Trigger Warning: Non-consensual Sex
Fu Mingchuan abruptly turned to look at Chen Ming, his gaze sharp and unfriendly, as he immediately declared, “He’s my boyfriend.”
Chen Ming’s heart skipped a beat, and he froze, completely speechless as Fu Mingchuan turned away. After a moment, he heard Fu Mingchuan add, “Stay away from him.”
Chen Ming nodded, his voice dry and filled with unease and disappointment. “I’m sorry, Mr. Fu. I really didn’t know.”
That evening, Fu Mingchuan waited outside the kindergarten until 7:45, when You Wen finally emerged, his arms hanging at his sides. You Wen seemed surprised to see him. As he approached, he asked, “Why didn’t you call?”
There was only surprise, no joy.
Fu Mingchuan, with a stern expression, replied, “I haven’t been here long.”
You Wen got into the car. “You don’t need to pick me up anymore. It’s close enough for me to walk.”
Fu Mingchuan didn’t respond, his face growing even darker.
You Wen wasn’t particularly afraid of Fu Mingchuan, but he glanced at him curiously, wondering what was wrong. When he asked, Fu Mingchuan simply said, “Nothing.”
Not wanting to force a conversation, You Wen turned on the car radio, settling on a random station. The silence in the car was broken as he gazed out the window for a while, then reached for his phone.
Fu Mingchuan turned off the radio and asked, “Why aren’t you talking?”
You Wen blinked in surprise, looking at him. “What should I say?”
As they waited at a traffic light, Fu Mingchuan turned to You Wen, his voice tinged with accusation. “You used to talk a lot. Why don’t you anymore?”
You Wen widened his eyes, letting out a soft “Ah” before asking in confusion, “Do you want me to talk?”
Fu Mingchuan replied, “Yes.” He felt something was off but couldn’t quite pinpoint it. What he was certain of was that the problem lay with You Wen.
After a moment of hesitation, You Wen asked, “What do you want to hear?”
“Anything,” Fu Mingchuan said, but You Wen couldn’t think of anything random to say. Instead, he asked what the housekeeper had made for dinner. Fu Mingchuan promptly listed off the dishes.
You Wen then asked why he wasn’t busy lately and had so much time to pick him up.
Fu Mingchuan replied, “I come when I want to.”
The conversation trailed off. When they got out of the car and into the elevator, they remained silent, neither having much to say to the other.
You Wen could tell something was off with Fu Mingchuan but couldn’t figure out what.
After dinner, You Wen was watching a variety show when he overheard Fu Mingchuan on the phone, mentioning Ruan Jing’s name before heading into the study. Suddenly, You Wen began to understand where Fu Mingchuan’s strange mood was coming from.
He sat still for so long that even the dog, Tiao Tiao, rested its face in his hand. You Wen finally exhaled, lowering his eyes as he stroked the golden retriever’s head. Tears slipped from the back of his hand, soaking into a tuft of the dog’s fur.
Sniffing, he stood up and went to take a shower. By the time Fu Mingchuan came into the room half an hour later, You Wen had already closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep.
The sound of running water came from the bathroom. You Wen curled up slightly, trying to ignore Fu Mingchuan’s presence, but it wasn’t long before Fu Mingchuan came out. He sat on the edge of the bed and gently touched You Wen’s shoulder.
You Wen opened his eyes and looked at him, meeting Fu Mingchuan’s gaze. He was about to speak when Fu asked, “Is this okay?”
Following his lead, You Wen asked, “What?”
Fu Mingchuan slipped his hand inside You Wen’s pajamas and asked, “Why aren’t you wearing my shirt?”
You Wen pushed his hand away. “You should…”
But his voice overlapped with Fu Mingchuan’s: “You look so slutty in my clothes, makes me want to fuck you.”
You Wen had no idea what kind of madness had overtaken Fu Mingchuan, but those words pierced him like a knife. His voice faltered, and he shoved at Fu Mingchuan with all his strength. But his strength was no match for Fu Mingchuan’s. Not only did Fu Mingchuan pin his shoulders down, he also grabbed his wrists, stopping him from struggling.
“Let go!” You Wen finally found his voice. “I don’t want this!”
Fu Mingchuan flipped him over. This was the second time You Wen had told him “no” in bed. “No? Aren’t you lying here to get fucked?”
That familiar feeling of deliberate humiliation returned. You Wen tried to move, but his waist was pressed down. Fu Mingchuan was rough, not allowing any refusal or resistance. He even tied You Wen’s wrists with a tie, watching him cry as he grabbed his chin and asked, “Which parent gave you a ride home last time?”
You Wen cried and struggled, his voice muffled and incoherent. Fu Mingchuan pried his lips apart, growling, “Speak!”
You Wen opened his mouth and bit down on Fu Mingchuan’s hand, hard. He bit until he tasted blood, until Fu Mingchuan’s hand was wet with his tears and blood. Only then did he let go, and Fu Mingchuan finally withdrew his hand.
But Fu Mingchuan didn’t stop. He didn’t let You Wen off just because he was crying. “Was it Chen Ming?”
Changing his position, Fu Mingchuan asked again as You Wen broke down into sobs, “Does he want to chase you?”
“You Wen, if you’re lying in my bed, stay away from other men.”
When it was over, You Wen lay there like a fish stranded on shore, gasping for breath in a place without water, until even his breathing faded. Neither of them spoke for a long time.
It was Fu Mingchuan who finally moved first, slipping an arm under You Wen’s neck. “Naonao, let’s get you cleaned up, okay?”
You Wen sat up. Before Fu Mingchuan could lift him, he got out of bed, staggering a bit. Fu Mingchuan caught his arm, but You Wen didn’t meet his eyes. “I can do it myself.”
Fu Mingchuan wrapped him in a robe, covering not just You Wen’s body, but also his shame. He carried him to the bathroom but didn’t start cleaning him right away. Instead, he asked, “What were you going to tell me earlier? ‘You should’ what?”
You Wen sat on the sink, looking at Fu Mingchuan. “I was going to tell you to dry your hair first. You might catch a cold.” He reached out to touch Fu Mingchuan’s hair, his voice laced with a bit of melancholy. “It’s dry now.”
There was a thick wall inside Fu Mingchuan’s heart, as if something inside was trying to break through. At that moment, he hadn’t really listened to what You Wen was saying. He didn’t want to hear any words of refusal, but all You Wen had wanted to say was something so ordinary, just a simple expression of concern.
He coaxed You Wen in a tone he wasn’t even aware of: “It’ll get wet again soon, and then I’ll dry it again, okay?”
You Wen’s heart ached. He wanted to tell Fu Mingchuan that he didn’t want to be with him anymore, but it felt like he owed Fu Mingchuan a lot of money. Fu Mingchuan treated him like some plaything in bed. He surely wouldn’t agree to end things.
Fu Mingchuan picked him up. “You’re all dirty. Let’s clean you up.” He carried him into the shower, and warm water quickly drenched both of them.
After they bathed, Fu Mingchuan dried You Wen’s hair and carried him back to the bed. The moment You Wen lay down, he removed his hand from around Fu Mingchuan’s neck. Fu Mingchuan’s movements stilled, and all his tenderness vanished. While dressing You Wen in his clothes, he said coldly, “Don’t meet with Chen Ming privately again. Understand?”
You Wen, with no energy or will to argue, simply murmured an indifferent “Mm.”
Fu Mingchuan had planned to dry his own hair after settling You Wen, but seeing him like this, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He sat at the edge of the bed, letting You Wen rest his head on his lap. “Naonao, why aren’t you talking now?”
You Wen countered, “What do you want me to say?”
Fu Mingchuan brushed his thumb along You Wen’s cheek. “Like before, say whatever you want.”
You Wen tried to pull away but failed. He mumbled, “You used to always complain that I talked too much, telling me not to say anything.”
Fu Mingchuan denied it. “I never complained.”
You Wen didn’t want to deal with him anymore. “Can I sleep now?”
Fu Mingchuan tried to explain himself. “You used to talk non-stop when I was working, and I wanted you to talk less. That was a reasonable request.”
You Wen found his words self-serving. Fu Mingchuan had complained about him talking too much on countless occasions, but in the end, he only said, “It wasn’t just work.”
Fu Mingchuan had a good memory. “Other than when I was working or when we had company, I never once told you to stop talking.”
You Wen couldn’t remember the details, but there had been many times Fu Mingchuan told him to be quiet. It didn’t matter anymore. “If you want to hear me talk, I’ll talk more from now on.”
True to his word, the next day at the breakfast table, You Wen spoke every so often, though it was clear he was forcing conversation. Halfway through the meal, Fu Mingchuan cut him off in a cold voice, “Speak properly.”
The housekeeper was just about to bring over a dish of tofu egg custard when she heard Fu Mingchuan’s words. She hurried over to check on You Wen, only to see that his face had gone pale, his eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if she should even put the dish down.
Fu Mingchuan sensed something had gone wrong again. He wanted to ask You Wen why he was looking at him like that, but he couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
Even if he asked, You Wen wouldn’t smile and sit on his lap like he used to.
Fu Mingchuan gestured to the housekeeper. “Just put it down.”
The housekeeper quickly set the small bowl down and turned to leave, a bit startled by Fu Mingchuan’s intimidating expression.
You Wen only ate half of the small bowl before feeling full. He sat there, looking down, feeling downcast. Only after Fu Mingchuan finished eating did You Wen stand up. “I’m going to school.”
Fu Mingchuan grabbed his coat and said, “I’ll take you.”
“No need. I can walk there, and I still have half an hour before check-in.” Seeing Fu Mingchuan look at him, You Wen explained, “I want to walk. I might run into some kids on the way.”
He didn’t even bother using his usual affectionate words to describe the children.
Fu Mingchuan didn’t give him the chance to walk to school alone. “I’ll walk with you.”
In the end, the two of them did walk out of the neighborhood together, side by side on the sidewalk. The morning dew, birdsong, and sunlight made the atmosphere feel refreshingly pleasant.
You Wen was naturally someone who enjoyed being around people and was always curious about new things. He often found it hard to focus on any one task for long. It seemed like he had quickly forgotten about Fu Mingchuan scolding him at the breakfast table, as he looked around with interest at everything that morning had to offer, even getting excited when he saw a bird.
A bird suddenly flew towards him, and instinctively, You Wen pulled on Fu Mingchuan’s sleeve. “That’s a zebra finch! I wonder whose pet flew out.”
Fu Mingchuan grabbed his hand in return. “Do you want one?”
