Once they got home, Cai Qin and Shu Jun were shocked once again.

When Shu Ning mentioned that Wei Mingzheng hadn’t eaten yet, Cai Qin immediately ran into the kitchen and heated up a pot of soup. She forced Wei Mingzheng to drink it up before letting him go. 

They all chatted with each other for a while. Cai Qin felt that Wei Mingzheng must be tired from all the travel. She urged them both to go upstairs and rest.

Originally, Shu Ning planned on cleaning up Wei Mingzheng’s room for him, but Wei Mingzheng blocked his way and shut the door. “No need.”

Shu Ning blinked.

“I’ll only be here for two days, so you don’t need to bother. I’ll sleep with you.” 

Shu Ning: “!”

He was just about to refuse, but Wei Mingzheng had already dragged Shu Ning into the bedroom next door. He pulled out a pair of pajamas from the closet and headed into the bathroom for a shower.

As he listened to the sound of rushing water, Shu Ning gulped and his chest thumped.

He and Mingzheng had lived together for several years. They often went to sleep on the same bed. Maybe it was because they were too familiar with each other or maybe it was because it felt so natural, but his mind had never wandered in any other direction.

However, now that he knew what he was feeling, to lay in the same bed again…

Shu Ning looked at his massive bed and rubbed his face.

Maybe… maybe they could just get along like they did before.

After Wei Mingzheng took a shower, Shu Ning also went in to take a shower. After he finished washing up, Wei Mingzheng was already sitting on the bed, looking at his tablet. 

This time, he only brought a single bag with him. It contained data cables, chargers, his tablet, his phone, that kind of stuff. He didn’t bring any clothes. Either way, there was plenty at home. His school books naturally did not come with him either.

When Shu Ning saw him sitting there, he suddenly kind of didn’t want to get on the bed.

In order to ease the awkwardness, he deliberately pulled out his textbook to do his homework. After entering high school, his studies became even more arduous. No. 1 High School was considered a key high school. The teachers were all very spartan, and pretty much all of them assigned homework. The first-year students at No. 1 Middle School weren’t required to attend evening sessions, but the heavy schoolwork made it so that, even if they went home, they would be doing homework until eleven or twelve at night.

In comparison, Sai Yao was a lot better. Sai Yao basically never assigned homework. Other than the students who were selected to increase their rate of admission, the other students were just there to pass the time. Plus, the school knew that they were there to just pass time, so they didn’t make them do much. 

Shu Ning gave Wei Mingzheng an envious look. “Don’t you have homework?”

Wei Mingzheng looked up and said, “No.”

“That sure is nice! No. 1 High School gives out a lot of homework. I’m not used to it at all.” Shu Ning said. He just wanted to be a slacker. He didn’t want to work hard.

Other students were working hard because they wanted to get into a good college. They were all full of motivation. He, on the other hand, didn’t have any such desire, yet he still had to do the same amount of homework as the other students. 

If he tried to do what the villain did and stopped doing homework, not only would the school scold him, but Cai Cai would also beat him into the ground.

It was his own fault for not being a super duper uber genius like the villain.

“Then don’t do it.” Wei Mingzheng put down his tablet. He got off the bed and walked over to Shu Ning. When he saw that Shu Ning was copying English vocabulary works, he frowned. “Don’t you already know English? What are you copying vocabulary words for?”

High school level vocabulary words were very simple. 

“The teacher assigned it,” Shu Ning said helplessly.

“Stop copying them. It’s a waste of time.” Wei Mingzheng snatched his workbook.

Shu Ning quickly took it back. “No, I have to finish my homework. Otherwise, I’m going to be called out by the teacher. It’d be embarrassing.”

“So what if it’s embarrassing.” 

“If Cai Cai finds out, she’ll be ashamed.”

Wei Mingzheng fell silent. Eventually, he let go of the workbook. He suddenly chuckled and rubbed Shu Ning’s head. “You just don’t know how to be selfish.”

“Ah?” Shu Ning raised his head in confusion.

Wei Mingzheng pulled over his usual chair and sat down. Then, he continued to look at his tablet. “Someone who’s always thinking about others deserves to get the short end of the stick.” 

Shu Ning raised an eyebrow. “How can you say stuff like that?”

“It’s the truth.”

Shu Ning refused to accept that.

Wei Mingzheng gave him a faint glance. “However, I’ll allow you to take the short end of the stick when it comes to Aunt Cai, Shu Jun and Shu Yang. You’re not allowed to take the short end of the stick with anyone else.” 

“…Do you have to be so domineering?”

“Yes, I do.”

Shu Ning rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to keep talking with this big baby.

Even if he kept trying to put it off, he still had to go to bed eventually. 

Wei Mingzheng climbed into the bed. He glanced at the time and said, “Do your homework tomorrow, okay?”

It was really late. Shu Ning slowly put away his textbooks and slowly walked over to the bed. When he looked at the handsome man lying on his bed, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly lowered his head. He pretended to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles in the bedsheet.

Was he being delusional?

The little villain seemed to look even more handsome. 

“Go to sleep.”

The person in his bed rubbed his eyebrows and slipped straight into the blankets. Then, he closed his eyes.

Shu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly climbed into the bed, turned off the light, and carefully laid down beside him.

“Get closer to me.” Wei Mingzheng suddenly spoke up. 

Shu Ning sullenly replied, “I’m fine over here.”

“You like to roll around in your sleep. What if you fall off the bed?”

“I won’t.”

The dark room fell silent. Shu Ning thought that Wei Mingzheng had given up. Suddenly, a hand reached out to grab his waist. It pulled him over to the center of the bed by force. 

Shu Ning instinctively started struggling. The other party became impatient and scooped Shu Ning straight into his arms.

Shu Ning: “!”

He froze.

There was the sound of breathing right above his head. Shu Ning’s cheeks touched his chest. It was warm and firm. 

Shu Ning’s head felt like it was on a fire. Smoke was rising out of his ears. He couldn’t think straight at all.

To be honest, they used to hug and sleep like this all the time.

He hadn’t really thought of it as a problem at that time, but it was a very big problem now!

Teenagers didn’t hug each other to sleep. They weren’t kids anymore. 

Maybe Wei Mingzheng had just gotten used to it. He hadn’t broken away from their old habits. He hadn’t thought about how they’ve both grown up, they need space, they shouldn’t get too close.

Shu Ning remembered how Wei Mingzheng had tried to follow him to the bathroom during the school dance.

“Mingzheng…”

There wasn’t any response. 

Was he asleep?

That made sense. He traveled a long way. He must be tired.

Forget it. He’ll just let it be.

After Shu Ning finished comforting himself, he simply closed his eyes and fell asleep. 

The next day, Shu Ning didn’t go anywhere. He was trying to get his homework done, and Wei Mingzheng stayed at home with him as he was getting his homework done. Shu Ning didn’t know what he came back here for. Was he here to watch Shu Ning do his homework?

How ridiculous!

When they went to bed that night, Shu Ning subtly proposed that they sleep in separate rooms, but Wei Mingzheng turned him down again.

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow. Don’t bother.” 

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Wang Shenshen sent Wei Mingzheng off with him. He comforted Shu Ning, “Stop staring. If you really miss him, just study harder and aim for a university in Beijing. That way, you guys can be together again.”

In Wang Shenshen’s mind, it was rare for Wei Mingzheng to visit. This was a long-distance friendship. It was natural to be sad now that he had to leave. He understood what Shu Ning must be feeling, so he kept trying to cheer him up. 

However, the sadness didn’t last long. The very next weekend, Shu Ning called him up, “Wang Shenshen, let’s go eat skewers.”

“Sure!” Wang Shenshen ran to the barbeque place that they often went to and found Wei Mingzheng sitting next to Shu Ning. He was absolutely dumbfounded.

“You…why are you here again?” he blurted out.

Wei Mingzheng looked up at him. “What? I can’t come?” 

“No, no.” Wang Shenshen’s tubby belly jiggled, and he quickly sat down.

Long Qiao and Song Nian rushed over as well. When they saw Wei Mingzheng, their reactions were pretty much the same as Wang Shenshen’s. They all had faces full of surprise.

“I’ll be coming back every weekend,” Wei Mingzheng said.

All three of them were shocked. 

Since Wei Mingzheng would be coming back every week, the three of them weren’t so sad about his departure anymore. They didn’t bother sending Wei Mingzheng off either. Either way, he would be back next week. What was even the point of sending him off?

However, they slowly became puzzled. What exactly was Wei Mingzheng doing all this for?

Was it really necessary?

Wang Shenshen and Long Qiao privately discussed it with each other. 

“I have a buddy who’s in a long-distance relationship. He was praised to high heaven for visiting his girlfriend over the break. Compared to Mingzheng ge, that’s like nothing.”

“Yeah, I also have a friend who hangs out with his girlfriend every weekend, but one’s from the city and the other’s from the suburbs. I’ve never heard of a situation where one is from one side of the country and the other is on the other side of the country meeting up every week.”

“Hold on! Both of those examples are long-distance relationships! What about Wei Mingzheng and Shu Ning? Are they just really close? Like brothers?”

“Bullshit. I’ve never met a guy who would take a plane every week just to see his brother. Take my brother for example. Forget taking a plane, he doesn’t even bother to look at me when he’s at home. Whenever he sees me, all he does is scold me.” 

“From what Shu Ning’s told me, Mingzheng ge didn’t scold when he got back. He was just a little more strict. Plus, he’d call Shu Ning every day to check up on him.”

“I also heard Shu Ning say that they both sleep together.”

“…”

“…” 

These two straight guys had never thought much about it. However, the more they talked about it, the more it seemed that something wasn’t right. They gave each other a look.

After a moment passed.

Wang Shenshen said, “I think I’ll have to keep my distance from Shu Ning in the future.”

Long Qiao nodded. “Yeah. Now that I think about it, Mingzheng ge used to give me super nasty glares whenever I wrapped my arms around Shu Ning’s shoulders. I really didn’t know anything back then.” 

Wang Shenshen asked, “Hey, when do you think they got together? Why don’t they just make it public?”

Long Qiao slapped him. “Don’t you know how hard it is to do that?”

Wang Shenshen scratched his head. “We all grew up together. It’s not like we would’ve discriminated against them. Tsk, can’t believe they hid it from us.”

Long Qiao said, “Either way, let’s pretend we don’t know for now. We’ll talk about it once they decide to come out.” 

“Wait,” Wang Shenshen said suddenly.

“What’s the matter?”

Wang Shenshen slapped himself upside the head. “We’re so stupid! Shu Ning’s always talking about Mingzheng in front of us, and he even mentioned that they slept together. He was basically hinting that they got together! We were the ones who didn’t pick up on his hint! We’re so stupid!”

Once Long Qiao heard this, he immediately came to the same conclusion. “You’re right! Dang, they must’ve been too embarrassed to tell us directly. That’s why they kept hinting about it. They actually gave us a ton of signals. I remember, about a year ago, Mingzheng secretly asked me whether or not Shu Ning got a girlfriend without telling him. I told him no. Then, he asked me whether or not Shu Ning had a boyfriend.” 

Wang Shenshen slapped his thigh. “Damn! He asked me too! I didn’t think much about it at the time, but it seems fishy now that I think back on it. Who would ask about whether a guy had a boyfriend?”

“Back then, he would scare off the other girls and tear up Shu Ning’s love letters without permission! He was so jealous! One time, I caught him in the act. He told me that Aunt Cai asked him to do that, and I actually fucking believed him! ”

“I believed him too!”

“Also, Shu Ning was always talking about Mingzheng this or Mingzheng that. Whenever it came to Mingzheng ge, he just couldn’t stop talking. Tsk, tsk, now that I think about it, it’s super fishy.” 

“They even sleep together! Damn! Shu Ning told me that Wei Mingzheng’s room wasn’t ready yet, so they just ended up sleeping together! I actually fucking believed him!”

“Me too! The main reason was because Shu Ning acted so naturally when he said it! I didn’t think much of it!”

“When Mingzheng ge reunited with his family, he actually brought Shu Ning along with him. At the time, I thought it was kind of weird, but I couldn’t really pinpoint why. Now, it’s obvious that Mingzheng ge just didn’t want to be apart from Shu Ning.”

“Now that Shu Ning’s returned to Chuzhou, it makes sense for Mingzheng ge to be visiting every weekend. He can’t stand being separated.” 

The two of them kept going back and forth. They finally came to the conclusion that Shu Ning and Wei Mingzheng were together and that they had hinted about their relationship several times. It was their own fault for being too straight and not getting the hint. They felt a little bad about it.

“What should we do now?”

“What else can we do? They haven’t actually made it clear, so that means they don’t want to make it public. We just have to know in our hearts.”

Shu Ning wanted to invite Wang Shenshen and Long Qiao again. Wei Mingzheng felt a little impatient. “Why do you keep inviting them? Don’t you already hang out with them enough?” 

Shu Ning was at a loss. “Ah? You don’t want to see them?”

Wei Mingzheng pursed his lips and said nothing.

Shu Ning called Wang Shenshen up. Wang Shenshen said, “I’m sorry. My mom signed me up for cram school. I can’t go.”

Then, he called Long Qiao and Song Nian. Both of them declined. 

Wei Mingzheng’s expression improved. “Since they’re all busy, let’s hang out together.”

Shu Ning said, “Alright. Let’s take Shu Yang with us.”

Wei Mingzheng: “…”

One day, Cai Qin suddenly said, “Mingzheng’s birthday will be in two days. We need to prepare a gift.” 

Shu Jun nodded in agreement. “He’s turning eighteen, so he’ll finally be an adult. We have to get him something big.”

Shu Ning suddenly remembered. It was going to be the villain’s birthday in a few days!

He almost forgot the villain’s birthday! For some reason, he felt a little guilty. “Yes, yes, yes! We have to get him a big gift!”

Cai Qin was feeding Shu Yang. “Speaking of which, what kind of gift should we prepare? Mingzheng isn’t lacking anything. Our gift can’t be too shabby. Otherwise, it’d look bad.” 

Shu Jun fell deep into thought. “Why don’t we just give him a red envelope?”

“Mom! Rice!” Shu Yang shook his bowl.

Cai Qin rolled her eyes. She fed Shu Yang another mouthful of rice and said to Shu Jun, “It’s rude to give red envelopes as a gift! It makes you look like you didn’t put in the effort to pick out a gift.”

Shu Jun nodded. “You’re right.” 

Shu Ning frowned as he listened to his parents’ conversation. That’s right. The little villain wasn’t lacking anything. His watch cost more than one million yuan, and his clothes cost more than tens of thousands of yuan. Madam Wei treated him like a treasure. Moreover, Wei Shanhe and Li Yongna had been completely taken in by the villain. They loved him dearly.

Once his birthday arrives, their gifts would definitely be incredibly expensive.

If the value of his gift is too low, he might be better off not sending it. That way it wouldn’t seem so shabby in comparison.

After thinking about it for two whole days, he still couldn’t come up with a solution. Plus, he was too embarrassed to ask Wei Mingzheng directly. This went on until Wei Mingzheng’s next visit. 

Wei Mingzheng seemed to realize there was something on his mind. He could tell Shu Ning wanted to say something, so he asked, “Is there anything troubling you?”

The main character took the initiative to bring it up. Shu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. He decided to go along with the flow and asked shyly, “Mingzheng, it’s going to be your birthday soon. What kind of birthday gift do you want?”

Wei Mingzheng glanced at him. “You can give me whatever you want. I’ll like it no matter what it is.”

Shu Ning was speechless. “What if I send you a big red flower?” 

Wei Mingzheng raised an eyebrow. “Then I’ll put it up in my room and look at it every day.”

“Ha, do you think it’s a certificate or something?”

“A certificate’s not a bad idea either.” Wei Mingzheng let go of his tablet and earnestly thought about it. “The certificate should say ‘The World’s Best…’”

Shu Ning didn’t know what Wei Mingzheng was thinking, but Wei Mingzheng suddenly paused. Then, he said, “‘The World’s Best Mingzheng’.” 

Shu Ning was amused by him. “Could you please have a little shame?”

Wei Mingzheng was actually very interested in this certificate. “I’ve decided. This is what I want.”

Shu Ning was stunned. “Are you serious?”

Wei Mingzheng nodded. “I’m not joking. I want a certificate. However, there’s a requirement.” 

Shu Ning was curious. “What’s the requirement?”

Wei Mingzheng smiled and said, “You have to make it yourself.”

Shu Ning confirmed once more. “You really want a certificate?”

Wei Mingzheng nodded. 

“Ah, that’s right,” he said suddenly.

Confused, Shu Ning looked up at him.

Wei Mingzheng said with a smile, “I hope that you’ll be able to come to my birthday banquet. I have something to tell you.”

Shu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. “Why can’t you tell me now?” 

Wei Mingzheng shook his head. He picked up his tablet and continued reading his report.

Shu Ning didn’t want to disturb him, so he opened up his computer to look up how to make a certificate. It was clearly just a simple birthday present, but, for some reason, he felt a little embarrassed.

Very soon, it was January 9th.

Shu Ning’s family took a flight to Beijing that evening. Shu Ning’s bag was stuffed with a delicate box containing a handwritten certificate inside it. 

His handwriting wasn’t very good-looking, so he practiced for a long time. He wasted several sheets of certificate paper before finally creating a satisfactory product.

However, when he thought about the gift he was about to give, he felt rather embarrassed.

Cai Qin and Shu Jun had discussed it a lot and finally settled on a model figure. Apparently, Cai Qin chose this after reading countless online posts. They were sure that no one else would get him this gift.

When they brought the idea up with Shu Ning, he hesitantly agreed. 

Then, the two of them started arguing about what kind of figure to choose. Shu Jun chose Ultraman while Cai Qin chose a character from a newly released movie.

Shu Ning suddenly had an idea. He said, “Let’s get him August the Great.”

“August the Great? What’s that?” Cai Qin and Shu Jun were confused.

“It’s Mingzheng’s favorite TV series from when he was little.” Shu Ning smirked, “If we’re going to get him a gift, we might as well give him something meaningful.” 

So, they contacted the manufacturer and quickly had an August the Great figurine made.

That guy already asked for something as embarrassing as a certificate of achievement. He was turning eighteen, so they had to make it memorable. Shu Ning might as well go big or go home. He was going to make this a birthday he’d never forget.

Wei Mingzheng called him to ask when they would arrive. Shu Ning lied and said that they wouldn’t be there until tomorrow. Then, he and his parents checked into a hotel. Cai Qin and Shu Jun didn’t want to stay with the Wei family either. They would feel uncomfortable.

Early the next morning, the family of four arrived at Wei family’s villa with gifts. Shu Ning finally informed Wei Mingzheng that they had arrived at the gates. 

Cai Qin and Shu Jun were shocked when they saw the imposing Wei family estate.

However, they could also be considered upstarts themselves. They had seen a lot over the years, so, after the initial shock, they were able to carry on as usual.

Wei Mingzheng came out to greet him. He helplessly asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“It’s your birthday. You’re definitely busy. I didn’t want to trouble you,” Shu Ning said. 

Wei Mingzheng rubbed Shu Ning’s head with a smile and invited them all in. He didn’t call for a car. As they were walking, Wei Mingzheng gave Cai Qin and Shu Jun an introduction to the surroundings and family circumstances.

Shu Ning had already told them about it before coming here. Now, Wei Mingzheng explained everything one more time. Cai Qin and Shu Jun managed to memorize it all.

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t remember. You guys are guests. Do as you like,” Wei Mingzheng said.

Before they arrived at the villa, Madam Wei and Wei Yuanning warmly received them. Madam Wei had stayed in Chuzhou for a while and visited several times. She was very grateful to Shu Ning’s family and had a very enthusiastic attitude. 

Shu Ning and his family gave Wei Mingzheng their gifts.

Wei Mingzheng opened Shu Ning’s present with a smile. Then, he took out the certificate.

The words “The World’s Best Mingzheng” were as clear as day. They could not be missed.

Wei Mingzheng nodded in satisfaction. “Not bad.” 

Everyone else was surprised when they saw the award certificate.

Madam Wei covered her mouth and laughed. “This gift is very unique.”

Cai Qin and Shu Jun hadn’t expected Shu Ning’s gift to actually be a certificate of honor. They couldn’t help but shoot Shu Ning a glare.

Shu Ning felt very wronged. The birthday boy had clearly asked for this certificate of honor himself! 

Cai Qin and Shu Jun brought out their own gift and handed it to Wei Mingzheng. Wei Mingzheng accepted the huge box. He opened it and raised an eyebrow. Then, he gave Shu Ning a “just you wait” kind of look and closed the box.

“Do you like it?” Cai Qin asked, full of expectation.

“I like it.” Wei Mingzheng nodded.

Shu Ning snickered. 

“Mr. Shu!” A warm voice rang out.

Everyone turned their heads and saw the other two branches of the Wei family approaching.

The other two branches of the Wei family had heard of this new god of investment, Shu Jun. They walked up to him, one after another, and introduced themselves. Shu Jun found this to be completely out of the blue.

Soon, Shu Jun realized that the Wei family didn’t know the truth about the situation. So, he decided to cheerfully go along with it and help Wei Mingzheng hide his secret. 

Since this would be his long lost grandson’s coming of age, Wei Shanhe made it known that he was going to make it a big deal. On the one hand, it would be a show of his favor, and, on the other hand, it would be a form of compensation for Wei Mingzheng.

Therefore, many people arrived at the estate to give their congratulations.

Even though Shu Ning had stayed with the Wei family for several months, he still wasn’t able to recognize many people from the crowd. So, he huddled in a corner with Cai Qin and Shu Jun.

As he was looking around, Shu Ning spotted Jiang Yao in the crowd. 

Jiang Yao noticed him as well and nodded politely at him. Shu Ning returned the nod, and then they each went their separate ways. They didn’t exchange any words.

Jiang Yao was still as pretty as a princess. She completely stole the audience’s attention. There were several handsome men gathered around her, and she seemed to have hit it off with one of them. Her eyes glittered.

Maybe this would be the start of her next relationship.

Shu Ning thought this. 

There were too many people at the banquet. Wei Shanhe, Li Yongna, and the others all came to greet Shu Ning and his family. They were very respectful and polite.

Shu Ning thought to himself, “The little villain’s status in the Wei family must have improved a lot.”

Wei Shanhe admired Shu Jun very much. The two of them spoke with each other for a long time. Cai Qin was also pulled aside by Madam Wei for a chat. Shu Yang was handed over to a servant.

After Wei Mingzheng greeted the guests, he picked up the huge box Cai Qin had given him, Then, he raised his chin towards Shu Ning, hinting at him to go upstairs. 

Shu Ning followed him up to the second floor and entered Wei Mingzheng’s room.

“This was your idea, right?” Wei Mingzheng asked. He put the box on his desk and tapped at its surface.

Shu Ning walked in with his hands behind his back. He said with a smile, “What? You don’t like it?”

Wei Mingzheng raised an eyebrow. 

Shu Ning giggled as he opened the box. He took out the figure of August the Great. It was a strange and ugly doll with yellow hair. “Didn’t you used to like it a lot when you were little? You watched the show everyday! You even started wearing a wig and shaking your legs! ”

He could still recall what Wei Mingzheng was like back then. He would stretch out his leg and raise his chin. Then, he would start to shake.

Wei Mingzheng put a hand to his forehead.

Shu Ning laughed. “What do you think? Do you like it?” 

Wei Mingzheng stepped forward. “Stop messing around.”

Shu Ning was having a lot of fun. “I’m going to mess around. If I publicize your dark history, what do you think others will think of you?”

“Don’t you dare. If you keep messing around, I’m going to get you,” Wei Mingzheng said.

Shu Ning had something on him now. When he saw that he had the upper hand, he immediately started making demands. “Beg. Beg me not to tell anyone!” 

Wei Mingzheng suddenly approached him and gave him a push.

Caught off guard, Shu Ning stumbled back. His legs hit the edge of the bed, and he fell straight onto the bed. The August the Great figurine rolled onto the floor.

He was just about to get up, but Wei Mingzheng pressed him back down. He locked Shu Ning’s wrists with his hands in order to prevent him from moving.

“Hey!” 

“Are you going to keep messing around?” Wei Mingzheng scratched at a ticklish spot around Shu Ning’s waist.

This was the thing Shu Ning was most afraid of. His entire body went limp, so he quickly started begging for mercy. “I won’t, I won’t.”

“You still got the guts to tell people?”

“No, I won’t tell anyone!” 

Wei Mingzheng continued to tickle him.

Shu Ning laughed until he almost started crying. “Stop it! Stop already!”

Wei Mingzheng finally stopped tickling him, and the room fell silent.

Shu Ning was exhausted from all the laughing he did. 

Suddenly, he realized that something wasn’t quite right between the two of them.

Wei Mingzheng had him pressed into the bed, and their bodies were laying so close together. The little villain’s face was hovering above his, only two centimeters away, and the tip of Wei Mingzheng’s nose almost touched the tip of Shu Ning’s nose.

He could feel his warm breath, and he could see his dark eyes and red lips. They were so, so close…

Shu Ning suddenly felt his heart jump. He pushed Wei Mingzheng away. 

Shu Ning was almost 180 centimeters tall. He was able to put quite a lot of force into that push.

Wei Mingzheng was pushed aside. He awkwardly turned his head to the side.

Shu Ning got up from the bed in a panic. “I-I’m going to head out first.”

As he said this, he started rushing towards the door. 

“Wait.”

A voice rang out from behind him.

Shu Ning’s heart jumped. He stopped and tried to act natural. “Hm?”

Wei Mingzheng’s lips moved. After a while, he said, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?” 

Shu Ning stared at him, confused. After a moment, there was a flash of realization. He tentatively said, “Happy birthday?”

Wei Mingzheng laughed in spite of himself.

Shu Ning quickly added, “Happy birthday! Congratulations on becoming an adult!”

Then, he tried to leave again. 

“Stop.” That clear voice contained a bit of a commanding tone.

Shu Ning froze and turned around. “What’s wrong?”

The villain seemed a little strange today.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

Wei Mingzheng was wearing a black suit. He was tall and handsome, and his silhouette was looking more and more mature. His shoulders were extremely broad. He was definitely taller than 180 centimeters. He didn’t lose at all to any other guy.

The childishness had disappeared from his features. They were more dangerous, more charming.

In the past, Shu Ning could still joke around with him. Now, if Wei Mingzheng didn’t play along, Shu Ning really wouldn’t be able to joke around at all. It was clear that he wasn’t to be provoked. His aura belonged to that of a leader. He was like a dangerous beast. The reaction people had when they saw him was to either run away or avoid him. They would never rush up to hug him or joke with him.

The reason the two of them were able to joke around just now was because Wei Mingzheng had been willing to joke around with him. 

If he was always as serious as he was now, Shu Ning would never have had the guts to shake his legs in front of him.

Shu Ning was deeply aware that the person standing in front of him was no longer a teenager. Rather, he was an adult man who had established himself within the world of finance, who had gambled wildly with the stock market, who had taken advantage of others. He is calm and controlled, calculating and unscrupulous. He was like a wolf hunting for prey.

This ruthlessness and ferocity, Wei Mingzheng had never concealed it from him.

However, Wei Mingzheng’s occasional shy smile and those few moments of intimacy made Shu Ning forget. 

That weird feeling in his heart faded. Shu Ning quietly let out a breath and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Wei Mingzheng raised a hand to his forehead. He seemed a little helpless when it came to Shu Ning. “Fine. I have something to say to you.”

Shu Ning was taken aback. He asked, “What is it?”

He remembered that, when they were in Chuzhou, Wei Mingzheng had said that he had something to say to him. 

Was that it?

Shu Ning perked up.

It must be very important for Wei Mingzheng to go out of his way and mention it.

Wei Mingzheng just silently stood there without saying a word. Shu Ning was puzzled. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed that Wei Mingzheng was anxiously clenching his hands. 

Was he nervous?

Did this guy get nervous too?

Shu Ning was surprised.

Strangely, seeing the villain get nervous made Shu Ning a lot less nervous himself. A sliver of curiosity rose up in his heart. “Tell me.” 

He still didn’t say anything.

Shu Ning hesitated for a while. Then, he said, “If you don’t have anything to say, I’ll just head down first.”

“Wait!”

Shu Ning helplessly said, “What do you have to say exactly?” 

Wei Mingzheng quickly walked up to him. He grabbed him with so much force that Shu Ning felt a twinge of pain shoot up his arm.

“For my next birthday, get me another certificate,” Wei Mingzheng blurted out.

Shu Ning: “…”

He thought that Wei Mingzheng would have something important to say, but it turned out to be about the certificate? 

Dumbfounded, Shu Ning said, “That’s it? Alright. If you want one, I’ll give it to you.”

Wei Mingzheng’s grip tightened. “There’s something I want you to write on it.”

“Yeah, yeah, ‘The World’s Best Mingzheng’, I know.”

“No.” Wei Mingzheng shook his head. 

Shu Ning stared at him in confusion.

Wei Mingzheng stared into his eyes and spoke slowly, word by word. “I want you to write ‘The World’s Best Boyfriend’.”

Shu Ning’s eyes widened.

Shu Ning felt as if a thunderbolt had struck him on the spot.