Chà Chà Novel

The Fu family’s New Year’s Eve dinner was simple but lively, with the same warmth as any ordinary household. Fu Mingyuan was an only child, and so was Fu Baihan; there weren’t even enough of them to fill the table.

The old master never pressured anyone to marry or have kids. He had always been clear-headed: the young would find their own fortune. He was retired and ought to enjoy his twilight years and focus on his hobbies.

Wanting to introduce Su Nuo to a potential match wasn’t a sudden whim to arrange the younger generation’s lives. It came from a desire to protect Su Nuo.

Who wouldn’t adore a good kid? Especially Su Nuo, sweet-talking and lively, who won everyone over.

The old master saw Su Nuo as his own grandson. That was why, after noticing certain emotions and gestures Fu Baihan hadn’t managed to hide, he wanted to give Su Nuo a helping hand.

Fu Baihan was, of course, his pride — the pride of the entire Fu family. A grandson this outstanding was more than capable of shouldering the family business and keeping the Fu Group thriving.

But being exceptionally capable was one thing. Wanting to lure a kid away was another.

It wasn’t that the old master doubted Fu Baihan’s character. He knew the child he’d raised: even surrounded by every glittering temptation, he could stay true to himself. But that didn’t mean he was a good match for Su Nuo.

Why did old-money families always lean toward marriage alliances? Because the next generation, raised in the same background, understood the tangled interests behind their marriages and wouldn’t be swayed by feelings.

When you found yourself a naive partner, you weren’t the one who lost out.

But the old master had held it in for a long time and still felt he couldn’t just watch Su Nuo jump into this “fire pit.” Imagining the very worst side of his own family really was asking a lot of the old man.

Didn’t he know? Schemes and tactics? The most Su Nuo would ever use them for was sneaking ice cream in the middle of the night. If Su Nuo ended up with Fu Baihan, the kid would be eaten down to the bones — Fu Baihan could do whatever he wanted with him.

Whether he’d change his heart was hard to say. The Fu men had no record of falling for someone else. However… there were a few on record who had taken what they wanted by force.

That kind of suffocating love always had a streak of madness at its core.

How old was Su Nuo? A kid who hadn’t even left school yet, now coaxed away by his grandson. Who could guarantee nothing would change down the road?

He didn’t want to watch the two of them become a bitter, resentful couple someday. Better to step in and give a little nudge, so Su Nuo could make his choice with a clearer head and more freedom. The old master thought leisurely: I’m no monster. It’s just a little test, that’s all.

If the big bad wolf wanted to carry the little bunny home, he ought to at least ask whether the bunny truly wanted to go into the wolf’s den.

Normally, Fu Baihan would have seen right through the old man’s intentions. But right now he was at the stage of being “blinded by beauty,” focused entirely on the kid who’d finally gotten some time off, overlooking everything else.

On top of that, the sudden jealousy kept him from seeing through the fog.

Just the thought of the kid going on a blind date with someone else made him want to lock him in his room.

Even though the kid knew nothing about it, he was jealous all the same — jealous of some nameless person who could be so casually mentioned by an elder and introduced to his treasure. Some blue-blooded young lady? His little treasure didn’t need that.

Would anyone else spoil him the way he did? Would anyone else let him lean on them so securely?

All his little treasure wanted was him, and only he could keep his little treasure this carefree forever.

Su Nuo got sleepy right after dinner. Nonstop filming on set wasn’t something two days off could fix.

But he didn’t want to miss a night like this, so he held a bowl of fruit and kept snacking while watching the Spring Festival Gala.

Message notifications kept pinging on his phone. Su Nuo replied to the New Year’s wishes and sent several red envelopes into the studio group chat to boost the festive mood.

The staff who snagged red envelopes: “!!!”

The Young Master is so generous!

Chen Wenyu had already received his year-end bonus and was delighted to be bought off by capital. He could keep babysitting the boss’s kid for another ten thousand years!

But when he saw Wei Sinian’s latest activity on Weibo, his heart seized up.

Best Actor, shouldn’t you be backstage at the Gala right now? How do you have time to tag our Young Master?

Don’t you have WeChat! Why go on Weibo to send him New Year’s wishes!

Two hours without a response, and it was about to hit the trending list. Chen Wenyu hurried to call the Young Master to pull back from the brink.

No thanks. On a special day like this, it was best to let everyone use the trending list to roast the Gala. Better for the Young Master not to make an appearance.

“Nuonuo, Happy New Year! Is now a good time to talk?” Chen Wenyu’s attitude was humble. Trust me, Young Master, if it weren’t urgent, I wouldn’t bother you on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s fine, Brother Chen. What’s up?” Su Nuo was eating cherry tomatoes, his voice a little muffled.

“Wei Sinian reposted your Weibo. Just give a quick response, or the fans are going to push it onto the trending list,” Chen Wenyu explained the business at hand.

These days Su Nuo was all about real life. Once he joined the crew, he’d only thought about the schedule, and on break he was ringing in the New Year with family. He hadn’t paid any attention to what was happening online. Even that perfectly ordinary New Year’s post Wei Sinian had reposted had been posted by his manager.

Wei Sinian hadn’t said anything out of line — just New Year’s wishes, with a tag mentioning that he hoped for a chance to work together again.

Su Nuo was speechless. Practically the whole entertainment industry had posted New Year’s greetings. Was Wei Sinian too lazy to even write his own? If he didn’t want to write one, he could have reposted his studio’s! Why repost Su Nuo’s!

He dryly replied with an emoji, mission complete, and reported back to his manager.

Chen Wenyu relaxed. “That’s fine. As long as you replied, we’ll handle the rest.”

Monitoring public opinion was their studio’s job anyway.

As Su Nuo was logging out of Weibo, he saw his alt account below and, after thinking for a moment, decided to put on a little show for the fans.

“Gege,” he called to Fu Baihan. “Look at me.”

Fu Baihan looked over. “Sweetie?”

Su Nuo snapped a photo and grinned. “Nothing. I’m posting on Weibo.”

“Hm?” Fu Baihan was a little puzzled. Did he want to go public now? It was, admittedly, peak traffic time…

“Don’t I have an alt account? I interacted with Star-ge on it before. Just posting something for New Year’s,” Su Nuo explained.

That alt account had a very clear identity — the Fu family’s Young Master — which was why he dared post Fu Baihan’s photo so openly.

Seeing it wasn’t a public announcement, Fu Baihan wasn’t surprised, but he felt a tiny bit disappointed.

Su Nuo had just taken a quick snap without adjusting the lighting or angle, and he hadn’t edited it either. Yet Fu Baihan in the photo was still so handsome you couldn’t look away — vivid proof of what it meant to look great without any filters.

Many people scrolled past an unfamiliar post on their feed, captioned “The world’s most expensive pistachios,” with a photo below. Wondering when they’d followed this account, they clicked in.

Wait… isn’t that Fu Baihan?!!!

They opened the profile and the case was solved: it was the Fu family’s Young Master, who hadn’t posted anything in half a year.

How does the richest man spend New Year’s? Driven by curiosity, everyone studied the photo carefully.

There was no opulent, gilded decor. Instead, it leaned toward a classical, elegant Chinese style. Still, they figured the antiques on the curio shelf behind him were all genuine, along with the huanghuali rosewood furniture… After the background, they looked at the man, and everyone couldn’t help lamenting the unfairness of creation.

How can Mr. Fu be this handsome!!!

With looks like that, he’d stand out even in the entertainment industry. In an instant, all the actors who played domineering CEOs looked like hotel lobby managers next to him.

Want to know what a real domineering CEO looks like? Just look at Fu Baihan.

Unlike his image in business interviews, he wasn’t in a crisp suit, but something more casual and everyday. An ordinary-looking sweater on him gave off haute couture vibes — though it might have been couture to begin with.

Mr. Fu, who had never once smiled in any interview, was looking up into the camera in this photo with an indescribable tenderness. Who could withstand that?! People screamed on the spot, utterly conquered by this man’s charm.

Everyone soon discovered that the photo was best enjoyed with the Young Master’s caption.

Some people may be the richest man around, but they still have to shell pistachios for their little brother until there’s a whole little bowl.

Wow. The Young Master really was the ultimate winner in life the rumors said he was. Those really were the most expensive pistachios in the world.

Was there anyone left who didn’t know Mr. Fu was a doting big brother? No.

Everyone was even more curious about what the Young Master looked like. Spoiled like this by Fu Baihan, what kind of precious darling must he be?

Young Master, please don’t just post your brother’s pictures! We’re begging you, post a selfie!

The Young Master’s response: Nope.

His show for the fans done, having happily shown off his big brother-slash-boyfriend to the whole country on New Year’s Eve, Su Nuo kicked his feet up contentedly.

Before midnight even rolled around, he couldn’t stop yawning. Su Jing coaxed him upstairs to bed. “Sweetie, if you’re sleepy, don’t stay up. You have to get up tomorrow to pay New Year’s visits. Off to bed.”

Su Nuo acted cute with her softly. “Auntie, I want to see the midnight fireworks.”

“You. You can see the fireworks from upstairs too. At worst, we’ll have your brother wake you up to watch.” Su Jing stroked the kid’s hair, itching to send him straight to his room.

Fu Baihan reached out and took the clingy, boneless kid into his arms. “I’ll take him up to bed.”

Su Jing nodded in agreement. “Go on. Don’t let sweetie stay up. Look how sleepy he is.”

Luckily the old master had already gone to bed early. Otherwise, seeing this, he would have been beside himself with frustration. Daughter-in-law, you’re assisting way too generously!

Fu Baihan half-pushed, half-carried the kid back to the room. Su Nuo wrapped his arms around his waist. “Gege, I want to wait until midnight.”

Fu Baihan pinched his cheek. “Why wait for midnight? You can see fireworks tomorrow.”

“It’s not about the fireworks.” Su Nuo pouted. “I want to ring in the New Year with you… boyfriend.”

Fu Baihan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Holding back the heat in his chest, he bent down and kissed this little treasure who teased him anytime, anywhere.

“Sweetie, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?” Fu Baihan pressed the eagerly responding kid down onto the bed and leaned over him. “Just wanted to trick me back to the room?”

Su Nuo wrapped his arms around his neck. “So did you fall for it?”