Chapter 49: When the flower is stained with ink 3

However, they did not come forward to stop the man.

What a joke! Just look at the man’s bulky body and then at their own frames. They wouldn’t stand a chance.

Hou Yizhen did not pay anyone any attention.

Instead, he strode directly toward Lin Feng and reached out a hand.

However, just before he could grab the boy, he suddenly froze, not knowing where the boy’s injuries were. His subordinate had said that the injuries were on the hand, so he couldn’t just recklessly touch the boy’s hands and arms.

With a tense expression, the man asked coldly, "Where are your injuries?"

Lin Feng was startled by the sudden appearance of the man.

While he was still in a daze, he heard the man’s question, and he instinctively raised the back of his hand to show the few small red dots on his fair skin.

"It’s not a lot, just a few tiny droplets," Lin Feng whispered. "Edmund was able to block it in time, and he ended up getting hurt on my behalf."

Hou Yizhen did not seem to hear the rest of his words. His eyes were fixed on the back of the boy’s hand. The small red marks stood out starkly against the snow-white skin, making the sight almost unbearable.

For a moment, he thought, ’Almost. Something truly terrible had almost happened to the boy.’

The veins on his fists bulged with tension.

With a cold expression, Hou Yizhen finally tore his eyes away from the boy and stared at the silent Housekeeper Yang.

"I clearly entrusted his safety to you. You were very negligent in this matter, Housekeeper Yang."

Housekeeper Yang and Edmund both bowed solemnly.

"It is our negligence, Master Hou."

Lin Feng, who had initially been dazed and unnerved, saw this and instantly snapped back to reality.

His soft amber eyes were filled with complicated emotions. In his previous life, berating the servants for negligence when the master’s safety was compromised was considered a normal act.

But in this world, who was he, Lin Feng?

If it weren’t for Hou Yizhen providing Lin Feng with a group of bodyguards and entrusting him to Housekeeper Yang, and if no one had been by his side when this happened, the consequences would have been dire for him.

Without any money or people he could call his own, Lin Feng could not yet afford to lose Hou Yizhen’s support.

The boy did not know where he got the courage, but thinking of all the efforts Housekeeper Yang and Edmund had made to protect him, especially Edmund, who had even been injured on his behalf, Lin Feng’s eyes became firm.

He slowly stepped forward, positioning himself between Hou Yizhen and the other two men, and raised his eyes to look at Hou Yizhen.

Lin Feng knew that the man was doing this for him, but he must not take it too seriously and wrong the benefactors who had saved him.

"Uncle Hou, please do not be angry at them. They did everything they could to protect me. Edmund even got hurt because of me." He paused. "Uncle Hou, I am not part of the Hou family; we are not blood-related at all. They do not need to serve or assist me, yet despite that, they treated me with sincerity and kindness."

Hou Yizhen’s eyes lowered, meeting the boy’s amber eyes.

Something felt different.

"You got hurt." Saying this, he reached out and held the boy’s fair hands.

The color contrast between the large bronze hand tenderly holding a fair white hand was striking.

The eyes of the nurses, who had been ignored in the corner, widened as they stared at the two hands joined together.

Lin Feng’s face remained composed and gentle. "These are just a few marks; they will not even leave scars. Not to mention, I’m... a man." His voice trembled imperceptibly. His gaze broke away. "It was all thanks to Edmund. Look at his back. He suffered so much to ensure I wasn’t hurt."

"I don’t even know how to repay them..." The boy sighed.

The boy’s words were soft and calm, which eventually softened the man’s anger.

His tense shoulders gradually relaxed.

"...Fine. Then I’ll let them go this time, considering that they still saved you in the end."

Lin Feng’s brows lifted slightly as he glanced up at the man.

Unexpectedly, the man had easily let go of his anger.

The boy finally showed a small smile, his amber eyes softening as he looked up at the man. "Then, on behalf of my benefactors, I’ll thank Uncle Hou."

"Um."

Silence settled over the room.

The nurses stared intently at the hands still holding each other, realization dawning on their faces.

Housekeeper Yang glanced at the nurses who were rooted to the spot on one side of the room, their eyes wide as they listened to every word spoken and watched every action.

Housekeeper Yang said, "Ladies, we would like to have some time alone."

Coming back to their senses, the nurses finally realized that they had been blatantly eavesdropping on the men’s conversation. With blushing faces, they apologized and hurried out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Their hearts were pounding as they looked at each other in bewilderment.

They walked along the hallway, their voices lowered to whispers.

"Did you see that? Did you hear that?"

"It’s almost as if... Yes, I think what the online posts said is true. Lin Feng might really be gay."

"Those two men’s behavior is really not like that of straight men. That guy with the dark skin—I think he’s into Lin Feng."

"Oh my gosh! Is there even any chance left for us women to find a handsome, straight man? Why are all handsome and beautiful men gay?"

Their hearts were shattered, but then they recalled the man named Edmund.

"That delectable, handsome, mixed-race man! The guy named Edmund, do you think he’s also..." The nurse winked meaningfully.

"No idea, but he even used his body to protect his young master... I think he is, sob."

Their hearts, which were about to mend, shattered into dust.

...