Bo Yueming’s merciless and secretly mocking words fell into the ears of everyone in the Bo family, and some were internally happy while others were furious.

Impulses? Be lenient?

To put it bluntly, he was an idiot who couldn’t control his lower body.

Pei Yi took in the embarrassment of Old Mr. Bo and Bo Lihui and wanted to applaud Bo Yueming, but due to the current family situation, he had to endure it with difficulty.

He caught a glimpse of the untouched hot dishes on the table and pulled Bo Yueming over, playing the fool. “Tasty! I want it!”

Having said so, Pei Yi sat down comfortably, completely ignoring the nearby Old Mr. Bo.

Old Mr. Bo, the head of the family, saw Pei Yi’s lack of manners and was angry with no place to vent it. “Yueming, what did you bring him for? He doesn’t know etiquette!”

It went in Pei Yi’s left ear and out the right, and he thought with inward disdain—

Etiquette also relied on the person using it. What was the use of good etiquette in this family? While eating at the police station, the police didn’t care about good family etiquette.

Besides, he was here to watch a show. How tired would he get standing up, ah?

With the “assistance” of Uncle Kai, Bo Yueming sat beside Pei Yi with a calm expression. “Grandpa, I apologize. Pei Yi has been sticking close to me recently. If you ask me to come over, he wants to follow.”

Bo Jiao spoke up again, “Grandpa, you and Uncle took great pains to choose this marriage for my brother. How did it look when he found out about Pei Yi’s situation for the first time?”

Old Mr. Bo slammed his cane on the ground. “Bo Jiao, do you still not know what you did wrong?”

Bo Jiao remained unconvinced. “Did wrong? What did I do wrong?”

Even though Guancheng was caught by the police while playing with women, it is still a family affair behind closed doors! Family scandals must not be exposed!”

“Good on you, you brought this matter before so many shareholders without telling me!”

Old Mr. Bo picked up his cane and pointed outside, and then poked his finger in the direction of Bo Jiao. I’m asking you! Have you ever considered your elder brother’s face, my face, or our Bo family’s face? It was all lost to you!”

Bo Lihui walked up quickly, and helped the Old Mr. Bo in a show of filial piety. “Dad, don’t be so angry.”

“It was truly dishonorable for Guancheng to do this. It’s my fault for not teaching my son well and embarrassing our family!”

Hearing Bo Lihui’s remarks, Pei Yi almost vomited up the soup he just drank, and he knew who Bo Guancheng’s hypocritical and twisted face resembled—

Like father, like son!

Neither was any good at all!

Bo Yueming also found it disgusting and ridiculous, but he did not participate in this war for the time being.

Sure enough, the always-straightforward Bo Jiao immediately choked out, “Uncle, you’re right. Our Bo family’s face has indeed been completely humiliated by the good son you taught!”

Bo Lihui looked embarrassed, and signaled to Xue Min who was beside him, “Sister-in-law, you should mind your daughter!”

Xue Min thought of her husband and youngest son who hadn’t returned home in time, and was afraid that their mother and daughter pair would suffer here. “Jiaojiao, forget it.”

Bo Jiao tossed away her mother’s obstruction. “Mom, forget what?”

She approached Old Mr. Bo face to face, and opened her mouth to ask a lot of questions, “Grandpa, what do you mean I lost face for you and the Bo family? Are you confused in your old age? Or do you want to favor Uncle’s family?”

Mr. Bo’s expression was livid: “You!”

“What about me?”

Bo Jiao sneered and gave her own opinion, “The one who went out there to whore around and got arrested was Bo Guancheng! He did those dirty things himself, so he shouldn’t be afraid of them being known!”

“When the media breaks the news and adds the title “General Manager of Bo Group” to his name, will you feel like you have face and glory?”

Pei Yi gave a thumbs up to Third Young Lady Bo, who had the strongest mouth, and heard her continue the subject—

“Our Bo family has the rules Grandma set, and we are not to be dirtied by pornography, gambling, or drugs!”

Back then, Bo Lihong was flirting abroad in the name of studying abroad, but Old Mrs. Bo didn’t allow him to participate in big or small projects of Bo Group!

“If Dage dared to partake of the first item today, then he might dare to gamble with our Bo family’s wealth tomorrow! Grandpa, there must be a limit to partiality. You and Grandma have been married for decades. When you saw her……”

“Shut up!” Old Mr. Bo shouted.

The blue veins on his forehead bulged, and he raised the cane in his hand, swinging it at the outspoken Bo Jiao.

At that very moment, Pei Yi, who was closest, was the first to notice that something was wrong and rushed forward to block the cane with his arm.

Everyone’s expressions suddenly changed.

Pei Yi felt a bit of hostility due to the pain, and suppressed it again. Instead, he held Old Mr. Bo’s cane with both hands, and there was a sense of grievance in his foolishness. “No, hitting girls, not right!”

—Scree!

Bo Yueming’s chair made a sharp sound as it slid back. “Pei Yi!”

Pei Yi saw Bo Yueming stand up agitatedly, and feared that the other party’s long-term disguise would be exposed at this moment, so he hurried back and tugged on his sleeve smoothly. “Er-ge.”

“You……”

The shaking in Bo Yueming’s voice overflowed for a moment, and he hugged him back into his zone of protection.

Pei Yi cooperated obediently, but hated Old Mr. Bo even more—

The old man was really cruel!

If the force of that cane had hit Bo Jiao’s body just now, the girl would in all likelihood have suffered a disaster!

During the brief stalemate in the atmosphere, a disbelieving inquiry came from the door.

“Dad! What were you trying to do just now?”

Coincidentally, Bo Lihong, who had rushed home, happened to see the scene of Old Mr. Bo trying to beat a person with his cane.

Xue Min was also frightened. Her heart constricted, and she quickly pulled Bo Jiao into her arms. “Dad, Jiaojiao is your only granddaughter!”

“Even if she spoke badly and made you angry, how can you, an elder, beat her?”

Likely because she saw her husband, there was also a teary tone to her voice. 

Bo Lihong approached and held his wife and daughter in his arms.

He had never liked to get involved in family disputes, but at this moment, he finally took a stance. “Dad, I know that I wasn’t reliable when I was young, and I’m not as good at talking and doing things as my elder brother and his family!”

“But I consider myself to be filial to you!”

“I’ve already heard about what happened at group headquarters today, and even if it was wrong for Jiaojiao to overstep her authority, who was truly at fault this time? We all clearly know!”

“Yes, Guancheng is your grandson! Aren’t Jiaojiao and Xiao Wang…..” Bo Lihong glanced at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi. “And Yueming. Aren’t they your grandchildren?”

Xue Min chimed in, “That’s right, ah! They have the same Bo surname and they’re in your heart, so what is the difference?”

Bo Yueming carefully held Pei Yi’s reddened wrist, and pierced through with a deep voice, “Of course there’s a difference. The main branch has the surname ‘Bo’ on the surface, but they secretly changed their surname to ‘Cheng’ long ago, isn’t that right?”

The resounding sentence seemed to have uncovered some unspeakable secret.

Old Mr. Bo felt his blood surging, and he almost fell onto his eldest son, Bo Lihui.

Bo Lihui hastily supported him, denying it. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Xue Min couldn’t bear it anymore. “What talking nonsense, you know it in your heart!”

After Bo Yueming reminded her, she finally understood the real reason for Old Mr. Bo’s partiality and felt that it was not worth replacing her husband and children in her heart. 

“I say, heaven doesn’t have such a crooked mind! After so long, it turns out that there are two families?”

“Dad, since you value surnames and the main branch so much, why not separate the families now! From now on, you can just stay with the main branch and their family!”

“…….”

Old Mr. Bo’s heart hurt, his chest tightened, and he couldn’t breathe in or out.

Before he could catch his breath, Bo Yueming suddenly spoke. “As long as Grandma is still in this world, Bo Group will always be Bo Peizhi’s company!”

“Uncle Kai, Pei Yi, let’s go.”

“Yes, Second Young Master.”

Uncle Kai had seen through Cheng Yangshan’s behavior for a long time, and he was very happy at the moment.

He didn’t even nod to the “head of the family,” and just led Bo Yueming, whose eyes were “inconvenient”, out of the room.

“Dad, Mom, can you see who our family is?”

Bo Jiao looked at the backs of Bo Yueming and the others, and returned to look Cheng Yangshan in the face. “If Pei Yi hadn’t shielded me just now, would I, a girl, have withstood it?”

“Old Mr. Cheng is really something!”

Bo Jiao had been living abroad with the Xue family all year round, so she didn’t have much affection for her nominal grandfather. 

In this short period of time, she even changed him to “Old Mr. Cheng.”

Seeing his daughter pulling his wife away without looking back, Bo Lihong no longer had the idea of negotiating peace.

He looked at Old Mr. Bo and shook his head sadly at the absurdity. “Dad, for you, a surname is more important than a blood relationship, and face is more important than familial affection, isn’t it?

He left this neutral rhetorical question behind and left with his wife and daughter, not waiting for an answer.

“…….”

Old Mr. Bo was left on the spot, trembling with anger.

Suddenly, his face turned from livid to pale, and the cane tightly clutched in his hand fell with a clatter. Then his stiff body fell straight down!

Presently, in the huge main house, only Bo Lihui and the steward reacted with panic—

“Dad!”

“Old Sir!”

. . . . . . 

As soon as the door of the detached villa closed, Bo Yueming took off his inconvenient guide glasses. 

He looked at Pei Yi’s reddened hand that had become swollen and blue in a short time, and his internal organs nearly stirred together. “Who told you to be brave and block that cane!”

“Do you understand! If you rushed forward so rashly and it hit your head instead of your hand, you……”

“Er-ge.”

Pei Yi stopped Bo Yueming’s endless scolding, and rubbed his arm without a care. “It’s just a little red and swollen, and it’ll be fine tomorrow or the day after.”

Bo Yueming frowned and quickly stopped his movements. “Don’t mess around!”

Pei Yi said in a well-behaved manner: “Oh.”

“Uncle Kai, go get an ice pack and the spray for reducing swelling.” Bo Yueming instructed Uncle Kai quickly, then took Pei Yi’s arm and led him to the second floor. “Come up with me!”

Pei Yi felt the strength in his grip, and seeing Bo Yueming’s expression of being anxious but not daring to vent it, he couldn’t help but smile. “Er-ge, I don’t have a hero storyline.”

He was the closest at the time, and instinctively stood up to block it. In retrospect, he was afraid of being exposed. 

“As for the strike against Bo Guancheng, we are keeping it secret, while Bo Jiao is keeping it in the open. She is a girl, and no matter how outspoken she is, she still needs to be protected when she is in danger.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming held his hand tighter.

Pei Yi noticed something and added an explanation, “You said she’s your ally, so if I help her, I’m helping you, right?”

“En.”

Bo Yueming was appropriately collected. He sat Pei Yi down on the sofa and lowered his head to carefully check the condition of his arm.

Pei Yi was uncertain. “Are you angry?”

“No, you’re right. Protecting a girl was the right thing to do.”

“You were by my side, and I watched you get hurt.” Bo Yueming met his gaze with helplessness and self-blame. “Pei Yi, I don’t like this feeling.”

Pei Yi didn’t answer, but suddenly understood a little bit more—

Did Bo Yueming seem to like him more than he had imagined?

Footsteps sounded.

Uncle Kai came up with his supplies. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, here is the ice pack you asked for, and this bottle of medicinal wine was delivered by someone from the second branch.”

“The second branch?”

“The servant who delivered the medicine said that the Madam asked him to run it over as soon as she got back. He also specifically said that this bottle of medicinal wine was specially prepared by a Chinese medicine practitioner. It has a very good effect on promoting blood circulation.”

It should be known that Xue Min had always been dissatisfied with Bo Yueming, and this was the first time he had seen such kindness.

Bo Yueming bandaged Pei Yi’s arm without expressing too much. “En, set it down first. Apply ice for now, and follow up with medicinal wine later.”

Pei Yi looked at the bottle of medicinal wine delivered to his door. “What is this? The second branch finally understands who is an enemy and who is a friend?”

Bo Yueming applied the ice pack gingerly. “Are you still proud?”

“By taking advantage of Bo Guancheng’s incident, the second branch, the main branch, and the old man are completely ripping into each other.  Look, I blocked a cane for Bo Jiao just now. Didn’t I bring in a wave of favors for you?”

Bo Yueming nodded thoughtfully. “The injury you suffered for Bo Jiao, why should the second branch’s favors go to me?”

Pei Yi answered as a matter of course, “Then from their point of view, the two of us are……”

As he spoke, he understood the trap set by Bo Yueming.

Bo Yueming asked with a smile, “We’re what?”

“Don’t play word games with me! I’m not really a fool.” Pei Yi scoffed angrily and tried to withdraw his hand.

Bo Yueming quickly grabbed his kitten’s paw, and his mood improved by a lot. “I won’t tease you anymore, don’t move too much. Apply the ice for a while.”

Pei Yi said simply, “Oh.”

After a while, Bo Yueming clearly confirmed that the redness and swelling was no longer expanding, and stopped applying ice. He tossed the ice pack into the trash can, then picked up a paper towel beside him to wipe off the water droplets. “Pei Yi.”

“En?”

Bo Yueming lowered his eyes and brushed the blue-red color with his fingertips. “From now on, no matter if I’m by your side or not, you should always think of yourself first, okay?”

Perhaps due to the ice pack that had been applied just now, Bo Yurming’s fingertips were a little hot.

Pei Yi didn’t answer, but felt his heart warm up.

So warm.

Because watching the show in the main house was more important than eating, the two ate a little more under Uncle Kai’s conscientious arrangement. During dinner, a servant came to pass on—

Old Mr. Bo fainted suddenly and was being sent to the hospital now!

Bo Yueming responded without much of a reaction. Pei Yi saw his attitude and simply ate and drank.

It was an established fact that Cheng Yangshan disliked them. Even if they rushed to the hospital to accompany him day and night, the old man may not say good things after waking up, so why bother?

After Pei Yi had dinner, he found that Lou Yang had already rushed to make a concept poster—

There were three colors and three scenes.

The were a sky castle, a dungeon, and a ship at sea that were all site designs created in advance by the art team. Except for the YWY logo, there was no extra text on the poster, leaving an air of mystery.

The content of Pei Yi’s copywriting was also very simple: New story, see you then.

After posting them on Weibo and Youtu, Pei Yi officially finished his day’s work. After showering, he opened the door again and found Bo Yueming standing in front of the wine wall. It seemed he had just finished washing up.

Inspector was nestled on the living room sofa, and  it spied Pei Yi’s figure, it wagged its tail, too lazy to get up.

Bo Yueming turned to the side to meet Pei Yi’s gaze, and for the first time took the initiative to invite him, “Would you like a drink?”

Pei Yi was a little surprised as he stepped forward. ”You’re letting me drink?”

“You can drink a little.”

Bo Yueming gave Pei Yi the right to choose. “Pick one you like.”

Pei Yi didn’t hesitate to point to a spot that he couldn’t reach! “I want to drink Kangdi.”

Bo Yueming considered how well he knew the goods, and took advantage of his height to grab it and hand it over. “You open it, ba.”

Pei Yi confirmed repeatedly, “You’re really letting me drink?”

“If you don’t want to, then never mind.” Bo Yueming took a step back.

“Want, want, want!” Pei Yi held the new wine in his hands and proactively walked to the bar counter. “I’ll get it.”

He had chosen with particular confidence a series of the most suitable decanters and wine glasses, and he opened the bottle simply and neatly.

Bo Yuemnig took this scene into his eyes, and the inquiry and curiosity in his heart grew even heavier.

Using the time he was sober, Pei Yi mentioned, “On the first night I arrived here, at about the same time, I saw you drinking Kangdi alone when I opened the door.”

“A good, six-figure wine, and you just set it down. I guarded it in secret for a while, and then I heard the sound of you falling down. After helping you with the medicine, that glass of wine was useless.”

Bo Yueming finally understood why Pei Yi had come so quickly that night. The daring little greedy kitten missed his good wine on the first day. “Then I will wait with you today.”

Pei Yi’s lips rose. “Okay.”

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi’s drinking capacity still hadn’t improved much. He only drank half a glass, and the drunkenness had already flooded his cheeks.

“Huh? It’s gone?”

Pei Yi looked at the empty wine bottle, and was about to reach out to pour the rest of the wine out of the decanter. “There’s still more.”

Bo Yueming quickly stopped him. “It’s almost gone, let’s drink it tomorrow.”

Pei Yi failed to reach the decanter, so he grabbed Bo Yueming’s arm and shook it. “En, a little more.”

“A little more also won’t work.”

Looking at the cute appearance of the kitten begging for wine, Bo Yueming cruelly refused. “You will have a headache tomorrow if you drink too much. Be good.”

Pei Yi changed his position unhappily and planned to grab it by force.

It was just that the “force” he wanted didn’t come into play, and instead, he leaned drunkenly on Bo Yueming’s body.

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s breathing stuttered. “Pei Yi, get up.”

Pei Yi moved his body persistently. “Then give me a little drink.”

“No.”

“A little, little drink.”

“No, get up.”

“I won’t get up!”

Pei Yi didn’t get what he wanted, and reached even more restlessly for the decanter in Bo Yueming’s hand.

Unable to bear it, Bo Yueming quickly put down the decanter and held Pei Yi in his lap with one hand, not sure if he was coaxing for begging for mercy. “Stop making trouble.”

“…….”

Pei Yi gazed at the handsome face that was close at hand and caught the other party’s unease due to his fussing.

For some reason, his heart was suddenly filled to the brim.

“Hehe.”

“Are you a fool or not? You can still laugh?”

Bo Yueming’s breathing became heavier, and there was a storm in the depths of his eyes. “Hugging and rubbing, don’t you know that I don’t have good intentions toward you?”

Normally, they could only “pretend” to hold hands at most, and only when he was drunk would the kitten obediently let himself be held.

Pei Yi thought for a while, and his ears turned red. “I know.”

Bo Yueming deliberately held Pei Yi up, exuding a trace of ambiguity between them. “If you know, why don’t you stay away from me?”

“Not afraid.”

Pei Yi shook his head and replied instinctively along with his sluggish thoughts, “You will respect me, won’t you?”

The person in front of him would definitely not force him to do things he didn’t like.

Even though he knew he couldn’t drink enough, Pei Yi dared to get drunk in front of him.

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s heart surged when he heard these words of absolute trust.

He barely resisted the urge to hug the other party tightly, and deliberately retorted close to his ear, “No, don’t forget, I’m the villain.”

“Villains do the most unprincipled things.”

Bo Yueming got Pei Yi drunk on purpose.

It was just that before doing any “bad things,” he was “boxed in” by this pure and incomparable trust.

The warm breath brushed against his ear, more ambiguous than a kiss.

He trembled, believing him. “I, I’m going back to sleep.”

How could Bo Yueming give him a chance to escape? He easily embraced Pei Yi.

“Huh?” Pei Yi was startled by the sudden weightlessness.

“Kitten, don’t move around.” Bo Yueming carried Pei Yi in front of him and coaxed, “I’ll take you back to sleep.”

Pei Yi instinctively curled his arms around the person in front of him dependently, and then shook his head—

He was covered with a familiar-smelling quilt, and Bo Yueming lay down beside him.

Pei Yi blinked, and said with his remaining rationality, “This is my room.”

Bo Yueming heard the resistance in his words, and his eyes dimmed for a moment before recovering. “I know, I’ll leave when you fall asleep.”

“En.”

Pei Yi’s drunkenness had already come upon him completely, and his eyes were dazed for a while. His body had long been accustomed to this more stable sleeping environment, and he unconsciously pressed into Bo Yueming’s arms.

Bo Yueming noticed Pei Yi’s small natural movements, and felt something indescribable……

It was sweet and unbearable.

His affection was like a flood, almost about to overflow.

He patted the quilt lightly to lull him to sleep, and after an unknown amount of time, the person in his arms was half asleep and half awake, muttering, “Father Rong, I, I remember. I’m very obedient, I w-won’t…….”

Hearing this unfamiliar title, Bo Yueming frowned uncertainly. “Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi raised his eyes with some difficulty, and then closed them again. “Er-ge.”

“En? I’m here.”

“Bo Yueming.”

Pei Yi called out his name again, and this time, he sensed a bit of unexplainable grievance. “Don’t like me because of the novelty.”

“It will be gone soon that way.”

Bo Yueming understood his few words, and hugged the kitten tightly to comfort him. “It’s not because of the novelty.”

Pei Yi rubbed against his shoulder, still mumbling disbelievingly, “That won’t work in a year or two.”

Bo Yueming restrained himself again and again, and kissed Pei Yi’s hair. “A year or two is not enough.”

Knowing that the other party would forget about this after waking up, he couldn’t help but ask, “You need to give me a chance to prove it to you, all right?”

---

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

Inside the box.

A cart of expensive spirits was brought in. 

Chen Biao, who was sitting next to him, knew what kind of place “Cloudtop” was, and couldn’t help but urge Bo Guancheng, “Mr. Cheng, since things with Lin Na have turned upside down, why don’t we drink somewhere else?”

As soon as he spoke, the door of the box was opened again.

Sister Qiu walked in again with two good-looking young girls behind her, all smiles. “Mr. Cheng, it’s rare for you to come to our Cloudtop. What’s the point of drinking alone?”

She moved closer to Bo Guancheng’s side, beckoning in a whisper, “I brought two of my people, shall I ask them to accompany you to relieve boredom?”

“Sister Qiu, why do you think that dirty things can accompany me to relieve boredom? When you were asked to find an unfamiliar face that could handle affairs, how did you do it?”

Bo Guancheng took two mouthfuls of ice water and said impatiently, “Have them go.”

The decency and gentleness he revealed to the outside world were just a disguise. Only on this occasion would Bo Guancheng show his most real and vicious aloofness.

Sister Qiu was very accustomed to the temperaments of wealthy men like Bo Guancheng, and still had a smile on her face. “Mr. Cheng, aren’t I bringing people to make amends to you?”

She whispered in a low voice, “These newly recruited university students would not come here to make a living if they weren’t forced by family circumstances. They are very well-behaved and clean.”

That last word was emphasized greatly.

“…….”

Bo Guancheng looked at the two young girls standing at the door. They were indeed quite good-looking, and he, who never liked to mess around outside, had a rare impulse. “En, they’ll stay.”

Seeing that something was wrong, Chen Biao at the side quickly said, “Mr. Cheng, you’re drunk. I’d better send you back early.”

When Sister Qiu heard these unsightly words, she immediately glanced over. “Mr. Chen, isn’t your assistant taking too much care?”

It was hard to keep Bo Guancheng, the prince of Bo Group. As long as she had a little “diligence,” how could she be afraid that she wouldn’t bring in money?

Thinking of this, Sister Qiu spoke with a hint of firm self-confidence in her voice, “Could it be that our Cloudtop is a place that exploits people? Looking at the entire Imperial Capital, where is there a better place to drink and relieve fatigue than ours?”

Chen Biao’s expression changed slightly., and then he heard his boss order that the guest be evicted, “Fine, Chen Biao, you go back first. Have the driver stay.”

Bo Guancheng seemed to think that the taste of the ice water was too bland, so he simply indicated, “Both of you, sit down and open a drink with me.”

Sitting in the high position of the general manager of the group, it would be a lie to say that there was no pressure.

It was true that he hadn’t been able to relax for a long time, and it wasn’t a big deal to have one night’s entertainment.

Sister Qiu stood up with a smile, exchanged veiled glances with the two young girls under her command, and then looked at Chen Biao beside her. “Mr. Chen, are you planning to stay and ruin Mr. Cheng’s mood? Or do you also want me to open a private room for you?”

Ordinary people with no money or power couldn’t get into a place like Cloudtop, and one night’s cost was six figures. Chen Biao was just Bo Guancheng’s assistant, so he naturally wasn’t viewed favorably by Sister Qiu.

Chen Biao heard the other party’s belittling tone and got up, leaving the box without looking back.

Less than half an hour later.

Bo Guancheng embraced the two girls on the left and right, stepping out of the elevator into a special passage. The reason Cloudtop Clubhouse was sought out by the rich ws that the corresponding services were all included. The boxes downstairs were used for regular entertainment, but when it came to the provision of some special services—

Guests and their ladies could pass through the VIP elevator and arrive directly at a hotel suite for a night of fun.

As for the fee, it would be transferred from the guest’s card to the card of the corresponding “service” personnel.

As soon as the door of the suite was closed tightly, the soft bodies leaned against him.

Bo Guancheng couldn’t explain what was going on today. He just felt that his desire swelled due to his drunkenness, and he almost rolled into bed.

While he was galloping indulgently, there was an extremely heavy knock on the door outside!

Swift, chaotic footsteps came from far to near, and a girl beside him screamed, even picking up the quilt to wrap herself up.

Bo Guancheng subconsciously turned around to check on the situation—

The moment the police uniforms appeared in his sight, he felt the blood rush to his brain and then ebb away in an instant, leaving only two pale and empty words:

I’m finished!

. . . . . . .

The phone vibrated again.

The high-definition photo of Bo Guancheng being escorted to a police car was accurately transmitted.

Pei Yi curiously opened the photo to confirm, and was amazed. “The general manager of the dignified Bo Group was arrested for soliciting prostitutes. If the news gets out, I’m afraid there will be quite a shock in the circle, right?”

With money, anything was possible.

Bo Guancheng could spend money to buy Sister Qiu and Lin Na, and Bo Yueming could spend money to buy other attendants in Cloudtop. That was how he got Bo Guancheng’s room number tonight.

Looking at the news from the attendant, Bo Yueming’s eyes were filled with disgust—

Two at a time.

He really underestimated Bo Guancheng.

Lin Na had added the pills to the iced whiskey in the box in advance. Unless Bo Guancheng drank the entire bottle, just one glass would have some effect but not make him lose control.

In the end, Bo Guancheng was still not clean enough to avoid spinning a web around himself.

Having already returned, Lin Zhong asked, “Mr. Bo, should we contact the media to expose this matter online?”

Bo Yueming shook his head. “Don’t worry for now.”

Lin Zhong was confused. “Why?”

Pei Yi glanced at Bo Yueming and understood what the other party was thinking. “Er-ge is different from scum like Bo Guancheng.”

“Lin Zhong, let me ask you, if Bo Guancheng’s arrest was exposed overnight, besides embarrassing him, what else would be impacted?”

Lin Zhong understood. “Naturally, our Bo Group.”

Pei Yi spoke again, “En, Bo Group is a listed company, and if the general manager had this social scandal, wouldn’t it affect the positive influence and interests of the group?”

When Bo Guancheng set up a scheme to frame Bo Yueming, he might not have considered the short-term loss of reputation for the group, but Bo Yueming knew right from wrong, and the overall situation—

He understood that Bo Group’s status today was due to the hard work of Old Mrs. Bo and the senior staff, and it should not be destroyed by anyone!

Lin Zhong came to his senses. “Mr. Bo, what shall we do next?”

After going around in such a big circle, and having finally caught Bo Guancheng’s handle, it was impossible to do nothing, right?

Bo Yueming had his own ideas in mind. “The news will not be leaked for the time being, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be kicked out of the group. Only, if we do it ourselves, it will be too obvious.”

After all, in the eyes of outsiders, once Bo Guancheng lost the position of “general manager,” the one who would benefit the most was Bo Yueming himself.

Lin Zhong had been overwhelmed the past two days, and really couldn’t keep up with his boss’s train of thought. “Then who will?”

The moment these words were spoken, Pei Yi, who was an outsider to the group, said, “Bo Jiao.”

It was said that during the time when Bo Yueming was in Wencheng, Bo Jiao, who had just joined the group, often found Bo Guancheng unhappy in his position, and if she was the one to come forward now—

It would be reasonable and fair.

Looking at this clever, smiling kitten, Bo Yueming nodded and instructed, “Lin Zhong, give these photos to the Third Young Lady. If Bo Jiao is smart enough, she should know how to do it.”

“All right.”

Lin Zhong’s eyes swept over the faces of Bo Yueming and Pei Yi, and he had no choice but to accept—

Amazing, ah!

Mr. Bo and Little Sir added up to eight hundred minds. Whoever met them would be unfortunate!

. . . . . . .

In the blink of an eye, it was the next day, and the setting sun scattered through the window.

Pei Yi, who was nestled in his small bedroom, had just finished the online meeting for “The Last Fog 1.0.” Before he could take a breath, the private chat window rang. 

The message was from Lin Yuan. “Will, have you seen the trending section on the Weibo game forums?”

Pei Yi was puzzled. “What?”

The other party seemed to have expected his answer, and immediately sent the corresponding screenshots and links. “Take a look, ba. It’s on the list, God Will.”

Pei Yi clicked on the link and browsed carefully before realizing what was going on—

Three days ago, there was a hot post on the game section of a well-known rating forum.

The content of the post had to do with the evaluation and public voting for new original games in the past two years, and in the voting category of domestic stand-alone games—

The suspenseful “Joyful Spirit” and the healing “Cloud Realm” were mentioned many times, and the former was even selected for the top five overall!

In the follow-up summary recommendation, the blogger who wrote the post did not forget to note the names of the production companies of each game and the original behind-the-scenes architects.

Not long after, this summary post was reposted on Weibo by a big verified account, and the statistics of the forwards, comments, and likes were all pretty good.

Soon, game fans discovered something in the summary post — “Joyful Spirit” and “Cloud Realm,” two games with completely different styles, were actually produced by the same game architect.

Not only that, but some netizens added in the comments: “Fuck! I think this architect’s ID looks familiar. Is anyone paying attention to Nebula Fun Tour’s crazy preheating for “Tracking” these past two days? It’s also this architect!”

Where there were people, there was society, and where there was society, people pursued popularity.

This summary post was a double hot search on the Weibo entertainment section and the game forums. Because Pei Yi’s game alias “Will” appeared in the hot comments, he unexpectedly received a lot of attention.

There were also game fans who found Pei Yi’s Weibo and Youtu accounts by following the vines and clicked to follow, shouting “God Will” one after another.

Up to now, Pei Yi’s Weibo account “King of Drinking Capacity Will” had nearly 6,000 game fans.

As the gaming headquarters of China, the increase in the number of his fans on the Youtu forum was even more exaggerated.

Pei Yi reopened the private chat interface with Li Yuan. “Say, why have so many fans paid attention to it in the past two days?”

In the past three or four days, Pei Yi first “showed affection” to Bo Yueming all night, then “failed to escape,” and finally became a righteous citizen.

He had experienced so many things in life that it was inevitable that he would overlook the small things at work.

Ding-dong.

Li Yuan’s words came again on the private chat screen.

“Will, it’s rare to have such a wave of attention now. IShould I ask Sister Yang to rush to work on a concept poster for ‘The Last Fog 10?’ Can you post it on your account?”

Li Yuan was the core person in charge and also the future market operations director of “The Last Fog.”

“Although it’s too early to preheat now, let’s not waste the exposure that was given to us for nothing.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi fully cooperated with his friend’s work, and had another consideration in mind—

Not only could The Last Fog’s preheating take advantage of this wave of wind, but couldn’t he also take the opportunity to auction off another game?

Make money!

Didn’t he have to seize every opportunity?

After a short work chat, there was a knock on the door.

Pei Yi thought it was Uncle Kai calling him for dinner, so he turned off the computer and opened the door, only to find that the person standing there was Bo Yueming. “Er-ge?”

Bo Yueming sent a seemingly absent glance toward the computer. “Are you done?”

Pei Yi hummed. “I’m not busy.”

Although his “playing the fool” persona had been exposed, he still wanted to cover his career vest for the time being. What if he still needed to run away in the future?

Bo Yueming didn’t press further, and only asked, “Do you want to go to the main house with me to watch a good show?”

As soon as the hook was lowered, the kitten’s curiosity was instantly piqued. 

“I want to!”

Pei Yi’s eyes lit up slightly, and he asked with great interest, “Is Bo Guancheng’s dirt going to be exposed by Bo Jiao?”

Bo Yueming didn’t answer directly, but stretched out his hand to signal, “We’ll go to the main house, we can talk while walking.”

“…….”

Pei Yi looked down at the palm stretched out before his eyes, and muttered unnaturally, “Aren’t we still inside the villa?”

Although his words were “displeased,” he obediently placed his hand in Bo Yueming’s.

The touch of one cold hand and one warm one brought a lingering numbness that only the other could understand.

Pei Yi thought about the tight breaths and pounding heart that night for no reason, and inexplicably panicked. “Er-ge.”

“En?”

Bo Yueming held his kitten’s hand. “Let’s go.”

He obviously could have just waited at the main house and asked Uncle Kai to send a message for Pei Yi to come over, but Bo Yueming insisted on coming back on his own initiative, waiting for this moment.

Likely having noticed Pei Yi’s panic at holding hands, Bo Yueming talked about what happened in the group that day in order to divert his attention—

It must be known that for a company as big as Bo Group, the general shareholders’ meeting could not be held at the drop of a hat.

After Bo Jaio received the photos, she pretended to be Old Mr. Bo and “invited” these senior shareholders who had the right to speak to group headquarters today.

Pei Yi was surprised. “Act first and report later? The old man must be angry?”

Bo Yueming also admired Bo Jiao’s straightforward way of doing things. He continued, “She directly developed the photos we gave her and put them in front of everyone, saying that Bo Guancheng was arrested for that kind of thing last night.”

The faces of Old Mr. Bo and Bo Lihui had changed on the spot.

The former because the news came so suddenly, and the latter because he saw Bo Jiao’s intention to make things difficult.

When the accident occurred last night, Bo Lihui rushed to the police station, but Bo Guancheng was still being processed and questioned, so he wouldn’t be able to leave in a short while.

According to relevant law and order regulations, in cases like Bo Guancheng’s, he would be detained for at least five days, and at most ten to fifteen.

The Bo family had always been big and well-known, and Bo Guancheng was one of the general managers of the group. Whenever such a scandal was exposed by the media, it would indirectly affect the reputation and interests of the group.

“The old man wanted to excuse Bo Guancheng, but the high-level shareholders who believe in interests over people didn’t buy it at all.”

The infighting amongst the Bo family had nothing to do with the shareholders, but what Bo Guancheng did may have touched the reputation and interests of the group, so they couldn’t sit idly by.

Bo Guancheng’s matter could be big or small.

It was possible that after detention, nothing would happen.

It was also possible that the media would break the story in the afternoon and broaden public opinion, affecting the positive image of Bo Group.

“Instead of hanging a time bomb over his head, it’s better to temporarily suspend his position as general manager. At least in this way, even if negative news breaks out, it’s a relatively personal matter for Bo Guancheng.”

Bo Yueming told Pei Yi what the shareholders had said.

Pei Yi chuckled. “Sure enough, the bigger the company is, the more old foxes there are. Was there a final conclusion?”

“The preliminary discussion resulted in the suspension of Bo Guancheng’s position as ‘General Manager.” Bo Yueming paused. “Originally, several shareholders wanted me to take over the project Bo Guancheng was working on, but I refused.”

“Refused? Why?”

Pei Yi was a little surprised by Bo Yueming’s decision. He had thought that after returning to the Bo Group, the other party would try to seize power as much as possible for future contingencies.

Bo Yueming continued, “I suggest that we either look outside to find someone to replace Bo Guancheng, or find someone else within the group to replace him.”

When Pei Yi heard this supplementary suggestion, the doubts in his heart were answered—

Bo Guancheng’s detention would not exceed half a month at most.

In such a short period of time, even if Bo Yueming wanted to take over, he would not be able to do so completely. Instead, he would re-ignite hatred for himself and be envied even more by the main branch faction.

Bo Yueming said frankly, “I want to hold real power in the group as much as I can before my grandma recovers completely, but now is not the best time. It’s better to go with the flow and be owed a favor.”

Pei Yi answered astutely, “So you pushed Bo Jiao forward?”

Bo Yueming nodded. “After a long discussion, she was temporarily given the title of ‘Deputy General Manager.’” 

As a result, this matter had evolved into a power struggle between the main and second branches.

After all, if Bo Yueming took over Bo Guancheng’s project and became the only general manager of the group, perhaps Bo Jiao would feel hostile toward him.

Bo Yueming made it very clear, “My relationship with Bo Jiao is not close. What she really cares about is her own family, but judging from the current situation, it’s better for me to have one more ally against the main branch than to make an enemy and be alone.”

Hearing Bo Yueming’s long analysis, Pei Yi unconsciously shook the hand he was holding, and a trace of pride and pleasure flashed in his heart before he could notice—

As expected of the villain he had set his eyes on. He had a longer-term perspective than most people.

Bo Yueming felt the delight being conveyed by Pei Yi, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

During the time the two of them were talking, they had just reached the edge of the main house.

Bo Yueming turned his eyes away. “We’re almost there.”

Pei Yi understood. “En.”

He slowed his pace and leaned into Bo Yueming’s side, returning to his usual timid and obedient appearance.

Uncle Kai, who was following behind, felt that sudden and harmonious aura of the two, and shook his head with a smile—

One Second Young Master was enough, and now, adding Little Sir, who among the entire Bo family and relatives could be their opponents?

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi were approaching the gate of the main house, when they heard Old Mr. Bo’s scolding from the dining room. “Bo Jiao, do you still have your grandfather in your eyes!”

“You didn’t discuss with me in advance, and dared to move those shareholders to suppress me? Ah? Your second branch is going to step on my head? Is that right?”

“Let me tell you, don’t think that since you’re a girl, I won’t teach you the rules of this family!”

Eager to protect the girl, Xue Min immediately stepped in front of Bo Jiao, and her retort was a little urgent, “Grandpa, even if Bo Jiao is wrong, her original intention was for the sake of Bo Group! It was because Bo Guancheng himself was indiscreet, that’s why…..”

Bo Lihui interrupted in a deep voice, “Sister-in-law,  who are you saying is indiscreet?”

Listening to the back and forth confrontation, Pei Yi immediately became interested in eating melons, eager to shout and cheer—

Fight! Fight!

Slap each other! Slap each other!

The main branch and the second branch owed bad debts to Bo Yueming, and only by tearing each other up like this could his anger be relieved!

Bo Yueming tacitly sensed Pei Yi’s excitement and eagerness for more chaos, so he whispered helplessly and dotingly, “Kitten, be good.”

“…….”

Huh ? !

Pei Yi’s mind was in chaos because of  this pampering address, and he didn’t know where to look for a moment.

The next second, an angry voice came straight at them.

“Bo Yueming! You still dare to come here, ah? I was going to find you!” Bo Lihui approached with big strides, and berated Bo Yueming, “Tell me, did you do it?”

“Was it you and Bo Jiao? Ah? You two siblings joined forces to deal with Guancheng!”

Last week, his son had whispered his plans to him at the office to take advantage of the sex scandal and pull Bo Yueming down!

The results now?

The person who had an accident was Bo Guancheng!

The person who was forced to lose the position of general manager was still Bo Guancheng!

Where in the world could there be such a coincidence? After thinking about it, Bo Lihui had felt that something was wrong.

The only reliable son was forced to stay in the custody of the police station. His wife made phone calls to reach out to connections, but in the end she only got this paragraph—

Although Bo Guancheng is a first-time offender, he played too big!

The two girls who stayed with him said everything clearly and directly out of fear!

The evidence was conclusive, so how could they just let him go? Was the law just for display?

Bo Yueming feigned confusion. “Uncle, why don’t I understand what you just said? Dage couldn’t control his impulsiveness. Could it be that I forced him to do it?”

Bo Lihui was furious. “You!”

Old Mr. Bo noticed the abnormality, and his tone was equally unhappy. “Yueming, stop being glib in front of your elders!”

“Grandpa, Uncle, I have to thank you for bringing it up.”

Bo Yueming’s sudden statement took everyone aback.

Bo Lihui, who was standing in front of him, said, “What do you mean?”

“Half a year ago, you were all focused on my marriage, but you ignored Dage.”

Pei Yi was the quickest to understand what Bo Yuming meant, and his ears instantly burned red.

“I have someone to accompany me now, but Dage is not yet married.”

Bo Yueming clenched Pei Yi’s hand tightly, as if he had obtained some kind of treasure, and there was both flaunting and ridicule in his words—

“Be lenient toward his occasional impulses.”

---

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

T/N: Thanks so much to ForWhatItsWorth and a nameless Kofi supporter for the donations! Your bonus chapters are coming up right after this one!

In a dark, damp rental house.

The unkempt Lin Na huddled on a cold, hard wooden bed. Her hands and feet were still bound, and there was a piece of cloth tape over her mouth so that she could only make muffled sounds.

She gazed at the small skylight that was her only source of illumination, her eyes full of despair.

Since she was exposed the night before, she had first lay paralyzed on the hotel carpet for several hours under Lin Zhong’s guard. Then the other party and the old driver took her to this ghastly place through the hotel’s back door in the dead of night.

At noon yesterday, the driver also asked a strange woman to bring her lunch.

But as soon as the tape over her mouth was removed, f quickly screamed for help, and within ten seconds, her mouth was sealed again.

Almost another day had passed.

At this moment, Lin Na hadn’t had a drop of water, she was hungry, and she wanted to sleep but didn’t dare to. Her fragile nerves were tense to the breaking point, and she was afraid that if she stayed like this any longer she might either go crazy or die!

Lin Na wearily closed her eyes, in a trance. The regrets of this day and night were about to swallow her completely—

She shouldn’t have been greedy for this money!

At least when she saw that the target of this business was Bo Yueming, she should have directly rejected it!

How could such a small person like her get involved in the struggles between the rich and powerful? She must have been possessed!

Lin Na’s intestines were about to turn green with regret. Her sore eyes misted over once more, but her sealed mouth couldn’t utter a single word.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps outside the door.

Lin Na was like a drowning person who caught a rotten log floating in the sea. A strong sense of hope suddenly burst into her eyes, and she stared at the closed door without blinking.

At last, there was the sound of the door being unlocked and opened.

The light outside the door rushed in to illuminate this dark, dank room.

Lin Na squinted her eyes to adapt to the strong light, and when she saw the person at the door clearly, the burning hope in her heart was instantly extinguished, and she was even wrapped in a strong chill again.

“Mm! Mmmm!”

Lin Na violently twisted her bound hands and feet, and seeing that she was unable to struggle, she could only shrink back to the corner of the bed as much as possible. If possible, she would like to have a hole to drill straight down into!

“Meow~”

Inspector, neatly huddled in its cat bag, poked its head out and looked around curiously.

When Lin Na saw this familiar little black cat, a species she had always feared, the panic in her eyes became more apparent.

Pei Yi looked at Lin Na curled up on the bed—

The dark bags under her eyes were obvious, and it could be seen that she hadn’t slept well in the past two days. Tears had washed away the liquid foundation on her face, leaving behind trails of tear marks.

She looked unkempt and particularly disgraceful.

As the only person present who had seen Lin Na at the convalescent resort, Pei Yi remembered her harassment of Bo Yueming, and disgust appeared in his eyes.

He rubbed his little Inspector’s head and asked casually, “Inspector, do you remember her?”

With that simple sentence, Lin Na shrank back in fright.

Before they left, Pei Yi had the last minute thought to bring Inspector back again. After all, people were easily overwhelmed during interrogation when faced with things that they feared, and they would resort to anything.

Lao Fu and Lin Zhong brought two clean chairs inside, making it convenient for Bo Yueming and Pei Yi to sit.

Bo Yueming took off his guide glasses and didn’t bother to pretend in front of Lin Na, who already knew about his eyes. He asked directly, “How long has she been here? Untie the rope and duct tape for her.”

The rental house was an old building left by Lao Fu’s parents. It had been a while since he had lived here, and the person who delivered Lin Na’s meals the day before was Lao Fu’s wife.

Lao Fu was anxious. “Mr. Bo, my wife delivered food to this woman yesterday, but she started screaming as soon as she opened her mouth. Now it’s daylight, and I’m afraid that if she makes any noise again and alerts the neighbors…..”

Bo Yueming stared at Lin Na without blinking. “Is that so?”

Those three neutral words made Lin Na shake her head like a rattle.

She didn’t dare!

She absolutely didn’t dare!

Seeing this, Lao Fu followed Bo Yueming’s instructions.

Likely afraid of Bo Yueming’s oppression, when the rope and tape was removed from Lin Na, she didn’t dare to scream.

She swallowed her saliva nervously, and accused in a choked voice, “You, you can’t tie me up like this. It’s illegal to lock me up here!”

“Illegal?”

Lin Zhong glanced at Pei Yi beside him, responding, “You first broke in four or five months ago and plotted against our boss, then pretended to be a hotel attendant and poured drugs into Mr. Bo’s drink.”

“Mr. Bo was weak and uncomfortable because he mistakenly drank the water, and was forced to recuperate at home for a day, so there was no way to send you to the police station at the time.”

“Since you enjoy complying with the law so much, we can call the police and ask them to deal with this now!”

“……”

Lin Na was so frightened by this embellished rhetoric that she dared not speak again.

In the end, she was the guilty one. If a thorough investigation was conducted, she would be the one who must bear the brunt of the misfortune!

Seeing that she was silent, Lin Zhong covertly glanced at Pei Yi, who was quietly stroking the cat.

What he said just now was told to him by Little Sir in the car. The other party had already expected that with Lin Na’s character, she would definitely use words such as “illegal” and “police” to establish her image as a weak and innocent person.

But everyone knew that Lin Na was not innocent in this series of incidents.

As long as she was hit with these forceful remarks, it would make the subsequent conversation easier to continue.

Sure enough, Lin Na was silent for a while before giving in, “Mr. Bo, you can’t blame me for this, ah. Bo Guancheng, Bo Guancheng asked me to do it!”

Because she hadn’t drank water for a long time, her voice was like gravel run over by wheels, hoarse and slightly sharp.

Pei Yi glanced at Lin Zhong, putting on a show of benevolence. “Water.”

Lin Zhong took out the small bottle of mineral water and bread that had been prepared, and handed them to Lin Na. “If you want to suffer less, cooperate well!”

Follow the slap with a piece of candy.

It was a very old-fashioned and customary method to buy a person’s heart.

Hungry and thirsty, Lin Na received two of the most common but most precious things. Without saying a word, she snatched them away and promptly drank half the bottle of mineral water, then picked up the bread and took a huge bite.

Eating and eating, tears of regret burst out again.

Everything was presently under Pei Yi’s control. He stroked Inspector’s small head with one hand and pressed the recording button on his phone with the other.

At the same time, Bo Yueming tacitly said, “Lin Na, speak clearly.”

“It was Bo Guancheng who came to me. A month ago, I received a call from Sister Qiu……”

Lin Na swallowed this mouthful of bread, sobbing as she poured out all the facts, “He gave me a deposit and said that he would give me two million when the thing was done! He also gave me those drugs!”

A chill flashed through Pei Yi’s eyes, and he had a deeper understanding of Bo Guancheng’s tricks—

Two million?

Seeking out a woman of unknown origin?

Trying to drug Bo Yueming?

Lin Zhong on the side caught a key piece of information and double-checked, “Bo Guancheng sought you out to make preparations a month ago?”

Lin Na hastily nodded. “En! The hotel should have a record of my employment, it was arranged for me by his assistant.”

That was to say, even though Bo Yueming was “blind,” Bo Guancheng did not relax his vigilance against him, and was always on guard against his return to Bo Group’s general manager position.

Bo Yueming thought of all Bo Guancheng had done in the past, and the long-standing hatred spilled out.

Lin Na caught a glimpse of Bo Yueming’s gradually darkening face, and her heart trembled again. “Mr. Bo! I, I know I’m obsessed with money! Just let me go this time!”

“Obsessed with money?”

Pei Yi considered this soft excuse and released Inspector from the cat bag.

Under the care of its two masters, Inspector was not afraid at all when facing the new environment. It explored its surroundings with a burst of curiosity, and then jumped onto the wooden bed as if preferring the height.

Lin Na stared at the nearby Inspector, her breath suffocating her in her throat.

Bo Yueming looked directly at the terrified Lin Na and asked, “Was it worth it to lose yourself for money?”

Lin Na kept a wary eye on Inspector, who might approach at any time, and subconsciously shook her head. “Bo Guancheng said he would guide public opinion toward you, and I would just be the victim hiding behind.”

Bo Yueming seemed to have heard a big joke, and his voice sank, “It looks like you didn’t know he installed hidden surveillance in the suite? If I fell for it that night, do you really think you could have gotten away with it?”

“Surveillance?”

Lin Na had been in nightclubs before, so she naturally understood what hidden surveillance meant. “Im-Impossible, he didn’t tell me about that.”

“Who do you think you are?”

Pei Yi couldn’t put up with it anymore, and opened his mouth to say, “You’re just a bed tool he invited over, don’t think too highly of yourself.”

Lin Na’s face turned red.

“He said he’d give you two million, and it would be credited to your account afterwards? But if Er-ge was slandered and framed by you, he would call the police to deal with it. Do you think the police wouldn’t be able to discover such a large money transfer? That they wouldn’t have any suspicions?”

“Is it you who understands Bo Guancheng, or is it us who understand that piece of shit?”

When Bo Yueming heard Pei Yi’s cursing, the coldness in his eyes eased a little.

Pei Yi looked directly into Lin Na’s disbelieving eyes and told it to her straight, “Bo Guancheng lied to you from the very beginning. He used you to drug Bo Yueming, and when he got the indecent images, he would immediately expose them on the internet.”

“As for your identity as the victim?”

Pei Yi sneered with disdain and asked self-confidently, “For my Er-ge’s figure and face, would you show reluctance in the video, or would you throw yourself at him like you did at the convalescent resort?”

When Bo Yueming heard Pei Yi’s loud rhetorical question, he was helpless and indulgent, and his original dark expression disappeared. 

Lin Zhong and Lao Fu who remained to the side were even more dumbfounded—

Little Sir’s articulation was so sharp?

He was playing the fool some time ago, could they have wronged him?

Also, ah, taunting was taunting, but why did he have to exaggerate Mr. Bo’s personal experience?

Pei Yi paid no attention to the surprise of the people around him, and continued to bring things to light. “Lin Na, don’t forget that you administered the drugs yourself. Do you dare tell the police that you are an absolute victim?”

“Besides that tiny deposit, do you have any evidence to prove that Bo Guancheng instructed you?”

“……”

Lin Na didn’t have time to think about Pei Yi’s sudden “change” at the moment. Faced with this series of questions, not only could she not utter a word of rebuttal, but she also felt chills all over her body—

So she was just part of Bo Guancheng’s scheme? From beginning to end, the other party never thought of protecting her?

Right, ah, what was there to protect about a woman who frequented nightclubs, a woman who took money to do such business?

Lin Na could admit that she was greedy for money and profit. She went to nightclubs and resorts to find ways to get close to the rich and gain benefits.

But this didn’t mean that she could accept her pornographic images being spread widely on the internet to be judged by others!

Pei Yi was right, if everything happened as Bo Guancheng wished, and Bo Yueming’s reputation was damaged, her status as a “victim” would be totally untenable!

Someone like Bo Guancheng who hid behind the scenes? How could he be stupid enough to stir up the fire and get burned!

Bo Yueming watched Lin Na’s eyes change again and again, and they finally showed sufficient hatred. “Now you understand?”

Lin Na wiped away her tears indiscriminately, and nodded.

Bo Yueming indicated to Lin Zhong again with his eyes, and the latter took a small transparent bag from his pocket and handed it to Lin Na. “Does this look familiar? It was found in your pocket that night.”

Lin Na’s pupils trembled, and she hastily distanced herself from it. “No, this medicine was really given to me by Bo Guancheng!”

Bo Yueming lightly turned the watch on his wrist, and his calm tone concealed his coercion. “En, that bastard. You’re responsible for sending his things back to him.”

Lin Na didn’t dare to think deeply. “What?”

Pei Yi got up and approached, taking the small bag from Lin Zhong’s hand instead.

He rubbed the unremarkable white pill through the plastic and handed it over. “Haven’t you already done it once? Do you still need us to instruct you?”

Inspector, who was full of curiosity, thought its master had something delicious in his hand and immediately moved over. “Meow-wu!”

Lin Na’s scalp went numb at the sound of this meow.

Pei Yi seemed to see through Lin Na’s deep panic. “Don’t worry, we’re not as bad as Bo Guancheng. There are things that need to be done using your talents, but you don’t need to sell your body.”

Bo Yueming sat in his seat, but his eyes stayed on Pei Yi’s profile—

He said the word “use” so brightly. His own family’s kitten really stood out from the masses.

Pei Yi stuffed the pill back into Lin Na’s hand, and suddenly reached out to grasp her jaw. “As long as you return this pill to Bo Guancheng for us, we can forget about what you did.”

Seeing Pei Yi’s movements, Bo Yueming’s previously relaxed eyes suddenly changed.

Lin Na knew she had no other way out. Instead of being in a stalemate here, she might as well use this way out for herself. “W-what am I going to do?”

. . . . . .

Ten minutes later.

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi sat back in the car.

“Inspector, come on. Let me wipe your paws, the ground was too dirty just now.” Pei Yi took the pet wipes out of the cat bag, and before he could wipe Inspector, the wipes in his hand were taken away by Bo Yueming.

Pei Yi was startled. “What are you doing? I……”

Bo Yueming grasped Pei Yi’s right wrist and wiped his fingertips with the wet wipe. “Don’t touch things when you go out in the future, your kitten claws might also not be clean.”

“I !”

Pei Yi was dazed and at a loss.

It took him several seconds to pinpoint the sour tint to those words, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

Seeing that Pei Yi didn’t speak, Bo Yueming thought that he had crossed the line, so he silently held his breath and asked, “Pei Yi, are you afraid of me like this?”

“Like what?”

“Having Lin Na turn the drugs back on Bo Guancheng.”

In the past, for Old Mrs. Bo’s sake, Bo Yueming could endure whatever happened to him, but now he didn’t want to endure it any longer.

The old grudges and the new, as long as the evidence was convincing, he would settle accounts with Bo Guancheng.

Bo Yueming didn’t deny that this way of fighting back was equally bad, but he still cared about Pei Yi’s opinion of him. “What about you? Do you also think I’m despicable?”

Pei Yi answered simply, “No, what’s wrong with treating others the way they treat you? And I think our means of fighting back are more clever.”

After all, he had added something to the method he told Lin Na.

Faced with this unexpected answer, Bo Yueming was stunned for a moment. “Really?”

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s gaze and said quietly, “Er-ge, let me tell you the truth. When I used to watch dramas, I didn’t like the good, pure protagonists at all. I only liked the vengeful villains.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes flickered slightly. He asked, “According to what you’ve said, I’ve become a ‘villain’ to you?”

Pei Yi said with certainty, “En, is that bad?”

In his opinion, Bo Yueming would never intentionally provoke innocent people. As for dealing with those like Bo Guancheng, it couldn’t be called a despicable counterattack, but a means of eliminating evil!

They had to do it, and also had to be villains with a “moral bottom line.”

Bo Yueming made a show of being very much in earnest. “Very well, at least you like villains.”

“…….”

Pei Yi belatedly came to a realization, and tried to play it off. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

Bo Yueming teased him, “Then what did you mean?”

He treated him as a villain, and said he liked villains? It was no different from an indirect confession, which he accepted.

Lao Fu in the front heard the flirting between the two and minimized his sense of existence as much as possible, suddenly missing his wife and children.

After a long time, he said cautiously, “Mr. Bo, where are we going?”

Lin Zhong didn’t follow them into the car, but received Bo Yueming’s instructions and took Lin Na privately to leave in another direction.

Bo Yueming glanced at the time, and offered the choice to Pei Yi. “Should we go straight home or eat out?”

Pei Yi thought for a moment. “Eat first and then go home.”

“All right.”

. . . . . .

Seven o’clock in the evening, Cloudtop Clubhouse.

In a hallway decorated with mainly silver film lenses, Bo Guancheng walked quickly to the room at the end under the assistance of Chen Biao. “Are you sure that woman is hiding here?”

On the night of the celebration banquet, Bo Yueming never returned, which aroused doubts and discussions among shareholders.

Bo Guancheng had originally thought the plan had succeeded, and asked his assistant Chen Biao to spend money to manage various online and offline media in advance. They would just wait for the big news on the day after the celebration banquet, and use public opinion to completely pull Bo Yueming down!

The results of it?

Bo Yueming really didn’t show up that night, and even Lin Na disappeared!

Bo Guancheng went to check the surveillance camera in the corridor and discovered that Bo Yueming was taken away by his driver first, and Lin Na was also forcibly taken away from the suite later.

Not only that, but the camera in the master bedroom had also vanished. It was obvious at a glance that the operation was unsuccessful!

Chen Biao nodded. “Sister Qiu called me in the afternoon, saying that Lin Na hid here and asked for protection.”

“Protection?”

Bo Guancheng gritted his teeth, his eyes full of cruelty under his glasses. “If she revealed half a word to Bo Yueming that night, I’ll make her regret it!”

As soon as he spoke, the two stopped at the box at the end of the hallway.

Bo Guancheng told his assistant, “You call Sister Qiu and tell her to come too. Lin Na is the person she hired. Now that the business failed, she must give me an explanation.”

Assistant Chen Biao heard this and did as he said. “Yes.”

Bo Guancheng pushed open the door of the box and found that there was no one there. Before his doubts could arise, he was hit on the back of the neck unexpectedly.

Lin Na, who was hiding behind the door, rushed out and hysterically smashed him with the small golf club that was prepared in advance in the box. “Bo Guancheng, you dare to come! I’ll beat you to death!”

But before the third swing, Chen Biao at the door realized something was wrong and rushed up to stop her. “Lin Na, are you crazy?”

“Fuck!”

Bo Guancheng’s glasses dropped to the ground. He pressed a hand to the dull pain at the back of his neck and looked at Lin Na with murderous intent in his eyes. “Do you want to die?”

Lin Na’s heart trembled for a moment. She thought of what Pei Yi had taught her in advance, and took a deep breath to strike preemptively. “Bo Guancheng! You are no fucking good!”

“It’s fine to ask me to do things for money, but you clearly cheated me!”

“A surveillance camera? If it hadn’t been exposed, I would have to count the money you got for selling me!”

Bo Guancheng finally understood the reason for Lin Na’s abnormal agitation, and sneered coldly. “Aren’t you just a thing for sale to others?”

“When you heard about the two million yuan at that time, you couldn’t move. What does it matter to you if a video was recorded or not? So what if I lied to you? Why the hell can’t you even handle a blind man?”

Lin Na trembled all over, but held back firmly.

In the next second, the sound of high heels stepping on the floor sounded.

Sister Qiu, the owner of the clubhouse, entered. She saw Lin Na being restrained by Chen Biao, and seeing Bo Guancheng’s cold face, there was a natural shift in her heart. “Mr. Cheng calm down.”

“Lin Na has already told me what happened. Bo Yueming took the medicine that day, but his assistant and driver made an unexpected detour at the last moment and took him away!”

“They suspected that Lin Na had drugged Bo Yueming, so they forcibly bound her hands and feet. Thanks to Lin Na’s cleverness, she found an opportunity to escape.”

Bo Guancheng’s eyes flickered when he heard this explanation. He had just found out yesterday—

Bo Yueming was taken back to the independent villa at Bo Manor by the driver Lao Fu, and didn’t come out for an entire day.

“Mr. Cheng, even if Bo Yueming has suspicions, there is no physical evidence, so how can he prove it was you?”

Sister Qiu “kindly” explained on Lin Na’s behalf while seating Bo Guancheng  on the sofa.

In fact, what she really valued was guests like him who paid a lot of money. As for Lin Na…..if she knew she was so useless, she wouldn’t have used her in the first place!

Now that the “business” had failed, her intermediary fee would be gone.

Sister Qiu picked up Bo Guancheng’s glasses, as well as a bottle of ice whiskey that was always kept in the box. “Come, Mr. Cheng, drink a glass to calm down. This time the ‘business’ failed, but that doesn’t mean there will be no ‘business’ to do next time.”

Lin Na’s eyes flickered slightly, and she pretended to struggle a few times to escape from Chen Biao’s grip.

Bo Guancheng was still willing to pay Sister Qiu some face. Plus, the back of his neck was splashed, and his blood was surging. He drank the whiskey without a second thought.

“Chen Biao, let her go, don’t keep that eyesore in front of me.”

A woman with a temperament like Lin Na didn’t have any brains at first glance, and didn’t pose a threat to him.

Although the matter had been exposed, fortunately, there was no evidence from beginning to end. Even if Bo Yueming could find some clues, so what?

They were cousins of opposite branches, putting on a show on the surface.

At this thought, Bo Guancheng poured himself another glass of alcohol. “For Sister Qiu’s sake, that deposit will be your hush money. Scram.”

Sister Qiu also said, “Lin Na, you leave first.”

. . . . . .

Three minutes later.

Lin Na took advantage of the night to hide in a readily available taxi, and made a call on the driver’s cell phone.

A familiar voice came from the other end of the line.

Lin Na took a deep breath. “I’ve done as you said!”

After she “escaped,” she sought refuge with Sister Qiu, and in order not to involve herself in misfortune, the latter disclosed Lin Na’s location to Bo Guancheng as soon as possible.

Lin Na took advantage of the “surveillance camera” to get angry at Bo Guancheng, and after she hit him, Sister Qiu rushed over and naturally poured a glass of alcohol to calm things down.

Of course, there were drugs in the liquor.

“I understand, we won’t hold the past against you, but there’s no guarantee that Bo Guancheng won’t. Our people have already withdrawn. Good luck to you.”

The call was hung up neatly.

Pei Yi set the phone aside and took another bite of dessert, looking at Bo Yueming beside him. “It was Lin Na’s number.”

“En, I know. Lin Zhong’s people are still watching the situation in the clubhouse.” Bo Yueming looked at Pei Yi’s milkshake, which was mostly empty. “It’s already this late in the season, so eat fewer cold things at night.”

Pei Yi pretended not to hear, and quickly took a few more mouthfuls.

Bo Yueming was helpless. “Pei Yi? Did you hear me?”

Pei Yi gave a perfunctory nod, and muttered in a low voice, “You agreed to leave me alone.”

By the time the milkshake was completely emptied, the people sent by Bo Yueming also sent more definite information.

“Damn!” 

Whe Pei Yi saw this, he excitedly picked up his cell phone and sent an incomparably righteous and upright phone call. “Hey, hello, I would like to anonymously report someone who is engaged in illegal prostitution at Cloudtop Clubhouse 8212.”

---

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

Liang Shu asked: “Everyone in the city fears the female ghost and dare not go out, but you still come to this gloomy house to look for her?”

“You fellows can earn this reward for catching the ghost, but I can’t?” Liu Meng curled his lip. “As I said just now, everyone can use their own abilities. But I’ve been guarding here for three days and haven’t achieved anything, so don’t waste your time.” After speaking, he limped over to the door to leave. When he turned around and saw that the two people behind him had not moved, he warned again, “Hey, this is a forbidden area in the city. The government strictly prohibits anyone from entering or leaving. Are you really not going, ah? Don’t leave casually, and don’t implicate me if the officials find out.”

Liu Xian’an nodded: “All right, don’t worry, we won’t turn you in.”

Liu Meng gave a hiss and muttered to himself, why are these two people so indifferent, but there was nothing he could do, so he just slipped away in a hurry.

Liu Xian’an said: “It turns out there is a reward for catching the ghost. Is the reward from the government?”

“Even if the government wanted to offer this kind of reward among the people to catch the ghost, it would be done through the large households in the city.” Liang Shu said, “Otherwise, there are soldiers with swords, but they are still strung along by a ghost. If they had to ask the common people for help in the end, it would be truly shameful if word spread.”

Liu Xian’an pondered for a while, and felt that his words made sense. He said: “The one offering the reward should be that “Yu-daren” that Liu Meng mentioned just now.” After speaking, he took two more steps into the room. There was thick dust everywhere, swirling under the moonlight. It seemed that nobody had come here for a long time. The tables, chairs, and benches all exuded a damp musty smell, scattered in all directions. It should have been ransacked by thieves many times after the owner of the house left.

The two were talking when a gust of wind suddenly came from behind, and there was a strange creaking sound—

Liang Shu grasped Liu Xian’an’s hand and turned around to look. The wind had blown the wardrobe door open, and it hung there, creaking and dangling.

It was a false alarm, but Second Young Master Liu’s heartbeat didn’t calm down for a long time. He also didn’t know if he was startled by a ghost, or because His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s palm was really warm, warm and dry. It was also very strong, and on this sort of haunted night where the wind was whistling, it turned out that it could warm his heart.

Liang Shu asked: “You’re scared silly?”

Li Xian’an returned to his senses: “……What is the prince talking about?”

Liang Shu teased: “I’m talking about the forty-eight thousand year-old immortal who is also afraid of ghosts.”

Liu Xian’an said: “I was thinking about other things.” But it was difficult to go into detail. He was thinking about other people’s hands, so he quickly changed the topic. “The wardrobe is so rotten.”

“The door seems to have been broken for a long time,” Liang Shu said, “but the inside is very new.”

The new part didn’t seem to have been exposed to the wind and sun, but judging by its placement, it faced the sun from the window. Liu Xian’an heard what he meant: “Therefore, the things that were in the wardrobe were taken away recently, so the clapboard looks like new.”

But what would those things be? They should be very cheap, or at least look very cheap, otherwise the place wouldn’t have been ransacked many times and the thing was only taken away recently.

Liang Shu said: “Let’s go and look elsewhere.”

Liu Xian’an made a sound of affirmation, and was led to the back courtyard. The fingers of the two were still intertwined. They were spying, so that was normal.

Thus, the place that should be warm continued to be warm, and the hearts that should beat continued to beat.

– – –

When they returned to the inn, it was already daylight. After Liu Xian’an washed up, he wrapped himself in the quilt. He felt that his entire person was restless, and his mind was in a mess, and he didn’t have time to sort out everything that had happened today. He fell asleep, and the Three Thousand Worlds were also chaotic, so he went straight through groups of sages who were arguing about the Dao, walking all the way to the hot spring. Liang Shu happily opened his arms, and without a word of nonsense, he took this person close.

The world was quiet.

It was so quiet that until he was shaken awake by A-Ning at noon, he still felt that he was in pure white nothingness. A-Ning forcibly grabbed his young master’s arms and pulled him into a sitting position, then quickly stuffed a cushion behind him: “Get up!”

Liu Xian’an reluctantly half-opened his eyes: “Wu.”

While changing his clothes, A-Ning asked: “What did you dream about last night? You were smiling the whole time.”

Liu Xian’an thought about it for a while, and replied: “I dreamed about His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. We bathed together.”

A-Ning clapped his hands. Before, he dreamed that His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was bathing alone, but now it turned into a shared bath?

Liu Xian’an felt that it was fine. Everyone had to bathe. It was not rude to take a bath.

A-Ning said: “Young Master, stop smiling.”

Liu Xian’an pushed back the quilt and sat up on the bed, continuing to ask: “Are there many hot springs on our Yaoshan Mountain?”

“Yes, but they are used to cultivate medicine, the Village Master and Eldest Young Master don’t allow anyone to soak in them.” A-Ning said, “Young Master, it is better not to think about Yaoshan, so as not to be punished again.”

Liu Xian’an put forth a hypothesis – what if His Royal Highness Xiao Wang really wanted to go.

“What has His Royal Highness Xiao Wang not seen in the world? There are hot springs in Wancheng, and also in the Northwest. They are all so big that the edges cannot be seen, how could he want to soak in our small Yaoshan hot springs?” Unmoved, A-Ning covered his face with a hot towel. “Close your eyes!”

Liu Xian’an was wiped so hard that he couldn’t speak. He continued to refute, but A-Ning wouldn’t listen, and when the towel was wrung out again, Liang Shu knocked on the door: “Are you up yet?”

“Coming.” A-Ning shook the water droplets from his hands, and was about to open the door when Liu Xian’an blew past him like the breeze. The boy was dumbfounded, staring at how his young master had gone out in such a mess. He went out to see guests without shoes on, ah, how impolite! He had never run so fast before.

The door opened, and Liang Shu also noticed his bare feet. Stepping on the green bamboo floor, the red string on that snow-white ankle tied a certain person’s soul, but Second Young Master Liu didn’t have the awareness of the souls of others. He asked: “Are we going to Aunt Mou’s house?”

“Get dressed first, then I’ll take you to eat,” Liang Shu said. “It’s cold in winter, don’t run around barefoot in the future.”

Liu Xian’an argued: “It’s not cold.”

“You must wear shoes even if it’s not cold.” Liang Shu pulled him back to sit on the bedside. “I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

The two of them spoke a total of less than ten sentences, and all of them were very serious, from eating, to dressing, to investigating the case, but for some reason, A-Ning felt that something wasn’t right. He thought hard for a long time, and finally asked tactfully: “Young Master, do you feel that the prince treats you differently than he treats Lieutenant General Gao?”

Liu Xian’an got dressed by himself: “What’s the difference?”

“It’s just…….” A-Ning struggled. “Aiya, I can’t say it well. Anyway, it’s different. For example, if Lieutenant General Gao was disheveled, the prince couldn’t be bothered to take care of it. Although it is also because of military discipline, Young Master…….The prince seems to care a lot about the Young Master, and even speaks in a much softer voice.”

Liu Xian’an thought, then is this not very good?

After putting on his shoes and socks and tidying himself up, he went downstairs to have lunch. All kinds of delicacies had been placed on the table, and a hot pot was simmering on the stove, steaming hot.

“Lieutenant General Gao isn’t here?”

“He went to look around the city first.”

Liang Shu helped Liu Xian’an set up the bowls and chopsticks, and boiled the mushrooms one by one for him, letting the rice noodles cool down before bringing them over. The guards next to him looked dumbfounded, wondering if their prince had been bewitched by evil spirits. For example, he could be possessed by an old woman who died unjustly, otherwise how could he be so benevolent in serving someone?

The more they looked, the more this seemed to be the case. Their necks almost stretched into the pot, and they were finally all sent out by His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Don’t stay here to be an eyesore.

The streets were quieter than in previous days.

This was also normal. Because the ghost appeared last night, normal people would not want to go out. Only a group of aunts gathered in Mou Cuihua’s courtyard, basking in the sun. They were saying some words to comfort her, when suddenly someone pushed open the courtyard door.

“Auntie.” A-Ning hugged the medicine box. “How are you doing today?”

“It’s the little doctor, ah.” Mu Cuihua stood up from her chair, but saw the two people behind A-Ning.

“This…….”

“These are my family’s two young masters, who are also doctors,” A-Ning introduced crisply. “Come over here and have a look.”

But this statement did not seem to be credible. It was fine to say that Liu Xian’an was a doctor, but no matter how you looked at it, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang did not look like a doctor, so Mou Cuihua repeatedly waved her hands and said: “I’m fine, I’m already fine, you had best go quickly.”

“What’s the rush?” Liang Shu dragged a chair from the side and placed it in the middle of the courtyard. The aunts around stood up and immediately said they had things to do, leaving one after another.

The love between old sisters was so thin.

Mou Chihua said: “I’m really healed.”

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows and reminded: “It’s fine now, but what if the ghost comes again tonight?”

Mou Chihua almost cried: “She……she has no reason to keep pestering me, ba. There are fifty people in this city who have quarreled with her father or scolded her, and I haven’t done anything excessive.”

“Who can say for sure about ghosts,” Liang Shu said. “Rather than expecting the ghost to find someone else, it is better to think of a way to catch her so that this ghost doesn’t get tired of wandering around the city in the future and run to your son again.”

Mou Cuihua’s face paled: “She, she, she has always looked own on our Suan Zi, why would she run to him now?”

Liu Xian’an answered solemnly: “To absorb yang energy.” It was written like this in the folktales.

No mother could bear to hear this, and Mou Cuihua was struck by lightning on the spot. Seeing that she was about to faint again, A-Ning promptly passed the smelling salts over. Liu Xian’an also moved a chair over and sat next to Liang Shu, continuing: “There are a hundred people who have offended her in this city, but why did she choose to seek you out instead of the remaining ninety-nine?”

“I don’t know why,” Mou Cuihua said. “I really don’t know.”

She racked her brain for a long time, but couldn’t recall any useful clues. What did she do back then? At most, after hearing about Wan Yuan’s affair with the hunter, she would utter a few harsh curses, and after Wan Yuan went to prison, she gloated and ate sunflower seeds on the street all morning.

“But in the afternoon, after the girl’s suicide was reported, I never mentioned it again, not a single word,” Mou Cuihua said. “Her father went crazy on the street, and it was our shopkeeper who went to help him into the house. Even if I have a cheap mouth, I wouldn’t compete for seniority in this sort of matter.”

“What about your son, did he offend her?”

“My son is even less likely. He is an honest man, and wouldn’t let out a silent fart if beaten with three sticks. When the girl died, Suan Zi was still learning from a carpenter outside, and didn’t see her face to face. If I lie about this matter, may I be struck by thunder and lightning, my heart become dirty, and when I go out, I will fall into a pit.”

Mou Cuihua raised her hand high and eloquently swore a poisonous oath, and also brought her son to swear together, which really showed that she bore no guilt. A-Ning had never heard such a variety of folk oaths, up to the ancestors and down to the underworld. It hurt the ears and eyes, so he quickly dragged her into the house for acupuncture.

Liang Shu asked, “What do you think?”

Neither of them believed that a female ghost had crawled out of the grave. Now that it was determined that the female ghost was someone playing pretend, Liu Xian’an proceeded to say: “Could it be that Mou Cuihua offended the person who is pretending to be a ghost?”

Liang Shu sent his guards to investigate outside. Although there were not many idlers on the streets today, by relying on the few words from shop owners, they could also draw some conclusions – In Huaizhen City, the people Aunt Mou had offended were not few. There were so many that not to mention two hands, if you had twenty hands, they still could probably not be counted.

She was the number one mean-spirited person in town.

Liu Xian’an was impressed: “So quarrelsome. I fear this clue is useless, let’s go find that Liu Meng.”

---

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

“…….”

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

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

How could this be?

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

“Where do you think you’re going?”

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

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

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

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

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

“Ah!”

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

— Pa!

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I!”

Pei Yi hesitated to speak, angry and embarrassed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Under the dim light, their eyes met again.

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi blurted out, “You deceived me!”

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi was speechless, and inwardly recalled—

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

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

“……..”

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

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

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

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

It turned out that Pei Yi rejected him?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi thought about the quick response to this incident.

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

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

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

“En.”

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

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

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

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

“I……”

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

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

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

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

“Then have you thought about it?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi got stuck.

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

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

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

“Ah?”

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

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

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

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

Pe Yi still didn’t understand: “Huh?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

Ah?

Could there be such a good thing?

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

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

“…….”

Pei Yi thought silently.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The balance in his heart grew heavier on one side.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It shouldn’t be, ah.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

“Ai!”

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

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

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

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

“Oh.”

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

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

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

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

“When did you open the wine?”

“…….”

Pei Yi cursed to himself.

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

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

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

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

Emotionally tired.

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

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

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

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

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

“Pei Yi.”

“En?”

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

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

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

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

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

The door closed again.

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

After a long silence, he finally closed his eyes.

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Morning.”

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

“It was pretty good.”

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

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

“I just woke up not long ago.”

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

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

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

The two went downstairs together. 

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

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

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

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

Speak of the devil and he will arrive.

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

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

“……”

“……”

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

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

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

Lin Zhong took a deep breath at this calm explanation.

God!

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

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

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

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

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

Two peas in a pod!

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

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

Lin Zhong nodded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En!”

. . . . . .

Half an hour later, everyone finished breakfast.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

Ah?

Pretending also included this?

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

What their relationship was?

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

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

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

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

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

With that ambiguous tone, this phrase became an invitation.

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

“Wu!”

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

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

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

It shouldn’t be like this!

Why did Bo Yueming kiss him?

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

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

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

“…….”

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi swallowed. “Er-ge?”

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

“……..”

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

Urgency and sourness went hand in hand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

“Er-ge, I, I can do it.”

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

A kiss fell down again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi stirred slightly. “En.”

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

—Bam!

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

No response.

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

The person in the room remained absolutely silent.

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

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

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

“En.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

He confirmed that the footsteps were gradually fading away.

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

This superficial relationship would end sooner or later.

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

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

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

When did this start? Everything had subtly changed.

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

Until last night, when their relationship crossed the line.

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi seemed to be looking down from above—

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

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

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

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

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

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

“You…..”

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

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

Pei Yi was adopted by a pair of married husbands.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Someone suddenly strangled his neck tightly and painfully.

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

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

“Why? Why are you doing this to me!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“— Father Rong!”

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

Feelings were not something he could touch.

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

The sky in late autumn always got dark very quickly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The moment their four eyes met—

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

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

“……..”

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

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

The footsteps behind him gradually approached.

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

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

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

“……..”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’m sleepy.”

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

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

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

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

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

Click.

The door was closed tightly.

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

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

That night.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Meow~”

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

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

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

“En, I understand.”

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

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

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

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

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

—Click.

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

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

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

Lin Na took a deep breath. “Yes.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nearly a month passed in a flash.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

Lin Na took the pills without a word.

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

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

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

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

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

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

“…….”

Two million?

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

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

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

Yes, ah.

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

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

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

The door of the room closed again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Into the hands of the main branch!

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

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

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

. . . . . . 

In the banquet hall, toasts were made.

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

Solicitous greetings, strong praise.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En.”

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

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

Lin Zhong shook his head. “No.”

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

Wasn’t that strange?

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

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

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

. . . . . .

Five minutes later.

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

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

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

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

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

“…….”

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

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

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

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

A spare suit?

There was such a coincidence?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What else could the drugged water do?

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

In the end, they wanted to discredit him!

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

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

His eyes were already healed!

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

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

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

“…….”

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

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

“Mr. Bo, what do you smell?”

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

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

“Tangerine?”

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

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

—Splash!

The sudden change made Lin Na’s breath catch.

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

“…….”

How could it be!

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

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

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

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

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

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

The electronic door beeped again.

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

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

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

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

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

“It’s not urgent.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Wuwuwuwu!”

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

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

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

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

. . . . . .

Pop!

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

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

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

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

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

Sparkling water with wine!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pei Yi’s heart tightened.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Don’t move.”

---

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

“Would you like to try being with me?”

Lucas heard his secretary say such a thing.

“…….”

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

Fuck.

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

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

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

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

Luo Ran blinked.

Ah……?

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

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

“……..”

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

What Luo Ran got in response was a fierce kiss.

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

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

Both of them were short of breath.

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

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

“I won’t.”

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

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

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

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

“…….”

The happiness came too suddenly.

Lucas punched the wall hard.

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

“Just like that, hit!”

Lucas dragged Luo Ran into the ring.

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

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

Lucas jumped in.

“It’s me, your grandfather!”

Wang Qiuyang: “? ? ?”

Wang Qiuyang: “…….”

Wang Qiuyang: “…….QAQ.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Everyone cheered.

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

The surrounding area immediately exploded.

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

Luo Ran chuckled.

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

“You can’t beat me either.”

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

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

……..!

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

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

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

Bump—!

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

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

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

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

“En?” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

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

“What about a reward for the winner?”

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

“…….Fuck off.”

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

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

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

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

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

Lucas straightened his military jacket, turned, and left.

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

Uh-oh.

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

Hiss.

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

. . . . . .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

……Huh?

Luo Ran frowned slightly.

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

This scene was not surprising.

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

Didn’t he belong to the Second Prince?

Why was a royal attendant here?

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

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

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

Something wasn’t right.

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

“Luo Ran.”

Lucas patted Luo Ran on the shoulder.

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

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

Lucas: “ ? ”

Luo Ran pointed at the attendant in front of them.

Lucas glanced at him, a little puzzled.

What was wrong?

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

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

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

He didn’t know who was inside……

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

As he spoke, he directly picked up Luo Ran.

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

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

Then, both of them were stunned.

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

Lucas and Luo Ran exchanged glances.

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

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

Could this be collusion?

…….No.

There was no one to collude with.

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

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

— It was Mu Yuan.

Then, they both embraced and kissed.

“…….”

They considered kidnapping.

They considered collusion.

But it turned out to be an affair.

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

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

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

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

Lucas: “……..”

Luo Ran: “……..”

Luo Ran was stunned.

So this, this was the legendary AA love……

Luo Ran felt his brain split.

Lucas also cracked.

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

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

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

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

“Huh?”

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

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

“Oh…….” Luo Ran nodded.

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

Then he sent a private message to Shen Xiluo.

Lucas: Send me some AO learning materials.

Shen Xiluo: Sending them quickly.

Lucas rubbed his cheek.

Fuck.

Never mind being forced to watch an erotic show.

Why was Luo Ran always on his mind?

There were also some strange images.

Right.

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

Lucas: Laozi has a wife.

Lucas: You don’t.

Lucas: Ha.

Lucas scoffed coldly.

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Ai, ai, she’s waking up!”

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

Liu Xian’an: “…….”

That is also fine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liang Shu raised his eyebrows: “En?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liu Xian’an immediately twisted his foot.

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

“Hm?”

“Don’t run around.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It turned out there was no ghost.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

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

---

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Us?”

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

“En.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“En, he never tires of eating them.”

“That’s odd.”

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

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

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

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

“What does that uncle look like?”

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

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

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

“Yes.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zhao Yelan hastily stood aside.

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

Everyone: “…….”

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

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

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

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

“All right.”

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

“Yes.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Zhao Yelan: “…….?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Why is that?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yan Mingting said: “Then you have misunderstood. A few days ago, he began preparing your basic necessities, food, housing, and transportation, and today’s dinner was specially arranged by him. Even I didn’t notice that you like tofu, Uncle, but he did. This shows that he really likes you.”

“Okay, okay, we know, don’t talk about him endlessly. Fangli, you stay in my room tonight.”

“Ah?”

“Ah, what ah? Have you forgotten that you loved sleeping with me when you were a child? Brat, do you really despise this old man? Weren’t you, a big baby, unable to live without me for a day, ah?”

“You must let me speak to him.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door. When it opened, everyone saw Zhao Yelan standing outside.

“Snacks were prepared in the kitchen. Eat some if you are hungry.” Zhao Yelan walked in, put down the plate, and looked around. Everyone went quiet, and even Uncle looked at him timidly. He smiled suddenly. “Fangli, you can rest with Uncle tonight. I’ll go back first.”

“Okay, walk slowly in the dark.”

Yan Mingting watched him leave before turning around. His Uncle looked to be in shock, and asked him, “Did he hear everything?”

Yan Mingting thought for a moment: “Probably?”

“Where is my old face? I still wanted to frighten him with my impressiveness!” Uncle said dejectedly.

Yan Mingting was exceedingly pleased.

“But he actually smiled at me just now, did you see that?”

Yan Mingting’s younger uncle and cousins exchanged glances and shook their heads together.

“How could you not see it? He really smiled, just stood there and smiled at me. A big man gave such a strangely good-looking smile, and you didn’t see it?!”

Everyone still shook their heads, and Uncle said angrily, “You guys wait and see tomorrow!”

The next day happened to be the day before New Year’s Eve, and the palace rested for five days.

Early in the morning, Yan Mingting and his uncle were exercising in the courtyard. Uncle was practicing Tai Chi, and when he was pushing forward, he suddenly saw a man in a vermillion robe and a golden headpiece passing by in the corridor. He could only stop and stare straight at him. “That, that is……”

“Uncle.” Zhao Yelan turned his head and greeted him.

“Hey,” Uncle responded, forgetting the next move. He stood up straight and pretended to act natural, putting his hands behind his back and muttering to Yan Mingting, “Why is he not wearing mourning clothes today?”

“Perhaps there are no more white clothes,” Yan Mingting said with a smile. “There are only one or two white robes in total, and they have all been worn.”

Not to mention Uncle, even the others were drawn in by him. While eating, they glanced at him from the corners of their eyes. Even though he was glamorously dressed, it was inexplicably harmonious. Those cold facial features overlapped with a sense of worldliness, like a person in a painting.

Especially the aunt and cousins, the more they looked, the more excited they became, and couldn’t help but ask about the clothes, such as where he bought the sachet and jade pendant.

Zhao Yelan answered them one by one, and promised to take them to the streets together, which made them very happy.

After eating, the group of them went to tour the capital. Zhao Yelan had a wealth of experience in matters of pleasure, and took them to Jinxuan and Li Yucheng’s shop, strolling around for half a day without a problem. He also arranged for the young uncle and cousins to go to Huichun Tower to drink tea and listen to operas, and finally took the older uncle to buy steamed cakes.

“One of my teeth is broken, so I dare not eat too many,” Uncle said.

“ I asked the shopkeeper to make some softer ones, will you try one?”

Uncle took it and tasted it. It was not as hard as the last one, and he was satisfied.

When passing a pawn shop, Uncle said he would go in and pawn something. Zhao Yelan also accompanied him and made the shopkeeper raise the price, and in the end, Uncle departed happily with money in hand.

On New Year’s Eve, the General’s Mansion was very lively. Because there were relatives there, guests were not allowed to visit this year, and there was only the family sitting around eating together.

In the afternoon, Zhao Yelan played chess with Uncle. After winning a few rounds, Uncle became unhappy: “Fangli said that when you play chess, you won’t even concede to the Emperor, so why are you conceding to me? Are you looking down on me?”

These words hit his heart, and Zhao Yelan didn’t throw the games anymore. After half an hour, Uncle begged: “Just let me win once, just once, Mengting, just once!”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

After dinner, everyone went to a tall building in the city to drink and watch fireworks. 

In this sort of festive atmosphere, it was unreasonable to not drink at least two cups. Even the aunt and cousins raised their cups and drank together, and Zhao Yelan naturally couldn’t avoid it. He toasted each of the elders with a cup of wine and then sat quietly to the side.

Uncle asked Yan Mingting curiously: “Why is he so quiet?”

“He’s really drunk,” Yan Mingting said.

Everyone: “ ? ”

Yan Mingting set down his cup and was about to go help him, when he saw the other’s head resting on Uncle’s shoulder next to him.

Everyone: “ ? ”

Uncle turned to look at him. “You’re drunk? Are you treating me as Fangli?”

Zhao Yelan blinked slowly, looking up at him: “Uncle……”

Yan Mingting hurriedly covered his mouth, for fear that he would habitually ask to be hugged.

“Wu…..” Zhao Yelan tried to push his hand away.

“He acts like this whenever he drinks, don’t mind him, I’ll send him back first.” Yan Mingting gave an embarrassed smile and picked him up.

Zhao Yelan picked up his sleeves and looked at the people around the table, saying: “Uncles, I like you, ah, you should be promoted to the capital quickly. Aunt and little cousins, you are very pretty……”

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

Yan Mingting smiled: “What about me?”

Zhao Yelan looked up at him: “Hug.”

When he woke up the next day, Zhao Yelan sat on the edge of the bed and emptied his mind. He rubbed his head, not wanting to step outside the door at all.

“You’re awake.” Yan Mingting smiled. “Get up and come eat, you are missed.”

“I won’t eat.” Zhao Yelan lay down and closed his eyes, not wanting to face this terrible world.

“If you don’t eat, they might think you’re sick and come to visit you.”

Zhao Yelan climbed up with an ugly expression and walked to the front hall. He glanced at them awkwardly, but saw that they were acting normal and talking about everyday things, so he sat down in silence to eat.

They were leaving in the afternoon, and Zhao Yelan had prepared a lot of luggage for them, along with carriages, big and small.

The group of people said their farewells by the gate. Uncle got into the carriage first, but called Zhao Yelan in alone, and took a golden lock out of his sleeve with the word ‘Zhao’ engraved on it.

“It is the custom of our Yan family to give a jade bracelet to the new daughter-in-law, but that wasn’t suitable for you, so I pawned that bracelet and exchanged it for this, which can count as a gift for a grandson-in-law.”

Zhao Yelan accepted it, flattered. He recalled when he went to the pawn shop with him, wondering why he pawned such a good bracelet.

“My brother and nephew were unlucky in that they couldn’t see you marry Fangli with their own eyes. I came to see on their behalf, and they can rest assured, they don’t have to worry about it in the underworld. Fangli married a remarkable man.”

“Thank you.”

“Why are you being polite?” Uncle said, “You can also see that our Yan family is weak, especially this branch. Both his grandfather and father only had one wife each, and he…..To be honest, the year you first got married, I kept writing letters urging him to take some concubines. Now the world is peaceful, he doesn’t have to shed his blood and sacrifice himself, and can spread his branches and leaves peacefully. Isn’t that also good?”

Zhao Yelan said nothing.

“But that kid is so annoying, I write him a letter and he writes ten back. When I was packing my luggage this time, I accidentally brought a few of them with me.” Uncle took out a stack of letters and handed them to him, patting his shoulder heavily. “From now on, Fangli will be entrusted to you.”

“En, you take care.”

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting stood beside the carriage. They waved goodbye and watched them leave until they completely disappeared from sight. He turned his head and found the Yan Mingting’s eyes were red, and couldn’t help but smile.

Yan Minting turned his face away and quickly ran back to the bedroom.

Zhao Yelan didn’t bother him, but went to the study and opened the letters to read them.

The beginning of each letter was an exchange of pleasantries, and after the current situation was explained in detail, Zhao Yelan would be mentioned.

— Thank you for your concern, Uncle. After two months of marriage, I don’t think that Zhao Yelan is a person who is as wicked and unforgiving as the rumors say, and I hope Uncle will not believe those rumors.

— Uncle, what you say is a bit biased. Zhao Yelan is a man, but I am also a man, ah. He can’t spread branches and leaves for my Yan family, and I also can’t bear children for him. 

I call him ‘wife’ just for fun between marriage partners, but I don’t expect him to take on the duties of a wife. Aren’t your words putting too much pressure on others?

— Uncle, I’m going to secretly say something outrageous to you. You should sit down first.

I think, I might, I possibly……really fell in love with Zhao Yelan.

My god, I can’t believe it myself!

— I’m in Jiangnan now, and I originally thought I would visit you once I finished my business, but I didn’t expect to encounter a drought. Mengting is trying his best to salvage the situation. I hope it will rain soon, Mengting’s body can hardly bear it anymore.

When natural disasters come, should we save others or ourselves?

Uncle, I’m ashamed to say this, but I’ve developed some selfishness in the past few days, and I hope Mengting can choose the latter.

— Uncle, I got the Chisha Sword! Where do you think it came from? That’s right, it’s the reward that Mengting got from the Emperor for me! He loves me so much! 

Because of Mengting, I am now the most promising person in our Yan family! Don’t be jealous!

— As for the question of heirs that you mentioned again, I have thought about it carefully. Let my uncles and cousins work harder. Wait for me and Mengting for a hundred years, and then take the Yan family property back. If you don’t want it, I will donate it all to the common people. Anyway, you don’t bring anything into life when you’re born, and you don’t take anything away when you die. I just need Mengting to accompany me for a hundred years.

— Mengting looks very good today, no, he looks very good every day! 

When the time comes that you come to the capital to see him, Uncle, don’t hold prejudice against him. He likes fragrances because he has suffered from bitter smells, and the bright and beautiful clothes he wears are definitely not vanity. It is because his mother was an embroiderer, and he wants to wear all the clothes in the world to show his parents. Because he was poor, he likes expensive things, just like I still like eating tanghulu at my age.

Uncle, if you meet him, you will definitely like him!

— Sorry, I forgot to say something else. Uncle, if you see him hit me or beat me, don’t be angry. He can’t hurt me with his flowery and impractical skills. This is our way of showing love, don’t worry too much!

— You haven’t left yet, have you? I will add one last thing.

I also know that nobody can be liked by everyone. If, if…..if you really don’t like him, please try your best to treat him kindly. 

I still have you all as family far away, but he only has me. So I implore you to treat him like me, okay?

The candle was about to burn out. Zhao Yelan lit another one and carefully folded the letters. When he heard footsteps outside the door, he hastily stuffed them into his pocket.

“It’s so late, aren’t you going to rest?” Yan Mingting asked as he walked in. “What has you so busy?”

“It’s nothing,” Zhao Yelan said, lowering his head.

“What’s wrong with you?” Yan Mingting raised his head to find that his eyes were slightly red and the tails of his eyes were wet. He asked in surprise, “Are you also reluctant to part with them?”

Zhao Yelan suddenly smiled: “Yes, ah, let’s visit them someday.”

“Okay, ah.” Yan Mingting readily agreed. He touched his cheek and said in a low voice, “You like my family members?”

“I like them.” Zhao Yelan stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips. “Because they are your family, I also like them very much.”

There were thousands of words of letters smushed between their two chests, and the endless feelings in those words finally became one simple sentence.

“Fangli, I’m glad to have met you, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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[1] Cuju (蹴鞠) is Chinese football. ⮐

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Extra 1: Birthday <<Table of Contents >> Extra 3: Afterwards