Chapter 75: In a Sorry Plight Part 2

There was a grinning puppy right at the collar, snug against his neck.

The fair, elegant line of his neck formed a soft, gentle curve as he tilted his face up.

“Yeah, really surprised. You got here this morning—why didn’t you tell me?”

And yesterday, hadn’t he said he wouldn’t come? Why did he suddenly show up without saying anything?

Tao Zhi’s mind was full of questions.

But he didn’t voice any of them.

His eyes shone brightly as he looked at Fu Si Heng, whether still recovering from the shock or… pleasantly surprised, he couldn’t tell.

“I didn’t want to bother you at first.” Fu Si Heng was in a great mood.

He took the chance to pinch Tao Zhi’s cheek.

The touch was light, unnoticed. He pretended to casually ask, “Can I help you now?”

“Uh… how are you planning to help?” Tao Zhi asked.

It felt strange—once Fu Si Heng said he’d help, Tao Zhi wasn’t worried at all. It was as if handing the matter to him guaranteed a perfect resolution.

Fu Si Heng would naturally take care of everything.

Such thinking wasn’t good, Tao Zhi told himself.

Fu Si Heng didn’t owe him anything.

But still.

“Do you have a better idea?” Tao Zhi asked.

Fu Si Heng hummed but didn’t reveal specifics. “We’ll talk tomorrow morning.”

As he distracted him, the fingers pinching his cheek slowly slid downward, finally cupping Tao Zhi’s chin with the pad of his thumb.

It almost looked like Fu Si Heng was holding Tao Zhi’s face up.

Tao Zhi surely had no idea how dependent his gaze was right now.

These past two days, he’d heard “brother” too many times from Tao Zhi’s mouth. In his mind, he’d imagined him as mature and resilient. But now, face-to-face, he was still that little baby.

He was always a little baby.

So young—why should he handle family matters? Why couldn’t he grow up carefree by Fu Si Heng’s side?

Then he wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have custody of Tao Zhi.

Tch.

What a mess of thoughts.

“I’ll wait for you downstairs tomorrow.” Fu Si Heng had a whirlwind of ideas in his head, but his face showed none of it.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make him shut up.”

Alright then.

He clearly wasn’t going to tell him.

But it didn’t matter—Tao Zhi trusted Fu Si Heng completely.

But why was he touching his face again?

Tao Zhi felt a bit shy and quietly shifted away without a word, preventing Fu Si Heng from touching.

He pretended not to notice, but his reddened earlobes gave him away.

“Okay…” Tao Zhi forced himself to stay calm as he replied, then asked, “Are you staying nearby?”

Fu Si Heng: “Mm.”

He’d booked two rooms—one near the hospital, one near where Tao Zhi was staying.

“It’s late. Head upstairs and sleep. We’ll talk about the rest tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Tao Zhi nodded. “You should head home and sleep too.”

Fu Si Heng: “Mm.”

After Fu Si Heng responded, Tao Zhi finally turned and went upstairs.

Once his figure vanished at the stairwell entrance, Fu Si Heng didn’t leave immediately. He kept watching.

Then he noticed an urgent gaze from upstairs.

Fu Si Heng looked up.

Tao Zhi was leaning over the balcony watching him, his big round eyes wide. When he saw Fu Si Heng look up, he mouthed: Go—home—now—!

Fu Si Heng was stunned for a moment, then lowered his eyes and smiled silently.

–

The next morning, Tao Zhi got up at seven.

His aunt was opening the shop and woke at about the same time. She asked if he wanted breakfast before heading to the hospital—it would be quick, ready in ten minutes or so. But Tao Zhi refused.

He hurried downstairs without eating.

He planned to call Fu Si Heng once downstairs, ask which hotel he was at, and then go find him. But as soon as he came down, he saw Fu Si Heng standing in the same spot as last night.

Tao Zhi’s steps halted. “You’re here so early?”

“Not really. It’s about my usual schedule.” Fu Si Heng replied, looking well-rested and energetic.

“Oh…” Tao Zhi stared at him for a bit. “Then let me take you for breakfast.”

The local breakfast was quite famous, especially the rice noodles.

People who slept in when away from home would still get up at eight back here for a bowl of rice noodles, then nap again.

Tao Zhi had attended middle and high school in the county, so he knew the area well.

He wanted to take Fu Si Heng to the shop near No.1 Middle School, his favorite one. But before they took two steps, someone called out from behind.

He turned and saw Shang Xuan in pajamas and slippers, chasing after him. “Where are you going? You promised an answer this morning—how could you just leave without a word?!”

Good thing he’d woken up early, or Tao Zhi would’ve slipped away.

He’d rushed down in a hurry, demanding an answer.

“Have you decided?” Shang Xuan was sleepy and wanted to handle this and go back to bed, so he spoke quickly. “If you don’t agree, I’ll blab everywhere.”

“Don’t take it lightly. Even if your parents understand what you did, do you think the relatives will? They’d love to see your family in chaos. So I advise you to do the smart thing and pay up to settle it.” Shang Xuan’s threats to Tao Zhi were exactly what Fu Si Heng had described yesterday.