My crush wants to be my sugar daddy.

Chapter 108 The first day of the new year, together with Mr. Jiang

"Kid, do you want some candy?"

When someone touched him, Chi Yuan instinctively wanted to dodge, but then he heard this sound.

Chi Yuan suddenly looked up, his dejected expression brightening with the appearance of someone.

"Mr. Jiang." Chi Yuan stood up excitedly from his chair, but the movement was so sudden that he fell forward.

Jiang Haochen stretched out his long arm and pulled the person into his embrace: "Be careful."

Chi Yuan looked up from Jiang Haochen's arms, and the moment their eyes met, his eyes curved into crescents: "Mr. Jiang, I've come to admit my mistake."

Jiang Haochen was no longer angry; it had been since the first time he saw the boy.

Chi Yuan looked very young, and with a backpack, he squatted at the entrance of the coffee shop, looking just like a homeless child, which inexplicably made people feel sorry for him.

For the first time, he even felt petty, that he would get angry over a thoughtless remark by Chi Yuan.

Jiang Haochen: "Mm."

He didn't want to say it was okay because he really did mind. He also didn't want to say not to do it again because the child had already apologized so much, and saying something like that seemed a bit too harsh.

Chi Yuan: "Can I explain?"

Jiang Haochen didn't really want to hear any explanations; he wanted the matter to just pass. However, faced with the boy's sincere gaze, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.

Jiang Haochen: "Mm."

Chi Yuan lowered his eyes: "You warned me not to like you. But what I said was just the literal meaning, not... that meaning."

He dared not meet Jiang Haochen's gaze, afraid that he would give himself away when he spoke. But it was precisely because he avoided eye contact that he missed the astonishment on Jiang Haochen's face.

When Jiang Haochen heard that Chi Yuan's words of affection were directed at him, he didn't feel the expected aversion or anger. Instead, he was more surprised and felt an indescribable emotion.

Soon after, this feeling was overwhelmed by guilt and self-blame.

He had initially thought that the affection was for Chi Yuan's crush, but it turned out to be for him. The boy hadn't done anything wrong, yet he had flown for over ten hours to come here and apologize.

Chi Yuan waited in vain for Jiang Haochen's reply. He gritted his teeth, about to force himself to say the words against his will: "Mr. Jiang, I won't..."

"I misunderstood," Jiang Haochen interrupted Chi Yuan.

Chi Yuan looked up.

Jiang Haochen's words were full of guilt: "I misunderstood. I thought that when you said 'I like you,' you were referring to the person you have a crush on."

Chi Yuan's cat-like eyes widened in surprise, clearly not expecting Mr. Jiang to be angry over this.

He asked, somewhat incredulously, "You...you're angry because of this?"

Jiang Haochen, unusually embarrassed, said, "I know I told you beforehand that I don't mind if you have a crush. But isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to bring it up so openly?"

Chi Yuan's focus wasn't on that at all; he impatiently pressed for confirmation: "So you're not angry that I said I like you?"

Jiang Haochen smiled and said, "Haven't you always liked me? My former fan."

The light in Chi Yuan's eyes dimmed for a moment, but quickly brightened again.

Although it wasn't the kind of liking he thought he had, he should be able to openly say he liked her from now on.

Chi Yuan: "Mr. Jiang, I like you."

Jiang Haochen looked up at the boy who was saying he liked him and thought to himself, "There's probably no one in this world who would hate such pure affection."

He couldn't help but ruffle the boy's hair, then handed the candy jar to him again: "Your candy."

Chi Yuan stared at the candy jar: "My gift?"

Jiang Haochen hummed in agreement: "Happy New Year."

Chi Yuan held the sugar jar in his arms as if it were some rare treasure.

The jar of candy existed before he apologized, so even though he was still angry, Mr. Jiang remembered to buy him a gift.

Having figured this out, Chi Yuan was so happy he felt like he could fly: "Happy New Year!"

In the distance, Jiang Mian took a picture with her phone and secretly sent it to her aunt.

On the way here, he thought something had happened to his cousin, but it turned out that he was just there to pick someone up. This must be the cat that grinds its teeth.

Jiang Mian put away her phone and walked over, taking the initiative to shake hands with Chi Yuan: "Hello, I'm Jiang Mian, Jiang Haochen's cousin."

Chi Yuan was surprised to see Mr. Jiang's relatives and became a little nervous. He quickly reached out and shook hands with them, saying, "Hello, I am Chi Yuan."

Jiang Mian looked Chi Yuan up and down: "You...you're an adult, right?"

Chi Yuan exclaimed in confusion, but before he could answer, he saw Mr. Jiang kick his cousin in the leg: "He'll be 22 after the New Year."

What do they take him for?

Jiang Mian chuckled and said, "Sorry, sorry, you look so young. I thought you were a high school student when I saw you across the street."

Chi Yuan smiled, then silently moved two steps to the side while holding the candy jar.

Jiang Haochen looked at him with a puzzled expression.

By this time it was completely dark, and Jiang Mian suggested going home.

Jiang Haochen asked Chi Yuan, "Where's your luggage?"

Chi Yuan pointed to the backpack next to him: "Here it is."

Jiang Haochen: "Just one bag?"

Chi Yuan nodded: "We came in a rather rushed manner."

Jiang Haochen could almost picture the scene when Chi Yuan arrived. Not receiving his WeChat message, the boy guessed that he was angry and hurriedly left with only his passport and phone.

Jiang Mian, unaware that her cousin felt guilty, said nonchalantly, "It's okay that I didn't bring any. I'll just buy some later. I'll just wear my brother's clothes tonight."

Mr. Jiang's clothes? Is Mr. Jiang going to take me home?

Chi Yuan couldn't help but feel hopeful, but reason told him it wasn't appropriate.

Sure enough, as soon as the car pulled out of the airport, Jiang Haochen asked him, "Have you booked a hotel?"

Chi Yuan nodded: "It's booked."

Jiang Haochen: "Which hotel?"

Chi Yuan couldn't answer immediately.

Jiang Haochen smiled helplessly, his eyes filled with a doting affection he himself was unaware of, and turned to Jiang Mian, saying, "Let's go to the apartment."

Jiang Mian asked in surprise, "Not going back to the villa?"

Jiang Haochen shook his head: "No."

Seeing that her cousin insisted, Jiang Mian stopped talking and changed her destination to the apartment.

Upon arriving at the apartment, Jiang Haochen opened the door and let Chi Yuan in.

Chi Yuan said nothing, picked up his bag, and went inside. His status already disqualified him from meeting the parents; if he did, how would Mr. Jiang introduce him?

Is this my lover?

Mr. Jiang's decision not to let him go was actually to save his face.

Moreover, Mr. Jiang didn't let him stay in a hotel, but took him back to his apartment, which was actually quite kind of him.

Chi Yuan stood in the living room, curiously looking around the apartment, imagining what it would be like for Mr. Jiang to live here.

This must be where Mr. Jiang lived before he was eighteen.

"Click."

The door behind him opened, and Jiang Haochen walked in. Seeing Chi Yuan still standing in the doorway, he asked in surprise, "What are you standing there for?"

Chi Yuan turned around in surprise: "Mr. Jiang, you didn't leave?"

"I'm staying here today too."

As he spoke, Jiang Haochen went to the room and found a set of clothes he had worn in high school, handing them to Chi Yuan: "The shops here are all closed at night, so you can't buy any clothes. Wear mine for now. My height in high school was probably about the same as yours. What's wrong?"

Seeing that Chi Yuan remained motionless, Jiang Haochen looked at the boy with a puzzled expression.

Chi Yuan hurriedly shook his head and hugged the clothes, along with the candy jar, into his arms.

On the first day of the new year, he was with Mr. Jiang.

(* ^ ▽ ^ *)