FIO CH40

Chapter 40: I Don’t Feel Safe

Lu Fangchi raised an eyebrow and retorted, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Zheng’s face rubbed against Lu Fangchi’s neck, and the continuous warm, moist breath causing tickling answered off-topic, “I heard it.”

“Hm?” Lu Fangchi was puzzled.

“You made a phone call,” Zhou Zheng’s face still buried in Lu Fangchi’s neck, he pointed with his finger, “And that.”

Following Zhou Zheng’s gesture, Lu Fangchi saw the suitcase next to the living room and understood what the alpha was implying.

“You were planning to come back to me, weren’t you?” Zhou Zheng asked, his face burrowing deeper into Lu Fangchi’s neck as if seeking a pat.

Lu Fangchi reached up and ruffled the back of the alpha’s head, which kept butting around, and smiled helplessly, “What else? Someone blocked me completely.”

Caught red-handed, Zhou Zheng grumbled and reluctantly admitted, “I was just too angry.”

“Angry at me?” Lu Fangchi questioned, his hand finding the alpha’s earlobe and pinching it hard, “I was anxious too when I couldn’t get back.”

Zhou Zheng, knowing he was in the wrong, didn’t dare to act out but subtly bit Lu Fangchi’s collarbone in resistance, muttering, “That’s why I came to find you…”

Since Zhou Zheng entered the door, the light-heartedness in Lu Fangchi’s eyes had been lingering. He was annoying and crazy, but the big rise after a big fall was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Seeing that Lu Fangchi hadn’t responded for a long time, Zhou Zheng spoke up again, “Is it okay to apologize in person…” As he spoke, he lifted his face, pouting slightly, and coaxed in a low voice.

Lu Fangchi couldn’t bear the look in those eyes and nodded as if he couldn’t hold out any longer, “Alright, alright.”

The alpha’s eyes curved into a triumphant smile as he buried his face back into Lu Fangchi’s neck, “Tired, sleepy.” His voice was weak and listless.

Lu Fangchi took in Zhou Zheng’s disheveled appearance and gently stroked the alpha’s back, asking, “What time did you arrive?”

“About half past seven…” Zhou Zheng’s voice gradually faded.

Lu Fangchi remembered that he had prepared to go downstairs for breakfast around eight, which meant Zhou Zheng had waited outside the door for over an hour. He frowned, “Why didn’t you knock?”

“I didn’t dare to,” Zhou Zheng’s voice was faint, “Well, it’s not that I didn’t dare, I was afraid of disturbing you. I blocked you, and I felt embarrassed to call you…” His voice almost disappeared at the end.

This wouldn’t do, Lu Fangchi propped himself up, reached out, and patted Zhou Zheng’s drowsy face.

Zhou Zheng’s eyelids lifted with difficulty, his eyes squinted with sleepiness, “Hm?”

“Take a hot shower and sleep in the bed. You’ll catch a cold on the sofa,” Lu Fangchi said.

“Mm, mm…” Zhou Zheng nodded in agreement, but his eyes closed again as he was about to fall asleep.

Seeing this, Lu Fangchi had no choice but to lead him to bed. However, as soon as Zhou Zheng’s body touched the bed, he struggled to get up, mumbled in a daze, “I’m dirty.”

“I’ll go wash,” he said, and with a heavy head, he stood up and staggered towards the bathroom.

About ten or fifteen minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and steamy hot air wafted out. Zhou Zheng emerged from the bath completely naked, with his manhood standing tall and proud.

Lu Fangchi, who was sitting at the head of the bed looking at his laptop, quickly closed the notebook, frowned, and gritted his teeth, “Why aren’t you wearing anything?”

Zhou Zheng blinked, looking innocent, “I don’t have any.”

Lu Fangchi remembered that the alpha had come in with empty hands, “Stay right there.” He got up and rummaged through the suitcase in the living room, finding a set of loose casual clothes and throwing them to Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng shook out the clothes and put them on right there, then got back into bed, bringing the dampness of the water closer to Lu Fangchi, who was working on his laptop, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Lu Fangchi glanced at him and spat out four words, “Video conference.”

Zhou Zheng’s eyes blinked rapidly as he looked at the computer screen.

“Disconnected,” Lu Fangchi said.

“Mm,” Zhou Zheng nodded, lay down, buried himself in the pillow, and reached out to wrap his arm around Lu Fangchi’s waist.

“Shall we eat something before sleeping?” Lu Fangchi asked.

Zhou Zheng shook his head with his eyes closed, as sleepiness washed over him again, “Bright, close the curtains.”

Lu Fangchi pressed the button on the bedside table, and the curtains automatically closed, plunging the room into darkness.

“Stay with me,” the alpha mumbled in a barely audible voice.

This environment was not conducive to working. He had briefly explained things in the DingTalk app, and considering that he had hardly slept the previous night, Zhou Zheng’s current suggestion was acceptable.

Lu Fangchi got into bed, pulled the covers over himself, and nestled into the alpha’s embrace.

In his sleep, the bulge in the covers let in a draft, and the floating sensation made Lu Fangchi open his eyes. He met the sight of Zhou Zheng working hard to swallow below.

With something in his mouth, Zhou Zheng looked up at him, a scene that made him swell with excitement.

Lu Fangchi reached out to push the restless alpha’s head away, but his hand, landing on the back of his head, seemed bewitched as it pressed down, lifting his hips and thrusting forward.

Zhou Zheng’s eyes reddened, and his eyes welled up with moisture. He gagged and tried to get up.

Lu Fangchi grabbed his hair and held him down, not letting him escape.

A few minutes later, his mind went blank, and he felt a sense of transcendence, with no other desires.

The alpha was finally free. He sat up, wiped his mouth with his hand, and swallowed.

Suddenly, he lunged forward and covered him, whispering, “It’s my turn now.”

Love knows no day or night and leads to indulgence.

When Lu Fangchi opened his eyes again, it was the growling of his empty stomach that woke him. The room was dim, and he didn’t know what time it was.

He reached out to touch the bedside lamp, and the warm orange light shone, making him squint. Zhou Zheng buried his face in the covers to avoid the light.

Lu Fangchi picked up his phone and checked the time: 9:05 PM. A whole day had been wasted.

Zhou Zheng moved, wrapped his arm around Lu Fangchi’s waist, and climbed up to cover the phone. His voice was thick with sleepiness, “Let’s sleep a bit more…”

It was sleepiness that made Lu Fangchi’s fingers relax, and the phone slipped to the bedside table. He buried his face in the alpha’s chest, which smelled of meat, and closed his eyes again.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, the sudden “ding-dong” ringtone from the bedside phone startled Lu Fangchi.

Fully awake now, Lu Fangchi nervously got up to reach for his phone. There was an incoming call, and the caller ID displayed “Yang Zhaoyang.”

Lu Fangchi glanced down at Zhou Zheng, who was still fast asleep with his eyes tightly shut. He sat up slightly, carefully extracted his arm, and pressed the answer button, speaking in a hushed voice, “Hello.”

“Why is your voice so soft?” Yang Zhaoyang asked.

“Just woke up,” Lu Fangchi swallowed, “What’s up?”

“Waking up at this hour?” Yang Zhaoyang got straight to the point, “The snow has stopped. How about we grab a meal?”

“I’m not alone,” Lu Fangchi said.

“Ah, your partner?” Yang Zhaoyang guessed correctly, his tone filled with teasing.

Lu Fangchi gave a helpless smile and admitted, “Yes.”

“Then bring them along. I’d like to meet the real deal,” Yang Zhaoyang said.

“Alright, I’ll ask,” Lu Fangchi hung up the phone and looked down to see that Zhou Zheng, who had been sleeping just moments ago, had opened his eyes.

He furrowed his thick brows, his eyes filled with caution, “Who?”

Although he wasn’t sure what Yang Zhaoyang had to do with anything, Lu Fangchi distinctly remembered that Zhou Zheng’s outburst during their argument last night had been triggered by Yang Zhaoyang.

He licked his lips, pondered for a moment, and finally decided to be straightforward, “Yang Zhaoyang.”

Zhou Zheng’s brows furrowed into a frown, his face full of displeasure, “What does he want?”

“He invited me to dinner,” Lu Fangchi said with a clear conscience, “I told him you’re here, and he wants me to bring you along.”

This was a good opportunity to assert his claim, and Lu Fangchi guessed that Zhou Zheng would go, which would also dispel any doubts, as they really had nothing going on.

But to his surprise, Zhou Zheng lowered his eyes, turned his back to Lu Fangchi, sneered, and said dismissively, “I’m not going.”

Lu Fangchi raised an eyebrow, leaned down close to Zhou Zheng’s earlobe, and breathed warmly, “Then I’ll go by myself?”

Zhou Zheng irritably twisted forward, covered his ears with his hands, and silently reproached Lu Fangchi’s behavior through his actions.

Oh, quite the little temper.

Lu Fangchi’s eyebrows curved into a smile as he once again goaded, “I really am going?”

Zhou Zheng’s lips pursed tightly, and after a long silence, he finally grumbled, “Do as you please.”

Quite principled.

Lu Fangchi nodded, got out of bed.

From behind came intermittent noises. Zhou Zheng pricked up his ears and listened carefully. He couldn’t imagine much from just hearing, then slowly moved, made two feints, and successfully turned around, facing the door with half-closed eyes to take a peek.

Lu Fangchi was getting dressed, wearing a pair of grey tapered pants with a white down jacket.

Zhou Zheng’s eyebrows knitted together. This outfit was too youthful; it could easily pass for a young college student. Was he planning to reminisce about their youthful innocence?

Lu Fangchi walked into the bathroom with his long, straight legs, and Zhou Zheng quickly shut his eyes.

Soon after, the sound of a hairdryer filled the air. Zhou Zheng ground his molars. Did he even wash his hair on purpose?

Extremely annoyed, Zhou Zheng got out of bed with a sullen expression and went to the bathroom to turn on the water.

Lu Fangchi had just finished blow-drying his hair and put down the hairdryer when he saw Zhou Zheng come in. He looked up and asked, “Get up and go together?”

Zhou Zheng ignored him, turned his back, took off his pants, and let out a stream of urine into the toilet with a splashing sound.

After finishing, he walked to the door, dropped the words “I said I’m not going,” and shut the door with a bit of force.

Lu Fangchi blinked. What kind of temper was this?

He followed Zhou Zheng out of the bathroom. Zhou Zheng lay on the bed with his back turned, motionless, clearly not planning to go.

Lu Fangchi sighed slightly, walked to the bedside, and nudged the alpha’s shoulder, coaxing, “Come with me?”

His voice was soft, clearly ingratiating, and a faint, pleasant scent wafted into his nose. Zhou Zheng’s nose twitched. Lu Fangchi had actually sprayed perfume to go meet that Yang something-or-other.

Zhou Zheng irritably dodged Lu Fangchi’s prodding and coldly said, “I’m not going.”

“Really not going?”

“No.”

“Alright.” This time, Lu Fangchi didn’t insist any further, got up, and left. The scent of the perfume drifted away.

After hearing the door close, Zhou Zheng’s eyes opened wide in surprise for a moment, then he sat up and turned to face Lu Fangchi, who was leaning against the door.

“Didn’t you leave?” Zhou Zheng heard himself ask.

Lu Fangchi sighed, his face full of helplessness, “How can I leave when you’re like this?”

Zhou Zheng pursed his lips, still being stubborn, “If you want to go, go. Don’t worry about me.”

“I’m not going,” Lu Fangchi said, unzipped his down jacket, took it off, fiddled with his phone for a bit, and then walked over to Zhou Zheng, waving it in front of him.

Zhou Zheng saw the message on Lu Fangchi’s phone screen: “My partner is upset, not going.”

A “ding-dong” sound, and a white box popped up. Yang Zhaoyang replied: “OK.”

Lu Fangchi noticed Zhou Zheng’s slightly curled lips. He tried hard to control them but couldn’t help but curl upwards. He knew Zhou Zheng was satisfied with this outcome. How childish. He lazily lay back on the bed and started looking at food delivery options, “What do you want to eat?”

Zhou Zheng snuggled up to him, beginning to push his luck, “Can’t you just delete him?”

“He’s an investor,” Lu Fangchi glanced at him, “What do you think?”

Zhou Zheng pouted and let out a soft “Oh,” not very happy as he buried his face in Lu Fangchi’s neck and acted coquettish.

Taking advantage of the topic, Lu Fangchi brought it up, “Don’t you trust me? Lately, you’ve been acting strangely. I’ve got the location tracking on, the chat history is there, and even saying I’ll bring you along doesn’t work.”

Lu Fangchi’s voice was calm, his eyes clear. He wasn’t emotional; he just wanted to have a good talk with Zhou Zheng.

Zhou Zheng bit his lip and, after a while, finally spoke the truth in a low voice, “I don’t feel safe.”

“What would make you feel safe?” Lu Fangchi asked.

“Can I even say?” Zhou Zheng’s expression was complicated, and he shook his head again, “Forget it.”

“Tell me first.”

Zhou Zheng reached out and picked out the necklace around Lu Fangchi’s neck, a ring swinging out.