The Wealthy Old Man’s Palm-Sized Pet - Chapter 1

The sky gradually darkened.

In an instant, the streetlights flickered on, illuminating the bustling streets until they were as bright as day. The signs at the entrances of nighttime entertainment venues, in particular, were dazzlingly bright a necessary tactic to lure in more customers. However, such places were merely ordinary establishments catering to average consumers.

In the city of H, there was a certain location that remained exceptionally low-profile. Unremarkable and plain, it was the kind of place that could easily be overlooked by a passerby. Yet, as night fell, a steady stream of luxury cars began to line up at its entrance.

This was the most elite club in H City. Ordinary people could not even begin to imagine the lively extravagance and luxury hidden within its walls. The club operated on a strict membership basis, catering only to VIPs. It was rumored that the membership was capped at fewer than two hundred people. In a city of over thirty million, one simply could not enter without being accompanied by a VIP acquaintance.

Not far from the club’s entrance, a youth waited patiently in a quiet corner, resembling a black cat perched in the darkness.

Even in the dim light, it was evident that the boy was exceptionally beautiful; no complimentary adjective would be considered an exaggeration when applied to him. His long eyelashes were like the wings of a butterfly, and his stunning eyes always held a faint coldness, as if he were indifferent to his surroundings. Because there were so few things he truly cared about, he was, ultimately, a detached person.

Beneath an exquisite, high-bridged nose was a pair of lips that were neither too thin nor too thick. They were the color of begonia flowers—pink, tender, and reminiscent of springy jelly. They looked delicious, and likely tasted even better—a true temptation. Most enticing of all was a tiny red mole on his Adam’s apple, which made one want to take a bite out of it.

The youth possessed a heart-stopping beauty.

Despite it being night, the evening breeze remained sweltering and restless. Not far across the street stood an ice cream stall. The treats looked delicious; one bite would surely be cold and refreshing, bringing comfort to every cell in one’s body.

The beautiful youth looked at the ice cream and pursed his lips. He could almost smell its fragrance, but he held back. He had far more important things to do right now.

His eyes never wavered from the vehicles stopping at the club and the people stepping out of them. He had been waiting for over an hour, but the person he sought had yet to appear. Still, he wasn’t anxious; he knew that person would definitely show up.

His phone vibrated. The caller ID showed a classmate. The youth answered the phone while keeping his gaze fixed ahead.

On the other end, Fu Can asked his good friend once again, “Song Zhiyuan, what exactly do you have going on tonight? Are you really not coming out to play with me? The college entrance exams are over and the admission letters are out. Don’t tell me you’re at home studying.”

The beautiful youth was named Song Zhiyuan. He and Fu Can had been classmates for all three years of high school. Despite Fu Can growing up in a wealthy family and Song Zhiyuan coming from an ordinary background, they had become friends. In Fu Can’s words, they shared a special destiny and were meant to be best friends for life.

Furthermore, because Song Zhiyuan frequently helped him with tutoring, Fu Can had been admitted to a decent university, sparing him from the fate of being sent abroad for remedial studies. Consequently, Fu Can was beyond grateful to Song Zhiyuan. During this summer break after the exams, he had invited Song Zhiyuan out several times, but Song Zhiyuan always claimed to be busy, promising to catch up “next time.”

Once, over the phone, Fu Can had heard chaotic noises that sounded like people fighting. He worried that Song Zhiyuan was in trouble, but Song Zhiyuan had calmly told him it was nothing. The commotion hadn’t stopped until they hung up. Uneasy, Fu Can went to find him the next day; only when he saw Song Zhiyuan standing before him unharmed did he believe his friend was fine.

Since then, Fu Can had invited him out many more times, but Song Zhiyuan was always busy either working part-time or staying in his hometown to accompany his grandmother. Today, Fu Can had finally received his admission letter as he had hoped. Excitedly, he immediately called Song Zhiyuan, but as expected, Song Zhiyuan said he was busy. Fu Can couldn’t help but feel that his friend had been incredibly preoccupied lately.

Hearing Fu Can’s complaints, Song Zhiyuan smiled into the phone and said he would invite Fu Can out when he had time.

This made Fu Can feel a bit better. “You said it. It’s a deal.”

“It’s a deal.” Song Zhiyuan glanced toward the club entrance and asked casually, “Fu Can, I remember you mentioned that your uncle seems to like going to clubs.”

“Yeah, he’ll definitely be there tonight,” Fu Can suddenly thought of something. “How about this? Next time, let’s go to that club too. My uncle is a member, so we can definitely get in. We should go and see the world a bit.”

After hanging up, Song Zhiyuan was certain: the person he was waiting for would definitely appear. He continued to lie in wait in the corner.

Half an hour later, as the night grew more silent, a luxury car pulled up at the entrance. A tall, handsome man stepped out. His well-tailored suit perfectly accentuated his model-like physique.

Song Zhiyuan’s pupils contracted. This was the man he was waiting for.

Fu Can’s uncle, Fu Xingnian. Through Fu Can, Song Zhiyuan had seen him from a distance a few times.

Song Zhiyuan took a deep breath, suppressing his pounding heart, and strode directly toward the tall, handsome man. He moved so quickly that neither Fu Xingnian nor the bodyguards around him had time to react. Because of his speed, Song Zhiyuan lightly collided with him.

Up close, he could smell Fu Xingnian’s cologne—the scent of cold ebony and agarwood. It was a sharp, biting fragrance, much like the man himself: cold and heartless.

Song Zhiyuan looked at him and blurted out the words he had been preparing for a long time: “Mr. Fu, I need your help. Can you help me? I will repay you well.”

After speaking, Song Zhiyuan bit his lip hard to hide his trepidation. His pink lips were bitten into a deep red. Though he was deathly nervous, he pretended to look at the man with composure.

The man was incomparably handsome, possessing the most perfect facial lines. His features looked as though they had been meticulously carved, and his pitch-black eyes were dark and deep, radiating a profound coldness.

Fu Can had once said that his uncle was very powerful, extremely difficult to get along with, and rarely smiled. He always looked at people with indifference. Although he was a blood relative, Fu Can was afraid of him.

Looking at the youth’s piteous appearance, Fu Xingnian’s gaze didn’t change in the slightest.

He wondered who was trying to push someone onto him now, or who was trying to get close to him. He was sorry, but he wouldn’t spare a second glance for those who delivered themselves to his door. It was boring.

Fu Xingnian’s tone was even icier than his gaze.

Without a word, he walked away coldly. When Song Zhiyuan tried to step forward, the two bodyguards finally reacted and blocked him, preventing him from getting an inch closer to Mr. Fu. They had already made a mistake by letting this person get so close to him just now.

Pinned firmly in place, Song Zhiyuan called out “Mr. Fu” twice from behind, but Fu Xingnian never looked back. He could only watch helplessly as Fu Xingnian entered the club and vanished completely from his sight.

He waited outside for a long time, but Fu Xingnian never came out again. Perhaps he wouldn’t emerge at all today.

The first attempt at approaching him had ended in failure.

Although he had anticipated this outcome, Song Zhiyuan felt incredibly dejected and had no choice but to leave the club.

It was after midnight when he arrived home. Song Zhiyuan lived in a remote, old residential area of H City. At this hour, very few windows in the complex were still lit. Standing downstairs, he took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself before heading up.

When he reached his floor and saw the bright red, glaring large characters, his lips pressed into a straight line.

Those people had come again.

Hearing movement in the hallway, a neighbor’s door opened. Big Brother Li stood at the entrance looking at Song Zhiyuan with displeasure.

“Song Zhiyuan, these people come here to make a scene every day. When are you going to solve this? They come every day, writing and drawing in the hallway. That’s one thing, but they kick the door and curse in the street every day. I have elderly people and children in my house who is responsible if they get scared!”

Big Brother Li, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally couldn’t take it anymore. He scolded Song Zhiyuan to vent the fright he had received that night.

Song Zhiyuan was deeply apologetic. “I’m sorry.”

Seeing the neighbor realized that Song Zhiyuan was also a victim, Big Brother Li wasn’t as angry after venting his frustration. “Can you still not find your dad?”

Song Zhiyuan shook his head.

Lately, Song Zhiyuan had been suffering from constant harassment, and the neighbors were being disturbed along with him. Big Brother Li finally stated the reason he had waited up all night: “Song Zhiyuan, have you considered moving somewhere else?”

In the middle of the night, Song Zhiyuan was in the hallway cleaning off the papers and the red characters that read: “Song Tianlai, pay back what you owe.”

Song Tianlai was Song Zhiyuan’s father.

His parents had divorced when he was very young. His mother had left him with Song Tianlai and disappeared; Song Zhiyuan had never seen her since. After the divorce, Song Tianlai was indifferent toward his son. The two lived together like strangers. The affection between father and son was like a strand of lotus root silk one gentle puff of air, and it would break.

Just two months before the college entrance exams, Song Tianlai had suddenly vanished. In the past, he would often disappear for several days, only to return with bloodshot eyes. Song Zhiyuan knew he had been at a friend’s house gambling or playing mahjong all night; he had grown used to it. At that time, he had secretly vowed to get into university and distance himself from this family.

But who could have imagined that a month ago, several men would suddenly show up and corner Song Zhiyuan at his door, clamoring for him to repay a debt. Only then did Song Zhiyuan learn the reason for Song Tianlai’s sudden disappearance.

Two months prior, Song Tianlai had actually borrowed one million yuan from loan sharks. The three-month term was up, and since they couldn’t find Song Tianlai, they came directly to Song Zhiyuan’s door.

Song Zhiyuan told them to find Song Tianlai. He knew nothing about it and had nothing to do with the matter. But those lenders weren’t interested in reasoning with him. If they couldn’t find the father, they would find the son. They didn’t believe a son wouldn’t know where his old man was hiding. They demanded he repay 1.5 million yuan, including interest.

That day, several men hauled away all the valuable appliances in the house. If Song Zhiyuan hadn’t warned them that he had called the police, they would have smashed the place up. After they left, the home was a mess.

From then on, those people came to collect the debt every day with great fanfare. Everyone in the building knew that Song Tianlai had run away after taking a high-interest loan. Most excessively, those people even went to the place where Song Zhiyuan worked part-time to cause a scene. Song Zhiyuan had changed part-time jobs three times, and each time, the boss immediately let him go; they simply couldn’t afford to provoke people with such social ties.

During this period, Song Zhiyuan searched for Song Tianlai incessantly, but his phone number had long since become a dead line, and none of his contact methods received a response. He had vanished without a trace.

However, the lenders had somehow found out that Song Tianlai still had an elderly mother. They even planned to go find Song Zhiyuan’s grandmother. When his parents divorced, Song Zhiyuan had lived with his grandmother for a period. She was a gentle, kind person and was now his only close relative. She was old, and Song Zhiyuan refused to let her be threatened by these people.

Song Zhiyuan sighed deeply. Nothing had gone well today.

By the time he finished cleaning the hallway, it was 2:00 AM. Song Tianlai was a scoundrel who had borrowed money and fled, leaving behind this disaster. He had to resolve this before those people found his grandmother. Those loan sharks threatened and intimidated him every day, which he could handle, but his grandmother was old and her health wasn’t great; she couldn’t take that kind of shock.

Song Zhiyuan lay on his bed exhausted, thinking to himself that no matter what, he had to get Fu Xingnian to notice him as soon as possible.

Two days later, another opportunity arrived.

Fu Can had strongly invited Song Zhiyuan to attend his birthday party.

There was a chance Fu Xingnian would appear at the banquet.