Winning the male lead

Zhao Xin had spent more than ten years on the battlefield, facing life and death countless times, yet he had never encountered such a situation before. No matter how tough a man was, his body still had vulnerable spots—once seized, he would be rendered powerless.

Yun Le Tian was born with striking, almost decadent beauty. The steam from the bath made his features even more androgynous. His hands, pampered from a life of luxury, were unbelievably soft. For a moment, Zhao Xin even felt like he was being ensnared by a spirit.

Zhao Xin was a man, and at the peak of his youth. Almost instantly, he felt an unbidden reaction rise within him. His face darkened. “Let go!” he ordered.

Le Tian grinned mischievously. “I’ll let go once you agree.” His smile was sultry, and his voice dripped with sweetness.

Even with his formidable self-control, Zhao Xin couldn’t suppress his body’s reaction. He took a deep breath. “Le Tian, I don’t want to lie to you, you—” He spoke, hoping to divert Le Tian’s attention while making a swift move to grab the hand that was causing trouble.

But Le Tian was prepared. The moment Zhao Xin raised his hand, he squeezed lightly—just enough.

Zhao Xin let out a muffled groan, his body betraying him completely. His raised hand fell back down.

“Brother-in-law,” Le Tian cooed playfully. “If you don’t agree, I might just twist it off.” His fingers traced along the veins teasingly.

“Stop… stop messing around…” Zhao Xin gritted his teeth. His life in the army had been spent fighting wars and training soldiers. If he ever felt an urge, he dealt with it himself. He had never experienced anything like this before—his scalp tingled from sheer tension. Le Tian was still young, not yet of age, and came from a household without elders to discipline him. His rebellious nature was unchecked.

Cold sweat dripped from Zhao Xin’s forehead as he tried to reason, “Le Tian, be good. Military affairs aren’t something I can decide on my own.”

Le Tian raised an eyebrow and leaned in close—so close that Zhao Xin could smell the delicate fragrance of a nobleman’s perfume on him. His face, already striking, bloomed into a captivating smile. His hands, however, only tightened their grip.

“Brother-in-law, are you trying to fool me?”

Zhao Xin groaned again. This was bad. If this went on, things would take a disastrous turn.

“Fine… I promise you…” Zhao Xin bit out. “Now let go.”

Le Tian still didn’t release him, his smile remaining. “Do you swear on your word?”

“Of course,” Zhao Xin said through gritted teeth.

“Then I’ll let go. But you can’t hit me afterward.” As he spoke, Le Tian gave another teasing squeeze, making it clear—if Zhao Xin dared go back on his word, he might as well break it now.

Zhao Xin was drenched in cold sweat, utterly defeated. He locked eyes with him and said, “Fine.”

Only then did Le Tian finally let go. Zhao Xin exhaled in relief. Le Tian, however, raised his hands in exaggerated innocence and pouted, “Brother-in-law, why is yours so much bigger than mine? I can’t even hold it properly!”

Zhao Xin had spent his youth in the military, leading a life of discipline. In his twenty-eight years, the people he interacted with the most were his soldiers. He had never encountered someone like Le Tian—who couldn’t be beaten, wouldn’t listen to scolding, and was entirely too shameless. More than anger, Zhao Xin felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness.

“Had enough fun?” He pressed Le Tian’s hand down and shot him a disapproving look before turning away. He walked toward the deeper end of the bath, sitting cross-legged against the jade wall, closing his eyes to suppress the turmoil in his body.

But Le Tian wasn’t about to let him go that easily. In a few swift motions, he stripped off his accessories and clothing, letting his long black hair fall freely. He glanced at his reflection in the water. At nineteen, he was still a youth, his features as delicate as a painting. Even if Zhao Xin had no interest in men, it would be difficult for him to resist such pure beauty.

He slid into the water, submerging himself beneath the surface. Slowly, he swam toward where Zhao Xin sat.

Zhao Xin was sharp. At the sound of water shifting, his eyes snapped open—only to see Le Tian bursting out of the water right in front of him.

Water cascaded down his pale face, his jet-black hair clinging to his snow-white skin. His amber eyes gleamed with mischief, and he smiled sweetly.

“Brother-in-law.”

Zhao Xin immediately stood up to escape, but Le Tian pounced like an eagle catching a chick. He wrapped his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist, laughing. “Brother-in-law, didn’t you say we should stay together at all times? Why are you running?”

“You win,” Zhao Xin gritted out, forced to accept the title.

Le Tian’s legs were slender and pale, wound around his tanned waist, making him seem even fairer in contrast. His body was impossibly soft against Zhao Xin’s back. Even though he prided himself on being disciplined, this level of provocation was enough to shake him.

“Then will you let me go?” Le Tian asked, his voice lilting with mischief.

Zhao Xin finally realized—Le Tian’s teasing words and flirtatious touches weren’t mere childish ignorance. He was doing this on purpose, trying to force him into releasing him.

Understanding this, Zhao Xin felt a flicker of true anger. He turned and met Le Tian’s fearless gaze head-on. Brow furrowing, he demanded, “Who taught you these shameless tricks?”

Le Tian grinned boldly and traced a finger along Zhao Xin’s chiseled jaw. “What’s it to you?” he teased. “Are you letting me go or not?”

Zhao Xin, realizing Le Tian would stop at nothing, made his decision. “No matter how much you act up, it won’t change anything. I will discipline you properly.”

The smile vanished from Le Tian’s face. In an instant, he switched tactics—biting down hard on Zhao Xin’s shoulder. His legs tightened around his waist like a coiling snake.

“If you won’t let me go, I’ll bite you to death,” Le Tian mumbled against his skin, his words muffled by his teeth. “I’ll bite you all over.”

Even the most patient man had his limits.

Zhao Xin had had enough. He grabbed Le Tian and, despite the boy’s startled gasp, flung him into the water with a splash.

The guards outside, hearing the commotion, whispered among themselves.

“Are they bathing… or fighting?”

Inside, the two were indeed nearly wrestling. Le Tian refused to give up, lunging at Zhao Xin to claw, kick, and bite. Zhao Xin, unwilling to seriously harm him, was caught in a frustrating stalemate.

Worse yet, Le Tian had no sense of shame. He deliberately targeted Zhao Xin’s weak spots, using his hands, feet, and even his small, cherry-red mouth as weapons. His attacks were soft and harmless, but Zhao Xin’s face was growing redder by the second.

“Enough!” Zhao Xin finally snapped.

He grabbed Le Tian and delivered a precise strike to the back of his neck. Le Tian went limp immediately, knocked out cold.

The water stilled.

Zhao Xin sighed in exhaustion. He lifted Le Tian out of the bath, dried him off with closed eyes, and wrapped him in his own outer robe. Only after securing him safely did he return to the water—where he discovered, much to his dismay, that his reaction had returned.

Later, Le Tian groggily woke up, only to find his neck stiff. He panicked.

“Ahhh! Mother, my neck is broken!”

The system, which had been watching in horror: …This is what you get for teasing an honest man.

Le Tian, still reminiscing, murmured, “He has a scar on his abs.”

System: …

“Too bad I only got to touch it once,” Le Tian sighed.

System: …HE LIKES WOMEN.

Le Tian smirked. “You really think he didn’t jerk off after that?”

The system, unable to lie, nearly broke down. …He had his back turned to you!

That was its last line of defense.

Moments later, Zhao Xin entered the room.

Hearing his footsteps, Le Tian immediately started wailing. “Ahhh, my neck is broken! Sister, are you watching from the heavens? Brother-in-law hit me!”

Zhao Xin sat by the bedside, gazing at him.

Le Tian’s eyes twinkled mischievously as he observed Zhao Xin, who had changed into a dark blue long robe. The deep blue shade was dignified and steady, with silver trim at the cuffs that added a subtle touch of elegance. In his mind, Le Tian silently rated Zhao Xin’s fashion sense an eight out of ten.

“Have you finished yelling?” Zhao Xin, now calm and composed, looked at him with a steady gaze and said in a deep voice, “I have already spoken to the Marquis Dowager. You will stay in the residence and learn proper manners.”

Le Tian smirked. “Brother-in-law, you’re so bad. You proposed to my sister but didn’t get to marry her, and now you’re making a second attempt. I, the most beautiful man in the capital, am no cheap prize—you’ll have to increase the bride price.”

Zhao Xin’s expression became one of sheer exasperation. He took a deep breath and said, “You are a man. How can you be so shameless?”

“If I were a woman, I would surely be more promising than my sister. Perhaps by now, I’d already be carrying your child.” Le Tian grinned playfully.

Zhao Xin knew Le Tian was deliberately provoking him, but he still couldn’t help the blush creeping onto his face. Having been raised with discipline and proper etiquette, he was utterly unprepared to deal with this little troublemaker. Lowering his gaze, he said softly, “Even if you say such nonsense, I will not let you leave. Until you are properly disciplined, I cannot face the Old Marquis with honor.”

“Oh?” Le Tian widened his eyes in mock surprise. “I only knew you had a marriage arrangement with my sister—since when did you have a thing with my father too?”

Zhao Xin shot him a glance and endured it in silence. “Rest some more. This afternoon, I will be heading to the military training ground. Since you wish to join the army, I will take you to see it.”

Le Tian, seeing that Zhao Xin refused to engage in his provocations, pouted. “I don’t want to go.”

“Why not?”

“I’m crippled. Even if I go to the battlefield, I can’t fight,” Le Tian said, batting his eyelashes playfully. “I can only serve as a bed warmer for the general.”

Zhao Xin: “…”

System: I’d also like to know who raised him to be like this.

“I’ll come back later,” Zhao Xin said, standing up.

“Wait,” Le Tian called out.

Zhao Xin turned back. “What is it?”

Le Tian’s playful smile faded, replaced by a rare moment of sincerity. His expression was laced with melancholy. “Brother-in-law, are you truly willing to take me to the battlefield?”

Zhao Xin naturally didn’t want to. As the only heir of the Marquis’ family, Le Tian couldn’t be treated lightly. However, Zhao Xin had always been a man of his word. Even though he had agreed to this under… certain circumstances, a promise was a promise. So he nodded.

Le Tian’s eyes lit up. “I want to tell you something from my heart. Is that okay?”

Zhao Xin nodded. “Go ahead.”

“Brother-in-law, lean down,” Le Tian whispered. “It’s embarrassing to say aloud.”

Zhao Xin, not suspecting anything, leaned in closer. He could smell the faint sweetness of Le Tian’s breath—it was as if even his breathing carried a trace of honey.

Softly, Le Tian murmured, “Brother-in-law, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that nonsense about having your child earlier.”

Zhao Xin’s face turned red. He softened and said, “I know you’re just being childish. I won’t take it to heart.”

Le Tian’s lips brushed against his ear as he continued, “But we really should have both a son and a daughter.”

Zhao Xin’s face immediately turned green.

Le Tian burst into laughter, his breath warm against Zhao Xin’s cheek. Zhao Xin slowly turned to look at him—his face still flushed from laughter, eyes gleaming with amusement.

For the first time, Zhao Xin had the urge to properly discipline someone.

This little devil.