Chapter 116

Chapter 116

So it turns out the descriptions in books about the *bottoms* being unable to get out of bed for three days after their first night together were true.

Tian Ruan lay in sorrow for two and a half days. Though Yu Jingmo waited on him hand and foot—fetching him tea, feeding him meals, even helping him bathe and use the bathroom—the only thing missing was a wheelchair for Tian Ruan.

After two days of being practically bedridden, Tian Ruan grew bored and trimmed his toenails, indulged in a hydrotherapy session, and soaked in a hot spring. What puzzled him most was why his feet smelled fragrant, and his entire body seemed to exude a honeyed sweetness.

Yu Jingmo remarked, "You smell different now."

Tian Ruan asked, "What did I smell like before? Sweat?"

"...Mostly like grass."

"And now?"

"A slightly sweet woody fragrance, though sometimes I still catch hints of grass, especially after you shower."

Tian Ruan eyed him suspiciously. "Did I catch it from you?"

Yu Jingmo pondered for a moment before nodding. "Possibly my scent marking you. You've absorbed my essence."

Tian Ruan's innocence was long gone, and he could only hope others wouldn’t notice the change in his scent... Not that they would, anyway. It wasn’t like everyone had a dog’s nose.

By the afternoon of the third day, Tian Ruan was finally able to go skiing again.

Though his legs were still a bit weak, his spirits were high. He taught himself how to ski while crouching—saving time and effort, though prone to tumbling, rolling down the slope like a human snowball.

Yu Jingmo caught him every time, catching him in his arms.

Tian Ruan whooped with laughter, his face and body covered in snow, insisting that Yu Jingmo join him. The two ended up tumbling down together, sending Mao Qi flying as he tried to take photos.

On their last day, Tian Ruan and Yu Jingmo experienced rime-ice river rafting, gliding through a fairy-tale-like icy river. Branches draped in frost like misty blossoms, ice floated on the water’s surface, and snow blanketed the banks, so silent they could hear the snow falling. The cold dressed this place in its finest.

Inspired, Tian Ruan scribbled down his wonder in a notebook, thinking it might come in handy for future essays.

Truly experiencing the wonders of nature was entirely different from reading about it in books.

In the afternoon, they rode a reindeer-drawn sleigh through the forest, feeling like Santas returning home after delivering gifts, their hearts full of hope for the world.

"...I wish for Yu Jingmo to be safe and sound, to live a long life!" Tian Ruan shouted his wish into the snowy wilderness.

Yu Jingmo gazed at the young man’s radiant face, took his hand, and said, "Then my wish for you is to be joyful and prosperous, to achieve all your dreams."

"All my dreams? Isn't that too greedy?"

"Tell me, how many are there?"

"First, I want to be a translator; second, I want to travel the world; third, I want to study abroad; fourth, you and I..." Tian Ruan cut himself off, flushing.

"You and I, together forever?"

"Yeah..."

Yu Jingmo laughed softly. "Aside from the first one, I can help you achieve all the others."

Tian Ruan said, "The first one, I want to earn that one myself."

Yu Jingmo replied, "Then my wish for you is to be safe and sound, just like me, and live a long life."

Tian Ruan smiled as he leaned against Yu Jingmo, "Time might flow differently here than in other worlds."

"What do you mean?"

"This world was derived from a novel. Once the main couple completes their reconciliation storyline, time will slow down because there are still 'bonus chapters' to come."

"Bonus chapters?"

"Side stories. As long as those stories aren’t finished, time might just stay frozen in that year."

Yu Jingmo thought for a moment. "Does that mean my working hours will be extended too?"

Tian Ruan froze. "I’ll be working by then myself..."

Yu Jingmo patted his hat and adjusted his red cashmere scarf. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. If time really does stretch out, we can spare some moments to develop our own 'bonus chapter'—like going on dates or having sex. We'd have time to spare without falling behind at work."

Tian Ruan nodded, then suddenly stopped.

Yu Jingmo: "If a day had 48 hours, we could spend seven of them in bed."

Tian Ruan: "...I’d be dead."

Yu Jingmo: "Don’t worry, by then you’ll have evolved an iron-clad ass."

Tian Ruan: "…………"

The first stop of their honeymoon ended, and the second took them to Australia’s Gold Coast for vacation.

Yu Jingmo suggested Tian Ruan leave all his winter clothes back home, but Tian Ruan, still reeling from the “iron-clad ass” comment, let the words go in one ear and out the other—he wore his down jacket onto the plane.

He froze when he stepped off the plane. Tourists everywhere were in short sleeves, while he alone was wrapped in a puffer coat.

Warm air hit his face, like blasting heat from an AC—not scorching, but definitely not cold.

Dozens of stares, like ones aimed at an Antarctic penguin, landed on him. Yu Jingmo stood beside him in a crisp shirt, trousers, leather shoes, sunglasses, and a gold watch—all business-class elegance. Tian Ruan, meanwhile, looked like a total hick.

From freezing cold one day to sweltering heat the next—Tian Ruan swayed dizzily. When he came to his senses, he belatedly remembered basic geography...

Yu Jingmo unzipped his down jacket to reveal layers of wool sweaters and vests beneath. With a sigh, he said, "I told you it’s hot here, yet you wore all this."

Tian Ruan stubbornly defended himself, "After sleeping with you, I got dumber. Your dick must be messing with my brain."

Yu Jingmo: "Let’s do it again tonight. I’ll give you a dose of my 'special nutrients'—maybe your brain will come back."

"…"

Layer by layer, Yu Jingmo peeled off Tian Ruan’s jacket, vest, and sweater, leaving only a white undershirt. Much better—though his winter boots would have to stay on until they reached the hotel.

Their temporary driver and housekeeper was a middle-aged woman with light brown hair, speaking with a gentle voice—clearly experienced in serving wealthy families. Her name was Mia, which sounded like "meow."

As she drove, Mia mentioned she’d once worked for a local tycoon but was falsely accused of theft—really just an excuse to push her out without severance pay for being older and less attractive.

Mia: "Hell no. I sued them for three years and finally won. Though I ended up flat broke."

Tian Ruan sympathized. "That's terrible."

Mia added, "Luckily, Old Wang remembered me, or I wouldn’t have gotten this job. Don’t worry, I may be older, but I’m sharp—oh look, there’s a sex shop. Need condoms? They carry every flavor imaginable. Got a favorite?"

Tian Ruan was speechless.

Yu Jingmo: "No thanks, we'll buy our own."

Upon arriving at the hotel, they checked into a luxury oceanfront suite on the thirtieth floor, offering a panoramic view of a long stretch of azure and golden coastline. From above, the beach appeared dotted with scattered figures—some already riding the waves in the sea.

Tian Ruan was utterly exhausted but felt a sudden urge to join them. "Can you surf?"

Yu Jingmo was unpacking their suitcase. "A bit."

"Then can you teach me?"

"Only the basics."

"That’ll do." Tian Ruan snapped a photo by the floor-to-ceiling window and sent it to Lu Qiuyan.

Soon, Lu Qiuyan replied: *Gold Coast? I’ve been—surfing’s a blast.*

Tian Ruan: *You can surf too? Teach me!*

Lu Qiuyan: *Have your man teach you.*

Tian Ruan: *He’s only teaching me the basics. You teach me the advanced stuff—I wanna blow his mind.*

Lu Qiuyan: *A wipeout would really impress him.*

Tian Ruan: *…*

Lu Qiuyan: *Surfing isn’t as easy as it looks. Don’t get yourself killed.*

Tian Ruan: *OK.*

Since Zhu Jueshou had warned him, Tian Ruan decided to follow it—no use crying over spilled milk later.

After changing into appropriate clothes and shoes, Tian Ruan and Yu Jingmo went to buy surfboards. Though Yu Jingmo claimed he knew only "a little," he blew past the shop assistant's help and personally picked out a board suited to Tian Ruan’s height—a silver-red one that stands out in the water. For himself, he chose a black board.

The beach had looked nearly empty from above, but once they got down, it was way more packed, and the sun beat down harder than before.

Many blonde, blue-eyed bikini-clad women were sunbathing, and Tian Ruan was glued to the sight.

...Even though he liked men, these women were total eye candy. With bodies like that, Wang Weiqi would’ve had a nosebleed for sure.

Someone tall cut into his view—Yu Jingmo in his deep green shirt, his face almost glowing green from the reflection.

Tian Ruan: "...What?"

Yu Jingmo smirked. "Like what you see?"

Tian Ruan picked up on the jealousy and chuckled. "Strictly platonic appreciation."

Yu Jingmo could tell there was nothing impure in the young man’s gaze. "You’re no He Lansi—why bother?"

Tian Ruan: "Oh right, I could take some photos for He Lansi."

"..."

True to his word, after getting the woman’s permission, Tian Ruan took some glam shots and sent them to He Lansi.

He Lansi replied quickly: *Gorgeous. Keep ’em coming.*

Tian Ruan: I want to be paid.

He Lansi: How much?

Tian Ruan: Once Mr. Yu and I get back, you’ll paint us a portrait.

He Lansi: No problem.

Tian Ruan handed the surfboard to Yu Jingmo and brazenly snapped photos of women in bikinis, calling it artistic reference for He Lansi. Yu Jingmo took off his sunglasses and watched him bounce around, snorting in amusement: “If you love bikinis so much, I’ll make you wear one tonight.”

Unaware that another round of flirtatious antics was on its way, Tian Ruan feasted his eyes before skipping back gleefully to Yu Jingmo—only to find him surrounded by a crowd of gorgeous women.

Even among tall foreigners, Yu Jingmo’s height was towering, making him the tallest man on the beach. With his sunglasses off, his chiseled features were bathed in sunlight and sea breeze, radiating noble authority like a magnet for attention.

Foreign women, bold and open, were quick to flirt with someone they found interesting. Though Yu Jingmo remained aloof, his refined charm and fluent English made him smoothly charismatic.

With a slight lift of his phoenix eyes, Yu Jingmo spotted the black head lurking behind the women and pulled Tian Ruan forward.

Dangling before Yu Jingmo, Tian Ruan blinked innocently.

The women recoiled in shock. “Who is this?”

Yu Jingmo: “My wife.”

“??”

Recognizing a few of the women he’d photographed earlier, Tian Ruan offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry, this is my husband. We’re married.”

The women muttered loudly as they walked away, “Why do all the good ones have wives? The world is so unfair.”

Clutching Yu Jingmo’s hand protectively, Tian Ruan asked, “Don’t we look like a couple?”

Yu Jingmo: “If you stayed by my side instead of running off, no one would doubt it.”

An ice cream cart rolled by, and the vendor, noticing their clasped hands, asked Yu Jingmo, “Hey mister, wanna get your kid an ice cream?”

Yu Jingmo: “…”

Tian Ruan: “…”