“Mm.” Shangguan Ye nodded, standing up just as Murong Qiufeng finished eating and placed his bowl and chopsticks down.
Not sure what kind of silent game the two were playing, he asked, “What are you preparing?”
Youxiang held back a laugh and tilted her head, remaining silent.
Shangguan Ye didn’t waste time. He walked over, lifted the blanket, and swiftly picked Murong Qiufeng up.
Murong Qiufeng froze for a moment. Then his whole face turned bright red, and he quickly glared at him, grabbing his arm and struggling slightly. “What are you doing? Put me down.”
Shangguan Ye raised an eyebrow, leaned down to Murong Qiufeng’s ear, and whispered in a low, seductive voice, “What do you think I’m going to do? Or is it that you want me to do something?”
Murong Qiufeng stared at Shangguan Ye with a look of shock and unfamiliarity. It felt like Shangguan Ye was different from before, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on how. “I want you to put me down.”
“If you leave out the last four words, I’d be much happier. Don’t move. If you keep struggling, I’ll kiss you. I’ll kiss you until you listen to me.” Shangguan Ye’s lips were almost touching his ear, the coolness of his lips brushing against Murong Qiufeng’s ear. His ears turned even redder, almost as if they were going to bleed, and his whole body stiffened. Listening to those ‘threatening’ words, his eyes widened in surprise. That’s when he finally realized what was different about Shangguan Ye—he had gained a more rogue-like aura, as though he had released some kind of restraint and now acted without care.
Seeing that Murong Qiufeng had stopped moving, Shangguan Ye smiled in satisfaction and carried him out. He couldn’t help but tease, “Actually, you could still struggle a little, you know.” His tone sounded somewhat regretful.
Murong Qiufeng’s emotions were conflicted. Shangguan Ye’s words and actions were becoming increasingly obvious. To continue pretending not to know would be too fake, too hypocritical. He sighed, thinking for a long while before gathering the courage to speak up, “Ye, what exactly do you mean? Why are you… doing that to me?”
“What do you mean by ‘doing that’? What are you trying to say?” Shangguan Ye tilted his head, his eyes filled with a meaningful, ambiguous look, with a touch of playful teasing.
Murong Qiufeng pressed his lips together, seemingly angry, and turned his head away from him.
Shangguan Ye didn’t tease him anymore. He sighed softly and lowered his voice, “Feng, you must have sensed it too. You’re so smart, how could you not figure it out? But for now, I won’t say anything more. Once you’re healed, I’ll talk to you about it. Just… I hope you’re mentally prepared, because you should know my character.”
Murong Qiufeng fell silent, his breathing growing heavy and tense. With things having reached this point, there was no need for further explanation—it was already understood between them. The final words were merely a form of psychological affirmation.
How could he not understand Shangguan Ye’s character? Even though they had known each other for less than three months, his unique qualities—his dominance, persistence, and obsession—were already unmistakably clear.
But this time, Murong Qiufeng didn’t feel as much distress or rejection as before. Instead, he was filled with uncertainty and worry. He wasn’t sure about his feelings or thoughts, nor was he sure if he could do this. He worried about the same things that common people would worry about. After all, he was just one of them. He wasn’t yet able to be as carefree as Shangguan Ye, to ignore all the rules and rituals without a second thought.
He couldn’t pass the mental hurdle, at least not yet. Or perhaps, he didn’t understand if Shangguan Ye was important enough to him to make him disregard everything else.
Shangguan Ye felt his silence, and his heart was torn between joy and concern. He was glad that Murong Qiufeng didn’t reject him immediately or show any signs of disgust or rejection. But he was also worried because he knew exactly what Murong Qiufeng was concerned about. How could he not understand?
This was also why he hadn’t made things clear yet. Instead, he intended to slowly let him adjust, like boiling a frog in warm water, gradually getting him to feel and get used to these emotions. Slowly nurturing him, until he became like a fish that couldn’t live without water.
The silence lasted through the journey, with both of them lost in their own thoughts. Murong Qiufeng, however, felt less awkward than before. Eventually, he realized that he no longer rejected the act of being held by Shangguan Ye as he had the first time. This kind of habit seemed to be forming gradually.
They turned a corner around a rockery and revealed a house, but this house seemed strange. It resembled a pavilion, and as soon as they entered, Murong Qiufeng was stunned.
Inside, the walls were made of glowing stone, and there were lush bamboo and strange flowers and plants growing around. The ceiling wasn’t a regular roof, but rather an expanded pavilion, and in the center beneath it was a steaming hot spring?
“This is… in the Prime Minister’s residence?”
“Heh, what’s wrong? Don’t recognize it?” Shangguan Ye chuckled at his reaction, walking over and placing him on a heated jade couch next to the spring.
“When did you bring the hot spring from the palace here?” Although the two residences weren’t far apart, bringing in fresh spring water would be a huge project. It couldn’t have been done in just a day or two, and yet this was clearly still in the Prime Minister’s residence, his own courtyard. Why hadn’t he noticed it before?
If this weren’t a dream, then this place couldn’t possibly be the Prime Minister’s residence—it just looked exactly like his courtyard.
Shangguan Ye laughed softly, “Don’t guess. This isn’t fresh water; it’s an artificial hot spring. The stones underneath were specially heated, and then spring water was poured over them to create the feeling of a real hot spring. But it has a time limit—the temperature can only last for half an hour.”
As he spoke, he reached for Murong Qiufeng’s clothes.
Murong Qiufeng was startled and instinctively pressed his hand down, looking at him nervously. “What are you doing?”
“What do you think?” Shangguan Ye deliberately slipped his finger inside the collar of his clothes, teasingly rubbing it.
Murong Qiufeng immediately shuddered, instinctively leaning back as if to stand up.
Shangguan Ye quickly pressed his shoulder down, “Alright, I’m not teasing you. It’s just a bath. Last time, I only wiped you down briefly. You still have the smell of blood on you.”
Murong Qiufeng’s head instantly felt like it was on fire. His face was as red as if it were burning. He quickly pulled his hand away, stood up, and refused to look at him, stammering, “I can do it myself.” He was clearly trying to get him to leave.
Shangguan Ye crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow, smiling, “The pool is so large. To avoid wasting water, I’d like to wash with you.”
“No…”
“What’s wrong? Are you scared? We’re both men. What’s so strange about bathing together? Or… are you thinking something else?” Shangguan Ye said, moving closer to Murong Qiufeng. The smile at the corner of his lips carried a hint of mischief.
Murong Qiufeng’s breathing became uneven. He was quite annoyed, but he couldn’t argue. Two men bathing together really wasn’t strange, but the subtle tension between them made it feel very awkward.
However, if he continued to avoid and hide it, he would only appear pretentious, overthinking things—his own unnecessary assumptions.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand and pushed Shangguan Ye away. He walked to the side without saying a word and, with his back turned to him, began to undress.
Shangguan Ye watched his movements, and his heartbeat quickened. His breathing became a little unsteady, and his gaze darkened. Was there anything more tempting than watching the person he loved undress right in front of him? He suddenly regretted this ‘couple’s bath’—a bath where nothing could happen. It clearly only tortured his mind and body, leaving him in frustration.
Murong Qiufeng was soon down to his undergarments, which he quickly removed.
