Li Ming pondered the question while they continued walking toward his apartment. Maybe it would be probably about how things were used or something one of them liked doing that the other didn’t and might actively be disturbed by. Regarding this … "Do you smoke?"

Mo Fang looked at him and shook his head, reaching up to pat his cheek. "It’s bad for the skin."

Li Ming couldn’t help but give a smile at that explanation. Yes, he probably should’ve thought of that. Anyway, this was good. He didn’t mind people smoking close to him but he really wasn’t keen on having the smell in his own apartment. "Then what about working out? You said that you didn’t need to watch your weight but I guess as a model, you’ll do at least a bit, right?"

Mo Fang nodded. "Yeah, that’s something I do. Actually, I do enjoy working out." Falling silent, Mo Fang couldn’t help but side-eye Li Ming. "About that … As a security guard, you’ll probably have to keep pretty fit, right?" He looked at his arm again that had very obviously been quite muscular before looking back up at his face. "You’re probably also working out a lot."

Li Ming smiled at that, especially when he saw the way that Mo Fang’s gaze slid down for a moment. Anyway, even if he wasn’t ready for a relationship, who wasn’t happy if they got a bit of a compliment? And even if Mo Fang hadn’t said it out loud, it had been pretty obvious that he did think of him as a good-looking guy. "I do. I normally go running in the morning and then visit the gym depending on my schedule."

Mo Fang gave a hum, wondering if it would be too much to ask him if you could tag along. This would be the perfect opportunity to spend even more time together and even in a situation where he might get Li Ming to take off his shirt. To his pleasant surprise, this time, it was Li Ming made the first step.

"Do you want to come running with me in the morning? I always think that it’s nice after waking up."

Mo Fang beamed at him. "That does sound great! I just hope I won’t pull you down. As a model, it’s mostly about making sure I keep in shape and look good, not that much about actually being fast or anything like that. So it could be that you’ll find my speed to be a little disappointing."

Li Ming shook his head. "I don’t mind adjusting a bit. Anyway, we can give it a try first. If things don’t work out, then we don’t have to do it again."

"So tomorrow morning?"

Li Ming nodded and then motioned to the building ahead. "It’s there."

Mo Fang laughed at that, lightly slapping Li Ming’s arm. "What are you saying? I was here just this morning. Don’t you remember?"

"Of course, I do. I just wasn’t sure if you actually paid attention to that."

Mo Fang’s expression turned slightly awkward and he looked away. "Is it really something you need to pay attention to? Anyway, we left the house together. Of course, I did notice a bit. Maybe it was that I paid attention because I didn’t even know how I came here. I guess I was a bit curious."

Li Ming looked at him, feeling a bit confused. Why did it seem as if Mo Fang was having a guilty conscience? "I’m not blaming you."

Mo Fang looked up at him, only to look away again instantly. Great! Now, he had actually made himself suspicious when he tried to defend his actions. He didn’t know what to do but finally, I just turned back and gripped Li Ming’s arm again, giving an embarrassed smile. "Bro Li, I’m sorry. I probably reacted very weirdly just now."

Li Ming couldn’t deny that. But thinking about it, he could imagine where this might be coming from. "Does this have something to do with your ex-boyfriend?" He didn’t feel that it was too far-fetched. A lot of Mo Fang’s behavior seemed to come from things that had happened in his last relationship.

Happy that Li Ming was actually giving him such a good excuse, Mo Fang reciprocated with a strained smile. "I really don’t want you to think of him as just a bad guy. I mean he had some sides to him that weren’t always great but he was otherwise a really good boyfriend."

Li Ming’s expression couldn’t help but turn soft when he heard that. "You’re actually still defending him. He can count himself lucky. Others would have talked badly about him a long time ago. His cheating on you was bad enough but it seems that he didn’t treat you very well before that either. In the future, you should really make sure that you get somebody better. You deserve to be happy."

Mo Fang nodded and couldn’t help but give Li Ming’s handsome face a slightly longer look. Anyway, he had already found the guy he wanted to be with. Now, it was just a question of him finally responding to his advances. Then, it wouldn’t be a problem at all to promise that.

Anyway, considering how Li Ming was, it was still a bit too early for that. "I’ll try my best. For now, I’ll just take some time to focus on myself though. After that, I have all the time in the world to find the perfect man. Who knows? He might already be around and just waiting for me to spot him. I just need to forget to get about Lan Heng and then open my eyes wide."

Li Ming nodded, happy to hear that Mo Fang was so open to considering the future. That did seem like a great step in the right direction. Also, the way he was talking about this seemed to indicate that he wasn’t thinking about him as any more than a good friend. Most likely, he really just bonded with him very fast because they were both gay men. In a society that was centered around heterosexual relationships, that kind of thing could probably make you feel quite close to somebody in a short time. Especially so if you were very vulnerable.