PHWM Chapter 21

Huo Lan’s palm was warmer than expected.

 

Dry and moderately warm, it steadily supported him.

 

The manager, showing no loyalty, had mysteriously vanished from the scene. Huo Lan remained half-kneeling by the sofa, his gaze fixed on Liang Xiao, his hands cradling Liang Xiao’s head.

 

Liang Xiao: “…”

 

In this kind of atmosphere, Liang Xiao had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

 

Surely, it wouldn’t involve him using his head to push against Huo Lan’s hand, springing up with a commanding shout, and performing a flip to entertain the CEO.

 

Impossible.

 

Su Man might have done something that absurd during her susceptible period, but Huo Lan wouldn’t.

 

Even in his susceptible period, the craziest thing Huo Lan would probably do was chase him home and make him lie on the sofa to write a reflective essay.

 

Liang Xiao took a deep breath to steady himself.

 

Wrapped in a blanket, the cold sweat on his body seemed to lessen slightly. The hand cradling the back of his head was gradually passing its warmth into him.

 

The dizziness wasn’t as severe now. Liang Xiao blinked and met Huo Lan’s gaze.

 

Huo Lan’s imposing presence seemed to draw a silent question mark in the air.

 

Liang Xiao stared blankly at the lifelike aura surrounding Huo Lan, wondering why he wasn’t using pheromones instead. Then, remembering what the butler had mentioned earlier, he tried to prop himself up.

 

He hadn’t noticed how drained he was when running on sheer willpower earlier, but now that he had relaxed, he found he had no strength left at all.

 

Realizing this wasn’t good, Liang Xiao tried to push himself up with what little effort he could muster, but his arms gave out, and he toppled straight off the sofa.

 

Through the haze clouding his vision, he caught a glimpse of Huo Lan’s arm already extended to catch him.

 

…Huo Lan seemed oddly experienced at this.

 

Liang Xiao didn’t dare to ask why: “President Huo—”

 

Before he could finish, Huo Lan effortlessly scooped him up with one arm.

 

Liang Xiao: “…”

 

Huo Lan adjusted him and stood, scanning the surroundings before heading toward the nearest door.

 

“President Huo.”

 

Liang Xiao, dangling like a limp fish over Huo Lan’s arm, weakly reminded him, “That’s the kitchen.”

 

Huo Lan changed direction.

 

Liang Xiao: “Bathroom.”

 

Huo Lan turned again.

 

Liang Xiao shut his eyes in resignation: “Washroom…”

 

Huo Lan: “…”

 

In the multiple-choice scenario, Huo Lan successfully eliminated three incorrect answers and, holding Liang Xiao, found the bedroom. He pushed the door open and fixed Liang Xiao onto the bed.

 

Liang Xiao rolled over like a salted fish.

 

Perhaps finally remembering that language is the primary means of communication between people, Huo Lan casually drew the curtains and, in an unusual moment of speech, said, “Sleep.”

 

Liang Xiao was halfway through his turn when he paused, lifting his head to scrutinize him.

 

In these past few days, Huo Lan had yet to fully recover from the imbalance of his pheromones, and with his susceptible period recently ending, his condition wasn’t great.

 

In this tired and drained state, which required replenishing, Huo Lan’s usual sharp, indifferent aura seemed to fade considerably, making him feel more approachable.

 

Sitting on the bed with one hand supporting Liang Xiao’s head, he spoke in a low voice.

 

The words lingered in the air, seeping through the dim light filtered by the curtains.

 

…

 

Liang Xiao decided to avoid looking at the 1GB of salacious content on his phone for the time being.

 

The bedroom was quiet, and Liang Xiao closed his eyes, mentally playing the “Great Compassion Mantra” on repeat. He then looked up at Huo Lan.

 

Not sure what kind of mysterious ritual he had come to believe in, the undercover Huo Lan sat by the bed, leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed, resting.

 

His left hand still stubbornly supported the space between Liang Xiao’s head and the pillow.

 

Liang Xiao didn’t speak, waiting in silence for a while before relaxing his hand and gently placing it on Huo Lan’s warm palm.

 

The entire day had been tumultuous, and the past weighed heavily on him. He found himself at the center of it all, and only now was he able to catch his breath.

 

But it wasn’t yet time to rest.

 

Liang Xiao closed his eyes again and slowly began to piece together the entire story in his mind.

 

Five years ago, Long Tao, in an attempt to destroy Xingguan, the rising competitor, set a trap for Huo Lan, who had just taken over the company at the time.

 

At a banquet, Long Tao got Huo Lan drunk and led him into a private lounge.

 

The five million Long Tao offered was right in front of him. He could choose any endorsement resource he wanted, but the only condition was that he would need to use an inducer to induce his heat once Huo Lan entered the room.

 

During heat, an omega releases a large amount of pheromones, and no alpha could withstand it.

 

What’s more… Huo Lan’s pheromone type turned out to match his remarkably well.

 

Once Huo Lan did anything to him, what awaited him were probably countless camera shots and full exposure online the next day.

 

Liang Xiao broke into a cold sweat again, inhaled, and exhaled slowly.

 

The faint, clean scent of new snow filled the air.

 

Liang Xiao clenched his fist and suppressed the memories that had been dormant.

 

At the time, he only knew he was supposed to use the inducer, and that someone would get Huo Lan drunk and bring him in, but he had no idea who Long Tao’s true target was.

 

It didn’t matter who it was.

 

When he refused to cooperate, Long Tao’s people threw out every kind of threat, flattery, and insult. Eventually, in a fit of anger, they twisted open the bottle of inducer.

 

Long Tao knew his condition and had calculated that he wouldn’t be able to withstand the pheromone release. It wouldn’t take long before he lost consciousness.

 

At that point, they would lead the drunk Huo Lan into the room, and the rest of the room would be filled with his pheromones, and the outcome would be the same.

 

What Long Tao didn’t anticipate was that he still had enough strength left to throw the person out and lock himself in the room to die.

 

…

 

Liang Xiao tugged at the corner of his mouth.

 

His mind was still trapped in the events of five years ago. Just as he was about to piece together the logic and move forward, Huo Lan suddenly stirred beside him, pulling his hand away and standing up.

 

Liang Xiao felt a little anxious, worried that Huo Lan’s mysterious ritual was about to move to the next stage. He quickly held his breath and remained perfectly still, pretending to sleep with his eyes closed.

 

Huo Lan stood by the bed for a while.

 

Perhaps he was inspecting whether Liang Xiao’s head was round enough.

 

Liang Xiao, steadying his breathing and pretending to sleep, waited for what felt like an eternity. It wasn’t until then that the person standing by the bed finally moved toward the foot of the bed.

 

Liang Xiao’s heart sank.

 

…

 

It was over.

 

Huo Lan was probably going to lift his feet now.

 

Having crawled through the entertainment industry for years, Liang Xiao prided himself on his acting skills. Still, he wasn’t entirely confident in maintaining a realistic sleeping state in such a bizarre situation.

 

Huo Lan walked around the foot of the bed.

 

Liang Xiao kept his eyes closed, torn between whether he should explain things clearly to Huo Lan. Rather than resorting to some mysterious ritual or formation, it would be easier just to bite him.

 

Caught between indecision and frustration, the soft, firm sensation suddenly descended on him.

 

Liang Xiao froze.

 

Huo Lan, with his tall frame and long arms, moved almost silently. He spread the blanket that had been folded at the foot of the bed and covered him with it.

 

The top-tier Alpha, the sole legitimate heir of the Huo family, raised with the utmost privilege and care, likely had no experience in taking care of others.

 

After standing by the bed for a while, he tried reaching out, tucking the corners of the blanket in.

 

Liang Xiao’s breathing hitched.

 

The pain in his chest, which he had deliberately been ignoring, surged suddenly and sharply.

 

He had been in the hospital for six months back then, and although he didn’t know much about what happened afterward, he had vaguely heard some chaotic rumors.

 

The accounts were somewhat plausible but mostly false, and there were many of them.

 

Long Tao teamed up with an omega to set a trap, but it backfired.

 

The lover was bent on rising to power, willing to resort to death to force the issue.

 

The new artist tried to climb the social ladder, but instead, their pheromones went out of control.

 

…

 

He had heard plenty of unpleasant things.

 

At that time, there were a lot of people who knew the truth. From Peng Lixin’s perspective, he naturally thought that Liang Xiao was the scheming omega who had colluded with Long Tao to harm others, and the whole thing backfired, harming him instead.

 

Five years later, nothing had changed.

 

In the years since, there had been collaborations, and the relationship between Tianxing and Xingguan had always been close. Vice Director Peng knew about Liang Xiao’s current relationship with Huo Lan and couldn’t possibly refrain from reminding Huo Lan.

 

…Vice Director Peng had been quite agitated at the time and likely chose to confront Huo Lan.

 

He questioned Huo Lan, asking if he had truly fallen for the seductive and wicked omega that Long Tao had used to set up the trap back then.

 

Liang Xiao turned over, burying his face in the blanket, half-amused, half-exasperated as he tugged at the corner of his mouth.

 

When did Vice Director Peng burst in, questioning Huo Lan if he had really fallen for the omega? In fact, he probably made things crystal clear.

 

The problem was that Huo Lan was in a meeting at that time.

 

The meeting’s topic was that Xingguan had shown interest in an artist.

 

Huo Lan, who had originally been so cold and indifferent, with a strong sense of cleanliness and no temporary markers, would never interpret “showing interest” in any other way.

 

…

 

Vice Director Peng stormed into Xingguan, clutching a script full of scandalous and shameful little yellow stories.

 

He ran straight into a meeting with Huo Lan, who was holding a script with no filters or protective words.

 

They even managed to exchange two rounds of lines in their respective dimensions.

 

Liang Xiao couldn’t even imagine what Vice Director Peng thought about life now.

 

Liang Xiao turned over with a sigh.

 

Huo Lan’s pheromones were still active, carrying the cool and faint scent of fresh snow. He stood in the bedroom for a moment before speaking softly: “If you can’t sleep, don’t force yourself.”

 

Liang Xiao hadn’t expected his acting to fail so quickly. He froze for a moment before poking his head out of the blanket.

 

Huo Lan lowered his gaze, looking at his left hand.

 

Liang Xiao was a little worried that his hair might have left an imprint on Huo Lan’s precious palm.

 

Liang Xiao was a little worried that his hair might have left a mark on Huo Lan’s precious palm.

 

He subtly moved, plucking a strand of hair, and tried poking it at himself.

 

“I’m coming over.”

 

The hairprint probably wasn’t very deep, and Huo Lan didn’t look for long. He put his hand down and said, “There’s something I need to ask you.”

 

Liang Xiao froze for a moment, meeting his gaze, and pushed himself up on his arm to sit.

 

Huo Lan looked at him.

 

Liang Xiao could hear his heartbeat, slowly clenching his fist.

 

…He probably had a good idea of what Huo Lan was going to ask.

 

Vice Director Peng had saved the situation, giving it a slim chance for a turnabout, but there was still one thing that Liang Xiao wasn’t sure about.

 

Huo Lan had seen the medical records.

 

Even if the earlier conversation had been a mix-up, that medical record had already ended up in Huo Lan’s hands.

 

The record had a timestamp, medical details, and the patient’s company.

 

At the meeting, Huo Lan likely focused only on the parts about emergency treatment and recovery. But if he had taken a slightly closer look, he would have made the connection to what had happened back then.

 

To this day, Liang Xiao still wasn’t sure… whether Huo Lan knew what had happened, and how much he knew.

 

Why did he buy him? Why did he have the butler send the suppressants?

 

Why did he personally come to his house?

 

“Before, Xingguan knew nothing and still ended up scamming Long Tao of fifty million.”

 

After returning from Tianxing, the manager had tried to persuade him all the way, and the words echoed in his mind: “Huo Lan didn’t know about the plot before, and he might not even be taken advantage of by Long Tao.”

 

“You didn’t know anything before, and if you continue to pretend you don’t know now, what difference does it make?”

 

“Just wait… can’t you wait?”

 

“Isn’t keeping things as they are good enough?”

 

…

 

Of course, it was fine.

 

Liang Xiao let out a relieved sigh. “Mr. Huo.”

 

Huo Lan’s eyes were clear and cold, like falling snow, lightly covering him.

 

Liang Xiao tapped the bracelet, and a familiar metallic taste rose in his throat.

 

The pure and innocent Huo Lan.

 

“You may ask.”

 

Liang Xiao smiled at him. “I’ll speak honestly.”

 

Huo Lan studied him for a moment, fastened his shirt cuffs, and walked back to the bed.

 

Liang Xiao braced himself for the confession, but unexpectedly saw Huo Lan reach out toward him. He was worried there might still be some sort of torture. Hesitating whether to immediately scream and vomit blood to scare Huo Lan into not taking action, he was surprised when that hand only brushed past his shoulder.

 

The cool, snowy sensation mixed with body heat, settling on his back through the fabric.

 

Liang Xiao sat up straight: “……”

 

Huo Lan was very strict, correcting his improper posture, then withdrew his hand. “QAQ.”

 

Huo Lan: “What does that mean?”

 

 

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