Tan Xiao was beginning to realize that this problem was much more complicated than he had imagined.
For anyone, discovering that an ordinary person they knew well was actually the child of an immensely wealthy family would be difficult to absorb. And this wasn’t ordinary wealth. It was the kind of money that could rival the resources of a nation.
He and Zhang Xingchuan were no longer merely well acquainted. They were already the most intimate people in each other’s lives.
He had absolutely no idea how Zhang Xingchuan would react once he learned the truth.
He certainly would not be pleased. Shock was probably the most likely reaction. And then? Would he be angry?
Would the unbearable pressure of such an enormous fortune drive him to leave?
Tan Xiao could not judge.
Even though he believed he understood Zhang Xingchuan very well, nobody could predict how money would affect or change a person until it actually happened.
Tan Xiao had fallen hopelessly in love with Zhang Xingchuan. He did not want Zhang Xingchuan to suffer, but neither did he want Zhang Xingchuan to break his heart.
Wealth could buy a great many things: basic survival, pleasure in all its forms, sometimes even happiness.
But where relationships were concerned, it was often a burden.
Zhang Xingchuan pulled into a temporary parking space outside the university. Tan Xiao unfastened his seat belt, ready to say goodbye.
“Hang on.” Zhang Xingchuan picked up his phone and transferred money to him on the spot. Then he ordered, in his best domineering-president voice, “Accept it.”
Zhang Xingchuan wanted to replenish the wallet Tan Xiao had drained by taking an overnight flight to Shanghai to see him.
Tan Xiao opened the transfer and accepted it without looking closely. Then he noticed that Zhang Xingchuan was waiting for a reaction.
“…”
He made an effort to imagine things from the perspective of a student from a salaried family. This was probably supposed to be an irresistibly charming moment for a CEO boyfriend, and perhaps the correct response was to be moved by his extravagant generosity.
Tan Xiao checked the amount. “That’s so much. Why are you giving me all this?”
It really was a substantial sum, more than all the gifts and transfers Zhang Xingchuan had previously sent him put together.
Zhang Xingchuan promptly transferred a second amount, twice the size of the first.
Tan Xiao considered for a moment, then accepted that too. “That’s enough now. Stop sending money. You’ve already been incredibly handsome. I am thoroughly swept off my feet.”
But Zhang Xingchuan began setting up another transfer. Tan Xiao pressed his hand over the phone screen and said, “Stop sending money!”
Zhang Xingchuan caught his hand. “Then think of a car you like, or something else you’d want. Let me spend this money on you and I’ll feel better.”
“…”
Tan Xiao was beginning to understand the appeal of the president’s habit of showering him with money.
The point was not whether money was spent, or how much. He could genuinely feel that Zhang Xingchuan did these things because he loved him. The feelings filling his heart were so strong that spending money was how he let them spill out.
To be truthful, the behavior was rather uncool and silly, yet it was also a little adorable.
“Then buy me a bicycle,” Tan Xiao said at last. “The shared bikes are too short for me. I can barely ride them.”
Shared bicycles were not really designed for people taller than 1.8 meters. Even though the campus was full of bicycles, Tan Xiao generally had to rely on his own two legs. If he was in a hurry, he’d select a random hero on an electric scooter and plead for a lift.
He had bought a bicycle during his undergraduate years. It was an entry-level model from an Italian brand, but already extremely cool.
He was still a minor back then, a genuine kid, and easygoing besides. His classmates borrowed it all the time.
When he graduated, one of the roommates who had looked after him best was leaving to work in the south. Before they parted, the roommate admitted he was still thinking about that bicycle, so Tan Xiao gave it to him.
That summer, Tan Xiao returned to Europe. At the brand’s flagship store in Milan he had his measurements taken and commissioned an entirely handmade bicycle tailored to his riding habits. Before the new semester began, he brought it all the way back to China. Its eye-catching appearance helped him make several very good friends.
Then one day, he rode the bicycle outside campus to buy a hamburger. Forgetting he was no longer on university grounds, he neglected to lock it, and the bike was stolen. He was too embarrassed to report it to the police, since that would make far too much of a fuss.
During his combined master’s and doctoral studies, he grew a little taller, making the old measurements unusable. He had no time to travel to Milan simply to commission another bicycle.
He had loved the stolen bike. It had been made for him, with a custom paint design in colors he had chosen himself. Losing it had felt almost like losing a child. Looking back now, he knew that was an exaggeration, but at the time he had still been a teenager. He had hidden away and cried several times over the loss.
The experience had left a surprisingly deep mark. He had not bought another bicycle since.
Having Zhang Xingchuan buy him one now would be lovely. It would make getting around campus easier before graduation, and he could continue cycling afterward.
It would also satisfy his president boyfriend’s urgent need to spend money.
“All right.” Zhang Xingchuan thought a bicycle was an excellent idea, provided he bought a sufficiently good one. He accepted the assignment happily.
Then he beckoned Tan Xiao closer. “Come here.”
Tan Xiao knew what was coming and eagerly leaned toward the driver’s seat for a kiss. The anticipation in his eyes was entirely undisguised.
And just now he was getting philosophical about people not being controlled by desire, Zhang Xingchuan thought. Sometimes Tan Xiao was so innocent and so alluring at the same time. Being utterly fascinated by him was perfectly understandable. The strange thing would be not to fall for him.
They kissed in the car.
Tan Xiao wanted to tell him about his family, but feared he might truly frighten Zhang Xingchuan away.
They could go on just like this. If he really had been a poor student, he would not have to worry about any of this. He could happily be a kept boyfriend of the president, and that would not be so bad.
When he felt like it, he could get a job. When he didn’t, he could go home and play video games. In fact, he wouldn’t even need Zhang Xingchuan to support him; he could always find something to do and make a living.
Zhang Xingchuan would never treat him as a caged canary. From the beginning, they had been equals in love.
That was exactly why Zhang Xingchuan had the right to know.
Tan Xiao could not keep presenting an edited version of himself forever. That would be unfair to Zhang Xingchuan too.
Since things have come to this, let’s kiss first, Tan Xiao thought. I’ll tell him after my defense. Doctor Tan will give the president a truly enormous shock.
Zhang Xingchuan sensed that something was still on his mind but assumed he was considering another philosophical problem.
Once Tan Xiao finished his finance doctorate, Zhang Xingchuan thought, perhaps he should support him through a degree in philosophy. Or anything else he wanted to study. Tan Xiao didn’t like working anyway.
A long time ago, Zhang Xingchuan had worried about Tan Xiao’s career and wanted to plan his professional future. That was no longer the case.
Tan Xiao could do whatever he wanted. He was both his wife and his kiddo. If he loved studying, he could spend his entire life studying. If he wanted to do absolutely nothing but have fun, that was fine too. What difference did it make?
Zhang Xingchuan believed he was perfectly capable of providing a safety net for him.
Two days later, a bicycle brand delivered its flagship model directly to Tan Xiao.
Tan Xiao was genuinely and rather pleasantly surprised when he received it. It was nearly identical to the bicycle he’d owned as an undergraduate, except that his old one had been an entry-level model while this one was the highest-spec complete build. Of all the mass-produced bicycles available, it had the model and color scheme that best suited his taste.
Zhang Xingchuan had good taste in bicycles too. He had accurately worked out what Tan Xiao would like.
Tan Xiao asked a classmate to help film a short video and sent it to Zhang Xingchuan.
In the video, he wore a crisp white shirt and rode toward the camera from a distance, rushing forward like the wind. Only when he reached the lens did he brake, lean forward slightly, tilt his head, and smile.
The video lasted barely a dozen seconds. Zhang Xingchuan watched it on repeat three or four times.
Tan Xiao: Looks great. Rides great. Love it.
Zhang Xingchuan replied in full CEO mode: Glad you like it.
Having a bicycle to ride was wonderful. Going to the library, returning to his dorm, heading to the cafeteria: Tan Xiao zipped around campus in every direction, looking more like a tourist than the actual tourists. The bicycle attracted crowds of male students, which satisfied a little of his vanity too.
And why not? There was nothing wrong with that. He was a twenty-four-year-old university student. Of course he had a vain streak.
A flashy bicycle also made it easier to strike up friendships without any awkwardness. Young men really did come over and start conversations when they saw a cool bike. That was infinitely better than turning up to school in a Mercedes, Porsche, or Bentley and attracting disapproving looks.
Tan Xiao sacrificed half a day of studying to show off his new bicycle.
By evening, he was overcome with remorse. He stayed up late thoroughly reviewing his recent mock defense before the creases in his conscience were smoothed out.
After a frantic period of preparation, the end of May finally arrived. It was time for his formal doctoral defense.
He did not manage to receive unanimous approval. There were still issues to revise, though the outcome was within his expectations.
Finance was an open-ended field, and the external economic environment changed constantly. Winning unanimous approval was extremely difficult. Passing subject to revisions was still a pass! That was an enormous victory and would allow him to put a wonderful full stop to his eight years of university life.
As soon as the result was confirmed that afternoon, he hopped onto his beloved aerodynamic bicycle and rode the eight kilometers to Zhang Xingchuan’s house with the wind in his face.
He and Zhang Xingchuan had not met since the bicycle arrived. The president had been unusually busy lately, even taking longer than usual to reply to messages.
Tan Xiao missed him badly. If it weren’t for the fact that so many people at WenCheng knew him, making a visit there a little too conspicuous, he would have gone straight to the office.
The housekeeper had seen Tan Xiao several times by now and did not ask unnecessary questions. He was always courteous to her, and she treated him warmly in return.
He went upstairs to Zhang Xingchuan’s bedroom and played on his phone while waiting.
When Zhang Xingchuan asked about his defense result, Tan Xiao told him the outcome but did not mention that he was already at his house.
At first he was very excited. He imagined Zhang Xingchuan coming home and being delighted to see him. They would spend a little time being affectionate, then Tan Xiao would sit down with him and have a serious talk.
He had already decided before his defense: once his academic matters were settled, he would tell Zhang Xingchuan everything that ought to be explained.
He did not know how Zhang Xingchuan would react, but he was optimistic.
If he’d managed something as difficult as defending a doctorate, surely he could do equally well in a defense concerning wealth and love.
After nine o’clock, his phone had already gone through a full charge and Zhang Xingchuan still hadn’t come home or sent him a message.
Is he really this busy lately?
Tan Xiao paced the bedroom countless times, sitting here, looking there, never touching anything without permission. Finally he lay back on the bed to play games and soon grew sleepy. He decided to take a nap.
When Zhang Xingchuan returned and pulled into the garage, he noticed the bicycle he had bought Tan Xiao.
The housekeeper greeted him with a smile and tried to be mysterious, intending to let him discover the surprise for himself when he went upstairs.
But Zhang Xingchuan asked directly, “Is Tan Xiao here?”
She could only answer, “He’s upstairs. He arrived a little after five.”
Zhang Xingchuan nodded, looking rather distracted.
Tan Xiao was lying crosswise on Zhang Xingchuan’s bed, fast asleep. The stress of his defense had cost him sleep for several nights. As he had said before, the bed in Zhang Xingchuan’s house was very comfortable. Now he sprawled across it in complete disorder, sleeping deeply and contentedly.
Zhang Xingchuan entered without turning on the light. He sat in the armchair beside the window and, from a little over a meter away, gazed at Tan Xiao through the faint light spilling in from outside.
It was already late May and getting warm. Tan Xiao had ridden over wearing a plain white short-sleeved T-shirt and black athletic pants. The air-conditioning wasn’t on, but the room wasn’t cold. Even so, he had tugged one corner of Zhang Xingchuan’s thin blanket over his stomach.
His face looked entirely Chinese, as did his everyday habits.
Zhang Xingchuan thought: Was it because he looks too Chinese that his father, the king of shipping, left him here to grow up in something close to neglect?