The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 438: No Fox Fires Here

Chapter 438: No Fox Fires Here

Curiosity killed the cat and all that...

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The ride was silent once again as the carriage made its way from the smooth but narrow road to a more backwoods pathway that seemed less tread.

The bumps jostled the carriage and those on the interior, but the two eggs tucked in the large and well fluffed and plushed up basket remained quiet, enjoying the soothing rocking motions, bumps, jostling, and all.

Bai Mo’s heart was in his chest as he stared out the window. Xu Zeng’s stares were relentless. He had been staring before the coachman left, but Bai Mo had too much on his mind and was able to ignore the troublemaker.

Now that imminent danger seemed far off, ignoring the silver haired ger seemed harder and harder to do.

With Xu Hu Zhe in the carriage beside him, the relentless gaze was split between the two of them. Now that he was alone, and the two eggs were in a distant dreamscape, he had no one to take the attention off himself.

Xu Zeng was always like this, doing as he pleased... not that Bai Mo didn’t like the eyes that were watching him...

He was just a bit flustered, it was so much at once.

In the past, Xu Zeng would stare blankly with an assessing stare on occasion if they were spending time with Da Long and Xiao Long together, but their relationship had changed subtly.

There was somewhat of a confession on his part, then they began preparing for this trip together. Last night was the first time they’d seen each other since that night their lips almost touched.

Bai Mo’s face grew redder, and he fidgeted, pulling at his robes that were sitting quite fine and were in no need for his straightening.

He’d done a great job keeping himself busy in the last week as they prepared for the trip on two sides and Bai Mo got his mansion in order.

Last night he’d slept at the Nanshan Estate, he’d even stayed under the same roof as Xu Zeng in the Budding Courtyard, although it was a respectable distance in different living spaces.

To his surprise, Xu Hu Zhe moved faster than he remembered. While touring the courtyard the day before, Bai Mo noticed there wasn’t even a hint of Midwife Lee’s presence in the space anymore.

The ger and his children had almost completely moved out from the courtyard. This was a relief, and Bai Mo felt grateful to have someone as dependable as Xu Hu Zhe around this troublesome silver haired ger.

Xu Hu Zhe had a lot of experience with troublesome silver haired gers after all. This one had an older brother who enjoyed creating a bit of chaos from time to time.

The tall scaled man seemed to be even more valuable as time went by. He was a great support for Xu Feng, and now he was a great support for Xu Zeng (and also Bai Mo by default!)

Bai Mo peeked up at the other sitting across from him. He was tired of staring between his own hands and the scenery outside. Hopefully he could get a glance of Xu Zeng for a moment.

NOPE.

The deep eyes were staring directly into his own eyes without so much as a flinch or a show of shyness. Bold and overbearing as usual... but Bai Mo liked it... it was just embarrassing.

Looking away again, his cheeks that were returning to their normal coloring became a flaming red color once again, his fox ears twitching slightly.

The damned ears had a mind of their own, and sometimes if he was flustered enough, his tail bone would itch.

Bai Mo had never seen an immortal bloodline carrier with a full fledged tail before, but he knew it shouldn’t be an impossibility.

"Do you have a tail?" Bai Mo asked almost out of nowhere, his eyes rising once more to stare into the other ger’s eyes.

There was no reply, only that very focused stare. "Xu Zeng?"

"Hmmm?" Xu Zeng seemed to stir slightly from wherever his mind had run off to.

"Ah," Bai Mo seemed to only realize the mask on Xu Zeng’s face at that moment was wrong. It was a white mask, but it wasn’t the right white mask.

It was Xu Hu Zhe’s mask, not the one Xuan Jian had ordered for the ger.

Bai Mo’s hand reached out, his fingers lightly tracing the contours of the mask on Xu Zeng’s face. The mask was more masculine in some way with a strength that was lacking in the newer more delicate mask.

The touch was gentle, almost exploratory, yet it carried a subtle intimacy that lingered in the air. The space between them seemed to shrink, but it wasn’t Xu Zeng’s doing. It was Bai Mo who closed the distance this time—once again —as if drawn by an invisible force.

Xu Zeng might have been more oblivious with no sense of proper self-awareness, but Bai Mo always seemed to be the one taking liberties with the other.

All his carefully cultivated manners flying out the window as passion (?)... something drew him to the other repeatedly.

As Bai Mo’s fingertips grazed the surface of the mask, a warmth spread between them, their breaths mingling in the confined space of the carriage.

It was only touching. Not touching each other, touching the mask... It was such a well crafted mask...

Xu Zeng’s eyes flickered with a heat that threatened to consume them both, and Bai Mo felt a surge of something unfamiliar stirring within him.

Yes, it was heat—during his absentminded staring there would be some heat in Xu Zeng’s eyes, then a more distant look. Back and forth. Now, the heat was burning and threatening to consume the unlucky fox.

Or perhaps he was a very lucky fox?

There could be no fox fires here!

But then, a flicker of awareness crossed his mind—the children, still sleeping, and Xu Hu Zhe, outside the carriage.

With a sudden realization, Bai Mo withdrew his hand, as if scorched by the intensity of Xu Zeng’s gaze. "Uhmmm," he mumbled, his voice uncertain.

"Tha...that’s Xu Hu Zhe’s mask, isn’t it?" The words stumbled out awkwardly, an attempt to regain some semblance of composure in the thick of the unexpected tension.