Chapter 88: Happy Part 1

Tao Zhi was carried by Fu Si Heng to the restaurant for dinner. Throughout the entire process, his head never turned back. He lay on Fu Si Heng’s shoulder, his hands never letting go, staring pitifully and eagerly at the direction of the walk-in closet as it grew farther and farther away. His heart was filled with desolation.

It wasn’t until Fu Si Heng placed him on the chair at the dining table that Tao Zhi’s head finally turned away reluctantly to look at the meal spread out before him.

Fu Si Heng was a bit amused and annoyed. Before setting him down, he couldn’t resist biting his nose.

“Mm.”

Tao Zhi made a sound.

It didn’t hurt; he was just startled.

Tao Zhi blinked.

Fu Si Heng asked, “Is the scholarship really that important?”

“Of course it is.” Tao Zhi nodded, answering without hesitation.

Fu Si Heng had simmered chicken porridge that day. Tao Zhi liked food with a bit of saltiness, and there were also some light side dishes to go with it—all made to Tao Zhi’s taste.

A bowl had already been placed in front of him, freshly ladled from the clay pot and still a little hot. Tao Zhi blew on it.

Getting the scholarship had been his decision since enrollment. Even last year, when he was still working as Fu Zheng’s lackey, earning Fu Zheng’s money hand over fist, he hadn’t given up on that goal. Otherwise, why would he have ignored both Fu Zheng and Fu Si Heng during finals, leaving them both dissatisfied?

Besides, last year Fu Zheng had piled so many troublesome tasks on him, yet he had never missed a single class.

He couldn’t miss one this time either.

He just needed to get up early tomorrow.

During breaks while drinking the porridge, Tao Zhi secretly glanced up at Fu Si Heng.

Fu Si Heng sat across from him, drinking porridge alongside him.

Fu Si Heng’s cooking skills had improved more and more. The chicken was stewed until it was soft and tender, easy to eat. Besides the chicken, he had added diced shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and yam.

Tao Zhi thought it was delicious. Combined with his hunger, he quickly finished half the bowl.

With the hunger in his stomach slightly alleviated, Tao Zhi tried asking Fu Si Heng, “After dinner, you’ll send me back, right?”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to get up tomorrow morning.”

He could actually get up.

As long as someone called him or he set an alarm, he could wake up. But he didn’t quite trust Fu Si Heng.

“You really want to go back?” Fu Si Heng asked him.

In his eyes, skipping one class was no big deal. He had skipped plenty in university himself, and Fu Zheng treated it like an everyday routine—attending class would be the rare thing.

But since Tao Zhi didn’t want to, that was another matter.

Though the old man felt a bit sour about it deep down.

He wasn’t even jealous of other people anymore.

Now he was jealous of the scholarship, jealous of major classes too.

And Tao Zhi was completely oblivious, nodding earnestly there.

Fu Si Heng felt even more sour.

He tried reasoning with Tao Zhi: “Skipping one class won’t jeopardize your scholarship, Tao Zhi. You’re being very irresponsible toward me like this.”

“Huh?” Tao Zhi was stunned.

What kind of logic was that?

Such a serious accusation.

How was he irresponsible?

Tao Zhi pointed at himself: “Me?”

Am I irresponsible?

Me…?

Tao Zhi’s eyes were clear and bewildered.

The old man nodded shamelessly: “Leaving me here alone like this—doesn’t that make you a scumbag? Toying with my feelings?”

Tao Zhi: “???”

What the hell was this!

How had he become the scumbag?

Clearly, clearly he was the one who’d been… done!

And now he was blaming him!

Fu Si Heng was truly shameless.

And he kept being shameless: “Doesn’t that count as pulling—”

“No way!” The easily shy young college student guessed what he was about to say the moment the first word came out. His face flushed red in an instant. He loudly and impolitely interrupted Fu Si Heng, stammering and stumbling in denial: “Y-You’re the one who pulled… pulled it out, right…”

“…” After saying it, he couldn’t hold it together himself.

Woo.

His toes started curling again.

Fu Si Heng was so annoying.

Fu Si Heng, hearing this, raised an eyebrow.

…Then his calf got kicked.

Even a little bunny would bite when provoked.

“I didn’t.” Tao Zhi clenched his fists in denial.

“Oh.” Fu Si Heng was noncommittal.

This reaction made Tao Zhi unable to resist defending himself further. It was clearly Fu Si Heng’s fault, yet Fu Si Heng was blaming him—it was too much.

“You picked a bad time yourself.” Even though only he and Fu Si Heng were there, discussing this still embarrassed him.

Tao Zhi was very shy but tried hard to say it, refusing to take the blame for being a “scumbag”: “You didn’t tell me you were going to… do it today.”

“You should’ve picked a better time and told me in advance.”

Right, that was it.

It was Fu Si Heng’s fault.

He wasn’t a scumbag.

“…If it had been Friday or Saturday, none of this would’ve happened.” Because of his shyness, Tao Zhi’s voice was very soft, but his reasoning was surprisingly clear as he countered.

Fu Si Heng pondered for a moment.

“What if I said I never thought you’d sit down on it—would you believe me?”

Tao Zhi: “?”

???

–

Tao Zhi didn’t believe such nonsense at all.

Fu Si Heng, that jerk.

He was really bad, really over the top.

After finishing dinner, Tao Zhi hugged a pillow on the sofa, burying most of his face into it, staring unblinkingly at Fu Si Heng.

—He wanted to properly hash this out with Fu Si Heng, but because the topic was too sensitive and embarrassing, Tao Zhi could only resort to this method.

With most of his face covered, reasoning with Fu Si Heng.

“You’ll suffocate if you keep that up.” Fu Si Heng tried to pull the pillow away, but Tao Zhi gripped it tightly.

“You did it on purpose.” Tao Zhi accused muffledly.

“It wasn’t me who…”

Sat down.

Hearing this, Fu Si Heng wanted to laugh, but he held it back.

He reached out and pulled Tao Zhi into his arms, tossing the pillow aside in the process.

Inside was a fully ripened, rosy little peach.

“Fine, I admit it. I did it on purpose.” Fu Si Heng rested his chin on top of Tao Zhi’s head.

The soft black hair made him subconsciously nuzzle against it, wanting to hold Tao Zhi like this forever: “But I didn’t plan it from the start. Your fingers felt too good—I couldn’t hold back, baby.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

What kind of explanation was that?

Tao Zhi’s fingers curled.

“It was my fault this time. Sorry.” Fu Si Heng apologized to him.