PHWM Chapter 28

President Huo, calm and composed, stayed true to his word. He reached out with his eyes closed and gently tucked the blanket around him.

 

The lingering wave of discomfort in Liang Xiao’s heart hadn’t subsided, making it hard for him to fall asleep. He lay there with his eyes shut for a while.

 

Liang Xiao had never stayed in one place for too long growing up.

 

As a child, he was shuffled around constantly. The orphanages he stayed in had one after another gone out of business—six in total. Eventually, he didn’t dare to “jinx” the surviving ones anymore and gradually grew accustomed to being on his own, living freely and without constraints.

 

Alone, without expectations, but also not finding it unbearable.

 

Huo Lan was different.

 

Huo Lan must have had expectations.

 

Be it for his parents, his extended family, or anyone around him.

 

Even just for a little closeness.

 

Liang Xiao forced himself to stop thinking further. He wrapped himself in the blanket, wrestled with his thoughts for a while, and then shifted two centimeters closer to President Huo.

 

Huo Lan didn’t react.

 

Emboldened, Liang Xiao moved another two centimeters.

 

Still no reaction from Huo Lan.

 

President Huo’s tolerance was almost excessive. Liang Xiao, having waited for a metaphorical snowstorm that never came, finally couldn’t hold back and softly persuaded him: “President Huo, you really don’t need to take it too seriously.”

 

Liang Xiao, experienced in such matters, leaned over to turn off the light, patted the empty space beside him, lay flat, and demonstrated: “Just lie down. No need to be tense. Look at me—”

 

Huo Lan, propping himself on one hand, moved slightly and unexpectedly patted Liang Xiao’s head.

 

Earlier, Liang Xiao had been too emotionally stirred to notice the change in the sensation at the back of his head. Now, as he was slowly inching closer to Huo Lan, the unexpected gesture caught him completely off guard: “…”

 

Huo Lan noticed his unusual reaction. “What’s wrong?”

 

Liang Xiao, startled by the head pat, froze for two seconds before all the energy seemed to drain out of him.

 

His face burned, and he weakly stammered, “…Too, too stimulating.”

 

Huo Lan: “…”

 

Liang Xiao, wrapped in his blanket and dazed, rolled himself to the far edge of the bed.

 

Huo Lan quickly reached out to stop him from rolling off the bed entirely.

 

Liang Xiao was burning up, though it was not the same muddled weakness of a fever. Huo Lan observed that he seemed even more spirited than usual, which eased his concerns somewhat. He reassured him softly, “I won’t move.”

 

Liang Xiao had never been patted on the head before. Still in a daze, he remained curled up in his blanket, unable to say a word.

 

Huo Lan really didn’t know any other way to let Liang Xiao experience a semblance of parental care. After thinking hard for a while, he recalled the gestures he’d seen among extended family members when he was younger. Reaching out, he gently patted Liang Xiao through the blanket. “Go to sleep.”

 

Huo Lan added, “I won’t leave.”

 

President Huo’s ability to coax someone to sleep was practically otherworldly.

 

Liang Xiao, feeling emotionally stirred, thought he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes the entire night. Yet, after tossing and turning for only a short while, he unknowingly drifted off into unconsciousness.

 

When he opened his eyes again, daylight had already filled the room.

 

Liang Xiao, using Huo Lan’s leg as a pillow, lay there in a daze, trying to calculate just how shamelessly carefree he had become.

 

After two seconds of calculation, he flopped back down and tried to sort through his thoughts from earlier.

 

Liang Xiao: “…”

 

Huo Lan had woken up much earlier but hadn’t moved at all. When he noticed Liang Xiao suddenly lift himself, he promptly reached out and pulled him back onto the bed.

 

Liang Xiao glanced at Huo Lan’s leg, then at Huo Lan’s hand.

 

Then he looked at his pillow, which was all the way at the corner of the bed.

 

…What kind of instinctual homing pigeon behavior was this?

 

Liang Xiao could hardly believe that his internal navigation system had become this unreliable. He rubbed his face hard, reopened his eyes, and turned back to confirm.

 

“The butler asked,” Huo Lan said, noticing his dazed expression. He steadied Liang Xiao with another hand, propping him upright at the head of the bed. “There’s no filming scheduled for this morning.”

 

Last night had been a late-night shoot, leaving everyone utterly exhausted. No matter how much Song Qi exploited them, he would at least give them half a day off the next morning.

 

But Liang Xiao wasn’t focused on that. He took a deep breath, still groggy. “Oh…”

 

As he regained clarity, Liang Xiao carefully pieced together the image of himself inexplicably using Huo Lan’s leg as a pillow. His vision darkened. “The butler… was here?”

 

Huo Lan saw that he still seemed half-asleep, paused briefly, and then nodded.

 

In truth, it wasn’t just the butler. The bodyguard captain and Liang Xiao’s manager had also been there.

 

Huo Lan had a habit of morning exercise, and the butler would bring breakfast in the morning. When the butler didn’t find him in the adjacent bedroom, he had come to the master bedroom to look for him.

 

…

 

Since Huo Lan couldn’t move much, he had simply asked the butler for hot water to freshen up. As for why the butler had stood frozen at the door for a full five minutes, or why the bodyguard captain and Liang Xiao’s manager had rushed in afterward, Huo Lan hadn’t had the time to figure it out.

 

After all, Liang Xiao was still asleep at the time. Huo Lan had merely wiped his face, asked a few questions, and instructed the butler to bring his work to the bedside without disturbing Liang Xiao further.

 

Liang Xiao admitted that he lacked practical talent, but he prided himself on at least having more theoretical knowledge than most. His hands trembled slightly as he spoke, “You asked for hot water…”

 

Huo Lan frowned.

 

Even though his pheromones leaned toward a cold disposition, occasionally causing snowflakes to inexplicably drift down nearby, he was still human.

 

And humans needed hot water to wash their faces.

 

Huo Lan didn’t think there was anything unusual about it and couldn’t understand why the butler had confirmed it with him twice, let alone why Liang Xiao was now confirming it a third time. “Yes.”

 

Liang Xiao took a deep breath and slammed his head against the headboard.

 

After serving as a pillow all morning, Huo Lan noticed that Liang Xiao seemed quite energetic upon waking. Feeling he had done his part in calming him down, Huo Lan picked up his laptop, placed it back on the desk, and went to the bathroom to properly freshen up.

 

Liang Xiao, dizzy from the impact, collapsed back onto the bed and slowly melted into it.

 

The rest of his scenes might as well be in black and white.

 

He didn’t want to leave this presidential suite anymore.

 

In the afternoon, they were set to make up for the progress lost yesterday, including a scene between Liang Xiao and Su Man.

 

The crew had also taken the morning off and was now busy setting up the stage. The director was deep in discussion with the screenwriter about the script and didn’t have time to explain the scene, leaving the actors to work out the details on their own.

 

“The schedule hasn’t changed at all.”

 

Su Man didn’t really understand Director Song’s approach of “three chestnuts in the morning, four in the evening.” She playfully teased Liang Xiao, her graceful figure leaning on his shoulder. “What’s the difference?”

 

Liang Xiao was still stuck in the grim conversation from the morning and sighed deeply at her words. “The difference is huge…”

 

Last night, they had shot the night scene originally planned for today. This morning, they had half a day off, and now they were making up for yesterday’s daytime scenes.

 

Su Man even double-checked the math. “What’s so huge about it?”

 

Liang Xiao froze for a moment before snapping out of it. He pressed his temples apologetically. “Sister Man.”

 

“Didn’t sleep well?” Su Man tossed aside her script, dropped her teasing stance, and patted him on the shoulder. “Night shoots are brutal. I haven’t recovered either.”

 

Liang Xiao, uncharacteristically out of it, offered her an apologetic smile.

 

Su Man didn’t take it seriously, yawning as she sat down beside him and started chatting about gossip. “Have you watched our variety show yet?”

 

Liang Xiao, preoccupied these past few days, had almost forgotten about it entirely. He paused in surprise. “It’s already aired?”

 

“It aired yesterday,” Su Man filled him in. “Each of us made it onto the trending list. Jiang Pingchao isn’t too happy about his, and he’s been negotiating with Xingguan to take it down since this morning.”

 

Liang Xiao twisted open a bottle of water. “What’s it about?”

 

Su Man replied, “#AListofPeopleJiangTeacherCanWinAnArgumentWith#.”

 

Liang Xiao choked on his drink.

 

He was vaguely aware of Jiang Pingchao’s reputation for reanalyzing every argument three times afterward, but he hadn’t realized the number of people Jiang Pingchao could win against was so small it could be turned into a list.

 

Taking a couple of sips of water, Liang Xiao shifted his thoughts away from their usually silent but occasionally shocking President Huo. “And the conclusion?”

 

Su Man: “None.”

 

Liang Xiao: “…”

 

No wonder Teacher Jiang wasn’t pleased.

 

Feeling a little guilty about gossiping behind someone’s back, Liang Xiao couldn’t help but suppress a grin. “What about yours?”

 

“Oh, the same old debate about whether I’m marriage material. Nothing new.”

 

Su Man, having been teased by fans about being marriage-worthy for years, was long past caring. “As for Meng Yingdi’s, it’s about how desperate he is to strike up a conversation.”

 

Liang Xiao could tell she was deliberately teasing him and played along with a smile. “And mine?”

 

Su Man smirked. “Unyielding to the death.”

 

The promotional clip was just a teaser. The show hadn’t provided detailed introductions for the cast, and given the screenwriter’s history of twists, the audience was still unsure about most characters’ allegiances.

 

But Liang Xiao’s was easy to decipher.

 

“They all said,” Su Man patted his shoulder, “just from how you answered the host’s questions, it’s clear you’d rather die than betray any of our party’s secrets under interrogation.”

 

Liang Xiao coughed twice, grabbed his phone, and opened Weibo.

 

He still hadn’t registered a Weibo account, so while the other cast members trended under their real names, his tag was #YunLianUnyieldingToTheDeath#.

 

A screenshot of him refusing to answer the host’s question about his school, opting instead to claim he was self-taught, had gone viral, even spawning several bizarre memes.

 

Scrolling through the posts, Liang Xiao began to sense something was off.

 

Even though he hadn’t registered a Weibo account, and his reentry into the public eye had been relatively quiet, Long Tao’s lack of reaction was unusually subdued.

 

Based on his predictions, Long Tao should have jumped at the chance to smear him by now, possibly even implicating Huo Lan and Xingguan in the process.

 

The years of calm had only been due to Long Tao’s tight control. If Long Tao acted impulsively now, he was bound to slip up.

 

With Liang Xiao as the involved party and Xingguan already prepared, any misstep from Long Tao would lead to significant consequences.

 

At the moment, however, his trending hashtag was filled with nothing but harmonious laughter and “hahahaha.”

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

The producer, still busy dealing with Jiang Pingchao, didn’t understand his concern. “Do you want your trending topic removed too?”

 

“No…” Liang Xiao’s voice was slightly hoarse. “Is Xingguan not taking advantage of this opportunity?”

 

This was a prime chance. For five years, he had been the fragile balance between Xingguan and Long Tao. Long Tao, guilty and fearful, had gone to great lengths to cover things up, while Xingguan had been quietly biding its time, accumulating strength.

 

But Huo Lan was no longer the newcomer struggling to stabilize Xingguan after taking over. Xingguan’s mastery of public opinion and its industry influence were now second to none. The time was ripe to break the stalemate, starting with him.

 

“You’re asking about that?” The producer chuckled and waved it off. “No need.”

 

Liang Xiao was puzzled. “Why not?”

 

“President Huo said this is a matter of business competition between companies,” the producer, who worked under Xingguan, relayed after having attended the meeting. “For businessmen, profit is the ultimate goal, and they’ll stop at nothing. But Mr. Liang, from beginning to end, you remain spotless and innocent.”

 

Liang Xiao froze.

 

The producer had to return to coax Jiang Pingchao and didn’t linger to elaborate before hurrying off.

 

Liang Xiao stood there for a moment, exhaling deeply.

 

Using him as leverage would cause some temporary chaos around him, but Long Tao would suffer severe damage in a short time.

 

Yet Huo Lan had abandoned this route.

 

In this industry, everyone gets slandered sooner or later. As long as you can clear your name afterward, it’s not a big deal.

 

Liang Xiao was prepared for it and didn’t dwell on it further.

 

Still, he felt a faint urge to go see Huo Lan. Pressing down on the thought, he sat back at the set and wondered if he should send Huo Lan a message.

 

Or maybe write him a thank-you note.

 

Liang Xiao opened the chat window and aimlessly scrolled for a bit. When he looked up, he was met with the sight of the bodyguard captain and the butler following Duan Ming over. “…”

 

Liang Xiao cleared his throat and quickly put his phone away.

 

The butler, having been on edge all morning, finally seized the chance to come over and hurriedly approached. “Mr. Liang…”

 

“Nothing happened,” Liang Xiao interrupted. “President Huo and I are perfectly innocent.”

 

The butler paused, half the words he was about to say slipping from his mind, and instinctively reassured him, “Of course, of course.”

 

Liang Xiao: “…”

 

Liang Xiao felt that the butler’s attitude was somewhat inappropriate and solemnly explained, “It’s true.”

 

“I believe you,” the butler said earnestly. In truth, he didn’t think President Huo would progress this quickly. When he heard Huo Lan asking for hot water this morning, it was just a momentary shock. Once he calmed down, reason returned. “Mr. Liang, I have a few things to ask you…”

 

The butler had come looking for Huo Lan that morning.

 

Mr. Liang had just recovered from an illness, and catching cold or enduring hardship on set was a common occurrence. President Huo had mentioned to Liang Xiao’s manager the previous evening that Liang Xiao should rest upstairs in better conditions, and Mr. Duan had agreed.

 

According to their assumptions, whoever used a particular bathroom would stay in the corresponding room. President Huo should logically have been in the side bedroom.

 

But this morning, President Huo was not in the side bedroom.

 

At first, the butler hadn’t thought much of it. He assumed that Mr. Liang, being someone who couldn’t be tempted by comfort, had returned to his standard room, leaving President Huo to sleep in the master bedroom.

 

However, when he opened the door, he was met with a scene that tested both his visual and emotional limits.

 

“…” Liang Xiao didn’t want to hear any more. Resolutely defiant, he said, “Ask. I’ll answer honestly.”

 

Although he had just deleted the smutty stories on his phone, he’d already read them all anyway. It was probably time to replace them with a new batch.

 

Liang Xiao knew exactly how unspeakable the morning’s situation must seem to others. He just hoped the butler would ask quickly so they could clear it up as soon as possible.

 

The butler nodded with relief. “Very well, very well.”

 

Butler: “Did President Huo decide to stay in the master bedroom himself?”

 

Liang Xiao: “…”

 

Liang Xiao: “I made him stay.”

 

Butler: “And the snacks…”

 

Liang Xiao: “I ate them.”

 

The butler paused. “Then the lights in the master bedroom…”

 

Liang Xiao pondered for a long moment. “I turned them off.”

 

The butler hesitated, then tried to help him clarify the details. “Was it President Huo who leaned on the bed and accidentally wrinkled his clothes?”

 

“…” Liang Xiao thought back to how he had haphazardly manhandled Huo Lan’s back and murmured, “I did that…”

 

The butler, accustomed to storms and crises, tried to remain composed. “When we entered this morning, we noticed… your head and President Huo’s legs were in a rather unique position. Was it President Huo who—”

 

Liang Xiao’s eyes went blank. He pressed the butler’s arm, staggered to his feet, grabbed his phone, and walked away without another word.

 

 

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