Lin Se gently arranged the photos on the table, crossed his arms, and said mildly, “Let’s imagine a scenario.”
Qi Jing looked at him in confusion.
“You walk into a restaurant. You’re starving—on the verge of death if you don’t eat.”
“But you can only eat the food if you’re seated at a table, and right now, there are just two open spots.”
“Spot A is surrounded by women. Spot B is surrounded by men.”
Lin Se glanced down. “So, where would you sit? They’d both welcome you.”
Without any hesitation, Qi Jing replied, “I’d choose B.”
“Oh? Why’s that? Could you explain it to me?” Lin Se asked gently. Truth be told, the game itself wasn’t particularly scientific.
What mattered most was the part where it drew out a person’s inner thoughts.
In a school setting, most kids still tended to make friends with others of the same gender, keeping a traditional distance from the opposite sex—curious but cautious.
Of course, that wasn’t always the case.
Lin Se was simply curious what kind of answer Qi Jing would give.
“Sitting with the girls might not be… appropriate?” The boy frowned slightly, looking a bit troubled.
Lin Se tilted his head. “Why wouldn’t it be appropriate?”
“Um… boys and girls should keep a proper distance.” Qi Jing thought for a moment before answering.
He then asked nervously, “Is that wrong?”
Lin Se raised an eyebrow and reassured him, “Little Jing, this isn’t a test. There’s no right or wrong. We’re just playing out a random story.”
With his slender fingers, he picked up the stack of photos and continued leisurely, “All right… You finish your meal at the table. At that moment, a woman comes over and invites you out for drinks.”
He spread the photos out. They ranged from gentle and intellectual types to sexy and fiery ones—every kind imaginable.
Qi Jing lowered his gaze and looked quietly for a moment before saying earnestly, “I can’t drink.”
His expression was far too well-behaved.
Lin Se frowned. “You’re an adult now. You can drink.”
“Mr. Bo says I can’t.”
“…”
Lin Se couldn’t fathom what kind of authority Bo Chengyan held over him, but he switched tactics. “Baby, just pick one you find pleasing. Imagine it’s someone you’d feel comfortable and safe going off with.”
Qi Jing hesitated, his legs swinging lightly on the chair. Finally, he pulled out one photo.
It was of a muscular woman with well-defined biceps… and the face of an angel.
Lin Se inhaled sharply before asking softly, “Could you tell me why you chose this one?”
“She looks healthy.”
“Oh?”
“I’m not very healthy. I like healthy people.”
Qi Jing answered mildly, as if to prove his point, extending his arm. His skin was smooth and luminous, but still quite slender.
Lin Se tilted his head. “It’s just puberty, Baby. By college, you might grow taller and fill out more.”
“But… do you think these ones aren’t pretty?”
They were slim girls in pretty dresses, brimming with youthful energy.
Qi Jing shook his head. “They’re very pretty.”
“But they’re thin, like me.”
Lin Se froze, about to probe further when Qi Jing said awkwardly, “We’d both get drunk.”
He hadn’t forgotten the setup.
His eyes were too pure.
Lin Se thoughtfully pulled out the muscular photo and switched questions. “What if it was a male classmate inviting you? Who would you choose?”
More photos.
Qi Jing’s face filled with bewilderment. He stared at them for a long time.
He didn’t pick any.
~~~
“He asked me why there wasn’t a photo of you.”
Bo Chengyan frowned.
Lin Se emerged carrying his bag, equally puzzled. He said seriously, “It’s hard to dig deeper. He always remembers the conditions I set.”
“He’s probably the type who’s tough to hypnotize.”
Snapping out of his thoughts, the young man reached into his bag and pulled out a few photos, handing them over with a light tone. “Still, I had him rank them by his sense of aesthetics.”
Bo Chengyan took the photos, remaining still for a rare long moment.
“He likes men in suits.”
“And white shirts.”
~~~
Meanwhile, in a luxury hotel in the Capital City, muffled grunts of restraint echoed.
They had lasted over half an hour.
The phone rang.
Chen Zhuo lit a cigarette and pulled away, standing by the window to answer his sister’s call.
The line was chaotic with crying and shouting.
The man frowned. “Speak properly.”
“Wah… He kicked me out! Isn’t that too much? That old hag from the Bo Family—I sank five million into that jade necklace. Bro! You have to stand up for me!”
Chen Zhuo took a drag and asked casually, “What about the engagement news? Didn’t you leak it to the media?”
The Bo Family cared about their reputation. It was a dirty trick, but sometimes those worked.
The old man on their side wouldn’t last much longer anyway. Might as well get some use out of him.
Marriages of convenience had their perks—benefits spoke loudest.
Besides, he didn’t think Bo Chengyan would burn bridges—
“Lingyue Group issued a statement, and the media apologized. Where does that leave my face?”
Chen Zhuo exhaled smoke, his expression shifting slightly. That shouldn’t have happened.
“Bro!”
Impatient, he snapped, “Stop bawling.”
After thinking for a few seconds, Chen Zhuo asked, “Did he bring anyone with him?”
Sobbing came through the line, the woman’s voice muffled and unclear.
“How would I know?”
Chen Zhuo removed the cigarette from his lips and rephrased. “Weren’t you staying at the Bo Family Old Mansion for a while? Besides you, who else came out?”
There was a pause on the other end.
Then a sniffle. “Seemingly… Shen Nanzhi. I ran into her at the hotel.”
“She wasn’t supposed to be staying at the Old Estate? I didn’t ask her…”
The call ended.
Chen Zhuo was tall. He strode to the bed and clamped his hand around the man’s neck, forcing him awake.
“Cough, cough…”
Jiang Xiuyuan’s eyes reddened at the corners, his breathing labored until the grip loosened.
“Tch. Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on the kid? He flew the coop, and you didn’t even tell me?”
Chen Zhuo gripped his jaw hard, his voice cold. “You’re not worth that much money if you can’t even watch one person. Hm?”
The man on the bed parted his lips and began licking Chen Zhuo’s fingers, smiling slyly. “It’s not my fault. The kid didn’t even take his phone. He never replied to my messages… Mm…”
His throat was roughly invaded back and forth until tears welled in his eyes.
A few minutes later, Chen Zhuo wiped his fingers with a tissue, too lazy to argue.
He got up to leave.
But at that moment, the man on the bed showed a flicker of resistance. Jiang Xiuyuan sat up at the edge, irritated. “You went too hard. Nobody plays like that.”
His body was covered in bruises.
Chen Zhuo chuckled lightly and said offhandedly, “I heard your white moonlight is Bo Chengyan. That’s why you went and provoked his Baby?”
Jiang Xiuyuan’s face paled slightly, but he said nothing.
Chen Zhuo circled back, pinched his face, and tilted it upward. It had feminine features, complete with manicured nails.
A perfect little duckling.
“You’re no innocent flower.”
Chen Zhuo was about to mock him more when genuine mist gathered in the man’s eyes, laced with resentment as he glared.
Tch.
His interest vanished in an instant.
Chen Zhuo let go. Seeing Jiang Xiuyuan bow his head in silence stirred an inexplicable annoyance in him.
“You think Bo Chengyan’s some saint?”
“He and I go back ten years. What kind of good man could he be?”
The room fell quiet. The young man on the bed had strangulation marks stark on his neck, glaringly obvious.
Jiang Xiuyuan had no desire to listen—he was just here for the money—but his blatant disregard only got his neck seized again.
His voice barely emerged.
Chen Zhuo enunciated each word. “Back in the day, he could play people to death.”
~~~
To attend a mainland university with a Macau household registration, one had to pass the Joint Recruitment Exam. The subjects were much the same as those in regular high schools on the mainland.
For the next few days, Qi Jing sat rigidly at his desk, overcome with despair. The competition was far less intense than the national college entrance exam.
But the test was early—mid-May.
His whole body grew tense.
Why hadn’t Bo Chengyan told him about the household registration issue earlier? Why hadn’t he let him take his backpack? Was he supposed to fly back to the Capital City and take the exam right after landing?
Qi Jing even dreamed of failing during his midday naps, banished to some remote mountain village.
[I really want to die.]
The door stood wide open. The boy slumped over his desk in a daze, the phoenix flowers blooming vibrantly outside the window, a few petals scattered on the sill.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Qi just started to look up when a cup appeared on the desk first. Jasmine petals, white and drifting lazily on the surface.
He blinked. From the perspective across the cup, his round eyes looked even larger, magnified by the glass.
Amusing.
“I’ve notified people in the Capital City. How about transferring your student records here? We’ll go through the official reporting channel—you won’t have to take the exam.”
Qi Jing shot upright in a panic. He hadn’t expected Bo Chengyan to be the one bringing him water.
Bo Chengyan had been busy in Macau after that first day, barely a shadow to be seen.
He had no idea what Bo Chengyan was handling.
“N-No need!”
Qi Jing realized what the other man had said and immediately waved his hands in refusal. A flush of color rose to his cheeks.
“I’ve already taken too much advantage. I can’t… I can’t… It’s not fair.”
He stammered out the words.
Bo Chengyan didn’t understand. “I’ll pay for it. Why wouldn’t that be fair?”
It was just a simple transaction. Giving up a spot—if a million wasn’t enough, then two million. If two million fell short, then three million. They could keep increasing the amount until both sides were satisfied.
Before Qi Jing could even react, Bo Chengyan pulled him forward by the nape of his neck. Cool fingertips nudged his chin upward, forcing his head to tilt back automatically.
The gesture carried a subtle undercurrent of dominance.
“Don’t stay up late.”
Bo Chengyan released his grip, then lifted his hand again to feel Qi Jing’s forehead. His own expression wasn’t pleasant.
“Do I have a fever?”
Qi Jing mumbled while still tilted back, his forehead bumping lightly against the man’s hand.
“It’s not too bad.”
That night, the fever returned.
In his hazy state, someone pinched open Qi Jing’s cheeks to slip in the thermometer. Moments later, he wanted to spit it out.
Bo Chengyan vaguely felt this was pure torture—and he was the one suffering through it.
Lin Se rushed over in the middle of the night. The moment he stepped through the door, he couldn’t hold back his laughter. Bo Chengyan’s furrowed brow and helpless gaze fixed on the young man on the bed was simply too amusing.
How many years had it been since he’d seen Bo Chengyan like this?
“Eh, you’re wearing a sweater?”
Lin Se circled him a few times, propping his cheek thoughtfully as he appraised the look. “Honestly, it makes you seem pretty young. Almost like back when you were in college.”
Bo Chengyan merely reminded him, “Go check if he needs an injection.”
“You’re not doing this because of what happened last time, are you? Skipping the suit at home now?”
“…”
“Hahaha…”
“Keep your voice down.”
“Oh.”
Qi Jing’s sleep was restless and fitful. He drifted in a groggy haze until a cool sensation touched his forehead.
Just as the touch was about to pull away, he instinctively grabbed the hand and pressed his forehead upward against it. A faint murmur escaped his lips in his sleep.
Bo Chengyan let out a sigh and didn’t withdraw his hand. Instead, he merely turned to the man nearby. “No injection?”
Lin Se bent down to pack up his things, explaining with casual ease, “Tsk, he’s just a high schooler. It’s normal to get worked up. Didn’t you only bring him home to raise him a couple of years ago?”
“He’s scared of failing the college entrance exam on one hand, and terrified you’ll abandon him on the other.”
“Anxiety like that brings on fevers.”
The room was dimly lit, with only soft lighting—no harsh overhead lamps, probably to help him rest.
Lin Se leaned against the desk and picked up a test paper from its surface. Without looking up, he added, “He’ll have to regulate it naturally on his own. It’ll get better once he’s in university.”
There was no reply in the room.
Lin Se glanced up. The man who was so decisive and ruthless in the outside world now sat expressionless, using his hand to cool the brow of the person on the bed.
“Mm…”
Qi Jing seemed annoyed that the hand had warmed up from his own body heat. He pushed at it weakly a couple of times, his voice a muffled mumble.
Bo Chengyan simply flipped his hand over to use the cooler side. He gazed down at Qi Jing, his expression calm.
Lin Se narrowed his eyes slightly.
