NASAY CH 40

He recalled it briefly.

It was on the first day he ate with Huo Xingzhou in the classroom. There was a notification on Weibo: “@BuYuanXing^[1] has become your new follower.”

It was normal for followers to come and go on Weibo. Although he rarely posted anything unrelated to Huo Xingzhou, his followers sometimes grew, including some “big sister fans.”

Occasionally, he would secretly post small updates about Huo Xingzhou’s daily life, which often attracted many comments. Some fans even left rather… bold suggestions, saying,
“Luo Luo, listen to this big sister!”

He knew that Huo Xingzhou liked it when he called him “Gege^[2]” because one of those big sisters had reminded him of it on Weibo.

These fans were nice; they didn’t discriminate against him for liking a man. On the contrary, they encouraged him, giving him ideas and advice, even though those suggestions were often a bit embarrassing.

But he knew they meant no harm.

Luo Xing pursed his lips, cautiously glanced at Huo Xingzhou, who was seriously working on his test paper, and then quickly lowered his head, his face gradually turning red.

His Weibo username was “Shangtan Bilu^[3],” and most of his followers called him “Luo Luo.” This person, however, called him “Xing Xing,” which clearly showed they knew his real name. They were probably not one of those “big sister fans.”

He opened Weibo and checked “Buyuanxing’s” profile.

The profile picture was of a bamboo grove. The information section was blank, and the account was registered just a year ago.

It seemed like this person didn’t use Weibo much. There weren’t any original posts, only a few retweets about orphaned children, left-behind kids, and poverty-stricken children in mountainous areas.

Since Luo Xing hadn’t responded, the person likely thought he didn’t want to talk and quickly sent another message.

@Buyuanxing: “If it’s inconvenient, just forget it. I was just casually asking… Don’t tell your mom; she doesn’t like me contacting you.”

@Buyuanxing: “Actually… I didn’t want to disturb you. I just miss you so much.”

Seeing the words “mom” and “miss you so much” on the screen, Luo Xing felt a sharp pang in his heart. He had the feeling this person was deeply connected to him.

Luo Xing rarely had friends, let alone any elders.

During the holidays, while others would visit relatives and celebrate, he never visited any family. His grandparents, uncles, and aunts — they didn’t have any relatives at all.

For every holiday, he and Zhao Jiulan spent it in their own rooms without celebrating.

His experience with social interactions was almost nonexistent. The fact that he could get along with people normally was already quite impressive.

Faced with this unfamiliar greeting, Luo Xing sensed something was off but couldn’t pinpoint what it was. His mind suddenly flashed back to the day he was hospitalized for hearing loss. There had been a man who came to visit him.

No, that wasn’t right.

That day, Zhao Jiulan had been in an unusually good mood and had even fed him a bite of cake. If it were that person, how could she not like him contacting Luo Xing?

He frowned and thought hard, going over his memories again and again, but he couldn’t recall anyone else appearing in his life.

Could it be a woman…?

Huo Xingzhou, writing his homework absentmindedly, glanced at Luo Xing from the corner of his eye. Seeing Luo Xing frowning and closing his eyes while holding his phone, Huo Xingzhou couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hey, hey, hey.”
Huo waved his hand in front of Luo Xing’s face.
“What are you doing?”

Luo Xing looked up at him in confusion, dazed for a couple of seconds before realizing what had happened. He quickly hid his phone.
“N-nothing. Just doing homework.”

“You’re making me do homework while you play on your phone. Isn’t that unfair?”
Huo Xingzhou tapped his pen on the table, resting his head on his left hand as he looked at Luo Xing.
“What are you playing? Let me see.”

Luo Xing shook his head.

His Weibo contained a lot of posts about his daily life with Huo Xingzhou. He couldn’t let him see it, or he’d look like some perverted fan fantasizing about him!

Knock, knock.

The knocking only sounded twice before Huo Yansheng’s voice came from outside.

“Xingzhou, I have a meeting to attend in City X. I won’t be home for the next few days. Your mom and Uncle Ji went abroad and won’t be back for a while. Take good care of Luo Xing yourself.”

Huo Xingzhou got up and went to open the door. He stood at the doorway, speaking with Huo Yansheng. Luo Xing hurriedly stood up to join them, but Huo Xingzhou raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

Luo Xing nervously sat back down, his eyes fixed on the door, afraid that Huo Yansheng might dislike him or be dissatisfied.

Although Huo Yansheng often criticized his own son, he trusted him enough. After giving a few instructions, he left.

Huo Xingzhou acknowledged with a brief “Mm,” watched him go downstairs, and then turned back around. Just as he lifted his foot to step back in, he seemed to remember something. He said to Luo Xing,
“I’m going downstairs to grab something. Wait for me.”

Luo Xing nodded.

Huo Xingzhou smiled before turning and heading out.

Luo Xing tilted his head to look out the window. Huo Yansheng, dressed in a long black cashmere coat, walked silently across the snowy ground and got into a car.

He bore a 70-80% resemblance to Huo Xingzhou but looked more composed and reserved. Luo Xing couldn’t help but wonder, If I had a dad, what would he be like? Would he be like Huo Yansheng?

Even if he was a bit critical, he’d still give instructions before leaving, just to be sure.

A man like him raising someone as good as Huo Xingzhou felt like an irrefutable fact. Luo Xing couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy. If that were the case, maybe—just maybe—he’d be a little bit worthy of Huo Xingzhou.

Luo Xing lowered his head, looking at the daily posts he’d made on Weibo. People often asked him what Huo Xingzhou was like, but he never answered.

Huo Xingzhou…

He was like a radiant sun brought forth by the heavens after a long darkness, occasionally casting a ray of light through the cracks in time, shining on him just enough to make him feel wonderful.

For someone like Luo Xing—who had to give it his all just to suppress the darkness in his heart—sneaking peeks at Huo Xingzhou’s life and intruding on it already felt like a huge sin.

Sometimes, Luo Xing thought of himself as Gollum, suddenly lucky enough to stumble upon a “Ring of Power.” No matter how hard he tried to resist the temptation, he couldn’t stop himself from falling prey to greed and darkness, becoming both ugly and despicable in the process.

Luo Xing exhaled a soft breath. While Huo Xingzhou was still gone, he quickly replied to Buyuanxing’s private message: “Who are you?”

@Buyuanxing: “I… I’m an old acquaintance of your mom.”

“Why do you want to see me?”

@Buyuanxing: “I’m dying. Before my life ends, I want to see you one last time. My life has been a mess—a series of mistakes leading to more mistakes. Despite countless attempts to make amends, I’ve had to watch everything spiral out of control, beyond my ability to fix it. Every time I tried to repent or make up for the past, I found myself powerless.”

Luo Xing frowned. Every word this person wrote seemed soaked with guilt and despair. His tone carried a strange mix of remorse and… evasion.

Luo Xing had never encountered death. He didn’t know what it meant for someone on the verge of death to say such things, but the stabbing pain in his chest left him at a loss for how to respond.

If it were Huo Xingzhou, he’d definitely know what to do.

But he couldn’t tell him. If this person really was his “father,” that would mean laying everything bare before Huo Xingzhou. The filth he had tried so hard to hide would become meaningless.

After thinking it over, Luo Xing said,
“Can I think about it first?”

@Buyuanxing: “Of course. I’m at Beishi First People’s Hospital, Building 3, 7th floor, Room 721.”

***

“Xicheng?”

After finishing the check-up, Luo Zhiyuan was pushed back by the nurse. As soon as the door opened, he saw Lin Xicheng using his phone to send a message to someone, a suppressed yet satisfied smile of relief on his face.

Startled, Lin Xicheng almost dropped the phone.

“Zhiyuan.”

Luo Zhiyuan saw the panic on his face and immediately knew what had happened. He smiled and said to the nurse,
“Thank you.”

The nurse smiled back, gave a few instructions, and left. As soon as the door closed, a suppressed roar burst out:

“I told you not to contact Luo Xing! Did you forget or what?”

Lin Xicheng turned his head to the side, his teeth clenched as he listened to the man’s furious, breathless shouts mixed with pain.

The last time he saw Luo Xing in Beishi for a competition, that face reminded him so much of Luo Zhiyuan. He privately asked if Luo Xing’s mother was Zhao Jiulan. Excited, he rushed to tell Luo Zhiyuan.

Instead of being happy, Luo Zhiyuan smashed his phone and warned him never to look for Luo Xing again.

Lin Xicheng was stunned. This was their only chance to save him. Why didn’t he want it?

Luo Zhiyuan pointed to the door and told him to get out. After being together for over twenty years, it was the first time he had spoken to him so harshly. Lin Xicheng left in a daze.

Despite their fight, Luo Zhiyuan couldn’t be left to die. No matter how reluctant he was, Lin Xicheng had to find Luo Xing.

Call him selfish, call him whatever they wanted. Luo Zhiyuan was the only person he truly loved in this world. Even if it meant being hated and despised, he had to save him at all costs.

“It’s just a bone marrow donation. He won’t die,”
Lin Xicheng knelt down, gently holding Luo Zhiyuan’s deformed leg swollen from bone cancer. His voice was soft as he coaxed him,
“I asked the doctor. He won’t suffer too much—it’s just a little pain.”

“Living is far better than dying.”
Lin Xicheng raised his head, looking into Luo Zhiyuan’s eyes, speaking tenderly.
“Zhiyuan, I only have you. Even if you don’t care about yourself, think of me, and think of Luo Xing. He might not even know you exist yet. Don’t you want to use the rest of your life to make it up to him, to give him the fatherly love he’s never had?”

---

When Huo Xingzhou came back carrying the items, he found Luo Xing reading a paper he had just written. His delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, but the corners of his lips curved into a small smile.

He tugged at the paper with a little too much force, causing the pen to fall next to the cushion. Luo Xing leaned forward, resting on the low table, and reached out to retrieve it. It seemed just out of reach, so he stretched further, exposing a sliver of his pale, slender waist.

Huo Xingzhou walked over quietly and lightly poked his waist, watching in amusement as Luo Xing’s abdomen flinched back instantly.

“Where did you go? Your hands are so cold.”
Luo Xing knelt back on his heels, instinctively catching Huo Xingzhou’s hand and pressing it against his face to warm it. He breathed a puff of hot air onto it.

“Let me get you something to eat.”
Huo Xingzhou placed his warm palm on Luo Xing’s soft cheek. His heart softened, but then he withdrew his hand with a hint of pain.
“Alright, don’t forget.”

He set the tray down on the low table. Since the bottom was dry, he placed it directly on top of Luo Xing’s papers. On the tray were three glass fruit plates and a can of cola—one plate filled with meticulously washed strawberries, not a single stem left, and another with assorted nuts, with an empty plate underneath for the shells.

Huo Xingzhou, with his long legs, never sat properly like Luo Xing. Instead, he sat sideways, leaning his left arm on the table.
“Try them. See if they’re sweet. These are delicate; you can’t use too much force when washing them. I washed each one like it was an offering. Go ahead, taste it.”

Luo Xing looked at the big, bright red strawberries in the fruit plate, feeling a warm current flow through his heart. Huo Xingzhou was so good to him. In such cold weather, he even went to wash strawberries for him.

Luo Xing glanced down at the plate and picked the biggest strawberry. Huo Xingzhou chuckled. Why was he acting like a child, picking the largest one? But the next second, Luo Xing leaned forward slightly and brought the strawberry to Huo Xingzhou’s lips, speaking softly,
“You eat first.”

Huo Xingzhou was startled.

“Huh?”

“Wow, little one, you know how to respect your big brother now? Not bad.”
Huo Xingzhou smiled, opened his mouth, and bit half of the strawberry, leaving the other half.

But this time, he bit from the top, catching Luo Xing’s fingertips in the process. His teeth gently grazed them, and his lips and tongue lingered for a moment on Luo Xing’s fingertip. Without a doubt, Luo Xing’s face turned bright red.

Huo Xingzhou swallowed the strawberry with an innocent look, then said meaningfully,
“It’s very sweet.”

Luo Xing, dazed, pulled back his hand, staring at his fingertip where a wet trace and bright red juice remained. His cheeks burned, and he couldn’t help but feel that Huo Xingzhou’s “sweet” carried a deeper meaning.

He was still holding half a strawberry between his fingers.

“You used to get only the top half; you got lucky today.”
Huo Xingzhou shifted his position, bent one knee, and smiled as he gently pushed Luo Xing’s wrist.
“Hurry up and eat it. See if the bottom part is sweet too.”

Luo Xing lowered his eyes and hesitated as he looked at the half-eaten strawberry. He had initially wanted Huo Xingzhou to taste it first. How did it turn into him… eating what was left? The bite mark on the strawberry was clear. He could almost imagine the way Huo Xingzhou’s teeth had gently closed on it.

It was something Huo Xingzhou had eaten.

“What? Are you afraid I’m dirty?”
Huo Xingzhou raised his hand to take it back, pretending to sigh.
“I’ve never minded eating the strawberries, cakes, and milk teas that you’ve tasted. You little ingrate.”

Luo Xing quickly stuffed the half strawberry into his mouth to avoid any misunderstanding, chewing it rapidly before swallowing.

“How is it? Tasty?”

“Tasty.”

“Good.”
Huo Xingzhou straightened up, reached for the nut plate, and took out the empty one for shells. He peeled a pistachio and said while peeling,
“We won’t go out in the cold today. Tomorrow morning, we’ll head out and take a stroll. I heard from Ye Qiaoqiao that there’s a nice movie out recently. Shall we go see it?”

Luo Xing took small bites of the strawberry without really listening, instinctively nodding. This made Huo Xingzhou chuckle as he peeled a pistachio and held it up to Luo Xing’s mouth.

“Here, have some pistachios.”

Luo Xing opened his mouth and took the pistachio, only to feel Huo Xingzhou’s fingertip brush against his tongue. He hadn’t finished swallowing the strawberry yet, and his mouth closed instinctively when touched, his face turning as red as the strawberry. He tried to lean back but was afraid of choking on the strawberry. Meanwhile, Huo Xingzhou’s finger remained still in his mouth.

Luo Xing nervously looked up at him, his lips sealed around the finger, unable to move. Out of reflex, he made a soft “mm-mmm” sound, hoping Huo Xingzhou would pull back.

Instead, Huo Xingzhou got even bolder, using two fingers to gently pinch Luo Xing’s tongue.

!!!

Luo Xing’s eyes widened in an instant, his mind buzzing into a blank daze as he felt Huo Xingzhou’s fingertips moving freely inside his mouth. The soft strawberry flesh, already fragile, seemed on the verge of being pulled out along with his fingers. Alarmed, Luo Xing clenched his lips tightly and sucked lightly on the fingers, backing away hurriedly.

When the fingertips left his mouth, there was a faint, ambiguous sound of moisture. Huo Xingzhou glanced at Luo Xing’s flushed lips and eyes misted with moisture, then smiled softly.

Luo Xing couldn’t hear anything. His eyes were fixed on Huo Xingzhou’s clean and slender fingers—there was no strawberry flesh on them. He felt relieved, but at the same time, the embarrassment overwhelmed him. If he hadn’t been sitting down, his legs would have gone weak.

“Luo Xing.”
Huo Xingzhou’s voice was husky.

Luo Xing turned his head away in panic and pushed his hand, feeling like his brain was about to explode. He opened his mouth slightly, panting in small gasps, almost suffocating from nervousness.

Huo Xingzhou casually wiped his hand with a tissue and, under Luo Xing’s anxious gaze, resumed peeling nuts. He no longer tried to feed him, instead placing the peeled nuts on the table beside him.
“Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Eat up.”

“You’re really not going to feed me?”
Luo Xing asked skeptically.

Huo Xingzhou chuckled and nodded.
“Really. If I’m lying, I’m a little puppy.”

Luo Xing let out a sigh of relief, picked up a round nut, and popped it into his mouth, crunching it noisily. His gaze, however, involuntarily drifted back to Huo Xingzhou’s face.

Truthfully, Luo Xing had mixed feelings about Huo Xingzhou’s teasing—half fearful, half expectant. On one hand, he hoped they could be closer, but on the other, he was scared of getting too intimate and revealing his own flaws.

He could never figure out how to balance it. If only he could find the right way.

Luo Xing sighed softly. If only he were smarter, better, more perfect.

Huo Yansheng wasn’t home, and the snow that had started in the morning hadn’t stopped by nightfall. In fact, it was getting heavier, and food deliveries were suspended.

Huo Xingzhou couldn’t bear to let Luo Xing cook again, so he searched for a bunch of recipes online, carefully choosing the simplest one to try.

He pulled up a chair for Luo Xing to sit on while he rolled up his sleeves to wash and chop the vegetables. Surprisingly, he was decent at it.

But once he started cooking, the disaster revealed itself.

“You can’t add oil now. The pan isn’t hot yet,”
Luo Xing jumped off the chair to supervise. Once the pan seemed ready, he said,
“Okay, now pour it in.”

Huo Xingzhou opened the oil bottle and poured it straight in.

“Hey! Less oil!”
Luo Xing was so anxious that he almost wanted to take over, but Huo Xingzhou refused to let him.

“Step back, step back. The oil might splash and burn you. Stand farther away. Be good,”
Huo Xingzhou warned, eyes fixed on the pan as if a monster lived inside it.

Luo Xing was pushed aside but circled back to guide him from another angle.

“Add a little vinegar.”

“That’s soy sauce.”

“The salt is too much. Pour half of it out.”

While Luo Xing was busy talking, Huo Xingzhou reached into the sugar jar, pulled out a rock candy, and popped it into his mouth.

Luo Xing pursed his lips, his face turning red in an instant.

“Sweet?”

Luo Xing shyly nodded. Suddenly, his eyes widened.
“Hurry! It’s burning!”

In a chaotic rush, they finally finished the dish. Huo Xingzhou felt utterly drained. He hadn’t even been this tired after playing basketball all day.

With Luo Xing’s step-by-step guidance, the dish looked ugly but tasted passable. Huo Xingzhou brought out the soup, tossed his apron onto a chair, and said,
“Try your big brother’s cooking.”

Luo Xing squinted and smiled, picking up his chopsticks to taste it. He paused dramatically for a few seconds, making Huo Xingzhou so nervous that his Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.

“Not good?”
Huo Xingzhou asked.
“Our housekeeper recently had a grandson and went back home to enjoy family life. My mom said we don’t come home much, so she didn’t hire a new one. If I’d known, I would’ve hired someone.”

“It’s really good.”
Luo Xing crunched through a piece of eggshell in the scrambled eggs, then scooped a better portion into Huo Xingzhou’s bowl, smiling mischievously.
“I was just messing with you. Try it yourself. If we ignore the appearance, it’s a solid… seventy out of a hundred.”

“Still dare to scare me, huh?”
Huo Xingzhou huffed.
“Since you’re my teacher today, I’ll forgive you.”

Luo Xing bit down on his chopsticks, suppressing the sweetness in his heart. He couldn’t help but indulge in a little fantasy—if only he could eat with Huo Xingzhou every day, he wouldn’t mind even eating terrible food.

---

After dinner, Huo Xingzhou cleared the table and urged Luo Xing to go wash up.

Just as he finished, a call came from Lu Qinghe, asking if he wanted to come over for a barbecue.

Huo Xingzhou wanted Luo Xing to interact more with others, not just stay cooped up without socializing. But when he turned to see Luo Xing’s nervous expression, he changed his mind and said,
“I just finished eating, so I won’t go. Say hi to Uncle Lu for me.”

Lu Qinghe wasn’t the nosy or gossiping type, so he simply said,
“Okay,” and hung up.

By the time Huo Xingzhou finished washing up in the guest bathroom and went upstairs, it was already dark. Though it wasn’t too late, it was too early for sleep. He lay on the bed, laughing softly as he thought about something.

When Luo Xing came out from washing up, Huo Xingzhou was already sitting on the bed, his knees bent, leaning against the headboard while playing a game on his phone.

Luo Xing stood at the bathroom door, nervously swallowing. The last time he was on this bed, he had secretly taken a photo of Huo Xingzhou. That photo was still in his phone. Sometimes, late at night when he couldn’t sleep, he would glance at the picture while secretly stealing glances at Huo Xingzhou across the room. His heart would thump uncontrollably every time.

After standing there for a while, he finally walked over and lifted the blanket on the other side of the bed.

Huo Xingzhou teased him deliberately,
“Oh my, whose little kid is this, climbing into my bed all of a sudden?”

Luo Xing froze halfway onto the bed, kneeling awkwardly at the edge, unsure whether to continue or retreat.
“Then… where should I sleep?”

“I didn’t even tell you where to sleep, and you’re already climbing into my bed. Now you’re asking me where to sleep?”
Huo Xingzhou leaned in, gently pinching his chin with a chuckle.
“Is this a new way to play hard to get?”

Luo Xing quickly got off the bed and stood awkwardly to the side.
“Sorry… I’ll go to the guest room…”

Huo Xingzhou held back a laugh and pretended to be serious.
“Very well. You’ve succeeded in catching my attention.”

Luo Xing was completely confused now. He felt like something was off with Huo Xingzhou, staring at him in bewilderment and anxiety.
“What’s wrong with you?”

Unable to hold it in any longer, Huo Xingzhou burst into laughter and showed him his phone.
“Just now, Ye Qiaoqiao and the others were having a barbecue at Lu’s house. Lu Qinghe’s… uh…”

He paused suddenly.

Luo Xing looked even more puzzled.

Huo Xingzhou struggled to find a word and finally settled on something.
“Let’s just say, Lu Qinghe’s uncle’s wife recently took on a role as a domineering CEO. She was practicing her lines, saying stuff like, ‘Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention.’ ‘Woman, put out the fire you started yourself.’ ‘Woman, are you satisfied with what you’ve done?’—that kind of silly dialogue.”

Luo Xing was amused.
“It actually works!”

“Punishment’s over. Come on in.”
Huo Xingzhou lifted the blanket corner, raising an eyebrow.
“Get in.”

Luo Xing blushed, hesitating.
“The guest room—”

Before he could finish, Huo Xingzhou pulled him in.
“What guest room? My bed’s not big enough for you?”

Startled, Luo Xing hurriedly climbed into bed, lying down properly.

The bed was soft and warm, wide and spacious—completely different from the narrow, hard, and cold bed he had slept in the previous night.

Luo Xing lay there with his eyes open, staring at the warm yellow light illuminating the beautifully patterned wallpaper, the expensive-looking furniture, and the large bookshelf covering half the wall with only a few scattered books on it.

Huo Xingzhou wasn’t much of a reader. Most of the bookshelf was filled with basketball-related memorabilia and limited-edition collectibles. Every inch of this space, even the tiniest speck of dust in the air, reminded Luo Xing that they were from two completely different worlds.

“Luo Xing.”
Huo Xingzhou lay down beside him, putting his phone aside and leaning on one elbow to watch him.
“Besides studying, what do you usually like to do?”

Luo Xing thought for a moment, then shook his head.

Huo Xingzhou pondered before saying,
“I remember you mentioned once that you liked someone. Can you tell me what kind of person they are?”

Luo Xing paused, a flicker of resistance flashing in his eyes, which only piqued Huo Xingzhou’s curiosity further. You little traitor! I’ve been so good to you, yet you’re still thinking about some other guy.

“Come on, tell me. I’ll tell you who I like, too.”

Luo Xing blinked, hesitant to speak, but at the same time, curious about the kind of person Huo Xingzhou liked. After some internal struggle, he finally nodded.
“When I was little, I met an older boy. I was only about five at the time, and I made a mistake…”

He trailed off, skipping that part.

“That boy saw me from the wall and asked what I was doing. He even gave me a piece of candy.”

Luo Xing blinked, feeling anxious deep down, torn between hoping that Huo Xingzhou remembered him and fearing that it was nothing more than an insignificant memory in Huo Xingzhou’s life—just a fleeting moment of kindness already long forgotten.

But in his eyes, that was the first ray of sunlight to shine into his life.

It was different.

“And then?”
Huo Xingzhou asked.

“Later, I didn’t see him again for many years. He might have just been playing at a relative’s or a friend’s house and happened to see me by chance.”
Luo Xing lowered his eyes, unable to hide the dejection that crept into his heart, clutching at him painfully.

Huo Xingzhou really didn’t remember him.

“Did you try to find him afterward?”
Huo Xingzhou suppressed the sourness in his heart, softened his voice as much as possible, and asked. It was a good thing that Luo Xing was willing to open up to him, so he could endure it a bit longer.

“Yeah, later on, during a competition, I happened to see him at his school from a distance. He was surrounded by a crowd, full of confidence and arrogance, but he didn’t remember me anymore.”

“Do you like him that much?”
Huo Xingzhou reached out and held Luo Xing’s fingers under the blanket, gently rubbing them.
“If one day he remembers you and confesses to you, would you accept?”

Luo Xing was confused. Looking into Huo Xingzhou’s eyes, he thought, if one day he confessed to me…

“Ah…”

“I don’t know.”
Luo Xing shook his head and lowered his lashes, letting out a faint sigh.
“Actually, we’re from two different worlds. Even if one day he remembers me, I…”

Luo Xing wanted to say he wasn’t good enough for him, but he didn’t want to seem so insignificant in front of Huo Xingzhou. After a moment of thought, he swallowed his words and instead said,
“He probably won’t remember me. It’s been so long.”

Huo Xingzhou looked at his half-hidden face, reached out to tug the blanket down from under his chin, and smiled.
“You’re not going to ask?”

Luo Xing blinked, not noticing that his hand was still held by Huo Xingzhou, and stared at him blankly. Surrounded by Huo Xingzhou’s scent, his heart felt both satisfied and sorrowful.

Huo Xingzhou was silent for a moment before asking,
“Have you ever thought that maybe your feelings for him aren’t really love? It might just be because he once showed you a bit of kindness, and you felt he was different…”

“Like how people always chase after things they can’t reach. You think he’s amazing, but in reality, he’s just an ordinary person, with flaws and habits that might be hard to bear.”

Luo Xing didn’t respond.

Huo Xingzhou continued,
“I once read something that said, ‘The person you like is just an ordinary human being. It’s your feelings for them that gild them with a golden aura. What makes them special is the fact that you like them.'”

Luo Xing shook his head but didn’t say anything.

After a long pause, he asked,
“What about you? What’s the person you like like?”

Huo Xingzhou let out a hum. Feeling the overhead light piercing his eyes, he sat up to turn it off, leaving only the small lamp behind him.

“That person? Good-looking, good at studying, but a bit disobedient and always makes me worry.”
Huo Xingzhou lay in the shadow he cast, glancing at Luo Xing with a faint smile.

From Luo Xing’s perspective, Huo Xingzhou’s face was backlit and hard to discern. His eyelids twitched.
“But he doesn’t know I like him. He always has someone else on his mind. I can’t just force him to forget someone else and focus on me, right? I can only indulge him and wait until he realizes I like him.”

So it really was Ye Qiaoqiao.

Luo Xing bit the tip of his tongue lightly. His heart felt like it had been pierced by a thick, blunt awl, and a bitter, acidic liquid seeped from the wound, burning him with an unbearable ache.

“What if she never… realizes it?”
Luo Xing choked on his words, struggling to suppress the sourness in his heart.
“What if she ends up marrying someone else?”

Huo Xingzhou chuckled.
“I don’t think he’s that stupid. Give him another six months, until the college entrance exams are over. Whether he realizes it or not, he’ll have to know by then.”

“Tell me, what’s so great about that guy that he just can’t get over him?”
Huo Xingzhou reached out to pinch Luo Xing’s cheek and laughed.
“What do you think? Should I just beat him up to vent my frustration?”

“No, don’t. Violence is bad.”
Luo Xing swallowed the bitterness in his heart and forced himself to respond.
“And he probably couldn’t take it, so don’t hit him.”

Luo Xing buried himself in Huo Xingzhou’s embrace, unable to suppress the sour jealousy in his heart. He envied Ye Qiaoqiao for being the object of his affection, for being the one he was willing to silently endure for.

For her happiness, he was content to just watch her from a distance.

Huo Xingzhou smiled faintly, his gaze lingering on Luo Xing for a moment before he began to consider something else entirely—whether Luo Xing could handle a different kind of
“crying.”

Luo Xing pursed his lips, muttering softly,
“Actually, liking someone is the most helpless thing. No matter how much you like them or how much you’re willing to give up for them, you can never truly get equal returns. But sometimes, just having them look at you is enough.”

Huo Xingzhou frowned. This kid’s love was far too humble.

From his words, he placed himself lower than the dust, while the person he liked was like a blazing sun high in the sky. Even a glance from afar, not even directed at him, could satisfy him?

Exactly.

A shackle.

Huo Xingzhou thought of the place Luo Xing lived, his efforts to hide his past from him, probably because of the long years of being instilled with self-loathing by Zhao Jiulan.

A plant growing under oppression would inevitably grow crooked. Let alone a child subjected to years of oppressive education.

“Luo Xing, remember this.”
Huo Xingzhou’s heart ached as he held Luo Xing’s shoulders and tilted his chin up, speaking word by word: “You are the best. You are unique in this world and deserve to be cherished by everyone.”

Luo Xing’s eyes widened. His lips moved slightly.
“What did you say?”

Huo Xingzhou pulled him into his arms, resting his chin on his head, and said,
“I once read a book that said, ‘The hurtful things people say to you are, in essence, unrelated to you.'”

Luo Xing stared at him blankly, confusion flickering in his eyes. He didn’t understand why Huo Xingzhou would suddenly say such things. And… was it really unrelated to him?

Wasn’t it because he hadn’t done well enough that Zhao Jiulan disliked him?

Did that mean he… wasn’t bad?

Luo Xing’s lashes quivered as he looked at Huo Xingzhou, unsure and cautious, afraid he’d misunderstood. He repeated hesitantly,
“Unrelated to me?”

Seeing him so timid and uncertain, Huo Xingzhou’s heart ached. He pulled him into his embrace, resting his chin on Luo Xing’s head, and sighed.
“Of course, it has nothing to do with you. You’re so good.”

Luo Xing’s lips trembled, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears. He blinked rapidly, trying to hold back the emotions surging inside.

For the first time, someone told him those words—that it wasn’t because of him, not because of what he’d done, and not because he deserved it.

“Thank you,”
Luo Xing sniffled softly, his voice slightly choked with emotion.

“Thank me for what? Stop talking nonsense.”
Huo Xingzhou, hearing the congestion in his voice, worried that if they kept talking, Luo Xing would feel even worse. He tugged the blanket up and covered him.
“Go to sleep quickly!”

The two of them went to bed early that night, but they still ended up sleeping until around ten the next morning.

Luo Xing was the first to wake up. He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and was about to sit up when he realized Huo Xingzhou’s arm was draped across his waist, holding him in his embrace.
He suddenly remembered the time Huo Xingzhou got drunk, and he had also woken up in his arms back then. Except that time, Huo Xingzhou had woken up first, and Luo Xing had been startled and bumped into his chin.

Luo Xing glanced at Huo Xingzhou, his face inches away, his chin so close it was almost touchable. Their breaths intertwined. His face turned red uncontrollably.

“Seen enough?”
Huo Xingzhou’s voice was soft as he suddenly opened his eyes. He smiled and brushed his fingers across Luo Xing’s eyelashes. Watching Luo Xing flustered and frozen in his arms, his mood instantly lifted.

Caught red-handed, Luo Xing hid his face in embarrassment.
“N-no, I wasn’t looking at you.”

“Really? I caught you, and you’re still lying?”
Huo Xingzhou chuckled.

“If you want to look, just look openly. Tell me where you want to see. Should I take off my shirt for you to take a closer look? There’s a discount for watching, but touching might cost a little more.”

“What do you want to touch? My abs or my waistline?”
Huo Xingzhou teased as he played with Luo Xing’s fingertips, causing tingling sensations to run up his arm and through his heart.

“I don’t want any of that! Stop talking nonsense. I’m getting up.”
Luo Xing struggled to escape from his arms, but Huo Xingzhou held him down again.

“How about this—I’ll give you a discount. If you don’t have money, we can settle it with an exchange.”
Huo Xingzhou smirked.

“You touch my waistline, I touch your lower back. I’ll even throw in a free feel of my abs. Deal?”

“Stop it!”
Luo Xing’s face burned with embarrassment. He shrank back into the blanket to avoid his teasing.

But as he retreated, he accidentally rolled too far and slipped off the bed.

Huo Xingzhou reacted quickly, reaching out to catch him, but it was still too late. He ended up falling off with Luo Xing.

His hand cushioned the back of Luo Xing’s head. Although the bed wasn’t too high, the impact still hurt. Huo Xingzhou grimaced, his knee bent to avoid pressing on Luo Xing.

Luo Xing froze for a moment before realizing what happened. He quickly got up and grabbed Huo Xingzhou’s hand. His eyes immediately turned red when he saw the scrape on the back of his hand, a small wound already oozing blood.

“Why did you protect me like that?”
Luo Xing’s eyes filled with tears as he gently held Huo Xingzhou’s hand, not daring to touch the wound. “Does it hurt?”

“It’s nothing.” Huo Xingzhou chuckled, trying to brush it off. “You’re not that heavy. This is no big deal. It doesn’t hurt at all.”

Luo Xing looked at the wound, then at the floor, noticing a metal fixture sticking out. “It definitely hurts!” Luo Xing’s voice trembled. He dragged Huo Xingzhou to the bathroom and turned on the faucet to rinse the wound. Ignoring how cold the water was, he spoke while rinsing, “I’m sorry… it’s all my fault.”

“There you go again.”
Huo Xingzhou sighed, rubbing his head with a helpless smile.

“I’ve had much worse injuries than this. This is really nothing. You don’t have to blame yourself.”

After rinsing, Luo Xing gently wiped the surrounding area with a towel, careful not to touch the wound.
“Where’s your first-aid kit? I’ll wrap it for you.”

Huo Xingzhou found it amusing how serious Luo Xing was being, but seeing his worried expression, he smiled and said,

“It’s downstairs, in the storage cabinet by the TV.”

Luo Xing nodded and quickly ran downstairs to get it. He returned just as quickly.

Huo Xingzhou sat on the edge of the bed and extended his hand with a playful smile.
“Hey, since this injury is for your sake, if my hand becomes useless in the future, will you take care of me?”

Luo Xing’s eyes instantly reddened even more. His hand, holding the bandages, paused. He carefully held Huo Xingzhou’s hand, then leaned in and gently licked the wound with his tongue.

!!!

Huo Xingzhou’s entire body froze.

He sat there on the edge of the bed, while Luo Xing knelt on the floor, head bowed. His warm, soft tongue lightly brushed over the wound, sending a tingling sensation through Huo Xingzhou’s entire body, from the nerves in his hand straight to his heart.

“Little Sweetheart,”

Huo Xingzhou’s voice turned hoarse, “what… are you doing?”