I Pretended to Be a Girl to Climb the Ranks, Then the Real Young Master Got Clingy

Qu Yanxi had spent twenty years as the most doted-on young master of the Qu family. He was handsome, spoiled, and used to having everything go his way. He had never suffered the slightest grievance.

That is, until two reports were placed before him on his twentieth birthday.

The bad news was that he was an impostor, with no blood relation to the Qu family whatsoever.

The good news was that the top-ranked player he'd latched onto in a game by acting cute and pretending to be a girl might actually be the real young master.

And the even better news was that the other guy had no idea. Just moments ago, he'd asked with a smile over voice chat, "Baby, want to rank up? I'll carry you."

Qu Yanxi stared at the screen, then glanced at the paternity test beside him.

Should he cling to the top player and hope to survive, or delete him and block him before fleeing overnight?

Three seconds later, Qu Yanxi decisively chose the latter and swiftly cut off all contact.

He thought that was the end of the absurdity.

Until one late night, a familiar figure caught him outside his own villa.

The real young master, newly acknowledged by the family and possessed of an aloof, distinguished air, casually raised a hand and braced it against the door behind him.

Under the lights, the man's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze passed over Qu Yanxi's collar, loosened by his agitation, and finally settled on the vivid red mole at his collarbone.

"Are you crazy?"

The tipsy young man, his face bright as a peach blossom, gathered his collar with an uneasy gesture and glared at him.

He had no idea that the man's gaze had already become frighteningly intense.

-

Shen Que had been a little annoyed lately.

First, he'd been told he was the real young master who had been switched at birth with the child of a wealthy family.

Second, the sweet, clingy "girlfriend" he'd picked up in a game had suddenly blocked him.

He couldn't have cared less about the first matter. His own company had already gone public, so he had no need to rely on his family.

As for the second...

He pinched the bridge of his nose and thought of the handsome young man who was supposedly the fake young master.

When the other guy glared at him, the corners of his eyes turned red. When he cursed, his voice was soft and sweet. When he muttered complaints, he would inadvertently reveal a stretch of fair collarbone.

And on it was a vivid, almost glistening red mole.

Its position and shape were exactly the same as the red mole in the photo his "girlfriend" had once sent him, taken at a certain intimate spot.

-

After nervously pretending to be a "stranger" for a month, Qu Yanxi finally became convinced that his secret identity was still intact, since the other man had remained distant and indifferent.

As relief mingled with a pang of regret, his childhood friend dragged him to a bar. Once he was tipsy, he was roped into playing Truth or Dare.

His punishment was to call his "ex-boyfriend" and say, "I still love you. Let's get back together."

Dazed with drink, his finger slipped, and he dialed the number he knew by heart, though he'd had it blocked for a month.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"Hello?"

The familiar deep voice came through the receiver, making Qu Yanxi's heart clench. He closed his eyes and quickly mumbled the line into the phone.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

Then came a soft chuckle, impossible to read, followed by a leisurely question.

"Get back together?"

"As who, baby?"

[Bonus Scene]

Three days after the bar incident, Qu Yanxi pretended it had never happened. He was cornered outside his own home.

The man braced one hand against the door behind him, casting him in shadow. His voice was low and unhurried.

"Pretend to be a girl, flirt with me, rank up, delete your account."

"Having fun, baby?"

Qu Yanxi pressed his back against the cold metal door and slowly slid downward.

"I... I can explain..."

"Sure." Shen Que curled his lips, though there was no smile in his eyes. "I've got all night to hear you explain."

Later, Qu Yanxi paid a long-lasting and devastating price for his lies.

Theme: Love transcends everything