What You Call "Warming the Bed"?

Jian Ning regretted it deeply.

Really, if heaven gave him another chance, he would definitely keep his mouth shut after finishing that bowl of noodles instead of making such a suggestive joke to a gloomy big shot whose father had just died—though not completely.

"Um... Mr. Huo, I just remembered that I haven't done my face mask tonight." Jian Ning gave a dry laugh and tried to pull back the wrist Huo Si was holding. "With face masks, applying them even a second late cuts the effect in half. That's fatal for an artist who makes a living off his face."

[Help! Why wasn't he following the script? Shouldn't a normal domineering CEO sneer coldly and say, 'Who do you think you are?']

[He actually said okay? Was he so traumatized tonight that he wanted to drag someone down with him?]

Huo Si said nothing. He merely tightened his grip slightly and led him upstairs.

Like a little white pig being dragged off to slaughter, Jian Ning dawdled all the way up the stairs, wailing inwardly:

[System! Stop playing dead! Hurry up and exchange something for me—a 'diamond body' or an 'instant knockout potion'!]

[System: Due to the host's insufficient favorability level, you may only exchange for one bottle of 'air freshener.' Wishing you a pleasant sleeping environment tonight.]

[Get lost!]

When the master bedroom door opened, a cool, clean scent of agarwood washed over him.

The room was enormous, and its decor was even colder and harsher than the living room. The absurdly large black-and-gray double bed in the center looked like a massive altar in Jian Ning's eyes.

Huo Si released his hand and began unbuttoning his shirt with his long fingers.

One button, then two.

The firm lines of his chest were revealed, exuding an aggressively sensual aura beneath the lights.

Jian Ning sucked in a breath and clung desperately to the doorframe. "Mr. Huo, I think things like this... should be taken step by step. How about we start with just sharing a blanket and chatting?"

Huo Si paused and tilted his head. His deep eyes reflected Jian Ning's panicked little face.

"Weren't you quite bold back at the restaurant?"

Huo Si approached step by step, his powerful presence making Jian Ning shrink back unconsciously.

"For something like warming the bed, moving your mouth without moving your hands won't do."

Jian Ning swallowed. Seeing that he was about to be cornered against the wall, he hardened his heart, squeezed his eyes shut, and shouted, "Then warm it! Who's afraid of who? As long as President Huo isn't afraid that his back will hurt too badly for him to hold a meeting tomorrow!"

[Come on! At worst, I'll pretend I'm being pinned down by a ghost! As long as the money's good enough, I can handle any position... Sob, can someone save me? I haven't even had my first kiss yet.]

At the words "first kiss," Huo Si's movements paused almost imperceptibly.

Looking at Jian Ning's expression as though he were heading bravely to his death, Huo Si suddenly found it rather amusing.

This little thing cursed him bloody murder in his heart, yet still maintained this pose of "heroic sacrifice" on the surface.

Huo Si suddenly bent down, stopping only a few centimeters above Jian Ning's forehead.

Jian Ning squeezed his eyes tightly shut in fright, his long lashes trembling like the wings of a startled butterfly.

Yet the anticipated violence never came.

Huo Si merely reached behind Jian Ning for the remote control. With a beep, he raised the room temperature by two degrees.

"Sleep on the left." Huo Si's voice was low. "I have insomnia. With you beside me, I might sleep better."

Jian Ning opened his eyes blankly. "Huh?"

That was it?

[Insomnia? Does he want me as a human body pillow?]

[Or is this old man actually incapable in that department... so all he can do is hug someone to sleep?]

[Tsk, no wonder he's so old and still doesn't have a proper partner. So he's 'willing but unable.' Poor thing, so pitiful.]

Huo Si had just turned around when he heard that. The veins at his temple throbbed violently twice.

He turned his head, his gaze dark and menacing as he stared at Jian Ning.

"Jian Ning, if you dare think any more nonsense in that head of yours, I don't mind proving to you right now whether I'm capable or not."

Jian Ning: "!!!"

He abruptly covered his mouth, eyes wide.

[Holy shit?! How does he know what I'm thinking?! Can he really read minds? No, no, no—my expression must have been too obvious!]

He shot onto the bed, yanked over the blanket, and wrapped himself up like a silkworm cocoon. With only his eyes exposed, he nodded obediently. "Okay, Mr. Huo! No problem, Mr. Huo! I'm going to sleep right now! I absolutely won't think nonsense!"

Huo Si gave a cold snort, switched off the main lights, leaving only a dim wall lamp, then lifted the blanket and lay down on the other side.

Silence fell over the room.

Jian Ning had thought he would be too nervous to sleep, but perhaps because the night had been too exhausting, or because the scent of agarwood around Huo Si was so soothing, his breathing became even and light before long.

Huo Si, on the other hand, lay looking up at the ceiling. What filled his ears was no longer the noisy, chaotic, malicious business calculations, but Jian Ning's trivial, ridiculous, and strangely healing thoughts:

[Mm... This bed is so soft. It's way better than my drafty little rental.]

[This old man Huo Si... is actually not bad. Other than being a little fierce, he's handsome, rich, and can make tomato-and-egg noodles.]

[Tomorrow's production... that fake Lin Zixuan is definitely going to be furious... Hehe, nice...]

Listening to those chattering little thoughts, Huo Si unexpectedly felt a peace he had never experienced before.

The neurotic insomnia that had tortured him for five whole years seemed to fade away at this moment.

He turned over and looked at the little thing curled into a ball beside him.

At some point, Jian Ning had shifted closer in his sleep, even draping one foot over Huo Si's leg without the slightest courtesy.

Huo Si laughed softly but did not move his leg away.

He reached out and gently brushed Jian Ning's messy bangs aside.

"Little liar."

He murmured it, then closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the bedroom.

Jian Ning was awakened by a shrill phone call.

Still half-asleep, he reached out from beneath the blanket, found his phone, and answered it. His manager, Brother Zhao, roared furiously from the other end:

"Jian Ning! Where the hell are you?! Do you know that Azure Cloud Legend starts filming today? The entire crew is waiting for you! And you actually had your phone switched off?"

Jian Ning sat bolt upright, and the blanket slid down, revealing his fair shoulders.

"Brother Zhao... Didn't they give that role to Lin Zixuan?"

"My ass! Lin Zixuan was photographed fighting someone at a casino last night, and he's still sitting in a cell! The producer specifically named you to come back and play the role! And I heard the investors gave the word—they're upgrading your part from third male villain to second male lead!"

Before Jian Ning could even celebrate, he felt an icy gaze from behind him.

He turned his head mechanically.

Huo Si, dressed in a perfectly tailored dark suit, stood beside the bed tying his tie.

"You're awake?" Huo Si's voice carried the magnetic quality of someone who had just risen, pleasant enough to make one's ears pregnant.

The manager on the phone instantly went silent.

Two seconds later, Brother Zhao's voice trembled beyond recognition. "Jian... Ningning, who's that beside you...? Why does he sound a little like that God of Wealth?"

Jian Ning's old face reddened as he was about to explain, but Huo Si suddenly walked over, naturally took his phone, and spoke indifferently into it.

"He hasn't woken up yet. Send him over half an hour later. Any problem with that?"

Brother Zhao's frantic head-shaking could practically be heard through the phone, followed by his obsequious voice. "No problem! Absolutely no problem! President Huo, please carry on! Please carry on!"

After hanging up, Huo Si tossed the phone back onto the bed.

"Go wash up. After breakfast, I'll take you to the set."

Jian Ning hugged his pillow and stared at him blankly.

[He's taking me to the production?]

[President Huo is personally taking me? This isn't taking me to film—it's taking me to the execution block! When the directors and producers see Huo Si's car, won't they kneel to welcome him?]

[Showing off my 'sugar daddy' in public like this... It's just... just so damn satisfying!]

Seeing the smug little look he was trying and failing to hide, Huo Si shook his head helplessly.

"Stop dawdling. You have ten minutes."

Half an hour later, a Rolls-Royce stopped at the entrance to the film studio where the Azure Cloud Legend crew was located.

By then, a crowd had already gathered outside the production entrance.

News that the crew had replaced Lin Zixuan had spread. Everyone wanted to see exactly who Jian Ning was—the person who had come back from the dead at such a critical moment and had even gotten more scenes.

The car door opened.

Jian Ning stepped out beneath the stunned gazes of the staff.

Before he could steady himself, the rear window slowly rolled down.

Huo Si's stern profile appeared. He tapped the window frame and gave Jian Ning a cool but authoritative reminder:

"Don't go digging into gossip outside. If anyone bullies you, remember to call me."

Jian Ning nodded obediently. "Got it, Mr. Huo."

[Got it, got it. Who would dare bully President Huo's person?]

[But... once Huo Si leaves, I'm going to dig into the male lead's gossip! I heard he's recently had rumors with several actresses. Hehe.]

Hearing that, Huo Si's gaze deepened, and the car slowly pulled away.

Jian Ning turned around, took a deep breath, and prepared to enter the production.

Just then, a magnetic voice carrying a trace of chill sounded behind him:

"Jian Ning? Long time no see."

Jian Ning's body stiffened, and he turned around.

A man dressed in flowing ancient robes stood not far away, looking almost ethereal.

He was the male lead of this drama, the current top star of the entertainment industry, the nation's heartthrob—Shen Huai.

The system's voice screamed wildly in Jian Ning's mind:

[Ding! High-energy warning! An earth-shattering secret has been detected!]

[Target: Shen Huai.]

[Identity revealed: He is the original host's first-love ex-boyfriend. Three years ago, he abandoned the original host for his career. He is currently planning to reconcile with the original host and use him to gain access to Huo Si!]

Jian Ning: [Holy shit?! An ex-boyfriend? And a scumbag who wants to live off someone else?]

[Shen Huai... Shen my ass! That name sounds salty as hell!]

Shen Huai walked over, looking at Jian Ning with a complicated expression as he lowered his voice.

"Ningning, you've changed. Is it because of Huo Si? Did you really sell your soul for resources?"

Jian Ning rolled his eyes.

How much was a soul worth per pound?

He was about to fire back when he suddenly saw a huge red exclamation mark appear above Shen Huai's head:

[Shen Huai's secret: He put his underwear on backwards.]

Jian Ning: "..."

Jian Ning looked at Shen Huai's affectionate, melancholy heartthrob expression, then at the notice above his head that read [Underwear on backwards]. The faint tension he had felt instantly vanished.

[Hahahaha! Underwear on backwards? Movie Emperor Shen, just how rushed were you when you left home?]

[Or did you just crawl out of some actress's bed and panic too much?]

Seeing Jian Ning remain silent, Shen Huai thought he had struck a sore spot. He was about to add fuel to the fire and put on a show of "heartbroken anguish."

But Jian Ning suddenly leaned close, looked at him with immense sympathy, and lowered his voice.

"Movie Emperor Shen, instead of worrying about my soul, why don't you worry about your inner... side. Is it too tight?"

Shen Huai's expression froze instantly.