The way Yuan looked at Xiao Feng made everything crystal clear of why he had gone there.
His eyes carried a question, one that didn't need words: You're fine? I thought something happened to you since you disappeared.
Xiao Feng felt a jolt of panic.
He couldn't allow Yuan to voice that. Once the words left Yuan's lips, the consequences would be immediate and unforgiving if his father found out that he had been lying about going to BlueMoon packhouse.
He had to stop Yuan from speaking about it, but how...?
"Yuan, what a surprise," his father said first, stepping closer with a casual tone that did nothing to hide the curiosity behind it.
Before Yuan could respond, Xiao Feng moved, slipping close to him. A forced laugh escaped his lips, "Hey, you…" His voice tried to carry lightness, but it quivered despite him. "So, you actually came…" He chuckled.. "I knew curiosity would get the better of you, that you'd follow me right after."
The words made no sense, he knew that. But he didn't care about that at the moment. He turned quickly to his father, speaking as if they were improvising together. "Actually... It's not a real surprise. Earlier today, Yuan Yuan and I were talking about something I wanted to show him. He pretended he wasn't interested, but here he is."
He forced another laugh, one hand moving to rest on Yuan's shoulder. The contact, simple as it was, set his nerves on fire.
He felt the heat crawling up his neck, into his chest. He could sense Yuan's unease, and that only amplified his own.
He knew how much Yuan disliked closeness like this, yet he had no choice but to maintain it. His skin felt uncomfortably warm; his thoughts scattered.
"Shall we?" he asked, tilting his head to look up at Yuan. Yuan was slightly taller, his blue eyes meeting Xiao Feng's directly.
The combination of their color, and subtle confusion in those eyes left Xiao Feng off-balance, his breath catching abruptly. His heart raced harder than before.
For a heartbeat, he saw Yuan in a way he hadn't before. It felt as if he was seeing Yuan for the first time. Every line of his face, every subtle expression, seemed to strike him unexpectedly.
Was it because he was finally looking directly into Yuan's eyes? Or because he was so close, closer than ever before?
Something unfamiliar was pulling at him, drawing him in. It felt almost magnetic.
He tore his gaze away, masking his reaction.
He moved, guiding Yuan toward the nearest path, unsure of where exactly he was leading him.
They walked in silence and finally, they stopped outside the door to his room.
Xiao Feng opened the door and stepped inside. Yuan stayed at the threshold, rigid. "I'm not going in," he said.
"Don't be such a fusspot," Xiao Feng said, and before he could think, his body moved on its own accord, reaching for Yuan.
With an almost automatic motion, he pulled Yuan inside. Yuan, unprepared for the sudden motion, stumbled forward.
Xiao Feng, weaker, lost his balance entirely, tipping backward, clearly going to follow, and Yuan followed, momentum carrying him into Xiao Feng's descent.
Xiao Feng hit the floor with a thud, his head would have hit the hard floor with a sickening impact, but Yuan's hand shot out instinctively, bracing the back of his head, softening the collision just enough to prevent him from hurting his head.
For a breathless, suspended moment, they remained still, faces inches apart, eyes locked.
Then, as abruptly as it had started, Yuan pulled back, breaking the tableau. He straightened, distancing himself with sharp movements, leaving Xiao Feng on the floor.
Xiao Feng stayed on the floor a moment longer, his pulse still catching, heart racing, skin still tingling from the closeness, he could still feel Yuan's weight on him.
"You know…" Yuan started, and even though he clearly tried to keep his voice level, it still wavered, the sound uneven in a way that betrayed him. "I've never said this out loud before but I can't actually stand you!"
The words themselves were sharper than his voice suggested, even his eyes did not meet Xiao Feng's.
Instead, his gaze slid past him, fixed somewhere just above his brows as though looking directly at him required more control than he could manage.
The words struck Xiao Feng hard, but he did not react the way they were meant to provoke.
He let out a quiet chuckle, almost like he hadn't heard the words. He did not bother getting up from the floor.
He stayed exactly where he was, stretched out, his body relaxed in a way that was a contrast to the tension standing over him.
"Oh? Okay." He murmured, "Mind explaining what you're doing here? I mean… you already showed clearly that you actually don't want the friendship that our parents are trying to force us into, I don't want it either… so I decided I won't bother you anymore, so, what are you doing here?" His voice carried an easy tone.
For a brief moment, Yuan looked as though he might say anything at all just to fill the silence. His mouth parted slightly then closed.. as if he was scrambling for words that refused to line up.
But then he straightened, his posture firming, his expression settling into something more controlled. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm not here because I want to." His voice was steadier now, colder. "My father is holding a gala for all the alpha princes and princesses, meant to help them know each other and just interact. So I… So he thought it might be good for you since no one knows you. It's starting tomorrow at 5pm. Suit yourself."
The words were delivered cleanly, efficiently, as though he were reading from a script he wanted to be done with.
With that, Yuan turned away without waiting for a response and walked toward the door.
Before he could leave, Xiao Feng moved. He lifted his upper body slightly, propping his head against his hand, his elbow bent comfortably as though this were all nothing more than an idle exchange. "You didn't think a guard could have delivered the message just fine? Why bother yourself to come all the way?" His tone was light, almost amused, his eyes fixed on Yuan's back.
Yuan had stopped, but he didn't look back, he then continued to walk, reached the door, opened it, and walked out.