Ever since Huo Lan had lost his wits, he had never voiced any desires beyond eating, drinking, and sleeping.
Whenever Huo Yin saw his second brother, the man either wanted Huo Yin to play with him or demanded something tasty to eat.
How could he possibly know what a kiss was?
The young man sat on Huo Lan’s lap, curling his knees up slightly, which caused his trouser leg to ride up and reveal a glimpse of his porcelain-smooth calf.
Huo Lan clamped his own leg around the boy’s calf, the robust muscles of his powerful thigh tensing to hold him steady in place.
Framed by the man’s solid arms, that slender waist looked even more delicate, his back arching into a graceful curve that hinted at the subtle wings of his shoulder blades.
A buzzing filled Huo Yin’s ears.
But he was the one who had just insisted on taking care of his second brother. He couldn’t very well slap his own face so soon after. Pride wouldn’t let him back down now.
Seeing Huo Yin’s lips pressed into a tight line, silent as a stone, Luo Li knew he had no escape.
He could only duck his head, figuring a quick peck on the lips would do the trick to fool him. But the moment his lips brushed Huo Lan’s mouth, the young man eagerly thrust out his tongue and captured Luo Li’s soft, damp lips.
The demented man’s kiss burned like fire, his scorching breaths flooding relentlessly into Luo Li’s mouth. His little tongue instinctively recoiled, only to be greedily sucked in by Huo Lan, whose tongue tip plunged into the narrow cavity, ravaging it without mercy.
At the same time, the hand Huo Lan had resting on his waist slid slowly downward, coming to cover the sensitive crease at the top of Luo Li’s thigh.
Luo Li’s chest heaved with labored breaths. He pressed his palms futilely against the young madman’s shoulders, trying desperately to shove him away.
Yet though Huo Lan’s mind was addled, his strength remained freakishly immense. His tongue coiled brazenly around Luo Li’s, his lips grinding against the boy’s soft, slick lower lip, dimpling it inward.
…And Huo Yin stood right there watching.
He watched as color bloomed across Luo Li’s fair cheeks, first a faint pink, then a full flush of crimson. The boy’s curled lashes grew damp, and as the forced kiss deepened, his waist went limp.
His small, prominent Adam’s apple bobbed now and then, swallowing down his demented second brother’s saliva in heavy gulps.
Huo Lan grew even more aroused, pausing countless times to catch his breath. Each time he pulled back briefly, he reluctantly dragged Luo Li’s reddened little tongue out with him, stretching a long, glistening strand of saliva between them.
【omg so horny】
【Is this genuine stupidity or feigned stupidity? How come he’s so skilled at forcefully kissing Baby?】
【I want to be a fool too, I just foolishly entered Lili, the kind little rabbit won’t blame me, right?】
【Baby, so tiny, sitting on the fool young master’s lap is so adorable, even his chin got kissed wet】
【I can also make Little Concubine wet hehehehehe】
【？Upstairs, you continue being shady】
Luo Li lay limp in Huo Lan’s arms, the corners of his eyes streaked with thick red and dampness.
Haven’t… had enough yet…?
In his daze, a hand suddenly clamped down on his shoulder.
Huo Yin’s face was thunderous as he yanked Luo Li forcibly out of Huo Lan’s embrace.
Luo Li wobbled on his feet, rubbing his swollen lips with reddened eyes and clutching his sleeve in humiliated fury. “That should be enough, right…?”
Huo Yin gripped his wrist and dragged him out of Huo Lan’s room.
Only after they had gone quite a distance did he finally release him with a jerk.
“You kiss him just because Huo Lan asks?”
Luo Li thought he was being utterly unreasonable. “Wasn’t it you who said I can’t refuse him?”
“You…!”
Huo Yin clenched his fists, his eyes blazing scarlet. “That doesn’t mean you have to kiss him for that long! And… and use your tongue!”
He had seen it?
Luo Li burned with shame, wishing the ground would swallow him. He knew Huo Yin had been watching, but how had he seen every detail? Shouldn’t something like this disgust him?
“You sat on his lap, panting like that, with your arms around his neck, letting Huo Lan suck on your tongue… His hand was practically sliding under your clothes!”
The more agitated Huo Yin became, the more it felt like his chest might explode.
Luo Li shot back defiantly, “You said yourself he’s an idiot! What does an idiot know? A kiss is just a kiss—what’s the big deal?”
Huo Yin’s eyes were bloodshot. “What’s the big deal…? You’re my father’s concubine—his little stepmother! Don’t you have any sense of decency?”
Luo Li’s anger flared. For once, his quick little mind spun into action, firing back aggressively. “You said it yourself—I’m your dad’s wife, not yours. You have no right to butt in! Little stepmom, little stepmom—you’ve never even called me that! Hmph!”
The idea of letting this bratty, spoiled boy call him “little stepmom” felt worse than death to Huo Yin.
He would never admit it.
Huo Yin balled his fists tighter, rendered speechless. He felt slapped down repeatedly, his face utterly lost for the first time in his life.
In the end, he could only grind his molars and spit a vicious parting shot. “Twisting logic… Just you wait.”
He shot one last glare at Huo Lan and stormed off in a huff.
Just wait—he’d catch this scheming little concubine in the act eventually.
~~~
Huo Yin was as moody as ever, the very picture of a spoiled young master’s temper. Though Luo Li seethed with resentment, the memory of leaving him speechless still felt pretty satisfying.
Dark undercurrents swirled through the Huo Mansion, but Luo Li remained oblivious for now.
He had only heard that a Taoist would soon arrive to post talismans, ward off evil spirits, and drive out the Obsessive Evil Qi plaguing the Second Young Master.
Not long after the news spread, Zhang Banxian showed up.
He wasn’t alone; he brought several attendants and young acolytes with him. Old and young alike, they lit incense and performed purification rites throughout the mansion, putting on quite the show.
Luo Li had met Zhang Banxian before and feared their encounter might give something away, so he simply stayed holed up in his room for some peace.
…But that very evening, just as he was about to turn in, two sharp knocks sounded at his door. He cracked it open a sliver and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of the visitor.
“Big Brother…?”
Chu Jing cut a ridiculous figure at the moment. The burly, martial giant squeezed into a grayish-blue Taoist robe, its chest parted just enough to reveal his bronze-hard pecs.
He glanced around cautiously. “Little Waste, let me in.”
Bewildered, Luo Li stepped aside to let him enter.
Chu Jing was sweating a bit, clearly worn out from the journey. Luo Li opened his mouth to ask why he was here, but the man looked him up and down and clicked his tongue. “How’d you end up even skinnier here in the mansion?”
He undid his collar and pulled a hefty paper bundle from inside his robe, tossing it to Luo Li.
“Grabbed it off the street on the way—passed a shop. The big lugs back at base won’t touch the stuff. It’s yours.”
Luo Li unwrapped it to find it brimming with the sweet, fragrant aroma of date paste cakes and osmanthus pastries.
He hugged the package tight before asking, “Why are you dressed like this…?”
“Hmph, don’t ask. Back when I was in the army, I crossed paths with this family—old grudge. No way they’d let me through the door otherwise. Had to disguise myself as one of Zhang Banxian’s attendants to sneak in.”
Chu Jing’s voice was hoarse. Luo Li hurried to pour him some water, but when he turned back, the man had already snatched his used cup and drained the dregs of tea inside.
“Ah, that was…”
“What’s up?”
Luo Li choked back his words. “N-Nothing.”
Chu Jing waved him to sit. “The Huo folks bullying you?”
Luo Li shook his head untruthfully.
“Hmph, you look like you’ve been.”
Chu Jing took his wrist, rolled up the sleeve of his sweater, then checked the boy’s lower back and calves for bruises. Finding none, he let go.
Better than he’d feared. Some big families mistreated pretty young widows like this, but at least the Huos weren’t that heartless.
“They’re all high-and-mighty. With your shady background, no surprise they give you the cold shoulder.”
“But… I’ve got a new plan.”
He leaned in close, his gaze locking intensely onto Luo Li’s. “Little Waste, want to strut around the Huo Family like a king?”
Luo Li blinked his bright, watery eyes.
“Not one of these three young masters is Old Ghost Huo’s real son. Imagine if he had a blood heir—what happens to the trio then?”
Luo Li caught on. “You want me to pretend to be Huo Jieqi’s son?”
“What? No—I want you… to get pregnant for Old Ghost Huo.”
Luo Li’s face drained of color. “No way, no way! I’m a boy—I can’t have babies.”
“Not really give birth, dummy. Just pretend you’re pregnant.”
Chu Jing lowered his voice. “Old Ghost Huo’s grudge lingers because his life’s wish went unfulfilled. My bet? His big regret is dying without a flesh-and-blood heir.”
“Zhang Banxian’s already got your cover story ready. Just play along tomorrow during the Second Young Master’s exorcism rite, and it’ll fall right into place.”
So that’s why Chu Jing had come.
Luo Li felt a surge of grievance; even the sweet pastries in his arms lost their appeal. He slammed the package onto the table in a huff.
This guy only ever ordered him around without asking if he even wanted to!
Seeing Luo Li flip like that, Chu Jing was baffled. “What’s the problem? Bad idea?”
“What’s good about it? If you’re so clever, you get pregnant! I’m not doing it.”
Luo Li hurled the package at him. “Take your junk—I don’t want it!”
“Hey, you little brat…”
Chu Jing grew anxious too. Back at the gang, his word was law—who dared fart out of turn when he gave an order? He’d been a force of nature his whole life. Never had he stooped to buying treats, sneaking in like a whipped dog, groveling to sweet-talk someone into a simple favor.
The key point was that now Luo Li was throwing a fit and digging in his heels, leaving Chu Jing surprisingly unable to even get mad. He could only grasp the young man’s hand and coax him gently. “Don’t make such a fuss right away. Whatever the issue is, we can talk it over, all right?”
Luo Li, however, yanked his hand back with force. “No way!”
He glanced around the room, growing more furious with every word. “You only pretend to care about me because you think I’m such a pushover! I’m not listening to a thing you say. You’re—you’re so infuriating! And you had to use my cup and dirty it up…”
No one had ever told Luo Li that his little outburst carried zero intimidation. Chu Jing had no idea what he was actually angry about and found himself at a loss for words. “How the hell am I pretending, I, your father? Do you even know what I, your father…”
In the midst of the youth’s shoving and struggling, the porcelain cup teetered on the verge of crashing to the floor.
With quick reflexes, Chu Jing snatched it out of the air. And right then, the sound of footsteps echoed from beyond the door to Room 201.
Luo Li’s expression changed in an instant.
Someone?
The only people who might still be wandering around the Huo Mansion at this hour had to be the servants.
If they caught Chu Jing in his room…
He frantically gestured for Chu Jing to stay silent. Unfortunately, the thick-headed man didn’t catch on. He clutched the porcelain cup, his thick brows furrowed deeply.
“You still think I’m dirty… Back when you were sick, who was it that wiped you down and bathed you? I, your father, never once complained about you…”
No wonder the tea had tasted so oddly sweet earlier.
It was because Little Waste had drunk from it.
The cup was so dainty and small. He could picture the youth sipping from it, his little pink tongue pressed to the rim, lapping at it like a kitten.
Little Waste had grown up now, wise enough to find fault with the boss for being filthy.
The more Chu Jing dwelled on it, the angrier he got. An impulsive urge suddenly seized him.
The man brought the porcelain cup to his lips. He extended his tongue, letting it linger inside the cup as he licked slow, deliberate circles.
His tongue was rough and broad, filling the interior completely. Along the pristine white inner walls of the delicate teacup, thick strands of saliva trailed in the wake of his dark red tongue tip, dripping down in viscous ropes.
Chu Jing’s already rugged face took on an even more feral edge.
At the end, he even pursed his lips around the rim, sucking and kissing it with fervent intensity.
Luo Li stared at the thoroughly ravaged cup, his eyes rimming red with rage.
Chu Jing wasn’t done. “Still think it’s dirty now? Huh? I licked it clean for you—this is what dirty really looks like, you know…”
Before he could finish, the youth clapped a hand over his mouth.
Fuming with exasperation, Luo Li snapped, “You are not saying another word!”
If the servants outside overheard—
The youth’s soft palm pressed against the man’s chapped lips. In this moment of high tension, Chu Jing seized his wrist instead.
Those pink-tinged fingertips trembled helplessly. Before Luo Li knew what was happening, the man drew them into his mouth.
