The nap had an unexpectedly good effect.
Huo Lan, rarely able to enjoy deep sleep, had slept soundly for several hours while holding someone. When he woke up, he was completely refreshed.
The butler, who had been through this many times, was no longer surprised by Liang Xiao appearing in any part of Huo Lan’s personal space. Calmly, he sent Liang Xiao, who had groggily emerged from Mr. Huo’s arms, on his way and returned with a pot of black tea. “Mr. Liang has gone back to the hospital.”
Liang Xiao had removed his IV and run out on his own; he still had two more bottles of IV fluid to be administered in the afternoon.
Duan Ming and the butler sat outside, sharing a cigarette in silence. They had completely given up on the idea of removing Liang Xiao and were now preparing to return to the hospital to discuss whether they could bring the medicine to the presidential suite so that Liang Xiao could receive his IV there.
The butler, who had grown accustomed to Liang Xiao’s increasingly reckless behavior around Huo Lan, set down the tea and suddenly sensed something was off. He met Huo Lan’s gaze. “…Mr. Huo?”
Huo Lan nodded slightly, withdrew his gaze, and pulled up his computer to begin working.
The butler quickly erased the image from his mind of Liang Xiao coughing alone, staring at the door.
Huo Lan had slept well, and his complexion had already improved significantly. He handled his work swiftly and decisively, with no visible signs of being in a susceptible period.
But it seemed like he had a bit of a stiff neck.
Although it didn’t affect his calm and composed demeanor, every so often, Huo Lan would lift his left hand and calmly massage his shoulder and neck.
The butler, who had been feeling a bit dejected, saw how much better Huo Lan seemed and couldn’t help but feel relieved. “Mr. Huo.”
Huo Lan looked up.
The butler hesitated. “Have you considered… being with Mr. Liang…?”
The butler, mindful of his susceptible period, carefully chose his words. “… sharing a bed?”
Huo Lan: “…”
The butler poured a cup of tea, along with some snacks, and placed them beside him.
The first time had been at Liang Xiao’s home, and it was understandable due to the circumstances. But now, even though the bed in the presidential suite was large enough, Huo Lan still steadfastly refused to lie down with Liang Xiao.
The butler couldn’t understand what kind of seal the bed had, and when he met Huo Lan’s slightly surprised gaze, he hesitated and suggested, “Given the current situation, it must be uncomfortable…”
Huo Lan, who hadn’t expected the usually composed butler to say such a thing, furrowed his brows for a while and then closed his eyes to suppress his irritation.
The butler, being older, may not have been well-versed in these matters and certainly hadn’t meant to be disrespectful toward Mr. Liang.
Huo Lan opened his eyes and patiently explained, “Getting into bed is a later stage.”
“…” The butler: “Oh.”
Huo Lan withdrew his gaze and opened several reports.
When they were together, Huo Lan could clearly see that just a touch on the top of Liang Xiao’s head would make him so nervous that he became flustered.
He was trying to coax Liang Xiao to sleep, so naturally, he had to take responsibility to the end. There was no way he could enjoy himself in bed while making Liang Xiao toss and turn, unable to sleep.
The butler weakly looked at him, even considering finding a few books on captive, forced love for Huo Lan. “So, are you planning to keep doing this?”
If, from now on, until he could spend the rest of his life with Mr. Liang, Mr. Huo intended to sleep like this every night, he might need to contact a private doctor and arrange some neck therapy and traction.
Alpha bodies were strong, and Huo Lan didn’t think there was much of a problem. He massaged his shoulder and neck. “I’m fine.”
The butler was already thinking about calling the doctor. He paused, trying to keep calm. “You’re fine…”
Clearly, he had more to say, and Huo Lan waited for a moment, becoming a bit impatient as he looked up at him.
“…But Mr. Liang mentioned that he didn’t sleep too comfortably when he left.”
The butler was resolute in his thoughts. “When Mr. Liang is at home, he always sleeps with a body pillow. A good quality body pillow never sits up.”
Huo Lan: “…”
The butler: “…”
Huo Lan was clear and logical only in areas he was familiar with. He had never hugged a body pillow, and Huo family industry had never ventured into the bedding market, so for a moment, he was almost intimidated by the butler. “Is it serious?”
“It’s serious.” The butler mentally apologized to Liang Xiao. “Mr. Liang really needs a body pillow. Didn’t you notice? He was hugging you while he slept today.”
Huo Lan couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
He wanted to correct the misunderstanding, saying that it wasn’t Liang Xiao who was hugging him but that Liang Xiao had rubbed his way from his shoulder to his chest, so he had ended up holding him.
But he felt that saying such things would sound too frivolous and disrespectful to Liang Xiao.
The butler, not understanding, continued down the logical path Liang Xiao had once taught him, leading Huo Lan deeper into the conversation. “When Mr. Liang left, he sighed and regretted that today’s ‘feeling’ wasn’t as good as before.”
Huo Lan was genuinely starting to feel uncomfortable, furrowing his brows and letting go of the mouse.
The butler’s heart was racing, and he quietly swallowed.
…Of course, that wasn’t the truth.
The truth was that Liang Xiao had crawled out of Huo Lan’s arms, and the entire time, he had been in a dazed state from being overly startled. It wasn’t until he was sent downstairs by the butler and his manager that he snapped out of it, shaking his manager’s shoulder and incoherently babbling about how today’s events were even more thrilling than before.
But when two people are developing feelings for each other, someone always has to make a little compromise now and then.
Appropriately tolerating each other and making some harmless sacrifices is necessary.
The butler sighed inwardly, determined to take better care of Liang Xiao in the future, and raised his head, looking at Huo Lan with firm resolve.
Huo Lan’s heart sank.
He had originally only wanted to coax Liang Xiao to sleep, but before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep himself and hadn’t noticed that Liang Xiao hadn’t slept well.
Huo Lan felt guilty upon hearing this, and after a moment of silence, he finally relented. “Wait until he’s better.”
The butler’s eyes brightened. “Tomorrow—”
Huo Lan interrupted. “Tomorrow won’t work.”
Strictly speaking, Liang Xiao wasn’t really sick this time. He had just been caught up in a misunderstanding and ended up in the hospital on behalf of Jiang Pingchao’s manager.
However, one of the aftereffects of the pheromone explosion was that the glands were easily triggered, and even a slight stimulus could make them go into an active state.
That’s why specialized suppressants were needed to keep them in check.
This time, Liang Xiao had actively triggered his pheromones, partially activating his glands. Even with the hospital’s medication and Huo Lan using temporary marking to help regulate and relieve the situation, it would still take a few days for everything to stabilize completely.
For Liang Xiao, staying in this state for even one more day meant more danger.
“Wait until he’s better,” Huo Lan said reluctantly, “Then I’ll lie down… and let him hug me.”
The butler clapped his hands in delight. “Great!”
Huo Lan was still thinking about how Liang Xiao hadn’t slept well in the afternoon, and he wasn’t swayed by the butler’s excitement. He pressed his fingers to his forehead to ease his guilt and returned his focus to work.
Liang Xiao had been receiving intravenous fluids for three days, and with the temporary marking, his glands had stabilized for the most part.
But he still wasn’t doing very well.
For three consecutive days, he hadn’t been able to sleep soundly. Sitting on the sidelines, he clutched the script, occasionally dozing off with his eyes half-closed.
“What’s wrong now?” Duan Ming kept an eye on the Weibo account and reached out in time to pull Liang Xiao back into the chair. “Aren’t you able to sleep well when you’re with President Huo?”
Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment and sighed. “Yes…”
Duan Ming gave him a puzzled look, casually taking a screenshot of the Weibo account with a million followers.
Liang Xiao had only registered his Weibo three days ago, and his traffic was relatively stable. At the scriptwriter’s suggestion, he had taken advantage of the popularity to post two clips—one of a dramatic rescue on horseback and the other of a scene with the electric chair.
At the moment when the audience was eagerly awaiting content, Yun Lian’s popularity surged dramatically. Knowing that the filming hadn’t been completed yet, many comments appeared under the official drama Weibo account, pleading for a stable ending for Yun Lian. The number of likes skyrocketed, all in hopes of giving Yun Lian a peaceful conclusion.
Liang Xiao took his phone, scrolled through a few pages of Weibo comments, but ultimately couldn’t calm his mind. He handed the phone back to Duan Ming with a sigh.
“…” Duan Ming numbly started for him, “Ah, ah, ah, so thrilling.”
Liang Xiao’s ears flushed, almost following him and continuing, but he snapped back to reality and restrained himself, forcing out, “Brother Duan, are you trying to trick me into speaking?”
Duan Ming thought to himself, I’d be crazy to trick you into speaking. Who knows if this time it was because you touched President Huo’s hand or accidentally bumped into President Huo’s noble rear end that you’re so stimulated. I really don’t feel like asking again. He put the eye mask on Liang Xiao: “Since you and President Huo are already in this kind of relationship, you should adjust your mindset. There’s no need to get worked up over everything…”
Liang Xiao’s neck and glands were still tingling from those two words, and he hastily coughed a few times to cover it up.
…
He couldn’t sleep, but it wasn’t because he was next to Huo Lan.
Huo Lan had always been restrained when accompanying him to rest. He would only sit at the head of the bed and wouldn’t lie down. Liang Xiao was still a bit worried about this, so he had privately asked the butler.
The butler had looked troubled, hesitated, and finally only reassured him that there wouldn’t be any issues with Huo Lan’s health in the short term.
Liang Xiao thought that in the long term, they might need to find a solution, and he had been thinking about it these past few days.
His heartbeat still hadn’t calmed down. Wrapped in his coat, Liang Xiao buried his face in his hands, taking a deep breath and exhaling in short bursts.
…He had never known that the things in those steamy novels were actually real.
Since Huo Lan had decided to help him suppress his pheromones, the temporary marking had completely stopped being the familiar quick bite-and-done. On top of that, with President Huo’s susceptible period, the rigid mindset of young Huo Lan collided with President Huo’s determination, forcing Liang Xiao to cooperate with President Huo in conducting experiments on the temporary marking control variables these past few days.
How deep the bite was, how long it lasted, the ratio of pheromone injection to pheromone extraction.
Other factors that affected the alleviation of the temporary marking tension.
The strength of the embrace, the area of physical contact, whether they were sitting on the sofa, the bed, or the desk.
Or… President Huo’s lap.
Liang Xiao felt weak all over from the experiments. Just thinking about how President Huo had pressed him into his arms and carefully bitten his neck made him burn with embarrassment. It was hard to speak about, and yet, as the saying goes, “what is thought of during the day appears in dreams at night.” Even when asleep, the memory would resurface in his dreams, reminding him once again.
“Deserved it,” Duan Ming, not understanding the situation, assumed that Liang Xiao was still uncomfortable from his glands and was worried. He couldn’t help but nag him, “You dared to stimulate your pheromones yourself. Now you know it doesn’t feel good, huh?”
Liang Xiao tugged at the corner of his mouth, “Had to act quickly in an emergency…”
Duan Ming sighed, rubbed his forehead, and wrapped the coat tightly around him.
The situation had been urgent at the time. If it hadn’t been for Liang Xiao’s decisive and effective emergency response, even if Jiang Pingchao’s manager had managed to pull through, he would have had to stay in the hospital for at least ten days to half a month.
Liang Xiao had been using suppressants for years, so the gland activation issue wasn’t a big deal. It was just that during this period, he had to be extra cautious. With the hospital’s medication and President Huo’s ongoing help with temporary marking, his condition had stabilized much faster than if he had tried to adjust it on his own.
“Teacher Jiang too, why hasn’t he come back after three days?”
Duan Ming knew that it was just the family caring for their own, so he didn’t comment further. “I wonder what those two have been up to…”
“…” Liang Xiao, with the eye mask on, vaguely felt like he might know what those two had been doing over the past three days. He barely maintained his waking state and swallowed his words back down.
“The set is ready.” The production crew wasn’t filming, and since Duan Ming had nothing to do, he continued to chatter beside him. “You should adjust your condition too. When Teacher Jiang comes back, we can shoot the last scene and wrap up.”
Liang Xiao mumbled in response, finding a more comfortable position, and closed his eyes to rest and regain his energy.
The production had received new investment from the investors, giving them more confidence. They had carefully crafted the final scenes, and in the past three days, most of the set had been completed.
They were just waiting for Jiang Pingchao to return, and then they could shoot the last scene.
Song Qi was worried that the lack of filming over the past few days might make them slack off, so he still gathered the main cast together every day to discuss the scenes.
Liang Xiao’s role was different, so he couldn’t follow Su Man, Meng Feibai, and the others to listen to the intense and dramatic behind-the-scenes discussions. He had dozed off for a while, but Duan Ming woke him up, “We’re starting.”
Liang Xiao fumbled to take off his eye mask. “Has Teacher Jiang come back?”
Duan Ming pointed toward the set and helped him sit up.
Liang Xiao, still groggy from sleep, hadn’t fully regained his bearings. He saw Jiang Pingchao and Chi Che finish talking to Director Song and walk directly toward him. He froze for a moment, barely managing to sit up straight with Duan Ming’s help.
When Jiang Pingchao reached his tent, he stopped by the side, letting Chi Che walk over alone.
“Mr. Liang,” Chi Che gently pressed Liang Xiao down and didn’t ask him to stand up. “That day… sorry.”
Chi Che took a deep breath. “My attitude toward you—”
Liang Xiao smiled. “It would be uncomfortable for anyone.”
Chi Che was cut off by him and couldn’t continue. He looked up at Liang Xiao.
“I’m fine.” Liang Xiao had been unable to hold back and help at the time, but he wasn’t going to let Chi Che dwell on it after all this time. “So, is everything okay now?”
Chi Che’s ears flushed slightly. He pursed his lips and nodded.
Liang Xiao vaguely understood and forced himself to hold back the “you too” look, clearing his throat and pushing the inappropriate thoughts down.
“Thanks… for your help back then.”
Chi Che was silent for a moment before speaking again. “We heard about Long Tao.”
Liang Xiao picked up the thermos cup that Duan Ming handed him and took a sip of hot water.
“These past few days, Long Tao has been pressuring all the agencies.”
Chi Che was straightforward. “If you intend to terminate your contract with Long Tao, Teacher Jiang’s studio can offer you an artist contract.”
Liang Xiao hadn’t heard Huo Lan mention Long Tao, but in public opinion, Long Tao was being firmly suppressed by Xingguan and had yet to find an opportunity to successfully tarnish his reputation. Of course, they wouldn’t just give up and stop scheming elsewhere.
Liang Xiao understood the situation and smiled. “No need… Thank you.”
Chi Che asked directly, “Do you prefer Xingguan?”
Liang Xiao, holding the thermos cup, hesitated for a moment before smiling. “Yes.”
“Xingguan has excellent strength, and their treatment is reasonable.”
Chi Che asked, “Do you know President Huo?”
Liang Xiao choked slightly. “…I do.”
Chi Che asked, “How well do you know him?”
Liang Xiao: “…”
In a few days, he might know every corner of Mr. Huo’s body.
That was a conversation that couldn’t be had, so Liang Xiao buried his face in the rising steam from the thermos cup, carefully considering his words. “I know… a little.”
Chi Che had witnessed firsthand that the relationship between them was complicated. Objectively speaking, he didn’t think that with Liang Xiao’s talent and strength, he would need to rely on the president of any film and television company to secure resources or treatment.
Chi Che had received Liang Xiao’s help and didn’t plan to interfere with his decisions, but he did want to return the favor by offering a reminder. “President Huo is a businessman.”
Liang Xiao furrowed his brows and looked up.
“President Huo is a very successful businessman.”
Chi Che: “Never loses out, calm, strategic, and always gets whatever he wants.”
In the past few days, Xingguan’s big moves had been coming one after another, making everyone in the industry nervous. There was a growing concern that Xingguan was trying to monopolize the industry’s resources and cut off others’ livelihoods.
Long Tao had already been on a downward slope for years, and with Xingguan’s full-on suppression, its collapse was inevitable. Liang Xiao couldn’t stay at Long Tao forever, and as for his future path, it was something he would have to decide for himself.
“Just yesterday,” Chi Che said, “Xingguan intercepted two multi-million-dollar endorsements from Long Tao and eliminated a top-tier resource in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“Long Tao has been frequently trading shares lately, and it looks like they’re about to be cornered.”
Chi Che continued, “Before we came to the set today, we saw Long Tao’s person in charge come to talk to him.”
Liang Xiao’s voice was slightly hoarse. “…Thank you.”
Huo Lan hadn’t mentioned the work details to him, and if Chi Che hadn’t brought it up, Liang Xiao wouldn’t have known how fast Xingguan was moving.
Liang Xiao lowered his eyes, fiddling with the wall of the thermos cup. He remembered waking up twice in the middle of the night, and seeing Huo Lan still sitting at the computer at the bedside. Suddenly, he felt like he wanted to switch to Xingguan as soon as possible.
At least he could help Xingguan make some money.
In the future, a fraction of the money Huo Lan spent buying Long Tao would be his share.
…
Liang Xiao’s initial enthusiasm was somewhat dampened. He almost wanted to find a piece of paper to count the zeros again. Considering that Chi Che was still there, he put the thermos cup down: “President Huo is a very successful businessman in the business world…”
Chi Che frowned. “What’s different about that?”
“Different,” Liang Xiao said.
He had been thinking about this for the past few days. Chi Che didn’t know the full story, but his accidental remark actually helped Liang Xiao clear his mind. “In business, businessmen are driven by profit. It’s all about money.”
Chi Che was momentarily stunned. “So?”
“I’m going to Xingguan,” Liang Xiao smiled and took a breath, honestly admitting, “But it’s not for the money.”
In the office, Huo Lan coldly lowered his gaze and closed the computer in his hands.
“What do you want?”
The general manager of Long Tao was almost frantic. “Endorsements? Resources? Market share?”
Mergers and acquisitions were matters to be discussed with the chairman, and Huo Lan didn’t want to talk much with him. He signaled the butler to escort the man out.
“Xingguan is just following the rules of the industry!” the general manager of Long Tao reminded him in a low voice. “Pushing Long Tao to the brink, aren’t you afraid everyone will be on edge? The bird that sticks out gets shot—”
“Fair competition,” Huo Lan said. “Xingguan has no intention of monopolizing.”
The general manager of Long Tao furrowed his brows, staring at him for a long time. A sudden thought crossed his mind, and he couldn’t help but laugh and mock, “You’re doing this for that omega?”
Huo Lan looked up.
“A ruined omega…”
The general manager of Long Tao was puzzled. “You really like this type? How many do you want? We can find some for you—”
Huo Lan: “Show him out.”
The butler stepped forward, and the general manager of Long Tao sensed the intense, dark undercurrent in Huo Lan’s gaze. A chill ran through him, and instinctively, he stepped back two paces.
“Manager Zhang,” the butler raised his hand, “Please.”
“All this… for an artist.” The general manager of Long Tao, despite his anger, managed to hold back and begrudgingly rephrased, “Long Tao is not unwilling to let go.”
After all, Long Tao had come to show weakness this time. Considering the dirty tactics used between Liang Xiao and Xingguan earlier, they had already prepared to make a concession at this point.
Huo Lan gestured for the butler to handle the matter, and the general manager of Long Tao handed over Liang Xiao’s contract. Gritting his teeth, he signed the artist transfer letter, but couldn’t help but mock, “Mr. Huo is really deep in love.”
“Creating public opinion, finding resources, paving the way…” The general manager of Long Tao sneered, “I heard Xingguan is even buying him a house.”
Xingguan’s operations were not particularly secretive, so Huo Lan wasn’t surprised that he knew. He sent a message for the secretary department to come up and handle the contract.
“You’ve bought him everything, thinking that will make him stay loyal.”
The general manager of Long Tao sneered, “He’s with you for the money. You’ve given him the money, so why wouldn’t he leave?”
The general manager of Long Tao wasn’t inexperienced with dealing with artists. He knew that a few soft words wouldn’t make Huo Lan change his mind. Now, forced by the situation to hand over Liang Xiao to Xingguan, he half-jokingly and half-seriously mocked, “He’s got the house, the future, and if he doesn’t leave, are you still waiting for him to ask you to bite him—”
“He should have had all this long ago,” Huo Lan said.
The general manager of Long Tao was taken aback, unable to respond immediately.
Huo Lan: “He didn’t do things he should have, so naturally, he couldn’t accumulate money he should have earned. He didn’t have the right to make choices.”
Although Liang Xiao hadn’t spoken about it, there were still people who knew what had happened back then. Xingguan had thoroughly investigated and discovered the generous conditions Long Tao had offered to get Liang Xiao to cooperate at that time.
Huo Lan took a deep breath, suppressing unrelated emotions: “As for the old matters, Xingguan still reserves the right to pursue responsibility.”
The general manager of Long Tao’s face darkened, but he didn’t try to argue or refute.
Since Long Tao had been targeted by Xingguan, and after several attempts to contact Liang Xiao had failed, he had suspected that the past had eventually been uncovered. At this point, there was no need to struggle further.
Huo Lan lowered his gaze and neatly placed the contract aside.
He of course understood that what Liang Xiao wanted was money.
Over the years, Liang Xiao had lived with all his might, stumbling and struggling for survival, with no time to save money, no time to find a stable place to live, and no time to think about the future.
These shackles and chains weighed heavily on Liang Xiao’s hands, feet, and neck, dragging him down to the ground, pulling him along with them.
“The world has been harsh to him, so I’ll make it up to him.”
Huo Lan: “Once everything is settled, whether he stays or leaves, Xingguan will not interfere.”
“Long Tao wasted five years of his life,” Huo Lan said. “He should have had a smooth path ahead.”
![After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Your-paragraph-text-1.png "After losing all his wealth, the ancestor rose from his coffin [BL]")
