After The Honest Person Was Discovered For Simultaneously Pursuing Three People - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: “I’ve Been Looking for That Country Guy”…

After Tao Ning sat down gently, he clearly felt the person beneath him stiffen instantly. He cautiously asked, “Am I heavy?”

A slight gasp came from below. It seemed the man was trying to steady his breathing. After a moment, he said in a hoarse voice, “You’re not heavy.”

“So, should I put my full weight on you?”

“Yes.”

Tao Ning did as he was told. He took off his shoes, his white cotton socks stepping on the ground. He looked at the man’s back, found a good spot, first sat his butt on the man’s lower back near his neck, and then carefully crossed his legs. His entire weight was now on the man.

He said seriously, “This position distributes the weight evenly. It’ll be more comfortable for you.”

The originally ambiguous atmosphere completely dissipated. The man below him chuckled, a low voice outlining the tail end of helplessness.

“Yes, you’re very smart.”

Tao Ning scratched his head, embarrassed. A few strands of his soft, brownish hair stood up. “What should I do now?”

“You don’t have to do anything.” Xu Jun panted softly, his hands propped on the ground. His push-up form was very standard, and he never trembled, but the moment that soft touch sat on him, his arms trembled slightly.

It turned out that being in close contact with the person you like was such a wonderful feeling.

He liked this feeling and wanted to have more contact with the lemon on his back.

Xu Jun closed his eyes, suppressing the surging emotions inside. The surroundings were very quiet. There was only the boy’s crisp voice on his back: “One, two, three, four…”

When he counted to the “sixty-eighth” one, Tao Ning got off. Doing push-ups with a person on your back was about as difficult as doing pull-ups. An average person might not even be able to do ten. Tao Ning exclaimed, “Xu Jun, you’re amazing!”

The man who was praised by him lay flat on the ground. One arm covered his eyes, and the other was placed under his abdomen. His chest rose and fell violently, and some ear-tingling gasps came from his throat. He lifted his arm, and those cold eyes were now curved, tinged with the same heat as his breathing.

The man chuckled, “Do you like it?”

Tao Ning was stunned. He nodded blankly, “I… I do.”

That’s strange. Why does Xu Jun always ask him what he likes? Is his liking important to him?

“Hmm.”

Tao Ning was stunned again. Those cold-blooded-animal-like eyes were still staring at him. But this time, he strongly felt the scorching heat within them, as if he were in a flame. The cold-blooded animal was spitting out a fiery tongue, licking from Tao Ning’s soft toes all the way to his lips.

It was a blatant, undisguised gaze.

Tao Ning suddenly felt his whole body heat up. He unnaturally moved his gaze away. “Y-You said you were going to teach me how to work out.”

Xu Jun, “Yes, wait for me to take a shower.”

The bathroom door closed. Tao Ning asked the system: Why does Xu Jun always ask me what I like?

The sound of sunflower seeds cracking came from the system. The not-so-smart mechanical voice analyzed: From what I see, dummy, he’s asking you what you like now so that when you get to Oksen College, he’ll use the things you like to tempt you into breaking the rules, and then deduct your points!

Tao Ning was surprised. He thought for a moment and said, half-believing, half-doubting: But I think he’s a very good person…

The system said: You don’t believe me? I’m a two-hundred-year-old intelligent robot, and I even referenced a human forum called ‘Scumbag Rant.’ It says men are not good things. Dummy, don’t be fooled by him! Just do your targeting mission well.

But I’m also a man.

[You’re also a bad man now, since lies just come out of your mouth.

…

Tao Ning decided it was better to find the answers to his questions in books from now on. The system was as stupid as the second young master. Because Xu Jun took a long time to shower, Tao Ning and the system were chatting idly. After taking his medicine, he would get sleepy. He sat at the desk and gradually fell asleep.

So Tao Ning didn’t hear the suppressed groans in the bathroom. After another ten or twenty minutes, the salty smell in the air was sucked away by the air purifier. Xu Jun’s expression returned to calm. He was shirtless, with a towel draped over his shoulder, and opened the door. What he saw was the thin back of the boy who was趴 on the desk.

He’s too thin.

Xu Jun thought. He stared at the boy’s exposed waist. His fair, jade-like skin was dazzling and made it hard to look away. What’s more, there was a crimson mole on his slender waist.

Hmm, continuing to look would require another trip to the bathroom.

Xu Jun forced himself to look away. But from a distance of five or six meters, he suddenly raised his hand, and his five fingers clenched. The veins on the back of his hand bulged. This was an extremely controlling behavior, as if this way, he could hold Tao Ning’s waist, his crimson, alluring mole, and his entire person in his palm.

He walked over and easily picked Tao Ning up and put him on the bed. As he had promised, he would never find Tao Ning dirty. He restrained himself from taking off Tao Ning’s clothes, squatted down to take off his shoes, and covered him with the blanket.

Xu Jun quietly watched Tao Ning’s sleeping face for a while. He anonymously sent an email on his computer: I’ll take that paper. I’ll take the others too, including cutting-edge programming.

The other side replied in seconds: ?poem??

Xu Jun: Seven thousand for one.

The other side: Okay, it really is you, brat. Didn’t you look down on that stuff?

Xu Jun: If there are Ph.D. level ones, we can cooperate. Card number XXXX.

The other side: …You’re something else, brat. I’ll contact them.

At dinnertime, Father and Mother Xu returned. Xu Jun put on his glasses and woke Tao Ning up. Father Xu was carrying bags of vegetables, and his smile was gentle: “Tonight we’ll have steamed crucian carp and soy-marinated crabs. Ningning, are you used to eating soy-marinated crabs?”

Xu Jun briefly described the soy-marinated crabs to Tao Ning. Tao Ning nodded, “I haven’t had them before, but I want to try them.”

Father Xu’s eyes were full of love. He put on his bear apron with a gentle smile. “I’ll go make them now.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Before going into the kitchen, Father Xu asked Mother Xu for a kiss. Mother Xu still had an indifferent expression, but the corner of her mouth curved up slightly. Tao Ning lowered his head and didn’t dare to look too much. It wasn’t until the back of his hand was lightly touched that he looked up and met Xu Jun’s smiling eyes. But for some reason, his cheeks blushed even more.

Mother Xu told them to come over. The three of them came to a table covered with a red cloth. When they lifted it, it was a green mahjong table.

Xu Jun looked at Tao Ning: “Do you know how to play?”

Tao Ning nodded. He used to go to his second aunt and third aunt’s house after school to call Tao Yuan, who was playing mahjong, back home. Tao Yuan would complain that he was a bad luck charm for calling people back and would always tell him to wait a little longer. Tao Ning didn’t rush her. He would just stand next to her and watch her play mahjong. After watching for a long time, he naturally learned.

“But I only know how to play the mahjong from Star City.”

Mother Xu: “The rules for mahjong are different everywhere. You’ll get the hang of it after a few rounds.”

The three of them played Sichuan mahjong. Indeed, as Mother Xu said, Tao Ning wasn’t very skilled at first, but he got the hang of it after two rounds.

Mother Xu’s playing style was as strong as she was. She kept making ‘pongs’ one after another. Xu Jun took a tile with an expressionless face. The sound of the tile hitting the table was very strong. He said blandly, “Red center.”

These two were old pros. Tao Ning didn’t play much, but he was good at remembering the tiles, so he was very sharp. You could say that the three of them were almost evenly matched.

“Six of ten thousand.”

“Self-draw.”

“Pong.”

The three of them were calm, and no one would let anyone else win. Father Xu in the kitchen heard the commotion and shook his head with a doting and helpless smile, thinking that they were going to have another little gambling addict in the family. His hands, however, didn’t stop cutting vegetables at all.

In the end, Xu Jun won. Tao Ning didn’t lose much. Mother Xu was the one who lost the most. She had a serious expression, but she took out two red envelopes from her bag and gave one to each of them. “It’s not much. Take Tao Ning out to play tomorrow, but remember to read more when you get back at night.”

“Okay.”

Tao Ning took the red envelope. “Thank you, Auntie.”

Mother Xu showed a very faint smile and nodded. At the dinner table, the light dishes were still on Xu Jun and Tao Ning’s side. The spicier dishes were placed in front of Mother Xu. Father Xu and Xu Jun both put on gloves and peeled shrimp shells and steamed crabs for Mother Xu and Tao Ning respectively.

Tao Ning took a bite of the soy-marinated crab and instantly fell in love with the taste.

Xu Jun whispered next to him, “Do you like it?”

Tao Ning said while eating, “I do.”

Xu Jun said, “I can make it too.”

Tao Ning’s eyes curved. “You’re amazing.”

At night, Xu Jun watched him take his medicine. He took out a few milk candies from who knows where and put them in the boy’s soft palm. “A reward for taking your medicine at night.”

Xu Jun’s face was expressionless, but his gaze behind the gold-rimmed glasses was very calm. When he said “reward,” it gave off a feeling of coaxing a child, which also made Tao Ning have the illusion that if he continued to take his medicine in the future, Xu Jun would always give him rewards for taking his medicine obediently.

There was no extra guest room at home. Xu Jun disinfected the sofa and even put a plastic cover on it. He said blandly, “I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight. You sleep in my room.”

He didn’t dare to sleep in the same bed as Tao Ning. This was the last bit of self-control under his reason.

Mother Xu gave him a strange look. Because a mother knows her son, she knew her son. He was a severe germaphobe. Not to mention having other people sleep in his room, even if they, his parents, went in, he didn’t like them to stay for long. At that time, Xu Jun was not very old and couldn’t control his temper and arrogance. Because she accidentally dropped perfume in his room, little Xu Jun almost had a fight with her. In the end, it was Father Xu who whipped Xu Jun a few times with a feather duster to end it.

So now, Xu Jun was even willing to let Tao Ning sleep in his bed. She was a little surprised, but she didn’t ask too much. Perhaps her son had grown up and was a little more humane.

But that night, Tao Ning had an upset stomach. Soy-marinated crabs were raw food, after all. His stomach was weak, and he couldn’t handle it the first time he ate it. He came out of the bathroom holding his stomach and saw Xu Jun in his pajamas. He frowned and walked closer. “Your stomach hurts?”

Tao Ning frowned, and cold sweat beaded on his pale, beautiful face. “…Yes.”

Xu Jun immediately went to get him a cup of hot water, helped him lie down, and said, “I’ll go get you some medicine.” His usually calm steps were in a panic. The person who would change his clothes to accompany the boy to play games even in the middle of the night this time was so anxious that he forgot to change his clothes and went out in his pajamas.

Xu Jun came back quickly, panting. It seemed he had run there. He helped Tao Ning, who was still frowning, up, let him lean against his arms, and gently coaxed him to finish his medicine. Then he rubbed his palms together and gently massaged his stomach.

The clock on the wall ticked. Xu Jun waited until the person in his arms was breathing steadily and had fallen asleep. He restrained himself and kissed the top of Tao Ning’s soft head. Pity flowed from his eyes: “…I’m sorry.”

He massaged Tao Ning’s stomach all night. At dawn, he kissed the boy’s fair forehead and went back to sleep on the sofa in the living room as if nothing had happened.

The next day, the soy-marinated crabs were gone from the dinner table. After lunch, Xu Jun waited for Tao Ning to finish his medicine, gave him an Ultraman toy as a reward, and took his hand to go out.

Xu Jun was carrying a camera and took Tao Ning to the Pearl River and the pier. This time, he held his hand even tighter, afraid that others would touch Tao Ning.

Click, click.

“Hmm, stand a little to the left.” Xu Jun held the camera and took pictures of Tao Ning. The boy behind the lens was wearing a clean white shirt and long pants. Behind him was the vast river. He had a shy smile but would pose according to his words.

Besides the photos on his ID card and a few childhood photos, Tao Ning had at least a hundred photos taken this time. Like treasured items, they were all locked securely in Xu Jun’s camera.

Not caring about other people’s strange gazes, Xu Jun held Tao Ning’s hand and walked along the river. The two of them felt the river breeze and discussed Euler’s formula and other things in mathematics as they walked.

It wasn’t until evening that Father Xu called them and told them not to come back for dinner. He and Mother Xu were going on a date and told them to eat out.

Xu Jun hung up the phone and planned to take Tao Ning to a tea restaurant for dinner. On the way, they passed a snack street. Tao Ning glanced at the candied hawthorns a few times and finally stopped in front of a group of acrobats. The troupe surrounded by the crowd was breathing fire and breaking rocks.

Tao Ning, a little country bumpkin, had never seen anything like this before. He was completely mesmerized.

The corner of Xu Jun’s mouth curved up. “Do you want to eat candied hawthorns?”

Tao Ning nodded as he stared intently at the acrobats inside.

“I’ll give you my phone. Wait for me here. I’ll go buy them.”

Xu Jun walked back to buy the mobile candied hawthorns for Tao Ning. Because it was the weekend, there were a lot of people. On the way, he accidentally bumped into a girl with pigtails wearing a sailor uniform.

“Sorry.”

The girl glared at him: “Are you blind? Can’t you see where you’re going?”

Xu Jun gave her a faint look and didn’t bother with her anymore. He went to buy the candied hawthorns.

The girl was holding a camera and watched his back disappear. She then picked up the camera again and took a picture of the long-haired girl behind the lens. “Sui Sui, look here, look here! Yes, yes, just like that, don’t move. You look especially beautiful!”

He Niannian was happily taking pictures of Zhao Jingsui. It wasn’t until she saw a middle-aged man in the camera lens staring at Zhao Jingsui’s legs with a lewd gaze that she instantly put down her camera, ran over, and started cursing: “What are you looking at, you pig?! If you look at her again, I’ll dig your eyes out!”

The middle-aged man only dared to look and didn’t dare to say anything. He walked away dejectedly.

He Niannian spat at him and cursed, “You idiot.” She then took Zhao Jingsui’s arm and asked: “Sui Sui, are you okay?”

Zhao Jingsui rubbed her head. Her expression was gentle: “I’m fine. Let’s go eat.”

“Okay!”

The two of them walked around and found a Western restaurant to eat. He Niannian was fiddling with her camera and complaining: “There’s nothing fun in Haizhou either. I should have gone to Paris. I could have just shopped there.”

Zhao Jingsui asked with a smile: “Who said she would give up shopping for me?”

He Niannian pouted and let out a light哼.

“Okay, I bought you two LV bags and a GUCCI dress…”

“Huh, Sui Sui, look. This person looks like that country bumpkin from that village…” He Niannian handed the camera to Zhao Jingsui. The latter looked at it. Behind the girl in the lens, in the bottom left corner, there was a thin boy. Although only half of his face was showing, his iconic black-rimmed glasses and exquisite features were extremely eye-catching.

He Niannian also took out the boy’s old photos to compare and confirmed: “It’s him! The one named Tao Ning!”

“So you remember his name.” Zhao Jingsui said sourly.

He Niannian put down the camera and retorted: “I don’t remember that country bumpkin! Who said I remember him? I don’t remember him.” She paused and then gossiped, leaning closer. She whispered, “Oh, by the way, Sui Sui, wasn’t your brother looking for this country bumpkin all this time? Should I send him the photo? But he tricked me out of my money. One photo is worth at least three LV bags.”

Zhao Jingsui nodded seriously: “I’ll mail it to him when I get back, but I don’t know if he’ll get the photo.”

“Why?”

Zhao Jingsui said blandly: “Because he’s in northern Myanmar right now.”

Support