Chapter 54

Chapter 54

"054"

The newly upgraded king-size room really didn't smell, and the view was great, looking straight out at the amusement park just across the bridge.

Late at night, the only light in the amusement park was the Ferris wheel, and through the big, spotless floor-to-ceiling windows, it felt close enough to touch.

The frosted glass door of the bathroom slid open, and a cloud of warm steam laced with a subtle woody scent billowed out as Xiao Lancui emerged in a bathrobe.

The robe was a plain, thin gray-blue, hitting just above the knee and showing off his long, pale calves.

Lu Ao put his phone away and looked up, and the moment he saw Xiao Lancui, he couldn't look away. His eyes crinkled into a smile as he said, "Brother, are you always this pretty?"

Xiao Lancui didn't think beauty had a gender—men could be beautiful too, naturally. Even after he lost the use of his legs, people would still remark, "So handsome, what a shame he's crippled."

And then there was Lu Ao—that Lu Ao—always nagging at his side, saying, "Oh my, Teacher looks so gorgeous even in plain robes. Those ladies and wives would pounce on you and eat you alive. I think Teacher should wear a bamboo hat, or tomorrow's mountain-climbing Fengshan ceremony will turn into a catfight."

Naturally, Xiao Lancui gave Lu Ao a scolding. But the next day, worn down by Lu Ao's persistent wheedling, Xiao Lancui ended up wearing the bamboo hat and attended the entire Fengshan ceremony with his face hidden.

Good thing he wore the hat—the sun blazed down on the ground from noon till dusk, and after coming down the mountain, the back of Lu Ao's neck was peeling from sunburn. He whined about how bad it hurt and pestered Xiao Lancui into staying a few extra days to sightsee before heading back to the capital.

Thinking back on all of it now, Xiao Lancui sometimes wondered if taking Qi Ying away back then had really been a mistake.

So what if Lu Ao had no heirs? His body might not even hold out until the dynasty changed hands. And after he was gone, what did it matter who took the throne?

Xiao Lancui's mood took a nosedive. He didn't answer Lu Ao, just asked, "What are you looking at?"

Lu Ao had been glued to his phone, which was unusual.

"The written driving test." Lu Ao looked at Xiao Lancui, his brow furrowing slightly. He knew Xiao Lancui's moods too well.

On the surface he looked calm, but inside he was in a terrible mood.

Lu Ao got up to go to him, but Xiao Lancui turned off the bedside lamp, threw back the covers, and climbed into bed, saying, "I'm going to bed now. You should get some rest too. No rush on the license."

And just like that, Xiao Lancui fell asleep.

Lu Ao's brow furrowed instantly. At this point, Xiao Lancui was in a really bad mood.

The room went quiet, completely silent. Xiao Lancui had braced himself for another sleepless night, but before long, he was dead asleep.

He dreamed.

In the dream, it was the coldest winter, freezing and bitter. His room had no coal and no hot water. The ink was frozen solid and couldn't be ground. He really itched to practice his calligraphy, so he wheeled himself over to his father's place to ask for some coal.

On the way, the wheelchair got stuck in a snowdrift, and he tipped over into the snow, unable to get back up. It was a good while later—about half a cup of tea's time—before an old servant came running to help him up.

"Young master, these are a few bundles of coal I've saved up." The old servant hurriedly stuffed them into his sleeve. "Don't let anyone see you. Hurry back. The second young master and the princess are getting married soon, and the whole household is in a frenzy. If you go see the master, he's…" The servant couldn't bear to finish, then changed his words: "The master isn't at the residence."

His father was home—Xiao Lancui knew that. His eldest brother, second brother, and younger brother were all home too.

But he didn't go any further. He thanked the old servant and went back to his little courtyard. After that, he never went looking for his father again.

The next time he saw his father was the day the entire Xiao family was executed.

And under the imperial decree that left not even a dog or chicken alive in the Xiao household, only that old servant survived, and was even made a First-Class Lady of Honor, granted a mansion, land, servants, ten thousand taels of gold, and endless jewels.

In Xiao Lancui's dream, that day he brought the coal back to his room. He didn't ration it—he was too cold. The room was so cold that if he didn't warm up, he would freeze to death.

The black coal gradually turned a vivid red. The small brazier warmed up, and it was so warm that Xiao Lancui couldn't help but reach out and embrace it.

The long-missed warmth—Xiao Lancui gently rubbed his cheek against it. In the dimness, a low, muffled grunt broke the silence.

"Brother?" Lu Ao looked down at the head that had burrowed into his chest, gritting his teeth as he called out softly.

The only lit bedside lamp cast a hazy orange glow on Xiao Lancui's eyelashes. His long, curled lashes lay quietly, occasionally twitching slightly in the light and shadow, showing no sign of waking.

The face that had suddenly pressed close seemed dissatisfied again, and pressed even tighter against Lu Ao's chest. His steady, slightly warm breath hit the exposed skin at close range, unobstructed.

This was the first time Xiao Lancui had such terrible sleeping habits.

In the few times they had shared a bed in Dali, even in a tent two-thirds narrower than this one, Xiao Lancui had slept with clear boundaries.

Tonight, two meters apart, Lu Ao had endured to the right edge of the bed, afraid of having a reaction that Xiao Lancui would notice, yet Xiao Lancui had still hugged him.

Why?

Because the person in bed now was another Lu Ao?

Lu Ao's restraint was nearly at its limit, and his raging jealousy had peaked.

In just a few seconds, he several times wanted to wake Xiao Lancui and make him look very carefully.

The man he was holding, the man before his eyes—it was him!

It was his student, his emperor, his Lu Ao—not some idiot fool.

His hands had already gripped Xiao Lancui's shoulders tightly, but the words on the tip of his tongue died down. He couldn't let it all fall apart now.

If he could have Xiao Lancui, what did it matter if he remained someone else forever?

His prominent Adam's apple slid a few times with restraint, and Lu Ao was about to release Xiao Lancui and get out of bed to take care of it, when the head on his chest suddenly moved.

Xiao Lancui woke up, triggered by grabbing a long, extraordinary heat—longer, thicker, and hotter than any burning coal in the brazier.

Xiao Lancui opened his eyes and first heard the frantic pounding of a heartbeat. He looked down and understood.

That wasn't blazing coal.

Xiao Lancui froze. The next second, a panicked voice fell from above, "Sorry, brother! I'm going to the bathroom right now!"

The "big furnace" he was clinging to bounced off the bed in an instant. Before Xiao Lancui's vision could adjust, the man had dashed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Then came the sound of trickling water.

Xiao Lancui, delayed by two seconds, was fully awake.

His left hand felt strangely at a loss—neither clenching nor releasing felt right. Before his legs were disabled, though rare, he had experienced normal physiological reactions.

Lu Ao was eighteen, an age where any touch could trigger a reaction. And he had just—

Grabbed it several times.

Xiao Lancui's head ached slightly. This was the first time he'd encountered such an awkward situation, and he was the instigator.

He sat quietly on the bed for a while. After the minute hand had turned a full 360 degrees, he pushed back the covers and got out of bed.

Walking to the bathroom, the sound of water was still trickling. The hotel's soundproofing was decent, which made it easy to imagine the waterfall scene inside the bathroom at that moment.

It's been an hour already—is it normal for it to take this long?

Xiao Lancui's only blind spot in knowledge showed up. He'd only had to learn about this after transmigrating into the book, and the original story mostly went straight to sex, barely mentioning self-relief and never saying how long it took.

Xiao Lancui walked to the sofa, grabbed his phone, and searched online for how long it normally takes for teenage guys to finish.

There were tons of answers, and the times varied a lot. The only thing that was certain was that going over an hour was definitely not normal.

Whether he hadn't finished, or hadn't even started.

Xiao Lancui then scrolled through the health risks—it really wasn't good for the body.

After thinking it over for two seconds, he put down his phone and returned to the bathroom, knocking twice on the door.

"Need a hand?"

He'd only ever done it himself two or three times. Helping someone else, he wasn't sure he'd be any help.

This kind of thing, he was really inexperienced.

He added, "Though I'm not very good at it."

The door opened.

A wave of cold air rushed out, making him shiver even in the climate-controlled room. Xiao Lancui's eyes also grew misty.

Lu Ao had a towel carelessly tied around his waist, cold water dripping from his wet black hair down onto his full, defined chest.

His usually clear, innocent black eyes were now clouded with deep, crimson desire. The veins on his arm gripping the doorknob bulged in thick, ropy lines, but his words to Xiao Lancui were as innocent as ever.

"Brother, it's fine. Go to sleep. Don't worry about me."

Xiao Lancui looked at the young man's face, pale from the cold water. The only thing on his face that still looked alive was those black eyes.

Xiao Lancui said again, "I don't have much skill. If I hurt you..." He frowned slightly. "It's still better than leaving you hanging. Just bear with it."

Without waiting for Lu Ao's answer, he brushed past the young man and went into the bathroom, reminding him, "Close the door."

From what he'd just looked up, an enclosed space was better for finishing.

Xiao Lancui washed his hands thoroughly, then carefully dried them. Lu Ao leaned against the sink, staring at him intently. The moment Xiao Lancui grabbed him, he couldn't help but lower his head, burying his face in Xiao Lancui's clean, fragrant neck, whispering, "Brother..."

At the moment of release, Lu Ao couldn't hold back. On that delicate, snow-white patch of skin, he couldn't help but give a very light suck.

"Brother, you're the best."

His voice was hoarse as he reluctantly moved his head away.

Helping someone else finish for the first time, Xiao Lancui was genuinely a bit tired. When he went back to bed, he fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

This time, there were no dreams. When he opened his eyes again, the room was quiet and still dark.

Xiao Lancui grabbed his phone—it was already close to nine.

He sat up and looked to the side. The blanket was neat and flat. Lu Ao wasn't there.

Xiao Lancui turned on the light and got out of bed. He went to open the curtains first. As soon as he pulled them back, everything outside was a sea of white, the Ferris wheel faintly visible through the snow and wind.

It was snowing heavily.

Xiao Lancui turned and went to the bathroom. The door was wide open, and Lu Ao wasn't in there either.

Xiao Lancui's long lashes flickered slightly. He hurried through his washing, and as soon as he left the bathroom, he called Lu Ao directly.

It didn't connect right away. After four or five rings, Lu Ao picked up, his voice cautious. "Brother?"

Xiao Lancui asked, "Where are you?"

After a moment of silence, Lu Ao replied, "I'm in the lobby on the first floor."

Xiao Lancui changed his clothes and went downstairs. As he stepped out of the elevator, the first thing he saw was the young man sitting at the corner of the lobby sofa, head hanging low.

He looked huge, and utterly dejected.

Xiao Lancui didn't go over right away. He recalled last night—it had been a bit rough, but he shouldn't have hurt him, right?

Still, that part of a guy's body was extremely fragile. Maybe he really had been injured.

Xiao Lancui thought it over as he walked over and sat down next to Lu Ao, carefully choosing his words. "Did I hurt you last night?"

Lu Ao lifted his face, and Xiao Lancui froze.

The young man's eyes were red, looking at him like he was about to cry. "Brother, I think I've become a pervert. I actually... had thoughts about you... I'm sorry!"

Xiao Lancui suddenly understood. So that was the reason. He comforted him, "No, you haven't. This is a normal physical reaction for guys."

He paused briefly. "You've never learned about this stuff. When we get back, I'll find you some books. Once you read them, you'll understand."

Lu Ao asked, "Does it happen to you too?"

"Yes."

Lu Ao then leaned in close to Xiao Lancui's ear, whispering softly but seriously, "Next time, I'll help brother too! Then brother won't have to deal with it alone!"