Extra 1

A small boat drifted aimlessly across the water. On the shore, clusters of green and pink lotus blossoms bloomed. In the distance, the mountains rolled across the horizon, and a soft mist lingered over the lake’s surface. It was a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

Lian Ai lay over the edge of the boat, trailing his fingers across the water. The grass carps beneath, mistaking his fingertips for food, swam over and pecked at them curiously.

The weather was growing warmer. With no one else aboard, he dressed casually, almost indecently so.

His long hair was tied up, revealing a pale, delicate nape. The thin outer robe he wore was half off, slipping down around his elbows. His entire posture exuded a languid and decadent allure.

It was still early. The sun hadn’t grown harsh yet, and the morning light held a trace of coolness. The boat cabin was narrow to begin with, and with Bu Nian’s vigorous body heat, sleeping beside him felt like curling up next to a furnace. Lian Ai had been unable to bear it and fled outside for some fresh air.

Suddenly, a large hand reached from behind and scooped up the hand he had been trailing in the water. Before he could react, Lian Ai was pulled into a broad, solid chest.

“Why did you come outside?” Bu Nian’s tone carried a trace of displeasure.

Pressed against his chest, Lian Ai felt the heat he’d managed to dispel quickly return. It wasn’t long before he began to sweat again.

He gave Bu Nian a little push. “It was too hot inside. It’s cooler out here. General, let me go a bit. I’m soaked with sweat.”

“Hot?” Bu Nian frowned but didn’t release him. Instead, he tightened his embrace. “Your body is so thin, and you’re afraid of heat?”

Lian Ai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. His build might not be as burly or muscular as Bu Nian’s, but he was still a grown man, hardly fragile to the point of not feeling the summer heat.

“I’m not that thin anymore compared to before.”

It had been nearly five years since he’d left the brothel at sixteen. He was no longer the delicate boy he used to be.

Bu Nian raised a brow at that. His dry hand reached for the back of Lian Ai’s neck and found a fine sheen of sweat.

He didn’t pull away right away. Instead, his hand slid down along the collar, tracing each vertebra beneath the thin skin with a deliberate touch.

“I can feel your bones. And you’re saying you’re not thin?”

Lian Ai trembled under his hand, a soft flush creeping up his skin. His breathing grew subtly quicker.

“General…”

His voice carried a helpless note, a quiet plea for Bu Nian to stop teasing him like this.

He knew the other man probably didn’t mean anything by it, but because of everything he had been through, his body had become overly sensitive. Even an ordinary touch with no ulterior motive could make his limbs go weak and his thoughts run wild.

Bu Nian looked down at him. A flicker of amusement passed through the dark, quiet depths of his eyes.

The sky had just begun to brighten. There were no boats nearby on the lake. Only a few fishing skiffs in the far distance were out gathering lotus pods. Their boat was well away from the shore. Unless someone had exceptional eyesight, it was impossible for anyone to see them.

Bu Nian released Lian Ai, stood up, and stripped off his upper garments. Then he leapt into the lake.

Water splashed high, and a few drops hit Lian Ai in the face.

He rushed to the edge of the boat. The vessel rocked slightly under his weight.

“General!”

The water went still. Bu Nian had gone under. Except for the occasional pair of bubbles rising to the surface, there was no trace of him.

Lian Ai didn’t know what he was trying to do. He could only wait anxiously on the boat. Even though he knew Bu Nian was more than capable and his safety was not something that needed his concern, he still couldn’t help feeling unsettled. Not seeing him, not knowing where he was, left him helpless and uneasy.

Time passed little by little, and Bu Nian still didn’t surface. Lian Ai’s fingers clenched tighter on the boat’s edge, his teeth biting into his lower lip as anxiety swelled in his chest. Just when he could no longer bear it and was about to dive in himself to check on Bu Nian, the water suddenly split from below. With a splash, two arm-length grass carp were flung onto the boat.

Bu Nian broke through the surface, wiped a hand across his face, and brushed the droplets from his eyes.

His strong, well-built body gleamed faintly in the sunlight. His firm muscles clearly showed the strength beneath his skin.
His wheat-colored skin bore many scars, most of them old and faint, though a few were newer and more visible.

“For lunch, we’ll have grilled fish and fish soup.” He swam to the side of the boat and lifted himself aboard with ease.

His upper body dripped with water, and his lower half was completely soaked. The undergarments clung tightly to him, outlining every detail of his hips and thighs.

Bu Nian went into the cabin to change. Outside, Lian Ai bundled the two stunned carp with dry grass and tied them to the prow. He had just finished when he heard Bu Nian calling for him.

He bent down and stepped into the dim cabin. His eyes had yet to adjust to the dark when a pair of strong arms yanked him forward.

“Ah!” he gasped as he fell into Bu Nian’s arms. Unlike before, Bu Nian’s body was now comfortably cool. It didn’t feel hot at all. His skin carried a refreshing trace of moisture, a pleasant coolness from soaking in the lake.

After spending that long in the water, even in summer, it would take a while for his body temperature to rise again.

“Not hot anymore, is it?”

Bu Nian’s low, magnetic voice came from above his head.

Lian Ai froze for a moment, then looked up. “Did you really jump into the lake just for this?”

Bu Nian silently gazed at him. After a pause, he suddenly reached out and pulled the hairpin from Lian Ai’s hair, loosening the carefully arranged strands into a mess.

Lian Ai’s vision was blocked. With the dim lighting, he couldn’t clearly see Bu Nian’s expression.

“Don’t say stupid things.” Bu Nian wasn’t gentle as he pulled him into his arms, leaned back inside the small cabin, and closed his eyes with the gentle rocking of the boat. “It’s still early. Sleep a bit more.”

Lian Ai’s cheek was pressed against Bu Nian’s chest. He could hear the steady beat of his heart, strong and rhythmic. Their bare skin touching didn’t feel stifling anymore. It felt cool, even soothing.

He snuggled closer. “You really are comfortable, General. Like a piece of jade… I really like it.”

Bu Nian kept his eyes closed, but at those words, the corner of his lips lifted slightly.

“You can’t stand the cold, can’t stand the heat, bruise at the slightest touch. You really are a pampered little prince.”

Lian Ai’s eyes were half-lidded. He thought for a moment, then leaned up, pressing close to Bu Nian’s ear, exhaling softly as he whispered three words.

“I can take it…”

Before the last word had even fully fallen into Bu Nian’s ear, his eyes turned dark and deep. He grabbed Lian Ai by the waist and flipped him over, pressing him down beneath him.

“Seems like you can,” he murmured, lips curled into a grin as he bit down on Lian Ai’s neck like a tiger seizing its prey.

That morning was bound to be anything but cool.