Chapter 118

Chapter 118

Tian Ruan winced at his ruined pants, pulling them off and muttering, "If I patch them up, they’ll still work."

Yu Jingmo actually came back with a needle, thread, and some colorful fabric. He watched as the young man stitched away with serious concentration—though the final result looked like retro flower-print shorts from decades past.

Tian Ruan: "…"

Yu Jingmo remarked, "One of a kind."

A knock sounded at the door. Yu Jingmo opened it to find Mia grinning.

She handed over a paper box. "Kids these days—go wild."

"Thanks," Yu Jingmo replied, accepting the box and adding a polite "Good night" before closing the door.

Tian Ruan peeked over eagerly, having written off his patched-up floral pants. "What’s that? New threads?"

Yu Jingmo passed it to him. "You’ll see when you open it."

Tian Ruan ripped open the box full of anticipation, only to find three pieces of fabric inside. Two were triangular and connected by three thin straps; the larger piece was also triangular and attached to three more straps.

"What the hell is this?" Tian Ruan drew a blank.

Yu Jingmo’s eyes gleamed faintly. "Ring any bells from earlier?"

Tian Ruan: "?"

He mentally scrolled through everything he’d seen that day—half of which featured bikini-clad women…

Tian Ruan’s eyes nearly popped. "The hell? A bikini?!"

"Bingo," Yu Jingmo said smoothly.

Tian Ruan dropped the fabric, flaming red to his ears. "Why are you giving me this?!"

"Take a wild guess."

"I’m not wearing it!"

Yu Jingmo put on mock shock. "You stared at so many bikinis today—I thought you liked them."

Tian Ruan huffed. "I was appreciating the art!"

Deft fingers lifted the soft silk, and Yu Jingmo raked his gaze over the young man’s fair skin now flushed a tempting pink. "I want to see you wear it."

Tian Ruan turned his head, digging in his heels. "Your bikini quota’s filled today, right?"

"I don’t want anyone else. Just you."

"…"

"Baby, will you wear it for me?" His voice was low, smooth—sweet but lethal.

Tian Ruan’s ears burned, his resolve crumbling. "No way… This is women’s wear!"

"You’d rock it."

"Bull. Since when do guys wear bikinis?"

"You’ve feasted your eyes enough today—can’t you let me have mine too?" Yu Jingmo teased with the bikini, holding it up to his face. "Please."

Tian Ruan turned to putty. He couldn’t resist Yu Jingmo’s temptation or his “pleading,” even though he knew that the plea lacked sincerity and was driven purely by raw desire.

The pink pieces of fabric were designed to expose, already revealing a lot, with additional cut-out patterns.

Clearly, this wasn’t an ordinary bikini but lingerie designed for seduction.

Clutching the scraps in shame, Tian Ruan slipped into the bathroom.

Yu Jingmo, still impeccably dressed, sat composed on the sofa. He rummaged through the box and found two pink “bullets”—a playful little toy. Fiddling with the switch, he quickly mastered how to operate them.

Half an hour later, a flustered little rabbit emerged from the bathroom.

For a moment, Yu Jingmo thought back to the snowman again—Tian Ruan’s skin was so pale, and any marks vanished too quickly, usually fading entirely by the next day.

His fingertips skimmed lightly over the smooth surface. He could’ve been rougher; the bruises would have lasted longer.

But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He hated seeing Tian Ruan look so pitifully vulnerable, those damp eyes silently pleading under his touch.

Yu Jingmo far preferred Tian Ruan when he was happy.

Still damp from the shower, Tian Ruan covered himself as he approached, glaring in embarrassment. “It’s awful.” He’d hesitated for three whole minutes in front of the mirror before daring to step out.

“It looks good,” Yu Jingmo said, his gaze lingering like melting snow, finally settling on the faint bruise—his plum blossom.

Like a red bloom peeking through latticed windows, its beauty known only to him.

Yu Jingmo reached out, gently tugging Tian Ruan closer. As he sat down, the tangled crisscross of straps at his neck and back only added to his innocent charm.

Clad in barely-there threads, Tian Ruan settled onto the lap of the perfectly dressed Yu Jingmo—the visual contrast alone was electrifying.

“…” Tian Ruan avoided meeting his eyes, afraid the heat in his gaze would scorch him. Muttering under his breath, he repeated, “It’s not good.”

One hand supporting his narrow waist, the other resting on his knee, Yu Jingmo made no move, letting his eyes feast instead. His voice dropped lower. “It is. Take a look.”

Tian Ruan’s glance flickered toward Yu Jingmo—where a noticeable bulge strained beneath the fabric, as if hiding something precious.

Yu Jingmo caught his wrist, pressing a kiss to it like a cat high on catnip—seeming restrained, yet his eyes had already gone hazy with hunger.

Curled in his arms, Tian Ruan obediently played the role of catnip.

Yu Jingmo inhaled deeply, again and again.

His lips traced from wrist to shoulder, to collarbone…

His tongue nudged aside a strap as the “bullets” buzzed softly against the fabric.

Tian Ruan gasped. “What is that?”

“A little toy.”

The two “bullets” sent tingling waves through him, piercing deep into his body. Trembling, he clung tightly to Yu Jingmo. “Mr. Yu…”

Yu Jingmo hummed in response, removing the “bullets”—only to replace them with himself.

Tian Ruan arched his neck as the strap slipped free, the fabric now caught between Yu Jingmo’s fingers. The bikini didn’t even last half an hour before being tossed aside.

Biting Yu Jingmo’s neck, Tian Ruan hissed, “You bastard.”

"More." Yu Jingmo plucked out the thin strap hidden in the cloud-like folds and gave it a casual tug, startling Tian Ruan.

The young man instantly collapsed limply into his arms.

By the time the moon hung high in the sky, Tian Ruan was finally deep in sleep.

Yu Jingmo kissed his forehead, whispered "Goodnight," and only then closed his eyes under the dim bedside light.

The sleep was exceptionally sweet—perhaps due to the exhaustion from flying, surfing, and other strenuous activities the day before. Tian Ruan had to admire his own endurance for managing to do so much in a single day.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but envy Yu Jingmo’s stamina. The man had risen early to work out on the treadmill, and by the time Tian Ruan woke at noon, Yu Jingmo had already finished both his exercise and work, his efficiency almost annoying.

Tian Ruan: "How is it that you’re the one doing all the work, yet you’re also the one recharged so early?"

Yu Jingmo ordered room service for lunch—shrimp fried rice, a vegetable salad, chocolate berry scones, along with milk and coffee.

"Maybe because I'm older?" Yu Jingmo speculated. "I have better endurance."

Tian Ruan was stunned. "Isn’t it supposed to be the younger you are, the better your stamina?"

Yu Jingmo: "Nowadays, it’s the elderly climbing mountains and exploring the world while the young laze around at home."

"...That makes too much sense." Not wanting to fall behind, Tian Ruan pushed himself up after finishing his meal. "Then let’s go explore the world too."

Yu Jingmo narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly. "How’s your butt doing?"

Tian Ruan: "...Not great. Not doing it."

Yu Jingmo chuckled, then put socks on the young man, making sure he was all tidy and looking presentable before taking him out of the hotel.

To avoid drawing attention, Tian Ruan wore amber sunglasses, which lacked the imposing aura of Yu Jingmo’s shades but still offered a clear view of the beautiful scenery.

The oversized glasses on his small face kept sliding down his nose, forcing Tian Ruan to push them up repeatedly until he finally gave up and pushed them up onto his forehead.

With nothing pressing to do during their honeymoon, Tian Ruan had initially wanted to go surfing, but Yu Jingmo pointed out that that spot was still sore and shouldn’t be exposed to seawater. So they settled for a leisurely stroll along the shore.

The sunlight was perfect, and the beach was even more crowded than the day before. Suddenly, Tian Ruan spotted a newlywed couple.

Both the bride and groom were dressed in white—the bride in a bedazzled, puffy wedding dress that trailed across the sand, while the groom followed behind, dutifully gathering the train to keep it clean.

When it came time for photos, the bride nestled happily in her groom’s arms, beaming radiantly as they were surrounded by cheers.

Tian Ruan watched them intently—a glimpse of an ordinary couple’s happiness.

Yu Jingmo asked, "Do you want to take wedding photos too?"

Tian Ruan shook his head. "Wearing wedding clothes or not makes no difference to me. Any photo of us together is a wedding photo."

Yu Jingmo took out his phone and snapped a picture of the two of them—*click*—capturing Tian Ruan caught off-guard, mouth slightly agape.

Tian Ruan: "...That’s awful. Delete it and take another."

Yu Jingmo took another shot but kept the first one—a wind-blown, sun-drenched moment of Tian Ruan in a white shirt, looking dazed against the golden sand. Amusing.

Just then, his phone rang on speaker.

Mao Qi: "Boss, Mrs. Tian, a large group of Deyin students is heading your way."

Hearing this, Tian Ruan instinctively glanced back and indeed saw an organized group of Deyin students in matching orange winter camp jackets, walking briskly along the shore in formation.

Tian Ruan bolted, only to turn back after ten meters and yank Yu Jingmo with him.

The Deyin students chanted, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven! Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one! Forward! Forward!... Hey, that figure ahead looks familiar."

Wang Weiqi quietly stepped out of line for a look and recognized them instantly. As a man of his word, he had to keep his promise—to guard Tian Ruan’s secret and prevent others from discovering that he was here with Yu Jingmo sneaking around... wait, their honeymoon.

"Ha!" Wang Weiqi spread his legs, crouched halfway, raised his arms in a peace sign, and thrust his butt out with such force that four or five classmates behind him tumbled over.

"Wang Weiqi! What are you doing?!"

Wang Weiqi scuttled crab-style, darting to the front of the line before slowing to a turtle’s crawl. "Ah, I’m so tired. Will someone carry me?"

One, two, three, four classmates brushed past him without a second glance.

"..."

Nan Huaiju scoffed. "So lame. Are you here to clown around?"

Then he raised his eyes to the fleeing figures ahead. "That silhouette... looks like Tian Ruan."

Wang Weiqi glared at Nan Huaiju. "You still can’t let him go, huh? Everyone looks like Tian Ruan to you."

Nan Huaiju kicked Wang Weiqi flying. "Screw you! I’ve already moved on completely!"

Wang Weiqi rolled straight into a group of bikini-clad beauties, happily drowning in attention, completely forgetting about Tian Ruan as he planted himself there.

Nan Huaiju sprinted after them—he had to see if it was really Tian Ruan!

From the phone: "Babe, someone’s catching up!"

Tian Ruan put on his sunglasses and glanced back—who else could it be but that dumbass Nan Huaiju? Cursing his bad luck, he suddenly spotted a few blue plastic scooters in a small roadside park, up for grabs.

Tian Ruan immediately grabbed one and went pedal-to-the-metal. "Mr. Yu, get on! I’ll take you!"

Yu Jingmo strode forward with long steps, watching Tian Ruan’s scooter wheels spin uselessly, moving slower than his walking pace.

Tian Ruan: "..."

Some blond kid on a scooter caught up and asked curiously, "You five too, mister?"

Tian Ruan: "......"

Yu Jingmo scooped Tian Ruan up from the scooter, cradling him like a child. "He’s nineteen, but to Daddy, he’s still a baby."