Shen Nanxing couldn’t help but twitch his mouth. He didn’t expect Xia Zimu to have such a wild imagination. “I just said it casually, don’t take it seriously.”

Xia Zimu finally relaxed and patted his chest. “That’s the Little Nanxing I know, obedient, cute, and soft-hearted.”

Zhou He, watching the two of them joke around, suggested, “Alright, it’s a rare opportunity. Let’s go have a meal together today.”

Shen Nanxing didn’t even think twice and was about to refuse when Xia Zimu quickly covered his mouth. “Come on, let’s go. Today, we’re going to make sure Little Nanxing eats until he can’t move before going home.”

Shen Nanxing: “…”

Shen Nanxing, with his tiny frame, had no chance of resisting in front of Xia Zimu. Plus, with Zhou He there, Shen Nanxing couldn’t even escape if he tried. So, Shen Nanxing was taken by these two “pimps” and put in the car.

Zhou He drove, while Xia Zimu sat beside him in the backseat. Shen Nanxing felt like everything around him was a blur, and he helplessly muttered, “You two are human traffickers.”

Xia Zimu shamelessly leaned in closer, pretending to be heartbroken. “Little Nanxing, you’re so heartless. We’ve grown up together, like childhood sweethearts. We just want to take you out for a meal and apologize. Why does it sound like ‘human traffickers’ coming from you?”

Shen Nanxing rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

Zhou He watched them bickering through the rearview mirror, his eyes full of indulgence.

Finally, after things quieted down, Shen Nanxing had a chance to check his phone. There were a lot of unread messages. From Shen Chuanqiong, Xie Ling, and his parents. A wave of warmth passed through Shen Nanxing’s heart as he replied to each one.

Scrolling down, he was surprised to see a message from Fu Zhiyuan. They had added each other on WeChat yesterday, and Shen Nanxing thought it was just adding another friend, not expecting Fu Zhiyuan to take the initiative to message him.

Opening the chat, he saw:

[Wants to Pick a Star: Morning, Xingao.] (Time: 7:09)
[Wants to Pick a Star: Did you get to school?] (Time: 9:00)
[Wants to Pick a Star: How’s everything going?] (Time: 10:01)
[Wants to Pick a Star: Xingbao, reply when you’re done.] (Time: 12:00)
…

Shen Nanxing was a little surprised. He didn’t expect Fu Zhiyuan to send so many messages, and his WeChat name was so poetic.

Shen Nanxing replied politely, [Is there something?]

Fu Zhiyuan replied instantly, [No, just wanted to ask if you’re free tonight. I want to treat you to dinner.]

[I’m not free.]

[When will you be free? I’ll ask you another time.]

[I’m never free.]

[Xingbao, are you so heartless?]

[Cute face.jpg]

Shen Nanxing coughed several times, completely stunned by the last cute cat face sticker from Fu Zhiyuan. This was a completely different side of Fu Zhiyuan compared to what he had known. He had completely broken character!

[Did you get possessed by a ghost? Can you not talk like this? It’s terrifying.]

In the CEO’s office, Fu Zhiyuan, who was seriously looking at his phone while chatting with Shen Nanxing, had a slightly ugly expression upon reading this message.

Was he being disliked? It seemed like the tips his assistant had sent him on how to chase someone didn’t work at all. Not only that, they seemed to have the opposite effect, causing Shen Nanxing to dislike him. What he didn’t know was that the assistant’s advice was for chasing girls, and it was totally unsuitable for Shen Nanxing.

Fu Zhiyuan quickly changed his strategy and responded normally: [Xingbao, how was school today? Is everything resolved? Do you need my help?]

Shen Nanxing saw this message and thought, ‘Now this is the Fu Zhiyuan I know.‘ [No need.]

“Little Nanxing, who are you chatting with? You’ve been ignoring me.” Xia Zimu, watching Shen Nanxing constantly looking down at his phone and typing away, feeling a bit jealous.

Shen Nanxing put down his phone after replying and met a pair of eyes filled with grievance. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Shen Nanxing awkwardly pushed him aside.

Xia Zimu moved to the side and muttered, “Well, you didn’t pay attention to me, so I got jealous.”

Zhou He snorted in front, “Xia Zimu, do you know how to use words? What are you jealous of?”

Xia Zimu retorted unhappily, “You know I like Little Nanxing, don’t you? I’m not jealous of him, am I jealous of you?”

Hearing this, Zhou He’s expression darkened, and he sneered, “Is that so? Then you really are foolish.”

Xia Zimu didn’t catch his sarcasm and was still a bit proud, “Of course, I’ll only like Little Nanxing for the rest of my life.”

Seeing Xia Zimu’s confident expression, Shen Nanxing quickly changed the subject, “So, what should we eat later?”

Zhou He answered succinctly, “Whatever you want.”

As soon as food was mentioned, Xia Zimu became energetic, “Little Nanxing, whatever you want to eat, we’ll eat. Don’t worry, Mr. Zhou is treating today, so eat as much as you want.”

“Stop flattering yourself. I only said I’m treating Little Nanxing, not you!” Zhou He immediately retorted.

Xia Zimu was instantly unhappy and shouted, “You’re so stingy! Didn’t you just tell me that a man should be generous? What’s the big deal if I eat a little of your food?”

“It’s no big deal, but I’m just stingy!” Zhou He shot back.

Shen Nanxing looked at the two arguing and thought, ‘They’re so childish.‘

After dinner, the two of them sent Shen Nanxing back home. As they left, Xia Zimu was reluctant to part with him.

Zhou He couldn’t watch it anymore and dragged him away. Once in the car, Xia Zimu began straightening his wrinkled clothes and complained, “Zhou He, you’re so heartless. Couldn’t you have let me stay with Little Nanxing a bit longer?”

This earned him a cold glance from Zhou He.

“Then why didn’t you take the opportunity to visit Nanxing’s house and find an excuse to stay over?”

Xia Zimu sighed, “You think I didn’t want to? If it weren’t for Brother Shen being so scary, I would’ve done just that.”

Zhou He muttered under his breath, “Useless.”

Xia Zimu shrugged nonchalantly. Shen Chuanqiong really was terrifying, okay? When they were kids, he wouldn’t let Shen Nanxing play with him for long, always saying that Xia Zimu would lead him astray, which made Xia Zimu have to sneak around to spend time with Shen Nanxing. Every time they finally got to hang out, Shen Chuanqiong would suddenly appear out of nowhere, looking more terrifying than a ghost.

Xia Zimu had always thought that older brother was scary. As he grew older, he realized that Shen Chuanqiong was just a brother complex; he was purely jealous that they could go to school and play together with Shen Nanxing. That’s why Xia Zimu still didn’t dare to act recklessly in front of him. If Shen Chuanqiong found out that he was playing the role of a third party in his brother’s relationship, he’d probably peel his skin off.

Just thinking about that possibility made Xia Zimu shiver.

He sighed, “Zhou He, you’re still the best to me.”