Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Though separated by his trousers, Tian Ruan still felt an unprecedented sensory stimulation.

As Yu Jingmo was about to finish work, Tian Ruan’s face was still red, his head lowered, not daring to look directly at Yu Jingmo’s face. Lowering his eyes, he saw the pair of custom-made pointed leather shoes on Yu Jingmo’s feet.

It was these shoe tips that had gently and slowly invaded little Tian Ruan, playing with him wantonly before acting as if nothing had happened, stepping on the ground. In the reflection of the floor tiles, his flushed face and disheveled clothes were clearly visible.

Tian Ruan covered his face; it was too much of a spectacle.

...No, it was perverse.

Yu Jingmo, however, remained impeccably dressed, with only the lair of the hidden evil dragon in disarray.

The sunset dyed half the sky red, and Yu Jingmo, as usual, finished work, taking the remaining tasks home, and left the cold office with Tian Ruan.

The elevator went straight to the underground garage.

To their surprise, the group of middle-aged men who had been laid off had shifted their base, sneaking into the underground garage. As soon as they saw Yu Jingmo, they stood up excitedly and shouted slogans: "Oppose tyranny! Oppose layoffs! We want Yu Jingmo to give us justice!"

The bodyguards immediately stepped forward, with Mao Qi leading the way to the car and opening the door.

The crowd surged forward, and the bodyguards immediately engaged them in physical combat, shouting, "What are you doing? This is a public disturbance, which is illegal!"

The bald man with a receding hairline at the front yelled, "I’d rather die today, but I’ll die in front of Yu Jingmo!"

Bodyguard: "Even if you die, there will be no compensation!"

"..."

The troublemaker wept loudly: "You can't fire us! We have elderly parents and young children to support; we can't afford to lose this job... Please, have mercy on us..."

Yu Jingmo remained silent, not even glancing at them. He shielded Tian Ruan with his body, helped him into the car, and then got in himself.

Seeing no hope of a reversal, the middle-aged man leading the group grew bold with anger and pulled out a stone from his pocket, hurling it—his bodyguards tried to stop him but failed.

With a thud, the stone hit the car window and rolled down.

Tian Ruan was startled. Upon closer inspection, he saw that the window wasn't broken, only cracked in a few places.

Yu Jingmo glanced at the middle-aged man through the crack, then said to the driver, "Go."

The driver stepped on the gas and sped away, scaring those who had intended to block the car into hastily retreating. They cursed and stomped their feet in frustration, unable to catch up.

Tian Ruan looked back, speechless: "How did they get released?"

Yu Jingmo: "Gathering in a crowd doesn't constitute a crime; there needs to be actual violence. Let them run free for a few days. Once we gather enough evidence, they'll naturally face the court."

Tian Ruan looked worriedly at the cracked window, "Will you get hurt?"

"Words can't hurt me."

"I mean physical attacks."

"No, I won't."

Tian Ruan nodded. He didn't trust the bodyguards, but he trusted Yu Jingmo.

Taking advantage of the daylight, Yu Jingmo took Tian Ruan to Ziyun Temple to obtain a charm for guaranteed success in exams. In return, Tian Ruan sought a charm for safety for Yu Jingmo.

This was Tian Ruan's first visit to the Daoist temple. There were more cultivators inside than he had imagined, along with some volunteers.

The clear air of the mountain swayed gently, and flocks of birds returned to their nests.

In front of the Purple Cloud Temple, there was an open space where several tall redwood trees stood. The birds in the mountain particularly favored these trees, often coming to play. The master of the Purple Cloud Temple knew this and would frequently bring a bowl of rice to feed them.

It was just the right time to feed the little birds. Tian Ruan came out with a charm for guaranteed exam success and found it amusing.

Yu Jingmo stepped forward and asked, "Senior Brother, could you let my wife feed them a few times?"

The master smiled and handed the bowl to Tian Ruan, eyeing him and saying, "This child is really adorable."

Yu Jingmo smiled faintly, "He's not a child anymore."

"Compared to you, he still is."

"Hmm."

"Back in school, I was the most mischievous in our grade, while you were the most ascetic. The teachers all said that I would surely become wealthy and powerful, not smoking or drinking, and doing well in life; as for you, they thought you might end up entering the monastic life."

Yu Jingmo smiled.

Hearing this, Tian Ruan looked at them in surprise, "Mr. Yu, you and this master were classmates?"

The master laughed, "Just call me Old Bai. I'm one year older than Old Yu, so I can barely be considered his senior brother."

"Senior Brother Bai," Tian Ruan looked obedient, "Nice to meet you."

"Ha ha ha, nice to meet you too." Old Bai said to Yu Jingmo, "Your young partner is really well-behaved."

Yu Jingmo: "Mm."

"Can't you say something else? Back in school, you always went 'mm mm mm,' it drove me crazy."

Yu Jingmo glanced at Old Bai, "Your head is indeed big."

"..." Old Bai shook his head, "You're still so good at genuinely pissing people off. I always thought back then that the teacher was wrong. Don't look at your cold and distant demeanor; in reality, you're sly, ambitious, and ruthless. You're the one who's fit for great wealth and power."

Yu Jingmo lowered his eyes without comment. If he had no ambition, he wouldn't be in his current position.

Power is the greatest temptation for humans; only saints and the utterly indifferent can let it go.

Old Bai said solemnly, "I, on the other hand, have seen through the world and entered the Daoist path."

Yu Jingmo: "I'll lend you fifty million to make a comeback. Pay me back within five years, no interest."

Old Bai: "..."

Old Bai: "Damn, you're tempting me!"

Tian Ruan chuckled, scattering rice grains onto the concrete ground. The little birds playing on the red cedars fluttered down, pecking at the ground and hopping up to his feet.

Old Bai shook his head vigorously, "No way, I must firmly resist temptation. Emptiness is form, form is emptiness!"

Yu Jingmo: "That's from Buddhism."

Old Bai: "..."

Tian Ruan couldn't hold back any longer, laughing heartily, which startled the birds into flying away.

Maintaining such a good mood, Tian Ruan waved goodbye to Yu Jingmo on his way to school as usual on Monday.

Yu Jingmo said, "Stay focused and do your best."

Tian Ruan replied, "Mm-hmm!"

Ding ling ling, Lu Qiuyan rode up onto the sidewalk with one hand and got off to walk alongside Tian Ruan, his expression calm. "We won't see each other for over a month after the exams."

Tian Ruan pulled out a pair of wool gloves from his pocket and handed them to him. "We can still video call."

Lu Qiuyan took the gloves and noticed that the pair Tian Ruan was wearing looked very similar, which made him feel a bit awkward.

Tian Ruan said, "These are brother gloves."

"…Thanks." Lu Qiuyan put on the gloves and found they were indeed much warmer. "Don't video call me during your honeymoon; it will affect your fun."

"It won't. If I don't video call you, I'll be worried."

"…"

Tian Ruan felt melancholic, knowing he wouldn't see the main character for quite a few days. He had to stay steady and avoid any mishaps during this period.

Lu Qiuyan looked at Tian Ruan strangely. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Tian Ruan answered casually, "Because you're my little brother and also my daughter-in-law."

Lu Qiuyan: "…………"

Lu Qiuyan: "I haven't talked to Yu Shang. We're students; we don't date."

Tian Ruan came back to her senses, "It's fine. No one is born knowing how to fall in love. Mr. Yu and I had prejudices against each other at first, but now we're dating."

Lu Qiuyan was a bit annoyed, "Our situations are different."

Tian Ruan nodded, "I know. Yu Shang isn't like his father who can speak sweet words; he's just a block of wood right now. Treat him as a piece of wood, and rub hard enough, and even dead wood will spring to life."

Lu Qiuyan: "..." What kind of nonsense is this about rubbing hard?

Too lazy to argue, they were on different wavelengths.

At school, Tian Ruan pulled Lu Qiuyan to devoutly pray before the statue of Wenchang Dijun.

Apart from them, a group of students in white shirts and blue pants were gathered around the fountain, tossing coins into the water for good luck.

Lu Qiuyan went through the motions of praying and said, "A bunch of last-minute crammers."

Tian Ruan: "Even if it doesn't work, it still looks good."

The two headed to the teaching building. As they were about to part ways, Tian Ruan said to Lu Qiuyan, "Good luck, write neatly!"

Lu Qiuyan, with his backpack slung over his shoulder, walked toward Class 6 with a carefree air, "Got it."

Tian Ruan watched Lu Qiuyan's retreating figure with a smile. By next semester, Lu Qiuyan would be transferred to Class 1, and more interesting things would happen.

Even though winter break wasn't over yet, she was already looking forward to the start of the next semester.

Tian Ruan walked into the classroom with light steps. She saw Wang Weiqi buried in his books, suddenly working hard, and nodded in satisfaction. She patted his shoulder and said, "Good job, Wang Weiqi."

Wang Weiqi swore, "I'm going to be better than a dog!"

Tian Ruan: "Damn!"

The surrounding classmates: "..." They didn't know what was going on, but it was funny.

After the bell rang, the homeroom teacher walked into the classroom and began assigning exam rooms. "This time, the exam rooms are assigned randomly. Everyone, take a good look and don't go to the wrong room. Put your belongings in the lockers and lock them to prevent loss."

Tian Ruan focused his gaze on the electronic screen on the blackboard. What a coincidence, he was assigned to Class 6.

He picked up his pencil case and water bottle and headed to Class 6. Most of the students had already left, but Lu Qiuyan was still there. Tian Ruan's spirits lifted immediately. "Lu Qiuyan, you're still taking the exam in your own class?"

Lu Qiuyan sized up Tian Ruan. "You were assigned here too?"

Tian Ruan nodded, then suddenly noticed Hai Chao and Nan Huaiju were also there. "Aren't you guys leaving?"

Nan Huaiju said resentfully, "Do you really want me to leave? Are we bothering your time with Lu Qiuyan?"

Tian Ruan: "..." Why did it smell like jealousy again?

Boys' hearts are as unpredictable as needles at the bottom of the sea. Tian Ruan said, "No," and sat down next to Lu Qiuyan. Nan Huaiju, sitting behind him, said, "If I can't figure it out, remember to let me copy."

Tian Ruan couldn't tolerate cheating. He turned around and said, "Copy your big head, be careful Hai Chao copies from you."

Nan Huaiju: "?"

Hai Chao looked at Tian Ruan coolly.

Tian Ruan pointed at Nan Huaiju. "He's dumb, he won't understand."

Nan Huaiju: "Who said I don't understand? If Hai Chao copies from me, I'll make sure to get every question wrong!"

Tian Ruan: "Hahaha!"

Nan Huaiju: "What the hell are you laughing at?"

Tian Ruan: "Laughing at your nonsense."

Nan Huaiju suspected his Chinese scores were the lowest in school; otherwise, why couldn't he understand what Tian Ruan was saying? But Hai Chao and Lu Qiuyan both got it.

Yu Shang walked in at this moment, glanced around, and said, "There's an exam going on, and you're still grinning like fools. What kind of behavior is that?"

Tian Ruan stopped laughing, "You're assigned here too?"

"Yep."

"In that case, Nan Huaiju is done for. He won't even be able to cheat if he wants to."

Yu Shang frowned at Nan Huaiju, "Planning to cheat? If you get caught, you'll lose all your credits."

Nan Huaiju: "...I won't do it then."

Yu Shang walked to the window, sitting behind Lu Qiuyan, and said solemnly, "I'll be watching you."

Nan Huaiju glared at Tian Ruan, any affection he had for him completely gone. Tian Ruan turned his head nonchalantly, managing to root for the main characters' relationship while taking the exam—what a life.

Lu Qiuyan turned back to look at Yu Shang, "I forgot my pen, can I borrow one?"

Yu Shang: "..."

Tian Ruan: "... Could it be that Yu Shang came here just to lend a pen?"

This interaction made Lu Qiuyan seem even more unrestrained. Tian Ruan gave him a thumbs up and poked him.

Lu Qiuyan: "What for?"

Tian Ruan: "Thumbs up."

After the invigilator distributed the test papers, the exam officially began with gentle and soothing music playing in the background.

The exam lasted an hour, but Tian Ruan finished writing in just half an hour. He checked his answers, corrected any mistakes, and then started to daydream.

He gazed blankly at Lu Qiuyan, then at Yu Shang, and finally at the little birds perched on the trees outside the window.

Even when the invigilator walked by, he didn't notice.

The teacher took away his paper.

Tian Ruan snapped back to reality and waited anxiously.

The teacher scanned through the paper, and upon seeing the candidate's name, smiled contentedly and put down the paper. Feeling a bit nervous, Tian Ruan checked his answers again.

There were two exams in the morning and three in the afternoon.

By the time all the exams were over, not only ordinary students but even top students like Tian Ruan were exhausted. And there were still a few more exams tomorrow, including an art test—only heaven knew why De Yin insisted on testing art as well.

Of course, only Chinese, Math, English, Geography, Physics, and Chemistry counted towards the total score.

Tian Ruan wasn't worried about anything else except that his art score might drag down his overall credits. He shared this concern with Yu Jingmo.

Yu Jingmo: "You have a ready-made private tutor and you're not using it? Waiting for it to go cold?"

Tian Ruan suddenly realized and went with Yu Jingmo to find his long-missing elder brother and his lover, Helan Si.