Nan Qing was still alive?
How could he still be alive?
He had clearly watched him fall off the cliff with his own eyes. He had even shoved Nan Qing hard.
On Mount Pingqiao, overrun with mudslides, even he, favored by fate, had barely lasted those two days and nights. How could Nan Qing have been lucky enough to survive?
Besides, Nan Qing did not even have a home anymore. He was roaming around like a drowned dog, so how could he possibly be so well cared for?
Refusing to believe it, Bai Ruanruan opened Nan Qing's Weibo profile and checked when that post had been published.
His delicate face was almost contorted as he enlarged Nan Qing's photo again and began examining every detail.
Nan Qing seemed to be in a garden, but if he really had a home, why would he take a photo in the garden instead of a room?
There was only one possibility: this was not the "home" he claimed it was, but somewhere he had rented temporarily.
Just like that car, both the car and the people were borrowed, the house was borrowed, and the clothes were tacky street-stall goods. Even that rosy, fair face must have been covered in powder and blush, deliberately creating this appearance of peaceful contentment.
The comments below were uniformly praising his beauty, too.
They praised his radiant smile, his poise, his positive attitude, and called him a real-life little prince in a castle.
Some even compared him to Bai Ruanruan.
"Both had an accident on the same variety show, in the same weather and place. One quietly recuperates at home without seeking publicity, while the other has been posting on Weibo since he was rescued. From his agency to his manager to the man himself, each is more dramatic than the last. You can really see the difference!"
"Doesn't anyone think this is fake? Bai Ruanruan is obviously using the disaster for publicity. He's a rookie who just debuted, and he's taken up five trending spots today. They're obviously bought, okay?"
"Does anyone really believe a little celebrity who couldn't even truss a chicken could survive two days and nights on Mount Pingqiao amid mudslides? Bai Ruanruan might have been rescued ages ago, too, and just spent these past two days staging photos."
Bai Ruanruan was truly angry.
A bunch of idiots. A bunch of cannon-fodder background characters.
How could they understand what it meant to be the son of the plane?
He, Bai Ruanruan, was the protagonist shou of this world, a man favored by fate, not an idiot like them who could do nothing but shout.
The more he read, the angrier he grew.
Seeing Nan Qing's face made him angry, and so did the comments below. What little prince in a castle? How was an impostor like Nan Qing worthy of that!
He flung his phone away with a smack, then frantically pressed the call bell beside the bed.
Bai Yanxiu, who had only just left, returned and looked at the person in the hospital bed.
Bai Ruanruan resumed his earlier fragile demeanor and sweetly called him his second brother.
"Can you expose Nan Qing's identity online? He occupied my identity for so long, and I really suffered for so many years. Second Brother, you'll help me, won't you?"
Bai Yanxiu hesitated. "But you've already had far too much publicity today. I've seen negative comments online already. If we keep pushing, I'm afraid a lot of people will resent it."
"What do they know?"
Bai Ruanruan's voice was shrill. "They're just a bunch of vermin with internet access who don't know their place. Ban their accounts, and they'll behave!"
"Second Brother, I'm your real little brother. Why are you speaking up for those people? Are you even my brother?"
Bai Yanxiu inwardly shook his head. "All right, I'll speak to your entertainment agency."
At the manor.
Nan Qing received a call from Director Xu, who felt terribly guilty. Despite his age, his voice grew thick as he spoke.
He blamed his own negligence for everyone's accident, and was relieved that Nan Qing had notified him beforehand, preventing greater casualties. Otherwise, there was no telling how many families would have been plunged into disaster.
"I know none of this helps. It's all hindsight. Thank goodness nothing happened to you, and you're still alive and well. Your Uncle Xu promises that as long as I'm in the entertainment industry, as long as I'm still making variety shows, there will always be a place for you."
"As long as you want to come, you're welcome on any of Uncle Xu's variety shows at any time. If you want other projects, anything I have a say in is yours..."
As Xu Zhen spoke on the other end, he began to lose confidence.
"Of course, I can't compare with the resources that gentleman can give you, but as long as you're willing, there will always be a place for you on my shows. If you don't believe me, we can sign an agreement!"
Another agreement?
Was he stuck dealing with these agreements lately?
It took a great deal of persuasion before Nan Qing talked Xu Zhen out of it.
Besides Xu Zhen, many others had sent messages to his new phone. Even Yu Xingyan, Professor Chen, and the others had politely asked how he was doing.
Nan Qing put down his phone, held a strawberry stem between his snow-white fingertips, and tilted his head to glance toward the fourth floor over there again.
The benefactor who had saved his life was working in the study.
Before leaving, the man had even bent down and stroked his face.
Slightly rough fingertips had lingered over his cheek, the pleasant scent of ebony and agarwood had lingered beneath his nose, and even those elegant phoenix eyes had been exceptionally intent, his own reflection mirrored in their pupils.
"I've already been set as the emergency contact on your new phone. Call me anytime if anything comes up. Your husband is right here and can come over whenever you need."
"Will you be all right on your own, baby?"
His breath had drifted into Nan Qing's ear. Even after so long, Nan Qing still felt his cheeks burning, as though a faint fire were smoldering there.
Huo Yuzhou was growing increasingly practiced at calling him baby, and his attitude toward him held undisguised intimacy.
Nan Qing's face flushed and his heart raced, but he did not know how to face him.
So he could only lower his eyes as though admiring the flowers and speak very, very softly.
"Hubby, I'll be fine."
The fourth-floor study was quiet, with only the occasional sound of typing.
The auditory hallucinations caused by excessive stress last time had not fully resolved, and now another accident had happened. Huo Yuzhou was very worried that it would worsen his psychological trauma.
After confirming the appointment time and the precautions for family members with the psychologist, Huo Yuzhou hesitated for a moment, then slowly typed a few words.
"When it comes to sexual relations, my wife has some extreme tendencies..."
Huo Yuzhou deleted the last word, then typed again.
"He likes coercion and tends toward some aggressive sexual behavior. He even asked me for sex while ill. May I ask whether this has any connection to his previous examination report?"
"Does he need an outlet because he's under too much stress, or could it be something inherent to him, or perhaps some influence he was exposed to while growing up? How can we determine that?"
After typing this, Huo Yuzhou added another sentence.
"Of course, I'm not that much of a beast. I haven't done anything to him."
"I successfully restrained myself."