Chapter 17: Brother, something’s different here, Huo Zong can’t have more…

Chapter 17: Brother, something's different here, Huo Zong can't have more...

Huo Zong looked at Jiang Fengmian with a complex expression, yet he stood in front of him without hesitation at that moment.

His heartbeat alternated between fast and slow. Huo Zong shifted his gaze to the top of Jiang Fengmian's head. He pinched his palm, then raised his hand to rub Jiang Fengmian's head.

"Hey."

Jiang Fengmian looked at Huo Zong in surprise, almost jumping up as he pulled on his arm.

"Huo Zong, you touched me."

"You've got dandruff."

Jiang Fengmian had an expression as if the sky had fallen. He had spent over an hour carefully dressing up, only to find dandruff on his head.

Whether it was an illusion or not, he felt a bit dizzy, like he might faint.

Noticing Jiang Fengmian's odd behavior, Huo Zong lowered his eyes helplessly, pressed his lips, and said, "Oh, I must have seen wrong. Maybe it's a petal."

"Really?"

Jiang Fengmian ran his hand over his head several times, finding neither dandruff nor petals. He looked at Huo Zong suspiciously, wondering if he was just being teased.

"Well, Jiang Fengmian, there are small cakes here. See which flavor you prefer."

Huo Zong skipped over the topic and seriously eyed the small cakes.

"I like strawberry small cakes, the one with the bear cookies."

"Here."

Jiang Fengmian scooped a small piece of cake and raised his arm to feed Huo Zong.

At that moment, everyone who was paying attention to them looked over in surprise. It was well-known that Huo Zong had an obsession with cleanliness and wouldn't even touch these things, yet Jiang Fengmian was directly feeding him, like he had a death wish.

Huo Zong slightly lowered his head and ate, the sweet taste exploding in his mouth, and he swallowed it almost whole.

Jiang Fengmian smiled and switched to a new fork, eating small bites contentedly.

Actually, Huo Zong did enjoy sweets. He needed one when he was feeling down to help relieve his anxiety. However, he didn’t seem to like this cake very much.

Hmm, Jiang Fengmian pondered when he should make some small cakes for Huo Zong. His skills in making Western pastries were quite decent.

"Huo Zong, get lost."

Jiang Fengmian was totally absorbed with thoughts of Huo Zong and hadn't noticed that someone was still standing nearby. He looked at Huo Qing in surprise, wondering why he was still there, thinking he would have stormed off in anger long ago.

The birthday boy, Huo Qing, was thoroughly ignored. Gritting his teeth, he spat out a harsh remark while picking up his cane and left.

As if anyone cares what you say.

You get lost.

Before Jiang Fengmian could say anything, he was pulled into a corner by Huo Zong, who sat down and continued eating small cakes while keeping an eye on the time. By all rights, Jiang Fengqiu should have made his appearance by now, but there was no sign of him.

Just as he was thinking, a gentle piano melody began playing in the banquet hall, and Jiang Fengqiu made his entrance at that very moment.

No wonder he's the protagonist, making an entrance with his own background music.

Jiang Fengmian silently counted the numbers, and when he reached nine, Jiang Fengqiu indeed was tripped by a foot from an unknown source. Just as he was about to fall, Huo Qilin, who suddenly appeared, scooped him up in his arms.

It was tantalizing and thrilling, and Jiang Fengqiu's heart almost jumped out of his chest. Huo Qilin still held his waist, a look of concern on his face—though that was debatable.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Huo Qilin forced a smile. What a nutjob, just because he's fine doesn't mean he can get up. His whole body was in excruciating pain, yet he was just lying there, stubbornly.

With great reluctance, Jiang Fengqiu pulled away from Huo Qilin's embrace. He had memorized Huo Qilin's background thoroughly. Rather than marrying a stranger like Jiang Fengmian, he'd be better off taking the initiative himself.

Huo Qilin was by far the best choice.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," Huo Qilin gritted his teeth. He felt like his arm might be broken, with a faint pain in his lower back.

Jiang Fengqiu didn't linger and left after thanking him.

By some twist of fate, Huo Qilin had a deep impression of Jiang Fengqiu. If it weren't for his image, he would have literally thrown Jiang Fengqiu out.

Tsk, Jiang Fengqiu had some real skills, playing hard to get quite skillfully.

"Jiang Fengmian, your eyes are about to pop out. Jealous?"

Jiang Fengmian: "Huh?"

What kind of talk is this? Why should he envy those two when he has He Zong? There's no need to envy anyone.

Jiang Fengmian swallowed the last bite of cake and moved his chair closer to He Zong. Tilting his head, he said earnestly, "Brother, I have you; I don't envy anyone."

Staring into eyes as clear as a mirror, He Zong felt a tingling sensation at his fingertips, struggling to resist the urge to stroke Jiang Fengmian's chin. He casually averted his gaze.

He Zong picked up the glass on the table, the strong smell of alcohol wafting over. His Adam's apple bobbed, and he silently put it down again.

"Brother, are you thirsty? It's dry here."

Jiang Fengmian's slightly cool fingertips brushed past He Zong's thin lips, light as a soft cloud that quickly dissipated in the vast wilderness, yet it stirred the entire lake of He Zong's heart.

The action of He Zong swallowing saliva piqued Jiang Fengmian's curiosity. He leaned forward, pressing on He Zong's prominent Adam's apple.

"Brother, here, we're different."

"Yours is bigger."

Pfft.

The sudden sound didn't come from He Zong but from someone hiding behind a pillar.

Jiang Fengmian was startled and quietly withdrew his hand, sitting back properly.

Su Yanchu couldn't help it; he hadn't expected He Zong to pull something like this at his father's seventieth birthday celebration, openly comparing sizes.

Oh my heavens, what an eye-opener.

The spot Jiang Fengmian touched turned red inch by inch, and He Zong's heart felt as if set ablaze, burning fiercely, unable to calm down.

He shifted aside and stood up, his fingers curled behind his back, and said coldly, "Jiang Fengmian, sit properly."

"Alright."

Jiang Fengmian smiled brightly. He seemed to have discovered another small secret about Huo Zong’s sensitivity.

A light touch and he turned completely red. It’s like... I really want to touch him again.

"Su Yanchu, come out." It was a cold voice.

"Tsk, Huo Zong, this isn’t interesting. I was just trying not to disturb you."

Su Yanchu let out an 'oh' and teasingly stared at Huo Zong’s red ears. Was he embarrassed or angry? His ears were so red.

This side of Huo Zong was indeed a rare sight.

Huo Zong gave Su Yanchu a cold, sideways glance. "Do you want to die?"

"Come on, it's just a joke. Look, you're even glaring at me, don’t be so petty."

Su Yanchu waved his hand, said forget it, and turned to give Jiang Fengmian a snap of his fingers as a greeting.

"Hi, I’m Su Yanchu, Huo Zong’s best friend."

"Hello, I'm Jiang Fengmian."

Su Yanchu winked knowingly at Huo Zong and let out a hey hey laugh.

"Huo Zong, is this the young one?"

"Young one? Which young one are you talking about?"

Su Yanchu lowered his voice, mumbling. Jiang Fengmian only caught a keyword and cautiously moved next to Huo Zong, eyes darting around, full of alertness.

Huo Zong could only have him, no one else.

Su Yanchu’s single grunt was interesting. He rubbed his chin, glanced at Jiang Fengmian, and said slowly with a laugh, "You should ask Huo Zong about that."

"Huo Zong."

Jiang Fengmian tugged at Huo Zong's sleeve, his face full of grievance. His eyelids drooped, and his tone was almost a whimper.

"Who is this child?"

"Su Yanchu, why are you trying to run away?"

"Why should I run? I’m not guilty. If someone is, they know it."

The vague words made Jiang Fengmian even more anxious. Su Yanchu was Huo Zong's only friend. He must know something. Could there really be some backstory?

"Also, Huo Zong, whoever caused the trouble needs to fix it."

"It’s not me, brother."

Huo Zong had a headache. Su Yanchu, leaning against the pillar and enjoying the show, was really annoying. Huo Zong wanted to pin him down and beat him up.

"There’s no *little* kid, Su Yanchu is just making it up."

Jiang Fengmian blinked, thinking, *Look at that, do you really think I believe you?*

"Oh, all right, all right, I won't tease you anymore. It's the kid from Huo Zong's family, the one throwing a fit right now."

The one throwing a fit at Huo Zong's place, wasn’t that... him?

Jiang Fengmian subconsciously curved his eyebrows and cleared his throat, looking smug.

"Huo Zong, I'm not just a kid."

Ha, if this isn’t a kid, then what is? A kid whose temper flares up and dies down just as fast.

"Fengmian, can you hang out here for a bit? I need to talk to Huo Zong for a bit."

"Yeah, yeah, don’t take too long."

There was still Jiang Fengqiu’s big moment to catch, and they would miss it if they were away too long.