Chapter 59

Chapter 59

The auction, which started with a shocking opener for the bidders, continued.

The auctioneer enthusiastically promoted, "This is an antique jade phallus, passed through many hands and treasured in the home of our donor, Mr. Zhang, for over a hundred years. It can be said to be a once-in-a-lifetime find, boasting both collectible and functional value!"

Collectible value was one thing, but what kind of "functional value"? Who knew whether Mr. Zhang had ever used it... or how many others had over the years.

Just the thought made Tian Ruan feel like the whole auction felt dirty.

Many attendees looked disgusted, frozen in their seats. In the end, a man wearing a mask and sunglasses raised his bid paddle.

The auctioneer announced, "Twenty thousand! Twenty thousand going once! Twenty thousand going twice!"

An elderly gentleman raised his paddle.

The auctioneer: "Excellent, thirty thousand! Thirty thousand going once! Thirty thousand going twice! Thirty thousand going three times! Congratulations to this esteemed gentleman!"

The crowd turned to look, their faces a mix of shock and disbelief—this old man certainly had some... interesting tastes.

Tian Ruan couldn't bear to watch, setting his paddle aside and pretending to scroll on his phone.

The next two auction items didn't interest Yu Jingmo either. If the next one didn't catch his eye, he was ready to leave. These kinds of events could easily be handled by an assistant, but Yu Jingmo had come today mainly to show Tian Ruan something new.

And talk about an education.

The fourth auction item was actually interesting—a Ming Dynasty jade ruyi scepter, with a starting bid of fifty thousand.

"Do you want this?" Yu Jingmo asked Tian Ruan.

Before Tian Ruan could answer, Madam Du declared from behind, "One million."

Tian Ruan: "..."

The auctioneer: "One million going once, one million going twice..."

"One million two hundred thousand," countered another woman.

Madam Du: "Three million."

"..."

The auctioneer: "Three million going three times—sold!"

Madam Du beamed at Tian Ruan. "For you."

Tian Ruan: "That was way too much..."

Madam Du: "As long as you're happy, your mom will spend whatever it takes." Besides, her son had grown up without her spending much on him—she could never make up for it.

The next four or five auction items were nothing special, until the renowned oil painting came up. Starting at fifty thousand, the bids gradually reached five hundred thousand. Then, He Lansi raised his paddle: "One million."

Someone countered with one million twenty thousand.

He Lansi: "One million twenty thousand and ten cents on top."

That person: "...One million thirty thousand."

He Lansi: "One million thirty thousand and ten cents on top."

"That's not a valid bid!" The auctioneer interjected, "Bids must increase by at least ten thousand yuan."

He Lansi smiled slyly, "You’re mistaken. This isn’t an increment—it’s my bid."

"Word games! Why should you always get the final say?"

"Two million yuan." He Lansi raised his paddle.

"..."

Tian Ruan thought to himself, *He Lansi really knows how to infuriate people without consequence.*

Auctioneer: "Two million once, two million twice—"

The other bidder snapped, "Two million one hundred thousand!"

He Lansi: "Two million two hundred thousand."

Bidder: "Two million three hundred thousand."

He Lansi: "Two million four hundred thousand."

Bidder: "Two million five hundred thousand!"

He Lansi: "An idiot’s bid, then. It’s all yours."

Bidder: "…………"

Du Henbie watched He Lansi with amusement. "Running out of cash?"

He Lansi rolled his sly fox eyes—his disdain looked playful. "That painting? A layman wouldn’t spot it, but any expert could tell it’s a fake under proper lighting."

"Oh? Do tell."

"If this were truly a medieval oil painting, the colors would have faded somewhat by now, and uniformly so. But this one? The colors are way too fresh. It mimics the artist’s style, but only superficially. The canvas texture is unnatural too—clearly a recent imitation."

Du Henbie clapped his hands, laughing. "Spoken like a real expert."

Tian Ruan listened to their exchange with a blank expression, outwardly calm but giving Lu Qiuyan a pitying look. *What a loss—two rivals teaming up, how shameless.*

Lu Qiuyan happened to glance over idly. "...The hell’s that face for?"

Tian Ruan: "Pity. For you."

Lu Qiuyan: "..."

Yu Shang stared at Tian Ruan with an expression that screamed, *What’s Dad’s malfunction now?*

This disrespectful stare was caught by Yu Jingmo, who fixed his son with a cold glare.

Yu Shang: "..."

Immediately after, Yu Jingmo dug his fingers into the soft skin at the nape of Tian Ruan’s neck, ensuring he could think of no one else.

Tian Ruan ducked his head, twisting slightly, but failed to shake off Yu Jingmo’s grip. Resigned, he let it be—he’d get used to it anyway.

Later, with Lu Qiuyan egging him on, Yu Shang snagged some foreign scholar’s journal for twenty thousand yuan.

Yu Jingmo asked Tian Ruan, "Nothing catching your eye?"

Tian Ruan truly didn’t want anything and even found it a bit boring.

Yu Jingmo noticed and said, "Let’s head back."

Tian Ruan nodded and said goodbye to Madam Du.

Madam Du was surprised. "The finale hasn’t even started yet."

"Not staying. I’m not interested."

As they stepped out of the auction venue, the moon shone brightly overhead. Yu Jingmo glanced at his wristwatch—it was already nine in the evening. Tian Ruan let out a well-timed yawn.

Once inside the car, Tian Ruan began to doze off. Yu Jingmo silently counted in his mind: "Ten, nine, eight..."

By the time he reached "one," Tian Ruan's nodding head was about to hit the window. Yu Jingmo reached out, cupped his cheek, and guided it to his shoulder. Leaning against him, Tian Ruan drifted into a hazy sleep.

Suddenly jolting awake, Tian Ruan looked around. "Where are we?"

"Home." Yu Jingmo got out of the car, and the butler opened Tian Ruan's door.

Still groggy, Tian Ruan got out. Once inside, he noticed a small dark stain on Yu Jingmo's shoulder—only then realizing he’d been drooling on him. Could that stain be... his drool?

Tian Ruan: "..."

He quickly stepped forward to help Yu Jingmo take off his coat, handing it to a servant to be sent to the laundry. Thankfully, Yu Jingmo hadn’t noticed—otherwise, his germophobia would’ve kicked in.

But how could Yu Jingmo not have noticed?

"Ma’am, here’s some abalone soup," Liu Ma said, bringing two bowls simmering on the stove. "It’ll help you sleep better." "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

Tian Ruan didn’t usually eat late. "No, thanks."

"What about the young master?"

"He’ll be back later."

"Oh. And the young master’s… friend?"

"…" Don’t pretend you didn’t mean 'boyfriend.' Tian Ruan nervously glanced at Yu Jingmo, whose expression remained calm. "He’ll be taken home first, naturally."

Liu Ma smiled and didn’t pry further.

After finishing the abalone soup, Tian Ruan headed upstairs to shower and turn in.

As Yu Jingmo passed by, he said, "Come to my room when you’re finished."

Tian Ruan nearly slipped and bumped into the door, just managing to grab the handle in time. He stared in disbelief at Yu Jingmo's tall, broad retreating back.

Yu Jingmo said it like it was nothing, then entered his own room to wash up.

A mix of shyness, excitement, and confusion (mostly excitement) coursed through Tian Ruan as he scrubbed every inch of himself in the shower with hot water, shampoo, soap, and body wash.

No exaggeration—he now smelled fragrant from head to toe.

Feeling it was a bit much, he wrapped himself in a bathrobe and stepped onto the balcony to air out, toning down the scent.

Then, steadying himself, he took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and marched to Yu Jingmo’s room like a knight facing a dragon.

He knocked—two sharp raps.

Yu Jingmo had clearly finished showering as well, opening the door himself. The hint of chest muscles beneath his robe caught Tian Ruan’s eye, impossible to miss.

Tian Ruan took half a step back, lifting his face to meet Yu Jingmo’s sharply defined features—yet he dared not look into those dark, intense eyes with a phoenix’s sharp shape.

“Come in.” Yu Jingmo shifted his tall frame aside, his posture both an invitation and a predator’s stance.

The trusting warrior, unsuspecting, stepped into the dragon’s lair.

With a soft *click*, Yu Jingmo locked the door behind them.

Even before anything happened, Tian Ruan’s face flushed red. Locking the door was necessary—though no one would dare barge in—because they were about to do something they shouldn’t be doing.

The master bedroom’s bed was easily two meters wide and over two meters long. Tian Ruan could roll across it three times and still have room to spare.

At this thought, Tian Ruan shook his head firmly, resisting the idea of teenage-style messing around. Even if he was an adult now, and Yu Jingmo’s legal partner, there were limits.

At most… just a quick touch.

Yu Jingmo sat on the edge of the bed and patted the space beside him. “Come here.”

Tian Ruan’s heart pounded as he stiffly walked over and sat down next to Yu Jingmo. “Just looking, that’s all,” he muttered.

Yu Jingmo: “Mm. As you wish.”

Encouraged, Tian Ruan said, “Show me.”

Yu Jingmo curved his lips. “Figure it out yourself—more fun that way.”

“…”

Steeling himself, Tian Ruan reached out and lifted the edge of Yu Jingmo’s robe. The moment he saw, his face burned crimson, and he blurted indignantly, “How are you this big?!”

The childish complaint made Yu Jingmo chuckle. “Husband privileges.”

Even with prior experience, Tian Ruan hesitated to touch, throwing Yu Jingmo a flustered look.

Somehow, that look carried an inexplicable tenderness.

Yu Jingmo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice low and thick. “Better when it’s warm and real—go on, touch.”

“…” Tian Ruan brushed a tentative hand—like a half-hearted ambush.

Yu Jingmo laughed, catching his hand and pressing it firmly against himself. “Still so timid?”

The heat in Tian Ruan’s palm intensified, his cheeks burning hotter. “I *am* the younger one here.”

Yu Jingmo simply pulled the youth soft as cotton candy into his arms. Sure enough, he wasn’t just sweet to look at—he was sweet to hold too, like a glutinous rice ball.

Tian Ruan felt like he was pressed against a mischievous dragon, his heart racing with fear and excitement. Watching the dragon stir and swell, he was utterly powerless.

Yu Jingmo covered Tian Ruan’s hand with his own, offering easy guidance. “Need a refresher?”

His mind fogged over, thoughts scattering like petals, as he clumsily tried to recall what he’d been taught.

But this puzzle felt unsolvable.

The dragon, too, was hard to slay.

Though Tian Ruan played at being the hero, his attempt was a poor imitation. The dragon lifted its head, playful, tauntingly holding back from revealing its hoard.

If the treasure couldn’t be obtained, then the challenge wouldn’t be considered passed—this problem would remain unsolved.

Tian Ruan grew anxious, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he brandished his hero’s sword, battling the dragon in endless clashes. The fight turned the dragon’s lair upside down, scattering foliage wildly, stone walls trembling.

Until, in a blinding flash, the treasure was finally revealed.

"...Good." Yu Jingmo pressed his lips to Tian Ruan’s forehead, murmuring softly, "That’s my boy."

Tian Ruan stared at Yu Jingmo in a daze, his pupils glistening, unable to believe his first victory had come so smoothly—though his arms ached slightly.

Yu Jingmo held him as his robe slipped off, the light quilt shifting like waves as they moved.

Pressed into these cool waves, Tian Ruan grew slick with sweat in the climate-controlled warmth.

Yu Jingmo gazed into his eyes and said, "Let me help you."

Tian Ruan felt as though he were in the aftermath of an earthquake in the dragon’s lair. The dragon rested and recuperated, leaving the treasures for him to pick at will—but then, as if struck by the dragon’s pheromones, he grew boneless and yielding, letting the dragon drag him back into the lair for punishment.

The punishment was stripping the hero of his treasures.

In all legends, dragons loved to plunder rare and precious treasures. This dragon was no exception, jostling the hero as it wantonly searched and toyed with him until he surrendered every last jewel.

Shimmering tears welled in the young hero’s eyes, glistening like yet another treasure.

In this extreme closeness and tension, their body heat nearly merged into one. Yu Jingmo’s breath claimed Tian Ruan’s forehead, the bridge of his nose, and finally his flushed lips.

Those lips parted slightly, revealing pearly teeth and the tip of a moist tongue, carrying the honeyed freshness of oranges.

Yu Jingmo finally kissed those lips, drinking in their sweetness, drowning in their warmth and softness.

Tian Ruan’s eyes widened, frozen yet compliant. Only when Yu Jingmo began stroking his neck and ears did he gradually sink into the kiss...