The Tattooed Man kept calling Tao Zhiyan on the way, asking whether he had run off and why he still hadn't caught up.
Tao Zhiyan explained briefly, then hung up.
Feng Ze, meanwhile, drove the whole way.
The man was always like this when he was serious, his face revealing little.
His features were stern, his dark eyes unfathomable. He looked like someone accustomed to holding power, keeping everyone at arm's length.
But Tao Zhiyan just felt that Feng Ze was a little unhappy.
Of course, that thought came out of nowhere.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that Feng Ze was in low spirits.
When they reached the hospital, Feng Ze opened the door to get out, then turned and saw Tao Zhiyan sitting motionless in his seat.
"What's wrong?" Feng Ze asked.
"Are you unhappy?" Tao Zhiyan asked him. "You seem a little down."
Feng Ze smiled faintly. "No."
Tao Zhiyan clearly wasn't that easy to fool.
"I'm quite happy." Feng Ze paused, then shut the car door.
"It's just that..."
There seemed to be something indescribable in his voice, somewhere between loneliness and relief. Whatever it was, he sounded subdued.
He looked at Tao Zhiyan. "Even without me, you can solve so many problems."
Tao Zhiyan immediately grew upset, his brows knitting. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
As though sensing his mood, Feng Ze smiled and reached out to pinch his cheek. "I'm complimenting my very capable boyfriend, of course."
But Tao Zhiyan wasn't buying it.
He dodged Feng Ze's hand. "Don't you understand?"
"The reason I'm so confident is because I have you behind me."
"Feng Ze." Tao Zhiyan frowned, paused for a few seconds, then said with utter seriousness,
"I can't be without you."
Feng Ze's hand froze in midair.
Then he closed his