The Wealthy Old Man’s Palm-Sized Pet - Chapter 13

Late at night, Chu Wei drove toward a hotel with a young man sitting in the back. Chu Wei led the young man to a luxury suite and knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Fu Xingnian, dressed in a bathrobe.

Chu Wei had worked by Fu Xingnian’s side for years; he was highly competent and understood Fu Xingnian’s preferences. The young man he brought today was exactly Fu Xingnian’s type.

This young man, Zhou Mo, was a second-tier actor who had long been desperate to latch onto a powerful benefactor like Fu Xingnian. To this end, he had begged his manager to find any way to make a connection, but he had never found the opportunity until the manager received a call from Chu Wei. Knowing Chu Wei was Fu Xingnian’s right-hand man, the manager was so excited he nearly lost his words.

Chu Wei picked Zhou Mo up and brought him to the hotel. To prevent being photographed, the young man was wrapped up tightly. Only after entering the room did he remove his hat, sunglasses, and mask. In reality, Zhou Mo was quite willing to be caught by reporters; even a small scandal with Fu Xingnian would bring significant traffic. However, Chu Wei had insisted on the disguise, which likely reflected Fu Xingnian’s own wishes.

The moment Zhou Mo saw Fu Xingnian, his eyes went wide. He had only seen the man from a distance or in financial magazines; he knew he was handsome, but seeing him up close was something else entirely. In the entertainment industry, Zhou Mo had seen many top stars and film emperors, but none possessed Fu Xingnian’s striking presence.

Not only was he handsome, but his physique was also incredible; at least six abdominal muscles were vaguely visible beneath the robe. Fu Xingnian sat on the sofa with a commanding posture, his long, powerful legs particularly prominent. He idly tapped his wine glass, looking every bit the unrestrained, high-status rogue.

Zhou Mo knew this was his chance. If he could please Fu Xingnian and stay by his side, he would have a constant stream of premium resources, allowing him to rise from a second-tier minor actor to a top-tier star. Last year, another actor in his company had caught Fu Xingnian’s eye and subsequently landed a lead role in a major production, jumping from the third tier to the first, even though that person’s status had previously been lower than Zhou Mo’s. Even after they broke up, that actor’s career remained smooth sailing. Therefore, Zhou Mo told himself he had to seize this opportunity today.

Zhou Mo stepped forward and knelt before Fu Xingnian, resting his hand on the man’s leg and looking up with his sweetest smile: “Mr. Fu.”

Zhou Mo calculated that from Fu Xingnian’s angle, he would see his long eyelashes. He had received eyelash implants for this very purpose and was confident they looked beautiful, especially appearing more pitiful from this perspective. Seeing that Fu Xingnian didn’t reject the touch, Zhou Mo grew bolder and allowed his hand to roam upward.

Fu Xingnian glanced at the hand on his leg and frowned. He found the scent of the perfume overwhelming disgustingly so. He said coldly, “Remove it.”

Zhou Mo froze. He had heard Fu Xingnian liked to play and had varied tastes; perhaps he preferred this kind of authoritative dynamic? Zhou Mo thought he understood and slowly began to undo his buttons. “Mr. Fu, I’ll listen to whatever you say today.”

As Zhou Mo looked at Fu Xingnian shyly, Fu Xingnian suddenly stood up.

Chu Wei had remained in the hotel corridor, ready for any further instructions or to take Zhou Mo back, as President Fu never allowed guests to stay overnight. Song Zhiyuan, however, was an exception likely due to his extraordinary beauty. Song Zhiyuan was the person Chu Wei had seen stay by Fu Xingnian’s side the longest. Having not seen the boy for several days, Chu Wei assumed he had become a thing of the past.

Less than five minutes after he stood in the hallway, the door opened and Zhou Mo stumbled out, looking nearly disheveled.

“Mr. Fu, did I do something wrong?”

Zhou Mo didn’t understand what he had done or said incorrectly. He stood at the door in a daze; he had just taken off his clothes, expecting Fu Xingnian to carry him to the bed, only to be kicked out immediately. Since meeting him, they hadn’t even shared two sentences. “Mr. Fu, did I make you angry? I can change.”

He wanted to fight for another chance, knowing how rare this opportunity was. And honestly, Fu Xingnian was just too handsome.

There was no sound from behind the door.

Chu Wei understood immediately. He stepped forward, adjusted his glasses, and offered a polite smile: “Mr. Zhou, I will take you back.”

Zhou Mo wanted to refuse, but catching Chu Wei’s gaze, he suddenly shut his mouth. The man appeared to be smiling, but his eyes made a cold sweat break out on Zhou Mo’s back. Looking at the closed door and then at Chu Wei, Zhou Mo resentfully buttoned his clothes. He was a second-tier star, after all; he couldn’t be photographed like this or let his fans see him. He had to maintain his image as a pure, sunny boy.

It was a rare pleasant day for the freshmen, as the sky was overcast with a gentle breeze blowing—a blessing for those in military training. Some students even prayed that the remaining days would be like this. During breaks, no one had to fight for shade; they could sit anywhere, enjoying their phones and the rest.

Song Zhiyuan played on his phone for a bit, browsing his social feeds. He hadn’t answered Fu Xingnian’s call that night, and the man hadn’t come looking for him afterward. It seemed that missing a call didn’t quite cross Fu Xingnian’s limit.

However, one thing was strange. According to what he’d gathered from Fu Can, the people around Fu Xingnian never lasted long—rarely more than a month. He had been with him for over a month now, so he should be nearing the point of being discarded. Combined with the missed call, he figured the end was near. He almost hoped for a call from Chu Wei telling him his involvement with Fu Xingnian was over.

Song Zhiyuan knew his thoughts were somewhat ungrateful given that Fu Xingnian had solved a major problem for him, but he had been clear about his motives from the start. Both were simply taking what they needed.

As Song Zhiyuan was about to put his phone away, a classmate nudged him and gestured for him to look up. A girl was standing before him. She looked at him and lowered her eyes shyly: “Song Zhiyuan, can I have your contact information?”

Song Zhiyuan looked at her with confusion. He vaguely remembered her as the one who had asked what sunscreen he used.

The girl explained, “We’re playing Truth or Dare and I lost. My dare was to get your WeChat, so could you give me your contact info? Please, please? We’ll add each other now and you can delete me later if you want. Please?”

The girl was sweet-looking and spoke softly. The boys around Song Zhiyuan looked like they were ready to give her their own WeChat instead. A group of girls sitting nearby were all watching the scene. Song Zhiyuan figured that since it was just a game in front of so many people, he might as well help.

After adding him, the girl left happily, and her friends excitedly asked if she really got it. This made the other girls envious; they wondered why they hadn’t thought of that method. Now, anyone else trying the same thing would likely be seen through immediately.

Once she left, the boy next to Song Zhiyuan nudged him again: “Congratulations.”

Song Zhiyuan: “??”

The boy said: “That’s the department beauty! Many upperclassmen were chasing her on registration day. You didn’t know?”

Song Zhiyuan didn’t care about such things, so of course he didn’t know. Seeing his lack of interest as he closed his eyes to rest, the boy shook his head. Looking at Song Zhiyuan’s long lashes and pink lips, he thought Song Zhiyuan was actually the best-looking one there—it was just a pity he was a boy. The boy suddenly froze. What am I thinking? Song Zhiyuan is a boy; there are no ‘what-ifs.’

Whether the students’ prayers worked or not, the following days were not as scorching as the beginning. The ten days of military training finally reached the last day—the day of the review performance. Whether the heavens were helping or hindering, it began to rain during the half-day event. It wasn’t heavy just a fine drizzle but standing in it for a while would leave one soaked.

School leadership attended the performance, and it was rumored that distinguished guests were present as well, so the event proceeded despite the rain. Temporary awnings had been set up for the leaders so they wouldn’t have to watch in the rain.

At 9:00 AM, the review officially began, and the rain happened to stop at that moment. Two honor guards, one male and one female, stood before each phalanx. Because Song Zhiyuan had excelled in every drill, he had been chosen as an honor guard; the girl who had asked for his contact info was chosen alongside him. As they stood together, classmates teased that they were a “golden couple.”

As they were about to march past the rostrum, Song Zhiyuan caught a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. His spine habitually went numb. He looked again to be sure it really was Fu Xingnian! Why was he at a college military review? Was he the “distinguished guest”? Clearly, yes; judging by the leadership’s attitude and the seating arrangement, Fu Xingnian was the guest of honor.

Song Zhiyuan looked straight ahead, but he felt a gaze fixed upon him like a predator watching its prey. He stiffened and marched on, forcing himself through the motions. During other parts of the performance, he stole a glance toward Fu Xingnian and locked eyes with him. Song Zhiyuan quickly looked away, pretending he hadn’t seen him. On the stage, Fu Xingnian saw all of his little reactions.

The performance finally ended. Song Zhiyuan saw Chu Wei walking toward him, telling him that Fu Xingnian was waiting outside. Song Zhiyuan could already imagine Fu Xingnian’s angry face. One must never provoke an angry tiger; without even changing his clothes, Song Zhiyuan rushed to the school gate.

Sure enough, he saw Fu Xingnian’s car. Just as he was about to approach, someone blocked his path.

“Song Zhiyuan, you really deleted me.”

The person blocking him was Sun Haitian, the honor guard who had led with him the girl from the other day. Now that training was over, she had messaged him to invite him to dinner, only to be met with a red exclamation mark. He had actually deleted her? Everyone else tried every way to get her WeChat, and he just deleted her like that?

Feeling frustrated, she had spotted him and come over to confront him.

Song Zhiyuan was even more confused: “Didn’t you say I could delete you afterward?”

Sun Haitian: “…” How had she met such a “straight” guy? Though, she actually liked this type. She said, “Then can I add you again now? Please, please?”

Song Zhiyuan looked at the luxury car not far away: “I’m sorry, I have things to do.”

Sun Haitian grabbed him: “If you won’t add me, then you have to treat me to dinner.”

A sharp blast from a car horn rang out, startling Sun Haitian into letting go.