Surrounded by Wolves
Jiang Wu, still hazy from her hangover, had a misty look in her eyes and stammered, “Whose? Mine, of course.”
“You’re here!” She looked genuinely happy to see him. “I’m not surprised. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you’d landed?”
“I wanted to surprise you.” Huo Lingyi steered the conversation right back to the subject Jiang Wu had tried to divert. “So that bedroom… is it yours?”
“Yes.” Jiang Wu walked over to the refrigerator and took out a few bottles of drinks. “What would you like?”
“Anything is fine.”
With her back to him, Jiang Wu felt a fresh wave of shock and bewilderment wash over her. She took a few breaths to steady herself, then glanced down to check whether anything about her appearance looked unusual.
But from across the room, Huo Lingyi caught sight of a ring of red marks around her ankle. There were also small patches of red higher up her calves, which was hard to tell whether they had come from bumping into things or from something else entirely.
As if asking casually, Huo Lingyi said, “Has work been hard lately, Ah Wu? Are you out and about a lot?”
“Look at your legs. They’re covered in bruises.”
Jiang Wu’s heart dropped, and a cold sweat broke out all over her body.
“It has been tough.” Huo Qingzhi’s brief, matter-of-fact reply cut off Huo Lingyi’s line of questioning.
Huo Lingyi let out a cold laugh. “Did I ask you?”
Huo Qingzhi remained unhurried, but there was unmistakable authority in his voice. “Who do you think you are, that I can’t answer your question?”
“Don’t fight.” Hearing that they were about to start arguing again, Jiang Wu picked up the bottles and walked over to the sofa in the living room.
After all, Huo Lingyi had come because of her. Jiang Wu didn’t want to see either of them upset. She approached him and handed him a bottle of juice. “Did you eat breakfast this morning?”
Huo Qingzhi could only watch as she sat a little closer to Huo Lingyi. Guilty conscience, probably. She didn’t dare sit too close to him right now.
Yet the woman who had been tangled up with him not long ago, still not fully recovered from what they’d done, now had to pull herself together and attend to another man.
Sometimes, Huo Qingzhi felt that Jiang Wu was being watched by all of them at once. It was simply more than she could handle.
Jiang Wu was utterly drained, but had to hold herself upright, steady her breathing, and talk to her other brother. All while making sure Third Brother didn’t notice anything more unusual.
Huo Lingyi’s tone softened as he answered, “The airline food.”
Thinking that airline food was usually rather perfunctory, Jiang Wu asked, “Then what would you like for lunch? I tried this really good Beijing-cuisine restaurant a couple of days ago. Do you want to go there?”
Perhaps Jiang Wu herself hadn’t realized it. But both men around her could hear it clearly—her voice, still saturated with the aftermath of what had just happened, was far too soft.
So soft it seemed as though a single pinch could draw out a pool of water. Soft enough to leave half a man’s body tingling.
“Don’t have to rush to eat.” Huo Lingyi picked up his backpack. “By the way, which room is mine? I’ll put my things away first.”
“There isn’t one,” Huo Qingzhi replied flatly.
“That’s fine.” Huo Lingyi smiled at Huo Qingzhi, revealing two little canine teeth. “I can share a room with Big Brother.”
Huo Qingzhi looked up. “I’ll find you another place to live.”
“No.” Huo Lingyi refused just as flatly. “I’ve only just arrived, and I’m not familiar with Beijing. Besides, I’m scared of staying somewhere by myself.”
Huo Qingzhi shot back, “You’ve been abroad so many times. How come you weren’t scared to death then?”
Huo Lingyi ignored him. “It’s fine. I’ll sort things out myself.”
He knew the apartment had been renovated. Many of the bedrooms in the original spacious flat had been converted into studies, meeting rooms, and Jiang Wu’s little restoration studio.
Only two bedrooms remained. “This one is A-Wu’s, so the other one must be…”
Or perhaps Huo Qingzhi had never intended for a third person to live in this apartment in the first place.
Jiang Wu hurried to her feet. “Wait, Third Brother.” She stepped forward and took Huo Lingyi’s luggage. “You’ve been traveling all day. Let’s go eat first. We can unpack when we get back.”
Then, quite naturally, Jiang Wu handed the luggage to Huo Qingzhi. “Right?”
When their eyes met, Huo Qingzhi had no choice but to take it. “Right.”
Huo Qingzhi understood what Jiang Wu meant. “I still have some things to deal with at the company. You two go eat. I won’t go.”
Jiang Wu wanted him to use the time while Huo Lingyi was away to put away anything at home that needed hiding and take care of anything that needed covering up.
“Then let’s go.” After quickly gathering her own things, Jiang Wu took Huo Lingyi out for lunch.
Huo Lingyi wasn’t pleased that Huo Qingzhi wouldn’t be joining their outing. Instead, he’d noticed the strange little exchange between Jiang Wu and Huo Qingzhi. The effortless understanding between them only made him more uncomfortable.
It wasn’t until they stepped outside that Jiang Wu finally felt some relief as the sense of being caught between two sides began to ease. Even so, her body still felt weak and unsteady.
She called Cherry to come pick them up. While they waited, she took Huo Lingyi for a stroll through the landscaped garden in their residential complex. “Are you planning to take a few days off before you start at the group?”
“No break. I’ll go tomorrow.”
Jiang Wu nodded. She knew Third Brother wanted to get started as soon as possible so he could help her sooner. “Aren’t you going to rest first?”
“If you need me, I won’t rest.”
“Don’t do that.” Jiang Wu reminded him, “Do you remember the bet you made with me?”
Huo Lingyi had almost forgotten about it.
“No getting hurt again for a whole year. And by getting hurt, I mean exhausting yourself or getting sick, too.”
Huo Lingyi followed behind her. “That’s a pretty high bar you’ve set.”
“That’s why, if you can’t do it, you have to agree to one condition of mine.”
Huo Lingyi reminded her in turn, “If I do manage it, you have to agree to one of mine, too.”
“Sure. What do you want?” Jiang Wu chatted as she descended the steps into the garden. Just then, her already slightly unsteady legs suddenly gave out.
Caught off guard, she missed a step and stumbled forward!
The person behind her immediately stepped in. An arm swiftly reached around her waist from behind, catching her firmly and steadying her.
As Huo Lingyi held her upright, the same warmth she associated with Huo Qingzhi washed over her. It was so hot that Jiang Wu shuddered all over.
After all, they were biological brothers. Just last night, she had been pressed skin to skin with one of them. Now, it felt as though she had fallen back into that same cage of heat.
Huo Lingyi lowered his eyes and suddenly asked, “Since this is a bet, whatever I want, you can’t refuse me, right?”
“Of course, I…” Still shaken, Jiang Wu tried to regain her footing, but the more flustered she became, the more she struggled to get her balance. She stumbled several more steps.
Huo Lingyi kept a firm hold on her throughout until she found her balance.
Before long, their interaction had taken on an oddly intimate air.
Not far away, Cherry had just driven into the residential complex and happened to witness the scene. She sucked in a sharp breath, then immediately turned her head and, with impeccable professional discretion, pretended to be counting the sun.
She didn’t dare think too deeply about how Jiang Wu had emerged from the building alongside the Eldest Young Master just two days ago, touching up her lipstick as she went. And now, she was in the Third Young Master’s arms.
By the time Jiang Wu finally managed to stand steadily with one hand resting on Huo Lingyi’s arm, she looked thoroughly embarrassed.
Huo Lingyi’s gaze remained fixed on her, and he chose that moment to speak again. “You’re acting very strangely today.”
Jiang Wu felt as though he’d seen right through her. Every inch of her skin seemed to spark with electricity under the weight of her guilty conscience.
Not long ago, she’d been brought to the very edge by fingertips and then left hanging. The aftershocks were still running through her. That was the evidence of her sin with Big Brother.
And now, carrying that evidence all over her body, she was alone with another brother, in physical contact. Her body hadn’t even recovered, and she’d already touched him.
“It’s nothing. I just wasn’t watching where I was going and lost my footing.”
Huo Lingyi clicked his tongue softly. “Something’s off.”
“You’re breathing really hard,” he pointed out bluntly. “And you know what? Your voice right now is really…”
Jiang Wu pressed her lips into a tight line and looked at him nervously.
Huo Lingyi abruptly stopped speaking.
Tut.
His eyes did the same.
Jiang Wu stammered, scrambling for a more appropriate excuse. “I… might have stayed up too late last night. I’m feeling a little weak this morning.”
Huo Lingyi didn’t respond to her explanation and simply remarked out of the blue, “No wonder. You must be exhausted. That’s why you’re acting so strangely today.”
“After all, when Ah Wu hasn’t seen me in ages, this isn’t how she used to greet me.” He spread his arms and stood right in front of her.
The hint couldn’t have been clearer.
Jiang Wu knew a hug between them was nothing new.
She took Huo Lingyi’s hands, wrapped her arms around his waist, and gave him a gentle hug. “Brother, long time no see.”
Just as Jiang Wu was about to let go and step back, Huo Lingyi’s previously loose hands closed around her and pressed at the small of her back. “And one more thing.”
“I missed you.” Jiang Wu had always said those words naturally enough in the past. But now, for some reason, she found them difficult to say.
She attributed it to the fact that her body now carried the traces of one of her brother’s intimate moments with her.
Huo Lingyi patted her back lightly. “I’ve missed you, too.”
He made no further moves. He maintained the same boundaries as always, just as he had before.
And yet, as he had pointed out, Jiang Wu’s breathing grew increasingly erratic, until even she could tell how obvious it was.
He still didn’t let her go just yet. “You’re exhausted, Ah Wu.”
“Although I don’t know why you’re so tired, we’re not going out anymore. Go home and get some proper rest. We can order takeout for lunch.”
Jiang Wu felt the tips of her ears and heart soften at the same time.
His youthful voice seemed to flow along the bones of her ear and straight into her chest, stirring up an even stronger sense of guilt over the mischief she’d been getting up to behind her family’s back.
Jiang Wu asked Cherry to help order lunch from the restaurant for them. Then she and Huo Lingyi headed home.
When they arrived, Huo Qingzhi was in his study.
The housekeeper had also come over. Apparently, Huo Qingzhi had asked her to prepare a new room for the Third Young Master.
However, the bedding and furnishings had to be purchased separately, and the earliest everything could be delivered was tomorrow.
That meant Huo Lingyi would still have to share a room with Huo Qingzhi tonight.
The bedroom Jiang Wu had hurriedly admitted to in her panic just now turned out to be Huo Qingzhi’s. The two of them were going to sleep in her bedroom tonight.
Distracted, Jiang Wu returned to her room first.
She saw that Huo Qingzhi had indeed finished packing away his belongings over the past few days. His presence had been temporarily concealed. Some of his things had been taken away, presumably to the bedroom that had originally been hers.
Jiang Wu went to her former bedroom. Just as she reached the doorway, Huo Lingyi came out and nearly walked straight into her.
Jiang Wu paused, startled.
“What are you doing here?” Huo Lingyi asked.
“Just checking.” Jiang Wu had no idea what the bedroom looked like inside or whether it might give something away. “Are you settling in all right?”
“It’s just one night sharing a room with Eldest Brother. It’s fine.” Huo Lingyi led her away from the doorway. “You don’t need to worry about me. Go back and rest.”
Hearing him say that, Jiang Wu couldn’t help feeling a little guilty.
Third Brother was treating her so well, and all she could think about was whether he’d discover her affair with their eldest brother.
The truth, though, was that Huo Lingyi was at an age when his blood ran hot, and he simply couldn’t bear to have her looking like this, wandering around right in front of him any longer.
Using Jiang Wu’s need for rest as an excuse, he sent her away. Once the door closed behind him, his breathing grew heavy. He still felt that something was terribly off.
Could staying up late really leave someone looking like that?
For now, Huo Lingyi decided to believe her, but if he found out she was lying…
~~
After lunch, Jiang Wu went straight back to her room to rest. She slept from midday until evening. Clearly, her body had been pushed past its limit.
When Jiang Wu finally opened her eyes, still groggy, the sky had darkened. A last sliver of sunset remained by the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling between rows of towering buildings.
She took a moment to clear her head, then reached for her phone. It was already past six. Right around dinnertime.
An hour earlier, Huo Qingzhi had messaged her: [Tell me when you wake up. I’ll cook.]
She sent back a simple reply. [I’m awake.]
Then there were Huo Lingyi’s messages.
He seemed to have gone out for a walk and sent her photos of the snack street near the university, asking: [What do you want to eat? I’ll bring you something back.]
Huo Lingyi had taken photos of the shops selling roast duck, fermented milk yogurt, grilled skewers, and tripe.
But those messages were already an hour old, too.
Jiang Wu quickly replied: [Sorry, I fell asleep.]
Huo Lingyi answered: [It’s fine. I already bought everything.]
He attached a photo of a table covered in snacks.
Had he bought everything?
Jiang Wu sat bolt upright. Faint footsteps sounded from outside her room. She scrambled out of bed, straightened her clothes, and opened the door.
In the living room, she saw Huo Qingzhi wearing an apron as he carried the prepared dishes out of the kitchen. Meanwhile, Huo Lingyi sat on the sofa with his sleeves rolled up, arranging plates and snacks.
The moment she opened the door, both men looked up at her in unison.
Huo Lingyi smiled first, his whole being radiating youthful energy. “I didn’t know which ones you liked, so I bought them all.”
Huo Qingzhi simply said, “Wash your hands and come eat.”
The feeling was a little strange. She didn’t know which of them she should respond to first.
So, she could only give a vague answer. “Okay.” Then she went to wash her hands at the kitchen island.
At the dining area nearby, Huo Qingzhi and Huo Lingyi spoke at the same time. “What do you want to drink?”
Even Jiang Wu paused mid-motion as she washed her hands.
Huo Qingzhi was brief and to the point. “I made pork rib soup.”
Huo Lingyi added, “I bought milk tea.”
A subtle sense of rivalry and provocation silently spread through the air.
The corners of Jiang Wu’s lips twitched. “B-Both.”
The two men each acknowledged her answer and went to prepare what she’d asked for.
The sudden silence that followed only made the subtle tension swell.
Jiang Wu finished washing her hands. Just then, Huo Qingzhi walked over to the island to get a glass. As he passed her, he pressed a hand against her lower abdomen. “You want both? Can you eat that much?”
The edge of the kitchen island concealed his hand, hiding the movement from Huo Lingyi’s view.
Jiang Wu was pressed down so hard that she held her breath slightly. She discovered that he really loved pressing on her lower abdomen.
It was a strange sensation.
It brought her back to last night, to his palm pressed against her there, and beneath the skin of his palm, their bodies were still intertwined.
It was as if it allowed her to feel him more clearly, inside and out; it was him, and nothing but him.
Or perhaps it was just his own feeling, how far he had reached.
Jiang Wu didn’t say anything and went to the table.
Huo Lingyi looked at her. “What did Big Brother just say to you?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Wu’s eyes curved into a smile. “He just said we might not be able to finish such a lavish dinner tonight.”
Huo Qingzhi came over and added, “She has a small appetite. She can’t eat that much.”
“I have a big appetite.” Huo Lingyi looked at Huo Qingzhi and drawled lazily, “I want to try a little of everything.”
Huo Qingzhi sat down. “Rein in your appetite. Restrain yourself from eating what you shouldn’t.”
Jiang Wu hugged her cup of milk tea, her eyelids twitching repeatedly.
Fortunately, the conversation didn’t drag her into it. Before long, her place was piled high with neatly wrapped slices of roast duck, a box of tripe vermicelli, and corn and pork rib soup.
Her two brothers fed her until she was thoroughly full. A little too full, in fact.
She had to lean against the wall on her way back to her room.
Just before she closed the door, Jiang Wu heard Huo Qingzhi say, “I told you she couldn’t eat that much, but you still forced it on her.”
Huo Lingyi defended himself. “I didn’t force her to eat. Ah Wu likes it. She insisted on eating mine.”
“Even if she likes it, she still needs to know when to stop.”
“Big Brother, you can’t control what she eats when it’s something she likes.”
Jiang Wu closed the door, finally getting some peace and quiet.
Today was the last day of their project’s break. Tomorrow, they would have to resume work on the next stage.
Huo Qingzhi would also be going to the group tomorrow with Huo Lingyi to discuss arrangements for establishing the new subsidiary in Beijing.
Strangely enough, the three of them were always bickering at home. It never took more than a few words for them to disagree.
But the moment they were at the company, they were remarkably united in their opinions.
Jiang Wu had never worried about how they handled things outside the home.
Back in her room, she opened the monitoring app and spent some time playing with Bingbing. A fluffy little cat’s head popped into view, its paws batting at the robot.
Holding her phone close, Jiang Wu felt her heart melt at the sight.
Good baby.
Kisses!
The housekeeper asked her, “When will Madam be back? Bingbing misses you so much.”
“Soon.” Jiang Wu thought it over. “The next stage of work should go faster than the last.”
After all, the restoration had been the difficult part, and the restoration of both ancient texts was now nearing completion.
Before long, the bustling traffic beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, with its dazzling lights illuminating the streets, gradually gave way to stillness.
Deep into the night, the moon hung high in the sky.
Reluctantly, Jiang Wu put down her phone, got up to wash and brush her teeth, then turned off the lights.
The plush bear she usually hugged in bed had been taken by Huo Qingzhi to be cleaned that day. So, she pulled over a long-haired rabbit to sleep with instead.
The footsteps outside her bedroom had long since faded. She had no idea how things were going between the two of them now.
Had Third Brother noticed anything unusual?
But she couldn’t exactly go and check in the middle of the night.
Jiang Wu found a comfortable position and lay quietly for a while.
In the stillness of the night, everything that had happened during the day came flooding back, along with the events of the previous night in this very bed.
Jiang Wu curled up slightly. The sheets and duvet were both freshly changed. The bedding smelled of sunshine, with a faint trace of an indescribable blend of fir and rose lingering in the fabric.
Pleasure interrupted at its peak was all the easier to rekindle in the silence that followed.
Jiang Wu burrowed beneath the covers. Hugging her pillow tightly, she forced herself to stop thinking about those things and get some proper sleep, but she’d slept too long that afternoon and had drunk milk tea that evening.
She wasn’t sleepy in the slightest.
In the quiet depths of the night, when no one could see her, desire rose and fell.
Jiang Wu’s gaze fell on the roses arranged on a stand beside the floor-to-ceiling window. Dew clung to them here and there. In the dark, it gathered on the petals, then fell.
She had never done anything like this before.
The first time, Huo Qingzhi had been the one who taught her. So, this was how she could touch herself.
Jiang Wu felt a little afraid. She turned over, trying to put the thought out of her mind, but once certain thoughts took root, they were especially difficult to dispel.
Just try it.
No one will ever know.
A girl’s secret, hidden in the silence of the night. Even the fingertips carefully touching the roses seemed to take on a faint blush from the petals. She curled herself up even tighter.
Jiang Wu’s movements were a bit clumsy and inexperienced, nothing like his. She couldn’t match him, nor could she imitate him. It took some effort for her to find her own pleasure.
The duvet shifted with her movements, tangling around her body.
By the window, the roses swayed from side to side as a gentle breeze brushed past them, light and cautious. Their branches and leaves trembled, feeling the changing weather.
The soft drizzle was gentler still. It tapped and stroked every inch of the blossoms, coaxing them open while nourishing them, until the roses brimmed with raindrops.
Then, with the slightest breath of wind, the droplets spilled all at once, falling into the soil beneath. And somehow, the roses bloomed even more brilliantly.
Jiang Wu bit down on the edge of the duvet, her toes pointed straight. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, falling one after another like little blossoms.
When her senses returned, embarrassment washed over her. She buried herself beneath the covers and stayed there for a long time.
Only when exhaustion and the rush of dopamine finally took their toll did she fall asleep.
Meanwhile, in the nearby bedroom where she had lived for years, traces of Jiang Wu were everywhere. Her scent lingered throughout the room.
Time had worn away much of it during her long absence, but Huo Lingyi could still sense her presence.
Late that night, Huo Lingyi lay on the bed while Huo Qingzhi rested on the sofa; neither of them had fallen asleep.
Out of nowhere, Huo Lingyi spoke. “This room used to be hers, right?”
Huo Qingzhi didn’t answer, merely said, “Go to sleep.”
Huo Lingyi wasn’t stupid. “You two were acting really strange today.” He continued on his own. “I’d already made it to the airport when you called me back.”
“And then, just a few days later, you came here yourself.”
“Huo Qingzhi, what exactly have you been doing behind our backs?”
Huo Qingzhi’s voice was flat. “If you don’t want to sleep, you can leave.”
Huo Lingyi knew he wouldn’t get an answer. He stared at the ceiling, his gaze shifting between light and shadow.
The curtains had been chosen by Jiang Wu: gauzy purple blackout curtains with a layer of pink sheer fabric draped over them.
The entire room carried the delicate scent of rose and cocoa. The scent was especially strong on the bed.
Huo Lingyi had only lain there for a little while, breathing in that all-pervading fragrance, before he could no longer suppress the urge to get up and head to the bathroom.
Huo Qingzhi opened his eyes in the darkness. He was a man, too.
And they were both thinking about the same person.
He understood all too well what Huo Lingyi was doing now.
Even though Huo Qingzhi was consumed by an unbearable frustration he couldn’t relieve, he couldn’t stop his younger brother from acting on his own desires.
All he could do was suppress it, allowing the darkness within him to grow.
No.
He couldn’t even stand the thought of someone else longing for her.
That sense of emptiness, the feeling that he hadn’t been able to have her completely last night, surged over him again. And having been allowed only one taste of her before being forced to sleep in separate rooms made the weight in his chest even heavier.
He wanted to pin her down somewhere hidden from the light of day. Somewhere no one could find her, somewhere no one would ever come. Until she had no choice but to grow completely accustomed to him alone.
~~
After doing something she shouldn’t have, Jiang Wu didn’t sleep particularly well that night; even her dreams were a chaotic mess.
First, in the stillness of the night, while she lay fast asleep and half-conscious, a hand slipped beneath the covers and moved them aside.
Then Huo Qingzhi’s low, husky voice sounded beside her ear. “Did you touch yourself?”
Feeling guilty, she denied it.
A slap landed on her…
Then, as her whole body trembled faintly, his voice followed her like a ghost, clinging to her. “Liar.”
Jiang Wu woke up, then fell asleep again.
This time, in the midst of her confused, passionate dream, Huo Lingyi suddenly appeared in her field of vision.
He toyed with her fingers, brushing over her fingertips as he asked, “What have you and Big Brother been doing behind my back, Ah Wu?”
Her alarm rang.
Jiang Wu’s heart gave a sudden jolt as she opened her eyes. Somehow, it was already morning.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be relieved that it had all been a dream or disappointed that she hadn’t gotten enough sleep.
She lingered in bed a little longer before finally getting up. Her heart was still pounding, and a cold sweat had broken out over her body.
Fortunately, the two brothers had already left. She was the only one at home.
Jiang Wu ate a simple breakfast, got herself ready, and headed to the restoration studio to begin the next stage of work.
At home, everything had returned to normal, as though nothing had ever happened.
During the day, the housekeeper came over to wait for the furniture delivery and help prepare Huo Lingyi’s new room. She also gave the house a quick clean.
The housekeeper had been working there for six or seven years.
Back when Jiang Wu and the others lived there, she usually came during the day to clean and cook, then went home in the evening. She knew the household routine inside out.
Since this was Huo Lingyi’s own room, he came back early from the company to oversee the arrangements.
It was the housekeeper’s first time meeting this particular member of the household. For some reason, she took to Huo Lingyi immediately. He seemed like such a young, energetic boy.
The housekeeper briefly introduced herself to him, and then said, “I’ve finished tidying the room. Have a look and let me know if there’s anything you’re unhappy with.”
“I’ve seen it. I’m very satisfied.”
The housekeeper smiled. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’ll head home.”
Just as she was leaving, Huo Lingyi stopped her. “By the way, do you know how those two usually get along at home?”
“They get along very well,” she replied. She had never seen siblings live together in such harmony. “It’s rare to see a brother and sister living together and looking after each other so well.”
Huo Lingyi smiled and nodded without saying anything more.
After the housekeeper left, he took his belongings out of the room he’d slept in the previous night and moved them into his new room.
After tidying up briefly, he added a few things he used every day.
The housekeeper had already told him where everything in the flat was kept. Most of it was stocked in the living-room cabinets.
He laid out a blanket and set up a bedside lamp.
As he tidied, he kept thinking about how the housekeeper had praised the two of them, brother and sister, for getting on so well.
Until he went to fetch the lamp’s charger.
He opened one of the living-room storage cabinets. The next instant, two neatly arranged boxes of “Cooling Sensation” and “Ribbed” appeared right in front of him!
And there, neatly lined up right in front of him, were two boxes: “Cooling Sensation” and “Ribbed”…