Chapter 98 Part 2

His emotions always stayed hidden deep inside, never showing on the surface. But once triggered, they surged forth like a flood bursting its banks, overwhelming Shen Yu until he could barely breathe.

Like his jealousy toward Pei Ji.

To calm it, he even speculated about Pei Ji with all sorts of ugly thoughts.

He truly was as selfish and dark-natured as others said—utterly irredeemable.

Shen Yu stopped in his tracks. His voice was cold, and the chill in his eyes carried impatience. “Lu Yuguang.”

The man in front of him halted abruptly, and Lu Yuguang nearly bumped into his back. In a small voice, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Shen Yu countered, “Did I decide to come soak in the hot springs myself?”

Lu Yuguang paused faintly. “…Yes.”

Shen Yu said, “Then it has nothing to do with you. Let’s go.”

Lu Yuguang realized Shen Yu was comforting him.

Though it didn’t really help much.

At least he knew Shen Yu wasn’t too angry. The weight lifted from his heart, and he hurried to catch up. “Shen Yu, don’t walk so fast! Wait for me!”

The restaurant was at the top of Snow Mountain, offering a view of the serene snowy landscape at night. They had to take a special cable car up.

As soon as Shen Yu and Lu Yuguang got off the cable car, they spotted two familiar figures from afar.

Shen Yu was already used to it. By now, even sitting at the same dinner table as Pei Ji felt perfectly normal.

Shen Yu pressed his lips together as he sat in the corner seat. He stretched out his long legs and accidentally bumped into the person across from him. Their bones lightly knocked together, and from the scorching heat of the touch alone, he could tell whose leg it was.

Pei Ji’s.

Shen Yu ruthlessly shoved Pei Ji’s leg away. He ignored the minor incident after that, lifting his thin eyelids to gaze at the scenery outside the window. Night had spread, and the snow light fell into the darkness like a vast pool of mercury that had swirled into being.

Pei Ji curved his lips. He followed Shen Yu’s gaze out the window, then shifted to the reflection on the glass, finally settling on Shen Yu’s lips.

They were soft in shape, perfect for kissing.

An hour later, the four finished eating and headed down the mountain toward the lodge.

Gu Yang was the outgoing type. He swapped his black sunglasses for tea-colored ones and soon hit it off with Shen Yu—though it was probably one-sided.

“Haven’t picked a club yet? How about the Fighting Club? I’m the president.”

Overhearing Lu Yuguang and Shen Yu talking about clubs, Gu Yang casually pinched Shen Yu’s arm. Feeling it was good material, he asked, “Do you work out regularly?”

The clubs at Central District First Military Academy differed from those at other schools. They had strong social elements, most with a century of history, emphasizing legacy. Activities abounded, making them the best way to build connections.

Shen Yu subtly dodged Gu Yang’s touch. His brows and eyes, half-hidden by black hair, darkened coldly. He asked, “Lots of activities?”

Gu Yang thought for a moment. “Pretty many.”

Shen Yu refused flatly. “Then never mind.”

The cable car down soon reached the lodge area. The four parted ways upon returning.

Gu Yang was about to leave too. He’d come on this trip to relax, and Deer Mountain involved all sorts of interests, making it hard to arrange. Since he was here, he planned to enjoy it fully.

But then Pei Ji suddenly called out, “Gu Yang.”

The tone was surprisingly formal.

A bad premonition flashed through Gu Yang’s mind. Pei Ji rarely called him by name so formally. Usually, that meant big trouble.

Gu Yang stopped, hands in his pockets, and turned back. “What’s up?”

Pei Ji looked at him and slung an arm around his shoulders. Though his face wore a smile and his posture was as friendly as could be, his words made Gu Yang’s heart sink.

“I’m feeling pretty annoyed.”

Gu Yang’s unease intensified. He frowned, running through recent Gu Family and Pei Family matters in his head, but nothing major came up. Could it be that business from before—betting in their circle on whether Pei Ji could win Shen Yu over—had leaked?

Fuck, no way.

He wasn’t the only one who’d bet. He was counting on it to snag some votes from the north.

Gu Yang asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Pei Ji, Brother Pei, don’t scare me.”

Pei Ji glanced at him with a smile, taking in his reaction and finding it amusing. After chuckling, he got serious. “It’s nothing, Gu Yang. I just wanted to tell you—stay away from Shen Yu.”

It was unmistakably a warning, but softened by Pei Ji’s gentle tone and the warm smile at his lips, it somehow became acceptable.

That was Pei Ji’s charm.

Gu Yang stood stunned for a long moment before it sank in. Surprise colored his brows and eyes as he scanned Pei Ji up and down. “Pei Ji, are you seriously jealous?”

Pei Ji withdrew his hand, his broad shoulders in the white shirt leaning against the outdoor wall. He didn’t feel embarrassed, just gave Gu Yang a glance. “Maybe?”

Gu Yang looked puzzled and protested his innocence. “But Shen Yu danced in front of everyone, and you weren’t jealous. I just chatted with him a bit—to help bring you two closer—and you’re jealous over that?”

“It’s different.”

Pei Ji recalled it, lowering his eyelids. His lips curved faintly, and even he found his words unbelievable.

“You touched him just now.”

Gu Yang thought back for a second. It seemed like… maybe… yeah, he’d pinched Shen Yu’s arm muscle.

Gu Yang: “…”

For a moment, Gu Yang felt utterly speechless, along with a strange, subtle sensation. He backed up a few steps, then suddenly turned around, half-joking, half-serious. “Pei Ji, don’t go and fall hard.”

Pei Ji curved his lips. “I won’t.”

He admitted that his feelings for Shen Yu had swept over him like an unprecedented wave. In his life before this, Pei Ji had never experienced anything like it. His had been a smooth-sailing existence where everything came easily—a brilliant but meaningless life. Suddenly, new colors appeared.

But what came after?

Pei Ji wasn’t even sure how long this infatuation would last.

Maybe it came fast and would fade just as quickly.

Even if it did fade, Pei Ji wouldn’t let Shen Yu feel humiliated. As for why he thought that now, it was probably because—

At this moment, Pei Ji couldn’t even bear to imagine a scene where Shen Yu felt humiliated.

Pei Ji curved his lips, thinking mildly and coldly.

Looks like he was truly in the stage of being utterly infatuated with this person.

How long would it last?

When Shen Yu came downstairs in the lodge’s yukata, he saw a dark figure leaning by the stairs, posture relaxed and leisurely—

Pei Ji.

Pei Ji heard the footsteps descending and looked up.

Shen Yu wore a white yukata, the kind provided by the lodge for soaking. It covered everything tightly, save for a neat little triangle at the collar, revealing clean, delicate skin like cooled white porcelain.

Pei Ji rarely saw Shen Yu in white. His vision filled with vast expanses of striking white, blooming silently and serenely in the night.

If likened to a flower, Shen Yu at this moment was a cold, alluring night-blooming cereus.

Even the glance he cast toward Pei Ji held a watery sheen.

As Shen Yu drew near, Pei Ji looked closely and realized the sheen came from the snow light reflecting off the ground.

Pei Ji smiled and asked, “Going to soak?”

Shen Yu nodded. His gaze subtly swept over Pei Ji as he asked softly, “You aren’t?”

Pei Ji curved his lips, staring into Shen Yu’s eyes. “I’ll go later. We didn’t get to talk properly earlier. I waited here to chat more with Baby.”

Baby.

The simplest endearment, born from the lightest brush of upper and lower lips, carried an ambiguous heat.

Shen Yu had called Pei Ji “Baby” just yesterday, but hearing Pei Ji turn it back on him felt oddly strange for some reason. His ears heated under his black hair.

Had he just been flirted back at?

Shen Yu pursed his lips.

On one side of the courtyard, snow weighed down an apple tree on the snowy clearing, dropping a pile of rotten apples. Snow-laced wind blew, knocking more to the ground. They rolled with the gust right to the two men’s feet, breaking the stirring atmosphere between them.

Pei Ji glanced over, knowing when to stop. With a curved lip, he explained to Shen Yu, “Those are for the passing deer herds or other little mountain animals.”

The apples looked red and round. Even knowing they were synthetic, they still looked appetizing. Shen Yu lowered his long lashes. “Can I eat one?”

Pei Ji shook his head. “Better not. Who knows if there are bugs inside.”

Shen Yu tsked inwardly. He didn’t linger, picked up the key for the outdoor bath at the front desk, grabbed a lantern, and headed down the path to the right of the lodge, deeper into Snow Mountain.

Snow Mountain’s hot springs varied by origin, creating different pools. Larger ones served as public baths, smaller as private.

The outdoor bath was encircled by frosty branches and snow. Crossing the snow-covered path, one could hear the spring’s murmur. Rising steam met cold air, turning into thin white mist that curled upward.

Shen Yu slipped off his yukata and stepped into the hot spring.

This outdoor pool was natural too, with wooden bamboo pipes channeling flow. Wooden panels screened two sides, and ground lights hid under fallen snow branches, casting faint, hazy glows. Across, one could admire the flowing water and snowscape.

Shen Yu sank his bare body into the pool. Warm currents surged from all sides, caressing every inch of his skin, enveloping him.

He felt warm all over, like basking in heated sunlight. Shen Yu comfortably narrowed his eyes and lazily leaned against the spring wall.

Suddenly, the sound of stepping on dry twigs rang in his ears.

Shen Yu opened his eyes. Damp steam clung to his dark lashes like a layer of misty fog. He looked toward the sound.

In the darkness, a tall, upright silhouette emerged.

Pei Ji’s figure detached from the shadows. The better the alpha physique, the stronger it was. He wore only a shirt, sleeves rolled to his forearms, exposing sleek, solid arm muscles. In his hand dangled a bamboo basket that clashed with his vibe.

Shen Yu frowned.

As the man reached the spring’s edge, Shen Yu glanced over and saw the basket filled with plump red apples, piled high and peeking out. Their fresh, sweet scent wafted from afar.

Shen Yu pursed his lips and eyed Pei Ji puzzledly. “Didn’t you say we can’t eat them?”

The spring’s water was milky white, steaming into the snowy expanse. At the waterline, soft white chest muscles faintly showed.

Shen Yu’s natural pale tone took on a rosy hue from the soak, like kiss marks sucked onto skin.

Wet black hair tips dripped into the cool white hollow of his neck. Once full, excess water overflowed from his collarbone, trailing down his chest and melting into the surface.

Pei Ji heard the question and sat by the spring, lowering his gaze. Smiling, he took an apple from the basket and handed it over. “These are edible. Don’t worry, no bugs.”

Shen Yu paused silently. Perhaps the outdoor bath’s warmth was too inviting, or Pei Ji’s smile too radiant. In the end, he couldn’t resist the fruit’s temptation and reached out an arm to take it.

Index, middle, and ring fingers brushed Pei Ji’s warm palm differently during the exchange. The static scrape of their fingertips sparked tingles and itches.

Pei Ji lowered his gaze.

Shen Yu picked up an apple and took a bite. It made a crisp sound. The flesh was sweet without being cloying, fragrant to the smell, and crisp and sweet to the taste.

Pei Ji lowered his head and watched the water dripping from Shen Yu’s eyelashes. Amid the steam, his dry, pale lips gradually turned red and moist.

His lips parted slightly as he swallowed the white fruit flesh. A red tongue flickered in and out.

When he swallowed the fruit, his neck stretched upward slightly, and his sexy Adam’s apple rolled subtly up and down.

Dark red surged in Pei Ji’s eyes. He suddenly remembered that beneath the gently rippling water surface, Shen Yu wore nothing—no clothes, no black trousers, not even close-fitting underwear.

It was like slicing through this layer of mildly swaying milky-white water with a knife from top to bottom, taking in every bit of allure at a glance.

Pei Ji couldn’t help but roll his own Adam’s apple in sync with Shen Yu’s swallowing motion. His voice was incredibly hoarse as he smiled lowly and asked Shen Yu, “What does it taste like?”

Shen Yu thought he was asking about the apple and frowned as he replied, “Sweet.”

Pei Ji sat at the edge of the spring. When he leaned forward slightly, it brought an intense sense of pressure. Shen Yu didn’t like looking up at someone from such a close distance, so he started to pull back.

However, in the next second, Pei Ji suddenly grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward.

Caught off guard, Shen Yu cursed inwardly. He hurriedly tossed the apple away with his other hand and braced himself against the spring wall. This kept his completely naked body from crashing into Pei Ji from the pull, though the distance between them inevitably closed to nearly nothing.

Too close.

So close that their breaths mingled, like stumbling into a beast trap.

Shen Yu’s face darkened instantly. He opened his mouth. “Pei Ji—”

Pei Ji’s hand was like an iron clamp on his wrist. He dragged the retreating man back and rubbed his fingers lightly over the damp pulse point, as if feeling Shen Yu’s body temperature—or as if injecting his own pheromones.

Shen Yu met his darkened gaze, and the words on the tip of his tongue stalled.

In that split second, a dark impulse stirred in his heart. He suddenly caught a crack in Pei Ji’s perfect facade, and his heartbeat in his chest couldn’t help but quicken with suppressed intensity.

Pei Ji held Shen Yu’s hand, his gaze fixed unblinkingly on his lips. His eyes darkened, revealing an aggressive edge from beneath the mildness.

Pei Ji hooked his lips and asked Shen Yu in a very soft voice, “How sweet?”