NHWSG chapter 52

Seeing Xing Yingzhuo’s reaction, Sheng Zhao almost confirmed his guess—he may have a bad temper and enjoys poking at people’s weaknesses, but his heart is still good.

But this temperament was too disadvantageous. Sheng Zhao thought: Fortunately, I am a considerate young man. If it were someone with a bad temper, they would have been irritated long ago by Xing Yingzhu’s inscrutable thoughts.

But in fact, looking at it from another perspective, Sheng Zhao wasn’t sure if it was his love filter at work. He always felt that Xing Yingzhu’s character was actually quite cute when examined closely.

He spoke in riddles, never directly revealing his thoughts but leaving people guessing. And if Sheng Zhao guessed right, it was fine, but if he didn’t, Xing Yingzhu would probably sulk on his own.

Sheng Zhao initially thought that Xing Yingzhu was a haughty big shot who enjoyed flattery, but after traveling between Suzhou and Shanghai and encountering Chen Wu and Zhang Jian, he gradually realized that it wasn’t entirely true.

Whether it was the indifferent attitude towards Chen Wu in Suzhou or the courteous demeanor towards Zhang Jian, Xing Yingzhu’s attitude towards them was indifferent, showing little excitement whether he was happy or not.

Just like…

Sheng Zhao stole a glance at Xing Yingzhu, and as his gaze swept past the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye, it felt like being gently touched by a small flame, making his heart burn hotly.

…It’s like Xing Yingzhu only puts up with me.

Previously, Sheng Zhao had a few moments of self-satisfaction, thinking he had inadvertently found a way to understand Xing Yingzhuo, which was why Xing Yingzhu treated him differently.

Because of this, he had been feeling a bit “floaty” recently, being overly proud in front of Hu Huanyang and Zhang Jian. After all, he was just an ordinary person who had captured the attention of a monster demon, so he couldn’t help but feel proud. So when he was in front of Hu Huanyang, he seemed especially eager to save face, probably due to this strange desire to “show off”.

But it wasn’t until just now that Sheng Zhao had an epiphany.

He didn’t find a way to manipulate Xing Yingzhu, but rather, Xing Yingzhu consciously or unconsciously indulged him, cooperating with him, making his “little tricks” appear effective.

So, whether it was the deliberate flattery towards Chen Wu or the later polite interactions with Zhang Jian, they all needed to go through Sheng Zhao’s hands to communicate with Xing Yingzhu objectively and equally.

For Sheng Zhao, this tacit understanding was more fervent than any hugs and kisses. It felt like Xing Yingzhu drew a circle around him, allowing only him to come and go, frolicking within his boundaries, while stepping on his bottom line recklessly.

This realization made Sheng Zhao boil with excitement. It felt like someone had poured hot syrup into his heart out of nowhere—sticky, sweet, and hot, making him break out in a sweat.

Too cute, Sheng Zhao thought.

But obviously, he couldn’t say such an adjective out loud. Otherwise, Xing Yingzhuo would surely be furious and throw him out of the car window, making him cling to the luggage rack on the roof all the way to the airport.

But despite Sheng Zhao’s efforts to suppress it, his eyes were already drifting uncontrollably towards Xing Yingzhu’s face, one glance after another, like a small hook dragging along, making it difficult for Xing Yingzhu to ignore.

“What’s wrong?” Xing Yingzhuo asked coolly. “Is there something on my face?”

“No…..”

Although Sheng Zhao didn’t finish his sentence, his eyes were already smiling. He slowly moved closer to Xing Yingzhu, propping up two fingers to form a small stick figure, “walking” along his thigh to his lap.

Xing Yingzhuo raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, as if waiting to see what other tricks he would play.

The little stick figure continued upwards, “jumping” onto Xing Yingzhuo’s waist. Seeing that he showed no intention of resistance, Sheng Zhao relaxed and took a step forward, wrapping his arm around Xing Yingzhu’s waist.

“What are you doing?” Xing Yingzhu crossed his arms, half-mockingly asking, “How old are you, and you still need to be carried around when you go out?”

Although he complained, he didn’t really push Sheng Zhao away, instead half-complaining and half-accepting his embrace.

Having figured out his temper, Sheng Zhao didn’t mind. He lifted his head, smiled at him with narrowed eyes, and leaned over, cautiously touching his right leg.

“You’ve been running around outside for half a day,” Sheng Zhao asked in a playful tone, as if comforting a child, “Does your leg hurt?”

Xing Yingzhu chuckled and glanced at his little puppy boyfriend, tapping his head lightly.

“If you have something to say, just say it,” Xing Yingzhu said.

Sheng Zhao clucked his tongue, accusing him with a wronged expression, “I’m just showing a little affection to my new boyfriend. Is that unreasonable?”

“You’re impossible.” Sheng Zhao said with heartfelt sorrow, his heart aching, “You always think so ill of people.”

Xing Yingzhu leaned lazily against the backrest, watching Sheng Zhao’s antics, feeling overwhelmed by his apparent injustice and grievances, as if he had suffered a great deal of injustice. It was as if he truly felt wronged, and if he didn’t acknowledge his good intentions, it would soon start snowing.

“Alright, I misjudged you.” Xing Yingzhu hooked the corner of his lips and said, “I shouldn’t have thought of you as so sinister. You must be genuinely concerned about me, with no ulterior motives.”

Xing Yingzhuo deliberately emphasized the last words, causing Sheng Zhao’s face to freeze momentarily, feeling like he had overacted.

“But that’s not entirely true.” Sheng Zhao hesitated, speaking haltingly, “Who wouldn’t have some strange intentions towards their boyfriend?”

Xing Yingzhu snorted lightly, accurately expressing the complex intent of “I knew it” with half a syllable.

“Spit it out.” Xing Yingzhu said.

“It’s just…” Sheng Zhao’s gaze drifted, looking a bit embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, he whispered, “Um… can I apply for a do-over?”

Xing Yingzhu’s lips curled up, almost unable to hold back his laughter.

Sheng Zhao obviously realized that his request was a bit too immature. He straightened his chest and tried to regain some dignity with a reasonable and legitimate excuse.

“That was my first kiss!” Sheng Zhao said indignantly. “It’s all because of Hu Huanyang. I didn’t even get to enjoy it properly before it was interrupted. I can’t have my memory tainted by his cat statue JPG. I need to overwrite it.”

“Oh—” Xing Yingzhu pretended to suddenly understand, nodding generously. “So what are you offering as compensation?”

“I’ll give you some medicine?” Sheng Zhao asked tentatively.

Xing Yingzhu tilted his head in surprise.

The half bottle of medicine Sheng Zhao had scrounged from Hu Huanyang last time had already been smeared all over him by Sheng Zhao. In theory, there shouldn’t be any left.

—Did he go rob someone for me again? Xing Yingzhuo wondered.

However, before he could even come up with a response, Xing Yingzhuo watched as Sheng Zhao reached into his pocket and pulled out a tube of red antibiotic ointment.

Xing Yingzhu: “…”

How could Xing Yingzhuo’s noble scales endure human medicine that cost only two yuan and five?

He immediately flattened his mouth, looking disdainful, and leaned back, trying to discourage Sheng Zhao from the idea.

“Forget it,” Xing Yingzhu said coldly. “I’ll deduct one reward from you—”

What surprised Xing Yingzhuo was that in less than two days, Sheng Zhao seemed to have gained the courage of a lion, with his boldness increasing exponentially. He was about to replace the “unworthy” label with “bold and daring.”

Before Xing Yingzhuo could finish his sentence, Sheng Zhao, as if prepared in advance, threw the antibiotic ointment aside and leaned into him and kissed him.

Sheng Zhao intentionally wanted to regain his dignity on equal footing within the relationship. He was quick-witted, almost taking the sudden attack to the extreme.

Xing Yingzhu was surprised for a moment, but instead of getting angry, he felt a hint of interest, curious to see how Sheng Zhao would perform.

Unfortunately, as a young man who had just lost his first kiss, Sheng Zhao’s experience was extremely limited in this area. He relied solely on his recent experience, so when Xing Yingzhuo refused to cooperate, Sheng Zhao’s progress became exceptionally difficult.

Xing Yingzhu patiently held his ground, neither resisting nor cooperating with this kiss. In the end, it was Sheng Zhao who couldn’t contain his frustration and became irritated first.

“Open your mouth,” Sheng Zhao said.

Partial victory.

Sheng Zhao’s preemptive surrender obviously brought some good mood to Xing Yingzhuo, so he was happy to give the other party some sweetness.

Xing Yingzhuo’s eyes softened slightly, and a muffled laugh escaped from his throat.

He loosened his grip slightly, allowing Sheng Zhao to pounce on him and press his shoulders like an impulsive teenager.

Utilizing the water membrane barrier Xing Yingzhuo had set up since they got into the car, Sheng Zhao’s actions were bold. However, Xing Yingzhu obviously wasn’t the type to willingly submit to others. Almost as soon as Sheng Zhao attempted to take it a step further, Xing Yingzhuo took back the initiative with a strong move.

Xing Yingzhu also realized that Sheng Zhao had some inexplicable allure to him, to the point where he not only didn’t reject his closeness but even enjoyed it.

If an ordinary person encountered such an unusual situation, they would probably first consider if there was a conspiracy. But unfortunately, Xing Yingzhuo was not like ordinary people. He not only didn’t think there was anything worth worrying about, but he also seemed to think it was a matter of course.

It seemed as if Sheng Zhao was naturally supposed to be his, to obey him, and to stay by his side.

Compared to the spontaneous impulse in the elevator, this “long-planned” move clearly touched a nerve with Xing Yingzhuo, forcing him to give some punishment to this daring little boyfriend to make him understand his proper place in the relationship.

“No…” Sheng Zhao struggled to catch his breath as the kiss turned forceful and passionate, desperately straightening his body and pleading, “Okay, okay, the memory has been overwritten successfully—”

“It’s too late.” Xing Yingzhu said mercilessly, pressing against Sheng Zhao’s waist to prevent him from escaping. He chuckled at his words and said, “We have twenty minutes left until we reach the airport. I’ll help you consolidate.”