After I Died, My Childhood Friend Became Daddy - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: A Bit “Shao”

In an instant, Fang Ran felt both ashamed and guilty.

He felt like a wrongdoer who had just been tracked down at his door.

Dammit!

Didn’t he say everything was fine this morning?

After agonizing for a long time, Fang Ran sent back a dry reply: Apply more medicine.

A hopeless straight man.

No, he wasn’t exactly straight anymore.

Huo Yan replied immediately: I don’t have any medicine.

Fang Ran was truly at his wit’s end.

Can’t Huo Yan order delivery? Even if he couldn’t, Huo Yan had so many secretaries and assistants around him; what did it mean that he was telling him he didn’t have ointment?

Fang Ran hesitated for a while before asking tentatively:

“Should I come over this afternoon to give it to you?”

Huo Yan replied lightning-fast: Okay, thank you, Ranran.

Fang Ran: “…”

There was no choice; he had to resolve the trouble he had caused himself.

Who told him to get drunk and forcibly kiss his childhood friend?

Fortunately, the afternoon consisted of self-study classes. Fang Ran signed a leave slip and headed out. There was a pharmacy near the school. When they asked him how big the wound was, Fang Ran tried hard to recall, gesturing with his hand: “About half the size of a fingertip.”

The shop assistant looked speechless.

Can’t that heal on its own?

In the end, she just picked a tube of ointment and gave it to Fang Ran.

Like a thief, Fang Ran tucked the ointment away and immediately took a taxi to Huo Yan’s company.

After all, it wasn’t his first time here; from top to bottom, there wasn’t a soul in the company who didn’t recognize this “little ancestor,” and they immediately welcomed him up with great respect.

He didn’t know if the secretary had received word in advance, but they were waiting at the elevator entrance with a beaming smile, as if looking at a doubled year-end bonus.

“President Huo is waiting for you.”

Fang Ran felt extremely guilty, wondering if everyone had seen the wound on Huo Yan’s lip today.

However, Fang Ran was actually overthinking it. After all, no one would dare stare at President Huo’s mouth.

Entering the office, he turned and closed the door, letting out a soft sigh of relief.

But as soon as he turned around, he froze.

Huo Yan had walked over at some point and was standing in front of him, looking down. In fact, when the man didn’t smile, his features looked quite cold, though he almost never showed that expression in front of Fang Ran.

Fang Ran was slightly stunned. For a second, he actually felt like he was being targeted by a predator; a chill climbed up the back of his neck. But very quickly, Huo Yan gave him a smile, as if the previous emotion had never existed.

He reached out to help Fang Ran tidy a stray hair by his ear. “Is it hot outside?”

Fang Ran shook his head.

It was then that he discovered to his shock that Huo Yan had, at some unknown time, changed into a V-neck shirt, revealing the kiss marks that were starting to fade.

Fang Ran suddenly panicked and stepped forward to pull Huo Yan’s suit jacket tight. “You—why are you dressed like this!”

It was quite shao (sultry/flirtatious).

Huo Yan’s tone was innocent. “It’s hot. It’s cooler to wear it this way.”

Fang Ran: “…Then turn on the air conditioning.”

Huo Yan stopped talking and reached directly into Fang Ran’s coat pocket to take out the ointment.

“Apply the medicine for me.”

It was a command.

Fang Ran protested in a small voice, “Your hands aren’t broken; can’t you do it yourself?”

Huo Yan gave him a look that wasn’t heavy but carried weight. “Didn’t you bite it?”

Fang Ran was too guilty to speak.

Fine, it was his own sin!

Before applying the medicine, Fang Ran specifically double-locked the door. When he turned back, Huo Yan had taken off his jacket and looked as if he were about to take off his shirt as well if Fang Ran didn’t stop him in time.

“What are you doing!”

Fang Ran spoke in a panic, “Don’t take off your clothes.”

Huo Yan stopped his movements. “Where am I applying it?”

“Your mouth! Didn’t your… corner of your mouth break?”

Huo Yan looked quite regretful. “Then why did you lock the door?”

Fang Ran was choked up and unable to speak. He glared at Huo Yan. “Are you going to let me apply the medicine or not?”

“I am.”

Huo Yan sat up straight and tilted his chin up slightly toward Fang Ran.

Wait… this posture was too…

It was as if Huo Yan were waiting for him to come and kiss him.

So last night, when he was drunk, did he kiss him like this too?

Fang Ran was confused; why didn’t he have even a shred of a memory? How did he pin Huo Yan against the wall? How did he hold him down so he couldn’t move? Most importantly…

He wasn’t as tall as Huo Yan.

Did he jump up to kiss him?

Fang Ran really couldn’t imagine the scene; he felt it would look very ridiculous.

Huo Yan waited with his lips slightly pursed for a while, but the “baby’s” finger still hadn’t touched him. His plan to take the opportunity to nibble on the baby’s finger had fallen through.

Huo Yan frowned imperceptibly. “What’s wrong?”

Fang Ran asked in confusion, “Did I really forcibly kiss you yesterday?”

Alarm bells rang in Huo Yan’s heart, but his face remained calm. “What do you mean? Could I possibly lie to you? I wouldn’t go so far as to bite my own lip just to frame you.”

Fang Ran waved his hands hurriedly. “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Huo Yan let out an almost imperceptible sigh. “Ranran, I said I don’t blame you. You don’t have to be like this.”

A perfect move of “retreating to advance.”

Fang Ran was suddenly speechless and too embarrassed to ask further. He squeezed a bit of ointment onto his fingertip, leaned in closer, and gently applied it to Huo Yan’s lips.

The man’s lip shape was very good, and his lips were somewhat thin. Fang Ran didn’t dare look too much; he was nearly chanting a “Heart-Clearing Mantra” in his mind. As soon as his finger touched, he wanted to pull it back.

He was probably too flustered; his eyelashes were trembling wildly, fluttering up and down.

Fang Ran’s eyes were very beautiful. Huo Yan had known this since they were children.

Just like when they first met, Fang Ran would always blink his round eyes and follow behind him, calling him “Brother” with every breath even though at that time, Huo Yan was only a few months older than him.

At first, Huo Yan didn’t want to pay him any mind, but Fang Ran was too clingy. Huo Yan had no defenses against it and his heart softened within two days.

From that day on, the two were practically inseparable. They even stayed in the dorms together. Fang Ran was timid as a child; after the auntie turned off the lights and left, he would quietly crawl over and sneak into Huo Yan’s duvet.

Huo Yan thought regretfully: Why doesn’t Ranran sneak into the duvet anymore?

Now it had changed to him racking his brains trying to sneak into Fang Ran’s duvet.

Truly, the tables have turned.

During the application process, which lasted less than half a minute, Huo Yan stared deeply at Fang Ran the whole time, though he didn’t do anything more out of line.

Finally, the medicine was applied without further incident, and Fang Ran let out a heavy sigh of relief.

He had really been a bit abnormal lately; getting close to Huo Yan would make his heart race. Fang Ran spoke somewhat awkwardly, “Um, I’m going back to school now.”

“Leaving so soon?” Huo Yan frowned. “I’ll drive you.”

“No need!” Fang Ran quickly refused. “Don’t… don’t keep driving me back and forth. I’m leaving, you go back to work.”

Fang Ran didn’t dare stay for a single minute more and left almost as if he were escaping.

…

The entire afternoon consisted of self-study classes, and Fang Ran didn’t want to go back to the classroom. His heart was a mess, so he simply wandered around the playground.

Some people were playing soccer, and the ball rolled to his feet. Fang Ran picked it up and looked up to see that the one running toward him was actually the junior who had given him the love letter the other night.

The junior was clearly a bit embarrassed to see him and smiled. “Senior Fang Ran, what a coincidence.”

He took the ball and was about to leave when he suddenly heard Fang Ran ask him softly from behind, “Pardon me for asking, but how did you discover that you liked boys?”

The junior turned back and looked at him in surprise. “Does Senior Fang Ran not like men?”

Fang Ran’s face turned red. “I—I’m a straight man.”

The junior said sincerely, “Well, it doesn’t look like it.”

Fang Ran spoke with a bit of self-abandon, “Okay, maybe I’m not very straight right now.”

The junior thought for a moment. “So Senior Fang Ran wants to confirm whether he actually likes boys or not?”

Fang Ran nodded heavily.

After a few seconds, the junior said, “There is a way. Are you free after school, Senior?”

Fang Ran gritted his teeth. “I’m free!”

Free, my ass!

Huo Yan was watching him closely.

He could only tell a small lie, claiming he was going to Zhao Yan’s house. To make the lie more realistic, he even told Zhao Yan in advance.

Zhao Yan spoke weakly, “Remember to burn some paper for me during the Qingming Festival, brother.”

Fang Ran smiled guiltily. “Huo Yan actually has a very good temper; even if he finds out, he won’t get angry.”

Zhao Yan was silent, feeling that Fang Ran’s “filter” was truly too thick. But for the sake of his brother, he agreed.

After school, Fang Ran carried his backpack and met the junior at the back gate of the school.

The junior led him through several twists and turns into a small alley, turned a corner, and entered a basement.

It looked very ordinary from the outside, but after pushing open the door, walking down a long corridor, and pushing another door, he realized there was a whole different world inside.

The music wasn’t the deafening kind; instead, it was low and slow, carrying an ambiguous atmosphere, lingering like a lover whispering in your ear.

The junior was clearly a regular. Familiar with the place, he led Fang Ran into a private room that looked like a KTV. A few minutes later, several men filed in. Each was sturdily built, their muscles looking as if they were about to bulge out.

Fang Ran almost jumped out of his skin.

The junior pressed on his shoulder and showed him the “menu.” “Do you like these styles? There are other types; take a look.”

“This isn’t good!”

Fang Ran, an “antique” from ten years ago, looked panicked. “I don’t… I don’t play like this.”

The junior was amused. “What are you thinking? They’re just here to accompany you in singing; at most, they’ll let you feel their muscles.”

“Didn’t you say you didn’t know if you liked boys? Now I’m asking you, looking at their muscles, do you have any urge to touch them or lean in to kiss them?”

Fang Ran was stunned and instinctively looked over.

These people must have trained specifically; their muscles were very full, even to an exaggerated degree. To match the muscles, the clothes they wore were also strap-style, with only a few strips of cloth.

But Fang Ran didn’t really like what he saw.

It was too exaggerated.

Unlike Huo Yan’s, which were lean muscles; his chest muscles had a strong presence but weren’t overly exaggerated. They bulged slightly, looking as if they were very suitable for touching.

Huo Yan wouldn’t wear this kind of clothing either; he mostly wore shirts. When he wore them, he looked like a “refined scum,” and only after taking them off would one discover the hidden secrets within.

What did the junior say just now?

Kissing?

Not just kissing.

He had even bitten.

The image of the tooth marks on the man’s chest muscles surfaced in Fang Ran’s mind, and his face suddenly felt a bit hot.

Beside him, the junior kept a close eye on him, observing his reaction. “How is it? Do you feel anything?”

Fang Ran said vaguely, “A—a little bit, I guess.”

God, this is killing me!

Why is my head full of Huo Yan!!!