Pei Xi: “Chuzhou, the air is a bit hot. Can you lower the temperature a little?”

He Chuzhou: “En.”

Pei-calico’s shoulders were so thin, so slender, ah. They looked like they couldn’t even hold up his shirt…..

Pei Xi: “It’s still hot.”

He Chuzhou: “Mm.”

Pei-calico’s body was so white, ah, as white as his face even when reddened by the heat. A mark would be left behind if he applied even a little force…..

Pei Xi: “You didn’t get above my right ear.”

He Chuzhou: “Oh.”

Pei-calico’s legs were so beautiful, ah, long and straight, with pink knees…..

Pei Xi: “The right ear.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay.”

Just now when Pei-calico leaned down, the collar drooped and he seemed to also see two pink dots…..

“It’s the right side, not the left side.”

Pei Xi was rather helpless. He turned around and grabbed He Chuzhou’s wrist, raising his head: “Why…..is your nose bleeding?”

“ ? ”

He Chuzhou touched it subconsciously.

As if awakening from a dream, he rushed straight to the bathroom again under Pei Xi’s leisurely gaze.

When he calmed down and came out again, Pei Xi had already placed the hair dryer in the cabinet and was lying under the blankets.

He Chuzhou’s tense nerves finally relaxed.

He’d finally managed to stop it. If that happened a few more times, he might have to be sent to the hospital for anemia tonight.

He carefully lifted the blankets and got into bed, lying down quietly with his eyes looking straight ahead. He was determined not to look at Pei Xi.

— But he couldn’t stop Pei Xi from leaning into his arms.

He didn’t know why, but the scent of the same shower gel he used coming from Pei Xi made his head dizzy and his breathing fast.

Lowering his head, he couldn’t help but think that he would wear this shirt in the future when he met with friends, clients, family members…..

The good news was that the nosebleed was gone.

The bad news was that the blood had all rushed to a shameful place on his lower body!

He practically held his breath, and dared not move for fear of being discovered by Pei Xi. But as luck would have it, Pei Xi happened to bend his knees when adjusting his posture, brushing against a certain spot.

There was a sudden rustle of fabric.

Pei Xi’s gaze darkened and his eyebrows rose. He gave He Chuzhou an innocent, uncertain look when the other party suddenly rolled over and forcefully pressed his shoulders down: “Gege, what’s wrong?”

He Chuzhou stared at him with gritted teeth, his heavy, unstable breath gusting against his jaw. He looked like he wanted to eat him alive: “Pei Xinxin, you’re doing this on purpose…..”

Pei Xi was calm but at a loss: “Doing what on purpose?”

He Chuzhou choked speechlessly. His expression changed several times, and he finally ruffled his hair as if in compromise. “You’ve defeated me!”

After saying that, he immediately turned over, got out of bed, and rushed to the bathroom for the third time: “Go to sleep, don’t wait on me.”

Pei Xi watched as he hastily disappeared behind the door. When he heard the sound of running water inside, his lips curled and he pulled the blankets up, moving closer to the source of lingering heat next to him as he closed his eyes.

This didn’t count as payback. At most, it was……a draw.

*

*

Thanks to the pre-bedtime fun, He Chuzhou had 18+ dreams almost all night long, doing everything he wanted to do but couldn’t in reality.

Such was the case that when he awoke the next morning and saw Pei Xi crouched beside the bed as he fiddled with a charging cable, he felt inexplicably guilty.

“Cough, cough.”

He cleared his throat in an attempt to cover up his gaffe, but his voice was still hoarse as he said: “Is it broken or something. Do you want to go out and buy a new one later?”

“No, it probably wasn’t fully plugged in. It’s charging now.”

Pei Xi set the charging cell phone on the cabinet, then turned around and leaned down to touch He Chuzhou’s face: “Chuzhou, did you get enough sleep? I’m hungry, but I don’t know where to call for food here.”

“Why didn’t you wake me up earlier if you’re hungry? I’ll call for delivery in a minute—”

He Chuzhou’s voice paused. He realized something, and his brain rapidly cleared up: “Pei Xinxin?”

Pei Xi was confused: “En?”

He Chuzhou confirmed again: “Xinxin?”

Pei Xi: “That’s me. What’s wrong?”

He Chuzhou immediately propped himself up and moved closer to Pei Xi, eyes fixed on his face without missing a single detail of his expression: “Let me ask you, ah, do you know where this is?”

Pei Xi shook his head blankly: “I don’t know. I woke up here.”

But after saying that, he quickly thought of something and frowned: “Is this the location of your business trip? Chuzhou…..you really took me here while I was sleeping?”

Okay. The signal had connected successfully.

He Chuzhou was certain that the person before him was the real Pei-calico.

So yesterday……

It was actually…..?

? ? ? ?

God!

*

Three minutes later.

After watching He Chuzhou order food to be delivered, Pei Xi was in a happy mood and went to the bathroom to get ready.

He was very magnanimous, and didn’t make a fuss about someone secretly abducting him to accompany him on a business trip.

He Chuzhou sat on the bed and sorted out the whole story.

Once he was one hundred percent sure that Pei Xi had been in his right mind the day before, he finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

No wonder.

The whole thing about easterners being more reserved when in a foreign country was all made up.

His strangeness had come from not being able to imitate Pei-calico, and his shyness was due to genuine shame and embarrassment.

No wonder.

He was able to help him negotiate a business deal in such a clear and organized manner.

He Chuzhou had believed that his business talent was engraved in his bones, and that even if he was missing his memories, his instincts were still there.

At the thought about yesterday’s limited edition clockwork sweetheart, he couldn’t stop laughing.

But as he recalled more and more things, he couldn’t laugh anymore…..

Since Pei Xi was in his right mind yesterday, why did he pretend and fly over to find him?

Why didn’t he resist being close to him?

Why was he willing to play the role of Pei-calico and take the initiative to get close to him again and again?

What did the sentence “at least not today” mean?

And what did it mean that he had deliberately teased him by wearing his shirt?

Pei Xi finished up in the bathroom and came out just as an attendant knocked on the door to deliver their meal.

He opened the door to allow the attendant to put their things down, and when he turned around, he saw a certain person still sitting on the bed with a frown on his face, lost in thought.

“Chuzhou, you’re still not getting up?”

He walked over, and that person’s gaze followed him as he moved. Pleasant surprise, doubt, entanglement, wistfulness – all kinds of emotions mixed together on his face in a colorful presentation.

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

He stretched out five fingers and waved them in front of He Chuzhou: “Are you okay? If you’re not awake yet, do you want to sleep a little longer?”

Unexpectedly, He Chuzhou grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. His eyes were brimming with unknown hope, exceedingly bright: “Xinxin, do you…..”

Pei Xi was forced to raise one leg to kneel on the bed and prop himself up on a pillow to keep his balance. He waited for a long moment without any follow-up: “Do I what?”

He Chuzhou went silent.

As if dithering over something, after a long while, he said with great restraint: “Forget it. Kiss me?”

Pei Xi was baffled, but he obediently kissed the corner of his mouth in this position.

In the next second, the hand holding him suddenly loosened.

He saw the person in front of him take a deep breath and touch the place he had just kissed with joy and surprise. At this moment, stars were practically shooting out of that pair of deep eyes.

His uncertainty grew even stronger, and he couldn’t help but tilt his head to look at this He Chuzhou who was as happy as an adolescent. When he got out of bed and headed toward the bathroom, it seemed as if pink hearts were popping out of him from head to foot.

What was going on?

He didn’t understand. When he stood up and went to the dining table, he couldn’t help but look back.

What dream was he having that he hadn’t awoken from yet?

He waited until that person came out of the bathroom and sat down opposite him, then carefully inspected his expression: “Chuzhou, why are you acting so odd? Why are you so happy?”

“I’m happy about……”

He Chuzhou pretended to think deeply, then said with a smile: “Be good, I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Pei Xi was puzzled: “Why tomorrow?”

He Chuzhou: “You wouldn’t understand today.”

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

He Chuzhou said nothing further, and changed the topic: “There’s nothing else to do today, and the weather is nice. How about we go for a walk?”

Pei Xi: “You don’t have work?”

He Chuzhou brought a small piece of avocado dipped in sauce to Pei Xi’s mouth and said in a rising tone: “I finished up yesterday.”

Pei Xi nodded. He had no objections.

It was his first time here, and he hadn’t seen many of the local customs and practices before, so there was no harm in taking a look around.

But he didn’t understand why a certain person who was happy just now started to pull a long face when he changed his clothes.

Pei Xi: “Chuzhou?”

He Chuzhou was absent-minded: “En?”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

He Chuzhou: “Nope.”

Pei Xi: “Did something happen at the company?”

He Chuzhou: “Nope.”

Pei Xi: “Did something happen at home?”

He Chuzhou: “No to that too.”

Pei Xi gave a calm “oh” and held his hand: “Then let’s go.”

He wasn’t feeling unwell, everything was fine at work, and nothing had happened at home. Everything left were just small matters.

For small, unimportant matters, it wouldn’t be too late if he waited until he understood tomorrow.

They went to the famous perfume street nearby, which was lined with many souvenir shops in a very local style. All of the clothing and accessories were very distinctive.

Walking down Perfume Street, they could see a square resembling a colosseum surrounded by retro-shaped buildings. A circular fountain pool had been built in the middle, in the center of which stood the tall statue of a Western mythological figure.

Vendors walked around selling balloons and roses, locals strolled and chatted after their meals, and foreigners excitedly snapped photos.

A thin scattering of pigeons flew away when children chased them, forming a lively and leisurely exotic scene.

Everything was very novel.

Pei Xi liked this feeling.

He bought a rose from a blonde, blue-eyed girl and secretly placed it in He Chuzhou’s pocket, then took him by the hand and walked leisurely toward the river bank.

However, the person whose hand he was holding was distracted, his mind in chaos.

Was he thinking too much again?

He Chuzhou reached a new dead end.

What if Pei-calico had just forgotten he’d bought a plane ticket, and Pei Xi just pretended to have amnesia because he didn’t want it to be too awkward with both of them abroad?

What if helping him with his business had just been incidental?

What if that statement had just been meant to throw him off in a pressing situation?

What if his so-called deliberate provocation was simply because he was angry and wanted revenge, with no other intentions at all?

What if He Chuzhou was harboring ulterior motives and making too many assumptions, but Pei Xi actually…..didn’t like him at all?

Tsk, how terrible.

How difficult.

The thoughts of young men were so complicated.

Could anyone help him?

Should he ask Wu Qing?

Wu Qing would only think he was showing off.

What about Yun Ji?

Yun Ji would just think he was mentally ill.

Mrs. Chu and Aiyue?

Forget it, explaining it to them would be even more difficult.

He gave a rather long, regretful sigh.

He was backed into a corner. When the next breeze blew ashore from the river, he hugged Pei Xi with endless worry: “Xinxin, ah…..”

Pei Xi held the rose that had nearly fallen out of his pocket, and blinked: “En?”

He Chuzhou: “Tell me, do you like me or not?”

Pei Xi tilted his head and nuzzled the other’s slightly cool earlobe: “Of course I like you, ah.”

A long moment passed, and the only response he received was a perplexing sigh.

Why couldn’t it be the sober Pei Xi who said this? He Chuzhou thought in frustration.

If that came to pass, he couldn’t even imagine how happy his life would be in the future.

His Xinxin, ah……

*

*

The return flight was delayed. Pei Xi was awakened by the plane broadcast at 6 o’clock in the morning, then went back to sleep when he got home and woke up again at almost 12 noon.

The auntie had come to the house, cleaned, and left. There was only the dog and cat playing with a toy ball in the living room. He Chuzhou wasn’t home.

There weren’t many unread messages, but Xie Ling accounted for two of them:

[How’s it going?]

[Has your sweetheart not come back from his business trip?]

Bright sunlight shone in from the balcony, cut into uneven shapes by the leaves of the green plants placed there.

Pei Xi replied to Xie Ling while sitting in a rattan chair in the sun. There was a hint of worry on his cool, delicate features, but the delight in his eyes was even greater: 

[I can say for sure that he likes me.]

[But there’s one more thing at the moment, and I don’t know if it’s good or bad.]

[He seems to have discovered that I like him.]

Xie Ling: [Seems to?]

Pei Xi: [En. I can tell he has a guess, but he’s not completely sure.]

Xie Ling: [You can tell? Did he tell you this? I don’t understand, what stage are you at now?]

Pei Xi: [Things are more complicated.]

Pei Xi: [To put it simply, I heard, but he doesn’t know that I heard.]

Xie Ling: [? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [You guys are so confusing, ah.]

Xie Ling: [But none of this matters anymore. Since you’re certain he likes you, what are you waiting for? There’s no need to waste time if the feelings are mutual.]

Pei Xi: [I can’t be the first to tell him?]

Xie Ling: [Why not?]

Pei Xi: [No opportunity.]

Xie Ling: [What do you mean?]

Pei Xi: [Because from his point of view, the time I spend with him is only half the total time, and that half isn’t enough for me to start liking him.]

Xie Ling: [Can I just say that is unintelligible?]

Pei Xi certainly knew he wouldn’t understand, but there was nothing more he could say.

In the limited time he and He Chuzhou spent together, there were too many things that he “forgot.” Liking him was already abrupt enough, and if he went ahead and expressed it without any context, he would be exposed.

Therefore, He Chuzhou would have to take the initiative in this matter.

Only if He Chuzhou confessed to him could he go with the flow and make sure everything that followed went smoothly.

But the question was, how could he get He Chuzhou to speak up?

From yesterday to today, had he figured it out?

He’d said he would tell Pei Xi today, so when was he going to tell him?

From noon to afternoon, but never received a message from He Chuzhou.

He lost his patience and asked directly: [When will you be home?]

[When I’m done with work.]

He Chuzhou typed these few words, but after careful consideration, he deleted them and wrote instead: [I’m working overtime today, so it’ll be pretty late. You don’t need to wait for me for dinner.]

After checking and confirming that everything was correct, he clicked send. He was quite satisfied with his conscientious reply.

Pei Xi had sent him a message so late. It was probably because he knew He Chuzhou had discovered he was pretending to be confused, and was so embarrassed that he wasn’t able to adjust his mood and face him.

Then he would just give him more time to relax.

It just so happened that He Chuzhou also needed to relax.

He didn’t dare take the risk of advancing, but couldn’t bear to retreat. He was currently in a difficult situation and was at a loss for what to do.

Ai, life was full of troubles and melancholy.

Yun Ji knocked on the door and entered, holding a stack of freshly-printed documents: “Cousin, these are the documents that just came from the farm. The parts of the contract that need modification are marked. Take a look when you have time, there’s no rush—”

“Got it.”

He Chuzhou took the documents and said: “I’m staying to work overtime tonight. I’ll upload the original and reply to you tomorrow.”

Yun Ji stared blankly: “Staying to work overtime? But it’s too early to respond.”

He Chuzhou waved a hand: “It doesn’t matter. Whether sooner or later, it’s all the same. You go and work first.”

Yun Ji walked out of the president’s office in a daze, stroking his chin. The more he thought about it, the more he felt something wasn’t right.

He wanted to work from home every day, and rushed back home after meetings at the company. Even when he went on a business trip, his eagerness to get home was written all over his face. But now, he intended to stay at the company and work overtime for no reason instead of going home? 

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

He returned to his workstation. After thinking it over, he took out his phone. He scrolled to Pei Xi’s WeChat, which he had added some time ago, and very politely poked the other person’s avatar.

Pei Xi: [What’s up?]

Yun Ji: [Pei-ge, did you and my cousin have a fight?]

Pei Xi: [No, what’s wrong?]

Yun Ji: [Then why would he want to work overtime at the company for no apparent reason than go home?]

Work overtime for no reason?

Not going home?

Pei Xi’s hand paused briefly as he petted Pei Yueliang.

Yun Ji was completely in the dark: [No way. Pei-ge, are you guys……having a cold war?]

Yun Ji: [Resentment between husband and wife never lasts overnight, ah. Pei-ge, how about I go and help persuade him?]

Yun Ji: [Or do you want a ride over here?]

The kitten jumped off Pei Xi’s lap with her tail in the air, going over to play with the big dog.

Pei Xi replied to Yun Ji with a ‘no need.’ After a moment’s silence, he frowned and sent another message to Xie Ling:

[He’s avoiding me.]

Xie Ling: [ ? ]

Xie Ling: [He knows you might like him, but he’s avoiding you? What’s going on in his head?]

Xie Ling: [Doesn’t he like you too?]

Pei Xi: [I take that back. I’m not so sure now.]

Xie Ling: [Then what can you do but keep trying?]

Pei Xi: [I can’t wait any longer. I need to find a way to ask him directly.]

---

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Chapter 59 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 61