Chapter 26: Geranium Part 2

Yu Wenzhe, in contrast, who hadn’t even been this agitated over losing his own match, now couldn’t control his explosive emotions.

Principal: “You, go outside. This is his matter, none of your business.”

“I’m not leaving! He earned this slot through his own ability, after so much effort. On what grounds do you just cancel it?!”

A teacher stepped in to placate him: “Ah, Student Yu, just leave it alone. With Student Han’s talent, even if he gives up the school’s recommendation qualification, he’ll definitely secure a place in the industry in the future…”

Yu Wenzhe: “How can you be sure?”

“I’m asking you, how can you be sure?! An opportunity like this—for each person, it might only come once in a lifetime! Just like Senior Fu Yao: no matter how much ideal and talent she had, in the end, she couldn’t even participate in one PA. What gives you the right to casually take away someone else’s chance?”

Teacher: “Fu Yao’s situation was different…”

Yu Wenzhe shook off the person’s hand. “So the competition rules can be changed on a whim just because of one word from Belle? What kind of bureaucratic trash school is this? I’m dropping out!”

Teacher: “You dropping out…”

“I know you don’t lack me, and you don’t care about me either. But if this continues, disheartened students leaving one after another—sooner or later, this school will close down!”

…

Yu Wenzhe was eventually dragged outside, where he stood in the hallway and cried out his frustration alone for a while.

A little later, Han Fu also came out.

“Old Yu, don’t, it’s not that serious…” He hadn’t finished speaking when his phone rang.

“Stop crying first, I’ve got to take a call. Uncle Zhuo, what’s up?”

Yu Wenzhe sniffled for a bit. As the ringing in his ears faded, he gradually made out Han Fu’s voice from around the corner.

“Uncle Zhuo, do you know about the Perfumer Skills Competition, the Perfumer Awards?”

“Please help me look into how to buy sponsorship for this event. No, I might not be expressing clearly enough—be sure to buy it for me. If not, negotiate with Belle or Redberry to squeeze it out of them. If not, sponsor essential oils. Anyway, we must secure a recommendation qualification equal to theirs.”

“Sniff… Hic.” Yu Wenzhe stopped crying and stared at Han Fu as if he’d lost his mind.

The person on the phone said something else, and Han Fu’s voice grew louder. “I know! Of course I remember what I promised the old man!”

Then, instantly deflated: “So~ that’s why I’m specially and secretly asking you to help, isn’t it? Please fully exercise your cleverness and privately maneuver this for me. Thank you in advance, Uncle Zhuo. No, no need to be modest, you can definitely do it. My dad listens to everything you say anyway. Go get it!”

Yu Wenzhe’s shoulders shook with another hiccup.

The guy got disqualified, and he cried his eyes out.

Yet Han Fu not only didn’t cry, he didn’t even seem especially wronged, and even made a rather outrageous-sounding phone call—

a. Han Fu, overwhelmed by the blow, had descended into a calm madness.

b. If not, what kind of big-shot could buy sponsorship out of Belle’s and Redberry’s hands? Sure enough, overwhelmed by the blow, calm madness?

…

After hanging up, Han Fu fell silent, his mind churning on its own.

Actually, he didn’t particularly like this trait of his.

His own self-assessment was roughly the same as Pei Zhen’s assessment of him—a foolishly sweet, soft, adorable, love-brained little wolfdog. Unfortunately, under certain circumstances, from time to time, he’d suddenly become excessively rational.

He could only say that blood ties were terrifying; this was entirely a distinctive hereditary trait from a certain someone.

Alright. Uncle Zhuo had agreed to help him, and Uncle Zhuo was very reliable. But after all, he wasn’t the direct controller of the company’s or family’s funds.

Although in the end, he was sure he could persuade his dad, given his dad’s chaos-loving nature, he definitely wouldn’t let their side off easy. He’d drag things out, hiding his fox tail, for some time.

Therefore, buying the sponsorship would take at least ten days to half a month, maybe even one or two months at worst. In the meantime, wouldn’t Zhenzhen again be unable to eat or sleep well?

Even worse…

How would he explain it to him once he actually bought it?

Lanrui bought the sponsorship and then, for no reason, kindly gave the slot to him? Even the most obtuse person would get suspicious, right?

Zhenzhen didn’t like rich and powerful men; he only liked poor little wolfdogs.

Back when he was rich, he’d been thoroughly rejected once. If he were found out and rejected again, stamped and sent back for a factory reset, what then? Get plastic surgery?

Unless…

Han Fu thought of a certain person.

Then immediately shook his head. No way! How could he accept handouts from the enemy?!

And at that very second, as if on telepathic cue, by a stroke of fate, that very person called.

…

“Hello, it’s me.”

Extremely non-standard Mandarin. Han Fu held back, suppressing the urge to curse. “Yeah.”

“Did you see the news?”

Han Fu continued holding back. “What news?”

“I won! I won the UK’s PA! Don’t you even care about your opponent?!” Lister bristled. “Next up is the International Competition. Even though this was expected, I figured I’d let you know!”

Han Fu: “Oh, congratulations then.”

Lister: “I also heard you’ve been forced to be banned by Belle’s side? I told you, hanging around Pei would spell doom sooner or later. You wouldn’t listen, ha!”

Han Fu: “You made a long-distance call just to badmouth my Zhenzhen? Then I’m hanging up.”

Lister: “You—hold on! Are you an idiot? Get your act together and compete! Don’t even think about running!”

Han Fu: “Oh. But I’m banned, remember?”

“…” Lister started holding it in, then after a long pause, “You should know, the China PA preliminaries have exactly two—two—direct recommendation quotas for advancing to the elimination round! One was given by Belle to Grasse. Want to guess who holds the other one?”

Han Fu: “Not guessing. I’m not guessing.”

Lister: “…”

“Not guessing.”

Lister: “……..”

Who else held the other one? Who else could? The biggest sponsors of this year’s domestic PA were Belle on one side, and on the other—wasn’t it Lister’s family’s Redberry?

“Let me tell you, I’ve already asked Redberry China to secure that slot,” Lister said with an arrogant “Hmph.” “The only recommendation privilege that can get you into the PA arena is now in my hands!”

Han Fu: “Alright, got it. Bye.”

Lister: “Han Fu! You—you—you—you come back! Come back! I’m not finished!”

Speaking of the world’s stubborn tsunderes.

“Redberry’s recommendation slot isn’t impossible to let go to you. But you~ have to find a way to convince me. Come on, you’ve got three minutes.”

Han Fu narrowed his eyes slightly. “Hah, so eager to force that slot on me?”

Lister: “…”

“Then how about you find a way to beg me to accept it? You’ve got three minutes.”

Lister: “…”

“Or simpler—you’ve got three minutes to praise my Zhenzhen. Weren’t you a loser to Zhenzhen back in the day? Should be easy to praise, right?”

“…………………..”

…

At that moment, Yu Wenzhe felt like he might have… overheard a rather phenomenal conversation.

Or perhaps, become friends with some phenomenal people.

Or maybe, Han Fu had indeed been driven crazy by the shock and was now talking nonsense into a fake phone?

They reached the parking lot, but Han Fu couldn’t find his boyfriend’s car and finally began to panic, calling frantically with no answer.

“No way, he promised me he’d wait right here. Where could he have gone?”

All at once, he was like a frosted eggplant—instantly deflated, dazed, and breathless.

Yu Wenzhe didn’t know whether to worry or feel relieved, but at least he wasn’t blabbering nonsense while holding a phone anymore!

…

S City Center, Ruijing Hotel.

Twenty minutes earlier, the manager had received a call from above and swiftly ordered the front desk to be on standby.

The front desk girl had naively asked: Manager, we can’t just give a VIP guest’s room card to someone else. Offending a long-term VIP guest like that would be very bad!

Manager: “Offending one or two VIPs is no big deal, but the chairman said, absolutely, absolutely do not offend her good friend’s young master!”

The girl had worked at the five-star hotel’s front desk for two or three years and had seen plenty of troublesome rich second-generations. She wondered what kind of rule-breaking, slick, willful, spoiled brat would show up.

It turned out he wasn’t like that at all. That young master was incredibly handsome!

Long legs, a tiny mole under his eye, and lord, that white shirt—half-soaked in the heavy rain, clinging to his body and outlining the faint, tantalizingly perfect abs beneath!

She presented the room card with both hands, originally intending to escort the young master upstairs. Instead, the card was snatched straight away, and he sprinted to the elevator, pressing the door-close button frantically.

Han Fu rushed to the thirteenth floor, not even bothering to check the room numbers.

It was obvious, because at one door stood a delicate little white rabbit—apparently eavesdropping on the conversation inside, head bowed, rabbit eyes red.

Han Fu had no time for him. He simply brushed him aside, swiped the card, and kicked the door open.

The first glance alone nearly made his brain vessels explode.

Damnable Yi Changqing, who let you pinch someone’s face like that? You—how dare you get that close to someone else’s treasure?!

His mind went blank. By the time he reacted, he had already violently kicked the man far away, then pounced and stomped and stomped and stomped in a fury he couldn’t quench.

Still on autopilot, all he could think to do was grab hold of his own person.

Right in front of Yi Changqing, asserting his claim infinitely.

…

Things happened too fast. Pei Zhen was oxygen-deprived the entire time.

By the time he came back to his senses a little, still catching his breath, he found himself face-to-face with Han Fu, who was no longer wolfish but whose eyes were full of worry, heartache, and concern.

Actually, his heart ached more for the little wolfdog.

He hadn’t slept well last night because he’d been taking care of him, and now he still had dark circles under his eyes. After competing all afternoon, it had all been for nothing…

And he’d forgotten to leave a message, making him worry so much that he tracked him all the way here.

“About the qualification…”

“I know everything,” Han Fu said. “It’s fine, Zhenzhen. If they want to mess with the qualification, let them. No need to come here begging him!”

Although Pei Zhen hadn’t come to “beg” Yi Changqing.

Still, thinking it over, Han Fu had a point. It really was “fine.”

Many opportunities in this world have their own destiny. Competing isn’t necessarily always good, and not being able to compete doesn’t mean there’s no hope.

Maybe, if he competed smoothly and climbed to life’s peak, the little wolfdog might one day flick his tail and leave him, just like Yi Changqing had back then.

But by not competing, he’d have more time to spend together.

They’d open a small contract factory, spend a lifetime making little sweet fragrances, live a simple, peaceful life. That could still be content and happy.

As he thought this, the little wolfdog’s hand, originally wrapped around his waist, lifted and patted his head.

A little wolfdog patting…

A little wolfdog… patting his head?!

What do you think you’re doing? Pei Zhen glared at him. How could you make your sugar daddy lose face like this?

In the end, the little wolfdog kept one hand petting and used the other to pull out his phone. The phone was in a video call, and a blond, blue-eyed person complained, “Finally, you let me out of your pants pocket. Thank you very much!”

Han Fu: “You’re welcome.” Then he held it up high.

“Yo! If it isn’t Eliza’s sweet little boyfriend, Chan Qing? Why are you sitting on the floor? The floor’s cold, right? Get up, quick!”

“Hey, why does your face look a bit swollen? Is something wrong with the camera?”

Lister’s Chinese was truly terrible; he couldn’t pronounce “Changqing,” no matter what, it always came out as “Chan Qing.”

“Come on, come on, say hello to our Redberry’s PA recommendation candidate this year!”

As the two biggest sponsors of this year’s China PA, Belle and Redberry each held a recommendation spot for direct entry into the elimination round. Many people knew this.

But very few outsiders bothered to consider that “recommendation spots” weren’t just for casual play—

It was clearly a silent, understood arena of open and covert rivalry, with many other brands stretching their necks to watch the show. Naturally, whichever new talent Redberry and Belle pushed forward achieved the better ranking, the more face they’d gain.

At this, Lister was exceedingly gleeful. “Originally, someone so talented, since he studied at Belle’s Grasse branch, I felt a bit embarrassed to try to poach him.”

“As it turns out, you guys canceled his qualification? Then, truly, thank you. My grandfather has also agreed. Redberry will gladly pick him up without hesitation.”

“I just wonder what other companies will think? That Belle’s judgment is so poor, letting the clear best candidate be handed over on a silver platter…”

Lister needed no coaching.

With that insolent personality and that filter-free mouth, he could effortlessly and offhandedly offend people anywhere.

Aside from his own grandfather, no one had ever heard of anyone not finding him annoying.

Even Yi Changqing, famed for his “aloof” personality, had nearly come to blows with him at a dinner Eliza once introduced them at, flipping the table, and being photographed by a reporter from the next table, landing them on the gossip front page of that issue’s Perfume Chronicle.

And now, facing that insufferably smug little mixed-blood, Yi Changqing, though pressing his lips together in silence, looked like he’d just been force-fed pesticide.

Han Fu extended his hand and wrapped it around Pei Zhen’s waist once more.

No harm in feeding you a little more?