A faint scent of roses drifted on the breeze.
Half a minute later, Huo Yuzhou stated his request, then hung up amid the other party's nervous assurances.
It was already eleven thirty when he finished washing up. Huo Yuzhou came out in a loosely belted bathrobe and casually picked up his phone, only to discover several missed calls.
The moment the call connected, Gu Xingchen's familiar voice came through.
It was rather noisy on the other end, seemingly in a private room somewhere, but his voice was particularly loud.
"How did it go? How did our little sister-in-law react?"
"Did you two have any special chemistry tonight?"
"Like dry tinder meeting a flame, igniting on contact and setting that old house of yours ablaze with a crackle and a pop?"
Huo Yuzhou thought for a moment. "No."
The person on the other end sucked in a breath.
"That can't be right! He wasn't tempted at all?!"
"With that face and that body, you deliberately seduced him, and he still didn't react?"
"Does our little sister-in-law have some medical condition he can't tell people about? Why don't you take him for a checkup?"
Huo Yuzhou had only just said, "No," when the person on the other end started rattling on again.
"Here, listen to me. Maybe our little sister-in-law isn't interested in that sort of thing. Try a different approach next time. Take him for a few laps in an outdoor pool, then show him your abs and invite him to touch them..."
"The most important thing about dating as adults is being compatible in every respect. You're always secretly looking out for him without him knowing. How is that supposed to work?"
"And look at our little sister-in-law's line of work. Where does he work? The entertainment industry! The men in that circle are all good-looking. Of course, they fall a little short of a business titan like you, but they know how to have fun!"
"Our little sister-in-law has plunged headfirst into showbiz. What if all that glitz dazzles him and another man tricks him into going off with him? You won't even have anywhere to cry!"
"And what if you can't get over it and try some forced love, forcing yourself on him, while our little sister-in-law resists to the death? Then it'll be him running and you chasing, with no escape even if he grows wings..."
The person on the other end talked nonstop, while the man on this end opened his laptop and entered a few commands.
"Huo Yuzhou, are you even listening to me?"
The handsome, distinguished man's brows knitted almost imperceptibly.
"I'm hanging up."
Gu Xingchen called out, "Hey!" from the other end, but the call ended before he could finish speaking.
The spacious, brightly lit hallway was as bright as day, and a cricket chirped once or twice in the night breeze.
The tall man passed through the elevator and strode to the door of another bedroom.
His fingertip lingered on the lock for barely half a second before the bolt clicked. With a very faint vibration, the door slowly opened.
The room was dark, with only an especially dim little lamp glowing by the bed.
Huo Yuzhou hurried to the bedside in a few steps, then bent down and reached out with practiced ease.
The next second, the person on the bed kicked at the covers and rolled over.
He happened to tumble off the edge of the bed, right into his arms.
Nan Qing had always been a sound sleeper, a little pig at night.
Huo Yuzhou gently lifted him, intending to move him farther onto the bed, but the person curled in his arms nuzzled his head against him, burying his little face in his chest.
The loose V-neck of his bathrobe rubbed open, and warm breaths, along with soft lips, pressed against his skin.
Huo Yuzhou's body went taut.
He lowered his eyes to the person sleeping in his arms and let out a soft, helpless sigh.
Then he bent a leg to kneel on the bed and carefully laid him in the middle of the large mattress.
He reached out to touch the back of Nan Qing's neck. His delicate skin was warm and slightly damp, and even the ends of his hair seemed to be wet with sweat.
His young master had always been sensitive to heat, especially in summer. He could not stand even a slightly higher temperature.
Huo Yuzhou lowered the room's temperature by two degrees, then pulled the covers over again and tucked him in.
Nothing above his chest could be covered, his lower abdomen had to be covered, but nothing below his calves could be covered either.
Too little and he would be cold; too much and he would be hot. Cover his ankles, and he would kick the blanket off again.
He really was raising a little tyrant.
Only after everything was taken care of did Huo Yuzhou dim the night-light another notch.
The person on the bed looked sweet in sleep, his thick, dense lashes lowered to cast deep shadows beneath his eyes.
Peach-pink cheeks, red lips, and skin like creamy jade.
The young master had grown up pampered amid luxury, never suffering the slightest hardship. If anything in his life had been unsatisfactory, then aside from being neglected by parents who were busy with work year-round, all that remained was that today was too hot, his teacher was too mean, his suitors were too ugly, and Huo Yuzhou was being disobedient again.
Tenderness surfaced in the eyes of the stern-faced man beside the bed. He bent down and kissed the young man's fingertips.
Like an evil dragon that had flown over countless thorn-covered mountains, travel-worn after a long journey, before finally carrying the princess back to its cave.
He tucked away all his sharp claws and fangs, coaxing him with the utmost care.
Afraid he would melt if held in his mouth, afraid he would fall if cradled in his hands.
Afraid he would be unhappy, and afraid he would be wronged.
And before he fell for him, he had to hide all his love away.
Otherwise, he would probably keep his distance again, shunning him like a venomous snake.
The next morning, Nan Qing had enjoyed a good night's sleep.
He woke feeling refreshed and received another message from his manager, Zheng Ming.
The filming locations for the variety show "Hello, World" were random, much like opening blind boxes. From little-known spots within the country to tourist destinations abroad, it was all up to the director.
But Nan Qing, as the vicious cannon fodder, already knew the script.
He opened the message. Sure enough, this shoot would take place in S City.
After all, the plot had explained that the Bai Family doted particularly on Bai Ruanruan, their true young master who had been found and brought home. Unlike when Nan Qing had been there before, the Bai parents had realized the value of family affection and begun spending a great deal of time with Bai Ruanruan.
They could not bear to let their child suffer, much less be too far away from them, so they had specifically spoken to the production team and had them find a nearby filming location. They had even covered the travel expenses for this shoot.
Nan Qing checked the distance. It would take about an hour to drive there from here, so there was still plenty of time.
He leisurely picked out his clothes, then ambled off to wash up before finally going downstairs to eat.
When the butler brought him to the dining room, Huo Yuzhou happened to be there too.
Nan Qing sat across from him without the slightest ceremony and greeted Huo Yuzhou with a friendly expression.
"How did you sleep last night?" Huo Yuzhou asked.
Nan Qing spooned some congee into his mouth as he gave his assessment.
"Pretty well."
He had slept soundly all night and had even had a lovely dream about a hunk with eight-pack abs, whom he had happily gone over to take a bite of.
In the spirit of returning the courtesy, he looked at Huo Yuzhou too.
"What about you, hubby?"
There was little change in Huo Yuzhou's handsome face. "All right."
Fortunately, the little brat had only kissed him once last night.
Fortunately, he had only been too excited to sleep until three in the morning, keeping himself busy for half the night.
Fortunately, the little brat sitting opposite him did not know that even being within his line of sight made him feel a little uncomfortable now-
As though that patch of skin beneath his royal-blue shirt had just been kissed by soft, moist lips.
It was scorching hot, as though on fire.