Chapter 45: “Huo Chen, I Think I’ve Fallen in Love with You.”
“Don’t act coquettish.”
Huo Chen’s mouth was forever unforgiving.
He appeared to have a tough attitude, but in reality, he retreated step by step. First, he was disturbed by Lin Huaizhi’s phone call, saying he wouldn’t care but running over to care anyway.
Then Lin Huaizhi said he wanted a hug, he said no, but still reached out and hugged him.
Finally, with the porridge, he verbally told Lin Huaizhi not to act coquettish, but as soon as the words fell, he awkwardly blew on the porridge twice and brought it to Lin Huaizhi’s lips.
So how could Lin Huaizhi not fall for him?
When getting to know someone, never look at what they say; look at what they do.
Huo Chen was extremely high-purity dark chocolate.
He tasted very bitter, so no one dared to approach him. Only by tasting carefully could one experience the little bit of sweetness within.
Lin Huaizhi wasn’t afraid of bitterness.
So he got his wish and received Huo Chen’s special treatment.
Lin Huaizhi didn’t have much of an appetite and couldn’t eat more after a few mouthfuls. Huo Chen had bought cold medicine and fever-reducing patches.
He handed the hot water to Lin Huaizhi and popped all the required pills into his hand.
Lin Huaizhi only took the water.
From Huo Chen’s open palm, he ate the pills slowly, one by one.
Neither of them made a sound; the atmosphere was peaceful and warm.
It was a good thing neither of their assistants was there. Otherwise, Zhou Ning’s first reaction would be—Holy shit! Is that my boss who is usually strong-willed and never shows weakness?!
And Zheng Xiuang’s would be—Oh my god! Is this my boss who has a temper like a rock, extremely low patience, and is never approachable?!
After applying the fever patch, Lin Huaizhi’s fever quickly went down.
He didn’t have a serious illness to begin with. The first cold was because of jealousy—stubbornly refusing to share a blanket with Huo Chen. The mountain night wind was cold, and he caught a cold the next day.
The second time was because the first cold hadn’t fully healed, and he got caught in heavy rain again.
Now, having taken medicine properly, wearing a fever patch, and seeing the person he liked, his mood was bubbling with beauty. The impact of the cold was naturally minimized.
“Can you sleep with me?”
Lin Huaizhi looked at Huo Chen, who was getting up to pack things away. He blinked his eyes and managed to force out a bit of moisture.
“I know this request is rude, but I just… I called you earlier because I had a nightmare. I’m a little scared…”
Lin Huaizhi really knew how to play the game.
He knew when to be strong and when to act weak. With Huo Chen, constant force wouldn’t work. It was best to use both soft and hard tactics—not only to let Huo Chen experience his love but also to let Huo Chen intuitively feel his need.
He just needed Huo Chen.
Now that he was sick, he just didn’t want to leave him.
The worst outcome would be Huo Chen refusing and leaving, but the good outcome was sharing a bed with Huo Chen.
Given the two choices, any fool would know which to pick.
Huo Chen wasn’t a fool; naturally, he knew Lin Huaizhi’s scheme. However, he was more concerned with Lin Huaizhi’s voice.
That soft yet un-effeminate tone made him feel uncomfortable all over.
“I said, don’t act coquettish.”
The young man fell silent for a moment, then opened his mouth to apologize: “I’m sorry.”
Huo Chen’s discomfort turned into annoyance. He felt that Lin Huaizhi’s appearance was a bit jarring, especially the look of him apologizing so carefully—it was even more jarring.
“Don’t apologize either.”
Lin Huaizhi didn’t speak again, just looked at Huo Chen.
The man finished packing up, walked out of the bedroom, and casually turned off the light.
Lin Huaizhi didn’t try to keep him again. Some things could be said once or twice, but saying them too much would be annoying.
Knowing when to stop.
Quitting while ahead.
Only then would it have a greater effect.
Unknown how much time had passed, in his daze, Lin Huaizhi felt a hand touching his forehead.
He opened his eyes instantly.
But after smelling the familiar scent, he nuzzled against the palm of that hand, his voice a bit sticky.
“Didn’t you leave? Why did you come back?”
“I didn’t leave.”
Huo Chen peeled the fever patch off the young man’s forehead and threw it into the trash can. After a moment of silence, he somewhat stiffly tucked the corners of the quilt for Lin Huaizhi.
Only, he couldn’t pull his hand away.
Lin Huaizhi held onto him.
“Huo Chen.”
In the darkness, the man responded after a moment.
“I have night blindness.”
Huo Chen didn’t expect him to suddenly mention this and didn’t know how to respond for a moment, so only silence remained in the air.
Lin Huaizhi didn’t need him to respond and continued speaking to himself: “I didn’t know before why my eyes couldn’t see clearly at night. Later, when I went to school, I learned that it’s called night blindness.”
“It seems the onset is due to a lack of Vitamin A in the diet, or malnutrition of the retinal rod cells, or hereditary eye disease.”
“Later, when I had money, I went for treatment. The doctor said I had night blindness because of malnutrition of the retinal rod cells.”
“I don’t really understand the medical terms, but malnutrition was indeed the norm. When I was little, I often couldn’t eat my fill. I ate whatever there was; who cared about being rich in Vitamin A?”
“Even now, my night blindness has only improved, not cured. At night, especially very dark nights, I still can’t see clearly.”
Huo Chen didn’t speak.
He suddenly remembered that Lin Huaizhi’s house used a lot of bay window designs, and the living room had large floor-to-ceiling windows. The lighting was sufficient to the point of being excessive.
“Actually, I’m not saying this to gain sympathy.”
Lin Huaizhi held Huo Chen’s hand, his gaze resting on the pitch blackness.
“I just wanted to say, when will I be cured? Can I be cured? Can I be cured right now?”
He paused.
There was a distinct smile in his voice.
“Because I want to be able to see you in the dark. By the way, have I told you that I especially like you?”
Huo Chen’s throat felt inexplicably dry.
The heart in his chest also seemed a bit restless.
“You have.”
Lin Huaizhi nodded. “It seems so. But that doesn’t stop me from saying it again. Huo Chen, I especially like you. I didn’t expect that someone like me, who has spent a lifetime weighing pros and cons, would actually fall in love at first sight.”
“Do you know what love at first sight means?”
“It is equivalent to unrequited love.”
“And unrequited love means that this is likely an investment that will yield no return. And even if the investor goes bankrupt in the final liquidation, they still want to increase their shares.”
“For me, this deal is a total loss, down to my underwear. Anyone who does it is a fool.”
“Now I admit, I am that fool.”
“And for this investment that may not yield a return temporarily, and with an uncertain future return, I still want to increase my investment heavily.”
Huo Chen’s Adam’s apple rolled.
“Persistence in error is not a good thing. You have the right to choose; you can choose to give up.”
Lin Huaizhi suddenly laughed.
“The right to choose?”
“The right to choose has long been out of my hands.”
“A real investment allows for measured advance and retreat, but the fall of a heart has no such thing. Before, I said I especially liked you because I really especially liked you.”
“But now, I don’t like you.”
“I seem to have gone a step further on the level of liking, turning it into love.”
“Do you know?”
“Huo Chen, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“It’s the kind of love where I won’t be reconciled for my entire life if I don’t get you; the kind where if you don’t agree to be with me, I’ll go crazy and want to use imprisonment to force you to submit.”
Huo Chen hadn’t spoken much from beginning to end, but to say he wasn’t moved would be a lie.
He knew what Lin Huaizhi was doing.
Lin Huaizhi was cutting open his heart to show him.
He said, Lin Huaizhi, let me see your love, and Lin Huaizhi showed him his heart.
He had never received such a deep, intense emotion. It was as if he wasn’t a backup option, wouldn’t be discarded at any time. Even if he were a plummeting stock, someone wanted to give their all to pull him back to the highs.
“Are you scared?”
Lin Huaizhi didn’t get a response, but he didn’t stop there. What he was practicing a second ago became worthless the next.
“I didn’t lie to you.”
“I look like I’m normal, but in my bones, I’m a lunatic. If I set my sights on something, I will use every effort and method to get it.”
“You can reject me, you can stay away from me, but you can’t stop me.”
“Huo Chen…”
“I just want to tell you how much weight this heart holds, and how crazy it is.”
Lin Huaizhi sat up, pressed the man’s hand against his chest, then reached forward, fumbling until he touched the man’s face directly.
“Are you leaving?”
No one spoke.
Lin Huaizhi laughed. He leaned forward. “If you don’t leave, I’m going to kiss you.”
Recommended Reads
![[Esports] I Started an Online Romance with a Big Shot After Retiring](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/esports.jpg)
![[ABO] After Accidental Marking, I Became Everyone’s Darling](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/ABO-225x300.jpeg)
