Work Text:
That morning, when You Shulang left for work, only his throat hurt. Somehow he had slept through his alarm. In his mind he blamed Fan Xiao, his rude behavior, his injured hand, and that suggestion… You Shulang didn’t even want to think about what Fan Xiao had proposed the night before. In the end, he didn’t even have any evidence against him. Because of that, for the first time in ages, You Shulang was late for work.
His coworkers looked at him strangely when he hurried down the corridor straight toward his office. No one said anything, and You Shulang had no intention of starting the topic himself.
By lunchtime, only his head hurt. A dull, throbbing pain, like an army trapped inside his skull desperately trying to escape. Words flickered before his eyes, numbers stopped making sense. But he had a task to complete, so he pushed forward.
By early afternoon it was just chills. You Shulang glanced out the window, expecting to see the first snow, but to his surprise the sun was shining intensely. His direct supervisor, an older woman with an elegant bun that always held every strand of her hair in a strangely terrifying way, looked at You Shulang once.
“I’m sending you home,” she said in a calm tone that allowed no argument.
“I’m fine,” he forced out, clenching his pale hands on the desk in a desperate attempt to remain upright.
“Go home and rest. Unless you want to infect the entire office and expose the company to losses.”
“I’m fine…” he repeated, but he could see his own hands trembling, his fingers turning white as he tightened them around his pen. Suddenly the woman’s hand appeared on his shoulder. Though the touch was gentle, the pressure of the fabric against his skin burned.
“Don’t push yourself. I’ll call someone to pick you up if you don’t do it yourself,” she said, and You Shulang wasn’t sure whether it was his foggy mind or if the woman really was smiling at him dangerously, something like flames flickering in her gaze.
“Alright, Director,” he finally agreed.
+++
Realistically speaking, You Shulang knew he shouldn’t drive, definitely not in this state. That was obvious. But who could he call?
Lu Zhen was out of town. Fan Xiao had an injured hand. And Zhang Cheng… well, he didn’t even want to think about him.
After another moment of mental haze, he called the only person who came to mind.
“Good morning… Mr. Shi, I’m sorry to ask, but are you available right now… I have to ask you for a favor…”
+++
Shi Lihua sat behind the steering wheel of his car and felt uneasy.
You Shulang had called him.
That man did not call him. He shouldn’t even have his phone number. The only connection they had was strictly related to Fan Xiao. Either Fan Xiao dragged You Shulang somewhere, or he forced Shi Lihua to listen to his current obsession with that man, or they happened to be in the same place by coincidence. On the rare occasions they met without Fan Xiao between them, they only exchanged polite greetings and went their separate ways.
But on the phone, You Shulang had sounded like he was dying.
His voice trembled, yet it seemed the man didn’t notice it himself. Words spilled from his mouth as if he wasn’t controlling what he was saying or how he was behaving. Shi Lihua was confused. He didn’t understand what was going on, and that was terrifying.
And fuck, why couldn’t the traffic move faster?
+++
He heard the quiet growl of a car engine.
And then… maybe the slam of a door? … maybe it was thunder?
He didn’t remember, but… it wasn’t supposed to rain today…
He wanted… he wanted… he wanted those arms around him. He wanted to hear the sound of that laughter again…
Whose arms were those? Whose laughter was it?
Everything hurt… hurt…
Someone’s hands on him…
Go away… go away… leave me alone…
And then a voice… frightened… worried…
That voice… it was so pleasant… so gentle…
You Shulang remembered that sound, that voice was,
“You Shulang!”
His name. Yes, that was his name, spoken by someone… not by that voice, not by the pleasant voice he wanted to hear.
Shi Lihua. He should be there, right? After all, that was who You Shulang had called.
What a fool he was, why had he called his friend’s… friend?
“Mr… Shi…” he said. The words were torn from his chest with a painful, unpleasant rasp.
“I’m here. I’ll help you get into the car,” Shi Lihua said, beginning to panic.
You Shulang wanted to help. He didn’t want to be a problem for Shi Lihua, but… but he felt so heavy…
He blinked, and suddenly he was in the car.
How? When? Was Shi Lihua that strong?
No… there had been two voices.
“Should I take him to the hospital?” Shi Lihua asked, though You Shulang didn’t know who the question was directed to.
“No hospital…” You Shulang heard his own groan.
It was just a sore throat… a bit of a cold… he was just cold… really cold… but he was sweating.
Maybe he was hot…
Hot?
Cold?
The voice… that pleasant voice… was it here?
No, it shouldn’t be here.
You Shulang blinked slowly. His consciousness faded and returned again, like waves of the tide crashing against the shore.
He had… he had something to say, but he closed his eyes, and when he opened them again colors were moving outside the window.
The colors were pretty, too indistinct, too blurred for him to tell what shapes they were, but… he could hear a voice. That pleasant voice he wanted to hear, so he closed his eyes again, calm.
The car stopped abruptly, and You Shulang let out a quiet groan as something pressed unpleasantly into his chest. He tried to lift his hand to rub the spot, but his hands were heavy, pinned down by something warm… and when he opened them again someone was holding him around the waist. He coughed, though he felt oddly amused and wanted to giggle, but his own body betrayed him, which was rather rude. Before he managed to look around, another blink carried him forward in time.
+++
When Shi Lihua’s car stopped in the parking lot in front of You Shulang’s company, the driver hadn’t even managed to reach for the door before his unexpected passenger jumped out first.
Shi Lihua had never seen Fan Xiao so… concerned about someone else’s well-being. It was something new, something strange that he intended to observe from a safe distance.
By the time Shi Lihua stepped out of the car, Fan Xiao was already holding You Shulang by the shoulders, supporting him and keeping him steady on his feet.
“You Shulang,” slipped from his lips the moment he saw how You Shulang’s head nearly went limp against Fan Xiao’s shoulder.
“Mr… Shi…” You Shulang sighed softly, and Fan Xiao shivered as the hot breath brushed against his bare neck. His hands tightened around You Shulang.
“He’s burning up,” Fan Xiao said quietly, then motioned to Shi Lihua, silently ordering him to open the back door of the car. Shi Lihua quickly did so without a word of protest.
“I’m here. I’ll help you get into the car,” Shi Lihua said, beginning to panic as Fan Xiao, without paying attention to anything or anyone else, wrapped his arms around You Shulang and lifted him from the ground, carrying him toward the car.
His injured hand clearly posed no problem for Fan Xiao, Shi Lihua knew that. He still remembered the teenage Fan Xiao who, with his arm in a cast, still had the strength to climb trees and walls to escape his family’s residence. But still… watching him now, using that injured hand to lift the nearly unconscious You Shulang… that was something entirely different.
“He’s really unconscious…” Shi Lihua said as Fan Xiao knelt beside the car, carefully arranging him on the back seat. “Should I take him to the hospital?” he asked, directing the question solely to Fan Xiao.
“No hospital…” You Shulang groaned softly.
“Shulang?” Fan Xiao asked, but the man only sighed, his head falling heavily to the side. Completely losing consciousness.
“What do we do now?” Shi Lihua asked again, waiting for Fan Xiao’s reaction, for his instructions.
“Just take me home,” Fan Xiao said calmly. Then he reached for his coat, which he always wore over his shoulders regardless of the weather, took it off, and covered the sleeping figure of You Shulang with it.
“I’ll take care of him.”
+++
“Thanks for everything. Could you do one more round and go to the pharmacy? Buy me… I don’t know, some medicine. Ask the pharmacist, describe his condition. If you’re not sure, call me.”
Fan Xiao stood in the doorway of his house with You Shulang hanging unconscious at his side.
He looked so innocent, so weak… so tempting that Fan Xiao felt like devouring him.
Slowly, step by step, Fan Xiao managed to get them inside. Somehow he guided You Shulang all the way to the bedroom where he had slept the night before.
“No, no, no, don’t go…” You Shulang groaned, grabbing Fan Xiao by the wrist when he tried to step away after laying him on the bed.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Fan Xiao assured him calmly, watching You Shulang’s expression.
He watched how his cheeks flushed with an unnatural redness, how his eyes, even when open, looked at everything with a blurred, unfocused gaze, how his eyelids drooped heavily before fighting for long minutes just to lift again.
It was outrageous.
It was even better than the recording of You Shulang on the back seat of the car.
Fan Xiao wondered… whether he was still calling for Lu Zhen, whether he actually saw Lu Zhen beside him right now, and whether that was the person he was begging to stay.
Fan Xiao clenched his teeth, then reached for the buttons of You Shulang’s shirt.
If he thought he was Lu Zhen, he might as well take advantage of it. At least he wouldn’t resist, and later… well, when he regained his senses, Fan Xiao would definitely use it against him.
He wondered whether You Shulang had been embarrassed that the previous night he had so directly told him he was gay, or whether he expected Fan Xiao to back off afterward. To leave him alone?
Oh, Fan Xiao definitely wasn’t planning that.
What would be the point of abandoning his goal halfway through the game?
He wanted him, and no matter what he had to do, he intended to get him and make him his.
After removing You Shulang’s shoes, pants, and shirt, he pulled his own loose sweatpants onto the man’s bare body, then covered him with the blanket.
You Shulang’s hand shot out again, wrapping softly around Fan Xiao’s wrist.
“Don’t go…” he pleaded in a weak, almost tearful voice.
Fan Xiao gently patted his hand, then slid it off his wrist, once again tucking the blanket tightly around him.
“I’ll just bring you some water,” he said calmly.
“No!” You Shulang groaned, and when his eyes opened, Fan Xiao could almost see unshed tears in them.
“It’s alright, I’ll be right back,” he promised.
And just as he said, he did.
Only a few minutes later Fan Xiao returned to the bedroom carrying a tray. Shi Lihua had already come back with a full bag of various medicines, he had even brought an IV drip and instructions on how to attach it if You Shulang wasn’t able to drink. Apparently the pharmacist had warned him several times about dehydration during a cold.
In the end, Fan Xiao prepared a simple drink from a dissolvable fever-reducing powder. He also brought a bottle of water and a glass with electrolytes.
He considered preparing cold compresses or washing You Shulang, but… well.
Medicine first.
Then he would decide what to do next.
You Shulang blinked slowly when Fan Xiao pressed a hand to his forehead. The difference in temperature was easy to notice, Fan Xiao’s cool hands against You Shulang’s skin, hot like a furnace.
“Fan Xiao?” You Shulang rasped when Fan Xiao helped him sit halfway up, supporting his back and placing spare pillows behind him.
Fan Xiao smiled with satisfaction. Knowing that You Shulang was aware that it was him taking care of him, and not his pathetic boyfriend, well… it improved his mood and encouraged him to tease You Shulang a little.
“I’m here. I have medicine for you,” Fan Xiao said, reaching for the cup.
You Shulang felt tears sliding down his face, but he didn’t worry about it. He wasn’t embarrassed. It was just… those tears had been burning inside him for a long time, threatening to spill out at the worst possible moment, but now… in front of Fan Xiao, somewhere deep inside he felt that he was allowed to let them fall.
“It hurts…” he groaned quietly, leaning against Fan Xiao’s side.
The man wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer and holding You Shulang’s head upright. Slowly he brought the cup with the warm liquid to his lips.
It was sweet, not unpleasant, but it wrapped around You Shulang’s lips and throat, warming him and soothing his irritated throat. Fan Xiao fed it to him slowly, without pressure, pulling the cup away and lowering it every few seconds so he could swallow at his own pace.
When the liquid in the cup was gone, Fan Xiao took it away, wiping You Shulang’s chin and lips with the sleeve of his own shirt.
“Fan… Xiao?” You Shulang groaned questioningly.
He felt his position shift and suddenly found himself in Fan Xiao’s arms. He melted into the embrace of his… friend?
Hearing his quiet voice right beside his ear, You Shulang slipped into an uneasy sleep.
“Don’t worry me like that again. Get better. Everything will be fine…” Fan Xiao murmured like a mantra, not realizing that You Shulang had already fallen asleep long ago.
+++
“Do you need anything else, Fan Xiao?” Shi Lihua asked, lifting his head from his phone.
After delivering the bag full of medicine, he hadn’t known what to do with himself and eventually stayed. He sat down on the couch in Fan Xiao’s living room and waited… though he didn’t even know what he was waiting for. He had the feeling he shouldn’t leave Fan Xiao alone.
He still remembered the look in his eyes when he had delivered the unconscious You Shulang… and just a day earlier he had helped Fan Xiao hide who was really behind drugging and kidnapping You Shulang, helping him blame one of their acquaintances instead.
“I’m not busy, so I can bring you food or arrange for a doctor to visit the house if you need it.”
Fan Xiao walked slowly toward the couch and dropped down beside Shi Lihua.
“Annoying…” he muttered quietly, but Shi Lihua brightened immediately upon hearing any reaction from him. Earlier, when they had seen You Shulang in that state… his friend had looked almost ready to murder someone.
“How is he feeling? He looked terrible…” Shi Lihua commented, trying to sound natural. Perhaps he was attempting, hopelessly, to comfort Fan Xiao.
“He took the medicine. Now he’s sleeping,” Fan Xiao replied briefly. He raised a hand and ran his fingers through his hair.
They sat in silence for a while. The quiet between them was natural, not filled with tension or expectation. Shi Lihua and Fan Xiao had known each other for years. They knew each other’s madness and foolishness. They knew things about each other that no one else should know.
Eventually, after several hours during which Fan Xiao watched the sleeping You Shulang, Shi Lihua was sent out to fetch the family doctor and some groceries.
Fan Xiao… stayed by You Shulang’s bed, checking his fever.
“So strong and resolute…” he murmured quietly, brushing damp hair away from You Shulang’s forehead. “So composed… just yesterday you didn’t want to touch me so badly, and today…”
Fan Xiao chuckled softly.
Today, every time Fan Xiao tried to stand up and walk away from You Shulang’s bed, the man desperately reached for him, tightening his fingers around his wrist and begging him not to leave.
And Fan Xiao stayed, captivated by this new face of You Shulang he had never seen before.
He wanted him like this.
He wanted to know every face You Shulang could show him. He wanted to reach deeper, into the core of him. He wanted to tear away every mask until only his unprotected, vulnerable self remained.
Fan Xiao wanted that.
He didn’t know whether You Shulang was aware the entire time that it was Fan Xiao sitting beside him. It didn’t matter, really. As long as You Shulang kept reaching for him, consciously or not, Fan Xiao intended to use it against him later.
After all, You Shulang was supposed to be the one taking care of Fan Xiao, supposed to look after him and his injured hand.
And now the situation had turned one hundred and eighty degrees, and it was You Shulang lying in front of Fan Xiao, the one who needed care.
For some reason… Fan Xiao liked it much more this way.
+++
Fan Xiao thanked the doctor after he examined You Shulang and connected the IV drip for him. The doctor even gave instructions on how to replace the bag and which medicines should be injected into the drip port and at what intervals.
In truth, it wasn’t anything serious.
Exhaustion. Dehydration. A cold. All of it wrapped in the tight grip of too much stress, and You Shulang’s body had finally given in.
It wasn’t anything that rest and a few doses of medicine wouldn’t cure.
Fan Xiao wouldn’t have admitted it out loud even under torture, but when he saw You Shulang in the parking lot, swaying on his feet, calling Shi Lihua for help… he had truly been worried about him.
He had really thought it was something far, far worse.
He thought You Shulang had been hiding some illness. That he was about to die.
He hadn’t expected that a man as strong and resolute as him could be defeated by something as ordinary as a cold.
But it didn’t matter.
Now that he knew what to do and how to help him recover quickly, Fan Xiao simply followed the instructions, waiting for the results of his efforts, ready to collect his reward as soon as You Shulang felt better.
He deserved a reward for all his hard work, didn’t he?
He had even called You Shulang’s workplace and informed them about his condition and the need for a short medical leave. Of course, since it was Fan Xiao himself who called, no one dared refuse him, and You Shulang’s position in Bohai only grew stronger.
Looking at the unconscious figure of You Shulang, Fan Xiao frowned slightly. Deciding that a shower would be almost impossible, he gently adjusted You Shulang’s position on the mattress, then went to the bathroom and returned with a bowl of lukewarm water and several small towels.
He scoffed irritably as he removed the stabilizing splint the doctor had told him to wear on his hand to keep the bones steady during healing. He moved his fingers slowly, straightening them and shaking off the stiffness that had built up in them. He felt a faint, unpleasant tightness, but it wasn’t actual pain. His fingers worked just as they should, and his wrist didn’t even throb.
He shrugged.
The doctor had definitely overreacted to such a small cut. Well, if You Shulang hadn’t been sick right now, Fan Xiao would definitely have worn the splint for months, milking every bit of guilt and pity he could possibly draw from You Shulang. But at the moment… it really didn’t matter.
He removed You Shulang’s shirt and pants, tossing the blanket aside first. Everything was damp and soaked through with sweat. He smelled like illness, even if somewhere beneath it lingered the sweet scent of wild roses that always clung to You Shulang.
Taking the damp cloth, he slowly cleaned You Shulang’s body.
The man hissed softly, feeling the sudden chill against his skin, but after a few gentle touches and the meaningless murmurs falling from Fan Xiao’s lips, he relaxed.
Fan Xiao cleaned him thoroughly, then brought a blanket from his own bedroom. He dressed him in fresh clothes, paying special attention to the arm where the IV cannula was inserted, and finally tucked the blanket securely around him.
Fan Xiao sat comfortably in the armchair he had dragged from the living room and placed beside You Shulang’s bed. He set an alarm on his phone for the hour when the next dose of medicine needed to be given.
He touched You Shulang’s forehead.
Still warm. Too warm… but the doctor had said everything would be fine. Said it wasn’t anything serious, and Fan Xiao had decided to trust him.
He prepared a cool compress and placed it on You Shulang’s forehead. For a long time he simply watched his sleeping figure.
He had seen You Shulang naked before, but this time… it didn’t provoke the same reaction as before. He wasn’t fighting the urge to throw himself at him, wasn’t struggling to keep from leaving marks on his skin.
This was a different feeling.
Fan Xiao still wanted him. He still felt that pull toward him that had begun months ago, when he had first seen the recording. But now… he didn’t simply want to touch him, mark him, and taste him.
Maybe he was crazy, but he truly wanted You Shulang to be safe and healthy.
He wanted to take care of him.
And that frightened him, because Fan Xiao had never felt anything like that toward another person before.
Fan Xiao rested his hand over You Shulang’s hand, which once again was wrapped around his wrist.
He didn’t understand what You Shulang must have gone through to fear being abandoned so much. How could anyone leave him in this state, especially when he looked like an abandoned kitten?
+++
Hours passed.
Fan Xiao followed the instructions, giving medicine and changing the IV bag. Several times he replaced the compress on You Shulang’s forehead and wiped his skin with damp cloths.
Time went by, until finally the exhausted Fan Xiao fell asleep in the armchair beside the sick man’s bed.
The next morning, Fan Xiao woke up feeling movement.
He yawned and rubbed his eyes before looking toward You Shulang.
The man was still unconscious. His lips were chapped, and his eyes moved rapidly beneath his eyelids. His face was tense, and his breaths were shallow.
Fan Xiao reached for the thermometer and aimed it at You Shulang’s forehead. The temperature hadn’t risen since the previous day, but it hadn’t dropped either, which he definitely didn’t like.
He reached for the prepared set of medicines and administered another dose into the IV.
For a moment he watched as the drops slowly gathered, fell, and finally traveled down the narrow tube toward You Shulang’s arm.
“You Shulang?” Fan Xiao called quietly.
The man turned his head slightly in his direction, but made no other gesture that Fan Xiao could interpret as real awareness.
“Shulang?” he tried again, reaching for You Shulang’s hand, which was still wrapped around his wrist.
He didn’t try to pull away. By now he knew the grip had almost no strength, and if he truly tried to leave, You Shulang wouldn’t fight him.
“Can you hear me, Shulang? Time to wake up. You should eat something…”
You Shulang groaned and tried to sit up, but the blanket was tucked around him so tightly that he fell back onto the mattress with a frustrated breath.
“Fan… Xiao?” he sighed softly.
Fan Xiao brightened immediately when the man recognized him.
“Hey. How are you feeling?” he asked, watching as You Shulang blinked slowly, struggling to open his eyes.
He stood up from the armchair, slipped his arms under You Shulang’s shoulders, and helped him sit up in bed until he was comfortably supported by the pile of pillows behind his back.
“What…” You Shulang began, but the rest of his question dissolved into a dry, painful cough that irritated his throat.
Fan Xiao reached for the thermos of warm water he had left on the bedside table before falling asleep. He took a sip first to check the temperature, then brought it to You Shulang’s lips.
When the coughing subsided, he helped him drink several small sips. The warm water soothed the pain in his throat.
“You caught a cold. Shi Lihua didn’t know what to do with you when you refused to let him take you to the hospital, so he brought you to me,” Fan Xiao said, sticking partly to the truth.
You Shulang hummed softly and lowered his head.
“Thank you…” he said quietly.
“There’s nothing to worry about. It’s normal to take care of a friend in need,” Fan Xiao replied calmly.
“I’ll go to the kitchen, heat up some soup, and I’ll be back in a moment,” he added, standing up from the armchair.
As always when he tried to move away, You Shulang’s hand shot out toward him, but before it could close around his wrist, You Shulang clenched his fingers into a fist, and his hand fell heavily back onto the mattress.
Fan Xiao watched this with fascination.
He hadn’t expected that.
You Shulang was… such a fascinating puzzle.
Fan Xiao wanted to understand him so badly, to unravel every twist of his mind and uncover all the secrets hidden behind his eyes.
Fan Xiao paused for a moment, then leaned toward You Shulang and placed his hand over the man’s clenched fist, giving it a light pat.
“I’ll be right back,” he promised.
+++
And just as he promised, he did. A few minutes later Fan Xiao returned to the bedroom carrying a tray filled with food.
He didn’t know how aware You Shulang really was, but he made every effort not to use his right hand. He placed the tray in front of You Shulang, then helped him eat at least a few spoonfuls of soup and a little oatmeal.
When only a small amount of food had disappeared and You Shulang’s eyelids began to droop again, Fan Xiao administered the medicine once more, injecting it into the IV.
“Fan Xiao?” You Shulang asked quietly.
Fan Xiao hummed softly to confirm that he had heard him.
“Why…” You Shulang didn’t finish the question. Fan Xiao smiled when he saw the confused expression on his face.
“And why shouldn’t I?” he asked calmly, tossing the empty syringe into the trash.
“I told you… I told you that I’m gay, Fan Xiao,” You Shulang insisted.
Fan Xiao frowned slightly as he realized the man had regained far more awareness than he had initially suspected, or perhaps the source of his worry simply refused to leave him.
“That’s what you’re worried about, Shulang?” he asked, then shook his head. “It’s just your sexuality. It doesn’t change who you are. I’m not going to look at you differently just because of that, Shulang,” he explained.
He didn’t tell the truth yet. He didn’t say that he had known this secret of You Shulang’s for a long time. He didn’t tell him that he had already been looking at him differently, that he looked at him as someone he wanted to possess, someone he wanted to make his own.
His words made You Shulang’s shoulders relax slightly, and the man sighed, almost in relief.
“Besides, don’t forget where I come from,” Fan Xiao added with a satisfied smile. “In Thailand it’s harder to find a man who’s never slept with another guy than one who’s never slept with a woman.”
He watched as his little joke, which was actually not far from the truth, though You Shulang didn’t need to know that, helped the man relax, even amusing him a little.
“And now sleep. Get better, and later we can talk about it again,” Fan Xiao encouraged.
You Shulang didn’t protest. When Fan Xiao helped him lie down, he sank back into the mattress without resistance.
The last thing You Shulang saw before darkness swallowed him again was Fan Xiao’s hand guiding his own toward Fan Xiao’s wrist. His fingers closed around it, and when they did, You Shulang fell asleep with a faint smile on his lips.
+++
You Shulang drifted in and out of consciousness for three days.
Fan Xiao was always beside him when he woke up, giving him medicine, talking to him, feeding him light meals.
With time, You Shulang eventually recovered.
When it happened, he thanked Fan Xiao and apologized for the trouble.
But when he returned to his own apartment that day, You Shulang wasn’t able to close his eyes at all. His hand kept reaching for someone who wasn’t there, and in his dreams he heard the melody of a song he couldn’t remember.
The worst part of it was that he knew, on a cellular level he knew, that it had been Fan Xiao singing. That it had been his voice, singing a lullaby whose words he didn’t understand and couldn’t repeat.
Yet when he drove to work the next day, he found himself humming the melody under his breath, unable to forget it.
It was strange.
But even stranger was how he couldn’t stop thinking about Fan Xiao, about his words, his support, his understanding, and his reassurance.
And somewhere deep inside You Shulang, beneath many layers of self-control and social expectations, a small vine of hope began to grow. It climbed slowly through his thoughts, clinging to every pleasant memory, every dangerously tender thought, until it blossomed in his heart, making it impossible for him to deny any longer.
He had feelings for Fan Xiao.
Definitely not friendly feelings.
Definitely romantic feelings.
But… he had no idea what to do about them.