Chapter 115

Chapter 115

"Do you like it?" Yu Jingmo propped himself up on one elbow, his other hand lightly grazing the young man's cheek—barely more than a whisper of touch. He watched as fair skin flushed with warmth, deepening into a hue richer than sunset clouds, more brilliant than shimmering sunset glow.

Tian Ruan blinked, his glistening eyes fixed unashamedly on an impressive sight. The corners of his lips curled involuntarily. "...I like it."

Calloused fingertips brushed against his earlobe, gently squeezing until the entire ear turned bright red—like flames sweeping across the sky.

"Where do you like it?" Yu Jingmo murmured. His long, elegant fingers traced down Tian Ruan’s swan-like, graceful neck, sliding to the hollow at its base. There, he lightly pressed, as if easing tense nerves with the practiced ease of a guqin player tuning strings.

Tian Ruan nuzzled into that touch. "Your hands..."

"Mm." Yu Jingmo lingered there briefly before moving lower, as though searching for plum blossoms in the snow.

The buds had not yet bloomed, slightly trembling, shyly wrapped in their petals.

He stroked and teased slowly, like the melody of a guqin, his voice low and unhurried. "What else?"

Tian Ruan clutched the edge of the blanket, instinctively arching like a cat—pressing closer—only to be held back.

The plum blossoms quivered, sending waves of molten heat through his limbs.

"Your hands..." Tian Ruan's eyes grew hazy, his brows slightly furrowed. Caught between pain and ecstasy, he seemed unaware he had already spoken those words aloud.

A faint smirk curved Yu Jingmo’s lips. "You really enjoy my hands, don't you?"

Tian Ruan tried to grasp a moment of clarity amid the storm within him, but could only blush silently. Every part of him was under Yu Jingmo’s control—easily played with just a flick of those fingers.

"As you wish." Yu Jingmo exhaled softly, then turned his attention to Xiao Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan jolted like a startled fish, gripping Yu Jingmo’s arm tightly and clinging to his neck as if weightless.

Effortlessly, Yu Jingmo leaned down, solid as an immovable jade peak.

This wasn’t Tian Ruan’s first ascent of this mountain—but this time, it was a pilgrimage, surrendering everything, offering all, just to glimpse the legendary “divinity.”

The deity looked down, bestowing divine radiance.

And so, within that glow, Tian Ruan saw heaven and earth unfold before him—a scroll slowly unfurling—

Soaring upon it was a crimson dragon, its tail trailing black flames. Yet when it opened its mouth, white fire roared forth. One black, one white—twin forces entwined like yin and yang in a taiji symbol.

It coiled above snowy peaks, twisting and turning, its descent triggering avalanches.

Hidden among the mountains lay a lake, encircled by endless clouds that blocked the dragon’s approach.

Undeterred, the dragon surged through the mist, stirring heaven itself, summoning storms. Ripples spread across the water.

Rain fell in thick threads, melting the snow, revealing scattered plum blossoms across the slopes—perfect scenery.

The dragon adored these blossoms, nibbling them tenderly before leaving behind a burst of white fire and soaring away.

The mountains trembled. Forked lightning lanced through the clouds toward the dragon.

Unfazed, it swallowed the bolt whole. Thunder crackled across its body.

Empowered, it tore through the clouds, diving headlong into the crystal-clear alpine lake below.

The water, initially cool, warmed beneath the dragon’s frenzied thrashing, becoming as warm as a bath. Exhilarated, the dragon surged forward repeatedly, plunging in wildly, reveling in boundless delight.

The ice and snow began to melt, forming trickling streams that brought spring back to the mountains. Flowers drifted and water flowed freely.

…What a beautiful scene.

To finish this painting, Tian Ruan worked through the night. Without Yu Jingmo's help, he couldn't have done it alone.

Tired from painting, Tian Ruan finally fell sound asleep.

He knew full well his drawing skills were terrible—it was Yu Jingmo who was good at everything, effortlessly lending brilliant touches to the piece.

Like those plum blossoms, so detailed they looked like fine brushwork. Only Yu Jingmo could capture their plump, dewy quality.

When he woke up, snow was falling heavily outside. Tian Ruan’s head was foggy as he looked blankly at the man beside him, leaning against the bedhead reading a book.

"Awake? Let me get you some water." Yu Jingmo's voice came and went, barely audible.

The spot beside him was empty for a few seconds before the tall, broad-shouldered man returned, carefully closing the door behind him to keep out every bit of wind.

Tian Ruan had lost all sense of time. "...Where are we?"

"Changbai Mountain."

Unable to think clearly, his limbs heavy, Tian Ruan mumbled, "Who are you?"

Yu Jingmo paused mid-step, then sat on the edge of the bed, studying him closely.

The young man’s cheeks were slightly flushed, his eyelids drooping slowly, his reactions slow—like a soft, harmless little creature.

He had been a bit rough with this little creature last night.

"You don’t remember me?" Yu Jingmo asked.

Tian Ruan tightened his grip on the blanket. "Kind of... but not really..."

"So you're one of those love 'em and leave 'em types?"

"…"

Yu Jingmo propped him up so he was leaning against the bedhead. Even so, Tian Ruan's expression shifted, giving him a look somewhere between embarrassment and annoyance.

"Drink some water first. I ordered porridge—it'll be here soon." Yu Jingmo fed him warm water to moisten his throat.

Tian Ruan kept his head down, sipping like a kitten, looking obedient again.

Yu Jingmo said, "Sorry, I got a little carried away last night."

Tian Ruan lifted his gaze, glaring while still drinking, too busy to talk.

"Didn’t even use a condom."

"…"

"But I cleaned you up. Don’t worry—you won't get an infection."

"Mmm…”

Setting the cup aside, Tian Ruan coughed lightly, his ears and the corners of his eyes turning red, looking miserable. Yu Jingmo wiped his lips with a handkerchief. "Your mouth chokes so easily."

Tian Ruan wished he could bury his face in the blankets. "Stop talking..."

Yu Jingmo asked, "Still remember me?"

"Remember your damn ass," Tian Ruan blurted out. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it and turned away in frustration.

"Hmm." Yu Jingmo chuckled, drawing him into a hug. "You've got a slight fever. Take meds and get some rest later."

Tian Ruan frowned. "Explains why I'm so out of it."

"Sorry. Next time I won't go for so... long." Yu Jingmo said it like he was swearing off a fortune.

Tian Ruan: "...Three hours max."

"Five hours."

"Three!"

"How about three and a half? Add in shower time."

Tian Ruan nodded. "Deal."

Yu Jingmo leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Congrats, you're all grown up."

Tian Ruan buried his face in his chest, murmuring shyly.

After finishing the porridge and fever medicine, Tian Ruan flopped back down but had no intention of sleeping. A weird, floaty feeling washed over him. He'd been determined not to date while still in school—yet here he was.

He'd planned for things with Yu Jingmo to be strictly business—he'd be his shield, and Yu Jingmo would fund his education, no "husbandly duties" involved. But somehow, they ended up fulfilling everything.

Even if they did start dating, he thought they wouldn’t cross that final line—but within months, they’d blown past it.

They hadn’t even used the condoms he’d prepared in advance.

Everything happened too fast, too naturally. Tian Ruan reflected on it—his husband really was a beast.

He reached up and touched his head. It had been so wild, he even hit his head against the headboard twice...

Noticing the motion, Yu Jingmo covered his whole head with his big hand and rubbed gently. "That brilliant mind—can’t have it short-circuiting."

Tian Ruan whined, "It’s already fried."

"Lemme see your ass."

"...Nope."

"Still sassy." Despite saying that, Yu Jingmo still applied some anti-inflammatory ointment on Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan stayed bent over, unmoving. "Done yet?"

Yu Jingmo looked at the marks he’d left—mottled red like crushed petals, weirdly hot. "Not yet."

Tian Ruan, goosebumped and embarrassed, yanked the blanket over himself. "Hmph, liar."

Yu Jingmo wasn’t done looking, but there was plenty of time.

Unable to sleep, Tian Ruan decided to mess with Jingmo to soothe his nerves—even though Jingmo had already had his way.

Yu Jingmo gave up his right hand for Tian Ruan to play with while using his left to casually check emails on his laptop.

Tian Ruan clung to it like treasure—those hands were strong, fingers long and straight, smooth from years without hard labor. Compared to Tian Ruan’s cool porcelain skin, there was an olive undertone—the difference was kinda sexy. ---

His thumb webbing, fingertips, and palms were slightly rough, with thin calluses—probably from doing pull-ups often.

Last night it was these three fingers… Thinking of that, Tian Ruan’s cheeks flushed faintly. He feigned calmness as he curled his own fingers around those three digits. The thickness matched perfectly.

Yu Jingmo turned his chiseled face toward him, narrowing his phoenix eyes with amusement. “You *really* like them, huh?”

Tian Ruan immediately pulled his fingers back.

Yu Jingmo held up the three fingers together, forming a circle teasingly. “Still want more?”

Tian Ruan clenched his hand, ears burning. “No.”

Yu Jingmo sighed. “Fine then. Go ahead and play by yourself.”

Figuring he might as well enjoy himself, Tian Ruan ran his hands over Yu Jingmo’s broad shoulders, his long, strong neck, and the collarbones and abdominal muscles hidden beneath the black silk robe.

Each place bore marks from his playful scratches.

Yu Jingmo watched the oblivious boy clawing at his abs. His gaze drifted past the slender shoulder blades, to the delicate dimples at his waist, and finally to the perky backside you could set a drink on.

“Having fun?” Yu asked.

Tian Ruan scratched harder. “I don’t believe you’re not ticklish.”

Yu straightened, his arm shooting out—whether it could hold a soda can or not, his grip fit just right.

Caught off guard, Tian Ruan’s head bumped into those firm abs, like stumbling into a growling beast’s lair.

He froze.

Then came sudden weightlessness as Yu gripped his waist and flipped him upside down.

The robe shifted in the movement, offering the perfect angle for Tian to see the view.

Lightheaded, Tian murmured, “Mr. Yu…”

“No talk at meals, no words in bed,” Yu replied.

Then he silently began savoring his feast—warm bread, sweet with hints of cream.

If Tian had been a dancer, this pose wouldn’t have been hard at all. But as an ordinary high schooler, even with Yu holding his waist, his limbs shook, barely holding on.

He’d poked the bear, so now he had to endure the punishment—dancing.

It only lasted a few minutes, but it left Tian completely drained, limp as a rag beside Yu.

Yu remained cool as ever, calmly saying, “Sorry, I broke our deal. I’ll pay the penalty.”

Tian glared at him. But when he caught sight of Yu’s bow-shaped lips, he quickly looked away. “How much is it?”

“Your call.”

“Then… ten grand.”

Yu smiled. “Sweetheart, you’re too good to me.”

Tian blinked. “What did you just call me?”

“Treasure.” Yu’s voice was soft. “You’re my treasure.”

Tian Ruan's anger melted away. "I'm not a kid."

"Mmm, all grown up. But still my baby."

Tian Ruan said shyly but sweetly, "Just don't call me that when Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan are around."

Yu Jingmo replied, "You're still thinking about other people right now? Seems like the punishment wasn’t enough."

"..."