The only regret was that this hug wasn’t as tight as the last one. Though Huo Boyan held him, only their shoulders and arms touched.
Zhu Ran liked the feeling of being fully enveloped, so he leaned forward proactively. Unexpectedly, Huo Boyan stepped back, as if deliberately creating distance.
Zhu Ran felt displeased and took a big step forward, only for Huo Boyan to retreat again.
Huo Boyan was indeed avoiding him!
If you don’t like it, don’t hug. Why force it?
Zhu Ran’s stubbornness flared. He grabbed Huo Boyan’s clothes and squeezed forward, finally pressing them seamlessly together. Then Zhu Ran widened his eyes and froze in place.
The smile vanished from Huo Boyan’s face. He lowered his gaze, saying somewhat coldly, “Satisfied now?”
Zhu Ran instantly deflated. He placed his hands on Huo Boyan’s chest and tried to pull away.
The man who had avoided him earlier now did a complete one-eighty, his strong arms firmly locking Zhu Ran’s body in place.
It was torturous. Zhu Ran panicked and struggled immediately. “Huo Boyan, let go!”
Huo Boyan’s body didn’t budge. He lowered his eyes expressionlessly, saying with a hint of punishment, “Do you know you were wrong?”
Zhu Ran couldn’t stand that look from Huo Boyan. A tingle shot down his spine, his body prickling with embarrassment. Even he himself…
Realizing this, Zhu Ran’s entire face flushed red, mingled with a sense of being bullied. Enraged and humiliated, he cursed, “Huo Boyan, how can you be like this? I was talking serious business! How could you, how could you just…”
The rest was too embarrassing to say. He glared fiercely at Huo Boyan, expressing his anger intensely. The bright peach-blossom eyes of the young man brimmed with mist, red and as if he’d been terribly bullied.
Huo Boyan finally compromised. He sighed and released Zhu Ran, saying somewhat helplessly, “I know you’re still young, but please try to understand the situation of a mature man like me with no prior experience.”
Zhu Ran: “…”
His gaze swept over a certain part of Huo Boyan and was shocked by the intimidating shape.
No wonder no one dared to sleep with him…
And the troublesome part was, Zhu Ran discovered that whenever he was alone with Huo Boyan, it became hard to discuss serious matters. His body betrayed his will, eagerly drawing close, his mind filled with those indecent thoughts.
Zhu Ran took a deep breath, feeling this couldn’t continue. He glanced at Huo Boyan and said in an official tone, “Calm yourself down first. Once you’re calm, we can talk business.”
Huo Boyan: “I’m calm now.”
Zhu Ran blurted out, “That fast?”
He meant to question, but seeing the cold smile on Huo Boyan’s face, he realized he’d been misunderstood.
Huo Boyan’s heavy gaze pressed down as he warned calmly, “Zhu Ran, this isn’t a good time to provoke me.”
Zhu Ran: “…”
Look at that foul mouth of yours.
Fortunately, Huo Boyan didn’t say anything outrageous. When he looked up again, his expression had returned to calm. “Go on, what do you want to talk about?”
Zhu Ran quieted down. In an instant, the bright, shy, happy emotions on him dissipated. He seemed to return to how Huo Boyan had seen him at the airport—oppressed by some invisible, powerful force, his wings bound, his spine bowing lower and lower, every step forward tearing through countless thorns.
Zhu Ran lifted his head and confirmed with Huo Boyan one last time. “It really wasn’t you?”
The contradictory vulnerability and strength on Zhu Ran drew his attention again. Huo Boyan tried to focus on the conversation, asking calmly, “What did I do?”
Zhu Ran: “My documents are missing. Did you take them?”
Huo Boyan didn’t answer immediately, but in that instant, he understood everything. His calm gaze turned pitying. He slowly shook his head and said apologetically, “Zhu Ran, it wasn’t me.”
Zhu Ran closed his eyes, feeling as if part of his soul had been extracted.
He had actually known it wasn’t Huo Boyan, but he still sought confirmation stubbornly, only making himself more pathetic.
Of course, discussing the matter itself, it wasn’t that difficult. Passports and permits could be replaced, and with modern efficiency, he’d have new ones within a week.
In a physical sense, controlling someone in modern society was extremely difficult.
Even oppression in families or other relationships—if the person was willing to resist, they wouldn’t completely lose their way, unless they encountered true villains who locked them in a dark room.
But the chains wrapped around the soul were hard to break. Thousands of years of cultural tradition, twenty years of upbringing—even if Zhu Ran wanted to escape, he’d have to endure repeated tugs, doubts, and deliberations to be reborn.
At first, Zhu Ran had only wanted to leave, thinking non-involvement was enough.
He knew well that Zhu Yanqing toiled relentlessly for money and power, never satisfied no matter how much he got, even using his wife and child as stepping stones.
He could replace the documents, but would going back make him safe?
