“Feng Lin…” a faint voice came from his arms.
Xia Xunqian’s body trembled violently, his shoulders completely exposed to the air, his thin frame barely fitting in Feng Lin’s embrace.
His hands clutched Feng Lin’s coat tightly; if you looked closely, the veins on his hand were slightly raised from gripping too hard.
He was afraid that if he loosened his grip even a little, Feng Lin would push him away.
Feng Lin lowered his eyes. The boy in his arms had a unique kind of endurance—calm in the face of life and death, yet fighting desperately to survive.
Cold as wind, hot as fire.
Feng Lin lifted a hand, covering Xia Xunqian’s exposed shoulders.
“Don’t be afraid,” Feng Lin said.
His deep voice was different from usual; at this moment, it was gentle, without the icy edge carved into his bones.
Xia Xunqian’s body still trembled slightly, the red marks on his shoulders now much more obvious than before.
He looked up at Feng Lin, and before he could speak, his head felt heavy, and he fainted.
“Feng…!”
“Xia Xunqian!” Feng Lin’s pupils suddenly constricted. He instinctively tightened his hold, pressing Xia Xunqian to his chest before the boy’s body slumped.
Feng Lin’s eyes darkened as he glanced around. The people from before were all frozen, and Xia Li stood there dumbfounded.
His lowly younger brother was… this close with Third Master Feng?!
Xia Li had tried every trick to get close to Feng Jianjue, but now he saw this connection, made just for Xia Xunqian?!
“Third Master Feng… why… why are you here today…” Xia Li stammered, his mind a mess, trying to speak respectfully but sounding completely off.
Feng Lin’s expression darkened, his sharp eyes scanning Xia Li from head to toe.
He knew Xia Li—the half-brother of Xia Xunqian.
The last time he met Xia Xunqian at the club, he had thought it was some favor arranged by someone trying to please Feng Jianjue. But now it seemed Xia Li had used his own family ties to benefit others.
Before, Feng Lin hadn’t cared much, thinking it was solved once Xia Xunqian was brought home.
Suddenly, he understood why Master Xia, on his deathbed, had been so determined to make a living path for Xia Xunqian.
Everyone in the Xia family didn’t see Xia Xunqian as a person.
Feng Lin felt the boy’s weak breath in his arms. In the Xia family ancestral hall, Xia Xunqian’s obedience was probably just his way of surviving.
He did as he was told—lying down, kneeling, using his mouth… always behaving obediently, just to please others.
Feng Lin’s face remained cold as he lifted Xia Xunqian horizontally in his arms.
Xia Xunqian was unbelievably light. Feng Lin thought the feeding method might need adjusting.
Feng Lin didn’t respond to Xia Li’s words, his eyes scanning the people in the room instead.
“Today, none of you here can escape.”
His warning carried endless judgment. Xia Li shivered at the words.
By the time he realized what Feng Lin meant, Feng Lin was already carrying Xia Xunqian away.
Xia Li’s eyelids twitched violently. He swallowed, trembling, “Quick! Quickly prepare to go to Wanheng Group and apologize!!”
Chaos erupted in the club.
*****
Feng Lin carried Xia Xunqian downstairs. The boy’s slow, steady breathing calmed Feng Lin’s heart a little.
He put him in the car. Today Feng Lin drove himself, so there was no driver. He placed Xia Xunqian in the passenger seat.
But the boy was still fainted—a problem.
Feng Lin pulled the seatbelt to secure him.
Then he took off his suit jacket.
After taking it off, he inexplicably brought it to his nose and sniffed.
Not smelly.
Shouldn’t be rejected this time.
Feng Lin draped his jacket over Xia Xunqian. Once that was done, he got into the driver’s seat.
He knew Xia Xunqian had fainted from shock, so there was no need to go to a hospital. Feng Lin drove straight back to the Feng residence.
Half an hour later, Feng Lin’s car stopped at the Feng residence. He carried Xia Xunqian out.
This time, he didn’t place him in the East Wing but in the guest room across from his own master bedroom.
The East Wing was far from Feng Lin’s room; you’d have to deliberately take a few paths to get there.
But here was different. The door opened directly opposite his own room—he could always see what was happening.
He had ordered the housekeeper to have the room cleaned. When he returned, the servants were still inside.
Feng Lin didn’t wait. He carried Xia Xunqian into the room himself.
When he laid him on the bed, Xia Xunqian happened to wake up.
Feng Lin loosened his hold immediately.
Half-awake, Xia Xunqian looked at Feng Lin. The sudden panic and helplessness hit him all at once.
He grabbed Feng Lin’s neck with surprising strength.
His long hair brushed against Feng Lin’s neck and shoulders, tickling uncomfortably.
“Sir…” Xia Xunqian murmured softly, his voice carrying a mix of playfulness and pleading, unsure if he was trying to protect himself or ask for help.
“Sir…”
Feng Lin felt the boy’s hot breath on him, burning like fire.
He heard Xia Xunqian’s dazed voice ask, “Sir… really can’t love me…”
The tearful words stunned him for a moment.
“Can’t…?”
“Love me like I love you…”
“Take care of me…”
The boy’s words struck again and again, piercing straight into the heart.
Warmth came from the person so close in his arms.
Feng Lin couldn’t express how he felt at this moment; the intricate, tangled feeling inside was painful.
The wind outside made a soft sound, the curtains swinging violently.
The chill wrapped around them both.
Yet no one felt cold.
A burning-hot body was right in front of Feng Lin.
Xia Xunqian held Feng Lin’s hand and placed it on his chest.
The slightly cool skin touched, and it immediately turned pink.
Feng Lin’s fingertips trembled ever so slightly.
Hot.
Feng Lin wanted to pull back, but Xia Xunqian held on even tighter.
Xia Xunqian’s eyes were red as he looked at him. “I won’t faint this time…”
“Really,” Xia Xunqian said.
The red marks on his shoulders were clearly visible.
He held Feng Lin’s hand tightly. “I’m clean, sir.”
“Will you… take care of me…”
Xia Xunqian’s words were intimate, suggestive, a plea for survival, but the stubborn strength in his eyes was gone.
Feng Lin didn’t like this version of Xia Xunqian.
Even though weak, he still had his pride, his sharp tongue—he wasn’t like this.
Xia Xunqian wanted Feng Lin to love him.
But what kind of love? Constant worry? Or selfish testing?
Xia Xunqian lacked security too much.
But he had nothing to exchange for it.
This face, this frail body, was his only capital.
Xia Xunqian was not someone to be easily handled.
Yet right now, he was willing to let Feng Lin handle him.
Feng Lin took care of Xia Xunqian out of responsibility. He told himself he had no feelings for him.
All Xia Xunqian wanted was a life not dictated by others.
Feng Lin could give that.
But love? There was none.
Feng Lin lifted Xia Xunqian’s chin. “Xia Xunqian, why do you have to do this for me to trust you?”
Xia Xunqian grabbed Feng Lin’s coat, half-kneeling on the bed, his suit slipping off, his messy upper body inviting everything.
He didn’t answer Feng Lin. Instead, he tilted his head slightly and kissed him.
Tentative, soft—like a pet wagging its tail, begging for favor.
Feng Lin’s lips tingled; he didn’t push Xia Xunqian away.
The boy’s kissing was inexperienced. Seeing no reaction, he grew desperate and teary.
“Sir…”
“Feng Lin…” Xia Xunqian whispered his name.
Suddenly, Feng Lin’s hand reached behind Xia Xunqian’s neck, pulling him closer, and kissed him.
Forceful. Overbearing.
The strength was too much for Xia Xunqian to resist.
“Mm…”
Dazed, Xia Xunqian was pressed against the edge of the bed!
“Don’t move.”
Hearing this, Xia Xunqian tilted his head again and kissed Feng Lin.
…………………………
The low sounds in the room layered over each other, stopping and starting…
“Sir… gently… mm…”
………………
After a long time, Feng Lin put on his clothes and left. Xia Xunqian, as he promised, had not fainted.
He had stayed awake the whole time, remembering every glance, every word from Feng Lin on the bed.
He watched Feng Lin leave, his eyes not lingering, then turned and wrapped himself in the blanket.
The next day, Xia Xunqian completely missed breakfast.
He got up, found clean clothes, and went back to lie on Feng Lin’s bed.
His butt hurt.
Feng Lin’s bed had a faint, pleasant scent.
He slept until noon.
“Creak…” During lunch, someone pushed the door open from outside.
No one dared enter Feng Lin’s master bedroom unless it was him.
Xia Xunqian turned his head slightly, then propped himself up.
“Sir…”
Feng Lin observed him, his gaze sharp. “Come here.”