ADTCP Ch61

“You want to go too?”

Tao Zhen was stunned for a moment, almost suspecting he had misheard, and couldn’t help but repeat:
“Ah-Sheng, are, are you sure?”

The blond youth’s dark eyes widened, full of surprise and doubt. Zhu Wensheng’s hand, which had been hanging by his side, slowly lifted. He pinched Tao Zhen’s soft cheek lightly, not too hard, not too soft, and asked in return with a calm tone: “Don’t you want me to go?”

“No, that’s not it!”

Tao Zhen hurriedly denied it. Of course, he was happy that Zhu Wensheng was willing to go with him to the dinner party. It was just that, in his impression, Zhu Wensheng had never been the type to take the initiative to join such gatherings. That was why he had been caught off guard for a moment. Now that he’d recovered, he quickly said:
“Wait for me, I’ll ask them. If they don’t allow bringing a partner, then I just won’t go either.”

Zhu Wensheng only gave a quiet “Mm,” his expression as calm as always, but Tao Zhen inexplicably felt that his mood had brightened a little.

Tao Zhen couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. After changing clothes, he immediately called Bai Yuxuan and the others. Seeing the other side agree cheerfully, they packed up and headed out. By the time they arrived at the gathering, it was neither too early nor too late. After greeting the others and chatting a bit to get familiar, everyone had already arrived.

The people who came today were all easy to get along with, none of them like Li Jie, that kind of person. Everyone first toasted the two main characters of the banquet, as well as a few other members who were about to leave, and then dispersed to have a few drinks.

After all, they were still students. The alcohol was just low-proof cocktails and cola buckets that tasted more like soft drinks, not very strong.

For someone like Tao Zhen, who could hold his liquor, even drinking straight from the bucket wouldn’t matter. But Zhu Wensheng couldn’t handle alcohol well. So when another person came to toast them, Tao Zhen secretly tiptoed and accepted the drink in his place, finishing it himself:

“Don’t try to tough it out with them. Being drunk feels awful. Sometimes people like to pick on those who can’t drink much once the party gets going. If you can’t handle it, just leave it to me, alright…”

On Tao Zhen’s pretty face was nothing but worry and concern. Zhu Wensheng showed no expression, but his fingers slid to Tao Zhen’s waist, pulling him a little closer into his arms. He lowered his voice:
“Mm, I know.”

So for the next while, the two of them practically stayed stuck together, their relationship plain for everyone to see. Those who had been interested in approaching either Tao Zhen or Zhu Wensheng mostly backed off, leaving only friendly toasts.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere gradually became livelier. Simple drinking was getting dull, and someone pulled out a deck of Truth or Dare cards from their bag, suggesting they play together. The proposal was instantly met with cheers.

Since he had started preparing for the major-transfer exams, Tao Zhen hadn’t taken part in social activities for quite some time. Hearing this, he got a little excited too, pulling Zhu Wensheng to sit with everyone in a circle.

The rules of Truth or Dare were always simple. They put an empty bottle in the center of the table. At the start of each round, the bottle would be spun. Whoever it pointed to would have to draw a card from the pile and either answer a truth or perform the dare written on it.

In the first round, it landed on Bai Yuxuan. His dare required him to open his call log and confess his love to the first contact. As it turned out, the first contact was his uncle, who had just asked when he would be home for dinner during summer vacation. Hearing his dramatic love confession, the uncle gave a shocked “Eh?!” and asked if he’d gone crazy at school, which made everyone laugh until they couldn’t breathe.

The next few rounds went similarly. Some truths forced people to confess embarrassing quirks, while some dares made them do hilariously humiliating things.

Because there were so many people, the chance of being picked wasn’t very high, so Tao Zhen had just been enjoying the show from the sidelines.

Until this time, when the bottle pointed to Liu Xian. Her dare required her to “gaze affectionately” into the eyes of the person three seats to her left for ten seconds. And the third person to her left… happened to be Tao Zhen.

The crowd erupted into an “Oooh,” all looking toward the two with teasing smiles.

Liu Xian froze for a second, then looked up and saw Tao Zhen, and beside him, Zhu Wensheng. Subconsciously, she reached for her drink to forfeit and down three glasses instead, skipping the dare.

But Tao Zhen felt a little bad, so when she lifted the cup, he reached out to stop her:
“Jie, it’s just ten seconds of eye contact. It’s nothing. You don’t need to drink, right?”

Liu Xian hesitated, the clear liquid in the glass rippling. She looked instinctively at Tao Zhen:
“Then I…”

The blond youth’s delicate face was full of sincerity, along with worry and care for her. For a split second, Liu Xian’s heart skipped a beat. But the next moment, her gaze shifted past him to the man beside him, the cold, composed Zhu Wensheng.

She instantly felt as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, extinguishing all those fleeting thoughts. Swiftly, she picked up her drink again, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. Wiping her mouth, she forced a smile:

“Ah, well, I’ve already drunk it. It’s fine.”

Tao Zhen had no choice but to give up the idea of taking the punishment for her, since the drink was already finished, and he sat back down. Zhu Wensheng, too, calmly withdrew his gaze as if nothing had happened.

The little incident didn’t affect the mood of the crowd. After another round or two, the bottle spun for quite a while on the round table before finally stopping squarely on Tao Zhen.

All eyes instantly gathered on him. Tao Zhen’s heart thumped wildly; he licked his lips, a little excited, and drew a card from the table. Turning it over, he saw that it was a Truth.

The bar’s lighting was dim and hazy, with neon purple flashes flickering across the card. Squinting slightly, he slowly read out the line of text:
“Reveal a secret you’ve never told anyone…”

Embarrassing little things like peeing in the mud as a child wouldn’t matter much, but a secret is a secret for a reason. Everyone was gossipy, sure, but not tactless. Seeing this prompt, no one intended to force Tao Zhen to speak. Instead, they thoughtfully poured three small cups of self-punishment liquor for him, which wasn’t a big deal for his tolerance anyway.

But Tao Zhen thought about it and didn’t reach for the drinks. Just now, Liu Xian had skipped her dare because it involved him. If he now used drinking to escape as well… it would make things way too boring.

“It’s fine,” he thought a moment and said aloud. “I’ll just tell a secret.”

Everyone turned curious gazes on him, eager to hear what his secret might be. Zhu Wensheng, however, had already guessed seven or eight parts of it. Tao Zhen had lived openly, never done anything shameful, his only “secret” was probably having been in a kept relationship.

Sure enough, Tao Zhen began:
“Actually, my boyfriend and I are…”

The word “kept” had already risen to his lips, but he hesitated. Even though it was in the past, he didn’t want to define their relationship with such a phrase that invited speculation.

But just then, everyone’s eyes were fixed on him, waiting for his continuation. Tao Zhen, riding a tiger he couldn’t get off, couldn’t help taking a deep breath:
“Actually, the two of us are in a Platonic relationship.”

“……”

The crowd was stunned. For a moment, the table was silent as death.

Bai Yuxuan and Liu Xian stared at each other in confusion, seeing disbelief reflected in each other’s eyes.

Who? With whom?

Tao Zhen and Zhu Wensheng?

Even if they were strung up and beaten, they wouldn’t believe it. Zhu Wensheng’s gaze practically stuck to Tao Zhen’s body like glue; he insisted on following Tao Zhen to the gathering, then watched him like a hawk the entire time, as if declaring territorial sovereignty like a beast, afraid anyone might brush against or touch his Tao Zhen… And such a man would be Platonic???

Seeing the incredulous looks on Bai Yuxuan and the others’ faces, Tao Zhen felt flustered. He truly wasn’t lying.

Ever since Zhu Wensheng returned that day, they really hadn’t had any further intimacy, and Zhu Wensheng seemed almost resistant to doing such things.

Unable to help himself, Tao Zhen tugged at Zhu Wensheng’s sleeve and looked up:
“Ah-Sheng, hurry and help me explain…”

Before he could finish, Zhu Wensheng lowered his head. His deep eyes, like turbulent waves, locked straight onto him:
“Help you with what?”

“Tao Zhen, are we really in a Platonic relationship?”

For some reason, though the words were phrased as a statement, Tao Zhen heard a hint of a question in them. His heart skipped, feeling something was veering off from his expectations, but he couldn’t figure out how.

The others at the table gradually came back to their senses too, realizing there was a “problem” between the couple. Exchanging knowing looks, they smoothed it over with jokes, shifting the focus and spinning the bottle for the next round.

But Zhu Wensheng refused to let it go. With no change of expression, he reached under the table and clasped Tao Zhen’s hand firmly, repeating word by word:
“We are… in a Platonic relationship?”

His large, hot, calloused palm wrapped around Tao Zhen’s slender, tender one, as if burning in an imprint inch by inch. Tao Zhen only felt a tingling numbness crawl up his spine, leaving him short of breath. He parted his lips slightly, and whispered in a tiny voice:
“Isn’t… isn’t that what it is?”

Zhu Wensheng fell completely silent.

All of Tao Zhen’s obvious and subtle behaviors surged back to him like a tide. He closed his eyes, realizing, so this was how Tao Zhen had always thought.

That his deliberate self-control, his efforts not to interfere with Tao Zhen’s exam preparations, had been misunderstood as a preference for Platonic love. That Tao Zhen had believed he had no interest in the vulgar, in physical intimacy at all…

Thinking this through, Zhu Wensheng’s face held an indescribable expression.

His silence only made Tao Zhen panic more, leaving him restless and uneasy.

The Truth or Dare game carried on, the crowd growing livelier. Just when the atmosphere reached a peak of laughter and embraces, Tao Zhen suddenly felt the world spin as he was pulled into a burning hot embrace, carried away from the noisy crowd.

“Tao Zhen,” Zhu Wensheng’s arms held him tight, body tense with heat, as he spoke each word with weight, “if you think what I’m about to do to you also counts as Platonic love, then you can continue to believe that.”

“……”

Tao Zhen swallowed unconsciously. Like a small animal, his instincts told him something was wrong, but it was already too late.

He was carried out of the bar by Zhu Wensheng. The neon lights and clamor faded away, leaving only the pounding of his heart and the sound of heavy breathing.

Zhu Wensheng hadn’t been drinking. After setting Tao Zhen into the passenger seat and fastening his seatbelt, he got into the driver’s seat and sped off.

Soon, the car stopped in the underground parking lot of their apartment. It was late, the occupancy rate of the complex was low, and the garage was utterly empty. Tao Zhen’s heart, already racing from the drive, only pounded harder as Zhu Wensheng leaned closer.

“Ah-Sheng…”

The young man lowered his gaze, leaning in to unbuckle Tao Zhen’s seatbelt.

With a click, the latch came undone. Their eyes met in midair.

“Mm. I’m here.”

The words melted into the kiss that followed. Having endured the whole night, Zhu Wensheng finally cupped Tao Zhen’s jaw and kissed him hard.

Scorching breath, feverish lips, and an unyielding body pressed against him. Tao Zhen’s back was pinned to the seat, his breath stolen bit by bit, his mind turning hazy.

Even so, he instinctively wrapped his arms around Zhu Wensheng’s neck, dazedly leaning into the kiss.

Heat spread through his body, the car grew warmer, and a mist began to fog the windows. Tao Zhen felt on the verge of tears, yet also wanted to cry out, his delicate fingers scraping trails across the glass, leaving messy prints behind.

All around was darkness, the only light the green glow of an emergency exit sign in the corner. It felt as though the world had vanished, leaving only the two of them.

Tao Zhen felt as if he had been thrown into the sea, tumbling endlessly in a fragile boat, salt water rushing into his nose and mouth, forcing him to hold his breath.

Then, at some moment, he seemed to wash up onto an island, damp, sticky, and soon burning hot again. He wanted to speak, but not a word came out.

The culprit who had brought him here opened the car door, his cold, sharp features glowing faintly in the light as he gazed down deeply at him:
“Zhenbao.”

“Until now, it wasn’t because I only thought of going this far.”

“It was because you had so much to take care of, I could only bring you this far.”

Zhu Wensheng stepped out of the car, then lifted Tao Zhen straight into his arms and carried him upstairs.

The small boat was raised high, then returned once more into the vast ocean. Tao Zhen’s breath quickened. He let out a muffled whimper, finally realizing, before, he had always thought things would end here. But for Zhu Wensheng, this was only the beginning.

The home was dark, no lights turned on.

The table at the entrance was too cold; once someone sat on it, it quickly became damp and clammy, and Tao Zhen hated it. So Zhu Wensheng changed places, carrying him to the sofa instead.

But the sofa was where they usually relaxed, read, and ate together. It didn’t take long before Tao Zhen’s teary eyes fell on a familiar cushion he liked. He couldn’t help crying again, clinging to Zhu Wensheng’s neck and pleading like a spoiled child not to do it there either.

Zhu Wensheng always obeyed him. In the end, the two of them returned to the bedroom.

He didn’t know how much time passed, or whether it was too late to stop, but Tao Zhen truly felt he couldn’t take it anymore. His stomach was too full, too swollen. Even if Zhu Wensheng would clean him afterward, he couldn’t adapt to the feeling.

He couldn’t speak now, so he tugged at Zhu Wensheng’s little finger, signaling him to look toward the bedside cabinet. The blond youth’s tear-streaked eyes were wet, his voice trembling with sobs yet still soft:
“I… I bought something before…”

As expected, Zhu Wensheng paused. He followed Tao Zhen’s gaze, but instead of reaching for it, he slowly bent down, licking away the tears at the corner of his eyes, murmuring lowly:
“I know.”

“I’d already noticed last time, just never had the chance…”

Then, word by word, Zhu Wensheng said:
“Baby, the condoms you bought, are too small.”