At the curve, several unfamiliar black sedans had collided, their headlights flickering. The passengers seemed to have gotten out of their cars and were pointing and gesturing toward the direction where Lin Haobai and the others were.
The moment was too brief to see many details clearly.
However, Lin Haobai guessed that those sedans were trouble. Fortunately, they weren’t familiar with the lanes here, otherwise, chasing around like that on the main road could have damaged Ren Tianxing’s vehicles.
He wondered how Ren Tianxing was doing.
A wave of concern rose in Lin Haobai’s chest, but a glance at the rearview mirror showed that the familiar Maybach was still arrogantly following his car, and he let out a small sigh of relief.
The rest of the convoy behind him was calm, showing no unusual activity.
Once he entered the villa district, Lin Haobai watched Ren Tianxing’s convoy drive toward the central area. After a moment of thought, he bit his lip, pressed the accelerator, made a U-turn, and followed.
“Boss, Mr. Lin’s car is behind us.”
Ren Tianxing, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, thinking, slowly opened them upon hearing the bodyguard. After the recent high-speed chase, there wasn’t a trace of worry or tension on his face.
He smiled faintly and instructed the bodyguard, “Make sure the car behind, the third one, keeps up.”
After speaking, he closed his eyes again, leaning back into the leather seat. His pale, sculpted fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, revealing the rhythm of his thoughts.
Lin Haobai followed the convoy, noting that their positions on the road matched exactly how they had driven on the main road earlier. From his place behind the last black SUV, he could clearly see that the rear bumper of that SUV was slightly dented. Diverting his gaze to the remaining two SUVs, he saw that they too had dents of varying degrees.
It seemed what had just happened was far more complicated than it looked.
Lin Haobai steadied himself and continued keeping pace with them.
Soon, the familiar black gates of the villa came into view.
Following the convoy into the grand villa, Lin Haobai parked the car as instructed by the bodyguards. Just as he opened the door, a dark figure suddenly appeared beside it.
A fair, delicate hand slowly extended toward him.
Lin Haobai’s hand, still holding the seatbelt, trembled slightly, his eyelashes fluttering, betraying the intense inner struggle raging in his mind.
Suddenly, two little figures appeared in his head, pulling him in opposite directions.
The one dressed in white, hands on hips, cheerfully shouted: “Lin Haobai, put your hand there! Good brothers look out for each other. Don’t dawdle, just do it!”
The one dressed in black, arms crossed, looked disdainful: “Lin Haobai, if you’re a man, swat that annoying hand away. That gentlemanly gesture of inviting a lady doesn’t suit your persona at all.”
Seeing Lin Haobai freeze, staring at his hand without moving, Ren Tianxing couldn’t help but laugh. “I know my hand is beautiful, tempting even. But, Xiao Bai! Since when did you become a hand enthusiast? Get out of the car and come inside, it’s chilly out here. If you like my hand, once we’re inside, you can do whatever you want with it.”
His voice was light, teasing.
Lin Haobai felt the other man bend slightly at the waist, warm breath from his nose brushing against his neck.
Suddenly, his face felt hot.
A glance at the rearview mirror showed his healthy chocolate-toned skin doing its job, covering the faint blush Ren Tianxing’s presence had caused.
Thank heavens!
Otherwise, here he was, a grown man, getting flushed by another grown man. The thought alone was mortifying.
Dizzy from his own thoughts, Lin Haobai saw the beautiful hand still waiting patiently in front of him. He finally decided to listen to the little white figure in his mind and slowly released his tightly clenched seatbelt.
With a quick slurp, the seatbelt retracted, and his chocolate-colored hand slipped into the long-awaited fair, delicate hand.
Two hands of contrasting shades met, chocolate and snow-white, intertwined like a swirl of milk chocolate ice cream, harmonious yet undeniably alluring.
As Ren Tianxing held the warm hand in his own, he felt the emptiness in his heart fill up completely.
A satisfied smile spread across his face, his striking black eyes shimmering with the brilliance of countless stars.
Lin Haobai, holding onto the fair hand, applied a little pressure and lifted his head, ready to step out of the car, but was immediately captivated by those eyes, brimming with starlight.
He instinctively followed the pull, leaving the car and moving closer to the other person’s side.
A familiar scent boldly invaded his senses. The hand, though fair and delicate in appearance, held a strength that wouldn’t let go. After a few tries to shake free and realizing he couldn’t, he finally surrendered, letting the other person lead him.
Behind them, a few bodyguards whispered among themselves.
“The boss actually smiled just now.”
“Good thing—I was worried the earlier incident might have made him angry.”
“The boss had already sent our chief to handle it. But who is this Mr. Lin, that he’s so close to our boss?”
“Good buddies are like that, right? Just like us guys…”
The bodyguards bumped fists and patted each other on the shoulder, acting like close friends. The earlier incidents on the way back had been infuriating, but luckily they were seasoned enough to handle it; otherwise, the boss would have suffered.
Lin Haobai had no idea about the bodyguards’ gossip. Right now, he was being led by Ren Tianxing toward the villa.
Along the way, he kept his gaze on their intertwined hands, silently trying to convince himself: friends hold hands like this. After all, that’s why there are songs that go, “Hand in hand, we are good friends.”
Yes, good friends.
He had never had a good friend before, so he didn’t know how friends were supposed to act. Now that he had one, he shouldn’t overreact. Even though he was a little intimidated by this friend who affected him so deeply, this time he had approached willingly, so no overreacting.
Stay calm!
Finally convincing himself, he lifted his gaze from their hands, and noticed that the workers inside the villa were occasionally glancing at the two of them.
As someone in the entertainment industry particularly sensitive to looks, Lin Haobai felt a little exposed. But the gazes weren’t hostile; rather, he could sense surprise and satisfaction in them.
“Young master, you’re back! What do you need prepared?”
Ren Tianxing nodded slightly. “Uncle Cheng, Xiao Bai and I will go back to the room to rest first. Tell the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of us. After we’ve rested, we’ll eat.”
With that, he started leading him toward the room.
“Hey, hey,” Lin Haobai said, gently shaking the hands they were holding. “I’m not having dinner here. I just came to see you, then I’m going home. My mom’s already prepared dinner for me today.”
No sooner had Lin Haobai finished speaking than he felt a sudden tingling in the tightly clasped hand holding his. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and that familiar, controlled sensation surged through him again.
Just as he reached to pry the fingers off with his other hand, a soft, pleading voice reached his ears.
“Be good, just stay with me for today, okay?”
Lin Haobai could never resist someone’s coaxing, especially not when the man in front of him spoke in that tone, paired with that unreal, stunningly beautiful face and those sparkling eyes. His raised hand instantly relaxed and fell slowly to his side.
“All right, I’ll stay with you for a little while,” he murmured, his voice low, tinged with reluctance but also acceptance.
Sigh, good friends were too clingy.
The thought crossed his mind, and then he saw the other person’s rose-like, beautiful smile after he agreed. His heart skipped a few beats, and the warmth that had subsided on his face flared up again.
A little flustered, he wiped his nose and, taking the lead, pulled Ren Tianxing toward the direction of his room.
Unbeknownst to him, Ren Tianxing watched his familiar, confident movements and narrowed his eyes slightly.