Chapter 18#
Whether Beaten, Scolded, or Humiliated, It All Rewards Chu Tan Chapter Number: 7226818#
Rong Yu leaned against the edge of the pool, the hot spring soaking his body, the steam opening every pore.
Mist lingered before his eyes, a faint sulfurous scent floated in his nose, and the crisp, clear sound of trickling water filled his ears. The scene should have been supremely comfortable and relaxing—if not for one insufferable bastard.
But Chu Tan was insufferable without knowing it, and deliberately pressed closer to Rong Yu’s side.
“Young Master, have a grape.” Chu Tan pinched a grape and offered it over.
Rong Yu kept his eyes shut, drinking his wine in solitude, treating him like air.
“These grapes are seedless and very sweet. Are you sure you don’t want to try one, Young Master?”
Chu Tan kept chattering on, and Rong Yu finally glanced at him, seeing a crystal-clear grape held between his slender fingers, while his brows and eyes were full of the pleasure of having gotten his way.
Rong Yu remembered what had just happened and irritably pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you keep yapping, get the hell outside.”
But Rong Yu didn’t know what he looked like at that moment. He had drunk too much; his gaze was obviously unfocused, his eyes full of hazy misty vapor, and the corners of his eyes were flushed a striking red.
Even his lips were three shades redder than usual, as if coated with lip balm—full, glossy, like flowers enticing one to pluck them.
He thought he looked fierce, but in Chu Tan’s eyes, not only did it carry no intimidation whatsoever, it stirred up even more amorous thoughts.
A powerful thirst and burning sensation surged in Chu Tan’s throat. He stared at Rong Yu’s wine-stained lips, trying to suppress the drool in his eyes, yet his body was drawn like a magnet, desperate to press against Rong Yu.
Rong Yu: “…The sound of you swallowing your saliva is hurting my ears.”
Chu Tan felt not a shred of shame, and murmured, “This servant is thirsty.”
Rong Yu cast a sideways glance at Chu Tan, then swirled the wine flask in his hand. “Want some?”
Chu Tan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but his eyes remained fixed on Rong Yu’s lips. “I want some.”
I want to drink from your mouth.
Rong Yu beckoned him with a playful curl of his finger. “Come a little closer.”
Chu Tan leaned in, bracing his arms on the steps behind Rong Yu.
It was a gesture of embrace, but Rong Yu’s mind was entirely consumed with how to humiliate Chu Tan, and he didn’t notice.
He tilted his head back, gulped a mouthful of Qionghua Dew, then reached out to stroke Chu Tan’s cheek, slightly lifting his chin to signal him to come closer still.
It was like a posture of inviting a kiss.
Chu Tan’s eyes instantly lit up, like a dog lured by a meaty bone, his dark pupils fixed on Rong Yu’s vermilion diamond-shaped lips, lust heavy in his gaze.
The moment before they were about to touch, Rong Yu’s lips curved up. His fingers, which had been stroking Chu Tan’s cheek, suddenly tightened, ruthlessly squeezing his cheeks and forcing his mouth open. Then, nose against nose, he spat all the wine held in his mouth directly into Chu Tan’s.
Chu Tan froze, the red lips so close vanished in an instant, leaving behind only the rich fragrance of wine between his teeth and lips.
Rong Yu leaned against the pool wall, laughing uncontrollably, and said casually, “You want to drink my wine? Look at yourself—do you even deserve it?”
He looked at Chu Tan with eyes full of provocation and contempt, waiting for humiliation-fueled fury and resentment to surface on his face.
But clearly, Chu Tan disappointed him once again.
Chu Tan swallowed the wine with a gulp, then licked his lips with lingering relish. “No wonder it’s Qionghua Dew—the flavor is exceptionally sweet. Would Young Master bestow another mouthful?”
Rong Yu: “…” He shouldn’t have bothered with this shameless bastard.
Rong Yu closed his eyes to rest and said nothing more.
But Chu Tan still kept making restless moves. Several times, Rong Yu felt that scalding thing of the man’s brush against his thigh, touch-and-go, as if testing the limits.
Rong Yu endured until the veins on his forehead throbbed, and finally spoke through gritted teeth, “If you’re in heat, go solve it on Huāliǔ Lane. I’ll pay.”
Huāliǔ Lane was true to its name—a street of brothels and pleasure houses, the capital’s finest spot for seeking pleasure and hiring prostitutes.
Chu Tan paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, “Young Master flatters this servant. I have never set foot in such places of smoke and willows, nor would I casually share a bed with anyone.”
Hearing this, Rong Yu snorted and sneered, “Don’t tell me you’re about to say you’re still a virgin?”
Chu Tan stared straight at Rong Yu, utterly unashamed.
Rong Yu was astonished.
No way? Wei Jingtan, the heir of Prince Wei—an existence as exalted as a crown prince in his fiefdom—eighteen years old, and still a virgin? Even without wives or concubines, he’d have had bed-warming maids aplenty.
Could it be that he’s impotent?
Rong Yu’s gaze involuntarily slid downward, toward the part of Chu Tan hidden beneath the water.
A man’s dignity brooked no doubt. Chu Tan’s eyes darkened. He straightened up and rose from the water, letting Rong Yu get a clear look at little Chu Tan—energetic and thriving.
Rong Yu wordlessly averted his gaze. This mutt was practically in heat every single moment, so there was probably nothing wrong with him.
Almost forgot—as the number one gong, Chu Tan also ranked first in sexual prowess. All these years still a virgin; he must be “keeping his chastity” for the shou protagonist.
Keeping his chastity? The thought was so absurd that Rong Yu couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Those beautiful peach-blossom eyes curved into crescents, the watery sheen seeming about to spill over as teardrops, and his lovely diamond-shaped lips curled upward, revealing snow-white teeth and a sliver of crimson tongue tip.
The color in Chu Tan’s eyes deepened again and again, thick desire churning in their depths. He advanced on Rong Yu, countering, “Is Young Master not, then?”
Rong Yu wore a lazy smile at the corner of his lips, glancing sideways at him. “Naturally not.”
Chu Tan pushed his tongue against his cheek, a flicker of murderous intent flashing through his eyes. “I wonder who has such good fortune—Lü’e? Or Moshu?”
Rong Yu took a sip of wine. “None of your business.”
Chu Tan began to speak without restraint. “Young Master’s legs are afflicted—can you even muster any strength?”
The air stilled for a moment. Rong Yu let out a light laugh, yet his voice was cold as if tempered in ice. “Why don’t you try it?”
Chu Tan shook his head. “I don’t want to try that. But I would like to try another place of yours, Young Master. That brief taste just now was unforgettable.”
This mouth was truly foul.
At this, Rong Yu’s expression darkened. “Chu Tan, don’t think what happened earlier is over. When we return to the residence tomorrow, I will ‘repay’ you properly.”
“As long as it comes from Young Master, whether it’s beatings or anything else, this servant will take it as a reward.”
When Chu Tan said this, the two whip marks forming an “X” on his chest were especially conspicuous. Lashed yesterday, scabbed over today, then soaked in the hot spring—the wounds had already begun to curl open at the edges. But as if he felt no pain, he pressed his mangled wounds close to Rong Yu.
Rong Yu reached out to press against Chu Tan’s ever-approaching chest, his fingertips digging in ruthlessly without mercy. Blood immediately seeped from the unhealed wounds.
Chu Tan frowned slightly and grabbed Rong Yu’s wrist.
“What? Feeling pain now?” Rong Yu raised an eyebrow in mockery.
“This servant only fears the blood will dirty Young Master’s hand.”
Rong Yu said flatly, “It’s your own blood.”
“Whose blood is dirty, all the same.”
Chu Tan took Rong Yu’s hand, stained with blood, and washed it clean in the spring water. Then he lifted it to his face, gently taking the pale fingertips into his mouth, tracing and sucking on them with lips and tongue.
Rong Yu was nearly laughing with anger. He truly had never met anyone so utterly shameless—unmoved by scolding, impossible to drive away with beating. He was like a perverted obsessive from an erotic manga, going into heat at the sight of him, without a shred of shame.
He had even begun to get the illusion that whether he beat, scolded, or humiliated Chu Tan, it was all just rewarding him.
【Author’s Note:】
Sorry for the wait, darlings. I’ve been really exhausted these past few days. The quality of what I write in this state is too poor—I’ve revised it countless times and I’m still not satisfied. I think I’ll just take a few days off from updating, and once I’m done with this busy stretch, I’ll make it up to everyone. (Kneels down)