The Wealthy Old Man’s Palm-Sized Pet - Chapter 10

Fu Xingnian’s “we’ll see” made it clear to Song Zhiyuan that his tiny wish would not be granted. Before leaving that morning, Fu Xingnian had pulled him in front of the window for another round. Song Zhiyuan had a pair of very sexy back dimples, and Fu Xingnian’s palms always loved to linger there.

Such frequent intensity made Song Zhiyuan wonder if Fu Xingnian had simply been suppressed too long during his business trip. However, he quickly dismissed that—how could someone like Fu Xingnian ever wrong himself? He considered another possibility: maybe Fu Xingnian had a mild case of hypersexuality.

When he finished showering, Fu Xingnian had already left. Song Zhiyuan felt relieved; he was genuinely worried Fu Xingnian would pull him in for another round on a whim. He really couldn’t take any more.

In the hallway, he found Chu Wei waiting. He was there to take Song Zhiyuan to school on Mr. Fu’s orders. Song Zhiyuan never questioned Fu Xingnian’s arrangements. On the way, he received a call from Fu Can. Fu Can had reported to his school a day later than Zhiyuan and wanted to grab dinner to celebrate. Song Zhiyuan looked at the marks on his neck and wanted to refuse, but knowing Fu Can would just show up at his dorm if he did, he agreed.

Song Zhiyuan called his grandmother. To him, she was the person he cared for most in the world. He turned into the “real” Song Zhiyuan with her—the grandson who acted spoiled and talked about wanting her homemade sour fish.

Near the end of the call, she asked about his father, Song Tianlai. After his divorce years ago, Song Tianlai’s temper had worsened. He used to take his gambling losses and drunken moods out on a young Song Zhiyuan, leaving him covered in bruises. Back then, his grandmother would travel ten hours by train, standing the whole way because there were no seats, just to protect him.

Song Tianlai only behaved when his mother was around. Once she left, he returned to his old ways. This only changed after Song Zhiyuan’s middle school graduation—not because of a change of heart, but because Song Tianlai could no longer win a fight against his son. One day, after losing money, Song Tianlai tried to attack Song Zhiyuan while he was cooking noodles. For the first time, Song Zhiyuan fought back.

Song Tianlai realized then that his “weak” son was now half a head taller and much stronger. After a few more one-sided encounters, he stopped physical abuse and shifted to verbal snark. But even that faded when Song Zhiyuan would look at him with a cold, expressionless gaze. Yet, Song Tianlai had managed one final blow: leaving a massive high-interest debt behind and vanishing.

Song Zhiyuan asked Chu Wei to stop at a pharmacy. When he finally got out of the car at school, he had two band-aids on his neck and collarbone.

Walking across campus with such obvious patches and a face like his earned him many curious looks. Back in the dorm, his roommates were equally curious. While Wang Meng and Zhi Chenyu kept their thoughts to themselves, the innocent Sui Tang rushed over. “Zhiyuan, why the band-aids? Are you hurt? Is it serious?”

Song Zhiyuan’s ears turned red at the memory of Fu Xingnian’s madness. He forced himself to say, “No, just mosquito bites.”

“Mosquitoes again?” Sui Tang asked. “What were you doing last night? Feeding the bugs?”

Wang Meng couldn’t stand watching a blushing Song Zhiyuan and a clueless Sui Tang anymore. He dragged Sui Tang to the store to buy drinks. Sui Tang even insisted on buying Song Zhiyuan mosquito repellent so he wouldn’t itch so much.

That afternoon, Fu Can arrived to pick up Song Zhiyuan. He hugged his friend, complaining about how hard it was to see him lately. When Fu Can tried to drape an arm over his shoulder, Song Zhiyuan instinctively dodged.

“Song Zhiyuan, do you dislike me now?” Fu Can asked.

“No,” Song Zhiyuan smiled. “It’s just too hot.”

Fu Can then saw the band-aids. “Wait, are you hurt?” He worried he’d accidentally brushed against a wound.

Song Zhiyuan stuck to his story: “Mosquitoes. I used band-aids so people wouldn’t get the wrong idea.”

Fu Can muttered the truth: “I think the band-aids make it look more like the wrong idea.”

Song Zhiyuan pulled up his collar. “Fu Can, I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

They went to a high-end Japanese restaurant Fu Can loved. While waiting for the food, Fu Can heard a voice that sounded like Chu Wei. Since Chu Wei was always with his uncle, Fu Can looked out and indeed saw Fu Xingnian.

“Uncle! Are you eating here too?”

“Mnh. Just passing by,” Fu Xingnian replied.

Fu Can enthusiastically invited his uncle to join them, not expecting him to actually agree. “Uncle, you don’t mind, do you? My friend is here too—Song Zhiyuan, you’ve met him.”

“Mnh. I hope he doesn’t mind me joining suddenly,” Fu Xingnian said.

Inside the private room, Song Zhiyuan was stunned to see Fu Xingnian follow Fu Can inside. “Uncle Fu,” he greeted.

Fu Xingnian gave a toneless hum, his eyes flickering toward the band-aids on the boy’s neck.

Fu Can wanted his uncle to get to know Song Zhiyuan better. He figured that if he ever came out to his family, having his uncle’s support would be crucial. As they ate, Fu Can kept placing food on Song Zhiyuan’s plate. “This is great, have more. This is very fresh.” He was acting as attentive as a boyfriend.

Song Zhiyuan felt a gaze on him. “Fu Can, you don’t need to do that. I can do it myself.”

“Just eat more,” Fu Can replied. “You’re too thin. When I hugged you just now, I felt like your waist got even thinner than it was in high school.”

Across the table, Fu Xingnian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Just as they finished, Fu Can’s phone rang. His prized cat was going into labor, and he needed to rush home. He turned to his uncle: “Uncle, can you do me a huge favor and drive Song Zhiyuan back for me? Please?”