By the time Wen Moxue jogged to the gates of the Institute of Technology, the chilly night wind swept across his face and ears, cooling the lingering heat there. He immediately began criticizing himself again.
It was just a man touching his head. Why had he reacted so shyly?
He was someone who planned to use his charm to win over Fu Cheng. How could he be embarrassed by something so trivial?
Thinking of Fu Cheng reminded him of the scarf around his neck. Wen Moxue pulled out his phone and checked its price.
He already knew a gift from Fu Cheng would never be cheap, but when he saw the actual number, he wondered if he had misread a decimal point.
A scarf. A single scarf.
And it cost six digits.
Wen Moxue stared, mouth slightly open. He lifted the scarf under the streetlight and inspected it carefully as if looking for gold threads woven inside. Otherwise, how could something like this sell for such an outrageous price?
He immediately sent the news to Shuyan.
Shuyan replied with a classic meme.
Shuyan: My god.
Shuyan: That is not a scarf on your neck. That is a studio apartment.
Wen Shui Zhi Xue: "…..."
Shuyan: When are you coming back? I need to witness your apartment. Ah, no, your scarf.
Wen Shui Zhi Xue: …Five minutes.
When Wen Moxue returned home, Shuyan, already in pajamas, was waiting at his door.
The moment he saw him, Shuyan’s eyes lit up. "That is the scarf Fu Cheng gave you? It looks celestial. Hurry, let me see."
Only after entering the room did Wen Moxue take the scarf off and hand it to him.
Shuyan touched the intricate embroidery, which was as exquisite as artwork. "That man has great taste. Not only is it expensive, it is beautiful, and it matches your temperament perfectly."
Wen Moxue kicked off his heels, feeling his toes come back to life. He rubbed his sore calves and said, "Now I understand why so many people like doing what I am doing. The money is fast and painless. Even though my part-time job pays well, working hard for a month still is not enough to cover even a fraction of this scarf."
"Not necessarily," Shuyan said. "Fu Cheng is just particularly generous and conservative. If it were another guy, he would have dragged you to a hotel tonight already."
Wen Moxue: "…..."
Crude, but not wrong.
Still very crude.
What Shuyan said was indeed the more typical scenario. The more extravagant the generosity, the clearer the ulterior motives.
Fu Cheng had only touched his head, and even that had been at Wen Moxue’s own request. Either the man was extremely proper or extremely good at pretending.
Wen Moxue said thoughtfully, "It is strange. Did he not say he hates being taken advantage of? Why is he so generous with me?"
Shuyan analyzed, "Precisely because he is generous, he has probably been taken advantage of before. That is why he hates it. Did he not treat you like you did not exist at first? He was probably terrified of getting exploited again. But eventually, he still fell into your trap because of your seductive photos."
Wen Moxue found this explanation convincing.
Feeling thirsty, he poured himself a glass of water. Shuyan finished admiring the scarf and looked at Wen Moxue, frowning at his conservative outfit. "Dressed like that, did that old man look disappointed?"
"Could not tell. When I asked, he said it was good, warm."
"Pretending. Definitely pretending. Did he tell you to stop sending sexy pictures?"
"No. He only told me not to dress like this. I said I would only dress sexy for him, and he did not reject it."
"There you go. Send him a new sexy photo now, something that contrasts sharply with what you wore today. That will drive him crazy."
Wen Moxue immediately perked up. He had been removing his wig but paused. "I will go change"
"No need," Shuyan said, lifting the scarf and wiggling it. "You already have the perfect accessory."
Wen Moxue felt his morality slipping further. Otherwise, how could he be doing something like taking seductive photos wearing nothing but a scarf?
The scarf was white, and his skin even paler. Draped on him, it resembled luxurious silk wrapped around a piece of flawless jade.
Following Shuyan’s instructions, he knelt on the wooden floor with his legs parted slightly, long pale thighs exposed.
A scarf that had looked refined and elegant around his neck now hung loosely off his arm, revealing half his shoulder and back. Instantly, it took on an almost decadent allure, like a fallen celestial figure descending into desire.
He faced away from the camera, turning his head slightly so the curve of his profile was visible.
His gaze landed naturally on the tiny red mole on his shoulder, half-hidden by the slipping scarf. The small mark added a faintly seductive charm, as if tempting someone to tug the scarf aside and touch, kiss, taste.
After that pose, Shuyan had him try several more, even persuading him to press his chest slightly so he had a faint but enticing cleavage for a few selfies.
When Wen Moxue looked at the photos afterward pale skin, elegant collarbones, surprisingly eye-catching curves his face went crimson.
Too indecent. How could he be this shameless?
And if he had not known it was himself, he would not have guessed the person in the photo was male at all.
"Send the back shot first," Shuyan instructed. "Then the chest selfies after he replies. And remember to delete them within two minutes. Drive him insane. Make him think about you all night."
Wen Moxue: "......"
There was no way he was sending those last photos. He planned to delete them as soon as Shuyan left.
Still, following the plan, he sent Fu Cheng the kneeling back-view photo.
A Xiao Li: The scarf you gave me is so beautiful. I could not help taking lots of photos.
At that moment, Fu Cheng had just arrived home. Feeling unusually relaxed, he poured himself a glass of wine and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, admiring the nightscape.
When his phone buzzed, he reached for it lazily, unsurprised that it was A Xiao Li.
But the moment he opened the photo, the calm in his dark eyes shifted and deepened.
A scarf meant to keep her warm, yet she had managed to make it look so decadent.
Should he praise her creativity or her ability to reinterpret a gift?
After Shuyan left, Wen Moxue removed his makeup and wig while waiting for Fu Cheng’s reply.
Ever since Fu Cheng stopped deliberately ignoring him, he usually replied promptly unless he was busy.
Sure enough, just as Wen Moxue removed his wig, the message arrived.
Fu Cheng: You took this in your dorm?
Wen Moxue froze. He had overlooked one crucial detail. Every photo he had ever sent was taken in this apartment. Even without seeing the whole room, anyone who had lived in a real university dorm would know it was not one.
Even the sofa from their last video call. No dorm had that.
His mind raced, and he quickly typed:
A Xiao Li: Nooo, this is my ex-roommate’s rented apartment. She is rich.
A Xiao Li: I do not get along with one of my dormmates. I always come here to crash.
A Xiao Li: We fought again tonight so I came over. My rich roommate took the picture for me...
Fu Cheng: You cannot switch dorms?
A Xiao Li: There are no empty beds. If I switch, it will be to an eight-person mixed-major room, and I do not like being around that many people... (cry)
Fu Cheng: Then rent a place yourself. Constantly staying with someone else is not ideal.
A Xiao Li: But I need parental approval to live off-campus, and you know my family situation...
Wen Moxue almost applauded himself. He really was a genius at sudden tragic storytelling.
But he could not let the topic go too deep. Too many questions might expose him.
A Xiao Li: It is okay though. I often stay here and I help with rent. She does not mind.
Fu Cheng: Mm.
Wen Moxue let out a huge sigh of relief. That was close.
Fu Cheng: It is late. Get some rest.
A Xiao Li: But I have not finished sending the photos. Did you not like the one I sent? (cry)
Fu Cheng: It was fine.
Fine?
Really? Just fine?
Was he lacking?
Wen Moxue stared at his selfies. Should he really send them?
He had already sent butt photos before. This was not worse than that.
But at least his butt was real. This chest was fake.
After a long struggle, he gave in to one thought.
Since the photos already exist...
He swallowed and sent them.
A Xiao Li: I took this myself. Do you like it, brother?
A Xiao Li: (////▽////)
Fu Cheng did not reply.
A Xiao Li: Brother?
Silence.
Nothing.
As if he had died.
Did he do that while looking at the photos?
Just the thought made Wen Moxue’s face burn. He immediately deleted the photos.
Fu Cheng, on his end, had always believed that no matter how bold A Xiao Li became, even if she sent a nude, he would remain unfazed.
It turned out some pictures were far more impactful than nudity.
The moment he saw her selfie, perhaps enhanced by the wine, heat flared in his abdomen.
He had assumed he was past such impulses, uninterested in desire, uninterested in relationships.
The reaction startled him. His hand trembled, knocking over his glass.
Red wine splashed across the floor.
By the time he finished asking a servant to clean up and looked back at his phone, the photos were gone.
Fu Cheng: Something came up just now.
Wen Moxue’s first reaction was:
So fast?!
A Xiao Li: I thought you saw it and did not like it because it was too flat... (crying)
Fu Cheng: "..…"
The typing bubble appeared for a long time before the message finally arrived.
Only five words.
Fu Cheng: I like it very much.