Chapter 27: A Favor

Chapter 27: A Favor

Chen Shuoan was furious: "Have you lost your damn mind?!"

He grabbed Yuan Rang's hand, seeing the pale, slender fingers stained with blood, the palm's flesh torn open.

As if he felt no pain, Yuan Rang pulled his hand away and wrapped his arms around him again.

Chen Shuoan wanted nothing to do with him at the moment. Ignoring the ache, he lifted his leg and planted a heavy kick on his thigh.

Yuan Rang let go from the force of the kick and got off the bed. He'd already masked his earlier emotions, and now he looked completely pitiful as he whimpered, "Shuo'an..."

Chen Shuoan saw right through the bastard's pitiful act.

His face blank, he ignored him completely and made straight for the door.

Yuan Rang panicked but didn't dare grab him, afraid of making the wound worse and making Chen Shuoan uncomfortable.

He followed close behind Chen Shuoan, his face dark with frustration, unable to find the words.

Jili spotted the two of them walking single file from a distance and found it pretty funny.

Young Master Chen really could keep that living demon king, His Highness the Sixth Prince, in check.

Yuan Rang followed Chen Shuoan into the room and watched him start digging through boxes and cabinets.

His eyes darkened.

Even though he knew Chen Shuoan could never really leave him, the sight of him frantically packing like he was about to leave was grating.

Yuan Rang stood in the doorway, arms crossed, his body blatantly blocking the exit.

"Get over here. Do I have to come drag you over?"

Yuan Rang froze, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. He straightened up and hurried over to Chen Shuoan's side.

Chen Shuoan grabbed his hand, clearly in a bad mood, gently dabbing the wound with gauze while scolding him nonstop: "You say you can't stand it when I'm hurt—do you think I can stand it when you're hurt? Now look at us—the two of us can't even put together one good pair of hands..."

Yuan Rang let him scold, just staring dazedly at Chen Shuoan's blabbering little mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He worries about me.

Yuan Rang thought feverishly.

I love it. I love him so much.

I want to kiss him. No—I want to do way more than kiss him.

Yuan Rang lowered his lashes, his tongue tracing over his canine teeth, a sick smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

I'm going to eat him alive.

After putting medicine on the ghastly wound, Chen Shuoan couldn't help wondering if the elders had raised him wrong, that he'd be so careless with his own body.

He shook off the hand that was resting on his thigh, looked at the wound on his own hand, and let out a sigh.

Yuan Rang snapped out of it and asked softly, "What's wrong?"

Chen Shuoan ignored him and called to the servant waiting by the door: "Zheguang, come with me to the bathhouse."

He wanted to wash—to get back the cleanliness he'd lost.

Yuan Rang's mood darkened, his lips pressed into a thin line. He shot a dismissive glance at Zheguang, his displeasure practically tangible.

Zheguang was so scared he nearly lost his mind, dropping to his knees with a thud, wishing he could just pass out.

Chen Shuoan: "...No need for such a big show. I'm going ahead—hurry up and come."

With that, he strode out the door without giving Yuan Rang another look.

The Sixth Prince knew damn well that Chen Shuoan really didn't want to deal with him right now, a sour jealousy rising in his chest.

He took a long step, and as he passed the still-kneeling Zheguang, he let out a soft laugh. "What an eyesore."

————

The bathhouse door creaked open. Chen Shuoan was struggling to get his clothes off and called out loudly when he heard it: "Zheguang? Come give me a hand."

Yuan Rang slowly stepped out from behind the screen, holding the clean clothes Chen Shuoan needed, and said, smiling good-naturedly: "Why didn't Shuo'an call me?"

Chen Shuoan acted like the bastard didn't exist, shamelessly starting to strip right in front of him.

The summer clothes were light and thin, and through the fabric, nearly see-through from the steam, Yuan Rang caught glimpses of his slender waist, appearing and disappearing.

Yuan Rang held his breath, his steps growing quieter.

He looked away as if to hide his intentions, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "Here, let me help you."

Chen Shuoan, already annoyed by the wound on his hand, didn't want to deal with him but had no better option right then. He gave a sulky hum of agreement.

Yuan Rang was completely disarmed by him, the unease from Chen Shuoan's coldness completely melting away.

He gently set the clothes on the wooden rack, as if afraid to disturb the ethereal steam in the room—or the person in front of him.

Chen Shuoan felt Yuan Rang step up behind him, his breath lingering by his ear, sending a tingle down his spine.

He raised a hand to rub his itchy ear with the back of his hand, waiting like a lord to be served.

Suddenly, a pair of big hands grabbed his waist and pulled him back.

Chen Shuoan's back pressed against Yuan Rang's solid chest. Feeling the warmth at his waist, he asked, confused: "It's boiling hot out, so why are your hands so cold?"

Yuan Rang's brain was practically mush by now—he couldn't care less why his hands were cold.

He felt the slender waist under his palms, trembling as he pinched the sash at the side and slowly pulled it open, as if the man in his arms might shatter. He whispered softly, "Maybe it's a deficiency of blood and qi."

Chen Shuoan always got annoyed when this came up. The more he thought about it, the worse it seemed, and his little mouth started running: "You've got a lot of nerve bringing that up. If you ever do this again, I don't care how the Empress Dowager raised you—I'll beat you senseless first."

Yuan Rang usually obeyed him in everything, but on this matter, he wouldn't budge an inch.

He squeezed Chen Shuoan's waist hard, making him go weak in his arms, and answered with something completely off-topic: "I'll take good care of you from now on."

?

Chen Shuoan was baffled, convinced that one of them had to be the idiot.

He was so tickled by Yuan Rang's squeezing that he finally couldn't stand it and turned around to give him a piece of his mind.

The moment he turned, a tingling sensation brushed his cheek.

It was soft, cool, and slightly damp.

Yuan Rang pressed his lips tightly together, then extended his tongue to lick them, the fire in his eyes spreading like wildfire through his whole body.

He stared intently into Chen Shuoan's eyes, like he was about to eat him alive.

Chen Shuoan stood dazed, still not understanding what was happening, and in his fright he started flailing and jumping around in Yuan Rang's arms: "There's a bug, Yuan Rang! A bug is crawling on my face!"

Yuan Rang pushed down the wicked thoughts stirring inside him and closed his eyes, afraid that this loudmouth would aggravate his injuries. He tightened his hold on him, his voice hoarse: "Be a good boy, the bug's gone now."

Chen Shuoan pressed his face against Yuan Rang's, hearing him repeat once more: "Be a good boy."

?

He was so confused. Was Yuan Rang losing his mind?

Once he got over the whole bug-on-his-face freakout, Yuan Rang had already stripped him out of his clothes. He averted his gaze slightly and said softly, "Done."

The bathhouse was thick with steam, and Yuan Rang's face was hidden within it, which gave him an unexpectedly softer look.

Chen Shuoan found it fascinating—His Highness the Sixth Prince's features were already strikingly handsome and sharp, and this backdrop added a unique charm to them.

He stepped down the jade steps slowly into the water, hearing Yuan Rang's voice sound again from behind: "Raise your hands, don't get them wet."