The man's scorching breath fell against his face, and Nan Qing felt his cheeks heating up again.
In all his years in this world, he had done plenty of rotten things, but most of the time, he had simply thrown his weight around and bullied people, wanting to be the boss of the crowd.
He could guarantee that he had never done anything like forcing an innocent person into prostitution!
Surely not?
Last night, he had only thought about it and run his mouth a little. Surely he hadn't started letting himself go the moment he closed his eyes?
Nan Qing looked hesitantly at the handsome face so close to his own.
The high bridge of his nose almost touched Nan Qing's nose tip. His lowered phoenix eyes held complicated emotions, as though he was angry, or wanted to beat him up.
Nan Qing slowly edged backward, but the man's large hand abruptly tightened, pulling him right back against him.
Under that stare, Nan Qing felt a little guilty.
He had slept so well last night, even having a few sweet dreams, and slept straight through until morning.
How was he supposed to remember whether he had kicked off the covers last night?
Nan Qing reached out and pushed at the other man's shoulder, his tone no longer quite as self-righteous as before.
"Let's talk this out."
"W-what are you getting so worked up about...?"
He had spent over a decade being a spoiled, difficult young master, and after just a few sentences, he instantly slipped back into his familiar persona.
"It's not like I said I wouldn't admit it. We're both men! Can't I just apologize?"
"Besides, when I used to sleep alone at night, I always slept perfectly still. No one ever said I kicked off the covers or bullied people in my sleep."
His thick, curled lashes lifted, and with an innocent expression, he asked with utterly unreasonable logic,
"How come something like this just happened to happen when I shared a room with you?"
"Huo Yuzhou, shouldn't you reflect on yourself?"
"If you hadn't behaved so improperly and seduced me in clothes with buttons that came undone so easily, would I have made a mistake?"
This time, it was Huo Yuzhou's turn to fall silent.
The more Nan Qing spoke, the more justified he felt, gazing at him with big, glistening eyes.
Huo Yuzhou released his waist, almost laughing in exasperation.
"Nan Qing, you really are something."
The instant the restraint disappeared, Nan Qing hurriedly scooted backward, remaining seated on the bed.
Huo Yuzhou merely gave him a cool glance, then quickly settled back against the headboard and stopped looking at him altogether.
Nan Qing tentatively got up, then tentatively put on his shoes.
He sneaked several furtive looks at Huo Yuzhou, but the man ignored him every time.
Standing beside the bed, the pretty young man rubbed the tip of his nose, suddenly feeling as though the two of them had returned to years ago.
Back then, he had also bullied Huo Yuzhou from time to time to complete his missions.
Huo Yuzhou was seven years older than him, taller and more solidly built.
But the spoiled young master wasn't afraid of him at all. He would force him to eat his leftovers, and pinch his waist and kick him under the moonlight.
But he had been so small back then that even bullying someone made him feel guilty. He was especially afraid that Huo Yuzhou, who stood a head taller, would fly into a rage and beat him up.
He had been just like this then, too, furtively observing Huo Yuzhou after bullying him, making sure he had no intention of retaliating before proceeding with the next step of his plan.
Unfortunately, those carefree, pleasant days were gone for good.
Nan Qing let out a long sigh inwardly.
He dawdled toward the door, looking back every few steps.
But Huo Yuzhou's icy face showed no reaction. He merely looked at the documents in his hands.
Just like those times years ago when Nan Qing had bullied him too much, the cool, handsome young man sat by the desk and completely ignored him.
But Nan Qing knew Huo Yuzhou wasn't concentrating on the documents right now.
After all, he hadn't turned a single page in all this time. His lips were pressed tightly together, and he said nothing.
Could he still be waiting for me to go over and coax him, just like when we were kids?
Nan Qing shook his head, shaking off those jumbled thoughts.
The thick wool rug sank beneath his feet, his slippers covering a small patch of its Hermès-orange diamond pattern. Nan Qing lowered his eyes to the little dress he hardly knew how to describe, feeling uncomfortable all over.
A few seconds later.
A pair of fair, evenly proportioned long legs appeared at the edge of Huo Yuzhou's vision. The youth in the short skirt sidled over and sat down beside him.
"Huo Yuzhou..."
The youth's soft, light voice sounded, lingering by his ear.
Even the sleeve of his pajamas received a gentle tug.
Huo Yuzhou could no longer pretend not to notice him. He turned his head slightly, the morning light reflected on his sharply defined face, a formidable elegance in his features.
"What?"
Nan Qing lifted his pretty little face to look at him, suddenly unsure what to say.
Huo Yuzhou had received the Bai Family's financial support for eight years, and had been bullied by him for those same eight years.
After coming of age, he had left the Bai Family and built his fortune from scratch through his own skill and judgment, carving out an unassailable domain in S City.
He was long past being the Huo Yuzhou who bought him water, carried his bag, picked him up to take him home, let him bully him, and would let bygones be bygones after a few kind words.
The words he had come up with seemed to stick to his tongue. Nan Qing pressed his lips together out of habit, lifting his slender chin to look at him.
His voice was soft, as though infused with the spring breeze of March.
"All right, I was talking nonsense. Don't be angry anymore."
"I'll definitely take responsibility, okay?"
"I'll apologize however you want. You can hit me or yell at me-"
As he spoke, he suddenly hesitated again. His kitten-like almond eyes gazed at him as he explained in all seriousness,
"But not the face. I still have to become a big star!"
He said it with such confidence that anyone who didn't know better might have thought he was already some wildly popular celebrity.
Huo Yuzhou gave him a long look without bursting his bubble.
Mm.
Few people managed to be a celebrity quite the way he did.
He got into the industry only to get cursed at, and insisted on getting into it even if he got cursed at.
A closed loop.
"How will you take responsibility?" Huo Yuzhou asked him.
Nan Qing stared at him in shock.
"Didn't all those apologies I just made count as taking responsibility?"
Huo Yuzhou looked at him impassively, his deep gaze sliding slightly downward.
"Then can I do the same to you and apologize afterward?"
Nan Qing hurriedly crossed both arms over his chest.
The phone on the bed buzzed twice more. His manager, Zheng Ming, was urging him again.
Nan Qing thought for a moment.
"I know what I did last night wasn't right, but I've already apologized. If you think that's still not enough, how about hitting me a couple of times?"
"I really do have something to do this time. You know I'm in the entertainment industry. I have a lot of gigs."
He patted the little dress he was wearing, then raised his eyes to Huo Yuzhou.
"But for old times' sake, could you have your assistant bring me a change of clothes?"
"If possible, preferably an outfit from SN. I'm not used to wearing other brands. You can call their Ana. She knows my style and size."
After that, Huo Yuzhou finally stopped looking at the documents.
Leaning against the headboard, the man raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him with the hint of a smile.
"Qingqing, you bully me at night and spend my money by day."
"Am I really that kindhearted in your eyes?"