President Huo was not on the fourth floor of the villa.
Nor was he in the first three-quarters of the left side of the third floor.
“Shouldn’t we have some telepathic connection?”
Duan Ming couldn’t bear to watch anymore and came up to bring him a glass of water: “How many have you checked?”
“…” Liang Xiao didn’t want to recall: “Brother Duan, don’t ask.”
Duan Ming saw the layer of sweat on his forehead and pulled out two tissues to hand to him.
“The weather isn’t good today,” Duan Ming hesitated, worried Liang Xiao wasn’t feeling well. “Should I bring Xiao Gong to help you search?”
Liang Xiao quickly shook his head: “No need.”
“The butler said — President Huo doesn’t want anyone to see him,” Liang Xiao coughed, a bit embarrassed. “I–”
Duan Ming: “I understand.”
Liang Xiao lowered his head and smiled.
Duan Ming didn’t want to say more. He sighed and took the empty glass Liang Xiao had drunk from: “Do you want more?”
“No thanks.” Liang Xiao wiped his mouth and stood up, supporting himself on his knees. “The light of victory is beckoning me.”
Duan Ming: “The light of victory has been beckoning you for an hour.”
Liang Xiao choked: “…Almost there.”
Liang Xiao confirmed: “Brother Duan, President Huo hasn’t returned to the bedroom, right?”
If President Huo had calmed down and returned to the bedroom, only to find him not there and come out looking for him…
The story might develop in a different direction.
A late-night game of cat and mouse throughout the villa.
“No,” Duan Ming said, “No one has entered the master bedroom.”
Liang Xiao sighed in relief: “That’s good.”
“Brother Duan, please let the security team know,” Liang Xiao thought for a moment. “Ask the duty room to keep an eye out.”
Liang Xiao had broken into a sweat and now felt a bit cold. A thought made him shiver slightly: “If President Huo returns, call me. Don’t let him come out looking.”
Duan Ming nodded and handed him the jacket he had brought: “Understood.”
Liang Xiao took it and put it on: “You all should get some rest too.”
Duan Ming waved his hand and quickly went downstairs.
Liang Xiao put on the jacket, flexed his arms a bit, and gave himself a pep talk to speed up his progress.
…
President Huo wasn’t on the third floor either.
Even without considering the lack of telepathic connection, as Liang Xiao lugged the keys to the second floor, he had to start wondering if his luck had taken an extreme turn for the worse.
Like doing a 10-pull gacha and getting nine R-ranks, with the tenth pull failing due to network lag.
Before starting his search, he had even made a meticulous plan, ruling out places where President Huo definitely wouldn’t be, like the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, walk-in closet, and walk-in refrigerator.
Liang Xiao could barely stand anymore. He dropped the keys on the ground with a thud and sat down, leaning against an inconspicuous door.
…Perhaps his analysis was wrong.
He shouldn’t have ruled out the walk-in refrigerator.
His back felt a bit cold. Liang Xiao tightened his jacket and rested against the door for a while, making a new, more thorough plan.
Liang Xiao rubbed his forehead, took a deep breath, and stood up, deciding to check if their President Huo might be hiding in the cold storage, making snow.
After manually opening doors on two floors, his arms were barely his own anymore. He absent-mindedly grabbed the sack, and just as he realized something was wrong, his hand suddenly felt lighter.
Liang Xiao knew this wasn’t good and quickly looked down, but it was too late to stop the keys from spilling out of the tilted sack opening with a loud clatter.
…
Liang Xiao leaned against the door, looking down at the keys scattered all over the floor.
Good things come to those who wait.
Maybe this was meant to accumulate his luck.
Liang Xiao took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, hugged himself sympathetically, and dutifully squatted down.
“Life,” Liang Xiao picked up a key and put it in the sack, softly comforting himself, “has its ups and–”
A deep voice came from behind the door: “Who’s there?”
Liang Xiao’s hand trembled: “…”
Liang Xiao squatted on the ground, clutching the second key he had just picked up, and raised his head.
Life.
Has its ups and downs and ups.
Liang Xiao hesitated for a moment, then said softly: “President Huo?”
There was no more sound from behind the door.
The voice just now had been very clear. Liang Xiao asked himself honestly, it probably wasn’t a hallucination born from missing President Huo too much.
Liang Xiao thought for a moment, moved closer, and placed his hand on the door, cautiously testing the temperature.
Liang Xiao: “…”
Liang Xiao raised his other hand, cushioned it with his sleeve, and knocked on the door: “President Huo.”
Still no response. Liang Xiao was very patient and continued knocking one by one: “Huo Lan.”
After a moment of silence, Huo Lan finally responded: “…Go back.”
“I can’t go back,” Liang Xiao moved closer to the door and spoke softly. “Can you open the door?”
Huo Lan fell silent.
“Did something happen?” Liang Xiao leaned against the door through his clothes. “I–”
Huo Lan said in a low voice: “Don’t ask.”
Liang Xiao nodded: “Okay.”
Huo Lan had been afraid of frightening Liang Xiao in this state and had planned to calm down before returning. He hadn’t expected Liang Xiao to come looking for him. He tried his best to soften his tone: “…Go back to the bedroom first.”
“Go back… and wait for me,” Huo Lan said. “It’s cold out here.”
“It’s not cold,” Liang Xiao said softly. “Can you open the door first?”
Huo Lan couldn’t calm his emotions and felt cornered by Liang Xiao’s persistence. His voice became completely hoarse: “I can’t.”
Liang Xiao paused: “Huo–”
Huo Lan: “I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
Huo Lan knew Liang Xiao had come out of concern for him.
But at this moment, he not only couldn’t take care of Liang Xiao, he could barely control himself.
The past and present were intertwined, taking turns to assault him. Every step was a calculation, every matter had ulterior motives, no one could be trusted, no warmth could be indulged in.
Back when the young Huo Lan had just come of age and returned to the main family, it was by forcing himself into such a near-paranoid state that he had managed to pull the almost collapsed Huo Corporation back from the brink.
Liang Xiao meant well, and Huo Lan didn’t want to be ungrateful again.
“I need to…” Liang Xiao said, “President Huo, you may not know…”
The room fell silent.
Liang Xiao actually felt that this wasn’t the right time or atmosphere to say such a thing.
But he really had no choice.
Liang Xiao coughed and forced himself to continue: “This door—it’s made of iron.”
“…” Huo Lan: “What?”
Huo Lan had already made up his mind and was about to call the butler to come up, intending to send Mr. Liang back temporarily regardless of what he said.
His finger was already on the dial button when, to his surprise, this was what Liang Xiao wanted to tell him.
Liang Xiao felt a bit sad: “The door is made of iron.”
Huo Lan: “…”
Huo Lan was somewhat dazed, closing his eyes and trying to dispel his chaotic thoughts.
Perhaps… Mr. Liang happened to be exploring the villa tonight.
He had made a new discovery and simply couldn’t contain himself, needing to share it with someone immediately.
Huo Lan tried his best to convince himself: “Yes… there are some iron doors.”
The villa had been passed down through several generations of the Huo family and was quite old.
The house was built with great care back then and had always been maintained. Some rooms still didn’t need renovation or repair, and they were still using the original furniture and doors.
This room was originally the Huo family’s vault, so using an iron door was normal.
Huo Lan was quiet for a moment, forcing himself to chat properly: “The doors for this room on each floor are all made of iron.”
Liang Xiao wasn’t concerned about that: “That’s not important…”
Huo Lan was taken aback.
“President Huo.” Liang Xiao sighed, “Help, my hand is stuck to the door.”
–
In the vast territory of the motherland, in the more northern regions, there is indeed a survival experience passed down through generations about not licking iron railings.
The experience didn’t mention that hands were also at risk.
Liang Xiao had actually imagined a dozen or so ways to coax their President Huo to open the door. Even if it didn’t make one’s face flush and heart race, it could at least be sweet enough to open the door through sheer charm.
But things always have unexpected turns.
Liang Xiao moved along with the door, crouching on the ground, watching Huo Lan try to remove his hand from the door. He felt a bit dazed: “How did it come to this…”
Huo Lan: “Your palm… was sweaty.”
Liang Xiao: “Huh?”
“When metal is at a low temperature,” Huo Lan paused before explaining, “it quickly conducts heat, causing surface moisture to freeze—”
Liang Xiao weakly replied: “That’s not what I was asking.”
Huo Lan had frozen the person to the door, and he was already feeling a mix of guilt and frustration. Being interrupted, he lowered his gaze and stopped speaking.
When iron objects are cold, you shouldn’t touch them with wet hands to begin with. Liang Xiao’s hand was stuck firmly, and after trying for a long time, there was no sign of being able to remove it.
Constantly in contact with the iron door, the back of his hand was already turning a faint blue-white from the cold.
Huo Lan remained silent, feeling agitated again, and closed his eyes tightly.
“It’s okay,” Liang Xiao noticed his expression wasn’t right, “Actually, I can’t feel anything. It doesn’t hurt if I don’t pull.”
Liang Xiao bent down and tugged at Huo Lan’s sleeve: “Can you… warm it up for me?”
Huo Lan frowned slightly and looked up at him.
“Metal conducts heat quickly, and it’s frozen… it’s ice, right?”
Liang Xiao tried his best to understand the lesson: “If it’s ice, won’t it melt if you warm it up?”
Huo Lan seemed a bit stunned, looking at him for a while before raising his left hand slightly.
Liang Xiao took advantage of his distraction to grab that hand and place it over his own.
Huo Lan’s palm wasn’t as dry and warm as usual, but its temperature was still higher than Liang Xiao’s. Following Liang Xiao’s lead, he didn’t pull away and covered the back of Liang Xiao’s hand.
As their palms overlapped, a faint warmth seeped through.
“Is it—”
Liang Xiao acted decisively but now didn’t dare to look up. He turned his gaze away and coughed: “Do we need to warm it up for longer?”
Liang Xiao couldn’t even continue his own words. Facing President Huo’s hand that he had inexplicably taken liberties with for no reason, he took a deep breath, preparing to backtrack: “Or—”
Huo Lan: “Mm.”
Liang Xiao was stunned for a moment.
Huo Lan covered Liang Xiao’s hand, his gaze still not falling on Liang Xiao. He supported himself against the door with one hand and sat down, mimicking Liang Xiao’s earlier posture on the floor.
Huo Lan embraced Liang Xiao, making him sit on his lap.
Liang Xiao, warmed by his palm, looked at the downcast Huo Lan and softly called out: “President Huo.”
Huo Lan had no reaction, continuing to warm Liang Xiao’s hand, his arm around Liang Xiao’s waist, letting him lean against his arm.
Liang Xiao was almost encircled by this posture. Leaning forward slightly, he could feel Huo Lan’s unusually cool chest and shoulders.
Liang Xiao suddenly understood why Huo Lan had stubbornly refused to hug him.
Feeling a bit choked up in his chest, Liang Xiao closed his eyes and let out a soft breath.
“Can you—”
After a long while, Huo Lan finally spoke: “Can you move?”
Liang Xiao tried to pull a bit, his mind stirring. He quickly pressed his hand back against the door after moving it a crack: “…No, I can’t.”
Huo Lan frowned: “I’ll go find someone.”
The iron door was cold, not just because of his pheromones.
The temperature had already dropped tonight, and the corridor was cool. This room was located in a corner, originally used as a vault, and had never had a heating system installed.
It wouldn’t warm up quickly, and if they kept dragging this out, Liang Xiao would eventually get frostbite.
Huo Lan didn’t want to delay any longer. He took off his coat to spread it on the ground for Liang Xiao to sit on, when suddenly Liang Xiao grabbed his arm.
Huo Lan’s brows furrowed tightly: “I’m going to call the butler.”
Liang Xiao just wanted to find an opportunity to trick Huo Lan into hugging him properly. He didn’t want the butler to come and deal with his hand that he could easily remove from the door if he wanted to: “No, you can’t.”
Liang Xiao steeled himself: “I snuck out here.”
Huo Lan was stunned.
Liang Xiao took the chance to pull him back, moving a bit closer, and honestly admitted: “The butler… doesn’t know I came.”
Huo Lan was still trying to process this, staring at him intently.
When he opened the door, Huo Lan had indeed seen the overly impressive array of keys on the floor, but his mind was truly unsettled, and he had no energy to think about it in detail.
Except for the butler, no one knew where he was.
Liang Xiao couldn’t get the butler to tell him where Huo Lan was, and he wasn’t familiar with the layout of the villa.
Liang Xiao was trying the keys on each room one by one.
Liang Xiao didn’t expect his thoughts to be so clear in this situation. Realizing he had let something slip, he coughed and said, “…Never mind that.”
His arms were aching badly, and he feared he couldn’t keep up the act much longer, so he hurried: “President Huo, I–”
Huo Lan’s chest heaved, and he closed his eyes: “I’m sorry.”
Liang Xiao quickly responded politely: “What are you apologizing for…”
“This room,” Huo Lan was silent for a moment, “doesn’t have a key.”
Liang Xiao: “…”
Liang Xiao sat in a daze for a while, then gave up pretending. He took his hand off the door handle and stood up to leave.
Huo Lan instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm.
Liang Xiao’s legs were numb, and he staggered forward a step, looking weary.
Sensing the weak force in his palm, Huo Lan paused for a moment, then suddenly let go.
Liang Xiao had been posturing dejectedly for a while, and watching Huo Lan just let go like that made his chest ache with frustration: “Couldn’t you play along? Stop me–”
Liang Xiao froze for a moment, furrowing his brow as he met Huo Lan’s gaze.
Huo Lan was still sitting on the ground, his eyes still bloodshot, his gaze fixed on Liang Xiao.
Huo Lan had broad shoulders and long legs. Although he had adopted Liang Xiao’s posture, years of cultivated formality couldn’t be erased. His shoulders and back remained silently upright and sharp.
Sharp as if it had been honed, dripping with blood, cutting through the dark and dim reality of the past.
Not hurting others, only hurting himself.
Liang Xiao’s chest ached. Without waiting for Huo Lan, he turned back, knelt down, and embraced him completely.
Huo Lan shivered slightly, struggling to push him away: “Cold.”
“It’s okay,” Liang Xiao tightened his embrace, “It won’t be cold if I hold you.”
“That’s not…”
Huo Lan’s chest heaved violently as he forced himself to close his eyes: “My body… is cold.”
Huo Lan took a shallow breath: “You’ll get cold–”
“Huo Lan,” Liang Xiao said, “Are you cold?”
Huo Lan couldn’t continue, shaking his head with his eyes closed.
“You are cold,” Liang Xiao held him, “You’re just used to it. You’re cold too. Everyone gets cold.”
Liang Xiao thought for a moment: “There’s a poem you might not have heard, it’s not a required piece. I knew someone once… a good person, who taught me to recite it for fun.”
“I’ve forgotten the rest, but I remember two lines.”
Liang Xiao said: “If like the moon I could always be pure and bright, I wouldn’t mind–”
Huo Lan’s voice was hoarse: “I wouldn’t mind melting ice and snow to warm you.”
Liang Xiao paused, then smiled, stroking his hair: “That’s right.”
“With you here, let it be ice and snow.”
Liang Xiao exhaled, burying himself completely in Huo Lan’s embrace, “Next time you see me leaving, remember to stop me.”
Huo Lan’s shoulders trembled slightly, and after a long silence: “You–”
“I’m playing hard to get.”
Liang Xiao rambled, using every part of himself that could warm Huo Lan to do so: “When it looks like I’m about to leave, I’m actually just pretending, waiting for you to pull me back.”
Huo Lan stared at him in a daze, his pupils moving slightly, slowly raising his hand.
Huo Lan closed his eyes, gripping Liang Xiao’s arm, pulling him closer, gently nuzzling his short hair.
“Yes.”
Liang Xiao smiled: “You pull me back.”
Liang Xiao turned his face, brushing against Huo Lan’s cheek: “See, I came back, didn’t I?”
😭😭😭
Huo Lan an 18th tier actor tsk tsk