Chapter 4: Playing the ‘Sugar Daddy’ Card

“I have money,” Xiao Jin said, rising from his seat and propping himself up on the desk with one hand. He used his other hand to grip Ruan Yan’s chin, pulling him closer. “But I’ll only accept a partnership that comes with a lover’s relationship. Anything else is off the table.”

Seeing Ruan Yan’s pale chin redden from his grip, Xiao Jin loosened his hold just a little.

Ruan Yan shook his head. “We’re not compatible. Besides, we’re both alphas.”

“Who says so? Weren’t we quite compatible last night?” With that, the smile on Xiao Jin’s face disappeared. His tone took a sharp turn. “Kid, if you want to use me to get what you want, you’d better show some sincerity.”

Xiao Jin’s first comment made Ruan Yan’s face flush, but the second one sent a chill down his spine.

He struggled to hide the panic in his eyes, unwilling to let his guard slip. Otherwise, he would be completely at the mercy of the man in front of him.

Ruan Yan closed his eyes, then reopened them, having adjusted his emotions. There was no longer the sense of resignation or fatalism in his expression. “Alright, as long as you let me go safely, I agree to the terms of the cooperation…”

He paused when mentioning the cooperation. This man was impossible to figure out, and in their subtle back-and-forth, he had been thoroughly defeated.

Xiao Jin had even seen through his intentions to use him.

With a smirk, Xiao Jin leaned forward with interest. “Having a spy like you at hand? Why not?”

Hearing that he had agreed, Ruan Yan breathed a sigh of relief. Now that they were clearly in a cooperative relationship, he could put forth a few of his own conditions.

Xiao Jin watched with amusement as Ruan Yan began to allocate his time, even including his own schedule. “The academic workload is heavy. I can’t always come to your place, and I only have time on Saturdays. I have to be in the lab on Sundays.”

“So you’ll give me just Saturday?” Xiao Jin’s smile was filled with ambiguous meaning.

From his eyes, Ruan Yan sensed dissatisfaction. Xiao Jin didn’t like others setting the rules for him—he was the one who made the rules.

The smile on Xiao Jin’s face deepened, resembling a snake ready to strike. “Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday—you must be in front of me. Otherwise, it seems the cooperation we’ve discussed won’t amount to much.”

Ruan Yan tightened his hand that hung by his side, his heart simmering with anger. This man only knew how to threaten him with this kind of tactic!

“Fine.” After a moment of hesitation, Ruan Yan spoke up, “Our relationship can’t be known by others, and… can you not be so harsh during the week? I still have classes to attend…”

Xiao Jin noticed the hand clenched in anxiety at Ruan Yan’s side. When the boy was scared and flustered, he looked almost a little cute, making Xiao Jin unable to resist teasing him further.

“Fine.” Xiao Jin replied, a playful smile curling at the corner of his lips.

He walked around the desk, and Ruan Yan instinctively stepped back, sensing something was off.

For every step Xiao Jin took, Ruan Yan took one backward.

Until, unexpectedly, Ruan Yan lost his balance and fell onto the couch. Xiao Jin leaned over, pinning him between himself and the sofa, watching the flustered cat’s face turn red all the way to his neck.

Then, Ruan Yan felt an odd sensation on his chest. He lowered his eyes to see Xiao Jin holding a card, placing it against his chest.

Ruan Yan looked at him in confusion.

Xiao Jin’s breath brushed against Ruan Yan’s face as he spoke, “Since you’re my little lover, I should at least act like a ‘sugar daddy,’ right? Keep this card. You can spend the money inside however you like.”

He put extra emphasis on the words “sugar daddy,” and the card could be used infinitely. Xiao Jin was more than fulfilling his role as a responsible ‘sugar daddy.’

Ruan Yan’s face flashed with a trace of discomfort. After a moment of silence, he silently tucked the card away. The other person was someone who always got his way—if he refused, it wouldn’t change anything. It would be better to just comply and suffer less.

Once everything was settled, and Xiao Jin grew tired of him, he would naturally be allowed to leave.

Although they had only truly known each other for a day, Ruan Yan felt that Xiao Jin wasn’t the type of person to keep him around against his will.

Looking back, Ruan Yan wasn’t sure where this confidence came from.

**

Ji Duan couldn’t help but glance at Ruan Yan in the rearview mirror. When his eyes landed on the bruises on Ruan Yan’s neck, he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, The boss is too ruthless, choking him like that.

When they both came downstairs, and Xiao Jin had ordered that Ruan Yan be sent back to the Ruan family safely, Ji Duan had been puzzled. But as soon as he saw Ruan Yan holding the only secondary card belonging to his boss, even someone as oblivious as him could guess the nature of their relationship.

Still, he was somewhat perplexed. Why would the boss choose an alpha, when there were so many soft, delicate Omegas throwing themselves at him?

Ruan Yan was still holding a delicate little cake in a transparent box—an apology gift from Xiao Jin for the bruises on his neck.

Was this a slap followed by a sweet date?

Not far from the Ruan family’s villa area, Ruan Yan politely called for the car to stop.

Ji Duan watched with his own eyes as Ruan Yan placed the small cake in the trash before turning back toward Xiao Jin’s residence to report back.

Xiao Jin, resting his hand on the head of the large white tiger lying at his feet, wasn’t upset in the least upon hearing that the small cake he had given was thrown away. He just scoffed, “What a temper this little one has.”

But inside, he was calculating how long it would take next time before he could tire the boy out completely.

Whenever the large white tiger appeared beside Xiao Jin, Ji Duan would always keep a ten-meter distance.

This was the alpha’s pheromone-differentiated beast, with a temper so volatile that it wanted to pounce and bite anyone it didn’t like.

Across the entire federation, only a very few high-ranking alphas had pheromone-differentiated beasts.

Ruan Yan walked back to the Ruan family’s home.

It was Monday, and neither Ruan Hong nor his three older brothers were at home.

“Little Young Master, you’re back?”

As Ruan Yan entered the villa, the servants greeted him respectfully as they always did.

The Ruan family’s servants had been well-trained, even though they noticed the marks on Ruan Yan’s neck, none of them dared to comment.

Ruan Yan looked at the butler with a cold expression. “Take me to see Father.”

The butler, a trusted confidant of Ruan Hong, nodded obediently. “Understood, Young Master.”