Chapter 26

After giving a signal to the bodyguards at the door, Huo Zhongshan turned around and walked into the living room, calmly sitting back at his previous working spot. Zhu Ze was also let in by the bodyguards, but his expression wasn’t very pleasant.

Fang Shimian didn’t have anything to offer as hospitality, and going out to buy something now wasn’t realistic. Rubbing his eyes, he took out two bottles of water from a box and placed one in front of each person, neatly and properly.

The living room of the rental apartment wasn’t big, with only two sofas. One was a long sofa placed horizontally, and the other was a single-seater. Since Huo Zhongshan was sitting on the large long sofa, Zhu Ze had no choice but to sit on the small, old single-seater. He didn’t feel embarrassed about it, just quietly observing the surroundings.

Huo Zhongshan grabbed the swaying Fang Shimian and touched the black cotton coat he was wearing, which had clumps of cotton inside. “Go change into something thicker.”

Fang Shimian came out of the bedroom wearing a down jacket, glanced around, and then sat next to Huo Zhongshan, still looking very sleepy, yawning with drowsy eyes.

After a strange silence in the living room, Zhu Ze spoke first, “Manager Yang said you had a fever. Are you feeling better now?”

Before Fang Shimian could respond, a brown bottle appeared in his line of sight. The white label on the bottle was in a foreign language. He turned his head to look at Huo Zhongshan, who was opening the medicine box beside him, and heard the man say in a lukewarm tone, “Take the medicine first.”

Fang Shimian instinctively picked up the bottle in front of him and drank it in one go. It wasn’t bitter, but it had an indescribable strange taste that lingered in his mouth, making him feel a bit nauseous. His face scrunched up, and he felt like going to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

Huo Zhongshan pushed an unopened bottle of mineral water in front of Fang Shimian and used his fingertip to press down on a piece of sterile medical paper, pushing a few white pills of varying sizes in front of him.

Fang Shimian took a few gulps of water, and after the strange taste in his throat dissipated, he reached out to pick up the pills from the sterile paper, put them in his mouth, and swallowed them with a gulp of water.

Seeing Huo Zhongshan’s unreserved attitude, Zhu Ze’s unbelievable suspicions quickly solidified, and in that instant, he almost felt a strong sense of resentment towards the two people in front of him. He hated that Huo Zhongshan, who already had everything, still wanted to take away the one thing he cherished. He hated his superior family background and his smooth-sailing life. He hated Fang Shimian for being shameless and deceitful, for always being attracted to others. He even hated Fang Shimian’s beautiful appearance, which had attracted countless admirers since childhood. Even people who had been separated for years would ask about Fang Shimian’s whereabouts at gatherings. If he were just a bit more ordinary-looking, he could quietly hide him away, and no one would notice…

Then he would be completely his, and his alone.

After swallowing the pills and drinking a few more gulps of water, Fang Shimian tightened the bottle cap. Once the strange taste subsided a bit, he smiled at Zhu Ze, “I was already fine when I sent you the message. I didn’t expect you to come over.”

Fang Shimian rubbed his face and glanced at Huo Zhongshan, “Sorry for making you come all this way.”

It was just a fever, and Fang Shimian didn’t think it was a big deal. He was very resilient and generally not easy to take down.

Hearing this, Zhu Ze suddenly let out a breath, lazily smiled, and leaned back on the sofa without saying a word.

Huo Zhongshan turned off the computer and slowly packed it into the black computer bag beside him.

In the cramped living room, with its worn-out sofa and the wooden coffee table with tape marks left by the previous tenant, the two unexpected guests in suits and ties, both tall and handsome, stood out. Meanwhile, the owner of the house, still flushed from the fever, was drowsily resisting sleep.

“Mr. Huo, if you’re interested in this type, I have more suitable candidates,” Zhu Ze suddenly spoke, his eyes filled with chaotic and complex emotions. “My brother is inexperienced and not suitable for your games.”

Huo Zhongshan remained unperturbed, “I follow the principle of consent.”

“Deception isn’t consent. I’m sure you’ve investigated him. Even though Director Fang has retired, it doesn’t mean he would allow his only son to become one of you…” Zhu Ze left out an unsavory adjective, his gaze filled with tangible anger.

Fang Shimian, who was initially drowsy, opened his eyes when he heard Director Fang’s name. However, the medication he took contained a sedative, and the warm down jacket wrapped around him made him close his eyes and fall asleep after a brief struggle.

The living room fell into a dead silence.

Huo Zhongshan glanced at Fang Shimian, who was already deeply asleep on the sofa, and after a while, he turned back, looking at Zhu Ze with interest, “Oh? Did I ever say I wanted to treat him as something? You see him as a brother, and so do I. What’s the difference?”

Zhu Ze gritted his teeth, “It’s just us here, Mr. Huo, no need to play dumb. You know what I mean.”

The yellowish round light in the living room flickered briefly, and the half-empty bottle of mineral water on the coffee table wobbled in the wind, casting ripples on the black computer bag.

Huo Zhongshan’s expression was indifferent, seemingly uninterested in Zhu Ze’s topic. He took out a square box from the black bag, pushed it open with his calloused fingertip, and played with a cigarette in his hand.

“I did monitor you for Mr. Huo, but I always reported truthfully. Over the years, I haven’t done anything beyond my duties. You think my reporting is a betrayal,” Zhu Ze looked at Huo Zhongshan with fierce eyes, the warmth in his expression turning into sharp hostility.

“Even if it wasn’t me following you back then, anyone else would have made the same choice! At that time, I could only choose to be loyal to one person. I chose you, and the friendship my father risked his life to gain from Mr. Huo would be gone, and the Zhu family would be finished.”

Huo Zhongshan finally looked at Zhu Ze.

“Moreover, after I left, my position would always exist, and Mr. Huo would have already chosen someone to replace me. Would they help you hide Fang Shimian’s existence? Mr. Huo wants a perfect heir, and any flaws of yours would be erased by him. Are you willing to risk Fang Shimian’s life for a moment of impulse?”

Zhu Ze’s eyes were bloodshot, suppressing the words that almost slipped out, staring at Huo Zhongshan with resentment, “Do people like you have real feelings? Can you stop your father?”

Huo Zhongshan’s face remained expressionless, still indifferent, a kind of calmness that bordered on apathy. He casually tossed the cigarette in his hand into the trash can at his feet, looking at Zhu Ze calmly, “Are you done?”

A hint of regret arose in Zhu Ze’s heart, realizing that he had been overwhelmed by jealousy and hatred, saying things he shouldn’t have.

“When you break off the engagement, I’ll reconsider my relationship with him. Right now, you have no right to discuss him in front of me.” After saying this, Huo Zhongshan leisurely stood up, coldly stating, “I’ll leave someone here to take care of him, so you don’t have to worry.”

Huo Zhongshan pushed open the slightly ajar door and left directly. The bodyguards came in to take the computer bag, checked it, and then followed their employer out.

The door outside wasn’t closed, and Zhu Ze knew that Huo Zhongshan’s people were still guarding it.

Fang Shimian was still sound asleep, his cheek imprinted with red marks from the rough sofa, his head unconsciously drooping, looking very docile, as if he could be easily possessed.

At this moment, he was solely his.

Zhu Ze walked up to Fang Shimian, knelt on one knee on the sofa, leaned forward, getting very close, so close that he could only hear the calm and long breaths of the young man.

He stared at Fang Shimian for a long time, watching from such a close distance, his bones screaming for possession, to wake him with an embrace, to express his feelings in a blend of blood and tears, to show him his heart!

After a long time, Zhu Ze lowered his head, his gaze devoutly touching Fang Shimian’s ear with his forehead.

He understood his own lowly and despicable nature, aware of his repulsive and unscrupulous methods, and knew the vile thoughts and disgrace beneath his gentle exterior.

But he…

The phone’s ringtone suddenly interrupted his scattered thoughts. Zhu Ze silenced it without answering, just sitting beside Fang Shimian for a while, inexplicably smiling, and whispered, “You can really sleep.”

A few minutes later, just as Zhu Ze was about to carry Fang Shimian into the bedroom, Huo Zhongshan’s bodyguard appeared like a ghost, expressionless, “We’ll take care of Mr. Fang.”

Zhu Ze was so angry that his vision went black, a metallic taste rising in his throat.

The bodyguard carefully undressed Fang Shimian and covered him with a blanket.

Zhu Ze followed behind with a cold face, and after the people left, he took a look around the simple bedroom.

At this moment, the ringtone rang again, persistent. Seeing the bodyguard watching him like a hawk, Zhu Ze had no choice but to answer the call and walk out.

The two people he brought were still blocked by the bodyguards at the stairway, looking at him in panic.

He turned back to glance at the few people Huo Zhongshan left behind, pressed the elevator button, and left.

Fang Shimian was awakened by the smell of food.

Perhaps it was because he had overslept today, Fang Shimian had been dreaming all along.

It wasn’t the usual dark and terrifying dreams, but light and pleasant dreams, like grass swaying under the winter sun, bright but not blinding light, vines woven and soaked in shallow streams, black-scaled fish slowly swaying their tails, creating ripples.

When Fang Shimian opened his eyes, he thought he was about to have a good dream about food.

This rental apartment didn’t have a dining table. When Fang Shimian walked out of the bedroom, two burly men in black were half-squatting in front of the low coffee table, taking out food from the takeaway bags one by one. With their bulging muscles and indifferent expressions, Fang Shimian reasonably guessed they didn’t voluntarily take on this task.

“Mr. Fang, is it okay to put lunch here?”

Fang Shimian nodded eagerly, his eyes fixed on the various foods on the table, and said softly, “Thank you, would you like to join me?”

“No, thank you.” The bodyguard’s expression was unusually serious, pointing to a small medicine box on the coffee table, “The medicine is here, take it half an hour after the meal. A doctor will come for a follow-up tonight. We’ll be outside, just call us if you need anything.”

At the door, the bodyguard suddenly stopped, turned around, and pointed at the keys on the entryway cabinet, “Mr. Fang, these are your house keys. Remember to change them.”

Fang Shimian, who was already sitting on the sofa, widened his eyes and walked over, picking up the keys and looking at his door. He had felt like he had forgotten something when he saw Huo Zhongshan again in the morning, and it turned out to be this.

He wondered where Huo Zhongshan got the keys from, only to realize he had changed the lock directly.

Fang Shimian put down the keys, squatted by the sofa, and began to happily enjoy the hot food.

There was quite a lot, and Fang Shimian thought he could have another meal in the evening.

The doctor arrived after five in the afternoon. He measured Fang Shimian’s temperature and conducted some routine tests. Afterward, he showed the follow-up records and diagnosis results to the bodyguard before removing the stethoscope and smilingly telling Fang Shimian that the fever had subsided. He could reduce one dose of the evening medication, and with a good night’s sleep, he would be fine by tomorrow.

Fang Shimian nodded and asked about the cost of the house call.

The doctor paused briefly, hesitating, “Mr. Huo… he asked us to come… it’s a bit discounted, you can give… five hundred.”

“How much was the discount?”

The doctor averted his gaze, “It’s set by the system, how would we know…”

In Fang Shimian’s worldview, the medical profession was the purest and least deceitful, so he trusted them completely, nodding and asking the doctor to bring out the QR code for payment.

The doctor hesitated for a moment, then finally took out his phone, went outside, and brought up the payment code, reminding, “Not a penny more, it won’t go through.”

Fang Shimian paused, silently deleted the original amount, and obediently sent five hundred.

The doctor’s phone lit up, and he quickly left with the two accompanying nurses.

Not long after, the bodyguards also left the community after receiving instructions from their employer.

Later in the evening, it started to rain lightly, and the temperature dropped further. Huo Zhongshan leaned against the window, flipping through the medical records in his hand, remaining silent for a long time.