“…….”

Pei Yi had never understood the words “one’s blood turned to ice” more intuitively than at this exact moment. He looked at the suddenly appearing Bo Yueming in front of him, and was at a loss for a moment.

He subconsciously hid the suitcase in his hand, and the doubts in his mind had not yet turned the corner—

How could this be?

Shouldn’t Bo Yueming be asleep at this point? And how had he recognized him immediately on the first try?

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Bo Yueming said this again, staring at Pei Yi before him unblinkingly.

After saying goodnight to each other, he had been reflecting on the problem of last night and also thinking about how best to be honest with the other party, and lost sleep over it.

It just so happened that the mineral water in the small living room was out, so Bo Yueming went downstairs to slowly pour a glass of water, and just as he returned to the living room door, he came upon this scene in front of him.

At this moment, when Bo Yueming witnessed Pei Yi’s ineffectual attempt to hide the suitcase, he became angry.

With one stride, he picked up Pei Yi by the waist.

“Ah!”

The sudden weightlessness caused Pei Yi to subconsciously drop the suitcase, and he firmly gripped Bo Yueming’s shoulders and back, losing his disguise entirely in his panic. “Bo Yueming, what are you doing?”

— Pa!

Bo Yueming spanked Pei Yi hard on the butt. “Be quiet!”

There was no restraint in the strength of his strike. Pei Yi was so ashamed that his face blushed instantly, and he fell silent.

Bo Yueming sat Pei Yi in his arms on the water bar, face to face.

Pei Yi was still immersed in the shame brought about by that palm just now, and stammered angrily, “You, you hit me?”

“I told you a long time ago that if I found you sneaking away again, you would be punished.”

Bo Yueming put his hands to either side of him, directly blocking all escape routes. “Do you dare to try it again in front of me now? I will do even crazier things.”

“I!”

Pei Yi hesitated to speak, angry and embarrassed.

How was he to know it would be this kind of punishment? From childhood to adulthood, in two lifetimes, no one had ever hit this place!

The “night owl” Inspector, who was excited to sneak out and play, saw that Pei Yi had been taken away and quickly jumped onto the water bar. “Meow-ow!”

Bo Yueming grasped Inspector’s nape coldly and set him back on the ground. “Go back and stay in your nest, or your snacks will be gone.”

He took a deep breath, and said as if speaking to either Inspector or Pei Yi, “Learn from good influences, not bad ones!”

Inspector seemed to have understood its big master’s command, and abandoned Pei Yi, going back to the room without looking back.

Seeing Inspector’s little back leave without stopping, Pei Yi gave a speechless hum. “This little cat has no conscience.”

Bo Yueming took the opportunity to pinch the mole on the back of his neck again with a hint of anger. “What about you? You also have no conscience.”

Pei Yi seemed to have been grasped by some sensitive vital part and immediately shrank his neck, looking back.

Under the dim light, their eyes met again.

Bo Yueming’s weren’t gray and unfocused as in the past, but were clearly filled with his helplessness, puzzlement, anger, and his unrelentingly possessive temperament.

Pei Yi came to a sudden realization, and could no longer care about his previous disguise, astonished. “You, you aren’t blind? When did they heal?”

No wonder Bo Yueming was able to discover and stop him immediately!

He was so immersed in his emotions last night and today, that not only did he hide from Bo Yueming, but he also didn’t dare to look him in the eyes. In the end, he missed such an important and obvious thing!

Bo Yueming had originally come up with a lot of words to explain the condition of his eyes, but now he still admitted it in the most straightforward way, “I was faking it.”

Pei Yi blurted out, “You deceived me!”

Bo Yueming laughed angrily, and the force on the back of his neck increased a bit. “Then what about you? Didn’t you deceive me?”

“…….”

Pei Yi stammered uncontrollably, and his eyes began to dodge back and forth.

When Bo Yueming saw this appearance of his, his mood became even more intense. “Pei Yi, do you remember what you said?”

“Didn’t you promise to stay with me forever? Didn’t you say I’m the best in the world? You deliberately said nice things to coax me before going to bed tonight, but in the end, you wanted to leave immediately without telling me?”

Bo Yueming’s breathing was unsteady as he said that last part.

He was extraordinarily grateful that his eyes had recovered and he was able to see everything clearly in time to stop Pei Yi from leaving.

He was also very glad that he didn’t tell Pei Yi about this too early, otherwise the other party would not dare to swagger out like tonight, and would definitely choose a time when he was not at home to leave.

Bo Yueming took a deep breath. “Why did you leave?”

Pei Yi was speechless, and inwardly recalled—

Didn’t he just praise Bo Yueming and say that he believed in everything he did? When did he promise the other party that he would ‘stay with him?’

Bo Yueming repeated himself, “I’m asking you! Why did you leave?”

“……..”

Pei Yi was in a tangle, and kept his silence.

If he could figure it out, he wouldn’t have needed to cut through this mess in such a way.

Seeing Pei Yi avoiding the topic and not speaking, Bo Yueming had no choice but to ask and answer by himself. “I offended you and made you feel uncomfortable last night, didn’t I?”

He seemed to affirm this answer, and there was a rare gloomy look on his face.

It turned out that Pei Yi rejected him?

“Pei Yi, if it’s because of this, then I apologize to you.”

Pei Yi didn’t like to see Bo Yueming frown, so he blocked the rest of the apology, “It isn’t that, you don’t have to apologize.”

He lowered his eyes, as if explaining to the person in front of him as well as persuading himself, “I know you were drugged, and it wasn’t on purpose. We’re both men, and it’s okay to help each other out.”

What’s more, Bo Yueming gave him a choice last night, and he impulsively took a step closer.

Bo Yueming’s hand on the back of his neck slipped, and his voice softened. “Pei Yi, many things happened last night, and I wanted to talk to you today, but couldn’t find the right time.”

“Bo Guancheng used Lin Na from the resort that time to drug me, but they didn’t know that my eyes were healed.”

“Lin Na’s dirty tricks didn’t work, but I was afraid that Bo Guancheng would still have a backup plan, so I thought about making up the time difference.”

Pei Yi thought about the quick response to this incident.

He immediately understood Bo Guancheng’s malicious intentions, and cursed inwardly.

Bo Yueming continued to confess, “Do you remember that before I went out last night, I said I had something to speak with you about?”

Pei Yi nodded slightly, and guessed, “It was about your eyes?”

“En.”

The thing that happened at the banquet temporarily changed Bo Yueming’s mind. He sighed. “I didn’t drink the drugged water at all, so I naturally wasn’t under the control of the drug’s effects.”

What he did was drink half a bottle of whiskey to achieve the body heat he wanted.

“Pei Yi, I was sober last night, and I was very clear about everything I did. From beginning to end, I deliberately ‘forced’ you to recognize the relationship between us.”

Bo Yueming resolutely admitted what he had done, “I have never been like this with others, and never thought of looking for others. My mind has long been on you. Do you understand?”

“I……”

Pei Yi’s heart swelled terribly, and he was also gripped with discomfort. “I don’t want to understand.”

Before he had to think about it, he only felt that he was very comfortable by Bo Yueming’s side, and he could do whatever he wanted.

But after a careful series of connections, behind everything was Bo Yueming’s unconditional tolerance for him. Even when he played the fool with poor acting skills and revealed his secrets, Bo Yueming never once called him out after regaining his eyesight.

Bo Yueming got to the bottom of it: “You don’t understand what I feel for you, or you don’t understand what you feel for me?”

“Then have you thought about it?”

“Why did you follow me to Wencheng? Why do you come to me when you can’t sleep? Why did you refuse when I said I would find someone else to solve the problem last night?”

Facing this series of questions, Pei Yi’s entire body grew hot.

He was at a loss for a long moment, but still answered stiffly, “I was afraid that the Bo family would do something to me, so I followed you to Wencheng. When I couldn’t sleep, I asked for water. Anyway…….anyway, you’re thinking too much.”

Bo Yueming smiled helplessly. “Is that right? That’s it? You don’t have any extra thoughts about me?”

Pei Yi didn’t dare to look directly at the disappointment in Bo Yueming’s eyes, and faltered, “I never thought about falling in love.”

In his relatively short life, he had already witnessed two unsuccessful love affairs—

His biological parents he had no memory of had probably abandoned him because of a broken relationship, otherwise it would be impossible for them to not look for him for so many years.

In his memory, Father Yan and Father Rong were so in love with each other. They had no lack of material things, no lack of status, and no lack of love at first, but in the end, as the years went by and they grew older, they made such shameful and tragic scenes.

Pei Yi had a pessimistic view of relationships even when he was a minor. He dared not and was unwilling to start an impulsive relationship, even if the person before him was Bo Yueming, whom he admired.

That Bo Yueming clearly liked him put Pei Yi at a loss, and he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t and wouldn’t dare to agree, so he should keep his distance.

If possible, he would rather be an associate, friend, or family member to the other party, but he could not and should not be a lover.

Bo Yueming caught the negativity and entanglement in Pei Yi’s eyes, and understood something. “Have you never thought about discussing it with me, or have you never thought about discussing it with anyone?”

Pei Yi didn’t hesitate this time. “Anyone.”

He took a deep breath, and deliberately shelved the relationship issue. “I didn’t mean to lie to you. At the time, I really wanted to leave the Pei family, and there was no better way than to agree to the marriage.”

In any case, Bo Yueming knew that he was “playing the fool,” so he might as well take the opportunity to clarify.

“I thought about leaving the Bo family before you recovered your eyesight. Just, just……” Pei Yi’s voice became a little guilty. “It was so sudden last night, and I didn’t know how to face you.”

“You couldn’t figure it out, so you wanted to run?”

Bo Yueming ground his molars. He was also reluctant to be too angry with the person in front of him, and continued to ask, “Tell me, where did you plan to go after leaving the Bo residence?”

Pei Yi got stuck.

Bo Yueming was frustrated. “You hadn’t made any preparations, and you wanted to leave with Inspector?”

Pei Yi was unconvinced. “I’m a person with a sound mind and body, where can’t I go?”

Bo Yueming easily turned the topic back, “Since you can go anywhere, why not stay here?”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi was stunned. Why did this circle back again?

“Pei Yi, I don’t know what you experienced before that caused you to have such a negative view toward relationships. If you don’t want to say it, then I won’t force you to be honest.”

Bo Yueming bent down slightly and looked into Pei Yi’s eyes from below, his tone unbelievably gentle.

“But, can you try to give me a chance?”

Pe Yi still didn’t understand: “Huh?”

“We’ll have to turn over the previous relationship. From now until New Year’s Day, we will get along in a normal way for two months, in order to have time to truly understand each other.”

There was no need to pretend to be foolish or obedient, or pretend to be blind.

Bo Yueming obviously believed that Pei Yi treated him differently, but just didn’t want to admit to his feelings.

“I will pursue you without touching your bottom line. If by that time, your attitude toward me and our relationship hasn’t changed at all, I will certainly not stop you from leaving.”

Bo Yueming retreated slightly, taking the initiative to give Pei Yi more distance, lest the other party get too nervous.

He seemed to think of something, and added more bargaining chips, “But I want to make it clear—”

“Inspector is a cat born at the manor. In the beginning, it depended on me and all pet expenses were paid by me.”

“Strictly speaking, it is my cat and you can’t take it without permission.”

Pei Yi immediately grew anxious, and then heard Bo Yueming say further: “If you insist on taking it away, then in exchange, you must stay here until New Year’s Day.”

“In the next two months, your status here will remain the same, and Uncle Kai and the servants can cook for you whatever you want to eat.”

“You don’t have to hide from me to drink in secret. I can accompany you to practice drinking. As long as you want, you can make use of the wine wall behind you.”

“…….”

Ah?

Could there be such a good thing?

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up immediately, but he suppressed it and pretended to be reserved.

Bo Yumeing grasped the kitten’s thoughts. “Have you considered it?”

“…….”

Pei Yi thought silently.

In essence, he was a person who didn’t like to change his place of residence. One reason was a fear of the unfamiliar, and another was the fear of delaying his work. After all, from now to New Years Day happened to be the final preparation period for “The Last Fog 1.0.”

Besides, there was nothing dissatisfying about having desserts, drinking alcohol, and petting a cat after work.

The only thing that made him not dare to try was what Bo Yueming called his “pursuit.”

Father Rong’s warnings seemed to still be echoing in his ears. Pei Yi once again met Bo Yueming’s deep eyes. “I’m not as good as you think, and I’m not worth it. Even if there are two more months, you will still be disappointed.”

“That’s my business.” Bo Yueming remained calm. “You just need to tell me, do you agree or not?”

The balance in Pei Yi’s heart shifted back and forth, and he muttered uncertainly, “Just stay for another two months?”

“En, just two months,” Bo Yueming affirmed, with tension deep in his heart. “Little Sir, this arrangement isn’t bad. Do you agree?”

The balance in his heart grew heavier on one side.

Pei Yi responded in a low voice, “En.”

Instead of being a person who ran from emotions, it was better to clarify his thoughts thoroughly, and then come to a conclusion.

When Bo Yueming received the answer he wanted, his heartstrings relaxed slightly, but he still asked for an additional guarantee, “And you’re not going to sneak away like you did tonight?”

Pei Yi nodded, then something suddenly came to mind, “Then you have to promise me something.”

Bo Yueming indulged him, “Okay, what is it?”

Pei Yi took a deep breath, then several more, but was vague, “Next time, you’re not allowed to um, um……”

Bo Yueming didn’t hear clearly. “What did you say?”

“You’re not allowed to spank my ass!” Pei Yi mustered up his courage. There were still some small grievances that could not be explained. “No one has dared to spank me before, you’re too fierce.”

“Who told you to be disobedient?” Bo Yueming laughed, but agreed, coaxing him, “Little Sir, I will remember.”

The next time he was not well-behaved, he would change his method.

Heat flared up all over Pei Yi at Bo Yueming’s pampering address, so he changed the subject. “When did your eyes heal? In Wencheng? Or after you returned from Wencheng?”

Why was it so much earlier than in the original text?

Bo Yueming didn’t lie to him now. “The car accident caused a blood clot to accumulate in my head. When I went to the convalescent resort before, I hired a medical team without letting Bo Guancheng and the others know, and planned to have an operation.”

Pei Yi knew this from the original text, but still felt strange. “Did you have the operation?”

It shouldn’t be, ah.

He was there the whole time, and they only stayed less than three days. How could it be possible to complete an operation?

“No, the doctor said that the clot in my head could be absorbed by itself.” Bo Yueming made a long story short, “When we met the Chen Yuyin mother and son last time, do you remember that I blocked a broomstick for you?”

“It wasn’t a blessing in disguise for you to take the hit, right?” Pei Yi suddenly realized. He added with a fake cough, “I mean the blood clot is gone?”

Bo Yueming chuckled and continued, “That’s not far off. From that day forward, my eyesight got better by the day, until—”

Pei Yi was curious. “When did it heal entirely?”

“It was the night you snuck away to see Qin Yishun without telling me, and I told you not to run around behind my back in the future.” Bo Yueming brought up an old incident again, raising his eyebrows. “You were so perfunctory at that time, I should have guessed you wouldn’t have a long memory.”

“…….”

Pei Yi calculated the time in reverse, and nearly muttered the phrase, “Marvel at this essence of Chinese culture.”

It was so much earlier than the original! Was Bo Yueming’s ability to fake it so good, or was it because he was playing the fool? How had he never found out?

Bo Yueming seemed to see the exclamation mark above his head. “You’ve always trusted me and not guarded against me, but in order to watch you play the fool, I deliberately hid it from you, so it was natural for you not to find out. In the end, it’s still my fault.”

Pei Yi felt an inexplicable heat flow through his heart, and asked, “Don’t you wonder why I acted and deceived you?”

Bo Yueming picked him up from the water bar. “I’m curious, but I won’t force you to say it. When you want to speak of it, you’ll naturally tell me.”

“Ai!”

Pei Yi was startled, and his ears went slightly red. “What are you doing? I can get down by myself.”

The height and body shape difference between them was very obvious, and such a thing as picking him up was very easy for Bo Yueming. “I’m afraid that a night owl such as you will slip away again, so I’ll take you back.”

Pei Yi subconsciously put his arms around Bo Yueming’s shoulders, and still spoke stiffly, “Then I can walk by myself.”

Bo Yueming hugged him tightly, and entered Pei Yi’s room. “Turn on the light.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi was still honest and well-behaved in action.

As soon as the overhead light in the room was turned on, Bo Yueming placed the kitten in his arms down on the bed, and didn’t forget to add, “I’ll confiscate the suitcase outside first.”

In the cat nest, Inspector leaned half of its body out to check on the situation of its two owners. In the end, it shrank back smartly, leaving only a “meow” to show its presence.

Bo Yueming turned his head to look under the table, and suddenly discovered a bottle of wine hidden next to the cat nest.

“When did you open the wine?”

“…….”

Pei Yi cursed to himself.

The incident happened so suddenly last night, and today he was so nervous that he forgot to dispose of the bottle of red wine!

But on second thought, he became unyielding again. “You said it yourself, we’re moving on from the past, and I’m allowed to drink red wine.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows. “Then do you want to drink now?”

Pei Yi wrapped the quilt around his body. “No, I’m a little tired.”

Emotionally tired.

If he had known this would be the end result, why would he have worried about it all day long?

He ran away, but didn’t even get past the living room door, and was “punished” with a spanking. He would be ashamed if word got out!

Bo Yueming set the red wine back on the desk, turned off the overhead light for Pei Yi, and switched on the dim bedside lamp. “If you’re tired, go to sleep early.”

Pei Yi made a sound of acknowledgement, and was just about to let Bo Yueming go back, when the other party bent down again—

The light scattered across Bo Yueming’s profile, and light and shadow fell across his features, making his eyes more mysterious and affectionate.

“Pei Yi.”

“En?”

“Tonight, we’re officially meeting.” Bo Yueming patted the edge of the quilt twice, restrained and fond. “Good night, sweet dreams.”

In a word, they had officially let go of the unnecessary pretenses between them and were being honest.

Pei Yi was momentarily bewitched by the deep meaning in those words.

He automatically shrunk his face under the quilt to hide his blush. “Good night.”

When Bo Yueming shouldn’t let it go, he watched it closely, and when he should let it go, he very simply walked away.

The door closed again.

Pei Yi’s gaze shifted from the door panel to the ceiling. He recalled all that had happened in just one day, thinking about the deeply buried memories that had not been dredged up for a long time—

After a long silence, he finally closed his eyes.

Be it in the past or in the future, life should always be lived day by day.

. . . . . .

Pei Yi didn’t know when he fell asleep, but when he awoke, it was already dawn.

He stayed in bed for a while, and then slowly got up to wash himself, planning to go downstairs to find something to eat.

The moment the door opened, the playful Inspector ran out first.

Pei Yi didn’t have time to chase after it, so he took a closer look and found that Bo Yueming was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

The gazes of the two people collided in mid-air.

Pei Yi subconsciously prepared to play the fool, but promptly remembered the current situation and covered his lips, letting out a muffled cough. “Er-ge, good morning.”

He had addressed him this way for a long time, and was used to saying it. If he suddenly changed the address to something else, it would feel weird.

“Morning.”

Bo Yueming put down the tablet in his hand and walked up to him. “Did you sleep well? Let’s go downstairs and have breakfast.”

“It was pretty good.”

Talking to Bo Yueming in a normal tone, he asked casually, “When did you wake up? Why didn’t you go down?”

In the past, Bo Yueming would always sit and wait in the kitchen.

“I just woke up not long ago.”

Bo Yuemings words were very brief, and what he didn’t dare to tell Pei Yi was—

The day before his biological mother “disappeared,” she held a suitcase in the same way and coaxed him that she wasn’t leaving, but when he fell asleep, she left without a word.

After leaving Pei Yi’s bedroom the night before, Bo Yueming sat on the sofa the entire night, and only returned to the master bedroom bathroom at six or seven o’clock to wash up briefly.

The two went downstairs together. 

Uncle Kai brought out the cooked noodles. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, good morning.”

Pei Yi took the initiative to greet, “Good morning, Uncle Kai. It smells so good, ah.”

Uncle Kai was stunned for a moment, and looked at Pei Yi with a disbelieving expression.

Bo Yueming sat face to face with Pei Yi, and asked with seeming casualness, “Where is Lin Zhong?”

Speak of the devil and he will arrive.

Lin Zhong emerged from his room, nodded at Bo Yueming, and sat down.

Pei Yi took a sip of soup to warm his stomach, and after confirming that the people around him were all his own, he asked curiously, “Er-ge, what are you going to do about Bo Guancheng? What about the woman? You can’t just let it go, ba.”

“……”

“……”

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Zhong and Uncle Kai both wore stupefied expressions.

Lin Zhong, who was about to suck up some noodles, almost bit his own tongue. “Little Sir, you, you, what?”

Bo Yueming explained briefly for him, “Pei Yi’s mind is very sound. He had to pretend for certain reasons before. You are the only ones who know about it, so don’t reveal it to the outside world for now.”

Lin Zhong took a deep breath at this calm explanation.

God!

Mr. Bo pretended to be blind before, and Little Sir pretended to be a fool later?

You two are so good at “role-playing?” You should both win Oscars! 

Probably because Uncle Kai had seen more of the world, he was a little calmer than Lin Zhong. “All right.”

He had thought Little Sir was “clever” before and that he was a sort of “autistic genius,” but it was all a disguise? 

He had to say, to a certain extent, the marriage between the Second Young Master and Little Sir was really a match made in heaven!

Two peas in a pod!

Facing Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong, who had taken true care of him, Pei Yi still expressed his gratitude, along with an apology, “Uncle Kai, Lin Zhong, I’m sorry. Before……I didn’t mean to hide it from you.”

Uncle Kai smiled back at him. “Little Sir, it’s okay. You couldn’t have been better.”

Lin Zhong nodded.

At least in the past few months of getting along, the other party had never done anything to endanger them. On the contrary, he had “pretended to be a pig to eat the tiger” in order to defend Mr. Bo several times!

Bo Yueming didn’t linger too much on the topic, and asked: “Is Lin Na locked up?”

Lin Zhong’s expression turned serious. “En, I sent someone to watch her.”

Bo Yueming instructed, “Have Lao Fu prepare the car. I’ll come over later to take a look.”

As he spoke, he unconsciously looked across the dining table. As expected, he heard Pei Yi say, “I’ll go and take a look too.”

Bo Yueming was as indulgent as ever, “Okay, finish your noodles first.”

“En!”

. . . . . .

Half an hour later, everyone finished breakfast.

Pei Yi saw the car parked at the entrance of the villa and was about to go out first, when he was stopped by Bo Yueming, who had gone upstairs to get his things. “Pei Yi, wait a moment.”

Turning around, Pei Yi found that Bo Yueming had put on a pair of guide glasses again. “En?”

Bo Yueming noticed his question and explained in a low voice: “Not many people in the Bo family can be trusted. The better I pretend, the more I can force them to show their hand.”

What happened at the celebration banquet two days ago was the best proof.

If Bo Yueming publicized the recovery of his vision too early, perhaps he would have been caught another way that night.

Pei Yi nodded in understanding, and spoke again, “Then I’ll also pretend again outside, ba. Anyway, I’m used to it, and it works pretty well occasionally.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows: “Are you sure?”

Pei Yi was puzzled. “What could be uncertain about this?”

As soon as he spoke, Bo Yueming accurately grasped his hand. “Since it’s business as usual, let’s go.”

“…….”

Pei Yi looked down at his right hand that had been caught while his guard was down, and blinked uncertainly.

Ah?

Pretending also included this?

---

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

T/N: Thank you for donating (again!), VC3. Your bonus chapter after this one is one of my favorite chapters!

It was too late to turn on the lights in the master bedroom, and the environment was dim and blurred.

Bo Yueming’s weight covered him, and the pinned down Pei Yi felt a moment of astonishment. “Er-ge?”

His familiar scent was mixed with alcohol, which he didn’t dislike. Through the double layers of clothing, it seemed that he could still feel the other party’s warmth.

Strange, subtle emotions danced in Pei Yi’s heart, causing him to forget to push him away for a moment.

Bo Yueming tilted his head against Pei Yi’s shoulder and neck, extremely gentle, and seemed to be trying to hold himself back. “Pei Yi, do you know what our relationship is?”

“…….”

The warm air brushed past Pei Yi’s ears, speeding up his heartbeat.

What their relationship was?

What else could it be? Weren’t they marriage partners?

The moment he thought this, Bo Yueming preemptively added a definition to their relationship. “We’re husbands.”

Those two simple words weighed heavily on Pei Yi’s heart.

Bo Yueming reached out to stroke his hair, then down the back of his neck. His fingertips finally landed on the attractive little hidden mole, fiddling back and forth over it.

Pei Yi shrank his neck to get rid of this ticklish feeling, and was at a loss. “Er-ge.”

With that ambiguous tone, this phrase became an invitation.

Bo Yueming’s eyes darkened at once. The hand resting behind Pei Yi’s neck clasped the back of his head, lifted it slightly, and he kissed him hard.

“Wu!”

Pei Yi’s eyes immediately opened wide, and his mind went blank for a moment.

Bo Yueming kissed him forcefully, with hot breath and hot lips.

Pei Yi recovered from his original senselessness, and pushed the person in front of him away with both hands. His heart beat like a drum as he struggled to make a sound. “We can’t, I, I……”

It shouldn’t be like this!

Why did Bo Yueming kiss him?

In the relatively dark environment, Pei Yi couldn’t see clearly and didn’t dare to look at Bo Yueming’s expression at all. The heat lingering on his lips seemed to go to his head, affecting his rational thinking.

He could only say in a panic, “The doctor will b-be here right away.”

Bo Yueming rubbed the tips of his fingers against Pei Yi’s lips, and sighed. “Pei Yi, I don’t need a doctor.”

“…….”

“Why do you think I came back and kissed you?”

“…….”

Pei Yi was dumbfounded by Bo Yueming’s straight-ball words, and could only say dryly in the end, “No way.”

They were clearly only in a superficial “marriage” relationship, so how could things have developed to this extent?

It shouldn’t be like this. They shouldn’t do anything over the line.

Pei Yi’s head was already a mess, and he could only grab onto his initial reasoning, “The d-drugs should wear off.”

Bo Yueming saw Pei Yi’s dodging and resistance, and a complicated look flickered deep in his eyes. “Sorry.”

He loosened his restraint on the person in his arms, slightly holding his weight up. “You leave first, I’m afraid I won’t be able to control myself.”

Pei Yi swallowed. “Er-ge?”

Then he heard Bo Yueming say casually, “I’ll find someone else.”

“……..”

Pei Yi’s emotions tensed up again before he had time to relax, and the hands that had originally pushed the other away grasped him tightly. “What?”

Urgency and sourness went hand in hand.

Bo Yueming caught a clue from his tone, but pretended otherwise.

He had never felt that he was this wicked, but he used all means to force the person in his arms to realize his intentions, and even when he was rejected, he was still unwilling.

He exhausted all of his acting skills to show the extent of his eagerness and indulgence, “I know you don’t want to, I’ll find someone else to solve it.”

When Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming relieving the effects of the medicine with someone else, he felt depressed and uneasy. “N-no way!”

Bo Yueming clamped his wrists down again. Like a wild beast waiting for an opportunity in the dark, he insisted that his prey fully expose his true heart before his eyes.

“You don’t want to? And I’m also not allowed to find someone else? Why?”

“…….”

Pei Yi’s brain and beating heart were a mess. He could only let instinct drive him to raise his head and lean close to Bo Yueming, his ears aflame under his slightly long hair.

“You have me. Y-you’re not allowed to find someone else.”

“Er-ge, I, I can do it.”

Bo Yueming received the answer he wanted, and said lightly but cautiously, “Sorry, I deceived you.”

A kiss fell down again.

Pei Yi didn’t refuse, and only felt that his alcohol capacity was ridiculously poor.

He had obviously turned it into sparkling wine, but he must be drunk now to impulsively respond to such a thing.

Heat and perspiration mixed together, entangled with tenderness and desire.

Pei Yi was dazed by the kiss. He suddenly felt something unusual, and his first night in the villa suddenly popped into his mind—

Bo Yueming, with his inconvenient eyes, accidentally slipped and fell on the bathroom floor, and Pei Yi broke in, getting an unexpected glimpse.

Feeling a slight chill, Pei Yi opened his eyes in shock and then slightly withdrew from the kiss. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming looked at the kiss-dazed person in his arms. There was a gleam of watery light hanging in the corners of his eyes, creating a different aesthetic in the dim environment. “En? What’s the matter?”

At a loss for what to do, Pei Yi hugged him tight and confessed in a whisper, “I’m not very good.”

Not only had he not done it with others, he even had no extra experience with himself.

Bo Yueming had just wanted to “take the opportunity” to force the kitten to realize his own intentions. He hadn’t intended to treat this situation casually and take it to its conclusion.

Bo Yueming kissed the man in his arms between the eyebrows, coaxing and deceiving, “I’ll teach you. You help me, okay?”

Pei Yi stirred slightly. “En.”

. . . . . .

The next day, Bo Yueming managed to beat his natural biological clock, and it was already past noon when he woke up.

Pei Yi was still sleeping in his arms. The quilt covered most of his face, and the exposed eyebrows and eyes were very cute and beautiful.

Thinking of all that had happened last night, Bo Yueming couldn’t suppress the joy in his eyes. He couldn’t bear to disturb the kitten’s sweet dreams, so he went into the bathroom to wash up.

Perhaps sensing the departure of the person next to him, the sleeping Pei Yi also showed signs of waking up.

He opened his eyes, extremely drowsy. Then the sound of water in the bathroom reached his ears, and he understood where he was. The lingering fragments of memory that had been silent in his mind revived instantly.

Pei Yi sat up in bed, carefully lifting the quilt to take a look—

Instead of last night’s pajamas, he had changed into a bathrobe.

Clean and fresh. It was obvious that someone had already done the cleaning up for him.

“…….”

A blush instantly spread from Pei Yi’s neck to his entire face.

Before Bo Yueming could come out of the bathroom, he quickly fled the master bedroom back to his own small room.

—Bam!

The moment Bo Yueming stepped out of the bathroom, he heard the rather loud sound of a door closing.

Inspector, who was forced to stay on the sofa all night, failed to keep up with its master’s pace. Its little head almost knocked against the door, and it immediately scratched at the door, meowing and complaining.

It couldn’t comprehend its master’s abnormal behavior, and after hearing Bo Yueming’s footsteps, it shifted the target of its spoiled behavior. “Meow~meow-wu~”

Bo Yueming picked it up. “Shh, don’t make noise.”

Inspector gave a super quiet “meow” and obediently stopped making noise.

Bo Yueming knocked on the closed door. “Pei Yi?”

“…….”

No response.

Bo Yueming figured Pei Yi was shy, so he didn’t force him to come out of the room immediately. “Sleep a little longer, we’ll clarify things later, okay?”

The person in the room remained absolutely silent.

Bo Yueming had no choice but to reflect on himself last night. Did he push him too far?

He was about to say something more, when footsteps sounded in the hallway.

Spying Bo Yueming’s figure, Uncle Kai breathed a sigh of relief. “Second Young Master, it’s good that you’re up. You and Little Sir have already missed breakfast, and you mustn’t skip lunch.”

“En.”

Bo Yueming restrained his expression and walked toward Uncle Kai. “Have Lin Zhong and the others returned?”

The incident last night had happened suddenly. Bo Yueming didn’t want to expose Bo Guancheng’s behavior without “absolute evidence.” What he needed to do was wait for an opportunity, and then settle the old and new grievances once and for all!

“Lao Fu went out again last night, and he and Lin Zhong came back together this morning.” Uncle Kai informed him of the facts, but looked at Bo Yueming with a rare and subtle helplessness—

He thought Bo Yueming had really “fallen into a trap” last night!

Then Lao Fu chased after him in a hurry and explained everything to Uncle Kai in a whisper. It troubled him so much that he didn’t even want to think about it. After all, he had watched his Second Young Master grow up, so why did the other party love playing the rascal in front of Little Sir!

Uncle Kai thought of Bo Yueming knocking on the door and not getting a response, so he made a wild guess, “Second Young Master, did you frighten Little Sir? Is he ignoring you?”

Bo Yueming thought of the shrunken kitten hiding in the room, and helplessly rubbed the space between his brows. “En. Uncle Kai, bring him something to eat, don’t let him starve.”

If he wanted to hide, just let him hide first.

In any case, he would stay at home today. As soon as Pei Yi got over this period of awkward shyness, he would come clean about everything, and then clarify the relationship between the two of them thoroughly.

. . . . . .

He confirmed that the footsteps were gradually fading away.

Pei Yi let out a long sigh of relief, and collapsed back on his bed. It was as if a non-stop projector was installed in his mind, pulling out the memories of the images last night with incomparable clarity—

The person who clearly understood “traditional Chinese medicine” was Bo Yueming, but the person who showed the “medicinal effect” seemed to be himself. They had negotiated teaching and helping, but in fact, when he got to that point, he had already lost his rules and reason.

His hands and feet were soft and numb, and he couldn’t exert any strength at all.

Pei Yi already had no experience in this area, and his current body had never experienced these things.

The moment Bo Yueming took the lead to relieve him, Pei Yi couldn’t help but sob due to so much unfamiliar stimulation, and everything that followed was a mess.

“…….”

He thought of himself crying pitifully in Bo Yueming’s arms.

Pei Yi’s body was so hot that he was about to burn up. He buried his face in the quilt, not knowing for a moment if it was from the shyness or the absurdity.

Before last night, Pei Yi had never seriously considered his relationship with Bo Yueming.

The relationship between the two began with a “marriage,” but not getting the certificate, and not having a wedding, not only outsiders could understand, but even Pei Yi himself took it for granted—

This superficial relationship would end sooner or later.

Pei Yi had read the original book, and knew the direction of everyone’s endings. While he was determined to save himself, he had also made it clear that the Bo family was just a temporary safe haven and a stage for him to watch the show.

The only thing that he still cared about was that his favorite “character” in the book had a particular image—

Pei Yi admired and liked Bo Yueming, and had the kind thoughts of a reader who was looking on from the perspective of god, wanting to help.

When did this start? Everything had subtly changed.

Pei Yi had gradually accepted the step-by-step relationship with Bo Yueming. He took Bo Yueming’s kindness toward him for granted, and didn’t realize the seriousness of the problem.

Until last night, when their relationship crossed the line.

Then what about now that he was clear-headed? How should they clarify this sudden event?

Pei Yi thought for a long time by himself, and the more he thought about it, the more of a mess he became.

He was mentally and physically exhausted, and before he knew it, he fell asleep wrapped up in the familiar quilt once again.

In his dreams, there was a familiar and sweet scent of baking.

Pei Yi seemed to be looking down from above—

He saw himself when he was a child, having changed out of his old, faded clothes and into an expensive and exquisite little suit. Looking up at a window that was half his height taller than him, he was cautious and full of expectation.

“Father Rong, when can we eat the cake?”

As soon as he spoke, someone behind him picked Pei Yi up and placed him on the high chair. “Rong-ge, our family’s Xiao Yi would like to ask you, when can we eat the small cakes?”

Pei Yi turned his head and called obediently again, “Father Yan, good afternoon.”

The man in white who was still busy at the kitchen counter heard this and turned around to see two people, one big and one small, and every movement in the room was gentle. “We have to wait another ten minutes. You guys don’t make trouble here.”

In front of Pei Yi, the tall man suddenly tugged the arm of the man in white and leaned over to kiss him. “Rong-ge, this is called making trouble.”

“You…..”

The man in white was embarrassed for a moment, and only gave a verbal lesson, “How old are you? Can you try to act like a father in front of Xiao Yi?”

Little Pei Yi on his high chair covered his eyes and bowed his head. If he didn’t look, it never happened. “I didn’t see it.”

Pei Yi was adopted by a pair of married husbands.

The tall man was called Zong Boyan, and he had a good family background and strong ability. The man in white was called Xu Rong, and he was a well-known painter in the industry.

There was a six-year age difference between the two, and they had also been together for six years. In the seventh year after confirming their relationship, they went to the orphanage and adopted Pei Yi.

Once upon a time, Pei Yi felt that he was the luckiest child in the world to have been chosen by this couple who truly loved each other.

His fathers taught him about wine, etiquette, shooting, and horsemanship, and supported him in everything he wanted to learn. His Father Rong was good at painting and making desserts, and was incredibly gentle.

Unfortunately, the flowers in the mirror and the reflection of the moon on the water could disappear in an instant, and no matter how beautiful a love was, there would come a day when it faded and became bleak.

The image in front of Pei Yi suddenly turned black, and the screaming fights and sounds of various objects crashing to the ground began to echo in his ears.

Someone suddenly strangled his neck tightly and painfully.

The blurred image in front of his eyes gradually became clear.

Xu Rong’s hands that should have been used to hold paintbrushes clenched around Pei Yi’s neck, the veins protruding violently. The former tenderness could no longer be seen in those eyes, only an endless despair and hatred—

“Why? Why are you doing this to me!”

“Have you seen it? He’s changed, he doesn’t love me anymore!”

“There are no true feelings in this world after all. They’re all liars, liars!”

A steady stream of accusations resounded in Pei Yi’s ears, and he burst into tears, unable to break free from the suffocation.

At last, the person before him suddenly released him, but forced him to keep in mind, “Xiao Yi, you remember my lesson! Don’t trust anyone easily, and don’t push yourself foolishly into a fire pit!”

“It’s better not to have it in the first place. Keep that in mind, don’t have it!”

After speaking, Xu Rong picked up the utility knife at the side and stabbed himself hard.

“— Father Rong!”

Pei Yi awoke from the dream. He sat up and pressed his temples, took a few breaths with lingering terror, and said to himself, “I, I know.”

Feelings were not something he could touch.

He couldn’t understand them, and didn’t want to try.

Pei Yi cast his gaze around, and after it fell on the wardrobe, a quick thought cut through the mess in his mind—

He couldn’t stay any longer, he had to go!

Instead of thinking so much, it was better to stay away from all of this. Only in this way could he continue his career without distractions!

. . . . . .

The sky in late autumn always got dark very quickly.

Uncle Kai knocked on the door of the study, holding an empty dinner plate in his hand. “Second Young Master.”

Bo Yueming, who was forced to ‘stay’ in the study for a whole day, felt a little relieved when he saw this. “He was finally willing to come out for dinner?”

Uncle Kai nodded. “Little Sir has been hungry for almost a day, and he ate quite a lot for dinner. It seems he has recovered.”

He missed breakfast, and didn’t have lunch or afternoon tea. If he still refused to eat dinner, Bo Yueming would have to find a way to pry open the door of the small bedroom and get this hiding kitten out.

Bo Yueming closed the work file. “I’ll go up and have a look.”

Uncle Kai nodded, and reminded him as an elder, “Second Young Master, you and Little Sir should confess these matters to each other step by step. After all, you have been hiding your eyesight for so long, and you have to consider whether he can accept your concealment.”

Bo Yueming thought for a moment. “En. I know this well.”

He stopped wasting time, and walked upstairs steadily. He had just stepped through the door of the small living room when he ran into Pei Yi, who was about to go out.

The moment their four eyes met—

Pei Yi slammed on the brakes and turned around to go back to his room as if he had seen some kind of monster.

Bo Yueming was angry and helpless. “Pei Yi?”

“……..”

Pei Yi stopped suddenly, and after his quick reaction, he wanted to slap himself on the forehead!

In the past three or four months, he had gotten used to pretending to be “foolish.” As long as Bo Yueming spoke, he would obey in a well-behaved manner.

The footsteps behind him gradually approached.

Pei Yi had no choice but to display his proficient acting skills. With his back to Bo Yueming, he yawned. “Ah— so sleepy!”

The ending tone trembled, giving off an indescribable coquettish feeling.

Bo Yueming saw that he kept his back facing him the whole time, and knew the kitten was avoiding him on purpose, but he still asked teasingly, “It wasn’t enough to ‘sleep’ for a whole day? Those things last night cost you so much effort?”

“……..”

Pei Yi could hear the cheer in his tone of voice, and images of the night before appeared in his mind uncontrollably.

After he disarmed and surrendered the first time, Pei Yi had nestled in Bo Yuemings arms and gradually collected himself. The “help” that was promised became a drifting goalpost, and after Pei Yi couldn’t bear it one way any longer, Bo Yueming switched to another.

Although they didn’t go all the way, both of them finished what needed to be finished.

Pei Yi’s entire body was in a panic, and even the mole on the back of his neck seemed to be died red.

Bo Yueming was helpless. “Sleep later, I have something to tell you.”

Pei Yi pretended he couldn’t hear, slowly moving toward his room.

Bo Yueming noticed his small movements, and only took the initiative to step forward. “Pei Yi, I……”

In the next second, Pei Yi, who had his back to him, suddenly turned around and voluntarily hugged him. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming was a little taken aback, but didn’t reject his throwing himself into his arms. “En? What is it?”

Pei Yi could admit that this hug of his contained an element of ‘pleasing and flattering.’ He didn’t want to delve into what happened last night and the thoughts behind it, so as not to disrupt his decision to leave.

“I’m sleepy.”

Pei Yi paused for a moment, and said goodbye with a farewell he didn’t think through. “Goodnight, husband.”

Bo Yueming’s usually calm mind lagged a bit due to this address.

Even if he had thousands of words to say, they were all blocked by this one title.

“I’ll give you one more night. You won’t be able to use this excuse tomorrow.” Bo Yueming grasped the back of the neck of the man in his arms. “Goodnight.”

Pei Yi rubbed his shoulder nonchalantly, then quickly turned and went into his room.

Click.

The door was closed tightly.

Bo Yueming stood where he was, recalling Pei Yi suddenly addressing him as husband.

He kept feeling that despite the other party showing off his cleverness, there was also a trace of inexplicable and unclear melancholy.

Bo Yueming thought of the other party’s abnormal avoidance today, and he, who was always calm and decisive in any situation, once again fell into his own doubts and powerlessness—

To be honest, he also had no experience in love.

Even if there was a marriage relationship and getting along as a prerequisite, he hadn’t made clear his relationship with Pei Yi yet. Wasn’t the method of testing his mind last night too out of bounds?

. . . . . .

That night.

Pei Yi looked at the faint shadow of a tree in the darkness outside the window, and closed the light suitcase that had already been packed.

When he entered the Bo residence as the original owner, he didn’t bring much, and now that he was leaving, there still weren’t many things to take away.

Pei Yi looked at the grown-up little black cat in front of him, and said in a whisper, “Inspector, do you want to stay here with Er-ge or go with me?”

Inspector lifted its head, as if it couldn’t understand Pei Yi’s question.

But it still responded as usual: “Meow-wu~”

“So you’re leaving with me?” Pei Yi acquiesced, then chuckled and said to himself, “I feel that neither of us is a good person, leaving Bo Yueming and running away. I wonder if he will be angry?”

Inspector moved closer to Pei Yi and accompanied him in a well-behaved manner.

Pei Yi glanced at the time on his phone. It was past eleven o’clock. According to Bo Yueming’s natural habits, he should have fallen asleep by now.

“Inspector, I’ll take you out to play. You must be obedient later, and not make noise, do you understand?”

“Meow~”

Pei Yi took a deep breath, then opened the door of his room with extreme caution.

In the living room, there was still a dim lamp on.

Pei Yi looked at the closed master bedroom door on the other side, and his downcast mood fluctuated for a moment.

He hastily gripped the handle of the suitcase and motioned for Inspector at his feet to follow. “Let’s go!”

Before the person and the cat could walk out of the living room—

Bo Yueming suddenly appeared at the door, accurately blocking their way. “Where do you think you’re going?”

---

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

In a hotel suite, Bo Guancheng was in formal attire, looking at himself in the mirror.

The doorbell rang, and the assistant standing outside whispered, “Boss Cheng, people have already arrived, and the celebration banquet downstairs is about to begin.”

“En, I understand.”

Bo Guancheng picked up a million-yuan wristwatch and slowly fastened it to his wrist, in no hurry to go downstairs.

The star and main focus of tonight’s celebration banquet was someone else, and he didn’t need to be there on time to find a sense of presence.

He turned around to look at the assistant who had been with him for almost five or six years, his long, narrow eyes gleaming. “You go down and observe first. Remember, arrange it cleverly.”

The assistant knew his plans for tonight, and swallowed. “Yes.”

After speaking, he quickly left the suite, not forgetting to firmly close the door.

—Click.

The woman standing in the living room of a hotel suite held the staff uniform against her body, and cautiously looked at Bo Guancheng, who had come out of the master bedroom.

She had been found and called over by the other party’s assistant. Facing the unfamiliar environment and an unknown situation, she inevitably harbored a trace of uneasiness in her heart. “…….Mr, Mr. Cheng.”

Bo Guancheng approached and glanced at her nameplate. “Lin Na?”

Lin Na took a deep breath. “Yes.”

Bo Guancheng asked casually, “Do you know my last name?”

Lin Na nodded, changing her words uncertainly. “Mr. Bo?”

The corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth drooped a little, as if he disliked this title.

He didn’t know when it started, but when the words “Mr. Bo” were mentioned outside, people would always think of Bo Yueming, not Bo Guancheng!

With Bo Peizhi’s surname and part of Cheng Yangshan’s name, he was clearly the eldest grandson of the Bo family—

But ever since Bo Yueming came, he had almost become a foil!

After Bo Yueming graduated and joined the Bo family, with the assistance and favor of Old Mrs. Bo, he gradually became recognized as “General Manager Bo” by outsiders, while Bo Guancheng, who had joined the group earlier, got nothing!

In order to distinguish between the two cousins, Bo Guancheng became known as “Mr. Cheng” by others.

In Bo Guancheng’s view, this was a failure after some internal comparison. He maintained his magnanimity on the surface, but secretly tried his utmost to drive Bo Yueming out of Bo Group—

But in less than half a year, the other part actually made a comeback!

Lin Na felt the inexplicable hatred emanating from Bo Guancheng, and felt that her “business arrangement” was not going to be a good deal.

Bo Guancheng pulled away from the short-lived reminiscence and hatred, and searched for a photo on his phone before handing it over. “Remember this person. I will arrange for you to enter his room tonight.”

“…….”

Lin Na looked at the photo of Bo Yueming, and suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. A small fragment was torn out of her messy memories of the past, causing her to change color on the spot. “This!”

“What? Have you met him before?” Bo Guancheng watched her expression change.

“I haven’t.” Lin Na denied it flatly. “I just, just didn’t expect him to be so young.”

At the beginning, she spent money to enter the convalescent resort through her contacts. She had originally wanted to take advantage of the rich and make some spending money, but didn’t know that she wouldn’t get half a penny. On the eve of running away, she met such a tough opponent as the woman-shunning Bo Yueming.

After learning through gossip that the other party had called the police, Lin Na fled to her hometown to hide for a period of time.

A month ago, she suddenly received a call from “Sister Qiu” in the Imperial Capital. The other party was a well-known elder sister in the Imperial Capital night market, who dealt in the sex trade all year round.

Lin Na had stayed by her side for a period of time two years ago, but later on, she couldn’t stand those dirty tricks played by the rich, so she chose to leave and find a way to make a living.

“Sister Qiu,” who hadn’t seen her for a long time, said on the phone that a benefactor had asked her to find a “sensible unfamiliar young miss.” There was important business to be done, and there would be benefits upon completion of the matter.

Lin Na, who was hiding in her hometown, really had no money to spend, so she agreed after some thought.

After returning to the Imperial Capital, Lin Na didn’t meet that rumored benefactor for a long time, but was instead arranged by the other party to work as a room attendant in this hotel—

The daily work consisted of making deliveries to the guests, which was very easy, and she could still earn a salary of 8,000 yuan per month.

Nearly a month passed in a flash.

Just when Lin Na was unable to make any sense of it, Bo Guancheng’s assistant finally came to her and told her about this “business matter”—

She was arranged to sleep in the bed of a “rich man” and then frame the other party for rape.

“Mr. Bo, I don’t know this person. I may not be able to use the method you mentioned.” Lin Na thought of the person next to Bo Yueming who called him “husband,” and tentatively paved the way for herself, “What if he doesn’t like women? What if he stays awake?”

Bo Guancheng took back his phone and quickly deleted the photo. He felt disgusted looking at Bo Yueming’s mixed-race face.

“He’s blind. I’ll have someone take him to the designated room, then you can use your identity as an attendant to go in.”

Bo Guancheng took out a small, square plastic bag from a drawer, containing two small white pills. “Find a way to give him this medicine yourself. If you can’t even do this, you’re not worthy of being a woman.”

“…….”

Lin Na took the pills without a word.

When she was working next to Sister Qiu, she learned about the efficacy of these tablets. It was instantly soluble in alcohol, as well as tasteless, and had strong, swift effects.

After twenty-four hours had passed, it was difficult to detect.

Lin Na thought of the follow-up plan and felt a little nervous. “Mr. Bo, is it really okay for us to do this?”

Perhaps it was because she had witnessed Bo Yueming’s resistance and coldness toward her that she felt it would be hard to rely on the medicine, and she still had to slander the other party afterwards.

If she wasn’t careful, she might suffer a loss herself!

Seeing Lin Na’s hesitation, Bo Guancheng opened his mouth agitatedly, “The 100,000 yuan tip has already been credited to your card. You only need to follow my instructions every step after that, and the two million will be yours.”

“…….”

Two million?

As soon as Lin Na heard the doubled number, her hesitation instantly turned to ashes in the face of reality.

“Don’t worry, after tonight, I will strictly control public opinion and lead all the conflicting views toward him. After all—” Bo Guancheng pushed up the frame of his glasses and smiled softly and harmlessly, “You are the victim.”

Lin Na met his eyes and subconsciously clenched the pills in her hand. “I understand.”

Yes, ah.

Bo Yueming was blind, and she had the medicine in her hand. This was just selling herself. What shame, what morality, there was nothing more real than actual money!

Bo Guancheng was very satisfied with Lin Na’s attitude. “Okay, you go out and get ready. Someone will notify you when the time comes.”

Lin Na stopped talking, and left with a determined look.

The door of the room closed again.

Bo Guancheng poured himself a glass of champagne, tasting it leisurely. Tonight, he was going to give Bo Yueming the big surprise of “being ruined.”

What Bo Guancheng didn’t tell Lin Na was that he had made alternate preparations—

In addition to Plan 1 where Lin Na would make accusations against Bo Yueming, Plan 2 also involved installing a hidden camera in the master bedroom of the predetermined suite. The former could be charged with rape, and the latter with filming pornographic images.

No matter which plan, he would let public opinion ferment as soon as possible, and get Bo Yueming and Bo Group on the hook.

Such bad public opinion would immediately affect the short-term interests of Bo Group, but so what? He was only making those shareholders realize—

The existence of Bo Yueming completely violated the group’s interests, and the other party should be completely removed from Bo Group!

As for the reputation and interests involved in the group’s temporary loss, Bo Guancheng didn’t care at all. What he cared about was the future, and that final control of the Bo family fell to their side.

Into the hands of the main branch!

Bo Guancheng drank the champagne in one gulp, hid the malice in his eyes and the calculations in his heart, and donned that gentle, fake expression again before walking out of the suite.

Today, he just needed to stand in the corner and watch it all play out, giving Bo Yueming all the stage time.

The net had already been laid, and he would just wait for the short-sighted fish to take the bait!

. . . . . . 

In the banquet hall, toasts were made.

Ever since Bo Yueming went blind in a car accident and lost his position as General Manager, he had gradually become an invisible guest at various banquets. But now, the major shareholders and company executives returned to his side.

Solicitous greetings, strong praise.

Even knowing that Bo Yueming couldn’t see, they all had smiles on their faces.

Lin Zhong silently followed behind Bo Yueming, and couldn’t help but sigh — praising the high and stepping on the low was really the biggest rule in the wealthy business world.

The banquet had been going for almost an hour now, and Bo Yueming, who successfully won the Wencheng project, was still everyone’s main focus. Even as an assistant, Lin Zhong received a lot of compliments.

During these conversations, Bo Yueming finished another glass of wine.

He continued to hide the truth about his regained vision from outsiders. “Lin Zhong, another glass of wine.”

Lin Zhong cooperated with his performance and picked up the empty wine glass, leaving with a “Yes.”

Bo Yueming was always cautious about the drinks and food he brought in. As an assistant, Lin Zhong was aware of this, and today’s occasion was a complicated one with many people.

Lin Zhong walked to the rest area and picked another unopened bottle of wine, then returned to the main area of the banquet hall after filling a glass.

But within three or four minutes, there were a few more people around Bo Yueming, toasting and chatting.

Lin Zhong jumped in from behind Bo Yueming and approached. “Mr. Bo, the wine……”

As soon as he handed over the wine glass in his hand, someone ran into him from behind, and the dark red wine in the glass poured onto Bo Yueming’s suit.

It painted a richly-colored swathe across the champagne-colored fabric.

Lin Zhong didn’t expect that he would make such an amateur mistake. “Mr. Bo! I’m sorry!”

While expressing his apology to Bo Yuming, he immediately turned to check out the situation—

Due to this sudden accident, the shareholders who were standing diagonally behind took a few steps back one after another. Lin Zhong couldn’t detect any abnormalities in their expressions for the moment, and couldn’t figure out if the accident was man-made or unintentional.

He could only take care of Bo Yueming’s situation first. “Mr. Bo, I……”

Bo Yueming caught a glimpse of the large wine stain on his suit, but didn’t intend to blame Lin Zhong. He knew the other party’s style of doing things, and the other was definitely not a careless person.

The surrounding shareholders thought that Bo Yueming was unable to see it, so they hastened to explain the situation. “Aiyo, Mr. Bo, you need to change your suit, it’s stained all over with wine!”

“That’s the bad thing about light-colored suits, especially when something is poured on them.”

“Shall we ask the hotel manager to see if we can find a temporary replacement?”

As the important star of today’s celebration banquet, Bo Yueming couldn’t wear such a dirty suit.

Bo Yueming pretended to realize in hindsight, and interrupted everyone’s kind reminders, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry, but please excuse me. I’ll go upstairs to tidy up a bit, so please do as you wish.”

Bo owned some shares of the hotel, and Bo Yueming and the others had exclusive suites reserved here.

The elevator doors closed, cutting off the liveliness and noise of the banquet hall.

Lin Zhong continued to blame himself. “Mr. Bo, I’m really sorry. I was indeed bumped into by someone just now, and accidentally spilled the glass.”

Bo Yueming grasped the key point. “You were bumped into by someone?”

“En.”

Lin Zhong nodded affirmatively and said in a low voice, “I didn’t catch the person, but from the force they hit me with, it didn’t seem unintentional.”

Bo Yueming faintly sensed something, and asked again, “Did you see Bo Guancheng today?”

Lin Zhong shook his head. “No.”

Bo Yueming watched the slowly ascending elevator floors, his mind running fast.

Wasn’t that strange?

It was impossible for the main branch to allow him to return to group headquarters in such a “glamorous” way. Even on the occasion of this banquet, would they be willing to let him “show off?”

The more hidden the other party was, the more likely they would play tricks tonight!

Bo Yueming suddenly came to a realization, and the look in his eyes changed. “Lin Zhong, I have something to tell you.”

. . . . . .

Five minutes later.

Bo Yueming took off his suit jacket and sat alone in the living room of the suite. He had just called Uncle Kai to confirm Pei Yi’s situation—

The kitten had stayed in his bedroom after eating dinner and dessert, and nothing had happened. In this case, if Bo Guancheng had plans today, they should be aimed at him rather than Pei Yi.

With such a guess in mind, Bo Yueming sat patiently on the sofa and waited.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows slightly, deliberately put on his guide glasses, and slowly approached to open the door.

“…….”

Lin Na, who was pushing a suit rack, stood outside. When she saw this familiar cold and handsome face, her heart subconsciously tightened, and she couldn’t help but show a trace of tension on her face.

Bo Yueming knew at a glance that there was trouble, but he pretended he couldn’t see. “Lin Zhong?”

In fact, Lin Zhong had a spare room key in hand, and had been deliberately dismissed by him.

Lin Na quickly put on an act. “Mr. Bo, hello, I’m a room service staff member from the top floor. Our manager heard about your unexpected situation in the banquet hall, and specially asked me to send a spare custom-made suit from our hotel. Would you like to try one on?”

A spare suit?

There was such a coincidence?

Bo Yueming saw through it without pointing it out, and walked in with one hand trailing against the wall. “En. Come in, ba.”

Lin Na didn’t expect to enter Bo Yueming’s room so easily. She was inwardly thankful, and at the same time, she didn’t forget to quickly push the suit rack and follow him in, closing the door behind her.

She wasn’t sure when Bo Yuming’s assistant would return, so she could only hurry up and finish the job.

Using the title of “room attendant,” Lin Na walked to the water bar. “Mr. Bo, is your assistant here? How about waiting for him to come back to try on the clothes?”

She paused, then asked intimately, “Let me get you something to drink first. Water?”

The other party had been mingling downstairs for so long. If he kept drinking wine, he would only become thirstier.

Bo Yueming felt that Lin Na’s voice sounded familiar, but couldn’t place it for the moment. He would give the other party enough opportunities to reveal her secrets. “Alright.”

Receiving such a response, Lin Na felt that everything was going too smoothly, but things had already developed to this point. She had no choice but to bite the bullet and complete this deal worth two million.

Lin Na poured some ice water in a wine glass and made sure to turn her head to peek at Bo Yueming. After confirming that the other party didn’t show any anomalies, she quickly drew the pills out of her pocket and tossed them in.

Of course, this scene accurately fell into Bo Yueming’s eyes.

Lin Na picked up the water glass and mixed it vigorously. The pills melted extremely quickly in the water and disappeared completely within a few seconds.

Due to her nervousness, many drops of water scattered on the countertop.

Lin Na casually wiped them twice and brought the glass of water to Bo Yueming with a smile. “Mr. Bo.”

Bo Yueming took the drugged glass of ice water, and lowered his eyes with a smile—

Bo Guancheng did not show up or speak during the entire process, which “dispelled” the suspicions of many guests. Then he used Lin Zhong’s status as his assistant to stain his suit, expecting that he could only come to the suite to wait for a replacement under such circumstances. He even guessed that Lin Zhong, having “done something wrong,” would go out to find and purchase a suit in person, leaving him alone.

Finally, he bought off the “hotel room attendant” in an attempt to force him into a drug trap.

What else could the drugged water do?

Thinking about it, after the “business” was done, the woman before him would either frame him for rape, or obtain images of his gaffe.

In the end, they wanted to discredit him!

It would be best if this incident would affect the reputation of Bo Group, as well as the shareholders’ opinions of him, and ultimately cut off the possibility of him returning to group headquarters for good.

Bo Yueming had to admit that Bo Guancheng had set up this series of traps very well, but unfortunately, the other party didn’t know—

His eyes were already healed!

And the moment Lin Na was delivered to the door, the situation had completely reversed!

Seeing that Bo Yueming didn’t move, Lin Na asked, “Mr. Bo?”

As soon as she spoke, Bo Yueming pulled her onto the sofa and asked in a low voice, “What is that scent on you?”

“…….”

Lin Na stared at the handsome face that was so close at hand. Hearing his low tone, she felt that her heart was beating too fast.

The face in front of her was so impeccably superior that Lin Na had to admit that if she wasn’t doing this for “business,” she would still be willing to spend a moment with him.

“Mr. Bo, what do you smell?”

Lin Na subconsciously softened her tone, quietly trying to get close to Bo Yueming.

Since working as a hotel room attendant, she had been forced to reduce the amount of perfume she sprayed on due to work requirements, but she didn’t expect that Bo Yueming, who couldn’t see, had such a keen sense of smell.

“Tangerine?”

This scent brought a sense of deja vu, connecting the memory points in his mind to form a line.

Bo Yueming recalled the disgusting memory at the resort, and suddenly threw the drugged ice water into Lin Na’s face.

—Splash!

The sudden change made Lin Na’s breath catch.

In the next second, Bo Yueming viciously grabbed her jaw. “Bo Guancheng asked you to drug me, didn’t he? How many times do you think this clumsy trick can be used on me?”

“…….”

How could it be!

Wasn’t Bo Yueming blind? How could he know?

Lin Na’s eyes widened in disbelief, her face instantly turning pale with panic and pain.

While holding Lin Na down to prevent her from escaping, Bo Yueming made a phone call and then took off the guide glasses that were getting in the way.

Those distinctive eyes were full of frost, like a blue glacier that would not melt for thousands of years. Even in a motionless state, it could still impress upon people a terrifying aura that was enough to swallow lives when it collapsed.

Lin Na was completely frozen from head to toe, and it was like her body had fallen into an ice cellar. Even the water droplets splashed on her face were burrowing through her skin in the cold air.

Now that the matter had been revealed, she wanted to run away, but she couldn’t break free of Bo Yueming’s restraint.

The electronic door beeped again.

Lin Zhong quickly entered with driver Lao Fu. “Mr. Bo!”

As early as in the elevator, Bo Yueming had realized that something wasn’t right. He deliberately had Lin Zhong leave first, in order to let the forces in the dark relax their vigilance and show themselves.

Bo Yueming said coldly, “Find something to tie her up first!”

Lin Zhong and driver Lao Fu quickly complied. They took the bathrobe bag and towels from the bathroom, quickly and accurately binding Lin Na’s hands and feet and gagging her mouth.

Driver Lao Fu was completely obedient to Bo Yueming, and asked directly, “Second Young Master, what should we do next? Shall we settle accounts with Bo Guancheng now?”

“It’s not urgent.”

Bo Yueming knew for sure that Bo Guancheng would do something next, so he spoke coolly, “Lin Zhong, nobody will break into this suite for the time being. You stay here and keep an eye on this woman, and remember to check the master bedroom. There may be surveillance equipment.”

“Lao Fu, we can’t stay at the banquet. Let’s go out the back door of the hotel and go back first.”

Firstly, to keep Bo Guancheng from having room to maneuver.

And secondly, to give Bo Guancheng and everyone in the banquet hall a false message, causing them to mistakenly think that Bo Yueming was “delayed” tonight.

Bo Yueming would still settle this account thoroughly, but not now, not tonight!

Since Bo Guancheng wanted to ruin him, then of course he had to return the gift with interest!

“Wuwuwuwu!”

Lin Na, who had collapsed on the ground, whimpered, almost crying with regret.

Bo Yueming regarded her with extreme disgust, and seemed to have thought of something interesting. “Giving me drugs? That is actually a good idea.”

He had been worried about not knowing how to confess everything to Pei Yi at home.

That being the case, why not take advantage of this “special opportunity” to test and clarify the kitten’s intentions?

. . . . . .

Pop!

The sparkling water made a crisp sound when the cap was opened.

Pei Yi looked at the time on his phone, gearing up and ready to make trouble.

He couldn’t quit his alcohol addiction, but he didn’t dare to challenge his meager drinking capacity.

So when Uncle Kai wasn’t paying attention, he sneakily took a bottle of sparkling water from the refrigerator, and then found a bottle of red wine with the lowest alcohol content from the wine cabinet before quickly walking back to the room.

The last time he had dinner with Zhang Shunzhi and the others, the wine-flavored lemon sparkling water gave Pei Yi new inspiration—

Sparkling water with wine!

As long as there was a tiny bit of wine to enjoy, that was enough!

In the past, Pei Yi would certainly have been the first to complain: How could he mix these two together? What a waste of good wine!

But now, Pei Yi couldn’t wait to applaud himself: It tastes like alcohol but won’t make you drunk, perfection!

Pei Yi remembered what Bo Yueming said before going out, so he only dared to pour a thin layer at the bottom of the glass, add a small half bottle of sparkling water, and carefully make a glass of sparkling wine for himself.

Fortunately, the first sip wasn’t bad, and he quickly drank the first cup with great enjoyment.

It was a pity that the taste of alcohol failed to satisfy Pei Yi’s addiction, and instead gave him the idea to “have another drink.” Just when he was hesitating over whether he should have another—

There was the sudden sound of particularly disordered footsteps outside the house, accompanied by the panicked voices of Uncle Kai and others.

Pei Yi immediately realized that something was wrong, so he casually hid the wine bottle beneath the table, opened the door, and walked out—

Lao Fu was hurriedly helping Bo Yueming into the small living room. The latter’s face was abnormally flushed, his steps were a little chaotic, and even his breathing was more rapid.

Pei Yi was shocked, and hurried forward. “Er-ge?”

Uncle Kai was anxious. “What’s going on, ah? Lao Fu!”

Lao Fu met Pei Yi’s gaze and hesitated for a few seconds before stuttering out, “Second Young Master was, was tricked and drugged at the banquet, so he h-had me bring him back! Lin Zhong is still there dealing with the aftermath.”

Pei Yi’s heart tightened.

Uncle Kai and Lao Fu sent Bo Yueming, whose sense of reasoning was about to “collapse,” back to the master bedroom. The former expressed anxiously, “I’ll hurry downstairs to get the phone and call a doctor!”

“Little Sir, watch over Second Young Master, we’ll be right back!”

Seeing that Uncle Kai had left in a panic, Lao Fu hastily chased after him, anxious that he would cause problems.

Pei Yi’s entire focus was on Bo Yueming, and he didn’t notice Lao Fu’s uneasiness at all. He quickly went to Bo Yueming’s side, his brow practically knit together—

Tonight was only the first time he had failed to come along. How could Bo Yueming have been plotted against?

Pei Yi looked at the other’s flushed and uncomfortable face, anxious and blaming himself. “I’ll pour you some water.”

As soon as he spoke, Bo Yueming leaned against Pei Yi, who had brought himself to his door. Then he turned over, pinning him to the bed.

“Don’t move.”

---

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Chapter Fifty <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-Two

“Would you like to try being with me?”

Lucas heard his secretary say such a thing.

“…….”

Lucas stood there in a daze, thinking he had heard wrong.

Fuck.

Seeing that Lucas’s face was like a stone slab and he didn’t respond, Luo Ran thought he was still angry and didn’t believe him, so he lowered his head and took a few steps back in a panic.

The breath he held after speaking just now was let out.

Luo Ran lowered his hands and turned around, and had started to walk away, when his arm was pulled. Immediately afterwards, the scene in front of him spun and he hit the wall behind him with a thud.

Lucas switched positions with Luo Ran and pressed him against the wall, breathing heavily: “You really like me? You’re not just trying to coax me?”

Luo Ran blinked.

Ah……?

Lucas said in a hoarse voice: “If you’re doing this reluctantly because you’re afraid I’ll get angry, then never mind. I said that I like you, and I really won’t ignore you.”

“……No.” Luo Ran lowered his head and said: “If it was to coax you, I have other methods. I wouldn’t have to use this.”

“……..”

Luo Ran blushed and turned his head, saying: “Are you unwilling, Admiral…….?”

What Luo Ran got in response was a fierce kiss.

Lucas was so excited that he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. He bowed his head and bit Luo Ran’s lips.

He couldn’t control the intensity due to his excitement, and Luo Ran couldn’t hold back a cry of pain. He grabbed Lucas’s back.

Both of them were short of breath.

Lucas held Luo Ran’s cheeks, licking and biting messily like a huge lion.

When it finally ended, Lucas was panting heavily as he whispered: “You can’t take it back.”

“I won’t.”

It was like finally letting go of the big stone in his heart, and saying goodbye to all the haze of the past.

Luo Ran had returned to his original state, that calm and professional secretary-slash-animal trainer.

Now that he had made a decision, he must do it well.

Luo Ran wrapped his arms around Lucas’s neck and said with a smile: “Admiral, in the future, I will be a good secretary and help solve your problems, and I will also do my best to be a good lover.”

“…….”

The happiness came too suddenly.

Lucas punched the wall hard.

Just at this time, the commander of the stronghold came to inform him that the stronghold brothers had prepared an arena, and Wang Qiuyang was already fighting everyone. He asked if Lucas wanted to go.

“Just like that, hit!”

Lucas dragged Luo Ran into the ring.

Wang Qiuyang had already won his match, and stood in the middle of the arena arrogantly and domineeringly.

“Who else? Fucking come up here and fight your daddy!”

Lucas jumped in.

“It’s me, your grandfather!”

Wang Qiuyang: “? ? ?”

Wang Qiuyang: “…….”

Wang Qiuyang: “…….QAQ.”

Wang Qiuyang wanted to kneel to Lucas, and cried: “Admiral, I was wrong, don’t come over here!”

For the past few days, Lucas had been acting like an evil ghost, catching them to vent his emotions, and everyone was terrified.

But after going a few rounds, Wang Qiuyang and the others discovered the difference.

The previous Lucas was venting, and the current Lucas was still venting.

…….Only, now he was venting his happiness.

He was excited, refreshed, and high-spirited, as if his entire body was filled with boundless energy.

Luo Ran stood next to the arena and watched Lucas like this, a little dumbfounded.

Wang Qiuyang noticed Luo Ran, and in a flash of inspiration, he pulled him over: “Secretary Luo, help, ah! How can we fight the admiral, ah, he’s a humanoid mecha!”

“Secretary Luo, go up and fight the admiral! He won’t dare beat you!”

“Admiral and Secretary Luo, go one round, one round!”

Everyone cheered.

“Bah, why should I beat my partner?” Lucas jumped out of the ring and grabbed Luo Ran’s shoulders, raising his eyebrows. “I couldn’t bear it.”

The surrounding area immediately exploded.

Cheers, jeering, teasing, as if they were going to knock the ring down.

Luo Ran chuckled.

Lucas took him back to the room, and Luo Ran said with a smile: “You’re really not going to fight me? I also want to learn from the admiral.”

“You can’t beat me either.”

“But I want to compete with the admiral. Are you looking down on me?”

“Where am I looking down on you, you can fight if you want,” Lucas scoffed, and reached out to poke Luo Ran’s waist fiercely.

……..!

Luo Ran also poked Lucas’s waist, but in a fight, every motion seemed to move in slow motion in Lucas’s eyes.

Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s wrist, pulled him into his arms and mwah, pecked Luo Ran’s forehead.

The two chattered and fought all the way back to the room.

Bump—!

Luo Ran was tossed onto the bed by Lucas, and then climbed up.

Luo Ran smiled, then raised his leg and swept it toward Lucas’s waist.

Lucas grabbed Luo Ran’s leg and put it over his shoulder, asking with a fierce expression: “Do you admit defeat?!”

Luo Ran’s wrists were still held by Lucas, and he was stunned as he realized that they were now fighting on the bed.

“En?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

Luo Ran turned his head: “I admit defeat, let’s stop fighting.”

“What about a reward for the winner?”

“…….” Luo Ran said: “I’ll help you read all the official documents today?”

“…….Fuck off.”

Luo Ran laughed softly: “Admiral, it’s time for you to go to the military parade.”

“What about the reward? Are you trying to trick me?” Lucas frowned.

“No.” Luo turned his face with reddened ears. “Work first, we’ll talk later.”

“Fine, I’ll ask you to cash out tonight. Don’t fucking play tricks.”

He was stunned by Lucas’s sentence and felt that something was wrong.

Lucas straightened his military jacket, turned, and left.

Luo Ran nestled under the blankets, paused, and buried his head in a pillow.

Uh-oh.

He suddenly felt that he was not on a business trip, but rather……

Hiss.

It was such a weird feeling to have your boss turn into your boyfriend.

. . . . . .

After staying at the stronghold for half a day, the team continued to head toward the main military camp, and it had just become dark when they arrived.

The Luobing military camp was in a snowy field, and the soldiers all wore thick clothing. Looking down from above, one could see the flickering lights of the soldiers as they patrolled here and there.

“Admiral.” Luobing’s chief commander, Admiral Mu Yuan, came out to greet them with his adjutants.

Mu Yuan had a tall figure, and his good physique could be seen even under his thick clothes.

Mu Yuan and Lucas had fought each other on the battlefield for several years, and knew each other well.

Lucas also admired Mu Yuan, who was strategic and principled, unlike those greedy and militant councils and royal family in Luobing.

If they hadn’t belonged to hostile camps before, after some thought, they could have been good friends.

But now that Luobing and the Empire were no longer at war, and were fighting against the star pirates together, Lucas and Mu Yuan were getting along better and better.

Lucas nodded, and took Luo Ran and Mu Yuan to the main control room.

Luo Ran didn’t know much about troop formations, so he simply returned to his room to read over official documents and do his usual business.

After reading for a while, Luo Ran felt a little hungry, and checked the time. Lucas would be coming back soon, so he planned to go to the camp cafeteria and bring back some food and hot water.

……Huh?

Luo Ran frowned slightly.

When he came to the door of the kitchen, he saw a man dressed as a worker searching for some biscuit snacks and putting them in a bag.

This scene was not surprising.

But what made Luo Ran think something was wrong was that this worker……

Didn’t he belong to the Second Prince?

Why was a royal attendant here?

It wasn’t possible for him to job-hop and come to Luobing, right?

Others might not recognize him, but Luo Ran had a good memory, and due to his work, he was more careful than others.

This attendant accompanied the Second Prince least often, and had not been seen in his company recently, but Luo Ran remembered him after meeting him two years ago.

Something wasn’t right.

Luo Ran paused, and after seeing the worker leave the kitchen, he silently followed.

“Luo Ran.”

Lucas patted Luo Ran on the shoulder.

He didn’t see Luo Ran when he went back to the room, so he asked after him all the way.

Luo Ran turned his head and said: “Shhh!”

Lucas: “ ? ”

Luo Ran pointed at the attendant in front of them.

Lucas glanced at him, a little puzzled.

What was wrong?

Luo Ran shook his head, and Lucas could only follow him, feigning nonchalance.

There were people coming and going in the military camp, and many places to hide. Both of them were very good at hiding their sense of presence. It was not a problem to follow an unarmed attendant.

The two followed all the way back to a room deep in the barracks. Seeing the attendant go in, Luo Ran felt a little troubled.

He didn’t know who was inside……

Lucas leaned close to Luo Ran’s ear and whispered: “Skylight.”

As he spoke, he directly picked up Luo Ran.

The two of them jumped onto the roof, and Lucas was so skillful and quick that nobody noticed.

They had fingerprint identity cards on them from the military camp, and the machine would not sound the alarm upon scanning them.

Then, both of them were stunned.

The person in the room was Zhou Mingjing, the Second Prince of the Empire.

Lucas and Luo Ran exchanged glances.

The Second Prince was obviously not deliberately hiding his tracks, otherwise the two of them would not have been able to follow.

This proved that the Second Prince was not imprisoned, and was at ease.

Could this be collusion?

…….No.

There was no one to collude with.

Luobing was a vassal state, not a star pirate or an enemy.

After a while, the door was pushed open and a person came in.

— It was Mu Yuan.

Then, they both embraced and kissed.

“…….”

They considered kidnapping.

They considered collusion.

But it turned out to be an affair.

Was the person who was in the hotel with the Second Prince that night……Mu Yuan?

But both of them were Alphas, which was really shocking.

In the room, the two kissed and went to bed.

Luo Ran and Lucas turned back again, only to find that their clothes had been taken off.

Lucas: “……..”

Luo Ran: “……..”

Luo Ran was stunned.

So this, this was the legendary AA love……

Luo Ran felt his brain split.

Lucas also cracked.

The two of them sat in a row on the roof, cracking apart together.

Then it got a bit unsuitable for younger viewers, so the two left quickly.

“I didn’t expect……” Luo Ran was flabbergasted.

“It must have been last time.” Lucas rubbed his chin, as if thinking and analyzing something.

“Huh?”

Lucas said: “We fought against Luobing before. When we were in the negotiating stage and the fighting was about to end, neither we nor Luobing sent out troops. Zhou Mingjing came to negotiate, but encountered an avalanche along the way, and the group of people who came to rescue him, Mu Yuan’s team, fell off a cliff together and survived for two days before we saved them.”

“But they hadn’t had any interaction at the time, and perhaps because the two countries were at peace now, they could spend time together without disputes.”

“Oh…….” Luo Ran nodded.

“Afterwards, ask them directly. I’ll……go to the military parade first, and come back later.” Lucas touched his nose, then turned and left.

Then he sent a private message to Shen Xiluo.

Lucas: Send me some AO learning materials.

Shen Xiluo: Sending them quickly.

Lucas rubbed his cheek.

Fuck.

Never mind being forced to watch an erotic show.

Why was Luo Ran always on his mind?

There were also some strange images.

Right.

Lucas seemed to have thought of something, and triumphantly sent another message to Shen Xiluo.

Lucas: Laozi has a wife.

Lucas: You don’t.

Lucas: Ha.

Lucas scoffed coldly.

---

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

All the torches in the city went after the scream. There was still candlelight in the houses of several families, but they were all blown out at this time. Except for the footsteps and shouts of officers and soldiers, there was no trace of human activity in the entirety of Huaizhen.

Liang Shu knocked outside: “Have you been frightened?”

Liu Xian’an slammed the door open with his heart beating hard, and saw the figures of several guards disappear in a flash. 

“Gao Lin has taken people over to investigate,” Liang Shu said. “I saw that the lights in your room were still on, so I came over to have a look. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, just a little alarmed.” He couldn’t sleep anymore after encountering this incident. Liu Xian’an asked, “Can I go over and have a look?”

Liang Shu smiled: “Of course. It’s cold outside, so put on some thicker clothing first.”

A-Ning had no objection to this, and carried a small medicine box when he went out. Whether it was a human or a ghost, to be able to scream in such a voice, it was likely that they were seriously injured. The three men rode two horses all the way to the north of the city to find out what had happened. Officials were gathered beneath a tree in an open space, and someone called: “Hurry, go get Doctor Ma!”

Liu Xian’an said: “Let’s go have a look.”

A-Ning dismounted the horse and ran all the way: “Where is the patient? I’m a doctor!”

His young voice was crisp and clear, and everyone followed it, wondering when such a foreigner had come to the city. Gao Lin was also at the scene, and brought A-Ning under the tree, saying: “The one who screamed just now should be this auntie. She’s sweating profusely and too faint to wake up.”

A-Ning nimbly gave her acupuncture. At this time, a man who looked like a minor leader of the troops came over to ask Gao Lin’s identity. He heard they were just passing Huaizhen on their way south, and said: “This city is haunted by ghosts, and the young masters are brave enough to run outside in such a situation.”

Gao Lin glanced at him: “My young master is a doctor who specializes in snatching lives from the King of Hell. If he was afraid of ghosts, he would not be able to do his job.”

Just as they were talking, Liang Shu and Liu Xian’an also came over. The little boss saw their looks and demeanor and was inwardly surprised, but said nothing more and took on a respectful attitude. Liu Xian’an knelt down and used two fingers to lift the auntie’s eyelid, saying: “Panic sickness. She fainted due to fright.”

“This……did she see the female ghost again?” Someone in the crowd murmured.

“Most likely, ba. This Aunt Mou is quite courageous. She has never lost a fight, and most people couldn’t scare her into fainting.”

“Ai, ai, she’s waking up!”

Mou Chuihua said “aiyo” a few times and opened her eyes, only to see the shining golden lights in front of her. The corners of her mouth twitched a few times, and the people around hurriedly called her name to prevent her from fainting again. The little boss fetched water and poured it for her. Mou Cuihua waited for a long time before barely managing to sit up. Liu Xian’an also wanted to go take a look at her, but was blocked by Liang Shu’s hand as he spoke to the side: “This auntie won’t be very sober at first. If she gets a look at you, I fear she will really think she has ascended to heaven to see the immortals, so just stand there and don’t move.”

Liu Xian’an: “…….”

That is also fine.

The two stood in the crowd, listening to the questioning of the little boss. Mou Cuihua pinched her thigh and said in a trembling voice: “I saw a ghost, I really saw a ghost. It was the daughter of Lao Wan’s family, covered in blood.”

The city was haunted, and every house closed when the sun went down. Mou Cuihua was no exception, but she had a son who was working in a foreign place and was unsure when he would return home.

“I was sleeping well when I suddenly heard someone calling for their mother in my ear. I thought it was Shuan Zi coming back, so I got up in a daze and went to open the door for him, only to see a female ghost floating in the sky.”

She had been wearing a dirty dress, bleeding from the head and face, with no eyeballs in the two dark sockets, just staring straight at her. Mou Chihua’s screams woke up half the city.

Nine out of ten female ghosts in the stories looked like this, which was not unusual. But what was strange was that Mou Cuihua fell asleep at home comfortably, so why was she tricked out by the ghost knocking on the door and calling for mother? Gao Lin asked, “Auntie Mou, have you ever offended anyone?”

Mou Cuihua’s face paled: “I quarreled with her father twice, but who in his city hasn’t quarreled with Wan Gui? Besides, that girl ate at my house for a long time when she was a child, and I paid for the doctor twice when she was sick, so how could I have offended her?”

“It also can’t be said that you didn’t offend her, ba,” an elderly clerk chimed in. “Didn’t you want that girl to marry your son? Later, Lao Wan disagreed, and you were chewing your tongue behind her back.”

Mou Chihua was left speechless, and felt wronged, so she simply pretended to be short of breath and refused to speak a word, and everyone helped her to her house first.

The officers who went to search elsewhere also returned at this time, and all said they had found nothing.

Liu Xian’an said: “If the female ghost cannot be caught, will there never be peace in this city?”

An old officer whispered to him: “Our lord has already reported this matter to the head commander of the Southwest Garrison. The army will arrive in Huaizhen City in a few days, and passage in or out will only be stricter at that time. Get out of town earlier, ba, why bother to join in this gloomy excitement, it’s so frightening.”

As he spoke, he chased off the rest of the people and continued his night patrol. The open space was quiet again. Liang Shu asked Gao Lin to bring A-Ning back to the inn, and said to Liu Xian’an: “If you don’t want to go to sleep, I’ll take you around the city again. Are you cold?”

“Not too cold.” Liu Xian’an clasped his hands. “Looking at the reaction of the aunt just now, it didn’t seem like she was hallucinating after taking medicine, nor did she seem to have any mental problems. She probably really saw something.”

Liang Shu wrapped the cloak tightly for him. This was a new one bought by A-Ning on the road, and was not expensive, but was thick and light, with a ring of fur on the neckline that made Second Young Master Liu’s face look more like a crown of jade. There was a little more gentleness and delicacy that was not revealed when wrapped in a big robe — he went from the unrestrained Sleeping Immortal in the bamboo grove running barefoot, to a Sleeping Immortal who had been raised well in a beautiful palace within the bamboo forest.

Liu Xian’an was pondering the haunting. His blood prickled, and he was so engrossed in his thoughts that when he looked up and met His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s gentle gaze, he was as frightened as if he had heard the ghostly cry just now: “Your Highness?”

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows: “En?”

Liu Xian’an waved his hand in front of him, probing, “Is the prince listening to me about the haunting?”

“No.” Liang Shu grasped his fingertips. “You have been telling me to rest more and use my brain less. Now that I am resting, you are urging me on again. How can there be such a doctor?”

Liu Xian’an explained: “I didn’t urge you.” I just asked.

It was fine to rest now. Anyway, if they wanted to ask questions, they would have to wait until tomorrow. He said: “Then I’ll also take a break.”

Liang Shu really liked his righteous laziness, and it may be that beauty was in the eye of the beholder. After all, if Lieutenant General Gao put on airs and said “I want to take a break,” His Royal Highness Xiao Wang would probably kick this person back to the military camp to continue working. But if it was Second Young Master Liu, this sort of behavior exuded cuteness everywhere. Not to mention resting for a while, even if he rested for a lifetime, a big bed could be set up in Xiao Wang Palace immediately.

Liu Xian’an’s mind was empty, and he followed Liang Shu aimlessly. A city that was haunted was naturally not worth seeing, but he still thought it was good to take a stroll like this. His thoughts inadvertently drifted eight thousand li away. Liang Shu saw it out of the corner of his eyes and warned: “Look at the road.”

Liu Xian’an immediately twisted his foot.

Liang Shu quickly grabbed his arm and didn’t let go. With someone pulling him, Second Young Master Liu was increasingly free to look at the road, then he simply closed his eyes and staggered along. Although every step was like stepping into the unknown, he also knew that he would never fall. This sense of being on the boundary of the known and the unknown was something he had never experienced before, and was quite novel. He took another big step forward, but Liang Shu grabbed the back of his collar.

“Hm?”

“Don’t run around.”

In front of him was an old house with a big lock. The building itself was not large, and the steps were covered in dust. Liu Xian’a’n returned to his senses: “The south of the city. Is this the new house built by the Wan father and daughter?”

“Yes,” Liang Shu said. “Let’s go inside and have a look.”

Going in to have a look was fine. Liu Xian’an said: “It turns out the prince has finished resting so soon.”

Liang Shu smiled: “Watching you walk with your eyes closed is also considered resting, we just happened to come here.”

He took the other party’s waist and easily jumped up the wall, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Liu Xian’an also glimpsed the clue. There seemed to be somebody in the opposite room, and under the moonlight, they suddenly disappeared.

Liang Shu signaled him to keep quiet, and the two of them landed soundlessly in the courtyard, then quickly disappeared into a dark space. As for the dark space, it was naturally not very spacious. Liu Xian’an clung tightly to Liang Shu’s arms. He only felt his heart beating and the other person’s heart beating, and his ears rang, so he turned his head to the other side and tried to see a ghost to calm down.

It turned out there was no ghost.

Liang Shu pressed his back: “Don’t move around.”

Liu Xian’an thought, but the distance between us is too close.

They were so close that he could hear the other breathing next to his ear, and the entire patch of skin there was hot. At this moment, Liang Shu also noticed the temperature rising from his ears. They were bright red, and didn’t look like they belonged to a forty-eight thousand year-old man. He laughed softly.

His laugh made Second Young Master Liu become increasingly uneasy. Why are we spying like this? Shouldn’t it be very tense and exciting? I mean, not this sort of tense and exciting. He gathered up his cloak a little, but accidentally knocked down a pile of rotten wood in the corner. It clattered, but there was no immediate movement in the room.

Now that they had been exposed, Liang Shu did not continue to hide, and led Liu Xian’an to push open the door: “Come out!”

The other party did not show himself, and there were only a few inaudible breaths in the room. After a while, a black figure suddenly jumped up and rushed toward the window, but was hit on the calf by a flash of silver light and fell back into the room, numb all over.

Under the moonlight, it could be clearly seen that the other party was a young man. He dragged his half-paralyzed body and looked at the two people in front of him vigilantly: “Who are you?”

Liang Shu said: “Looks like you have a bit of skill. Are you the one pretending to be a ghost?”

“What pretending to be a ghost? I’m here to catch a ghost.” The young man stood up limply. “You two strangers, why did you run into this haunted courtyard?”

“Coincidentally, we are also here to catch a ghost.” Liang Shu asked, “May we have your name?”

“Liu Meng.”^[1] The young man guessed, “Are you the wizard invited by Yu-daren from a foreign country?” After speaking, he frowned. “Forget it, you don’t look like it.”

He moved his legs twice. “I must leave as soon as possible. If the officials find out, they will interrogate me for a long time, and I’ll get in trouble with my mother. I’m not a bad person, and you don’t look like bad people either. Since everyone is catching ghosts based on their ability, then today’s matter is over, and no one should say anything about it.”

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[1] This is a different Liu. Liu Meng uses the 刘 character for Liu, and Liu Xian’an uses the 柳 character. ⮐

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

In the third year after Yan Mingting married, he received a visiting letter from his uncle.

“Their family is coming to Beijing to celebrate the New Year,” Yan Mingting said to Zhao Yelan.

“Why do they want to come to the capital all of a sudden?” Zhao Yelan asked.

He had heard from Yan Mingting that he had several distant relatives, and he had the closest relationship with his uncle. The uncle’s son worked elsewhere, so he followed along with him. 

For such a big event as Yan Mingting’s marriage, his uncle had planned to come, but the marriage was rushed, and by the time he received the letter, it was too late to head out.

What’s more, his wife was seriously ill at the time, so she was unable to attend Yan Mingting’s big wedding ceremony and caused him to think about it all the time.

“His son was promoted to governor this year, and he will go to Beijing to report on his duties at the end of the year, so he’s coming to the capital to meet us with him,” Yan Mingting said.

“Us?”

“En, he has been asking about you in his letters. He’s wanted to meet you for a long time,” Yan Mingting said with a smile. “We should have gone to see them, but haven’t had time. It just so happens that my cousin is coming to the capital this time, so we can meet them. I haven’t seen them for a long time.”

“En.”

Yan Mingting saw that he had a calm attitude, dignified and free of panic, and thought that he was indeed a person who had seen the world!

According to the distance and the estimated time the letter was received, they would arrive in Beijing in just a few days. Yan Mingting asked Housekeeper Qin to tidy up a few rooms and prepare some of his uncle’s favorite food.

Housekeeper Qin quickly responded. In the past few years, it had only been the two masters on New Year’s Eve, so this year might be very lively.

However, not two days later, Yan Mingting found that Zhao Yelan hadn’t come home. When he went out to look for him, he found him sitting in Li Yucheng’s shop, chatting with him and Yin Pinglu.

Li Yucheng’s business was very prosperous now, and he wore gold and silver, for fear that others would not know that he had made a fortune. When he saw Yan Mingting, his waist stiffened and he said: “You go back and wait, he’s coming to my house for dinner tonight.”

“Ah?” Yan Mingting looked at Zhao Yelan suspiciously. “Really?”

“En.” Zhao Yelan nodded. “I have matters to discuss with his father, and I’ll return after dinner.”

“Okay then.” Yan Mingting went back half-believingly. The next day, he tied up Li Yucheng in the middle of the road and interrogated him. “What did he do at your house last night?”

“Just ate, ah.” Li Yucheng said, “Let me go, if you don’t let me go, I’ll call someone, ah. Someone help, I’m being assaulted!”

“It’s useless for you to shout, let’s see who dares to save you.” Yan Mingting had been displeased with Li Yucheng recently. When there was big business, he ran to the mansion and nattered on to Zhao Yelan for a long time, and even brought gold, silver, and jewels to make Zhao Yelan happy. It was truly punch-worthy. He ground his teeth, “What sort of food did he eat at your house? Hurry up and confess the truth.”

“What can I say, he really came to meet my dad for dinner!” Li Yucheng said.

“Your father is retired, what could he want with him? Were they discussing how to beat you, an unfilial son?” Yan Mingting asked fiercely.

“Hey, you’re just venting your personal anger, ah. I know you’re jealous of my money now, there’s no helping it, who am I……hey, hey, hey, don’t hit me! I was wrong, I was wrong!” Li Yucheng held his head and confessed, “In fact, I don’t know what he wanted with my dad. During the meal, he kept asking my dad what he likes to eat, what he plays, and what special preferences and customs people of his age have. I was confused.”

In the evening, after Zhao Yelan finished eating, he went to the study and rummaged through boxes.

Yan Mingting followed quietly, and suddenly appeared from behind him: “What are you doing?”

Zhao Yelan was startled, and the book his hand was thrown into the air, only to be caught by Yan Mingting. He turned it over to take a look, and it ended up being a picture book: “Cuju?”^[1]

“Give it back.” Zhao Yelan reached up to grab it.

Yan Mingting raised it above his head, then lowered his head to snatch a kiss, saying with a smile: “Don’t look at this, my uncle doesn’t like Cuju.”

Zhao Yelan paused, frowning slightly: “Then why is there such an old picture book in the study?”

“This was previously my mother’s hobby. She loved Cuju since she was a child, and it was on the Cuju field that she fell in love with my father, a big roughneck,” Yan Mingting said. 

“So that’s how it is.” Zhao Yelan sighed, then looked at him suddenly. “How did you know what I was looking for?”

“Aren’t you just looking for what my uncle likes? Why don’t you just ask me?” Yan Mingting smiled meaningfully.

Zhao Yelan glanced at him, then turned around and continued to look through the old books.

There was naturally no reason not to ask. He had never met his family, so suddenly being asked to meet Yan Mingting’s uncle, he was inevitably at a loss, afraid to not do well and make the old man hate him.

The main reason was that his previous reputation was so bad, and he was also a man. After getting married, the Yan family line was ended, and he wouldn’t allow Yan Mingting to take concubines. This had already received criticism from others, not to mention that the other party was an old uncle in the clan and would probably hate him to death.

“My uncle likes to eat steamed cakes,” Yan Mingting whispered in his ear.

“Steamed cakes?” Zhao Yelan asked in a daze.

“En, he never tires of eating them.”

“That’s odd.”

On the second day, Yan Mingting heard that Zhao Yelan had gone to buy all the steamed cakes in the capital, having everyone try them in order to choose the best ones. The servants must have thought they were eating New Year’s steamed cakes, and almost cried.

A few days later, the General’s Mansion welcomed guests.

Zhao Yelan was still at the Imperial Academy when he received the news from Xiao Gao. He quickly took a leave of absence and hurried back to the mansion, opening the curtain to ask Xiao Gao: “How many people are there in total?”

“Several, including the General’s uncle, aunt, and cousins, a total of five people.” 

“What does that uncle look like?”

“He looks quite proud, and also fierce, with a big sword in his hand. Even the General is humble and flattering,” Xiao Gao said.

Zhao Yelan looked at the gate of the General’s Mansion with a heavy heart. He had no choice but to get out of the sedan chair, and before he reached the gate, he heard laughter coming from the front hall.

He got his expression under control and was about to go in, when he took a few steps back suddenly and took off the precious hairpin on his head, as well as the jade pendant and sachet around his waist, and stuffed them all into Xiao Gao’s hands: “Take these back to the room quickly, don’t let them see them.”

“Yes.”

He checked himself again and felt that he was simple and neat from head to foot, so he walked through the main entrance without a change of expression. It was unknown who noticed him first as the other people looked over one after another, all eyes focused on him.

“You got back so early.” Yan Mingting stepped forward and held his hand.

He subconsciously looked up at the old man sitting in the main seat. The other party was not angry, but had an intense aura, and there was no joy or anger to be seen on his face, which was more troublesome.

He was about to hold his arms behind his back, but Yan Mingting led him to the old man and said with a smile: “Uncle, let me introduce you, this is Zhao Mengting. Mengting, quickly greet Uncle.”

Zhao Yelan glanced at him nervously, and said with some awkwardness: “Uncle.”

“En.” Uncle was in pretty good spirits, stroking his beard as he looked at him from head to toe. He gave a sudden “Huh” and said, “You’re really Zhao Yelan?”

“Could there be a fake?” Yan Mingting laughed, and led the other person to pay respects to his younger uncle and aunt.

The younger uncle and aunt still looked very young. According to his official position, he was now a first-rank official, and these people had to respectfully call him Zhao-daren.

Yan Mingting said that this was their home, so they could just follow the family rules, and Zhao Yelan called them Uncle and Aunt.

Finally, there were the cousins who were a few years younger than them. These two young people were easy-going, and greeted them with smiles.

The meal was ready, and Yan Mingting welcomed them home. The old man loved to recall the past at the dinner table, and went straight to mentioning the events of Yan Mingting’s childhood. Then he also mentioned his father and grandfather and burst into tears while talking about them, and everyone coaxed and persuaded him to stop crying.

Zhao Yelan sat to the side, at a loss and feeling that he was a bit out of place. He didn’t know any of the things they mentioned about the Yan family’s past, but he listened so seriously that he seemed aloof. 

When the old uncle was crying, he had no way to coax the other person. He just watched these family members work together to comfort the uncle without any use for him, and could only sit on the side in embarrassment.

At this time, Yan Mingting called: “Mengting, why aren’t those steamed cakes you bought for Uncle on the table? Did the people in the kitchen not prepare them?”

“I’ll go take a look.” Zhao Yelan immediately took the opportunity to go to the kitchen and unwind, then returned with a plate of steamed cakes.

“Uncle, Mengting specially bought these for you, why don’t you try them? Are they the same as back then?” Yan Mingting took a piece of cake and handed it to his uncle.

The uncle looked at them hesitantly, then took a bite and couldn’t help bursting into tears: “This is the taste, this is the taste from when I was young. My big brother, your grandfather, always took me to eat this, and I wuwuwuwu……”

Zhao Yelan hastily stood aside.

After finally calming down, the uncle ate a few more mouthfuls and tears began to fall again. “My teeth seem to be broken……”

Everyone: “…….”

After finishing the tumultuous meal, Yan Mingting took everyone to their wing to rest.

For the next two days, Zhao Yelan would meet these people from time to time, greeting them politely. It looked very harmonious, but he became increasingly restrained, and could only run to the kitchen to catch his breath, asking: “Is the meal ready for the evening? Don’t make anything that is too difficult to chew.”

“It’s ready, everything is soft and light,” Housekeeper Qin said.

“En……Uncle seems to like that tofu quite a lot, so prepare more tomorrow.”

“All right.”

“And that cousin, her clothes got dirty in the snow, you go to Jinxuan to buy her a new set and send it over.”

“Yes.”

Zhao Yelan gave instructions for a long time, and when he turned his head, he saw Yan Mingting leaning against the door and looking at him with a smile. 

“Why did you come here?” Zhao Yelan walked to the door and asked, “Aren’t you going to talk to your uncle?”

“He said he wanted to rest, so he asked me to go out.” Yan Mingting led him back to their room, rubbing his hands to keep warm. “I’ve been talking to them for two days, and they feel a little cold toward you.”

“That’s the problem, you haven’t seen each other for many years, and you must have a lot to talk about, but it’s hard to talk when I’m there,” Zhao Yelan said considerately.

“Aiya, you’re so sweet.” The two walked to the room, and Yan Mingting brought him another brightly colored outfit to put on. “It’s snowing again, wear more.”

“Change to another one.” Zhao Yelan glanced down and then went to choose a pure white one, which made him look clean and elegant. Yan Mingting was a little unused to it, and stared at him for a long time.

After eating, Yan Mingting was called to the wing room by his uncle’s family to talk again.

Zhao Yelan waited in the room for a long time, but the other person never came back. Just as he was about to rest, he saw Housekeeper Qin passing by with snacks and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Oh, my lord, you’re here. Can I trouble you to bring this to the wing room first? I forgot there is still soup in the pot, so I must go back and check on it,” Housekeeper Qin said.

“Bring it here.” Zhao Yelan had no choice but to carry the plate and walk to the wing room, his footsteps subconsciously lighter. He approached slowly and stood at the door, took a deep breath, and was about to knock when he heard his name mentioned.

“Is he really Zhao Yelan? Why do I feel that he is completely different from what you said in your letters?” Uncle asked.

“Where is the difference?” Yan Mingting said proudly, “Isn’t he good-looking?”

“Didn’t you say that he’s glamorous? Why have I seen him dressed in terrifying mourning white?”

Zhao Yelan: “…….?”

Yan Mingting laughed and said: “Isn’t it that he’s afraid you won’t like it if he dresses too brightly?”

“What does it matter if I like it or not? It isn’t as if he’s living with me. Whatever he likes is fine,” Uncle said with displeasure. “It’s just a pity, I wanted in vain to see how much gold and silver a big man can wear, but in the end? Boring, very boring.”

“Father, please restrain yourself, don’t let Zhao-daren hear your jokes.” The cousin smiled helplessly.

“Why do you still call him Zhao-daren? Didn’t Fangli say that family customs should be followed in the house?” Uncle snorted. “Even if Zhao Yelan becomes the heavenly king, he has to obediently call you Uncle.”

The younger uncle squinted at him. “If you are so capable, why don’t you dare reprimand him to his face? Don’t you just shrink back and not dare to make a sound?”

Yan Mingting said with a smile: “That’s right, if you don’t like him, Uncle, just tell him directly. Don’t look at him from the corner of your eye all day long and make him feel awkward.”

“Did I say I dislike him? Of course, I don’t like him very much either.” Uncle stroked his beard and said, “Besides, he doesn’t really like this old man.”

“Why is that?”

“We’ve been living here for a few days, and he doesn’t even have a smile on his face. He hides when he sees us. Doesn’t this mean he hates us, ah?” Uncle pointed to the younger uncle and cousins. “Ask them if they dare approach your darling? All day long, you look like you’re protecting yourselves. It’s embarrassing, you’ve completely embarrassed your old Yan family! Your grandfather and your father, which one was not an awe-inspiring man outside?”

“Everyone is timid at home,” Yan Mingting murmured. “The same goes for you.”

“What did you say? I’ll beat you to death!” 

Uncle raised his hand to beat him, but his son stopped him and apologized directly to Yan Mingting. 

“It’s okay. Uncle adores me, it’s been this way since I was a child.” Yan Mingting laughed out loud, adding, “Mengting, ba, he has no elders. Seeing you all nervous, he definitely doesn’t mean to ignore you on purpose, but is being kind.”

“You are the first to tell me that he is kind.” Uncle said angrily, “Don’t you know how far the things he did before have spread?”

Yan Mingting: “Those are all rumors, rumors! Don’t believe them, otherwise, I won’t let you get away with it.”

“Such a big person is still acting shamefully.” Uncle said this, but there was a smile on his face. “Are you going to roll around on the ground again?”

Everyone laughed again, and the younger uncle on the side patted Yan Mingting on the shoulder: “We understand what you mean, don’t worry. In fact, we just felt that he didn’t seem to welcome us, so we were very reserved and polite.”

Yan Mingting said: “Then you have misunderstood. A few days ago, he began preparing your basic necessities, food, housing, and transportation, and today’s dinner was specially arranged by him. Even I didn’t notice that you like tofu, Uncle, but he did. This shows that he really likes you.”

“Okay, okay, we know, don’t talk about him endlessly. Fangli, you stay in my room tonight.”

“Ah?”

“Ah, what ah? Have you forgotten that you loved sleeping with me when you were a child? Brat, do you really despise this old man? Weren’t you, a big baby, unable to live without me for a day, ah?”

“You must let me speak to him.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. When it opened, everyone saw Zhao Yelan standing outside.

“Snacks were prepared in the kitchen. Eat some if you are hungry.” Zhao Yelan walked in, put down the plate, and looked around. Everyone went quiet, and even Uncle looked at him timidly. He smiled suddenly. “Fangli, you can rest with Uncle tonight. I’ll go back first.”

“Okay, walk slowly in the dark.”

Yan Mingting watched him leave before turning around. His Uncle looked to be in shock, and asked him, “Did he hear everything?”

Yan Mingting thought for a moment: “Probably?”

“Where is my old face? I still wanted to frighten him with my impressiveness!” Uncle said dejectedly.

Yan Mingting was exceedingly pleased.

“But he actually smiled at me just now, did you see that?”

Yan Mingting’s younger uncle and cousins exchanged glances and shook their heads together.

“How could you not see it? He really smiled, just stood there and smiled at me. A big man gave such a strangely good-looking smile, and you didn’t see it?!”

Everyone still shook their heads, and Uncle said angrily, “You guys wait and see tomorrow!”

The next day happened to be the day before New Year’s Eve, and the palace rested for five days.

Early in the morning, Yan Mingting and his uncle were exercising in the courtyard. Uncle was practicing Tai Chi, and when he was pushing forward, he suddenly saw a man in a vermillion robe and a golden headpiece passing by in the corridor. He could only stop and stare straight at him. “That, that is……”

“Uncle.” Zhao Yelan turned his head and greeted him.

“Hey,” Uncle responded, forgetting the next move. He stood up straight and pretended to act natural, putting his hands behind his back and muttering to Yan Mingting, “Why is he not wearing mourning clothes today?”

“Perhaps there are no more white clothes,” Yan Mingting said with a smile. “There are only one or two white robes in total, and they have all been worn.”

Not to mention Uncle, even the others were drawn in by him. While eating, they glanced at him from the corners of their eyes. Even though he was glamorously dressed, it was inexplicably harmonious. Those cold facial features overlapped with a sense of worldliness, like a person in a painting.

Especially the aunt and cousins, the more they looked, the more excited they became, and couldn’t help but ask about the clothes, such as where he bought the sachet and jade pendant.

Zhao Yelan answered them one by one, and promised to take them to the streets together, which made them very happy.

After eating, the group of them went to tour the capital. Zhao Yelan had a wealth of experience in matters of pleasure, and took them to Jinxuan and Li Yucheng’s shop, strolling around for half a day without a problem. He also arranged for the young uncle and cousins to go to Huichun Tower to drink tea and listen to operas, and finally took the older uncle to buy steamed cakes.

“One of my teeth is broken, so I dare not eat too many,” Uncle said.

“ I asked the shopkeeper to make some softer ones, will you try one?”

Uncle took it and tasted it. It was not as hard as the last one, and he was satisfied.

When passing a pawn shop, Uncle said he would go in and pawn something. Zhao Yelan also accompanied him and made the shopkeeper raise the price, and in the end, Uncle departed happily with money in hand.

On New Year’s Eve, the General’s Mansion was very lively. Because there were relatives there, guests were not allowed to visit this year, and there was only the family sitting around eating together.

In the afternoon, Zhao Yelan played chess with Uncle. After winning a few rounds, Uncle became unhappy: “Fangli said that when you play chess, you won’t even concede to the Emperor, so why are you conceding to me? Are you looking down on me?”

These words hit his heart, and Zhao Yelan didn’t throw the games anymore. After half an hour, Uncle begged: “Just let me win once, just once, Mengting, just once!”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

After dinner, everyone went to a tall building in the city to drink and watch fireworks. 

In this sort of festive atmosphere, it was unreasonable to not drink at least two cups. Even the aunt and cousins raised their cups and drank together, and Zhao Yelan naturally couldn’t avoid it. He toasted each of the elders with a cup of wine and then sat quietly to the side.

Uncle asked Yan Mingting curiously: “Why is he so quiet?”

“He’s really drunk,” Yan Mingting said.

Everyone: “ ? ”

Yan Mingting set down his cup and was about to go help him, when he saw the other’s head resting on Uncle’s shoulder next to him.

Everyone: “ ? ”

Uncle turned to look at him. “You’re drunk? Are you treating me as Fangli?”

Zhao Yelan blinked slowly, looking up at him: “Uncle……”

Yan Mingting hurriedly covered his mouth, for fear that he would habitually ask to be hugged.

“Wu…..” Zhao Yelan tried to push his hand away.

“He acts like this whenever he drinks, don’t mind him, I’ll send him back first.” Yan Mingting gave an embarrassed smile and picked him up.

Zhao Yelan picked up his sleeves and looked at the people around the table, saying: “Uncles, I like you, ah, you should be promoted to the capital quickly. Aunt and little cousins, you are very pretty……”

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

Yan Mingting smiled: “What about me?”

Zhao Yelan looked up at him: “Hug.”

When he woke up the next day, Zhao Yelan sat on the edge of the bed and emptied his mind. He rubbed his head, not wanting to step outside the door at all.

“You’re awake.” Yan Mingting smiled. “Get up and come eat, you are missed.”

“I won’t eat.” Zhao Yelan lay down and closed his eyes, not wanting to face this terrible world.

“If you don’t eat, they might think you’re sick and come to visit you.”

Zhao Yelan climbed up with an ugly expression and walked to the front hall. He glanced at them awkwardly, but saw that they were acting normal and talking about everyday things, so he sat down in silence to eat.

They were leaving in the afternoon, and Zhao Yelan had prepared a lot of luggage for them, along with carriages, big and small.

The group of people said their farewells by the gate. Uncle got into the carriage first, but called Zhao Yelan in alone, and took a golden lock out of his sleeve with the word ‘Zhao’ engraved on it.

“It is the custom of our Yan family to give a jade bracelet to the new daughter-in-law, but that wasn’t suitable for you, so I pawned that bracelet and exchanged it for this, which can count as a gift for a grandson-in-law.”

Zhao Yelan accepted it, flattered. He recalled when he went to the pawn shop with him, wondering why he pawned such a good bracelet.

“My brother and nephew were unlucky in that they couldn’t see you marry Fangli with their own eyes. I came to see on their behalf, and they can rest assured, they don’t have to worry about it in the underworld. Fangli married a remarkable man.”

“Thank you.”

“Why are you being polite?” Uncle said, “You can also see that our Yan family is weak, especially this branch. Both his grandfather and father only had one wife each, and he…..To be honest, the year you first got married, I kept writing letters urging him to take some concubines. Now the world is peaceful, he doesn’t have to shed his blood and sacrifice himself, and can spread his branches and leaves peacefully. Isn’t that also good?”

Zhao Yelan said nothing.

“But that kid is so annoying, I write him a letter and he writes ten back. When I was packing my luggage this time, I accidentally brought a few of them with me.” Uncle took out a stack of letters and handed them to him, patting his shoulder heavily. “From now on, Fangli will be entrusted to you.”

“En, you take care.”

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting stood beside the carriage. They waved goodbye and watched them leave until they completely disappeared from sight. He turned his head and found the Yan Mingting’s eyes were red, and couldn’t help but smile.

Yan Minting turned his face away and quickly ran back to the bedroom.

Zhao Yelan didn’t bother him, but went to the study and opened the letters to read them.

The beginning of each letter was an exchange of pleasantries, and after the current situation was explained in detail, Zhao Yelan would be mentioned.

— Thank you for your concern, Uncle. After two months of marriage, I don’t think that Zhao Yelan is a person who is as wicked and unforgiving as the rumors say, and I hope Uncle will not believe those rumors.

— Uncle, what you say is a bit biased. Zhao Yelan is a man, but I am also a man, ah. He can’t spread branches and leaves for my Yan family, and I also can’t bear children for him. 

I call him ‘wife’ just for fun between marriage partners, but I don’t expect him to take on the duties of a wife. Aren’t your words putting too much pressure on others?

— Uncle, I’m going to secretly say something outrageous to you. You should sit down first.

I think, I might, I possibly……really fell in love with Zhao Yelan.

My god, I can’t believe it myself!

— I’m in Jiangnan now, and I originally thought I would visit you once I finished my business, but I didn’t expect to encounter a drought. Mengting is trying his best to salvage the situation. I hope it will rain soon, Mengting’s body can hardly bear it anymore.

When natural disasters come, should we save others or ourselves?

Uncle, I’m ashamed to say this, but I’ve developed some selfishness in the past few days, and I hope Mengting can choose the latter.

— Uncle, I got the Chisha Sword! Where do you think it came from? That’s right, it’s the reward that Mengting got from the Emperor for me! He loves me so much! 

Because of Mengting, I am now the most promising person in our Yan family! Don’t be jealous!

— As for the question of heirs that you mentioned again, I have thought about it carefully. Let my uncles and cousins work harder. Wait for me and Mengting for a hundred years, and then take the Yan family property back. If you don’t want it, I will donate it all to the common people. Anyway, you don’t bring anything into life when you’re born, and you don’t take anything away when you die. I just need Mengting to accompany me for a hundred years.

— Mengting looks very good today, no, he looks very good every day! 

When the time comes that you come to the capital to see him, Uncle, don’t hold prejudice against him. He likes fragrances because he has suffered from bitter smells, and the bright and beautiful clothes he wears are definitely not vanity. It is because his mother was an embroiderer, and he wants to wear all the clothes in the world to show his parents. Because he was poor, he likes expensive things, just like I still like eating tanghulu at my age.

Uncle, if you meet him, you will definitely like him!

— Sorry, I forgot to say something else. Uncle, if you see him hit me or beat me, don’t be angry. He can’t hurt me with his flowery and impractical skills. This is our way of showing love, don’t worry too much!

— You haven’t left yet, have you? I will add one last thing.

I also know that nobody can be liked by everyone. If, if…..if you really don’t like him, please try your best to treat him kindly. 

I still have you all as family far away, but he only has me. So I implore you to treat him like me, okay?

The candle was about to burn out. Zhao Yelan lit another one and carefully folded the letters. When he heard footsteps outside the door, he hastily stuffed them into his pocket.

“It’s so late, aren’t you going to rest?” Yan Mingting asked as he walked in. “What has you so busy?”

“It’s nothing,” Zhao Yelan said, lowering his head.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yan Mingting raised his head to find that his eyes were slightly red and the tails of his eyes were wet. He asked in surprise, “Are you also reluctant to part with them?”

Zhao Yelan suddenly smiled: “Yes, ah, let’s visit them someday.”

“Okay, ah.” Yan Mingting readily agreed. He touched his cheek and said in a low voice, “You like my family members?”

“I like them.” Zhao Yelan stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips. “Because they are your family, I also like them very much.”

There were thousands of words of letters smushed between their two chests, and the endless feelings in those words finally became one simple sentence.

“Fangli, I’m glad to have met you, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

---

[1] Cuju (蹴鞠) is Chinese football. ⮐

---

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Extra 1: Birthday <<Table of Contents >> Extra 3: Afterwards

Bo Yueming’s biological clock was still as accurate as ever. When he awoke, the headache that had been silent the whole night unleashed its strength and instantly penetrated all over his body.

He frowned and tried to turn around, but a familiar weight on his arm startled him. His reasoning that was delayed by the pain finally returned, and he lowered his eyes—

Pei Yi was sleeping in his arms. Perhaps because he had slept so warmly, there was still a trace of a flush on his cheeks.

Bo Yueming’s movements had likely disturbed his sweet dreams, and Pei Yi casually grabbed the material of his clothes over his chest and mumbled, “Don’t, don’t move. I haven’t slept enough yet.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming immediately became “well-behaved’ and stopped moving. He stared at the sleeping face of the kitten in his arms and silently recalled everything that had happened before going to bed—

Last night, his sudden return home shocked everyone in the Bo family at the dinner table.

Aside from Bo Jiao, who gave him a genuine welcome, the eyes of the others were all full of repulsion and defiance. Even so, their verbal greetings were still very proper.

Since childhood, Bo Yueming had been accustomed to such hypocritical scenes.

In the past, Bo Yueming would have left the venue after greeting them, but that night, he deliberately “didn’t see” the true emotions in their eyes and instead “found” a seat and sat down calmly.

After a few simple and superficial remarks, Bo Yueming directly stated that he wanted to return to group headquarters to continue working for Old Mr. Bo. Not only that, but he brought up Old Mrs. Bo as an excuse.

After all, the Wencheng Sports Center project and the investment expansion along the coast was one of Old Mrs. Bo’s most valued projects before she fell ill.

Of course, Bo Yueming brought up Old Mrs. Bo in order to see the other peoples’ reactions, and as he expected—

Old Mr. Bo seemed to be in pain, as if he had been stepped on. Then he slapped the table and exploded, “After your grandma had an accident, you took her away without telling us, and now you still want to use her to suppress me?”

“Bo Yueming, think about your birth and identity. If I don’t recognize you as a grandson, what qualifications do you have to influence my decision here?”

The moment these words came from Old Mr. Bo’s mouth, Bo Yueming thoroughly saw through the other’s selfish, narrow-minded, and biased nature—

In fact, Old Mr. Bo didn’t care whether his wife would get up again, and didn’t value their so-called grandparent and grandson relationship. All he valued from beginning to end was his own face and surname!

Marrying into the Bo family back then was the best choice he could make with his interests and pretenses, and maybe there was some real affection for Old Mrs. Bo.

But later, the love between husband and wife gradually faded away, and all that remained was pretense and superb acting skills.

He hated being called “Old Mr. Bo” by others. His wife was a head above him, and he felt that he had been swallowing down this humiliation for decades!

During the period where his wife, Bo Peizhi, had an “accident,” the mask Cheng Yangshan had worn for many years finally grew weaker each day, and he began to reveal the chauvinism in his  bones that had not disappeared for a day.

Pedantic, ignorant, and stupid!

The reason Cheng Yangshan showed such extreme resistance and disgust toward Bo Yueming was because Bo Peizhi valued this grandson so much!

He didn’t dare let Bo Yueming return to group headquarters, for fear that the other party would firmly control everything about the Bo family on behalf of Bo Peizhi in her hospital bed!

Of course, Cheng Yangshan’s deepest fear was that—

Bo Peizhi’s condition would improve, and she would wake up one day to suppress him again!

“……..”

After realizing this absurd and ridiculous fact, Bo Yueming left the main house with a cold expression, and after returning to his villa, his long-suppressed emotions finally reached the breaking point.

The strong alcohol entered his throat, and the overflowing hatred became more and more intense.

For a moment, Bo Yueming felt that under the influence of the alcohol, he would become unhinged and extreme, and even rush out of the house to do things that would harm others and himself.

But at that time, Pei Yi returned.

Bo Yueming was not like Pei Yi, who would become completely fragmented and lose his memory after drinking. On the contrary, he would clearly remember everything before and after drinking—

He remembered Pei Yi holding his wrist and earnestly saying that he believed in everything he did.

He remembered Pei Yi rubbing his head, trying to calm his pain and anxiety.

He also remembered that when he “childishly” clung to Pei Yi while drunk, the other party grumbled and complained, but didn’t run away and leave him.

Due to his blindness, Bo Yueming really couldn’t “remember” the scene when he first met Pei Yi, but he could confirm—

The Pei Yi who rushed toward him that afternoon, playing the fool, had unknowingly become his only outlet in his inner world. He intercepted his gloom, regulated his pain, and let him release his feelings, while giving him the steady companionship he once longed for.

“Pei Yi.”

Bo Yueming lightly brushed the scattered hair on Pei Yi’s forehead with his fingertips, and thought that he should choose a time to confess to the other party.

The fingertips touching his forehead likely tickled.

The sleeping Pei Yi let out a “hmmn” and raised his eyelids, as if he was about to wake up.

A gleam passed through Bo Yueming’s eyes, and he closed them again, pretending to be asleep.

“…….”

Not long after, Pei Yi awoke in a daze.

His instinctive clinging was faster than his rational thinking. He rubbed his cheek against Bo Yueming’s chest twice, and opened his eyes in reaction when he realized that the fabric against his face wasn’t right.

Pei Yi felt the strength of the arm around his waist, and raised his head slightly to see Bo Yueming’s sleeping face clearly.

En.

He drank so much last night that he shouldn’t wake up early, right?

Pei Yi confirmed this idea to himself, and was not in a hurry to escape this time.

The hand in front of him unconsciously shifted direction, from Bo Yueming’s eyebrows to the tip of his nose, then to outline his lips and touch his sexy Adams’ apple.

The sleeping Bo Yueming remained motionless, letting him mess around.

“…….”

Pei Yi seemed to think of something, and rubbed his fingers back and forth on Bo Yueming’s Adam’s apple four or five times. As expected, the swell of his Adam’s apple instantly turned hot and red.

Pei Yi was as surprised as if he had discovered a new continent, and said in amazement, “It can’t be true, can it?”

He remembered the company’s female staff discussing it during a team-building dinner. They said that a man with a red Adam’s apple was usually pure and abstinent, but when he finally indulged his desires, he was also very capable!

At the beginning, Pei Yi noted this matter down out of curiosity, and when he went back at night, he vigorously rubbed his Adam’s apple a few times in front of the mirror.

Afterwards, he dismissed it as “fake.”

Pei Yi’s thoughts were distracted by the past for a moment, and he forgot to stop moving his fingers, playing them in circles around that Adam’s apple.

Unable to bear it, Bo Yueming failed in his efforts to pretend to be asleep, and firmly grasped the mischievous hand. “It’s early, don’t touch randomly.”

“…….”

Pei Yi shivered in shock. “E-Er Ge?”

Bo Yueming’s head still throbbed with pain. He wasn’t in a hurry to open his eyes, and his voice was uncommonly hoarse and lazy. “Why did you come to sleep with me again?”

He asked while knowing the answer, deliberately fishing for a kitten.

Pei Yi recalled what happened the night before and took it amiss, withdrawing from his arms. “You, drunk.”

A certain somebody threw a childish tantrum when he was drunk and kept clinging to him, so what could he do, ah?

Seeing Pei Yi withdraw from the embrace, Bo Yueming didn’t deliberately try to keep him, but reached up to rub his aching temples. “There also seems to be a person who can pour one glass and end up much more drunk than me.”

“…….”

He was angry, but couldn’t refute it.

Pei Yi, who was in a jam, got up numbly and ran away with sleep-mussed hair.

“Meow-wu~”

As soon as the door opened, Inspector’s chubby figure quickly entered.

Facing Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, who were standing and lying down, it immediately began to meow in accusation, as if very dissatisfied that it was left alone in the living room last night.

Pei Yi quickly picked up his beloved pet and tossed the pot over hard, “Right, he’s bad!”

Inspector stared, wide-eyed, and thought for two seconds. Then it took Pei Yi’s arm in its little paws and responded unknowingly, “Meow!”

Bo Yueming opened his eyes and watched the back of a person and his cat leaving, and smiled helplessly. He suddenly felt that the headache wasn’t so severe anymore.

. . . . . .

After coming home last night, Pei Yi had yet to step into his small room.

Now, as he entered the room and looked at the familiar layout, he suddenly felt an unexpected sense of long-lost belonging. Taking a deep breath, he picked up a change of clothes and went to the bathroom.

He washed in comforting warm water.

Taking advantage of his early wakefulness, Pei Yi focused on recalling the plot of the original text—

The story of “The Misplaced Love of a Rich Family” began with Old Mr. Bo’s banquet, where the protagonists Yan Cen, Pei Huan, the supporting role Li Yuan, and the “villain” Bo Yueming met.

After that, from the perspective of Pei Huan, it went through his initial efforts in his career, to the various exchanges and interactions when re-encountering Yan Cen, and then to his acquaintance and words of defense for the important supporting role Bo Yueming.

All in all, the steps of the plot crazily favored the protagonist.

Pei Yi had actually passed the “three months passed in the blink of an eye” portion of the book. It would be Pei Huan and Li Yuan’s birthdays in half a month, and the most important scene in the original book was on that day!

On the day of the birthday, both Pei and Li coincidentally chose the same restaurant to celebrate. Compared to Pei Huan, who had many relatives and friends celebrating his birthday, Li Yuan only had his mother, An Yang, by his side.

Ever since her husband passed away from a sudden illness, An Yang experienced some mental problems, with ups and downs.

At the dining table, Li Yuan apologetically confessed the bankruptcy and closure of the Dawn company. Unexpectedly, An Yang lost control of her emotions upon hearing about this, shouting and crying.

This coincidentally attracted the attention of Pei Huan and others.

Then there was a series of twists and turns before the mystery of the two’s origins could be solved.

However, since he transmigrated, Pei Yi had witnessed a series of changes.

First of all, Yan Cen and Bo Yueming probably didn’t have much affection for Pei Huan, and Li Yuan also hadn’t experienced bankruptcy or the closure of his company. Perhaps the next part of the plot would change accordingly?

Pei Yi didn’t want to speculate about the main plot that hadn’t happened yet. What he cared more about was—

In the original text, Bo Yueming’s eye condition showed signs of improvement after the “mystery of origins” was revealed, and he recovered completely within half a month.

Judging from this timeline, there was only a month left at most.

During this month, Pei Yi could complete the structure of at least two more mini-games, prepare a new house for after he “escaped,” and even reveal his “recovered” status with Qin Yishun, Shu Wan, and others so that they could help hide his whereabouts in the future.

A month was short, but it was enough time.

Pei Yi turned off the water, his heart filled with a nameless and inexplicable complex emotion—

In the beginning, he had chosen to enter the Bo family according to the plot of the original book, in order to make money and better grasp the progress of the plot; In the follow-up, he was insistent on leaving the Bo family in order to completely rid himself of the fate of the cannon fodder in the original text.

Everything was now moving in the direction he wanted, so why couldn’t he look forward to it?

There was a knock on the door.

Uncle Kai’s voice was muffled by the two doors. “Little Sir, are you inside? Are you all right?”

Pei Yi tossed away these messy thoughts and quickly got ready before walking out.

Uncle Kai was waiting anxiously at the door, and only reacted when the wet-haired Pei Yi opened the door. “Aiyo, Little Sir, you scared me. You didn’t make a sound after I called for a long time.”

“So you went to take a shower, ah.”

Pei Yi rubbed the wrinkles on his fingertips indiscriminately. “En.”

Just now, he was in such a daze thinking about things, and the water was so comfortable, so he didn’t pay much attention to the time.

Uncle Kai hinted gently, “Shall we dry our hair before breakfast? Second Young Master has already gone up to group headquarters.”

Although the atmosphere in the main house was a little tense the night before, work had to be completed in a strictly business-like manner.

Bo Yueming had returned to the Imperial Capital with news of a successful bidding project. He and Lin Zhong needed to go to headquarters and report in front of the shareholders.

Pei Yi understood these important matters, and nodded obediently to Uncle Kai.

. . . . . .

Bo Group Headquarters.

Bo Lihui strode into the office with a trace of anger on his usually poised face.

Shortly after, Bo Guancheng entered as well. He locked the door of the office and shut the glass windows that automatically closed on both sides, saying in a low voice, “Dad, don’t worry.”

“Don’t worry? Why don’t you tell me why I shouldn’t worry!” Bo Lihui retorted in a suppressed voice, pointing in the direction of the executive conference room. Didn’t you see how satisfied that group of shareholders are with Bo Yueming? Almost everyone agreed that he should return to the position of General Manager!”

Bo Guancheng said nothing, but was also inwardly dissatisfied.

“If you want my opinion, your grandfather is an old fool! How could such a large profit project in Wencheng be entrusted to him without giving prior notice to this father and son? Now look what has happened—” Bo Lihui smacked the table furiously. “How long did we plan to drag him off his horse, and now he’s been given a chance to come back!”

At today’s meeting of Bo Group’s senior shareholders, Bo Yueming gave a summary report of the Wencheng project. As a result, some shareholders expressed their desire to return him to the position of “General Manager.” The reason was simple—

Facts speak louder than words.

Although the Second Young Master had an accident that made his eyes inconvenient, he still had the ability to do a good job on projects and make money for the group. As long as he was willing to return, there was no reason to stop him.

Bo Lihui thought of the silent torment he had suffered in the meeting, and felt aggrieved. “And look at the second branch’s attitude! Ever since that damn girl Bo Jiao returned, hasn’t she made trouble for our main branch openly and in secret?”

At the meeting just now, the shareholders had only just mentioned it, and Bo Jiao immediately jumped out to agree. Then Bo Yueming took advantage of this to step up—

No matter how politely Old Mr. Bo and Bo Lihui tried to stop them, in the end, there were more for it than opposed, and the minority had to obey the majority!

The agreed-upon project report suddenly became a shareholder election for positions!

“I’m just astounded! Those shareholders are usually stuffy and mute! Why did one sing more happily than the other today! It seemed like it was already negotiated!”

“…….”

Bo Guancheng pushed up his glasses, his eyes darkening, “Of course it had to be negotiated.”

“Dad, don’t forget, isn’t that senior shareholder who jumped out at the beginning to make the proposal the most loyal defender of Grandma when she was in office?”

Bo Lihui carefully recalled it, frowning even more. “Guancheng, it’s impossible to go on like this, ah! As soon as Bo Yueming returns to the position of General Manager, the advantages we accumulated in the early stages will be gone!”

“We don’t know your Grandma’s physical condition for the moment, but your Grandpa……” Bo Lihui looked at the closed office door and lowered his voice, “As for why he supports the main branch so much, you also know the reason.”

Old Mr. Bo hated his status as a “husband-in-law,” and deep down, he was even more dissatisfied that his sons and grandsons were all named “Bo!”

After Old Mrs. Bo fell, the father and son secretly communicated—

As long as Old Mr. Bo was partial to the main branch and helped the main branch control Bo Group, then when Old Mrs. Bo passed away, the main branch father and son would change their surnames to the old man’s!

At that time, “Bo Group” would be changed to “Cheng Group!”

Nobody understood the son better than the father, and vice versa.

Bo Lihui understood his father clearly. “Guancheng, this surname is what your grandfather wants. If he thinks the second branch is more capable, he might not help us!”

After all, Bo Yueming’s ability was clear to everyone, and his project performance when he was in the group should not be underestimated!

What’s more, now there was Bo Jiao on the second branch’s side. In just two and a half months, the ability shown by the other party showed that she was not an amateur!

If Old Mrs. Bo passed away in the hospital bed, that was easy to deal with, but what if the other party actually recovered one day?

Bo Guancheng removed his glasses and went back to his desk. “Dad, I understand what you’re saying.”

Bo Lihui took a deep breath. “Understand? You understand and you’re not worried?”

Picking up the glasses cleaning spray, Bo Guancheng sprayed a mist over the lenses. “The position of General Manager cannot be divided into two. It should be mine, and no one can take it back!”

Bo Guancheng picked up a cloth and wiped the lenses with great force. “If Bo Yueming wants to come back again, it won’t be that easy.”

“……..”

But the shareholders had already voted, and it was a certainty that Bo Yueming would return to the group. What did he mean by saying it wouldn’t be that easy?

Bo Lihui suddenly remembered the man-made car accident from the beginning, and his heart tightened. “Guancheng, what do you mean by that? Some things can’t be messed with again!”

Bo Guancheng knew what Bo Lihui was worried about, and scoffed. “That foreign bastard got lucky. Since I failed the first time, I will not risk a second time.”

Since Bo Yueming went blind and got married, he really hadn’t planned anything.

He had originally thought that Bo Yueming would simply settle down, never expecting that he would seize this small opportunity.

Bo Guancheng put his glasses on again, but the malice in the depths of his eyes was unable to be concealed. “Isn’t there going to be a celebration in his name this Saturday for the Wencheng project? I’ll prepare a big surprise for him.”

Everyone, just wait to watch a good show.

. . . . . .

Ding, ding, ding.

The messages in the work group were incessant.

Since Xiang Nansheng and Lou Yang took their places as Technical Director and Art Director, Li Yuan had recruited many new employees one after another, and even Pei Yi’s side became a team of six.

“The Last Fog 1.0” was a relatively simple card game, and the construction and preparations were in full swing.

Because of Pei Yi, the general gatekeeper who knew the key points of the game, and Xiang Nansheng and Lou Yang, who were equally capable, the current push was going smoothly.

If there were no accidents, they planned to launch the first wave of internal testing on New Year’s Day, and finish up within two months.

Pei Yi marked the content of the character plot that needed modification, and sent it back to the work group. “The marked copy must be re-edited and sent back to me before the end of the work day, with no delay.”

The planning team at once cried and howled, “Teacher Will, it’s only two hours until we get off work!”

“I took a look at the segment that needs editing, and I’m already scratching my head. [Wailing and crying.jpg]”

“+1”

Seeing the staff members’ accusations, Pei Yi chuckled. “If you have enough time to cry, you can modify two more NPC dialogues. This little work, you can get done in time.”

“I’ll order dessert and afternoon tea for you right away, but the work progress cannot be delayed. Finish early and rest early, and there will be absolutely no extra overtime tomorrow and Sunday.”

Although they hadn’t been in contact with Pei Yi online for very long, the entire planning team was familiar with Pei Yi’s character—

He was absolutely strict during work hours, would never hand them extra burdens when they were off work, and there would be free desserts now and then. Compared with the art team and technical team next door, theirs was a celestial being of a director!

Seeing the “thank you” superimposed in the group, Pei Yi quickly took out his phone and ordered some desserts as a reward.

Lying in its cat’s nest, Inspector seemed to have gotten enough sleep, and got out to stretch its body slowly. Then it walked to the door and signaled to Pei Yi, “Meow-wu~”

Pei Yi put down his phone and got up to move his stiff shoulders and waist. “Let’s go downstairs and ask Uncle Kai for dessert.”

“Meow!”

The person and cat were familiar with the path to the ground floor.

Inspector had just reached the ground floor when it slipped out the side door with lightning speed. Pei Yi let out an “ai,” and had no time to catch the playful kitten.

Uncle Kai stood in the living room, looking at Pei Yi with a smile. “Little Sir came down? The strawberry pie will be done in no time, just wait a little longer.”

Pei Yi looked back, and was instantly drawn to Bo Yueming’s banquet attire. He couldn’t help but quickly approach. “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming wore a champagne-colored three-piece suit, and upon closer inspection, there was a slight shimmer to the fabric.

It should be known that this sort of suit was very different from conventional ones, and could be very finicky. Even the male stars in the entertainment industry who walked the red carpet were rarely able to pull off the look. After all, it was easy to appear vulgar if one wasn’t careful.

But this suit naturally seemed to have been made for Bo Yueming, complementing his proudness and nobility.

When looking closely, there was also a sense of cold and detached aggressiveness.

Pei Yi was admiring Bo Yueming’s appearance when he suddenly heard him say, “I’m leaving for the banquet now, you stay at home obediently.”

This celebration banquet was attended by the shareholders and employees of the group, so there was no other special meaning. 

Bo Yueming wanted to take advantage of this banquet to test and win over the shareholders’ minds, an important step for him to return to the Bo Group!

Of course, he had invited Pei Yi in advance, but the other party was unwilling to go out.

“En,” Pei Yi responded in a low voice.

He would be busy writing the structure of a new game earlier, and confirming the revised content of the copywriting team, so he was unwilling to waste time on a boring celebration banquet.

Besides, he knew that Bo Yueming’s trip today was to win over people’s hearts. If he brought along his “foolish” marriage partner, it would be easy to create a negative impression on the shareholders. It wasn’t worth it.

Lin Zhong entered the room and called, “Mr. Bo, the car is ready. It’s almost time to go.”

Bo Yueming nodded, then looked at Pei Yi again. “Pei Yi.”

“En?”

Pei felt that the color of Bo Yueming’s eyes under his glasses was slightly different today, but couldn’t see clearly at the moment.

Bo Yueming drew in an indistinct breath, as if he had come to some sort of decision, and said, “Wait for me to come back tonight. I have something to talk to you about, do you hear me?”

---

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Chapter Forty-Nine <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty-One

To analyze hauntings, one must first determine where the ghost came from.

The attendant quickly brought them hot water and food. In addition to the special rice noodles, there was also a plate of colorful flower cakes, which were extremely delicate. It was said that in order to usher in the Many-Color Festival, every household was full of ingredients for the back kitchen, but in the end, who knew it would be canceled. When it came to important matters like making money or losing money, the attendant was no longer fearful of ghosts, and complained to the guests: “Say, why didn’t she pick another time, but only crawled out for the Many-Color Festival?”

“Maybe they also want to join in the fun.” Liang Shu pushed the rice noodles over in front of Liu Xian’an, let him eat slowly, and continued to question the attendant, “What is the origin of the female ghost?”

“It is the daughter of Lao Wan in the city,” the attendant said. In any case, there was no work to do in the inn now, so he was happy to chat with these two customers and take a break. Lao Wan’s name was Wan Gui, and he was a blacksmith in the city when he was young. He raised a capable daughter and named her Wan Yuan,^[1] because she was born on the fifteenth of the eighth month, when the moon was perfectly round in the sky.

“Everything was happy, and it sounded auspicious.” The attendant folded his arms. “It’s a pity about later.”

Wan Gui was not a good fellow. He had no skills, drank all day and lay down like the dead, and after his wife passed away due to illness, no one could control him. The aunts and mothers-in-law in the neighborhood saw that little Wan Yuan was so hungry, so they got together to discuss it and took turns taking her home for dinner. Eating here and there, more than ten years passed like this.

Liang Shu asked: “You said just now that she was a capable girl?”

“Yes, she was well-known for her boldness,” the attendant said. “When she was seven or eight years old, she followed the men up the mountain to gather medicine. Later, she simply built a thatched hut on the mountain and lived there, specializing in catching poisonous snakes and scorpions. Although it was dangerous, they could be sold for a lot of money. No one in this city dared to provoke her, and even her father was suppressed by her. He stopped drinking half a sip, and concentrated on running the blacksmith stall at home.”

The father and daughter made money and built a new house, seeing that the days were getting better and better. However, Wan Yuan met a hunter from abroad in the mountains. The two decided to spend their lives together privately, and went to the city together a few times to buy things. The attendant said: “When I was young, I stood at the stewed meat stall at home all day long, so I met that hunter twice. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes, but I didn’t expect that he was an evil-minded person who would cheat someone of money and body. He said that he would return and propose marriage, but he never came back.”

There was no shortage of gossips and bad people in any city. There was no reason not to gossip about this sort of thing, but Wan Yuan was so angry that she couldn’t bear it. She would beat anyone who talked about her, and once broke a person’s head so that blood flowed all over their face. The other party sued the government, and the government sent someone to arrest Wan Yuan for interrogation. As a result, she was jailed in the morning, and in the afternoon, news came that she had committed suicide by bashing her head in.

“I say…..she had resentment in her heart, and was unwilling to stay in the grave, so it is normal to want revenge.” The attendant leaned against the door. “But the hunter has gone somewhere and is not here in Huaizhen City.”

Liang Shu asked: “Where is Wan Yuan’s father?”

“When his daughter died, he would go to the street every day to make trouble, crazy and foolish. Later, he was tied up and sent to a charitable organization, but they refused to accept him, saying that they feared he would hit another old fellow. But later it seemed……it seemed he was sent elsewhere, I really can’t remember.”

As he spoke, there was a knock on the door downstairs, and he hurried down to greet the guests.

Liang Shu said: “If I had known it was such a story, I would have let you have a full stomach before listening to it.”

Liu Xian’an had originally put down his chopsticks, but upon hearing this, he picked up another flower cake on the table and ate it. It was sweet and sticky, but tasteless in his mouth. Liang Shu dragged a chair over to sit beside him, and was about to speak, but Gao Lin had already climbed the stairs. At a glance, he saw that his family’s prince was leaning toward Second Young Master Liu, so he immediately turned around and went downstairs with a serious expression, startling the guards who were following behind. What happened, was that female ghost floating around the inn?

Liu Xian’an asked in bewilderment: “What is Lieutenant General Gao running away for?”

Liang Shu replied: “Maybe he forgot something. Don’t worry about him.”

Liu Xian’an didn’t look further into the matter. He was still thinking about Wan Yuan’s story, and felt that it sounded both reasonable and unreasonable. A bold and capable girl survived the hardest days, but in the end, she committed suicide because of a man. He asked: “Who was the magistrate of the city back then, does the prince know?”

“I’ll have to check, but according to the five-year rotation regulation, it is likely that he has been transferred to another place.” Liang Shu asked, “You think Wan Yuan’s death is related to something that happened after she was imprisoned?”

“Whatever the case, she was unlikely to commit suicide,” Liu Xian’an said. “Now that the city is suddenly haunted by a ghost, perhaps it is an insider who wants to avenge her.”

“It is also possible that someone wants to make trouble in the name of ghosts, so they randomly picked this girl who died tragically,” Liang Shu said. “But no matter the possibilities, the whole city of Huaizhen is now in a state of turmoil, and this matter must be investigated thoroughly.”

Liu Xian’an nodded. He thought for a moment, and suddenly gave a deep sigh: “Matters of love are really troublesome.”

Liang Shu’s eyebrows twitched: “What does this have to do with love?”

“If she hadn’t met that hunter, all subsequent events would not have happened.” Liu Xian’an analyzed, “If she just did her poison business and didn’t speak of love, perhaps now she would have become one of the best female merchants.”

“That is because she married a bad husband, it has nothing to do with love,” Liang Shu disagreed. “If the hunter was honest and reliable, and was willing to promise her with a sincere heart, wouldn’t they be able to live a prosperous life and jointly run the poisonous snake and insect business? It would be a little more lively.”

Then wouldn’t you also have to bother to screen the honest and reliable from the liars and lechers first? Liu Xian’an still insisted on his point of view. Anyway, it was very troublesome, and he also tried to brainwash His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, who seemed to be looking forward to getting married.

Liang Shu propped up his head, asking him: “Do you have a way for me to avoid desire?”

Liu Xian’an responded: “Yes, read more books.”

“What if I still have desires after reading the books?”

“Then the prince can come to see me.”

Lang Shu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “Do you understand what you’re talking about?”

Liu Xian’an explained: “I understand. What I mean is, I can tell the prince about the dao of Heaven. Once a person becomes one with the dao of Heaven, the desires of the mortal world will naturally be left behind.”

Liang Shu’s head hurt. He didn’t want him to continue to talk nonsense, and it was getting late at this time, so he sent someone to call A-Ning up and said to Liu Xian’an: “Don’t think about the female ghost. Get a good night’s sleep, and I’ll take you to investigate this old case tomorrow.”

Liu Xian’an wasn’t sleepy at all, but A-Ning had already sent His Royal Highness Xiao Wang out the door, and when he returned, he said: “We also heard about Wan-guniang downstairs just now. Is the prince going to reinvestigate this case?”

“Yes.” Liu Xian’an lay down on the table. “We must find out the truth of the haunting. What if it is being caused by the cult again, isn’t that why the prince came here this time?”

“That’s right.” A-Ning quickly cleaned up the table. “Then I’ll go get some hot water for Young Master’s bath……Young Master, Young Master, raise your arm.”

Liu Xian’an continued to lay motionless on his stomach and didn’t bother to lift it up, because he was not in the mood. He said: “I just wanted to tell the prince about the dao of Heaven, but he didn’t want to listen.”

A-Ning said internally, isn’t this normal? The prince didn’t look like he could meditate and realize the dao. He was a general, not a sage. Moreover, the Young Master’s dao of Heaven was empty and boring. Every now and then, it would be dragged out of the universe infinite li away – life and death are one, unending – and he would often fall asleep while hearing it.

With great strength, he forcibly dragged up the lazy, melancholic young master, sat him on the bed, and continued to wipe the table.

Downstairs, Gao Lin was also asking Liang Shu: “Why did the prince come down so soon? On a haunted night like this, don’t you have to stay in the room of your sweetheart? If Second Young Master Liu is not afraid of ghosts, then we can take on the job of being afraid. In any case, the opportunity must be won by yourself.”

Liang Shu was dizzy from the nagging: “Shut up and get down to proper business.”

“I just came to the inn on proper business.” Gao Lin pointed to the door. “The officials are still looking for the female ghost with torches tonight, and after listening to the attendant’s story about Wan Yuan, I went out and asked two of them casually. The magistrate who imprisoned her was Li Liang. He was originally quite old, and coughed all day, suffering from colds at every turn. After Wan Yuan committed suicide, this Li-daren also fell ill, and returned to the west for a short while before his death.”

“How was his reputation?”

“No good comments, no bad comments. He should be an ordinary official,” Gao Lin said. “But I only spoke a few words. If we want to find out more news, we still must wait until tomorrow.”

“Then just talk more tomorrow,” Liang Shu said. “Go to sleep, ba.”

Gao Lin agreed, but still did not forget to remind: “Will the prince really not go to Second Young Master Liu’s room?”

Liang Shu asked: “To do what, listen to him continue to talk about all is one with the dao of Heaven and the ability to be righteous without desire?”

Gao Lin was stunned. What the hell was this?

Liang Shu scoffed: “I knew you wouldn’t understand it.”

Gao Lin was hurt. I can’t understand it, but the prince can’t understand it either. All is one with the dao of Heaven. Whatever it was, just based on these few words, he felt that Second Young Master Liu was about to step onto the clouds and become an immortal. At this thought, he felt that it was very difficult for his family’s prince, because when other people fell in love, they only needed to say some affectionate words without overthinking, and didn’t need to bury their heads in delving into the true meaning of the universe. How could anyone ask for a daughter-in-law like this, those who heard it would cry.

Liang Shu said: “Scram.”

Gao Lin quickly scrammed. Instead of going upstairs, he left the inn and went to the street to inquire about the news.

Liu Xian’an didn’t feel sleepy either. A-Ning asked: “What is the Young Master standing at the window looking at? You’re going to catch a cold.”

The cool wind was blowing, and the tip of his nose was really cold. Liu Xian’an put his hands into his sleeves: “Trying to see if I can glimpse the female ghost.”

“The city is full of torches, no matter if it is a person or a ghost, they will definitely not come out tonight,” A-Ning said. “Young Master, let’s go to bed quickly.”

As soon as the words fell, there was a scream from the other side of the long street as if deliberately cutting off the conversation. Liu Xian’an was taken aback, and A-Ning was so startled that he almost dropped the basin: “What was that sound?”

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[1] Yuan (圆) means round, or circle. ⮐

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

“Someone was caught? Are the Old Lady and others all right?”

Having learned of this, Uncle Kai was so nervous that he spilled some of the hot tea in his hand.

Bo Yueming’s tone was calm. “Uncle Kai, don’t worry. My grandma is fine, as well as Aunt Song.”

He had learned the details from Qin Yishun—

The security around the villa had long been replaced by personnel from the STS company. During this period of time, access to the villa had been very strict.

Around eight o’clock tonight, a maintenance worker suddenly appeared. The other party claimed that at the end of each month, manor headquarters would regularly check the circuits in each villa in order to avoid potential safety hazards.

As one of the long-term residents of the villa, Aunt Song confirmed that there were indeed such  safety inspections in the past two months, but this person was relatively unfamiliar. 

At the same time, the person in charge of security also checked with manor headquarters — and confirmed that the other party was a hired maintenance worker before allowing him to enter.

“Maintenance workers” always had special security personnel at their side to supervise when inspecting various electrical appliances. After the other party checked all the equipment in the villa, he said that he would check the main electricity meter outside the house.

Coincidentally, Qin Yishun also came at this time.

Since Bo Yueming had entrusted this task to STS, the other party paid more attention for his brother’s sake, and would come over to supervise the situation in person whenever he was free.

After Qin Yishun saw the maintenance worker’s unfamiliar face, it was inevitable that he would scrutinize him and ask a few more questions, and not everyone could withstand the fierce manner of an army veteran—

The “maintenance worker” stuttered while talking to Qin Yishun, panic flashing in his eyes.

Noticing that something was wrong, Qin Yishun then found a hidden monitoring device in the hollow gap of the other party’s hand tool.

Qin Yishun said that the price of this sort of micro device was very high on the black market. It relied on a wireless connection and could last for half a month when fully charged.

“It is likely that because the lighting in the villa was too bright and the security personnel were watching too closely that the “maintenance worker” didn’t dare to take it out easily. So he decided to settle for the next best thing and start from the exterior of the house where the line of sight was relatively unclear, and install it facing the window.”

“The people sent by STS are there for the purpose of personal protection and medical treatment. If Qin Yishun hadn’t come in time, such a small and delicate surveillance device would have been difficult to detect.”

Fortunately, Qin Yishun had arrived in a timely manner. The only pity was—

Although the maintenance worker’s intentions were discovered, the other party refused to admit guilt and it had not actually been installed. Even if it was turned in to the police, there would not be much of a point.

That was why Qin Yishun called to ask Bo Yueming himself for his opinion on how to deal with it.

Pei Yi had already learned about the situation from the phone call, and in order to maintain his persona, he purposely remained silent.

Uncle Kai handed some hot tea to Bo Yueming, feeling horrified. “Fortunately Mr. Qin was there, but who would spend so much effort just to install a monitor? Was it the main branch?”

“That’s right, ah. Mr. Bo, what are the people behind the scenes doing by going so far?”

Pei Yi lowered his head and ate a slice of pear, thinking, is it not obvious?

No matter who was behind the scenes, they just wanted to monitor Old Mrs. Bo’s physical condition!

It must be known that Old Mrs. Bo’s “illness” came on suddenly, and she did not make a will beforehand when she was in good health. If she passed away in the end, then the distribution of property would be made according to normal inheritance principles—

The property of the Bo Group and even the Bo family would go firstly to Old Mr. Bo,  and secondly to her children, namely the eldest son, Bo Lihui, and the second son, Bo Lihong.

Old Mrs. Bo was “in a coma” during this period and Old Mr. Bo, as her husband, had the right to take over and manage everything.

But if Mrs. Bo got better one day? Then she could be the master and control all the property and power that belonged to her, ah!

Pei Yi remembered that it was once mentioned in the original text—

Bo Yueming blackened later on and wanted to snatch everything up, but because it was unreasonable and unlawful, he was criticized and opposed by everyone, and was seen as having particularly “wild ambition.”

“Grandma fell into a coma after an accident. At that time, the doctor said that if she didn’t wake up within three months, it was likely that she would enter a vegetative state until treatment was given up and she died.”

Bo Yueming slowly explained his reasoning, “I feared that her accident was caused by human factors, so I transferred her to Minxi Manor for treatment without telling the Bo family.”

For this, Bo Yueming was severely criticized by everyone in the Bo family.

Lin Zhong responded, “Mr. Bo, do you mean that the reason why the people behind the scenes have been silent is because they are waiting for the day that Old Mrs. Bo can no longer hold on?”

Now that more than three months had passed, Old Mrs. Bo’s condition had not deteriorated, and she was still recovering. Although her recovery speed was not fast, it was not entirely impossible that she would wake up.

Thinking a little deeper—

Even if Old Mrs. Bo’s illness indeed had nothing to do with the main branch and others, what if she favored Bo Yueming even more after waking up? This was why the people behind the scenes panicked!

“Some people wanted to hear bad news from me, but were not fortunate enough to get it. Since they have a guilty conscience, they would inevitably get impatient. Not to mention—-”

Uncle Kai couldn’t help but ask, “What more is there?”

Bo Yueming took a sip of tea to relieve the effects of the champagne he drank that night. “I won the bidding in Wencheng.”

Lin Zhong came to his senses and slapped his thigh. “I’ve got it! They’re afraid that Boss Bo will get them back with this project!”

At the beginning, Old Mr. Bo had Bo Yueming to transfer all the projects in his hands to Bo Guancheng, and didn’t allow him to stay in the position of General Manager of the group. Without exception, he used his “eye injury” as an excuse!

Even giving Bo Yueming the Wencheng project was in essence to drive Bo Yueming out of the Imperial Capital.

But who would have expected?

Under the attacks of the two leading enterprises in Wencheng, Shuntian and You, the “blind” Bo Yueming broke through the siege and got the project!

As for what this meant? It illustrated his capability!

Bo Yueming hit them back with a project worth at least 12 billion. Whatever he wanted, the high-level shareholders should not object.

Understanding this reason, Pei Yi took a “vicious” bite of the pear. He was proud, but at the same time did not forget to ridicule—

Old Mr. Bo was just a short-sighted phoenix man!^[1] He tried to attack Bo Yueming on behalf of the main branch, but Bo Yueming fought more and more courageously! 

As expected of the big villain he had always admired. Totally awesome!

Pei Yi bit the pear so loudly that it even distracted Bo Yueming.

“Pei Yi? What are you eating?”

“Er-ge!”

Pei Yi liked business-oriented men the most, and looking at Bo Yueming now, he felt that the other party was shining.

He couldn’t help the inexplicable excitement in his heart. Picking up a clean fork from the side, he picked up the best-looking piece of pear and fed it to Bo Yueming’s mouth. 

“Sweet! Ah—”

Without a second’s hesitation, Bo Yuming bit it off. “En, quite sweet.”

Pei Yi smiled happily, but didn’t intend to give more. After all, the pear was so sweet and delicious.

When Lin Zhong and Uncle Kai witnessed the interaction between the two, they suddenly felt less anxious.

“Second Young Master, since there has been no accident on the Old Lady’s side for the time being, shall we follow the original plan and return to the Imperial Capital after handing everything over here?”

Bo Yueming shook his head. “No, we must return as soon as possible.”

If the time was dragged out, the Bo family members would come up with other reasons to continue to suppress him.

Bo Yueming thought for a moment. “Lin Zhong, help me contact Sister Zhong Yi. I want to treat her to dinner tomorrow night and discuss something.”

He wanted to return to a core position in Bo Group, so other shareholders would have to come forward and “check the balance of power” with Old Mr. Bo.

Zhong Yi had been in Bo Group for more than ten years, and had all the abilities, connections, and sensibility that one would expect. It would be perfect for the other party to secretly contact the shareholders and analyze the situation, then convince them all to support Bo Yueming.

Bo Yueming recalled everything that had happened in the past half year, his eyes full of fight. “Lin Zhong, buy a plane ticket for the day after tomorrow to return to the Imperial Capital!”

It had been half a year. It was time for him to go back and destroy the prestige of those people!

Pei Yi listened with great enjoyment, and was the first to cooperate loudly, “En!”

“…….”

Everyone’s eyes automatically shifted. “Why is Little Sir so happy tonight?”

Pei Yi bit his fork guiltily. “Go back, I, I play with Inspector!”

Bo Yueming was aware of the truth, and turned the page for him, “It’s getting late, let’s all go back to our rooms to rest. By the way, Lin Zhong, remember to tell Lao Zhang and Qiao Dong in advance tomorrow.”

Lao Zhang was a Wencheng native, so he would naturally not follow them back to the Imperial Capital, and his salary must be settled in advance.

After Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong were detained by the police, Qiao Dong voluntarily acted as the representative of the deceased’s family and cooperated with the lawyers hired by You Group to carry out subsequent follow-up prosecution, and had not been back for several days.

“All right,” Lin Zhong responded.

. . . . . . .

In the blink of an eye, it was time to return to the Imperial Capital.

Pei Yi looked at the “home” he had lived in for a couple of months and felt a small bit of reluctance in his heart—

It seemed that from childhood, he had never lived in any place for a long time. As an adult, he liked to use the studio break room as a temporary home.

He estimated that when he returned to the Imperial Capital, the time he could stay in the Bo family was also very limited.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded at the door.

Pei Yi thought it was Uncle Kai, but when he turned around, he found that it was Qiao Dong. The plaster cast on his leg had been completely removed. Although he had gone through so many days of pain and injury, he could just manage to walk around now.

“Little Sir.”

Qiao Dong’s usually pale face finally had a healthy color. Standing at the door of the room, he bowed deeply and gratefully to Pei Yi. “Thank you.”

He heard that Bo Yueming, Pei Yi, and the others were leaving today, so Qiao Dong came here to see them off. Before going upstairs, he had already expressed his thanks to Bo Yueming and the others.

Qiao Dong knew that if he hadn’t met this group of noble rich people, let alone getting revenge, he feared he might have become so desperate that he would get himself in trouble.

Pei Yi understood the weight of his gratitude and walked over, asking in a low voice, “Qiao Dong, what are you going to do in the future?”

“…….”

Qiao Dong was a little dazed upon hearing Pei Yi’s complete question. “S-stay in Wencheng. When the Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong case is officially over, I’ll find a job.”

“Mr. Bo paid for my treatment, and I will definitely find a way to make money and pay him back in the future! 

Perhaps because the hatred he carried with him had lessened, Qio Dong was less gloomy and more extroverted. “I spoke with Brother Lin before when we were sharing a room. Both of us majored in resource management in university.”

Although Qiao Dong’s schooling and abilities were not as good as Lin Zhong, he was willing to study and keep working hard—

If one day he could find an excellent boss to work and learn with, like Lin Zhong had, shouldn’t there still be hope for his future?

It was rare for Pei Yi to hear Qiao Dong speak so many words. He saw the longing and brightness in the other’s eyes, and his mind moved slightly. “Qiao Dong.”

“Ah?”

Qiao Dong felt that Pei Yi was a little different today. Too normal.

Just as he thought so, Pei Yi took the initiative to hook his shoulder, and whispered a few words in his ear—

Qiao Dong’s eyes gradually widened, and the longing in his eyes turned to shock.

When the casual whispering was over, Qiao Dong looked at Pei Yi in disbelief and sized him up from head to toe.

“L-Little Sir, you……”

“Shh!”

Pei Yi stopped him softly, and patted him on the shoulder again. “You can do it.”

Perhaps one day in the future, they would meet again with different identities.

. . . . . .

The plane arrived on time in the Imperial Capital at six o’clock in the afternoon.

Pei Yi stepped out of the airport pick-up thoroughfare and saw a familiar figure from afar—

Qin Yishun was wearing a thin, long-sleeved windbreaker with an ingrained look of seriousness on his face, and it seemed that the words “Strangers stay away” were written on it as he stood there.

But although he painted a serious image, there was a cat carrier on his back. And having been raised to be obedient, the chubby little Inspector “stayed” in his arms, its eyes wide and round as it watched everything going on around it.

The combination of one person and one cat was strangely cute.

It had been a long time since he had seen his beloved pet. Pei Yi practically ran over the moment he saw it, and the view of him from the back looked extraordinarily cheerful.

“…….”

Bo Yueming looked at Pei Yi, who was absent from his side, and the long-lost sour feeling welled up again.

Picking him up from the airport with Inspector?

Sure enough, it was a good way to attract a kitten.

Completely unaware of Bo Yueming’s jealousy, Pei Yi quickly rushed over to Qin Yishun, not hiding the excitement in his eyes at all. “Inspector, miss me?”

“Meow-wu! Meow~ wu~”

Inspector quickly recognized Pei Yi, and the little cat’s paws began to scratch excitedly.

“…….”

Qin Yishun’s greeting stuck in his throat.

He didn’t expect that when his little brother came up, he would greet the cat first, and the most amazing thing was that Inspector knew how to respond to him with a meow.

At this sight, Qin Yishun helplessly and dotingly released Inspector into Pei Yi’s arms. “The little black cat is returned to you, how did Brother do raising it?”

Pei Yi found that Inspector was round and even cuter. When he raised his head, he praised, “Brother, the best!”

As soon as these words were spoken, Bo Yueming came up from behind and called out, “Mr. Qin.”

Qin Yishun was proud of himself after being praised by his little brother, and used a rare amiable tone towards Bo Yueming, “Second Young Master, long time no see. We can’t stand here for very long, let’s talk in the car.”

Bo Yueming had come back at the last moment, and in order to create a “rare” surprise for the Bo family, he deliberately didn’t have Driver Fu pick him up.

In addition, Qin Yishun had found some new clues, so the person who picked them up at the airport became him.

“I drove a seven-seater vehicle today, so there’s a lot of room.” Qin Yishun opened the trunk so that Lin Zhong and Uncle Kai could put their luggage in. “Xiao Yi, you sit in the front.”

“Pei Yi and I should sit in the back.” Bo Yueming took a step forward with his refusal, providing a suitable reason, “Inspector hasn’t seen Pei Yi in so long. With a person and a cat in the front passenger seat, it may cause problems.”

Qin Yishun frowned, wanting to say something more—

In the end, Pei Yi carried Inspector and sat in the back, not forgetting to reserve a seat for Bo Yueming. He said obediently and sweetly, “Er-ge, here.”

The corners of Bo Yueming’s mouth finally showed an upward trend, and he said, “If Mr. Qin is tired, you can have my assistant drive for you.”

“……..”

Qin Yishun’s face defaulted back to seriousness again.

He didn’t know what was going on. Why did he find Bo Yueming so displeasing?

Qin Yishun was anxious about other people driving, so he just let Lin Zhong sit in the front and drove the vehicle toward the Imperial City himself.

The scenery on both sides flashed past the windows.

Not wasting any time, Qin Yishun quickly brought up business, “By the way, I’ve made a more detailed investigation here.”

“The man’s name is Xu Yongqiang. He is thirty years old, and a technician for Huajing Electric Co. He’s worked for the company for ten years.”

In the back row, Pei Yi heard this and stopped petting his cat.

An employee of ten years?

Setting aside such a decent job and being willing to do such shameful things for ambitious people behind the scenes, where was the benefit in this?

Bo Yueming asked, “Mr. Qin, did you find anything else?”

Qin Yishun spoke further, “Half a month ago, Xu Yongqiang won a large order of over a million for Huajing Electric Co. According to that company’s regulations, he could get a lot of commission.”

Bo Yueming heard what he was implying. “A technician snatched a salesman’s job?”

It was likely not snatched, but given on purpose.

“Mr. Bo, do you know who could have been behind that order?”

“Who?”

“Cheng Xingde.”

“……..”

When Pei Yi heard this completely unfamiliar name, a trace of doubt appeared in his eyes.

Fortunately, Lin Zhong sitting in the front row noticed something and turned around to ask, “Why does this name sound familiar to me? Is he a relative of the Old Sir?”

Uncle Kai had a clearer relationship with the older generation, and confirmed, “The family’s Old Sir is named Cheng Yangshan. The third eldest in his family, he was originally an intellectual. In the early years, he relied on his learning ability to become a university teaching assistant, and only now can he be addressed with an authoritative title.”

After marrying Old Mrs. Bo, the people on the other side of the family gained a lot of benefits.

“I remember that Old Mr. Bo has a nephew who runs a factory. He has been following the orders of the Leng Ceng Group these years, earning a lot of money. His name is Cheng Xinde.”

When Bo Yueming heard this, his eyes turned cold.

After going around in such a big circle, in the end, it was still related to Old Mr. Bo. Who else would use surveillance cameras to confirm the physical condition of their first-married wife?

Didn’t this clearly shed light on the problem?

Qin Yishun stopped there and changed the subject, “Mr. Bo, my auntie knows that Pei Yi is coming back tonight and cooked a big table of food. You……”

Bo Yueming’s voice cooled, but it wasn’t aimed at anyone in the car. “Mr. Qin, please take Pei Yi to dinner. I’m in a hurry to go back and deal with some things.”

“Please stop at a place where it is convenient to take a taxi.”

Pei Yi felt an unusual oppressiveness from the person next to him. “Er-ge?”

“It’s nothing.”

Bo Yueming seemed to blindly touch Inspector’s head, but actually placed a light touch on Pei Yi’s hand. “Auntie and the others must miss you. Just come back early after eating.”

“Also, the villa hasn’t been tidied up in two or three months, and maybe the servants have been slacking off too. When Uncle Kai has set the place in order, you can come back directly tonight.”

“…….”

Pei Yi knew that Bo Yueming intended to distract him, and that he might have to “make trouble” with members of the Bo family. In addition, he and Qin Yishun had not seen the Shu Wan mother and daughter for a long time—

Pei Yi hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he followed Bo Yueming’s arrangements.

. . . . . .

Before ten o’clock in the evening, Pei Yi returned to the long-unseen Bo Manor under the escort of Qin Yishun.

Originally, Shu Wan and Pei Yuan wanted to keep him at home overnight, but Pei Yi’s thoughts were still partly on Bo Yueming, so after hesitating for a long moment, he decided to come back and have a look.

The lights of the villa were still on.

On the first floor, Uncle Kai saw Pei Yi and hurriedly got up to greet him. “Little Sir, you’re back? If you’re tired, go back to your room and rest. I’ve unpacked everything.”

Pei Yi looked around, and then toward the second floor where the lights were on. “Er-ge?”

“Second Young Master is drinking alone upstairs,” Uncle Kai said with a rare sigh.

When they got home in the evening, the main branch, second branch, and Old Mr. Bo were having dinner in the main house. Because of Bo Yueming’s sudden return, everyone in the Bo family were more or less surprised.

According to the original plan, Bo Yueming directly used the “Wencheng project” as a stepping stone, expressing that he wanted to return to Bo Group.

But how could Old Mr. Bo allow him to lead him by the nose? After saying a few casual words, he just intended to temporarily evade the issue. 

There was, perhaps, an indirect confirmation that Old Mrs. Bo’s “illness” was related to Old Mr. Bo tonight, and Bo Yueming deviated from his usual calmness and restraint.

In a fit of anger, Old Mr. Bo just used his identity to make a point, and after Bo Yueming came and went, the atmosphere stagnated a bit.

Later, Bo Yueming returned to the villa where he was staying and drank wine after a simple wash.

Uncle Kai knew that he was under pressure and in a low mood, so he didn’t dare to persuade him otherwise.

“…….”

Having come home late, Pei Yi didn’t know the details, but after he opened the door on the second floor, he detected the strong scent of alcohol—

Bo Yueming was reclining on the sofa, two small empty bottles sitting on the wine table in front of him. There was only one third left of the strong whiskey in his hand.

Drinking like this, could his stomach handle it?

Pei Yi frowned as he approached, and sat down tentatively. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming shook the bottle by the neck, and reacted slowly for once, looking over. His dark blue eyes were misted over by alcohol, and he stared at the person in front of him with vision that was a bit out of focus.

Pei Yi had never known Bo Yueming’s true drinking capacity, let alone how much he had drunk just now, but he did know—

With such a strong, potent whiskey, it would be difficult for a normal person to remain completely sober after drinking one bottle. And Bo Yueming had been drinking in such a gloomy mood, so he probably didn’t have any clarity left.

Pei Yi tried to extract the bottle from Bo Yueming’s hand. “Er-ge, stop drinking.”

Bo Yueming let him take it, and immediately covered the mouth of the bottle with his palm. “You…..you can’t drink. This alcohol is too strong, you’ll get a headache after drinking.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was helpless, his heart warm.

How drunk was he? And he still knew to take care of him?

Pei Yi responded in a low voice, taking the bottle away, “Er-ge, they are not good. Don’t be sad.”

He had confirmed that Bo Yueming was quite drunk, so he spoke faster than usual and didn’t deliberately stammer.

Bo Yueming collapsed on the sofa and covered his face, letting out a deep, powerless sigh from behind his fingers. “Tell me, how could they do it? Grandma, Grandma is such a good person……”

Over the years, she had never treated anyone in the family badly, so why should she encounter these dirty tricks in her old age when she should be about to enjoy retirement?

Today, his original speculation had become reality. Bo Yueming loved his grandmother who had treasured him since he was a child, and hated Old Mr. Bo and his group to the bone!

“I wonder, is it because of me that they hate Grandma so much? I never actually thought about fighting over things with them, but no one believed me.”

The reason Bo Yueming co-founded the company with Yan Cen was because he once thought that when Old Mrs. Bo retired, he would be able to completely withdraw from Bo Group.

But now?

Old Mrs. Bo was hurt like this by the person who had shared her bed for many years. And he was hurt by the main branch family and almost had his entire future ruined!

What You Qinian said was right. If you didn’t have enough strength to protect everything you cared about, then all the “concessions” and “unnecessary things” would become the blade that stabbed you.

One day, would Pei Yi also become a bargaining chip for others to threaten him?

“I know that with my identity, I can’t compete, but now I have to.”

He could endure other people’s ridicule, but he couldn’t tolerate someone hurting Old Mrs. Bo, or in the future, Pei Yi!

Bo Yueming was still not interested in having too much power and status, but he must at least have the ability and status to protect Pei Yi. No matter what, he must hold on until the day Old Mrs. Bo woke up or the truth came to light.

“……..”

Facing Bo Yueming’s never-before-seen depression, gloom, and helplessness, Pei Yi was overflowing with distress.

He reached out to wrap a hand around Bo Yueming’s wrist, rubbing his thumb up and down lightly. “I believe you.”

He believed Bo Yueming’s helplessness toward his own background, he believed in Bo Yueming’s filial piety toward Old Mrs. Bo, and he believed that everything Bo Yueming was doing was a last resort.

Bo Yueming felt the warmth on his wrist and lowered his eyes slightly. “Believe me?”

“Yes.”

Pei Yi remembered one of the few comforting tricks he learned as a child, and stretched out his other hand to touch Bo Yueming’s head, coaxing, “Er-ge is good.”

“Calm, calm, no anger, no worry~”^[2]

Bo Yueming lagged a bit for a moment, and then he leaned on Pei Yi’s shoulder with a smile. “Okay.”

“Go back to your room and sleep, it isn’t good here.”

Now that the weather had turned cold, Bo Yueming drank alcohol and slept on the couch, so he would surely catch a cold when he woke up tomorrow morning.

With a little effort, Pei Yi helped Bo Yueming back to the master bedroom and placed him on the large bed.

He took a few exhausted breaths and picked up the quilt, planning to cover the other party, but before he could take any action—

Bo Yueming stretched out his hand and pulled him forcefully into the bed, hugging him into his arms.

“…….”

Facing the sudden embrace, Pei Yi was stunned for two or three seconds, and then struggled to get out.

Bo Yueming felt his resistance and slightly opened his drunken eyes. He habitually reached out to grasp the back of the other’s neck, whispering, “Kitten, be good.”

Pei Yi’s neck shrank sensitively, and the heat blowing against his ear made his heart skip a beat.

W-what did he call him? Did he hear that wrong?

Pei Yi looked up uncertainly—

It should be that the alcohol in his body had begun to permeate, so Bo Yueming hugged him in his intoxication. Compared to his previous proud, calm demeanor, there was now an illusion of “closeness and clinginess.”

Pei Yi couldn’t break free, so he grabbed the corner of his clothes and mumbled, “Bo Yueming, why are you so clingy?”

It was never written in the original text that the other party had such a side. This was quite novel and interesting.

Bo Yueming seemed to hear this complaint, and buried his head between his shoulder and neck, rubbing his head back and forth with a bit of little-known rascally behavior. “I’ll just cling to you.”

“…….”

Hearing this, Pei Yi loosened the hand holding the corner of the other’s clothes, and there was a complicated reluctance in his eyes that even he didn’t realize.

He huddled in Bo Yueming’s arms and wanted to speak, but in the end, he couldn’t express his rebuttal—

You can’t cling to me, ah, I’m leaving too.

---

[1] A “phoenix man” (凤凰男) is a guy who grew up with a countryside working-class background and gained a foothold in the city through hard work. It has primarily negative connotations. ⮐

[2] This is a sort of rhyming song that a mother might sing to her child to comfort him. It goes “呼噜呼噜毛，不气不烦恼.” My translation is the best equivalent I could come up with. ⮐

---

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Chapter Forty-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Fifty

T/N: Thanks once again to Ba 🤯 boom for the Kofi! Your bonus chapter is up after this one!

Inside a bright, spacious hall.

The staff of the relevant departments responsible for the bidding process had all dispersed, leaving only a few suppliers who were still talking and the staff of the bidding companies.

Suddenly, a thunderous shout came from the stairway, “Trash!”

Facing the sound of the “explosion,” Li Liang, the person in charge, pushed up his glasses in a panic. “Chairman Chen, please calm down first. W-we really had no idea about this situation.”

“No idea?”

Chen Shun glanced at the hall not far away, holding back his anger, “That Bo Yueming and You Qinian teamed up to deal with our family. Such a terrible thing, and you really had no idea about it?”

“The list of names was already released, and you didn’t know what to report?”

Five days ago, the relevant departments announced the companies officially participating in the bidding—

Apart from Shuntian and Bo Group, who were still on the list, the always stalwart You Group had actually “disappeared!” Instead, they were replaced with two small, little-known companies which seemed to have been temporarily brought in to accompany them.

Facing the questioning of the chairman of the group, Li Liang couldn’t express his suffering. “C-Chairman Chen, I called you immediately, but you hung up.”

“What?”

Chen Shun’s eyes shifted slightly, as if he was remembering something—

Five days ago, he suddenly received an anonymous letter, and upon opening it, it turned out to be a photo of his son-in-law embracing a prostitute at the entrance of a clubhouse and asking for a kiss.

Chen Shun’s blood surged on the spot. It must be known that his daughter Chen Xiu had been coaxed by Pan Chenggong’s sweet words in the early years, and insisted on marrying this man who had an ordinary family background and ordinary looks!

Chen Shun had always loved his daughter very much. He strongly opposed this improper relationship at the beginning, but later had to admit defeat and give the nod. 

He had originally thought that as long as Pan Chenggong was honest and didn’t cause trouble, and treated his daughter wholeheartedly, the family did not lack money anyway, and it was fine as long as his daughter was happy.

But who would have thought it?

Before getting married, Pan Chenggong had tried to be honest, but after marrying, he also embarked on a “crooked” path.

Unbeknownst to him, the idiot coveted the company’s financial resources, caused a fatal accident, and still put on airs as the “group son-in-law” to suppress the victims’ family!

If Zhao Hui hadn’t come to the door with the evidence, Chen Shun would have been kept in the dark!

But these things had already happened. For the sake of his daughter who was having a difficult pregnancy, as well as the unborn grandson, Chen Shun could only find a way to entrust Pan Chenggong to deal with it.

But how could he have known?

Only three months later, the safety equipment purchased by Pan Chenggong went wrong again, and another life was lost on the construction site of the “Jiu Metro” project!

This bastard didn’t want to settle the matter as soon as possible, and was still in the mood to go outside for entertainment?

Seeing these anonymous photos was the last straw for Chen Shun, and he criticized Pan Chenggong severely, but then his daughter Chen Xiu’s delivery happened to come up.

In the past few days, the addition of miscellaneous affairs had caused him to somewhat neglect group matters.

Li Liang saw that Chen Shun was silent for a long time, his expression changing again and again, so he quickly took the blame himself. “I’m sorry, Chairman Chen!”

“It’s my fault. I thought that You Group felt they had no chance of winning, so they withdrew from the bidding at the last moment. Yes, it was my carelessness.”

“……”

Withdrew at the last moment?

Did You Qinian seem to be a character who would withdraw at the last moment?

Chen Shun just didn’t expect that You Qinian would be willing to cooperate with Bo Yueming outside, and even voluntarily cede leadership in the consortium bidding!

In the initial bidding and explanation session just now, the opponent’s advantage was obviously higher than their Shuntian’s. Even before the second round of private quotations, Chen Shun asked Li Liang to lead the project team to temporarily compress the project points—

But it was no longer possible to ensure the absolute advantage of the Shuntian Group in this bidding!

Thinking that such a huge project might be taken up by Bo Yueming and You Qinian, Chen Shun just couldn’t wait to get in the way and ruin it!

It was a pity that the bidding process was over, and they could only patiently wait for the final result.

Chen Shun stretched out his finger and ruthlessly poked the chest of the team leader, Li Liang. “Let me tell you, if this project doesn’t fall on our Shuntian’s head, you can pack up and leave!”

Li Liang knew that he was being treated as a scapegoat, and suppressed the anger in his heart. “Yes.”

It wasn’t until Chen Shun quickly walked into the corridor that the respect on his face suddenly vanished, and he cursed secretly, “Old thing!”

. . . . . .

In the elevator hall, Lin Zhong had been waiting and was the first to locate Chen Shun’s figure. He quickly moved to Bo Yueming’s ear and whispered, “Mr. Bo, Chen Shun is back!”

“Look at his complexion, it looks terrible.”

The last half of the sentence clearly contained a hint of gloating.

It wasn’t that he was bragging. Bo took the lead and You assisted, and since the two sides confirmed the cooperation—

The greatest sincerity had been given in the fusion and modification of various data, and today’s bidding was practically a crushing victory visible to the naked eye!

Although the final result had not yet come out, Lin Zhong felt that good news was a sure thing.

Bo Yueming understood clearly, but still warned, “Don’t talk too much.”

“Yes.”

Lin Zhong hurriedly restrained himself, waiting for Chen Shun to enter the elevator hall before calmly greeting him, “Chairman Chen.”

Bo Yueming played the blind man. “Chairman Chen is here too?”

Chen Shun felt aggrieved at the sight of Bo Yueming’s face. He obviously didn’t deserve this.

As soon as that voice fell, the elevator door opened.

With Lin Zhong’s support, Bo Yueming slowly stepped into the elevator and issued a seemingly friendly invitation, “Chairman Chen, the bidding has ended. Will you come down with us?”

“It just so happens that I’m free today and I’m in a good mood. If Mr. Chen is willing to show his face, may I treat you back?”

“……”

Good mood? Treat him back?

The two sentences were neither warm nor cold, and imperceptibly hit Chen Shun’s pain point again. He tried his best to maintain a calm expression, and walked steadily into the elevator.

The heavy steel doors closed.

Chen Shun stared at Bo Yueming in the glass mirror of the elevator, and gave an imperceptible hum. “Mr. Bo, I really underestimated you, ah.”

Bo Yueming asked while already knowing the answer, “Why don’t I understand what Chairman Chen said?”

“Mr. Bo, smart people don’t tell lies.” Chen Shun got straight to the point. “When did you get in touch with You Qinian? With You’s competitiveness, he actually agreed to step back and let you, Bo, take the lead?”

Bo Yueming rubbed his fingertips. “I hear that Shuntian and You Group have always been bitter rivals? There is an old saying, Mr. Chen should have heard of it, right?”

Chen Shun frowned. “What?”

“The enemy of my enemy can naturally be my friend.”

Bo Yueming removed his guide glasses. The eyes hidden under the lenses were deep and cold as they looked straight at Chen Shun in the elevator door mirror, as if seeing right through all the dirt and filth—

“Threats and bribes caused Feng Zheng, the former head team leader of Bo Group, to flee. And you learned about our Bo Group’s first bidding plan through irregular means.”

“Chairman Chen, you should still remember what you did?”

“…….”

Chen Shun subconsciously avoided Bo Yueming’s gaze. He who was used to seeing all sorts of things actually felt that Bo Yueming’s imposing manner was a bit terrifying.

Lin Zhong played by ear, adding, “Chairman Chen, we have discovered Feng Zheng’s whereabouts and sued him for ‘leaking company secrets!’”

“In time, the relevant judicial personnel should come to Chen Shun to inquire about the situation.”

Chen Shun was so angry he could barely speak. “You……”

At the same time, the elevator’s electronic notification sounded: “Hello, you have arrived at the first floor! Wishing you safe entry and exit!”

Bo Yueming put on his guide glasses again, and walked out of the elevator with the “support” of Lin Zhong.

Suddenly, a familiar voice sounded, “Er-ge!”

“……”

Bo Yueming was stunned for a moment, not expecting Pei Yi to suddenly appear in the first floor hall. “Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi responded with a smile and a hum.

The slower Uncle Kai also came up and explained, “Second Young Master, Little Sir insisted on coming to see you.”

“Xiao Dong is not at home these days. I feared that Little Sir would be bored at home, so I brought him here. Is it inconvenient?”

Lin Zhong replied, “No, Uncle Kai. The bidding has ended.”

Uncle Kai was concerned. “How did it go?”

Pei Yi was also quite concerned about this matter, so he pricked up his ears to listen in.

Before Bo Yueming could speak, Chen Shun stopped him from behind in an untimely manner. “The results won’t come out until five days later. Is Mr. Bo so sure about who will win?”

Pei Yi tilted his upper body to the side, and then saw Chen Shun, who had been completely blocked by Bo Yueming. “Ah! A person is behind Er-ge!”

“…….”

Chen Shun’s forced smile suddenly froze.

What did this mean? Was he mocking him for being short?

Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to pay any attention to Chen Shun, so he tugged on Bo Yueming’s cuff again. “Er-ge, celebrate. I, I’ll treat you!”

The smile at the corners of Bo Yueming’s lips deepened. “You’ll treat me? Do you have any money?”

Pei Yi nodded. “I have it!”

And he had earned a lot in the past two months, he was rich and arrogant!

He knew that Bo Yueming had officially ended his bidding related work today, and wanted to celebrate with him, as well as let Uncle Kai, who cooked every day, relax.

Pei Yi feared that Bo Yueming and others would be suspicious, so he found an excuse and muttered, “Mama gave it, my money.”

“Okay.”

Bo Yueming took the opportunity to grab his hand, and turned around to say perfunctorily, “Chairman Chen, are you free tonight? Pei Yi and I still owe you a meal.”

“…….”

Chen Shun was speechless.

Pei Yi was even more unhappy, and changed his words, “Then, I don’t have any money.”

He didn’t save Chen Shun any face inside or outside of his words. Invite this kind of person to dinner? Then he might as well use the money for charity!

The dignified chairman of Shuntian Group was actually given the cold shoulder back and forth by a young couple here? 

Chairman Chen couldn’t let this go!

His calculating eyes lost their smile, and instead were filled with anger and ruthlessness.

“Mr. Bo, young people still need to learn to restrain themselves.”

“See clearly who the territory of Wencheng belongs to. Not to mention that the bidding for this project is not yet determined, so what if it is won by you? Don’t be happy too early, and be careful…..”

Chen Shun deliberately paused and glanced at Pei Yi, who had made him suffer the most, “……of getting hurt, ah.”

Sensing this blatant threat, Bo Yueming immediately shielded Pei Yi behind him, and his original powerful, cold aura spread out again.

“Chairman Chen, you have been taught a lesson, but I also want to tell you—”

“What?”

“Prosperity and decline never last, everything is cyclical. Wencheng may not continue to be your territory.”

When Chen Shun heard Bo Yueming’s counterattack, he felt that he was putting on a front.

He and Shuntian Group had taken root in Wencheng and developed and grew together with the city. Although they had been in conflict with You Group, if they were strictly compared, Shuntian was still slightly better!

Wencheng was not his territory? Then whose territory could it be?

Just as Chen Shun let out a sneer, his assistant hurried back from the parking lot. “Chairman Chen, something happened! Manager Pan was taken away by the police!”

Chen Shun’s expression changed.

The anxious, fast-talking assistant realized the existence of Bo Yueming and the others, but due to the seriousness of the matter, he had to lower his voice to inform, “Mr. Gao called, please go back as soon as you finish up here!”

The assistant didn’t dare to say much in front of outsiders—

Not long ago, the families of the victims who died accidentally on the construction site had gathered together at the headquarters, holding big-character posters and shouting one after another, crying and making a commotion. Even many business-oriented media and individual reporters rushed to hear the news!

They used equipment to shoot, interview, record, and even live broadcast the complaints of the victims’ families, and there were quite a number of viewers!

Pan Chenggong had now been taken away by the police, but there were still law enforcement officers waiting for Chen Shun—

It was said that he was involved in at least two serious accident liability crimes!

“……..”

Chen Shun’s expression shifted again and again.

Bo Yueming seemed to have already been aware of everything that would happen today. “It seems Chairman Chen will be very busy in the near future, so let’s make an appointment another time.”

Chen Shun had a suspicion that Bo Yueming had something to do with this. He displayed his anger for once, gritting his teeth, “Bo Yueming, you wait and see!”

After saying this, he took his assistant and left quickly.

Looking at his pretentious retreat, Pei Yi couldn’t hold back a soft “Pff.”

Uncle Kai was startled, but couldn’t help stopping him, “Little Sir, don’t be like this. It’s not polite.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi immediately behaved honestly.

Hearing the kitten’s cute and revealing tone, Bo Yueming suppressed a smile before saying, “Let’s go, ba. Our Little Sir said he’s treating us tonight.”

“……”

Pei Yi’s face was suddenly on fire, and the memory was automatically imprinted in his mind.

This was the first time he heard Bo Yueming call him “Little Sir.” Why did it seem different from when Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong addressed him that way?

Very strange!

. . . . . . .

A week later, at Linshui Pavilion in the World Trade Center.

The manager of the restaurant brought out the champagne, and respectfully said to You Qinian in the main seat, “Director You, shall I pour it now?”

“En.”

You Qinian looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi who were facing each other, and there was a rare smile on his scarred face. “Pour for Mr. Bo and the others. We will have a good celebration tonight.”

The bidding results of the Wencheng Sports Center came out two days previous. Shuntian Group lost, while Bo and You, who were hiding behind, successfully won.

Facing this anticipated result, You Qinian asked the restaurant manager to reserve a table a week in advance.

Not only that, but he also booked five tables for the celebration banquet in the hotel below, in order to reward the employees of both parties who had worked hard on this project.

“Yes.”

The restaurant manager poured champagne in turn for the four seated people.

Pei Yi’s gaze followed the manager’s hand, carrying a secret hint of anticipation—

There were outsiders present tonight, so Bo Yueming wouldn’t directly refuse him being poured some, right? Just a sip! Even one sip was good!

The moment this thought came to mind, Bo Yumeing shattered his expectations. “Pei Yi can’t drink, change it to fruit juice, ba.”

“…….”

The corners of Pei Yi’s mouth drooped, and he didn’t even have the strength to sigh.

Zhang Shunzhi, who was seated next to You Qinian, noticed Pei Yi’s unhappiness. He smiled and handed his untouched champagne to the restaurant manager. “Then I won’t drink tonight either. Let us drink juice with Little Mister Pei.”

“I remember I bought a batch of sparkling citrus juice before? Let’s drink that.”

“Yes, Mr. Zhang.”

The restaurant manager quickly switched to sparkling citrus juice.

Zhang Shunzhi pushed up his glasses with a smile. “Little Mister Pei, give it a try?”

“…….”

Pei Yi was really not interested in the drink, and was a little resentful. Playing the fool, he took two sips from the glass.

Within three seconds, his eyes brightened.

Zhang Shunzhi met his gaze and asked knowingly, “Is it tasty?”

Although this drink was non-alcoholic, because of its special production, it had a taste that simulated alcohol.

Pei Yi nodded, grudgingly satisfied.

You Qinian glanced at Bo Yueming on the other side. He knew he was pretending in front of Pei Yi, but for the sake of the happy cooperation between the two parties, he was willing to help cover it up.

“Mr. Bo, happy cooperation.”

You Qinian took the initiative to clink his glass against Bo Yueming’s.

Bo Yueming took a sip of champagne. “Director You, don’t you feel that you are at a disadvantage now?”

You Qinian raised his eyebrows slightly. “To be honest, the shareholders of the group were very opposed to it at first. In order to reach a cooperation with Mr. Bo, I was under a lot of pressure a while ago.”

“However, Mr. Bo was right, this 4-6 share is indeed not a disadvantage.”

Although You Group’s benefits in the project were less, due to the “sacking” of Chen Shun and Shuntian Group, from a long-term perspective, You Group had made a lot of profit!

Public opinion had been fermenting for seven days.

There were the accusations made by the victims’ families led by Qiao Dong, the recordings of Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong that broke out on the internet, the safety problems and legal issues regarding Shuntian Group’s “Jiu Metro,” and the financial fraud within Shuntian Group.

With You Qinian’s covert assistance, each piece fermented smoothly.

After Chen Shun and Pan Chenggong were taken away by the police, they had thus far been charged with multiple crimes, and could not be released on bail. The high-level shareholders of Shuntian had also become a mess.

Due to safety issues and violations on the construction site, the construction permit of the Jiu Metro project was revoked, and all construction was forced to stop!

In addition, because of the accidental worker deaths during the project, it was possible that Shuntian Group would have difficulty in obtaining building permits for other projects in the next year!

For You group, this was an excellent opportunity to kick out the opponent’s company in one fell swoop!

Now, none of the top members of You Group dared to raise doubts or complaints against You Qinian, and even the You family members who coveted the title of “Executive Director” were forced to calm down.

Seeing You Qinian’s carefree expression, Pei YI was puzzled—

To be able to open a restaurant with such atmosphere and taste as Linshui Pavilion, You Qinian was definitely not someone who was obsessed with power. In any case, rich people could make money wherever they were, so why bother to stay in the top position of the You family?

Just as he was thinking, Bo Yueming beside him said something similar, “Director You, with your personality, there is no need to sit in a position you don’t enjoy.”

Pei Yi inwardly agreed.

You Qinian was similar to Bo Yueming, but also different.

The reason that Bo Yueming dealt with the Bo family was because he had to work hard to support Old Mrs. Bo in her hospital bed.

A wry smile appeared on You Qinian’s mouth. “I used to think it was unnecessary, but I couldn’t stop others from thinking that I was ambitious and wished to fight for power.”

“Mr. Bo, if you don’t have sufficient power and status to protect yourself and your loved ones, sooner or later, what is ‘unnecessary’ will become ‘necessary.’”

When it came to the last half of the sentence, You Qinian’s tone carried a rare hint of charitable good intentions.

“…….”

Protect your loved ones?

Bo Yueming remained silent, his eyes hidden under the glasses, and unconsciously glanced at Pei Yi, who was sipping his drink.

Zhang Shunzhi sensed You Qinian’s emotions, and tightly held his hand under the cover of the table to comfort him.

You Qinian quickly returned to his senses and punished himself with half a glass of champagne. “Apologies, I lost my composure.”

Bo Yueming also had a sense of propriety and drank as well, saying, “Director You, I am the one who stepped out of bounds.”

“Mr. Bo, it isn’t your problem.”

Likely because their partnership had been confirmed, You Qinian had lost an element of vigilance against them. From what he had revealed about the past, Bo Yueming and Pei Yi knew what was going on—

You Qinian was the grandson of the former director, Old Mr. You.

As the youngest daughter in the family, You Qinian’s mother had always been specially doted on, but it was a pity that she suffered from an incurable eye disease at a young age.

The old You family couple loved their daughter and recruited a son-in-law for her, and she gave birth to You Qinian within a few years of marrying. His parents’ love naturally transferred to him.

From childhood to adulthood, You Qinan had never experienced any hardships.

This lasted until the old couple were both ill in bed, and their children began to compete for property.

You Qinian and his parents had the least intention of fighting for anything, but they became the first victims in this battle, and even Zhang Shunzhi was forced to be involved. His father and mother were so overcome that they ended up in the hospital, his face was ruined, and even his companion was disabled.

You Qinian was given a taste of being powerless, so he was even more determined to protect the people around him.

If it wasn’t for his parents and Zhang Shunzhi, he would have dared to gamble his position and future with this bidding, but it was precisely due to this weakness—-

He must have power and status, and he must have more reservations and scruples when making decisions.

Forming an alliance with Bo Yueming was the safest and surest way he could think of.

You Qinian got back on topic. “Now that this project has been successfully won, does Mr. Bo plan to stay here or return to the Imperial Capital?”

“Once the handover is completed, I will return in ten days to half a month.”

Bo Yueming had his own arrangements. “Director You, in terms of future cooperation, you can contact Song Yuanyuan on our side at any time. If you encounter any problems, he will report to me in a timely manner.”

After more than two months of working together, Bo Yueming had confirmed that Song Yuanyuan’s ability and character were trustworthy.

You Qinian was appropriately direct, saying bluntly, “In addition to this cooperation, we can also be considered friends. If there is anything I can do to help in the future, Mr. Bo can call upon me at any time.”

“Thank you.”

Just after nine o’clock, the two parties concluded their small dinner banquet.

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming got into the back of the car, and before Lao Zhang started the engine—

The phone in Pei Yi’s pocket rang unexpectedly, and he fumbled it out in surprise to answer it. “Hello?”

Qin Yishun’s voice sounded. “Xiao Yi, good evening. You haven’t gone to sleep yet?”

“No,” Pei Yi replied. “Good evening to Brother too!”

During this time, Pei Yi and Qin Yishun kept in touch online, and the other party would show him videos of Inspector every night.

“…….”

Bo Yueming was casual on the surface, but was in fact listening intently.

Qin Yishun chuckled when he heard his little brother’s cute and skillful greeting and wanted to chat with Pei Yi a little more, but remembered the important reason he had made this call—

“Xiao Yi, is Bo Yueming by your side?”

Pei Yi glanced at Bo Yueming beside him. “En.”

Qin Yishun’s tone was still soft. “Little Brother, give him the phone, please?”

Pei Yi was a little puzzled, but obediently handed the phone to Bo Yueming. “Er-ge, here.”

Bo Yueming frowned as he took it. “Hey, this is Bo Yueming.”

“It’s me.”

Qin Yishun’s tone changed at once. The gentleness that belonged to his little brother was gone, and only business-like seriousness remained.

Bo Yueming felt like something was wrong, but didn’t know what it was. “Mr. Qin, since you called Pei Yi, why do you want to speak to me?”

“I want to make sure that Second Young Master is taking good care of my brother anytime and anywhere.”

Qin Yishun didn’t hide his intentions, and quickly got to the point after that brief explanation. “There is something I need to tell you.”

Bo Yueming understood and once, and said anxiously, “What is it?”

“It has to do with Mingxi Manor and the Old Lady. We just caught someone.”

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Chapter Forty-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty-Nine