Yu Lan’s heart ached instantly.

She hurried over to Huo Zhanting. "Huo Zhanting, are you okay?"

"Does it hurt?!"

At that moment, Huo Zhanting was exuding the tragic air of a fallen warrior.

One look was enough to make anyone’s heart ache for him.

Yu Lan rushed to his side, her beautiful eyes filled with worry and pain.

Because of this, she missed the look of utter astonishment in Su Xingye’s eyes as he stared at Huo Zhanting from behind her.

’How could there be such a shameless male? To think he’d resort to playing pitiful and acting weak just to win a female’s attention.’

Su Xingye knew Huo Zhanting wanted to win Yu Lan’s heart and was willing to cooperate a little, but he never imagined Huo Zhanting would stoop to this.

’Look at that bare, full, honey-toned chest.’

’He’s deliberately wrapped in a few layers of bandages, but in a way that reveals the outline of his abs, which rise and fall faintly with each breath. It’s utterly seductive.’

’You could even say he was playing some kind of kinky game, a blatant attempt at seduction.’

Su Xingye’s eyes were wide with shock. He felt that his own few snide remarks paled in comparison to what Huo Zhanting was doing.

Meanwhile, as Huo Zhanting basked in and responded to Yu Lan’s concerned questions, he lifted his gaze and locked it onto Su Xingye.

Sharp, proud golden eyes met cold, emerald-green ones.

A silent battle for dominance between two males played out in their shared gaze.

To compete for a female and win her affection, males have always been willing to do whatever it takes.

Just as Su Xingye had deliberately asked Yu Lan who was more important to her before she entered the room.

And, of course, just as Huo Zhanting was now deliberately flaunting his young, powerful, and cleanly sculpted body in front of her.

The two faced off in silence from across the room for a moment.

Appreciating the "sacrifice" Huo Zhanting was making, Su Xingye was the first to move. He turned, walked out, and closed the door, giving the two a chance to pour their hearts out to each other.

But next time...

It would be a true contest of strength.

Su Xingye left. Yu Lan heard a faint sound, but her attention was so completely focused on Huo Zhanting that she had no energy to spare for anything else.

"What should we do, Huo Zhanting? How are your injuries? Did the doctor say when you’ll recover?"

Seeing the bandages wrapped tightly, layer after layer, around Huo Zhanting’s waist and abdomen, Yu Lan was absolutely heartbroken.

Her soft, slender fingers touched the man’s waist. Her heart ached, and she wanted to caress him, but she was afraid she might hurt him.

She didn’t dare move at all.

She could only stare at Huo Zhanting, her eyes glistening and red-rimmed.

The beautiful female he’d longed for day and night was right before him, looking at him with such heartfelt pain.

And to make matters worse, her soft, smooth, slender fingertips were tantalizingly stroking his waist.

’This is pure torture.’

Huo Zhanting felt a rush of heat surge from his lower body.

Unable to stop himself, he let out a muffled groan.

He pulled the blanket over his waist in embarrassment. This is what happens to a male who’s been single for too long.

Sometimes, just a single cold glance from a beautiful female could trigger endless fantasies.

Yu Lan was still waiting for Huo Zhanting’s answer.

The usually arrogant and aloof man put on a rare show of docility. He shook his head at Yu Lan, then reached out his large, dry hand to grip her small one tightly.

"I’m fine, it’s not serious. The doctor said I’ll recover quickly."

"As long as you’re safe, I can rest easy."

The intense emotions churning wildly in those molten golden eyes—Yu Lan wasn’t blind. How could she not understand them?

She just didn’t quite understand.

She lowered her head slightly, pulled her hand back from Huo Zhanting’s, and murmured softly,

"That’s good."

"I haven’t thanked you for coming to save me yet. To be honest, I find it strange that you came at all."

’Su Xingye’s actions could be seen as repaying me for saving his life back then.’

’But what about Huo Zhanting?’

’Is it because of the marriage decree? Or is it a male’s sense of responsibility?’

’If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better for him if we separated?’

Yu Lan furrowed her brow, lost in thought.

But the moment she pulled her hand from his palm, Huo Zhanting’s heart sank heavily.

Now, hearing her ask such a bewildered question, he felt like he was about to cough up a mouthful of old blood.

Unable to resist, he reached out and caressed the beautiful female’s face.

"Lanlan, I like you. I want to protect you. I can’t bear to see you get hurt in the slightest. Why would you find that strange?"

"L-Like me?"

Yu Lan looked as if she had been startled by Huo Zhanting’s sudden confession.

Her crystal-clear, amber eyes widened slightly, and she tilted her head in slight distress.

"But you told me before... to stay away from you, not to get too close." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

SLAP!

It was as if an invisible hand had just slapped Huo Zhanting across the face.

The bullet he had fired in the past had come back to hit him right between the eyes.

But Huo Zhanting had no idea how to explain himself now.

’It’s true that I wanted to keep my distance from Yu Lan before.’

’But it’s also true that now I want to be close and affectionate with her every single day.’

As Huo Zhanting, tongue-tied, struggled for a reply, Yu Lan’s expression fell, her eyes downcast in disappointment.

"Forget it. I’ll go check on things outside. I won’t disturb you anymore."

Yu Lan turned, about to get up and leave.

’No, no, no.’

An impulse screamed wildly inside Huo Zhanting’s mind.

He knew that if he let Yu Lan leave now, the rift between them would only grow wider.

’Lanlan already has some inexplicable resistance toward me.’

’If I don’t take this chance to reconcile with her, what if other scheming males take advantage of the situation?’

Huo Zhanting was no fool, nor had he lost his sense of smell. From the moment Yu Lan walked into the room, the strong scents of Black Panther and Silver Wolf had been overwhelming.

’Many excellent males have their eyes on Lanlan.’

’If I don’t try harder, will there still be a place for me by her side?’

This thought flashed through Huo Zhanting’s mind.

And in an instant, it drove him mad.

The next second, the male—not knowing how else to explain himself and make her stay—grabbed her slender hand and firmly pressed it against the spot he had just covered.

His voice was hoarse with emotion:

"Lanlan, I was wrong before."

"I was arrogant and conceited, and I spoke rashly without taking the time to understand you."

"I’m sorry. I really do like you."

"You’re the most beautiful, kind, and generous female I have ever met. Can you please forgive me?"

"Lanlan, look. You’re the one who stirs me."

Feeling the man’s surging, excited passion beneath her hand...

Yu Lan’s face turned completely crimson.

She stared at Huo Zhanting, her gaze a mixture of shock and shyness.

"You, you, you..."

’How could Huo Zhanting be like this?!’

’He... he... he...’

’This is just blatant hooliganism!’

Yu Lan tried to pull her hand back, but the man, terrified she would run away and their chance would be gone forever, refused to let go.

He used a clever grip, and for a long moment, Yu Lan couldn’t break free.

Coming to his senses, Huo Zhanting saw the scene before him, and a flicker of surprise crossed his own eyes.

’I can’t believe I did something like that in the heat of the moment.’

But he was already past the point of no return.

He absolutely could not bear the consequences of losing Yu Lan.

So, he simply reached out, pulled Yu Lan into his arms, and took her hand, guiding it toward his own face as if to have her slap him.

"Lanlan, you can hit me, you can curse me, do whatever you want."

"Just don’t leave me."

"You like to play with whips, don’t you? Look, I got one for you."