After getting off the Ferris wheel, Tao Mu’s phone practically exploded with calls. Da Mao, Xiao Pang, Dean Tao, Feng Yuan, the three roommates, Gou Rixin and other friends called to wish Tao Mu a happy birthday.
Da Mao and Xiao Pang were still exclaiming on the phone, saying that if it weren’t for the fact that their passport had not been issued in time, they would have come with CEO Li. But after Tao Mu returned to Beijing, this birthday had to be made up.
“Our gifts are ready.” Everyone said that hot weather causes weight loss. But the way Pang Yue spent this summer vacation, it could only be described as nourishment. His round face was so round, even the phone screen could hardly fit it all. The nickname of Xiao Pang was about to develop into Da Pang soon. (TN: ‘little fatty’ to ‘big fatty’)
Tao Mu just saw Zhuo Yan’s face, and inevitably recalled the bad things in his previous life. Seeing that Xiao Pang, whose death was caused by Zhuo Yan, was still bouncing around like a yoga ball, he felt a lot better.
Pang Yue obviously didn’t know that his image in his childhood friend’s eyes was just a lively yoga ball and was still enthusiastically chatting with Tao Mu about his birthday plans after returning to Beijing: “I have been discussing with Da Mao for a long time, and I feel that every birthday ended up being celebrated with a meal, and then going to karaoke or clubbing. This process is just too boring. So let’s switch it up this year.”
“A new club for space flight simulation training has just opened in Beijing. Da Mao and I have gone to test it out. I think it’s pretty good. When you come back, we’ll take you there. Maybe you’ll get the role of an astronaut in the future. We’ll be giving you training in advance.”
Wang Ye waited by the side for a long time, and finally found a chance to grab the phone: “There is also the F1 Club. We can treat you to a day on the race tracks.”
Having been together since childhood, Da Mao and Xiao Pang knew Tao Mu’s temperament. Knowing that this dude was an adrenaline addict and liked to play stimulating things. What bungee diving, rock climbing, roller coaster, that was all old play for them. What the trend now was speed and passion, and even the earth’s gravity was almost unable to stop them.
“Okay.” Tao Mu looked at the screen of the mobile phone, and the two faces squeezed on it. He smiled and said, “I’ll listen to your arrangement. I’ll be waiting.”
Li Xiaoheng came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, and saw that Tao Mu was still half lying on the sofa chatting with the two of them. Li Xiaoheng glanced at the time, it was almost half past eleven and there was still filming tomorrow.
“Don’t chat anymore. Go take a shower.” Li Xiaoheng went around behind the sofa and patted Tao Mu on the shoulder: “Didn’t we promise to take Grandpa out for morning tea tomorrow morning?”
Mr. Song was getting older, so he didn’t sleep as much. He woke up early and got hungry early. So they planned to get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to have morning tea.
Tao Mu yawned and waved at the two in the video call: “Then let’s stop here for now.”
Li Xiaoheng took the phone over and watched as Tao Mu got up from the sofa and staggered into the bathroom, forgetting to take a change of clothes.
Li Xiaoheng put the phone on the coffee table to mute, went into the bedroom and got a new set of pajamas, plus new underwear, and took it to Tao Mu in the bathroom.
The partition glass in the bathroom was frosted. It was misted over by the heat, and one couldn’t see anything clearly, only a vague white outline.
Li Xiaoheng took a few secret glances before he quietly exited.
After thinking for a while, he knocked on the door again before going in. And then asked seriously: “Would you like your back rubbed?”
“No need.” Tao Mu was washing his hair. The foam gushed down the water.
In the hot summer, Tao Mu had to shower at least two or three times a day. He was currently impatiently rubbing his back.
Seeing that his lover did not pick up his ulterior motive. Li Xiaoheng let out a “oh” with a little regret, and silently exited.
After thinking about it, he went in again. Taking the hair dryer out.
So when Tao Mu got out of the shower with his wet hair and was looking for the hair dryer, Mr. Li could say very considerately: “You’ve been walking around all day, you must be very tired. Sit down. I’ll blow your hair for you.”
Tao Mu had a dry towel on his head and wore a long bathrobe tied close. He sat without any guard next to Li Xiaoheng.
Li Xiaoheng only felt hot and humid air blowing towards his face. It smelled like refreshing shower gel, lively and fragrant.
Li Xiaoheng put the hair dryer on the coffee table and wiped Tao Mu’s hair with the towel first. His movements were particularly gentle, but also firm. While wiping his hair, he gave Tao Mu a massage.
First a head massage, then a shoulder and neck massage.
Tao Mu was nineteen years old this year. The body that had just matured had not completed a thorough transformation, and still had the characteristic slenderness of teenagers. But under Tao Mu’s deliberate training, it wasn’t the thin lanky figure of a boy who lacked exercise.
Light muscles covered the slender body, the limbs were well-proportioned, and the lines were smooth, like a wild leopard on the African savannah. Even laying there lazily, it emitted an intimidating air of deterrence that seemed as if it was about to spring up and pounce at any time. A beauty that was to the point of impossible.
Tao Mu squinted slightly and let Li Xiaoheng’s fingers run through his hair. The cool breeze of the hair dryer swept through the hair. The quiet room was filled with humming. Like a lullaby, Tao Mu’s eyes fluttered and he fell asleep after a while.
Li Xiaoheng dried Tao Mu’s hair and then gave Tao Mu a back and waist massage. The comfortable Tao Mu stretched out on the sofa, but still didn’t wake up.
Don’t know since when, but Tao Mu, who originally suffered insomnia and couldn’t sleep all night, slept more and more peacefully beside Li Xiaoheng.
Li Xiaoheng lowered his head and chuckled, and picked up their leopard and stuffed him under the quilt, considerately tucking the corners of the quilt in. He quietly closed the bedroom door and walked into the study. The acquisition negotiation with Party B had reached the most critical juncture, and Li Xiaoheng must adjust the negotiation plan according to the negotiation process every day. In addition, Xiaoheng Capital’s large-scale investment of more than 50 million must also be confirmed by his signature. Moreover, the online shopping platform jointly developed by Xiaoheng Capital and FlyNews.com would also be launched soon, and the Skynet system jointly developed by Xiaoheng Capital and Skynet Technology, as well as the Ministry of Public Security of China, also required Li Xiaoheng to keep an eye on the progress.
It was a lot of work. Li Xiaoheng also specially set aside a day today to accompany Tao Mu on his birthday. The work that was postponed naturally had to be made up and he would need to pull an all-nighter to do so.
So when Tao Mu woke up from a full sleep the next morning, what he saw was that Li Xiaoheng had drank two full pots of coffee, and was still sitting in front of the computer and typing on the keyboard with energy. Various materials and folders were spread out on the desk, and there were even stacks of documents that had been processed by the feet.
“You haven’t slept all night?” Tao Mu frowned. Thinking of Li Xiaoheng who flew to Beijing in person yesterday and even brought over Grandpa Song, Liu Yao and Meng Qi. Then spent another afternoon making a birthday cake personally, and later accompanying them to dinner and sightseeing in the evening. He immediately realized why Li Xiaoheng was working so hard: “Sorry about wasting so much of your time. You have to stay up all night to work overtime.”
“I was preparing for my boyfriend’s birthday. How could things between lovers be a waste of time? It’s called fun.” Li Xiaoheng asked and answered himself. He got up and walked in front of Tao Mu, leaning over with the intention of giving a good morning kiss. But Tao Mu quickly covered his mouth and took a step back to avoid it.
“I didn’t brush my teeth!” Tao Mu mumbled. It had to be said that a certain someone’s idol baggage had already seeped deep into the bone marrow. For example, after eating or before brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth, he would resolutely refrain from any intimate actions.
Tao Mu hurriedly ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. Li Xiaoheng also followed behind with a big wolf tail and a smile. Standing in front of the sink with Tao Mu, brushing his teeth while looking at the mirror.
After washing up, Tao Mu wiped his face with a towel and asked, “Today aren’t you mpfh-——”
Before he finished speaking, Li Xiaoheng had already pounced and pressed him against the wall. Li Xiaoheng also cradled the back of Tao Mu’s head very carefully with his palm, and then kissed him fiercely——the way he kissed, it was completely unlike that of an inexperienced beginner.
After a long while, Li Xiaoheng let go of the panting Tao Mu, brushed the tip of his nose with Tao Mu’s nose, and chuckled breathlessly, “Good morning.”
Tao Mu was panting quietly, his cheeks were slightly red, and when he raised his eyes slightly, there was even a shimmering wetness at the corners of his eyes: “Aren’t you inexperienced?”
“But I’m eager to learn.” Li Xiaoheng leaned down again and kissed the corner of Tao Mu’s mouth: “Last night, I checked the relevant tutorials on the Internet. I followed the textbook. After all, I am also a top student.”
“When I was studying in the US, I had to memorize words for an hour every morning when I got up.” Li Xiaoheng said, suddenly changing the subject. Tao Mu was just wondering why Li Xiaoheng suddenly mentioned this matter when he heard Li Xiaoheng seriously proposing: “I think the practice of any skill is the same as studying. It’s like sailing against the current, if you don’t advance, you will retreat. Therefore, in order to let us familiarize ourselves with this skill as soon as possible, every morning after getting up, and before going to bed at night, what do you think about an hour of practice each?”
Tao Mu looked up at the serious Li Xiaoheng. People who didn’t know might really think that he was discussing the learning of some professional skill.
This person always had the ability to say embarrassing things seriously.
“One hour is too long.” Tao Mu blinked and said truthfully: “And I have filming, you also need to go to work. We can’t practice every day.”
“Then we must hurry up and race against the clock.” Li Xiaoheng kept one hand cradling Tao Mu’s head, as the other hand pinched Tao Mu’s chin: “You might not know, but we top students generally like to make reasonable use of snatches of time. Only in this way can we ensure that we learn more knowledge in the same amount of time. Especially for those academic fields that we have never been exposed to before.”
Li Xiaoheng’s gaze trailed down, from Tao Mu’s finely defined eyebrows, to the bridge of his tall nose, and then to the lips that were pursed as he snickered. His expression was so very serious like that of a freshman who was about to enter the laboratory, especially solemn and earnest.
Tao Mu couldn’t take it anymore. He felt that their boss Li was really too good at flirting. In the relationship of partners one must either advance or retreat. Tao Mu was not to be outdone. He broke free from Li Xiaoheng’s hold, and pushed Li Xiaoheng against the wall: “You can be so skillful in an academic field that you have never been in contact with before, so what happened to the clumsiness you mentioned?”
“After all, I’m a high-achieving student.” Li Xiaoheng responded in a particularly righteous and matter-of-fact manner, wrapping his arms around Tao Mu’s waist: “Us Penn students have a strong spirit of academic study. Even freshmen also have the ambition to become a postdoctoral fellow.”
Li Xiaoheng lowered his head and kissed Tao Mu, murmuring, “Those of us in academic research have to study for a lifetime.” So he didn’t lie.
“And moreover, we also apply what we have learned.”
After getting off the Ferris wheel, Tao Mu’s phone practically exploded with calls. Da Mao, Xiao Pang, Dean Tao, Feng Yuan, the three roommates, Gou Rixin and other friends called to wish Tao Mu a happy birthday.
Da Mao and Xiao Pang were still exclaiming on the phone, saying that if it weren’t for the fact that their passport had not been issued in time, they would have come with CEO Li. But after Tao Mu returned to Beijing, this birthday had to be made up.
“Our gifts are ready.” Everyone said that hot weather causes weight loss. But the way Pang Yue spent this summer vacation, it could only be described as nourishment. His round face was so round, even the phone screen could hardly fit it all. The nickname of Xiao Pang was about to develop into Da Pang soon. (TN: ‘little fatty’ to ‘big fatty’)
Tao Mu just saw Zhuo Yan’s face, and inevitably recalled the bad things in his previous life. Seeing that Xiao Pang, whose death was caused by Zhuo Yan, was still bouncing around like a yoga ball, he felt a lot better.
Pang Yue obviously didn’t know that his image in his childhood friend’s eyes was just a lively yoga ball and was still enthusiastically chatting with Tao Mu about his birthday plans after returning to Beijing: “I have been discussing with Da Mao for a long time, and I feel that every birthday ended up being celebrated with a meal, and then going to karaoke or clubbing. This process is just too boring. So let’s switch it up this year.”
“A new club for space flight simulation training has just opened in Beijing. Da Mao and I have gone to test it out. I think it’s pretty good. When you come back, we’ll take you there. Maybe you’ll get the role of an astronaut in the future. We’ll be giving you training in advance.”
Wang Ye waited by the side for a long time, and finally found a chance to grab the phone: “There is also the F1 Club. We can treat you to a day on the race tracks.”
Having been together since childhood, Da Mao and Xiao Pang knew Tao Mu’s temperament. Knowing that this dude was an adrenaline addict and liked to play stimulating things. What bungee diving, rock climbing, roller coaster, that was all old play for them. What the trend now was speed and passion, and even the earth’s gravity was almost unable to stop them.
“Okay.” Tao Mu looked at the screen of the mobile phone, and the two faces squeezed on it. He smiled and said, “I’ll listen to your arrangement. I’ll be waiting.”
Li Xiaoheng came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, and saw that Tao Mu was still half lying on the sofa chatting with the two of them. Li Xiaoheng glanced at the time, it was almost half past eleven and there was still filming tomorrow.
“Don’t chat anymore. Go take a shower.” Li Xiaoheng went around behind the sofa and patted Tao Mu on the shoulder: “Didn’t we promise to take Grandpa out for morning tea tomorrow morning?”
Mr. Song was getting older, so he didn’t sleep as much. He woke up early and got hungry early. So they planned to get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to have morning tea.
Tao Mu yawned and waved at the two in the video call: “Then let’s stop here for now.”
Li Xiaoheng took the phone over and watched as Tao Mu got up from the sofa and staggered into the bathroom, forgetting to take a change of clothes.
Li Xiaoheng put the phone on the coffee table to mute, went into the bedroom and got a new set of pajamas, plus new underwear, and took it to Tao Mu in the bathroom.
The partition glass in the bathroom was frosted. It was misted over by the heat, and one couldn’t see anything clearly, only a vague white outline.
Li Xiaoheng took a few secret glances before he quietly exited.
After thinking for a while, he knocked on the door again before going in. And then asked seriously: “Would you like your back rubbed?”
“No need.” Tao Mu was washing his hair. The foam gushed down the water.
In the hot summer, Tao Mu had to shower at least two or three times a day. He was currently impatiently rubbing his back.
Seeing that his lover did not pick up his ulterior motive. Li Xiaoheng let out a “oh” with a little regret, and silently exited.
After thinking about it, he went in again. Taking the hair dryer out.
So when Tao Mu got out of the shower with his wet hair and was looking for the hair dryer, Mr. Li could say very considerately: “You’ve been walking around all day, you must be very tired. Sit down. I’ll blow your hair for you.”
Tao Mu had a dry towel on his head and wore a long bathrobe tied close. He sat without any guard next to Li Xiaoheng.
Li Xiaoheng only felt hot and humid air blowing towards his face. It smelled like refreshing shower gel, lively and fragrant.
Li Xiaoheng put the hair dryer on the coffee table and wiped Tao Mu’s hair with the towel first. His movements were particularly gentle, but also firm. While wiping his hair, he gave Tao Mu a massage.
First a head massage, then a shoulder and neck massage.
Tao Mu was nineteen years old this year. The body that had just matured had not completed a thorough transformation, and still had the characteristic slenderness of teenagers. But under Tao Mu’s deliberate training, it wasn’t the thin lanky figure of a boy who lacked exercise.
Light muscles covered the slender body, the limbs were well-proportioned, and the lines were smooth, like a wild leopard on the African savannah. Even laying there lazily, it emitted an intimidating air of deterrence that seemed as if it was about to spring up and pounce at any time. A beauty that was to the point of impossible.
Tao Mu squinted slightly and let Li Xiaoheng’s fingers run through his hair. The cool breeze of the hair dryer swept through the hair. The quiet room was filled with humming. Like a lullaby, Tao Mu’s eyes fluttered and he fell asleep after a while.
Li Xiaoheng dried Tao Mu’s hair and then gave Tao Mu a back and waist massage. The comfortable Tao Mu stretched out on the sofa, but still didn’t wake up.
Don’t know since when, but Tao Mu, who originally suffered insomnia and couldn’t sleep all night, slept more and more peacefully beside Li Xiaoheng.
Li Xiaoheng lowered his head and chuckled, and picked up their leopard and stuffed him under the quilt, considerately tucking the corners of the quilt in. He quietly closed the bedroom door and walked into the study. The acquisition negotiation with Party B had reached the most critical juncture, and Li Xiaoheng must adjust the negotiation plan according to the negotiation process every day. In addition, Xiaoheng Capital’s large-scale investment of more than 50 million must also be confirmed by his signature. Moreover, the online shopping platform jointly developed by Xiaoheng Capital and FlyNews.com would also be launched soon, and the Skynet system jointly developed by Xiaoheng Capital and Skynet Technology, as well as the Ministry of Public Security of China, also required Li Xiaoheng to keep an eye on the progress.
It was a lot of work. Li Xiaoheng also specially set aside a day today to accompany Tao Mu on his birthday. The work that was postponed naturally had to be made up and he would need to pull an all-nighter to do so.
So when Tao Mu woke up from a full sleep the next morning, what he saw was that Li Xiaoheng had drank two full pots of coffee, and was still sitting in front of the computer and typing on the keyboard with energy. Various materials and folders were spread out on the desk, and there were even stacks of documents that had been processed by the feet.
“You haven’t slept all night?” Tao Mu frowned. Thinking of Li Xiaoheng who flew to Beijing in person yesterday and even brought over Grandpa Song, Liu Yao and Meng Qi. Then spent another afternoon making a birthday cake personally, and later accompanying them to dinner and sightseeing in the evening. He immediately realized why Li Xiaoheng was working so hard: “Sorry about wasting so much of your time. You have to stay up all night to work overtime.”
“I was preparing for my boyfriend’s birthday. How could things between lovers be a waste of time? It’s called fun.” Li Xiaoheng asked and answered himself. He got up and walked in front of Tao Mu, leaning over with the intention of giving a good morning kiss. But Tao Mu quickly covered his mouth and took a step back to avoid it.
“I didn’t brush my teeth!” Tao Mu mumbled. It had to be said that a certain someone’s idol baggage had already seeped deep into the bone marrow. For example, after eating or before brushing his teeth and rinsing his mouth, he would resolutely refrain from any intimate actions.
Tao Mu hurriedly ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. Li Xiaoheng also followed behind with a big wolf tail and a smile. Standing in front of the sink with Tao Mu, brushing his teeth while looking at the mirror.
After washing up, Tao Mu wiped his face with a towel and asked, “Today aren’t you mpfh-——”
Before he finished speaking, Li Xiaoheng had already pounced and pressed him against the wall. Li Xiaoheng also cradled the back of Tao Mu’s head very carefully with his palm, and then kissed him fiercely——the way he kissed, it was completely unlike that of an inexperienced beginner.
After a long while, Li Xiaoheng let go of the panting Tao Mu, brushed the tip of his nose with Tao Mu’s nose, and chuckled breathlessly, “Good morning.”
Tao Mu was panting quietly, his cheeks were slightly red, and when he raised his eyes slightly, there was even a shimmering wetness at the corners of his eyes: “Aren’t you inexperienced?”
“But I’m eager to learn.” Li Xiaoheng leaned down again and kissed the corner of Tao Mu’s mouth: “Last night, I checked the relevant tutorials on the Internet. I followed the textbook. After all, I am also a top student.”
“When I was studying in the US, I had to memorize words for an hour every morning when I got up.” Li Xiaoheng said, suddenly changing the subject. Tao Mu was just wondering why Li Xiaoheng suddenly mentioned this matter when he heard Li Xiaoheng seriously proposing: “I think the practice of any skill is the same as studying. It’s like sailing against the current, if you don’t advance, you will retreat. Therefore, in order to let us familiarize ourselves with this skill as soon as possible, every morning after getting up, and before going to bed at night, what do you think about an hour of practice each?”
Tao Mu looked up at the serious Li Xiaoheng. People who didn’t know might really think that he was discussing the learning of some professional skill.
This person always had the ability to say embarrassing things seriously.
“One hour is too long.” Tao Mu blinked and said truthfully: “And I have filming, you also need to go to work. We can’t practice every day.”
“Then we must hurry up and race against the clock.” Li Xiaoheng kept one hand cradling Tao Mu’s head, as the other hand pinched Tao Mu’s chin: “You might not know, but we top students generally like to make reasonable use of snatches of time. Only in this way can we ensure that we learn more knowledge in the same amount of time. Especially for those academic fields that we have never been exposed to before.”
Li Xiaoheng’s gaze trailed down, from Tao Mu’s finely defined eyebrows, to the bridge of his tall nose, and then to the lips that were pursed as he snickered. His expression was so very serious like that of a freshman who was about to enter the laboratory, especially solemn and earnest.
Tao Mu couldn’t take it anymore. He felt that their boss Li was really too good at flirting. In the relationship of partners one must either advance or retreat. Tao Mu was not to be outdone. He broke free from Li Xiaoheng’s hold, and pushed Li Xiaoheng against the wall: “You can be so skillful in an academic field that you have never been in contact with before, so what happened to the clumsiness you mentioned?”
“After all, I’m a high-achieving student.” Li Xiaoheng responded in a particularly righteous and matter-of-fact manner, wrapping his arms around Tao Mu’s waist: “Us Penn students have a strong spirit of academic study. Even freshmen also have the ambition to become a postdoctoral fellow.”
Li Xiaoheng lowered his head and kissed Tao Mu, murmuring, “Those of us in academic research have to study for a lifetime.” So he didn’t lie.
“And moreover, we also apply what we have learned.”
