Chapter 52: Exclusive to Jinjiang 2/2

Song Fuzhi felt that the revelation about Shi Zhang being in Chapter 32 was the most shocking thing in his life. No matter how exaggerated Shi Zhang’s other stories were, they wouldn’t surprise him further.

The anime blind box he bought along the way lay in the car’s storage compartment. Song Fuzhi was still thinking about it, but clearly, now wasn’t the right time to give a gift.

Upon arriving home, Shi Zhang almost immediately wanted to start confessing, but Song Fuzhi calmly warmed up some food in the kitchen, setting the table as usual.

He handed two pairs of chopsticks to Shi Zhang, saying, “Wash them.”

Shi Zhang obediently went to wash them, his tail hanging low.

A table full of hot dishes was set, and Song Fuzhi served a bowl of round, steaming rice in front of Shi Zhang.

Song Fuzhi sat down naturally, raising his long legs, arrogantly resting them on Shi Zhang’s knees, and swaying slippers precariously on his toes.

Even the most nervous person has relaxed by now. Shi Zhang smiled, gently shaking his thigh, and Song Fuzhi’s legs swayed with it.

He teased Song Fuzhi, “Aren’t you tired?”

Song Fuzhi took a bite of shredded pork with garlic sauce. “Very comfortable.”

Shi Zhang picked the best piece of fish and automatically placed it in Song Fuzhi’s bowl.

He lowered his eyes and said, “Thank you, Professor Song. I also want to apologize. Before we got married, I concealed my family background.”

“You didn’t conceal anything,” Song Fuzhi said. “You told me your parents separated a long time ago, and I said it didn’t matter.”

“I didn’t say it all.” Shi Zhang paused before saying in a low voice, “I am an illegitimate child. My father already had an engagement at that time.”

Song Fuzhi halted his chewing; his whole body was shivering, and a fine, piercing pain spread from his heart.

“He never acknowledged me when I was young. He rarely came to where I lived. Every time he remembered he needed something from me, he would come to find me.”

Shi Zhang smiled, “Like this time. He’s terminally ill, about to die, and he came to find me to help him continue the family line.”

Song Fuzhi’s movements stiffened, and he quickly looked at Shi Zhang.

“I told him to get lost,” Shi Zhang said.

Song Fuzhi didn’t know what to say; he just silently scraped Shi Zhang’s hand with his fingertips.

Shi Zhang continued to speak intermittently, his tone calm. For example, the members of the Shi family, and how he hadn’t been affected much over the years, living far away from the Shi family. Shi Zhenglin rarely bothered with him, except for occasionally wanting him to acknowledge his ancestry.

Song Fuzhi listened with difficulty because he felt that such things were far from his world. But when such experiences really fell upon someone so close, after the initial confusion, he felt a profound pain.

Shi Zhang didn’t say much, but it was enough for Song Fuzhi to piece together a general picture.

In any case, Shi Zhang did not have a happy childhood.

“Thank you, Professor Shi.” Song Fuzhi gently kissed Shi Zhang’s eye corner. “You’ve had it too hard.”

Shi Zhang shook his head slightly. “I have been too fortunate. What happened before is not worth mentioning.”

Song Fuzhi rubbed his hair and asked softly, “And your mother, is she okay?”

Shi Zhang visibly tensed, seeming more uncomfortable than when he mentioned his father.

Song Fuzhi quickly said, “Let’s not talk about that. Tell me when you feel like it.”

Shi Zhang closed his eyes and, after a while, spoke in a hoarse voice, “Fuzhi, you’re too good. Don’t be so good to me.”

Comparing himself to Song Fuzhi would only highlight his own ugliness.

“Professor Song,” Shi Zhang confessed slowly, “I am a liar. I am not a good person.”

Song Fuzhi asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something else you haven’t told me?”

Shi Zhang moved his lips.

“When you’ve figured it out, tell me. Tell me when you really want to tell me,” Song Fuzhi interrupted him. “I want to hear it from you.”

 Song Fuzhi’s heart was not unfounded. He felt that he had already known part of the answer in advance.

It seemed like Shi Zhang wanted to say something more, but Song Fuzhi smoothly changed the topic and steered the conversation away.

“How about going to my parents’ place for dinner this weekend? We agreed you’d help my dad as a judge,” Song Fuzhi smiled and asked, then added, “If you feel tired, we can change the date. I’ll tell them.”

Shi Zhang nodded, saying, “I want to go.”

Over the weekend, the two of them arrived at Song Fuzhi’s parents’ house. Even before entering, they could smell the rich aroma coming from inside.

Song Fuzhi didn’t even ring the doorbell; he just knocked and called out, “Mom, Dad, we’re here!”

It was Teacher Wang who opened the door, welcoming them inside and rolling her eyes towards the kitchen. “This guy has a strong desire to win. He’s been busy since noon, all the way until the evening.”

Shi Zhang stood behind Song Fuzhi, smiling faintly.

Teacher Wang took a glance at Shi Zhang, then reached out to touch his sleeve, frowning. “You’ve lost weight. Have you been tired lately?”

Just like many caring elders, those who truly care about you seem to possess the skill of assessing your well-being with just a glance. They can tell if you’ve gained or lost weight with a single glance.

Shi Zhang was about to say “no,” but his other arm was grabbed by Song Fuzhi.

Song Fuzhi also touched his arm, pressing on his muscles and secretly examining him. “You’ve lost weight. What do we do?”

Shi Zhang’s breath hitched, and he grabbed Song Fuzhi’s wrist, a trace of indescribable awkwardness flashing in his eyes.

These days, Shi Zhang had been in this state, like a child who had done something wrong, wanting to confess more but unable to reach that emotional point.

With things on his mind, their nightly activities had changed from physical exercises to just talking.

During these nights, Shi Zhang would kiss Song Fuzhi passionately, and then, amidst their intense breathing, he would genteelly tuck Song Fuzhi under the covers.

Buried in the blankets, Song Fuzhi had a lot on his mind. He really wanted to ask, Octopus Teacher, why did you stop?

Oh well, Shi Zhang’s recent bad mood couldn’t be instantly dispelled by one or two conversations. So, Song Fuzhi could understand.

After understanding, he also felt sorry for Shi Zhang.

When connecting the dots, Song Fuzhi thought that Shi Zhang’s persistence in cosplay was understandable.

When real life was unhappy, one would fervently love the joy and carefreeness of the second dimension, like a safe haven that was always secure. Song Fuzhi had a similar experience himself.

He thought of looking back at Octopus Teacher’s past works, which Song Fuzhi wanted to say.

Shi Zhang lay next to him, but he couldn’t fall asleep.

He couldn’t tell Song Fuzhi that he wasn’t feeling at ease right now, in the most difficult and agonizing period.

In the past, whenever he fell into this restless and insecure state, Shi Zhang would distance himself through intensive activities.

For example, he would binge-watch anime to come up with new cosplay ideas, participate in various extreme sports, or just lock himself in the lab, staying from day to day until the next morning, scaring the kids in the lab.

All these things were at best temporary analgesics, and none of them compared to Song Fuzhi.

And now, Song Fuzhi was right next to him, lying there completely defenseless, wearing only a thin robe, like a fresh and delicious piece of raw meat beside a hungry tiger.

Every night, Shi Zhang found it very difficult to resist the temptation. How he wished to knead the person beside him into his own body, to lock him up, and watch him cry and plead, voice trembling, to ease the deeply rooted dark desire in his heart.

And every time, Shi Zhang would suddenly think of the last words Shi Zhenglin left before leaving:

“If he knew what you were originally like, would he still continue to be with you?”

Shi Zhang could only squeeze his palms tightly and force himself to sleep.

“Shizhou, how do you rate my cooking skills? Rate it, rate it, how am I?” Old Song’s voice brought Shi Zhang’s thoughts back.

The usually shy Old Song, when it came to cooking, became serious and adorable, eagerly waiting for Shi Zhang to give a score. A very serious and adorable old man was looking at Shi Zhang with a face full of seriousness.

Shi Zhang tasted it seriously and gave an objective evaluation: “It’s really delicious.”

Old Song smiled with satisfaction, showing off to his wife.

Teacher Wang couldn’t hold back her laughter, poking him with chopsticks. “Okay, okay, it’s delicious. Eat your food.”

The atmosphere at the table had always been joyful, briefly helping Shi Zhang forget many unhappy things.

After finishing dinner at Teacher Wang’s house, they planned to leave. Old Song regretfully said he actually had two new dishes he hadn’t made yet, which was a bit of a pity.

Teacher Wang said, “Oh,” and casually asked, “Do you want to stay overnight? We can have another meal tomorrow at noon.”

Song Fuzhi, who had already changed his shoes at the door, looked up at Shi Zhang. “Do you want to?”

Staying at Song Fuzhi’s parents’ place was an experience Shi Zhang hadn’t had before.

Without much thought, Shi Zhang said, “Sure.”

Teacher Wang pointed to a room inside. “It’s Song Fuzhi’s bed; it’s a bit narrow. You two big guys might have to squeeze a bit. Don’t worry about the blankets; I’ll get you new ones.”

“Squeeze it is then,” Shi Zhang smiled. “Thank you, Teacher Wang.”

The parents’ house had somewhat older facilities. After taking turns showering, they lay together on Song Fuzhi’s bed.

The new bedding smelled good, like the warm fragrance of the sun.

The bed was indeed very cramped. Song Fuzhi and Shi Zhang had to stick close to each other to sleep, lying facing each other, which was the most comfortable position.

Their arms were pressed against each other, heartbeats syncing.

Shi Zhang closed his eyes, lifting his head slightly, and he could easily brush against Song Fuzhi’s lips.

So, he leaned over to kiss, and Song Fuzhi responded with a gentle return.

In the midst of these delicate kisses, Shi Zhang said vaguely, “Your parents are really nice. I feel very happy in your home.”

“Um, really. Am I good, too?”

Song Fuzhi held his hand.

“Song Fuzhi…”

Shi Zhang looked at him with deep eyes. “I’m afraid I’m not good enough for you.”

“Nonsense.”

Song Fuzhi frowned, sat up, and faced Shi Zhang.

 “Do you know who you are? You say you’re not good enough for me?” Song Fuzhi asked fiercely, suddenly gripping Shi Zhang’s wrists and pulling him behind.

In that instant, Song Fuzhi thought of “Octopus,” but quickly realized that even without this layer of identity, Shi Zhang had broken free from his original family, achieved success on his own, and become a distinguished professor at a prestigious university. Even if you take away all of this, standing side by side, neither of them is unworthy of the other.

Shi Zhang’s breathing was erratic. “You…”

Song Fuzhi shushed him and said, “Listen to me.”

Amidst the overwhelming heartbeats, Song Fuzhi supported Shi Zhang’s shoulders, looked into his eyes, and said in a low and solemn voice, “Shi Zhang, I accept everything about you.”