SVWL Chapter 85

How long have Zhu Tong known? His cousin told him not long after he returned from A City.

It’s just that he had always thought Shao Ming didn’t know… Why was he suddenly asking this?

Zhu Tong instinctively replied, “I didn’t have anyone investigate you. It was my cousin who…”

Shao Ming suddenly smiled.

Zhu Tong froze.

Shao Ming said, “I know, you wouldn’t do something like that.”

Zhu Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

Shao Ming then asked, “So when did your cousin tell you?”

Zhu Tong answered truthfully.

Shao Ming’s lips curled up slightly, “And why did your cousin tell you something like that?”

“……”

Cheng Chen was Zhu Tong’s biao ge. When Zhu Tong was hospitalized, Cheng Chen had informed him through Lu Zheyu. After hearing rumors in A City, he secretly told Zhu Tong, and there was also that terminology used in the message he had just seen: “boyfriend.”

The nervousness from dealing with Zhu Tong’s elders had melted away, replaced by a sweet warmth that filled Shao Ming’s heart.

Zhu Tong was still pondering why his cousin had told him that. Just as he figured it out, he heard Shao Ming say, “That’s not very considerate of you, Little Young Master. How could you give me a status without informing me first?” 

“……”

Zhu Tong was caught off guard by the word “status,” and explained, “I didn’t tell my cousin. He found out on his own…”

“Did you deny it?”

Zhu Tong paused, confused, “Why would I deny it?”

Shao Ming: “……”

Whether it’s early dating or the fact that his partner was someone like him, anyone else would have tried their best to hide it from their family.

Only Zhu Tong had no sense of crisis about it.

Maybe it wasn’t that Zhu Tong lacked a sense of crisis; he simply didn’t have the concept of “crisis” in his mind.

The only one feeling nervous was Shao Ming, the person involved.

Shao Ming felt a wave of helplessness and looked at Zhu Tong with a complex expression.

Zhu Tong didn’t understand, only feeling that the silence between them was a bit awkward. He forced the conversation back on track, “So… how long have you known?”

Shao Ming smiled, “What exactly are you referring to?”

Zhu Tong: “……”

Was he referring to the fact that he knew he was an illegitimate child, or the rumors he heard about A City?

Zhu Tong said earnestly, “I want to know everything.”

Shao Ming pressed his lips together and said, “As for the rumors, I kind of knew he would do that when we left A City.”

Zhu Tong was slightly taken aback, “You knew that early?”

Shao Ming: “Yes, I knew before you did.”

Zhu Tong: “……”

He wasn’t trying to show off his competitiveness.

Why did Shao Ming know so early? He must have understood the other person’s behavior well. This meant that Shao Ming’s biological father had indeed approached him long ago.

Zhu Tong looked at him hesitantly.

Shao Ming asked, “What do you want to say?”

Zhu Tong thought to himself that he didn’t know what to say.

He hesitated, then lowered his head, “Actually… it doesn’t matter. A person’s background doesn’t mean anything. You don’t need to care about what others say…”

His voice grew softer as he spoke.

How could he not care?

When Kong Lu said those things in the milk tea shop, Zhu Tong was livid. How much more hurt must Shao Ming have felt at the time?

Words can be more hurtful than physical harm. Using such words to comfort Shao Ming felt like he was offering hollow solace.

Shao Ming saw him lower his head and suddenly said, “Do you care?”

Zhu Tong looked up, “Care about what?”

“……”

Ah, his identity.

Zhu Tong said, “What do I have to care about? I know you, not whose son you are. I like you for who you are, because you’re good to me and you deserve it. It’s not like I’m…”

“Zhu Tong.”

Shao Ming suddenly interrupted him.

Zhu Tong tilted his head to look at him.

Shao Ming’s gaze was deep, and a beautiful smile curved his lips. His perfectly sculpted face showed a hint of seriousness, and when he spoke, his voice was husky, “Come here.”

Even though they were sitting on the same sofa, there was still a person’s distance between them.

When Shao Ming suddenly spoke, Zhu Tong’s heart trembled, and as if enchanted, he moved a little closer to him. The distance he moved wasn’t enough, so Shao Ming moved a little closer to him.

Zhu Tong felt himself being pressed against the back of the sofa, and a hand lifted the bangs from his forehead. A warm kiss landed on his forehead — full of devotion and adoration. 

Zhu Tong didn’t move, only blinking dumbfoundedly.

Shao Ming’s smile deepened as he lowered his head to kiss Zhu Tong on the lips.

It was a gentle and lingering kiss, leaving Zhu Tong completely bewildered. He even parted his lips to let Shao Ming in, allowing him to tangle their tongues together.

When they separated, both were breathing slightly faster. Zhu Tong still had a dazed expression.

Shao Ming, however, was smiling brightly, making his entire face seem more vibrant and alive. With the light above his head, he bathed in the glow, appearing as radiant as a deity, making it hard for Zhu Tong not to be captivated and infatuated.

But then Zhu Tong suddenly frowned and said, “Stop smiling.”

Shao Ming asked, puzzled, “Why?”

Zhu Tong said softly, “This isn’t something to smile about. You don’t have to pretend to be so…”

Before he could finish saying “pretend to be happy,” Shao Ming suddenly laughed softly.

Zhu Tong looked at him in confusion.

Shao Ming said, “Do you think I’m pretending to be happy?”

“……”

“I’m not pretending,” Shao Ming said. “I’m smiling because of you, because you said you like me.”

Zhu Tong: “……”

He didn’t know what to say, so he blushed and tried his hardest to appear composed. 

Shao Ming raised his hand to touch Zhu Tong’s still glistening lips. Unable to resist, he leaned down to peck his lips again before leaning back against the sofa.

The weight pressing on Zhu Tong suddenly disappeared, leaving him inexplicably feeling a bit lost. But then his palm tightened as Shao Ming clasped his hand, giving him a sense of belonging again.

Shao Ming lowered his gaze to their interlocked hands, silent for a moment before he spoke softly, “I’ve known since I was a child that I wasn’t Qiu Shaoping’s son, and that I had a biological father somewhere who I didn’t know.”

“……”

At the mention of Qiu Shaoping, Zhu Tong’s heart reflexively tightened.

He looked at Shao Ming uneasily.

Shao Ming smiled and said, “It’s okay.”

Then he continued, “Actually, before I reported Qiu Shaoping, his bar was already having problems due to his poor management. For several consecutive months, it was losing money. When the bar didn’t do well, he was in a bad mood, and when he was in a bad mood, he needed to vent, so her days weren’t good either.”

The “he” at the beginning and the “she¹this made more sense in spoken Chinese, where “he” and “she” are pronounced the exact same.” at the end were clearly not the same person. Shao Ming didn’t explicitly say it, but Zhu Tong understood.

Come to think of it, Zhu Tong realized he had never heard the word “Mom” from Shao Ming’s mouth.

“I was already in middle school at that time. Middle school students may seem useless, but thanks to Qiu Shaoping’s teachings since I was young, I was already very good at fighting by then. He was afraid of my resistance, so when I was at home, he rarely laid a hand on me.”

Now, when talking about Qiu Shaoping, Shao Ming no longer had any negative emotions. He spoke as if recounting someone else’s story, light and breezy, with a slight curve to his lips.

Zhu Tong squeezed his hand and said disapprovingly, “Stop smiling.”

Shao Ming was momentarily stunned, then he smiled and said, “Okay.”

When he spoke again, he indeed wasn’t smiling. He calmly stated, “But when someone’s emotions are suppressed too much, the release becomes even more intense. During the time I was at school, the abuse that was originally inflicted to both of us fell solely on her. She couldn’t take it and had no hope. It was like a person driven to desperation would even borrow from a loan shark. She had no other option and thought about going to find that man.”

Zhu Tong was shocked. “So…”

“Yes, she asked someone to inquire about him,” Shao Ming said. “But to prevent her from secretly calling the police, her every move was monitored. Qiu Shaoping quickly found out. He wasn’t angry; he saw it as an opportunity. He went to A City.”

Zhu Tong frowned. “What did he go to A City for?”

Shao Ming replied flatly, “To demand child support.”

Zhu Tong: “?”

“He found that man and threatened him with the fact that he had an illegitimate child, asking for 500,000 yuan in child support to save his bar from its financial troubles. After getting the money, he returned and treated his friends to a meal and even bought her a set of jewelry.”

Shao Ming’s face bore a faint look of ridicule as he said this.

Ridicule for Qiu Shaoping, who, after discovering who Shao Ming’s biological father was, felt not the inferiority of an ordinary man but rather pride.

Pride in the fact that he had raised a rich man’s son, had leverage over a wealthy individual, and believed he could use this leverage to get endless money. He also felt proud that a woman once slept with by a prominent man had become his legal wife.

He actually took pride in such a thing.

Zhu Tong felt conflicted. He had told Shao Ming not to smile, but seeing this expression on his face made him feel even more uncomfortable.

He extended his other hand to hold Shao Ming’s hand, as if trying to give him strength. “Your bio… that man found you this way?”

Shao Ming nodded. “Yes.”

If Qiu Shaoping hadn’t asked for child support, that man probably wouldn’t have remembered that he had once ruined a girl’s life.

“And he…” Zhu Tong frowned.

He felt something was off.

If Qiu Shaoping could find that man, then Shao Ming’s mother should have been able to as well. That man gave Qiu Shaoping 500,000 yuan for the sake of confidentiality, indicating he didn’t want the fact that he had an illegitimate child exposed. But he had been so heartless for over a decade, ignoring Shao Ming and his mother. Wasn’t he afraid that she might expose everything out of resentment?

Zhu Tong looked at Shao Ming and asked, “When did he come to find you?”

Shao Ming raised an eyebrow. “After I sent Qiu Shaoping to prison and opened the milk tea shop.”

“…”

There was a gap between sending Qiu Shaoping to prison and the opening of the milk tea shop. Why didn’t he come to find Shao Ming right away? Why wait for a while?

–He must be observing.

Observing Shao Ming, investigating his past, evaluating his potential, and deciding if it was worth the “risk” to acknowledge him.

Zhu Tong knew that scumbag men existed, but this was unprecedented!

Are there really fathers like this in the world?

Zhu Tong’s grip tightened. He asked, “Has he contacted you recently?”

Shao Ming nodded. “Yes.”

Zhu Tong exclaimed, “When?”

Did Zhu Tong get so engrossed in his studies that he ended up neglecting his boyfriend to this extent? Not even knowing when the scumbag approached him?

Shao Ming felt the warmth of Zhu Tong’s hands completely enveloping his own and said lightly, “At your family’s banquet.”

Banquet?

Zhu Tong was momentarily stunned and then looked at Shao Ming in shock.

Silence stretched endlessly between them.

Finally, Zhu Tong broke the silence, “It can’t be…”

Shao Ming replied, “Yes, it was Xia Weiyi.”

Zhu Tong: “…”

Really, Xia Weiyi?

Zhu Tong felt like he was about to crack.

“Then…”

Then Shao Ming and Xia Yang…

The heartthrob and the white moonlight? 

The lovers were actually blood-related brothers… wait, no. Xia Yang’s feelings were one-sided; they had nothing to do with Shao Ming!

But Zhu Tong still didn’t know what to say.

He stared blankly at Shao Ming, his stiff expression conveying his current state of mind.

Shao Ming pinched his face with his free hand, a smile reappearing on his face. “Anything else you want to ask? I’ll tell you everything.”

With such honesty, what else could Zhu Tong ask?

Worry took the upper hand again, and Zhu Tong suppressed all his shock, asking, “What are you planning to do now? Is there anything I can do?”

Shao Ming leaned closer to him and asked, “You want to help me?”

Zhu Tong answered directly, “Yes.”

Shao Ming brushed aside his bangs with a smile, “Thanks, but for now, there’s no need. I have a plan.”

“…”

Zhu Tong continued to look at him with concern.

Shao Ming said, “Do you trust me?”

Without hesitation, Zhu Tong nodded, “Yes.”

Shao Ming pulled him into his arms.

Zhu Tong looked up at him again, “Then… what’s your plan?”

Shao Ming looked down at him.

Zhu Tong quickly added, “It’s not that I don’t trust you, I’m just curious, I…”

He hesitated on a word for a while, then suddenly felt frustrated, “I’m so useless. I wish I could help you.”

Not relying on his family, but on himself.

But he didn’t understand anything, and in the face of the current situation, he didn’t even know where to start to help.

Why was there such a big difference between him and other high school students?

Shao Ming rubbed his chin against Zhu Tong’s hair and said, “You’re already better than many people.”

In terms of studying, Zhu Tong could definitely surpass anyone in the school.

His health condition had previously held him back, preventing him from even having the means to work hard.

Zhu Tong, however, misunderstood and said, “The impressive ones are my grandfather and the others, not me.”

Shao Ming comforted him, “You’ll be very impressive in the future too.”

Zhu Tong pursed his lips lightly.

But he wanted to help now.

Seeing what Zhu Tong was thinking, Shao Ming said, “My plan is very passive. Right now, I can’t do much, so there’s no need for help.”

Zhu Tong was puzzled. “Passive… what do you mean?”

Shao Ming pondered, “I might not be my mother’s biological child.”

Zhu Tong: “?”

Zhu Tong: “??”

He had been leaning against Shao Ming, but upon hearing this, he widened his eyes and instantly sat up straight.

Shao Ming remained calm, “After Xia Weiyi came to see me, I went back and asked her about it. She thought I would go back to A City with him and feared I’d have a psychological burden, so she told me the truth from over a decade ago. Ten years ago, Xia Weiyi suspected that his wife’s child was not his, so he secretly had the child swapped.”

Zhu Tong was dumbfounded.

He felt his worldview was being shattered.

Could things really be done this way?

Shao Ming continued, “I told Xia Weiyi’s wife about this.”

Zhu Tong: “…”

“Why did he…”

Why did he swap the child?

Halfway through the question, Zhu Tong suddenly realized.

Years ago, Xia Weiyi and his wife had an arranged, business marriage. Even though Xia Weiyi suspected his wife’s infidelity, he allowed her to give birth to the child because the child was a bond that could strengthen the relationship between the two families.

At that time, Xia Weiyi needed support. Even if the child wasn’t his, he had to swallow his pride.

But he wasn’t willing to accept it completely, and he couldn’t or wouldn’t confirm it… or maybe he had no way to confirm it.

While he was guarding against others, others were guarding against him.

They didn’t trust each other.

But how did he manage to swap the child successfully in the end?

No wonder he ignored Shao Ming and his mother for over ten years — he always thought Shao Ming wasn’t his son!

“Then how did he finally…”

“Confirm the relationship between me and him?” Shao Ming said lightly, “Qiu Shaoping gave him a sample for identification.”

After Qiu Shaoping approached Xia Weiyi, he came back and got into a fight with Shao Ming, taking his blood.

Zhu Tong: “…”

Shao Ming chuckled, “So we don’t need to do anything now.”

He was quite looking forward to seeing the Xiang family’s reaction when they found out what Xia Weiyi had done.

Although the Xiang family had somewhat declined over the past decade, they still had the power to make Xia Weiyi suffer.

After finishing, Shao Ming noticed Zhu Tong still staring at him without blinking.

Shao Ming felt a tickle in his heart and leaned closer, “Actually, if you really want to help me, you can.”

Zhu Tong instinctively asked, “How?”

Shao Ming whispered in his ear, “For example… fulfilling your duties as a boyfriend?”

Zhu Tong：“……”

Shao Ming looked at him with direct and intense eyes, as if burning away all the distractions in Zhu Tong’s mind. Zhu Tong felt like he was about to ignite as well.

‘Boyfriend duties… what are those?’

He wanted to ask but was interrupted by a notification in his mind.

‘Congratulations! You gained +2% of the white moonlight’s favorability. Your current favorability is 90%.’

Zhu Tong: “…”

The words caught in his throat. He didn’t ask but instead glanced toward the bathroom, his ears turning slightly red. “Do you… want to take a shower first?”

Shao Ming: “…”

This reaction was clearly a form of consent.

Seeing Shao Ming momentarily stunned, Zhu Tong didn’t offer an explanation. His cheeks grew hot as he said, “It’s getting late.”

“…”

Shao Ming felt he indeed needed a shower.

He kissed Zhu Tong again, pressed him onto the sofa, then stood up without a word and walked straight to the bathroom.

Zhu Tong felt his body tighten and relax. When he looked up, Shao Ming was no longer in front of him.

He sat up, bewildered, watching Shao Ming walk quickly into the bathroom. He tilted his head in confusion for a moment but soon focused his attention.

The favorability increased.

Why now?

‘It’s probably because he confessed his current troubles.’ 

“…”

Zhu Tong asked back at the system, ‘What does his confession have to do with favorability?’

The system replied, ‘I mentioned before that favorability is easily influenced by external factors. His own concerns are one such factor.’

Zhu Tong: ‘You’re saying Shao Ming has concerns? What is he worried about?’

The system thought for a moment, then said, ‘Perhaps… it’s the disparity between you two.’

Zhu Tong: “…”

Disparity? There was indeed a big gap between him and Shao Ming.

Shao Ming is good at everything; he himself is not.

System: “…”

Seeing that he wasn’t getting it, the system explained, ‘I’m talking about the difference in your family backgrounds. Have you forgotten what your family does?’

Zhu Tong thought for a moment and frowned, ‘It has nothing to do with family. He doesn’t care about that.’

Shao Ming, though he often called him “young master,” had never distanced himself because of his status.

The system said, ‘His not caring about your family and having concerns are two different things. He doesn’t care because of you, but he has concerns because of himself.’

Zhu Tong was momentarily stunned, then frowned.

He understood the system’s point.

Shao Ming likes him and wouldn’t leave him because of his family background.

But because he likes him, he doesn’t want any other factors to taint that affection.

When Xia Weiyi approached him and he learned that Xia Weiyi’s target was Zhu Tong, Shao Ming could have mentioned it. If he had, Uncle Liu would have handled it.

But Shao Ming never mentioned it. He never talked about being pressured by Xia Weiyi or knowing who his biological father was.

He dealt with everything on his own, believing it was his own issue, one that shouldn’t involve the person he liked.

Zhu Tong had never told Shao Ming who his grandfather was, but Shao Ming knew. Helping him get rid of Xia Weiyi might be a simple task for Zhu Tong’s family.

Precisely because it would be too easy for Zhu Tong, Shao Ming kept silent.

Would he consider that a form of exploitation?

Or rather, he didn’t want others to think he was using the person he loved.

Zhu Tong suddenly realized: even though Shao Ming always seemed calm, he actually cared deeply, felt nervous, and worried about how Zhu Tong’s family viewed him.

Maybe he was afraid to meet Zhu Tong’s family?

• 1
  this made more sense in spoken Chinese, where “he” and “she” are pronounced the exact same.