Huo Tingxiao sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, looking thoroughly relaxed and unbothered.
Having downed several spiked drinks, Driver No. 010 was kneeling at Shen Fei’s feet. His eyes were hazy, and he seemed barely conscious.
Shen Fei shook a small bag of pills in her hand and asked him, “Just these few?”
“Just one is enough to make you… high as a kite, baby.” No. 010 wanted to nuzzle his face against her calf, but Shen Fei pressed the tip of her stiletto heel against his shoulder to stop him.
“What’s the hurry?” Shen Fei said. “Tell me first where you got these pills from.”
“…Why are you asking this?”
“I want to buy some myself,” Shen Fei asked. “Who should I look for?”
No. 010 shook his dizzy head, seemingly unwilling to answer the question.
The high heel slid downward, treading neither too heavily nor too lightly between his legs. Shen Fei asked once more with a smile: “Look for whom?”
That kick scared the daylight out of No. 010, and he blurted out: “Look for Long San—everyone over in Downtown calls him Third Brother.”
Shen Fei and Huo Tingxiao exchanged a glance. Pinching No. 010’s chin, Shen Fei coaxed him into drinking two more glasses of liquor.
The man was completely wasted. Hugging her thigh, he wanted to kiss her, not forgetting to mumble under his breath for Huo Tingxiao to join in as well.
With a swing of her arm, Shen Fei knocked No. 010 out cold, sending him collapsing onto the floor like a heap of mud, completely motionless.
She let out a disgusted “Tsk” and tilted her foot to the side: “Pity about my red-bottom heels—they got dirty.”
Huo Tingxiao gave a light smile: “I’ll compensate you with ten pairs.”
“Good pal!” Shen Fei beamed once more, tossing the bag of pills over to him. “Is this really the stuff we’re looking for? But this piece of trash passed his pre-race doping test.”
“Standard drug testing can’t detect Epsilon components,” Huo Tingxiao said.
This new type of hallucinogenic factor had a very low market circulation, and testing aimed at it was not yet widespread.
It had once silently traded on the black market alongside other small pills under various aliases.
It wasn’t until six years ago, when an incident occurred during a private party involving high-ranking officials where a total of seven people died of drug-induced neurotoxicity from an unknown source, that the Alliance Drug Control Committee discovered its existence, named it, and placed it on the banned list.
That was also when Huo Tingxiao first took notice of it.
Over the past few years, he had been investigating in secret, trying to map out the source and destination of the drug component known as Epsilon. However, after that mass fatality incident, it went missing without a trace for a long time, and only recently had he managed to track down a faint lead.
Huo Tingxiao sent Long San’s name to Ding Jun, telling him to look into it.
Then he sent a message to Lin Xun, asking: Where are you.
Lin Xun replied instantly: Restroom, I’ll be right back.
Huo Tingxiao typed: Go straight to the underground garage and wait for me.
Lin Xun: Okay.
The replies were brief and efficient, feeling somewhat cold and distant.
Yet when this person stood before him typing with his head lowered, the rim of his ears would easily turn red, and the small exposed section at the back of his neck looked particularly pinchable.
It created a contradictory sense of disconnect.
It was interesting, too.
“Who are you chatting with, making a face like that?”
Curiosity written all over her face, Shen Fei leaned over to peek at his phone, but Huo Tingxiao locked his screen swiftly, leaving her to catch a glimpse of only a single chat box.
“Keeping secrets from me?” Looking at Huo Tingxiao, she smiled with mischievous intent, “Taken a shine to someone? Want me to give you a few tips?”
“No need.”
Huo Tingxiao pressed the corner of his phone against her temple, turning her gaze back to the man unconscious on the floor. “This person can’t show his face again in the short term.”
“I know, don’t mess up my hair!” Shen Fei slapped his hand away. “Specialized medicine was spiked in the drink—guaranteed to give him a complete blackout. When he wakes up tomorrow, he’ll find himself lying inside an outbound cargo ship.”
“Mm.”
Having handled things here, the two arm in arm casually took a loop around the party hall as if nothing had happened before making their way down to the underground garage.
Huo Tingxiao spotted Lin Xun standing in front of the car at a glance. He had originally been in a very relaxed posture, but the moment Huo Tingxiao approached, he pulled himself taut as a rubber band.
Lin Xun pulled open the car door for them.
Shen Fei got in first, but Huo Tingxiao didn’t immediately follow. Resting one hand on the car frame, he leaned down and took a slight sniff near Lin Xun’s hair. “Smoked?”
A jolt like electric current surged up his spine, setting all his goosebumps on end; Lin Xun acted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly taking a small step back.
Huo Tingxiao looked him over from head to toe, said nothing more, and stepped into the car.
Lin Xun didn’t breathe a sigh of relief because of this.
Turning his back, he secretly pulled up his collar to take a sniff—the smell of tobacco was faint, hardly considered strong. But for a non-smoker, such an odor would surely be unpleasant enough.
He was responsible for driving that day. Once the vehicle pulled out of the garage, he lowered the car window to let the night breeze sweep inside.
Shen Fei had been on the phone ever since getting into the car.
It was the other side talking the whole time while she gave a few perfunctory “Mm”s and “Ah”s. When she finally hung up, she let out a long sigh, tilting her head to look at the man beside her: “I have to fly to Italy tomorrow. Come back with me.”
Pricking up his ears, Lin Xun heard Huo Tingxiao say with a laugh: “What would I go there for?”
“To accompany me while I try on gowns,” Shen Fei said. “My mom hired a designer specifically for it. They’ve already modified it five or six times and she’s still not satisfied—I’m so over it. Clearly it’s my engagement, not hers. You go talk to her for me…”
The car screeched to a sudden halt behind the crosswalk, the massive force causing the entire vehicle to lurch violently.
The light ahead had turned red.
Clenching the steering wheel tightly, Lin Xun raised his eyes to glance into the rearview mirror, only to lock straight onto those dark, pitch-black eyes of Huo Tingxiao looking over. A buzzing sound echoed in his head, and his scalp went entirely numb.
“What happened?”
Shen Fei’s rambling was cut short by this sudden slam on the brakes. She poked her head out to glance ahead, and finding it was merely a red light, she leaned back against the seat to continue venting to Huo Tingxiao.
Lin Xun tried to pull his focus back.
He stared fixedly at the red light ahead, yet his gaze remained hollow. No matter how hard he tried, his eyes simply couldn’t focus.
“Lin Xun.” Huo Tingxiao suddenly called his name.
As if alarm bells were blaring inside his head, Lin Xun looked into the rearview mirror once more, his hands gripping the steering wheel even tighter.
Huo Tingxiao’s facial features were deep and defined; when he gazed at someone expressionlessly, it would exert an intense sense of pressure. Right now, however, his mood seemed quite pleasant, the color of his eyes softened by a stray beam of light filtering into the car.
He said: “Focus on driving.”
Pulling his composure together, Lin Xun refocused on the road ahead.
The red light turned green. He stepped on the accelerator in a state of disarray, letting the night wind rush into the vehicle to dispel the cold sweat on his body.
All his reactions just now had been excessive, and wrong.
As a bodyguard, this was extremely unprofessional, and thoroughly irresponsible behavior.
He warned himself to hit the brakes in time, not to cross the line, and not even to allow a single subtle ripple of emotion to surface.
On the drive back, Lin Xun didn’t cast another glance at Huo Tingxiao.
Having consumed alcohol, Shen Fei couldn’t drive, so they dropped her off at her residence first. Before stepping out of the car, she asked Huo Tingxiao once more, refusing to give up: “You’re really not heading back with me? My parents actually miss you quite a bit.”
“Too many things to handle here; I can’t get away,” Huo Tingxiao said.
“…Alright then.” Shen Fei gave up.
Lin Xun stepped out to help open the door on her side. Grabbing her handbag, she gave a casual wave, getting ready to leave, when she heard Huo Tingxiao suddenly call out to her, “Jie.”
Shen Fei nearly sprained her ankle.
Holding the car door, Lin Xun’s expression also held a moment of dazed stillness.
“What is it?” Shen Fei turned her head with a face full of guard.
Ever since they were young, she and Huo Tingxiao had always called each other by name. Whenever a term like “jie” was dragged out, it meant nothing good was coming.
“Send my regards to Aunt and Uncle,” Huo Tingxiao said.
“…” Shen Fei waited for a long while without hearing any follow-up, “And?”
“And,” Huo Tingxiao paused slightly, breaking into a faint smile: “Good night.”
Feeling played, Shen Fei muttered a quiet “Crazy” under her breath and went upstairs with the click-clack of her high heels.
Lin Xun stood frozen for a full half-minute.
Huo Tingxiao sat steadily inside the car, looking exceptionally patient. It wasn’t until Lin Xun returned to the driver’s seat that he asked out of nowhere: “Want another cigarette?”
Lin Xun hurriedly shook his head, starting the car.
Yet he heard Huo Tingxiao murmur in a low voice, “Not smoking?”, his tone laced with a hint of regret.
Puzzled, he glanced into the rearview mirror, only to find Huo Tingxiao had already closed his eyes, no longer looking at him.
After returning to the villa, Huo Tingxiao went upstairs to his study to hold a video conference with Ding Jun, while Lin Xun stayed in the small garden to catch the night breeze for a while before quietly returning to his room.
Learning the true relationship between Shen Fei and Huo Tingxiao didn’t bring him any genuine relief; instead, it forced him to face a question he had never dared to think through carefully.
—If it wasn’t Shen Fei, it would be someone else.
—Even if Huo Tingxiao wasn’t in a relationship now, he would be someday in the future.
Back then, driven by that single phrase, “Come with me,” he had lost his head and charged toward Huo Tingxiao without a second thought. He had told himself that as long as he could stand behind him, even if only for a day or just an hour, he would still be coming out ahead.
It was a dream come true.
Yet the reality was that when one dreamed too much, one couldn’t help but sink into it, greedily and selfishly longing for more.
Lin Xun couldn’t control it, and he couldn’t bear it.
Just thinking that one day in the future, Huo Tingxiao would embrace someone else, that they would hold hands, kiss, and share ultimate intimacy, made Lin Xun feel sick to death.
This agony felt even more desperate than six years of complete silence with zero news.
That day’s misunderstanding had served as a wake-up call for him.
It reminded him to pull back in time—otherwise, on the day the misunderstanding became reality, he would surely break down completely into an absolute mess.
Lin Xun tossed and turned, barely sleeping all night.
His condition during the morning run the next day was terrible; his stride was in disarray, and after running only a few steps, he caught a stitch in his side, causing sharp pain under his ribs with every breath he took.
“Where does it hurt?” Huo Tingxiao made him sit down on a nearby bench.
Lin Xun waved his hand, gesturing that he was fine and could continue.
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes and his pale face, Huo Tingxiao reached out his hand, intending to check his forehead temperature, but Lin Xun jerked backward to dodge it.
Huo Tingxiao’s hand froze in mid-air.
He knitted his brows, staring intently at the person before him. Lin Xun’s face looked even worse than a moment ago; his eyes were cast downward, consistently avoiding making eye contact with him.
A moment later, he withdrew his hand and dropped a brief, “Suit yourself,” before turning to resume his morning run.
Lin Xun stood in place, making no move to give chase.
Only after watching Huo Tingxiao’s figure disappear around the bend of the trail did he drag his heavy, sluggish steps back to his own room.
For breakfast, he deliberately avoided Huo Tingxiao’s usual dining hours. By the time he walked out, Uncle Ji told him that Huo Tingxiao had already left and had instructed that he didn’t need to follow along that day.
Lin Xun nodded, taking only a few sips of porridge before stopping.
Returning to his room to catch up on sleep, he faintly heard the rumble of thunder in his half-awake, half-asleep state. Opening his eyes, he found the sky outside overcast, so he got out of bed and went to the tennis court to lay down the waterproof tarp.
After setting it up, while doing a sweep around the court, he picked up a tennis ball from the greenery bushes.
Holding it, Lin Xun sat down on a bench by the edge of the court.
As his fingertips rubbed against the rough surface of the tennis ball, his nicotine craving flared up again.
He felt around his pants pocket—he hadn’t brought any cigarettes, but his hand brushed against the business card Huo Cheng had given him.
Lin Xun looked at the business card over and over, growing increasingly lost in thought.
Not that he was truly swayed or considering giving Huo Cheng a call; he was merely thinking that he really ought to distance himself from Huo Tingxiao before he sank any deeper.
Suddenly, a pair of slender hands snatched the card straight out of his grasp.
Startled, Lin Xun looked up to find Huo Tingxiao had arrived before him without him noticing. Rubbing his palms together, he stood up.
Casting a casual glance at the card, Huo Tingxiao asked, “Didn’t I throw it away for you at the club last time? How do you have another one?”
Just as Lin Xun typed out the word “Yesterday,” he heard Huo Tingxiao ask, “Do you want to go to his side?”
Lin Xun hurriedly waved his hands. Huo Tingxiao said nothing further, nor did he seek Lin Xun’s opinion; he tossed the card directly into the trash bin beside them.
Feeling awkward, Lin Xun typed out a line of text, wanting to ask if he was angry.
Yet Huo Tingxiao didn’t look at his phone screen at all. He simply threw a tennis racket to him, turned around, and walked toward the adjacent hard-court tennis court.
Dull thunder rolled across the horizon, and dark clouds surged. The wind in the mountains had died down, leaving the air stiflingly hot as if frozen solid.
In just ten short minutes, Lin Xun was completely drenched in sweat, his hands gripping the tennis racket trembling slightly.
This was the fifth smash he had taken.
Now he was entirely certain: Huo Tingxiao was angry.