The next day, Pei Xi received two memos.

Pei-calico had rebelled, and told Pei Xi two small secrets.

One was that He Chuzhou had once taken him on a day trip to the aquarium and took a lot of photos, which were hidden in the bottom drawer of the cabinet by the window.

One was that yesterday, on the sidewalk of Wancheng Secondary School, He Chuzhou had expressed his desire to see him in a school uniform.

Although Pei-calico didn’t know why He Chuzhou told him to keep it a secret after telling him this wish, to keep it in his heart like he did with the aquarium and not write it down, that didn’t stop him from secretly leaking the information.

Actually…..it didn’t count as leaking information. He had just informed his better-at-remembering self.

This was Pei-calico’s view.

But Pei Xi knew very well that it was himself He Chuzhou wanted to hide this from.

With the aquarium, he’d been worried he would overthink things.

What was worth hiding about a school uniform?

He couldn’t figure it out.

Why did he have so many secrets with his confused self? Why weren’t there any with him?

How vexing.

He wasn’t very happy, but his hands were very honest. Closing the memos first, he opened the call log, found Xie Ling, and dialed the number.

“A school uniform? Why?”

Xie Ling was worthy of being called an expert in romance, and swiftly came to the logical answer: “Oh, I get it. There’s a saying that one would reject a male model rather than reject a high school boy. Are you trying to confuse He Chuzhou with this? Where did you come up with the idea?”

Pei Xi: “We’re already together.”

Xie Ling: “But I think this method is a bit risky. He Chuzhou is already interested in you, and if he can’t hold back, he’ll turn into a beast. You’ll be the one who suffers, but if you’re willing to endure this suffering, I have no objections.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “Xie Ling, we’re together. We’re dating. He’s officially my lover.”

Xie Ling: “But to be on the safe side, I still suggest you prepare something in your pocket in advance – ah? What?”

Pei Xi: “Have you been drinking?”

Xie Ling: “I just had a bowl of fermented glutinous rice, that should be considered a small drink, right? No way,  you guys are together? There’s no need to pursue? ? ?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

Xie Ling: “Oh my god! What’s going on? When did this happen? How did it develop? Was it he who took the initiative or you? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Pei Xi: “Do you want to hear about the confession, or do you want to hear about the high school uniform later?”

Xie Ling: “The high school uniform, of course!”

Pei Xi: “Okay, so can you get one for me?”

“No problem at all. Wanzhong just changed their school uniform. I’ll ask my nephew to give you his previous set, the one you wore when you were in school.”

“But my nephew is still in school today. You’ll have to wait until he comes home at noon tomorrow, okay?”

Tomorrow…..

Pei Xi bit his lip in thought. Pei-calico would be on duty tomorrow, so it was reasonable for him to receive the school uniform.

It was just right that he didn’t have to say anything. Pei-calico could just play freely, which was very convenient overall.

Pei Xi: “Okay. Tomorrow, then. I’ll give you the address and you can just send it directly to me. Sorry for the trouble.”

Xie Ling: “It’s no trouble, no trouble, Brother. I’m happy to do it.”

Just as he finished being polite, he heard the busy tone after the phone was hung up. When he looked, the phone had returned to the home screen.

“Just like that?”

Muttering to himself, Xie Ling came to a sudden realization: “No, why should I choose between the two? I’ve contributed so much, can’t I hear both?”

“Fuck, I lost out!”

*

*

Pei Xi planned everything out, but reality defied the best-laid plans. 

When he woke up, he wasn’t amnesiac.

This was the second time.

The first time was when He Chuzhou was on a business trip and Pei Xi slept on the plane on the way to see him.

He’d thought it was an accident, but now it seemed he would have to reconsider.

The courier rang the doorbell, and Pei Xi was just thankful that He Chuzhou wasn’t home.

But just as he was about to tear open the express bag, the door clicked. The person who’d been away from home had returned.

He Xingxing reacted very quickly. The moment He Chuzhou stepped inside, he rushed over with a wagging tail to give him a warm welcome.

Pei Xi was faster than him. As soon as the door was pushed open a crack, he immediately threw the half-opened express bag on the floor and kicked it under the sofa with a guilty conscience.

But He Chuzhou’s eyes were even faster than the two of them, and he peered over: “Xinxin, what did you drop under the sofa just now?”

Pei Xi: “Nothing!”

He Chuzhou: “……En?”

It was difficult not to overreact when one felt guilty. The more Pei Xi tried to hide it, the more obvious it became, so he slowed his tone and abruptly changed the subject: “Didn’t you go to inspect a construction site? Why are you back so early?”

He Chuzhou put down the key and walked over: “The inspection didn’t take long. It was still early, so I wanted to come back and take you to the hospital.”

Pei Xi: “What for?”

“Of course it’s to check whether or not you’ve recovered from your side effects.”

He Chuzhou touched his forehead with the back of his hand and said happily: “You woke up without any confusion, which is a good sign. This has been going on for so long. It’s about time for things to get better.”

Pei Xi: “It’s fine if it takes a little longer. There are only slight signs of recovery right now, and the doctor said it’ll basically heal by itself…..what are you looking at?!”

He took a hasty step back to block He Chuzhou’s line of sight.

“You dropped something.”

He Chuzhou pointed toward the bottom of the sofa: “I really did see it just now. Do you need my help — huh?”

His words were cut off abruptly by Pei Xi’s kiss.

It was truly sudden and loud, with a clear and pleasant “muah” that made He Chuzhou’s black pupils immediately brighten from 40 watts to 800: “Wife?”

Pei Xi let go of his tie with lingering panic and gave an unclear hum.

“Why are you rewarding me all of a sudden?”

He Chuzhou enveloped Pei Xi’s hand and made him hold his tie again. He liked the feeling of being in the other’s hands and being controlled by him in a domineering way.

If humans could grow tails, he feared that in front of Pei Xi, his would really rotate until it flew off.

Pei Xi: “It’s not a reward. It’s just…..in celebration.”

He Chuzhou: “In celebration of what?”

Pei Xi uttered flustered nonsense: “In celebration of…..the fact that I’ve remembered for two days in a row that I’m just your boyfriend, not your wife.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

His dog tail rotated half as fast.

Pei Xi was keenly aware of his change in mood. Fearing that the topic change would fail and he’d remember the express delivery again, Pei Xi simply hooked his collar: “Then it’s in celebration of the fact that I love you a little more than I did yesterday.”

After saying this, he pressed down on the back of He Chuzhou’s neck and kissed him again almost rudely.

This unilateral initiative lasted only for the blink of an eye.

In the next second, He Chuzhou’s hands automatically cruised to his lower back and pressed Pei Xi toward him as he impatiently deepened this tickling kiss.

Other than the day he confessed his feelings, this was the first time Xinxin had kissed him while in his right mind.

And he also said he loved him.

That he loved him more than he did yesterday.

He was so joyful and excited that his dog tail was wagging with fur flying all over the sky. The colorful bubbles inside him were about to burst out from every pore and flood the entire house.

No matter how many times it happened, Pei Xi couldn’t adapt to the strong, enthusiastic way He Chuzhou expressed himself.

He was suppressed to the point that he had no room to resist, and could only choose to resign himself and try to reciprocate under the other’s seduction.

But he also possessed the clumsiness of the unlearned, especially when he was overwhelmed like this.

He forgot to relax, forgot to put away his teeth. When he bumped into He Chuzhou, what he got in return was not the freedom to breathe, but another, more forceful invasion. 

As his retreat was hindered, he pulled the person in front of him and stumbled onto the sofa, putting himself entirely into an inescapable dilemma.

When his breathing and heartbeat were in a state of chaos, the greedy kisses began to spread along the corner of his lips to the side of his face, lingering at his pale earlobe for a moment before kissing it too.

An uncontrollably gasp escaped from his mouth, and his grip on He Chuzhou’s shoulders tightened at once. All of the strength in his back drained away, leaving him completely limp.

He heard a low, husky chuckle in his ear. A murmured “baby” seemed to be spun out of spider silk, circling around the tip of his tongue countless times.

There was a buzzing sound in his ears, and he began to lose control of his body as marks spread wildly from the side of his neck to his shoulder, then to his chest……

Under the unrestrained attention from his lover, an accidental reaction became a matter of course.

The fabric around his waist was lifted up a bit, and fingertips caressed him with restrained force. Pei Xi shuddered and clenched his teeth.

His slightly contracted pupils revealed a nervousness that even he himself was unaware of, and clearly reflected He Chuzhou’s dark, flickering expression.

He Chuzhou nuzzled his nose soothingly. Suppressing his restlessness, he asked him in a hoarse voice, “Are you scared?” 

These three words successfully stunned Pei Xi.

Scared?

This word didn’t seem to exist in his dictionary. He had never been afraid of anything before, and he wasn’t afraid now.

He was just…..nervous…..when facing the unknown.

But because he knew this person in front of him, he wanted to learn, and was excited to the point of trembling.

Unfortunately, he was unable to perfectly organize his words at this moment. He Chuzhou interpreted his silence as an answer and smiled indulgently: “Don’t be afraid. We can use another method.”

When He Chuzhou was halfway through this so-called other method, Pei Xi couldn’t help but hold his wrist, and his eyes flickered with floundering helplessness.

He had to admit, fear was certainly present among his emotions.

But he didn’t stop He Chuzhou’s actions.

He Chuzhou also didn’t stop, but instead murmured extraneous words in his ear in a voice that made his head even more muddled: 

“Baby, do you still want to be my little brother now?”

“That’s not possible. In most families, gege’s and didi’s aren’t like this, don’t you agree?”

“You know, when you said before that we’d break up after you recovered, I was so disappointed. I almost wanted to tie you to the headboard and correct your phrasing ten thousand times.”

“But don’t worry, I couldn’t bear to do it. It must be uncomfortable to be tied up, ah. As soon as your eyes turned red, I wouldn’t be able to keep from hugging you.”

“Just like now.”

“Baby, your eyes are so red, so pretty. Are you going to cry?”

“Is it painful or uncomfortable?”

“Tell me.”

Pei Xi didn’t answer.

He bit his lower lip hard, then closed his eyes and turned his head away, not daring to let a sound escape his throat.

He Chuzhou took in all the changes in his expression and exhaled heavily. He gripped his jaw and kissed him roughly, swallowing all of the sounds that were about to come out of him.

With his palm and fingertips exerting force, he could feel the other’s knees rising and falling repeatedly, rubbing against his waist helplessly as he sought help from the culprit who started it all.

The volcanic energy in his body was eager to erupt, and Pei Xi’s mind was about to collapse.

Moving back slightly, He Chuzhou pressed his forehead against Pei Xi’s. Their breaths became entangled: “What little secret is someone hiding under the couch?”

“I hid…..hid…..”

On the verge of revealing the truth, Pei Xi was brought back to his senses by the last bit of vigilance he had left: “What…..I didn’t hide anything…..”

He Chuzhou played a malicious trick. Pei Xi’s body reflexively tried to curl up, but was unable to. With a pitiful, twisted expression, his eyes became redder and even more aggrieved.

He Chuzhou gazed at him unblinkingly. His voice grew hoarse and deep, and it was no longer evident whose attention was being scattered: “Is it…..a surprise?”

“Yes, a surprise…..” Pei Xi’s eyes were filled with moisture. “I want…..to go on a date with you.”

He Chuzhou: “A date?”

Pei Xi responded faintly, feeling that he had found a way out: “Yeah, that’s it, a date…..Aaah!”

Surging waves suddenly swept over his whole body.

A muffled moan escaped his throat. Fingertips sank deeply into his hair, and his trembling was soothed by a hug as tears finally rolled down from the corners of his eyes.

He Chuzhou’s eyes were completely dark. His heartbeat accelerated, and his nearly-depleted willpower suppressed what was about to explode.

Pei Xi raised his head. He closed his eyes and bit the other’s Adam’s apple tenderly.

“Okay, let’s go on a date.”

“Wherever you want to go, Baby, I’ll follow.”

---

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Chapter 65 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 67

This was the first time Liu Zhenqing had encountered a situation where someone was so difficult to coax. It really took him a lot of effort, and he was ultimately able to coax the two children into submission by promising them they could stay here as long as they wanted.

Liu Zhenqing really suspected that Li Xingruo had done this on purpose. They couldn’t be exposed in the capital, but after traveling for such a long time, couldn’t she have given the children some psychological preparation in advance? What would they have done if the children were frightened by this sudden encounter?

Faced with Liu Zhenqing’s penetrating gaze, Li Xingruo directly changed the subject and stated that she must go and pay a visit to their master.

Yunci and Yunqian adjusted their moods well, and actively helped prepare for the wedding banquet.

Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie brought the remaining four people to the courtyard to sit down and drink tea.

Liu Zhenqing immediately noticed the unhealed wound on Song Xingmu’s face and chuckled: “There is a knife above the character for lust.”

Song Xingmu turned his head to give Yi Chuan a look of blame: “Look, you made people laugh at me.”

Yi Chuan slanted a glance at him and then ignored him. He was aware that dishonest people such as them would make fun. 

Although Yi Chuan gave no response, Song Xingmu wouldn’t allow Liu Zhenqing to mock him, and said at once: “It’s because I went to see Miss Xi Ran that Xiao Chuanchuan got mad at me.”

Yi Chuan spat out a mouthful of tea. He sent Liu Zhenqing and Huo Fenglie a wary glance, as he had also heard about the romantic affairs of the past.

Liu Zhenqing’s expression went stiff, and he looked at Song Xingmu with a twitching mouth.

Song Xingmru was all smiles as he said: “Before I left, Miss Xi Ran asked where I was going. I didn’t tell her.”

Huo Fenglie looked toward Liu Zhenqing.

Yue Xuqian was also someone who liked to watch a good show and fan the flames. He said: “By the way, my aunt…..”

“Cough, cough, cough.” Liu Zhenqing abruptly started to cough.

Huo Fenglie immediately poured him a cup of tea, and Liu Zhenqing said hurriedly: “The tea made by Fenglie is still the best.”

Song Xingmu gave him a taunting look.

As Liu Zhenqing and Song Xingmu bickered, Huo Fenglie asked He Lan and Yue Xuqian about the situation outside.

What Huo Fenglie was concerned about naturally wasn’t the capital, but the border. Although they had escaped alone, he naturally couldn’t help but worry about the Huo Family Army he left behind.

“The Huo family has no heir for the time being, and most of the troops have been dispersed. However, your deputy generals control the majority of them, and the emperor still has faith in their ability to lead. The Kingdom of Xiheng is also a bit chaotic right now, so the border is still stable.”

“Chaotic?” Liu Zhenqing heard this and asked curiously.

Yue Xuqian nodded. He had left many spies in Xiheng when he’d helped them, so he was well aware of these details.

“Without Li Jinshu, the young emperor doesn’t have the ability to shoulder the task of leading, and other forces have their own agendas. How could there not be chaos?” As Yue Xuqian spoke, he gave Liu Zhenqing an admiring look. “It was you who, after being there a month, turned Xiheng upside down.”

“They had problems to begin with. I just made them ferment early,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile. “What about Li Jinshu?”

“He seems to have become abnormal since you stimulated him. Nowadays, he’s seeking out magicians all the time to summon your soul, and basically doesn’t care about the outside world,” Yue Xuqian said.

When Huo Fenglie heard the part about summoning Liu Zhenqing’s soul, his eyes instantly filled with displeasure. He could ignore other suitors sniffing around, but Li Jinshu…..

Liu Zhenqing sensed something and reached out to grasp Huo Fenglie’s hand on the table, clasping their fingers together as he said: “The only one who can summon me is Fenglie.”

After speaking, he took Huo Fenglie’s hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss.

All of Huo Fenglie’s discontent vanished when he was treated like this by Liu Zhenqing. He was exceedingly easy to coax.

The others could only give Liu Zhenqing a thumbs up.

However, He Lan and Song Xingmu were filled with envy and jealousy upon witnessing their harmonious relationship.

Although everyone thought Liu Zhenqing was only speaking sweet words, in fact, he really did feel this way in his heart.

He always felt that he had been summoned back by that master Huo Fenglie met. According to the situation back then, if he hadn’t returned, Huo Fenglie may not have been able to survive. That master had said that this country had been left behind by his disciple, a late emperor, and he had been guarding Great Zhou all this time.

When Liu Zhenqing was absent from the Great Zhou Dynasty, the surrounding countries were ready to make trouble, and there was a lack of successors among the military commanders. Huo Fenglie had fought countless life and death battles to stabilize Great Zhou. If he died early and there was no general to guard the country’s borders, then Great Zhou would basically become a meal on a platter for other countries.

Therefore, that master made a brocade box and told Huo Fenglie to wait for Liu Zhenqing to return and repay his debt of emotion. If that wasn’t the case, then he really had no idea why he had been pulled back.

As they talked, they brought up the topic of the wedding arrangements for the day after next.

“There actually aren’t that many people. They’re all acquaintances, and we’re only missing two right now,” Liu Zhenqing said.

When He Lan heard Liu Zhenqing say this, he immediately turned to look at Huo Fenglie.

Huo Fenglie naturally knew what he wanted to ask, and said: “Bai Su should be here, but I’m not certain about Qin Yu.”

Bai Su had left the capital, and the beautiful scenery along the way was full of rest stops they had all been to in each other’s company, so he would be extremely easy to find.

He Lan’s brow furrowed, and his eyes fixed on Huo Fenglie. But the latter was looking at Yue Xuqian.

Yue Xuqian coughed and said: “I’m the one who sent out the invitations, but I only knew that they were in the west. The invitations could only be left at a shop opened by my Yue family, and although I had people spread a secret code, I didn’t know if they would show up or not. If they transferred to a different location this year, it will be hard to say.”

He Lan’s complexion was a little off. Liu Zhenqing raised his cup of tea in a toast, then called for the servants to prepare wine so that everyone could drink as they chatted. Soon afterwards, Liu Qiao and Qiao Jin arrived as well.

Among this group of people, aside from Yue Xuqian, who took one sip and then played with the children, everyone else drank to their heart’s content.

Liu Zhenqing got drunk, of course, and was held in the arms of Huo Fenglie, who prevented him from drinking more. But as soon as Liu Zhenqing drank, his restlessness bubbled up from head to foot, and he unhesitatingly teased Huo Fenglie in public. Huo Fenglie could only obediently let himself be bullied as he kept careful watch over him.

Although the two of them were among a crowd, they spoke sweetly to each other as if nobody else was around.

Yi Chuan and Liu Qiao were both forthright people. Liu Qiao was peerlessly skilled in martial arts, and Yi Chuan was also a martial arts fanatic, so he couldn’t help but ask Liu Qiao for advice. The two of them fought to their heart’s content and were in a good mood. Yi Chuan even laughed a few times with a rarely seen lack of restraint. He picked up a wine jug with his long knife and took a drink, then tossed it to Liu Qiao, who also boldly started to take a drink.

But before he could drink, Qiao Jin snatched the jug and threw it to the side at the grinning Song Xingmu.

“Who told you to drink from the same jar as others!” Qiao Jin said heatedly.

Liu Qiao wore an impatient look: “What are you doing?!”

Seeing that he didn’t seem to have much of a reaction, Qiao Jin simply blew his top: “Don’t you like to exchange moves? I’ll fight you!”

“Your martial arts skills are too weak,” Liu Qiao said bluntly.

Qiao Jin’s face immediately reddened in anger. Seeing him like this, Liu Qiao feared that he would go crazy on such an occasion, and could only relax his tone as he said: “I taught you your martial arts, so there won’t be anything new.”

When it came to coaxing people, Liu Qiao hadn’t learned any of Liu Zhenqing’s tricks at all. Even though none of those words were comforting, Qiao Jin was still momentarily stunned. After all, Liu Qiao had softened his attitude, which meant he was coaxing him.

He was actually coaxing him? The flush to Qiao Jin’s face gradually changed in meaning.

Yi Chuan’s sleeve was tugged by Song Xingrmu, and he looked back questioningly.

Song Xingmu slowly raised the jug of wine and drank directly from the place where Yi Chuan had just drunk.

Although he originally hadn’t thought much of it, after seeing Song Xingmu’s deliberate performance, Yi Chuan gave him a look of disgust and said: “Are you finished yet?”

Yi Chuan didn’t like Song Xingmu’s constant suggestive teasing. He was similarly irreverent toward everyone, but Yi Chuan just had an inexplicable aversion to it.

Song Xingmu gestured toward Liu Qiao and Qiao Jin, saying: “Don’t you see the overturned vinegar jar over there? I’m just warning you so that you don’t get beaten.”

“I see that you deserve a beating,” Yi Chuan said with a displeased frown.

Song Xingmu smiled and tugged at him: “Sure enough, Liu Zhenqing was right. Isn’t there a knife above the character for lust?”

Yi Chuan drew out his short knife. Song Xingmu hastily stood and pretended to run away: “Just kidding, just kidding.”

They were all having a lively time. To He Lan, who was silently nursing a drink to the side, all of these people seemed to be flirting. He was the only one who was really drinking.

The bitter taste of the wine coupled with the pale moonlight made him feel extremely lonely.

He Lan nearly broke the wine cup with the force of his next mouthful. He looked toward the moon and silently vowed, I’m making a note of this. Just wait!

At this time, a ship at sea could already see the illuminated island in the distance.

“Are we there?” Bai Su came out of the cabin and glanced at Qin Yu, who was drinking under the moon.

“We’ll reach shore by sunrise tomorrow.”

“He Lan and the others should have already arrived.” Bai Su smiled and sat opposite Qin Yu.

Qin Yu’s hand stiffened slightly around the wine.

Bai Su raised an eyebrow and said: “Give me a cup.”

Qin Yu poured wine for him.

Bai Su suddenly said: “The power of the Jinyiwei in the capital is at its peak. Before I left, He Lan had been promoted three levels, and many noble ladies had their sights set on him.”

Bai Su spoke casually, and Qin Yu listened casually.

But in the next moment, Bai Su said: “The wine is overflowing.”

Qin Yu then returned to his senses and stopped pouring.

Bai Su pursed his lips to hide a smile: “Do you want to know who He Lan…..”

“I’m not interested,” Qin Yu said resolutely. “But you’re no longer young. Isn’t your family urging you to marry?”

Bai Su’s humorous mood was disrupted, and he didn’t continue to poke fun about them.

It was late at night. Bai Su went back to rest, but Qin Yu couldn’t sleep. He just stood at the bow of the ship, gazing outward.

And at this time, He Lan had already walked to the pier with a wine jug in hand. Everyone had gone to rest, but he couldn’t sleep, so he came out to wait in expectation.

In the courtyard’s master bedroom, the drunk Liu Zhenqing continuously rubbed against Huo Fenglie, tormenting him endlessly.

But when Huo Fenglie kissed him, Liu Zhenqing pushed him away.

Huo Fenglie could only silently express his protest.

Liu Zhenqing smiled and lay on his side. Half drunk, he raised a hand and tickled Huo Fenglie’s chin, saying: “The things are on the small table.”

Huo Fenglie was taken aback, and the corners of his mouth rose uncontrollably. He thought Qing-ge felt sorry for him and was finally going to break the rules, but when he went over there and opened the box, he was dumbfounded.

Huo Fenglie turned around and saw Liu Zhenqing lying in bed with his shirt completely removed, revealing a large swathe of white back, a delicate waist, and sensual dimples.

“Qing-ge…..”

“Don’t delay. We agreed that I would get your name tattooed on my back, and you’d do it yourself. Hurry up, I’m drunk and not afraid of the pain or itching.” Liu Zhenqing was disoriented and looked like he was about to fall asleep, but he still threatened: “If I don’t see it tomorrow, don’t even think about entering the bridal chamber with me.”

---

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Wedding Extra 1 << Table of Contents >> Wedding Extra 3

Which decent guy fell in love and showed it off everywhere, but got caught and scolded by his mother all night for no reason?

He Chuzhou was exhausted, and his boyfriend refused to help him explain, just standing there watching him make a fool of himself.

Thus, he dreamed that night of being fiercely oppressed by Mrs. Chu from morning to night in the most mischievous part of his childhood.

Who said you couldn’t feel pain in dreams?

The feeling of having his ears pulled and twisted eight times until they were painful and numb was so real, so real that there seemed to be a cell phone next to his ear—

Huh?

He woke up in a daze and sleepily reached out to touch the pillow.

It really was his phone, and it was vibrating.

He tried hard to open his eyelids and swiped down to answer the call, mumbling: “Mom, what are you doing……”

“Checking in.” On the other side of the video screen, Mrs. Chu was sitting on a sofa, primed and ready. If she found something wrong, she would immediately head out the door with a whip.

He Chuzhou: “……”

He Chuzhou rubbed his aching temples: “Checking in on what, ah? I’m at home. I told you it was a misunderstanding. The person I was talking about was Xinxin. You don’t even trust the character of your own son, ah.”

“I can manage what you eat and wear, but I can’t manage what’s in your head. Who knows what terrible things a person might learn outside?”

Mrs. Chu had her own logic and didn’t believe him at all: “How long have you been together with Xinxin? How many meals have you eaten with him? And you’re telling me you’re happily in love just now? I really think your brain was expelled from your body when I gave birth to you…..”

He Chuzhou turned over and lay on his side, putting the phone to his ear with a lazy yawn.

Pei-calico looked at him in quiet confusion. He was holding his phone in his hand, and game music could be faintly heard from it.

He was likely wondering why He Chuzhou was being scolded so early in the morning.

He Chuzhou almost laughed at the sight.

How could someone be so likeable just by lying down and playing games?

He leaned closer to those eyes and kissed one of them, causing Pei Xi to close one eyelid.

Oh, dear. His baby winked at him!

One more kiss!

Mrs Chu: “Who are you kissing?! Who’s next to you?!”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Aiyo, he got carried away and forgot there was a spectator.

He Chuzhou: “Xinxin, ah, who else could it be?”

Mrs. Chu: “Turn the camera around so I can see!”

He Chuzhou: “It’s so early in the morning that he hasn’t combed his hair or washed his face, and you’re demanding a video call. Mom, please leave your child some dignity.”

Mrs. Chu said with a glare: “What dignity does a child need? You brat, do you have a guilty conscience? Is the reason I can’t see the person lying beside you because — aiya, my dear Xinxin, good morning~”

Their eyes met unexpectedly, and Pei Xi replied in a daze: “Good morning.”

He Chuzhou yawned. When he heard Mrs. Chu’s change of tone, he smiled helplessly. At last, he could have some peace and quiet.

“Remember to wear more layers when going to work when the weather is this cold, and don’t forget to eat on time even when you have work to do. Tell me if there’s something you want to eat, and Mom will have it prepared and sent to you. The flu has been going around recently, so you should wear a mask when going to crowded places…..”

Mrs. Chu gave him meticulous instructions before hanging up the phone.

He Chuzhou tossed the phone aside and pulled Pei Xi into his arms to nuzzle him, then lowered his head and took a deep breath.

Ah, he was relaxed in mind and body!

Pei Xi was unused to his sudden fervor, and tried to push his head away: “Okay, stop sniffing, I’m not a cat.”

He Chuzhou corrected him: “There’s more to sniffing a cat than just this.”

Pei Xi: “What else is there?”

After he said this, his wrists were clamped and pressed down forcefully on either side of his head. A head nuzzled against his chest, making his already loose collar even messier.

He Chuzhou raised his head and hovered his upper body over Pei Xi, all smiles. “It should be like this, burying your head in its chest and belly.”

Below the mussed collar, a streak of red spread across his skin, climbing up to stain his neck, ears, and cheeks…..

Pei Xi broke away from him and silently pulled up the blankets, turning over to face away. It wasn’t until his face was no longer hot that he turned back: “Gege, did you get any gifts? Why are you in such a good mood?”

So good that he couldn’t resist. 

It was as if a block of wood suddenly had its meridians opened up. He liked it a lot, but…..he wasn’t used to it.

He Chuzhou: “Yeah, I received an amazing gift.”

Pei Xi was curious: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou pinched his little face: “It’s a secret. I’ll tell you later.”

It was always unpleasant to be kept in suspense.

Pei Xi’s face immediately fell. Without saying a word, he pushed the other party away and got out of bed, going to the bathroom to wash up.

He Chuzhou lifted the blankets and happily followed along.

The two of them crowded in front of the sink. Pei Xi didn’t want to be next to him, so he took one step to the left.

He Chuzhou’s eyes curved and he moved over shamelessly.

Pei Xi ignored him. He was about to leave after brushing his teeth, but He Chuzhou stopped him with one arm looped around his waist. He picked him up and set him on the dry countertop, then held his legs to keep him from jumping down.

Pei Xi frowned in displeasure: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou gargled a mouthful of water and spit after brushing his teeth, slowly setting down the cup and toothbrush.

— And then he proceeded to kiss Pei Xi.

The pure little lamb had never imagined that this was his intention.

Unable to adapt to such a rough kiss, Pei Xi was kissed to the point of tears, which were licked away carefully and gently. 

Pei Xi sluggishly looked at the marks on his lips.

He Chuzhou suppressed his laughter: “Aiya, you bumped me again. It hurts.”

Pei Xi turned his head away nervously: “Who told you to suddenly kiss me…..”

He Chuzhou murmured: “Fortunately, you didn’t bite me today. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to eat well later.”

Pei Xi’s bad temper turned into hot white steam pouring from his head. He feigned calmness and pushed the other’s face away: “Chuzhou, you’re so strange today.”

The two people’s roles seemed to have been reversed all of a sudden. Obviously, no matter how proactive he was before, this person was indifferent. Why was he suddenly so……so difficult to deal with?

He Chuzhou: “Hm? I’m not strange, ah.”

Pei Xi insisted: “You really are.”

He Chuzhou: “How am I strange?”

Pei Xi: “You’re so…..so clingy.”

He Chuzhou grabbed his hand and kissed the back of it, sighing in grievance: “You don’t like my clinginess.”

Pei Xi quickly retorted: “I don’t dislike it, it’s just…..”

He Chuzhou: “Just what?”

Pei Xi pursed his lips: “I’m just a little unaccustomed to it.”

“It’s okay if you’re not used to it. You’ll be more used to it once you adapt.”

He Chuzhou held his face with a cheeky grin. Given an inch, he took a mile: “So do you want to accompany me to work later?”

Pei Xi stared blankly: “Ah?”

*

*

[Shocking! President He brought President Pei to the company!]

[Shocking! President He and President Pei came swaggering into the company!]

[/image/image]

[These photos are proof that when they came through the door, they were holding! Hands!]

[What door? Doesn’t President He always go directly to the top floor office from the underground parking lot?]

[Did he have a driver today?]

[No, I didn’t see one.]

[Don’t question it, everyone. President He just wants to show off. I understand, I was like that once too.]

[You’re not now?]

[He doesn’t have anyone to show off anymore, hahahahahahaha!]

[Pei, pei, pei! That’s unlucky, stay away from my CP.]

[Ai, ai, upstairs, upstairs.]

[Does anyone see them upstairs?]

[They took the president’s special elevator. Where can I see them?]

[There aren’t any visitors today, so the administrative department doesn’t have an excuse to go to the top floor. I really want to go up there for a stroll.]

[Open yours eyes, if your administrative department can’t go up, there are others who can, ah.]

[@Yun Ji, Assistant Yun! Assistant Yun!]

[Don’t @ him anymore. Assistant Yun is out in the field and likely won’t be back until the afternoon. He’s probably negotiating with suppliers right now.]

[Who else! Who else can go up!]

[Ahhhhhh I’ve been waiting for so long. It won’t end here, will it?]

[Cleaning auntie! The cleaning auntie can go up!]

[Come on, the last time I chatted with the cleaning auntie, I asked her if she knew what our company does, and she said confidently that our company has made four great inventions: airplanes, cigarette lighters, diesel engines, and tractors /smile]

[Who else do you expect to livestream for you?]

[Right! I just remembered.]

[@Linda, before Assistant Yun left, didn’t he give you documents to print out, stamp, and bring to President He?]

[Ahhhh yes, yes, yes! But Assistant Yun said it wasn’t urgent and to send them over tomorrow morning.]

[I’m so impatient, ah, how can I not be impatient? Go now, run, run!]

[They haven’t been stamped yet!]

[Come on, I’m in the stamp room waiting for you!]

[Come on!]

It only took 34 seconds to take the elevator from the sixth floor administrative department to the top floor.

Holding a stack of documents, Linda stepped gracefully out of the elevator in high heels, her footsteps clicking as she headed toward the president’s office.

If one listened carefully, they could discern a bit of tension and excitement from her intermittently faster pace.

The office door was tightly shut. Shouldering a heavy responsibility, she straightened her back and knocked three times: “President He, I’m here to deliver the administrative procurement documents for next quarter.”

When she heard the response “come in,” she took a deep breath, pressed the handle, and pushed the door open, walking inside without looking left or right.

“Please put it on my desk.”

He Chuzhu didn’t turn around when he spoke. He bent his knees and half-knelt beside the small coffee table in the reception area, handing a cup of tea that had just been stirred with milk and sugar to Pei Xi, who was sitting on the sofa: “It’s not hot. Try it and see if it’s sweet enough.”

Pei Xi accepted it and took a sip: “It’s not very sweet.”

He Chuzhou picked up a fork and chose a piece of blueberry mousse cake next to it, casually feeding it to his mouth: “It should be perfect served with cake.”

Linda set the documents down and left. Before closing the door, she stole a quick glance and saw that her family’s boss had his chin propped up and was gazing at the rival company’s boss like he was a treasure.

That pair of eyes was smiling so brightly that the word “doting” was practically stamped on his forehead.

The door clicked shut, hiding the rest of the scene.

Linda took another deep breath and remained calm, then took a step away and let out a silent scream: 

[Everyone! ! !]

[I lived up to your expectations! I saw them!]

[President He was serving tea, water, and small cakes to his wife, and his face nearly broke from smiling!]

[Irrefutable evidence that the billionaire boss is whipped!]

[Ahhhhh sweet and spicy! ! ! !]

*

*

Yun Ji’s work efficiency was getting better and better. He had originally planned to return in the afternoon, but he did so before lunch.

Therefore, he received another task: “I’m going to a meeting. You take your Pei-ge to have a look around.”

Yun Ji: “Around where?”

He Chuzhou: “Around wherever he likes.”

Yun Ji: “? ? ?”

Yun Ji: “It’s not like he doesn’t have his own company. Could looking around at yours be novel in any way? Right, Pei-ge?”

Pei Xi nodded: “It’s novel.”

Yun Ji: “……”

OK, FINE.

He had actually tried to win over one member of the couple to his side. What gall.

He Chuzhou entered the meeting room. There were no staff departments on the top floor – it was really boring, so Yun Ji could only take Pei Xi downstairs.

It was unknown who spread the rumor that the president’s wife was inspecting the company, but wherever they went, people straightened their backs and worked diligently.

When Pei Xi passed by, everyone yearned to look but didn’t dare. They only dared to look back and sneak a peek once he’d gone past them.

One peek wouldn’t do.

He looked better than in the photos.

Life was unfair, ah. Why did the boss get to eat so well?

Yun Ji, who was riding on someone else’s coattails, puffed out his chest. All of a sudden, he felt that this wasn’t a bad idea.

It was a good opportunity to compel these people who only cared about gossip every day to work hard.

“The technology department is up ahead. Although it seems busy now, it’s normally not so crowded. It just so happens that people from a game studio showed up today on account of some technical data.”

There were many independent studios within He Group’s gaming industry, and each one maintained an office outside of group headquarters. They only came here occasionally to swap reports or ask the technicians at headquarters for help with testing.

Pei Xi casually mentioned a game, which surprised Yun Ji: “Yeah, the people here today are the staff of the studio that made that game. Pei-ge, how did you know?”

Pei Xi: “Your cousin played it with me before.”

As for how he guessed correctly, it was purely coincidental. This was the only game he knew of.

Yun Ji was delighted: ‘What a coincidence, let’s go take a look.”

The new dungeon the technicians had just polished out for Escape From Death was considered to be the most difficult one of the season, and it was uncertain whether the clue logic was sufficient or if it would be too difficult for players.

Pei Xi was quiet as he watched them test the game, but then someone came up with the idea to let him try it. His refusal was unsuccessful, and a game-testing phone was stuffed into his hand.

According to his memory, it was his first time playing in this mode and he didn’t know what to do after entering. His character was trapped at the bottom of a foggy abyss, unable to move with his hands and feet tied.

Another person was a professional technician, and after asking a few questions, he went straight to his teammates: “Got it, got it. Don’t worry, President Pei, I’ll come and rescue you right away — eh?”

All of a sudden, his hands were empty. The technician looked back in surprise. He Chuzhou leaned against a desk in the back and naturally took over the hero’s task of rescuing the beauty: “We need to see how ordinary players play. What’s a pro like you doing here?”

The employee whose phone was stolen scratched his head with an awkward smile. He was embarrassed to say that he wanted to use his power for personal gain and take the president’s wife out for a spin. 

Pei Xi was initially worried that his poor performance would affect the test results for his teammates, but now that He Chuzhou was here, he felt relieved.

“What’s the name of his new level?” He Chuzhou asked.

A designer replied at once: “The Lost Abyss.”

He Chuzhou attempted to move forward: “The fog has a slowing effect. Are there torches around to disperse it?”

The designer was surprised. Many people had tried it just now, and when they experienced the fog delay, they just used their own abilities to break free of it.

If they couldn’t solve it,  they just went through at a snail’s pace.

He Chuzhou was the first one to think of using props to dispel the evil fog.

While He Chuzhou was looking around for a torch, the designer took the opportunity to note down the test records. It seemed that this level of difficulty was completely acceptable for players with quick reaction speed and a high IQ.

While searching for mission items, He Chuzhou asked Pei Xi about his situation: “Xinxin, what do you see around you?”

Pei Xi turned his perspective and described the things around him word for word.

He Chuzhou: “You can’t move your hands or feet?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

He Chuzhou indicated that he understood, and quickly located a torch to disperse the fog. When he walked over, he unexpectedly discovered that the torch could burn the vines.

He crossed a cliff to where Pei Xi was trapped. The vines automatically shrunk as he approached, and Pei Xi regained his freedom of movement.

“This level is well-done,” He Chuzhou praised.

Pei Xi exited the cave where he’d been imprisoned and saw a mountain road stretching upward with unidentified little flowers blooming on either side. “Indeed,” he agreed.

He Chuzhou crouched down and fiddled with them for a moment, then stood up with regret: “Tsk, the flowers can’t be picked. I wanted to give one to you. This needs to be fixed.”

Pei Xi’s lips curved as he said: “It’s alright. The roses at home haven’t withered yet.”

He Chuzhou: “Be careful, the road here isn’t easy to walk on. The vines will wrap around your ankles…..forget it, come here and I’ll carry you.”

Just as Pei Xi was picked up, the screen shook.

He was startled: “Chuzhou.”

“Don’t be afraid, I won’t drop you,” He Chuzhou said with a smile: “The dragon in the valley just turned over. I’ll take you to beat it up later.”

…….

The entire technology department had fallen silent at some point, apart from the gaming sounds coming from the speakers and the conversation between Pei Xi and He Chuzhou.

Their cell phone screens were displayed on two computers. One swordsman carried the other and leaped up the rock wall, skillfully controlling the character’s qinggong ability to step on the rocks floating midair.

The particle effects created a long, romantic stream of light and shadow behind them.

But other than a few technicians who were devoted to the game, almost all the rest held their breath with gleaming eyes and secretly took out their cell phones. Their fingertips made clicking sounds as they tapped on the screens.

When Pei Xi and He Chuzhou finally escaped, they looked up and saw that the technology department, which originally held only a dozen people, was now packed with people both inside and out.

And they were in the middle, surrounded.

When Pei Xi returned the phone to the technician, he couldn’t help but ask: “You guys called so many people over for testing?”

The technician was also confused: “I didn’t, ah. Do you all want to play?”

Everyone exchanged glances and nodded earnestly under their boss’s leisurely gaze: “Yes, it’s our responsibility to contribute to the development of the company’s gaming industry.”

The technician scratched his head: “But I only brought four phones today. I guess you can all queue up?”

“Ah, it’s a pity.”

“I have the will but not the strength.”

“In that case, I’ll wait until next time.”

“Me too, I’m leaving.”

“Why are you leaving? Don’t you want to contribute to the company?”

He Chuzhou tapped the desktop and smiled: “It doesn’t matter if there aren’t enough phones. It’ll only take a little bit of effort to install the internal beta version on their own phones.”

“Remember to write an 800-word experience report afterward and turn it in to me. I’ll help forward them to the studio as references for improvements.”

The designer was pleasantly surprised: “Really? That’s great! The opinions and suggestions of every test player are very valuable to me. Thank you all.”

“Everyone can line up and hand their phones over to us. Don’t worry, the company’s internet speed is good and the beta version will download quickly.”

“……”

“……”

“……”

He Chuzhou and Pei Xi got ready to go, but were stopped again: “President He, can you lend us President Pei for another couple of minutes? We want to test the adhesion level of new players to the game—”

“You want to what?”

He Chuzhou gave a scornful laugh: “Isn’t it presumptuous of you to borrow someone else’s wife? There are plenty of new players. Go find someone else.”

He led Pei Xi out, and the crowd automatically made way for them.

He Chuzhou thought of something when he reached the door, and turned to glance at the dejected crowd: “Right, finish your work before writing your reports.”

“Also, delete from the group the Methods for a Domineering CEO to Pursue His Wife. They’re all fake, don’t mislead people.”

“We’ve given you all shipping material. 800 words shouldn’t be too much, right?”

“……?”

“? ? ?”

“? ? ? ? ?”

“? ? ? ? ! ! ! ”

“……Wu.”

*

*

“I have nothing to do this afternoon. What do you want to eat?”

After getting in the car, He Chuzhou asked Pei Xi while fastening his seatbelt: “Do you want to eat out or at home?”

Pei Xi: “At home.”

He Chuzhou: “Alright, let’s go to the supermarket for groceries first.”

It was before evening rush hour, so the journey was smooth.

He Chuzhou tapped the steering wheel with his fingertips and hummed a brisk tune. Pei Xi looked at him in the rearview mirror and saw that the corners of his mouth had yet to flatten. He was obviously in a good mood.

Had getting a gift really made him so happy?

He stroked his seatbelt, and for the first time found it troubling that he was so ill that he couldn’t even remember what gift he had given him.

……Should he give him another one?

He really wanted to see He Chuzhou’s surprised expression when he received a gift.

But what should he give him?

He had no idea.

The vehicle came to a stop beside a sidewalk. There was a school nearby, so the red light time was extended to 120 seconds.

He Chuzhou saw that Pei Xi was in a daze again, wearing a troubled look as he thought about who knows what.

“Baby, what difficulties have you encountered?”

He reached out and tapped the back of Pei Xi’s hand: “Will you consider telling me?”

Pei Xi gave him a couple of glances, hesitating before he finally said: “Chuzhou, is there anything you want?”

He Chuzhou: “Want?”

Pei Xi nodded seriously.

He Chuzhou: “I really can’t think of anything right now. Why?”

Pei Xi: “It’s nothing, I’m just asking casually…..think about it carefully. Is there really nothing?”

“Hm…..”

As he tapped the steering wheel in thought, He Chuzhou’s eyes happened to sweep across the students on the roadside. His heart moved: “Actually, there is.”

Pei Xi’s eyes lit up. He asked at once: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou: “I want to see you in a school uniform.”

Pei Xi’s expression froze: “Does this count?”

He Chuzhou raised his eyebrows: “Why wouldn’t it? I’ve been thinking about it for a long time.”

“But it’s been so long. I don’t know if my school uniform is still there……”

Pei Xi pondered for a moment. When there was less than a minute left on the red light, he rolled down the window and said to a pair of high school students standing outside the fence nearby: “Hello, classmates. Can you lend me a school uniform for a while? We’ll send you — wu?”

“No, no, no!”

He Chuzhou reacted belatedly and hurried to cover Pei Xi’s mouth.
While rolling up the car window, he apologized to the two wary students: “Don’t worry about him, haha, he’s just joking!”

---

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Chapter 64 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 66

Chapter 7 – The Culprit

“I’m going to kill the rooster.” This was Feng Ye’s initial thought after being forced to get up by Fang Yang.

“Shixiong, stop daydreaming!”

Fang Yang’s righteous words broke through Feng Ye’s sleepy haze, and he realized he had accidentally voiced his true feelings.

Fang Yang stood in front of Feng Ye’s bed with his hands on his hips. He lifted up the blanket wrapped around Feng Ye and said plaintively: “Shixiong, with your current level of cultivation, you can’t even kill a rooster!”

Feng Ye: “……” 

Although he had purposely created the image of a useless shixiong, he suddenly felt it had gone too far.

Feng Ye could only explain feebly: “Shidi, I’m not that weak…..”

Feng Ye’s mood was a bit complicated for a moment. He didn’t know whether to be happy about his successful disguise or to be upset that it was too successful.

Did his performance really make him look like such a piece of trash?

Judging from Fang Yang’s reaction, the answer was probably yes.

Feng Ye sat up in bed. Thanks to Fang Yang, he was completely awake.

“Shixiong, hurry up. Let’s practice swordplay for a while, then have breakfast, and then do chores after breakfast.” Fang Yang was holding a wooden sword in one hand. Although he remained standing there, he could no longer suppress the urgency in his words.

His schedule was set in stone, counting every second.

Unfortunately, Feng Ye didn’t have such thoughts. His movements were still sluggish even though he was awake, showing the reluctance of both his body and mind.

Fang Yang waited quietly for a while before finally becoming impatient. He saw that Feng Ye was deliberately buying time, so he just switched both wooden swords to one hand and used his free one to drag Feng Ye out.

“Ai, ai, ai, wait for me to put on my shoes!” Feng Ye only had a boot on one foot, with the other still bare, and hopped two steps on one leg as he was dragged by Fang Yang.

Seeing this, Fang Yang mercifully stopped, glaring like a tiger watching its prey as Feng Ye donned his footwear.

“Pff.” Hao Chen had woken early for some reason, and was leaning against the door as he watched this scene, unable to hold back a low chuckle. He tapped the handle of his closed fan against his lips, pretending he didn’t have a smile on his face.

Feng Ye looked up at Hao Chen while putting on his shoes. The previous night had been uneventful. Hao Chen had stayed in his room to rest and hadn’t done anything.

But this didn’t mean he wasn’t going to do anything. He probably knew that Feng Ye was keeping an eye on him, so he hadn’t made a move.

Feng Ye lowered his head and adjusted the legs of his trousers. In this posture, nobody could see his expression. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the sleepiness on his face vanished as he quickly considered what to do next.

As for Hao Chen’s reason and purpose for seeking him out, Feng Ye knew nothing. He also knew nothing about Hao Chen’s identity and strength. In such a situation where the details were unclear, the one who made the first move would be at a disadvantage.

In any case, he had plenty of patience. Sooner or later, he would wait for this old fox to show his tail.

The best strategy was to stay put to gain an advantage over the exhausted enemy. Feng Ye made his decision. He straightened his trouser legs, raised his head, and yawned as if he was still sleepy.

His performance was that of a completely hopeless waste. Seeing this, Fang Yang feared he would fall asleep again, so he pulled Feng Ye after him as he rushed out.

And Hao Chen remained standing there, supporting his chin with his fan. He sent a thoughtful look after Feng Ye’s unwilling back. 

When he returned to his senses, the two brothers had already run off.

He’d lost them.

Hao Chen was not in a hurry. He unfolded the fan in his hand and pulled a fan bone from the outermost section. This fan bone that looked like a bamboo slip abruptly turned into a black feather in his hand.

This feather had a beautiful luster beneath the sun, and although it was black, it gave off an inexplicable sense of brilliance.

Hao Chen swiftly threw the feather into the air, and instead of fluttering down, it transformed into a black crow.

It was an ordinary crow, just like any other. If one difference could be pointed out, it was that it was generally more beautiful than other crows, but it was overall commonplace.

“Caw – caw –” The ordinary crow called out twice, flapped its wings, and flew into the sky.

Looking down from the sky, the crow had a panoramic view of Lingxiao Sword Sect. Its black pupils scanned the ground like a hawk and quickly located its target.

Hao Chen, who had closed his eyes, opened them at that moment and walked leisurely in Feng Ye’s direction.

At the open space behind the mountain.

Fang Yang spoke earnestly to his shixiong, who was staring up at the sky: “Shixiong, stop daydreaming. A day’s plan starts in the morning. Hurry up and practice your swordplay.”

“Oh,” Feng Ye responded perfunctorily, and continued to look up at the sky without moving. Just then, a crow flew over his head.

It looked like an ordinary crow, without any trace of demonic aura or spiritual power on its body.

Am I imagining things? Feng Ye thought uncertainly.

“Shixiong!” Fang Yang called out again, hating iron for not being steel.

“En?” Fang Yang at last returned to his senses and looked over, only to see Fang Yang’s big face right in front of him.

Seeing that his Useless Shixiong was finally looking at him, Fang Yang stuffed a wooden sword into his hand and urged him to begin cultivating.

Feng Ye looked at Fang Yang, then at the wooden sword in his hand. He had originally intended to use the excuse that he’d only agreed to get up, not to practice swordplay with Fang Yang.

But he felt that if he really said those words, Fang Yang would be so angry that he’d want to part ways with him.

So, with great reluctance, Feng Ye grasped the hilt of the sword. The moment he took hold, the familiar sensation caused Feng Ye to unconsciously make an artful sword movement, his actions so agile that it seemed as if the sword was an extension of his arm.

This was certainly not something a person who was unfamiliar with swordsmanship could do.

Feng Ye sent Fang Yang a guilty look. Fortunately, Fang Yang had his back to him and hadn’t seen anything.

Just as Feng Ye breathed a sigh of relief, he saw a figure swaggering toward them not far away.

That ghost is still here, Feng Ye thought as he regarded Hao Chen.

Unlike the avoidant Feng Ye, Hao Chen smiled and raised his eyebrows when he saw Feng Ye, seemingly delighted: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye walks so fast. I could barely keep up.”

Not fast enough to get rid of you, Feng Ye slandered inwardly.

But on the surface, he smiled with a hint of apology: “My shidi and I were so focused on practicing swordplay that we forgot about Fellow Daoist Hao Chen. Please don’t take offense.”

“No wonder, no wonder.” Hao Chen smiled and waved his fan. “I’ve long heard that the Lingxiao Sword Sect has excellent swordsmanship. I wonder if I can see it today?”

He looked at Feng Ye as he spoke, as if expecting him to demonstrate a few moves.

Feng Ye naturally would not do so. He knew he would be easily exposed when holding a sword, so he would never brandish one in front of Hao Chen.

However, before he could find an excuse to refuse, Fang Yang took the initiative to step in: “My shixiong’s swordsmanship…..I’ll do it.”

There was a dubious pause in his speech. Feng Ye could guess with his eyes closed what he was thinking. Useless Shixiong’s swordsmanship…..no, Useless Shixiong has no sword skills at all. In order not to lose face for Lingxiao Sword Sect in front of another sect’s disciple, Fang Yang took over the responsibility of demonstrating.

Feng Ye, who had perfectly imagined his fellow junior disciple’s mental journey: “……”

Although Fang Yang had indeed helped him out, he wasn’t happy about it.

Hao Chen’s mood at this moment was surprisingly similar to Feng Ye’s, somewhat speechless. He didn’t actually want to see a sword dance – he just wanted to test Feng Ye’s background, and hadn’t expected someone to disrupt him halfway.

But it was difficult to take back the words he had already spoken, so he could only smile and make a “please” gesture.

Feng Ye and Hao Chen each took a few steps back to leave some space for Fang Yang, then stood to his left and right, watching Fang Yang dance with the sword.

Fang Yang’s sword moves were not very complicated, and could be said to be quite basic. One chop, one cut, one slice, and one jab.

But his movements were fierce, and even though it was just a wooden sword, a sound like iron being unsheathed could be faintly heard.

Unfortunately…..he was still very lacking in skill. It looked impressive, but in fact had many flaws. His foundation was unstable, the angle of his sword was wrong, and force was applied in the wrong places. Wrong, wrong, wrong, nothing was right.

Feng Ye inwardly pointed out the flaws. It would have been better if he hadn’t watched. The more he watched, the more he itched to move. Although Fang Yang practiced very hard, he unfortunately lacked the guidance of a master. Even though he buried his head in practice and saw some improvement, most of it was in vain.

Feng Ye still admired his shidi of his. He wanted to give him some pointers, but…..Feng Ye glanced at Hao Chen from the corner of his eye and happened to meet his gaze.

Both of them smiled awkwardly but politely, then turned and pretended to attentively watch Fang Yang.

Hao Chen was really a nuisance. With him around, Feng Ye felt like he was being restricted everywhere.

He had to think of a way.

A way to avoid Hao Chen and communicate with Fang Yang. Feng Ye’s eyes shifted, and he suddenly had a good idea.

However, this idea still required some preparation, so Feng Ye set it aside for the time being, planning to do it when he returned to his room in the evening.

Clap, clap, clap. A burst of applause suddenly rang in his ears.

Feng Ye realized Fang Yang had finished his sword dance. Hao Chen cooperated very well by giving a round of applause, and Feng Ye also applauded quickly.

Although there were a lot of thorns he yearned to pluck out, for now, he decided to encourage his shidi first.

“Your reputation is well-deserved,” Hao Chen flattered with a smile. Feng Ye said nothing. Clapping against his conscience was already a huge concession.

Fang Yang scratched his head in embarrassment when he heard this. He had always practiced swordplay alone, and this was his first time doing it in front of others. In fact, he was actually a little nervous.

But judging from the reactions of the two audience members, his performance was pretty good.

Although these two audience members were equally useless, and their appreciation ability was questionable, Fang Yang still couldn’t suppress his joy.

He was so happy that he even forgot to urge Feng Ye to practice his swordplay, and instead shyly changed the subject: “That’s pretty much it. Let’s go get breakfast.”

This proposal was unanimously approved by the two losers, and the three of them went down the mountain to the cafeteria together.

Although they had gotten up very early, the trip back and forth took quite a bit of effort, and most of their fellow disciples had gotten up by now.

They met many of them along the way, all wearing black and white Daoist robes. Feng Ye and Fang Yang wore the same robes, and didn’t stand out.

But Hao Chen was different.

As a foreign disciple with unique clothing and a face that would stand out anywhere, Hao Chen drew the attention of other Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples along the way.

This was very normal, but it felt a bit strange to Feng Ye. It would have been fine if those people were only looking at Hao Chen, but their eyes would also drift toward him from time to time.

After being stared at by four or five groups of people in succession, Feng Ye couldn’t help but look back at them.

But as soon as he did so, those people looked away as if frightened.

Feng Ye: “ ? ”

Feng Ye doubtfully withdrew his gaze. He noticed from the corner of his eye that as soon as the group of people saw him turn back around, they immediately stared at him again, whispering to each other occasionally.

Feng Ye: “ ? ? ? ”

Have I been exposed? Feng Ye couldn’t help but think, touching his face.

It was still that ordinary face. His true appearance hadn’t been exposed.

Then what had gone wrong?

Feng Ye couldn’t even eat breakfast, endlessly wracking his brains.

And the culprit was sitting opposite Feng Ye, eating breakfast with an innocent look on his face.

---

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Chapter 6 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 8

He Chuzhou was struck dumb by Pei Xi’s words.

It was as if he had lost his soul. He forgot to breathe, forgot to blink, just staring at Pei Xi.

Time stretched out long enough that Pei Xi’s outburst of anger was completely exhausted. He felt such belated shame that he didn’t even have the courage to recall what he’d just said and done.

At a speed visible to the naked eye, a blush arose on the exposed part of his neck. He avoided eye contact, eyelashes trembling as he tried to escape from He Chuzhou’s embrace in shame and anger.

But the act of pushing away from him seemed to bring the other party back to his senses.

The arms around his waist tightened, and his feet left the floor as He Chuzhou simply picked him up and set him on the countertop.

The hand that had just gripped the other’s shirt clenched again in shock. Pei Xi raised his head in a fluster and met a pair of eyes that were frighteningly bright.

He Chuzhou said in a rising tone: “You like me?”

Pei Xi’s gaze shifted to the left: “…..En.”

He Chuzhou: “You’re in your right mind, and you like me?”

Pei Xi’s gaze shifted to the right: “…..En.”

He Chuzhou simply held his face and forced him to look directly into his eyes, which were wild with joy: “Xinxin, you like me?”

Pei Xi’s face was already blood-red, and he was unable to hide. His anger surged again, and he lowered his voice to whisper fiercely: “He Chuzhou, are you trying to annoy me? I already said yes, yes, yes. Why do you keep—”

The last part of his rebuke was abruptly swallowed between lips and teeth.

Unlike Pei Xi’s subtler kiss, He Chuzhou kissed him with great force. He only lingered between his lips for a brief moment before impatiently opening his teeth and delving deep, sweeping across every part.

It wasn’t gentle, and was even a little rough.

When it came to love, all of Pei Xi’s firsts were with He Chuzhou, including this deep kiss that went beyond the scope of his education.

Clearly, only his mouth was blocked, but he was so enveloped by He Chuzhou that he felt like he couldn’t breathe through his nose either. 

An indescribable numbness climbed up his spine, and his strength drained away. He took an urgent breath, only to be more deeply plundered.

The inside of He Chuzhou’s lower lip was clumsily bumped by Pei Xi several times, and even the tip of his tongue was bitten in the chaos, but he wasn’t angry in the least, and even laughed softly.

He attempted to be gentler, in order to slowly guide Pei Xi.

But once he felt Pei Xi’s attempted response, he couldn’t help but become fierce again, robbing the other person of every breath.

He was so happy that he didn’t know how to express it.

He liked him so much. So much that he didn’t know what to do.

When he realized that Pei Xi was truly out of breath and was trying to push him, he reluctantly pulled away. But he only retreated from between his teeth, his lips lingering against the other’s.

Pei Xi’s skin was entirely red, his breathing as irregular as the trembling of his eyelids.

He Chuzhou looked down at him, and his heart softened into a pool of sugar water, rippling back and forth in his chest.

“Xinxin, your teeth hit me.”

Although he complained of this grievance, his tone contained an unconcealable smile: “And you bit me too. Now the tip of my tongue is sore and numb.”

Pei Xi was in disbelief that he had the nerve to put the blame on him.

He could admit that he did bite him accidentally, but it was a soft bite, and he quickly let go once he noticed. It was Pei Xi who was kissed so hard by him that the root of his tongue was practically numb.

But he wasn’t as thick-skinned as the other party, and couldn’t bring himself to utter such a straightforward and shameful rebuttal.

As a result, a certain shameless person had the opportunity to keep talking: “But it looks like my kiss made you cry.”

He Chuzhou rubbed his fingertips across the slightly wet, red corners of his eyes with a bit of secret satisfaction and pride: “Let’s just call it a draw and not argue about it.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi feigned calmness and pushed his hand away: “I’m not, you’re mistaken. Let go of me.”

He Chuzhou refused. Not only did he refuse to let him go, he hugged him even tighter and asked with bright eyes: “Xinxin, do you remember the ID of that boy I killed when we were playing games on my business trip?”

Pei Xi was somewhat puzzled: “Why are you asking this?”

He Chuzhou: “I’m just asking. Do you remember?”

Pei Xi could only answer: “Doesn’t Eat Coriander.”

He Chuzhou gave him a loud, forceful kiss. Before he could react, he continued to ask: “Do you remember where we picked up Xiao Yueliang?”

Pei Xi: “On the street downhill of Huainan Road?”

He Chuzhou couldn’t help but kiss him hard again: “Do you remember what clothes Mrs. Chu was wearing when you had dinner with her for the first time?”

Pei Xi: “A black coat and a light-colored shawl.”

After answering, he came to a sudden realization and covered He Chuzhou’s mouth: “You still don’t believe I’m in my right mind?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it. I just want to be more certain.”

He Chuzhou took the opportunity to kiss his palm: “Xinxin, you don’t know how happy I am right now. I’m so happy that I’m going crazy. I even thought I was hallucinating because of the alcohol…..”

Pei Xi stared at him for a second. Pushing He Chuzhou’s head back, he picked up the half-cooled bowl of hangover soup and handed it to him again: “Drink up.”

Under He Chuzhou’s innocent gaze, he said sternly: “If you forget this tomorrow, I really will slap you.”

He Chuzhou drank it all in one gulp, then put down the bowl and took Pei Xi’s hand: “No need to wait for tomorrow. I’ll sober up tonight.”

Pei Xi frowned: “How will you do that?”

He Chuzhou: “Come on, I’ll take you somewhere~”

Ten minutes later.

Standing in front of the shelves, Pei Xi looked at the exuberant shopper pushing a cart next to him and was speechless for a while: “Your method for sobering up is to go to the supermarket in the middle of the night?”

“Yeah, walking more and taking in the cool breeze makes the alcohol fade faster.”

He Chuzhou took a bag of puffed snacks from a shelf, peered at the packaging, and tossed it into the cart: “En, some of these too.”

There were already a lot of things in the shopping cart, all of them picked out by He Chuzhou. Such was the quantity that the choices seemed random.

Pei Xi didn’t know what his basis for selection was, and asked in puzzlement: “You need so many things. Why didn’t you buy them before?”

He took a small hammer from the cart and didn’t understand: “What are you going to do with this?”

Taking the hammer, He Chuzhou turned it around and showed him the label. He said with great self-satisfaction: “Look, there’s a love heart on it.”

Pei Xi: “……?”

Pei Xi took out a hand towel made into the shape of a skirt: “Then what about this? Need I remind you that there are plenty of hand towels at home?”

He Chuzhou pointed at the hem of the skirt and said: “It has heart-patterned lace.”

Pei Xi: “ ? ? ? ”

Pei Xi: “What about this neck wrap? It’s too big for Xiao Yueliang, and too small for He Xingxing. Or do you plan to use it yourself?”

He Chuzhou: “It’s also good to hang on the wall as a decoration. Look here, it has a small pink heart pendant~”

Pei Xi: “……”

He watched as He Chuzhou tossed a heart-shaped omelette maker into the cart and finally understood the basis of his purchasing these things.

It was so ridiculous that Pei Xi really wanted to call him crazy.

But He Chuzhou argued that these were all testaments to his love. Otherwise, why could they be made into hearts when there were so many other shapes in the world? Why would they be placed in front of him when there were so many other places they could be put?

While Pei Xi was at a loss for words, He Chuzhou recalled something. With his belly pressed against the push handle of the cart, he tilted his head and confirmed seriously with Pei Xi: “Xinxin, we’re dating now, right?”

Pei Xi really didn’t want to pay attention to him right now: “Something like that.”

He Chuzhou: “My baby, this isn’t something casual.”

Pei Xi: “Whatever you say.”

“No, Xinxin, you have to confirm it. You can’t be so casual.”

He Chuzhou gave a hiss and began to whisper persistently: “Look, you like me and I like you, so logically speaking, we can date now.”

“We’ve met each other’s parents, and none of them object.”

“We’ve been living together for such a long time, and I warm your bed for you every day. We’re already ahead of eight hundred couples at the starting line.”

“We’ve kissed. That was my first kiss, Xinxin. I gave you my first kiss, so you have to be responsible for me.”

“What first kiss? Your first kiss was way before—”

Pei Xi couldn’t take it anymore, and was halfway through his retort when he suddenly noticed something from the corner of his eye. When he looked back, two girls next to the shelves blushed and turned around, pretending to be browsing.

Their ears were still pricked up.

Pei Xi: “…….”

He Chuzhou: “Xin—”

“Shut up!” Pei Xi raised his hands to cover his burning ears and strode forward: “We’re pretty much done, let’s go pay.”

He Chuzhou: “Then are we—”

Pei Xi: “Yes! We’re dating! You’re my boyfriend now. If you don’t leave with me, we’re breaking up right here.”

“ ! ”

Breaking up right after they started dating? 

That wouldn’t do!

He Chuzhou quickly followed him with the shopping cart.

He whispered “boyfriends” a couple of times as he walked at a brisk pace. A mirror on a shelf reflected his figure as he walked past, his expression all smiles.

Coincidentally, they ran into that auntie again when they were checking out.

He Chuzhou didn’t avoid her this time, and even took the initiative to say before she could open her mouth: “Oh, yes, I’m shopping here again with my wife.”

The auntie: “Yi?”

Pei Xi: “……”

The two girls had also come to pay, and were standing in the back. When they heard what He Chuzhou said, they exchanged glances and raised their hands to cover their smiles.

Pei Xi went outside empty-handed to cool down in the cold breeze.

He’d made the wrong decision.

He shouldn’t have rushed.

If he’d known that a certain person would be such a show-off now, he would have made him slowly pursue him until next year or the year after.

He Chuzhou had bought too many things. Pei Xi tried to help him carry them on the way back, but gave up halfway through.

This guy was endlessly obstinate right now.

When Pei Xi opened the door outside the front yard, not paying attention, there was sudden warmth pressed to his cheek as he was ambushed again. 

The white mist of a hot exhale was very evident in the cold air. He turned his head and waited for the mist to pass, then saw He Chuzhou’s eyes under the warm yellow street lights. Pei Xi was the sole thing reflected in them.

His heart skipped a beat, and he asked softly: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou’s smile made Pei Xi’s heart pound: “I suddenly remembered how you poured me some ice water before. It was so cute.”

After saying that, he thought for a moment and added: “No, not suddenly. You’re the only thing on my mind right now. This isn’t lovers’ prattle, just an objective fact.”

Pei Xi pursed his lips and said nothing.

He Chuzhou asked: “Why do you like me, ah?”

It couldn’t really be because of the bouquet of roses, right?

Pei Xi knew he would ask this, but hadn’t thought of an excuse yet, so he could only answer a question with a question: “Why do you guys like to ask these kinds of questions?”

“You guys?”

He Chuzhou stared blankly, then said in shock: “Who else has asked you?”

Pei Xi: “When my university roommate was in love, he asked his girlfriend this question every night over the phone.”

He Chuzhou heaved a sigh of relief and quickly kissed his fresh, warm boyfriend again to calm down.

Pei Xi: “And then his girlfriend broke up with him.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Pei Xi glanced at the man who’d suddenly become as quiet as a chicken, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

As he opened the door, he threw out a half-truth: “Because you’re nice to look at.”

*

*

Wu Qing: [I know, damn it, I know!]

Wu Qing: [I know you’re in that period where you’re head over heels in love! I know your wife praised you for being good-looking! But can you please stop trying to drag me into your love life? Am I a cheap person?]

Wu Qing: [Be careful showing off like this, or your wife’s superficial love for you might wear off tomorrow!]

He Chuzhou: [You’re superficial.]

He Chuzhou: [I’m a single tire. My mom only gave birth to me, a son. The only man in the world who looks like this is me. My wife likes my face, which means that he likes me the most in the world. / sun glasses / sunglasses]

He Chuzhou: [You know nothing about such profound love.]

Wu Qing: [Fuck you!]

Wu Qing: [Fine, fine, I know nothing.]

Wu Qing: [I’ll give you a free one-day tour of the blacklist.]

Wu Qing: [Get lost ! ! ! ! ]

He Chuzhou attempted to send an emoticon and actually saw the red exclamation point that indicated he’d been blocked. Tsk, tsk, as expected.

His damage threshold was only this high.

Then why was his damage so low when he played games?

He regretfully closed the chat box with Wu Qing, then opened his friend group chat and shared the good news of his love life once more.

Unfortunately, those inside had already heard about his marriage from Wu Qing, and responded to his insanity in a perfunctory manner.

He Chuzhou sought out Yun Ji.

Yun Ji was working overtime on plans for the next quarter, and after receiving this message, he was endlessly irritated.

Yun Ji: [Brother, it’s been so long. Don’t I already know you have a boyfriend? Why must you tell me again?]

Yun Ji: [I’m just a simple, hard-working employee. What’s the point of showing off your love life to me, ah, what’s the point?]

Yun Ji: [That’s enough about you two. Stop playing all kinds of weird games in front of me!]

Yun Ji: [Believe it or not, I won’t keep it a secret for you anymore! I’ll tell Auntie and she’ll hit you over the head!]

He Chuzhou felt that Yun Ji couldn’t afford to play.

And he wasn’t playing, ah, he was just sharing the joy.

Besides, Mrs. Chu wouldn’t hit him over the head—

Right, Mrs. Chu!

If there was anyone in the world who would share his joy at this moment, it was certainly her.

He happily found Mrs. Chu’s profile picture, copied and pasted the message, and sent it to her.

In the bathroom.

Pei Xi turned off the water and wiped it from his body. As he put on his clothes, he still didn’t understand how He Chuzhou was so easy to fool.

He was able to get away with it so easily by saying “Because you’re nice to look at.”

So what was the point of dithering for so long and not daring to speak up…..?

With mixed feelings, he went to the outer room and threw his clothes into the washing machine. Looking up, he saw his reflection in the mirror and was immediately dazed.

He looked the same as before.

But not entirely the same.

He couldn’t explain it. The fact that he had a boyfriend didn’t seem real.

He was really together with He Chuzhou.

It wasn’t a pretense to hide something, and it wasn’t his imagination due to his disordered memory. They were really together.

They had started a relationship when he was in his right mind.

His brain repeated this mantra countless times inside his skull, regardless of his will. It was an unfamiliar and complicated feeling.

He lifted a hand and placed it over his heart, as if he could feel the heat rising inside…..

“I didn’t, you’ve misunderstood.”

“No, Mom, listen to me—”

“Tsk!”

Sounds from the bedroom brought him back to his senses.

He put his hand down, opened the door, and walked out with a blush on his face. He was about to ask what was wrong when he heard Mrs. Chu’s voice sound from the speakerphone: “What kind of love are you in?”

“I’m asking you, who are you dating?!”

“Who are you dating when you already like Xinxin?!”

“Who did you learn to behave like this from? Or have you been bewitched by some short-sighted bimbo outside?!!”

“I’m telling you, if you dare to play the game of using someone and abandoning them, believe it or not, I’ll beat your head straight off!”

---

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Chapter 63 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 65

There was a mysterious island in the southern sea. It wasn’t very large, and was far away from other islands.

If pirates approached, they would almost certainly meet their ends. If there was a shipwreck, the people onboard would lose consciousness, and when they awoke, not only would their wounds be treated, but they would have plenty of food and water. Even a ship would already be approaching the coast.

But in most cases, the small island was inaccessible to ships that spied it at sea. There seemed to be undercurrents and reefs near it, and if a ship forced its way in, a shipwreck and death would follow.

Over time, this mysterious island was said to be the abode of gods. Some people wanted to find out what was there by relying on their wealth, but they were always forcibly persuaded to leave by the nearby navy.

“I heard that a pair of gods live there.”

“I heard there are treasures and secret tomes.”

“No, no, no, it’s just a retreat for a young couple.”

However, it was just an after-dinner conversation topic.

On a painted boat in Ming’an County, Miss Xi Ran was entertaining Song Xingmu. Listening to the boisterous conversations outside, she said with a smile: “That island is truly mysterious. Have you ever been there?”

Song Xingmu set down his wine glass with a smile and said: “It’s just a small island where people live in seclusion.”

As he spoke, there was a commotion outside. Song Xingmu stood up and straightened his sleeves, saying: “It seems he’s been caught.”

“You made Young Master Yi Chuan go catch the thief while you sit here drinking and having fun. You really know how to relax.” Xi Ran smiled and said, “How about we call Young Master Yi Chuan up and let him relax as well?”

Song Xingmu gave her a look, clearly displeased. Xi Ran said: “Never mind. Will you come tomorrow? I still have other news…..”

Song Xingmu waved a hand: “I won’t come tomorrow. I’m going on a long journey.”

Xi Ran was a bit puzzled and said: “It’s rare to see you travel far away.”

Song Xingmu smiled mysteriously and said: “I’m going to attend my friend’s wedding banquet.”

With that, Song Xingmu went downstairs to pick up Yi Chuan, who had already detained a man and sheathed the long and short swords at his waist. Seeing that Song Xingmu was slightly drunk again, he said impatiently: “You tricked me into doing hard labor again! You don’t do anything yourself!”

Song Xingmu just leaned over as if he had no spine, hanging an arm carelessly over Yi Chuan’s broad shoulders: “Aiyaya, those who are capable should do more work, right?”

“Your hand is healed now!” Yi Chuan narrowed his eyes dangerously. He had obviously reached the limit of his patience and was about to take action.

Song Xingrmu immediately coughed and said: “We’re setting off tomorrow. If you hurt me, they might misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand?” Yi Chuan stared blankly.

Song Xingmu hooked the ends of his fiery red hair and said: “They’ll misunderstand that I took advantage of you, so you beat me up.”

Yi Chuan thought he meant taking advantage of him doing all the work, but when he turned to see Song Xingmu’s sly smile, he followed the other’s obscene train of thought and grasped his meaning. In a flash, Yi Chuan became furious and Song Xingmu fled.

The next morning, the two men appeared at the docks. Instead of using their own vessel, they had waited for the Yue family’s ship.

Yue Xuqian was already waiting for them at the bow. They were all old acquaintances, so after saying their hellos, they jumped on board. 

Although Yue Xuqian was a modest gentleman, according to Liu Zhenqing, the Yue clan were all full of bad intentions. Seeing that Song Xingmu seemed to have a black eye, he smiled and said: “What happened?”

Song Xingmu shamelessly glanced toward Yi Chuan with a resentful look on his face.

Yi Chuan stoically pretended not to see it.

Yue Xuqian smiled and said: “Isn’t Brother Song a tender person? Did you tease Brother Yi too fiercely, so he hit you?”

Yi Chuan was instantly dumbfounded by his words. It took him a long moment to find his words and try to explain, “We’re…..not……it was because he only cares about enjoying himself and leaves me to suffer alone.”

Yue Xuqian immediately donned a look of innocence and gave an awkward cough, as if Yi Chuan had said something suggestive and made him uncomfortable. In any case, it had been determined that they were a couple.

Yi Chuan came to a realization and immediately glared at Song Xingmu to make him explain carefully.

Song Xingmu smiled and said: “It’s all my fault. I made Yi Chuan suffer.”

Yi Chuan could hardly breathe. He felt it was too easy for him to suffer a loss in such a situation, so he could only sit down and drink tea without responding.

The two men bullied an honest person for a while and then discussed the recent state of affairs. They had been helping Huo Fenglie and Liu Zhenqing monitor the situation in the court this year.

“It’s said that the emperor has become moodier, and his health doesn’t seem to be good,” Yue Xuqian said.

“He didn’t send anyone to look for them in my area. I guess he really believes they’re dead.” Song Xingmu said with a sneer, “I’m afraid his bad health must be due to a guilty conscience.”

The two of them talked briefly about what gifts they’d brought. Yue Xuqian’s were normal, but Song Xingmu wore an extremely odd smile as he said: “I didn’t prepare anything expensive, just a small item that can add some fun to their lives. Liu Zhenqing will definitely like it.”

“Isn’t it my good brother who should like it?” Yue Xuqian smiled faintly.

“You don’t understand Liu Zhenqing.” Song Xingmu smiled mysteriously. He knew his brother’s dog nature too well.

Amidst pleasant conversation, the ship sailed for a long time before a familiar island came into sight on the vast sea. They slowly approached using a specially made nautical chart.

Very soon, they caught sight of a vessel already docked at the pier.

At this time, as he slept at home, Liu Zhenqing felt it had grown a bit noisy outside.

“Qing-ge…..”

Huo Fenglie’s voice roused him, and Liu Zhenqing let go of him where he had been clinging to him like a pillow.

The two were currently only wearing thin under robes, and their body heat seeped through those inner garments, not to mention other unusual places. 

Even though he wasn’t fully awake, Liu Zhenqing habitually teased Huo Fenglie by rubbing his legs against him with intention. Sure enough, he heard the other’s breathing catch.

He murmured innocently: “What’s wrong?”

Huo Fenglie’s voice was already hoarse: “Guests must be arriving.”

Liu Zhenqing went to sit up, but Huo Fenglie pulled him back down and held him in his arms.

Liu Zhenqing struggled a little: “What are you doing?”

“Qing-ge…..” Huo Fenglie’s voice became even rougher. His clear eyes were covered by an emotion-induced mist, blurring his rationality.

“We agreed not to sleep in the same room for three days before the wedding. You were disobedient, sneaking into my bed last night.” While scolding him, Liu Zhenqing also squirmed in Huo Fenglie’s arms, fanning the flames to the extreme.

Huo Fenglie knew very well that he was deliberately causing mischief. Making such a ridiculous request was just to make trouble for him.

Huo Fenglie really wanted to be vengeful and teach Qing-ge a lesson, but he only dared think about it. With a look from Liu Zhenqing, Huo Fenglie would instinctively obey him. At most, he could give him a strong kiss and then calm down using his internal force.

They were together day and night, and whether or not they were married was just a formality. In order to make the situation more interesting, Liu Zhenqing had come up with a “distance makes the heart grow fonder“ scheme to add a little fun. Seeing Huo Fenglie’s patient appearance always moved him.

Liu Zhenqing reclined in bed with a smile on his face, watching Huo Fenglie get up. The other sent him an aggrieved look, but when Liu Zhenqing lazily raised his arms, he still went forward to pick him up. Dressing him and tidying him up, he pampered him without limits.

Liu Zhenqing was finally able to realize his dream of calling it quits to be a lazy salted fish.

The two of them got ready and went out, arriving at a familiar courtyard.

With weeping willows, a peach grove, a stargazing tower, pavilions, streams, and a martial arts training ground, it was a near replica of the General’s Manor.

Huo Fenglie had spent a year slowly building it for Liu Zhenqing. He had said he wanted to live in seclusion with Liu Zhenqing in such a place, so he was determined to accomplish it.

They walked through the courtyard and went outside. Smoke could be seen rising from the pharmacy stoves, and they happened to meet Han Ye coming out. He had dark circles under his eyes, and yawned before saying speechlessly: “You guys just woke up?”

“Did you not sleep?” Liu Zhenqing asked curiously.

“I’m not like you!” he said with displeasure.

During this year, every time the master wanted to help his wicked disciple re-enter the medical profession, Liu Zhenqing declined for various reasons. Yet on the contrary, when Han Ye and the master visited together, the two medical disciples clashed and sometimes studied all night long.

It just so happened that there were some good things in the sea that could be used as medicine, so they were staying on the island temporarily to conduct research.

Liu Zhenqing asked: “Is Master asleep? Then why aren’t you?”

Han Ye rolled his eyes in a familiar manner. Clearly unwilling to talk to him, he turned to Huo Fenglie and said: “We don’t have enough basic medicinal ingredients. There will be many guests these two days, so more attention must be paid to what they will eat and drink at the wedding banquet. I also need to go into town for more medicinal herbs.”

Huo Fenglie nodded and said: “A ship on the east side will set sail.”

The wedding was being arranged by Huo Fenglie. Liu Zhenqing knew nothing about it, so Han Ye just went to Huo Fenglie for instructions.

As the two of them left the pharmacy and walked to the gate, red silk decorations could be seen, as well as servants replacing the lanterns. When they saw their lords coming, they all greeted them warmly. Although they didn’t dare say much to Huo Fenglie, they spoke to Liu Zhenqing very happily.

Soon after the two exited the gate, they saw a figure running toward them furiously.

Seeing that it was Qiao Jin, Liu Zhenqing said in surprise: “Is he one of the guests? What is he doing out here?”

“That’s probably not the case,” said Huo Fenglie.

Qiao Jin came to a stop, looking out of sorts: “It’s not me. The guests are on the shore.”

Liu Zhenqing asked curiously: “Then you…..”

“I came here last night.”

Lu Zhenqing instantly came to a realization and stifled his laughter: “So……you had another fight with Qiaoqiao last night? Is that why you were running away so angrily?

Qiao Jin’s expression turned ugly: “What do you care! Go pick up your guests!”

When Qiao Jin stormed away in a huff, Huo Fenglie still reminded him: “Liu Qiao is in the kitchen helping the aunties prepare food.”

QIao Jin immediately switched directions with a curse, seeming to scold Liu Qiao for having no conscience.

Liu Zhenqing really couldn’t hold back his laughter. After all, such scenes had been far too common the past year.

After following them here, Liu Qiao had refused to leave, but how could Qiao Jin agree to this? Even though he had the Western Shu Kingdom to manage, he still had to come here once a month. Fortunately, Western Shu was close to the sea and travel was fast, otherwise Liu Zhenqing suspected that most of his time would be spent on a ship.

It was just that Qiao Jin was no longer concealing his feelings, but Liu Qiao was slow to learn. Often, when Qiao Jin grew so excited that he was about to lose control, Liu Qiao would slap him back and Qiao Jin would rush to the riverbank after the conflict. Liu Zhenqing figured he was waiting for Liu Qiao to coax him. But this kind of thing was too difficult for Liu Qiao, so Qiao Jin would basically have to come back alone in a temper.

Liu Zhenqing laughed for a long time and walked along a path through the woods with Huo Fenglie. They were almost to the pier.

“I wonder who will arrive first,” Liu Zhenqing said with a smile.

Huo Fenglie thought for a moment and said: “Song Xingmu?”

Liu Zhenqing was about to speak when he abruptly stopped, then hid timidly behind Huo Fenglie.

When Huo Fenglie looked over, his footsteps became a little unsteady.

There had been many people who didn’t find out about their escape until later, but there were two that they were most afraid of facing.

On the shore, the tall, upright He Lan had already walked to the end of the pier. Looking from left to right, he spied them at once. His entire handsome face filled with the joy and surprise of meeting someone he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Behind him was Li Xingruo, whom he had escorted there.

Being pulled along on either side of Li Xingruo were Yunci and Yunqian, who didn’t look as lively as they had before.

“Mother, what are we going here?”

“Mother, aren’t we returning to worship our ancestors?”

As she spoke, Yunci glanced around and paused. In the next moment, she let out a scream and released her mother’s hand, then suddenly rushed out.

Yunqian’s attention was also diverted by the sound. When he looked over, his face instantly paled and his lips trembled: “Second Uncle……Uncle Liu?”

Seeing the two children’s reactions, Liu Zhenqing inwardly cursed Li Xingruo to death for not telling her children the truth for an entire year.

What were he and Huo Fenglie supposed to do, ah?

Liu Zhenqing walked out with his head held high. He was about to apologize as he watched Yunci run toward him, but then the young girl threw herself into his arms.

“Uncle Liu! Uncle Liu! You didn’t come back on the seventh day, you didn’t come back at the Ghost Festival, why are you here…..wait, why are you warm?”

Huo Yunci realized something wasn’t right and looked up at once, staring at Liu Zhenqing in astonishment.

Right then, Huo Yunqian ran over too. He first stared at them in a daze for a brief moment, then grabbed Huo Fenglie’s and Liu Zhenqing’s wrists in each hand.

A few seconds later, Huo Yunqian cried: “Second Uncle, Uncle Liu, you’re not dead? You…..faked your deaths?”

“What!” Huo Yunci was speechless. Her eyes reddened, and she immediately turned back to look at her mother. When she saw that Li Xingruo didn’t seem surprised, she felt suddenly aggrieved. “You knew! You lied to us!”

Huo Yunci burst into tears, and Huo Yunqian couldn’t hold his back either.

“I’m sorry, it’s all our fault. We apologize, you can punish us however you want, all right?”

“We were wrong, don’t cry.”

Liu Zhenqing could only hug the both of them. He glared at Li Xingruo in displeasure, who glared back with absolute self-assurance. The two children were attending the Imperial Academy, and with so many eyes on them, how could she dare tell them the truth? The more upset they were, the more people outside would believe it.

Huo Fenglie, with a rare look of guilt and worry on his face, patted their shoulders as he stood behind Liu Zhenqing.

There was another ship about to dock at the beach. The people onboard also saw this scene and felt that they, as elders, hadn’t been very considerate.

Yue Xuqian spied He Lan, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and gave him a smile and a wave. But He Lan’s eyes seemed to be scanning, searching.

Yue Xuqian had been the last person to see Qin Yu, and seeing this, he smiled and gestured to indicate that a certain person wasn’t aboard their ship.

He Lan didn’t seem surprised. Even if he had come, He Lan might not be able to see that heartless scumbag.

At this time, a horse-drawn carriage came slowly to the mainland port.

An elegant scholar was the first to emerge. He explained the matter of renting a vessel to the coachman, then turned back to the people inside the carriage and said: “The ship will likely be ready tomorrow. Let’s go into the city first and look around to see if we can find a better wedding gift. I keep feeling like what we brought isn’t satisfactory enough.”

“You’re too picky,” came a soft, reserved voice.

Bai Su smiled faintly and said: “We’re Zhanyuan’s brothers. We can’t lose face. Besides, it’s incredible that Zhanyuan is able to marry in this life, ah. It’ll only happen once, so we must prepare well. I’ll make preparations when you get married too.”

The person inside seemed to choke: “I can’t marry.”

Bai Su raised an eyebrow and smiled: “That’s not necessarily true.”

---

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Chapter 148 << Table of Contents >> Wedding Extra 2

He Chuzhou could sense that Pei Xi was in a bad mood. He hadn’t talked much during the meal at the restaurant the night before, and when they went home, he cleaned up quickly and immediately lay down to sleep.

Their last conversation topic was whether Pei Xi wanted He Chuzhou to cook him some pasta for a midnight snack.

So was he in a bad mood because he didn’t get to eat pasta? But he fell asleep without even waiting to eat it.

Or was it because of something else?

At the quarterly summary meeting, He Chuzhou twirled a pen with a frown as he recalled the entirety of the previous day’s events.

He was fine at breakfast, he was fine at work, and when he picked He Chuzhou up after work, wasn’t he also…..fine?

Was it too chilly on the way there, and without something to shield him from the wind, he’d caught a cold?

Thinking of this, he turned off his camera and scrolled through the report flow chart to make sure there was nothing else needed, then got up and left the study.

Pei Xi was currently sitting on the rattan chair on the balcony, playing games on He Chuzhou’s account with the cat and dog by his side.

Long before the meeting started, Pei Xi had suddenly wanted to see what it was like to play on an account with high-level equipment.

He’d thought it was just a passing whim, but Pei Xi had been sitting on the balcony for two hours without losing interest.

He walked over, and Pei Xi spared only a moment to give him a fleeting look: “Done with work?”

“No, I just came out for some fresh air.”

He Chuzhou crouched down in front of him on one knee to observe his face, then touched his forehead to confirm his body temperature.

Pei Xi looked up once more in confusion: “What is it?”

He Chuzhou: “Xinxin, are you feeling unwell? Are you dizzy? Do you have a sore throat?”

Pei Xi: “No, ah. I don’t feel uncomfortable anywhere.”

He Chuzhou was relieved. When he saw Pei Xi continue to stare at his phone immediately after speaking, he couldn’t help being curious: “What are you playing so enthusiastically?”

He leaned over to peek at the screen, and Pei Xi swiftly retracted his hand to hide it: “Mr. He, don’t slack off when others are playing on their phones. This is basic etiquette.”

Okay. He Chuzhou would respect Classmate Xiao Pei’s etiquette and not peek if he wasn’t allowed to. 

Pei Xi urged He Chuzhou to go back to the study and continue to work, then took out his phone and proceeded to pummel the Jin Ling, which had half its health left.

There were numerous item drops, but unfortunately, none of them were a golden feather.

That’s right, he was secretly using this account to grind for a golden feather without He Chuzhou’s knowledge.

He wasn’t quite sure what it was used for, but he’d woken up early to see a memo saying that he wanted to get a Golden Feather for He Chuzhou, so that he could fulfill a wish.

Of course, he didn’t remember what wish that would be.

But it didn’t matter. He would grind it out according to his own wishes and be ready to surprise him.

It was only now that he realized how lucky he was to get one in the first place. The drop rate of the Golden Feather was really too low.

He grinded for two hours without seeing a single feather.

It wouldn’t actually take the whole day, would it?

He prepared for the worst-case scenario, but didn’t expect that his prophecy came true and he kept grinding until evening.

He still hadn’t gotten one.

After dinner, He Chuzhou cleaned up the kitchen and put the dishes in the dishwasher. When he turned around, he saw Pei Xi still playing at the dining table with a bitter, resentful look on his face.

He couldn’t help finding it funny. Turning to lean against the kitchen counter, he asked him: “Which boss is upsetting you so? Do you want Gege to help?”

“No need.” Pei Xi was very firm, his gaze fixed and unwavering. “I’m not upset. I can do it myself.”

He played in earnest as He Chuzhou watched leisurely beside him, love silently overflowing in his eyes.

Ai, how could there be such a cute person?

He was cute even when scowling at a game.

So cute that he wanted to hug and squeeze him hard, and leave a big bite mark on his cheek.

Right!

He looked at Pei Xi, who was concentrating on the game, and an idea flashed through his mind.

Pei Xi had said yesterday that all of his likes were the same whether he was amnesiac or not, just like he’d had fun playing games while in his right mind before.

So did that mean…..?

Pei Xi killed the Jin Ling once again, and a beam of light appeared. He touched the dropped items without any hope, and was shocked to find that the first item in the row was a Golden Feather.

A whole day later, it had finally come out.

He heaved a sigh of relief. At last, he had succeeded. He contentedly picked up the Golden Feather and placed it into his backpack.

After some thought, he opened his memo app to write something. A flash of light appeared to his right, and He Chuzhou pulled out a stool to sit next to him.

He reflexively hid the screen and gave He Chuzhou an inquisitive look.

He Chuzhou didn’t care about the game, and asked him: “Xinxin, do you remember when we got together?”

This wasn’t a difficult question to answer. Pei Xi blurted out: “In university. Why?”

He Chuzhou: “Did I pursue you?”

Pei Xi: “Yeah. Did you forget?”

He Chuzhou: “Of course not. Just think of this as…..simple memory training to help your body recover.”

Pei Xi nodded in understanding.

He Chuzhou: “Do you remember how I initially pursued you?”

Pei Xi: “You sent flowers.”

Sent flowers?

He Chuzhou, who had prepared himself to climb a mountain of swords or plunge into a sea of flames, was astonished: “Just flowers?”

Pei Xi: “More than that.”

Sure enough, He Chuzhou thought. “What else?”

Pei Xi: “You sent all kinds of flowers.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Pei Xi: “Roses, lilies, jasmine, camellias, peonies, daffodils, sunflowers, and many others I don’t remember the names of. You gave them all to me.”

He Chuzhou pursed his lips, not quite giving up: “I really just sent flowers?”

Pei Xi: “En.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay. Then which flower do you like best? Or do you like them all?”

Pei Xi: “I like roses. Red ones.”

Roses were rather conventional. He Chuzhou asked: “Is there a reason?”

Pei Xi: “Because you said that roses represent your fiery love for me, hotter than a volcanic eruption.”

He Chuzhou: “……”

Pei Xi looked at He Chuzhou, whose pupils were quivering, and enlightened him with reason: “Are you done questioning me? I remember everything, so can Gege move aside? The dishes are already done.”

He Chuzhou walked away in a trance, and when he went to the kitchen and started taking bowls out of the dishwasher, he began grinding his teeth again.

Xinxin’s thoughts were so simple that it was impossible for him to imagine his words out of thin air. Someone must have given him roses and said those words to him in the past.

Was it during university?

Damn, who the hell was so lucky?!

*

*

Pei-calico thought for a long time before finally writing a memo and going to bed: 

[My memory isn’t good, so you might not remember the surprise I sent. But if Chuzhou is really happy when he receives it, please remember to write it down and tell me.]

Pei Xi saw this message in the morning and got a strange feeling.

It was like…..

He actually had a temporary dual personality and could talk to his other self.

This was a very unique experience. He wanted to share it with He Chuzhou, but couldn’t, at least not for now. There were still important things to do.

He Chuzhou went to the company in the morning and returned in the early afternoon. Holding a stack of stamped documents, he slowly browsed through them in the living room.

Pei Xi took the opportunity to sit on the single sofa opposite him and open the game. He had checked the “remember password” option in advance, and directly logged into He Chuzhou’s account.

At the same time, He Chuzhou received a text message informing him of the account login.

Pei Xi met his gaze without a change in expression: “Your account password popped up. Did I log into your account yesterday?”

He Chuzhou nodded in answer.

Pei Xi: “Can I play?”

He Chuzhou: “Of course, go ahead.”

Pei Xi clicked around in boredom for a while, and when he felt that the time was about right, he opened the backpack and asked: “What’s this?”

He Chuzhou pushed his glasses up: “What?”

Pei Xi read the name: “Golden Feather.”

He Chuzhou stared blankly: “There’s one in my bag?”

He put down the documents and looked over curiously, eyebrows raised in surprise: “So this is what he spent all of yesterday tinkering with…..”

Pei Xi: “What did you say?”

“Nothing.” He Chuzhou showed him how to long-press on an item to reveal the description: “The Golden Feather is an interesting item. Using it on another character can give them a wish buff.”

Pei Xi: “Does that mean the user can make a wish?”

He Chuzhou answered affirmatively.

Pei Xi expressed his understanding and handed the phone to He Chuzhou, telling him to use the golden feather on him.

Looking at the wish buff on his character, he asked He Chuzhou: “Is that it?”

He Chuzhou: “Ah, that’s it.”

Pei Xi stared at the wish buff description in silence, then said calmly: “Then make a wish on me now.”

He Chuzhou: “Huh?”

Pei Xi pointed at the phone: “It says above that I’ve become your wishing tree, and will be responsible for helping you realize any wish.”

He Chuzhou looked at his serious expression and suddenly laughed in spite of himself: “Pei Xi, this is just a game prop.”

He raised his hand as if he wanted to rub Pei Xi’s head, but fortunately realized it was the wrong occasion and turned his wrist to scratch his own neck instead: “And it’s just a fun plaything with no mandatory settings. Ignore it, and it’ll disappear in twenty four hours.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “But I’ve already used it.”

He Chuzhou was very magnanimous: “It’s fine that you used it.”

Pei Xi was stubborn on this rare occasion: “I used it, so I have to abide by the rules of the game.”

He Chuzhou: “You have to?”

Pei Xi frowned: “It took so much effort to get it. How can you not make a wish?”

He Chuzhou: “How do you know it took effort to get it?”

Pei Xi: “……I just checked.”

He Chuzhou: “Didn’t you ask me what it was when you saw it? When did you—”

“Don’t change the subject,” Pei Xi interrupted. “Make a wish.”

After a pause, he added: “I’ll agree to whatever you wish for. Even if it’s a little presumptuous.”

He Chuzhou was impressed by his gaming spirit: “Really?”

Pei Xi: “Really.”

He Chuzhou touched his chin and thought for a moment: “Okay, then I wish…..”

Pei Xi gripped the phone tightly: “Take some time to think it over first.”

“I’ve thought carefully, ah.”

He Chuzhou grinned: “My wish is that no matter how busy President Pei is at work, he never misses a meal.”

Pei Xi: “……”

Seeing the odd look on his face, He Chuzhou could only reflect: “Is that very presumptuous? But you said it was okay to be a little presumptuous. Keep your word, ah.”

Pei Xi gritted his teeth and endeavored to maintain a normal tone: “That’s not what I meant. What I mean is, are you sure you want to waste your opportunity on something like this?”

He Chuzhou: “It’s not a waste. This is my wish.”

“……”

Pei Xi closed his eyes, resisting the urge to throw the phone at the other’s face.

At this moment, the doorbell suddenly rang. He Chuzhou remembered something and quickly stood up: “My things are here.”

Pei Xi’s face was overcast as he watched He Chuzhou stride to the entrance and open the door. He received a large bouquet of flowers from the delivery man, and when he came back, his steps were somewhat hesitant.

It really was a large bouquet. When it was handed to Pei Xi, he could barely hold it.

Staring at the bright red roses, he recalled the questions He Chuzhou had asked him the previous night. Pei was like a punctured balloon, and his low mood from seconds ago disappeared with a pop.

“A new flower shop opened on a nearby street. I received a push notification today and just bought a bunch.”

After explaining with this clumsy excuse, he asked a little nervously: “What do you think?”

“Not bad.” Pei Xi commented impartially, “The flowers are very fresh, the colors are bright, the texture of the floral paper is good, and the wrapping is very professional.”

He Chuzhou choked. After a moment, he said unwillingly: “That’s not what I’m asking. Apart from all that, do you—”

“The flowers are beautiful.”

Pei Xi tried his best, but still couldn’t suppress the slight curve of his mouth: “I like them a lot.”

Even though a big bouquet of roses was very cliche.

As cliche as the bouquet Yun Ji had bought for his goddess, along with a note full of cheesy love words.

But he still liked it very much.

*

*

Wu Qing came back just in time for dinner.

He happily called a group of close friends to have drinks and celebrate, and He Chuzhou was among those invited.

He Chuzhou wanted to Pei Xi to join him, but the person in question was curled up on the rattan chair playing with his phone, and refused decisively: “No need, you go ahead. I don’t like those kinds of occasions.”

He Chuzhou thought he was playing a game, so he didn’t say anything more to bother him. He quickly put on his jacket and went out.

Pei Xi was not, in fact, playing a game. He was just disinterestedly browsing recent political news.

He was very tired after fighting the Jin Ling for a whole day, but in the end, a certain person hadn’t appreciated his painstaking efforts at all.

He now thoroughly understood what Xie Ling meant when he said that some people were just missing a string in their brain.

He was obtuse, with extremely low emotional intelligence when it came to love. Even with words so straightforward that they nearly broke the window paper wouldn’t do. He couldn’t understand anything that was even a little bit subtle.

But he had been so straightforward. How could he be any more blunt?

Xie Ling asked him how his daily routine was going, and Pei Xi replied: [Aren’t you overly concerned about my affairs?]

Xie Ling: [How could that be!]

Xie Ling: [You don’t know how rare it is for you to be in love. I’m not just satisfying my curiosity, I also have several classmates crying piteously to be fed.]

Pei Xi: [……]

Pei Xi: [Sorry to disappoint you, but there’s been no progress.]

Xie Ling: [Even after so long?]

Xie Ling: [You guys are wasting time, ah. What are you doing right now? I’ll give you some advice.]

Pei Xi: [Nothing. He Chuzhou isn’t home. He went out to dinner with friends.]

Xie Ling: [You didn’t go?]

Pei Xi: [He’s having dinner with friends. What would I do if I went?]

Xie Ling: [What would you do? Claim sovereignty, ah.]

Xie Ling: [Think about it carefully. Aren’t there some things that are hard to say when you’re alone together, but can go more smoothly if there are outsiders around?]

Xie Ling: [In front of outsiders, you can just directly call him husband and he’ll have to endure it. And when he asks what’s going on, you can just respond vaguely. It’ll definitely make his heart itch. I don’t believe he’ll be able to hold back.]

When he read this, Pei Xi’s heart moved and he couldn’t help but sit up straight. He caught the kitten that jumped into his arms and stroked her fur thoughtfully.

Pei Xi: [But he’s been gone for a long time. It’s so late. The party should be almost over.]

Xie Ling: [That’s great, you can go pick him up.]

Xie Ling: [Show up, say what needs to be said, and then leave. The main goal is a quick victory. Isn’t this perfect?]

Pei Xi thought it was perfect.

Thus, he didn’t reply to Xie Ling’s lengthy drama analysis, but set Pei Yueliang down and went to the bedroom to change clothes and get ready to go out.

*

*

Pei Xi: [Where are you?]

He Chuzhou rubbed his dizzy temples. He dodged a drunk who nearly fell onto his shoulder and replied to Pei Xi: 

He Chuzhou: [We’re almost done at the bar, and I’ll be back soon. Do you need me to bring you something?]

Pei Xi: [Box number.]

Pei Xi: [I’ll pick you up.]

He Chuzhou was really a bit drunk. He subconsciously sent the box number to Pei Xi, and didn’t realize how strange it was for a long while.

They hadn’t agreed on this beforehand, so why was he coming to pick him up?

There was no need to bring him back – he could call a designated driver if he needed to. Before he could finish typing, Wu Qing asked him with in a slurring voice: “Lao He, are you going back? I’ll call a driver for you…..”

He Chuzhou: “No need, Pei Xi is picking me up soon.”

After saying this, he stared blankly.

Hiss, that wasn’t right. What was he going to say just now?

Wu Qing scoffed: “You’re just showing off! But you can’t show off anymore – hehe, I’m in love again! Next time we come out, I’ll introduce you to my new boyfriend. He’s a foreigner with eyes like glass marbles, so peerlessly good-looking.”

He Chuzhou believed they had eyes like glass marbles, but didn’t believe they were peerlessly good-looking. After all, there was only one peerlessly good-looking person in the world, and that was Xinxin.

But never mind.

He couldn’t be bothered to argue about a fact that was so beyond doubt.

The bar wasn’t far away, and Pei Xi arrived swiftly. Other than a few people in a corner who were so drunk they couldn’t open their eyes, everyone else swung their heads over and greeted him with rapt attention.

Pei Xi went to He Chuzhou, eyes fixed on him the whole way. He touched his face and helped straighten his collar like this was a natural thing, asking softly: “Husband, let’s go home?”

When he heard this address, He Chuzhou’s eyes widened and he sucked in a deep breath.

The riveted gazes of all those around became full of envy.

In a trance, He Chuzhou heard someone call his girlfriend and ask in a coquettish voice if she could pick him up.

He was then scolded roundly: “Ah? Come back, come back, ah.”

He heard himself answer stumblingly, and then Pei Xi pulled him up and led him out of the bar by the hand.

The cool breeze outside sobered him up a little. He looked down at the hand holding his, and his mood surged even more.

If he remembered correctly, wasn’t Pei Xi in his right mind today?

Then why…..why was he being so affectionate with him?

And he’d called him…..husband?

When they deceived Wu Qing before, it……wasn’t like this, ah.

Falling half a step behind Pei Xi, he pinched his hand with his free one to make sure he wasn’t having a drunken hallucination.

That couldn’t be it. He hadn’t drunk that much, in order to avoid making trouble for Pei Xi when he returned.

He was flattered, yet endlessly bewildered.

These complex and intertwined emotions were heightened by the alcohol, and when he realized Pei Xi was wearing the same jacket as him, he was so excited that it went straight to his head.

His eyes remained glued to Pei Xi the entire way, from getting into the car to getting out, and from getting out of the car to entering the house.

Pei Xi told him to rest if he was feeling sleepy. He really closed his eyes and “rested” for ten seconds, then opened them and continued to stare at Pei Xi like a dog staring at a bone.

Pei Xi was very satisfied with his state of being. It seemed that the method Xie Ling suggested had worked.

Not forgetting that a certain person had the bad habit of not remembering anything when he was drunk, the first thing Pei Xi did when they got home was to go to the kitchen and cook some sobering soup.

He Chuzhou followed him to the kitchen. He didn’t do anything, but just stood there and watched him in silence.

Pei Yueliang was already asleep, and the noise didn’t wake her up. He Xingxing, as enthusiastic as ever, sat to the side, wagging his tail and staring blankly with sleepy eyes.

Pei Xi looked to the left at He Xingxing, and then to the right at He Chuzhou. The expressions of the father and son were very similar.

Lips curved, Pei Xi looked away and turned off the heat.

“Xinxin.” He Chuzhou spoke abruptly and without forethought, “Did you sleep after I left this afternoon?”

Pei Xi poured the boiling hot hangover soup into a bowl and gave an absent hum.

He Chuzhou immediately let out an “oh” and muttered to himself; “No wonder. I was wondering why he was so nice to me all of a sudden. And specially came to pick me up, called me ‘husband,’ held my hand, and wore matching outfits with me……it turns out that he lost his memory again, ah.”

The two were standing very close, and Pei Xi heard his mutterings clearly. His face instantly darkened, and he turned his head to say: “You think I have amnesia right now?”

He Chuzhou studied his face for a moment, then gave him a word of affirmation: “Yep.”

Pei Xi: “……”

He took a deep breath and pressed his temples hard, unwilling to talk to this drunk for the time being.

After the hangover soup cooled and the drunkard had drunk it all, they would slowly discuss whether or not he had lost his memory.

But this drunkard, who had finally found an outlet to vent his emotions, could no longer remain silent. He was disappointed, but thought this was only reasonable and fair: “I thought you were in your right mind when you came to pick me up, and I was really happy.”

“But I’m happy now too. I’m happy you picked me up.”

He muttered drunkenly: “I’m just not as happy anymore. You’ve never been so intimate with me in front of outsiders before, and you’ll at most give me a hug. Just now, I almost thought you liked me.”

“But the probability is too low. You don’t remember what happens when you have amnesia, so how could you have fallen for me so suddenly?”

Pei Xi ignored him with a cold expression.

He Chuzhou took no notice of this, immersed in his own world of depression: “How can I make you like me?”

“You have everything, and lack nothing. You don’t even care about what I have. I want to be good to you, but I feel like I can’t do enough.”

“In fact, I often feel that you like me a little, but I’m not sure.”

“You’re much more important than business. I dare to gamble when I sign a contract, but I don’t dare to believe you like me. What if I make the wrong bet, and you get angry and don’t even want to be friends with me anymore…..”

Pei Xi really couldn’t endure it.

What missing a string? This guy had no strings in his head at all!

No matter how explicit he was, he couldn’t understand, and no matter how straightforward he was, he didn’t get it!

Timid and cowardly, he would rather going around asking for help from strangers who didn’t even know him than have the courage to ask him in person.

How much time should they waste going in circles around something that was already on the table and just needed to be unveiled?

Walking around He Chuzhou, he strode over to open the fridge and brought over a container of ice cubes, pouring most of them into the still steaming hangover soup. He handed the nearly overflowing bowl to He Chuzhou and said: “Drink.”

He Chuzhou stared blankly for a moment. Then, with an “oh,” he took the soup and drank it.

The soup mixed with ice cubes cooled down very quickly, and He Chuzhou soon felt that the liquid was cold in his throat. Setting down the half-soup, half-ice water, he asked Pei Xi: “Xinxin, I feel a bit full. Can I—”

Before he could finish speaking, he was knocked off balance by a sudden kiss. His back hit the refrigerator and his hand smacked the ice cube dispenser, sending crystal ice balls rolling across the floor.

The impact of teeth caused a dull pain on his lips. Pei Xi’s kiss was reckless and wild, and there was even a sense that he was venting his anger, like a cat teased to the point of scratching someone.

He subconsciously hugged Pei Xi’s waist to prevent him from falling. His mind was blank, and as his drunkenness slowly faded away, his desire flared.

His fingers tightened uncontrollably, and his breathing grew heavier.

Just when he couldn’t wait to deepen the kiss, his breathing abruptly became lighter as Pei Xi pulled away.

The feeling of loss that swept through his body made him frown fiercely. He wanted to be unreasonable and pull this person back into his arms, but then he heard Pei Xi ask him: “Now are you sure?”

He was stunned: “…..Sure about what?”

“Sure that I like you.”

Panting, Pei Xi grabbed the fabric over his chest and said word by word: “He Chuzhou, you can see clearly that I haven’t lost my memory.”

“I just like you.”

---

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Chapter 62 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 64

Chapter 6 – Fair and Reasonable

Feng Ye shut up for the time being and mentally raised Hao Chen’s difficulty level again. He had originally meant to drive the other party away by flustering him, but never expected that it would turn out this way.

Laying next to someone whose identity he didn’t know, he felt uncomfortable from head to foot.

Feng Ye’s thinking was unconstrained. Although the other party had a pure human aura, who knew what was hidden beneath that handsome human skin?

Feng Ye had encountered many creatures capable of disguising themselves as humans, with disgusting and monstrous original forms. Unable to figure out Hao Chen’s identity for the time being, he couldn’t help but imagine a lot of them.

And the more he imagined, the more uneasy he felt.

Just when Feng Ye was about to get up due to all of the slimy, grotesque monsters filling his head, Hao Chen’s movements brought him to a halt.

Hao Chen moved his shoulder slightly away from where it was pressed against Feng Ye’s, and half-hung off the single bamboo bed in an extremely uncomfortable and awkward posture.

Unlike Feng Ye, whose mind was full of monsters, Hao Chen didn’t doubt that the body next to him was human, but he was also aware that this human body was dead.

He was lying with a corpse that contained the spirit of some unknown thing. At the thought of this, Hao Chen couldn’t help but shrink farther and farther away.

Feng Ye discovered this point. Upon realizing that Hao Chen was uncomfortable, his own discomfort magically disappeared. He even took the initiative to move slightly toward Hao Chen.

Their shoulders touched again, and Feng Ye felt Hao Chen’s body reflexively tremble. Increasingly confident, he said with casual provocation: “Why is Fellow Daoist Hao Chen moving farther off the bed? Are you treating me as an outsider?”

Hao Chen stopped shrinking back. Tilting his head slightly, he took a steady look at Feng Ye beside him and suddenly smiled: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye, how could I treat you as an outsider? I’m just afraid of crowding you. But since Fellow Daoist Feng Ye doesn’t mind, I won’t be polite.”

Feng Ye: “……” Oops. He seemed to have dropped a stone on his own foot again.

“Wait…..” Feng Ye had a bad premonition. He had only said the one word when Hao Chen moved his body and pressed half his shoulder directly onto Feng Ye. The bamboo bed, which had originally been crowded with two people on it, suddenly had some empty space.

In the end, Hao Chen said with a sigh: “That feels much better.”

Feng Ye: “…….” He had still underestimated Hao Chen’s lower limit.

But he couldn’t bring himself to tell Hao Chen to move away, because once he spoke up, this cold war would be lost.

Feng Ye never liked to admit defeat. Not in any aspect. Although he felt that he was slightly inferior to Hao Chen in terms of shamelessness, he couldn’t keep losing over and over.

So he just stubbornly lay there in bed, pretending to be relaxed as he said: “That’s right, good brothers should sleep close like this. The closer they are, the deeper their feelings.”

Hao Chen replied in the same relaxed tone: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye is right. Lying here together with you, I feel that our relationship has made a breakthrough.”

“Hahaha…..” Feng Ye didn’t want to delve into where the relationship Hao Chen mentioned had made a breakthrough, nor what kind of feelings there were between them after meeting for the first time today. He just responded with a dry laugh.

His laughter gradually died down. The two of them stopped talking for the time being and closed their eyes silently, as if they had really fallen asleep.

But how stiff they were as they rested, and how tormented they were inside, only they knew.

Both of them were holding back with all their strength. Neither of them wanted to be the first one to show weakness, so they lay there inexplicably for the entire afternoon.

In the evening, Fang Yang returned with sweat all over his body and worry in his heart for his Useless Shixiong and his strange friend, and came to pay a special visit with some wild fruits picked on the back mountain in tow.

When he pushed open the door, he saw the two people lying together.

Fang Yang: “……”

His young mind received a blow from this scene.

The wooden door hit the wall and bounced back after Fang Yang opened it, making a creaking sound.

Feng Ye jumped up when the door creaked open. He’d been on pins and needles all afternoon and was entirely unable to sleep. Every minute and every second he lay with Hao Chen seemed like a year.

As early as when he heard Fang Yang’s footsteps running closer, Feng Ye was eager to move and jump up immediately, feeling that he had finally found his savior.

But his reasoning made him remain in bed. After all, he was only a junior disciple at the third level of Qi Refining, and it was absolutely impossible for him to have such good hearing.

Thus, he waited until Fang Yang opened the door before leaping up in relief.

Fang Yang watched as his Useless Shixiong rushed over to him with an unprecedented level of enthusiasm, not even disdaining the smell of his sweat from training.

After all, the odor of sweat……no, no, the scent of youth was nothing compared to Hao Chen.

“You picked fruit? For me?” Feng Ye asked disingenuously. Without even waiting for Fang Yang to answer, he picked one out and proceeded to chomp on it.

Crunch. Perhaps due to the loud noises he was making, Hao Chen, who was lying silently on the bamboo bed with his eyes closed, woke up and turned over. He even blinked sleepily with extreme dedication, pretending to have just awoken.

But after lying with him all afternoon, Feng Ye knew that, like himself, Hao Chen hadn’t slept at all.

This was nonsense. They didn’t know one another’s backgrounds, so how could they really feel comfortable sleeping in the same bed as some fellow who might not be human?

Fang Yang saw Useless Shixiong’s friend sit up in bed, and only then did he belatedly return to his senses. Looking back and forth between them, he said hesitantly: “You guys…..”

He didn’t finish his words, but his eyes moved around before finally landing on the bamboo couch – which had originally belonged to Feng Ye – under Hao Chen’s buttocks.

Crunch. Feng Ye took another bite of fruit. Following Fang Yang’s line of sight, he thought of something and said hastily: “We were just sleeping.”

It doesn’t seem to be as simple as sleeping, especially since you have a sleeping companion.

The hesitation on Fang Yang’s face was not dispelled by Feng Ye’s words.

Feng Ye wanted to explain further, but he unfortunately still had food in his mouth and choked in his haste. He rapidly patted his chest, coughing as he tried to force himself to swallow the fruit.

Seeing that Feng Ye had temporarily lost his ability to fight, Hao Chen tacitly took over the responsibility of explaining. He took from his sleeve the fan he always kept with him when he slept, and said with a smile while fanning himself: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye and I have very sincere feelings of friendship. We got so excited while talking that we just lay down together…..”

“Lying together…..to sleep?” Fang Yang repeated. He still felt that this explanation was strange.

Hao Chen chuckled and shook his head in deadly earnest: “No, no, no, we were cultivating to prepare for the assessment in a few days.”

Two people…..lying in bed…..cultivating? Feng Ye coughed harder and harder, wanting to cover Hao Chen’s mouth. He had discovered that any words coming from Hao Chen’s mouth would sound increasingly strange.

Although he was the first one to describe sleeping as a form of cultivation, it was still strange for Hao Chen to say it like that!

However, Fang Yang looked as if he had suddenly become enlightened. Feng Ye’s heart trembled at the sight. What had he realized?

At last, he swallowed the fruit stuck in his throat, and the first thing he did was stop Fang Yang from leaving in order to try to save his innocence: “It’s not what you think!”

“Ah?” Fang Yang asked strangely: “Are the two of you not close friends?”

Feng Ye: “……” So this was what Fang Yang was thinking.

Feng Ye turned to look at Hao Chen, who was sitting on the bed fanning himself. Hao Chen also looked nonchalant, which made Feng Ye the only one who had such thoughts.

It’s me who’s too perverted, Feng Ye reflected inwardly.

This being the case, Feng Ye released the hand holding Fang Yang back and asked casually: “Where are you going?”

Fang Yang was very considerate: “Shixiong’s friend will probably stay the night, so I’m going to ask the steward to loan him a room.”

There were many rooms for junior disciples to live in at the foot of Lingxiao Sword Sect’s mountain, and they were not all occupied.

Moreover, it was only junior disciples at the foot of the mountain. All of the confidential buildings, such as the library containing cultivation techniques, were on the mountain proper, so personnel management at the foot of the mountain was very loose. One could invite friends to stay overnight at will, as long as the steward who managed the rooms was informed.

Fang Yang’s suggestion came at the perfect time. Sleeping in the same bed for one afternoon was hell on earth for Feng Ye. After finally gaining his freedom, he swore he would never sleep with Hao Chen again.

Feng Ye was about to praise his shidi for his cleverness, when Fang Yang seemed to recall something and added: “Oh, you two are so close that you probably want to sleep together. I won’t go borrow one.”

“No!” Feng Ye shouted almost anxiously, once again grabbing Fang Yang to keep him from leaving. Only afterward did he realize he’d been a little too urgent. He’d been holding on for an entire afternoon and absolutely couldn’t show any weakness now, lest that entire afternoon of effort be in vain.

As if to remedy this, he turned and asked Hao Chen: “It doesn’t matter to me. It depends on what Fellow Daoist Hao Chen thinks.”

Waving his fan, Hao Chen covered half his face with it and said with regret: “Although I’m very happy to cultivate with Fellow Daoist Feng Ye……he’s about to take the assessment and I don’t want to disturb him……so let’s sleep in separate rooms.”

Feng Ye breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Hao Chen wasn’t stubborn enough to fight him to the death.

The two reached a consensus, and Fang Yang trotted off.

He ran all the way to the steward and gave him a brief account of his shixiong’s visiting friend.

The steward looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties, but his age was far beyond that. The lifespans of immortal cultivators continued to grow as their cultivation increased.

Therefore, the appearances of cultivators changed very slowly. The steward looked to be middle-aged, but he was actually over one hundred years old.

Increased age led to the loss of many things, such as the drive and passion that were unique to young people. But there were also things that were like aged wine, which fermented and became more fragrant with time.

For example, the love of gossip.

This steward was extremely gossipy. When he heard that a disciple of Tiangong Pavilion was visiting a friend, he couldn’t help but chat with Fang Yang: “Is that friend male or female? What is the relationship between them and your shixiong?”

“Male.” Fang Yang thought for a second, then replied earnestly: “Very good friends.”

Useless-shixiong liked to sleep, and birds of a feather flocked together. It was reasonable and fair that Useless-shixong’s friend also liked to sleep.

It was also reasonable and fair that they fell asleep chatting.

And the so-called “cultivating” was just an excuse that Useless Shixiong always used. Fang Yang could tell from Feng Ye’s motionless cultivation level that his Useless Shixiong never cultivated. 

Labeling sleeping as cultivation was just so that Useless Shixiong could save face, and Fang Yang was considerate enough not to expose him.

The steward lost interest when he heard the word “male.” What kind of gossip could there be between two grown men? He picked out a key to one of the many empty rooms and gave it to Fang Yang. It was the one closest to Feng Ye’s room.

Seeing as Fang Yang’s expression wasn’t too serious when he answered just now, the steward couldn’t help but question him in the tone of an experienced person: “How close are they?”

The world of cultivation wasn’t as simple as people might think, that one should be free of desires and seek the dao with one’s whole heart. When friends as close as brothers could kill each other over a martial arts book, this so-called friendship was even more unreliable.

Only young people like Fang Yang, who hadn’t witnessed the evil inherent in human nature, believed in friendship.

Fang Yang heard the steward’s doubts and took the key, but didn’t leave. Instead, he resolutely gave the steward an example: “They have such a close relationship that they sleep together…..to cultivate.” In order to save face for Useless Shixiong, he decided to use the cultivation description for sleeping.

The steward: “…….”

He asked in disbelief: “Your shixiong is male? And your shixiong’s friend is also male?”

Fang Yang gave a bewildered nod. Wasn’t this nonsense? If his shixiong wasn’t male, wouldn’t he call him shijie?

The expression on the steward’s face was fascinating, shifting between shocked and appalled. Fang Yang said goodbye to him, but he didn’t respond.

It was only that, the next day……

There was a special note on a Lingxiao Sword Sect junior disciple: Male, accompanied by a certain male disciple of Tiangong Pavilion.

And one more special note: They practice dual cultivation.

This rumor spread across the foot of the mountain overnight.

---

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Chapter 5 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 7

Xie Ling: [He asked you to write him a love letter? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Why? ? ?]

Pei Xi: [Because who knows where he learned this trick, but he thinks this method will place a psychological suggestion in me to make me fall in love with him.]

Xie Ling: [……?]

Xie Ling: [Such a niche script. Why can’t I understand?]

XIe Ling: [Has he asked someone to hypnotize you or something? Can you organize this script into something I can comprehend?]

Pei Xi: [You can call it sleepwalking without actually being asleep.]

Xie Ling: […..okay.]

Xie Ling: [So did you really write it 200 times?]

Pei Xi: [300 times.]

Pei Xi: [He cooked noodles for lunch, and it took me a long time to eat them since it was difficult to hold the chopsticks.]

Xie Ling: [Pff!]

Xie Ling: [Dear friend, forgive me for laughing out loud.]

Xie Ling: [But this change in perspective is a good thing. At least you’re completely sure that he likes you so much he can’t help himself, right?]

Xie Ling: [Although his train of thought is a little strange. Is this the thinking of a 30-year-old virgin? I’ve never seen such a thing before.]

Xie Ling: [So what are you going to do now? According to his way of thinking, god knows how long it’ll take him to confess to you, ah.]

Pei Xi: [It’s fine.]

Pei Xi: [I’ll make him speak out.]

After replying with this sentence, Pei Xi set down the phone. Ignoring the gaze that kept wandering over him, he slowly spread jam on his toast.

Finally, a certain person couldn’t hold back from checking the results: “Pei Xi.”

Pei Xi: “En?”

He Chuzhou said casually: “It’s a nice day today. How are you feeling?”

Pei Xi: “A cloudy day can’t be considered nice.]

He Chuzhou got stuck for a moment. Then he went with the flow and changed his words: “Yeah, it’s not as nice as yesterday.”

After a while, he asked again: “You don’t feel anything special?”

Knife and fork collided on the plate with a crisp sound. Pei Xi raised his head: “What’s wrong?”

He Chuzhou coughed. His expression remained the same: “I saw a news report yesterday saying that the weather has changed drastically recently, which can easily cause people to suffer from insomnia or nightmares.”

Pei Xi: “I don’t have insomnia.”

He Chuzhou: “That’s good.”

Pei Xi: “But I did have a very profound dream last night.”

He Chuzhou paused as he put a small piece of waffle into his mouth: “Really? What did you dream?”

Pei Xi: “I dreamed that I was back in high school, and my English teacher told us to hand-copy a sample essay 300 times.”

He Chuzhou: “…..Ah?”

He Chuzhou: “Why would you dream about that?”

Pei Xi: “I don’t know, but it did affect my mood. I hope I won’t have this kind of nightmare that affects my sleep quality again.”

He Chuzhou: “…..En, you’re right.”

Expectations dashed, He Chuzhou ate without tasting anything.

When he went to the bedroom to change clothes after breakfast, the view of him from the back revealed a sense of frustration.

Pei Xi stopped watching him from the corner of his eye, and his lips silently curved. He slowly finished eating, and waited until He Chuzhou was almost finished changing before setting down the cutlery and going to the bedroom.

He Chuzhou had already changed into his company clothes.

Pei Xi glanced at him, and deliberately chose a suit of the same style and color from his closet and put it on. Even the pattern of the tie was the same.

He Chuzhou went out halfway through the process. Little Yueliang put both of her front paws in the water when she was drinking, and He Chuzhou dried them for her, then changed out the water and picked up a ball of yarn from behind the cat climbing frame.

It was unknown what he was thinking during all of this. He didn’t have any special reaction when he saw Pei Xi come out, and just said as he stood up: “Are you ready? Come on, I’ll take you to the company first.”

His eyes swept over Pei Xi and away without pause. Then he turned around and opened the entrance door.

Pei Xi: “……”

As they went downstairs, the clean, bright elevator reflected the two people standing side by side. 

Pei Xi glanced at He Chuzhou, seemingly without meaning to.

The latter was looking straight ahead. He seemed to be seeing everything but nothing, and his eyes were out of focus.

Pei Xi: “…….”

They avoided the morning rush hour commute, and the journey went smoothly. Twenty minutes later, the vehicle smoothly parked outside the entrance of Pei Group headquarters.

When Pei Xi opened the door and got out of the car, the person in the driver’s seat still looked absent-mindedly thoughtful, and even his goodbye was perfunctory.

Standing by the door, Pei Xi silently took a deep breath to keep calm, and said in a natural tone: “Chuzhou, give me some water.”

He Chuzhou subconsciously picked up the water with his right hand and handed it over. Pei Xi reached out to take it, and the cufflinks on their sleeves flashed with the same dark color.

But it was regrettable that a certain blind man saw nothing.

Pei Xi slammed the door shut with an expressionless face. The short, muffled thud brought He Chuzhou back to his senses.

But in the next second, his mind floated off to someplace unknown.

The car remained parked on the side of the road for a long while with its hazard lights on. When he finally figured something out, he turned off the engine and took out his phone.

*

*

Pei Xi received a text from Yun Ji on the way back to his office after the morning meeting. The latter asked him whether he had broken up with his cousin.

Pei Xi’s forehead twitched: 

Pei Xi: [What nonsense has he been telling you again?]

Yun Ji: [He didn’t say anything.]

Pei Xi: [Then why are you asking?]

Yun Ji: [Because just now, my cousin suddenly came to me and asked me to add his secondary account to the group.]

Pei Xi: [What group?]

Yun Ji: [The love observation discussion group about you two.]

Pei Xi: [……What?]

Yun Ji: [Ah, Pei-ge, didn’t you know? I thought my cousin told you!]

Yun Ji: [When you first started working together, many people at the company noticed and created a group. They ship the two of you every day, saying that it’s to add some sugar to their miserable working lives.]

Pei Xi: [ . ]

Pei Xi: [Are the people at your company so bored?]

Yun Ji: [No, ah.]

Yun Ji: [There are also quite a few people from your company, Pei-ge. 50/50. grin/grin.]

Pei Xi: [……]

Pei Xi: [Never mind, get to the point. Why did He Chuzhou ask you to add him to the group?]

Yun Ji: [/screenshot]

Yun Ji: [He frantically downloaded The Complete Guide to Rich People’s Views On Love and 108 Methods for a Domineering CEO to Pursue His Wife.]

Pei Xi: [What are those?]

Yun Ji: [Enthusiastic group members have compiled my cousin’s mental journey and multi-layered routines over the years in his pursuit of you. Shouldn’t you know best?]

Pei Xi: [ . ]

Yun Ji: [He was shameless enough to pretend to be a newbie, and asked lots of questions.]

Yun Ji: [That’s why I asked. Did you break up, so my cousin intends to pursue you again?]

Pei Xi: [……No.]

No? 

Then what was with these tricks and love play?

Yun Ji scratched the back of his head. He hadn’t yet figured it out when Pei Xi suddenly pushed a WeChat business card to him.

Yun Ji: [Pei-ge, what’s this?]

Pei Xi: [My other account. Add it to the group. Don’t tell He Chuzhou it’s me.]

Yun Ji: [Ah?]

He didn’t understand the young couple’s train of thought, but still obediently added Pei Xi’s second account to the discussion group.

As soon as Pei Xi entered the group, a bunch of group file notifications popped up in the middle of the screen. He clicked on them, and in addition to the 108 Methods Yun Ji had mentioned, there was also a very eye-catching file called [Knock First As a Sign of Respect.]

One wouldn’t know unless they clicked on it, but the file not only recorded in detail every time he went to see He Chuzhou and every time He Chuzhou picked him up – it also included the suggestive bite mark at the corner of He Chuzhou’s mouth and the unknown hickey on Pei Xi’s neck, and if you scrolled to the bottom, there was the game screen recording that had previously been pinned on the official game blog.

As employees of the two companies, it was easy for them to recognize their bosses’ voices. Moreover, there were employees of the game studio in the group, so nothing was able to remain hidden.

The video file was specially annotated: Character info is for internal use and shall not be disclosed.

The gaggle of gossipers at least knew to protect the two presidents’ faces.

Pei Xi suddenly felt as if he’d been running around naked in front of his employees all this time.

He was speechless for a long while. Just as he was about to close the file, another entry suddenly appeared on the spreadsheet: [Today’s breaking new: President He and President Pei are wearing couple’s outfits to work today. Everything is the same style, from shirts and ties to cufflinks!]

Pei Xi: “……”

The feeling was getting stronger.

He exited the file and entered the chat interface, where he saw a person with a border collie avatar saying: 

[But my crush is a bit aloof, ah, and doesn’t lack anything. Where should I start?]

Pei Xi nearly laughed out of anger.

The person who wouldn’t even open his mouth when a cooked duck flew toward it was standing there foolishly, asking where to start.

Walking around with a big He Xingxing avatar over his head, was he relying on the fact that others didn’t know he had a stupid dog at home?

No, He Xingxing was a smart dog. There was only one stupid dog in the family.

The following person gave him some advice: 

[It’s impossible for a person to lack nothing. If they’re not short of money, they’re short of love. My suggestion is to win their heart first.]

[Being aloof toward people doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be aloof to small animals. You have a dog at home, right? Let the dog run out and find them, then you can pretend the dog was lost and run into them by chance.]

[Do you think you’re filming an idol drama?]

[Pay attention to the question. Border Collie-bro said that he and his crush are friends, not strangers.]

[Friends, ah, that will take some careful consideration.]

[Right, I think you should wait a little longer and not rush to pursue them. Observe the situation first. If something goes wrong, it would be terrible if you’re not even able to stay friends.]

He Chuzhou was terrified by the words “not even able to stay friends.” He gritted his teeth and thought, could it get so dire?

But how long did he have to wait, ah?

Why did these people not feel very reliable?

When he was about to explore further, a person with a paper airplane avatar and a period for a username popped up and told him in a resounding tone: 

[No need to wait. Since you’re friends, you can tell him directly. He’ll definitely agree.]

Perhaps everyone was intimidated by this fierce statement, because the lively group immediately went silent, and nobody responded for a long time.

He Chuzhou was also intimidated.

This person seemed even less reliable than the previous ones.

But…..why was He Chuzhou so moved?

He Chuzhou: [Are you saying you have experience in this, Brother?]

Pei Xi: [En.]

He Chuzhou: [You’re sure it’ll work?]

Pei Xi: [Yes.]

He Chuzhou: [You’re sure he won’t be estranged from me?]

Pei Xi: [He won’t.]

He Chuzhou: [But isn’t it too risky? Should I wait a little longer?]

Pei Xi: [You’ve put it off long enough. How long are you going to keep waiting?]

Pei Xi: [You don’t even notice his continuous hints, so what do you expect to come from waiting longer?]

Pei Xi: [Be decisive. Don’t procrastinate.]

He Chuzhou: [……?]

As He Chuzhou was confused, the onlookers finally reacted:

[No way. Period-bro, are you trying to stir up trouble?]

[Reckless advice will lead to failure. Don’t play tricks on people, ah.]

[Could it be that you failed to pursue your crush and came here to drag others down with you? People who can’t stand to see others doing well won’t be promoted or get wealthier this year!]

[A million times, don’t trust him.]

[Border Collie-bro, listen to me. You need to be careful about this.]

[How about you learn from President He? Antagonize the person first to get their attention, then bid for a bracelet worth tens of millions and start pursuing them that way.]

Pei Xi: [What do you know?]

Pei Xi: [Don’t give him random advice.]

[Hey? Aren’t you guilty of the same thing?]

[When did we give him random advice? If you’re incapable, just quietly eat melons and don’t cause trouble.]

[I’ll say it again! He Chuzhou doesn’t deserve him! A playboy doesn’t deserve him! What’s so good about shipping a scumbag?]

Pei Xi was endlessly vexed by this group of people, and now someone had come out to throw dirty water on He Chuzhou, which made him even angrier.

Seated in his sunny office, his frown could kill a fly: 

Pei Xi: [@ The one who doesn’t like He Chuzhou, who is this? Why is this person in the group?]

Pei Xi: [How could He Chuzhou ever be a scumbag?]

Pei Xi: [I’m warning you, don’t talk nonsense and publicly defame others.]

[This malicious person has sneaked in again with a different account.]

[Kick them out, kick them out, quickly.]

[Wait. Period-bro, ah, judging from your comments, aren’t you…..a President He anti-fan?]

[Period-bro! The words of toxic fans can’t be trusted!]

Pei Xi: [You don’t trust me, but I should trust you?]

Pei Xi: [If you don’t know the situation, just be quiet.]

Pei Xi: [@Shining Xingxing, say something.]

He Chuzhou stared in amazement at this Period-bro who was arguing with everyone in the group. In the end, he touched his chin thoughtfully and didn’t plan to say anything more.

His body and mind were all focused on Xinxin, and he couldn’t be bothered to care about toxic fans.

And indeed, they had no clue about the situation, yet kept encouraging him to go for it. They definitely had bad intentions.

Pei Xi didn’t wait for He Chuzhou to comment, not because he didn’t speak, but because the second after he tagged He Chuzhou, he and the malicious poster were kicked out of the group chat.

He was naturally unaware that not long after he was kicked out, He Chuzhou was also kicked out by the group owner on the grounds that he had made too many off-topic comments.

He Chuzhou was once again dumbstruck. He’d worked hard in the group for a long while, yet achieved nothing.

Pei Xi closed his eyes and rubbed his chest, taking several deep breaths to vent his anger.

As for Yun Ji, who had silently observed this entire process…..he was numb.

*

*

The moment he put down his phone, Pei Xi really intended to give He Chuzhou the cold shoulder for three days.

But when it was time to get off work, he looked out the window at the drizzling sky and resigned himself to his fate. He called He Chuzhou and told him to wait for him at the door after work, and that he would pick him up after booking a restaurant.

It was very close, right next to work. There was no need to drive.

Xiao Gu thoughtfully prepared two umbrellas for him before he left, but Pei Xi took only one.

Pei Xi glanced inside casually when he picked up He Chuzhou at the door, and the heads that had popped up behind the front desk computers quickly retracted.

Pei Xi: “……”

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the group chat was updated again.

As they walked into the rain, the taller He Chuzhou naturally took the umbrella from Pei Xi, and also very naturally tilted it toward him.

The wind blew, and Pei Xi moved closer to him.

A misty curtain of rain seemed to have cast a filter over the entire street. The sound of vehicles rolling over the wet road fit seamlessly with the pattering of rain against the umbrella. Lights on both sides refracted in the rain, twinkling and diffusing.

The atmosphere was near perfect.

Pei Xi raised his hand to support the top of the umbrella handle, half of his palm overlapping He Chuzhou’s.

He could feel He Chuzhou’s free left hand reach around behind him, moving to hug his shoulders several times.

But after a long hesitation, he just gently pulled him inward and moved the umbrella to the other hand, letting his right hand hang by his side.

Pei Xi gave a faint sigh, saying nothing. He Chuzhou immediately noticed and said: “Are you cold?”

Pei Xi inwardly recited three times: Don’t argue with the stupid dog. He shook his head and handed him a black, curved keychain: “This is a new product from the company’s publicity department. I brought one for you.”

When he handed over the keychain, he casually put his own keychain on his index finger, so that the dark blue arc formed a perfect match with the one he gave to He Chuzhou.

But as if he was blind, He Chuzhou didn’t notice this at all. It could be seen that he was just happy that Pei Xi had remembered him even in regard to such a small thing.

“……”

Pei resisted the urge to snatch the keychain back, and instead asked casually: “Do I like this kind of thing when I lose my memory?”

He Chuzhou swung the keychain with a hum. The corners of his mouth rose when he thought of something: “Keychains, ornaments, little gadgets – you like them all very much. When we were abroad, you bought a lot of them.”

Pei Xi: “I like them now too.”

“Hm?” He Chuzhou tilted his head.

Pei Xi calmly met his gaze, telling him through his eyes what he couldn’t say: “He Chuzhou, I just lose my memory, not my personality. What I like when I’m amnesiac, I still like now.”

“Whether I’m amnesiac or in my right mind, I’m still me from beginning to end. You don’t need to split me into two entirely different people.”

He said word by word: “Even if I don’t remember, my mind is still the same. Just like how I enjoy pasta now, I should still like it when I’ve lost my memory, right?”

When he heard the implication in these words, his eyebrows jumped slightly. He seemed to finally understand something.

Damp neon light fell on his eyes, lighting them up sporadically: “Pei Xi, do you…..”

Pei Xi’s hands clenched at his sides. His breathing slowed, and he waited with nervous expectation for He Chuzhou to ask the question he wanted to hear.

He Chuzhou: “Do you want to eat pasta? Does this restaurant have it, or should we go to another one?”

Pei Xi: “…..”

Pei Xi: “……..”

---

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Chapter 61 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 63

The early morning sun shone obliquely into the room.

Pei Xi woke up with his eyes still closed and subconsciously reached out to the side — but encountered nothing.

“ ? ”

He opened his eyes to find that the spot in front of him was empty. Not only was the bed empty, but he was the only one in the enormous room.

Why had he gotten up so early?

Had he gone to work?

There was no movement in the living room. He closed his eyes for a while, then threw back the blankets and sat on the edge of the bed.

He took the phone from the bedside table to check the time, but after unlocking it, what caught his eye was the memo screen.

There was a short sentence he had edited at 10:48 the night before:

[Does Chuzhou really like me?]

“…..?”

He read this sentence over and over again in confusion, unable to recall when he’d written it or what kind of mood he was in.

What had happened?

If he had doubts, why didn’t he just ask?

Unable to figure it out, he set the phone down and headed to the bathroom.

He looked up while squeezing out toothpaste, and upon seeing himself in the mirror, something flashed through his mind and he quickly caught it.

Suspecting that He Chuzhou didn’t like him……

Was it because……?

In the living room.

He Chuzhou was sitting on the sofa in his house clothes, with He Xingxing lying on his belly at his feet and Pei Yueliang sitting to the side with her eyes squinted and paws folded under her. On his knees was a laptop paused on the search page.

He had logged into the anonymous forum from last time and once again posted a request for help.

It was unknown whether the enthusiastic netizen brother hadn’t gotten up or didn’t have time, but he hadn’t replied and his avatar was grey.

What should he do?

Someone else might not be as reliable as this brother.

Why not directly post it in the public discussion area?

But according to his observations, most of the people there were just joking around, with few of them seriously answering questions…..

There was a light tap on the back of the computer.

He returned to his senses and looked up, only to find that he’d been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed Pei Xi coming over.

“You’re awake? I brought you some duck blood and vermicelli soup and pan-fried dumplings. It’s warming up in the kitchen, I’ll bring it out.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he closed the laptop and set it aside. Just as he was about to stand, a push to his chest forced him back down.

Then his thighs sank as Pei Xi sat directly on his legs, leaning forward slightly to hold his waist as he faced him.

“ ! ”

He Chuzhou instantly stopped breathing.

This position was foul play. His brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen, and his mouth gaped for a long time before he found his voice: “Xin…..Xinxin?”

Pei Xi gave a hum. With downcast eyes and a focused expression, he said: “Gege, I have something to ask you.”

Holding his arms, He Chuzhou coughed awkwardly. His eyes darted around: “Sure, what is it?”

Pei Xi: “Do you like me?”

“Of course,” He Chuzhou answered without hesitation. “Why are you suddenly asking this?”

Pei Xi pursed his lips and whispered: “Because you haven’t kissed me on your own initiative, not even once.”

He Chuzhou choked.

How could he not want to?

It was just that his conscience wouldn’t let him take advantage of the situation.

In desperation, he had to re-use his previous excuse: “You’re still unwell, I can’t—!”

The softness on his lips was fleeting.

His pupils constricted as he stared at Pei Xi.

After his surprise attack, the latter pulled away and looked him straight in the eyes: “Gege, why do you feel guilty? Do I have to do this for you to look me in the eyes?”

The lingering warmth on his lips was starting to dissipate. Pei Xi’s voice in his ears mixed with his own heartbeat, and He Chuzhou could feel himself barely breathing.

“That’s not…..” He Chuzhou gulped unconsciously. His own voice sounded like someone else speaking beside him: “I was just thinking that you’re probably hungry now…..”

“En, I’m hungry.”

Pei Xi nodded in agreement. Then he grasped He Chuzhou’s jaw and kissed him again. It still wasn’t deep, but it contained more force than a dragonfly skimming water and lasted longer.

Very soon, he felt the hands holding him fail to restrain their strength, and the breathing of the person he was kissing grew heavy and disordered.

So he gently bit the other’s lip. Sensing the other’s rigidness, he swept his tongue soothingly over the place he’d bitten.

Pulling away again, he saw that the evasion in the other’s eyes had been completely replaced by strong repressed emotions, along with a deep, surging darkness.

“See? You can do it.”

Their eyes met. The breath he exhaled as he spoke blew against He Chuzhou’s lips, and the friction in the air created unseen sparks.

His voice was cool, his eyes pure, but at this moment, it had the opposite effect and was extremely seductive.

“It’s just a kiss. It’s not that easy to shoot accidentally while polishing a gun.”

“Look, you could have done it, but you refused to kiss me for such a long time.”

“Chuzhou, do you really like me?”

The moment his words of censure fell, the back of his head was suddenly grabbed and pulled down with great force, and the pair of lips that had been scorched by his kisses closed in.

It was an eager kiss, but only lasted a moment.

In the next second, on the verge of reaching the limits of restraint, those lips turned away.

The subsequent touches were faint and accompanied by hot and unstable breathing, from his face, to his cheek, and then extending down to his delicate neck.

The other finally couldn’t bear it anymore and sucked hard, leaving behind a sudden mark.

Pei Xi’s breathing skipped, and his entire body trembled as if it had been electrified. The kiss exploded from the side of his throat and rapidly spread throughout his body, instantly softening his lower back.

His mind was a large swathe of blankness, all thought driven away.

He wanted to sit up and look at He Chuzhou’s expression, but he was being held too tightly and couldn’t break free.

Not only did the hand behind his head not loosen, but it also pressed him tighter into the other’s arms.

Pei Xi rested his chin on He Chuzhou’s shoulder, unable to tell whose heartbeat was pounding in his ears.

“See? I can’t.”

He Chuzhou’s trembling voice was extremely hoarse. Pei Xi only felt an electric current surge into his ears, a faint jolt of shock transmitted from every fine hair inside.

“Especially when you’re sitting on me like this, speaking to me like this, and biting me like this.”

“I can’t do it at all.”

Pei Xi breathed in his unique scent, and his thoughts moved. His initial purpose of seeking confirmation had inevitably deviated in the midst of such an explosive and ambiguous atmosphere.

His breathing also fell into disorder. He turned his head and slowly rubbed his nose across the tip, base, and lobe of He Chuzhou’s ear.

As if possessed, he opened his mouth and took a light nip.

The arms wrapped around his waist instantly constricted. He didn’t know if the low moan that fell into his ears was an illusion, but the close embrace allowed him to sense all of the changes in the other’s body simultaneously.

“If you can’t, then you can’t.”

Pei Xi’s Adam’s apple rolled. He tightly hooked He Chuzhou’s neck and whispered in his ear: “It’s been so long. I should have recovered long ago.”

“Having a bad memory isn’t a big problem. At most, I’ll wake up with amnesia.”

“That doesn’t matter. You can do the things I forgot again, and maybe I’ll remember.”

“Gege, you say you like me, but if you like me, you shouldn’t have held back up to now.”

He Chuzhou really couldn’t take any more.

He felt the blood in his body boiling because of this person in his arms, who was teasing him without realizing the severity of the situation. It practically seeped out from every narrow pore.

Not just once. He wanted to do it twice, thrice, unlimited times.

Just like in his dreams, until the energy rampaging through his body was dispersed and Pei Xi didn’t even have the strength to bite him, unable to do anything but let him kiss him and move him to and fro.

His brain was about to be swallowed up by mindless impulse. Tilting his head, he buried it deeply between Pei Xi’s shoulder and neck, greedily and vigorously absorbing his scent like a cat clinging to catnip.

Just when his last bit of sanity was about to snap, there was a loud knocking at the door, coupled with He Aiyue’s unscrupulous shouting:

“Boss He, Boss He, are you home?”

“I know you’re there. Yun Ji said you didn’t go to the company.”

“Open the door, open the door, I know you’re home.”

“Pei-ge, Pei-ge! Your sister is here!”

“Are you really not at home…..”

He Aiyue knocked for a long time before lowering her hand with a grumble. She took out her phone, and was about to make a call when the door opened from the inside.

Her brother stood in front of her, his expression very colorful and complicated.

“What were you doing in there? I’ve been calling you for half a day.”

He Aiyue put her phone away again and wrinkled her nose: “What’s with that expression on your face? Did I interrupt your sleep? Are you embarrassed that you slept so late?”

“Okay, okay, it’s getting noisy.”

He Chuzhou pressed his aching head: “Why did you run over here so early? You didn’t sleep in for once on a weekend?”

He Aiyue said with a grin: “I came to get the gifts and tell you that mom wants you home for dinner today. Dad caught a bunch of cold-water fish, including sea bass. Uncle Zhang’s sea bass is super tasty.”

He Chuzhou scoffed: “You’re full of it. Can cold-water fish and sea bass be raised in the same pond?”

He turned sideways and said: “Come in quick, the door’s closing.”

“It’s Dad who’s full of it. It’s got nothing to do with me.”

He Aiyue walked inside briskly and immediately saw Pei Xi standing nearby with a kitten in his arms.

“Wa, kitten!”

She approached excitedly and said: “Pei-ge, when did you get a cat? It’s so cute! Let me touch it, let me touch it!”

In the blind spot behind her, He Chuzhou shut the door and pressed his forehead hard with the base of his palm.

After calming down, he felt fortunate to have regained control.

Luckily, this girl had arrived just in time.

“We picked her up on our way home some time ago.”

Pei Xi handed Pei Yueliang over to He Aiyue. Looking up, he exchanged a wordless look with He Chuzhou and went back to the bedroom to change clothes.

The mark on the side of his neck was even more obvious once he’d cooled down.

His originally pale neck seemed to have been infected by that spot, the crimson hue spreading all the way to his ear.

*

*

He Chuzhou: [Question: How can I make the person I like fall in love with me ASAP? Very urgent, waiting online. But I can’t wait any longer.]

[You’re in such a hurry?]

[Why are you pursuing someone so impatiently?]

[The questioner is a man, right? I don’t even need to click into the data.]

[Is it the person you want or their body?]

[Men, tsk, tsk. So foul.]

He Chuzhou couldn’t refute.

Yes, yes, yes, he wanted the person’s body.

People who had never eaten meat were so ignorant that they couldn’t help but rush to eat the tiniest scraps.

He couldn’t take a progressive approach.

If he were to be asked again whether he could resist going to bed with the person when he finally caught them, the current answer would be no.

He couldn’t resist at all.

He was just impatient. So impatient that he was on fire, so impatient that he wanted to start a legitimate relationship with that person tomorrow.

He Chuzhou: [Thank you. I want everything.]

He Chuzhou: [I don’t know what kind of patience I’ll have tomorrow, but it’s definitely exhausted today.]

He Chuzhou: [He’s flirted with me more than once.]

He Chuzhou: [Also, our relationship is a little ambiguous now. I think he might like me a little bit.]

[Flirted with you? Could it be that he gave you a cup of milk tea when the office was distributing it?]

[Is it possible that he has to pass by your workstation to use the toilet?]

[You don’t mean to say that he likes you too, and you can win the beauty over by putting in just a little effort, right?]

[A good example of men being confident over nothing.]

[I can’t stand it!]

[You say your relationship is a little ambiguous. Could you describe in detail how ambiguous it is?]

He definitely couldn’t describe it in detail.

But He Chuzhou turned to glance at Pei Xi sleeping next to him, and his heart softened. He typed a reply with a smile:

He Chuzhou: [He’s sleeping next to me right now.]

[ ? ? ? ]

[Is OP dreaming?]

[Is this a scam post?]

[If he’s really sleeping next to you, why did you come here to ask us?]

[OP is dreaming. Scram!]

[OP, I’ll teach you a method. While he’s asleep, whisper in his ear 10,000 times that he likes you. People are easily brainwashed when they’re unguarded, believe me. Hahahaha!]

[I know the answer to the question above! My bestie and I talk about interior decoration during the day, and when we go home at night, all we look at on social media is interior decoration.]

[Are you being monitored by mobile phone big data?]

[It’s all the same, provided you’re actually papapa-ing together, ah.]

[Oh my god, stop providing this man material for his dreams!]

[Can’t you see that I’m just messing with him?]

People were easily brainwashed when they were unguarded?

He Chuzhou bit his cheek and pondered this sentence for a long time.

It seemed like a feasible solution. Why hadn’t he thought of it before?

But wouldn’t it be a little too despicable?

Yeah right!

He couldn’t wait to be a beast, so being a little despicable was just fine!

*

*

“YAre you going to the company on the weekend too?”

Pei Xi opened the door and came out of the room, sitting down elegantly at the dining table.

“There’s no need.”

He Chuzhou responded vaguely. His gaze swept across Pei Xi’s neck, then moved away unobtrusively. He picked up the soy milk and took a sip.

He probably hadn’t noticed.

“I noticed a red spot when I was washing my face just now.”

Pei Xi raised a hand and touched the hickie, asking casually: “Do you know how it happened?”

Thump.

The steamed dumpling He Chuzhou had just taken a bite of fell onto his plate.

Pei Xi looked over, and He Chuzhou calmly picked up the steamed dumpling again: “I have no idea. Is it a mosquito bite? Does it itch?”

Pei Xi: “……”

Pei Xi: “There shouldn’t be any mosquitos in this weather.”

He Chuzhou gave an ‘oh.’ “Really? I heard there’s a kind of large mosquito that lives a long time. The place it bites will be red and swollen for several days.”

Pei Xi: “……”

OK.

He Chuzhou didn’t have any plans to go to the company today, but…..he harbored wicked intentions and felt guilty when he saw Pei Xi.

He felt even guiltier when he saw Pei Xi walking around in front of him with a glaring hickie.

Not only guilty, but a little hot-headed.

Therefore, he ultimately found an excuse and left for the company in disgrace.

Pei Xi held Pei Yueliang and sat in the sun, watching He Chuzhou leave the house in dress clothes. His brow furrowed deeply, and he gradually stopped petting the kitten.

Why was he still avoiding him?

And it was even worse now. He wouldn’t even look him in the eyes.

What did this mean?

He couldn’t help but think it over carefully again. He had to admit that Pei-calico’s method of following instructions yesterday was indeed too impulsive and aggressive.

And nothing had come of it.

He tutted in annoyance.

It seemed that all unorthodox methods were unreliable. He would have to do it himself.

He Chuzhou returned very late.

Pei Xi said nothing about this. He came out of the bathroom after blow drying his hair, grabbed his phone and charging cable, and walked out.

He Chuzhou followed him with his eyes: “Not going to sleep yet?”

Pei Xi: “I’m going next door.”

He Chuzhou: “Ah?”

Pei Xi: “Sleeping with you at night is too hot, so I’ll go to the guest room.”

He Chuzhou: “? ? ?”

Hot ? ? ?

Sitting on the bed, he watched as Pei Xi left and closed the door. He was the only one left in the bedroom that normally contained two people.

Hot ? ? ? ? ? 

He raised his hand and touched his neck in disbelief.

Was he hot?

Could it be because he secretly hugged Pei Xi too tightly when he was asleep?

Would he be alone in this empty room forever?!

Was there still hope that he could take a cold shower at night??

. . . . . . 

Pei Xi had already entered the next room, completely ignorant of the trauma his casual excuse had caused He Chuzhou.

Before going to bed, he set an alarm for much earlier than his biological clock.

Fast forward to the next morning – he was awoken by the alarm clock and, as expected, did not lose his memory.

He was somewhat tense.

He splashed a handful of cold water on his face to calm down.

Taking a deep breath, he stared at himself in the mirror for a long moment and ultimately recited the words he had prepared in his mind.

Pei Xi, this isn’t the first time you’ve pretended to have amnesia.

You have experience.

This time, you definitely won’t be found out.

After completing his preparations, he exited the room.

Surprisingly, although he’d gotten up early enough, He Chuzhou had gotten up even earlier and had even walked the dog and bought breakfast.

When he saw him come out, He Chuzhou didn’t neglect to confirm: “Xinxin?”

Pei Xi gave a hum, calmly acknowledging his identity.

From the moment he sat down, He Chuzhou’s eyes were fixed on him.

He didn’t understand why at first, and was afraid of being discovered, so he ate his meal with an abundance of caution.

The moment he set down his chopsticks, he suddenly realized that as Pei-calico, he hadn’t asked why he was sleeping in the guest bedroom.

His heart immediately constricted. Thinking that He Chuzhou had discovered him, he began to brainstorm solutions.

Before he could come up with anything, he heard He Chuzhou ask: “Is Xinxin done eating?”

…..It didn’t seem like he’d discovered him.

He was uncertain, so he nodded cautiously: “En, I’m done.”

He Chuzhou: “You don’t have anything to do for a while, right?”

Pei Xi shook his head: “No.”

He Chuzhou: “Then can you come help me in the study?”

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

With a heart full of doubt, he followed He Chuzhou to the study. As soon as he sat down, a pen and a stack of stationary were placed in front of him.

Pei Xi: “This is…..?”

He Chuzhou pulled up a seat and sat next to him. Resting his arms on the desk, he looked at him with curved eyes.

Unlike the President He who had always opposed him in the past, he was more like a young university student who had just started a relationship.

He said: “Xinxin, please write me a love letter.”

He had originally planned to wait until evening.

But after the abrupt separation last night, he was even more impatient.

Pei Xi: “ ? ? ? ”

Pei Xi: “A love letter? Why?”

He Chuzhou: “I’ve never received one. Wu Qing said he’s gotten a lot, and I’m jealous. Can you write one for me?”

Never received one?

But Pei Xi clearly remembered Wu Qing saying that He Chuzhou had received numerous love letters since high school, from both girls and boys.

And now he hadn’t received any?

He picked up the pen in bafflement—

And didn’t write for a long time.

He could only turn and ask He Chuzhou: “I don’t know how to write one?”

To be honest, He Chuzhou didn’t either.

He had indeed received a lot of them, but never opened a single one.

He regretted it. He should have read one earlier.

“You can just write…..” He thought hard, and an idea suddenly came to him. “You can just write that you like He Chuzhou very much.”

Pei Xi: “You like He Chuzhou very much?”

He Chuzhou: “You, not me. Just write this sentence. Write it a hundred times until you have 800 words.”

Under Pei Xi’s stunned gaze, he paused for a few seconds before revising his words: “It’s better to do it 200 times, otherwise the impression won’t be deep enough. The suggestion won’t take root and when you wake up again, you’ll have forgotten all about it.”

Pei Xi: “ ? ? ? ? ? ”

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Chapter 60 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 62