Chapter 100

Chapter 100

Xie Yuan's arm around his waist was too forceful, momentarily pushing aside the pool water between them and kicking up a crisp splash.

The steam thinned out a little, and the young male concubine's handsome features filled his vision at such close range.

Nervousness made Shen Lian unconsciously squeeze his legs tighter around the other's waist.

Having seen how riled up the young male concubine was before he got in the water, Shen Lian was truly panicked and afraid, but his body seemed almost eager to take it.

"Dian Xia..." His hands pressed firmly against the young male concubine's chest under the water.

Without the barrier of fabric, the skin in the water was scorching hot and smooth, and the solid thump of his heartbeat pounded against his palms.

Shen Lian thought for a moment, then asked softly, "The debt you mentioned—is it because I said something that made you really angry and upset? Or is it the three thousand taels of silver you gave me before? I barely touched that silver; you can send someone to come pick it up."

Xie Yuan narrowed his eyes dangerously, pausing, "Do you think provoking me right now will make me lose my mood and let you off the hook?"

"No! That's not it," Shen Lian explained. "I just wanted to... find more ways to help you cool down faster."

"Only I get to decide that," Xie Yuan said in a low voice. "The debt you owe me isn't money—it's your life. I've never been played and humiliated like this in my whole life. If it were anyone else, I'd only need to consider how to prolong their suffering before death. But you, Shen Lian—from the day you played my wife and meowed at me, I foolishly took the bait, hovering around you like a dog, waiting for scraps. I racked my brains trying to learn how Third Brother treated Song Jin, just to be good to you, and in the end, I made a complete fool of myself. How do you expect me to get over it?"

"No! That's not it!" Shen Lian shook his head urgently in denial. "There was no hook! I never baited you. I just couldn't help it—I really couldn't stop myself! That day at the hunting grounds, you held me and told me to hold on tight, asked if you could let go of one hand to adjust your bow, and I completely lost my mind for a second! I thought you'd do that for your wife someday, and I... I was so jealous... I don't know how to explain it. I'd only thought about it in my head, but then I just snapped and acted it out. I pretended to be your wife, and the moment I said it, I freaked myself out. I thought you'd think I was insane..."

"Are you trying to say you were deliberately flirting with me back then because you'd fallen for me?" Xie Yuan let out a cold laugh, his eyes locked on the scheming imperial physician in his arms, sneering in self-mockery: "Becoming the Crown Prince really has changed everything. The first two times, your bait was so vague I had to fool myself into believing. But today, Lord Shen suddenly decides to love me? Now that Prince Duan is gone, I'm finally not the same as Lu Huaizhi and Han Wangchuan?"

Shen Lian's eyes stung with tears. He held his breath and shook his head forcefully, trying to hold back his hurt, forcing out in a hoarse voice: "It's always been different... it never wasn't... I was just scared and insecure back then..."

Xie Yuan looked away in pain, glancing sideways at this cold-hearted physician: "It was different before too? The moment I got the Crown Prince title, I could suddenly change everything?"

Shen Lian was left speechless, unable to defend himself.

Seeing the hurt in Shen Lian's eyes, Xie Yuan instinctively clenched his fist for a moment, then calmed down and muttered softly: "Why did I ever think you were some naive, clueless physician? Looks are a trap. I guess King Zhou thought Daji was just a harmless little fox."

Shen Lian frowned and retorted angrily: "You're the Daji here! You're the mighty War God of Great Wei—why would you bother pretending to be a male favorite to mess with me? Whenever I ran into trouble, you'd bust your ass for me, and you'd tell jokes to cheer me up... I even thought you were trying to reel me in on purpose."

"You really didn't know who I was back then?"

Shen Lian was about to explode with anger: "Since you think I looked down on you being Prince Qi, if I'd known, wouldn't I have run off long ago!"

Xie Yuan thought for a moment. "It doesn't matter anymore. I don't care what you think now. Keep playing the wife, and once I get bored of your games, I'll let you go."

With that, Shen Lian's thigh was lifted, and he floated in the water, brushing against his hardness.

Their chests pressed flush together. Shen Lian bit his lower lip and looked away nervously, while Xie Yuan's breath brushed his burning earlobe: "If you want freedom, put some real work into paying off your debt."

The moment the words left his mouth, the young male concubine suddenly pressed his lips to his, grinding and sucking, then eagerly forcing his way past his lips, taking without restraint.

Shen Lian's palms, pressed against his shoulders, felt the muscles tense up, coiled like a spring. Whether from panic or excitement, his body went completely limp in his arms, giving in to everything.

Several times, the arm around his waist yanked him down hard, but it never quite worked.

Eager to get what he wanted, the young male concubine's chest muscles swelled even more in the water.

Shen Lian's waist was about to break in half. Finally, he turned his head away, gasping out: "Dian Xia, not there..."

Biting his lip, he shamefully reached under the water and desperately pushed the young male concubine's hardness away.

"Uh..." A muffled grunt from Xie Yuan hit Shen Lian's left ear, making his whole body shiver.

Shen Lian yanked his hand back as if scalded, nervously watching the young male concubine's furrowed eyebrows, and asked softly: "Did I hurt you?"

Xie Yuan looked up at him, breathing hard, and without answering, pulled him closer, asking in a low, husky voice: "Is it here?"

Shen Lian gave up and buried his face in the crook of his neck, whimpering softly: "Yes."

The moment the sound left his lips, the calm pool water suddenly roiled.

Shen Lian took a breath and clung to Xie Yuan for dear life.

Xie Yuan felt something off: "Shen Lian?"

No response.

"Shen Lian?"

After a few breaths of silence, Shen Lian's hoarse sobs slowly started up...

"Ugh... it hurts..."

Xie Yuan was caught off guard and pulled out his barely half-inch of progress.

A muffled pop echoed under the water.

The blush that had started at Shen Lian's ears had already spread across most of his body. He went limp in Xie Yuan's arms, trembling and sobbing.

Xie Yuan was momentarily at a loss.

He'd imagined revenge brutal enough to make Shen Lian beg for mercy, but it hadn't even begun and he was already crying.

The attendant who'd briefed him on the bedroom arts had told the Crown Prince that male favorites needed to be loosened and stretched with special tools before sex, or it'd be hard to get in.

Xie Yuan had thought, what in this world could he not get into? He'd scoffed and gone straight in.

With Shen Lian, he was doomed to lose over and over.

The first attempt was a bust.

Xie Yuan scooped up the trembling young physician, stood up, and walked out of the hot spring. He called for the attendants outside to dry them off and clean up, then just threw on a robe, slipped on wooden clogs, and carried the young physician to his own bedchamber.

Shen Lian was also wrapped in Xie Yuan's robe, which was even bigger than his own clothes. He rolled over and curled up in the corner of the bed, tugged at his sleeves, then covered his face with his hands and kept whimpering softly.

Even though they'd left, that full feeling still lingered inside him.

Even though it didn't really hurt anymore, Shen Lian still sniffled and sobbed every now and then.

He wanted to see if the young male concubine would come soothe him.

Nothing happened for a long time.

Shen Lian stopped sobbing.

The man waiting by the bed finally climbed onto it on one knee, pressing up behind him again—but not to comfort him. Instead, he reached out and flipped Shen Lian over to face him.

Shen Lian flinched back in fright. "No... I can't, Dian Xia, I can't take it. Next time, let me bring everything I need and be fully ready before I pay off the debt... okay?"

"What about now, then?" The young male concubine stared at him with dark eyes, grabbed his wrist, and guided Shen Lian's hand to part the dark robe.

Slowly tracing over the ridges of his abs, then stopping there.

"Then let your husband rest like this? Shen Lian, if you can't play the part of a wife, the debt won't be repaid."

Shen Lian asked in an aggrieved whisper, "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Like just now, hold on tight."

Shen Lian's earlier grievance still lingered, and he wanted to throw a tantrum until the young male concubine gave a little.

But when his fingertip brushed against him, the young male concubine's muffled groan was so intoxicating and satisfying that he gave in again.

"Both hands."

Watching Xie Yuan's Adam's apple bob, Shen Lian bit his lower lip, clumsy but earnest.

He wanted to hear the man he loved make that sound again.

But before he could, Xie Yuan kissed him again.

When he came to, it was already late in the Si hour.

The night before the campaign, Shen Lian had also insisted the young male concubine sleep in his room, but that time, the young male concubine had already left before he woke.

So today was the first time Shen Lian woke up in the young male concubine's arms.

His fingers were so sore he could barely spread them.

"A lousy wife, and you dare sleep till the sun's high?"

The young male concubine's sharp, low voice jolted Shen Lian fully awake. He looked up at him. "Where am I lousy? Didn't you... already finish?"

Xie Yuan looked down at him coldly. "Where should your husband finish?"

"Then is that how a husband treats his wife?" Shen Lian touched his lower back and buttocks, unable to hold back his complaint, "You squeezed and kneaded me all night—my ass is numb..."

Xie Yuan's face turned serious. He stared at him for a moment before speaking: "You're repaying a debt, don't you understand? You need to play my wife well, and I am no longer your husband. I don't need to worry about whether you're happy. Look clearly, Shen Lian. The person before you is the Crown Prince of Great Wei. That stupid dog Dian Xia is dead because of you. Forgot?"

Shen Lian stared wide-eyed at Xie Yuan, holding his breath for a long moment, then suddenly flailed in frustration, trying to break free from his embrace.

But Xie Yuan was not as compliant as before. Instead, he pulled him tighter, refusing to let him leave, refusing to let him be discarded carelessly again.

Shen Lian pounded his shoulders and arms in grief, trying to get him to let go. "If you won't be Dian Xia, I'm not paying the debt. Kill me if you dare!"