Chapter 179

Chapter 179

At ten in the morning, the number of tourists in the ancient town suddenly surged, a sea of people packed shoulder to shoulder, bustling like a temple fair.

Students from Deyin High School, dressed in volunteer uniforms, were organizing order on the streets. The shouts of tour guides, the clamor of tourists, and the hawking of shops blended into the vibrant pulse of everyday life.

Tian Ruan met up with fellow NPCs—some male, some female, playing roles of various ages. He learned that most of them were college students working summer jobs.

When they found out Tian Ruan was still in high school, they treated him warmly, introducing him to the town’s cultural highlights and the dos and don’ts of being an NPC.

To demonstrate, they jumped into character, showing Tian Ruan what it meant to embody the essence of being an NPC.

Tourists snapped photos of the young men and women in Hanfu. One guy stripped off his top, flexing his biceps for the crowd.

A girl unsheathed a sword and performed a dance beside him, drawing cheers all around.

Tian Ruan clapped enthusiastically like a seal: "Amazing!"

A tourist asked, "Aren’t you an NPC?"

Tian Ruan: "I am."

Tourist: "Then what’s your talent?"

Tian Ruan thought for a moment. "Does being good-looking count as a skill?"

Everyone laughed and clamored to take photos with him. Tian Ruan stood dutifully at attention, without striking any poses, yet by the end of the day, he had been photographed the most among all the NPCs with ordinary costumes.

Even when he did nothing but space out by the roadside, people still approached him.

In Tian Ruan’s imagination, NPCs were supposed to be inconspicuous. But in this ancient town, the opposite seemed true—NPCs had become one of the main attractions.

Wang Weiqi, who was in charge of sweeping the streets, saw how popular Tian Ruan was and assumed it was all thanks to the Hanfu. So he rushed to the neighborhood committee, throwing a fit until they gave him a set of ancient-style clothing to wear.

When Wang Weiqi returned to the streets with his broom, Tian Ruan’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. His usually plain, dark-skinned classmate was now clad in a grass-woven top and matching skirt, his face smeared with red and yellow paint, two peacock feathers stuck in his hair, his arms, legs, and chest bare—as if he’d time-traveled straight back to the Stone Age.

Tian Ruan: "..."

Admittedly, the style suited Wang Weiqi surprisingly well.

Novelty has its appeal. In no time, Wang Weiqi’s bizarre outfit drew swarms of curious tourists, who clapped and demanded a performance. Seizing the moment, Wang Weiqi dropped to all fours, barking like a ferocious dog impression before lunging at Tian Ruan.

Tian Ruan bolted: "Teacher! Wang Weiqi’s gone rabid!"

Wang Weiqi: "Hey, no I don’t!"

Tian Ruan ran off to find the main couple, spotting them near a historic landmark. Even in plain volunteer uniforms, they stood out effortlessly in the crowd—few people were taller than them.

Especially Yu Shang, whose tall, striking physique and handsome, chiseled features won over countless admirers. Girls eagerly approached him with questions.

Lu Qiuyan, as usual, remained aloof, indifferent to the sea of faces around him. The moment he lowered his gaze to the densely packed text on the tourist pamphlet, his vision swam and head spun, and under the scorching sun, drowsiness overtook him.

Only Yu Shang, the blockhead, diligently memorized the origins, history, and legends of the landmarks, reciting them on the spot when asked by tourists—so smoothly that no one could tell he was last-minute cramming.

Unaware onlookers might genuinely believe Yu Shang was a walking encyclopedia of historical tales.

Lu Qiuyan simply perched on the railing of a corridor, dozing off, tuning out the coming and going of crowds, single-mindedly focused on napping.

Suddenly, the scent of spicy gluten strips wafted into his nose.

Lu Qiuyan blinked awake to see a handsome scholar straight out of a classical painting holding a pack of opened spicy gluten strips. "...What's wrong with you?"

Tian Ruan was huffing from the heat. "Want some spicy strips?"

"No."

"I also have jerky, dried tofu, peanuts..." Tian Ruan rummaged through his backpack. "And squeeze jelly."

"..." Unable to resist such a snack haul, Lu Qiuyan reached over, took a pack of cucumber-flavored chips, and tore it open.

Tian Ruan flashed a knowing grin. "You like cucumber chips too?"

"You only brought cucumber-flavored ones."

"Do you like cucumbers?"

"They're alright."

"Hehehe, Yu Shang has a huge cucumber."

Lu Qiuyan glared at him. "Asking for a smack? I’ll oblige."

Tian Ruan shared the chips with him, then passed him another pack of spicy strips and a sausage. "Look how hungry you are. Even Yu Shang hasn’t satisfied you."

Lu Qiuyan snapped and kicked at him.

Tian Ruan let out a "Ha!" and jumped back, clutching his backpack.

Lu Qiuyan chased after him with a barrage of kicks.

Tian Ruan circled around Yu Shang. "Kid, help me out!"

Nearby tourists scattered, eyeing them nervously. "What kind of performance is this?"

Yu Shang: "..."

The performance was probably titled "Disrespectful Son-in-Law Beats Up Future Mother-in-Law."

In the end, Yu Shang had to pin Lu Qiuyan down and drag him away. Tian Ruan chimed in, "Don’t fight. Play nice with each other."

Yu Shang: "Everything would be fine if you weren’t between us."

"..." They say being a mother-in-law is hard—turns out it’s true.

Lu Qiuyan glanced at the dumbfounded Tian Ruan and sighed. "Don’t say that about him. He just has no filter, erratic behavior, and a bratty attitude."

Tian Ruan: "Is that a compliment?"

Lu Qiuyan: "Yes, it is."

Tian Ruan beamed. "Thanks."

Lu Qiuyan: "See? Total dumbass. If I really wanted to hit you, no one could stop me."

Yu Shang released Lu Qiuyan and glanced at his watch, annoyed. "It’s past eleven. Let’s get lunch."

Lu Qiuyan’s stomach growled right on cue. His tall frame had long digested the light breakfast, and after messing around with Tian Ruan, he was starving.

Hearing the growl, Yu Shang’s frown relaxed.

Lu Qiuyan looked uncomfortable, "Where are we eating?"

Apart from breakfast and dinner at the hotel, lunch during this summer camp had to be handled themselves. Tian Ruan said without thinking, "Xilai Inn."

It was the inn where Hai Chao and Nan Huaiju worked as attendants. Tian Ruan hadn’t had time to wander around all morning, so this was the perfect opportunity to grab lunch and check out the scene.

Yu Shang didn’t refuse. "Sounds good."

As the most famous inn in the ancient town, Xilai Inn was naturally packed at noon. The moment Tian Ruan stepped inside, he was first dazzled by the antique decor, then almost deafened by the clamor of the crowd.

To give visitors the most authentic dining experience, the inn hung a row of wooden plaques, each carved with the names of various dishes—braised pork meatballs, Dongpo pork, salt-baked chicken, preserved vegetable with pork, stuffed tofu, and so on.

To order, guests had to rely on servers in traditional Hanfu outfits to write down their orders in notebooks before relaying them to the kitchen.

For guests already accustomed to scanning QR codes to order, this method was definitely outdated and inconvenient. The owners found it troublesome too, but for the sake of preserving the town’s cultural heritage, they had to keep it up.

As a result, the main hall sounded like total chaos.

"Why hasn’t my preserved vegetable with pork arrived yet?!"

"Salt-baked chicken! Salt-baked chicken!"

"Hey! I ordered iced Coke, not room-temperature Coke!"

Tian Ruan’s head was pounding from the noise, feeling like he was about to get another concussion. His phone vibrated in his pocket, and when he pulled it out, he saw it was a call from "Yu Jingmo." He quickly answered.

"Mr. Yu! I’m at Xilai Inn! It’s so loud! What? Huh? You’re on the second floor? I’m coming up now! Wait for me!!"

Tian Ruan yelled through the call, then turned to Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan, raising his voice, "Let’s go upstairs! VIP room!"

Without hesitation, Yu Shang grabbed Lu Qiuyan and led him through the bustling hall toward the upper floor.

Tian Ruan had assumed the upstairs would be similar to downstairs, but the moment he reached the second floor, he wondered if he’d entered another world. Compared to the chaos below, the second floor was dead silent.

Just then, a server in a traditional short robe walked by. Tian Ruan took a closer look. "Hai Chao?"

Hai Chao gestured casually. "Your private room is over there, Room A."

Yu Shang: "Thanks."

Tian Ruan chatted a little. "Where’s Nan Huaiju? Doesn’t he work here too?"

Hai Chao: "Even attendants need to eat, boss."

Tian Ruan: "Oh."

Nan Huaiju was eating, while Hai Chao was still here carrying trays. Something felt off—like Nan Huaiju, too spoiled to work, didn’t want to work, leaving Hai Chao to handle both their duties.

Tian Ruan set that aside for now. Arriving at the private room, he fixed his face and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Tian Ruan pushed the door open. The room wasn’t very large, but it had an antique-style window, with tables, chairs, and a folding screen all made to look antique. On the table sat a wide-mouthed vase filled haphazardly with flowers and a small incense burner, its hollowed-out lotus lid releasing delicate wisps of white smoke. The fragrance was light and elegant, somewhat reminiscent of honeyed pear.

Yu Jingmo sat at the table, working on his laptop while waiting, fingers tapping the keyboard before pressing Enter. His tall, poised figure against the bamboo-and-orchid-patterned screen behind him fit right in.

"Mr. Yu, we’re here," Tian Ruan said meekly.

Yu Jingmo closed his laptop, stowed it, and said, "Sit down."

Tian Ruan sat down beside him, so close he could smell Yu Jingmo’s warm, pleasant sandalwood scent. "Mr. Yu, what brings you here?"

Yu Jingmo looked at him and answered the rhetorical question: "To have dinner with you."

Tian Ruan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "It's so much quieter upstairs than downstairs. I was about to leave."

"Then you’d have gone hungry."

"?"

Yu Shang added, "Every restaurant in the ancient town is probably packed with tourists."

Only once the waiter had served all the dishes and poured the tea did Yu Jingmo pick up his chopsticks. "Let's eat."

Tian Ruan tried each dish. When he tasted the braised pork with preserved vegetables, his face brightened. "Mr. Yu, this is delicious!"

Yu Jingmo replied, "This place does it right."

Tian Ruan put some on his plate. "Here, eat."

"Mhm."

Tian Ruan then used serving chopsticks to dish out food for Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan. "Come on, eat more. You're both still growing."

Yu Shang said flatly, "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome~" Tian Ruan beamed, only to turn and find Yu Jingmo watching him with amusement. "What?"

The corners of Yu Jingmo's lips lifted slightly. "You're really acting more like a parent."

"..."

After the meal, Tian Ruan, too full to move, asked, "What time do we start work this afternoon?"

Calling this summer camp "work" wasn’t far off.

Yu Shang said flatly, "One o'clock."

Tian Ruan groaned, "One o’clock? That’s brutal. Who decided that?"

Yu Shang replied flatly, "I did."

As soon as he spoke, thunder rumbled outside.

Tian Ruan immediately backtracked. "Summer camp’s supposed to toughen us up. One o’clock’s nothing—I’ll manage!"

Yu Jingmo looked down at him. "I’d believe you if you weren’t sprawled all over me while saying that."

Tian Ruan abruptly straightened up. No wonder Lu Qiuyan was giving him a disdainful look—he had unknowingly leaned into Yu Jingmo's embrace. Scary how easily habits form.

At least no outsiders saw.

Lu Qiuyan finished his orange juice and said, "Thanks for lunch, Uncle. I’ll get out of your hair."

Tian Ruan waved a hand. "Nah, you’re fine. Stick around."

Lu Qiuyan shook his head. "No, I’d just be third-wheeling."

"..."

Yu Shang was attached to Lu Qiuyan, so naturally, Yu Shang had to leave when Lu Qiuyan did. He stood up and said, "Dad, Papa, we’ll leave you two alone."

Tian Ruan: "Really, it’s no bother. It’s nice seeing you enjoy family time."

Yu Shang’s eyebrow twitched, and he left with stiff formality.

Tian Ruan said, "I’ll catch up with you guys later."

The private room door opened, and five or six De Yin students in volunteer uniforms passed by, greeting them: "Prez, you’re here to eat too?"

Their eyes automatically darted into the room.

Yu Shang slammed the door shut and said, "Just me and Lu Qiuyan came to eat."

Everyone: "..." *We know you’re dating, but do you have to be so blatant about it? Talking big about how high schoolers shouldn’t date, yet secretly meeting up in a private room for meals. Tsk tsk.*

Lu Qiuyan stood frozen like a statue—all because of Tian Ruan, he had sacrificed his reputation...

"Well, Prez, enjoy your date. We’ll head out first."

Yu Shang kept a straight face. "Mm."

Once they left, Yu Shang said to Lu Qiuyan, "Let’s go."

Lu Qiuyan: "I just realized this inn has a fitting name."

Yu Shang: "?"

Lu Qiuyan: "Westcoming Inn—must be from the Western Heaven. Coming here to eat is like going through eighty-one trials."

Yu Shang paused briefly. "I’ll set the record straight."

"No need."

"No need?" Yu Shang’s expression shifted slightly.

Lu Qiuyan said impassively, "I’ve already been thrown into the Yellow River and can’t come clean."

A head popped out from the private room door, a fair face tilted upward as it said, "Could you two not flirt here? Mr. Yu and I heard everything."

"…………"

Yu Shang and Lu Qiuyan made a break for it.

Tian Ruan closed the door and comfortably got back to his own flirting with Yu Jingmo: "Mr. Yu, my feet hurt from walking all morning. Massage them for me."

With that, he took off his shoes and stretched his feet onto Yu Jingmo’s lap.

Yu Jingmo removed his socks, took out an alcohol wipe, and thoroughly wiped them down.

Tian Ruan: "...My feet don’t stink."

"Your shoes do. You’re not wearing them again."

"Okay."

The young man’s legs were milky-white and slender, his calves puffy from being wrapped in boots all morning. His slender feet and prominent ankle bones had looked pure when covered by white socks, but once bare, they had a provocative quality that seemed too mature.

Yu Jingmo inspected Tian Ruan’s feet closely and found the heels and joints near his big toes chafed red. His skin was already thin, making the areas appear nearly see-through.

Yu Jingmo took out a spray for bruises and sprains from his laptop bag and sprayed it on Tian Ruan’s injured feet.

Tian Ruan felt the previously hot, chafed skin turn cool and said happily, "It doesn’t hurt anymore."

"If it worked that fast, it couldn’t have hurt much to begin with. You were hopping around all morning and still had the energy to mess around with Lu Qiuyan."

Only then did Tian Ruan remember his outfit. Wiggling his toes, he asked, "Mr. Yu, do I look good in this?"

Yu Jingmo gazed at him—the young man looked every bit the elegant, fair-skinned scholar. "You look good. You look good in… well, anything."

"Why the pause?"

Yu Jingmo only smiled without answering.

Tian Ruan’s eyes lit up. "Were you remembering all those crazy outfits I wore?"

Yu Jingmo: "So you *know* they were weird?"

Tian Ruan lowered his legs and wrapped his arms around Yu Jingmo’s neck. "Tell me, what else haven’t you remembered yet?"

Yu Jingmo lowered his phoenix eyes, his dark pupils glinting with flecks of light, flickering only for the young man so close to him. "How would I know what I haven’t remembered yet?"

"Fair point." Tian Ruan prompted, "What about when we danced at the company party?"

Yu Jingmo: "When you dressed up as Santa?"

"...Yeah."

"Mm."

"What about the fireworks I set off for your birthday last year?"

"As if I could forget."

"And when I got kidnapped abroad?"

"What?" Yu Jingmo’s expression darkened. "That *happened*? You’re *never* going abroad again."

"..." Tian Ruan widened his eyes and glared at him. "Are you serious?"

Yu Jingmo said solemnly, "Do I *sound* like I’m joking?"

"No."

"Okay, bad joke."

Tian Ruan laughed and clung to Yu Jingmo like a bird nestling into its perch. "Mr. Yu, you suck at jokes—you *actually* scared me."

Yu Jingmo pulled the young man fully into his embrace and asked softly, "How can I make it up to you?"

"Like this."

"Just holding you is enough?"

"Not *nearly* enough, but kissing’s off-limits here. That’s a hotel-only activity."

Yu Jingmo just held him, settling him onto his lap. "Then we’ll save it for the hotel."

Tian Ruan flushed pink. "But the people next door..."

"Then let's go to the hotel I'm staying at."

"Okay." Tian Ruan's face flushed with excitement. "We'll be sneaking around tonight."

Yu Jingmo tapped the tip of his nose. "What sneaking around? We're legally wedded husbands."

"Oh, right." Tian Ruan suddenly realized. "Why does it feel like we're sneaking around?"

Yu Jingmo looked at him and smiled. "Wife, you wouldn’t want your husband to know you're acting like this outside, would you?"

Tian Ruan: "..."

"Want to play along?"

"No." Tian Ruan shivered. "No matter the role-play, please stick to the principle that 'there’s only one Mr. Yu.'"

Yu Jingmo nodded. "Wife, though I’ve forgotten you, my big dragon still remembers you. Please comfort it."

Tian Ruan: "..."

Tian Ruan sat down hard and swatted at him. "Take that, you beast!"

Yu Jingmo’s eyes darkened slightly as his large hand gripped the small of the young man’s back, giving a teasing squeeze.

Tian Ruan, tickled by the touch, broke into giggles and collapsed into Yu Jingmo’s arms.

"Do that again, I dare you?" Yu Jingmo asked.

"I won’t, hubby, spare me!" Tian Ruan teased deliberately.

Yu Jingmo’s Adam’s apple bobbed, his expression calm. "Say it again."

Tian Ruan tilted his head up, his lips still sweet from the dessert. "Hubby, have mercy~"

Yu Jingmo: "Tease without consequences, and you'll get payback tonight."

"What payback?"

"For example, the Dragon King’s fury, endless floods to drown a bookworm like you."

Tian Ruan, knowing Yu Jingmo was fully capable of such things, shivered and whimpered, "No..."

Yu Jingmo let out a slow breath, chuckling. "You sure know how to push my buttons."

"??"

"In bed, 'no' means 'yes.'"

"With me, 'no' means 'no,'" Tian Ruan declared bossily.

Yu Jingmo watched him playing hard to get without a word, then grabbed a fresh pair of socks for him and helped him into sneakers. "That’s better."

Tian Ruan looked down at his bare legs. "Is this really okay?"

"Comfort over style."

Tian Ruan nodded. "I’m heading out."

Yu Jingmo: "Tonight, then."

Tian Ruan slipped out of the private room and headed straight for the inn's kitchen. Dressed in an NPC costume, he fit right in with the old-timey setting—except for the pair of sneakers on his feet.

The inn staff didn’t bother him, assuming he was a paid NPC, so Tian Ruan made his way smoothly to the kitchen.

The kitchen was located in the backyard connected to the main hall, with waiters hurrying down the hallway carrying dishes, busy waitstaff, and Nan Huaiju munching lazily on candied hawthorns.

Hai Chao came out of the kitchen holding two plates of food. When he saw Tian Ruan in the middle of the corridor, he frowned and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Nan Huaiju glanced over at the sound.

Tian Ruan stepped aside and pointed at Nan Huaiju. "I'm looking for him."

Hai Chao didn’t say another word and walked past with the plates, clearly swamped—probably hadn’t even eaten yet.

Meanwhile, Nan Huaiju, having already finished his meal, was leisurely nibbling on tanghulu. Tian Ruan thought it was weird and approached him.

Nan Huaiju, who had been crouching in the shade eating his treat, stood up. His head, slightly shorter than Tian Ruan’s, lifted arrogantly as he asked, putting up a tough front, "What do you want? I don’t like you anymore."

Tian Ruan: "...I know. You like Hai Chao."

Nan Huaiju went beet red. "I—I do not! I don’t like him at all!"

Tian Ruan: "I’m just curious—when did you start liking him?"

"Buzz off." Nan Huaiju bit into the sour hawthorn candy, his face scrunching up like a wrinkled prune from the sourness.

"Fine. 'Love comes unbidden, yet lingers deep.'" Tian Ruan wasn’t that invested in uncovering the origins of Nan Huaiju’s feelings for Hai Chao. After all, look at Du Henbie and He Lansi—they just ended up together without warning.

Nan Huaiju: "That’s cheesy."

Tian Ruan: "The hawthorn is sour."

Nan Huaiju: "Your jokes are worse."

Tian Ruan: "...So how far have you and Hai Chao gotten? Confessed? Held hands? Kissed?"

Nan Huaiju’s face turned bright red. "Why do you care? Why are you interrogating me?"

Tian Ruan adopted a fatherly voice. "I have to ask. You know Hai Chao is my nephew."

Nan Huaiju froze, like a glitching computer. It took him a moment to process—how had he forgotten? Legally, Hai Chao was Tian Ruan’s nephew.

Tian Ruan: "So it’s only natural for me to check in. Especially since Hai Chao has parents like his—they don’t care about him at all."

Nan Huaiju’s eyes flickered as if struck by empathy. "I know how that feels. My parents don’t pay much attention to me either."

"From now on, I’ll look after both of you," Tian Ruan said, glowing like a halo.

Nan Huaiju nearly went blind from the metaphorical glow. Gripping his candied hawthorn, he hesitated. "Do I have to call you 'Auntie' too?"

Tian Ruan almost tripped over nothing. In his mind, he cursed Hai Chao a hundred times in an instant, but his face remained all saintly smiles. "No, just 'Uncle' is fine."

Nan Huaiju nodded. "Alright then, Uncle." Since he’d already accepted Tian Ruan as an elder, calling him "Uncle" wasn’t a big deal.

Tian Ruan coaxed gently, "Good boy. Are you and Hai Chao together willingly?"

Nan Huaiju couldn’t keep anything to himself. "Yes, Uncle."

Biting back a grin, Tian Ruan mused, "Ah, now this is some tasty tea."

"What?" Nan Huaiju looked puzzled.

"Cough* That candied haw stick looks really good."

Nan Huaiju said with a pained expression, "My stomach's upset. Hai Chao made me eat this."

"You listen to him?"

"I... I don't dare disobey. He'll hit me."

"Hit you where?"

"My ass." Nan Huaiju blushed.

Tian Ruan was screaming inside: *I knew it! Hai Chao hits Nan Huaiju’s ass! All tops love hitting the bottom’s ass!! Butts forever!!!*

Nan Huaiju hesitated, "Did I say too much?"

Tian Ruan put on a saintly smile, "No, child, I know exactly what you mean. So, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, will you stay with Hai Chao?"

Suddenly, Nan Huaiju felt as if he were at a wedding, with the groom walking toward him. Caught up in the moment, he shouted, "I do!"

Hai Chao stopped dead in his tracks.

Tian Ruan declared, "I now pronounce you husband and husband!"

(silence)

Tian Ruan booked it out of there.