WIL CH 24

Chapter 24: Craving

“Why can’t you even walk properly?”

Lin Xi’s eyes shimmered with tears as he complained softly, “You’re walking too fast. I can’t keep up.”

Wen Feng crouched down with his back facing him. “Get on.”

Lin Xi was annoyed as well. He stood up slowly, stubbornly saying, “I don’t need you to carry me. I can walk by myself.”

Ignoring the still–crouching Wen Feng, he limped forward on his own.

He only managed a couple of steps before the man behind him wrapped an arm around his waist and another under his knees, lifting him up in a princess carry.

Lin Xi jolted from the sudden lift, quickly throwing his arms around Wen Feng’s neck to keep himself from falling.

Wen Feng carried him straight to the car stopped at the entrance of the estate. He spoke to Assistant Liang, already seated in the driver’s seat: “Go home. Drive faster.”

“Understood.”

Through the rearview mirror, Assistant Liang caught a glimpse of the tense atmosphere between the two and hurriedly started the car.

As soon as Lin Xi got in, he pressed himself against the car door, staring out at the night scenery retreating past the window.

They arrived home very quickly—Assistant Liang drove fast and steady.

Wen Feng got out and carried him in. Lin Xi kept his head lowered in his arms, unwilling to see that darkened expression on his face.

Wen Feng didn’t have a free hand to open the door, so Lin Xi reached out with his index finger and unlocked the fingerprint lock. As it beeped, Lin Xi pushed the handle down. Wen Feng kicked the door open, stepped inside, and shut it with another kick.

He didn’t even put Lin Xi down to change shoes—he carried him straight to the sofa.

With a cold tone, he said, “Sit. Don’t move.”

Lin Xi sniffled and ignored him.

Wen Feng entered the study and returned shortly, carrying cotton swabs and a bottle of antiseptic.

He removed Lin Xi’s sneakers and rolled up the leg of his pants. Because it was cold, Lin Xi had thermal pants underneath, which made it hard to pull the fabric up. Wen Feng immediately reached for his waistband.

Lin Xi quickly pushed him away, tense. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think? I’m treating your wound.” His tone was sharp.

Why did he need to pull his pants down just to apply medicine?

Lin Xi flushed and stayed still.

Wen Feng reached for his pants again—one hand gripping his waist, the other pulling. “Lift your hips.”

Lin Xi cooperated by raising himself slightly, and Wen Feng efficiently pulled down both the thermal pants and trousers at once.

Lin Xi hurriedly pulled the hem of his sweater down, covering his thighs to hide the sensitive area between his legs.

His knees were a little red, but fortunately, the skin wasn’t broken. Wen Feng poured some safflower oil into his palm, warmed it between his hands, then gently applied it to Lin Xi’s knee in slow, careful circles.

Honestly, the pain had already faded during the car ride home, but when Wen Feng insisted on applying the medicine, Lin Xi didn’t refuse.

The man’s expression was focused and stern as he worked. Lin Xi’s legs rested across Wen Feng’s lap; once he finished one side, he poured more oil and tended to the other. Against Wen Feng’s black dress pants, Lin Xi’s legs looked even paler — long, slender, almost porcelain — making the reddish mark on his knee stand out even more, especially with the gloss of the safflower oil.

Lin Xi stared at his movements in a daze, his eyes stinging faintly.

Whatever small grievance he’d been holding onto quietly melted away under Wen Feng’s touch. Lin Xi felt as if his temper was far too soft.

After he finished applying the medicine, Wen Feng carried him back to the bedroom.

But then his phone rang. Wen Feng glanced at the caller ID, expression darkening, and stepped out.

The house wasn’t soundproof, and it was too quiet at night — enough that Lin Xi still heard Wen Feng’s voice, thick with anger.

“Don’t let me see his face on the trending searches ever again. Handle it immediately. If it’s not cleaned up within an hour, your entire PR department can submit your resignations first thing tomorrow.”

Hearing that, Lin Xi suddenly remembered something. He quickly grabbed his phone and opened today’s trending topics.

Sure enough — someone had secretly taken photos of him and Kong Zhao.

Judging by the angle, it must have been from the table around the corner. Lin Xi wasn’t wearing a mask tonight; his face was clearly visible as he held up his iced lemon tea for Kong Zhao to drink. Because of the angle, the photo made them look much closer than they actually were — the table between them completely hidden.

Anyone who saw that clip would think they were intimate. And Wen Feng, after warning him countless times not to let anything look like infidelity… of course he would be furious.

So this was what Wen Feng meant earlier when he said Lin Xi wasn’t being obedient?

The comments under the post were even worse than last time.

“OMG, the other guy isn’t wearing a mask this time — his looks are on par with any celebrity.”
“Are they a couple on a date? They look so sweet!”
“Their vibes match so well! Model couple of the gaming industry — working together on stage, hotpot dates after work!”
“Blue-shirt gege is too handsome. No more masks, please — show your face proudly!”
“Whatever, I’m shipping them!”
“Couple for a hundred years!”
“Wishing them 99!”
“……”

The comment section was absolutely insane.

Lin Xi had no idea how people managed to come up with so many ridiculous, unrealistic assumptions.

He held his head in his hands, overwhelmed. How was he even supposed to explain this? He could feel from Wen Feng’s aura all night that he’d been suppressing his anger.

He changed out of his sweater and put on his pajamas.

When he walked out of the bedroom, Wen Feng was sitting on the same sofa he’d used to apply the medicine earlier. His handsome features were emotionless, but the deep brown of his eyes carried an unmistakable edge of danger.

Lin Xi took a deep breath, gathering his courage before approaching. He had rehearsed his explanation in his mind, but once he reached Wen Feng’s side, every word evaporated. In the end, he managed only:

“It’s not what they’re saying.”

Both of them clearly knew they were referring to the same incident.

Wen Feng’s voice was cold, threaded with helpless frustration. “Why do you never listen to me? Lin Xi, have you ever taken my words to heart?”

Lin Xi tugged at the hem of his pajama top, lowering his head. “I didn’t think we’d be photographed. I was just having dinner with Kong Zhao… that clip was shot at a misleading angle.”

A heavy sigh echoed through the living room.

“Lin Xi, you can’t keep doing this to me.”

His heart tightened sharply, as if someone suddenly squeezed it. His eyes grew red, and he forced down the discomfort in his throat as he whispered, “Don’t be mad… I won’t go out for hotpot anymore.”

Wen Feng exhaled. “What am I supposed to do with you?”

He had never forgotten what happened four years ago — the online harassment, the insults, the way Lin Xi’s name and face were dragged through campus posts. He never wanted Lin Xi’s face to appear in public again. But the more he feared something, the more it found a way to happen. And this time, the photos and comments were even more unbearable. If Jiang Boqing’s incident had been the spark, then these two trending videos were like a blade grinding against his heart.

Especially since Lin Xi hadn’t worn a mask today — his face was captured clearly. Even with Wen Feng’s resources and powerful background, he understood how fast the internet moved. He had no choice but to pull every string he had to erase the video and every related post as quickly as possible.

Lin Xi lowered himself and buried his face against Wen Feng’s leg.

“Don’t be angry anymore,” he murmured.

Then he lifted his head to look at Wen Feng’s eyes. The man’s brows were still tightly drawn together.

Lin Xi asked softly, “The last time we trended… you were the one who had it removed too?”

“Mm.”

Lin Xi’s bright eyes gazed up at him — as if he were looking at his own guiding star.

“Thank you. I… don’t like being posted online.”

His gentle surrender soothed Wen Feng more than he wanted to admit. Even so, his face remained stern as he said, “Wear a mask when you go out for now.”

“Okay, I know.” Lin Xi nodded obediently.

“Does your knee still hurt?” Wen Feng lifted him onto his lap again.

Lin Xi instinctively wrapped his arms around Wen Feng’s neck and shook his head.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Go back to the bedroom and sleep.”

“What about you?” Lin Xi asked, his eyes searching his face.

“I still have work to finish. You go ahead.”

Lin Xi had no choice but to return to the bedroom alone.

He lay in bed, staring at the clock on the nightstand as the minutes ticked by. Only when Wen Feng took another phone call outside and finally came into the room did Lin Xi close his eyes and pretend to be asleep.

The mattress dipped slightly. Cold fingertips brushed his cheek for a moment, then withdrew. The faint cedar scent around Wen Feng receded as he went to the bathroom to shower.

Lin Xi listened to the water stop, the bathroom door open, and the soft footsteps approaching. The blanket lifted — but the man made no move to touch him.

Lin Xi clenched his fingers inside the covers. He turned over, and accidentally rolled right into Wen Feng’s arms. Before warmth reached him, a shock of cold hit his skin, making him shiver.

Had Wen Feng showered with cold water? The weather was already chilly… yet Wen Feng had still used cold water.

Lin Xi wasn’t particularly warm himself, but compared to Wen Feng’s icy skin, he was practically a heater.

He stayed pressed close. A moment later, an arm finally wrapped around his waist, pulling him in tightly.

The embrace he didn’t receive on his birthday — he received tonight instead. Without meaning to, he let himself slip into it, craving the closeness despite knowing it was a dangerous fire.

He knew it was a pit he shouldn’t fall into… but he still wanted to lean in.

***

The next morning, as Lin Xi drank warm milk from a cup, Wen Feng suddenly took it from his hands. Lin Xi blinked at him in surprise, a faint ring of milk still around his lips. He stuck his tongue out to wipe it away.

Wen Feng took a sip from the cup Lin Xi had been drinking from, then pulled Lin Xi into his arms. With one hand lifting Lin Xi’s chin, Wen Feng closed his brown eyes and kissed him. As soon as Lin Xi opened his mouth, the warm milk on Wen Feng’s tongue was passed into his.

Lin Xi swallowed instinctively — drinking every drop.

Wen Feng pulled away only to drink another sip, then leaned in again. Over and over, he fed him the entire cup of milk mouth-to-mouth.

When the cup was empty, he used his thumb to wipe away the few white drops at the corner of Lin Xi’s lips, staring into his eyes as he asked, “Sweet?”

Lin Xi’s face burned. He looked at Wen Feng without answering.

Wen Feng leaned in close again, pressing Lin Xi back against the wall beside the dining table until their breaths mingled.

“Was the milk sweet?” he asked again.

Lin Xi’s eyes were still misty from just waking up. His cheeks reddened, and he nodded.

“Don’t feed anyone else drinks ever again,” Wen Feng warned.

“…Okay.”

Wen Feng pressed him against the wall and kissed him again — long, deep, until Lin Xi’s lips were swollen and warm, and he had swallowed every trace of their shared breath.

(To be continued…)