Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The sleep was deep and sweet, but waking up was far less pleasant. Tian Ruan opened his eyes to see Yu Jingmo lying beside him, still asleep, while his mind replayed the steamy moments from their "helping each other out" the night before.

It hit him all at once, and Tian Ruan nearly fainted from sheer embarrassment.

He didn’t dare move, afraid of waking Yu Jingmo, and could only stare blankly at the man’s sharp, mountain-like profile, his heart pounding wildly.

The faint ache in his wrist was a constant reminder of what they’d gotten up to—more than once.

Well, helping each other out…

More than once…

Mostly him helping Yu Jingmo, of course, since Yu Jingmo was the one who had been drugged.

And that was just with their hands. The water made it hard to see clearly, but judging by touch alone, the diameter was roughly the size of the circle formed by Tian Ruan’s thumb and middle finger—and his hands were fairly long, about twenty centimeters in length.

An estimate put it at five or six centimeters.

Yu Jingmo’s size was downright intimidating.

Torn between shyness and curiosity, Tian Ruan secretly lifted the blanket, only to find Yu Jingmo still neatly wrapped in his robe while he himself was completely bare.

Staring down at his own little guy, he froze.

*Yu Jingmo, you jerk! You kept your clothes on but left me bare!* Tian Ruan raged silently.

But as he fumed, he noticed his pillow was unusually puffy and plump. Pulling it out, he found a bathrobe stuffed underneath.

“……”

So why was the bathrobe under his pillow?

There was only one explanation—he must have unconsciously taken it off in his sleep.

Realizing he had misjudged Yu Jingmo, Tian Ruan felt a twinge of guilt, though he was relieved he had only cursed in his mind, where the other man couldn’t hear…

*Hah-choo!* Yu Jingmo sneezed and stirred awake.

Tian Ruan: “……”

Yu Jingmo reached out, his hand landing on something soft—Tian Ruan’s thigh.

Tian Ruan flinched. “What are you doing?”

Yu Jingmo gave it a testing pinch. “Where are your clothes?”

Tian Ruan huddled deeper under the covers. “Out. Now.”

Yu Jingmo exhaled, his voice slightly weary. “My clothes are here too.”

“Then take them and change in the study.”

*Why so prickly?*

Tian Ruan wasn’t angry—he was a mess of nerves and confusion. This was his first time going this far with someone. Even the closest of friends wouldn’t just grope each other like that.

No, last night hadn’t been "casual." It was more like… a weird, half-pressured situation where they were stuck having to take care of each other.

Thinking this way, even if Tian Ruan wasn’t angry, he still burned with humiliation and snapped, "Just get out! Don’t look at me."

Yu Jingmo closed his eyes. "I won’t look. Go ahead and change."

Tian Ruan asked, "You really won’t peek?"

"I’ve already seen everything worth seeing," Yu Jingmo replied. "What’s the point of peeking now?"

"…"

Tian Ruan threw the bathrobe over Yu Jingmo’s face, flung off the blanket, and bolted bare-assed to the wardrobe to quickly pick out his clothes, hastily pulling on his underwear and T-shirt.

Unbeknownst to him, covering someone’s face with a used bathrobe was an act loaded with intimacy.

The velvet bathrobe was light and warm, carrying the warm, clean scent of Tian Ruan’s body. Yu Jingmo opened his eyes. The dim morning light filtered through the room, and the only sound was the rustling of fabric as Tian Ruan dressed.

He felt it again—that strange warmth.

As if last night’s dream wasn’t over.

Soon, Tian Ruan’s melodic Jiangnan-accented voice called out, "I’m done."

With that, he headed to the bathroom to wash up.

Yu Jingmo pulled the bathrobe off his face, enveloped in this strange warmth—like drinking a frosty soda under the shade of a maple tree during his school days, or catching the scent of osmanthus in the winter chill during his years of business travels.

Suddenly, he thought of his parents.

Every day, as long as his mother was home, his father would bring her a bouquet of flowers and a small gift. Many called his father a fortune hunter, marrying into the Yu family for money, kissing up to the Yu heiress.

Even his second uncle and others sneered at his father.

But none of the gossip ever fazed him.

His father planted osmanthus trees around their home and made meals for his mother. When the Yu family fell, during the hardest years, it was his father who accompanied his mother all over, seeking a way forward.

Through hardship and prosperity, his father remained steadfastly calm.

That composure, his father passed on to Yu Jingmo, saying, "Screw them. I have a beautiful wife and a brilliant son. Pure envy."

Now, Yu Jingmo had a beautiful wife and a brilliant son too.

This was happiness in its simplest form.

By the time Tian Ruan finished washing up, Yu Jingmo took another shower, tidying up the mess of last night’s bath.

When he went to order breakfast, he realized it was already 3 p.m. in the U.S., well past brunch, so he ordered two afternoon tea services instead.

Tian Ruan polished off a plate of fruit salad, a croissant, a small tiramisu, and a cup of milk tea, finally filling his empty stomach.

Yu Jingmo ate with refined haste, finishing before Tian Ruan and listening over his tea while Tian Ruan talked.

"Who the hell drugged you?"

"Beats me."

"We’re changing hotels tonight. You were 100% set up."

"Hmm."

"You’re not pursuing this?"

"I will." Yu Jingmo scrolled through his phone messages. "My bodyguards spotted police at the hotel last night, but they left without checking anything."

"?"

Yu Jingmo speculated, "Likely someone aiming to smear me and tank this deal."

Tian Ruan thought it over and realized—if a prostitution charge was pinned on him, even if the foreigners were used to such scandals, it would still be a public relations disaster. The partners might back out of the deal and even slap Yu Jingmo with a lawsuit.

Tian Ruan gritted his teeth. "They really pulled out all the stops."

Yu Jingmo, however, took it in stride. "Corporate warfare’s always cutthroat. I thought the party was only for partners, but a third party must have slipped in."

The humiliation of being dragged into this mess with Yu Jingmo made Tian Ruan wish he could grab a knife and shank the third wheel twice in the ass...

The next day, Yu Jingmo continued negotiations with the partners while dispatching a PI to look into the matter.

The PI delivered—pulling the party’s security footage, filtering the guest list, and nailing a suspect within five hours.

When Yu Jingmo received the suspect’s profile, his face betrayed nothing, but the wheels were already in motion. By that night, the suspect would be caught.

Everything unfolded silently—corporate battles were lightning strikes: brutal and untraceable.

After changing hotels, the nuisance deliveries stopped, though they only had one night left there. Yu Jingmo took Tian Ruan to a banquet hosted by the partner’s CEO.

Here, schmoozing at galas was as inescapable as China’s booze-fueled networking.

Tian Ruan’s clothes had a college-kid vibe, so Yu Jingmo took him to a luxury boutique and personally picked out a white suit—casual yet fitted, with silver embroidery on the cuffs and a yellow crystal rose brooch on the lapel, accentuating Tian Ruan’s ethereal glow.

Unlike Yu Jingmo’s chiseled, Euro-Asian bone structure, Tian Ruan had a purely Eastern look—pale skin, dark hair, soft double eyelids, delicate brows, red lips, white teeth, and dimples when he smiled.

Everyone remarked, "Your bride’s a textbook Oriental gem."

Tian Ruan smiled awkwardly but politely. These foreigners had such a limited vocabulary when complimenting Chinese people—the same few words over and over.

And the stereotypes were relentless.

One woman even shrugged and said, "I thought you were from South Korea. People there are all so pretty."

Tian Ruan: "?"

Jesus, pick a struggle.

Some even insisted, "Isn’t Japan part of China? Wait, it’s not? They’re master fakers, all smiles till they stab you."

Right, right—anyone with black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin must be Chinese, huh?

Too exhausted to argue, Tian Ruan just said, "Sure, the whole planet’s Chinatown."

Midway through the banquet, Tian Ruan ducked out to hit the men’s room.

Yu Jingmo nodded and had two guards tail him.

At the restroom door, Tian Ruan protested, "Back off—I know how to piss solo."

The bodyguards: "No can do, *Mrs. Yu.* Even mid-stream, we’re on you."

"I don't like being watched while peeing."

"We'll cover our eyes."

"...Birds of a feather flock together."

Tian Ruan walked into the bathroom without a word. As soon as he entered, he saw a bunch of foreigners lurking in the smoky haze. Tian Ruan never understood the appeal of smoking in bathrooms, but he said nothing and went to open a stall.

"Hey, Moneybags, got any cash?" A tattooed man from the group reached out toward Tian Ruan.

"No," Tian Ruan replied, panicked and bolting.

With a click, the dark muzzle of a gun was pointed at him.

Tian Ruan: "...Hey man, let’s talk. How much do you want?"

Bodyguard: "Ma’am!"

Tian Ruan, exhausted: "Shut up! You’ll get me killed."

"..."

The tattooed man waved the gun, laughing. "Good boy. Move."

Tian Ruan nodded—better safe than sorry.

The bodyguards hesitated, shared a look. Another foreigner said, "You two, tag along."

Dejected, the bodyguards followed with heads hung.

They went downstairs and got into a car. Midway, the foreigners kicked the two bodyguards out, whistling, "Woo-hoo!"

The four kidnappers forced Tian Ruan to reveal his address, then sped toward the hotel.

Once inside the room under duress, they began tearing the place apart, one always keeping the gun trained on Tian Ruan. Not daring to move, Tian Ruan said, "I’m just a tourist with some cash. Whatever you find is yours."

Since they were leaving the next day, most of the luggage had already been packed and was with Assistant Xu.

So the kidnappers found little of value. Kicking over the trash can, one cursed, "Where’s the damn gold?"

Tian Ruan: "?? Who told you there was gold here?"

The tattooed man didn’t answer, just muttered anxiously, "We got scammed, fuck."

"Why’s there such a big pair of shoes here? You got a roommate?" Another foreigner suddenly pulled out a pair of shoes from the entryway shoe cabinet—far too large for Tian Ruan’s feet.

Tian Ruan considered lying, but the tattooed man pressed the gun to his head. "Pretty boy, you’d better not lie."

Tian Ruan: "...My husband can pay you 100k USD for my ransom."

The tattooed man sneered. "100k? Try a mil."

"..." Tian Ruan feigned fear and hesitation. "Fine."

He had lowballed them first, guessing the kidnappers would push for a million.

It was a lot, but Yu Jingmo could definitely afford it—and would undoubtedly get it all back later.

The kidnappers dug out Tian Ruan’s backpack and rummaged for a token. Of all things, they pulled out the forgotten underwear from the side pocket. They leered and snickered. "This’ll work. Hubby’s gonna love this."

Tian Ruan: "…………"

You're screwed.

Immediately after, Tian Ruan was taken away once more, while the underwear and the ransom note were secretly delivered to the banquet and passed into Yu Jingmo's hands.

That night, when Yu Jingmo realized Tian Ruan had been gone for too long and the bodyguards rushed in panic to report his kidnapping, his mood instantly plummeted. Upon receiving the ransom note and Tian Ruan's underwear, the room went ice-cold, startling everyone in the banquet hall with the sheer intensity of his aura.

When the business partner asked what had happened, Yu Jingmo flat-out asked to borrow a million dollars in cash, promising to repay it by the next morning.

Meanwhile, Tian Ruan, who had been taken to an abandoned factory in the suburbs by the kidnappers, put on a docile act. Perhaps due to his good behavior, he asked if he could make a video call to a friend.

The kidnappers, riding high on their impending payday, so-called generously allowed it.

Tian Ruan then called Lu Qiuyan.

Lu Qiuyan was still working at the Macchiato International Garden Hotel, standing idly at the entrance when he saw Tian Ruan's video call and answered.

At first glance, he saw Tian Ruan tied up in ropes.

Lu Qiuyan: "What kind of cosplay are you doing? I'm hanging up." He had zero interest in whatever kinky games Tian Ruan and Yu Jingmo played.

Tian Ruan's nose stung with tears: "Don't hang up! I'm telling you, I've been kidnapped! This country's dangerous!"

Lu Qiuyan: "......"

Then, Tian Ruan fumbled to pan the camera. "See? These are the kidnappers."

One of the kidnappers leaned in with a grin and waved: "Hello!"

Lu Qiuyan: "Are you for real kidnapped?"

Tian Ruan nodded with a pout. "Yes."

Lu Qiuyan snapped: "Then why are you calling me? Call Yu Jingmo!"

Tian Ruan: "He's already on his way to pay the ransom. I just wanted to talk to you first."

Lu Qiuyan's face clearly said, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

But Tian Ruan was confident—as long as it connected to Zhu Jueshou, he wouldn't hang up!