Song Suiyuan’s gaze fell on the face of the courtesan in red, his fingers thoughtfully rubbing in his sleeve. His ink-black eyes flashed with a layer of cold light, which quickly faded away.

It wasn’t her.

Though she looked anxious, she wasn’t afraid. The sweet scent at her nose wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, likely a special blend made by Liuxiang Pavilion just for them. The incense in the room was the same as usual, the only change was…

Shi Wan lowered her head, feeling regretful and anxious. No matter the romantic thoughts in her heart, Song Gongzi was an excellent musician, and she didn’t want to lose such a valuable guest because of today’s mistake.

She waited anxiously, and finally, the person in front of her spoke, but it was a request she had never heard before.

“Have a drink.” Song Suiyuan lifted the wine jar and poured it out completely, not leaving a drop.

Shi Wan looked up just in time to see the last drop of wine splash into the cup. Her gaze shifted from the cup to Song Gongzi, whose face was as composed as ever, with his lips habitually curved. However, this sudden action made him even more inscrutable.

The small, exquisite wine cup was placed on the table beside her. Shi Wan hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, and lifted it to drink.

As she drank, Song Suiyuan fiddled with his sleeve, smoothing out the creases Ah Yan had pressed into the fine silk. He looked up and asked, “How is the wine?”

Shi Wan’s expression shifted from hesitation to confusion, and finally to inexplicable worry… and a bit of shyness, suddenly becoming bold: “Since it is famous throughout Shengjing and sought after by many, it must be excellent.”

Her words had multiple meanings, but Song Suiyuan only extracted what he wanted to know. So it really was Xianxian Drunk. He replied warmly, “Shi Guniang, your words are reasonable.”

However, the conversation took a turn, and the next sentence was a gentle request for her to leave.

If he had invited her directly, it would have been fine, but his outright refusal was even more enticing.

Shi Wan gathered her courage and looked up.

Song Suiyuan really wanted her to leave.

Everything used in Liuxiang Pavilion had aphrodisiac effects, including the scent on her body. The elusive sweet fragrance was a bit irritating at this moment, so before Shi Wan could speak, he said coldly, “Shi Guniang, I prefer the south wind.”

Shi Wan’s pupils contracted: “…”

At the time, people were somewhat tolerant of the cut-sleeve trend. The late emperor had male concubines, and some officials’ wives worried about their children being too involved with women, arranged for book boys during enlightenment. But it was never openly acknowledged. Marriage between men… except for the Duke of the State and his husband who exchanged military merits for the late emperor’s blessing… was not recognized by officials. No one spoke so definitively.

Perhaps Song Gongzi felt troubled…

Shi Wan was stunned for a moment and could only retreat. As she left, she said, perhaps out of some unknown mindset, “If you want a xiaoguan, I can arrange one for you.”

After the graceful figure left, Ah Yan, who was munching on plum blossom buns and watching the show, meowed, circled the wine jar, and tapped it with a little paw.

Famous Shengjing wine~

“You can’t drink it,” Song Suiyuan said to it, pressing two fingers on the cat’s head.

Ah Yan lay down around the wine jar, unmoving: “Meow~”

Just want to drink.

Song Suiyuan ignored it, rubbing his temples. Xianxian Drunk was smooth and delicate at first, but its aftereffects were strong. The fragrance had stirred up his desires along with the wine.

He was pondering, he could only stay here tonight, vent his desires, but the only problem was this little white cat.

How to make it behave?

Song Suiyuan frowned and closed his eyes. Unaware that Ah Yan’s round eyes were plotting some mischief.

In a moment, Song Suiyuan opened his barely composed eyes, picked up the little white cat by the scruff, and placed it on the large bed, carefully selecting a few dishes for it.

“We’ll stay here tonight, the bed is yours. I’ll go bathe in the west room and return. Don’t get off the bed until I’m back, okay?” His voice was already a bit hoarse, his words seemingly negotiable but with an underlying threat.

On the bed, Ah Yan sat obediently, its tail wrapped around its feet: “Meow~”

The cat understood~

Song Suiyuan stared at it for a while, smiled wryly, and said in a deep voice, “Be good.”

He thought for a moment, and before leaving the room, he took the unopened wine jar with him.

…

Song Suiyuan specifically called for cold water, his body completely submerged, head tilted back, eyes closed, his features cold like a deity.

His earlier words to Shi Wan about preferring the south wind were just an excuse. In both his lives, he had never met anyone he truly desired, unsure of what it would be like. In his past life, to avoid the possibility of the new emperor granting a marriage, he spread rumors of his own impotence and later subtly confirmed it, thus cutting off all romantic entanglements.

Born into the prestigious Song family of Shengjing, Song Suiyuan inevitably had the habits of an aristocrat. Though not obvious in daily life, he was indeed picky, picky in every aspect.

At seven or eight years old, he had seen the Duke of the State and his husband return to the capital to report.

At that time, he and Yang Zhi didn’t join the officials and citizens in welcoming them but followed the Crown Prince to the mansion, where they met Duke Yun Wuchuan and his husband Jiu Xi. The couple’s relationship was one of mutual respect and admiration, the most unique pair Song Suiyuan had seen in his short life, leaving a lasting impression on his young heart.

The picky Song Gongzi wanted such a perfect marriage.

So he was unwilling to marry the noblewoman the new emperor might force upon him.

So even after drinking a jar of Xianxian Drunk, which had effects similar to aphrodisiacs, he merely endured it, soaking in cold water, and resolved it himself.

————

After Song Suiyuan left the room, Ah Yan absentmindedly nibbled on some meat, occasionally glancing at the door, its tail sweeping impatiently behind it.

When would Song Suiyuan return? The cat was bored.

With the wine taken away, Ah Yan lost interest in the food, instinctively running around, pushing the empty wine jar with its little paws, finding nothing, and then scampering off, finally hanging upside down on the bed curtain, head raised to watch the door, but still no movement.

Suddenly, its round eyes gleamed with an idea.

It released its grip and quietly slipped out of the room.

West side… here!

Ah Yan looked around, quietly nudging open a small gap with its round head, squeezing its body through. The white cat was small, the process silent, and once inside, its paws moved silently.

The cat sat on a slightly higher table, round eyes scanning the room.

Unexpectedly, a muffled groan came from the other side of the screen, masked by the sound of water, much like the sound of a wounded soldier on the battlefield.

Ah Yan’s fur bristled: Someone’s attacking Song Suiyuan!

A flash of white light.

The ready-to-pounce kitten circled the screen, only to see the man in the bath barrel turning to grab a towel, his eyes tinged with red, a look of sated exhaustion.

In the cat’s eyes, that red was very obvious.

Ah Yan: “…”

Having grown up in the military, he was a mature and understanding cat.

Having mistakenly intruded on someone’s private moment, the little cat awkwardly retreated, but caught sight of the round wine jar next to the towel rack.

So, as Song Suiyuan began his second round of relief, no one noticed a small white cat sitting with its hind legs spread, short front paws covering its ears, cutely licking wine.

…

A stick of incense later.

Song Suiyuan rose, slightly staggering as he stepped out of the bath barrel, stabilizing himself before casually donning a new robe.

Xianxian Drunk was excellent when performing the rites of Zhou Gong, but as a wine, it was somewhat troublesome, with desire and drunkenness alternating in his mind, never ceasing through the night.

Having temporarily resolved his desires, Song Suiyuan’s head was inevitably dizzy, returning to the east room only out of concern for the little white cat.

The small cat lay sprawled on the bed, asleep. He glanced at it before turning to lie on the bed, the drunkenness taking over, quickly falling asleep.

Ah Yan heard Song Suiyuan’s steady breathing, blinked its eyes, ending its pretense of sleep, and quietly ran to his side, little paws stepping on his face, confirming he was asleep before happily running to the next room.

Delicious wine, Ah Yan is here!

With no one in the room, Ah Yan found being a small cat unsatisfying for drinking, transforming into human form.

In human form, like the cat, he was completely bare, everything in its natural state, skin like congealed fat, smooth black hair reaching his waist, the tips half-covering hidden areas. His body was clean and outstanding, his features equally exquisite, youthful yet to fade, gender indistinct.

He frowned slightly, the alienation of transforming from a cat to a human disappearing.

Having been human for a long time, he wasn’t used to being unclothed, so he donned Song Suiyuan’s discarded robe, instantly enveloped in a clean mountain mist scent.

Yun Xiu instinctively lowered his head to sniff, pausing.

Today Song Suiyuan held Ah Yan for a long time, so he could accept this scent, yes.

Ready, he uncovered the wine jar and drank heartily.

The wine of Shengjing wasn’t as strong as that of the northwest, but sweet, with a unique flavor.

…

Shi Wan paced repeatedly in her courtyard, finally deciding to bring a xiaoguan back to the main building of Liuxiang Pavilion.

As they ascended the stairs, the xiaoguan walked ahead of her, suddenly retreating a couple of steps: “Shi Guniang, that is…”

Shi Wan followed his finger, seeing a handsome man with disheveled robes and a flushed face, stepping into Song Gongzi’s room, left foot tripping over the right.

Yes, a man, with a small Adam’s apple.

“Is that Song Gongzi’s lover?” the xiaoguan asked quietly, his tone tinged with envy.

Shi Wan paused: “Most likely.”

He was wearing Song Gongzi’s clothes.

So he was telling the truth.

————

“Song Suiyuan, Song Suiyuan, Song Suiyuan…”

It was this indistinct youthful voice that awakened Song Suiyuan. He opened his eyes to see someone lying in front of him, wearing his clothes, completely at ease, whining as he woke, “Song Suiyuan, I feel uncomfortable…”

Was this… he had just thought of the Duke of the State and his husband, a sense of regret passing through his heart, so his subconscious filled it in the dream?

He was sure he didn’t recognize this face, never seen it in two lifetimes, let alone such familiarity, only one explanation: a dream.

Yun Xiu tugged at his hand, guiding it downward, anxiously with a hint of tears: “Help me, I can’t do it myself…”

In his drunken, straightforward thinking, he only remembered Song Suiyuan making himself comfortable, so he could make him comfortable too.

Song Suiyuan wasn’t in a hurry, because in a dream, his mischievous nature fully emerged, playing around, not doing what he should, seriously asking, “How to help?”

Yun Xiu was angry!

He bit a tender spot on his collarbone.

Song Suiyuan paused for a moment, his gaze deepening, using his strength to pull him down beneath him.

A gift from the dream god, to refuse would be impolite.

…

“Cat, on top!”

…

“Ugh~ Daddy…”

Before Song Suiyuan’s consciousness faded, he thought, this dream treasure bites quite hard.