Zhu Tong didn’t know what Shao Ming’s feelings for his mother were. Judging from the few interactions he saw, the relationship between mother and son was indeed not as harmonious and casual as that of mother and son in ordinary families. It’s like… something was missing…
But Shao Ming also said a few words to him, saying that his mother would apply medicine to him when he was injured, and would gently blow on his wound when he was afraid of pain.
This was what Shao Ming told him when he was giving him medicine.
Even if Shao Yujie took the initiative to distance herself from Shao Ming later, which resulted in a drop in her favorability, the 20% value was still a bit low.
And as of Luo Suo…
The relationship between Luo Suo and Shao Ming is well-known at the school. On the first day of Zhu Tong’s transfer, apart from paying attention to the mission objectives, the only two things that caught his attention were Yuan Shaozhou, who was a jerk to him, and Luo Suo, who spoke for him.
Luo Suo was loyal and cheerful. He was a very likable sunny boy. Every time they eat together outside of school, he would chat besides him and helped him relax. He easily made the atmosphere between them very pleasant.
Shao Ming got along with him more naturally and casually than others.
But Shao Ming’s favorability value for him was only 30%.
Zhu Tong thought, ‘Even my own favorability for Luo Suo is more than that, okay?’
Was Shao Ming being too insincere to his friends?
‘Do you want to see a few more, host?’
Zhu Tong thought that the more reference objects he knew, the more data he would have for better analysis.
He chose to look at Lu Zheyu.
Lu Zheyu: 30%.
With Luo Suo’s favorability level acting as a buffer for him, Zhu Tong was not too surprised to see Lu Zheyu’s favorability level.
He wanted to check Shao Ming’s other friends again, but he suddenly paused in place.
Shao Ming’s other friends… Does he have any other friends?
Shao Ming was very popular in the class, and he could chat with anyone. When playing basketball during physical education class, he was always the first person invited by the boys, and the girls often asked him questions.
But after thinking about it carefully, among those who played with Shao Ming, did Shao Ming have any close contacts?
There’s… none of them.
Zhu Tong suddenly had an idea. Instead of looking for Shao Ming’s “friends”, he chose to see the few people he knew Shao Ming would have an impression on.
Their favorability levels were displayed one by one on the system interface.
Shi Wenshu: 10%.
Tang Nuan: 10%.
Zou Ling (The class’ physics representative): 2%.
The class’ Chinese representative: 0%
Tian Man: -5%.
Qiu Shaoping: -30%.
Zhu Tong: “…”
What the fuck.
He shouldn’t say that Shao Ming was insincere to his friends – 30% value shouldn’t count as “insincere”!
…wait, so what does his current 75% mean?
Zhu Tong gradually blushed as he realized the implication.
System:”…”
Seeing its host suddenly went silent, even deeply moved to the point of being unable to say anything, the system cleared its throat and said, ‘From this perspective, it seems that the White Moonlight’s favorability level towards others is generally quite low.’
Zhu Tong also understood.
Not only the people Shao Ming liked had a low level, but even the people Shao Ming hated weren’t even that low.
Zhu Tong’s impression of Tian Man was a subjective judgment, considering her fondness for gossiping about others’ pains and using them as jokes. He viewed her as having poor morals and low emotional intelligence. If his favorability level had a numerical value, it would be at least -20%.
But Shao Ming only gave her a -5%.
For Shao Ming, Qiu Shaoping should be the person he hated deeply, but his favorability level only reached -30%.
Was it because Qiu Shaoping has been imprisoned again, so he had felt he successfully got his “revenge”? That’s why it only reached -30% and not lower?
But Shao Ming had been abused since he was little. Such kind of resentment that has accumulated over the years was impossible to disappear so easily.
Then, if the reason didn’t lie on the other person’s doing, it should be due to Shao Ming’s own reason.
‘Shao Ming’s own reason…’ Zhu Tong frowned.
He should be a person who didn’t feel deeply, whether he liked someone or hated them.
A cold-hearted person.
Simply put, such people don’t easily develop feelings or attachments. Because they don’t care about anyone, they don’t feel deeply about “liking” or “hating”.
But was Shao Ming a cold-hearted person?
No way.
Zhu Tong still remembers how, after the fight with Qiu Shaoping, they returned to the homestay from the milk tea shop. Although Shao Ming acted as if nothing had happened, he was also concerned.
He definitely cared about others’ attitudes and opinions towards him.
That night, Shao Ming hugged him at the door of the room and said, “Don’t be afraid of me.” At that time, the person who was afraid was obviously Shao Ming himself.
He was afraid that others would treat him as a monster, that others would fear him and alienate him.
He’s not a person without emotions, just… the emotions he puts out receive too little response, so he no longer openly expresses his feelings.
That should be the case, right?
Zhu Tong suddenly felt a pang in his heart, as if he was stabbed by a soft yet sharp thorn.
What kind of bitter life is this?
Abused by his stepfather, he gathered the courage to resist, helping those close to him find freedom, but ended up becoming the person to be feared instead.
So, his favorability level wasn’t at maximum because his response to Shao Ming was still inadequate, right?
Thinking that, Zhu Tong picked up his phone and looked at their chat records.
Their last two chats were their mutual love confession.
His response… he has already given it.
Was there any other reason?
He thought about it and sent a message to Shao Ming, still confused.
Then his phone vibrated violently, and a video call request came.
Zhu Tong was startled enough to almost drop the phone. He peeked at the screen, and saw who was calling. He then quickly checked that the door was still closed as he sat up from the bed, ruffled his hair… and finally, cautiously pressed the “answer” button.
As soon as the call connected, a very handsome face appeared on his screen – of course, it’s Shao Ming’s handsome visage. If it wasn’t him, it probably would scare Zhu Tong to death.
Shao Ming said, “I haven’t slept, I just took a shower.”
Zhu Tong suddenly remembered the message he had just sent to Shao Ming – he asked him if he had slept.
He held the phone nervously.
He rarely made a video call with others like this. On top of that, he was calling Shao Ming right now.
Shao Ming just finished showering, his hair wasn’t dried, wet strands hung on his face. He casually brushed aside the falling bangs, a simple gesture that made Zhu Tong’s heart skip a beat.
Zhu Tong honestly didn’t know how to properly reply at times like this. “I’m faster than you, I’m already lying down.”
He leaned against the head of the bed, with a thick pillow cushioning him. The dark pillow made his skin appear paler. His whole figure now resembled a delicate porcelain doll trapped in a silk brocade box.
Shao Ming’s eyes deepened slightly, and he smiled, saying, “Looks like I’ll have to speed up my showering time from now on, to ensure I don’t miss a single moment of being close to you.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
They are not physically in the same space, how can they be close?
He looked at the youth on the screen, who was also looking at him back. Because Zhu Tong was focused on the screen, their eyes didn’t meet, so they couldn’t “gaze at each other”.
But Zhu Tong could see that Shao Ming’s gaze was fixed on his face.
It looked amazing.
Zhu Tong’s eyes followed a droplet of water slowly dripped from Shao Ming’s wet bangs, down to his forehead, then on to his temples.
Zhu Tong’s heart skipped a beat. He reminded him, “You-your hair hasn’t been blow-dried yet.”
Shao Ming casually replied, “My hair is not as important as you.”
Zhu Tong: “…”
It was like honey suddenly stuck in his throat – it was sweet, yes, but it was very sticky, making him hard to speak. “Qu-quickly dry it off… you’ll catch a cold otherwise.”
Shao Ming said, “Oh dear, then what should I do now? I don’t want to hang up the call.”
Zhu Tong hurriedly said: “I won’t hang up, just blow it dry already.”
Shao Ming raised his eyebrows. Really?”
Zhu Tong nodded seriously.
He was holding the phone and really didn’t intend to hang up.
There was nothing else to do anyway, it’s fine to wait a while. Plus it’s Shao Ming he was video-calling, he also found it very interesting to watch Shao Ming blow his hair.
However, this idea of his did not last long.
Zhu Tong saw the youth in the video suddenly took the phone far away, the angle of view was widened – then, a flash of naked skin caught his eyes, causing him to choke on pure air.
Shao Ming picked up something and placed his phone on the bedside table. As he bent over and straightened up, the camera moved from the close-up of his neck to the sexy Adam’s apple and clavicle, then smoothly along his muscled chest and abdomen, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Zhu Tong’s brain was instantly short-circuited. His fingers tapped on the screen, and he pressed the red hang up button several times.
Shao Ming just put the phone away, and before he could get the towel and hairdryer, he only heard a beep, and the video call was over.
“…”
He called back and was quickly denied.
He tried it a few times and got denied within seconds.
Shao Ming was helpless and could only ask via message.
<Shao>: Little Young Master, why are you so keen to break your own promise?
As soon as he said he would not hang up, he ended the call in a blink of an eye and refused to answer.
Zhu Tong quickly replied: [Why don’t you wear clothes!]
Shao Ming looked down and suddenly realized something. His heart tightened, fearing he might’ve harmed Zhu Tong.
<Shao>: Did I cause you to have a nosebleed?
Zhu Tong: …
Zhu Tong’s heart was beating endlessly. When he saw the new mereply, he blushed to the point of exploding.
<Zhu>: No.
<Zhu>: I don’t get nosebleeds now.
Shao Ming: …
Since he could reply so quickly, he should be okay.
So… he’s just shy?
Shao Ming breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn’t help a smile from blooming on his face. He then teased Zhu Tong with a question:
<Shao>: Then why did you hang up on me?
Zhu Tong didn’t know how to reply.
<Shao>: Are you shy? It’s not something you haven’t seen before, right?
<Shao>: What will you do in the future?
<Shao>: Boyfriend, your concentration is a bit lacking, and you also rarely exercise. Do you need my help?
Zhu Tong: …
Looking at the messages popping up on the screen one by one, Zhu Tong couldn’t help but reflect on himself while blushing, his heartbeat going a mile a minute.
Yes, they were now in a romantic relationship, and he wouldn’t have nosebleeds from his poor physique again. What’s the big deal about looking at his boyfriend’s naked body?
Why did he hang up the video call so fast?
But even though he ended the video call, his mind was still filled with the images he had just seen, clearer than when he last had a nosebleed, because this time it was a close-up shot taken by the phone camera!
The visual stimulation was beyond intense.
Zhu Tong couldn’t help but cover his face with a pillow.
He is so useless, ah.
After a while, he grabbed his phone again. After pondering for a bit, he replied.
<Zhu>: I will try my best to adapt.
Shao Ming: …
If Zhu Tong was by his side right now, Shao Ming would definitely help him to get used to it.
He had just wiped his hair with a towel, and it was no longer dripping wet.
Seeing the message from Zhu Tong, he was about to reply, but that youth had already blocked his words.
<Zhu>: I’m going to bed now, good night.
Shao Ming looked at the newly popped bubble frame and gritted his teeth lightly.
Very good, he’s running away.
Just as he was thinking how to “train” him after this, the young man who claimed to be going to sleep “came back to life” in the chat window.
<Zhu>: By the way, I wish you good luck for the semi-final.
Zhu Tong originally wanted to say cheer up, but after thinking about Shao Ming’s achievements, he changed the sentence again.
Shao Ming smiled and replied, [Okay, go to sleep, good night.]
If he doesn’t sleep soon, he’s afraid he won’t be able to sleep tonight.
However, Little Young Master Zhu seems completely unaware of this.
After saying “good night”, both of them tacitly held the mobile phone and did not let go. After about ten seconds, Shao Ming looked at the words displayed under the note: [The other party is typing…]
<Zhu>: Can you send me a voice note?
<Shao>: Voice note?
<Zhu>: Yes, a voice note. Whatever you say will do.
Shao Ming: …
He hung up the video-call, but still asked him to send a voice note?
Is this young master a graduate of the Professional Teasing Technique Institute?
What Zhu Tong thought was actually very simple, he just wanted to let Shao Ming know his true thoughts as much as possible.
Then, he felt that his expression was not clear enough, so he sent a few more messages.
<Zhu>: There is one thing I haven’t told you. After returning to A City, I have not been able to sleep well. Every time you send me a voice note, I can sleep soundly that night.
<Zhu>: Actually, I have liked you for a long time.
As soon as Zhu Tong finished sending WeChat, he nervously squeezed his phone.
He stared at the screen of the mobile phone for a moment, and after waiting for a long time, he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.
Is Shao Ming still blowing his hair so he didn’t see it? Did he see it yet?
He was hesitating whether to withdraw the message or not, a system prompt sounded in his mind: ‘Congratulations! You gained +3% of the white moonlight’s favorability. Your current favorability is 78%.’
Zhu Tong: “…”
So is he really not expressing it well enough before?
The author has something to say:
In the next chapter, they will go back to the small county town, and then start their shameless daily domestic life! For the sake of favorability level, Tongtong will be more proactive!
