A Witty Diversion and an Irresistible Suit

The annulment of the engagement had not dampened Si Xi’s spirits; in fact, the prospect of seeing Jing Chen again that evening filled his heart with delight.

Heh heh heh.

The venue Si Xi had chosen for his dinner with Jing Chen was a private club, and despite its reputation as a place of entertainment, the cuisine served within was exceptionally delicious, necessitating reservations well in advance.

Jing Chen had yet to arrive when Si Xi reached the club, having sent a message explaining he was caught in traffic and asking him to wait.

Si Xi entered the club and waited for him in the lobby’s lounge area.

No sooner had he settled onto a sofa than a voice called out, “Well, if it isn’t Si Xi!”

Si Xi turned his head, his gaze falling upon a group of young men and women who had initially overlooked him, but whose attention now converged on him as they halted their steps at the sound of the shout.

They were a few young wastrels he wasn’t particularly acquainted with.

“It really is you! Who are you waiting for here? Surely not Shao Xun, right?”

At these words, the others burst into laughter.

The Shao family, perhaps out of a desire for revenge, had spread news of their canceled engagement that very afternoon.

Good news travels slowly, while bad news spreads like wildfire; by now, it was likely that the entire affluent circle of Yanjing was privy to the information.

Si Xi, aware that he would be subjected to ridicule for a while, had already braced himself and simply ignored them.

The group, persistent and relentless, approached and sat on the sofa beside him, feigning concern while clearly relishing his misfortune.

“So, Shao Xun really broke off the engagement with you for that Wang Yang?”

“You should have held onto the engagement with all your might! That Wang Yang is inferior to you in both looks and family background; why should you give him up?”

“You’re here to drown your sorrows, aren’t you? We brothers can keep you company for a drink.”

…

Driven to distraction by their incessant chatter, Si Xi sighed mournfully. “Oh, I’m truly miserable, I really am.”

The busybodies, thinking he was about to pour out his heart and use them to spread his story, hoping public opinion would turn against Shao Xun, felt a thrill of excitement at being the first to hear the juicy gossip.

“How miserable? Tell us quickly! Maybe we brothers can help you.”

Si Xi’s eyes lit up. “In that case, I won’t stand on ceremony, then.”

With that, he opened his WeChat payment QR code and declared, “My biggest problem right now is poverty. Since you’re all so enthusiastic, why don’t you lend me some money? Not much, just a million or so each.”

The busybodies: “…”

These wastrels, who usually flaunted wealth they didn’t possess, were utterly baffled by this request for money.

Seeing their hesitation, Si Xi extended the QR code towards the one who had been barking the loudest.

“Peng Hao, didn’t you say you’d help me? Quickly lend me a million to show me your capabilities.”

“…” Peng Hao’s mouth twitched.

‘Do you think a million yuan is a radish in the ground, available just for the asking?’

“And Li Jie, when my father was alive, he was friends with your father. You should at least lend me a million to help me through this difficult time, shouldn’t you?”

“I, I…”

Li Jie, morally cornered, looked helplessly at the others.

“This must be Young Master Zhu, right? Young Master Zhu, your family is truly wealthy! A rich gentleman like you wouldn’t even bat an eye at lending me two million, would you?”

Young Master Zhu: “…”

“You’re insane!”

Young Master Zhu cursed under his breath, then rose and departed immediately, with the others, witnessing his swift exit, hastily following, practically drenched in sweat, as Si Xi continued to call out to them from behind.

“Hey, don’t leave! I’m really so poor, just lend me a little something!”

The group quickened their pace, vanishing almost instantly from the club’s entrance.

Jing Chen, who had witnessed the entire spectacle, watched Si Xi put away his QR code with a rather regretful expression, then pressed a hand to his lips, chuckling aloud.

In truth, he and Si Xi had arrived almost simultaneously, but as he entered, he had happened to see those individuals ridiculing Si Xi.

As a kept lover, he couldn’t help Si Xi in such a situation; on the contrary, his presence would only cause Si Xi to lose face.

Perceiving that those individuals were merely indulging in a moment of verbal bravado and harbored no significant ill will, Jing Chen chose to observe from the sidelines.

Moreover, he was quite curious to see how his ‘sugar daddy’ would handle the mockery of these petty wastrels.

The outcome was indeed… quite audacious.

At that moment, Si Xi also spotted Jing Chen, and upon seeing his captivating face, all his vexations vanished instantly.

“Over here?” Si Xi waved at him, a happy smile on his face.

As Jing Chen approached, Si Xi cleared his throat lightly, asking with a touch of awkwardness, “When did you arrive?”

“Just now.”

“Oh…”

‘He probably didn’t see that scene of him asking for money just now… did he?’

Thinking this, Si Xi still offered an explanation, stating, “I’m not short on money.”

‘What if Jing Chen thought he was broke and decided to leave him?’

‘He hadn’t had enough fun yet.’

Jing Chen feigned confusion. “Why are you suddenly mentioning this?”

Seeing Jing Chen’s genuinely puzzled expression, Si Xi breathed a sigh of relief and said cheerfully, “Nothing, let’s go.”

He extended a hand towards the man.

Once the man instinctively placed his hand in his, Si Xi took hold of it and said, “Let’s eat first, then we’ll go to the nearby mall and get you some clothes.”

He wasn’t sure how others went about keeping men, but he knew those wastrels who kept young celebrities and lovers often enjoyed gifting bags, jewelry, and the like.

Jing Chen, being a man, naturally had no use for such items.

However, what he truly adored was Jing Chen’s physical appearance, so he decided to invest in his outward presentation.

The mere thought of dressing Jing Chen in handsome clothes, making him look dashing for his own visual pleasure, filled him with immense satisfaction.

Upon entering the restaurant, they were escorted by a server to Si Xi’s reserved table, where Jing Chen politely requested, “These chairs are rather uncomfortable; would you mind bringing two softer cushions?”

The server paused for a moment, then courteously replied, “Certainly, please wait a moment.”

Only then did Jing Chen sit down, noticing Si Xi across from him, propping his chin with a hand and smiling.

“You’re so considerate!”

The dining chairs here were all hard, and Jing Chen must have considered that a certain area, overused, would be uncomfortable, hence his request for cushions.

Moreover, by asking for two, it wouldn’t seem like they were specifically for him, preventing the server from speculating and sparing him any awkwardness.

How thoughtful, how considerate!

The server swiftly returned with the cushions, soft and comfortable, and once placed on the chairs, they indeed brought significant relief to that tender spot.

The restaurant was slow to serve, and while waiting for their dishes, Si Xi sighed. “I start school the day after tomorrow, so meeting up won’t be as convenient then.”

Jing Chen’s movements paused.

“You’re still a student?”

“Yes, I’ll be a junior after school starts. Can’t you tell?”

Si Xi couldn’t help but touch his face; he shouldn’t look that old, should he?

Jing Chen’s gaze was incredibly complex.

Si Xi certainly didn’t look old; on the contrary, he was remarkably youthful, especially his eyes, which were so clear and pure that he could easily pass for a high school student.

However, Jing Chen merely attributed it to his youthful appearance, believing that university students, at an age meant for pursuing beautiful romance, shouldn’t be involved in such schemes as sugar dating.

He hadn’t expected himself to misjudge someone so thoroughly.

“A local university?” Jing Chen asked.

“Yes, Yanjing University. Hmm, although it’s local, your workplace is in the south of the city and mine is in the north, so it’s a bit far. That’s why…”

Si Xi pushed his car keys across the table towards Jing Chen.

“You can just drive my car. It’ll make meeting up easier in the future. Anyway, our university has strict rules and doesn’t allow students to drive, so the car would just gather dust sitting there.”

Jing Chen always arrived by taxi for their meetings, implying he didn’t own a car, and Si Xi, now viewing him with immense affection, felt an overwhelming urge to bestow upon him all his most cherished belongings.

Jing Chen did not take them.

The words “Yanjing University” resonated powerfully, and before his eyes flashed a scene from a month ago: a figure waving an admission letter, shouting, “Dad! I got into Yanjing University!”

It was absurd, and Jing Chen found himself contemplating whether to end their relationship.

However, gazing at the fervent eyes of the ‘little one’ before him, he let out a soft sigh.

“You probably have a certain level of recognition at university, and if I often go there, I might run into your classmates, which wouldn’t be ideal for you, would it?”

Si Xi, in truth, wasn’t worried at all about being seen by classmates.

Such a handsome partner should be ostentatiously shown off.

However, considering that his cousin would also be starting her freshman year at Yanjing University, it was indeed prudent to avoid unnecessary complications.

“Then let’s try our best not to meet on campus, and book rooms somewhere farther from the university. If we happen to be seen by classmates, could we just say you’re my older cousin?”

Jing Chen let out a small sigh of relief. “Alright.”

Si Xi was unaware that Jing Chen had almost ended their relationship once again.

He took Jing Chen’s hand from the table, placed the car keys into his palm, then traced two light strokes on it, winking at him suggestively.

“The space inside my car is quite ample, you know.”

…

Jing Chen chuckled helplessly.

‘Perhaps this was precisely why he had misjudged him.’

However, considering that he couldn’t always rely on taxis for future meetings with Si Xi, and being sensitive to the odors in those cars, he ultimately accepted the car keys.

After dinner, Si Xi immediately took Jing Chen to the adjacent shopping mall, heading straight for the men’s clothing stores.

Jing Chen was like a clothes hanger; everything looked good on him.

Si Xi selected a few casual outfits for him, but upon seeing the neatly tailored suits on the mannequins in the formal wear store next door, a mischievous imp in his mind screamed, compelling him to enter.

Alright, he admitted it: he had a weakness for suits.

It was a pity that Shao Xun, that idiot, disliked wearing suits, and Si Xi felt too awkward to force him.

Jing Chen, however, was different; since he was paying, he could rightfully make him wear one.

Si Xi picked out a suit and asked Jing Chen to try it on.

Jing Chen’s suits were all custom-made: tailors would first take his measurements at home, then master designers would create unique styles, handcrafted to his exact dimensions, ensuring each piece was a perfect, one-of-a-kind fit.

To purchase a mass-produced style in a mall and have to try it on himself was truly a first for him.

Jing Chen found the experience quite novel, entering the changing room to try on the shirt and suit Si Xi had chosen.

When he emerged from the changing room, Si Xi, waiting outside, felt his eyes light up.

Indeed, his judgment had been impeccable; Jing Chen was exceptionally suited to wearing suits, exuding an inherent noble and refined aura.

Once that perfectly tailored suit was on him, his aura instantly transformed, making him look like a CEO accompanying his boyfriend on a shopping trip; who would believe he worked on a construction site?

“Wow, President Jing, you’re so handsome!”

Si Xi, once again, was helplessly mesmerized to the point of utter distraction.

The thought that this was the man he kept filled him with immense satisfaction, and he leaned in, whispering into Jing Chen’s ear, “Don’t change out of it. Wear this, and then we’ll go to a hotel…”

Jing Chen raised an eyebrow.

He had thought that after last night, Si Xi wouldn’t be thinking about it again for at least three days.

‘It seemed he had underestimated him.’

Si Xi realized he was truly a hopeless suit-fetishist, especially when a man was still primly dressed in a suit in bed…

But the consequence was even greater soreness and trembling legs the next day, a profound understanding of the fictional woe of being unable to even lift a finger.

Jing Chen, meanwhile, had woken up bright and early, full of vigor, and was already preparing for work.

Half-asleep, Si Xi fumbled for his phone and checked the time; it was only half past six in the morning, prompting him to click his tongue in amazement.

‘What incredible stamina.’