“Daddy, why is that little brother locked in a cage fighting a tiger?”
Young Huo Kairan rested his chin on his father’s shoulder, his eyes wide and round, unable to comprehend the existence of such a dark place as an underground fighting ring.
“I want to save him!”
“Ranran, it’s too dangerous. You can’t save him.”
The middle-aged man shook his head helplessly, reaching out to cover his son’s eyes, but the little one stubbornly pushed his hand away
“I can! I run really fast. I’ll save all of them!”
In his memory, those earnest, determined, and slightly proud pure black eyes gradually overlapped with the person before him now.
At this moment, the young man’s dark hair was spread across the snow-white pillow, his skin fragile and pale, with only his lips stained cherry-red from the alcohol, slightly parted as he breathed unconsciously.
His thick, long eyelashes trembled lightly, casting a small shadow under the dim light of the bedside lamp.
He stared intently at Huo Lin with a mix of confusion and curiosity.
Just like before, he had never changed.
Bold and domineering, vengeful to the smallest slight, yet brave and sincere, always stepping forward.
Every side of him was captivating.
Huo Lin had once thought that he could protect him for a lifetime under the guise of being his older brother, as a way to atone for his sins.
But these feelings had quietly changed over years of watching and drawing closer.
Huo Lin knew this was wrong.
Those shameful, sinful thoughts should have been buried forever.
Yet, faced with his younger brother’s sudden closeness and dependence, even knowing something was off, he found it hard to resist.
And now, he had learned that this closeness and dependence were for someone else.
The treasure he had protected for ten years had fallen for another man and one who wasn’t even that great!
Huo Lin felt like he was going mad.
Just like now.
Over a decade of carefully feigned calm and restraint had ultimately failed to erase the inherent depravity in his bones.
And so, a greedy delusion arose
Why couldn’t it be him?
Huo Kairan couldn’t understand the deep, turbulent darkness swirling in the eyes of the person before him.
His seemingly earnest but not-so-sharp little brain was working so hard it felt like it might start smoking, struggling to grasp the meaning of those words, until finally, it dawned on him
Kissing Huo Lin being able to stay in the Huo family not being abandoned.
What a bargain!
Without hesitation, he clumsily straightened up, stretched out his arms, gently wrapped them around Huo Lin’s neck, then tilted his head up and pressed his lips to the corner of the man’s mouth.
Like a butterfly lightly touching the surface of water, it was a fleeting touch, but he didn’t know that the pond had been struck by a massive stone, stirring up towering waves.
The sensation on his lips was unbelievably soft, carrying a faint, trembling heat that burned its way down his spine.
He had been kissed.
Realizing this, Huo Lin’s back stiffened abruptly, like a bow drawn to its limit.
His hands, hanging at his sides, curled almost imperceptibly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Anger, resentment, jealousy but more than anything, it was the secret joy of having his wish fulfilled.
The world hadn’t stopped, but it felt as though it had been sucked into a vacuum in an instant.
Even his heartbeat, steady for twenty-eight years, seemed to vanish.
The air in his nostrils was no longer the familiar scent of the room but the faint orchid fragrance from the other’s hair, mixed with a unique, bitter medicinal aroma and the sweet, cloying scent of fruit wine at this moment.
A myriad of scents intertwined, coalescing into a new, dizzying aroma that belonged solely to Huo Kairan like the most lethal of poisons.
Everything in his vision blurred and faded.
All that remained was the face so close before him, the lips that appeared even more flushed and tempting after being kissed, and the lingering scent that ceaselessly teased the last vestiges of his restraint.
Having completed his task, Huo Kairan tried to pull back.
The slightly cool air immediately rushed back between them, brushing against Huo Lin’s still-burning lips and cheeks.
His Adam’s apple bobbed uncontrollably as he swallowed the emotions that nearly choked him.
Just as Huo Kairan began to retreat, Huo Lin abruptly reached out, his broad palm scorching hot as it pressed against the back of Huo Kairan’s head.
His other hand cupped Huo Kairan’s beautiful cheek, the calloused pad of his thumb gently stroking the flushed skin.
The man’s voice was dangerously low, like the eerie calm before a storm, raspy and terrifying:
“Who did you mistake me for?”
Huo Kairan remained utterly oblivious to the dangerously tense atmosphere.
He tilted his head, even showing a hint of smugness at recognizing the person, and leaned in to peck the tightly pressed lips once more, his words soft and slurred with drunkenness: “I know! You’re Huo Lin.”
In the next instant, before Huo Kairan could pull away, an arm like an iron band wrapped tightly around his waist, the force so great it nearly crushed him into the other’s embrace.
The back of his neck was also firmly gripped by a scorching hand.
Then, a searing, invasive kiss descended upon him no longer a tentative taste but a full, deep invasion.
A kiss that was frantic, uncontrolled, stripped of all ethical restraints and rational considerations.
As if tomorrow were the end of the world, and only the mingling of lips and tongues in this moment was real.
Huo Kairan’s eyes widened in confusion.
This was entirely beyond his understanding.
He was defenseless.
The scorching heat enveloped him completely.
A dominant tongue pried open his unprepared lips, sweeping through every corner of his mouth, plundering his already thin air and the sweet intoxication of the wine.
His waist was locked in place, and even through the fabric of his clothes, he could feel the crushing force of the arm holding him.
Instinctively, he tried to push away, his hands pressing against Huo Lin’s solid chest, but it was like an ant trying to shake a tree.
His wrists were easily caught, and in the next moment, they were twisted and pinned above his head, leaving him in a completely submissive position, sinking deeper into the bed.
“Ranran.”
Huo Lin’s breathing was heavy, and between the mingling of lips and tongues, a low, raspy sigh filled with complex emotions escaped.
Soon, the kiss resumed, shifting from the initial storm-like plunder to something tinged with an uncontrollable obsession and lingering tenderness, grinding slowly.
His remaining rationality was utterly eroded by this overwhelming, spine-tingling intensity.
In a daze, Huo Lin seemed drunk as well, completely lost in the sweetness he had coveted for so long and finally obtained.
Unable to resist, unwilling to wake.
“Mmm…”
As for Huo Kairan, who was truly drunk, he couldn’t push away, couldn’t escape. His clumsy tongue had nowhere to hide, forced to passively endure the overwhelming intensity.
Oxygen was rapidly depleted, the intoxication mingling with an unfamiliar surge of emotion rushing to his head. He felt like a fish tossed ashore, his lips parting and closing helplessly.
Only when a suffocating pain spread through his chest did he, driven by the instinct to survive, manage to turn his head with great difficulty, avoiding the scorching assault that seemed intent on devouring him whole. Gasping for air, his lips swollen and red, his gaze unfocused, he let out a broken sob, “Gege… brother.”
That single tearful cry of “brother” struck like a thunderbolt, jolting Huo Lin out of his uncontrolled frenzy.
In an instant, all movement froze.
He jerked his head up, finally seeing clearly the person beneath him
The young man’s hair was disheveled, spread across the snow-white pillow. His cheeks were flushed, the corners of his eyes damp and red. His lips, swollen from the kisses, parted slightly as he panted for breath. A glistening trail of saliva, too much to swallow, slid from the corner of his mouth in a silvery line.
Those eyes, always so proud and aloof, were now brimming with tears and confusion, gazing up at him with a dazed, helpless look as if he didn’t understand what had just happened or why things had come to this.
A wave of self-loathing, more intense than any desire, stabbed sharply into Huo Lin’s heart.
As if scalded, he abruptly released his grip, scrambling to his feet and staggering back several steps, putting distance between himself and the disheveled bed.
Then, under Huo Kairan’s bewildered gaze, he raised his hand and delivered a crisp, resounding slap
To his own face.
The force was so great that a clear handprint quickly bloomed on his cheek, and the faint taste of iron spread in his mouth.
“Brother?” Huo Kairan was startled by the sudden sound, looking at him in confusion.
Huo Lin remained silent, carefully tucking the blanket around him and smoothing the edges.
Then, almost as if fleeing, he yanked open the bedroom door and rushed out.
The door slammed shut behind him with a heavy thud.
Huo Lin leaned back against the cold door, breathing heavily.
At the same moment, from the other end of the hallway, came a familiar voice one that shouldn’t have been there at all:
“Ah Lin.”
Huo Lin’s entire body went rigid
“Father.”