Chapter 26

Having a lackey is fantastic.

Having an obedient lackey is even better.

Recently, Bai Zining’s whole demeanor could be summed up in one big word: satisfaction.

After the holiday ended and everyone returned to school, Bai Zining didn’t want to make things too obvious. So, whenever he ordered Zhu Shizhou around, it was only for small tasks, just one or two things a day.

Gradually, he realized that Zhu Shizhou, as promised in their agreement, was completely obedient. He never showed any reluctance or impatience.

Helped him buy meals, pick up packages, borrow books from the library, acted as support in games, and even brought an umbrella to wait for him downstairs at the laboratory without needing a reminder when it rained. Zhu Shizhou even fully took care of the assignments for Marxist Philosophy and Modern and Contemporary History, as the final exams for these two subjects were open-book.

After a few days of this arrangement, Bai Zining started to entertain other thoughts. Considering how Zhu Shizhou had previously been indifferent to him and even argued with him, Bai Zining wanted to test if Zhu Shizhou was really as patient as he seemed.

Taking advantage of a moment when all four of them were present, Bai Zining deliberately called out Zhu Shizhou’s name. “My legs are so sore. Can you help me massage them?”

Without a word, Zhu Shizhou grabbed a chair, sat down beside him, and lifted Bai Zining’s legs onto his lap. Bai Zining, completely caught off guard, let out a startled cry, “What are you doing?”

“Aren’t you the one who asked me to massage your legs?” Zhu Shizhou retorted, holding down Bai Zining’s legs as he tried to pull them away. “Don’t move.”

Meanwhile, Zuo Xingwei and Cai Yu’s expressions were changing so quickly it was like watching a slideshow. Zhu Shizhou, however, acted completely unbothered, gently kneading Bai Zining’s legs.

It was then that Bai Zining noticed Zhu Shizhou was wearing the necklace he had given him for his birthday—a piece that had been appearing very frequently lately. Not only that, but the bottle of cologne Bai Zining had also gifted him was placed in the most prominent spot on Zhu Shizhou’s desk and was being used daily.

The subtle citrus-woody scent lingered constantly around Bai Zining since he spent most of his days with Zhu Shizhou.

One afternoon, after waking from a nap, Bai Zining suddenly craved dessert. He said to Zhu Shizhou, “I want the mochi and vanilla cream puffs from Mota’s.”

That shop always required at least an hour of queuing, and it didn’t offer delivery services.

“No problem,” Zhu Shizhou replied readily, though he didn’t make any move to leave. Bai Zining hadn’t genuinely expected Zhu Shizhou to go. He thought to himself, Looks like the power of the agreement isn’t that strong after all. I’ll just wait until Saturday and line up myself.

An hour and a half later, Zhu Shizhou left the dorm briefly and returned within ten minutes, carrying a bag from Mota’s.

Bai Zining stared at him in shock, eyes wide. “How did you manage that?”

“Do you know there’s an industry called ‘line-sitting’?” Zhu Shizhou replied with a question of his own.

Bai Zining was left speechless. He grumbled softly as he climbed off the bed, took the bag from Zhu Shizhou’s hand, and muttered a quick, “Thank you.”

The cream puffs were delicious, and Bai Zining shared two with Zhu Shizhou.

When Zuo Xingwei mentioned that he had given his girlfriend a supplementary card, Bai Zining suddenly remembered something. Over the past couple of weeks, he had been repeatedly accepting Zhu Shizhou’s transfers, which added up to more than 8,000 yuan in total. He needed to return this hot potato immediately.

The money was all sitting in the balance of his alternate account, so he logged in and transferred it back to Zhu Shizhou in one go.

Upon seeing the transfer, Zhu Shizhou smiled and asked, “What’s this? Are you trying to sponsor me?”

“That’s the money you transferred to me before. I’m returning it all to you. Check the account,” Bai Zining said.

Zhu Shizhou neither accepted it nor acknowledged the remark. Instead, he crossed one arm over his stomach, bent slightly at the waist in a mock bow, and said, “Thank you, Boss. I’ll do my utmost to serve you well this month.”

“Take it already!” Bai Zining’s tone grew more forceful. This money felt like leverage hanging over him. Until it was returned, he wouldn’t have peace of mind. He reached out directly toward Zhu Shizhou. “Give me your phone.”

“Want to see it?” Zhu Shizhou asked.

“You said last time that I could look at your phone,” Bai Zining replied, referring to the time when his photo editing almost got exposed.

“But you said you didn’t want to see it then and told me to take it away.”

“You…” Bai Zining was at a loss for words, momentarily choked by his own argument.

Seeing that Bai Zining was genuinely anxious, Zhu Shizhou stopped teasing him and handed over his phone. “Here, take it. The password is 296979, just changed it.” He deliberately emphasized the last three words.

But Bai Zining was in such a hurry to complete the transaction that he didn’t even notice the significance of the number.

“I don’t want to know your password,” Bai Zining said after transferring the money using Zhu Shizhou’s phone, finally feeling at ease. He reiterated, “I’m really not the type of person who invades others’ privacy.”

As he spoke, he instinctively swiped right, returning to the WeChat messages screen. That’s when he noticed something. Bai Zining and “Baby” were both pinned at the top of Zhu Shizhou’s chat list.

He already knew “Baby” was accompanied by three cute emojis, but why was his own main account also pinned?

The only two pinned chats, both were him.

Bai Zining had a gut feeling that there was something he was overlooking here, but he didn’t know how to bring it up. In the end, he simply locked the screen and handed the phone back to Zhu Shizhou without saying a word.

Last month, Cai Yu’s cousin found a new job in City A and had essentially settled down there. As a result, Cai Yu went to his cousin’s house to hang out every weekend.

That left only Bai Zining and Zhu Shizhou in the dorm again this weekend.

Zhu Shizhou locked the door from the inside. The moment Bai Zining heard the sound of the lock clicking, he became instantly alert. Was Zhu Shizhou planning to take advantage of the empty dorm to beat him up?

He watched as Zhu Shizhou retrieved a pale yellow paper bag from the wardrobe and handed it to him. Bai Zining, puzzled, took it and opened it. Inside was a black dress.

“What do you mean by this?” Bai Zining instantly flared up.

“I want you to wear it for me,” Zhu Shizhou said calmly.

“Don’t even think about it.” Bai Zining slammed the bag onto the desk. There was no way that was happening.

“Calm down and listen to me,” Zhu Shizhou said, his composure a stark contrast to Bai Zining’s outburst. “You’re Bai Zining, but you’re also Cai Ning. She’s a part of you. So, if I’m Bai Zining’s lackey, it also means I’m Cai Ning’s lackey. Makes sense, right?”

Doesn’t seem like it.

“Well, Cai Ning would wear a dress for me and even fuss over my well-being. Shouldn’t you do the same?”

Really? That sounded kind of reasonable, but something still felt off.

“But since I agreed to be your lackey, it’s my job to take care of you. You don’t need to fuss over me. So, all you need to do is occasionally wear a dress, that’s enough.”

“That seems reasonable,” Bai Zining was persuaded, though he made a point to correct, “You’re not just my lackey, you’re supposed to be an all-out, workhorse-level lackey. Got it?”

“Got it.”

“Good, deal.” Zhu Shizhou had been exceptionally obedient recently, taking on all tasks without complaint. Whatever Bai Zining said, Zhu Shizhou would follow without question. In that case, giving him a little reward seemed fair. Even a tightly wound spring will snap back, let alone a person.

Bai Zining added another condition, “Also, no taking pictures.”

“Absolutely not,” Zhu Shizhou raised his hand in a solemn pledge.

After drawing the curtains and double-checking that the dorm door was securely locked, Bai Zining reluctantly began changing, all the while ordering Zhu Shizhou to turn around and forbidding him from sneaking a glance.

Three minutes later, he had finished changing but didn’t know how to call Zhu Shizhou over. He ended up coughing lightly, but Zhu Shizhou didn’t respond.

“Hey,” he finally said, suppressing his embarrassment. “I’m done.”

Although this wasn’t the first time Bai Zining had worn a dress in front of someone, it was the first time he was wearing one solely for one person. He felt even more nervous now than when he played a princess in the drama club.

Zhu Shizhou turned around, first meeting Bai Zining’s eyes. His gaze slowly traveled downward, from Bai Zining’s chin to his neck, waist, thighs, calves, and finally his ankles.

“Very pretty,” he said.

“Don’t say nonsense,” Bai Zining retorted.

Zhu Shizhou blinked. “I can’t even tell the truth?”

Bai Zining was momentarily at a loss for words. This guy’s shamelessness was astonishing. He hurriedly urged, “Hurry up! How much longer are you going to stare? Are you done yet?”

Instead of a reply, he was met with Zhu Shizhou stepping closer, one deliberate step at a time. The looming height and build triggered a sense of deja vu, reminding Bai Zining of the moment when he’d been caught red-handed before. Instinctively, he warned, “I’m telling you, don’t try anything funny.”

“The agreement didn’t include that rule,” Zhu Shizhou said.

“Well, now it does! I’m adding it,” Bai Zining replied, clearly flustered.

“I’m just messing with you,” Zhu Shizhou said, stopping in his tracks. “I won’t do anything you don’t like.”

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Bai Zining’s face, focused and unwavering, as if he were making a promise he would never break.

Zhu Shizhou’s serious expression made Bai Zining’s heart skip a beat. He parted his lips slightly, wanting to say something, but stumbled over his words and couldn’t get anything out. In the end, he bit his lip, forcing himself not to be swayed, and hastily threw out a dismissive, “Easy for you to say,” before sidestepping Zhu Shizhou and slipping away.

At that moment, he no longer cared whether Zhu Shizhou watched or not. As he took off the dress, he muttered under his breath, “I think you just have a thing for legs. Pervert. You see a leg and start sweet-talking. You’re not usually like this.”

Zhu Shizhou watched as the blush crept from Bai Zining’s ears down to his neck. He simply smiled and said nothing in response.