Dreams

"A-Xiao, you're so proud, yet so softhearted. What is there about someone like Gu Yun that deserves to be treated well?"

Fu Huai, who usually hoarded his words like gold, rambled on at a time like this, telling Gu Xiao everything he had left unsaid.

Even though Gu Xiao could not hear him at all.

Fu Huai did not do anything more.

A-Xiao's arm had already been bitten open. He ached for A-Xiao, so naturally, he would not pile snow onto frost.

He had always been the only one who ached for A-Xiao.

Fu Huai's gaze fell uncontrollably on Gu Xiao's neck.

There had been a faint mark there before.

He believed that everyone, whoever they were, had seen it.

And all of them hated the person who had left that mark to the bone.

But not one of them could get an answer.

Who had left it on A-Xiao? Fu Huai's eyes darkened, and his fingers gently pressed the neck beneath his palm.

The pulse was unmistakable.

A person's neck was fragile. Just a gentle press could snap it.

Of course, A-Xiao's neck was so beautiful that he could never bear to do that.

But someday, he would personally wring the neck of the person who had dared to leave a hickey on A-Xiao.

His fingers slowly moved downward. With a gentle tug, Gu Xiao's silk bathrobe instantly spread across the bed.

His body, like fine jade, gave off a lustrous glow.

It was as perfect as a work of art.

The moonlight outside the window was blocked by a dark cloud that happened to drift past, leaving the dim, yellow floor lamp by the bed as the only source of light.

Suddenly, the floor lamp swayed slightly, then toppled to the floor in an extremely slow motion, without a sound.

Now, there was only darkness in the room.

In the darkness, someone's breathing grew more distinct and ragged.

A crisp magnolia fragrance permeated the air.

It was the scent of Fu Huai's pheromones.

After an unknown length of time, the floor lamp was set upright again. Its warm light fell over Gu Xiao's damp brows and eyes, making his whole face look a little softer.

"A-Xiao," Fu Huai murmured, "I'll always be your best friend."

Only long, steady breaths answered Fu Huai.

Half an hour later, the magnolia fragrance had vanished completely, leaving only a faint scent of iris.

It was as though Gu Xiao had been the only person in this room from beginning to end.

At seven the next morning, Gu Xiao woke up on time.

His dry lips displeased him. He casually accepted a glass of warm water and drained it in one go.

He had not slept well last night.

His dreams had been filled with thick, sticky blood. He had killed countless people, yet still could not break through the encirclement.

Mountains of corpses and seas of blood, blood flowing in rivers-he had been forgotten in the apocalypse, with no one reaching out to help him.

Then he had woken up.

The morning sunlight was not harsh, but what was Fu Huai doing standing beside his bed?

"What is it?" After finishing the glass of warm water, Gu Xiao pressed his lips together, thoroughly displeased. "What are you doing here?"

Fu Huai was perfectly composed. "Helping you get up."

"Surely there's no need to trouble Young Master Fu with something as trivial as helping me get up."

Gu Xiao cast him a sidelong look, and that languid gaze instantly sent a tingling numbness through half of Fu Huai's body. "Probably because Young Master Gu is cranky when he wakes up, so I'll reluctantly endure it on behalf of your butler."

It was probably "Gu Xiao" who was cranky upon waking.

The current Gu Xiao had only the killing intent left over from his dreams.

Gu Xiao looked straight at Fu Huai, extended his leg, lifted it, and planted his foot on Fu Huai's chest.

"Though I don't know what game you're playing," Gu Xiao said with a flippant smile, tugging at the corner of his mouth, "sorry for the trouble, then, Young Master Fu. Put my shoes on for me."

Fu Huai clasped Gu Xiao's ankle. "As you command."

"What," Gu Xiao yawned, trying to pull his foot back as he said speechlessly, "you actually want to wait on me?"

Fu Huai tightened his grip on Gu Xiao's ankle, refusing to let him pull it back. "You don't believe me?"

"All right." Gu Xiao raised his eyebrows. "Since you're willing, I can only choose to enjoy it."

Fu Huai caressed Gu Xiao's ankle suggestively and chuckled. "Then enjoy it, Young Master Gu."

Putting A-Xiao's clothes back on him, piece by piece, then putting on his socks and shoes.

It gave Fu Huai an even greater sense of accomplishment.

Because A-Xiao was still in his rut, a faint iris fragrance still lingered on him, sweet and delicate. It did not seem to entice people so much as ensnare their souls.

Fu Huai was also so attentive in his service that Gu Xiao wondered whether he had taken advanced courses at a butler academy. How else could he be so practiced?

"Young Master Fu," Gu Xiao said teasingly, "you're so good at waiting on people. Your future omega will be blessed."

Fu Huai's hands paused as he tied Gu Xiao's tie. He said calmly, "I won't wait on an omega."

"Don't be so absolute." Gu Xiao looked levelly at Fu Huai, then sized him up and down, clicking his tongue. "Still, I really can't picture you with an omega."

After all, even the universally adored protagonist had failed to bring Fu Huai into his harem.

With one of the F4 missing from the set, many readers would probably find it a shame.

If even the universally adored protagonist could not manage it, Gu Xiao could think of only one reason.

"Young Master Fu, you aren't frigid, are you?" Gu Xiao shook his head gently. "But that's all right. Spending your whole life carefree and alone isn't bad either."

Otherwise, he would have to get into hair-pulling fights with the other alphas in the universally adored protagonist's harem. How embarrassing.

Fu Huai gave a sharp tug, forcibly closing the distance between himself and Gu Xiao until only a centimeter separated their lips.

He explained himself evenly. "A-Xiao, I'm not frigid."

They were too close. Even their breaths tangled together.

For once, Gu Xiao felt a little awkward. He grabbed Fu Huai's arm. "I was just joking. Young Master Fu, you're not angry, are you?"

Even the air A-Xiao breathed out carried the scent of iris.

A-Xiao's lips looked soft, the complete opposite of his temperament.

"I'm not angry." Fu Huai stepped back a few paces, returning to a safe social distance. "I just don't want you to misunderstand."

Gu Xiao found it dull. "You really are so serious."

He wondered whether Fu Huai had not been chosen by the universally adored protagonist precisely because he was so often too rigid.

What the universally adored protagonist wanted was boundless adoration, not another father lecturing him.

"All done." Fu Huai looked with satisfaction at Gu Xiao, whom he had dressed. "Let's go downstairs, then."

At the turn in the staircase, Gu Xiao met the eyes of Ji Chuan and Feng Ji downstairs.

Gu Xiao turned back to Fu Huai. "Why are they here?"

"A-Xiao, what kind of question is that?" Feng Ji heard him and was very displeased. "Why did you only let Fu Huai help last night? Why couldn't A-Chuan and I do it?"

Feng Ji was too noisy.

"What are you making such a fuss for?" Gu Xiao was displeased. "It's not a big deal. Anyone who didn't know better would think your wife had run off with someone else."