Chapter 69

Ye Chen obediently let himself be held down for a while. Once Shen Mofeng wasn’t as intense, Ye Chen seized the opportunity to free his wrist from Shen Mofeng’s grip, wrapped his arms around his waist, and pressed his face against Shen Mofeng’s shoulder, not allowing any more kisses or glances. He muttered, “Let’s go to the resting area.”

“Wasn’t there someone here?” Shen Mofeng was quite pleased with the little hands that had voluntarily wrapped around his waist.

“No one,” Ye Chen said, “An’an Jie had something to do at noon and isn’t on set. I forgot.”

Shen Mofeng teased him jealously, “Oh, Sister An’an.”

Everyone calls her that… Ye Chen didn’t dare argue back, his survival instincts kicking in. He quickly corrected himself, “Ms. Bi An’an had something to do at noon and isn’t on set.”

Ms. Bi An’an, who was very close by, silently hugged her boxed lunch tighter.

Shen Mofeng made no comment. He was usually meticulous and proper in everything he did, so getting intimate with his young boyfriend in a messy, dimly lit props room was something he had rarely even fantasized about, yet it turned out to be unexpectedly thrilling.

“Isn’t this nice?” Shen Mofeng caressed the back of Ye Chen’s neck, joking, “Your face is so red… if someone sees you outside, they’ll think I’ve been messing with you.”

Seeing that Shen Mofeng didn’t want to leave, Ye Chen lowered his voice and whispered, “There’s a sofa in the resting area.”

Shen Mofeng almost thought his little boyfriend had been possessed.

To make sure the “divine beast” could eat in peace, Director Ye, head of the Employment Office for Divine Beasts, shamelessly flirted in a very quiet voice near Shen Mofeng’s ear: “It’s a three-seater, you can… you can lie down.”

A tingling sensation spread through his chest, exploding like a firework. Shen Mofeng’s heart practically melted, but he mischievously kept silent, wanting to hear more of Ye Chen’s teasing, fearing he wouldn’t get another chance like this.

Ye Chen gritted his teeth. “The door can be locked from the inside…”

Shen Mofeng slightly raised his eyes, putting on a childlike expression of curiosity. “Why lock it?”

“…” Ye Chen wanted to hit him.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen rubbed his forehead against the fabric of Shen Mofeng’s shoulder and murmured, “You can do whatever you want…”

Shen Mofeng tilted his head and whispered something in Ye Chen’s ear before raising his voice. “Like that?”

Ye Chen nodded firmly, selling himself out completely.

…

And so, Ye Chen finally made it to the resting area, a small part of his dignity traded for this reprieve. As they left, he carefully closed the door to the props room, making sure it was tightly shut to prevent Bi An’an from being disturbed again.

In the resting area, Shen Mofeng locked the door behind them, pressed Ye Chen onto the sofa that was supposedly big enough to lie down on, and asked, “You’re so forward today; are you sure you’re not hiding something from me?”

“No.” Ye Chen, still flushed with embarrassment, had his threshold for shame temporarily raised, and blurted out, “It’s just that I haven’t seen you in five days, and I missed you.”

Shen Mofeng was sweetly overwhelmed, his rational mind telling him that they should take this small step forward in some carefully planned, romantic setting. But he was too tempted to resist and huskily said, “Will you do that thing you promised me?”

“By the way, Shen Ge, can I… not take them off?” At the critical moment, Ye Chen suddenly remembered he was wearing a pair that cost ten yuan for three. He couldn’t let Shen Mofeng see that, and anxiety suddenly overtook him.

Shen Mofeng perked up his ears, not missing a single word: “Then what should we do?”

Ye Chen took a deep breath. To make himself clear, he had to bite the bullet and describe the details: “Just… leave them on, or you can put your hand in, but don’t look. I… I’d be embarrassed…”

Shen Mofeng didn’t feel disappointed; instead, his interest was piqued. He bargained, “Then later, when there’s a chance, will you let me take my time and look?”

Ye Chen closed his eyes: “Mm.”

Shen Mofeng leisurely added, “Will you show me different ones?”

Ye Chen’s courage was nearly drained by this slow, torturous teasing: “Okay…”

“What kinds do you have at home?” Shen Mofeng asked. “Describe them to me?”

Ye Chen bit his lip and didn’t answer.

There were the classic grandpa-style ones, the loose, faded ones, the trendy street-market ones…

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll buy some for you, the kind I want to see you wear.” As Shen Mofeng spoke, his ears, tail, and fangs all metaphorically came out.

Ye Chen began to regret inviting the wolf in: “…Fine.”

“How about this kind?” Shen Mofeng got up, took out his phone, opened his shopping cart, and displayed the selected items. It was clear he had been planning this for a while, just waiting for this moment.

Ye Chen sneaked a glance at this old rascal’s shopping cart, suppressing the urge to recommend a hair growth product to him, and softly said, “This one’s okay.”

Shen Mofeng: “And this one?”

“This one… isn’t it a bit much?” Ye Chen stared at the tiny piece of fabric in the product image, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he was almost socially blinded by it.

“Deleted.” Shen Mofeng deleted the item and moved on to the next one. “Do you want to wear this one?”

Ye Chen chose his words carefully: “If you like it… I’ll wear it.”

Shen Mofeng continued to politely ask for his boyfriend’s opinion: “How about this one? And this one, too—can I buy them all for you?”

“…”

Ye Chen’s mindset crumbled, his chest heaving a few times. Out of nowhere, he mustered the courage to snatch Shen Mofeng’s phone, lock the screen, and fiercely stuff it into the sofa cushions.

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” Shen Mofeng stifled his laughter and pinned Ye Chen down.

Ye Chen lowered his eyes, reaching for a box of tissues on the low table, placing it on his chest like an otter ready to crack open a shell.

Shen Mofeng broke character: “You’re too…”

Ye Chen didn’t dare look at him and mumbled, “For cleaning up afterward.”

Damn, that’s too cute… Shen Mofeng brushed aside the tissues and firmly pressed down.

And then came the mutual, hands-on assistance between men.

Passion, camaraderie, determination.

And—

“I’m done, I’m good now, Sage Mode activated.”

…

After sending Shen Mofeng off, Ye Chen didn’t know how he managed to get through the afternoon. Bi An’an looked at him with an expression akin to a ninety-year-old grandmother gazing at her newlywed great-grandson…

During the breaks between scenes, Ye Chen and Bi An’an exchanged a few words over WeChat. As soon as filming ended for the day, Ye Chen rushed back to the dressing room. Bi An’an had already removed her makeup and was sitting on the low table with her legs crossed, waiting for him.

There was no one else in the dressing room. Ye Chen locked the door and took a few steps to the sofa, instinctively saying, “Why are you sitting on the table…”

Halfway through his sentence, he choked.

Bi An’an’s gaze was distant: “I feel like this sofa has a story.”

Ye Chen: “…”

Quickly changing the topic, Ye Chen said, “We shouldn’t have any secrets from each other, so I won’t beat around the bush.” After all, time was of the essence in their current situation. “Are you a divine beast?”

“Yes.” Bi An’an responded in a doting tone, as if teasing a grandchild, “Little one, guess what kind of divine beast I am?”

Ye Chen looked at her and guessed, “You’re public-spirited and protect the common people, are you Bi’An ^[1]狴犴[Bi’an] Also known as Xian Zhang[charter] is the seventh of the nine sons of the dragon. Bi’an looks like a tiger. He’s very powerful and interested in prisons and judicial cases. … Continue reading ?”

“That’s right.” Bi An’an narrowed her eyes in satisfaction, pleased that a mortal had recognized her true identity. “But my name should have made it easy to guess.”

So she really is Bi’An… Ye Chen delicately brought up the question that had been nagging him all day: “Legend has it that Bi’An loves litigation. I thought you would be in the public security or legal departments.”

“I can’t litigate anymore,” Bi An’an shook her head slowly, her eyes filled with despair. “You’re a mortal, you wouldn’t understand… I’ve lived through so many dynasties, and every time the ruling dynasty changed, the laws had to be learned all over again. I memorized everything from ‘Fu Xing’ to the ‘Code of Law,’ from the ‘Qin Laws’ to the ‘Kaihuang Code,’ from the ‘Tang Six Codes’ to the ‘Great Qing Code,’ and finally to the ‘Civil Code of the Republic of China’… After being injured, I retreated to the deep mountains to cultivate, slept for decades, and when I woke up…” Bi An’an mechanically counted on her fingers, her expression becoming more and more vacant, “If I want to work in law now, I have to pass the national judicial exam, and to do that, I have to study ‘Jurisprudence,’ ‘Legal History,’ ‘Criminal Law,’ ‘Civil Law,’ ‘Commercial Law,’ ‘Administrative Law’… Each one as thick as five books from the past.”

A legal scholar with millennia of experience, defeated by the sheer tyranny of modern judicial exams…

As someone who also struggled with exams, Ye Chen sympathized: “I understand you. Political science was my worst subject in high school; I could barely pass.”

“Right, right,” Bi An’an sighed deeply as she smoothed her hair. “We law students have it rough. I’ve been memorizing for thousands of years, but you mortals keep changing your legal codes with every dynasty. Sis is really tired… For the sake of the little bit of fur on my head, I have to stay far away from the judicial exams.”

“So you entered the entertainment industry,” Ye Chen guessed, “because it’s a quick way to make money and convenient for doing good deeds?”

“Smart,” Bi An’an smiled. “I might not want to step into a courtroom, but if I see injustice, asking me to stand by and do nothing…” Bi An’an clutched her chest, looking pained, “I’d have a heart attack from anxiety.”

That might literally be a heart attack… Ye Chen thought.

Bi An’an looked him up and down, curious: “You know so much, you must be the new owner of the Mountain and Sea Realm? Is the Mountain and Sea Realm still in that courtyard house? I sneaked in last year, but it was empty.”

“I only took over a few months ago.” Ye Chen briefly explained how he was chosen by Jing Ling and the current situation with the divine beasts he had recruited.

“So Zhou Buzhu is a Pixiu? I’ve never seen him in person; otherwise, I would’ve noticed the aura on him. That old guy must’ve changed his face again, probably after swindling someone out of their money.” As Bi An’an spoke, her eyes gradually lit up, filled with a craving for wealth. “If I could just shave him bald…”

She voiced the thought Ye Chen had been too afraid to dwell on. The two broke and desperate individuals exchanged glances, both with eyes shining brightly.

“Uh, I think I’ll sit this one out.” Ye Chen cleared his throat, afraid Bi An’an might lead him astray. He quickly shifted the conversation to the difficulties currently facing the Mountain and Sea Realm’s restoration project. “…If you could come and help, I’ll reserve a plot of land for you. You can keep all the spiritual plants that grow there, and I’ll use the power of Shennong to help them grow. If you can also craft some items—just simple handiwork like carving wood or polishing things—Uncle Li can teach you, and I’ll give you a percentage of the profits.”

Bi An’an rubbed her hands together, excited: “If I give Zhou Buzhu a… ahem, and I get a commission for making things?”

“…Yes.” Ye Chen replied.

Bi’An clapped her hands and said, “Then it’s settled!”

Just as Ye Chen was about to agree, Bi’An added, “But Lao Zhou and the others each have a large piece of land. We have nine brothers and sisters, so you need to allocate nine pieces of land for us, right?”

“…… Nine?!” Ye Chen was stunned but quickly realized.

There is an ancient legend, “The dragon has nine offspring, none of whom become dragons, each with their own preferences.” Since Bi’An is the seventh child of the dragon, isn’t she just one of the nine siblings!

The author has something to say:

Bi’An, who had her meal stolen, advanced to first base—hand-to-hand assistance mode. There’s also second base with mouth-to-mouth assistance, third base… and the author’s in-prison mode…

Ahhh, this old rogue wants to buy something for Chen Chen and make him wear it for him to see! Mama beat him to death on behalf of Tian (Chen)!!

Chen Chen: Captured nine strong men at once! ??

The health supplement black factory is up and running!