Qiao Yan straightened up instantly, his eyes round and wide: “Daddy, what do you want to show me?!”
He Yanzhou: “Didn’t you keep nagging that you wanted to see it before?”
That was just a joke, ahhh! I’m a straight guy!!
Qiao Yan’s face flushed red instantly. He had indeed nagged about it several times, but that was just casual teasing. He hadn’t expected He Yanzhou to actually remember it, let alone bring it up himself.
“I, uh…” But his “Xiao Tao” persona couldn’t crumble. He stammered for a moment before finally whispering, “I want to see…”
“Okay,” He Yanzhou said. “Wait for me a moment.”
The distinct sound of rustling fabric came from the other end of the line, followed by the sound of a zipper being pulled down.
He could hear He Yanzhou seemingly adjusting his position, and then a faint shutter click echoed from the phone.
A few seconds later, an image popped up in their Moyu chat box.
Qiao Yan tapped to open it.
The photo was taken very casually, and the lighting wasn’t very bright, but the firm lines of an abdomen could be clearly seen. The muscles were well-defined without being overly exaggerated, the skin was a healthy wheat color, and the v-line disappeared into the waistband of his pants, carrying an indescribable tension.
Qiao Yan’s gaze drifted downward, and then it suddenly froze.
Wait, that outline…
His fingers trembled, almost making him drop his phone.
“Hey! Doesn’t an old man pay attention when taking photos?!” Qiao Yan muttered under his breath.
He stared at the photo for another two seconds, then suddenly frowned.
Something wasn’t right.
Isn’t He Yanzhou a CEO who sits in an office every day? Where would he find the time to build abs like this? Furthermore, hidden subtly beneath the fabric of his trousers was a outline so prominent that you probably couldn’t pick one out like it among thousands of men!
Qiao Yan narrowed his eyes, pinching and zooming in on the screen to look at it several times, becoming more and more suspicious.
Could it be a photo from the internet?
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. The old man was usually so busy, how could he have time to work out? He was probably just using a random image found online to fool him.
Heh, I’ve seen right through you.
Qiao Yan’s fingers flew across the screen.
[Xiao Tao Bites Hard: Daddy, is this really you? QAQ]
After sending it, he waited for a while but got no reply. Just as he was about to send something else, his phone vibrated.
It was a video call request from Moyu.
Startled, Qiao Yan scrambled to sit up straight. Looking at the flashing request on the screen, he quickly threw on his wig, cranked up the filters, connected his voice changer, and after hesitating for three seconds, finally pressed accept.
The screen lit up, but the other side was completely pitch black; the camera was being covered.
“Daddy?” Qiao Yan called out tentatively.
“Mm.”
“Why haven’t you turned on your camera?”
“You turn yours on first.”
Qiao Yan blinked and obediently turned on his camera. Today he was wearing light gray loungewear, his hair was a bit messy, and his face still carried a dazed, just-woken-up look.
The screen on the other end stayed quiet for a few seconds before He Yanzhou spoke: “Move the phone further away so I can see you.”
Qiao Yan complied, placing the phone on the table and shifting himself back a bit.
After a few more seconds, He Yanzhou’s camera turned on.
This time, He Yanzhou actually showed his face. He seemed to be leaning against the headboard of his bed, wearing deep gray loungewear with the collar loosely open, revealing well-defined collarbones.
He wasn’t looking at the camera, but rather turning his head slightly, his gaze fixed in a certain direction. The light hit him from the side, casting a small shadow over his high nose bridge.
“See clearly now?”
He Yanzhou suddenly turned his head, his eyes meeting the lens.
Caught completely off guard by those deep eyes, Qiao Yan froze for a moment before reacting: “Ah, why did Daddy turn on the camera?”
“Mm. Do you still think it’s an internet photo?”
Qiao Yan pursed his lips and murmured, “Who knows, maybe you found someone with a similar build to take the photo for you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw He Yanzhou raise an eyebrow on screen.
Then, He Yanzhou shifted, adjusting his posture. He reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his loungewear, letting the fabric slide to the side and exposing the firm outline of his chest muscles.
Qiao Yan’s eyes widened.
Holy crap, why is it so massive?
He Yanzhou lightly tapped just below his collarbone, his voice carrying a hint of playfulness: “Right here, see this mole?”
Qiao Yan instinctively leaned closer to the screen. Sure enough, just below the collarbone, there was a tiny mole. Its color was quite faint; if one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t even notice it.
“It’s in the photo too,” He Yanzhou said as he picked up another phone—presumably the one he used just now—and waved it in front of the camera. “Want to compare them?”
Qiao Yan quickly shrank back, stammering, “No need, no need…”
He Yanzhou let out a low chuckle. He leaned back against the headboard again, his collar still open, his skin gleaming healthily under the light.
“Believe me now?” he asked, his tone teasing.
Qiao Yan didn’t dare look at his exposed skin for fear of getting sties, so his eyes darted around, staring at the corner of the screen: “I believe you…”
“Are you still angry then?”
Qiao Yan stubbornly replied, “I wasn’t even angry!”
He Yanzhou chuckled again and didn’t push the topic further. He buttoned up his clothes and adjusted to a comfortable position: “The Lunar New Year event is about to end, want to do it together?”
Qiao Yan was dazed: “What event?”
“The Lunar New Year event in Dreamy Woods,” He Yanzhou said. “The rewards are very generous, including exclusive mounts and outfits.”
Qiao Yan’s eyes lit up. He had been incredibly bored these past few days and precisely needed something to do.
“Sure!” he agreed immediately. “When?”
“Right now is fine.”
“Then wait for me a moment, I’ll turn on my computer!”
Qiao Yan hung up the video call and scrambled out of bed to boot up his computer. After logging into the game, he indeed saw the system announcement promoting the Lunar New Year event, with the rewards list packed full of sparkling, limited-edition items.
He immediately sent a team invitation to YYYan.
A few seconds later, the other party joined the party.
[Party] Xiao Tao Bites Hard: Daddy! I’m here! [Party] YYYan: Mm, let’s go pick up the quest first.
The two teleported to the event map, which was already crowded with plenty of players.
The Lunar New Year event was a two-player co-op mode that required completing a series of tasks, with rewards distributed based on the final score.
Qiao Yan rubbed his hands together excitedly, controlling his pink character to follow closely behind He Yanzhou’s character.
The first task was gathering New Year goods, which required finding specific items scattered across the map. Qiao Yan was best at these kinds of errand quests; he flew around the scene like a joyful little bee, and before long, he had collected more than half of them.
[Party] Xiao Tao Bites Hard: Daddy look! I found so many! [Party] YYYan: Mm, very impressive.
Qiao Yan happily continued searching, completely forgetting the awkwardness from the video call earlier. The YYYan in the game was still that man of few words but highly reliable expert, carrying him through the tasks quickly and steadily.
The second task was defeating the Nian Beast, which required the two of them to coordinate their attacks. He Yanzhou took charge of the main offense, while Qiao Yan stayed back to heal and occasionally throw out a couple of insignificant skills.
The Nian Beast’s health bar dropped rapidly. Just as Qiao Yan was staring at the screen preparing to unleash his final skill, he suddenly heard a slight commotion coming from He Yanzhou’s side.
It sounded like a door opening.
Then, a deep, stern male voice rang out. It was a bit muffled across the network, but the displeasure in his tone was evident.
“It’s the Lunar New Year, and you’re playing games?”
Qiao Yan’s hand slipped, and his skill went off-target, hitting a rock nearby.
He held his breath and heard He Yanzhou’s side go quiet for a few seconds before his flat response came through: “Dad.”
The male voice said something else that Qiao Yan couldn’t catch, but the dissatisfaction and mockery in his tone were palpable.
He heard He Yanzhou offer a few brief replies, his voice colder than usual.
On the game screen, YYYan’s character suddenly stopped, standing frozen in place.
Feeling a bit tense, Qiao Yan cautiously asked in the party chat:
[Party] Xiao Tao Bites Hard: Daddy? Is everything okay on your end?
He Yanzhou did not reply.
A few seconds later, Qiao Yan heard the harsh sound of a chair scraping across the floor over there, followed by He Yanzhou’s cold remark: “I’m heading back to my room first.”
Then came the sound of footsteps, and a door closing.
In the game, YYYan’s character was still standing in place, but his status now showed that he was away from keyboard (AFK).
Qiao Yan stared at the screen for a good while before realizing that He Yanzhou must have gone offline due to a sudden issue.
He stood in place rather blankly. The surrounding players were still boisterously fighting the Nian Beast, leaving only his pink character standing all alone.
On the other side, He Yanzhou closed the study door, walked briskly down the hallway, and headed downstairs.
He Xinli was still sitting on the living room sofa with a document in hand. Hearing the footsteps, he didn’t even raise his head: “It’s the fourth day of the New Year. Instead of meeting people, you’re hiding in your room playing games?”
He Yanzhou didn’t break his stride, walking straight toward the entryway: “Something came up, I’m heading back first.”
“Stop right there!” He Xinli put down the document and looked over, his eyes sharp. “Did I say you could leave?”
He Yanzhou stopped at the entryway, turned around, his face devoid of any expression: “Is there anything else?”
“Who were you video-calling just now?” He Xinli asked, his tone filled with scrutiny. “A woman?”
He Yanzhou said nothing.
“You’ve bought quite a few things recently,” He Xinli walked up to him. “The necklace, the sports car—are they all for her?”
He Yanzhou remained silent.
“Playing around is fine,” He Xinli stared at him. “But don’t take it seriously. For someone from the He family, marriage isn’t just your personal business.”
He Yanzhou finally spoke, his voice freezing cold: “You are the person least qualified to say those words.”
He Xinli’s face instantly darkened. Back then, relying solely on his covetous desires for Jiang Lihua, he had forcibly taken her away. He truly had no right to say such a thing.
He Yanzhou looked at him, those eyes so similar to his own holding no warmth, only a heavy, profound darkness.
“What,” He Xinli curled his lips. “Think I’m wrong?”
“What do you think?” He Yanzhou countered. “Do you think you have any right to pass judgment on what happened back then?”
A long silence passed before He Xinli slowly spoke: “So now you’re going to act like those spineless fools, going against me for the sake of a woman you haven’t even met in person?”
“It has nothing to do with her.”
“Nothing to do with her?” He Xinli let out a mocking laugh. “If it has nothing to do with her, would you spend money like water? If it has nothing to do with her, would you hide in your room on New Year’s Day just to video-call someone?”
He Yanzhou did not answer.
“Let me tell you, He Yanzhou,” He Xinli stepped forward, dropping his voice lower. “I had already established a firm foothold back then, I could have chosen anyone—”
He Yanzhou cut him off, “How did you establish that foothold? Wasn’t it by relying on my mother?”
He Xinli’s words caught in his throat. He looked at He Yanzhou, seeing something churning beneath his gaze.
It was something He Xinli was very familiar with—hatred.
Father and son stood in a deadlock, neither speaking another word.
In the end, He Yanzhou broke the silence first, walking straight through the entryway.
He Xinli sat back down on the sofa in silence, no longer trying to stop him.
He Yanzhou walked quickly to the garage, pulled open the car door, and sat inside. He didn’t start the car immediately; instead, he leaned against the backrest and closed his eyes.
He Xinli’s words from moments ago still echoed in his ears.
He took a deep breath, his chest feeling heavy as the images he purposely tried not to recall flooded back into his mind.
His mother’s pale face, the cold medical equipment by the hospital bed, and He Xinli’s perpetually calm, rational expression.
He opened his eyes and pulled out his phone.
The screen was still on the game interface. Xiao Tao Bites Hard‘s character was still standing in the exact same spot, a question mark emoticon floating above its head as if waiting for him.
Looking at that pink character, the irritation in He Yanzhou’s heart gradually settled down.
He started the car and drove out of the old family estate.
Forty minutes later, He Yanzhou returned to his own apartment.
He threw his coat onto the sofa and walked straight into the study to turn on his computer. After logging into the game, he indeed saw that Xiao Tao Bites Hard was still online, crouching in a corner of the event map, surrounded by a few system-spawned bunny pets.
[Whisper] YYYan: I’m back.
Qiao Yan, who had been structural-poking the rabbits out of boredom, jumped up instantly upon seeing the message.
[Whisper] Xiao Tao Bites Hard: Daddy! Are you okay? [Whisper] YYYan: I’m fine. [Whisper] Xiao Tao Bites Hard: That’s good! Daddy, are we still continuing the event?
He Yanzhou looked at the pink character on the screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard for a few seconds.
Then, he opened the map and selected a set of coordinates.
[Whisper] YYYan: Follow me. [Whisper] Xiao Tao Bites Hard: Where are we going?
He Yanzhou didn’t explain; he simply sent a party invitation to Xiao Tao Bites Hard.
Though puzzled, Qiao Yan still clicked accept.
The pink character automatically followed behind YYYan’s character. One after another, they traversed through the event map, teleported to the main city, and mounted a flying ride.
After flying for about two or three minutes, Qiao Yan noticed that the map name at the bottom of the screen had changed.
[System] You have entered a special scene: Beneath the Sansheng Tree.