Chapter 92 Part 1

Tao Zhi only learned about it the next morning during breakfast.

While drinking porridge, he opened his phone to check messages and discovered a birthday blessing text from Fu Si Heng’s mother, sent at three in the morning—by then, he had already fallen asleep… Tao Zhi blinked, set down his spoon, and carefully typed a reply to Xu Yujia before mentioning it to Fu Si Heng.

“She sent me a birthday blessing text at around three in the morning yesterday,” Tao Zhi said. “But I was already asleep by then.”

Fu Si Heng hummed in acknowledgment, looking unsurprised as he picked up a piece of radish cake and held it to Tao Zhi’s mouth for a bite. “My mom’s vacationing in Hawaii. There’s a time difference with the mainland.”

“Oh.” Tao Zhi nodded.

“She also called with a video call in the early hours,” Fu Si Heng added.

…Huh?

Tao Zhi’s eyes went blank for a moment.

Before he could process it, his lips brushed against a shrimp dumpling.

He took another bite this time, his left cheek puffing out as he chewed on one side while pondering on the other.

After swallowing the shrimp dumpling, realization dawned on him, and his pupils dilated slightly. “In the early hours? A video call? Doesn’t that mean I…”

Fu Si Heng hummed again, finishing his sentence. “My mom already knows.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Zhi froze, his chewing motion halting as he stared blankly at Fu Si Heng.

“It was about time to tell her anyway,” Fu Si Heng said casually. “You can’t keep pretending to be a girl in front of her forever.”

That made sense, of course.

But… hearing him say it like that made Tao Zhi’s heart tense up a bit.

Did this count as coming out of the closet?

For his first time coming out, Tao Zhi wasn’t sure about the process—he’d only heard bits and pieces.

It couldn’t be explained clearly over the phone, so Auntie Xu would definitely come back. At that point, he’d probably have to sit down with Fu Si Heng and explain everything: why his girlfriend had turned into a boyfriend, and how the boyfriend had gotten tangled up with Fu Zheng…

He wondered if he’d get scolded.

His head already ached.

It felt like another mess.

Tao Zhi felt a bit troubled, but he had no desire to run from it. He accepted the idea of coming out together with Fu Si Heng in just a few seconds and asked with a bitter face, “So when is Auntie coming?”

“Next week. No specific time yet.” Fu Si Heng saw Tao Zhi’s expression, smiled, and guessed his thoughts. “Want to come out with me?”

“Of course.” Tao Zhi answered as if it were the most natural thing.

Fu Si Heng’s movements paused.

He set down his chopsticks and stared for several seconds at Tao Zhi’s earnest little face, seriously pondering and trying to come up with solutions.

Such a brave little baby.

His face was all scrunched up, but when asked about coming out together, he’d answered without hesitation, immediately, as if it was only natural—as if it was their shared matter, his and Fu Si Heng’s.

Realizing this, Fu Si Heng’s heart stirred slightly. He suppressed the urge to pull him into his arms for a kiss and tumble around for the whole morning.

“I’ll pick you up next Saturday,” Fu Si Heng said. “My mom will probably bring you a birthday gift. You can see if there’s anything you like then.”

–

A week passed quickly.

Tao Zhi hadn’t idled during those five days. He sorted out the trio’s past relationships clearly, so he’d be ready to explain when Xu Yujia asked.

For instance, his actual relationship with Fu Zheng, and aside from hiding his revenge motive against Fu Zheng, why he’d cross-dressed as a girl.

And also, how he and Fu Si Heng had gotten together.

These three questions were a massive undertaking. Tao Zhi even went so far as to create an Excel spreadsheet, untangling their messy love triangle into something perfectly clear.

With his preparations complete, when Fu Si Heng came to pick him up, his little face was gravely serious.

Fu Si Heng had never seen him like this before. Unable to hold back, he pinned him in the passenger seat and kissed him for a full ten minutes before letting go.

His lips were all swollen.

Tao Zhi: “…”

Tao Zhi solemnly wiped the saliva from his face.

On Saturday morning, Fu Si Heng picked him up from school, dropped him off at his tutoring spot first, then they headed together to the Fu family old residence.

The Fu family old residence was an estate halfway up the hillside, with towering iron gates and an asphalt driveway flanked by lush green lawns.

A scene he’d only seen on TV was now right before his eyes, making the already nervous Tao Zhi even more tense.

After getting out of the car, he took several deep breaths.

“Don’t be nervous,” Fu Si Heng soothed him.

“I am a bit nervous.” Tao Zhi pulled his hand free from Fu Si Heng’s grasp.

Xu Yujia was a wonderful elder—kind, amiable, approachable. Tao Zhi really liked her, and he didn’t want her to dislike him.

He was doing mental preparations at the door, trying to act composed and relaxed, when the door opened from inside.

Xu Yujia appeared before them.

“A-Auntie.” His voice trembled involuntarily.

“…Mian Mian?” Even with mental preparation, seeing Tao Zhi’s true appearance still stunned Xu Yujia for a second.

She quickly recovered.

“Oh, no—I should call you Little Zhi now, right?”

“Come on in.” Xu Yujia beamed. “Wang Ma’s finished cooking. Let’s eat first.”

…?

Huh?

Tao Zhi was dazed as Xu Yujia pulled him into the villa.

This was nothing like what he’d imagined.

During that week, Tao Zhi hadn’t only sorted out how to explain their relationships—he’d also researched coming out procedures.

He’d thought… coming out would mean getting scolded, cold words, maybe even kneeling.

The reference materials he’d found all described it that way. If parents didn’t approve, they might even kick you out. Tao Zhi had braced himself for Xu Yujia’s cold face.

Even if Xu Yujia had seemed to like him before, a man and a woman were still different in the end.

Even if she could accept it, her attitude probably wouldn’t be as warm as before?