Hu Xiaoyu couldn't quite understand—how had eating fish suddenly turned into being bitten?
So this was what kissing felt like.
He wasn't sure he liked it. His tongue tingled, his breath grew short, and it felt as if he were drowning. Altogether, it was strange.
But he could tell that Yutan seemed pleased.
Licking his flushed, still-wet lips, he asked earnestly, "Do you like it?"
"Like what?"
"Kissing me, hugging me, looking at me…" Hu Xiaoyu carefully listed the things that had just happened.
"Does it matter?"
"Of course it does," Hu Xiaoyu replied without hesitation.
If Yutan truly liked him, then—even if it felt odd—he was ready to give himself completely.
To Yutan, the sensation was nothing short of exquisite.
He had never felt this good before.
Hu Xiaoyu was like some delicacy shaped exactly to fit the contours of his appetite—utterly unique, impossible to resist.
But he was not a man given to careless words. He plotted ten steps ahead for every single move. To him, empty confessions like I like you were for fools.
Still, he thought, this little fox was almost too easy to deceive.
Burying his calculations deeply, he only tilted his head as though considering the question seriously. "It's fine. But if we take it a step further, it might feel even better."
Yutan's presence was overwhelming—most people collapsed beneath the weight of his cold indifference.
But Hu Xiaoyu wasn't afraid. He studied the man's expression closely, catching the faintest traces of relaxation and delight hidden within his features.
After a pause, he asked, "A step further… does that mean sex?"
Yutan found his wide-eyed innocence irresistibly charming.
Desire already burned low in his chest after a single kiss, but he was not one to ravage blindly. The pleasure of unwrapping something exquisite slowly far outweighed the brutish thrill of conquest.
Masking that hunger beneath his pale, composed face, he answered, "Yes."
Hu Xiaoyu cupped his own cheeks with both hands, the way he would rub his face with his paws in fox form, as though to calm himself.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he nodded solemnly. "I can try. But… not now. I need a little time—it's too sudden."
Yutan hadn't expected such a swift and serious promise.
His eyes narrowed. "Don't you prefer women?"
Not that it mattered. If he wanted someone, their preference was irrelevant—they would still end up in his bed. But he was curious what the little fox really thought.
Hu Xiaoyu shook his head. "That doesn't matter. I just want to make you happy."
Those foxy eyes—naturally alluring, by design—were now filled with a pure sincerity, as if making Yutan happy was the most important thing in the world.
Pressing his thumb gently against the boy's soft lips, Yutan chuckled. "Sweet talker."
Deliberately ignoring the earnestness in those eyes, he bent closer. "Good boy. I can wait until you're ready. But before that… shouldn't I take some interest?"
Hu Xiaoyu quickly learned what kind of "interest" Yutan meant.
By the time he was released, he was gasping for breath, while the culprit smiled in quiet satisfaction and brushed the dampness from the corners of his lips with a soft kiss.
Soon, Hu Xiaoyu was nestled completely in Yutan's arms.
He liked being held this way. A twinge of regret crossed his mind—if one kiss was all it took to be gathered into Yutan's embrace, he should have kissed him the very first time they met.
They lingered in soft conversation.
Hu Xiaoyu, remembering Yutan's earlier threat, cautiously asked if his wages would still be docked.
That was when Yutan finally understood why the boy had insisted on eating in his own room.
He ruffled Hu Xiaoyu's hair with a smile. "No deductions." Then he took his hand and led him back to the dining room.
The entire interlude had lasted no more than twenty minutes.
Ajiu and Butler Hong had been waiting. Now, seeing Hu Xiaoyu's slightly swollen lips and eyes still glistening with unshed tears—what more explanation did they need?
Hu Xiaoyu remained blissfully oblivious.
The plate in his room had long gone cold, but the food at the dining table was still warm, kept on heating trays.
Buoyed by Yutan's embrace and hand-holding, Hu Xiaoyu brimmed with smug affection.
It showed when he picked out a morsel of fish, set it in a small dish, and slid it toward Yutan. "Too many bones."
Yutan, in excellent spirits, obliged without hesitation.
After dinner, he strolled through the garden with Hu Xiaoyu, hand in hand.
Hu Xiaoyu didn't walk properly—he crouched down mid-path to count the legs of an ant.
Yutan merely followed. The boy gazed at ants, and he gazed at the boy.
His eyes drifted lazily from the slender line of Hu Xiaoyu's neck to his trim waist. It was… pleasing to the eye.
A memory surfaced—mocking Ren Zhifan for doting on a cat and flaunting it all over social media like a fool.
Perhaps, Yutan thought now, he had been wrong.
Raising a little pet wasn't half bad. He even felt the urge to show him off.
That night, Hu Xiaoyu chatted with Jin Bao.
He wanted to meet up, mostly to discuss a few things, but Jin Bao had just finished one script and was about to fly north for another. He was so swamped he could hardly breathe.
Meanwhile, Yutan was instructing Ah jiu to renovate the room next to his own.
Hu Xiaoyu had been left to his own devices before, but now that Yutan had decided to "raise" him properly, new arrangements were required—like upgrading to a larger cage.
Ah jiu remembered that Hu Xiaoyu hadn't wanted to change rooms, so he raised the issue cautiously.
Truth be told, even he couldn't quite grasp what his boss really felt for this boy. Hu Xiaoyu was astonishingly good-tempered, yes, but if he didn't want something, not even the boss could force him.
Yutan lifted his gaze, the sharp curve of his eyes carrying their usual authority. "Flooded, burned, infested… old houses always have problems."
Then he added, "I want to know everything that happened in that room—without exception."
Ah jiu kept a neutral face in the first order, but the second sent a chill down his spine.
Did the boss mean to install surveillance in Hu Xiaoyu's room?
That would mean…
Yutan shot him a cool glance. "Go do it."
To him, Hu Xiaoyu was a pleasing plaything—no more, no less.
Play was fine, but he could not afford to drop his guard. That was only natural.
And he had proof.
Like that thunderstorm night when Hu Xiaoyu had run straight to his room.
Afterward, Yutan reviewed the second-floor security footage. Yes, the boy had looked panicked, but even in panic he had found Yutan's room with unerring precision.
Yutan did not believe in coincidences.
Hopefully, the kid would be smart enough not to stir up trouble while he still held his favor.
The next day, Hu Xiaoyu followed Yutan to the office.
Once again, he brought up his dream of becoming a star—only to be kissed into silence.
That evening, Butler Hong told him he could no longer stay in his old room.
During the day, the maids had discovered insects gnawing at his bed.
Hu Xiaoyu felt guilty—it must be his fault for attracting pests so easily.
Thankfully, Yutan didn't blame him. He even allowed him to move upstairs.
Before bed, Hu Xiaoyu received a call from Liu Luanzhou.
It was almost Liu Luanzhou's birthday, and he wanted to invite him to the celebration.
In the room next door, Yutan, who had heard every word of the call, sat in the dark—his expression growing steadily darker.