Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A beach volleyball suddenly whizzed past the two of them, accompanied by children’s laughter in the distance.

Fu Xie snapped out of it and pushed Xi Wenlun away with a sudden burst of strength. "Haha, my bad—got carried away."

"Uh, I think..." He glanced around, trying to shake off the sudden awkwardness, then spotted the lounge bar they had agreed to visit earlier. "Ah! We’re here!"

"Let’s go in," Fu Xie said, mustering a weak smile.

Xi Wenlun shot him a glance but didn’t say anything, then walked in.

As they pushed open the door, the glass wind chimes inside the bar rang lightly.

The lounge had a Western vintage royal theme, leaning into maximalism—massive candlelit crystal chandeliers, ornate table decorations, and intricately patterned tablecloths that drove the point home.

Fu Xie was almost overwhelmed by the decor. They picked a seat by the window with an ocean view.

It was sunset, and the sky had turned from blue to a soft pink-purple.

But Fu Xie wasn’t paying attention. He was still thinking about that family they’d met earlier—and that embrace.

At the memory, his cheeks flushed crimson. He shook his head hard to chase away the strange thoughts.

"Sorry," Xi Wenlun suddenly said.

Fu Xie looked puzzled. "Huh?"

"My relatives said some harsh things to you," Xi Wenlun lowered his gaze.

Fu Xie waved it off. "Ah, that? It’s fine." After all, he had fired back—though not intentionally.

"It’s not fine," Xi Wenlun said, his sharp eyes staying indifferent but his expression serious. "What can I do to make it right?"

Fu Xie didn’t understand why he was so insistent. But seeing that Xi wouldn’t let it go easily, he thought for a moment and said, "Well then, buy me the priciest drink here."

Xi Wenlun raised a brow. "That’s all?"

"Yeah," Fu Xie nodded. He’d just turned legal drinking age and hadn’t had the chance before. Now that they were at a place with fancy drinks, he might as well take the opportunity to try one.

For once, Xi Wenlun went quiet for a while. "Have you ever had alcohol before?"

Fu Xie shook his head and announced a little too loudly, "That’s exactly why I want to try it!" Then, realizing his own volume, he looked down, embarrassed.

Xi Wenlun considered his resolve before agreeing. Soon after, a waiter brought them two glasses.

Fu Xie lifted his glass to his nose and inhaled—a deep, smooth scent hit him, though he couldn’t quite name it.

This time, Xi Wenlun initiated the toast before taking a refined sip.

Fu Xie mimicked him, but immediately choked on the strong flavor.

*Cough, cough.* He coughed a few times, eyes watering.

Xi Wenlun glanced over, grabbed a napkin from the table, and gently pressed it against Fu Xie’s wine-dampened lips, carefully wiping them clean.

Fu Xie stared at him, stunned.

"Be careful," Xi Wenlun murmured, dabbing away the last drop before folding the napkin neatly into a square and tossing it aside.

Fu Xie's eyes widened slightly—he was truly getting an education. He had never seen someone so...adhering to etiquette?

Truly the upper crust. When they'd exhausted competing through wealth, they turned to art, upbringing, and manners.

Xi Wenlun noticed his phone buzzing incessantly again and said to Fu Xie, "I need to take this."

Fu Xie nodded as he watched him leave, couldn't figure out why Xi Wenlun was suddenly being so nice. But upon reflection, it seemed Xi Wenlun had always treated him well—except for dragging him to work that one time, he hadn’t demanded anything else.

He’d even brought him on the canceled island trip after all. Honestly, Fu Xie had enjoyed himself the entire day.

Still drawing blanks, Fu Xie decided to stop overthinking—it was too easy to get tangled up in his own thoughts.

He recalled the Xi family members he’d just met and grew curious. Their boorishness was worlds apart from Xi Wenlun's polish.

Fu Xie pulled out his phone and searched on Baidu—to his surprise, there were actual hits.

Scrolling further down, he read that the current head of the Xi family was Xi Wenlun, with his father being Xi Shoucheng and his late mother, Xing Hanyue.

Xi Shoucheng later remarried Zhuo Huilian, and together they had a son, Xi Jinggen.

Fu Xie did a double take. According to the search results, Xi Wenlun should actually be younger than Xi Jinggen—so how'd their ages flip?

Unless...

Absentmindedly thumbing through his phone, he pondered the possibilities when suddenly, his grip slipped, and the device clattered to the floor.

Of course, it landed right at Xi Wenlun’s feet as he returned. The screen faced up, brightness maxed out—Fu Xie never used a privacy filter—displaying his family research for all to see.

Fu Xie: ......

Ahhhh! Just moments ago, they were chatting normally, and now he’d been caught secretly digging into the man’s family tree. Talk about awkward!

Xi Wenlun noticed something roll to his feet, bent down to pick it up, and inevitably saw the screen. His gaze froze.

Fu Xie wanted to vanish, slumping in his seat and grabbing the nearest thing—which happened to be that pricey booze that nearly choked him before.

In an attempt to hide his embarrassment, he instinctively took a sip.

This time, the taste wasn’t as harsh as before, going down much smoother.

After just one sip, his cheeks went pink, and he felt slightly dizzy.

Xi Wenlun handed the phone back. "If you wanted to know, you could’ve just asked me."

His family drama was well-known among the wealthy circles, and Xi Wenlun saw no reason to hide them.

Seriously? Fu Xie blinked his slightly drunken peach-blossom eyes.

Liquid courage kicking in, he grew bolder: "Uh, actually, what I'm dying to know is... If I ask, you won’t get mad, right?"

Xi Wenlun didn't bat an eye. "I won’t."

Encouraged, Fu Xie voiced his question and theory: "It’s Xi Jinggen, right? The search results say his mother was your father’s second wife, but then how is he your older brother?"

Just as Xi Wenlun was about to answer, the tipsy Fu Xie plowed ahead like a runaway train, cutting him off.

"So here’s my guess: Your parents’ marriage was arranged, but they knew each other since childhood, so they had a good relationship. Then, on the eve of the wedding, your father met Xi Jinggen’s mother, slipped up, and had an affair," he theorized aloud.

"I was thinking, after your father regretted the affair, he planned to cover it up and returned to marry your mother. Then one day, Xi Jinggen's mother came knocking with the child. Your mother was completely unaware, and at that time, she was also pregnant. Unfortunately, she had complications during childbirth, gave birth to you, and her health deteriorated afterward. She died a few years later."

"I can only guess what happened next. Maybe it was because of something Xi Jinggen or your father decided—like bringing Xi Jinggen's mother back into their lives or something along those lines?"

As Fu Xie rambled on, he suddenly let out a drunken hiccup, his gaze growing hazy.

He didn’t notice the deepening, almost twisted expression on Xi Wenlun’s face.

Xi Wenlun glanced at the drunken Fu Xie and frowned. "Where did you hear this?"

Unfortunately, the tipsy fool across from him seemed oblivious to the question and continued, "If that’s the case, that’s just cruel—completely disregarding your feelings!"

It was the first time Xi Wenlun had heard such a perspective, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"They’re supposed to be family, yet they only cared about their own happiness by taking another wife. If I were treated like that, I’d be really upset. I wonder if being a CEO makes you emotionally stronger."

Midway through his speech, Fu Xie swayed in his seat before slumping onto the table, unconscious.

Xi Wenlun: ...

The hostility that had been building in his heart dissipated as he looked at Fu Xie’s innocent sleeping face, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh.

It seemed today’s activities would have to end here. Xi Wenlun lifted Fu Xie effortlessly and carried him toward his villa on the island.

The person in his arms was light, as fragile as glass, his skin soft as silk.

A dark glint flashed through Xi Wenlun’s eyes.

Fu Xie’s face was flushed from the alcohol, and he curled up unconsciously, dead to the world in Xi Wenlun’s embrace.

The lingering scent of seawater mixed with the boy’s natural fragrance was as refreshing as a sparkling soda on a scorching summer day.

Xi Wenlun declined the servants’ assistance and carried Fu Xie all the way to a bedroom in the villa.

Moonlight streamed into the room, casting a soft silver glow over Fu Xie as he lay in the center of the large bed, the pale light dancing across his face.

Xi Wenlun’s large hand slid into Fu Xie’s soft chestnut hair before moving to his face. His thumb traced the smooth forehead, mapping the delicate contours of his brows and eyes, then trailed down the bridge of his small, straight nose before finally resting on his full lips.

He gazed at the peaceful sleeper with a complicated expression, unsure whether to call him naive or calculating.

Considering Fu Xie’s background, the latter seemed more likely.

Was Fu Xie playing the victim to gain his trust?

His fingers pressed slightly harder against those pink lips, causing the sleeping man to frown faintly and unconsciously purse his lips, brushing against Xi Wenlun’s fingers.

Xi Wenlun took a deep breath and was about to withdraw his hand when he heard the person beside him mumble something in his sleep. Then, a crimson tongue darted out, flicking lightly against his fingertip.

The wet, soft sensation sent a jolt through him, momentarily breaking through his usual indifference.

Fu Xie seemed to be dreaming of something delicious, as he then took Xi Wenlun’s finger between his lips, sucking gently, whether intentionally or not.

Xi Wenlun’s heart felt like a kitten’s teasing paw had stirred it. His throat tightened, and he swiftly pulled his hand back as if waking from a dream.

His darkened eyes lingered on his fingers before shifting to Fu Xie’s oblivious face. In the end, he wiped away the moisture with a tissue from the bedside and exhaled deeply.

This man was clearly here to torment him.

Xi Wenlun’s gaze remained fixed on the tranquil sleeping face before him, the fire in his veins gradually fading back to calm.

Realizing this only worsened his mood. Fu Xie’s presence seemed to constantly remind him of his own limitations.

Unable to be loved, and unable to love.

Xi Wenlun lowered his lashes, pulled the blanket over Fu Xie, and neatly smoothed out the messy edges.

He stood up to leave, pausing briefly to glance back at the figure curled up in the sheets before turning away and shutting the door softly behind him.