Chapter 98

Chapter 98

The mansion gifted to Suhuai Jing was unnamed, with some details still needing refinement. They only came to take a look, had lunch, and returned to the capital before dark.

Rongtang asked Suhuai Jing what name he had in mind for the house, strictly forbidding him from using both of their names as a shortcut. Suhuai Jing laughed and said, “Then I'll have to think about it.”

Rongtang frowned slightly, thinking how clever Suhuai Jing normally was, yet acted so evasive when it came to naming, completely disregarding the rules.

But the young master Rong, kind-hearted as he was, didn’t hold it against him.

The main birthday celebration was in the evening. Rongtang had seen before their marriage that Suhuai Jing's birth date on the eight characters card wasn’t the eighth day of the first lunar month. If not for Ke Hongxue's deliberate inquiry in Song Garden, he might still be unaware of Suhuai Jing's actual birthday.

Thinking of this, Rongtang couldn’t help but be surprised.

Deserving to be one of the smartest characters in the story, Ke Hongxue, after only a few encounters, suspected Suhuai Jing's real identity. On reflection, he probably had doubts long before.

Rongtang, eating preserved fruits in the carriage, felt somewhat melancholic.

If not for Suhuai Jing being confined in the Marquis of Wukang's mansion in his previous lives, unable to show himself freely, he might have interacted with Ke Hongxue even before the protagonist left the palace.

Many things could have taken a better turn.

Leaning against the carriage, Rongtang stared blankly, chewing on the preserved fruits, contemplating the possibilities in his mind.

Suddenly, the soft cushion beside him dipped. Rongtang barely had time to react and look up before his lips were captured by someone else’s.

Rongtang, often wearing clothes scented with sandalwood, carried an elegant, almost ancient Buddha-like scent; whereas Suhuai Jing always had a faint aroma of medicinal herbs around him, and beyond those scents, a very light fragrance of tea.

Rongtang disliked medicine and tea, but when these scents mingled on Suhuai Jing, he found them not unpleasant, even detecting a scent akin to the fragrance of rice wine fermented from tea leaves.

Subtle and faint, not very obvious, just like Suhuai Jing himself, silently permeating through pores and skin, unknowingly intoxicating.

As the scent mingled with their breath, an overwhelming sensation surged to his head, reaching a sensory peak.

The rolling sound of the carriage wheels seemed distant, and all he saw were Suhuai Jing's gently smiling eyes and trembling eyelashes.

His tongue was playfully invaded, the seedless preserved fruit unconsciously swallowed, leaving a lingering sweet taste in his mouth, repeatedly overlaid with a slightly astringent sensation.

Rongtang was dazed for a long time, as Suhuai Jing’s hand moved to his waist, holding gently, foreheads touching, their lips slightly parting, breaths mingling on Rongtang’s cheek.

The great villain's voice, deep and suddenly dangerous: “Tangtang, focus.”

Rongtang didn't know how to focus anymore. As he opened his mouth to retort, his lips were captured and lightly bitten again.

Suhuai Jing seemed to enjoy biting; whether it was the neck or lips, he used this act to mark and show affection, like a wild and untamed animal from the jungle.

Rongtang tilted his head slightly, allowing the gentle bites on his lips, his nose innocently rubbing against the other’s, a mix of sensuality and innocence.

This was no great villain, but rather a little creature starved for affection.

Rongtang thought involuntarily.

Time passed, and as the quiet of the suburbs was gradually replaced by the noise of people outside, the sash around his waist was gently tugged. Warm air seeped into his clothes, Suhuai Jing’s hand silently slipping in.

“Stop—” Rongtang gasped, struggling to breathe, pushing the other away, hand pressed against him, panting and reprimanding, “That’s too much.”

Suhuai Jing blinked innocently, looking at the stunning beauty before him, who seemed ready to faint at a mere kiss, asking, “Aren’t we dating?”

Rongtang was still catching his breath, his stamina always lacking, having not fainted only because Suhuai Jing had been breathing for him.

He was speechless, wondering how Suhuai Jing knew to give him air but not when to stop!

Who eats all their meat in one go?

He glared at Suhuai Jing, a light blush in his eyes, even spreading to his cheeks, that look far from intimidating, even carrying a charm he himself hadn’t realized.

Suhuai Jing felt a warmth in his belly, his gaze darkening.

Rongtang glanced at him, quickly averting his eyes as if scalded, and grabbed a blanket to throw at him, gritting his teeth, “This is indecent!”

Suhuai Jing followed his gaze downward and laughed, “What exactly is indecent about this? Or does Tangtang agreeing to date me mean we can only hold hands and kiss, and nothing more?”

[He’s so shameless!] The system suddenly interjected, indignantly throwing out this comment.

Rongtang, startled by it, quickly asked, “How long have you been watching?”

[The whole time!] The system said, 【He’s so shameless! He steals kisses and touches you! After touching, he even gets aroused! And then he shamelessly rationalizes it!!!】

[Tangtang, dump him!] The little light orb frantically jumped above Suhuai Jing’s head.

Rongtang was silent for a while, “But that doesn’t seem right... I just agreed to him.”

The system was exasperated, about to speak, when its pixelated hand suddenly lifted, adjusted its coronet, and looked up into the void before asking Rongtang, “What is Tangtang thinking about?”

Its tone was as natural and composed as ever, reflecting the villain’s own relaxed and dignified manner. But the system, which had just been jumping above his head, froze in disbelief, staring wide-eyed at Suhuai Jing.

It felt... as if the air around it had changed, as if a hand had actually touched its form.

But how could that be?

It and the host were in separate worlds; how could the villain’s simple hand lift touch it?

The system waited until Suhuai Jing's attention was fully on Rongtang, then stealthily floated down, trying to bump into Suhuai Jing’s finger.

There was no resistance, just like with every other person in this world; it could only observe, never touch.

The system suddenly lost interest, not caring about its silly host being bullied. After all, it was their own choice to engage in such behavior; the system didn't want to interfere.

It bounced on Suhuai Jing’s hand a few times in frustration before disappearing into sleep.

Almost at the same moment it vanished, Suhuai Jing frowned, looking thoughtfully at the back of his hand.

Rongtang was still lecturing him across, “You have to progress step by step, understand? Holding hands, dating, kissing, traveling, sleeping together... Who does what you’re thinking right at the start!”

Seeing Suhuai Jing zoning out, Rongtang said sternly, “Are you listening?”

Suhuai Jing shifted his gaze upwards, momentarily suppressing the strange sensation he had just felt, and nodded obediently, "Understood."

Rongtang let out a sigh of relief, secretly relaxing his tongue that had gone numb from Suhuai Jing’s kisses, only to hear Suhuai Jing seriously ask, "So, when do we sleep together?"

"Eh, cough, cough, cough—!"

Rongtang choked on his saliva, coughing for quite a while, until he finally managed to drink some tea to soothe his throat, then looked up incredulously, "What did you say?"

Suhuai Jing counted on his fingers, explaining, "Holding hands, dating, kissing, traveling... We’ve done it all, only the last step remains. According to Tangtang’s logic, we can do it tonight."

Rongtang: "..."

He turned his head silently, looking out the window at the long street, muttering four words with determination not to engage with Suhuai Jing, “You’re hopeless.”

His mind is full of lewd thoughts!

What about your grand plan for revenge? Has it been devoured by sentiment?

Rongtang stubbornly turned his neck away, pretending to ignore Suhuai Jing, but from his neck to his earlobes, a faint blush was visible. Suhuai Jing watched for a while, then silently chuckled.

How cute Tangtang is.

He twiddled his fingers, reminding himself not to pounce again, lest Tangtang, in a fit of embarrassed anger, throw him out.

Leaning against the carriage, Suhuai Jing said softly, "Tangtang, I'm going to take a nap, okay? Wake me up when we arrive."

Rongtang didn't want to look at him, but after a few seconds, he still responded with a faint, “Oh.”

Suhuai Jing wanted to laugh even more, closing his eyes in feigned sleep, his thoughts deepening.

That sensation wasn't an illusion, nor was it the first time it had happened.

Back in Song Garden, Suhuai Jing occasionally felt a disturbance in the wind near his ears.

It was like a small eddy of chaos within the orderly flow of the wind, jumping up and down, disrupting its course and creating a momentary disarray and stagnation in the air.

This feeling didn't occur often, and he couldn’t always capture it well, so he hadn't thought much about it.

But now, thinking carefully, during those subtle moments, Tangtang was often lost in thought.

It was as if there was another space that Suhuai Jing couldn’t see or hear, where the turbulence appeared whenever the other came to find Rongtang, and they communicated in a way unknown to him.

This realization was irritating, the fact that it was out of his control was unsettling.

Suhuai Jing gently pinched his fingers, a vague sense of panic rising in his heart.

He had always suspected Rongtang was a little bodhisattva from heaven, descending to save people, and that his frail body would someday fail, and he would return to heaven, never to be seen again.

Their meeting at Fengyue Tower, the prediction of the flood in Jiangnan, the insight into his identity, and the mansion in the suburbs almost identical to the Duke Xian’s residence...

Nearly everything confirmed Suhuai Jing’s bizarre suspicions.

And now he had suddenly discovered these occasional disturbances in the air.

Why was it discovered by him?

Is Tangtang leaving me?

Almost the moment this possibility crossed his mind, Suhuai Jing frowned instinctively and reached out to grasp Rongtang’s hand.

The latter, visibly surprised and previously sulking, instinctively held his hand back, gently consoling, “Did you have a nightmare?”

Suhuai Jing was momentarily stunned, then dropped his eyes, pitifully saying, “I dreamt that Tangtang didn’t want me anymore.”

Rongtang frowned, slightly angry, “Have a little more trust in me.”

Suhuai Jing: “So Tangtang won’t leave me?”

Rongtang, perplexed: “Why would I not want you? There’s no one better than you in this world.”

He spoke naturally and casually, as if unaware of the turmoil such words could cause in someone else’s heart.

Suhuai Jing was taken aback for a while, then smiled softly, his eyes brimming with joy as he whispered, “I really do love Tangtang the most.”

Someone who would unreservedly be good to him, openly praising him.

Where else in this world could he find someone more deserving of his love than Tangtang?

Rongtang, never shy about expressing his own affection, blushed when he heard Suhuai Jing declare his love, turning his head and softly saying, “Go back to sleep. Lord Mu is going to celebrate your birthday tonight.”

“Okay.” Suhuai Jing smiled obediently and softly.

He added in his thoughts, it’s because of Tangtang that big brother has returned to his side.

Truly, there was no one better than Rongtang in this world.

How could a deity be confined to the mortal world?

Would building a temple for Tangtang be a good idea?

Suhuai Jing pondered seriously.