Qin Siyan walked to the lounge and sat down, his muscles still clearly defined. Ah Xu, ever observant, brought him a towel and asked, “Should I find someone to spar with you, Master?”
It was a clever question, but Qin Siyan merely wiped his flushed cheeks and shot the subordinate a cold look. Ah Xu immediately bowed his head. Qin Siyan spoke calmly, “When is that young master from the Shen family marrying into the house?”
He was the one who had set the date, yet he had already forgotten about it. Today, Qin Siyan had gone out for a round of golf with several CEOs and had only stopped by the training ground on his way back. He had not expected Shi Lan to bring the boy out to play. Ah Xu checked the Master’s mood and replied, “The twelfth of next month.” Qin Siyan stood up and ordered, “Prepare everything thoroughly.” Ah Xu answered, “Yes.”
Miao Yang, carried away by Shi Lan, was finally set down in the car, where he could breathe again. He was dressed in only his shorts. Looking at himself, he realized his tall, sturdy frame did not look bad at all. He scrambled up; this was the Qin family’s sightseeing cart. Watching the training hall recede into the distance, he finally relaxed and patted his chest. “Scared the hell out of me.”
Once he let his guard down, his mouth ran wild. Shi Lan sat beside him, arms crossed, staring at him. Miao Yang curled his eyes into a sweet smile and said, “It is good that I have you, Brother Lan. You are truly too good to me. Once I get back, I do not even want to wander around anymore.”
Shi Lan’s lips suddenly quirked upward. “Oh? That is a wonderful sentiment.”
Miao Yang suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. Still, the day had not been without its rewards. Qin Siyan’s Luck Value was incredibly concentrated; the progress bar had already reached 2/100. He had gained more than one point in a single encounter. If he could just bump into him a hundred more times, he would complete the mission in no time.
168 heard its host’s calculations but did not have the heart to tell him that Luck Value became saturated later on, making it exponentially harder to obtain. It decided to keep that to itself.
Back at the villa, Miao Yang walked with his head held high. No one would guess that half an hour ago, he had been a coward clinging to someone’s leg, begging for mercy. Because his skin was so pale compared to the burly, shirtless men around him, he looked every bit the pretty boy. Shi Lan glanced at him. Miao Yang, realizing this, deliberately flexed his biceps as he strode past the large men. Just as he reached the hallway, he held his breath and struck a few poses, about to show off his physique, when a thick arm wrapped around his waist and hoisted him up, carrying him toward the basement.
“Hey, hey, Big Brother, I can walk myself.” He tried to grab Shi Lan for stability, but his hands only met burning, solid muscle. Miao Yang felt his hands were scorched, but terrified of falling, he had no choice but to cling to the man with both arms and legs.
In the familiar room, Shi Lan threw Miao Yang, who was still wearing only his shorts, onto the bed. Miao Yang nearly bounced off, but he was agile enough to tumble and scramble away. “I am dirty and sweaty; I will mess up our bed.”
Shi Lan grabbed his wrist. With a swift movement, he threw Miao Yang ruthlessly onto the bed. Miao Yang froze, looking up in a panic, but the man had already pressed down on him like a mountain. The sensation of their skin touching was stifling.
“What are you doing?”
Shi Lan’s eyes were gloomy. He gripped Miao Yang’s waist and hoisted him upward, lowering his own hips. Miao Yang’s eyes widened. Shi Lan flipped him over, pinning him down from behind. “Did you think you could hide your little schemes from me?” Shi Lan squeezed Miao Yang’s waist hard, pinning him into the mattress.
Miao Yang had to prop himself up with his hands to keep his face from being crushed. “What schemes? I do not understand.”
Shi Lan knelt between Miao Yang’s legs, his chest pressed against the boy’s back, his cheek rubbing hard against Miao Yang’s face and neck, chafing the skin. “Stop playing dumb, kid. If I do not teach you a lesson today, you will never learn how to behave.” He gripped Miao Yang’s thigh and shoved it to the side.
Miao Yang rolled his eyes and immediately adopted a soft, pleading tone. “Brother Lan, wait a moment; you must have misunderstood me.” He tried to twist around, wanting to face the man. Shi Lan allowed him to flip over.
Miao Yang lay spread-eagle on the bed, his eyes shimmering and pitiful. “How have I been disobedient? Brother Lan, I was almost beaten to death by the Master; if it were not for you, I would be a cripple by now. Thank you.” As he spoke, he resisted the urge to vomit and wrapped his arms around the man’s neck, rubbing his cheek against Shi Lan’s. “You are so good. It is a blessing to be your underling.”
With a sudden, violent movement, Shi Lan shifted, and Miao Yang was shocked to find his perspective flipped—he was now sitting on Shi Lan’s lap, face-to-face.
Miao Yang: “…”
Shi Lan’s gaze traveled from his face, down to his collarbone and chest. They were so close they could not help but touch, the contrast between their skin tones stark. With even a little pressure, the firm muscles felt incredibly resilient. The scorching heat radiated between them. Miao Yang swallowed hard, meeting Shi Lan’s deep, heavy gaze, and instinctively clamped his legs shut.
Shi Lan’s features were rugged, his expression fierce and outwardly aggressive, unlike Qin Siyan’s inscrutable mask. But he was a man of his word; when he said he wanted to break Miao Yang’s legs, Miao Yang believed he truly meant it.
Shi Lan leaned in, his handsome face filling Miao Yang’s vision. Miao Yang instinctively turned his head away, but the man bit into his neck, causing Miao Yang to shriek, “Ow, that hurts.”
Shi Lan ground his teeth against the flesh. “Miao Yang, your little tricks cannot escape my eyes, nor can they escape the Master’s. If it were not for me today, you would be dead and would not even know how it happened.” Trying to curry favor with the Master? You foolish, delusional little idiot.
Miao Yang’s lower back was held tight, forcing him closer to the man. He held his head high, too terrified to move or protest, fearing the man would tear his throat out. His Adam’s apple bobbed. It was small and elegant. Shi Lan’s hand fell upon it, moving like a tiny ant crawling over skin.
“Mmph!” This was undeniably a form of torture.
“If you continue to be disobedient, I might as well just beat you to death.” Shi Lan’s scorching lips brushed against the boy’s jaw as he spoke in a raspy voice.
Miao Yang clutched at his back. “No, no.”
Shi Lan rubbed Miao Yang’s back, feeling the line of his spine. “No? A person who bites the hand that feeds them like you, if I do not deal with you now, who knows when you will turn around and bite me?”
He spoke almost directly into Miao Yang’s ear, his moist, hot breath carrying a chilling intent that pierced through the eardrums and straight to the heart. Miao Yang’s heart pounded wildly. He let himself go limp in the man’s arms. He leaned against Shi Lan’s shoulder, his arms draped lazily over the man’s thick, muscular limbs. His eyes drifted shut, his long lashes damp with moisture, while tiny, muffled whimpers escaped his throat. His toes curled, digging into the bedsheets.