Chapter 123: Panicked Panting Underwater

Chapter 123: Chaotic Gasps Beneath the Water

"Check what?"

Qin Jiao suddenly remembered—when Xie Nai had first led him into the water, he'd said the same thing about checking him.

"Didn't you say your stomach was hurting earlier at the Marquis of Pingning's estate? Don't move, let me take a look."

Without another word, Xie Nai's hand moved toward Qin Jiao's lower abdomen. "N-no... no need, Xie Nai, mm."

Qin Jiao's protest dissolved into a soft whimper.

Qin Jiao was slender, with a flat stomach, and when Xie Nai reached out, he found the skin unexpectedly soft and supple.

"Nothing feels off to the touch. Does it still hurt?"

As he spoke, Xie Nai moved to pull aside Qin Jiao's soaked undergarment to probe further, but Qin Jiao squirmed and struggled. "It doesn't hurt anymore, I swear! Stop—don't go any further."

Earlier, on the carriage ride back to the Prince of Lingnan's estate, Xie Nai had already asked Qin Jiao exactly where it hurt. Back then, Qin Jiao had told him he wasn't really in pain—he'd just made up an excuse to get away early.

But Xie Nai was too far gone, and the hot spring had brought the liquor's full force rushing back. He couldn't remember any of that now—only that Qin Jiao's stomach hurt and he needed to check on him.

"Xiao Jiu, quit squirming."

Qin Jiao was thrashing so much that Xie Nai had to press down on him to keep him still.

"Xiao what? Xie Nai, you—don't—"

Qin Jiao didn't even get to hear Xie Nai's words clearly. As he frantically tried to push Xie Nai away, the tie on his undergarment suddenly came undone.

Startled, Qin Jiao scrambled to grab it, but Xie Nai was quicker. One arm locked Qin Jiao in place while the other shoved aside the thin fabric and pressed bare skin against his stomach.

"Don't move." Xie Nai's wine-soaked breath ghosted over Qin Jiao's ear—sweet with fruit wine, scorching hot...

Qin Jiao thrashed in the water, sending ripples scattering.

Xie Nai, stripped of his usual icy chill, had palms that burned. Years of marching and swordplay had left his hands rough with calluses, and Qin Jiao's belly was nothing but soft flesh. As Xie Nai kneaded and stroked, Qin Jiao's stomach quivered uncontrollably.

Worse still, Xie Nai—apparently wanting to be more thorough—kept sliding his burning hand lower and lower...

"Xie Nai, you... stop!" Then Qin Jiao's limbs went rigid and his face changed completely.

His voice came out fast and hoarse, with a faint tremor of tears.

"Hm?"

Xie Nai stopped and looked at Qin Jiao with confusion.

"What's wrong? Are you uncomfortable?"

"..."

Qin Jiao was so mortified he wanted to sink into the pool and never resurface.

He—he'd actually gotten aroused from Xie Nai's hand...

Qin Jiao had always been cold by nature; since coming of age, he rarely even touched himself. Now, faced with this, he was equal parts embarrassed and panicked. Yet Xie Nai still looked at him with utter concern, completely unaware of what he'd "done" to the young master.

"Qin Jiao, speak."

Even drunk, Xie Nai stayed sharp and commanding. When Qin Jiao stayed silent too long, Xie Nai spun him around to face him.

Qin Jiao didn't dare look at Xie Nai. His instinct was to bolt, but Xie Nai held him fast.

"You—let go of me!"

The young man's eyes were rimmed red, his voice soft and tearful. In the soft glow of the luminous pearls, the young master in the water was flushed head to toe, like a camellia brushed with rouge. Xie Nai's gaze darkened almost imperceptibly, and no matter how Qin Jiao struggled, he refused to let go.

Trapped, Qin Jiao grew even more aggrieved. How could Xie Nai be like this when drunk—completely deaf to reason?

He lifted his head indignantly and accidentally met Xie Nai's gaze. The instant their eyes met, Qin Jiao panicked harder, his body tensing like a drawn bowstring. And at that moment, Xie Nai finally noticed something unusual about Qin Jiao.

Even inside the hot spring, the air felt charged with dull sparks, ready to ignite. The heat grew heavier—stifling, ambiguous, taut—a tangle of emotions that needed only the slightest spark to ignite.

Qin Jiao bit his lip, his body instinctively curling inward as he tried to put some distance between them.

"Xie Nai, can you let me go first?" He tried to reason with the drunk Xie Nai, even throwing in a little coaxing. "I don't feel well. I want to be alone for a bit."

Qin Jiao's voice grew hoarser, and his whole body felt worse by the second.

Xie Nai looked at the young master—eyes red, on the verge of tears, all wronged and frightened—and still didn't let go. After a long moment, he pulled the young master into his arms, patting his back soothingly and smoothing down his messy hair.

"Don't be afraid. I'll make you feel good."

Qin Jiao heard Xie Nai say.

"You..."

Realizing Xie Nai had noticed his state, Qin Jiao was mortified and humiliated all at once. He wanted to run, but a drunk Xie Nai was completely unreasonable.

Xie Nai held Qin Jiao firmly against him, and then his fiery hand came down again. In the steaming hot spring, two figures tangled together, their drifting clothes hiding the chaos beneath the water...

In that final moment, Qin Jiao felt like the blood in every limb and bone had caught fire. Xie Nai smiled without realizing it. "You okay?"

"No."

Qin Jiao turned his face away stiffly, tear tracks still fresh at the corners of his eyes. He lifted a leg to slip away but felt Xie Nai's hardness against him.

Well... from what he could feel, it was a lot bigger than his.

"Wanna try?"

Qin Jiao heard Xie Nai say.

"No."

Qin Jiao deliberately avoided Xie Nai's gaze, pretending he hadn't noticed anything. Xie Nai didn't push it, just watched him without blinking.

One of Qin Jiao's hands clung to Xie Nai's neck while the other was held in Xie Nai's grip, being toyed with.

Xie Nai remembered that in the past, when the young master's blood energy was low, his nails had vertical ridges. Now they were smooth and rounded, healthy and pretty, neatly trimmed—and wouldn't hurt anyone.

The warm spring water flowed gently over where their skin met. Xie Nai teased Qin Jiao until his whole body went weak and tingly.

"Young master."

His voice was low and magnetic, making Qin Jiao's heart stutter with panic.

After a long moment, Qin Jiao gritted his teeth, steeled himself, and offered his hand. "Do whatever you want!"

Just think of it as a mutual exchange of courtesy.

However, Qin Jiao was still too naive about the world. For the next hour, he regretted it—what mutual exchange? It was clearly him who got the short end of the stick.

After several consecutive rounds, Qin Jiao could barely hold on. His hands ached so bad they felt like they weren't even his anymore. He kept trying to get away, but each time he was dragged back by the ankle into the water.

As water splashed everywhere, Xie Nai's voice was raspy: "Xiao Jiu, don't go."

"Xiaojiu?"

This time, Qin Jiao clearly heard the name Xie Nai called out, and it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Who did you say I am? Xiaojiu?"

"Xiao Jiu, Xiao Jiu..."

But Xie Nai seemed even deeper in his drunken stupor, mumbling incessantly while clinging to Qin Jiao, refusing to let him leave.

Qin Jiao struggled but couldn't break free, and he was both pissed and felt totally wronged.

"Xie Nai, you bastard!"

In the end, with sore hands and a hoarse voice, Qin Jiao cursed Xie Nai many, many times...

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