ADTCP Ch10

Tao Zhen looked twice before realizing.

The shirt Zhu Wensheng was wearing, it wasn’t just any shirt, it was the floral designer one Tao Zhen had given him that day.

Even though he clearly didn’t like it and wasn’t used to it, he still wore it.

“You’re not… why are you…” Tao Zhen almost wanted to laugh, almost wanted to cry. “You gave me your hoodie—what about you? Aren’t you cold?”

Zhu Wensheng shook his head, adjusting the black hoodie on Tao Zhen’s shoulders. He repeated softly: “Don’t cry anymore.”

Tao Zhen gave a small “mm,” lowering his head in embarrassment as he wiped at his face, but kept sneaking glances at Zhu Wensheng from the corner of his eye.

The aloof, strikingly handsome boy in a flashy floral shirt that completely clashed with his temperament, he was still good-looking, but the easy, languid air about him was broken, as if he’d been forced into the clothes of a drifter.

Tao Zhen actually thought he looked nice like that, but he couldn’t stop recalling Wu Bin’s bitter, scornful ridicule.

“Just a few dirty bills.”

“A bumpkin.”

His wiping slowed, a dazed look flashing across his face for a second. Then he patted his cheeks and gradually steadied himself.

Right, he did have a few dirty bills.

The way he dressed usually screamed “nouveau riche.” But wasn’t that the point? How else were people supposed to know he had money?

Besides, nouveau riche basically meant self-made. Not exactly a shameful title, was it?

“Actually, my family wasn’t rich at the start. When I was in first grade, we were dirt poor. My dad worked himself to the bone in the mines every day. My mom was young then, not making any headway in the theater troupe…” After a long silence, Tao Zhen began speaking slowly. “Later, my dad got lucky and struck it rich. The first thing he did was buy my mom a whole set of makeup and big-logo clothes from the mall.

Because in the troupe, she was bullied. There was this woman who only used Chanel lipstick, always mocking her—even though she wasn’t half as talented, she still stole the lead roles.

My dad held in all that anger, and gave my mom the best things he could buy, just to show others—she had money now.”

So no one would ever dare bully her again.

Once Tao Dajun had money, he showered Lin Manyao with good things, with brands, with flamboyant gifts. All to make sure everyone saw at a glance they were luxury.

And from childhood, Tao Zhen had grown up steeped in it, developing the same habits.

“…Anyway, I don’t think those clothes are ugly. Calling me a bumpkin? Wu Bin wanted them too, he just couldn’t afford them. Sour grapes, that’s all.”

Tao Zhen scrubbed at his face quickly, feigning nonchalance. “I don’t care what they say. After all, I met you.”

“From now on, I’ll keep buying you good clothes, expensive clothes. Let Wu Bin and the rest choke on their jealousy.”

Zhu Wensheng was silent for a while, then looked down at Tao Zhen.

The blond boy’s eyes and nose were still tinged with red, looking rather pitiful, but his smiling face was earnest, guileless. His expression alone seemed to say: I won’t let them bully you.

Zhu Wensheng couldn’t stop a small sigh from escaping. He clenched his hand at his side, trying to steady the sudden turbulence inside.

“…Alright.”

Tao Zhen’s smile deepened, bright and delighted. He leaned closer, a faint fragrance brushing into Zhu Wensheng’s nose. “By the way, does your hand still hurt? And… us beating Wu Bin and the others like that, will it cause trouble?”

He glanced toward the banquet hall, hesitating. “Actually, I don’t even know what exactly he got exposed for. He just dumped the blame on me out of nowhere. I haven’t even argued with him about it yet!”

Zhu Wensheng lowered his eyes and promised: “There won’t be trouble.”

Tao Zhen was innocent. He wouldn’t let him be dragged into this.
“Trust me.”

For a moment, the air went quiet. A cold gust swept past, showering them in falling petals.

“…Right, he threw the first punch. What we did was self-defense,” Tao Zhen said, meeting Zhu Wensheng’s gaze for two seconds before looking away, uneasy. He turned and walked quickly forward. “But I don’t really want to stay at this welcome party anymore. They wanted me at Yinyou City not to look after me, but to laugh at me in person.”

Zhu Wensheng paused, then followed. “Don’t be angry.”

“I was angry just now, but I’m better now.” Tao Zhen suddenly turned, walking backwards with a cocky smile, like a little fox with its tail up. “I treated them as friends, but they didn’t treasure me. Losing me is their loss. The ones who should regret it aren’t me, it’s them.”

Zhu Wensheng was dazed by that smile for a beat, before finally murmuring a soft “Mm.”

“Speaking of, I just remembered something…”
Tao Zhen stopped short, nearly bumping into him.

The distance between them collapsed, nearly pressing together. The scent of medicated balm mixed with perfume and the uneven heat of their breaths.

Tao Zhen shifted his gaze aside, his voice small: “Earlier, before the interruption. I almost forgot to ask. You were going to take me to the restroom… what was it you wanted to say?”

Zhu Wensheng’s throat bobbed. His dark pupils reflected Tao Zhen’s flushed, smiling face. He stayed silent.

Say it.

Now that Tao Zhen had heard Wu Bin and the others slandering him, he would never be fooled soft-heartedly again. Zhu Wensheng should seize this chance to regain his reason, and disappear from Tao Zhen’s world…

“…I…”

Tao Zhen gazed at him with bright, expectant eyes.

After a long pause, Zhu Wensheng closed his eyes briefly, then said in a low voice:
“I… don’t like welcome parties, being surrounded by people. Especially when you’re over there talking with classmates…”

“Next time, if you want to call me out, can it just be the two of us?”

Tao Zhen was pleasantly surprised.

It felt like raising a big cat for a long time, only for it to finally allow its owner a cuddle.

He smiled wide, heat flooding his chest, and on impulse rose on tiptoe, hooking his arms around Zhu Wensheng’s neck.

“Sure,” he whispered, brushing a fleeting kiss against his chin. “Next time, just the two of us, on a date.”

“…!”

Zhu Wensheng suddenly stepped back, clutching the spot where he’d been kissed, breath unsteady.

One of the top MMA prospects in the country, a predator nicknamed “S,” likely to sign with the UFC, yet just now, he hadn’t dodged Tao Zhen’s untrained, innocent attack. He’d been struck right at his weak spot.

For a moment he was blank, then competitiveness and a surge of ferocity flooded in.

He didn’t know why. Only that, staring at Tao Zhen’s soft pink lips and mischievous little tiger teeth, his mind slipped to darker, shameful thoughts.

Like how, once caught in a fighter’s lock or choke, almost no one escaped.
Tao Zhen would be no exception.

“….”

Zhu Wensheng’s expression grew complicated. Tao Zhen looked a few seconds, then awkwardly averted his gaze.

Sigh, guess I can’t play rogue after all.

To someone as pure and straight-laced as Zhu Wensheng, even that little kiss was too soon.

Good thing he hadn’t copied Tong Xia or Gu Xingzhou’s shameless antics. If he’d tried half the stuff they joked about every day, he’d probably be arrested as a pervert.

Tao Zhen didn’t dare touch Zhu Wensheng again, afraid of angering the diligent, hardworking student. He called for his driver instead.

The ride was quiet, both maintaining a polite distance. Tao Zhen stole glances at him now and then, but only caught the cold, restrained profile of a boy who looked almost upset about what had happened.

Great, I’ve blown it, Tao Zhen thought.

Only when they reached the door of Light Bar did he shrug off the black hoodie, stuffing it back into Zhu Wensheng’s arms. Leaning against the car window, he waved with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Bye-bye. Good night!”

Under the neon lights, Zhu Wensheng’s side profile was hazy, one leg relaxed against the steps, his weight centered on the other.

He looked at Tao Zhen for a few seconds, then said, with a tone hard to read: “Good night.”

That tone… meant he wasn’t angry, right?

Only after the car pulled away from the bar and his senior sister’s relentless calls came through did Tao Zhen relax his nerves and hurriedly open WeChat.

The first thing she sent him was a PDF full of explosive dirt on Wu Bin and the others. It answered questions that had puzzled him for days, along with an update about what happened by the restroom just now.

Wu Bin had been wailing about calling the police, clutching his arm and shouting that Tao Zhen and his companion had ruined him. But before he actually managed to report anything, after they pulled up the surveillance footage and made a noisy fuss, a group of people suddenly showed up—faces his senior sister didn’t even know well—surrounded Wu Bin, and dragged him away.

Some sophomores recognized the leader. It was Zhao Zhao.
A notorious second-generation heir in Nancheng, a filthy rich troublemaker, the sworn brother of “Crown Prince.”

Tao Zhen was confused: “‘Crown Prince’?”

“The last crown prince should’ve been a hundred years ago, right? Why do we still have one in modern times,” he muttered to himself. “That’s a crime punishable by death…”

His senior sister almost choked: “Of course that’s not what it means! ‘Crown Prince’ is just a nickname. He’s the only son of the Zhu family. Even though he’s got such a powerful background, he’s very low-key. A few years ago, he even won the national youth jiu-jitsu championship. Later, he retired, and the Zhu family erased all news of his competitions, so he gradually disappeared from public sight… But some people still jokingly call him ‘Crown Prince.’”

Tao Zhen gave an enlightened “oh”: “So what does that have to do with all this?”

“That’s the problem!” His senior sister slapped her thigh. “We don’t know what Wu Bin and his gang did to provoke him and Zhao Zhao. But either way, you don’t need to worry. Dealing with a small fry like Wu Bin is child’s play for them.”

Instantly, Tao Zhen felt a surge of admiration for this so-called Crown Prince he had never even met.

“Senior sister, do you know this… um… ‘Crown Prince’s’ real name?”

She thought for a moment. “No. When he was competing, he was still a minor. The family didn’t let him use his real name for protection, which is why people gave him that nickname. And now, most of his information online has been wiped. All people know is his surname, Zhu (祝).”

After chatting a little more, she hung up. Tao Zhen sat with his phone, pondering alone for a moment.

The wind was strong; he wasn’t sure if he’d heard clearly. Was that surname Zhu (祝)… or Zhu (朱)?

Probably Zhu (朱).

Crown Prince Zhu. Heh, straight out of the Ming dynasty.