When Huo Youqing arrived at the hotel, he declined the offer from the staff to help with his luggage, pushing the heavy suitcase into the suite himself.
He didn’t open it immediately. Instead, he took a shower and slept for a couple of hours before finally getting up to open the suitcase.
He had left a gap in the zipper, just enough for Dai Yuan to breathe, but only just. Dai Yuan had already regained consciousness, but his hands and feet had been bound for hours, and being cramped in the suitcase had left him in a terrible state—his face was flushed, his entire body drenched in sweat as if he had been pulled from water. His extremities had turned a purplish-blue from the tight bindings.
As soon as the suitcase was opened, the sound of heavy breathing filled the room. Huo Youqing noticed that Dai Yuan had sweated so much that it had soaked the fabric lining the suitcase. Out of kindness, he opened a bottle of water.
But he didn’t untie Dai Yuan.
He wasn’t worried that Dai Yuan would die, as he had placed a life-detection ring around his neck. If Dai Yuan’s heart rate dropped too low, his watch would sound an alarm, loud enough to wake him up from sleep.
Dai Yuan was in a pitiful state, barely able to move. The only part of him he could slightly move was his head, but even that was difficult. He glanced at the water bottle being offered to him and rasped out, “I can’t drink it like this. Can you untie me?”
Huo Youqing didn’t speak; he simply poured the bottle of water over Dai Yuan’s face. Water streamed down, soaking him from head to toe. Dai Yuan’s lashes fluttered as he felt humiliated, but his thirst was unbearable, and he couldn’t help but open his mouth, even sticking out his tongue to catch the droplets around his lips.
At this point, Dai Yuan managed a smile, despite everything. “What are you planning to do?”
“Where is Dai Yixin?” Huo Youqing asked without looking up.
Suppressing the anger in his chest, Dai Yuan’s smile grew even sweeter. “I already told you, I—” He didn’t get to finish before Huo Youqing stood up and fetched ice water from the fridge.
This time, instead of pouring it on Dai Yuan’s face, Huo Youqing grabbed his jaw, forcing it open, and poured the entire bottle of ice water down his throat.
Dai Yuan couldn’t swallow fast enough, and half the water spilled out of his mouth. Before he could catch his breath, Huo Youqing opened another bottle. This time, Dai Yuan didn’t want to be humiliated again and willingly opened his mouth, swallowing as the water was poured in, all the while staring up at Huo Youqing with amber eyes.
In any other context, his gaze might have been considered affectionate. His eyes glistened with water as he narrowed them into a smile, slowly releasing the bottle’s neck from between his white teeth. “So you like this sort of thing, huh? You should have told me earlier. I like it too.”
When he finished speaking, he realized that Huo Youqing wasn’t paying attention to him at all.
Huo Youqing coldly tossed aside the empty bottle and ignored Dai Yuan, sitting down on the sofa and turning on the TV to pass the time.
Still stuffed inside the suitcase, Dai Yuan took a deep breath, his voice now colder. “Didn’t you say you didn’t like my brother?”
He thought he wouldn’t give a response, but Huo Youqing gave one.
“I don’t.”
Dai Yuan thought back over their interaction and realized that most of the times Huo Youqing had spoken to him, it was about Dai Yixin. Dai Yuan hated when people focused on his brother instead of him. And Huo Youqing had never once looked directly at him.
“Then what are you doing this for? Taking out your anger on me? My brother’s misfortunes have nothing to do with me,” Dai Yuan said with a half-smile.
Huo Youqing didn’t even turn to look at him. His back was to Dai Yuan, as if the television was far more interesting than anything Dai Yuan had to say.
After a while, Dai Yuan’s patience wore thin. He was never known for being particularly calm, but he often hid his temper behind a mask of smiles and seemingly innocent expressions, concealing the dark thoughts festering beneath the surface.
Now, he simply closed his mouth. After all, Huo Youqing wasn’t going to kill him. If he lost a limb, Huo Youqing would pay the price as well.
The room became quiet.
Huo Youqing casually responded to a few messages on his phone. His uncle and aunt had no idea he was in M Country; they thought he was still attending classes. He hadn’t gone out of his way to hide the truth, but he couldn’t find a reason to explain why he’d come to M Country.
As for why he’d brought Dai Yuan here, he had his reasons.
After some time, the guest inside the suitcase couldn’t hold out any longer. Dai Yuan gritted his teeth, then relaxed and replaced his anger with a smile. “Older Brother, I need to use the restroom.”
Ever since Huo Youqing had forbidden him from calling him “Youyou,” Dai Yuan had switched to calling him “Older Brother.”
The person he addressed didn’t respond, so Dai Yuan had to repeat himself. Still no answer. Frustrated, Dai Yuan finally discarded his usual act and called out Huo Youqing’s full name for the first time, “Huo Youqing, did you hear me? I need to use the bathroom!”
Huo Youqing finally turned, lazily casting a glance at him. Dai Yuan met his gaze, his chest rising and falling more visibly. But he knew now wasn’t the time to get angry, so he softened his expression. “I really need to use the bathroom. You wouldn’t want me to do it here, would you?”
Huo Youqing remained silent, but Dai Yuan could read the meaning in his eyes.
Why not?
Dai Yuan’s expression darkened, his anger giving way to humiliation. “You think humiliating me like this will make my brother come to you? I’ve told you, what happens to him has nothing to do with me. If you want to find him, go to my father.”
No matter what Dai Yuan said, Huo Youqing stayed silent, like a perfectly crafted statue.
Dai Yuan, now numb from the pain in his tied limbs and the increasing pressure in his bladder, had no choice but to bite his lip and endure it. Struggling only made the wounds around his wrists and ankles worse.
Time passed, and eventually, Dai Yuan began screaming, calling out Huo Youqing’s name in a hysterical fit, thrashing to escape the suitcase. It even shifted a few inches across the carpet. But that was all.
The suite was well soundproofed, and not a sound escaped. Huo Youqing calmly raised the volume on the television, drowning out Dai Yuan’s screams until they faded.
Finally, Huo Youqing turned his attention away from the TV. Dai Yuan had stopped struggling, his expression now vacant. He stared blankly ahead until his eyes met Huo Youqing’s, who had stepped closer.
Huo Youqing looked impeccable, freshly showered and surrounded by the scent of soap, while Dai Yuan reeked of sweat and the stench of his own desperation. Never before had Dai Yuan felt so utterly humiliated, and worse yet, he had wanted to seduce this man.
Closing his eyes, Dai Yuan tried to block out the sight, but Huo Youqing wouldn’t allow it. He cut the ropes binding Dai Yuan’s hands and feet, then dragged him to the bathroom.
Dai Yuan’s limbs were still numb, and he was too weak to stand. He collapsed onto the floor. Remembering his wet pants, he curled into himself in a vain attempt to hide, but Huo Youqing was already in front of him, grabbing his hair and forcing him to look up.
“You asked what I’m doing, didn’t you?” Huo Youqing’s voice was soft. “It’s simple. I’m giving you a lesson, teaching you not to do wicked things.”
He turned on the shower and directed the water onto Dai Yuan’s face, which looked just like Dai Yixin’s.
As the water turned his skin red and made him cough uncontrollably, Huo Youqing mercifully let go of his hair and stood up. He adjusted the water to cold and gave Dai Yuan a fully clothed shower.
Dai Yuan collapsed onto the cold tiles, his wet lashes blinking through the water as he stared at Huo Youqing. He gazed and then began laughing, like a child finally seeing their favorite toy. “So, you’re a madman too. Haha.”
Huo Youqing responded to this with a smile.
Five minutes later, the sound of water stopped, and Huo Youqing turned and left the bathroom. When he returned, he was holding a cheongsam and a wig. He crouched down again in front of Dai Yuan and gently wiped his face with a towel. “Your clothes are dirty. Let’s change into something else.” He placed the cheongsam and wig lightly on top of Dai Yuan.
Dai Yuan glanced at the items on him, and a moment later, his amber eyes glinted with a seductive light. “You want me to dress as a woman?”
Huo Youqing replied gently, “It’s not that I want you to. I’m just respecting your preferences.” After a pause, he added, “You can leave now if you want. I can even cover your fare, Miss Dai.”
At that moment in time, he had once sincerely considered Dai Yuan a friend, and for a brief moment, had even been moved by him. Otherwise, how could that kiss have happened? The night was too beautiful, and the alcohol too strong. Not wanting to reject him had all been excuses.
