This chapter is dedicated to Hera_De_Lima. Thank you for the 5-star review!
--------------------------------------
Back to the present...
Just when things are about to get good, the door creaked open.
"Da Ge, dinner's ready. What are you doing---"
"Holy shit, kitty! I-I mean, A-Tian! You can't just barge in someone's room like that!" Mo Aini had fallen down the bed and rolled over to hide his bulging schlong. "I'm still changing my clothes, just wait for me in the dining room, ok!? Please knock next time!"
Mo Aini's eyes then widened. "And didn't I lock the door earlier? Did you just use a key to open it without asking for permission!?"
"The butler had already knocked and called you several times. Didn't you hear? That's why I have no choice but to use a key." The master of the house peered over to see what his strange guest is up to from the other side of the bed where he can't see. "I'm hungry, so be quick."
"Yeah, yeah! Just wait for a sec!" Mo Aini hid his scalding hot face in his hands. "You can even go eat without me, you don't have to wait."
"But I want to talk about our plans this summer." Hu Chuntian frowned and stepped closer. "What's taking you so long to change, I can do that in just 5 seconds---"
A towel was thrown over his face so he won't catch his Da Ge red-handed..... or red-dicked. "I'm going to the bathroom for a bit and change there, just get out!"
Once Hu Chuntian took away the towel from his face, the bathroom door was already slammed shut.
"What's his problem?" He muttered to himself, shaking his head.
Never mind, he's not going to question his future brother-in-law, it would be like insulting an important part of Mo Jiagei's life.
But his Da Ge really is weird.
When they first met, he claimed to be his lover out of nowhere. He spoiled his plans to threaten Mo Jiagei into being with him and caught him as he fell from a wrecking ball.
Did Mo Aini know him before they met? Most likely. But he doesn't remember seeing him in Nushen before.
Or maybe his face was so plain and unmemorable that he forgot.
It was a strange thing, his Da Ge's face. Sometimes it would be crystal clear to him, like had already memorized every single feature. But then, whenever he thought of Mo Jiagei, or when she was around, Mo Aini's face lose in comparison and become a blurry haze. It's like his eyes were a camera that's always losing in and out of focus on Mo Aini.
Wait, what was he thinking again?
Oh, right. Mo Jiagei.
"I must make Mo Jiagei mine." He sat on his Da Ge's bed while waiting for him to be finished in the bathroom. "Do you have any ideas how to do that, Da Ge?"
"....Huh...Uh.... You're asking me...?" His Da Ge's voice sounded strained, like he was in pain or something.
Hu Chuntian narrowed his eyes. "Are you hurting anywhere, Da Ge? You sound weird."
"Mnn....Just..... Stomachache. I'm fine." Mo Aini huffed. "This might take long.... Sorry."
"It's ok. I'll just wait for you here. Take your time." Hu Chuntian laid in the bed with a plop!
Stomachache? He and Mo Aini ate the same thing earlier at lunch. If it was bad, he should have had a stomachache too.
Now that he thought about it, there's a bizarre smell on the bed.
He sniffed the pillows and sheets a bit to make sure. The scent was very strong. It's not as pleasant as perfume or cologne, but it isn't an unpleasant one either. It must be Mo Aini's pheromones or natural body odor.
Hu Chuntian found himself burrowing his head on his Da Ge's bed like a pet liking the smell of his owner. After a while of just sniffing and cuddling his 'future brother-in-law's' pillows...
He eventually fell asleep.
The door clicked open and Mo Aini came out fresh from the shower, hair still dripping. "Hey, really sorry about that. I was just---"
Mo Aini's heart rate went past 180 when he saw Hu Chuntian lying on his bed at such an enticing position, his shirt going up a bit to show his bare stomach, and his round buttocks facing directly at him.
"God fucking damn it! I just fucking finished doing the thing and now this!?" Mo Aini's covered his hot red face and tried hard to look away. "Calm down, calm down, calm down... I am not a pervert! I will not look...."
But his eyes betrayed him and he was staring at the large cake in front of him again.
"No, no, no!" He shook his head. "Cleanse your mind.... recite mantras... Yeah, why don't I just recite some mantras?"
He closed his eyes. "Oh great Guanyin*, teach me your ways on how to abandon worldly matters and desires. Hail to the jewel in the lotus. Hail to the jewel in the lotus. Om*..."
Hu Chuntian stirred from all the mumblings, thinking that he was suddenly transported into a temple surrounded by bald monks. He opened his one eye and realized it was his Da Ge all along!
"Om... Jewel in the lotus... My jewel in his lotus— I mean, JEWEL IN THE LOTUS! JEWEL IN THE LOTUS!"
Hu Chuntian wouldn't deny it anymore. His Da Ge really is the weirdest person he ever met.
He patted his shoulder. "Da Ge, what time is it? Why are you reciting mantras all of a sudden?"
Mo Aini fell to the floor in surprise. "My lotus! I mean, Hu Chuntian! You're awake, haha, that's great!"
The weirdo wannabe-monk scratched his head. "Come on, let's eat! I'm starving, hahaha!"
First, he was reciting mantras. Now he's laughing like an awkward idiot.
Mo Aini couldn't show his face from the pile of embarrassment he had just received non-stop and dashed out of the room, not even waiting for Hu Chuntian.
The blond delinquent just yawned and stretched his limbs. He then sighed. "I guess this would be the man I'm living with for a while. What a weirdo. At least this summer will be more interesting."
He followed Mo Aini downstairs and they had their dinner.
--------------------------------
".....So I was thinking that you could distract the cowboy for the duration of the trip, then I can grab Mo Jiagei and spend time with her." Hu Chuntian said while munching on some beef. "Da Ge, are you even listening?"
"Oh? Ah, um.....yeah! Yeah! Distraction, great, great." Mo Aini had been playing with his stir-fried noodles for a long while, not eating any of them. "Continue."
"What do I talk about with her once I get her?" Hu Chuntian asked.
Mo Aini just shrugged. "I dunno. Anything you like?"
The Tiger Emperor frowned. "Don't you have any conversation starter you can share with me, Da Ge? What does Mo Jiagei like?"
"Like?" Mo Aini was dazed for a bit when he heard this word. "I like you— er, your personality! Yeah, you could talk about your hobbies and interests!"
Hu Chuntian slumped on his seat. "But I don't have any hobbies and interests besides punching people and hitting stuff. I doubt she's interested in that."
Mo Aini mumbled, "Well, I'll always be interested in you no matter what we talk about."
"What?"
Mo Aini cleared his throat. "Erm, I think you should just let it be and see how things go. Don't stress over it too much. What matters is you stay true to yourself and have fun getting to know each other."
"I guess that's true. But...." Hu Chuntian frowned, leaning closer to him. "What are you even doing with your food, Da Ge?"
It looked like he was making art with his noodles, placing them to form a face.
Before Hu Chuntian could make sense of it, Mo Aini quickly ate all of it in one go!
"It's nothing! Nothing! Now, I'm full, haha!" Mo Aini downed his water in the same nervous manner. "Don't you think the weather is nice today?"
"It's night and we're inside, so I can't really tell." Hu Chuntian narrowed his eyes from the change of topic, but still has Mo Jiagei in his mind. "But it's not raining, so I guess it is."
"Why don't we go for a stroll? Your garden is pretty large, you could show me around. Stop worrying about winning over Mo Jiagei all the time and let's talk about other stuff for a while." Mo Aini offered.
Hu Chuntian considered this, raising an eyebrow. "What will we talk about?"
"Anything, really! Let's just get to know each other, haha!"
There it was again, that forced laugh. But at the same time, Hu Chuntian felt like his Da Ge is genuinely happy, he's just distracted by something. He finds himself smiling too, and wanting to share that jolly atmosphere with him.
After eating and having the maids clean up after them, they took an evening walk in the mansion's gardens.
"Who tends these flowers?" Mo Aini asked.
"The gardener." Hu Chuntian answered plainly.
"You don't know their name?"
"No." Hu Chuntian shook his head. It was a little cold because of the breeze, so he huddled closer on his tiger jacket. "I don't know any of my servant's names."
"Why?"
"Father said it doesn't matter. They get routinely replaced every six months or so, so there's no point remembering them." Hu Chuntian said. "Father always says that there's no point paying attention to people who only pass by our lives for a short while."
At this, Mo Aini frowned, lost in thought. He stroked his chin.
His Da Ge really has a weird demeanor. When he's like this, he seems calm and collected, but once he gets agitated, he yells a string of curses and could be a loudmouth. But there's always a layer of authenticity to it. This is just the way he was, always changing depending on the mood.
Mo Aini caught him staring, and looked away. "Oh, sorry for suddenly getting silent! Anyway, your dad. Are you guys close?"
"Hm.... so-so."
Mo Aini remembered Hu Chuntian's trauma that caused him to have claustrophobia. "Do you.... dislike your parents?"
"I neither like nor dislike them. They're more a stranger to me than you are." Hu Chuntian answered nonchalantly. "I only have a few people that I like. People say I got that from my father. I think that's true, given that I only ever seen him laugh because of one person."
"Your mother?" Mo Aini guessed.
"No. My Uncle. Father's best friend since childhood."
Mo Aini did remember Hu Chuntian mentioning that Uncle before, the one who gave him Hu-Hu.
"I think I will only ever laugh because of Mo Jiagei." Hu Chuntian continued, plucking out a chrysanthemum and twirling it in his fingers. "That girl is really special to me. I'll give my everything to her. I'm all hers."
Mo Aini looked like he was suddenly slapped, but he kept it in and fixed his expression. "You really must be the type who gives everything to the one you love, huh?"
"Of course. What's the point of loving if you're not going to give your all?" Hu Chuntian plucked petals one by one, while saying, 'She loves me, she loves me not'. "Have you never felt that way, Da Ge? You're already 24, you must have experienced the same yearning as I did for someone."
Mo Aini gave a pained smile. "Of course I did."
Hu Chuntian nodded, still focused on plucking petals. "And wouldn't you give your all to this person?"
Suddenly, Mo Aini just lifted his chin up delicately with his fingers, and looked at him straight in the eyes while saying:
"Of course, I will. I'll give everything, even my life."
There's some electric spark when he did that, something that made Hu Chuntian's have goosebumps and feel tingly. He found himself drawn to his Da Ge's sincere eyes.....
"Hey, there's a caterpillar on your shirt!" Mo Aini pointed at the bug.
"Where!? Take it off! Take it off!" Hu Chuntian ordered, his voice rising.
"Fuck.... It's so fast....." Mo Aini's fingers tried to chase after the little green critter that cause his little tiger distress.
"Wait, Da Ge! Don't touch there. I'm—"
It's already too late.
"Haha! Da Ge, it tickles! Don't touch there!" Hu Chuntian couldn't stop laughing and laughing. "I'll take the caterpillar off myself, just— Hahahaha! Stop! Hahahaha!"
Mo Aini's heart warmed just from that laughter, and he couldn't help himself from tickling Hu Chuntian further. "This is your tickle spot? Or here?"
"No! No! Hahaha! Please, haha!"
It wasn't Mo Jiagei who made him laugh for the first time after all. Da Ge took his first laugh.
------------------------------------------
~BRIBE ME, PLEASE~
Ok, I'm getting desperate and pathetic so now I'm willing to accept bribes. I get jealous easily of other books that have a huge following and get sad every time, thinking what's the point of writing if I feel like no one's reading/appreciate it.
1 NEW 5 star review with genuine feedback (emojis and just saying compliments doesn't count) - 1 extra chapter
100 comments in a week (only those with TEXT count) - 1 extra chapter
5 NEW people voting for my other books- (so invite your friends haha) -1 extra chapter dedicated to them
100+ votes in a week in any of my books - 1 extra chapter for all of them
Magic Castle and up - Burst update
If you love my stories and would want to read more of them, please show your support through one of these bribes. Thank you!