The butler anxiously waited outside, holding an entire box of various protective supplies, helplessly watching as President Huo went to the guest room to take a cold shower and administered two doses of inhibitor to himself.
Standing guard at the guest room, the butler expressed his disappointment: “President Huo…”
Huo Lan inexplicably disliked his tone and frowned as he turned around.
The butler didn’t dare persuade him but offered auxiliary medication to reduce side effects: “Mr. Liang wouldn’t mind if you—”
Huo Lan cut him off firmly: “His body can’t handle it.”
Mr. Liang usually appeared so healthy that the butler had almost forgotten this fact. Hearing this, he was taken aback and fell silent.
After taking the inhibitor, Huo Lan closed his eyes to rest for a moment and pressed his forehead.
The butler handed him the auxiliary medication: “Is something troubling you?”
Huo Lan said quietly: “His manager mentioned that when he got drunk before, he went to a flower bed.”
To prevent President Huo from mishandling drunk Liang Xiao, the butler had already explained this in detail. He was surprised: “Yes… he was later found and brought back.”
When exchanging information with the manager, the butler had heard the complete story: “When Mr. Duan went to find him, he saw Mr. Liang severely drunk, crying alone in the rest room…”
Huo Lan stated: “He was sober at that time.”
The butler was stunned into silence.
Huo Lan didn’t elaborate further and quickly returned to the master bedroom.
—
Mr. Liang had been in the bathroom for quite some time.
Huo Lan waited outside the door for half an hour, growing increasingly worried. He tried knocking several times but received no response.
Huo Lan’s heart skipped a beat: “Liang Xiao?”
The bathroom remained quiet, with only the faint sound of water.
Huo Lan’s chest tightened sharply as he flung open the door and rushed to the bathtub: “Liang—”
He abruptly halted his steps, his voice softening.
Liang Xiao was sleeping soundly with his head resting on the edge of the bathtub.
Apparently concerned about slipping into the bathtub, during his last moments of consciousness, Liang Xiao had, with remarkable safety awareness, wrapped himself several times with the flexible shower hose.
Huo Lan stood there for a while, almost shocked by Liang Xiao’s excessive safety measures. He pressed his forehead and half-squatted down.
Liang Xiao, annoyed that Huo Lan was blocking the light, grumbled and pushed his head aside.
Huo Lan cooperatively moved to let the warm light shine on Liang Xiao, holding him against his shoulder.
Liang Xiao had likely been asleep for a while. The parts of him not submerged in water were almost cold to the touch, and the metal coil had left several obvious red marks on his skin.
His fair complexion made the red marks look rather alarming. But the safety-conscious Mr. Liang remained particularly determined, firmly holding onto his “safety rope” despite Huo Lan’s attempts to gently pull it away.
“It’s alright… I’m here,” Huo Lan said softly to comfort him. “I’m here now.”
Liang Xiao opened his eyes with both hands: “Huo Lan?”
Huo Lan held his hand and kissed his eyes: “Mmm.”
Liang Xiao’s moment of clarity had completely passed.
He was much more uninhibited than usual and was delighted to see Huo Lan. Without mercy, he sprayed President Huo’s face with water using the shower head.
Huo Lan: “…”
Liang Xiao had always genuinely wanted to know: “Will it freeze into an ice mask? And then peel off…”
“…” Huo Lan: “No.”
Wanting to please him, Huo Lan patiently answered: “It forms a layer of frost.”
Liang Xiao: “?!”
Taking advantage of his distraction, Huo Lan took the shower head, tested the temperature, and carefully poured some hot water over him: “When I first differentiated, I couldn’t control it well at all.”
Liang Xiao imagined young Huo Lan with frost hanging from his eyebrows and couldn’t stop laughing at the thought: “So serious for such a young age… I wish I could have seen it.”
Huo Lan’s lips curved upward as he stroked Liang Xiao’s head: “Originally—”
He paused, not continuing his thought, and instead kissed Liang Xiao’s forehead: “Have you bathed enough?”
Liang Xiao was very concerned about accidentally drowning in the bathtub and hadn’t dared to properly enjoy the bath. He reluctantly shook his head.
Huo Lan didn’t rush him. He steadied Liang Xiao and put the shower head back: “Let’s soak a bit longer.”
Liang Xiao was quite particular and complained: “It’s uncomfortable.”
Hearing this, Huo Lan paused slightly. With one hand supporting Liang Xiao, he felt the bathtub and explained: “It’s made of cypress wood.”
Liang Xiao wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about cypress wood, but he knew very well about President Huo’s shoulders. Sitting in the water, he tugged at Huo Lan’s shirt sleeve.
Huo Lan: “…”
Mr. Liang not only had strong safety awareness but had also accurately predicted his own behavior while drunk.
Having taken the inhibitor, Huo Lan was no longer worried about freezing Liang Xiao. After contemplating for a moment, he followed the pull and stepped into the bathtub.
Liang Xiao buried himself against the familiar chest and shoulders, firmly gripping the hem of Huo Lan’s shirt. Completely reassured now, he slowly melted into the water.
Huo Lan protected him and said softly: “Liang Xiao.”
As Liang Xiao slid further down, he vaguely felt that gripping just the shirt wasn’t enough. He fumbled around and gave a tug.
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan raised his hand, trying his best to protect: “Liang Xiao.”
Liang Xiao was somewhat awakened by the call and looked up in confusion.
His features were delicate, moistened by the steam, which made his clear eyes seem almost transparent.
Huo Lan looked at his own reflection in Liang Xiao’s eyes: “When something is troubling you, tell me.”
After hearing from the butler about Liang Xiao venting after getting drunk in the past, Huo Lan hadn’t had time to think more deeply about it. It wasn’t until Liang Xiao desperately tried to make him leave at the villa entrance that the scattered pieces of knowledge finally began to fit together, revealing a pattern.
Liang Xiao was too good at enduring—swallowing grievances and hardships as if they were nothing, pushing through illness and exhaustion without concern, gritting his teeth and silently bearing pain.
Only when he truly couldn’t bear it anymore would he use the excuse of drunkenness to consciously allow himself to cry.
Sometimes Huo Lan would wonder just how many things Liang Xiao kept tightly hidden away that he didn’t yet know about.
Huo Lan closed his eyes and tried to restrain himself for a moment, but ultimately couldn’t hold back. He lowered his head and kissed Liang Xiao amid the warm steam.
The shower dutifully poured hot water as their cool lips gently brushed against each other, gradually warming with emotion.
Liang Xiao, kissed in his foggy state for a while, suddenly came to his senses. His eyes brightened as he enthusiastically planted himself on Huo Lan’s lap.
Huo Lan: “…”
Mr. Liang’s enthusiasm was forceful enough to nip any romantic mood in the bud.
Huo Lan held him and adjusted their position, letting Liang Xiao lean against him: “You can tell me… I won’t be affected.”
Liang Xiao, leaning in Huo Lan’s arms while playing with the water, paused briefly as ripples spread from his palm.
After a moment of silence, Huo Lan felt his words weren’t entirely accurate and gently corrected himself: “I will feel pain, but it won’t affect my work or life, nor will I let emotions influence me for too long.”
“We’re family now.”
Holding Liang Xiao, Huo Lan continued: “We should take care of each other, sharing one person’s burdens between two people.”
Liang Xiao’s drunk logic was very straightforward. After hearing this speech, he almost felt guilty about keeping secrets: “Is that so?”
Huo Lan nodded.
Liang Xiao looked up: “QAQ.”
Huo Lan’s chest ached in response. He stroked Liang Xiao’s head and asked softly: “What is it?”
“You haven’t kept anything from me,” Liang Xiao said. Having no concept of family, he trusted Huo Lan completely and couldn’t help criticizing himself: “But I’ve kept things from you.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Unusually guilty, Huo Lan said quietly: “I also—”
Not listening to his words, Liang Xiao struggled to turn around and tugged at him: “Huo Lan, do you remember when I told you about that person I met in Jiangnan…”
Huo Lan froze: “…”
“Don’t be jealous, but could you help me find him?” Liang Xiao’s voice was somewhat hoarse as he gripped Huo Lan’s hand. “Please help me find him.”
Huo Lan’s chest tightened until he could barely breathe. After a moment of silence, he pulled Liang Xiao into his arms and pressed their foreheads together, asking softly: “Why?”
“I want to know if he’s doing well…”
Liang Xiao had never told anyone this before. His shoulders trembled slightly before he finally said in a low voice: “I let him down.”
Huo Lan said hoarsely: “No—”
“He probably really needed me as a friend back then.”
Liang Xiao grew anxious, not knowing how to explain clearly: “He was a lot like you—he also thought people wouldn’t like him and didn’t know how to talk to others, but he was actually really wonderful.”
Huo Lan couldn’t speak, staring at Liang Xiao in disbelief.
“Truly… I didn’t understand back then and just ran away.”
Liang Xiao was genuinely concerned: “What if he never wanted to make friends again? What if someone else is kind to him but he doesn’t believe it? His luck isn’t as good as yours—he didn’t meet someone as good as me. What if he ends up alone and miserable for his entire life…”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan hadn’t expected to be portrayed so pathetically in Liang Xiao’s imagination. He opened his mouth, attempting to explain: “He—”
“Just pretend it’s you and put yourself in his position,” Liang Xiao said, worried Huo Lan wouldn’t understand. “You two are really similar. If I hadn’t been able to knock him down with just one hand back then, I would have thought you were the same person.”
Huo Lan closed his eyes briefly, somewhat tempted to let Liang Xiao knock him down once to prove they were indeed the same person: “He’ll be fine.”
Liang Xiao frowned deeply: “Then help me tell him I’m sorry.”
Huo Lan shook his head: “You have nothing to apologize for.”
In his drunken state, Liang Xiao’s logic could only maintain itself to this point before completely breaking down: “Then he must be in trouble.”
Huo Lan said hoarsely: “He’s not…”
Liang Xiao: “Then I need to apologize.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Backed into a logical corner by Liang Xiao, Huo Lan remained silent for a moment before making a decision. He gently lifted Liang Xiao: “Do you want to meet him?”
Liang Xiao shook his head firmly: “No.”
Huo Lan: “What if he really wants to see you?”
Liang Xiao paused, looking at Huo Lan hesitantly: “Is he angry with me? Does he want to beat me up?”
“He doesn’t,” Huo Lan said softly. “He just wants to hug you.”
Liang Xiao was about to ask something else when this unexpected statement caused his chest to suddenly tighten painfully.
Huo Lan waited attentively for a while. When Liang Xiao remained silent, he grew concerned and looked down: “What’s—”
Huo Lan stopped mid-sentence, pulling Liang Xiao into his arms and gently wiping away the tears streaming down his face.
Even while crying, Liang Xiao made no sound. Pressed against Huo Lan’s chest, he trembled slightly, several times struggling to breathe as his body sagged lifelessly.
“It’s alright…”
Huo Lan held him tightly, softly kissing his eyes: “It’s alright… you can cry out loud, don’t hold it in.”
Liang Xiao bit his lip hard and shook his head vigorously: “I can’t.”
Huo Lan asked gently: “Why?”
“I’m keeping something from him,” Liang Xiao said vaguely. “I can cry by myself for a while, but I can’t let him hear me.”
Huo Lan’s chest tightened: “What are you—”
Liang Xiao fell silent, leaning against him and coughing a few times before slowly suppressing his tears and regaining his breath.
Huo Lan didn’t pressure him. He stroked Liang Xiao’s hair and brought a cup of honey water to his lips: “Have a sip.”
Liang Xiao complained about the heat: “I want something cold.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan had never realized his pheromones had so many uses. He held the cup at a distance and cooled it down for him.
After a few sips that helped clear his mind, Liang Xiao suddenly became suspicious: “Wait… how do we know what he’s thinking? How do we already know this?”
Huo Lan, concerned about upsetting him further, was uncertain whether to reveal everything now. He hesitated: “I—”
“Is he being held captive on some reef in the Atlantic?” Liang Xiao grew anxious. “Is he tied to a chair without water? Are they tickling his feet with feathers?”
“…” Huo Lan wasn’t sure what kind of scripts Liang Xiao had been reading over the years: “No.”
Making his decision, Huo Lan said softly: “He wants to see you, so… he contacted me.”
Huo Lan: “Do you want to meet him?”
“I—” Liang Xiao hesitated, feeling nervous. “Can I think about it for a week?”
Huo Lan nodded.
Liang Xiao resolved to find some of his old study materials from that time and brush up on the textbooks he had abandoned years ago.
Perhaps after many years apart, when they finally reunite, the other person might pull out a set of exam papers and make him take a test on the spot.
Liang Xiao hiccupped from the alcohol, but with clear thoughts and precise logic, he considered everything. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked: “Is he doing well now?”
“Very well,” Huo Lan said. “He met someone he truly loves. They’re together now, and he’s happier than he’s ever been before.”
Liang Xiao was completely relieved and responded enthusiastically: “I’ve met someone too! What a coincidence.”
Huo Lan’s heart melted. He pulled Liang Xiao closer and kissed him gently.
Liang Xiao particularly enjoyed these light, fleeting moments of intimacy. He nuzzled against Huo Lan and declared with ambition: “I want to send him a message.”
Huo Lan nodded: “Alright.”
Liang Xiao waited for a while: “Aren’t you going to get your phone?”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan retrieved his phone, opened the voice recorder, and positioned it properly for him.
Liang Xiao cleared his throat quite solemnly, coughed once, and with slightly reddened ears began: “Fat Sheep…”
Huo Lan frowned slightly and covered the microphone: “What?”
Liang Xiao, who had been preparing to boast to his old friend (who had found his own place in life) about currently sharing a bath with his own significant other, was caught off guard by the interruption. He explained: “It’s a nickname I gave him.”
Huo Lan, of course, knew it was a nickname. Back then, young Huo Lan hadn’t fully understood the Jiangnan accent and had thought young Liang Xiao simply had unclear pronunciation with rising tones: “Why that nickname?”
“Because he really was such a fat sheep,” Liang Xiao turned off the recording and explained to Huo Lan. “He believed everything anyone told him. When I said I’d run away from home, he took me back to his. When I said I’d lost my meal card, he kept holding onto it for me.”
Liang Xiao couldn’t help but criticize: “Those bodyguards who did his shopping would cheat him, secretly buying him shoddy goods. He couldn’t tell at all. I had to forge his handwriting and write a note to make those people behave properly…”
Huo Lan hadn’t even known about this incident. He stared at Liang Xiao, speechless.
Liang Xiao thought he had told a funny story. Seeing Huo Lan’s stunned expression, he waved his hand in front of Huo Lan’s face: “What’s wrong?”
Huo Lan pressed his forehead firmly and took a deep breath: “Nothing.”
Concerned that something was wrong, Liang Xiao finished his story in a murmur: “So after that, I called him Fat Sheep, and he seemed quite happy with it…”
Huo Lan carefully steadied Liang Xiao against something stable before getting up in a daze.
Liang Xiao watched him walk out and grew more concerned: “Where are you going?”
“…To make it snow.”
Huo Lan added: “I’ll be quick.”
The alcohol was surging again in Liang Xiao, and he couldn’t help wanting to follow and build a snowman. However, he resisted the urge and, taking advantage of his momentary clarity, dried himself off and changed into pajamas.
—
The butler waited at the door with sobering soup, startled when Huo Lan emerged with heavy steps: “President Huo! What happened?”
Huo Lan steadied himself: “…Nothing.”
“Please change your shoes; there are ice shards on the floor.”
The butler supported him: “Did Mr. Liang say something? Don’t worry, I’ve already told Mr. Duan about you up to age twelve…”
Huo Lan: “No need to continue.”
The butler: “!!”
With complicated emotions, Huo Lan removed his soaked clothes, dried off, changed into pajamas, and sat dazedly at the table.
The butler asked worriedly: “Did… you hear something?”
Huo Lan: “Yes.”
The butler pressed: “What did you hear?”
Huo Lan closed his eyes briefly: “He, back then—”
Huo Lan didn’t continue, taking the sobering soup and having a sip.
…
When young Huo Lan first returned to the Huo family, he was cold, aloof, and unapproachable. With decisive authority, he overruled opposition to inject funds into an almost bankrupt pharmaceutical factory and personally renamed it.
At that time, the butler had been intimidated by him and cautiously asked: “Why did you choose this name…”
The young Huo Lan, distant and solitary, stood by the window without explanation.
That night, young Huo Lan entered the small study alone. With straight shoulders, he focused on writing in his diary:
[I’ve given the pharmaceutical company his meaning and earnest intentions—a last stand, a final struggle.]
[I will persevere and not fail to live up to the name he gave me.]
…
Huo Lan’s headache was severe. He closed the diary and handed it to the butler with strict instructions to lock it away and not allow anyone else to see it.
At the bottom of the diary, written with forceful strokes that penetrated the paper:
[Feiyang[mfn]”Feiyang” (飞扬) and “fat sheep” (肥羊) sound almost identical in Mandarin Chinese: “Feiyang” (飞扬) is pronounced as “fēi yáng”, “Fat sheep” (肥羊) is pronounced as “féi yáng”
The only difference is the tone of the first character:飞 (fēi) – first tone, 肥 (féi) – second tone)[/mfn].]
—
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
