ADTCP Ch8

Did he really have to do what Zihan said, sneak a peek while going to the bathroom together?

That didn’t seem right!

What if Zhu Wensheng wasn’t that big, and instead had always been self-conscious about it?

He couldn’t just tear up the relationship contract and tell Zhu Wensheng he wanted to break it off for that reason!

But then… Tao Zhen suddenly remembered the black-and-gold sports shorts Zhu Wensheng wore today.

From what he’d seen there, maybe… there wasn’t too much to worry about.

Wait!

How had he really gotten led astray into thinking about this? They hadn’t even discussed who would be on top, so why had he just assumed he’d be the one underneath? What if Zhu Wensheng couldn’t even get hard with a man and wasn’t able to be a top at all…

Tao Zhen smacked his face hard, finally driving the thoughts out of his head. Ears red, he finished off a whole bowl of dumplings, washed up, climbed into bed, and forced himself to switch off his phone and stop thinking about it.

He slept straight through until noon the next day.

SF Express had already delivered the packages he sent last night. Tong Xia and Gu Xingzhou, who’d known about their gifts since yesterday, happily shared their joy in the group chat once they received them. But Tao Dajun, unaware of it all, was stunned when his parcel arrived at the office.

Soon enough, he figured it out: the pocket money he’d sent his son in anger had been turned into gifts and mailed right back to him.

Tao Dajun’s old face flushed with joy, tears welling up as he transferred money back to Tao Zhen’s card while strutting around the cafeteria with his brand-new belt, nearly floating under his employees’ flattery.

Meanwhile, Tao Zhen stood with a toothbrush in his mouth, dumbfounded by the 500,000 yuan deposit notification.

That belt, even after the discount, had cost only 5,000. Why had his dad sent him so much money?

Confused, he rubbed his golden hair, messy like a bird’s nest. Just as he was about to transfer part of it back, his phone suddenly rang. It was Lin Manyao.

Instantly alert, Tao Zhen rinsed quickly, cleared his throat several times, tried out a few tones of voice, then finally smiled brightly and answered.

 “Hi, Mom! What made you call me today? Have you eaten yet?”

Her elegant, lilting voice came through, with a trace of sternness:
“Xiao Zhen, I’ve eaten. I received a package today. Was it from you?”

Tao Zhen straightened reflexively, fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt.
“Mm, yes…”

“Thank you for thinking of Mom even while you’re away.” Lin Manyao sighed softly. “But I don’t really use these things. You and your father always buy me so much, half of it goes to waste. A little indulgence is fine, but we can’t be extravagant, understand?”

But the sales clerk had said that makeup set was a new release, only available in Nancheng, something every woman would love.

Tao Zhen lowered his eyes, clutching the twisted fabric of his shirt like wilted pickles.
“I understand…”

Lin Manyao noticed the change in his tone and hesitated. In the end, she didn’t ask him to return the gift. She only sighed twice more, reminding him to go to bed early and keep a regular schedule while living alone in Nancheng.

Tao Zhen listened obediently to everything she said, agreeing to each point. It made her think of the little rice ball he used to be, only knee-high, toddling behind her singing nonsense songs.

Pathetic, pitiful.

She suddenly regretted speaking so harshly.

Before hanging up, her voice softened:
“Alright, Mom has to work now. On my next tour, I might return inland. When I do, come see me, okay?”

Tao Zhen released his grip on his shirt hem, forcing out a smile that revealed his little canine tooth.

 “Mm! Okay! Mom.”

But before he could finish, someone in the background urgently called, “Sister Lin.”

Lin Manyao responded instantly, and hung up in a hurry without saying goodbye.

Tao Zhen lowered his eyes, staring at the short call record for a few seconds, silently finishing his sentence in his heart:
“Mom, you’ve worked hard. I love you.”

I know you’ve always been busy. I know you don’t ignore me on purpose. It’s fine.
You’re chasing the career and dream you love, and I’m glad. I admire you for it.

Really.

After a long time, Tao Zhen finally set down his toothbrush, splashed his reddened eyes with cool water, dried his hands, and opened a saved recording of Lin Manyao’s theater troupe performance. Sliding the progress bar skillfully, he sang along with several pieces.

Strangely enough, though he’d failed his art exam, his singing was excellent.

Alone, he sang smoothly and with feeling, his clear, ringing voice filling the bathroom, like a songbird leaving its cage, melodious and bright, carrying a hint of Lin Manyao’s style. Beautiful, moving.

***

August slipped quietly away, and after a heavy rain, the sweltering heat of Nancheng suddenly cooled.

Before the welcome party, a senior pulled Tao Zhen into a large freshmen group chat for the International Department. The atmosphere was warm and lively. He chatted with many classmates and made quite a few new friends. Everyone was friendly and polite, making it easy to get along.

Strangely, whenever Tao Zhen mentioned Wu Bin and the others, who weren’t in his class, the group would go silent for a few seconds, as if falling into a subtle mood.

He didn’t understand. Especially since, in recent days, Wu Bin and his crew had practically vanished, no WeChat messages, no more trips to the bar, no more chatter about luxury brand releases. Their faces were sour, and they looked extremely busy.

If it had been Tong Xia or Gu Xingzhou acting like that, Tao Zhen would have run straight to their houses to ask what was wrong. But remembering the probing, calculating looks Wu Bin sometimes gave him… Tao Zhen decided not to be too enthusiastic. He only offered politely that they could contact him if they needed anything.

A rain shower had shattered the pink crepe myrtles. By dusk, as the sky cleared, the welcome party was about to begin.

Tao Zhen ordered a car to Light Bar and waited for Zhu Wensheng outside. As he waited, he couldn’t help remembering the shameless jokes Tong Xia and Gu Xingzhou had made all week. His cheeks grew warm.

Before he could spiral into daydreams, he slapped his cheeks firmly, straightened the Gucci-logo shirt he wore, smoothed his crisp pants, and checked the shine of his little leather shoes in the light.

Yes, perfect.
He looked every bit the wealthy patron.

He lifted his face and grinned at his reflection in the car window.

The moment Zhu Wensheng walked out, that was the sight that greeted him:

The blond boy’s wet puppy eyes curved with a smile, his little canine tooth flashing. Obedient, adorable.

Something stirred in Zhu Wensheng’s chest. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he strode over quickly and opened the car door.

“Zhu Wensheng, you’re here!” Tao Zhen’s eyes lit up. He pulled him inside, hesitated, then asked, “Didn’t you wear the Fendi shirt I bought for you?”

The black-haired, black-eyed boy slid in beside him, carrying the faint smell of medicinal liniment, probably from treating bruises. He had even more injuries now, hidden beneath a black hoodie and black pants, his whole appearance casual and aloof.

“Mm.” Zhu Wensheng shifted his gaze uncomfortably.

Tao Zhen felt a little disappointed, but quickly soothed himself.

Forget it. Maybe Zhu Wensheng just wasn’t used to wearing that kind of thing.
He’d promised to respect his wishes, he couldn’t go back on that.

“No problem. If you don’t want to wear it, you don’t have to,” Tao Zhen said brightly as the car started. “At the party, don’t be nervous, it’s just a normal gathering. Some performances, food, that’s all…”

Zhu Wensheng gave another quiet “mm.”
He was also a student at Nancheng University, just a year above Tao Zhen, about to start his sophomore year.

The welcome party was a tradition of the International Department. The main department didn’t have such an event. Besides, Zhu Wensheng had always kept a low profile at school, few knew his real identity, so he wasn’t too worried about being recognized and mocked.

The car soon stopped outside the banquet hall. The driver left to park, while the two of them entered the venue together.

It had just rained, so the air was fresh, and the hall was decorated with flowers, carrying a faint fragrance.

Soft carpet covered the entire floor, long Western-style tables laden with food were neatly arranged, and many people were already chatting and laughing as they mingled.
The scene, with all its elegance and clinking glasses, really did resemble a high-end reception.

There was a registration desk. Tao Zhen, as a student, went there to sign in his guest, and on the way, he bumped into some new classmates from his program. Naturally, he began chatting with them.

Zhu Wensheng, meanwhile, stood a little ways off with nothing to do.
After waiting a while, bored, he finally shifted his gaze from Tao Zhen and casually scanned the surroundings.

Several students at the registration desk were huddled together over the sign-in sheet. Someone noticed something odd first:
“Wu Bin’s whole group still hasn’t shown up. Should we call them?”
Another frowned. “No need. I doubt they’ll come. Haven’t you heard what happened a few days ago?”

“Hm? Yeah, I heard. They pretended to be rich, didn’t pay their debts, wore fakes, tried and failed to pick up some high school girls, got pissed and embarrassed… ended up exposed on the confession wall. Big scandal.” He laughed and waved it off. “But those guys have thick skin. That kind of thing won’t get them expelled. Why wouldn’t they show up here? If they didn’t, it’d only prove the rumors were true!”

 “Pfft, hahahaha, you’re right!”

The group burst out laughing, talking over the details of Wu Bin and his friends’ downfall. They laughed even harder when they brought up how they’d secretly borrowed someone else’s designer bag to snap a nine-photo brag collage.

Zhu Wensheng overheard, and his indifferent expression eased slightly. He opened his chat with his friend Zhao Zhao and scrolled a bit, sure enough, he saw people discussing the same thing.

Zhao Zhao had done a solid job; every piece of gossip came with solid proof.

“God, I can’t stop laughing… Should we call them? I kinda want to see them make fools of themselves in person. Who here actually knows them well?”

 “Tao Zhen, I guess. But he still doesn’t know what happened with Wu Bin. He’s a good guy, but unfortunately, the first people he got close to here were those idiots. If we tell him, it’ll feel like we’re gossiping behind their backs.”

“Yeah, I get that. But should we ask Tao Zhen to call them?”

 “Hmm… sure! He hasn’t cut ties with them yet.”

“Alright, then we’ll see if they come. And if they do, we can fill Tao Zhen in on what they’ve been up to…”

Their voices trailed off as they glanced around the hall.

Zhu Wensheng quickly put away his phone. Without even thinking, he strode forward and stepped between them and Tao Zhen.

He wasn’t even sure why he did it.

His original plan had matched theirs perfectly.

But now, he suddenly changed his mind.

If Tao Zhen had to call those backstabbing “friends” directly… once he learned the truth, he’d be hurt.

So better that Zhu Wensheng tell him himself.

Besides, it was the right moment to clear up their misunderstanding and end this ridiculous “sponsorship” joke.

“Tao Zhen,” Zhu Wensheng took a deep breath, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out of the crowd. “Come with me to the restroom. I need to talk to you, ”

Tao Zhen was happily chatting when a hot, rough hand suddenly yanked him away. Stumbling, confused, he barely had time to react, until he caught a keyword.

His face instantly turned crimson.

G-go… where?

The restroom??

Baby’s arm… bulging veins…

“N-no!” Tao Zhen flailed, yanking his hand free, his face scarlet as he stammered out, “That’s not right, we’re not at that stage yet…”