Chapter 74

Chapter 74

After the league concluded, the champion school organized a victory celebration. Apart from No. 2 High School, which had been crushingly defeated, both South High and the Affiliated High stayed behind. The event supervisor, Xie Tangyan, had everything prepared in advance, setting up buffet tables on the basketball court with drinks and snacks for the festivities.

The center of attention was, of course, De Yin’s basketball team. Though their victory could be described as miraculous, luck counts as skill too.

Principal Li came over smiling, bringing a five-layer cake large enough for every student to have a small piece. She cut the first slice and handed it to Lu Qiuyan, saying, “Thank you, Lu Qiuyan, for leading De Yin to victory.”

Lu Qiuyan accepted the cake. “This was thanks to the teamwork of everyone on the team…” He hesitated, glancing at Tian Ruan before extending the cake toward him. “Here, you take the first piece.”

Tian Ruan didn’t dare accept it. “No, no, you should have it.”

“You take it.”

“No, you should.”

“…”

Principal Li interjected, “The cake is quite big. Why not share it?”

Only after winning did Tian Ruan start feeling guilty—he didn’t deserve the first slice. Not wanting to hog the spotlight, he passed the cake to Yu Shang.

Yu Shang then handed it back to Lu Qiuyan.

Lu Qiuyan: “…So I *have* to eat this cake, huh?”

The rest of the celebration was rather dull, filled with backslapping and small talk. After dodging some random students who gushed over him, Tian Ruan ducked out of the party at the right moment, heading to the classroom to grab his stuff so he could go home with Yu Jingmo.

Tian Ruan messaged: *Mr. Yu, wait for me. I’ll be right out.*

Yu Jingmo replied: *Got it.*

But as soon as he stepped out of the classroom, he ran into that same unremarkable-looking guy again—a boy with black-framed glasses, who eagerly approached him. “Every time you jump, it gives me heart palpitations! Your moves on the basketball court are forever imprinted in my mind. You’re my idol!”

Tian Ruan: “? Who are you?”

The boy introduced himself for the third time: “I’m Huang Dou, a member of the literature club. Prodigy, would you like to join our club?”

Tian Ruan suddenly remembered something. “Is your club leader named Zhu Zhizhi?”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t even confronted her yet, and here comes her underling.”

Huang Dou was confused. “Confront her?”

Tian Ruan: “She’s been tailing me. Did you know that?”

Huang Dou was shocked. “How could that be? Our leader is just an ordinary girl who loves literature.”

An idea struck him. “Huang Dou, if you want me to join the literature club, fine—but you’ll have to do something for me first.”

Huang Dou beamed. “Prodi—just ask!”

Tian Ruan scanned the area to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then muttered some directions to Huang Dou. Huang Dou, being an earnest kid, nodded along—until he finally realized something was off and gave Tian Ruan a suspicious look.

Tian Ruan patted his shoulder. “The future of the literature club is in your hands now.”

Huang Dou watched Tian Ruan walk away, clearly in awe. “Prodigy, count on me! I won’t let you down!”

Upon reaching the school gate, the number of vehicles had indeed doubled compared to usual. The three schools were still celebrating, but Tian Ruan just wanted to go home and crash. Spotting the driver waving, he dodged through the stream of cars and got into the Maybach.

He expected some words of praise upon entering, but instead, Yu Jingmo arched an eyebrow. "You didn't shower?"

Tian Ruan: "..."

His sweaty gear was tucked under his uniform, all buttons done up, yet Yu Jingmo could still smell it.

"The showers were full." Tian Ruan wasn’t lying—he had checked, but the stalls were occupied by mooching outsiders. Everything at Deyin was free for them, except for actually being a Deyin student.

Yu Jingmo let it drop, though his body edged away on instinct.

After two basketball games, the sweaty gear was thoroughly soaked. Even if Tian Ruan naturally had no body odor, time had worked its magic. He didn’t crowd Yu Jingmo, cracking the window a finger's width instead.

After a pause, Yu Jingmo doled out one word: "Congratulations."

Tian Ruan: "Thank you."

The young masters were unusually polite today.

Back at the estate, Tian Ruan scuffed his shoes as he trailed behind Yu Jingmo, afraid of gassing him out—only to bump into a solid back.

Yu Jingmo turned and took his hand. "You worked hard today."

Tian Ruan lifted his face, his brown pupils gradually glowing with a sunset glow. "You don’t think I’m dirty?"

"Not dirty."

"Then kiss my cheek."

"...After you shower."

Tian Ruan laughed and bolted upstairs to the master house for a full decontamination, lathering soap and shower gel until he smelled like a garden before coming down.

Seeing Yu Jingmo, he recalled his bold request and assumed there’d be no cheek-kissing in front of the servants. Unperturbed, he sat beside him to do homework.

The servants brought tea and snacks. Liu Ma came over to say she’d prepare lion’s head (a large meatball dish) tonight to pamper our young master, so dinner might be late.

After having osmanthus cake and tea, Tian Ruan brought a complex problem to Yu Jingmo for help.

Yu Jingmo explained as usual—

But Tian Ruan’s thoughts drifted to a different sort of equation, one he and Yu Jingmo worked through with sweat and sighs.

He felt lips brush his cheek, snapping him back.

"Mind wandering?" Yu Jingmo’s low voice was mere centimeters from Tian Ruan’s ear.

A blush crept up Tian Ruan’s neck and ears. He turned his head slightly—the two servants cleaning nearby made themselves scarce.

Tian Ruan: "..."

He kissed Yu Jingmo’s cheek. "Now we're even."

Yu Jingmo, never one to be outdone, kissed him again—this time on the nose, a faint smile curving his lips as he gazed at the young man in his arms.

Tian Ruan mimicked him, dotting kisses along his nose like raindrops.

Yu Jingmo’s eyes lowered to Tian Ruan’s glossy, parted lips, still flecked with pastry. He tasted them, savoring the sweetness infused with Tian Ruan's warmth.

Tian Ruan still held a pen and exam paper in his hand, crinkling as he nervously crumpled a corner. His heart pounded as if about to leap out of his throat, and he clumsily leaned toward Yu Jingmo’s perfectly curved lips.

Yu Jingmo gazed at him with amused encouragement.

Tian Ruan pursed his lips slightly and pressed forward, about to close his eyes when his peripheral vision suddenly caught a figure—he instantly pulled back, unpursed his lips, flushed, and ducked behind Yu Jingmo.

Yu Jingmo turned his head, his narrowed eyes turning frosty.

Yu Shang: “…I just wanted to grab a bite.”

Witnessing his father and Xiao-Dad being intimate was the last thing he wanted. The moment he saw it, he should have turned and left, but perhaps the shock was too great—his feet were frozen in place.

Maybe, he also wanted to see how his father and Xiao-Dad actually kissed. He couldn’t picture it, just as he couldn’t picture himself and Lu Qiuyan…

Stop. Yu Shang forbade himself from overthinking and averted his gaze, speaking incoherently, “You guys go ahead and eat. I’ll just grab some snacks.”

Tian Ruan defended himself: “I didn’t even touch Mr. Yu’s mouth!”

“…”

The more he explained, the weirder it sounded.

Yu Jingmo glanced at his watch and said nonchalantly, “Let’s visit Chairman Du at the hospital first. We’ll be back in time for dinner.”

Tian Ruan was still in his bathrobe, sitting beside Yu Jingmo with his collarbone and thighs exposed—way too revealing. He quickly tugged at the hem of his robe and jumped up. “I’ll go change.”

Only father and son were left, left in awkward silence.

Yu Jingmo said, “Next time you see something like this, make yourself scarce.”

Yu Shang: “…” He had just come home normally, just wanted to grab a bite—how did he end up being scolded?

Yu Jingmo gave Yu Shang a once-over.

“?” Yu Shang asked, “Dad, what’s wrong?”

Yu Jingmo: “Did you shower?”

The implication was clear. Yu Shang turned and headed straight for the annex. “I’ll go wash up now.”

“A protagonist, yet not properly chasing after his own wife, wandering around aimlessly.” Yu Jingmo couldn’t understand it. Was it because he was still young? Still not clued in yet?

Yu Jingmo called for the butler and said, “Invite Lu Qiuyan’s family over this weekend.”

The butler went pale: “You’re going to use violence against the Lu family? Absolutely not! The young master would be heartbroken!”

“…”

Yu Jingmo rubbed his temples. “No violence. Treat them properly.”

The butler lit up: “I knew you were generous, wanting to help the Lu family rise again.”

Yu Jingmo said coldly, “Do you know how badly eunuchs who presumptuously guessed the emperor’s thoughts died in ancient times?”

The butler went pale and clamped his mouth shut, beat a hasty retreat.

Yu Jingmo sipped his tea, his gaze indifferent. He was no charity case, yet some people insisted on seeing him as one. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile—who do they think they are?

In this world, everything was give and take. Those who could make him disregard such calculations had yet to come along—

"Mr. Yu, I'm ready." Tian Ruan descended the stairs with brisk steps, his voice bright and clear, his youthful, collagen-rich face flawless as a blank sheet of paper.

Yu Jingmo set down his teacup, without even realizing it himself, his gaze had softened considerably. He stood up and walked to the young man, naturally taking his hand. "Let's go."

As they left the estate and got into the car, Yu Jingmo suddenly snapped back to reality, his expression turning cold again.

Tian Ruan, completely oblivious—since Yu Jingmo’s face was always more or less the same—asked, "Aren't we waiting for Yu Shang?"

"No."

"Oh."

These side-character subplots didn’t really need the main couple’s involvement anyway.

After a while, Yu Jingmo glanced at Tian Ruan beside him and asked, "Do I seem off to you?"

Tian Ruan: "?? No? Your hair and outfit are exactly the same as when I saw you this morning."

"...I meant other things, like the tone of my voice."

"Tone? Say something else."

Yu Jingmo couldn’t think of anything trivial to say, so he just looked at Tian Ruan and remarked, "That outfit’s got a nice cut."

Tian Ruan looked down at his clothes. "Of course, it’s designer."

"Not as good as custom-tailored."

Tian Ruan lifted his arms. "The armpits are cut like this, bat-wing style. Fits the evening vibe."

"Now that you lift your arms, it’s ugly again."

"..." This conversation’s hopeless.

Yu Jingmo waited for his next words. "Go on."

Tian Ruan: "Your tone hasn’t changed either—still just as sarcastic."

"?!"

They stared each other down, and Tian Ruan refused to back down. "I’m telling the truth. You asked me to say it, and now that I’ve been honest, you can’t pick on me."

Yu Jingmo: "When have I ever picked on you?"

"You said my clothes were ugly. That’s picking on me for being naive, young, and lacking taste."

"At least you’re self-aware."

"Just admit it—are you bullying me or not?"

Yu Jingmo suppressed a smile. "I kinda do want to tease you."

Tian Ruan widened his eyes. "If you mess with me, I’ll bolt. I’m the Du family’s young master now, remember?"

"What counts as bullying? Write it all down when we get back."

Tian Ruan brightened. "If I write it down, you’ll stop?"

Yu Jingmo: "I’ll review it. For example, marital obligations don’t count as bullying."

"..."

Marital obligations—wasn’t that just code for sex?