If this had been before, Huo Youqing wouldn’t have thought much of the shadow. But after what had just happened with Gong Lang, he was now paranoid.
Who was behind him?
Were they following him?
Huo Youqing quickened his pace slightly and then turned a corner.
The shadow followed.
His breath quickened, and because of the marks on his neck, he had deliberately chosen a quiet path. Now, there were no other pedestrians around—just him and the shadow behind him.
Turning another corner, Huo Youqing didn’t keep walking. He pressed himself against the wall, listening for the faint sound of footsteps. The moment he heard them, he struck out, aiming to lock the throat of whoever was following him.
He had taken some self-defense classes as a child, but he wasn’t particularly skilled.
A few seconds later…
“Why is it you?” Huo Youqing gasped, seeing Qiu Wenfei pinned against the wall. Noticing the redness in Qiu Wenfei’s face from being grabbed, Huo Youqing quickly let go.
Qiu Wenfei coughed violently, rubbing his throat with one hand while massaging his leg where Huo Youqing had kicked him. After catching his breath, Qiu Wenfei explained, “Gong Lang was looking for you all night. I saw you just now and wanted to check on you…”
Before he could finish, Qiu Wenfei’s gaze fell on Huo Youqing’s neck. Realizing this, Huo Youqing immediately covered his neck with his hand, his pale face showing a mix of shame and pain. He understood the unspoken question in Qiu Wenfei’s gaze and hastily turned to leave.
But after attacking Qiu Wenfei, he couldn’t just walk away.
“You…” Huo Youqing bit his lip and forced himself to speak calmly despite the shame threatening to overwhelm him. “Check if you’re hurt badly.”
His phoenix-shaped eyes glanced to the side, avoiding Qiu Wenfei’s gaze altogether. He didn’t want to look at him, afraid that Qiu Wenfei would ask about the marks on his neck, though he knew Qiu Wenfei probably didn’t need to ask.
There was a moment of silence.
Qiu Wenfei’s voice finally broke it.
“It’s not serious. You didn’t use much force.”
Huo Youqing muttered an apology and was about to leave, but Qiu Wenfei suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his path. “You need to put medicine on your neck, or those marks won’t fade for days. You have classes tomorrow.”
“I can take a day off,” Huo Youqing replied without hesitation.
“And what, avoid everyone?”
Huo Youqing fell silent. It was true that he couldn’t avoid everyone. If he went home, the housekeeper would be the first to ask about the marks and then call his uncle.
He didn’t even have his ID to check into a hotel.
From Qiu Wenfei’s angle, he could clearly see Huo Youqing’s profile.
Those phoenix eyes, reddened from crying, trembled slightly as if trying to mask the turmoil inside.
He pressed his lips together, saying nothing, as his pale, soft fingers kept covering his neck, though they couldn’t fully hide the marks, some of which slipped through the gaps between his fingers.
Qiu Wenfei suppressed the thoughts swirling in his mind, doing his best to appear like an understanding roommate. “How about this? You go stay at a hotel outside the school for the night. I’ll cover your classes tomorrow. And—”
He glanced at the marks on Huo Youqing’s neck. “You need medicine for that. I’ll go buy some for you. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. Just send me a message after you get the room, and I’ll have the staff bring it up to you.”
After Qiu Wenfei finished speaking, he was about to leave to buy the medicine but was stopped after taking just two steps.
“I didn’t bring my ID,” Huo Youqing said softly.
The hotels outside the school often catered to couples and didn’t enforce strict ID checks. Qiu Wenfei went ahead and used his own ID to book a room. Once he was in the room, he messaged Huo Youqing to come up.
When Huo Youqing arrived, his expression was stiff, and he kept his distance from Qiu Wenfei. Qiu Wenfei naturally understood Huo Youqing’s wariness, so he made sure not to get too close, telling him that he’d go buy the medicine now and asked if Huo Youqing wanted anything to eat.
Huo Youqing shook his head.
After Qiu Wenfei left the room, Huo Youqing immediately went into the bathroom and furiously scrubbed his neck with water. He scrubbed it so hard that his skin turned red and painful before he finally stopped.
If before he had only noticed Gong Lang’s strange possessiveness, tonight he fully experienced Gong Lang’s desire.
He had always seen Gong Lang as a childhood friend and had never thought of him in any other way.
Images of earlier flashed through his mind—Gong Lang’s hot breath, the damp feeling on his neck. His good friend seemed less like a person and more like an animal.
A knock came at the door.
Startled, Huo Youqing turned his head sharply. Only when he heard Qiu Wenfei’s voice outside did he wipe the water from his neck with a tissue and go to open the door.
Qiu Wenfei had not only bought medicine but also other items. Even though this hotel was one of the best near the school, he was still worried Huo Youqing wouldn’t feel comfortable, so after buying the medicine, he went to a nearby high-end supermarket and bought a change of clothes and toiletries.
He made sure to pick expensive items for Huo Youqing.
Pretending not to see the marks on Huo Youqing’s neck, he handed over the medicine and then took out the clothes. “These clothes need to be washed before you wear them. I saw there’s a washing machine and dryer here, so I’ll wash them now. You can apply the medicine yourself.”
He had specifically chosen a high-collared shirt.
Without waiting for a response, Qiu Wenfei started to busy himself with the laundry.
Huo Youqing stood still for a long time before finally going back to the bathroom to apply the medicine. When he finished, Qiu Wenfei was still there. Seeing him, Qiu Wenfei spoke up, “The clothes aren’t done yet.”
“I can handle it myself. You can head back now. Thanks for everything today.” Huo Youqing glanced at the things Qiu Wenfei had brought. “Tell me how much you spent, including the hotel.”
“It wasn’t much. You don’t need to pay me back.”
Huo Youqing didn’t say anything further and simply transferred 5,000 yuan to Qiu Wenfei, adding a note with the words “thank you.” He then stepped aside, clearly signaling that it was time for Qiu Wenfei to leave.
Qiu Wenfei didn’t want to go, but he also understood that he had no good reason to stay. Reluctantly, he made his way to the door. As he passed Huo Youqing, he caught a whiff of the medicine on him, and his eyes instinctively drifted to Huo Youqing’s neck.
Now smeared with a thick layer of white ointment, Huo Youqing’s neck looked like he had gone out of his way to cover the marks.
Seeing Huo Youqing like this made Qiu Wenfei’s heart race. He had long known he had a fascination with wounds and scars, and after studying medicine, this feeling had only intensified.
The first time he dissected a rabbit, he had immediately gone to the bathroom afterward.
He had gotten aroused.
That reaction was similar to what he was feeling now. He restrained himself, resisting the urge to pounce on Huo Youqing, but the desire to take a closer look at that beautiful neck was overwhelming.
If he treated Huo Youqing like he had treated that rabbit, Huo Youqing would definitely cry—he would struggle even harder than the rabbit had.
In class, he had injected anesthetic into the rabbit’s ear vein. What about Huo Youqing?
His gaze instinctively searched for a suitable blood vessel until it met Huo Youqing’s eyes.
Huo Youqing seemed to sense something, and his eyes filled with caution as he took several steps back. Qiu Wenfei sighed inwardly but outwardly kept his composure. “Contact me if you need anything. I’ll leave now.”
After exiting the room, Qiu Wenfei stayed in the hotel’s public restroom for about ten minutes before leaving. Before he went, he stared at the window of Huo Youqing’s room for a long time.
Unfortunately, the curtains were drawn, and he couldn’t see inside.
“Ding—”
His phone buzzed with a message.
Qiu Wenfei took out his phone and immediately glanced around. He was standing outside the hotel, surrounded by many passersby, all minding their own business.
The message was from that number. Attached was a photo—of him in the hotel restroom.
The person was warning him.
Qiu Wenfei’s face turned pale as he hurriedly deleted the photo, wanting to leave quickly. Yet his eyes wandered back to the window he had been staring at earlier. Five minutes later, he made a phone call.
It rang for a long time before it was answered.
“Hello.” Huo Youqing’s voice was hoarse, as if he had been crying again.
If it were before he received the message, Qiu Wenfei would have comforted him, but now he spoke quickly. “Listen carefully to what I’m about to say, Youqing. A stalker is after you. You should contact your uncle or someone else. Whatever you do, don’t stay alone tonight. The stalker is in this hotel.”
There was silence on the other end for over ten seconds. “What stalker? How do you know?”
“I…” Qiu Wenfei couldn’t explain, so he half-lied. “I got a picture just after I left the hotel. It was of me inside the hotel.”
“This doesn’t necessarily mean the stalker is after me.”
“That psycho is warning me to stay away from you. Youqing, believe me, I’m not lying. If you don’t trust me, call someone else you trust to come be with you. Just don’t stay alone tonight.”
Huo Youqing didn’t seem convinced. His voice was calm as he said, “I understand, thanks.”
Qiu Wenfei wanted to say more, but he heard Huo Youqing’s voice again.
“I’m really tired right now. I want to sleep.”
Qiu Wenfei had no choice but to remind Huo Youqing to make sure the door was securely locked.
On the other end, after hanging up, Huo Youqing double-checked the door lock as Qiu Wenfei had suggested and even pushed the sofa in front of the door for extra security. But he wasn’t guarding against the stalker Qiu Wenfei mentioned—he was guarding against both Gong Lang and Qiu Wenfei.
Afterward, he sent a message to his uncle overseas.
Huo Youqing hadn’t wanted to reach out to his uncle, but seeing Qiu Wenfei’s clear reaction earlier, along with the unsettling way Qiu Wenfei had looked at him, made him feel both scared and disgusted.
He had encountered two beasts that night.
Huo Youqing messaged his uncle: “Uncle, can I come stay with you?”
Due to the time difference, his uncle didn’t reply immediately. While waiting for a response, Huo Youqing fell asleep.
Early the next morning, he was woken by a call from his uncle.
“Youyou, get up and have some breakfast. Go wait by the school gate for Uncle Cai to pick you up and take you to the airport. I’ve already arranged for your leave. Come over here for a while, enjoy yourself, and then you can return to school.”
His uncle continued, “It’s perfect timing. I have a big client here, and they mentioned their kid is always bored at home. You’ve spent every summer and winter holiday with me and your aunt, so you know the area well. You’ll be doing me a big favor by helping keep the kid company.”
Huo Youqing understood his uncle’s intention. He was saying “keep the kid company,” but really, he wanted to help Huo Youqing feel better by giving him someone to spend time with.
“Thanks, Uncle,” Huo Youqing mumbled.
His uncle chuckled on the other end. “No need to thank me. Now hurry up and get ready.”
—
By 11 a.m. that same day, Huo Youqing was on a plane to the U.S., without telling anyone.
When he arrived, his uncle and aunt picked him up. After a meal, he went straight to sleep, not waking up for a full twelve hours.
By the time he got up, both his uncle and aunt had already gone to work. The housekeeper told Huo Youqing that a child would come to play with him later and that she had prepared some desserts for them to share.
Hearing this, Huo Youqing assumed the child would be around seven or eight years old, or at most, a teenager no older than 13 or 14. However, when he opened the door and saw a boy his own height standing there, he froze.
That wasn’t even the most surprising part.
What really shocked him was the face beneath the baseball cap.
The boy’s slightly chubby baby face had bright amber eyes that gleamed as they looked at Huo Youqing. His lips, red from slight panting, parted and closed as he caught his breath, and his temples were damp with sweat—likely from running. Yet, rather than appearing disheveled, he exuded a kind of vibrant, youthful energy.
This was Dai Yuan.
Dai Yuan, whose features hadn’t fully matured yet, was radiant and endearing.
He blinked and spoke his first words to Huo Youqing, “You’re really good-looking.”
His second sentence was, “Hi, I’m Dai Yuan.”
But the third sentence wasn’t directed at Huo Youqing. Dai Yuan turned his head and shouted, “Brother, hurry up!”
Someone else was approaching from a distance.
This person was much taller than Dai Yuan—at least a head taller. His face was identical to Dai Yuan’s, pale and delicately handsome, but his eyes seemed shadowed with gloom.
He stared directly at Huo Youqing, and after what seemed like a struggle, he forced a smile.
“I’m Dai Yixin,” he introduced himself.
Can’t wait until next week to see more? Want to show your support? Come to my Patreon where you can get up to 5 more chapters of Abandoned White Moonlight right away ! Or go donate at Paypal or Ko-fi to show your appreciation! :)
