President Huo’s phone call didn’t last long.
The butler anxiously stood guard at the door for five minutes, unable to resist the urge to call Mr. Liang’s manager for a chat. Before he could act, Huo Lan had already ended the call and stepped out of the room.
The butler was momentarily startled. “Do you need something?”
Huo Lan didn’t lack anything and simply shook his head, closing the bedroom door behind him.
The butler had watched President Huo stare at his phone all day, eagerly awaiting Mr. Liang’s call. Now that it had finally come, he was uneasy about how short it had lasted: “Was Mr. Liang… upset with you?”
Huo Lan frowned slightly. “Why would Mr. Liang be upset with me?”
The butler had no idea: “For example… what did you say to him?”
Whenever President Huo got hold of a walnut, he tended to act unpredictably.
The first time, the butler failed to stop him from writing an apology letter to Mr. Liang. The second time, he couldn’t prevent President Huo from carrying Mr. Liang out of the crew’s lounge in his arms.
Given how things had developed, the butler no longer dared to predict whether President Huo might have confessed everything about their past over the phone.
Huo Lan didn’t know what was on his mind and explained after a pause: “Mr. Liang and I discussed work.”
The butler was stunned: “Just work?”
Huo Lan nodded.
Mr. Liang had called to discuss how the crew wanted adjustments to his character image and asked for Xingguan’s cooperation.
Xingguan had already prepared for this and coordinated with Mr. Liang’s manager beforehand.
Huo Lan could have explained everything in just a few sentences, but he couldn’t help himself and went into more complex and detailed explanations, repeating them several times until Mr. Liang fully understood before ending the call.
“You didn’t talk about anything else?” The butler found it hard to believe. “Like… whether Mr. Liang is adapting well on set, whether you’re comfortable at home, whether you miss him, whether you couldn’t sleep last night or if he slept poorly…”
Worried that Huo Lan might not have asked these things, the butler almost wanted to draft an outline for him: “There’s so much to ask—did you—”
Huo Lan frowned deeply: “Work discussions shouldn’t mix with personal feelings.”
The butler: “…”
He glanced at the walnut in President Huo’s hand and felt a sense of desolation.
…It was true.
Every time President Huo was separated from Mr. Liang, he seemed to enter a susceptible period.
Just as no one could stop young Huo Lan from being obsessed with studying back then, no one could stop susceptible-period President Huo from immersing himself in work now.
The butler let go of much of his wariness toward *Jiangnan’s little wild omega* and secretly breathed a sigh of relief—half pleased and half concerned: “Would you like me to arrange for custom synthetic pheromones based on Mr. Liang’s?”
Huo Lan froze slightly: “What?”
“Synthetic pheromones,” the butler explained. “Your pheromone compatibility with Mr. Liang should be 100%.”
Pheromone testing could only determine a general range; during their initial tests, it was confirmed that President Huo and Mr. Liang’s pheromone compatibility exceeded 98%. However, how much higher than 98% remained uncertain.
This type of reaction—where an alpha enters a susceptible period upon separation—only occurs between alphas and omegas with 100% pheromone compatibility who have undergone multiple temporary markings.
Perfect compatibility was extremely rare but not impossible.
To address this issue, some hospitals and research institutes offered services for custom synthetic pheromones.
“Like temporary suppressants, they’re used as sprays,” the butler explained further. “A small amount can effectively suppress an alpha’s susceptibility after being separated from their matched omega.”
“All we need is a sample of Mr. Liang’s pheromones to replicate it artificially.”
Huo Lan hadn’t realized he had entered another susceptible period until reminded by the butler. After a moment of silence, he tucked the walnut into his suit pocket: “Mr. Liang cannot release pheromones.”
The butler had nearly forgotten this detail and froze momentarily: “Just a little—”
“No.” Huo Lan’s tone was firm. “It would make him uncomfortable.”
The butler opened his mouth slightly but said nothing more.
Huo Lan continued: “He told me that being at home feels very comfortable.”
Not wanting the butler to dwell on these ideas any further, Huo Lan added in a low voice: “When he’s at home, he must always feel comfortable.”
The butler: “…”
He sighed deeply and even considered buying a voice recorder just to compile *Things President Huo Doesn’t Dare Say About His Feelings for Mr. Liang.*
Doing his best to move on from this topic, the butler sent a message instructing the head of security to buy thin-shelled walnuts before opening the office door for President Huo: “So… did Mr. Liang mention when he’ll call next time?”
Huo Lan hadn’t thought to ask during their call and frowned slightly at this question: “No.”
The butler tidied up the desk and poured him a cup of coffee: “Did you ask when Mr. Liang will take a break?”
Huo Lan frowned even more deeply: “No.”
Quickly swiping away some uncrackable walnuts from sight, the butler pressed further: “Then surely you told him that once he finishes work, he should remember to contact you…”
Huo Lan: “…”
The butler fell silent for a moment, then suddenly understood: “President Huo.”
President Huo looked up.
Standing amidst swirling snowflakes, the butler sighed and confirmed: “Back in Jiangnan, when you were with your… friend.” The butler deliberately obscured the term before continuing: “Whenever he tried to talk to you or do something together, didn’t you either bury yourself in studying or make him study instead?”
President Huo’s shoulders stiffened slightly: “Yes.”
After a moment of silence, he added quietly: “I also supervised his studies and tutored him.”
The butler stared blankly. When first hearing about these past events connected to the branch family’s troubles, he’d felt heartbroken for the young President Huo who’d been left isolated and betrayed by the only person he trusted.
But now, understanding the full picture, the butler almost pitied this white moonlight figure drowned in endless academic drills.
“You can’t do this,” the butler exhaled heavily, struggling to explain. “You and Mr. Liang are… in a relationship.”
The term seemed to strike deep. President Huo clenched his fist, finally looking up from his documents.
“Nothing is strictly compartmentalized in relationships,” the butler pressed on urgently. “You can’t say there’s no room for affection while working, no chance to tell Mr. Liang you miss him.”
President Huo frowned: “But-”
“Would handling routine tasks be affected if you multi-tasked?”
“No.”
“If Mr. Liang got distracted, would his acting suffer enough for directors to chase him around set?”
President Huo disliked this hypothetical: “No.”
“Then why-”
“I wouldn’t be able to control myself,” President Huo interrupted softly.
The confession hung in the air as he locked away the walnut in his desk drawer. The unspoken truth lingered – he’d always wanted to talk with young Liang Xiao, to lounge together doing nothing, to warn him about poorly placed bookshelves. But years of discipline had taught him to suppress these impulses beneath relentless productivity.
President Huo closed his eyes, suppressing guilt over young Liang Xiao’s head injury: “I don’t actually enjoy working.”
The teenage Huo Lan hadn’t truly loved studying either.
The butler stared, speechless. After a long pause, he asked softly: “When you told Mr. Liang you wanted to attend Communication University and become a stage actor…”
“Madame was a stage actor.” The butler’s voice thickened. “We thought… it was because you missed her.”
President Huo shook his head. “That wasn’t why.”
When the butler tried to protest, President Huo refocused on his documents. The truth was – like any teenager, he’d once envisioned countless futures before choosing the singular path of inheriting the Huo family’s burdens.
“We never realized,” the butler murmured. “Your parents both despised corporate life.” This explained President Huo’s relentless self-denial – denying any resemblance to the artistic parents he’d barely known.
“Enough.” President Huo signed a report. “Mr. Liang and I will grow closer.”
The butler’s mourning pause shattered mid-sorrow: “…”
“As we deepen our bond,” President Huo reasoned, “our calls won’t focus solely on work. He’ll contact me when homesick.”
The butler swallowed his doubt about Liang Xiao’s current attachment level: “Quite right.”
President Huo resumed work, accustomed to this disciplined existence. Yet being with Liang Xiao remained his only indulgence – the dangerous temptation to abandon duties and simply hold his sleeping partner required strict boundaries. For now.
The butler watched this self-imposed isolation, quietly closing the door on a man who’d traded youthful dreams for dynastic duty, now gambling that love might bloom within steel-lined walls of restraint.
Liang Xiao put down the script, rubbed his eyes, and couldn’t help but yawn again.
“Go to bed early today.”
Duan Ming helped him pack his luggage simply and noticed he was still preciously holding his phone: “What did President Huo say to you?”
Liang Xiao seemed quite satisfied: “Nothing at all.”
“…” Duan Ming: “Huh?”
Liang Xiao had already quickly integrated into the new crew. Today, he spent the whole day reading the script with them, made many notes, and still needed to organize them for better understanding.
Liang Xiao carefully put away the script and enthusiastically shared: “President Huo talked to me for a full five minutes.”
Duan Ming looked at him for a while, then raised his hand to feel his forehead: “Are you already asleep?”
“…” Liang Xiao brushed his hand away: “No.”
Although the content was completely insubstantial, Liang Xiao was already quite content just to hear Huo Lan speaking seriously in a low voice.
Especially… since the content was insubstantial.
For Huo Lan, being able to patiently talk nonsense with him for five minutes might already be pushing his limits.
Different people have different ways of expressing emotions. Liang Xiao was very familiar with their President Huo’s style. He patted Duan Ming’s shoulder: “President Huo cares about me a lot.”
His attitude was so calm and confident that Duan Ming looked at Liang Xiao in a daze, almost believing him: “Is that so…”
Liang Xiao nodded: “Yes.”
Liang Xiao had even recorded the call, intending to listen to it when he had nothing else to do. With this five-minute phone recording to recharge, he could probably cruise smoothly for a week.
Duan Ming vaguely felt something was off, but Liang Xiao’s demeanor was so steady that he couldn’t find any flaws for the moment.
After a while, Duan Ming asked: “So… you’re just going to sleep like this?”
Liang Xiao shook his head: “I’m planning to sleep while listening to President Huo’s recording, using President Huo’s candy as a pillow, and hugging President Huo’s coat.”
Duan Ming: “…”
Duan Ming muttered: “Then isn’t President Huo’s love life too easy…”
The main process was entirely solved by the other party’s self-imagination.
Duan Ming couldn’t find any problems with this theory for now, but seeing Liang Xiao clutching President Huo’s coat without letting go, he still felt something was off: “Don’t you― miss President Huo?”
Liang Xiao was happy for two seconds, then his ears suddenly turned a bit red. He coughed once and didn’t say anything.
Duan Ming saw through him at a glance: “You can’t sleep at all, can you?”
Liang Xiao’s face heated up: “Brother Duan!”
“Since you’re thinking about him so much.”
Duan Ming explored further: “Why don’t you call President Huo?”
Liang Xiao looked troubled: “I’ve run out of reasons.”
Duan Ming was stunned for a moment: “What reasons?”
“I’ve used five reasons to call President Huo before.”
Liang Xiao counted for him: “The first one was that the crew asked me to contact Xingguan to adjust the character design, the second one was that I didn’t understand how Xingguan wanted to adjust the character design.”
Liang Xiao: “The third one was that I still didn’t understand…”
Duan Ming pressed his forehead: “The fourth one was that you still didn’t understand, and the fifth one was that for some reason… you just couldn’t understand.”
Liang Xiao: “…Right.”
He had already tried his best.
If he still couldn’t understand, it wouldn’t be a problem with his feelings, but with his brain.
Duan Ming roughly understood and rubbed his forehead several times, trying his best to think of ideas for him: “Is there anything you forgot at the villa that needs to be sent over… would that work?”
“Tried that,” Liang Xiao said dejectedly. “The Xingguan team bought it for me right away.”
Duan Ming felt a headache coming on: “You’re not adapting well, your pheromones are fluctuating, and you didn’t bring enough suppressants.”
Liang Xiao: “Feiyang Pharmaceuticals sent me two more boxes.”
Duan Ming, feeling numb: “You were thinking about President Huo, tripped when going out, and hit your head on the doorframe.”
Liang Xiao: “The medical team is at a loss, and urgently needs President Huo to come and blow on it for me.”
“…” Duan Ming: “You found some parts of the contract you don’t understand and want President Huo to explain them…”
“It’s the same,” Liang Xiao said expertly. “President Huo would just give me a detailed five-minute explanation about the contract.”
Duan Ming was going crazy: “Why would President Huo explain the contract to you?”
Liang Xiao: “Because there are parts I don’t understand.”
When Liang Xiao was younger, he wasn’t used to this kind of treatment. Later, he found that everyone around him was like this and thought the problem might be with himself, so he happily bowed to fate and accepted this setting.
Liang Xiao paused: “Isn’t everyone like this?”
“No!” Duan Ming exclaimed, exasperated. “You call when you’re dating! Who explains work stuff when they’re dating? When you wanted to chat with someone as a kid, did they also force you to listen to them explain problems?”
Liang Xiao looked confused: “Yes, they did.”
Duan Ming: “….”
Duan Ming took a deep breath, patted his shoulder, took his clothes, and staggered towards the door.
Liang Xiao was a bit worried: “Brother Duan?”
“It’s fine,” Duan Ming said coldly as he turned off the lights and closed the door. “Sleep by yourself.”
