Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The porridge bowl was finally empty. As soon as Xi Wenlun set it down, Fu Xie hurriedly apologized, “Mr. Xi, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone out yesterday.”

He wanted to continue, but Xi Wenlun interrupted him. “The one behind this was Xi Jinggen. He sent Sang Huo to deliberately approach you and talk you into leaving. He also had people planted in the villa as backup.”

“After you left, Xi Jinggen called me, so I went to that place.”

“But I didn’t find you there. The detective I sent discovered your footprints. When he got to the location, he saw you passed out from being drugged on the ground, so he brought you back to the villa.”

Xi Wenlun’s tone was flat, devoid of any emotion.

After hearing this, Fu Xie actually felt somewhat relieved. His words implied that that idiot hadn’t had time to do anything serious, and he probably hadn’t been dosed with anything weird.

“Why did Xi Jinggen call you?” Fu Xie asked, confused.

Xi Wenlun: “….”

He paused for a rare moment at this question. “Because he’s an idiot.”

Fu Xie twitched his lips, thinking that was actually a pretty reasonable answer.

He could’ve snuck a win quietly, but he just had to come out and boast. This guy probably had some hangups from being outshone by Xi Wenlun in the past.

But his relief was short-lived. Xi Wenlun had warned him not to associate with Sang Huo, yet he had still secretly met with him behind his back.

At this thought, he couldn’t help but feel guilty and afraid.

Would he get a tongue-lashing? Pre-transmigration memories flooded back like a tide. He hugged himself stiffly, hanging his head like a scolded puppy.

He’d heard it so much his ears were calloused from lectures by elders.

Given Xi Wenlun’s earlier demeanor, it didn’t seem like he would let him off easily. Fu Xie braced himself for a scolding.

Xi Wenlun set the bowl down and glanced at him. Fu Xie was still young and easy to read. Knowing he was waiting for him to blow up, Xi Wenlun said evenly, “What’s wrong? Do you think I’m going to yell at you?”

Fu Xie looked up in confusion, his languid, upturned eyes seeming to ask, *Isn’t that the case?*

But Xi Wenlun said, “Can I first ask what you were thinking before hiding this from me?”

It was the first time someone had ever asked him that. Fu Xie was momentarily stunned and countered, “Is it important?”

Due to his nature and various circumstances, he had often been on the receiving end of indifference to his feelings. Now, he was thrown off.

“Yes,” Xi Wenlun nodded. “In a relationship, when conflicts arise, it’s important to communicate while respecting each other’s wishes, so things can be resolved properly.”

Fu Xie blinked. He wasn’t good at expressing himself. Even in school, he hadn’t had many friends and was often overlooked. He was frequently overruled by louder, more opinionated people who decided for him.

Not to mention the older generation, who gave orders claiming it was for his own good—a classic East Asian parenting scenario.

He had long grown used to this. First, because changing it seemed too much hassle, and second, because he didn’t really care.

In that case, in his young life, Xi Wenlun was actually the first person who wanted to hear what he thought.

Fu Xie suddenly felt like laughing. Not even real-life people had gotten it, yet a made-up novel side character understood perfectly. He couldn’t help but smirk slightly.

“What are you smiling about?” Xi Wenlun’s tone remained patient.

Fu Xie shook his head. “Nothing. Thanks.”

He wanted to explain, but didn’t know how to phrase it, his fingers nervously worrying the blanket’s edge. "Uh, well... I just genuinely wanted to go have fun."

It sounded even more like a lame excuse, but that was really all he’d meant.

Fu Xie fumbled through an explanation of how he met Sang Huo, barely mentioning Lin Yubin in passing.

He took the opportunity to sneak a look at Xi Wenlun’s expression. Seeing no visible reaction, he finally relaxed.

Snitching on the villain’s sweetheart right to his face—now that was a rush!

Xi Wenlun listened and simply nodded. "I appreciate you opening up. If something like this happens again, talk to me first."

"If you’re set on going, I’ll make sure you’re ready so you can have a good time."

Xi Wenlun pinned him with a sharp, phoenix-eyed stare. "If it’s too much, we’ll ease into it."

Seeing that Xi Wenlun wasn’t scolding him—and was even comforting him—Fu Xie suddenly felt ashamed.

It seemed like he did almost nothing around Xi Wenlun: just mooching around, eating his fill, and killing time. Yet here Xi Wenlun was, concerned for his safety and warning him against associating with shady people, only for him to disregard it.

Thinking back, maybe he’d been way too self-centered?

"I’m really sorry," he heard himself say.

Fu Xie stole another glance at Xi Wenlun’s face. The lamplight smoothed the harsh angles of his features, his skin moon-pale against the dark.

He thought Xi Wenlun was like the moon above—even though he knew he was just a character crafted in a novel, even if this was just a business arrangement.

Once you’ve experienced such gentleness, it’s hard not to grow fond of him.

For a split second, Fu Xie envied Xi Wenlun’s white moonlight.

"As long as you understand. Just don’t scare me like that again, got it?" Xi Wenlun’s voice pulled him back to reality, and Fu Xie felt a large hand gently ruffle his hair.

He wanted to sink through the floor. At first, he had only wanted a place to lie low—but now...

Fu Xie vowed to step up and actually earn his keep as the “caged bird”!

Come to think of it, aside from that one encounter with the Xi family during the island trip and a quick search afterward, he’d never crossed paths with them again.

To really get someone, shouldn’t you start by learning where they came from?

Besides, as a major antagonist in the novel, Xi Wenlun held immense power and lacked nothing.

The one chink in his armor was...

Fu Xie’s gaze flicked downward to a certain part of Xi Wenlun’s body.

He had personally “experienced” it—even dead asleep, it was... *a lot*. Face burning, he jerked his gaze away.

Now that he thought about it, Xi Wenlun had kept him around specifically to treat that very condition.

Looks like he needed to actively participate in the treatment process! He’d damn well make sure President Xi could perform for his white moonlight!

Hyped up on his own resolve, Fu Xie jolted back to reality at Xi Wenlun’s amused, knowing smirk.

"Wh-what? Is there something else?" Fu Xie stammered, uneasy. Wait, weren’t they done? Why did Xi Wenlun suddenly look so creepy?

Xi Wenlun cracked his knuckles. "Of course. We’ve only cleared the first hurdle."

Fu Xie felt as if struck by lightning at those words. What did he mean by a "preparatory talk"?

Xi Wenlun, noticing that Fu Xie seemed overly tense, quirked his lips slightly. "Besides, I never said it was completely over."

The sharp *pop* of his knuckles echoed clearly in the silent room.

Fu Xie shrank into a ball, watching his movements with a racing heart.

No wonder Xi Wenlun was the main villain—there was definitely a reason!

"A simple conversation leaves too shallow an impression. You need to learn the 'lesson' physically." Xi Wenlun raised an eyebrow, his phoenix eyes glinting with predatory amusement.

He had taken it easy on Fu Xie before, not being too harsh—merely handling things lightly so that Fu Xie had woken up in decent shape.

All of this was so that Fu Xie could take his "punishment" while fully awake.

In all of Xi Wenlun’s life, he had never experienced anything like this. Even if he couldn’t fully indulge in the pleasure—the thrill of touch, intensely gratifying and addictive—it was still intoxicating.

Logically, Fu Xie should feel the same. But due to Xi Wenlun’s excessive demands, Fu Xie often couldn't endure it halfway through.

At first, he always enjoyed it, but later, he would beg raspily, eyes red from crying, for it to end.

Fu Xie was truly terrified now. Xi Wenlun had already backed him into the corner of the bed, leaving him nowhere to retreat.

Wasn’t he pushy enough already? Now he wanted to punish him—what exactly was he planning?

Xi Wenlun was like a gentleman savoring a grand meal, taking his sweet time prepping.

For Fu Xie, this was agonizing torture.

He caught the scent of phoenix tree again—that crisp, woody fragrance now seemed laced with lust, becoming irresistibly seductive.

Fu Xie stared fixedly at Xi Wenlun’s movements as he first hung his suit jacket on a nearby rack, then slowly undid the buttons of his shirt one by one with those well-defined fingers.

The collar gradually loosened, revealing his pale skin.

He kept himself in shape, his chest rippling with strength, firm and full, radiating vitality—his body looked absolutely begging to be touched.

At some point, his usually calm phoenix eyes had overflowed with intense desire, as though ready to devour Fu Xie whole.

Xi Wenlun moved painfully slowly, his powerful waist and abdominal muscles still hidden beneath his shirt, only a glimpse visible through the deep V-neck.

Fu Xie had touched them before—he knew they held a hypnotic pull, impossible to resist.

Of course, the consequence of teasing Xi Wenlun without permission was being paid back tenfold.

The drawn-out tease was torture.

Fu Xie swallowed hard, even feeling as if Xi Wenlun was deliberately seducing him.

His looks were deadly.

He could hardly bear it—after all, he was just a hot-blooded college guy.

Xi Wenlun was momentarily stunned when Fu Xie suddenly launched himself at him, but gently caught him all the same.

The oversized sleepwear slipped off his shoulders, offering a glimpse of pale skin.

Xi Wenlun suddenly felt a sharp nip at his chest.

"What a naughty boy," Xi Wenlun murmured, his shirt having been torn open by Fu Xie. His eyes darkened with desire as he gazed at that pretty face and those delicate little fangs, gripping Fu Xie's chin before suddenly claiming his lips in a deep, possessive kiss.

Fu Xie's pupils dilated sharply, caught completely off guard by the intensity of the kiss.

Meanwhile, Xi Wenlun's other hand was far from idle, slipping around to grasp the plush curve of his backside.

Fu Xie might have been slim, but his thighs were unexpectedly lush, and that area—so full and firm—was too much to fit entirely in one hand.

The long, lingering kiss stretched on until both men were nearly out of breath before Xi finally released him.

Fu Xie panted hard, leaning heavily against Xi Wenlun’s chest, whimpering at each teasing touch.

Then, growing bolder, Xi Wenlun’s hands wandered freely, setting his skin ablaze and making Fu Xie shiver with need, curling his legs inward.

He nuzzled closer, lifting his gaze to meet the other’s, his eyes heavy-lidded with want.

A slow smirk tugged at Xi Wenlun’s lips as he whispered, "Already overwhelmed?"

Fu Xie’s lips parted slightly in surprise, his hands pushing half-heartedly against him—though it was no use.

Xi Wenlun murmured like one soothing a cornered animal about to be devoured, "The night is still young."

The sharp click of a switch echoed through the room.