CHAPTER 46: LENGTH... GIRTH

He struggled again, then gave up, pouting like a child denied dessert. He reached out, clasping Yu Xi’s hand.

"Please help," he whispered.

Yu Xi’s breath caught. That voice soft and vulnerable, tugged at something deep inside him. His heartstrings felt like they’d been plucked by a master musician.

Yu Xi crouched down, fingers deftly working to untie Jian Ci’s laces. He pulled off the boots and socks with quiet care, each movement deliberate. When he looked up, Jian Ci’s hand reached out, fingers threading through Yu Xi’s hair with a reverence that made Yu Xi’s breath stall.

A drunk Jian Ci was dangerous and not in any physical sense, but in the way he unraveled Yu Xi’s composure.

Yu Xi lowered his head, trying to hide the flush rising in his cheeks, but Jian Ci gently lifted his chin, eyes hazy but sincere. "You are so good to me," he murmured.

Yu Xi’s ears burned. He helped Jian Ci out of his pants, trying to stay focused. "There. You can go take a shower."

Jian Ci stood up, and the world tilted. Without a hint of self-consciousness, he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his black underwear and pushed them down. They joined the pile on the floor.

And Yu Xi looked. He couldn’t not look. His brain tried to process the sight, to file it away, but it was like trying to capture lightning in a jar. It was just there. Heavy. Thick. Even soft, the size of him was... impressive.

A fucking monument of a cock, resting in between those legs. The length, the girth... it was anatomy rewritten, a thing to be admired. Yu Xi’s mouth went dry. His own breath felt hot in his lungs.

If that got hard... The thought was a lightning strike, brilliant and terrifying. It would be fucking breathtaking.

He finally wrenched his eyes away, the image scorched onto the back of his eyelids. He stared at the digital posters, his heart hammering against his ribs. Fuck. Fuck.

Jian Ci swayed slightly as he tried to walk. But his balance betrayed him, and he stumbled.

Without hesitation, Yu Xi stepped forward, catching him in a firm embrace. Jian Ci leaned into him, pliant and trusting.

"I will take you," Yu Xi said softly, adjusting his grip.

He guided Jian Ci toward the bathroom, each step slow and steady. The warmth of Jian Ci’s body against his own was overwhelming, but Yu Xi held it together. For now, he was the anchor Jian Ci needed.

Jian Ci chuckled, his voice low and syrupy. "I want a bath."

Yu Xi nodded, already moving toward the bathroom. "Sure. I will run the bath for you."

Inside, the soft hum of the water filled the space as Yu Xi adjusted the temperature, steam curling gently into the air. Jian Ci leaned against the wall, arms crossed loosely, waiting with an almost childlike obedience. His eyes were half-lidded, but the smile on his lips hadn’t faded.

"The water’s fine," Yu Xi said, standing up and wiping his hands on a towel. "You can get in."

Jian Ci tilted his head, smile deepening. "Wife, you don’t seem to like it."

Yu Xi froze. That word again. Wife. It wasn’t the first time tonight, and it was starting to feel deliberate. Did Jian Ci know how he felt? Was he teasing him? But Yu Xi also knew that was impossible. Jian Ci was completely oblivious.

"I am not your wife," Yu Xi said, voice tight.

Jian Ci’s expression crumpled, his lips trembling. "You left me... How can you divorce me?" His voice cracked with heartbreak, eyes glassy.

Yu Xi blinked, startled. "You never had a wife."

Jian Ci paused, then brightened. "No, you are my wife."

Yu Xi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, okay. I am your wife. Now get in the bathtub."

Jian Ci beamed with triumphant glee as he stepped into the bath like a prince returning to his palace. Yu Xi turned away, heart thudding, wondering how much more of this night he could survive.

Jian Ci slid into the bath with a sigh of bliss, water lapping gently around him. He smiled like a fool, eyes half-lidded, cheeks flushed. "Baby, you really don’t like it."

Yu Xi, standing stiffly by the door, blinked. "Like what?"

"My thing," Jian Ci said, voice low and teasing.

Yu Xi cleared his throat, his adam’s apple bobbing visibly. He could feel heat crawling up his neck. This is exactly why this man shouldn’t drink, Yu Xi thought. If Jian Ci acted like this with anyone else, he could be taken advantage of. The memory of Alarna’s hand on Jian Ci’s thigh made his jaw tighten.

"I like it," Yu Xi said, trying to sound unaffected.

"Then why don’t you look at it?" Jian Ci asked, leaning back with a lazy grin.

Yu Xi averted his gaze. "I looked. It’s... good."

"Then do you want to touch it?"

Yu Xi froze. "..."

"I will be outside if you need anything," he said quickly, turning on his heel.

"Okay," Jian Ci replied, voice light and unbothered.

Yu Xi walked out in a hurry, his face and neck burning. He was glad he had taken Jian Ci away from that lounge. If he hadn’t, Alarna might’ve sunk her claws in deeper. He might even been forced to marry her.

Yu Xi exhaled sharply. He needed backup. He had to find Jian Wei. Because if Jian Ci kept this up... Yu Xi wasn’t sure he could handle it alone.

He padded quietly down the hallway and stopped at Jian Wei’s bedroom. The door was ajar, and inside, Jian Wei lay sprawled across his bed, still in his lab coat, one arm draped over a stack of data pads.

His breathing was deep, steady and exhausted. Yu Xi hesitated. He knew Jian Wei had been working tirelessly to find a solution for Jian Ci’s unstable psychic fluctuations. Waking him now felt cruel.

Instead, Yu Xi reached for the panel and gently closed the door, sealing the room in silence.

He descended the stairs, the house dim and quiet. In the kitchen, he found a hangover drink tucked behind the nutrient packs and poured a glass of water to go with it. He hoped the bath had helped Jian Ci sober up. He didn’t want to imagine what kind of chaos might await otherwise.

Back upstairs, he found the bathroom door open, but it was empty. There was only one place left to check.

Yu Xi opened his own bedroom door and stopped short. Jian Ci was there, sprawled naked across his bed, limbs tangled in the sheets like a fallen deity. Yu Xi stared, heart thudding. Was this a test from the heavens? It was like a pie fallen from the sky, warm and golden, begging to be bitten.

He grabbed a pair of pajamas and walked over, voice steady. "Jian Ci, wake up."

Jian Ci stirred, eyes half-lidded. "You left me..."

"I didn’t," Yu Xi said, swallowing hard. "Now get up.