It had to be said that the protagonist's luck was truly something else in that the moment Feng Xinya stepped out of Xue Yang's room, the two had run into each other.

"Ah! Oww.."

It's not that Feng Xinya hadn't noticed the protagonist's presence in the hallway, rather after sensing the protagonist nearing Xue Yang's room door in the hallway he had deliberately timed his departure to clash with the latter's.

Ye Xia had just finished his morning routine of relaxing in the jacuzzi and only wore a damp pair of light blue swimming trunks with a fluffy white towel hanging around his neck.

Due to the force of their impact, while Feng Xinya didn't so much as stumble, Ye Xia had fallen backwards onto the ground with a resounding boom which caught Xue Yang's attention as the commotion took place right outside of his own room.

"What happened?" He squeezed himself through the space between Feng Xinya and the door frame in worry since the crash was very loud and Ye Xia could have been hurt.

As Ye Xia looked up from his position on the floor, the first thing his sight was drawn to, was the glaring red ambiguous mark on Xue Yang's neck accompanied by his slightly disorderly clothes, and his swollen lips and red rimmed eyes that looked as if he had just cried.

What made things worse was that Feng Xinya was clearly exiting his room and it had been some time since the two of them had finished their breakfast and retreated to their respective destinations!

Also, the older man's hair was slightly messier than normal and both of them were in such close proximity but he didn't seem to mind it at all!

Of course, the only and most reasonable conclusion Ye Xia could draw from the state of the other boy was that the two of them had done that!

And it probably wasn't even their first time either, which made Ye Xia feel even more wronged since he had liked Feng Xinya from the time he first rescued him from the brothel which was already more than four months ago!

He didn't really believe that a prostitute like Xue Yang would feel anything aside from lust for his partners since that was the stereotype for people in that industry.

In fact, when his train of thought went this way, he started to believe that it was Xue Yang who had spread his legs and seduced Feng Xinya since there was no way such a rigid man would voluntarily take the initiative.

Even though Xue Yang was no longer a part of that world, Ye Xia knew from the few days he'd spent with him while they were there that Xue Yang had many partners each day and felt that it would be impossible to adjust to a normal lifestyle so easily. So, he had automatically assumed that the other boy used Feng Xinya as a way to fill in the void from leaving the job he'd done for most of his life, while Feng Xinya didn't deny his advances because he was a grown man with desires.

Although it upset him that Feng Xinya didn't consult him about his desires, Ye Xia felt that he only had himself to blame for not taking the initiative before Xue Yang did.

Xue Yang felt awkward because he knew that the brown-haired boy in front of him didn't see him in a very good light. He really didn't blame him for it either because those days in the brothel weren't exactly what he would want anyone to know much less watch and listen for that matter.

Despite his discomfort, though, knowing that the man beside him wouldn't be helping anytime soon if at all Xue Yang wordlessly extended out a hand towards the boy who was still sitting on the ground with an aggrieved look on his face.

Unfortunately he forgot that his wrists were currently marred with the bruises left behind by Feng Xinya's firm grip from earlier, and Ye Xia thought that Xue Yang was showing off his claim over the older man beside him.

Xue Yang, like Feng Xinya, was completely aware of Ye Xia's developing feelings for their saviour. But, just like Feng Xinya he also knew that people like Ye Xia were often very fickle. He still remembered the first day they arrived at the suite, the boy's reaction in the elevator.

The moment Xue Yang spotted those glaring bruises on his own wrist he really wanted to slap his own forehead for being ignorant and making such an elementary mistake.

But, he maintained his deadpan look to the best of his ability and acted as if the marks didn't exist, "Are you okay?"

On the side, Feng Xinya was amused by Xue Yang's caring actions, as well as how he temporarily froze when he noticed he screwed up. He already knew that the boy was an extremely conscientious and considerate person even before he regained his memories just from his actions like washing the dishes and doing the laundry, as well as cleaning up any messy spots in the suite. The fact that he could remain the same caring and gentle boy after remembering his past only further proved his words correct.

Feng Xinya simply leaned against the door frame watching the show with his arms crossed over his toned chest and one brow slightly raised in faint interest. In all honesty he wasn't expecting Xue Yang to extend a helping hand to the protagonist since it was obvious how much the latter despised him.

He was truly a saint.

No, he didn't believe that Xue Yang was showing off his marks because the boy was always low-key. It's more like Xue Yang had unknowingly walked straight into the pit along with the protagonist that Feng Xinya himself had dug for the latter.

With his intelligence, it was really only a matter of time before Xue Yang realized that bumping into Ye Xia was actually intentional and the events that happened after that were unexpected harvests on his part.

"Don't touch me, you dirty slut."

Sure enough, a slap could be heard echoing throughout the long and slightly narrow hallway as Ye Xia rejected Xue Yang's helping hand. The previously flawless white hand now had an additional patch of red on the back that strangely fit in with the rest of the marks trailing up his wrist.

To the abrupt slap, Feng Xinya couldn't help but furrow his brows. While he was expecting hostility, he didn't think that Ye Xia would extend his claws right in front of him, the person he "loved." Normally one would try to uphold their best image in front of their "crush," after all.

When he saw the new mark on the back of Xue Yang's hand, and especially how the boy flinched at how the protagonist glared at him in undisguised contempt and disgust, Feng Xinya inwardly cursed the protagonist inside his head.

He had just spent the past few minutes convincing Xue Yang that he wasn't dirty, only for the protagonist to say otherwise not too long after. Before he knew it, he had already straightened from his leaning position as he pulled Xue Yang away from the protagonist.

Of course, he didn't forget that he was the indirect cause for the current situation in the first place. It seemed he had been dragged into his own pit along with Xue Yang.

Actually, when he noticed that Feng Xinya was just watching everything from the side, Xue Yang managed to connect the dots and figured out that the entire fall was pre-planned by the man himself. And, seeing that he had accidentally walked right into the play, Xue Yang couldn't help but want to pull him in as well to make everything much livelier. So, he pretended to have been affected by Ye Xia's hurtful words.

Xue Yang wasn't the type to care about the words of insignificant people. He only valued words spoken by those he acknowledged. Since Feng Xinya and he had decided that they were the same type of people, then nothing else mattered to him.

As he expected, Feng Xinya soon caught on and didn't disappoint.

Feng Xinya found the sly Xue Yang very reliable and amusing. Playing along, he gently grasped onto the injured hand, ignoring the protagonist's aggrieved gaze as his tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

Lifting the smooth and small hand, he brought it to his lips and lightly licked the area that was flashing red, leaving a wet trail behind. When his calm hazel eyes met with Xue Yang's incredulous pale emerald ones his lazy smirk betrayed his inner thoughts,

Dragging me into my own pit, you have a lot of guts.

"Get up," his deep voice resounded in the hallway as he didn't so much as spare a glance towards the protagonist.

"As much as I dislike people like him, Xinya, why do this?" Xiao asked, confused as to why the two were acting out the part of a loving and harmonious couple.

Xue Yang knew they were acting but wasn't exactly sure why. He only knew that Feng Xinya's purpose was to excite Ye Xia in a negative way, so he complied without questioning or hesitation.

Feng Xinya actually planned to make the protagonist lose his cool, inciting him to throw his grievances onto the male lead after the act was over. Then, the male lead would somehow convince the gullible boy to sneak out and meet up with him. In this way, his responsibility over the boy would no longer exist as he was expecting a call from his superiors telling him to return to A country with Xue Yang.

Since they would say nothing regarding the protagonist, he would just assume that he was no longer of any importance, leaving him in B country for the B country forces to take care of while he personally took care of Xue Yang's business.

It no longer mattered what happened to the protagonist, but that didn't mean he could just abandon him outright as that would be out of character. However, if the protagonist left of his own free will then he would have no obligation to retrieve him as it was not a part of his mission.

"Why..." Ye Xia finally could no longer hold back his tears as his adolescent voice cracked.

"Why him? He's just a prostitute that you picked up because he was with me!"

Well, half of that statement was actually true, ironically enough.

"Then, why you?" Feng Xinya finally replied with a question of his own, though, like before he didn't so much as glance his way as his seemingly unconcerned gaze was fixed on the red slap mark on Xue Yang's otherwise flawless hand. His rough and calloused thumbs gently rubbed and soothed the inflicted area.

Ye Xia jumped up from the floor and stood while gesturing to himself, his palm against his own chest as he indignantly declared, "I haven't touched anyone else! I'm the only son of my father, the president of this country! And I don't think I look any less beautiful than him!"

Explaining to people like him would be pointless, so Feng Xinya didn't even bother trying as it'd just be a waste of breath. It's not like Xue Yang had willingly thrown himself into the brothel, but the protagonist would never understand as all he could think of when Xue Yang was mentioned would be those nights he had to attend to his guests. As for status, even though Feng Xinya attached no importance on such trivialities, Xue Yang already exceeded the protagonist's by a long shot.

And...Feng Xinya lifted his eyes from the back of Xue Yang's hand to the boy's unnerved jade irises that had been focusing on him from the moment he picked up his hand.

As far as appearances went, Feng Xinya couldn't care less if Xue Yang was overweight, dark-skinned, or marred with acne and pores. To him, the clarity within the boy's eyes was what mesmerized him the most, and the soul that they reflected from within.

Then, for the first time that day he turned his cold and unfeeling gaze to the other boy who appeared especially revolting as he derided another in hopes of making himself seem like a better person. He shut him up permanently with his next and last line,

"But you aren't Xue Yang."