Shuo Qiao poked at the rice in his bowl, lost in thought with a slight frown on his brow, looking as if he were completing a formidable task.
Pei Jinghe sat beside the dining table like a parent supervising a child’s meal, his knuckles tapping rhythmically against the edge of the table. “Finish it.”
“Hubby, your cooking is so good.” Shuo Qiao swallowed hard, digging out another spoonful with a tearful expression and forcing himself to swallow it down.
Actually, it was truly terrible. If it were this bad, he wouldn’t eat a single bite himself, he was giving it all to him.
He was using every trick in the book exclusively on him!
Reluctantly taking two more bites, Shuo Qiao puffed out his cheeks like a hamster and stopped moving, habitually raising his moist, watery eyes to look at Pei Jinghe.
“No acting spoiled.”
Before he could even open his mouth, he was batted right back down.
“The nutritionist says you’re anemic and need to increase your intake of iron and vitamins,” Pei Jinghe said in a flat voice, his handsome face wearing a deadpan, unquestionable expression.
Before Shuo Qiao could mount a protest, his sugar daddy picked up a piece of broccoli and thoughtfully offered it right to his lips.
“Be a good boy, open wide.”
Reluctantly, Shuo Qiao parted his lips, and Pei Jinghe picked up a napkin to wipe the corners of his mouth. “Such a good boy.”
Pei Jinghe was feeding him very earnestly, his gaze focused intently on every single motion of chewing and swallowing. Shuo Qiao remained stiff in his embrace, the roots of his ears burning as if they were on fire.
“Can we stop now…?”
…Could he please opt out of playing the pampered trophy spouse script?
What should he do? Aside from awkwardness and shame, there was also a tiny fluttering of being cherished and moved.
Though somewhat indulging in this gentleness, Shuo Qiao didn’t forget to remind himself that rather than genuinely caring, Pei Jinghe was more like he was playing a raising/simulation game.
It felt much more like he was enjoying roleplaying the part of a savior.
Well, since the sugar daddy liked it, he would just play along. Shuo Qiao told himself in his heart, this was simply a green tea’s mission!
Until two weeks later, when Shuo Qiao stepped onto the scale and discovered he had gained three pounds.
Pei Jinghe stood right behind him, his hands resting on his waist, kneading that thin layer of soft flesh with satisfaction. His gaze resembled someone looking at a flawed piece of art, its luster gradually being restored after being personally repaired by his own hands.
“It’s better to be a bit plump,” he kissed the back of Shuo Qiao’s neck. “You were way too skinny before, holding you felt like hugging a bunch of bones.”
Facing the mirror and looking at his cheeks, which had indeed grown a bit fuller, Shuo Qiao found himself with grievances too bitter to voice. “Thank you, Hubby,” he smiled on the outside while gnashing his teeth on the inside. “You’re so good to me.”
If you feed me until I turn into a three-hundred-pound fatso, let’s see if you still like me!
Over at the university, Pei Du hadn’t given up either.
As if trying to prove something, he ramped up his high-profile displays of affection toward Shuo Qiao. With unwavering daily pick-ups and drop-offs, Shuo Qiao could always spot that customized, flashy motorcycle parked right outside the teaching building after class.
The moment Shuo Qiao muttered a single word about being thirsty, an iced juice would be handed right to his hand. When Shuo Qiao casually mentioned that a thesis was hard to write, Pei Du had the completed first draft sitting in his email inbox by the very next day.
“Stop doing this,” Shuo Qiao told him with utmost solemnity. “Your older brother has been managing me strictly lately, you have no idea.”
Besides, your essay writing skills are mediocre at best! Just because your brain is completely blank doesn’t mean your innovation point fills a gap in academia, okay?!
Could you two brothers please stop shining brightly in areas where neither of you excels?!
Leaning against his car with the pale golden sunlight bathing his hair, Pei Du looked like an overgrown boy: “I’m not afraid of him. I just want to treat you well, what, is that a crime?”
Shuo Qiao opened his mouth, but before he could reply, his phone rang.
It was a call from his academic counselor. He picked it up, and after listening for a few seconds, his face drained of color.
Hanging up, Pei Du immediately asked with concern, “What’s wrong, Qiao Qiao?”
“This semester’s scholarship got canceled,” Shuo Qiao said in a depressed tone. “Someone reported that my personal conduct has issues, so the school review didn’t pass.”
Pei Du frowned. “Who reported it?”
“I don’t know.” Shuo Qiao shook his head, biting his lower lip until it almost bled. This time he wasn’t acting, he was genuinely anxious.
That scholarship was worth ten thousand yuan, though it was a drop in the bucket, it was still something he had earned through hard work.
Seeing the reddish corners of Shuo Qiao’s eyes, Pei Du felt a tight squeeze in his chest. He pulled out his phone and tapped away at the screen.
Shuo Qiao’s phone vibrated, notifying him of a transfer of twenty thousand yuan.
“You…” Shuo Qiao froze.
“Doubled to make it up to you,” Pei Du put his phone away, flashing a somewhat childish grin. “Don’t be upset anymore.”
Looking at that transfer, Shuo Qiao felt a mixture of touching warmth and hesitation. Pei Du’s kindness felt more like the clumsy affection of a youth, passionate, expecting nothing in return, and carrying a hint of foolishness.
Unlike Pei Jinghe, who always possessed such an intense desire for control.
That evening, Pei Jinghe was working overtime, so on an impulse, Shuo Qiao accepted Pei Du’s dinner invitation.
Though he was nervous and terrified of getting caught, this clandestine rebellion gave him a thrilling sense of euphoria, like secretly digging a tunnel in a prison cell, even if it meant just breathing a single breath of air from the outside world.
The restaurant occupied a high floor by the river, offering a view of the entire city’s nightscape through floor-to-ceiling windows. A massive bouquet of red roses sat on the table, looking radiantly alluring under the warm yellow lights.
“Qiao Qiao, do you like it?” Pei Du looked at him expectantly.
“I love it! It’s so pretty, thank you.”
Shuo Qiao accepted it with a beaming smile, though inwardly he had little interest in anything that couldn’t be resold secondhand, and even felt a twinge of heartache over Pei Du wasting his money. Still, he didn’t let it ruin the mood by showing it.
“As long as you like it. I have another gift,” Pei Du said, fishing a velvet box out of his pocket to reveal a delicate brooch. The platinum base was set with a small blue sapphire, and at a single glance, it looked exorbitantly expensive.
“For you.” Pei Du’s face flushed slightly. “The moment I saw this brooch, I thought it suited you perfectly.”
Taking the box and rolling the cool metal between his fingertips, Shuo Qiao’s eyes lit up: “You’re so good to me, Pei Du! How did you know I liked this?”
At a glance, that blue sapphire could easily fetch a pretty penny!
Halfway through dinner, Shuo Qiao went to the restroom. While washing his hands at the mirror, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye, Pei Du had followed him inside.
“Qiao Qiao,” Pei Du stood behind him, his voice dropping lower. “I still…”
He reached out, intending to brush Shuo Qiao’s shoulder, and seeing the motion in the mirror, Shuo Qiao’s body went slightly rigid.
If he shoved Pei Du away right now, would that twenty-thousand-yuan transfer get clawed back?
Just as Pei Du’s fingertips were about to graze him, an abrupt phone ringtone cut through the air.
“Hello?” Pei Du answered. After listening for a couple of seconds, his expression shifted. “What! My car got sideswiped? I’ll be right there.”
Hanging up, he looked apologetically at Shuo Qiao: “My car got scraped in the parking lot. Wait for me a moment, I’ll be right back.”
Knowing how much Pei Du loved street racing, his car was practically his prized possession, Shuo Qiao nodded understandingly. “Okay, go ahead.”
Pei Du hurried off. Exhaling a sigh of relief, Shuo Qiao deliberately dawdled for a bit before emerging from the restroom.
The second he stepped out, he froze in place.
At a window-side table in the dining room sat Pei Jinghe.
The man wore a tailored black suit, his profile sharply carved as he sat in semi-profile, jaw clenched tight.
Shuo Qiao’s heart skipped a beat. Taking a deep breath to steady his expression into something natural, he walked over at a leisurely pace.
“Mr. Pei?” He feigned surprise. “What a coincidence, what are you doing here?”
Pei Jinghe turned his head, his gaze landing on Shuo Qiao’s face. Shuo Qiao’s cheeks possessed a faint flush from the alcohol, his eyes were glossy, and his lips stained a vivid crimson from the red wine.
“Eating,” Pei Jinghe’s gaze was like a bottomless cold pool. “And you?”
“I…” Shuo Qiao’s brain spun at breakneck speed. “I came out to eat too, and happened to run into Pei Du, so we just… joined up…”
“Is that so.” Pei Jinghe cut him off, narrowing his eyes slightly. “I recall warning you to stay away from my younger brother.”
Shuo Qiao’s breath caught sharply, and he bit down hard on his lower lip. Ignoring him entirely, Pei Jinghe picked up his coat and turned to walk out.
“Not coming?”
“Ah… coming.”
Glancing back at the eyesore bouquet of red roses on the table, Shuo Qiao gritted his teeth and followed after him.
In the parking lot, Pei Jinghe’s car sat in the furthest, most secluded corner. As soon as Shuo Qiao pulled open the door and slipped inside, before he even had time to fasten his seatbelt, Pei Jinghe leaned across and pinned him down.
“Mr. Pei, ” The rest of his words were swallowed up.
Pei Jinghe’s palm clamped onto the back of his neck with enough force to sting. His lips and teeth were forced apart, an aggressive aura flooding his oral cavity. Suffocated by the kiss, Shuo Qiao clutched tightly at the edges of the car seat.
“Mmph, mmph…”
Suffocation brought stinging tears of physiological reflex to Shuo Qiao’s eyes. Finally releasing him, Pei Jinghe didn’t pull back.
“W-Wait a minute!” Panic surged through Shuo Qiao. “Not here…”
“Why not?” Pei Jinghe’s voice dropped low, laced with a dangerous edge. “Scared someone will see?”
Shuo Qiao trembled all over, biting down on his lower lip to swallow back a cry.
Outside the windows, scattered vehicles drifted in and out of the parking lot, their high beams occasionally sweeping across to cast a blurred ribbon of light over the privacy-tinted glass.
“Pei Du, he, might, might come back…”
“Isn’t that even better?” Pei Jinghe bit down on his earlobe, his voice mingling hot breath directly into his auditory canal. “Let him see who you belong to.”
Shuo Qiao’s heart hammered frantically. Through the car window, he caught sight of Pei Du in the distance, anxiously looking around in apparent search of him. And right at this moment, he was being pinned down in the back seat of a car by Pei Jinghe.
His phone rang, it was a call from Pei Du.
Picking up the phone and glancing at the screen, Pei Jinghe held it out to Shuo Qiao without a moment of hesitation.
“Answer.”
Shuo Qiao shook his head, tears spilling over: “I’m begging you… please don’t…”
“Answer!” Pei Jinghe’s long, powerful fingers clamped firmly around his wrist.
With no other choice, Shuo Qiao answered the call with a trembling hand, pressing the accept button.
“Qiao Qiao, where did you go?” Pei Du sounded anxious. “Why aren’t you at the restaurant?”
“I-I’m… feeling a bit… a bit un-well, so I came back… home first.”
“Not feeling well? What’s wrong? Do you want me to drop you, ”
“No need!” Shuo Qiao’s voice pitched up before softening again. “Just, my head… hurts. I already called a cab.”
“I really… have to hang up…”
Ending the call, the phone slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the seat. Pei Jinghe finally looked satisfied. Kissing Shuo Qiao’s sweat-dampened brow, his gentleness returned instantly, making him seem like an entirely different person.
“Good baby.”
Back at home, Shuo Qiao’s legs felt so weak he nearly collapsed right in the entryway.
Pei Jinghe caught him, wrapping an arm around his waist to lead him upstairs. Cuddling close into his chest, Shuo Qiao’s mind remained completely scrambled.
Those final few thrusts by Pei Jinghe in the car had been so deep and heavy that he genuinely thought he might die right there.
As they climbed the stairs, Shuo Qiao’s legs finally gave out. Stumbling forward, his knee cracked hard against a step, drawing a sharp intake of breath from the pain.
“What’s wrong? Let me see.”
Squatting down instantly, Pei Jinghe rolled up his trouser leg. A massive dark bruise stained his shin, looking stark and jarring against his fair skin.
“It hurts…” Shuo Qiao looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
Without a word, Pei Jinghe bent down and swept him up horizontally into his arms.
Reaching the bedroom, Pei Jinghe deposited him onto the bed and turned away to fetch the medical kit. Sitting on the edge of the mattress and staring at his retreating back, Shuo Qiao suddenly spoke up: “Mr. Pei.”
Pei Jinghe turned his head back.
“I,” Shuo Qiao lowered his gaze, his fingers twisting nervously at his hemline, “I only like you. Really.”
Pei Jinghe’s movements paused for a split second.
“I know Pei Du, he… but he’s just a younger brother.” Shuo Qiao’s voice sounded wronged. “I don’t want you guys falling out because of me. I don’t want to make things difficult for you.”
Lifting his gaze, his eye rims were red: “Because I like you so much… that’s why I don’t want to make you unhappy.”
So could he please let him off the hook tonight? His legs genuinely hurt so much right now.
Remaining silent, Pei Jinghe carried the medical kit back and sat down beside the bed. Unscrewing the ointment tube, he dipped a finger in and gently smoothed the cream over the bruise on Shuo Qiao’s shin.
The cooling ointment contrasted sharply against the warmth of his fingertips. Shuo Qiao flinched slightly, but Pei Jinghe held his leg in place.
“Don’t move.”
His motions were tender, massaging the cream in little by little. Watching those lowered eyelashes of his, Shuo Qiao drifted into a momentary trance.
Was Pei Jinghe worried he would corrupt his younger brother, or was he jealous? If he were jealous, could it mean Pei Jinghe actually genuinely liked,
The thought lasted barely a second before Shuo Qiao ruthlessly snuffed it out.
Finishing the application, Pei Jinghe raised his eyes to meet Shuo Qiao’s gaze. The youth’s eye rims were still red, yet his eyes looked somewhat unfocused, as if peering through him at something else entirely.
A sudden dark shadow crossed Pei Jinghe’s expression.
“Qiao Qiao.” Cupping Shuo Qiao’s chin, his thumb brushed across his damp eye corner. “Look at me.”
Coming back to his senses, Shuo Qiao blinked.
“You are my person, and you can only ever be my person. Did you remember that?”
Nodding, Shuo Qiao mustered a well-behaved smile: “I know, of course.”
Pei Jinghe pressed a kiss to Shuo Qiao’s forehead. “Sleep,” he said. “Use me as your pillow, I’ll stay right here with you.”
Lying down, Shuo Qiao closed his eyes. Pei Jinghe turned off the light and settled down beside him, his arm automatically wrapping securely around his waist.
In the darkness, listening to the steady rhythm of Pei Jinghe’s breathing, Shuo Qiao felt a sensation akin to being tightly wrapped inside an impenetrable cocoon.