NASAY CH 31

Huo Xingzhou held Luo Xing’s hand.

Luo Xing’s eyelashes trembled lightly as he bit his lower lip, not daring to look at him. Yet, he placed Huo Xingzhou’s hand on his own lower abdomen, feeling his palm move slightly with each breath.

He didn’t dare to raise his head to see Huo Xingzhou’s expression, afraid that he might think he was being too forward. Luo Xing knew he could have comforted him in a different way—just by placing his hand over his clothes. But no, he deliberately pressed Huo’s hand directly onto his skin.

The coolness of his body mixed with the warmth of Huo Xingzhou’s palm, making Luo Xing feel a surge of heat in his lower abdomen. His breathing became chaotic, and he unconsciously shifted his legs.

Huo Xingzhou remained silent, his breath falling gently on Luo Xing’s head. His palm stayed still on Luo Xing’s lower abdomen, making him even more nervous. Luo Xing tensed up and didn’t dare to move.

Huo Xingzhou lowered his eyes and stared at him. Seeing how nervous Luo Xing was, with his eyelashes fluttering, his heart melted.

How could he be so soft? His body was soft, his demeanor was soft—everything about him was soft and adorable. It made Huo Xingzhou want to devour him whole.

His palm pressed against Luo Xing’s tender lower abdomen, feeling the erratic movements beneath it. A surge of heat rose uncontrollably.

Suddenly, he wondered—if they were really together in the future—how Luo Xing would react when he wanted him. Would he cry and throw a tantrum, clinging to him, or would he sob softly, biting his lip, eyelashes trembling as he endured it?

Huo Xingzhou thought about it and decided he must be crazy.

Suppressing his desire, he glanced at Luo Xing’s flushed face and the way he unconsciously licked his lips. He couldn’t help but think—why couldn’t men get pregnant?

Luo Xing’s lower abdomen rose and fell rapidly with his breathing, feeling soft and incredibly cute.

He was now sure—he was definitely losing his mind. What kind of crazy thoughts were these?

Luo Xing could feel Huo Xingzhou staring at him the whole time, making him so nervous he didn’t dare to raise his head. Yet he was afraid to miss it if Huo spoke, so he occasionally stole glances at him.

“C-can you let go of me… I…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Luo Xing’s eyes widened in shock.

Huo Xingzhou bent his finger, gently rubbing Luo Xing’s navel with his thumb. Luo Xing’s legs went weak instantly, his breathing turned chaotic as he tried to push him away.

 “Don’t… don’t mess with me.”

Huo Xingzhou refused to let go. One hand held his waist firmly, while the other gently stroked his navel again. Feeling Luo Xing’s breath become even more rapid, he heard him gasp softly, almost pleading,

 “Stop—”

Luo Xing’s eyes quickly filled with tears, his reddened eyes shaking as he shook his head and pushed him away.

 “I’m scared, scared of the tickle… stop it… Huo Xingzhou, let me go.”

Huo Xingzhou didn’t listen, holding his waist with such strength that Luo Xing couldn’t move at all. His limbs trembled, his breath unsteady as he swallowed a sob. 

“Huo Xingzhou, if you keep doing this, I’ll get mad!”

His voice trembled just like his breathing, weak and wavering. His threat sounded more like a reluctant refusal.

Huo Xingzhou couldn’t help but laugh—how could Luo Xing be so sensitive everywhere? Just a simple touch here made him tremble so much. What could he possibly endure?

A boy like him should be spoiled and protected. He shouldn’t even be allowed to touch cold water, let alone suffer any harm.

Huo Xingzhou finally let go and saw Luo Xing’s eyes reddened with unshed tears, his lips pursed in grievance as he refused to speak to him. Panicking, Huo quickly apologized,

 “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was just teasing you. I know I went too far.”

Luo Xing lowered his head deeply, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling. His nose and chest felt tight, almost suffocating.

He didn’t want Huo Xingzhou to think he was shameless. But at the same time, he couldn’t help himself from tempting him. Yet when Huo actually played along, he panicked—afraid that Huo would realize it was all intentional.

He selfishly didn’t let Huo Xingzhou hang out with Ye Qiaoqiao and Xue Jian, yet at the same time, he shamelessly flirted with him. Feeling both regretful and ashamed, Luo Xing wished he could dig a hole and bury himself.

Luo Xing felt like someone caught between resisting and yielding…

“Alright, alright,”

 Huo Xingzhou pulled him into his arms through the blanket, repeatedly a topologizing. 

“From now on, if you don’t agree, I won’t touch you recklessly, okay?”

“Don’t be mad at me.”

“I know I was wrong. I promise it won’t happen again.”

Luo Xing buried himself in Huo Xingzhou’s embrace, his voice thick with emotion. “Okay.”

“Alright, get some sleep. I’ll wake you up later for the exam.” 

Hearing the nasal tone in his voice, Huo Xingzhou’s heart twisted painfully. He blamed himself for being too impulsive—he knew how timid Luo Xing was, yet he still acted so rashly.

Luo Xing must have been truly exhausted. He fell asleep soon after, his soft breathing brushing against Huo Xingzhou’s chest. His nose moved slightly with each breath, making him look both gentle and adorable.

Huo Xingzhou lowered his head and placed a light kiss on Luo Xing’s hair.

The two-day exam quickly passed. By the afternoon of the third day, they were returning to school. One of the teachers had to leave early due to personal matters, freeing up a spot on the bus.

Huo Xingzhou decided to leave with the group instead of booking a separate ticket. When they first came, they had all sat with their respective classmates, but after these few days, the students from different schools had gotten to know each other and were sitting together randomly. In the end, only two single seats were left.

Luo Xing didn’t want to sit apart from Huo Xingzhou, but there was no other choice. The driver urged, 

“Hurry up and find a seat. We’re leaving soon.”

Luo Xing sat down randomly. Huo Xingzhou scanned the bus and walked up to Jiang Xu, tapping him on the shoulder. 

“Hey, go sit with Lu Qinghe, will you?”

Jiang Xu snorted coldly. “No.”

“…Really?”

 Huo Xingzhou sighed helplessly and said sincerely, 

“Next time we play basketball, I’ll let you win. I’ll even stop putting cabbage leaves on the backboard.”

Jiang Xu immediately recalled last time when Huo Xingzhou held a basketball and taunted him with a smirk, saying, 

“Even a pig would score better with cabbage leaves on the backboard.” He got even angrier.

“No way.”

Huo Xingzhou said, 

“Why are you bullying me like this?”

“?” Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow. 

“You think I’m bullying you?”

“Of course,” 

Huo Xingzhou said. 

“Last time, you told on me to Mr. Cheng. I had to write a 3,000-word reflection essay. Isn’t it time we build a bridge of friendship after that?”

Jiang Xu wasn’t a bad guy; he just had a bit of a temper. He thought for a moment and realized it made sense. 

“I never told the teacher on you. I just wanted to be friends with you, okay? You can’t deny that.”

After some thought, Jiang Xu stood up and coldly snorted again. 

“Fine, I’ll let you have it this time. But next time we play basketball, I’ll definitely beat you!”

“Sure, sure. I’ll wait for you to win,” 

Huo Xingzhou said, finally convincing him. He turned back and waved to Luo Xing.

 “Come over here.”

—

Once everyone was seated, the driver asked if there were any students missing. The teachers from each school checked their lists one last time to confirm.

Luo Xing sat by the window, gazing absentmindedly at the scenery. But with Huo Xingzhou sitting next to him, he couldn’t even focus on the view.

He wanted to talk to Huo Xingzhou but didn’t know what to say, afraid that it might bore him.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. He glanced down—it was a WeChat message from Yan Ran.

Yan Ran: I’ve transferred your manuscript fee to you.

Yan Ran: Great news—Huo Yansheng is free lately. I think he’s from Jiangcheng.

Yan Ran: When’s your next holiday? I’ll try to set up a meeting for you.

Three consecutive messages made Luo Xing so excited that he couldn’t sit still. Huo Xingzhou turned his head, frowning.

 “What’s got you so worked up?”

Luo Xing excitedly showed him his phone. 

“Huo Yansheng! I have a chance to meet Huo Yansheng!”

Huo Xingzhou sneered,

 “Why are you so excited?”

“You don’t understand,” 

Luo Xing held his phone with shining eyes and enthusiastically explained, 

“I’ve been reading his books since I was a kid. I love every single one of them! I’ve always, always wanted to meet him! But he never holds book signing events.”

Huo Xingzhou stared at his sparkling eyes, almost as if little stars were about to fly out. Feeling a tinge of jealousy, he snorted coldly, 

“What’s so great about his books?”

“They’re amazing!” 

Luo Xing gushed, his words pouring out like a flood. It was the first time Huo Xingzhou had seen him so excited and eloquent, his chest heaving as he spoke rapidly.

Feeling a bit irritated, Huo Xingzhou raised his hand to cover Luo Xing’s eyes.

“So Yan…” 

Luo Xing paused. 

“W-What’s wrong?”

Huo Xingzhou looked at his bright red lips—probably a bit dry from all the talking—as Luo Xing licked them slightly. Huo Xingzhou couldn’t resist covering his lips with his hand.

Luo Xing’s soft lips brushed against his palm, tickling him and making his heart itch.

“Don’t you like Mi Xiansheng?”

 Luo Xing blinked and asked vaguely from behind his hand, 

“Then I won’t talk about him.”

“Go ahead, talk,” 

Huo Xingzhou sighed and removed his hand, but he couldn’t help wondering what Luo Xing’s reaction would be if he ever found out that he himself was Huo Yansheng’s son.

Would he cry and cling to his leg, sobbing that he had been blind?

On the third day after they returned to school, the exam results were announced. Unsurprisingly, Luo Xing was once again ranked first.

Lu Qinghe, who had miscalculated this time, ended up second, barely seven points ahead of Ye Qiaoqiao, who ranked third.

All three top scorers were from No. 2 High School. The principal beamed with pride and personally praised the three students during the flag-raising ceremony, even arranging for them to pose with their trophies for photos.

After the midterm inspections, it was almost time for school evaluations. The teachers and principal were on high alert, constantly warning students not to cause trouble.

As Christmas approached, everyone became distracted during classes. Many girls were even brainstorming ways to prepare gifts for their crushes.

Luo Xing had no interest in these kinds of holidays. He continued supervising Huo Xingzhou’s practice exams, meticulously recording every mistake to review with him later.

Huo Xingzhou was already on the verge of losing it from all the test papers, but somehow, Luo Xing always managed to make him obediently sit in the classroom and tackle them.

Feng Jia was dumbfounded. He chased after Huo Xing and asked, 

“Bro, what’s up with you lately? You’ve been either writing practice tests or preparing for exams every day. Are you planning to go to college?”

Huo Xingzhou glanced at him. 

“So what?”

“No, I mean, we don’t even know where the gates of a university are. Don’t fall into this trap.”

 Feng Jia reached out to pat his shoulder, only to be scared off by Huo Xingzhou’s cold glare. He rubbed his hands awkwardly and chuckled, 

“Did your dad scold you?”

Huo Xingzhou snorted. 

“You’re the one who doesn’t know where a university gate is. Why act so familiar?”

“No way, are you really planning to go to college?” 

Feng Jia couldn’t wrap his head around it. 

“A guy who spent the first two years of high school playing basketball, gaming, and sleeping suddenly says he wants to go to college? You’re kidding, right?”

Huo Xingzhou suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Feng Jia almost bumped into his back, startled, and quickly stopped as well. 

“Dude, what are you doing? Why stop so suddenly?”

Huo Xingzhou glanced at the flagpole, then looked at the clock tower. 

“I’ll treat you to barbecue tonight.”

“Huh? But we have evening self-study. Are we skipping it?” 

Feng Jia was completely confused. 

“Didn’t you say you want to go to college? You’re going to skip class to prepare?”

“Feng Jia.”

“What?”

“I might just have to sing Conquer under the flagpole.”