The little girl was sweating profusely, dressed as a bride and crying like a weak animal. Tong Ou hugged her tightly, the hand on her back trembling slightly. And the common people who were watching were already frightened by this scene. Using a living person as a sacrifice to the River God, they had thought this kind of thing only appeared in the older generation’s stories, and didn’t expect to witness it with their own eyes today.

The stone shell was thick and hollow, like a human-shaped sarcophagus. It fell with dark eyes onto the bright red firecracker debris all over the ground, looking particularly terrifying. The world seemed to stand still at this moment. There was only the chilly wind blowing across the river bank, giving the common people goosebumps. Everyone had originally come here in the mood for a wedding celebration, but couldn’t imagine that they had almost sunk a little girl into the river while applauding and cheering.

The little girl was still whimpering half-consciously. A-Ning brought a few guards from Xiao Wang Palace to help, and at this time there were a few kind-hearted aunts who saw that it was inconvenient for all of the people around her to be men, so they bravely stepped forward together. They were locals and knew all the little dolls in town, but they had never seen this girl. Although ill and haggard, she was still a little beauty, with curved eyebrows and a slightly rounded nose tip. One of the aunts took a second look and murmured to herself, isn’t that nose just like Wan Yuan’s when she was a child?

“Commander Tong.” A-Ning urged, “It’s too cold here, let me take her back to rest first.”

Only then did Tong Ou release his grip, and the little girl was sent into a carriage that had already been prepared on the street. Presently, the local magistrate Dan Qing also rushed over with some officials. On the way, he had already heard about the real person hidden inside the stone shell, and his head was about to explode. As a magistrate, he actually knew that Yu Manor was not as clean as it appeared on the surface, but as long as there were no major disturbances, he also didn’t bother to care. After all, which manor with many courtyards didn’t have any dirty laundry? But who would have thought that although there were no accidents in the Yu family, there would be the huge event of human sacrifice. This……would this fall on the head of those at the top?

Tong Ou stood up slowly and looked at the three people on the platform.

The Yu family father and son didn’t know that he was the hunter from back then. They only thought that he was a soldier sent by his superiors to catch the ghost, and this just happened to occur.

Yu Cong sat on the chair, out of breath, and after Yu Zhong angrily reprimanded Aunt Liu, he belatedly realized his recklessness. Seeing that Dan Qing and Tong Ou were both there, he could only grit his teeth and continue on to say: “Master Dan, Commander Tong, this……this marriage was proposed by the wizard. My father is very old and got obsessed. Once he heard it, he couldn’t unhear it, and I really couldn’t persuade him, ah.”

“Fool!” Dan Qing scolded in front of the whole city, “Whose girl is that?”

“…….” Yu Zhong hesitated for a moment, then said, “She was bought from a kidnapper.”

“She wasn’t bought from a kidnapper.” Suddenly, another voice came from the crowd. It was Aunt Liu. She stood at the front and said loudly, “This child has been raised in the back courtyard of Yu Manor since birth!”

Yu Zhong’s expression changed. Disregarding that Dan Qing was still there, he ordered his servants to drag her away. Liu Meng stood in front of her with a big knife and said, “I’ll see who dares to touch my mother!”

Dan Qing saw that Aunt Liu knew a lot of the inside story, so he ordered servants to take her to the government office first. There was also a selfish desire to not let her tell more shocking scandals in public. The trouble of a human sacrifice was shameful enough. If she revealed something else, how could he be promoted or transferred in the future? He feared that even the official position he held now would be hard to protect.

Liu Meng stood in front of Aunt Liu, preventing the servants from approaching. Dan Qing’s expression sank: “Bold! Didn’t you hear what I said?”

“Did Liu Meng not hear what Shan-daren said, or did Shan-daren not want to listen to the common people?” Liang Shu glanced at the circle of government servants, and finally set his eyes on Dan Qing. Dan Qing’s heart went numb from the shock of this look, and he still couldn’t determine the identity of the other party. Yu Zhong sensed that the government didn’t want to make a big deal out of this, so he shouted: “Our lord is talking, how can you interrupt!”

Dan Qing saw that everyone was looking his way and knew he had to make a decision, so he gritted his teeth and waved his hand: “Forget it, everyone go back to the government office first. Wizard Yin Die, you come as well!”

Yu Zhong was relieved, and hurriedly ordered his servants to come over with the sedan chair, ready to put his father inside. Yin Die also followed behind the government servants with a gloomy expression. Seeing this, the common people murmured one after another, and when Liu Meng saw that the government servants were going to take his mother away, he was also anxious. While stretching his arms out to block them, he quickly shouted: “Hey, didn’t you say you’re a prince?”

As soon as these words came out, Dan Qing’s brain buzzed! But Yin Die’s reaction was even faster than his. He immediately fled into the crowd, his thin body like a fluttering kite as he flew several zhang away in a flash. Where could the common people have seen these strange movements before? They hurriedly hid with their heads in their hands, for fear that they would be taken away as hostages if they hid too late. But Yin Die had already fallen from the air with a scream. Gao Lin retracted his sword and landed on the ground. With one hand wearing a silver glove, he dragged the old villain covered in poison and threw him in front of Liang Shu: “Your Highness.”

Dan Qing knelt on the ground with a plop and saluted with no color to his face: “Xiao Wang……Your Royal Highness Xiao Wang.”

The surrounding people also reacted and knelt in a circle. Yu Cong was still having difficulty breathing in and out. Liu Xian’an stepped forward and opened his eyelids to look, and said: “Carry him to that empty temple, I’ll give him acupuncture.”

Yu Zhong’s head was drenched in sweat, and he only nodded, but didn’t hear what he said at all. Several servants hurriedly carried their master away. Gao Lin had already asked the common people to get up, and helped Aunt Liu sit down on a chair. She had been working in Yu Manor all these years, mainly to support that little girl. 

The little girl’s name was Shi Taisong. The name sounded sturdy, but it was calculated by Yin Die, and implied the stubborn stones and green pines on Mount Tai, signs of longevity. Aunt Liu said: “The child’s mother is Wan Yuan.”

The common people were dumbfounded. Wan Yuan, that girl from the Wan family? When did she have a baby?

It was born a few months after her imprisonment.

Back then, the hunter had not returned for a long time, and Wan Yuan had a child in her belly, so she knew that she must live in the city for a short time. She planned to take Wan Gui with her to a foreign country, but when she was inquiring about horses and a carriage, she saw that Yin Die was preaching to the proprietress of the carriage shop and stepped forward to expose him, thus incurring his hatred.

All of these things were told by Wan Yuan herself to Aunt Liu later when she was imprisoned in the back courtyard of Yu Manor. She was young and bold, straightforward in everything she encountered, and never thought that someone would catch her with a dirty trick. A few days after buying the carriage, she went to the street to buy other things, but a ruffian approached her out of nowhere with an unclean mouth and vulgar hands, and said not to follow the hunter, but follow him instead. How could Wan Yuan bear this humiliation? So she raised her hand and slapped him, and the ruffian also slapped her. The two scuffled together, and neighbors rushed to pull them away. After they were pulled apart, government officials also rushed over and brought the two of them to the government office.

Then came the news of Wan Yuan’s suicide.

Aunt Liu said: “But in fact, she was drugged into fainting, and was sent to the Yu residence.”

Liang Shu looked at Yu Zhong coldly, and Yu Zhong said in a trembling voice: “It was Yin Die. He got very close to my father seven or eight years ago, and my father obeyed him. My father happened to be in poor health at that time, so Yin Die said that he had done the calculations. Wang Yuan was auspicious, and if they married, my father could live a long life. But my father didn’t agree at that time!”

The common people would secretly spit at him. A seventy-year-old man and a seventeen-year-old girl, you want him to agree?

“But Yin Die insisted that if he wanted to continue his life, there was only one way. My father finally believed it and gave him a large sum of money, which almost emptied half of the family’s wealth. Yin Die also said that he gave Li-daren a lot.”

Wan Yuan “died” in just one day. She was unconscious when she was sent to Yu Manor, and when the doctor performed a routine check of her pulse, he found that there was already a child in her stomach. Yu Cong was cuckolded before he could marry, and was instantly furious. Yu Zhong was also waiting to see Yin Die become a joke, but the old wizard told lies one after another without blinking his eyes.

Yu Zhong said: “He insisted that his fate was calculated correctly. If Wan Yuan was of no use, then the child in her belly would do as well, regardless of whether it was a girl or a boy. The child would be raised to the age of fourteen before consummation, and my father could at least live another twenty years.”

In addition, Yu Cong’s body really did feel better the night Wan Yuan entered the manor, so he believed it again.

Wan Yuan was cared for by Aunt Liu at the time. After she woke up, she begged her to help her report the news, but Aunt Liu knew in her heart that the officials in the city were colluding with the Yu family, and Wan Gui had an unreliable, disagreeable mind. If he knew the truth, he would in all likelihood go to Yu Manor with a knife in his hand and ask for his daughter. Not only could he not save her, but he would also be implicated.

Aunt Liu lamented: “I didn’t know that the Yu family only wanted the child, and thought they wanted to lock up both the mother and child. I advised the Wan girl to live with peace of mind first, and I went out to be her eyes. If there was news of the hunter, I would tell her.”

There was nothing Wan Yuan could do, and she was concerned about her child, so she could only agree. She was locked in a small, lonely courtyard, seeing few people and full of worries. Thus, she was constantly ill and the child was born prematurely. The baby cried weakly and did not even drink a mouthful of mother’s milk before being taken away by the midwife. Wan Yuan was already dying at the time, but seeing that the child was about to be snatched away, she summoned her strength and rushed forward to grab it, but was kicked by Yin Die at the door, causing her to spew a mouthful of blood.

Aunt Liu hurriedly shielded her and dragged her bodily to the bed, wanting to call a doctor, but apart from the guards, there was nobody in the courtyard who could be of help. There was not even a brazier in the cold winter, so Aunt Liu could only pick up some charcoal from her own house. But when she returned, Wan Yuan was already dead.

Tong Ou stood to the side and listened quietly with no expression on his face. Only those near him could detect the bulging veins on the backs of his hands.

Because of the charcoal, Aunt Liu was given a severe lesson for meddling in other people’s business. At that time, Uncle Liu’s leg was injured and Liu Meng was only ten years old, so she had no way out, and couldn’t worry about that poor child, either. So she swallowed everything back into her stomach, and could only use the little money left in the family to ask a servant close to her not to abandon Wan Yuan’s body in the wilderness.

“Don’t worry, Auntie,” the servant whispered. “The dead still need to be buried. It happens that the grave is ready-made. If she was thrown outside and dug up by wild dogs, there would be no way to explain it.”

Wan Yuan was buried just like that.

Aunt Liu continued to stay in Liu Manor in order to take care of the child. She hated the name “Shi Taisong” from the bottom of her heart, so she called her Xiao Hua, Little Flower. Firstly, it was fresh and lively, and secondly, even if someone else heard it, the little doll’s nickname was so common that she couldn’t be blamed, ah.

Xiao Hua’s health wasn’t good, and her personality was dull, but she grew up well. Yu Cong came to visit her every now and then, with gray hair and liver spots all over his face. Aunt Liu was horrified to see him sitting in the courtyard and holding this girl who could be his great-granddaughter. She had discussed with her son a long time ago, and wanted to find a chance to take Xiao Hua and flee elsewhere, thinking that there were at least five or six years to slowly plan. But she didn’t expect for Yu Cong to fall ill again this winter, so sick that he could only breathe his last breath.

It was unknown whether Yin Die still held a grudge against Wan Yuan, or if he was just used to disregarding human life, but with a single word about worshiping the River God, he pinched the budding little flower by the roots. Security in the back courtyard got tighter and tighter, and even if Aunt Liu wanted to take the risk of whisking the girl away, she was unable to. Liu Meng proposed to dig up Wan Yuan’s grave himself, and used a kite dummy to create the illusion of a female ghost, forcing Yu Manor to cancel the Many-Color Festival. 

Liu Meng said: “The ghost was indeed my invention. The kite and clothes are in the cellar of my house.”

There were a few other young men beside him who heard this tale in disbelief, and they all patted his arm at this time, saying in admiration: “Brother Meng, a hero of the jianghu, ah!”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Five

The round pebbles were covered in slippery green moss. Liang Shu picked up Liu Xian’an and strode atop them, steady and reliable. Liu Xian’an lay one hand on his shoulder lazily, his thoughts wandering to nowhere. So Liang Shu began to give his opinions. I’ve worked so hard, why did you secretly sneak out for an appointment with those old white-bearded men again?

“I didn’t,” Liu Xian’an said. “I just remembered a legend.”

It was told in the folktales that in the Southwestern barbaric lands, wizards often dried the corpses of children and used special techniques to make them immortal. Then they put them in colorful new clothes, nailed a wooden cross to their backs, and held them up with one hand to walk the streets together. They were called “ghost boys,” which was probably the same as book boys, except that these boys were not responsible for the basic necessities of their masters, but for casting spells and poisons.

Liu Xian’an gestured: “Like the prince is holding me right now, it looks similar.”

Liang Shu ground his molars upon hearing this: “What the hell are these things, don’t think about them, think about something else!”

So Liu Xian’an really thought of something else, but it was also inseparable from demons and ghosts, because the talismans on both sides of the river were so eye-catching and gloomy at this time. It offset the atmosphere, and he felt that if a group of walking dead didn’t jump out of the river, Yin Die’s overwhelming posting method would be in vain.

“The walking dead are like this.” Liu Xian’an stretched out his hands straight in front of him.

Liang Shu rewarded him with a spank: “You’re not allowed to think about the walking dead.”

If it couldn’t be thought about it, that was fine, but this spank was not in the right place. It was below the waist, which was indecent, and even for someone as indifferent as Second Young Master Liu, it seemed that this time, such a thing was not acceptable.

There were roughly two types of beatings. One was like his father and elder brother, who indiscriminately used a ruler to teach him a lesson. This kind of beating was painful, but there was no disturbance in his heart. He only shook his head and sighed, feeling that most people in the world were like this, and even close relatives were no exception. So he looked up to the sky and exhaled, and was beaten as he leisurely thought about the vast difference between heaven and earth, eternally forlorn.

The other type was like His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, whose palm slapped down not lightly but not hard, and wasn’t painful at all. Through the thick winter robes, he couldn’t even feel it, but a spring tide was flowing in his heart, and dreams and reality seemed to fuse a little bit. Liu Xian’an said: “There are no stones here, I will walk by myself.”

Liang Shu put him down gently, and reached out to tug on the other party’s disheveled cloak. So Liu Xian’an’s mood became even more chaotic, and he quickly turned his head to look at the talismans, thinking for a moment about an evil ghost with a blue face and fangs. Liang Shu accompanied him to walk slowly for a while, then suddenly bent sideways so that they were face-to-face. Liu Xian’an was in a trance, and was suddenly startled by this up-close face. Liang Shu looked at him and smiled, dazzling in the splintered golden light on the river, and stretched out a hand to grab his face: “What is it? You’ve been refusing to talk to me.”

Liu Xianan made an excuse: “I’m not, I’m just thinking about tomorrow.”

“I’ll be here for tomorrow’s matters, don’t worry about it.” Liang Shu said, “The laws of heaven are clear, and the vast majority of wicked people in this world will receive their retribution.”

Liu Xian’an made an affirmative sound. The Yu Manor servants were still busy by the river, adorning everything around them grandly. He gazed at the bright red all the way back to the inn, and A-Ning asked keenly: “Young Master, do you have a fever?”

“I don’t.” Liu Xian’an handed him the cloak. “It’s just that my ears are a little hot.”

A-Ning said firmly: “It’s too cold, you need to take some medicine, otherwise you’ll get frostbite.”

Liu Xian’an: “It’s really not that cold.”

The servants of Baihe Mountain Village followed medical principles in everything they did, but Second Young Master Liu’s state at this time clearly had nothing to do with illness. He washed his hands and sat at the table, turning out all the stories and poems about love in his mind, flipping through them quickly. He confirmed one thing, and then let out a long, forlorn sigh.

At this sigh, A-Ning rushed over to test the temperature of his forehead, and pulled over his wrist to test his pulse. After testing for a long time, he said cautiously: “The young master’s heartbeat seems to be a little fast. You’re frowning so much, did something bad happen?”

“It’s not bad, just troublesome,” Liu Xian’an replied.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s troublesome. Even if the young master can’t handle it well, there is still the prince.” A-Ning comforted him, “Take your time, it will always be resolved.”

But Liu Xian’an said: “The troublesome thing is the prince.”

A-Ning didn’t quite understand, why would the prince be troublesome? All this way to the south, the prince had provided them with a lot of convenience.

Liu Xian’an still sighed, because he was really afraid of trouble, and the most troublesome thing in this world was “love.” Tossing and turning, losing sleep, lack of appetite, one’s whole heart held by another person. Weeping, crying, laughing, meeting and parting in the world of mortals. Even growing old together, bumpy roads and chaos were always unavoidable in life, and if you couldn’t live together and wanted to break up halfway, then life would be even more uneasy. His back went numb at the thought, and he wished he could ride a white crane into the clear sky and never come back.

A-Ning was stunned: “What did you just say?”

Liu Xian’an repeated: “I seem to not only want to travel the famous mountains and rivers with the prince.”

A-Ning stammered: “W-w-what else is there?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “I don’t want him to marry anyone else.”

The young master didn’t want His Royal Highness Xiao Wang to get married. A-Ning remembered this, but he also remembered his young master always saying “anyone is fine,” but now it had become “not anyone else.”

The gap between the two phrases made A-Ning faintly uneasy, and he swallowed with difficulty: “Then……then, Young Master, let’s stop talking about it and think it over again.”

Liu Xian’an felt that there was no need to think about it again. He had already come to terms with reality. Liang Shu could not marry others, but could only marry him.

The shocked A-Ning attempted to remedy: “Really? But it’s not a big deal, the young master has always been able to accept anyone, and the prince is not special.”

Liu Xian’an explained: “The one who can’t have just anyone is the prince, and the one the prince can have also can’t have just anyone.”

A-Ning was a little dizzy upon hearing this. In fact, whether he heard it or not, he was still a little dizzy at the moment. However, as a loyal servant, he would stand as a united front with his young master no matter what, so even if he was dizzy, he still braced himself on the table and persisted in asking: “Then does the prince know about this?”

Liu Xian’an shook his head: “I haven’t talked to him yet.”

A-Ning quickly reminded him: “Young Master, don’t worry. This kind of thing can’t be rushed, you must go along at a steady flow. Before our family’s Master Tang went to marry Miss He, they pretended to meet by chance for half a year.”

No matter how one looked at it, the prince should be more difficult to marry than Miss He. A-Ning said: “Young Master, let’s settle the matter of Huaizhen City first, ba. Anyway, we will spend a long time with the prince along the way.”

They would spend a long time with the prince. Just hearing this sentence made Liu Xian’an feel that life was beautiful, even though he knew that there was miasma and heresy ahead. From this point of view, even if he rationally knew that he shouldn’t ask for trouble, he really didn’t know what had happened, and this sort of thing couldn’t be controlled.

Not even a forty-eight thousand year-old immortal could achieve it

Having thought of this point, Liu Xian’an fell asleep in an extremely relaxed state and woke up the next day refreshed, even earlier than Liang Shu.

Yu Manor was also very busy. The stone bride was “invited” out amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers and several aunts wrapped it in colorful silk and satin, placing a veil on its head. Master Yu was also shakily helped over by someone to knock on the stone shell with his cane and say a few words of marriage blessings. He had been lying in bed for several months, and when he went out again at this time, the servants almost didn’t recognize him. They muttered, why is he so thin?

Yu Zhong said loudly: “Okay, Dad, let’s go. The sedan chair is ready.”

Yin Die had also put on a new robe and stood at the front of the procession. When the auspicious time came, the sedan chair was set up, and the shining procession left all the way from Yu Manor. The common people crowded on both sides of the street to watch the excitement. The stone bride was dressed in red silk and carried by eight strong men. When the dazzlingly bright sun shone on it, a timid child was frightened and immediately began to cry. His mother quickly covered his mouth and scolded in a low voice: “The River God’s marriage is a happy event, and there will be delicious food later. Why are you crying, stop crying, be careful not to be blamed by Master Yu.”

The child was still choked up. He always played the marriage game, and the girls he married were all girls similar to him, so it should be taken for granted that when he grew up and married a wife, she would also be similar to him. Now, suddenly discovering that it was possible to marry this terrible thing, it was like a thunderbolt from the sky. He asked in a whimper: “Why is the River God marrying a rock?”

“That’s not a rock.” A clear and gentle voice came from behind.

The little boy raised his head.

Liu Xian’an handed over the sugar cake in his hand: “Don’t watch if you’re afraid. It isn’t a good thing.”

This sentence caused everyone around to turn their heads to look at him. Although they all thought the bride looked very strange, it seemed a bit brainless to say it so openly. Mu Cuihua glanced sideways and said harshly: “The River God is getting married, so it’s fine for you to come and eat a free meal, but you won’t even say auspicious words.”

She was carrying a food box in her hand, ready to take things to eat before the tables opened. A young man nearby said: “Aunt Mou, you haven’t eaten since last night, so you’re hungry and waiting for today’s meal, right?”

Mu Cuihua cursed with a smile. At this time, the sound of firecrackers by the river grew increasingly intense, and the ceremony was about to begin. Everyone crowded forward, trying to occupy the best positions. Officials shouted loudly for order, and Tong Ou also led a garrison to form a human wall in order to prevent people from falling into the river.

Liang Shu held Liu Xian’an’s hand to prevent him from being pushed to the other side. Neither of them had ever experienced such a lively folk wedding scene. They didn’t understand why the common people were crowding until they got to the front of the crowd and realized that there were red envelopes for the people in the front row.

Mou Cuihua had already collected a thick stack. The person who was giving out the red envelopes was Yin Die, who raised his head to regard Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an with a hostile expression. Liang Shu smiled and stretched out his hand: “Merchants from abroad, coming to join the fun.”

Yin Die’s tone was stiff: “Abroad where?”

Liang Shu said: “Wangcheng.”

Yin Die’s complexion changed slightly. The two people were so exceptional, and they were from the royal city……he lowered his eyes slightly, handed over the red envelope, and hurriedly turned to the elevated platform: “Do the salutations!”

Yu Zhong, who was carrying a gong and drum, was taken aback: “Ah, now? But it’s not time yet.”

“It is!” Yin Die ordered in a low voice, “The time is now!”

Yu Zhong thought to himself, he really is a liar. He said the time in the morning, and then turned around and forgot at noon. But he couldn’t be bothered to care about these things, so he beat the gong in his hand: “Worship!”

The stone bride was pushed up. Yu Cong sat on the Eight Immortals Chair. His eyes were cloudy, and there was some water in them as he stared raptly at the bride. Others urged him two or three times, but he didn’t speak. Yu Zhong could only bend down and remind him next to his ear: “Dad, it’s fine. After the River God marries, you will be hale and healthy, don’t be reluctant to part with it.”

Yu Cong sighed: “Life is bitter, life is bitter, ah! Forget it, worship!”

Children grabbed colorful rice and threw it on the head of the “bride,” and the strong men mustered themselves to lift the stone bride into the river. Mou Cuihua, who was at the front, once again screamed like a goose being strangled by the neck, making the people around her feel numb. Another aunt scolded her dizzily: “What’s wrong with you?”

“T-t-the……the bride seems to be crying!” Mou Cuihua’s face turned pale.

As soon as this nonsense came out, the surrounding people were frightened into silence. So in the silence, everyone heard the stone bride crying, as well as a miserable, “Help me!”

Mou Cuihua, who was closest to her, gasped. Her body, which hadn’t been fed for two meals, couldn’t bear the stimulation. She fainted from fright and fell back limply.

The stone bride swayed at this moment, as if trying to break free from the red silk. This was much more frightening than Wan Yuan crawling out of her grave. The people at the scene were so shocked that they fled to their homes one after another, and even the courageous ones also retreated dozens of steps away, hiding behind the garrison and watching in terror.

For a moment, only the stone bride, Liang Shu, Liu Xian’an, and the unlucky and unconscious Aunt Mou were left in the empty field. On the elevated platform, Yin Die’s palms were covered in sweat, and he looked at the two men with gloomy eyes. Yu Cong on the side had already fallen from the chair. Yu Zhong supported his father and turned his head to look at Aunt Liu among the servants, cursing furiously, “Bitch! How did you do that!”

Aunt Liu didn’t say a word. The bag of Mongolian sleeping medicine was still in her sleeve, and she hadn’t taken it out at all.

At this time, Tong Ou strode forward and pried the stone bride apart with a sword.

A thin girl of seven or eight years old fell limply out of it.

---

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Chapter Sixty-Two << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Four

The First Prince’s case was finally filed, but this was just the beginning. There would still be a long tug-of-war.

His side had formed an excellent team of lawyers, but Luo Ran’s side was not bad either.

Originally, even though he was wealthy, Yuan Han couldn’t find a reliable lawyer because of the First Prince’s connections, but it was different now. With Lucas and Luo Ran coming forward, the team of lawyers on the military’s side was no worse than that of the First Prince.

Now the general public and media were in an uproar, with analysis and discussion posts appearing endlessly on the Starnet.

— War between the Admiral and the Royal Family?! What does this mean?

— Analysis of the competition for Crown Prince. What role does the Admiral play?

XXXX: Oh my god……so Yuan Han’s accusation is actually true? The First Prince not only violated an Omega, but also embezzled? The First Prince is so disgusting and terrible, ba! How can such a person be the ruler of the Empire? It’s not worth the internal and external troubles!

XXXX: It’s so complicated. I don’t know about this, but I’ll follow in the Admiral’s footsteps. He won’t harm us or the Empire. He does what he says!

XXXX: I really don’t know what to say. The star bandit problem hasn’t been solved yet, the Empire needs more weapons and mechas, and the frontiers need stronger protection so that we can gain a foothold in this vast galaxy. Not to mention that the development of desolate stars is also imminent, and the First Prince is actually putting money in his own pockets? Isn’t it unbelievable?!

XXXX: Uh…..maybe the First Prince was framed? According to analysis, the Empire has a Second Prince and Third Prince who might pretend to be a pig to eat a tiger. The forces of the Council are also very complicated. First of all, the Admiral must not be a bad person, but what if he is being used by others to bring down the First Prince? After all, he came forward at this time because the construction funds for the military base are suspected of being embezzled.

XXXX: Agreed, the case has been filed, and not much has been found yet. Let’s wait and see. The First Prince doesn’t look like this sort of person, and he’s handled the Empire’s official affairs very well all along.

XXXX: There’s presently no solid evidence of corruption. What if the Yuan Han incident was a honey trap?

. . . . . .

Pa!

Zhou Mingyu put his terminal on the table, feeling a little frustrated.

He had been cautious for many years and traded with the star pirates during this time, so how did he make a mistake here?

Why did the military department suddenly investigate at this time?

Could it be that Lucas was trying to find out about the drugs that night, and this was the outcome…..?

He had seen the video frantically reposted on the internet. It was a surveillance clip of him holding Yuan Han down in the hallway and entering a room with a kiss.

He had been careful to make sure that there was no surveillance in the room, but this……

The day before, he really couldn’t control his emotions.

It was indeed a single mistake that would cause everlasting regret.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness, they have no solid evidence.” Cyril filled Zhou Mingyu’s wine.

The two of them were presently in a small private room of Zhou Mingyu’s own restaurant, a place where no one else would find them.

“How do you know?” Zhou Mingyu took it with a frown and said, “Did you inquire?”

“This……”

Cyril said with some embarrassment: “I had people negotiate, but Huntsman wasn’t willing.”

Now that a case had been filed, Zhou Mingyu was in a very sensitive position, and the prosecutorial and military departments were also investigating him. Zhou Mingyu thought that he must get out as soon as possible and at least cut off contact with the star pirates for the time being. It wouldn’t be too late to establish a contract with them later if needed. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be good if some clues were found.

But Huntsman was unwilling.

Cyril frowned and said: “They may have tasted the sweetness of the J5 factory and don’t want to leave. They are unwilling to terminate the transaction with Your Highness.”

“Furthermore, Huntsman said they are producing the first batch of Meteor Showers, and they’re almost finished. They need funds and materials very much, and can’t just leave so abruptly.”

Zhou Mingyu set down the cup with a bit of annoyance.

“Dogskin plaster.”

“This…..we can only endure it. We need them, after all.” Cyril paused, then smiled and pantomimed slitting his throat. “We can’t fight against the Admiral alone.”

“En.”

They could only hope that everything went well.

. . . . . . 

Luo Ran stayed in the office with Lucas these two days.

Lucas was safe and healthy, and still lost his temper in the office as usual. Word spread quickly about how the abuse of adjutants in the military was treated, reassuring the whole country.

Then, it was almost New Year’s Eve.

On January 1st, the Empire would set off the most splendid fireworks. The whole country would make New Year’s wishes together, and family members would gather together for dinner.

Luo Ran glanced at the date. At this time, soldiers on the frontier could come back in batches to reunite with their families, and his older brother……would be back soon.

Luo Ran couldn’t help looking forward to it, and happily made a tick on the calendar.

In the second year that Luo Ran had become Lucas’s secretary, Lucas noticed that Luo Ran’s brother — after graduating from the military academy, Luo Xingyuan received an S rating due to his extremely excellent grades and initial mission, and was directly promoted to Second Lieutenant under Lu Cheng’s command.

Lucas personally assessed Luo Xingyuan, and he was promoted to Major half a year later, becoming the commander of a border area.

Luo Xingyuan’s promotion could be considered a rocket soaring straight into the sky. Therefore, when he went to the frontier, he was naturally questioned by the people below him, who said that he had entered through a back door because of Luo Ran.

It couldn’t be said that Luo Xingyuan hadn’t relied on Luo Ran at all, but in less than half a year, he proved himself with his own strength, gained a foothold on the frontier, and was now a bigshot.

“Is Secretary Luo’s brother coming back too?”

Seeing Luo Ran looking at the calendar all the time, Rong Duo also leaned over and said with a smile: “My brother is coming back as well! He is Major Luo’s adjutant.”

“Rong An. I heard my brother mention him.”

“Really?” Rong Duo was clearly very happy, and smiled as she said: “My brother and I end up talking about Major Luo every day. He says he’s super capable and handsome, the best Beta ever seen. I say that Major Luo’s younger brother, Secretary Luo, is the best Beta, and we quarrel about it every day.”

Luo Ran also smiled.

His brother was indeed the pride of their family.

Back then, Luo Ran and his mother worked tirelessly to pay Luo Xingyuan’s tuition, and got the best return.

“That’s right,” Rong Duo said with a smile on her face, “The secretary’s office is going to buy milk tea for lunch, shall I order one for the Secretary too? The store that just opened is very popular, and it’s a very happy thing to drink, tasty and sweet.”

“Thank you.” Luo Ran nodded.

Near noon, a male Beta from the secretary’s office, really came with a big bag of milk tea.

“It’s here, it’s here!” Rong Duo and the others in the secretary’s office came out to greet him.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s not hard work at all. The best and most special one is for Secretary Luo!”

Seeing everyone buzzing with excitement, Luo Ran smiled and stepped forward to take his cup.

Coconut milk tea, full of coconut pulp.

Luo Ran gave a nod and sat back in his original position, poking it open with a straw to drink it.

He lowered his head for a sip, drinking while reading through official documents.

Concentrating on his work, time passed unknowingly.

It was already after evening when Luo Ran set down his pen.

Luo Ran was planning to rest for a while when there was a stabbing pain in his stomach. It came so suddenly that Luo Ran was taken off guard, and immediately bent over holding his stomach.

“Secretary Luo…..?”

“What’s wrong with Secretary Luo?!”

Seeing this, the rest of the people immediately gathered around.

Luo Ran was dripping with cold sweat from the pain, his face pale.

As soon as he went upstairs, Lucas saw the people in the secretary’s office surrounding Luo Ran. He frowned and asked: “What’s wrong?”

Lucas stepped forward and was taken aback.

Luo Ran bent forward and placed his forehead on his knees, saying: “I’m……fine. I’ll just take some painkillers.”

Lucas noticed the empty disposable cup on Luo Ran’s desk with a few pieces of coconut remaining at the bottom.

“Coconut…..?” Lucas saw it and was instantly furious. He picked it up and threw it in the trash can to the side, then yelled: “Didn’t I tell you not to eat coconut? You have a bad stomach and you’re allergic to it!”

It was no wonder Luo Ran didn’t remember. After all, he didn’t often encounter it, and even if he did, Lucas took it away and ate it. 

“Sorry…..” Luo Ran lowered his head and said hoarsely, “The medicine……is in the drawer.”

Lucas took a deep breath and opened the cabinet door roughly to search for it. After the box of medicine was found, Rong Duo quickly poured warm water from the kitchen.

Lucas directly had Luo Ran take the medicine, and then…..picked him up horizontally.

The movement was gentle and careful.

“I’ll take him to the hospital for an examination.”

Lucas strode down the stairs and onto the aircraft just like that.

But Luo Ran was actually fine. What could be so bad about a stomachache? It was only that Lucas was anxious, and the doctor asked Luo Ran to stay in the ward for an exam. In the end, Shen Xiluo would come to re-examine him.

Luo Ran’s spiritual state had improved by now, and he could even establish a spiritual connection to comfort Lucas, but Lucas had not quite stabilized yet.

“The Admiral isn’t angry anymore…..?” After taking the medicine, it didn’t hurt so much. Luo Ran lay on the hospital bed, smiling as he gazed at Lucas, who was beside him pouring water.

“I am, ah.” Lucas said coldly with a straight face: “But I still need you to edit official documents for me, and I can’t leave you alone even if I’m angry.”

Luo Ran just smiled: “The Admiral is so kind to me.”

“Don’t use this act.” Lucas pointed at Luo Ran and said, “I’m not buying it!”

Luo Ran chuckled.

Lucas laughed angrily.

Luo Ran had a very, very good memory, as everyone knew. He could remember every little detail, but couldn’t even remember his own taboos.

“Don’t be angry, Admiral. This is a chance for Dr. Shen to come and give me a thorough examination tomorrow.”

“Go to sleep.” Lucas poked Luo Ran’s nose and said: “Don’t talk, and don’t sneakily stay up late to read official documents for me, or I’ll find out and beat you up.”

“Okay.”

Luo Ran smiled and nodded.

Then, Lucas seized the time to return to the office to grab the official documents and help Luo Ran finish his last bit of business.

Luo Ran remained alone in the ward. It was still early and he couldn’t fall asleep, so he took out his terminal and went surfing the Starnet.

The Starnet was full of discussions about the First Prince and the struggle for power. Luo Ran read for a while, and after finding out which way the wind was blowing, he didn’t feel like reading anymore, and went to the CP exclusive section instead.

[Blessings]: I wish Secretary Luo a swift recovery!

[Dry Goods]: The intimacy of the office elevator, I was in the crowd, too shameful, la!

[Dry Goods]: Princess carry! Secretary Luo wasn’t feeling well, and the Admiral sent him to the hospital himself!

XXXX: Ahhhh, I am a small employee at the office, and was fortunate enough to witness two beautiful love scenes! First there was the elevator incident a few days ago, and today Secretary Luo fell weakly into the arms of the Admiral. The Admiral picked him up in a handsome and heroic manner, and boarded the aircraft faster than lightning! The Admiral in wartime can hold a pass against ten thousand enemies, but facing Secretary Luo, he is even stronger!

XXXX: Yiiiiii! Will the secretary act spoiled and say that if he is given ten kisses, his stomach won’t hurt?

XXXX: Ahhh maybe the Admiral will say “go a round with me” and it won’t hurt anymore!

Luo Ran: “…….”

His parents must have seen this news, as it was popular and on the front page.

Luo Ran: “……”

So shameful.

Luo Ran could only report to his parents first that he was safe. He said that he was undergoing a physical examination at the hospital, and it was just common stomach pain, so they didn’t have to worry.

And then Luo Ran fell asleep.

Of course, he didn’t expect that his parents would come visit him the next morning due to their worry.

. . . . . . .

The next morning, Lucas came to the hospital early, before dawn.

Lucas wanted to give Luo Ran a surprise, so he went next door to the kitchen provided by the VIP ward.

He was extremely proud. He would make breakfast for Luo Ran today, a pot of delicious porridge!

Lucas thought to himself that he had probably seen the work of the military department’s cooking class before, so he was confident.

The first step should be to cook the rice.

Lucas opened the rice bucket, grabbed a large handful of white rice and threw it into the frying pan, directly turning on the fire.

. . . . . . .

Luo Cheng was still at work, so Wang Zitong came to the hospital first.

She registered downstairs, and after confirming her identity, the military personnel on guard allowed her to go up.

Wang Zitong saw movement in the kitchen next door, and the door was still open, so she turned in to have a look.

Bang—

As soon as Wang Zitong stepped inside, there was an explosion.

Wang Zitong: “…….”

What she saw was Lucas, who was looking at the frying pan with a dazed, slightly gray expression.

The pan and electric stove were also smoking, and the pan had been fried into several pieces.

Reasonably speaking, no matter how capable an electric stove was, without water or oil, if you directly heated the dry rice, it would be unable to handle the abuse and explode.

Wang Zitong: “…….”

Lucas: “…….”

Silence.

Eerie silence.

Lucas was also startled. He first glanced at Luo Ran next door through the window, and was relieved to find that he hadn’t woken up.

Unexpectedly, there were dangerous weapons in the kitchen. Lucas looked innocently at the pot, and then at Wang Zitong.

“I didn’t do anything!”

Fuck!

Wang Zitong was wearing white today, very elegant, so Lucas thought it was the nurse that Rong Duo hired the night before.

Lucas shouted: “What is the matter with this rice?”

Wang Zitong paused, then said with a smile: “What is the Admiral trying to make?”

“Porridge.”

Wang Zitong was a little surprised. She didn’t expect Lucas to know how to cook.

Although……it was more like setting the kitchen on fire than cooking.

“Can I try?” Wang Zitong took in the smoking kitchen again and said: “If the Admiral wants to drink porridge, I can help.”

After all, it was just washing the rice and putting it in. It didn’t take much time.

“No! I want to do it myself.” Lucas puffed up his chest and said proudly: “I want Luo Ran to feel my sincerity!”

“Later, you can teach me how to cook a fried egg with love!”

Wang Zitong: “…….”

Wang Zitong: “Okay, ah.”

She didn’t expect that Lucas would……cook for Luo Ran.

---

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Chapter Seventy-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Seventy-Three

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming already lived under the same roof, and having been together for half a year had given them enough of an understanding about one another’s life habits.

After puncturing the window paper and becoming lovers, the two hardly had to expend any effort to get along.

“Mm—”

Pei Yi woke up once more in a warm and secure embrace, and gave a kittenish hum.

Still drowsy and buffering, he was in no hurry to open his eyes, but reached out and felt Bo Yueming’s brow, nose, and lips. “Er-ge, good morning.”

There was a hint of laziness in his voice after just waking up.

“Good morning.” Bo Yueming took the opportunity to kiss his fingertips.

“Are you going to the studio today or staying at home?”

“Going to the studio.”

Pei Yi opened his eyes with some difficulty, and muttered today’s work plan, “The Last Fog is coming soon. Today, I want to communicate with your GM about various operations and publicity plans. Pear Garden let me be there.”

The Last Fog 1.0 was scheduled for release on New Year’s Day, and there was only the last half of the month left. The preheating and closed beta of the game would officially begin next week—it involved the operation plan of the game script, and Pei Yi needed to personally handle the details.

Bo Yueming glanced at the time. “Then it’s time to get up. I’ll drop by and take you to the studio first as usual.”

Upon hearing the words ‘get up,’ Pei Yi quickly pulled the quilt over his head and said reluctantly, “Isn’t it fine to lay down for an extra minute? Waking up to work in winter is torture.”

Bo Yueming saw a tuft of his silly hair exposed outside, and comforted him jokingly, “You’re allowed to lay down for five more minutes. I’ll go to the bathroom to prepare your toiletries first.”

Pei Yi revealed his eyes again, a smile on his face. “En.”

Bo Yueming got out of bed and walked steadily to the bathroom.

Pei Yi’s eyes followed him, and he let his thoughts drift away—

It had only been a week since their relationship became official.

Pei Yi had originally thought that when Bo Yueming mentioned “sleeping together,” he meant something else, but later discovered that his own “bad thoughts” were mistaken.

The intimacy between lovers should be gradual.

However, just holding hands, hugging, and kissing every day already gave Pei Yi an unprecedented feeling of security and happiness.

“Wu~”

In the cat’s nest, Inspector turned over and fell soundly asleep on its belly.

Pei Yi’s envy toward his pet doubled again. He had no choice but to resign himself to his fate and crawl out from under the soft, warm quilt, making a decision in his heart—

As soon as The Last Fog was released, he would avoid going to the studio. 

In any case, he relied on intelligence and creativity to make money, so he couldn’t sacrifice the opportunity to stay in bed in winter.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

Pei Yi just managed to suppress the drowsiness that was still troubling him, and quickly walked into the bathroom. “Er-ge?”

“I’m here.”

Bo Yueming responded briefly. He turned sideways and handed over the dental kit he had prepared next to him. “Here.”

Pei Yi made a happy sound and took the time to clean himself up.

He glanced at Bo Yueming, who was waiting behind him, and his eyes flashed with slyness. “Er-ge, come here.”

“Hm?”

Bo Yueming sensed something, but still listened to him and approached.

Pei Yi nimbly turned and kissed Bo Yueming’s Adam’s apple mischievously. “Good morning.”

Ever since he found out that the Adam’s apple was Bo Yueming’s sensitive spot, Pei Yi had developed a daily habit—he would do his utmost to tease and provoke, and would not give up until he saw the flush of red he wished for.

Pei Yi liked the Bo Yueming who changed moods for him, and he also liked the Bo Yueming who controlled himself for him.

“……”

Bo Yueming’s breathing went tight, and he said helplessly, “Making trouble again?”

Having succeeded in playing a trick, Pei Yi feigned ignorance. “Let’s go downstairs for breakfast.”

Before he could step out, Bo Yueming grabbed his arm and made him turn around and face the bathroom mirror.

Pei Yi instinctively reached out to hold himself up on the sink, and in an instant, Bo Yueming pressed in from behind, locking him up tightly.

“…….”

Through the mirror, Pei Yi saw Bo Yueming’s eyes behind him. They were like an underwater volcano that had been silent for tens and thousands of years, and was showing faint signs of eruption.

The red mark on his Adam’s apple didn’t fade away, but became increasingly obvious.

Pei Yi spied out his intentions, and unconsciously swallowed. Before he could “beg for mercy,” Bo Yueming lowered his head and captured the back of his neck.

No longer restraining himself, he wantonly licked and kissed that little mole.

“Er-ge.”

Pei Yi’s breathing was chaotic, like a fragile little animal being held at its vital point.

He raised his neck to try to escape the sensitivity, but actually sent himself more into Bo Yueming’s hunting range. The latter tempered himself a bit, his strength moving between gentle and harsh.

There was a soft whimper, accompanied by a trace of moisture.

Bo Yueming came to a halt after an unknown amount of time, the sealed desire in his eyes about to break through.

He looked at his stimulation-stunned lover in the mirror, then at the small, incredibly red mole on the back of his neck, and a sense of satisfaction rose from the bottom of his heart.

“I told you not to make trouble. This is your punishment.”

“……”

Pei Yi turned to face him. His fair face was flushed, and his eyes were still misted over, looking pitiful as he tried to put on a brave face.

He was sluggish for a long moment, and could only just barely say, “You, you’re not a good person.”

“En.” Bo Yueming appropriately took this for granted, and turned back the label given by Pei Yi, “Like you said, I’m a villain.”

“……”

Pei Yi rested his head on his shoulder and took it easy for a moment before belatedly worrying, “You kissed too heavily, will it leave a mark, ah? I have to go to the studio today.”

Bo Yueming walked out with his arms around him. “In that case, I suggest that my Little Sir wear a shirt with a high collar today.”

When he heard this, the heat on Pei Yi’s face never dropped.

Unresigned, he moved toward Bo Yueming’s Adam’s apple and bit it for a moment, then replied, “I suggest that Mr. Bo also wear a high collar.”

Bo Yueming was pleased by his cute behavior. “Okay, Little Sir.”

. . . . . . .

The project launch meeting was scheduled for 3pm in the meeting room of Dawn Games.

YWY Studios and Dawn Games had completed their independent separation this week. After unanimous discussion, the main person in charge of the studio became Pei Yi, and Li Yuan became the operations coordinator and a shareholder of the studio.

As for the equity of Dawn Games, it had not changed for the time being, and remained in accordance with its original configuration.

Thanks to Bo Yueming’s personal connections, the new location of the studio had been found, and renovation was currently underway. The core studio team would move over before the Spring Festival holiday.

Pei Yi closed the game information that he already knew by heart, and said to his friend before the GM staff arrived, “Today, I’m only responsible for the ‘game selling points’ part of the launch. I’ll leave the rest to you, ah, little Mr. Li.”

Li Yuan was the original operations coordinator of the studio, so this was natural.

Pei Yi sensed the deviation in his friend’s state, and asked with a smile, “Are you nervous right now? I still remember the bidding in the capital, when someone hid in the bathroom to calm down.”

“…….”

Li Yuan recalled the situation four months ago, and let out a sigh. “Today is different. Now, I’m not fighting alone.”

Now, Li Yuan was free from the shackles of his overwhelming responsibility, and was no longer met with ridicule and haughty gazes all day long when trying to attract investment.

Now, he had friends, a career, and colleagues in the true sense, and his former self-confidence and self-esteem were recovering bit by bit.

Pei Yi smiled back. “En, that’s how it should be. After the meeting is over, shall I treat you tonight? If you don’t get drunk, you don’t go home!”

“If you don’t get drunk, you don’t go home?”

Li Yuan already knew that the “King of Alcohol Capacity” was capable of one glass, and mocked, “Don’t you need to report to your boss? Not afraid that he’ll punish you if you get drunk, ah?”

Punish?

Pei Yi thought of his punishment this morning, and felt that the back of his neck was numb and itchy.

He let out a muffled cough and said with a little courage, but not much, “I’m not afraid, he listens to me”

—Knock, knock.

A knock on the door ended the teasing chatter between the two.

The front desk staff opened the meeting room door and turned sideways, inviting the person sent by GM to come in. 

Pei Yi saw the representative and was surprised for a moment. “Mr. Yan?”

As soon as he spoke, he heard a clack from the side—

The documents and pen in Li Yuan’s hands had fallen to the ground. He quickly bent down to retrieve them, and when he straightened up again, his expression was a little stiff. “Mr. Yan.”

The address was normal, but it sounded unusually restrained.

“…….”

Was it not agreed that he wasn’t nervous?

Pei Yi saw through him but didn’t say anything, and took the lead in approaching Yan Cen and the other two GM staff. “Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to our YWY Studios.”

His tranquil and fearless gaze turned to Yan Cen, and he asked, “Why has Mr. Yan come here in person today?”

Yan Cen recognized Pei Yi beneath the mask and peaked hat, and replied in a serious tone, “Song Ci was originally supposed to be in charge of the operation, but her father is ill, and she asked for leave to return to Germany.”

“The Last Fog is one of our GM’s key investment projects, so I’ll take a look at it on her behalf. You don’t don’t mind?”

Pei Yi replied with ease, “Mr. Yan is our investor boss, of course you have the final say.”

Yan Cen pushed up his glasses with a smile, and unconsciously focused on Li Yuan. “Mr. Li, long time no see.”

Li Yuan stepped forward, and there was still a trace of unnaturalness that could only be noticed by acquaintances in his voice, “Mr. Yan, good afternoon.”

“…….”

Pei Yi watched the brief back and forth between the two, seeing to the core of it—

One said he wasn’t nervous, but dropped his pen and paper. One said that he was free and was a replacement, and said long time no see?

If he remembered correctly, the two met just last week because of the “studio separation” thing, right?

Pei Yi could see it clearly due to being an outsider, but no matter how good his relationship with Li Yuan was, matters of feelings had to be sorted out by the other party himself.

After all, he had only just fallen in love, and had no experience or confidence in guiding others. What if he led his friend astray?

Pei Yi restrained his thoughts and got to the point. “Mr. Yan, you take your seats first. Our meeting will officially start at three o’clock.”

“Okay.”

The front desk staff soon brought tea and coffee, and Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng, the department directors, also arrived.

Pei Yi was a practical person, and would never procrastinate during working hours. “Mr. Yan, since everyone is here, shall we start the meeting? I’ll go first.”

“Of course.”

Taking the lead, Pei Yi showed no stage fright.

Even through a mask, his voice was clear and organized, and it could be seen that he was the absolute core of the entire project.

This was Yan Cen’s first contact with Pei Yi in work mode. He was inwardly amazed at the other party’s ability, and finally came to a complete understanding—

Pei Yi could restrain his temper and play the fool, fight back when necessary, and show off his confidence in the field he loved. He was indeed a character who could not be underestimated.

It was no wonder that his good friend Bo Yueming had a soft spot for Pei Yi.

The proceedings of the meeting were well-organized—

First, as the core person in charge, Pei Yi finished going over the game concept and optimization. Then Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng explained their respective advantages, and finally, Li Yuan summarized the whole project.

The launch meeting covered all aspects in less than two hours.

“Then we’ll continue according to what you’ve said.”

Yan Cen responded with satisfaction, and sorted out an approximate timeline.

“Next Monday, we will start contacting the major application platforms to schedule communication channels and simultaneously arrange pre-heating publicity on major social and game forums. The first wave of internal testing begins next Friday, right?”

Pei Yi and Li Yuan nodded in unison. “Yes.”

. . . . . . .

The launch meeting was thoroughly completed.

At Yan Cen’s signal, the GM representatives returned to the company first to carry out a comprehensive meeting, divide labor, and issue assistance instructions.

Li Yuan looked at Yan Cen, who had remained behind, and asked uncertainly, “Mr. Yan, do you have any questions?”

Yan Cen asked back, “No questions, can’t I just leave a little later?”

“……”

Li Yuan got stuck, and the fingertips gripping his papers once again showed signs of redness.

Yan Cen turned his gaze to Pei Yi and asked, “Are you free tonight? If you don’t mind, I’ll wait here for you guys to get off work, and then ask Yueming to come with us?”

The purpose of this outing was not to drink, but to pick pears, ah.

To be honest, Pei Yi wanted to create opportunities for Li Yuan to spend time with the other man. As for whether his friend would grasp those opportunities, and whether he had the same feelings for Yan Cen as he did in university?

It all depended on Li Yuan himself.

“That works, we were planning to meet up tonight,” Pei Yi readily agreed. “However, it will have to wait for half an hour. Pear Garden and I can’t leave early during this critical period.”

Considering the fact that it got dark early and winter nights were cold, Pei Yi and the others had a discussion and changed their off-duty time two days ago, moving it forward half an hour.

“Pear Garden?”

Yan Cen faintly repeated the nickname, and there was a hint of amusement beneath his lenses. 

“This is Mr. Li’s forum ID, right? It’s quite unique.”

Li Yuan opposite took an uncomfortable sip of water. His eyes lowered slightly. “I’ve made Mr. Yan laugh. I just took the name casually.”

Why did the same name being called from the mouths of Pei Yi and Yan Cen respectively give him different feelings?

Knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door again.

It was the front desk employee. She pushed the door in carefully and immediately set her sights on Li Yuan. “Mr. Li, I apologize, are you done?”

Pei Yi, who was closer, asked first. “What is it?”

Seeing Yan Cen in the meeting room, she hesitated a little.

Li Yuan saw this, and said in a gentle voice, “It’s fine, just say it directly.”

“An old man claiming to be the chairman of Pei Group came to the door without an appointment.”

The front desk employee thought of the old man’s serious, unsmiling appearance, and her heart trembled a bit. “He insists on seeing you. Saying anything was useless, and he wanted to rush in here right away.”

“…….”

“…….”

When these words were spoken, Pei Yi and Li Yuan’s expressions changed simultaneously.

Yan Cen, who was a relative outsider, recalled everything that happened at the birthday party that day, along with the gossip that came after that. He could roughly guess the situation, but was not in a hurry to speak out.

Pei Yi asked, “Where is that person now?”

“I saw that the old man was using a cane. I feared that he would fall to the ground in his agitation, so I temporarily arranged him in the outermost lounge.”

The front desk employee was unaware of the grievances and enmity between the rich and powerful, and her considerations were all on the company’s behalf.

“Right, not long after the old man entered the lounge, another younger Mr. Pei came. He said that he and Xiao Li were classmates in university.”

Pei Yi glanced over at Li Yuan and Yan Cen, and surmised affirmatively, “It’s Pei Huan.”

Seeing Li Yuan’s shifting expression, the front desk employee quickly explained, “I, I didn’t let him in directly! I heard that the meeting was over, so I came to ask you for instructions.”

Li Yuan’s heart tightened slightly, but he still came to a decision. “Let that Mr. Pei enter the lounge too, and just say that I’ll be there later.”

“Okay.”

The front desk employee received her instructions and backed out quickly.

Pei Yi looked at his friend. “Yuan, are you sure you want to see them?”

“The day was going to come sooner or later. Since I can’t hide from it, I might as well make things clear.”

By now, the circle was full of gossip, and there was no need for either of them to hide.

“My answer is still the same. I don’t want to do a paternity test, and I don’t want to get involved in unnecessary relationships with the Pei family. The life I’ve established will not change.”

So what if he was misplaced?

Could he switch back after the results came out?

“No matter what my surname is, I’m Li Yuan. Nowadays, there is no need to rely on this so-called blood relationship and family background to live, is there?”

Li Yuan inadvertently met Yan Cen’s admiring gaze. He was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly avoided it.

He looked at his friend again. “Pei Yi, you should hide for a while. Other than the few of us who have a good relationship, haven’t you avoided revealing yourself to outsiders for the time being?”

Pei Yi wasn’t worried about giving himself away. He was only anxious that his friend wouldn’t be able to handle this. “Pear Garden, can you do this alone?”

Li Yuan suppressed his hesitation and pretended to be calm. “They aren’t wolves, tigers, and leopards, what can they do?”

Pei Yi thought of Old Mr. Pei’s character and Pei Huan’s conduct. He hesitated to speak, and waws preempted by Yan Cen next to him—

“As such, Pei Yi and I will find a place to wait for you. If you need help, we can support you at any time.”

Pei Yi hastily nodded. “I agree.”

Li Yuan didn’t know Old Mr. Pei’s temperament, and feared an unexpected accident occurring, so he acquiesced to the method proposed by Yan Cen.

. . . . . .

The three of them walked out of the meeting room together, and as soon as they approached the outer lounge, the door opened from the inside—

Pei Huan was by Old Mr. Pei’s side. When the grandfather and grandson saw the person at the door, their expressions changed in unison.

Pei Huan’s heart tightened. “Senior, why are you and Xiao Yi here?”

Yan Cen met his gaze, and gave his pre-prepared explanation in an estranged and polite manner, “GM and YWY are cooperating on a project. Little Mister Pei made a fuss again, and was clamoring to come and play with Mr. Li.”

“Yueming has been busy at Bo Group recently and can’t get away, so he requested that I take him here.”

“…….”

Pei Huan had no mind to doubt this at the moment.

He was aware of the friendship between Yan Cen and Bo Yueming, and could tell at the birthday party last time that this fool Pei Yi liked Li Yuan.

Old Mr. Pei didn’t expect to meet his little grandson whom he hadn’t seen in a long time, and frowned for a few seconds.

As soon as Pei Yi met Old Mr. Pei’s gaze, he ducked away. Holding back the true disgust in his heart, he hid behind Yan Cen fearfully, still a timid fool who had never seen the world!

Old Mr. Pei appeared displeased, and changed his target to Li Yuan.

Their eyes met.

A long-lost complication surged up in his unyielding heart. “You are Yuan?”

“I am.”

Li Yuan responded calmly, “Old Mr. Pei, if you’ve come to see me about something, please, let’s go in and talk about it. It’s nearly the end of the workday, and I don’t want my private affairs to fall into the ears of the employees.”

Old Mr. Pei saw Li Yuan’s bearing and demeanor as he spoke, and gave his hard to come by consent. “All right, we’ll listen to you. Let’s go inside and talk.”

“……”

Seeing Old Mr. Pei’s surprisingly cooperative attitude, a trace of uneasiness flashed in Pei Huan’s downturned eyes .

He stabilized himself again and said softly, “Grandpa, shall I help you inside?”

“All right.” 

Old Mr. Pei did not reject Pei Huan’s filial piety, but turned his attention to the “outsider” Yan Cen and Pei Yi behind him.

“…….”

Yan Cen was an astute person.

He understood the expression in those eyes to mean that they were being dismissed, and pushed his glasses up slightly. “In that case, I will take Pei Yi away first, and you can talk slowly.”

“En. Mr. Yan, walk slowly.”

The lounge door closed again.

From beginning to end, Old Mr. Pei never cared about his little grandson Pei Yi.

Pei Yi scoffed wordlessly and simply walked out from behind Yan Cen. “Come with me, we’ll circle back from the outside.”

The office space was a two-storey duplex. Not only could one go upstairs and downstairs within the company, but via the security access door outside, one could also return to the side door on the second floor and reach the office.

Yan Cen was concerned about the situation in the lounge. “Pei Yi, according to what you know about Old Mr. Pei, him coming to seek out Yuan at this time……what does he want with Xiao Li?”

“Also, is what happened on his birthday true?”

Yan Cen was not a person who liked to gossip, but when Li Yuan was involved, he couldn’t help but worry a little more.

Pei Yi opened the door of the office and gestured for Yan Cen to rest on the sofa while they waited. “It’s true.”

“At the birthday party before, An Yang made such a fuss in public. Even if Pei Huan and the Pei couple don’t believe it, people’s words are formidable, and if they are passed on to ten, and ten to a hundred, they would reach Old Mr. Pei’s ears eventually.”

Pei Yi thought of the introduction and analysis of Old Mr. Pei in the book, and shook his head imperceptibly. “The old man values blood kinship and bloodline inheritance.”

Qin Yishun was his grandson, but no matter how good he was, it was impossible for him to inherit and manage the Pei business.

“He hasn’t counted on me for a long time. In the past, Pei Huan was the only one he valued and cultivated. Now that the news has spread, according to his temperament, it is impossible for him to sit idly by.”

Pei Yi still remembered that in the original text, it was “Pei Huan” who offered to do a paternity test, and the reason he gave was also very beautiful—

“I want to get everything back on track. If Li Yuan and I were switched at birth, then I hope that he can return to the Pei family early to make up for the family’s regrets over so many years.”

“As for me, no matter where I am in the future, I am willing to assume the grace of the Li family for giving birth to me and the love of the Pei family for nurturing me.”

As for the result of the paternity test, it was self-evident.

Pei Huan had no blood relationship with Deng Xiuya and Pei Ruzhang, and was the child of An Yang.

Old Mr. Pei had sent someone to verify the delivery records of the hospital that year, and became more and more convinced that Li Yuan was the real child of the Pei family.

“Li Yuan expressed his thoughts just now in the meeting room. He doesn’t want to be bound by the co-called blood relationship, and shouldn’t be responsible for past mistakes.”

Pei Yi looked at Yan Cen and didn’t forget to say good things about his friend. “Yuan is a very strong and responsible person at heart. I believe that he can handle relationships well.”

“As his friend, I respect all of his decisions.”

Yan Cen chuckled, and also favored Li Yuan, “En, he is very outstanding.”

The two waited quietly in the office. Suddenly, Xiang Nansheng knocked and pushed open the office door.

“Little Mr. Yi, something happened downstairs! Can you go over and have a look?”

There was a rare urgency in his tone. 

Pei Yi frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Xiang Nansheng made the story short, “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I heard an unusual noise and realized something was wrong, so I opened the door and went in—”

“The old man had already fallen to the ground. It seemed that his heart had been stimulated. I was afraid that Mr. Li wouldn’t be able to handle it alone, so…..”

Before he finished speaking, Yan Cen rushed down as fast as he could.

Pei Yi hurriedly said, “Brother Xiang, help me call an ambulance! Let all the employees off work through the side door. They are not allowed to gather, and not allowed to leak any information.”

Xiang Nansheng cooperated unconditionally, “Okay!”

Pei Yi didn’t waste any more time talking. While adjusting his state, he seized the time to go downstairs. 

The outermost lounge on the first floor was a mess.

The ceramic decoration on the coffee table had fallen and shattered on the floor.

“Grandpa! Don’t scare me!”

Pei Huan knelt on the ground, panicking as he held up the nearly unconscious Old Mr. Pei. He didn’t forget to yell at Li Yuan, “Li Yuan! What are you still doing in a daze! Come here and help!”

Li Yuan was short of breath, and just as he was about to step forward and help, Yan Cen rushed in after hearing the news.

“What happened?”

Yan Cen’s intention was to support Li Yuan, but Pei Huan seemed to have seen a savior, and said first, “Senior, please call an ambulance for me.”

Having spoken, his eyes turned again to Li Yuan, both angry and confused.

“Grandpa hasn’t had any malice toward you from beginning to end. Even if you’re dissatisfied, you shouldn’t vent it on him!”

Pei Huan’s eyes were red, and he asked earnestly, “Li Yuan, if something happens to him, can you have a good conscience?!”

“……”

Facing Pei Huan’s questioning, Li Yuan subconsciously glanced at Yan Cen, but before he could say “I didn’t—”

Yan Cen quickly approached and crouched beside Pei Huan and Old Mr. Pei. He said in a calm voice, “Yuan is not that kind of person. This is a company, please speak cautiously.”

Pei Huan was taken aback. “Senior?”

“Saving his life is critical.” Yan Cen didn’t bother to calm Pei Huan’s emotions. He could tell that Old Mr. Pei must have heart pain. “Have him lie down first.”

Pei Huan’s eyes shifted slightly, but he still followed Yan Cen’s words. “…..Okay.”

Li Yuan looked at the figures of the two and unconsciously retreated.

In the next second, Pei Yi rushed over and grabbed his wrist. “Pear Garden!”

Li Yuan’s pupils trembled for a moment. “Pei Yi? I…..”

“I believe you.”

Pei Yi gently but forcefully stopped his unnecessary justifications. “Don’t panic, Brother Xiang has already called an ambulance. No matter what happens next, I will stand by your side.”

Li Yuan’s nearly frozen heart was injected with a warm current. “En.”

. . . . . . .

Ten minutes later.

Pei Huan followed Old Mr. Pei into the ambulance. Pei Yi and Li Yuan also got into Yan Cen’s private vehicle and followed them to the hospital.

The matter had already happened, and Old Mr. Pei’s situation was still unclear, so it was impossible for them to sit idly by.

The scenery of the streets sped by rapidly on both sides. Pei Yi looked at the fidgeting friend beside him, and remembered the phone call Pei Huan had made to the Pei couple after the accident—

For some reason, he felt that something big was about to happen.

He recalled the scene in the original text when Li Yuan was isolated and helpless. After some thought, he still had to call his own people for help.

“Brother!”

“Er-ge!”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Six <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Eight

The fireworks dissipated, but the stars remained.

Bo Yueming looked at the person in front of him in disbelief, feeling that this person was more dazzling than everything he had seen just now.

He had imagined that Pei Yi would accept this relationship little by little under his warm water offensive, and at the same time, planned for the worst in case Pei Yi chose to leave.

But Bo Yueming didn’t expect—

Pei Yi had secretly prepared everything for him on his birthday, and then rushed to confess his affection before he could speak.

— Bo Yueming, I like you.

— Do you want to be my boyfriend?

Those warm, sincere words without a single trace of impurity pressed heavily on Bo Yueming’s heart.

For the first time, he understood that the two words “Happy Birthday” were not superficial in meaning, but one of the most indescribably wonderful existences in this world.

Pei Yi saw that Bo Yueming hadn’t answered for a long time, and the courage he had gathered receded a bit. “Er-ge?”

Because of the injuries and blows he had experienced since he was a child, no matter how successful Pei Yi was in his career, he was a blank sheet of paper emotionally.

Ever since he became clear about his feelings for Bo Yueming, Pei Yi thought that he must pierce that impenetrable window paper, and his birthday was the best option.

It was the first time Pei Yi had confessed to someone, and he had no experience at all. He took the other’s acceptance for granted, but why wasn’t Bo Yueming responding at all?

The knot of Pei Yi’s throat rolled a bit with uncertain tension. “Bo Yueming, don’t you want to?”

“I want to!”

Bo Yueming took a quick breath and repeated, “No matter whether it is boyfriend or lover, in the future, I’m willing to be called anything.”

It was rare for Pei Yi to hear such a sincere, urgent answer from the person in front of him. The tension retreated, and his smile persisted. “Er-ge, then this birthday gift will be regarded as your signature of acceptance? Are you satisfied?”

“I’m satisfied.”

Bo Yueming kissed him lightly on the forehead. “I’ll sign for receipt. Thank you, kitten.”

Although it wasn’t the first time he had heard this address from the other party’s mouth, Pei Yi’s heart still trembled and his whole body bubbled. Taking advantage of this uncontrollable happiness—

From careful exploration to bold advancement.

Pei Yi raised his head and kissed Bo Yueming’s thin lips gently, and murmured with red ears, “This is the only way to sign for receipt.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s breath fluttered for a moment, as if he had broken through some kind of imprisonment. “This is going to kill me.”

“Huh?”

Pei Yi heard this mumbled whisper through gritted teeth, but before he could understand, there was nothing under his feet—

Bo Yueming picked him up and walked quickly toward the “temporary parking lot” outside the woods.

“Wait, wait a minute!”

Pei Yi subconsciously tightened his arms around Bo Yueming, leaning on him like a koala as he moved. “Er-ge, are we not looking at the stars anymore?”

Bo Yueming replied, “It’s too late and too cold. We can still see them in the vehicle by opening the skylight.”

Within a minute, the two returned to the off-road vehicle.

Bo Yueming carried Pei Yi and walked straight to the rear door. He was unable to move his hands, so he said, “Open the door.”

There was a bit of urgency in his tone.

Pei Yi didn’t sense this for the moment, and complied obediently.

The door opened.

Bo Yueming didn’t know where such cunning tricks came from, but he sat in the back row properly, and then turned sideways flexibly to steadily bring Pei Yi into his arms.

Both of his knees touched the seat, and Pei Yi realized that he was straddling Bo Yueming’s lap.

This “excessive” posture had him at a loss for a moment, and he struggled to move to the side.

—Slam!

Bo Yueming had freed his hand to close the door abruptly, and then touched the neck of the man in his arms. “Don’t move around.”

Pei Yi stopped struggling, and shrank his neck sensitively. “Why do you always like to touch the back of my necK? It tickles.”

Bo Yueming answered honestly, “Because there’s a small mole.”

It was very cute and likable.

This was the first time Pei Yi had found out about such a thing, and he didn’t want to be outdone. “Then I also want to touch you.”

The topic was very standard, but there was a hint of ambiguous sentiment.

Bo Yueming indulged his curiosity. “Oh? Where?”

Pei Yi glanced down, and his fingers landed on that attractive Adam’s apple. He made circles, as if performing some experiment. “One second, two seconds, three seconds…..”

“Er-ge.”

Pei Yi gave the verdict with a chuckle, “In just three seconds, your Adam’s apple became very red. Is it ticklish?”

“…….”

Bo Yueming held together those mischievous fingers, and his back stiffened as he said breathlessly, “Pei Yi.”

This was not the first time. From the accidental touch when adjusting his suit and tie at the beginning, to being curious and playful when he was “asleep” — every time those fingertips brushed his Adam’s apple, his self-control would loosen and collapse. 

“What’s wrong?”

Pei Yi asked this casually, then raised his eyes to meet the other’s dark gaze and came to a realization. “I…..”

“The signature of acceptance just now doesn’t count.”

Bo Yueming interrupted him, rubbing the back of his neck with a little force. “I’m the star of my birthday tonight, so I must accept it personally.”

A kiss fell once again.

Dominating his breath, attacking the lips and teeth directly, stirring up feelings that were about to overflow from the heart. 

From Pei Yi’s initial shock and astonishment, to accepting and responding, to sobbing and begging for mercy, the entire back seat was occupied by the passion of their kisses.

After a long time, the windows on both sides were opened a small slit, and the surging air carried a slight chill that dissipated the unbridled heat in the car.

Although they were atop a mountain on a late winter night, both of them felt unbearably hot both physically and mentally.

Pei Yi removed the scarf from around his neck with Bo Yueming’s help, but no matter how hard he gasped, he still felt dizzy. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming’s breathing was still uneven. “En?”

Under the dim dome lights, Pei Yi’s skin was unbelievably fair, stained with redness as if brushed by the red pistil of a flower. A little pinch, rub, and touch, would coat it with a heart-warming sweetness.

 Bo Yueming couldn’t hold back, and kissed the red tip of his nose again. “What is it?”

Pei Yi’s mind was a mess, and he muttered incoherently, “I, I don’t have altitude sickness, do I?”

“…….”

Bo Yueming was startled, then laughed silently and fell on his kitten’s shoulder.

Pei Yi felt the shaking of his laughter, and slowly realized that he was talking nonsense.

With the height of Yanshan Mountain, how could he have altitude sickness?

He was not proficient in breathing while kissing, and was dizzy due to lack of oxygen.

“Don’t laugh at me.” Pei Yi’s face was still burning, but he didn’t feel embarrassed.

“I only kissed that deeply for the second time tonight, so it’s normal that I don’t have any experience. I’ll get better with more practice in the future.”

Kissing was like practicing your gaming skills, you’d get it after trying more.

Bo Yueming grasped the key words. “Second time?”

“En.”

Pei Yi nodded and told him, “The time you ‘pretended to be drugged’ counts as the first time, and the time I kissed you just now doesn’t count, so wouldn’t this be the second time?”

Listening to Pei Yi’s calculations, Bo Yueming rubbed his lover’s soft lips with his fingertips, feeling an indescribable sense of joy—

The wet, crimson luster of those lips was his masterpiece.

“Kitten, it’s not the second time,” Bo Yueming corrected, recalling something. “It’s the third.”

Pei Yi was puzzled. “What?”

Bo Yueming coughed, confessing to the man in his arms, “I also kissed you the night you were drunk in Wencheng.”

“…….”

Pei Yi blinked in bewilderment, realizing belatedly, “So it wasn’t a dream?”

Bo Yueming asked, “You remember?”

Pei Yi nodded, then shook his head. “I didn’t remember at first, but when I went to sleep later, there were vague images. I couldn’t recall it clearly, and thought it was a dream.”

He briefly explained before returning to the topic, “Tsk tsk, ah, you pretend to be so decent, but you actually kissed me secretly?”

For a moment, Bo Yueming felt he was in the wrong, but then he remembered the status of their relationship and teased him instead, “Who told you to drink behind my back? Besides…..”

Pei Yi took the bait. “Besides what?”

Bo Yueming said precisely and accurately, “Once in the villa in Wencheng, and once on the rooftop last week. You also wanted to kiss me secretly many times.”

Pei Yi raised his hand to cover his mouth. “Okay, okay, let’s leave it here.”

Let’s not mention the past where he wanted to steal a kiss but failed. It was too embarrassing.

Bo Yueming held his cool palms again. “Why are they so chilly? Are you cold?”

Pei Yi shook his head, but said, “Help me warm up.”

“Okay.”

It was still a little difficult for the two of them to embrace each other face to face in the car. Pei Yi moved away from Bo Yueming’s body to sit side by side with him.

The curtain of the overhead window was opened, and the twinkling stars in the sky could be seen through the glass.

Pei Yi tilted his head to lay it on Bo Yueming’s shoulder. “Er-ge, to be in love, you have to be honest with each other, right?”

Bo Yueming held his hands tightly, and understood but didn’t press him. “Don’t worry, just wait until you want to say it.”

Pei Yi tilted his head to meet the other’s gaze, organizing his words. “I have a secret, but I haven’t figured out how to say it yet.”

Everything he had been through was so complicated.

Whether it was the matter of transmigrating, or his own past, it could not be explained clearly in a few words.

Besides, Bo Yueming had lived in this world for twenty-six or seven years, so how could he use “fictional character” to summarize it in a way the other party could understand and accept?

Bo Yueming asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Pei Yi shook his head, but added earnestly, “Bo Yueming, give me a little more time. Sooner or later, I’ll tell you everything.”

Bo Yueming answered with great gentleness and patience, “All right, I’ll wait for you.”

Although there was no way to reveal everything, Pei Yi still took the initiative to reveal some of his inner thoughts. “Er-ge, didn’t you wonder why I had that attitude toward relationships before?”

He sighed, and answered his own question, “It’s because I witness the process of a pair of lovers who had been together for many years separating painfully, and since then I’ve felt—”

“No matter how beautiful it may be in the beginning, and how long two people are together, they can’t escape the word ‘change’ in the end.”

If his relationship was destined to end bleakly, then it was better not to start.

Bo Yueming had guessed Pei Yi’s view on feelings, and asked, “Then why did you change now?”

Pei Yi took out the hand that was being warmed by Bo Yueming and interlocked their fingers. “Because the person is you.”

“Last time, Sister Yang told me that if I don’t choose to start, there will never be an end.”

Pei Yi recalled the discussion with Lou Yang that day about feelings, and roughly expressed it to Bo Yueming.

“To be honest, even now, I’m not sure how long we can stay together, but what I’m sure of is—”

“I want to be with you, and I want to try to walk hand in hand.”

Bo Yueming’s emotions were overwhelmed by this truthful statement.

He straightened up and looked at Pei Yi, not knowing which of his thousands of words to start with.

“Er-ge?”

“Pei Yi, I know it sounds empty and unrealistic to promise that we’ll be together ‘forever.’”

Bo Yueming leaned over and rubbed the tip of his nose affectionately. “Then let’s live it day by day, month by month, and year by year, shall we?”

Only by grasping every day of being in love could they truly look forward to the rest of their lives.

Pei Yi smiled softly. “Okay.”

He didn’t know when it started, but every word of Bo Yueming’s gave him a strong sense of security, the thing he needed the most.

The two exchanged another gentle kiss.

Bo Yueming asked, “Are you tired? This seat can be turned backwards and put together to make a temporary bed. We should be able to sleep if we squeeze together.”

Rather than going back to a public place like the campsite, it was better to have the privacy of their vehicle.

Pei Yi didn’t nitpick “En.”

It was so late now, and it wasn’t safe for Bo Yueming to drive down the mountain.

Bo Yueming spoke again, “Then I’ll get the laundry in the trunk? Let’s tidy up briefly.”

Pei Yi nodded, then suddenly remembered an important matter and grabbed his wrist. “There’s one more thing you have to remember for me. Don’t forget.”

“Before we drive down the mountain tomorrow morning, I have to go and take the used firework tubes.” Pei Yi said solemnly, “It’s everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment.”

Bo Yueming’s usually indifferent expression was completely taken over by a smile.

His hand that had been resting on the car door withdrew, and he kissed those sweet lips again.

Pei Yi’s reasoning was defeated again, and he was lying on the car seat in a daze when he received a serious reply.

“Okay, I’ll remember for you. It’s cold outside, don’t come out yet.”

The door opened and closed.

The cold wind that came in brought Pei Yi some clarity, and he subconsciously pursed his lips. The residual heat and numbness from the intense kiss was still there, and there was also a bit of melancholy—

If this was both their first times dating, then why were Bo Yueming’s kissing skills so good? Sure enough, in order to be an excellent protagonist, even if you were a ‘villain,’ didn’t you have to fill up all skill points?

The trunk door opened.

Pei Yi turned around and looked at Bo Yueming, who was searching for supplies in an orderly manner. The sensation of the kiss surged up again, and he was even a little dissatisfied.

If only they could kiss again.

“…….”

Pei Yi realized what he was thinking and was so embarrassed that he pressed his head against the back of the chair—

God.

It turned out that kissing was addictive, more addictive than drinking!

. . . . . . .

The two left a gap for ventilation, and turned on the heat in the vehicle. Although they were on top of a mountain in the cold winter, they slept all night without feeling cold.

Through the drowsiness and haze, Pei Yi heard the sound of someone turning over at his side.

He raised his eyelids with difficulty. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming met his sleepy gaze and said guiltily, “Did I wake you up?”

“No.”

It was difficult for Pei Yi to fall asleep in a strange place. No matter how comfortable the interior of the vehicle was, it was still different from the bed he usually slept in.

Thanks to Bo Yueming being by his side last night, he managed to sleep peacefully for a while.

The light in the car was faint.

Pei Yi looked outside, where it was still pitch black, and asked in a daze, “What time is it?”

Bo Yueming only replied, “It will be sunrise soon.”

Pei Yi regained his spirits. “Sunrise?”

Bo Yueming saw the gleam in his eyes, and asked, “Do you want to see it?”

“Yes.”

Pei Yi’s voice was nasally and soft, but he responded clearly.

Ever since he started in the game architect industry, it was normal to stay up late writing manuscripts. Coupled with the fact that he loved to stay in bed, over the 365 days in a year, it may not be possible for him to get up one day to watch the sunrise.

It was rare to encounter this opportunity, and the person beside him was Bo Yueming, so it couldn’t be wasted.

. . . . . .

When the cold wind blew, the last of Pei Yi’s drowsiness was blown away.

The two washed and tidied up casually.

Bo Yueming the thermos and scarf from the vehicle. He unscrewed the lid of the thermos and handed it to Pei Yi. “Drink some warm water to warm your stomach. Don’t catch a cold from the wind.”

Having said this, he didn’t forget to wrap Pei Yi in the scarf.

Pei Yi particularly enjoyed the special care of his lover, and took two sips of warm water. He looked at the sky that was just brightening, and couldn’t wait.

“Okay, okay, let’s go.”

“There’s still time.”

Holding his hand firmly, Bo Yueming still quickened his pace in cooperation with his family’s kitten.

The two returned to the viewing platform, and were pleasantly surprised to find that there were large clouds and mist in the distance. Although it wasn’t a spectacular sea of clouds, compared to the previous night’s far-off star light, it had a different artistic conception.

“Er-ge, let ‘s go over there to watch.”

Pei Yi pulled Bo Yueming up to the rock pile.

The two of them found a relatively safe spot, and quietly waited for the sunrise to come—

The sun rose at last on the distant horizon. Golden light pierced through all obstacles and evenly scattered over the vast clouds and mist.

Not long after, the mist dissipated, and the human world beyond returned to their field of vision.

“So beautiful.”

Pei Yi gave a heartfelt exclamation. “This is my first time watching a sunrise on a mountain.”

Bo Yueming responded, “Me too.”

Pei Yi looked over, his heart filled with a sense of happiness that he had never felt before. “It seems we’ve unlocked another thing we have in common?”

Bo Yueming didn’t let go of his hand. “We’ll unlock more in the future.”

Together, they would forget all the unpleasantness of the past, heal each other, and create new memories.

When the sun completely passed through the clouds, banishing the cold air from their bodies, Bo Yueming mentioned the time. “It’s pretty much over. Do you want to go down the mountain?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming pulled him up, and remembered what he had been instructed to do last night. “Wait a minute, I’ll grab the fireworks.”

Pei Yi had almost forgotten. He chuckled. “Okay.”

Bo Yueming picked up the firework tubes. He could obviously wait for Pei Yi to go back, but he still chose to detour back to his family’s kitten.

Pei Yi watched Bo Yueming’s figure as he got closer and closer, and in a daze, recalled the hoarse and heart-wrenching confession of Father Rong.

Only this time, he didn’t have the confusion, anxiety, and fear of the past—

Perhaps one day in the future, he would lose everything in love.

But so what?

At least at this moment, he had won Bo Yueming.

Pei Yi’s heart moved, and he took the initiative to meet Bo Yueming and interlace their fingers. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“Being with you,” Pei Yi approached and raised his head, kissing his Adam’s apple, “makes me very happy.”

The numbness transmitted from his Adam’s apple to his heart, completely capturing it.

Once again, Bo Yueming was caught off guard by his lover’s sudden straight ball. He smiled and kissed his hair, giving the same response, “I’m also very happy to be with you.”

“Let’s go down the mountain for breakfast, I’m really hungry.”

“All right.”

Fortunately, it was still Sunday, and the two of them didn’t have to rush back to work. After a leisurely breakfast, they played around in the charming town at the foot of the mountain.

Pei Yi took a fancy to several handmade straw-woven animals, and insisted on buying them as gifts for Inspector.

After lunch, Bo Yueming started the vehicle and drove toward the Imperial Capital.

He saw Pei Yi playing with the little straw butterfly he had bought, and noticed some clues. “Inspector won’t like these, you might as well prepare some more snacks for it.”

“Isn’t this cute? It’s the same as a cat teaser.”

Pei Yi couldn’t put it down. He continued to play with it, using his pet as an excuse. “You don’t understand, Inspector will definitely like it. Kittens love to play with these.”

Bo Yueming’s laughter overflowed. “Yes, ah, kittens love to play with these things.”

“…….”

Pei Yi could hear the teasing under his smile, and used someone else as an excuse, “Qiao Dong told me back in Wencheng that he used to play with these things when he was a child. They were all made for him by his older brother, who could make anything.”

Hearing this back then, Pei Yi was very envious, but what he didn’t say was—

When he was a child in the orphanage, he didn’t like to play with the other children. Instead, he liked to remain by the side gate in a daze.

One day, Pei Yi saw a craftsman passing by the courtyard fence, peddling his wares. The other party looked at him helplessly, and gave him a poorly-woven straw grasshopper.

It was Pei Yi’s first toy as a child. He never showed it off, but cherished it very much, fearing that someone else would snatch it. However, he was still unable to hide it—

Later, an older fat kid wanted to “borrow” it to play, but he knew that “borrow” was just a high-sounding excuse. 

Pei Yi stubbornly refused to hand it over, but the fat kid used his height and physical strength to snatch his straw grasshopper and trample it to pieces. 

It was because of this that Pei Yi got in a fight for the first time in his life.

Afterwards, both he and the fat boy were bruised and swollen, and were also scolded by the dean. In the end, he could only hold the crushed straw grasshopper and cry secretly under the covers.

“Pei Yi?”

“Ah?”

Bo Yueming sensed the absentmindedness of the person beside him. “Are you feeling motion sick?”

“No.”

Pei Yi stuck the straw butterfly on the side of the car stereo and watched its wings shake.

Bo Yueming continued the topic from just now, “Qiao Dong had an older brother to make those for him, so can’t you ask Mr. Qin to do this for you when you get back?”

Pei Yi imagined Qin Yishun’s solemn appearance as he held long grass leaves to weave, and burst out laughing. “My brother used to hold knives, guns, and bombs in his hands, so he probably didn’t learn how to do this.”

Bo Yueming answered logically, “Then I’ll learn how to do it for you.”

Pei Yi only took it as a joke. “Okay, ah.”

But having said that, Pei Yi really did have one thing to worry about. 

“Er-ge, New Year’s Day and the Spring Festival aren’t far away. If you’re free, accompany me to have a meal with my family, okay?”

Apart from wanting to officially introduce Bo Yueming to his close relatives as a “lover,” Pei Yi also wanted to find a suitable reason to explain his situation—

There was no way to be completely honest about his transmigration and the original owner, but he could at least let them know that “Pei Yi” was fine now, and there was no need to worry about him being bullied or hurt.

Bo Yueming was perceptive. “Okay, I’ll make time to accompany you.”

“En.”

“It will take two hours to get home. When we get off the expressway later, I’ll hand it over to Lao Fu and the others. Do you want to sleep for a while?”

Pei Yi was really sleepy, and gave a nasal hum.

The two-hour drive ended.

As soon as they returned to the villa, Uncle Kai greeted them with a smile. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, you’re back? How was your trip yesterday?”

Bo Yueming met Uncle Kai’s concerned gaze. “Very good.”

Never in his life had he had a happier birthday than yesterday, and it was all brought to him by Pei Yi.

“Ah~”

Pei Yi yawned, still unable to shake off his drowsiness. “Uncle Kai, let’s eat later tonight. I’m going upstairs to catch up on my sleep.”

He went to bed late the night before, woke up early, and slept in the car. As soon as his excitement passed, the exhaustion wouldn’t stop surging up.

Pei Yi ran upstairs, feeling top-heavy, and was dumbfounded when he opened the door and saw his small room—

All the bedding was gone, and it was converted instead to a small study that was more convenient for coding and writing.

“…….”

Pei Yi blinked, almost thinking that he was too sleepy and having hallucinations.

Bo Yueming followed. “Pei Yi.”

Pei Yi turned around. “Er-ge, why has my room changed?”

Leading him back to the master bedroom, Bo Yueming said, “From today on, you and I will sleep together.”

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector leaped off the cat climbing frame. Even its litter box and climbing frame had been moved to the corner of the master bedroom, apparently the first step in resettlement.

Pei Yi nodded, then shook his head uncertainly. “We……is this cohabitation?”

Bo Yueming asked rhetorically, “Haven’t we already been cohabitating? It’s just that now that our relationship has been confirmed, we can be more intimate.”

No more sleeping in separate beds or making excuses to sleep together.

Although the progress of this “cohabitation” would be a bit fast for an ordinary couple, they had already been together for over half a year, and some tacit understandings and habits had been formed invisibly.

For example, Pei Yi loved to wrap his hands and feet around him while sleeping.

“…….”

When Pei Yi heard such words as cohabitation and intimacy, he first looked at Bo Yueming’s face, then swept his gaze down the other’s body and stopped at a certain place.

Still sleepy, Pei Yi’s thoughts accidentally veered in the wrong direction.

“Ah?”

A single syllable, not only a little flustered and shy, but also a little imaginative—

Did sleeping together as a couple mean they could do that kind of thing? But he hadn’t researched information on that aspect yet, so what if he didn’t succeed, ah?

---

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Chapter Sixty-Five <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Seven

T/N: These chapters go out to Clairificus and Nephrite! Thank you so much for your generous donations, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Pei Yi slept soundly and woke up naturally.

The sound of dripping water came from the bathroom. He turned around lazily while regaining his senses, and also remembered what happened the night before—

On a whim, he and Bo Yueming had gone to the terrace to drink and look at the stars.

The wine was not all drunk, and the stars were not seen, but the heart moved intensely.

He even tried to do bad things, but fortunately, he was inexperienced and lacked courage, so he gave up at the last moment.

Bo Yueming had carried him back to the master bedroom. After the two washed up briefly, Pei Yi unknowingly fell asleep.

As for what he said at the beginning, “I’m not used to sleeping with strangers,” this sentiment had long since disappeared with the deepening of their relationship.

“Meow-wu, meow~”

Inspector jumped onto the edge of the bed, lending close to Pei Yi to sniff him.

“Hey, Inspector, stop making trouble.”

Pei Yi’s cheek was tickled by his pet, and he retracted most of his head back into the quilt.

The fluffy quilt carried the scent he had been used to as a child, and was also mixed with the faint aroma of mint from Bo Yueming’s body, creating a subtle fragrance.

Pei Yi had read popular science magazines and books before—

Everyone had a specific and exclusive scent. As long as a pair of lovers lived together for a long time, each other’s scents would gradually permeate into everyday objects.

The most obvious was the quilt that the two of them slept under together.

Lovers?

Pei Yi thought of this strange and exciting word and couldn’t help but rub the quilt again, humming in satisfaction. “It seems to smell quite nice.”

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped.

Having gotten up early, Bo Yueming had already finished showering.

Pei Yi simply climbed up to a sitting position. While rubbing Inspector’s furry body, he glanced at the bathroom door and inwardly brainstormed—

There was a high probability that their two minds were the same.

But everything must go through a process, from awareness to pursuit, from confession to love, and from communication to the future. Everything should be done step by step in order to be logical.

Pei Yi was a person who would do practical things with a clear mind. He didn’t want to blur the boundaries of his relationship with Bo Yueming because of the current “marriage relationship,” causing them to be together in an unclear manner.

That being the case, a confession was definitely needed, but who was going to say it first?

The bathroom door opened.

As soon as Bo Yueming went out, he met Pei Yi’s eyes. “You’re awake so early?”

Pei Yi was full of energy, and didn’t feel uncomfortable after drinking. “It’s not early, I have to go to the studio.”

“Go with me? I’ll have Lao Fu drop you off first.” Bo Yueming remembered today’s temperature, and specially reminded him, “Wear more, it’s cold today.”

Pei Yi replied, “Okay. Then I’ll go wash up first.”

Under Bo Yueming’s gaze, he trotted to the bathroom of the master bedroom, and less than three seconds later, turned around abruptly. “I went the wrong way.”

After “losing face,” he rushed back to his small room in big strides.

“Ao-wu~”

Inspector stared at Pei Yi’s back with wide eyes.

Bo Yueming stepped forward and rubbed its little head, and couldn’t help but ask in a whisper, “You think he’s cute too, don’t you?”

Inspector seemed to understand something, and lay down on the spot with a meow.

. . . . . . .

Taking advantage of breakfast time, Pei Yi deliberately mentioned the fact that YWY Studios was going to be branching off.

As one of GM’s executives, Bo Yueming agreed very freely, and the reason was simple—

The Last Fog series originally belonged to YWY Studios, and GM’s investment only involved the game itself.

As long as there was no problem with the division of Dawn Games and YWY Studios themselves, then everything would be easy to handle.

Bo Yueming took a sip of coffee. “Won’t the game be released on New Year’s Day? It’s best to deal with it before then.”

Pei Yi nodded, in sync with his thoughts.

Lin Zhong on the side couldn’t help but say, “Little Sir, why is your studio called YWY? Does it stand for something?”

“…….”

Did it stand for something?

What meaning could there be from a naming waste?

Pei Yi took a bite of poached egg and didn’t have the confidence to talk about the naming process. He expressed, “The studio logo was designed by Sister Yang, what did she say……”

“I hope that the games produced by our studio will conquer the world just like cats conquer people’s hearts.”

Hearing this design idea, Bo Yueming laughed. “Compared to the two of you naming wastes, this concept can be regarded as turning the tide.”

“…….”

Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming’s “cat slave” attribute that was hidden in the original text, and stuffed the remaining half of poached egg in his mouth. He muttered faintly, “Is being a naming waste so obvious?”

For him, the name of the studio was not important. The game itself was the most important thing!

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi hadn’t lived a nine-to-six life for a long time, but fortunately, “The Last Fog” was progressing smoothly—

Not only had the stand-alone game of the first series been fully formed, but even the mobile game of the second series had taken its basic shape.

The heat for the first launch of the stand-alone game started smoothly and attracted enough players and users, and they could launch the upgraded version 2.0 mobile game version within half a year.

In the blink of an eye, it was the agreed upon “Next Saturday.”

Having finished his review of the work at hand, Pei Yi left work early. He looked at the receding scenery outside the car window and asked uncertainly, “Lao Fu, aren’t we going to the group to meet Er-ge?”

Why were they getting farther and farther away? They were almost on the highway.

Lao Fu glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Little Sir, don’t worry. Second Young Master asked me to bring you here.”

Not long after saying this, Lao Fu parked the car next to a temporary parking lot on the side of the road, and there was a heavy black off-road vehicle parked on their right.

The windows of the two vehicles rolled down one after another.

Not understanding, Pei Yi glanced sideways and suddenly realized—the person in the driver’s seat of the off-road vehicle opposite them was actually Bo Yueming!

“Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming met his shining eyes. “Come over here.”

Pei Yi got out of the car without a word and climbed into the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle.

He looked at the layout of the vehicle with surprise and delight, and finally turned to Bo Yueming. “You’re going to drive yourself today? What if Bo Guancheng and the others find out?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming responded, then tossed the question back, “I thought you didn’t want others to disturb tonight’s plans?”

No matter how conscientious driver Lao Fu was, he was still a third wheel.

As for whether it would be discovered by people they knew? This was not within Bo Yueming’s considerations for the time being. He wanted to drive Pei Yi and enjoy this rare “date.”

Pei Yi’s heart was slightly hot, and he agreed to this statement by default.

“Where did this vehicle come from? I don’t think I’ve seen it in the garage before.”

“I bought it not long ago. It’s been parked at the sale and service shop, and I haven’t driven it back.”

As Bo Yueming spoke, the sense of long-accumulated vinegar overflowed. “When Mr. Qin drove this kind of vehicle last time, I saw that you liked it very much.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi was taken aback for a couple of seconds, and could barely recall what had happened.

When they first met Qin Yishun, the other party was driving a modified hardcore off-road vehicle.

It was handsome and stylish, a guy’s dream car!

He had admired it in front of Bo Yueming? Hadn’t it just been one short word?

This person couldn’t have had thoughts about him at that time, right?

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows. “Er-ge, you…..”

“We’re driving on a mountain road today. This vehicle can climb it easily.” Bo Yueming interrupted his unspoken teasing, then neatly started the car.

“It will take about three hours to get there. I bought afternoon tea for you in the back seat. If you get hungry later, you can fill your stomach first.”

He had clearly been jealous but wouldn’t admit it, and changed the subject quite obviously first.

Pei Yi’s eyes overflowed with delight. “Oh.”

Thinking of everything that could happen that night, he had never looked forward to the darkness so much.

. . . . . . .

When the two arrived at the campsite halfway up the mountain, the sun had completely set, and there was a wide-open scene in front of them—

The soft afterglow of the setting sun scattered across the sky, presenting clear and beautiful pink and blue colors. Looking down from the viewing platform of the campsite, there was a meandering river at the foot of the mountain and tall urban buildings standing in the distance.

“— Ah~”

Pei Yi jumped out of the vehicle at once and took a deep breath. “It feels so good.”

The wind was cool and penetrating, and the exhaustion from days of work was wiped away in one breath.

Bo Yueming glanced at the time. “Pei Yi, let’s go in and have something to eat first. Don’t stand outside all the time, be careful not to catch a cold in the wind.”

They would wait for the sky to darken later, when the stargazing would officially begin.

A trace of nervous expectation flickered in Pei Yi’s eyes. He turned around, restraining himself completely. “Okay!”

The two stepped into the service hall of the campsite.

The boss greeted them immediately, regarding them with polite eyes. “Welcome, both of you. Do you want to handle your camping business, or do you want to come in and eat?”

“Our ingredients are all shipped from the foot of the mountain on the same day, and are very fresh.”

Pei Yi met the boss’s gaze, and his eyes flickered slightly.

Then he heard Bo Yueming beside him answer calmly, “We’ll eat.”

Bo Yueming had planned to take Pei Yi to the top of the mountain to see the starry sky, so he had also brought a camping tent that was specially thick and windproof.

Of course, even if it was too cold to stay in the tent that night, the off-road vehicle could serve as their exclusive residence.

. . . . . . .

In less than ten minutes, a simple and delicious meal was delivered.

Pei Yi looked around the service hall where there were few people, and took the lead to ask the boss, “Boss, isn’t today Saturday? Why is there no one here?”

“It is cold here at night. There are usually a lot of people in summer, but in winter, it is basically only people who come to take pictures.”

The boss was originally one of those astrophotography enthusiasts.

In the early years, he discovered by accident that Yanshan Mountain was a rare place to observe the starry sky, so he invested with his friends and cooperated with the local tourism department to create this campsite.

The boss looked back and forth between Pei Yi and Bo Yueming. “Which side are you planning to go to later? There are viewing platforms on the west and north summits, and you can get there by driving slowly.”

“The west summit is the best for photography, and there are six or seven photographers going to shoot there tonight, but no one is going to the north summit.” When he said this, the boss even took a special look at Pei Yi.

The main peak of Yanshan Mountain was the west summit, and there was a large area of grass that opened up the field of view more. The driving conditions were also very good, so it was generally chosen by photographers and tourists.

The north summit was relatively remote, and the journey was far. Apart from the bare rocks, the destination had a small viewing platform.

Pei Yi shifted his gaze to the boss again and took a sip of hot soup. “Er-ge, why don’t we go to the north summit?”

Bo Yueming listened to him. “Alright.”

To be honest, neither of them had come here for photography. As long as they could look at the stars, the fewer people the better.

The boss chuckled as if he had expected this. “Okay, you two eat slowly, I won’t bother you~”

. . . . . . .

There was still some distance between the north summit and the campsite, and it was already nine o’clock in the evening when the two arrived at the end of the road.

Further on, it was blocked by a low grove of trees, but signs and lights could be seen.

Bo Yueming decisively parked the vehicle in the “open space” parking lot. “Shall we get out of the car and take a look?”

“En.”

Pei Yi opened the door and immediately shivered in the cold wind.

Sure enough, the night wind on the top of the mountain could not be underestimated. Even though he was already wearing a windbreaker to keep out the cold, he still felt his breathing freeze for a moment.

“Pei Yi, turn around.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi complied obediently, and the second he turned around—

Bo Yueming wrapped a scarf prepared in advance around his neck and covered half his face.

Bo Yueming let out a breath of cold air and changed his plans, “The temperature difference on top of the mountain is greater than I imagined. We’ll either stay in the car later or go back to the campsite halfway down the mountain.”

The scarf blocked the cold wind, and his obstructed breathing was finally relieved.

Pei Yi let the person before him arrange their accommodations for the night and took the initiative to hold his hand. “Er-ge, let’s go take a look first.”

“Okay.”

The two walked through the small grove according to the signs.

In an instant, the scene before them suddenly became clear—

In the completely empty night, there was a well-built viewing platform on one side and uneven piles of rocks on the other.

The nearby mountains were unfathomably dark, while in the distance were condensed fragments of human life. The wind around them was lonely, coming and going who knew where.

When they raised their heads, the universe and galaxies were presented before their eyes.

“God.”

Pei Yi let out his heartfelt admiration.

The always calm Bo Yueming was astonished by the scene in front of him, and lost himself for a moment.

His tightly held arm was suddenly jostled as Pei Yi moved closer to him. “Er-ge, isn’t it beautiful?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming didn’t deny it.

The stars here were even more shocking and beautiful than the ones he saw at the seaside when he was young.

“Want to sit and look?”

The two walked to the bench at the viewing platform, sat down, and silently gazed up at the starry sky.

After a long time, Pei Yi broached the first sentence, “Er-ge, do you still think of her?”

No name was mentioned, but Bo Yueming knew who he was talking about.

The night breeze stopped for a moment.

Bo Yueming replied very lightly, “Occasionally. On my sixth birthday, she took me to the deserted seaside, and we sat on the rocks like this. The breeze was very cool, and smelled of salt.”

Several times, Bo Yueming felt that the surging waves in the distance would swallow them up, but because his “mother” was by his side, the fear in his heart was not enough to sustain itself.

“She taught me to identify many of the stars that night.”

Bo Yueming couldn’t quite remember the names and locations of those stars. Probably due to a mother-and-child connection, he felt at that time that the other person’s words revealed a sadness that she tried her best to hide.

“We went home after looking at the stars, and then she picked up her luggage and said she was going to work, but I refused to let her go.”

Bo Yueming remembered that it was the first time he had been willful when he was a child.

“She said she wouldn’t leave, but when I woke up, she was still gone.”

Bo Yueming paused for a moment, then continued, “She never came back again. It’s been so many years, and I don’t even know if she’s dead or alive.”

He had secretly tried to send some to look for her, but there was no news.

“……”

Pei Yi’s heart clenched in pain.

Compared with him, who from birth had never met his biological parents, Bo Yueming’s abrupt separation was more desperate and painful.

Bo Yueming, who was only six years old, took the remaining pocket money from his piggy bank and lived alone for a week with the little white cat he had picked up, and then an auntie friend came to the door—

The other party took him to China and to the Bo family.

Bo Yueming murmured uncertainly, “It was a long time later that I vaguely understood that she might have wanted to ‘leave’ with me that night, but left me behind in the end.”

Back then, Bo Lihong had used the ring he bought casually to deceive her feelings and delay her life. She gave birth before marriage and was likely to be pointed at wherever she went.

The other party persisted for six years, and finally could not go on.

Bo Yueming couldn’t blame her for being heartless—

He knew that the mother in his memories had exhausted her strength to accompany him as he grew.

“The main branch secretly detests me, and the second branch clearly doesn’t like me. In the first year I came back to the Bo residence, Grandma threw a big birthday party for me.”

“It was only that I didn’t have any friends. The children of the same age who came either spent time with Bo Guancheng or talked with the second branch son and daughter.”

After the banquet, the jealous and angry Bo Wang had ruined many of his presents.

That night, having seen Bo Yueming’s disappointment, Old Mrs. Bo secretly gave him another birthday.

“I knew that all of this had nothing to do with Grandma, but two years of unhappiness in a row made me resist spending more effort on this kind of day.”

Pei Yi unknowingly clenched Bo Yueming’s hand. “It’s okay, it’s over.”

“Yes, it’s all over.”

Bo Yueming was not someone who would wallow in the pain of the past. Compared with the unretainable past, he preferred to grasp the present and create the future.

Bo Yueming turned his eyes from the starry sky back to his side, as if searching for an answer in his eyes. “Pei Yi, you’re the one watching the stars with me now. Will you leave?”

There was less than a month before the New Year’s Day they had agreed upon.

“Er-ge.”

Pei Yi didn’t give a direct answer, but asked rhetorically, “You took me to see the stars, so I’ll give you a gift too, okay?”

Bo Yueming was taken aback. “A gift?”

Before he could fully react, Pei Yi suddenly let go of his hand and ran straight toward the uneven piles of rock to the right.

“Pei Yi?!”

Bo Yueming held his breath for a moment and stood up, chasing after him. “Come back!”

There was only a lone lamp lighting the viewing platform. The side with the rock piles was almost completely dark, and if you weren’t careful, you may stumble and fall.

“Er-ge, just stand still and wait for me!”

Pei Yi turned his head to stop Bo Yueming from chasing after him. He walked nimbly across the rocks looking for something, and crouched down again.

Bo Yueming was terrified at the sight. He couldn’t bear it anymore, and was seconds away from bringing back the disobedient kitten.

Before he could take a step, the crouching Pei Yi stood up and ran back. “Er-ge! Catch me!”

Taking the last step down, Pei Yi threw himself into familiar arms without a trace of fear.

“Careful!”

Bo Yueming opened his arms at once and caught him firmly, too scared to breathe. “What were you doing?”

As soon as he spoke, six beams of light shot into the sky behind the two of them.

Bo Yueming looked up subconsciously, and before the conjectures in his mind had time to emerge, colorful fireworks suddenly bloomed in the starry night sky.

“Er-ge, happy birthday.”

The fireworks rushed to the sky, and he was determined to rush to the person he liked.

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s heart contracted fiercely, and he looked down at the person in his arms in disbelief. “How did you prepare these?”

Pei Yi pushed Bo Yueming back a few steps to the viewing platform. “Are you surprised? I talked with the boss a long time in advance before he agreed to take care of it for me.”

The drop under the rock pile was not high, just a small slope. Pei Yi only dared to be so reckless because he knew the environment in advance.

As early as last week when he agreed to come to Yanshan, Pei Yi had begun his own plan.

He and the boss confirmed that there were no “anti-firework” regulations here, and Pei Yi immediately started to buy fireworks, asking the other party to help arrange them.

The most important thing was that he also “bought out” the boss, who invited all the tourists and photographers who were likely to come to the north summit to the west summit instead.

God knows how nervous Pei Yi was when he met the boss at the service hall halfway up the mountain and spoke in code. He feared that the clever Bo Yueming would notice everything.

Fortunately, he hadn’t revealed his secrets. All of his preparations were for this moment.

The fireworks all over the sky were all gifts from Pei Yi.

Bo Yueming pressed close to his ear. “Why did you prepare these? Did Grandma tell you?”

He had thought Pei Yi chose this Saturday just because he had the day off, but now it seemed—

The other party knew his birthday long ago, and planned all of this carefully.

The sound of the blooming fireworks was deafening, and Pei Yi had to speak loudly. “The Old Madam said that you don’t like to celebrate your birthday, so you’ve avoided it for the past twenty years.”

Pei Yi didn’t know the reason at first, and only now did he understand the deep entanglement in Bo Yueming’s heart—

The day of his birthday was also the day his mother chose to leave him.

Pei Yi understood the shadow and harm this day caused to Bo Yueming, but even so, he decided to celebrate his birthday in his own way.

He wanted to scrub away all the pain and sadness from this day for the other person, and create memories together.

The fireworks bloomed in the sky together with the stars, against the lights of the world.

Pei Yi looked up at Bo Yueming, and his eyes were more moving than the fireworks, stars, and lights. He gave him a long-prepared answer.

“Er-ge, I won’t leave.”

— Now you’re the one watching the stars with me. Will you leave?

—I won’t leave.

Bo Yueming’s pupils trembled uncertainly. He was afraid he might have misheard, so he tightened his arms around this person. “What did you say?”

Pei Yi had bought a total of twenty-six fireworks, magnificent and vast, one for each year, which lasted until Bo Yueming’s twenty-sixth year of life.

After the last bouquet of grand revelry, everything was silent.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s soulful eyes, and repeated in a voice that both of them could hear clearly, “I said, I won’t leave.”

If possible, Pei Yi wanted Bo Yueming to have him in his future birthday memories. Every year, they could watch the stars, set off fireworks, and try many new things that only couples could do.

“……”

“Bo Yueming.”

“En?”

“I like you.”

Pei Yi smiled sincerely and with a hint of shyness. “Do you want to be my boyfriend, ah?”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Four <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Six

This time around, Wan Yuan’s ghost appeared in the early morning, still floating in the air with a pale face, and frightened a couple who got up early to set up a stall.

Liu Xian’an asked: “Was it really the ghost screaming?”

“She didn’t scream, and only floated motionlessly in the air. The screaming you heard in your dreams was the proprietress selling rice cakes.” Liang Shu said, “It was already dawn at that time. After hearing the commotion, neighbors came out left and right with shovels and axes, but the female ghost didn’t continue to rush forward, and only fell headlong into an alley.”

“Fell?”

“Fell.”

According to witnesses, it looked like a kite with a broken string. Because of the strong sunlight and the crowds during the day, everyone gathered their courage to chase after it and see, but there was not even one hair of the ghost in the alley. There was only a bloodstained note on a wall full of sigils.

“This is it,” Liang Shu said, picking it up from the side.

Liu Xian’an was eating cake, and when he saw such a thing suddenly, he almost choked. Liang Shu patted his back for him and asked: “Do you understand it?”

“I don’t understand. I’ve never studied spells, and I’m also unable to study them.”

There may also be great masters in the world, but there were more charlatans like Yin Die. It was hard to tell whether this group of people could read or not, so there was really no need to waste time analyzing it. Liu Xian’an only glanced at it: “Dressing up as a ghost and leaving notes to scare people is not Yin Die’s work.”

“Why not?”

“Although Yin Die is a liar, he is also a professional liar. Since he has already made a name for himself in the Southwest, things like writing spells should come easy to him.” Liu Xian’an said, “But the brushwork in the prince’s hand is very amateurish. The circles are not even round, and there is such a big “double happiness” character with a cross through it. The curse is too obvious.”

Liang Shu put away the spell talisman: “Since it isn’t Yin Die, who do you think is pretending to be a ghost?”

Liu Xian’an thought for a moment: “It’s hard to say.”

“It’s hard to say, but you can tell me.” Liang Shu lifted the pot to help refill his tea. “Let’s see if we’re thinking the same thing.”

“The prince also has suspicions?”

“Yes.”

Liu Xian’an dipped his finger in the tea and sketched out a name on the table. This was a secret way of speaking in the jianghu that he had read of in idle books and stories, and he felt that it was very suitable for such a moment. And Second Young Master Liu’s calligraphy was very beautiful, flying like a lonely cloud, his fingers slender and jade-like. Liang Shu propped his head up on one hand to admire it. He wasn’t in the mood to discover who the ghost was — it could be seen that there was an element of losing one’s head over desire, and not doing one’s proper work.

Those hands were so white.

Liu Xian’an waved a hand in front of him: “Your Highness?”

Liang Shuo grabbed his fingertips and cleared his mind of obscene thoughts: “Let’s go find him.”

. . . . . .

Huaizhen City had been haunted again and again, but no one was killed. Like the story of “the wolf is coming,” it could still make people panic when it happened again and again, but the effect was greatly reduced after three times. Especially since the ghost couldn’t even fly well, falling straight down in full view of the public, and had no ability to eat people.

Even Aunt Mou Cuihua didn’t look too scared anymore. She was sitting under a tree at the corner, cracking melon seeds and conversing with her neighbors about the haunting. Liu Meng’s mother was also standing amongst the crowd. When Mou Cuihua saw her, she asked in a troubled voice: “Liu-jie, Master Yu is going to set up a banquet, why aren’t you helping today?”

“Yesterday, I served until midnight, and was frightened by Wan Yuan’s ghost in the morning and didn’t sleep well, so the Madam let me come back and rest.” Aunt Liu asked, “What does that spell talisman mean?”

“It means don’t let the river god get married. There is a bright “double happiness” symbol, and there have been no other happy events in our city recently,” someone said. “But I saw that the people in Yu Manor are already hanging colorful streamers by the river. They aren’t afraid, so that means everything will be business as usual tomorrow. After all, they spent a lot of money to hire a wizard. Madam Yu and Young Master Yu have both ordered that Master Yu’s health be the top priority in everything.”

“But this…..” Aunt Liu was still afraid. “What if that ghost comes out again?”

“It came out and came out, then came out a third time, and nothing happened. Aunt Liu, you didn’t see it yesterday. She was quite scary when she floated around in the dark at midnight, but this morning when the sky was bright, looking at that ghost again, it wasn’t frightening at all. With a pale, anxious face, it was kind of funny.”

Aunt Liu smacked him: “Nonsense, be careful not to be overheard by the ghost.”

Nobody took it seriously. They just laughed and discussed the next day’s Many-Color Festival and banquet, as well as when to get up early to reserve a seat and watch the show. Mou Cuihua’s voice was so loud that it could be heard across the street. Liu Meng felt agitated at the sound and dropped his work, and was about to get up and fetch his mother back so that she wouldn’t join in, but the courtyard door was pushed open.

There was a bang, and no small amount of commotion. Liu Meng was taken aback at first, but after seeing who had come, he said with dissatisfaction, “You fancy rich people, do you usually break into private homes like this? I still have things to do, and there’s no tea at home, so you should hurry up and leave.”

“What?” Liang Shu said, “If you’re in such a hurry to drive away guests, could it be that you heard about the ghost in town last night, and you want to catch it again?”

“I say, why are you two always pestering me?” Liu Meng wondered. “Yu Manor hired a great wizard to catch the ghost, why don’t you go find him?”

“If we looked for him, we couldn’t be sure about the haunting.” Liang Shu tossed something over to him. “It’s quicker to find you.”

Liu Meng caught the bundle in one hand. The knot was loose, and a worn dress spilled out of it. His face immediately paled, and he looked up at the two of them vigilantly. Liang Shu said: “This is from the box under your bed. If I’m not mistaken, you went to the old Wan family house that day to find more old things, so that the female ghost could be more like Wan Yuan.”

Liu Meng threw back the bundle: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“The wardrobe in the Wan home was dilapidated, and the doors were all missing, but the backboard looked brand new. This bag of clothing should have been inside.” Liang Shu said, “You have a sideshow troupe under you, and there are so many doll kites piled up in the yard. It should be easy to make a female ghost.”

Liu Meng glanced at the courtyard warehouse. “There are many people who can make kites.”

“But there are not many people who know the content of the conversation between Yin Die and Yu Zhong last night.” Liang Shu closed the courtyard door behind him. “At that time, apart from Yu Zhong and his confidants, there were only three people in that room. And Aunt Liu was in charge of boiling water.”

Liu Meng frowned: “You also—”

Liang Shu continued: “The previous hauntings were all in the middle of the night, which means that you know these sideshow things can’t scare people, and you had to rely on the dark sky in the middle of the night to deceive people with tricks. But last night, Yin Die set a time with Yu Zhong to hold a Many-Color Festival tomorrow. You had no time to wait until the next midnight, so you could only take a risk.”

Liu Meng didn’t make a sound, still not wanting to admit it, and just stood there with his neck straight. Liang Shu warned: “If you continue to be stubborn, I can only ask the government to send people to search. At that time, if any incriminating things are found, you and your parents may no longer have a foothold in Huaizhen City.”

“If you can mobilize people from the government, then aren’t you also an official?” Liu Meng gave him a fierce look. “Since you’re an official, why don’t you arrest those big villains who are doing evil things instead of coming to make things difficult for me?”

“Who are the big villains doing evil things?”

“It’s—”

“A-Meng!” An anxious shout came from outside the door, and Aunt and Uncle Liu ran in together while pushing a cart. The two had apparently heard a few words of the conversation in the courtyard, and scolded their son, “What nonsense are you speaking of!”

“I’m not talking nonsense. Father, Mother, they already know.” Liu Meng said angrily, “I’m dead anyway, might as well be straightforward. Maybe I’ll be born as a hero in the next life.”

Aunt Liu turned pale when she heard this, and Liu Xian’an supported her, persuading gently: “Auntie, don’t worry. We just want to find out the truth, to give Wan Yuan a share of justice and Huaizhen city a share of peace.”

“Yes……yes.” Aunt Liu was at a loss. “We……I came up with this idea. I was confused, it was me who was confused. It has nothing to do with this father and son.”

“What do you mean it had nothing to do with me? I did everything and also painted the ghost, and the kite frame is still down in the cellar.” A-Meng said, “A man must bear the consequences of his own acts.”

“Good, a man should bear the consequences of his own acts.” Liang Shu nodded. “Sit, ba, sit down and tell us the whole story.”

At this time, firecrackers were exploding in the city, and some of the programs held for the Many-Color Festival were being staged in advance all the way from east to west. And amongst this bustle, Yu Zhong was accompanying Yin Die, pasting talismans on the treetops and under the eaves along the way. A Second Young Master Liu had said, his calligraphy was truly professional, his pen like a snake, and the prices were very expensive. Yu Zhong’s heart bled all the way, and he became more and more convinced that this liar was behind the haunting. He truly itched with hatred.

The steward repeatedly urged when there was no one around: “Young Master, don’t reveal your emotions on your face! Don’t reveal them, ah!”

“To hell with that.” Yu Zhong cursed his mother. “When will this grandson die?”

The steward comforted: “Soon, soon.”

Yu Zhong said again, bullshit, this fucking bottomless pit is just forty this year, in his prime to make money.

He was so angry that he inadvertently lost his temper: “Otherwise, I could poison him to death.”

The steward smacked his lips: “Killing him is possible, but Yin Die lives in a den of poisons, and ordinary drugs are probably useless. If he finds out and tells the Master, then this……just bear with it, ba.”

“If I bear it any longer, the family will go broke,” Yu Zhong said. “Of course I wish for my father to live, but to be honest, looking at him like that with his bone marrow sucked out by women and a skull on his thin neck, it isn’t a question of if I want him to live, but if he is able to live, right?”

The steward just laughed, hehe, and didn’t dare to answer. Yu Zhong’s mind was already whirling, and looking at the densely packed talismans on both sides of the streets, he muttered, post them, even if you post them all over the city, as long as you die, I won’t have to pay you a fart.

Thinking of this, he felt much more carefree, and even helped Yin Die post them for a while.

When night fell, the riverside was full of lights. Liu Xian’an bent down to pass under a string of multicolored ropes. He looked at the people singing and dancing nearby, and at the burning lights, and said to Liang Shu: “It would be nice if there were no strange talismans that bother the eyes, and if the common people were just celebrating the harvest and peace.”

“The harvest and peace.” Liang Shu held his hand and let him slowly move across the stepping stones in the water. “Don’t worry, they will, and it won’t be too far away.”

Liu Xian’an made a sound of acknowledgement. His foot slipped, and Liang Shu held him up by the waist: “The path here is uneven, be careful.”

“I’m already careful.”

“You’re careful, but you still can’t walk steadily.”

Liang Shu sighed pretentiously. Then I will suffer a small loss and spend the effort to carry you, ba.

---

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Chapter Sixty-One << Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Three

As soon as Pei Yi arrived at the underground parking lot, he caught sight of a familiar license plate. He looked around to make sure no outsiders had noticed, and quickly got into the car.

“Er-ge!”

Pei Yi took off his hat and mask, smiling happily.

Seeing his inexplicable excitement, Bo Yueming couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows and glance at his watch. “It’s only a minute past six o’clock. So fast?”

“…….”

Pei Yi was in a jam. His eyes dodged a little.

As the general manager of Bo Group, Bo Yueming’s time was not strictly limited. 

At 5:30 this afternoon, he left the company and arrived at the parking lot of YWY Studios, and sent Pei Yi a WeChat message.

From that moment on, as Pei Yi sat in the office, his heart drifted with the wind.

He admitted that he examined the circumstances, and in front of many employees, was the first to slip out the office door. He really didn’t bear the image of a “core partner.”

Pei Yi was inwardly guilty, but flaunted his superiority on the surface, “You’re allowed to leave work early, but I’m now, ah? Besides, I didn’t miss one bit of work today.”

How could Bo Yueming dare say otherwise? Seeing that his kitten’s mood had improved, and his entire person was no longer crumbling and gloomy like last night, he also felt at ease. 

His mind was still on Pei Yi’s fingers. “Do they still hurt?”

“Only a tiny bit, but it’s completely tolerable.” Pei Yi had re-learned how to be honest, and reminded Bo Yueming, “Can you help me change my medicine tonight? I can’t do it myself.”

Bo Yueming laughed in spite of himself. “Okay.”

Seeing the corners of his mouth rise, Pei Yi felt that the “strategy” he had studied for half an our seemed quite reliable—

Learn to be honest, learn to show weakness, and learn to create opportunities to spend time together.

That’s right, he did them in order!

“Second Young Master, Little Sir, are you going directly home?”

Lao Fu, who had been peeking in the rearview mirror from the front seat, finally found the time to speak up without seeming like a third wheel.

“En.”

Just as Bo Yueming spoke, he heard Pei Yi next to him refute—

“Lao Fu, don’t go back, let’s go eat out today.”

As he spoke, he posted the address of a restaurant on Lao Fu’s WeChat account. “Let’s drive.”

Bo Yueming was a little surprised by Pei Yi’s decision. “Going out to eat?”

“Yes, ah, I’ve already notified Uncle Kai in advance.” Pei Yi nodded naturally.

How boring was it to eat at home every day, ah? Wasn’t a dinner date the most common form of pursuit?

Pei Yi was embarrassed to say that he ordered a bouquet of roses in advance, but in order for it to not look too deliberate, he quietly asked the owner of the private restaurant to find a vase to arrange the flowers in, pretending that it was arranged in-store.

Pei Yi hid his small considerations and pretended to be calm. “I found a suburban private kitchen with good ratings and reserved a private box. It shouldn’t be easy to meet people we know there. Do you want to go?”

“Certainly.”

This was exactly what Bo Yueming wanted, and he looked at Pei Yi with darker eyes—

Was it his illusion?

He just felt that the kitten’s attitude was much more proactive, and this “proactiveness” was an emotional closeness, which surprised and delighted him.

Pei Yi avoided looking at Bo Yueming for a long time, his heart warm. “What are you looking at me for?”

Bo Yueming teased him with a chuckle, “I didn’t expect our Little Sir to treat me to dinner one day. Did you make a lot of money?”

Pei snorted. “Something like that. Anyway, it’s no problem to invite you to dinner.”

He had completed the structure and transactions of five consecutive games, and the Bo family basically paid for his daily expenses, so his private coffers were quite sufficient.

Bo Yueming didn’t ask about Pei Yi’s account balance, and just told Lao Fu who was driving, “Lao Fu, drive a little faster, I’m hungry.”

His last two words were full of anticipation.

“Okay, Second Young Master!” 

Lao Fu set up the route navigation and had just driven out of the underground parking lot when a phone vibrated in the back seat.

When Bo Yueming saw the caller ID, his smile smoothed out—

It was Aunt Song calling, the person who stayed by Old Mrs. Bo’s side and looked after her.

Bo Yueming quickly picked up the phone, and there was a hint of worry and solemnness in his tone, “Hello, Aunt Song, is there something wrong with Grandma?”

Pei Yi stared silently at the side of Bo Yueming’s face.

In the next second, he saw the other person’s expression change suddenly, and the fingertips holding the phone tightened.

“Okay, I understand.”

Bo Yueming replied simply and ended the call, which had not lasted more than thirty seconds.

Pei Yi immediately asked, “What’s wrong with Old Mrs. Bo?”

Bo Yueming’s hand trembled slightly as it held the phone, and his voice was filled with a rare excitement. “Aunt Song said that Grandma is completely awake and wants me to come see her.”

Pei Yi asked, “Now?”

Bo Yueming thought of Pei Yi’s reserved private kitchen dinner, and hesitation flickered across his face, but before he could say anything, the other party promptly opened his mouth, “Lao Fu, go to Minxi Manor instead.”

Bo Yueming’s heartstrings loosened slightly. “Pei Yi, I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for? Of course Old Mrs. Bo is more important.”

Pei Yi knew that Bo Yueming had always been concerned about Old Mrs. Bo, so he said straightforwardly, “I’ll accompany you to see Grandma. We’ll go to that private kitchen later when we find time.”

In the original text, Old Mrs. Bo never got much written about her. 

Pei Yi had always been worried that she wouldn’t be able to survive this ordeal, but now that there was such good news, he was relieved for Bo Yueming.

They made eye contact.

Unspoken feelings flowed between them, and Bo Yueming smiled again. “Okay.”

. . . . . .

They arrived before seven o’clock.

Bo Yueming took Pei Yi into Mingxi Manor, and the second they stepped through the private door, the two of them clearly saw the situation inside the room.

Old Mrs. Bo, who had been asleep all day long, had woken up and was sitting comfortably in bed.

Six months of continuous illness had caused her to become emaciated, and the sides of her cheeks were sunken, but the eyes looking at them were very bright.

There was no gloom of chronic illness, no confusion from being away from society, only the resolution and tranquility that came after weathering a storm.

Old Mrs. Bo saw the person approaching, and opened her mouth to call faintly, “Yueming.”

She hadn’t spoken for a long time, and it was still a little difficult to speak at the moment.

Hearing this long-lost address, Bo Yueming quickly walked to the bedside. “Grandma, I’m here.”

With just three words, a rare trace of moisture filled his eyes.

Pei Yi stood by the door and watched, but didn’t choose to follow along inside. He left space for Bo Yueming, allowing him to breathe and relax in front of his family member.

Old Mrs. Bo raised her skinny hand with the IV needle and patted the corners of his eyes lightly, both comforting and concerned. “All……right?”

Her first sentence was to call his name, and her second sentence was to show concern for his eyes.

“……”

Bo Yueming held onto his emotions that were about to burst out, and just nodded quickly.

Aunt Song was moved at the sight. She put down the rest of the nutritional soup and took the initiative to explain the situation, “Second Young Master, Madam woke up some time ago, but her body hasn’t recovered yet, and she can’t speak much.”

Bo Peizhi didn’t ask the other party to notify Bo Yueming immediately, and carefully recovered for a week instead. It wasn’t until today, when she had recovered enough to speak a few words, that she let Aunt Song make the phone call just now.

“She was okay a few days ago?” Bo Yueming took a deep breath, blaming himself a little. “It’s my fault that I was busy during this time and didn’t come to see you.”

Old Mrs. Bo waved her hand, then pointed to her throat and mouth. Her meaning was obvious.

She had been awake for a few days, but her body’s various functions were recovering very slowly, and she couldn’t say much, so why make her grandson take time out of his busy schedule to just sit here and stare?

It was better for him to spend more time in his position with the company, so as not to let some people take advantage.

Old Mrs. Bo turned her gaze to the door again, regarding the relatively unfamiliar Pei Yi with a doubtful gaze.

Seeing Pei Yi standing considerately at the door, Bo Yueming recovered from his initial excitement. He quickly got up and returned, leading Pei Yi into the room.

“Grandma, let me formally introduce you. This is Pei Yi.”

Facing Old Mrs. Bo’s silent scrutiny, Pei Yi felt a nervousness he had never experienced before.

The other party was not only a once all-powerful strong woman, but she was also the only close relative that Bo Yueming recognized in his heart. The two of them hadn’t officially fallen in love yet, and now he was meeting the parents?

Pei Yi thought about this relationship, and bowed very earnestly and politely. “Hello, Old Mrs. Bo, I’m Pei Yi.”

Seeing the kitten’s cuteness, Bo Yueming’s lips curved up unconsciously.

Old Mrs. Bo sensed the special relationship between the two and beckoned for them to come closer.

Aunt Song next to her took the initiative to move chairs near the bed, allowing Pei Yi and Bo Yueming to sit down and accompany the old lady properly, and quietly sat by herself on the small bench in the corner.

Bo Yueming took Pei Yi to sit down, and hesitated for a couple of seconds before speaking the truth, “Grandma, Pei Yi and I are in a marriage relationship. Back then, my eyes were inconvenient, so Grandpa and Uncle decided for me……”

In the past few days since Old Mrs. Bo woke up, she had learned many things here and there from Aunt Song. 

Hearing Bo Yueming’s story just now, she still felt an unstoppable nausea and disgust.

“Don’t be angry.”

Bo Yueming immediately comforted her, “There is nothing wrong with me now, but I must ‘thank’ them.”

Even if this marriage was originally intended to humiliate him and block his room to maneuver, who would have thought it? He had met such a good Pei Yi.

The person gave him the highest recognition and encouragement when he needed comfort and companionship the most. If not for Pei Yi’s existence, Bo Yueming felt that his life would have gone to an extreme.

Old Mrs. Bo took another deep look at Pei Yi, but said nothing.

A few seconds later, Bo Yueming said, “Grandma, I want to ask you something.”

These words not only diverted Old Mrs. Bo’s attention, but also eased the silent tension of the person next to her.

Old Mrs. Bo met his expression and understood before he could speak. She nodded slowly, and spoke hoarsely but firmly, “It was……him……it was……Cheng……Yangsheng.”

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi exchanged glances, and immediately understood the information in this sentence!

Even though they had guessed that Old Mrs. Pei’s “illness” was man-made, when the truth came from the other party’s mouth, it still made them feel anger, disgust, and even a bit of hidden fear!

To be able to do such a thing to someone who had been with him for half his life!

Cheng Yangsheng was simply terrible!

“Second Young Master, it isn’t convenient for the Old Madam to talk. She has spoken to me little by little over the past few days.”

Aunt Song in the back corner looked at the closed door, and then said to Bo Yueming and the others, “On the day of the accident, the old man wanted Bo to invest in the establishment of a foreign trade company, but the Old Madam disagreed.”

Bo Peizhi nodded slightly, feeling a chill in her heart.

The Bo family was directly related to her generation, and there was only one girl, Bo Peizhi. She took charge of the Bo family business against all odds, and made it bigger and stronger.

Bo Peizhi was a natural strong woman. She was unwilling to hand over the family business that her grandparents, father, and herself had built. Either she would not get married, or the man would have to marry in.

Back then, Bo Peizhi and Cheng Yangshan met at the university’s inauguration ceremony. Her father was the investor and builder of the Teikyo Business School, and Cheng Yangshan was a young teaching assistant there.

Bo Peizhi accidentally twisted her ankle behind the scenes, and it was Cheng Yangshan who happened to pass by and help her.

Love and marriage in that era were simple, and the two got to know each other deeply over a period of time—

Bo Peizhi appreciated the other party’s scholarly aura, and Cheng Yangshan appreciated her straightforwardness and ability. Although the latter hesitated for a long time about marrying in, he finally agreed.

Over the years, Bo Peizhi gave birth to two sons with the surname Bo, and the subsequent grandchildren also followed her surname.

The relationship between the two transformed into familial love over the years, and then the feelings unknowingly faded away. Perhaps it was lack of communication, or because her business was getting bigger and bigger, but Bo Peizhi, who had a good sense for people, didn’t notice at all—

That the person on the pillow next to her had changed completely.

Over the years, Cheng Yangshan took advantage of the Bo family’s convenience to continuously provide assistance to members of the Cheng family, so that very distant relatives could reap some benefits.

The Bo family had a large business, and as long as it didn’t impact the foundation, Bo Peizhi was willing to save face for her husband who had been with her for decades.

But she didn’t expect Cheng Yangshan to get worse—

Half a year ago, he actually attempted to embezzle Bo Group finances using Bo Peizhi’s own seal. He wanted to use that capital to create an electronic technology group, and the shares were in the name of him, his nephew Cheng Xingde, and others.

Bo Peizhi discovered and prevented this early, and then closed the door and confronted her husband face to face!

One thing came to another, and two two got into an ugly fight.

Bo Peizhi only remembered that her husband picked up his cane and swung it toward her fiercely. She managed to dodge, but was pushed hard by the other party and lost consciousness.

It had been a long while since she fell into a coma, and many things had happened.

Bo Peizhi came back to her senses, and lightly patted the back of Bo Yueming’s hand. “Don’t…..alert the enemy. You guys…..be good.”

As long as she still had a sliver of strength left, there would be a day when she would personally deal with Cheng Yangshan!

Bo Yueming gave a slight nod. “Grandma, take care of yourself first. I’ll take care of the group. Don’t worry, there won’t be any serious problems for the time being.”

Old Mrs. Bo nodded, and gave Aunt Song another look.

The latter had been by her side for twenty or thirty years, and immediately understood, “Second Young Master, Little Sir hasn’t had dinner yet, right? Why don’t you go out with me to get him something to eat?”

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming exchanged glances, clearly understanding the implication.

“……..”

Wasn’t this meant to get the kitten alone for a chat?

Bo Yueming feared that Pei Yi would be uncomfortable, and was about to say something more when he heard the person beside him answer easily, “Er-ge, I’m a little hungry.”

If she wanted to talk alone, he would talk alone, ba. He was not guilty or afraid, and was at most a little nervous.

Bo Yueming gave Pei Yi a smile and didn’t stop him in the end, getting up to follow Aunt Song out.

The door closed softly.

Pei Yi suppressed the tension overflowing from the bottom of his heart and said with well-behaved calmness, “Old Madam, is there anything you want to ask me?”

Seeing Pei Yi’s attitude, Old Mrs. Bo chuckled.

She was old, and her body was failing, but her judgment was quite accurate—

Pei Yi was a young man who looked cute and innocent on the outside, but his eyes revealed cunning and cleverness. He should be a person who knew how to advance and retreat.

Bo Yueming was the child she had raised, and wouldn’t make mistakes in any aspect. Since this person could be highly recognized by her grandson, Pei Yi must be a good boy with a firm mind.

Old Mrs. Bo didn’t care to beat around the bush. Even when seriously ill, she didn’t use those tricks. “You…..like…..Yueming?”

“I like him,” Pei Yi replied quickly and firmly, with a hint of innocent shyness. “I like him very much.”

Old Mrs. Bo didn’t detect the faintest falsehood in his eyes, and nodded, reassured. “Then…..that’s good.”

Although she had once hoped to watch Bo Yueming marry and have children, as the saying went, children and grandchildren were their own blessings. Since the hearts of the two were interlinked, they must support each other to live.

After such an encounter, Bo Peizhi understood—

What did it matter if there were no descendants, or whether they were related by blood? The point was to meet the right person!

Old Mrs. Bo took Pei Yi’s hand and spread his palm flat on her own.

Pei Yi was puzzled, but didn’t retreat. “Old Madam?”

Old Mrs. Bo wrote a string of numbers on his hand. “Don’t……forget.”

Pei Yi nodded seriously. “En, I’ll remember. I’ll stay by his side.”

. . . . . .

The two had a simple dinner at Minxi Manor, and returned to the Bo residence after Old Mrs. Bo fell asleep.

After washing up, Pei Yi walked to the living room and stared at the wine wall. He searched for a long time, but before he could find his target, Bo Yueming’s voice sounded from nearby.

“You want to drink again?”

“Can’t I?”

Pei Yi felt that he had justice on his side. “Since I can’t get back the booking fee for the private chef dinner, don’t you have to compensate me with a bottle of wine?”

Bo Yueming replied with another condition, “En, I’ll accompany you to drink, but come here first and let me change the dressing on your fingers.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi walked over and sat on the small sofa to let Bo Yueming change the dressing. The deep wounds still tingled a little, but he was in a relaxed mood.

“Er-ge, are you happy? The Old Madam is fine.”

“Of course I’m happy.” Bo Yueming moved his hands lightly, and diverted his attention, “What did Grandma say to you alone before dinner?”

Pei Yi kept the secret. “I can’ say for the time being.”

Bo Yueming looked up at him. “You can’t say?”

Pei Yi avoided his gaze, and conspicuously changed the subject. “Er-ge, do you think we can see the stars at night?”

“Now that it’s deep in the season, the visibility may not be as good as in summer.” Bo Yuemign went along with him unconditionally. “We can go upstairs to the terrace later if you want to see them.”

“Okay, ah.”

Pei Yi readily agreed, and pointed to the upper right corner of the wine wall. “Then I want that one.”

Petrus Winery, a small but exquisite rare wine brand.

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly, and he gave a helpless and indulgent sigh. “”You, ah, you can’t handle your alcohol, but you have a good eye for picking wine.”

. . . . . . .

Ten minutes later.

As soon as Pei Yi opened the door to the roof, the chill in the air rushed over him, making him shiver a little.

Following behind, Bo Yueming saw this and frowned slightly. “Cold? How about we go back inside and have a drink.”

“No, ah, it’s comfortable here.”

Pei Yi wrapped his sweater snugly and raised his head, stepping out. “It looks like we can see a star or two. I’ll heat up after drinking some wine.”

Bo Yueming went out with him and set the wine they had brought on the nearby table. Because few people stopped by regularly, there was only a simple long chair placed here.

Sitting down, Bo Yueming poured half a glass of wine to air out for Pei Yi. “This alcohol content is lower, but you can only drink this much.”

“…….”

Compared to the thin layer he started with, the current half cup was an absolute improvement.

Pei Yi sat down next to Bo Yueming and took the wine glass. He couldn’t help but probe, “Actually, it’s okay if I drink a little more. If I get drunk, don’t I have you?”

Bo Yueming was pleased by the dependence hidden in these words. “If you’re not afraid of waking up with a headache, you can drink half a glass more tonight.”

Pei Yi laughed. “En, we’ll talk about it later.”

When it came to drinking, it was not about the quantity, but about the taste, and the most important thing was the person who accompanied you to taste the wine.

The wine glasses clinked lightly, creating a beautiful melody in the night.

Pei Yi took a sip of wine and looked up at the starry night sky again. “Sure enough, the older you get, the less you can see the stars.”

It was the first time Bo Yueming heard that Pei Yi had such a hobby. “Do you like looking at the stars?”

“Not really, I just used to look at them every day when I was a kid.”

Back in the orphanage, there were not many things to play with.

The children admitted to the orphanage were either abandoned at birth, or had an accident at home and no longer had someone to attend to them.

Perhaps “missing parents” and “missing relatives” were the growth path that every child must go through, and the dean used the most cliched formula—

The stars in the sky were their relatives.

Pei Yi had never met his biological parents. When he was a child, he would look at the starry sky and fantasize about his parents. They were probably like the parents of the original owner, responsible and understanding, gentle and loving.

Bo Yueming gazed at Pei Yi’s upturned and focused profile, then lowered his head again and took a sip of his wine. “I looked at them seriously once when I was at the beach as a child.”

“The beach?”

Pei Yi was slightly taken aback, and asked cautiously, “When?”

“When I was six years old. I had nearly forgotten.” Bo Yueming said very lightly, “I just remember that she disappeared the day after we looked at the stars.”

“…….”

Pei Yi’s heart sank, and he immediately blamed himself for bringing up a bad topic.

The original strategy may not be able to be used at all, so what should they talk about?

Bo Yueming met his eyes again, sensing his subtle guilt. “It was a long time ago. If you want to look at them, shall I take you somewhere else to see them in a few days?”

“Huh?”

“The top of Yanshan Mountain. When the project team was established before, Lin Zhong was responsible for leading them to go there once, and he told me it was pretty nice when he came back.”

Bo Yueming asked Pei Yi for his opinion. “If you’re interested, I’ll take you there sometime.”

Pei Yi took the lead to decide, “How about next Saturday?”

Bo Yueming didn’t refuse. “All right.”

The glasses clinked again and again.

Pei Yi continuously restrained himself, but his inebriation still ticked up fairly quickly.

Bo Yueming spied the liquid remaining at the bottom of his glass, and asked, “Do you still want to drink more?”

“Huh?”

Pei Yi gave a hum. He turned to look at Bo Yueming’s face, and his drunken eyes began to sweep over his wantonly—

From Bo Yueming’s eyes, down the bridge of his nose, and finally to his thin red lips.

The entanglement of that night inexplicably appeared in Pei Yi’s mind.

At that time, he was overly stunned and nervous. He only remembered that his head was dizzy, and his breathing and even his soul was controlled by the other party.

It seemed that kissing Bo Yueming was quite comfortable?

Hm, he didn’t remember exactly.

Perhaps he should try again?

This idea uncontrollably occurred to Pei Yi, and the knot of his throat rolled slightly. He shifted his body like a snail, and the moment he was about to touch those thin lips—

The night wind blew.

The befuddled fever of inebriation was blown away in exchange for a short moment of sobriety.

Pei Yi suddenly realized that his thoughts were not so simple, and “reined himself in,” leaning his head on Bo Yueming’s shoulder.

“…….”

Seeing the kitten that was nearly hooked in suddenly change direction, Bo Yueming suppressed his slight disappointment and teased him again, “Pei Yi, what did you want to do just now?”

Pei Yi’s ears turned red, and he pretended to be confused. “I, I’m drunk.”

This little cat never admitted to being drunk before, but it happened for the first time tonight.

Bo Yueming saw through him but didn’t call him out. “Shall I take you back? You’ll catch a cold if you stay out here any longer.”

Pei Yi whined, three points drunk, but trying to make it seem realistic.

Bo Yueming put down the wine glass and picked him up. “Then do you want to sleep in my room tonight, or go back to your room and sleep by yourself?”

He was teasing, but also tempting.

“…….”

Pei Yi had his face buried in his shoulder without looking up, and it took him a moment to answer while feigning drunkenness, “S-sleep with you.”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Three <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Five

T/N: Thank you to VC3 again for the Kofi! I appreciate it so much! Here’s a double update.

The dome light cast a dim yellow glow, covering the entire inside of the car in a hazy gloom.

Pei Yi, who was wrapped up in a blanket, was quietly leaning back in the seat. There was still a red tint that didn’t fade away with time, and he looked well-behaved and pitiful.

Because of gripping the utility knife too hard, Pei Yi’s ring and middle fingers both had slanted cuts. After the previous blind rinsing, the edges of the wounds were white.

Bo Yueming was upset and anxious, but couldn’t bear to say one harsh word. “Your wounds need to be debrided before they can be medicated and bandaged. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

Pei Yi shook his head and attempted to withdraw his hand. “I said there’s no need.”

It was caused by his loss of control. The wounds looked a little deep, but didn’t hurt too badly. Going to the hospital in the middle of the night would bother others and cause trouble for himself.

Bo Yueming squeezed his wrist tightly. “Don’t move.”

He looked at the medicine bought by driver Lao Fu, and had no choice but to help with it first. “Then I’ll help you deal with it before going home.”

The bleeding from the wounds had not yet stopped, so there was no time to delay.

He could see that Pei Yi’s emotions were still on edge, and he was reluctant to force him, so he would have to find another private doctor tomorrow to check on the injury.

Pei Yi nodded slightly, the remaining panic fighting against his reasoning.

Bo Yueming carefully wiped the half-dried bloodstains on him with a medicated cotton swab, and only made a few movements—

“Hiss!” Pei Yi suddenly withdrew his hand in pain, and there was a trace of grievance in the pained sound that came from his mouth.

Bo Yueming’s breathing grew tight. “Hold on, I’ll try to be as light as possible.”

Pei Yi suppressed his pain in time, and pretended to be calm. “It’s fine, it’s not very painful.”

“……”

The more Pei Yi insisted on putting on a brave face, the more Bo Yueming dared not breathe.

While handling the cotton swabs, he didn’t forget to rub and pat Pei Yi’s wrist, so as to distract him and reduce the pain of applying medicine.

Time stretched along minute by minute.

After just a few minutes of treating the wounds, Bo Yueming’s back was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He just felt that in the past, commercial projects costing hundreds of millions were not as frightening as giving medicine to the kitten.

“It’s done.”

“En.”

Pei Yi’s forehead was also covered in sweat. “Er-ge, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Bo Yueming heard him trying to be brave, and handed over a thermos of water. “Thirsty? Try some.”

The warm water in this thermos was prepared by Lou Yang.

Pei Yi obediently drank a few sips of warm water. The warmth of the water slowly lingered in his stomach, and his pain-torn spirit finally revived a little bit.

“I, I must have caused trouble for Sister Yang and Li Yuan just now.”

It was obviously kind of her to give him a gift, and also a kindness to hand him a utility knife. Pei Yi had originally wanted to hold it, but really couldn’t—

Bo Yueming took the small gift from the back seat of the car, comforting him, “Look, Director Lou sent it with us.”

The incident had happened suddenly, and after Bo Yueming clearly confirmed that Pei Yi’s mood had eased, he took him to the car to rest temporarily.

Lou Yang and the other two had Pei Yi in their hearts, so they asked Lao Fu to bring the thermos of water and this unopened gift.

Bo Yueming didn’t want Pei Yi to use his fingers, but also wanted to divert his attention, so after a look of agreement, the exquisite small black box—

It was a pin in the shape of a big-headed cat with a sleek and cute YWY in the middle.

A burst of warmth filled Pei Yi’s bleak eyes. “Does our studio’s logo look good?”

Bo Yueming’s heartstrings loosened slightly. “It looks good. Who designed it?”

Pei Yi touched the pin with his uninjured left finger. “Sister Yang personally designed it. I……”

Words of confession came to his lips, but were blocked by another, more important matter. “Er-ge, who opened the door for you just now?”

Only a very small number of people knew about Bo Yueming’s recovered eyesight. If he rushed in directly to find him, wouldn’t he have revealed himself?

“It doesn’t matter. If the secret is revealed, then it’s revealed. I didn’t intend to hide it.”

Bo Yueming answered easily, without giving Pei Yi any additional psychological burden. “They are all people you trust, so I can trust them because of you.”

Half an hour ago, Bo Yueming had gone upstairs to pick him up after receiving Pei Yi’s message.

He quickly reached the fifth floor and got out of the elevator, but there was no reply to the next WeChat message he sent, only a few faint noises from inside calling Pei Yi’s name.

Bo Yueming felt that something was wrong, so he simply pressed the doorbell. He got the jist of the situation from Li Yuan, and then took long strides to find Pei Yi hiding in the bathroom.

“Is it better?” Bo Yueming checked the time. It was eleven o’clock. “I’ll have Lao Fu drive. Let’s go home.”

Pei Yi’s temples were still throbbing. “En.”

. . . . . .

The night was deep and dark.

Hearing the sound of the door being opened, Inspector poked out of its cat nest, saw that it was its two masters, and lazily shrank back inside.

Pei Yi didn’t disturb the sweet dreams of his beloved pet. His eyes were unspeakably tired. “Er-ge, I want to take a shower before sleeping.”

Bo Yueming replied, “Okay. You have to pay attention to your right hand, don’t bump it and hurt it.”

“Don’t worry, ba. I’m not a child anymore, I’ll be careful.”

Pei Yi didn’t waste too much time showering. When he came out after changing into his pajamas, Bo Yueming entered his small room again. 

“Er-ge?”

After washing up, Bo Yueming had also changed into pajamas, and was holding a small mahogany utensil in his hand. “It’s incense for sleeping. Will you try it?”

He was afraid that Pei Yi wouldn’t sleep well tonight after such mood swings.

This sleeping fragrance was formulated by a perfume maker who was invited by Old Mrs. Bo after she got old, so the effect should be pretty good.

Bo Yueming could easily see through Pei Yi’s exhaustion. “Lie down first. I’ll leave after I fix it up for you.”

“En.”

The throbbing pain in his head had not yet dissipated.

Physically and mentally exhausted, Pei Yi no longer tried to hold on, but lay down quietly under the quilt.

Bo Yueming lit the sleeping incense and placed the incense device beside the bed. He leaned down and took the initiative to tuck in the quilt around Pei Yi’s body. He wanted to ask something, but didn’t dare speak—

He actually wanted to sleep with Pei Yi, but was afraid of touching the bottom line in the other’s heart.

Bo Yueming restrained his selfishness. “Go to sleep. Good night.”

Pei Yi didn’t speak, but silently met the eyes of the person beside him—

Those dark blue eyes were no longer like ice-cold seawater until the moonlight, but instead revealed a cherishment and affection that was unique to him.

In that instant, the already loose defenses around Pei Yi’s heart completely disintegrated, allowing the sense of security brought by Bo Yueming to continue to drill deep into his heart.

“Bo Yueming.”

Pei Yi grabbed the sleeve of the person in front of him and asked in a whisper, “Can you stay with me?”

It was an active invitation, but also a fragile plea.

Bo Yueming grasped his slightly cold fingertips, replying with extreme gentleness, “I can, that’s exactly what I wanted.”

Under the low light of the desk lamp, the fragrance of the sleeping incense released wispy smoke that spread to the surroundings, injecting a faint scent into the air.

Pei Yi turned his gaze back from the smoke to Bo Yueming’s face and asked, “Er-ge, don’t you want to know why I did that tonight?”

Bo Yueming placed his hand lightly on the quilt. “I want to, and also don’t.”

Pei YI didn’t understand for a moment. “Huh?”

“I want to know, but I don’t want to force you to answer.”

“I want to know, but I don’t want you to be forced to relive that pain.”

Pei Yi heard Bo Yueming’s answer, and his eyes became sore. “I, I don’t know what to say.”

He knew that his behavior tonight was strange and abnormal in the eyes of outsiders, but this could not be explained clearly in just a few words.

Pei Yi had been adopted by a couple when he was a child, and after a period of happy and carefree days, his two nominal adoptive fathers experienced relationship problems, and the trouble was near hopeless.

Finally, when Pei Yi came home one day, he found Father Rong in the art room—

The painter who was once so good and gentle tore up his works one by one in front of him and condemned his former lover with fanatical desperation.

Pei Yi was strangled by that mad Father Rong and almost suffocated, and then, in front of him, the other party picked up a utility knife and stabbed himself in the heart and cut his wrists.

Everything happened so suddenly that Pei Yi, who was still in “survival mode,” had no time to react.

He had never seen so much blood, and couldn’t stop it.

Every time he dreamed late at night, he felt that he could hear the sound of the utility knife piercing through skin, and he could see patches of blood—

Since then, Pei Yi had developed an inexplicable repulsion toward such things.

He had originally thought that as he grew older and time passed, all of this would heal by itself, but today, he realized that some scars had already become entrenched in his heart.

It had not become old and faded, and was not something that could be erased through extreme suppression.

Seeing Pei Yi’s brow furrow again, Bo Yueming made the choice for him. “Then don’t say it.”

Pei Yi thought for a moment, then said in a whisper, “Give me a little more time.”

“Okay.” Bo Yueming could only coax him into his arms. “Sleep early, I know you’re really tired.”

Pei Yi didn’t show the slightest aversion, and unconsciously pressed himself closer.

He tried closing his eyes, and in his mind was Xu Rong’s bloody hand holding the utility knife. Before the fear had time to occupy his body and mind, the sound of Bo Yueming coaxing him to sleep met his ears.

“I’m with you tonight, don’t be afraid.”

“Good night.”

Pei Yi didn’t open his eyes, but took the initiative to touch Bo Yueming’s fingers, holding them lightly as if searching for a sense of security.

Xu Rong’s heart-wrenching and desperate exhortations still lingered in the back of his mind. In the past, Pei Yi didn’t dare to face it, didn’t dare to think too much about it, but this time he suddenly had a burst of courage, and heeded his own voice—

Father Rong, I’m sorry.

I seem to really like Bo Yueming, and I don’t want to be obedient anymore.

. . . . . . 

The breathing of the person in his arms gradually smoothed out.

Bo Yueming clearly confirmed that Pei Yi was in a deep sleep, then silently got out of bed and left the room.

He picked up the cell phone that had been left in the living room and thought for a moment before finally making a call.

Ring—Ring—

Within two seconds, the call was picked up by the other party. “Hello?”

Afraid of waking Pei Yi up, Bo Yueming lowered his voice. “Professor, I’m sorry to keep you up by calling at such a late hour.”

Tong Xing on the other end of the line was a professor of psychiatry, and was well-known in the industry.

“Mr. Bo, not at all. What is the other party’s situation, can you tell me carefully?”

Bo Yueming had already firmly imprinted everything that happened tonight in his mind. When he explained it to Professor Tong, he recounted it in great detail, and not even a single element that might affect her judgment was spared.

“According to what you’ve said, there is a high probability that it is post-traumatic stress disorder.” This was Professor Tong’s preliminary judgment.

He explained the symptoms in detail to Bo Yueming, and then said, “Psychological reactions like this basically have a point of origin.” 

Bo Yueming’s brow was tightly furrowed. “A utility knife?”

According to what Lou Yang said, Pei Yi saw her handing over a utility knife, and his mood changed suddenly.

“Yes, post-traumatic stress disorder is basically caused by a patient experiencing or witnessing a serious life-threatening event, such as……”

Bo Yueming guarded Pei Yi very well, and Professor Tong didn’t know Pei Yi’s real identity. “In the case of this patient, either someone once threatened his life with a utility knife…..”

“……or a person with a utility knife may have hurt someone else in front of him.”

“It is possible that this person was very important to the patient.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s gaze re-locked on Pei Yi, who was sleeping peacefully in bed, and his mind was a storm of thoughts—

Did Pei Ruzhang and his wife threaten Pei Yi with a utility knife? Or did Shu Wan do something in front of Pei Yi?

No.

He had long suspected that Pei Yi was not the original “Little Young Master Pei,” so his psychological trauma would most likely not have been caused by these people.

Bo Yueming thought of something and asked uncertainly, “Professor Tong, if he has been holding pessimistic thoughts about relationships, could it be related to this matter?”

“If the patient has been hurt emotionally, or if a former lover threatened him with a utility knife, they could possibly be linked, but this is just speculation, after all—”

And doctors could never just rely on guesswork for patients.

Professor Tong gave his own suggestion, “Mr. Bo, it is best to take the patient to the hospital for a formal examination, and then apply medication or physiological treatment after the situation is determined.”

After all, there was still a certain difference between the situation as reported by others and the patient’s own account.

Bo Yueming replied calmly, “I understand. Thank you, Professor Tong. I will contact you another time, excuse me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Bo Yueming hung up the phone. He returned to the room, lay down on the bed, and wrapped Pei Yi in his arms, still emotionally entangled by the conversation just now—

Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Most likely by a former lover? Or someone important to him was hurt?

Bo Yueming’s heart overflowed with a sharp, uncontrollable pain. He tilted his head and kissed Pei Yi’s hair, his head full of thoughts.

. . . . . . 

Dawn came quietly.

When Pei Yi awoke, Bo Yueming was still lying in bed with him.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?”

Realizing their posture of embracing each other, Pei Yi’s sleepy face became red again, but there was no uncomfortable aversion.

The other party’s embrace was very warm and steady, as if extending an indestructible barrier to prevent his dreams from being disturbed.

Pei Yi chuckled and regained his former spirit. “Good morning, Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming pulled over his injured fingers. “Does it still hurt? Shall I have a private doctor come to the house today and take a look?”

Pei Yi shook his head. “No need, I have to go to the studio today.”

Bo Yueming frowned. “You’re still going?”

“En, how can anyone give themself a holiday after working for one day?”

Pei Yi sat up, trying to dispel his drowsiness. “Besides, if I don’t go today, I’m afraid it will make Li Yuan and the others even more worried.”

Bo Yueming asked back, “You’re not afraid of me worrying?”

Pei Yi was taken aback, and turned to look at him.

Bo Yueming’s gaze was still focused on his fingers, his worry palpable.

“It’s just fine, look!” Pei Yi bent his knuckles slightly. “I’ll just come back at night and apply medicine regularly. Will you help me?”

The last four words were obviously a bit coquettish and flattering.

Bo Yueming had no choice but to say, “You still have to pay attention, don’t bump it and don’t get it wet. I’ll pick you up tonight.”

Pei Yi smiled back. “Okay.”

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi had just arrived at the studio’s office when Li Yuan, Lou Yang, and Xiang Nansheng crowded in behind him, hesitating to speak or probe.

Pei Yi answered before they could say anything, “Li Yuan, Sister Yang, and Brother Xiang, I’m okay now.”

“When I was a child, I was a bit leery about utility knives. I’m really sorry for making you worry about me last night.”

Lou Yang asked, “You’re really okay?”

“If I wasn’t, how could I come to work at the studio on time?” Pei Yi nodded and pointed to the pin on his clothes. “I like this gift. Thank you, Sister Yang.”

Li Yuan was the first to breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s great that you’re fine.”

Pei Yi glanced over the three of them one by one with a hint of guilt. “Then I have one more thing I want to ask you to keep secret. Bo Yueming’s eyes……”

Lou Yang was the first to react. “Done. The three of us are not loose-tongued people, so we won’t talk about it.”

Li Yuan and Xiang Nansheng nodded.

If Bo Yueming hadn’t arrived in time yesterday to comfort Pei Yi when he was about to collapse emotionally, the three of them still didn’t know what they would have done.

“Thank you.”

“Since you’re fine, me and Nansheng will go back to work first.”

The closer the time to launch, the more intense the work was in each department, and as the people charge, they must not take it lightly.

Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng left together, and the office door closed again.

Only then did Pei Yi and Li Yuan meet each other’s eyes again. “Pear Garden, too many things happened at once yesterday, and there is one thing I haven’t had time to ask for your thoughts on.”

Li Yuan was curious. “What do you need to ask me? Teacher Will.”

“Speak seriously.”

Pei Yi leaned against his temporarily arranged desk, considering his words. “Have you ever thought about completely separating YWY from Dawn Games before the launch of The Last Fog?”

“…….”

The look in Li Yuan’s eyes changed slightly.

Seeing his reaction, Pei Yi sighed. “You should know what I mean.”

He had checked the public shareholding data of Dawn Games. An Yang and Li Yuan were the major shareholders, and the proportion of the former was slightly greater than the latter.

As for other investment shareholders, they accounted for a small percentage.

If it were three days ago, Pei Yi might not have asked this question, but it was different now—

Four years ago, An Yang was able to “gift” Li Yuan’s competitive investment plan to Pei Huan.

What about now, four years later? What about in the future? Would she transfer the Dawn Games shares to Pei Huan?

If this was the case, what about YWY Studios, which was affiliated with Dawn Games?

Pei Yi dared not say that he completely understood An Yang, but he was really worried about Pei Huan—

He was willing to work with Li Yuan, but he didn’t want Pei Huan to interfere in his career, not if there was even the slightest possibility.

Li Yuan looked directly at Pei Yi. “Of course I understand what you mean.”

Pei Yi was afraid that it would weigh on his mind, so he explained, “According to what we discussed before, I don’t really have the right to meddle in decisions about the commercial operations of The Last Fog 1.0.”

“Where can you meddle? The Last Fog was originally your idea and your hard work. I was lucky to meet a partner like you.”

Li Yuan felt that his friend’s consideration was not unreasonable. 

He had already put in enough energy for Dawn Games, and now it was time for him to plan for himself.

YWY and The Last Fog were the starting points for his new career, and at the same time, he had gathered the hard work and painstaking efforts of many people. He could not and should not work hard for other people in vain.

Li Yuan considered further, “It still involves the investment with GM, which I’m afraid will be difficult to deal with.”

“The subject of GM’s investment has always been The Last Fog, and the connected account also belongs to the studio. We only need to separate the studio, explain the situation to their senior management, and make an additional agreement.”

Overall, it was not difficult to do, and just needed someone to make contact.

Li Yuan was thoughtful. “The senior management of GM?”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows and suggested, “How about this, each of us will persuade one person. I’ll talk to Bo Yueming, and you go to Yan Cen. As long as we can convince the two of them, the rest of GM should not be difficult.”

“……”

When Li Yuan heard the name “Yan Cen,” there was a trace of nervousness in his eyes, and he used teasing to cover it up, “You found yourself the easiest person to connect with.”

“Really? Is it difficult for you and Mr. Yan to discuss this?” Pei Yi snorted with a smile. What was he thinking, was Yan Cen not easy to deal with?

Li Yuan stabilized his expression, and said in a businesslike tone, “I’ll try.”

. . . . . . .

In no time at all, it was three o’clock in the afternoon.

Seeing the egg tarts and other desserts that were suddenly brought to the office, Pei Yi couldn’t help but send a WeChat message with a photo to Bo Yueming: “Er-ge, you ordered these?”

Bo Yueming on the other end replied: “It’s time to feed the kitten.”

Pei Yi took a bite of crispy egg tart and muttered to himself, “How am I like a kitten?”

In the blink of an eye, Bo Yueming sent another WeChat message: “I have a project meeting. I’ll pick you up later, wait for me.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi didn’t want to disturb him, so he answered briefly.

He distributed the afternoon snacks delivered by Bo Yueming to Li Yuan, who also had a sweet tooth, and then huddled at his desk to enjoy them.

While eating, Pei Yi suddenly thought about the decision he made when he was half awake and half asleep the night before. But one small question mark after another popped up in his mind—

He had never been in a relationship before, so how should he respond to Bo Yueming? The other party didn’t seem to have said words like “I like you” or “together” exactly.

He couldn’t acquiesce to the marriage relationship by default, right?

No good! That was too casual. There must be some actions and verbal promises. He had to find a strategy!

Pei Yi quickly stuffed the remaining half of the egg tart into his mouth, picked up his cell phone, and clicked on the search bar.

He quickly glanced at the opposite side, and after confirming that his friend was enjoying his afternoon snacks, poked with his uninjured left hand to type in—

“How to confess to the person you like.”

As he typed this line, Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming’s appearance and figure, and couldn’t help but add conditions, “Tall and handsome, that kind of person!”

---

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Chapter Sixty-Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Sixty-Four

In fact, even Zhong Yuehong didn’t know the true origins of this woman.

About fourteen years ago, Yu Dali suddenly brought her to settle at the border, claiming that she was his cousin named Mu Mu. 

He and Zhong Yuehong were old acquaintances, and she had never heard of a cousin who was such a beautiful woman. Under her repeated questioning, Yu Dali whispered: “My lord entrusted me to tell you just to take care of her and don’t inquire about other things.”

Only then did Zhong Yuehong realize that this was Zhao Yelan’s arrangement. She didn’t ask any more questions, and only regarded her as Yu Dali’s cousin and took good care of her.

When she first arrived, this cousin seemed as if she had lost her soul. She didn’t eat or sleep, and just stared at the sky all day long like the walking dead. Occasionally, she would silently stare at the knife in the kitchen. Fortunately, Yu Dali followed her at all times, and she was not allowed to touch sharp objects, let alone run around.

Later, the situation gradually improved. This person became more cognizant, but her brain didn’t work well, and it was often said that she had forgotten a lot of things. 

Zhong Yuehong persuaded her that since she couldn’t remember things, then not to think about them, and just live a good life.

“Cousin.” Standing by the desk, Gu Niaoniao called Yu Dali first, then looked at Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting. “There are guests?”

“Yes, ah.” Yu Dali smiled, and then whispered to Zhao Yelan, “She may not remember you.”

Zhao Yelan nodded. His expression darkened for a moment, but then he thought that it would be good to forget. Those past events would have disappeared due to the side effects of the fake death medicine.

“I’ll go and pour tea for them.” Gu Niaoniao put down her brush, and Zhao Yelan said: “No need to take the trouble, you can continue to write. Aren’t you in a hurry to sell it?”

Gu Niaoniao hesitated, and looked at them with some embarrassment.

Yu Dali saw that his lord had spoken, and said: “Yes, you are busy with your work. I will entertain them.”

“All right. I hope everyone will forgive me for my lack of hospitality.” Gu Niaoniao nodded, picked up the brush again, and buried her head in serious writing.

The group retreated to the main room, and Yu Dali said in a low voice: “Her situation has improved in the past few years, and she makes a living by selling calligraphy paintings. There are also fruits and vegetables that she grows in the backyard. The children in the neighborhood like to come to her to study, so I plan to open a private school for her and let her be a teacher.”

“Very well, I will pay for the cost of running the private school,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yu Dali: “My Lord need not be bothered with this. The two of us have saved some money over the years. We’ll start with a simple one, so that the children can read and study, and she can have something to do.”

“This cannot be done. It is a matter of enlightenment and wisdom, and you cannot act carelessly.” 

Zhao Yelan glanced at Yan Mingting, who took out a money bag and tossed it on the table. The sound made it clear that it was not a small amount. “This is it. I hope you can teach an Imperial Examination champion in this small town here.”

Yu Dali couldn’t refuse, so he could only promise that he would handle this matter well.

After a while, Zhao Yelan entered the study alone. He came to the desk and looked down at Gu Niaoniao’s writing, discussing it with her from time to time.

Turning his head, he glanced at Gu Niaoniao’s serious profile. The scar on her face was no longer ferocious. Just like her handwriting, it was a swipe of a brush on clean rice paper.

He sometimes thought that when Gu Niaoniao woke up and found that she was still alive, perhaps she would blame him for using the fake death medicine on her without authorization.

But now, seeing that the other party was living a simple life, he was very relieved. Perhaps she resented him, but Zhao Yelan didn’t regret it. Even if it happened again, he would still choose to save her.

He asked casually: “Are there many people who buy your calligraphy paintings?”

“En.” Gu Niaoniao nodded and turned to look at him. Her smile was not as teasing as before, but a sincere, childlike smile. “In the beginning, no one came to buy them, but a young master took a fancy to them, and kept coming to buy more. Since then, I have to write and write.”

“Is that young master good-looking? Does he like you?”

Gu Niaoniao shook her head: “He said he bought them for someone else. He has a friend who likes my handwriting very much, and will buy as much as I write. But when I asked him who his friend was, he never told me.”

The corners of Zhao Yelan’s mouth twitched, and he asked again: “How is the weather here?”

“There is often blowing sand, and water is commonly scarce. The sun is so hot that people get tanned.”

“Have you considered moving away with your cousin? How about living in the South?”

“I won’t go. I’m familiar with this place. The neighbors are very kind to us, and my friends from my cousin’s military camp often come to help with the work. Although it is a bit difficult, such days are good.”

“That’s great.”

“It’s time for me to pick vegetables. Do you want to go together?” Gu Niaoniao asked.

“Yes, ah.”

When the two came to the backyard, Gu Niaoniao crouched on the ground with a basket to pick some tomatoes. She handed him the reddest, largest one and asked him if he wanted to eat one to quench his thirst.

Zhao Yelan had just stretched out his hand, but the other party suddenly withdrew her hand and turned around to walk to the side: “This one is too dirty. I’ll wash it for you first.”

Zhao Yelan’s eyes dimmed slightly. Looking at her cheerful back, he suddenly called out: “Gu Niaoniao.”

Gu Niaoniao stopped and turned her head: “Are you calling for me? Have you mistaken me for someone?”

Zhao Yelan asked: “We’ve been getting along for a while, why haven’t you asked my name?”

“Look at me, I was so busy that I forgot to ask. What is your name?”

“Zhao Mengting. My name is Zhao Menting.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Zhao Mengting.” Gu Niaoniao smiled. “My name is Mu Mu.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Zhao Yelan smiled slightly.

Dinner was eaten with Yu Dali’s family. Yu Dali was busy alone in the kitchen, and Zhong Yuehong went to help.

Gu Niaoniao washed the tomatoes and handed them to Zhao Yelan, asking Yan Mingting: “Hello, what should I call you?”

Yan Mingting said: “You can just call me Chivalrous Hero Yan.”

“Cough, cough.” Zhao Yelan was biting into a tomato, and suddenly coughed twice. Juice flowed out from the corner of his mouth. Yan Mingting wiped it with his fingertips and asked: “What, do you have an opinion?”

Zhao Yelan rolled his eyes and walked aside to eat the tomato.

“Okay, Chivalrous Hero Yan.” Gu Niaoniao smiled lightly. “I heard from my cousin that the two of you have been married for more than ten years?”

“Yes, ah.”

“Is it going well?”

“Very well. He listens to me a lot and takes care of me all the time. Not long ago, he even brought me water to wash my feet,” Yan Mingting said proudly.

Zhao Yelan glanced back at him and took a vicious bite of tomato: “What are you daydreaming about, why don’t you hurry and help out in the kitchen?”

Yan Mingting: “Aren’t the two of them cooking?”

“I want to eat steamed buns.”

“It has to be my buns. See? He relies on me every day.” After Yan Mingting finished bragging to Gu Niaoniao, he walked into the kitchen with pride.

Gu Niaoniao laughed: “He’s really interesting. You must be very happy every day when you’re with him.”

Zhao Yelan gave a hum and laughed as well.

After dinner, Zhong Yuehong’s husband and children also came over, and everyone sat in the courtyard, gazing at the stars and chatting about daily trivialities.

The next day, Yan Mingting took Zhao Yelan to the military camp.

The moment the soldiers saw Yan Mingting, they immediately rushed up. Some of them knew Zhao Yelan, but there were many others who had heard him mentioned but never seen him.

“Is this Zhao-daren?” After greeting Yan Mingting, everyone looked at the person next to him eagerly. They couldn’t tell his age at all. Wearing reddish-purple robes, he had his hair half tied up, and there was a jade pendant at his slender waist. His appearance was impeccable, his skin very white, which really made their group of tanned people a little ashamed. It was hard to imagine that such a gentle and good-looking person had been the regent for ten years.

“We’ve heard Lieutenant General Zhong say that Zhao-daren was good-looking. I thought it was a joke, but didn’t expect him to really look that good!”

“Of course.” Yan Mingting felt honored by extension, and put his arm around Zhao Yelan’s shoulders, introducing him ceremonially to everyone. “Come, recognize him. This is the general’s wife, so be polite when you see him, do you hear me?”

“We hear you!!”

Zhao Yelan suddenly smiled, which gave rise to the amazement of others. In less than a stick of incense time, the entire military camp heard that the General was coming with his wife, who was good-looking.

Others rushed over one after another, and the big tent was crowded with people.

Yan Mingting knew that he didn’t like noise, so he finished visiting the big tent, he squeezed through the crowd and led him out, jumped on a horse, and took him away first.

Although the border conditions were a bit difficult, there was also good scenery. Yan Mingting took him to the desert, and Zhao Yelan was shocked by the sight before him.

Looking around, it seemed as if the whole world had turned brownish-yellow. The entire ground was full of yellow sand, with layers of ups and downs. A troop of camels was being led by people to walk slowly, and the setting sun sank between the vast desert and the lonely sky.

The two walked aimlessly in the desert for a while, and Zhao Yelan became a little tired. When he discovered that he couldn’t find his way, he inexplicably felt a trace of despair. If he were to go out from here alone, he would probably become lost.

“Did you come here often before?” He asked.

“En.” Yan Mingting held up a pinch of yellow sand, which was blown away by the wind. He led Zhao Yelan back and spoke of the past. “When I first came here, I walked here with soldiers for several days and nights before going out.”

Zhao Yelan listened to him talk about these things, silent and focused, until after he finished speaking. He murmured after a while: “Fortunately, the world is peaceful now.”

If Yan Mingting were to go to war again, he couldn’t guarantee that he would let him go.

Thinking of this, at the last moment when the sun was setting, he raised his head and kissed Yan Mingting. The silhouettes of the two were covered with warm yellow light, and it was as if they were the only ones left in the world.

Yan Mingting took him to walk all the nearby places, talking about customs and memories of the past, and they unknowingly stayed at the border for more than a month.

The two had to prepare to leave and go on to the next place.

Before they left, Zhong Yuehong’s family, along with Yu Dali and Gu Niaoniao, all came to see them off. Yan Mingting talked to Zhong Yuehong about the military camp, and Zhao Yelan called Yu Dali to the side to ask: “You’ve worked hard these years, and you are almost forty years old. Have you ever considered getting married? I can arrange someone else to take care of her.”

“I won’t marry or like anyone.” Yu Dali turned to look at Gu Niaoniao and smiled a bit simply and honestly. “I still want to continue to take care of her and be her cousin for the rest of my life. I’m entirely willing.”

Zhao Yelan was silent for a moment, then patted his shoulder with a sigh: “Since that is the case, you can take care of her.”

“Don’t worry, My Lord. I definitely will.”

After the two got into the carriage, everyone stuffed the prepared ointments and dried food into it. Gu Niaoniao walked to the side of the carriage and handed Zhao Yelan a small bundle, saying: “Thank you for talking with me these days. It was nice to meet you.”

“It is the same for me. Go back, ba, we will come again in the future.” Zhao Yelan took the bundle and waved goodbye to them. From afar, he saw this group of people standing in place to watch them off.

When they finally disappeared from sight, Yan Mingting started to sort out the things they had received. Then he saw that Zhao Yelan was holding a small bundle without moving, and asked: “Aren’t you going to see what she gave you?”

“I’m wondering what’s in it.”

“I think it’s probably a calligraphy painting, or maybe the tomatoes she grew herself?” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan smiled meaningfully: “I don’t think so.”

“Then what could it be?”

“Fragrances.”

Yan Mingting was taken aback: “Fragrances?”

Zhao Yelan slowly opened the bag, and there were indeed several sachets inside. He picked them up and smelled them. One of them was the special smell that the Orchid dancer wore, which he had never smelled before, but liked, so it was given to him.

“Why would she give you these?” Yan Mingting was slightly surprised, and a sudden idea popped up in his mind.

Zhao Yelan smiled and said nothing. After checking several sachets one after another, he found that there was a sound like beans colliding in one of them, and it was not filled with fragrant herbs.

He opened it curiously and poured out a bunch of dried fruits.

“Red dates, peanuts, longans, and melon seeds. Why did she give you these? Yan Mingting peeled a few peanuts, and suddenly realized, “Don’t these mean to have a precious son early?”

“She gave me these when I got married.” Zhao Yelan smiled. “Still so lawless.”

Yan Mingting laughed and put away all the things in front of them, then pulled the man onto his lap. He raised his head and kissed him, and his hands also started to be dishonest. 

“Since she wishes for us to have a baby early, we must work hard,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan poked him on the forehead: “You haven’t woken up yet. I’m a man.”

“So what if you’re a man, what if a miracle happens and your stomach tries to make a good showing?” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

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