Chapter 56: Officially a Couple

Chapter 56: Officially a Couple

"Xiao Que, do you think these are suitable?"

Shen Junlan had chosen crocheted roses that, at first glance, looked remarkably real, capturing the texture of actual flowers.

"I heard people say that flowers are essential for a confession. As for other romantic gestures, decorating the room would be nice. But Huo Yanchi couldn't bear to take down the decorations from the last Qixi Festival, so I'm not sure what else to add."

Xiao Que perched on Shen Junlan’s shoulder, his beady eyes straining as he tried to discern what was on the screen. Yet, as Shen Junlan scrolled, he still couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Jun Lan, flowers and decorations aren't the main thing—you're forgetting the most important item."

Shen Junlan sat up obediently, listening intently, and moved the phone closer to Xiao Que, inviting him to help choose.

"Silly, it's condoms."

Condoms? But they're both men—surely they wouldn't need them, right?

"It's okay, Xiao Que. Men can't get pregnant, so I don’t think we need them."

"Jun Lan, do you know how two men have sex?"

Good question. He didn't know yet, but it was fine—he could look it up online later.

"I can't believe it. You two have been all lovey-dovey for so long, and you still haven’t done it?"

Xiao Que hadn't seen such an innocent relationship in a long time. It was completely different from his previous awful owner, who would invite strangers home after just one day—disgusting.

"Come on, forget shopping for now. Let’s give you a crash course first."

Xiao Que had an excellent memory and still remembered the websites his last owner always used. Not that it was hard to remember—the guy never hid it from the bird, shameless as he was.

"Whoa."

Shen Junlan glanced at the screen and immediately closed his eyes. This wasn’t a normal website—everything looked so strange.

"Xiao Que, I’d rather not look. I don’t like it."

Shen Junlan suddenly recalled last night, when Huo Yanchi was also being selective—probably to keep him from seeing such things. He had misunderstood Huo Yanchi; this stuff was indeed quite graphic.

"Fine then, close out of it. Some stories have this kind of content too—just search and take a look."

Shen Junlan frantically exited the page and deleted the browsing history, not wanting Huo Yanchi to see it someday and think he was some kind of pervert.

Half an hour later, Shen Junlan lay on the couch as if his brain had short-circuited. The door to a new world had slowly opened, and his mind was still reeling.

"Xiao Que, can you check what else I need to buy?"

Shen Junlan sighed and rubbed his head. Huo Yanchi didn’t seem to be thinking along those lines—was it because he thought Shen Junlan didn’t know how, and felt too embarrassed to bring it up, so he kept holding back?

Xiao Que motioned for Shen Junlan to scroll down and added a few more items to the cart.

"Jun Lan, prepare a bottle of red wine for the evening. You two can have a few drinks—wouldn't that be sweet?"

"Okay."

The seller promised discreet shipping with same-day delivery, so no one would be able to tell what was inside.

At the same time, Huo Yanchi’s phone dinged several times. He opened it and saw that Shen Junlan had ordered a bouquet of crocheted flowers, three boxes of balloons, a bottle of shower gel, and two bottles of beer.

Huo Yanchi figured Xiao Yezi was probably planning a surprise for him. A smile tugged at his lips, and his mood lifted considerably.

"Mr. Huo, I heard Huo Yaoyang is hospitalized again, but this time it seems serious—doesn’t seem fake."

The information Zhao Qi had gathered was likely all that the other side was willing to reveal. He wasn’t entirely sure about its accuracy.

"He’s been vomiting blood constantly and was so weak he had to be carried onto the ambulance on a stretcher. Huo Hongqing didn’t show up—probably because he went to the police station. Old Huo was furious, and it took a panel of specialists to stop the bleeding."

Huo Yanchi’s hand paused as he flipped through the documents. The timing of Huo Yaoyang’s illness was suspicious—it seemed to overlap with when he himself had been feeling unwell.

If someone had indeed tried to transfer his luck, the beneficiary was likely Huo Yaoyang. The transfer must have failed, and Huo Yaoyang suffered a backlash, hence the continuous vomiting of blood.

What remained unclear was whether Huo Yaoyang knew about the luck transfer. Regardless, he was the one who stood to gain.

Huo Yanchi’s gaze turned cold. From the very beginning, he had been just a vessel in the Huo family—storing blood for Huo Yaoyang and kept around for transferring luck and life force.

Hmph. Huo Qu was quite the schemer, determined to squeeze out every last bit of his value before letting go.

"Zhao Qi, how’s the investigation into the bribery case involving the chief physician at Capital Second Hospital?"

Since Huo Yaoyang had dared to bribe his attending physician year after year, he would have to face the consequences. Fabricating medical records, conducting illegal blood draws, organ trafficking—any one of these was a solid crime.

"Not going well. Huo Yaoyang was too careful. I even hired a private investigator but hit a dead end. The evidence might have been destroyed from the start."

Large sums weren’t transferred via bank or cash. Zhao Qi even checked funds but found nothing.

"Hmm, I remember Director Wang’s daughter is in her teens and plays tennis, which requires expensive lessons. As a director and associate professor, how does he have so much money to support her training? Start from there and try to find evidence."

Huo Yaoyang’s acting skills were impeccable—Huo Yanchi had seen it too many times. For now, he couldn’t think of any lead.

"By the way, Mr. Huo, Huo Yaoyang has been getting close to Dr. Zhou’s nephew, Zhou Le, recently. Zhou Le is also training at Second Hospital. Could they be up to something?"

Huo Yanchi completely trusted Dr. Zhou’s character but had never interacted with his nephew and didn’t know his temperament. However, Huo Yaoyang never did anything without a motive—this was likely another underhanded move against him.

"Got it. I’ll find time to talk with Dr. Zhou."

Huo Yaoyang probably didn’t know he hadn’t taken his medication in a long time.

Ah, now Xiao Yezi was his medicine. Once you’ve tasted the marrow, the addiction runs deep. Just one morning apart, and he missed him terribly.

"Mr. Huo, I’ll get back to work then."

"Mm."

Huo Yanchi held his phone, his finger lingering on the chat page with Xiao Yezi. The last message was still the emoji Xiao Yezi had sent—a selfie making a heart sign.

After some thought, Huo Yanchi finally made a video call.

The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered.

Huo Yanchi patiently called three times, all unanswered. He checked the phone’s location—it was left in the living room.

He glanced at the time: 11:40. Could Xiao Yezi already be taking his nap?

Shen Junlan wasn’t napping—he was catching up on lessons.

Xiao Que stood on the birdcage, passionately lecturing a drowsy Shen Junlan.

"Chirp chirp chirp—"

The bird's wing brushed Shen Junlan's forehead, waking him. He wiped the corner of his clean mouth, blinking drowsily at Xiao Que with sleepy eyes.

"Got it, got it." The response was reflexive. Shen Junlan put on an eager student demeanor, scribbled a few characters, messy as chicken scratch, in his notebook. He stared at them for a long time but couldn’t make out his own writing.

"Jun Lan, your attitude is not serious. Wasn't it you who asked me to teach you how to make Huo Yanchi fonder of you? I'm explaining, yet you're sleeping."

Shen Junlan awkwardly rubbed his eyes. He really was too tired. Ever since he swallowed that thing from Huo Yanchi yesterday, he hadn't been feeling right. The whole body feeling feverishness aside, his waist felt soft and weak, and he was lethargic and listless.

"Sorry, Xiao Que. I'm probably not feeling well today. I'll study tomorrow. I feel like with my current knowledge, seducing—wait no—attracting Huo Yanchi shouldn't be a problem."

"Fine." Xiao Que gulped down a cup of water and slumped, not moving, in the birdcage. This was much more exhausting than going out to forage for food.

Shen Junlan dragged his tired body into the bedroom and fell asleep as soon as he hit the bed.

For the first time in a while, Shen Junlan dreamed again.

He was trapped in a sea of vibrant red flowers, his limbs restrained by tentacles from nowhere. The more he struggled, the tighter the tentacles wrapped around him.

His throat felt clogged. Shen Junlan strained to call out Huo Yanchi's name, and the next second, he fell into a warm embrace. The person holding him was actually Huo Yanchi.

Those tentacles had emerged from Huo Yanchi's palms.

Huo Yanchi hooked his chin, nibbling and lightly kissing his lips.

Huo Yanchi's breath was orchid-sweet, while tiny tentacles brushed against the small of his back, slipping under his clothes and reaching inside.

"Guai Yezi, give me a baby."

"Ah—"

Shen Junlan woke up at that moment. His neck was drenched in sweat, the small of his back damp. The sensation in the dream felt so real he could barely breathe.

"Xiao Yezi."

Shen Junlan jumped, his aching waist lifting slightly as he instinctively flinched from Huo Yanchi's hand reaching out to hold him.

"I don't want to have a baby for you," Shen Junlan blurted out.

Huo Yanchi was torn between laughter and exasperation. He moved closer, pressing the back of his hand against Shen Junlan's forehead. His temperature wasn't high, so why was he talking crazy?

"Baby, we're both men. We can't have babies. Did Xiao Que say something to you again? Xiao Que's knowledge isn't quite up to par—must be because he never properly learned biology."

Shen Junlan nodded, still uneasy, then suddenly stared at Huo Yanchi and said, "You’re back already?"

"Xiao Yezi, it's almost 7 pm. Shouldn't I be back?"

"No, no, I fell asleep and forgot about something important."

He hadn't hidden the delivery yet. He was afraid of having a baby, so that stuff might have to wait a bit.

"Huo Yanchi, don't follow me."

Shen Junlan pointed a finger, holding Huo Yanchi back. Huo Yanchi obediently nodded in agreement, signaling Shen Junlan to go ahead.

No new balloons were visible in the room. The shower gel in the bathroom was still the mint-scented kind he’d bought, and no beer was in sight.

"Huo Yanchi, come here."

Shen Junlan thought he had hidden the items well. Standing in the living room, back turned to Huo Yanchi, he clutched the bouquet in his arms, his heart pounding.

Step by step, Huo Yanchi stopped behind him. Shen Junlan let out a heavy breath and slowly turned around.

The vibrant knitted flowers suddenly appeared before Huo Yanchi's eyes. Even though he knew in advance, the moment Shen Junlan held them up, his heart still ached with tenderness.

"Is this... for me?" Huo Yanchi's hand shook slightly as he took the flowers. His eyes fixed intently on Shen Junlan, suppressed emotions seeming ready to burst forth.

"Huo Yanchi, let's be together. Before, I didn't understand. I didn't know that after accepting your confession, I needed to formally say 'let's be together.' Today, I'm making it up to you."

"Huo Yanchi, I like you so much. I'm willing to be with you. What about you? Are you willing?"

It felt as formal as the first confession. Huo Yanchi felt a pang of guilt—it seemed he hadn't given Xiao Yezi anything yet.

"I'm willing. I really like Xiao Yezi. I want to be with him for all our lifetimes."

Shen Junlan smiled, his dimples showing. He clasped his hands behind his back and leaned half a step closer to Huo Yanchi. "Now, you may kiss your boyfriend."

A hurried kiss followed. Huo Yanchi set the flowers aside, wrapped his arm around Shen Junlan's waist, and kissed him deeply.

The blood that welled up on their lips was swallowed by Shen Junlan. Breathless, he called Huo Yanchi's name during a brief pause.

"Last night, it was my fault. Huo Yanchi, don't be sad."

He hadn't considered Huo Yanchi's actual situation; he had let him down.

"No, I didn't do well either. Xiao Yezi, I'm sorry."

Shen Junlan laughed. Why were they apologizing in unison?

"Let's not talk about this. I originally planned to cook for you, but I fell asleep. Do you want sour-spicy beef noodles or chicken soup noodles?"

"Can I have tomato brisket noodles? That's all we have left at home."

Shen Junlan paused, surprised. He tilted his head and smiled, but after taking two steps, Huo Yanchi pulled him back.

"Guai Yezi, let's take a photo."

Huo Yanchi held the flowers with one arm and Shen Junlan with the other. His gaze fixed intently on Shen Junlan's face—even the most beautiful flowers became mere accessories beside him.

"Gege, you go get some wine. I'll fix the instant noodles."

No steak, but instant brisket noodles would have to do.

Shen Junlan hummed an unknown tune. When he brought the noodles to the table, he still didn't see Huo Yanchi.

"Gege, where are you?"

Shen Junlan frowned, thinking it couldn't be that unlucky, right...

He rushed anxiously into the wine cellar. The box he had hidden in a corner had been found. In Huo Yanchi's hand was the lubricant.

"Hu—Huo Yanchi."

Shen Junlan felt uneasy. He was about to turn and run when Huo Yanchi, who had stood up, caught him.

"Guai Yezi, you know about these, huh?"

"Three boxes of balloons. Ribbed, mint, flavored."

Wow, Huo Yanchi didn't even know balloons could be used like this.

"Xiao Que, remember to buy the largest size next time. This one probably won't work."

"The shower gel is quite unusual too. Haven't seen this style before. Little Leaf, care to explain?"

"Beer? Sweetheart, I cannot satisfy you, so why is there something like this?"

Shen Junlan quickly explained, "It was for the minimum order. The total wasn't enough for free shipping."

Huo Yanchi's expression was unreadable as he closed in step by step, pressing Little Leaf against the cold glass.

"It seems I've been neglectful. I didn't realize my Little Leaf likes this sort of thing. Xiao Que, between us, you can say anything directly."

"Including that you want me."

The atmosphere grew intensely intimate and ambiguous. Shen Junlan blinked; he did have such thoughts, but not right now!

Xiao Que, oh Xiao Que, you've really gotten me into trouble!

"Little Leaf, I'll be locking this up."

He didn't need beer—he was far more potent than any beer. What use was something extendable? Toss it, toss it away.

Shen Junlan was too nervous to speak, unable to meet Huo Yanchi's eyes. His pounding heart felt ready to leap from his mouth.

"Brother, I... I'm not ready yet..."

"Shh. Little Leaf, you don't need to say anything."

His Little Leaf was frightened. Huo Yanchi wasn't some monster. Since he had bought these things and chosen to hide them, it meant he wasn't prepared.

"Weren't we going to drink to celebrate? I'll have my noodles first. Little Leaf, I would never force you."

Huo Yanchi took Shen Junlan's wrist and led him out, then sat down to eat the now-soggy instant noodles.

"Sweetheart, these noodles smell amazing. Thank you."

Shen Junlan breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes crinkling into smiles as he looked at Huo Yanchi.

His Huo Yanchi was truly a gentleman through and through. I like him so much.