It was only a short time after Shen Nanxing hung up the phone when Fu Zhiyuan called again. This time, however, it was a video call. As soon as the call connected, Fu Zhiyuan’s strikingly handsome face appeared in Shen Nanxing’s view.

“Xingbao, what are you doing?” Fu Zhiyuan looked deeply at Shen Nanxing, his brow furrowed slightly, showing a hint of fatigue.

This was the first time Shen Nanxing had seen him like this. Fu Zhiyuan was wearing a black silk shirt, with a few buttons undone at the collar, casually revealing his sexy Adam’s apple and delicate collarbones. The sleeves were rolled up, showing off his toned arms with just a hint of muscle, exuding both strength and elegance. He was wearing a pair of delicate silver-framed glasses on his nose, which added an air of aloof mystery, yet still maintained his allure. When he looked at you with those deep, night-like eyes, it was as if an irresistible force pulled you into their depths, making you helplessly fall into that endless abyss with him.

Seeing that Shen Nanxing was staring blankly at him, Fu Zhiyuan chuckled lightly and asked in a low voice, “Xingbao, do I look good?”

It seemed he still had some charm in front of Xingbao. His efforts to dress up had not been in vain, and he had even specifically chosen the perfect angle.

Shen Nanxing answered without thinking, “Good looking.”

Fu Zhiyuan could no longer hold back his laughter. Shen Nanxing, hearing his deep chuckle, snapped out of his daze. His face instantly turned red, feeling incredibly embarrassed.

Fu Zhiyuan, sensing the perfect moment, shifted the camera and picked up the cotton candy. “Quick, say hello to your brother,” he said to the camera.

Shen Nanxing kept his head down, too embarrassed to look at him. Fu Zhiyuan quickly explained, “Xingbao, I was just happy, I didn’t mean to make fun of you.”

Shen Nanxing shot him a displeased glance. “You’d better not!” He was seriously suspicious that Fu Zhiyuan was deliberately teasing him—there was no way anyone would wear glasses like that late at night unless they were doing it on purpose!

“You can put down the cotton candy now, you can leave,” Shen Nanxing said as he began to play with the cat in front of the screen.

“Cotton Candy, look here, have you missed me lately?” he called out.

Cotton Candy, hearing the familiar voice, shook its head and looked around but couldn’t find anyone. It meowed in confusion, rubbing its head against Fu Zhiyuan’s pants, its bright blue eyes looking up at him as if asking, “Where’s the other person?”

Fu Zhiyuan helplessly picked up the cat, clearly annoyed, and said, “Silly cat!”

Cotton Candy protested, “Meow, meow, meow!” (I’m not a silly cat!)

He adjusted the camera to focus on Cotton Candy, allowing Shen Nanxing to see it more clearly. “Your brother’s here,” Fu Zhiyuan said.

Cotton Candy curiously pawed at the screen, meowing, “Meow~.”

Shen Nanxing’s heart nearly melted at the sight of Cotton Candy. He looked at it gently and said, “It seems Cotton Candy has gained a little weight.”

Fu Zhiyuan scoffed. “It eats more than a pig every day. How could it not get fat?”

Cotton Candy had been eating a lot lately, probably because it was in the growing stage. Its appetite had increased several times, and the housekeeper spoiled it with all sorts of delicious food. As a result, it was much larger than other cats of the same age.

Shen Nanxing looked at Cotton Candy with concern. “If you keep eating like that, you’re going to turn into a piggy cat.”

Cotton Candy lazily enjoyed Fu Zhiyuan’s grooming, occasionally licking its paw. When it heard it was getting fat, it turned its back to the camera, showing its rear end.

Shen Nanxing couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, I won’t say you’ve gotten fat. You’re still the cutest.”

Fu Zhiyuan, who had been ignored by both the person and the cat, couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t just want Shen Nanxing to look at the cat.

Standing up, Fu Zhiyuan said, “Wait for me,” and then took Cotton Candy out of the room.

Without the cat, the atmosphere became silent.

“I haven’t had enough of looking yet,” Shen Nanxing mumbled when Fu Zhiyuan returned.

Fu Zhiyuan picked up the phone, smiling softly. “Oh? You want a closer look?”

Shen Nanxing saw Fu Zhiyuan’s enlarged face on the screen and felt speechless for a moment. “I was talking about Cotton Candy.”

He couldn’t help but feel like Fu Zhiyuan was getting more and more narcissistic. He had to admit that Fu Zhiyuan’s face was very charming, but did he really have to flaunt it like this?

Fu Zhiyuan looked at him with feigned regret, his voice tinged with a bit of sadness. “I thought Xingbao wanted to look at me more, but it seems I was just overthinking it.”

Shen Nanxing: “…”

“Why don’t you just find another class? It’s not good to be so idle all day long.”

…Xia Zimu stormed out of Zhou He’s apartment, fuming. He just couldn’t understand what Zhou He was so angry about. What had he done to provoke him? Lately, Zhou He had been getting stranger and stranger, always throwing him a cold shoulder for no reason. The more Xia Zimu thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Zhou He’s indifferent attitude made him feel deeply uncomfortable. However, he didn’t delve into why he was so affected by Zhou He’s behavior and just chalked it up to being angry.

The streets in late autumn were cold and desolate. Xia Zimu had thrown on a thin coat and now was shivering in the cold wind. He irritably ran his fingers through his hair, hesitated for a moment, then flagged down a taxi and headed home.

After getting out of the car, Xia Zimu lingered at the door, hesitant to press the doorbell. With his parents’ personalities, they had most likely changed the password. If he went back now, he was sure he’d get a beating. “Maybe I should call Aunt Chen and ask her to let me in quietly?”

Just as he was about to take out his phone to make the call, a strong voice came from behind, “You little brat, what are you doing sneaking around so late at night?”

Xia Zimu jumped in fright and quickly turned around, putting on a smile and saying, “Dad, how come you walk so quietly?”

Xia Zhenyu had just finished playing chess at the neighbor Lao^[1]Old Zhao’s house. Seeing a sneaky figure by the door, he approached, only to realize it was his disobedient son, and he was furious. He angrily slapped Xia Zimu’s forehead. “Oh, so you finally decided to come back. You’ve learned how to run away from home now, huh?”

“Dad, I’m sorry, okay?” Xia Zimu rubbed his sore forehead and began to play the victim.

Xia Zhenyu glared at him and disdainfully said, “No backbone. I thought you’d be able to stay at Zhou He’s place for a while, but it looks like you came back in less than a month. You couldn’t even last a month without your living allowance. You couldn’t handle it and ran back here. When I was young, I ran away for a whole year without even looking back.”

When Xia Zimu heard his father mention Zhou He’s name, he snorted coldly and said defiantly, “This is my home too, so why can’t I come back?”

Xia Zhenyu saw that his son was unrepentant and kicked him, saying, “We’ll settle this when we get home!”

Xia Zimu, feeling wronged, pouted and muttered, “Always showing off in front of me, but you’re just a henpecked husband in the end.”