WP Chapter 52

The moment Si Shaorong liked Jiang Yibai’s post on his homepage, bored fans flocked over to gossip and watch the drama unfold.

“Is Master Si getting a little too close to Jiang Luanyu lately?”

“My two faves in the same frame. I’m crying from happiness.”

“Two suitcases? Something smells suspicious here.”

“Jiang Luanyu is down bad, poor guy.”

“My fourth wall just shattered again.”

“Master Si, could you please remind Teacher Jiang to update?”

“I swear on Jiang Luanyu’s ass, something is definitely going on between those two.”

“I’ve been following Jiang Luanyu’s new story. Maybe I’m overthinking it, but the male lead’s character feels so much like Master Si.”

“Brother above, you’re definitely not imagining it.”

“I don’t care. I’m shipping this CP with everything I’ve got…”

Zhen Zhen scrolled through the comments fuming, but this time, most of them were lighthearted jokes. Even the ones that hinted at something more were drowned out by others teasing them back. Strangely enough, the two had gained a good number of CP fans. People were somehow enchanted by the idea of a straight-laced male web fiction god paired with a smut writer. Some had already started whipping up fanfiction.

Zhen Zhen thought about it for a while, then decided to let it go and ride the wave. If the ship was going to sail, she might as well sell tickets. She didn’t bother giving Si Shaorong a hard time anymore.

Completely unaware that he had just dodged a bullet, Si Shaorong stared at the comments under the Weibo post with a somewhat wistful expression.

Jiang Yibai glanced at him while waiting at a red light. “What is it?”

Si Shaorong gave a brief explanation. Jiang Yibai couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re going to get chewed out again.”

Si Shaorong looked genuinely aggrieved. “I want to tell them we’re a couple. Not just friends.”

“We’re friends, and we’re lovers, and we’re family too,” Jiang Yibai said, trying to comfort him. “Ever heard the saying, ‘show off your love and you’ll break up faster’?”

“That’s other people. We won’t,” Si Shaorong replied with full conviction, speaking like he had logic on his side. “And I’m not showing off. I’m flaunting.”

Jiang Yibai: “…” How is that any different? What kind of bizarre logic is that? Male gods really didn’t operate on the same mental circuits as normal people.

Si Shaorong read a few more comments aloud, and Jiang Yibai couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Was it really that obvious in my writing? I thought I already turned you into a little cutie, and they still think the character’s like you? Be honest, boyfriend, what kind of image do you actually have in their eyes? Were you secretly acting cute all this time?”

Si Shaorong sighed. “How would I know how they see me?”

“You’re supposed to be the cold, aloof male god type. Not easy to approach,” Jiang Yibai said, still puzzled. “That’s how I used to see you, anyway.”

Si Shaorong perked up. “That’s how you used to see me?”

“You looked like a quiet guy, but the kind with a ton of hobbies and interests,” Jiang Yibai said with a teasing smile. “Your novels are full of weird, random details. I figured you must read a lot and love collecting obscure facts. But on Weibo, you barely post anything. It’s all promos and ads. You barely talk in interviews either, so I assumed you were silent and boring.”

Jiang Yibai added, “They say distance creates allure, but turns out the real male god is actually…”

Si Shaorong raised an eyebrow. “Actually what?”

“Actually a closet perv,” Jiang Yibai murmured, lowering his voice. “Huge package. Very dedicated to certain areas of research. Learns fast, too.”

Si Shaorong’s ears instantly flushed red, but his eyes burned with heat. He looked at Jiang Yibai’s profile as he drove. “You don’t mind?”

“I like it,” Jiang Yibai said, his smirk carrying that usual rogue edge, dazzling under the sunlight. “I like it more than I can say.”

Si Shaorong swallowed hard, forcing back the sudden heat rising in his blood. He looked away, deciding not to continue the topic.

They chatted idly the rest of the way until they reached the hotel. The hot spring water there was drawn directly from the scenic area behind the mountain. Jiang Yibai had booked a room with a private indoor spring. The moment they stepped inside, they both let out a simultaneous “Wow,” like elementary school kids on their first field trip.

The hotel staff who brought them in was a young girl. She couldn’t help giggling at their reaction, then quickly apologized.

Jiang Yibai waved it off with a grin. The girl blushed the moment she got a good look at his face. She lowered her voice and said, “Please enjoy your stay. If you need anything, call the front desk,” then turned and scurried away.

Si Shaorong said with a tinge of jealousy, “That face of yours really is too likable.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Jiang Yibai blew him a kiss, eyebrows raised in smug flair. “This face, this body, this heart, all yours. Are you pleased?”

Si Shaorong was instantly pleased. He moved in to wrap his arms around him and kissed his lover right there in front of the full-length windows.

“This is part of your sweet-talking too?” Si Shaorong whispered, pecking at those sweet lips.

“I’m world-class at sweet-talking,” Jiang Yibai said with a grin, biting down on his boyfriend’s lower lip and tugging gently. “You need to take some notes.”

Si Shaorong took a deep breath, then lifted him up and set him down on the cabinet beside them. His hand slipped under Jiang Yibai’s shirt, lifting it as he kissed and caressed him with gentle, focused touches.

Behind the cabinet was a round mirror. Holding his boyfriend in his arms, Si Shaorong could see the reflection of Jiang Yibai’s back, his waistband tugged down just enough to reveal the faint curve of his lower back. The indentation at his spine was impossibly sexy. His slender waist and the graceful lines of his muscles were enough to make anyone’s blood run hot.

“Hold on!” Jiang Yibai, realizing things were about to go too far, quickly stopped him. “Let’s unpack first. Shower. Hot spring.”

Only then did Si Shaorong reluctantly move away, glancing toward the hot spring pool on the balcony.

The room Jiang Yibai had booked was quite spacious. It had a living room and a kitchen. The bedroom had a large bed with a mosquito net draped over it. The walls were a cozy warm yellow. The furniture was all retro-styled in natural wood tones, the table and chairs showing off their grain. Outside the floor-to-ceiling window, the soft rise and fall of the mountain peaks gave everything a relaxed, bright feeling.

He pulled the curtains shut. While Si Shaorong went to shower, Jiang Yibai began unpacking.

He sprayed the bed with mite spray, spread out a sleeping bag liner, and carefully arranged their own slippers, towels, and other toiletries. He had even brought a portable electric kettle, their usual mugs, a hand-pour coffee dripper, and a bag of sugar tangerines.

When Si Shaorong came out drying his hair, he found a humidifier already humming on the nightstand. The faint scent of lavender oil drifted through the room. Everywhere he looked were familiar touches. It felt just like home.

Jiang Yibai had already turned on the tap at the outdoor spring. The bath was filled with steaming water. On the chair beside it were flower petals prepared by the hotel and a small wooden bucket.

He had called the front desk to order a bottle of wine, placed it in the bucket with two glasses, and then waved Si Shaorong over.

By the time Jiang Yibai stepped out of the shower, Si Shaorong was already leaning on the edge of the bath, gazing at the distant scenery. His face was flushed pink from the heat, his skin gleaming with steam. He looked almost too tempting.

The balcony side was open-air, but there were curtains that could be drawn for privacy. Jiang Yibai slid into the hot water with a contented sigh and leaned beside his boyfriend, their shoulders brushing together, both of them sinking into quiet relaxation with eyes half-closed.

“Feel good?” Jiang Yibai asked.

“Feels great.” Si Shaorong wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “What should we eat later?”

“There’s a buffet downstairs, or we could walk around the scenic area a bit,” Jiang Yibai said, tilting his head to rest against Si Shaorong’s shoulder. Their cheeks brushed as they enjoyed the quiet intimacy of being alone together.

“Hey, how did you end up with such a cleaning obsession?” Jiang Yibai asked lazily. “You didn’t seem that bad at home.”

“It’s not that serious,” Si Shaorong said. “Besides, you keep the place spotless. There’s nothing for me to feel bothered about.”

Jiang Yibai grinned. “So I’m a good little househusband?”

“You are.” Si Shaorong laughed.

He grew quiet for a moment, then began speaking in a soft, nostalgic voice. “When I first graduated, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I felt pretty lost. I think I’ve mentioned this before. My parents are very independent people. They’re incredibly goal-oriented. It always seemed like nothing ever phased them. Since I was a kid, they taught me to be independent and self-reliant, to develop my own interests.”

“But they were always busy, so they never really paid attention to what I actually liked,” Si Shaorong went on thoughtfully. “Not that I blame them. Like you said before, parents are just ordinary people. You can’t expect them to both provide resources and support, and also be superhuman in every other way. Loving, understanding, attentive all the time.”

He shrugged. “So I got used to being alone from a young age. I started reading a lot, all kinds of things, though not in any structured way. After graduation, I found a random job. During the internship, I could stay in the employee dorms, so I moved out.”

Jiang Yibai understood instantly. “The dorms were rough?”

“It was just a standard three-bedroom unit in an old residential building. Downstairs was a skewer and hot pot place,” Si Shaorong recalled. “They squeezed in a ton of metal bunk beds. In my room alone, there were twelve people.”

Jiang Yibai’s eyes widened.

“There was only one bathroom,” Si Shaorong said. “Not everyone had the same level of cleanliness. The place was a mess. People lost money, phones, laptops, and no one ever figured out who took them. The showerhead was broken, just a bare pipe. And the pipe kept falling on the floor, sometimes even slipped into the toilet next to it.”

Jiang Yibai winced, his face twisted in disbelief.

Si Shaorong laughed and pinched his cheek. “Didn’t see that coming, did you? So yeah, I ended up with a bit of a cleanliness habit. I’m especially picky about kitchens and bathrooms, but it’s not like I have full-blown OCD.”

“How long did you stay there?” Jiang Yibai asked.

“A little over a year. Almost two,” Si Shaorong said. “I hated it, but I didn’t want to just run home. It felt like giving up. Later, when I had too much on my mind, I started writing in my spare time. Little by little, I began enjoying it. Then I started earning money, and eventually I quit and started writing full-time.”

“Your parents didn’t say anything?” Jiang Yibai asked.

“They didn’t interfere. My choices were always mine to make,” Si Shaorong said. “They’ve always been emotionally reserved, maybe even too rational. My mom once told me that parents can’t stay by your side forever. The only people who can stay with you long-term are yourself and your partner. Even if I have kids in the future, they won’t be by my side for long either. So self-reliance is the most important thing.”

“Loneliness is the norm. That’s how my parents see it,” Si Shaorong said. “So I never had much interest in other people either.”

Jiang Yibai wasn’t sure what to say to that. His expression shifted slightly. “Your parents really are… pretty open-minded.”

So open-minded it was borderline detached, like Si Shaorong had been added on through a phone plan promotion.

After a moment’s hesitation, Si Shaorong spoke again, cautiously. “Find a time to come home with me. My parents never interfere with my choices. You don’t need to worry.”

Jiang Yibai blinked, then burst out laughing. “Boyfriend, did you forget we’re still in a trial phase?”

Si Shaorong clearly had forgotten. His face fell instantly.

Jiang Yibai couldn’t stop grinning. “You haven’t even gone full-time, cutie.”

Si Shaorong objected at once. “We’ve done everything already. Doesn’t that count?”

“We’re adults. Doing everything doesn’t guarantee anything. People get married and still split up.”

Si Shaorong sat up abruptly, eyes locked on Jiang Yibai. “Say that again?”

Jiang Yibai leaned back in a panic, knocking into the wooden bucket at the edge of the tub and nearly toppling the wine bottle.

As he fumbled to steady it, Si Shaorong wrapped him up from behind.

They were both wearing swim trunks. Skin pressed to skin, nothing between them, water splashing against their faces as Si Shaorong pushed him down.

Jiang Yibai hurriedly protested, “It’s broad daylight! This place is open-air!”

Si Shaorong reached up and tugged the curtain halfway shut, then pulled him toward the corner of the pool and pulled down his trunks.

His skin was scorching. There was no space left between them. Jiang Yibai swallowed hard. “What are you doing? It’s supposed to be my turn.”

“Am I official now?” Si Shaorong was relentless.

Jiang Yibai pushed at his shoulders, laughing too hard to resist. “You’re just being shameless now.”

“Am I official or not?” Si Shaorong held his shoulders down, raised an eyebrow, leaned in to kiss him, and stared down with a hint of playful threat.

Jiang Yibai felt a wave of heat flood his chest. “Not here…”

Before he could finish, Si Shaorong lost control. Foreheads pressed together, his hand slid down between them. Both of them let out a soft sound of pleasure.

His hand stroked up and down. His was noticeably bigger than Jiang Yibai’s, and in one particular place, it looked downright intimidating. The color had darkened, but with the water of the hot spring mixing in, the slick heat of it was masked.

Jiang Yibai was pinned in the corner. Si Shaorong lifted one of his legs and propped it against his waist, revealing the place that had already been well taken care of not long ago. As soon as his fingers slipped inside, that place instinctively opened to him again, trembling in a mix of resistance and readiness, quietly longing to be filled.

Si Shaorong pulled him up and cradled him, pressing in to kiss Jiang Yibai deeply.

“You bastard… just wait, you’re dead next time,” Jiang Yibai muttered against his lips. But before he could say more, the sensation of being filled cut him off. His breath caught, trembling from the sudden intrusion.

Doing it in water was far from comfortable. It lacked the smoothness of proper lube. Just a few deep thrusts from Si Shaorong left Jiang Yibai struggling to take it. Every time he pulled out and pushed back in, the warm water was stirred up inside him, making him feel completely overwhelmed.

Si Shaorong’s breath had grown ragged. His hips bucked uncontrollably. He wasn’t wearing a condom. This was the first time they had been completely bare, nothing between them. Just the thought of that had him on the verge of release.

He gripped Jiang Yibai’s waist tightly, driving himself in as deep as he could, voice low and rough. “Am I official yet?”

Jiang Yibai clung to his waist, naturally parting his legs to welcome him in, arms wrapped around his shoulders. His moans were shaky. “You… you cheat… ah… feels so good…”

Si Shaorong groaned, feeling Jiang Yibai squeeze tightly around him. The pleasure shot up his spine, tingling like static all over his skin. He couldn’t hold back a harsh grunt and pressed their foreheads together, whispering breathlessly in Jiang Yibai’s ear, “Feels so good… mm… Yibai… ngh…”

Jiang Yibai could barely stand it when he used that soft, sticky voice to call his name. He bit Si Shaorong’s ear and growled, “Call me Teacher Jiang. Right now. Or I’ll cut you off.”

Si Shaorong hurriedly gasped, “Teacher Jiang.”

Jiang Yibai could feel him swell again inside, the heat almost unbearable. The sensation of that hard cock rubbing deep within him, made even more intense by the hot spring water, nearly had him screaming.

He bit down on his boyfriend’s chest, tugging at that spot to vent the heat building up inside. His own cock was trembling, slapping wetly between them with every thrust. The sound of skin on skin echoed sharply with every slap.

Water splashed violently. Si Shaorong suddenly scooped Jiang Yibai up and flipped him over, pressing him face-down onto the cold poolside counter. He rammed in from behind, and that single thrust hit Jiang Yibai’s most sensitive spot. The shock of it, combined with the icy surface beneath him, made him come instantly.

His entire body trembled. “Wait! Don’t move—I came… ngh… Si Shaorong… ah…”

Si Shaorong kept thrusting, pulling him upright and holding him in place. Jiang Yibai was half-kneeling on the counter, his naked body dripping with water. His freshly spent cock twitched between his thighs, still leaking white streaks of cum.

Si Shaorong pushed all the way in again, groaning as he felt Jiang Yibai’s body clamp down around him. It was so tight and hot he couldn’t stop his hips from grinding and squeezing him. “Are you mine now? Say it. Say you’re mine.”

“Yes… yes, I am… you—ah!”

Si Shaorong began slamming into him, the frantic pace a clear sign he was close. Jiang Yibai panicked. “Take it out!”

But Si Shaorong seemed determined to leave a mark. He drove hard into that sweet spot and came deep inside him, pulse after pulse.

Jiang Yibai’s cock twitched again, spurting a fresh stream of come without even being touched. The orgasm left him shaking, nerves lit up with lingering pleasure. His mouth hung open, eyes dazed, like a fish left out of water.

“Baby…” Si Shaorong whispered, still moving in small thrusts, voice trembling with satisfaction. “I love you… I love you, baby…”

Jiang Yibai was caught between laughter and tears, slumped against the counter as he cursed, “You bastard. You turn into a fucking beast.”