After the video conference, President Huo’s mood was noticeably dampened.
Even Mr. Liang’s generous cooperation upon returning from filming—performing an improvised tiger-hunting spear technique with a clothes drying rack in the presidential suite—couldn’t turn the tide.
“What happened?”
Liang Xiao delegated the burden of editing his Weibo post to his manager and assistant before lowering his voice to ask the butler: “Is President Huo having work troubles?”
The butler, having witnessed the entire situation unfold, felt somewhat conflicted: “Not exactly…”
Liang Xiao spent a while sculpting a finger-sized snowman before placing it in the refrigerator: “Then what’s the matter?”
The butler didn’t have the heart to interfere with Mr. Liang’s artistic expression. He turned and led Liang Xiao through the living room before opening the door to the master bedroom.
Liang Xiao stared at the winter wonderland that was the master bedroom: “…”
Liang Xiao asked: “Did President Huo just complete an evolution in here?”
The butler coughed lightly: “No.”
President Huo had merely failed to freeze the head of Xingguan’s Public Relations Department through the internet.
The butler called for staff to clean up the room and briefly explained the situation to Liang Xiao: “…That’s basically it.”
He continued: “According to the plan, you’ll be joining a vacation-style variety show with the production team, spending four days and three nights together.”
Unlike challenge or game-based shows, vacation-style variety shows offered more freedom during filming. Participants weren’t required to strictly follow a script or character setting, and any rules were typically quite relaxed.
This type of show was friendly to artists who didn’t primarily focus on variety programs, and it was the promotional format chosen by most production teams.
Liang Xiao didn’t have any objections and nodded slightly: “That’s fine.”
The butler hesitated before adding: “Two people sharing one room.”
Having experienced dormitory-style sleeping arrangements before, Liang Xiao wasn’t concerned about this either: “That’s fine.”
The butler reluctantly continued: “One bed.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
Liang Xiao: “Am I going on a blind-date vacation show?”
The butler quickly explained: “No, no…”
Although there was only one bed, because it followed the northern rural communal sleeping style, the two people’s range of movement wouldn’t actually interfere with each other.
But these details didn’t need to be explained to Mr. Liang just yet.
The butler had too many people to support on his side. Sighing, he decided to be straightforward with Liang Xiao: “President Huo really wants to go with you.”
Liang Xiao had just sent a message to Duan Ming, intending to discuss declining the invitation with his manager. Hearing this, he paused, his eyes brightening involuntarily: “Is that possible?”
“In principle, yes,” the butler nodded. “President Huo is an investor in this production and a member of the creative team.”
During the initial filming, President Huo once became a trending topic alongside the Year-End production team after carrying Mr. Liang off the set. Appearing together on a show would actually be a natural progression.
Liang Xiao quickly hid his phone and nodded in agreement.
The butler hesitated before sighing.
“Is someone preventing President Huo from going?”
Liang Xiao had pieced most of it together: “Does Xingguan internal management think it’s inappropriate?”
The butler sighed again: “President Huo from half an hour ago thought it was inappropriate.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
Liang Xiao understood: “And half an hour later, President Huo learned about the participants and specific content of the variety show.”
The butler was moved to tears by his understanding: “You truly deserve your brilliant career.”
Liang Xiao smiled, sending several messages to his manager to explain the situation. After careful consideration, he nodded: “Alright… I understand.”
The butler was slightly surprised: “What do you understand?”
“I’ll figure something out,” Liang Xiao said confidently. “When the time comes, I’ll negotiate on my end, saying my glands are unstable and President Huo must accompany me.”
Having grown accustomed to taking the blame, Liang Xiao didn’t mind at all and enthusiastically elaborated: “I’ll act like a diva, demanding CEO-level treatment or refusing to cooperate. Or I could pretend to be spoiled, saying I feel too lonely—’Deep in the wutong courtyard, autumn’s melancholy is locked away…'”
The butler listened with profound respect but before he could respond, the master bedroom door suddenly opened.
Liang Xiao, who hadn’t finished reciting his poem, instinctively looked up: “‘Cut not apart, reason still—'”
Huo Lan, having managed to stop the snow and just taken a hot shower, emerged with steam rising around him: “No need.”
Liang Xiao paused in surprise.
“Send a letter back,” Huo Lan instructed. “Forbid—”
Huo Lan’s brows furrowed as he suppressed his irritation: “Forbid Mr. Liang from sharing a room with Director Song Qi.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
Caught off guard by the revelation of what had been arranged for him, Liang Xiao exclaimed: “Why would I be sharing a room with Director Song?!”
The butler tried to explain: “Mr. Liang—”
Liang Xiao couldn’t understand: “What would we even do in the same room? Keep Director Song company while he plays mahjong in the middle of the night?!”
“That won’t happen,” the butler quickly reassured him. “You could also share a room with the screenwriter…”
Huo Lan declared firmly: “I will be attending the variety show with Mr. Liang.”
The butler was momentarily stunned.
Noticing the butler’s stare, Huo Lan frowned slightly: “I will share a room with Mr. Liang.”
Given President Huo’s usual temperament, the butler had actually prepared himself to find Huo Lan frozen in his room all night, necessitating an ice pick to extract him the next day. Hearing this statement caught him somewhat off guard: “Yes… you will definitely share a room with Mr. Liang.”
Huo Lan added: “We will spend day and night together.”
The butler nodded numbly.
Concerned that these people might outwardly agree but secretly do otherwise, Huo Lan’s brows furrowed deeper: “We will share all meals and daily activities.”
The butler, who needed to record these instructions to send back to the board secretary’s office with the CEO’s official seal, hesitated with his pen: “This part—”
Huo Lan: “Bold and emphasize it.”
“…” The butler replied: “Understood.”
Liang Xiao, having recovered from his surprise, stopped the butler: “Actually, there’s no need…”
He walked over and gently tugged at Huo Lan’s arm, speaking softly to negotiate: “We don’t need to be so formal about it. I can just say the word.”
When Huo Lan felt Liang Xiao’s grip on his arm, the cold aloofness surrounding him softened considerably. He looked up at Liang Xiao and shook his head slightly.
Liang Xiao couldn’t help but laugh: “You are the CEO after all. It’s not appropriate to change orders so quickly, and it’s not good to retract your words even when you’re wrong.”
“It’s not like we’re showing off to the public,” Liang Xiao continued. “We’re all on the same team here—just joking around…”
With Liang Xiao providing a graceful way out, the Xingguan side would likely understand what was happening. Combined with the butler’s diplomatic skills, all the steps to smooth things over could be arranged.
It wasn’t a major issue—with everyone working together, they could easily resolve it.
There was no need for President Huo to take such a dramatic high dive personally.
Having thought it through, Liang Xiao was about to leave and find his manager to help craft a suitable excuse when Huo Lan suddenly reached out and stopped him.
Liang Xiao looked confused: “President Huo?”
“Because we’re on the same team,” Huo Lan said, “we should respect you even more.”
Liang Xiao froze momentarily before instinctively looking up, his gaze meeting Huo Lan’s eyes.
“If I make mistakes again, you can correct me,” Huo Lan said.
Looking directly at him, eyes like deep pools of melting snow, Huo Lan added softly: “If you teach me, I will change.”
Liang Xiao’s chest fluttered involuntarily. After a moment, he smiled and nodded: “Alright.”
Perhaps they had all been overthinking this.
Huo Lan was more straightforward and sincere than most people. Although he sometimes got caught in his own logic, he had never actually been stubborn or unreasonable.
President Huo might appear cold and intimidating, keeping people at a distance, but no matter how sharp or distant he seemed, he had never shelved any artist or privately dealt with any employee unfairly.
Liang Xiao felt Huo Lan’s body, pulled him into his arms to warm him with his body heat, and taught him the first thing to change: “In the future, don’t rush to take a hot shower right after making it snow.”
Huo Lan held him and said softly: “I won’t catch a cold.”
“I know,” Liang Xiao patted his back. “We’ve just become a walking cloud now.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Liang Xiao turned around and waved vaguely in the butler’s direction through the mist: “Are you there? Should I try on the suit now?”
…
President Huo moved to a different bedroom, taking extra time to completely clear away the mist.
He finished just as Mr. Liang had tried on the suit and was pushing open the door.
Huo Lan looked toward the door at the sound, and his gaze fell on Liang Xiao. He couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.
Liang Xiao rarely dressed this way. The few suits in Cloud Flag were cut in more traditional three-piece styles to fit the era, not the formal tailored wear specifically designed for banquets and social occasions.
Liang Xiao’s natural good looks couldn’t be subdued. Even without special styling, the well-fitted formal wear made him stand out even more impressively.
The youthful freshness that usually characterized him was temporarily masked, revealing instead an elegant refinement reminiscent of young bamboo.
Liang Xiao struck a pose to show off, met Huo Lan’s gaze, and couldn’t help but smile: “How does it look?”
Huo Lan stared at him intently before giving a slight nod.
“Very—” Huo Lan managed, “very impressive.”
Liang Xiao was uncomfortable with how stiff he felt but didn’t want to wrinkle the suit. He raised his hand to try unfastening the button at his collar: “It’s just too constraining… uncomfortable.”
If he were to perform with the clothes rack while wearing this outfit, he’d probably tear at least fifteen or sixteen holes in it.
Accustomed to loose-fitting clothing, Liang Xiao was experiencing Huo Lan’s daily reality for the first time. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked: “President Huo, don’t you find wearing dress shirts uncomfortable every day?”
Huo Lan nodded: “I do.”
Liang Xiao had expected him to say it wasn’t bad. Surprised by the honest admission, his eyes widened.
Noticing Liang Xiao’s continued struggle with the collar button, Huo Lan pressed his lips together slightly before rising to approach him: “I don’t particularly like them.”
Liang Xiao’s heartbeat quickened involuntarily as Huo Lan took hold of his hand and moved it aside. He watched closely as Huo Lan worked.
“This is a horizontal button—you can’t unfasten it the usual way.”
Huo Lan instructed softly, his finger pressing against the button, slightly angling it past the horizontal bar to free it. “The one you gave me…”
Unused to such talk, Huo Lan fell silent momentarily before forcing himself to continue.
Seeing his struggle, Liang Xiao instinctively helped: “The pajamas?”
Huo Lan nodded slightly: “They’re the most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn.”
Liang Xiao felt a warmth spread through his heart and nuzzled against President Huo’s neck: “Then I’ll give them a five-star review when I get back.”
Huo Lan seemed to enjoy this type of contact. Mimicking Liang Xiao’s gesture, he lowered his head and gently rubbed against the top of Liang Xiao’s head.
Liang Xiao’s ears heated up as he called softly: “Huo Lan.”
Huo Lan responded: “Mmm.”
Perhaps because President Huo had finally recognized the drawbacks of being so quiet and reserved, he was behaving more humanly tonight. This encouraged Liang Xiao to be more forthcoming: “Can I teach you about all the mistakes you’ve made?”
Huo Lan’s chest tightened silently.
After hearing Liang Xiao so readily take the blame outside the door, he knew he’d likely made more than just one mistake.
While waiting in the bedroom for the hot and cold air to mix, Huo Lan had already tried his best to reflect on his actions. But being in the middle of the situation, he couldn’t see things clearly no matter how hard he tried.
Suppressing his self-reproach, Huo Lan closed his eyes briefly: “Yes.”
Seizing the opportunity, Liang Xiao immediately attacked the flower-and-leaf no-meeting rule: “Actually… I’ve had some issues with the 7 PM to 11 PM arrangement.”
Huo Lan was slightly confused: “Wasn’t it—”
“Not what I suggested!” Liang Xiao couldn’t understand how this had been attributed to him and felt somewhat anxious. “My proposal was for midnight to 3 AM!”
Huo Lan stared at him in surprise for a long while, his eyes brightening slightly as he nodded.
“But we still need to ensure work gets done,” Huo Lan said softly, negotiating with him. “We can’t neglect important matters.”
Liang Xiao was accommodating: “No problem.”
Huo Lan pressed his lips together briefly and nodded: “Good.”
Liang Xiao let out a long breath, feeling himself warm up slightly and fanning himself: “Also…”
He coughed lightly: “What we do together isn’t really improper.”
For Liang Xiao, the boundaries were neckties binding hands and floor-to-ceiling windows—he accepted anything above that line, not believing Huo Lan could exceed these limits: “So whatever we want to do, we can actually do it.”
Huo Lan’s thoughts ran much slower than Liang Xiao’s. His mind was lingering between wanting to kiss Mr. Liang’s eyes and helping Mr. Liang remove his formal suit. He lowered his gaze and said in a hoarse voice: “But—”
Liang Xiao quickly added: “And it’s not offensive either.”
Caught completely off guard, Huo Lan closed his eyes and engaged in an intense internal struggle. Unable to suppress the emotions stirring inside him, his ears reddened slightly as he nodded: “Alright.”
With two consecutive victories, Liang Xiao gave himself an encouraging gesture and pressed on: “Also, when I’m memorizing scripts, it’s not really necessary to write it out after failing three times…”
Huo Lan: “Not acceptable.”
“…” Liang Xiao looked up in shock: “What?”
Huo Lan patted his head gently: “It can be extended to five times.”
Having resolved the two most challenging issues, Liang Xiao never expected to get stuck at this point: “Even without writing it out, I actually—”
Huo Lan raised his eyes, deep pools of melting snow silently reflecting Liang Xiao’s image.
Liang Xiao: “…”
After a moment of intense self-reflection, Liang Xiao reached a conclusion and muttered in disbelief: “I really can’t memorize it…”
Huo Lan nodded slightly.
Remembering Liang Xiao’s advice, he no longer suppressed his inner thoughts and raised his hand to help Liang Xiao unfasten his suit buttons.
Liang Xiao swayed slightly, clutching his chest in a daze before stumbling out the door.
