Tao Zhi jumped in fright at the sudden voices.
First, Fu Zheng cursed out of nowhere without warning, and second, Fu Si Heng asked who had just spoken.
The two voices came almost one after the other, startling Tao Zhi into a daze as he turned his head with a bewildered expression.
—His eyes widened greatly, like a startled plush animal, with dilated pupils and perked-up ears.
No.
What was Fu Zheng doing?!
How did he suddenly make a sound and get heard by Fu Si Heng?!
Even someone as good-tempered as Tao Zhi felt a bit annoyed.
How could this happen? This was clearly Fu Zheng’s revenge plan, and he had been cooperating so diligently, enduring the shame and his lack of know-how, struggling to put on a skirt he’d never worn before.
Yet this jerk Fu Zheng, when asked to help a little, was so dissatisfied.
Not only did he curse at him, but Fu Si Heng heard it too.
H-How was he supposed to explain this now?
Tao Zhi was anxious to death.
Fu Zheng: “……”
Fu Zheng had no idea what Tao Zhi was thinking, but he sensed grievance from his eyes.
A pair of watery, misty eyes, hands braced on the desk, waist slumped as he looked back—utterly pitiful.
Damn.
What was Tao Zhi aggrieved about? He hadn’t even done anything.
He’d just failed to hold back and cursed Fu Si Heng once—did Tao Zhi think he was cursing him?
Should he explain? Just a sentence or two would do.
The thought had barely surfaced when Fu Zheng felt he had no reason to explain to an idiot.
He was Tao Zhi’s boss; Tao Zhi should obey him unconditionally anyway. Besides, had he ever explained himself to a subordinate before when cursing?
Tao Zhi was a spoiled little whiner to begin with. If he indulged that temper too much and let it run wild, how would he control him later?
Was he supposed to listen to Tao Zhi from then on, washing his clothes, cooking his meals, polishing his shoes?
Impossible.
Young Master Fu absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
Yet imagining that scene, it didn’t seem that unacceptable.
Amid his frantic mental storm, Fu Zheng couldn’t make up his mind.
“Um?” Fu Si Heng spoke again, breaking the silence on the other end of the line.
“Ah… N-No one.” Tao Zhi snapped back, retracting his accusatory gaze and denying it stiffly.
After denying it, he felt that forcing his eyes open to tell such a bald-faced lie wasn’t convincing, so he trembled as he switched to another excuse.
“Th-The truth is, it’s my roommate. I live in a dorm…”
“Her voice might be a bit rough.” Tao Zhi patched it up softly, his voice shrinking with guilt.
“Oh.”
Fu Si Heng actually bought the flimsy excuse.
He didn’t pursue it further and shifted the topic back to the clothes: “Is the chain fastened?”
Tao Zhi turned to glance behind him.
First at the waist chain, then his gaze shifted slightly to the side, where he saw Fu Zheng frowning in a daze.
Or maybe deep in thought.
His expression serious, immersed in his own world.
He looked pretty busy anyway, so Tao Zhi didn’t dare call out to him. Fortunately, Fu Zheng had already fastened the waist chain for him.
Tao Zhi pursed his lips and hummed in acknowledgment, turning his head back and reaching for the other accessory: “Are the pearls the chest chain?”
“Yes.” Fu Si Heng confirmed.
“It’s so long.” Tao Zhi smacked his lips, feeling at a loss.
But he didn’t dare ask Fu Zheng for help again.
Instead of calling Fu Zheng, he followed Fu Si Heng’s instructions on his own, fumbling as he draped it over himself.
……
Fu Zheng finally snapped out of his mental storm.
His first reaction upon recovering was, Wait, what the hell was I even thinking?
What a mess of nonsense.
Utterly boring.
And a bit embarrassing.
Especially when he looked up and saw Tao Zhi fiddling blindly with a string of pearls—Fu Zheng’s expression froze on his face, and a burst of inexplicable stuffiness welled up without reason.
Why so serious?
Boring.
—
Tao Zhi didn’t notice Fu Zheng’s little moods.
He was fully focused on wrestling with these complicated accessories right now, with no attention left for his boss’s emotions.
Seriously, how did he randomly pick such a hard-to-wear outfit?
Tao Zhi panted slightly from the effort, drenched in sweat, but he finally succeeded in getting the entire set of skirt and accessories on properly.
Impressive.
The moment he fastened the choker, Fu Si Heng’s voice followed.
“All done?”
Tao Zhi looked down to adjust the choker’s position and hummed in response.
So gorgeous.
He wasn’t sure if these pearls and gems were real, but Tao Zhi poked at them curiously.
Like a kitten playing with its own collar.
“See how it looks,” Fu Si Heng said.
“Ah… Good.”
Right, time for photos.
But how to take them?
Tao Zhi blanked for a moment, then instinctively looked toward Fu Zheng.
Fu Zheng: “……”
Idiot.
Looking for him now?
Fu Zheng crossed his arms and leaned against the wardrobe on the bed opposite Tao Zhi’s, his expression one of extreme disdain.
Tao Zhi opened his mouth.
He couldn’t read Fu Zheng at all, but he was very anxious.
This jerk Fu Zheng had dumped all the problems on him without any intention of helping.
Even a clay figure would get pissed at Fu Zheng’s inexplicable bad mood.
If not for the money, he wouldn’t bother with Fu Zheng at all! What kind of person was this?
He was genuinely a bit angry now—
Fu Zheng suddenly approached him with a cold face.
Tao Zhi startled, immediately feeling guilty as if Fu Zheng had overheard his inner complaints; his expression tensed.
But Fu Zheng brushed past him, picked up the phone from the desk, and hung up the call.
Then, Fu Zheng typed: 【Photos later.】
It didn’t sound like Tao Zhi’s tone at all.
But whatever.
Nothing mattered more than Young Master Fu’s mood.
And he wasn’t happy right now.
—
The photo Tao Zhi sent was about what Fu Si Heng had imagined.
A selfie completely blocking the face.
The angle started from the slender neck and ended at the waist.
Graceful shoulder and neck lines, with two silver chain straps hugging the skin, extending from rounded shoulders down to the V-neck.
The upper half of the dress, once accessorized, had a complex and ornate design.
Softly gleaming pearl chains draped naturally from behind the neck, closely following the chest contours, dropping down to deep sapphire and water-drop pendants.
Pretty good-looking, even if the chest didn’t fill it out.
An idiot was an idiot—a flat chest with nothing to see, and he hadn’t even thought to pad it with a sponge; he just snapped it like that.
In the frame, a large expanse of collarbone skin was exposed, interwoven with the dark sapphire satin fabric, making it look even whiter and more enticing.
If he were right in front of Tao Zhi, with his height, he might just need to lower his head to peek through the open neckline and catch a glimpse of some tender pink hue.
Fu Si Heng stared at the photo for a good while before a soft chuckle escaped his nose.
Not mockery.
But because he imagined Tao Zhi’s expression while wearing this outfit and adjusting the chest fabric.
Blushing, head down, lips pursed—shy, yet having to do it.
Cute.
Fu Si Heng didn’t notice how his own expression had softened considerably.
Not bad; the size fit perfectly.
Tao Zhi was so slim—a delicate little waist, with smooth, graceful body curves.
He looked again.
What a tiny waist.
Fu Si Heng zoomed in on the photo.
This shot from Tao Zhi was only upper body, right up to the waist.
A waist slim enough to grasp with one hand—it looked like he could easily pull it into his arms, seat him on his lap or knee.
A bit rougher, and with an arm across that waist, he probably couldn’t even move.
He’d only be able to look up at him pitifully, fingers resting on his arm. Wanting to push, but unable.
Not daring to speak, just sitting there quietly.
Once he started thinking that way, he couldn’t stop; it took a while before Fu Si Heng continued examining the photo.
Only upper body, but that didn’t hinder Fu Si Heng from imagining what the lens hadn’t captured.
Following the slim waist downward, the satin-wrapped body lines were superior, mermaid hem hugging slender, even legs.
Tao Zhi probably never wore clothes like this; he might even feel restricted walking, forced to cling tightly to his arm.
……
At that thought, Fu Si Heng’s motion to save the photo paused abruptly. A moment later, he dialed a number.
“Hello.” The voice of Wei Yu, whom he’d ditched earlier, came through.
Wei Yu was still annoyed with him, speaking in a sarcastic tone: “Oh, if it isn’t our big-shot busy CEO Fu? Aren’t you busy? Got time to call me now?”
“Didn’t you buy a villa at Cloud Track Snow Ridge last year?” Fu Si Heng didn’t bother with chit-chat and got straight to the point.
“Huh? Yeah.” The jab had no effect; Wei Yu paused before answering: “What’s up?”
Cloud Track Snow Ridge was a mountaintop ski resort in the neighboring city.
Wei Yu had gotten hooked on skiing last year and bought a villa at the base for convenience.
“Rally some people and head there for New Year’s Day.”
“Oh, and invite Fu Zheng.” Fu Si Heng leaned back in his chair, lips quirking lightly: “But don’t say it was me who told you to.”
