Su Huaiming knew nothing about any of this and was still battling away in his game.
After finishing a round, Su Huaiming's lower back ached a little from sitting, so he took his cup downstairs to get some water.
He had just come down the stairs when he saw the butler speaking to Fu Jingfan with a troubled expression. Fu Jingfan's eyes were lowered slightly, and the light falling on his sharply defined features made him look particularly severe.
Su Huaiming stopped in his tracks instinctively and looked up at them.
Fu Jingfan caught his gaze at once and looked up at Su Huaiming.
The butler turned around and saw Su Huaiming. He reacted strongly, instinctively hiding his phone behind his back with an expression as though the sky had fallen.
Su Huaiming was utterly puzzled. "What happened?" he asked.
The butler froze and looked at him with a complicated expression, trying to tell whether Su Huaiming really didn't know or was putting on a brave face.
From the way the butler had hidden his phone, Su Huaiming guessed that there was probably something about him online. He immediately took his phone out of his pocket to check Weibo.
The butler grew anxious and hurried to stop him. "Please, please don't look. It's nothing serious, just..."
"Just what?" Seeing that the butler couldn't bring himself to say it, Su Huaiming looked up at Fu Jingfan.
Fu Jingfan was watching Su Huaiming quietly, inexplicably anticipating his reaction. He said succinctly, "A video was posted online."
A video?
Su Huaiming tilted his head in confusion.
He had only gone out for hotpot. What was there to film?
Wait, something embarrassing did happen while I was wandering around... Could someone have been filming me then?
!!!!
Su Huaiming frowned and opened his mouth slightly. "Someone filmed a video then... and posted it online?"
Fu Jingfan nodded.
Su Huaiming squeezed his eyes shut, utterly distraught. "Does everyone know I was mistaken for a dog now?!"
Fu Jingfan: "..."
The butler: "..."
????? What?
Mistaken for... a dog?
A dog?!!
The butler was so shocked that he froze, his mind in complete disarray.
How could someone be mistaken for a dog... What kind of person would be mistaken for a dog... Does Mr. Su look like a dog?!
The shock and pity in the butler's eyes were too obvious. Su Huaiming suddenly had a bad feeling and asked hesitantly, "Wasn't that what happened?"
The corners of the butler's mouth twitched twice. Suddenly, he couldn't bear to tell him the truth.
Poor Mr. Su, what on earth has he been through today?!!
The butler couldn't bear to say it, but Fu Jingfan spoke up directly. "No. The video showed us getting into the car."
Su Huaiming stared straight at him, his brain no longer able to function. "S-so, before this, n-no one knew I was..."
He couldn't bear to go on.
Fu Jingfan's gaze was inscrutable, betraying no emotion. "That's right. No one knew you were mistaken for a dog before, but..."
"Now we do."
For a moment, Su Huaiming couldn't tell whether the last sentence or the word "dog" had dealt him the greater blow. As if struck by lightning, he suddenly felt that life had lost its meaning.
The blow left Su Huaiming unable to stand steady. He staggered a few steps and fell backward.
As the butler's expression slowly turned fearful, Fu Jingfan reached out and caught Su Huaiming by the arm.
Su Huaiming looked at the scorching light from the lamp and slowly closed his eyes, thinking that fainting right then would probably be a good idea.
But the butler was far too noisy.
"What should we do? Mr. Su has fainted! Call the family doctor, quick! No, call 120 right now!!"
Su Huaiming: "..."
Some people were alive, but they were already dead.
Chapter 24: 024
Su Huaiming swore to heaven that there really had been a moment when he felt himself losing consciousness and on the verge of fainting.
But the butler was too noisy. The noise forced his brain to start working again, and he became fully alert.
Su Huaiming kept his eyes closed. He could feel the heat against his back and a pair of strong hands gripping his shoulders. The callus on a middle finger brushed against his bare skin, tickling a little.
The butler was still calling for help in an extremely exaggerated manner. Su Huaiming had intended to wake up, but the butler made his scalp tingle, and he couldn't face the awkward scene that would follow, so he could only keep pretending to be unconscious.
Fu Jingfan's gaze fell on Su Huaiming's face.
Su Huaiming's face was smaller than he had imagined, with delicate, beautiful features and clear, fine skin. He looked very gentle, without a trace of aggressiveness—Sleeping Beauty from the fairy tale probably looked like this.
But unlike Sleeping Beauty, Su Huaiming's thick, curled eyelashes kept trembling, and his eyes rolled around beneath his lids, revealing his unease.
As though he had found an amusing little pet, Fu Jingfan grew interested and suddenly wanted to tease Su Huaiming. He deliberately said, "Call 120 directly. Su Huaiming is in terrible condition. Treatment at the hospital would be safest."
Su Huaiming was still unconscious, but when he heard this, he couldn't help biting his lip. Fu Jingfan could clearly feel Su Huaiming's body twitch, as though he couldn't hold back the urge to get up.
Seeing Su Huaiming's eyes rolling faster and faster, Fu Jingfan's lips curved in an almost imperceptible smile. He softened his tone. "Su Huaiming probably only fainted temporarily. Call the family doctor. There's no need to go to the hospital."
Only then did Su Huaiming let out a long breath. His tense body relaxed, and he let his weight rest against Fu Jingfan.
With his eyes closed, he couldn't see what was happening around him and was eager to know what Fu Jingfan would do next.
But everything around him was quiet. Su Huaiming strained his ears, but he didn't hear Fu Jingfan speak again.
Just as he was wondering why, his body suddenly went light as he was lifted off the ground. His cheek brushed against fabric warmed by body heat, and a strong heartbeat sounded by his ear.
!!!! Did Fu Jingfan just pick me up?!
Su Huaiming was horrified and wanted to open his eyes a crack, but reason stopped him.
He was pretending to be unconscious right under Fu Jingfan's nose. Any rash movement could easily expose him, so he could only endure it.
Deprived of sight, his other senses became more acute.
Su Huaiming had never felt so small. Light as a feather, he had been lifted effortlessly by Fu Jingfan and was curled up in his arms.
Fu Jingfan was busy with work, but he hadn't neglected exercise. The fact that he got up at five thirty for his morning run showed as much.
His arm was firm and strong, its lines taut; his five fingers were spread, gripping Su Huaiming's shoulder firmly. Su Huaiming could picture their shape in his mind.
Even through a layer of fabric, the warmth against his cheek was still scorching. The powerful heartbeat disturbed Su Huaiming's thoughts, making his mind wander... Fortunately, Fu Jingfan hadn't trained his chest muscles into a steel plate.
Su Huaiming felt himself being set down gently, his back coming to rest against something soft. Fu Jingfan had probably put him on the sofa.
Following Fu Jingfan's movement, Su Huaiming tilted his head slightly and took the opportunity to settle into a more comfortable position.
He sat on the sofa, listening to Fu Jingfan and the butler talk.
"Mr. Su still hasn't woken up. Is there really no need to take him to the hospital?"
"No need."
"The family doctor will take about twenty minutes to arrive. I'll prepare the relevant equipment he'll need in advance."
"All right."
Fu Jingfan turned his head and saw that although Su Huaiming was sitting quietly on the sofa, his body betrayed his impatience. He was on pins and needles, unable to stay there another minute.
Fu Jingfan deliberately walked over to him and spoke as though to himself. "It'll be another twenty minutes before the doctor arrives. Perhaps I should take Su Huaiming back to his room first."
Hearing this, Su Huaiming was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he nodded vigorously in his heart.
He didn't want to suffer a public execution in front of everyone anymore. Letting him return to his room was better than staying in the living room, where anyone could walk past.
Unfortunately, he was unconscious right now and couldn't get up and walk back to his room himself.
Fu Jingfan guessed what Su Huaiming was thinking. He deliberately bent down, leaned close to his ear, and said in a low voice, "How about I find someone to carry him back?"
Fu Jingfan's hot breath enveloped Su Huaiming's sensitive ear, dyeing its tip a faint pink. Su Huaiming instinctively wanted to dodge, but reason stopped him, and his body went rigid.
Fu Jingfan admired Su Huaiming's reactions and little movements. The corners of his mouth rose unconsciously in an almost imperceptible smile, and for the first time, his deep, dark eyes showed a change.
Su Huaiming's acting was halfhearted and clumsy, but it was amusing. Fu Jingfan was looking forward more and more to seeing his other reactions.
"Better leave him in the living room. That way, it'll be easier for the doctor to examine him when he arrives."
When Su Huaiming heard that, he went "Huh?!" in his heart. His body didn't move, but Fu Jingfan could almost see Su Huaiming's soul, its fur bristling as it jumped up and down in protest:
He wanted to go back.
Fu Jingfan said nothing and watched Su Huaiming quietly.
How could Su Huaiming know what Fu Jingfan was thinking or what expression he wore? Forced to sit on the sofa, he was so embarrassed he wanted to scratch his head and ears. He wished time would stop so he could sneak back to his room.
A few seconds later, Su Huaiming felt that hot, strong arm wrap around his shoulders. His body went light, and Fu Jingfan lifted him again.
??? Where are we going?
Fu Jingfan carried him for a long time, his steps still steady, showing no sign of strain.
Su Huaiming felt his body bumping upward. Fu Jingfan was probably carrying him up the stairs.
So, is Fu Jingfan carrying me back to my room?
At that thought, Su Huaiming breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and his nerves were no longer taut.
Fu Jingfan could feel the person in his arms soften and lean his weight against him, like a gummy candy melting in his embrace.
He really isn't holding back.
Su Huaiming leaned against Fu Jingfan's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat as he waited for Fu Jingfan to take him back to his room. But a soft strand of hair playfully brushed against his cheek, swaying with his breathing and making his cheek itch.
Su Huaiming's fingers curled in discomfort. He badly wanted to move the annoying strand away, but he couldn't make any big movements, so he could only blow it away with his breath.