He was rambling off the top of his head and didn’t have time to say more before he was suddenly pulled back by the arm behind him, involuntarily falling onto their President Huo.
Liang Xiao was startled: “President Huo–”
Huo Lan’s chest heaved a few times, and the arms tightly holding him slowly loosened.
“It’s okay, hold on tight to stay warm,” Liang Xiao quickly stopped him, hugging Huo Lan back and roughly patting his back a few times. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”
Huo Lan was even calmer at times like this, calm as an icy vault, without a single crack to be found.
The butler had said that Huo Lan strictly forbade himself from showing happiness, and never allowed himself to indulge in sadness.
Liang Xiao vaguely sensed his emotional change and didn’t want Huo Lan to retreat back into that frozen state. He hurriedly looked up: “I’m here–”
His eyes were covered by Huo Lan’s raised hand.
Liang Xiao was stunned for a moment and stopped speaking.
Huo Lan held his arm, silent for a long time, then asked in a low voice: “The person you mentioned… from back then.”
“…” Liang Xiao was exasperated: “President Huo, is this the time to be jealous?”
Huo Lan was unmoved: “You said he was a good person.”
Liang Xiao really didn’t know what to do with him. After holding back for a while, his ears turned red, and he coaxed softly: “Not… not as good as you.”
Huo Lan was slightly stunned: “Really?”
Liang Xiao deflated: “No, it’s not true.”
Huo Lan quieted down.
“You’re both equally good.”
Liang Xiao knew this might upset their President Huo, so he paused and explained gently: “I didn’t understand these things back then, and I definitely hadn’t thought about this kind of thing, but I–”
With his vision taken away, what he could hear became particularly important.
Liang Xiao held his breath and listened for a while, not hearing Huo Lan speak, which made him quite uneasy.
Liang Xiao groped around, also grabbing Huo Lan’s arm, and imperceptibly moved a bit further from the window: “Back then, I truly considered him a friend.”
Huo Lan’s arm trembled slightly.
Liang Xiao didn’t want Huo Lan to overthink, so he reassured him in a low voice: “Not the kind of friend we are.”
“…” Huo Lan was silent for a long time: “Why?”
Liang Xiao was stunned: “Huh?”
“It’s nothing,” Huo Lan didn’t ask further, “I–”
Huo Lan only said one word before falling into an particularly abrupt silence.
Liang Xiao was held by him, holding his breath and waiting for a while. He moved slightly, about to speak, when he suddenly felt some cool moisture on his face.
Liang Xiao’s heart tightened: “It really wasn’t like that.”
Liang Xiao hadn’t expected that having had a friend in the past would be such a serious matter. He fumbled around in a panic, grabbing his sleeve to wipe their President Huo’s face: “I promise, we were completely innocent–”
Huo Lan said hoarsely: “I’m sorry.”
Liang Xiao became anxious: “What are you sorry for?”
Huo Lan’s chest and shoulders trembled as he held him tightly in his arms.
Liang Xiao had said that some things weren’t the fault of either person.
A twist of fate, life playing tricks on us.
Huo Lan tried his best to comfort himself with Liang Xiao’s words, but the more he thought about it, the more he remembered the information that Xingguan had collected to buy Liang Xiao back then.
How Liang Xiao ran to film sets to save money, how he rolled on the life-and-death line of stunt work and explosions, how he struggled bit by bit to make a living.
The medical records brought by the deputy director of Tianxing TV station showed nine resuscitations, with loss of vital signs four times during the rescue process.
Huo Lan’s hands were shaking a little. He closed his eyes, trying his best to convince himself.
A twist of fate, a twist of fate…
Liang Xiao couldn’t see, covered by him, and became extremely anxious. He moved Huo Lan’s hand away: “What’s really wrong–”
Huo Lan held him tightly in his arms.
Huo Lan: “Liang Xiao.”
Liang Xiao responded instinctively: “Here.”
Huo Lan closed his eyes for a moment, feeling somewhat regretful.
Back then… he shouldn’t have asked the other to remember to respond every time his name was called.
He gave Liang Xiao whatever to memorize, but Liang Xiao didn’t actually know that “Spring breeze washed by rain surpasses a city full of misty rain” didn’t come from any reference book.
He wrote this line back then only because it didn’t rhyme, and little Liang Xiao couldn’t memorize it otherwise.
At that time, when Huo Lan heard him say it, he only vaguely had a premonition and didn’t dare to confirm. But at this point, there was no reason to deny it anymore.
Huo Lan asked in a low voice: “Do you… still consider him a friend?”
Liang Xiao was almost worried to death: “President Huo.”
Huo Lan understood, the corners of his mouth tightening slightly, his eyes burning hot before he forcefully suppressed it again.
There were still many things he didn’t understand – what Liang Xiao had encountered back then, why he had to hide his identity, why he didn’t like studying.
Why he left.
He had clearly agreed to enter the medical field back then, and even insisted that Huo Lan be responsible for solving his employment issues. Why did he later enter the entertainment industry?
Why didn’t he ever come to find him again?
Huo Lan stopped thinking about it, grabbed his wrist, and took off that bracelet.
Liang Xiao panicked: “No–”
Liang Xiao hadn’t actually planned to use this to call for help, but he still couldn’t bear to part with it. Holding Huo Lan’s hand, he spoke without thinking: “We really were just friends! I even wanted to draw a QAQ on his face, I’ve never thought about drawing on yours!”
Huo Lan was stunned by his shout, his gaze falling on him, the bloodshot in his eyes gradually fading.
Huo Lan looked at him, lowered his eyes, his lips tightening slightly as he stroked Liang Xiao’s hair.
Liang Xiao: “QAQ.”
“I won’t take it away,” Huo Lan said, “It’s yours.”
Liang Xiao frowned, still not entirely reassured.
Huo Lan connected to his phone, pulled up the settings, and added a line to the default one-click emergency call number. He gathered Liang Xiao’s hand and helped him put the bracelet back on.
Liang Xiao was a bit dazed: “Is it the local emergency center’s number…”
“No,” Huo Lan said, “It’s my emergency contact information.”
Liang Xiao was stunned for a moment, then raised his head.
Liang Xiao carefully thought about this sentence, swallowed dryly, his heart suddenly racing.
Huo Lan was quiet for a while, then opened the bedside drawer and took out a contract, handing it to him.
It was Liang Xiao’s new contract with Xingguan. All the necessary procedures were complete, only needing the person’s signature to take immediate effect.
Huo Lan had originally planned to give it to him on his birthday, but now he didn’t want to wait.
Liang Xiao watched him hand over the contract with the solemnity of presenting a marriage proposal. He hesitated for a moment before accepting it, carefully flipping through it: “Isn’t this all filled out already?”
Liang Xiao had always felt that joining Xingguan was just a matter of time. Seeing the contract finalized, he still felt happy and skimmed through it: “It’s good, just–”
He was about to mention Brother Duan and Xiao Gong’s contracts, hoping Xingguan’s legal department could help process them as well.
Liang Xiao was about to speak when Huo Lan took the contract from his hands and turned to the last page.
Liang Xiao was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head to look carefully.
Huo Lan had rehearsed this sentence countless times, but when he actually spoke, his heart was still racing: “Mr. Liang.”
Liang Xiao looked up, dazed.
Huo Lan raised his eyes, his gaze meeting Liang Xiao’s: “I want to be with you, to do what you want to do, to reach the heights you want to reach.”
Huo Lan: “With the goal of becoming your emergency contact, to live together with you.”
Liang Xiao listened quietly, his chest churning with hot, sour emotions that almost rebelled. He smiled: “I–”
Liang Xiao wiped his face and buried it in Huo Lan’s shoulder, rubbing it forcefully a few times.
“President Huo,” Liang Xiao put away the contract, folding it carefully and keeping it close, “We usually have another way of saying this.”
Huo Lan was slightly stunned: “What?”
Liang Xiao took a deep breath and leaned forward to embrace him.
Liang Xiao: “I like you too.”
![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]")
