Chapter 52 - 52 - Making Things Clear

Ren and Fang were silent on their way back to the villa. The Dragon Queen had chatted with them for a short while after her amorous offer had been rejected by Ren, and then she'd let them go, assuring Ren that the trade department officials would be in touch with him soon to take the hospital project forward. A car was waiting for them to take them back, and the two of them left quickly.

Ren and Fang were both lost in their own thoughts throughout the drive. When they reached the villa, Ren thanked the driver and confirmed that the two of them would be leaving tomorrow, and fixed the time for the airport drop off. Ren always tipped the servers generously, and this driver was no exception. He wished them a good night and promised to come a bit earlier than the required time tomorrow.

The young couple entered the villa. A staff member greeted them and enquired about dinner. Ren looked at Fang, letting him make the decision.

Fang was about to refuse dinner altogether, for he was in no mood to eat, but then he remembered that Ren had barely eaten all day, and with all the excitement of the entire day, he was probably really tired. And if Fang didn't eat, Ren would usually not eat, either. Although Ren had never mentioned it, Fang had noticed that Ren hated eating by himself; so much so that if he had to eat alone, he would simply skip the meal completely.

So, Fang asked for a light meal for the two of them and turned to Ren.

"Want to soak in the hot spring for a bit?" he asked lightly.

Ren nodded immediately.

Soon, the two of them were soaking in the hot spring and Ren let out a heavy sigh.

Fang snaked an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "Tired?" he asked.

"Exhausted," Ren replied wearily. "What a day it's been..."

"I'll give you a massage," Fang offered, and nimble fingers worked on Ren's shoulders, drawing out the knots and making him relax.

Ren groaned. "You have magic fingers, my darling," he murmured, closing his eyes.

Fang soon realised that Ren was falling asleep, and urged him to step out of the hot spring. Ren leaned on Fang and let him lead to their bed and he simply flopped down bonelessly on his stomach.

Fang chuckled and climbed into the bed and began massaging Ren's back and waist - soon enough, it turned into a full body massage and Ren fell asleep.

When dinner was served, Fang woke up Ren gently. Ren was confused for a moment, but then woke up properly and slipped into his pyjamas. The two of them ate slowly, taking their time.

"Thanks for the massage," Ren told Fang. "I feel much better now."

"You're most welcome," Fang replied.

They fell silent for a while, then Fang plucked up his courage and addressed the elephant in the room.

"About the Dragon Queen's offer..." he began nervously.

Ren held up a hand to stop him for speaking any further. "If you are going to tell me that I should consider taking up her offer and that it's an excellent opportunity and it's only this once and you won't blame me for it and it's not really cheating on you or such similar nonsense, you may as well save your breath," he said quietly. "And if you still insist on saying it, o swear I'll start crying and howling and weeping so badly that everyone in Dragon Nation will believe that CEO Ren is being abused by his beautiful young partner."

Fang stared at Ren with wide eyes for a long time and then chuckled helplessly.

"To be honest...I wanted to beat up the Dragon Queen when she said that," Fang said. "And if you really did sleep with her, I'd have been very angry and heartbroken. I may even have been tempted to brat you up..."

Ren looked quite relieved. "Good," he said. "Now that we're together, you and I are not allowed to sleep with other people! No matter what benefits are being offered!" he said sternly.

"Yes, Sir!" Fang replied with a salute.

Ren smiled. "Next time, if anyone makes an offer like that, feel free to tackle them. Is all your combat training for theoretical use?"

"But...if I beat up people, won't it cause trouble for you?" Fang asked.

"Could there be any bigger trouble than someone wanting to lay their hands on your boyfriend?! Ren demanded.

Fang shook his head.

"So do whatever you want to do if it happens again," Ren said. "I'll take care of the consequences."

Fang grinned ear to ear.

Ren was satisfied by his reaction.

"But the Dragon Queen is quite impressive, otherwise," Fang said. "And even though I won't let her take you, she's certainly got excellent taste."

Ren chuckled. "The Dragon Nation is very progressive in some ways," he said. "Their monarch can take multiple spouses, too. She has three husbands and two wives already." He rubbed his chin. "You're right though. That lady is a very capable leader. She has been in power for just a decade, and the progress made by Dragon Nation during this period is far more than an entire century of their previous development."

Fang whistled, impressed.

Having cleared the air, the couple chatted leisurely and ate well and then returned to the bedroom.

"How are you feeling?" Fang asked Ren.

Ren looked at the lustful gleam in his eyes and sighed. "I'm all right," he said.

"We're going back tomorrow," Fang said.

Ren nodded.

"So... shouldn't we make good use of the time while I'm still a legal adult in Dragon Nation...?" Fang suggested.

Ren laughed. "Are you feeling extra possessive because of what happened with the Dragon Queen?" he asked.

Fang made a pitiful face. "You don't want to?" he asked, almost tearfully.

Ren sighed. "When have I ever had the heart to refuse you?"

Fang grinned.