Qiao Yan’s phone almost slipped out of his hand. He let out a sharp, disbelieving “Huh?” with a rising intonation.
He seriously suspected that the New Year’s Eve fireworks had damaged his hearing, causing him to hallucinate. “Daddy… what did you just say? Xiao Taotao didn’t catch that.”
He Hezhou’s voice came through the receiver, clear, steady, and laced with a hint of amusement as he repeated, “I said, I want to pursue you.”
He heard it loud and clear this time.
In an instant, it felt as if ten thousand screaming chickens had been stepped on inside Qiao Yan’s brain. His cheeks instantly flared up, the heat spreading from the tips of his ears all the way down to the base of his neck.
Hold on.
He Hezhou said he wanted to pursue him?
The He Hezhou who thought he was above everyone else, who walked around with a perpetual scowl, and who helped Qiao Yunguang bully him—that He Hezhou was saying he wanted to pursue Xiao Taotao?
Once Qiao Yan snapped out of his daze, brilliant fireworks of absolute ecstasy erupted in his heart.
Hahaha, it worked!
His plan to snare a sugar daddy was a massive success! Even an old man of He Hezhou’s caliber had been completely enchanted by him and was now taking the initiative to chase him.
Qiao Yan could barely hold back his laughter. He quickly covered his mouth with his hand, cleared his throat twice, and forced his voice to sound a bit more composed.
“Daddy, you… wait a minute.” He cleared his throat again, trying desperately to suppress the corners of his mouth from curling upward. “Daddy, did you eat too much for New Year’s Eve dinner and stuff your brain too?”
He Hezhou let out a low chuckle. The sound was soft, sending a ticklish sensation through Qiao Yan’s ear.
“My mind is perfectly clear,” he said. “Didn’t you say before that you were pursuing me? Now it’s my turn. Is that alright?”
In Qiao Yan’s mind, a tiny version of himself was already standing with hands on hips, laughing maliciously.
Of course it’s alright! The more proactive you are, the easier it will be for me to fleece you. Just wait until you empty your wallet and fall hopelessly in love. When I finally reveal my true identity to you, the look on your face is going to be priceless!
However—
Qiao Yan’s eyes darted around.
He couldn’t let the man get what he wanted too easily. Men never cherish things that come too easily.
Besides, he, Xiao Taotao, was the former campus belle of Ningcheng University, the grand architect of this great revenge plot, and the peerless angler who had brought a mogul like He Hezhou to his knees.
How could he just let himself be caught so easily?
That would be way too cheap.
He cleared his throat, doing his best to sound reserved and poised. “Daddy, isn’t this a bit too sudden?”
“Yes, it is a bit sudden,” He Hezhou admitted straightforwardly. “But I am serious.”
Clutching his phone, Qiao Yan rolled halfway across the bed, wrapping himself completely in the blanket until only his two bright, shining eyes were peeking out.
He wrinkled his nose at the phone screen, thinking to himself: The old man actually knows what he’s doing. Most young girls probably wouldn’t be able to handle this kind of direct, straight-ball attack. He probably uses this exact same script on all his little lovers!
Too bad for him, this Xiao Taotao is no ordinary girl.
“Well, that won’t do,” Qiao Yan said, intentionally drawing out his words with a touch of playful arrogance. “There are a lot of people who want to pursue me, Daddy. You’ll have to get in line.”
“What number am I in line?”
“Hmm…” Qiao Yan began counting on his fingers. “Let me calculate… there’s an upperclassman from the neighboring department, the vice president of the club, and…”
What he was saying wasn’t entirely a lie; these people really had pursued Qiao Yan in the past. It was just that after he was kicked out of the Qiao family, most of them had steered clear of him.
Blinking guiltily, Qiao Yan quickly changed the subject. “In short, there are a lot! So, Daddy, you have to go through a probationary period first. How can pursuing someone be that easy?”
“Alright,” He Hezhou agreed smoothly. “How do you want to test me?”
Qiao Yan froze. He hadn’t actually thought about that question yet; he had just said it on a whim. He hadn’t expected He Hezhou to actually take him seriously.
“I haven’t thought it through yet!” Qiao Yan stammered a bit. “Anyway, you have to show me through your actions, not just talk.”
“For example?”
Qiao Yan replied, “For example, you have to say good morning and good night to me every day. You have to remember what I like to eat and what I don’t. You have to make me happy when I’m in a bad mood. And you absolutely cannot flirt with other girls—no, wait, you can’t flirt with boys either!!!”
He Hezhou agreed to every single one: “Everything will be as you wish.”
Qiao Yan pursed his lips, his sense of smug satisfaction flaring up again. He curled into a tight ball inside his blanket, unable to suppress the grin on his face.
Qiao Yan: “Anyone who breaks these rules gets struck by lightning!!”
He Hezhou chuckled softly. “Alright, struck by lightning.”
Qiao Yan remained half-skeptical. Would a man like He Hezhou, who probably juggled multiple affairs, really remain faithful just for a Xiao Taotao?
He would still have to observe his behavior offline in the future!
“Then let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll be watching your performance, Daddy.”
“Mm,” He Hezhou responded, and then added, “It’s very late. You should go to sleep.”
Qiao Yan checked the time; it was indeed almost one in the morning.
Now that the initial rush of excitement had faded, drowsiness washed over him. He let out a tiny yawn. “Oh… what about you, Daddy?”
“I’m getting ready to rest too.”
“Then good night,” Qiao Yan said, rubbing his eyes. “It’s day one of your probationary period, Daddy. You better perform well.”
“Good night.”
After hanging up, Qiao Yan tossed his phone onto the pillow and buried himself deep under the covers.
He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, then couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“Pursue me…” he muttered softly, rolling over and burying his face in the pillow. “He’s surprisingly quick on the uptake.”
As he kept thinking, his drowsiness grew heavier. His eyelids felt like lead, and within moments, he drifted off into a hazy sleep.
In his dream, he seemed to visualize He Hezhou gifting him an entire room full of sports cars. He sat inside one of the cars, laughing so hard his mouth wouldn’t close.
The Spring Festival holiday passed day by day, and the dormitory building grew emptier and emptier. Even the dorm supervisor had gone home for the holidays. Qiao Yan spent his days sleeping until he woke up naturally, ordering takeout, playing games, and watching shows—living a thoroughly lazy and boring existence.
For the first couple of days, he quite enjoyed the freedom of having no one around to bother him. But by the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Qiao Yan started to feel suffocated.
He sent a message to Cao Jingtong: “Old Cao, when are you coming back? I’m the only one left in the dorm, I’m practically growing mold.”
Cao Jingtong replied quickly: “Not returning until the seventh. There are too many relatives at home, I can’t slip away. If you’re bored, why don’t you go out for a walk?”
“Walk where? Hardly any shops are open outside,” Qiao Yan typed back listlessly, slumping in his chair. “There isn’t even anyone around to talk to.”
Qiao Yan sent an emoji of a cat collapsing flat on the floor, then threw his phone aside.
He poked Jiang Cai next: “Cai, what are you up to? Want to hang out?”
Jiang Cai replied after a while: “Spending time with my mom. She’s been in a bad mood lately, so I have to stay home. Go play by yourself, be a good boy.”
Looking at his phone screen, Qiao Yan let out a sigh.
He tossed the phone away, stood up, and paced around the dorm a couple of times. He had finished his books, caught up on his shows, and grown sick of his games.
The sunshine outside was beautiful, but the wind blowing through was still freezing.
“So boring.”
Qiao Yan threw himself back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Right at that moment, his phone buzzed.
It was a message from Moyu.
Yan: What are you doing?
Qiao Yan’s eyes lit up, and he immediately snatched up his phone.
Flirting with a sugar daddy can certainly count as an alternative form of entertainment, right?
Xiao Tao Bites Real Hard: Lying in bed growing mold QAQ
Xiao Tao Bites Real Hard: So bored, so bored, so bored
Yan: You didn’t go out to have fun?
Xiao Tao Bites Real Hard: No one to play with me, all my friends went home for the New Year
Xiao Tao Bites Real Hard: (Cat rolling around.jpg)
After sending that, Qiao Yan waited for a moment, but didn’t get a reply. He curled his lip and was about to send something else when his phone suddenly started vibrating.
It was a voice call request.
Caller: Yan.
Qiao Yan froze for a second. Then, he quickly sat up, connected his voice changer, cleared his throat, switched into his sweet “Taotao voice,” and finally pressed answer.
“Hello, Daddy?” His voice carried a lingering, lazy note.
“Mm,” He Hezhou’s voice came through. His background was very quiet. “Very bored?”
“Super bored,” Qiao Yan said, hugging his knees and resting his chin on them. “I’m the only one in the dorm, there isn’t even anyone to talk to.”
He Hezhou was silent on the other end for a few seconds before saying, “Then I will keep you company and talk to you.”
Qiao Yan blinked. “Isn’t Daddy busy?”
“Not busy today.”
“Oh, oh, oh!”
Qiao Yan drew out his words, that little spark of smugness flaring up again. It looked like the old man was being quite attentive; his performance during the probationary period wasn’t bad.
He shifted his posture, finding a comfortable position to curl up in. “What does Daddy want to talk about?”
“Anything,” He Hezhou paused, then added, “We can talk about whatever you want.”
Thinking for a moment, Qiao Yan began to ramble on about what had happened over the last few days.
He talked about what he ordered for takeout, what cards he pulled in his game, how terrible the movie he watched last night was, and how nice the weather was today but he had no one to go outside with.
His storytelling lacked any real structure, jumping from one topic to another, but He Hezhou listened quietly the entire time, occasionally offering a soft hum to show he was paying attention.
By the end of it, Qiao Yan himself felt that something was a bit off. Weren’t they supposed to be testing the sugar daddy? Why wasn’t the other guy saying anything!
“Am I talking too much?”
“No,” He Hezhou said. “You’re speaking very well.”
Qiao Yan pursed his lips. “What about Daddy? What have you been doing these past few days?”
“Handling some work, meeting a few people. Nothing special.”
“Oh, I see,” Qiao Yan thought about it, then asked probing company-seeking questions. “How did Daddy spend the New Year? Was it lively?”
It better not have been spent with soft, fragrant skin in his arms, with Qiao Yunguang on his left and another little lover on his right!
The other side of the call fell silent for a brief moment.
“It wasn’t lively,” He Hezhou’s voice was very flat. “There is barely anyone at home.”
Qiao Yan was stunned.
The other end of the line was indeed incredibly quiet. He had originally assumed that a big shot like He Hezhou would definitely have crowds of people catering to him during the New Year. He hadn’t expected it to be like this.
“So Daddy is all alone?”
“Essentially.”
Qiao Yan suddenly felt a slight tightness in his chest. He had previously envied He Hezhou for having wealth and power, but now he realized that rich people also had quite lonely and desolate New Year holidays, and that ultimately, no one could escape loneliness and isolation.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn’t know how to comfort him. In the end, he could only squeeze out a dry sentence: “Well, that’s also quite nice. It’s peaceful.”
He Hezhou seemed to catch the unnatural tone in his voice and said softly, “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”
Qiao Yan was even more at a loss for words. He scratched his hair, his fingers tracing patterns back and forth across the blanket.
The call fell into a lull, with only the sound of their soft breathing audible to one another.
After a long while, He Hezhou suddenly spoke up, his voice slightly gentler than before. “In a bad mood?”
Qiao Yan blinked, murmuring softly, “It’s just a bit suffocating…”
“Because there’s no one to keep you company?”
“Mm,” Qiao Yan buried his face a bit further into his knees. “The dorm is completely empty, and it’s cold outside. I don’t even want to step out the door.”
He Hezhou fell silent for a few seconds on his end.
At this exact moment, He Hezhou was sitting in his study with his phone on the desk via speakerphone.
On the computer screen in front of him, several browser tabs were wide open—
“How to coax a girl when she’s in a bad mood” “Little tips to make a girl happy” “What to pay attention to when pursuing a girl”
He Hezhou quickly swept his eyes across those search results, his brow furrowing slightly.
Most of the tips were incredibly flashy, and things like sending flowers or gifts were things he already did regularly. Xiao Taotao was probably desensitized to them, so they lacked any special meaning.
After thinking it over, he closed the web pages and picked up his phone again.
He suddenly recalled that Xiao Taotao had mentioned wanting to see a certain thing several times before, always using a half-joking, half-coquettish tone.
Perhaps this would make her a bit happier?
He wasn’t entirely sure, but those web pages all stated that catering to someone’s interests was crucial. Since Xiao Taotao had brought it up multiple times, she ought to be interested.
He Hezhou cleared his throat, making his voice sound as natural as possible. “Do you want to see something that will make you happy?”
Qiao Yan blinked. “What is it?”
A rustling sound came from the other side of the phone, sounding like fabric rubbing together.
Qiao Yan pricked up his ears but couldn’t quite figure out the source.
Then He Hezhou said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to see my abs before?”
Qiao Yan: “???”