Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Shen Ling's gaze fell on it, his pupils constricting sharply.

He had used it once with Huo Yanshen in his previous life, and the memory was so vivid that just seeing the color of the box made his legs go weak.

Shen Ling's face went pale as he scrambled toward the other side of the bed.

He barely made it two steps before a warm hand closed around his ankle. Huo Yanshen barely seemed to exert any force as he easily dragged him back.

Shen Ling's knees dragged two creases across the bedsheet as his fingers clawed at the pillow corner. He twisted his head around to look at him. "No... not that..."

Huo Yanshen's thumb slowly traced his ankle bone. "Baby, didn't you just say you were ready?"

Shen Ling shook his head frantically. "I-I didn't mean ready like that..."

He couldn't finish the sentence. Suddenly, as if struck by an electric current, Shen Ling let out a whimper.

...

Shen Ling lay on his side in bed, chest still heaving, the tear mole at the corner of his eye flushed blood-red. His lips were slightly parted, coated with a sheen of moisture, his pupils unfocused, his gaze drifting aimlessly. A thin sheen of sweat pooled in the hollow of his collarbone, his chest rising and falling in irregular rhythms.

Huo Yanshen watched Shen Ling's state and felt a twinge of jealousy toward the object in his hand.

He held the cord up in front of Shen Ling's face and said in a low voice, "Baby, look—it's about to short out."

Shen Ling's eyes were completely unfocused.

He only registered the sound of Huo Yanshen's voice, vaguely turning his face toward the source. Then, in a daze, he stuck out his tongue and licked at it dumbly.

Huo Yanshen's heart clenched, afraid he'd broken him. He quickly tossed it into the nightstand drawer, scooped Shen Ling up into his arms, wiping the drool from the corner of Shen Ling's mouth with his thumb. "Baby? Baby, look at me."

Shen Ling's chin cradled in Huo Yanshen's hand, it took several seconds before his gaze slowly refocused. He blinked, registered who was in front of him, and moved his lips.

"...I'm fine." His voice was hoarse. He swallowed and said it again, "I'm fine... thanks, husband."

Huo Yanshen's expression was still tense. Afraid he might misunderstand, Shen Ling reached out from under the blanket, fumbling for Huo Yanshen's hand, and added in a weak voice, "Husband... are you still..."

Huo Yanshen gazed at him steadily.

Shen Ling's fingers wrapped softly around his wrist.

*

The next morning, Shen Ling woke up uncharacteristically early.

Huo Yanshen had business to take care of in Hong Kong. Shen Ling could have stayed in Haishi to wait for him, but Huo Yanshen absolutely refused to let him do anything alone now—even a two-day separation, even with housekeepers, bodyguards, and full surveillance at home, he still didn't dare. So Shen Ling went along.

When Shen Ling sat up in bed, it was only six a.m. Huo Yanshen was still asleep.

He quietly got out of bed, padding barefoot across the carpet to the walk-in closet, and opened the bag he'd secretly prepared last night beside the suitcase.

Since this was a pursuit, this trip to Hong Kong was a date.

He was going to make himself look nice.

Shen Ling picked out a cream-white linen shirt with a neatly folded collar, revealing a slender stretch of collarbone. Below was a pair of light khaki casual trousers with tapered hems that made his ankles look especially slender.

He spun around in front of the mirror, then took out a silver chain from his jewelry box—one Huo Yanshen had bought him that he'd never worn.

He looked at himself in the mirror, still feeling like something was missing. He rummaged through Huo Yanshen's drawer and found an unopened bottle of jasmine-scented perfume. He sprayed it into the air, then stepped into the fragrant mist and turned in a circle.

By the time he finished all this, Huo Yanshen had long been woken by the noise and was already up washing up.

Huo Yanshen watched Shen Ling get ready meticulously, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Shen Ling felt embarrassed under his gaze, looking down and tugging at his shirt cuff. "We're going to Hong Kong today, so... I just, uh, cleaned up a bit."

What he was really thinking about was what Caibao had said yesterday about showcasing personal charm.

Though he wasn't sure he had any, at least he shouldn't look too sloppy.

Huo Yanshen stared at him for a long moment, then said, "You look beautiful."

Shen Ling's ears burned under his gaze. He was about to say something when Huo Yanshen walked into the walk-in closet.

He came out five minutes later, and Shen Ling looked up.

Huo Yanshen usually favored dark colors, but today he had changed into a cream-white short-sleeved shirt—the same color scheme as Shen Ling's, even the fabric sheen matched. Below was a pair of dark gray trousers that happened to match the color of Shen Ling's pants.

Shen Ling's eyes lit up. Couple outfits!

He quickly turned his head away, pretending to study himself in the mirror, but the tips of his ears flushed a thin red above the edge of his cream-colored collar, impossible to hide.

Huo Yanshen walked over, his arm reaching around from behind Shen Ling to take a wristwatch from the jewelry stand and fasten it on.

It wasn't for nothing that he'd pulled out all five shirts in the closet and compared them just now—he'd finally picked the one most similar to Shen Ling's, worthy of his wife.

"Let's go." Huo Yanshen said without changing his expression.

When the plane landed in Hong Kong, Shen Ling was dizzy as hell.

Early pregnancy already made him prone to nausea, and they'd hit some turbulence along the way. Though the flight was only a little over an hour, the moment Shen Ling stepped off the plane, his stomach churned violently and his vision kept darkening in waves.

*

He leaned against the jet bridge railing for a moment, Huo Yanshen's arm around his waist, shielding him from the draft in the corridor.

Huo Yanshen asked, "Can you walk?"

Shen Ling nodded.

Huo Yanshen still had the car brought directly to the tarmac.

At the hotel, Shen Ling fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Huo Yanshen drew the curtains tight, set the AC to a constant temperature, and sat by the bed watching him for a while until he confirmed Shen Ling's breathing was steady, then went to handle his own affairs.

When Shen Ling woke up, it was already evening.

Lights were flickering on outside the window. Shen Ling sat up in bed and stretched with a small yawn, rubbing his eyes. His body felt much better than it had that morning.

He pulled out his phone and habitually opened his chat with Caibao.

He sent Caibao his location.

Shen Ling: "Caibao Caibao, any good food spots near here? Recommend something."

Caibao fired back a string of restaurant names—tea restaurants, roast meat shops, seafood restaurants—complete with ratings and average prices per person.

Shen Ling thought for a moment, then added, "The kind that's good for a couple's date."

Caibao shot back another list, along with a tip: "Take good care of your image, dear user. A confident, easygoing you is what's most charming!"

Shen Ling stared at that line, reading it over and over, and it suddenly clicked.

Huo Yanshen walked out of the study, glanced at his phone for the time, and asked, "What do you want for dinner? I'll get the hotel restaurant to make something."

Shen Ling said, "I've already made a reservation."

Huo Yanshen raised an eyebrow. Shen Ling had a poor appetite and was never particular about meals—he'd never taken the initiative to book a restaurant before. Today he was actually being proactive.

He looked at Shen Ling, who puffed his chest out, a little smugness he was trying to hide.

Since Shen Ling had something he wanted to eat, Huo Yanshen obviously wasn't going to say no. "Okay, you call the shots."

The place Shen Ling booked was a French restaurant, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the night view. Candles were lit on the table, and the menu was handwritten in French with small Chinese annotations beside it.

Shen Ling was super tense once he sat down.

He spread the napkin over his knees, kept his back straight as a board, held the fork in his left hand and the knife in his right, and cut his food with such textbook posture it looked like a demo from a dining etiquette class.

He even deliberately slowed his eating way down, taking tiny bites, one at a time, chewing the right number of times before he swallowed, and every few bites, he'd dab the corner of his mouth with his napkin—like he was at a state banquet, so proper.

Huo Yanshen watched him, his fork hanging in mid-air.

"...Baby."

Shen Ling looked up, a carefully practiced smile still on his lips: "Hmm?"

Huo Yanshen frowned. "Is your neck uncomfortable?"

"..."

Shen Ling said, "No."

Shen Ling suddenly felt a little guilty, didn't want to say more, and went back to eating by himself, distracted.

The steak was cooked perfectly, the aroma of butter and rosemary blending together, but after eating less than a third of it, Shen Ling's stomach started acting weird.

He'd been really sensitive to greasy smells lately. A whiff of frying oil from the kitchen hit his nose, and his stomach lurched hard.

He held it together and took another bite, chewed twice, forced it down—but his face was already going pale.

"Feeling sick?" Huo Yanshen set down his knife and fork.

Shen Ling shook his head, forcing a smile. "No, it's really good."

Huo Yanshen stared at him for a few seconds, then took the plate in front of him away.

"What are you doing?!" Shen Ling said anxiously.

Huo Yanshen's tone left no room for arguing. "Your lips are white. Stop eating."

Shen Ling opened his mouth to say "I'm not," but a sudden wave of greasy nausea rose up in his stomach. His words got stuck in his throat, and his face went from white to green. He shot up, covered his mouth, and rushed to the bathroom.

He threw up everything in the stall.

Every bite of steak he'd just eaten came right back up, even the half a saltine he'd had on the plane at noon. He knelt in front of the toilet, stomach spasming, acid and bile burning his throat, sweat and snot running down his face.

Huo Yanshen crouched beside him, holding his forehead with one hand and patting his back with the other.

When he was done throwing up, Shen Ling straightened up. Huo Yanshen opened a bottle of water for him to rinse his mouth, then wiped his face with a damp towel.

Shen Ling obediently tilted his face up to let him wipe it, and said in a small voice, "I looked so ugly in front of you again."

He'd specially picked the restaurant, specially studied the etiquette, specially worn a nice shirt—and in the end, he was still hunched over the sink puking his guts out.

Chasing someone like this was embarrassing even to him.

Huo Yanshen pinched his ice-cold earlobe. "What are you talking about?"

Then he frowned. "Why didn't you say something if you couldn't eat?"

Shen Ling rinsed his mouth, leaned into him and curled up into a little ball. "...I was trying to win you over."

Huo Yanshen was crouched down fixing Shen Ling's pant legs and didn't catch it. He stood up and asked, "What?"

Shen Ling didn't answer, burying his face in his chest. Huo Yanshen looked down at him, sighed, and pulled him closer into his embrace.

He was still a baby himself, but there was an even smaller one growing inside him.

With a body that frail, how the hell was he managing to hold on?

Huo Yanshen fixed Shen Ling's silk scarf, then brushed his damp, sweaty hair behind his ear. "Let's have the hotel make something else when we get back, okay?"

Shen Ling nodded, eyes down, looking deflated.

Huo Yanshen wrapped an arm around him as they walked out of the restroom. Shen Ling was still sulking about how he'd done tonight, head hanging as he walked.

A voice came from the side.

"Shen Ling?"

Shen Ling looked up.

A waiter in restaurant uniform stood in the hallway, holding a tray, tilting his head as he looked at him.

A young man in his early twenties, not particularly handsome but very approachable. When he saw Shen Ling turn his face, he smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.

The waiter said, "It really is you! What are you doing here?"

The face wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but Shen Ling squinted, unable to place him at first.

After being reborn, with five years from his past life plus the timeline of this one, so much had happened that some memories had long since blurred.

"What, you don't recognize me?"

The man set his tray down on a nearby table and walked over, his tone warm and familiar. "It's only been two months, right? I'm Chen Wenle... Mancheng Bar, remember?"

Mancheng Bar.

That name was like a key, suddenly unlocking the door to Shen Ling's memories.

In his past life, during his sophomore year, he'd worked as a part-time waiter at Mancheng Bar for three months. Chen Wenle was his coworker back then—they'd carried beer crates together and learned to smoke together out the back door.

During that period, he had just been blacklisted by Liu Xian, and he was in a very bad headspace. There weren't many people around him he could talk to—only Chen Wenle was willing to throw him a few random words of comfort.

Those scattered fragments... the blaring music, the clinking of glasses, Chen Wenle calling him "Xiao Ling"—slowly came into focus.

But the memories of Mancheng Bar were also tied to something else—

That was his first meeting with Huo Yanshen.

Back then, he didn't know this man was the one who ran the Huo Group. All he knew was that a man with an imposing presence often sat in the corner booth, ordering a glass of whiskey, never speaking to anyone.

He had delivered drinks to that man a few times, and every time, those deep, dark eyes would send a chill down his spine.

Going by this lifetime's timeline, "two months ago" should have been around that time. But Shen Ling's rebirth point was the first week of the contract marriage—he hadn't even experienced the bar scene in this life.

He didn't have time to dwell on that mismatch when Chen Wenle stepped closer, his gaze sweeping past Shen Ling's shoulder to Huo Yanshen, who was settling the bill at the front desk.

Chen Wenle's expression shifted.

A hint of gossipy curiosity crept into his earlier enthusiasm as he lowered his voice, his tone full of admiration.

"All those days you kept running to his booth, changing into several different skirts... you're incredible. All that effort paid off—you actually reeled him in!"