The Sickly Villain Only Wants to Survive

26

Could accept that too.

Before he could finish, his mouth was suddenly covered.

Zhu Tong stared at him in horror, "That's just Yuan Shaozhao's nonsense! I didn't—"

Shao Ming's eyes curved as he looked at him.

Realizing what he had just done, a wave of heat rushed to Zhu Tong's head. He quickly withdrew his hand, his five fingers retracting like a sensitive mimosa.

His palm burned.

Anxiously, he stammered, "I...I..."

After stumbling over his words for a long while, he turned his head away and buried his face, refusing to speak further.

What did Shao Ming think of him?

Wasn't this a case of kindness being taken for granted!

Shao Ming looked at his bright red ears, slightly dazed. He leaned closer, "Are you mad?"

Zhu Tong: "..."

Zhu Tong took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, and glared at him, unable to hold back anymore: "I already said I didn't mean it that way. If you don't believe me, that's fine, but you don't have to... don't have to test me like this."

Shao Ming: "..."

Test him?

Was he testing him?

Shao Ming paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "I was just joking. It won't happen again."

Zhu Tong looked at him suspiciously.

Shao Ming's expression was sincere. "Really."

Zhu Tong glanced at the progress bar of his affection meter. It hadn't changed much.

It should really have been a joke.

Zhu Tong stared at him for a moment longer. "I'll believe you this time."

He emphasized the word "time."

Shao Ming smiled. "Alright."

Then, Zhu Tong lowered his head and went back to doing his exercises.

His ears quickly lost their red flush, and he was no longer upset, refocusing his attention on solving the problems almost instantly.

Shao Ming thought to himself: So easy to coax.

He slightly lifted his head but then rested it back on his elbow, looking leisurely.

But inside, he wasn't so at ease.

He knew very well that his words weren't just probing, nor were they entirely a joke.

It was just that when Zhu Tong had "explained and clarified," there was a subtle sense of dissatisfaction, so he couldn't help but tease him.

Why was he feeling dissatisfied?

Shao Ming laughed to himself, thinking how hypocritical human nature truly is—everyone's the same.

When doubting someone, they reject that person's affection.

Yet once they know the person no longer likes them, they can't help but provoke them again.

There were plenty of people who liked him, and in the past, when they gave up, he would feel relieved.

So why was Zhu Tong different?

Zhu Tong, who was working on the problem, seemed to hit a difficult point again and furrowed his brows slightly.

He looked focused, as if nothing could disturb him.