Nan Qing spent a full half minute digesting that swear word.
He rolled a certain sound around his mouth, wondering whether there was another character for it besides the one for that plant.
He pondered it for ages and got nowhere.
Facing the little white flower who was sniffling and too afraid to cry aloud, Nan Qing grew bold enough to be wicked and kept stirring up trouble.
"What are you pretending for? Have you gotten addicted to acting?"
He stole a glance at the expressionless Huo Yuzhou and decided to ruthlessly tear down the villain boss's little white flower sweetheart right in front of him. Then he sneered, every inch a vicious villain.
"Cry, cry, cry. That's all you know how to do!"
"What rotten luck."
"Hey, how can you talk like that?"
Seeing that Huo Yuzhou had not immediately stood up for Bai Ruanruan, the simp following behind Bai Ruanruan could not hold back and started barking at Nan Qing on the spot.
"Would Ruanruan be crying if you weren't bullying him like this?"
"Exactly. Who else is as uncivilized and vile as you? No wonder the Bai Family kicked you out!"
"Do you seriously think you're still the Bai Family's young master? You're really getting carried away with the act!"
"Does someone here not know that our Ruanruan and Mr. Huo are confidants?"
At that word, Huo Yuzhou turned his pitch-black eyes toward the speaker and fixed them on him.
The oppressive presence of someone in a position of power was overwhelming. When he stared straight at someone without so much as shifting his gaze, it easily sent chills down their spine.
The man's heart chilled for an instant, and his expression stiffened.
The next second, Bai Ruanruan spoke, sounding both shy and reproachful.
"A-Hai, stop saying that!"
Bai Ruanruan was so shy, yet the man he reproached seemed encouraged, his timid expression instantly turning resolute.
What was he afraid of?
Ruanruan had already said that his friendship with Mr. Huo was a gentleman's friendship, but they had hit it off at first sight.
Mr. Huo would definitely help him!
Given his family background, if he had not met Bai Ruanruan early on, he would not even have had the chance to be here now, let alone meet someone as important as Mr. Huo.
With such a wonderful opportunity right in front of him, as long as he put in a few more good words for Ruanruan now, Mr. Huo would definitely see him in a new light!
The more Fu Hai thought about it, the more excited and courageous he became. Still standing behind Bai Ruanruan, he pointed accusingly at Nan Qing, his eyes filled with disdain.
"You'd better behave yourself now!"
"Without the Bai Family backing you, you're not worth shit!"
"Ruanruan isn't someone you can afford to offend anymore. I'm warning you, if you dare run that filthy mouth again, I won't let you off!"
Facing this arrogant lackey of Bai Ruanruan's, Nan Qing's eyes lit up again.
He was just about to provoke him when another indifferent voice suddenly rang out.
Cold as ice, it readily brought to mind a venomous snake slithering through the dark, brushing across everyone's hearts with a sense of extreme danger.
"You won't let him off."
Huo Yuzhou's long, narrow eyes settled on the man, brimming with pressure.
"What are you going to do?"
Was he asking about his plan?
Had this Mr. Huo, who was rumored to wield boundless influence, taken an interest in him? Was he going to give him a leg up?!
Fu Hai was so excited he nearly fainted. He tried hard to control his trembling lips, but his voice still shook.
"Mr. Huo, Ruanruan is the apple of our eye. We all cherish him, and we absolutely won't allow anyone to bully him."
"But Nan Qing always used to bully him, and now that he's a stray dog, he still dares to insult him. We have to teach him a lesson!"
"I'm going to tear his mouth apart, drag him outside the gates, and have someone beat him to a pulp!"
The space was so quiet that a pin dropping could have been heard. Amid that deathly silence, Nan Qing, the subject of their conversation, craned his neck and mulled over the key words he had heard.
He did indeed need to be dragged outside, but he really did not want this idiot to tear his mouth apart.
Almost at the same instant, he looked up at Huo Yuzhou beside him, and Huo Yuzhou lowered his eyes to look at him.
The few scandalous things he had heard him say tonight flashed through Nan Qing's mind. He could not quite look Huo Yuzhou in the eye just then, and his mind went blank for a moment.
He looked a little dazed.
There was an innocent cuteness to him.
The spoiled, willful young master had fallen from the clouds and finally realized how frightening this world was. His damp, almond-shaped eyes held a pool of tears, fluttering as he looked at someone until their heart softened.
Huo Yuzhou remembered that soft "hubby" of his again, the last syllable drawn out with endless lilting turns.
If Nan Qing could speak at this moment, his tone would probably be just like it had been earlier as he looked at him pitifully, weak and helpless, and begged him for help.
"Hubby, what should I do..."
Just imagining that scene felt like thousands upon thousands of feathers brushing against his heart, bringing an excited pleasure.
Huo Yuzhou tightened his hand on Nan Qing's shoulder and instantly forgave the little bastard who had just been inviting someone else to join them.
"Fine."
His cold voice rang out, carrying the authority to decide life and death.
Those long, narrow phoenix eyes settled on the idiot behind Bai Ruanruan, their depths like a bottomless pool.
"Do exactly that."
Fu Hai grew thoroughly excited.
Nan Qing grew excited along with him.
The system really hadn't lied to him! Now that the little white flower male lead was here, Huo Yuzhou really was flying into a rage for his beloved and forcing him out of the story!
With the professionalism to stay in character even as he exited the story, Nan Qing practically jumped up, looking exactly like any stereotypical villain who had been face-slapped and was still stubbornly struggling in his death throes.
"What?! How could this happen..."
The next instant, his vision darkened.
As his body turned, Huo Yuzhou pulled him into his arms.
The man's large hand pressed against the back of his head. Forced to follow that pressure, he fell against Huo Yuzhou's chest, the tip of his nose almost touching Huo Yuzhou's warm skin. His thick lashes brushed across it, and almost all that surrounded him was a cool, austere woody fragrance.
Huo Yuzhou's heartbeat thudded in his ears.
Nan Qing heard Huo Yuzhou's familiar voice, carrying a certain impatience born of high standing.
"Take him away."
"What? Why are you grabbing me?"
"AAAAH-my mouth-mmph, mmph-"
Fu Hai's voice suddenly rang out, its shrill pitch almost distorting.
With his view blocked, Nan Qing could not see what had happened. He only heard Bai Ruanruan's frightened voice.
"Mr. Huo, has there been a mistake?"
"Why are your men taking Fu Hai away? Have they grabbed the wrong person?"
A faint smell of blood hung in the air, thick and pungent, making a certain danger unmistakable.
"Ruanruan!"
"Ruanruan!"
Several frightened voices rang out one after another, and something heavy hit the ground. It seemed to be Bai Ruanruan, who had fainted.
Nan Qing wanted to look back, but Huo Yuzhou kept his large hand pressed against his head and gave a casual order.
"Drag him farther away."
"Don't frighten the young master."