Chapter 37 Part 1

Because of his outstanding appearance, Zhu Ran had received countless confessions in his lifetime.

Some people projected their ideal partner onto him and came to confess without having spoken much to him at all. Others pestered him relentlessly, bombarding him with messages and gifts, as if failing to win him over was simply a matter of not trying hard enough. There were also those he considered friends, so he extended goodwill toward them, only to discover they just wanted to sleep with him.

Of course, there had been many normal confessions too—people who interacted with him normally, expressed their fondness, and then gracefully backed off after being rejected.

But never had any confession given him the feeling that Huo Boyan’s did.

For the first time, Zhu Ran didn’t feel any pressure from being confessed to. Instead, he felt genuinely respected and treated well.

He was still very shy, but at least he was calm enough to give Huo Boyan a proper response.

“Huo Boyan, I promise you, I’ll think carefully about our relationship,” Zhu Ran said, looking into Huo Boyan’s eyes with an equally serious tone. “And until I give you my answer, I won’t develop a relationship with anyone else.”

The eyes behind Huo Boyan’s glasses curved into crescents. He seemed to want to kiss Zhu Ran but felt it would be impolite, so he simply raised a hand to ruffle Zhu Ran’s hair and said happily, “Good. I’ll wait for you.”

Zhu Ran fell silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Do you still suspect me now?”

This was the issue he cared about most at the moment. Zhu Ran couldn’t tolerate flaws in his relationships. Even if he had feelings for Huo Boyan now, if he knew Huo Boyan still harbored suspicions toward him, he would pull away without hesitation.

“No,” Huo Boyan said bluntly. “If I really suspected you, I wouldn’t have brought you back to my home.”

But Zhu Ran wasn’t convinced. He stared fixedly at him. “Aren’t you afraid that my dad and I are teaming up to frame you?”

Huo Boyan didn’t answer right away. Instead, he pulled Zhu Ran into his arms. His tone was so gentle that it created the illusion he was feeling sorry for Zhu Ran. “Don’t talk about yourself like that. I know you’re not that kind of person.”

Zhu Ran froze in place. The impact of those words hit him even harder than the confession earlier.

His nose stung, and his heart warmed. He reached up to hug Huo Boyan’s neck, burying his face in the crook of Huo Boyan’s neck. Very softly and obediently, he called out Huo Boyan’s name.

“You really don’t suspect me anymore?” Zhu Ran had almost completely believed him by now, but he couldn’t help imagining the worst possibility.

“I trust you completely,” Huo Boyan said. “I know it’s hard for you to believe that right now. You don’t have to convince yourself immediately. I’m fine with you testing me.”

Huo Boyan’s response was flawless. Zhu Ran tried several times to find weaknesses or loopholes in his words but failed each time.

Huo Boyan’s existence felt like a scam tailor-made just for him. Did people like this really exist in the world? And he’d actually encountered one?

Zhu Ran suddenly grew wary and pushed Huo Boyan away. “Huo Boyan, you’re so good at sweet-talking. This isn’t some targeted ‘pig butchering’ scam you’ve trained for, is it?”

Huo Boyan paused, then burst out laughing.

The man’s chest vibrated against Zhu Ran’s, sending a flush-inducing wave of warmth through him. “Now you know how I felt when I first saw you.”

Zhu Ran felt an irresistible pull of attraction and curiosity.

He wondered how Huo Boyan—whose parents had died early and who had grown up amid the cutthroat family struggles—could have had such a bumpy life yet still retained this kind of character.

There was so much Zhu Ran wanted to ask, but he held it all back in the end.

He couldn’t keep digging deeper.

The attraction between people was often traceable. Physical attraction was superficial in the end, and ties to a life partner could be severed. But once you saw someone’s background, understood their persistence and vulnerabilities—like flipping over the stone on a crab’s heart—it became hard to pull away easily. Even if one side steeled themselves to leave, it’d be like ripping out their heart with blood, shedding a layer of skin.

Zhu Ran didn’t dare go that far.

His current relationship with Huo Boyan had already exceeded expectations. He didn’t dare delve any deeper.

Compared to such elusive emotions, there were more pressing matters at hand worth his attention.

Zhu Ran looked up at Huo Boyan, forcing himself to calm down. “You said yesterday that we could discuss my plan. Does that still stand?”

“Of course,” Huo Boyan nodded. “That’s something I wanted to talk about too.”

Zhu Ran said thanks and climbed down from Huo Boyan’s lap. Staying hugged like that felt too clingy. He wanted to communicate with Huo Boyan in a more formal way.

Zhu Ran sat across from Huo Boyan and explained his situation and troubles in detail. He watched Huo Boyan’s expression closely, and only after confirming there wasn’t the slightest hint of mockery or indifference did he continue. “If it were you in this situation, how would you handle it?”

Huo Boyan thought for a moment. “I’d consider it from three angles. First, I’d think about what I want—what goal I aim to achieve in this matter. Then, the current situation: the facts on the ground and others’ attitudes, and how they’ll affect my goal. Finally, specific actions, and when reality conflicts with my goal, whether to persist or adjust strategy.”

Zhu Ran fell silent.

The logic wasn’t hard to grasp, and executing it seemed straightforward, but… Wang Ruyun had been diagnosed with coronary heart disease three years ago. She often suffered angina attacks and couldn’t handle emotional stress. That was why Zhu Ran had hesitated to make a decision for so long.

Should he really say it out loud?

When he’d come out of the closet before, it had sent his mom to the hospital. If something happened again this time, Zhu Ran didn’t dare imagine the scene.

But letting it all slide without saying anything? Zhu Ran couldn’t swallow that. Zhu Yanqing dared to treat him like this—why should he keep covering for him? Maintain this fake family harmony?

He simply couldn’t think of a way that satisfied everyone!

Zhu Ran’s breathing quickened. He fell into that dead-end feeling again.

The violence lurking in his blood and the masochistic urge for self-destruction surged once more, like an inescapable shadow controlling his thoughts.

“Zhu Ran, Zhu Ran.” A gentle voice sounded, accompanied by a soft, warm touch on his arm.

Zhu Ran looked up into Huo Boyan’s concerned eyes.

“Is something stuck?” Huo Boyan gripped Zhu Ran’s forearm lightly, leaning forward while looking into his eyes. “Tell me. We’ll analyze it together.”

Late July brought prevailing south winds from the vast South China Sea toward the Liangguang Hills, like an invisible giant hand brushing over the towering buildings of Central. The city buzzed with traffic, and Victoria Harbour flowed ceaselessly.