Dark red blood flowed through the tube into the sampling vial. The nurse pressed the needle hole with a medical cotton swab and said, “The results will be ready in forty minutes.”
Wang Huanxiu came out of the blood collection room. Bai Shuijin and Wang Muguang were sitting on the chairs in the hallway, one on each side.
Wang Muguang felt a chill at the back of his neck. “Why do I feel like my brother just glared at me?”
Bai Shuijin’s hair was as messy as a chicken’s nest, looking like he had just crawled out from somewhere. “You saw wrong. It wasn’t just once.”
“…”
So he really was glaring at him.
He had clearly done a great deed by calling the ambulance, so why was his brother looking at him like that?
“Were my brother’s eyes damaged?”
That must be why he was glaring like that.
Wang Muguang: No matter how many mistakes, it can never be his fault.
Chen Ji returned after handling the hospitalization procedures. Wang Huanxiu’s current condition was unclear and required observation overnight, so he booked a VIP ward, a large single room facing south, complete with a shower and bathroom.
There was also a spare set of pajamas Chen Ji had bought on short notice in the trunk.
Upon learning that there was another special offer of Wang Huanxiu spending the night at hospital, Bai Shuijin immediately entered the suite. Once the bodyguards were stationed outside the door, Chen Ji immediately went to a nearby luxury store to buy a set of pajamas.
For the boss, for the God of Wealth, and for himself, the way back was supposed to be a smooth road to wealth…but a roadblock appeared halfway.
Looking at the limping Wang Muguang, Chen Ji closed his eyes.
A stumbling block on his road to success.
Wang Huanxiu showered in the ward and changed into the hospital gown. The blood test results came back and the preliminary tests showed no abnormalities.
The nurse came over to give instructions. “You can walk around more in the room, drink more water, and sweat it out to help expel toxins. There’s no major problem with your body, and all your indicators are fine. There’s no need for medication for now, just stay under observation for one night. If you feel any discomfort during the night, press the call bell at any time.”
“It’s best to have a family member stay overnight so communication is easier,” the nurse added. “Who will stay?”
Wang Muguang, who was disabled but strong-willed, eagerly raised his hand. “Me!”
Wang Huanxiu lifted his eyes. “You?”
Wang Muguang changed his tone. “The Bai Shuijin on my right.”
Bai Shuijin: “…”
Chen Ji’s mouth twitched twice. He didn’t expect Wang Muguang to be sharp-eyed.
After getting Bai Shuijin’s consent, Chen Ji and Wang Muguang left the ward.
The ambulance had come suddenly earlier; the two of them had been tangled up on the bed, almost rolling into a heap, and had rushed out after hurriedly pulling on their pants. Now, Bai Shuijin could still feel the stickiness at the tops of his thighs.
He glanced at the luxury brand pajamas on the sofa. Since Wang Huanxiu was already wearing the hospital gown, this could be his change of clothes.
Carrying the pajamas into the bathroom, Bai Shuijin undressed and quickly showered. There was a sticky fluid on the insides of his thighs, and he hurriedly rinsed it away in embarrassment.
The events of the night had been frightening. If they had arrived a few minutes later, the situation might have been irreversible.
The male model had already taken off his clothes, and the next step would have been to undress Wang Huanxiu. Bai Shuijin couldn’t feel happy about it. Every student has their own meal tray, and suddenly someone was covering the rice on his tray, ready to take a bite at any moment.
This wariness and anxiety were unfamiliar to Bai Shuijin.
The shower tiles were sloped for better drainage. He watched the streams of water converge and flow toward one spot.
His plump pink lips pressed together, and mist covered the glass partition.
Maybe he really liked Wang Huanxiu, and he liked him so much that he didn’t want to share him with anyone. Beads of water dripped continuously in front of his eyes like a necklace.
Click!
The bathroom door opened. Bai Shuijin emerged with the steam, a towel over his head. Wang Huanxiu’s pajamas were much larger than his usual size. The top was fine and he could wear it either way, but the cuffs of the pajama pants had been rolled up several times on his legs.
Wang Huanxiu was leaning against the bed. Messages kept coming in on his phone one after another, probably handling tonight’s events.
Feigning nonchalance, Bai Shuijin climbed onto the hospital bed. There was a sofa in the ward, but how could a sofa compare to a bed? He kicked off his shoes and burrowed into the quilt, his fluffy head curiously leaning over to peek at Wang Huanxiu’s phone screen.
Most of the messages were from Chen Ji, with many surveillance videos recording the entire process of Wang Huanxiu being taken into the club.
Both of them smelled of the same packeted body wash from the ward’s bathroom.
Compared to two hours ago, Wang Huanxiu’s mind was much clearer now. His reason had returned, and his IQ shot back up. However, his skin was still flushed, his face carrying the color of someone who had drank a bit of alcohol, but not to the point of being drunk.
With his heaving chest and prominent Adam’s apple, his profile looked mature and sexy.
Bai Shuijin’s head squeezed closer. The evidence of what Wang Pingtian had done tonight, both witnesses and physical proof,was gathered. “Laogong-ge, what do you plan to do with him?”
In the novel, Wang Huanxiu used any means necessary, and those who betrayed or harmed him never met a good end.
Would he be thrown into the deep mountains to be fed to wild beasts, or sent to spend his days shoulder to shoulder with marine creatures like he was?
Under Bai Shuijin’s gaze, Wang Huanxiu dialed 110 on his phone.
“…”
Wang Huanxiu looked at him with a puzzled expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, I just didn’t expect you to be that kind of person.”
“What kind of person?”
Law-abiding.
So normal it felt abnormal.
Wang Huanxiu pulled the quilt over him. Bai Shuijin had also been running around all night because of him.
“Sleep.”
His body temperature still hadn’t cooled down, like there was a fire burning under his skin.
Bai Shuijin nestled in the quilt, only his eyes showing. “Laogong-ge, aren’t you going to sleep?”
His voice was muffled, his fingers nervously picking at the quilt.
Wang Huanxiu’s gaze moved away from him. “I’m not sleepy yet.”
Bai Shuijin climbed out of bed, hesitated for a few seconds, then puckered his lips and kissed Wang Huanxiu on the lips.
With a loud smacking sound.
Wang Huanxiu’s body stiffened. Bai Shuijin’s face flushed red, and he said in a trembling voice, “Laogong-ge, I think I really like you.”
He leaned closer, pressing his chest against the other’s, just like earlier in the club when Wang Huanxiu had pinned him down.
His butt sat on the man’s waist and abdomen through the pajama pants. “Thinking about someone riding you still makes me unhappy.”
But Wang Huanxiu wasn’t shy like he had been when he was the one pinned earlier. His hand naturally rested on Bai Shuijin’s waist, their posture on the hospital bed ambiguous.
“How are you unhappy?”
There was joy and delight in his eyes.
Bai Shuijin tilted his head and looked at him with a blank and confused expression. “I don’t know, it’s just stuffy here.”
He pointed at his chest.
“So can you keep your distance from others in the future?”
Wang Huanxiu raised an eyebrow. “Even if you never respond to me for the rest of your life?”
Bai Shuijin was always greedy in front of him, so greedy he wanted all the benefits without paying any price.
He nodded. “Can you?”
Looking at him with those eyes, how could he refuse?
Wang Huanxiu looked at the chest pressed against his. “So you’re sticking this close to me now because you’re afraid I won’t agree, so you’re giving me a benefit?”
“Something like that.”
“Is there any other reason?”
Bai Shuijin licked his lips. “Also… part of me just wants to ride you.”
Wang Huanxiu sat up completely. Bai Shuijin was unstable and wanted to get down, but he was pulled in and trapped against Wang Huanxiu’s body, unable to move.
“Then what will it take for you to be completely with me?”
Bai Shuijin stayed silent again, avoiding the question.
Wang Huanxiu lifted his chin. “Are you scared? Or just don’t dare?”
Both of those possibilities are unlikely. Bai Shuijin’s usual lawlessness showed no sign of being afraid of him at all.
Bai Shuijin also gave an answer he had never imagined before. “What if you don’t like me anymore in the future?”
“What?”
Bai Shuijin closed his eyes. “What if you don’t like me anymore in the future?”
He didn’t want to say it, but the other party kept pressing, so he said it anyway.
What if Wang Huanxiu didn’t like him in the future? If the two of them lost their feelings and ended up divorced, the family he had always hoped for would be broken, and he would go back to living a life with no ties to anyone.
Wang Huanxiu was like the bond that connected him to the rest of the family. Without that bond, he would have nothing.
Even his feelings were the same.
He liked Wang Huanxiu, and had already planned to never dislike him for the rest of his life. Seeing others have physical contact with Wang Huanxiu, the possessiveness in his heart was like a balloon about to explode.
He didn’t want anyone else touching any patch of skin on him.
He was afraid.
Wang Huanxiu stared at him, then taught him step by step how to squeeze every bit of use out of him. “If I fall out of love in the future, you can dig a huge sum of money out of me.”
He pulled the person closer and said, “We are married. If we divorce, you can take half of my property.”
Those properties can ensure that Bai Shuijin will have no worries about food and clothing for eight lifetimes.
“If you take advantage of me being muddle-headed and take some private photos and videos of me, even better. As soon as there’s a sign of me falling out of love with you, you can post them at the company entrance and on big-character posters to threaten me.”
“The company values image and profit. When the time comes, I’ll definitely try every way to please you. How about that?”
Bai Shuijin was dumbfounded. He never thought Wang Huanxiu would be teaching him how to scam him.
Bai Shuijin blinked. “Is that okay?”
Wang Huanxiu’s lips curled into a smile. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
This was punishment for someone who changed hearts, and it also removed Bai Shuijin’s worries.
Bai Shuijin: “Wouldn’t you take revenge on me?”
Like throwing him into the sea to feed sharks.
Wang Huanxiu was so smart. If he could give him ideas now, he could definitely find a solution in the future too.
“If I take revenge on you, you can set those photos and videos to automatically send to major websites. Even if I want to delete them, it would be too late.”
Offering a solution was much more practical than making empty promises about never falling out of love or never taking revenge.
Wang Huanxiu also wanted to tell him that he would love him and like him for a lifetime, but words alone were unreliable.
Benefits were the fastest and most tangible.
He coiled around Bai Shuijin like a python, from head to toe, until he reached his neck.
“How about it, will you be with me?”
Bai Shuijin swallowed, a little tempted.
Wang Huanxiu tentatively kissed him on the cheek.
Bai Shuijin felt the warmth of his body and said, “I have one last request.”
Wang Huanxiu restrained his movements and listened patiently. “What request?”
“If we divorce in the future, can Little Uncle and Zhenzhu be awarded to me?”
“…”
That way they would still be family in the future.
Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu were both in Bai Shuijin’s mind, just not him. Wang Huanxiu gritted his teeth. “Okay.”
“Really?”
“Mm.”
Although they would not need to decide guardianship as they were adults, from how Wang Muguang and Wang Zhenzhu had gone to great lengths to block him from getting close to Bai Shuijin before, it could be seen that the two cared deeply about him and didn’t want him to get hurt.
Bai Shuijin finally smiled and took the initiative to hug him. “Laogong-ge, you’re so good.”
Wang Huanxiu’s head was in his arms. He took a deep breath and said, “Can we continue what we were doing just now?”
Bai Shuijin’s arms around his waist tightened.
Wang Huanxiu: “I’m still feeling a little uncomfortable.”
Bai Shuijin’s face turned red, but he hesitated. “Isn’t that a little too fast? We just got together.”
He was too shy to lift his head.
“You don’t have to do anything. Just be next to me.” Wang Huanxiu reassured him. “Just like at the hotel earlier.”
‘With legs?’
Bai Shuijin’s heart was pounding in his ears. Ever since Wang Huanxiu had expressed his feelings for him, he had been very gentle. Although his mouth could still be venomous at times, most of the time it was just to make him happy.
His fingers hooked into the man’s palm. “Then be gentle. You can’t squeeze my legs again.”
Wang Huanxiu was strong. Before, when he held his legs, he had grabbed so tightly he almost lost his mind. In addition, he was so nervous that he couldn’t breathe, and every organ and cell in his body was screaming.
“Okay.”
Wang Huanxiu reached to take off Bai Shuijin’s pants, but as soon as he touched him, he noticed something. “You’re not wearing anything?”
Bai Shuijin explained in a low voice, “I didn’t bring a change of underwear, and I couldn’t wear dirty ones.”
Then this will be different from earlier at the hotel. Wang Huanxiu licked his lips.
He could rub directly.
He rolled over, letting Bai Shuijin lie down on the bed. “I’ll be gentle.”
Bai Shuijin covered his face, not daring to look at his lower body, and nodded in shame.
Although there was no penetration, he was manipulated into who knew how many positions that night. At 2 a.m., Bai Shuijin buried his face into the pillow, his legs trembling. He didn’t even dare to think about how he would get through tomorrow.
How was he supposed to face Wang Huanxiu when the sun rose tomorrow?
Because that would be their first day together as lovers.
—
The next day, Bai Shuijin woke up naturally at 10 a.m. Wang Huanxiu was already dressed. He had a lot to deal with today.
Wang Pingtian had already been detained, and he needed to go to the local police station. Seeing Bai Shuijin wake up, he walked to the bedside and started with words of thanks.
“Thank you.” Wang Huanxiu said, “Without your help yesterday, I wouldn’t have made it to sunrise.”
Bai Shuijin hid under the covers, pretending to be dead. Since when did Wang Huanxiu know how to be grateful? This bastard was just reminding him what they had done yesterday.
He pushed the other person away with a red face, and Wang Huanxiu said he’d send him home before going to the police station.
As he sat in the car, Bai Shuijin thought that being lovers would make things awkward and different from before, but as he slouched in the seat like a blob of jelly, he realized he was overthinking.
Last night, the man had already spread his legs and seen that place. There was nothing to be embarrassed about anymore.
Now he was terrifyingly at ease.
Even when they arrived at home and Wang Huanxiu tried to steal a kiss, Bai Shuijin was like a blob of jelly that suddenly grew a mouth. He pouted his lips coldly and ruthlessly, stayed still for the kiss, and then slid out of the car and slipped away like jelly.
He returned to his room and prepared to get some more sleep. Recently, he and Chen Yuan had been learning a new dance, and the teacher had told them to rest well as this dance required extreme physical strength.
Just a few seconds after he lay down on the bed, the phone next to his pillow began vibrating wildly. Picking it up, he saw several messages from Wang Heng.
[Wang Heng: My birthday is in three days. Do you want to come?]
This message was just a formality, asked without any sincerity. The next one was the address for the birthday banquet in three days.
Right now, the Wang family was in chaos. Wang Pingtian had been arrested for framing Wang Huanxiu, and another drama big enough to blow the roof off was playing out. Not many people would pay attention to Wang Heng’s birthday in such a chaotic situation.
This young master had always been arrogant and willful. If his birthday wasn’t valued, he would definitely make a big fuss at home. However, his parents were in a dilemma…who should the Wang family invite?
If invitations were sent to both sides, and no one from Wang Huanxiu’s side came, would that mean they were siding with the old man? On the other hand, if they did come, that would mean siding with Wang Huanxiu.
If both sides came, it would be even worse, they might tear each other’s faces off at the birthday banquet and ruin it entirely.
The best outcome would be for neither side to show up despite both being invited.
Their family just wanted to remain neutral and not take sides for now, waiting until Wang Huanxiu and the old man finished fighting, so that Wang Heng could jump out and take advantage of the situation.
So when Wang Birou learned that her son had already invited Bai Shuijin, her vision went black, and she almost fainted.
“Why did you think of inviting him?”
If Bai Shuijin came, wouldn’t that be another way of inviting Wang Huanxiu?
Wang Heng said impatiently. “What’s wrong with inviting him? It’s my birthday, I can invite whoever I want.”
“What if Wang Huanxiu comes along with him?”
Wang Heng frowned. “Why would he come? I didn’t invite him.”
Three days later, on the day of the birthday, Wang Heng saw the invited Bai Shuijin….and the hard-headed Wang Huanxiu, who insisted on attending.
“…”
His mother’s words came true, he really came along!
Seeing Wang Huanxiu, Wang Heng’s mood soured immediately, even though the lesson the other man gave him last time had taught him a lot through practice.
But that didn’t stop him from hating him.
Because Wang Huanxiu was there, Wang Heng never found a chance to talk to Bai Shuijin until the final blessing segment.
Everyone who came to the birthday banquet was given a card to write down their birthday wishes for Wang Heng.
Things like “fortune as boundless as the East Sea, longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain”…whatever sounded auspicious.
Wang Heng handed the card to Bai Shuijin. “Write more.”
Wang Huanxiu stared at him, and Wang Heng rolled his eyes in his heart.
Wang Heng walked away to continue handing out the cards, but Bai Shuijin was at a loss. He really didn’t know what to write.
If he went online to copy some blessing phrases, it would feel very insincere.
Wang Huanxiu pinched his ear and said, “Just wish him something he doesn’t have right now.”
For example, good health in the coming year, or a bright future ahead, because the future is unknown, these are all things Wang Heng doesn’t have yet and can’t get right now, so the blessing would seem more heartfelt.
Bai Shuijin used colored pens to write down his blessing for Wang Heng. After finishing, he peeked at Wang Huanxiu’s, curious what he would write.
Wang Huanxiu’s card was empty except for four characters:
“Possessing great virtue can carry all things”.
If it’s wishing the other party something they don’t have….
Then his laogong-ge was saying Wang Heng currently had no virtue.
“…”
What a profound way of insulting someone, you couldn’t even talk back. He couldn’t imagine what Wang Heng’s face would look like when he saw this card.
After Wang Heng’s birthday banquet, Bai Shuijin devoted himself to the new dance.
This time, Bai Shuijin hit a bottleneck. His dance technique and body movements had always won endless praise from the teacher, who would often compliment him and even proudly say he was her prized student. Bai Shuijin had basked in this for a long time.
But this time, after a whole week of practice, he hadn’t seen a single smile on the teacher’s face. She kept sighing repeatedly, as if Bai Shuijin shouldn’t be making these kinds of mistakes.
Bai Shuijin and Chen Yuan learned dances quickly. They could usually master all the moves in half a day, then keep refining and polishing them. Sometimes they learned the dance one day and formally tested on it the next.
But now, they were stuck on this dance for an entire week, and Bai Shuijin was so anxious, like a primary school student who scored fifty-nine points on a test and didn’t know how to go home.
“Stop! Stop!”
The teacher made the pause gesture, and the assistant turned off the music. Bai Shuijin closed his eyes nervously, guessing it was him again this time.
“Shuijin.”
Bai Shuijin stepped forward. In all this time, it was the first time he’d been scolded and criticized for a whole week straight.
“Your extensions aren’t enough, and your emotions aren’t full. You’re only dancing the steps. I can’t see any of this song’s passion in you. It’s been a week, and I still can’t tell what you’re trying to express.”
On stage, if your dance can’t move the audience and the judges, your score might as well be worthless.
The teacher lightly tapped his waist, the back of his knees, and his toes with a wooden stick. “Here, here, and here… not enough!”
When class ended, they had a ten-minute break. Bai Shuijin didn’t dare relax; he practiced his moves in front of the mirror.
The teacher who was drinking water nearby shook her head as she watched.
Bai Shuijin’s eyes widened. Nothing was scarier than seeing that look. Anger was fine, fury was fine, but disappointment was not.
He had been stuck for a week now. Not only was the teacher troubled, he was troubled too. The delay in progress had even made Chen Yuan accompany him in practice for a long time.
But it still didn’t reach the desired effect.
He had been able to understand all his previous dances on his own, but not this one. Taking advantage of a break, he approached the teacher.
“Teacher, I still don’t understand.”
“What don’t you understand?”
Bai Shuijin was very talented in dance, but unexpectedly, he seemed unable to digest this song.
“I feel like I’ve expressed everything.”
“No, you’ve always been very restrained.” The teacher pointed out the theme. “This song is about love. The rhythm goes from slow to fast, representing the process of getting to know each other and fall in love. The further along, the more intensely you need to express it, because emotions can’t be contained.”
At this, the teacher asked, “You’re twenty this year?”
Bai Shuijin nodded.
“You people from your country are always so reserved.” The teacher seemed to have found the problem. “Have you ever had sex?”
Bai Shuijin’s face instantly flushed red. “Why would the teacher ask that?”
“If you find someone and do it once, you’ll understand. Some things you have to experience firsthand to know how to express. Besides, making love can fully open up your body, and afterward your dancing will have more feeling and charm.”
