ADTCP Ch23part2

“They say eating canned fruit helps with the pain,” Zhu Wensheng said softly, voice calm. “Do you want to try?”

So, Zhu Wensheng hadn’t found him annoying, he had even gone to the supermarket to buy these things for him.

Tao Zhen sat stunned for a couple of seconds until Zhu Wensheng handed the spoon toward him again. He hurriedly accepted it, scooped up half a golden, round peach slice, and said:

“…Okay!”

The chilled peach slipped into his mouth, sweet and refreshing, immediately soothing the sting on his tongue.

Tao Zhen gobbled down several pieces before his pace slowed, as if the canned fruit had carried him back to childhood.

Whenever he had a cold or fever, Tao Dajun and Lin Manyao would always bring him canned peaches to coax him.

But as he grew up, his parents got busier, and he hardly ate them anymore.

“Any better?” Zhu Wensheng asked.

Warmth welled up in Tao Zhen’s chest. Grinning, he clamped a piece of peach between his teeth and nodded vigorously, speaking around it, his words indistinct:

“Much better! This can is delicious… Do you want to try?”

Zhu Wensheng lowered his eyes, looking at Tao Zhen’s flushed, smiling face, and nodded lightly.

Tao Zhen immediately reached out, extending the spoon handle toward him.

But instead of taking it, Zhu Wensheng leaned down and brushed past the spoon, directly biting off the piece of peach by Tao Zhen’s lips.

The fruit gave a crisp crunch.

Their warm breaths mingled, twining together for several seconds.

Tao Zhen’s chilled tongue was pressed firmly by Zhu Wensheng’s burning lips, igniting a dizzying blaze.

“…I’ve tasted it,” Zhu Wensheng straightened up, his voice soft with a faint lilt. “It really is delicious.”

The empty classroom was draped in thick curtains that blocked the blazing sunlight and muffled the chatter outside.

But in Tao Zhen’s ears, the thunderous pounding of a heartbeat roared, he couldn’t even tell if it was his own or Zhu Wensheng’s.

It was as if he had just surfaced from drowning, gulping down air while his mind still reeled in a daze.

The sensation lingered on his tongue:
Soft, warm, mixed with the sweet syrup of canned fruit and the faint scent of peach.

Was that just a fleeting brush of lips, or had Zhu Wensheng truly kissed him?

Seconds passed, but Tao Zhen still couldn’t decide. His long lashes fluttered damply, his flushed lips trembling as he hurriedly scooped another large spoonful of peach into his mouth, as though cooling the place where they’d touched.

“Y-yeah…” His bright eyes darted everywhere, his usually clear voice muffled. “I think… it’s really delicious too…”

Zhu Wensheng swallowed his half of the peach, his dark eyes steady, letting out a quiet “mm.”

The golden-haired boy beamed, looking at him with a gaze full of admiration, as if inviting him to taste more.

Tempted, Zhu Wensheng found himself leaning forward, wanting to taste Tao Zhen himself.

It truly was sweet, tongue softened as though soaked in syrup, red and tender.

If it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have stopped at such a light touch.

They would have held Tao Zhen’s slender waist, pressed him against the desk, and deepened the kiss.

Zhu Wensheng thought, he had already shown great restraint.

“I’m full now, and my tongue feels better, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Tao Zhen’s mind was blank; he spoke mechanically, driven by instinct: “Um… could you take out your phone and record a singing video for me?”

Zhu Wensheng stared at him for a few seconds before mercifully drawing back his gaze. “Alright. What are you planning to sing today?”

Tao Zhen sipped water to moisten his throat, washing down the lingering sweetness, and confirmed his voice was steady. Then he pulled up his music app, showing Zhu Wensheng the song that had long been waiting in his list, bumped aside only because of “Baby.”

Wu Bai’s Last Dance.

It was an older song, with a heavy stomping beat and a pop-rock style. The original singer’s raspy, textured voice made it uniquely hard to cover, just like Norwegian Wood.

Not only was it older than Tao Zhen himself, but people had deep impressions of the original. Plus, the song conveyed the sorrow of lovers parting, something someone at Tao Zhen’s age could hardly express.

Zhu Wensheng’s eyes skimmed the lyrics. He said nothing, simply adjusted the camera.

The dim classroom filled with a soft, ambiguous air.

That kiss, was it just a casual accident, born of necessity, or was it an irresistible pull?

Tao Zhen drew a deep breath, placing two fingers together before his lips.

“So for now, let’s close our eyes.”

“In the dark, my hopes float high.”

“Your calm face, lit with colored lights.”

“Too tender to not love.”

“…”

Zhu Wensheng’s knuckles tightened slightly on the phone. His gaze drifted from the screen to Tao Zhen’s face. The golden-haired boy’s voice was clear and gentle, different from the original but perfectly suited to the song.

Instead of longing over a parting lover, it sounded more like whispering troubled thoughts of a lover always just out of reach.

The song ended.

Tao Zhen was becoming more and more comfortable singing in front of Zhu Wensheng, with no stumbles from start to finish.

He slowly lowered his fingers and lifted his eyes, crashing into Zhu Wensheng’s deep gaze.

“Tao Zhen,” Zhu Wensheng murmured.

“Ah?”

Tao Zhen blinked, still carried by the lingering mood of the song. “What is it?”

Zhu Wensheng leaned down, closer and closer.
Their noses nearly brushed, breaths mingling. The distance between their lips was painfully small.

“About just now, I’m sorry.”

“…”

“I didn’t realize you wouldn’t want me to.”

Tao Zhen froze, his heart thumping wildly.
So it hadn’t been his imagination, Zhu Wensheng really had kissed him first!

“N-no, I… I didn’t mind at all, I liked it! It’s just-”

Like a shaken soda bottle being opened, fizzy sweetness and sourness burst at once.

The joy of his kiss tangled with the bitter thought that maybe Zhu Wensheng had only done it because he felt pressured, to prove his worth as a kept lover.

Heat flushed Tao Zhen’s face, then slowly cooled, leaving behind a trace of sadness.

Maybe Zhu Wensheng had only kissed him because he’d been jealous of Tao Zhen touching Da Hai that day.

Maybe he was just pushing their “progress bar” forward to prove he was still worth keeping…

Zhu Wensheng stared at him, only to see Tao Zhen blushing as he lowered his head. His lashes trembled, and he stammered softly:

“Next time, if you want to kiss me… c-could you tell me beforehand?”

Shy and obedient.
Embarrassed, yet hopeful.

Something shifted in Zhu Wensheng’s chest, a secret flicker of delight. The corners of his lips curved faintly as he murmured:

“…Alright.”

After the two finished recording, it was already getting late. Students who had class next period were arriving early to claim seats, quickly filling up the small classroom that could only hold about sixty people.

As an outsider, Zhu Wensheng naturally got up, told Tao Zhen goodbye, and vacated his seat. Since he didn’t have class that afternoon, he simply went straight back to the club to complete his day’s training.

However, just as he stepped into the training hall, he saw an unwelcome guest.

Zhao Zhao, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, was sprawled lazily on the sofa, legs thrown across the coffee table as he played with his phone. The moment he spotted Zhu Wensheng, his eyes lit up and he bounced up energetically:
“Master Zhu! My dearest little lord, ”

The greasy nickname made Zhu Wensheng’s skin crawl. He knew that whenever Zhao Zhao talked like this, it meant nothing good. He shot him a cold glance.

“State your business.”

“Lend me some money,” Zhao Zhao dropped all pretenses, his roguishly handsome face tossing Zhu Wensheng a few flirtatious looks.

“Remember that beach amusement park project I was working on with my cousin over in Dayu Bay? The promotion ate up way too much money, and now I’m tight on cash, can’t turn things around… We’re just short of the final touch and the opening ceremony, maybe three or four million. Lend it to me, yeah? I’ll take you and your little sweetheart there to splash around in the water later.”

Zhu Wensheng had already pulled out his phone, ready to have someone transfer the money. But when he heard that, he gave Zhao Zhao a faint glance and slid the phone back into his pocket.

The smile froze on Zhao Zhao’s face. He was nearly groveling. “Bro, you’re my real bro, I was just kidding earlier! If you come, I’ll have them carry you and your little lover in on an eight-man sedan chair…”

Zhu Wensheng pried Zhao Zhao’s hands off his leg and reluctantly agreed.

Zhao Zhao exhaled in relief, collapsing onto the sofa again, eagerly watching him call his contacts to handle the transfer.

Just as the five million was about to go through, a few WeChat notifications popped up, catching both of their eyes.

【Zhen Zhibang: [Transfer: ¥50,000]】
【Zhen Zhibang: I didn’t bring this up last time, but now I want to say it seriously, I really don’t have thoughts about anyone else, I only want to support you!】
【Zhen Zhibang: So please rest assured, if you ever need money you must tell me, and take better care of yourself! [sparkle emoji]】

“……”

Zhao Zhao’s gaze went stiff, nearly tumbling off the sofa in shock. He stared for several seconds before he could believe what he was seeing.

“Zhu Wensheng,” his voice was dazed and bewildered, “last time when you said you were being kept… you weren’t joking with me?”

Zhu Wensheng’s hand paused mid-action, eyes resting on the messages Tao Zhen had sent him. He gave no answer.

Zhao Zhao grew even more frantic. “Damn it, I know the economy’s been bad lately! But it can’t be so bad that even you had to start selling yourself!”

“If you don’t lend me money, I’ll flip it around, I’ll transfer five million to you instead. Can’t that buy you out of this? …Bro, I’m begging you, wake up!!”

Zhu Wensheng lowered his eyes, carefully typed out his reply to Tao Zhen, then unhurriedly completed Zhao Zhao’s transfer. His expression remained calm as he gave Zhao Zhao another glance.

“You don’t understand.”

He wanted to be kept by Tao Zhen.
Because being Tao Zhen’s boyfriend was far happier than being anyone else’s “young master.”