Chapter 27: Sugar-Coated Bullets
How could it be this much?!
Bai Qi could hardly believe his eyes. The blood rushed to his head; in comparison, the two thousand yuan he had just transferred was merely a fraction of a fraction—pocket change.
He had never seen this much money in his entire life.
And now, it was sitting quietly in his account, his to control.
Bai Qi couldn’t help but glance toward the bathroom where Bo Yan was. No matter how firm his resolve had been, faced with such an astronomical sum, he couldn’t help but waver.
He had been poor for too long, and the temptation was simply too great.
As long as he was willing, all of this could be his. His mother could move into the villa and never have to live in that old house plagued by leaks and mold again. All the debts the family owed would vanish. His life would become completely effortless, comfortable enough to last a lifetime.
And yet, the money in this card was supposedly just “pocket money.”
He understood Bo Yan’s personality somewhat; even if they really broke up, there was a high probability Bo Yan wouldn’t ask for the money back.
The massive temptation frantically disturbed his peace of mind. Bai Qi gripped his phone until his fingernails turned white.
He remained silent for a long while, but eventually, his honest and simple nature gained the upper hand.
To be with Bo Yan for money would be utterly disrespectful to him. Even if they were truly together, these things belonged to Bo Yan; he couldn’t spend them as a matter of course.
Moreover, a month was enough time for many things to change. Bo Yan might get tired of him very quickly. If that happened, even if Bo Yan didn’t want the money back, Bai Qi knew he should take the initiative to return it.
No matter what Bo Yan thought, he had to treat this money as merely being in his temporary custody.
The poorer one is, the more one must stick to their principles. Reality wasn’t as romantic as fairytales. His mother had paid for that lesson with half her life, suffering for so many years. She had taught him from a young age not to repeat her mistakes. He had to be cautious.
Bai Qi took a deep breath, forcing his gaze away from that string of numbers. He transferred the 200,000 yuan he was about to earn from the variety show to his mother, treating it as a temporary loan from Bo Yan that he would pay back later to fill the deficit.
Even so, 200,000 was a terrifying number to his mother.
She didn’t even dare to accept it. Terrified, she called him immediately, her voice trembling. “Xiao Qi, where did you get so much money? Please don’t do anything foolish! The debt isn’t that urgent, and we don’t need this much!”
Bai Qi quickly explained, “Mom, don’t worry, I earned this myself. Didn’t I tell you a big star moved into our dorm? He’s very nice and willing to take me on a variety show. I just signed the contract yesterday; this is the payment from the production team.”
Hearing Bai Qi’s calm voice and assurance that he earned it properly, Mother Bai finally relaxed a little.
Calming down, she thought about her son’s character. She knew him well; he had been beautiful since childhood and had resisted many temptations. He was honest and disciplined; he definitely wouldn’t do anything out of line.
Once reassured, looking at the money again, Mother Bai couldn’t hide her excitement and emotion. She sighed repeatedly, “You really met a good person. You must get along well with your roommate and take good care of him.”
Bai Qi nodded vigorously. “Bo Yan has a wonderful personality. It’s all thanks to him.”
Mother Bai thought for a moment and still advised him, “Every gift comes with a secret price tag. It’s a huge favor that he’s willing to take you on a show. You must find a way to repay him to the best of your ability.”
Bai Qi always felt his mother’s words made sense; they were lessons summarized from the first half of her life.
Just as he was about to earnestly agree, he faintly heard the bathroom door open behind him.
Bai Qi thought about it and decided to come clean right now. He spoke truthfully, “Mom, actually, that star is my boyfriend. We just started dating.”
As his voice fell, a silence settled over the room.
Behind Bai Qi, in a spot he couldn’t see, Bo Yan heard him admit they were boyfriends with his own ears, and his expression instantly softened.
However, Mother Bai suddenly got agitated, her volume rising. “A star as a boyfriend? Is that reliable? Which variety show are you going to? You must be careful with rich people. Do not accept gifts or money from him. Don’t take a single cent.”
Her agitated voice rang out from the phone into the room. Although Bai Qi thought the same way, Bo Yan was standing right behind him, making him incredibly embarrassed. He hurriedly explained that it wasn’t like that, that Bo Yan had good character and was different from others.
But Mother Bai shook her head. “Remember, rich people are shrewd, otherwise they wouldn’t be rich. They aren’t something poor people like us can control. A moment of liking someone doesn’t mean forever.”
“We’ll figure out a way to return the favor for the variety show. Mom will save this money for you. In the future, if he asks for it back, give this to him. Don’t accept anything else.”
After hanging up the phone, the slight greed sparked by the money in Bai Qi’s heart had completely cooled down.
It made sense. Right now, Bo Yan liked him, so he didn’t care about the money. But if he really gave it to him, and later stopped liking him, Bo Yan would definitely regret it.
He couldn’t let Bo Yan do something he would regret. No matter what, they had only truly known each other for a few days.
So, he looked at Bo Yan with difficulty. “I’m sorry, my mom misunderstood you. And she definitely won’t want to move into the villa.”
He wanted Bo Yan to sober up a bit and stop spending money on him.
Bo Yan shook his head, his tone persistent. “No need to apologize; vigilance is appropriate. However, there is no reason to let Mother continue living in that old house. You wouldn’t be at peace either. We’ll go visit her together another day.”
His tone was slightly tough, showing no intention of giving up. Bai Qi was a little at a loss.
Then, Bo Yan softened his voice and said very seriously, “I understand your concerns. Maybe because we haven’t known each other long, I haven’t provided enough security.”
“I will use my actions to slowly earn your trust.”
“Qi Qi, don’t push me away, okay?”
Bai Qi couldn’t control the emotion overflowing in his heart.
Aside from his mother, Bo Yan was the person who treated him best. No matter how vigilant he was rationally, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of attachment.
He nodded gently.
Early the next morning, Bai Qi was hit by a barrage of “sugar-coated bullets.”
While he was still struggling with what to wear for the show, Bo Yan had someone deliver two sets of perfectly fitted clothes early in the morning—one black and one white, same style, very handsome. Bai Qi couldn’t tell the brand, but the texture felt excellent and comfortable.
The two didn’t bring any luggage and went directly to the variety show’s studio. As soon as they stepped out, an RV was waiting to pick them up.
Inside the incredibly luxurious RV, a massive breakfast spread was already laid out. It was full of things Bai Qi usually loved but couldn’t bear to buy. Various dishes filled two large tables, all still piping hot.
He didn’t know where Bo Yan bought them, but the shrimp dumplings were shockingly delicious, the soy milk was rich and fragrant, and the crab roe soup dumplings were incredibly fresh.
Bai Qi chewed his food vigorously, trying not to fall completely for the gourmet meal. But the leather seats were unbelievably comfortable, the space was spacious with a small TV in front, there was a restroom on board, and a bed in the back if he got tired. Even the interior color scheme was his favorite translucent white, spotless and pristine.
It was supposed to be a tiring journey, yet he felt no fatigue at all. It was much more comfortable than living in the dorms.
This life of being waited on hand and foot was truly easy to get addicted to.
Bai Qi glanced at Bo Yan, who was helping him open packaging beside him, and couldn’t help but say thank you.
Bo Yan’s movements paused slightly.
Although the thanks were sincere, they seemed a bit too polite—not like something one would say to a boyfriend.
Bo Yan remained noncommittal. He looked at Bai Qi’s lips, which were flushed pink, lowered his thin eyelids, leaned in, and asked, “Can you kiss me?”
Here?
Bai Qi’s eyes widened. He subconsciously looked around, unsure if people outside could see in.
But Bo Yan was already leaning close. Flustered, Bai Qi pressed down on Bo Yan’s head, bent over, and planted a heavy mwah on his cheek.
For the first time in his life, Bo Yan was pressed down by the head like this. His high, narrow nose bridge almost hit the table, but he didn’t mind at all. A smile played at the corner of his mouth, and the spot where he was kissed was slightly red.
“Thank you,” he said politely, lifting his eyelids to ask Bai Qi, “May I ask for one on the other side?”
Bai Qi barely realized that Bo Yan was imitating him.
He finally vaguely sensed that constantly thanking Bo Yan seemed a bit distant.
He pursed his lips and obediently said, “That’s probably not okay.”
Bo Yan chuckled and continued peeling an egg for him.
Bai Qi was fed a mouthful of fragrant egg white. This time he didn’t say thank you; instead, he lowered his head to look up information about the variety show on his phone.
When signing the contract, Bo Yan had told him many things to watch out for. The format of the show, “Star Collision,” was somewhat unique. It focused on excitement; the content of each episode was different, and even the livestream times weren’t fixed, all to keep the stars in the dark and capture their most authentic reactions.
Bo Yan had said one thing that made Bai Qi very cautious.
Once they arrived at the set, the cameras would be on at all times. They would never know when the livestream started, and the program team wouldn’t give advance notice.
However, Bo Yan comforted Bai Qi, “You don’t need to care too much about this. You don’t have any points that attract hate, nor anything you need to hide. just relax.”
Under his calm and steady comfort, Bai Qi couldn’t help but relax as well.
He thought to himself that he was just an amateur. As long as he didn’t reveal that he was dating Bo Yan, it didn’t matter if he accidentally said something wrong or got hated on, since he had no big secrets.
With this mindset, he got off the vehicle casually with Bo Yan.
Soon, the two arrived at the photography studio. Even from a distance, before they entered, they saw a large group of staff coming out to welcome them.
Leading the group was the general director of “Star Collision,” Director Liu, followed by a group of assistant directors, all beaming with enthusiasm.
The variety show’s schedule was extremely tight, and Director Liu was so busy his feet barely touched the ground, but he still came out.
The reason was simple: Bo Yan was not only a top-tier movie emperor but also the show’s chief sponsor.
The “Sugar Daddy” and big boss coming personally to participate in the show was essentially a leadership inspection. Since the man was famous for his bad temper, everyone greeted him with smiles, terrified of neglecting him and causing trouble.
Director Liu smiled with incredible cordiality, his face wrinkling up with joy, while simultaneously speculating on Bo Yan’s intentions for coming to the show.
It had been over a year. If Bo Yan wanted to come, he would have come long ago. Why choose this specific time to bring a college roommate, one with whom he had a scandal?
His first reaction upon hearing this was that Bo Yan wanted to use the show to shake off the scandal. After all, it was public knowledge that their show specialized in turning enemies into friends, and turning lovers into enemies.
Although this didn’t quite fit Bo Yan’s usual style, even with suspicion in his heart, he observed the situation and headed straight for Bo Yan in the distance, not wanting to pay any attention to the roommate.
However, even though he didn’t want to pay attention, his eyeballs involuntarily rolled in that direction.
And not just his—everyone’s eyes did the same.
There was a moment of silence in the lively welcoming crowd.
As the two got closer, this silence gradually turned into sighs and commotion. Even the entertainment industry staff, accustomed to handsome men and beautiful women, were a bit dumbfounded at this moment.
He truly lived up to the name of the Jiang University School Flower.
How could there be someone so beautiful? Many people couldn’t tear their eyes away. Some even couldn’t help but secretly think that if Bo Yan weren’t a celebrity, he might not have been able to hold onto the title of School Heartthrob.
The crowd fell into a bit of disorder.
Director Liu came back to his senses. He looked at Bai Qi’s face, then at the clothes on him that were obviously provided by Bo Yan, and suddenly, he understood.
He went over to exchange pleasantries with immense enthusiasm. After speaking with Bo Yan, he immediately turned to look at Bai Qi, smiling with incredible kindness and benevolence. He praised his good looks and told him to speak up if he had any needs or was unhappy.
The intention to take care of him was overflowing in his words.
Sure enough, after he said this, he felt Bo Yan’s gaze soften a lot, and he even nodded slightly.
Director Liu knew he had guessed right, so he invited them inside with an even brighter smile.
He understood, but many of the staff behind him didn’t.
Many of them were Bo Yan’s fans or had worked with him, knowing his cold personality and unwillingness to ship CPs with others.
Now that the two had just become popular, Bo Yan bringing him to this kind of variety show was definitely an attempt to unbind and dissolve the pairing.
Originally, no one cared much; this kind of thing was too common.
However, seeing Bai Qi’s devastatingly beautiful face, although many people didn’t show it on their faces, their hearts were wringing with sighs, frantically feeling sorry for the great beauty.
There had never been a moment where they felt Bo Yan was this cruel.
Yet the beauty followed beside him foolishly, those beautiful eyes shining bright, lovely as clouds on the horizon, completely unaware of what he was about to experience.
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