Chapter 178

Chapter 178

What’s it like to wake up in your husband’s arms?

Tian Ruan has the answer—it’s boiling hot.

Cramped and sweltering, to be exact. The real issue was, though his body had grown accustomed to Yu Jingmo, his mind was still foggy and slow to react. Startled, his brain short-circuited, and he threw an elbow strike: "Who's there?!"

Yu Jingmo grunted, rudely awakened. If not for his well-toned chest and abdominal muscles, he might have gotten seriously hurt.

Tian Ruan scrambled back in panic, teetering on the edge of the bed, the sheets tangled around him. Just as he was about to tumble off, Yu Jingmo’s long arm hooked around him, pulling him back into his embrace. Breathing in the familiar scent, Tian Ruan gawked in a daze at the unbelievably gorgeous man mere inches away.

"It's me," Yu Jingmo sighed.

He had expected Tian Ruan to wake up delighted, showering him with kisses—only to receive an elbow instead.

"Mr. Yu?" Tian Ruan finally registered the joy. "What are you doing here? Am I dreaming?"

Yu Jingmo: "I wish it were a dream. You just hit me."

Tian Ruan: "..."

His brain finally caught up, and Tian Ruan recalled his earlier violence. "I'm sorry, does it hurt? Let me rub it for you."

Yu Jingmo remained still.

As Tian Ruan kneaded, he couldn’t help but marvel at how fun Yu Jingmo’s chest and abs felt under his hands. Soon, he was using both hands to massage them. "Does it still hurt?"

"..." Yu Jingmo caught his wrists, resigned. "It doesn’t."

Tian Ruan, guilt-ridden and concerned: "Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I thought you were some pervert!"

Yu Jingmo’s phoenix eyes lifted slightly, locking onto the younger man’s gaze, his lips quirking. "How do you know I’m not?"

Tian Ruan froze, then tried to pull away again. "Not happening!"

Yu Jingmo tightened his hold, preventing him from falling. "This bed’s tiny—quit squirming."

"..." Tian Ruan’s face flushed as he gazed at him. "Really, no."

"Mhm."

"But I can give you a kiss."

"Okay."

Tian Ruan puckered his lips slightly and pressed a kiss to Yu Jingmo’s full forehead, near the widow’s peak, the V-shaped hairline.

This messy-haired, low and husky-voiced Yu Jingmo, with his affectionate phoenix eyes—only Tian Ruan could see him like this. The only one allowed to.

Overflowing with tenderness, Tian Ruan gazed longingly at Yu Jingmo, unable to get enough. "So this is where you’re staying for work?"

The Yu family’s empire spanned the nation, with branches in every major city—this place was no exception. Yu Jingmo hadn’t inspected this location in nearly three years. Now, with Tian Ruan’s summer camp here, it was the perfect opportunity for an impromptu inspection.

"Mhm." Yu Jingmo didn’t want to discuss work. "Happy I’m here?"

"What does it look like?" Tian Ruan’s eyes sparkled, as if filled with countless little stars.

Yu Jingmo kissed the warm, thin skin of his eyelids, the long lashes slightly damp. Then the faint dip between his brows, the tip of his slightly upturned nose, and finally his soft, rosy lips.

...planting meticulous kisses all over.

The scent of last night's body wash still lingered between them, tickling their noses as they exchanged a morning kiss.

Yu Jingmo’s large hand rested on Tian Ruan’s soft lower back, gently stroking, wrinkling and tousling his pajamas in the process.

The young man’s eyes glistened, his breath warm against Yu Jingmo's lips.

“We can't…” Tian Ruan whispered.

Yu Jingmo: “Just let me touch you.”

Tian Ruan let him touch for nearly half an hour before grabbing his phone and realizing it was already seven in the morning. He panicked. “We have to meet at eight!”

With getting dressed and eating, they'd barely make it.

Yu Jingmo helped him sit up, then got out of bed and dug out a set of clothes from his suitcase. “Wear this.”

Rushing against the clock, Tian Ruan managed to get ready in half an hour when suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Checking the peephole, Tian Ruan saw Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan and finally opened the door in relief.

“Not ready yet?” Lu Qiuyan asked the moment the door opened.

Tian Ruan: “Done, let’s go now.”

Just as Lu Qiuyan was about to say “Let’s go,” his gaze landed on a tall, imposing figure standing in the lavishly decorated twin-bed room. At first, he didn’t recognize the man’s back, and his eyes widened in shock as he stared at Tian Ruan. “You… you sly dog, you’ve got someone else in there?”

Tian Ruan: “??”

Yu Shang called out, “Dad.”

Yu Jingmo turned around, his expression calm. “Not hiding. He’s domestic.”

Lu Qiuyan: “…”

Tian Ruan turned to instruct, “Mr. Yu, wait thirty more minutes before you leave.”

Yu Jingmo: “Got it.”

A minute later, the guest room door closed, leaving Yu Jingmo's tall frame behind.

Tian Ruan explained to Lu Qiuyan, “Mr. Yu is here on a business trip.”

Lu Qiuyan said flatly, “No need to explain to me. Business trip or booty call, whatever you say.”

“…”

Yu Shang said, “They’re legally married. Nothing wrong with it.”

Lu Qiuyan looked at the stone-faced Yu Shang. Even Yu Shang was unfazed—proof that this couple had thoroughly numbed their son to this. “My condolences.”

Yu Shang: “?”

Only when they reached the dining hall did Tian Ruan realize he wasn’t the last one—some students were still missing.

They didn't all assemble until 8:30.

The homeroom teacher called roll, and after a round of “Here!”s, everyone put on their volunteer vests and caps before piling onto the shuttle bus to the nearby ancient town.

The theme of this summer camp is community service, requiring participants to serve as environmental volunteers in nearby ancient towns for seven days, helping with cleaning, public outreach, and tour guiding. In short, it's about doing something meaningful while having fun, fostering a sense of social responsibility.

Compared to artistic creation or cultural education programs, Tian Ruan prefers this hands-on summer camp theme, as it not only builds practical skills but also provides an understanding of how society works.

The buses split up en route, heading to different ancient towns.

Tian Ruan’s group consisted of familiar faces—mostly kids from Classes 1, 2, and 3, plus a few student council reps—except for Xi Qin and Qian Lailai, who were assigned to other groups.

Upon arriving at the ancient town, the moment they stepped off the bus, they were hit by blistering heat under the blazing sun. The one perk volunteers got over tourists was not having to queue for tickets.

The homeroom teacher and another teacher assigned tasks: "...Hai Chao, help out at Xilai Inn, Nan Huaiju also as a helper."

"Wang Weiqi, report to the sanitation department to get tools and sweep the streets."

Wang Weiqi gaped. "Teacher, the sun is this harsh, and you want me to sweep the streets??"

The homeroom teacher replied, "You're already so dark—a little more sun won’t kill you."

"..."

Tian Ruan had just finished laughing at Wang Weiqi when the homeroom teacher said, "Tian Ruan, go to the ancient town’s neighborhood committee to pick up a set of Hanfu and play a costumed character."

Wang Weiqi: "Hahahaha!"

Tian Ruan: "..."

The homeroom teacher continued assigning tasks: "Lu Qiuyan and Yu Shang, team up to learn the landmarks by heart and answer tourists’ questions."

Yu Shang: "Sure."

Lu Qiuyan: "...Teacher, can I swap tasks with Tian Ruan?"

The homeroom teacher: "No."

Tian Ruan was happy again—this was exactly the arrangement in the original story. Yu Shang had a near-photographic memory, while Lu Qiuyan forgot things the moment he saw them, leading to a scenario where Yu Shang answered questions while Lu Qiuyan served as a mascot.

Eventually, Lu Qiuyan got so bored he fell asleep. Seeing this, Yu Shang gestured for the surrounding tourists to keep quiet, then picked up Lu Qiuyan to let him rest.

Such a cute moment.

Tian Ruan snickered.

Whenever Tian Ruan smiled like this, Lu Qiuyan would break out in goosebumps. "It’s this hot, and you have to wear so many layers, yet you can still laugh?"

Tian Ruan’s smile froze on his face.

Following the travel pamphlet, after dismissal, Tian Ruan sulked his way to the committee office.

The sanitation department and the neighborhood committee were in the same place. Wang Weiqi called out, "Hey, wait up."

Tian Ruan suddenly remembered he had brought a sun umbrella, so he took it out and flipped it open.

Wang Weiqi said enviously, "You even brought an umbrella? Lemme get under that."

Tian Ruan: "Nah, you’re good."

"..."

Wang Weiqi looked around. There weren’t too many tourists yet, and the narrow streets were pretty empty. The smell of meat buns drifted over from somewhere, and he took a deep whiff. "Damn, that smells good."

Tian Ruan spotted a shop selling oil-paper umbrellas and said, "Go buy one."

Wang Weiqi promptly bought a loud oil-paper umbrella and walked down the street like a hulking figure with a flowery umbrella.

Tian Ruan: "...Your taste is even more old-fashioned than mine."

Wang Weiqi grinned proudly. "Just slightly worse than yours. I think it's fine."

Tian Ruan gave him a thumbs-up.

When they arrived at the community center, Tian Ruan flashed his volunteer ID and explained his purpose. The elderly woman at the center warmly greeted him, "What a good-looking young man! Here, put this on."

Tian Ruan took the *Hanfu* and went into the back room to change.

Meanwhile, Wang Weiqi grabbed a large broom and waited outside.

Twenty minutes later, Tian Ruan emerged, wearing a loose, light grayish-beige robe with a snow-white collar, fastened with buttons at the neck. The cuffs were neatly tapered, embroidered with the orchids at the front, and the hem fell to his knees. He wore a pair of black boots.

Wang Weiqi gasped, "Tian Ruan, you look like a total pretty boy."

Tian Ruan: "...Get lost."

The elderly woman at the center chuckled gleefully. "See, handsome people can pull off anything! Last time, a guy wore this and looked like a rough-looking guy, but you—you look like a scholar."

Tian Ruan suddenly felt uneasy. "Someone else has worn this before?"

"Relax, relax, it’s been washed."

Tian Ruan sniffed the sleeves and relaxed slightly after confirming there was no funny smell. "Auntie, what about the pants?"

Auntie: "Pants? Just regular shorts."

Tian Ruan lifted the hem, revealing his bare knees. "Like this?"

Auntie: "It’s cooler this way. Otherwise, it’d be too hot."

Tian Ruan figured she had a point and nodded.

Wang Weiqi suddenly burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! This is too funny!"

Tian Ruan: "..."

Wang Weiqi took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to the class group chat: "Don’t be fooled by this tour attraction staff’s proper outfit—underneath, he’s just wearing shorts!"

Tian Ruan had originally planned to take a photo to show Yu Jingmo, but now he decided against it.

With a click—Mao Qi captured the scene and sent it to Yu Jingmo.