And his hand would rest there.
Perhaps Tao Zhi placed it there himself, worried he might reach further ahead.
Proactively offering his rear into his palm, then trembling as he made excuses, looking pitiful: “Fu-ge, please don’t.”
Fu Si Heng had never bothered correcting Tao Zhi’s form of address because he found it amusing every time Tao Zhi said “you.”
For instance, in the future, he might even spread himself open, looking pitiful and enduring the shame as he said, Please enter me.
Fu Si Heng closed his eyes briefly, and his body suddenly relaxed.
“Oh, then I’ll let you get back to your workout. I won’t disturb you.”
Tch.
Fu Si Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he exhaled smoke.
“I’m going to shower,” Tao Zhi said.
“Mm…”
Now his voice sounded sated.
Languid and a bit scattered.
Tao Zhi stared at his phone, full of confusion.
“Should I hang up then?” Tao Zhi asked.
“Sure.”
The line went dead with a beep.
Fu Si Heng sat against the headboard and lit another cigarette.
His body, freshly relieved, showed no refractory period. As he pictured Tao Zhi’s body again in his mind, Fu Si Heng felt invigorated once more.
This was interesting.
Far more than extreme sports.
Faint smoke rose into the air, blurring Fu Si Heng’s eyes as desire took hold again.
Next time, turn the fantasy into reality.
Just wait until Tao Zhi returned for winter break.
The older man thought idly.
–
After showering, Tao Zhi went straight to bed.
It was early, but his body was truly tired. Once the excitement in his mind faded and he leaned against the pillow, he fell asleep quickly.
He woke up refreshed the next day. After brushing his teeth and washing up, he went downstairs to help his parents with chores.
Tao Zhi hadn’t been brushing off Fu Zheng yesterday; he was genuinely busy after returning home.
With about two weeks until Spring Festival, he had to do a thorough house cleaning, shop for festival goods, take his sister to the hot springs as promised, visit his high school homeroom teacher, attend the class reunion.
And more. He was busy every day.
He really couldn’t chat with Fu Zheng daily; he didn’t even keep his phone on him much.
At first, Tao Zhi was a bit anxious, wondering if Fu Zheng would give him trouble.
But two or three days passed without a word from Fu Zheng, and Tao Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
Though it felt a little strange, overall, it was a relief. Fu Zheng sometimes watched him too closely, creating a suffocating feeling that left him breathless.
Tao Zhi was still puzzled about how Fu Zheng had changed like that.
He hadn’t been this way before.
In his idle moments, Tao Zhi pondered it but found no answers. He only remembered that when Fu Zheng first moved into the dorm, aside from bossing him around with chores, he barely spoke to him.
He often complained that Tao Zhi was slow and in the way, rarely took him out, and scolded him for mistakes, saying he’d never room with him again.
Now, it was completely different… He was always seeking him out.
First thing upon waking, and a special goodnight before sleep.
Constantly asking where he was, why he hadn’t replied.
Or bombarding him with messages.
It often left Tao Zhi dizzy and confused.
But now that he wasn’t reaching out, it was fine.
When busy, he truly had no time for Fu Zheng.
Things would improve after school started. He’d work harder then.
That was what Tao Zhi thought—until he discovered why Fu Zheng had stopped contacting him.
In a Moments post from one of Fu Zheng’s friends, he spotted Fu Zheng.
With his smug, “I’m all that” face, appearing in all sorts of places.
Bars, KTVs, racing clubs.
Tao Zhi understood instantly.
So Fu Zheng had only clung to him before because he had no other friends. Now that he had new ones, he stopped sticking around.
Got it.
Realizing this made Tao Zhi feel great.
Fu Zheng had new friends to hang out with.
He hoped Fu Zheng had a fun winter break.
Tao Zhi was truly a super kind-hearted college student.
As for himself.
He busied himself during the day and occasionally brushed off Fu Si Heng at night.
……That had been the intention, at least.
Somehow, it turned into nightly calls with Fu Si Heng.
By the time Tao Zhi realized, they’d been doing it for a full week.
“……”
Whatever. Just think of it as working hard to maintain the relationship.
Tao Zhi didn’t dwell on it.
He even looked it up himself—they were probably in the honeymoon phase now. Couples in the honeymoon phase wanted to talk on the phone all day, every day. That was normal.
Though he didn’t think it was a normal relationship, Fu Si Heng clearly did.
From his perspective, this was normal behavior.
No choice but to go along with it.
Fortunately, the calls weren’t too long, and over time, Tao Zhi got used to it.
That evening, after showering and climbing into bed, Tao Zhi received Fu Si Heng’s call.
He swiped to answer and called out, “Fu-ge.”
Fu Si Heng hummed in response, noticing something off in his voice. “Why are you shivering?”
“I just got out of the shower. It’s a bit cold coming from the bathroom,” Tao Zhi explained.
Winter in the south didn’t snow, but the cold was no less biting than in the north.
That damp, sticky chill seeped into the skin and bones, making one shiver uncontrollably.
But now, tucked under the covers, it was much better.
