The pasta Fu Wenshan made was delicious, but Xie Wanxing couldn’t eat more than half of it.

He felt stifled inside but couldn’t find a place to vent.

Because Fu Wenshan hadn’t done anything wrong.

They were just friends with benefits; Fu Wenshan hadn’t cheated or flirted with anyone in front of him. Even Yao Ren, it was a problem from years ago.

Simply put, Fu Wenshan was an exemplary friend with benefits, impeccable, and it was his own mindset that was the problem.

Fu Wenshan also noticed that Xie Wanxing hadn’t eaten much. “What’s wrong, not feeling well?”

Xie Wanxing said, “No, I just don’t feel like eating.”

“Then what do you want to eat?” Fu Wenshan didn’t think much of it. “Should I order takeout for you?”

Xie Wanxing shook his head. “I don’t want to eat.”

He bit his lip, suppressing the embarrassment in his heart, and said, “I want you now.”

It was the most explicit thing he had ever said in his life. After saying it, he wished he could find a hole to hide in, but he had to pretend to be calm, with only a faint blush on his ears betraying his inner turmoil.

He did want to sleep with Fu Wenshan, not because of lust, but because he desperately wanted Fu Wenshan to embrace him, kiss him, to calm the anxiety in his heart.

At least when Fu Wenshan was holding him, he belonged to him, and no one could take that away.

Fu Wenshan’s past was something he couldn’t change, but at least in Fu Wenshan’s present there was a part that belonged to him.

Xie Wanxing felt a bit self-deprecating, like the vicious male antagonist in a novel who couldn’t get the heart of the male lead but still wanted him.

So he was afraid that Fu Wenshan would really figure out his thoughts, which would be too embarrassing and pitiful.

He deliberately pretended to be straightforward, slowly rubbing his ankle against Fu Wenshan’s leg, flirting in various ways, “You said you were coming yesterday, but you didn’t show up.”

There was a momentary blank expression on Fu Wenshan’s face.

He looked at Xie Wanxing with mixed feelings.

Normally, if Xie Wanxing said something like this to him, he would be ecstatic.

But last night, he had tossed and turned, wondering if Xie Wanxing might be jealous of this rumor. If he was, how would he explain that this was just a publicity stunt, and there was no past romance or even flirtation between him and Yao Ren?

If things went smoothly, could he use it as an opportunity to confess…

But now it seemed that he was just being delusional.

Xie Wanxing not only didn’t care but also treated him like a sex toy.

Seeing Fu Wenshan remain silent, Xie Wanxing became a bit panicked and asked tentatively, “Don’t you want to do it?”

But Fu Wenshan looked at him with a bitter expression and replied, “Let’s do it.”

That was the only thing left that attracted Xie Wanxing.

Fu Wenshan lifted Xie Wanxing from the chair. Xie Wanxing was wearing a robe, with nothing underneath. Every movement exposed his snow-white thighs.

He carried Xie Wanxing to the bedroom, deliberately teasing him, “Did you dress like this on purpose to seduce me?”

Xie Wanxing didn’t know how to refute, so he pretended it was true.

He noticed that when Fu Wenshan carried him today, he was more rough and forceful than before. Although it still felt good, it lacked the previous tenderness.

He didn’t say anything but felt a bit sad.

As he bit Fu Wenshan’s shoulder, he thought, “Bastard, have you grown tired of me already? You don’t cherish me anymore after sleeping with me so many times, huh?”

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, his eyes turning red. He wanted to bite Fu Wenshan to death.

But despite his anger, he ultimately didn’t leave a mark on Fu Wenshan’s shoulder.

He couldn’t bear to.

After it was over, Xie Wanxing’s body felt satisfied, but his heart didn’t. Seeing that Fu Wenshan also didn’t seem very satisfied, he became even more unhappy, lying on the bed watching videos without speaking.

Fu Wenshan didn’t notice this. He sat at the head of the bed, lost in thought.

After the passionate encounter with Xie Wanxing, he felt much calmer.

Just now, he had felt particularly miserable, considering he was a tall, rich, and handsome guy with good looks, family background, and talent. It was unbelievable that he ended up being treated like a… tool. It would be unbelievable even if he told others.

But now that they were done, he picked up his brain from his pants and started thinking seriously. Perhaps Xie Wanxing really couldn’t tell if someone had feelings for him.

He didn’t need to look further; just judging by Xie Wanxing’s face, he must have been surrounded by admiring gazes since childhood, perhaps even desensitized to them.

He thought he treated Xie Wanxing differently, thought his feelings were obvious, but maybe in Xie Wanxing’s eyes, everyone in the world treated him the same.

When he visited the film set, he noticed several people on set harboring ulterior motives toward Xie Wanxing, their eyes practically screaming “I like you,” but Xie Wanxing didn’t seem to notice at all. Because all the flattery and flirting from these people seemed no different to him than anyone else.

If he didn’t take the initiative with Xie Wanxing, but instead hoped Xie Wanxing would realize on his own, he was afraid he would be waiting forever, even until his hair turned white.

This matter, he had to take the first step. After all, he was the one who fell in love with Xie Wanxing first.

After Fu Wenshan figured this out, he felt much more at ease. He opened the curtains, brightening up the room that had been dim and gloomy just a moment ago.

He sat back on the bed and, after confirming that Xie Wanxing didn’t mind, lit a cigarette. He casually asked him, as if chatting, “”How long did your previous sponsorship relationships usually last?”

Xie Wanxing was bewildered. How would he know how long sponsorships usually lasted?

But with the lie he concocted, he had to stick with it, so he made up, “Not long, most of them didn’t last more than two months.” But then, wanting to salvage his image, he added quietly, “I haven’t sponsored many people. I wouldn’t say I’m pure as snow, but I haven’t really messed around much either.”

However, Fu Wenshan’s eyes brightened. They had been together for more than three months now, breaking his previous record.

What did that mean? It meant he had Xie Wanxing wrapped around his finger. Even if it was just a sponsorship, he was the premium option, like platinum studded with diamonds.

“Why are you asking this?” Xie Wanxing looked at him suspiciously.

“Nothing, just chatting,” Fu Wenshan extinguished his cigarette, lay down, and pulled Xie Wanxing into his arms. They faced each other, their legs touching, feeling each other’s warmth. He asked Xie Wanxing seriously, “I’m just curious, have you ever liked anyone? Not sponsored, not just friends with benefits, but genuinely liked someone from the heart?”

Xie Wanxing: “……”

Xie Wanxing didn’t want to answer that question. He wanted to hit someone.

He wanted to ask Fu Wenshan, are you crazy?! Are you now reminiscing about your past, remembering the scumbags you loved when you were young, and now you want to hurt me too?!

Honestly, I suspect I’ve fallen for a big idiot!

But the big idiot was staring at him intently, determined to get an answer.

Seeing no way out, Xie Wanxing could only respond.

But he really hadn’t liked anyone before. After some thought, the only thing he could dredge up as a topic of conversation was a crush from his early teens.

“If I had to say I liked someone, there was one, but it couldn’t be called love, just a one-sided crush,” Xie Wanxing looked at the ceiling, reminiscing, “I was only fifteen or sixteen at the time, going through puberty, was fat and acne-ridden, just really ugly, not at all like now. I couldn’t accept myself like that, so I went away for a while to clear my head…… One day, I was mugged by some thugs. I was a bit scared and didn’t know how to get away. At that moment, someone happened to pass by and saved me.”

As Xie Wanxing spoke, a smile appeared involuntarily on his face, and his eyes softened.

Fu Wenshan looked at him incredulously, “Are you telling me that just because this person saved you, you liked him?”

“Yes, when he saved me, he was injured by the thugs’ knife, but he didn’t blame me. Instead, he assured me that everything was okay, and we talked like that for an afternoon,” Xie Wanxing didn’t think there was anything wrong with this. Even now, he still thought that everything that happened that afternoon was very gentle, “I told him a lot of annoying things, like how I couldn’t accept myself because I got ugly, but he seriously told me, I was actually very cute.”

Xie Wanxing smiled, “He was basically lying through his teeth.”

Fu Wenshan felt a surge of jealousy, but he continued to ask, “What happened next? Did you two get together?”

Xie Wanxing shook his head, “No. I only met him once, and I never saw him again. He wasn’t even that good-looking, thin and dark, with slightly long hair. But at that time, I really wished I could have met him when I looked good. I wanted him to see what I looked like when I was pretty.”

Unfortunately, he kept wandering on that road time and time again, but the boy who jumped down from the wall to save him never appeared again.

Fu Wenshan was speechless. He had thought he had a bit of a fledgling affection for Xie Wanxing.

Now it seemed Xie Wanxing was the real victim of fledgling affection, just because the other party had once saved him, the classic knight in shining armor rescues the damsel, and unexpectedly the damsel falls for him.

He retorted, “If I were there, I’d save you too, and I would also say you’re good-looking.”

Xie Wanxing glanced at him, saying nothing, but his eyes clearly showed disbelief. After all, Fu Wenshan got involved with him because of his face.

What he didn’t say was that Fu Wenshan actually looked a bit like the boy who had saved him back then, especially from the side.

But his first love was so gentle, so cute when he smiled, with his snaggletooth and scars from saving him, that it couldn’t possibly be Fu Wenshan.

Xie Wanxing concluded, “Thinking back now, the only person I genuinely liked was him. He should count as my first love. If I hadn’t lost track of him, maybe I would have confessed to him.” It was a bit regrettable to think about it.

Fu Wenshan had nothing to say. He was the one who had asked in the first place, and now he was the one feeling uncomfortable with jealousy.

He leaned in and kissed Xie Wanxing, not wanting to hear any more unsettling words from him.

So what if it was his first love? He didn’t care.

He wanted to be Xie Wanxing’s last.

He pressed Xie Wanxing down and had sex with him again, this time very gently.

In the warm and ambiguous sunlight of the room, he kissed Xie Wanxing’s eyebrows, eyes, and lips tenderly.

Xie Wanxing was thoroughly satisfied this time, both physically and mentally.

He especially liked the way Fu Wenshan kissed him, with his gaze hot and tender, making him feel as if he were loved.

---

That day, Fu Wenshan didn’t stay at Xie Wanxing’s place. Xie Wanxing was a bit unhappy about it, wanting to cling to him but feeling too embarrassed to say it. So, he could only drag things out and send Fu Wenshan off.

But Fu Wenshan pretended not to understand Xie Wanxing’s meaning and kissed him on the face before saying, “I have some work to do at home. I’ll leave now.”

Work was important after all. Xie Wanxing nodded reluctantly but put on a proud front, saying, “Don’t waste time talking. Just go.”

Fu Wenshan left.

Back at his place, he closed the study door.

Then he frantically called all his buddies for a video conference, even Li Siheng in the swimming pool and D who had just finished a meeting.

His buddies were quite startled by his urgency. The last time Fu Wenshan called them urgently like this was when he was about to venture into the entertainment industry alone.

Fu Wenshan looked at the faces of his buddies in the video conference seriously, “Today’s meeting is very serious and concerns the happiness of your buddy for the rest of his life. I’ve raised you for so long, and now it’s time for you to repay the favor.”

His friends: “……” Damn, they wanted to hang up.

“You better hurry up and spit it out,” Luo He scolded him. “Do you know how expensive my time is? How much money I make per minute?”

Fu Wenshan didn’t beat around the bush either, “Today’s topic is—the Xie Wanxing Capture Plan.” He paused for a moment. “In plain terms, how do I confess to Xie Wanxing to maximize the chance of him agreeing?”

His buddies suddenly felt wide awake—damn, their buddy was actively going to claim his cabbage!