Chapter 86: Frozen Part 1

Tao Zhi refused to admit that he had done something so childish.

But lying wasn’t in his nature either.

Tao Zhi simply chose to stay silent.

He ignored Fu Si Heng and kept his head down, tending to his own tasks.

——He put the swimsuit he had just taken from the closet back.

What did he mean by buying it for him?

He didn’t understand… He wouldn’t wear it.

Unfortunately, Tao Zhi didn’t succeed.

Because Fu Si Heng’s palm still rested on the back of his hand.

The mature man’s broad palm nearly enveloped his entire right hand, easily pulling it back to do what he had wanted to do all along.

Fu Si Heng held Tao Zhi’s hand and held the bikini swimsuit up in front of him to compare.

Tao Zhi was stunned for a few seconds.

Fu Si Heng’s action surprised and embarrassed him. When he came back to his senses, his face flushed red, and he awkwardly dodged away. “What are you doing…”

But Fu Si Heng held him in his arms. The man’s arm muscles were strong, crossing his waist. Even without much force, it kept him from moving. No matter how he dodged, he only burrowed deeper into Fu Si Heng’s embrace.

Tao Zhi’s shoulder bumped into Fu Si Heng’s chest muscle.

It was rock-hard.

“Do you remember the New Year’s holiday?” Fu Si Heng looked down at Tao Zhi, allowing him to dodge and push away the swimsuit without restraint, generously sharing his true inner thoughts. “On the first night, you hugged the clothes Shen Xinyuan lent you—which was this swimsuit—and ran into me on the way back to your room.”

Fu Si Heng’s voice was calm as he spoke, but if one listened carefully, they could easily detect the subtle hoarseness and excitement beneath the flat tone.

Tao Zhi was very familiar with that voice.

His eyelashes trembled.

“I said I’d take you to soak in the hot springs and told you to go back to your room and change into the swimsuit. You obediently went and came out wrapped tightly in a bathrobe.”

“You wrapped the bathrobe so tightly that except for your ankles, not a bit of skin was exposed. I was thinking at the time…”

Fu Si Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I was wondering what you looked like under the bathrobe.”

He had been thinking about it since then and hadn’t given up even now.

Fu Si Heng had always pondered how to get Tao Zhi to willingly put it on.

Today was quite a coincidence—Tao Zhi had discovered it himself.

“Baby.” Fu Si Heng called to him, his voice a bit husky.

“Actually, I didn’t wear it that day.” After hearing Fu Si Heng out, Tao Zhi said softly, mercilessly shattering his nearly half-year-long fantasy. “No lie, really not. Under the bathrobe, I was wearing underwear.”

Because Fu Zheng was an idiot who didn’t prepare swim trunks for Tao Zhi when they went to the hot springs, Tao Zhi’s first hot spring experience had been in soggy underwear.

Fu Si Heng: “Underwear?”

“Mm…” Tao Zhi nodded a bit embarrassedly.

Fu Si Heng suddenly laughed.

He had a bit of cleverness after all.

It seemed his baby wasn’t as dumb as he had imagined.

He had thought Tao Zhi was the straight-laced, honest type who, even with the bathrobe covering, would endure the shame and obediently wear the swimsuit underneath.

He hadn’t expected to underestimate Tao Zhi.

Tao Zhi had a petty side, which surprised him.

But being petty was cute too.

Petty was another kind of cuteness.

Tao Zhi’s original intent had been to tell Fu Si Heng that he really hadn’t worn a women’s swimsuit, so Fu Si Heng shouldn’t fantasize wildly in his head.

But Fu Si Heng completely interpreted it as something else.

He now just thought Tao Zhi was really smart.

He felt a sense of “good job, baby” pride.

“No wonder you wrapped the bathrobe so tightly back then.” After snapping back, Fu Si Heng continued praising him. “Smart little baby.”

“Because I was afraid you’d notice.” Tao Zhi felt embarrassed by his words.

It wasn’t that smart… It had really been a last resort.

At the time, he truly hadn’t known what to do. He had only temporarily recalled how Shen Xinyuan and the others wore them and imitated that.

Also, why was Fu Si Heng calling him little baby?

He already felt a bit ashamed when called just baby. Now little baby made Tao Zhi even more ashamed—he was an adult, after all… His toes wiggled inside his slippers. Tao Zhi wanted to correct Fu Si Heng’s term of endearment, but Fu Si Heng spoke first.

“But I really want to see it.” Fu Si Heng coaxed him softly. “Wear it once? Okay?”

Tao Zhi: “…”

“But I don’t want to wear it.” Tao Zhi told Fu Si Heng quietly.

“Why?” Fu Si Heng asked patiently.

Tao Zhi: “It’s girls’ clothing…”

“You wear women’s clothes often.” Fu Si Heng reminded him.

Not to mention far back—just a few hours ago, Tao Zhi had worn a sexy little black dress for photos and videos. Women’s clothing should be very familiar to him by now.

This couldn’t be an excuse.

But Tao Zhi clearly didn’t think so.

“It’s different.” He earnestly corrected Fu Si Heng.

Fu Si Heng: “How is it different?”

Tao Zhi: “It’s different everywhere.”

“…”

The conversation went back and forth, seeming a bit odd. Tao Zhi had no choice but to tell him, “I really won’t wear it.”

He paused.

“The fabric is too little.” In a moment of softness, he still told Fu Si Heng his real concern.

A bikini’s design was a big challenge even for conservative girls, let alone for a conservative and shy boy like Tao Zhi.

“And the chest part won’t hold up. It won’t look good.”

“The swim bottoms’ fabric is so thin, just that tiny piece…”

It couldn’t cover anything at all.

This wasn’t just an issue of women’s clothing anymore.

Tao Zhi shyly and quietly shared all his concerns with Fu Si Heng.

He felt Fu Si Heng was a reasonable person. If he explained properly, Fu Si Heng would surely listen.

“I see.” Fu Si Heng nodded thoughtfully after listening.