Two men's hands lay one on top of the other, slender and long, exuding a sense of strength. It was not like when a man and woman clasp hands, from which one can immediately see the sweetness. Rather, they were like two trees growing side by side, nestling against and supporting each other. Only where their fingers intertwined did a trace of profound, irresolvable longing seep through.

Huo Mingjun's heart fluttered, stirred by his clingy little actions. Thinking Xie Guan was just acting spoiled and refusing to get out of bed, he used his other hand to pinch his earlobe. "Don't be lazy, get up and change."

The base of Xie Guan's ears burned. He bent a finger to scratch Huo Mingjun's palm. The sensation of the kiss on his forehead seemed to linger, seeping through his skin and into his veins, hiding at the bottom of his heart, stirring restlessly and unbearably.

The two of them wasted a long time on a meaningless game of "you pull me, I'll scratch you," and as a result, they ran out of time to change, rushing around in a chaotic mess. While quickly fastening his cufflinks, Huo Mingjun said, "Next time, I have to wake you an hour earlier. I've never seen anyone who loves to laze in bed this much."

"My fault, is it?" Xie Guan tucked his shirt into his trousers, pulled out a rolled-up tie from its box, and tacitly swapped places with Huo Mingjun. They started tying each other's ties. "Your skills at getting me up aren't so great either."

Huo Mingjun retaliated with a smack on his ass. Xie Guan let out a yelp, nearly hitting the ceiling. "A slip of the tongue! You're too vicious!"

They straightened their shirts and ties, donned their crisp suits, put on their most practiced social masks, and after exchanging a look, pushed open the door and walked out together.

One was stern and cold, the other warm and gentle. Though their dispositions differed, both were dapper and radiant. Their suits weren't overtly a matching couple's set, yet the details of the patterns and even the colors of their ties echoed each other. Truly a pair of handsome, perfectly matched... shameless couple of men.

The styling consultant thought coldly: 'The office soundproofing is quite good.'

"Red Square" is the banquet hall of B City's Kaislaide Hotel. Because its floor plan resembles a hexagonal gemstone and it's decorated in red, it earned this nickname. The Red Square Charity Gala is a long-standing charity event, initiated by Sun Heng, the founder of the Taihe Group. It's held annually, inviting celebrities and dignitaries from all walks of life to participate in donations, charity auctions, and other activities.

Huo Mingjun received an invitation every year but had only made an appearance once or twice in all these years. Xie Guan's invitation was purely a case of "enjoying the shade under a big tree." The wife of Ye Jun, vice-chairman of the Xihua Group, was surnamed Sun, and her family was connected to the Taihe Group by marriage. Although the familial ties were quite distant, the two families maintained a good relationship. Across the entire entertainment industry, probably only Xihua Entertainment would do something like hand out invitations to the Red Square Gala to its artists like amusement park tickets and call on them to go walk the red carpet for fun.

The Red Square tickets were divided into inner and outer access. The inner access route was reserved for low-profile tycoons; it had no reporters and led directly to the banquet hall. The outer access, on the other hand, featured a hundred-meter red carpet, a runway built specifically for stars. Xie Guan had an outer access ticket, and a horde of media was waiting in front of the red carpet for a live broadcast. He had to show his face no matter what, so he separated from Huo Mingjun at the inner access entrance, arranged to find him after he got in, and then got into his car to leave.

Tonight was a star-studded event, a grand occasion in the entertainment circle. In just five minutes, at least three Best Actress-level stars walked past him. Xie Guan stood at one end, a short distance from the red carpet, absentmindedly gazing at the dazzling, firework-like camera flashes along its edge. This was his first time walking such a high-profile red carpet. He should have been striking poses, posting selfies, and trying to stay in front of the cameras for a few more seconds. However, right now, all he wanted was to get it over with quickly and go find Huo Mingjun in the inner hall.

An usherette came over to invite him onto the carpet. Xie Guan followed her to the start of the red carpet, and even found a moment to ponder his own state of mind: "No wonder teachers didn't allow puppy love back in school. Being in a relationship is too distracting."

He was completely oblivious to anything being wrong with this thought, having accepted his new reality with the speed of a tornado, and was actually quite enjoying it.

While worrying about his "sweet troubles," Xie Guan stepped into the world laid out by the camera lenses. The buzz he had gained from Huo Mingjun recently hadn't faded yet. The media swarmed him, snapping photos furiously. The camera flashes went off one after another, creating a scene so intense it rivaled that of an A-list young actor. Xie Guan was tall and handsome, his every move elegant and poised, his smile gentle—just a bit too dazzling. His whole body was enveloped in the unique halo of a "love-struck idiot."

He stylishly took the pen and signed his flamboyant signature on the signing board.

A sharp-eyed reporter noticed that he paused for a moment after the first stroke before continuing to write, causing the signature to be not quite so smooth and complete, as if... he had suddenly forgotten how to write his own name.

Xie Guan made it through the red carpet without any major incidents. As he passed through the corridor to enter the hall, he couldn't help but wipe away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

When Huo Mingjun taught him how to write his signature, he had also taught him how to sign his own name. Xie Guan had joked that he would forge his signature and often practiced writing their two names together. As a result, he'd been distracted while signing just now, and his hand had automatically started with the first stroke of the character "Huo." Luckily, he noticed early enough to stop himself. Otherwise, before he even had the chance to have a showdown with Huo Mingjun, he would have come out of the closet in front of the entire nation, and that would have been thrilling.

The Red Square Gala was divided into three main parts: the banquet, the auction, and the ball. The first banquet hall was a buffet. The signal inside was poor, and Xie Guan's text to Huo Mingjun was slow to send. He stopped near the terrace, occasionally greeting acquaintances who passed by. Using the excuse of waiting for someone, he avoided the lively socializing and clinking glasses in the hall, looking suspiciously like he was slacking off.

If Lin Yao were to see him like this, she would probably grab him by the head and throw him into the center of the hall.

It was only because he was out with Huo Mingjun that he dared to do as he pleased so boldly. Anyway, the favored one is always fearless; he knew this perfectly well.

Xie Guan touched his face as he thought. It was a little sore. The bold promises he had made back then were still ringing in his ears. He felt he was going further and further down the path of a spoiled and arrogant imperial consort who brings disaster to the nation.

His hands started to itch again. He felt he had to do something to Huo Mingjun to get even.

Just as he was plotting, he was suddenly bumped from behind. Xie Guan turned around while taking a step back and saw that the person who had bumped into him was an actress returning from the terrace—she looked a little familiar.

Xie Guan couldn't recall who she was at the moment, but she was looking at him with a rather unpleasant expression.

The actress was wearing a pale gold haute couture evening gown, with dazzling diamonds on her wrists, neck, and ears. The outfit was undeniably lavish, but her figure was slightly out of shape, making her look for all the world like a shimmering golden ear of corn.

Corn's hair was slightly disheveled, her lipstick was smudged, and her cheeks were flushed. Her chest was rising and falling slightly, as if she was very agitated. Xie Guan also noticed a lingering fingerprint on her shoulder.

Corn glared at him and said unhappily, "Don't block the way."

At the same time, another voice sounded behind him: "Xie Guan."

Huo Mingjun had arrived.

The actress didn't know Xie Guan, but there was no way she didn't know Huo Mingjun.

"Mr. Huo, hello." She flusteredly tucked a lock of hair hanging by her temple behind her ear. There was a certain charm to her awkwardness. This action made a lightbulb go "ding" in Xie Guan's head, and he finally remembered who this person was.

"Excuse me, I was in too much of a hurry just now and accidentally bumped into this gentleman." She gave Xie Guan a small bow. "My apologies."

Huo Mingjun didn't look at her, placing a hand on Xie Guan's shoulder and asking in a low voice, "Where did she hit you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Xie Guan said with a dry laugh. He said to the actress, "It's alright, please, go ahead."

Corn still looked reluctant, but she seemed to have something urgent to attend to. After a polite phrase to the two of them, she hurried away. Only after she left did Huo Mingjun's face completely darken. "Where did she pop out from? Do you know her?"

"Behind the curtains. I guess she was coming back from the terrace?" Xie Guan said. "Her name is Bai Yu, a pretty famous actress. She was extremely popular when I first entered the industry."

Huo Mingjun glanced in the direction Bai Yu had gone. "Stay away from her from now on."

"Mm, why?"

Huo Mingjun seemed to be stumped by the question. He took a long time to phrase his words before giving a cryptic reminder: "Didn't you notice something was off about her?"

Innocent virgin Xie Guan asked in confusion: "Off? ...She was a bit disheveled, and there was a fingerprint on her shoulder. Did she get into a fight with someone on the terrace just now?"

"Something like that," Huo Mingjun gave an enigmatic cold laugh. "Fairies fighting."

This illiterate Xie Guan didn't understand and humbly asked for clarification: "What kind of fighting did you say?"

Huo Mingjun never expected he would be discussing this kind of thing with Xie Guan on such an occasion. It was as embarrassing as losing all face. He gritted his teeth, pulled him closer, and said hoarsely next to his ear: "Didn't you see that lustful look on her face? What do you think she was doing?!"

His breath and the airflow from his words rushed into the sensitive shell of his ear. That, coupled with the rather blunt explanation, successfully turned the naive young man into a steamed hairy crab.

Xie Guan muttered in shock: "...How could such a thing happen."