The Sickly Villain Only Wants to Survive

85

How long have you known? After returning from City A, his cousin had told him not long after.

He always assumed that Shao Ming didn't know... but what did this sudden question mean?

Zhu Tong instinctively said, "I didn't have anyone investigate you; it was my cousin who..."

Shao Ming suddenly chuckled.

Zhu Tong froze.

Shao Ming said, "I know. You wouldn't do something like that."

Zhu Tong breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Shao Ming asked, "So when did your cousin tell you?"

Zhu Tong answered truthfully.

Shao Ming's lips curved slightly. "Then why did your cousin tell you something like this?"

"..."

Cheng Chen was Zhu Tong's cousin. When Zhu Tong was hospitalized, Cheng Chen had informed him through Lu Zheyu, and after hearing rumors from City A, he secretly told Zhu Tong. And just now, there were the words "boyfriend" in that message.

After the tension with the elders eased, it felt like a sweet warmth spread through his heart.

Zhu Tong was still wondering why his cousin had told him this. Just as he figured it out, he heard Shao Ming say, "That's not very fair, young master. How could you make such a decision without letting me, the person involved, know about it?"

"..."

Zhu Tong was caught off guard by the word "decision" and hurried to explain, "I didn't tell my cousin; he figured it out on his own..."

"Did you deny it?"

Zhu Tong paused and asked in confusion, "Why should I deny it?"

Shao Ming: "..."

Whether it was being in a relationship at a young age or having someone like him as the partner, others would typically try to hide it from their family.

But Zhu Tong, in matters like this, seemed to lack any sense of caution.

Or perhaps it wasn't that he lacked caution; he didn't even have the concept of a "crisis" in his mind.

It seemed like Shao Ming was the only one who felt nervous about it.

Shao Ming felt a bit helpless as he looked at Zhu Tong, his gaze complex.

Zhu Tong was unsure why, only feeling that the silence between them as they stared at each other was awkward. He forcefully steered the conversation back, saying, "So... how long have you known?"

Shao Ming smiled and asked, "What are you referring to?"

Zhu Tong: "..."

Was he referring to knowing that he was an illegitimate child or to hearing the rumors in City A?

Zhu Tong replied earnestly, "I want to know both."

Shao Ming pressed his lips together and said, "Regarding the rumors, I knew he would do something like that around the time we left City A."

Zhu Tong was slightly surprised. "You knew that early?"

Shao Ming: "Yes, I knew before you did."

Zhu Tong: "..."

This isn't about showing off, is it?

Why did Shao Ming know so early? He must have a good understanding of the way certain people behave. This means that Shao Ming's biological father must have approached him long ago.