NASAY CH 13

Although Luo Xing didn’t really understand much about basketball, he could tell that this game wasn’t easy. The opposing team seemed strong.

When the other team lost the ball, Ye Qiaoqiao curled her lips slightly, lost in thought.

Following her gaze, Luo Xing saw a tall boy on the opposing team, about the same height as Huo Xingzhou, glance back at Ye Qiaoqiao.

During the two hours Luo Xing spent daydreaming, the game finally ended.

Huo Xingzhou’s team won. The opposing team members were friendly, bumping fists with him and exchanging a few words before packing up and leaving.

Ye Qiaoqiao gave Huo Xingzhou a distant nod before heading toward the tall boy, holding a water bottle and her bag. She looked up at him slightly and handed him the water.

When he bent down a little, she pulled out a tissue from her bag and gently wiped the sweat off his forehead.

The boy said something, and Ye Qiaoqiao suddenly poked his cheek with her finger. The boy grabbed her hand in response.

“What are you looking at?” 

Huo Xingzhou asked.

Luo Xing snapped back to reality. Afraid that Huo Xingzhou would see Ye Qiaoqiao and the boy acting so close, he quickly stammered, 

“N-nothing. Is the game over?”

Huo Xingzhou, who rarely looked speechless, stared at him with disbelief. The game had been over for a while, and everyone was already gone.

He bent down, picked up the half-full water bottle in Luo Xing’s arms, twisted off the cap, and drank it in one gulp. 

Tilting his head toward Luo Xing, he said, 

“Let’s go.”

Huo Xingzhou walked ahead and noticed Luo Xing’s phone still lying on his basketball bag. Luo Xing had actually obediently left it there without coming to get it.

He chuckled softly.

 This kid.

He bent down to pick it up, and the screen suddenly lit up. Although Huo Xingzhou didn’t mean to peek, he accidentally caught a glimpse of a few words.

His eyebrows furrowed, and his grip on the phone tightened unconsciously. A subtle, dangerous vibe emanated from him without him even realizing it.

“Huo Xingzhou.” 

Luo Xing’s soft voice came from behind, carrying a hint of confusion. 

“What’s wrong?”

Huo Xingzhou snapped out of it, pressed the lock button, and pretended he hadn’t seen anything. He tossed the phone back to Luo Xing.

 “Hungry?”

Luo Xing caught the phone without checking it, slipped it into his pocket, and shook his head lightly.

 “Not very hungry.”

Huo Xingzhou guessed Luo Xing had probably rushed over without eating, so he didn’t care whether Luo Xing was lying or not.

 He quickly packed up his basketball and walked ahead.

“I played ball all afternoon, so I’m a bit hungry. Come eat with me. Eating alone is boring,”

 Huo Xingzhou said as he glanced at the door. 

“Feng Jia ran off to help his goddess as soon as she called. Total simp behavior. He’ll end up with nothing.”

“Don’t say that.” 

Luo Xing chuckled.

 “Maybe when you have a girlfriend, you’ll want to spoil her endlessly, treating her like a princess and keeping her in your heart.”

Huo Xingzhou wrapped an arm around Luo Xing’s shoulder, transferring some of his lingering sweat onto him. He snorted.

 “Me? Running around to please someone, holding them in the palm of my hand, and digging my heart out just because they cry? Spoiling them until they’re untouchable? I’d rather die.”

Luo Xing: …

“Hey, Luo Xing, you’re so pretty. Did anyone ever chase you in school?” 

Huo Xingzhou pulled him closer. 

“Tell me about it.”

His nose caught a faint scent—sweat mixed with soap and body heat.

Luo Xing’s face instantly turned red, the blush spreading all the way to the back of his ears.

“Um… Who calls a boy ‘pretty’?”

“What? I can’t call you pretty?”

 Huo Xingzhou teased.

 “Not just pretty, but cute too. Makes me want to—”

Luo Xing quickly pushed his arm away and took several steps to the side.

 “Our school didn’t allow dating, so no… no one ever chased me.”

Huo Xingzhou laughed. 

“What school doesn’t allow dating? Did you study too hard and believe that?”

Not knowing what Luo Xing liked to eat, Huo Xingzhou decided to take him to a barbecue restaurant he often visited with Feng Jia.

The owner was a young man with narrow, upturned eyes and a flirtatious aura. He had a circle of tattoos on his wrist that seemed meaningless.

When they walked in, the owner was leaning lazily against the counter, giving instructions.

“Boss, your friends are here,” 

a server said, pointing toward the entrance.

The owner turned his head, smiled at Huo Xingzhou, then noticed the boy beside him. His eyes lit up. 

“Well, well, a new face. Haven’t seen you around before. What’s your name, little brother?”

Luo Xing felt a bit overwhelmed by the owner’s enthusiasm and instinctively took a step back. 

Huo Xingzhou immediately hooked his arm around Luo Xing’s shoulder and pulled him into his embrace. 

“Put away that look. Not your type. He’s underage and straight.”

The owner openly sized Luo Xing up—his slender frame, thin waist, and timid appearance in Huo Xingzhou’s arms made him seem like someone who was fun to tease.

“Had enough of a look?”

 Huo Xingzhou frowned and pulled Luo Xing further behind him. He knew this guy too well—he could be both dominant and submissive, taking on anything that came his way.

Song Qin raised an eyebrow at Huo Xingzhou’s unintentional possessiveness and protective behavior. He smiled slyly. 

“Why so nervous? I just want to make friends. He may be underage now, but he won’t be forever.” 

He extended a business card, his flirtatious eyes glinting as he winked.

Unlike his flamboyant personality, the business card had a black background with only a name and a phone number written in a slender, elegant font, dusted with a layer of gold foil.

Holding the card out in front of Luo Xing, Song Qin didn’t budge. 

Luo Xing felt awkward. His gut told him that this man’s gaze was unsettling, but since he seemed familiar with Huo Xingzhou, Luo Xing wasn’t sure how to refuse. He glanced at Huo Xingzhou for help.

“Get lost. Your vibe reeks.” 

Huo Xingzhou grabbed the business card. Just then, a server approached with food. 

“Hey, miss, come here for a sec.”

The server walked over.

Huo Xingzhou smiled and placed the business card on the tray.

 “Your boss said to use this to start a fire.”

“Huh?”

 The server was confused, unsure of what to do with the expensive-looking card. She hesitated and looked back at her boss.

Song Qin retrieved the card with a chuckle, watching Huo Xingzhou’s retreating figure and the obedient Luo Xing being led away. He laughed softly. 

“So protective, not even letting me take a glance.”

Huo Xingzhou gently closed the door behind them and handed Luo Xing the menu.

 “Pick what you like.”

Luo Xing had never had barbecue before, nor had he ever gone out to eat with anyone. Growing up, Zhao Jiulan forbade him from making friends or lingering outside after school.

As he got older, he didn’t need friends anymore and gradually forgot how to interact with people. 

After thinking about it for a moment, he pushed the menu back. 

“You decide. I’m not picky.”

“Alright.”

Luo Xing felt a little nervous. This was his first time eating alone with Huo Xingzhou. His heart tightened unconsciously, and his fingers still felt warm from when Huo Xingzhou had held his hand earlier.

If he rounded it up, did that technically count as holding hands just now?

He couldn’t help rubbing his fingers together and sneaking a glance at Huo Xingzhou. His profile looked relaxed, with a hint of casual indifference. He tapped the menu with the tip of his pen as he selected a few dishes.

“Do you eat sweets?”

 Huo Xingzhou asked.

Luo Xing snapped back to reality and nodded. 

“I do.”

Without looking up, Huo Xingzhou flipped through the menu and ordered a few desserts and mildly sweet snacks.

Luo Xing ate delicately, taking small bites and staying quiet. He hardly spoke unless Huo Xingzhou asked him something first.

He seemed cold and distant, yet he blushed easily when teased—soft and unbelievably adorable.

Huo Xingzhou thought to himself, if Luo Xing lived in his house, his mom would probably spoil him to the core, calling him her precious little treasure every day. The key thing was, he’d also be a hardcore fan of his dad.

His eyes unconsciously glanced at the book Wind in the Blood. He had read it before too. Despite often criticizing it, he couldn’t deny his dad’s status in the literary world.

Wind in the Blood was indeed a very well-written book. It portrayed a shattered, blood-soaked world that pushed its characters to their limits, a story of rebirth through destruction. But how could a kid like him enjoy such a book?

Huo Xingzhou couldn’t help but wonder: did Luo Xing find resonance in it?

Absentmindedly flipping the meat on the grill, his gaze landed on the wound on Luo Xing’s face. He recalled the insulting WeChat message he had seen earlier, and it felt like the sizzling meat was actually his own heart burning.

He kind of wanted to ask who that person was. 

Was someone bullying him? What was he hiding inside?

 But he didn’t know what position he had to ask these questions. If he did, would it only add another layer of hurt in Luo Xing’s heart? 

The more he thought about it, the more it frustrated him.

“Huo Xingzhou.”

“Hmm?”

Luo Xing swallowed the meat in his mouth and gently poked the mountain of food in his bowl with the tip of his chopsticks. In a soft voice, he said,

 “Can you stop putting food in my bowl? I can’t eat anymore.”

“Huh?”

 Huo Xingzhou frowned and grabbed his wrist, temporarily putting the WeChat issue aside.

 “Can’t eat anymore after just this much? No wonder you’re so thin. Eat a bit more.”

“I really can’t.” 

Luo Xing’s appetite was always small. Years of eating habits had made it hard for him to eat much.

As a child, he didn’t dare eat too much, afraid of upsetting his mother. He would eat just a little and say he was full, then immediately go to do homework, practice calligraphy, or paint. Only then would her expression soften a bit.

Looking at his sharp jawline, Huo Xingzhou said firmly,

 “Be good. Just one more bite.”

Just then, Huo Xingzhou’s phone rang. He glanced at it—Feng Jia.

He answered the call and put it on speaker.

“Brother Huo, guess who I just saw at school? Holy crap, Xue Jian is back! He transferred to Class 11. I saw him with the Class 11 homeroom teacher today! Man, I almost popped my eyeballs out!”

Huo Xingzhou frowned slightly, but soon relaxed.

He placed the phone aside, picked up a freshly grilled piece of meat, blew on it to cool it down, and held it to Luo Xing’s mouth. 

“If you don’t eat, I’ll stuff it down your throat.”

Luo Xing shook his head, glancing nervously at Feng Jia’s voice coming from the phone. He lowered his voice and pleaded,

 “I told you I’m full. Why are you like this?”

His soft, slightly scolding tone had no effect at all. On the contrary, it sounded more like a gentle provocation.

Huo Xingzhou, the shameless big bad wolf that he was, leaned close to his ear and whispered,

 “Not eating? Then I’ll call Feng Jia over, and everyone will watch me feed you.”

He pulled the chopsticks back, ready to speak, but was stopped by a cool fingertip pressing on his wrist. Luo Xing gave him a pitiful look, silently begging him not to say it out loud.

“Are you going to eat?”

“But… it’s too big. I really can’t eat it—it’s too greasy.”

 Luo Xing looked at the piece of meat on the chopsticks and tried to bargain, 

“Can I have a smaller piece?”

“Nope. Eat it.” 

Huo Xingzhou smirked.

Luo Xing pursed his lips, looking a bit wronged, but reluctantly nodded. He took the piece of meat and bit into it. His cheeks puffed up like a little hamster as he chewed.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the call. 

Feng Jia quickly processed phrases like too big, can’t eat, and nope, eat it in his head, stirring them around a few times.

“Whoa, Huo Xingzhou! Did you just come back from… a massage parlor?” 

He paused for a second, picking up the shattered pieces of his worldview, and cautiously asked, 

“Or… was it with a guy?”