On his knees before the eldest young master

Aunt Zhao was getting on in years, after all. Hearing that husky, deep voice made her blush, and she instinctively exclaimed, "Good heavens, what on earth is going on here?"

Feng Yan: "?"

Aunt Zhao hadn't been particularly loud, but the man still heard her.

Of course, Bai Ruan could tell something was off about the voice on the other end. His eyes widened, his lips parted, and his face flushed. He frantically gestured at Tao Zhiyan to ask what was going on.

Tao Zhiyan spoke up. "Nothing important. I just wanted to ask whether you'd be coming home tonight, Second Young Master."

Feng Yan was silent for a moment, then his voice returned to its usual steady tone. "Give me a moment. I'll find somewhere I can talk."

Then came a series of footsteps, as though he was heading somewhere, followed by the click of a door closing.

"Yes. I'll be back in a bit," Feng Yan said.

Tao Zhiyan was honestly a little stunned by Feng Yan's composure.

Wait, hadn't he just been having sex behind his boyfriend's back? They'd heard him, and he could still answer without so much as a blush or a racing heartbeat???

Wasn't this scumbag a little too good at keeping his cool?

Bai Ruan tugged at Tao Zhiyan, pointed at the phone, and urgently mouthed, Ask what he's doing!

Tao Zhiyan asked, "Are you busy with something, Second Young Master? Did I interrupt you?"

"No. My assistant twisted his ankle, so I carried him upstairs," Feng Yan answered immediately, without even taking time to think. Even his tone barely changed. "You called just as I got to my office."

So the panting was from carrying his assistant.

And that ambiguous "Mm~" had slipped out of the assistant's mouth by accident.

In half a second, he'd come up with such an elaborate lie.

Fuck.

So this was a scumbag? If Tao Zhiyan hadn't known Feng Yan was cheating, he might have believed him too!

"Any other questions?" the man asked.

Tao Zhiyan looked at Bai Ruan. Bai Ruan pressed his lips together, then shook his head distractedly after a long moment.

Tao Zhiyan said, "No-"

"Ruanruan." Feng Yan suddenly called his name, and Tao Zhiyan immediately shut his mouth.

Bai Ruan jolted at the sound of his name and straightened at once. His mouth opened, but no sound came out.

There was no discernible emotion in Feng Yan's voice, yet he still sounded angry. "What was so important that you needed Butler Tao to call me?"

Tao Zhiyan was left speechless by that.

How was the guilty party accusing someone else first?

"I..." Bai Ruan bit his lip and sniffled. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to ask when you'd be back."

"Don't do it again," Feng Yan said coldly.

Bai Ruan murmured his agreement.

Perhaps sensing Bai Ruan's low spirits, Feng Yan didn't press the issue. He offered a little reassurance. "All right. I'll be home soon."

Bai Ruan murmured another agreement, then asked, "Were you... with your assistant just now?"

Feng Yan chuckled. "What? Don't you trust me?"

"Hang on. I'll switch to a video call."

Tao Zhiyan raised an eyebrow.

Go on, then. Let's see how that ex-boyfriend of yours turns into your assistant in a split second.

"...No need. I don't have my phone with me." Feng Yan sounded perfectly open and aboveboard, with nothing suspicious about either his answer or his tone, and some of the tightness in Bai Ruan's chest eased.

He knew Feng Yan wouldn't betray him and trusted his character, so he smiled and told the man on the other end, "Come home soon, then."

Still holding the phone, Tao Zhiyan frowned at Bai Ruan.

Two little lines, and you believed him?

Feng Yan chuckled too. "Okay. A client gave me something today that really reminds me of you. I'll bring it home for you tonight."

"Really?" He was still a kid, after all, and his attention was quickly diverted. "What is it?"

"It's a secret," Feng Yan said. "I'm hanging up."

"Okay~ Bye, Yan~" Bai Ruan said goodbye to Feng Yan, his face brimming with happiness.

Feng Yan didn't hang up immediately, though. After a few seconds of silence, he said softly, "If anything urgent comes up, you can call me."

"Whether I'm at work or not."

"That's your special privilege," Feng Yan said.

Bai Ruan froze at those words. Then, seemingly touched, he gave a firm "Okay!" with reddened eyes.

...You damn scumbag.

Saying things like that.

You're just afraid Bai Ruan will call from someone else's phone again and catch you out!!

The more Tao Zhiyan thought about it, the harder it was to swallow. If he hadn't known, that would have been one thing. But the problem was that he did!

And Bai Ruan was still young, radiating that pure, guileless stupidity unique to college students. He was no match for an old fox like Feng Yan.

If he really fell too deep, he'd never get himself out.

After thinking it over, Tao Zhiyan decided he needed to have a talk with Bai Ruan.

"Come here, Ruan." Tao Zhiyan led Bai Ruan out of the kitchen and sat with him on the sofa. As he applied ointment to Bai Ruan, he tried to guide him. "I'm a few years older than you. I've met a lot of people, and even more wealthy families."

Bai Ruan looked at Tao Zhiyan, not quite understanding why he had suddenly brought this up.

Tao Zhiyan stopped what he was doing and finally got to the point. "Hardly anyone from a wealthy family is trustworthy. Especially those CEOs!"

Bai Ruan thought the way Tao Zhiyan twisted and turned, taking a long, winding route only to steer the conversation toward his boyfriend, was a little like his own mother.

There was a trendy term for this now. What was it again?

Oh, right! A male mom!

"Don't doubt me." Seeing Bai Ruan zoning out, Tao Zhiyan added emphatically, "Take the Feng Family, for instance. There are barely any reliable people among them!"

"The eldest young master kicked the Fourth Young Master out just a few days ago."

Though that had been pretty satisfying.

"And he sent Mrs. Feng to the police station."

Though she had deserved it.

"See how cold-blooded these wealthy families are?"

Still, no one could say that wasn't cold-blooded.

Bai Ruan blinked and opened his mouth, about to answer, only to spot someone coming down from upstairs.

He closed his mouth. After stealing a few cautious glances ahead, he took a deep breath and began signaling Tao Zhiyan with his eyes. "The eldest young master... ahem, he's not really that cold-blooded, is he?"

"He is! Don't let the fact that I work for the Feng Family fool you. The whole family is actually a nightmare." Tao Zhiyan paused, deciding to lay his cards on the table. "They're all villains!"

Tao Zhiyan was so focused on persuading Bai Ruan not to lose his head over love that he completely missed his expression. He even took Bai Ruan's hand and said with utter sincerity, "Their whole family really is full of villains! You have to believe me!"

Bai Ruan frantically winked and grimaced, holding Tao Zhiyan's hand in return. "Um... that's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it?"

"Why won't you believe me... never mind." Tao Zhiyan figured persuasion took time, so he didn't insist. "Whatever happens, you can't drop out!"

"You worked so hard to get into college and achieved so much. You're so smart, too. You should have a bright future ahead of you."

For once, Tao Zhiyan spoke seriously. "Real love means wanting each other to thrive, not ruining the future someone worked so hard for over some minor issue."

"I know the second young master will probably say something about supporting you," Tao Zhiyan said, somehow circling back to the same subject. He held up a finger and waved it in front of his face, his gaze firm. "But don't trust CEOs! Especially ones named Feng!"

"They're villains."

Bai Ruan drew in a deep breath. Seeing that hints weren't working, he simply grabbed Tao Zhiyan by the shoulders and spun him around!

The sudden turn made Tao Zhiyan dizzy, but the next second, he saw someone standing behind him.

The man was tall and stood straight beside the railing, his long fingers resting on it.

His black hair fell loosely over his forehead. Beneath half-lowered lids, his dark eyes rested squarely on Tao Zhiyan.

Huh?

Feng Ze?

Tao Zhiyan's eyes slowly widened, and then he sucked in a breath.

Why was he standing here!???

I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead I got caught trash-talking my boss by the boss himself what kind of luck is this aaaaaah!!

Tao Zhiyan desperately suppressed his panic and quickly rose from the sofa, looking at Feng Ze awkwardly. "Eldest Young Master, when... when did you get back?"

"This morning." Feng Ze had only returned that morning and had just woken up.

He withdrew his gaze and started down the stairs.

"...Oh. Why didn't you let me know you were back?" Tao Zhiyan's face was scarlet and his mind was a muddle. Praying that Feng Ze hadn't heard what he'd said, he gave a dry laugh. "I had no idea..."

"Mm." Feng Ze gave Tao Zhiyan an indifferent glance. "I'm rather cold-blooded, so I didn't tell you."

Tao Zhiyan's smile froze, then vanished. "..."

Okay. He'd heard.

The light died in Tao Zhiyan's eyes.

Was there a crack in the floor? He wanted to crawl into it.

Bai Ruan knew he shouldn't laugh right now, but the corners of his mouth were harder to control than an AK's recoil. He could only stand up and lower his head, trying not to laugh out loud. "Ze, I'll head upstairs..."

Feng Ze glanced at him and gave a quiet "Mm."

After Bai Ruan left, Feng Ze slowly walked over and sat on the sofa.

The two of them stayed there in silence.

Tao Zhiyan felt as if his entire body was about to catch fire. He stood beside Feng Ze like a timid little quail.

"Are you..." Tao Zhiyan rubbed his nose, grasping for something to say. "Are you... hungry? Is there anything you'd like to eat? I'll make it."

"Whatever you think is best." Feng Ze lifted his eyelids and smiled. "After all, CEOs can't be trusted. Especially ones named Feng."

Fuck.

Tao Zhiyan took a deep breath, his ears completely red. He opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "...Would you like shrimp patties? And oatmeal."

"Wouldn't that be a little too plain?" Looking at Tao Zhiyan's bright red ears, Feng Ze said slowly, "You should know I'm a villain."

Tao Zhiyan: "."

With a mournful look in his eyes, he made a kneeling gesture with his hands. "Please. Stop."

Please stop. I was wrong. I'll never talk behind your back again.

Seeing Tao Zhiyan's woeful expression, Feng Ze couldn't help chuckling. "Go on. Just make something."

"Yes!" At those words, Tao Zhiyan fled at top speed.

As he reached the kitchen entrance and passed Aunt Zhao, he suddenly noticed tears of excitement welling in her eyes. "It's been so long since I've seen the young master smile like that."

Tao Zhiyan's foot slipped sideways, and he nearly fell.

Aunt Zhao... was this really the moment for that line?