Pei Xi stood there stupidly.

On the other side of the phone, Pei Yansong had likely never expected a young man to talk to him like this. He was momentarily stunned and offered no rebuttal.

When Pei Xi finally recovered from his shock and tried to snatch his phone back, he heard Pei Yansong yelling angrily: “Nonsense! Who are you to say that to me—”

His voice stopped abruptly.

He Chuzhou cursed him as an old fool and hung up the phone.

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi’s expression was blank: “He Chuzhou, what are you doing?”

He Chuzhou dropped his previous aggressive attitude and lowered his hands despondently, turning to Pei Xi: “Xixi, do you really want to divorce me?”

“If so, I’m willing to help you. You don’t have to pay back the money I invested in Pei Group. If you need anything in the future, I’ll give you whatever you want.”

Pei Xi: “…..The money you invested in Pei Group?”

He Chuzhou replied gloomily: “But I also have a condition. Xixi, can you promise that after you divorce me, you’ll live your life away from your father’s control? That you won’t let him treat you like an object and marry you away to someone else in exchange for benefits?”

Pei Xi: “……”

The phone rang again. He didn’t have to think to know that it was Pei Yansong calling back to send punitive forces against him.

Pei Xi held his throbbing forehead and spread his hand toward He Chuzhou: “Give me the phone first.”

He Chuzhou glanced at the caller ID and frowned: “He’s going to scold you again, isn’t he? Don’t be afraid, Xixi. I have your back. He won’t dare do anything to you. I’ll warn him right now, if he doesn’t take care to restrain himself, I’ll kick him out of his position as President of Pei Group!”

Pei Xi’s forehead throbbed even more violently: “What do you mean, kick him out? Give me back my phone.”

He Chuzhou: “Xixi—”

Pei Xi: “Three.”

He Chuzhou: “Believe me, there’s really no need—”

Pei Xi: “Two.”

He Chuzhou quickly placed the phone in Pei Xi’s palm.

Pei Xi: “Wait for me here. I’ll settle the rest with you when I’m done…..we’ll talk slowly.”

After that, he went to the study with his phone, where he fooled Pei Yansong by saying that his phone had been stolen by a mentally disabled person. When he returned to the living room, He Chuzhou was still standin there waiting for him without having moved a step.

How surprisingly obedient.

Pei Xi approached him and placed his phone casually on the coffee table: “Tell me, what did you mean by him selling his son to you, and what’s this about investing money in Pei Group?”

He Chuzhou raised his eyes to look at him, then lowered them again: “Xixi, is it really me who’s lost his memory, and not you?”

Pei Xi: “Just say what I told you to.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay, then if I do, can we not separate or get a divorce?”

Pei Xi: “Two.”

He Chuzhou: “Ai, don’t count, don’t count, I’ll tell you!”

In the next twenty minutes, Pei Xi finally figured out He Chuzhou’s current brain narrative. The details were as follows:

The Pei family had encountered a once in a thousand years financial crisis (?), and a large amount of liquidity needed to be injected.

Pei Yansong sought help everywhere, and in the end, only the wealthy He family was willing to lend a helping hand.

However, there was a condition. That was, the two families needed a marriage. Only if Pei Xi and He Chuzhou married would the He family be willing to inject the funds to help the Pei family overcome their difficulties.

The result was self-evident. Pei Yansong “sold” Pei Xi to He Chuzhou at a sky-high price, and the two married according to the interests of both parties.

…..It was really unreasonable.

Pei Xi didn’t know where He Chuzhou had gotten the idea for such a strange script, and there were still incomprehensible flaws in it: “Why would you spend so much money to marry me? How does this benefit you?”

He Chuzhou’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

Pei Xi changed his method of questioning: “Since I’m the one who needed your help, why don’t you take the lead in this relationship instead of always deferring to me and being servile?”

He Chuzhou still didn’t speak, but his eyes flickered even more intensely.

Pei Xi: “You don’t want to say it.”

He Chuzhou probed: “Is it okay if I don’t say it?”

Pei Xi nodded: “That’s fine. I’ll ask a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement later. You can tell me what you want right now—”

He Chuzhou: “It’s because I’ve always had a crush on you!”

Pei Xi was stunned: “……What?”

He Chuzhou felt that he had failed to keep his secret and his wife was about to run away, so he simply threw the broken jar to the ground: “I’ve known you since Junior High School, and I’ve liked you for over ten years.”

“I was actually really happy when I heard that Pei Group was in trouble and needed help. I wasn’t taking pleasure in your misfortune – I just felt like I finally had a chance to make you notice me.”

“I hadn’t intended to put forward any conditions. I just wanted to help you, but some rumors I heard coupled with Pei Yansong’s attitude made me realize that you might not be living well at home, so I sounded out proposing marriage between us to Pei Yansong.”

“I didn’t expect Pei Yansong to actually agree. I swear I wasn’t trying to take advantage of the situation. Maybe a little bit. But the most important thing was that I wanted to take you away from that home.”

“When you were in school, you were so absorbed in your studies that I didn’t dare disturb you. Later, you were obsessed with work and I didn’t dare delay you. Now, I finally have the ability to be close to you and take care of you. Don’t say I’m being servile – I wish I could make offerings at your altar.”

The room was very quiet. Pei Xi couldn’t hear any sound other than He Chuzhou’s voice.

He didn’t know if this was the reason, but he was drawn into the whirlpool of words, the tide eroding this brain.

It wasn’t until his calf was bumped by the border collie, which was wandering around in boredom, that he woke up from his trance.

His heartbeat was momentarily disordered, and it wasn’t easy to pull his wandering awareness back to its original place.

This was a very unfamiliar feeling that was difficult to describe in words. Even though he knew He Chuzhou wasn’t in his right mind and that his words were all nonsense, he was still entangled by emotion.

It was strange. Why did he feel this way?

Was it because he hadn’t been cared for in so long?

Or was it because the person who fabricated it was unaware of his own fabrication, so the earnestness he offered was pure and unmarred?

Pei Xi was at a loss due to his unprecedented mood, and was even a little helpless in the face of this unfamiliar He Chuzhou. He didn’t know what to say.

But He Chuzhou didn’t know what he was thinking.

He just saw him frowning in silence, and thought that his deliberate actions had made him angry. The thought of being single again overwhelmed him with grief, and he couldn’t contain it any longer.

“Honey, did you figure this out long before? Is that why you want to divorce me?”

“I was wrong for deceiving you and I have no objection to you divorcing me. I deserve it.”

“But I’m afraid that Pei Yansong will berate you again if you go home, and say that you’re useless for not being able to tie me down.”

“So if we get a divorce, can you not tell your father right away? I’m afraid he’ll marry you off to someone else.”

“No, if others can do it, why can’t I? They can’t possibly like you as much as I do. They’re also not as good-looking or rich as I am.”

“Honey, Xixi, do we have to divorce? Can’t we just stay together?”

“Honey, I swear I’ll treat you well forever. You don’t know, but I’ve liked you since Junior High, from the moment I first saw you.”

“At that time, you were wearing a short skirt and pole dancing at a school celebration. Your legs under the skirt were slender and white, and your waist above it was even thinner and whiter—”

“He Chuzhou!”

Pei Xi’s full heart disappeared in an instant. Not kicking this man out of his home was the last trace of dignity he would reserve for the other party.

He Chuzhou’s eyes grew redder: “You’re still yelling at me.”

Pei Xi squeezed out from between his teeth: “Yelling at you? If you have the guts, then yell back.”

He Chuzhou shrank his neck and whispered: “I’m sorry, I don’t have the guts.”

Pei Xi: “Then go put the dog food and dog bowl away, and bring your luggage to the guest room. Don’t make me say it again.”

He Chuzhou stared blankly, silently chewing over Pei Xi’s words a couple of times. Then his eyes lit up: “Honey, you’re agreeing to let me stay?”

Pei Xi turned his face away: “Whatever you want.”

He Chuzhou: “Th-th-then we’re not getting a divorce?”

Pei Xi: “If you ask me one more question, you’ll be following me to the Civil Affairs Bureau. We can still get one.”

He turned his head and stared straight into He Chuzhou’s eyes, saying in a very serious manner: “I don’t wear skirts, and I don’t pole dance.”

“Okay, okay, you don’t wear them, I do.”

Happiness came on so fast. He Chuzhou’s mood immediately changed from overcast to sunny, and he immediately started to pull his suitcase to the guest room. 

But after taking two steps, he was so exuberant that he simply stepped back, took Pei Xi’s face in his hands, and kissed him hard: “My wife is so good!”

Pei Xi was stunned silly by the kiss. He was appalled when he realized what what was happening and pushed him away with force, rubbing his hand back and forth over the place he had kissed.

He Chuzhou was pushed back half a step. He watched Pei Xi’s actions in astonishment, and the joy in his eyes was gradually replaced by disbelief: “Honey, are you rejecting me?”

Pei Xi really wanted to ask back, shouldn’t I? But out of humanitarian tolerance for a patient, he forced himself to hold the words back. 

But silence could also be interpreted as an answer. He Chuzhou was even more hurt, and mumbled as if the sky had fallen: “My wife dislikes me. How can this be? My wife is actually repulsed by me…..”

Pei Xi couldn’t stand it anymore: “Shouldn’t I? Who knows what your mouth has done on others?”

“On others? My mouth is on my face. Why would it do anything on others?”

He Chuzhou felt wronged to death: “Honey, do you suspect that I’ve kissed someone else? I haven’t. I never have since childhood. Other than Shitbag, I’ve only ever kissed you. My mouth has only ever been used for eating and for you, so don’t wrongly accuse me.”

…..What kind of lewd words were these?

This was totally irrelevant. Pei Xi couldn’t be bothered to respond, but He Chuzhou was unwilling to give in: “Honey, don’t you believe me? It doesn’t matter, I have witnesses. Just wait, I’ll prove it to you right away.”

He took out his cellphone and called someone. Pei Xi didn’t even have time to react when a sleepy voice answered: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou: “Lao Wu, let me ask you a question. Have I ever been in a relationship?”

Pei Xi now knew who was on the other end of the phone.

It was He Chuzhou’s best friend Wu Qing, who changed boyfriends more often than he changed clothes. He was unscrupulous and known for being a playboy, just like He Chuzhou.

But the doctor had said that he shouldn’t use the logic of reality to go against the patient’s logic. Fearing that Wu Qing would tell him the truth and make the situation worse, Pei Xi planned to directly snatch the phone away.

He never could have expected that every word out of Wu Qing’s mouth would be beyond his expectations:

“In a relationship? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you the one who looks down on all men and women who come to your door? And now you’re asking me if you’ve ever been in a relationship. Has being single turned you stupid?”

“Are you trying to start trouble by asking me this, you old virgin? Should I walk you through using a condom step by step? You idiot.”

He Chuzhou hung up the phone contentedly after being scolded: “See, Honey? I didn’t lie to you, I really was a virgin before I married you.”

“But Wu Qing doesn’t know that I’m married, and that I’m not a pure virgin. I know how to use condoms, and I’m very accurate. I don’t need him to teach me.”

Pei Xi’s long silence at this juncture contained many complicated factors, including that this idiot didn’t know he was still a virgin and may not know what to do in the bedroom.

Was it because of a strong desire to win and his deep obsession that his memory-addled self felt that he was actually very good in areas he was unfamiliar with?

And this playboy was actually a virgin?

Was this…..legitimate?

Then what were those rumors he’d heard before?

He Chuzhou saw that Pei Xi was silent again, but didn’t look angry anymore. He was frowning with who knew what on his mind, and one could only guess at his mood: “Honey, are you dissatisfied with anything?”

Pei answered casually: “No.”

In the end, whatever kind of person He Chuzhou was had nothing to do with him. Apart from clearing up some misunderstandings, it had no impact on his life.

At most, seeing this person wouldn’t disgust him as much as before.

He Chuzhou: “Really?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

After saying this, he felt the place he had just wiped being kissed again, very hard and loud.

Pei Xi’s face turned colors: “He Chuzhou! Do you have any manners?!”

He Chuzhou stared at the hand Pei Xi had raised again: “Look, you’re going to wipe it again. I said I haven’t kissed anyone else, but you’re still disgusted with me.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Taking a deep breath, he clenched his hand and lowered his arm stiffly.

Whatever. It was just a kiss. It didn’t cost him anything.

He would just consider it compensation for misunderstanding him for so long.

“I’m not disgusted with you.” He forced himself to appear unruffled. “Put your luggage away quickly.”

He Chuzhou was coaxed once more. But before picking up his suitcase and going to the guest room, he asked Pei Xi: “Honey, I’m not familiar with this neighborhood. Will you go with me to walk Shitbag tonight?”

Pei Xi didn’t even consider it: “No, walk him by yourself.”

After a two-second pause, he was unable to bear it: “And change your dog’s crappy name back!”

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