Huo Yuzhou's usual residence was at Lanshan Villas.
Nestled against the mountains beside the water, it boasted peaceful surroundings and excellent feng shui. It was S City's most exclusive wealthy neighborhood, where every inch of land was worth a fortune and the price per square meter had already reached seven figures.
Back when Nan Qing was still doing missions, the system had told him that the future villain boss would build a palace at Lanshan Villas, an ornate, openwork structure made of pure gold. Like a cage woven from gold, it would imprison his one and only white moonlight, this novel's main shou.
Sitting in the back seat, Nan Qing silently marveled.
Who would have thought that before the main shou, Bai Ruanruan, even arrived, a vicious cannon fodder like him would move in first?
The sky had already darkened, and night enveloped the entire villa estate.
Lights came on one after another in neat rows, like rising and falling notes played on piano keys.
It was a lovely night. As the car passed through the garden, Nan Qing faintly heard a bird call or two.
He lowered the window and stretched out his fingers. The soft night breeze kissed his fingertips, and the scent of roses, neither too strong nor too faint, drifted through the air. His eyes curved despite himself.
It was a good thing he had signed that contract with Huo Yuzhou.
Otherwise, where would he find such a generous boss?
He let him live in a huge villa and ride in luxury cars, gave him unlimited use of a black card, and loved someone else, so he would never touch him.
But Nan Qing had no idea why Huo Yuzhou had decided to sign that contract with him. Was it really because he had brought it up, as Huo Yuzhou claimed?
Nan Qing's instincts told him that definitely wasn't it.
As this novel's villain boss, Huo Yuzhou was full of wicked schemes and convoluted calculations.
He must have had some other purpose in keeping him around.
Since thinking about it would get him nowhere anyway, Nan Qing simply shook his head, tossing those tangled thoughts out of his mind.
The car stopped at a European-style arched entrance, and the driver, Uncle Li, spoke.
"Young master, we're here."
Nan Qing drew back the hand he had been waving outside the window and turned to look at Huo Yuzhou, who sat on the other side.
The streetlight fell through the window onto Huo Yuzhou's face, making his finely sculpted features look even more sharply defined.
But whatever Huo Yuzhou was thinking about, he seemed lost in thought.
Nan Qing waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Huo Yuzhou!"
Huo Yuzhou came back to himself and turned his face slightly toward him. Half his face fell into light and shadow, beautiful as an aloof sculpture.
Perhaps it was the lighting, but Nan Qing thought Huo Yuzhou's ears looked a little red. Before he could give it much thought, Huo Yuzhou nodded at him and said,
"All right, let's go."
Huo Yuzhou and Nan Qing had separate bedrooms.
Though both were on the third floor, with only an elevator between them.
But this only strengthened Nan Qing's belief that the villain boss was keeping himself chaste for love and had some other purpose in being with him.
Nan Qing nodded in satisfaction and followed the butler on a brief tour.
Lanshan Villas was far grander than the little villa he had lived in at the Bai Family's home. Its outdoor recreational facilities were too numerous to list: a riding arena, a golf course, a ski slope, a private farm... There were even three swimming pools.
The butler also explained that the household had eight chefs. Two had trained under the same master as the Bai Family's former chef and specialized in the same cuisine. The others each had their strengths in Italian or French cuisine, and one specialized in desserts.
Nan Qing was a little surprised. "Is Mr. Huo this particular about food?"
The butler smiled without answering. After their tour, he escorted Nan Qing back to his bedroom door.
"Young master, it's very late tonight. Please get some rest. If there's anything else you'd like to know, you can call for me at any time."
Nan Qing nodded with a show of profundity.
He pushed open the bedroom door and abruptly stopped in his tracks.
If not for the sound of the butler's retreating footsteps behind him, Nan Qing would almost have suspected that the room before him was his old bedroom at the Bai Family's home, only larger and more exquisite.
The bedroom curtains had three layers, inside and out, their colors achieved through repeated dyeing based on a painting by a certain medieval European painter;
The bedding was made of carefully selected fabric, with a broad cream-colored base accented by jewel-like vintage green;
The sofa's material, the carpet's color, the ornaments in the corners, the fragrance in the air... Everything was familiar.
The walk-in closet was packed full yet exceptionally tidy, everything sorted according to his old habits. Even the LED lights on the dressing mirror had the brightness he was used to.
Nan Qing took a few quick steps and pushed open the bathroom door-
Steam curled above the bathtub, with vivid red rose petals floating on the water. Nan Qing crouched down, picked one up, and gently sniffed it, his lips curving slightly.
Sure enough, even the rose petals for his bath had been freshly flown in from Morocco, just as requested.
The rose petal between his fingertips gradually lost its warmth, but Nan Qing had no idea what expression he should make.
An indescribably strange feeling filled his chest, as though it had been stuffed with freshly made cotton candy, a fluffy fullness with a soft, tingling sensation.
Only his nose felt a little sore.
It was all Huo Yuzhou's fault. Signing a contract was one thing, but why did he have to arrange every detail so perfectly? As though he would let him live here for very long.
Nan Qing kicked off his shoes, and his clothes slipped off one by one.
Amid the swirling steam, mist rushed to envelop the young man's soft, slender calves. Then they passed through the rippling water as he slowly lay down.
Nan Qing played with the petals, pushing them around with his fingers for a while. After racking his brains, he finally understood Huo Yuzhou's painstaking intentions!
He must be boiling a frog in warm water, letting him enjoy these fine conditions first before turning up the heat and scalding him to death!
That had to be it!
How else could his past behavior be explained?
Besides, all the arrangements in this room alone couldn't have been completed in a day or two.
So this room had already been prepared before he went to see him last night, all to get revenge on him!
What he'd thought last night had been right after all. He had done his earlier missions so well that Huo Yuzhou hated him like mad, and had decided to torture him thoroughly before finishing him off.
Nan Qing saw the light, finally understanding how sinister people could be.
The night was dark, the road slippery, and society complicated. With all Huo Yuzhou's tricks, he definitely couldn't beat him.
Nan Qing was racking his brains for a way to respond when two rounds of knocking sounded in the quiet room.
Outside the door, the butler's familiar voice relayed Huo Yuzhou's message.
"Young master, have you gone to bed?"
"Sir would like to discuss taking you tomorrow morning. If you haven't gone to sleep yet, please go and see him."
A few minutes later.
Having changed into pajamas, Nan Qing left his room, took a few quick steps, and knocked on the door next door.
Huo Yuzhou's voice came through, sounding a little hoarse.
"Come in."
Nan Qing pushed open the door and walked in, just as Huo Yuzhou emerged from the bathroom.
His white shirt was soaked, clinging wetly to his body and tracing the firm, flowing lines of his muscles, making his figure look all the straighter, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted.
He had yet to remove the black sleeve garters on his arms. The tight bands pressed against the bulging muscles of his upper arms, making the sight inexplicably erotic.
Not to mention the droplets poised to fall from his short black hair, rolling down his neck and Adam's apple to his chest beneath the translucent fabric, then continuing downward.
Seeing Nan Qing staring straight at him, Huo Yuzhou stayed where he was and explained calmly,
"The pipe broke. It's being repaired."
"Did you need something, coming over this late?"