Liang Xiao opened his mouth but suddenly lost his voice.
He had seen Huo Lan as soon as he opened the door and had mentally prepared himself on the way back, planning to give their President Huo a nice smile and say a few words.
Now… he had forgotten it all.
Liang Xiao’s hand tightened on the car door.
He felt a bit unsteady. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes tightly, trying his best to stand up straight.
Seeing Liang Xiao frozen outside, Huo Lan leaned out of the car, grasped Liang Xiao’s arm, and with his right hand around Liang Xiao’s back, pulled him directly into the car.
The car’s heater was on full blast. Suddenly being embraced in this bright, warm space, Liang Xiao realized there was an invisible layer of thin ice melting off him, and his previously numb senses were gradually recovering.
The biting cold of winter had long seeped in, and now, forced out by the warm air, it made him instinctively shiver slightly.
Liang Xiao was already trying his best to control it, but the two were so close that nothing could be hidden.
Huo Lan frowned deeply, tightening his arms: “Cold?”
Liang Xiao smiled: “A little.”
Huo Lan had left in such a hurry that he didn’t bring his coat. He scanned the car interior but couldn’t even find a blanket.
Huo Lan looked up, suppressing his anger: “What’s going on?”
The butler explained softly: “They were taken for washing.”
Huo Lan hadn’t expected such negligence from his staff. Feeling a surge of silent irritation in his chest, he closed his eyes and said in a low voice: “It’s a van. There’s not even a spare?”
The butler, who had been urgently woken up in the middle of the night to follow President Huo to pick up Liang Xiao, had used those three minutes of preparation time to hurriedly search and hide all the blankets in the car: “…No.”
The butler, risking life and limb, continued: “I’m responsible for Mr. Liang’s car. I failed to arrange properly and forgot to prepare extra blankets.”
Liang Xiao coughed, propping himself up to sit: “It’s not necessary–”
The butler exclaimed: “Mr. Liang, how did you get so cold?!”
Liang Xiao: “I–”
The butler, quick as lightning, took advantage of Huo Lan’s distraction to remove the two heat packs from Liang Xiao’s body.
Liang Xiao: “…”
The butler had done his best. He retreated to the back row space where the light couldn’t reach, focusing on his breathing and closing his eyes tightly with iron-willed determination.
The car fell silent for a moment.
Huo Lan frowned deeply and raised his gaze.
He didn’t want to lose his temper in front of Liang Xiao and had always respected the butler. With nowhere to vent his anger, he had just managed to suppress his irritation at this negligent behavior.
In the blink of an eye, the situation had suddenly changed again.
Huo Lan was still a bit dazed, somewhat bewildered, watching the puzzling development of events before him.
Liang Xiao pressed his forehead: “…It’s not necessary. I’m fine.”
The butler had good intentions, and Liang Xiao understood, but this progress was indeed too fast for President Huo.
During those three days after confirming their relationship, Liang Xiao had tried his best.
He had tried everything, even pretending to have a mosquito bite on his back, but he neither succeeded in getting Huo Lan to help him change clothes nor managed to unbutton Huo Lan’s second button.
Liang Xiao sometimes thought that in their President Huo’s view, this matter probably had to be left for a much later stage.
At least after they had gone to Iceland to soak in hot springs and see the aurora, or sunbathed on Hawaii’s beaches, manually removing the clothes of either of them would not be considered improper by Huo Lan.
Liang Xiao’s thoughts were a bit muddled, vaguely considering how to dress for hot springs and beaches given the circumstances, when Huo Lan flipped him over with one hand.
Liang Xiao was pretty much used to being flipped over by now, cooperatively switching hands and gripping Huo Lan’s arm: “It’s really fine, I just got cold. Once I warm up a bit…”
Liang Xiao opened his mouth but lost his voice.
Liang Xiao slowly raised his head, gradually widening his eyes.
…
Huo Lan felt agitated under his stare. He closed his eyes briefly, covering Liang Xiao’s view, and began unbuttoning his shirt one by one with one hand.
Under Huo Lan’s palm, Liang Xiao felt a bit dazed: “President Huo.”
Huo Lan, unbuttoning his shirt: “Mm.”
Liang Xiao murmured: “Are you real?”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan embraced him, wrapping Liang Xiao’s ice-cold body in his warm chest and shoulders: “Yes.”
The temperature difference between their bodies was too great. As Huo Lan’s body heat warmed him, Liang Xiao’s previous chill became even more pronounced, making him instinctively shiver a bit.
Liang Xiao, shivering: “Am I-I real?”
Huo Lan’s chest surged silently. He closed his eyes and held Liang Xiao close to his chest: “Yes.”
Liang Xiao didn’t quite believe it: “Th-then kiss me.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Liang Xiao closed his eyes tightly, counted to ten, and felt the chest and shoulders against him slowly tense up, but Huo Lan didn’t move.
Liang Xiao opened his eyes, sighing with mixed joy and worry.
It was real.
Not a dream.
If it were the Huo Lan in his dreams, he would have already kissed him senseless by now.
Liang Xiao felt content, seizing the opportunity. He steeled himself, closed his eyes, and hid his face, leaning closer to Huo Lan’s chest.
Huo Lan held him tightly, his heartbeat slightly quickened, each beat distinctly felt through his strong chest.
With his eyes still covered, Liang Xiao listened to Huo Lan’s heartbeat. His face grew hot, and suddenly his chest felt warm and a bit sore.
After fumbling a few times, Liang Xiao grasped Huo Lan’s hand: “Did you… hear about what happened here?”
Huo Lan was silent for a moment, then grasped Liang Xiao’s hand in return.
“It’s really nothing,” Liang Xiao said softly. “Someone installed a camera in the room. I didn’t even go in.”
“Really, I’m very alert now.”
Liang Xiao smiled: “I can spot anything unusual at a glance. I–”
Huo Lan closed his eyes forcefully, concealing the turbulence in his gaze. He removed the hand covering Liang Xiao’s eyes and pulled him closer into his embrace.
Liang Xiao met Huo Lan’s gaze and was stunned for a moment.
Huo Lan stared at him for a while, then said in a low voice: “It won’t happen a second time.”
Liang Xiao was quiet for a few seconds, then smiled: “I know.”
Back at Longtao, he had to be cautious about his life and property, but now that he and all his assets were with Xingguan, there was nothing to worry about anymore.
He just… couldn’t control it.
A habit born from past trauma, it would pass after a night’s rest.
Liang Xiao had only planned to make do in the car for the night, not intending to disturb Huo Lan.
“It was really nothing, you came back for nothing.”
Liang Xiao lowered his head, his face still bearing a slight smile: “Actually, it’s my fault for overreacting. Next time–”
Huo Lan: “I didn’t leave.”
Liang Xiao was taken aback: “What?”
Huo Lan originally didn’t want to tell him, but after tonight’s events, he fell silent for a moment before gently releasing Liang Xiao.
Huo Lan put on his clothes and opened the car door with one hand.
Only then did Liang Xiao realize the van had stopped at some point. He tightened his coat and followed Huo Lan out of the car, looking at the familiar five-star hotel: “…”
Duan Ming had told him there was only one five-star hotel in this area.
It was just two hundred meters away, ridiculously close. He could see it from his room window.
Every night, the assistant would lean on the windowsill, gazing at the money-scented happy life just across the street.
Liang Xiao mumbled in confusion: “What kind of man-made ‘so close yet so far’ is this…”
Huo Lan didn’t hear clearly: “What?”
“Nothing,” Liang Xiao steadied himself. “Have you… been staying here these past few days?”
Huo Lan entered the elevator and remained silent for a long time, not answering: “You also look outside when you open the window at night.”
Liang Xiao didn’t dare tell him it was the assistant looking out these past two days. He coughed: “Yes…”
Liang Xiao really couldn’t understand: “If you were staying here, why didn’t you tell me?”
Huo Lan’s shoulders tensed silently. He lowered his gaze and didn’t speak.
Liang Xiao discreetly moved back a bit and gave the butler a small questioning look.
“Because President Huo was worried,” the butler moved closer and lowered his voice to whisper to him. “Once he told you, you would be so distracted thinking about him that you couldn’t memorize your script, affecting your performance on set.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
The butler wanted to continue: “Actually–”
Actually, if President Huo were in his normal state, this kind of worry wouldn’t be a problem.
But President Huo was currently in his sensitive period.
The butler reasonably suspected that their sensitive-period President Huo was more worried that once he told Mr. Liang, he wouldn’t be able to resist just playing with Mr. Liang and would be too distracted to finish his work.
The butler only said two words before sensing a faint chill behind him and promptly closed his mouth.
The elevator stopped at the top floor.
Liang Xiao understood and nodded to the butler.
The door opened, and Xingguan’s team was waiting at the entrance, warm light spilling out.
Liang Xiao collected himself and didn’t ask any more questions, following President Huo into the unfamiliar yet familiar presidential suite.
–
Different five-star hotels might have slight variations in style for standard rooms, but presidential suites were uniformly luxurious.
In the bathroom, the assistant team had already filled the bathtub with hot water.
Knowing he was coming, they had also prepared a full row of bath products.
Liang Xiao stood at the bathroom door, looking at the neatly arranged, almost parade-like lineup of disposable shampoo and shower gel bottles: “…”
Liang Xiao chose to ignore it, stepped into the bathtub, and expertly turned on the hot water, dousing himself from head to toe.
Outside, he could hear Huo Lan giving instructions to the butler, but the sound of the shower made it unclear. The warm water flow mixed with the bright, warm light, enveloping him completely.
Liang Xiao closed his eyes, resting his head on the edge of the bathtub, his mind finally settling completely.
He really hadn’t expected to see Huo Lan at a time like this.
President Huo wasn’t particular about where he worked, whether in the office or in bed. Liang Xiao was no stranger to seeing their President Huo holding his neck with his teeth, one arm around him and the other on the mouse, calmly and decisively rejecting two urgent applications from subordinates that couldn’t be delayed.
So even if he didn’t go back, staying at a hotel here and working remotely via fax and video conferences would have been the same.
But Huo Lan had already been staying at the hotel and hadn’t planned to tell him.
And it was because he was afraid that Liang Xiao would be… too distracted and absent-minded.
Liang Xiao held back for a long time but couldn’t resist. Frustrated, he dunked his head underwater and blew a stream of bubbles.
If this incident hadn’t happened, who knows how long their President Huo would have silently stood by the window each night, looking at the assistant leaning out, all for the sake of Liang Xiao’s concentration on work…
Liang Xiao shuddered at his own imagination and lifted his head from the water, taking a deep breath.
Huo Lan’s voice came from outside: “Liang Xiao?”
Liang Xiao swallowed the “Yes” that was about to come out: “…I’m here.”
Huo Lan fell silent after that.
Liang Xiao waited for a while but didn’t hear a second sentence: “…President Huo? What is it?”
Liang Xiao thought for a moment: “Do you need to use the bathroom? I’m almost done soaking, I’ll–”
Huo Lan: “No need.”
Liang Xiao hadn’t planned to get up anyway, so he lay back down and turned on the bathtub’s built-in water jet massage.
Huo Lan was silent for a while: “I’m sorry.”
The water jet hit his acupoints, relieving fatigue with a mix of soreness and pain. Liang Xiao was mainly stuck on the pain part, trying hard to swallow the moan that almost escaped: “Huh?”
Huo Lan: “I just–”
Huo Lan didn’t know how to explain to him. After a moment of silence, he continued in a low voice: “I don’t doubt your abilities.”
Liang Xiao had some doubts about the massage intensity of this hotel’s bathtub. He gripped the edge of the tub, finally managing to find the button to turn it off.
Liang Xiao, feeling like he’d survived a disaster, massaged his sore shoulders and gathered his thoughts: “I know.”
Despite his frustration, when Liang Xiao calmed down and thought carefully, Huo Lan’s concerns weren’t entirely unfounded.
Period drama dialogues were already a common challenge for actors. He had been able to imprint the plot in his subconscious these past few days because he was focused solely on memorizing the script, not letting anything else distract him.
If he had known Huo Lan was staying here…
Liang Xiao thought about the script their President Huo had read to him during those three days.
Thinking back, he could clearly remember Huo Lan’s deep, gentle voice, the sharp line of his Adam’s apple as it moved, the arms and chest that encircled him.
But he couldn’t remember a single line of what was read.
Liang Xiao pressed his forehead and smiled: “Actually, your concerns were valid…”
Huo Lan: “You wouldn’t have messed up.”
Liang Xiao was taken aback and didn’t speak.
“I didn’t leave…”
When not looking at Liang Xiao, Huo Lan’s language system seemed to function better. Through the bathroom door, he explained in a low voice: “Because I missed home.”
Liang Xiao’s eyes stung traitorously. He managed a smile: “If you missed home, why didn’t you go back to the villa…”
Huo Lan: “Home is where you are.”
