Chapter 9: The Starving Sugardaddy

Chapter 9: The Fainting Sugar Daddy

"Chu Yan, are you absolutely sure you're thinking straight right now?"

Liao Jian suspected Chu Yan was either sleep-talking in the middle of the night or had been so shocked he was speaking nonsense.

"Absolutely and unequivocally certain," Chu Yan stated with utmost seriousness. "Bro, just help me reach out and see, okay? There might still be a chance."

It wasn't easy for this controversy-baiting show to gather enough guests.

After several seconds of silence, Liao Jian finally spoke in a low voice, "You'd better think this through. You're no longer the esteemed young master of the Chu family. You already have plenty of haters, and if you really go on this show, your scandals will only be magnified endlessly. The hate you receive will increase a thousandfold. Are you sure you can handle that?"

"I've thought about all that, bro," Chu Yan said with a hint of self-mockery. "Given my current situation, how much worse could it possibly get?"

Liao Jian was momentarily stunned. That was true, but this young troublemaker had a history of reckless behavior, so Liao Jian felt compelled to warn him.

"It's good that you're aware of your circumstances. You no longer have the privilege to act recklessly. Besides, you're still burdened with nine million yuan in debt. Once you finalize the agreement with the production team, there's no backing out. Otherwise, the penalty will far exceed nine million."

Liao Jian had no idea what possessed this young master—whether he'd lost his mind or was just messing with him. The former Chu Yan had done things like this before, refusing to act in scripts he'd already accepted right before filming began. But back then, his status as the Chu family's young master had protected him. Now, Chu Yan no longer had that protection.

Worse still, his former identity as the Chu family's young master might become the biggest point of ridicule against him. What was once his safeguard had now turned into the sharpest blade aimed at him. Liao Jian wasn't sure if Chu Yan had considered all this.

And if things escalated to the point where Chu Yan had a falling out with the Chu family, he could face contract termination from his company, pushing him into an even deeper abyss.

But then again, if it really came to that, signing up for this show might be Chu Yan's last—and only—way out.

Liao Jian was no saint. Over the years, he'd resented Chu Yan more than once. But in the end, he couldn't bring himself to abandon his conscience. He could've easily cut ties with Chu Yan or even maliciously cut off his last lifeline, but he just couldn't do it.

Liao Jian's words were genuinely sincere. The fact that he was still willing to advise Chu Yan at this point made Chu Yan grateful. This was someone worth treating with genuine respect.

Chu Yan had always cherished those who were kind to him—after all, such people were rare.

"Bro, I know how awful I was in the past, how disappointing. I caused you a lot of trouble over the years and always dragged you down. I'm sorry."

"I used to be all talk and no action, full of hot air, incompetent yet arrogant. My acting was terrible, and I never put in the effort. My attitude toward you was awful too—just a bundle of bad habits. I was a total jerk, wasting the privilege of being the Chu family's young master for nothing."

Chu Yan spoke earnestly, and Liao Jian was truly touched.

"Bro, please believe in me one more time. I promise I won't let you down."

"You know my situation—a supposed young master who could be kicked out of the Chu family at any moment, with a terrible reputation online and no standout roles to my name. Someone like me has no chance of landing roles. How could I possibly repay nine million in penalties within a year?"

Chu Yan wasn't being self-deprecating—he was just laying out the facts objectively. And that alone was enough to make Liao Jian see this formerly arrogant and brainless young master in a new light.

Truly, people can't be taught by words alone—life teaches best. It seemed this young master had matured overnight.

"Alright, I'll help you reach out."

That very night, Liao Jian contacted the production team of *Rebirth Challenge*. He even tried to negotiate a higher fee for Chu Yan. After all, for a controversial show like this, the mere willingness of an artist to appear was already a huge risk. Asking for more compensation was only reasonable.

*Rebirth Challenge*, as the name suggested, was about giving disgraced celebrities a chance at redemption. The so-called "rebirth" meant starting anew—essentially, image rehab.

This wasn't just the show's selling point for attracting guests—it was also the biggest draw for viewers. In short, high risk comes with high reward. Succeed, and you'd be redeemed. Fail, and you might never recover.

Aside from the reasons Chu Yan had given Liao Jian, there was another motive for joining: in the novel, this unconventional show for scandal-plagued celebrities was only briefly mentioned, but it served as the complete opposite to the wildly popular dating show that the male lead, Chu Xiuyi, participated in. Both shows had staggering popularity—but while the male lead's dating show was a smash hit, this one was notorious, two extremes of the spectrum.

No matter how his relationship with the Chu family turned out, if Chu Yan wanted to survive in the entertainment industry on his own, *Rebirth Challenge* was his best springboard.

Exhausted but wide awake, Chu Yan tossed and turned until dawn before finally dozing off. As a result, he didn't wake up until noon the next day.

Groggy and weak, his eyelids felt like lead, and his body was too heavy to move. It took Chu Yan a moment to realize—he was so hungry that his blood sugar had crashed.

In his past life, Chu Yan had grown up orphaned, raised by his grandmother in poverty. As a preteen, he'd had the ravenous appetite typical of boys his age, but his grandmother, growing older and frailer, struggled to survive. Often, they'd scavenge discarded vegetable leaves at the market or rummage through trash for recyclable bottles to sell. Even then, he'd frequently gone hungry, skipping meals more often than not.

From then on, Chu Yan had often suffered from low blood sugar. Hunger would leave him dizzy, shaky, and weak—mild cases left him trembling, while severe ones caused him to pass out for minutes. This condition had followed him all the way until his death at twenty-seven, when he'd transmigrated into this book.

Chu Yan had assumed those issues wouldn't carry over—after all, the original owner had grown up in luxury, hardly the type to skip meals like he had. Yet here he was, clearly hypoglycemic.

No one knew this feeling better than him. He needed food—anything would do.

Instinctively, Chu Yan reached for the bedside drawer, but there were no chocolates or candies tucked away inside, as he'd often kept in his past life.

Forced to stumble to the kitchen, his body trembling violently, sweat beading on his forehead, his vision briefly blacking out, he shook his head and wrenched open the fridge. He needed to eat—now.

Miraculously, he found a few cans of cola in the otherwise empty fridge.

Without hesitation, Chu Yan downed one, but his body still shook uncontrollably, his heart pounding so hard he felt like he might suffocate. He rummaged through the cabinets, hoping for even a pack of instant noodles—but there was nothing.

In his daze, he remembered—this was the apartment the original owner had rented but rarely lived in. Worse, the original owner couldn't cook.

Delivery!

Hands shaking, Chu Yan grabbed his phone. His only hope was a delivery driver!

He hastily placed an order, fingers fumbling. The moment he paid, he heard a knock at the door. The dizziness clouding his mind made his thoughts scatter. Unable to think straight, he deliriously assumed his food had arrived.

*My savior! Delivery guys rule!*

Staggering toward the door like a zombie drawn to fresh flesh, Chu Yan flung it open without a second thought.

"Meat! Give me meat!"

Fu Junhang's hand was still raised mid-knock when the door suddenly swung open. The next second, a disheveled, wild-eyed "zombie" in pajamas lunged at him.

"What the—?!"

Fu Junhang nearly kicked out on reflex, but he quickly recognized the face beneath the messy hair—it was the little fool he'd been thinking about all night.

His foot froze mid-air just as the "zombie" latched onto his leg.

"Give it... give it to me..."

Chu Yan's legs were jelly, his mind fixated on food. He didn't even remember what he'd ordered—he just frantically pawed at Fu Junhang's hands, searching for the takeout bag. *Where is it? Where's the food?*

*What's my little sugar daddy playing at now? Roleplay?*

Confused but amused, Fu Junhang swiftly scooped him up, half-dragging, half-carrying him inside before shutting the door.

"Is my little sugar daddy this desperate?"

"Give me..."

Chu Yan mindlessly groped at Fu Junhang's hands. "Hurry... give it..."

As the weight against him grew heavier, Fu Junhang finally realized something was wrong. Looking down, he saw Chu Yan's face deathly pale, his eyes unfocused, his forehead icy cold. Alarm shot through him.

"What's wrong? Little master? Chu Yan!"

"Someone help... I'm starving..."

Chu Yan only felt as if someone was shaking his body, and vaguely heard the voice of that handsome male model he was sponsoring. That strikingly handsome face came closer and closer until he plunged headfirst into endless darkness.

Shit, I'm actually blacking out this time. If I fall like this, will I break my teeth? Getting teeth fixed costs a fortune...

When Chu Yan opened his eyes again, he was lying on the bed. Even though he still felt shaky, lightheaded, and awful, why was he in bed? Did the delivery guy haul him up here? Or...

"Awake?"

Just as Chu Yan was puzzled, Fu Junhang happened to open the door and walk in. Chu Yan froze on the spot.

The tall figure appeared out of nowhere, suddenly filling the empty space. The quiet, always-cold room inexplicably gained warmth. In that instant, Chu Yan felt as though the man walking in carried light and warmth with him, stepping right into his desolate and lonely world.

For who knows how many years, Chu Yan's world had only ever had his grandmother in it. After her passing, he was the only one left in his world. He longed for warmth, but family was something he could never reach. So he became a workaholic, pushing himself relentlessly, using work to fill the void.

Yet, in the dead of night, he still felt loneliness. Sometimes, he'd wonder—if he died, how long before someone noticed? His room always carried only his own presence.

When he was sick or injured, no matter how bad it got, he'd force himself out of bed to get medicine. If he was thirsty, he poured his own water. Whenever he was so hungry his blood sugar dropped, he had to make sure he found a safe spot before he collapsed, only to wake up and search for food again.

This was the first time someone had walked toward him when he was suffering from low blood sugar.

For the first time, someone had walked toward him when he was all alone.

For some reason, Chu Yan felt his nose sting, and a wave of heat surged behind his eyes. Something hot welled up in his eyes, spreading until the warmth blurred his sight completely. Chu Yan had never been one for sentimentality, but right now, he couldn't control it. He just sat there, dumbstruck, staring at the man approaching him, too stunned to react.

Only when something was shoved into his hand did Chu Yan look down—it was a piece of chocolate with its wrapper torn open. Then, he heard the man's teasing voice.

"No way, no way. My little sugar daddy couldn't have gone broke keeping me and is starving himself now, could he?"

Chu Yan: "..."

"No way, no way. I haven't even gotten started yet, and my little sugar daddy is already crying."

Chu Yan: "..."

Such a perfectly fine person—why'd he have to open his mouth?