“……?”
How could anyone say something so not mundane in such a flat tone?
The first three words that popped into Tao Zhi’s mind upon hearing Fu Si Heng’s suggestion were shameless.
Really, extremely shameless.
Even someone as good-tempered as Tao Zhi couldn’t help but be shocked by his words, describing him with those three words.
“……”
But one couldn’t be so rude. Tao Zhi was a well-mannered university student. After the shock passed, he replaced shameless with not mundane.
Yet, he still couldn’t shake the impression.
He stared at Fu Si Heng for a good while, opened his mouth, then closed it again. His throat felt choked, and soon his ears turned bright red as he panicked: “W-What? Don’t joke with me.”
“I’m not joking with you.” Fu Si Heng watched Tao Zhi flail awkwardly, unsure where to put his hands and feet, and felt quite pleased.
This old man’s recent happiness—no, his recent source of joy in life—came almost entirely from this earnest male university student.
No longer did he open and close his eyes to nothing but work, meetings, socializing, and business deals every day, all of which left him feeling bored and dull.
Now, he spent more time thinking about Tao Zhi.
Young, timid, and full of vulnerabilities—this little guy.
Though Tao Zhi wasn’t exactly professional when it came to seducing him, that didn’t stop Fu Si Heng from finding the experience of falling in love so interesting. No wonder so many people were addicted to it.
He was hooked now too.
“Desensitization therapy has scientific basis.” Fu Si Heng told him calmly.
Tao Zhi: “……”
Even more shameless.
Especially saying something so shameless in such a serious tone—Tao Zhi really couldn’t hold it together.
It was so strange.
The words came from Fu Si Heng’s mouth, yet the one feeling embarrassed and awkward was him.
Tao Zhi truly lacked experience dealing with older men.
“No, I don’t want to.”
After a brief silence, the usually obedient little rabbit rejected him without hesitation this time.
He struggled to get off Fu Si Heng’s lap, but Fu Si Heng’s arm was wrapped around his waist, pinning him in place.
Tao Zhi grew unusually urgent and patted his arm: “Brother Fu, let go. Stop teasing me.”
“I’m not teasing you.” Fu Si Heng denied Tao Zhi’s words.
Tao Zhi: “If this isn’t teasing, then what is? You…”
He paused, realizing his tone was rude, and softened: “How can you be like this?”
“How am I like this?” Fu Si Heng’s tone remained unhurried as he countered: “Can’t we use kissing for desensitization therapy in our relationship?”
Tao Zhi: “No… it’s not…”
“Then why did we kiss?” Fu Si Heng asked him: “Do you think I kissed you on a whim that night, or that I’m open to anyone, or that I only said those things this morning to tease you?”
Tao Zhi, who had just resolved to keep refuting with no: “……”
“But…” No turned into but. Tao Zhi racked his brain desperately for a way out.
But the more urgent the moment, the blanker his mind became—he couldn’t think of anything.
Fu Si Heng chuckled.
“Given that you might have some misunderstandings about me, let me clarify something.” While Tao Zhi’s head felt like it was exploding, Fu Si Heng was completely at ease.
His arm rested on Tao Zhi’s waist: “Yesterday’s kiss was my first kiss.”
“I’ve never dated a girlfriend before, never had an ambiguous relationship with anyone. You’re the first. I’m not teasing you.”
“……”
What? Why was he suddenly telling him this?
Tao Zhi didn’t feel joyful upon hearing it. Instead, he grew even more awkward, unsure what to do.
But he didn’t forget his mission.
Very professional.
Though he himself was at a loss for how to respond, he tried hard to figure out if this counted as Fu Si Heng’s confession.
If it did, then he’d completed Fu Zheng’s first-stage task. Going back, he’d definitely get the long-awaited 60,000 yuan.
Did he just need to go along with Fu Si Heng’s words now, acknowledge their relationship, and that was it?
“No reaction at all after hearing that?” Fu Si Heng looked at the dazed Tao Zhi on his lap and pinched his cheek.
It snapped Tao Zhi back to reality.
His gaze gradually focused as he looked at Fu Si Heng, seemingly pondering something but unable to figure it out.
Fu Si Heng: “Speak.”
“O-Okay…” Tao Zhi, who hadn’t figured it out yet, subconsciously went along. He mumbled agreement, then suddenly realized it was wrong and stopped abruptly: “No, no!”
Fu Si Heng: “Hm?”
No, he couldn’t acknowledge their relationship or accept the confession.
Because Tao Zhi remembered what Fu Si Heng had said that morning.
Especially: If we’d confirmed our relationship yesterday, you wouldn’t have had a chance to go back to your room. We’d have gone to bed.
…He didn’t dare confirm a relationship with Fu Si Heng now!
Even if it meant giving up that 60,000 yuan, he wouldn’t dare.
Tao Zhi shook his head like a rattle drum.
Fu Si Heng let him flail without speaking or loosening his hold. Once Tao Zhi tired himself out, his movements naturally stopped. He propped his hands on Fu Si Heng’s arms and looked at him pitifully: “Brother Fu, can you stop bullying me?”
“How is this bullying?” The trick that worked on Fu Zheng didn’t faze Fu Si Heng at all.
He lowered his gaze to Tao Zhi’s fingers on his arms.
“This is bullying…” Tao Zhi muttered in rebuttal.
Fu Si Heng didn’t speak, but his lips curved up.
It was bullying, indeed.
He admitted he was pretty awful—bullying the little rabbit put him in a great mood.
“This isn’t bullying.” What he thought and what he said were two different things. Fu Si Heng’s tone stayed calm and steady: “This is a confession.”
“I’m confessing to you.”
He’d said it.
At this point, Fu Si Heng made it direct, which didn’t surprise Tao Zhi. After all, a responsible man wouldn’t hesitate to keep things ambiguous.
But… the one hesitating and wanting to keep it ambiguous now was him.
Because he wanted both ways.
Tao Zhi realized for the first time how bad he could be.
