Chapter 14

Page 1/3

Huo Siyu watched the entire performance without even blinking, as if he wanted to record every moment with his eyes. His heartbeat never dropped below 120. Not only was the performer handsome, but his piano skills were impressive too—it was obvious he had practiced diligently. As the song "Confession Balloon" ended, the entire gymnasium was filled with pink bubbles, and everyone felt as though the beautiful pianist was confessing to them through the music.

As the stage lights gradually dimmed and the musician disappeared from sight, Huo Siyu grabbed the arm of a nearby male classmate. "What’s his name?"

"The host just announced it—his name’s Xi Shi, a senior in his third year."

Xi Shi... such a beautiful name, reminiscent of cherished memories. At that moment, Huo Siyu’s phone vibrated. It was a message from his cousin, Huo Siyuan.

Third Brother: How do you feel about the piano player just now?

Huo Siyu was surprised that Huo Siyuan, for some unknown reason, had come to the venue too. However, since freshman seating was arranged by class, he didn’t know where Huo Siyuan was sitting.

Seeing the message, Huo Siyu’s temples twitched slightly.

Huo Siyu: Don’t tell me you’re interested in him too?

Third Brother: ???

Third Brother: Me?

Huo Siyu: Yes, I’m love struck at first sight and plan to pursue him.

Huo Siyu: If you’re interested in him too, then we’re rivals.

Huo Siyuan stared at his phone, dumbfounded for a moment, then burst out laughing.

Damn, what kind of hellish development is this?

He had expected to see his cousin devastated upon discovering that their father had found him a stepmother only three years older than him, who was also a senior from their own university—a situation that would shake his worldview.

But he never imagined something even more absurd would happen.

He couldn’t bear to imagine the scene when father and son realized they were both infatuated with the same person.

Just thinking about it was explosive.

Indeed, living long enough, one sees all kinds of bizarre scenes.

---

After his performance, Xi Shi went backstage to the dressing room, changed out of the casual clothes he wore at noon, removed his makeup with the artistic committee’s cleansing lotion, and slipped out through the back door.

Jing Chen, having watched the performance, left as well and waited outside. Seeing Xi Shi sneak out furtively, he said, “I checked around; no one’s here.”

Xi Shi breathed a sigh of relief; he had no desire to be adored and swarmed by fangirls like a celebrity demanding his WeChat.

“How did I do on the piano?”

Standing on the steps, Xi Shi tilted his head, looking innocent and eager for praise.

“Very good. You’re as good as a professional,” Jing Chen answered objectively.

Xi Shi chuckled and handed Jing Chen a box. “This is a gift for you.”

Jing Chen noticed the three bags Xi Shi handed over—two were even larger than the sneakers he had given Xi Shi earlier. Wondering what was inside, he raised his eyebrows.

He took the bags, neither too heavy nor too light, and judging by their appearance, the contents must be expensive.

“Spending so freely on me?”

Xi Shi, still lamenting their brief meeting and imminent parting, murmured in a low voice, “If you could serve your sponsor—me—better, I’d be even more generous.”

Jing Chen: “Then I’ll start recuperating tonight, aiming to serve you till dawn tomorrow.”

Xi Shi: “...” His face flushed instantly as he glared at Jing Chen. “Who told you that! No recuperating allowed!”

Jing Chen had only been joking. Being around Xi Shi, who was always coveting his body like a little pervert, was turning him into an old lecher himself.

Before, with his personality, he would never have made such a suggestive joke.

Seeing it was still early and that the rebellious son wouldn’t go home so soon, Jing Chen said, “There aren’t many people behind the gym; want to take a walk?”

Xi Shi snorted lightly, feigning reluctance, and reached out his hand to Jing Chen.

“Then your sponsor will mercifully accompany you a little longer.”

---

Xi Shi’s performance caused him to explode in popularity overnight among the freshmen at Yan University. Everywhere, people were talking about him, trying to find out his major, dorm number, and WeChat.

Online forums were flooded with posts about him. Some even unearthed older posts by upperclassmen who had been amazed by him and had given him a fitting nickname: the Most Beautiful Campus Heartthrob.

Moreover, someone posted Xi Shi’s academic transcript, revealing that he was not only talented at the piano but also an outstanding student—far from an empty-headed pretty boy.

For a time, Xi Shi was the undisputed center of attention.

Huo Siyuan had come to Yan University today partly to pick up Huo Siyu. In the speeding car, Huo Siyuan watched his cousin enthusiastically browsing the forums, reading posts that dug up information on Xi Shi. He felt he should say something but wasn’t quite sure how.

“Are you really going to pursue this Xi Shi?” Huo Siyuan probed.

“Of course. I’ve never been so moved by a man before.”

“...” Huo Siyuan took a deep breath. “Have you thought about the possibility that he might have a partner?”

The words hit Huo Siyu like a bolt from the blue, and his whole body trembled.

He hadn’t considered that possibility at all.

Seeing the effect of his words, Huo Siyuan immediately added, “I overheard some students in the stands saying they saw Xi Shi entering and leaving with a man, acting very close—probably his boyfriend.”

He hadn’t actually heard any students say that.

But his uncle had indeed come today, and they had entered and exited together, with unmistakable closeness.

So it wasn’t entirely a lie.

Huo Siyu clenched his fists. He had fallen in love and lost love all within two hours.

Seeing his cousin so dejected, Huo Siyuan sighed and patted his shoulder. “Cheer up. You’re young. With your background and status, there’ll be countless beauties in your future.”

“Right, with my background and status, there’s no shortage of beauties!” Huo Siyu agreed.

Just as Huo Siyuan showed a relieved expression, his cousin continued, “So why should I give up just because he has a boyfriend? As long as I swing my hoe well, any corner can be dug up! Ha!”

Huo Siyuan: “...”

“...?”

No hope. Just destroy it all.

Huo Siyuan liked women. Although he admitted Xi Shi was handsome, given their status and background, they had seen all kinds of beauties—even glamorous, seductive transgender queens.

He couldn’t understand why both he and his cousin only obsessed over Xi Shi.

Watching Huo Siyu resume scrolling through the forum, Huo Siyuan could no longer bear it.

Huo Siyu had already read the first few posts on the homepage. Huo Siyuan tapped refresh, and a new post titled “Most Beautiful Campus Heartthrob? Just a Middle-aged Man’s Boy Toy” caught his eye.

He frowned, his slender fingers moved, and he opened the post.

Then his eyes widened.

The poster got straight to the point, posting over a dozen photos without any preliminaries.

The images were clear: Xi Shi meeting a man in an underground parking lot; the man giving Xi Shi a gift; Xi Shi happily reaching out to hug the man; the man holding him and stroking his head.

Their intimate behavior needed no caption—it confirmed an unusual ambiguous relationship.

However, since same-sex marriage was legal and Xi Shi was an adult, having a male partner was not necessarily scandalous.

Yet, the poster had censored the man’s face. Judging by his striped polo shirt and suit pants—a mature style—the man was at least in his forties or older.

Moreover, the last photo showed the contents of the gift, secretly taken while Xi Shi was unaware.

---

Page 2/3

That box was unmistakably the latest commemorative edition BL47 sneakers from a famous brand.

These sneakers retailed for 12,888 yuan officially. In the world of college students, gifting such expensive shoes was practically sponsoring someone.

The post had been published five minutes ago and had already drawn over two hundred replies due to its explosive content.

Noticing Huo Siyu’s unusual expression, Huo Siyuan leaned over to look at his phone and saw the photo of Xi Shi embracing the censored man. He was shocked as well.

He swiped through the photos and read the clever post title, dumbfounded.

Although the man’s face was blurred, knowing about Xi Shi and his uncle’s relationship made it easy for Huo Siyuan to identify the man dressed with a paternal vibe—it was his uncle.

Ah, this...

His cousin obviously had never connected this older man to their father. Clenching his fists, his face darkened, whether from anger at Xi Shi’s partner being an older man or at the person who posted the thread, no one could tell.

At that moment, the car arrived at the Huo family estate. The servants hadn’t seen young master Huo Siyu for over twenty days. Upon seeing him sunburned and thinner, they felt deeply concerned and eagerly welcomed him inside.

Huo Siyuan followed behind and entered through the main gate. His uncle had already returned and was sitting in the living room drinking tea.

Seeing his uncle now in casual home clothes, Huo Siyuan couldn’t help but cover his face in embarrassment.

Huo Siyu would likely remain unaware of the truth for some time.

---

Page 3/3

The post caused a sensation both on the forum and throughout Yan University, but Xi Shi himself only saw it the next day.

After parting ways with Jing Chen yesterday, he had planned to return to his dorm but was quickly surrounded by underclassmen asking for his WeChat, forcing him to rush home to avoid the attention.

He didn’t learn about the post from classmates but from the Yan Capital’s notorious social group “Wearing Couture While Eating Watermelon,” which was as lively as when he was first dumped from his engagement. They tagged him dozens of times, waking him up.

[@WhyNotFlyToTheSky, is this for real? Come out and clear things up.]

[The photos are right there; how can it be fake?]

[Look at the old man’s manicured hands—probably some uncle we know.]

[Tsk tsk, shouldn’t he be getting luxury cars and mansions? Sneakers worth tens of thousands as a gift? That’s straight-up sponsoring. Feels like our group’s standards just dropped.]

[He must have gone wild after being dumped.]

[Hiss, even if dumped, one shouldn’t stoop so low as to date an old man, @WhyNotFlyToTheSky.]

...

Xi Shi was speechless. Yesterday, he had been so engrossed talking and getting close to Jing Chen in the parking lot that he never expected someone to snap photos—coincidentally with Jing Chen dressed just like that.

They deliberately obscured Jing Chen’s face, showing the poster’s malicious intent.

Seeing that the original sharer was a small anonymous account, obviously secretive and ill-intentioned.

If this ruined his reputation at school, it would be bad enough; posting it in this group would spread it to every corner of the Yan Capital’s elite circles, making him a joke again.

So vicious.

Yet Xi Shi wasn’t angry at all.

He was worried about his sudden fame, constantly bombarded with WeChat requests from juniors, so having his image tarnished a bit was actually a relief.

He even forwarded the post to Jing Chen.

WhyNotFlyToTheSky: Bro, we’re famous now.

WhyNotFlyToTheSky: Don’t go to the construction site anymore. Let’s tidy up and start livestreaming sales.

WhyNotFlyToTheSky: Making a million a day isn’t a dream. Soon, we’ll surpass the Huo family, become the richest, and reach the pinnacle of life.

Jing Chen: Look up.

WhyNotFlyToTheSky: Huh?

Jing Chen: Look at your WeChat nickname.

WhyNotFlyToTheSky: ...