"Wha..." The grimace on Ningyan's face faded.
His eyes widened slightly, surprise replacing everything else as he stared at Yan Wuhen.
He searched his expression waiting for mischief, for mockery, for anything.
But there was none.
Wuhen looked… serious.
Ningyan hadn't expected that.
"…No." He took a step back, shaking his head faintly. "I don't want to do that to you."
Yan Wuhen straightened immediately, a flicker of surprise crossing his face like he had expected rejection, yet still found himself caught off guard by it.
"I don't understand."
Ningyan exhaled slowly, steadying himself. "What is there not to understand?"
Wuhen tilted his head slightly, genuinely puzzled. "Don't you want to punish me?"
Ningyan blinked.
For a moment, he simply stared at him.
"I am not you, Yan Wuhen," he said flatly. "And I don't think trapping you is romantic… or a way for you to earn my affection."
