The next day was a weekend.
There were no classes, but Tao Zhi still got up very early.
He maintained a healthy schedule, going to bed early and rising early, never staying up late.
He woke up at seven-thirty in the morning, went to the cafeteria by himself to eat breakfast, took a stroll around campus while he was at it, snapped a few scenic photos for his sister, and returned to the dorm around nine.
The other two guys in the dorm had already gone to the library, leaving only Fu Zheng still sleeping.
Their dorm was a four-person room, but aside from him and Fu Zheng as freshmen, the other two were seniors planning to take grad school entrance exams. They were quite busy and didn’t spend much time in the dorm.
Tao Zhi hadn’t spent much time in the dorm before either.
Freshman year courses were demanding, and with classes plus part-time jobs, he headed out early every morning and only came back near lights-out.
It was only after Fu Zheng moved in that the financial pressure eased a bit, allowing his life to relax somewhat, so he started spending more time in the dorm.
Of course, there was an even more important reason: he had to be available at all times to meet Fu Zheng’s demands.
Like this morning.
Unsure what Fu Zheng would want to eat after waking up, he had to stay in the dorm until Fu Zheng got up—he couldn’t go anywhere.
Once Fu Zheng woke and his breakfast was sorted, if Fu Zheng went out without him, the rest of Tao Zhi’s day was free time to do whatever he wanted.
If Fu Zheng went out but brought him along, he’d keep following.
If Fu Zheng didn’t go out, he’d have to stay in the dorm on standby.
In short, every cent he earned from Fu Zheng came from hard labor—there was no such thing as hot potato money!
Though he did occasionally gripe that the young master was really hard to serve.
It was the weekend, and his sister didn’t have school either. Early in the morning, the siblings shared their daily routines. His sister casually asked what work his boss had lined up for him today and if the tasks were tough.
Tao Zhi sent a little bunny clinging to the wall emoji.
Tao Zhi: [Boss hasn’t woken up yet. There’ll be tasks once he does.]
Tao Zhi: [TvT Why hasn’t he woken up yet.]
Sister: [0.0]
Sister: [Pat pat little bunny head.jpg]
Sister: [Bro.]
His sister said with a sigh: [Why do I feel like you’ve raised a rich second-gen little pet?]
Tao Zhi: [What?]
Tao Zhi didn’t get what his sister meant.
His sister explained: [Middle schoolers are super into raising virtual paper-people idols on their phones lately—feeding them, bathing them, dressing them, stuff like that. Your boss is totally like one!]
Sister: [^v^ See? You’re like the owner waiting to feed him.]
After all, if he wasn’t waiting to buy breakfast for Fu Zheng, Tao Zhi would’ve headed to the library by now.
Tao Zhi: [……]
Tao Zhi: [Hahahaha.]
Tao Zhi laughed at his sister’s teasing, firing off a string of hahas.
Don’t say…
It really did seem that way.
But.
Tao Zhi: [He’s the boss. Can’t talk about him like that.]
Sister: [Zip the mouth.jpg]
Sister: [^v^]
On a weekend morning, loosening up a bit now and then wasn’t bad… It was making the best of a tough job.
To stay happy in life, mindset was key. With just a few words, his sister had turned a tricky gig into something funny.
Tao Zhi felt pretty cheerful.
He kept chatting with his sister on WeChat, his smile never fading. But suddenly, he heard someone call his name.
Tao Zhi looked up and saw Fu Zheng rubbing his head as he got out of bed.
The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was call for Tao Zhi.
Tao Zhi was full of service spirit. Seeing Fu Zheng awake, he immediately set down his phone and walked over.
He stood below Fu Zheng’s bunk, tilting his head up slightly.
Soft black hair fell over his forehead, making him look obedient and cute. His eyes sparkled, and he flashed a little tiger tooth in a grin as he enthusiastically greeted his rich second-gen pet… no, his big-shot sugar daddy boss.
“Fu Zheng, good morning! You’re awake?”
Fu Zheng: “…”
Waking up to a guy calling his name in a coquettish, sugary voice made Fu Zheng’s heart inexplicably soften, followed by a surge of irritated embarrassment. “Talk properly.”
“……?”
Huh?
Tao Zhi was confused, utterly baffled.
He looked at Fu Zheng in bewilderment.
Fu Zheng ignored him.
Deliberately avoiding his eyes, he pulled a straight face and got out of bed.
Fine, the boss was throwing another unexplained tantrum. But Tao Zhi was used to it by now.
He quickly stepped back a couple paces to give Fu Zheng room. A few seconds later, realizing Fu Zheng was getting up to wash, he hurriedly dashed to the bathroom to squeeze toothpaste for him.
The dorm bathroom wasn’t spacious; two guys squeezing in would be tight. So usually, when Fu Zheng got out of bed, Tao Zhi started prepping the toothpaste.
By the time Fu Zheng entered, Tao Zhi was just coming out.
It wasted not a second of the young master’s time.
But today, he was a tad slow.
He’d barely turned when Fu Zheng grabbed his collar and yanked him back.
Fu Zheng entered the bathroom and squeezed his own toothpaste with a grumpy expression.
What had he done to piss him off this time?
Tao Zhi had no idea.
He scratched his head and poked his head around the bathroom door to peer at Fu Zheng brushing his teeth.
He still didn’t quite get what “talk properly” meant. After pondering for a while, he concluded it meant he should speak more carefully.
“Fu Zheng, what do you want for breakfast today? I’ll go buy it.” Tao Zhi ventured cautiously.
Fu Zheng paused mid-brush.
He glanced up, catching Tao Zhi’s reflection in the mirror.
Cautious and careful, like some little animal peeking out from its burrow.
…Kinda cute.
