HOYSE CHAPTER 38

Chapter 38 — Snatching Meat from a Wolf’s Mouth

In that moment the two brothers both felt out of place in this world, as if they were the odd ones out.

Was life really so joyless if you did not talk about sex?

They sat in a quiet truce for a while. Then Xie Ling went off to a meeting. At the door he told his brother, “Go sign it. Fun Video almost backed out this time. Do you really rate them that highly?”

By Xie Ling’s read, there was nothing so special about the company that it deserved this much of his brother’s attention. Video apps were everywhere lately. With a saturated market, real breakthroughs were hard. He would rather keep the bite small and chew it well. Focus on their own transformation instead of lunging across the fence for new fields. Still, if his brother liked it, the money was worth spending to make him happy. 

Except his little brother looked anything but happy right now.

The Fun deal had dragged nearly a week. Just as Rong Jing expected, knowing the plot did not mean you could cut in line and win at once. Several firms that had quietly made offers ahead of time all ran into “sudden” issues. Most of those he could smooth over. Fun was the tricky one, because the Wu family showed up.

During the talks, Paisen Tech somehow found out about the project and after getting a quick briefing, developed an interest. Once they learned Rong Jing planned to invest personally, they moved to have the company sign a new term sheet with them instead. In their eyes, if no formal contract had been signed then the game was still open. Business was business. Whoever brought more chips won. No one cared who said hello first. And cutting in like this was something Paisen Tech had done before.

Their planning team asked the top brass for approval to sweeten the pot by 2.5 million. One million for equity, and 1.5 million earmarked for early R&D. It looked generous.

Fun’s original shareholders split. This was not only about money. Compared with Rong Jing’s personal stake, the Wu Group was a major conglomerate, focused on high tech and able to provide technical support. They seemed a better fit than the Xies, who had started in real estate.

Rong Jing had expected the world’s will would never hand a huge golden cheat like this to a cannon-fodder character for free. Sure enough, in the original book the Wus cast a wide net and did not single out Fun, but now they had suddenly developed a taste for this “small” company.

Rong Jing decided to go on offense. He had to sign before Wu Hanqi took notice. He contacted Qiu Xiang, laid out clearly and persuasively why he believed in Fun and where its growth could go, making it clear he was not throwing blind money.

Rong Jing was gambling. Gambling on time. His hands could move faster than fate.

He also believed that for this level of small-ticket investment, Wu Hanqi himself rarely intervened. The man’s foresight, when he did show up, was razor-accurate, and Rong Jing was wary of him. If he could avoid him, he would. As long as Wu Hanqi did not step in, his odds were good.

Qiu Xiang wavered. The temptation ahead was sizable. But he held the line. He was an engineer by training, disliked the schmoozing, and did not want to break his word. Rong Jing had been the one to show up when he was desperate. Before any papers were signed, Rong Jing had wired an extra sum so he could make payroll. That money had put out the fire at his feet. It was outside the deal terms, from Rong Jing’s private account. Even if Rong Jing backed out, it would not stop Fun from signing with someone else. That was exactly why Qiu Xiang chose to keep his word. He trusted the man’s character.

From a company standpoint, he would rather work with an investor like Rong Jing, who was crisp and would not meddle in operations. A big company like Paisen meant rules and more rules. They had already asked for parts of the product to be reworked. If you followed all their requirements, Fun would end up replacing its core. In half a month of knocking on doors, he had seen every shade of human nature. He had learned that a hands-off partner might be more reliable than a corporate giant that threw money around.

Today was the day to make it official. At dawn, when the alarm chirped, Rong Jing’s eyes opened. He cooked the breakfast Gu Xi had requested and set it at the door.

He knocked. From inside came a muffled sound, then a drowsy murmur that lilted like a southern river. It sounded like it rose straight from the quilt. “Is that breakfast? Leave it at the door.”

He did not sound awake. Rolled over and drifted off again. That soft voice made you want to heap every treasure in the world at his feet. Rong Jing was not your average Alpha. A vein ticked at his temple. Senior or not, was that not a bit rude?

He had discovered that behind Gu Xi’s cool self-control there was a streak of rascal in him. It was annoying and funny at once. At least Gu Xi trusted him. He could tell that much.

He drew a breath. “I’m heading to the office. I will try to be back before lunch. How is your body?”

Inside, the person under the covers was still dead tired. He pulled the quilt over his head and rolled once. Thump. All four limbs sprawled.

The posture was far from elegant. Gu Xi, a master of self-discipline, snapped awake and corrected it at once.

The familiar room, the familiar scent, and then his heart simply softened.

He heard the man still talking outside. He smoothed his hair, cleared his throat, and replied with mild courtesy, “I am fine. Thank you for the trouble. I can order takeout for breakfast if needed.” If he kept eating like this, he was afraid his heart would not hold.

Rong Jing did not mind. “I eat too. One portion or two is no different.”

Gu Xi felt different waking up today. He could not smell what the air carried, but his body felt light. Had the heat just ended?

He stared at his hands, at his body in disbelief. From puberty to adulthood, his heats had never been this steady.

Rong Jing listened through the door. Asleep again? In heat, Gu Xi had been surprisingly quiet. He had never disturbed him. Even through the agony of ten-some injections, Gu Xi had held back sound. Without the little notes at the door each day, Rong Jing might have thought the room was empty.

Only once, in the middle of the night, when Rong Jing got up to use the bathroom, he heard it. A low, bitten-off moan from next door. So faint he could almost pretend it was not there.

He did not knock. Gu Xi’s pride was steel. He would not want the man next door to know. So Rong Jing pretended he had not heard. He admired him and could not help a touch of pity. People who were that strong always paid for it.

Sure that Gu Xi was sleeping like the dead, Rong Jing added his WeChat handle to today’s note and asked him to use it in any emergency. Come to think of it, they had met and lived side by side, yet did not even have each other’s contacts. As an Alpha he should be the one to step up.

As he stepped out, he felt a gaze on him. He looked around and saw no one suspicious. Upstairs, Gu Xi stood behind the curtain. When Rong Jing glanced up, he slipped back from the window.

When Rong Jing did not spot him, Gu Xi let out a breath and sank into a chair. Remembering all the unspeakable things he had done during his heat, he could not help rolling once across the floor. He rolled a few more times, then stopped, stretched out his arms and legs, and stared at the ceiling.

“Ugh, mortifying.” What would he think of me? A crazed, shameless Omega? I threw myself at him, got pushed away, then pushed away again, and again. “Ahhh.” I am not me. The person he pushed away is not me.

He glanced at the other room. At least its owner had already left.

He so rarely felt this relaxed. These last days had felt like the best of his life since birth. He tapped his chest. Do not be greedy. You have already been given too much. Pull yourself together.

To stop thinking about the awkwardness with Rong Jing, Gu Xi started clearing the work backlog. He apologized one by one to all partners he had stood up. Again, and again.

He had warned every affected partner ahead of time that his health would keep him out, and had promised to return breach fees as per contract. During his absence he recommended colleagues with free schedules to take his place. Gu Xi had strong goodwill in the circle. Plenty of people were happy to help and to repay past favors. He was a top-tier name. With his sincerity and clean handover, most companies chose to settle instead of fight.

Otherwise, news of him flaking would have blown up long ago. There were only rumors now. His studio had undercut him again, but fans were still holding the lines, and he had paid for extra astroturf to dilute the damage. For the moment, the fallout was contained.

He planned to sell the apartment he had bought on a loan. He had not wanted to go back regardless. Every time he thought of Fang Juelian, whom he had counted a friend, and that man’s inner voice toward him, the place curdled. Better to sell it and use the money to offset breach fees.

Here’s a rephrased, more engaging, and smoothly flowing version of your passage, keeping it faithful to the original but easier to read:

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He checked on the rumor about Xu Jiarui. The buzz had died down, replaced by newer stories. Gu Xi had never responded. Aside from a small slice of CP fans, most of Gu Xi’s and Xu Jiarui’s followers had split and were loudly rejecting the idea of them being a couple.

Gu Xi’s fans called it clout-chasing. Look at our brother’s status. Look at yours. They said Xu Jiarui used to be a foot-washing extra who rode on pity clicks. You’re just leeching traffic. If Gu Xi acknowledged Xu, it was like lifting him for free.

Xu Jiarui’s fans fired back, accusing Gu Xi of having too many rumors. Everyone knows he gets paired with a new name every so often. Their guy didn’t need a social butterfly like him. Stop gilding your own face.

What could have been a simple hype cycle turned into two fanbases tearing each other apart.

Gu Xi logged in and messaged a major fan account from his main. Before he cut ties with the company, the studio sometimes coordinated with big fans for logistics. When the fan realized it was Gu Xi himself, she burst into tears in the support chat and cried for hours. Word spread quickly, and dozens of support groups went joyfully wild.

Everyone knew Gu Xi’s coldness was famous. He rarely interacted. Smiles were rare. A reply from him was like a shooting star. Most fans didn’t want to force a man dedicated to his craft to fake a grin. They understood why.

Early on, a deranged fan had tried to splash acid at an event, claiming Gu Xi’s polite smile at a signing meant he loved her back and she had the right to force him. The madness was beyond reason. Gu Xi had nearly been hit. Since then, he barely smiled in public, if he did, it was a polite and distant curve. Fans just wanted him to stay safe.

Now he had thanked them personally, with screenshots to prove it. He thanked them for managing comments and said it had been hard work. Angels wept. The archangel had descended, working so hard among mortals. It is our duty to protect you. Being your fan is a blessing beyond words.

Gu Xi also saw that reports about Xu Shengteng and Yang Qi being taken in had surfaced. The media covered it, but once Xu realized Gu Xi had posted that ambiguous rain-day line first, he paid to bury their arrest story and push the “absent without cause” narrative again.

Fans didn’t suspect Shengteng was behind it. Over the years, the company had kept up appearances, so outsiders wouldn’t think anything was wrong. Xu was a master of polish and marketing. The firm looked proper enough, and the resources for Gu Xi were decent. Aside from the blank three years, there was little to point at. Xu would never leave an obvious grip for anyone to hold.

If not for Gu Xi’s sharp instincts that night, he might not have secured such solid evidence.

He opened his album and found the video from that day. The image was dark, just a ceiling and nothing else. It was dark because he had realized Xu was on him while the phone was still under the quilt. The ceiling only appeared after the quilt was kicked away.

He hadn’t just grabbed the baton. In the panic, he’d hit record on the phone he always kept tucked under the covers. When he got out of bed, the camera was still rolling.

With a little work, he could have sold the footage to the media. But that wasn’t the plan.

That night had been too disgusting. There was no picture, but the voices, and the police, were enough.

When the “absent” narrative crested, he posted the cleaned clip to his own Weibo. He did not care about the storm to come. He switched his phone to Airplane Mode again.

Then he looked up Rong Jing’s account and followed it from a small side account. He went to look for a global fan support page for him and discovered there was none. Which made sense. Rong Jing had been briefly hot years ago, then gone quiet. Without resurgent work there would be no fan union.

Gu Xi felt oddly uncomfortable. He could not name it. It just hurt a little. Why did Rong Jing not have one? He should. He must. He was too good to be without one. That thought made Gu Xi quietly unhappy.

If there was none, he would build it himself. He had never run a support account. He read up on how to apply for one, and at the same time applied to create support group chats Q1 and Q2. Two would do for now. If numbers grew, he would add more. Given Rong Jing’s old reputation, he would personally screen entries to keep out disguised haters.

He had never done this, but he could learn. When he hit a snag, he followed the old manager’s workflow like a novice and occasionally asked colleagues who knew how.

A big fan pinged him with concern about the video. This time Gu Xi did not respond. He glanced at his main Weibo. The comments had turned into a battlefield.

Meanwhile, Rong Jing reached Xie Ling’s office and had that small exchange with his brother. Both sides came into the signing with real intent. As his pen left the final page, he glanced out at the sky. It had been clear when he arrived. Now clouds were stacked like slate, the air thrumming as if warning of a storm. To defy heaven was to invite a change in the weather.

He shook hands with Qiu Xiang to seal the last item. At that moment Wu Hanqi called.

He had just yanked a piece of meat from between a wolf’s teeth, and the wolf called. Unexpected, and perfectly logical.

Rong Jing stepped into a quiet corner, steadied himself at the caller ID, and answered.

A smooth voice, warm as good liquor, slid through. “Kid, I hear you just messed up a project we had our eye on.”

Rong Jing entered the elevator with Zhou You, smiling. “Uncle Qi, how is that messing up? I scouted it first and signed the intent first. At most I moved faster. Business is business. Feelings cannot steer the wheel. That was your lesson to me.”

Wu Hanqi did not sound angry. If anything, he was amused that the boy could talk back even to him, not like the many youngsters who trembled in front of him. “Quoting me to box me in?”

“Uncle Qi, are you really going to fuss with me?” Rong Jing answered with a hint of childishness. In their brief dealings he had found that Wu had a touch of indulgence for him, the way an elder might.

Most of the time Rong Jing played along. A man with that much need for control would always have a way to force compliance if you pushed him.

As expected, Wu ate it up when he acted spoiled. “This is small stuff. If you want to sign, sign. If it flops, do not come crying to me. Ling already told me you are an investment black hole. I want to see if you are.” His car rolled by the Xie building. Wu lifted a finger and his driver pulled over so he could rest his eyes. “I board in four hours. Why not have Xiao Jing see me off in your father’s place?”

Given two decades of ties between the families, seeing him off would not be strange. The Wus had also shown the Xies face. When Huang Jian had been humiliated in a restroom by Rong Jing, his family had wanted to make trouble. One sentence from Wu Hanqi, “Kids roughhousing,” ended it. The Huangs would not cross Wu and had let it go.

Xie Ling could have handled it too, but his seniority meant it might cost. Since Wu had paved the road, the favor was owed whether you liked it or not. Rong Jing had already called to thank him, which did not mean he liked being around him. He worked his mind for a polite no. The old fox was too clever. Who knew what medicine he had in that gourd.

“It is pouring. I did not bring an umbrella. Getting out is a pain. Next time in Hushi I will pay my respects at your home, how about that?” The clouds had barely stacked before the downpour came, rattling against glass.

Wu smiled with eyes closed. “You have been in Jing already and your mouth says nice things, yet you have never called once. Now you talk of Hushi? Failing to keep your word is a bad habit. Remember when you were little you promised to do ten things for me?”

Ten things?

Rong Jing thought back. There was such a thing. Back then the original owner had wanted the busy Wu Hanqi to spend a day with him. He had wheedled a promise that if Uncle would stay one day, he would do ten tasks in return. And Wu really had carved out a day. Nine years of silence, then this reminder.

Rong Jing fended him off with a neat excuse. He was at the office today and busy, next time for sure. No way he would casually accept a date with an old fox.

He had just stepped out of the building when he saw someone under the eaves, clutching two umbrellas and holding his arms for warmth against the wind. A classic cap and mask. Long, elegant legs crossed. Quietly watching the pearls of rain drip from the glass awning. The whole thing looked like a painting.

Sitting there so simply, he drew the eye of everyone coming and going, just for the posture and the air. Even wearing a disguise, Rong Jing knew who it was.

Fine droplets drifted onto the man’s clothes. He did not notice Rong Jing yet. He was just quietly watching the rain. A line flashed in Rong Jing’s mind from some book long ago. You are looking at scenery, and someone looking at scenery is looking at you.

Zhou You murmured that the car had finished inspection and would be around shortly. Rong Jing shook his head. “I want to walk back today.”

Zhou You saw who was waiting with umbrellas. He seemed to understand and smiled. Rong Jing had the urge to explain that nothing was going on. They had only lived together for a few days.

Forget it. Living together was not simple. The more you said, the darker it got.

He walked over. “What brings you over to the office? Your… is it over?”

Gu Xi looked down at the familiar pair of shoes and a flicker of joy slipped through him.

“Are you riding back today?” Only then did he realize he had come for nothing. He tucked one umbrella behind him and pretended he had just come to sit.

“No. I want some exercise.”

Gu Xi loosened all over, stood, and stuffed the umbrella into Rong Jing’s hand. The man wore that familiar coolness, yet there was something different under it.

“Mm. It is over.” Gu Xi knew what he was asking. It sounded a bit cold, so he added, “Want to have lunch together? I ordered food outside.” He had set up the support groups and posted on the film school forum. He knew how hard it was to stand out there, since the school was full of heavy hitters. Maybe he could seed it and find a few fans to start. He had spent hours applying for support accounts. When the rain broke, he remembered this morning had been all blue sky. Rong Jing definitely had no umbrella. He came over at once. He remembered Rong Jing had said he would be at Xie’s to sign.

He nervously waited. It was the first time he had ever invited an Alpha to a meal.

Rong Jing had no reason to refuse. He knew the original Gu Xi did not like to owe favors. “Sure.”

At that simple yes, Gu Xi smiled. The mask hid his mouth, so Rong Jing only saw the bright curve of those peach blossom eyes.

It almost made Rong Jing think he had agreed to something very important. Hm. Do not get ahead of yourself.

He took the umbrella without a word and they walked into the rain. They did not talk, but somehow it was not awkward at all. The noise of the city fell away until there was only the outline at his side.

Gu Xi watched the splashes dance, then the drops sliding from the ribs of his umbrella. His fingers itched to catch them. He held back. Hold your image together. You barely have one as it is.

A laughing couple passed them. Their warmth ran by like wind chimes. For once, he did not feel alone.

A gust hit, bringing sheets of rain that slapped against Gu Xi. He was wrapped up, but he had just come off his heat. Rong Jing’s brow knotted.

“Share my umbrella.”

Gu Xi was wrestling a bent umbrella rib and paused. He had not found one at the villa and had bought two cheap ones at a corner store. So they were flimsy.

Rong Jing stood, calm, holding his umbrella out.

Gu Xi blinked. He had been warning himself that if he got greedy, heaven would reclaim the blessing. At first the smell was too good and he only wanted a sniff. Then the pancake fell from the sky and he could not push it away, so he just wanted a little bite.

Greedy, Gu Xi. To cover his mood, he dropped his head. He let the broken umbrella drift with the wind. Rain hit his coat and cap.

He should refuse. But the word snagged in his throat and would not come out.

Just then a car stopped beside them. The window slid down, revealing Wu Hanqi’s refined face.

“Xiao Jing. Done with work?”

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