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Fearing he might drag Ah Qing into trouble, Lin Xun didn’t stay long at his place.

He requested permission from the club manager and temporarily moved into a breakroom backstage. There was no bed there, only an old leather sofa; lying on it, someone of Lin Xun’s height would have half his calves dangling over the sofa armrest. Yet compared to the days years ago when he had fought for territory with homeless people under bridge arches, this was far more comfortable.

Lin Xun wasn’t picky.

He fought matches at night if there were any, and if none were scheduled, he went upstairs to the bar to do odd jobs. Working until the early morning before returning to the breakroom to sleep—that was his daily routine. During his matches or beast-fighting performances, he made a point to glance at the stands several times, but he never saw Huo Tingxiao again.

It was good that he didn’t come; a place like this was best visited as little as possible.

One day, after finishing his work, he returned to the breakroom and lay down. Closing his eyes, Lin Xun listened to the arguments, sounds of intimacy, and drinking games outside, only barely managing to feel a bit sleepy around noon. He slept lightly, his consciousness drifting, unable to tell whether he was truly asleep until his phone alarm went off and he sat up.

There was half an hour left before the bar opened. After washing up, Lin Xun went out to eat first.

Exiting through the club’s back door, he crossed a small alley. Across from the alley entrance was a restaurant that made decent fried rice—generous portions at an affordable price. After finishing his meal, Lin Xun picked up a pack of cigarettes at a convenience store next door before returning the way he came.

The round trip out the door took no more than a dozen or so minutes, yet he still ended up being cornered in the alley.

Fortunately, they weren’t Scorpion’s men, but merely a gang of money-grabbing trash.

Lacking sleep, Lin Xun felt thoroughly listless and had no desire to tangle with them. He voluntarily handed over all the cash on him, only to receive a wave of mockery in return.

“This little bit? What, are you brushing off beggars?” The leader spat, cocking his head to give a look to the lackey beside him. “Search him again to see if he’s got anything else on him.”

“Yes, Boss!”

Several thugs instantly surrounded Lin Xun, reaching to dig into his pants pockets.

His face turned cold. He snapped out swift left and right kicks followed by a roundhouse kick, sending five of the six crashing to the ground in an instant. The remaining one froze before drawing a baton from his lower back, charging furiously at Lin Xun.

Lin Xun darted to the side to dodge, landing a backhand punch on the guy.

The rest scrambled back up from the ground by now. Knowing they had encountered a tough target, each wore a ferocious snarl, swarming him once again.

Two fists could hardly match four hands, let alone with the other side carrying weapons. Ultimately, Lin Xun was forced against the rough wall with his arms twisted behind his back.

The leader delivered a vicious kick to the back of his knee, cursing: “Fuck, you’re pretty tough, aren’t you? Try moving again!”

As he spoke, he reached into Lin Xun’s pants pocket and pulled out a watch from the right pocket.

The craftsmanship of the watch was exquisite, the electroplating smooth; even someone who knew nothing about watches could tell at a glance that it was worth a small fortune.

Except there were no hands inside—it was a broken watch.

“Fuck, without hands, how much can this even be worth?” The man tossed the watch to someone beside him. “Which of you has an eye for this? See if it can be sold.”

At that moment, Lin Xun suddenly erupted, taking the risk of having his arms snapped as he used sheer brute force to ram open the two men restraining him.

“Holy shit! Hold him down!”

Amid low barks, the thugs grabbed their weapons again to rain blows down on Lin Xun. His head was cut open, blood trickling down from his temple, yet he paid it no mind whatsoever, charging like mad purely to snatch the watch back.

This reckless, life-and-death ferocity gave the lackey holding the watch a sharp fright. His hand trembled, and with a clatter, the watch dropped onto the ground.

Lin Xun lunged forward to pick it up, while the others seized the chance to strike his back violently with their batons. Explosive pain burst out instantly, causing Lin Xun to stumble and fall flat on the ground.

The watch was right before his eyes. He reached out his hand, but just as his fingertips hooked the strap, a foot stomped heavily down on the back of his hand.

Afterward, many feet gathered around, kicking and stomping. A chaotic storm of curses hovered above his head, but Lin Xun saw and heard none of it; he only stared at that mud-stained watch.

Blood ran down across his eyelid, stinging his eye red.

Who knew how much time passed before the foot stepping on his hand pulled away. Lin Xun hurriedly reached out to pick it up again, only to see another hand beat him to it. Without a second thought, he grabbed the person’s wrist in a firm grip.

He raised his eyes fiercely, his pupils dilated slightly.

…Huo Tingxiao?

How could he see Huo Tingxiao here?

He blinked hard to clear the blood smearing his eyes. The handsome face right before him did not disappear; it was neither a hallucination nor a delusion, and the man’s wrist was still firmly held in his grip.

Lin Xun opened his mouth, but before a few muffled, raspy syllables could squeeze out of his throat, his shoulder was pinned by a bodyguard who had stepped out of nowhere, warning him to let go of Huo Tingxiao immediately.

Unprepared, he fell flat on the ground once more.

Huo Tingxiao shot a glance at that bodyguard, who instantly pulled back his hand and stepped aside.

Only now did Lin Xun finally snap back to his senses, hurriedly releasing Huo Tingxiao and scrambling up from the ground.

Looking down, his clothes were filthy, one of his shoes was gone, and even his hands were covered in blood and dirt.

So pathetic; why did Huo Tingxiao have to witness this of all times?

In frustration, he raised his arm to wipe his face.

A tissue was suddenly handed over in front of him. Lin Xun froze slightly, following the neatly trimmed fingernails of the man to see several distinct finger marks he had grabbed onto Huo Tingxiao’s wrist, making him feel even more uneasy inside.

Lin Xun took the tissue, lowering his head to wipe away the bloodstains on his face, slowly yet firmly.

Huo Tingxiao’s personal bodyguards packed up the men who had tried to rob him and delivered them to the police precinct across the street, leaving only one person to keep watch at the alley entrance as peace returned to the alleyway.

The sky was gradually darkening. An illumination light installed above the back door had aged, flickering intermittently while emitting a static electrical hum.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Huo Tingxiao asked.

Lin Xun shook his head, his eyelids lowered, shooting occasional glances at the broken watch in Huo Tingxiao’s hand. He clearly wanted it back, yet hesitated to reach out.

Huo Tingxiao picked up the watch to examine it. Lin Xun held his breath slightly, his expression visibly turning tense.

Huo Tingxiao narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on him deepening further: “Is this watch… very important?”

Lin Xun nodded, then shook his head a second later.

Huo Tingxiao stopped looking at the watch and asked him: “What are your plans?”

Plans?

A flicker of confusion crossed Lin Xun’s face, but he quickly understood. However, his phone had been lost somewhere during the fight earlier, leaving him with no way to answer.

He could only point at the club behind him.

Huo Tingxiao voiced the exact same concern as Ah Qing: “You can’t hide here forever.”

That day he had merely stepped out to grab a meal, only a few dozen paces from the club’s back door, yet he had still been cornered. Luckily, it wasn’t Scorpion’s men who came; otherwise, Lin Xun would have been left dead or disabled.

However, after years of drifting and hustling on the streets, getting injured and bleeding was everyday routine for him. Just as Ah Qing thought, he was vigilant and skilled enough in a fight, but he was also sufficiently indifferent toward his own personal safety. Even if he were hacked to death on the street, it wouldn’t matter much to him. Thus, when he had initially fallen out with Scorpion, Lin Xun hadn’t considered leaving himself an escape route at all.

—He had done it with the intention of dragging them down to mutual destruction.

Now, asked about his plans for the future by Huo Tingxiao, Lin Xun felt like a student called upon for a surprise exam, scrambling to improvise an answer on the spot.

Guessing an answer wouldn’t be coming anytime soon, Huo Tingxiao shifted the topic and asked him, “Do you have a match tonight?”

Pulling his thoughts back, Lin Xun nodded.

Huo Tingxiao stepped up in front of him and said, “Hand.”

Lin Xun froze slightly. He wiped his hand against the inside hem of his T-shirt first before reaching out.

His five fingers were slightly curled, tucked into his palm in a very tense posture.

Unfolding and smoothing his fingers unhurriedly, Huo Tingxiao said, “When this match is done, leave with me.”

Lin Xun froze entirely, forgetting even to blink. Unable to tell whether it was because of Huo Tingxiao’s touch or his words, he was simply completely dazed.

Huo Tingxiao, however, said no more. Patting Lin Xun’s palm lightly, he turned around and walked away.

The spread palm felt heavy; the watch without hands had been returned to him, completely clean and spotless.

Lin Xun’s nose suddenly stung.

He raised his head to look after Huo Tingxiao, but the man’s figure had already vanished at the alley entrance. He blinked, lowering his head once again, and stared at the watch in his palm for a long time.

Only when his eyes turned red and dry did he place it back into his pocket.

His phone and wallet were recovered as well. The phone screen had a crack, but it was still functional. The wallet was a well-worn leather piece; Lin Xun patted away the dirt on the casing and extracted a three-inch photograph from the inner slot.

The photo was laminated, without a single crease or speck of dirt.

The teenager in the photo was dressed in a white tracksuit with a matching headband, holding a tennis racket while delivering a crisp mid-air drive. Dynamic and radiating youth, even after seven years, he remained vibrant and dazzling to look at.

This was a three-inch snapshot of a seventeen-year-old Huo Tingxiao—a moment captured without permission by a secret photographer.

Prized and cherished by Lin Xun, it had been hidden deep in his heart for many years.

Tracing his finger over the photo, Lin Xun let out a soft sigh.

Huo Tingxiao had shown no reaction when returning the watch earlier, so he likely hadn’t noticed.

At this moment, Lin Xun felt immensely grateful for his near-zero presence during his school days.

Otherwise, had Huo Tingxiao recognized who he was, he would likely have drawn another line across his neck instead—and under no circumstances would he ever have uttered those words, “leave with me.”

[1]

【Author’s Note】

Take note of the watch; it will be tested later.

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References[+]

【Author’s Note】

Take note of the watch; it will be tested later.

Secretly infatuated chapter 6