Repaying kindness with cruelty

Of course, none of the guests there noticed the underwater mouth-to-mouth. After all, some were hiding in tents, and the rest were running for their lives.

Shen Xinbai finally reached the opposite bank and clutched Zhou Nan's hand, tears in his eyes. "Zhou Nan."

As the protagonist bottom, Shen Xinbai naturally had impeccable looks. After falling into the water, he looked even more delicate.

Zhou Nan's heart ached for him, and he instinctively pulled him into his arms. "It's all right now, Xinbai. I'll protect you."

Lou Jun had just climbed ashore when he saw this. His expression abruptly darkened. "What are you doing!"

[I lost it at that question. He really sounded like he'd caught them cheating, hahaha.]

[But I don't get why Zhou Nan and Shen Xinbai were hugging either.]

[Right? With hornets chasing right behind them, they still had time for hugs?]

A wave of guilt swept over Zhou Nan. He immediately released Shen Xinbai. "Um, Best Actor Lou, get in the tent."

The terrifying buzzing was right by their ears. Lou Jun glared at him and headed into the tent.

They entered one after another. Clutching the honeycomb he had stolen, Shen Xinbai ducked his head and squeezed inside.

Suddenly, he tripped over something and fell, screaming in fright. "What is that!"

Lin Yang, muffled inside the sleeping bag, hurriedly shouted, "It's me! It's me! Oh, there should be a sleeping bag by your feet. Get inside, and the hornets won't be able to sting you."

Recognizing his voice, Shen Xinbai grew even angrier.

His whole body hurt from being stung, yet Lin Yang was safely hiding in a sleeping bag!

With grievances old and new added together, a vicious gleam flashed through Shen Xinbai's eyes.

"Oh, what's blocking the way up ahead? Zhou Nan, could you throw him out for me?"

At his words, Zhou Nan glanced over. The sleeping bag, half a person's height, was huddled in a corner of the tent, neither blocking the way nor getting in anyone's way.

But the next moment, he picked it up and threw it out of the tent.

It traced an arc through the air.

Lin Yang rolled several times across the ground before coming to a stop.

Pain, fear, and bewilderment swept through his entire body.

But more than anything, he felt bitterly disappointed.

[????????]

[Poor baby Yang. He was quietly huddled in the corner and even kindly told them where the sleeping bag was. What did he ever do to them?]

[Wow. Repaying kindness with cruelty. Have those three got no shame?]

[Forget protecting his darling-he threw him into a swarm of hornets to save his own skin. Is Zhou Nan even human?]

The three had thought everything would be fine once they hid in the tent, but unfortunately, a few hornets had made their way inside too.

At once, agonized screams rang out in the cramped, narrow tent.

Outside, Lin Yang bit down hard on his lower lip, his eyes reddening.

The person who had thrown him out just now was Zhou Nan.

The man he liked so, so, so much.

And who he had thought liked him very much too.

But...

"Yangyang, Yangyang, can you hear me?"

"Chaochao!" Lin Yang's voice came out thick with tears.

The two tents weren't far apart, and Xu Chao knew exactly what had happened over there.

Inwardly, he cursed those three selfish, heartless beasts up and down.

Still, if this incident could help Lin Yang see that scumbag's true colors, Xu Chao thought that was a good thing.

But hearing the hurt in the young man's tearful voice truly made Xu Chao's heart ache.

So once the buzzing faded, Xu Chao couldn't wait to leave the tent.

He had barely taken a step when Fu Sichen caught hold of him and stepped outside first.

Xu Chao immediately grew nervous. "Boss! Be careful, there might still be hornets!"

Fu Sichen looked back, his pitch-black eyes fixed on him. "I need to be careful, but you don't?"

"I'm not afraid..." Under the man's oppressive gaze, his voice grew quieter and quieter, though inwardly he felt a little indignant.

He was showing the boss care and concern. What was the boss getting angry about!

Before he could figure it out, however, Fu Sichen confirmed that it was safe outside and took his hand, leading him out.

The man's large palm was rough and cool.

Yet somehow, it felt warm.

Xu Chao couldn't help tightening his grip on the man's hand.

Soon, Xu Chao pulled Lin Yang out of the sleeping bag.

Looking at his red rabbit eyes, he sighed and said with aching sympathy, "Don't cry. It's all right now."

Lin Yang's little mouth crumpled. "Chaochao."

Xu Chao was just about to comfort him when another voice rang out, filled with pain and concern. "Yangyang, are you all right?"

Lin Yang turned to see... a face swollen and red as a pig's head.

Even his tearful voice faltered.

"Zhou Nan?"

"It's me."

"How did you end up like this?" Lin Yang couldn't help asking.

At the mention of it, Zhou Nan hurt all over. He had thought the tent would be the safest place, but a few hornets had gotten in and singled him out to sting!

Suppressing his irritation, Zhou Nan tried hard to look loving and concerned. "I saw the swarm flying into the tent, so I threw you outside to protect you. Now that I see you're all right, I can stop worrying."

Lin Yang froze for a moment. So Zhou Nan had done it all to protect him...

The next second, an infuriatingly cheeky voice rang out.

"Oh my, so Zhou Nan's way of protecting his lover is to throw him into a swarm of hornets while he hides in the tent. How touching."

"Hubby, if it were you, would you protect me that way?"

As he spoke, he blinked furiously.

Fu Sichen's eyes brimmed with indulgence. "No. I'd only shield you in my arms."

Touched, Xu Chao clasped both hands over his heart. As expected of the boss-his husbandly virtues were top-notch!

He was just about to praise him when the man continued.

"We live together or die together."

"..."

Xu Chao's little heart trembled, inexplicably alarmed. Holy crap, the boss wasn't already thinking about flaying him alive, was he?

Xu Chao shuffled two steps back. Stay alive, stay alive-he had to stay alive!

"My husband really is the best husband in the world. Don't you agree, Yangyang?"

Lin Yang looked baffled. "Huh?"

Xu Chao hurriedly winked and pulled faces at him.

Understanding dawned on Lin Yang, and he chimed in, "Yes, Boss Fu really is wonderful. In a crisis, he'd protect you in his arms..."

As he spoke, Lin Yang couldn't help trailing off. Everyone had been scrambling to squeeze into the tent, and Shen Xinbai had complained that he was taking up space before telling Zhou Nan to throw him out...

Had that really been to protect him?

As doubts rose in Lin Yang's mind, Lou Jun and Shen Xinbai staggered out too.

Thanks to his protagonist halo, Shen Xinbai, the mastermind behind stealing the honey, wasn't badly hurt.

But even so, he had been stung several times on the arms. After wading through the creek, he was soaked all over, like a drowned rat. Compared with the completely unscathed Xu Chao, he was far more bedraggled.

"Chaochao, we were being chased so badly by those hornets. Why didn't you help us? Even Lou Jun got stung."

Xu Chao raised an eyebrow. "The way you put it, it's my fault you were chased by hornets?"

Shen Xinbai feigned hurt. "Of course not. It's just that if you'd opened the tent, perhaps Lou Jun and Zhou Nan wouldn't have gotten hurt."

He didn't mention himself at all.

He focused on showing concern for others.

It really was the usual routine of a fake innocent winning people over.

Xu Chao shrugged, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yangyang kindly opened his tent, and then you all teamed up to throw him out. Good thing I didn't open mine, or I'd have been thrown out too!"

He was openly mocking them for repaying kindness with cruelty.

All three expressions changed. Zhou Nan was the most embarrassed, since he was the one who had thrown him out!

Lou Jun stepped forward. "Enough! This all happened because you refused to save us. If both tents had been opened, none of this would have happened."

"No, no, no. I saved two people." Xu Chao wagged his index finger. "As for you lot, good advice can't stop people determined to get themselves killed. Do whatever you like."

Lou Jun snapped angrily, "Who did you save?!"

Xu Chao turned and said hi.

Everyone followed his gaze and saw Wen Shiting and Cheng Yu, who had just climbed out of the creek.

Although both were soaked through and pale, they didn't look bedraggled, nor did they show any signs of hornet stings.

Wen Shiting smiled and thanked Xu Chao. "Young Master Xu, Young Master Fu, thank you both for the warning."

Xu Chao waved a magnanimous hand. "No need, no need. It only took a few words."

As he finished speaking, he stared intently at Cheng Yu beside Wen Shiting, his expression seeming to say, Thank me, thank me, thank me.

The corners of Cheng Yu's mouth twitched hard. He pressed his crimson lips together and awkwardly mumbled, "Thank you."

"Cheng Yu, your thanks have been received." After addressing him by name, Xu Chao continued, "As the saying goes, taking advice keeps your belly full. May you have a full meal tonight."

The blessing sounded abstract.

But it truly was what they wanted most right now.

Cheng Yu puffed out his cheeks, wanting to get angry but finding that he couldn't.

Wen Shiting smiled. "Thank you."

[Awkward, shy bottom versus gentle, accepting top. I'm in!]

[You know, Cheng Yu really is pretty cute when he's shy.]

[They're both pale after soaking in the creek, yet Cheng Yu's lips alone are crimson. Think about it. Really think about it!]

[Hahaha, somehow this feels like a young couple thanking their matchmaker.]