The Beautiful Cannon Fodder Becomes The Heartthrob of the Dating Show - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: A Hardcore Slap in the Face Arrives

On the way back, Xu Jingchu asked Huo Yan curiously, “What did you stuff into his pocket?”

Due to the angle, he hadn’t clearly seen what Huo Yan had shoved toward Zhang Yihui earlier.

Huo Yan’s slender hands turned the steering wheel, pulling the car over to the side of the road. He turned his head to look at the boy. “Do you need a hug?”

Xu Jingchu froze for a moment, and then his eyes curved into crescents. “Why are you copying the way I talk?”

“Mhm, I’m learning from you,” Huo Yan said, the corners of his mouth hooking upward. “So, Student Xu Jingchu, do you need a hug right now?”

Xu Jingchu didn’t actually need one, but looking at the handsome, elegant man, he unbuckled his seatbelt and proactively leaned in to embrace him. He whispered, “Huo Yan, thank you.”

He wasn’t a thoughtless block of wood; he had been deeply moved by how Huo Yan had protected him in the art studio.

Huo Yan gently stroked his fluffy hair. “There’s no need to thank me. Besides, I haven’t even done anything yet.”

Xu Jingchu lifted his head from the man’s chest, his eyes sparkling. “Then, were you planning on doing something just now?”

Huo Yan paused. What was he planning?

He was a businessman. Seeing his Omega being framed and insulted like that, his first instinct was naturally to use a businessman’s methods to teach those two a lesson—for instance… acquiring the Yaxin Art Studio.

To take it a step further, he could investigate their assets and dismantle them one by one.

Ten years ago, in order to keep his father’s company afloat, Huo Yan had been deliberately made things difficult by business partners. He had drunk until his stomach bled because of his young age. Since then, he had come to understand a profound truth: the best way to deal with enemies is to crush the very things they are most proud of.

Huo Yan didn’t want to say these things and stain Xu Jingchu’s ears. He restrained himself, his fingertip lightly brushing the boy’s long, thick lashes. He said softly, “Shall I take you back to school?”

Xu Jingchu looked at him without blinking for several seconds before saying, “Okay.”

The black Maybach started up again.

It wasn’t until the gates of A-University appeared in the distance that Xu Jingchu suddenly asked, “Huo Yan, were you unhappy just now?”

Even though it was only for a fleeting second, he had caught it.

Huo Yan’s fingers twitched, and the car slowed to a stop in front of the university gates.

The man turned to look at the boy in the passenger seat. He saw that the Omega—who hadn’t shown much emotional turmoil even after being framed and fired—was now slightly frowning, his clear, bright eyes full of concern.

Thump— Huo Yan felt as if his heart had been struck heavily by something, leaving his entire chest feeling faint and tingling.

The man’s gaze darkened. Suddenly, he felt like telling the truth. His voice was slightly hoarse. “Yes. Are you going to coax me again?”

Xu Jingchu blinked gently. “Do you still need coaxing?”

Their eyes met.

A few seconds later, Huo Yan let out a low laugh.

Xu Jingchu was puzzled. “What are you laughing at?”

The smile remained on Huo Yan’s lips. “Chuchu, I’m not a porcelain doll.”

He didn’t need constant comfort.

“However…” The man unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned his upper body toward him. Under Xu Jingchu’s stunned gaze, his thin lips restrainedly brushed against the boy’s forehead. Then, he finished his sentence: “However, if it’s comfort from you, I am very willing to accept it.”

The spot on his forehead where he had been touched felt like it had been scorched by fire—hot and tingling. Xu Jingchu stared blankly at the man inches away from him, momentarily forgetting where he was or what he was doing. Only one thought remained in his head…

Did Huo Yan… just kiss him?

But why… why? Why did he kiss me?

Thump-thump, thump-thump— His heart beat so fast it felt like it would burst from his chest.

“Stunned?” the man’s deep, magnetic voice dropped.

Xu Jingchu lifted his eyes slightly and asked the question in his heart directly: “You just… kissed me?”

Huo Yan’s eyes flickered. The boy looked so easy to tease like this—so much so that he couldn’t help but ask in return, “Mhm. Am I not allowed to?”

Xu Jingchu’s expression was dazed; he couldn’t quite process it.

Allowed to? It wasn’t that he wasn’t allowed, it was just… just that they were both men. Was kissing okay?

However, seeing the man’s composed expression, Xu Jingchu silently swallowed his remaining doubts. Perhaps he had been lying in a hospital bed for too long and knew too little about the outside world; maybe one man kissing another on the forehead wasn’t a big deal.

And so, he nodded obediently. “You’re allowed.”

He really was too easy to bully.

Huo Yan’s Adam’s apple slid subtly. He couldn’t resist teasing him further: “Who is allowed to kiss you?”

Xu Jingchu answered honestly, “You are.”

He had thought about it just now—if it were anyone else kissing him like that, he wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Huo Yan took a deep breath and suddenly rolled down the car window. Only as the cool night breeze blew in did his mind gradually begin to clear.

It was also then that Huo Yan realized quite a few people were staring at his car.

A-University was a top-tier institution, and it didn’t lack wealthy students from various backgrounds. Huo Yan wasn’t so foolish as to think a single Maybach was enough to cause such a stir.

He thought of the forum post that had been taken down.

Yes, he had already had Secretary Shen find someone to delete that malicious post about Xu Jingchu. But even though the post was gone, people’s memories wouldn’t fade so quickly. The photos in that post had captured his car, so it wasn’t surprising these people noticed it.

Huo Yan rolled up the window and took out his phone, intending to call Secretary Shen, when a roar suddenly erupted overhead.

The people on the ground looked up.

An exceptionally cool silver-black helicopter was circling above A-University. A moment later, under the wide, beaming smiles of the school officials, it landed on the university sports field.

To be honest, many wealthy students were used to helicopters, but one flying directly into A-University was a first. In an instant, everyone forgot about the black Maybach at the gate; their attention was fixed on this cool helicopter.

Four people stepped off the helicopter.

A couple who clearly looked extraordinary, and two burly bodyguards.

The man was handsome with high-set brows, a tall build, and a natural aura of authority—steady and reserved. The woman was dignified, elegant, and carried herself with a noble yet unpretentious grace.

The school leadership hurried forward to meet them, extending a hand. “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Xu, to our school.”

Mr. Xu—Xu’s father—reached out to shake hands, speaking steadily. “Hello.”

Mrs. Xu—Xu’s mother—took his arm, a perfectly appropriate and polite smile on her face.

This was the wealthiest couple in the country, people most could only dream of meeting. The school officials dared not be negligent. “It is truly an honor for A-University to have you both visit. You must be tired from the journey; shall we move to the lounge first?”

Mr. Xu didn’t speak.

Mrs. Xu gracefully tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said with a smile, “We came this time for two reasons: first, to accept the school’s invitation, and second, to see our son, whom we haven’t seen in many days.”

The school leader’s smile faltered for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. “And who might your son be?”