“What’s going on here?”
Shen Leyuan pushed open the door and saw the two of them occupying opposite corners of the room, forming the longest diagonal line across the space.
Huo Tingfeng didn’t dare tell the truth and changed the subject, asking his beloved what he was carrying.
Shen Leyuan knew right away that he’d lost some minor skirmish—and lost it disgracefully—but he didn’t pry. He set the bag of fruit on the table and said, “You can’t eat this.”
The Huo Family did deadly work, out in wind and rain, and they’d taken all sorts of drugs, active or passive, building up messy resistances that made prescribing meds a nightmare. Now, after an injection of some unknown liquid, the doctor had repeatedly warned him to stick strictly to the prescribed diet.
These past few days, Huo Tingfeng’s three meals a day had all been medicinal cuisine.
He reluctantly tore his gaze away from the large, round, perfectly ripe oranges and tangerines. He was just about to say he’d save them for after he recovered when Lin Yao let out a cheer and scooted over, as if they’d been bought just for him.
Huo Tingfeng frowned, displeased but not willing to snatch them away in front of his beloved—he didn’t want to seem childish.
He mentally tallied one up against Lin Yao and focused on observing Shen Leyuan.
The man had gone to see Lin Yuan last night and stayed out overnight. Sure, he hadn’t come back to the Lin Family Villa with him, but who knew what had happened in between?
Shen Leyuan let the man size him up without the irritation or unease he’d felt before. He even met that gaze calmly, his eyes sweeping from Huo Tingfeng’s face down to the bulging pecs under his hospital gown, his expression serene.
He compared Huo Tingfeng to Lin Yuan.
The former had shared a brief romance with him—sweet moments of mutual understanding, bitter pangs of betrayal—and now mostly gratitude for the rescue.
The latter held his trust. Even when he’d thrown tantrums declaring he no longer believed in Mr. Lin, deep down he trusted Mr. Lin the most, like a drifting boat trusting its harbor.
Who do I like more?
Before he could figure it out, Lin Yao suddenly inserted himself into his line of sight.
The young man held out a peeled orange segment, his tone bright and cheerful. “It’s so sweet, Teacher. Try some?”
Huo Tingfeng’s face darkened. “Don’t you have class today?”
“No class today.” Lin Yao beamed smugly.
Huo Tingfeng scoffed and fired off a triple question. “Have you reviewed? Previewed? How’d you do on the exams?”
Lin Yao had spent most of his time abroad before returning, where his English was top-notch but the other subjects lagged. With frequent absences, his daily scores were pitiful, and this time several subjects had come back red—failing grades, all needing makeups.
Caught off guard, his expression shifted.
Shen Leyuan frowned. “You…”
High school teachers were obsessed with scores. They knew grades didn’t equal achievement, but diplomas were the easiest door-opener for ordinary folks—a bit of short-term suffering could spare students many future detours.
But Lin Yao wasn’t ordinary. Good grades were just icing on the cake for him.
Pushing down his instinctive discomfort with failures, Shen Leyuan smiled reassuringly at the young man and took the perfectly peeled segment. “Thanks.”
Lin Yao shivered under that smile and swore to the heavens, “I’ll study hard, I promise!”
Shen Leyuan: …
Should he explain that he wouldn’t force Lin Yao to ace his exams, or let the kid’s sudden motivation shine?
Shen Leyuan unhesitatingly chose the latter.
With a warm, gentle smile, he ruffled the young man’s hair. “Good, good. I’ll be waiting for the good news.”
Lin Yao went all dizzy and goofy, grinning like an idiot.
Huo Tingfeng immediately checked his schedule. “You’ve got classes all morning tomorrow, two in the afternoon, and exams in a week…”
Jerk!!!
Lin Yao itched to rehash old dirt right in front of the teacher—spill about this sleazy bastard’s cringy old flirtations—but that would mean bringing up Little Deer.
Bringing up Little Deer would hurt the teacher.
He didn’t want that.
Reluctantly, Lin Yao backed away step by step. “After the exams…”
Shen Leyuan said, “Do well, and there’s a reward.”
Lin Yao’s eyes lit up, his voice perking up. “You got it, Teacher~”
With the nuisance gone, Huo Tingfeng pressed his advantage. “Kids these days, huh? Passing college is enough, but he’s got a bunch of fails.”
He showed his beloved the scores he’d just pulled up. “Look, a whole swath of reds.”
Shen Leyuan’s expression turned odd.
Huo Tingfeng peeled an orange from the table and glanced up to see him frowning. “What’s wrong?”
Shen Leyuan fiddled on his phone for a bit and showed him a screenshot.
The scores weren’t as ugly as Lin Yao’s, but two were red too. The rest barely scraped by except for math, which soared—representing not his true ability, but the teachers’ efforts in lenient grading.
Huo Tingfeng shut up on the spot, racking his brain for a save.
The door suddenly slid open from outside. Lin Yao strode in, claiming he’d forgotten something. He grabbed the fruit bag, took a few steps, then doubled back to snatch the one from the sleazy bastard’s hand too.
“You think it’s for you just ’cause you’re eating it?”
Then he picked out the ripest few oranges and handed them to the teacher. “I’ll take the rest, okay~?”
He knew full well the fruit was for Huo Tingfeng—probably bought before remembering he couldn’t eat it—but whatever. If he got his hands on it, it was his. No way was he leaving any for the old man.
Twenty-eight was old—eight years older than the teacher!
The young man came and went like a whirlwind, full of youthful fire.
But Huo Tingfeng did not feel melancholy about “his beloved being much younger than him” because of this.
His beloved wasn’t like Lin Yao, all green and raw.
His was mature, serene—even in anger, he held back, carrying a worldly detachment like one who’d seen it all. Only his affection remained green and clumsy, kisses tentative and careful.
Missed chances and lost time were equally irretrievable.
Regret soaked him like bitter wine, through and through. Huo Tingfeng didn’t dare make another peep. He picked up the orange Lin Yao had left on the table and kept peeling, as if peeling his own heart.
The next few days, Shen Leyuan stayed at the hospital.
The doctor gave him a gentle but firm scolding, repeatedly warning him not to release any desires lately.
Shen Leyuan nodded guiltily.
He’d heard it before but thought it only applied to Huo Tingfeng…
The doctor didn’t know his situation, only that he’d arrived with Huo Tingfeng, so he assumed they were a couple. Midway through, he glanced at the door. “Supervise each other.”
Huo Tingfeng gave Shen Leyuan a meaningful look and nodded vigorously. “We will!”
Shen Leyuan: …
From then until now, Huo Tingfeng watched him like a hawk—even bathroom trips got tailed, staring until he got all hot and prickly, shooing the man out in a huff.
Then the next time, he’d follow again.
Shen Leyuan finally snapped. “It’s just a few minutes. What could I even do?”
Huo Tingfeng said darkly, “Who knows…”
Shen Leyuan didn’t know whether to retort first with “I don’t finish quick” or tackle the second half. Being eyed like that by someone he’d been intimate with—after some subtle contact before—how could he feel nothing?
He held back and held back, then said, “If I watched you, you’d…”
“No,” Huo Tingfeng cut him off, proudly declaring, “I’m impotent!”
Shen Leyuan: …
Pretty proud of that, huh?
So when Huo Tingfeng went to the bathroom next, he followed and stared right back.
Neither felt awkward or shy. One peed casually; the other watched intently, eyes saying: I don’t buy it!
Shen Leyuan’s gaze greeted the impressive member.
Last time he’d seen it, it had been firm, scorching, and tragic.
The wound had mostly healed now, but it seemed still shell-shocked from the ordeal—limp and docile in its owner’s hand, utterly listless.
Huo Tingfeng’s brow arched smugly: See? Told you!
Really impotent?
Not seeing what he wanted, Shen Leyuan felt annoyed. Without thinking, he reached out, grasped it lightly, and stroked once.
Like it already knew its master, the wilted thing perked up instantly.
Huo Tingfeng froze.
Shen Leyuan froze too.
Under the man’s incredulous stare, Shen Leyuan stiffly turned on the faucet, washed his hands, went out, shut the door, and buried himself in the covers.
What the hell…
Totally lost my mind!
He had no idea how to face Huo Tingfeng for the moment.
Luckily, the other seemed even more bashful—no sound of the door for five or six minutes.
Is Huo Tingfeng in there… doing that?
Frowning, Shen Leyuan got up to stop him—the drugs in his system were potent, mixed with other junk, plus heavy injuries. He needed to hold out nearly half a month!
He shoved the door open to find the man frantically zipping up.
Leaning on the frame, Shen Leyuan felt he’d evened the score and arched a brow. “Doctor said we supervise each other. If you do this, I’ll get chewed out.”
Huo Tingfeng stammered, “I didn’t…”
Shen Leyuan teased, “Didn’t what? Why cover up then?”
Huo Tingfeng reluctantly moved his hand. Sure enough, a big wet stain bloomed on the hospital gown, faintly damp—not looking like “didn’t” at all.
Shen Leyuan stepped aside to let him out and said seriously, voice soft, “Hold out a bit longer. Three to five days and the abstinence ends. Don’t risk a chronic issue for a moment’s pleasure.”
Huo Tingfeng glanced at him, then dropped his eyes like scalded. “Mm.”
He didn’t budge, so Shen Leyuan urged, “Out, out. No bad deeds in the bathroom.”
Huo Tingfeng shuffled back to bed, lips pressed tight.
Something felt off. Shen Leyuan crossed to his side in a few strides and demanded darkly, “What were you really doing just now?”
Huo Tingfeng touched his nose and smiled helplessly. “Thought of you out there… couldn’t hold back.”
Infuriating words.
But Shen Leyuan felt more uneasy, like the man was deliberately provoking him. He narrowed his eyes. “You taking it off, or should I?”
Huo Tingfeng stayed silent.
Shen Leyuan’s voice cooled as he counted down abruptly. “Three, two, one—”
Huo Tingfeng bolted calmly. “I’ll get the doctor.”
No different from admitting it.
Shen Leyuan blocked him before he reached the door, hitting the call button while saying, “Bodyguards outside, your brother, maybe passing docs and nurses. How’s that look for me?”
Huo Tingfeng hung his head. “Sorry…”
He looked like a guilty big dog, not daring to lift his eyes.
Shen Leyuan suddenly recalled that accident—the man’s burly frame curled up, wanting to burrow into the earth.
Self-loathing, inferiority, fear of disgust.
His own unwitting frowns, obvious irritations, blunt rejections—they’d become thin blades in Huo Tingfeng’s hands, sharpening and pruning himself, scars piling into a thorny cage.
But I never meant that…
Shen Leyuan’s heart ached faintly.
The doctor arrived fast and scolded them both.
Shen Leyuan zoned out listening. When he tuned back in, the doctor was exasperatedly laying into Huo Tingfeng. “He’s young and clueless—aren’t you? Letting him mess around like that?”
Huo Tingfeng said weakly, “It wasn’t…”
Noticing Shen Leyuan’s gaze, his guilt doubled. The tough man actually teared up in front of the doctor, his voice pitching up earnestly. “It’s my head that’s messed up. He didn’t touch me, not once!”
The man’s emotions were off—like hysteria.
Shen Leyuan gently took his hand and told the baffled doctor, “Sorry, mind if I talk to him?”
From that touch, Huo Tingfeng went still.
The room quieted.
Huo Tingfeng stewed in anxiety, hoping he’d say something, dreading what it might be.
Shen Leyuan looked up, meeting those wet eyes.
Why so weepy?
Helpless, he ruffled the man’s hair. As he ducked to nuzzle Shen Leyuan’s palm, he leaned to his ear—
“I don’t hate you.”
Shen Leyuan whispered, “Don’t hate your face, your body, your desires.”
“Never have.”
In that instant, Huo Tingfeng felt rain after endless drought.
