Chapter 23: Confinement Part 1

Tao Zhi followed Fu Si Heng into the room.

He was a bit nervous.

When he had spoken those words earlier, his expression had been particularly resolute, carrying the determination not to let Fu Zheng down and to succeed no matter what as he stepped into the room. But once inside, he began to feel at a loss, blankly scanning the room in a circle, completely unsure of what he should do.

He stood rigidly at the doorway, watching Fu Si Heng’s back.

Fu Si Heng walked straight toward the round tea table near the terrace.

A bottle of red wine sat on it. He picked it up and poured some into a tall-stemmed glass. “No tea or drinks. Red wine?”

“I don’t drink alcohol,” Tao Zhi quickly waved his hands.

“Alright.” Fu Si Heng set it down again.

The next second.

“Or… maybe I should drink some after all…?” Tao Zhi hesitated, asking Fu Si Heng’s opinion in a small voice.

As the saying went, alcohol bolstered the timid.

He was too nervous right now. Perhaps a drink would help him loosen up and interact better with Fu Si Heng.

But there was one thing he had to make clear first.

“Brother Fu, I get drunk from just one beer,” Tao Zhi revealed his alcohol tolerance.

He trusted Fu Si Heng completely now, thinking he was both gentlemanly and considerate, and would surely control the amount for him.

Also, it carried another implication: if the alcohol content was too high, he wouldn’t drink.

“Got it,” Fu Si Heng understood. The tall glass, which should have been a third full, was now only half that.

After pouring, he turned and saw Tao Zhi still standing at the door unmoving.

“Not sitting?”

“…” He had forgotten.

Tao Zhi pursed his lips, finally ending his self-imposed standing penalty, and walked toward the sofa in the room.

The layout of Fu Si Heng’s room was the same as his own.

A recliner-style sofa sat beside the tea table. Tao Zhi went over, sat on the edge, and took the glass Fu Si Heng handed him.

He took a sip.

Not much, just a shallow taste.

Tao Zhi didn’t feel anything special. It wasn’t as good as the fruit wine from the club earlier—like over-fermented sour grapes, with a very rich flavor.

He didn’t like it much.

He set it down again.

It had bolstered his courage a little, at least.

Tao Zhi looked up at Fu Si Heng sitting across from him, with the tea table between them.

“What did you want to see me about?” Fu Si Heng pulled out the wooden chair in front of him and sat down opposite Tao Zhi.

Compared to Tao Zhi’s stiffness, Fu Si Heng appeared much more relaxed.

He leaned back against the chair, in his usual pose with legs crossed.

As he relaxed, Tao Zhi felt a bit better too. After adjusting his breathing, he spoke softly, “It’s too early. I can’t sleep. I wanted to chat with you.”

“Sure,” Fu Si Heng didn’t refuse. “What about?”

The question bounced back to him.

Uh.

Tao Zhi was stumped.

This was so hard.

With no idea what to say, his brain raced.

Fu Si Heng didn’t rush him, letting him think. In the meantime, he poured himself a glass.

“You and Fu Zheng seem to have a big age gap,” Tao Zhi decided to start from their common ground, hoping it would spark a topic.

“Mm.” Fu Si Heng responded casually. “Ten years.”

“I have a little sister too, and there’s a big age gap between us. I’m the older bro—wait, no, I’m the older sister.” He nearly slipped up and scared himself half to death.

He quickly corrected himself, heart pounding, unsure if Fu Si Heng had caught it.

He was terrified of ruining Fu Zheng’s plan.

Then not only would the sixty thousand be gone, but he might even get scolded…

Tao Zhi held his breath.

Fortunately, heaven favored him once more.

Fu Si Heng hadn’t heard the slip.

As he said that word, Fu Si Heng had just set down the red wine. The sound of the bottle clinking against the glass perfectly covered his words.

Fu Si Heng showed no abnormality, didn’t even look up, just continued the conversation. “You and your sister get along well?”

“My relationship with Fu Zheng isn’t that good.”

“I really hate him.”

With the crisis averted, Tao Zhi let out a shallow breath of relief, then immediately mustered all his energy to continue the awkward chat. “Why?”

“I’ve hated bratty kids since I was little,” Fu Si Heng’s reason was straightforward. “Fu Zheng is exactly that type—very annoying. If you had a brother like Fu Zheng, you’d hate people much younger than you too.”

“From childhood to now, aside from causing trouble and fighting everywhere, he’s good for nothing.”

“That he grew up successfully is thanks to my good temper.” Fu Si Heng’s tone was flat.

Tao Zhi: “…”

He couldn’t relate.

Tao Zhi awkwardly scratched his ear.

His sister was very obedient, never caused trouble, was very compliant, helped with housework, and they had a great sibling relationship—

Wait.

Tao Zhi caught the most important part of Fu Si Heng’s words.

He jerked his head up, his expression shocked, incredulous, and a bit dazed. “You… hate people much younger than you?”

“Mm.” Fu Si Heng took a sip from his glass, answering Tao Zhi casually.

Tao Zhi froze in place.

How could this be?

If he didn’t like that… how was he supposed to complete Fu Zheng’s task?

“Fu Zheng is ten years younger than me, so every action of his seems extremely childish to me.”

Tao Zhi: “…”

In other words, replacing “Fu Zheng” with his own name in that sentence would make it apply to him too.

“So you hate me too,” Tao Zhi murmured.

Fu Si Heng paused in his movements.

“Brother Fu, do you hate me?”

Tao Zhi was surprisingly bold tonight.

He had clearly understood the implication in Fu Si Heng’s words, yet he stubbornly asked again.

He didn’t feel awkward or uneasy. Instead, he lifted his head, looked at Fu Si Heng, as if he absolutely needed to hear a clear answer from his mouth.

Alcohol bolstered the timid, as the saying went. At least, a timid little rabbit like him would never have had the courage to ask that normally.

Fu Si Heng set his tall glass back on the tea table.

A light clink made Tao Zhi’s eyelashes tremble slightly.

Tao Zhi’s eyelashes were very long.

Long and upturned, quivering finely, casting a shadow on his eyelids.

Once the sound faded, his eyelashes settled, and he stared at Fu Si Heng with those round, beautiful eyes, full of confusion.

Because Tao Zhi didn’t think of himself as a bratty kid; there was no reason for Fu Si Heng to dislike him.

Fu Si Heng suddenly fell quiet.

A moment later, he abruptly asked, “Are you hot?”

“I… huh?” Tao Zhi blinked.

Wasn’t the topic change too abrupt? Tao Zhi blinked.

The villa’s heating was on full blast; even in summer clothes, it would have been fine. But the two in the room were still in their full ski outfits.

Aside from his face and nose flushing from the heat, Tao Zhi’s forehead had beaded with thin sweat, strands of hair sticking messily to it.