Shen Congfeng drove these two people away before Pei Xi’s uncle arrived. The trip took four hours one way, and the old man feared that if they arrived in Wancheng too late, their work would be delayed the next day.

It was a pity that in the end, He Chuzhou wasn’t able to discover what Pei Zhen’s problem was.

Whether it was epilepsy or intermittent insanity, even if the symptoms were mild, he was still seriously ill, and Pei Xi had endured hardship due to his unreasonable behavior.

Once Shen Congfeng knew that he wasn’t aware of everything, he kept silent.

“I shouldn’t talk too much. You two are the closest people in the world to each other now. What you want to know is something that should be told to you by Xinxin personally. This old man can’t get involved.”

These were the old man’s exact words. He Chuzhou had expressed his understanding.

But he had no intention of taking the initiative to ask Pei Xi.

Every time a not-so-good memory was mentioned, it was tantamount to ripping open an already healed wound again.

It was better to leave them in a corner to gather dust until they were completely forgotten. Even if they were accidentally mentioned again one day, they would be rusted, smoothed-over needlepoints and blunted blades.

Perhaps Pei Xi would be willing to tell him one day in the future. He didn’t know if this day would come, nor how soon. The only thing he was certain of was that it would not be today.

From entering the expressway to exiting it, Pei Xi was silent. He just leaned back in his seat tiredly and turned his head to face the window.

His appearance was reflected in the passenger window, eyes lowered and desolate, watching as the gray sky was swallowed up by night and gradually turned black.

He Chuzhou didn’t bother him. He turned the music on very low. Relaxing, simple music spread through the air, better than nothing for soothing a person’s heart.

Late at night, as they entered the most prosperous area of Wancheng through the surrounding city, the long queues of vehicle tail lights and gorgeous neon lights on both sides made the scene feel lively for a brief time. 

Very soon, as the vehicle drove through the downtown area, the excitement gradually faded away and was left behind.

He Chuzhou didn’t choose a crowded restaurant, but parked the vehicle outside a private one.

The number of people coming and going were so few that they could be ignored. Ginkgo trees were planted on each side of the road, their ninety percent yellow leaves rustling in the night breeze.

He pulled the hand brake and turned off the engine and put the keys in his pocket, then looked up to find that the person in the passenger seat was still in a daze. After some thought, he gently tapped the center of the steering wheel with a force that shouldn’t startle anyone.

The two taps were very clear in the silent vehicle. The person in the passenger turned toward him in reaction.

The street light behind him couldn’t enter his eyes, leaving just a thin, fragile layer of light Pei Xi’s side profile, very similar to the look in his eyes at this moment.

“Are you still worried?”

He Chuzhou’s voice was very soft, as if he was afraid of scaring him, but it was also very relaxed as he tried to infect the other person with his mood: “Would you like to call and ask about him again?”

Pei Xi shook his head.

After a few seconds, he murmured in a raw, hoarse voice: “I know Grandpa is fine. I just, just have some lingering fear.”

There was no upper limit to the influence that a loved one could have on a person. When one’s mental strength was weak, they couldn’t bear even the slightest disturbance.

“I can’t help but think, what if something happens to Grandpa? What if something happens and he isn’t taken to the hospital in time?” 

“When we rushed over here, I actually thought about the worst possible outcome so many times. But I really can’t imagine what life would be like without Grandpa.”

The emotions implanted in his brain were accompanied by thorny trees that survived tenaciously in the desert. Perhaps it was a small, inconspicuous bush on the surface, but nobody knew what twisted, intricate things were buried beneath the sand.

“Maybe nothing will change. The sun will rise and set as usual, I’ll go on with life as usual, eat and sleep as usual, and continue my days as usual.”

“But it feels like something has been broken, run over and crushed to powder, blown away by the wind, and will never come back.”

A vehicle passed by on the road. The headlights penetrated the windshield and swept across Pei Xi’s face, illuminating his unconsciously teary eyes.

“Chuzhou, I have many blood relatives on my father’s side and my mother’s side. Those I know and those I don’t know add up to a lot.”

“But I know that other than Grandpa, none of them love me.”

He looked at He Chuzhou through the dark night, not actually expecting to receive any comfort. It was just that the impulse had crept into his throat, and it felt more comfortable to say it out loud.

But now that he had spoken, it didn’t seem to be much better. His heart was still empty, and he didn’t know what to fill it with.

He Chuzhou looked at his dim eyes, then opened the car door and got out quietly under that gaze.

Pei Xi was startled, and watched blankly as He Chuzhou walked around the front of the car to the passenger side and opened the door, thinking he wanted him to get out faster.

Just as he was about to move, his field of vision suddenly dimmed. While still seated inside the car, he was hugged forcefully as the other person leaned over.

It was a very brief hug.

Before he could even feel the warmth of the person enveloping him, He Chuzhou lifted him out of the vehicle like a child and placed him firmly on the ground.

“Pei Xinxin, are you trying to anger me to death?”

He Chuzhou ruffled his hair as if to vent his anger, and even more like there was nothing he could do about him: “I’m such a big person standing right here. Are you treating me like a human being?”

“…..Ah?”

Pei Xi was confused by this series of actions, and it took him a moment to remember to explain: “That’s not—”

He Chuzhou interrupted him: “That isn’t what you mean?”

Pei Xi paused, then nodded blankly.

He Chuzhou asked again: “I don’t count as your relative?”

Pei Xi started to subconsciously nod, but paused midway.

If they were married…..did he count as a relative?

He didn’t know how to define this.

But it didn’t matter.

He didn’t know how to define it, but He Chuzhou was happy to do so: “Relationships between people in this world are very complicated. Many times, relatives are more unfamiliar than strangers, and strangers are closer than relatives.”

“A blood relationship is a bond, not a constraint, and this certainly doesn’t mean that only those related by blood can be called relatives. How can you, with such an intelligent mind, be constrained by this point of view?”

“Emotional ties are much more important than blood ties. Relatives shouldn’t weaken your will. They should encourage you and be your spiritual support, understand?”

Pei Xi nodded slowly.

But gradually, as his breathing became slightly disordered, he felt blooming flowers sprouting from his chest: “So, you and me, we can…..be considered relatives?”

“Of course. If I’m not a relative, then who is?”

When He Chuzhou saw his eyes finally brighten again, his lips curved. He helped push back the hair sticking up on Pei Xi’s head, leaning down to look at him.

“I know you only have one grandpa. You love him very much and want him to be well forever.”

“But I only have you as my wife. I also want you to be well, to have no worries and always be happy.”

“So, Pei Xinxin, be happy.”

“This is my wish, and your grandpa’s wish too.”

*

*

He Xingxing, who had been satisfied with going out early in the morning, shook his head and ran into the house. As soon as his father untied the leash, he fell to the floor belly-up and happily begged for pets.

But his father didn’t have time to pet him. He was busy in the kitchen, making breakfast.

He had no choice but to roll back and lie on the floor, sticking out his tongue. After staring at the living room for a while, he stood up with a bored swish of his tail and ran toward the bedroom.

His furry head arched through the crack in the door. He first put his two front paws on the bed, and when he found nobody there, his eyes began to wander around. Finally, they stopped at the cabinet on the right side of the floor-to-ceiling window.

He Chuzhou had brought back so many gifts of different shapes and sizes. Pei-calico hadn’t had time to put them away the day before, so he temporarily put them all in the cabinet and planned to sort them into categories when he had time.

Pei Xi was standing in front of that cabinet, looking at the pile of gifts. His long, thick eyelashes could conceal the emotions in his eyes, but they couldn’t cover the upward curve of his mouth.

Something knocked lightly against his ankle, and he glanced to the side. He Xinxing was at his feet, staring at him and wagging his tail with enthusiasm.

Pei Xi’s eyes curved, and he knelt down to rub the dog’s ears. He Xinxin’s eyes narrowed in pleasure, and he scratched his chin with his fingertips.

“Puppy.”

“Having known each other this long, you and I have an emotional bond, right?”

The puppy didn’t understand.

The puppy could only wag his tail happily.

Pei Xi didn’t care. He only helped straighten the dog’s crooked collar.

The aroma from the kitchen came through the crack in the door, and he smelled the scent of bone broth noodles. He patted the dog’s head, stood up, and walked toward the door.

The closer he got to the kitchen, the stronger the aroma grew.

Likewise, the movement inside could be heard more clearly.

“Yes, yes, yes, we’ve talked about it.”

“I think so too, ah, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I really can’t leave. Work is too busy and he’s too clingy. It’s quite troublesome.”

Pei Xi’s footsteps immediately paused.

As he looked at the back of the person in the kitchen, the smile in his eyes gradually faded.

He Chuzhou was completely unaware of this.

He was very busy. Firstly, preparing breakfast, and secondly, dealing with Mrs. Chu’s interrogation of him early in the morning.

The difficulty lay in how hard Mrs. Chu was to deal with: “Why are you pretending not to know? You’re still a troublemaker, laughing so happily. Your behavior is as bad as your father’s.”

“I gave you time to buffer yesterday. You must explain everything today, or you will suffer the consequences.”

“I’m giving you a friendly warning.”

He Aiyue’s smiling voice suddenly sounded: “Actually, Mom was called to play cards with the sisters yesterday. But it seems there’s no card games today. She’s very free, so she can deal with you slowly.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Chu Yuelan said, light as air: “Go to school. If you say another word, don’t expect any pocket money this week.”

He Aiyue put her small school bag on her back and rushed off.

There was so much to handle that He Chuzhou didn’t know what to do. In desperation, he promised repeatedly that he would explain everything later, and was finally successful in hanging up the call with Mrs. Chu.

The noodles were pretty much done, so he took them out of the pot. He turned around, bowl in hand, and saw Pei Xi standing nearby.

“What a coincidence, they just came out.”

He Chuzhou put the noodles on the dining table and took a tissue to wipe his hands: “Come see how they taste. If they’re missing anything, I’ll add it for you.”

Pei Xi walked over and sat down in silence.

He Chuzhou handed him some chopsticks. He had originally wanted his feedback, but unexpectedly received an apology: “Am I causing you trouble?”

He Chuzhou thought he was talking about breakfast, and raised his eyebrows: “What trouble? It’s just a matter of cooking one more serving.”

Pei Xi: “That’s not what I’m saying.”

He Chuzhou was at a momentary loss, but his mind was fortunately quick enough to react: “What are you saying?”

Pei Xi said nothing, but He Chuzhou already knew the answer.

“Well, I had planned to tell you later.” He Chuzhou said helplessly: “Some difficult things did happen yesterday. You should mentally prepare yourself.”

“My parents saw you on a video call and know that you’re in my house. The misunderstanding is quite…..fantastical. I was just explaining it to my mom.”

“And your grandpa was also admitted to the hospital with high blood pressure. Don’t worry, he got to the hospital in time and it wasn’t a big problem. We were there too. The good news is that your grandpa is in good spirits, but the bad news is that he also misunderstood.”

It was originally a matter between two people, and the more people who misunderstood now, the more troublesome it would be to solve subsequent problems.

He thought Pei Xi’s mood would inevitably be affected when he was apprised of these difficulties. What he didn’t expect was for Pei Xi to be very calm from beginning to end. After listening, he simply nodded with a complete lack of emotion.

“Aren’t you worried?” He was surprised.

Pei Xi shook his head: “There’s nothing to worry about. Us being together is just a misunderstanding. Starting now, we need to break up.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou could only press the tip of his tongue against his cheek.

It made sense, and was very practical.

But why couldn’t he smile?

The letter of guarantee written by Pei Xi himself seemed to have only promised not to blacklist him.

So was there any way to make Pei-calico voluntarily promise not to dump him?

Waiting online. So damn urgent.

“Actually, my mom always likes to make trouble for me when she has free time, so I’m used to it. I’ll just make up an excuse and explain it to her later.”

He was still a little upset at being broken up with in advance, but he still needed to explain what should be explained: “Don’t worry, it’s not your problem.”

But this was not the trouble Pei Xi was referring to. 

It was just that those words…..

Never mind.

He said nothing more.

It was one thing for Mrs. Chu to enjoy causing trouble for her son. Whether he could give an explanation or prevaricate was nother matter. Naturally, He Chuzhou would avoid the important things and dwell on the trivial.

There was fortunately not too much work today, so he had time to deal with it, and could also make time to slowly seesaw back and forth with the indomitable Mrs. Chu.

Mrs. Chu’s rapid change of attitude also caught him by surprise.

At first, she couldn’t believe that he liked boys. Then she wondered if he had learned some vulgar tricks and was hiding a sugar baby from them on the outside.

He Chuzhou was dumbfounded: “Mom, let Dad give you some information about Pei Xi’s identity when he has time. I don’t need to be his sugar daddy, ah, how would that work?”

Mrs. Chu scored full marks for intellectual curiosity and immediately went to her husband to be educated. When she returned ten minutes later, she adjusted the hem of her skirt and changed her attitude again.

“Such an impressive man. How did you catch Pei Xi? What did you do?”

“Do his parents agree?”

“How is Pei Xi’s mental state? Is he okay? Otherwise, how would he agree to this?”

He Chuzhou: “…….”

What should he say?

He sometimes felt that Mrs. Chu was rather amazing.

Some time later, Pei Xi had become the absolute second son of the He family without his knowledge.

“There are so many cabbages all over the ground. If you can pick up an emerald or diamond, I won’t have raised you in vain.”

“But let’s discuss this. Don’t make Xiao Pei afraid that he isn’t good enough for you to show around. You’re still trying to keep him a secret. Do you know how to respect a person? If you don’t know, just ask your dad to teach you.”

“As an adult, you should take good care of others. Don’t think that he can be wronged just because he’s a boy.”

“When will you bring Pei Xi back for a meal? I have a gift prepared.”

“But is Pei Xi busy with work recently? If he’s busy, never mind, it can wait until the end of the year. If he’s willing, he can come over and celebrate the New Year with us.”

There was nothing He Chuzhou could do. The only reply he could make was: why can’t it wait until I actually catch him?

What if he doesn’t feel the same?

We’re in a barely half-way relationship without having confessed to each other. And unfortunately, my boyfriend has already sentenced our relationship to death, and we’re definitely going to break up in the future. It’s likely that nobody will understand it except him.

He gave a melancholy sigh, trying to think of a reason to refuse.

However, something occurred to him mid-sentence, and his fingertips paused.

Where did Pei Xi usually celebrate the New Year?

Did he stay in his own house alone without celebrating all day long? Or did he go back to that unhappy home?

If that was the case, then why shouldn’t he take Pei Xi back to celebrate the New Year?

Even if he wasn’t able to catch him before the New Year, who said he could only bring a boyfriend back to celebrate?

Thus, he deleted the half-sentence rejection and instead replied [OK], and began to brainstorm ways to kidnap Pei Xi and bring him back to celebrate the New Year.

Pei Xi had just finished a phone call with his Uncle and passed by the study. The door wasn’t closed tightly, and he accidentally caught a glimpse of He Chuzhou’s troubled face, as if he was dealing with a very difficult matter.

So he stopped his trek to the bedroom and stood where he was, suddenly at a loss for what to do.

When He Xingxing ran over curiously, he subconsciously took half a step back and hid in the shadows, fearing that the person in the study would notice him.

He Xingxing sat there and looked at him with his tongue hanging out, as if wondering why he wasn’t going in.

Pei Xi had no way of answering.

That person only told him that emotional ties were more important than blood ties, but forgot to tell him what to do if it was one-sided and there was no so-called bond.

He Xingxing was panting loudly, and sounded as if he’d been squatting at the door for a long time without coming in.

He Chuzhou put down his phone and stood up to go take a look.

As soon as the door opened, he happened to find Pei Xi, who was about to head back to the bedroom.

“Going to sleep?” he asked.

Pei Xi nodded, his expression very tranquil.

He Chuzhou sounded out his mood: “I explained things to my mom, and she likes you a lot. She wants to invite you over for a meal when you’re free.”

“No need.”

Pei Xi’s voice was very light as he refused simply: “Since it’s a misunderstanding, it would be hard to manage if we met. I won’t cause such trouble for you.”

Sure enough, the plan still had a long way to go.

He Chuzhou was inwardly regretful, but it didn’t show on his face. His smile remained the same: “Okay. If you don’t want to go, then don’t go.”

He Xingxing was very excited to see his father come out. He shook his fur, walking around the two people several times as his tail slapped loudly against the door.

He Chuzhou had just crouched down and pet him a couple of times when he heard a cool voice above his head: “He Chuzhou, I said before that if I make things difficult for you, you can ignore what I say instead of being polite.”

“I can’t control myself when I’m confused, so instead of causing trouble for you, I prefer for you to leave me alone.”

He Chuzhou couldn’t react for a moment after hearing this. Pei Xi didn’t seem to expect an answer from him, and went to the bedroom.

After the previous letter of guarantee incident, He Chuzhou had put a small notebook and a pen on the bedside table and told him it was in case of emergencies.

Pei Xi took the notebook, tore out a page, and carefully wrote a paragraph. Finally, he frowned in thought and then solemnly wrote a sentence at the end.

Then he put the notebook and pen back in their original positions, folded the paper, and stuffed it under his pillow.

He could only think of this method to communicate with “himself.”

*

*

He Chuzhou reflected for a long time, but couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong to make Pei Xi think he was causing him trouble.

Had he not made it clear enough before?

Where was the issue?

He spent the whole night thinking about it, and was even wracking his brains while preparing breakfast. The sound of footsteps behind him interrupted his thoughts, and he turned around: “You’re awake?”

Pei Xi gave a drowsy hum and peered into the pot: “Xingxing opened the door and I smelled you frying eggs.”

He Chuzhou flipped over a golden-fried poached egg and showed it to him: “Does it smell good?”

Pei Xi nodded, and Chef He immediately pinched his cheek.

The latter raised his eyebrows and said slowly and deliberately: “Of course it smells good. But my stomach is tied into knots because of you breaking up with me.”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just kidding.”

He Chuzhou glanced at him: “Go wash your face, brush your teeth, and tidy up. It’ll be done soon.”

Pei Xi acquiesced, and gave him a small hug from the side before leaving.

He Chuzhou watched him return to the bedroom until he was no longer visible. Then he turned around with a sorrowful sigh to skillfully flip the eggs over again.

If Pei-calico would still cling to him when he was in his right mind, there was no telling how happy He Chuzhou would be.

He took the fried poached eggs out of the pan, heated up the milk and made some waffles. Breakfast for two was prepared, but the other person hadn’t come out yet.

After placing the plates and cups on the dining table, he walked into the bedroom and found the other person sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor in a daze while holding a piece of paper in his hand.

“Are you still drowsy?”

He walked over after his teasing words and met a pair of watery eyes.

“ ? ? ? ”

His smile faded, and he immediately crouched down in front of him: “What’s going on? Weren’t you okay just now? Did you knock into something?”

Pei Xi didn’t nod or shake his head. He just looked straight at him and said in a dry, hoarse voice: “Chuzhou, do you have a mistress?”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ? ? ”

He Chuzhou: “ ? ? ? ? ? ”

---

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Chapter 41 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 43