Qiu Qiu wasn't afraid of many things, but his mother counted as one, and Little Li counted as another.
After their breakup, Little Li's temper grew even worse. Seeing that her jump into the lake couldn't make him stay, she resorted to her old tricks and ran to the campus forum to serialize "The One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven Deadly Sins of Qiu Qiu." Abandoning her usual dramatic and thunderous style, this time she went all out with angst, crafting it in every conceivable way, turning angst into an art form.
Qiu Qiu didn't frequent the forums, so it wasn't until a month later that he discovered just how monstrously evil he was, a scumbag in both his past and future lives.
So now, whenever Little Li called, Qiu Qiu would hold his phone as if it were a live bomb, ready to meet his heroic demise at any moment.
Fu Ruien couldn't stand watching his cowardly display any longer. He took the phone and directly pressed decline.
Fu Ruien scolded him, "A little girl like that has you this terrified?"
Before he could finish, Little Li called again. The ringtone was like a cursed incantation, grating on Fu Ruien's nerves. Thinking it was time to settle this once and for all, he simply answered.
As soon as the call connected, Little Li seized the initiative: "Qiu Qiu! You dare hang up on me?!"
Her accusatory tone sounded as if they were still dating.
Fu Ruien, accustomed to being domineering, had marked this little honey pot as part of his territory the moment he first laid eyes on Qiu Qiu. Little Li, as Qiu Qiu's ex-girlfriend, naturally rubbed him the wrong way.
Fu Ruien gave a cold snort and deliberately asked, "And who might you be?"
Hearing a voice that wasn't Qiu Qiu's, Little Li was stunned for a long moment before asking, "...And who are you?"
Qiu Qiu watched Fu Ruien with pleading eyes, hands clasped together as if praying, like a puppy begging him not to say anything reckless.
Fu Ruien pulled Qiu Qiu's hand over, turning it over and kneading it in his palm. Despite Qiu Qiu's tall and slender frame, the parts that should be soft were incredibly pliant. While toying with Qiu Qiu's hand, Fu Ruien spoke into the phone with meaningful emphasis, "I am his... sugar daddy."
"Sugar daddy??!!"
The young lady Little Li was indeed dumbfounded.
She quickly switched to an ingratiating tone, simpering, "Hello, hello, hello! Hello, Sugar Daddy! It's our first time meeting. I'm your daughter-in-law."
"..."
Now Fu Ruien understood just how troublesome this girl was.
Little Li was operating on a whole other level. Fu Ruien chose a strategic retreat—he hung up the phone and promptly added her to the blacklist. But Little Li had eight phone numbers. She took turns calling Qiu Qiu from several different phones. Fu Ruien, trying several times to get back into his work mindset, was repeatedly interrupted. In a fit of anger, the great CEO Fu threw Qiu Qiu's phone out the window.
Qiu Qiu watched his precious phone shatter into pieces, utterly heartbroken. That phone had been a reward from his parents after he started university, filled with revolutionary camaraderie. He usually handled it with the utmost care, and now it had been smashed by his sugar daddy beyond any hope of repair.
Without batting an eye, Fu Ruien said, "I'll buy you a new one later."
His sugar baby perked up: "Does the 'scholarship' include a phone too?"
His sugar daddy also grinned: "The 'scholarship' also includes sleeping with you."
Well, after going around in a big circle and dragging things out for hours, they had ultimately returned to square one.
Qiu Qiu's family background was decent. All his relatives were teachers. During holiday gatherings, they would first discuss the international situation, then move on to domestic livelihood issues, and finally start criticizing the extravagant lifestyles of certain bureaucrats and wealthy businessmen. What they despised most were abnormal relationships involving unequal social status.
If it got out that Qiu Qiu was entangled with an older, solitary, wealthy middle-aged man, it would be like violating a heavenly decree. He would absolutely be punished by his mother to memorize the dictionary.
Seeing Qiu Qiu's pretty face contorted with distress, Fu Ruien felt a pang in his heart. Without thinking, the words spilled out: "...You should go."
Once said, he actually felt a sense of relief.
He truly liked this kid—eighty percent physical, twenty percent emotional. But when it came to arrangements like this, Boss Fu believed in mutual consent. What kind of man kept bullying a fool?
So he decided to let them both off the hook. From now on, silly Qiu Qiu could focus on his studies and strive for excellence, while he would remain a black-hearted sugar daddy. In time, he'd find another handsome young man in a white shirt, and they could still perform a Thomas Flair on the bed just fine.
This time, Qiu Qiu's antenna finally aligned with Fu Ruien's.
"You... you're not going to be my sugar daddy anymore?"
"No more. Pack your things. I'll have the driver take you back in a bit." Fu Ruien forced himself not to look at that endearing face, turning his gaze back to the contract on his computer screen instead.
An indescribable ache filled Qiu Qiu's heart. He genuinely admired Fu Ruien. His life had always been too orderly, too prescribed, but Fu Ruien's arrival had shown him a different world.
It was like the little mermaid surfacing for the first time. She saw the sun set, she saw stars fill the sky, she saw dolphins leap from the sea, spraying droplets of foam. She saw a massive ocean liner thunder past, people on deck dressed in fine clothes, dancing gracefully, laughing and talking loudly. Only then did she realize how vibrant life above the waves could be.
...Sigh, aside from wanting to sleep with him, Sugar Daddy really didn't have a single flaw.
Feeling both regretful and melancholic, Qiu Qiu went to pack his luggage. He didn't frequent this villa often, so he only had two sets of clothes here. Aside from his gaming accounts, the most valuable things were his guitars.
Qiu Qiu loved singing. He always had a solo at the College of Liberal Arts performances. But aside from his sugar daddy, no one knew he wrote songs. He was too embarrassed to perform his own amateur compositions for others.
Thanks to his scholarship, he hadn't asked his family for money since starting university. The scholarship covered everything except tuition, just barely enough. This time, with his sugar daddy's "financial aid," he unexpectedly received fifty thousand yuan. In a moment of impulsive excitement, he rushed to the music store and bought a guitar he had been eyeing for a long time.
With the guitar slung over his shoulder and a bag of clothes in his hand, he hesitantly asked, "...Sugar Daddy."
"Hmm?" Fu Ruien didn't shift his gaze from the computer screen. Truth be told, he hadn't absorbed a single line since earlier.
"...I have a question..."
"Go on."
"...Do I need to return this guitar to you..."
Fu Ruien felt both angry and amused. He certainly didn't lack those fifty thousand, but his words came out sarcastic: "Of course you have to return it. Even if I were to get married and the engagement fell through, the woman would have to return the betrothal gifts. Now you've taken my money and bought a guitar. Either return the money or leave the guitar here as collateral."
Qiu Qiu agonized over the decision. He already owed Little Li a hundred thousand yuan. If he took the guitar, another fifty thousand would be added to his debt. As a poor student, when would he ever be able to pay it all back? After painful deliberation, he ultimately chose to leave the guitar behind.
The driver had arrived and took the bag of clothes from Qiu Qiu, placing it in the back seat. Qiu Qiu dawdled by the entrance putting on his shoes, his mood thoroughly dejected. He looked up at his sugar daddy, who still sat properly at his computer, handling business. Had Sugar Daddy dealt with countless sugar babies like him in the same way before?
Qiu Qiu spoke despondently, "Then I'm leaving."
"Hmm."
"Take good care of yourself."
"Hmm."
"Sugar Daddy, I'll miss you."
"..."
"But you shouldn't miss me."
"...Mmm."
After a moment's thought, the soft-spoken Qiu Qiu added in his gentle way, "If you really can't help but think of me, that's okay, but only during the day. You mustn't think of me at night."
The organ in Fu Ruien's chest suddenly began to thump violently. His emotions, dormant for twenty years, were stirred in that moment by this young boy. He very much wanted to say something, but since he had chosen to let go, he would not look back.
Qiu Qiu said earnestly, "You really mustn't think of me at night. I'll sneeze so much I won't be able to sleep."
"...Qiu Qiu, how old are you? Do you still believe in nonsense like 'you sneeze when someone thinks of you'?"
Qiu Qiu looked at him, utterly shocked.
Fu Ruien said mischievously, "And while I'm at it, let me remind you: when your mom said 'I've been saving all your New Year's money for you since you were little,' she was lying too."
And so, Qiu Qiu was bullied to tears again by his annoying godfather.
...
The driver, following orders, took Qiu Qiu back to school. On the return trip, the driver received a call from Fu Ruien.
Fu Ruien asked him, "Is Qiu Qiu back?"
"Yes, boss."
"Is he still crying?"
"No, but he's been sneezing non-stop."
"..." Fu Ruien commanded, "Buy him some cold medicine and take it to him tomorrow."
