Chapter 147: Golden Daddy

Chapter 147: Golden Daddy

As the city lights flickered on and night fell, Devil City was already deserted at this hour, but the true nightlife of Sky City had only just begun.

Today, Luoyang organized a dinner party, held at the very top of the Starry Skies Tower. This was the heart of the city, where a 180-degree panoramic view through luxurious floor-to-ceiling windows and a glass dome allowed one to overlook all the night scenes far into the horizon, likened to the "beating heart" of an angel.

Luoyang held a bottle of red wine as if it were a microphone. With a long stride, he stepped directly onto the leather sofa, cleared his throat in a show of formality, and said, "Today, we're celebrating my official departure from singlehood. Everyone, eat and drink to your heart's content. Alcohol is free, meals are covered. We won't leave until we're drunk!"

He had a personality that thrived in crowds. After speaking, he led the applause himself. The friends he had invited were quite accommodating, all cheering in unison, "Young Master Luo is generous!"

Because it had been raining frequently during this period, Xing Yuan rarely went out and naturally didn't know what had happened. He casually picked up a bottle of champagne from the bar, shook it twice, twisted off the wire seal, and with a "pop," the cork shot out along with a spray of liquid. If Luoyang hadn't dodged quickly, he would have been drenched.

Luoyang hastily regained his balance. "Damn it, you're trying to murder me!"

Xing Yuan's lips curled slightly, inadvertently revealing the wickedness in his bones. "Departure from singlehood? When did you do that? Have you resolved the issue with that Bo Bo who was desperately after you?"

Luoyang proudly brushed off his coat. "Of course I have. Your young master can navigate through a sea of flowers without a single leaf sticking to him. How could he possibly get me?"

Someone nearby exclaimed, "Young Master Luo, you managed to get rid of such a troublesome burden. Tell us how you did it, brother."

But Luoyang shrugged. "I didn't get rid of him; he dumped me. That day, I took Bo Bo to a dinner party, and he secretly hooked up with the rich second-generation heir of a real estate developer. The guy promised to buy him a house in Sky City, and he happily dumped me."

After finishing his story, Luoyang found it quite amusing, laughing so hard he couldn't even get up from the sofa.

Xing Yuan asked indifferently, "Why didn't you kill him?"

It seemed like a casual question, but it inadvertently revealed his true thoughts. If Xing Yuan encountered such a situation, he would certainly devour that person whole and chew him to pieces.

Only Yan Feng was honest, telling Xing Yuan, "Don't believe his tall tales. That rich second-generation heir is Luoyang's cousin."

A simple sentence concealed a wealth of information.

Among their group of friends, Xing Yuan was openly ruthless, while Luoyang was sneakily mischievous to the bone. He would still play tricks on someone right before breaking up with them, making people grind their teeth in frustration.

Upon hearing this, Xing Yuan instantly lost interest and sat alone on the sofa drinking. But unexpectedly, Luoyang became more and more enthusiastic about playing games. After several rounds of drinks, he suddenly proposed a game of Truth or Dare. "The weather has been bad recently, and night hunting isn't much fun. Why don't we play a more exciting game today?"

Xing Yuan knew immediately that Luoyang wasn't up to any good. He lifted his eyelids to see the other man urging them to hand over their phones. "Come on, I have a set of love test questions here. Send them to your significant others now. Whoever's partner gets the answer wrong has to take a penalty drink. What do you say?"

Significant others?

At these words, Xing Yuan's eyelids twitched, a foreboding sense of unease creeping over him. Apart from Luoyang, the newly departed bachelor, the only one without a significant other was Xing Yuan. The targeting was too obvious.

Xing Yuan spoke in a cool tone, "You guys play. I'm not interested."

Luoyang looked straight at him upon hearing this, feigning surprise. "Xing Yuan, you don't have a significant other yet?"

Xing Yuan: "…?"

Didn't Luoyang know whether he had a significant other or not? Why ask in such an affected manner?

Seeing that he wasn't responding, Luoyang slapped his head heavily, as if suddenly remembering something. "I almost forgot, you haven't found anyone worthy of your attention. Indeed, you should be picky. Ordinary people aren't good enough for you."

Xing Yuan's expression softened slightly at these words. However, before he could speak, he heard Luoyang's tone shift abruptly. "If you don't have a significant other, sending the questions to your admirers works too. Surely you have a few admirers, right?"

Xing Yuan: "…"

Damn it, he really didn't.

Xing Yuan finally realized what was happening. Luoyang was deliberately seeking revenge for the champagne incident earlier. Under the gaze of a dozen pairs of eyes, he let out a cold laugh. "Do you think I wouldn't have admirers?"

Luoyang grinned and extended his hand. "I knew you would. Hand over your phone. Let's join in the fun and use this opportunity to test if your admirer is qualified."

If there weren't others present today, Xing Yuan might have already transformed and unleashed a killing spree, grinding Luoyang, that annoying fellow, into dust.

Seeing everyone else already adjusting their phones to the chat interface with their significant others, Xing Yuan could only grit his teeth and silently pull out his phone. He pretended to search for a chat interface, trying to find someone to save the situation. However, the list of contacts consisted of people he usually hunted with at night, all known to Luoyang, except for…

The handsome Xiao Lu, who was 187 centimeters tall, enthusiastic, and had eight-pack abs.

Xing Yuan felt a darkness cloud his vision, believing fate was against him.

Luoyang began urging, "Hurry up, we're waiting on just a few of you. Normally, I tell you to stop playing around with multiple people, but when it comes to finding a significant other to send messages to, you suddenly develop choice paralysis."

Xing Yuan wasn't suffering from choice paralysis; he simply had no choice. He had deleted all previous chat records with Lu Yan, leaving only the photo of their hands forming a heart shape. Then, he changed the contact name to a suggestive red heart.

Xing Yuan originally wanted to privately communicate with Lu Yan, but before he could type anything, his phone was swiftly snatched away by Luoyang. The other man glanced at the screen, unable to hide his surprise, accidentally blurting out the truth. "You really have an admirer?"

Xing Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly, his tone dangerous. "What do you mean?"

Luoyang retreated three steps, chuckling nervously to avoid getting beaten. "No meaning, no meaning. Your avatars look quite compatible."

Lu Yan's avatar was a red fox, while Xing Yuan's was a black fox. At first glance, they did seem quite fitting.

Luoyang had a goldfish brain, with a memory lasting only seven seconds. He could forget about his lovers from the night before by the next day. Although he had chatted with Lu Yan in the group before, the passage of time had erased any recollection, so he didn't suspect anything.

"The game begins. Next, I will send the following message to your significant others and admirers. Listen carefully."

"Question one: Today, when I went to the hospital to change my dressing, I ran into an old classmate who had become a chief physician. However, our relationship wasn't great when we were in school, and he was once rejected when he pursued me. Tonight, he invited me to dinner. Should I go?"

After reading this bizarre question, Luoyang enthusiastically started controlling the dozen or so phones on the table, sending messages, leaving everyone else confused.

Xing Yuan smiled insincerely. "Is this the question you came up with?"

Luoyang snapped his fingers cheerfully. "One-minute timer. Let's see who gets a response the fastest."

Yan Feng asked curiously, "And if there's no response?"

Luoyang looked at him as if he were an idiot. "If they don't even reply to your message, it can only mean they don't love you. There's no need for comparison. Kick them out of the final round directly."

Yan Feng: "…" Well, that made sense.

Thus, Lu Yan remained at home, problems descending from the heavens. When he opened his phone to check his messages, he saw this inexplicable notification, causing him to frown in contemplation.

It wasn't surprising that Lu Yan was puzzled; Phantom had been so aloof before. Suddenly sending such a message was bound to leave one scratching their head.

In the end, Lu Yan lightly tapped on his keyboard and still sent a reply. After all, the other party had transferred three thousand time points to him last time, more than enough for an all-night chat.

Xing Yuan appeared indifferent but was actually secretly keeping a close eye on his phone. When he saw the screen light up momentarily, his fingertips tightened, nearly shattering the wine glass. Simultaneously, the others' phones began to receive replies, notification sounds ringing incessantly.

Luo Yang, not one to miss out on the fun, read each response aloud. The answers were varied, some pretending to be magnanimous and agreeing to go, others being jealous and forbidding it, and even someone who wrote a short essay analyzing the pros and cons, making him laugh until tears streamed down his face.

Everyone else was laughing, except Xing Yuan, who couldn't join in because he had no idea what Lu Yan had replied with. He could only maintain a composed facade, sitting on the sofa, waiting for the answer to be revealed.

When Luo Yang reached the fifth response, he picked up Xing Yuan's phone. Upon seeing the message, he let out a rather surprised "huh."

"How come you're going to the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?"

The message above was Lu Yan's reply.

Lu Yan and Lu Xiaozhao had started their careers by scamming online. If they couldn't see through such a cliché couple's routine question, they would have wasted all these years.

Thus, for the next half hour, Lu Yan answered a bunch of nonsensical and absurd questions.

Phantom: "If you were out drinking with a handsome guy late at night, and he got drunk and lost his senses, would you send him home?"

Lu Yan: "I don't drink with others at night."

Even a three-year-old knows to hurry home when it gets dark, lest they encounter wanderers. Who in their right mind would venture out?

Phantom: "If you were at a nightclub dancing, and a handsome guy sat in your lap and spoke ill of me, would you believe him or not?"

Lu Yan: "Why would I let him sit in my lap?"

In the end, Lu Yan relied on his years of experience in... oh no, not cheating, but life experience, to successfully advance to the final round with perfect answers, securing the top prize.

Xing Yuan's mood shifted from initial anxiety to a subtle sense of pride. He lazily sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, unable to suppress the corner of his mouth from curling up. His shoe tips swayed gently, like a proud and elegant cat: "I've said it before, there's nothing fun about these games. They're completely without challenge."

Yan Feng gave him a resentful look: "Are you sure this is a suitor and not a partner?"

It wasn't unjustified for Yan Feng to feel so aggrieved, as his partner hadn't even bothered to reply to his messages, getting kicked out of the finals right from the start.

Xing Yuan's expression was one of disdain, as if he was getting away with something while still complaining: "I'm not interested in dating, it's boring."

Luo Yang tossed the phone back to Xing Yuan with a meaningful smile: "Here's your phone. This suitor is quite sharp-witted. Be careful when you get involved. Being too skilled at routines isn't necessarily a good thing."

While answering these questions incorrectly was certainly bad, answering them all correctly was also suspicious. It could only mean that the other party was a seasoned player, a match for Luo Yang himself. Dating someone like that was far from ideal.

"Mind your own business."

Xing Yuan wasn't stupid; he knew the other party had plenty of tricks up their sleeve. Otherwise, they wouldn't have answered those tricky questions so flawlessly. However, he wasn't looking for a relationship. All he needed to know was that he had won this game today.

"I'll leave you to your drinks. I'm heading home."

These wealthy heirs had been born at the pinnacle of the pyramid. Luxuries that ordinary people could only dream of were mere everyday occurrences for them. After indulging in such extravagant nights for long, they would eventually grow weary, even feeling tired and numb. Thus, their actions became increasingly audacious and unrestrained, seeking novelty and excitement in extreme situations.

Xing Yuan hadn't gone night hunting for a long time. Every cell in his body screamed hunger, craving to devour. That feeling was far beyond what alcohol could satisfy.

Unfortunately, however, it had been raining continuously every evening recently, his most detested weather.

Xing Yuan directly took the light elevator to the thirtieth floor of the building. There, a winding glass walkway connected directly to the opposite building. After passing through a covered corridor, he arrived at his residence. The life of the rich was always so convenient, everything within reach.

Xing Yuan draped his jacket over his shoulder and lowered his head to check his phone. He wasn't particularly interested in online chatting, but since Lu Yan had helped him through a round earlier, driven by some unknown impulse, he sent a message:

"Don't you think those questions I asked just now were strange?"

Of course, they were strange, not only strange but also somewhat inexplicable.

Lu Yan had already calmed down. He opened the window and leaned against the windowsill to reply. The pitter-patter of rain outside made his heart quiet:

"A little."

Xing Yuan was very concerned about his image. He didn't want to be mistaken for a lunatic. Unhappy, he typed: "I was playing truth or dare just now."

Lu Yan lit a cigarette. Seeing the message, he slowly exhaled a puff of smoke before calmly replying: "Mm, I know."

Xing Yuan paused at the sight, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. He stopped altogether, leaning against the corridor to send a message: "How did you know?"

For the first time, Lu Yan realized that the person on the other side might not be aloof but rather naive and wealthy. Lazily holding the cigarette between his lips, his eyes narrowed in the smoke: "They were all online couple routine questions. A quick search would reveal them."

Xing Yuan thought this person was quite honest, asking a random question: "Don't you find it strange?"

Lu Yan: "Questions related to couples are bound to be a bit strange."

Because love itself was a strange thing.

Lu Yan wondered about something and asked: "Was the part about you going to the hospital for a dressing change also fake?"

Xing Yuan found Lu Yan to be quite attentive. Even if he didn't know whether this concern stemmed from genuine feelings or pretense, it wasn't unpleasant: "Fake."

Lu Yan: "That's fine then."

After sending this message, Lu Yan got up to do other things. At that moment, Lu Xiaozhao was steaming buns in the kitchen. When he lifted the lid, he burned his hand on the steam, yelping in pain like a monkey jumping around.

So, Xing Yuan waited for a minute, two minutes, three minutes. By the fourth minute, he finally realized that Lu Yan seemed to have ended the conversation. For the first time, he took the initiative to send a message: "It's raining in Sky City."

Lu Yan happened to be carrying the buns out of the kitchen. Seeing his phone screen light up, he casually replied: "It's also raining in Devil City."

This was the first time they exchanged location information, but neither felt surprised.

Lu Yan thought that the other party could casually throw around three thousand time points; it would be strange if they didn't live in Sky City. Xing Yuan thought that Lu Yan had only 16 time points left last time. He had never seen such a pitiful life value in his life. It would be outrageous for such a pauper not to reside in Devil City.

Xing Yuan saw Lu Yan's reply and started typing furiously, with a tone that suggested he was settling a score. No one had ever dared to make him wait this long; even the highest leader of Sky City would treat him politely. His dissatisfaction almost seeped through the screen: "Is your job to chat?"

Lu Yan: "Mm."

Xing Yuan: "Were you chatting with someone else just now?"

From his aggressive tone, Lu Yan sensed that this person might not be easy to get along with. He thought that whoever dated someone like this would truly suffer. Intentionally, he sent over an emoji of a pitiful little dog: "I have no choice; I can't survive by scavenging alone."

Xing Yuan scoffed, wondering how much money could be made from chatting with those penniless folks: "Do you have many clients?"

Lu Yan told the truth: "Not really."

These days, fools were hard to find.

He was still pondering the meaning behind Xing Yuan's words, sensing a hint of disdain and contempt. However, before he could fully grasp it, his phone suddenly vibrated, displaying a message.

"Be available whenever I call, understood?"

If he looked at this message alone, Lu Yan would think the other party was insulting him. But when he saw that Xing Yuan immediately followed it up with a transfer of 10,000 time points, his legs went weak, nearly making him kneel on the ground.

Holy sh*t! Ten thousand time points!! It amounted to more than a year's worth of income. Was this what it meant to be a big shot?!!

Lu Yan trembled as he typed out a line of text, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden surprise:

"Do you want to keep me as a kept man?"

He sold his skills, not his body.

Kept man?

Seeing this message, Xing Yuan narrowed his eyes in the darkness, almost laughing out loud. Honestly, he didn't even look down on the ability users in Sky City, let alone the civilians living in Devil City.

"I won't date anyone from Devil City."

Oh.

Lu Yan wasn't too heartbroken: "Just for chatting?"

Xing Yuan replied with a single word, appearing somewhat aloof: "Mm."

Lu Yan almost burst into tears of gratitude. Indeed, his sugar daddy was here to help him recover financially. The pay was high, and the work was easy—such jobs were hard to come by even in Sky City. He typed out a line of text with utmost seriousness, as if taking a solemn oath during his college entrance exam:

"Call me anytime you need me, I'll be online 24/7!!"

Xing Yuan sent another message: "Delete all those other clients."

Lu Yan promptly deleted everyone else from his list, leaving only Xing Yuan, and sent a screenshot over: "Only you!!"

Satisfied, Xing Yuan turned off his phone. As he slowly walked back along the glass walkway, he felt a bit impulsive about his actions. What if he ended up with another "Bobo II," like that fool Luoyang? That would be troublesome.

But then he reconsidered. He was only paying for company, not for online dating or meeting in person. Even if the other party later developed grand ambitions and wanted to cling to power, there would be nowhere for them to do so. It was quite safe.

After sending the screenshot, Lu Yan waited a few more minutes, confirming that Xing Yuan wouldn't send any more messages. Then, he took his phone to the living room to eat. With a steamed bun in his mouth, he sat at the table, setting Phantom as his top priority and checking frequently to see if Xing Yuan had messaged him. It was quite out of character for him.

Lu Xiaozhao had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Lu Yan but didn't dare to. He quietly ate his pickled vegetables and white flour bread, stealing a glance at Lu Yan from across the table. Unable to hold back, he finally asked, "Brother, can I ask you something?"

Without looking up, Lu Yan said, "Go ahead."

He assumed Lu Xiaozhao wanted to ask about his abilities and life points. It didn't matter if he told him; after all, they lived under the same roof, and secrets couldn't be kept forever.

Gathering his courage, Lu Xiaozhao blurted out, "Why did you delete me from your friends list?"

Lu Yan: "..."