NASAY CH 54

Huo Xingzhou crouched down, took a deep breath, and then gently lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss onto Luo Xing’s eyes.

Luo Xing frowned slightly, murmuring something unconsciously, but Huo Xingzhou didn’t catch it. His mind was filled with thoughts—if only he had recognized him sooner, or if he had never forgotten him back then, how great it would have been.

For all these years, in that little dark room, how much suffering had he endured? He must have thought of him just as many times.

He was so afraid of the dark—just a simple power outage would terrify him—so spending one pitch-black night after another in that little dark room… how desperate must he have been?

He must have wished countless times for him to come and save him.

And yet…

Huo Xingzhou closed his eyes.

What was he doing back then? He was enjoying life with his friends, living a completely different existence, untouched by even a trace of suffering.

After a while, Huo Xingzhou exhaled a quiet breath and pulled Luo Xing up from his embrace. He spoke softly,
“I promise, from today on, I will never leave you for even a single second. I won’t ever lose you again.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Luo Xing, still drowsy, was pulled up. His face was flushed from sleep, and he rubbed his eyes out of habit, letting out a small yawn.

Huo Xingzhou chuckled, picked up a towel, and slipped it behind Luo Xing’s back to wipe away his sweat. Then he began unbuttoning his shirt to change him into dry clothes. Luo Xing, still not fully awake, sat there blankly, letting him do as he pleased.

When the shirt was removed, the cool air against his skin startled Luo Xing awake. He looked down at his bare chest and jumped in shock.
“What are you doing?!”

“The heater is on full blast in the room, and you’re wrapped up in a blanket. You’re sweating all over—if you don’t change, you’ll catch a cold.”
Huo Xingzhou chuckled, picking up a fresh shirt and holding out a sleeve to him.
“Put your arm in.”

Luo Xing had never been taken care of like this before. Flustered, he quickly grabbed the shirt and pulled the blanket up to his chin, hiding inside as he fumbled to put it on.

“You could’ve just told me to change myself. Why did you have to…”
Luo Xing trailed off, blinking. After a moment, he changed the subject.
“Did Feng Jia and the others come?”

“Yeah, they’ve been here for a while.”

Huo Xingzhou stood up. He didn’t want to pressure him, so he didn’t mention that Zhao Jiulan had come or that he had already realized Luo Xing was that older brother.

After changing, Luo Xing went to the bathroom to freshen up before following Huo Xingzhou downstairs.

Lu Qinghe and Ye Qiaoqiao were already there, sitting on the couch and chatting. Feng Jia was busy peeling nuts, and he was currently arguing with Li Lefan over a mobile game.

“Damn, get inside! Didn’t you see there are enemies everywhere outside? With your skill level, even my little uncle wouldn’t be able to carry you!”
Feng Jia complained, his frustration evident on his face as he typed furiously.

Li Lefan scoffed, maneuvering his character into cover while arguing back,
“Oh, please. Just because your little uncle is a pro doesn’t mean you are. He hasn’t even said anything about me yet—why should I listen to you, you noob? Right, little uncle?”

From the voice chat came a soft chuckle, but no response.

Feng Jia called out a few times, then suddenly noticed the blood splatter on his screen. The next thing he knew, his character’s head was smoking, and he had turned into a neat little loot box. Furious, he threw down his phone and tackled Li Lefan.
“I told you to listen to me!”

As they wrestled, they accidentally bumped into Lu Qinghe. Surprisingly, instead of frowning like he usually did, Lu Qinghe just moved aside good-naturedly, making more space for them to fight.

Ye Qiaoqiao, who had sharp eyes, noticed Luo Xing and Huo Xingzhou coming downstairs and quickly called out,
“Hey, stop fighting. They’re here.”

Feng Jia was about to shout “Little cousin!” but caught sight of Huo Xingzhou’s sharp gaze and quickly changed course mid-sentence.
“My little cousin told me to eat more today.”

“If you want to eat more, go help out,”
Huo Xingzhou said, tilting his head toward the kitchen.
“Go grill outside in the glass house. Otherwise, my mom will scold me when she gets back.”

To the right of Huo Xingzhou’s courtyard, there was a glass house. It had originally been set up by Huo Yansheng for growing flowers, but since every plant she touched ended up dead, the place had been left empty.

With a sigh, Feng Jia immediately jumped up and headed to the kitchen, pushing out the vegetables that Huo Xingzhou had just washed. Li Lefan, familiar with the routine, grabbed a bundle of skewers from a nearby rack and urged him to hurry.

Watching their lively interactions, Luo Xing couldn’t help but smile. Ye Qiaoqiao and Lu Qinghe picked up the drinks and beer they had brought and followed them outside.

The distance was only about ten meters, but Huo Xingzhou was worried that Luo Xing might feel cold after just waking up. He insisted on wrapping him up in a down jacket and scarf, making sure he was fully covered before going to fetch the barbecue sauce, brushes, and other tools.

Luo Xing wanted to help, but Huo Xingzhou tapped his hand and said,
“Since when is it your turn to do the work? Just sit tight and wait to eat.” Saying this, he took Luo Xing’s hand and led him toward the glasshouse.

“They’ll see us—don’t hold my hand,”
Luo Xing struggled a bit. The glasshouse was completely transparent, and everything inside was visible from the outside.

He liked Huo Xingzhou, and he knew Huo Xingzhou liked him too, but… the others didn’t know. And two men holding hands like this—it was too strange. What if they figured it out?

Huo Xingzhou simply hummed in response and let go of his hand.

Luo Xing froze for a moment. His steps faltered unconsciously as he stared at Huo Xingzhou’s back, watching as he walked a few steps ahead.

“What’s wrong?”
Huo Xingzhou noticed that Luo Xing wasn’t following and turned around to look at him. Luo Xing quickly shook his head and caught up.
“N-Nothing.”

He had expected Huo Xingzhou to make things difficult for him again, maybe demand some kind of compensation or tease him. But this time, he let go so easily, without putting up any resistance.

Could it be… could it be that he was losing interest in him?

Luo Xing pressed his lips together. His heart suddenly felt heavy, and his eyes stung as he blinked hard a few times. It was as if something was caught in his throat, making it hard to breathe.

Huo Xingzhou pushed open the glass door and gestured for Luo Xing to enter first before following him inside.

The glasshouse was heated, so everyone was dressed lightly as they busied themselves. Ye Qiaoqiao was skewering vegetables, Lu Qinghe was handling the trickier meats, while Feng Jia and Li Lefan were fiddling with the grill.

Before long, plates of food were ready.

Huo Xingzhou poured different sauces into small dishes and handed them to Luo Xing to place on the grill rack. Knowing that Luo Xing couldn’t handle spicy food, he prepared some honey for him to brush onto the chicken wings while grilling.

“Alright, time to eat! I’m starving!”
Feng Jia grabbed a skewer of green peppers and a skewer of chicken wings, plopped into a chair, and started grilling.

Outside, the snow had started falling again. The flakes drifted down, growing heavier and soon covering the glass roof in a thin, white blanket.

Inside, the atmosphere was warm and lively. Feng Jia was the best at stirring up the mood, occasionally exchanging playful insults with Huo Xingzhou and Li Lefan. Meanwhile, Ye Qiaoqiao and Lu Qinghe chatted quietly on the side. The whole scene was filled with warmth.

Luo Xing watched them and felt a warmth spread in his heart as well. He never imagined that he would one day sit with so many people, eating and playing together.

“Luo Xing, pass me the chili sauce,”
Li Lefan called out. At first, Luo Xing didn’t hear him, but when Li Lefan nearly jumped up in urgency, he quickly picked up the bowl of chili sauce and handed it over.

His eyes drifted to the sizzling grilled meat and chicken wings in Li Lefan’s hands, then back to his own honey-glazed chicken wings. Suddenly, he felt tempted to try something different.

Huo Xingzhou noticed how Luo Xing was unconsciously swallowing, his gaze fixed on Li Lefan’s chicken wings. With a chuckle, he picked up a small fork, tore off a piece of the spicy chicken wing, and held it up to Luo Xing’s lips.
“Want to try?”

Luo Xing took the bite, eyeing the golden-brown meat glistening with spicy oil. But the moment it touched his tongue, he gasped at the heat, his eyes instantly turning red.
“So… so spicy!”

Huo Xingzhou was startled—he hadn’t expected Luo Xing’s spice tolerance to be that low. Quickly, he opened a fruit juice can and handed it to him. Luo Xing grabbed it and took several big gulps before he finally felt some relief. Still shaken, he turned to Li Lefan in disbelief.
“How can you eat this?”

Li Lefan laughed and patted his chest.
“Are you kidding? Ever heard the phrase ‘Spice Lords Rule the World’?”

Luo Xing shook his head.

Huo Xingzhou chuckled, watching him take another sip of the cold juice. Worried about his stomach, he gently took the can away.
“Don’t drink too much.”

Feng Jia glanced over at Huo Xingzhou, who was acting like a doting babysitter, forbidding this and that. He lifted a green pepper skewer to cover his mouth and, making sure Luo Xing couldn’t hear, said mischievously,
“Man, you’ve turned into a total servant since you started dating.”

Huo Xingzhou knew Feng Jia was talking about him. As he turned his head to grab something, he chuckled lightly.
“I’m happy to take care of him. What’s it to you? If you’re jealous, go find someone yourself.”

Feng Jia scoffed,
“Nah, dating would slow down my trigger speed. I’d rather… hey, wait—look outside. Isn’t that Xue Jian?”

Everyone turned to look in the direction he pointed, but they saw nothing. Only a shadow flickered and disappeared behind the greenery.

Ye Qiaoqiao’s face darkened instantly. She frowned and forcefully pressed Feng Jia’s chicken wing into the charcoal, saying,
“Feng Jia, you’re so annoying.”

Feng Jia knew that Ye Qiaoqiao hated Xue Jian because of Min. He had blurted out the name without thinking after spotting someone outside, but now he realized his mistake. Clearing his throat, he quickly changed the topic,
“Uh, Huo Xingzhou, do you have any fruit at home? I’ll go get some.”

Luo Xing, hearing them mention Xue Jian, immediately stood up. “I’ll go get it.”
Without even putting on his down jacket, he hurried out. The cold wind hit him the moment he stepped outside, making him shiver.

When he reached the door, he realized it was automatically locked. He couldn’t open it.

The door required Huo Xingzhou’s fingerprint. As he turned around, he suddenly felt warmth on his shoulders—someone had pulled him into an embrace. A familiar heat and scent filled his senses.

But instead of unlocking the door right away, Huo Xingzhou fiddled with the settings for a while. Then, he took Luo Xing’s hand and pressed it onto the scanner.

Luo Xing was stunned. Huo Xingzhou lowered his head, kissed his fingertip, and held him close.
“Take good care of this little key. No injuries, you hear me?”

“Huh?”
Luo Xing was momentarily confused. Huo Xingzhou just smiled and didn’t explain. Instead, he pushed the door open and, without warning, bent down and scooped Luo Xing into his arms, walking steadily toward the kitchen.

Luo Xing was startled, instinctively wrapping his arms around Huo Xingzhou’s neck.
“Why are you carrying me?”

Huo Xingzhou placed him on the table. Beside them was a plate of assorted sliced fruits. He picked up a piece and fed it to Luo Xing.
“You heard Xue Jian’s name just now—why did you run?”

Luo Xing took the fruit into his mouth. It was cold, making him slightly uncomfortable. He swallowed in small bites before saying softly,
“Xue Jian is your friend. I… I don’t really belong there.”

“What kind of friend is he to us?”
Huo Xingzhou snorted. After a pause, he added,
“Besides, you’re going to be my wife in the future. Even if he were a friend, he wouldn’t be as close as us. If anyone should step aside, it’s them.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,”
Luo Xing choked, staring at Huo Xingzhou’s face, which was so close. A thought started forming in his mind, making his heartbeat quicken—so fast it felt like it might jump out of his chest.

Huo Xingzhou heard it. He placed a hand over the left side of Luo Xing’s chest and smiled.
“Why is your heart beating so fast?”

Luo Xing immediately straightened his back. But the place where Huo Xingzhou had placed his hand wasn’t anywhere near his heart… it was… somewhere else.

Through the thin fabric of his shirt, Huo Xingzhou’s palm gently rubbed twice. Feeling the change in Luo Xing’s body, he chuckled.
“Baby, what’s going on here?”

“Stop…”
Luo Xing struggled to escape, but the movement only made him rub against Huo Xingzhou more. His whole body reacted, and his face turned completely red with embarrassment.
“Huo Xingzhou, don’t mess around.”

Huo Xingzhou watched as Luo Xing became flustered, his teasing demeanor only making him more attractive. Now that he knew Luo Xing had secretly liked him all along, his own emotions burned even hotter. There was no way he was letting go now—he had to tease him until he was completely overwhelmed.

“Do you remember that voucher you gave me?”
Huo Xingzhou leaned in closer, his fingers replacing his palm as he gently pinched.
“I’m redeeming it now.”

“W-what are you redeeming?”
Luo Xing’s breath hitched, his fingers clutching at Huo Xingzhou’s shirt, growing weaker by the second. His breaths came out rough and uneven.

“Tonight…”
Huo Xingzhou’s hand slipped around to Luo Xing’s back, sliding beneath his shirt, pressing him closer.
“Say a line from that old radio drama in that voice I like. Just for me, okay?”

The warmth from Huo Xingzhou’s touch burned against his skin. Luo Xing had no choice but to tilt his head back, only to feel Huo Xingzhou’s lips press against his throat, licking lightly at his Adam’s apple. A helpless whimper escaped his lips as he swallowed hard.
“No… I can’t…”

“If you can’t, then learn. My dear Teacher Luo is so smart—you’ll pick it up in no time.”

Huo Xingzhou’s fingers slowly slid lower, reaching his waistband. He hooked his fingertips under the fabric, pulling it down slightly before pressing against the small of Luo Xing’s back, kneading gently but firmly.

He knew this was Luo Xing’s most ticklish spot. As long as he touched it, Luo Xing would basically be obedient, so he mercilessly tormented him until he begged for mercy.

“Huo Xingzhou, let go.”
Luo Xing’s voice had softened to the point of near pleading, thin and delicate, spilling from his throat in a sticky, lingering tone that wrapped around Huo Xingzhou’s ears, making his heart burn almost to the point of madness.

“Little darling, call me ‘gege’, let me hear it.”
Huo Xingzhou coaxed him while also tormenting himself. One hand slid to the front, pressing lightly against Luo Xing’s soft-skinned abdomen. His nose brushed against Luo Xing’s neck as he urged,
“Be good, just call me once.”

Luo Xing shook his head, dodging his teasing, but in doing so, he only tensed the skin on his neck, making it even more sensitive. Every inch, every cell of his body was overwhelmed with a tingling sensation, driving him to the edge of collapse.

“Huo Xingzhou! Where did you guys take the fruit?”
Feng Jia shouted from outside, knocking on the door.
“Are you sneaking a bite in there, Huo Xingzhou?”

Luo Xing vaguely heard Feng Jia’s voice and anxiously pushed Huo Xingzhou.
“Is someone at the door?”

Huo Xingzhou made a sound of acknowledgment, then looked up and said, “Ignore him.”

Just as Luo Xing was about to speak, the window behind them was suddenly hit with force.

“Luo Xing? Are you in the kitchen? Are you okay?”

This time, the voice was much closer. Panicking at the thought of being discovered, Luo Xing pushed Huo Xingzhou harder. But instead of pushing him away, he was pressed even more firmly between his legs, pinned against the table as Huo Xingzhou leaned down and whispered silently,
“Call me ‘gege,’^[1] and I’ll let you go.”

Luo Xing’s eyes darted toward the window in alarm, shaking his head frantically.
“No way! We’ll get caught. Let go of me—I need to go out…”

“I’m not stopping you from going out,”
Huo Xingzhou sighed, pretending to be aggrieved.
“If you won’t call me now, will you ignore me completely in the future?”

As he spoke, he lightly tickled Luo Xing’s belly, lifting a corner of his shirt.

He straightened up, retreated slightly, and then pressed a kiss onto Luo Xing’s small navel. Luo Xing’s eyes widened instantly in shock.

“Gege… gege…”

Terrified, Luo Xing pleaded with a soft, trembling voice, almost on the verge of tears.
“Feng Jia is right outside…”

He struggled desperately, trying to push Huo Xingzhou away with hands and feet, but the sound of the window being hit again made his eyes go red. He was about to cry, and seeing this, Huo Xingzhou’s heart melted instantly. He couldn’t bear to tease him anymore.

Huo Xingzhou helped him up, interlocking their fingers as he pulled him close, then leaned down and kissed him, sweeping in aggressively before Luo Xing had a chance to react.

Luo Xing hadn’t even caught his breath yet when the sudden kiss left him momentarily stunned. Two or three seconds later, he started to run out of oxygen, his free hand weakly pressing against Huo Xingzhou’s chest, completely at his mercy.

After a long moment, Huo Xingzhou caught a glimpse of Luo Xing’s flushed face, his damp eyelashes trembling slightly. He finally let go, picked up a piece of watermelon, took a bite, and then leaned in to feed it to Luo Xing.

Luo Xing dazedly accepted it, but before he could chew, Huo Xingzhou cupped his chin and kissed him again, sweeping his tongue inside. The small piece of watermelon turned to pulp in their mouths, its red juice dripping down, wetting Luo Xing’s chin.

Luo Xing had never experienced such teasing before. Uncomfortable, he pushed Huo Xingzhou away, gasping for breath. It took him a while to recover.

Huo Xingzhou wiped the corner of Luo Xing’s lips and smiled.
“Tastes good?”

Luo Xing looked at him, then, seemingly unconsciously, licked his lips. His ears turned red as he softly replied, “…Mm.”

Huo Xingzhou’s heart melted completely at his unintentional flirtation. He pulled Luo Xing into his arms and lightly bit his neck.
“Little darling.”

Luo Xing: “Mm.”

When Huo Xingzhou finally came out carrying a large plate of fruit, the others had already eaten most of the food.

Feng Jia grinned mischievously.
“Cousin’s little wife, are you full?”

Huo Xingzhou ignored the first part of his sentence and simply laughed.
“Not nearly enough.”

Luo Xing frowned in confusion.
“What do you mean ‘cousin’s little wife’?”

Feng Jia was about to explain, but one look at Huo Xingzhou’s smiling, warning gaze made him hesitate. He thought for a moment before cautiously saying,
“Oh, it’s just that lately, Zhou-ge and I have been playing a game where I…”

Luo Xing glanced at Huo Xingzhou, who was watching him with a half-smile. He didn’t ask any further questions, figuring he could ask Huo Xingzhou about it later that night.

Ye Qiaoqiao and Lu Qinghe finished eating and ran off to watch the snow. Li Lefan also had enough and called Ye Qiaoqiao to build a snowman with them.

In no time, only Huo Xingzhou and Luo Xing remained inside, grilling food in comfortable silence. Occasionally, drops of oil from the grill sizzled into the charcoal, sending tiny flames flickering upward.

Worried Luo Xing might be uncomfortable, Huo Xingzhou suggested he sit farther away, but Luo Xing, finding grilling fun, shook his head.
“I’m fine. I… I want to grill some for you.”

Huo Xingzhou was momentarily stunned, then smiled.
“Alright. I love meat, not vegetables.”

“Mm.”

Luo Xing picked up the biggest skewer and placed it on the grill, concentrating intently. The fire cast a warm glow on his face, his long eyelashes slightly lowered, a tiny bead of sweat forming on his delicate nose.

Huo Xingzhou, feeling unbearably softhearted, wished he could hold Luo Xing in his arms every day, sheltering him from even the slightest breeze, making sure he only ever smiled, never experiencing a moment of sadness.

His gaze was so intense that Luo Xing turned his head.
“What? Do I have something on my face?”
He reached up to wipe it off, but Huo Xingzhou stopped his hand, brushing a thumb over the tip of his nose.

“No, I’m just looking at you.”

Luo Xing blinked, then looked away shyly.
“Why are you looking at me?”

Huo Xingzhou grinned.
“Because you’re beautiful. I like looking at you.”

Luo Xing’s heart clenched, and he quickly turned back to focus on grilling. The meat outside was turning golden and crispy, glistening with oil.

“Try it.”
Luo Xing blew on the skewer and handed it to him. Seeing Huo Xingzhou still staring, he urged,
“Hurry up, eat it.”

Huo Xingzhou took a bite and froze.

Luo Xing grew nervous.
“Does it taste good?”

Chewing with difficulty, Huo Xingzhou swallowed and smiled.
“Delicious. My little darling is the best at everything.”

Luo Xing’s eyes crinkled with joy, reassured. He handed Huo Xingzhou a napkin.
“I’ll grill for you again next time.”

Huo Xingzhou nodded with a smile.
“Okay.”

But in truth, the skewer was a disaster—charred on the outside, raw inside. Still, seeing how much effort Luo Xing put into making it, he couldn’t bear to disappoint him, so he ate it all without hesitation.

“Are you still hungry?”
Luo Xing noticed Huo Xingzhou drinking a lot of water and hesitated.
“Do you want more?”

“Do you still want to grill?”
Huo Xingzhou handed him some warm water.
“If you do, I can keep eating. If not, we can go build a snowman and make it better than Lu Qinghe’s.”

Luo Xing turned to see Lu Qinghe wrapping his scarf around a snowman and was instantly intrigued. “Let’s go!”

Huo Xingzhou sighed in relief, drank more water, and pulled him up. As they reached the door, Luo Xing mumbled,
“I can dress myself.”

Huo Xingzhou chuckled.
“I like spoiling you. I’d love to dress you, feed you, and carry you forever.”

Blushing, Luo Xing snatched his scarf and bolted outside.

Watching him flee, Huo Xingzhou chuckled softly.
“That’s nothing yet. There’s a lifetime ahead, little darling—better get ready.”