The Beautiful Cannon Fodder Becomes The Heartthrob of the Dating Show - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Ambience at Lover’s Lake

In Xu Yiqiu’s dreams, there was no such thing as the “wealthiest couple,” and certainly no Xu Jingchu. These people felt like outsiders who had suddenly burst onto the script to snatch the antagonist role away from him. How could he not be furious?

Seeing his dark expression, his roommate asked casually, “Xu Yiqiu, what’s wrong?”

Xu Yiqiu snapped back to reality, struggling to maintain his persona. “Nothing, I might have just eaten something that didn’t agree with me.”

The roommate looked at his bony frame and pale, malnourished complexion, silently thinking: Eaten something bad, my foot! You clearly just don’t have money for food again!

Thinking of Xu Jingchu’s real identity which he had just seen on the forum, a flash of disdain appeared in the roommate’s eyes. It wasn’t that he discriminated against the poor, but some people were poor yet unwilling to work part-time to earn money. They spent every day mooching off one person or another; over time, no one would want to be around them.

The son of the wealthiest man in the country works a part-time job to support himself—what makes a real pauper like you so precious?

Xu Yiqiu didn’t miss the disdain on his roommate’s face. His fists clenched tightly under the desk. Part-time job? In his dream, he had worked diligently while studying, but what happened in the end? In the end, wasn’t he played like a fool by Huo Yun just because the latter had money? After marriage, he was looked down upon by Huo Yun’s family and treated as nothing more than a breeding tool!

Thinking of his tragic ending in the dream, Xu Yiqiu bit his lip until it bled, the hatred in his eyes almost turning physical.

It’s all the fault of that “wealthiest man’s son”! If he hadn’t suddenly appeared, how could Huo Yan not even spare him a glance?!

Xu Jingchu, how dare you steal what belongs to me!

Mother Xu had already achieved her goal for the night, so she naturally wouldn’t drag Xu Jingchu along to discuss business.

After Xu Jingchu watched the two elders leave—accompanied by an increasingly respectful Principal Han—he turned around and collided with Huo Yan’s bottomless dark eyes.

Xu Jingchu instinctively reached up to touch his face. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”

Huo Yan stared at him unblinkingly for several seconds before suddenly letting out a light chuckle.

To think he had dominated the business world for ten whole years, yet he could still be so incredibly wrong. Before today, he really thought the boy was a child from a poor family who needed to work part-time everywhere. He hadn’t expected the other party to give him such a “huge surprise” the moment he turned around. It was a good thing he had weathered many storms over the years, otherwise, he would have shown weakness and left a bad impression in front of the two elders just now.

However, thinking about it carefully, he couldn’t entirely blame himself. The first time he saw the boy outside the art studio, he was dressed modestly from head to toe. The second time at Jinghui Garden, the boy personally told him he was working there. With such misleading clues, it really wasn’t surprising he thought that way.

The son of the wealthiest couple was actually so low-key; the A University forum was likely headed for a major earthquake.

“What are you laughing at?” Xu Jingchu’s cheeks turned hot again for some reason, and his voice involuntarily lowered.

Huo Yan extended his right hand, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Chu-bao, can you show me around your school?”

Xu Jingchu blinked his eyes.

Huo Yan explained, “It’s my first time inside A University.”

Xu Jingchu’s ears turned red as he whispered, “Don’t… don’t call me that.”

Huo Yan asked knowingly, “Don’t call you what?”

Xu Jingchu looked up at him, then quickly looked back down. “Only Mom and Dad call me that.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a warm, large hand rested on top of his head.

Xu Jingchu looked up again.

Their eyes met. With the man’s back to the moonlight, his tall frame provided an inexplicable sense of overwhelming yet comfortable security.

Huo Yan asked in a low voice, “You don’t like me calling you that?”

Xu Jingchu blinked again, then gently shook his head.

He paused and answered honestly, “When you call me that, my heartbeat becomes abnormal.”

Huo Yan froze, failing to react for a moment.

Xu Jingchu’s cheeks burned slightly as he whispered, “I asked the doctor, and the doctor said I’m fine.” But in truth, he still felt something was a bit off. As a boy, was it really okay to like being touched by another man?

The two of them wandered aimlessly around the campus, eventually ending up by a lake where Huo Yan pulled Xu Jingchu to a stop.

After sitting down, Huo Yan noticed that in the secluded spots nearby, there were quite a few… couples.

Xu Jingchu looked around and explained in a hushed voice, “This is the school’s ‘Lover’s Lake.’ Many students like to come here at night to catch the breeze.”

Catch the breeze?

The corners of Huo Yan’s mouth quirked up. “So, are we here to catch the breeze, too?”

Xu Jingchu looked at him seriously. “Huo Yan, do you have something you want to say to me?”

It had to be said that the boy’s intuition was very sharp. Huo Yan did have something to say, but before that…

“Do you always like to call people by their full names?”

Xu Jingchu was stunned.

Huo Yan toyed with the boy’s pinky finger, his tone gentle. “Usually, only people who aren’t close call each other by their full names, right?”

Xu Jingchu instinctively nodded.

Huo Yan asked again, “Then… are we considered ‘close’ now?”

Xu Jingchu thought about it seriously. Strictly speaking, he hadn’t known Huo Yan for long, but closeness isn’t always measured by time.

Xu Jingchu looked down at his finger hooked by the man’s, and his cheeks began to burn again.

“Close.” They had kissed and hugged; how could they not be close?

The corners of Huo Yan’s mouth lifted slightly. “Then shouldn’t we change how we address each other, rather than using full names?”

Xu Jingchu nodded, though he was a bit hesitant. “Change it to what?”

The man guided him patiently: “What do you think it should be changed to?”

Xu Jingchu looked at him, hardly having to think about it: “Yan-gege?” (Big Brother Yan)

Huo Yan was nine years older than him; calling him “brother” shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Huo Yan didn’t speak for a moment.

Xu Jingchu leaned closer to him. “Yan-gege?”

The narcissus scent suddenly intensified. Huo Yan’s breathing grew slightly ragged. Fortunately, it was pitch black all around; as long as he blocked his lower body slightly, he could hide his disarray.

To prevent the boy from noticing anything unusual, he let out a soft “Mm” from his throat.

It was as if he feared a louder voice would scare away the boy who had proactively leaned in.

Xu Jingchu smiled and called out again, “Yan-gege!”

“Mm.” A prominent curve had already surged beneath him, forcing Huo Yan to adjust his sitting position.

He never denied how deep the boy’s temptation was for him, but he hadn’t expected a mere title to leave him in such a state…

The night breeze was indeed cool—perfect for clearing one’s head.

After a good while, the arched curve gradually subsided. Huo Yan breathed a sigh of relief and asked the question he had wanted to ask earlier: “What do you mean by ‘abnormal heartbeat’?”

Xu Jingchu didn’t answer immediately; he stole a quick glance downward.

…Actually, he had noticed just now.

Even though it was just a fleeting, accidental glance, the volume… was a bit startling.

Thump-thump, thump-thump— His heart began to act up again, and even the night breeze couldn’t blow away the rising heat on his face.

Xu Jingchu couldn’t help but cover his cheeks as his mind wandered. Just how long does an Alpha’s Susceptibility Period last? Otherwise, why was Huo Yan always doing that whenever he was around…

It was truly too strange.