Chapter 90: The Golden Cage Traps the White Phoenix (13)
Bo Yan really did come to kiss Bai Chunsheng. He held the back of Bai Chunsheng’s head and kissed him deeply.
Bai Chunsheng felt dizzy, and as he leaned back, Bo Yan laughed and held him, stepping into the pool. The milky-white water rippled gently, forming small waves.
Bai Chunsheng had expected a long, gentle kiss, like the many times he had shared with Yan Yi before, but reality told him it was far more intense than that.
Bo Yan held Bai Chunsheng’s chin and caressed his lips, his tone full of meaning: “I don’t want to hold back anymore.”
Bai Chunsheng looked confused. “Hold back what?”
Bo Yan, “You’ll know soon enough.”
And indeed, it was soon enough.
Bo Yan continued kissing him.
Isn’t this enough already? We’ve kissed for so long.
Bai Chunsheng thought sluggishly.
But he was so dizzy from the kiss that he couldn’t speak, and a shiver ran through him, arising from a vague, inexplicable fear.
Bo Yan, holding him, knew exactly what was happening. The anger that Bai Chunsheng had teased out of him before had mostly dissipated, leaving him gentler.
In the dizzying haze, illusions flickered before Bai Chunsheng’s slightly dazed eyes. Unclear shadows from his memory gradually merged with the Bo Yan in front of him.
Yan Jingqiu?
No, no.
Bai Chunsheng was stunned. Why did he have such strange thoughts? Why were there unclear shadows?
Before losing his memory, Yan Jingqiu could never have kissed him.
Bo Yan noticed Bai Chunsheng was lost in thought. “What are you thinking about?”
Bai Chunsheng spoke honestly: “Yan Jingqiu.”
To him, Yan Yi was Yan Jingqiu. When he said he wanted Yan Yi, it seemed perfectly proper—he had seen a few pairs of Dao companions who were this sweet to each other.
It just made him a little shy.
“…You! Really! You’re too much!”
Those words were fuel on the fire. Bo Yan had initially wanted to give Bai Chunsheng a break, sensing his fear, but after hearing this, he couldn’t hold back any longer.
Bai Chunsheng’s hands had gone limp on Bo Yan’s shoulders, and now he hesitated as Bo Yan parted his sash and wrapped him around the waist.
“Yan…”
Bo Yan almost immediately cut him off, covering Bai Chunsheng’s mouth forcefully and growling, “I won’t let you call him again. Not a single word.”
Bo Yan’s eyes shone with determination, which made Bai Chunsheng momentarily dazed—but very soon, he didn’t even have the chance to be distracted.
Bai Chunsheng let out a soft, whimpering cry. Bo Yan grabbed his hands, urging him to cover his own mouth: “Shh… there are still people outside.”
Helplessly, Bai Chunsheng buried his face in Bo Yan’s chest and asked, “Can you kiss me now?”
Since his mouth was blocked, he couldn’t cry out, and he even saved a bit of energy, not needing to cover his mouth.
Bo Yan paused briefly, then pressed a passionate kiss against Bai Chunsheng, this time on the side of his neck.
Water splashed onto Bai Chunsheng’s shoulder, cold and icy—not from the pool.
He didn’t know what it was.
Bai Chunsheng tried to turn his head, but Bo Yan held him in place.
He whispered gently by Bai Chunsheng’s ear: “Why can’t you like me?”
This seemed like an old habit of Yan Yi’s, Bai Chunsheng thought. Perhaps people in love always needed to repeatedly confirm that their beloved felt the same way, to feel secure.
Since it was Bo Yan who asked first, Bai Chunsheng felt no shame in admitting it. “I like you.”
Bo Yan’s voice was low and heavy: “You better be telling the truth. Otherwise, even if you die, I’ll drag you back from the underworld, trap you in a bottle, and keep you. From then on, life and death won’t separate us—you won’t see anyone else but me.”
It sounded like a coaxing, but Bo Yan held Bai Chunsheng tighter, as if someone else might try to take him away.
Bo Yan turned slightly, planting kisses along Bai Chunsheng’s neck.
Bai Chunsheng shivered instinctively.
…
Even just breathing had left Bai Chunsheng exhausted. He tried to avoid Bo Yan, instinctively thinking that if he climbed out of the pool the next time Bo Yan tried to pull him in, Yan Yi wouldn’t continue this indescribable torment—part pleasure, part discomfort.
—This proved that even beautiful people should be clever.
By the time Bo Yan rang the bell for the waiting attendants outside, Bai Chunsheng was so weary that he could barely keep his eyes open. In the brief moment Bo Yan rose, he turned back to find Bai Chunsheng already half-asleep.
Seeing this, Bo Yan smiled. He removed his outer coat and draped it over Bai Chunsheng. Then he instructed the attendants to bring a large crimson quilt patterned with Mandarin ducks playing in water, wrapped Bai Chunsheng in it, and carried him to the bedchamber.
Bai Chunsheng’s skin was delicate, so even a slight pinch left clear impressions. Bo Yan’s hands left marks that were immediately visible.
The dragon clan attendant who had earlier carried Bai Chunsheng avoided eye contact, intending to speak, but Bo Yan whispered softly: “When he wakes, tell him I was here. Place Blue Seal Flowers in the corner of the room so he gets a fleeting illusion. If he claims to have seen Yan Yi, just say he was mistaken. First, act surprised, then understanding. After that, only confirm. Bai Chunsheng is easy to manipulate—he’ll probably only ask you once.”
Bo Yan had originally planned to wear a mask while embracing Bai Chunsheng amid passion. No matter how much Bai Chunsheng refused to believe or anticipate it, he would eventually realize that Yan Yi was really Bo Yan. He didn’t need Bai Chunsheng to admit fault; he just wanted to vent his anger.
Bo Yan wanted to scare Bai Chunsheng so thoroughly that, whenever he saw anyone resembling him in the future, he would never recall Yan Jingqiu and would only nervously wonder if it might be Bo Yan.
Bo Yan realized that he would probably never win Bai Chunsheng’s love, but even if he couldn’t have it, he didn’t want the dead Yan Jingqiu to receive it either.
He wanted Bai Chunsheng, from then on, to see Yan Jingqiu without recalling their shared past. Even when looking at Yan Jingqiu’s portrait, Bai Chunsheng would suspect, “Could this be Bo Yan again?”
Bo Yan’s thoughts were so cruel, but all of his careful plans and intentions dissolved into smoke the moment Bai Chunsheng turned and smiled at him in the bath.
Forget it.
He would wait for this fool to figure it out himself. Such a simple mind—he’d have to watch him carefully in the future to make sure no one deceived him.
Author’s note: Yan Jingqiu logging in.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
