Hard to Bear

Ming Lai returned to the country in his senior year of high school.

Because of his terrible grades and rebellious attitude, his elders took turns trying to set him straight.

Ming Lai, who had spent more than a decade as the pampered young master, scoffed at them.

He called his friend and boasted: "Nobody can control me!"

But as soon as he got home, he spotted a strange man on the sofa.

The man wore a sharply tailored ash-gray suit and thin-framed glasses. With his handsome features and legs crossed, he had a cool aloofness that kept everyone at a distance.

His father beckoned him over. "Come say hello to Uncle Zhong."

His father: "You're spending the summer with Uncle Zhong."

Ming Lai's eyes darted around. "Is he a high school tutor? He looks so old."

His father was on the verge of exploding with rage.

The man on the sofa shook his head and handed over a report card, speaking calmly. "If I'm supposed to tutor you, I think we need to start with middle school."

Ming Lai shot him a distinctly unfriendly glare.

Ming Lai was told that Uncle Zhong was a university professor, well known in his field, whom his father had called in as a desperate attempt to deal with his problem child.

The problem child rubbed his hands together. "I'm going to show him just how miserable this summer can be!"

Zhong Jingzhi first met Ming Lai at a bar in Yu City.

There was an argument in one of the booths. When he looked over, he saw a black-haired, fair-skinned boy with a sweet face angrily smashing a bottle.

The boy glared at him. A lovely red mole sat beneath his eye. "What are you looking at?"

The second time was in the Ming family's living room.

The rebellious boy had dressed himself up in a flashy, unconventional style. His earrings, necklaces, and bracelets jingled and clanked, and he was just as formidable as before. Only that signature red mole beneath his eye remained unchanged.

Zhong Jingzhi smiled, and the rebellious boy became even more rebellious.

Much later, Zhong Jingzhi wrapped an arm around Ming Lai's waist in the pattering rain and had him sit obediently on his lap.

Zhong Jingzhi kissed the red mole he had long been fantasizing about, then whispered against Ming Lai's trembling ear: "Spread your legs. Don't shake."

Reading Guide:

1. Bad-tempered young master bottom x fatherly professor top

2. Sorry for changing the premise

Theme: Love helps people grow