Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jiang Xiuyuan felt a knot of unease. Why did it seem like people were suddenly crowding around? Had there been this many before?

And what was with this Qi Jing, looking so incredibly excited?

Was it just his imagination?

Qi Jing was indeed itching for it, his eyes bright. He wanted nothing more than to broadcast his relationship with Bo Chengyan, solidifying his status as the "little bird" destined to bring ruin.

That way, his position would be secure.

The young man pursed his lips, standing tall and proud.

The more Jiang Xiuyuan looked, the more irritated he became. What was this? A provocation?

"You're just pitiful. Everyone knows how wild Mr. Bo was in his early years, and he never shows mercy to those around him. Who do you think you are?"

The words dripped with sarcasm.

His gaze swept over Qi Jing from head to toe—nothing more than a fresh morsel to be consumed.

Chen Zhuo strode into the crowd, his long legs carrying him to a group where he feigned a business conversation, clinking glasses with someone nearby. "Chairman Su, long time no see. How have you been lately?"

In reality, his eyes were fixed on the dessert tower.

That kid was dressed like a little figurine. Would Jiang Xiuyuan make him cry?

Qi Jing took a deep breath, pinched his palm, and instantly, his eyes welled up with tears.

His voice was muffled.

"It doesn't matter. I like Mr. Bo. Even if he doesn't want me, I'll still like him."

The people around exchanged glances. To be molded into such a state—truly, his devotion ran deep.

The club's background music was a melodic violin, occasionally punctuated by the clinking of glasses.

Before Chen Zhuo could fully take it in, he suddenly noticed the person beside him had vanished, and his shoulder was tugged outward.

"Let's go outside first."

The dessert tower area was quite small. Qi Jing stood with his back to the crowd, unaware that there were no longer any spectators.

Jiang Xiuyuan was completely consumed by his rage, his eyes red. Playing the devoted lover, was he?

What an act!

The tension was so palpable that he didn't even notice Bo Chengyan standing not far away.

Or the frown on his face.

Because—

[*"Who do you think you are! I'm a cute little bird, teehee."*]

The young man even mimicked Jiang Xiuyuan's voice perfectly, answering his own question, beaming like a sunflower.

Bo Chengyan closed his eyes, feeling a vein throb in his forehead, and froze mid-step.

But it didn't end there.

"You think you can last with him? Everyone Bo casts aside winds up ruined!"

[*"I'll leave after I finish school, wahh. Once the Protagonist arrives, I'll just go off to college. Perfect!"*]

The boy tilted his head up, truly resembling a wind-up doll in a music box, standing tall and proud.

Bo Chengyan's gaze instantly darkened. He hadn't nurtured him just to watch him leave. Who taught him this?

"Stop pretending. You're so smug now, but everyone knows how rough he is in bed. You must beg for his favor even when it hurts, right?"

The insults grew even more vulgar.

Qi Jing, however, felt this was a bit off-script, so he didn't have time to craft a lovesick reply. He pondered for a moment.

[*"This must be fake, right? The novel's just making stuff up. The story wants him to be both chaste and a rake… hmm, is Bo Chengyan impotent? It's been years, and I've never seen evidence he can perform."*]

He was practically skipping over live wires.

Qi Jing remained oblivious to the situation behind him. He took a deep breath, pinched the flesh on the inside of his palm, and tears immediately sprang to his eyes, dampening his lashes.

But before he could fully perform—

His wrist was abruptly seized and pulled back. Qi Jing's tears hadn't even stopped yet, his vision still blurry, when he vaguely realized the person opposite him had disappeared at some point.

"Huh?"

Bewildered, he glanced around—sword drawn but no foe to fight.

He was enveloped in a broad chest, the familiar musk enveloping him, making him forget to struggle.

"Xiao Jing."

Before Qi Jing could speak, his chin was forced slightly upward. His throat, not yet fully developed, was pressed by rough fingertips.

Like handling a songbird.

"Let's go home."

*

Qi Jing was inexplicably led away, after less than an hour in the spotlight. All photos were promptly deleted.

Chen Zhuo simply watched their retreating figures, musing. Just what role did that boy play for him?

His eyes were cold.

Still, he took a moment to send a message to his sister.

—*That treasure of his is still by his side, guarded tightly. Give up. Why do you keep chasing after gay guys? I'm done with you.*

Jinjiang Villa hummed with tension. Qi Jing dutifully changed into home clothes as instructed and went downstairs to stand before Bo Chengyan.

The picture of obedience.

Bo Chengyan impatiently yanked at his tie in irritation and lifted his eyes to stare at him.

Not a word.

Qi Jing was 175 cm tall. When he'd first been taken in, he had been around 165 cm—having shot up 10 cm in two years.

But his face hadn't changed much—the size and proportions remained the same.

It was just that his pupils were a bit lighter in color, full of curiosity.

Bo Chengyan had originally wanted to hear the completely opposite thoughts in his mind, but the boy suddenly bent down and hugged him again.

Tears welled up in the corners of his eyes as he said in a small voice, "Mr. Bo..."

Qi Jing's thought process was often quite simple; he didn't overthink things. Most of the time, he just acted or spoke directly.

His parents back then had always told him to gather pig feed, and he would just stare blankly for a while before doing as told.

Overthinking was pointless anyway.

Qi Jing diligently followed the definition that 996 had once looked up for him online:

[*"Canary: A role often seen in wealthy CEO novels, an object born from transactions of power and beauty. They receive lavish living conditions but never the affection of those above them, often ending in fading away quietly."*]

Those who were kept clearly sought money at first, but in the end, they all sought love.

How strange.

Qi Jing firmly clung to his tuition money, steadfastly remembering his role—a cannon fodder who loved Bo Chengyan.

To him, love meant hugging.

That's what he believed.

And that's what he did.

But he was pushed away.

"How old are you?" The man's tone was indifferent.

Qi Jing had changed into comfy clothes, a light coffee color that made the red marks on his neck stand out even more, as if he'd been marked up.

"Eighteen."

"Try again."

Qi Jing lowered his eyelids. "Seventeen."

Okay, technically he wasn't 18 yet.

"What did I tell you? Recite it again."

Qi Jing could only wrack his brain earnestly. Honestly, this was really difficult. 996 had made him memorize the definition of the "canary" role and even flooded him with similar stories. He'd barely managed to remember it all but kept mixing it up with the "meek wife" stereotype.

At least his actions wouldn't go wrong now—996 had warned him that breaking character could flag him as abnormal to the system, leading to instant termination.

Qi Jing was diligent every day.

But Bo Chengyan had set rules for him in the past two years, and he had to memorize those too, often getting them mixed up.

"Before eighteen, no... hugging without permission."

"Focus on your studies."

Qi Jing felt a bit anxious—these were rules from two years ago. Why did he still have to recite them?

"No dating before 18."

"No tattoos, no hip-hop culture..." The boy's expression grew increasingly blank as he struggled to recall. "No same-sex relationships... no counterculture..."

An auntie walked by behind them, bending over to refill the teapot on the coffee table, her eyes downcast, used to this sort of thing.

[*I can't remember. God, that was ages ago.*]

"I don't remember, Mr. Bo."

Qi Jing had always been resigned, mumbling gloomily.

"I don't like you."

Qi Jing was stunned. His pale face went slack with shock—996 hadn't prepared him for this scenario.

Had there been cases like this in the books?

A sponsor who didn't like his canary?

But before he could think further, he heard:

"I'm just sponsoring you. I don't recall telling you to read nonsense. Where did you learn this? Hm?"

Bo Chengyan was practically interrogating him, fidgeting with a brooch in his hand. Qi Jing had fallen asleep in the car on the way back, and his chin had nearly jabbed into it.

Worried it might be unsafe, Bo Chengyan had taken it off for him.

The living room was silent until—

"Porn."

Bo Chengyan froze for a long moment. When he realized Qi Jing had actually said it out loud, he became even more convinced he needed to see Lin Se to get his head checked.

"What did you say?" His voice softened, utterly disbelieving.

Qi Jing had always been diligent. 996 had only shoved piles of canary literature to him, featuring all kinds of submissive partners—spoiled, domineering, insecure, innocent-turned-devious...

He'd read until his eyes blurred, but coming from the mountains, he didn't know much about male homosexuality.

Just reading text wasn't enough.

So Qi Jing had searched online to expand his knowledge.

"You—wait, Xiao Jing." Bo Chengyan was twenty-nine, having long prided himself on having experienced all of life's big milestones. But now, he found himself in rare hesitation.

He even wondered if hearing things weren't such a big deal.

"The existence of two genders is the foundation of societal development. Men should start families and careers. You should care for and dote on your wife, not learn fringe subcultures. Those are society's back alleys, not the highway."

Bo Chengyan could hardly believe these words had come out of his own mouth, startling even himself.

Qi Jing was out of the mountains now, living comfortably for two years. He'd grown a lot, but he still retained the most basic curiosity and need to figure things out.

"But Mr. Bo, so men can't be cherished by other men?"

"..."

Just then, the housekeeper walked over. "Mr. Bo, dinner is served..."

The young man was still standing there as punishment, tilting his head slightly to glance at the person and offering a gentle smile as a greeting.

Mr. Bo had a splitting headache. "You can leave for the day," he said.

He felt he really ought to see a doctor.

When Bo Chengyan first brought this child back, it was purely out of pity. But within a day or two of arriving in the capital, word had already spread everywhere about steamy gossip—utterly exasperating.

Later, he simply kept him close, finding he made a good decoy.

Yet, at some point, the child had developed the wrong idea.

At first, Bo Chengyan didn't bother stopping it. Then, he didn't think it mattered. But today, upon hearing some truly bewildering inner thoughts, he saw how badly he'd dropped the ball in disciplining this child.

"That's not what I meant..."

Qi Jing thought it over before asking seriously, "So it's possible, right?"

"Mr. Bo, does that mean women can also be cherished by women?"

Once again, he sought to learn more.

Bo Chengyan: "..."

He truly didn't know how to respond, but just then, he heard those inner thoughts again.

[*He doesn't like me… Will he kick me out? *** Am I going to die? That ***.*]

Some of the syllables were garbled, like TV static, making it impossible to discern what was missing.

Bo Chengyan's face fell slightly as he recalled the matter he had originally meant to bring up. Once school was over, the boy would leave.

Go where?

Qi Jing was completely lost. Bo Chengyan had never pushed him away before—wasn't that the deal with canaries?

A canary that didn't keep its owner happy? From what he'd read in books… wouldn't that mean he'd be replaced?

The young man's heart raced with worry.

Until—

"Come with me to the police station tomorrow."

"We'll get your ID paperwork sorted."