Qiao Yan froze mid-motion.
He Yanzhou ordered again, his tone laced with unmistakable displeasure: “Put your skirt down.”
Qiao Yan looked up, staring blankly at the pitch-black screen as the rims of his eyes grew even redder.
“I said, fix your clothes,” He Yanzhou repeated. “Right now. Instantly.”
As if jarred awake by He Yanzhou’s words, Qiao Yan suddenly realized how frantic and humiliating his behavior just now had been. He snapped his hand back and pulled the zipper back up. His fingers were shaking slightly, and it took him several attempts before he successfully closed it. He then frantically tried to straighten out his crooked neckline and hemline, but the more he messed with them, the more disheveled they became.
Growing increasingly embarrassed, Qiao Yan’s voice became as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “I…”
“Little Peach,” He Yanzhou interrupted him, his voice softening. “Listen to me.”
Qiao Yan stopped moving and sat there on his knees, dazed.
“I don’t know what you went through just now,” He Yanzhou said. “But no matter how sad or angry you are, you shouldn’t use this kind of method.”
Qiao Yan instinctively protested, though his voice lacked any real conviction: “I didn’t…”
“You did,” He Yanzhou countered directly. “Your emotions are all over the place today. Calm down first, and we can have a proper chat another day.”
Qiao Yan pursed his lips and remained silent.
“Now, go change out of those clothes, wash your face with hot water, and go to bed,” He Yanzhou laid out specific instructions. “If you can’t sleep, drink a glass of warm milk. When you wake up tomorrow morning, if you still want to talk to me, look for me then.”
He Yanzhou’s tone was steady, carrying a parental sort of authority, yet it made one want to comply involuntarily.
Qiao Yan lowered his head and murmured softly, “Okay.”
“Go on,” He Yanzhou said. “I’ll hang up the video first.”
After He Yanzhou disconnected the video call, Qiao Yan stared blankly at the screen for a while.
He mechanically crawled off the chair, sluggishly stripped off the extravagant Lolita dress, balled it up carelessly, and shoved it into the very bottom layer of his wardrobe—as if by doing so, he could lock away those few minutes of intense embarrassment along with it.
Then, he obediently went to wash his face.
The hot water splashed against his face, making him squint from the heat.
After washing his face, he climbed into bed, wrapping himself tightly in the blanket until only half of his head was showing. The air conditioner buzzed as it blew warm air, quickly making the space inside the blankets cozy.
The intense emotional rollercoaster from earlier had left Qiao Yan completely exhausted, and he quickly sank into a deep sleep.
The next morning, Qiao Yan was woken up by the sunlight streaming through a gap in the curtains.
Frowning, he buried his face into his pillow, wanting to laze around in bed a bit longer, but the memories of last night suddenly rushed back like a tidal wave.
He wore an over-the-top dress!!!
He actively lifted his own skirt!!!
He even spoke in that half-crying, whiny voice!!!
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!”
Qiao Yan violently threw the blanket over his head and began thrashing and kicking wildly on the bed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. His hair became a tangled mess, and two buttons on his pajamas popped open, exposing a small patch of skin near his collarbone.
Kill me, just kill me, just kill me!
Was he completely insane yesterday?! Was he possessed by some bizarre entity?!
How could he have done something like that! It was like he was under a spell!!
“Qiao Yan, oh Qiao Yan, can you possibly be any more pathetic?” He gnashed his teeth at the empty air. “He tells you to sleep and you just go to sleep? Are you a digital pet raised by his household, executing a command the moment a button is pressed?”
Instantly, He Yanzhou’s words “Stop” and “Fix your clothes” popped back into his brain.
Hmph! Acting like such a proper gentleman!
Didn’t he wait until he finished watching before saying he didn’t want to?
A man whose mouth says no but whose body says yes! Pui pui pui! Hypocrite! Sanctimonious prick!
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, and the angrier he got, the more ashamed he felt. His entire face flushed hot as if it were about to catch fire. Finally, completely giving up on himself, he flopped backward onto the mattress, paralyzing himself on the bed like a salted fish that had lost all its dreams.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated once.
With a heart as dead as ashes, Qiao Yan groped around for his phone. Sure enough, it was a message on Moyu.
Yan: Are you awake?
Staring at those two words, Qiao Yan’s brain went into overdrive, frantically pondering: How should I respond in a noble, cold, and aloof yet polite manner to salvage my collapsed image from last night?
In the end, he typed with an expressionless face, striving to construct a calm aura that implied “that brain-dead person last night wasn’t me,” showing that upon waking up, he was still that adorable Little Peach.
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: I’m already awake~
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: I went to sleep so early yesterday, so my energy is fantastic today!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Kitten rubbing its eyes.jpg]
He attempted to use a string of morning greetings and high-energy emojis to completely flip the page on last night.
Yan: Feeling in better spirits?
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: Yes, yes! The sun is so nice!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Kitten sunbathing.gif]
Yan: What happened yesterday?
…Why does he have to bring up exactly what I’m trying to avoid.
Staring at the question, Qiao Yan felt a slight surge of last night’s grievance again, but it was mostly replaced by the irritation and awkwardness of not wanting to bring it up. He didn’t want to dissect his family trauma in front of He Yanzhou; that would be way too bizarre.
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: Yesterday I was just throwing a tiny bit of a tantrum, daddy mustn’t laugh at me QAQ
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: I’m much better now. Thank you for your concern, daddy, Little Peach is really touched~
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Kitten nuzzling.jpg]
He Yanzhou could likely also sense that Little Peach didn’t want to mention the events of last night anymore, so he didn’t press any further.
Yan: It’s fine.
Yan: Have you thought of a gift?
Seeing that the topic had been successfully derailed, Qiao Yan let out a sigh of relief. Then, his eyes darted around as a bold idea popped into his head.
Anyway, the old man is loaded. If I don’t rip him off, it’s a wasted opportunity.
Moreover, I’m specifically going to pick something expensive to make him feel the sting a little. Who told him to act like that last night… Hmph.
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: Can I really just say it? Daddy won’t think I’m too greedy, right? QAQ
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Twiddling fingers.jpg]
Yan: Say it.
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: Then I want a car!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: The limited-edition Bugatti Bolide that’s been incredibly popular in Ningcheng lately, in deep blue! I saw the promotional pictures and it looks incredibly cool!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Kitten with starry eyes.jpg]
Yan: What are you going to do driving such an expensive car?
Heh, the old man really is reluctant after all.
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: But I want it, I want it, I want it, I want it!!!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Kitten rolling around throwing a tantrum.jpg]
After hitting send, he waited with a bit of trepidation. A Bugatti Bolide would cost at least tens of millions of yuan to hit the road. No matter how generous the old man was, he probably wouldn’t just give one to a stranger…
Yan: Alright.
Qiao Yan: “???”
Alright? Just like that, it’s done?!
This was a car Qiao Yan couldn’t even afford back when he was still with the Qiao family.
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: Really? Daddy isn’t joking?
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Shocked kitten.jpg]
Yan: Mm. I’ll give it to you on your birthday.
Qiao Yan blanked on the bed for three full seconds before letting out a loud yowl and bouncing right up, nearly cracking his head against the ceiling.
“He’s actually gifting it?! A Bugatti Bolide!!” He rolled around frantically on the bed, wrapping the blanket into a giant ball. “The old man is this generous?!”
Staring at the screen, Qiao Yan’s mood was incredibly complex for a moment. But on second thought, tens of millions of yuan to He Yanzhou was probably just pocket change, completely trivial to him, which instantly alleviated a lot of his psychological burden.
Besides, isn’t he, Little Peach, here precisely to rake in the cash!!!
That was the ultra-invincible, explosive, and spectacularly cool Bugatti Bolide, ahhhhhhhhhhh!!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: Daddy, you’re the best!!! I love you!!!
Little Peach Bites Real Hard: [Kitten frantically throwing finger hearts.gif]
Yan: Mm.
Yan: There’s one more thing.
Qiao Yan’s heart skipped a beat.
Yan: That dress from last night.
Qiao Yan: “???”
Yan: It looked quite nice.
Yan: On your birthday, can you wear it again?
That old man… he really did want to see it after all!
Acting so upright and proper yesterday, saying nonsense like “you shouldn’t use this kind of method,” yet turning right around to book the next session!
Turns out that birthday gift just now was entirely a setup to lay the groundwork for the little dress.
What a closet pervert and a hypocritical big bad wolf!