The two people were surrounded by bright torches. A-Ning looked at the group of rebels holding long swords in front of him, and stammered to explain: “My…..my brother and I just entered the city today, and we don’t know the way, so we came here. It’s not that we want to steal anything.”

“If you just entered the city, why didn’t you just stay in your residence? What can you come out and do?” The leader brought the torch closer to the two of them, trying to see their faces clearly, and Liu Xian’an took two steps back away from the wave of heat, protecting A-Ning behind him as he explained, “My younger brother and I are both doctors, and many people in the temple have fallen ill. We heard that we can receive medicine at the granary, so we wanted to go out and look for it.”

As he spoke, he gently waved his hand behind his back, signaling the three guards in the shadows not to step forward. A-Ning was still holding onto his young master’s sleeve tightly, looking at the weapons with a foolish expression. One of them was thin and small, and the other was frail. It seemed like they couldn’t cause any big problems, so a rebel said: “General Yuan, if they’re really doctors, let them look at Lao Miao so that you don’t have to ask for Doctor Zhang again.”

The person he called “General Yuan” was named Yuan Zong. He was tall and strong, and really looked like a general on a stage. Yuan Zong looked Liu Xian’an up and down: “How are you medical skills?”

“Fair.”

“Let’s go.” Yuan Zong turned around. “Go and help my Dage’s injury.”

The three guards followed Liu Xian’an not too far away, until they saw the brightly lit “Jinluan Palace.” The manor was surrounded by patrolling rebels, but for the three of them, who were as light as hawks, this was obviously not an obstacle, and they still snuck in easily.

Liu Xian’an was taken to a large courtyard, and just as he entered the door, he bumped into someone who was announcing a decree to promote the bedridden Lao Miao from adjutant to general. Yuan Zong hurriedly stepped forward to congratulate him, and the people outside the courtyard also came to do the same. There was General Li on the left and General Zhao on the right. A-Ning had never seen so many generals in his life. He was dazzled for a while, and couldn’t remember who was who for a long time.

But Liu Xian’an remembered. Not only did he remember, but also relied on their words to roughly rank the generals in the courtyard. As number one, Yuan Zong’s status was not low, and General Miao was also quite authoritative because of his meritorious service.

General Miao’s name was Miao Changqing – Evergreen Grass – and he had indeed been diligently planting crops for most of his life. Due to the perennial toil, his legs and feet would fall ill every time this season came. He casually asked: “Have you been seen by a doctor before?”

“No, I couldn’t even eat enough, so I didn’t have enough money to see a doctor,” Miao Changqing said. “If you take a look, you might not be optimistic about it.”

Liu Xian’an pulled out the needle. “Does it still hurt?”

Miao Changqing tried to move a few times, and said in surprise: “It really doesn’t hurt much.”

The generals hadn’t all left the room yet, and when they heard this, they flocked forward to see. Liu Xian’an spoke again: “These few needles alone won’t cure the pain, and can only temporarily relieve it. You still need to rest more. I will write a prescription, and General Miao will try it for ten days.”

Miao Changqing, of course, didn’t listen to the doctor’s advice. He couldn’t wait to get out of bed, walking back and forth a few times before saying with approval: “Miracle Doctor. Little brother, you are a Miracle Doctor, ah!”

“That’s right, this looks much better than Imperial Doctor Zhang,” the others also said.

“Little brother, what’s your name, can my wrist pain be cured?” 

“I’m about to give birth, I mean, my wife is about to give birth, will the doctor also take a look?”

Liu Xian’an and A-Ning were surrounded by the group, and their ears were buzzing: “We can, we can, everyone, take it easy.”

The next day, the dilapidated temple was turned into a temporary medical center. There was a long queue in front of the door, all of them people who were waiting to see a doctor.

And the city’s security also became tighter, because the Yan army had already crossed Mianshan mountain.

On this day, Liang Shu received a secret report, and Gao Lin joined in to read it together. After reading it, he gave a thumbs up. Capable, and worthy of being someone the prince likes. I think this happy event might as well be held next month. It saves us from having to go to Baihe Mountain Village to pick that person up if there is another war in the future.

“You only see what is in front of you.” Liang Shu lit a fire and burned the secret report. “You can’t open your mouth without talking about war, why can’t you think about peaceful and prosperous times?”

“I do, ah, why wouldn’t I want to?” Gao Lin said, “Who doesn’t want to live in peace. When I don’t have to fight anymore, I will also set up a small courtyard opposite the palace and spend a few months idling about, wandering around the dream capital Wangcheng.”

“I forbid it.” Liang Shu mounted his horse. “Seeing your face, it’s easy to think of the hard days in the northwest where there is no tomorrow, which affects my mood.”

Gao Lin also galloped to catch up, saying cheerfully: “Okay, then I’ll live far away. It is enough for the prince to give me a little more money. WIth the money, I promise to stay as far away as possible and never disturb the prince when he’s seeing Second Young Master Liu.”

The “seeing” he spoke of was more poetic, just like lovers on a stage gazing at each other and holding hands, very pure and clean, but the picture that Liang Shu thought of at these words was much more vivid. There was a large back courtyard in Xiao Wang Palace, which was presently deserted. In the future, it could be used to build a waterside pavilion similar to the one in Baihe Mountain Village. There were ice blocks in the summer and a heater in the winter, plants and flowers all around. Big, comfortable reclining couches would be placed everywhere, so that no matter when he went home, he was sure to find a soft, sleepy, and warm forty-eight thousand year-old lazy egg under a blanket.

“Cough!” Gao Lin was beside him. “Cough, cough!”

Liang Shu: “…….”

“Your Highness, Your Highness,” Gao Lin reminded earnestly, “Put away that expression. War is ahead, think about it a little bit. There is no need to be so affectionate, I just got goosebumps when I saw it, but eighty percent of other people who see it will think the general is bewitched, which is really not conducive to stabilizing the morale of the army.”

Liang Shu said: “Scram.”

Gao Lin scrammed very cooperatively, scramming to the front to command the soldiers.

Birds in spring knew how to flare their gorgeous tails up in courtship. If the prince was courting a mate, why not win the battle and show off his skills to the fullest?

“Line up!” He ordered loudly.

“Triumph in every battle!” There was a uniform shout all over the mountain.

It seemed like thousands of troops were working hard for the lifelong event of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang.

And Liu Xian’an in the city had also become a moderate celebrity. He had superb medical skills, a pleasant voice, and was soft-spoken. No matter how rough a patient was, he didn’t seem to have any temper. On the contrary, when others saw it, they would always come forward to help him maintain order. Once people got to know each other well, they would also talk a lot. The most frequently discussed topic was the upcoming war, because it was said that the Yan army was already attacking outside the city.

A little girl suddenly cried out with a “wah,” and a woman quickly hugged her into her arms. After comforting her, she explained apologetically: “In the past few days, there are always naughty boys scaring her about the Yan army killing people, and she will cry when she hears it.”

“That is no joke,” one person said. “Don’t tell me you haven’t heard about Qingyang City?”

When the words “Qingyang City” were mentioned, everyone at the scene fell silent. Only the little girl’s sobs and long sighs could be heard: “How did we come across this troubled world?”

“I heard that elsewhere, there are cities that are not close to the Bai River” A-Ning said, grinding medicine without raising his head. “The people there are living well, and if we hadn’t happened to be going to visit relatives in Qingyang City, we would have been transferred to Wanhe City by the government, and the situation there is not bad.”

“Other places are good, so those of us who are close to the Bai River deserve to be unlucky?”

“No one deserves to be unlucky,” Liu Xian’an said. “It is because they don’t want to be unlucky that everyone gathers here, hoping to live a good life. I’ve heard that our new emperor is very capable, and I wonder if he can cure the flooding next year.”

“Next year, how can it be so fast?” An educated person in the crowd retorted loudly. “That’s the Bai River, at least tens of thousands of zhang long. No, hundreds of thousands of zhang. It is said that its widest width is more distant than the sea.”

“So the Bai River is so long, ah.” Liu Xian’an set down his brush and said doubtfully, “Then how long will it take to manage such a river?”

All the common people were questioned, and for many of them, the longest road they had had traveled in their lives was from their villages to Sanshui City. The rushing river of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of zhang was truly unimaginable. Liu Xian’an said again: “Five years should be enough.”

Five years was also not enough, really not enough. Everyone just asked and answered like this, ten years, fifty years, one hundred years, and finally came to a conclusion. It might take another hundred years, and after tens of thousands of river workers labored day and night, the Bai River could be successfully diverted.

This answer was already grave, because everyone present could not wait a hundred years, and if the Bai River was not properly governed, the people on both sides of the banks would be threatened another day. Even if the emperor was changed, the emperor was not the river god, so wasn’t Baihe still the same in the end?

At this time, a group of patrolling soldiers happened to pass by outside. Liu Xian’an saw them, and stopped them to ask: “General Li, do you know when the emperor plans to start governing the Bai River?”

General Li, who was inexplicably questioned by him: “Who told you that the emperor was going to govern the Bai River?”

“Not now, certainly not now.” A-Ning added, “My brother says it will be in the future, after the emperor fights all the way to Wangcheng.”

“Fighting to Wangcheng has nothing to do with the Bai River,” General Li said. “Such a long river is difficult for the gods to rule. When they fight all the way to Wangcheng, all the followers will be heroes, and they’ll only care about eating delicious food and drinking hard liquor, not about the Bai River.”

He said so, and really thought so, but after he left, Liu Xian’an said: “From Sanshui City to Wangcheng, there are at least a dozen separate cities. Fighting all the way, the troop will only get bigger and bigger. Can Wangcheng really hold so many people? Not to mention that there are millions of people living there. If we went in, what about them?”

One question made the temple become more and more silent. Many people had come here simply because they could no longer live in their hometowns, had no food to eat, and had no way of making a living. They were actually unwilling to fight, not to mention that there were many old, weak, and sick among them who couldn’t fight either. Although Sanshui City had food to eat right now, the newly enthroned emperor would not stay here forever. He would continue to go north, and when the army pulled out of the camp, it would certainly take away the food.

There were only two paths left before everyone. Either join Huang Wangxiang’s team and fight with him, or wander to the next city.

A-Ning said: “Then we will become military doctors, Brother. In any case, five members of our family can work for the emperor.”

Liu Xian’an agreed: “Okay.”

He was all right, but there were many who were not all right, and the woman with several children was the first to cry, not knowing when this long night would end. An old man was next, and the temple was filled with sobs. A-Ning comforted: “Everyone, don’t be quick to cry. Let’s ask the emperor, if the man of the family goes to fight, can his family stay in Sanshui City and share some grain and land?”

“Where is there any surplus food in this city?” A young man said. “We used to be able to receive three cornmeal loaves every day, but now we can only receive two. It’s even hard to feed half the children. A few days ago, I went to help the doctor retrieve medicine, and the granary was almost bottomed out.”

Without food, it meant that the next round of hunger was coming. Coupled with the Yan army approaching outside the city, everyone’s hearts were suspended.

Many people also found that whether this battle was won or lost, it seemed to have no meaning to them.

Liang Shu led his army forward. On the horizon, the walls of Sanshui City and the bright yellow flag of the rebels appeared faintly.

The Dayan iron cavalry’s black armor glinted coldly, and their long swords refracted a harsh light. Huang Wangxiang stood at a high place and looked at the black tide in the distance, wearing an ill-fitting dragon robe and holding a sword in his hand.

He had heard the stories of Liang Shu, Dayan’s first-class general, young, brutal, and invincible.

At that time, he was just a farmer in the fields, holding a bowl and listening to legends from thousands of li away.

Huang Wangxiang coughed twice. He was really too tired recently. The whole of Sanshui City was so smoky, dirty, and smelly, far from the ideal kingdom of heaven. Every day seemed to contain endless trivial matters, pushing the situation toward a worse direction.

There was a sound from downstairs, and then Liu Xian’an was brought up. He volunteered to see the new emperor. Although the ministers felt that more should be known when it came to the selection of Imperial physicians, the conditions in the city were limited, and there was indeed no room to pick and choose.

This was the first time Liu Xian’an had seen Huang Wangxiang. He was a dark-skinned, middle-aged man with no murderous aura, and even with a sword in his hand, he looked more like he was holding a hoe. Liu Xian’an could also see the Dayan army in the distance, so at this moment, his heartstrings couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

“Audacious!” Someone reprimanded. “Seeing the emperor and still not kneeling down!”

“No need,” Huang Wangxiang said. “I hear you are a miracle doctor with excellent medical skills. Can you cure insomnia?”

“Yes, insomnia is what I know best.” Liu Xian’an asked, “Your Majesty cannot sleep well?”

Huang Wangxiang sighed deeply: “Yes.”

Liu Xian’an said: “Because I need to make a diagnosis, I must ask everything clearly.”

Huang Wangxiang nodded: “All right, you ask.”

“Is the emperor’s insomnia due to the Yan army in the distance?”

“Not entirely.” Huang Wangxiang said, “I have fought against the Yan army many times and slept very well.”

“Then it is because of the commander of the Yan army.”

“That is also not it.”

Liu Xian’an: “Truly?”

Huang Wangxiang looked at him, puzzled.

Liu Xian’an explained: “I hear that he is victorious in every battle.”

Huang Wangxiang shook his head: “My insomnia started on the day I was enthroned, and there was no news of Liang Shu at that time.”

“So the emperor was too happy to sleep?”

“Presumptuous!”

Before Huang Wangxiang could speak, the generals next to him shouted angrily first, and General Yuan was the loudest among them. Being so happy that you couldn’t sleep after ascending the throne, what an embarrassing image of a humble low-status person putting on airs. Some even pointed at Liu Xian’an’s nose and cursed: “He has long talked nonsense in the ruined temple to shake the morale of the army. Looking at him now, he dared to talk strangely to the emperor. Perhaps he is a spy sent by the Yan army!”

During war, the word “spy” could make everyone’s nerves tense. Long swords were promptly drawn out of their sheaths with a shing. Ordinary people’s legs may have gone soft, but Second Young Master Liu was a person who disregarded life and death, so he seemed very calm, so calm that Huang Wangxiang asked, “You’re not afraid?”

Liu Xian’an said: “I’m not a spy, so naturally I am not afraid.”

Huang Wangxiang asked the man who had just shouted: “How did he shake the morale of the army?”

The other party replied: “When seeing the doctor in the temple, people were told that it is useless to keep fighting.”

“I didn’t say that fighting was useless. My original words were to encourage young and middle-aged people to join the army and go all the way north, so that they can have a meal in the future,” Liu Xian’an said. “But most young and middle-aged people have parents, wives, and children. They can’t join the army, and can only stay in Sanshui City or go to other cities. That day, I asked two generals who were passing by if there were any resettlement measures, but they said nothing in the end. In the future, whoever wants to eat must perform meritorious deeds, otherwise they will starve. But when we entered the city, we clearly heard the officers say that as long as we take refuge with the emperor, everyone will be able to eat.”

Huang Wangxiang looked at the group of generals.

Someone gritted his teeth and said: “Your Majesty, there is not much food left in the city, and new refugees are still being let in every day. We’ve slowed down as much as possible, but……there are still too many people who need to eat.”

In fact, it didn’t need to be stated by him. Huang Wangxiang also knew this. Let everyone have enough to eat – this was what he had proposed. Before, it was just a slogan during the war and didn’t carry much weight, but since becoming the emperor in Sanshui City, this slogan had become an Imperial decree, a task that must be completed.

He spent most of his life’s wisdom ruling this new capital and learning how to be an emperor. Previously, he had thought this matter would not be too difficult. As long as he had the nation in his heart, and was kind and just, he would certainly gain support and create a peaceful and prosperous world. But the reality was in front of him. Sanshui City was becoming more and more chaotic and getting worse under his various new policies.

And the original residents of Sanshui City seemed to hate him far more than they hated the Yan army. No one was enthusiastic about spilling their blood on behalf of hatred, which was indeed too different from what he had thought before.

At this moment, Liu Xian’an still asked: “Why does the emperor want to slow down the speed of the refugees entering the city? They all came here with hope, and have no other extravagant demands. They only want to have a meal. Is this difficult?”

Was it difficult?

In the past, Huang Wangxiang felt that it would not be difficult at all. He believed that the reason he was starving was because corrupt officials in his hometown were rampant and would not distribute food to the people. As long as one was honest, the problem would be solved. But now, he found that trying to feed everyone was really too difficult.

As for the Bai River, it was even more like a wide-mouthed beast. Even if he resembled the rumors and could easily transform into hundreds or thousands of Huang Wangxiangs and throw himself into the river, it would be difficult to make any impact.

It was impossible for him to manage the Bai River well in his lifetime.

Just like it was impossible for him to be a good emperor.

Liu Xian’an gazed at the city: “The Yan army is almost here.”

He asked Huang Wangxiang: “What does the emperor plan to do with the thousands of people gathered outside the city gate?”

T/N: LXA spitting some straight facts.

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

After a few more winter snowfalls, it was New Year’s Day, and the next day was Zhao Yelan’s birthday.

This was Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting’s second birthday together.

Since a month ago, Yan Mingting had been anxious about the gift.

Last year’s birthday had set the standard too high, which made it difficult to surpass this year. If the preparations were too simple, it could not be justified.

He began to observe whether Zhao Yelan had any new favorite things recently, and whenever Zhao Yelan was doing something, he quietly went over to take a look.

“What are you looking at?” Zhao Yelan turned to ask him.

“I’m looking at what you’re drawing.” Yan Mingting had just approached but was spotted by the other party, so he had to look up at the sky.

“Drawing a waterway map.” After the drought, Zhao Yelan always had the idea in mind to open a canal near Huaizhou and Zhizhou. He happened to be free recently, so he began to draw the terrain from memory. He pointed to one of the rivers and asked, “Do you remember what was by this river?”

“You’re asking the right person. I was very impressed with the situation at that time,” Yan Mingting said. “There was a peerless beauty beside this river with a frown, asking me when it would rain, and his appearance of worrying about the country and the people was truly beautiful.”

“…….” Zhao Yelan drove him out of the study.

Yan Mingting did not give up observing. This time, he went with him to the streets and followed secretly to see if there was anything he liked, preferably something he liked but was reluctant to buy.

However, he forgot that the other party was Zhao Yelan, ah, what could he be reluctant to buy?

He watched Zhao Yelan walk into Jinxuan, buy a bunch of things, and come out after a while. Then he turned around and went to the calligraphy shop, where he bought two expensive inkstones, and then went to the gold shop, where he spent a lot of money. Thousands of taels were tossed out in one afternoon.

At night, he looked through these things and inadvertently found a gold hairpin. He was so shocked that he rushed around the screen to ask the person who was bathing: “What is this? Which woman did you buy it for?”

“It’s for Yue’er, I heard she started talking recently,” Zhao Yelan replied.

Kan Xinyue was Kan Chuan’s daughter and Zhao Yelan’s goddaughter, and now that she was growing up, she was even cuter. It was only that she still loved to cry, and besides her mother, her favorite was Zhao Yelan. She would smile whenever she saw him, which once made Kan Chuan very jealous.

But Kan Chuan was not the only one who was jealous. Yan Mingting was even worse.

Thinking that every time he wanted Zhao Yelan to show him that kind of gentle and doting gaze, he had to spend a lot of effort, but the girl only had to smile at him for him to smile with that gentle expression, as if offering all his tenderness, Yan Minging really felt a little resentful.

Every time the two families met, Kan Chuan and Yan Mingting would huddle together to drink and pour out their grievances.

“Are you planning to take her the hairpin to coax her into calling you Godfather?” Yan Mingting asked.

“En, and clothes.”

Yan Mingting went to open the bag of clothes bought at Jinxuan. They were all children’s clothes, very small. They looked cute, and the material was also good, very expensive at first glance. He said: “She just started talking, and you’ve prepared so much. When she marries, how many boxes of dowry will you carry over there?”

“You’ve reminded me.” Zhao Yelan stood up with the sound of splashing water. “Let’s store away those accessories we don’t use when we have the time, she will grow up soon.”

“Be careful of catching a cold.” Yan Mingting immediately rushed in and wiped his body off with a towel, then carried him to bed and buried him up to his neck. He said with a groan, “I’m jealous.”

“You’re jealous of me catching a cold?” Zhao Yelan didn’t understand.

“No, of Yue’er.”

“What are you jealous of her for? Do you also want to be a woman in the next life?”

“…….” Yan Mingting laughed, raising his head and squeezing his nose. “You treat her so well, I’m jealous.”

“I don’t treat you well?” Zhao Yelan asked cooly.

Yan Mingting choked, saying after a moment: “It would be great if you could be more gentle to me.”

“I’m not gentle to you?” Zhao Yelan asked.

“……Put the knife down first before you speak,” Yan Mingting said in a cold sweat.

. . . . . .

After a few days of observation, Zhao Yelan didn’t seem to have any new hobbies recently, so Yan Mingting thought that it would be fine if he cultivated a few.

He took Zhao Yelan to the training grounds and waved his hand: “Choose any of the weapons here, and I will teach you.”

Zhao Yelan took a long time to choose, and picked out a whip.

Yan Mingting carefully taught him how to swing the whip for two days, but was unsuccessful. It was not until he almost hurt himself that Yan Mingting changed his methods and taught him how to bind people with the whip.

“If you learn from my technique, no one will be able to escape.”

“Really?”

“En!”

Zhao Yelan was physically weak, but his brain power was pretty good. After watching him demonstrate once, he understood the key points, found Xiao Gao, and tied him up.

Xiao Gao: “ ? ”

“Now break free,” Zhao Yelan said.

Xiao Gao struggled a few times, but couldn’t escape. He was obviously anxious: “My lord, are you going to sell me?”

Zhao Yelan was very satisfied, so he untied him. “Go on.”

Xiao Gao knelt down with a plop and hugged him, crying: “My lord, I was wrong. I will never steal the tanghulu you bought for the General again, or secretly tell Housekeeper Qin that you were bullied by the General in the middle of the night and cried.”

Zhao Yelan: “ ? ”

A moment later, Yan Mingting hugged Zhao Yelan’s waist from behind and carried him back to the room. Zhao Yelan kicked twice in the air: “You put me down, I want to sell him!”

Xiao Gao: “Wuwuwuwu.”

It was already dark out, and when Zhao Yelan was put on the bed, he said: “He stole your tanghulu and you’re still helping him?”

“It’s just a few tanghulu, let him eat as he pleases, and he won’t know the consequences until he has a toothache.” Yan Mingting laughed.

Zhao Yelan gritted his teeth and said: “No wonder Housekeeper Qin is always ordering the kitchen to cook chicken soup recently.”

“He’s just doing it for your own good,” Yan Mingting coaxed.

Zhao Yelan covered himself with the quilt, and when he felt his hand stretch in, he said: “You promised me just last night that we would rest tonight!”

“I’ll just touch and not do anything else,” Yan Mingting said in a natural tone.

After a while, Zhao Yelan said in a low voice: “What are you doing?”

“I’m just rubbing against you, nothing else.” Yan Mingting’s tone became unnatural.

Zhao Yelan promptly lifted the quilt and got out of bed.

“What are you doing?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan took out the whip without saying a word and tied his hands up as he had been taught. Yan Mingting struggled twice, but couldn’t break free. 

“Sleep, ba.” Zhao Yelan lay down and turned sideways, admiring Yan Mingting’s dissatisfied and aggrieved expression. He reached out, asking, “Shall I come over?”

Yan Mingting nodded fiercely, but Zhao Yelan didn’t move. Seeing his expression change from great joy to sorrow, he smiled and moved over slowly to kiss him little by little, like a fearless lord, and rolled onto him to dominate everything. The sense of conquest pleased him, and he enjoyed this fellow’s body language and emotions. No one else could make Yan Mingting surrender easily, but he could.

After a round of play, Zhao Yelan lay on top of him contentedly, and was about to move away when a pair of hands unexpectedly pressed down on his shoulders.

Zhao Yelan scoffed and looked down at the hands, wondering: “Didn’t you say that no one could escape?”

“If you want to be able to tie me up, you still need practice.” Yan Mingting hugged him and said, “But if you like this, you can come and tie me up any day.”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

Half a month later, Yan Mingting still couldn’t think of what gift to give him, so he had to ask Zhao Xuan.

After court that day, he specially stayed behind, and Zhao Xuan took him to the side hall to ask what the matter was.

He asked: “What was the happiest time in Mengting’s life?”

Zhao Xuan said: “The day my father died.”

Yan Mingting: “……..”

Zhao Xuan smiled, and drank a bowl of medicine served by Eunuch Gao before saying: “Is that all you’re asking?”

“Then let me change the question. Was there anything he liked when he was a child?”

Zhao Xuan thought carefully for a moment, then said: “He used to enjoy buying candles very much.”

“Candles?” Yan Mingting asked in surprise.

“Yes, the second he had money, he loved to buy things like scented candles. I saw many candles in his room, of various kinds, often burning all night long.”

This was not something Yan Mingting had expected. The other party never showed any preference for candles after they married, although he did know about the incense.

In the blink of an eye, it was his birthday, and Zhao Yelan woke up as soon as the sky was bright. He didn’t want to admit that he couldn’t sleep due to being curious about how Yan Mingting would celebrate his birthday.

Xiao Gao came in to change his clothes, and chose a new set that Zhao Yelan had never seen before. After asking, he found out that Yan Mingting had specially prepared them for him. He was dressed in a green robe without complicated patterns, and the style was very simple, but Zhao Yelan felt that he had seen it somewhere before.

It wasn’t until he saw Yan Mingting’s clothing in the hallway that he remembered where this sense of familiarity came from.

Yan Mingting wore a set of white robes. He seldom wore white clothing, and had only done so when his parents died and when he returned to Beijing to recuperate.

This was the scene from when they met for the first time.

Yan Mingting turned around and smiled at him: “Is this the young master of the Zhao family?”

After a moment, Zhao Yelan smiled back: “Yes.”

“What is the young master doing in my General’s Mansion?”

“I heard that the young general is brave and invincible, with an admirable and heroic demeanor, so I wanted to come and see him.”

“I see that you are well-pleased too. Since we are in love, how about I go to the door to propose marriage someday?” Yan Mingting stretched out his hand.

Zhao Yelan laughed and took it: “Okay, ah, but my mother may not like a male daughter-in-law.”

“Young Master, don’t worry, I’m the best at coaxing older ladies. If I can’t coax her in one year, I’ll coax her for ten years.”

When the two came to the front hall, their friends were already sitting at the table and waiting to eat.

After Zhao Yelan sat down, the longevity noodles were served. The noodles were made by these friends, but this time they switched it up and insisted that Zhao Yelan guess who made the fire, who served the noodles, and who sprinkled the green onions.

After a lively breakfast, Kan Chuan and Ruan Xian’s families also came. Zuo Ran and Yin Pinglu also loved Kan Xingyue very much, so they followed Zhao Yelan to play with the child.

“Didn’t I say you should come later?” Yan Mingting stood aside and whispered to Kan Chuan.

“I couldn’t help it. As soon as the child heard she was going to see her godfather, she stared at me eagerly all morning,” Kan Chuan said.

Kan Xingyue had just learned to say simple addresses, and within a few days of calling for her parents, she called out to Zhao Yelan: “Yifu.”

Everyone laughed, including Zhao Yelan, and he carried her back to the bedroom to fetch the gold hairpin and new clothes. Feeling that it wasn’t enough, he carried her to go out and buy her something to eat, but was stopped by others.

“It’s a good thing you don’t have children. If you want to have a child, I’m afraid you will only be able to sleep in the study for the rest of your life,” Kan Chuan teased Yan Mingting, who laughed helplessly.

In the afternoon, the friends all had their own business to attend to. Just as the mansion was idle for a while, someone came again from the palace. It was Zhao Xuan and the Sun Muyun mother and son.

Sun Muyun had heard that Zhao Xuan planned to come to the General’s Mansion in person, and wanted to come along, saying that she was bored in the palace and wanted to come and have a look.

This frightened the servants in the General’s Mansion, and they hurriedly entertained them to the highest standards.

Several adults sat in the front hall chatting as Zhao Sui was learning to walk. Under the watchful eyes of the servants, he walked and stopped all the way until he hugged Zhao Yelan’s calf, trying to climb up.

Zhao Yelan was already an expert at holding babies, and picked him up, holding him skillfully in his arms. Zhao Sui immediately became happy.

Sun Muyun laughed loudly: “I heard that Zhao-daren has an affinity for children, but I didn’t expect it to be true.”

“Yes, ah,” Zhao Xuan said enviously. “Sui’er, come to Emperor Father.”

Zhao Sui glanced at him, then turned his head and continued to lay against Zhao Yelan, making everyone laugh.

The three of them didn’t stay very long, leaving some gifts before returning to the palace.

“What’s the matter with you?” Zhao Yelan noticed that Yan Minting had been staring sulkily at the gifts for a long time.

“He gave you so many good things, it’s hard for me to take out my gift,” Yan Mingting said.

“Oh?” Zhao Yelan leaned over and asked, “So what is your gift?” 

Yan Mingting led him to a deserted place on the outskirts of the city. Looking in this direction, he seemed to know where they were going. The closer they got, the slower Zhao Yelan walked, until they came to a small courtyard and Zhao Yelan touched the courtyard door with wet eyes: “When was it repaired? Who is living in it?”

“Don’t you know? It’s the Zhao family, ah.”

As soon as Yan Mingting finished speaking, tears fell from Zhao Yelan’s eyes.

This used to be the home of their family of three, but it was burned down by the fire, and everything was reduced to ashes. As a criminal, he couldn’t return, and later on, he didn’t want to. In any case, his family was gone, and there was no meaning here.

“Go in and have a look.” Yan Mingting pushed open the courtyard door. There was a vegetable field surrounded by a fence. “You said that your mother planted some vegetables in the courtyard.”

Zhao Yelan gazed at it for a while, then turned his head to look at the plum blossom and peach trees inside the courtyard wall.

“Didn’t your mother want to plant flowers in the courtyard? Right now only the plum blossoms can be seen, but we can see peach blossoms in the spring and look at them together,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan walked into the house, and the furnishings inside were exactly the same as what he revealed in his occasional words. Everywhere he looked, he seemed to be able to see the shadow of his childhood self running around this humble house.

“Since I want to propose marriage, of course I must come to the Zhao residence.” Yan Mingting raised his hand and wiped his tears away before pulling him into his arms. “Is Young Master Zhao willing to spend the rest of his life with me?”

Zhao Yelan nodded, clutching his sleeves with both hands, and cried quietly.

They ate dinner there. Yan Mingting had not only restored the furnishings at that time, but made it directly liveable.

Yan Mingting opened the cupboard, took out the flour, and began kneading dough. He said: “It seems you still must come to light the fire.”

Zhao Yelan sat in front of the stove, and it was as if he had returned to his childhood, sitting there holding the poker and reading a book while lighting the fire. Because he was so invested in reading, he had almost burned the book.

He told Yan Mingting these interesting things, and Yan Mingting said with a smile: “Aiya, I really regret that I didn’t know you earlier. You must have been cute when you were little.”

The birthday dinner was just simple steamed buns, but Yan Mingting’s skills could be said to have advanced by leaps and bounds. According to him, he specially went to learn from the shopkeeper of Mingji and practiced for five days.

After dinner, Zhao Yelan was taken aback when the other took out some blankets to make the bed, saying: “When did you prepare these?”

In fact, it had been almost a year since he prepared them. He had planned to bring him here for his birthday last year, but the time was tight, and he was too late.

“Come here and see if it’s warm,” Yan Mingting said while touching the thick quilt.

Zhao Yelan walked over and carefully touched the quilt, then suddenly noticed his vision brighten, then become brighter and brighter. He turned around suspiciously and saw red candles burning all over the room, tall and short, thick and thin.

“This is……” Zhao Yelan was stunned.

“Don’t you like candles?” Yan Mingting stepped forward to hold his hand, smiling. “These are wedding candles. Let’s have another wedding night here.”

Zhao Yelan raised his head, his eyes tinged with red: “You really are……”

Before he could finish speaking, he choked up and kissed him.

Under the moonlight, beside the wedding candles, blue silk became entangled.

Married as husband and wife, there was no doubt about their love.

“Actually, I never liked candles.” Lying in his arms, Zhao Yelan looked at the burning candles and said, “I was just afraid of dark places and loved the light they brought me.”

The closer a person was to hell, the greedier they would be for light.

“Then do you like them now?” Yan Mingting asked.

Zhao Yelan’s expression changed slightly, and he looked at him intently: “They are just candles to me now, because……I haven’t been afraid of the dark since we married. That is to say, I found a new light, and he is brighter and more eternal.”

---

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Chapter Ninety-Two <<Table of Contents >> Extra 2: Relatives

STS Risk Advisory.

Qin Yishun, who always had a poker face, took a bunch of snacks and desserts from the staff rest area and walked back to his office quickly with a smile on his face.

An assistant who had just finished handling external work saw this unusual scene, and her eyes widened with astonishment.

She slowly moved to the side of secretary Ai Ling. “Sister Ai Ling, I came back late, which person is Mr. Qin receiving, ah? Why do I feel that he is entirely different from before?”

Ai Ling took a long sip of her coffee and whispered, “Boss Qin’s little brother is inside, and he brought a big man with him.”

“Little brother?”

“It’s the little boy that was brought up by Boss Qin some time ago.” Ai Ling shook her head and teased, “Unexpected, right? Our Boss Qin looks so serious, but he’s still a little brother-con in private.”

He even had to choose the snacks and desserts for his little brother in person, so cute~

Inside the general manager’s office.

Pei Yi sat beside his older brother, staring intently at the snowball cake in his hands.

Seeing this little greedy cat, Qin Yishun revealed a faint smile and tore open the outer package before handing it over. “Eat slowly, don’t choke.”

Pei Yi took it with both hands, nodding perfunctorily.

Bo Yueming, who was sitting alone across from him, watching this scene covertly and was suddenly not satisfied with the sitting arrangement. He knew he shouldn’t have brought the kitten here.

How could he be coaxed away willingly with sweets?

“Second Young Master Bo.”

Only after settling his brother in did Qin Yishun restrain himself and deal with business as usual. “Would you like to elaborate on your needs here?”

Bo Yueming’s eyes dropped quickly under the cover of his glasses, and missed the other party’s gaze.

He knew that Qin Yishun was a veteran, so he must have strong observation skills. If he wanted to pretend to be blind and act with the kitten, he had to hide his “ability to see” from this cousin.

“I need at least six professional security personnel, including one who knows medicine, to be responsible for the security of my grandmother’s convalescent villa. Cost is not a problem.”

When he was in Mingxi Manor just now, Pei Yi had deliberately approached him, and Bo Yueming took his hint to heart.

For this sort of thing, no one was more responsible than Qin Yishun.

STS was one of the best risk consulting agencies in China, and because of Pei Yi, the two of them were more or less related “in name.”

In terms of arranging manpower, Qin Yishun would definitely not be negligent.

Old Mrs. Bo was not fully conscious yet, and Aunt Song was just an ordinary caretaker. The security measures in Mingxi Manor seemed to be good, but after all, they were not under Bo Yueming’s control.

In case his suspicions came true, and someone with malicious intentions took the opportunity to bribe the security or medical staff……Bo Yueming must put an end to this possibility!

“During the time I’m not in the Imperial Capital, no one is allowed to enter the convalescent villa without my permission. Once someone breaks in maliciously, the necessary enforcement measures can be taken, and I must be notified at once.”

Qin Yishun nodded upon hearing Bo Yueming’s request. “No problem. If Mr. Bo is in a hurry, I’ll send someone to arrange the contract and deployment of personnel, and we can sign it before the end of the day.”

Bo Yueming desired just this sort of efficiency. “All right.”

The two confirmed their intention to cooperate in just a handful of sentences. Pei Yi, who had finished eating a snack, couldn’t help but sigh—

The efficiency among intelligent people was really quite speedy.

Qin Yishun left with a business-like attitude. As soon as the door closed, Pei Yi heard the other person ask, “Pei Yi, what are you eating?”

“Snack.”

Naturally, Pei Yi would not report such specific words as “snowball cake.”

Bo Yueming spoke again, “You bring me some too, I’m a little hungry.”

“Ah?”

Pei Yi made a sound of incomprehension, looking up at assistant Lin Zhong to the side.

Bo Yueming didn’t like sweet things very much.

And he usually called his assistant for help, so why was it his turn to be called?

Lin Zhong met Pei Yi’s gaze and feigned ignorance, taking out cell phone that hadn’t vibrated at all. “Boss, there’s a call coming in. Should I go out and answer it first?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming was very satisfied with his assistant’s tact and discreteness.

Once the frosted glass door had opened and closed, only Bo Yueming and Pei Yi were left in the office.

Bo Yueming suddenly rubbed his left hand, which had been rebandaged after the dressing was changed, and gave a pained frown. “I didn’t eat much at noon today.”

“……..”

Pei Yi came to an abrupt realization.

Bo Yueming’s scalded right hand was still not fully healed, and the individual blisters looked even more festering after they burst. His eyes were also inconvenient, so his daily eating speed was even slower.

Today, before he could finish lunch, Old Mr. Bo had called him over.

At this point in time, he should be hungry.

Thinking of this, Pei Yi picked up two salted meat buns and got up, walking around the table to hand them to Bo Yueming. “Er-ge, here.”

Bo Yueming took them and said casually, “Sit.”

Pei Yi looked at the long sofa that could sit two people and didn’t think much of it at all. On the contrary, he feared that it would be inconvenient for Bo Yueming, so he personally tore open the outer bag of the small bread for him, then handed it over again.

Bo Yueming deliberately didn’t catch it with his hand, and lowered his head to look for the food, somewhat confused.

“………”

Pei Yi only paused for a second or two before feeding the bun to his mouth. “Here, ah—”

Bo Yueming bit down in response, and there was a bit of joy in his eyes.

. . . . . .

Ten minutes later.

When Qin Yishun returned to the office, he found Pei Yi sitting next to Bo Yueming, and the corners of his originally relaxed mouth tightened unconsciously—

How long had he been out?

How did Bo Yueming deceive this person to his side? This man really knew some tricks.

“Brother!”

Pei Yi was unaware of his brother’s inner fluctuations, so he called out with a smile.

At the same time, Secretary Ai Ling walked in with a tablet.

“Boss Qin, the electronic version of the exclusive contract has been released. Mr. Bo must confirm its content again. If there is no problem with the final confirmation, we can prepare the paper version for signing at any time.”

In front of employees, he still had to maintain his professional status, and Qin Yishun could only suppress the little concerns in his heart. “Okay.”

Lin Zhong then approached and said, “Thank you, leave it to me.”

Ever since Bo Yueming’s eyesight became inconvenient, he needed the content of such texts read out to him. 

Lin Zhong sat back behind Bo Yueming and accurately read the contents in a low voice. After two or three small revisions, the two parties successfully completed the cooperation signing.

“The specific team members will be in place on time before eight o’clock tomorrow,” Qin Yishun explained. “Rest assured, Second Young Master Bo, everything will be to the highest standards, and I will be checking in regularly.”

Bo Yueming replied, “Since that is the case, then I will trouble Boss Qin.”

Qin Yishun sent Ai Ling and the other staff out with a look.

After closing the door, he asked another question from a personal perspective, “Mr. Bo, you are leaving for Wencheng tomorrow, so what is Xiao Yi going to do?”

Pei Yi, who was quietly thinking about the plot of a game, heard his name and raised his head slowly. “…..Huh?”

Qin Yishun looked at his little brother’s confused little eyes, anxious. “Since Xiao Yi lives in Bo Manor, I have privately inquired about the relationships between everyone in the Bo family.”

They were extremely complicated and messy.

“When Xiao Yi was by your side, at least you could still protect him, but what about the next few months? Can you rest assured with him living amongst a pack of wolves, tigers, and leopards?”

“……..”

Pei Yi fully returned to his senses at last.

In the eyes of outsiders, Bo Yueming was going on a business trip to Wencheng for work. If not for the special circumstances, as a “family member” or “marriage partner,” there would be absolutely no need for him to follow the other party on his trip.

When Bo Yueming heard Qin Yishun’s question, his jaw tensed for a moment.

Speaking of selfishness, Bo Yueming of course wanted Pei Yi to be by his side, because only in this way could the relationship between the two grow closer. But a person could not just think about himself, he had to respect Pei Yi’s personal wishes.

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly, and he spoke the truth, “How about letting Pei Yi decide for himself? I’m uncertain of the work situation in Wencheng for the time being, so I’m not going to hastily decide to take him.”

Qin Yishun cut to the chase, “I don’t agree with Pei Yi staying at Bo Manor without anyone looking after him.”

In his opinion, his little brother was a little white rabbit, a little sheep, pure, kind, and harmless. How could he stand against the calculating eyes of the Bo family?

At this thought, Qin Yishun asked more actively, “Xiao Yi, do you want to stay with Brother for a while? Or move back to live with Auntie? If I have free time, I’ll go there to accompany you.”

Perhaps as time went on, his little brother would stop thinking about Bo Yueming, and live with his relatives willingly.

“……..”

Hearing the statements of the two, Pei Yi felt an unprecedented entanglement in his heart.

To tell the truth that no outsider knew, he suddenly realized that he subconsciously wanted to leave the Imperial Capital together with Bo Yueming and go to Wencheng.

Pei Yi turned his head and thought carefully of his original purpose of coming to Bo Manor —

One reason was that it was difficult to take his “own” identity documents that were in the hands of the Pei family, the second was to have a relatively “home-like” creative environment, and the third was to take care of the relatives of the original owner.

Pei Yi was the most typical type of game producer. He liked a relatively fixed creative environment and didn’t like running around.

But he didn’t know since when—

He could actually tacitly stay by Bo Yueming’s side with peace of mind? No matter where it was that they were going.

Qin Yishun looked at Pei Yi’s unusually knit brows, and expressed concern, “Xiao Yi? What’s wrong?”

Pei Yi shook his head slightly, and his gaze unconsciously turned towards Bo Yueming.

The reason the other party blackened in the original text was because he suffered so much humiliation and bullying while he was blind. 

Bo Yueming still couldn’t see now, so it was hard for him to do things.

If he met another shameless person like Bo Guancheng in Wencheng, plotting against and bullying him openly and in secret, what would he do?

Perhaps because Pei Yi’s gaze was fixed for so long, Bo Yueming thought that the other party wanted to stay.

He inconspicuously pressed the blisters under the gauze, trying to use the pain to cover up the loss in his heart. “Pei Yi, stay if you want to, ba.”

Pei hummed softly. “I want……to go with Er-ge.”

No matter how rational his planning was, he still failed to divert his real feelings. He wanted to block or fight back against those malicious intentions on Bo Yueming’s behalf as much as he could.

He wanted to protect him in his blindness, if only for a while.

Even though he would leave the Bo family in the future, Pei Yi didn’t want the other party to fall to the same tragic end as in the original text.

Having made up his mind, Pei Yi repeated, “Go with Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming’s heart stabilized at once, and a trace of warmth appeared on his lips. “Okay, you stay with me.”

“……..”

When Qin Yishun heard Pei Yi’s choice, he thought for a moment, “it really is so.”

Perhaps because he was prepared, he no longer felt the loss he had felt the first time, and just spoke from the perspective of family, “Second Young Master, since Xiao Yi is willing to follow you, please take good care of him no matter what.”

“As for Old Mrs. Bo and my auntie, I will do my best to take care of them. You and Xiao Yi don’t need to worry too much.”

Pei Yi was moved by Qin Yishun’s answer.

He ran back to the other’s side and picked up the untouched dessert to offer as a bribe, “Brother! Here!”

Only this time, Bo Yueming didn’t feel sour enough to stop him. “Thank you, Mr. Qin.”

Qin Yishun took the food handed to him by his little brother, and when he looked at the opposite side, he took out his brother-in-law attitude again, “I’m doing this for Xiao Yi, and I hope that Second Young Master will keep my entrustment in mind.”

“Naturally.”

. . . . . .

When Bo Yueming returned home, Pei Yi was no longer with him.

Uncle Kai, who had stayed at home to pack luggage, found this strange and asked, “Second Young Master, where is Little Sir?”

Lin Zhong nearby understood the situation, and explained, “Little Sir will go with Second Young Master to Wencheng tomorrow, and he is with Mr. Qin tonight to accompany Ms. Shu for dinner.”

They were leaving tomorrow, after all, and it was only natural to have dinner with the family tonight.

Uncle Kai was taken aback. “Little Sir is going with you?”

“En, if he wants to follow, I’ll let him follow, ba.” Bo Yueming relaxed with a smile, saying, “Uncle Kai, help Pei Yi pack his luggage later.”

“All right.”

The group booked a flight for 3:30 p.m. the next day.

When they arrived at the hotel in Wencheng, it was already past eight o’clock.

The person in charge of receiving them was named Song Yuanyuan, and he was the deputy member of the project team that the Bo family sent to Wencheng four months ago. Because Feng Zheng, the core leader, set down the burden halfway, he could only take over temporarily.

“Mr. Bo, according to the number of people in our entourage reported by Assistant Lin, I have reserved the highest-standard general suite for you here, with a double master bedroom and two second bedrooms. The three rooms are relatively spread out, so you will not disturb each other at night.”

Double master bedroom?

Didn’t this situation sound a little familiar?

Pei Yi thought about it and grabbed the shoulder strap of his backpack casually. “Ah.”

“……..”

Song Yuanyuan didn’t expect Pei Yi to be the first to respond, and was a little confused for a moment.

“Mr., Mr. Bo, is there something wrong with this arrangement?”

Wasn’t the reservation made after speaking with Lin Zhong?

A housekeeper in charge of daily life, an assistant in charge of work, and Mr. Bo’s partner. Wasn’t this arrangement correct?

Song Yuanyuan inwardly confirmed this and quickly added, “Oh, I’ve already asked the agency about Mr. Bo’s short-term housing in Wencheng, and I’ll try to arrange it within three days.”

“En, since you’ve already made the reservation, let’s just do this first.”

Bo Yueming nodded slightly . “It’s late today, and I’m tired from the plane. Regarding the bidding project, you will report the detailed progress to me tomorrow morning.”

Song Yuanyuan replied, “Okay.”

Bo Yueming put the matter to rest. “All right, let’s go up and look at the rooms.”

. . . . . . 

Three minutes later.

Pei Yi gazed at the overly luxurious master bedroom and sighed silently—

Because he feared that the cat would be stressed from the flight, before leaving this time, Pei Yi had specially handed Inspector over to Qin Yishun to take care of.

He didn’t have the cute and lovely Inspector to accompany him to sleep tonight, and was lying on a completely unfamiliar bed and bedding. No matter how big the bed was or how far away Bo Yueming was, he reckoned that he was destined to suffer from insomnia.

Sitting on the back sofa, Bo Yueming looked at Pei Yi’s “cute” head and motioned, “Uncle Kai, take out Pei Yi’s things.”

Uncle Kai responded, “Okay, Second Young Master.”

Hearing his name, Pei Yi quickly turned to check on the situation—

Uncle Kai found the corresponding large suitcase and took out a stack of thick compressed bags from it, which contained the bedding set he used back at the villa.

Uncle Kai took the bedding from the compression bag and shook it twice. “Little Sir.”

Pei Yi quickly ran to take the quilt. He buried his head to sniff it, and breathed in the scent he was familiar with. 

He opened his eyes in surprise and disbelief—

What the hell? 

When was this brought here?

Why didn’t he know anything about it!

Seeing Pei Yi’s childish reaction, Uncle Kai couldn’t restrain his smile. 

He paid no mind to how much Pei Yi could understand, telling him in detail, “Last night, Second Young Master specifically instructed me as soon as he came home. He was afraid that Little Sir would not sleep well when he got here, and asked me to pack it up and bring it with us today.”

Bo Yueming didn’t like to travel back and forth with a lot of luggage. In the past, when he was on short business trips, he bought everything that he could buy locally.

This time, he didn’t bring much luggage, and the bedding only took up a big suitcase.

When Pei Yi heard Uncle Kai’s explanation, the warmth in his heart bloomed into flowers.

Because of the small habits created by his childhood environment growing up, plus the usual daily work that was mentally exhausting, Pei Yi was somewhat picky about “recognizing” the bed he was sleeping in, although it sounded a bit childish.

At the time he had just transmigrated, Pei Yi had to toss and turn almost every night until three or four o’clock in the morning before he could fall asleep. As far as he was concerned, it was rare to sleep peacefully like he had when they went to the recuperation resort last time.

After finally getting used to the bed at Bo Manor, then suddenly agreeing to change where he stayed, he was secretly worried about his quality of sleep these few days.

Unexpectedly, Bo Yueming took this into consideration?

Was he really taking care of him like he was a fool? 

Pei Yi considered this silently, his heart still filled with soft joy. “Er-ge, good!”

On the sofa, Bo Yueming pretended to be calm and took a sip of water. “Okay, put the quilt aside first and hurry to take a shower.”

“Little Sir, here is your change of clothes.” Uncle Kai handed them over.

Pei Yi nodded in response. He turned around and rushed back to the master bedroom, completely forgetting the fact that he would be ‘sharing a bed’ with Bo Yueming.

. . . . . .

At 10:30 in the evening, Bo Yueming walked out of the bathroom after washing up.

“Pei Yi? Are you asleep?”

Even though he knew the layout of the master bedroom well, he pretended to be cautious, as if he was not familiar with the room.

Pei Yi was playing with the mobile phone in his hands. After hearing this question, he quickly pretended to yawn a little, and asked in a dazed tone, “Er-ge?”

“…….”

Bo Yueming was overwhelmed by the kitten’s superb acting skills, and endured for a few seconds before failing. “Come and help me.”

Pei Yi had guessed that Bo Yueming would ask him for help, and showed a look of “so it’s true,” before hiding under his mask of cuteness in an instant.

Before long, the two of them occupied the two sides of the big bed and lay down.

Bo Yueming questioned, “Is the light still on? Turn it off before going to sleep.”

It was not time for Pei Yi to go to sleep, but he was afraid of affecting Bo Yueming, so he honestly put down the phone and turned off the lights.

The room was plunged into darkness.

Pei Yi knew that Bo Yueming would get up early tomorrow to deal with business, so he didn’t dare to disturb him. He just forced himself to close his eyes and fall asleep.

Time passed quietly.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of light, overlapping breathing stabilized.

Bo Yueming opened his eyes in the dark and cautiously turned sideways, staring at the person before him in the faint light—

Pei Yi had himself wrapped up in the quilt, only revealing a small part of his sleeping face, giving people the illusion of a well-behaved sleeping posture.

“…….”

Ever since falling asleep with Pei Yi in his arms the last two times, Bo Yueming had unexpectedly fallen in love with that feeling, so before booking the hotel last night, he specifically explained to Lin Zhong that they only needed a master bedroom and two extra bedrooms.

Lin Zhong was clever. He knew that his secrets could easily be revealed here, so he deliberately reported this to Song Yuanyuan, his liaison in these parts. 

Of course, Bo Yueming would not force him to do anything for his own selfish desires.

He was waiting for Pei Yi to be “dishonest” and take the initiative to stick to him.

Even if his waiting was in vain, it was good to watch the kitten sleep like this.

Just as he thought this, Pei Yi changed his sleeping position in his sleep—

He moved to the middle of the bed, and after finding Bo Yueming, he seemed to have found a large pillow and stuck to it defenselessly with his hands and feet.

Most of the quilt wrapped around his body fell away.

Sure enough. Having waited for the kitten to throw himself into his arms, Bo Yueming smiled silently and gently rubbed the neck of the person in his arms to lull him to sleep.

It wasn’t until Pei Yi was completely asleep that he relaxed entirely. He lowered his head and rubbed his lightly scented hair, warm lips brushing a soft and delicate ear.

“Good night, Kitten.”

. . . . . .

The next morning, Bo Yueming was the first to wake up.

Song Yuanyuan, who was in charge of reporting his work, arrived on time together with assistant Lin Zhong. The three sat in the living room, preparing to carry out the preliminary alignment of the project.

Before giving the official report, Song Yuanyuan first mentioned  housing matters. “Mr. Bo, the agency has found a suitable house. It is a well-decorated empty villa with a total of four bedrooms, one master and three others, with full amenities.”

This project would take at least two months, and staying in a hotel for a long time was not as comfortable as living in a “house.”

Song Yuanyuan continued, “If you don’t want to live in a hotel, we can always find an intermediary to sign a housing contract.”

Bo Yueming took a sip of his coffee. “En, Lin Zhong will help take a look at it later, and we’ll sign it if there is no problem. But there is no need to hurry and move for now, we’ll talk about it in a week.”

Song Yuanyuan was taken aback, not quite understanding.

Why continue to live in a hotel when a suitable house had been found?

Before he could figure out what the issue was, the door of the master bedroom opened.

Pei Yi came out drowsily. Even after washing up, the sleepiness had not completely left his face.

Lin Zhong greeted, “Hey, Little Sir is up?”

Pei Yi looked around and instinctively walked toward Bo Yueming on the sofa with a bit of dependence that even he didn’t realize. “Er-ge.”

The just-woken up voice was soft.

Bo Yueming asked Lin Zhong to get up and pour a glass of water, and said, “Did you sleep well last night? If you didn’t sleep well, I’ll change the type of hotel suite and let you sleep alone.”

Bo Yueming paused and showed no trace of his actual thoughts. “It’s hard to find a house here in Wencheng, we may have to live here for a few more days.”

“…….”

Hard to find a house?

Want to change the type of hotel suite?

The drowsiness and awakeness in Pei Yi’s head were still at odds, and after listening to such a long paragraph, he felt it was troublesome and shook his head. “Sleep well, no change.”

Bo Yueming got the answer he wanted, and a glimmer of light flickered in his eyes. “En.”

“……..”

Lin Zhong on the side was not surprised.

Song Yuanyuan, who was meeting them for the first time, was fully taken aback and almost couldn’t hold back his expression. 

No? Mr. Bo!

This all went around in a big circle, are you doing it to trick your family’s own Little Sir?

---

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Chapter Thirty-Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Forty

Three days later, at the main house.

Bo Yueminng stood calmly outside the study, accompanied by assistant Lin Zhong. Half an hour ago, they received notice from Old Mr. Bo that he had something to talk about.

Lin Zhong looked at the still-closed study door, agitated. “Mr. Bo, what do you think the old man wants?”

The last time the old man said “I have something to talk about,” Mr. Bo was forcibly dismissed from his position in the group, and all the fast-developing plans were handed over to Bo Guancheng. During this period of time, Mr. Bo hadn’t been involved with the group anymore, right, ah?

Could it be that news of the joint investment company with Mr. Yan had reached the ears of the old man, making him dissatisfied? But this wasn’t a new matter, so there was no need to bring it up now, right?

Lin Zhong couldn’t understand, but Bo Yueming appeared calm. “We’ll know when we go in, don’t jump to conclusions.”

As soon as he spoke, the door of the study suddenly opened in response.

Bo Guancheng emerged, but this time he looked different from before—

His left cheek bore an obvious bruise and a scratch that seemed to have just healed, and even the corners of his eyes had clear bruises.

Bo Yueming’s eyes hidden under the black glasses took this sight in, but he didn’t say anything, and pretended not to know who the other party was.

Lin Zhong, who was standing beside him, was stunned for a moment and held back his surprise. “Eldest Young Master.”

Bo Guancheng nodded slightly, and the corners of his mouth no longer showed his usual fake smile.

Three days ago, he had been attacked outside the on the forest path behind the manor, and by the time he tore through the stinking garbage bag and managed to barely get up, the other party had already disappeared.

Bo Guancheng believed that it was the servant A-Kai who was harboring a grudge and impulsively got revenge, but because of the “transaction relationship” between the two, he didn’t dare to raise his voice about it, lest the other party smash the pot in public and make the issue even more unsightly.

After all, now that damn girl Bo Jiao was back.

If everyone knew about his secret targeting of Bo Yueming, perhaps the second branch would make a fuss under the other party’s instigation.

Considering many factors, Bo Guancheng had no choice but to admit that he was unlucky, and use the excuse that he had accidentally fallen while walking at night.

Of course, once he found that servant A-Kai, he would definitely not go easy on him!

Bo Guancheng looked at Bo Yueming, and opened his mouth perfunctorily, “Yueming, Grandpa happens to have something for you, so just go in.”

After speaking, he endured the pain and slowly walked away.

The injuries to his face were secondary, and the more serious ones were at the joints of his knees, hands, and feet. Having been beaten hard that day, they swelled so badly that he had to bear the pain even in his daily work and when walking.

Bo Guancheng was only thankful that Bo Yueming couldn’t see his disgraceful state at the moment. Little did he know that his every move had already fallen into the eyes of the other party.

There was a subtle arc to Bo Yueming’s thin lips, which he quickly hid—

It seemed that his own family’s kitten was moving his hands in secret.

Just as he was thinking, Old Mr. Bo’s voice sounded from the study. “Is that Yueming outside? Come in.”

Bo Yueming restrained his thoughts, and pretended to use Lin Zhong’s help to step into the study. “Grandpa.”

Old Mr. Bo was sitting behind a sandalwood desk, leisurely drinking the tea made by the steward, Lao Shen. He took a few sips and then casually tossed down the document in his hand, gesturing to it—

“There is a project I plan to let you take over. I’ll ask the assistant to tell you the details later.”

Lin Zhong conscientiously stepped forward to take the document, then returned to Bo Yueming, opening it to can through it. “Wencheng New Olympic Sports?”

Bo Yueming heard the name of this relatively unfamiliar project and frowned.

Wencheng?

Not a project in the Imperial Capital?

Old Mr. Bo seemed to have noticed his doubts, and exhibited a rare moment of patience as he took the initiative to explain, “Wencheng will hold an international youth competition at the end of the year, and intends to take the opportunity to expand construction funds and build a new integrated sports center.”

In the previous bidding plan, the sports center covered an area of about 80,000 square meters, with an investment budget of 1.2 billion. If they could successfully cooperate with relevant departments and enter a cooperative contract with this project, the future profits were self-evident.

“Your grandma always planned to expand the Bo family to the coastal areas, and the general manager and core team of this project were sent to Wencheng by her four months ago.”

Not long after, Bo Peizhi had an accident and was now lying in a hospital bed.

“A week ago, the original general manager left the job suddenly and quit. Now that there are only two months left before the public bidding, it is not worthwhile to give up, but it is true that not just anyone is capable of taking on such a big project.”

Old Mr. Bo took another sip of hot tea, speaking earnestly, “Your sister is right, you are capable, and shouldn’t just stay at home because of your eyes, lest outsiders say I am partial to the main branch and despise the second branch.”

“I’ve thought about it, and only when this project is handed over to you can I rest assured, and so can your grandma.”

Old Mr. Bo added with apparent lenience, “Of course, you don’t need to stress yourself. If this project can be completed, then you will be the biggest contributor. If it cannot be completed, the costs incurred in the early stages will be counted as those of the group.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming remained silent.

Only two months left for him to take over a major engineering project that was likely to have turned into a mess? And the location was far away in Wencheng? It was clear that he intended to drive him out.

But if he deliberately turned it down, it was likely that the rumors outside would change direction—

It wasn’t that Old Mr. Bo was deliberately biased, as he had clearly given the other a large project with considerable profits, but the Second Young Master of the Bo family turned his face and was unwilling to accept it.

Old Mr. Bo looked directly at him. “Yueming, what do you think?”

Bo Yueming smiled. “Grandpa, when do you want me to leave?”

“Naturally, the sooner the better. If there are no other matters, perhaps tomorrow?”

Old Mr. Bo seemed to be asking, but had actually made up his mind for him. “An extra day’s delay may affect the final result. When you arrive in Wencheng, someone will connect with you.”

Li Zhong frowned slightly, feeling aggrieved for his boss.

Bo Yueming beside him continued to respond calmly, “Okay, then I’ll go back and get ready.”

Not long after, the study door closed again.

Only then did the steward, Lao Shen, come up to refill Old Mr. Bo’s cup of tea. “Old Sir, leaving such a large project in Wencheng to the Second Young Master, if he succeeds, wouldn’t it be…..”

“Succeeds?”

Shrewdness flashed through Old Mr. Bo’s muddy eyes. “A strong dragon can not overwhelm a local snake. Do you think the local companies that are also participating in the bidding will give opportunities to an outside group?”

“There are eight out of ten chances that the reason the person in charge of this project ran away was because he encountered unavoidable troubles, and used this project to go to Wencheng to stay for two or three months in order to make enough space for the Lihui and Guancheng father and son.”

As for the people in the second branch—

The second son was long gone, the youngest grandson liked to play around, and the only one with a sharp mind was Bo Jiao. If she wanted a position in the group, then he would give her one. After all, she was a little girl, what kind of storm could she withstand?

When the main branch father and son completely controlled all the shareholders of the group and gathered together the former employees of Bo Peizhi, then this family and group should follow his surname.

His surname was Cheng, Cheng Yangshan. He would no longer be “Old Mr. Bo” to the outside world!

. . . . . .

“Meow, meow-wu~”

Inspector smelled the aroma of egg tarts and tugged its master’s arm vigorously, wanting to get a little bit of sweetness. 

It was a pity that Pei Yi’s attention was not on it at all. He continuously looked in the direction of the villa’s gate, muttering internally—

It’s been almost an hour since Old Mr. Bo called Bo Yueming over, why hasn’t he come back yet?

Could it be that his beating of Bo Guancheng had been exposed? Was the other party taking the old man’s scolding for him?

The more Pei Yi thought about it, the more he felt that there was such a possibility. Even the egg tarts that he used to eat happily were not appetizing now.

Suddenly, two familiar figures appeared outside the window. Pei Yi quickly stuffed the remaining half of the egg tart into his mouth, patted the crumbs from his hands, and rushed over.

“Mm, mm!”

Upon stepping through the gate, Bo Yueming met Pei Yi’s eager face, his food-stuffed cheeks bulging cutely.

Bo Yueming was helpless. “What was that?”

Pei Yi quickly swallowed the egg tart in his mouth and called out obediently again, “Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming’s cold, hard aura gradually dispersed. “What is it?”

Uncle Kai walked up with a smile. “Second Young Master, Little Sir was definitely worried about you. Since you were called away by the Old Sir, he has been waiting anxiously for your return.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was called out, and his cheeks were a little hot.

Anxiously?

He hadn’t been waiting for too long, wasn’t that an exaggeration?

Bo Yueming caught Pei Yi’s fleeting expression, and suddenly felt that his mood was not so bad.

Uncle Kai asked, “Second Young Master, why was the Old Sir looking for you?”

Lin Zhong, who could no longer hold back his words, patted the document in his hand. “What did he want, ah? He is clearly conspiring to throw Boss Bo into a pit!”

In the end, wasn’t this his grandchild?

The old man was completely wicked! There was no end to his partiality!

When they heard this, Pei Yi and Uncle Kai felt that something was wrong, and the latter hurriedly asked, “What is the matter?”

“The old man left me a troublesome project in another province. I’m leaving for Wencheng tomorrow. Uncle Kai, you can help me pack a bag later.”

Uncle Kai nodded, once again surprised. “……Why so sudden?”

Pei Yi remained silent, also feeling the same suddenness—

There didn’t seem to be such a plot point in the original text, did there? Could it be that because Bo Yueming was not the main character, some unimportant plot points were omitted? Or perhaps what Bo Jiao said at the family dinner changed the direction of the plot?

In any case, Old Mr. Bo suddenly dispatched Bo Yueming to Wenchang? It was definitely not for a good job!

Bo Yueming instructed again, “By the way, have Lao Fu prepare a car, I’m going to Minxi Manor.”

Uncle Kai’s expression shifted, and he went to prepare in a hurry.

“…….”

Mingxi Manor?

Pei Yi’s attention was distracted for a moment.

He thought the place sounded familiar, but couldn’t remember where he had heard it before.

Bo Yueming suddenly asked, “Pei Yi, do you want to go with me?”

Pei Yi had already thought about this, and nodded in a well-behaved manner. “En!”

. . . . . .

An hour later, the car arrived at its destination.

Pei Yi stared at the building in front of him, and finally remembered—

Mingxi Manor was a high-end private hospital. In the original text, after Old Mrs. Bo fell into a coma due to a cerebral hemorrhage, she lived in this place for medical treatment and recuperation.

Bo Yueming took Pei Yi to an independent villa, and the security personnel at the door immediately came to greet him, “Second Young Master.”

“Where is Aunt Song?”

“Taking care of the Old Lady inside.” The security guard opened the door for them and took the initiative to report, “The nutritional supplements were just changed for the Old Lady.”

They stepped into the residence.

Although the exterior looked like a villa, internal medical facilities were readily available.

Aunt Song, who was in charge of caring for Old Mrs. Bo, saw Bo Yueming and approached him quickly. “Second Young Master, why did you suddenly decide to come today?”

She caught sight of the well-behaved unfamiliar face beside him, and guessed Pei Yi’s identity. “This is the ‘Little Sir’ that A-Kai^[1] spoke of, right? He looks very fresh.”

“Yes.”

Bo Yueming took advantage of the situation to grasp Pei Yi’s hand that was holding onto the corner of his clothes, not revealing the condition of his eyes. “Aunt Song, I want to take him to see Grandma first.”

“All right.”

Aunt Song led them into the “ward.”

As soon as Pei Yi entered the door, he saw Old Mrs. Bo lying on the bed—

Due to being bedridden in a long-term coma, both cheeks were practically sunken. Her face was even more bloodless and pale, and her short-cropped hair was mixed with white, making her look very old.

Even so, Old Mrs. Bo’s facial features were still outstanding.

In her seventies, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were much less than her peers, and one could catch a vague glimpse of her youthful demeanor.

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi sat to the side of the bed.

Aunt Song and assistant Lin Zhong exchanged glances and both walked out, gently closing the door of the “ward.”

Through the dark glasses, Bo Yueming took Old Mrs. Bo’s hand gingerly, and told her softly, “Grandma, I came to see you.”

One simple sentence exuded a never before seen heaviness.

Only in front of Old Mrs. Bo, who had raised him since he was a child, would he let down his guard and stop pretending to be indifferent to what had happened.

“…….”

Pei Yi noticed the sudden change in Bo Yueming, and quietly accompanied him.

About a minute passed.

Only then did Bo Yueming speak slowly and calmly, “Pei Yi, I was ‘sent’ to the Bo family when I was six years old.”

He knew that Pei Yi could understand, and even though he knew the other party was still pretending to be obedient and foolish, he was willing to take this opportunity to tell of his life experience that was not known by outsiders.

Bo Yueming would always remember the day he was taken by his nominal “auntie” and forced before the eyes of everyone in the Bo family—

That day, his appearance completely disrupted the joyful atmosphere of the banquet.

Bo Lihong didn’t recognize this son at all, and before the security guards arrived, he grabbed his hand in full view and tried to drag him out of the banquet hall.

Facing her husband’s sudden “illegitimate child,” Xue Min shouted and questioned hysterically.

She mistook that “auntie” for the mistress, and lost control. A tussle broke out on the spot, and she even slapped Bo Yueming by mistake.

Bo Wang, who was two years younger than him, was influenced by his parents and rushed up to hit him with a toy.

As for the main branch family, on the surface, they tried to persuade them not to quarrel, but they were actually watching a show—

It was precisely because of Bo Lihui’s instigation that the “aunt friend” was able to bring him into the banquet scene smoothly.

Bo Yueming, who was only six years old at the time, already sensed the intricate relationship of the family just by this scene.

Abandoned by his biological mother, denied by his biological father, and abused and attacked by the latter’s wife and child.

“I could see that I was not welcome in this family, but I didn’t know Mandarin at the time, so I couldn’t express my own wishes.”

Bo Yueming didn’t like this luxurious-looking place. He wanted to go back to his little home abroad. Even though his mother had long since vanished, he still had a kitten to keep him company.

At least the kitten wouldn’t hit him.

“Grandma had been resting in the VIP room, and soon rushed back after hearing the news. With a single command, she easily put a stop to this chaotic farce.”

In Bo Yueming’s impression, Old Mrs. Bo was strong, rational, and calm, with a majesty that everyone in the audience feared.

At that time, she only gave Bo Yueming a look and directly asked her assistant, Gao Kai, to take a sample for a paternity test. As for the test results, they went without saying.

“Later, the aunt who took me back to China was given a sum of money by the Bo family and easily walked away. I was placed in an unfamiliar room, and the person I met with most often was a bilingual teacher who taught me regularly.”

In addition to this, for three meals a day, only the servants delivered food to Bo Yueming.

“Once, the servants forgot to lock the door, and I snuck out and heard them talking. They ridiculed me as an ‘illegitimate child,’ and a ‘foreign bastard that nobody wanted.’”

That was the first time Bo Yueming realized what his identity was in front of outsiders, and also the first time he understood—-

Even though he couldn’t choose his origins, his birth was destined to be ridiculed as the original sin.

“…….”

Hearing Bo Yueming’s calm statement, Pei Yi’s heart felt more and more complicated.

This was a story he didn’t know and wasn’t mentioned in the original text, but was the real personal experience of Bo Yueming when he was growing up.

“Later, I gradually learned the relationship chain in this family. I knew that Bo Jiao and Bo Wang were my half-sister and half-brother in name, and understood that my appearance had destroyed the state of their original family of four.”

The love and grievances of his parents had created him, and Bo Yueming dared not say that his background was correct, but only minimized his sense of existence as much as possible and refrained from doing things to hurt others.

From then on, no matter how Bo Wang hated and picked on him, he endured it without saying a word.

In about two months, Bo Yueming mastered the Chinese language at top speed, and then once again saw Old Mrs. Bo, the head of the family.

“I thought Grandma would hate me and treat me just like the rest of the Bo family did, but she said that she had already investigated thoroughly, and it was Bo Lihong who made all these mistakes.”

It was his reckless abandonment and concealment that had led to such a result.

Old Mrs. Bo said that if she had known that Bo Lihong had a girlfriend and a child when he was studying abroad, she would never have allowed the other party to “harm” the daughter of the Xue family.

“She knew that I couldn’t forcibly integrate into the lives of the second branch family of four, so she decided to take me by her side and raise me personally.”

All these years, Bo Yueming’s efforts were aimed at not disappointing the old lady, and he was never greedy for profit in the projects he handled.

Of course, others never believed this.

Because in their eyes, Bo Yueming, who was favored by the old lady, was the biggest beneficiary.

A trace of disapproval flickered in Pei Yi’s eyes upon hearing this. In the eyes of an outsider like him—

Old Mrs. Bo had been strong for a lifetime. How could she not see the quality and abilities of these children and grandchildren? 

During her tenure as Executive Director, her two sons each owned a branch company, and the two older grandsons worked as general managers of the group after graduation. Was this not fair treatment?

As for the number of projects and actual performance, wasn’t this based on personal ability?

Bo Yueming revealed a very wry smile. “They would always speculate on my behavior with the worst intentions, using a magnifying glass to find fault, and spared no effort to pull me down.”

At the moment Bo Yueming lost his sight, as relatives, they probably laughed louder than anyone behind his back.

“…….”

Pei Yi saw that Bo Yueming’s mood was getting lower and lower, and his heart inexplicably ached.

He didn’t have much experience consoling others, and was afraid of revealing too much, so he patted Bo Yueming’s wrist lightly. “Grandma is good. Er-ge is good too.”

Word by word, very earnest, as he had once said: 

—Don’t be sad, your eyes will be fine.

—Don’t be afraid, Er-ge is the best person in the world.

These comforts all became a warm current quietly injected into Bo Yueming’s cold blood, beating along with his heart. He knew that Pei Yi would understand and tolerate everything about him.

Bo Yueming’s azure blue eyes hidden under the glasses finally showed a complete smile, and he patted him back. “You are the best.”

“…….”

There was a hint of never before seen pampering in the gentle tone.

Pei Yi didn’t expect that Bo Yueming would affirm him in turn, and suddenly couldn’t react.

His eyelashes fluttered, and an unnoticed blush appeared from the base of his ears to his neck, so cute that it made people want to stroke it.

Bo Yueming barely managed to resist the impulse, and sighed softly. “Go out to play for a while? Ask Aunt Song to get you something to eat.”

He had to go to another province tomorrow, and he wanted to stay a little longer with Old Mrs. Bo.

Hearing this, Pei Yi quickly disregarded his out of tune shyness, and slipped out with a nod.

The “ward” door closed again.

After Bo Yueming confirmed that Pei Yi would not come back, he took off his disguise glasses—

Nearly four months ago, when he was working in the group, he suddenly received a call from Uncle Kai saying that Old Mrs. Bo had a sudden cerebral hemorrhage and was in the process of being rescued at the hospital.

Fortunately, she was rescued on time, and the other party was able to survive. However, she remained unconscious after the operation.

The longer these days dragged on, the less optimistic the situation became.

Regardless of Old Mr. Bo’s objections, Bo Yueming forcibly transferred Old Mrs. Bo to this place to continue her treatment and care.

As for the most fundamental reason, he had a strange feeling — Old Mrs. Bo’s body was regularly checked out every year, and all indicators were always healthy. How could she fall down at home for no reason?

But before further investigation could happen, a car accident suddenly took away Bo Yueming’s eyesight.

Fortunately, heaven never barred one’s way.

A month and a half ago, the unconscious Old Mrs. Bo was able to open her eyes, and although she couldn’t speak, she could express something with a slight blink and the movement of her fingertips.

It was when she learned that Bo Yueming’s eyes were damaged that her reaction fluctuated the most.

The only downside was that Old Mrs. Bo could not stay awake long each time. Half a month ago, Aunt Song asked her when she was awake—

“Is it true that someone deliberately harmed you?”

Old Mrs. Bo clearly reacted.

Bo Yueming learned about this over the phone. As for the target of his suspicion, it was obvious.

“Grandma, you have to be strong forever, you can’t lose here.” Bo Yueming held Old Mrs. Bo’s skinny hand again. “I swear, their fates will not be easy.”

“Also, my eyes are already healed, and now there are people by my side, so don’t be concerned for me.”

“…….”

Lying on the hospital bed, Old Mrs. Bo still did not awaken. Only her fingertips moved slightly.

. . . . . .

Pei Yi sat on the sofa outside, holding a bowl of fruit salad specially prepared for him by Aunt Song. He had just found out—

Uncle Kai and Aunt Song were husband and wife, and they used to work with Old Mrs. Bo. To put it bluntly, they felt for Bo Yueming the way parents and elders felt about their children.

Uncle Kai had privately said a lot of good things about Pei Yi, and when Aunt Song met him for the first time today, she also liked him.

“Little Sir, eat more. You came quickly today and I didn’t have time to prepare. Wait until next time, Aunt Song will bake you a personal small cake. Our Lao Kai stole some of his skills from me.”

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up, and he took a bite of an apple slice. “En!”

As soon as he answered, Bo Yueming came out of the ward. “Lin Zhong.”

The three people sitting in the room saw that it was inconvenient for him to move as he cautiously fumbled, so they got up at the same time.

“Er-ge.”

Lin Zhong, whose name was called, was the first to give him a hand.

“Look for a reliable private security team immediately. Money is not an issue, but it must be confirmed that there is no chance of betrayal. From today on, the surroundings of the manor and the villa must be strictly guarded.”

He would leave for Wencheng tomorrow, and Bo Yueming must ensure that no one would take advantage of this time to hurt Old Mrs. Bo while he was away from the Imperial Capital.

Pei Yi could roughly guess Bo Yueming’s thoughts, and a person suddenly popped up in his mind.

He hurriedly raised his head and approached, trying to give a hint. “Er-ge!”

“What is it?”

The second his voice fell, Bo Yueming caught the brain wave that the kitten wanted to express.

He also thought of that person.

---

[1] Referring to Uncle Kai, rather than that cannon fodder servant who spilled tea on BYM. Just in case there was any confusion. ⮐

---

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Chapter Thirty-Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Thirty-Nine

T/N: Thank you so much to Halbstunde and BaBoom for your generous donations! Here’s the regularly scheduled update and your bonus chapters!

The door of the house slammed shut, and all of the servants were kicked out.

Bo Lihong had held back all the way, and upon returning to his villa, his anger at last broke out completely. “Bo Jiao! What did you just say in front of your grandfather in the main house! Why did you mess up a good family dinner?”

Because of Bo Jiao’s speech at the dinner table, Old Mr. Bo grew so angry that his heart beat wildly, and he soon used the excuse of being unwell to end the nominal family dinner.

Except for the Bo Lihui and Bo Guangcheng father and son, the rest were all “driven” out of the main house.

Bo Lihong wanted to express his concern before leaving, but Old Mr. Bo said harsh words to him with a sullen face, and also “drove” him out, leaving only the Bo Lihui and Bo Guancheng father and son.

When Xue Min saw her husband losing his temper, she immediately came up to defend her. “Enough is enough, why didn’t you say a few words to stop her at the dinner table just now, but now that the door is closed you’re outrageously fierce!”

Having said that, she absolutely did not agree with what Bo Jiao said at the dinner table.

There was the sound of a wheelchair.

Bo Wang, who was handicapped due to a broken bone, rolled out of the game hall on the first floor with a look of impatience on his face. “What’s with all the noise? Didn’t you go to the main house for dinner? Why are you back so early?”

“What is there to eat?”

Bo Lihong sat on the sofa to the side and waved his hand. “Ask your sister what good thing she did!”

Bo Jiao paid no attention at all to her father’s anger and condemnation. Relaxed and elegant, she poured herself a glass of champagne and tasted it leisurely.

Bo Wang hated this “uncertain” feeling the most, and urged with a frown, “Mom, what is it?”

Xue Min had always doted on her son, and when he asked, she gave a general account of what happened at the family banquet.

“Fuck, what?”

When Bo Wang heard Xue Min’s report, he suddenly stood up in agitation, but due to his unhealed leg, he fell back into the wheelchair with a grimace of pain.

Xue Min hastily steadied him. “Aiyo, be careful.”

Bo Wang gasped, and shouted at his twin sister unhappily, “Bo Jiao, you must be sick! What good things could you say for that bastard Bo Yueming? I wish Grandpa would drive that blind man out of the Bo residence directly!”

“……..”

Bo Lihong, who had been scolded like a dog, frowned and said in an unkind tone, “Are you out of your mind?”

Xue Min answered, “Okay, you two don’t argue about this. Jiaojiao really made a mistake this time, why bother the old man and your uncle and make the family unhappy?”

“If you ask me, Guancheng is much better than Bo Yueming. At least he thinks about his little brother Xiao Wang, and hadn’t fought for anything since he was young.”

Bo Wang nodded. “Da-ge is much better than that blind man.”

—Bam!

Bo Jiao set down the wine glass with force, and her eyes flicked across the faces of her family members one by one. “Mom, Dad, Bo Wang has been stupid since he was a child, so forget about him, but why are you also so confused!”

Bo Wang’s expression changed. “Who’s stupid?”

Bo Jiao gave him a look and her blood pressure immediately shot up. “Be quiet!”

The three of them were instantly stunned by her loud voice and indiscreet remarks. 

Bo Jiao approached, and the words she said did not beat around the bush, “I’ll ask you, is Grandma still running this house? Dad, between you and Uncle, are you certain that Grandpa is not partial?”

“…….”

Bo Lihong’s expression changed slightly.

Compared to Old Mrs. Bo, who was a career-oriented woman in a new era, Old Mr. Bo, who had married into the family, was the kind of person who was pedantic to his bones.

Even though they were both his sons, the other party was more inclined toward the “eldest son,” Bo Lihui.

It was only that Old Mrs. Bo was the head of the household in the past, and Old Mr. Bo did not dare to openly show his partiality.

But since Old Mrs. Bo fell ill and was hospitalized, the original balance at home had slowly tilted.

Bo Jiao got her answer from his silence, and continued to press, “Let me ask you again, according to the current trend, if this continues for another eight to ten years, who do you think will be in charge of the Bo family?”

“Our second branch now has no place in the group. Do you really think that in the future, the property rights of the Bo family will still belong to us? You know a clear account of the truth. Dad, don’t you understand?”

Bo Lihong remained silent.

Xue Min, who also came from a wealthy family, was a little shaken. “N-no way, your uncle and elder brother seem easy to get along with.”

“Easy to get along with? While they smile, who knows what is going on in their hearts?”

“If father and son really get along well, how long has it been since Second Brother’s car accident? And an arranged marriage? With that foolish young master of the Pei family? What was their plan in all this, have you thought about it?”

Humiliation was one matter.

Wanting to cut off the next generation was the most important calculation.

“To put it briefly, even if you don’t recognize Second Brother’s background, he is his dad’s own flesh and blood, right? And as a result? His grandfather and uncle took charge of his marriage, and the business cooperation with the Pei family was also taken over by the main branch.”

“In ancient times, when the son was sold, the money for the sale was still handed over to the parents. What about the relatives next to them?”

Bo Lihong and his wife exchanged glances, and their expressions became grave.

Yes, ah.

They only knew to ignore Bo Yueming, but in the end, they forgot about the stakes!

“Do you know how much money the main branch could have made if they didn’t mess up the German project?”

Bo Jiao drew an exaggerated number with her fingers, which even shocked Xue Min, who was used to seeing money and wealth. “Jiaojiao, how do you know this?”

Bo Jiao didn’t hide it. “Uncle told me.”

Xue Min’s natal family did business related to construction, and some things could be guessed after a bit of inquiring.

“Because Second Brother was capable and valued when Grandma was at home, he was regarded as a thorn in their side, and when something happened, they tried to uproot it.”

“No matter how unfavored Second Brother is, in the eyes of outsiders, he still represents our second branch!”

“Rather than say I am complaining on behalf of Second Brother, it is better to say that I am fighting for our own interests!”

What big family? Being able to care for a small family was good.

Bo Jiao considered it very clearly, “Dad, I know you don’t like to meddle, but shouldn’t you and Mom consider me and Bo Wang? The others are boiling frogs in warm water, and I think you are the most boiled!”

“If Second Brother is in power, he can be regarded as a “close relative,” after all. As long as we don’t make trouble, he will definitely tolerate us for Grandma’s sake!”

“But if the main house comes into power, they will send me to marry for future benefits!”

Bo Jiao paused, then looked at Bo Wang in the wheelchair. “Aren’t you a tool for marriage as well as our blind Second Brother? So what are you going to do now?”

“…….”

Bo Wang didn’t care much at first, but then he heard the word “marriage,” and his expression became very strange. “Fuck, don’t talk nonsense, what shitty marriage!”

Xue Min had always loved the twins.

The second she thought of such a situation in the future, even if the possibility was low, she found it unbearable. “No, of course not! Marriage is for happiness, how can the main branch make trouble?”

Bo Wang set aside the chill caused by the word “marriage,” and asked, “You’ve said so much, so what are your thoughts?”

Xue Min then asked, “Yes, ah! You were rude at the dinner table today. Once Grandpa gets angry, will he let our second branch meddle in the group’s internal affairs?”

Bo Lihong answered first, “Dad is the most face-saving person. Jiaojiao asked so many questions today, and would have even moved Mother. No matter how biased he is, he will act in a day or two.”

After all, as a husband who had married in, he was most afraid of others saying that he “couldn’t do better than his wife.”

Seeing that her father had finally come to his senses, Bo Jiao nodded in relief. “Dad, you’re right. I did it on purpose today just to bet on Grandpa’s temper.”

“Tomorrow, you and Mom will go to him and talk softly, and Xiao Wang will follow suit, selling his broken leg.”

Anyway, they were all children and grandchildren, it all depended on how the old man treated them! 

Bo Jiao made a firm statement, “We can no longer let the main branch control us wantonly. Our family doesn’t ask for more, but not everything can be surrendered.”

. . . . . .

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector followed Uncle Kai’s anxious pacing and quickly jumped onto the sofa, staying by Bo Yueming’s side. 

Uncle Kai looked at Bo Yueming’s blistered fingers in distress. “Second Young Master, you knew that something was wrong with that servant, so why didn’t you avoid it? This hand, ah, it will be uncomfortable for a while.”

Bo Yueming no longer pretended in front of Uncle Kai. He slightly bent his numb fingers. “It doesn’t hurt. I managed to dodge for the most part, and avoided the wrist.”

Uncle Kai brought out the ointment, angry and disdainful. “Why did the main branch start to use such under the table tricks?”

“Small insidious tricks don’t do too much, but they can’t be avoided. If I hide too thoroughly, I won’t be able to avoid their eyes.” Bo Yueming knew this well, and the coldness in his eyes gradually froze.

It was just a small injury, completely within his controllable range.

Occasionally, “selling misery” in front of people would deepen the authenticity of his “eye disease and inconvenience.”

Uncle Kai understood Bo Yueming’s thoughts, but still couldn’t help feeling distressed. “Second Young Master, how long are we going to hide? Has the private investigation about the car accident had any results?”

“Uncle Kai, what I want is far more than learning the truth about the car accident.” Bo Yueming clenched his injured right hand into a fist until the veins burst out, then slowly released it. “You forget, Grandma’s affairs should also be investigated.”

When Uncle Kai heard this, his face became more solemn.

After all, the car accident lacked evidence, but the mastermind behind the scenes had already been confirmed.

Even if the main branch could gain control of the Bo group, so what?

After all, a person who was never content was like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

In the face of greater future interests, the Bo Guancheng father and son would never stop being greedy, and would wait for bigger opportunities—

Naturally, Bo Yueming would take the opportunity to wipe them all out, so that they would never be able to stand up again!

“However, what Bo Jiao said at the dinner table today……” Bo Yueming suppressed the hostility that was floating on the surface to the bottom of his heart. “It was indeed beyond my expectations.”

Uncle Kai had heard what happened from Bo Yueming, and said with emotion, “No wonder the Old Madam said that as her only granddaughter, the Third Young Lady was the most like her when she was young.”

“Second Young Master, the Third Young Lady is aiming at you.”

Bo Yueming shook his head and didn’t frown. “She isn’t facing off against me, only seeing the stakes. She doesn’t want the second branch to lose too badly in future struggles.”

Of course, everyone would consider their own benefits.

In dealing with the main branch, the current Bo Jiao could indeed be regarded as his ally.

Uncle Kai was silent, and his thoughts were obviously not as deep as Bo Yueming’s.

Bo Yueming glanced at the fingers that ointment had finished being applied to, and calmly analyzed, “But it is also good that Bo Jiao has the support of the Xue family. If she insists on stirring up this muddy water, with her temperament and style of handing things, I fear it will not be too easy for the main branch.”

Uncle Kai nodded. “Second Young Master sits on the mountain and watches the tigers fight, which can also reduce the trouble.”

“Hopefully.”

Bo Yueming watched Uncle Kai wrap the burnt area with antibacterial gauze, and suddenly realized, “Where is Pei Yi? Why haven’t I seen him since we got home?”

“Little Sir took Inspector to the backyard to play.”

Ai?

Wasn’t this wrong, ah?

When did Inspector come back?

Uncle Kai realized something was wrong, and belatedly looked away—

The dimly-lit courtyard was empty.

Uncle Kai was anxious. “I didn’t see Little Sir go back to the house, ah. Where, where did he go?”

Bo Yueming recalled Pei Yi’s “counterattack” against the servant A-Kai at the dinner table, and suddenly thought of a possibility.

With both helplessness and tension in his eyes, he got up and  instructed, “Uncle Kai, you go out with me.”

Uncle Kai closed the medicine box. “Where are we going?”

Bo Yueming sighed, and said with a hint of pampering that even he didn’t notice, “We’re going out to catch a kitten.”

It didn’t matter if he fought and caused trouble, but it wouldn’t be good if he got injured.

. . . . . . 

Night had completely fallen.

Bo Manor not only covered a large area, but it also had a lot of greenery, and there would occasionally be cicadas singing from the branches in late summer.

A-Kai clutched his scalded arm and looked at the pile of cash handed to him, hesitantly reaching out to take it. “Young Master, what do you mean?”

Bo Guancheng had lost the modest smile he used in front of others, and dismissed him mercilessly, “Take this money, pack up your things, and leave the manor. Forget about what happened today.”

“…….”

A-Kai tightened his grip on the pile of cash in his hand, and suddenly became dissatisfied. “Young Master, this isn’t what you told me before! I did things according to your instructions, so why do you want to drive me away?”

The salary of Bo family servants had always been good, and if you acted as a secret agent, you could get more rewards!

It was originally said that as long as he “accidentally” poured hot tea on Bo Yueming’s hand, then Bo Guancheng would help him change his position, but now it turned out—

Not to mention hurting his arm first, he had now lost his job?

Just a few thousand yuan and he wanted to get rid of him completely? It was better to just linger in the manor and wait to die than to get paid!

No way!

Absolutely not!

Bo Guancheng saw A-Kai’s dissatisfaction and greed, and narrowed his eyes. “Then how much do you want? Even if you ran out and told, without evidence, who would believe it? Don’t forget that this family’s surname is Bo.”

This money was even in cash.

A-Kai inwardly cursed this insidious power, and boldly negotiated, “Young Master, you can let me go if you want, but you will leave the medical expenses and hush money to me, right? Another job also has to be arranged for me!”

“How much do you want?”

“Fifty thousand.” A-Kai hesitated for a second and then said resolutely, “One hundred thousand! I want one hundred thousand!”

“……..”

Bo Guancheng took off his glasses, revealing eyes that looked cruel when he wasn’t smiling. “Either you take the money and leave first, and I will have someone bring you another ten thousand in cash and another job in two days.”

“Or if you don’t even want the money now, I promise that you won’t be allowed to leave Bo Manor.”

A-Kai was intimidated by the aura he exuded. “How can you guarantee it? What if you deceive me?”

“Do you have a choice?” Bo Guancheng scoffed coldly. “Get out of here now!”

“…….”

A-Kai’s expression changed again and again.

Knowing that he was alone and weak, he only dared to curse in his heart, and turned around and fled as if he had oiled the soles of his feet.

Bo Guancheng stared at the figure disappearing into the darkness. His eyes became vicious, and he picked up his cell phone and dialed a series of numbers.

Soon, a hoarse question rang out from the other end of the line, “Yo, Young Master Bo, ah, you haven’t called me for a while since the car accident job, have you?”

“Help me take care of a person named A-Kai.” 

The person on the other end thought for two seconds and then laughed. “All right, I won’t charge a fee. Just treat it as a complementary service for the money last time.”

Bo Guancheng didn’t buy his routine, and warned, “As for the car accident, you had better let that rot in your stomach. If you are found out, there will not be good results.”

After speaking, he hung up the phone mercilessly.

Bo Guancheng collected his thoughts and slowly walked out of the forest of fruit trees.

He was well aware of the truth that “the walls have ears,” and even if the possibility of being discovered was small, he had to be extremely careful. That was why he made an appointment to meet A-Kai here.

Because there was a long distance between the main house and the single-family villas, few servants usually passed through this area, and the street lights that were originally set up along the trail tended to be dim.

Bo Guancheng walked a few steps, and suddenly heard light but fast footsteps behind him.

—Bam!

Before Bo Guancheng could turn around to check the situation, he was hit hard on the back of the neck, then kicked hard at the waist!

“Ah!”

Bo Guancheng lost his balance and fell to the ground, and his glasses flew far away.

The pain in his neck caused his blood to surge up, and he only felt that his eyes were full of stars, blurring his vision. But this was not the end—

Suddenly, a foul-smelling black plastic bag was placed over his head, completely blocking the single dim light in front of him.

Pei Yi, who had been waiting for a long time, stood behind Bo Guancheng at this moment—

Taking advantage of the time when Uncle Kai was applying medicine for Bo Yueming, he had sneaked out through the backyard fence.

Pei Yi had already memorized the location of the main branch family’s villa, and had originally thought that after he caught Bo Guancheng, he would “play the fool and act crazy” and beat him up, so as to recover today’s grievance for Bo Yueming.

Unexpectedly, he saw the other party going out in the dark from afar.

Bo Guancheng was very familiar with the manor’s monitoring system, so he deliberately avoided it when scurrying out.

Pei Yi saw his movements and guessed that he was up to no good, so he followed him cautiously from a long distance. Fortunately, he was small and could easily hide.

Pei Yi was patient by nature, and lurked here for a long time.

After he spotted the cursing A-Kai leave, he expected that Bo Guancheng would also come out. As for the plastic garbage bag and thin wooden stick, they were picked up at random.

“Who, who is it?”

Bo Guancheng gritted his teeth.

Pei Yi didn’t speak, but quickly tied the two sides of the plastic bag with knots.

He picked up his casually-obtained thin wooden stick, and cold mockery practically spilled from his eyes—

Didn’t you bully Bo Yueming for not being able to see? You want to play those kinds of dirty tricks?

Since two or three rounds of verbal ridicule was not enough to make this dog restrain himself, let’s give him a good beating!

Bo Guancheng, who was stuffed in the garbage bag, almost passed out from the stench. He experienced a rare moment of confusion, and subconsciously decided that it was the servant’s fault.

“A-Kai! You…..ah!”

Pei Yi clenched the wooden stick and beat Bo Guancheng, who was trying to stand up, quickly and ruthlessly targeting the joints of his knees, hands, and feet.

Bo Guancheng, who was like a blind man, couldn’t react at all in this short time.

His hands and feet were so numb and weak that he could only fall back to the ground in disgrace, screaming in agony.

The gentleman who pretended to be gentle and noble?

That person was long gone!

. . . . . .

Pei Yi worked hard and kept quiet throughout the whole process, and quit while he was ahead.

He quickly ran back and threw the wooden stick he had picked up into the nearby artificial watercourse.

Following the route in his memory, Pei Yi cautiously avoided the manor surveillance, and the villa courtyard soon came into view. Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard a joyful cry—

“Little Sir! Second Young Master, Little Sir is here!”

Pei Yi slammed on the brakes and turned around slowly.

At the corner about seven or eight meters away from him, Uncle Kai was supporting the vision-impaired Bo Yueming. It took the latter two seconds to determine his direction, and he only said, “Pei Yi, come here.”

“…….”

Pei Yi unconsciously shrunk his neck, feeling guilty about being caught sneaking out to do bad things. But on second thought—

Not only did he quickly clean up Bo Guancheng, he also didn’t reveal his identity throughout the whole process.

En! He was skillful as hell!

Confident and courageous, ready for action!

Pei Yi ran back quickly with an obedient smile. “Er-ge.”

Under the cover of night, Bo Yueming glanced at Pei Yi’s condition with a slightly lowered gaze. After confirming that the other party didn’t have any injuries, a heavy weight lifted from his heart. 

He had originally believed that Pei Yi wanted to use his “crazy” energy to make a fuss with Bo Guancheng, but unexpectedly, when he went to the outskirts of the villa where the other party lived, there was no movement inside.

His guess was wrong, and Pei Yi had disappeared again. Bo Yueming became nervous at once, but fortunately, before they had been looking for long, the other party appeared before them.

Bo Yueming naturally wouldn’t say as much, and asked straight to the point, “Where did you go?”

“Play.”

Pei Yi hummed and lowered his eyes, only to realize that his hands were covered with a lot of dust and dirt. He spread his palms out uncomfortably, belatedly disgusted.

Bo Yueming noticed his small movements and expression, and quickly looked away while holding back a smile.

Look, ba.

I caught a little dirty cat that went wild who knows where, and now he’s disgusted with himself.

“All right, let’s go home.”

Pei Yi nodded again and again, and habitually wanted to grab the corner of Bo Yueming’s clothes in a well-behaved manner, but he suddenly thought of his dirty hands and shrank back. “……Oh.”

Bo Yueming suppressed the minor regret of not having his clothes being pulled, and then heard Pei Yi say in concern, “Er-ge, it hurts?”

Bo Yueming had always been able to endure pain, but he just said, “It hurts.”

Pei Yi stared at Bo Yueming’s bandaged hand, and suddenly regretted not stomping on Bo Guancheng’s hand just now.

Uncle Kai smiled and said nothing about it. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, how about we talk more when we get back?”

Bo Yueming nodded, asking as they walked, “Are you hungry? The kitchen can prepare you something to eat.”

The kitten didn’t eat much at noon because he was drunk, and the family dinner tonight came to an end not long ago. Then he ran out to act wildly, so he guessed he must be hungry.

Pei Yi hastily nodded. “Hungry!”

Eat more tonight!

And also, there was still the remaining third of Lafite that had not been drunk!

Tonight, he had done great things and made great achievements behind Bo Yueming’s back. Why not have some wine to celebrate?

---

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

Warm breath fell on the side of his neck, causing a familiar numbness.

Bo Yueming felt that he was on fire, but couldn’t suppress the heat coursing through him. “Pei Yi?”

His response was an indecipherable nasal whimper.

Bo Yueming lowered his head slightly and brought Pei’s hands together again.

With an uncontrollable impulse, he lightly rubbed the corner of his lips against that fragrant soft hair and didn’t move for a long time.

It wasn’t until he confirmed that Pei Yi’s breathing gradually went steady that Bo Yueming adjusted his posture and got up, carrying the sleeping man back to the bedroom with ease.

Inspector had already returned to the cat nest when it couldn’t get dried fish, and poked its head out when it heard movement. “Meow?”

“Be quiet.”

Bo Yueming stopped it from making noise. He placed Pei Yi on the bed and looked at him for a moment under the dim light—

There was still a drunken blush on his fair face, and the color of his lips was stained with a seductive luster of wine.

His features were soft and lovely.

Bo Yueming suddenly thought of Pei Yi’s occasional cunning when he was “playing the fool,” and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. He always felt that was more in line with his temperament, and also more likable.

Bo Yueming was not oblivious to his feelings. He had already realized Pei Yi’s favor and weight in his heart.

Therefore, no matter why the other party chose to play the fool, or why he was willing to accept this marriage and stay with the Bo family, he was willing to give him enough space and freedom until the other party confessed.

Pei Yi didn’t want to speak, so he wouldn’t ask.

After all, it was interesting to “pretend to be blind” and accompany Pei Yi in acting every day, and it was also quite interesting to see him inadvertently reveal his kitten tail.

Bo Yueming chuckled, then bent down to cover him with the quilt.

The sleeping Pei Yi seemed to sense something, and suddenly tugged at Bo Yueming. “Don’t mess with it, come and sleep.”

Most of the bathrobe had loosened, and from his cheeks to his neck and down, there was a very beautiful crimson color.

“…….”

It’s you who wants me to stay.

Bo Yueming’s eyes darkened a few degrees, and he held Pei Yi’s “restless” hand.

He lay down on the other side of the bed and pulled the other person directly into his arms without saying a word, covering up with the quilt again.

Perhaps because of the familiar smell of the quilt, the sleeping Pei Yi clung hard and hummed twice, continuing to slumber.

There was no rejection of this sudden embrace.

Bo Yueming slowly unloaded the big rock on his heart, sighing deeply and contentedly. “Good night, kitten.”

. . . . . . .

Bo Yueming’s biological clock was always accurate, and when he woke up, his arms were once again filled with a familiar numbness.

Their quilt was nearly kicked off by Pei Yi, but the culprit was still pressing against his body from head to foot, sleeping soundly and sweetly under the influence of alcohol.

Bo Yueming had the rare urge to stay in bed, but it was quickly suppressed by his reasoning.

Staying in bed now was fine, but he feared Pei Yi would be shocked and dazed when he woke up, and he still wanted to play games with the kitten. It was no good to reveal his secrets too soon.

Bo Yueming resettled Pei Yi, then quickly got up and left the bed.

He put the previous day’s wine back on the bedside table and exited the room, pretending he hadn’t found anything.

Compared to “forcing him to remove his disguise,” Bo Yueming was looking forward to the day when Pei Yi took the initiative to reveal the truth. Since the kitten loved to act, he would continue to accompany him.

The door closed softly.

What followed was a surprised, “Second Young Master?”

Bo Yueming looked over and found Uncle Kai standing in the hallway by the door.

Uncle Kai had originally wanted to see if Bo Yueming had gotten up, but didn’t expect to accidentally come across such a scene. For a moment, he didn’t know whether to advance or retreat.

He really couldn’t hold back his concern as an elder, and asked, “Second Young Master, why are you here?”

“It’s nothing, Pei Yi was drunk last night.”

Bo Yueming quickly took a few steps outside in order to avoid waking the person in the room, and lowered his voice, “Just act as if we don’t know about Pei Yi’s drinking. You prepare some hangover fruit and honeyed water in advance, and wait for him to wake up.”

Uncle Kai was stunned for a few seconds and suddenly didn’t understand the little games going on between these two young people, but he still chose to agree. “All right.”

“What does Second Young Master want to eat? I asked the kitchen to prepare porridge.”

“En, porridge is fine.”

Thinking of Pei Yi’s situation, Bo Yueming felt helpless. “Pei Yi probably won’t get up today, so have the kitchen prepare an early lunch. I’ll go back up to the room to wash up and come down later.”

“Okay.”

. . . . . .

It was soon lunchtime.

Pei Yi sat at the table dejectedly. The meal was more or less useless, but he still kept peeling grapes and stuffing them into his mouth. He couldn’t wait to drive away the remaining alcohol in his body.

He hadn’t drunk to his heart’s content in too long.

Last night, he couldn’t hold back when there was no oversight, and decided to only drink a third of it. As a result, the more he drank, the drunker he got. He completely lost his senses, and fell asleep until the sun was warming his ass.

Realizing this, Pei Yi glanced at Bo Yueming across from him with some guilt.

The other party’s eyes drooped down faintly as he slowly ate the food Uncle Kai had prepared, completely unaware of his drunken state. He probably didn’t notice that he drank yesterday.

Pei Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

Thanks to his good behavior after drinking, nothing happened.

Inspector at the corner of the table jumped up on the chair. Standing upright, it sniffed the grapes in Pei Yi’s hands and begged for them in a spoiled manner. “Meow-wu~”

“No.”

Pei Yi stopped it with a whisper and stuffed another peeled grape into his mouth.

No matter how uncomfortable he was at the moment, he had to pretend that nothing was wrong, and he dared not ask for hangover medicine. Fortunately, grapes also had the effect of relieving hangovers, so he could eat more without revealing his suffering.

Pei Yi peeled and ate one by one, his cheeks occasionally bulging.

Bo Yueming sneaked a peek at him when the other wasn’t paying attention, and helplessness flashed through his eyes—

This time, it was better to cruelly not give him hangover medicine.

So that the kitten could remember for a long time that if he couldn’t drink well, he shouldn’t mess around.

“Second Young Master.”

Uncle Kai returned from outside. After approaching the dinner table, he reported, “Third Young Lady has returned from abroad.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows slightly. “Bo Jiao is back?”

When Pei Yi heard this while eating grapes, he automatically pricked up his ears and recalled the character “Bo Jiao”—

The other party was Bo Wang’s twin sister and Bo Yueming’s half-sister, ranking third in the Bo family.

Bo Jiao had lived in the Xue residence since she was a child, and grew up under the knees of her grandparents. She had chosen to study overseas since high school, so her personality was relatively more courageous and independent.

Pei Yi remembered that apart from Old Mrs. Bo, Bo Jiao was the only person in the original text who was not prejudiced against Bo Yueming. But after all, they were half-siblings, and their relationship was not very close.

“She just returned yesterday.”

“The servant who sent the message relayed that the Third Young Lady said it has been a long time and she misses everyone, so she wants to invite everyone to get together tonight at the main house.” 

Uncle Kai glanced at Pei Yi, who was still eating grapes, and told them everything he had learned. “Second Young Master, will you go?”

Pei Yi really wanted to meet the Third Young Lady, but he wasn’t invited, and it was even more difficult for him to make decisions for Bo Yueming.

“I’ll go.”

Bo Yueming gave it some consideration, and glanced at the opposite side. “Pei Yi is also going with me.”

Between the main branch and the second branch, there may be a performance to watch tonight.

That being the case, it was fine for him to take the curious kitten to get involved.

. . . . . .

Six p.m.

When Bo Yueming and Pei Yi arrived at the main house in a timely manner, the atmosphere of the dining room, which was originally quite lively, froze for a moment.

During the silence, Pei Yi quickly scanned the people at the long dining table—

Old Mr. Bo, the head of the family, sat in the main seat. On his left and right were the eldest son Bo Lihui and the second son Bo Lihong, also known as the “main branch” and “second branch” in the outside world.

Xue Min sat next to her husband, looking at Bo Yueming with the usual displeasure in her eyes.

Her flirtatious and affectionate husband had an affair before marriage, and gave birth to a son before her. Who could feel good about such a thing? What’s more, Bo Yueming was deeply favored by Old Mrs. Bo, and was directly compared to Bo Wang!

Xue Min’s expression became even uglier at the thought that her youngest son had suffered an accidental fracture and could only rest in bed.

If Bo Yueming hadn’t caused trouble at the banquet, would Bo Wang have gone to drink at the bar? Would he have been accidentally injured? It was all the fault of this bastard without a sense of proportion!

With his eyes hidden beneath the guide glasses, Bo Yueming saw the situation clearly. Ignoring the cold hostility, he lowered his eyes to limit his field of vision and approached slowly with his guide cane.

Pei Yi followed beside him, also pretending to be cautious and nervous.

Footsteps came from behind, and Bo Guancheng’s familiar voice sounded, “Yueming is finally here, ah. I was preparing to have someone call you.”

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi simultaneously felt a hint of disgust, and quickly hid it.

Bo Guancheng approached and patted Bo Yueming’s shoulder. “Is it convenient for you to sit? Shall I help you?”

Bo Yueming declined politely, “Don’t worry about it, Dage, Uncle Kai can lead the way.”

The two exchanged a few words of “brotherly respect” and then took their seats.

The Mrs. of the main branch didn’t come, so Bo Guancheng and his father, Bo Lihui, sat next to each other. As for Bo Yueming and Pei Yi, the two of them sat a seat down from Xue Min, at the very end.

Bo Guancheng smiled and looked across. “Second Aunt, is Xiao Wang’s leg injury better? I contacted a very good orthopedic specialist, who can conduct a more specific inspection of Xiao Wang if needed.”

He had always been able to disguise himself as someone who spoke and behaved with integrity.

Concerned about her son’s leg condition, Xue Min immediately burst into a smile upon hearing this. “Ai, thank you for taking the trouble, Guancheng.”

As she spoke, she glanced at Bo Yueming beside her again and then muttered, “They are also brothers, so why is there such a big difference?”

Bo Lihong tugged at his wife to signal her to keep her mouth shut, but Xue Ming cast him a sharp glance.

Pei Yi covertly took in this scene, looked at the tranquil Bo Yueming, and thought to himself—

One brother pretended to “show favor” while the other brother was the mastermind behind the “fracture.”

How could the difference not be big?

Bo Guancheng pretended not to notice the small conflict between the second branch couple, and went on to ask with a smile, “What about Jiaojiao? Wasn’t it agreed that we would welcome her home tonight? Now that almost the whole family is here, where is she?”

Old Mr. Bo, who was sitting in the head seat, failed to suppress a sigh when he heard this.

Xue Min quickly rationalized, “Dad, wait a little longer, Jaiojiao’s jet lag didn’t go away for a while and she slept too much this afternoon. And she’s a girl who likes to dress up beautifully……”

Bo Lihong answered, “I urged her to come right away.”

“It’s fine to wait,” Old Mr. Bo said.

He looked at the servants and the steward standing beside the dining table and said, “Except for Lao Shen, everyone else should leave, ba. It’s just a small family dinner, there’s no need for so many people to stand and wait.”

Uncle Kai frowned worriedly when he heard this. “Sir, the Second Young Master’s eyesight is inconvenient, I…..”

Old Mr. Bo frowned. “When you are told to leave, then leave. Lao Shen is still here as the chief steward. Will I let my grandson starve and be unable to eat?”

“…….”

Bo Yueming whispered, “Uncle Kai, I’m fine.”

Uncle Kai knew of Bo Yueming’s real situation, and he couldn’t retaliate against Old Mr. Bo, so he gave a slight nod and stepped back.

As if to ease the silence and embarrassment, Bo Guancheng suddenly spoke, “Grandpa, didn’t you say you had a bad appetite some time ago? I brought some good hawthorn herbal tea, which is both appetizing and warming.”

“Since Jiaojiao hasn’t come yet, shall I ask my subordinates to brew some for everyone to taste?”

For Bo Guancheng, the eldest grandson, Mr. Bo always favored and treated him preferentially: “All right, let’s taste it.”

Bo Guancheng gave A-Kai, the servant beside him, a look. He understood, and walked straight toward the water bar outside the kitchen.

Within five minutes, the other party returned with a tea tray.

The servant A-Kai began to serve tea to Old Mr. Bo in the head seat, and then handed it out one at a time in the order of left to right.

Bo Guangcheng gazed at the herbal hawthorn tea steaming in the cup, and had A-Kai hand over a cup to Pei Yi.

“Little Young Master Pei, your tea.”

Pei Yi tilted his head silently and met the gaze of the servant A-Kai. “Hot.”

A-Kai stared at him nervously for a moment, then responded, “Yes, Little Young Master Pei, please be careful.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming watched all of this silently through the cover of his glasses, and keenly guessed that something was wrong—

Was this servant new here?

He had never seen him by Bo Guancheng’s side before.

As he thought, servant A-Kai picked up a cup of steaming tea and carefully handed it to Bo Yueming. “Second Young Master, your tea.”

Bo Yueming instantly sensed something and pulled his right arm back slightly. Sure enough, A-Kai’s cup “accidentally” tilted.

The hot tea splashed all over the table and onto the silverware.

Bo Yueming quickly covered his right hand and let out a muffled sound of pain. He got up in a panic and backed away, but accidentally knocked down the chair and created another loud noise.

A-Kai panicked. “Second Young Master, I’m sorry! It was me who didn’t hold it steady!”

To the side, Pei Yi’s eyes suddenly changed—

Didn’t hold it steady?

Did he really take him as a fool?

How dare he attack Bo Yueming right under his nose?

Pei Yi decisively picked up his own cup of tea and poured it fiercely and accurately onto A-Kai’s arm, pretending to be crazy as he shouted, “Too hot, won’t drink!”

A-Kai beside him didn’t expect that Pei Yi would suddenly “go crazy,” and the heat on his arm instantly penetrated.

“—Hiss!”

The false panic on his face cracked and was replaced by true pain. 

Following this sudden turn of events, everyone’s eyes converged one after another, all with different thoughts.

Bo Lihong was a little surprised, but didn’t care about his son’s injury at all, and Xue Min let out an inaudible laugh. It had nothing to do with her.

Bo Guancheng looked at Bo Yueming, who still maintained an expression of pain, and a dark light flickered in his eyes as the doubts in his heart were dispelled.

It was he who chose this dinner on purpose and asked his servant to perform a trick, just to test the condition of Bo Yueming’s eyes in front of all the elders—

Normal people would definitely dodge the moment they realized that hot tea was about to spill, but Bo Yueming didn’t react just now. Even when the tea was poured on him, he got up and dodged belatedly.

Hadn’t Pei Huan said that when he saw Bo Yueming appear at G.M., he thought that the other party’s eyes had improved?

See, ah, it had been almost four months, and he was still blind!

Just as he wanted.

Bo Guancheng judged the situation, and at the same time, the sound of high heels stepping across the floor sounded—

Bo Jiao appeared in an exaggerated and flamboyant red dress.

As soon as she arrived at the gate of the main house, she noticed the situation inside. Before anyone could open their mouths, she criticized Steward Shen.

“Standing there stupidly after something went wrong, why don’t you hurry up and apply an ice pack for Second Brother?”

“Grandpa dearly loves my Second Brother, who couldn’t react. Why don’t you have any emergency measures? How did you become Chief Steward? Are you relying on your old face?”

The words were very blunt, and didn’t save any face for Steward Shen.

“……..”

The old steward looked embarrassed. He belatedly noticed the Old Sir signaling with his eyes, and turned around to get an ice pack.

Pei Yi was temporarily not in the mood to pay attention to the Third Young Lady who had appeared onstage. Taking the opportunity to rush to Bo Yueming’s side, he wanted to check the condition of his right hand. “Er-ge, hand.”

In fact, at that moment, Bo Yueming had taken a brief precaution.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he didn’t dodge too abruptly, in order to avoid revealing his secret.

However, Bo Yueming managed to avoid the more dangerous part of the wrist, and only the fingertips and the back of the hand suffered a little. As for the exaggerated reaction just now, he used it to deceive everybody.

Pei Yi saw Bo Yueming’s reddened and even blistered fingers, and his breath shook. “Hot, does it hurt?”

Bo Yueming had always been able to tolerate pain very well, and this burn was completely under control. But when he saw Pei Yi’s rare worry, he craftily changed his words. “En, a little bit.”

As soon as he spoke, he saw the longed-for worry in the kitten’s eyes.

At this moment, Bo Jiao was standing at the end of the messy dining table and glaring at servant A-Kai. The exaggerated red eyeliner made her eyes sharper.

A-Kai didn’t know much about the Third Young Lady, so he thoughtlessly said, “Third Young Lady, it, it was my fault.”

Bo Jiao scoffed, “Of course it’s your fault, otherwise, whose fault would it be? You can make the most basic mistake when pouring tea?”

“Da-ge.” She glanced at Bo Guancheng and asked with a smile, “Why did you bring this kind of person with you? The main branch shouldn’t be short of money right? You can’t even recruit better servants?”

“……”

Bo Guancheng was stuck for a moment.

Bo Lihui next to him suddenly felt that he wouldn’t be able to keep his face, and coughed lightly. 

Xue Min saw that her daughter was talking all over the place as soon as she arrived, so she quickly stood up and motioned, “Jiaojiao, it’s normal for servants to make mistakes at work occasionally, so don’t talk nonsense.”

Pei Yi resisted the urge to roll his eyes—

It was normal to make mistakes at work occasionally? How could she pretend to be a good person? Daring to feel that if this cup of tea scalded Bo Wang’s hand, it would not be a mistake!

If it’s not your family, you don’t feel distressed or get angry!

Xue Min continued, “Quickly, greet your grandfather.”

Bo Jiao looked at Old Mr. Bo and apologized with a smile. “Grandpa, I’ve been abroad for a long time, and I like to be straightforward when I speak. Don’t mind me.”

She was his only granddaughter, after all, so Old Mr. Bo was quite tolerant. “It’s fine, let’s all sit down.”

Bo Jiao glanced at Bo Yueming, who had already applied an ice pack, and gestured to A-Kai with a smile. “What are you still doing here?”

“You hurt Second Brother by making a mistake, and you also made Little Young Master Pei unhappy. With this little injury, you’re not waiting for us to call an ambulance for you, right?”

“…….”

A-Kai’s expression became extremely embarrassed.

He glanced at Bo Guancheng, who was unresponsive, and walked out while holding back his anger and frustration.

Steward Lao Shen had learned his lesson just now, and without waiting for Old Mr. Bo’s instruction, he quickly cleaned up the mess at the end of the dining table and took the initiative to help Bo Yueming and Pei Yi take their seats again.

Seeing this, Bo Jiao pursed her lips and sat beside her mother, Xue Min.

The food was served.

Pei Yi’s mind finally came back to life, and he secretly watched Bo Jiao as he ate—

The other party was wearing a strapless dress, and there was a string of English letters tattooed on her collarbone. Her hair was coiled on top of her head, fully revealing her bright and delicate features.

Old Mr. Bo looked at his granddaughter whom he hadn’t seen for a long time, and glint of disapproval for her style of dress flashed through his eyes, but he didn’t mention it. “Jiaojiao, why did you suddenly want to come back home to China?”

“I was tired of being abroad.”

Bo Jiao pushed away the hawthorn tea in front of her and raised the champagne glass next to her, drinking half of it before saying, “Grandpa, I also want to work for the Bo family. You can arrange a manager position for me in the group.”

“…….”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone around fell silent.

Bo Yueming pressed the ice pack, and suddenly felt that he had underestimated this long-unseen sister.

For a company as big as the Bo family’s, and involving Bo Lihui and Bo Lihong, any position placement or change may affect the future direction of power.

It was easy for Bo Jiao to say this, but it carried a lot of weight.

Pei Yi also heard this layer of meaning, and waited for Old Mr. Bo’s answer with great interest.

“Xiao Jiao, it’s fine for a girl to use the family’s money to eat, drink, and have fun. Why bother with this?”

Old Mr. Bo evaded seamlessly, and motioned to his second son, Bo Lihong, “If you really can’t take it easy, then ask your dad to arrange an easy job for you in his branch.”

“The workload at the group headquarters is so heavy, how could you bear it?”

“When grandma was in charge of the family, she always promoted equality between men and women. Our family doesn’t favor men over women, does it?” Bo Jiao retorted, and drank the champagne in one gulp.

“Grandpa, I won’t get too tired. As for which person gets which position, isn’t it just a matter of you saying so?”

Old Mr. Bo’s eyes changed slightly.

Xue Min sensed that the atmosphere wasn’t right, and quickly stopped her daughter with her hand under the cover of the table.

Bo Jiao set down her wine glass and said with a seemingly harmless smile, “Isn’t that right? I heard a lot of gossip out there, saying that Grandpa prefers Uncle and Da-ge.” 

Bo Guancheng glanced at Old Mr. Bo and asked, “Jiaojiao, where did you hear that?”

“Is that not the case?”

Bo Jiao looked around the dining table. “Presently, the director of the group is Uncle, and the general manager is Da-ge. We have so many children in the second branch, yet what do we have aside from a branch office? Oh, by the way, Uncle also manages a branch office, right?”

In this way, the second branch didn’t gain any benefits at all.

Old Mr. Bo stopped eating. “You are young, don’t talk nonsense about things you don’t understand. Yueming’s eyes are injured, so I had no choice but to dismiss him and temporarily hand over management to Guancheng, and your Da-ge is also working hard.”

Hearing this ridiculous remark, Bo Yueming silently held down the nearly-melted ice pack.

Pei Yi also mocked in his heart—

It’s really extraordinary to be able to speak of partiality in such a high-sounding manner.

“Working hard?”

Bo Jiao pondered this vocabulary, concealing a trace of targeting, “If you are ambitious, you will naturally work hard. Since it is temporary, then replace him.”

—Pa!

Old Mr. Bo slammed down his chopsticks with obvious anger.

Bo Lihong frowned. “Jiaojiao, don’t say such words!”

Bo Guancheng kept his smile steady and tried his best to smooth things over, “Jiaojiao, you have been abroad for a long time and don’t know the Bo group’s situation for the time being. If the job arrangement is not appropriate, people may criticize you. Grandpa is only thinking about you.”

“Is Grandpa thinking about me, or about Uncle and Da-ge’s family? Some people are let off lightly when they pretend to feel wronged.”

Bo Jiao was worried that she would not have the opportunity to denounce Bo Guancheng, so she immediately opened her mouth again—

“When Grandma was at home, how many projects did Second Brother do, and how much money did he make for the group? Even the Yuandi project, which was praised a while ago, he also grabbed with one hand. Isn’t that right?”

“Da-ge, let alone picking up and eating what is ready-made, I heard you also handled the German business project? How much trouble has this project gotten into? How much did the group suffer? You should know this best.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Bo Guancheng couldn’t keep the smile on his face.

Bo Jiao still seemed to be puzzled. “Grandpa, Second Brother’s eyes are not well, but it’s not as if he can’t speak or hear, or his brain isn’t working. Why should the position be taken from him?”

“You don’t want the person who should be used in our second branch, but you don’t care about the main branch making a mistake?”

“Both are surnamed Bo, and both are your grandchildren. If this is not partiality, then what is?”

“…….”

Old Mr. Bo’s chest heaved. He wanted to scold her, but didn’t know where to start. A junior lost face for him in public, but what she said was still true.

Silence spread in the dining room.

Except for Bo Yueming, who was still calm, the expressions of everyone present were varying degrees of ugly.

Pei Yi had a panoramic view of this scene, and couldn’t help but applaud from the bottom of his heart—-

Third Young Lady Bo, I truly can’t agree more, ah!

---

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

Because they ate a lot at the tea restaurant, Bo Yueming and Pei Yi simply skipped dinner after returning home.

Pei Yi returned to the room under the pretext of “being sleepy,” and quickly locked the door before taking out his cell phone.

There was an extra unread message in the text box, which was sent by Xiang Nansheng half an hour ago: Apologies, I was delayed by something. This invitation came too suddenly, and I have doubts about your identity, so I’m sorry, but I can’t agree.

“…….”

Seeing this expected answer, Pei Yi simply dialed the other party’s phone number and got up to walk into the bathroom, which had better sound insulation.

Beep – beep – beep –

After a moment, there was finally a connection sound from the other end of the line. “Hello, this is Xiang Nansheng.”

Pei Yi kept his voice down and greeted politely, “Director Xiang, hello. I’m Will from “The Last Fog.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, and then Xiang Nansheng let out a breath. “I believe I rejected you in the text message.”

“I know, but I would like to re-invite you over the phone, and I understand the Director’s concerns. After all, it is really hard for people to believe that I, a person who didn’t show up today, would make an invitation. This is my mistake.”

Pei Yi paused for a moment, and there was a degree of relaxation. “If Director Xiang is willing to accept this invitation, I will ask Mr. Li Yuan to negotiate with you in person.”

Xiang Nansheng didn’t hang up the phone directly, and his calm tone concealed exhaustion. “Mr. Will, I don’t know if you’re aware that Youming Studios was founded by Ke Ming and I.”

“The most fundamental reason for the failure of the bidding this afternoon was our Youming, but this doesn’t mean that we will fall here and never get up again.”

They could replace the Alien Beast images that were plagiarized, and let the art team re-create an original design. And their modeling technology was still there, so as long as the funds were in place, the game could still be made.

Their studio had not yet reached the point of bankruptcy. As long as the funds ran smoothly, there would still be opportunities to find other investors in the future and continue to expand and develop.

Pei Yi admitted straightforwardly, “Yes, I have never doubted Director Xiang’s ability.”

In the real world, he had started a studio with his friends. The group of people worked hard for eight years, and went from being unknown to being famous in China.

No one would be willing to abandon the friendship that had been through such struggle.

If people’s hearts didn’t change, everything would naturally remain the same, but what if someone changed partway?

Pei Yi thought of everything he had observed in secret at G.M. today, and asked meaningfully, “But Director Xiang, are you sure that the Youming you see now is the one you created?”

“The partner Ke Ming at your side right now, are his ideas, his goals, and even his moral bottom line consistent with yours?”

The two were not so much partners as they were boss and employee.

“…….”

On the other end, Xiang Nansheng suddenly fell silent.

Were they consistent?

He couldn’t answer that question.

After the bidding ended in the afternoon, the two of them had the biggest dispute in history—

Frustrated and furious, Ke Ming thought that Xiang Nansheng should not have apologized to Lou Yang before leaving the venue, and that this move was equivalent to admitting that Youming had plagiarized. It was basically a public slap in the face to him, the studio boss!

As long as they got the game out earlier than Lou Yang, even if the bidding was unsuccessful, they may not necessarily bear the infamy of “plagiarism.”

But Xiang Nansheng disagreed.

He proposed to redesign the game settings related to “Alien Beasts,” but Ke Ming, who had already insisted on the cost in the early stages, was not willing.

The two argued until in the end, the word “disband” came out.

If it really came to that, who would be the one to quit? The results would speak for themselves.

Xiang Nansheng only understood technology, and only wanted to work hard at the technical level, so he didn’t understand Ke Ming’s arrogance and desire to soar into the sky, his heart gradually infected by money and interests.

Their original intention was to make local games that were popular in China, instead of imitating foreign game settings, or borrowing and plagiarizing other people’s ideas.

Right now, that clearly wasn’t the case.

“Director Xiang, your silence has already explained everything.”

“I want to make a local game that belongs to China. The basic setting of “The Last Fog” includes character images, and they will all be Chinese people in the future.”

Pei Yi straightforwardly continued to throw olive branches, “I believe that Youming’s development before today must have been inseparable from your technical skills. If you are willing to come to “The Last Fog,” you will receive the good treatment you deserve.”

“Of course, other than the title of ‘partner.’”

Pei Yi spoke the truth. In addition to the financial support from G.M., he hoped that he and Li Yuan would still control the voice of “The Last Fog” in the future.

Xiang Nansheng let out a rare, low laugh. “Mr. Will is direct enough.”

Pei Yi replied, “Directness is the only way to speak about cooperation.”

“Yes, but I apologize, I must refuse for now.” Xiang Nansheng didn’t hide it. “Youming Studios is my creation, and no one will suddenly give up their creation.”

“I understand.”

Pei Yi responded readily, understanding, but not forgetting to attach a deadline, “But you have at most one month. If a more suitable programmer is found, the leadership position cannot be Director Xiang’s.”

Xiang Nansheng sighed again, with a gamer’s best wishes, “Mr. Will, the game you built is very interesting. I hope that one day it will become popular in the Chinese game circle.”

“Also, please apologize to Director Lou Yang on my behalf again.”

Ke Ming knew that Xiang Nansheng was straight-laced, so he deliberately kept this matter a secret. By the time he found out, the studio had already put a lot of effort into it.

He was an indirect accomplice, and didn’t dare to say he was in the right, but he should at least express his apology without missing a word.

Pei Yi smiled. “Will do. If Director Xiang changes his mind within this month, you can directly contact Mr. Li.”

“All right.”

The phone hung up.

Pei Yi walked back to the room again and sat down on the bed, opening the Youtu interface. In the three-person chat for him, Li Yuan, and Lou Yang, there were a few more unread messages.

“Will, the bidding was successful! Sure enough, it was as you guessed. That bastard Ke Ming borrowed and copied Sister Yang’s design in terms of modeling style!”

“You didn’t see, Sister Yang frightened him for a moment today.”

Lou Yang added two sentences, “Thanks to Will’s analysis and judgment, I set up a language trap according to what you said beforehand. The other party was arrogant enough to jump right into it.”

“@Will, what about you? What are you doing?”

How could Pei Yi, who had already witnessed the bidding scene, not know how exciting this afternoon was? He quickly replied to the two of them: “Congratulations, you’ve worked hard. Especially Sister Yang, who came all the way here. Are you tired?”

Replies in the group came quickly.

“I went back to the hotel in the afternoon to take a nap, and I feel fine now. There is still some time before the official investment of G.M.’s funds. I will try to design the images of the six characters first.”

Lou Yang was an absolute strong woman in her career, and never dragged her feet in the face of work.

Perhaps it was fate that Pei Yi had found her just at the time she wanted to return to China for development, so the invitation progressed so logically.

The phone vibrated slightly again. It was a group message from Li Yuan. “I’m already dealing with the funding-related matters, and I’m aiming to get the contract signed with G.M. within half a month. As for the specific working location, is it still agreed to be Dawn Games?”

Having a ready-made office environment and staff could save a lot of energy consumption.

Pei Yi agreed. “Yes, but the hardware in need of upgrades cannot be used, and the increase and decrease of personnel must be thought about a little more.”

“I understand.”

“If Yuan needs it, he can ask me for help at any time. I have been in the industry for many years, among other things, and can do a bit of administrative review.”

Pei Yi looked at the two people in the group as they continued to discuss, and took the time to briefly tell them about the “invitation to Xiang Nansheng” just now—

Li Yuan agreed when he heard this. “I’ve dealt with Xiang Nansheng before, and he is indeed capable. It would be a good thing if he were to join “The Last Fog” project team.

He paused for two seconds and added, “Sister Yang, what do you think?”

“You make arrangements. I have no problem. Strictly speaking, as long as Xiang Nansheng doesn’t associate with Ke Ming, I am willing to accept a capable partner.”

Lou Yang’s work experience was far superior to the two youngsters, and her thinking and overall outlook were also very mature.

Suddenly, she added another sentence, “However, I’m a little curious.”

Pei Yi asked back, “About what?”

“Will, you didn’t come to the bidding site this afternoon, and Yuan and I didn’t explain it to you right away, so how did you calculate the right time to invite Xiang Nansheng? What if he was involved in the ‘plagiarism?’”

“…….”

Pei Yi looked at this message, and his heart shook suddenly as he somehow thought of a picture—

As an “undercover agent,” he accidentally gave up his identity and was caught by Lou Yang’s sharp eyes, and she pointed the muzzle of her black gun at him.

A woman’s innate intuition was truly powerful and terrifying.

Pei Yi sighed inwardly, and hurried to fix things, “I had a person I know at the scene, and Xiang Nansheng’s personal information and works are also available on the studio’s website.”

The message was sent within seconds.

Lou Yang, “Oh, so that’s the case.”

Li Yuan: “Will, I have an appointment with Sister Yang for dinner to celebrate today’s victory.”

Lou Yang replied with a smile, “I know you can’t come due to your mysterious vest, so when Yuan and I have a drink later, I will definitely drink two more glasses for you.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was stuck, and laughed out loud helplessly in front of his computer. “Fine, you guys go. I’ll celebrate by myself.”

. . . . . .

Some time later.

Pei Yi, who had soaked his tired body, came out of the bathroom. 

Perhaps it was caused by Li Yuan and Lou Yang drawing out his alcohol addiction, or maybe it was due to the heat of the shower, but he just felt that his desire to drink was about to stir again.

Pei Yi thought of the wine wall in the small living room, and felt that it was time to sneak a taste of it in the name of “celebrating.”

After all, Bo Yueming couldn’t see at the moment, so as long as he got the wine and drank it behind closed doors, nothing would go wrong.

Pei Yi secretly built the plan in his mind, intending to open the door to investigate the enemy’s situation first.

Bonk.

The moment the door opened, he ran into Bo Yueming.

“…….”

Pei Yi was startled, and quickly restrained his expression.

Having had no time to knock on the door, Bo Yueming lowered his eyes, leaving only a shadow of nothingness cast by his fine eyelashes.

The inexplicable silence lasted less than three seconds, and then Inspector rushed to their feet. “Meow-wu~meow!”

Bo Yueming finished adjusting first. “Pei Yi? What are you doing?”

Pei Yi donned a well-behaved look and pursed his lips. “Milk, want to drink milk! Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming cooperated and handed over the warm milk in his hand. “Uncle Kai just delivered it. Drink it while it’s hot.”

“Oh.”

Pei Yi pretended to be happy to take it, and in front of Bo Yueming—

He clearly only took half a sip, but he didn’t forget to make an extremely exaggerated swallowing sound. After drinking, he deliberately pasted on a smile. “Tasty~”

“…….”

Bo Yueming was nearly deceived by this set of “skillful acting techniques,” and said, “It’s good that you like it. I’m a little tired today, so I’ll go back to my room to rest.”

When Pei Yi heard the second half of the sentence, his eyes lit up uncontrollably.

Very good!

Divine aid from the heavens!

Bo Yueming sensed his premature joy, but didn’t pierce the facade. “Go to bed early, ba. Goodnight.”

After going out for so long today, his eyes had become sore and tired, and he really wanted to close his eyes and rest early.

As he said that, he turned around while holding his guide cane, but deliberately shifted his footsteps from the direction of the master bedroom.

Pei Yi watched silently for a moment, then stepped forward and held his hand. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

“Here.”

“Have I gone the wrong way?”

“En.”

“Then help me back.”

“……En!”

Both of them played the fool, asking and answering.

It wasn’t until the master bedroom door clicked shut that both of them took off their masks.

Pei Yi stood silently at the door of the master bedroom for a while. Through the crack of the door at his feet, he confirmed that the lights inside had been turned off, then breathed a sigh of relief and began his long-awaited drinking plans.

Pei Yi walked lightly to the wine wall, his eyes excitedly scanning all kinds of fine wine.

Choose a very expensive one? Without Bo Yueming’s consent, that was no good.

From the electronic menu? No good, they only came in single quantities and Uncle Kai might notice if he drank it.

Pei Yi struggled for a while before taking a Lafite of a common vintage from the top right of the wine cabinet wall. Of course, it was not cheap.

—Clink.

“Meow~”

The sound of the wine bottle being tapped was accompanied by Inspector’s cry.

Pei Yi froze guiltily in place, and waited a while before saying, “Hush! I’ll give you some dried fish later.”

Inspector said very quietly, “Wu~”

Pei Yi knew his current drinking capacity well. He definitely couldn’t stay in the living room to drink, and in order not to alert the enemy, he gestured with his eyes to the beloved pet under his feet, “Let’s go.”

One person and one cat snuck into the bedroom quickly, closed the door neatly, and did bad things.

Pei Yi entered the room, only to realize that in his nervousness, he only took the bottle and forgot the wine glass. He feared that opening the door again would create too much noise, so after some thought, he planned to drink from the bottle directly.

The cork on the wine bottle was easily pulled out, and the unique aroma of red wine drifted out in an instant.

In the past, Pei Yi would definitely want to let it air out and enjoy it leisurely, but the present was different from the past. How could he be so picky?

He brought up the wine bottle and took two sips, then squinted his eyes contentedly.

Invigorating!

At last, no one bothered him!

. . . . . .

Bo Yueming closed his eyes and rested on the bed, but Pei Yi’s eyes flashing with excitement kept coming back to his mind, and he felt that this kitten was doing something behind his back.

The more he thought about it, the more he couldn’t sleep.

When the soreness of his eyes dissipated, Bo Yueming couldn’t help but get up and turn on the light, glancing at the time—

In no time, it was half past twelve.

“He should be asleep at this point, right?”

Bo Yueming muttered faintly, but his instincts were stronger than his rationality, so he opened the door softly.

The corner light in the living room was still on.

Bo Yueming glanced at the wine cabinet wall, feeling that something wasn’t right. Before he could distinguish carefully, Inspector’s coquettish cry sounded from the second bedroom.

It was followed by a denial, “No, you’re, you’re not allowed to eat any more dried fish, I’ve already given you a lot!”

“…….”

Different from his usual remarks, his speech was quite complete, but the tone and pauses weren’t normal, as if…….he was stuttering after drinking.

Was this stealing alcohol behind his back?

Bo Yueming suddenly came to a realization, and didn’t know whether to laugh or get angry for a moment. He approached the second bedroom with narrowed eyes, and knocked on the door curiously.

The movement in the room suddenly became more apparent, and it took a long time for a confused voice to answer, “Who, who’s there, ah?”

Bo Yueming said concisely, “Pei Yi, open the door.”

The voice stuttered, “I’m, I’m already asleep.”

Bo Yueming didn’t believe it. “Open the door.”

There was another short silence before the door was pried open from the inside.

Pei Yi, who had accidentally gotten drunk, peered through the crack in the door and squinted his eyes. After confirming that he knew the person outside, his well-behaved smile had a hint of guilt.

“Hehe Er-ge.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming took in his drunken expression and also caught a glimpse of the wine bottle in his hand, which only had less than half left. He asked knowingly, “What are you drinking?”

He remembered what happened to Pei Yi when he was drunk last time. When he woke up the next day, he was completely out of sorts. Now that he drank half a bottle, he would definitely forget everything!

Pei Yi was carried away by his drunkenness, and said in a lofty tone, “I, I drink milk!”

“…….”

Bo Yueming shifted his gaze slightly and scoffed.

Milk?

Fancy that, this little drunk cat could make up nonsense to be perfunctory with him.

The cup of warm milk that was handed out before going to bed was placed on the table, almost full.

Pei Yi thought he had fooled Bo Yueming, and his drunkenness gave birth to enthusiasm.

He licked his dry lips and raised the wine bottle again, and only took half a sip before his hand was suddenly empty—

Bo Yueming grabbed the wine bottle and said seriously, “No more drinking.”

Pei Yi frowned unhappily and reached out to grab it, but stumbled and fell directly into Bo Yueming’s arms. The unspoken condemnation suddenly turned into a cute and pitiful whimper.

“Careful.”

Fearing that Pei Yi would fall again, Bo Yueming stretched out his hand to stabilize the body of the man in his arms, and then casually placed the wine bottle on the cabinet inside the door.

“Hm, hot.”

Pei Yi disliked the heat and sensed the refreshing coolness on Bo Yueming’s body, and his thoughts of grabbing the wine swiftly changed.

He wrapped his arms around the person in front of him and acted without thinking, pressing up against him to absorb the coolness.

The baggy bathrobe fell open.

Bo Yueming inadvertently lowered his head, and caught a glimpse of the sight underneath the bathrobe. The skin that had been hidden beneath clothes at home all year round was very fair, and a swath of red had appeared due to the wine.

It was extremely provoking.

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s breathing stalled for a beat, and he only felt the soreness of his eyes coming back.

However, Pei Yi was still senseless in his arms. His drunken eyes were wet, and he looked inexplicably as if he had been bullied. Thin red lips opened and closed as he hummed a little sufferingly, “I’m thirsty.”

There was nothing Bo Yueming could do about him, and he tried to use a calm tone, “Then let go, I’ll get you some water.”

“Don’t, don’t want to.”

Pei Yi subconsciously clung tighter, asking vaguely, “What if you run away?”

Bo Yueming was angrily amused again. “This is my home, where would I go?”

Pei Yi paused and thought for a moment, but couldn’t come up with an answer, so he could only huddle in his arms and repeat, “…..So thirsty.”

“Now you’re thirsty? Who let you drink so much wine in secret?”

Pei Yi raised his head at once and emphasized forcefully, “I drink well! I, I can drink!”

Bo Yueming asked him back, “Then do you want to drink water?”

“Want.”

The little drunk cat could bend with the direction of the wind.

“…….”

Bo Yueming had no choice but to move Pei Yi to the sofa in the living room.

After living for twenty-seven years, this was the first time he had to learn how to take care of another person.

Bo Yueming embraced Pei Yi with one arm and poured warm water with the other, then put the cup close to the other’s mouth. “Drink. Drink and you won’t be thirsty.”

Pei Yi stared at the pure, transparent water and tilted his head. “White wine? I can drink it too.”

Bo Yueming gritted his teeth silently in angry amusement.

He was still thinking about drinking at this time?

Fortunately, Pei Yi took the cup in a timely manner and gulped it up with both hands, then handed it back obediently.

Bo Yueming asked, “Do you want more?”

Pei Yi shook his head and stared at him for a moment. 

Bo Yueming felt burning hot under his focused gaze, and said a little uneasily, “What are you looking at?”

Pei Yi shook his head without speaking, then swallowed.

He poked Bo Yueming’s cheek with his fingertip, and also pinched it courageously. “You’re so good-looking.”

It was not the first time Bo Yueming had heard such a compliment, but each time Pei Yi praised him like this, he was always inexplicably pleased.

He didn’t reject the nonsense of this person in front of him, but clasped his warm hands behind the other’s back and asked impulsively, “Am I more good-looking or is Yan Cen?”

“Huh?”

Pei Yi blinked in bewilderment, and for a moment, he couldn’t remember which character “Yan Cen” was.

Bo Yueming thought of all the “subtleties” this person had toward Yan Cen, and with jealousy that he didn’t even notice himself, he persisted in asking, “Pei Yi, am I good-looking or is Yan Cen?”

Pei Yi slowly filtered the information in this sentence, and suddenly remembered the identity of the person in front of him.

He returned to Bo Yueming’s arms. “Er-ge is good-looking.”

Bo Yueming raised his eyebrows, continuing to ask, “What about between me and Li Yuan?”

Pei Yi frowned and didn’t care who the other party was talking about. Frankly and warmly, he said, “Er-ge is the best-looking! You are the one I like best—”

Out of all the book characters.

“Hic!”

Pei Yi hiccuped a little and stopped the unfinished sentence.

Bo Yueming was naturally unaware of the deeper meaning behind these words, but the smile in the depths of his eyes resurfaced. “Really?”

Pei Yi nodded vigorously. “En!”

Bo Yueming clasped his hands together and didn’t let go. WIth a little careful probing that he didn’t realize, he asked, “What do you like about me? I have bad eyes, my situation in the Bo family isn’t good, and I haven’t been likable since I was a child.”

“Hm……”

It took a little longer for Pei Yi to react, but he still comforted him, “Er-ge is, is the best person in this world!”

So what if he was the “villain of the original text?” So far, no one he had met could compare to Bo Yueming.

The other party would protect him, block injuries for him, and feed him delicious things, except…..except for not letting him drink.

“Er-ge.”

“En?”

Pei Yi’s eyes were blurred by the alcohol, but he replied firmly, “Don’t be afraid!”

“…….”

Afraid?

Bo Yueming’s hands loosened suddenly, distracted by these three words of comfort.

Pei Yi leaned closer again, and took the initiative to put his hands on the other’s face, close enough to breathe each other in. “Your, your eyes will be alright. Everything……will be alright..”

Bo Yueming couldn’t tell what kind of impulse he had, but he grasped the back of Pei Yi’s neck. “Will you accompany me to get better?”

“En, wu……”

Pei Yi flinched sensitively, and uttered a soft whimper, like a coquettish reply.

His mental state had been completely paralyzed by the alcohol, and he yawned a little, then rubbed against Bo Yueming’s shoulder and stopped talking.

---

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

T/N: A big thank you goes out to FistFullOfDollars and Yanyanchan for their kind Kofi donations. Thank you so much, and here’s each of your bonus chapters in addition to the usual one.

Ke Ming’s expression suddenly changed, and he looked at the plainly dressed Lou Yang in disbelief.

At that time, Lin Zhong found the relevant user information and said, “Mr. Bo, it looks like this user whose ID is “Dehydration” registered an account two years ago, and the earliest modeling screenshot was posted in August last year.”

“There are currently 306 followers, and the most popular one only has just over one hundred views. Gender—” Lin Zhong paused for a second, looking at Lin Zhong on the stage. “The gender shows as male.”

Knowing that his friend’s eyesight was inconvenient, Yan Cen took the tablet from the side. “Show me.”

Listening to Lin Zhong’s reporting of the user profile trap, Ke Ming regained a bit of confidence.

Yes, that’s right!

That was an overseas account and showed as “male.” How could it be Lu Yang who had suddenly appeared here?!

Regarding “Dehydration’s” fans and popularity, being discovered by him could be considered an accident. Where could there be a double coincidence in this world?

Bo Yueming didn’t pay attention to Ke Ming’s change of expression, lowering his eyes calmly. “Director Lou, how will you prove that this account belongs to you?”

“It’s easy, I will log in publicly.”

Lou Yang took out her laptop and quickly connected to the large projection screen. While opening the Youtu forum, she logged into her account with ease.

Soon, the personal homepage unique to “Dehydration” appeared on the big screen.

Lin Zhong wasn’t aware of the condition of Bo Yueming’s eyes, so he whispered, “Mr. Bo, you were right.”

“En.”

Bo Yueming gave a slight nod.

“This, this is impossible!” 

Ke Ming’s face turned red, and he was unwilling to admit his mistakes. “The modeling techniques in the gaming circle have always been dominated by men. You are a woman……”

“What is wrong with me being a woman?” Lou Yang interrupted loudly with a sneer. “Mr. Ke, I know you have doubts, but I can tell you the truth—”

“There are such coincidences in this world! It is time for me to expose the bad behavior of you and your studio!”

Lou Yang had graduated from a prestigious overseas school, majoring in design. After graduation, she worked at a special effects film and television company with her boyfriend at the time, and led the team responsible for the post-design of special effects.

In the behind-the-scenes circles of foreign film and television, the special effects team led by Lou Yang was also well-known.

But over the years, Lou Yang had never forgotten her original intention to work on games.

She designed some original game models in her spare time, and when she could, she would post relevant screenshots on the Youtu forum. The initial personal information of the account was the default, and she hadn’t changed it at all.

It should be known that Youtu’s copyright control had always been excellent.

For Lou Yang, these uploads were not for gaining attention or popularity, and were just for backup purposes. She didn’t expect them to come in handy one day.

Lou Yang continued to explain, “Young Boss Li did not reveal much. He also has a partner who is the chief architect of the world of “The Last Fog.” Ten days ago, he was the one who took the initiative to contact me by private message.”

When Lou Yang uploaded modeling screenshots, she never added any visible tags, and reprinting and downloading were not allowed. Therefore, her popularity had not been high on a game forum full of talents.

And due to the time difference between home and abroad, Lou Yang’s upload time was basically around three or four in the morning in China. Other than the “update page” that came with the game forum, there was pretty much no exposure at all.

But coincidentally, Pei Yi was a night owl. He often stayed up into the wee hours of the morning, or even all night, because of his game script creation.

As early as when Pei Yi decided to continue making money in this world through games, he had made up his mind to re-establish his own game company.

Since he wanted to start a company, he must recruit troops—

During these days of staying in the bedroom, Pei Yi was either writing or creating, or using the Youtu forum to find “great gods.” And he would pay attention to these talented accounts – thinking that there may be a chance to send them cooperation invitations in the future.

Last Wednesday, Pei Yi contacted Lou Yang immediately after confirming the news brought by Li Yuan.

Firstly to verify the possible “imitation” situation, and secondly to issue an invitation for partnership.

Two months ago, Lou Yang and her boyfriend, who had been in love for many years, chose to break up peacefully. However, there was no way to continue to work together in the same team, not to mention that her parents in China missed her very much.

Little by little, she intended to change her environment and start over again.

After three days of effective communication and sincere invitation by Pei Yi, Lou Yang finally agreed to go back to China and find out the truth, and the purpose of keeping it secret before was to get a final confirmation.

After all, before Ke Ming and the others showed their modeling, they did not have full evidence.

As for Lou Yang’s refusal to say that she was “Dehydration” at the beginning, it was entirely Pei Yi’s suggestion, and they deliberately set up a trap.

If Ke Ming continued to lie and jumped into the pit by himself, then they would have one more piece of evidence.

This was good—

Everything was as Pei Yi expected.

If Ke Ming and Youming Studios competed normally, no matter what the result was, Pei Yi and Li Yuan were willing to accept everything in due course. But since the other party used abnormal means, they didn’t mind being the “villains.”

Lou Yang stared down the guilty Ke Ming and exposed his lies one by one.

“Mr. Ke, what you call originality is plagiarizing my design. What you call the account of a studio employee is actually my personal account.”

“Youtu has very thorough proof of the copyright timeline. I am confident that my design is original and was created earlier than Youming Studios,’ so I would like to carefully ask—”

“Was the inspiration for the modeling of ‘Alien Beasts’ obtained by Mr. Ke after looking at my screenshots?” Lou Yang looked at Pei Huan with the same suspicion and disgust. “Or Pei Huan, did you unethically plagiarize my design?”

“……”

An unwarranted pot suddenly fell on his head.

Pei Huan’s face flushed with embarrassment, and the insecurity in his heart became inexplicably real at this moment!

He wanted to explain, but found that he would be wrong no matter what he said! If he now hurried to rid himself of the relationship with the modeling and design, didn’t that prove that he was acting out of selfishness just now?

After a brief hesitation, Pei Huan suddenly met Yan Cen’s gaze—

The other party’s originally gentle eyes behind those glasses were now filled with unfamiliar scrutiny.

Pei Huan wanted to find a hole to crawl into, and had no choice but to throw the pot back on Ke Ming. “Mr. Ke, you had better explain the problem clearly! If Youming really has behaved badly, I must reconsider our cooperation.”

Didn’t this person say there were no problems?

How was this handling affairs!

Ke Ming tried hard to keep his composure. “Boss Bo, Boss Yan, it’s not surprising for there to be some similar inspirations. What can this screenshot of Ms. Lou’s show?”

“The key point is the level of crafting. The modeling display of our studio is genuine, and we have the ability and the technology.”

“As for the individual similar designs, I can ask the art and technical departments to overturn and start over.”

“On the contrary, I still have doubts about Ms. Lou. Even if she can log into the account, there is no way to directly prove that she has this level of design! What if she hijacked a friend’s account?”

Lou Yang ignored his ridiculous excuses and brought up the photos taken during the demonstration one by one, comparing them to the previous modeling screenshots—

Pei Yi pretended to stare at the big screen for a moment, tilted his head, and quickly pierced the facade. “The same!”

His unaccusative voice directly pointed out the facts.

Bo Yueming caught a glimpse of the cowlick on the back of his head. He unexpectedly felt itchy and wanted to tease it, but had to hold back due to the occasion, so he squeezed his fingertips secretly.

The staff members of the project team sitting in the back row began to discuss in low voices, and their original admiration for the modeling of Youming Studios changed to contempt—

This, ah!

How could they not understand what even a “little fool” could see? Even if it was Lou Yang’s “friend’s” designs, wouldn’t they still be stolen?

Use such a “secondary product” to attract their G.M.’s investment?

What a beautiful idea!

Ke Ming looked at the disdainful eyes of the audience, and vented to Pei Yi angrily, “What are you talking about, you fool? I…..”

“Mr. Ke!”

Bo Yueming interrupted with a deep voice, and was protective to the end. “Pei Yi is the person I brought here, and you are not qualified to criticize him on my territory!”

“…….”

Pei Yi’s heart warmed, and he unconsciously turned his head to look at Bo Yueming.

There was a thin sheen of hostility in those deep eyes, and it was for him.

At this moment, it seemed that his acting was also a real impulse.

Pei Yi purposely drew closer to Bo Yueming and returned a toffee to the other’s palm beneath the table, coaxing, “Er-ge, don’t be angry.”

This kind of person wasn’t worth it.

Bo Yueming hooked his wrist with his fingertip. “Okay.”

“All right, I’ll vote for ‘The Last Fog’ instead.” The next second, Song Ci to the side changed her vote, looking directly at Ke Ming with disgust.

“Mr. Ke, what year is it? Yet people like you practice workplace discrimination against women?”

“Apologies, but even if the other two executives agree today, I, Song Ci, will never agree to cooperate with you!” She walked up to the stage in high heels, with an inviolable proudness all over her body. “In that case, get your game out of G.M. now!”

“……”

Get out.

Ke Ming’s face turned livid.

Entirely ignoring his expression, Song Ci turned around to face Lou Yang, holding the greatest admiration and recognition for the woman. “Director Lou, nice to meet you. You are very outstanding.”

Lou Yang replied with a calm smile. “Thank you. You as well.”

Song Ci had changed her vote, and adding Bo Yueming’s first vote, the result had already been decided.

Yan Cen simply closed the corresponding materials and gave his original answer, “I also vote for The Last Fog. Wishing Young Boss Li a happy cooperation.”

There was joy on his face, but Li Yuan nodded restrainedly. “Thank you.”

Yan Cen returned a smile to him, and then repeated solemnly, “Mr. Ke, please take your personnel and leave.”

His words contained other implications, and he didn’t spare Pei Huan a glance.

“…….”

Pei Huan couldn’t bear the awkward atmosphere of being ignored and shunned. If he had known this would be the result, he wouldn’t have listened to Ke Ming’s encouragement to come and influence the situation.

Well, look at him now!

He was inexplicably stained with a stench! And he couldn’t even wash it clean!

Pei Huan was ashamed and indignant at this thought, and left the conference room quickly.

The matter had been settled, and Xiang Nansheng was the only one who didn’t speak. He didn’t avert his eyes, and took off his black-rimmed glasses to walk around Ke Ming to the front of the room, then bowed calmly but sincerely.

“Director Lou, I apologize to you personally.”

Xiang Nansheng and Ke Ming had started their business together during their college years. At first, they had the same ideals and goals, but the latter gained more benefits and there was gradually a lot of estrangement that was difficult to speak about.

During the past year in particular, almost all right to have a voice in the studio was held by Ke Ming.

The design concept of “Alien Beasts” was proposed by Ke Ming, and Xiang Nansheng had vaguely felt that something was wrong. When he learned the truth from the other party half a month ago, he tried to deter him, but was unfortunately blocked by the other party.

Xiang Nansheng kept this matter in his thoughts, but he also worried about tearing up these years of friendship.

He didn’t dare say that he was not at fault for not reporting what he knew. Now that it had been revealed — he must express his apology from a personal standpoint.

Xiang Nansheng expressed his straightforward appreciation as a technician, “Director Lou, your image design and modeling skills are excellent, and I hope to have the opportunity to communicate with you in the future.”

Lou Yang responded briefly, “Thank you.”

Pei Yi gazed from his seat after Xiang Nansheng’s departing back, and a thought flashed in his eyes. His focus shifted to the documents on Bo Yueming’s desk, and then he looked down for a moment.

More footsteps gradually moved away.

Only Ke Ming was left standing there, his expression still incredibly ugly. His feet seemed to be filled with iron and lead, and he was unable to move half a step outside.

“Everyone who is irrelevant, please leave.”

Bo Yueming took a sip of his coffee and tranquilly issued the eviction order.

“Wait a minute!”

Li Yuan spoke out first. He stood up from his seat and double-checked, “Boss Yan, Boss Bo, and Boss Song, the result of the competition has been confirmed and will not be changed, correct?”

“Of course.”

Yan Cen replied, “If Young Boss Li is not in a hurry this afternoon, we can conduct in-depth discussions on the upcoming investment cooperation.”

The big rock in Li Yuan’s heart fell to the ground, and he politely gestured to everyone, “Apologies, please wait a moment.”

After speaking, he turned and pointed at Ke Ming on the stage, who was destined to be the “loser,” and his eyes finally recovered the arrogance of the past. 

“Mr. Ke, on behalf of Dawn Games, I would like to officially demand that you kindly stop all infringements by your studio on the work of our company’s Director Lou Yang!”

“If similar elements of references, plagiarism, and imitation appear in the market in the future, I will sue you and Youming Studios according to the law. Shape up your behavior.”

A smile flickered in Pei Yi’s eyes.

He finished speaking on behalf of others who were still hiding in the dark.

Li Yuan approached Ke Ming step by step, speaking softly but venomously, “Mr. Ke, that coffee could wake you up, but it couldn’t wash away pig-headedness, hm?”

“…….”

Ke Ming was so angry that his breaths shook.

He had originally wanted to watch the scene of Li Yuan failing to compete for the investment and leaving in dismay. Unexpectedly, the person being ridiculed now had become himself, and he had also become the person who should leave the scene in despair!

After working in the industry so long, it was the first time Ke Ming had failed so shamefully.

The shreds of calculations that filled him had already bubbled away. He pretended to forcefully straighten his collar, and left quickly while holding onto a mouthful of self-esteem.

. . . . . . .

The bidding for investment had finally come to an end.

Seeing that it was still early, Yan Cen gestured for Li Yuan to stay and discuss the details of the investment cooperation in advance.

As one of the shareholders, Bo Yueming did not reject this proposal.

Pei Yi was not a person who enjoyed meetings. He had lasted an hour on sweets and juice, and got his outcome. Now the patience that he had accumulated with great difficulty was quickly exhausted.

After drinking such a large glass of juice and sitting for so long, it made sense to go to the bathroom again, right?

He thought about it, but was too embarrassed to say it loudly, so he leaned toward Bo Yueming’s ear and whispered, “Er-ge, going to bathroom.”

“……..”

His ear tingled from the warm breath.

Bo Yueming’s breathing became tight, and he didn’t dare to look directly at the other party.

Knowing that it was more of an excuse than the truth, he still acquiesced to the kitten’s presumptuousness. “Okay, let Lin Zhong follow.”

In any case, he wouldn’t worry that Pei Yi would act on his own, even if this was his company.

Pei Yi feared that a refusal would make the other party suspicious, so he agreed.

Three minutes later.

Pei Yi turned into the innermost part of the men’s bathroom and quickly locked the compartment door.

He took out his cell phone and entered a string of numbers that he had noted down long before in the message interface, and edited the content: Hello, is this Xiang Nansheng, Mr. Xiang?

Although Bo Yueming’s eyes were inconvenient, as a high-level shareholder involved in the decision making, he still had the basic information on his laptop, including the contact information of the participants on both sides.

Pei Yi’s memory was not bad, and he noted down Xiang Nansheng’s contact information.

The phone vibrated as a reply came in: “Excuse me?”

Pei Yi stared at the message, remembering the pre-investigation he had done—

Although Ke Ming was not worth much, his partner Xiang Nansheng was very skilled. Since the establishment of Youming Studios, almost all of the hit games had been built by the latter.

Today’s upfront apology was enough to show Xiang Nansheng’s true nature.

As a human being, it was not a bad thing to correct a mistake once you knew about it.

The thought of poaching had come as soon as he spoke. Pei Yi quickly typed a line of words with his fingertips:

“Hello, I’m Will, and I sincerely invite you to join our “The Last Fog” game project team. Will you think about it?”

He clicked send, and it went through successfully.

. . . . . .

An hour later, the door of the conference room reopened.

Bo Yueming, Yan Cen, and the others stepped through it one after another. It seemed that the initial investment negotiations for “The Last Fog” had temporarily come to an end.

Pei Yi, who had snuck into the lounge in a daze, walked over at once and called casually, “Er-ge.”

Just as Bo Yueming was about to respond, he saw Pei Yi walk straight in front of him and rush to Li Yuan with a smile.

“……”

Bo Yueming’s heart itched with dissatisfaction.

He immediately saw the kitten reach out to Li Yuan. “Huh?”

Puzzled, Bo Yueming frowned, but he had to pretend not to notice Pei Yi’s perfunctory treatment of him. “Pei Yi?”

Li Yuan caught Pei Yi’s meaning first. He was in a good mood after successfully winning the bidding, and gave a rare smile. “Boss Bo, I promised Little Young Master Pei that I would treat him to dinner.”

Pei Yi nodded.

After all, the two of them were also partners, and although the vest had not been completely removed, today there must be a wave of celebration.

Li Yuan thought of the relationship between Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, so he still asked for consent, “It’s still early, if Boss Bo has no objections, shall I take Little Young Master Pei to have some afternoon tea? And I’ll send him home later?”

Pei Yi took the lead. “Want!”

If he could avoid Bo Yueming, it was okay to have a little wine today!

Standing to the side, Lin Zhong thought of something and said in a whisper, “Mr. Bo, Little Sir and Mr. Li met when he was waiting for you in the coffee shop last time.”

“…….”

Once at the banquet, once at the coffee shop, and once today.

They had only met three times in total, and their relationship was good enough to make an appointment for a meal?

Bo Yueming felt a little complicated. It seemed that during his period of blindness, Pei Yi secretly attracted a lot of people’s affection?

Bo Yueming had no reason to object to Pei Yi’s personal willingness to make friends. “All right, would you mind letting him bring his family? I happen to be hungry as well.”

F-family?

Hearing this word again, Pei Yi’s heart still felt a little numb.

As the “hosting party,” Li Yuan considered Pei Yi’s situation. He got stuck for a moment and then responded, “Of course.”

Seeing this, Yan Cen next to him expressed his opinion, “How about adding me as well? It just so happens that I know a good afternoon tea restaurant nearby.”

Now, it was Li Yuan who was in a daze.

Pei Yi noticed a brief flash of nervousness from the other party, and seemed to realize something. His gaze fell right on Yan Cen’s face, and he answered with a smile, “En!”

Seeing Pei Yi’s sudden smile, Bo Yueming narrowed his eyes under his lenses for a moment.

He pretended not to see clearly and turned his body away, successfully blocking Pei Yi’s view of his friend, then changed the subject nonchalantly, “Let’s go, then.”

. . . . . .

Half an hour later.

Several exquisite desserts were placed on a long dining table near the window. Pei Yi and Bo Yueming sat on one side, with Li Yuan and Yan Cen on the other.

Song Ci had strict requirements about her figure, while Lou Yang rushed back to the hotel to rest, so neither of them followed.

Li Yuan was still a little reluctant to relax at first.

No matter how you put it, two of the other three were senior executives of G.M. After leaving the company and breaking away from the intended partner relationship, he didn’t know what attitude to use to get along with them.

With a deliberately cold face? That didn’t seem good.

A deliberate smile to cater to them? That wasn’t his style either.

Yan Cen seemed to notice his concerns, and took the initiative to move the topic back to “The Last Fog.”

Back in the field he was familiar with, Li Yuan unknowingly relaxed a lot. As for Bo Yueming, he was simply indifferent, and his mind was completely on Pei Yi beside him.

He didn’t know how much the kitten’s stomach had grown.

He didn’t eat much of the three meals per day at home, but when it came to his favorite sweets, he wanted a bite here and a mouthful there, and it seemed that he would never grow tired of eating.

In the blink of an eye, Pei Yi finished another small souffle and pursed his lips, a little bit dissatisfied.

The taste of this tea restaurant’s food was good, but the food was too “delicate,” and was gone after a bite or two.

Li Yuan, who was sitting opposite, noticed this. “This souffle tastes good? Has Pei Yi not eaten enough?”

How could Bo Yueming not see? 

But he pretended to understand Pei Yi’s love of food after hearing this, and called the waiter, “Add another.”

Immediately after, Yan Cen added, “Two more, ba. I see Mr. Li can’t take his eyes off them.”

Li Yuan’s cheeks became hot, and he argued, “No, I don’t like those.”

Pei Yi heard his duplicity, and deliberately nodded to tease him, “En, en, en, only little friends like it.”

“…….”

Li Yuan’s ears turned red in an instant, and he wished he could stand up and block Pei Yi’s mouth—

The other party not only remembered the arrogant words he said casually in the coffee shop last time, but actually teased him in reverse!

Where was this person stupid? He was white on the surface and black underneath!

Soon, the waiter brought up two ready-made desserts. “This is the souffle you ordered. Please enjoy.”

Pei Yi took the initiative to take one of them, and his anticipation was not reduced at all.

Bo Yueming noticed the light in Pei Yi’s eyes and the lightly shifting hair as he lowered his head.

For some reason, a hint of teasing appeared, but he pretended to be calm and said, “Little friend, eat slowly, don’t choke.”

---

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

Outside Sanshui City, there were still many refugees gathered. They formed a meandering procession, making a lot of noise with their families in tow. The main gate of the city was tightly closed, and only a side door next to it was open, with several rebels asking for registration one by one. A slow hour passed, and the group didn’t see much forward movement.

A plainly dressed teenager ran to the front for a look, and then ran back, saying: “Ge, they’re dawdling a lot. It will take at least two hours for us to wait in line. You should drink some water first.”

“Tell me, what are they asking, why are they so slow?” Others in the procession heard it too, and complained one after another. The scene was immediately abuzz. One became ten, and ten became thirty, and a leader of the rebel army came over to reprimand loudly: “All of you, behave a little! Do you think we don’t want to hurry up? If we don’t check carefully and end up allowing Liang Yu’s lackeys to sneak in, who will be responsible for the safety of the city? It is our new emperor who is benevolent and can’t bear the poor people living outside, so he ordered the city to be opened. Now after only two days in line, you are so dissatisfied. The dog officials of the Yan Dynasty have locked up one city after another, why don’t you go make trouble for them?”

The procession was silent, no one daring to say anything. Only one young man said bitterly: “Those dog officials hoarded a whole city of food, but they couldn’t bear to release even a grain of millet. Pei!”

“That’s right! That’s why we came to join General Huang!”

“What General Huang, it’s ‘Emperor!’”

The crowd was astir, everyone shouting with arms raised. Naturally, the rebel leader would not stop them this time, but instead shouted a few slogans. Everyone around was shouting, so the boy from earlier had no choice but to raise his arms to also put on an act and say a few words. He was A-Ning, and together with Liu Xian’an and the other three guards, they had masked their identities with disguises. After living in the refugee camp for a few days, they had just received a number plate to enter the city.

Liu Xian’an was wrapped in a dirty gray robe, and his hair was also in a mess. He squatted on the ground with his back bent, hands clasped together, looking like he was so hungry that he couldn’t speak. It wasn’t until the voices condemning the Liang family gradually died down that he stood up feebly and stretched out his neck to look forward.

If not for the fact that Second Young Master Liu had washed up and changed his appearance this morning, the three guards would almost have thought they were following the wrong person. He played a timid country youth too realistically. While queuing up, there was a sudden commotion at the front, and someone seemed to be yelling for a doctor. A-Ning hurriedly raised his hand: “My brother and I are both doctors!”

The people made way for the two brothers, saying that someone seemed to have fainted. Liu Xian’an jogged all the way, and the rebels also gathered around to take a look. The unconscious person was an old woman. Her eyes were closed tightly, her whole body hot and convulsing. Liu Xian’an took out a silver needle to temporarily put a halt to her thrashing, saying afterwards, “I need a quiet and ventilated place quickly. What kind of medicine is there in the city?”

“You few, come to the front.” Although this leader of the rebel army looked ferocious, he didn’t make too much trouble, and ordered them to be inserted at the front of the line. After asking a few more questions, they were released into the city and told to make up for the registration after giving treatment.

Upon entering the city, A-Ning was taken aback. Among the three guards, Zhou Yi saw the dilapidated scenery before him and said: “I thought the city was a good place, but now it seems that it is no different from a refugee camp.”

There were people lying on both sides of the street, under the eaves, and even in the middle of the lane. Liu Xian’an said: “There is still one difference. They have food to eat.”

A few little children were holding cornbread in their hands, and were gnawing big mouthfuls. The adults around were greedy, but didn’t grab it, which was already much better than those outside the city.

The old woman was sent to an empty temple. Liu Xian’an continued acupuncture for her, and the rebels arranged for them to reside there. Not long after, someone brought a bag of rice and some old bedding. In the afternoon, the refugees who had just arrived in the city continued to be arranged, and by the time it got dark, the temple was almost too crowded to walk.

Many people ran to the street to breathe, and Liu Xian’an also walked around. A-Ning said: “This city is so messy.” There were so many people that it was like an old account book with yellowed curls, with all kinds of bad debts in it. It smelled musty, and anyone who opened it would feel dizzy.

“The refugees outside the city are still gathering, and there will only be more and more people here, and more and more chaos,” Liu Xian’an said. “Fortunately, the weather has turned cool. Otherwise, the summer heat and dirty environment, coupled with rampant mosquitos, rats, and ants, plague would breed sooner or later.”

“When I went to get medicine, there was a lot of chaos,” A-Ning said. “The medicinal herbs and food are piled up together, and should be the ones that the rebels stole before. There are too many to use up, and I could see that several packages of honeysuckle had begun to rot.”

Huang Wangxiang’s method for managing the city seemed to be simply sending out troops and letting them maintain order. And then, with a philanthropic attitude and lack of planning, all the displaced people in the world would be included under their command, relying on the food that was plundered everywhere before to create a temporary illusion of stability. Sewage flowed across the street, and many people crouched together with sallow faces. Liu Xian’an asked: “Did you encounter any difficulties when you went to gather the medicine today?”

“No, those people are mainly looking for food, and the medicinal herbs were piled up randomly,” A-Ning said. “I searched for it all myself, and no one cared. I also met another doctor on the way who was gathering medicine for himself too.”

“Then starting tomorrow, let’s build a medical shack in the temple,” Liu Xian’an said. “You and Brother Wang can just find some clear tables, chairs, and benches.”

“Okay,” A-Ning agreed. “I’ll go search.”

Liu Xian’an asked strangely: “What are you happy about?”

A-Ning smiled and said: “I was thinking that if the Village Master, Furen, and the First Young Master knew about this, how shocked they must be. Everyone must think that the Young Master is traveling with the prince at this time.”

But Liu Xian’an thought, it would be great to travel with the prince. That’s so great, ah, I want to go sightseeing.

A-Ning held his arm, and the two continued walking together: “But what we’re doing now is very meaningful.”

Liu Xian’an felt that traveling with Liang Shu was also very meaningful, not only meaningful, but interesting. He said to A-Ning: “When the world is stable, I will go to all the places from north to south, and east to west, with the prince.”

A-Ning was quite surprised. He thought that if the world was stable, the young master would definitely turn back into the precious lazy bastard he was before, but he didn’t expect that he had a plan to travel thousands of li.

Liu Xian’an continued to describe with great interest which mountains they would go to the first year, which rivers to go to the second year, and in the third year, they must climb a precipice and dangerous peak of more than 2,000 zhang. A-Ning’s legs and feet went weak, and he couldn’t help but interrupt at the tenth year to ask him: “Has the prince agreed?”

“I haven’t had time to tell the prince yet.”

“But the young master’s plan is so long, it will take almost half a lifetime,” A-Ning reminded him. “Even if the prince no longer needs to be stationed in the Northwest in the future, and becomes a rich and noble idler, he will still need to get married. If he gets married, how can he climb mountains and rivers all over the world with the young master?”

Liu Xian’an wondered, does he still want to get married?

He said: “But I think the prince seems to be the same as me, and has no interest in marrying.”

A-Ning shook his head: “The prince will definitely marry. Even if it is not the Third Young Lady, it will definitely be another princess or noble lady, and the emperor will grant a marriage.”

Liu Xian’an thought to himself, why does the emperor have so many things to worry about, like whether people get married or not, but my father doesn’t care about me.

A-Ning was still counting on his fingers the merits of His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Although the prince had a very fierce and poor reputation, and may frighten some people away, he had a high position and authority, with countless military achievements at a young age, and was so tall and handsome. A-Ning said: “Right, Young Master, even among all the people in Dayan, the prince’s appearance can be ranked in the top one hundred.”

Liu Xian’an was dissatisfied: “Why in the top one hundred?”

A-Ning wondered, is the top one hundred not enough? Dayan had more than sixty million people. Liu Xian’an thought that he had to be at least number one.

“……Number one is also at least something.”

“Anyway, it’s number one.”

Just like that, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was pushed to the height of the most attractive man in Dayang.

A-Ning didn’t continue to argue, and just took the opportunity to answer, yes, the prince is the most good-looking in the world. Then there are even more people who will want to marry him, and the young master should change his plan to travel the world, ba. How about we go out and make more friends, which can also solve part of the problem.

Liu Xian’an reached out a hand to pinch his mouth shut, unwilling to discuss this matter any more: “I have to think about the prince’s marriage again.”

A-Ning was at a loss upon hearing this. What does the prince’s marriage have to do with us, why should we consider it? The young master should consider his own marriage. When we go back this time, the Furen will definitely bring it up again.

Liu Xian’an didn’t want to think about his own marriage, so he said seriously: “I also need to discuss this with the prince.”

This time, A-Ning didn’t ask, and directly went to test the temperature of his forehead. The two chased about on the street for a while, before they ran unknowingly to a brightly lit manor. Many soldiers patrolled back and forth with swords, and defenses were tight. When they saw someone approaching, they immediately shouted and signaled for them to leave quickly.

Liu Xian’an tugged at A-Ning’s sleeve and hastened to the other side of the alley. A-Ning said softly: “That’s where the rebel leader lives, right?”

“Yes, haven’t you noticed that there are still the words “Jinluan Palace’ hanging on the door?” Liu Xian’an said, “The city gate is up ahead. Look at that, the oil pots are burning and the whole sky is bright. I heard that in the beginning, there were no such tough defenses. Because the Yan army was gradually advancing, more and more sentries were set up on the city walls.”

“In that case, we had better go back first,” A-Ning said. “It took a lot of effort to sneak in, and hiding in an alley at night, it would be easy to be regarded as a thief—”

Before he could finish speaking, a chiding voice came from behind: “Who are you, what are you doing sneaking around here?”

A-Ning: “…….”

Liu Xian’an caught another important point.

If what you say comes true, then in the future, don’t casually mention that the prince has to marry someone else.

---

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

The conference room was quickly filled with the relevant personnel.

In the four main seats in the front row were Song Ci, Yan Cen, Bo Yueming and Pei Yi. Ke Ming and Li Yuan led their respective teams to sit on the left and right sides of the second row.

Yan Cen’s assistant, Shen Na, was in charge of the competition process. After she confirmed that the relevant projection equipment had been turned on, she asked the people in charge of both project teams, “Which side wants to go first?”

Ke Ming raised his hand to gesture, giving up the initiative in a seemingly friendly way, “Young Boss Li, will you go first?”

Li Yuan didn’t care about the order. The sooner he finished speaking, the sooner he could relieve his inner tension.

He exchanged glances with Lou Yang next to him, but didn’t bother to pay attention to Ke Ming. he just looked at Shen Na and said, “We’ll go first.”

“All right.”

The neglected Ke Ming did not show much displeasure. During more than one week of preparation time, he once sent people to Dawn Games to covertly investigate it—-

Li Yuan’s “The Last Fog” project seemed to be a game of partnership with outsiders, and the company had not made any preparations for this.

Judging from the previous preliminary screening, they currently only had conceptual plots, and they had not even established character images or game models.

They dared to take out such an immature game to attract investment? Wasn’t this just trying to gain benefits with nothing in hand?

Ke Ming was very confident that the “Alien Beasts” produced by their Youming Studios was the highlight, so it was natural to put it in the later spot.

Only when there was a comparison could the advantages and disadvantages be reflected. This game must steamroll them!

Ke Ming seemed to have seen the result of this doomed competition, and there was a hint of carefreeness in his eyes.

Suddenly, he met an unexpected gaze—

Pei Yi rested his chin on his hand with one elbow on the table and stared at him with a slight tilt to his head. Those innocent and harmless eyes seemed to have insight into everything, and a cold light flashed through them, aimed at him.

“…….”

Ke Ming’s heart suddenly trembled.

When he was able to react, Pei Yi was sitting there obediently, using his fingertips to count the snacks on the table with a silly smile on his face.

It seemed that the brief eye contact just now was only his own illusion.

“Fuck.”

Thinking that he had been intimidated by a look from a fool, Ke Ming gritted his teeth and cursed very softly.

At his side, Pei Huan noticed his abnormality and asked in a whisper, “What’s wrong?”

Ke Ming leaned in and whispered, “Weren’t your foolish cousin and Bo Yueming just married? Why did the other party bring him along on such a serious occasion?”

Just now in the lounge, he got a rough understanding of the identities and relationship between Bo Yueming and Pei Yi.

Pei Huan shook his head and looked toward the head row.

He didn’t know how to describe it. The moment he left the elevator and saw Bo Yueming and Pei Yi, he felt a little uneasy inside.

“Ke Ming, tell me the truth, is there any problem with this competition?”

Ke Ming affirmed, “No problems. I’ve been developing Youming Studios for so long, when have I lost?”

Sitting on the far side, Xiang Nansheng listened silently to the discussion between the two. A moment of hesitation flickered in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

Pei Yi, who was sitting in his seat, ignored the movement on Ke Ming’s side. He glanced at Li Yuan, who was distributing materials and setting up his presentation, and actually thought that going first was very good.

After all, in the case of similar background settings, the first impression was the strongest. As for the creature models that the other party wanted to highlight, there may be “unexpected surprises” waiting to be revealed.

As he thought, Pei Yi took a sip of juice.

Sweet and sour~

Although it wasn’t as good as his favorite red wine, wasn’t it better than coffee? Very good!

Bo Yueming watched Pei Yi’s every move from the corner of his eyes. After hearing the sipping noise, he couldn’t help being distracted, and asked in a low voice, “Is it tasty?”

Pei Yi nodded slowly. He recalled the glass of juice that Bo Yueming drank in the restaurant last time, and pretended to protect his drink nervously. “Won’t, won’t give to Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming cooperated with his act. “En, you can have all of it.”

In less than half a minute, Li Yuan, having finished his preparations, gave his opening remarks. “Good afternoon, everyone. I am Li Yuan, the project leader of the game ‘The Last Fog.’”

“Next, I will elaborate on the core competitiveness of ‘The Last Fog’ and market advancement planning, and also touch upon investment channels that may be involved in the future.”

Li Yuan’s voice leaned toward being cold, and after being rendered by the microphone, it had a detached seriousness that was very suitable for such occasions.

The background setting of “The Last Fog” had not changed much, but in order to increase the player’s choices, as the world architect, Pei Yi had expanded the “game protagonist” from a single character to six characters with different backgrounds—

There was a retired special forces officer, serious and capable, familiar with various terrains, firefights, and close combat.

A talented scientist, rigid and rigorous, familiar with the composition and power of various types of chemical ammunition.

A sassy accountant, smart and courageous, who possessed the most powerful mental arithmetic ability and logical power.

There was a cute child, pure and friendly, who could easily communicate with any creature without being attacked.

And also a rich man who was timid and cowardly when things happened, but was well-informed and had the most accurate sixth sense.

The most mysterious character was a human zombie who had been recruited. With red eyes, white skin, and green blood, he was bloodthirsty but restrained. He maintained the basic thinking ability of a human, but forgot his memories before his “death.”

These six different game characters had different attributes, but they would start at the same point, and their first goal remained the same—

Arrive at China No.1 Underground City before June 16th.

“The Last Fog 1.0” was a single-player, multi-level game. All kinds of tools could be obtained and used in the form of cards, and the adventure dungeons were divided into six levels.

Generally speaking, the production difficulty would be far lower than that of general mobile games and web games, and the initial investment would not require much start-up capital, the server requirements were not high, and the focus would be on broadening the market channels.

Of course, if version 1.0 went well, various extensions and refinements could be made in version 2.0 within two or three months. And after the internal testing, public testing, and official launch—

Players could choose to integrate their achievements in version 1.0 into version 2.0.

Li Yuan prepared well in advance, and even if there were loopholes, they had been tightly plugged by Pei Yi’s “Will” vest.

He gave full play to being an investment major in university. When it came to the external expansion and internal upgrades of the game, he attached the most clear and concise investment amounts as auxiliary content.

Although their momentarily inadequate technical level was brushed over, it was almost perfect in all other aspects.

When Li Yuan finished and stepped down, Pei Yi used his “playing the fool” mask to applaud especially enthusiastically.

Although he couldn’t provide help on the surface, he at least couldn’t fall behind in action.

“…….”

Bo Yueming heard the kitten beside him clapping, and deliberately teased him, “You understand the game? Clapping so loud, be careful of your hands hurting later.”

On the surface, Pei Yi shook his head and said nothing, but inwardly, he held his head high—

As the master of the game and plot, how could he not understand it?

It was simply amazing!

Pei Yi had no problem with soliciting votes for his game, so he tugged at the corner of Bo Yueming’s clothes, trying to sneak through the ‘back door.’ “Er-ge, this one is good.”

Bo Yueming had his own considerations in mind. 

But after all, this was company business, and he couldn’t be too decisive before the comparison between the two was formally presented.

“I know, be good.”

The last two words were spoken very lightly, as if there was a trace of pampering in them.

Pei Yi’s ears reddened. He took a sip of juice at once and obediently stopped talking.

Yan Cen got up again and gestured, “Mr. Ke, it is your studio’s turn.”

Ke Ming smiled and nodded, motioning for Xiang Nansheng next to him to go on stage together. Before leaving his seat, he also patted his friend Pei Huan on the shoulder with a calm and confident expression.

After some preparations, Ke Ming spoke first as the general manager of the project. “Hello, everyone. First, allow me to briefly explain the basic concept and plot of the game ‘Alien Beasts.’”

Ke Ming adjusted his collar and put on a serious expression as he confidently explained, and it was just as Pei Yi had predicted—

“The Last Fog” and “Alien Beasts” had similar background settings, and the latter even had nearly the same game setup.

Thus, after Ke Ming finished explaining, Bo Yueming and the other high-level executives appeared calm, and even the project team staff who were listening from the sidelines gave no extraneous reactions.

In order to reduce the burden on his eyes, Bo Yueming had them closed. He tapped on the table twice. “Continue.”

The single word had no emotional fluctuations.

“…….”

There was a crack in the confidence on Ke Ming’s face, but he quickly suppressed it. “All right, next, Director Xiang Nansheng of our studio will explain one of the core features of ‘Alien Beasts’ to everyone.”

Xiang Nansheng pushed up his thick black-rimmed glasses and took over the task.

The core of “Alien Beasts” lay in the modeling of various creatures. Compared with the flat display at the initial screening, this time, various three-dimensional models and animations were directly put on display.

There was the alien butterfly with its sharp-bladed wings, a fat rat with tusks, a giant anaconda drenched in venom, and a monstrous combination of hybrids.

The alien monsters flying in the sky, crawling on the ground, and swimming in the water were vividly displayed before everyone.

The modeling displayed in the animations was obviously more intuitive and stunning than a flat print on paper.

The staff members of the project team sitting in the back row were all surprised.

Standing on stage, Ke Ming took in everyone’s expressions and regained his confidence. He couldn’t help but interject, “Our studio’s art team and technical team have devoted themselves to research and design for more than half a year. Up to now, we have created twenty animal models.”

“Of course, they are all original designs.”

When he heard Ke Ming’s interjection, Xiang Nansheng’s eyes flashed unnaturally under his dark glasses.

Pei Yi listened to the whispered exclamations from the staff behind. He deliberately “dropped” two of the toffees in his pocket to the ground and bent over to pick them up, taking a quick glance to the side—

Li Yuan silently held the documents in his hands, and his expression that had smoothed out once again showed a trace of graveness.

He had always known that the opponent’s greatest advantage was their modeling, but it happened to be at a technical level that Dawn Games couldn’t reach in a short period of time.

In Li Yuan’s view, Will’s game setting was already in line with the basic plot elements of the release, and if this competition failed, the fault must lie with himself.

In the corner where no one was paying attention, Lou Yang stared at the modeling display on the screen. Her eyes had completely changed.

. . . . . .

The investment competition between the two groups came to an end.

Assistant Shen Na glanced at the time. “Let’s end here today. When the executive discussions come to an end, our company will notify you by email……”

Before the echo of her voice stopped, Bo Yueming opened his mouth and said, “There is no need to engage in those detours. We should just choose one of the two and vote directly on the spot.”

As the top shareholding executive of G.M., Bo Yueming always had the right to speak. Taking advantage of no one being able to refute, he directly stated his choice.

“I am more interested in the background setting of “The Last Fog” I think that the architect of this game world is more creative, and the control of the market audience is also very precise.”

Pei Yi at the side heard Bo Yueming’s praise and took a mouthful of pudding, smiling happily.

For every architect of a game world, there was nothing more gratifying than affirmation of one’s work.

Sure enough, he was the villain he was looking for. Not only handsome, but also with great aesthetic tastes!

Bo Yueming didn’t know what Pei Yi was thinking, and cast his vote after some consideration—

On the surface, this was because the story logic and sense of creativity in “The Last Fog’ were generally strong, and the “stepping stone” development style was more conducive to the expansion of the Chinese market.

Privately, it was also because Pei Huan had joined the main creative team of “Alien Beasts.” Regardless of whether the other party’s position in the studio was real or not, Bo Yueming didn’t want to have anything to do with this sort of calculating person. Besides, the other party even had a superficial business arrangement with Bo Guancheng.

Hearing that Bo Yueming was the first to stand in line for “The Last Fog,” Ke Ming frowned briefly, but due to the occasion and the identity of the other party, he only dared to complain silently in his heart—

Sure enough, he was a blind man.

Their studio’s modeling was unbelievably excellent!

Was this kind of person worthy of sitting at the top of the company? He should resign himself to his fate and stay at home to continue to be blind!

Upon thinking about it, Song Ci, who was the chief operations officer and a shareholder of G.M., also expressed her views. “From a publicity point of view, I am more inclined toward ‘Alien Beasts.’”

“Their creature modeling is outstanding and mature, and can be used as a highlight to attract game audiences in the future. As for “The Last Fog,” the setting is very good, but the text is far more conceptual than the currently visible content.”

From the perspective of marketing promotion, Son Ci’s words were very pertinent.

Both Pei Yi and Li Yuan knew the current shortcomings of their game, and respected her choice.

After Ke Ming heard Song Ci’s choice, the downturned corners of his mouth started to rise again. He had originally felt—

Making an on-site decision in front of both competing parties was too aggressive and bold. But after thinking about it, the more straightforward the result, the more it could highlight his success and Li Yuan’s failure on the spot.

Why not do it?

Ke Ming glanced at Pei Huan, who he had called in to listen and make connections, “Yes, Pei Huan of our studio also considered this aspect of publicity.”

“Moreover, a large part of the models for the twenty creatures we’ve created were actually derived from his suggestions.”

As he said this, he glanced specifically at Yan Cen, who went to the same school as Pei Huan.

“…….”

Seeing the gazes coming from all directions, Pei Huan, who had never received such information, paused in thought.

How could he understand such things?

But on this sort of occasion, he was temporarily unable to dismantle the other party’s stage, and if the competition was successful, his nominal title could also be a little more resounding.

Following Ke Ming’s confident fabrication, Pei Huan smiled and acquiesced to the rhetoric.

“It is a one-to-one vote right now.” Ke Ming took the initiative to start the process, and looked at Yan Cen, who was the only one who hadn’t made a decision yet. “Boss Yan, what do you think?”

“……”

This person was really shrewd to the bone, calculating all possible interpersonal relationships.

The cream-stained corners of Pei Yi’s mouth curved into a sneer, and after pursing his lips, he maintained his dazed expression.

Bo Yueming noticed Pei Yi’s short-lived true emotions, and his desire to investigate burned even hotter. Before he could think deeply, a slow but firm voice came from the far right.

“Before the result of this competition is officially released, may I express some personal thoughts first?”

Yan Cen, who was about to vote for “The Last Fog,” was taken aback when he heard this.

Bo Yueming spoke up instead, “Ms. Lou? Please speak.”

Lou Yang glanced at Li Yuan and then said, “Frankly speaking, the reason why “The Last Fog” should reach an investment partnership with G.M.—”

“Is because although the current funds are limited, that doesn’t mean there is no modeling ability and design innovation, and the marketing is not the only entry point. Ms. Song’s choice is understandable, but not necessarily right.”

When he heard his vote of support being denounced, Ke Ming asked first, “Ms. Lou, in what capacity are you saying this?”

She was just an employee who hadn’t experienced much of life and was recruited into the company by Li Yuan, yet she dared to spew such bullshit for Dawn Games?

What a big joke!

Lou Yang stood up. “Let me introduce myself again. I am the newly appointed project director of the “Last Fog” project.

“In the future, I will be responsible for image design and part of the modeling for the game characters and various NPCs in ‘The Last Fog.’”

Hearing this series of self-introductions, Ke Ming’s voice was like a needle hidden in cotton, “Ms. Lou, it’s not easy to hold two positions. Forgive me for my ignorance. It seems that our Chinese game circle has not had a project director who is a woman?”

When Song Ci in the front row heard this, a trace of disapproval flashed across her face, but then she heard Lou Yang respond confidently.

“Really? Then there is now.”

Hearing Lou Yang gradually revealing her sharpness, Pei Yi unconsciously sat up straight and began to look forward to the next developments. He was confident—

Since Lou Yang chose to stand forward at this moment, it seemed that his previous guess was true!

Ke Ming took in Lou Yang’s image and attire, still disdainful, but it was difficult to express it freely due to the occasion.

As one of the executive shareholders in the office with the right to speak, Bo Yueming directly controlled the audience, “Director Lou, what did you want to say just now? Hurry up.”

The tone sounded stern and indifferent, but he changed her title from “Ms. Lou” to “Director Lou,” clearly recognizing Lou Yang’s self-reported identity.

Li Yuan realized something and called out, “Sister Yang?”

Lou Yang patted him on the shoulder, picked up the backpack she was carrying, and walked to the center of the conference room step by step. “Your company’s investment cooperation, in addition to the pure capability of the partner, should also consider moral integrity, right?”

Song Ci responded, “Of course.”

“Since this is the case, I will report on my own behalf. Youming Studios has borrowed, imitated, and even plagiarized the modeling of “Alien Beasts.” If the game is launched, there will easily be negative effects.”

“Nonsense!”

Ke Ming heard these words and the color of his face changed, then he quickly stabilized his mind. 

He looked at Li Yuan, who was still sitting quietly in his seat, and opened his mouth to ask, “Li Yuan, I still give you the respect of calling you Young Boss Li.”

“Even if we had a little bit of trouble over game copyrights before, you shouldn’t find a woman of unknown background and deliberately have her talk nonsense about investment! You are destroying the fairness of this competition!”

Pei Yi scoffed coldly in his heart, seeing everything clearly.

When a dog got desperate, it would jump over a wall.

If he didn’t have a guilty conscience, why such a big reaction?

Lou Yang put her backpack on the computer table and warded off Ke Ming’s questioning on Li Yuan’s behalf. “Mr. Ke, whoever speaks the loudest does not necessarily have the advantage.”

“The largest game forum in China, Youtu – as a game producer, you should have heard of it, right? There is a user whose ID is “Dehydration,” and your design modeling is highly consistent with the design screenshots uploaded by Dehydration.”

As Lou Yang spoke, her eyes swept across Ke Ming, Xiang Nansheng, and Pei Huan in turn, and finally asked them together, “May I ask, is this the original that you all swear by?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience collectively fell into silence.

A crack burst in Ke Ming’s solemn and trustworthy expression.

Sitting in his seat, Pei Huan realized that he was going to be forcefully implicated in a possible plagiarism incident, and embarrassment and annoyance suddenly rose in his eyes.

What irritated Bo Yueming most was this kind of dispute that touched upon the bottom line of morality, and his aura instantly cooled. “Lin Zhong, check this website and the related account immediately.”

Lin Zhong picked up the tablet at once. “Yes.”

Yan Cen, who was also sitting in a decision-making position, restrained his gentle expression with a frown and asked, “Mr. Ke, are Director Lou’s words true?”

Ke Ming’s pupils shook for a moment.

That “Dehydration” was a small account he accidentally discovered on the Youtu forum, and the address showed the registration as overseas. The number of fans was less than one hundred, and the popularity of various modeling screenshots was also very low, but the designs had a sense of spirit and innovation.

Ke Ming admitted that he got inspiration for the game from it, and privately asked the art and technical departments to more or less draw on it. 

He had originally wanted to wait until the investment was in his hands and before the game was launched to find a reason to change the modeling in order to cover up this matter, and he didn’t expect it to leak out at this critical moment!

Ke Ming saw the questioning eyes of the audience and lied desperately, “How is this possible? As for the user you mentioned, it might be an employee of my studio who uploaded the modeling screenshots privately without telling me.”

Pei Yi drank the last mouthful of sweet and sour juice and cursed silently: You idiot.

Hadn’t he realized that he had fallen into a “language trap?”

“Studio employee?”

Lou Yang also caught the loophole, and her tone became firmer. “Mr. Ke, wasn’t my self-introduction clear enough? May I ask, when did I become your employee?”

The firm and forceful rhetorical question turned into a slap, which instantly landed on Ke Ming’s face!

T/N: Ke Ming, no, you…..you don’t just present your face to the face-slapping king. Or queen. Can I just say that I love this new lady?

---

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