As the door slowly opened, the noise outside instantly disappeared.
The room was a little darker. Alongside the faint fragrance of roses, the scent of Atlantic fir mingled with alcohol brewed in the air.
Bai Ruanruan's gaze slid up slightly, settling on Huo Yuzhou's unbuttoned shirt, and a faint blush spread around his ears.
The fine mother-of-pearl buttons reflected the light. The small patch of muscle exposed on his chest brimmed with strength, enough to make anyone's heart burn.
"Mr. Huo..."
Bai Ruanruan called to him weakly, slowly lifting his head.
What greeted him was a handsome, sharply defined face. The light falling across it made his brow ridge look even more prominent and his nose more sculpted. There wasn't a single unattractive feature.
That cool, indifferent gaze rested on his face, but Bai Ruanruan was utterly certain that Huo Yuzhou wasn't as composed inside as he appeared.
After all, in this book, Huo Yuzhou was madly in love with him and desperately wanted to possess him. Unable to have the one he loved, even his mind had begun to twist.
The thought that such a mature, outstanding man adored him so much filled Bai Ruanruan with pride, leaving him a little giddy.
"Mr. Huo, I heard from the staff that Nan Qing sneaked into your room. I was so worried about you. How are you now?"
Behind Huo Yuzhou, Nan Qing, who had been itching to court death all this time, lit up.
That tone! It really was Bai Ruanruan, the little white flower protagonist shou!
"Do you need something?"
Seeing the crowd outside his door, Huo Yuzhou's brows drew together almost imperceptibly.
Listening to these two talk was such a waste of time. Nan Qing couldn't wait to pop out from behind Huo Yuzhou, flashing a huge smile.
"Bai Ruanruan!"
Bai Ruanruan jumped. "How are you still fi-"
The words caught in his throat. Suppressing his doubts, Bai Ruanruan instantly changed his wording.
"...fine with barging into someone else's room?"
Had he come too early? Had Huo Yuzhou not had time to act yet?
A dark glint flashed through Bai Ruanruan's eyes as he asked with an innocent expression,
"You knew perfectly well that Mr. Huo drank tonight. Why did you sneak into his room anyway?"
"Aren't you afraid that doing something like this will cause trouble for Mr. Huo? Aren't you afraid you'll make people misunderstand him?"
Watching Bai Ruanruan fire off question after question, Nan Qing looked thoroughly encouraging and gestured for him to continue.
"Yes, yes, yes! I'm absolutely awful!"
"And then?"
Bai Ruanruan choked at his shameless response, then turned to Huo Yuzhou instead.
"Mr. Huo~~~"
He put eighteen twists into that single note, and obvious impatience flashed in Huo Yuzhou's eyes.
But Nan Qing was in a hurry to exit the story. At lightning speed, he shot out and grabbed Bai Ruanruan's fingertips.
Bai Ruanruan looked terrified. "What are you doing?"
Nan Qing opened his beautiful eyes especially wide, blinking at him, his voice laden with hints.
"I thought Huo Yuzhou was drunk, so I deliberately came here to climb into his bed tonight."
He gave Bai Ruanruan's fingertips another meaningful squeeze.
He was hinting that the other man should outdo himself a little.
Two slender hands clasped in the air. Nan Qing had cool, pale skin and had been pampered since childhood; the skin of his fingers was as delicate as spring snow.
"Is Nan Qing wearing Mr. Huo's coat? He's pretty pale..." Someone behind them whispered.
With Nan Qing holding his hand, Bai Ruanruan felt all the more that his own skin, which he had carefully tended since childhood, looked sallow and dull by comparison.
Bai Ruanruan used every ounce of strength he had to pull his fingers out of Nan Qing's palm, but who knew where Nan Qing got that brute strength? He simply wouldn't let go and kept blinking at him.
What was he doing?
Was he still trying to show off in front of him?
Had the news of being kicked out of the family driven him mad?
The two silently struggled against each other, yet their exposed fingers only clasped more tightly.
Huo Yuzhou's gaze fell on their clasped hands. Watching how unwilling they seemed to part, he narrowed his eyes.
Yet the pretty young man with his back to him remained completely oblivious, still clutching Bai Ruanruan's hand as though reluctant to let go, asking over and over,
"Bai Ruanruan, you already know what I'm going to do. Don't you have anything to say?"
"Don't you care at all?"
"Don't hold it in. Cry if you want to!"
If Bai Ruanruan cried, Huo Yuzhou would definitely soften, then fly into a fury for his beloved and take Nan Qing out of the story.
Nan Qing's eyes were full of anticipation.
Unfortunately, before he could get his hints through to Bai Ruanruan, a powerful arm pulled him into its owner's embrace.
An icy voice, heavy with displeasure, came from above his head.
"Let go!"
Nan Qing's eyes lit up.
The protagonist shou really lived up to his title! Bai Ruanruan had barely said a few words standing here, and Huo Yuzhou already couldn't bear how much his heart ached for him!
The villain boss's terrifying oppressive aura spread through the air. Tears welled in the fragile Bai Ruanruan's eyes, while the pack of simps behind him were too frightened to say a word.
Since Bai Ruanruan wasn't talking, he would just keep stirring up trouble!
Nan Qing clung tightly to Bai Ruanruan's hand, galloping down the road of infuriating Huo Yuzhou, without the slightest fear of him.
His spoiled voice rang out clearly as he played the part of someone shallow and promiscuous.
"Bai Ruanruan, are you about to cry? Don't tell me it's because I squeezed your hand too hard?"
"Or is it jealousy? Do you think something's going to happen between Yuzhou and me?"
"But your timing is pretty good. Huo Yuzhou and I were just planning to go to bed. Why don't you join us?"
Bai Ruanruan was so furious his face turned white.
He knew Nan Qing was shameless, but he hadn't expected him to be this shameless.
He gritted his teeth indignantly, the hatred in his heart deepening. But when he faced Huo Yuzhou, he only looked at him with brimming eyes, on the verge of tears.
It was as though he was too kind and helpless to utter even a single insult, and could only rely on someone else to uphold justice.
Under his gaze, the handsome, refined man merely lowered his eyes toward Nan Qing.
His long, straight lashes lowered, casting broad patches of shadow beneath his eyes.
His beautifully curved lips were pressed tightly together. He said nothing, but his displeasure was still obvious.
It would be best if he slapped him, beat that fox-spirit face black and blue, then had someone drag him out.
Bai Ruanruan thought gleefully.
Meanwhile, under Huo Yuzhou's gaze, Nan Qing fought the urge to let the corners of his mouth twitch, wishing he could put eight hundred meters between himself and Huo Yuzhou.
Perhaps Huo Yuzhou had always seemed too cold and upright in front of him, so his brain had malfunctioned and, in a state of split personality, created an entirely new image of Huo Yuzhou.
And just now, that entirely new image had spoken with unclear meaning, in a voice that somehow rang directly inside his head.
[Just ＊ you into submission.]
[Little bastard.]