“……Mr. Fu, Madam says to come back to the old manor for lunch tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.,” his life assistant reminded Fu Yanli of his schedule.
Fu Yanli felt a headache coming on. Ever since he turned thirty, his mother had been pushing marriage harder than ever. Even as CEO of Fu Corporation, he couldn’t escape the fate of blind dates.
Four years ago, he’d come clean to her about sleeping with a boy and needing to track him down, settle on some compensation, and then think about marriage.
But his mother seemed convinced it was just an excuse to dodge commitment. She ignored it completely, stubbornly setting him up with suitable girls……and even boys.
“Tell Mother I’ll be there on time,” Fu Yanli replied.
“Got it, Mr. Fu.”
Once the assistant in the passenger seat had run through the full itinerary and straightened up, he happened to glance out the window and spot a strikingly attractive father and son duo on the roadside.
It was just a fleeting glimpse, but the little boy’s features left a deep impression.
Unbelievably beautiful.
Still, the assistant maintained his steady, reliable work persona and stayed silent.
From the back seat, Fu Yanli also glanced outside, his expression shifting slightly as the Club building came into view.
Four years ago, when he’d first taken the reins at Fu Corporation, he was young and parachuted straight into the CEO role. Plenty of people opposed it. After several power struggles—all of which he won—his rivals resorted to dirty tricks, plotting a sex scandal.
That’s how he’d been set up, drugged into sleeping with a strange boy right there at the Club.
Under the influence, he’d forgotten to turn on the lights at first. By the time he remembered, the boy had begged him in a hoarse voice not to.
Pity stirred in his heart, so he’d gone along with it.
In the end, he never saw the boy’s face—just remembered how good his voice sounded, low and pleading about the pain. His body was on the slimmer side, but supple and resilient, utterly addictive.
He recalled they’d gone four times. Even with the drugs egging him on, he couldn’t deny his own indulgence.
That sensation was intoxicating, after all.
When he woke the next morning, he’d planned to talk things out. If their personalities clicked, they could date. If not, he’d offer financial compensation.
From the boy’s clumsy responses, it was clear he wasn’t part of the setup. Later, the boy had sobbed that he’d walked into the wrong room.
But the boy had vanished. The surveillance was busted, and Fu Yanli had a two-week work trip abroad. He left it to his assistant to search while he flew out.
By the time he returned, every lead had gone cold. Many Club members’ info was untraceable—even to him. In the end, Fu Yanli never found that boy.
Maybe it was the abrupt end that made the encounter linger. Four years later, he still thought about him.
As those memories flooded back, the Club faded into the distance behind the car.
Jiang Shunnian didn’t dwell on it long. He hailed a cab with Nono to Yu Yanchen’s place, picked up ingredients at the complex’s supermarket, and punched in the door code.
Yu Yanchen’s apartment looked like someone tidied it occasionally, but it was still messy—clothes, scripts, and magazines strewn everywhere. It suited his personality perfectly.
Jiang Shunnian tidied up a bit, making it look marginally less chaotic.
His luggage had already been delivered by Xiao Ju’s arrangements and sat neatly in the guest room.
Nono sat obediently on the sofa, flipping through a storybook. His long, thick lashes cast shadows as he read with intense focus.
At moments like this, Nono didn’t resemble him at all—more like a serious little grown-up.
Jiang Shunnian tied on an apron and started prepping Nono’s dinner. Kids needed three square meals a day on schedule to grow big and strong.
After eating, Nono flopped on the sofa like a tiny otter, digesting with light pats to his belly.
Seeing his son’s adorable antics, Jiang Shunnian couldn’t resist pulling out his phone to record it. His device was stuffed with Nono’s videos and photos; he’d even offloaded some to his computer when storage ran low.
Little Jiang Yunnuo knew the drill, blowing his dad a playful kiss.
By 7:30 p.m., it was Nono’s study time—a routine he’d set himself. An hour a day: characters, ancient poems, English. Everything scheduled with military precision. He was a little grown-up through and through.
Jiang Shunnian sometimes wondered if Nono’s other dad had OCD. He himself was far more free-spirited.
While Nono studied, Jiang Shunnian prepped dinner for himself and Yu Yanchen—enough in case Xiao Ju stayed.
By 9:30, Nono was asleep. Yu Yanchen walked in the door to the heavenly aroma of home-cooked food. He’d raved about Jiang Shunnian’s cooking before and nearly teared up smelling it again.
“Bro, why don’t we just shack up together?”
His bro could rock the hall and the kitchen, plus a gorgeous, well-behaved kid? Ideal life right there!
Xiao Ju covered her mouth, stifling a giggle.
Jiang Shunnian rolled his eyes. “Get real. Come help serve.”
“OK!”
Xiao Ju had been dieting—no dinners lately—but this spread of four dishes and soup was too tempting. Diet starts tomorrow. She sat right down.
One bite, and she squinted in bliss, thumbs-upping. “Jiang-ge, your cooking is chef’s kiss!”
They cracked open canned beers—just enough to set the mood, nothing heavy. Yu Yanchen probed Jiang Shunnian’s plans. “Shunnian, which agency you thinking of signing with?”
“Not sure yet. Any recs?”
His old agency had been a shoddy operation with crap resources. Lucky the contract was only two years. He’d landed a breakout role right as it ended, gaining traction, so no way he’d renew. They held a grudge and, when a big shot took a shine to him, tried pimping him out. Young and cautious, he’d faked drinking enough to slip away.
He hadn’t expected the drugs, though.
Shaking off the memory, he admitted the industry had changed in his four-year hiatus. He needed Yu Yanchen’s take.
“Best is Shixu Media—Fu Corporation launched it three years ago. Tons of resources, great pay, minimal BS. But sky-high entry bar.” Yu Yanchen sighed. “Others? Favoritism central, drop you like a hot potato, plus shady deals like your old gig. Or sign with my company? I can vouch for you with the boss—no problem. Downside: resources suck. I’ve hustled years and I’m still stuck on web dramas.”
Jiang Shunnian sipped his beer. “Mm.”
“Or go indie studio. But without backing, you’re sourcing everything yourself, hiring staff… You got time for that?”
“Tough call.” Jiang Shunnian mulled it over. “Might as well start with your company. Ask around if you can.”
“No prob. Tomorrow.”
They wrapped up and crashed. Jiang Shunnian brushed twice to kill any breath before slipping into bed beside Nono, hugging his son to sleep.
Next day, he dropped Nono at set with Xiao Ju for babysitting and headed to sign his contract.
The male lead was still MIA—some event, supposedly. Yu Yanchen gossiped it was a yacht trip with his sugar daddy. As the main investor’s boy, he had leeway galore. Back the day after tomorrow.
They shot Yu Yanchen and the female lead’s scenes.
Chen Letong was a fourth-year film academy student—young, pretty, super slim. Her eyes lit up seeing Jiang Shunnian.
He greeted her politely, then found the producer to sign.
He pored over the contract; Yu Yanchen had a lawyer vet it. All good.
Cannon-fodder role, but key—30k pay. The producer, who’d clearly done homework, grinned. “Googled you last night. You were this close to blowing up. Why the sudden vanish?”
Net had zilch on his exit—all scrubbed.
“Life happened,” Jiang Shunnian said vaguely.
Producer didn’t pry. Entertainment world was weird enough. “Just nail the performance. Web drama or not, good acting finds fans.”
“Will do. Thanks.”
Contract signed, prep started. First scene that afternoon—he hit makeup.
Lunch was crew box meals, but Jiang Shunnian reheated his thermos breakfast in the van kitchen.
Meanwhile, at Fu Family Old Manor.
The garden-style estate was opulent and refined, nestled by mountains and water like a painting.
Fu Yanli’s car pulled up to the main building at 11:20 sharp. He stepped out and entered the hall.
His mother, Shen Lingyi, didn’t rise at his arrival. She huffed. “Oh, look, it’s my big son—the one who wants to die alone, ignores his own mother, and needs assistants for contact.”
Fu Yanli: “……Mom, I’ve been swamped.”
“You’re never not swamped.” Shen Lingyi kept up the sarcasm. “You’re thirty! Men decline after that—quality drops, can’t make good babies. What then?”
Fu Yanli: “……”
He’d just had a checkup; docs said he was healthier than a 25-year-old.
But Shen Lingyi wasn’t buying it. She suggested, “Freeze some sperm then.”
“And make kids via unethical, illegal means?” Fu Yanli shot down. “Mom, I’ve told you—if I find that boy and sort it out, I’ll go along with marriage.”
She bristled. “Same old excuse! Fu Yanli, I’m giving you three months. Find him or marry someone by deadline!”
Fu Yanli sighed softly. “Fine.”
Deep down, he wasn’t ready to let go……but he hated upsetting her.
