Chapter 96

Chapter 96

"I was your elementary school classmate, Qin Di. You don’t remember?" The young man removed his fox mask, revealing a delicate face with large eyes and rare smoky-purple irises.

Tian Ruan: "..."

Was this some kind of childhood sweetheart-returns-from-abroad drama where the big shot dumps his family for his first love and they finally run off together?

Tian Ruan gave Yu Jingmo a suspicious look.

Yu Jingmo: "No reason to remember nobodies."

Qin Di: "..."

Yu Jingmo couldn’t be bothered to keep talking. He took Tian Ruan’s hand. "Tired? Let’s go rest."

Tian Ruan: "Mm."

Qin Di followed closely behind, sighing softly. "I know you’re married now, and I know how high your status is. It’s fine if you don’t remember someone like me. I just wanted to catch up—nothing more."

Yu Jingmo ignored him. Between running a huge company, raising kids, and taking care of his husband, he had no time to reminisce with random people.

If everyone tried this, he’d wear out his voice even if he hated talking.

He took his husband to a private lounge that had been reserved in advance and staffed to keep randoms out.

Qin Di could only watch as Yu Jingmo led Tian Ruan inside without sparing him another word. "..."

The room, named "The Carp Jumps Over the Dragon Gate," had been pre-decorated. Tian Ruan froze the second he walked in.

A huge heart of roses and apples was laid out on the floor. Christmas wind chimes hung from the walls, and when the lights came on, fake 'snowflakes' (actually goose down) floated down. A giant snow globe of Santa Claus spun by the window, playing soft music.

"So cheesy, hahaha—Achoo!" Tian Ruan sneezed.

Yu Jingmo took off his mask and pulled him onto the couch, then took out a handkerchief. He brushed off a tiny feather, and the sneezing stopped.

Yu Jingmo waved at the floating down around them. "Assistant Xu’s got the same bad taste as you."

Tian Ruan rubbed his nose with a finger. "What’s tacky about it?"

"This outfit..."

"It’s my Christmas fit. Doesn’t it look nice?"

Yu Jingmo said diplomatically, "The clothes don’t compare to the guy in them."

That made Tian Ruan happy. His eyes lit up as he looked at Yu Jingmo. "Let me take off your mask, okay?"

"Mm."

Tian Ruan straightened his back and reached around Yu Jingmo’s broad shoulders toward the back of his head. The height gap made it a little awkward, so Yu Jingmo ducked his head to help.

Outside, dusk had fallen. The golden sunset light poured through the window, casting a warm glow over the man who had bowed his head for no one else.

After a bit of struggling, Tian Ruan managed to undo the thin strap. The mask slipped off, but Yu Jingmo caught it before it could land on Tian Ruan’s lap.

"You outshine the clothes," Tian Ruan laughed.

Yu Jingmo gazed at him, his calm eyes tracing the young man's soft, delicate brows and eyes, his slender nose, and his kissable lips—unsure where to begin, wanting to taste every part.

Tian Ruan watched Yu Jingmo grow larger and closer in his vision until their mouths met in a gentle caress, nibbling and sucking.

His teeth were parted, and in that moment, a dominant exploration swept through his mouth, his tongue tingling from playful nips. With each movement, excitement surged along his nerves, spreading to every corner of his body.

It made Tian Ruan’s waist go weak, his heart melt, lost in a deep kiss as sweet as honey, as light as mist, as rhythmic as waves.

Their mingled scents of cherry liqueur and citrus intertwined. Through frustrating layers of clothing, their bodies pressed tightly together—yet still not close enough.

“…Mmm…” Tian Ruan gasped for breath, his voice muffled with need.

Reduced to pliancy by kisses, he could only let Yu Jingmo have his way.

Fortunately, Yu Jingmo knew his kissing limit. Before he suffocated, he released him, letting his heavy breaths spill onto his own face. His gaze lowered, capturing the sight of his tongue and white teeth.

Though these lips often teased, they were truly irresistible to taste.

Tian Ruan was like a cloud of spun sugar—only Yu Jingmo could hold him, only Yu Jingmo could do anything to him.

Both his desire and Yu Jingmo’s restraint grew painful.

But they forced themselves to hold back—because they were in public.

Nestled on the sofa, Tian Ruan clung to Yu Jingmo with breathy whimpers. “Not here…”

Yu Jingmo kissed his ears and neck. “I know.”

A tender compromise—just kisses and closeness.

Half an hour later, Assistant Xu came to report and seek recognition. He had prepared such a wonderful “resting room” for his boss and husband—he deserved a reward.

But as soon as he reached the door, he saw a pale figure standing nearby like a ghost and immediately called for security. “A ghost!”

Qin Di turned around, glaring resentfully at Assistant Xu. “You’re the ghost.”

Assistant Xu steadied himself, taking in Qin Di’s ghostly pale complexion. “That’s some heavy foundation, sir.”

“…”

“And those contacts are intense.”

“…”

Assistant Xu offered a polite smirk. “Charming.”

Then he raised his hand to knock. “Boss, are you two decent?”

At this masquerade, calling the master of the house "boss" was the safest option—otherwise, everyone would swarm at the mention of Yu Jingmo’s name.

The pale stranger floated nearer, pressing an ear against the door, eavesdropping.

Assistant Xu: “?”

A bodyguard moved in, delivering a shoulder check that sent the willowy man reeling to the side.

Qin Di: “…”

After a moment, the door opened to reveal Yu Jingmo, now properly dressed and wearing a mask. Upon opening the door, he naturally saw Qin Di and spoke coldly: "What do you want?"

Assistant Xu, ever quick-witted, interjected: "Boss, are you free now? If not, it's fine—just that the chief of X County wishes to see you."

Yu Jingmo replied, "I'm kissing my wife. Reschedule my meeting for half an hour later."

"Understood."

The door closed, leaving Qin Di dumbfounded. He asked in disbelief, "Yu Jingmo was kissing his wife?"

Assistant Xu quickly glanced around—fortunately, no one else was nearby. The bodyguard immediately blocked any sound from spreading. Straightening his simple black dog mask, Assistant Xu said sternly, "They're husbands—of course they kiss. Sir, that's none of your concern."

"...They've been in there for half an hour already. And now another half hour?"

"?? What business is it of yours whether a married couple kisses for half an hour or an hour? Besides, an hour is nothing—this is Mr. Yu we're talking about."

Qin Di withered like frostbitten eggplant, swaying unsteadily. "How could this be... how could this be..."

Assistant Xu signaled the bodyguard: "This gentleman needs to rest."

The bodyguard hoisted Qin Di up and unceremoniously deposited him onto a bench ten meters away from the lounge. Mao Qi took a Bloody Mary from a waiter and placed it in front of Qin Di, saying, "Interrupting Mr. Yu's fun? This drink suits the crime."

Qin Di: "..."

The "lounge" was filled with purely decorative items, along with drinks and various desserts—clearly prepared for Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan was happily stuffing his face with sweet fondant cake, sipping rich and aromatic Ceylon black tea, and had a devilishly handsome husband by his side. This was living the dream.

"Does it taste good?" Yu Jingmo poured him tea, then brewed a pot of green tea for himself. Creamy white froth swirled in the purple clay cup, with a few unfurling tea leaves floating up and down.

"Delicious." Tian Ruan was transfixed by Yu Jingmo's elegant hands as he brewed the tea. The teapot wasn't small, but it looked dainty in his large hands. His well-defined fingers lifted the cup, gently blowing away the steam before taking a slow, appreciative sip.

Every movement was a pleasure to watch.

Tian Ruan glanced at the half-eaten cake and the nearly empty cup of tea he had gulped down. "...Do I have no manners?"

Yu Jingmo wiped the glass coffee table with a tissue and smiled. "You're perfectly natural."

Tian Ruan said, "Show me how to be proper. I don’t want to embarrass you."

Yu Jingmo raised an eyebrow. "I think you're fine as you are, but if you want to learn some manners for show, I won’t stop you. Let’s start with how to drink tea properly—back straight, perfect posture."

Tian Ruan straightened up as instructed. He was a quick learner, and etiquette wasn’t difficult—the challenge lay in applying it to every little thing in life.

Yu Jingmo excelled in this regard, almost never caught off guard, always handling matters with elegance, decisiveness, and quick solutions.

Yu Jingmo continued teaching him: "Place the teacup on its saucer. Lift it with your right hand, gently bringing it up without spilling a drop. Bring it close to your lips, first inhale the aroma, then take a small sip. Keep your head still as you taste the tea, then swallow slowly."

After completing the series of movements, Tian Ruan asked, "Mr. Yu, do I look refined now?"

Yu Jingmo tweaked his cheek.

Tian Ruan instantly lost his composure, instinctively turning to bite Yu Jingmo’s mischievous hand.

Yu Jingmo broke into laughter.

Tian Ruan looked at him innocently. "You're not elegant either."

When Tian Ruan finally stepped out of the lounge, wearing a silver falcon mask, he felt like he had upgraded—especially in the pretension department.

He looped his arm elegantly through Yu Jingmo’s, glided past Qin Di with effortless grace, and continued on to socialize beside Yu Jingmo.

Socializing was exhausting. Tian Ruan could barely keep up the act of elegance, reduced to being a smiling, chatty marionette.

The foreigners who’d tried chatting him up earlier gathered around in surprise: “You said you don’t speak English!”

Tian Ruan replied, “Oh, I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“…”

Somehow, his English had vanished—mysteriously nonexistent.

Socializing really *was* boring. Even hearing numbers like tens of millions left him cold. Money might as well have been Monopoly cash to him now. Though he didn’t have much himself, once you’ve heard about Big B’s, a few tens of millions just didn’t impress…

Tian Ruan reflected that someone as easily carried away as him really wasn’t cut out for business—he’d rather bail and nap forever.

Though Yu Jingmo didn’t lack tens of millions, accumulating them one after another still added up to a serious fortune. His wit and charm had investors eating out of his palm, securing handshake deals with ease.

Tian Ruan stared blankly at a snowman the size of a Yeti, dying to scale it and look down on everyone from above…

Well, that was a dangerous thought—better not act on it.

A figure wearing a fox mask stepped into his line of sight. Tian Ruan zoned out hard, eyes drifting over their head. “Baldness is creeping up on you.”

Qin Di: “……”

Qin Di stumbled back a few steps, covering his hair with trembling hands, eyes getting suspiciously shiny. “How could you say something like that?”

Tian Ruan snapped back to reality. “Ah, sorry. Just stating facts.”

Qin Di gave Yu Jingmo a pitiful look. “Your hubby’s got a killer wit.”

Yu Jingmo glanced at Qin Di. “No cap, your hair *is* kind of thinning.”

Qin Di: “…………”

Tian Ruan side-eyed Yu Jingmo’s luscious mane in amazement. “You’re both thirty—why do you have so much hair?”

Yu Jingmo’s lips curled into a smirk. “Maybe it’s Love’s magic grow-shampoo.”

Tian Ruan turned tomato-red but doubled down. “Then my hair will stay thick forever too.”

“Damn right.”

Qin Di: “…………”

Tian Ruan finally looked at him again. “You still here?”

Qin Di: “Actually, I’m twenty-nine, a year younger than Yu Jingmo. Grade-skipping valedictorian here.”

“Elementary school skip? Me too—but I realized knowledge needs a solid foundation, so I yeeted myself back to third grade.”

Yu Jingmo chuckled. “So even as a kid, you bounced around like a caffeinated bunny.”

Tian Ruan huffed. “I was just studious.”

Suddenly, he spotted two familiar figures—their main-character energy so blinding, even masks couldn’t hide it. He jumped up and waved. “Kiddo! Wifey!”

His “son” and “daughter-in-law” approached with faces doing an impression of storm clouds.

Yu Jingmo reeled Tian Ruan in like a misbehaving kite, breath ghosting over his earlobe. “You noticed *them* at a glance, but not me first. You craving a spanking or what?”

Tian Ruan: “…”