“Brother Fu.” Tao Zhi arrived in front of Fu Si Heng.
He had jogged over, with an excited and shy expression, eyes sparkling as he came before him. The hair on his head swayed lightly in the night breeze.
He was breathing a little heavily.
“Sorry, I only have time now. Did you wait long?” Tao Zhi asked him.
“Not long, I just got here.” Fu Si Heng had sent Tao Zhi a message right at the end time, and it had only been ten minutes since then.
Though he had actually waited half an hour.
“Oh.” Tao Zhi believed him.
Fu Si Heng had brought him a cup of fresh-squeezed juice.
He had originally wanted to bring milk tea, thinking of how Tao Zhi had once crouched at school for milk tea kittens to take photos, figuring he liked it.
But before buying, he checked and learned that milk tea contains tea leaves, which can keep some people awake at night.
So, nighttime milk tea became fresh-squeezed juice.
“Thank you.” Little Tao Zhi was very polite.
After taking the juice, he invited Fu Si Heng, a bit nervously. “Brother Fu, there’s a park up ahead. Want to go for a walk?”
–
It was a May evening with a gentle breeze.
Tao Zhi and Fu Si Heng strolled in the park.
The park closest to his aunt’s house was the largest one in their county.
There was a lake in the center of the park, and the two walked slowly around the lakeside.
By the time they arrived, it was already nine-thirty. The square dancing was wrapping up, and the lively park gradually quieted down. Streetlights cast a dim yellow glow. Tao Zhi finished his fresh-squeezed juice and tossed the crumpled cup into a trash bin as they passed. Then he looked at Fu Si Heng.
He had been brewing for a long time.
When Tao Zhi spoke, he decided to be tactful.
He asked, “Brother Fu, are you gay?”
Fu Si Heng: “?”
Though he had long known Tao Zhi had something to say tonight, Fu Si Heng had stayed mostly silent along the way to not interrupt his thoughts.
But he hadn’t expected Tao Zhi to suddenly ask this.
He quickly understood what Tao Zhi meant, though.
Finally, they had reached this step.
“I am.” Fu Si Heng answered, his voice deeper than usual, deliberately suppressed.
“Oh.” This answer was within Tao Zhi’s expectations.
Of course—if not gay, how could he like him?
Tao Zhi felt he had asked a stupid question, his face slightly embarrassed.
But this opening was necessary to lead into what he wanted to say next.
Tao Zhi quickly recovered and nodded repeatedly. “Then, how did you realize?”
Fu Si Heng stopped walking.
Tao Zhi: “Hm?”
Such a sudden stop—Tao Zhi walked two steps before noticing.
Accommodating Fu Si Heng, he stepped back to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, tilting his head up to look at him. “Brother Fu?”
“Wrong question.” Fu Si Heng told him.
Tao Zhi: “Ah?”
Little fool.
“You should ask why I like you.” Fu Si Heng said.
……
Ah?
Tao Zhi froze in place.
According to Tao Zhi’s plan, he wanted to ease into it step by step: first ask if Fu Si Heng was gay, then how he realized it, then relate it to his own situation, tell Fu Si Heng that he might not be straight anymore, and finally ask if Fu Si Heng wanted to try dating.
Tao Zhi thought his plan was solid, but at the second step, things spiraled out of his control.
It felt like the closet door had suddenly been flung open without warning.
Tao Zhi was so shocked he couldn’t speak, and in his surprise, he even retreated a step in horror.
“I…”
“From the first sight of you.” Fu Si Heng said.
In Fu Zheng’s dorm, the first sight of Tao Zhi.
His initial reaction was: how could such an obedient and cute little boy be doing something so outrageous with Fu Zheng?
From the complaint, that sarcastic lackey was probably this little boy in front of him.
So fair-skinned.
So cute-looking.
A palm-sized face with big features, like a startled little rabbit, staring in shock at the scene before him. When their eyes met, he immediately lowered his head.
Head down, not even daring to breathe, his faint breaths coming in fits and starts.
Very cute.
When he lowered his head, there seemed to be a soft bulge on his cheek that made one want to pinch it.
His heart itched.
In the end, he restrained himself and left.
The next time was at Wei Yu’s club.
Fu Si Heng thought Tao Zhi’s facial features were quite distinctive. Though made up and the difference between male and female attire was huge, he recognized him at a glance.
Quietly lowering his head to adjust his short skirt, his demeanor and nervous movements were almost identical to when he stood facing him in the dorm.
Clear, pure eyes, like a duck being forced onto the perch, clueless about what he was doing, pushed over by that idiot Fu Zheng.
So obedient, so cute.
He must have had his reasons.
Later, he asked his assistant for photos of Fu Zheng’s roommates just to confirm.
To confirm that the two people who had rippled his heart were actually one.
Looking back now, it was probably love at first sight.
He had fallen for Tao Zhi at first sight.
Then, it was Tao Zhi’s obedient and compliant personality.
After being tormented by his rebellious younger brother for so long, suddenly having an obedient, cute little boy enter his world—Fu Si Heng found it hard not to be moved.
It was only natural.
Whether in personality or looks, Tao Zhi was soft beyond reason, like cotton candy, like clouds.
Clueless and malleable, you could shape him however you wanted.
Fu Si Heng didn’t want to excuse his overly bullying behavior, but sometimes he couldn’t help teasing Tao Zhi mischievously.
He wanted to devour him.
Just eating once wasn’t enough; he wanted to savor him in every way.
Of course, it wasn’t just his obedience that he liked.
He liked his sulky, ignoring-him face too—and he was easy to coax.
He liked coaxing him.
He even liked deliberately provoking him.
After getting over it, he’d feel guilty even though no one had done anything to him—he’d apologize first, feeling sorry.
Where did this little angel baby come from?
Fu Si Heng also wanted to see his spoiled, unyielding side.
He liked him no matter what.
He liked him so much.
No, it was love.
He loved Tao Zhi.
Even knowing his initial approach had ulterior motives, he had still stepped right into that trap.
Was he really that arrogant?
Or was he willingly falling?
No way.
It was just an excuse to walk into the trap himself.
Otherwise, it’d be too stupid.
Fu Si Heng had his answer long ago.
“Tao Zhi.” Fu Si Heng said, “I like you.”
His tone was utterly serious.
He asked Tao Zhi, “Want to try dating me?”
“I promise you, I’ll be a great boyfriend.”
