TL: Hua
Chapter 2
Qin Guanyu had checked WeChat eight hundred times in a single hour since returning home from Hengcheng, but by 11:00 PM, the “notification” still hadn’t arrived.
Could I have been filtered out?
Qin Guanyu racked his brains. It really didn’t make sense. Was the sugar daddy market that competitive?
Feeling a bit anxious, Qin Guanyu decided to just go to sleep.
Staying up late ruins both your health and your face. Sugar daddies were generally loaded, so if he wanted to stand out as a top-tier benefactor, he needed to possess assets that were relatively scarce in this industry, for example, a great face and a killer body.
The next day was Sunday. He got up early for a workout, and while looking at his six-pack in the mirror after his shower, he inexplicably snapped a photo.
Since Shen Qianci’s “notification” still hadn’t come, he had no choice but to click on the other’s WeChat Moments. Disappointingly, it was set to only show the last three days of posts, leaving him with a single piece of content to look at.
The attached image featured a cherry milk tea from “Qing Nong.” It was a newly released flavor that this person seemed to absolutely love, praising it to high heaven and even lamenting that “Qing Nong” hadn’t come out with cherry-filled pastries yet.
Qin Guanyu stroked his chin, thinking that this was a highly doable idea. He dug through the hundreds of groups on his work phone until he found the R&D department, then dropped the suggestion in.
Seeing a solid wall of [1[1]]s in response, Qin Guanyu felt deeply gratified.
—
Shen Qianci was curled up at home, holding his pet white British Shorthair, soaking in the sun while finishing a contemporary novel.
By the time he snapped out of it, it was already close to 7:00 PM. He ordered takeout, and just as he finished paying, a WeChat account sporting a “fish” emoji finally came looking for him.
[Fish: It’s already Monday tomorrow, no results yet?]
The “fish” emoji alias was something Shen Qianci had specifically set for Qin Guanyu. He himself had only grown to 178 cm, so he wasn’t exactly thrilled to be constantly reminded that “the entire ocean floor knows Qin Guanyu grew to 187 cm.”
[sqc: My class ends at 4:45 PM tomorrow.]
[Fish: Class ends??]
[sqc: Would you like me to come find you at the “Qing Nong” headquarters, President Qin?]
[Fish: I’ll pick you up. Give me the address.]
[sqc: Main gate of Z University.]
[Fish: Are we signing the agreement tomorrow?]
Holding his cat, Shen Qianci let out a chuckle at the line of text and replied.
[sqc: Waiting for the final interview.]
[Fish: …Fine.]
Shen Qianci was thoroughly amused. He wasn’t at all worried that Qin Guanyu would flip out and walk away. After all, the man’s “white moonlight[2]” was Shu Yi. Even if Qin Guanyu combed through the entire country, he likely wouldn’t find a “substitute” who looked more like Shu Yi than him.
And even if he did walk away in a huff, it was no big deal. They were both adults; he fancied the man’s face, but he wasn’t dead-set on hanging himself from this one tree. If they couldn’t come to terms and broke things off, he would just wait for the next person who caught his eye.
—
Throughout Monday, Qin Guanyu was completely distracted in the CEO’s office. Fortunately, there were only a few routine meetings today, with nothing urgent requiring his executive decisions.
By 3:00 PM, he printed out two identical copies of the finalized “Substitute Agreement.”
At 3:30 PM, he had his driver bring around his Mercedes. Although a sugar daddy’s greatest merit was being filthy rich, he was going to a university to pick up Shen Qianci. College students were at an age where they loved to over-analyze things; he figured keeping a lower profile was better, and it might even serve as a form of protection for Shen Qianci.
At 4:00 PM, he pulled out his phone to look for restaurants near Z University. But as he scrolled, he started thinking that Shen Qianci was probably sick of everything near campus. If he treated him to food there, wouldn’t he lose points as a “sugar daddy”?
Right as he was agonizing over this, a knock sounded on his office door.
“Come in.”
His toxic friend and marketing director, Sun Guanqing, walked in looking all dressed up. “I heard from R&D that you’re having them develop a new cherry-filled pastry. Are we planning for the summer product launch early?”
Qin Guanyu nodded. “I originally wanted to kick it off in half a month, but it crossed my mind yesterday, so I told R&D. The domestic cherry harvest and market availability peak between March and July, which lines up perfectly with the summer launch window.”
Sun Guanqing sat down casually in the armchair across from him. “Alright, I’ll have the marketing team start preparing early.”
Qin Guanyu glanced at the time in the bottom right corner of his computer screen and asked, “Where is a good restaurant to take a new friend for a first dinner?”
Sun Guanqing looked up from his work chats on his phone, blinking blankly. “Depends on your friend’s taste. Go to Yanxi if they like spicy food, Amber if they prefer savory-salty, Haiyu for seafood, or just grab hotpot. Hotpot is great for building rapport.”
Qin Guanyu jotted them down one by one in his notes, then shut down his computer, stood up, and grabbed his coat. “I’m leaving. Amuse yourself.”
Sun Guanqing’s eyes nearly popped out of his skull. “It’s barely past four. You’re clocking out? Holy crap, something’s up with you!”
“Is there a rule against the boss leaving early?”
“Tell me the truth.” Sun Guanqing lunged forward, blocking the door. “Are you going to Hengcheng to see Shu Yi again? Old Qin, can you be normal for once? You two are genuinely not a match. I object to this marriage!”
Qin Guanyu checked his watch, looking a bit hurried. “I don’t have time to mess around with you. If you want to play a parent that badly, go do cosplay at the Shanghai CP Exhibition. Others can cosplay the husband, you can cosplay the old father-in-law.”
He peeled Sun Guanqing off the door with one swift motion and strode out with his long legs toward the executive elevator.
Sun Guanqing yelled, “Where on earth are you going?”
Qin Guanyu replied, “To an interview.”
His final words were cut off by the closing elevator doors, leaving Sun Guanqing standing frozen outside, suddenly feeling like his career was flashing before his eyes.
After a long silence, the trembling Sun Guanqing opened Red Note app and posted:
[What does it mean when your boss suddenly skips work to go to an interview?]
A comment quickly appeared below:
[Sister, you might have just become a prop in your boss and boss lady’s roleplay.]
—
At 4:45 PM, Shen Qianci wrapped up his theater appreciation lecture.
The weather was miserable today. When he was still 200 meters from the school’s main gate, the sky bypassed all transitions and immediately dumped a heavy downpour.
He spotted a car parked at the gate, and Qin Guanyu stepped out of the driver’s seat holding an umbrella. Shen Qianci noticed that Qin Guanyu had switched to a relatively low-key Mercedes today.
He ran through the rain toward Qin Guanyu, who also quickened his pace under the umbrella to meet him. By the time he was finally sheltered under Qin Guanyu’s umbrella, a large patch of his cotton shirt was already soaked.
Qin Guanyu opened the passenger door for him. With all the recent rain and a sudden drop in temperature, Little president Qin thoughtfully turned on the car heater.
“You’re still a student? What year are you?” Back in the car, Qin Guanyu looked at that face, which practically overflowed with youth, and belatedly realized, “You are an adult, right? I don’t do illegal things.”
Shen Qianci looked at him, utterly speechless. “I’m 28. I’m a lecturer here in the Department of Theater and Literature.”
“You’re a teacher?” Qin Guanyu was shocked for the second time. “Then why were you shaking milk tea?”
Shen Qianci shrugged. “An adjunct lecturer without tenure. The economic climate is terrible right now; you have to put your eggs into multiple baskets.”
Qin Guanyu remarked, “Your baskets are certainly varied. From a university to a beverage shop, the range is too big, isn’t it?”
“That’s nothing. You’ve probably met the staff shaking milk tea at the Hengcheng ‘Qing Nong’ branch by now. What do you think they actually do?”
Shen Qianci said. “You might see their names on the milk tea shift schedule today, but tomorrow their names could be in the credits of a drama as an actor, screenwriter, or director. And the day after that, they might be peeling sugar cane at the base of the city walls.”
“…” Qin Guanyu had no idea that the staff shaking milk tea in his own stores possessed such tragic backgrounds.
“My closest buddy is named Li Dapeng. He’s a directing major and was my college roommate. Before he came to shake milk tea, he was brushing chili sauce onto starch sausages at the night market.”
Qin Guanyu said, “Next time, I’ll have the Hengcheng store manager play a BGM for everyone: ‘We are all living with everything we’ve got.'”
Shen Qianci smiled and leaned back against the passenger seat. “Did you bring the agreement?”
Qin Guanyu handed over the paper copy.
Shen Qianci read it thoroughly and found that Qin Guanyu’s offer was exceptionally generous. The agreement spanned 6 months, during which Qin Guanyu would transfer 2 million yuan to him every month, explicitly noted as a “voluntary gift.”
He could accept all the clauses. First and foremost, Qin Guanyu was offering so much money, and he needed cash for a big reason. It was incredibly hard to refuse such an effortless, straightforward stream of income as “playing a substitute.”
“Let me see the abs.” Shen Qianci stated his final requirement.
Qin Guanyu whipped his head around in sheer shock. “???”
“You claimed you have a six-pack.” Shen Qianci arched an eyebrow slightly. “Inspecting the goods.”
Qin Guanyu was thoroughly defeated, the tips of his ears burning hot. “Don’t you think that’s a bit too forward, Teacher Shen?”
Shen Qianci gave him a meaningful look. “Don’t tell me you don’t actually have any, President Qin?”
“Bullshit!” Qin Guanyu’s competitive streak flared up. He pulled out the photo of his abs and shoved it right in front of Shen Qianci’s face. “See for yourself. Pure muscle, zero artificial additives!”
Shen Qianci glanced at the timestamp of the photo, which was yesterday early morning, likely taken right after a workout and shower. The lines were sleek, and all six abdominal muscles were accounted for.
He nodded. The sugar daddy was putting in the effort, and the substitute was highly satisfied.
Shen Qianci flipped back to the clauses page, reading over every single word multiple times. Qin Guanyu had placed restrictions on intimate activities like kissing, hugging, and touching, which Shen Qianci found deeply regrettable.
“Is sex required?”
Qin Guanyu was startled. “No! You’re just a substitute; don’t go getting ideas!”
These words were incredibly melodramatic, and Shen Qianci chuckled: “That’s the gist of it.”
He had looked it up before; Qin Guanyu was 25. While still young, for an overbearing CEO, that was usually an age of abundant experience. He hadn’t expected Little president Qin to be pursuing pure romance.
Shen Qianci closed the agreement and reminded him:
“As you can see, I have a primary job. I have classes every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I can’t cosplay your white moonlight full-time; it can only be part-time. I’ll work for you the remaining four days of the week. How about it? Is that acceptable?”
“…” Qin Guanyu thought to himself: Why don’t I just throw in a double weekend for you while I’m at it?
Silence stretched between the two. Shen Qianci lowered his gaze and said flatly, “Sign it if you want, or forget it.”
With that, he made a move to open the passenger door and leave.
Qin Guanyu panicked, grabbing his arm instantly. “I’ll sign, I’ll sign!”
As Shen Qianci leaned back into his seat, Qin Guanyu let out a long sigh of relief.
“Do we need to change how we address each other? I can’t just keep calling you President Qin, can I?”
“What do you want to call me?”
Shen Qianci looked at those deep-set features, which exuded what the internet dubbed a “dashing scoundrel vibe,” yet who could have guessed this young President Qin was so incredibly pure?
He hadn’t even gotten a driver license[3] for a small car yet before jumping right into being a sugar daddy; he truly admired the man’s sheer guts.
Suppressing the laughter bubbling in his chest, Shen Qianci said, “Shouldn’t that be for you to decide, Qin Gege?”
[1] TL note: Sending 1 on WeChat means agreed or understood.
[2] TL note: Internet slang meaning unattainable first love.
[3] TL note: He could be saying QGY is inexperienced or that he’s a virgin because driving a car in Chinese slang can mean sth explicit.
You can purchase complete translation in EPUB format HERE~
