Such an outrageous request—Tao Zhi had no intention of agreeing to it.
He immediately shook his head. “No way, no way, I’m not doing it.”
What a joke.
How could he possibly help Fu Zheng with something like this?
He wasn’t tired of living!
Tao Zhi’s mind was crystal clear at the moment.
He was currently posing as Fu Si Heng’s girlfriend. If Fu Si Heng caught him in the act while helping, he didn’t even dare imagine how chaotic that scene would be.
Tao Zhi shook his head like a rattle drum. “I can’t help, I really can’t. Find someone else. You have money—you can hire anyone you want.”
“There are plenty of pretty girls in the art academy. Go ask them.”
“Don’t refuse so quickly.” Fu Zheng reached out and pinched Tao Zhi’s cheeks, stopping his head-shaking. “Listen to me properly.”
Tao Zhi’s refusal was within Fu Zheng’s expectations; he wasn’t surprised at all.
Every time he asked Tao Zhi for help, didn’t Tao Zhi always refuse at first? And end up agreeing in the end anyway.
Fu Zheng knew the process well and was adept at handling Tao Zhi.
He felt smug, thinking that even after he got married in the future, he wouldn’t be henpecked.
No, that’s getting ahead of himself.
Fu Zheng’s expression stiffened for a moment as he pulled his thoughts back. He said to Tao Zhi, “Of course I’ll pay you if I ask for your help.”
“Thirty thousand okay?”
He had sold Fu Si Heng’s two bottles of vintage wine cheaply to Wei Yu, and the money he got was just enough to give it all to Tao Zhi.
What a steal.
He really should have been fishing money from Fu Si Heng’s pocket to keep Tao Zhi from the start. He’d been too small-minded before.
Fu Zheng stared at Tao Zhi. With the coercion gone, just the temptation alone was enough to pin Tao Zhi down completely. “I can transfer it to you right now.”
“…”
Oh god, thirty thousand.
For Tao Zhi, who was saving up to pay off debts and prepare for a breakup, it was such a tempting amount.
Tao Zhi was truly moved.
But…
He glanced up and caught Fu Si Heng finishing his conversation with Xu Yujia, his gaze turning toward the balcony.
Their eyes met abruptly in mid-air. Tao Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. He immediately pushed Fu Zheng’s hand away and retreated until his back hit the balcony railing, still refusing. “No, no, no!”
If he got caught, he would really die!
At the airport, when a stranger had just handed him a business card, Fu Si Heng had been so jealous he’d nearly kissed him to death.
And now, he was being asked to pretend to be Fu Zheng’s crush—his dream girl—behind Fu Si Heng’s back, while posing as his girlfriend.
Impossible, utterly impossible.
Tao Zhi’s refusal carried a plea. “I really can’t. Go find someone else, Fu Zheng.”
Fu Zheng: “…”
Why was he so unyielding today?
Fu Zheng felt a bit irritated.
Wasn’t he usually quite obedient and compliant? This sudden change made him seem like a different person.
Fu Zheng refused to believe it. “You really don’t want the thirty thousand?”
“…I don’t.” Tao Zhi’s expression hesitated.
He wanted it, but he couldn’t take it.
To avoid losing his resolve, Tao Zhi ducked his head and tried to leave the balcony.
Unsurprisingly, Fu Zheng stopped him.
Fu Zheng grabbed his arm, about to say something more, when Xu Yujia’s righteous voice rang out first.
“Little Zheng! Don’t bully your roommate!”
Fu Zheng: “?”
“I’m not!” Fu Zheng shouted back.
Tao Zhi’s mind buzzed; he couldn’t hear what they were saying. He only felt the thirty thousand sprouting wings and flying farther and farther away from him. It hurt so much.
Tao Zhi sighed.
When he came back to his senses, he heard Xu Yujia say, “Mommy’s heading home. Come down and see me off.”
“You still need an escort? It’s just a few steps. I’m done.” Fu Zheng muttered a complaint under his breath, then irritably replied, “Got it!”
With that, he turned back to Tao Zhi. “Wait for me to come back and continue talking.”
Tao Zhi: “…”
Spare me.
–
Tao Zhi felt like heaven itself wanted him dead.
He truly couldn’t understand Fu Zheng’s insistence on him for help. He’d even offered such generous pay. With just a post on the confession wall, plenty of people would be willing to play Fu Zheng’s dream girl—his crush.
That was thirty thousand!
But Fu Zheng refused and insisted on him specifically.
Tao Zhi had always been a bit soft-eared around aggressive types and struggled to resist. He’d finally made some progress, managing to stand firm a little—saying no meant no, no matter how much Fu Zheng pressed. He even buried his head in the pillow, pretending not to hear, and still didn’t agree.
But Fu Zheng countered every move, switching to a clingy offensive.
Before, Tao Zhi had trailed after Fu Zheng like a little tail, fetching clothes, delivering water—doing all the lackey’s jobs. The confession wall and school forums were always full of teasing about how the young master came to college with his own sidekick.
But after a short holiday, the dynamic flipped. Now Fu Zheng followed him around like a puppy, sticking to him no matter where he went. He couldn’t even do his part-time jobs anymore, and there were always crowds of onlookers.
As Tao Zhi walked down the street, he always felt eyes lingering on him and Fu Zheng, with that teasing, scrutinizing gaze.
The feeling was incredibly weird.
Finally, Tao Zhi couldn’t take it anymore.
When Fu Zheng mentioned it would just be the three of them, Tao Zhi suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He stopped so abruptly that Fu Zheng, unaware, nearly bumped into him.
Luckily, he didn’t.
Fu Zheng: “Why’d you stop so suddenly—”
