Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The afternoon the invitation arrived at the hotel, Shen Ling was curled up on the living room sofa flipping through an English-language book on jewelry craftsmanship, a cashmere blanket Huo Yanshen had insisted he wrap around himself draped over his knees.

Huo Yanshen walked out of the study, holding an already-opened dark gray envelope. He placed the invitation on the open pages of Shen Ling's book.

"An invitation to a private viewing, from Zhou Lin." Huo Yanshen sat down beside Shen Ling. "I'll go with you."

Shen Ling picked up the invitation, turning it over in his hands, his eyes bright. But then, as if something suddenly occurred to him, his lips pressed into a thin line, like he was searching for the right words.

"Babe..."

Huo Yanshen tilted his head to look at him. "What's wrong?"

Shen Ling set the invitation on his lap and scooted closer to Huo Yanshen. "Can you... attend this event as just yourself?"

Huo Yanshen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's just..." Shen Ling dropped his head, staring at his own intertwined fingers. "I mean, don't go as Shen Ling's partner. Go as Huo Yanshen himself—a... collector."

Huo Yanshen said, "Why, baby?"

Shen Ling said, "My work made it into the main exhibition area. Zhou Lin said the afternoon private viewing has fewer than twenty people—all collectors and senior figures in the industry. This is my first time... I don't want everyone to remember me as your spouse. I want them to see me for who I am."

After saying this, he quickly added, "Of course my husband is amazing, but I also want to be recognized for my own ability."

He then stole a glance up at Huo Yanshen to check if he'd hurt his feelings.

Huo Yanshen's expression barely changed, but he stayed silent for a few seconds.

Shen Ling quickly slid off the sofa, went around to face Huo Yanshen, and looked up at him.

"Babe, it's not that I don't want people to know about us. I just want to try—to see what impression my work alone makes on people."

"And you'll be there the whole time, watching from the sidelines, right?"

Huo Yanshen looked down at him.

Shen Ling crouched at his feet, face tilted up, his teardrop mole prominent as he looked up, his expression earnest with a hint of a coaxing smile—like a kitten resting its paws on your knee, begging for a treat.

Huo Yanshen reached down, scooped Shen Ling up off the floor, and settled him on his lap.

"Alright," Huo Yanshen said.

Shen Ling blinked. "Really?"

Huo Yanshen replied, "Mm. But bodyguards will be on the perimeter, and I'll review the security list for the VIP lounge."

Shen Ling nodded eagerly, beaming as he draped his arms over Huo Yanshen's shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. "You're the best, babe."

*

Ten in the morning, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The doors to the public exhibition area were already open, and guests were filing in with their invitations.

The centerpiece spot in the main hall was reserved for Shen Ling's collection. Warm spotlights hit from different angles, and the jewelry in the display cases glowed softly against the black velvet backing.

Huo Yanbai stood in front of the main display case, holding a glass of champagne he'd barely touched.

He wore a navy suit today, hair combed back immaculately, posture relaxed—indistinguishable from any ordinary guest at the exhibition.

Beside him, his assistant Zhao Cheng held an exhibition brochure, a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Zhao Cheng," Huo Yanbai said, tilting his head toward Shen Ling's display case. "You studied art in college, didn't you? Enlighten me."

Zhao Cheng's legs nearly gave out.

Two days earlier, Huo Yanbai had asked Zhou Lin to attend his private jewelry event, but for some reason, Zhou Lin had flat-out turned him down.

Because of that, Huo Yanbai had been wearing a grim, stony expression ever since.

Zhao Cheng chose his words carefully. "Technically speaking, the joinery is quite refined... The overall style leans toward a neoclassical narrative approach, but with some personal expression layered in—"

"You think it's good?" Huo Yanbai cut him off.

Zhao Cheng immediately changed course. "—I mean, although these pieces are technically skilled, at the end of the day they still have an amateurish quality. They lack real commercial value. They wouldn't hold up under scrutiny from true collectors."

The tight line of Huo Yanbai's mouth finally loosened.

Zhao Cheng mentally pulled his life back from the brink.

Huo Yanbai seemed to have dropped the matter, his attention shifting away from the unpleasant subject.

He turned, back to the display case, and asked in a voice only Zhao Cheng could hear, "Is everything ready?"

"Ready." Zhao Cheng lowered his voice. "The team's waiting in the car outside. Equipment's been tested—telephoto lens, image clarity is good. Signal receiver's set up for real-time transmission."

Huo Yanbai gave a slight nod, then turned his head. "He's not coming, right?"

Zhao Cheng knew exactly who he meant.

Zhao Cheng said, "I've confirmed the list for the private viewing. The companion section for Shen Ling is blank. Mr. Huo isn't on the guest list."

"Certain?"

"Certain." Zhao Cheng paused, then added, "Our people have been watching."

Huo Yanbai's smile deepened. "Good."

Huo Yanbai smoothed the front of his suit jacket and turned to walk deeper into the hall. "Once Shen Ling comes out, shoot him directly. Don't wait for my instructions."

Zhao Cheng opened his tablet, quickly typed a few words into his notes, and hit send.

As time passed, the exhibition hall grew more crowded. The main hall was bustling, with media cameras on tripods in front of the display cases and shutters clicking away.

A few blonde, blue-eyed foreign guests stood before the cases, talking in low voices and nodding approvingly.

One middle-aged man in a dark blue suit said in German to his companion, "The core craftsmanship of this collection is absolutely not something a novice could produce. Look at the facet work on this emerald—it takes at least a decade of experience."

His companion shrugged. "But Editor Zhou says he's only twenty-one."

"A genius," the German said with conviction. "Undoubtedly a genius."

His companion sighed. "Geniuses really are lonely. He didn't even show up to the morning press conference..."

Meanwhile, the so-called "genius" was currently hiding out in the CEO's dressing room.

Shen Ling wore a cream-colored turtleneck sweater, the soft cashmere loosely enveloping his upper body. The cut was oversized, and since Shen Ling was naturally slim, it hung off him like a cloud.

It hid the baby bump perfectly—you couldn't even tell.

Shen Ling turned sideways in front of the mirror, tilting his head to check the side profile.

"Does it look good?" He turned to ask Huo Yanshen.

Huo Yanshen leaned against the doorframe of the fitting room. "Looks good."

Satisfied, Shen Ling pulled a camel-colored trench coat out of the drawer and draped it over his shoulders before leaving with Huo Yanshen.

*

The two of them left in separate cars.

Shen Ling sat in the back seat of the black Maybach, with his driver at the wheel, taking the VIP route straight down to the underground parking lot on the east side of the convention center, without passing through any public areas.

Huo Yanshen's car followed behind, about twenty minutes later.

He sat in the back in a dark gray cashmere coat, took the private elevator from the underground parking lot into the VIP hall, and handed his personal invitation to the registration desk.

The staff member scanned the invitation, glanced up at the nameplate on his chest—senior jewelry collector, with "Huo Yanshen" written by hand.

The staff member paused for a beat, then quickly put back on a professional expression, returning the invitation with both hands and gesturing him in.

Huo Yanshen walked into the banquet hall and picked the most inconspicuous spot.

In the corner by the window sat a set of dark gray velvet sofas, next to a row of glass display cases showcasing other designers' work.

He walked over, stopped, and looked down at an aquamarine necklace set in the display case.

On the surface, Huo Yanshen looked like he was admiring the piece.

In reality, though, Huo Yanshen had zero interest in jewelry collecting.

The safe locked in his home study was filled entirely with Shen Ling's stuff—from Shen Ling's earliest pencil sketches to his first finished piece, plus limited-edition collabs with major luxury brands.

In Huo Yanshen's worldview, all the jewelry in the universe fell into exactly two categories: stuff designed by baby, and stuff not designed by baby.

The former deserved a spot in the safe; the latter were, in his eyes, just a pile of rocks.

But right now, he stood in front of the display case, hands in his coat pockets, expression deep and focused, looking exactly like a real connoisseur.

Occasionally a guest would pass by, recognize him, and try to strike up a conversation, only to be shut down by one cold look.

No one dared to approach Huo Yanshen.

Huo Yanshen stayed in that corner, dutifully building up his aesthetic appreciation.

...Except in reality, every few seconds he'd tilt his head slightly, his peripheral vision cutting across the glass to land right on Shen Ling at the other end of the hall.

Shen Ling stood by the main exhibition area, with two or three collectors gathered around him, going over the portfolio.

One of them, a woman in her forties and a well-known private collector in Hong Kong's jewelry circle, pointed at the brochure and said with a smile, "Mr. Shen, I've seen all your works. I feel there's something very special in your designs—like every piece hides a story behind it."

"This series is called 'Residual Warmth'—it's a gift for someone very important to me," Shen Ling said softly.

"Very interesting, totally different from the usual love-themed stuff. Your series makes me feel like love carries a kind of ache, but it doesn't make you despair."

Shen Ling's eyes curved into a smile.

He stood under the warm lighting, his black hair falling softly across his forehead. When he smiled, the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye lifted slightly, making him look like a piece of finely carved mutton-fat jade—warm, clean, and hard to look away from.

Soon, two more people came over.

Shen Ling's social battery was limited, so he could only keep the conversation going by sticking to his own field. Occasionally he'd get praised until the tips of his ears turned red, but he never once looked in Huo Yanshen's direction the whole time.

Except for one time.

While answering a collector's question about setting techniques, he quietly moved his right hand behind his back and gave a small wave in Huo Yanshen's direction.

—Quit staring at me.

Huo Yanshen: "..."

He pulled his gaze away from Shen Ling, looked down at the aquamarine set in the glass case, and his expression turned serious and deep again, like a real collector studying jewelry craftsmanship.

About an hour later, the crowd around Shen Ling finally thinned out.

Shen Ling let out a long breath, picked up his thermos, and took a sip. The social smile finally dropped off his face, replaced by a small exhaling pout.

Just then, Awen hurried in from the side door. "Sorry, traffic was a nightmare—I'm late."

Per the rules, Shen Ling could bring one guest to this private banquet. Since Huo Yanshen was attending under his own name, Shen Ling brought his friend instead.

Awen lowered his voice. "I just ran into your husband at the entrance. Scared the hell out of me, I swear—he gave me one look and I nearly died."

Shen Ling stifled a laugh. "He doesn't eat people."

Awen glanced nervously toward the corner where Huo Yanshen was.

He'd harbored a lingering fear of Huo Yanshen ever since the whole "Shen Ling drank the wrong drink" incident, though luckily Huo Yanshen never came after him for it.

But Awen seriously suspected he was only spared because of Shen Ling, because the look on Huo Yanshen's face when he realized he'd caused trouble was anything but pretty.

Huo Yanshen was intently admiring the jewelry in the display case, his side profile facing them.

Awen said to Shen Ling in amazement, "I didn't know your husband was into jewelry..."

Shen Ling was caught off guard. "Oh."

He also looked at Huo Yanshen's back and noticed that he was indeed seriously studying the jewelry.

Since when did Huo Yanshen get interested in this stuff?

But come to think of it, every time Shen Ling finished a piece, Huo Yanshen would hold it up and stare at it for ages.

The more Shen Ling thought about it, the funnier it got, and an idea popped into his head.

Since his husband had recently gotten into jewelry, shouldn't he use his allowance to buy a few pieces for Huo Yanshen to collect?

Using his husband's money to buy his husband a gift—the logic loop was complete!

Just as Shen Ling was deliberating which piece to buy, Awen had already leaned against a pillar and started scrolling through his phone.

Awen's thumb swiped across the screen a few times, then he suddenly let out a "huh," eyes widening. He flipped the phone around and shoved it in front of Shen Ling.

The moment Shen Ling's brain registered the word "trending" in what Awen said, he froze.

His pupils constricted sharply, and a cold, sticky feeling seeped up from the depths of his memory.

He hadn't shown up at the morning media briefing, and Zhou Lin had blocked all the cameras for him, which only sparked even more curiosity. People online were already digging into his background frame by frame.

The comment section was already over two thousand comments deep.

"This designer is twenty-one years old?? What was I doing at twenty-one..."

"These pieces of jewelry are so well made..."

"Has anyone gotten a photo of the designer? I'm really curious what they look like."

"Replying to the comment above, not a single photo. The designer didn't show up at the public exhibition this morning, and the media session was cancelled too—they only displayed the works. So mysterious."

"Not showing their face just makes people more curious... Anyone else think this kind of low-key, understated approach is actually classy?"

"Maybe they're not good-looking, so they're too embarrassed to show their face [doge]"

...

The thread gradually drifted off-topic, eventually circling around to Shen Ling's appearance.

Shen Ling stared at the comments, his fingers unconsciously gripping the hem of his shirt.

He put on a smile that looked perfectly normal, his voice light and casual. "Really? Thanks for telling me."

Awen stared at his face, thoughtful.

If there was one thing Awen was good at, it was reading people—he'd honed that skill over years working at the shop, and he immediately noticed that Shen Ling was faking it.

Shen Ling probably didn't like being talked about online, whether the comments were positive or negative.

That made sense. He was so introverted—he wouldn't even show his face at the media session this morning. Suddenly discovering that tens of thousands of people were discussing him would be uncomfortable for anyone.

So Awen quickly flipped his phone face down and changed the subject. "Shen Ling, the AC in here is making it a bit cold. How about we go for a walk? I noticed a corridor out back when I came in—there's a small courtyard down there, and it's pretty empty."

Before Shen Ling could answer, Huo Yanshen had already appeared at his side without a sound.

"What's wrong, baby?" Huo Yanshen looked down at Shen Ling's face and asked softly, quiet enough that only the three of them could hear it.

Shen Ling looked up at him.

Huo Yanshen's gaze was sweeping over Shen Ling's face, calm and unhurried.

He'd been standing in the corner the whole time, watching Shen Ling out of the corner of his eye. The moment he noticed Shen Ling's expression change, he'd hurried over.

Shen Ling shook his head. "Nothing's wrong."

He hesitated, then added, "Awen and I were planning to go for a walk. Do you want to come? It's a bit stuffy in here."

Before Huo Yanshen could speak, Awen had already jumped up.

"I'm gonna hit the bathroom!"

Shen Ling turned to look at him, only catching a glimpse of Awen's retreating figure. He was moving so fast it didn't look like a bathroom trip—more like he'd received an urgent evacuation order.

Shen Ling: "...Huh?"

By the time he snapped out of it, Awen had completely disappeared.

Shen Ling looked down and opened his phone.

Awen's message sat quietly in the chat window, sent just five seconds ago. Brief and to the point, just one line.

"Bathroom escape, 886!"

Shen Ling: "..."

He closed his phone and looked up, only to find that he and Huo Yanshen were the only two left.

Huo Yanshen's expression was perfectly calm, as if Awen's rapid retreat didn't surprise him at all.

Shen Ling said with a helpless shrug, "Let's go then."

The two of them exited through the back door, walked down a corridor carpeted in dark gray, and pushed through a fire door. Outside was a quiet path leading to the small garden behind the convention center.

Shen Ling walked on Huo Yanshen's right, keeping about half a step of distance between them.

He scanned their surroundings. On both sides of the path, there were only a few venue staff hurrying past—no one who looked like a reporter.

But Shen Ling still felt uneasy.

He shuffled half a step to the side, widening the gap between them a little more.

Huo Yanshen's brow twitched slightly.

Shen Ling lowered his voice conspiratorially. "We shouldn't walk so close together..."

Huo Yanshen looked down at the Mariana Trench between them. "..."

"There's no one else on this path."

"That doesn't matter," Shen Ling insisted, shaking his head. "What if someone suddenly appears? We're not in the same social circle—walking too close will give us away."

Huo Yanshen frowned slightly, then changed the subject. "In there earlier, your expression didn't look right."

Shen Ling knew he couldn't dodge the question, so he answered honestly. "It's nothing. Awen just said I made it onto the trending list."

Huo Yanshen went along with it, saying calmly, "Zhou Lin just messaged me. The public exhibition was received better than expected. Your work is generating a lot of discussion on social media."

"Are they all compliments?" Shen Ling asked jokingly.

"All compliments." Huo Yanshen's tone was casual, as if this were a fact beyond dispute.

Shen Ling pressed his lips together in a smile, then suddenly stopped mid-step.

In that instant, he felt something touch the back of his neck—like cold water splashing against his skin. A wave of goosebumps spread across his back, crawling from the back of his neck all the way down to his tailbone.

It felt like being watched...

Shen Ling instinctively moved half a step closer to Huo Yanshen.

Huo Yanshen responded immediately. "Baby?"

Shen Ling whispered, his lips barely moving. "Honey... I think someone's taking pictures..."

Huo Yanshen looked around warily. "There's no one here anymore."

Shen Ling glanced left and right. The path was indeed empty in both directions.

His rational mind might have told him the surroundings were safe, but the things he'd experienced in his past life were already burned into his instincts.

Those cameras hidden in the shadows, those lenses shoved in his face at his most vulnerable moments—all of it was locked in his memory, and it had never truly left.

Shen Ling chose to trust his instincts.

"I still feel like something's off." He looked up at Huo Yanshen, his eyes full of unease.

Huo Yanshen had already taken out his phone.

He typed with one hand, sending out a command to the security detail standing by on the perimeter.

After sending it, he slipped the phone back into his pocket, his other arm still around Shen Ling's shoulder, not letting go.

"Look ahead," Huo Yanshen said, the words settling in Shen Ling's ears like a soothing balm. "Baby, let's just pretend to keep walking for now."

Shen Ling nodded and followed him, continuing down the path.

They walked on, but then Huo Yanshen suddenly stopped dead.

At the same time, two muffled thuds came from the shrubs on both sides of the path.

Two bodyguards in black plainclothes seemed to appear out of nowhere, silently darting out from behind the boxwood hedges on both sides, rushing toward a fire exit about twenty meters behind them.

A third man was dragged out from behind the iron door of the fire exit.

A man in a dark jacket, thin and small in stature, was pinned face-down on the concrete, arms twisted behind his back by the two bodyguards, letting out a short, muffled grunt of pain.

The camera he'd been clutching flew from his hand, skidding across the pavement, lens-up, its infrared indicator light still blinking.

Huo Yanshen stepped in front of Shen Ling, shielding him, not letting him see the man's contorted face.

==========Author's Note:==========

There should be another update in the early morning—it's the bonus for 1,000 nutrient solution.

Babies can check back in the morning.