“Shiwen, I wasn’t fooling you, right!”
“How do you even know about all this… huff… huff…”
A decent-looking teenager stared at the two pale, naked bodies writhing on the computer screen. His breathing came in rapid gasps, his face flushed a light pink, with fine beads of sweat beading on his forehead.
He turned to the boy leaning against the computer desk beside him and asked.
The boy next to him was even more handsome, with fair skin, sharp eyebrows slanting boldly upward, slender black eyes glinting with a keen edge, thin lips pursed lightly, and sharply defined features that gave him a refined, handsome look—red lips and pearly white teeth.
The boy, who had the face of an adorable young lad, wore a mischievous grin as he looked at his deskmate Zhou Shiwen and said, “You don’t need to worry about how I know this stuff. Just don’t forget our little bet.”
“But…”
At the mention of it, a troubled expression crossed Zhou Shiwen’s face.
Yang Haoran noticed his deskmate’s hesitation. He’d expected as much—the “stakes” were that kind of thing, after all. Seizing the moment, he pressed on. “We had a deal, Shiwen. I show you some porn, and you help me out.”
“You can’t go back on your word now. I, Yang Haoran, have no respect for people who do that.”
“But… cheating on the exam… isn’t that wrong?”
Zhou Shiwen furrowed his brows, head slightly bowed, avoiding eye contact. His voice grew quieter and quieter.
He regretted agreeing to Haoran’s request right now. Haoran had asked him to help cheat on the exam. They were childhood friends and now deskmates, so he couldn’t outright refuse. Instead, he’d suggested that if Haoran showed him porn, he’d help—hoping it’d make the other boy back off.
Seeing his deskmate still waffling, Yang Haoran let out a deliberate sigh, his face showing just the right amount of disappointment. “Fine. I’ve already prepared myself for Mom to give me a beating.”
He slumped onto the edge of the bed, his tone sinking low. “I wrote a pledge to my mom. If I fail this exam too, she’s cutting off my allowance and locking me at home for summer tutoring.”
“Did Aunt Liu really say that?”
Zhou Shiwen frowned as he asked.
“We’ve been friends since we were kids. Don’t you know my mom by now? She’s a real Old witch.” Yang Haoran gave a wry smile, his sincerity showing through in that moment.
“If I had any other choice, why would I come to you? I know you’re good at school, but I’ve failed so many times—have I ever asked you to cheat for me before?”
“I’m telling you, the Old witch means business this time. I had no choice but to ask you.”
Hearing this, Zhou Shiwen still felt deep down that cheating was wrong, but he couldn’t throw years of friendship away over it. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Alright! I’ll help you, Haoran. But just this once.”
Yang Haoran’s face lit up with joy at the agreement. He slipped back into his usual carefree attitude and laughed. “Great, great! Just this once.”
With a wink, he nodded toward the computer screen. “You wanna keep watching?”
Zhou Shiwen’s face turned beet red in an instant. He stammered, “N-no… I mean, y-yes… no, no! I’ve seen enough.”
He’d only suggested the porn as a joke to scare Haoran off, but the guy had actually gone through with it.
It was his first time seeing something like that. Hormones raging through his teenage body, he’d gotten all hot and bothered, his pants uncomfortably tight.
Though he said he was done, Zhou Shiwen’s eyes kept darting sneakily back to the screen.
On the display, a middle-aged man clutched the snow-white hips of a naked woman on the bed, thrusting his pelvis wildly.
Yang Haoran caught Shiwen’s furtive glances and teased, “If you wanna watch, just watch. No one’s around.”
“Click, click, click, click…”
At the same time, the sharp, crisp sound of high heels striking the floor echoed from the hallway outside. Yang Haoran held his breath and listened. The footsteps grew closer—the forceful stride was all too familiar; no one else in the house walked with that kind of presence.
“Quick, quick…”
Panic flashed across Yang Haoran’s face. He fumbled with the mouse, clicking wildly but missing the shutdown button several times in his haste.
Zhou Shiwen panicked too. He knew Aunt Liu was coming.
“Mmm~ ahh~ mmm~ ahh~”
Outside the door, Liu Ruoxi heard the lewd sounds coming from her son’s room. Frost settled on her face.
She knew her son was watching porn again. Last time she’d caught him, she’d grabbed the chicken feather duster in a rage and given him a thorough thrashing.
And now, not even that long after, he dared to do it again on the sly.
“Knock knock knock… knock knock knock…”
Liu Ruoxi’s brows shot up in anger. She held back her fury as she knocked on the door, determined to give him a lesson he’d never forget.
After the knocking started, Yang Haoran finally managed to shut down the computer. His heart raced with anxiety—had Mom heard?
“Haoran, open the door!”
The familiar voice came from outside, cold and stern. Yang Haoran jolted, his face draining of color.
“W-what… what do we do?”
Zhou Shiwen panicked as well.
After a brief silence, Yang Haoran patted Zhou Shiwen’s shoulder with a bitter smile. “You go first. Don’t worry about me.”
“How can I do that?”
Zhou Shiwen shook his head vehemently. He couldn’t just bail and leave his childhood friend to take the fall. After all, he’d been the one who suggested watching the video, even if it had been a joke.
“What are you thinking?” Yang Haoran gave a wry chuckle. “You wanna stick around and watch the Old witch beat me? Where would that leave my dignity?”
“We said it when we were kids—I’m the boss! Listen to me.”
With that, seeing Zhou Shiwen about to protest more, Yang Haoran patted his shoulder again and turned to open the door.
He pulled it open to reveal a woman with a frosty expression, dressed in a sharp black business suit.
The woman was stunningly beautiful, with a delicate, fair oval face, her long black hair pinned up neatly behind her head. She had slender phoenix eyes that curved inward at the corners, willow-leaf brows, a dainty nose, and lips the color of red bean paste. Her bright eyes held a deep, piercing gaze, exuding the sensual charm unique to a mature woman.
She wore a fitted suit jacket with a deep V-neckline that revealed the white blouse beneath, her waist slim and her chest full and rounded. Below, a black pencil skirt hugged her hips, paired with flesh-toned stockings and black pointed high heels. Her hips curved pertly, and her legs were evenly toned and long— the epitome of a poised, professional career woman.
Yang Haoran recognized the outfit immediately. Mom must have just gotten home from the office.
He’d only dared bring Zhou Shiwen home for this because the house was supposed to be empty. He never imagined she’d come back so suddenly, completely unprepared.
“Who’s this bombshell?”
Forcing a smile onto his face, Yang Haoran exaggerated his expression. “Oh~ if it isn’t my beautiful and merciful Mother. What brings you to this humble one, Mother?”
“Out of the way!”
Liu Ruoxi gave no quarter to her son’s cheeky grin, snapping coldly.
Yang Haoran jumped, quickly stepping aside and bowing with an obsequious smile. “Please come in, Mother.”
Liu Ruoxi strode into the room, her eyes immediately landing on Zhou Shiwen standing nervously by the computer desk, hands fidgeting with nowhere to settle.
She frowned slightly but showed no warmth to her friend’s son either. In an icy tone, she said, “Shiwen, you go on home. I need to talk to my son.”
Zhou Shiwen had mustered the courage to stand his ground, but under Liu Ruoxi’s freezing stare, it evaporated like a campfire doused with cold water.
He nodded shakily, not daring to say a word. He snatched his backpack from the bed and bolted out the door in double time, throwing Yang Haoran a sympathetic “you’re on your own” look as he left.
“Damn!”
Seeing his bro—the one who’d just sworn to stick it out—scurry off without so much as a parting word, Yang Haoran mentally cursed a thousand times over.
At least say something before you go, and I’d respect you as a real man, Yang Haoran thought.
Liu Ruoxi walked to her son’s bed and sat down casually. In a flat tone, she said, “Close the door.”
“Right away, Mother.”
Yang Haoran shut the door behind him and tiptoed over to his mom. He hopped onto the bed behind her and began gently kneading her shoulders, grinning. “Mother, you’re home early today. Tired? Let this one give you a shoulder rub to help you unwind.”
“Hmph!”
Liu Ruoxi ignored her son’s flattery, her face twisting into a cold smirk. “Your hide’s gotten bolder lately.”
“Hah hah… I see your skin’s itching for a thrashing. Spare the rod for three days, and you’ll climb the roof and tear off the tiles, huh? Skipping class so bad the teacher’s calling me—did you think I wouldn’t come home?”
Hearing this, Yang Haoran quickly sped up the shoulder massage. With a flirtatious smile, he said, “Come on, Mom, look what you’re saying. Didn’t your son miss you? I missed Mother so much that this little one just couldn’t hold back. So I came back from school early to see Mother. How could that possibly be skipping class?”
“Good, such a smooth talker, huh?” Liu Ruoxi let out a cold laugh. “Then tell me, what were you looking at in the room just now?”
“N-No… I wasn’t looking at anything. I was studying with Shiwen earlier.” Yang Haoran knew his mother was already aware of the truth, but of course he wouldn’t admit it.
He hurriedly changed the subject. “Mother, after days and nights of hard study, this little one is confident he’ll pass this exam. Please rest assured, Mother. This little one will definitely give you a satisfactory score.”
“Heh…”
Liu Ruoxi sneered again. As his mother, how could she not know what kind of person her son was? There was no way she would believe any nonsense about “days and nights of hard study.”
Hearing the disdain in his mother’s laugh, Yang Haoran felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, and his hands came to a stop. He knew full well that not even ghosts would believe such a line.
“Keep going. Why’d you stop? Do you want me to whip you right now?”
“Got it, Mother.”
Yang Haoran hurriedly resumed massaging his mother’s shoulders. He was very familiar with this task—he’d even studied specific techniques for it. After many practice sessions, he had long since mastered the precise amount of pressure and the perfect spots to make his mother feel comfortable.
Liu Ruoxi narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly. Her son’s fawning flirtatiousness wasn’t entirely ineffective. The relaxation spreading through her body eased her anger a little, but it still wasn’t enough.
