The Beautiful Cannon Fodder Becomes The Heartthrob of the Dating Show - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: A Sudden Meeting with the Parents

The school leader’s face was practically splitting from smiling so hard, but in reality, a cold sweat was breaking out across his back. The two people before him were known as the “Wealthiest Couple” not because their combined assets were enough to rival a nation, but because either one of them, taken individually, held enough wealth to buy a country.

In other words, putting these two together wasn’t a simple case of $1 + 1 = 2$. And yet, the son of such heavyweight figures was studying at his school, and he hadn’t even known?

No wonder they had reached out to cooperate with the school this time. Could it be…

A possibility struck the school leader, causing sweat to pour down his forehead. Could their son be getting bullied at school?

It wasn’t impossible. The school was full of arrogant children from wealthy families; even he had to tread carefully and smile around some of them. It was all too common for them to bully someone who kept a low profile.

Xu Jingchu’s mother seemed not to notice the administrator’s tension. Her eyes, which were remarkably similar to Jingchu’s, curved slightly. “Our child has always been low-key and doesn’t like the spotlight. Principal Han, there’s no need to give him special treatment.”

The subtext of that sentence was: My son is low-key, but the school had better look out for him.

Principal Han, having survived long enough to reach this position, was naturally a shrewd man. Wiping his sweat, he nodded repeatedly. “Your child must be a dragon among men. No matter where he is, he will certainly receive the attention of the teachers.”

Meaning: I will definitely look after him.

Many people nearby were casting curious glances their way.

“Chubao is indeed a good child,” Xu’s mother graciously accepted the praise, proceeding to list a long string of Jingchu’s virtues. “He’s well-behaved, obedient, doesn’t fight for things, is kind-hearted and sensible. To save his parents money, he won’t even let us prepare a birthday gift for him…”

Principal Han listened attentively on the surface, but internally he couldn’t help but scoff: How much money could a birthday gift save?

Xu’s mother’s eyes swept across his face, her tone casual. “It was just a helicopter worth 150 million US dollars. Indeed, it’s not worth much money.”

Principal Han felt the awkwardness of being seen through. He raised a hand to rub his nose to hide his unease, though he still grumbled in his head: 150 million dollars? Wait, I thought she meant 1.5 dollars…

Xu’s mother didn’t miss a single change in his expression. She lightly nudged Xu’s father, saying coquettishly, “Husband, didn’t you say you wanted to buy Chubao that new limited-edition super yacht from Country F? Only fifteen of them in the world. How many dollars was that again?”

Xu’s father gave a doting smile. “Not expensive. Only 15 dollars.”

As it happened, Principal Han knew about that super yacht. The official price from Country F was 1.58 billion US dollars…

“1.5 billion is indeed not expensive, but unfortunately Chubao doesn’t like it,” Xu’s mother sighed, her brows furrowing in apparent distress. “Sometimes I wish he weren’t so sensible. No matter how much money we make, it’s all going to him anyway. There’s no need to save for us.”

Principal Han: “…”

So “15 dollars” meant 1.5 billion, and “1.5 dollars” meant 150 million?

Principal Han’s pupils dilated in shock. After a full circle of realization, he felt the profound sadness of discovering that he was the clown in this scenario. This was the true lifestyle of the wealthiest couple: birthday gifts are measured in units of “hundreds of millions”!

Xu’s mother suddenly pulled Xu’s father toward a nearby tree. “Principal Han, I’m terribly sorry. We are quite busy usually and haven’t seen our child in several days. We miss him dearly. So, I’d like to meet with him first before we continue discussing the cooperation. Is that alright?”

Her tone was polite and her smile gentle, but it carried an undeniable weight. Principal Han wouldn’t dare say no.

“Of course, of course. Please, suit yourself.”

Inside the Car

The burning sensation on Xu Jingchu’s forehead had mostly disappeared. He breathed a secret sigh of relief and looked at the man in the driver’s seat. “Then, I’ll head back first?”

Huo Yan’s calm gaze rested on him for a few seconds. “Busy tomorrow?”

“I have classes all day,” Xu Jingchu answered honestly. He asked, “Do you want to see me?”

Huo Yan paused. “What if I say yes?”

He didn’t just want to see him; he wanted to tie the boy to his side so he could see him, touch him, and occasionally hold and kiss him every single moment.

Xu Jingchu assumed he was just being clingy due to his rut/heat period. He blinked. “I’m not working my part-time job tomorrow evening. I’ll come find you after class, okay?”

There were no evening self-study sessions at A University.

Huo Yan’s heart softened. The boy was the Omega who needed to be coddled, yet why did he always end up soothing this “pure-hearted” Alpha instead?

“Huo Yan?” The boy’s exquisite, beautiful face leaned closer.

Huo Yan’s breath hitched. “Okay,” he replied. After a pause, he added, “Is there anything you want?”

Xu Jingchu thought about it. “Anything?”

“Anything.” Huo Yan felt he couldn’t just keep receiving comfort; he needed to spoil the boy too.

“I want to eat latiao (spicy strips)!”

Huo Yan: “…?”

In his past life, because of his illness, there were many things Xu Jingchu couldn’t eat—including spicy strips. He had never tasted them; he only knew of them because he had watched two kids greedily sharing some from his hospital window. Even now, he couldn’t forget that mouth-watering aroma.

Huo Yan remained silent for a moment, realizing he had no idea what “latiao” was.

Xu Jingchu waved a hand in front of him. “Huo Yan?”

Huo Yan composed himself and agreed. “Mhm. I’ll have Secretary Shen prepare it.”

Xu Jingchu’s eyes lit up instantly. “Great! I’ll come find you as soon as class is over tomorrow!”

“Tomorrow I’ll have the driver—”

Vrrr— Vrrr— Before Huo Yan could finish, Xu Jingchu’s phone rang.

Huo Yan was tall, and even sitting down he towered over the boy. An accidental glance revealed the caller ID on the screen: “Mommy.”

The man subconsciously sat up straighter.

Xu Jingchu answered, “Mommy.”

On the other end, his mother’s voice was gentle and melodic. “Chubao, are you at school?”

Xu Jingchu instinctively glanced at Huo Yan. “I’m at the school gate,” he whispered.

“Are you with your boyfriend?” his mother asked naturally.

Xu Jingchu was stunned, glancing at Huo Yan again. “How did you know?”

His mother chuckled. “Your father and I are at the school. Bring him over.”

After hanging up, Xu Jingchu looked up to find the man staring at him with a burning intensity.

Xu Jingchu hesitated. “My parents are here at the school. They said… they want me to bring you to meet them.” He paused. “They’re usually quite protective of me. They probably know about our relationship and want to see you.”

Since his parents were who they were, it was normal for them to want to see who their son was dating. Xu Jingchu didn’t think much of it.

But he didn’t realize that to Huo Yan, those words carried a completely different weight.

The man’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. “You… told them about us?”