TATSD Chapter 87

“You’re usually as timid as a mouse, but now you’re suddenly so bold. Do you think I can’t do anything to you?” Ji Wei leaned back on the bed, his hands cupping Liu Yimian’s face, feeling the intense heat radiating from his skin.

If it had been before, Ji Wei would have been more conscious of keeping some distance from Liu Yimian. Even though they were close, he rarely made such intimate gestures. Liu Yimian, as a young man, was reserved and shy, and would be too embarrassed to act so boldly.

But it was only thanks to today, when the two had broken the awkward barrier between them, that they were now able to be so naturally close.

Liu Yimian lowered his head slightly and made a soft sound of acknowledgment. But Ji Wei was so close, that he still heard it. A smile crept across his face, and with a teasing glint in his eyes, he leaned in even closer, so much so that his breath brushed against Liu Yimian’s neck.

Liu Yimian gasped, instinctively releasing his grip on Ji Wei’s wrist, leaning his upper body backward.

It was an unconscious reflex.

Even though he knew in his heart that Ji Wei was the one for him, he was still a young man who was rarely close to men. This instinctive movement was deeply ingrained in him.

Once he realized what he had done, he glanced at Ji Wei shyly and awkwardly, only to find that Ji Wei had not paused for a second. He had leaned over to where Liu Yimian had fallen back, his left arm propped up in front of Liu Yimian’s head, completely encircling him.

In the narrow, dimly lit space, the air was filled with Ji Wei’s refreshing scent.

Liu Yimian held his breath, his gaze drifting upward until it landed directly on Ji Wei’s face as he adjusted his position. Ji Wei’s features were already sharp and handsome, but now, with the candlelight casting half his face in light and the other half in shadow, he exuded a mysterious, almost hypnotic charm.

Liu Yimian stared at him, mesmerized, his slightly parted lips almost forgetting to breathe.

Ji Wei chuckled slowly, lowering himself even further, until his face was barely an inch away from Liu Yimian’s, almost able to feel his breath.

“Are you looking at me like this because you want me to kiss you?”

Ji Wei was a very direct person, influenced by Western ways of thinking in this regard.

At his blunt question, Liu Yimian froze, unsure how to respond. He tightly pressed his lips together and looked away, too embarrassed to meet Ji Wei’s gaze.

Something about Ji Wei tonight felt different from usual.

The thought flashed briefly in his mind.

When Ji Wei lightly brushed his lips over Liu Yimian’s, Liu Yimian’s mind went blank, and he lost all capacity for thought.

“Did I stun you?” Ji Wei whispered into Liu Yimian’s ear.

The warm breath brushed against Liu Yimian’s skin, and he froze.

The smile on Ji Wei’s face disappeared in an instant, and he lowered his head again, about to kiss him. But this time, Liu Yimian managed to regain some composure. He quickly grabbed a corner of the blanket from beside him and threw it over his head, rolling into the corner of the wall.

“Alright, I was just messing with you,” Ji Wei’s deep gaze flickered as he rolled onto his side and let out a relieved sigh.

He stared up at the ceiling, giving a rueful smile.

This was truly a case of “asking for trouble”—why was he teasing Liu Yimian like this?

After lying there for a while, seeing that Liu Yimian was still hiding under the blanket, Ji Wei sighed helplessly. He leaned over, blowing out the candle on the desk.

Once the light was extinguished, the room fell into darkness.

That night was quite torturous for Ji Wei.

Before, he had simply been distracted, his thoughts in turmoil. But now, after confessing his feelings to Liu Yimian and lying on the same bed, with the boy less than a foot away, it was clear—this was the one he cared about.

It was hard to remain calm when your heart’s desire was so close and nearly impossible not to overthink.

But Ji Wei knew he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

He folded his hands behind his head and lay there, staring at the ceiling. It wasn’t until late into the night that Liu Yimian cautiously peeked out from under the covers, took a few deep breaths of fresh air, then quietly got up and covered Ji Wei with the blanket. He stayed there for a while, staring at Ji Wei in the darkness, before yawning and finally falling asleep.

The next morning, both of them were a little tired.

The pale skin on Liu Yimian’s face had a clear bruise-like tint under his eyes. Ji Wei’s complexion was darker, so it wasn’t as noticeable, though there were bloodshot veins in his eyes, indicating he hadn’t slept well.

After a quick wash, they went out to the street to get some pickled vegetables and porridge, eating it with steamed buns before returning to the academy.

To go back, Ji Wei had to first visit the stable to get the donkey.

In the early morning, there was only one donkey in the stable, grazing quietly.

Ji Wei pulled out two small silver ingots from his pouch, intending to give them to Liu Yimian, but Liu Yimian shook his head and pushed them back.

“I don’t have many expenses in the academy, Brother Ji, please take it back.”

“Having money may not solve every problem, but not having it will only make things worse. Even if you don’t need this much, it’s always better to have some in your pocket than none.” Ji Wei pried his fingers open and placed the silver in Liu Yimian’s palm.

“Two liang of silver isn’t a small sum. What if something happens again, and thieves come?” Liu Yimian didn’t want to refuse Ji Wei’s kindness, so he took one of the ingots and returned the other.

Ji Wei knew Liu Yimian was stubborn and frugal, so he didn’t press him further.

“Take care of yourself. If I come back and find you sick or losing weight—” Ji Wei hummed, not finishing his sentence. “You can think about how to punish yourself then.”

“I understand.”

Ji Wei was leading the donkey, walking side by side with Liu Yimian along the narrow path.

To get to the main gate, they had to pass through this quiet stone path. It was still early, and there weren’t many people on the road. When they were close to the gate, Ji Wei stopped the donkey. Before Liu Yimian could react, Ji Wei’s left hand wrapped around his slender waist, pulling him into his arms, and he planted a kiss on Liu Yimian’s forehead.

The kiss was loud and heavy, causing Liu Yimian’s neck to flush red with embarrassment. He buried his face in Ji Wei’s chest, not daring to look up. He lightly punched Ji Wei’s chest with his fist and whispered, “In public, Ji Ge, you… you have no shame…”

“Hahaha!” Ji Wei burst into loud laughter, startling a few birds that flew away from the treetops.

“What’s the problem? We’re betrothed, aren’t we? We’ll be family sooner or later, so what’s there to be afraid of? If anyone says anything, just curse them right back. Let’s see who dares gossip,” Ji Wei said, patting Liu Yimian on the back. “Alright, I have to go now. If I don’t return soon, Zhao Hu will think I’m slacking off.”

Liu Yimian stood at the gate, reluctantly watching Ji Wei’s figure disappear in the distance. After a long time, when he could no longer see him at all, he turned around sadly and started walking back.

Not far along, he heard a series of sharp, mocking claps. At first, Liu Yimian thought it had nothing to do with him, so he ignored it. With his head lowered, he hurried to return to his room to look over the books that Scholar Zhang had asked Ji Wei to bring.

However, before he had walked too far, someone called out to him.

“Hey, isn’t this the famous young master from our academy?” The voice was somewhat familiar, laced with contempt and a superior tone.

Liu Yimian’s expression changed. He turned around to find that it was Chen Peizhi, accompanied by a few of his cronies—the same group that often made things difficult for him.

His gaze swept over the six people, but he didn’t see the familiar figure. For some reason, Liu Yimian felt a sense of disappointment, yet also a relief.

Liu Chengyin wasn’t there.

“Look at this, they say young masters are reserved and shy, but I don’t see it like that. Who was just getting affectionate in front of everyone? Tsk tsk, Yang Ming, do you think the girls at Peach Blossom Pavilion are as bold as this?” Chen Peizhi said, clicking his tongue. Peach Blossom Pavilion was one of the two brothels in Da Xi Town, not far from the academy—only two streets away.

Chen Peizhi and his friends were frequent patrons.

Yang Ming even had an acquaintance there.

Liu Yimian knew—they must have witnessed the scene earlier!

Although he didn’t know where they had been watching from, the fact that they had seen it…

His heart raced, the mix of nervousness and slight fear making him break into a cold sweat. He instinctively took a step back.

“What’s the rush? Why can’t others talk about it?” Chen Peizhi and Yang Ming exchanged a smile, and the six of them moved forward, surrounding Liu Yimian. They kept advancing, forcing him back step by step into a corner, away from the crowd.

“I’ve always said there’s no need to admit any young master into the academy. Look at this delicate young master, who can’t even be touched, and still needs water brought to his room for his bath. How are we any different? We just wash without all that nonsense,” Chen Peizhi said loudly.

“Yeah, can’t touch him!” Yang Ming stepped closer and reached out to grab Liu Yimian. As his hand neared Liu Yimian’s arm, Liu Yimian quickly dodged, but in doing so, he bumped into a brick wall behind him.

“We men, we can do anything, but you, little young master, in this academy, no one can touch you, yell at you, or even get close to you. Tell me, other than having a prettier face than us, you can’t even read properly. Why should you sit at the same table as us?” Chen Peizhi said, narrowing his eyes and staring coldly at Liu Yimian.

He had clashed with Liu Yimian and others, like Lin Tai and Lu Yushu, several times over this. His family was decent, but couldn’t compare to Lu Yushu’s, and after being driven away multiple times, his pride was bruised. He had long been waiting for a chance to retaliate, but Liu Yimian rarely found himself alone, making it difficult to seize an opportunity.

Today, however, was different.

“What’s so great about hanging out with Lin Tai and the others?” Chen Peizhi asked his cronies as he turned around.

“Lin Tai has money!”

“Lu Yushu is a young master!”

“This one’s got fair skin and a bit of charm. Who knows…”

The group of them went on, their words making Liu Yimian pale. His eyes filled with tears, and he bit his lip tightly, trying to suppress the overwhelming frustration in his chest.

“You! Stop it!” Liu Yimian shouted. When they ignored him and continued, he tried to push through. But he was blocked by six tall, burly men. Just as he was about to break through, Chen Peizhi and Yang Ming grabbed him, pushing him against the wall.

“You can’t leave until you explain yourself. The academy is supposed to be a place of peace. It can’t allow a young master like you to behave recklessly. Why don’t you go talk to the mountain master and explain yourself?”

“Exactly!”

“Go talk to the mountain master!”

Liu Yimian stood alone, surrounded by six malicious men. The helplessness gripped his heart. He tried desperately to hold back his tears, but his lower lip was already bleeding from being bitten so hard.

“What are you doing?!”

A loud shout rang out, and Liu Yimian, unable to hold it in any longer, finally let the tears fall.

“Step aside! Get out of the way! If you don’t, I’ll call the teacher!”