TYAM Chapter 76

The banquet after the event was lively, with fine wine and gourmet dishes piled onto the round table in an endless flow, giving off the vibe of a lavish New Year’s feast.  

Ji Linqiu ate absentmindedly, feeling somewhat tired.  

After a long and exhausting day, all he wanted was to return to his room, take a hot bath, and sleep.  

Jiang Wang, though coaxed into drinking a few glasses, hadn’t drunk too much.  

Leaning close to him during the meal, Jiang Wang hooked his finger under Ji Linqiu’s tie, tugging it downward.  

“Why are you so obedient?” Jiang Wang chuckled in a husky voice. “I tied it so tight, and you just let it stay like that without loosening it even a little?”  

Ji Linqiu, who hadn’t had a drop of alcohol, felt as if he were lightly intoxicated when he opened his mouth to reply.  

He squinted his eyes and smiled, refusing to explain.  

“What should I reward you with?” Jiang Wang began, but before he could finish, a boss across the table laughed loudly and raised his glass to propose a toast. Jiang Wang downed it in one go before leaning close to Ji Linqiu’s ear again to continue speaking.  

It was strange.  

When other people, reeking of alcohol, got close to Ji Linqiu, he found the smell unpleasant and repulsive.  

But when Jiang Wang leaned in after drinking, Ji Linqiu found it comforting.  

The alcohol seemed like fuel, igniting Jiang Wang’s aura and letting it burn and spread unabashedly, enveloping Ji Linqiu entirely.  

Thinking about this, Ji Linqiu suddenly understood.  

It wasn’t that he liked the smell of alcohol. He just liked the way Jiang Wang’s scent clung to him.  

Ji Linqiu had never been in a relationship before. Only after meeting Jiang Wang did he slowly start to understand what love felt like.  

Quiet and reserved, Ji Linqiu was not one for sweet talk, making him a lover so introverted that he sometimes doubted whether he was a little too stiff.  

But countless small habits had accumulated over time, like raindrops soaking into cobwebs, quietly blending into instincts he hadn’t even noticed.  

In the end, his fondness and infatuation with Jiang Wang became as natural as breathing—

Light yet simple, always lingering in every thing. 

He had grown used to indulging Jiang Wang, agreeing to his unreasonable or endearing requests without hesitation.  

“What should I reward you with?” Jiang Wang repeated, tapping the rim of his glass lightly against Ji Linqiu’s nose. He teased in a low voice amid the lively, crowded room, “You haven’t had a single drink, so why are you blushing?” 

Ji Linqiu looked at him and laughed softly.  

“If I had a drink, I’d end up drunk in the hallway with you. Who’d bring you back to the room then?”  

“You should drink a little,” Jiang Wang said, narrowing his eyes. “Alcohol makes cowards bold.”  

Before Ji Linqiu could respond, Jiang Wang stood up, threw on his coat, and bid farewell to the other guests.  

“I’ve got a video conference for work tonight. Director Ji and I will head back first.”  

The group expressed surprise and regret, reluctant to see them leave.  

“The dishes just finished coming out, have a bit more to eat!”  

“So busy, huh? No wonder your business is doing so well!”  

“Well, see you tomorrow, President Jiang and Director Ji!” 

Jiang Wang led Ji Linqiu toward their hotel room. Though he’d seemed a little unsteady during the meal, his steps were firm and steady as they left.  

Ji Linqiu vaguely sensed something but couldn’t always figure Jiang Wang out.  

Lowering his head as they walked side by side, Ji Linqiu spoke in a soft voice.  

“Wearing your tie today… my throat felt so hot.”  

The restaurant was on the fourth floor, and their room was on the twenty-first. They had to take a few turns along the way.  

Hotel staff and guests hurried past, paying them no attention.  

Neither of them noticed when they started holding hands.  

“It’s hot,” Jiang Wang repeated, his gaze flitting between Ji Linqiu and his tie, almost like he was smiling.  

Ji Linqiu instinctively looked down and realized that two buttons at his collar had been undone, exposing his collarbone.  

He was the one who seemed drunk from being toasted at the banquet, momentarily dazed as he murmured, “Reward me… with what?”  

The elevator dinged, enclosing them in its small, warm space.  

“Give me your hand,” Jiang Wang said softly.  

Ji Linqiu obediently extended his hand.  

Jiang Wang pulled out a small square box and placed it in Ji Linqiu’s palm, like giving him a piece of candy.  

It was a box of ultra-thin air condoms.  

Ji Linqiu froze for a moment, then quickly looked up at Jiang Wang.  

“I usually don’t want to drink, and no one can make me,” Jiang Wang said, glancing at the slow-rising elevator numbers. His tone turned unexpectedly shy. “I drank more so I wouldn’t feel embarrassed looking at you later.”  

Ji Linqiu couldn’t understand how this man could seamlessly switch between being effortlessly confident and endearingly awkward. Clutching the box tightly, he let out a soft hum, caught off guard.  

In truth, Ji Linqiu hadn’t given much thought to this kind of thing before.  

He’d watched adult films in the past but found them uncomfortable and had stopped after a few brief glances.  

Now, under the dim, warm elevator light, he lowered his head and examined the small box’s packaging.  

“…So, this is necessary?”  

It was then that Jiang Wang realized he had been holding Ji Linqiu’s hand all this time. The act had felt so natural earlier that it had escaped his notice.  

He pulled him closer, leaned in, and whispered.  

“I’d like to do without it too.”  

“But I read online… it might cause a fever.”  

Ji Linqiu let out a soft “oh,” thinking it made sense, but then something clicked.  

“…I’m the one on the bottom?”  

Jiang Wang, who had just started loosening his tie, paused at the question. His gaze softened.  

“If you don’t like it…”  

“I feel really happy,” Ji Linqiu interrupted, not even sure of what he was saying. “I’ve always wanted to hold you tighter like this.”  

‘To kiss your soul, your sweat, and your blood.  

I’ve probably already fallen completely.’

Halfway through, he stopped himself, leaving the rest of his thoughts unspoken.  

Jiang Wang gazed at him, then broke into a radiant smile.  

As if he had already understood everything.  

The elevator dinged softly again, the doors opening slowly.  

…  

Afterward, Jiang Wang carried his utterly exhausted lover into the bathtub.  

He had been thoughtful enough to prepare in advance, filling the tub with warm water and even setting a fruit platter nearby.  

Ji Linqiu’s right wrist was still tied with a tie. As he slid into the tub, he looked like a mermaid finally released after being utterly indulged.  

His eyes were still hazy, his lips dry. He soaked silently in the warm water for a long while without making a sound.  

Jiang Wang knelt by the tub, first brushing his hand over Ji Linqiu’s face, then checking the water temperature several times, as if worried he might catch a chill.  

Ji Linqiu caught a whiff of the air, then slowly rose to lean against the edge of the tub, resting his forehead against Jiang Wang’s.  

Jiang Wang kissed his lips gently.  

“Are you okay?”  

“Mm.” Ji Linqiu pursed his lips, then whispered in his ear, “Don’t let anyone else into this room. The scent will give us away.”  

Jiang Wang chuckled, running his fingers through Ji Linqiu’s damp hair.  

“And you’re still worried about that at a time like this.”  

Ji Linqiu nestled into the heat.

In the steaming tub, his long legs slightly bent, his skin radiating a warm ivory hue.  

Jiang Wang reached for a towel to help wipe Ji Linqiu’s back, but before he could, Ji Linqiu grabbed his shoulder and tugged him into the tub. Water splashed everywhere in chaotic waves.  

Ji Linqiu looked up at him, his eyes sparkling.  

“Tired?”  

“Are you inviting me to bathe with you?” Jiang Wang asked, leaning over him. He licked the corner of his lips and continued, “Or have you already recovered?”  

“While we were doing it earlier, I suddenly thought,” Ji Linqiu raised his hand to touch the side of Jiang Wang’s face, water droplets splashing everywhere, leaving both of them soaked.  

“I should buy you a bouquet of Snow Peach roses.”  

“That way, every day in your office, you’ll see that bouquet. And every time you look at it, you’ll remember just how radiant my heart feels when I love you.”  

Jiang Wang lowered his head to gaze at him, smiling as well.  

“Alright.”  

“I’ll be looking forward to your flowers.”