The two walked one after the other up the winding stone steps of the dormitory. In the quiet midnight, only the sound of their footsteps echoed and mingled. The candlelight on the wall lamp flickered, emitting pungent smoky pine resin, but it illuminated their figures on the damp stone wall.
Isaac knew that once the two returned to the house, Yun Wei would politely say goodbye to him.
Then, what awaited him was another long, lonely, and cold night.
The thin wall separating them is more difficult to cross than the perpetually frozen snow barrier of the San Moriti mountain.
Looking at Yun Wei's thin back, a strong sense of resentment suddenly surged from his chest.
This was the strong liquor brewed from the emotions that surged forth from him after he realized the feelings he had for his master that were difficult to express, and after three days of continuous self-criticism.
Surging and fierce, clear and sharp, cutting to the throat.
But it seemed to have exhausted all his courage, forging ahead relentlessly, burning his bridges.
His body clamored for closeness with his master, and perhaps not only his body, but also his soul.
He longed for Yun Wei in every way, inside and out.
I want to have a frank and honest conversation with the other party.
I want to sleep side by side with him, to become one with him in my very bones.
But at this moment, he seemed to be hiding inside a shell of insincerity. Hidden within that shell, he heard himself making this suggestion:
"Yun, want to go take a bath together?"
The deep tone broke the monotony of the silent film, like the lingering melody of a violin, stirring the silent night.
His voice, under his deliberate control, was slightly lower than usual. Yet his tone was relaxed and natural, like a perfectly spontaneous invitation.
Only Isaac himself knew that even the last syllable of his voice carried a tremor of fear and disappointment.
He was afraid of Yun Wei's rejection.
But he deliberately pretended to be upright and indifferent, subtly observing his master.
As he expected, the other person stopped, turned around, and stood at the top of the steps, looking down at his proposal.
Unlike the hazy state he had intoxicated that day, the gaze his master gave him now was the same as always.
Calm and reserved, like a deep, unfathomable pool of ice.
In the instant their eyes met, Isaac saw a multitude of emotions within them, some he could understand, and some he couldn't.
This made him even more nervous, as if the other person's thin red lips were about to spit out a knife, directly declaring his death sentence.
But in that thunderous moment, Isaac suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Without being taught, he lowered his eyebrows and eyes, made a claw with his right hand and covered his chest, and whispered, "It hurts a little here."
After saying that, Isaac inwardly berated himself. But he also knew that only in this way could he turn his current predicament from the headwinds.
It was as if a ferocious beast was lurking in his heart, insatiable yet relentlessly pushing its luck, growing craving more and more.
As expected, his master was stunned for a moment after hearing this. His thin lips moved slightly, but he seemed to swallow back the refusal he was about to say, and instead lowered his eyes and said, "Let's go to the bath."
Then he took the lead and walked towards the other side of the reception hall.
On the other side of the reception hall, away from the dormitory, is the communal bathhouse and washroom.
Despite his success, Isaac felt little joy at his triumph. He stood there for a long time, watching the departing figure before slowly taking a step to follow.
At this moment, he thought of his grandmother, the only wise monarch in the Second Dynasty to be given the title of "Great Emperor" during her reign.
Decisive and ruthless, wise and powerful.
He had just come of age and was in the prime of his life. He looked down on love as a superfluous emotion and believed that love was nothing but a useless thing that would hinder his progress in swordsmanship.
He refused all the arranged social dances, spending his days immersed in the royal training grounds, surrounded by swords and sweating profusely.
So his grandmother summoned him to the emperor's presence to receive instruction.
The Queen, seated beside the fireplace, was as kind as any elder, but her smoky gray eyes, similar to his, were sharp and serious, displaying a remarkable spirit.
She wouldn't criticize Isaac for refusing meaningless social interactions; the Temu Browne family was already the most prestigious bloodline on the continent, giving them the confidence to act recklessly.
But she just couldn't stand her grandson's dismissive attitude towards love! This kind of underestimating attitude will definitely lead to trouble later!
She criticized him bluntly: "Isaac, who told you that dating is child's play? Love is clearly a life-or-death battle! The loser has no right to win Cupid's favor, only the winner can taste the sweet fruit."
"You must keep pushing forward, charging forward regardless of everything, falling down in the mud, and getting up again and again."
"Until you eliminate your rival, until you eliminate your own cowardice, never give up, and face death without fear!"
"Look at your expression, don't be unconvinced. You're still young. When you meet someone you like in the future, you'll remember what your grandmother said to you today."
Back then, he was arrogant and conceited, and scoffed at it. Now, however, he vaguely senses a certain appeal in it.
The taste is both sour and astringent, making it even more addictive.
He cannot win if he hesitates and remains stationary.
Isaac thought that he did indeed like Yun Wei.
But he will gradually conquer territory while respecting the other party's ideas, until he completely wins the battle.
...
Each floor of the college dormitory has three large, independent bathtubs, each nearly ten square meters in size and more than enough for two people to take a bath.
Yun Wei is currently standing in the changing room by the bathtub, his expression complicated.
He should have refused outright.
But upon seeing Isaac's pitiful expression, he immediately softened. Most absurdly, his body reacted faster than his mind; his mouth barely hesitated before accepting the invitation.
But now, as time goes by, reason is gradually taking over.
Taking a bath with a man who appears to be straight, being completely honest with him, is already enough to cross his personal boundaries.
The other person is someone I secretly admire...
Yun Wei was completely bewildered, so bewildered that he wanted to run away.
He even started to think that he might as well just cast a "Cloud Mist Spell".
"Yun, you can take off your clothes and come over now. I'll have the water ready in a minute." Isaac's voice came from the other end of the bath, interrupting his increasingly absurd thoughts.
Yun Wei lowered his eyes and looked over.
Isaac was standing with his back to him, half-squatting on the stone steps of the bathtub, carefully cleaning it with the "Purification" spell. After that, he only needed to inject magic power into the magic crystal beside the bathtub, and a pool of hot water would be ready in no time.
From this angle, what comes into view is that magnificent and sexy inverted triangle figure, and at the point where the triangle tapers, even the tight buttocks appear perky and powerful.
It felt as resolute as the other person's eyebrows and eyes, full of enduring stamina.
Yun Wei quickly looked away. He felt like he was going crazy.
"Yun, which flavor of bath salts do you want?" Isaac persisted on the other end of the line, "There's milk, sea salt, rose, red wine..."
Yun Wei realized for the first time that his follower was so talkative.
He's such a chatterbox.
"cloud?"
"Um, either way is fine." Noticing that the other person seemed to be turning their head to look at him, Yun Wei forced himself to calmly turn his head and bravely meet their gaze. "I'll have the milk one then."
It sounds a bit stronger, not too clear.
Little did he know. He'd never used bath salts before.
Fortunately, the other person's sharp eyes only lingered on his face for a second before turning around and beginning to inject magic into the magic crystal by the bathtub.
Yun Wei breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his cheeks burning.
Taking advantage of this moment, Yun Wei used his fastest speed in three lifetimes to quickly strip off and put away his clothes. He then took out a bath towel and carefully covered his lower body.
He took a deep breath and once again sternly admonished himself:
Yunwei, Yunwei, you're not allowed to look around or wander off for a moment.
Do not look at what is improper, do not speak what is improper.
This was just a normal social activity between classmates and roommates.
He knew in his heart that everything he was doing at this moment was like taking out a loan from fate, which he would have to repay sooner or later.
He couldn't imagine how furious and embarrassed Isaac would be when he came out to him that day, recalling their intimate moments.
The world hasn't invented slippers yet, but thankfully the bathroom floor is covered with exquisite mosaic tiles, which are exceptionally slip-resistant.
Yun Wei walked barefoot on the ground, staring straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the direction of the bathhouse.
He felt that every step he took was like the Little Mermaid walking on the deck towards the prince of the Land of Men in the fairy tale, stepping on the tip of a knife that pierced his heart.
Fortunately, Isaac did not turn around. He was rolling up his sleeves and stirring the milky white pool water with his hands, creating a lot of soft, white foam.
When Yun Wei walked to the other person's side, he felt his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He quickly squatted down and sat on the steps of the bathtub, then gently slid into the water from the edge of the tub.
When his shoulders and below were completely submerged in the warm pool water, Yun Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The pool water, infused with bath salts, has a wonderfully milky aroma. Soaking in the warm water after a long day is incredibly relaxing.
"How's the water temperature?" Isaac asked attentively. At that moment, he was kneeling on one knee, squatting on the stone steps of the bath, staring intently at his master's crimson earlobe.
"It's alright," Yun Wei said casually. It was still late summer, so it wasn't chilly. In fact, the enclosed environment of the bathroom made it feel a little hot.
"That's good. Wait for me a moment, I'll be right there." Isaac glanced greedily at his master, who had his back to him, one last time, and strode towards the locker room.
"..." What are you waiting for him to do?
Yun Wei scooped up a ladle of water with his hand and splashed it on his face.
It won't work.
Sure enough, the water temperature was a bit too high.
...
Listening to the rustling sounds behind him, Yun Wei felt that time was passing very slowly.
As Isaac followed him into the bath, a large amount of milky water overflowed from the edge, trickling into the overflow channel beside it.
The pool water rippled and the waves gently swayed. Yun Wei suddenly felt as if he were floating and drifting with the water, propelled by buoyancy.
Isaac is indeed too big. He thought to himself.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the other person insisted on wading across to the other side of him and sitting down face to face with him.
So Yun Wei simply lowered his eyes, only glancing at the rippling water, pretending to be seriously relaxing in the bath.
But Isaac, sitting opposite him, wasn't about to let him off the hook. He heard the other man casually ask, "Yun, let's chat for a bit."
This time, Isaac didn't feign a low voice; he returned to his original tone, clear and clean, yet with a touch of laziness, giving off that sunny and cheerful boyish vibe—it was simply too unfair to Yun Wei.
There's always some truth to the idea that a crush starts with physical appearance.
See? Isaac's appearance is exactly what he likes, and it's not just his masculine physique that can easily stir up the desires buried deep in his heart.
Even the other person's voice was his favorite type, sunny and clear, like the waves and sun he loved most.
Even just hearing the other person's voice made Yun Wei's heart race.
But he could only passively flee.
So he closed his eyes and simply drawled, "I don't want to talk, I'm sleepy—"
Before he could finish speaking, water splashed suddenly in the bath. Even with his eyes closed, Yun Wei could feel the person opposite him getting closer.
He opened his eyes in a panic, only to meet Isaac's gaze.
Unexpectedly, in just a moment, the other person had already arrived in front of him, with two strong arms resting motionless on the stone platform of the bathtub beside his ears, and was now looking down at him.
His smoky gray eyes looked no different from usual, but Yun Wei read a different meaning into them.
It has lost some of its melancholy and gentleness, and gained more domineering and threatening qualities.
The other person held him firmly between their arms, in a narrow corner.
He was forced to tilt his head slightly, looking at the other person helplessly.
After only a brief exchange, he was defeated and fled in disarray.
Avoiding the other person's dangerous gaze, Yun Wei's eyes involuntarily darted downwards, and all he could see was the other person's straight, upright nose, sexy, full lips, and bold, generous Adam's apple.
The bathroom ceiling is decorated with light blue wave patterns, a gentle shimmer created by the soft, cascading moonlight.
If this were a dream, Yun Wei thought, he should close his eyes, meet the other's lips, and, witnessed by the moonlight and mist, imprint a gentle kiss.
But he knew clearly that he was not in a dream.
Even the most romantic long night will eventually end, and he will still have to greet the dawn.
So he stretched out his left palm and placed it just enough to touch Isaac's bare chest. In that tiny space, an insurmountable chasm was clearly drawn between the two of them.
The other person's hair, soaked with warm water, clung to his full forehead like a dog drenched in rain. Yun Wei dared not look at Isaac's appearance.
He simply lowered his eyes and asked softly, "Isaac, you just said where it hurts?"
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