“Look closely. Don’t cover it with your hand.”
“Say it again—don’t block it. Look closely!”
The young man’s scolding tone came through clearly into Lin Yuan’s ears, grinding out a bloody taste in his throat along with the overwhelming grievance threatening to drown him.
You don’t want me anymore, do you, wife?
A devouring rage burned in his mind. Lin Yuan’s teeth ground together painfully, but he forced himself to stay composed as he instructed the bodyguard, “Don’t approach that room.”
He said calmly, “Send Di Junya to Hao Mingrui. Tell him that if—if he can’t contain Di Junya, then guide Little Deer to kill Di Junya.”
His lover’s voice continued in his ear, turning gentle now, laced with that familiar coaxing tone that had once belonged to him.
“Like this—circle it, stroke it gently. Feel it?”
[Sir, this desire isn’t dirty at all. It’s beautiful. Will you touch it?]
“No, not so hard… No nails!”
[I’m not just coaxing you—it’s really beautiful. Sir is so clean. Don’t doubt yourself again… Or… would you believe me if I kissed it?]
“Yes, good. Stroke it gently like that…”
[Gentler, sir… Hoo… It feels so good. Sir, you’re clearly so good at this!]
Past and present wove together, giving Lin Yuan a splitting headache.
Shen Leyuan coached him for a good while before the man finally stopped tormenting himself. But he still didn’t know how to take care of it himself—if Shen Leyuan wasn’t watching him closely, he’d only brush against it vaguely, refusing to stroke it even a little more.
In the end, Shen Leyuan had no choice but to take the other’s hand and guide him slowly. Every time he accidentally brushed against that astonishing heat, a faint phantom pain would stir.
It’s in this state—can he even come like this?
Shen Leyuan deeply doubted it.
The drug burned through Huo Tingfeng’s mind, leaving it foggy, and his own torment had left his body aching all over—but he didn’t notice, too focused on staring at the young man’s serious, worried expression.
Shen Leyuan asked him, “Do you feel anything now? What does it feel like?”
Huo Tingfeng tilted his head slightly, like a puzzled little dog.
Shen Leyuan’s heart stirred. Unable to help himself, he reached out and rubbed the man’s head, just like he used to with Huihui.
The man let out a muffled grunt and clutched himself.
The scent was heavy, like it had been building up for a long time. A bit splashed onto Shen Leyuan’s palm. While wiping it with a tissue, he noticed the thing itself was a deep color, and an inexplicable thought bubbled up: Huo Tingfeng probably hasn’t touched himself in forever, has he?
Why? It couldn’t be that he really doesn’t know how, right?
He quickly recalled the scenes from the hospital room and thought darkly, Ah, psychological trauma.
Huo Tingfeng’s palm pressed there, his mind still not fully clear.
Shen Leyuan pulled his hand over and wiped it carefully with a tissue. After cleaning it, he hesitated with pursed lips, then probed the tissue toward the man’s legs, wiping away the messy fluids—but no matter what, he couldn’t get it all clean.
Seeing the mess only growing bigger, he tossed the tissue aside. No more serving him!
The phone rang right then.
He answered on instinct. The steady voice on the other end said flatly, “Di Junya has been sent away. Hao Mingrui asked me to apologize to you on his behalf.”
Shen Leyuan let out an “Ah,” only then realizing the signal was back on.
How long had it been connected? When was Di Junya caught? Why didn’t anyone tell me?
The breathing on the other end sounded heavy, like there was more to say.
Shen Leyuan had no idea what he wanted to say, but he knew the bodyguards hadn’t come in because of Lin Yuan’s orders—and the reason Lin Yuan would specifically instruct the bodyguards and call at this exact moment…
His cheeks flushed hot all of a sudden. He hung up in a panic.
Rubbing his face, Shen Leyuan picked up the clothes from the floor and put them on, then pulled up Huo Tingfeng’s pants. He eyed the impressive tent and found another piece of clothing to wrap around the man’s waist before knocking on the door to call the bodyguard.
“Call an ambulance,” he said.
The bodyguard replied, “It’s already on the way. Five minutes out.”
Shen Leyuan’s face burned again. He held Huo Tingfeng’s hand, which felt slightly hot. He wanted to let go, but the other gripped back, looking at him with the pitiful eyes of a big dog terrified of abandonment.
After a few glances, the man slowly released his hand.
So obedient.
Shen Leyuan sighed inwardly, kept a straight face, and gripped back. He sat on the sofa to calm his mood, listening to the bodyguard explain the whole sequence of events and what came next. As he listened, exhaustion brought on drowsiness, and he jolted awake only when the ambulance siren sounded.
The bodyguard said, “Please keep sleeping, sir. We can handle the hospital.”
Shen Leyuan glanced at the cloth wrapped around Huo Tingfeng’s waist. No way I’m letting them help. He followed them onto the ambulance, planning to figure out which department to check into later.
A WeChat message popped up abruptly.
Lin Yuan: [I’ve arranged everything. No need for you to worry.]
Shen Leyuan closed his eyes and sighed helplessly, “Mr. Lin…”
He didn’t send a voice message or call.
The other side showed “typing…” for a bit before sending a review of his actions—detailing the psychology behind turning the surveillance back on, and ending with an admission of wrongdoing but no intention to change, because he didn’t want this to happen again.
Shen Leyuan held his phone and thought for a moment before saying, “Apologize to me.”
On his phone, Lin Yuan apologized.
Beside him, Huo Tingfeng stared blankly and murmured his apologies.
Shen Leyuan shot Huo Tingfeng a fierce glare. “Not you—don’t apologize!”
Probably because of the injection on the way, he was a bit more lucid now, though not much. He replied in a very aggrieved tone, “Oh…”
Lin Yuan listened, his mood growing even more sour.
His lover’s voice pierced through the screen, calling out “Mr. Lin” again. “From now on, you can monitor me.”
That voice said, “It’s… safer this way.”
“And,” Shen Leyuan added, “thank you for always watching out for my safety.”
It took Lin Yuan a long time to respond, his tone heavy with an illusory grievance. “You don’t need to thank me. You’ll never need to.”
Shen Leyuan didn’t know what to reply.
When he’d doubted Lin Yuan’s feelings for him before, those feelings had seemed light.
Now that he knew Di Junya didn’t like him at all, they felt heavy.
Shen Leyuan had rejected confessions before, but Mr. Lin was different… Mr. Lin hadn’t even formally confessed. How was he supposed to reject this?
By the time they reached the hospital, Huo Tingfeng was getting checked and hooked to an IV. Shen Leyuan lay on the bed next to him, staring with lifeless eyes until dawn’s faint light finally let him fall into a deep sleep.
He woke not knowing the time; outside was quiet.
He turned his head and met Huo Tingfeng’s bloodshot eyes, staring straight at him with a weary, lost look.
Shen Leyuan pursed his lips and turned away, pretending to go back to sleep.
A rustling sound came from beside him as the man stopped at his side and called softly.
“Woof…”
Shen Leyuan frowned and looked over.
Huo Tingfeng asked pitifully, “Can I be your dog?”
Shen Leyuan: !!!
Before he could respond, a new message popped up on his phone. Lin Yuan: [Can I come see you tomorrow?]
Lin Yuan: [There are some things I want to tell you.]
Shen Leyuan: …
In that moment, what surged in his heart wasn’t anger or sadness, but overwhelming embarrassment. Huo Tingfeng, oblivious to the eavesdropper, nuzzled his back with his head and said very seriously, “Even if you want to neuter me, that’s fine.”
Shen Leyuan squeezed his eyes shut hard. “We’ll talk later.”
Lin Yuan: [No?]
Lin Yuan: [Why?]
Lin Yuan: [Because you’re planning to accept Huo Tingfeng’s pursuit and need to avoid suspicion with me?]
