In the blink of an eye, a breeze swept through, dispersing the stagnant air and briefly calming the restless flames.
"Mm."
Qin Yuheng stepped forward and tugged his trousers up, gathering the excess waistband together to cover the exposed portion of his black underwear and block any prying view.
Yu Nian felt as though Qin Yuheng was standing a little too close. He looked up at him. The other man was so tall and broad, looming before him like an immovable mountain, its shadow bearing down on him with an intangible pressure.
The distinctive scent of plum blossoms on him, as crisp as snow and fragrant as flowers, seemed about to envelop Yu Nian.
He saw the pronounced bridge of Qin Yuheng's nose, striking and sculpted, and his thin lips, perfectly proportioned. There was no untidy stubble around them; he was clean and fresh, yet possessed the distinctive allure of a mature man.
Yu Nian suddenly blinked faster as his heartbeat quickened. He soon turned his face away, caught up in a storm that was his alone.
And so he failed to notice those hands tugging at the fabric around his waist.
Qin Yuheng was a perfect gentleman, not touching even an inch of his skin.
He simply remained silent, doing something entirely at odds with his own desires.
After that silence came embers fanned back to life, stirring restlessly, eager to flare up again.
Yu Nian knew nothing of it.
Qin Yuheng was glad.
He pushed the brooch through the excess waistband, adjusting it to the right size and covering most of that exposed waist again.
Two intertwined fish adorned that slender, pale waist, glittering brilliantly, like some silent yet ostentatious declaration.
A mark.
For some reason, that word came to Qin Yuheng, and in an instant, the blood