TRM Extra 2

As night fell, the wind chimes in the corridor occasionally swayed, making a muffled sound.

The heat from the summer days did not fade with the evening, and the ice in the room had melted almost entirely. Even with the window open, there was not a bit of cool breeze, and the stifling summer heat lingered in the air, wrapping itself around people. Qiao Guanxing sat cross-legged on the bed, wearing a thin open shirt, eating lychees soaked in ice water.

The young emperor, sitting at the small desk beside him, seemed to be dealing with state affairs seriously. However, just as Qiao Guanxing was halfway through his plate of lychees, Zhou Jingyuan took it away.

“Don’t eat too many cold things in the evening,” he said.

Qiao Guanxing, feeling limp from the heat, leaned against him, almost as if melted by the warmth. He stretched out his voice, “But it’s really hot…”

He then turned to look at Zhou Jingyuan, curious, “Mianmian, how come you don’t look hot at all?”

Zhou Jingyuan closed the last memorial and calmly said, “A peaceful heart naturally…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Qiao Guanxing leaned over and kissed him.

His lips, still cool from the ice-soaked lychees, were soft and slightly sweet, with a hint of fruit fragrance, like a soft cloud. Though the kiss lasted only a brief moment, it was enough to stir the heart of the one being kissed.

“What were you saying?”

Qiao Guanxing pulled back slightly, eyes squinted as he looked at Zhou Jingyuan, not having heard what he just said. He asked again.

“I said a peaceful heart… a peaceful heart…”

Zhou Jingyuan hesitated, staring at Qiao Guanxing for a moment, then decided to keep quiet. He reached out and pinched Qiao Guanxing’s face, kissing him again.

It was really hot.

His heart couldn’t stay calm anymore.

Later, when they went to bed, Qiao Guanxing tossed and turned, hugging the thin blanket and murmuring, “So hot, so hot.”

Then, Zhou Jingyuan pulled him into his arms, holding him around the waist.

“Stop moving around. It’ll cool down once it starts raining.”

The stifling heat was a sign of the approaching storm, and Qiao Guanxing knew that, but it didn’t stop him from feeling hot.

Being held so closely, with their bodies pressed together, only made him feel hotter.

He couldn’t sleep, so he reached up and took off the last layer of his underclothes, exposing his chest and thighs to the air, feeling a bit cooler.

Zhou Jingyuan glanced at him, hesitated, but ultimately just swallowed and said nothing.

Qiao Guanxing leaned closer, “Give me a kiss.”

Zhou Jingyuan tilted his head, very restrained, and kissed him briefly, then stopped.

Qiao Guanxing was puzzled:?

Zhou Jingyuan wasn’t usually like this. Though he appeared reserved and aloof, when it came to kissing, he would often be rough, as if all the strength he had honed on the battlefield came through, and it wasn’t uncommon for their lips to even bleed.

So what was going on today?

Not believing in this sudden change, Qiao Guanxing leaned closer again, “Kiss me again.”

But this time, Zhou Jingyuan didn’t move. Instead, he propped himself up slightly, leaning over Qiao Guanxing with a deep gaze.

Qiao Guanxing felt a little panicked, suddenly sensing that the atmosphere was just like the stifling heat before the storm.

He swallowed nervously, his voice a little quieter, “Mianmian?”

“Mm.”

Zhou Jingyuan finally reached out and gently ran his hand over Qiao Guanxing’s bare waist, his soft but unyielding touch sending shivers through him.

A burning kiss fell on him, and Zhou Jingyuan’s voice was muffled as he spoke.

“One more kiss?”

Qiao Guanxing realized something was off. He couldn’t speak, only reached out, trying to gesture “one,” but before he could fully raise his finger, Zhou Jingyuan caught his wrist and entwined their fingers together.

Zhou Jingyuan asked again, “How many kisses?”

All the words were silenced by his kiss. Qiao Guanxing hesitated for a moment, then gave up struggling. With a “let whatever happens happen” attitude, he wrapped his other arm around Zhou Jingyuan, as if saying, “Do whatever you want.”

Zhou Jingyuan’s eyes curved as he kissed him again, a moist kiss landing on his dimple, then continuing downward.

Outside the window, the sound of wind chimes became increasingly disordered, and the wind had begun to pick up.

The thick leaves rustled loudly, and the wind passed through the bamboo forest with a faint, indistinctly suggestive sound of sticky water.

The large, heavy clouds finally covered the moon, diminishing its pale light, and the world fell into darkness.

The first raindrops began to fall, tentative at first, lacking force, lightly hitting the leaves, the eaves, the ground, leaving dark marks in their wake.

The leaves in the forest shook as the rain hit them, water continuously running off their tips, the soft rustling sound almost like a plea for mercy, but only resulting in heavier rainfall.

The long-awaited storm finally revealed its full force, and the increased intensity of the rain sent the leaves tumbling, drenched with water.

All the sounds of nature mixed with the storm—the wind, the rain, the trees—everything else was abandoned, and only the ongoing blend of chaos and order remained. The booming thunder was like their amplified heartbeat, never ceasing in this rain.

By the time dawn was breaking, the storm finally ceased. The soft light of the morning filtered through the clouds, and everything was washed clean. Yet the traces left by the storm remained.

The leaves, which had been tossed around all night in the storm, had finally calmed down, but the slightest breeze made them tremble.

The mist of the early morning was the last lingering trace of the storm, weaving through the leaves, like a cautious, gentle kiss.

Zhou Jingyuan slowly gathered his clothes and kissed Qiao Guanxing’s cheek. The sleeping Qiao Guanxing nuzzled against his chest.

The marks beneath his collar were faint but unmistakable. Just one glance, and the events of last night—the sounds of wind and rain—flashed through Zhou Jingyuan’s mind. His ears turned red, but he wouldn’t take his eyes off Qiao Guanxing.

His gaze softened, uncharacteristically tender, and he felt content.

Kiss again, just one more.