PTS Chapater 10

tl: hua

Chapter 10

To show his appreciation for Qin Guanyu taking care of his neutered cat, Shen Qianci personally took over the kitchen that evening.

He had not been born with a talent for cooking. In his twenty-eight years of life, the only dish he could successfully make was Hot and Sour Fish, and that was solely because the recipe was practically foolproof.

The cook had already sliced the snakehead fish into fillets for him. Shen Qianci poured the store-bought hot and sour soup base into the pot to bring it to a boil. After blanching the side ingredients, he began adding the fish fillets piece by piece.

That was exactly when Qin Guanyu walked in.

“Wow, that’s a real treat, Teacher Shen!” Little President Qin praised with genuine sincerity. “You actually have this skill up your sleeve?”

Shen Qianci replied, “Didn’t I say I’d give you a gift when I got back?”

Qin Guanyu’s face fell slightly. “The gift is actually hot and sour[1] fish? Is the name of this dish a hidden jab at me?”

“President Qin, this is the only dish I know how to make in my entire life. Aside from my parents, you are the only person to ever receive this treatment.”

Shen Qianci let out a soft huff. “Fine, I’ll just throw it out.”

“Wait, wait, wait! Don’t!” Qin Guanyu instantly clamped his hand over Shen Qianci’s. “I’ll stop talking nonsense.”

Having lost the upper hand, the physically imposing president stood off to the side, quietly fidgeting with his fingers and muttering under his breath, “Actually, you don’t really have to cook. I heard Shu Yi doesn’t know how to cook either.”

Shen Qianci noticed that the cook had already laid out the other prepared dishes on the table and departed. Only then did he speak in a tone of earnest gravity: “You pay me two million a month to be a substitute. Is it really just to look at a face?”

Qin Guanyu felt as though he were a student being questioned by a teacher, staring blankly, unsure whether he should answer “yes” or “no.”

Teacher Shen began analyzing the prompt: “When a sugar daddy looks for a substitute, it is nothing more than wanting to experience the feeling of living day in and day out with their white moonlight or even the feeling of being in love.”

Teacher Shen then delivered the conclusion: “People, regardless of whether they knew how to cook before, will often get the urge to cook for the other person when their feelings hit a fever pitch. No matter if it tastes good or bad, it’s done out of a desire to make their lover feel, in that exact moment, that they truly want to treat them well.”

Student Qin took the lesson to heart, letting out an enlightened “Ohh~” before saying, “So if Shu Yi and I actually get together, it’s very likely he’ll get the urge to cook for me too?”

“But you and Shu Yi aren’t together,” Shen Qianci said. “As a substitute, I can help you fill in that gap in your experience.”

Having been single since birth, Qin Guanyu was completely sucked into the bluff. Deeply moved, he felt that his 2 million a month was worth every single penny!

He asked naively, “Then will you cook for me often from now on?”

Shen Qianci replied instantly, “No.”

Qin Guanyu blinked. “Huh? Didn’t you just say…”

“For someone who isn’t good at cooking, doing it occasionally is a romantic gesture.” Teacher Shen continued to guide him patiently. “If I were to cook often, you wouldn’t be looking for a substitute; you’d be looking for a chef.”

Qin Guanyu nodded thoughtfully. “What about the party that is good at cooking, then? Do they need to cook occasionally or often?”

Shen Qianci threw out the bait: “It depends on their partner’s needs. If the partner mentions something they want to eat, and the one who’s good at cooking is willing to make it, that shows they are truly in love.”

The single President Qin foolishly bit the hook. “So if there’s something you want to eat, I can make it for you?”

“Mm.” Shen Qianci reeled in the fish. “I have a bit of a craving for cookies.”

Hearing this, Qin Guanyu’s eyes lit up. “I’m actually really good at that! I can make them for you this weekend!”

—

When the hot and sour fish was brought to the table, Shen Qianci could see that Qin Guanyu was eager to dig in.

He took out his phone and played an audio clip that he had personally recorded earlier in a quiet spot today:

[Recently, a citizen by the surname of Qin was awarded the title of ‘Most Heart-Warming Second Daddy of the Year’ for his enthusiastic companionship during the neutering surgery of a little white cat named Steam Bun, as well as providing royal-tier post-operative care upon returning home. It is reported that this comrade remained on watch for seven consecutive hours, meticulously handling post-op challenges such as wound disinfection, nutritional replenishment, and grooming difficulties. He has established a model for human-feline relationships in the new era and made outstanding contributions to maintaining the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence between humans and cats.]

“…” Qin Guanyu’s hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. “Teacher Shen, this is way too official. It’s totally killing the vibe.”

The vibe-killing Teacher Shen used the serving chopsticks to place a piece of fish into his bowl. “Dig in, President Qin. Taste this ‘Fish and Water Harmony[2].’”

Qin Guanyu: “…Is that appropriate?”

Shen Qianci: “Then how about we call it ‘Fish, Please Guide Me For the Rest of My Life[3]’?”

Qin Guanyu replied dryly, “This fish is cooked (yushu).”

Shen Qianci gasped, “Wow! President Qin, you have absolutely no romance in you.”

Unable to win the argument, Qin Guanyu simply shut his mouth and buried his face in his food.

During the meal, he snuck a few glances at Shen Qianci. He had specifically told the cook today not to make any spicy dishes, and this version of the hot and sour fish was entirely non-spicy. Sure enough, Shen Qianci ate significantly more than he did last night.

Little President Qin finally set his mind at ease.

“Do you really want to move in with me?”

Teacher Shen’s casual question instantly made Qin Guanyu’s newly relaxed heart leap right back into his throat! He almost choked to death on the sour soup.

“What do you mean I want to move in with you?” Qin Guanyu snapped, flushing with embarrassment and anger. “I don’t at all!”

Shen Qianci nodded. “Then I should probably take Steam Bun back to the faculty apartment. It’s too far from Z University.”

Hearing him agree so easily, Qin Guanyu felt displeased again. But Shen Qianci wasn’t wrong. Yunjing Villa really was too far from Z University, sitting clear across the other side of Lucheng.

“On the days you have classes, I’ll have Xiao Fang drive you earlier.”

“Xiao Fang is your driver. Who would want to do two jobs for one salary?” Shen Qianci pointed out. “I’m just a substitute, not the boss’s wife.”

Qin Guanyu fell into deep thought, debating whether it was better to give Xiao Fang a raise or just hire another driver altogether.

“Are you seriously considering it?”

Shen Qianci teased with a curve of his eyes, “Right now, you should be forcefully exercising your rights as the sugar daddy and locking me up in your house.”

“…” Qin Guanyu constantly felt like Shen Qianci was hinting at something!

He warned solemnly, “This sugar daddy protects his virtue like jade. You are just a substitute; you aren’t allowed to covet the sugar daddy’s physical body.”

Teacher Shen pouted. “Alright then.”

Since his innocence was a matter of utmost gravity, Little President Qin decided to halt his previous train of thought and told Shen Qianci: “Since you’re a part-time substitute, just move over during your shifts. I’ll give Xiao Fang a raise, and he’ll pick you up after your classes.”

He then added in a bargaining tone, “Can Steam Bun just stay here permanently? Won’t a cat get stressed if it keeps changing environments?”

Shen Qianci nodded reluctantly. “Then when I’m not here, you have to answer when I video call you. I want to see Steam Bun.”

“Deal,” Qin Guanyu agreed readily. “I’ll give you access to the home security cameras too, so you can check on him whenever you want.”

—

Shen Qianci didn’t have classes the next day, but he still woke up earlier than Qin Guanyu, starting his reading like clockwork.

When Qin Guanyu woke up at 7:00 AM and finished his workout, he took a shower only to find Teacher Shen completely engrossed in Sartre’s Nausea.

This kind of generation gap left Little President Qin feeling a bit inadequate. He packed up his breakfast to eat at the office, hoping the embarrassing memory of Shen Qianci seeing his “book review” wouldn’t catch up to him.

Back in the bedroom to change, Qin Guanyu found himself torn between an array of ties.

Knock, knock, knock—

He looked back and saw Shen Qianci standing at the door of the master bedroom.

Shen Qianci leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed, smiling at him. “Did your white moonlight ever tie a tie for you?”

Hehe

Qin Guanyu thought to himself, Shu Yi and I haven’t even spoken a word to each other…

But President Qin selectively omitted such a pathetic detail. Instead, he said, “No.”

Shen Qianci walked toward him slowly. “Then let me give you a taste of it today.”

Qin Guanyu stared blankly as the other man stepped right up to him, took a deep blue-striped tie, looped it around his neck, and began tying it.

Shen Qianci was less than half an arm’s length away. As his fingers flew skillfully over the fabric, his knuckles would unintentionally brush against Qin Guanyu’s Adam’s apple. Being this close, Qin Guanyu could smell the scent of the exact same body wash he used lingering on Shen Qianci.

The morning light spilled into the room, and a gentle breeze rustled the curtains. Shen Qianci tightened the knot, gently smoothed out his collar, and instead of pulling his hands away, he naturally slid them up to rest on Qin Guanyu’s shoulders. Lifting his gaze, he asked softly, “Should I come to the office to keep you company?”

Qin Guanyu was mesmerized, a “yes” nearly slipping past his lips.

But he snapped out of it a second later. The atmosphere was too bizarre. It felt exactly like… the morning after.

Swallowing hard, Little President Qin stared into those focused, beautiful amber eyes, gritted his teeth, and squeezed out a single word: “No.”

“Alright.” Being rejected yet again didn’t seem to faze Shen Qianci much. His expression didn’t even shift as he lightly withdrew his hands. “Drive safely then.”

“Mm…”

The moment the soft touch on his shoulders vanished, a sense of regret welled up in Qin Guanyu’s heart, much to his shame.

—

Shen Qianci felt that earning his salary as a “part-time substitute” was simply too easy.

Nearly half the week had flown by, and he and Qin Guanyu weren’t even as close as college roommates. Today he had no classes, and Little President Qin had diligently worked the entire day. Towards evening, Qin Guanyu sent him a WeChat message saying he was having dinner with friends and wouldn’t be home.

Shen Qianci immediately shot back: [Should I come with you?]

Far away at the Qing Nong headquarters, Qin Guanyu hadn’t expected him to ask this so bluntly and actually seriously considered it for a moment.

In truth, bringing Shen Qianci along wasn’t a big deal, but his dinner tonight was with Sun Guanqing and Lu Tiangong. Those two bastards had clearly caught a glimpse of Shen Qianci’s hand during yesterday’s video call and had intentionally set up this dinner just to gossip about him.

Qin Guanyu promptly flipped through the mental pages “Scumbag 4” and “Scumbag 8” and found the standard answer in the vast sea of melodramatic substitute stories.

[Fish: No need. The handbook says substitutes generally don’t enter the sugar daddy’s social circle.]

Shen Qianci didn’t reply with words. Instead, he sent a meme featuring Steam Bun.

In the meme, Steam Bun was turning his head away in utter disdain, with a massive edited caption over his head: Tch!

“…” Qin Guanyu silently added it to his favorites.

—

That evening, Shen Qianci enjoyed a whole table of food by himself, realizing a bit late that this stage actually fit the substitute trope perfectly.

Isn’t this the classic plotline?

——The substitute sits alone at the dining table, reheating the dishes over and over again, waiting for the sugar daddy to come home for dinner.

After mapping it out in his head, he held his cat and laughed to himself for a solid ten minutes.

The cook Qin Guanyu hired was highly skilled; the food tasted infinitely better than the university cafeteria. Shen Qianci packed up all the leftovers, planning to take them back to his faculty apartment. Having this delicious food to look forward to would give him much more motivation for work tomorrow.

He had an 8:00 AM class the next day. Figuring Qin Guanyu would definitely return very late tonight anyway, he decided to just head back to his apartment early with his lunchboxes.

As he packed his things, Steam Bun paraded around in his cat cone like he was patrolling his territory. Perhaps the living conditions at Yunjing Villa were simply too luxurious, because after playing the wealthy cat for two days, Steam Bun had adapted surprisingly well to Qin Guanyu’s home. When Shen Qianci scooped him up to leave, Steam Bun stared at him in disbelief for the longest time, as if saying: Didn’t you promise to let me be a rich second-generation heir?!

“You just got snipped, I need to keep an eye on you tonight.” Shen Qianci kissed the cat’s head. “I’ll bring you back tomorrow night.”

Little did he expect that just as he got back to the faculty apartment, took a shower, and curled up in bed early with Steam Bun, Qin Guanyu’s call would ring through.

“Hello? Teacher Shen…”

Little President Qin’s voice sounded slurred and slow, thick with intoxication.

“Come… pick me up and take me home, okay?”

[1] TL note: In Chinese internet slang, sour can mean jealous or bitter.

[2] TL note: A play on words; the idiom means conjugal bliss/sexual harmony but literally contains the character for fish.

[3] TL note: A pun on the term 余生 (yusheng), meaning the rest of my life, and 鱼熟 (yushu), meaning cooked fish.