Shen Yuan’s face instantly turned bright red, as if it might explode.
He’s recognized me! Shen Yuan felt exactly like an honest, well-behaved kid caught doing something wrong for the first time—helpless and frozen in shock. He had always been a model student, careful and upright in everything, and suddenly being exposed for that shameless act made him blush even harder. This was the only time in his life he had acted so recklessly. He didn’t know what to do, but instinctively he refused to show weakness, glaring at Qiao Hailou in the mirror with a mix of frustration and embarrassment.
Shen Yuan had no idea how bright and lively his own eyes looked at that moment.
Qiao Hailou thought it was a pity—such beautiful eyes, hidden behind glasses. Thinking that, he reached out and removed Shen Yuan’s glasses.
Shen Yuan froze and instinctively tried to grab them back as he turned.
Qiao Hailou stepped aside slightly and said, “Little one, do you think wearing glasses makes you a little superhero? You really thought I wouldn’t recognize you? Pretending you don’t know me?”
Shen Yuan, trying to hold his ground, replied, “Y-you’re pretending not to recognize me too, right?”
Qiao Hailou said leisurely, “I recognized you the moment you got out of the car. I was just seeing if you’d be embarrassed. Look at you—blushing so much you’d probably want to crawl into a hole. If I had called you out then, you’d be mad at me and never speak to me again.”
Shen Yuan, caught off guard, retorted defensively, “You’re the one wanting to crawl into a hole! Give me back my glasses!”
Qiao Hailou ignored the demand and asked, “So, tell me… do we stick with our plan for tonight, or reschedule? Or do you want to never meet like that again?”
Shen Yuan froze. Reschedule? Could they really reschedule?
Ah… no. Qiao Hailou meant they’d meet again.
Shen Yuan felt both ashamed and a little thrilled.
He had never encountered an elder so disrespectfully bold, and yet, just being around him made him feel unlike his usual self. He had no idea how to handle this unpredictable, sly older man.
Red-faced and flustered, he stammered, “You… how can you…! You’re my father’s friend, and you say this to me? Have you no shame? Just now you said I’m your nephew… which uncle sleeps with his nephew?”
Qiao Hailou’s expression didn’t change at all. Not a blink. Only a hint of mischief: “Oh? I thought you liked ‘Uncle Qiao,’ my good little nephew.”
Shen Yuan shot back, “Who likes you?!”
Just as he was about to get really angry, Qiao Hailou handed his glasses back with a regretful smile: “So you don’t like me. Then I must have been imagining things. If that’s the case, no meeting tonight… and no reschedule either, right?”
Shen Yuan froze, his heart racing. He watched as Qiao Hailou turned to leave, and instinctively reached out, grabbing his arm.
Qiao Hailou paused, turning back. “Why are you holding me?”
Shen Yuan frowned, his face still red, a mix of anger, delight, and anticipation in his eyes. He stared at Qiao Hailou, hesitating to speak.
Suppressing the urge to smirk, Qiao Hailou reached out to gently pry Shen Yuan’s hand off his arm. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to end things? Why stop me now? You’re my nephew—are you trying to sleep with your uncle?”
Shen Yuan held on tighter, hissing, “Stop pretending! Shameless!”
Qiao Hailou replied smoothly, “If you won’t pretend, then neither will I…”
Shen Yuan drew a deep breath, trying to cool his burning cheeks, and whispered in a tiny voice, “Just tonight…”
Feigning ignorance, Qiao Hailou asked, “What did you say? I didn’t hear.”
Shen Yuan glared at him, “I said… not reschedule. Tonight.”
Qiao Hailou smiled, leaning down, and quickly pressed his lips to Shen Yuan’s.
Startled, Shen Yuan stepped back a few paces, then slowly let himself savor the faint taste of smoke on Qiao Hailou’s lips.
Their playful back-and-forth ended with the confirmation of their secret, intimate rendezvous, before they quickly restored their public, proper facades.
Shen Yuan put his glasses back on and muttered, “Pervert.”
Qiao Hailou replied casually, “Little pervert.”
Shen Yuan snorted lightly through his nose and walked off without looking back.
To an outsider, it looked more like a squabble between two bickering adversaries than a couple about to rendezvous.
They parted ways for a while to avoid suspicion, returning separately.
Shen Yuan’s emotions were complicated—just thinking about being involved with Qiao Hailou in front of his uncle made his heart race, a mix of the thrill of secret indulgence and guilt toward his uncle.
Meanwhile, Qiao Hailou appeared completely calm, as if nothing had happened—further frustrating Shen Yuan. The man was a sly, hypocritical middle-aged rogue, pretending to be a gentleman.
Time passed, and Qiao Hailou politely said, “Thanks for the meal. I’m full. I have another appointment, so I should get going.”
Shen Yuan’s heart skipped. That wasn’t just any appointment—it was their meeting.
Hearing his uncle say, “Alright, I won’t keep you. We can meet up another day,” Qiao Hailou replied, “Sure…”
Shen Yuan obediently told his uncle in a soft voice, “I’ll pay the bill.”
His uncle nodded. After settling the bill, Qiao Hailou had already left.
Shen Yuan followed his stepfather down to the parking lot.
In the elevator, the thought of seeing Qiao Hailou later made his face burn even more.
Noticing his unease, his stepfather asked, “Why’s your face so red? Did you drink too much? Feeling unwell, maybe? You seem a bit off today.”
He touched Shen Yuan’s forehead gently. The action snapped Shen Yuan out of his thoughts about Qiao Hailou—his mind and heart returned fully to his uncle.
Taking a small bottle of hangover medicine from his pocket, his uncle handed him two tablets. “Take these. I’ve called the driver to send you back to school.”
Shen Yuan hesitated. He hadn’t drunk much and didn’t really want to take the pills. He looked at his uncle, listening to the gentle, considerate words, and his heart softened.
“Thank you, Uncle.” He thought: a mature man should be like his uncle—gentle, reliable, gentlemanly. Truly charming. Nothing like that old rogue.
His uncle, concerned, said, “Why don’t you go home tonight, and head back to school tomorrow morning? No rush.”
Shen Yuan hesitated. Going with his uncle meant he couldn’t meet Qiao Hailou tonight—but his uncle was certainly more important. Deciding firmly, he chose to follow his uncle and let Qiao Hailou wait for another day.
Since his uncle had been drinking, he called the driver to take them. Shen Yuan got into the car and, as his uncle was about to close the door, he paused and grabbed his hand.
“Aren’t you coming home too?”
Embarrassed, his uncle replied gently, “I have something to do.”
Although unspoken, Shen Yuan understood—his uncle was going to meet his new girlfriend, and he had no right to stop him.
He let go and watched as his uncle got into another car and drove off.
Alone in the back seat, Shen Yuan gazed silently at the passing city lights, feeling his mood sink deeper into the quiet night.
Halfway through the ride, he suddenly told the driver, “Stop here. I’m getting off.”
“Here?” the driver asked.
“Yes. Just here.”
The night was deep. The street was deserted.
He wandered aimlessly along the roadside, unsure where he was or where he could go. The long, lonely minutes seemed endless. He walked for what felt like hours, only checking his phone to realize twenty minutes had passed.
Looking for a place to rest, he leaned against a streetlight for a while, then crouched down, staring at his solitary shadow on the ground.
After a moment, he pulled out his phone and dialed Qiao Hailou’s number, saying bluntly:
“Old rogue, come pick me up.”