Chapter Four

Tao Ran embraced Li Zekun in his arms. Li Zekun was still young and had a small frame, like a cat trying to hug a tiger to show off its strength.

In the middle of the night, Tao Ran was sleeping lightly when he suddenly saw a faint glowing light in front of his eyes. He seemed to hear someone calling out to him, "Xia Xia... Xia Xia..." Was someone calling his name? He felt dazed and confused.

When he woke up in the morning, his arms were already empty and there was no warmth beside him. Tao Ran sat up and looked around in confusion. It was only then that he realized the man from last night had not left yet.

Li Zekun stood in a daze with his back facing him in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, with a cigarette in his hand.

"...Didn't you quit smoking?" Tao Ran spoke, not knowing why he had said such words out of nowhere. There were times when his memories seemed muddled when he was around Li Zekun, as though this man had been by his side for many years. Familiar and close.

Li Zekun slowly turned around upon hearing the sound and swept his gaze over Tao Ran from head to toe. The disdainful and contemptuous look in his eyes was not concealed at all. "Tan Shijie and Song Yu have taught you quite a bit," he said. Li Zekun had been alone for a long time and completely ignored those who were dissimilar to him, such as Cheng Xia. He would even get angry at those who looked like replacements. Now, he thought that a group of friends had started to train him from a personality aspect.

Tao Ran was a little confused and uncertain. He was still in the same position he had propped himself up from the bed, with the slight curve of his slender back looking lonely and fragile. He thought that Li Zekun had simply forgotten to bring him back last night, after all, this was his home, not just any random place.

Tao Ran explained, "Last night, you saved me and never let go... You said to let me stay with you..."

"Shut up!" Li Zekun suddenly shouted and interrupted him, "Now, you get out of here!"

Tao Ran's body trembled slightly, and there was a redness in the corners of his eyes. His expression was one of confusion and helplessness, as if he didn't know what was happening and had no words to say. "Li Zekun..."

"Don't you dare call my name!" Li Zekun's gaze became fierce. "And also, don't you dare look at me with that expression!"

Cheng Xia loves to act coquettish. Later on, Li Zekun spoils him to the point where Cheng Xia becomes the head of the household. Even when Li Zekun does not agree with him, Cheng Xia does not get angry. Instead, he just watches him at a distance with longing eyes. If Li Zekun ignores him for too long, Cheng Xia's eyes will turn red. Once that happens, Li Zekun doesn't care about losing face or betraying his country – he just wants to hold Cheng Xia in his arms and straighten out his blush.

Just like now, the face in front of Li Zekun has nothing resembling Cheng Xia, but the mannerisms are so similar that Li Zekun feels the urge to coo and whisper a few words.

Li Zekun's heart had softened a bit. He vaguely remembered last night's events and realized that ultimately, he was the one who had clung to the stray dog. He turned around and flipped through his pockets in the living room, only to find a little over one thousand yuan in his wallet.

"Take the money and leave. If it's not enough, ask Tan Shijie and tell him it's my order," Li Zekun threw the money at Tao Ran and said, "Now, can you get up from my bed, young master?"

Tao Ran looked up at him and tried to grab Li Zekun's clothes, saying, "Don't be like this..."

Li Zekun frowned and dodged, "Oh, are you trying to scam me? This is my home. I haven't harmed you, I paid you, what else do you want?" Li Zekun himself was confused. What's wrong with him? Compared to others, Li Zekun was more tolerant towards Tao Ran. At least he didn't kick him out of bed when he sobered up and even talked to him about a lot of nonsense.

"If you keep insisting, don't blame me for not giving you a hard time. It's the middle of summer, nobody can die from the cold. I'll strip you naked and throw you into the street." Without looking back, Li Zekun walked away. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he felt like the person in the bed was Cheng Xia, with his pitiful and tearful expression like a little maid. Every frown made his heartache.

Tao Ran remained silent, seeming to finally realize that the man opposite him wasn't as approachable and easy to talk to as he had imagined. He stood up and tidied his clothes, then neatly arranged the ten or so bright red bills and laid them next to his pillow.

Tao Ran felt a little sad, mixed with a sense of grievance. His head was pounding and he dared not think about too much. In the end, he left quietly without a sound.

When he left, he suddenly remembered what Song Yu had said, and it was quite accurate. Li Zekun really didn't want to stay at his place after sobering up from the alcohol. Whose sincere face did he reveal last night?