WIL CH 14

Chapter 14: The Male Homewrecker

That night, Lin Xi was awakened by the heat. At some point, Wen Feng had climbed into bed and was holding him so tightly that Lin Xi could hardly breathe. His body was sticky with sweat. He struggled to move away, and Wen Feng stirred awake.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Feng asked hoarsely.

Lin Xi had a good temper, but that didn’t mean he never got angry. He just didn’t lash out like Wen Feng did—he kept it all quietly to himself.

In the darkness, he said, “Can you sleep in another room? I want to sleep alone tonight.”

The underlying meaning was clear—he didn’t want to share the same bed with Wen Feng anymore. The air between them grew heavy.

Lin Xi thought Wen Feng would lose his temper again, but instead, Wen Feng simply replied, “Okay.”

Lin Xi’s fingers clenched the blanket, his heart thudding heavily. Wen Feng really did get up and leave for another room. Only the lingering warmth on the sheets remained.

He had slept too much during the day, so now, even though the fever medicine had worn off, he couldn’t fall asleep. Lying there, staring at the empty pillow beside him, he felt a wave of inexplicable sadness. Maybe it was because sick people were just more sentimental.

The next morning, Lin Xi’s fever was completely gone. He washed up and got ready to go to work. Just as he opened the door, Wen Feng came in carrying a cup of steaming hot water.

Lin Xi hadn’t expected him to appear right then. His expression changed noticeably—his eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Wen Feng.

Seeing him fully dressed, Wen Feng asked, “Where are you going?”

“To work.”

Wen Feng frowned. “You’re going back after resting for only one day?”

Lin Xi ignored his tone, sidestepping to leave the room.

But Wen Feng blocked the doorway, refusing to let him pass.

“Is work that important? Is it worth pushing yourself while you’re still sick?”

Lin Xi almost bumped into him. Of course work was important. Without it, how was he supposed to repay his debt?

“Yes,” he said quietly, “it’s important.”

In the end, Wen Feng had no choice but to step aside, though his expression was dark and unpleasant. Lin Xi felt suffocated under his gaze and just wanted to get out as quickly as possible.

He had barely taken a few steps before Wen Feng called out again, “Eat breakfast first. I’ll take you there.”

His tone was firm and unyielding. Even though Lin Xi felt resistant to being alone with him, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse outright.

He went to the dining room. Breakfast was already prepared—with a neat variety of dishes, both meat and vegetables. There was also millet porridge and a glass of milk.

Lin Xi only finished the porridge and side dishes. He couldn’t bring himself to drink the milk. His face showed mild distress. Being frugal by nature, Lin Xi rarely wasted food.

He glanced at Wen Feng, who was sitting across the table, calmly eating his own breakfast.

Forget it, he thought. He couldn’t possibly ask Wen Feng to drink his leftovers. Maybe he could just put it in the fridge for later.

Lin Xi picked up the glass of milk and walked toward the kitchen. Just as he opened the refrigerator door halfway, Wen Feng came over and shut it again.

“Finish it,” he said.

Lin Xi held the glass and murmured, “I really can’t.”

“The doctor said you’re undernourished. You should eat more.”

Lin Xi had already eaten a lot. Normally, he only had a slice of bread and some milk in the morning. Today’s breakfast had been far more than usual.

“I really can’t drink anymore,” he said. “I can only finish one or the other, the porridge or the milk.”

Wen Feng’s expression darkened slightly. Then, without another word, he took the glass from Lin Xi’s hand and—right in front of him—drank the rest of the milk down in slow, steady gulps.

Lin Xi was stunned. He hadn’t thought Wen Feng would actually be willing to drink something he’d already touched.

A faint ring of milk clung to Wen Feng’s lips. He stuck out his tongue, slowly licking it clean—the red tip curling as it swept away the white residue.

Lin Xi’s body went numb for no reason at all. He quickly turned his head away and walked off. 

Breakfast had already delayed him, and now he was running late. Hurriedly, he jogged to the entryway to change shoes, while Wen Feng followed close behind.

Lin Xi was still a little confused, but then he suddenly remembered—Wen Feng had said he would drive him to work. The thought made him feel suffocated. Given how tense things still were between them, the idea of being alone together in a car felt unbearably awkward.

Once he finished putting on his shoes, Lin Xi straightened up and said, “I can go to work by myself.”

Wen Feng didn’t respond. He just took Lin Xi’s hand and led him out. Lin Xi struggled hard to shake him off, but Wen Feng’s grip was firm, almost bruising—his hand turned red from the pressure.

The car was parked in the open space outside the villa. Wen Feng pushed Lin Xi into the passenger seat, fastened his seatbelt, slammed the door shut, and then went around to the driver’s side to start the car.

The scenery outside the window slid backward as the car moved in silence. Lin Xi suddenly realized—this was actually the first time Wen Feng had ever driven him to work. But under these circumstances, that realization only left him with a strange, bitter feeling.

His workplace wasn’t far from home. It was only three subway stops away, and by car, it took barely ten minutes.

When Wen Feng finally stopped in front of Lin Xi’s company building, Lin Xi froze for a moment. How did Wen Feng even know where he worked? He had never told him.

Before he could think too much, Wen Feng turned his head and said, “I’ll pick you up tonight.”

Lin Xi unbuckled his seatbelt, avoiding eye contact.

“No need. I might have to work overtime tonight. I’ll go back on my own.”

He reached for the door handle, but before he could open it, Wen Feng leaned over the center console and pressed him back against the seat. Lin Xi’s heart skipped a beat—he didn’t know what Wen Feng was trying to do this time.

Wen Feng stared at him intently, then leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.

A dull ache spread behind Lin Xi’s eyes. He used to never resist when Wen Feng showed affection like this—but now, he no longer understood what it meant. Was it really like Qin Zhiyan said? Did Wen Feng just see him as a pet to toy with?

Lin Xi raised his arm and pushed him away before stepping out of the car.

From outside, no one could see through the dark-tinted windows that concealed all the man’s emotions inside.

***

At work, Lin Xi couldn’t stop thinking about the video incident. As soon as he got to his desk, he asked Kong Zhao whether he’d seen any trending news yesterday.

Kong Zhao gave him a puzzled look. “What trending news?”

Not sure how to describe it, Lin Xi mentioned Xie Yunxue’s name.

“The one about Xie Yunxue’s engagement party.”

“Oh, that! Yeah, I saw it,” Kong Zhao said, crossing his legs and rocking back and forth in his chair.

“That Jiang family illegitimate son is something else—lying his way into a marriage with Xie Yunxue, of all people! He’s finished now.”

Lin Xi’s palms began to sweat nervously.

If Kong Zhao had seen the video, how could he not have recognized him? He hesitated before asking, “Did you see clearly who was in the video?”

“The face of that Jiang bastard was shown clearly,” Kong Zhao said. “But the guy he was hugging—the male homewrecker—had his face blurred out. Looks like someone’s out to get him. That’s what my old man said anyway. As for who’s targeting who—no idea.”

Kong Zhao’s father was a well-known businessman—not as powerful as the Wen or Qin families, but still influential enough to hear insider gossip at banquets. He often passed such stories along to his son.

Male homewrecker…

Even though Lin Xi was a victim too, the internet now branded him as the “male homewrecker” everyone was gossiping about.

Thankfully, Wen Feng had managed to take the video down in time. Otherwise, if anyone at work had recognized him… He barely had any friends or family left, but the people in his company all knew his face. He didn’t want to become the center of attention again—like he had three years ago.

Hearing that his face had been blurred, he finally felt a weight lift off his chest.

At that moment, Lu Mingyu appeared beside them, nudging Kong Zhao’s leg on the floor.

“Kong Zhao, put your foot down. Stop sitting like that,” he said in a tone that sounded more like a reprimand.

Kong Zhao groaned. “Come on, boss, do you have to pick on me every day? You won’t be happy unless you scold me, huh?”

Ignoring him, Lu Mingyu turned to Lin Xi.

“Lin Xi, are you feeling better?”

“Yes, Teacher Lu. I’m fine now. I’ll make up for the artwork I owe as soon as possible.”

Lu Mingyu handed him a stack of papers. “You can put those aside for now. Look over the script for the launch event first.”

The stack was thick—about ten pages. Lin Xi took it, feeling the weight in his hands.

“Alright, Teacher Lu. I’ll read it carefully.”

Lu Mingyu nodded.

Kong Zhao assumed there would be a copy for him too, but there was only one—and it had already gone to Lin Xi.

“Hey, what about mine?” he asked.

“Come get it from my office later,” Lu Mingyu replied as he walked away.

Kong Zhao pouted at his back. “Seriously, he’s always giving me special treatment—but the bad kind.”

(To be continued…)