How could a Puppy-like Boy Ever Have Any Bad Intentions? - Chapter 14

The living room fell into a subtle silence; after the words were spoken, neither was the first to break it.

Su Lixu felt as though his brain couldn’t quite keep up. It wasn’t that he found any issue with Fu Xingran liking men, he wasn’t a narrow-minded person, he was simply surprised. Recalling the things Fu Xingran had said over the past few days, he realized the boy’s words were always so blunt they made one’s ears burn.

 

Meeting Fu Xingran’s expectant gaze, he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

 

“Does Brother hate gay people?” Fu Xingran broke the silence first.

 

“No.” Su Lixu withdrew his gaze and quietly pulled back to create distance. “Sit down. Crouching is tiring.”

 

Hearing this, a spark of light returned to Fu Xingran’s eyes. Not hating it meant he could accept it; if he could accept it, then there was a chance he could love him.

 

He sat down right next to Su Lixu, continuing to stare. “Then does Brother think it’s a sickness? My liking men?”

 

“No. Love has nothing to do with gender.” Su Lixu felt Fu Xingran’s gaze was becoming too intense. He shifted his eyes away inconspicuously. For some reason, he felt a sense of nuance he couldn’t quite put into words.

 

Fu Xingran smiled, a radiant, brilliant expression. He felt Su Lixu’s answer was more pleasing than anything else. He pressed closer to Su Lixu’s side.

 

Initially, Su Lixu didn’t think much of it until Fu Xingran’s leg pressed against his own. The distance between them vanished instantly. Su Lixu opened his mouth but hesitated, wanting to ask what he was doing.

 

“Now that Brother knows I like men, will you dislike me being so close to you?” Fu Xingran placed his hand on the sofa behind Su Lixu’s waist. “Is this distance okay?”

 

Su Lixu: “…What?” As he spoke, he saw Fu Xingran lean in even further.

 

Fu Xingran moved slightly forward until his chest was nearly brushing Su Lixu’s arm. He looked at him with burning eyes. “What about this? Does this make you feel uncomfortable?”

 

At this range, their warm breaths almost grazed each other’s lips. With only thin layers of clothing between them, the powerful beat of Fu Xingran’s heart seemed to be transmitting a silent message. There were no transgressive actions, yet it was a bold interrogation; the youth’s blunt words carried a disquieting ambiguity.

 

“…It’s fine.” Su Lixu shifted his body sideways, subtly pulling his arm away from Fu Xingran. He wondered if he was being too sensitive, but he felt as though Fu Xingran was hinting at someone specific.

 

He didn’t think he was gay, but anyone would feel unnatural with such a sudden invasion of personal space. That was only normal.

 

“So Brother doesn’t hate this distance?”

 

Just as Su Lixu thought he had pulled away to a safe distance, his arm was gripped. His lower back tensed as he looked up and crashed into Fu Xingran’s gaze. The glowing eyes held an intense emotion he couldn’t quite decipher—an excitement that was almost overflowing.

 

He looked like a child who had just tasted candy. Su Lixu could sense that Fu Xingran was gaining a sweet thrill from him, testing his boundaries and constantly pushing for more.

 

Is he using me to test his own feelings? Su Lixu wondered. For a moment, he couldn’t analyze the answers he wanted from Fu Xingran’s micro-expressions. The closer he got, the less he understood him. The feeling that this boy was completely impenetrable became even stronger.

 

Su Lixu pulled himself out of his stray thoughts. “You don’t need to care about others’ feelings. It’s about who you like, not who I like or who anyone else likes. My opinion doesn’t matter; your feelings do.”

 

“But I want you to like it too. Because I care about you, I care about what you think.”

 

Su Lixu sighed helplessly. “If I said I didn’t like it, would you stop liking him?”

 

“You will definitely like him,” Fu Xingran said, staring at Su Lixu. “Because as I said, he is a very gentle man. He is the most gentle, most perfect person I have ever seen in this world. There is no one else like him.”

 

“He always wears white and carries a faint scent of sweet osmanthus. He is always smiling. At first, I didn’t understand why seeing him made me so happy, I just wanted him to spend more time with me. But after he left, I couldn’t stop myself from missing him.”

 

“I think of him day and night, to the point of restlessness, to the point of being consumed by stray thoughts.”

 

“So I really like him. I love him. I want him. I will definitely have him.”

 

Su Lixu felt his heart being struck by Fu Xingran’s words, one blow after another. Could this Fu Xingran, with such intense emotions, truly have reunited with him without a shred of resentment, throwing the misunderstanding of four years ago completely behind him?

 

“Alright, let’s not talk about him anymore. I came today because I wanted to give Brother a small gift. I made it myself.” Fu Xingran knew when to stop. He handed over the prepared perfume. “See if you like it?”

 

“Why are you giving me a gift out of the blue?” Su Lixu looked at the bag.

 

“As you said, Brother, when giving a gift, one should cater to the recipient’s tastes.” Fu Xingran placed the bag on Su Lixu’s lap, looking at him expectantly. “See if you like it.”

 

Su Lixu thought for a moment. Cater to tastes? Then why is he catering to mine?

 

“I said that whatever you like, he will definitely like. Check it first. Only if you like it can I give it to him.”

 

Su Lixu replied, “So this gift for me is actually meant for him?” It turned out he was just a test subject.

 

“Mm.” Fu Xingran nodded. It was the same thing anyway. He took the perfume out and placed it in Su Lixu’s hand. “Smell it and see if it’s good. I made this perfume myself. I studied for a long time to learn how to blend scents.”

 

Su Lixu was surprised. “You made it yourself? That’s impressive.”

 

Fu Xingran smiled. “It’s not that much. I just like perfume too.” Because you do, he thought.

 

Su Lixu looked down at the frosted glass bottle. He sprayed a bit on his wrist and inhaled. A faint, lingering scent of citrus drifted up, somewhat similar to the top notes of August Night Osmanthus. It didn’t smell cheap at all; it was unexpectedly pleasant.

 

“Is it fragrant?”

 

He heard Fu Xingran ask and nodded. “Very. It’s a very comfortable scent.”

 

“Let me smell.”

 

Before Su Lixu could react, Fu Xingran grabbed his hand and lifted his wrist. He lowered his head to smell the spot where the perfume had been sprayed.

 

Su Lixu froze.

 

Fu Xingran’s eyes were lowered as he inhaled at the wrist. His bangs hid much of his expression, but his features seemed cool and dominant—a completely different aura from his usual “good boy” persona. His nose accidentally brushed against the skin—a soft, tingling touch that plucked at Su Lixu’s heartstrings.

 

The movement reminded Su Lixu of a phrase: The heart has a tiger, but sniffs the rose. He watched Fu Xingran, unaware that he was staring blankly. Suddenly, he collided with Fu Xingran’s gaze as the boy looked up. The air seemed to turn sticky with an unexplainable tension.

 

Fu Xingran met Su Lixu’s fleeting gaze. A smile spread through his dark, deep eyes like ink in water, so affectionate it was dizzying.

 

“Mm. It’s very sweet.”

 

Su Lixu quickly pulled his hand back and looked away, trying to suppress the turbulence in his heart. What is wrong with this guy?

 

Fu Xingran caught every bit of Su Lixu’s reaction. The corners of his mouth tilted up. “Brother, look at the bottom of the bottle.”

 

Su Lixu flipped the bottle over, hoping to break the awkward mood. Suddenly, the digits 922 struck him like a needle. His head throbbed, and the pleasant mood from the fragrance was instantly swallowed by a dark memory.

 

“…922. What is this?”

 

“There are no vital signs. Our condolences.”

 

“It’s the anniversary of when I met him. So, this perfume is called 922.” Fu Xingran watched Su Lixu closely, as if searching for a specific reaction. But there was none.

 

Su Lixu pulled his eyes away from the numbers. “I see.” His knuckles turned white from the force of his grip on the bottle.

 

Fu Xingran noticed Su Lixu’s face had turned pale. He frowned. “Brother, what’s wrong? Are you unwell?” Suddenly remembering the sprain, he knelt down and held the injured foot. “Does your foot hurt? I’ll get some ice to compress it, okay?”

 

“Xingran, I—”

 

“I’ll get the ice.”

 

Before he could finish, Fu Xingran was already heading to the kitchen. Su Lixu found he couldn’t find the words to ask for solitude.

 

Fu Xingran returned with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. He sat beside Su Lixu, lifted the man’s leg by the back of the knee, and placed it onto his own lap before applying the ice to the swollen ankle. His movements were so efficient Su Lixu was left speechless.

 

“It’s so swollen, you won’t be able to walk on it for days.” Fu Xingran knit his brows. “Can you manage alone? Should I come over to stay with you?”

 

Su Lixu said, “It’s fine. It’s just a small sprain. I’ll be able to walk in a few days. The doctor at the clinic already saw it.”

 

“That won’t do. And you twisted your back too, didn’t you? Let me see.”

 

Su Lixu immediately held Fu Xingran’s hand, speaking seriously. “Xingran, really, it’s fine. The back isn’t that serious. It’s an old issue; it’ll be fine with a few days of rest. Don’t be so tense.”

 

His thoughts suddenly halted on the fact that he was touching Fu Xingran’s hand. It was miraculous. Whenever anyone else touched his hands, he felt deeply uncomfortable, yet with Fu Xingran, he didn’t.

 

“How can I not be tense?” Fu Xingran seemed displeased, his face darkening. “If it were me, I would never have let you get hurt while playing, and I wouldn’t leave you alone at home. What if you’re in pain or you hurt yourself again because it’s inconvenient to move? I’m staying here to watch over you. I’m not leaving.”

 

“Don’t worry about it being inconvenient for me. I’m very free. Starting tomorrow, I’ll make you breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ll tidy the house. You don’t have to move; just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.”

 

Su Lixu didn’t think he was so injured he had to be bedridden. “It’s really a minor injury. I’ll walk two steps to show you.” He lowered his leg to the carpet to stand up.

 

Before he could rise, his ankle was gripped by Fu Xingran.

 

“Don’t move.”

 

Su Lixu’s body stiffened. He sat back onto the sofa and looked down to see Fu Xingran kneeling on one knee before him, holding his swollen ankle. Looking up, he met Fu Xingran’s eyes.

 

Fu Xingran’s eyes were pure black, an unfathomable depth. When he was silent, his emotions were unreadable. In the silence, there was a sense of approaching danger, yet in the next second, worry spread through his eyes, making the previous intensity vanish.

 

“It hurts me to see you injured. Don’t make me worry anymore, okay? Sit still. I’ll do whatever needs to be done.”

 

Su Lixu was stunned. He had never heard Fu Xingran use this kind of tone—he was no longer a “puppy.” He instinctively tried to pull his ankle away but found Fu Xingran had no intention of letting go.

 

“I’m really fine.”

 

Fu Xingran sighed with a look of helplessness. “Brother, I can see whether you’re fine or not. It’s already swollen, isn’t it?” He sensed Su Lixu’s resistance. “Or is it that you don’t want me taking care of you? Do you feel I’m in your way?”

 

“It’s not that, it’s just really not that exaggerated. I can manage alone.” As the words left his mouth, Su Lixu saw Fu Xingran’s dejected look and felt a pang of regret.

 

Fu Xingran lowered his head, feigning sorrow. “It seems Brother finds me too annoying. I’m sorry for bothering you. Perhaps you should call Professor He back instead.” He made a move to stand up and leave.

 

The aggrieved tone was so thick with resentment that Su Lixu felt as though he were a heartless man. Seeing Fu Xingran about to leave, he quickly grabbed him. “Wait!”

 

The moment his hand was caught, Fu Xingran’s lips tilted up behind his back, a triumphant glint in his eyes. When he turned back, the expression was gone, replaced by the same pitiful look. “What is it, Brother?”

 

“Have you eaten?” Su Lixu asked. He couldn’t let this guy leave while his emotions were so low; he didn’t know what he might do. Just to be safe.

 

“No.”

 

“Then… stay for dinner.”

 

“Okay!”

 

“…” Hearing the near-instant response and seeing Fu Xingran’s brilliant smile, Su Lixu felt as though he had been played.

 

As it turned out, he had walked right into a trap.

 

“I’ll start taking care of you tomorrow. I might not be as good at cooking as Professor He, and I can only help with chores, but at least I’ll wash the dishes. I won’t leave them in the sink for you to do while you’re injured.” Fu Xingran moved quickly to set his plans now that he had won. He would create every opportunity to be alone together.

 

Su Lixu wondered why he was mentioning He Shi again. “But don’t you live at school? Running back and forth—”

 

Before he could finish, a key and an access card engraved with the “Langmanli” logo appeared before him.

 

Fu Xingran smiled and dangled the key. “I live in 1204, right next door to you. Surprise?”

 

Su Lixu: “…Quite a surprise.”

 

How did he not know someone was living next door, and that it was Fu Xingran? Recalling the night Fu Xingran stayed over during the rain had he done that on purpose?

 

“I’ll go wash the dishes now. You rest well and leave everything to me. Just call if you need anything; I’m at your beck and call.” Fu Xingran stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and walked into the kitchen with practiced ease.

 

So, what if the guy can cook? I can wash dishes, mop the floor, and do laundry. More importantly, he was younger than Professor He. Any way you looked at it, he was the most suitable choice.