When Feng Ze got home, he found Tao Zhiyan sprawled on the sofa, hugging two large bags of chips and sleeping soundly.
Not only that, but the table was covered with all sorts of little cookies, little yogurts, and little jellies...
Feng Ze wasn't mentally adding the word "little." They really were tiny.
He had no idea where Butler Tao had bought them, but the snack packets were only palm-sized. Each bag probably contained just a few pieces.
There was plenty of variety, though, with every flavor imaginable.
Feng Ze was a bit of a neat freak. Unable to stand the wrappers scattered all over the table, he paused for half a second, then bent down and started cleaning up.
So when Tao Zhiyan heard the noise and opened his eyes, he saw their eldest young master, whose net worth exceeded ten billion, crouching on the floor and picking up the cookies he had dropped.
He had only just woken up, and his brain was still short-circuiting.
Feng Ze looked up at him. "Awake?"
Then he stood up and dumped the trash into the bin with a rustle.
When Tao Zhiyan realized what Feng Ze was doing, only one thought filled his head.
* The! World! Was! Upside-down! *
What had driven a CEO worth ten billion to pick up trash here?
Was it moral decay? The distortion of human nature? Or Butler Tao, who snacked and took long naps on company time?
"You-" Feng Ze wiped his hands and began, but before he could finish,
Tao Zhiyan saw a flicker above Feng Ze's head, followed by a line of text:
[In three seconds, he will dock your bonus because of the chips you dropped on the sofa.]
!!!?
* His bonus!! *
Tao Zhiyan sprang up, locked onto the target, and reached out to flick the chips off the sofa.
Then he whipped out some tissues, wiped the spot, and gave it a particularly thorough blow.
He completed the whole sequence in one fluid motion, cutting Feng Ze off entirely.
Once he had finished, Tao Zhiyan looked above Feng Ze's head again. The line of text jumped and changed:
[In three seconds, he will lecture you because of the crumbs at the corner of your mouth.]
Feng Ze's gaze settled on the corner of Tao Zhiyan's mouth. He began, "You-"
Tao Zhiyan immediately raised a hand, politely declining the "lecture," then lowered his head and wiped his mouth until it was perfectly clean and presentable before looking up confidently again.
Feng Ze: "?"
The words above Feng Ze's head turned into a jumble of gibberish, then flickered and produced a new line:
[In three seconds, he will be displeased because your clothes are untidy.]
Feng Ze's gaze moved down. "Your clo-"
Tao Zhiyan didn't even give him time to finish the word. He instantly tugged his clothes into place, smoothed the wrinkles in his collar, and even fastened his cuff buttons at lightning speed.
Gibberish popped up above Feng Ze's head again.
Very pleased with himself, Tao Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and waited for more words to appear above Feng Ze's head.
After a long silence, Feng Ze asked, "Why are you always one step ahead of me?"
Tao Zhiyan smiled. "Because death is always one step behind me."
"..." Feng Ze was so annoyed he laughed. He glanced at the table. "Clean this up."
Knowing his bonus was safe, Tao Zhiyan happily started tidying the table.
First, he threw away all the trash on the table, then fetched a cloth from the kitchen and wiped it clean. Once everything was in order, he tied up the garbage bag and took it outside to throw away.
Throughout this, Feng Ze smoked and talked on the phone. Whatever the person on the other end was saying, his brow never relaxed.
"Mm," Feng Ze said flatly. "Yes, they're no longer supplying the chips. You need to hurry."
The person on the other end said something else. Feng Ze clicked his tongue and took out his cigarette pack to light another.
To his surprise, it was empty.
Only then did Feng Ze realize how many he had already smoked.
He tossed the cigarette pack into the bin, seeming even more irritated.
Feng Ze curled a finger and tapped the armrest, considering whether to go out and buy another pack while clearing his head.
Just then, a clean, fair hand reached toward him.
A small mint rested in its palm.
Feng Ze's hand stilled. His gaze traveled upward and met Tao Zhiyan's smiling eyes.
Tao Zhiyan was bent at the waist. He glanced at the candy, then at Feng Ze, and extended his hand a little farther.
Apparently mindful that Feng Ze was on the phone, Tao Zhiyan didn't speak. He merely mouthed, "Candy can ease the craving. Have this first, and I'll buy you some cigarettes."
Feng Ze's gaze paused.
Butler Tao had very pretty features. Perhaps he hadn't even realized himself how good-looking he was.
There was something fresh and lively about him, and his face was wonderfully expressive. When he looked at Feng Ze, for instance, he would lift his eyebrows slightly, curve his glistening eyes into crescents, and turn up the corners of his lips.
Although he always looked so well-behaved, he was clearly mischievous, whichever way you looked at him.
Since Feng Ze was on the phone, he didn't answer Tao Zhiyan.
But having him so close stirred a little itch in his heart. He reached up to cup Tao Zhiyan's chin, then gently pinched Butler Tao's cheek with his slightly rough fingertips.
Click-
The door suddenly opened. Bai Ruan was half-supporting, half-hauling a drunken Feng Yan inside when he looked up and saw the scene.
The eldest young master sat on the sofa, his long legs in black suit trousers crossed, exuding an unmistakable air of authority.
Butler Tao stood before him, bent at the waist, looking utterly docile.
Feng Ze's hand held Tao Zhiyan's chin, his fingertips kneading Tao Zhiyan's cheek and leaving red marks on his fair skin.
?
Bai Ruan's eyes widened. "?!"
What was going on?
Neither of the people involved seemed to find the gesture particularly intimate. Feng Ze even gave his cheek another couple of pinches before stopping.
He took the mint from Tao Zhiyan's hand, unwrapped it, and put it in his mouth. "No need to buy cigarettes."
Tao Zhiyan nodded and straightened up. "Okay."
Bai Ruan looked at Feng Ze, then at Tao Zhiyan.
Suddenly, he felt the discomfort of seeing his idol defiled by some awful man.
Seriously, how could Butler Tao let Feng Ze touch his face without resisting? He had even brought him candy!
Had he forgotten that CEOs couldn't be trusted, especially the ones named Feng?
Tao Zhiyan walked over to Bai Ruan and took hold of the thoroughly wasted Feng Yan. "I'll help you get the Second Young Master upstairs."
Bai Ruan stared at Tao Zhiyan. "Okay."
All the way upstairs, Bai Ruan tried to work out how to warn Butler Tao not to be fooled by anyone named Feng.
He mulled it over the whole way. Only after Tao Zhiyan had settled Feng Yan on the bed did he pull him out of the room and ask with a stern face, "Butler Tao, have you forgotten what you told me before?"
Tao Zhiyan blinked. "What?"
"Wh-what you told me before!" Bai Ruan looked serious. "CEOs can't be trusted, especially the one named Feng."
Tao Zhiyan nodded. "I remember."
Bai Ruan narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin slightly. "Do you really?"
Tao Zhiyan smiled. "Of course I do."
"Then tell me what else you said besides that."
Seeing how secretive and suspicious Bai Ruan looked, Tao Zhiyan couldn't help laughing. "Everyone in the Feng Family is a villain, right?"
Bai Ruan nodded vigorously. "Yes! That's the one!"
Just as he finished speaking, Tao Zhiyan saw Feng Ze coming upstairs.
He hurriedly tugged at Bai Ruan, signaling him to stop talking.
To his surprise, Bai Ruan turned to glance at Feng Ze, then turned back to Tao Zhiyan.
Slowly, Bai Ruan puffed out his chest and raised his chin. Like a grade-schooler pledging allegiance to his boss, he repeated at the top of his lungs, "Yes! That's the one! The Feng Family can't be trusted! They're all villains!"
Tao Zhiyan: "?????"
Feng Ze: "..."
Feng Ze's gaze landed on Tao Zhiyan, and he raised an eyebrow.
Bad-mouthing me again?
Tao Zhiyan felt so wronged he could die. He shook his head like a rattle drum.
No, he really hadn't said anything this time!
Who could have known Bai Ruan would suddenly unleash his ultimate attack right in Feng Ze's face??
Before you continue