Dreaming With My Dragon Lover

In no time, the bath bomb was completely dissolved under the impact of the jets, and the water surface was covered with fragrant snow-white foam. Feeling the gentle massage of the water flowing from the thirty jets, Rong Qiuchen's eyes gradually changed from panic to delight.

"Wow! How can Childe Yuan's basin be so wonderful? It is truly heaven on earth!"

Yuan Ge could sometimes be said as a man with very simple pleasures. Hearing the boy's naked praise, he immediately became even more enthused, "Wait, there's more!" With a voice command of "change colour", rainbow coloured lights instantly lit up from the walls of the bath, shining through the water and the foam, as if a magnificent miniature underwater dragon palace had been placed in this tub. Qiuchen was so ecstatic and excited that he didn't know what to say.

Seeing the boy reach out to stroke the colourful streams of water one moment and then cup the thick, fine and smooth foam the next, looking more excited than ever, Yuan Ge opened the bath cabinet, pulled out a bunch of little yellow ducks and threw them into the tub. "These are all collected for me by my dad when he travelled around the world on business when I was growing up. As a kid, I loved to use them to form an invincible fleet in the bath. You might as well give it a go today. I'm already soaked from all your splashing. I need a wash, too." And with that, he took off his wet clothes and went to take a shower..

Rong Qiuchen looked curiously at the flock of various kinds of little yellow ducks on the water surface. He didn't know what material they were made of, but they could actually float easily, and with the water jetting from the Jacuzzi, it was a magnificent sight to behold. He couldn't resist grabbing them one by one, forming a long row of ducks, and beckoned with delight, "Childe Yuan, why don't you join me in commanding the yellow ducks in battle?"

"You're so childish!"

After taking a shower and seeing Qiuchen's delighted and contented look in the bathtub, Yuan Ge was actually a little jealous - he was the one who had a busy day and desperately needed a hot water massage to relax, but this turtledove was hogging his nest and having a good time.

"Hey you, are you sure you're 22 years old? So childish!"

"I am indeed 22 years old. There is no doubt about that. How old are you, Childe Yuan? It's the people who collect these playthings that are truly childish." Rong Qiuchen was in a good mood and had actually learned to talk back. Seeing Yuan Ge standing idly, he invited, "Why don't you join me in the bath? Wouldn't such hot, fragrant water be a waste if it was not enjoyed by more people?" He continued, as if reminiscing about the happy times in the past, "Back in the old days, my brothers in the Jinyu Troupe rarely had the chance to bathe, and a wooden bucket of water often had to wash three to four people. With the brothers crammed into one place and fooling around in the water, what a joy it was!"

When Yuan Ge saw that the boy had no qualms, he stopped hesitating, "Alright, since you don't mind, I'll take the liberty of joining you. After carrying the coffin upstairs, I also need to take a good soak to get rid of the bad luck."

With that, he wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped into the bathtub, sitting opposite Qiuchen, enjoying the gentle massage of the water and the fragrant bubbles. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how soothing a hot bath was.

Looking at his relaxed face, Rong Qiuchen smiled and said gratefully, "What a privilege it is for Qiuchen to be saved by your Excellency and to enjoy this prosperous era. I am so fortunate."

"That's for sure. If you were really from the Qing Dynasty, do you think these 150 years of technology have been developed for nothing?" Yuan Ge lay down in a comfortable position in the bathtub and said, "Actually, the enjoyment can be further enhanced. Wanna try it?" With a voice command of "Music" from him, gentle blues music started to play in the background.

"Where are the musicians hiding?!"

Yuan Ge put his finger on his lips to stop Qiuchen's questioning, raised his voice and shouted, "Vivi, Vivi!"

Immediately, a woman's voice came from downstairs, "Your humble servant is here. What is your Majesty's command?"

"One iced Soda, one … Beijing Yogurt."

A moment later, they heard a buzzing sound gradually coming up the stairs. Rong Qiuchen looked alarmed, leapt up and tried to get out of the bath to get dressed, but was held down by Yuan Ge, "What are you doing?"

Rong Qiuchen's face was full of embarrassment, "Childe Yuan, I... I did not know that there were ladies present in your mansion. It is really rude to meet them naked!"

"Take it easy! Where are the ladies …" Before Yuan Ge could finish his words, the bathroom door opened and a white, round, chubby, child-height robot buzzed in, holding a tray of drinks.

Yuan Ge picked up the yogurt from the tray and placed it in Qiuchen's hand, "Try it, is it the traditional flavour of the old imperial city?" Seeing Qiuchen's incredulous face staring at the robot speechlessly, he grinned, "Isn't it great? Especially good for pampering the lazy bums in the house, isn't it?"

"Childe Yuan... Who is this magical creature? How is it like a living humanoid puppet?" Rong Qiuchen stared at the round, chubby little robot, as astonished as if he had seen a living ghost.

"This is a domestic robot prototype developed using my dad's patented AI technology. It hasn't been launched to the market yet. This one is a test product given to him by a Swiss manufacturer. It's the only one in the world at the moment, a robot servant of sorts. Isn't it awesome?"

Rong Qiuchen nodded, "I can't believe that your excellent father is a master like Lu Ban[1]. He has created such a miraculous object! But why does this object, er, robot, have a woman's voice? And - it's actually named after your mother."

It turned out that Qiuchen had been lurking on the set for many days and had overheard Professor Fu's full name.

"Haha! Of course it's because of my dad's guilty pleasure! It's just the nature of men - no matter what social class they are in, or how learned they are, they probably all have a harem dream and want to be an emperor. But in real life, my mum won't let him, and they banter all the time, so he uses this robot to get his dose of fun."

Rong Qiuchen seemed to understand Yuan Ge's explanation and laughed along with him. He took a sip of yogurt drink in his hand and said in amazement, "This is actually Talah! It tastes even better when chilled!"

"I knew you'd like it. Talah is a Manchu word for yogurt. And you even know that? You've certainly done your homework well."

Rong Qiuchen, probably tired of arguing with Yuan Ge about his identity and origins, changed the subject and asked, "Speaking of your family, may I ask you how many wives and concubines you have, and how many children you have, Childe Yuan?"

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[1] Lu Ban (c. 507–444 BC) was a Chinese structural engineer, inventor, and carpenter during the Zhou Dynasty. He is revered as the Chinese Deity (Patron) of builders and contractors.