You Fuzhou slept soundly that night.
No dreams, just deep, restorative slumber.
But when he woke, he realized he was holding Yu Yan tight in his arms.
You Fuzhou: “…”
He went rigid bit by bit, lowering his head to gaze at Yu Yan, who was nestled snugly against his chest. His mind blanked out even as memories slowly flooded back.
He hadn’t been so blissed out from the spiritual guidance that he’d blacked out or lost his memory—he knew exactly what he’d done, and how much Yu Yan had helped him.
Yu Yan’s hands and mouth had been…
You Fuzhou was beyond embarrassed now.
He felt like digging a hole and burying himself in it, utterly mortified.
He lay there quietly for a long time, struggling to calm his racing thoughts.
Carefully, he tried to extricate his hand, needing some space to cool off. With Yu Yan still in his arms and yesterday’s memories so vivid, he was starting to have an involuntary reaction.
But the moment You Fuzhou moved, Yu Yan hugged him even tighter, as if startled awake by the motion. “Sleep a little longer.”
Yu Yan’s voice came muffled from You Fuzhou’s chest, his warm breath seeping through the thin T-shirt and tickling right over his heart. “Yesterday’s spiritual guidance nearly drained my mental energy dry.”
And that was true.
Only after diving deep into it did Yu Yan realize how much worse You Fuzhou’s condition was than he’d imagined.
If the sentinel hadn’t been quite so dazed, Yu Yan might have gone all the way and resolved the issue thoroughly. But even in a relationship, consent was essential, so Yu Yan held back. He used gentler methods at first, and later, when he carried You Fuzhou to the bathroom without stopping the guidance, they ended up soaking together in the tub.
Yu Yan had transformed into a merman, with You Fuzhou perched on his tail, staring intently at him.
Worried his shark teeth might hurt him, Yu Yan only kissed You Fuzhou lightly and carefully. But for various reasons, it ended with him lending a hand once more.
You Fuzhou remembered it all crystal clear.
He even recalled vividly how he’d clung to Yu Yan’s chest, unable to resist turning his head to pin Yu Yan’s down, biting the back of his neck before…
Staring at the deep bite marks on the back of Yu Yan’s neck, You Fuzhou wanted to curl up and die from shame even more.
Yu Yan had done so much for him, and what did he do? He bit Yu Yan twice, drawing blood.
For the first time, You Fuzhou felt his self-control was lacking—he needed to work harder on it.
His heart aching a little, he reached out to touch Yu Yan’s neck. Yu Yan frowned, grabbed his hand, and tucked it against his chest, holding it there tightly. “Don’t tease me right now.”
You Fuzhou: “.”
He didn’t speak, didn’t move. He just let Yu Yan sleep a bit more.
With nothing else to do, You Fuzhou spent a long time counting Yu Yan’s strands of hair, starting over whenever he lost track.
Mainly because he really had nothing to do—both his hands were pinned down by Yu Yan.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Yu Yan finally stirred.
He inhaled the clean, warm scent of You Fuzhou’s body—the heat radiating from that frame so pronounced and comforting to him—and lifted his head to look up.
Seeing Yu Yan awake, You Fuzhou cleared his throat lightly. Somehow, as if by magic, his ears flushed red instantly. “You get up first…”
Yu Yan naturally sensed the sentinel’s certain reactions. He arched a brow faintly. “Your spiritual world still needs more guidance, perfect timing…”
“Yu Yan.”
You Fuzhou grew a little urgent. “Don’t… Yesterday was my…”
“How so?”
With a flip, Yu Yan pinned You Fuzhou beneath him. Looking down at the sentinel, who wasn’t resisting at all, he smirked faintly. “Regretting it?”
You Fuzhou had no idea how Yu Yan had jumped to that conclusion… or rather, he knew Yu Yan was doing it on purpose. Yu Yan definitely understood what he meant. “No.”
Yu Yan pondered thoughtfully. “Then was my technique lacking? Did I not make you feel good?”
He murmured lowly, “Conveniently, it was my first time too. We can practice more.”
One hand pressing down on You Fuzhou’s shoulder, he started to slide lower. You Fuzhou knew half of this was teasing, half taking advantage, so he had no choice but to grab Yu Yan’s head, yank it down, and crash their lips together messily.
Yu Yan’s brow quirked at the bump, and he watched as You Fuzhou flushed with shy annoyance. “Listen to me!”
In Yu Yan’s eyes right now, You Fuzhou was like a big kitty cat.
A total badass outside, but with him, just a purring little meow-meow.
He hadn’t expected You Fuzhou to be like this on the inside, but… so adorable.
Yu Yan had once thought he disliked cute things, anything that gave off a fragile vibe. But seeing You Fuzhou like this? He loved it.
He loved every side of You Fuzhou.
Sure, the avoidance of emotions made him want to laugh in exasperation sometimes, but he still loved it.
At most, he wanted to drag the man over and have his way with him so You Fuzhou couldn’t dodge anymore.
Yu Yan chuckled softly at him, no longer teasing. You Fuzhou took a deep breath and said, “Don’t worry about me. It’ll pass soon…”
He added softly, “You’ve only just recovered. More spiritual guidance would damage your core.”
Yu Yan paused, his heart melting into a puddle. He leaned down to kiss You Fuzhou soothingly. “Then no guidance. I’ll just help you out.”
Before You Fuzhou could respond, Yu Yan held him down, both gentle and insistent. “Baby, always holding yourself back like this isn’t good for your spiritual world. You’ve restrained yourself too much—that’s why it’s in such bad shape.”
“If you don’t like it, just don’t refuse, got it?”
He said, “If you really don’t like it, push me away.”
You Fuzhou could push Yu Yan away easily.
A guide’s strength couldn’t match a sentinel’s—especially not a top-tier one like You Fuzhou.
But he didn’t.
In his shyness, he found a way he thought he could handle: taking the initiative by pressing Yu Yan’s head down and kissing him, then letting Yu Yan tug up the hem of his shirt.
Yu Yan found You Fuzhou so obedient it was testing his self-control.
Telling him not to tense up, to relax his muscles—and You Fuzhou actually did, though he tightened right back up after just a couple of touches from Yu Yan.
Yu Yan didn’t mind. He wasn’t one to force things. During spiritual guidance, anyway, the cat would get so blissed out it rolled over belly-up for him to knead at will.
Just like a little dough ball. If not for the sentinel’s crazy recovery ability, You Fuzhou’s shirt would surely reveal fingerprints and bite marks today.
This time, Yu Yan’s kisses remained gentle. Midway through, when You Fuzhou was lost in a haze, it took him ages to piece together a question: was Yu Yan doing spiritual guidance again?
Yu Yan arched a brow, not surprised at the confusion.
Sentinels couldn’t sense mental energy, especially someone like You Fuzhou who’d never even dated. Lacking that frame of reference, he couldn’t distinguish whether the pleasure and overwhelming emotions came from the guidance or something else.
The higher the sentinel’s rank, the more combative and… like You Fuzhou here, one in a million.
Yu Yan’s lips curved. “Baby… you’re heating up.”
That single line sent You Fuzhou curling back into mortified silence, refusing to speak anymore. When he saw Yu Yan’s lips move as if to say more, he clenched his molars, hooked an arm around Yu Yan’s neck, gripped his head, and kissed him fiercely to shut him up.
By the time the two finally left that bed, You Fuzhou handed Yu Yan an unopened toothbrush. They stood side by side at the sink, brushing their teeth.
You Fuzhou eyed the marks on Yu Yan’s neck, still feeling guilty. “Sorry… does it hurt?”
Yu Yan touched the two bite marks on the back of his neck, realizing why You Fuzhou hadn’t bitten him this time. He said plainly, “Doesn’t hurt.”
He smiled. “I like it when you bite me. Reminds me of this cat I raised back in the slums… whenever I petted it and it felt good, it’d bite me once.”
You Fuzhou: “.”
He didn’t buy that story for a second.
Yu Yan added to You Fuzhou, “Besides, I told you not to hold back. Anything I haven’t said no to, you can do. Restraining yourself too long will wreck your spiritual world—and in the end, I’ll be the one suffering.”
It was exactly because Yu Yan phrased it that way that You Fuzhou listened.
He was always used to turning the thorns on himself rather than hurting others.
You Fuzhou nodded obediently and murmured his assent.
Yu Yan then asked, “Answer me this: what do you know now?”
You Fuzhou felt like a kid being scolded by his teacher. “…Next time, I can bite you.”
His ears turned red after saying it, but Yu Yan was pleased. He chuckled, reaching up to pinch the back of You Fuzhou’s neck. “Mm.”
He had a habit of these little touches.
You Fuzhou had noticed.
When holding his hand, Yu Yan liked to fiddle with his fingers.
When kissing, he enjoyed pinching the back of his head or neck.
Even when helping him out, no matter the method, there was always pinching here and there…
You Fuzhou felt like Yu Yan was kneading him like dough.
But he didn’t mind these intimate gestures.
Maybe because Yu Yan’s body temperature was comfortably cool to the touch.
Or maybe because he’d grown up in that kind of environment, where family “warmth” meant saving face, elegance, and fake relationships—superficially harmonious but full of distance.
Or maybe… it was just because it was Yu Yan.
Yu Yan was his guide.
As they headed out, Yu Yan thought of something and turned his head. “Baby.”
You Fuzhou froze. Hearing that in the heat of the moment versus everyday was a whole different feeling!
Flustered and at a loss, he stiffened up. “Don’t… don’t call me that.”
But You Fuzhou really liked it when Yu Yan’s voice turned low and husky, those dark eyes fixed straight on him as he called out “Baby,” so he had no choice but to add, “Don’t call me that all the time.”
Yu Yan had been about to say something to convince You Fuzhou to accept the pet name, but at those extra words, he let out a chuckle. “Okay.”
He agreed for You Fuzhou’s sake, but he still went on. “I’ve seen other people call their kids or partners like that before… Back then, I was always curious about what it feels like to say it—and to hear it.”
It was a lie.
Yu Yan had never harbored such tender sentiments.
But the impulse to call out to You Fuzhou that way had indeed come from that passing thought.
You Fuzhou paused for a moment, gazing at Yu Yan as he pressed his lips together and lowered his eyes.
Yu Yan hadn’t elaborated, but he could guess what sort of life he’d led before.
“…”
You Fuzhou parted his lips, but he still couldn’t voice those two words. All he managed was, “No one’s ever called me that before either. You’re the first.”
Yu Yan had figured he wouldn’t be able to say it, and he didn’t mind. Smiling, he gently prompted, “Then how about you call me A-Yan?”
In truth, he wanted You Fuzhou to call him “brother” even more. The way someone sweetly kissing him already melted him; hearing “brother” would surely be even cuter.
But he knew You Fuzhou probably couldn’t manage that one either.
You Fuzhou’s eyelashes fluttered. Once again, he marveled that his Guide was the best Guide in the whole world, utterly forgetting how he’d been tormented under those hands until his eyes had reddened just moments ago—probably because it had felt so good, too.
“A-Yan.”
You Fuzhou’s voice was low, but clear and bright, like a mountain spring kissed by the summer sun.
Intensely warm and pure, it refracted the most beautiful light.
That was how Yu Yan found himself entranced, plunging into the spring and never wanting to surface. “Mm.”
He smiled. “You’re the only one who’s ever called me that.”
~~~
