Well, now they know.
Did their pack leader always treat their best friend like this whenever they were alone?
The realization left both young men momentarily speechless.
Deep down, they were relieved that Gou Feng was treated with a quiet gentleness that none of them had ever witnessed before.
At the same time, however, a strange chill crept over them.
It felt... almost unreal.
The cold, ruthless pack leader they had admired and feared since childhood was capable of speaking so patiently to someone.
Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would have dismissed the idea as impossible. Yet here it was. A side of Hei Bao they had never imagined existed.
Gou Feng, completely unaware of what was going through his two best friends' minds, offered a small smile.
"I've been sleeping well, my Lord. Thank you for your concern."
The familiar title made something tighten unexpectedly inside Hei Bao.
His expression didn't change. Yet an inexplicable irritation settled quietly in his chest.
The words themselves were respectful. Perfectly appropriate, but they sound so distant, and he found that strangely unpleasant.
Before he could dwell on the feeling any longer, he abruptly rose from his seat.
The sudden movement immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Continue eating."
His calm voice carried the quiet authority that left no room for argument.
Then his gaze shifted back to Gou Feng.
"You, come outside with me."
Without questioning the request, Gou Feng immediately stood, and quietly followed behind.
The moment the two disappeared from the table, Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan then exchanged a worried glance.
"Where do you think they're going?"
Huan Zhan shook his head.
"No idea."
Shen Jiu lowered his voice, and asked further.
"Do you think A-Feng will be alright?"
Huan Zhan glanced toward the restaurant entrance door.
Honestly?
"I'm not sure."
Among them, Cheung Qi calmly picked up another slice of grilled meat and dropped it into his bowl, completely unconcerned.
"You're both overthinking it."
The two young men's attention was quickly pulled back towards him.
"Your friend was practically raised by him."
He popped a piece of meat into his mouth.
"If anyone here is least likely to be in danger, it's Gou Feng."
He took a glance at them and seeing that neither of them looked convinced, he laughed.
"Stop creating problems that don't exist and eat. The meat's getting cold."
Shen Jiu and Huan Zhan only sigh and do resume eating.
Outside, neither of them spoke. After leaving the restaurant, Hei Bao headed straight toward the parking lot, with Gou Feng.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable. At least, not for the young man.
Over the years, he had long grown accustomed to their pact leader's quiet nature. It's never new to him.
The cool air greeted them, Hei Bao seemed lost in thought, and Gou Feng wasn't sure what to say.
A few minutes later, they reached the garage.
Hei Bao unlocked his car and climbed into the driver's seat.
Gou Feng automatically took the passenger side.
The familiar routine felt strangely nostalgic.
For several seconds, only silence filled the vehicle.
Hei Bao fastened his seatbelt, and Gou Feng did the same.
Eventually, curiosity got the better of him, and he asked.
"Ge… Where are we going?"
They weren't simply leaving everyone behind, right?
Hei Bao started the engine, before saying.
"Home."
The answer made Gou Feng blink twice.
"H-home?"
"The Bao Estate." Hei Bao's firmly stated.
The young man just looked at him.
For a moment, he genuinely thought he had misheard.
Hei Bao hadn't done this kind of behavior in years. Not since he turned fifteen.
Back then, whenever something weighed heavily on the pact leader's mind, he would simply drag Gou Feng home without explanation.
Sometimes they would sit in silence all night, and sometimes Hei Bao would drink until he could barely stand.
And Gou Feng would stay beside him with a book in hand, quietly turning pages while listening to increasingly incoherent stories.
To others, those nights might have seemed strange, but to him, they were warm in a way he had thought was lost to him forever.
Now that he was an adult, he had assumed such simple comforts belonged only to childhood.
But perhaps he had been wrong. The world, after all, was full of surprises. You never really knew what life had in store.
"You don't have plans after this, do you?"
Hei Bao's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Gou Feng quickly focused his full attention on him.
"No. I'm free."
Hei Bao simply nodded.
No further explanation was given, and the car pulled out of the garage.
The drive passed quietly. Streetlights illuminated the roads one after another as the city gradually slipped behind them.
Gou Feng spent most of the journey looking out the window.
His headache still lingered. Though thankfully it had lessened.
Perhaps because he was no longer surrounded by noise. Or perhaps because being around Hei Bao felt oddly reassuring.
He wasn't entirely sure.
By the time they arrived, the sky had already fully darkened.
Gou Feng stepped inside the house and saw not a single thing had changed.
The familiar entrance, the carefully arranged furniture, and the framed photographs hang on the walls.
Even the scent of the house remained unchanged.
For a moment, he felt as though he had stepped backward in time.
"Sit wherever you want."
Hei Bao loosened his tie.
"I'll make dinner first."
That made Gou Feng sharply look straight at him.
Dinner?
The word alone felt unnatural.
In the past, normally, Hei Bao would head straight for his wine cabinet, and the evening would end with several empty bottles and absolutely no proper meal.
Yet today…
"What?"
Hei Bao looked over his shoulder.
"Why are you still standing there?"
Gou Feng quickly looked away.
"Nothing. It's… it's nothing, Ge."
He said and quickly made his way toward the living room.
Almost unconsciously, he settled into his usual spot on the couch.
The same place he had occupied countless times years ago.
A strange warmth bloomed in Gou Feng's chest, drawing a faint smile to his lips.
Other people were right. There were truly places where the body remembered comfort long before the mind did, places that still felt safe, no matter how much time had passed.
Ever since those unfamiliar memories had surfaced, his thoughts had been in constant turmoil.
They couldn't possibly be his... could they?
Nothing about them felt familiar, yet they refused to leave him alone.
But strangely enough, the moment he stepped into the Bao estate, the relentless noise in his mind gradually faded.
The tension that had gripped him all day slowly melted away, and he released a long breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
For the first time in days, all his nerves felt relaxed.
Maybe he could finally sleep without being haunted by those fragmented memories here.
Perhaps he could ask Hei Bao if he could stay the night.
Lately, sleep has become a luxury to him. Every night, he would be awakened from uneasy dreams, unable to fall asleep again as the fragments returned, lingering at the edge of his thoughts until dawn.
It's disturbingly unpleasant but he could not do anything about it.
The kitchen was quiet except for the soft hum of the refrigerator. Hei Bao stood before it, scanning its contents before reaching for a few ingredients.
Without turning around, he asked loud enough for the other to hear him,
"Do you still like spicy food?"
Silence.
Assuming Gou Feng simply hadn't heard him, he continued looking through the shelves.
"A-Feng?"
Again, no answer.
His hand paused. Closing the refrigerator door, he glanced toward the living room, and saw the young man remained seated on the sofa.
His gaze fixed somewhere beyond the window. His eyes were unfocused, as though he were looking at something only he could see.
He hadn't moved, nor had he reacted.
Hei Bao frowned.
Lost in thought again.
It wasn't like Gou Feng to ignore him, or easily get distracted when he was with him.
"A-Feng."
His voice carried farther this time.
But still he received no reply.
The crease between his brows deepened, and his patience, which was never abundant to begin with, quickly wore thin.
"A-Feng."
Silence answered him once more.
A vein pulsed faintly against his temple.
"...A-Feng."
The fourth call came lower, firmer.
But as expected, no response.
Hei Bao finally snapped, and his amber golden eyes showed.
"A-FENG."
The sharp command echoed throughout the house.
Gou Feng jerked violently, his shoulders trembling as though he had just been pulled from a nightmare.
He turned around so abruptly that one of the cushions beside him slid onto the floor.
"Ge...?"
Confusion clouded his face.
For a brief moment, he simply stared, as though trying to understand why Hei Bao had raised his voice.
At the kitchen counter, the pact leader stood with his arms folded across his chest.
His expression had noticeably darkened. Displeasure clearly shows in his eyes.
Gou Feng's heart skipped a beat.
Had he done something wrong?
Did he by chance call for me?
How many times?
A familiar unease settled inside his chest.
He immediately stood and hurried over.
"I'm sorry, Ge... I was just..."
His apology was caught in his throat, as an overwhelming pressure suddenly descended upon him.
Hei Bao's angry pheromones break loose, dense, and overbearing. The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Gou Feng instinctively looked straight at him and saw those amber eyes.
They were fixed solely on him.
Every instinct buried within his Lycan blood urged him to lower his head in submission.
His heartbeat accelerated, breathing became uneven, and cold sweat gathered across his back.
"W-What did I..."
His voice came out hoarse.
"F-forgive me. I wasn't paying atten—"
"Come here." Hei Bao cut his words short, his voice wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be. It already carried the unquestionable authority of the Pact Leader.
His words was an order, not a request.
"Y-yes..."
Gou Feng obeyed immediately, taking a cautious step forward.
"Faster."
The sharper command made him flinch.
Without another word, he quickly crossed the remaining distance until he stood directly before Hei Bao.
Only then did the Pact Leader truly see him.
The irritation that had lingered moments ago vanished almost instantly.