Chapter 24

He had barely finished speaking when an arm tightened around his lower back, drawing him against Bo Tingyuan's chest.

Just then, the elevator stopped. Bo Tingyuan felt Wen Cishu's cheek brush his temple as he tumbled into his arms.

His palm gently rubbed Wen Cishu's lower back. "Auntie Zhong said your back was bothering you."

Wen Cishu thought, That has nothing to do with what I said.

But his palm was warm, its heat seeping through his clothes onto his skin. It felt quite comfortable, so he did not refuse.

Once inside the bedroom, Bo Tingyuan sat on the sofa, still without letting him go.

Wen Cishu ended up kneeling astride his thighs. He had meant to pull away, but the moment he moved, he felt the hand rubbing his waist tighten.

"Why did it suddenly start bothering you?"

Bo Tingyuan tucked his long hair behind his ear while his other hand explored his waist. "Here?" He moved it a little to the side. "Or here?"

"Hss-"

The pressure made Wen Cishu ache. His chin tilted up slightly, the line of his neck stretching into a sensual curve, and even the black hair draped down his back swayed.

Bo Tingyuan lowered his eyes, gazing at the little mole on the side of his snow-white neck.

It was usually well hidden, only occasionally revealing itself, flickering in and out of sight between strands of hair.

Wen Cishu's attention was entirely on his palm. Feeling the pressure of his fingertips, he began directing him. "A little to the left, uh-"

He suddenly realized how tightly they were embracing, their breaths mingling, their lips perhaps only a few centimeters apart.

He could not help stiffening, lowering his head slightly as he braced himself on the sofa's armrest.

"It's fine. It really isn't serious."

Bo Tingyuan still did not let him leave, continuing to knead in silence at the soft, slender waist that was only as wide as the length of his palm.

The aching soreness in his lower back made Wen Cishu bite his lower lip lightly.

He dared not meet those dark green eyes, keeping his gaze lowered. When the palm at his lower back pressed a little harder, his hand unconsciously braced against Bo Tingyuan's strong, solid arm.

After Wen Cishu consciously suppressed the urge to gasp softly, the room grew so quiet that a falling pin could have been heard.

There was only Bo Tingyuan's slightly heavy breathing and the rustle of his palm against the fabric at Wen Cishu's lower back.

Those sounds were exceedingly faint, yet they seemed like ants crawling over Wen Cishu's ears, creating an enormous disturbance in his senses.

Bo Tingyuan looked down at him. "Does it hurt when I press like this?"

"No..." Wen Cishu answered something else entirely. "I need to shower and get some rest. I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Mm," Bo Tingyuan said.

But his palm did not stop, continuing to knead back and forth.

Wen Cishu did not remind him or insist. Leaning in the crook of his arm, he simply lowered his head, resting his forehead against his shoulder and letting him continue.

Yet the sensation at his lower back grew increasingly distinct, as if that palm might slip past his hem and rub his bare skin at any moment, making him instinctively arch his back before hurriedly relaxing again.

Just then, the familiar sound of the little monkey bounding about came from outside the door.

Wen Cishu was about to speak when a force scooped him up.

As his son entered, Bo Tingyuan stood and said, "Yiming, I'm carrying your little dad in for his shower. Wait here. I have something to discuss with you."

"Okay~" Bo Yiming noticed nothing unusual. He leaped onto the other long sofa, hugged a soft cushion, and rolled over.

Wen Cishu was carried into the bathroom, and only when his feet touched the floor did it begin to feel real.

Bo Tingyuan gently removed the blanket from his shoulders and brushed aside his long black hair.

Before Wen Cishu could register the slight chill around him, he unexpectedly caught Bo Tingyuan's expression in the mirror, as though he were stripping off every piece of clothing in front of him.

When Bo Tingyuan looked at him, Wen Cishu hastily avoided his gaze. Bracing himself against the edge of the sink, he reached for his toiletries. "Go on out. I'm going to brush my teeth."

"Don't shower too long."

With that reminder, Bo Tingyuan turned and left.

Leaning against the sink, Wen Cishu watched him walk out while folding the thin blanket over his arm, his retreating figure gentlemanly and elegant.

Coming back to himself, he looked at his reflection. Without realizing it, his hand had settled at his lower back, touching it before quickly withdrawing.

When Wen Cishu finished washing up, he changed into pajamas and came out of the bathroom.

The bedroom was especially quiet, without a sound from the little monkey.

Bo Tingyuan sat on the sofa beside the bed, leafing through a book.

"Where's Yiming?" Wen Cishu yawned, lazily covering his lips.

Only when he came closer did he notice that Bo Tingyuan was holding the French fairy-tale book.

Bo Tingyuan looked up as he closed the book.

Fresh from his bath, Wen Cishu was as soft and warm as jade, languid and captivating.

Bo Tingyuan set down the book, stood, and came over to pull back the covers for him, supporting him as he lay down.

"I told him to sleep in his own room tonight."

Lying on the soft pillow, Wen Cishu blinked and teased with a little laugh, "Then who's going to tell me a fairy tale and lull me to sleep tonight?"

The moment he said it, he worried Bo Tingyuan might misunderstand and instinctively pressed his lips together. Under the gaze of those deep eyes, he tugged at the covers and said softly, "I can fall asleep by myself."

Bo Tingyuan reached out and touched the tip of his ear, saying in a low voice, "I'll come over after my shower."

His voice paused before he added, "And tell you a story."

"Oh." Wen Cishu wiggled his feet beneath the covers, watching him leave.

-Was he really going to tell him a story to lull him to sleep?

Wen Cishu could not help lowering his head, the corners of his lips curving up.

It wasn't as though he was looking forward to it that much~

Still, his French would definitely be much smoother than the little monkey's~

Wen Cishu happily slid beneath the covers, trying hard to press down the corners of his mouth. The moment his eyes closed, he immediately forced them wide open.

-He couldn't fall asleep first.

Chapter 24

Only a single wall lamp was lit in Bo Tingyuan's room.

At his desk, he removed his rimless glasses and habitually pinched the bridge of his nose. As he lowered his eyes, his gaze fell on the drawer below.

The dim yellow light was behind him. Beneath his sculpted brow bones, his green eyes were dark as deep pools.

Half a minute later, Bo Tingyuan chose to open the drawer after all.

With the faint sound of the runners beneath the drawer, a small, stark-white prescription box appeared in the heavy shadows.

He had not touched it since bringing it home the day before yesterday.

Bo Tingyuan opened the box. Besides a bottle of medicine, there was a stiff handwritten card.

On the card were Doctor Xu's handwritten instructions in English.

[Mr. Bo, I believe we discussed the side effects of suppressants very clearly during our first consultation. I trust that, as someone who has taken this medication for a long time, you must have a fairly mature understanding of them. Once again, I hope you will exercise caution when taking it. (Wishing you all the best.)]

Doctor Xu had intended those words as a reminder for Bo Tingyuan, but she would never have imagined that they would instead immediately place him back in last Saturday night.

He had been outside the screen, unable to reach him even with his hand outstretched.

And this special circumstance would occur once more tomorrow night.

In an instant, the card was shoved back into the box.

In one fluid sequence, Bo Tingyuan opened the bottle, took out a pill, and swallowed it with a glass of water from the desk.

The figure in the dim light quickly stripped off his suit jacket and tossed it onto the sofa, undoing the buttons of his black shirt as he strode toward the bathroom.

A little over ten minutes later, the screen was pushed aside with a faint sound.

Wen Cishu leaned against the pillow, feigning nonchalance. Turning to the side, he was just about to speak when he saw Bo Tingyuan approaching step by step in a robe, and froze slightly.

The long black-and-gold robe draped around his perfectly sculpted physique, making him resemble a medieval European monk.

His expression was indifferent, even cold, yet he exuded an indescribable sensuality.

As Bo Tingyuan reached the bedside and picked up the fairy-tale book, Wen Cishu could not help clutching the edge of the covers, momentarily so self-conscious that he did not know how to begin speaking.

Bo Tingyuan sat at the edge of the bed and brushed a hand over his cheek, his thumb sweeping over the end of his eyebrow. "Sleepy already?" he asked softly.

Wen Cishu felt the warmth of his fingertips, probably because he had just showered.

He shook his head slightly, his hair brushing the silk pillowcase with a soft rustle.

Feeling the heat of his body as he drew near, Wen Cishu deliberately asked about the little monkey, somewhat unnaturally. "Did you make some kind of deal with Yiming? Did you promise to take him riding?"

"No."

Bo Tingyuan pulled up the covers his son had used and leaned against the pillow. "My mother said she missed him. She's talking to him on the phone tonight."

"Oh..."

Wen Cishu understood.

Bo Tingyuan said, "Yiming said he wants to visit France in a while."

Wen Cishu thought, Could this child be heading to boarding school to walk straight into the net?

"Does Yiming's grandmother really want him to study in France?"

"She doesn't know about it yet. I haven't mentioned it."

Bo Tingyuan reached for the fairy-tale book and unhurriedly opened it.

Wen Cishu relaxed at his answer, unconsciously watching his every movement.

Bo Tingyuan turned the pages with his right hand, holding the book in his left.

On his long ring finger, his wedding band gave off a soft, understated gleam.

Very different from Wen Cishu's, Bo Tingyuan's ring bore the accumulated traces of ten years.

In particular, its two bands were made from different materials. Compared with the hard platinum, the gold band was softer.

No matter how much its owner treasured it or how careful he was, wearing it every day would inevitably leave fine scratches.

Bo Tingyuan looked at the person who seemed to be lost in thought. "Where did Yiming leave off? Do you remember?"

Following his low voice, Wen Cishu instinctively rolled onto his side to look at him, only for his palm to support him and press him back down.

"Lie on your back."

"Oh."

Resting his hand at the edge of the covers, Wen Cishu lifted one finger to poke the fairy-tale book, looking up into his green eyes, brimming with tenderness.

"Yesterday, we finished the chapter where the moon goddess gives the unicorn spiritual power. In the next chapter, the unicorn takes that power and goes to find and rescue its little friends. There's a table of contents."

This fairy-tale book had been a gift from Wen Cishu's mother, who had translated it into Chinese herself.

Bo Tingyuan used the table of contents to turn to that page, then began reading the story in French.