ADTCP Ch6

Zhu Wensheng’s gaze was heavy, but Tao Zhen didn’t notice anything off. Excitedly, he gave an “oh” and explained: “It’s like this, soon, our International Department is holding a welcome party. Everyone will bring a date, and I want you to come with me.

But for that kind of event, you usually need to dress up a bit, so I thought I’d take you to the mall early to buy a few clothes and accessories…”

At that, Zhu Wensheng understood.

Tao Zhen had come to fulfill his “patron” duties.

If it were anyone truly being kept, hearing that would probably make them ecstatic.

But Zhu Wensheng wasn’t, so he only rubbed at the vein pulsing in his temple, his lips moving despite himself: “I can go with you to the party, but the clothes aren’t necessary. I’m not short of money, you don’t need to spend for me.”

Tao Zhen’s eyes widened.
“That’s not okay!”

Damn this boy’s pride. He was already this poor, so how could Zhu Wensheng still claim he wasn’t short of money?

In this heat, anyone treating themselves halfway decently would take a bus. Yet this boy had clearly run here on foot; otherwise, the hair hanging over his forehead wouldn’t be damp with sweat.

And he called himself rich? Then why was he wearing such an ordinary black T-shirt, with “Light” printed across the chest, and worn-out black-and-gold shorts?

“I know you have money, but since I’m the one asking you to accompany me, these expenses are mine to cover.” Tao Zhen stepped back slightly, his clear eyes full of concern, reflecting Zhu Wensheng’s image in this moment. “I’ll pay for it. Don’t save money for me, okay?”

Zhu Wensheng was silent a few seconds, following his gaze to his own outfit.
“You’ve misunderstood. This shirt… I, ”

Tao Zhen nodded obediently, looking at him seriously.
“Mm?”

Zhu Wensheng gave up explaining. He reached into his pocket.

He decided to let his bank balance do the talking.

Facts spoke louder than words. Once Tao Zhen saw how many zeroes there were, everything would be clear.

But under the blazing sunlight, what came out was a phone with a shattered screen.
Its back was stained with blood. Fragments of glass clinked loose along the edge.

“…”

Zhu Wensheng froze.

Tao Zhen’s eyes immediately filled with even more emotion.

“Alright, don’t say anything. I understand, I really do.” Tao Zhen stepped forward, gently blew away the last shards of glass, and tucked the phone back into Zhu Wensheng’s pocket with pity.
“I’ve already called a car. Let’s go.”

Zhu Wensheng: “…”

He closed his eyes. Something inside him felt as though it shattered like that phone screen.
Why… why was it so impossible to explain?

In the end, the two of them still boarded the car to the mall.

Sitting on the cool leather seats under the air-conditioning, Zhu Wensheng’s tense muscles finally began to relax. Flexing his wrist, he belatedly noticed his forearm was already bruised, his elbow scraped raw, exposing sticky red flesh.

The adrenaline rush had numbed him before, but now the pain was creeping in.

Tao Zhen noticed too. Grabbing his wrist, he frowned:
“What happened here? And weren’t you working at the bar? Why did you come running from outside? Do you… have another job?”

Zhu Wensheng didn’t intend to hide it.
“Mm. Bartending is just helping out a friend sometimes.”

 “I’m an MMA fighter,” he added after a pause. “Mixed martial arts.”

Tao Zhen stared at the frightening scrapes and bruises for a few seconds, then blew on them gently.

MMA, huh. He knew what that was.

Back home, people just called it underground fighting.

His father, Tao Dajun, had always said: the poor shouldn’t learn art, and the rich shouldn’t learn boxing. Most who entered the boxing world came from poverty, sent there because their families couldn’t afford to raise them.

“I know.” Tao Zhen sighed softly. “Fighting… it must be really hard, huh?”

Zhu Wensheng’s Adam’s apple bobbed. From his angle, he could clearly see the blond boy’s soft, snowy cheek.

It looked like it would feel good to touch, like a little steamed bun. Cute.

“It’s okay,” he said.

“Was your opponent really strong this time? Otherwise, how would your hand get so injured?”
Tao Zhen gazed at him earnestly, already imagining a bloody brawl:

The scholarly, part-time-student Zhu Wensheng forced into a cage fight against some fierce brute, driven into a corner, fending off blows with his arms until his forearms and elbows were battered like this…

Zhu Wensheng thought briefly of Sniper writhing on the mat, then gave a fair answer:
“Mm.”

To get that far, Sniper did have some ability.
If it hadn’t been against him, the man was actually pretty strong.

The car turned right at the intersection, and a lavish building came into view.

Silver Mall, a landmark. Whether the mall was named after the street or the street after the mall, no one knew. The important thing was, the mall sat on Silver Street.

Tao Zhen compared it with the address Wu Bin had sent, and his eyes lit up.
“We’re here! Let’s first stop at the service desk, see if they have iodine and band-aids for your wounds, okay?”

But Zhu Wensheng said nothing.

He’d forgotten to ask where they were headed. Only now, following Tao Zhen’s gaze outside, did he narrow his eyes.

This place looked familiar.

He thought he’d received it as a birthday gift when he turned fifteen.

So Tao Zhen was taking him here… to buy clothes?

“It’s okay. Don’t be intimidated by how fancy it looks, it’s just a mall,” Tao Zhen quickly reassured him, misreading his silence as insecurity. “Stay by me. If anyone looks down on you, just fire back. Don’t hold it in.”

“….”

Zhu Wensheng gave a faint, ambiguous smile and abandoned further explanation.
“Alright.”

He’d like to see just who dared look down on him.

The two of them stepped out of the car and entered the glittering Silver Mall with composure.

After all, it was a Zhu family property. The reception staff had been trained well, none of them looked down on the two because they were young. On the contrary, they were polite, even providing iodine and bandages for a simple treatment.

Only after they’d finished thanking them and moved on did the mall manager finally rush over, pale with shock. Wiping his cold sweat, he gestured urgently:
“Did you just see a very tall, very handsome young man, with some injuries on him, ?”

The receptionist nervously nodded. “Y-yes…”

The manager slapped his thigh in regret.  “That was Young Master Zhu! What wind blew him here today? Quick, tell everyone upstairs to be on alert, be ready for an inspection, ”

“….”

Turbulent undercurrents flowed unseen.

Tao Zhen remained oblivious.

To him, Nancheng malls really were different.
Not only were there endless luxury stores, but even the sales clerks were polite. Even when customers loitered at the entrance, no one rolled their eyes, instead, they bowed and invited them in.

No doubt about it, big city folks had such high standards.

It wasn’t until they walked into a Fendi store, where the overly enthusiastic manager rushed up with a drink in hand, that Tao Zhen finally felt a little uncomfortable. Tugging lightly at Zhu Wensheng’s wrist, he murmured, “I guess I was overthinking. Their attitude’s almost too good…”

Zhu Wensheng lowered his head, staring at the little swirl of hair at the crown of the boy’s head for a few seconds. His lips tugged unconsciously.
“Mm, yeah.”

“Anyway, let’s see if there’s anything you like,” Tao Zhen said, his gaze sweeping over the rows of neatly displayed clothes. “Hmm, honestly, I feel like they’d all suit you.”

He pulled out a brown shirt plastered with Fendi logos and held it up against Zhu Wensheng’s body with excitement.

“Hey, how about this one? Looks pretty cool, and the fabric feels nice too…”

Zhu Wensheng had always disliked clothes that screamed I’m rich! He averted his eyes slightly, only to unexpectedly meet the gaze of a large group of men approaching.

Wu Bin was at the front, a self-satisfied grin plastered across his face as his eyes swept proudly over the store.

He spun in his hand the “VIP card” he’d bragged about to Tao Zhen on the phone, the one that supposedly granted him 20% discounts at luxury stores. The envious glances from the lackeys around him only fed his vanity.

But only Wu Bin knew the truth: the card was rented from an upperclassman at a steep price. His family had some money, yes, but not enough to let him, an idle good-for-nothing illegitimate son, squander like this.

Wu Bin wasn’t about to let go of someone like Tao Zhen, a spoiled rich heir, generous to a fault.
Yet deep down, he looked down on Tao Zhen’s tacky, country-bumpkin style and envied him for being the pampered only child of the family.

Why should Tao Zhen get everything so easy?

Why should he have such a striking face on top of it?

Why should Zhu Wensheng, someone no one else could win over, end up kept by him so easily?

Impossible. He had to be faking it.

Yes, that was it, he had to be bluffing!

Certain of himself, Wu Bin waved and led his group forward. Behind him, his followers exchanged the same knowing looks, whispering excitedly about what Tao Zhen’s face would look like once he was exposed.

But just as they reached the stairs, Wu Bin’s smirk froze.

Not far away, the Fendi store manager was practically spitting with excitement as he showed off the new arrivals. Sales associates beamed, circling respectfully around a slender, pretty blond boy.

And at the blond boy’s side stood a tall, cold, breathtakingly handsome man.

It was Zhu Wensheng.

The real, unmistakable Zhu Wensheng.

His dark eyes cut straight over. Expressionless, but with a weight that felt as if he could see right through them, sending chills down their spines. Only after a few seconds did he look away, pulling out his phone to send a message.

Wu Bin and his cronies all went silent. Their faces burned, exchanging looks before finally staring back at the one who’d started all this, Wu Bin.

His expression turned stormy. His cheeks grew hotter, his grip tightened on the railing until he stumbled, eyes red with jealousy.
“Fuck! He really…”

How could it be… how could it be…

How could Tao Zhen really have succeeded?

The joke was gone.
And he had become the biggest clown.

Wu Bin’s face alternated green and pale. He didn’t even notice Zhu Wensheng’s movements anymore, he couldn’t take his eyes off Tao Zhen’s smiling profile. He swore under his breath.

His twisted fingers slipped, the precious VIP card dropped to the floor with a clack.

Wu Bin quickly bent to grab it, but one of his lackeys muttered with pointed meaning:

“Wow… so Tao Zhen wasn’t lying. He really is with Zhu Wensheng?”

“Yeah… guess he’s got the ability after all.”

Wu Bin froze mid-motion, his face twisting darker. He opened his mouth to lash out, but before he could, a shout rang out:

“Holy shit!”

“Did you see that? So many pieces! How does he have money to buy all of them!?” 

“Wait, isn’t that the Silver Mall director? The one who’s often on TV? I’ve seen him before, ”

All eyes turned toward the store.

And under Wu Bin’s incredulous gaze, the Silver Mall director approached Tao Zhen with a smile.

Before Tao Zhen could react, the man had swiftly packed up several items himself and, with impeccable courtesy, handed over a sleek black-and-gold VIP card.

“Are you satisfied with our service here? If you’d like, I can escort you to other stores to continue shopping.”

Tao Zhen blinked, staring down at the card in his hand.
“This is…”

“Oh, thank you for your support of our mall. This is a gift we’ve prepared specially for you, a VIP membership card.” The director beamed, then glanced discreetly at Zhu Wensheng before adding, “With this card, you’ll receive a 50% discount at any luxury store in the mall.”

Who would’ve thought, the aloof Young Master Zhu wasn’t here for an inspection. No, he had come alongside a blond boy… living off him.

And not just living off him, he’d even stepped in to save the boy money.

What was this supposed to be?
Spending his own money… to let himself be “kept”?

The director sighed inwardly.

He could never figure out the crown prince’s tastes.