A strange warmth settled in Gou Feng chest, and he couldn't help but smile to himself.
Perhaps it was true what people said, there were places where the body remembered comfort long before the mind did.
Places where, no matter how much time had passed, one could still feel safe and at ease.
Ever since those strange memories had surfaced, his mind had known no rest.
He couldn't stop wondering where they had come from, or who they belonged to.
They couldn't possibly be his.
Nothing about them felt familiar, yet they lingered stubbornly in his thoughts.
No matter how many times he thought about it, that answer never changed.
Yet the moment he arrived at the house of the man who had raised him, the restless noise in his head gradually quieted.
The tension he had been carrying all day loosened, and he let out a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
For the first time since having to see those unknown memories, he felt relieved.
Maybe he could finally get a good night's sleep here.
Perhaps he could ask Hei Bao if he could stay the night.
Truthfully, ever since those unfamiliar memories had appeared, he hadn't slept well at all.
Night after night, he would wake abruptly from his sleep, only to find himself unable to drift off again.
No matter how tired he was, the fragments of those memories would return, haunting the edges of his mind until dawn.
In the kitchen, Hei Bao opened the refrigerator.
"Do you still like spicy food?"
No response.
Hei Bao waited, but only silence answered.
His brows furrowed. He glanced toward the living room, and saw Gou Feng was staring at nothing in particular.
Lost in thought again. His expression looked distant, almost melancholy.
"A-Feng."
Still he received no reaction from the other.
Hei Bao's irritation immediately surfaced. For all his strengths, patience had never been one of them.
Especially when forced to repeat himself.
"A-Feng."
Still nothing.
The crease between his brows deepened.
"A-Feng!"
The pack leader finally snapped, his sharp voice echoed through the house.
Gou Feng visibly flinched, causing his thoughts to shatter instantly.
He turned around so quickly he nearly knocked over the cushion beside him.
"Ge?"
Confusion filled his face.
At the kitchen counter, their Hei Bao stood with his arms crossed.
His expression had noticeably darkened, full of displeasure.
Gou Feng froze.
He became speechless, he didn't know what to say.
Had he done something wrong?
Did I miss something he said?
Did I upset him somehow?
A trace of unease settled in his chest.
He quickly strode over.
"I'm sorry, Ge. I was just—"
The words died in his throat, as out of nowhere a sudden wave of strong pheromones flooded the room, overwhelming him to the core, that his breath caught.
Gou Feng instinctively looked up, and was met with Golden eyes.
The pack leader was in rage. His gaze was fixed entirely on him.
The pressure rolling off him was enough to make most alphas, and omegas lower their heads.
Why?
What did I do?
Gou Feng's heartbeat quickened.
The familiar instinct to submit pressed down on him.
His breathing became uneven.
"Fo-forgive me..." he managed to say.
"I wasn't paying atten—"
"Come here."
The pack leader's command cut him off. It was strongly firm, and impossible to disobey.
Gou Feng immediately nodded.
He took a cautious step forward.
"Faster."
Hei Bao's sharper tone made him flinch again.
Within seconds, Gou Feng had crossed the distance between them.
Only then did Hei Bao notice how pale the young man looked.
Gou Feng's skin had always been fair, but Hei Bao knew what his normal complexion looked like. This was different. Far too pale. The color had drained from his face, leaving him looking exhausted and unwell.
The irritation Hei Bao had felt moments ago disappeared without a trace.
A knot of concern tightened in his chest instead.
His gaze lingered on Gou Feng's face, silently assessing him.
Slowly, he lifted a hand and rested it against Gou Feng's cheek. At the same time, the pheromone pressure he released eased.
His thumb brushed lightly across the young man's skin.
"Tell me honestly—"
The question never finished in Hei Bao's lips, as he saw Gou Feng's eyes suddenly lose focus.
For a brief second, his body swayed where he stood, as though struggling to remain upright. Then, without warning, his knees gave out.
Hei Bao's heart nearly stopped. He lunged forward and caught Gou Feng before he could hit the floor.
The young man's weight collapsed heavily against him, limp and completely unresponsive.
A chill ran down Hei Bao's spine.
"Gou Feng?"
No response.
His grip tightened instinctively.
"Gou Feng."
Still nothing.
Panic surged through him with frightening speed.
"Gou Feng!"
His voice echoed through the house, sharper and louder than before, but the young man remained motionless in his arms.
For the first time in a long while, Hei Bao felt genuine fear.
A memory flashed through his mind, without warning.
A small child covered in blood.
A weak pulse.
A body that had felt far too cold.
The memory struck so suddenly that his hands trembled.
Hei Bao immediately checked Gou Feng's pulse, and found it steady.
A long breath escaped him. The relief nearly made his knees give out.
"...You nearly frightened me."
The words came out softer than intended.
Carefully, he slid one arm beneath Gou Feng's knees and another behind his back before lifting him into his arms, and carried him upstairs.
The master bedroom was quiet. Hei Bao laid Gou Feng gently onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him.
For several moments, he simply sat beside him.
His eyes remained fixed on Gou Feng as he watched the steady rise and fall of the young man's chest, as though reassuring himself that he was still breathing.
Only after seeing those shallow but regular breaths did the tightness in Hei Bao's chest ease slightly.
The room remained silent except for the steady sound of Gou Feng's breathing.
Now that Hei Bao had the chance to properly look at him, the signs seemed obvious.
He had lost weight.
His face appeared more drawn than before, and there was a faint hollowness beneath his eyes that hadn't been there the last time he had paid attention.
Had he not been eating properly?
Thinking back, when he had carried Gou Feng earlier, the young man had felt alarmingly light in his arms.
So light that, for a brief moment, he had felt as though he was carrying a leaf rather than a grown man.
How long had he been like this?
And why had no one reported it?
Or worse, why hadn't he noticed it himself?
Hei Bao frowned.
A trace of guilt settled heavily in his chest as his gaze lingered on the young man sleeping on his bed.
A loose strand of hair had fallen across Gou Feng's face, and without thinking, he reached over and brushed it aside.
The sleeping young man frowned slightly, as though troubled by something even in his dreams.
Hei Bao sighed.
His fingers moved to the center of Gou Feng's forehead, gently smoothing away the crease.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you frown in your sleep."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
"Have I been making you work too much lately?"
No answer came, only the quiet rhythm of breathing.
Hei Bao lowered his gaze.
"Did Ge overwork you, A-Feng?"
Still nothing.
The sleeping man remained completely unaware of the concern directed at him.
For some reason, that only made Hei Bao feel worse.
His gaze lingered on Gou Feng's face.
Without the polite smiles, without the formal titles, and without the careful distance he maintained around others.
He looked younger.Almost like the child Hei Bao remembered.
The same child who used to curl up on this very bed after stubbornly insisting he wasn't tired, only to fall asleep moments later.
A faint warmth settled in Hei Bao's chest.
When did that child grow into a man? And when had he become so skilled at hiding his burdens that even the people closest to him had failed to notice them?
Before Hei Bao realized it, a small smile had appeared on his face.
"Rest here tonight," he murmured quietly.
The sleeping man, of course, did not hear him.
Hei Bao rose from the bedside and adjusted the blanket one final time, making sure it covered Gou Feng properly.
"You can explain everything to me tomorrow."
There was no rush.
Whatever was troubling him could wait until morning.
After a final glance at the sleeping young man, Hei Bao turned and headed for the door.
The door clicked shut behind him, soft enough not to disturb the peaceful silence of the room.