Junior Huo Yutong, How Could I Be Your Sugar Daddy?

Boys' dormitory, room 108.

"Tang Qi, are we really going to be okay skipping class like this?"

Xiao Xiao sat upright in her chair, her legs swinging uneasily. Hesitation was written all over her little face.

Her big eyes kept darting toward the window. She looked every bit the good girl doing something naughty for the first time.

"It's fine. Geniuses always get a few privileges. Besides—"

Tang Qi sat on the edge of the bed and raised an eyebrow at the little girl. "Is that a class the Tang Sect's master ought to attend?"

Beside him, Huo Yutong clung to his arm like a frightened little animal. Her head rested against his shoulder, her beautiful eyes were shut tight, and her slender body still trembled in waves.

It looked as though she had fallen into "post-traumatic stress disorder."

"Oh." Xiao Xiao nodded, then looked thoughtfully at Huo Yutong. "Why not take Yutong back to the girls' dormitory?"

Tang Qi chuckled and gestured with his chin toward the girl leaning on his shoulder. "For one thing, how am I supposed to get into your girls' dormitory? And besides..."

He tried to pull his arm free of her grip.

Huo Yutong immediately hugged it tighter, letting out a soft little whimper through her delicate nose.

Seeing that, Tang Qi soothed her in a gentle voice. Only then did Huo Yutong gradually calm down.

The girl let go and sat dazedly on the edge of the bed, her little mouth twitching.

Tang Qi's gaze suddenly sharpened and settled on her hands. Several wounds stood out starkly against her fair palms.

Frowning, Tang Qi stepped forward and took her wrist without a word.

Huo Yutong jolted as if shocked. She instinctively lowered her face, peeking up at Tang Qi's expression through watery eyes as though afraid she would be scolded for doing something wrong.

He said nothing. Slowly, he raised his other hand. A soft, emerald-green glow gathered in his palm, and pure life force flowed over Huo Yutong's hand.

In moments, the girl's hands were smooth and unblemished again.

Huo Yutong stared blankly at her palms. "Thank you, Brother Tang Qi..."

Tang Qi said nothing. He merely patted the little girl's head.

Let Blue Silver Grass bear the hardship, and let the emperor take the blame!

Watching from the side, Xiao Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Huo Yutong settle down.

"Yutong, you really..."

Huo Yutong blinked. Her gaze lingered briefly on Xiao Xiao before turning to Tang Qi.

After gathering her courage, the girl finally opened her heart and haltingly told them of the misery she had suffered since childhood.

It was enough to break the heart of anyone who heard it and bring tears to anyone who listened.

As Huo Yutong grew agitated again, Tian Meng acted decisively from within the Sea of Consciousness.

A gentle wave of mental power enveloped the girl's mind. Huo Yutong's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She struggled to blink twice before her head tipped to one side and she fell onto Tang Qi's bed.

"Tang Qi, I'm letting little Yutong sleep for a while," Tian Meng said through a mental transmission.

"Th-this..."

Xiao Xiao turned her head in a daze. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and she looked utterly at a loss.

Tang Qi reached out and stroked her little head. "Don't worry. She was just exhausted and fell asleep."

He stood, took off Huo Yutong's shoes and socks, then pulled the covers over her.

"It's getting late."

Tang Qi turned to Xiao Xiao. "Let's go out and eat. Yutong can sleep for a while, and we'll bring her something back."

With that, the two left the dormitory.

As they walked along a path through Shrek Academy, Xiao Xiao kept her head down, her spirits low. Clearly, what Huo Yutong had said was still weighing on her.

When she looked up and saw Tang Qi heading out of the academy, she could not help saying quietly, "Tang Qi, the cafeteria's over there."

Tang Qi stopped and glanced back. "Who in their right mind eats at the cafeteria? I'm taking you out to a restaurant today."

"Really? Yay!"

At that, Xiao Xiao's big eyes lit up. She skipped after him.

Meanwhile, in Tang Qi's dormitory.

Huo Yutong lay quietly on the bed, her breathing gradually growing steady.

Unconsciously, the girl nuzzled the pillow with her cheek. Tang Qi's scent still lingered on it.

The furrow in Huo Yutong's brow finally eased, and she drifted into a dream.

In her dream, the sun shone brightly and the sea breeze carried a hint of salt.

Huo Yutong and her mother stood beside the beach, barefoot on the soft sand, basking in an imagined warmth.

She crouched and drew pictures in the sand with her little finger, her pretty face bright with childish delight.

"Yutong, look up! Daddy's here." Huo Yun'er's familiar voice came from behind her.

The smile on Huo Yutong's face froze.

It was as though a bucket of icy water had been dumped over her head, chilling her to the bone. The girl raised her bloodshot eyes, murderous intent surging toward the figure approaching against the light.

Dai Hao!

Why? Why won't you leave me alone even in my dreams?!

As the figure drew closer, his features came into focus. Huo Yutong's pupils contracted, and a flash of disbelief crossed her pretty face.

"Tang Qi—"

"Daddy?"

Shrek City South District.

This was the busiest shopping street in all of Shrek City. Eateries and small shops lined the street, which bustled with voices and crowds.

Tang Qi led Xiao Xiao by the hand through the crowd. The little girl kept turning her head, her big eyes looking left and right with curiosity.

Before long, they picked a small restaurant and went inside. It was clean and tidy, and they took a table farther in.

"What would you two like to eat?"

A young woman approached with a menu in her hands.

The voice sounded familiar. Tang Qi looked up to see Tang Ya's pretty face.

"Tang Qi?!"

Tang Ya spoke first, her voice full of surprise and delight. A glimmer flashed through her beautiful eyes.

"Wow, it's really you?!"

Tang Qi looked Tang Ya up and down in her server's uniform and found himself at a loss for words.

"What are you doing here?"

Tang Ya did not answer.

She leaned closer and craned her neck to look around. "Where's Yutong? Why isn't she with you?"

"Yutong's sleeping in Tang Qi's dormitory," Xiao Xiao answered honestly, tipping up her little face.

"What do you mean, 'Yutong's sleeping in Tang Qi's dormitory'?!" Tang Ya's eyes swept over Tang Qi several times.

Tang Qi was hard—his fists were hard!

"Forget it."

Tang Ya pursed her lips. Then her gaze fell on Xiao Xiao, and her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up.

"What a tiny little girl! Whose is she?" She could not resist reaching out to knead Xiao Xiao's soft cheeks.

Xiao Xiao froze. She wanted to resist but did not dare, so all she could do was protest with muffled whimpers.

"That's enough."

Tang Qi helplessly swatted away Tang Ya's mischievous hand.

"Let me introduce her. This is Xiao Xiao, the fourth member of our Tang Sect. She has Twin Martial Souls."

"What?!"

Tang Ya's expression changed abruptly, and she cried out in shock.

That shout succeeded in drawing every eye in the restaurant.

"Being silly again, are you?" Tang Qi muttered, pressing a hand to his forehead.

Tang Ya stuck out her tongue and plopped down in the chair beside them. Propping an elbow on the table and resting her cheek in her hand, she said, "Tang Qi, maybe you really are better suited to be the Tang Sect's master than I am?"

Wasn't that obvious?

"I haven't asked you yet. What are you doing here? Instead of training properly, you came out to work?" Tang Qi asked.

Tang Ya straightened, planted her hands on her hips, and declared, "As sect master, I'm working to earn money and save up the start-up funds to revive the Tang Sect, of course!"

"At this rate, you'll be saving until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse. You're wasting your prime training years."

"Easy to say when you've got meat to eat." Tang Ya pursed her lips, shot him a look, and turned away. "If I don't earn money, are you going to support me?"

The air went quiet for a moment.

Thinking she had angered him, Tang Ya quietly turned back.

Tang Qi had taken out a golden Soul Coin Bank Card at some point and now held it suspended in midair. He looked at her helplessly.

"Take it. Ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in initial funding."

Tang Ya felt her heart skip a beat. The tips of her ears reddened before she knew it.

"I... I can't take it," the girl mumbled.

"Enough, Tang Ya! I'm the Tang Sect's master!"

"I'm starting to think you don't want the Tang Sect revived at all. Want me to strip you of your deputy master position right now and assign you to observe a Buddha's Fury Tang Lotus test explosion up close?"

"W-well, if you insist, I suppose I'll take it!" Tang Ya snatched the gold card so fast it seemed she was afraid Tang Qi would change his mind.

Her eyes curved with her smile, and she tilted her head. "Xiaoya thanks her generous sugar daddy for keeping her~"