LOI Chapter 38 — Ascending to Immortality

The next day was Sunday. Yan Fei was coming over for dinner, so Rong Ke ordered ingredients in advance on his phone. As soon as the delivery arrived, he began chopping away in the kitchen.

Usually at this time, Yan Zhi would still be asleep, but the “thud, thud, thud” was too powerful to ignore. Before long, he shuffled into the kitchen yawning, hugging Rong Ke from behind and lazily draping himself over him. “Chopping meat?”

“Chili peppers.” Rong Ke raised the cleaver and split the fish head on the cutting board in two. “Now I’m preparing the fish head.”

The bloody fish head stood eerily on the cutting board, casting an inexplicable gloom over the sun-drenched room.

Yan Zhi released Rong Ke and stepped back, averting his eyes from the dead fish. “Is today’s menu this bloody?”

“Fei-jie said she wanted something spicy.” Rong Ke turned to Yan Zhi with a slight smile. “You’ll just have to bear with it.”

“Mm.” Yan Zhi said, “Don’t make it too spicy though. You know I can’t handle heat well.”

After Yan Zhi left the kitchen, Rong Ke grabbed another handful of chili.

Yan Fei arrived earlier than expected, dressed in a vintage sleeveless vest and bell-bottom pants. Even for a visit to her son’s home, she was dressed to impress.

After handing the wine she brought to Yan Zhi, she eagerly entered the kitchen and asked Rong Ke, “Can I help?”

Rong Ke could easily manage all the dishes alone and was about to suggest Yan Fei relax in the living room when she added, “I really love cooking, but rarely get the chance.”

“Could you marinate the chicken for me then?” Rong Ke placed the cut chicken in a clear bowl. “I’ll tell you what to add.”

“No problem!” Yan Fei said, rolling up her sleeves.

Rong Ke handed Yan Fei two plastic gloves, then instructed her to add cooking wine, soy sauce, starch, and other ingredients one by one.

Yan Fei clearly knew her way around a kitchen, handling the portions well without much guidance from Rong Ke.

The two chatted idly, moving from their respective work to world affairs, naturally circling back to Yan Zhi.

“Have you been together for half a year now?” Yan Fei had finished marinating the chicken and started preparing vegetables for the boiled beef slices.

“Living together for nearly half a year.” Rong Ke glanced casually at Yan Zhi in the living room, seeing him engrossed in his laptop. He asked Yan Fei, “Yan Zhi told me he’s a top. Is that true?”

——While discussing such matters in front of parents might be inappropriate, Yan Fei was no conventional parent, so Rong Ke saw no issue.

“Oh? He came clean with you?” Yan Fei continued slicing lettuce stems without looking up. “I don’t interfere much with his love life, but if I’m not mistaken, he’s always been a top.”

Rong Ke maintained his smile while inwardly tearing a certain bastard to shreds.

“Are you a top too?” Yan Fei asked nonchalantly. “I don’t think it’s really an issue.”

“Indeed, it’s not.” Rong Ke agreed, then asked concernedly, “Can you handle spicy food well?”

The final spread on the dinner table—fish head with chopped chilies, spicy diced chicken, boiled beef slices in chili oil—every dish was alarmingly red.

Yan Zhi held his chopsticks, frozen, and asked Rong Ke, “Didn’t we say not too spicy?”

Rong Ke casually picked up a slice of meat and placed it in Yan Zhi’s bowl. “It’s made to Fei-jie’s taste.”

“I’m the guest today. Shouldn’t you cater to me?” Yan Fei looked eager to dig in. “It’s fine if you starve for a day.”

Yan Zhi: “…”

Humans evolved over millions of years, and their greatest distinction from other animals is the ability to create and use tools.

Yan Zhi went to the water dispenser for a glass of cold water to rinse the meat and opened a can of ice-cold cola to cool his mouth. Although it was still a bit difficult to eat, at least he wouldn’t go hungry.

The atmosphere at the table was harmonious.

“I asked Yan Zhi before if he liked you, but he wouldn’t admit it,” Yan Fei said, smiling. “Now you’re already together.”

“That’s how he is, saying one thing and meaning another,” Rong Ke chuckled. “He told me to be the top, but he had his own agenda.”

Hearing this, Yan Zhi’s chopsticks froze mid-air.

–What’s going on?

He snuck a glance at Rong Ke, who appeared normal, speaking naturally, not seeming like anything was amiss.

But for some reason, he felt something wasn’t quite right.

“I’m happy to see you two doing well,” Yan Fei said. “I thought the position conflict would be hard to resolve.”

“Not at all,” Rong Ke said. “I’ve always been a bottom, and he’s a top. We don’t have a conflict.”

“Cough, cough—”

Yan Zhi, who had been eating quietly, suddenly choked on his cola, staring at Rong Ke with shaking pupils.

What’s happening?

He felt like something had occurred behind his back, and he was completely unaware.

Rong Ke calmly handed Yan Zhi a napkin, saying, “Here, wipe your mouth.”

Usually, one can tell when someone is angry.

They might be silent, dismissive, or passive-aggressive—somehow different from usual.

But Rong Ke’s mood remained as calm as ever, not withdrawn, nor hinting for Yan Zhi to figure things out on his own. The atmosphere was just like always, simply chatting casually.

So what did this mean?

Yan Zhi couldn’t help but wonder if he’d crossed into a parallel universe where he’d already confessed to Rong Ke about being a top, and Rong Ke had accepted it well.

No, he preferred to believe that this harmonious atmosphere was all an act by Rong Ke.

After all, this sense of unease had started last night.

“So we’re a perfect match,” Yan Zhi stubbornly continued, wanting to gauge Rong Ke’s reaction. “I’ve never met anyone so compatible with me.”

“Me neither,” Rong Ke smiled, picking up some food for Yan Zhi. “I’ve never met anyone as interesting as you.”

His expression remained unchanged, his actions affectionate, but as Yan Zhi looked at the lethal amount of chili in his bowl, he finally realized one thing—

He was doomed.

Yan Fei had plans to shop with an old friend in the afternoon, so she left soon after lunch.

The spacious house returned to their two-person world, the warm atmosphere from earlier instantly vanishing.

Rong Ke cleared the table expressionlessly, with Yan Zhi following him like a tail, asking, “What did my mom tell you?”

“Nothing much,” Rong Ke dumped the food scraps into the sink, rinsed them briefly, then put the dishes in the dishwasher. “I just told her that you said you were a top, and she didn’t react.”

Yan Zhi fell silent for a moment, then voluntarily added dishwashing detergent and closed the dishwasher lid.

“So you know how to use the dishwasher,” Rong Ke leaned against the kitchen counter, smirking. “I thought Your Highness didn’t know how to do anything.”

“I’ll take care of the dishes from now on,” Yan Zhi blinked. “You just need to cook.”

—Assuming Rong Ke was still willing to cook.

Rong Ke didn’t respond. He washed the rag, grabbed his lighter and cigarettes, and went to the balcony.

He held a cigarette in one hand and an ashtray in the other, leaning against the railing and staring at the courtyard in silence.

“How did you find out?” Yan Zhi followed him to the balcony.

He didn’t light a cigarette, or rather, he felt the current atmosphere wasn’t suitable for him to smoke. It would make him appear insincere.

“I should be the one asking,” Rong Ke exhaled a puff of smoke, glancing coolly at Yan Zhi. “What was the point of pretending to be a bottom?”

“I warned you to be careful,” Yan Zhi said earnestly. “You assumed I was a ‘sister’ on your own.”

Rong Ke narrowed his eyes, “Who said they were a bottom on New Year’s Eve?”

“If I hadn’t said that, would you have agreed to live with me?” Yan Zhi pressed his lips together, looking at Rong Ke dejectedly. “You know I don’t have friends here. I finally found someone I could talk to, and I didn’t want to lose you just like that.”

His thick lashes framed deep eyes, his gaze on Rong Ke seemingly rippling with emotion.

Rong Ke suddenly recalled a thought he’d had before—only an immortal could be heartless towards Yan Zhi.

—Hah, today, he might just ascend to immortality.

“You think you can get away with this explanation?” Rong Ke tapped his cigarette ash into the ashtray. Recalling past events, he wished he could go back in time and slap some sense into himself. “I’ve been parading around in underwear in front of you every day, and you had the nerve to just watch?”

Yan Zhi paused, then asked, “Do you want the truth or a lie?”

Rong Ke raised an eyebrow. “You still want to lie?”

“The truth is,” Yan Zhi admitted candidly, “I did have the nerve.”

Rong Ke, who considered himself emotionally stable, now felt a surge of anger rising in his chest. “You…”

“Think about it, didn’t I warn you many times not to walk around in white underwear?” Yan Zhi continued. “That shows I have a conscience. It’s just that you never listened, so I had to adapt.”

Rong Ke: “?”

“You still have a conscience?”

“I did try to come clean,” Yan Zhi added. “I told you I could be the husband.”

Rong Ke was exasperated. “I thought you meant you’d top for love!”

“Isn’t the result the same?” Yan Zhi asked seriously.

“So,” Rong Ke took a deep breath, “you think you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“No, no, no, it’s my fault,” Yan Zhi was quick to admit his mistake. “I must apologize to you.”

“At first, it was just for fun, but it became a point of no return. Once I started, I couldn’t go back. You don’t know how tempting it was for me to see you in white underwear every day. It’s like a devil whispering in your ear, ‘Keep pretending, unlock more benefits!’ Do you think a normal person could resist that?”

Is this even an apology?

Rong Ke closed his eyes. “Are you a normal person?”

“Hm?” Yan Zhi tilted his head, clearly lacking self-awareness. “Am I not?”

“Yan Zhi,” Rong Ke exhaled his pent-up frustration, “You had countless opportunities to come clean, but you chose to wait for me to find out on my own.”

“I didn’t intend for you to find out,” Yan Zhi said honestly.

Rong Ke felt he needed oxygen.

Otherwise, Yan Zhi might just suffocate him with frustration.

“I know you don’t like being deceived. I really messed up,” Yan Zhi hung his head, finally saying something sensible. “I’m sorry.”

Unfortunately, Rong Ke had already ascended to immortality by this point, and the apology had no effect on him. He merely scoffed and asked, “Do you think I have a good temper?”

Yan Zhi looked troubled. “What do I need to do for you to forgive me?”

Honestly, Rong Ke hadn’t figured that out yet.

He smoked in silence, not responding, and began contemplating the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty. However, Yan Zhi’s thoughts took a completely different direction. “I’ll give you a blowjob.”

Rong Ke’s hand trembled, scattering ash on the railing. He brushed it away nonchalantly, still not responding.

“Or you can tie me to the bedpost and do whatever you want,” Yan Zhi gazed at Rong Ke. “Blindfold, tie, whip… anything you desire.”

The path to immortality suddenly encountered an obstacle. A devil’s whisper appeared in Rong Ke’s ear: Do you really want to become an immortal? Happiness will leave you behind!

But in just a moment, Rong Ke mentally swatted the devil away.

How could Yan Zhi call these punishments?

He’d be enjoying them just as much!

“Let me make this clear, Yan Zhi,” Rong Ke stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. “If I ever let you into my bed again, I’ll take your surname!”

“So,” Yan Zhi pondered, stroking his chin, “when we’re in bed, you’ll call me daddy?”