“I can’t do it, really… No way.”
“How can’t you?” Fu Zheng thought he understood Tao Zhi pretty well.
He exhaled: “I’ll give you money after it’s done.”
“It’s not about the money…” Tao Zhi wouldn’t do something like this even if he was broke.
Fu Zheng: “If it’s not about money, what is it?”
Tao Zhi: “…”
It was that he was genuinely terrified of Fu Si Heng.
Even though they had only met briefly.
“…I really can’t do it.” Tao Zhi said softly, his fingers curling slightly on his knees.
“Five million after it’s done.” Fu Zheng said expressionlessly.
Five million…
Oh god.
It was a number Tao Zhi wouldn’t dare dream of.
His biggest dream had been earning over ten thousand a month after graduation, but Fu Zheng casually offered millions…
Tao Zhi swallowed, his head spinning again.
…Then he shook his head desperately.
“No, Fu Zheng, I really can’t.”
Tch.
“Tao Zhi, I’ve always been good to you, haven’t I? How come when I ask for a little help, you keep dodging?” Offering money didn’t work, so Fu Zheng played the emotional card.
This tactic had a slight effect.
Tao Zhi’s expression softened a bit upon hearing it.
Fu Zheng had been good to him.
Generous with money, wiring funds, buying phones—Tao Zhi truly felt from the bottom of his heart that what he did for Fu Zheng wasn’t worth the compensation he received.
But because he was so strapped for cash, he had accepted it despite his shame.
He had always felt a bit guilty about that.
But, but…
Tao Zhi felt like he had forgotten something important.
What was it…
Anxiously racking his brain for a way out, suddenly his eyes lit up, like grasping a lifeline. He excitedly seized Fu Zheng’s arm: “But I’m a guy! I’m a guy!”
“How does a guy seduce another guy?!”
Fu Zheng: “?”
Fu Zheng blanked for a second.
He had just been too pissed off earlier, and his mind had naturally jumped to some messy business war schemes and rotten ideas he had heard from his sleazy friends.
He had even combined them.
Toy with emotions and steal corporate secrets.
Now, reminded by Tao Zhi, reason finally returned a bit.
It showed in how he stared at Tao Zhi for a long while, the vicious darkness in his eyes gradually clearing to bewilderment.
“…Fuck.” After a moment, he muttered under his breath.
Tao Zhi had never found Fu Zheng swearing so pleasant… His chest puffed out unconsciously, gaining a bit of confidence, the unease fading.
“Your brother probably doesn’t like guys, right?” Even after being given such an outrageous demand and scared half to death, Tao Zhi still spoke to Fu Zheng politely, without blushing.
“Don’t know, I’ll have to ask.” Fu Zheng said in a low voice.
“…Okay.” Though Fu Zheng didn’t deny it outright, Tao Zhi still sighed in relief.
Coming from a small town, the simple and pure Tao Zhi couldn’t imagine how malicious city folks’ devious ideas could be.
But at least, the situation was resolved for now.
…Finally resolved.
–
And over the next three or four days, Fu Zheng didn’t bring it up again.
Tao Zhi finally put his mind completely at ease.
Of course.
Fu Zheng had money; he could easily hire someone outside for that. No need to drag him into it.
Not to mention how a guy like him could seduce another guy—Fu Si Heng alone was ten times harder to handle than Fu Zheng.
Fortunately, Fu Zheng seemed to have given up.
That was what Tao Zhi thought on Wednesday night.
But the next day, Fu Zheng sought him out.
The next afternoon, after class, Fu Zheng returned to the dorm and sat in Tao Zhi’s spot, waiting for him specifically.
About an hour later, Tao Zhi came back.
Hearing the sound, Fu Zheng didn’t even play games. He immediately swiveled the chair and jerked his chin at him: “Come here.”
“Hm?” After a full day of classes, classmate Tao Zhi closed the door and made a naive sound: “What’s up?”
Fu Zheng didn’t answer, just stared at him.
Tao Zhi was puzzled but obediently walked over.
He set his backpack on the desk and had just stepped back when Fu Zheng suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Tao Zhi froze for a second.
By the time he came to, he was the one sitting down.
He was in his own chair, Fu Zheng standing before him, bending at the waist. One hand braced on the armrest, the other pinched his chin, seriously scrutinizing his face.
Though Fu Zheng and Fu Si Heng were blood brothers, Fu Zheng didn’t actually know much about him.
Because of their huge age gap.
Fu Zheng was 18, Fu Si Heng 28—a full ten years apart.
When Fu Zheng was still a little kid, his brother was already in university.
Attending university, boarding there, rarely coming home. No emotional foundation between brothers, no mutual understanding.
So Fu Zheng had no way to probe his brother’s sexual orientation.
And for the plan’s secrecy, he couldn’t ask Fu Si Heng’s friends either.
So he could only assume for now that his brother was straight.
—After all, there were no gay genes in their family.
When he first realized this, Fu Zheng was pretty annoyed, but soon he thought differently: If Fu Si Heng really was straight, having Tao Zhi cross-dress as a woman might work even better.
Imagine: Fu Si Heng falls for the cross-dressing Tao Zhi, Tao Zhi steals the corporate secrets for him, and then he exposes that Tao Zhi is a man…
Wouldn’t that hit Fu Si Heng even harder?
Losing career and love in an instant.
Ha.
Just picturing it—Fu Si Heng crushed into the dust—made Fu Zheng’s scalp tingle with satisfaction.
“Fu Zheng…” Tao Zhi had a feeling he was plotting something bad, feeling a bit uneasy.
Fu Zheng didn’t respond.
He kept staring at Tao Zhi.
Tao Zhi was indeed pretty enough.
Pretty, innocent, naive, simple, and he knew how to act cute.
His brother would probably fall for it.
Fu Zheng chuckled.
His thumb lifted Tao Zhi’s chin a bit higher, meeting his gaze levelly.
“…” Tao Zhi thought that smile was evil.
He was a little worried about himself.
