Chapter 44

Huo Xingming was kicked out of the room by Bai Siyi.

He stood at the door, feeling frustrated and staring at the entrance, his emotions very complicated.

Damn it! He had finally managed to bring the cute little one home, planning to take this chance to get closer, but in the end, it was all his fault for running his mouth.

Huo Xingming sighed and returned to his own room next door. But soon after changing his clothes, he ran back to knock on the door again.

Bai Siyi was in the middle of taking a shower. Hearing the knocking, he shouted, “Wait a moment, I’m showering.”

Huo Xingming didn’t hear him clearly, so he knocked again. But worried about making Bai Siyi angry, he didn’t knock for too long. He just knocked a few times and then stopped, standing at the door waiting.

Bai Siyi quickly finished his shower, came out in a loose T-shirt and shorts, his hair still damp, and opened the door.

As soon as he opened it, he saw Huo Xingming, a large figure blocking the door, almost completely blocking it.

Huo Xingming had changed into new clothes. He was wearing loose gray sweatpants, but on top, he only had a black tank top on, revealing his solid chest muscles and biceps.

He stood at the door, pressing his hands on the door frame, applying slight pressure to make his biceps appear even more defined and attractive.

He looked at Bai Siyi and shyly said, “Xiao Bai, there’s an open-air pool on the rooftop. Do you want to go swim together?”

Bai Siyi, holding a towel to dry his hair, glanced at Huo Xingming’s muscles. He had to admit, Huo Xingming’s physique was indeed impressive, just the type that Bai Siyi liked.

However, seeing Huo Xingming proudly flaunting his muscles like a peacock displaying its feathers, Bai Siyi couldn’t help but want to laugh.

He replied, “I just finished showering, I don’t want to get back in the water.”

Although he had learned to swim when he was younger, he hadn’t been to a pool in years. His swimming skills had become rusty, and he no longer felt interested in swimming.

Huo Xingming looked a bit disappointed. “Ah? Well, okay.”

He had originally hoped to swim because it would give him a chance to show off his muscles from all angles, especially since Xiao Bai liked muscular men.

What a shame.

After drying his hair, Bai Siyi walked out from the room. “What are we having for dinner tonight? By the way, do we have ingredients in the fridge?”

It was already getting late, past six in the evening, and Bai Siyi was a bit hungry.

Huo Xingming scratched his head. “I’m not sure if we have anything, but there should be some.”

When he first returned, he had asked the maid to come and cook, but then he had to go live stream for the show and do some heavy work at Bai Siyi’s factory. He didn’t come home for meals, so the maid hadn’t been coming for a while. Huo Xingming hadn’t opened the fridge once, so he didn’t know what was inside.

He added, “But the water bar’s fridge has fruit, drinks, and alcohol. Do you want some?”

Bai Siyi shook his head. “I want to eat scrambled eggs with tomatoes over rice.”

He was really hungry now, and he also wanted some meat.

Bai Siyi continued, “I also want to eat meat. By the way, I’ll go check if there’s anything edible in your fridge. If not, we can order takeout.”

Recently, after having some free time, Bai Siyi suddenly started feeling very tired.

Maybe it was because the past few years had been so exhausting, working day and night to make money, and his body just couldn’t take it anymore. Now that he finally had some rest, he felt extremely fatigued, and he didn’t want to move at all.

He opened the fridge in the kitchen and looked inside. There were no fresh vegetables or fruits, but the freezer section had processed seafood, various meats, and even some semi-finished main dishes like buns, dumplings, and siu mai.

Bai Siyi immediately took out some dumplings and shrimp dumplings. “Let’s eat this tonight.”

Huo Xingming quickly stepped forward. “Okay, I’ll cook it for you.”

Bai Siyi looked at him suspiciously. “You can cook?”

Although Huo Xingming worked at the factory doing heavy labor, Bai Siyi didn’t think he looked like someone who could cook.

Huo Xingming, while heating water, said proudly, “Of course I can cook. I’m just too lazy to do it when I’m alone. After I graduated high school, I went on a solo trip to several countries. There was a time when I was so poor I couldn’t afford food, so I went to a popular mountainous tourist spot, helped backpackers and hikers carry their luggage for tips. After that, I worked as a waiter in a restaurant for two months, earned some money, and bought a ticket to get back to school. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made it in time for registration.”

This was the first time Bai Siyi had heard such things from Huo Xingming. He was a bit shocked. “You really have all that experience!”

Huo Xingming continued, “Of course. My childhood dream was to travel the world.”

Of course, that was when he was a kid. Later, his dream shifted to creating an anime empire.

But, he wondered, would Xiao Bai think he was childish for wanting to create an anime empire?

Bai Siyi saw the water boiling and started helping by putting the dumplings in the pot. “Why were you so poor back then? Where did your money go?”

At this point, Huo Xingming felt a bit embarrassed. “Ah, back then I was young and got scammed.”

Bai Siyi asked, “Scammed?”

Huo Xingming explained, “My dad didn’t want me to go on a solo trip. He wanted me to work at a convenience store to help out, but I didn’t want to, so I took my red envelope money and sneaked away. I got scammed, and I couldn’t tell my family about it. The person who scammed me… well.”

Huo Xingming shook his head. It was still embarrassing to talk about, and he even worried that Bai Siyi might think he was foolish. “Actually, it wasn’t exactly a scam. When I was traveling, I saw a foreign girl kneeling on the ground asking for help. She said she was traveling from a distant country, but her wallet and ID had been stolen, and she had no money for a ticket. She hoped I could help her. I took out my wallet and gave her some money, but then four or five big men jumped out and snatched my wallet.”

Huo Xingming shook his head in disbelief as he spoke.

“They were all in on it together. Damn it! I was stranded there for over two months, sleeping on the streets, and I couldn’t even afford to eat.”

He was only eighteen at the time, and it really pissed him off.

Bai Siyi felt heartbroken for Huo Xingming but also thought that not only was Huo Xingming righteous, but he was also very kind.

Bai Siyi asked him, “Do you regret it?”

Huo Xingming added some water to the boiling pot and stirred the dumplings, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t say I regret it. After all, I didn’t know she was a scammer. What if she really needed help? We can’t just turn our backs on someone else’s suffering just because we’re afraid they might be a scammer, can we? Besides, I wasn’t lacking in money.”

He had plenty of money, so even though he got scammed, he didn’t regret it. What if the other person wasn’t a scammer?

Then, he would have helped someone in dire need.

When traveling, anyone can run into difficulties. As long as it’s within his ability, he would always help.

At this point, Huo Xingming suddenly extended his left hand and showed off his biceps to Bai Siyi. “Xiao Bai, look, this muscle is from when I carried people’s backpacks. Feel it, isn’t it hard?”

Of course, he was just trying to show off his muscles.

Bai Siyi smiled and enthusiastically reached out to touch them. As soon as his hand made contact, he noticed Huo Xingming stiffen, his whole arm tensing up.

Bai Siyi gently patted and then squeezed the muscle. Seeing Huo Xingming’s slightly flushed face, he seriously nodded. “Mm, I’ve felt it. It’s definitely hard, and very—”

Bai Siyi intentionally paused for a moment, then leaned close to Huo Xingming’s ear and whispered, “Very big.”

Huo Xingming: “…”

Huo Xingming was stunned, standing there with his face as red as a tomato. He stared at Bai Siyi in a daze, not moving for a long time.

Bai Siyi, feeling a bit embarrassed, realized that, all this time, it had been Huo Xingming who had always been the one to take the initiative. This was the first time Bai Siyi had flirted with him, and he felt genuinely shy, his heart racing.

Bai Siyi stood still for a few seconds, unable to handle the intense gaze from Huo Xingming. He turned around and walked toward the dining room. “Ah, I’m so hungry. Hurry up and cook the dumplings. Don’t get distracted.”

Huo Xingming continued to stare at Bai Siyi’s retreating back, then snapped back to reality. He turned off the gas and lowered the flame, then quickly caught up with Bai Siyi. He grabbed Bai Siyi from behind and pressed him up against the fridge.

Before Bai Siyi could react, he was enveloped by Huo Xingming, trapped between the fridge and Huo Xingming’s strong body.

Bai Siyi: “…”

Feeling Huo Xingming’s warmth from behind and his hot breath on his neck, Bai Siyi’s face turned bright red. Even from Huo Xingming’s angle, he could see that Bai Siyi’s neck and collarbones were blushing beneath his loose T-shirt.

Seeing Bai Siyi so nervous actually made Huo Xingming feel just as uneasy.

Neither of them had any experience in relationships, so during these ambiguous moments, they both felt awkward and shy.

Bai Siyi looked at the fridge, his voice low. “Huo Xingming, what are you doing?”

Was the fridge going to…?

But why did Bai Siyi have to face the wall like this?!

Bai Siyi, trapped between the fridge and Huo Xingming’s body, knew that with Huo Xingming’s strength, he wouldn’t be able to break free. So, he stood there, leaning tightly against the fridge door, his hand pressed against the door, his fingers pale with nervousness.

Huo Xingming fell silent for a moment, unsure of what had made him act so impulsively because of one sentence from Bai Siyi.

But, after teasing Bai Siyi for so long without getting a response, he finally got one, and his excitement couldn’t be contained. So, when he saw Bai Siyi trying to walk away, he immediately chased after him and held him in place.

Huo Xingming looked at the pink nape of Bai Siyi’s neck, then reached out to hug him, placing his hands on Bai Siyi’s abdomen. “Flirting without taking responsibility? Just planning to run away?”

Bai Siyi felt the warmth of Huo Xingming’s embrace and his sudden proximity. His heart was racing, almost as if it were about to leap out of his chest.

Hugging the person you like for the first time—this was the feeling. Bai Siyi became stiff, his body tense, not daring to move an inch.

The two of them stayed like this for a while, neither speaking.

Finally, Bai Siyi spoke in a soft voice, “I’m not running away. I’m still waiting for the dumplings.”

Huo Xingming: “…”

Huo Xingming sighed, “Can’t you at least say you’ll take responsibility for me?”

Bai Siyi muttered softly, “I’ll take responsibility.”

Huo Xingming: “…”

Huo Xingming was a little upset. He suddenly lowered his head and bit Bai Siyi’s nape. Bai Siyi shuddered, his shoulders tensing up, his eyes widening slightly, all his senses concentrated on his neck.

Huo Xingming held the bite for three or four seconds before releasing him, speaking in a low voice, “Let’s go. I’ll feed you the dumplings.”

Bai Siyi: “…”

Now, who the hell still had the appetite for dumplings after that?!

Seriously, who bites like that? It hurts like hell.