’s mansion just gave up like this? How can Yan Mingting be obedient?”

Xiao Gao sighed: “Can he be disobedient? This is an imperial decree, my lord. Let alone General Yan, you also have to act honestly and sincerely……”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him, and Xiao Gao immediately covered his mouth.

It was dusk when he arrived at the palace, and the setting sun fell on the red walls of the palace as it slowly sank.

Zhao Yelan came to the side hall unimpeded. The man in the dragon robe was still reviewing the official memorial.^[1] He had a well-proportioned appearance, sharp eyes, and majesty in his gestures. Zhao Yelan cupped his hands respectfully: “Minister Zhao Yelan has seen Your Majesty.”

“Without outsiders, there is no need to be polite,” Zhao Xuan^[2] said without raising his head. “Come here, the ink is out.”

Zhao Yelan approached slowly, picked up the ink stone, and skillfully grinded the ink.

For a while, no one spoke, and there was only the faint fragrance of ink lingering around. After a long time, Zhao Xuan took the initiative to speak: “Are you angry about the marriage?”

“This humble minister dares not.”

Zhao Xuan glanced at him sideways, and the other party lowered his head and concentrated on studying the ink, showing no emotion.

They had known each other for many years, after all, so how could Zhao Xuan not know that he had resentment in his heart? His tone softened: “I didn’t know that the guoshi would calculate such a divinatory trigram.”

It was said in the divinatory trigram that the abnormal movement of celestial phenomena were changes in the eight trigrams. Yin and yang were out of balance, and lest society become disturbed, a person born in a yin year, on a yin day, at a yin time must be combined with someone who was born in a yang year, with a yang moon, at a yang time. Only then could the eight trigrams^[3] be corrected.

As soon as this trigram came out, all the officials in the court thought of Yan Mingting. Even though he seldom showed up in front of everyone, he was notoriously masculine, outliving his parents and younger brother. There were two marriages before, and the brides passed away one after another before the wedding. Even the dog at home died strangely. It was honestly terrifying.

Although General Yan was a victorious general and was loved by the people, that didn’t mean that they were willing to marry their daughters to him. Who knew if they would receive their daughter’s body before she could enjoy the blessings of being the general’s wife?

What’s more, General Yan was ugly, rude, and domineering, and no woman in Beijing was willing to climb that high.

In the end, Zhao Xuan realized that Zhao Yelan was a person with a yin year and a yin day.

“General Yan has agreed to this marriage,” Zhao Xuan said.

Zhao Yelan scoffed: “The emperor’s decree is difficult to violate. Even if Yan Mingting disagrees, does he dare to seize the loyalty of his ancestors to disobey the imperial decree?”

Zhao Xuan stopped writing and closed the memorial: “It seems that you disagree?”

“This minister dares not.”

“Why don’t you dare? You went to the prison in a grandiose manner and let Yu Junliang commit suicide. I wanted to interrogate him more, but good for you, you directly let him die and hand over the criminal charges he personally signed.” Zhao Xuan gazed at him. “How dare you.”

Zhao Yelan bowed his head and replied: “This minister has no choice but to apologize with death. Please, Your Majesty.”

“What a joke, are you really asking for death? Others don’t know, but how could I not know? Zhao Yelan, you want to live more than anyone else. No one cherishes life more than you.” Zhao Xuan sneered and took two steps closer, and said word by word: “You rely on the fact that I have already granted you a marriage, and the whole world knows about it. It is impossible to grant you death, so you dare to act recklessly!”

Having been exposed, Zhao Yelan was even calmer, and smiled lightly: “Then, thanking the Emperor for his grace.”

Zhao Xuan’s expression was complicated, and after a long time, he sighed as if exhausted: “Ah, sometimes being too smart is not a good thing.”

Of course Zhao Yelan knew, otherwise he wouldn’t have been given in marriage to a man haunted by a curse. No matter how much the emperor trusted him, he would also be afraid. On the one hand, he used him to eradicate dissidents, but on the other, he must also guard against his power.

Now that the throne had been stabilized, he was no longer needed, but he still required him to bear some infamy.

How could Zhao Yelan not know that compared to death, being given a marriage was considered a blessing in misfortune?

Zhao Xuan said: “In the end, Yu Junliang was going to be executed anyway, so why did you need to do this?”

“I wanted to see him die in front of my eyes, and I couldn’t wait a day, lest a long delay cause complications,” Zhao Yelan said.

Zhao Xuan knew the secret, but still shook his sleeves angrily: “You are getting more and more undisciplined and out of control.”

Zhao Yelan took out a brocade handkerchief from his bosom, handed it to him, and said softly: “This is woven by the embroiderers of Su. Giving this piece to His Majesty, ba, don’t be angry with this one anymore. If you hurt your body, this minister will be very sorry.”

Zhao Xuan looked down at the handkerchief.

“In the future, Your Majesty, please take good care of the body of the dragon, so that the descendents are endless and good fortune stretches for thousands of miles.” Zhao Yelan lifted the hem of his clothes, knelt down, and said loudly, “Long live the emperor, long live, long live.”

Zhao Xuan was taken aback. His brows furrowed even tighter as he watched Zhao Yelan raise his head. His face was like a crown of jade, and at that moment, that shallow black mole seemed to be able to speak, telling of its owner’s unreconciled feelings and the wishes he couldn’t voice.

Zhao Xuan stretched out his hand, and when he was about to touch his cheek, he withdrew it abruptly and gave a faint sigh: “Why did you have to be a man?”

Zhao Yelan remained silent, lowering his eyes to suppress all emotions.

It was time for dinner, and people from the Empress’s palace came to invite the Emperor to have a meal.

Zhao Xuan subconsciously looked at Zhao Yelan. Bowing his head, Zhao Yelan retreated.

Before he left, Zhao Xuan heard his coughing and ordered the imperial physician to deliver some precious medicinal materials, and also gave him a newly acquired night pearl from the treasury.

Back at Zhao Mansion, Xiao Gao immediately ran over, waiting upon Zhao Yelan to wash and eat. There was more food on the table than usual. Xiao Gao was afraid that he would be in a bad mood, so he asked the kitchen to prepare more. After eating, he suggested: “My lord, do you want to go out while you digest? It is said that the new storyteller in Huichun Building is very good at telling stories.”

Zhao Yelan said: “I think you’re the one who wants to hear it.”

Xiao Gao rubbed his hands in embarrassment. “It’s true that I haven’t been there in a while. Sir, aren’t you feeling bored?”

Zhao Yelan looked up at the moon. Thinking that he didn’t know how many happy days were left, he agreed.

Xiao Gao changed him into thicker clothes, just in case. He brought another hot-water bottle, laid a cushion in the sedan chair, called a few maids and servants, and rushed to the largest restaurant in the city together.

It was the busiest time in the night market. Zhao Yelan opened a corner of the curtain, looking at the people coming and going, calling out loudly to friends and companions, and the men and women meeting each other shyly in private.

He turned his head sideways, glanced out of the corner of his eye, and a group of people in front of him caught his attention. There were five or six people in total. One of the women was beating the man next to her as he was helpless to fight back. The other people didn’t intend to step forward and help, but instead watched while laughing and joking.

The tallest man among them, with his back to him, was holding tanghulu in his hands and pointing out the woman’s moves as she beat people.

The sedan chair passed by the pedestrians. Zhao Yelan lazily lowered the curtain, not noticing that the person who was eating tanghulu suddenly turned his head.

“General Yan, what are you looking at?” The lieutenant general followed his line of sight and saw only an exquisite sedan chair, saying jokingly, “Are you looking at some girl?”

“Did you smell a fragrance?” Yan Mingting’s nose twitched. 

“Chicken drumsticks! I smelled it earlier.” The woman stopped, and the beaten man finally stood up, covering his face as he said, “Auntie, please save me some face in public, so many people are watching.”

“It’s not the smell of chicken drumsticks.” Yan Mingting opened his mouth, and then opened it again.

Several subordinates were waiting for him to speak, and it took a long time before he opened his mouth to say, “Achoo!”

Several people: “……….”

“Very pungent.” After speaking, Yan Minging bit off the last hawthorn berry. “Let’s go, ba, where is that most delicious restaurant you mentioned?”

The lobby of the restaurant was full of guests, and the storyteller was telling stories about the supernatural. When the xingmu^[4] was slapped, all kinds of strange stories floated out from his mouth, causing people to clap their hands in applause.

The cheers downstairs were intertwined with the festive sound of wine bowls colliding, but the second floor room was in sharp contrast to it, quiet, secluded, and peaceful. There was a guqin in the room, and Xiao Gao was about to order a qin girl to come in, but Zhao Yelan stopped him.

“Let’s listen to the story today.”

“Okay.” Xiao Gao opened the door, threw a silver ingot at the storyteller downstairs, and shouted, “Speak louder!”

The storyteller’s voice was indeed louder. He happily turned around, almost bumped into someone, and quickly apologized as he just went into the room.

The moment the door opened, a scent wafted out.

“Achoo!” Yan Mingting, who had a keen sense of smell, subconsciously looked sideways and only caught a quick glimpse of a man in purple clothes, well-dressed, leaning lazily on a chair with his eyes closed to rest his mind. He wanted to take another look, but the door was already closed.

“General, are you suffering from a cold?” The lieutenant asked in a low voice.

“No.” Yan Mingting rubbed his nose, and walked into the next room.

An hour later, the people downstairs gradually dispersed. The storyteller’s throat was about to start smoking, and someone booed after getting drunk: “Storyteller, you only talk about mountain spirits, but no one has ever seen them. Can you tell us about people we know?”

“What does the guest wish to hear?”

“I just want to hear about the marriage granted by the Emperor.” The man became emboldened by drink, and he dared to say any sort of nonsense while drunk. A dubious smile grew on his face: “What kind of thing is this, a man marrying a man? What kind of hole method is used in the bridal chamber?”

As soon as this remark was made, everyone roared with laughter, and no one noticed that the two private rooms on the second floor were opened at the same time.

The storyteller said: “Since ancient times, yin and yang have been in harmony, and everything is at peace. But there is no saying that there is anything wrong with yin and yin, or yang and yang. Since the great guoshi said it is possible, then it naturally doesn’t matter.”

“Then tell me, can General Yan put Zhao Yelan in order? Zhao Yelan ordinarily does all sorts of evil. He was only granted a marriage this morning, and he went to the imperial prison in the afternoon to kill Yu Junliang, the Minister of the Ministry of Officials.”

Everyone else started whispering to each other, and someone picked up on it: “I have personally seen him kill people in the street. The blood splashed all over his body, and he was still smiling!”

Zhao Yelan curled his lips and opened his eyes. “The tea is gone.”

Xiao Gao hurriedly poured tea for him. Hearing the people outside begin to criticize Zhao Yelan’s crimes in turn, he was about to close the door angrily when he heard the topic change to another person.

“If you want me to say it, don’t be afraid. According to General Yan’s fate, Zhao Yelan might be suppressed before he passes through the door.”

Everyone laughed and bluntly said that General Yan was evil-natured enough, and killing Zhao Yelan as soon as possible could be regarded as benefitting the common people.

Xiao Gao heard someone walking next door and they seemed to be coming out, so he quickly closed the door and asked with a sad face: “My lord, is General Yan really an evil star?^[5] Will something happen if you get married?”

A few people outside the door paused in their footsteps, and they couldn’t be blamed for eavesdropping. They had really good ears and immediately guessed who the person in this room was.

Yan Mingting naturally heard it too. He turned his head to look at the closed door, but couldn’t see the figure inside, only hearing a cold and emotionless voice: “Let’s see who kills who first, ba.”

The expressions of several subordinates were very delicate as they secretly looked at Yan Mingting. Yan Mingting raised his eyebrows, and was about to knock on the door when he heard the young man ask: “Haven’t you met him once, my lord? Is he really the same as in the rumors, with a hideous Rakshasa^[6] face?”

Zhao Yelan fell into silence, recalling the scene when he met Yan Mingting many years ago. The surrounding spring flowers were brilliant, but the person in front of him……

“Indeed, unbearably ugly. I have never seen such an ugly person. It could be that he is the reincarnation of a pig spirit^[7],” Zhao Yelan said flatly.

Pig, pig spirit? !

Several people outside the door opened their mouths wide at the same time, and then closed them tightly together for fear that they would laugh out loud, and looked at their general with trembling shoulders.

The majestic general slowly clenched his fists, waved viciously into the air twice, then turned around and strode away.

– Damnit, he had never suffered such a serious injury on the battlefield!

– – – – – – 

The author has something to say:

Get them married in five chapters!

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[1] This memorial is official correspondence from the officials to the Emperor. ⮐

[2] The Emperor has the same surname as Zhao Yelan, and it even uses the same character. This shouldn’t be because they are related in any way, but there could be another reason for it. I haven’t read far enough ahead to find out though! ⮐

[3] I recommend reading up on the eight trigrams here if you want more details on this cosmology. ⮐

[4] The xingmu (醒木) is a small hardwood block used by storytellers to smack the table in order to attract the audience’s attention. ⮐

[5] Lone star, or evil star (天煞孤星)  refers to the lonely star of Tiansha, a star that brings disaster. ⮐

[6] Rakshasa (罗刹) is a Buddhist demonic poltergeist. ⮐

[7] The term used here is actually closer to ‘pig essence,’ which is an insult that basically means someone is fat like a pig and full of themselves, but “essence” here can also mean “semen,” so interpret this insult as you will. ⮐

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Chapter One<<Table of Contents >> Chapter Three

It was February, and there was a chill in the early spring air. The cold, moist air penetrated into the ground, making it even more frigid. Several jailors heated up some wine and sipped it to warm their bodies, but they didn’t dare to drink too much. The guards in this prison were all criminals, and didn’t dare to be sloppy in important matters.

With wine warming their throats, there must be something to go with the wine for flavor, so the chatterbox was opened. From food and clothing at home to prisoners in the prison, they chatted one by one, and there was no telling who brought up the rumors outside recently.

“Have you heard? Two days ago, there was an abnormal natural disaster. Mount Tai shook and roared like thunder, and some people said it was a punishment from God.”

This matter caused a stir in Beijing. The shaking of Mount Tai was a sign of the country’s fate, and the new emperor was not a direct descendent. His mother was originally a palace maid without any influence, but he was the one who ascended to the imperial throne. Less than a year after being crowned, his reign had not yet been firmly established, and for such a celestial phenomenon to appear, it was feared that the heavens were dissatisfied.

“It’s not good to talk nonsense about this business. Be careful, if it spreads, it will be a matter of losing your head,” one person whispered cautiously.

“Did the emperor go to pray for blessings?”

This was the custom. Whenever there was a change in celestial phenomenon, the emperor would go to the altar and pray to heaven to show his sincerity.

“Why not, he just returned to court yesterday. It’s just that when the big event was done, there were still some aftershocks, which made people panic outside.”

“Then why did the emperor return to court?”

“Because the guoshi^[1] had made a calculation that to solve this problem, they needed –” The man lowered his voice as he spoke, and the others quickly moved their heads closer to hear him say in secret: “This issue is too absurd, they actually needed the Deputy Prime Minister and General Yan to……”

Before he could finish speaking, the gatekeeper outside suddenly ran in and announced: “Deputy Prime Minister is here.”

Several people’s faces tensed up, and they quickly hid the jug and looked at the dark entrance with trepidation.

The guard opened the door, a little light fell on the ground, and a pair of white boots stepped through the light to enter the darkness.

The footsteps were neither light nor heavy, but they made everyone present nervous for no reason, fearing that if they breathed too loudly, they would startle this powerful person from the palace.

No one knew the origin of Deputy Prime Minister Zhao Yelan. By the time the world discovered his existence, the competition for the throne had reached an intense stage. Several princes showed remarkable ability, but Zhao Yelan was hiding behind the third prince, helping him defeat the crown prince and other princes. The details of the bloodbath during this time were no longer studied, but the throne that did not conform to destiny had always been stained with blood. It could be assumed that this person had also done many dirty things behind the scenes.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he made no secret of his favor. He had been promoted to a noble position and been awarded with countless gold, silver, and jewels and was already the most well-known figure in the dynasty.

It should be said that most of the common people just heard about Zhao Yelan’s notoriety and cursed him in private, not having a chance to see the real person, but to these jailors in the prison, he was already an old acquaintance.

The interrogation methods in the imperial prison were varied and cruel, and it could be said that there was torture everywhere. When ordinary people came in, just stepping through the door would make their legs tremble. As it happened, this frail and weak-looking Zhao Yelan knew more about torture than even the prison guards. During interrogations, it was as if the king of hell had come into the world, and even if someone could save their own life, they wouldn’t be able to save their skin.^[2]

Before the person approached, a strong fragrance wafted through the cold, humid air. The jailors couldn’t help but want to lift their noses and sniff a few more times, but for fear that doing so would offend their superior, they had to wait in place in a well-behaved manner.

Presently, Zhao Yelan, dressed in brocade, stood in front of them and looked around arrogantly.

A newly arrived jailor was a little afraid. He usually heard a lot of people mention the bad things Zhao Yelan did, counting them by the bucketload. Terrified and curious at the same time, he raised his head to take a fearful glance and his whole person froze in place.

He saw that the visitor had a beautiful face and a pair of eyes like the bright moon, attracting people’s interest for no reason at all, but hiding an inexplicable shadow that made it difficult to approach. Cold and aloof, with an indifferent manner, he was not like ordinary people and was incompatible with this stinking prison cell dimly lit by candles.

He was actually even more beautiful than the first son of the capital, the jailer inwardly slandered.

“Zhao-daren,^[3] who do you want to interrogate today?” The prison boss had seen him many times, and approached him respectfully to inquire. The forced smile on his face trembled, and his expression was stiff.

Zhao Yelan frowned slightly, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and covered his mouth and nose.

The prison boss immediately understood that this man once again disliked the wet, smelly environment. Every time he came here in the past, he always carried a different fragrance on his body. Those who were ignorant assumed he had just come out of a low-grade brothel.

Putting on a show of fanning the surrounding air with his hand, he faced Zhao Yelan as he walked inside: “I wonder if Zhao-daren has brought the token?”

At these words, Zhao Yelan took out the emperor’s token from his bosom: “I’m going to see Yu Junliang. You all wait here.”

Everyone received the order, led him there familiarly, and then retreated in silence.

The person in the cell was lying on the floor, disheveled. When he saw the person outside, he quickly got up, grabbed the bars with both hands, and said through gritted teeth: “Zhao Yelan, you wronged me!”

“Speak prudently, Yu-daren. You and I work together, why would I harm you?”

Zhao Yelan smiled slightly. There was no trace of it on his face, but Yu Junliang was annoyed by his appearance.

Back then, it was Zhao Yelan who came to win him over to the party of the third prince. He promised prosperity and wealth, but now he couldn’t even keep his official position and was charged with treason by Zhao Yelan.

“Where is the emperor, I want to see the emperor! I was wronged!” Yu Junliang shouted loudly, hitting the bars with both hands.

“Yu-daren, why bother? With a bright future ahead of you, how could you be so foolish as to conspire with the former crown prince?” Zhao Yelan said.

“I’m not conspiring! You clearly asked me to visit the former crown prince in Bieyuan!” The veins on Yu Junliang’s forehead were throbbing, and he wished he could rush out and split his mouth. “You villain, how dare you slander me! Wait until I get out, I will definitely not let you have a good death!”

“Let’s see if there is such a day.” Zhao Yelan smiled and tossed a scroll inside. “Take a look, ba. Read the whole thing.”

Yu Junliang squatted down and unrolled the scroll. The crimes he had committed were counted in detail above, but he was not guilty of the ones that were punishable by ransacking his home and exterminating his family.

“What does this mean?”

“Did you think the emperor was ignorant to what you were doing?” Zhao Yelan said.

Yu Junliang’s hands trembled as he looked at the densely packed list of crimes, such as soliciting prostitutes and offering bribes. Even the nonsense he said after drinking was recorded in the scroll. His face was horrified: “You, you……but I never conspired!”

“But you did go to see the former crown prince, and you came back that night and read aloud, ‘Xuanhe Palace, cold smoke and decaying grass.’ Xuanhe Palace is now the emperor’s library, don’t you know?”

“I just drank wine for a while and recited two poems casually! You actually sent someone to follow me to this extent, if you want to condemn me, you’ll just frame me at will! I want to see the emperor!”

“The emperor is busy with other affairs, so he doesn’t have time to come here to see you. If you sign the document now, you will save yourself the pain of interrogation and I will give your family a way out. After all, you have committed a serious crime of the Nine Clans,^[4] ah……” Zhao Yelan looked at him condescendingly, carefully appreciating his expression of pain and struggle. A smile slowly bloomed at the corner of his mouth.

After a long time, Yu Junliang said in a hoarse voice: “Where’s the writing brush?”

“I came out in a hurry and didn’t have time to bring my writing brush.” Zhao Yelan walked to the side, casually took a dagger from the torture rack on the wall, and threw it in. “How about this?”

With shaking hands, Yu Junliang drew blood from his fingertip, dripping it on the list of crimes.

“Zhao Yelan, there is still one thing I don’t understand. Can you clear up my confusion?”

“Speak.”

“I chose to live in harmony with you, so why do you want to kill me?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t answer until Yu Junliang became impatient. He looked at him with a pair of bloodshot eyes, like a desperate mad dog, but he was trapped in a cage, struggling in vain.

Seeing his appearance, Zhao Yelan was slightly satisfied and opened his mouth: “When the late emperor was still alive, he once put forth a charge of treason and punished the entire family of the Marquis of Anqing, involving more than 20,000 people. You were one of the executioners.”

Yu Junliang was shocked: “Are you a descendant of the Marquis of Anqing?”

“No.” Zhao Yelan shook his head and approached to say, “I am your father.”

Yu Junliang was silent for a moment, and then flew into a rage, hurling insults at him one after another. Zhao Yelan listened idly, as if appreciating music. The corners of his mouth curled, and after that voice became hoarse, he reminded: “Time is running out. I didn’t expect Yu-daren to be thinking of me in his last moments, it’s really a great honor.”

“Zhao Yelan, you must die a miserable death!”

“Then I will definitely take the respected wife and young children to visit you in the underworld together.”

Yu Junliang lost his temper.

The jailers waiting outside heard the yelling within and wanted to go in and see the situation, but they also feared that they would be convicted of making a mistake, which was not something they could afford.

While they panicked, the voice inside finally stopped and they heard Zhao Yelan say, “Come here!” They entered in an orderly manner and saw that Yu Junliang had committed suicide in his cell, with blood streaming from his neck.

The prison boss was thinking that Zhao-daren’s kung fu was getting better and better. He didn’t even need to call the person in charge of interrogation, and he killed a person directly through the cell door, which was really high.

After the jailer opened the door, Zhao Yelan walked in and picked up the blood-stained list of crimes. Covering his nose with a handkerchief, he walked outside without looking back: “Clean this up.”

The new jailer glanced at his back in terror. It was a pity that such beautiful hands really killed people invisibly, ah.

It was not much warmer outside than below. As soon as Zhao Yelan walked out, a eunuch came forward to clothe him: “Zhao-daren’s body is weak, don’t catch a cold.”

“I have no further business.” Zhao Yelan coughed twice, and handed over the list of crimes to him. “Take it to the emperor.”

“The emperor is in the side hall, and he called you to meet him.”

“I’ll go back to the mansion and change my clothes. It wouldn’t be good if I offended the dragon.^[5]”

The eunuch saw a few drops of red on his shoe, and some wet blood on his hand from the list of crimes. He was wiping it casually with his head down, and with a strange sense of beauty. The eunuch gave a sharp smile: “When you are finished, I will trouble Zhao-daren to make another trip.”

Zhao Yelan smiled calmly. After sitting in the sedan chair, that smile immediately disappeared and he closed his eyes for a while before returning to the mansion.

Although it was the end of the year, the weather didn’t get warmer, and he feared the cold. After returning to his room and washing his hands, he sat by the charcoal stove to dry them.

The servants came in to bring new charcoal and took the clothes he had changed out of to be washed. The sound of footsteps continued, but Zhao Yelan seemed to be in a trance, sitting still as he watched the faint flames struggling to emerge. Yu Junliang’s last words still lingered in his ears – 

“Zhao Yelan, aren’t you afraid? The hound is cooked after it catches the rabbit.^[6] I only did a few things for His Majesty, and I ended up like this. How much did you do for him? How much blood is on your hands? Do you think you can live with peace of mind?”

Live with peace of mind?

Zhao Yelan smiled lightly as if mocking himself, and got up and walked to the table. He raised his hand to caress the golden silk item placed on top of it. The brilliant golden light was unique and unmatched. This was an imperial decree.

An absurd decree.

After a stick of incense, the sky was getting dark. He had just changed his clothes and was about to go out when he happened to meet Xiao Gao, a servant who had just returned with a basket in his hand that was packed with freshly picked pears. He hurriedly said: “My lord, you are back. When you went out just now, people from the General’s mansion came and said they wanted to talk to you about getting married.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The author has something to say:

Opening the text, la. Long time no see. 66 red envelopes will be given to everyone in the comment area~

【Knocks on the blackboard】

The cuties who pay attention to the correct three views can avoid it first. The characters are like this, don’t abuse the characters and the author. A courtier must act like a courtier, he kills without batting an eye, greedy for power and money. Cruel, merciless, and black-hearted, abstaining from emotion has been his hobby for many years.

Zhao Yelan: Are you polite? ?

(Xuanhe Palace, cold smoke and decaying grass – – From Liu Kezhuang’s “Recalling Qin’e Mei Xie.)

Translator’s Note: Hello, all! This is my first time translating this sort of novel, and the plethora of footnotes are already killing me. But! It’s a lot of fun, and I hope you enjoy the story as much as I am.

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[1] The guoshi is the teacher of the state. ⮐

[2] 不死也叫人扒了几层皮: This is an idiom that basically means receiving major harm or a significant loss. ⮐

[3] The suffix -daren (大人) is a title of respect for male members of nobility. ⮐

[4] A crime of the Nine Clans refers to killing nine generations, including the four above and the four below. In ancient times, entire families were wiped out if one member committed a serious crime. ⮐

[5] The ‘dragon’ here refers to the Emperor. ⮐

[6] To cook the hound after it catches the rabbit is to get rid of someone after he has served his purpose. ⮐

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Table of Contents >> Chapter Two

Summary:

Chapter 1	Chapter 33	Chapter 65
Chapter 2	Chapter 34	Chapter 66
Chapter 3	Chapter 35	Chapter 67
Chapter 4	Chapter 36	Chapter 68
Chapter 5	Chapter 37	Chapter 69
Chapter 6	Chapter 38	Chapter 70
Chapter 7	Chapter 39	Chapter 71
Chapter 8	Chapter 40	Chapter 72
Chapter 9	Chapter 41	Chapter 73
Chapter 10	Chapter 42	Chapter 74
Chapter 11	Chapter 43	Chapter 75
Chapter 12	Chapter 44	Chapter 76
Chapter 13	Chapter 45	Chapter 77
Chapter 14	Chapter 46	Chapter 78
Chapter 15	Chapter 47	Chapter 79
Chapter 16	Chapter 48	Chapter 80
Chapter 17	Chapter 49	Chapter 81
Chapter 18	Chapter 50	Chapter 82
Chapter 19	Chapter 51	Chapter 83
Chapter 20	Chapter 52	Chapter 84
Chapter 21	Chapter 53	Chapter 85
Chapter 22	Chapter 54	Chapter 86
Chapter 23	Chapter 55	Chapter 87
Chapter 24	Chapter 56	Chapter 88
Chapter 25	Chapter 57	Chapter 89
Chapter 26	Chapter 58	Chapter 90
Chapter 27	Chapter 59	Chapter 91: Epilogue
Chapter 28	Chapter 60	Chapter 92: Postscript
Chapter 29	Chapter 61	Extra 1: Birthday
Chapter 30	Chapter 62	Extra 2: Family
Chapter 31	Chapter 63	Extra 3: Afterwards
Chapter 32	Chapter 64	Extra 4: Old Friends

Even More Extras

Extra 5: Memories	Extra 8: Faking Death (1)	Extra 11: Faking Death (4)
Extra 6: Age	Extra 9: Faking Death (2)	Extra 12: Faking Death (5)
Extra 7: In Good Health	Extra 10: Faking Death (3)	Extra 13: Faking Death (6)

Ye Ci’sexpression showed embarrassment. “If, if I sleep together with you, I……” He was shy, but contradictorily straightforward. “I’ll be too, too excited to sleep.”

“Too excited to sleep with me?” Huo Tinglan repeated with a smile.

Phrased in such a way, if Huo Tinglan didn’t know how pure Ye Ci’s words were……

Ye Ci nodded carelessly, and wanted to slip away again.

“Huo-shushu will coax you to sleep.” Huo Tinglan hugged him. The scoundrel pressed his upper body against him, enfolding him as he moved toward the master bedroom, continuing to coax and tease, “Shall I sing you a lullaby?……”

Ye Ci wasn’t strong enough to resist as he was pulled once again against the swell of ample pectoral muscles. After all, he had the mindset of a young adolescent boy. Consciously eating other people’s tofu, he didn’t dare to move. His face swifty turned red, his vision became unfocused as he yielded after making a show of resistance, and he retreated again and again until his knees knocked against the edge of the bed and bent. He fell on his back with a thud.

This scene was a bit comical. Ye Ci was stunned for a moment, then laughed. Huo Tinglan also laughed, taking the opportunity to lower his head and peck his lips.

Ye Ci was about to struggle again, but a big hand was already pressed against his ribs through his pajamas. As if knowing where his weak point was, it directly attacked his most ticklish fifth rib.

“Huo-shushu!” Ye Ci exclaimed, curling up like a cooked shrimp. 

At first, he silently endured and twisted his body to avoid the tickling, his jaw and the corners of his lips drawn tight. However, the nerve reflex triggered by tickling could not be resisted by willpower. His efforts were in vain, and he laughed: “Stop, stop it, ha ha, Huo-shushu……”

He usually smiled a lot less. First because there was an element of deliberately pretending to be strong and cold, and second because if a pretense was kept up for a long time, it would unknowingly become the new norm. That face was habitually flat toward outsiders, and although he was obedient and soft toward Huo Tinglan, he didn’t smile much.

Therefore, such laughter was rare. A pair of dimples and a row of neat white teeth could be seen, like a ray of light breaking through the clouds in the blue sky.

Huo Tinglan looked slightly stunned, and suddenly leaned forward and kissed him.

He liked it so much. The tip of his tongue entered, as if to draw out a bit of honey.

This kiss could still count as pure, but it was so affectionate and loving that Ye Ci was more embarrassed than ever.

It seemed that in Huo Tinglan’s eyes, he had become something soft and loveable, which was inconsistent with his view of himself.

He hurriedly suppressed his smile, hiding the dimples. In order to dispel the enchantment that made him blush and caused his heart to beat fast, he lightly rubbed Huo Tinglan’s ribs in turn to show that they were just joking around.

Huo Tinglan grabbed his hand and helped him poke his body, saying with half a smile, “I’m not ticklish.”

“You, you really aren’t?” Ye Ci didn’t believe it. How could anyone not be ticklish?

He tried again, and Huo Tinglan leaned on a few pillows with a half-reclined posture, holding in a smile as he indulged him.

Maybe it was because of his physique as a top Alpha. Ye Ci experimented and tested. The neck that would make ordinary people giggle when touched, then the armpit. Huo Tinglan didn’t even respond, but on the contrary, Ye Ci’s little paws drew apart the dark blue nightgown.

Perhaps due to the excitement, there was sweat on his body and the warm light illuminated his light honey-colored muscles with a delicate glow. It was an extremely attractive male body.

The playful energy suddenly dissipated. Ye Ci rushed to withdraw his hand as if he had invited misfortune, and his face turned even redder.

The atmosphere was just right. Huo Tinglan leaned closer and kissed him lightly, like sipping strong wine.

From cautious to lingering.

Huo Tinglan decided to impart some new knowledge to his young lover.

“……Open your mouth, baby?” he asked, testing the waters.

The tip of the tongue brushed between the lips.

Wet and slightly cool.

Ye Ci trembled and shrank back vigilantly: “……Open my mouth?”

With this reaction from him, Huo Tinglan had the illusion that he had become a kidnapper.

He colored on Ye Ci’s white paper with a tone that was as upright as a popular science article, but the content was shameless: “Open your mouth to let our tongues touch each other, this is a real kiss……” He looked as if he had suffered a loss. “The previous ones don’t actually count.”

With their foreheads touching, he held up that confused and flustered face and first made contact that would not make Ye Ci feel uneasy. Shallow kisses, words of love, rubbing their ears and temples together, brushing the corner of the jaw and earlobes with his fingertips. He saw that Ye Ci’s mood gradually changed from apprehensive to hazy, and then to unfocused……like a kitten that had inhaled too much catnip, dazed by the drug, he obediently poked out the tip of his tongue from between his teeth.

There was a star of water on it, soft and bright.

Huo Tinglan lowered his head and seized it all at once.

“Wu……”

In just a few minutes, like a spoonful of condensed honey, fine and flexible, stretched to infinity……

His tongue was sucked numb.

Ye Ci covered his mouth. As if he had no face to see anyone, he drilled into the pile of pillows with a glowing red blush: “I can’t, can’t kiss any more, Huo-shushu.” He felt around and pulled something out of the pocket of his pajama pants. “I didn’t sleep well yesterday because of your, your wild kissing, and I was so sleepy in class. Today I ate……half of this.”

He opened his hand, and in his palm was the leftover half of a peppermint. Printed on the package were the exaggerated words, “Strong and cool, instantly freezes the brain.” 

Ye Ci’s small face wrinkled, and he complained in a bright and youthful manner to his needy lover: “It’s, it’s spicy, hotter than wasabi……” He twisted out a piece and muttered, “If you kiss, kiss me with all your strength again, I’ll……”

Huo Tinglan almost laughed out loud.

What was this……

A suicide attack?

So cute.

In front of him, Ye Ci’s cold, hard shell had been removed more and more cleanly.

He didn’t just act soft toward him, but was obedient to him.

But he was still able to complain a little bit like he was doing now, using mint candies to joke with him……with the vivacity and liveliness that a boy of his age should have.

If it wasn’t for Ye Ci’s academic considerations, he would definitely escalate.

However……

“Understood.” Gentleman Huo Tinglan smiled and captured the mint candy, covered Ye Ci with a blanket, and tucked in the corners. He reached out and turned off the light, saying softly, “Sleep well, good night.”

This time he really didn’t do anything else, and lay down a few centimeters away from Ye Ci.

The two people’s breaths mingled, and the scent of tequila enveloped them heavily in the quiet night.

Being a natural “leader and commander,” the pheromone secretion of an Alpha’s glands would undergo various subtle changes due to fluctuations in the Alpha’s mood, enabling the pheromones to have different effects on the immediate environment according to the Alpha’s needs.

Such as in this moment. Huo Tinglan took the initiative to suppress some of his needs, and the tequila scent was obviously softer than usual. The compositions that could awaken an Omega’s desire were rare, and most had soothing and calming effects.

Ye Ci’s heartbeat, which had been soaring at 180 beats per minute a short while ago, became more relaxed.

Between the soothing pheromones, the 100% genetic matching, plus the fact that he hadn’t slept well last night and was seriously sleep-deprived……even sleeping pills wouldn’t have such a strong effect.

Ye Ci’s eyelids were sore and heavy.

“I promised to put you to sleep.” Huo Tinglan stroked his hair. “Sleep, ba.”

. . . . . .

The final exam for the second semester of school was scheduled for the 7th and 8th of July, and there would be three days off after the exam. After the results were released, the approved high school seniors would usher in the most precious lengthy vacation of the coming year – a full 20-day summer vacation.

This kind of vacation schedule was a bit harsh, but considering that he was about to enter the sprint stage of the third year of high school, Ye Ci had no complaints.

He had officially moved into Huo Tinglan’s room. Aside from the night they confirmed their relationship, which had gone a little out of control, Huo Tinglan was appropriately behaved and didn’t let falling in love delay important matters. In this final exam, Ye Ci had advanced by more than 100 places in his year group. Although he was still at the middle to lower level, considering Tiancheng’s environment of fierce competition and staggeringly high costs, Ye Ci’s ranking in the province would definitely not be bad. At least his undergraduate courses had reached a point of stability. In the next year, if he maintained this momentum and speed of progress, as long as he reached the middle of his year group, the entrance examination would not be a problem at all.

Besides……his potential should be higher than that.

After the results were released, at the last class meeting before the summer vacation, the head teacher called him out and praised him, and also presented him with a “Star of Progress” certificate on behalf of the school. 

That afternoon, Ye Ci returned home with his transcript and certificate of merit. The first thing he did was to stammer and recount to Huo Tinglan what the teacher had praised him for, so that he could hear it word for word.

“……Xu-laoshi said it like that.” After Ye Ci’s retelling, the corners of his lips were half-raised. He tried to appear calm so as not to seem too childish in front of his lover, or excessively excited over such a small score. But he didn’t know that when he glanced at Huo Tinglan, his eyes were as bright as a little wolf’s, and his ears were almost pricked up.

Like a child waiting to be praised.

“That’s really great, you’ve made significant progress.” Huo Tinglan smiled, first giving overall affirmation before spreading out the six test papers one by one, and discussing in detail the areas where Ye Ci was particularly excellent. “Your math test is the best this time, and that is not only reflected in the score.” A blue and gold lacquered fountain pen tapped the math answer sheet, pointing to the penultimate question. “Your problem-solving methods are clear and concise. I only taught you a simple solution to this type of question once last month, I didn’t expect you to remember it……it shows that you not only have a high degree of comprehension, but also listen carefully.”

“You also performed well in physics……”

“Chemistry……”

He single-handedly held an award ceremony for Ye Ci.

After being praised for the second half of the sequence, Ye Ci almost couldn’t even sit in his chair.

He had never received such a high level of praise in his life. He felt like he had asked for a little red flower and was buried by a shipping container of little red flowers. But Huo Tinglan’s demeanor and tone were serious, the praise was well-founded, and there was no edge of teasing or ridicule.

“Huo-shushu.” He couldn’t hold back anymore. Wiping his red face, he quietly refuted, “You’re exaggerating too, too much. If I’m really as good as you say……like this, I can be, be admitted to a prestigious school next year.”

Huo Tinglan looked straight at him, raised his eyebrows slightly, and said what should be said: “With your qualifications, you can of course set a prestigious school as your goal. Your foundation is a bit poor, but it has recovered a lot in the past few months. You are so smart and eager to learn, plus it’s a whole year in the future, I think the odds are good……” As he spoke, he smiled softly and joked, “Why, does our Xiao Ci dislike prestigious schools?”

Ye Ci quickly shook his head. He was amused, and when he finished laughing, his eyes were hot and sore.

“In twenty days, you’ll be a senior in high school.” Huo Tinglan carefully smoothed the corners of the papers and the answer sheet and chatted with him. “Any thoughts on majors or schools?”

He would not restrict Ye Ci, and would at most give him some guidance.

As long as he didn’t go into formula racing……he could do anything he wanted.

Ten mathematicians couldn’t calculate the area of his psychological shadow regarding formula racing.

“I have some, some basic……ideas.” Ye Ci hesitated, and whispered, “I’m interested in, in manufacturing pharmaceuticals……”

The clinical trial in San Francisco that Ye Hongjun was participating in had been going on for four weeks. According to the latest test results, she did indeed show signs of improvement. Follow-up tests would take a long time, and whether she could recover was still inconclusive, but this was already a pleasant surprise.

“I’ve been, been thinking about this for a while.” Ye Ci clenched his fingertips, his eyes bright as he spoke of his dreams. “My mom was able to get, get treatment this time mainly because……you provided her with, with such good……conditions and access. But many people don’t, don’t have this ability. The imported medicines we used before were all……terribly expensive. I think I will study, study medicine in the future, so maybe I can help those kinds of people, and let them all use cheap and, and effective medicine.”

The bitterness of being seriously ill, he understood too well and empathized with too much. He earned his way out of the quagmire through untold hardships, and wanted to turn around and help someone else – – with his own strength.

Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, he said: “It’s a pretty, pretty childish idea, I know it’s not that simple.” When he raised his eyes, there was a glistening light in them and a sort of simple kindness. It was the look of those who had witnessed suffering without losing their heart. “It’s just……a general direction to work towards, don’t laugh at me.”

Huo Tinglan looked at him, and his heart was so soft that he didn’t know how much more he could love and adore him.

“It’s not childish at all,” he said firmly, and stood up.

They were in the study room, talking about life goals……this was a serious occasion and an upright topic, but his impulses were inexplicably ignited.

“I just don’t, don’t know if……the salary in this line of work is high or, or not.” Ye Ci was still making these small calculations in his head. When a man had a family and a house, he couldn’t just think about himself. “I also want to make, make a lot of money in the future and spend it on you and my, my mom……”

Huo Tinglan hugged him then with a reckless and unbridled energy that didn’t match his usual demeanor. With his chest and abdomen full of hot steam, he pressed against him, sweeping away the pile of papers and awards, and pushing him onto the desk in the study. Still on the right side of their unspoken rules, he warmly promised in his ear: “Just study what you want, don’t worry about anything. I’ll invest in you and help you with your projects, okay, baby? Alright?”

“Ah……um, alright……” Ye Ci obediently let himself be kissed while blushing, and felt like an actor who had gone to the wrong set in a daze.

He and Huo-shushu just now……weren’t they just talking about a serious topic?!

---

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Chapter Thirty-Four<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Six

This night passed in chaos for Ye Ci.

In the first half, after a round of sparring, he was thoroughly kissed above the neck.

He was embarrassed, nervous, and excited, and sweated profusely all over.

After all the tossing and turning was over, Ye Ci was too ashamed to sleep on someone else’s bed while covered in sweat, so he took a shower in the bathroom connected to the master bedroom. After rushing to finish up, he smelled of the same sea salt and cypress wood as Huo Tinglan. This probably hit the man’s possessive nerve again, and he was firmly held in his arms through two thin blankets. 

His cheek was squeezed against a firm pectoral muscle, and Ye Ci was so alarmed that he didn’t even dare to blink, for fear that if he brushed it with his eyelashes, he would make himself a scoundrel. He also thought over and over – – Me and Huo-shushu are really together, it can’t be more true! He was sometimes embarrassed, sometimes throbbing, sometimes in disbelief, and like galloping horses, his thoughts couldn’t stop for half a second.

Therefore, it was not until early morning that he cultivated a little drowsiness and snuggled up to Huo Tinglan to sleep.

At six o’clock in the morning, the alarm on his cell phone rang.

But Ye Ci was too sleepy to open his eyes.

Drowsiness was like heavy black velvet wrapped around his body. The blackout curtains deceived his biological rhythm, the atmosphere was dark and comfortable, and the handmade mattress padded with long horsetail hair and cashmere gave him a sense of comfortable support and envelopment. There was also that tequila fragrance that lingered in his nose, making Ye Ci feel at ease upon smelling it……His eyelids weighed over a thousand pounds, and Ye Ci was so sleepy that he didn’t know what was going on.

“Wake up, it’s time for school……Xiao Ci?” The alarm was too noisy, not soothing enough. Huo Tinglan turned it off and twisted Ye Ci’s earlobe gently, then scratched the tip of his nose. He saw that Ye Ci subconsciously blocked his hand and then itched the place he had scratched, repeatedly performing this act of “a kitten washing its face” in a half-asleep, half-awake state.

“Huo-shushu……” To avoid harassment, Ye Ci hid his smooth, peach-pink face in the pillow and begged, “Just, just five minutes……p-please……”

He acted spoiled without realizing it, as sweet as a spoonful of honey.

Huo Tinglan would have been perfectly happy to let him have a lie-in.

In his difficult and struggle-filled past, how many times had he had the experience of refusing to get up because of sleepiness?

They could be counted on one’s fingers.

This was especially true when his mother was sick. If he didn’t work hard, she would suffer from poverty and even go hungry. A scrawny boy in a baggy convenience store uniform, with white skin and dark bags under his eyes, he would diligently carry over a dozen loads of merchandise. When he was finished stocking shelves, he would take a short break behind the cash register when there were no customers. Tired, but not daring to sleep in order to be on guard against thieves, he could at most hug his arms and hang his head down for a while. Due to his thinness, his spine and shoulder blades would immediately become prominent when his back was arched as he rested, sharp and hard.

The bones were hard, and this person was also very rigid at first glance.

At that time, he never imagined that the days to come would be like this.

He never thought that he would completely remove his disguise and be so soft in front of others.

In a daze, Ye Ci didn’t know how long he lay there – probably more than five minutes. Suddenly, there was a hot aroma and the sound of something rolling, like a dining cart. Then, there was the light clink of ceramic tableware, and the fragrant smell of food became stronger.

Hunger overcame sleepiness as his empty stomach woke up first, his limbs and bones coming back to life. An ankle was gripped by a hot palm, and Ye Ci struggled instinctively, but the hand didn’t let go. On the contrary, it escalated and even caught his toes.

“Hold still.” Huo Tinglan pinched the toes that were as pale as green onions, put one cotton sock on him, and stroked the edges of the sock along the stretched arches. He was clearly waiting upon him, but he coaxed hoarsely, “I’ll put socks on for you.”

His hand was so strong that Ye Ci couldn’t pull his foot back. When he looked again, the other sock had been put on, the school uniform shirt and trousers were stacked at hand, and there was an exquisite blue dining cart parked not far away. A table was set up next to the bed so that he could have breakfast without touching the ground.

“It’s rare for you to act coquettish for me, so I’ll give you a little time to stay in bed.” Huo Tinglan glanced at his legs and smiled gently. “Do you……want to change your trousers yourself?”

Of course he would change his trousers himself!

Ye Ci shrank back like a wild cat and said in fear: “I’ll, I’ll do it myself.” He turned his head to look at the breakfast beside the bed. His emotions were complicated, and his conscience couldn’t bear it, so he mumbled, “You, you don’t have to……to spoil me. Just directly call me down.”

“How is this spoiling……” Huo Tinglan tightened his grip on the foot in his palm. His heart was on fire and his eyes were hot as he said firmly but gently, “I will love you very much from now on.”

This wasn’t spoiling? This was spoiling him to death!

Ye Ci was intensely embarrassed. He had never experienced this sort of thing before. The maternal love Ye Hongjun gave him was as gentle and delicate as a stream, the complete opposite of this thick, fiery love. He didn’t know how to answer these words, so he just tried to pull his foot back again.

As a result, he had barely twitched when Huo Tinglan pulled him over by the calf until he was almost sitting directly on Huo Tinglan’s lap.

“Baby,” Huo Tinglan clasped his leg and looked at him with a pair of passionate and pitiful black eyes. “Let me love you.”

If you wanted to love someone, to pamper someone, to spoil someone, you didn’t need the other person’s permission – you just had to do it. The initiative was in his own hands, but he forced him to agree and wanted to hear him say a “good” word.

The temperature of that gaze washed over him as if it was going to burn him through, piercing through his chest. There was no room to evade or shy away. Ye Ci lowered his eyes and dropped his head, pressing his forehead against Huo Tinglan’s shoulder. After a soft “En,” he added solemnly after a few seconds of silence: “We, we love each other, Huo-shushu……I’m still, still young, and I don’t have anything to offer. You……wait for me to get older, and, and I will treat you as well as you treat me.”

“Alright.” Huo Tinglan’s heart softened even more, and he vigorously rubbed that messy black hair on the back of Ye Ci’s head, saying softly, “I’ll wait for you to get older.”

As if he was afraid that this big talk would seem empty and wanted to provide some evidence, Ye Ci raised his head and glanced at Huo Tinglan with his bright apricot core eyes, but he couldn’t tell what he was thinking about.

Huo Tinglan smiled: “What……”

Before he finished speaking, Ye Ci suddenly leaned forward, tilted his head, and pecked him on the cheek as briskly as a spring swallow skimming water.

After the kiss, in the second that Huo Tinglan was momentarily stunned, he withdrew his leg as if fleeing for his life. For fear of going to school early in the morning with a kiss-swollen mouth, he leaned over the table and hastily stuffed a small steamed bun into his mouth. A drop of golden red crab oil dripped from the corner of his lips as he said, full of the desire for survival: “I still, still have to go to school soon, Huo-shushu.”

His studies were important. Even though Huo Tinglan’s desire was left unsatisfied, he could only stare at him from the sidelines with angry amusement.

Talking was delayed for a time, and Ye Ci had no choice but to thoroughly clear his plate. During these days, Huo Tinglan had taken good care of him. Not only had his face become softer, but he was not so thin in other places, such as his jaw and wrists. The knobs of his spine at the nape of his neck were less bony and sharp, and when Huo Tinglan held his calf and ankle just now, he also felt that it was more supple and sensual than before.

His body……could probably grow some more fat.

Unfortunately, it was invisible.

Just a moment ago, Ye Ci had given him a childlike kiss on the cheek.

But such a pure kiss could not wash clean his “dirty” heart.

Ye Ci was just a young deer restless with emotion, and it never occurred to him that his pious Huo-shushu was actually thinking about his body at this time.

……Otherwise the young deer would probably bang his head against the wall in embarrassment.

After eating, it was time for Ye Ci to change his clothes.

Huo Tinglan timed it right and, without waiting to be shooed away, walked into the master bedroom cloakroom to calmly pick out a shirt, as if he was also preparing to get ready and go out.

Ye Ci saw this and didn’t dare to say anything, for fear of drawing Huo Tinglan’s attention. Taking advantage of Huo Tinglan’s back being turned to him, he seized the opportunity to get naked and put on his school uniform in a panic.

In the cloakroom, Huo Tinglan flicked the rotatable full-length mirror in front of him leisurely, the corners of his lips curled up.

……Just like a jade orchid.^[1]

Round. White. Pink.

Meaty.

Good-looking.

The eagle-eyed eyesight of an A-level Alpha was indispensable.

……It was too indecent and outrageous to actually steal a peek at the little gentleman changing clothes.

Seeing that Ye Ci had fastened the last button on his collar, Huo Tinglan turned the full-length mirror back to its original position, smiled, and ruthlessly belittled himself in his heart.

. . . . . .

Ye Ci talked big in front of Huo Tinglan that morning, asking him to wait until he got older, and that he would be as good to him as he was capable of being in the future.

A boy’s teenage years were when his self-esteem was the strongest and most sensitive. This tough talk was aimed at the object of his love, and was easier to use than struggling through any vague and empty catchphrases. Not to speak of how close it was, he must show Huo-shushu good results in the upcoming final exam of the sophomore year of high school.

So on this day, Ye Ci’s studying was full of energy, as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

During the recess in the afternoon, he summoned up the rare courage to go to the teacher’s office, stuttering as he asked a couple of questions – – Huo Tinglan’s lectures were undoubtedly good, but Ye Ci shouldn’t rely on him for all six subjects, and should ask the teacher.

It was the same after coming home from school. Ye Ci studied until eleven o’clock in the study room. Not only did he finish his homework, but he even did a lot of it by himself, and his eyes shined like a hungry little wolf who couldn’t get enough. If not for Huo Tinglan coming to detain him, he might have been able to study until he fell into a coma.

“Just, just one more question.” Ye Ci pitifully clutched one end of the pen that had been taken away and didn’t let go. “I just, just figured out how to do this type of problem, I need to, to strike while the iron is hot.” As he said that, he actually took advantage of the newly developed coquettish skills from that morning, softly begging, “Huo-shushu, you are the best.”

How could Huo Tinglan bear this? 

His bones were weak, and he stood aside with a smile on his face, looking at the high school student answering questions with enthusiasm.

Finishing a few minutes later, Ye Ci had nothing to say and went back to honestly rest in his room. Halfway there, he suddenly realized that he had gone in the wrong direction. This was not the way back to his bedroom, but to Huo Tinglan’s master bedroom.

“I’m, I’m going the wrong way……” Ye Ci turned his head and wanted to go back.

He thought sleeping with Huo Tinglan last night was a special case – – Huo Tinglan had said he had a headache and worked all night, and so on, and wanted to hold him and rest for a while, but he didn’t say that they would share a room in the future.

“I brought you a change of clothes.” Huo Tinglan smiled, blocked his way, and coaxed him softly, “Don’t sleep in a different room, baby.”

Ye Ci was silent for a moment, and then took a step to the left, wanting to go around.

Huo Tinglan also moved to the left.

Ye Ci moved to the right.

Huo Tinglan smiled and also moved to the right.

Wherever Ye Ci went, he would block him.

Like a little scoundrel harassing an Omega at the school gate.

---

[1] Jade orchid: ⮐

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Chapter Thirty-Three<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Five

Ye Ci heaved a sigh of relief, and hurriedly asked: “What……what method?”

Huo Tinglan smiled softly, found an easy-to-accept entry point, and threw a line: “Did you sleep in my bedroom the day before yesterday?”

“En.” Ye Ci nodded.

“How about tonight too, then?” When Ye Ci opened his mouth slightly in surprise, Huo Tinglan added calmly, “I won’t do anything excessive. We can add a blanket, one for each of us.”

He kneaded his forehead wearily, once to sell his misery, and twice to imply that he was currently out of energy and therefore not dangerous: “I was busy all night last night, and I haven’t closed my eyes up to now. I’m exhausted. I just want to give you a good hug.”

Ye Ci was embarrassed, his mouth closed and his attitude wavering, but he didn’t show a clear expression of rejection.

– – Given a fright by the prior unacceptable outcome, he found himself thinking too much. After giving a sigh of relief, his rate of acceptance also increased briefly.

His negotiation skills were fairly basic, but practical.

Huo Tinglan looked like he was holding the soft nape of a kitten’s neck gently but firmly, with skillful ease, making the inexperienced kitten disoriented and confused.

“Your expression just now……” With a smile, the villain brought a suit against his victim,^[1] teasing in turn: “What are you thinking about?”

Ye Ci looked at him with clear eyes like glass beads, but didn’t try to defend himself, and only blushed.

Because he was indeed thinking wild thoughts.

He would prefer to not say a word and tacitly acquiesce, rather than expose the yellow trash in his brain to Huo-shushu and be teased. He didn’t want to lie to his lover, either. 

“What are you thinking, baby?” Huo Tinglan expressed his curiosity as if he was a big, innocent boy. “Tell me.”

Ye Ci suddenly had a sense of peril, as if he was being targeted by a carnivore – – if he didn’t tear off a piece of meat to sacrifice to those white teeth, he absolutely wouldn’t be able to escape tonight.

– – What was he thinking about?

He thought he was going to sleep under a blanket with Huo Tinglan like a real married person, and for a moment, even vaguely thought about “that kind of thing.”

But how could these words be spoken?

There was only one piece of meat left to tear off for the beast.

His throat tightened, and he forcibly skipped the question in order to compromise: “Then, then let’s add a blanket……”

In the master bedroom, a pair of pillows and two blankets were placed side by side, and the area between was still spacious.

Huo Tinglan went to wash up, and Ye Ci burrowed into his own blanket like a thief. His sleeping position was restrained, with the light blanket tightly covering him, pulled all the way up to the tip of his nose.

He secretly touched his mouth under the edge of the covers.

The painful heat had subsided, and the skin was not broken.

Suddenly, the sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Ye Ci retracted his hand as if he had received an electric shock, closing his eyes and pretending to sleep.

With his temperament and under these circumstances, it seemed a little fake for him to be able to sleep without a care. He knew this, but hoped that Huo Tinglan would be as graceful as ever, seeing through it but not bringing it up.

The bathroom door opened.

The scent of men’s body wash slowly approached, sea salt mixed with cypress wood.

The side of his body sank down, something blocked the light, and then Huo Tinglan called to him in a low voice: “Baby, are you asleep?”

Ye Ci didn’t move. Not even his eyelashes fluttered.

He pretended quite well.

The corners of Huo Tinglan’s lips lifted slightly. He didn’t say anything, and didn’t turn off the lights. Lying down next to Ye Ci, he stretched out his arms and pulled the thin form wrapped in a light blanket into his arms.

That small sample of a kiss did not satisfy his craving. Instead, it evoked the memory of entangling with his lover in the last life.

Desire was like a shark sensing blood. It was better not to taste it, but once he did, he became mad with greed.

That graphite silk was as deep and dark as the sea. He cruised through it silently and sinisterly, coveting the creamy white flesh in that ocean. The marking period wasn’t over yet, and his Alpha glands began to stir.

After being pacified by an Omega, the glands were supposed to be at rest.

But the painful experience of his spouse’s death made Huo Tinglan’s Alpha glands more sensitive and fragile than in the previous life, and their hormone fluctuations were difficult to predict using normal medical theory.

Huo Tinglan’s eyes darkened, and his hands circled around in front of Ye Ci.

His fingertip touched the blanket that was dampened by Ye Ci’s breath and traced along the line of his lips.

After a while, it stopped in the middle and played with them.

The small breaths gusting on Huo Tinglan’s fingertips suddenly accelerated.

Ye Ci panicked.

Afraid that his breathing rate would reveal his pretense, Ye Ci took a few breaths and then subconsciously held his breath, his body trembling slightly.

This was not pretending to be asleep, but pretending to be dead.

“Ye Ci,” Huo Tinglan suppressed a laugh, his fingers like bait as he rubbed the silly mouth with a poor memory that continued to bite the hook. “Are you really asleep?”

Suddenly waking up at this time would only be more embarrassing.

It was hard to ride a tiger,^[2] better to play the role to the end. Ye Ci resolutely kept his eyes closed. There was sweat on his forehead, and his eyelashes trembled.

“You really are asleep?” Huo Tinglan announced in a low voice, “Then I’m going to do something bad.”

Ye Ci: “…….”

His Adam’s apple bobbed slightly in disbelief.

Huo Tinglan took the edge of the blanket and picked it up.

It was almost like lifting the hem of a skirt, but he could do it without appearing vulgar.

Under the blanket, the collar of Ye Ci’s pajamas was fastened to the top button, and Huo Tinglan flipped the button as if teasing a small fish.

Ye Ci’s eyelashes trembled and he thoroughly crumbled. Too embarrassed to open his eyes, he turned over, plunged into Huo Tinglan’s arms, and begged for mercy: “Huo-shushu, don’t, don’t do it……”

“You pretended to be asleep.” Huo Tinglan gently tugged Ye Ci’s bright red ear.

He saw through it and laid it bare.

No matter how foolish Ye Ci was, he realized that Huo Tinglan was not the same as before he confirmed their relationship. Besides, he wasn’t stupid in the first place. If someone else attempted Huo Tinglan’s actions, he would probably see through it within three sentences.

The fact that he could be hooked with one cast was due to nothing more than preconceived notions. He believed firmly in Huo Tinglan’s pure and good nature, and this filter was too thick to see through.

“Huo-shushu, why are you……” He clenched his fists and hesitated. “Why……are you like this?”

“What am I like?” Huo Tinglan laughed, and the deep vibrations of his chest tickled Ye Ci’s eardrums.

“Like,” Ye Ci struggled to retrieve a precise word that was not a curse, “You’ve become un, ungentlemanly.”

Ungentlemanly.

Huo Tinglan was stunned for a moment. In his life and in his previous life, he had never heard anyone make a comment about him like this.

Not only that, but he was often rated the opposite.

It was said that no one knew a child better than their mother, but even his mother, Lin Yao, often persuaded him to let go of the elite air of being alone all his life. Even if he couldn’t find a matching Omega, at least he could meet a Beta woman……

Moreover, the way he and Ye Ci got along in the last life was not the same as it was now.

Of course it wasn’t a compliment, but he felt a heat up his spine. Being provoked by the aggrieved little lover who vaguely realized he had boarded a pirate ship doubled his agitation.

“Xiao Ci,” Huo Tinglan moved back a little, looked at Ye Ci buried in his chest, and stroked his messy hair. Half coaxing and half serious, he said: “From the moment we established our relationship, you were officially my lover and husband, legally and emotionally. In front of you, I don’t think I need to, or should, put on the air of being a good gentleman. Just like you don’t have to try to be brave in front of me. You can talk to me, you can cry to me, and you can rely on me to your heart’s content……what do you say?”

With just a few words, he integrated his “hooliganism” with his true nature.

Extremely shameless.

Ye Ci wrestled with this for a while. He also pretended to be tough in front of Huo Tinglan. If it was wrong to say that it wasn’t the same, then he probably……didn’t count as innocent?

Besides, flirting with a lover seemed to be okay, it was just that the contrast……

“Do you still like Huo-shushu?” Huo Tinglan asked knowingly.

How could he not like him because of that?

Ye Ci nodded in embarrassment.

“You like me even if I’m not a gentleman?” Huo Tinglan repeated with a smile.

Ye Ci gritted his teeth, and the corners of his jaw flexed sharply. After a few seconds of silence, he admitted: “I like you.”

However, the villain hadn’t even revealed one-tenth of his essence.

“Then……” Huo Tinglan paused. Meeting Ye Ci’s inquisitive gaze, he said quietly, “Will you help? The susceptibility period is about to be drawn out by you, so soothe me……”

Ye Ci was stunned, unable to argue: “I, I drew it out?”

“En.” Huo Tinglan choked back a laugh. His eyes were jet-black and bright, and he had a handsome appearance, but it was a pity that it contained a wicked thing that would toss a black pot to a child.^[3]

“You did……do you know how pretty your blush is?” The black pot smashed him in the face. “You’re still drawing it out.”

Was being inclined to blush a sin? What could be done about an abundance of capillaries?

Ye Ci had a rare rebellious thought and snatched the blanket from Huo Tinglan to cover his face. As a result, as soon as the bridge of his nose was covered, it was pulled back down to his chin. He covered it up again, and it was pulled down to his neck by Huo Tinglan. He was light and quick, half smiling, making them look like a playful and flirtatious couple. Ye Ci noticed that the atmosphere was ambiguous and didn’t dare to grab it again. His flushed face was exposed to the air, and he braced himself to “look good” under Huo Tinglan’s eyes, retorting in a whisper: “Wasn’t your susceptible period……more, more than a month ago? Usually an Alpha……is only susceptible two or three times a year. Besides, it also can’t be drawn out.”

He might know very little, but he had also been an Alpha, and couldn’t be fooled.

“I’m sick.” Huo Tinglan unexpectedly smiled. “I have a disorder.”

Ye Ci stared, going quiet.

Huo Tinglan really was sick – – the susceptibility period syndrome. Not every Alpha’s susceptibility symptoms were as severe as his, which could be considered pathological, and the frequency was indeed uncertain.

“Give me treatment, baby. Think of it like an essay on being a good person and doing good deeds, doesn’t that sound pretty good?” The more he said, the more ridiculous and unscrupulous it became. Holding back a smile, he continued to coax and deceive: “We had a deal to use a way you can accept, other than touching your lips.” He turned over, holding Ye Ci’s hot face like a handful of spring water as he pecked kisses across his red cheekbones, his sweaty hair, his blinking eyelids……

His word was truly trustworthy. Since he said he wouldn’t touch his mouth, he didn’t touch his mouth.

However, at the end, Ye Ci had to keep a deadly grip on his collar and not let go. With a clear, lively voice, he repeatedly emphasized that he was not to put his mouth on his neck. It was just that the collar of his school uniform really couldn’t cover the neck, and his classmates and teachers would see it at a glance.

This just barely saved his neck.

That night, he was only kissed on his face outside of his cocoon.

---

[1] 恶人先告状. Literally means the villain sues his victim before he himself can be prosecuted. ⮐

[2] 骑虎难下: The idiom is, ‘If you ride a tiger, it’s hard to get off,’ meaning it’s impossible to stop halfway. ⮐

[3] Throwing a black pot to someone is basically putting the blame on them/letting them shoulder the responsibility. ⮐

---

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Chapter Thirty-Two<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Four

“Baby.”

His blood was boiling.

Huo Tinglan couldn’t wait at all for him to get used to it. He only intensified and slightly bowed his shoulders, holding Ye Ci’s face to kiss him and crush those small lips out of shape. As if he wasn’t embarrassed enough, he coaxed in a low voice: “Baby’s lips are so soft……”

Just five words, ordinary lovers’ talk, but they were like some kind of spell with the power to drive a person crazy.

His heart suddenly soared into the air and smashed down again, beating desperately at his ribs.

Ye Ci’s eardrums were roaring and his brain was empty, steamed dry. The numbness that penetrated his chest rose and fell with his heartbeat, surging and ebbing like waves. The kiss he imagined was like a dragonfly lightly brushing the water’s surface, similar to a kiss on the face.

This was simply not the same at all.

He couldn’t take it anymore, and was so alarmed that he ducked away, but Huo Tinglan held his face and chased after him. Huo-shushu, who was usually so gentle and elegant, was at this moment so fervent that it was almost obscene, and firmly captured him!

“Huo-shushu,” Ye Ci’s head was about to explode, and he faintly begged for mercy, “Huo, Huo-shushu……is it enough?”

His heart was beating to death, and his nose was obviously working, but he was holding his breath without realizing it.

His mouth was sore from being rubbed, and his lips were so hot that the skin seemed to be broken.

It didn’t seem like he should have confessed in that way……

He regretted it a little, but it was too late.

He twisted like a small silverfish with wet scales. If Huo Tinglan didn’t let him go, he would slide away along the crack in the wall, slip back into the water, and never bite again.

Finally, Huo Tinglan straightened up a little. Brushing the thin cartilage at the tip of his nose, he reminded in a low voice, “Breathe.”

Flustered, Ye Ci took a few big breaths.

Huo Tinglan waited for him to breathe, and then tilted his head again……

“You’re still, still kissing?” Ye Ci shrank back, and rounded those watery apricot seed eyes.

“What?” Huo Tinglan caught Ye Ci’s shock, suppressed the fire in his dark eyes, and brought out his innocent “good shushu” mode, smiling softly. “Wasn’t it just one kiss?”

Ye Ci couldn’t believe it, and repeated, “Just one……”

So, so many actions counted as just one?!

He became increasingly bewildered, unable to speak. After a long while, he licked his red lips, looking stunned and pitiful, as if he was being bullied by a trusted person, pierced by the hook hidden in the sweet bait.

“Can, can you not kiss……a second time, Huo-shushu.” The more he spoke, the quieter he got. “My……my lips are broken.”

“Broken?” Huo Tinglan didn’t believe it, and pushed away Ye Ci’s hand to check carefully.

Where were they broken, they weren’t broken at all, he knew what he was doing. They were just red and hot, giving them the illusion of “broken skin.”

“Not broken.” He told the truth, not choosing what children would like to hear.

“……” Ye Ci drooped his head, not even letting him touch them.

“But you’re in pain, I’m sorry.” Huo Tinglan took a step back and let Ye Ci slip away.

When young teenagers fell in love, if they hadn’t encountered an Alpha who was particularly anxious and confused, they would probably go to school and leave together, accompany each other to do their homework, touch each others’ heads, hold hands, and kiss shallowly and carefully, even more hazy than the moonlight.

The issue was……

Huo Tinglan felt that he was also as hazy as moonlight.

He didn’t even stick his tongue in……

Was that not hazy?

But Ye Ci had been rubbed so hard that his soul flew away, sitting on the small sofa and covering his mouth in a daze.

To Huo Tinglan, it was the touch of a dragonfly upon water, but for Ye Ci, it was a stormy sea.

Huo Tinglan walked over and knelt on one knee in front of the small sofa, tugged at the cuffs of Ye Ci’s pajamas, and coaxed gently: “Are you mad at me?”

Ye Ci hurriedly shook his head: “No, I’m not mad at you.”

It was impossible for him to be angry with Huo Tinglan.

“What happened……can you describe it to me?” Huo Tinglan set the tone for a serious discussion.

“Just,” Ye Ci pursed his lower lip and tried to describe, “My heart was, was beating like I was dying. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I……” He glanced at him timidly, and with a pure and innocent voice, spoke words that could kill a person: “I, I like you so much, I can’t stand the excitement. You let me slow down and take it easy, okay?”

Huo Tinglan took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and repeated, “Slow down……”

A lifetime of perseverance was consumed in this moment.

“Xiao Ci, I’m twelve years older than you, I’m a mature Alpha, and my thoughts and needs regarding these things might be different from yours.” His tone was sincere and apologetic, with a somewhat rare embarrassment. “Maybe my needs will be more than yours. Sorry.”

Ye Ci licked his still aching lips, and with a red face, he unexpectedly gave Huo Tinglan a round of sex education in turn: “Don’t, don’t apologize. What you said is, is actually normal……”

“En, you’re right.” Huo Tinglan smiled, and then, as if it was difficult to speak about, laughed softly at himself. “So what should I do? I have a lot of needs……otherwise,” he teased softly and mischievously, “Is there another method that you can accept?”

---

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Chapter Thirty-One<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Three

There was a knock on the bedroom door. The two reserved sounds were like knocks on his heart.

Knowing that Ye Ci would not respond, Huo Tinglan opened the bedroom door on his own after a moment.

Immediately afterwards, a hazy shadow floated behind the frosted glass door of the bathroom.

“Open the door,” Huo Tinglan stood still and coaxed him out like a patient hunter, his voice low and magnetic, “Baby.”

At this change of address, Ye Ci’s face went red and he was so embarrassed that he almost knocked the doorknob off.

“I really miss you.” Huo Tinglan seemed to understand that he had come back very unexpectedly, so he didn’t force him, and just negotiated softly, “Let me see you? I worked all night yesterday and took a 12-hour flight. My head hurts, I just took painkillers……after I see you, I’m going to go rest.”

He was bewitching him.

But Ye Ci’s heart softened quickly, and in a daze, he pulled the door open a crack.

The slit was so narrow that it was only about the width of a raised finger, which was enough to reveal a dark eye peeking at Huo Tinglan.

However.

It didn’t matter how narrow the crack was. Once it was opened, it meant “permission.”

Huo Tinglan grabbed the edge of the door abruptly, relying on Ye Ci’s reluctance to close the door and hurt him, and brazenly pulled it open like breaking apart a weakened clam shell.

The back of Ye Ci’s neck was hot when Huo Tinglan’s hand grabbed it with gentle but irresistible strength. Grasping him like a cat, he took him out of the bathroom and blocked him into a corner.

“You dare to hide……what did you say on the video call?” After catching the cat, Huo Tinglan gently retracted his hand and put it in his trouser pocket. He lowered his smiling black eyes and looked at Ye Ci, and said in a leisurely manner, “Say it again.”

“Didn’t, didn’t you just say…..” Ye Ci, in the wrong, was honestly crowded into the corner. Not daring to resist, he could only open his mouth and mumble with insufficient confidence, “you just, just wanted a look.”

From such a short distance away, he could see Huo Tinglan’s clean as new shirt, straight and tidy. A navy blue silk tie hung down the middle, faintly emphasizing the contours of the full and seductive pectoral muscles on both sides. The cuffs were dazzlingly white, and two expensive canary diamond cufflinks shone brightly. The scent of vetiver aftershave was still fresh – – His Huo-shushu was well-dressed. Perhaps on the plane on his way to see him, like a male beast in courtship boastingly displaying his gorgeous fur and lean body, he did his best to seduce and tantalize him.

Obviously, Huo Tinglan achieved the expected effect.

Ye Ci’s eyes darted to the side first to avoid suspicion, but he couldn’t stop looking back in distress. At the distinct outline of the chest under that shirt, at the extravagant and flashy accessories, at the sharp contours of that handsome face.

He couldn’t refuse to admit it. He was a young visual animal, an adolescent boy. Huo Tinglan was trying to please him, and he was so fascinated by it that he couldn’t help but look again and again.

“……The first words spoken don’t count, right?” Huo Tinglan teased him with a smile, tit for tat.

One’s own promise must be kept.

Ye Ci could only stammer and repeat the words he confessed the night before – – but it wasn’t a perfect repetition. Due to nerves and forgetfulness, the wording wasn’t entirely the same, only a rough imitation.

But Huo Tinglan seemed to have memorized the full text of what he said that day. Whenever there was a subtle discrepancy in Ye Ci’s retelling, he would speak up and force Ye Ci to repeat it.

Extremely evil.

After reiterating the set of confessions, Ye Ci had sweat on the tip of his nose and his face was flushed.

Finally, the last word was repeated.

The room was silent.

Ye Ci glanced sideways at Huo Tinglan. His eyes were bright and dark, a collection of contradictions. Innocent hunger and thirst. Ye Ci still retained the instinct of an Alpha to conquer and possess, but it was also softened by the new Omega instincts. He stood precariously on a balancing rope, waiting for someone to push him, to catch him.

Huo Tinglan lowered his gaze and traced Ye Ci’s lips with his eyes. Thin, but plump in the middle, there was no lack of sensuality, and the cool scent of spearmint lingered on his breath.

“You brushed your teeth?” Huo Tinglan chuckled.

“En, I was, was afraid I would be sleepy after the video call, so I, I brushed them first.” Ye Ci made it more conspicuous by trying to hide it, and his inquisitive eyes were also fixed on Huo Tinglan’s mouth.

He was curious about the feeling of “kissing on the lips.”

After giving it some thought, he was a little eager to try……

The two looked at each other’s lips, breathing together.

The atmosphere maintained a delicate and ambiguous balance.

All of a sudden, Huo Tinglan broke the balance, gently squeezing Ye Ci’s small jaw and tilting his head up to meet his touch.

Tender and greedy, like a bee stealing honey.

He was extremely hungry, and the buds were about to bloom. He cautiously arched open the half-closed petals, burrowed in shamelessly, and brushed the fine, exquisite pollen in the core.

At first, it was just a touch.

Then, he rubbed a little.

Ye Ci was so sensitive that he leaned against the corner made by the two walls and trembled. His spine was so soft that he couldn’t even hold his back straight.

So comfortable.

Formidably comfortable.

Low on oxygen and short of breath, he turned his face away in embarrassment and had difficulty looking directly at his own response.

This was what it felt like to be an Omega. A small kiss transformed into deep spring waters, and his bones went weak and soft. So unfamiliar.

“What is it?” Huo Tinglan pressed his body against him so that he could use his strength to support him.

Then he used his fingertips to turn back Ye Ci’s averted face. His jet-black pupils were keen as measuring instruments, detecting every wisp of Ye Ci’s emotions: embarrassment, confusion, joy……

“Wait, Huo-shushu.” Ye Ci slid down like mud, his sweaty palms clinging to the wall as he tried to stand firm on his own strength. “I can’t, can’t stand up straight anymore……”

Something was beginning to sprout, and its shy appearance was fresh and full of life, like a flower bud showing its slender stamen or a freshly harvested water chestnut peeled of its raw white flesh.

---

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Chapter Thirty<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Two

Ye Ci couldn’t sit still. He covered the camera with his fingertips, pressing hard until his fingers went white.

His voice went continuously lower as he spoke: “Like, like you’re hugging me……”

That night he took the initiative to hug Huo Tinglan, the solid firmness of his chest and the comfort like floating on ocean waves was unforgettable. 

He couldn’t help but think about a simple hug over and over again.

The memory entangled his thoughts, spreading like weeds, squandering nutrients. After just a few days of separation, his heart was so empty that he became agitated.

– – This was not in line with the situation he was worried about previously, and was even the opposite.

He had basically smoothed out the tangled mess.

When one’s heart was set, it was time to speak up.

He wanted to find a time to confess, and had thought about it all night, knowing that he was too introverted, his face was too thin, and it was especially difficult to speak when he was emotional. If he confessed to Huo Tinglan face to face, those good words would be incoherent and fragmented……

So he planned to say it from a distance first, so that when the two met, the news would already be digested in part, the mood would be calmer, and he wouldn’t be so nervous that he was unable to speak.

He planned the formula on his little abacus with a crackling, disordered rattle, not realizing how naive he was in his inexperience. “The temp, temporary mark you gave me is getting weaker and weaker……” Ye Ci swallowed and closed his eyes shyly, as if talking to himself. “But on the contrary……I miss you even more.”

His words were vague, but clear enough.

Not the effects of hormone fluctuations.

Not the confusion of physical attraction.

In the past few days away from Huo Tinglan, he had a lot of time to think independently.

He picked up his own bewildered heart from the warm and aching thoughts, like picking up a pebble from a spring stream. He drained the water droplets off his desire and dried it, only to find that it had been polished clean and soft by love, the texture as clear as an engraving – –

I like Huo-shushu.

I like Huo Tinglan.

I like him more with each passing day, no one else but him.

“……Why do you miss me?”

The question came through the phone, consuming the last bit of silence and patience.

“Because……” Ye Ci took a deep breath, and with the sacrificial sincerity unique to young people, he said, “I like you.”

After he finished speaking, as if he felt that his intentions mustn’t be questioned, he explained before he could be asked: “Not because of the temporary mark, or, or because of my mom……don’t have any doubt. I thought about it for, for days, I just……really like you.”

“……”

Really liked him.

It truly depended on him being far away.

Huo Tinglan loosened his tie and took a deep breath. The blue blood vessels in his temples pulsed slightly, and his sanity was on the verge of collapse.

The matters that he could originally endure were stimulated by Ye Ci’s “provocative” operation, and he feared he could no longer stand it.

The camera was still covered. He wasn’t sure if Ye Ci was looking at him from over there, and had to forcefully control the wicked fire and maintain a false calm: “You’re on video, so far away, and you’re saying this to me……”

He leisurely interrogated: “What sort of evil intentions do you have?”

“No, no evil intentions!” Ye Ci thought he was unhappy, and hurriedly removed his hand covering the camera. His face was burnt through, even his eyes were dyed with a light pink, and his lips were red.

He was so embarrassed that he licked his lips and inadvertently covered them with a layer of moisture, making him even more gorgeous.

He didn’t know that his beloved Huo-shushu was painfully holding back his feelings in private, and wasn’t aware of what it meant to be in a relationship in the adult world. He was also an adult, but after all, this was a recent development and he was still innocent. He used this childish method to analyze a thirty-year-old Alpha who had been single for a long time, as if he was playing youthful love games with boys and girls of the same age. So he thought about it a bit and tried to make up for the sense of ceremony that Huo-shushu might want: “I used, used video to confess, not because……I’m not sincere, or not serious about you. I want to confess again when, when I’m in front of you. I talk clumsily, and I’m afraid that I’ll be too nervous at that time. Since I can’t speak well, I told you over video first…….I’ll say it again.”

He was so sincere to his lover, and could not wait to open his young heart and shine a light on it as he described word by word: “And I felt, now that we’ve both……figured it out, that I should say it as soon as possible and not……leave you hanging.”

As if coaxing a disappointed little girlfriend, he lowered his body in a masculine and beseeching posture and said, “You……don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Huo Tinglan laughed dumbly in spite of himself, and was speechless for a few seconds. 

He was so far away from being angry……

He was clearly holding back his madness, enduring those vicious currents from head to toe. Forbearance on the left and forbearance on the right, he endured!

But Ye Ci didn’t understand this.

Huo Tinglan sighed, the boy’s mental journey as clear as the sun at midday. The workings of that brain and his thoughtful considerations were really green and cute. He was a total softhearted mess.

He could be softhearted, but others may not necessarily emulate that softness.

Rather, they could be as firm as iron and stone.

Huo Tinglan flattened the corners of his lips and threw out a sentence: “No good.”

“……Ah?”

Ye Ci wilted like a snowman in a preheated 200°C oven.

His shoulders collapsed and swiftly melted.

Oh no.

He had screwed up.

Huo Tinglan leaned back in the chair and tapped the table with his fingertips, as solemn as if he were in a business negotiation, but his words were not serious: “When we meet, tell me what you just said again……”

“En!” Ye Ci nodded hurriedly.

“When you’re done talking,” Huo Tinglan said in a low voice, “I’ll kiss you……is that okay?”

“Hmhm, okay.” Ye Ci at first responded wholeheartedly, and after a few seconds, his eyes trembled nervously. His Adam’s apple rolled, and inquired with feigned sophistication, “The same as, as last time? Then when you’re done kissing……you won’t be angry?”

Kiss the face, kiss the eyebrows, kiss the forehead……

He was familiar with these.

Relying on the fact that the other party couldn’t see where his eyes fell on the video call, Huo Tinglan stared at the two alluring, thin red lips on the screen, entirely unscrupulous and almost indecent.

“No.” He smiled, controlled his expression, and answered two questions in turn. “I won’t be angry anymore.”

Seeing that Ye Ci still appeared to consider himself lucky, with an expression that said, “Huo-shushu, such a decent person,” Huo Tinglan lifted his lips and said in a low voice, “I want to kiss your lips, may I?”

“ ! “

Ye Ci was so embarrassed that he almost threw away his phone.

May he?

It seemed like it shouldn’t be impossible.

They had confessed to each other. Ordinarily, this would count as a romantic relationship, and other than being in love, what more proof did they need……

The two were married, and they were in love with each other. If even a kiss on the lips was too much, then life could not continue.

“Oh, I can’t.” Huo Tinglan’s tone was disappointed, but his forbearance remained.

It seemed that as long as Ye Ci didn’t allow it, he could really endure until the end of the world.

“No……you can.” Ye Ci sat cross-legged on the bed and held his forehead in embarrassment. At this moment, even the back of his hand was flushed.

Huo Tinglan took on the style of a rigorous business negotiation. As if he wanted to sign a contract with Ye Ci, he first emphasized the existing conditions: “We are already married in the true sense of the word.” He immediately verified with perfect enunciation, “So how many times can I kiss you?”

“Ah, how, how many kisses?” Ye Ci repeated apprehensively, his breathing uneven.

The way a gentlemanly person in love spoke turned out to be like this?!

You had to ask how many kisses you were allowed to have. Was it a foul if you kissed too much?

Only……

In fact, it was still better to just directly kiss……

Didn’t this make it more embarrassing?!

“Any, any amount.” It was hard for Ye Ci to say a specific value. 

If it was more or less, Huo-shushu would draw him into a negotiation.

“Any amount?” Huo Tinglan used a cough to hide his smile.

It was too much fun to tease the little gentleman.

Truly, endlessly fun.

In the last life, he never teased Ye Ci like that.

First, Ye Ci in the previous life was much more closed off and fragile than he was now. He couldn’t bear to go too far, and besides, twenty-two-year-old Ye Ci was much more mature than he was at eighteen. Unlike now, where he took the bait as soon as he was teased, over and over……

“There is no upper limit.” Huo Tinglan reflected for half a second, then his humanity disappeared and he summed up with a smile, “ That is, infinity.”

Ye Ci couldn’t understand what he was talking about, and nodded in confusion.

Seeing that Ye Ci was about to be played with to tears, Huo Tinglan mercifully hung up the video call.

As soon as the words “call ended” appeared on the screen, Ye Ci set aside his phone as if rescued, collapsed on the bed, and stared at the ceiling in a daze.

It was just a confession……who would have expected it to be like peeling skin.

But ultimately, not bad, Huo-shushu.

He himself was still too thin-skinned, too introverted. Things that were as normal as eating food and drinking water for other couples were difficult for him.

He had to learn to be outgoing, and just kiss him calmly and naturally.

Right!

This determination lasted for more than 40 hours.

He was a cheerful and outgoing person, facing the sea as spring flowers bloomed.^[1]

Until sudden news from Huo Tinglan knocked Ye Ci back into his original shape.

It was nine thirty in the evening. After Ye Ci ate the fruit that Uncle He sent as a late-night snack, he wiped his mouth and wanted to hurry up and finish a set of papers.

By the time he was done, it would be past eight o’clock in the morning in San Francisco. He would make a video call, chat with his mom for a while and talk with Huo-shushu for a while……today, he had a lot of schoolwork. He didn’t touch his phone much all day in order to have time for the video call at night, so he didn’t realize that Huo Tinglan hadn’t contacted him for more than ten hours.

The exam paper had barely been spread out when the cell phone rang.

Ye Ci pulled it over and took a look.

His heart nearly stopped.

[Huo Tinglan]: I’ll be home in ten minutes.

[Huo Tinglan]: Wait for me.

“ ! ”

Gripping the phone, Ye Ci was stunned for a few seconds.

Ten minutes?

Ten minutes!

Had Huo-shushu fallen into a wormhole?!

Had time and space folded?!

[Huo Tinglan]: I was busy all night yesterday, and I’ve finished with the matter over there. I got on the plane this morning and didn’t say anything earlier for fear that you would be thinking wildly all day and not be able to study well.

– – Whether it was really considerate or an ill-intentioned attack to not give Ye Ci any chance to delay or regret, only Huo Tinglan could know.

With shaking hands, Ye Ci helplessly entered a word, squeezing out an “OK.”

Ye Ci put down the phone and was dazed for a moment, then jumped up and rushed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.

After brushing several times very thoroughly, his tongue was numbed by the toothpaste.

There were bright drops of water hanging from his chin as he held the toothbrush, blushing as he stared blankly into the mirror.

There was a sound on the first floor. Huo Tinglan was back.

How could he dare greet him when they would kiss on the lips in a moment?

How many minutes and seconds? Where should he wait? What posture should he wait with? What expression should he wear? What should he say?……In only a few minutes, his anxiety and thoughts were boundless. Every second felt like torture, and he even wished that Huo Tinglan would come to kiss him sooner.

……So why did he tell him in advance?!

Huo-shushu, was he……was he actually a little evil??

Ye Ci had nowhere to vent his shame and anger, and hit the washstand with a punch.

There was a loud bang.

Then, faint footsteps sounded.

Through the door panels of the second-story bedroom and bathroom, they reached his ears.

Ye Ci’s heart beat like a drum, and he listened in panic.

He bowed his head and waited for a kiss on the lips.

---

[1] This is a reference to a poem by the Chinese poet Hai Zi. The full line goes: “I have a house, it faces the sea, and flowers bloom in spring warmth.” The poem is about someone who makes future plans to become a different, better person, with warm feelings toward the world and its people. ⮐

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Chapter Twenty-Nine<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-One

Huo Tinglan took care of Ye Hongjun’s trip to the United States for treatment.

Things went smoothly, and without bothering Ye Ci, he just signed several documents as the patient’s family member and transferred Ye Hongjun out of that sanatorium.

With his seriously ill mother traveling across the ocean to receive medical treatment, even if he knew that the accompanying team would take good care of her, Ye Ci couldn’t help worrying. So he asked for leave from school, and together with Huo Tinglan, they accompanied Ye Hongjun on the plane to San Francisco.

At the end of last year, he was still in the state of discontinuing his studies during the provincial senior exam, and he missed it. He couldn’t afford to miss taking the makeup exam in June this time, and he crammed his studies into these few days of vacation with difficulty. He brought a bag of History and Geography exam materials, even studying on the plane. With sore eyes, he opened the window and looked at the sea of intertwined cotton-white and gray-blue clouds below. Immersed in a calm and peaceful mood, he was quietly in a daze.

The exam period was imminent, and Ye Ci could only stay for three days after landing. There was a sense of novelty in going abroad for the first time in his life, but at the thought of not knowing if he would see his mom in the next few months, he had no intention of wandering around. He would just stick to Ye Hongjun like a small tail, and where his mom went was where he would be.

Three days passed quickly. Seeing that Ye Hongjun had settled in properly, Ye Ci had to return to China.

Staying really wouldn’t help. There was a whole team watching over her, but he couldn’t seem to pull himself away, and Ye Hongjun had to banish him back to school.

Seeing that Ye Ci still looked uneasy, Huo Tinglan continued to stay in San Francisco on the grounds of “handling some backlogs from the American subsidiary.” He said that he could accompany Ye Hongjun for a time as she adapted while handling official business, lest she find herself in a foreign country with only unfamiliar faces all around, making her emotionally unstable.

“……I did originally have work to do here, so I didn’t lie to you.” Huo Tinglan rubbed Ye Ci’s head. It was still early for boarding time. He had also sent an assistant to accompany Ye Ci back to China, and wasn’t afraid of Ye Ci being unused to flying, so he was not in a hurry to let this person go now. “If not for this incident, I would have had to make time to visit in June. It’s all the same.”

“When do you plan to return to China?” Ye Ci had forgotten to ask before, but listening to Huo Tinglan’s nonchalant tone, he subconsciously thought it would only be a few days.

“I’m not sure, we’ll see when my business is finished.” Huo Tinglan estimated, “It’ll be one week to half a month.”

It didn’t matter if the subsidiary company’s affairs were dealt with later, but since he couldn’t leave at present, he would do it now.

Ye Ci was stunned. Plucking the strap of the schoolbag with his fingers, he muttered, “That, that’s a long time.”

“Too long?” Huo Tinglan lowered his eyes and looked at the corners of Ye Ci’s lips, which had fallen like lead weights. Wicked intentions of teasing the child took hold, and his words gradually shifted.

“Yesterday, I said that I would stay here a while to handle official business and accompany your mother at the same time. I saw how happy you were at that moment, and thought it would be okay if I stayed longer……”

Ye Ci frowned and defended in a whisper: “I thought it would be, be three to five days.”

“You don’t want me to spend more time with your mother?”

“It’s, it’s not that.” Ye Ci fiercely shook his head, in a dilemma. He just hated that he couldn’t stay in San Francisco.

“No one will be there to look after you when you go back, so you need to take care of yourself.” Huo Tinglan softened his tone and intimately reminded him of some trivial matters, “Don’t smoke, don’t stay up late, get up early if you want to memorize, eat three regular meals, and if you have a temporary fever, just go to my room and lie down for a while.” He paused, and said with a sort of malicious tenderness, “Call me anytime, no matter the time difference……will you remember?”

Separating for half a month – – although this was still too much – –  was nothing next to being separated for half a year.

Ye Ci’s chest rose and fell quickly a few times at the tone of that villain’s teasing farewell. He had no choice but to clamp Huo Tinglan’s wrist. Gripping firmly with five fingers, he looked at him helplessly.

Pale pink skin, eyes rippling with light. Like a kitten who had been spoiled unknowingly and didn’t usually seem too sticky, but when parting, he hooked the tip of his claws on the person’s cuff and meowed tenderly.

“Huo-shushu,” He suppressed his shyness and requested shakily, “Can you come back……a little sooner?”

Huo Tinglan smiled: “En, I will as soon as possible.”

Ye Ci still didn’t let go.

Huo Tinglan asked gently and knowingly: “What’s wrong?”

What’s wrong was obvious.

But Ye Ci couldn’t say it. He had reached his limit, and those two red and tender lips seemed to have dried up in just a few minutes, looking bashful.

There was silence for a moment.

Huo Tinglan said in a low voice, “You’ll miss me?”

Ye Ci nodded weakly.

So soft.

Like a piece of soft tofu, he had wanted to give it a light poke and watch it tremble softly, but who would have expected it to collapse?

After teasing the child, Huo Tinglan gathered up his broken conscience, pulled it into a small pile again, and comforted: “I’ll try to make it a week, okay?”

It was time to get ready to board.

Ye Ci reluctantly followed the assistant.

Five minutes later:

Huo Tinglan’s cell phone rang.

When he picked it up, there was a message from Ye Ci.

The short three words were the answer to the previous question, more clear-cut than a nod.

[Ye Ci]: I miss you.

. . . . . . .

East Eighth District, night.

The screen of the video call was on, and the thin morning light of San Francisco barely penetrated the fog to spill into Ye Hongjun’s ward through the blinds.

Ye Hongjun smiled and waved goodbye at the camera. He didn’t know if it was a psychological effect, but after taking the new drug treatment, Ye Ci felt that her complexion was slightly better than before.

As soon as the lens turned, Huo Tinglan left the ward.

In order to be able to make a video call with Ye Hongjun, Ye Ci had to go to bed later these days. It was a legitimate reason to stay up late.

After the call connected, he would chat with Ye Hongjun for a while, and then with Huo Tinglan for about ten minutes, so that he could still get to sleep in the first half of the night.

In order to accompany Ye Hongjun conveniently, Huo Tinglan had set up his computer in the ward next to her for the past two days. When he went out and turned left, that was his temporary San Francisco office.

“……Why are the lights so dim?” Huo Tinglan closed the door, narrowed his eyes slightly, and recognized the wall behind Ye Ci. “You’re not in your room?”

The color of the wall paint was obviously wrong.

The air conditioner was also familiar.

When the video call connected ten minutes ago, he hadn’t taken a close look, and kept holding it up for Ye Hongjun to watch.

Ye Ci shook his head, wrapped in a thin summer quilt, and looked a little embarrassed: “I have a little, temp, temporary fever……”

Huo Tinglan lifted his lips. “You’re in my room?”

“En.” Ye Ci closed the quilt around his body in discomfort.

Huo Tinglan’s eyes were fierce as he looked at the misty blue neckline and smiled: “Is my room cold? You’re wrapped up so tightly.”

Ye Ci was red from face to neck: “It’s, it’s a little cold.”

More than a month had passed since that temporary marking.

Huo Tinglan’s Alpha pheromones left in his body had been metabolized, the effect of the temporary mark had weakened, and Ye Ci’s hormone disorder had also been alleviated a lot.

In short, the symptoms of temporary fever were not as severe as they were a month ago.

It could be seen by the state he was in that his mind was clear, his expression was normal, and he was not out of control like last time……hugging and sleeping with Huo Tinglan’s messy quilt.

Huo Tinglan sat down at the temporary desk arranged by the assistant, leaned against the back of the chair in a relaxed manner, and thought for a while before asking shamelessly in a pure tone: “What are you wearing in there?”

– – Ever since he saw Ye Ci’s “I miss you” at the airport that day, he just couldn’t take it anymore.

The thought of those three words made his chest feel hot with excitement, like a house that had been uninhabited for a long time and was now covered in flames that reached to the sky. That boiling hot and deformed gentleman’s mask was completely unstable, and he had to press it with his hands or it would fall from his face at any time.

“Just,” Ye Ci’s words flickered, “a, a piece of clothing.”

“I know it’s a piece of clothing.” Huo Tinglan was silent for a moment, and a shameless  “otherwise, are you sleeping naked in my bed?” twitched on the tip of his tongue. He swallowed it back – after all, their relationship had not yet been determined, and he couldn’t cross the boundary of flirting and harassment. He only asked, “What clothes? Show me.”

His tone was calm, so calm that it was almost absent-minded, as if he was asking for nothing, rather than being a scoundrel in a subtle way.

“Just……a shirt……” Ye Ci was very obedient, and with a red face, he pulled the quilt down.

The clothing was indeed nothing to be ashamed of.

Just a shirt.

Matte blue linen material, a long pointed collar that was retro and coquettish, and polished seashell buttons that were as smooth as white jade.

That was Huo Tinglan’s shirt.

He was dying.

Huo Tinglan’s Adam’s apple bobbed slowly.

Ye Ci was 1.8 meters tall and usually wore an appropriately sized school uniform. Although he looked thin, he was not weak.

But as soon as he put on Huo Tinglan’s clothes, his whole person changed.

His still youthful face in contrast with the mature shirt made him appear more pure.

The thin wrists protruding from the cuffs were obviously more slender than Huo Tinglan’s.

His shoulder muscles were also slender, and couldn’t hold up the fabric.

… …

It didn’t fit.

But it looked good.

He looked so small.

– – – The thought poured into the fire like gasoline.

The fire soared to new heights and immolated his sanity.

Huo Tinglan cleared his throat, but his voice was still hoarse: “What’s with this shirt……did they forget to wash it, or?”

“No, it was, it was washed.” Ye Ci hurriedly defended, “There’s no, no pheromones, I just……” He choked, not knowing where his courage had come from. Perhaps it was incited by the fever period, or if he said it once, it became easier to say again. Or maybe the question that had him tangled up over and over these days finally had an answer. 

Ye Ci lowered his eyes and didn’t dare look at the camera, saying softly, “Just, I’ve missed you so much these past few days.”

A fresh, clean shirt satisfied not the glands, but the spirit.

Suddenly, the screen went black.

Ye Ci had covered the camera.

“Wearing the clothes that you wear, it feels……it feels like……”

He was losing his mind.

This little thing……

Was relying on him from a distance?

Huo Tinglan tugged on his tie, almost unable to sit still: “Like what?”

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Chapter Twenty-Eight<< Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty