Cao Xiaochan forced himself to stay calm and stopped looking at Bai Yiyan’s alluring face. Shifting his gaze down, he noticed Bai Yiyan’s hands were slender and strong. They were very handsome hands, though they had light calluses from practicing martial arts. His mind began to wander again, and he recalled how those exact same hands had wandered all over his body, setting him ablaze.
Cao Xiaochan’s face instantly turned bright red. Why did he keep thinking about that night? He guiltily glanced sideways at Bai Yiyan, who was still reading the ledger. Fearing that Bai Yiyan might realize what he was thinking, he quickly pulled his gaze back the moment he saw him look up. He raised a small paw to pat his own chest, relieved that Bai Brother hadn’t noticed.
How humiliating. Why was he only thinking about that night? Even worse, his little brother was reacting embarrassingly. What should he do? Had the aphrodisiac he took not fully worn off? How could he have improper thoughts about Bai Brother, who treated him like a real older brother? Was there something wrong with him? Cao Xiaochan’s mood plummeted, and he slumped forward in discouragement.
“What is it? Are you thinking about me?” A warm breath brushed against his ear, followed by Bai Yiyan’s low, melodious voice.
Bai Yiyan had noticed the silly rabbit sizing him up, blushing deeper and deeper, and then stealing guilty glances at him like he had just done something bad. He guessed the silly rabbit must be thinking about what happened the other day, and that expression of his was simply adorable. Unable to resist, Bai Yiyan put down the ledger and walked over to him. He wondered what the silly rabbit was lost in thought about, as he hadn’t noticed his approach at all.
“No, I was not.” Cao Xiaochan’s face turned as red and tempting as an apple as his thoughts were exposed.
“Oh, is that so? Then why is your face so red?” Bai Yiyan raised an eyebrow with a charming, wicked smile and whispered in his ear, “It really makes someone want to take a bite out of it.”
Hearing those flirtatious words, Cao Xiaochan felt a sudden roar in his head, almost as if he were about to steam over. After a long moment, he stammered, “Bai Brother, what are you saying?”
“I’m telling the truth.” As he spoke, Bai Yiyan actually leaned in and gently bit his round, flushed cheek.
Cao Xiaochan froze completely. What kind of situation was this? Had his cheek just been bitten, or had it been kissed?
Taking advantage of his daze, Bai Yiyan pulled him into his arms, wrapping his strong, large hands securely around his waist to see how long it would take for him to snap out of it. Sure enough, after a good while, the silly rabbit realized he was sitting on Bai Yiyan’s lap.
“Bai Brother, we are both men, doing this is wrong.” Cao Xiaochan struggled, trying to stand up, but he was held too tightly to move an inch.
“Be a good boy and don’t move. Tell me, what were you thinking about just now?”
“Nothing at all,” Cao Xiaochan answered, lowering his head in embarrassment.
“Really? I thought you were thinking about what happened the other day.” Bai Yiyan wasn’t entirely certain; he just wanted to tease him.
“Ah, how did you know?” Cao Xiaochan suddenly stood straight up, bumping the top of his head right into Bai Yiyan’s chin. “Ouch, that hurts!” Teary-eyed, he immediately raised his paws to cover his head.
Bai Yiyan sucked in a sharp breath from the impact, wincing at the genuine pain. “Why are you so clumsy? Let me see.” He pulled away Cao Xiaochan’s hands to check the spot, and seeing no bump forming, he said, “It’s fine, it won’t hurt in a moment.”
“It’s your fault! If you hadn’t suddenly said those things, I wouldn’t have done that.” Cao Xiaochan instinctively pouted and acted spoiled toward Bai Yiyan.
“Fine, fine, fine, it’s all my fault, okay? It’s getting late. I’ll have someone bring in some water so you can wash up and get to bed early.” Bai Yiyan’s voice was gentle and doting, the wicked expression entirely gone from his face.
“Okay.” Cao Xiaochan obediently nodded, completely forgetting that he was still in the man’s arms.
Looking at the silly rabbit’s obedient and adorable appearance, Bai Yiyan let it slip, “My bed is quite wide. Sleep with me tonight.”
“No need, I can just sleep on the couch over here.” Cao Xiaochan hurriedly refused.
“That couch is meant for servants and is much too hard. How can I let you suffer?”
“It’s not suffering, really not suffering!” Cao Xiaochan emphasized, afraid the other wouldn’t believe him.
“We are both men, what are you afraid of? Or are you afraid that sleeping with me will make you unable to resist wanting to love me, hmm?” Seeing his wonderfully cute reaction, Bai Yiyan couldn’t resist teasing him further.
“I am not! Sleeping together is sleeping together, I am not afraid of you at all. Humph!” Caught off guard, Cao Xiaochan put up a defensive front, though he quickly realized how that sounded and tried to correct himself. In the end, it resulted in both of them sharing the same bed that night.
Tucked safely inside Bai Yiyan’s arms, Cao Xiaochan listened to his steady breathing while his own heart pounded frantically.
Bai Yiyan held Cao Xiaochan close, pretending to be asleep. Hearing the boy’s rapid heartbeat, he knew the little fellow was embarrassed again. How adorable. He hadn’t even done anything yet, and the boy was already blushing this much. What kind of reaction would he get if he actually did something while the boy was fully awake? He was certainly looking forward to it. For now, he would let him off the hook so as not to scare him off; after all, rabbits were generally timid creatures.
Early the next morning, when the two woke up, Bai Yiyan put his human-skin mask back on. Looking at the face that was distinctly less handsome than his real one, Cao Xiaochan felt a slight twinge of disappointment.
“Bai Brother, what are we going to do today?” Cao Xiaochan asked during breakfast.
“Manager Chen has already found a temporary courtyard for us. We will move there today.”
“Great.” Cao Xiaochan was secretly happy. After moving, maybe he wouldn’t have to share a bed with Bai Brother anymore.
Over at the prefectural yamen, Secretary Lu walked into the inner hall used for receiving guests. Prefect Cao sat right in the center of the main hall, holding a teacup and sipping leisurely.
“This humble subordinate pays respects to the Prefect.” Secretary Lu bowed respectfully.
“No need for formalities, Secretary Lu, please take a seat.” Prefect Cao set down his teacup, gestured to a chair, and had a servant pour tea for the secretary. Once Secretary Lu sat down on the right, Prefect Cao continued, “I wonder what brings Secretary Lu to seek an audience with me at this hour?”
“My lord, the imperial envoy sent by the court is expected to arrive in Anping City by noon today. I wonder what plans the lord has in mind?” Secretary Lu watched the Prefect closely, afraid of missing any change in his expression.
“Do we need a plan? Even though he holds a lofty title, once he arrives in this Anping City, he is nothing more than an outsider who knows no one.” Prefect Cao took a sip of his tea unconcerned. Before someone of that status, his own rank was low and his voice carried little weight, so there was nothing to plan.
“My lord, you are mistaken. The imperial envoy arriving this time is the reigning emperor’s own younger brother, Prince Jin. I hear that Prince Jin holds the emperor’s deepest favor, and the current emperor not only harbors zero suspicion toward him but has even entrusted him with major responsibilities. It is clear just how extraordinarily favored Prince Jin truly is.” Secretary Lu emphasized the envoy’s background to remind the Prefect that this person was far from ordinary.
“Oh, so what if he is a prince? While he is noble and patrols the realm on the emperor’s behalf, he is also a notoriously spoiled good-for-nothing. I hear he has a fondness for male beauties. Just go find a few outstanding, clean young attendants and send them over to him when the time comes. I reckon he won’t have the bandwidth to bother with petty local matters.”
Prefect Cao took another sip of tea before adding, “Besides, you and I handle our affairs carefully and leave no trace behind on ordinary days. Secretary Lu, set your mind at ease and just properly host this distinguished guest from the capital.” Prefect Cao appeared entirely composed; his daily operations were meticulously handled, and surely a frivolous wastrel of a prince couldn’t possibly uncover anything on him.