Chapter 23 Part 1

Zhu Ran: “…”

Who provoked you!

He had never met such a shameless person. To think he once believed Huo Boyan was mature and steady—turns out he was rotten to the core.

Amid his anger, Zhu Ran couldn’t help feeling a bit annoyed with himself.

How could he let Huo Boyan treat him like this? He should have rejected him outright…

“Are you angry?” Huo Boyan asked with a smile. The sealed car compartment amplified his low, magnetic voice, making Zhu Ran’s ears tingle.

Zhu Ran turned his face to the window, ignoring him.

“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have said that,” Huo Boyan said, pulling his wrist and coaxing softly. “Mr. Zhu, don’t be mad at me, okay?”

Mr. Zhu was a local term for Mr. Zhu—a perfectly proper phrase—but Huo Boyan made it sound so intimate.

Does he know I can’t do anything to him? Zhu Ran grew inexplicably angrier. He shook off Huo Boyan’s hand and snapped fiercely, “Don’t use that kid-coaxing nonsense on me.”

“Oh,” Huo Boyan said, as if realizing something. “So you prefer an adult approach?”

Zhu Ran exploded. He sneered and flipped the table: “Huo Boyan, do you really think I’m too scared to do something to you?”

The beauty glared, his bright peach-blossom eyes shimmering with watery light.

Meeting that gaze, Huo Boyan generously leaned back and said, “Oh? What do you want to do to me? Shall we start now?”

The luxury sedan wound through the narrow roads of Hong Kong Island, shifting from bustling streets to desolate outskirts. Inside the car, Zhu Ran stared fixedly at Huo Boyan, a fire burning in his chest, urging him to erupt.

He wanted to grab Huo Boyan’s tie, straddle him, and punch him senseless—shatter his glasses, mess up his hair, so he could never speak to him with that infuriatingly composed demeanor again.

Zhu Ran’s breathing quickened, a hint of madness flickering across his usually obedient face.

He wasn’t some paragon of virtue anyway, and Huo Boyan kept provoking him. He was only here for the summer—why not just sleep with him…? No!

Not Huo Boyan.

The man was powerful, scheming, and deep. Zhu Ran couldn’t win against him.

Zhu Ran took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, regaining his calm. He smiled faintly. “Mr. Huo is a man of high status. Aren’t you afraid of ending up murdered and dumped if you come to a desolate place like this with me?”

Outside the window, streetlights had vanished. Dense forests lined one side, vast empty grasslands the other, with the distant sea serene and still. It reminded Zhu Ran of cop movies from his childhood, where bodies were dug up in places like this.

“You’ve got ideas,” Huo Boyan said approvingly. “But this is the Country Club. It’s heavily guarded with cameras everywhere—not an ideal spot for murder or body dumping.”

Zhu Ran gritted his teeth. “Thanks for the humiliation.”

Huo Boyan smiled. “You’re welcome.”

Zhu Ran: “…”

This guy really deserves a beating. I want to punch him so bad.

Soon, the car pulled up beside an open grassland. Huo Boyan turned. “We’re here.”

Zhu Ran got out, puzzled.

In the distance stood a low white building with a swimming pool, tennis courts, and other sports facilities. The grassland they were on seemed meant for golf.

Why did Huo Boyan bring him here in the dead of night? To play golf? He wasn’t into that old folks’ sport.

Zhu Ran looked at Huo Boyan questioningly, but before he could speak, the driver drove off.

Zhu Ran: ?

Surrounded by unfamiliar terrain in the wilds, a bad premonition stirred in his heart. He feigned calm. “Huo Boyan, you’re not planning something bad, are you?”

Huo Boyan paused, then laughed and shook his head. “Zhu Ran, I’m very traditional. I don’t have that kind of fetish yet.”

Zhu Ran: ?

Huo Boyan spread his suit jacket on the ground and turned to Zhu Ran. “Sit.”

Zhu Ran: “…”

Your actions don’t look like you’re up to anything good!

Zhu Ran sat on the grass half-believingly, only to hear Huo Boyan say, “Lie down.”

Zhu Ran grew more alert. He bent one leg, ready to bolt. “Lie down for what—ah!”

Huo Boyan suddenly yanked his wrist. Zhu Ran’s body toppled into the warm, grassy embrace of a sultry summer night.

Losing balance abruptly, Zhu Ran arched his upper body like a struggling cat, but Huo Boyan pressed his shoulders down.

“Shh, close your eyes—” Huo Boyan covered Zhu Ran’s eyes. His movements weren’t gentlemanly, but his lowered voice carried an illusion of gentleness.

Zhu Ran saw nothing, his heart racing inexplicably. He shoved Huo Boyan’s hand away and opened his eyes.

Huo Boyan released him, kneeling on one knee in the grass with a helpless smile. “Why aren’t you obedient?”

Zhu Ran glared. “Why should I obey you…”

Before he finished, a “click” echoed—the club’s lights all went out.

Zhu Ran’s eyes widened in the darkness, seeing nothing.

“Huo Boyan! What’s happening?!” Fear gripped him instinctively; he reached for his phone.

“Afraid of the dark?” A large hand clasped his palm—firm, almost painful, yet reassuring.

Zhu Ran’s heart steadied slightly. He calmed. “What’s going on? Power outage?”

“I had them turn off the lights,” Huo Boyan said softly, holding his hand. “Don’t be scared. Let your eyes adjust first.”

How could he adjust to this? Zhu Ran’s breathing grew erratic again, lashes trembling. He reached for his phone, but Huo Boyan anticipated and pinned his arm.

“Wait a bit more,” Huo Boyan said mildly but firmly. “Three, two, one—look up.”

Look up? For what?

Zhu Ran lifted his head into profound darkness.

No—not total black. Stars dotted the sky. As his eyes adapted, more stars emerged.

Hong Kong Island was famous for night views but often cloudy, making stargazing poor. Zhu Ran never imagined seeing stars here!

A waning crescent moon hung faintly; the Milky Way shimmered like satin.

Suddenly, a thin streak slashed the night sky…

“A meteor?!” Zhu Ran whipped his head around in disbelief. “Huo Boyan, did you see the meteor?”

“I saw it,” Huo Boyan said. “Tonight’s the Perseid Meteor Shower.”

It was called a shower, but it rained nothing like actual rain—meteors crawled slowly, one after ages of waiting.