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

Chapter 5 – Face

Caught in the middle, Fang Yang didn’t understand what was going on. Looking left and right, although he couldn’t parse the hidden meaning in the two peoples’ words, he did realize that the atmosphere between them seemed a little odd.

Fang Yang looked to the left, and saw that Useless-shixiong was wearing a serious expression he’d never seen before, which made his ordinary face look somewhat severe. This was the complete opposite of the Feng Ye he usually knew.

Just when he couldn’t hold back any longer and was going to inquire, Hao Chen suddenly opened his fan with a swish, like a clarion call to stop a war. Feng Ye’s serious expression vanished as well, and he smiled harmlessly once more: “Fellow Daoist Hao has just arrived. Would he like a tour of the sect?”

Hao Chen acquiesced with a nod: “I have long heard of its celebrated name, and couldn’t be more grateful.”

The two of them tacitly dropped the fictitious discussion, but they had already stamped a huge, suspicious label on each other in their hearts — there was something wrong with this person.

Although there was something fishy, the two did not directly expose each other’s false identities. Because they didn’t know the other party’s identity or purpose, nor did they know the other’s depth.

Yes, depth.

Feng Ye’s cultivation level was at the third level of Qi Refining, while Hao Chen’s was only a little higher, at the fourth level of Qi Refining. The two of them together were only as good as one Fang Yang, who had been cultivating for just over a year. There was no way to tell their depth at all.

But even if Feng Ye and Hao Chen used their feet to think, they would know that their opponent was definitely more powerful than they showed on the surface.

Out of caution, neither of them acted rashly.

“Shixiong, you and your friend can go walk around. I’m going to practice swordplay,” Fang Yang said to Feng Ye. He couldn’t comprehend the strange atmosphere between the two, but since they were friends, there shouldn’t be any problems. It was more important to hone his sword skills.

This was exactly what Feng Ye wanted. Hao Chen was pretending to know him and using this to get close to him, his purpose unclear. With Fang Yang around, Feng Ye was somewhat restrained by the need to maintain his image as a useless shixiong, so him leaving was perfect.

Feng Ye waved to Fang Yang: “Bye-bye.”

The endlessly energetic Fang Yang and his wooden sword quickly left their sights.

Now it was just the two of them.

Hao Chen waved his fan again with a swish. With a face more handsome than that of Pan An, he looked a bit like one of those romantic young masters in mortal storybooks.

And there was a perpetual faint smile at the corners of his lips, and from whichever angle one looked at him, one would feel he was smiling at them. Coupled with his peach-blossom eyes that seemed to contain the waters of the Sanjiang rivers, unmarried girls would blush with palpitating hearts at the sight of him. 

It was a pity that Feng Ye was the only one present, and was not at all impressed by Hao Chen’s outstanding appearance.

Hao Chen watched Fang Yang’s back as he left and commented with a smile: “Fellow Daoist, your shidi is very cute.” Foolishly cute.

Feng Ye had no fan to wave, and felt that he was somewhat lacking in ostentation and extravagance, so he crossed his arms and donned an identical provocative smile: “Fellow Daoist Hao keeps calling me Fellow Daoist. It’s a little unfamiliar. Why not just call me by my name?”

Hao Chen’s smile deepened once more. His eyebrows curved like those of a sly fox, and the fan in his hand continued to wave unhurriedly to a certain rhythm: “Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but I’ve been cultivating too hard these past few days, and in a moment of carelessness, I injured my brain. What is your name?”

Feng Ye: “……”

The smile on his face froze for a split second, because he hadn’t expected that there was such a thick-skinned person in this world.

It was clear that Hao Chen had given this excuse because he was just too lazy to come up with a new one.

But it made sense. They had already revealed their flaws to each other, and it was only because they didn’t know each other’s strength that they didn’t take reckless action. In any case, they both knew they were lying through their teeth, so the credibility of those lies didn’t matter.

At this thought, Feng Ye no longer bothered with such trivial matters and directly answered: “Feng Ye.”

“Maple Leaf?”^[1] Hao Chen raised an eyebrow. This didn’t sound like a name. He quickly came to his senses and realized that the “枫” Feng should probably be written as “封.”

He quickly filtered through the list of powerful people in his mind, and this name wasn’t on it. But that didn’t mean the other party was an unknown person, because “Maple Leaf” was most likely a pseudonym.

Feng Ye was unaware of Hao Chen’s change of mind, and only thought he was ridiculing his name. He had no intention of explaining, and just said: “Hao Chen. This name is interesting.”

“Oh? How do you mean?” Hao Chen asked with interest.

Feng Ye looked Hao Chen over from top to bottom, then commented: “Hao Chen^[2]……is somewhat of a misnomer.”

Hao Chen had to think for a moment before he realized Feng Ye was mocking him. He retorted in his heart: that’s because you haven’t seen my true form.

But just like Feng Ye, he wasn’t prepared to remove his disguise, so he just smiled and said nothing.

Feng Ye felt that he had recovered some lost ground, and the smile on his face finally contained some sincerity. He walked ahead and led the way: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen came to visit without giving me notice, so I didn’t have time to prepare.”

Hao Chen followed behind him. Since the other party didn’t expose his identity as a fake friend, he just kept pretending and went along with it: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye needn’t worry. Since we last parted, I’ve missed you so much that I’ve been tossing and turning every day, and you’ve been in all of my dreams, so I took the liberty of coming to disturb you.”

The corners of Feng Ye’s mouth twitched. Although he knew Hao Chen was speaking nonsense, it still sounded a little strange to him.

Hao Chen’s words seemed more like those of a maiden yearning for her lover, but his tone was exceedingly upright. Perhaps he was overthinking it.

Feng Ye observed Hao Chen’s expression. Hao Chen had likely realized that it was his entertained look that had exposed him before, so he was now extremely dedicated to disguising his facial expressions.

His face revealed three parts melancholy and seven parts joy, as if he was endlessly delighted to meet his old friend Feng Ye.

If I didn’t know better, I almost would have believed it, Feng Ye thought. At the same time, he also realized how difficult it was to deal with this person.

He continued to calmly sound him out: “What has Fellow Daoist Hao Chen come here to do?”

Hao Chen waved his fan, all smiles: “To see you.”

Feng Ye: “ ? ”

He waited silently for a moment, but Hao Chen didn’t speak again, as if these three words truly were his only purpose for coming here.

Feng Ye could only ask: “Nothing else?”

Hao Chen nodded affirmatively: “Nothing else.”

Feng Ye: “……” Nobody would believe that.

Feng Ye decided to change his strategy, seeing as this person’s ability to make up lies was comparable to his own and he wouldn’t be able to compete with him in this area in the short term.

The art of war was all about deception. If he wanted to make this leakproof old fox reveal his flaws, he must disrupt his rhythm and take him by surprise.

Feng Ye faced Hao Chen and made a drastic move, saying expressionlessly: “You’ve seen me. You can leave now. The gate is over there.”

Although he didn’t know what Hao Chen’s purpose was, one thing was clear – Hao Chen wanted to get close to him. Once he was driven away, his situation would be more or less thrown into chaos and it would be easy for him to make a mistake.

Hao Chen really hadn’t expected Feng Ye to play by his own rules. There was a brief look of surprise on his face, but he reacted swiftly and adopted an expression of deep pain: “Fellow Daoist Feng Ye didn’t miss me at all?”

Feng Ye gave an affected sigh: “I’ve been busy cultivating and had no time to think about you. Besides, our sect’s assessment will be held in a few days and I must hurry up and prepare. Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, please go back.”

Hao Chen hadn’t sussed out Feng Ye’s identity yet, and he naturally refused to leave. Thus, he used the situation to his advantage and said: “Speaking of cultivation, I also have some experience and comprehension, which is just right for having a good discussion with Fellow Daoist Feng Ye.”

Feng Ye solemnly corrected: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen misunderstands my meaning. What I meant by preparing is…..”

As they spoke, they arrived at Feng Ye’s residence, a simple and uncluttered small bamboo house.

Feng Ye paused briefly before opening the door. Then he immediately laid down in bed and covered himself with a blanket with an unhurried: “I’m going to sleep.”

Hao Chen: “……” At once, he recalled the mocking of that other junior disciple. It turned out that it wasn’t just a joke, but an actual phenomenon.

Feng Ye wrapped himself up in his small blanket and sighed with contentment. He closed his eyes slightly in feigned drowsiness and said again to expel the guest: “Fellow Daoist Hao Chen, I’m going to sleep.”

The implication was that he should scram.

It was impossible for Hao Chen to misunderstand. Although Feng Ye hadn’t rested well the night before, he wasn’t so sleepy that he would fall asleep the moment he lay down. He was just pretending while simultaneously observing Hao Chen’s expression through the crack between his eyelids. He wanted to see what this guy would do now.

The smile on Hao Chen’s face froze momentarily. But just when Feng Ye thought he had the upper hand, Hao Chen made an unexpected move.

Feng Ye had made countless calculations, but he had overlooked Hao Chen’s determination, as well as…..his nearly nonexistent bottom line.

Hao Chen lay down next to Feng Ye, whose surprised gaze turned to one of alarm. The weight of two grown men with their shoulders pressed together bore down on the small bamboo bed, causing it to creak under the heavy load.

Hao Chen still felt it wasn’t enough, as if something was missing. He caught a glimpse of the blanket Feng Ye had covered himself with, and while the other was still in shock, he pulled half of it over and forcibly covered them both with a single blanket. At the same time, he responded: “I also have experience in this area. We can work together.”

Feng Ye: “……” He’d lost.

In terms of whose skin was thicker, he’d lost.

Although Feng Ye had originally planned to catch up on some rest in the afternoon, he couldn’t sleep with the addition of Hao Chen’s participation.

Hao Chen asked innocently from beside him: “Why isn’t Fellow Daoist Feng Ye sleeping?”

Feng Ye didn’t answer. He was so shocked by Hao Chen’s unexpected move that he still hadn’t recovered. After a while, he slowly and tactfully expressed his thoughts: “I’m not used to sleeping with a man.”

Hao Chen nodded in agreement: “It’s my first time as well.”

Feng Ye: “……” This was sounding increasingly wrong.

---

[1] Feng Ye’s name is spelled “封烨,” (to stopper/seal flames), but Hao Chen mistakes it as “枫,叶,” (Maple Leaf). ⮐

[2] Hao Chen’s name is spelled “郝沉,” (deep, ancient place) and Feng Ye interprets it on purpose as “好沉,” (very heavy). ⮐

---

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Chapter 4 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 6

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

He Chuzhou: “En.”

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

Pei Xi: “It’s still hot.”

He Chuzhou: “Mm.”

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

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

He Chuzhou: “Oh.”

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

Pei Xi: “The right ear.”

He Chuzhou: “Okay.”

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

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

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

“ ? ”

He Chuzhou touched it subconsciously.

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

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

He Chuzhou’s tense nerves finally relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

The good news was that the nosebleed was gone.

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

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

There was a sudden rustle of fabric.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*

*

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

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

“Cough, cough.”

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Xi was confused: “En?”

He Chuzhou confirmed again: “Xinxin?”

Pei Xi: “That’s me. What’s wrong?”

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

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

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

Okay. The signal had connected successfully.

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

So yesterday……

It was actually…..?

? ? ? ?

God!

*

Three minutes later.

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

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

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

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

No wonder.

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

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

No wonder.

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

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

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

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

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

Why didn’t he resist being close to him?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

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

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

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

He Chuzhou went silent.

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

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

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

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

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

What was going on?

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

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

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

“I’m happy about……”

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

Pei Xi was puzzled: “Why tomorrow?”

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

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

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

Pei Xi: “You don’t have work?”

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

Pei Xi nodded. He had no objections.

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

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

Pei Xi: “Chuzhou?”

He Chuzhou was absent-minded: “En?”

“Are you feeling unwell?”

He Chuzhou: “Nope.”

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

He Chuzhou: “Nope.”

Pei Xi: “Did something happen at home?”

He Chuzhou: “No to that too.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everything was very novel.

Pei Xi liked this feeling.

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

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

Was he thinking too much again?

He Chuzhou reached a new dead end.

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

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

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

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

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

Tsk, how terrible.

How difficult.

The thoughts of young men were so complicated.

Could anyone help him?

Should he ask Wu Qing?

Wu Qing would only think he was showing off.

What about Yun Ji?

Yun Ji would just think he was mentally ill.

Mrs. Chu and Aiyue?

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

He gave a rather long, regretful sigh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His Xinxin, ah……

*

*

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

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

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

[How’s it going?]

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xie Ling: [Seems to?]

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

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

Pei Xi: [Things are more complicated.]

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

Xie Ling: [? ? ?]

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

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

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

Xie Ling: [Why not?]

Pei Xi: [No opportunity.]

Xie Ling: [What do you mean?]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From yesterday to today, had he figured it out?

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

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

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

[When I’m done with work.]

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

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

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

Then he would just give him more time to relax.

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

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

Ai, life was full of troubles and melancholy.

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

“Got it.”

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

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

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

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

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

Something was wrong.

Something was very wrong.

Something was very, very wrong.

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

Pei Xi: [What’s up?]

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

Pei Xi: [No, what’s wrong?]

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

Work overtime for no reason?

Not going home?

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

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

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

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

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

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

[He’s avoiding me.]

Xie Ling: [ ? ]

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

Xie Ling: [Doesn’t he like you too?]

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

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

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

---

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Chapter 59 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 61

He Chuzhou was very surprised that Pei Xi had been in a state of confusion for two consecutive days.

Was it because he’d fallen asleep on the plane and been awoken by a flight attendant or an announcement?

What was even more surprising was that Pei Xi had actually come to find him.

Of course, regarding this point, he was more pleasantly surprised than anything.

“Didn’t you say you were worried about Xingxing and Yueliang?” He Chuzhou joked. He had happily rushed to the airport to pick him up.

“The auntie can do the food and poop-scooping. They have a good relationship and don’t need me to stay with them,” Pei Xi said. Then he realized that his tone was too polite, and thought for a moment before adding: “I’d rather be with Gege than with them.”

After saying this, he gave He Chuzhou a slightly hurried hug, then quickly opened the car door and took refuge in the passenger seat.

He Chuzhou: “ ? ”

That was just what he liked to hear.

But why did it sound a little strange today?

Why did it seem like it had less emotion and more technique?

Halfway through the drive to the hotel, he finally realized something wasn’t right.

Pei-calico was particularly clingy today for some reason. He spoke very sweetly and was very shy.

He fully acknowledged this when he looked in the rearview mirror and saw the other party shyly turn his head away after calling him “gege” again.

Ai, so cute!

But what was that saying?

Reunion syndrome?

It hadn’t happened last time though.

He went to the hotel with a head full of doubts. After parking the car, he went around to the passenger side and opened the door, then saw Pei Xi automatically start walking toward the hotel.

He Chuzhou took his luggage from the trunk and followed without complaint.

After just a couple of steps, the person in front seemed to suddenly remember something and stopped, turning around.

He Chuzhou thought he’d left something in the car. Just as he was about to ask, he watched at Pei Xi walked a few steps back to him, raised his hands, and quickly hugged him as if completing a task.

“…..? ? ?”

A string of question marks slowly appeared over He Chuzhou’s head. He didn’t understand what was going on: “What’s wrong?”

Pei Xi: “It’s been twenty-eight minutes since our last hug. The cooldown time was over, so I hugged you again.”

Having said this, he calmly stepped back, turned, and resumed walking toward the hotel entrance.

It’s come to this point, he thought with smoke coming out the top of his head. There’s no way I’ll be exposed, right?

He Chuzhou walked behind him with a baffled look on his face.

Was there something on the plane that triggered a hidden attribute of his sequelae?

Why had Pei-calico suddenly become like a windup toy, a clockwork lover?

He Chuzhou’s suite was on the 20th floor.

When he returned to the room, the first thing he did was not to unpack the luggage, but to pull Pei Xi over and carefully check if there was anything wrong with him.

“You didn’t fall at home, did you?”

“Did the plane get trubulent on the way here?”

“Did you catch a cold?” He held Pei Xi’s face, then touched their foreheads together and murmured to himself, “No fever either, ah.”

Pei Xi was struck dumb as he watched the other’s face slowly approach him. When their breaths entangled at a distance of just a few inches, his face instantly turned red like a popped sequin balloon.

He Chuzhou noticed his abnormality at once and hissed. “Shy again? Xiao Pei, we’ve only been apart for a few days. You shouldn’t be so unfamiliar with me, right?”

“I’m not!”

Pei Xi swiftly denied it. He met He Chuzhou’s teasing gaze, and after a brief silence, raised his head and gave him a quick kiss on the chin. He hid his face in his shoulder, whispering in his ear: “Some of us easterners tend to be more reserved when we’re in a foreign country.”

It…..was like this?

He Chuzhou was unsure. In any case, it didn’t apply to him.

All he knew was that this reserved Pei-calico was adorable ! ! !

He didn’t want to go to work at all now. He wanted to take him around this country right away and let this sticky-sweet Pei-calico try everything.

But no matter how much he wanted to, he was on a business trip and still had to handle his obligations.

After settling Pei Xi in and preparing to leave, He Chuzhou looked back every few steps from the small living room to the door, which was less than a ten meter distance. It wasn’t clear if he was uneasy or reluctant to part with him.

Ultimately, he couldn’t bear it and turned around to give Pei Xi a tight hug, nuzzling his face affectionately: “Baby, how about you come with me to work?”

Go with him to work?

Pei Xi was stunned by this question.

He opened his mouth hesitantly, unsure how to answer.

He wanted to decline. What was there for him, an outsider, to do by following He Chuzhou to work?

But if he put himself in Pei-calico’s shoes, it seemed like he…..might agree?

His hesitation was written all over his face, so He Chuzhou naturally interpreted his silence as him wanting to go, but being too embarrassed to say it.

So after a little consideration, he made the decision for him: “Let’s go. I’ll just say you’re my accompanying translation assistant. You don’t have to do anything, just follow me.”

Pei X: “……”

It was over. He would have to pretend all day.

*

*

Yun Ji was puzzled when He Chuzhou came to borrow his clothes: “My clothes are too small for you. Don’t you have your own?”

However, when he saw He Chuzhou leading Pei Xi, who was wearing his clothes, out the hotel entrance, he was completely numb.

“Let me introduce you.”

After getting in the car, He Chuzhou first said to Yun Ji with great joy: “This is my accompanying translation assistant, Pei Xi. He’s your new colleague today, please take good care of him.”

Then he turned to Pei Xi: “This is my assistant, Yun Ji. You can just call him Xiao Yun. If you have any difficulties and can’t find me, please go to him.”

Yun Ji: “……”

Pei Xi: “……”

The two exchanged glances in the rearview mirror and tacitly looked away.

Thank goodness Pei-calico didn’t have the habit of showing affection in public, otherwise he would be in a difficult situation.

The destination this morning was the raw material processing factory, and the person who received them was the company’s boss. They weren’t late, but the other party was already waiting at the entrance.

This sort of processing factory was actually not worth inspecting. Hygiene compliance was the most basic requirement. Other advanced mechanical research and development had been addressed in the previously delivered documents, so what they were looking at today was just the specific operating process.

Throughout the process, the other party was responsible for giving explanations and they were responsible for listening, so there wasn’t much communication.

The highlights were all at the next destination, a farm outside the city. They needed to accurately negotiate the import price of raw food ingredients, which was their main purpose today.

“After some investigation, this farm was determined to be the largest, with the most stable supply source and the best raw material quality. The only drawback is that the price is so high, more than half the price of other farms.”

On the way to the farm, Yun Ji looked through the various introduction documents: “But even with all these advantages, the price is unreasonable. I suppose they’re relying on their superiority to raise the prices, thinking that we’re certain to choose them.”

He Chuzhou: “What about the one in the southern outskirts?”

Yun Ji: “It’s relatively small in scale, and is partnered with two large shopping malls at the same time. If we experience large demand in the future, there may be a supply shortage.”

He Chuzhou: “Let’s go over and take a look at the situation first. It would be best if we can reach an agreement on the price. If not, we can consider other companies.”

. . . . . . 

Pei Xi listened to bits and pieces. He also had a few documents in his hands, which He Chuzhou had given to him for show. They contained the purchase price ranges provided by the staff at He Group headquarters after analysis.

Yun Ji saw Pei Xi looking through the documents in the rearview mirror and asked casually: “President Pei, what do you think?”

Pei Xi subconsciously thought of an answer, but fortunately realized in time that he wasn’t the right personality to manage company affairs at the moment.

Thus, he abruptly changed the subject: “What ‘President Pei?’ Call me Assistant Pei.”

Yun Ji: “……”

Yun Ji: “Okay. Assistant Pei, what do you think?”

Pei Xi saw He Chuzhou looking at him from the corner of his eye. He adjusted his state and said calmly: “The diagram of the farm structure looks good. The site should be more beautiful than the diagram.”

Yun Ji: “……”

He Chuzhou covered his lips and laughed out loud, asking him: “You like this kind of thing, ah?”

Pei Xi nodded.

He Chuzhou: “This kind of building structure also exists in China. I’ll buy one for you when we return.”

Pei Xi: “…..I don’t know how to raise animals.”

He Chuzhou’s indulgence had no bottom line: “That’s okay, Boss He will hire someone to help you, and you can go over any time you want to see them.”

Yun Ji: “……”

He looked in the mirror at his older cousin who was planning to buy a farm, then at Assistant Pei’s red face and uncertain eyes. Forcing a smile, he took out his phone and messaged He Aiyue:

Yun Ji: [I can’t take it anymore!]

Yun Ji: [Have you ever met such a couple who drag innocent people into their roleplay? ? ?]

Yun Ji: [What the hell is wrong with your brother!]

*

*

Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the entrance to the farm.

Once they went in, they first met with the farmers, and then entered a meeting room along with several holding members one after another.

No agreement was reached during the first round of negotiations. The farmers showed some slight signs of compromise during the halftime, but were reined back in by the tough attitudes of the holding members.

The assistants didn’t participate in the second round. Yun Ji followed the employees to receive a safety inspection report, and Pe Xi stood in the corridor, looking at the foals in the pasture as he quietly waited.

He heard the sound of hoofbeats approaching and looked back to see a farmer riding a white horse. When he arrived, he dismounted and turned on the water pipe next to him, brushing the horse’s hair.

“Are you guys Chinese?”

The farmer spotted him and struck up a conversation in slightly-accented English.

Pei Xi responded affirmatively and praised the beauty of his horse.

Everyone enjoyed their children being praised. The farmer was very happy to hear this, and patiently told him about the horse’s origins. He also talked about the purchasing channels and breeding methods of many of the animals on the farm.

Afterward, he brought up today’s business: “You see, we even select the best feed. I’m sure there’s no farm better than ours.”

Pei Xi: “The price is too high though.”

The farmer sighed: “There’s nothing to be done. There are too many shareholders.”

Pei Xi: “But the farm is yours, isn’t it?”

The farmer stopped brushing the horse and looked up: “What do you mean, kid?”

Pei Xi: “The price we’re offering isn’t low. It’s within a reasonable range to ensure the farm’s profitability, and we offer long-term, stable demand, which is difficult for the companies you’ve negotiated with before to guarantee.”

The farmer nodded: “That’s true.”

Pei Xi: “By partnering with us, the huge cost of the farm will sustain a stable turnover. If negotiations fail due to an excessive price hike, we still have more options in other regions or even other countries. But it may not be easy for the farm to wait for a suitable partner.”

“I see that those shareholders only have the ability to hold shares and inject capital, but don’t know how to manage and operate a farm. Therefore, to show our sincerity, we are willing to sign a separate contract with you in addition to the two-party contract.”

“I know you’re apprehensive, so we can promise that each time the import goods reach a fixed quantity, we’ll pay you an additional thank you fee.”

The farmer’s expression changed. It was as if he was hearing this phrase for the first time: “Thank you fee?”

Pei Xi: “The thank you fee will go to your personal account, with no need to share it externally. Coupled with the stable export income, I believe you will soon be able to buy back most of the farm’s shares and take full control of its future development.”

The farmer got Pei Xi’s meaning. His smiling expression faded, and he stroked the white horse in front of him as he thought for a long while.

Pei Xi quietly watched it graze on the grass without urging the farmer.

After some time, the farmer came to a decision and gave him a firm nod. Without speaking further, he turned off the water and immediately left the pasture with the white horse.

Pei Xi knew he would succeed. Many capitalists had limited abilities when it came to things other than money, so they couldn’t avoid being controlled by those who were capable.

The pastures were wide and the wind was strong. Now that his goal had been achieved, there was no reason for him to stand here in the cold breeze.

He straightened his cuffs and turned back, but found He Chuzhou and Yun Ji looking at him with varying expressions not far away.

They were in a blind spot from the farmer’s position. Pei Xi hadn’t noticed them, and neither had the farmer. It was unknown how long the two of them had been listening.

Pei Xi’s eyelid twitched, and he had a bad feeling.

When Yun Ji was certain that the farmer was long gone, he rushed over excitedly and gave Pei Xi a starry-eyed look of admiration: “Pei-ge, you’re amazing! Why didn’t we think of starting with the farmers first? I feel like this could work!”

Pei Xi was currently in no mood to accept compliments from a fanboy.

His brain raced as he watched He Chuzhou approach slowly behind him. He hastened over to him before he could speak and braced himself before leaning against his shoulder: “It’s a little cold. Are you done? When are we having dinner?”

Following this appeasement came Yun Ji’s look of impressed respect.

Pei Xi closed his eyes with mixed feelings and silently lifted the documents to cover his face.

*

*

As expected, the negotiations were concluded at last, which also meant that the business trip was concluded successfully one day in advance.

The hosts provided dinner that evening. Yun Ji couldn’t be bothered to go, and planned to take this morning to go to the streets and buy all the things his mother had tasked him with.

He Chuzhou was happy to take Pei Xi along.

As for Pei Xi, although he’d been able to get away with it on the farm before, he still couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

He wasn’t sure if He Chuzhou harbored any suspicions, or if he might suddenly come up with a question Pei Xi couldn’t answer. Even moreso, he didn’t believe that He Chuzhou could be so easily fooled.

But facts proved that He Chuzhou could indeed be so easily fooled.

Not only did he brush things off without asking a single question, he also boasted all the way about how amazing his wife was. And when they reached their table, he didn’t eat much, but busied himself helping Pei Xi cut his steak and pour the sauce.

Pei Xi: “……”

Was this person so carefree?

So did he need to put so much effort into playing Pei-calico or not?

He Chuzhou’s unusual behavior soon drew the attention of a white senior executive.

The other party asked curiously: “Why is Mr. He so considerate of his assistant?”

Pei Xi was afraid that He Chuzhou would say, “What assistant? This is my wife,” and directly reduce the other party’s trust in He Chuzhou’s professionalism.

Fortunately, He Chuzhou still remembered that he had a brain, and spoke convincing nonsense: “It is a traditional Chinese virtue for employers to treat hard working employees well, ensuring the long-term success of the company.”

Pei Xi: “……”

The white man believed it completely. With an expression of admiration, he followed suit by helping the young, beautiful assistant at his side cut a piece of dark steak.

The female assistant’s mouth twitched, and she pushed the steak aside in disdain after her boss finished cutting it.

What could Pei Xi say?

He could only go along with He Chuzhou’s nonsense in silence. At the same time, he didn’t forget to hold a big, warm, dry hand under the table in order to maintain his complex personality of being aloof on the surface but clingy deep down.

There was fortunately no troublesome drinking culture, and the dinner ended quickly. After brief goodbyes at the door, everyone went home.

Back at the hotel, Pei Xi moved to tiredly massage his shoulders. His hand was halfway raised when he met He Chuzhou’s gaze and hesitated.

Helpless, he could only turn around and hook his arms around He Chuzhou’s neck. Leaning against him, he lowered his voice: “Chuzhou, I’m so tired.”

It truly was tiring to pretend.

The corners of He Chuzhou’s mouth curved uncontrollably.

As expected, whenever he looked at him, Pei-calico would immediately hold his hand or hug him. Even if there were a lot of people around, he would secretly hook the fingers hanging by his side.

His heart had been soft and full all day, and now that they were alone, he finally didn’t have to hold back anymore.

Bending down, he easily picked him up and set him on the bed, nuzzling his nose affectionately: “Thanks for your hard work, Assistant Pei. I’ll run a bath for you soon, so you can have a good rest tonight.”

Having said this, he rubbed Pei Xi’s head and retracted his hand. He smoothly and naturally helped Pei Xi take off his suit jacket and set it aside, then helped undo his tie.

He initially thought that Pei Xi might not understand in his current state, but when he happened to see the red neck and ears of the person in front of him, the idea of teasing him came to mind, and his intentions became impure.

Pei Xi had been having trouble breathing ever since He Chuzhou had leaned forward and nuzzled against him.

He admitted to himself that reading too much into it, but he couldn’t resist such direct teasing from the other party without arousing suspicion.

Especially in such close proximity, helping him remove his clothes and tie. Even though he knew the other party had no other thoughts, he couldn’t help the way his heart beat wildly.

He could only pray that He Chuzhou would finish untying it quickly and move away. The atmosphere around him was too heavy, and he wasn’t able to breathe freely.

But gradually, he found that He Chuzhou seemed to want to help him with more than just this…..

The tie was undone, but the other party didn’t stop there. He put his hand on the top button of his shirt, slowly unbuttoning the first button, the second, the third…..

Then he lifted the fabric of the shirt with his fingertips, exposing the greater part of his cold white shoulders.

Pei Xi couldn’t take it anymore. He grabbed the other’s hand and raised his head in a fluster, his eyelashes trembling like they were about to fly away. But he didn’t forget to keep his voice low: “N-no need. Chuzhou, I can do it myself.”

He Chuzhou stroked his palm, saying vaguely with lowered eyes: “I know you can. But Xinxin, I want…..can I?”

Huh?

Want what? 

What else was there to want in this situation?

Pei Xi’ face flushed. His breathing was extremely chaotic, and the lack of oxygen caused his brain to temporarily lose its normal processing ability: “No, at least not today.”

“Why not?” He Chuzhou asked.

Pei Xi frowned: “Because…..because…..”

He Chuzhou: “Just because we’re abroad, I can’t even help my wife take off his shirt?”

“Right! Just because—”

Pei Xi’s words cut off abruptly. He looked up in a flash, and didn’t miss the fleeting mischief in He Chuzhou’s eyes.

He Chuzhou couldn’t hold back anymore, and a smile immediately filled his eyes, almost overflowing: “Am I misunderstanding? Or did Xinxin think I wanted to do something else?”

Pei Xi finally realized he was being teased, and the blush on his face instantly faded.

He pushed the other’s hand away expressionlessly and pulled up his shirt: “I wasn’t thinking anything. I want to take a bath.”

He Chuzhou suppressed the sound of his laughter. When he took his pajamas and went into the bathroom to get dressed, his shoulders could still be seen shaking faintly.

“……”

He closed his eyes tightly and gritted his teeth, looking down at his messy shirt.

Something suddenly occurred to him, and his eye gave a slight twitch.

He Chuzhou soon came out and told him that the water was ready, and also reminded him to soak well after washing up.

Pei Xi gave a hum, then crouched down and rummaged through his suitcase.

He Chuzhou: “Hm? What do you need?”

“I forgot to bring pajamas, so I’ll wear yours.” Having said this, he took the articles of clothing and turned to go to the bathroom.

He Chuzhou sat back down on the bed and logged into Pei Xi’s mailbox to see if there was any important work that needed to be dealt with, simultaneously accepting the shopping lists of the two ladies in the family.

The lists were long, and contained many specialized subject terms that he didn’t understand.

It was mind-boggling. He suspected that the mother and daughter were colluding to play a trick on him.

He wracked his brains for a good while before he heard the bathroom door open. He consciously moved to the other side, leaving a warm sleeping spot for Pei Xi: “Done soaking? Come over here and help me look over Mom and Aiyue’s—”

His unfinished words were automatically swallowed back into his stomach when he raised his head.

Pei Xi came out of the bathroom enveloped in steam, wearing only a loose shirt that didn’t belong to him, the hem of which stopped at a subtle length.

The row of buttons were fastened sporadically in the middle, leaving his slender neck and shoulders exposed. A hint of white fabric could be seen on his lower body, and his chest was slightly red from the heat.

He walked over barefoot with a hair dryer, casually raising one leg to kneel on the bed as he handed it over: “Chuzhou, my hands are too tired to lift it. Can you blow dry my hair?”

A pair of cool eyes looked over at him. He Chuzhou felt a buzzing in his brain, along with a hot current that flowed down his nasal cavity.

---

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Chapter 58 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 60

Chapter 4 – Acting

Hao Chen had only taken a few steps when he was suddenly blocked.

“Halt! The area ahead is the territory of our Lingxiao Sword Sect. Who are you?”

Hao Chen turned and saw two people wearing black and white Daoist robes. There was a pattern of small swords on the robes – the symbol of the Lingxiao Sword Sect.

These two disciples were responsible for guarding the mountain gate. Before Hao Chen could respond, one of them recognized his identity and pointed to his gold-edged white Daoist robes, saying: “These robes…..you’re from Tiangong Pavilion?”

Hao Chen waved his fan in front of his chest. His eyebrows curved as he gave a polite smile: “Precisely.”

The affirmative answer, coupled with Hao Chen’s handsome face that made people feel favorable toward him, made the gatekeepers relax their vigilance.

Tiangong Pavilion, as a sect famous for its weapon refining, had always had a close relationship with their Lingxiao Sword Sect. Disciples of the two sects often interacted with each other and visited each other’s sects.

The gatekeeper disciple wasn’t surprised by this, and logically speculated: “Are you here to visit a friend?”

The smile on Hao Chen’s face deepened. Just when he needed an excuse, an excuse was given to him. He readily answered: “That’s right.”

Although the gatekeepers were basically unguarded against Hao Chen, they asked one last question out of convention: “What’s his name?”

Once they knew the name, they would notify the fellow disciple and tell him to pick the visitor up at the mountain gate. Then Hao Chen could enter the sect freely.

However, Hao Chen didn’t know anyone from the Lingxiao Sword Sect, and also hadn’t come to visit a good friend. If he made up a name at random, even if that person did exist, he would be exposed immediately upon meeting them.

But his luck was surprisingly good this time. He did know of someone from the Lingxiao Sword Sect. And that person would never have the chance to confront him or expose his lies to his face.

Hao Chen pretended to be upset and closed his fan, tapping it lightly against his forehead: “It’s like this, the last time I met that fellow Daoist, we hit it off immediately. We had a great discussion and drank all night, becoming close friends. He also invited me to visit the sword sect, but…..”

Hao Chen seemed to sigh with extreme regret: “We talked about life ideals, poetry, and songs, but we forgot to tell each other our names.” Although it sounded a bit unbelievable, it was not completely unreasonable. The gatekeeper didn’t doubt Hao Chen’s words overlymuch, and only said: “Then describe his appearance, and I’ll help you find him.”

Hao Chen recalled the face of the corpse and described: “He…..has a rather ordinary appearance, and he’s about the same height as me. And…..well…..”

Hao Chen was stuck. It seemed his good luck had finally run out. He didn’t have any special hobbies, so he naturally wouldn’t gawk at a corpse. He’d simply taken a glance, and only vaguely remembered its general appearance.

And that person had looked so ordinary. He never forgot things due to having an excellent memory, but despite that being the case…..Hao Chen really couldn’t think of any adjectives to distinguish him. It would be as difficult as describing a single sheep amongst a flock.

As he contemplated for what seemed like half a day, the gatekeeper disciples became a little impatient. Then Hao Chen said in pleasant surprise: “Oh, now I remember. He had a teardrop mole at the corner of his eye.”

“Teardrop mole?” Based on this feature, the disciples began to search the list issued by the sect. This roster detailed basic information on the disciples, including their names and appearances.

Hao Chen waited patiently to the side. He had already mentally prepared what he would say. It didn’t matter what the man’s name was – it mattered that he was dead.

He had died in a treasure theft, a common scene in the cultivation world, and had been dead for almost a month.

The role Hao Chen had arranged for himself was that of a pitiable friend who, unaware of the man’s death, had come to visit him. It would be unreasonable for the two gatekeepers to chase him away. He intended to enter the gates on the pretext of mourning his friend, and then…..

Hao Chen narrowed his eyes, making mental calculations.

The gatekeeper perusing the roster scratched his head irritably. Finding someone based on a teardrop mole was such a slow process. Unlike names, which were listed according to a certain pattern, the distribution of appearances was random, so he had to search through all of the sword sect’s disciples.

Just when he was about to lose his mind, he happened to look up and see two people passing by the mountain gate. They appeared to be fellow disciples who had just finished their meals and were headed back to their residences.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was that…..one of those fellow disciples had a teardrop mole at the corner of his left eye!

While Hao Chen waited for the gatekeeper to check the list, he was also fabricating his story, and was so busy that he didn’t notice the people coming up behind him. He just saw the gatekeeper disciple suddenly straighten up, apparently having found the right description.

Hao Chen promptly asked: “Did you find him?”

The gatekeeper nodded.

The smile on Hao Chen’s face deepened. He just waited for the other party to tell him the sad news of that unfortunate friend’s death. Then he would shed a few crocodile tears and sneak in legitimately.

Just as he was brewing tears, he realized that there was no sorrow on the gatekeeper’s face. Instead, he smiled and waved at someone behind Hao Chen, saying: “Look behind you, is that him?”

Behind him? Hao Chen was baffled. He belatedly turned his head and encountered Feng Ye, who had stopped walking when he was inexplicably greeted by an unfamiliar fellow disciple.

Hao Chen’s breathing stagnated for a moment. His pupils dilated slightly, and he somewhat lost control of his usual smooth demeanor due to this unexpected meeting.

He didn’t answer the gatekeeper right away, and the disciple observed his reaction with puzzlement. Hao Chen looked as if he’d seen a ghost.

But was he not seeing a ghost? The dead had come back to life.

When he didn’t receive an answer, the gatekeeper could only ask again: “Hello? Is he the person you’re looking for?”

“He’s not…..” Hao Chen replied subconsciously, but in the next moment, he firmly contradicted himself: “He is!”

He opened the folded fan again and covered his lips with it to hide his uncontrollable smile. It was only that even though he was smiling, that smile didn’t give off a friendly feeling. Instead, it gave a person an inexplicable sense of danger that made one’s hair stand on end.

Hao Chen looked at Feng Ye’s face, which should have been gray and lifeless, and said word by word: “He is the one I’m looking for…..”

This man who had come back from the dead.

A sudden chill made the two gatekeepers standing near Hao Chen subconsciously shiver. Just as they were confused, Hao Chen returned to his normal state, and the coldness just now seemed as if it had been an illusion. 

He lowered his fan, took a few steps forward, and bowed to Feng Ye in greeting: “Fellow Daoist, it has been a long time since last we parted.”

Since last they parted? Feng Ye was stunned. He looked at Hao Chen, and then at the fellow disciples guarding the gate not far behind him. 

Feng Ye instantly came to a realization. His reaction speed was just as fast as Hao Chen’s as he promptly responded: “Indeed…..fellow Daoist, it’s been a while, haha.”

“I went back and pondered the scriptures you explained to me last time, and felt that you were very insightful. I came to beg your hospitality today just to discuss the sutras and the dao with you once more.” Hao Chen spoke without batting an eyelid about something that had never happened.

Feng Ye quickly assessed the situation. He couldn’t glean anything from Hao Chen’s expression, nor did he know if “he” actually had such a good friend.

He couldn’t act rashly for the moment, so he just gave an ambiguously-worded general answer: “I only have a basic understanding of it. Fellow Daoist is too polite.”

“Fellow Daoist is too modest!”

“Not so, not so.”

These two people, with no rehearsal beforehand, acted out a show on the spot, singing in unison and performing with the tacit understanding of old friends. But in fact, these people with their own ulterior motives didn’t know each other at all.

The gatekeepers saw them talking so enthusiastically and believed they really knew each other. Very tactfully, they turned around and returned to their post.

And Fang Yang, who had been walking with Feng Ye, finally found a gap in their conversation and asked the question he had been holding back: “Shixiong, who is this…..?”

How should I know who he is? Feng Ye thought. But with a smile as fake as Hao Chen’s, he said to the newcomer: “Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but I cultivated too hard the other day and had a deviation, which injured my brain. I’ve forgotten a lot of things, such as…..your name?”

However, he had forgotten that there was an overly-straightforward fellow junior disciple right next to him, and as soon as Feng Ye finished speaking, Fang Yang cut in: “Shixiong, when have you ever cultivated?”

Feng Ye: “……”

Feng Ye coughed dryly, then speedily found a rebuttal: “Nonsense. Shixiong just doesn’t cultivate in front of you, but he actually cultivates routinely every night.”

Fang Yang glanced up at Feng Ye, who was a head taller than him, and expressionlessly called him out: “Are you talking about sleeping?”

Feng Ye: “……”

It was evident that his stair-building speed was slower than Fang Yang’s speed in dismantling them.

Feng Ye glanced at Hao Chen guiltily, and saw that Hao Chen’s lips were slightly raised as he observed him with a smile.

Feng Ye’s originally somewhat timid heart instantly became less timid. Hao Chen’s reaction wasn’t right. If he really knew the original person, he should have revealed some suspicion over such obvious flaws.

But the guy in front of him looked as if he was watching a show…..there was an eighty percent chance that there was something fishy about this person, Feng Ye deduced at once.

Therefore, the previous statements were likely all traps that he had already fallen into. He was at a disadvantage, so if he wanted to regain the initiative, he had to turn the tables.

Feng Ye’s mind raced. He suddenly said: “Fellow…..”

Hao Chen beamed and reminded him: “Distinguished people tend to have short memories. My name is Hao Chen.”

“Oh.” Feng Ye slapped his head as if he had suddenly remembered: “Fellow Daoist Hao. Come to think of it, the last time we discussed the dao and drank under the moon, Fellow Daoist Hao had a huge appetite for wine.”

Hao Chen’s entertained expression froze. They didn’t know each other at all, and had discussed nothing. He had fabricated their discussion of the dao to unearth this person’s fraudulent identity.

Although there was indeed something wrong with the person before him, he hadn’t expected him to react so quickly. After just two or three sentences, that person realized there was something wrong with Hao Chen too and threw a question back at him.

This was bait. No matter how he took it, he would be biting the hook.

Hao Chen smiled at him duplicitously and didn’t give a direct answer, but just went along with it: “Something like that.”

Feng Ye abruptly drew his sword. The smile on his face vanished and he lifted an eyebrow as threatening as a blade.

He stared into Hao Chen’s eyes and said in casual tone that was actually interrogative: “Ah, my memory is so bad. Brother Hao didn’t drink at all, it was actually me who drank a lot that night. I remembered it wrong, but how did Brother Hao also remember it wrong?”

Hao Chen narrowed his eyes and returned Feng Ye’s piercing gaze. The two people stared probingly at each other, and neither spoke for a long while.

The author has something to say: 

First round: Draw

---

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Chapter 3 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 5

Coriander Sauce stopped talking, and also turned her microphone off.

The rule of the game was that all teammates must be gathered in order to move forward. The vines could only imprison people, and didn’t cause any harm, so Coriander Sauce was rescued as well and moved forward with them.

He Chuzhou explained the gameplay to Pei Xi along the way. He led them out of the deep forest area, avoiding jailors, and they arrived at a swamp region.

Just when Pei Xi thought He Chuzhou was going to forgive and forget the faults of Coriander Sauce, he controlled the swordsman to move left and right, tricking a swamp monster into rushing straight toward him.

When he saw the swamp monster rushing right toward He Chuzhou’s face, Pei Xi thought he was stuck and hurriedly tried to pull him away.

Unexpectedly, He Chuzhou grasped his hand and, when the swamp monster was only half a foot away, took him quickly to the right.

As he dodged, the swamp monster continued forward under its own inertia and caused great disaster to Coriander Sauce, who was trying to climb into a blind spot.

The swamp had a suffocating effect. After being pushed into it by the monster, Coriander Sauce struggled to get out. A muddy bubble popped up, the health bar dropped to zero, and the name in the team panel turned gray, announcing the character’s death.

Pei Xi and Wu Qing both stared blankly.

“What the hell ? ! !”

Wu Qing was the first to react, clapping and whistling into the microphone: “So awesome, so flashy, so cool! Lao He, at this moment, I acknowledge you as god!”

“What use is your acknowledgement?”

He Chuzhou snorted: “Let’s go. There are still twenty minutes left in the game. If we delay any longer, we won’t make it.”

As they continued forward, Pei Xi asked if he hadn’t intended to bring Coriander Sauce through in the first place.

He Chuzhou: “Why would I bring her?”

Pei Xi: “Then why did you bring her all the way from the forest to the swamp?”

“I know this question!” 

Wu Qing snickered: “Did you see the four circles on the open ground when we passed the swamp just now? Those four circles require four people to step on them. Lao He used her as a tool!”

Pei Xi understood, but he had another doubt: “You got her friend killed. Why did she follow us instead of retreating?”

He Chuzhou: “I just checked their scores in Escaping Death, and they’re very high. They would get a reward if they won another game, but before this one, they had been on a losing streak.”

Wu Qing projected his voice and said: “No wonder they had such thick skin. I was just wondering why they managed to hold back from scolding you when you were being so rude.”

“They also cursed a lot.”

He Chuzhou asked Pei Xi to get on the single-plank bridge first, staying behind to hold it steady: “You should check out their homepage and see how many red X’s there are.”

In this game, a red X meant you had been banned once for disrupting the fairness of the game or verbally insulting other players.

Having been banned so many times, those people were clearly repeat offenders.

After leaving the swamp regions, they climbed along the vines to reach their destination. When He Chuzhou was halfway up, he kicked the two grayed-out avatars off the team.

Pei Xi: “ ? ”

He Chuzhou: “Corpses can’t speak. They didn’t quit, which means they were still watching the game.”

Wu Qing: “Hahahahahaha too cruel, Lao He! You let them see our victory and put an end to their thoughts of cussing us out at the end of the game! Feels great!”

After he figured out the logic, Pei Xi could only chuckle. He declined when He Chuzhou was about to queue up for the third time, saying: “Let’s stop here today.”

He Chuzhou: “So early?”

Pei Xi: “En. I have some work to deal with, so I’ll leave first.”

Before exiting, he had a sudden impulse and said goodbye to He Chuzou with a teasing tone and a hint of a smile: “Come back soon, Swordsman-gege.”

After saying this, his avatar went gray and his swordsman character vanished.

Wu Qing was focusing on the points collected. Pei Xi had long vanished when he heard He Chuzhou make an ambiguous tsk, somewhat regretful but even more over the moon.

Wu Qing: “Everyone’s gone. You didn’t have tolerance for anyone just now, so what’s with all this tsk tsk?”

He Chuzhou: “What do you mean?”

Wu Qing: “‘It sounds awful, ah.’ Isn’t that how you treat people who call you Swordsman-gege?”

He Chuzhou: “That’s for you and others. Xinxin’s voice is incredibly pleasant to listen to. Are your ears just for decoration?”

Wu Qing: “? ? ?”

Wu Qing hissed out a long breath and rubbed his chest vigorously: “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. If I get sick from anger, nobody can replace me. I just wasn’t clear on my status, okay? What do you say, shall we continue?”

He Chuzhou: “No, I’m going to work.”

Wu Qing: “…..hello?”

He Chuzhou: “Didn’t you hear my wife tell me to come home early? Playing games all the time destroys one’s ambition and progress in life. Have fun by yourself.”

Wu Qing: “? ? ?”

Wu Qing: “Fuck you!”

*

*

The next morning, Pei Xi was awakened by a series of messages.

Xie Ling: [/link]

Xie Ling: [I just received this from a colleague. Why do these two people sound so much like you and He Chuzhou? Is it you guys?]

Xie Ling: [Taking advantage of a passerby to claim your teammate as your boyfriend, what a great move, ah. You sounded him out without a trace. Perfect.]

Xie Ling: [What was He Chuzhou’s reaction afterward?]

Xie Ling: [Honestly speaking, you guys have been posted all over Weibo, which can be considered a cyberbullying attack. Do you need legal assistance?]

After clicking the link, there was a blog post with an eye-catching title — <<818 Idiot passersby we met in the wild. Don’t get close to internet couples, or you’ll encounter tragedy!>>

The content detailed how the two bloggers joined a group and were maliciously deceived by a couple, as well as maliciously killed one after another, which resulted in the loss of a large amount of gameplay points.

At the end of the blog was a short video without any context, which showed how Doesn’t Eat Coriander was tricked into being killed by a jailor, how Coriander Sauce was killed by her teammates’ misbehavior, and the three of them discussing it triumphantly after their deaths.

The comments were full of condemnation, all of them one-sidedly defending the two corianders and scolding the other three players: 

[How disgusting, I can’t stand it!]

[I’m so angry that I pinched off a turd halfway through!]

[Backtabbing teammates, really? Can we report this, ah?]

[I also really hate gaming with couples! Conjoined twins are so annoying, you can’t enjoy the game at all!]

[I’ll say it again, all internet couples should die, okay? Don’t come out and bring disaster to others.]

[These video clips seem to be a little out of context. Can the blogger please post the entire video?]

[I feel the same way. And isn’t it a bit weird to say that they were tricked when they joined the group? Does this mean that as soon as people join, they have to shout that they’re a couple? Wouldn’t that be even weirder?]

[You mean to say I unjustly accused them?]

[Hasn’t the distinguished, rational guest seen the evidence?]

[The video and image records of the deaths are all here. I didn’t post the whole thing because it’s too long. My friend died very early on, and after that, I had my microphone shut off. Those parts aren’t worth watching at all.]

[No matter what, it’s wrong to backstab your teammates.]

[This is a team game, ah. No matter how you look at it, the swordsman’s behavior was excessive.]

[Can this account be banned? @ Game Official Blog]

[Wait, didn’t anyone notice? The IDs of these two swordsmen look really familiar to me.]

[Me too, to be honest.]

[I’m afraid I’ll misremember and accuse the wrong people.]

[Everyone, do you remember the phrase ‘Heavenly Gates?’]

[Or ‘A special title will be given after ten points?’]

The crowd was easily led to the rhythm, and even if there were one or two clear-headed people who occasionally came out and made sense, they were soon drowned out by the massive amounts of abuse.

But then, someone recognized the couple as the two humanoid NPCs who were giving out benefits to the entire Heavenly Gates area.

Thus, the comment section began to frantically tag the official Weibo account, asking for an explanation. If one clicked into the official blog at this time, they would find that the top comment section was flooded with players clamoring for a response.

The matter was a hot topic, but Pei Xi was uninterested.

He was only focused on one thing at the moment, which was that since he had been woken up by Xie Ling, he was in his right mind again today.

He felt irritated for some reason, and even the messages sent by Xie Ling, the instigator, were particularly unpleasant to him.

However, when he tidied up and left the room, then saw the empty kitchen and living room, his irritability disappeared in a flash.

Never mind. It was all the same.

He Chuzhou wasn’t home, so whether he was clear-headed or confused, he couldn’t get close to him anyway.

When Xie Ling didn’t receive a reply, he sent an emoticon asking if he was still asleep.

Pei Xi went to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, and replied to him as he waited: 

Pei Xi: [I’m awake. I saw it.]

Pei Xi: [It was us, but the facts are different from what was written in that article.]

Xie Ling: [Got it. I couldn’t understand why you or him would do such unreasonable things. What are you going to do now?]

Pei Xi: [Don’t worry, it’s just a small matter. He Chuzhou will handle it.]

He put down his phone and changed the food and water for Xingxing and Yueliang, then took He Xingxing on a half-circle walk around the community.

When he got home, the house was still deserted, with only the kitten lying in wait on the armrest of the sofa.

He still wasn’t used to it.

He and He Chuzhou had been together for so long, and the other always arranged everything for him. Now that he was suddenly left alone, he wasn’t used to anything.

After a quick breakfast, he went to work in the study. When his eyes felt sore, he removed his glasses and looked sideways toward the green plants outside the window, his gaze lingering when he spied a cloud in the sky.

He withdrew his gaze only when He Chuzhou sent him a message.

When he clicked on it, he saw a photo of a doll in a shop window. The doll was wearing a black shirt and pants, its chin in its hand, gazing at the sky outside.

He Chuzhou: [/image]

He Chuzhou: [Look what I found, there’s a Xinxin locked behind the window!]

He Chuzhou: [/shocked little rabbit.jpg]

He Chuzhou: [Wait for me, Gege will rescue you and take you home. /sunglasses/sunglasses]

The doll did look a little like Pei Xi, but the childishness in He Chuzhou’s words was much more interesting.

Pei Xi chuckled as he read.

If he told him that he was currently in his right mind, he would be so alarmed that he’d instantly withdraw the messages. Would he make up an excuse to avoid being embarrassed, or simply pretend nothing had happened and change the subject?

He would enjoy either option.

However, he didn’t plan to tell him. Because if he did, there would be no way to justify himself…..

Pei Xi: [/image]

Pei Xi: [Look, this cloud looks like you.]

He Chuzhou: [ ? ]

He Chuzhou: [Where does it look like me, ah? Doesn’t it look like a chick pecking rice?]

Pei Xi: [It’s the same.]

Pei Xi: [/image. This one is also similar.]

He Chuzhou: [? ? ?]

Pei Xi: [The scones in the cupboard look like you too.]

Pei Xi: [ And the little pig decoration on the table..]

Pei Xi: [And He Xingxing when he hasn’t woken up in the morning.]

He Chuzhou: [? ? ? ? ?]

He Chuzhou: [Are you insulting me……]

He Chuzhou: [/little rabbit feels wronged.jpg]

Pei Xi couldn’t help but laugh: [I’m not insulting you.]

Pei Xi: [I just miss you very much.]

Pei Xi: [Everything I see makes me miss you.]

In another country at the same longitude.

Yun Ji was speaking in an orderly manner about the inspection plan after entering the fully-automated machinery factory, when a certain person who had been leisurely admiring the window merchandize suddenly picked up his pace.

Yun Ji: “? ? ?”

Yun Ji: “What are you doing? Are you suddenly being chased by a ghost?”

He Chuzhou: “Hurry up, don’t drag your feet. Let’s sign the contract early and go home early.”

Yun Ji: “It can’t be signed today no matter how fast you go, ah. They haven’t even done the presentation yet!”

Yun Ji: “Hey, wait for me!”

*

*

He had some free time in the afternoon, so Pei Xi made a special trip to the neighboring city to visit his grandfather.

The old man had been discharged from the hospital, but the temperature had dropped recently and he had a constant cough. He couldn’t withstand the wind, so he had been resting in bed at home.

Seeing that it was only him, Shen Congfeng asked: “Xiao He didn’t come with you?”

Pei Xi helped him sit up, piled pillows against the backrest, and took a seat next to the bed: “He’s on a business trip abroad.”

Shen Confeng nodded, and habitually began to ask Pei Xi about his recent situation. He thought of something at the end, and hesitated briefly before deciding to speak: “Xinxin, your mother called me yesterday and said that she might come back during the New Year.”

Seeing that Pei Xi didn’t have any special reaction upon hearing this, he paused for a moment, then asked: “When the time comes, would you like to see her?”

“No need.”

Pei Xi peeled a pear in one go, pulling the light green skin off thinly and evenly: “There wouldn’t be much to talk about if we met, so it’s best not to waste our time.”

Shen Congfeng: “You still blame her, don’t you?”

Pei Xi calmly shook his head: “She was so young back then. She had the right to pursue the life she wanted. I understand her, but I have no feelings for her, and seeing each other would just be awkward.”

Shen Congfeng sighed upon hearing the words “no feelings.” He didn’t attempt to persuade him further, but just lamented: “Time flies by so fast. I keep feeling like you should be the little kid who stood on a stool and asked me to hold you, but you’ve actually grown up so much.”

Pei Xi nodded. But as he cut the pear into slices, he thought of the events of that morning and couldn’t help but smile: “Sometimes time goes by very slowly.”

Shen Congfeng knew him the best, and rarely saw him show emotion in such a way. He felt it was novel, but then he recalled the previous conversation and came to a realization: “You’re missing Xiao He?”

Unexpectedly, Pei Xi didn’t deny it. 

Shen Congfeng asked again: “If you’re not busy with work, why didn’t you go with him?”

Pei Xi: “I can’t disturb him just because I’m not busy.”

Shen Congfeng: “Would it really bother him?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Whether he was in his right mind or not, he wouldn’t disturb He Chuzhou while he was working.

“Then what’s the problem?”

Shen Congfeng smile at Pei Xi, who was very different from before: “Grandpa was always afraid you’d be resistant to starting a family because of your parents. I wouldn’t urge to you to start a family, but I was always worried you would be alone.”

“It’s all good now. Seeing that Xinxin has someone by his side, Grandpa’s old bones can rest assured.”

“If you miss him, just go find him. It’s better to see him rather than constantly miss him, isn’t it? You’re like Grandpa now, an old man all alone, thinking of your grandma but not able to see her.”

Pei Xi’s heart moved, and his actions paused.

Indeed, since he was sure He Chuzuhou wouldn’t be bothered, why not go to him?

Why wrong himself by keeping a distance between them? 

Besides, he would also want Pei Xi to come, wouldn’t he?

As for the excuse……

He didn’t need an excuse.

As long as he got some sleep on the plane and made a phone call when he landed, He Chuzhou would make up all of the excuses for him.

At midnight, an international flight took off from Wancheng Airport and flew north over the brightly-lit city.

After takeoff, the broadcast said that flight mode could be turned off again. Pei Xi opened his phone and clicked on the link Xie Ling had sent him that morning.

Unexpectedly, after just one day, the comments had done an about-face. All of the IDs that were originally condemning He Chuzhou had switched sides and were now Cursing Coriander Sauce and Doesn’t Eat Coriander:

[God, don’t you two have any shame? You took things out of context and used them to smear others. Now you’ve run out of luck and kicked an iron plate!]

[What kind of people play together like this? You two corianders are something else.]

[Cheap, cheap, cheap, cheap!]

[This sissy gay dude Doesn’t Eat Coriander harassed innocent players. Didn’t he deserve to die? If it were me, I would have backstabbed him too. I would take out my 40-meter sword and give him 4,800 cuts!]

[He really is two-faced. He was so arrogant when he joined the group, but his attitude changed drastically when he heard that the guy had a nice voice. Did he turn into a fool after hearing it?]

[These two corianders are on my blacklist. You can tell how notorious they are by looking at the red X’s on their homepages. They have foul mouths and are well-known verbal abusers.]

[Fortunately we found out about them before they changed their names. I’m really shocked by their low quality. How can people like this have the nerve to accuse others? Most importantly, some people believed it.]

[The game has come out to claim them. The couple is officially recognized. You two and your foul language are done for.]

[Just wait for your accounts to be blocked! This game is better off without you.]

[Hm? You were rather active in the comment section before. Why did you suddenly stop talking? Are you worried about something?]

Officially recognized?

Pei Xi doubtfully clicked into the official blog. Only then did he realize that the pinned video had changed from a new promotional video to a full-screen recording of their game that night.

The video was 48 minutes long in total, from the time the two corianders joined the group to the moment they were kicked off the team by He Chuzhou, as well as the brief conversation between the three people afterward. Everything was there, and there was no need to explain who was right and who was wrong.

Not only that, but the official blog also stated that they were indeed the two NPCs who had distributed benefits before. Due to receiving many backend reports that some players were maliciously insulting others and polluting the internal environment of the game, they had sent several GMs out to investigate.

It also claimed that after today, accounts with more than ten red X’s would be permanently banned, and asked people to please be civilized in their words and gameplay, and work together to create a harmonious and friendly gaming atmosphere.

Coincidentally, the number of red X’s for both Coriander Sauce and Doesn’t Eat Coriander were just over ten.

The comments under this microblog were divided in three directions. The first was scolding the two corianders, the second was apologizing to He Chuzhou and Pei Xi, and the third was exclaiming over how cute the two GMs were.

But Pei Xi felt nothing after reading them, just as he had felt nothing about the insults that morning.

Those on the internet who went with the flow and had no opinions of their own were not worthy of his attention or his forgiveness.

What he was more concerned about was the comment that said He Group’s CEO had reblogged this post.

He tried searching for it, and there it was.

He just wasn’t sure if the manager behind his Weibo account was He Chuzhou himself. After all, looking through the content, most of it was forwarded financial information and real-time news.

If he didn’t know He Chuzhou, he would definitely have thought that the CEO of He Group was a middle-aged man over forty.

In the sparse comment area, someone had asked if he was NPC 001 himself, but the commenter deleted it themselves not long after.

They probably had the same idea as him, thinking that it was impossible for an old man to play games or have such a nice-sounding voice.

They had inexplicably become permanent NPCs in the game, which was a truly fresh experience.

Pei Xi exited Weibo and put down his phone, glancing sideways at the scenery outside the window. The clouds blocked his view from above, but he could see numerous stars in the sky.

As the plane descended through a small cloud bank, he gathered up the blanket around his knees, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

Nine hours later, the plane landed at a foreign airport at 9:28 a.m. local time.

Pei Xi stood at the lane where taxis gathered outside the airport, suitcase in tow, with a look of stupefaction on his face.

Why…..?

How could this have happened?

He was certain he had woken up naturally, so why wasn’t he brain-addled?

He remained outside the airport until half of the taxis were gone. When he accepted reality at last, he closed his eyes and let out a long breath, as if having come to some kind of decision.

Opening his eyes again, he dialed He Chuzhou’s number. Before the other party could say anything, he spoke a crisp: “Gege…..”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

He couldn’t help the way the tip of his tongue quivered.

Pei-calico’s tone was really hard to imitate when he was in his right mind, and…..it put a lot of psychological pressure on him.

But now that it had come to this point, he couldn’t turn back.

After a brief pause, he took a deep breath, suppressed his shame, and continued to say the rest with a sticky intonation: “I’m in your city at the airport. Where are you, ah?”

---

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Chapter 57 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 59