HuLü Yan was wearing only an inner robe, his long black hair falling loosely down his back. His face was tense, his gaze deep and intense, as if anxiously searching for something. But the moment his eyes landed on Mi Lu in the pool, the hostility he’d been carrying visibly faded, and his expression quickly returned to its usual calm.

“That’s what I should be asking you,” HuLü Yan said, his tone noticeably displeased. “Why are you here?”

Mi Lu explained, “Well, I couldn’t sleep, and I heard from the servants that there was a pool up here, so I thought I’d come take a look. Besides, weren’t you asleep? I didn’t want to wake you up.”

But Mi Lu wasn’t telling the whole truth. When he got back and heard about the pool, he’d made up his mind to come. The only issue was that HuLü Yan had been sticking to him like glue. Wherever Mi Lu went, HuLü Yan would follow. Not wanting to share such an intimate experience as bathing, he had waited for HuLü Yan to fall asleep before sneaking up.

Who would have thought that HuLü Yan would follow him?

Mi Lu sighed inwardly, cursing himself for lingering too long in the warm water. If he had just hurried and gotten dressed, he wouldn’t be in this awkward situation now. His face grew hot with embarrassment, and even though he’d stripped in front of HuLü Yan before, this time was different. Last time had been hazy, as if his brain had been stuffed with paste, but now he was painfully aware of everything.

If HuLü Yan were someone else, Mi Lu could have gotten up and dressed without a second thought. But HuLü Yan…

And, to make things worse—

A certain part of him hadn’t calmed down.

Mi Lu opened his mouth, hesitating, “Could you turn around? I need to put on my clothes.”

HuLü Yan didn’t move, his gaze sweeping over Mi Lu’s body submerged in the water, and instead of answering, he asked, “Are you finished?”

“…Huh?” Mi Lu was stunned for a moment.

HuLü Yan didn’t respond, just stood there for a while longer before stepping into the pool himself. Only then did Mi Lu notice that HuLü Yan wasn’t wearing shoes. But—no, that wasn’t the point!

“What are you doing coming in? I’m already leaving!” Mi Lu’s face filled with panic, and he quickly raised his hand, summoning a gust of wind with his spiritual energy. The wind lifted his clothes from the rack, blowing them into his hand.

Seeing HuLü Yan continuing toward him, Mi Lu didn’t think twice before turning around to hurriedly put on his clothes. But just as he reached for his clothes, HuLü Yan had already come up behind him and snatched them from his hands.

Startled, Mi Lu whirled around to grab them back. But HuLü Yan held the clothes up high, his arm straight, clutching them in a tight ball.

Mi Lu’s foot slipped, and he had to grab onto HuLü Yan’s collar with one hand and reach up with the other. Afraid to make any sudden moves, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach his clothes. If only he’d put his storage bag in his hand instead of with his clothes, he could have pulled out another set.

“HuLü Yan!” Mi Lu’s eyes flashed with frustration, and he called out, half-angry, half-annoyed. “Stop messing around!”

But HuLü Yan didn’t back down. Instead, his hand casually wandered, brushing against that particular part of Mi Lu’s body.

Mi Lu’s movement to reach his clothes halted, and the next second, he froze completely.

“It’s not good to keep holding it in,” HuLü Yan said, leaning down to plant a gentle peck on Mi Lu’s apple-red cheek, his voice tinged with amusement. “Want me to help you out?”

Mi Lu instantly pulled his hand back, his first impulse to swat HuLü Yan’s hand away. But given that HuLü Yan still held him in his grasp, he simply grabbed HuLü Yan’s wrist and shoved it aside.

When he’d done so, Mi Lu quickly turned around, his back to HuLü Yan. He cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment, but the heat on his face betrayed him. Forcing himself to sound calm, he said, “No need to help. I can handle it myself.”

HuLü Yan asked curiously, “And how exactly are you going to handle it?”

“Obviously…” Mi Lu’s voice trailed off midway, realizing he was walking right into HuLü Yan’s trap. Irritation flared, and his tone grew sharper, “How I handle it is none of your business. Just leave; it’s not appropriate for you to be here watching.”

“What’s inappropriate?” HuLü Yan chuckled. “Seems perfectly fine to me.”

“How is it fine?!”

“We’re at that point in our relationship; what’s not fine?”

“We…” Mi Lu wanted to argue, but couldn’t deny HuLü Yan’s point. For a moment, he had forgotten just how close they’d become. He’d grown used to HuLü Yan’s casual hugs and affectionate touches—over clothes, with no sparks flying. But facing each other without any barriers was a different matter.

Mi Lu swallowed, the memory of that night flitting through his mind, making his legs ache faintly. He couldn’t understand how HuLü Yan managed to… No, absolutely not. That would be unbearable.

Filled with resistance, Mi Lu saw that HuLü Yan still wasn’t planning to return his clothes. Resigned, he plopped back into the water with a loud splash, pulling his knees up in an attempt to cover the “culprit.”

HuLü Yan placed Mi Lu’s clothes back on the rack before returning to the pool. But instead of sitting beside him, he chose a spot across from Mi Lu, his upper clothes and pants soaked, clinging tightly to his body and turning semi-transparent.

One glance was all Mi Lu needed to notice HuLü Yan’s well-defined muscles and the two prominent points on his chest. HuLü Yan had a surprisingly well-built body, appearing tall and lean in clothes, but stripped down, he was covered in perfectly proportioned muscles. Mi Lu briefly thought of looking at himself but stopped, knowing it’d only depress him.

Time ticked by, and Mi Lu was hoping that part of him would calm down. But it showed no signs of doing so and seemed to be getting more “excited.” The enchantment on the platform maintained the water’s temperature, causing beads of sweat to gather on Mi Lu’s face and trickle down.

Eventually, he noticed something was wrong. Mixed in with the heat was the faint aroma from an incense on the table, making him dizzy and lightheaded. Bracing himself against the edge of the pool, he tried to steady his swaying body.

That incense was problematic.

Realizing this, a sharp sense of alarm rang through him, and he forgot all about shame. He got up and moved toward HuLü Yan, “Hu… HuLü Yan.”

As he rose, water cascaded down his body, which felt strangely heavy, as if countless hands were dragging him down. Feeling a growing sense of urgency, he reached for HuLü Yan, “HuLü Yan!”

Just as he called out, his foot slipped, and he stumbled forward, falling straight into a familiar embrace. A pair of hands wrapped around his waist with practiced ease.

“The incense is strange.” Mi Lu gripped HuLü Yan’s clothes, anxious. “Quickly, throw it away.”

HuLü Yan’s hands idly stroked his waist. He gave a faint “hmm” before saying, “Yes, the incense does have a peculiar effect.”

Mi Lu froze, raising his head sharply, “You knew?”

Mi Lu’s intense reaction made HuLü Yan chuckle. He gently touched Mi Lu’s flushed face and sighed, “Silly Liu Liu, you’ve already fallen for this once and still didn’t learn your lesson.”

Mi Lu’s mind was already a tangled mess. No matter how hard he tried to stir his thoughts, they just wouldn’t budge. But he was annoyed, and his grip on HuLü Yan’s clothes tightened as he demanded, “You knew about the incense but didn’t tell me?”

“I thought you’d figured it out,” HuLü Yan paused, a teasing look in his eyes. “And that you were enjoying it.”

“Enjoying what?” Mi Lu pushed against HuLü Yan. “Just throw it out already.”

“It’s an aphrodisiac incense. You may not have known at first, but by now you should’ve guessed.” HuLü Yan sighed, then swept Mi Lu into his arms.

Mi Lu was soaking wet, his body slick and slippery. Even as his mind was clouded, Mi Lu was acutely aware of the danger, and he struggled, his long legs kicking in HuLü Yan’s hold.

“Put me down. I need to throw it away myself!” he shouted, thrashing even as he clung to HuLü Yan’s hair.

HuLü Yan tilted his head back, then smacked Mi Lu’s backside lightly. “Quiet.”

Mi Lu instantly froze, his entire body going still, as quiet as a quail. Yet his skin burned even hotter than the pool water.

HuLü Yan carried him out of the pool, stopping by the clothes rack. With one hand, he pulled a shirt down, then gently placed Mi Lu on the wooden board. Mi Lu tried to close his legs, but HuLü Yan gently but firmly separated them a bit.

A breeze swept past, warm and slightly stifling, but it was enough to make Mi Lu shiver. HuLü Yan squatted down, glanced between his legs, and then looked up at Mi Lu with a teasing smile, “Still full of spirit.”

Mi Lu: “…”

He wanted to disappear.

“The incense won’t harm you, and you’ve inhaled so much that tossing it won’t make a difference now,” HuLü Yan said, gazing up at him with bright eyes. “Besides, I’ve heard it has another effect. The more unsuspecting the person, the harder it becomes to resist their own heart’s desires.”

Then he reached out his hand.

Mi Lu shivered as a spark jolted through his body. His senses became heightened, and he felt each sensation magnified a hundredfold. HuLü Yan chuckled, “See?”

Before long, Mi Lu’s strength gave out, his body limp and powerless, his remaining energy all directed into clutching the board beneath him.

As his head rested against HuLü Yan’s shoulder, he heard only the sound of the wind and his own labored breathing.

HuLü Yan gently stroked his face and kissed his brow.

“Why do they call you Liu Liu?” HuLü Yan asked softly.

Mi Lu wasn’t sure how HuLü Yan knew his family nickname, but since he asked, Mi Lu answered honestly, “I’m the sixth among my siblings, so everyone calls me Liu Liu. My name, ‘Lu,’ came from that.”

“Ah, I see.” HuLü Yan looked at him thoughtfully, then called out, “Liu Liu.”

It had been years since Mi Lu had heard that nickname. Hearing it now, he felt a mix of nostalgia and strangeness.

HuLü Yan called again, “Liu Liu.”

Mi Lu sighed, replying with an exasperated “Yeah?”

“Liu Liu.” HuLü Yan cupped his face with both hands, gazing at him softly. “Do you like me?”

Caught in HuLü Yan’s gaze, Mi Lu found himself reflected in those deep eyes. He stared blankly back, words caught in his throat, wanting to say “yes.”

But for some reason, the words “I like you” felt like stones lodged in his throat—rough and jagged, and impossible to push out.