The next day, Zhu Tong woke up, his brows furrowing tightly even before he opened his eyes.
Pain.
His waist, legs, hips, and even his knees hurt.
Shao Ming had woken up before him and saw him frowning with his eyes closed. Feeling concerned, he gently kissed his furrowed brow, smoothing out the creases, and softly asked, “Where does it hurt?”
Zhu Tong slowly opened his eyes.
A face both alluring and refined, a blend of striking features and elegant demeanor, all perfectly harmonized… a feast for the eyes.
Any bit of resentment Zhu Tong felt instantly dissipated. He tried to move, but his bones felt like they were falling apart. Despite his pain, he didn’t blame Shao Ming for last night’s ordeal. He gave up struggling, looking up at the ceiling, and said, “I must have been tricked by the system.”
Shao Ming looked slightly surprised. “What do you mean?”
Zhu Tong said, “My body is still very weak.”
“……”
Last night, after they started, he couldn’t handle it for long.
The muscles where he had exerted himself were sore and numb. He begged Shao Ming to change positions, but then his knees started hurting.
He’s sure his knees are still red from rubbing against the sheets last night.
And how they finished…
Young Master Zhu finally realized the full extent of what had happened last night, his face turning red in an instant. He instinctively reached for the blanket, only to find there was none.
It’s summer, and they need to keep the air conditioning on to sleep. Who needs a blanket?
Zhu Tong numbly raised his arm, covering his eyes with his forearm, but it couldn’t hide the redness spreading quickly to his ears.
Shao Ming: “……”
He seemed a bit slow to react.
Shao Ming chuckled softly, pulling him into his arms and playfully nuzzling his neck. “This might not have much to do with being weak.”
Zhu Tong loosened his arm a bit, opening a slit to look through. “Then what is it?”
Shao Ming said, “Lack of exercise.”
Zhu Tong：“……”
Shao Ming extended his leg, and with hardly any barriers between them on a summer morning, their bodies pressed together, instantly recalling the previous night’s intimacy.
Zhu Tong quickly pulled his leg back.
But Shao Ming didn’t let him off so easily. He shifted more of his weight onto Zhu Tong, kissing the arm that was blocking his view, and asked, “Isn’t it true? Lacking a bit of endurance, aren’t you, Little Young Master?”
His words were filled with satisfaction and delight.
Zhu Tong felt him gently massaging the sore spots, wanting to move but afraid to, and he couldn’t muster the strength to argue.
It was true that he lacked endurance.
But who would bother to train such endurance in that area!
Zhu Tong buried his face again.
Shao Ming laughed, pulling his hand away, and nuzzled his nose. “How about it? Shall we train more often from now on?”
Zhu Tong, flustered and angry, covered Shao Ming’s mouth forcefully.
Shao Ming just watched him with a silly grin.
Seeing him laugh so foolishly, Zhu Tong couldn’t help but smile too. His hand, covering Shao Ming’s mouth, gradually lost its strength… he didn’t have much strength left anyway.
The class monitor had hit the nail on the head – he might not be able to get out of bed today.
Shao Ming hugged him and said, “Zhu Tong, I’m very happy, extremely happy.”
Zhu Tong knew exactly what he was happy about.
Despite feeling embarrassed and blushing at the thought, he was also happy.
Such an experience wasn’t just painful.
Becoming one with the person you like, being possessed and entered, felt amazing. It was like being tainted by a poppy — knowing it was addictive but willingly succumbing to it.
Zhu Tong, feeling moved, hugged Shao Ming tightly.
Shao Ming embraced him just as firmly.
The person in his arms had given him so much special.
He had thought last night’s events would be hard for Zhu Tong to accept.
Although it hadn’t been entirely smooth, even though it hurt and was uncomfortable, Zhu Tong never showed rejection. Even when he was tense and scared, his final choice was to hold him tightly and accept him.
Shao Ming, both satisfied and pained, whispered into his ear, “Does it still hurt?”
Zhu Tong gently shook his head, “I’m fine as long as I don’t move.”
Shao Ming smiled and rubbed his belly, “So… are you hungry?”
Noticing that the hand was moving in the wrong direction, Zhu Tong immediately replied, “Yes, I’m hungry.”
Shao Ming kissed his ear again, “I’ll go make breakfast. You rest a bit more, and later I’ll carry you to freshen up.”
“…”
Blushing, Zhu Tong nodded.
After last night, it seemed like Shao Ming had also carried him to the bathroom to clean up.
Now past breakfast time, Shao Ming was concerned that Zhu Tong might really be hungry, so he didn’t tease him further. After releasing him, he got up and went to the kitchen to cook.
Zhu Tong watched him walk out of the room, then turned over and buried his head in the pillow that Shao Ming had just used.
The graduation banquet was scheduled half a month after the announcement of the college entrance exam scores.
In A City’s prestigious circles, organizing a graduation banquet for successful students was quite ordinary. However, this time the protagonists were not ordinary, and there were two of them.
Even the invitations sent out were signed with both their names.
Upon receiving the invitation, Luo Suo joked in the WeChat group, “These two have turned the graduation banquet invitation into an engagement banquet.”
Later, at the banquet venue, Luo Suo couldn’t help but exclaim, “Damn, are you two sure this isn’t a wedding reception instead?”
“… “
The two of them wore matching high-fashion suits — one in navy blue, simple yet elegant and dignified, and the other in light gray, clean and elegant with a gentlemanly charm.
Several students from Class 3 who had been brought in before the banquet started seemed to have stepped into a whole new world.
It wasn’t just their classmates from the past two years who were completely taken aback by their transformation in appearance, but also the extravagant and magnificent banquet venue that many of them had never stepped into or even seen before.
A slight sense of unease crept up on a few of them.
If it weren’t for the public nature of the event, Zhu Tong really wouldn’t have wanted it to be so extravagant. Moreover, today’s banquet venue was arranged by his grandfather.
Seeing their unease, Zhu Tong reassured them, “The banquet hasn’t started yet. You can wander around the main hall for now. Once the guests arrive, we’ll move to the smaller venue in the back. It’ll just be us, so you can do whatever you like.”
Those who had mustered the courage to attend the banquet finally relaxed.
Looking at the entire banquet hall, Luo Suo sighed, “I knew Zhu Tong’s family was wealthy, but I didn’t expect them to be this wealthy. Zhu Tong, when you transferred to our Gongshui County, wasn’t it just to experience ordinary life?”
“What kind of ordinary life?” Shao Ming popped up from behind Zhu Tong. “He transferred to our county clearly to meet me.”
Zhu Tong：“……”
Luo Suo: “…”
Shao Ming, shamelessly, “Yep, am I officially married into a wealthy family now?”
Luo Suo: “…”
Is he shamelessly living off others?
Of course, Luo Suo knew better than anyone that Shao Ming didn’t need to live off anyone. He teased him a bit.
Suddenly, not far away, someone called out, “Hey!” A girl in a blue dress walked over gracefully. She greeted Luo Suo first, “Luo Suo, long time no see.”
Luo Suo was surprised, “Xiao… Xiao Xin? You still remember me?”
Zhu Xin smiled sweetly, “Of course, how could I forget you, Luo Suo?”
Luo Suo: “Right, right, of course I remember.”
With a face almost identical to Zhu Tong’s, he had to remember!
Zhu Xin then greeted Lu Zheyu with a smile.
Tang Nuan and the other two girls hadn’t seen Zhu Xin before, but they quickly found common ground.
Zhu Tong had his sister take his classmates to the smaller venue in the back. When they finally left, Tang Nuan hesitated to say something while looking at Zhu Tong.
Zhu Tong thought she had something to say and curiously asked.
Instead, Tang Nuan gave him a mysterious look and said, “Are you sure Shao Ming can resist tearing your clothes off the way you’re dressed today?”
Zhu Tong: “…”
What was the class monitor thinking every day?!!
He sighed and had Zhu Xin lead the people away.
Before long, Uncle Liu arrived. Today’s banquet was held in Uncle Liu’s name, and after a long absence, he was speechless upon seeing Zhu Tong.
Zhu Tong had to ask, “Uncle Liu, when will Grandpa arrive?”
Uncle Liu said, “Soon, I estimate he’ll be here as soon as the banquet starts. He’s been waiting for this day for a long time.”
Zhu Tong nodded with a smile, his initial thoughts growing stronger.
After the banquet started, Zhu Tong and Shao Ming naturally became the center of attention.
Many people came to this graduation banquet alone, some as couples, and some with their families…
Those bringing children of appropriate age ostensibly wanted them to see the two Q University students as inspiration, but their true intentions were obvious.
Walking through the middle of the venue, Zhu Tong ignored the gazes of his peers, never letting go of Shao Ming’s hand from start to finish.
That was his purpose today.
Today was a graduation banquet – their graduation banquet.
He had made up his mind about this person, and he wanted everyone to know openly.
He wouldn’t even look at those approaching him, no matter their intentions.
People who came to the banquet seemed familiar, gathering in twos and threes, watching the two who welcomed guests hand in hand. Their emotions were mixed.
“Was Zhu Tong’s previous illness just an act? He doesn’t look like he’s ever been seriously ill.”
“If I had known this earlier, I would have pursued him at school.”
“Hah, if he were like this at school, you wouldn’t have had a chance.”
“I can’t believe it. Zhu Tong is actually so good-looking.”
“He was always good-looking. He just wasn’t well before. His boyfriend is good-looking too. They make a perfect couple!”
“……”
Some wanted to argue, but couldn’t find the words because looking at those two standing side by side, no one could say they weren’t perfectly matched.
At the banquet, some dismissed their thoughts, while others harbored dissatisfaction. But with the two openly holding hands in front of Liu Jianbai, making their relationship clear to everyone, even those with schemes had no chance against Liu Jianbai.
So, some people directly focused on Zhu Tong.
Halfway through the banquet, after someone who hadn’t noticed anything unusual initially appeared, they realized something was amiss.
For this graduation banquet organized for Zhu Tong and his boyfriend, Zhu Shoushan was absent.
Instead, another person appeared, someone familiar with Zhu Shoushan in A City, named Zhang Hui.
Zhu Tong remembered this person – he had visited their home on Zhu Tong’s eleventh birthday when he hadn’t been hospitalized.
So, when the person greeted Zhu Tong, he politely called out, “Uncle Zhang.”
Zhang Hui looked pleased and affectionately tried to pat Zhu Tong’s head, but Zhu Tong gently evaded him.
“…”
Pretending not to notice, Zhang Hui turned to Shao Ming and asked, “And who is this?”
Zhu Tong replied, “His name was on the invitation sent to my dad.”
He hadn’t invited Uncle Zhang himself, so it was clear how Zhang Hui had managed to attend.
Zhu Tong guessed that his father definitely wouldn’t come.
He had once looked down on Shao Ming, disparaging him in front of Zhu Tong and being put in his place by Jiang Wan. After Zhu Tong accepted someone else as his father and Shao Ming publicly defeated Xia Weiyi, Zhu Shoushan, who cared deeply about his reputation, would never attend such a graduation banquet.
But why did Zhang Hui come?
Zhang Hui appeared slightly embarrassed upon realizing the truth behind the invitation. “Is that so? I was excited when I received the invitation and didn’t look closely. So, he…”
“He is my boyfriend.”
“……”
The people around fell silent in tacit understanding.
With Zhu Tong’s straightforward admission, others were both surprised and seemed to accept it as natural.
Writing his boyfriend’s name on the banquet invitation was enough to show how much Zhu Tong valued and cared for Shao Ming.
Shao Ming politely extended his hand, “Hello.”
Zhang Hui glanced at the hand but ignored it. He looked back at Zhu Tong, “Tongtong, have you really decided to be with a man? Have you asked your dad about this?”
Zhu Tong held Shao Ming’s hand and pulled back his politely extended hand, saying first, “No need to greet him.”
Then he answered Zhang Hui’s question, “But, I still asked him. He doesn’t agree, but whether he agrees or not is not important to me.”
His gesture of not needing Shao Ming to greet Zhang Hui already indicated his stance. But what surprised people even more was his attitude toward his father.
Zhang Hui felt embarrassed after being put in his place and his expression changed slightly. “What do you mean by this? Are you disowning your father?”
Others strained to listen in.
A City had been puzzled by Zhu Tong suddenly accepting Liu Jianbai as his godfather, but since Zhu Shoushan had said nothing, no one had dared to stir things up.
Now, Zhang Hui’s sudden mention had attracted a lot of attention.
Zhu Tong responded calmly, “I’m not disowning him. I sent him an invitation, but he didn’t come.”
Zhang Hui: “…”
More and more people gathered around. Zhang Hui glanced at their tightly clasped hands and thought about how Zhu Tong had just shown disrespect to him, an elder, for the sake of this young man. Zhang Hui’s words became less restrained.
“You sent an invitation? Who exactly is your father?” Zhang Hui’s tone carried an accusation. “I don’t know why you suddenly decided to call Liu Jianbai your father, but what did your dad do wrong? After all these years, he raised you and Xiao Xin. Has he mistreated you? Now that he’s having problems in his business, as his son, shouldn’t you be helping him instead of holding a graduation banquet for someone else’s sake? Since you entered the Liu family, you haven’t been back home for over a year. Are you treating an outsider as your real father and forgetting your roots? How can there be such an ungrateful son in this world?”
Shao Ming’s face darkened, but Zhu Tong firmly held onto his hand.
The accused remained calm. Zhu Tong said, “Firstly, if you want to know why I left the Zhu family and what my dad did wrong, you should ask him. Ask him why he didn’t dare to come to my graduation banquet today. Secondly, the problems in his business are due to his own mismanagement. He never taught me anything about business, so I can’t help him with that. If you’re suggesting I find someone else to assist him, whether others are willing to help him is their choice, and I have no right to demand that from anyone.”
He emphasized the words “others” to highlight that Zhang Hui was an outsider. This made Zhang Hui’s expression even more unpleasant.
In his father’s eyes, Zhu Tong had no value in assisting with the company’s management, only in marrying someone to maintain their interests.
Since leaving the Zhu family, his father had never called him and had never lowered his head to his grandfather.
He still valued his face first just as he did before.
And… if he hadn’t agreed, how could Zhang Hui have received an invitation to the graduation banquet?
Did Zhang Hui truly not know the reasons behind all of this?
Even if Zhu Shoushan didn’t tell him, Zhang Hui must have guessed the reason. He just chose to feign ignorance so that he could stand on the moral high ground to criticize Zhu Tong, interfering in his choices as an elder and questioning his boyfriend.
Zhang Hui said angrily, “Even if your dad did something wrong, there’s no overnight feud between father and son. No matter what, you can’t just not go home, especially bringing your sister along. How do you expect others to see your dad and both of you? You’re surnamed Zhu. What reason is there to keep living in someone else’s home?”
“……”
The guests at the banquet began to whisper among themselves.
Zhang Hui’s words sparked discussions and he seemed somewhat pleased with himself.
After Zhu Tong left the Zhu family, Liu Jianbai inexplicably suppressed Zhu Shoushan, which also affected his company.
Since Liu Jianbai dared to do this, Zhang Hui dared to bring it up.
If Zhu Tong dared to collaborate with outsiders against his own father, he should bear moral criticism.
And yet he still had the nerve to hold a graduation banquet.
He sneered inwardly. Liu Jianbai was already walking towards them.
Zhang Hui didn’t back down either. No matter how you looked at it today, he was in the right, and Liu Jianbai couldn’t do anything to him.
Zhu Tong furrowed his brows, hesitating to bring up Jiang Wan’s matter, when suddenly a familiar voice came from behind.
“Those two children, the grandson and granddaughter of me, Cheng Qingsong, want to live where. When did it become someone else’s turn to meddle?”
A serious and solemn voice rang out, causing everyone to fall silent simultaneously. The guests instinctively turned their heads, making way.
When they saw the elderly man suddenly appearing at the venue, the others all quieted for a moment, followed by murmurs of uncertainty.
Zhang Hui was dumbfounded.
In their social circle, who didn’t recognize Cheng Qingsong’s face?
At this moment, Zhu Tong smiled faintly, took Shao Ming’s hand, and walked over, boldly calling out, “Grandpa.”
Zhang Hui: “…”
Cheng Qingsong was quite pleased with being addressed in public like that, his expression softened considerably, and though his lips hinted at a smile, he maintained his seriousness as he looked at the pale-faced Zhang Hui. “My grandson and granddaughter don’t need a father who uses them as tools. Their choices are not up for others to criticize. To those present today, if you’re not here sincerely to congratulate, the door is wide open for you to leave whenever you want, no need for a farewell.”
“……”
“……”
The grand banquet hall fell into an eerie silence.
Naturally, Zhang Hui had been “requested” to leave, his face frozen in disbelief as he exited.
The guests at the scene were shocked, but dared not reveal their thoughts.
The calmest person there was Zhu Tong himself.
Not only did Zhu Tong not let go of his boyfriend’s hand in front of Cheng Qingsong, but with Cheng Qingsong’s appearance, he even asserted his presence.
It wasn’t until Cheng Qingsong, speaking as an elder, said what needed to be said and the banquet dispersed that people began to express their astonishment.
Zhu Tong is Cheng Qingsong’s grandson?!
The person behind Liu Jianbai is actually Cheng Qingsong?!
Has Zhu Shoushan gone mad? With Cheng Qingsong as his father-in-law, he didn’t climb the ladder and instead treated his children as tools?
How could anyone be so foolish?
Zhu Tong couldn’t hear their questions anymore. After his grandfather arrived, he and Shao Ming left the main hall early. In the smaller meeting room behind, unaware of the buzz in the main hall, they were watching as a somewhat familiar man walked in. After greeting him, they carried away Lu Zheyu, who had fallen asleep on the sofa after drinking too much.
“That person just now… is Zhu Tong’s cousin, right? The one who waited outside the club during the celebration party last time?”
Several recent high school graduates stared wide-eyed and open-mouthed, completely confused.
Luo Suo was even more dumbfounded. He stiffly turned to Zhu Xin, “Xiao Xin, your cousin…?”
Zhu Xin shook her head blankly.
When Zhu Tong and Shao Ming entered the smaller meeting room, several people inside seemed greatly startled, staring blankly as they walked in.
Zhu Tong: “…”
Wasn’t Grandpa supposed to be coming in later?
Did they already know?
But why did even Xiao Xin seem stunned?
Shao Ming raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you all playing statues?”
Finally, Luo Suo couldn’t help but speak up, “Zhu Tong, your cousin… what’s his relationship with Lao Er?”
Zhu Tong: “Huh?”
Luo Suo mimicked a princess carry, “Just now your cousin came in and carried Lao Er away.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
The next day, waking up in a hotel bed, Cheng Chen felt like his body wasn’t his own — sore and achy all over, especially on his certain unmentionable place. He struggled to open his eyes and saw someone sitting expressionless beside the bed.
He propped himself up, wincing in pain.
The person beside the bed reached out a hand towards him.
Cheng Chen, confused, asked, “What are you doing?”
Lu Zheyu matter-of-factly replied, “Getting my payment for prostitution services.”
Cheng Chen: “…”
Was he hearing things?
Lu Zheyu continued, “I don’t know the normal rate, so you tell me.”
Cheng Chen: “…”
Cheng Chen glanced down at the marks all over his body, then looked back up in disbelief.
Who the fuck is the prostitute here?!1in case it’s not clear, Cheng Chen is the shou, so he was mad that he was the one to pay for the “services”.
The author has something to say:
That’s all for the story of the side CP in the main story. For the next extra, it will be about Tongtong. After the main story is over, I’ll write a separate story about Cheng-ge and Lao Er, and there won’t be too many~
