Nan Qing's lashes trembled at the unexpected endearment, and his heart skipped a beat.
It was not exactly unexpected.
After all, beneath that jutting boulder, Huo Yuzhou had already called him "baby" once.
Perhaps he was wrapped up too warmly, or perhaps the burning flames were too scorching. Nan Qing's cheeks began to heat up, and he felt his head starting to grow muddled again.
A certain thought eagerly surfaced in his heart, but he dared not believe it, much less test it, like a fledgling tucking its head into its nest, hiding its head while leaving its backside exposed as it soaked up the lingering warmth.
Thunder sounded on the horizon, and the cave entrance abruptly lit up.
A thunderous boom seemed to strike the mountaintop. Nan Qing's shoulders shuddered instinctively, and he began to change the subject.
"No..."
"It's dangerous up here. I wanted to ask if you were scared..."
The man's arms held him tightly against his chest. His pleasant voice was especially low, with a slight rasp.
"Scared of what? Dying for love?"
He said it as though it went without saying.
As though their love ran as deep as the sea and they had weathered countless hardships.
Nan Qing's cheeks began to burn again.
He felt that Huo Yuzhou was a little unfamiliar today. Although his tone was gentler than ever, his presence carried an aggressive, oppressive force.
The gaze resting on his face was impossible to ignore, scorching his skin.
A gaze that searing could easily give him the illusion that he was deeply loved.
It seemed that even if the mountain collapsed in the next second and a mudslide swept them into the abyss, Huo Yuzhou would still forcefully shield him in his arms, seize that final second when adrenaline sang at full volume, grip his throat, and press scorching lips to his.
Nan Qing felt he had lust on the brain.
He had been so arrogant before, yet now he did not even dare look Huo Yuzhou in the eye.
He huddled up like a little quail, obediently letting Huo Yuzhou hold him, not even daring to respond carelessly to his words.
After thinking it over for ages, Nan Qing attributed all of this to being dependent on someone else right now.
Huo Yuzhou had signed a contract with him, which made him his boss.
It was only right to treat his boss with a little respect.
Nan Qing sat perfectly straight, his eyes not wandering either, and merely repeated in a tiny voice,
"You won't die."
"But today really is dangerous. Someone could actually die..."
Huo Yuzhou lowered his eyelids halfway, staring at that small patch of snow-white skin on Nan Qing's profile, and gave an inscrutable "Mm."
His baby really was pitiful in a way that made his heart ache.
Only after a long while did he come back to himself, his tone quiet and lingering.
"If I die, you'll inherit my estate."
The fire crackled, and Nan Qing abruptly looked up.
Whether he meant it or not, Huo Yuzhou really was a decent guy. He had had two fathers across two lifetimes, and neither had been as generous as Huo Yuzhou.
But the next second, Huo Yuzhou spoke again.
"But even as a ghost, I won't let you go."
Nan Qing suddenly turned his face toward him, meeting Huo Yuzhou's eyes with an accusing look.
Huo Yuzhou smiled at him without speaking.
Yet that voice abruptly sounded in Nan Qing's head again, carrying a certain dark pleasure.
[If a ghost fucks someone to death, that should count as rekindling an old romance.]
Nan Qing: "..."
The words stumbled in his mouth. That sentence in his head had shocked Nan Qing to his core, and all he could manage was a dry,
"There are no ghosts in this world."
Huo Yuzhou smiled at him without arguing.
But his smile made Nan Qing's skin crawl.
Outside, thunder rumbled, and the rain seemed to grow heavier again.
Nan Qing glanced outside and finally realized what he had forgotten. He turned back to Huo Yuzhou, his tone somewhat hesitant.
"I wasn't the only one who had an accident this afternoon. Bai Ruanruan fell too."
He did not know whether he should mention that Bai Ruanruan had dragged him down.
After all, Huo Yuzhou's deep-rooted love for Bai Ruanruan was something heaven and earth could attest to.
His boss had saved his life. Nan Qing instinctively felt that he could settle his grudge in private, but he could not cause trouble for Huo Yuzhou.
He swallowed the rest of his words, merely blinking his dark, gleaming eyes as he stared at Huo Yuzhou.
The man's well-defined fingers peeled open a chocolate wrapper for him. The dancing firelight shone on his face, making Huo Yuzhou's already outstanding features look even more handsome.
Once the wrapper was peeled back, Huo Yuzhou used it to hold the chocolate as he slipped it into Nan Qing's mouth. Only then did he speak casually.
"Really? Good luck to him, then."
Nan Qing's lashes fluttered. Something felt strange.
Unexpectedly, Huo Yuzhou dropped the wrapper on the ground and glanced back at him, his brows immediately furrowing.
"Did he push you?"
An intensely oppressive presence bore down on him, even those narrowed eyes holding danger.
Nan Qing instinctively shrank back.
His moist, round eyes widened. Like a startled bird, his body language was full of tension.
Should I not have said that?
Now that Huo Yuzhou knows Bai Ruanruan made me fall on purpose, will he regret saving me?
Will he abandon me?
Put out the fire, pull away the sleeping bag, and throw him back into the torrential rain and raging wind, leaving him to die soundlessly on this mountain.
Nan Qing squeezed his fingertips, hearing his own racing heartbeat and his uncontrollably trembling voice.
"No, the path was too slippery. I wasn't careful..."
Huo Yuzhou's brows drew together even more. He carefully supported Nan Qing's shoulders and held him seated in his lap.
"The weather was bad, and the rain made the path slippery. That's what made you fall."
"You already did so well, baby. You reminded the director to head down the mountain and saved a lot of people. They're all grateful to you, and they all hope you're safe."
"It's your husband's fault. I didn't come with you for this variety show shoot or take good care of you, and that's why this accident happened."
Huo Yuzhou's voice was low and husky. His hot lips pressed against Nan Qing's forehead, his broad palm gently patting his back now and then as he soothed him with exceptional patience.
Nan Qing lay against his chest, his anxious heart slowly settling.
But where Nan Qing could not see, the dancing firelight illuminated Huo Yuzhou's face, so handsome it was almost demonic. His aggressively sharp eyes stared darkly toward the cave entrance, a cold, vicious killing intent flashing in their depths.
His thin, crimson lips touched the youth's hair. Huo Yuzhou tightened his embrace around the person in his arms, coaxing him gently.
Only in his heart did cruel, icy emotions surge like peals of thunder.
[Might as well kill him.]
The youth, who had just caught his breath against Huo Yuzhou's chest, suddenly lifted his lashes.
His little face instantly went deathly pale.