Yu Zao didn’t read a word of Chi Xingge’s messages, but he sure was quick to take the money.

Chi Xingge: [?]

Chi Xingge: [You think I can’t find you, huh?]

Yu Zao panicked at this, afraid Chi Xingge might actually come and beat him up.

Yu Zao: [Sorry, I was in the car and my battery was dying.]

He added a crying kitten emoji for effect.

Chi Xingge: [Quit pretending. It’s too late.]

Yu Zao: [Pouty face emoji.jpg]

Chi Xingge: [No more cute tricks. I need to talk business. Can you pick up the phone?]

Yu Zao didn’t dare say no.

If he dared to refuse, Chi Xingge would probably burst through the door, weapon in hand, and give him a good beating. Yu Zao, being the small fry that he was, wasn’t about to mess with the big villain.

With a pitiful tone, Yu Zao replied, [Yes, I can.]

Feeling guilty, he tiptoed toward the bedroom. Chu Xi glanced at him as he did chores. Yu Zao felt guilty, gripping the doorframe with his pale fingers, his little face showing a fierce expression as he peeked out slightly. “Without my permission, you’re not allowed to come in, knock, or eavesdrop!”

“Or else, you’ll regret it.”

Chu Xi responded calmly, “I don’t like fruit.”

Yu Zao: …??

Was Chu Xi making a bad joke?

0926: [The call is coming in.]

Like holding a small fireball, Yu Zao nearly dropped his phone, forgetting to lock the door as he rushed inside and answered the call.

Chi Xingge didn’t waste any time, starting with, “I’ve come up with a brilliant plan.”

“It’s late, and that’s when men’s hearts are most restless. Try sending him some pictures.”

Yu Zao: “What kind of pictures?”

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?” Chi Xingge sounded exasperated. “Any picture will do. Are you wearing pants? If you are, take a photo of your feet. If not, take one of your legs. Better yet, take one without anything on. It’ll be twice as effective.”

Yu Zao hesitated, “But… but I don’t have any experience… I don’t know how to take those kinds of pictures.”

“I’ll try.”

Yu Zao awkwardly snapped a few pictures with another phone. But, well… something didn’t seem right. He didn’t think it looked odd when looking at himself, but when the rear camera caught his legs, with the edge of his shorts squeezing out a bit of soft flesh, the image just looked… off.

He nervously clicked through the photos, feeling like he was doing something bad.

“Are you done yet?” Chi Xingge demanded after hearing no response for a while. “Are you trying to weasel your way out of this again? Listen, Yu Zao, if you try to pull one over on me, you’re finished.”

Already agitated, Yu Zao grew more annoyed at Chi Xingge’s tone. “Why are you always so mean to me?””

His attempt at a fierce retort came out weak and shaky, more like he had been bullied than anything threatening.

Chi Xingge paused, surprised.

“I told you, I wasn’t ignoring your messages on purpose. I was in the car.” Yu Zao had conveniently forgotten that he had been ignoring Chi Xingge on purpose while happily pocketing the money. The more he spoke, the more he felt wronged, as if he had truly been mistreated. “There were so many people in the room today. You and Quan Lushen making me do all these things… I was already scared of betraying Quan Lushen.”

In reality, he wasn’t scared at all. In fact, he was thrilled, having signed the contract and taken the money as quickly as possible to ensure the opportunity didn’t slip away.

“I took the photos like you asked.”

As Yu Zao continued to talk, he really started feeling sorry for himself, even tearing up. “You don’t know how much pressure I’m under, how scared I am. All you do is scold me.”

Chi Xingge, finally losing his patience, muttered, “Wait, when did I ever scold you…?”

“You did!” Yu Zao imitated him, “Yu Zao, remember, if you dare to mess with me, you’re dead! You’re finished!”

Did he really say that? Maybe he did, but it definitely wasn’t in that tone…

Chi Xingge: “… I wasn’t that harsh.”

“You were!” Yu Zao raised his voice, “And you were really loud too!”

“You’ve always been mean to me! You’re still being mean to me right now!”

Chi Xingge: … How am I the one being loud?

But he really didn’t dare to speak anymore. He hadn’t said anything unreasonable, and his tone was the same as usual. Yet, in Yu Zao’s eyes, he was being harsh—really harsh.

Chi Xingge felt a headache coming on. When they were face-to-face, Yu Zao would always keep his head down, acting timid. But now, over the phone, his temper was flaring up, and it was outrageous.

His temper was big, and his voice was even bigger.

Chi Xingge was sitting in the car, resting his head on one hand, looking troubled and conflicted. The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror, surprised to see this usually arrogant young master looking so helpless. Chi Xingge barely said a word, only occasionally lowering his voice to respond softly, but most of the time he remained silent.

This was the first time the driver had ever seen such a look of frustration on this typically domineering young man.

Chi Xingge continued to listen as Yu Zao angrily berated him. Any attempt to explain would be seen as making excuses, and admitting fault would make him seem guilty. Normally, others would tolerate Chi Xingge, finding his demands troublesome, but this was the first time he had encountered someone so difficult.

Finally, Chi Xingge gave in: “What do you want me to do?”

The young man on the other end replied, “Apologize to me.”

Chi Xingge was stunned, barely able to believe what he’d just heard. “What did you say?”

Yu Zao regretted the words the moment he said them, but Chi Xingge’s tone made him even more upset. Despite being scared, Yu Zao raised his voice, “If you don’t want to apologize, then don’t! Who cares! Go ahead, yell at me again!”

“What—”

How was he yelling again? He was just speaking normally. Chi Xingge was about to say something when he heard a sniffle from the other side, a sound full of grievance. Flustered, he said, “No, don’t… don’t cry.”

Yu Zao didn’t respond, just silently shedding tears. When he cried, there wasn’t much sound, but if he held it in too long, a weak sob would slip out.

That only made him seem more pitiful.

Chi Xingge felt his head throbbing. He rubbed his temples, closing his eyes, and took a deep breath. He told the driver, “Stop the car.”

The driver was about to say that there wasn’t a good place to park, but seeing the young master’s gloomy face, mixed with a panic he had never seen before, he found a spot and pulled over.

It just so happened to be a busy area.

Chi Xingge found a quiet corner. Dressed in expensive clothes, he stood in the dark, looking both frustrated and helpless. After taking several deep breaths, he finally muttered in a soft, slightly embarrassed voice, “…I’m sorry.”

Yu Zao retorted, “You’re never wrong! How could you be? It’s always my fault!”

Chi Xingge was genuinely starting to get annoyed. In all his life, he had never apologized to anyone, let alone lowered himself like this. Yet after finally apologizing, Yu Zao wasn’t satisfied and started throwing a tantrum!

The frustration built in his chest, but suddenly, Chi Xingge snapped out of it. What was he even doing?

Their relationship was purely transactional—he gave Yu Zao money, after all, wasn’t he Yu Zao’s benefactor? So what was going on now? Why was he the one apologizing?

What kind of arrangement was this? Had he gotten himself a master a kept lover? Someone who could boss him around?

Just as he was regaining his composure, a small sob pierced the air, soft and weak, like the meow of a kitten.

His heart softened again.

Chi Xingge took a deep breath, and after a long pause, managed to squeeze out, “It’s my fault. Everything’s my fault. I shouldn’t have ignored your feelings, or… or raised my voice at you.”

“Please don’t be angry anymore, it’s all on me.”

More people were starting to gather nearby. After saying all this, Chi Xingge’s face burned with embarrassment, convinced everyone was staring at him.

But having already apologized, it was easier to keep going.

“Please stop crying.”

The problem was, the apology wasn’t working. Yu Zao was still sniffling, and Chi Xingge had never dealt with someone this stubborn!

Since he had already apologized, he figured there was no harm in going further. Chi Xingge consoled himself as he continued trying to calm Yu Zao down, but with little success. Then, as if struck by inspiration, he blurted out, “How about I send you some money?”

Yu Zao instantly stopped crying. His breathing quickened, eager and excited, his voice rising with anticipation. “Really?”

“Yes, really.” Chi Xingge loosened his collar, relieved. “But please stop crying, and don’t… don’t be mad at me.”

Although he still didn’t know what he had done wrong.

Yu Zao asked, “Right now?”

Chi Xingge replied, “Right now, I’ll send it immediately.”

Yu Zao finally calmed down, stopping his crying and his complaints, returning to normal conversation.

The most absurd part? Chi Xingge didn’t feel humiliated or bothered in the slightest. In fact, after transferring the money and successfully soothing Yu Zao, he felt a weird sense of pride, like he had accomplished something remarkable.

Chi Xingge didn’t want to risk transferring the money too slowly and upsetting Yu Zao again, so he quickly made the transfer while inwardly cursing himself.

He must be losing his mind.