How could a Puppy-like Boy Ever Have Any Bad Intentions? - Chapter 4

With a “beep,” the fingerprint lock succeeded and the door pushed open gently.

Su Lixu stepped aside to look at Fu Xingran. He smiled and said, “Go on in.”

As he spoke, he noticed Fu Xingran staring blankly at the floor-to-ceiling window directly facing the entrance. The boy’s face showed a clear, visible shift in emotion. It was a mix of surprise, longing, and an outward display of genuine affection.

Fu Xingran gazed at the spacious, bright apartment. The clash of dark green and white created a vintage yet fresh aesthetic that was immediately striking. His eyes were drawn to the massive window where heavy, dark green curtains were tied back on both sides, and a white sheer veil fluttered slightly in the breeze.

Every piece of furniture in the apartment radiated the man’s personality. Combined with the elegant, vintage green, the air was saturated with the fragrance of August osmanthus.

Slowly closing his eyes, Fu Xingran took a greedy, deep breath. He felt as if his heart were about to jump out of his chest. He loved it so much. It was driving him mad.

“Teacher Su, your home is beautiful.” Fu Xingran turned to look at Su Lixu, who was standing right next to him, and broke into a smile. “It’s so bright and comfortable. It feels like a home, though I don’t really know if all homes feel this comfortable.”

Su Lixu had been wondering why the boy was so silent, but hearing this, he met Fu Xingran’s smile. Looking at this tall, fair-skinned boy, he seemed so sunny and cheerful.

Yet, it made Su Lixu feel a pang of bittersweetness.

During the treatment years ago, he had learned about Fu Xingran’s family situation. When Fu Xingran was very young, he was involved in a kidnapping case where the kidnappers murdered his mother. A five-year-old Fu Xingran had witnessed the entire event.

Later, his father was too busy and left him to be raised by nannies. Years of missing family companionship and emotional neglect led to the formation of his Borderline Personality Disorder.

He was someone who was desperately starved for love, craved it intensely, and demanded an extreme level of security. All his emotions fluctuated and spiraled because of this profound lack.

Su Lixu closed the door and gently placed a hand on Fu Xingran’s back to guide him inside. He said warmly, “Look around as much as you like. Treat it as your own home; no need to be formal.”

Perhaps meeting again really is fate, he thought.

He proceeded to take off his shoes and socks, stepping onto the wooden floor with bare feet.

Fu Xingran glanced at the shoe cabinet and saw only one pair of slippers. Good, Teacher Su lived alone. Then he saw Su Lixu bend down to remove his shoes. The moment he saw the socks come off, revealing the pale arches of the man’s feet, his pupils constricted from the stimulation.

What beautiful feet. Just like his hands, they were like works of art. Pale, slender, and the veins showing through the skin of the arches were like a masterpiece. If only he could touch them.

“Teacher Su, you’ll catch a cold without slippers. You should put them on.” Fu Xingran took a pair of slippers from the cabinet and knelt down in front of Su Lixu. He reached out and grasped the man’s ankle to help him slide them on. “I’ll worry if you get sick.”

Su Lixu hadn’t expected Fu Xingran to do this. By the time he recovered from his surprise, the slippers were already on. “Ah, okay. Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Fu Xingran stood up. “Teacher Su, can I bring a pair of slippers to keep here next time?”

Su Lixu glanced at the cabinet and smiled. “Actually, the pair I’m wearing was meant for guests. I don’t like wearing slippers, so why don’t I give these to you? I’m used to being barefoot.”

“Guests?” Fu Xingran asked, his brow furrowing. “Do other people come to Teacher Su’s house? I don’t need to wear them. You wear them, Teacher Su.”

Su Lixu had no choice but to drop the subject. He walked further in and began washing his hands at the sink in the open kitchen.

“No, no one has been here since the renovations were finished. You are my first guest.” He opened a cabinet to look for flour. “Go ahead and look around while I get started.”

The word “first” seemed to please Fu Xingran. He watched the busy silhouette in the kitchen, the curve of his lips deepening. He looked down at the hand that had held Su Lixu’s ankle and uncontrollably brought it to his lips.

He looked back at Su Lixu’s back, infatuated, as he lightly kissed the fingertips that had touched the man’s skin.

“How wonderful. I’m the first. Then I suppose I can forgive you for disappearing so suddenly.”

Regardless, Su Lixu wouldn’t be disappearing again.

While Su Lixu was busy in the kitchen, Fu Xingran wandered through the apartment. Although it was an apartment, the area was quite large, especially considering it was a high-rise in a prime real estate district. The interior was clearly professionally designed, from the refined bar counter connected to the kitchen to the rotating wine collection wall. Everything radiated a high quality of life.

Fu Xingran could tell from Su Lixu’s movements that the man had excellent taste. Not to mention, he was brilliant, a high-quality man where charm and knowledge coexisted.

This was why Fu Xingran had to work hard. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be worthy of Su Lixu. This was what he had thought from the first moment he saw him. He might be crazy, but he still wanted to be a man worthy of Su Lixu.

Entering Su Lixu’s bedroom, he looked at the decor. It was simple yet sophisticated, perfectly tidy, and incredibly clean.

He walked over to the bed and stared at the dark green bedding. He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing his hands against the sides to feel the soft texture. Then, he carefully lay down. At this close range, he could smell the August osmanthus scent belonging to Su Lixu.

He pulled the duvet over his face, inhaling greedily to soak in the man’s scent. He loved it. He loved it so much. He wanted Su Lixu to hold him. What should he do? He wanted it so badly.

“Xingran.”

Fu Xingran sat up abruptly. He looked at the door in shock, his heart racing so hard the sound vibrated in his ears. No one was standing at the door. The voice had come from the living room.

He took a breath, quickly smoothed out the wrinkled duvet, and walked out of the room. His expression returned to normal, as if he had done nothing at all.

“What is it, Doctor Su?”

Su Lixu turned around, his hands covered in flour. He looked at Fu Xingran helplessly. “Could you help me put on the apron? I forgot to put it on, and I’m getting flour everywhere.” He pointed to the apron hanging on the side of the refrigerator.

Put on an apron?

Fu Xingran’s eyes lit up. Could things really be this good? He saw two aprons hanging there and took one down. It was dark green. It seemed Teacher Su really loved that color. He walked over to Su Lixu and held the apron up. For a moment, his hands trembled.

“How do I put it on?”

Su Lixu lowered his head. “Loop it over my neck, then help me tie the straps in the back.”

Seeing him lower his head, Fu Xingran slowly looped the apron over Su Lixu’s neck. Then, Su Lixu turned around, presenting his back. Fu Xingran’s gaze was instantly captured by the patch of pale skin on the back of the man’s neck. He held the two straps and slowly moved closer.

“Haven’t you seen an apron before?” Su Lixu poured flour into a bowl. As he was about to pour water, he felt a pair of hands encircle his waist from behind.

“No, I haven’t.” Fu Xingran gripped the straps. He truly couldn’t resist wrapping his arms around Su Lixu’s waist, pretending he was trying to tie the straps in the front. “So, does it tie in the front like this?”

Doctor Su’s waist was so thin. And he smelled so good.

Su Lixu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He turned his head and saw Fu Xingran’s bewildered expression. He couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “No, it ties in the back.”

Fu Xingran hadn’t expected Su Lixu to laugh, let alone so gently and beautifully. At this distance, everything was clear. It seemed as if he were truly reflected in the man’s eyes. “Oh, is that so? I didn’t know, but I do now.”

He let go and bowed his head to tie a bow behind Su Lixu’s waist. His gaze trailed downward, and he thought: Doctor Su would look so good if he only wore an apron. He had to see it.

“Xingran, can you help me add some water? Stop when I tell you.” Su Lixu nodded toward the glass pitcher.

“Okay.” Fu Xingran stood obediently by his side to help.

“Do you know how to use an eggbeater?”

“Yes.”

“Then help me beat the eggs into a paste until the color lightens.”

“Okay, big brother.”

The atmosphere in the kitchen was exceptionally harmonious.

As Su Lixu poured the low-gluten flour into the egg mixture, he poured it from a bit too high. Flour puffed up and landed on Fu Xingran’s face. The boy, who had been waiting seriously, was caught off guard by the flour cloud.

“Cough, cough…” Fu Xingran turned his head and coughed several times as the flour irritated his nose.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Su Lixu immediately put down the flour and reached over to wipe the flour off the boy’s face. However, he forgot his own hands were covered in flour. With one wipe, Fu Xingran’s face became a mess. Su Lixu couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Fu Xingran looked at him blankly, but he was dazed by the man’s laughter. Laugh all you want, he thought. I’ll be a fool if it makes you laugh.

“I forgot my hands were dirty too. I messed up your face.” Su Lixu raised his hands apologetically. Just as the words left his mouth, he felt a smudge on his own face.

Fu Xingran reached out and lightly smeared flour on Su Lixu’s cheek. “Now we’re even.”

The warmth of the fingertips against his cheek was deliberate, disguised as an accident. The bewildered look on his face was part of a calculated move.

Su Lixu lowered his head and smiled. He gently poured the rest of the flour into the mixture. “Childish. Keep stirring.”

After filling the piping bag with the batter, they squeezed it into the donut molds and put them in the oven. While waiting, Su Lixu made two simple portions of pasta and two glasses of sea salt lemonade.

“Time to eat.”

Su Lixu placed the food on the bar counter and turned to the sink. As he washed his hands, a thought suddenly struck him. When he had touched Fu Xingran just now, he hadn’t even thought about needing to wash his hands.

He remembered his first day at Jingda University. In the restroom, when Fu Xingran had embraced him from behind, he had forgotten to wash his hands a second time. Back then, he didn’t know it was Fu Xingran, yet psychologically, he had bypassed his own germaphobia.

It had been the same years ago. What a strange coincidence.

Fu Xingran sat on a barstool, resting his head on his hands as he watched Su Lixu wash his hands. “Doctor Su, I suddenly envy your future partner. Being with someone as gentle as you must be so much happiness.”

“Hmm?” Su Lixu looked up and smiled. “How so? Do I really give off a ‘happy’ feeling?”

“Yes. Doctor Su, you’ve made me feel what a home is like. Having you here makes me feel very happy.”

Su Lixu was surprised by the statement. Then he noticed Fu Xingran’s eyes were turning red, and he froze.

Fu Xingran stared at the man. “Because it was you, Doctor Su, who gave me the courage to live. You let me briefly experience what a home feels like. So, Doctor Su… will you leave me again this time?”

Su Lixu looked into Fu Xingran’s moist eyes. The cowardice reflected in them and the caution in his words made him overlap completely with the insecure young boy from four years ago.

But, where did the phrase “leave him again” come from?

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