The Pampered Young Master Is Adored at Art School - Chapter 5

Ten thousand dollars! US dollars!

Su Zhan’s entire face flushed with excitement at the message. That meant he only needed to scrape together another ten thousand or so to cover next semester’s tuition!

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if they should meet nearby, but the area was too crowded and full of prying eyes. Dylan was so tall and striking that he was simply too conspicuous, it would be far too easy for someone to spot them.

He had no choice but to take the long way around to the library.

Su Zhan lightly nudged Xu Chenjian, planning to send him away. “Brother Jian, why don’t you go buy the groceries first? I just remembered I have to return a book to the library, it’s almost overdue.”

He didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty about ordering Xu Chenjian around. They were too close, brothers who had grown up together since childhood.

As he spoke, he stuffed his car keys into Xu Chenjian’s hand and naturally started ordering his favorite dishes. “Put ham in the tofu soup. It wasn’t as good last time without it. Oh, and I want sweet and sour pork ribs.”

Being nudged along by Su Zhan, the frost on Xu Chenjian’s face finally thawed into a gentle smile. “Alright.”

Sunvale wasn’t a Chinese supermarket, so they didn’t carry Jinhua ham. Xu Chenjian would have to make an extra trip to a Chinese grocery store just to get that specific savory depth for the soup. However, he didn’t feel a hint of impatience at being given a grocery list. Su Zhan had always been pampered, and that delicate palate of his was something Xu Chenjian had cultivated himself, he was more than happy to indulge him.

Meanwhile, Su Zhan quickly messaged the buyer back: “Is now okay? Let’s meet at the second-floor terrace of the library.”

Dylan agreed immediately, and Su Zhan let out a sigh of relief.

Xu Chenjian tapped the paper bag and said to Su Zhan, “Take this. It’s a bit of a walk to the library, don’t catch a cold.”

Inside the bag was a silk-wool blend coat. The tailoring of The Row was always classic and elegant, perfectly matching Su Zhan’s usual style.

“Bringing me things again,” Su Zhan’s voice sounded dry. He squeezed the paper bag. Back when he had money, he wouldn’t have thought twice about it, but now, this coat worth thousands of dollars felt like it weighed a ton in his hands. Now that he was no longer wealthy, he had no right to keep nice things. Even if he kept it, he couldn’t afford to maintain it, a wool coat required dry cleaning, and being a designer brand, one cleaning would cost nearly a hundred dollars.

Xu Chenjian didn’t notice his hesitation, assuming Su Zhan was just tired after the argument. He naturally ruffled Su Zhan’s hair. “I’ll have dinner ready in an hour.”

Su Zhan obediently took the coat out of the bag, put it on, and walked Xu Chenjian to the car. Only after he watched the car disappear into the night did he take the coat off, fold it carefully, and put it back in the bag.

He then listed another item on Facebook Marketplace: the brand-new coat he had just received.

The second-floor terrace of the library was deserted. With finals approaching, few students felt like taking a stroll. Su Zhan, wearing only a cashmere sweater, sneezed in the evening wind.

Su Zhan messaged Dylan: “I’m here, where are you?”

“It’s actually you?” Dylan’s voice came from behind and to the side, sounding perfectly surprised.

He pressed a cup of hot cocoa into Su Zhan’s hands, acting as if he were just being thoughtful. “I haven’t taken a sip, here, you have it.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Su Zhan warmed his hands on the cup, staring at Dylan’s bare arms. He finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

Dylan’s fitness results were so impressive that Su Zhan couldn’t help but steal a second look, his eyes practically glued to the man’s physique.

It must be because he works out so much that he’s not afraid of the winter cold.

“I’m not cold.” Dylan paused, looking touched by the concern, his eyes shining like stars. “Actually, I’m not here to buy a watch. I just wanted to see who needed help.”

“So you’re not buying it?” Su Zhan’s disappointment was impossible to hide, but looking at such a handsome face, he couldn’t bring himself to be angry.

If Dylan wasn’t buying the watch, then he had stood out in the wind for nothing. It took twenty minutes to walk from the Arts Academy to the library, and he’d have to take an Uber home later, which would cost even more money.

“It’s a simple gift,” Dylan said, holding a check between two fingers and offering it to Su Zhan.

Su Zhan’s eyes locked onto the check. He scanned the numbers twice. It was for thirty thousand dollars!

He looked up, experiencing for the first time the feeling of being so moved he wanted to cry.

So what if Dylan told a harmless little lie? Right now, Dylan was practically his savior!

Su Zhan wanted to take the check but hesitated, fearing a trap. America was a capitalist society, and Dylan was a capitalist, it was hard to believe people like him believed in some kind of universal socialist brotherhood.

“…It’s a strange tradition in my family. Before making a wish, we have to provide help to a stranger. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Why look on the second-hand market?” Su Zhan finally accepted the check, but he began to worry if it would actually clear. A windfall like this was hard to believe.

“Your watch proved you have taste and were in urgent need of money. Can we find a warmer place to talk? It’s too cold, you’ll get sick.” Dylan looked around. The spot Su Zhan had chosen was secluded enough, but it wasn’t comfortable. And Su Zhan was dressed far too thinly.

Dylan stepped aside, the path behind his shoulder leading directly toward the Engineering College. “I have an office on campus.”

The Engineering College wasn’t far from the library. As an arts student, Su Zhan didn’t usually come this way. This was his first time visiting the entrepreneurship hub on the B1 level.

The hub was nearly empty at night. The raw concrete walls looked cold and hard under the lights. Not far from the elevator, a display board was covered in layers of startup pitches, the corners were nearly half a centimeter thick, with bits of residue from torn-down posters.

But the glorious achievements of Clearcut Technology were framed in metal.

The company name matched the calendar Su Zhan had seen on Dylan’s Facebook profile. Looking at the failed, covered-up projects, Su Zhan finally gained a shallow understanding of how difficult entrepreneurship could be.

The founder of Clearcut was currently leading the way for him. Dylan’s shoulders looked exceptionally broad at that moment. Su Zhan felt a sudden sense of daze, he didn’t know how to become successful like Dylan, rather than just scraping by for tuition.

But for an arts student, was that even possible?

After next semester, there would be the one after that. Even if Su Zhan worked himself to the bone taking credits, he still needed at least two more semesters to graduate. And after graduation, he had no idea where he’d go. An arts student, and a foreign one at that, finding a job was incredibly difficult.

“Is it easier to find a job if you study CS?” Su Zhan blurted out, then immediately felt naive. “I’m just talking, it’s probably too late for me to learn now.”

Dylan turned back and answered, “If you’re interested, you can always try. CS isn’t that hard, but don’t you want to be a director?”

“I don’t know.” Su Zhan nodded, then shook his head.

While they spoke, Dylan led Su Zhan through the open office area and pushed open the door to his private office.

The office was filled with beige furniture. A plush rug and a sofa created a temporary lounge area that was minimalist yet high-end, leaving a great impression. It echoed the company’s name perfectly.

Su Zhan began to wonder how many deals had been closed in this room.

Dylan invited Su Zhan to sit while he went to the bar to grab a tea bag. “Would you like some tea instead? It’ll be warmer. I have jasmine pearls.”

“No thanks.” Su Zhan felt a bit constrained. As Dylan prepared the tea, he steered the conversation back to him. “Does someone like you really need to make wishes?”

Su Zhan tilted his head slightly. He felt that someone as successful as Dylan should have everything, what could he possibly need to wish for?

Dylan walked back and sat on the sofa. He looked at Su Zhan for a long time, so long that Su Zhan began to wonder if there was something on his face. Finally, Dylan spoke slowly. “I’ve fallen for someone who is very hard to pursue. He has rejected every single person who has ever tried to date him.”

“That can’t be right. You’re outstanding in both looks and ability,” Su Zhan comforted him.

Dylan gave a light laugh, sounding self-deprecating. “I like men, but his orientation is unknown… and there’s someone else around him.” He paused, his tone like a sigh. “I don’t have anyone I can talk to about this.”

Su Zhan sat up straight, his ears perked. “But you’re willing to tell me?”

Gossip is a fundamental human instinct. He desperately wanted to hear more, but he was afraid asking too much might annoy Dylan.

Dylan’s eyes looked pitiful as he looked up. “Do you have any advice?”

The excitement in Su Zhan’s heart dampened a bit. He suddenly felt a bit guilty for treating this as gossip, Dylan seemed genuinely distressed and pathetic. He even reminded Su Zhan of a large dog without a master.

“How will you know unless you try?” Su Zhan felt obligated to provide some psychological counseling. For a thirty-thousand-dollar sponsorship, he’d provide whatever service was needed, as long as he could do it.

However, Su Zhan was also surprised. The culture in the US was usually to just go up and talk to someone you liked, how could there be a story of unrequited love like this? The person must be very important to Dylan for him to be so afraid of rejection.

The warmth of the paper cup in Su Zhan’s hands made him wonder what kind of person Dylan liked, given that he was handsome, wealthy, and caring.

He felt like he was watching a Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, where the story would end with the prince and princess living happily ever after, though in this case, it was a prince and another prince.

People always love to see a happy ending in a fairy tale. Su Zhan even started thinking if he could offer some opinions and act as Dylan’s strategist.

Su Zhan thought that if only he had some romantic experience, he could give better advice. Unfortunately, any early romantic inclinations he had were completely squashed by Xu Chenjian, who watched over him even more strictly than his parents.

Dylan looked at the expression on Su Zhan’s face, which was almost one of excitement, with no other reaction. He suddenly found it difficult to maintain his smile.

In a raspy voice, Dylan continued, “Can you help me see if my approach might be something he’d dislike? He’s also Chinese.”

“Chinese people are generally more shy, but everyone is different. I can only listen… should I ask my friend to listen too? He’s good at everything.”

“The one you danced the tango with?” Dylan stopped smiling and took a deep breath.

“Yeah, we grew up together.” Su Zhan looked completely earnest, which satisfied Dylan a little.

“I don’t want too many people to know my business.” Dylan’s gaze traced Su Zhan’s fingers. “If I told you I liked you, would you be scared?”

Su Zhan choked and began to cough violently, his face turning bright red. “I…”

Dylan sighed again. “See? He would be scared like that too. It seems the culture in your country isn’t as open as it is here. Liking men doesn’t seem to be a common thing, it might even be off-putting.”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Su Zhan’s toes pull back a bit, though he couldn’t tell if it was from nervousness or resistance.

Su Zhan set down his cup and caught his breath. “It’s not what you think, I’m not prejudiced.”

Su Zhan began to comfort Dylan. “See, even as a straight guy, I don’t find it repulsive. There’s no reason for the person you like to hate you, it’s just that being asked so suddenly is definitely a bit of a shock.”

As Su Zhan spoke, he started to get tongue-tied. “And… in China, we think anything before university is too early.” He wasn’t sure if he was just startled or if it was because English didn’t have a direct equivalent for the term “early love.”

Dylan pressed further. “And now? You’re in university.”

“I didn’t meet the right person in my first or second year, and as for my current financial situation, you’ve probably noticed. My family went bankrupt. Poor people shouldn’t be focused on relationships, I don’t have any interest in it.”

“So your romantic history is a complete blank?” Dylan chewed on those words, lowering his eyes.

He hid his raw possessiveness behind a gentle, harmless smile. When he looked up again, his eyes were bright and clear. “Then what should we do? Me too. It seems we both lack romantic experience.”

Dylan began to describe his fictional “crush” again. “Based on what you said, China doesn’t encourage dating before university, so the person I like might be in the same situation. He might very well reject me, people are always a bit resistant to unfamiliar relationships.”

Dylan thought about how truly obedient Su Zhan was. He didn’t do things simply because Chinese customs didn’t support them, he wasn’t like others who sought excitement the more they were told not to. Su Zhan was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, making one want to draw all over it.

But then another thought occurred to Dylan. He began to wonder if Su Zhan was as strange as he was, having never had a relationship because he was simply too picky.

If that was the case, it was destiny. He had found another misfit in the world.

Looking at the blank slate that was Su Zhan, Dylan felt a sudden urge to kiss him.

Dylan looked away, pulled a checkbook from his pocket, and wrote another check. “Su, teach me how to pursue a Chinese person in a way that won’t scare them. As long as I don’t scare you, I won’t scare him.”

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