You Wen suddenly snapped back to reality and tried to pull his hand away, but couldn’t.
He shook his head. “We already have Tiao Tiao at home, keeping a bird wouldn’t be good.”
Fu Mingchuan casually suggested, “You could keep it at Linjiang Garden. Mom can help us take care of it.”
You Wen hesitated for a moment before reluctantly deciding, “Forget it, I don’t go there often, and I don’t want to trouble Auntie with looking after the bird every day.”
Fu Mingchuan squeezed his soft fingertips and hummed in agreement. “Just take good care of Tiao Tiao.”
Tiao Tiao had grown up and was well-behaved, not needing much attention. You Wen nodded and agreed with a quiet “okay.”
When they arrived at the school, the two stood at the gate for a while. You Wen wanted to head inside but felt Fu Mingchuan’s gaze on him, so he didn’t leave immediately. He said, “I’m going in now. You should get to work.”
Fu Mingchuan didn’t move. “Naonao, are you trying to get rid of me?”
You Wen didn’t understand why he asked that, so he looked at him questioningly. “What?”
Fu Mingchuan sensed that You Wen was upset, though he didn’t know why. “Last night…”
You Wen cut him off. “There’s really nothing going on between me and Chen Ming. I won’t meet with him privately again, and I also won’t help him drop off the kid again.”
Seeing Fu Mingchuan still staring at him, silent, he added, “I’ll keep my distance from other men when I’m with you.”
Fu Mingchuan’s face turned cold. “What do you mean ‘when you’re with me’?”
Though You Wen didn’t want to face the reality, he softly and appeasingly explained, “Eventually, we’ll have to go our separate ways.”
Fu Mingchuan didn’t like him, and You Wen didn’t want to be with him anymore. It was inevitable that they’d part ways.
Fu Mingchuan’s expression grew so intimidating that it frightened You Wen. He was about to explain more, but before he could speak, Fu Mingchuan said, “I never mentioned breaking up. Don’t let me catch you having any sort of relationship with another man.”
You Wen felt uneasy, but there was a hint of stubbornness in him as he said, “I have plans to have dinner with Zhou Hui tomorrow.”
After a pause, Fu Mingchuan said, “What time? I’ll come pick you up.”
You Wen, a bit dissatisfied, told him the time. The next day, after having dinner with Zhou Hui, Fu Mingchuan actually drove to pick him up.
Zhou Hui had privately cursed Fu Mingchuan many times, but in front of him, he acted as obedient as if he were facing his own father, respectfully saying, “Mr. Fu, you’re here.”
Fu Mingchuan nodded at him and pressed down on You Wen, who had been about to stand up. “Do you want to sit for a bit longer?”
You Wen had assumed that Fu Mingchuan would wait in the car, as he usually did, and didn’t expect him to come inside. In the past, it always took You Wen begging and pleading for Fu Mingchuan to make an appearance in front of his friends.
But unlike Zhou Hui, who was uncomfortable and fidgety, You Wen wasn’t nervous. He knew that Zhou Hui didn’t like Fu Mingchuan and was a bit scared of him, so he insisted on standing up. “I was just about to leave.”
Zhou Hui quickly got up too, but he didn’t dare say anything.
After they left the restaurant, Zhou Hui quickly said goodbye and dashed off like a rabbit being chased by a tiger. Once in the car, Fu Mingchuan handed You Wen a cup of milk tea. “I added a lot of chestnut bits.” It was the flavor You Wen used to love.
You Wen was surprised. In the past, Fu Mingchuan always told him to drink less milk tea, but after spending so much time together, You Wen couldn’t help but secretly order delivery. He would pretend to go pick up a package and drink the milk tea in the stairwell before heading back home.
Once, Fu Mingchuan caught him in the act, and after that, Fu Mingchuan occasionally allowed him to have a cup, but would control the timing. Today, Fu Mingchuan had proactively bought him milk tea, which surprised You Wen.
Taking the cup, You Wen said, “Thank you.” He took a sip and added, “It’s good.”
Watching You Wen drink, Fu Mingchuan thought he looked like a little puppy suckling from a bottle. “Why are you thanking me?”
You Wen had said it casually, without any particular reason, and didn’t understand why Fu Mingchuan was now so intent on getting to the bottom of everything. “You bought me something I like. Of course, I should thank you.”
Fu Mingchuan uncontrollably brought up the past again, “You weren’t like this when I gave you something you liked before.”
Back then, You Wen would smile and shower him with compliments, sweet words coming effortlessly. He’d kiss him as he spoke, and one kiss was never enough—he’d want to kiss him several times.
Thinking about how he used to be, You Wen felt a little embarrassed. Back then, he would get so happy every time he saw Fu Mingchuan that he couldn’t control himself, which led to Fu Mingchuan rarely giving him gifts anymore. Even when he did, it was through Chen An.
“I was immature back then. Don’t take it to heart,” You Wen said awkwardly.
Fu Mingchuan drove the car back onto the main road, staying silent for a long time before finally saying, “This is good.”
You Wen couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. His phone buzzed, and when he looked at the message, it was from Zhou Hui.
Zhou Hui: What’s going on? Why is Fu Mingchuan still picking you up? He’s such a mood killer. I was planning to take you up the mountain to watch the race—there’s a competition today.
You Wen: Maybe he’s just got more free time these days.
Zhou Hui: What do you mean? Has he been picking you up and dropping you off these past few days?
You Wen: Twice a day, I guess.
It took a while before Zhou Hui replied: Maybe he did something behind your back and now feels guilty about it?
Zhou Hui: If I were messing around behind my girlfriend’s back, I’d act all obedient and doting when I got home too.
You Wen: If you haven’t broken up, don’t flirt with others.
After that, Zhou Hui rambled on, but You Wen couldn’t help thinking about that man named Ruan Jing. Just earlier today, after he handed the kid off to Chen Ming, Chen Ming had hesitated for a long time before asking, “Is Fu Mingchuan really your boyfriend?”
You Wen hadn’t directly answered the question, only saying, “We’re together.”
Chen Ming still remembered the look Fu Mingchuan had given him last time. But seeing You Wen looking so delicate and frail, Chen Ming couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. “What I said outside the hotel before was just a guess, but you should still be careful. Fu Mingchuan doesn’t seem like the type to get emotionally involved.”
It seemed like nothing, but also like everything had been said.
You Wen couldn’t stop himself from wanting to look up Ruan Jing, from wanting to search his name online, follow his social media, and see how he interacted with everyone, even checking for photos of him and Fu Mingchuan together.
All of it made him unhappy.
Seeing You Wen sitting in silence, not drinking his milk tea, Fu Mingchuan couldn’t help but reach over to touch his neck. “Naonao, why are you look unhappy?”
In the past, You Wen was very good at expressing his feelings to Fu Mingchuan. For example, one time, one of Fu Mingchuan’s assistants repeatedly made subtle advances in front of You Wen. You Wen had been very upset and questioned Fu Mingchuan about why he kept such a person around.
At the time, Fu Mingchuan had dismissed You Wen’s concerns as baseless, but after You Wen made a fuss several times, he reassigned the assistant. That night, You Wen saw that Fu Mingchuan had changed his contact name to “Don’t Make a Fuss.”
You Wen had been very pleased with himself back then and had playfully shown Fu Mingchuan his own contact name on his phone, which boldly read “My Husband.”
With a rather unhappy expression, You Wen said, “I’m not unhappy.”
In the dim light from outside the car, Fu Mingchuan glanced at You Wen’s face. “Your eyes aren’t smiling, and neither is your mouth.”
“Why should I smile if there’s nothing to be happy about?” You Wen asked, puzzled.
“In the past…” Fu Mingchuan realized he was always thinking about the past, always bringing it up. He paused and didn’t continue.
You Wen seemed to know what Fu Mingchuan wanted to say. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke, “Back when things went bad at home, people came to collect debts. I smiled at one of them, and he slapped me. After that, I stopped smiling as much. It’s not because of you.”
Fu Mingchuan’s expression changed abruptly. “You said he slapped you?” He looked closely at You Wen’s face, as if trying to spot traces of the past injury. An uncontrollable rage surged within him. “Who slapped you?”
You Wen didn’t want to talk about the past. “I don’t want to bring it up again. If you’re bothered by my lack of smiles, I can smile more from now on.” After all, this was the second time Fu Mingchuan had brought it up. He seemed to care a lot about it.
“No need.” Fu Mingchuan refused, his anger crashing over him like a tidal wave, only to leave a dull ache in its wake.
The cars behind them kept honking. You Wen quietly reminded him, “It’s a green light.”
As the car crossed the intersection, it was like flipping a coin to make a decision. Fu Mingchuan thought, if You Wen had called him to complain back then, he would’ve avenged him and brought the wronged puppy home to comfort him.
But the puppy didn’t complain, and it didn’t come home.
The puppy had grown up somewhere out of his sight, no longer needing him.
One evening, a month later, while Fu Mingchuan was holding You Wen’s hand as they took a walk in the neighborhood, he asked why You Wen hadn’t called him back then.
You Wen’s expression was calm, and his tone matched: “At that time, we had already broken up.”
Fu Mingchuan insisted, “Even after the breakup, you could have told me. I would have protected you.”
You Wen turned to look at him, smiling as if it was nothing: “Did you forget? Back then, you weren’t answering my calls.”
Fu Mingchuan didn’t accept this explanation. “You could’ve sent a text, a WeChat message, or asked Chen An to pass it on. There were plenty of ways.”
Kicking a small stone underfoot, You Wen’s voice remained soft: “There was no need.”
Then, he asked Fu Mingchuan, “Why bring this up all of a sudden, after so long?”
Fu Mingchuan supported You Wen, who liked to walk along the curb of the landscaping: “Naonao, I’ve already avenged you.”
You Wen froze. He didn’t know what Fu Mingchuan had done, but he knew it must have been something significant, otherwise, Fu Mingchuan wouldn’t have mentioned it like this.
Squinting, You Wen’s eyes turned into little crescent moons as he smiled. “Really?”
Fu Mingchuan promised, “I won’t let anyone bully you again.”
You Wen nodded, believing him. “I know. Thank you.”
Fu Mingchuan asked, “Thank who?”
You Wen looked at him curiously. “Thank you, of course.”
Fu Mingchuan pressed further, “Who am I?”
“You’re Fu Mingchuan.”
“And who am I to you?”
You Wen was stumped, still unsure how to respond when Fu Mingchuan impatiently prompted, “Say, Thank you, husband. No one will bully you ever again.”
But the little puppy refused: “I didn’t ask you to step in for me.”
“It was my decision,” Fu Mingchuan said, watching You Wen’s long eyelashes from the side. “I don’t want anyone else to bully you. Even if you don’t say it, I’ll always protect you.”
You Wen smiled, revealing just a hint of teeth: “Thank you, husband.”
It felt like something heavy had lifted from his heart, and for once, Fu Mingchuan’s lips curled into a rare smile. Looking down at You Wen, his words came faster than usual: “Shall we go home?”
When they got home, Fu Mingchuan picked You Wen up, carried him through the living room, and tossed him onto the bed.
In bed, Fu Mingchuan made You Wen call him “husband” again. In the past, You Wen had been carefree in bed, saying all kinds of dirty talk, clinging to Fu Mingchuan’s neck and calling him “husband” over and over. But now, though You Wen still called him, it was in a more restrained way.
Fu Mingchuan sensed something was wrong. He turned You Wen over and immediately saw that his lips were nearly bitten through. Fu Mingchuan’s eyes narrowed, and he felt a dull pain in his chest again.
You Wen was just accommodating him.
He stopped moving, gently parting You Wen’s lips and quietly withdrew from his body. He asked, “You didn’t want this, did you?”
You Wen was actually in pain, but he lied, “No, I did.” He tried to get up to hold Fu Mingchuan, urging him to continue, but Fu Mingchuan gently held him down by the shoulders.
Without saying anything, Fu Mingchuan got off the bed, put on his pajamas, and after smoothing them out a bit, said, “I’m going to the study room.”
You Wen sat there in a daze for a while. He couldn’t quite figure out what had gone wrong, but it seemed like Fu Mingchuan always wanted him to be the way he used to be, and he just couldn’t meet those expectations.
The old Fu Mingchuan didn’t like the old You Wen, and now, the current Fu Mingchuan didn’t like the current You Wen either.
