Surrounded by Wolves
Leather shoes struck the floor, sending layers of echoes through the vast exhibition hall, like a ripple falling across the deep, still surface of a lake, enough to throw one’s thoughts into chaos.
Huo Qingzhi stepped from the clear daylight outside into the dark purple tones of the “Forbidden Paradise.” His gaze swept from Jiang Wu to the creeping vine-like bracelet on her wrist, then to Huo Yingli behind her.
Jiang Wu looked away, not daring to look at either of them.
Until Huo Qingzhi spoke. “Had enough?”
Huo Yingli clicked his tongue softly and met Huo Qingzhi’s eyes directly. “I was just joking with Ah Wu. Why are you so old-fashioned, Eldest Brother? You can’t even take a joke.”
Huo Qingzhi looked at him. “You think that joke was funny?”
“Not funny.” Jiang Wu spoke first, turning around and holding out her hand. “Take it off.”
Huo Yingli naturally caught the wrist she offered him, holding it in his palm as he lazily gave in. “Alright.”
Huo Qingzhi watched Huo Yingli’s hand close around her slender wrist, their closeness unmistakable.
Jiang Wu even stepped on his foot. “How could you threaten me?”
A moderate pressure pressed down on the leather of Huo Yingli’s shoe.
Her pressure on his shoe sent a dull ache that dissolved into waves of restless itching with nowhere to go, pooling in his gut. “I was teasing you.” As he undid the bracelet, he leaned down slightly, then whispered beside Jiang Wu’s ear, “Actually, I’ve already figured out who gave you that necklace.”
Jiang Wu’s heart gave a jolt, and she frowned slightly. “Who?”
Huo Yingli studied her expression with open interest, deliberately refusing to say it plainly. “Him.”
Huo Yingli laughed, not concealing the sound at all, and placed the removed bracelet in Jiang Wu’s palm as well. “Oh, right. Actually, this bracelet can be taken off just fine.”
Jiang Wu held her breath, then punched his shoulder again. “You!”
The more she hit him, the harder Huo Yingli laughed, as though all that talk about “leaving it on her for life” had truly been nothing more than a prank. As though he were still simply a good brother with a sharp tongue and had never entertained such thoughts at all.
Huo Yingli walked over to Huo Qingzhi, then seemed to remember something and turned back toward Jiang Wu. “Whose car do you want to ride in?”
Questions like that made Jiang Wu’s scalp prickle. Before she could answer, Huo Qingzhi spoke. “I’ll ride with you two.”
Both of them together was even worse. Jiang Wu immediately cut them off. “You two go together. I still have something to do with Cherry.”
As she spoke, she called Cherry and turned toward the café inside the exhibition hall. The two men were left where they stood. The surroundings fell quiet as well.
Huo Qingzhi said, “Satisfied now?”
Huo Yingli answered, “To be honest, not really.”
Then he asked Huo Qingzhi directly, “You gave her the Rose Nebula.” It was a statement, not a question.
Huo Qingzhi admitted it without hesitation. “So?”
“Nothing.” Huo Yingli looked away and mocked him. “It’s just that after she found out what the Rose Nebula means that day, she hasn’t worn it since then.”
Huo Qingzhi didn’t care. “I gave it to her because I wanted to. As long as it’s with her, that’s enough.” With that, he turned and left.
Huo Yingli watched his back and slowly followed. It wasn’t difficult to guess. He knew that Jiang Wu was not someone who casually accepted expensive gifts from other men.
There were very few people who both had the means to buy that diamond and could remain close enough to Jiang Wu for her to accept it without suspicion. Just as she would also accept a bracelet from him. Now she didn’t dare wear either Huo Qingzhi’s necklace or the bracelet he had given her.
Fair enough.
~~
Jiang Wu sat in the café waiting for Cherry. Cherry had been called over so suddenly that she looked confused. “What happened? Young Master Yingli abandoned you?”
Jiang Wu picked up her bag and stood. “No.”
Only after getting into the car did she relax. “I’m the one who doesn’t want to deal with them anymore.”
Since Jiang Wu didn’t elaborate, Cherry didn’t ask. They changed course and spent the entire day at the Louvre, only returning to the hotel that evening.
Jiang Wu lazily said goodbye to Cherry and walked to the presidential suite on the hotel’s top floor. Standing outside the door, she suddenly had a bad feeling. The moment she swiped the door open, her world collapsed. Huo Qingzhi came out of the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up, carrying a freshly made yogurt bowl. Meanwhile, Huo Yingli sat on the sofa with a bottle of Silver Tower cognac open, apparently waiting for her to come back.
Only then did Jiang Wu remember that their upcoming exhibition plans were too far from the hotel they had originally been staying at. So, they had moved into the city center. But it happened to be peak season, and rooms downtown were scarce. Only one presidential suite had been available, with three bedrooms: a master, a secondary room, and a guest room.
Wait…
“We’re staying together?”
Huo Qingzhi asked, “Is there someone here you don’t want to stay with?”
Huo Yingli answered, “I booked the suite for Ah Wu and me.”
The implication was obvious: Huo Qingzhi was the outsider. He looked at Jiang Wu. Jiang Wu closed the door and avoided meeting his gaze directly. She gave in. “Then… then we’ll all stay together.”
There were three rooms anyway. Wasn’t it basically the same at home?
Although she had run away from home because she wasn’t used to sharing a room with Huo Qingzhi yet, with Huo Yingli here, he probably wouldn’t insist on staying in the same room as her.
Jiang Wu put her things down. Huo Qingzhi set the yogurt bowl on the table and called her. “Want something to help settle your stomach?”
She had indeed been eating all sorts of things lately. Jiang Wu didn’t refuse and walked over. She sat on the sofa, pulled both legs up beneath her, hugged a cushion against herself, and began eating the yogurt.
Then she remembered to ask Huo Qingzhi, “Why did you suddenly come today?”
Huo Qingzhi sat beside her. “Things at home are finished. I also happen to have some business in Paris.”
Jiang Wu’s mouth moved faster than her brain. “What a coincidence. Neither of you had any business in Paris before, and suddenly you both do these past two days.”
The words left her mouth before she realized something was wrong, especially after seeing that forbidden jewelry exhibition earlier that day. Jiang Wu realized she had said the wrong thing. The room, which had only just become slightly less awkward, turned strange again.
Neither man spoke. Huo Yingli drank his liquor over ice. Huo Qingzhi leaned back nearby. But both of them were looking at her.
Jiang Wu barely managed to swallow a spoonful of yogurt before pretending nothing was wrong. “Then you two… you two…” She stumbled over the sentence three times before finally getting it out. “Then what are your plans afterward?”
Huo Qingzhi answered first. “There’s another auction.”
“Oh.” Jiang Wu awkwardly searched for something to say. “I have an auction too. I’m going with Sister Xiaoyue.”
“That’s fine. You don’t need to go with me.”
Huo Yingli watched them without saying anything. The longer he looked at Jiang Wu, the guiltier she felt. It was almost as though he had already figured out that there was something unusual between her and Huo Qingzhi.
Jiang Wu suddenly suggested, “Let’s watch TV.”
She found the remote and turned on the screen. Once the picture popped up, the movie she and Huo Yingli had never finished last time appeared, about the step-siblings. The instant Jiang Wu saw it, she shut the television off again.
Both men looked at her at the same time.
Huo Yingli asked, “Why’d you turn it off?”
“I’m sleepy.” Jiang Wu carefully set down the yogurt bowl and smiled brightly as though nothing had happened. “You should both get some rest early too.”
Ever since she and Huo Qingzhi had registered their marriage, nothing really felt the same as before. Even simply being alone in a room with him while keeping it from the rest of the family made Jiang Wu feel as though she were doing something wrong.
Jiang Wu stood up from the sofa. After staggering a few steps, she pushed open the nearest bedroom door. Less than ten seconds later, she opened it again and rushed back out. “S-s-sorry. Wrong room.” That was Huo Yingli’s room.
Huo Yingli slowly pointed for her. “Your room is over there.”
“Thank you, Brother.” Jiang Wu scurried into the master bedroom in tiny steps, her long hair bouncing behind her and stirring a light breeze. The door slammed shut with a bang.
Huo Qingzhi watched Jiang Wu’s reaction and reminded Huo Yingli, “You’re being too obvious. You’ll scare her.”
“Am I the one scaring her, or are you?” Huo Yingli shot back. “I don’t think I’m being obvious.”
He leaned back against the sofa. “I’ve left her plenty of room to retreat, boss. If she doesn’t want to think too deeply about what I feel for her, then she can comfort herself by saying this is just how I am. I’ve always liked saying outrageous things. Or she can think I’m warning her about you.”
Either way, Huo Yingli lost nothing. The first interpretation protected the innocence of their relationship. The second could stop Jiang Wu and Huo Qingzhi from going any further.
Huo Qingzhi picked up the other drink Huo Yingli had mixed. “You’re scheming against me.”
A subtle tension crackled through the air.
Once again, just one wall away from Jiang Wu, they spoke words not meant for her ears. If her door hadn’t been shut tight, she would have heard everything.
Huo Yingli asked, “If you haven’t done anything to seduce our bb, then what are you afraid I’ll calculate against you for? What are you afraid I’ll warn you about? Put another way, if she could truly accept you, you wouldn’t need to worry.”
Huo Qingzhi didn’t deny what he said. “Then can she accept you?”
“No.” Huo Yingli understood Jiang Wu too well. “We’re her good brothers. Ah Wu won’t accept any of us outright. She’s smart. She’ll find excuses for every line we cross and keep things in a state where everyone feels comfortable.”
“In that case,” Huo Qingzhi said naturally, “then we should both understand that we can’t push her too hard.” His figure was steady and composed, refined as ever; the warm golden light cast a quiet softness over him. He lightly clinked his glass against Huo Yingli’s, carrying the sincerity of someone long accustomed to business negotiations. “For the rest of this trip, at the very least, while A-Wu is in Paris having fun, we only do things that fit our roles. Can you do that?”
Huo Yingli asked, “What counts as fitting our roles?”
“Whatever fits our roles with her.”
Huo Yingli didn’t think that part was difficult. The difficult part was whether his rival would follow the rules. “Of course. Can you?”
“Yes.”
They reached a simple agreement and sat facing each other in silence for a long time. The room was completely quiet. Huo Yingli finished the last of his drink, set the glass lightly on the table, and stood to leave. Huo Qingzhi watched him return to his room but remained sitting where he was. In the dim light of the living room, his lashes cast a fine shadow deep over his eyes.
But his role, after all, was husband.
~~
Inside the master bedroom, Jiang Wu came out of the bathroom after showering in her simple, casual slip nightdress she usually wore when living alone. The hem barely reached her thighs, cool and comfortable. She walked to the table and was about to look through the auction brochure in her bag when she suddenly remembered that she had left her handbag in the living room.
Jiang Wu stood still for a few seconds and took the opportunity to prick up her ears, trying to listen in on the conversation outside. But it was quiet now. It sounded as though both men had already gone back to their rooms.
Jiang Wu walked to the door and made sure there really was no sound outside before carefully opening it. The living room was completely dark. She didn’t turn on the lights. In the dimness, she could just make out her handbag sitting on the sofa not far away. She walked over and had only just picked it up when she heard the sound of a bedroom door opening nearby!
Jiang Wu tried to run, but accidentally knocked the throw blanket off the sofa. By the time she bent down to pick it up, those calm, steady footsteps had already reached her. There was no escaping now.
Huo Qingzhi casually took the blanket from her hands and placed it on the nearby rack. That meant he intended to have someone wash it tomorrow.
Huo Qingzhi was a clean freak. Jiang Wu knew that. She also knew he wasn’t only a clean freak. He had obsessive tendencies too. Everything within his territory would be forced to operate according to his rules.
Jiang Wu awkwardly whispered, “You’re still awake?”
Huo Qingzhi’s gaze swept over her thin nightdress. “Where do you want me to sleep?”
Jiang Wu hadn’t expected Huo Qingzhi to dare ask something like that in the living room. She instinctively looked toward Huo Yingli’s room. But without warning, Huo Qingzhi stepped closer. His tall, nearly six-foot-three frame carried a strong sense of pressure in the unlit living room.
Jiang Wu shivered and stepped back. Her footing slipped, and she dropped onto the sofa behind her. The man’s shadow seemed to envelop her even more oppressively. Jiang Wu immediately jumped back up and pushed at Huo Qingzhi, lowering her voice. “Go back to your room and sleep.”
There was no way she could push an adult man so much taller and stronger than she was. Since growing up, Jiang Wu rarely had physical contact with Huo Qingzhi like this. Under her palms, he felt solid and hard, completely unmoving. That resistance carried an indescribable force.
And right then, there was movement from Huo Yingli’s room too. The sound of slippers approaching the door. Every hair on Jiang Wu’s body stood on end. She stopped worrying about Huo Qingzhi and let go of the hands pushing against him. But the next second, Huo Qingzhi caught her wrist. For one dazed moment, Jiang Wu thought Huo Qingzhi had gone mad.
Huo Yingli opened his bedroom door and stood there. Yet everywhere he looked, there was no sign that anyone had been in the living room. Huo Qingzhi’s door was closed. Jiang Wu’s door was closed too. But Huo Yingli still felt that something wasn’t right. He could have sworn he had heard a faint sound just now. Though the presidential suite was very well soundproofed, he couldn’t make it out clearly.
Huo Yingli walked to the table and poured himself some water, silently listening for sounds from both rooms. Then he picked one and walked over. He chose Jiang Wu’s.
Huo Yingli knocked on the door. “Asleep?”
Soon, Jiang Wu’s slightly panicked voice came from inside. “Sleeping.” Only after saying it did she realize the obvious flaw in those words. She quickly added, “I mean, I’m about to sleep.”
Huo Yingli stood outside Jiang Wu’s door, still holding his glass. He quietly took a sip.
Until Jiang Wu finally couldn’t take it anymore and asked, “It’s so late. Do you need something?”
Huo Yingli laughed lazily. “No. I’m going to sleep too.”
Inside the room, with only a wall between them, Jiang Wu wanted to slap Huo Yingli again. Not only could she not reach Huo Yingli right now, but she was trapped at the entryway and couldn’t move at all. She heard the footsteps move away from the door and pushed against the chest of the man in front of her, just about to tell Huo Qingzhi to leave.
Then she heard Huo Qingzhi speak beside her ear in a voice only the two of them could hear. “He hasn’t left yet.”
In that instant, goosebumps rose across Jiang Wu’s back. A strange current shot through every limb. Huo Qingzhi straightened and, as though it were the most natural thing in the world, walked into the bathroom.
The master bedroom of a presidential suite was originally designed for a married couple. Naturally, everything inside came in pairs. Jiang Wu moved her lips but said nothing. After standing by the entryway for another ten minutes, she finally heard footsteps leaving the door again.
Then came the sound of Huo Yingli closing his own bedroom door. Jiang Wu’s heart skipped a beat. Second Brother really hadn’t left. He had been suspicious of them.
Huo Qingzhi came out of the bathroom after washing up. Jiang Wu couldn’t resist walking over and whispering, “Are you sleeping in here?”
“I don’t like newlyweds sleeping in separate rooms.”
Jiang Wu couldn’t listen too closely to words like that. “But Second Brother is here too. He seems to have noticed something. That exhibition he took me to today was…”
Huo Qingzhi finished for her. “Hosted by a newly married couple who used to be brother and sister.”
“You knew?”
“I knew.” Huo Qingzhi walked toward her. “Huo Yingli only noticed that we’re different from before. He hasn’t guessed our relationship yet.” Those bottomless eyes quietly watched her. “So, what about you?”
Jiang Wu didn’t understand what he meant. “What about me?”
“When you married me, did you never think about our relationship?” Huo Qingzhi slowly bent closer. “Never thought about how I used to be your brother, and now I’m your husband?”