LC chapter 43

 

The spacious living room was empty except for the two of them. Zhan Xi stared at Lin Ruan’s left shoulder. Lin Ruan shivered and quickly put his clothes back on, covering the dark blue-green tattoo with the soft fabric. He turned his head and met Zhan Xi’s deep, shadowed gaze.

Zhan Xi’s expression wasn’t good, but at least he didn’t question Lin Ruan right away. Instead, he restrained his temper and asked, “Did someone coax you into getting that tattoo?”

Lin Ruan shook his head and looked up at Zhan Xi. “I wanted it myself.”

Zhan Xi frowned, his voice sharp and cold. “Who gave you permission to get a tattoo?”

Lin Ruan was startled. He hadn’t expected Zhan Xi to be so angry. The courage he had gathered to argue melted away, and his voice dropped low. “It’s my body. I have the right to decide what I do with it.”

Zhan Xi paused. He had once told Lin Ruan that before he gained his own identity, his body didn’t truly belong to him.

Zhan Xi wasn’t sure if Lin Ruan said that to convey something to him. He looked into Lin Ruan’s eyes. Under the light, they shone brightly, full of vivid color and emotion.

Before, Lin Ruan kept everything bottled up inside. His vague thoughts never became actions, making him seem dull and steady. Now, however, his thoughts were becoming clearer, and his ability to act was growing stronger by the day. Zhan Xi had to admit that his life was far more colorful than anyone else’s.

“It’s your body, so of course you can make your own decisions,” Zhan Xi said, calming down slightly. “But tattoos aren’t a joke. They’re not something you can just erase if you change your mind. Once inked, they’re hard to remove—even if you erase them, they leave scars.”

He looked at Lin Ruan, who had lowered his head obediently. “A tattoo is something that lasts a lifetime…”

“Like marriage?” Lin Ruan suddenly raised his head to look at him.

Zhan Xi froze, saying nothing. They had talked about marriage before, but this time he was speechless.

Lin Ruan lowered his head, almost murmuring to himself. “I don’t know if I’ll ever regret this tattoo, but right now, I really like it. I like it so much that I feel I could love it for a lifetime.”

Zhan Xi remained silent for a long time before responding, “If that’s the case, then that’s for the best.”

He didn’t comment further on the tattoo, but Lin Ruan took advantage of that, pestering Zhan Xi with questions. “Doesn’t it look good? I think it looks great! Maybe it’s just because it hasn’t scabbed over yet. Once it heals, it’ll look even better!”

Zhan Xi pinched the back of his neck, and Lin Ruan went still.

They were in the bathroom. Lin Ruan sat on the edge of the bathtub while Zhan Xi rolled up his sleeves and carefully cleaned the bloodstains around the tattoo.

His movements were gentle and cautious. Since the decision had been made to keep the tattoo, it had to be treated carefully.

“I’ll have a doctor come tomorrow,” Zhan Xi said as he worked. “Be careful of infection and inflammation. For the next half month, avoid spicy food and anything that might cause irritation.”

“Half a month?” Lin Ruan asked. “That long?”

“Of course.” Zhan Xi’s tone was calm.

Lin Ruan turned to look at him. Zhan Xi lowered his head, his expression serious.

Lin Ruan tugged at his shirt and asked, “Sir, are you still mad?”

Zhan Xi glanced down at him. “I’m not angry.”

There was a mirror in the bathroom that was fogged by steam. Lin Ruan tilted his head and glanced at their reflection. He sat on the edge of the tub with one foot dipped in the water. He wasn’t wearing any clothes, and the line of his spine could be seen from the side.

Zhan Xi stood behind him, relaxed and unhurried, with one hand resting on Lin Ruan’s neck. The rough calluses on his palm made Lin Ruan’s skin itch.

As Lin Ruan looked at Zhan Xi in the mirror, his toes curled unconsciously.

He had always been young and hungry for affection. With Zhan Xi deliberately indulging him, Lin Ruan practically became a little seducer.

“Sir.” Lin Ruan tugged at the corner of Zhan Xi’s shirt, his eyes still fixed on the mirror.

Zhan Xi didn’t look up, but the way Lin Ruan said “sir” was full of meaning—like a cat in springtime.

“Until your tattoo heals, no intense activity,” Zhan Xi said.

“Why?” Lin Ruan protested. “It’s not even a serious wound.”

Zhan Xi brushed a hand across his cheek. “Because I’m in a bad mood and don’t want to move.”

“You said you weren’t angry!” Lin Ruan shouted.

Zhan Xi put down the gauze. “Being in a bad mood doesn’t only mean being angry.”

“Then what else?”

Zhan Xi looked at him, his voice lazy. “You’ve grown up. You don’t talk to your sir before doing things anymore. I’m disappointed.”

Lin Ruan couldn’t really hear the disappointment in his tone, though. He only felt that Zhan Xi was punishing him.

And he was—Zhan Xi meant what he said. For half a month, he didn’t touch Lin Ruan. He still cleaned and medicated the tattoo as usual, but he didn’t do anything else. Lin Ruan was furious and bit Zhan Xi’s fingers at night like a child gnawing to vent his frustration.

Half a month later, the tattoo finally healed. The scabs fell away, revealing the design—as if it had grown from his skin itself. It looked beautiful.

Lin Ruan stood before the bathroom mirror for a long time, admiring it more and more. He put on a soft white shirt that reached his thighs, with nothing underneath.

He opened the bathroom door barefoot and stepped onto the new carpet, wetting it.

Zhan Xi was sitting on the bed reading. Lin Ruan walked over, leaned against him, and said, “Sir, my tattoo has healed. Do you want to see it?”

Zhan Xi lifted his eyelids slightly. “Haven’t I been looking at it every day?”

“That’s not the same.” Lin Ruan nudged him. “You’ve only seen the unfinished version.”

Honestly, he regretted letting Zhan Xi apply the medicine — there were no more surprises.

He climbed onto the bed, turned his back to Zhan Xi, and exposed his left shoulder.

Zhan Xi lifted his head. Lin Ruan’s shoulder was beautiful, sharply defined with just the right amount of flesh.

On his shoulder were two characters: “Zhan Xi.” Nothing could satisfy Zhan Xi’s possessiveness more than that. No matter the situation, a wave of pleasure rose within him every time he saw the tattoo.

When Zhan Xi’s fingers brushed over the tattoo, Lin Ruan shivered—he was far too sensitive.

Lin Ruan turned slightly to glance back, feeling uneasy with his back exposed.

Zhan Xi’s gaze was deep and dark, like an unfathomable pool.

The ancients were right when they said that a short separation is better than a new marriage. Lin Ruan lay nestled in Zhan Xi’s arms, his eyes unfocused. Zhan Xi caressed him while kissing the tattoo. His skin was slightly flushed from excitement, which softened the tattoo’s originally restrained appearance, giving it a more sensual allure.

“There’s a camera at Shi Ning’s place,” Zhan Xi said, no longer hiding his fondness for the tattoo. “How about I take a picture for you?”

Lin Ruan buried himself under the blanket, unable to speak. Despite his earlier boldness, he was now utterly subdued.

“Speaking of which, we should set aside a room here to make a darkroom for developing photos,” Zhan Xi murmured to himself, his tone content.

A few days later, Meng Zhen called Lin Ruan in a rush, saying his dream had finally come true.

Lin Ruan asked which dream.

Meng Zhen replied, “The one where I wanted to be a girl and get married.”

Lin Ruan was shocked. “You became a girl?!”

“No, no,” Meng Zhen shouted. “I’m getting married!”

Meng Zhen’s family had arranged a blind date for him. The other party was a wealthy family of merchants from the south who were planning to move to the capital. The head of the family was their eldest daughter—Meng Zhen’s blind date.

Lin Ruan and Meng Zhen met at a café. It was their first blind date, and they were nervous.

“Their eldest daughter is the only child and the head of the family, so of course she can’t marry outside the family,” Meng Zhen said. “So they’re recruiting a son-in-law instead. Basically, the man marries into their family.”

“Our families do business together, and we’re about the same age, so they arranged this meeting.” Meng Zhen looked at Lin Ruan nervously. “I made my face look pale before coming out. Tell me, do I look like I have potential as a kept man?”

Lin Ruan looked at him. “Why are you so nervous?”

Meng Zhen sighed. “You don’t understand. I’m about to graduate, and my family has been arguing about what I should do next. I don’t want to cause trouble. If I can’t live comfortably with them, I’ll have to find another way.”

“Find another family to live off?” Lin Ruan asked helplessly.

Meng Zhen nodded seriously and asked, “You’ve been in love before. What kind of man do you think women like most?”

Lin Ruan thought for a moment, his face flushing. “Probably someone with good stamina.”

Meng Zhen: ???

Meng Zhen: Something’s wrong with you.

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