Even so, Fu Yinxiu was overjoyed and instantly satisfied.
"I'll call you again tomorrow," Fu Yinxiu said.
Ming Yutong thought for a moment, and her lips curled into a slight smile that she didn't even realize she was making. "Okay."
With Ming Yutong's affirmative response, Fu Yinxiu felt so elated he could have rolled on the bed.
He silently warned himself to stay calm and composed.
He had never been one to show his emotions openly, and he certainly wouldn't do something as silly as rolling on the bed out of joy.
But with Ming Yutong, it seemed like he was acting out of character.
He found himself doing things he would never have done in the past.
Unable to contain his happiness, he asked again, "Tong Tong, could you send me a selfie?"
Ming Yutong: "…"
Fu Yinxiu shamelessly continued, "I just miss you. Since I'm not around these days, I'd like to see your photo."
After saying this, he felt a bit embarrassed and buried his face in a thick, soft pillow, almost hiding his face completely.
His usually composed and dignified face was now flushed.
Ming Yutong's lips twitched. "No."
She wasn't fond of taking selfies, and sending one to him sounded rather silly.
She wasn't a teenage girl anymore.
"I'm not going to take a photo," Ming Yutong said.
"Don't be like that," Fu Yinxiu said softly. "Just one photo, please. I miss you."
Ming Yutong's lips twitched even more. "Fu Yinxiu."
"What's wrong?" Fu Yinxiu immediately became serious when she called him by his full name.
"Did you learn to act cute from Jingshi or something?" Ming Yutong asked helplessly.
Fu Yinxiu: "…"
He had picked up a bit of that, but he didn't want to admit it.
"No," Fu Yinxiu shamelessly denied.
"…" Ming Yutong thought it was hard to believe.
"Jingshi talks to me like this sometimes," Ming Yutong said, not even mentioning that Jingshi's cute demeanor was naturally endearing.
But Fu Yinxiu, a grown man who had always appeared indifferent and unfeeling, suddenly changing his attitude was quite overwhelming.
Fu Yinxiu's long fingers, clearly defined, unconsciously poked at the pillow, repeatedly poking, his thick eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Fu Yinxiu pressed his lips together and finally said, "I'm his dad, so it's normal for him to be like me."
Ming Yutong: "…"
It seemed that Fu Yinxiu's shamelessness was growing thicker by the day.
"Tong Tong, please send me a photo," Fu Yinxiu said again.
"No," Ming Yutong said with a cold expression. She wasn't going to take a selfie, that was too silly.
Fu Yinxiu fell silent, feeling both aggrieved and frustrated.
Ming Yutong told herself not to soften her stance. Otherwise, with his current antics, he might just demand more.
"How about we do a video call then?" Fu Yinxiu suggested.
He thought that he could take a screenshot of her during the call so he could look at it whenever he missed her.
Ming Yutong considered his intention.
Although she didn't want to send a selfie, she felt that if he wanted a screenshot during a video call, it wasn't such a big deal.
However, just hearing his voice made her feel conflicted about how to respond.
Facing him directly…
"Tong Tong…" Fu Yinxiu's voice came through, sounding aggrieved.
It was a bit much for Ming Yutong, having a grown man use such a clingy tone. She almost felt like hitting something.
"Alright," Ming Yutong finally relented.
"Wait for me!" As soon as Fu Yinxiu's words finished, he immediately hung up.
Ming Yutong: "…"
She was caught off guard by the abrupt end to the call.
Even though she knew he was busy setting up the video call, being cut off so abruptly still felt a bit strange.
So, Ming Yutong waited by her phone, expecting a video call request, but after a long wait, Fu Yinxiu didn't send one.
She had logged into WeChat early, watching the minutes tick by with her phone remaining silent.
Ming Yutong furrowed her brows. Was Fu Yinxiu not using WeChat?
If not, what was he planning to use?
Regardless of the platform, there should have been a response by now.
She was tempted to call him to ask what was going on but resisted the urge.
What Ming Yutong didn't know was that Fu Yinxiu was currently standing in front of a full-length mirror in his hotel suite bedroom.
In the middle of winter, he had turned up the air conditioning, removed all his upper clothing, revealing his well-toned torso, and tied a white bath towel loosely around his waist.
He had been admiring his reflection for a while, pleased to see that his physique was still impressive.
As the leader of "Thorns," his skills and physique were top-notch.
Fu Yinxiu had been learning martial arts from a young age, undergoing rigorous training. As a result, he was exceptionally tall.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he admired his long and well-proportioned physique. His abs were well-defined with a solid six-pack, and despite his muscles being tight, they weren't overly bulky. Instead, his physique was perfectly balanced and aesthetically pleasing.
The white bath towel was tied slightly below his abdomen, revealing a hint of dark hair beneath.
After some consideration, he adjusted the towel to ensure it wouldn't fall, letting it hang loosely around his toned waist and hips. The two V-lines extending from his abdomen to his hips became more pronounced.
Satisfied with his appearance, Fu Yinxiu nodded and was about to leave when he noticed his skin felt a bit dry after the shower. He took a selfie, but found it didn't quite capture his best look.
He then fetched a bottle of moisturizer, applied it carefully, and felt rejuvenated with his skin now smooth and hydrated.
He finally relaxed and opened WeChat to send a video call request to Ming Yutong. Instead of sitting, he stood to highlight his physique, adjusting the angle of his phone while waiting for her to answer.
When Ming Yutong received the video call request, she hesitated for a moment. She had been wondering what he was up to, especially after his abrupt hang-up earlier.
Though she had felt a bit annoyed, she found that these days, influenced by Fu Yinxiu's persistent attention, she wasn't just accepting him, but had also developed some of the more tender, vulnerable emotions often associated with being cared for.
Even though she had some minor grievances, she never doubted his intentions or suspected him of doing anything wrong.
Seven years ago, she was younger and less secure, especially given Fu Yinxiu's exceptional status and his reluctance to let her inquire too much.