This love would never change

Seeing Huo Chuyun smile, Lu Xingchen let go of him like a cheerful little deer, hopped off the bed, and pattered out to the living room.

A few seconds later, he pattered back, holding a large bouquet of sunflowers as radiant as sunlight.

Lu Xingchen pressed the sunflowers into Huo Chuyun's arms as though presenting a treasure.

"I picked these out carefully on my way here. Huo Chuyun, I hope you like them. I believe that one day, like these sunflowers, you'll break free of the darkness and grow toward the sun."

"Thank you, baby."

Huo Chuyun took the flowers and gently brushed his fingers over their petals. Feeling their softness beneath his fingertips, his heart filled with warmth.

From the first moment he saw Lu Xingchen, Huo Chuyun had known clearly that Lu Xingchen had a little secret.

They had never known each other before, so why had Lu Xingchen known that the person that night was him, and ached for him enough to cry? Why had Lu Xingchen looked at him with eyes full of love, and trusted him enough to give himself to him?

Huo Chuyun was a smart man. He was waiting for Lu Xingchen to tell him of his own accord.

Huo Chuyun counted twenty sunflowers in all and asked curiously, "Baby, what do twenty sunflowers mean in the language of flowers this time?"

"This love will never change." Lu Xingchen kissed the vicious scar around Huo Chuyun's brow and eye, then explained earnestly, "My feelings for you will remain unchanged for all eternity."

Seeing Huo Chuyun staring at him in a daze, Lu Xingchen waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Why are you spacing out?"

"Baby..." Looking at the fair-skinned young man with his delicate features before him, Huo Chuyun couldn't help feeling a powerful surge of possessiveness.

He slowly reached out and tenderly stroked Lu Xingchen's soft cheek, feeling the smoothness and warmth of his skin.

Huo Chuyun's gaze gradually darkened, as though it concealed endless desire.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze fixed firmly on Lu Xingchen, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

His touch tickled Lu Xingchen a little, making him squirm, but he didn't move away.

He widened his eyes and looked at Huo Chuyun curiously, trust shining in his gaze as he asked in confusion, "Brother Chu, what's wrong?"

Sensing Lu Xingchen's response, Huo Chuyun grew bolder. His fingers slid slowly down Lu Xingchen's chin and lingered at his neck, gently rubbing it.

His breathing quickened, and a low sound escaped his throat.

"Baby..."

A faint blush spread across Lu Xingchen's face. He blinked. "Sure."

Not to be outdone, Lu Xingchen leaned close to Huo Chuyun's ear and breathed softly, "This time, you can stop whenever you want..."

Huo Chuyun's hands unconsciously tightened around Lu Xingchen's waist, drawing him firmly into his embrace.

The next second, feeling the mischievous hand moving below him, he could bear it no longer. With a little strength from his arms, he reversed their positions in an instant.

Huo Chuyun lowered his head and sucked on Lu Xingchen's soft lips. "Baby... you'd better keep your word."

"Hmph." Lu Xingchen kissed him back fiercely and challenged him, "Less talking. Don't end up being unable to satisfy me."

Huo Chuyun laughed in exasperation and said through gritted teeth, "Patience, baby."

Sunflower petals scattered across the floor, while two bodies entwined tightly on the bed.

Holding the person in his arms, Huo Chuyun squeezed his already bruised waist hard, wickedly leaving a trail of love bites along Lu Xingchen's collarbones. "Baby..."

Lu Xingchen bit his lip tightly and twisted his body, trying to escape Huo Chuyun's wicked movements, but a few low moans escaped him uncontrollably.

"Not enough." Huo Chuyun chuckled, giving the bottom of the person in his arms a hard smack.

"Brother Chu is an excellent cook. I know you don't mean what you say..."

"You... you're shameless..." Lu Xingchen shuddered all over, his ears so red they looked ready to bleed. Unable to swallow his anger, he snapped, "Give me back my flowers! Ah... I'm not giving them to you anymore..."

"Yes, I have a thick skin." Huo Chuyun kissed the striking little black mole beneath Lu Xingchen's eye. "You can't take back something you've already given away."

Huo Chuyun narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing into Lu Xingchen's foxlike eyes, which love had rendered as dazzling as rubies.

Despite his innocent face, Lu Xingchen had a pair of soul-stealing, foxlike eyes, creating a powerful visual contrast.

Huo Chuyun had no doubt that all Lu Xingchen needed to do was lift those foxlike eyes a little, and he would easily fall hopelessly under his spell and do anything for him.

Huo Chuyun stroked Lu Xingchen's hair, black as jade, and praised him softly. "Baby, you're beautiful."

"Huo Chuyun... you must feel pretty pleased with yourself, being loved by me." The corners of Lu Xingchen's foxlike eyes lifted slightly as he panted, looking rather smug.

For the first time, Huo Chuyun admitted that he was hopeless. Faced with Lu Xingchen's animated little expression, he gave a helpless laugh.

"Yes, I'm hopeless. I've fallen at your feet, baby."

Lu Xingchen tipped his chin up smugly. Feeling Huo Chuyun lose control, he wrapped both arms around his neck as a reward and let his low moans ring out beside his ear.

"Brother Chu..."

Night fell, and the city lights came on as the Capital began to reveal its unique nighttime charm. Streetlights on either side illuminated the road ahead, adorning the entire city with a dreamlike beauty.

A breeze brushed past as Huo Chuyun leaned lightly against the balcony railing, the cigarette between his fingers glowing and dimming. His phone vibrated softly on the table, malicious text messages filling its screen one after another.

Huo Chuyun frowned slightly, but then his gaze touched on the small mound beneath the covers on the bed. Like sunlight piercing dark clouds, his expression gradually relaxed, and his heart, once as empty as a barren desert, filled with warmth.

Just then, his phone rang. Afraid of waking Lu Xingchen, Huo Chuyun stepped over quickly and answered it.

Lin Yufan's excited voice came through the phone.

"Mr. Huo, the person in charge in Country A contacted me. They said they're willing to concede the profit margin we couldn't agree on before. What do you think?"

Huo Chuyun didn't respond immediately. After a moment's thought, he asked suspiciously, "I remember other corporations were bidding for the joint project with Country A, even offering to give up a huge share of the profits."

"I remember the person in charge in Country A also had an unpleasant dispute with Huo Corporation at the time. Why have they suddenly chosen Huo Corporation again?"

Hearing this, Lin Yufan calmed down as well. "I investigated. Last night, a string of scandals about the corporations bidding for the joint project with Country A suddenly broke on VB. The fallout was widespread. I'm afraid the person in charge in Country A noticed."

"Oh?" Huo Chuyun opened VB on his phone. With light taps of his fingertips, he scrolled through the trending searches, filled with scandals from top to bottom, and scoffed. "They're just leaving these scandals alone?"

Lin Yufan couldn't help laughing as he explained, "I discovered that it isn't that they don't want to deal with them, but that they can't."

"When the trending searches started gaining traction last night, I found it strange, too. I even had Huo Corporation's technical department try handling it, but as of today, they still haven't found a way to remove them."

"Let alone the other corporations. The bidding deadline for the joint project with Country A is right around the corner. They're probably running around like ants on a hot pan."