Even though what was in front of him was just a projection, Ling Changfeng could still see that Xu Xinghe’s state was wrong.
“What’s wrong?” Ling Changfeng frowned slightly, feeling a little worried.
“No, it’s fine.” After coming back to his senses, Xu Xinghe hurriedly lowered his head, and said in a muffled voice, “I still have work to do. I’ll talk to you when I go back in the evening.”
After speaking, he closed the door without waiting for Ling Changfeng to speak. The projector cut off the video communication automatically.
A busy tone after being hung up echoed in the marshal’s office.
Ling Changfeng dialed Qin Yuan’s direct line: “Send someone to see what happened to Xinghe, and report to me in time if there is any situation.”
After a pause, he urged: “Don’t make noise, and don’t interfere with his work.
“Yes.” Adjutant Qin’s crisp voice came from the other end of the communication, and then the topic changed: “The list of general and above officers to be promoted in the next year needs to be read and signed by you. I’ll send the documents over.”
From the beginning to the end the conversation carried a serious business tone.
Ling Changfeng had no choice but to put aside his doubts for a while, and continued to devote himself to work. “En, send them over.”
—–
That night, when Marshal Ling finally returned home, he found his little spouse didn’t come out to greet himself as usual.
Ling Changfeng was a little worried. He didn’t know if his little hedgehog was really feeling unwell, or if he was still irritated by the fact that he disturbed his work during the day.
So without even taking off his coat, he strode up the steps, heading upstairs to check on the situation, preparing to coax his little spouse.
It turned out that Xu Xinghe was not in the house.
“He hasn’t come back yet?” Ling Changfeng asked He Han with a frown.
“Yes.” The steward noticed the low air pressure emanating from his boss, so he lowered his head and replied respectfully, “Mr. Xu hasn’t come back.”
Ling Changfeng glanced at the time – it was already eight in the evening.
And Xu Xinghe replied two hours ago that he had left work…
This afternoon, news came from Ark that Xu Xinghe said that he was not feeling well and applied to leave work earlier.
No one dared to refuse the request of the marshal’s spouse, not to mention the justification he used.
Several department leaders even went to his workstation to offer condolences in turn, and almost drove him away on the spot.
But in the end, Xu Xinghe still insisted on finishing part of his work before leaving work.
That’s why Team Leader Xu, who had been working overtime until midnight these days, left before six o’clock today.
So where is he?
Out of respect for the privacy of the other party, Marshal Ling did not install any monitoring system on his little spouse.
However, under special circumstances, it is still possible to find someone within Capital Star.
Ling Changfeng opened an encrypted channel.
Just when he was about to ask the Security Bureau to find someone, he suddenly heard the call of a servant from outside –
“Mr. Xu is back!”
Ling Changfeng hurriedly turned around and strode out.
It snowed heavily in Xingfu City tonight, forcing the snow plows to work non-stop as they shuttled through the city.
Xu Xinghe was wearing a gray plaid scarf and a beige woolen coat. In his hand held a paper bag as he walked back alone from the snow.
His hands were tucked into his sleeves. Only that little bit pinching the paper bag was revealed, but even so, his fingers were still red from the cold.
There was a short journey of a few steps from getting off the car to the door of the Marshal’s Mansion. By the time he came in, his shoulders and ends of his hair were already covered with falling snow.
As soon as Xu Xinghe entered the door, he shook his head like a small animal and sighed. “It’s really cold outside today.”
Then he finally stretched out his hands from his sleeves, tucked the bag under his armpits, and rubbed his free hands.
Ling Changfeng walked over quickly, instantly feeling a little distressed when he saw that the tips of his ears were red from the cold.
“Aren’t you feeling uncomfortable? Why didn’t you come back earlier to rest?” Ling Changfeng personally took off his coat, threw it to the orderly along with his own, and then looked him over from top to bottom: “How do you feel now?”
Xu Xinghe was stunned for a while, then raised his head and smiled. “I didn’t tell you that I’m uncomfortable. Why, did Ark make a small report?”
Ling Changfeng pursed his lips, but continued to watch his little spouse without making a sound.
Ears and cheeks flushed by the cold wind, Xu Xinghe’s body even shivered slightly.
There were still a few snowflakes on the ends of his hair that were not shaken off. When the warm air in the room blew, the snowflakes instantly turned into small water droplets and hung on his hair, creating sparkles of broken light under the crystal chandelier.
It evoked a sense of fragility making onlookers feel pitiful.
Ling Changfeng intuitively felt that he might be fine physically, but his emotions might not be fine.
“What is this? Food?” Dual-colored pupils scanned him over once more, and finally landed on the paper bag he was holding under his arm.
Judging from the outer packaging, it looks like a kind of food.
“Donuts.” Xu Xinghe handed the bag over. “It was delicious. But because it’s cold outside, it got cold, and there’s no more scent.”
Ling Changfeng glanced at him and stretched out his hand to take the paper bag.
He inadvertently touched his fingertips and found that the little guy’s fingers were cold.
So he tugged Xu Xinghe’s hand into his palm.
“Why is your hand so icy?”
Xu Xinghe was stunned for a moment, but he didn’t pull back. After hesitating for a moment, he handed over his other hand as well. “Why don’t you help warm up this one too?”
Marshal Ling was helpless. Handing the donut to the orderly, he held his lover’s hands. Looking thoughtfully at Xu Xinghe, the thought that something was wrong with him upped a notch.
In the cold weather, his young spouse, who rarely arrives late and leaves early, first claimed that he was not feeling well, but went out for a stroll for two hours after getting off work, freezing himself like this, and finally came back with donuts in hand.
Ling Changfeng asked casually, “Which donut shop is it?”
“A place near Capital University. I went back to my alma mater after work and walked around. I happened to pass by this dessert shop, and suddenly remembered that I liked to eat this in the past… so I bought some and came back.”
Ling Changfeng asked again: “Your college roommate asked you to help him run data again?”
“No, I didn’t meet anyone.” Xu Xinghe shook his head. “I, I just wanted to go back and walk around.”
Ling Changfeng looked at him calmly.
Feeling the other party’s piercing gaze, Xu Xinghe opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.
In the end, he just looked up and smiled, his voice was a little tired and weak. “I’ll go take a hot shower first, you can try the donuts… I bought six, just keep one for me.”
He pulled his hand out of Ling Changfeng’s palm and turned to head up to his room.
Xu Xinghe’s bathing time is usually controlled within ten minutes, but this time he took an uncharacteristic bath lasting more than half an hour.
He had probably stood in the cold wind for too long, and the coldness of his body could not be washed away.
It wasn’t until the heat made him feel dizzy that Xu Xinghe finally got up. Without blowing his hair, he absentmindedly wrapped himself in a bathrobe and walked out of the bathroom.
When he went out, he was stunned.
Ling Changfeng was sitting on the sofa in the small living room, reading; the sharp lines of his body softened by the warm glow of the floor lamp.
There was a pot of hot tea by his hand, with two exquisite tea cups placed side by side.
Obviously waiting for him.
Hearing that he finally came out, Ling Changfeng put down his terminal, raised his head and sent an invitation: “Want to come and have a cup of hot tea?”
On a winter night, warm lights, warm drinks, and the gentle eyes of his lover.
Everything made Xu Xinghe feel extremely warm.
This kind of warmth seemed to be able to isolate him from the outside world of ice and snow, and dispel the long-lasting cold in the heart.
“Okay.” Xu Xinghe smiled lightly. He knew that the night was still long, and simply said, “Wait for me to blow dry my hair and change my clothes first.”
Ten minutes later, Xu Xinghe, who had changed into grey silk pajamas, appeared in front of Ling Changfeng again.
He stepped forward and sat down with his lover, pointed to the insulated teapot, and asked, “Is it black tea?”
“En, black tea.” Ling Changfeng set up two teacups, picked up the teapot and poured a cup for each of them.
“Sorry, I came in uninvited again.” Marshal Ling said while pouring tea. “I wanted to wait for you to wash up before coming in, but you didn’t come out for a long time. I’m worried that something will happen to you.” He paused for a moment. “I’m really worried this time.”
“So it was intentional last time?” Xu Xinghe raised his eyebrows slightly. “Waiting for a while on purpose, just to see me come out of the bath?”
Ling Changfeng: “…”
He pushed the teacup forward. “Drink while it’s hot.”
Xu Xinghe picked up the teacup and blew it, then took a few sips.
The heat flowed all the way down through his stomach, warming his entire body up.
“No need to apologize.” Xu Xinghe put down the teacup, put his hand on the back of Ling Changfeng’s hand, and lowered his eyes. “It’s my problem… I made you worry.”
Ling Changfeng shook his head and looked at him quietly.
“If you have any questions you want to ask, just ask them directly.” Xu Xinghe raised his eyes, met the pair of mismatched pupils, and said with a light smile, “Or are you waiting for me to confess?”
Since he had already said that, Ling Changfeng said slowly, “Can I ask, what’s wrong?”
He recalled Xu Xinghe’s anomaly today while he was waiting.
It seems to have started from the moment he heard that the Lambda galaxy delegation was coming to visit and he needed him to attend the event with him.
But why? His young spouse might not like that kind of occasion, but he shouldn’t particularly resist it. After all, they had attended the state banquet together.
“If you have any difficulties, you can tell me directly. It’s okay if you don’t want to attend the event. I will support your decision unconditionally.” Ling Changfeng observed Xu Xinghe’s face and said seriously: “No one can force you to do anything you don’t like. Trust me, Xinghe.”
“It’s not the reason…” Xu Xinghe looked up at him, with a complex emotion that Ling Changfeng couldn’t read in his black eyes.
Silence enveloped the room.
After an unknown time, Xu Xinghe finally moved.
He turned around slowly, turned his back to Ling Changfeng, and stretched out all the broken hair on the back of his neck.
A white, tight, swan-like neck was revealed.
Without the dazzling scar on the gland, the skin on his neck would have been smooth and perfect.
But even if the scar is there, it can’t stop the temptation of his pheromone in the slightest.
Ling Changfeng only felt the blood rushing to his head with a bang.
Boiling hot; numb.
He swore he came here with tea tonight, to have a good chat with Xu Xinghe, to comfort him.
In a literal manner..
However, the moment he saw his little spouse take the initiative to lift his choppy hair and reveal his gland, the evil desire in alpha’s bones broke out…
Ling Changfeng’s heart was at war between heaven and man.
Until he heard Xu Xinghe ask softly, “Have you ever wondered how this scar on my gland came about?”
Dun dun dun.
To all the XXH haters who get to this point – there’s a reason for his behavior!!!
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