After Redeeming the Obsessive Villain Again (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 25

The first light of dawn shimmered in the east. The sun, emerging after the clouds had parted and the rain had ceased, was clear and warm. A faint rainbow hung in the sky, its reflection blooming brilliantly in the small puddles on the ground.

Yan Yi’s eyelashes fluttered, but he did not open his eyes immediately. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his forehead against Lu Yinshen’s to feel his temperature with his own skin. The heat was not high; it was about the same as his own.

Relieved, he let out a quiet sigh and gently patted Lu Yinshen’s back to soothe him.

In the middle of the night, Lu Yinshen’s fever had flared up again. Since he had already been given fever reducers not long before, Yan Yi chose not to give him more medicine this time, opting for physical cooling methods instead.

After a long ordeal, the fever finally broke. Still worried, Yan Yi lightly kissed the space between Lu Yinshen’s brows and nuzzled against his face.

“Get well soon, darling.”

Lu Yinshen opened his eyes, his gaze dazed for a few moments. The pressure on his back and the tactile sensations on his body felt real and grounding, filling the hollow ache in his heart.

His lips moved slightly as if to speak, but his throat was parched and agonizingly sore. Even swallowing was a struggle, let alone forming words.

A hand suddenly covered the side of his face. Yan Yi, having warmed his palm, pressed it firmly against his cheek. He could see that Lu Yinshen wanted to speak but was forced into silence by his illness.

“Baby, what do you want to say?”

The persona of the “innocent young man” had long since cracked in front of Lu Yinshen. A few days ago, it had been completely torn to shreds by his own rough actions. Even now, the monitor on Lu Yinshen’s bedroom wall displayed the current scene inside the room.

It captured both Yan Yi and Lu Yinshen in its prying gaze, though this surveillance was originally intended to show only Yan Yi’s room.

GPS tracking, eavesdropping; Yan Yi had returned the favor. Since Lu Yinshen was monitoring him, he would not be outdone.

Yan Yi had been secretly observing Lu Yinshen’s every expression. Over the past few days, he had brazenly watched recordings of Lu Yinshen’s blurred, decadent, and seductive expressions, which were faces the man would never show to outsiders, over and over again.

Lu Yinshen’s eyes were half-closed, his body limp and weak from the fever. A soft lock of hair brushed against Yan Yi’s neck, making his skin itch and his heart ache with longing.

With one arm around Lu Yinshen’s waist, Yan Yi reached for the thermometer on the nightstand to check his temperature.

The reading was normal.

“I will stew some pears with rock sugar for you later. Try to have a little,” Yan Yi whispered into his ear, knowing he had no appetite.

Lu Yinshen’s hand on Yan Yi’s waist moved slightly to signal that he had heard.

They lay there in a warm embrace for a long time until the lingering drowsiness completely faded. Lu Yinshen rubbed his face against Yan Yi’s and said in a hoarse, scratchy voice, “Hungry.”

Yan Yi leaned down and pecked the corner of his mouth. “Okay.”

Yan Yi grabbed a thick coat and helped Lu Yinshen into it while holding him close.

As he gripped Lu Yinshen’s ankle, he saw the red marks he had left there previously. They had not faded yet, standing out starkly against the pale skin.

His dark eyes reflected those rose-colored circles, and his neck instinctively recalled the suffocating pain of being strangled and the intense, peculiar pleasure that came with it.

Yan Yi suppressed those thoughts deep in his heart and gently put a pair of warm socks on Lu Yinshen.

Ensuring he was protected from the cold wind, Yan Yi leaned in and carried him in his arms to the bathroom, happy to serve as his partner’s means of transport.

They freshened up together and then headed to the kitchen. The ingredients were fresh, so there was no need to go shopping.

Yan Yi stood before the stove with his arms spread, waiting for Lu Yinshen to tie his apron. Hands fumbled around his waist as Lu Yinshen clumsily tied a knot.

“Looks good. Baby is so talented,” Yan Yi praised him with a smile, holding nothing back.

Lu Yinshen rested his chin on Yan Yi’s shoulder, quietly watching him cook from that position.

Neither of them was short. Both had tall, slender builds, though Lu Yinshen was a few centimeters shorter than Yan Yi. This difference was so slight it could be hidden by a change in hairstyle.

Yan Yi relaxed his body so Lu Yinshen could lean on him more comfortably. Despite the slightly awkward posture, he finished the stewed pears and ladled a few spoonfuls into a thermal bowl. He turned his head and kissed Lu Yinshen’s cheek.

Between kisses, he asked, “Do you have an appetite for this now?”

Looking at the steaming, sweet pear soup, Lu Yinshen nodded slowly.

“Good. I will blow on it to cool it down before you eat.”

Once the sweet liquid was at a safe temperature, Yan Yi handed it to him. As the warm, delicious liquid slid down his throat, the sweetness bloomed on his tongue, providing some relief to his dry, scratchy throat.

Lowering his gaze, Yan Yi began preparing lunch. They had lounged in bed for quite a while; even though they woke up early, it was already noon by the time they finished washing up.

He brought the steaming dishes to the dining room. Sitting side-by-side with Lu Yinshen, he carefully peeled a shrimp and fed it to him.

“This afternoon, let us go pick out some gifts for Grandfather.”

Old Master Lu was likely lining up all his canes right now, waiting aggressively for their arrival.

Lu Yinshen bit into the shrimp and nodded. They definitely needed a way to appease the old man, lest he actually faint from anger.

After finishing lunch and tidying up, they lounged on the sofa for a long time before finally heading out to pick gifts for the old man.

They arrived at a shopping mall filled with a dizzying array of stores and a large crowd.

Since they had gifted him a model recently, they decided to supplement it with his other two lifelong hobbies: Chinese chess and fishing.

Unfortunately, the old man was a poor chess player; his skills were terrible, and he rarely won against friends. However, he was obsessed with collecting chess sets and “secret manuals” that supposedly taught one how to become a master.

Yan Yi did not know where to find a real secret manual, so he bought a book as thick as a brick titled Chinese Chess: From Beginner to Grandmaster. He also bought every chess set on the shelf and arranged for the staff to deliver them to the address.

Next, they went to a specialized fishing tackle shop and bought several rods. Since the old man preferred making his own bait, Yan Yi only bought a few symbolic bags of it and likewise arranged for delivery.

Having finished the shopping, Yan Yi held Lu Yinshen’s hand and smiled. “Uncle, let us go see a movie. I think a new romance film just came out.”

Lu Yinshen squeezed his hand and nodded.

Yan Yi bought the tickets and two drinks that would not irritate a sore throat. Just as they were about to enter the theater, a voice interrupted them.

“Brother, is this movie really good? What is it about?” Yao Si asked the man beside him, feigning curiosity.

Yao Si’s life had been going poorly lately. He had been approached for some low-budget web dramas, but he had been too arrogant to accept. By the time he was willing to lower himself to agree, the producers had suddenly lost interest and hired others. He demanded to know why, but people only gave him disgusting, evasive looks.

It was only after he endured the nausea of using his looks and body that he managed to get one person to talk. Even then, the person did not say much, only hinting vaguely that he had offended a powerful figure he could not afford to provoke.

“A powerful figure?”

It was ridiculous. With his charm, what kind of powerful figure could he not hook? Whether it was a political bigwig or a business tycoon, he did not believe they could resist him if he just beckoned.

But before he could dig deeper, the person became as tight-lipped as if their tongue had been cut out and refused to say another word.

Thinking about the skin that had been touched by that man, Yao Si almost vomited. It was disgusting.

He did not let any of this show on his delicate face, instead leaning weakly against the man next to him. His seemingly “boneless” posture worked wonders on the man’s ego.

Yao Si felt a surge of pride. He knew no one could escape his attraction.

This man was someone Yao Si had hooked through careful plotting and packaging: a coal mine owner named Wang Ren. He was wealthy, had only a wife at home, and no children. Though not classically handsome, he was in much better shape than most men his age.

Most importantly, he was generous and willing to spend money.

This suited Yao Si perfectly. Using his status as a freshman at A University, he had easily snared the man.

As he glanced ahead, his smug expression froze. Yao Si’s face stiffened.

“Why is he here?” And when he saw the man Yan Yi was holding hands with, jealousy and hatred surged within him.

Yao Si nearly ground his teeth to dust. This was an uncle and nephew in a relationship; it was shameless!

He had run into Yan Yi at school later on, but no matter how much he lowered his stance, the man had not even given him a sideways glance. Having suffered so much frustration because of Yan Yi, his desire to seduce him had curdled into a loathing for Yan Yi’s lack of appreciation.

His gaze became somewhat brazen, and he quickly noticed many marks on the necks and faces of the uncle and nephew. There were surely many more hidden under their clothes.

He knew exactly what those marks were. His jealousy hit a breaking point. Why could Yan Yi ignore him but go home and roll around in the sheets with his own uncle?

Yao Si was so furious his face turned bright red. The coal boss beside him noticed immediately. He followed Yao Si’s gaze and, upon seeing the couple, his expression became cautious and even fawning.

He shook off Yao Si’s arm and hurried forward to greet them. “President Lu! Long time no see. It is Xiao Wang. You are a busy man and you probably do not remember me, but I had the honor of attending a Yuli product launch before.”

With Wang Ren’s observational skills, he also noticed the marks on their necks. Their intimate hand-holding made their relationship obvious.

Wang Ren quickly gave himself a light metaphorical slap. “Oh, President Lu, I am so sorry to disturb you. This must be your partner? Truly handsome and dashing; you two are a perfect match.”

“I will not delay your date any further. Si, come here and say hello to President Lu, then we will head to the other theater.”

Wang Ren was actually trying to be helpful, wanting to introduce Yao Si to a figure far above his own station. Even if he could not get resources, at least the boy would be a familiar face to President Lu.

It might make things smoother in the future, but he had no idea about the history between the three of them. His words were like poking a hornet’s nest.

There was no way Yao Si would say hello to Lu Yinshen. But he also knew that if he embarrassed Wang Ren, he would have to go find a new benefactor to maintain his luxury lifestyle.

He could only shuffle forward reluctantly.

Lu Yinshen remembered him. Yan Yi had messaged him before saying this was the person who tried to take advantage of him.

When he had gone to catch Yan Yi that day, he had seen this person trying to talk to him, and later seen him entangled with Lu Ye outside his car.

Lu Yinshen simply held Yan Yi’s hand and turned to walk away. Even though he did not say a word or even spare a glance, Yao Si felt as though he had been slapped hard in the face.

His face burned.

Wang Ren saw everything clearly. As a smooth-talking businessman, he knew President Lu was not the type to be unreasonable. Clearly, his new companion had offended the man.

When he looked back at Yao Si, his tone had turned cold.