Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Qi Jing returned to his room still unable to calm down, restless with anxiety.

It was going to hurt.

He had thought of looking for 996, but last time it mentioned something about some leakage and went for repairs.

Alone in his room, Qi Jing searched through some sketchy websites, though this time the quality was poor—nowhere near as wholesome as what Huang Ze had on his hard drive.

The titles were in huge, garish fonts.

Though they were all Chinese characters, their combination left Qi Jing struggling to decipher their meaning for a long time.

His face grew hot.

He felt he was already grown up and shouldn’t be so embarrassed.

The boy gritted his teeth and looked again.

Then covered his face with his hands.

A society with overly conservative sex education often leads to sexual repression, and the videos on those shady websites were way too graphic, creating a jarring contrast.

The push for comprehensive sex education remains an uphill battle.

Overwhelmed, Qi Jing turned off his phone, feeling corrupted inside and out. But then he glanced at the wall clock.

Five o’clock.

The boy frowned. Why wasn’t he back yet?

He was late.

*

The couple in the lounge had already been investigated—they had no legally recognized marital relationship, merely a casual fling that lasted a while.

Back then, they were just city kids sowing their wild oats, not even their parents knew.

They had a child, kept it for a few days.

Then, in 2006, the child went missing under mysterious circumstances. Over the next decade, they never once tried to find the child—this was their first time trying.

How touching.

“Why didn’t you marry back then? And still had a child?” Bao Chengyan looked down at the files.

It was the information they had planned to submit to the TV station.

They had even marked something they claimed was a birthmark.

Unfortunately, Qi Jing didn’t have one on the back of his neck.

“Well… weddings are expensive. I just want to find our child. He’s already an adult, and you don’t have guardianship. Of course, we can claim him.”

“Yeah, yeah, he’s our child, not yours.”

Bao Chengyan wasn't here to chit-chat. He simply placed the documents on the table, crossed his legs, and asked, “How much did they offer you?”

“Should I make it clearer?”

“What can a junior like him give you? Everything in the Bao family is under my control. Coming to me will get you more.”

There wasn’t much to analyze—a young couple had a child in their teens without marrying, probably a runaway situation in some form.

They thought love could conquer all.

Instead, they were overwhelmed by daily struggles.

The only innocent victim was the child.

Brought into this world unprepared.

“What do you mean?” The man opposite was haggard, looking like an intellectual but with greed in his eyes.

The woman’s records showed she ran a clothing store, but with rising rents and the impact of e-commerce, she was bleeding money.

They needed money.

Bao Chengyan’s eyes darkened. He didn’t understand who gave them the audacity to make demands about someone from his side.

Was it the courage from their irresponsible past?

Revolting.

“One million?”

The couple exchanged glances, putting on an act as they said, “We just want our child to live well… Is that too much to ask…”

“Two million.”

Bao Chengyan watched them with a poker face, observing their changing expressions.

As expected, they still weren’t satisfied.

“Three million.”

The station staff nearby stood frozen.

But reality is often stranger than fiction.

Still not enough.

Bao Chengyan rubbed his thumb and forefinger. “Four million.”

The couple agreed.

Red-faced and stuttering, they asked, “The money?”

“At the door. Go get it.”

Bao’s voice never wavered as he picked up the files again.

He gave them a cursory glance.

The staff kept to themselves, seeing this play out for the first time, and smoothly opened the door.

The couple exchanged glances, figuring they’d hit the jackpot, already envisioning their life of luxury. No sooner had they stepped out—

“Hello, are you XX and XX? You’re being investigated for extortion and fraud. Please cooperate with our investigation.” The officers professionally flashed their badges.

The scene was nearly chaotic, but the TV station building remained a quiet place, with only two people in hysterics.

Chen Zhuo sidestepped through the investigators and walked inside.

Somewhat surprised, he remarked, "Seriously, not even a cent? I thought you'd throw money at it."

Bao Chengyan didn’t pay much attention. Honestly, it wasn’t that serious—he had already investigated it back in Beijing.

Born in '06, sold for a thousand yuan that same year, and then, coinciding with a nationwide anti-crime crackdown, taken back home by child traffickers and sold to a dirt-poor family in the same village.

A person’s life, haphazardly changed.

"I’m in business, not a charity case."

"But have you asked Qi Jing? What if he really wants to meet his birth parents?" Chen Zhuo leaned against the doorway, unconsciously fishing.

Bao Chengyan merely lifted his gaze.

"You’re actually quite satisfied that those parents turned out to be trash, aren’t you?"

"Duh."

Bao Chengyan leaned slightly against the sofa back, fingers interlaced, his expression indifferent as he looked over.

They were cut from the same cloth, after all.

No need for fishing.

Chen Zhuo said irritably, "Why do you always have all the luck?"

"No, seriously, how…?"

"Do me a solid."

Chen Zhuo crossed his arms, raising his brows slightly as he murmured, "Could you have your darling talk to Jiang Xiuyuan a bit more?"

"Couple of days, tops? The Jiang family’s situation is a bit complicated."

Bao Chengyan’s expression remained unchanged, merely glancing over.

"I made him sick—I can’t just ignore it. I’m not heartless, at least."

"Besides, do you know that because of Qi Jing’s million, he’s already labeled me as a cheapskate?"

"I gave him a thousand, and he sent a thousand back home, not a dime left."

He spoke a lot.

Seemingly complaining, but in truth, it was just venting.

Chen Zhuo seemed to realize he had lost composure and tried to salvage his dignity, lowering his eyes as he said, "He used to like you. I was just messing with him, but you went and caught feelings. I…"

Bao Chengyan stood up and walked over, frowning as he checked his watch—5:30.

Running late.

"You’re leaving?"

"Yeah."

But before leaving.

The man paused, glancing down to meet Chen Zhuo’s eyes, his tone dry:

"Chen Zhuo, when will you stop name-dropping me to get things done?"

Straight to the point.

Society always has people like this—they use herd mentality as a shield, and whenever faced with a decision, their explanations always drag someone else into it.

Pretending they acted a certain way because of that person.

But the truth is often the opposite. Such people never budge—they only do what they truly want.

They like masking their real intentions with a flippant act.

After the man left, Chen Zhuo couldn’t help but feel irritated. But when he tried to pocket his hands, he realized the cut on his palm was still cut up.

The pain lingered for a long moment.

Yet after a while, he laughed.

*

"Took you long enough."

Qi Jing had already showered and even changed into pajamas, standing at the doorway looking up at him.

Bao Chengyan’s suit hugged his frame, his hair immaculate—he radiated authority.

But right at this moment.

"I’m starving."

Bao Chengyan lifted him up effortlessly, settling Qi Jing securely on his forearm.

"My bad."

The size gap was hard to explain.

Qi Jing was still sulking, but then he realized he was stuck. His legs twitched slightly, but Bao Chengyan simply held them in place with one hand.

"Let’s go eat at the restaurant, hm?"

Qi Jing wasn’t listening at all. He had just realized—why… could he hold me like this?

Bao Chengyan set him down on the bed, fixing his cuffs. "What do you want to eat?"

"Why aren’t my bones growing?"

"I’m already tall—I’m five-eleven."

Bao Chengyan didn’t react at first, until Qi Jing got off the bed, standing on the floor and looking up at him, voice full of grievance. "I’m not as tall as you."

"Are you really six-two?"

"But you feel a whole head taller than me."

"I’ve been eating properly lately, I’m not skinny anymore, so why am I…"

Qi Jing’s earliest taste in men started with Bao Chengyan—you could already tell from the pictures Lin Se had given him.

Although he initially tried to emulate the image of other "social butterflies" at banquets, he later found himself irresistibly drawn to the person beside him.

He wanted to match them.

Bo Chengyan hardly needed much effort to guess the source of this sentiment. He lifted him and gently carried him back to the bedside.

"People don’t necessarily have to be the same."

"Even within ethnic groups, there are natural differences in body types. It’s a very common thing."

Qi Jing just said glumly, "But my calves look as thin as your forearms."

The words were blunt.

The boy had no idea that some people in society had a fetish for thinness—or even more disturbing inclinations.

"Xiao Jing."

Qi Jing responded softly, tilting his head up with clear, bright eyes.

"Straight relationships are the norm in society, and within that group, differences in body types are very common—nothing unusual."

"So why does it become such a concern in gay relationships?"

Bo Chengyan took his wrist, gently tracing the bones, subtly guiding him to speak his mind.

"I’m a boy."

"If I were straight... I wouldn’t be anxious. I’m already tall."

The boy frowned slightly, saying casually, but his wrist was suddenly gripped tighter.

"Why?"

Bo Chengyan said calmly, "Does being gay weigh on you?"

Unaware of the intense gaze fixed on him, Qi Jing lowered his eyelids slightly and shook his head.

"In same-sex relationships, your type... is considered attractive."

His logic was simple: in heterosexual relationships, one should be beautiful, the other handsome; in gay relationships, both should be handsome; in lesbian relationships, both should be beautiful.

Qi Jing had never really experienced queer circles and didn’t understand the beauty standards within gay or lesbian communities.

And he always saw ripped guys in films.

Naturally, he developed certain beauty standards.

Bo Chengyan frowned a little and said gently,

"Why think that way?"

"Tastes vary. What you find beautiful might not be seen the same by others, and vice versa."

Qi Jing looked puzzled. Some of the partners in those films were also slender—how could he not wonder if they felt as insecure as he did?

After all, it looked fragile enough to break.

For a brief moment, Bo Chengyan drew a blank, but he quickly kept his composure and held his wrist.

"Everyone’s bone structure is different. Lean frames have their appeal, fullness has its beauty. There’s no need to set a standard."

"Staying fit for your body type—that is beauty."

"Don’t blindly follow trends, and don’t seek to please others."

Qi Jing froze. Really?

The boy’s eyes lit up, his question nearly spilling out.

But Bo Chengyan got there first.

With a light, soft challenge, he asked, "Is Xiao Jing really not attractive?"

How could that be?

He scooped him up effortlessly and casually walked toward the hall mirror by the entryway, his expression gentle.

Bo Chengyan didn’t mind wasting breath on such trivial matters. He welcomed the questions—it was a quiet kind of dependence.

His own protege—of course, he could indulge it however he pleased.

Qi Jing was set down in front of the mirror, his fingers lightly brushing against the other’s suit as he turned to look at his reflection.

The boy was indeed slender, but his skin had been kept pale and soft, his bangs falling softly over shining dark eyes.

His collarbones stood out sharply beneath his collar.

At a glance, he resembled a real-life doll.

Especially now that he’d grown taller, his proportions had balanced out.

Qi Jing lowered his gaze briefly before looking up again. "I’m not ugly."

Bo Chengyan reached out and touched his hair, as if reassuring him. "Mm."

"You’re beautiful."

Paparazzi constantly snapped shots of him.

It was impossible to stop—even during high school, he’d had to deal with piles of photos.

Time passed quietly.

"Let’s go eat, hm?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Effectively comforted.

*

Rescue efforts in Z Province were underway, but while construction crews worked diligently, the well-dressed elites were busy schmoozing at meetings in all sorts of places.

One side focused on rebuilding homes.

The other side toasted deals, securing investments.

Often, the powerful barely registered for regular folks—just fodder for dinner-table gossip.

A good life was all anyone wanted.

Qi Jing didn't have much appetite in the evening and only drank a bowl of seafood porridge when he went out to eat. Later, remembering he needed to work out, he ate some more fish.

It was already nine o'clock when they returned to the hotel.

Having showered earlier, Qi Jing simply washed his face and got into bed by himself, wrapped in a blanket, eyes shining while he waited.

His mind automatically replayed the porn he had watched during the day.

No telling what was on his mind.