It Tastes Like Medicine

The two beanbag chairs sat close together, with a small low table on either side. After sitting down, Shu Sizhuo took out some disinfectant and looked at Tong Zhao. "Come closer."

Tong Zhao lay at the edge and scooted forward a little.

"Closer."

Tong Zhao: "..." He scooted forward a little more.

They were so close that Tong Zhao could see Shu Sizhuo's long eyelashes just by looking up.

The corners of Shu Sizhuo's mouth lifted in satisfaction as he carefully treated the bruise on Tong Zhao's face, applying medicine to bring down the swelling.

The medical cotton ball was damp and cool, and Shu Sizhuo was very gentle.

Through his half-lowered eyes, Tong Zhao could see Shu Sizhuo's tightly pressed lips and sharply defined jaw. Below that was his sexy Adam's apple.

Tong Zhao suddenly felt that something was off about the atmosphere, and his heartbeat wasn't quite steady either. He simply closed his eyes, shutting it all out.

Shu Sizhuo glanced at him, the smile in his eyes growing.

"All done." After a while, Tong Zhao heard Shu Sizhuo say, "Open your eyes."

Tong Zhao opened his eyes, only to squint again when the medicine near the corner of his eye made them sting.

"Take off your clothes."

"What?" Tong Zhao's eyes flew wide. He thought he had misheard.

"Take off your clothes. I need to put medicine on your body too," Shu Sizhuo said calmly.

Tong Zhao pulled his collar together. "I'm not hurt anywhere else."

Shu Sizhuo lowered his eyes pointedly. Tong Zhao followed his gaze and looked down to see that his sleeve had slipped back, revealing a bruise on his arm.

Tong Zhao hesitated for two seconds, then took off his robe and pushed both sleeves of his cotton pajamas high up. He rested his arms on the edge of the beanbag like a man calmly facing execution. "Go ahead."

Shu Sizhuo frowned slightly, then lowered his head and applied medicine to his arms.

When he finished, his tone turned commanding. "Your body."

Tong Zhao waved his arms as he waited for the medicine to dry and lied through his teeth. "There really aren't any on my body."

"Tong Zhao."

Those two cold words were all it took for Tong Zhao to surrender. He sprawled on the beanbag, buried his face, and said in a muffled voice, "Fine, fine, go ahead."

Tong Zhao had a slender figure. His shoulder blades pressed against the soft fabric of his pajamas, looking exceptionally beautiful. His waist was narrow, rising toward his buttocks like a small peak, its smooth lines inviting the imagination to wander.

Shu Sizhuo's gaze shifted.

A desire he had harbored for years erupted in his chest and coursed through every limb. He had to tense his muscles and breathe deeply to suppress it.

After waiting a long time without feeling any movement, Tong Zhao was about to turn and look when a cool sensation spread across his back. His clothes had already been lifted.

Shu Sizhuo stared blankly at a faint scar in the middle of his upper back, as though someone had pressed pause.

Tong Zhao thought it was strange and was about to look back again when Shu Sizhuo came to his senses. He held Tong Zhao down and managed with difficulty to tear his gaze away from the faint scar.

Seeing the bruises on Tong Zhao's back, his emotions were instantly replaced by anger.

I really should have taken off one of his hands.

Shu Sizhuo thought viciously.

After applying medicine to Tong Zhao's body and legs, Shu Sizhuo went to the bathroom to wash his hands. When he came out, he found Tong Zhao standing in the wide-open bedroom doorway, smiling as he saw him off.

Shu Sizhuo walked over and stopped by the door. "You're kicking me out as soon as I'm done applying the medicine?"

"I'm not kicking you out. It's the middle of the night. Don't you have work tomorrow?" Tong Zhao said.

An urge to tease him came over Shu Sizhuo. He suddenly reached out and braced his hand against the doorframe, trapping Tong Zhao in his arms, then leaned in until their noses were almost touching.

Tong Zhao froze for a second, then stepped back abruptly and warned, "Shu Sizhuo, don't try anything."

"That kiss last time wasn't the end of our relationship," Shu Sizhuo said slowly. "Tong Zhao, your freedom is only temporary. Understand?"

Whenever Shu Sizhuo hinted at his feelings for Tong Zhao, even though "Tong Zhao" was Tong Zhao himself, a nameless anger would flare up in him. "Shu Sizhuo, can you stop thinking about keeping a lover all the time?!"

Shu Sizhuo smiled, then caught Tong Zhao off guard with a kiss on the lips, pulling away as soon as they touched. He straightened up and pursed his lips. "Tastes like medicine."

Tong Zhao: "!"

Shu Sizhuo narrowed his eyes with a smile. "Good night." With that, he turned and left, went into his own room, and closed the door.

Tong Zhao stood there in shock for a full half minute, having been taken advantage of and then had the taste of medicine on his lips complained about.

Wait... Why is this guy still just as sneakily wicked as before?

The next day, Tong Zhao was woken by a phone ringing as if someone's life depended on it.

He reached out irritably and groped around, dragging the phone straight under the covers before answering groggily. "Hello..."

"Tong Zhao! Where did you sleep last night?!"

The young miss Hua Xiaotang had fallen asleep the night before without receiving a message. The first thing she did when she woke up was call Tong Zhao.

The sound startled Tong Zhao wide awake. He poked his head out from under the covers. "Senior Sister Hua?"

"Tell me! Did Shu Sizhuo lure you into the wolf's den?!"

Tong Zhao looked around the wolf's den and explained haltingly, "Last night Shu Sizhuo said Little Loofah was sick, so I..."

Although Hua Xiaotang didn't know what Little Loofah was, that opening was enough for her to understand. She immediately let out a furious yell at his failure to stand up for himself, and Tong Zhao automatically fell silent.

"I don't want to hear your explanation. Send me the address. I'm coming to get you right now!"

"Senior Sister Hua, there's really no need..."

Click. She hung up.

Tong Zhao checked the time. It was ten in the morning. After the fight the night before, he ached all over as he climbed out of bed.

Once he had gotten ready and gone downstairs, Mama Feng hurriedly greeted him with a smile. "Mr. Tong, you're awake? I've been keeping breakfast warm for you. Come and eat."

Tong Zhao felt bad about refusing Mama Feng's kindness, so he decided to eat breakfast before leaving.

"Where's President Shu?" he asked Mama Feng as he sat at the dining table.

Mama Feng brought him a sandwich and some milk, saying with a smile, "The young master went to the office."

He did have work, yet he still stayed up so late last night.

Tong Zhao asked again, "What about Little Loofah? Is he feeling better today?"

"He's in good spirits today. He went for a stroll in the park."

Only then did Tong Zhao smile in relief.

Just as he was finishing breakfast, the sound of a car engine revving rapidly rang out. A red sports car stopped nearby and gave a short honk.

Tong Zhao gulped down the rest of his milk. "Mama Feng, I'm leaving. Thank you for breakfast."

Seeing Tong Zhao hurry to the door to change his shoes, Mama Feng asked, "You're leaving so soon? Aren't you going to wait for the young master to come back?"

"No, I'm not waiting," Tong Zhao said.

Tong Zhao had just crossed the courtyard and stepped out of the gate when he saw a white Cayenne drive up and come to a smooth stop in front of it.

Curious, Tong Zhao stopped in his tracks.

The car doors opened, and two people got out.

One was a slightly overweight middle-aged man, and the other was a young man.

There was nowhere to hide, and all three stared directly at one another, equally stunned.

Tong Zhao stared at the young man and realized that his eyes, nose, and mouth all looked very much like someone else's—and that someone was himself!

The young man was sizing him up too, though he didn't look as surprised. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Are you from the Wind House too?"

The Wind House? What's that?

The middle-aged man took two steps forward, his gaze lingering on Tong Zhao's face for a moment, then asked with a cheerful smile, "Is President Shu inside?"

Tong Zhao said, "He went to the office."

"You... Who hit you?"

Tong Zhao didn't answer.

The middle-aged man gave him a few sympathetic looks, thinking that the boy must have disobeyed and been punished by President Shu.

He shooed the young man back into the car. "Come on, come on, let's go find President Shu at the office."

The young man gave Tong Zhao a meaningful smile, then turned and got into the car.