Chapter 7 Part 1

Huo Boyan’s smile disappeared after he returned to the study. He cleared the highly alluring expression Zhu Ran had made from his mind and coldly instructed his assistant to investigate how his phone number had been leaked.

His work number was handled by his assistant, and since Huo Boyan was frequently active in the business world, his number wasn’t exactly a secret. Obtaining it wasn’t too difficult, but the source of the leak would convey certain information.

Chen Jiaming left after listening, and soon returned to report that Zhu Yanqing had once asked Zhu Ran’s aunt Wang Zhuoying, but she hadn’t given him Huo Boyan’s contact information. Afterward, Zhu Yanqing had used his connections to reach a manager at Huo Zhixiao’s subsidiary company and inquired about Huo Boyan, which was how he obtained the number.

After hearing this, Huo Boyan became even more convinced that Zhu Ran was suspicious. But since Zhu Ran hadn’t made any moves yet, he decided not to alert him prematurely.

After dark, Huo Boyan finished work. He put on his swim gear as usual and planned to swim a kilometer.

The Milky Way faintly stretched across the night sky, and coconut trees rustled in the night breeze. Huo Boyan encountered Zhu Ran at the pool; the other man seemed to have waited for him a long time and immediately stood up to approach him upon seeing him arrive. However, Huo Boyan put on his goggles and dove into the 2-meter-deep pool.

Zhu Ran thought Huo Boyan hadn’t seen him, so he went over to chat with Huo Boyan’s assistant. The latter was a bit surprised and politely addressed him as Mr. Zhu.

“Just call me Zhu Ran,” Zhu Ran smiled and said. “Could you give me Mr. Huo’s address? He’s taken care of me these past few days, and I want to send him a gift to show my appreciation.”

Chen Jiaming replied, “Sorry, I can’t make decisions for my boss. You can ask Mr. Huo directly later.”

Zhu Ran nodded and sat down on the beach chair.

He had planned to speak as soon as Huo Boyan reached the edge, but Huo Boyan took no mid-swim breaks. Twenty minutes later, he pushed himself up from the poolside.

Zhu Ran looked up, ready to speak, but fell silent the moment he clearly saw Huo Boyan.

Huo Boyan wore only a pair of boxer swim trunks. As he walked toward Zhu Ran, he reached up and pulled off his goggles. Pool water slid down his body, revealing a physique even more robust and aggressive than Zhu Ran had imagined.

Over these past few days, Zhu Ran had gradually come to view Huo Boyan as a reliable elder brother figure, just like his own siblings. But tonight, he suddenly realized that Huo Boyan was also a man—a tall, strong one radiating hormones.

As Huo Boyan walked across the ground, the outdoor wooden deck thudded under his feet, and Zhu Ran felt his own heart vibrating in resonance.

Huo Boyan approached him and extended a wet arm.

Too close. Zhu Ran saw the veins extending along his forearm and smelled the faint dampness emanating from his body. This dampness mingled with Huo Boyan’s woody scent, like a torrential downpour that drenched Zhu Ran completely, leaving him nowhere to hide.

Zhu Ran held his breath and lowered his eyelashes. Inappropriately, he blamed the overly salty dinner food for making his mouth dry and thirsty for water.

Huo Boyan had approached abruptly and then quickly pulled away. When Zhu Ran looked up, he saw him wiping his body with a towel.

So the towel had been right next to him?

Zhu Ran slowly exhaled and called out, “Mr. Huo.” The other man responded with a hum, and Zhu Ran repeated what he had said to Chen Jiaming earlier.

Huo Boyan paused his movements, looked up, and said, “No need to stand on ceremony. You’re Zi Lang and Zi Qing’s little brother, so you’re like half a little brother to me too. Don’t feel burdened—just have fun.”

Zhu Ran shook his head stubbornly. “You’ve all done so much for me, and I’ve also prepared gifts for my brothers and sisters.”

Since Zhu Ran put it that way, Huo Boyan didn’t insist further. He nodded and said, “Then thank you.”

Only then did Zhu Ran smile. Chen Jiaming handed him a business card with Huo Boyan’s company address, telling him he could just send the items there.

Zhu Ran took the card, nodded, and said okay. As he left, he politely bid Huo Boyan good night.

Huo Boyan smiled in response, but once Zhu Ran was gone, he dropped the smile. He turned to Chen Jiaming and said, “Cancel Zhu Ran’s boarding pass for tomorrow night’s flight.”

·

Back in his room, Zhu Ran contacted his senior Chen Yixin, who was abroad curating an exhibition, and bought a batch of the latest hot-selling popular dolls from her.

The dolls themselves weren’t extremely valuable, but being limited edition amid a booming market made them hard to obtain. Some special editions had even been scalped to sky-high prices, making them perfect gifts. Zhu Ran had this channel only because his senior had handled an exhibition for that IP.

Upon receiving Zhu Ran’s message, Chen Yixin agreed immediately and asked, “Do you have any new photography works lately? Quite a few collectors want to buy them.”

Zhu Ran paused for a moment before saying, “No.”

Ever since his negatives were destroyed last time, he hadn’t picked up a camera again.

“Alright,” Chen Yixin said regretfully, then continued to encourage him. “Whether as a collaborator or a friend, I hope you won’t give up creating. Your works have great artistry and have received excellent feedback. You might even hold a solo exhibition someday.”

Zhu Ran gave a wry smile. “We’ll see.”

Seeing Zhu Ran’s low spirits, Chen Yixin didn’t push further. She gave a few reminders and hung up.

Zhu Ran sat quietly for a while holding his phone. His fingers, driven by muscle memory, opened Moments. Staring at his completely open but nearly empty feed, he paused, then remembered he had cleared it out.

He then opened Chen Yixin’s Moments and scrolled down until he found posts related to his work.

Chen Yixin: This series comes from a junior from my alma mater, winner of the XXX Youth Photography Contest. An incredibly talented guy with a bright future ahead. [9 images]