Before today, or to be more precise, before this meal, Li Xiaoheng had imagined many times what his first confession would be like.

He would take Tao Mu on his private plane to overlook the rivers, lakes, seas, strange mountains and famous rivers, or take Tao Mu on his private yacht to enjoy the sea scenery, and then at night, when the fireworks bloomed in the night, he would kneel on one knee to confess to Tao Mu. At the very least, you should book a restaurant and ask the chef to prepare a romantic candlelight dinner, a big bouquet of roses, a confession cake, and have a pianist or violinist play a "Romantic Wedding" or something like that...

All in all, it is definitely not like this now, eating with crab meat in hand, facing the table full of crab shells, shrimp skins and leftovers, making a hasty and rash confession.

——Will Kogure think I’m too casual? No sincerity at all?

I really shouldn't be so impulsive. I should continue to influence Xiao Mu silently and stay by his side until he is completely accustomed to me and has a good impression of me, and then confess my feelings to him.

But what if during this period, someone confesses to Xiao Mu before me, and Xiao Mu agrees?

In an instant, Li Xiaoheng felt regretful and conflicted. I wish time could go back ten minutes. However, even if time really went back ten minutes, Li Xiaoheng was reluctant to miss the opportunity to confess his love.

Li Xiaoheng had no expression on his face. He looked serious and solemn, as if he was ready to go to the negotiation table to sign a deal worth hundreds of billions of dollars at any time. There is no sign at all of the crazy barrage of comments that feels like a thousand alpaca horses galloping through his heart.

Li Xiaoheng held the crab cake tightly in both hands and looked at Tao Mu anxiously. Tao Mu's expression changed in just a few seconds. He was stunned at first, then amused, then sneered, and then quickly changed from sneer to thoughtful indifference, and finally froze into an expression of interest and curiosity: "How could Brother Li like me?"

Something is wrong!

Although he had not been with Tao Mu for a long time, because Li Xiaoheng had a one-sided love for him, he was very familiar with Tao Mu's true reactions in various environments. One can even tell what Tao Mu is thinking from his subtle expression - so Tao Mu is definitely not really curious about why Li Xiaoheng likes him in this state.

Li Xiaoheng frowned slightly, feeling that the situation might not be good - as expected, negotiations without adequate preparation would face a high probability of failure.

Fortunately, Li Xiaoheng did not imagine that Tao Mu would accept his confession immediately after hearing it. He just hoped that Tao Mu could give him a pursuit——

"Come to think of it, Brother Li and I met during the summer vacation." Tao Mu called him Brother Li, but to Li Xiaoheng, "Brother Li" at this time was not as friendly as "Boss Li" just now.

"We first met on July 7th, and it's only been half a year. During this time, Brother Li was handling business in Country M, which means that the time we actually spent together was at most two months." Tao Mu looked at Li Xiaoheng with a warm smile, with a very surprised expression, and a little embarrassment and shyness: "In such a short time, I can make such an excellent person like Brother Li fall in love with me. Don't say, I'm really a little flattered. It seems that my personality charm is not bad."

No, that's not what you think. Li Xiaoheng looked at Tao Mu's expression. The passion after the impulsive confession gradually subsided. He keenly noticed that Tao Mu seemed to be on guard against him.

——Tao Mu is indeed like that.

Li Xiaoheng's confession reminded him of his terrible previous life. Before returning to the Shen family, Tao Mu had attracted a lot of admirers because of his face. Even with Liu Yao protecting him, Tao Mu had also experienced the bad things of being blocked at the school gate by people driving luxury cars and asking for friends.

Later, when he returned to the Shen family, at first some people, perhaps attracted by the Shen family's wealth, or perhaps by his face, or perhaps because they thought it was particularly novel, approached him with an attitude of "I like you". Even in Shen Yu's harem, there were many people who were sexually interested in him first, but unsurprisingly, they were eventually attracted to Shen Yu. In the end, they even used the slogan "I never thought you were this kind of person. I'm really disappointed. I was really blind to fall for you", and they stepped on him more harshly than those who liked Shen Yu from the beginning. Its harmfulness index is definitely no less than that of a big fan turning black.

Tao Mu is actually not afraid of anyone playing tricks on him. After all, he grew up in an environment where people were deceitful and treacherous. He had seen all the world and was not afraid of anything.

But the person who was sweet-talking and swearing love to him in the last second, turned his gun around and helped Shen Yu deal with him in the next second. After a long time and many times, Tao Mu would get tired.

The most important thing is that it is too troublesome to solve the mess. Just like Zhuo Yan, when she first started pursuing him, she was extremely affectionate and nice to him, caring about him and showing affection to the point of being sickening. Tao Mu was so coaxed that he went from being strictly guarded at first to completely trusting him in the end. In the end, the two of them were still sleeping in the same bed. Tao Mu was still thinking about when he could find time to get a marriage certificate with Zhuo Yan, but Zhuo Yan got tired of it first.

I think the big leopard with deep cunning and cruel means is boring, and it is better to be the delicate, soft and tender Persian cat.

The key is that if you get tired of it, then you get tired of it. Certain sets have a shelf life. Everyone has the seven-year itch. Tao Mu could understand it. Even if he was not used to it, as long as he spoke openly and clearly, Tao Mu was not the kind of person who would pester him and ask for a lifetime of love.

Wouldn't it be nice to part ways amicably and in a dignified manner?

The key is that Zhuo Yan doesn't - it should be said that none of the people Tao Mu has ever met who have said they love him are like this.

They had to turn a breakup into a deep hatred and a life-and-death struggle. It was obviously them who were fed up and annoyed, but they had to bite back. They even dared to put on a face that they were deceived, questioned Tao Mu with a hurt face, and said shamelessly that they didn't expect Tao Mu to be such a scheming and ruthless person - Fuck you, this is the first day you met me, right?

Every time I’m pursued by someone in a relationship, we end up turning against each other and both sides suffer. No wonder Tao Mu is reflexively alert whenever he hears relevant words.

He really has a headache. He doesn't expect any outstanding person to pursue or love him. On the contrary, the more outstanding the people who admired him, the more worried Tao Mu was - if they turned against each other, how much effort would I have to put in to settle the internal strife?

Besides, he couldn’t see why Li Xiaoheng liked him.

It has been only half a year since the two of them met, and the number of times they have met is no more than a hundred times. There were very few times when they talked about personal matters - most of the time they talked about work and how to short the international market.

That’s right! When Tao Mu mentioned work, he suddenly came to his senses. Damn, most of his wealth was still in Xiaoheng Capital.

Originally, he thought that his luck would turn after his rebirth, and he could easily get on top of others. The two of them cooperated happily and tacitly, one produced financial reports and the other was responsible for the specific operations. Tao Mu could also enjoy the pleasure of having a large amount of money come into his account while lying on the bed.

But my partner suddenly got angry for no reason and confessed his love to me when we were almost done with our meal.

——What the hell, you’re crazy! On a whim? Sudden idea? It shouldn't be so exhausting, right? Ordinary white-collar workers know not to engage in office romances for no reason. You are a capital tycoon with a bright future, but you have nothing better to do than to drag your partner into a relationship?

Even if everyone likes men, rabbits will not eat grass near their burrows. We are all Mr. Rabbit. Do you still have the most basic species habits and ethics inherited from the species genes?

Thinking about Li Xiaoheng's methods and the wealth of the Li family, Tao Mu was not surprised by the confession. Instead, he felt a fear that he would be dominated by the "halo of turning against each other".

If the negotiations fail by accident, can his small fortune withstand Li Xiaoheng's revenge?

Tao Mu took a deep breath and really felt like he was going to have a myocardial infarction. Should he find a way to withdraw his funds from Xiaoheng Capital first?

However, the most urgent task is to appease the partner who has lost his temper without noticing.

"Brother Li." Tao Mu suppressed his bad complaints and said with a gentle smile: "I was really surprised by your sudden confession. How should I put it? I don't think we know each other very well. You know me, I'm not that kind of innocent and pure good person——"

"I know." Li Xiaoheng nodded and interrupted Tao Mu: "You don't believe that I really like you. Maybe you are still worried that if you reject me, I will be angry and destroy our cooperative relationship."

Tao Mu didn't expect Li Xiaoheng to directly point out his concerns. Suddenly, I felt a little embarrassed: "How could that be. I still trust Brother Li's professional ethics. We have such a pleasant cooperation and have earned tens of billions of dollars in the international crude oil market. It is conceivable that the future gains will definitely be greater than now. Mr. Li is also a businessman, how could he be emotional."

Tao Mu's words were so serious and sincere that most people might have believed them.

However, Li Xiaoheng is not an ordinary person: "I know you don't believe me. I admit that today's confession was too abrupt. I failed to make you feel how serious I am about this relationship. Or to be more precise, I failed to make you feel the cautious attitude that a pursuer should have, but I really hope you can give me a chance to formally pursue you."

"You don't need to agree to my confession. I just need you to officially allow me to pursue you."

Tao Mu laughed in his heart, thinking, what kind of attitude should I have? The more formal and solemn your attitude is, the more destructive power will be when someone betrays you in the future. It's all directly proportional.

Besides, we are all adults. What’s the point of just looking at attitude? As long as the benefits are sufficient, he will be caring and respectful to Luo Yang and Cheng Baodong. Does he like these two people too?

Tao Mu was not even afraid that Li Xiaoheng would talk to him about interests. Because he believed that he could bring his partners profits that were beyond their expectations. He was afraid that Li Xiaoheng would become willful and not even talk to him about interests.

At this time, Tao Mu thought of Luo Yang again. I vaguely remembered that Li Xiaoheng was Luo Yang's childhood friend. Although the value of this childhood sweetheart is still debatable. But the wise saying that birds of a feather flock together showed its destructive power at this moment.

None of the meows made life easy for him.

Tao Mu's inner comments filled the screen, but he had to remain calm on the surface: "Let's talk business. I really think our relationship is not suitable for love." There are at least several hundred billion or M gold projects involved in the follow-up.

It would be so nice for everyone to sit together and make money, but you have to be so stupid as to want to fall in love. If during your relationship you become emotionally unstable and want to separate, how much money will I have to pay?

Tao Mu scratched his hair upset. If Li Xiaoheng could keep his emotions stable, even if she wanted to fall in love with him, he would be able to lower himself and coax Li Xiaoheng for the sake of cooperation.

But can Li Xiaoheng's emotions remain stable all the time? Who can give me a guarantee?

Even someone like Zhuo Yan, who was raised by him, could be bitten by him without hesitation when they became enemies, and he would specifically bite his vital points to death.

Tao Mu's family knows his own business. He knows that Tao Mu has a sinister character and vicious means. The longer people get along with him, the more they can see his character clearly. The reason why some people act ruthlessly after becoming enemies is mainly because they are afraid that the other party will retaliate against them so they strike first.

This is human nature. But he couldn't understand: "I'll tell you the truth."

Tao Mu carefully looked at Li Xiaoheng's expression: "Although I like men, I have never thought about having a serious relationship in my life. Brother Li, you are a good person, so I won't delay you, okay?"

Kogure doesn't like me.

Although he didn't know Tao Mu's experience in his previous life, Li Xiaoheng still saw the most crucial point from Tao Mu's reaction after hearing his confession and his subconscious weighing attitude.

This was expected.

Li Xiaoheng took a slight breath and curled his lips at Tao Mu. The smile was gentle and even had a hint of affection: "Did my willful confession cause you any trouble?"

Tao Mu was about to say something polite when he hesitated when his eyes met Li Xiaoheng's warm and affectionate yet lost eyes. He nodded slowly and smiled bitterly, "A little bit."

"Sorry." Li Xiaoheng curled his lips, poured himself a cup of warm tea, drank two sips slowly, and calmed himself down: "You are right. If it is for the consideration of long-term cooperation, I should not have confessed so capriciously. We should not mix too much personal feelings into our relationship. This will cause our cooperation to be unstable due to personal feelings..."

Li Xiaoheng's mind was a little confused, but he was also very clear. He knew he had to do something to calm the leopard in front of him, which was so nervous that its fur was almost standing on end.

"I am really ashamed. I am a few years older than you, Xiao Mu. I am not as clear-headed and calm as you are on these issues."

Tao Mu smiled gently and looked at Li Xiaoheng calmly, trying to judge whether the other party was just speaking for show or really meant it.

Of course, no matter what Li Xiaoheng thought. If he had been more rational, he would have known that their stable partnership was far more important than a romantic relationship driven by hormones.

A future capital tycoon should understand how to balance these two relationships.

Thinking of Li Xiaoheng's reputation and status in the international capital market in his previous life, Tao Mu was still optimistic about Li Xiaoheng's decision.

"So after careful consideration, I decided..."

As expected. The boss is the boss. Even if he gets a little crazy occasionally, his mind and reason can still be trusted——

"Just like when we were working together, you chose the time to short the project, and I was responsible for the specific operations. I also leave the decision-making power for our relationship to you. I am only responsible for pursuing you. As for whether to accept my pursuit, it is up to you to decide."

"...Huh?" Tao Mu looked at Boss Li in confusion. Are you kidding me?