Chapter 14: I’ll Be a Male Model to Support You

Chapter 14: I'll Be a Male Model to Support You

A knock on the door came at an inopportune moment. Huo Yanchi straightened his collar, which had been tugged askew by Shen Junlan, and responded with a calm "Mm."

"Mr. Huo, these documents require urgent attention," Zhao Qi said as he placed the files on the desk, adding, "The marketing manager reported today that another company is considering canceling their cooperation. He’s still negotiating, but I doubt there’s much hope."

"The Huo family must have offered more favorable terms."

Huo Yanchi wasn’t surprised. Huo Qu had only one goal in doing this: to force him to yield and willingly continue being a living blood bank for Huo Yaoyang.

Tens of millions? Hah. Huo Qu was truly sparing no expense, spending so much in just a few days.

"Notify all senior executives currently in the company to attend a meeting in Conference Room Two in half an hour."

"Yes, right away."

Shen Junlan didn’t fully grasp the specifics of the conversation but gathered two main points: first, someone was deliberately targeting Huo Yanchi, and second, Huo Yanchi was in a difficult situation.

The floral scent in the air faded, leaving only a bitter, cold fragrance.

Shen Junlan stared at Huo Yanchi’s furrowed brow for a long time, then quietly stepped behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Huo Yanchi, it’s okay if we’re a bit poor. I have plenty of spiritual energy now—I can find a way to support you."

Huo Yanchi’s heart softened. His Xiao Yezi had already gone above and beyond by staying loyal, and now he even wanted to support him? Truly…

"I heard from Xiao Que that male models earn the most money. I could take up that job to support you."

*Snap!* The cap of the ballpoint pen Huo Yanchi was holding suddenly broke off and flew across the room.

His jaw tightened, and he gritted his teeth, muttering the words "male model" under his breath. Did Xiao Yezi even know what a male model actually did?

"Huo Yanchi, what’s wrong?"

What’s wrong? He was practically fuming.

"Did you hurt your hand? Let me see."

Shen Junlan took Huo Yanchi’s hand and noticed a white mark, alternating in depth, on the pad of his thumb where the pen cap had broken.

"Huo Yanchi, does it hurt?" Shen Junlan murmured, leaning in to blow gently on the spot.

"Be careful next time. Luckily, it didn’t bleed."

Huo Yanchi’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he glanced at Shen Junlan’s flushed earlobe. His heart stirred, but he suppressed the urge to reach out and touch it.

Even if Xiao Yezi was trying to coax him by acting vulnerable, the idea of him becoming a male model was unacceptable. The next time he saw Xiao Que, he’d have to ask who had raised it and why it was filling Xiao Yezi’s head with such nonsense.

"Huo Yanchi, work isn’t a big deal. I told you I can earn money—I’m sure I can make a lot. We can both be a little frugal. Worst case, I’ll stop drinking the imported snowmelt water."

"Life might be a bit harder, but as long as you don’t overwork yourself, it’ll be fine. Even if I have to go without food or water, I can endure it."

Huo Yanchi’s eyes grew slightly warm. Xiao Yezi was adorably naive. He couldn’t bring himself to pull his hand away, letting Xiao Yezi hold it while stealing occasional glances at him.

His Xiao Yezi was so worried about him, he was practically turning into a little bitter melon.

"Zhao Qi, come here."

"Mr. Huo, what do you need?"

"What’s my net worth these days?"

Zhao Qi let out an exaggerated "Ah?" and nervously fidgeted with his fingers behind his back. Recalling the office gossip, he wondered if Mr. Huo had really found a partner.

Smaller-sized men’s clothes, a new mattress, and that DIY wooden bed he’d seen Huo Yanchi order on his phone—it all pointed to a relationship, and possibly a boyfriend.

Zhao Qi’s mind raced, but he couldn’t figure out why Huo Yanchi was asking about his net worth.

"It’s probably in the hundreds of billions. There’s still a gap compared to the Huo family, but you’ve only been building this company from scratch for eight years. You’ve already reached heights most people can only dream of."

"Hmm, so I’m still relatively wealthy."

Shen Junlan counted on his fingers, trying to grasp the concept of "hundreds of billions," but it was beyond him. If they had money to spend, then he wouldn’t need to become a male model.

Hooray! He hadn’t really wanted to be a male model anyway. According to Xiao Que, it was hard-earned money.

His previous owner had hired male models, and the ones who left the next day would be sore and grimacing—clearly, it was exhausting work. Not easy at all.

"By the way, Mr. Huo, the conference room is almost ready."

"Okay, I’ll be there shortly."

The room fell silent again. Huo Yanchi glanced at Shen Junlan a few times, took a deep breath, quickly finished handling the documents, and opened his browser to search:

"The tragic fate of male models."

"Decadence and Lust: The Crimes and Punishment of a Top Male Model."

"Male models end up either destitute or behind bars."

Huo Yanchi first sent the files to his assistant, pretending it was an accidental click, then turned up the volume and played the audio aloud.

"In today’s society, the trend of seeking shortcuts persists despite repeated bans. Risqué live streams are rampant, with many bars or entertainment venues recruiting handsome men to strip on camera to attract viewership."

"After entering the establishment, customers who spend a certain amount can interact with these male models. In some cases, obscene activities take place in private rooms, causing significant social harm. This is especially damaging to minors whose values are still forming, exposing them to distorted ideals."

"Today, police raided a number of adult entertainment venues, arresting 23 suspects, including 10 sex workers operating under the guise of male model servers. The case is still under investigation."

"Being a male model is risky—you either work yourself to death or end up dead."

Shen Junlan listened intently, scrolling through the screen. Some of the graphic videos were eye-watering, and he let out a disgusted "Ew!" before pushing Huo Yanchi’s phone away.

"So that’s what a male model is," Shen Junlan muttered to himself, patting his chest in relief. "They have to take off their clothes? How terrifying."

"Huo Yanchi, if we ever run out of money, I might have to find another job. I don’t like the idea of being a male model—having to go shirtless, working day and night, and calling someone else ‘master.’ I don’t want that. I’ll only call you ‘master.’"

Huo Yanchi felt a brief moment of satisfaction but nearly lost his composure at Shen Junlan’s last sentence. The earlier reasons were trivial—what really mattered was that Xiao Yezi only wanted to call him "master."

Xiao Yezi truly cared about him the most.

Suddenly, a video popped up in the browser with the title: "What Does a Net Worth of Nearly 100 Billion Mean?"

Zhao Qi’s estimate wasn’t entirely accurate. Even before the company went public, Huo Yanchi’s personal assets were in the tens of billions. The Huo family lacked many things, but money wasn’t one of them.

"A net worth of nearly 100 billion means you could stop working for centuries and still not run out of money."

"Huo Yanchi, does this mean we’re very rich?"

Not having to work for centuries, how wonderful.

"Then can you not go to work? Working every day is so tiring, it breaks my heart to see you work so hard."

Shen Junlan pressed against the calluses on Huo Yanchi's palm, his eyes shimmering with a glimmering light. Leaning half against the desk, a few strands of sunlight fell on his hair, and with his bowed head, he suddenly took on a hint of divinity and compassion.

The wind that had been wandering around grew still, and Huo Yanchi could hear his own heart pounding like a drum.

"I want my Xiao Yezi to live comfortably, so I need to work hard to earn more money to provide for him."

Huo Yanchi closed his hand, enveloping Shen Junlan's fingertip. In that moment of complete openness, he seemed to truly feel Xiao Yezi's body temperature.

Cold, like the chill of melting iceberg snow.

Shen Junlan froze for a moment. He had lived through centuries of hardship, and now Huo Yanchi had pampered him so thoroughly that no trace of those hardships remained, yet Huo Yanchi still felt it wasn't enough.

"Huo Yanchi, let me hug you, just one hug."

Xiao Yezi's embrace was completely different from the times he had flung himself into Huo Yanchi's arms before. It was full of care and caution, loosely wrapping around his shoulders, his head buried in the crook of Huo Yanchi's neck.

Their cheeks brushed together.

Xiao Yezi's nose grazed his earlobe, and his earlobe swept past Huo Yanchi's jaw. It was a fleeting embrace—Xiao Yezi truly only hugged him for a moment.

Huo Yanchi tensed up, yearning for the warmth of Xiao Yezi in his arms. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Xiao Yezi's slightly reddened eyes, the emotions swirling in Xiao Yezi's eyes, but he forcibly suppressed all his thoughts in an instant.

"I wonder how my Xiao Yezi is doing, if he's well."

"He's well, very well." Shen Junlan patted Huo Yanchi's shoulder, his expression suddenly relaxing.

Huo Yanchi was happy, and even the air felt sweet.

The watch hand stopped at 59 minutes. Huo Yanchi picked up the documents for the meeting and stood up, with a little tail bouncing along behind him.

The conference room was transparent from the inside looking out. Before Huo Yanchi arrived, everyone in the room had fallen silent.

Shen Junlan glanced around. There were too many people in the conference room, so he didn't dare make any big movements. He just trailed behind Huo Yanchi, idly tugging at his hair.

"Report whatever needs to be reported."

Huo Yanchi's gaze was sharp, his aloof demeanor unintentionally putting pressure on everyone present.

Under such high pressure, the marketing manager spoke up tremblingly: "President Huo, in the past three days, the company has lost three major contracts worth over a hundred million yuan. All of them terminated by paying penalty fees, without exception. The current business partners are all from the Huo Group."

Everyone knew that Huo Yanchi was originally the designated heir of the Huo Group, but for some reason, he later had a falling out with the family. Now, with the Huo Group openly poaching contracts, it might not be a good sign.

"Mm, I see."

"If they're lost, they're lost. For these projects, approach the Huo Group's competitors. Don't engage in a price war—the Huo Group has no shortage of money."

The manager nodded repeatedly, his heart pounding nervously, thinking he was about to be scolded.

Today, Huo Yanchi seemed to be in an unusually good mood. He almost seemed to be smiling, and his calmness was almost frightening.

The department managers reported their situations one by one. Huo Yanchi nodded, spoke, and made arrangements seamlessly, leaving even Zhao Qi in awe.

As expected of President Huo, losing tens of millions without even batting an eye.

"Anything else?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison. Just as Huo Yanchi was about to adjourn the meeting, Shen Junlan suddenly spoke up: "I do. Huo Yanchi, here's some candy for you."

Huo Yanchi felt his palm tighten. Taking advantage of flipping through the documents, he glanced down—it was an emerald-green, leaf-shaped candy, with a distinctive shine. He could even smell its sweetness.

This was Xiao Yezi's spiritual energy, and it looked just like the previous one, but this one was even more potent.

"Huo Yanchi, it's okay if we lose money. Have some candy, it's sweet."

Huo Yanchi couldn't help but let a smile spread across his face. He clenched his palm, as if holding Xiao Yezi close.

The conference room grew even quieter. Someone's phone suddenly chimed, and only then did Huo Yanchi snap out of his daze.

"Meeting adjourned."

Even after Huo Yanchi had left, everyone remained stunned that he had smiled.

It was normal for Huo Yanchi to smile, but smiling so sweetly after losing tens of millions, in front of everyone—that wasn't normal. It was very abnormal.

The world had gone mad, and so had they.

Author's Note:

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Hey readers, no update tomorrow. The next chapter will be posted at 6 PM the day after tomorrow. [Floppy-eared bunny emoji][Floppy-eared bunny emoji][Floppy-eared bunny emoji]