Chapter 50 – Exclusive Sweet Romance: The Battle to Save the Campus Heartthrob (12)
The motel was just as rundown as in the original plot, and it was difficult to find. If not for Xiao Bobao, Bai Mo would never have located such a hidden place.
“Huo Wen can’t afford a luxury hotel. Plus, high-end hotels are well-located, crowded, and lively. If she wants to pull off her scheme, she definitely can’t risk being recognized.” Xiao Bobao analyzed Huo Wen’s mindset and behavior.
“But seriously, this place is way too shabby.” Bai Mo stood at the motel entrance, looking up at the barely recognizable signboard, its original color long faded.
Everyone knew that both he and Jian Haocang were wealthy. Of all places, why would she choose such a rundown motel?
Bai Mo was deeply concerned about Huo Wen’s intelligence. She only considered her own situation and never took into account his “rich lady” persona.
“No choice, she’s both malicious and stupid,” Xiao Bobao muttered, careful not to mention that the original protagonist, who had once fallen for Huo Wen’s tricks, was even dumber.
Bai Mo took a deep breath and helplessly climbed the narrow staircase.
Peeling walls, cobweb-covered corners, and dim lighting—this motel embodied everything rundown. Bai Mo couldn’t understand how a place like this even remained open. Did it meet hygiene standards?
Huo Wen truly had a knack for finding the worst possible places.
The front desk was at the top of the stairs on the second floor, decorated as if it were stuck in the 1950s or 60s. A dim chandelier dangled from the ceiling, and an old electric fan creaked noisily. A middle-aged man sat behind the counter, engrossed in his phone.
“Welcome! Would you like a large room or a small one? Our accommodations are affordable yet high-quality—definitely your best choice!”
Initially indifferent, the middle-aged man’s demeanor changed instantly when he saw Bai Mo.
His eyes swept over Bai Mo’s expensive-looking outfit. He wasn’t familiar with brand names, but the high-quality fabric and poised demeanor were enough to tell him that this was a rich young master.
How did someone like this end up at his rundown motel?
Then again, this was a great opportunity.
Rich kids didn’t understand hardship, and they tended to spend lavishly. If he played his cards right, he might be able to scam a hefty sum out of this one.
With that thought, the motel owner became even more enthusiastic, passionately promoting the motel’s various room sizes. He boasted endlessly, making it sound as grand as a five-star hotel.
Bai Mo simply stood there, listening quietly, making no effort to interrupt.
After all, the meeting time had arrived. If no one showed up, the ones who’d get anxious wouldn’t be him—but Huo Wen and Mo Qun, the ones setting the trap.
“So, according to you, this motel is a hidden paradise?” Bai Mo quirked an eyebrow.
He had never seen someone talk so much nonsense with a straight face before.
According to the motel owner, this place was a hidden gem, seemingly ordinary on the outside but full of hidden wonders within. If Bai Mo wanted to uncover its secrets, he simply needed to rent a room.
“Unbelievable,” Xiao Bobao muttered, utterly stunned.
Was this what it meant to be a businessman?
Or was the owner just taking advantage of her innocent, young-faced Bai Mo—spouting nonsense with absolute confidence?
“I’m here because a friend invited me. He’s waiting for me.” Bai Mo’s voice was light and pleasant, his smile unwavering.
The motel owner’s enthusiasm instantly deflated.
So the room was already booked?
What a waste—he couldn’t scam a fortune out of this rich young master.
“However,” the young man suddenly changed the topic. After reporting the room number, he turned to the motel owner and asked, “How’s the soundproofing here?”
The owner immediately understood and flashed an ambiguous smile. “The soundproofing is excellent. Plus, I’m getting old, and my hearing isn’t great. If you need anything, calling me from inside the room won’t help. You can dial the front desk using the in-room phone.”
Having run a motel for so many years, the owner had seen all kinds of people. Plenty of young guests came here seeking excitement.
Recalling the room number the young man had mentioned earlier, he couldn’t help but smirk. That room was occupied by a hulking, muscular man—the type whose muscles practically stretched his shirt to the limit.
And then there was this slender young man… Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Kids these days really know how to have fun.
Bai Mo got the answer he wanted and smiled in satisfaction.
The motel owner, upon receiving a discreet tip, also smiled with equal satisfaction.
They had reached a silent understanding, their thought processes strangely in sync.
Whatever I hear, I hear nothing.
Whatever I overhear, well… I’m too old to hear anything at all.
Xiao Bobao nearly fell over.
Wait… how did Bai Mo and the motel owner end up on the same wavelength?!
…
By the time Bai Mo knocked on the door, he was already fifteen minutes late for the meeting.
Inside the room, the man Huo Wen had lured online under Bai Mo’s name was growing anxious. He had texted Huo Wen multiple times, asking if the deal was off.
Huo Wen and Mo Qun were just as desperate. They were trying to keep the muscular man patient while eagerly listening for movement outside.
In reality, the motel’s soundproofing wasn’t that great.
Huo Wen could faintly hear Bai Mo talking to the owner, but their voices were too low, and the noisy fan plus other background sounds made it difficult to make out their conversation.
“D*mn it! Why is that b*tch stalling? Just go in already!” Huo Wen gritted her teeth, cursing Bai Mo for lingering outside when he was supposed to be walking straight into their trap.
Finally, after much anticipation, Bai Mo finished his chat with the owner and knocked on the door next door.
That sent Huo Wen and Mo Qun into a frenzy of excitement.
They hurried back to the laptop and opened the feed from the hidden camera they had installed in the adjacent room.
Huo Wen had already given instructions to the muscular man, telling him to be as aggressive as possible.
The goal?
As soon as Bai Mo walked in, the man was to pounce on him immediately and show off his most ‘dominant’ side.
With footage from two different men, they’d have enough evidence to paint Bai Mo as a promiscuous, morally corrupt playboy.
The muscular man was more than eager. He had agreed to this setup for one reason only, and hearing such instructions only fueled his enthusiasm.
…
The moment he heard the knock, the man, fully prepared, yanked open the door and lunged forward for a bear hug.
Then, eyes closed, he leaned in for a kiss—
Only to slam his lips into something sharp.
The pain nearly cut his lip open.
Startled, he opened his eyes—
And instead of the delicate young man he was expecting, he found himself holding a filthy mop, its handle pressed against his mouth.
Beside the mop stood a cleaning bucket, sloshing with murky water.
And in front of him was a fragile-looking, wide-eyed teenager, staring at him in apparent fear and confusion.
“H-Hello… um, this room wasn’t cleaned earlier. Can I come in to tidy up?”
The voice was soft, almost melodious, with an upward lilt that carried a strangely seductive undertone.
“No way! Can’t you see I’m busy?”
The muscular man, already frustrated that his date had taken so long, grew even more irritated at the unexpected interruption.
Hearing that voice, however, only heightened his annoyance—and something else.
“S-Sorry, sir… I… If I don’t clean this room, my boss will fire me. I still need money to pay for my tuition—I can’t afford to lose this job. Please… I’m begging you~”
The young boy’s delicate face scrunched up as he pleaded, his voice soft and feather-light, like a whispering breeze gently brushing against the man’s heart—ticklish and teasing, yet impossible to grasp.
Such a good-looking kid… working in a rundown motel like this? Must be tough.
Unable to resist the pitiful plea, the muscular man sighed and stepped aside, opening the door for Bai Mo.
“Hurry up. I don’t have time for this. If you waste my time, you won’t be able to pay for it.”
His real concern, however, was the atmosphere—he had gone through the effort of showering and spraying cologne, and if he had to wait any longer, the scent would fade, forcing him to go through the whole process again. What a hassle.
Bai Mo’s shoulders trembled slightly, as if frightened. Hastily picking up his mop and bucket, he rushed inside.
Standing at the doorway, the muscular man thought he even heard a soft whimper, making him feel a twinge of guilt for being so harsh.
But he quickly dismissed it.
Why should he feel guilty? He paid for this.
Housekeeping was the motel’s responsibility—he was already being generous by not complaining to the boss about the dirty room.
Inside the surveillance feed
Huo Wen and Mo Qun stared dumbfounded at the screen, watching Bai Mo enter the bathroom with his cleaning supplies.
What the hell was he doing?
Was he… afraid someone might attack him, so he brought the mop for self-defense?
And why wasn’t the muscular man making a move?
Hadn’t they agreed he’d get straight to the point as soon as Bai Mo entered?
What’s with the hesitation? Is he suddenly trying to be a gentleman?!
Frustration over the man’s lack of action and confusion over Bai Mo’s behavior distracted Huo Wen and Mo Qun from noticing one crucial detail—
Bai Mo was wearing men’s clothing.
Not the cute dresses he always wore at A University.
Meanwhile, in the surveillance footage, the muscular man dawdled awkwardly.
Once Bai Mo entered the bathroom, he closed the door and walked over to the bed, stripping off his shirt.
Yes, that’s it!
Get straight to it! Weren’t you already getting yourself in the mood for this?!
Huo Wen and Mo Qun were frustrated beyond belief, practically itching to rush into the next room and remind him what to do next.
But they couldn’t.
They couldn’t risk exposing themselves.
Just then, Mo Qun’s phone vibrated with a message from Ran Yunyun.
[Jian Haocang and I are on the way. We’ll be there soon.]
Mo Qun had used the excuse that “something happened to Bai Mo” to lure Ran Yunyun into bringing Jian Hao Cang here—to catch him in the act.
“I also posted on the forum, and Jian Haocang’s roommates are bringing people over to see the truth for themselves.”
Huo Wen and Mo Qun exchanged knowing smiles, as if they could already picture Bai Mo wailing in despair while Jian Hao Cang stood there heartbroken.
Meanwhile, the muscular man sat on the bed, irritably scrolling through his phone.
Half an hour had passed.
That woman still hadn’t shown up—was she playing him for a fool?
Huo Wen had arranged the meeting under Bai Mo’s name, posing as a female. However, the person who actually arrived was Bai Mo in male clothing, claiming to be a janitor. Naturally, the muscular man didn’t make the connection between the two.
Seeing that Bai Mo was almost done cleaning the bathroom, and his supposed date still hadn’t arrived, Bai Mo turned toward him and asked,
“Big brother, are you waiting for someone? Maybe something happened on the way. Why don’t you give them a call and check?~”
Irritated and easily provoked by Bai Mo’s suggestion, the muscular man ignored Huo Wen’s instructions not to call and dialed the number.
A ringtone suddenly echoed from the next room.
Since the motel had poor soundproofing and the two rooms were right next to each other, the sound was crystal clear.
Inside, Huo Wen panicked and frantically ended the call.
At the same time, the muscular man’s call was cut off.
He had every reason to suspect that the “Bai Mo” he was supposed to meet had actually been in the next room all along.
…
At that moment, Bai Mo, who was wiping down a table, let out a soft gasp, his voice sweet and delicate.
“Oh no, what’s this? It’s glowing red! Big brother, you should put your valuables away—we can’t afford to cover the cost if something happens to them~”
The muscular man wasn’t some clueless rookie—he immediately recognized the item in Bai Mo’s hand.
A disguised surveillance camera.
Connecting the dots—the camera, the ringtone from the next room, and the mysterious call being cut off—the muscular man felt a growing sense of anger.
He was being toyed with.
Furious, he dialed again.
This time, the call rang once—
And the ringtone from next door also rang once before being cut off.
His expression darkened.
A cold sneer appeared on his face as he suddenly shoved past Bai Mo and stormed into the bathroom, where the thin walls provided the weakest soundproofing.
Pressing his ear against the wall, he growled into his phone,
“Why the hell are you taking so long? If you don’t explain yourself, I’m leaving.”
Inside the next room, Huo Wen froze in shock.
In the surveillance feed, she could still see Bai Mo cleaning the room, but the muscular man had vanished.
Heart pounding, she forced herself to send a voice message.
“I’m in the room, silly~! You ignored me first, and you didn’t follow the plan. Hmph! Now I don’t feel like talking to you anymore!”
With the audience on their way, she had to make this happen quickly.
But outside, the muscular man smirked coldly.
His ear was still pressed against the wall, and the voice coming from his phone was identical to the voice coming from the next room.
Exactly the same.
He turned back toward the room.
Bai Mo was still diligently cleaning, acting completely oblivious.
And yet…
The pieces had all fallen into place.
They were messing with him.
They had installed a camera to spy on him, mock him, and make a fool out of him.
Rage exploded within him.
His face twisted in fury as he stormed out of the room, his heavy footsteps thundering against the floor.
Reaching the next door, he raised his leg and slammed a kick against it.
“OPEN UP! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!”