I Want To Marry My dad, Not My Uncle - Chapter 6

“Well,” Xingchen scratched his head, “I have not decided where to go for graduate school. I want to choose a cheaper university, maybe in Florida. In total, it will be around 100,000.”

Vincent showed no reaction. “What major do you want to study?”

“MBA,” Xingchen said with a bashful, foolish smile. “I do not know if I have the talent for it, but my undergraduate major has limitations, so I can only develop in this direction.”

“Good major,” Vincent nodded. Xingchen waited for more, but there was nothing. By the time his bowl of dough-drop soup was empty, Vincent still had not said another word. Xingchen thought perhaps the location was wrong and it would be better once they got in the car. However, as he watched the taillights fade away, he simply lit a cigarette.

He called Jizuo. “He is my nemesis.”

“What are you talking about? No context,” Jizuo asked.

“Change targets,” Xingchen said.

“What? After all these days? The sunk costs are high,” Jizuo argued.

Xingchen went upstairs and undid his black wig, letting his long blonde hair fall over his shoulders. “He is playing with me. Have you ever teased a cat?”

“Of course,” Jizuo paused. “Okay, let us switch.”

“Let us run a dual-track process. I will scout another one, and we can milk both,” Xingchen said, lying on the bed.

Xingchen hung up, removed his colored contacts, and applied eye drops. He went to the bathroom to remove his makeup, revealing his emerald green eyes. He carefully treated the scratch on his face, resolving to get permanent iris color-changing surgery once this job was done; the slight risk of blindness was worth it to ensure his face remained flawless.

The next day at the restaurant, Xingchen was distracted. Annie noticed and asked, “Cipher, what is wrong?”

“Just did not sleep well,” Xingchen replied. When a customer arrived—a handsome, wealthy-looking white man with a creepy reputation—Annie was anxious. Xingchen volunteered to serve him. The man, Raymond, was a seasoned player who demanded Xingchen remove his glasses. To avoid a scene, Xingchen complied. Raymond was immediately captivated by the blood-red beauty mark under Xingchen’s eye.

As Xingchen walked away, he nearly bumped into Vincent. Vincent had been watching. Raymond called out to return the rings he had tried to bribe Xingchen with, but Xingchen refused, knowing that getting entangled with a playboy would ruin his plan. When he turned back, Vincent was gone.

Exhausted from fending off Raymond’s advances, Xingchen went to the back door to smoke. He had managed to secure two rings and 2,000 dollars from Raymond, but he felt defeated. Suddenly, a warm coat was draped over him. It was Vincent, who leaned in to touch the beauty mark under his eye. “Wait for me to get off work, and I will take you to eat.”

Later, Xingchen climbed into Vincent’s Alpine. “Why were you crying this afternoon?” Vincent asked.

“I missed my mom,” Xingchen whispered.

“I thought you would be happy receiving tips,” Vincent remarked. He had seen the 2,000 dollars from Raymond.

Xingchen feigned innocence, claiming it was just a tip he had to help a colleague with. Vincent’s expression turned dark and ominous as he cut off the conversation. They arrived at a Michelin-starred French restaurant. Xingchen, despite his destitute backstory, moved with an elegance that suggested he was accustomed to high-end dining.

Halfway through the meal, Vincent pushed a gold-colored card across the table. Xingchen breathed a sigh of relief, assuming it was a credit card he could have Jizuo launder. He picked it up with feigned confusion, only to freeze.

It was a hotel room key card.