Liang Xiao couldn’t continue even himself and shut down the trashy dog-blood CEO romance novel plot in his brain: “They won’t.”
Defeated, Liang Xiao turned President Huo’s head back toward the computer, biting his spoon as he pensively stirred the porridge for a long time.
The butler hadn’t had a chance to come out, but he could roughly guess what was happening.
President Huo usually took very good care of himself, with morning exercises and regular meals. Back in Jiangnan, whenever little Liang Xiao was too engrossed in games to eat, young Huo Lan would coldly cut off his lifeline-the WiFi connection.
But once there was an important exam to prepare for, the relationship between the two would completely reverse roles.
This current confrontation had countless undercurrents, like sailing against the current where not advancing meant retreating, allowing no carelessness or relaxation. And now he had encountered a mishap. Given President Huo’s temperament, Liang Xiao wasn’t surprised that he would instinctively prioritize his energy between him and work.
But he couldn’t neglect eating and sleeping.
Even with an Alpha’s superior physical condition, he couldn’t withstand such strain.
Liang Xiao decided to show concern for their President Huo. He put down his spoon and suddenly poked President Huo, who was concentrating on work, saying softly: “Hey.”
President Huo was slightly startled and released the mouse to turn his head.
Liang Xiao leaned forward: “You-”
Liang Xiao looked down at the hand holding his own, his eyes also treacherously warming. He pressed his lips together, smiled at him, and with a bit more strength, returned the grip, squeezing twice.
When they were in Jiangnan, they often squeezed together at the head of the bed doing homework. When he couldn’t continue writing, he would provoke Huo Lan like this.
Although it was mostly because he refused to get out of bed without force, young Huo Lan wasn’t very temperamental about such things. The next time he couldn’t get him to move, he would still bring the exercise book to his room.
Unable to keep calling him “fat sheep,” Liang Xiao had tried various nicknames but found them all too formal, which eventually evolved into this rather impertinent way of addressing him.
Liang Xiao couldn’t resist tugging at his sleeve and asking: “Why did you always insist on finding me to do homework back then?”
President Huo’s shoulders tensed slightly, and he pressed his lips together without speaking.
Liang Xiao particularly wanted to know and clung to him despite the heat, asking softly: “Was it really to make me feel the rich atmosphere of studying?”
President Huo glanced up at him and said softly: “No.”
Liang Xiao asked knowingly: “To supervise my studies?”
President Huo, forced into a corner, shook his head: “No…”
Liang Xiao could barely suppress his smile: “Then-”
President Huo admitted softly: “I wanted to wait until you couldn’t study anymore and would talk to me.”
Liang Xiao had been happily expecting answers like “finding opportunities to be together” to reminisce about the past and feel genuine emotions with President Huo, with his feelings already built up halfway: “…”
Liang Xiao: “?”
Liang Xiao was incredulous, his romantic thoughts vanishing: “Then when I talked to you, you scolded me?!”
President Huo had no defense and remained silent for a while before lowering his head.
Liang Xiao never dreamed that it had all been a trap, and the more he thought about it, the more indignant he became: “And you even punished me with ten extra problems, not allowing me to look at the answers??”
President Huo hadn’t expected him to remember so clearly and felt somewhat ashamed, squeezing his hand.
Liang Xiao couldn’t bear to pull away. After holding back for a while, he moved President Huo’s mouse to find a useless sentence and forcefully deleted a period by pounding on the keyboard.
“When you couldn’t solve problems, you would come to me.”
President Huo lowered his gaze and softly admitted: “You didn’t often talk to me, I-”
Liang Xiao was indignant: “I didn’t often talk to you because every time I spoke, you punished me with more problems!”
President Huo was taken aback, opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak.
Liang Xiao looked at him for a while, both angry and softened, and after a moment laughed and collapsed against President Huo’s shoulder.
Their President Huo not only easily got trapped in logical dead ends but also often created dead ends himself, calmly leading others into them as well.
Liang Xiao couldn’t stay angry. Looking at President Huo’s stunned gaze, he treacherously began to feel sorry for him again and tugged at his sleeve: “It’s okay, I’m not angry with you anymore.”
Thinking about how he had actually spent several days working through problem sets for him, Liang Xiao still couldn’t help feeling a bit angry: “Just kiss me ten times, one kiss for each problem, and we’ll call it even-”
President Huo held his hand: “Not even.”
“Not even.”
Liang Xiao had just spoken without thinking and immediately regretted it, quickly correcting himself: “We’ll be square.”
President Huo gazed at him for a moment, leaned down, and lightly touched his forehead.
Liang Xiao had been waiting for their President Huo’s storm of ten consecutive kisses. Feeling hot, he tugged at him stiffly: “No, lower.”
“Not square,” President Huo said softly. “I’ll repay slowly, nine out, thirteen back.”
Liang Xiao was no stranger to high-interest loans. His mind was still hazy, but his mouth instinctively responded: “How many months per term…”
President Huo closed his eyes briefly: “One month.”
Liang Xiao couldn’t help calculating and was stunned by the astonishing compound interest figure. He couldn’t help but grin.
Liang Xiao raised his hand to cover his face, barely controlling his expression, trying hard not to appear too lustful: “Okay… okay.”
After indulging in his own lustful thoughts for a while, Liang Xiao noticed that President Huo’s mood was off. He paused and tugged at him: “What’s wrong… what are you thinking about?”
“Thinking-” President Huo was silent for a moment, “about what would have happened if I had told you the truth back then.”
Liang Xiao spoke frankly: “Then I would have been scared away at that time.”
President Huo was taken aback, looked up at him quietly for a while, then pressed his lips together slightly and nodded.
Liang Xiao leaned against him quietly, his chest also vaguely aching.
Although he might have been scared away at that time… if he had really come to his senses, the young Liang Xiao would definitely have run back.
However far he had run away in fear, he would have run back just as far.
If he had run to the capital, he would have taken the train, crying and coughing all the way, scattering flower petals, running to bury the key in the flower bed below their home.
Liang Xiao vaguely understood what was troubling President Huo. He hugged him and patted him, saying softly: “Then maybe neither of us would be like we are now.”
Liang Xiao teased him: “You might not be President Huo now. You might have been led by me to elope, running to a place where your family couldn’t find you.”
Liang Xiao let his imagination run wild: “My talent is too good to hide, I would probably have been discovered by talent scouts. Then I would take acting jobs to support the family, and you would be my assistant running errands, massaging my shoulders every day, and if you didn’t do a good job, I would bully you…”
President Huo listened quietly and laughed softly.
Liang Xiao hadn’t expected that even after describing such a miserable fate for President Huo, he could still laugh: “What are you laughing at?”
President Huo said softly: “That sounds nice.”
Liang Xiao opened his mouth, and his chest suddenly ached sharply.
Liang Xiao lowered his head and held back for a while, but still couldn’t help tugging at President Huo, nuzzling against his collar.
President Huo embraced him, pulling him into his arms.
“Let’s not think about the past anymore. Neither of us is allowed to feel bad about the past.”
Liang Xiao, with reddened eyes, sniffled: “Whoever cries gets spanked.”
President Huo lowered his head, somewhat uncertain if this was a trap, and his right hand moved slightly.
Liang Xiao, oblivious, missed the opportunity: “Starting tomorrow.”
President Huo lowered his gaze and said softly: “Alright.”
“Let’s eat first.” Liang Xiao had forgotten the main point, and resolutely sniffled: “When I’m sick, I need to take care of my body, sleep on time, and eat on time.”
Liang Xiao imperiously arranged for Assistant Huo: “Someone needs to supervise me, eat with me, and sleep with me.”
President Huo looked at him, paused slightly, the corners of his lips lifting as he nodded in cooperation: “Yes.”
“When sleeping with me, you must be a pillow from beginning to end, no sneaking away early.”
Liang Xiao was very strict in establishing rules: “When eating with me, you must eat more than me, otherwise I have no appetite.”
President Huo, worried the porridge would get cold, scooped up a spoonful, tested it with his lips, and fed it to him: “Mm.”
Liang Xiao opened his mouth majestically, swallowed the perfectly temperatured porridge instinctively, and heat immediately rose from the top of his head: “…”
He rarely enjoyed porridge so much. President Huo carefully wiped the corner of his lips, kissed him there, and meticulously followed the rules by eating two spoonfuls himself.
Liang Xiao was thoroughly heated, steaming as he dazedly savored the moment, and softly tugged at the insubordinate Assistant Huo.
President Huo looked up at him.
Liang Xiao: “Is, is this the treatment for fevers?”
President Huo scooped up a spoonful of porridge, met his gaze, pressed his lips together, and nodded slightly.
–
Mr. Liang recovered at the hotel for three days before returning to the film set to resume work despite his illness.
For the next week, Mr. Liang was exceptionally dedicated, arriving at the set every day with a fever, yet still completing every scene.
For the next half month, Mr. Liang persevered despite his physical condition, working through high fevers of 39 degrees without leaving the front line, completing several high-quality fight scenes without a body double.
On the first day after that half month, Mr. Liang returned from the set looking vibrant, asked the butler for a thermometer, found a good position, and humming a tune, entered the side bedroom with his arm tucked.
President Huo put down his computer, carefully examined Mr. Liang’s complexion, felt his forehead, and picked him up to gauge his weight.
President Huo raised his hand, embraced Mr. Liang, and leaned down to unbutton Mr. Liang’s clothes.
The butler, maintaining propriety, sternly drove away a group of anxious assistants who were peeking at the door to check on progress, helped their President Huo close the door, and together with the manager, peeked through the crack.
…
After all this time, Mr. Liang still appeared somewhat nervous and awkward, both welcoming and refusing politely, trying to push away their President Huo’s hands.
President Huo’s touch was steady and gentle. He held Mr. Liang’s hand, kissed him thoroughly until he couldn’t move, and unbuttoned his coat.
From inside, he took out a thermometer and three hot, steaming hot water bottles.
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
![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]")
