A day in heaven, a year on earth.
Pei Ran suddenly experienced this kind of "joy."
He had just finished a meal—how had he lost an entire month?
What exactly had he eaten that hit the sweet spot for the male and female protagonists so precisely?
Pei Ran picked up his phone and called Pei Yucai.
The only possible source of the problem he could think of now was this couple.
Unfortunately, Pei Yucai didn’t answer.
He tried Yu Mei next, but again, no one picked up.
Pei Ran held his phone, deep in thought.
Apart from his Chuanshu, which had caused a butterfly effect,
perhaps Jiang Han played a larger role in this story than he had imagined.
Pei Ran sat there all night, and thankfully, the countdown above his head didn’t change again.
At 10:30 p.m., Pei Yucai, Yu Mei, and Pei Jie returned home.
As they entered, the family of three were chatting and laughing.
When they saw Pei Ran, there was none of the previous dissatisfaction or anger from before they left. Instead, they seemed to know something insider, wearing expressions of understanding and meaningful glances.
Jiang Han must have told them something.
Pei Ran thought for a moment and, as Pei Yucai and his wife tried to act as if nothing had happened while passing by him, spoke in a calm, indifferent tone.
"Did Jiang Han tell you everything?"
Uh.
Pei Yucai and Yu Mei immediately stiffened.
Jiang Han had specifically told them not to show any reaction or mention that he was the one who had spoken.
But they hadn’t expected their son to be so clever, figuring it out instantly.
Pei Yucai: "How did you know?"
Yu Mei: "He didn’t say anything!"
Pei Ran smiled confidently. "What exactly did Jiang Han tell you?"
Under Pei Ran’s intense gaze, the Pei couple couldn’t hold out and spilled everything.
"Jiang Han said you’ve fallen for a female employee at the company. She’s very beautiful, but her family background is poor. You’re afraid we won’t approve, so you didn’t dare tell us directly. Instead, you wanted us to experience the life of the poor first, so we’d be more accepting of her later."
Pei Ran: "…"
Was this really what Jiang Han said?
Wasn’t this level of imagination a bit too far from the normal path?
But immediately, Pei Ran figured out the trick.
Having lived as family for so many years, Jiang Han was certain that if he said this, the Pei couple would believe him.
And once they believed it, they would definitely go and cause trouble for the rumored female protagonist, Shen Mianmian, venting all the frustration they’d felt over the past two days on her.
If Pei Ran truly liked Shen Mianmian, he would be caught between his parents and the woman he loved, and it was easy to imagine how miserable he would be.
Whether their relationship could last would be uncertain, and even if it did, it would plant the seeds of conflict for their future family life.
If the matter had nothing to do with Shen Mianmian and Pei Ran didn’t like her, then Pei Ran’s sudden change would seem even stranger.
If it wasn’t love that had changed him, what else could it be?
Perhaps betrayal by a friend?
As Pei Ran’s best friend and brother, Jiang Han suddenly discovered that the other person was keeping secrets from him.
This discovery, combined with his own guilty conscience, sparked a sense of crisis in him.
It also made him particularly eager to figure out what exactly had happened to Pei Ran.
As an observer, Pei Ran could once again confirm the malice his childhood friend harbored toward him.
The only thing he still hadn't figured out was whether Jiang Han actually knew about the relationship between the male and female leads.
Considering how the male lead ended up acquiring the company and handing it over to Jiang Han to manage, Pei Ran found it hard to believe he was completely in the dark.
There were many important details left unexplained in the novel's plot.
But that was to be expected. In a novel, especially a romance novel, it was impossible to spell out every single thing about the supporting characters beyond the love story.
Otherwise, readers would surely criticize it for being overly padded.
Pei Ran had roughly figured out how he had indirectly and precisely "stepped on a landmine."
Pei Yucai and Yu Mei were now the parents of this body he inhabited. Their growing dislike for the female lead and their impending actions would naturally be attributed to him.
Once again, he experienced what it felt like to have family members who were powerful anchors dragging him down.
Heart-wrenching.
Pei Ran's mood was far from pleasant, so the method he came up with to resolve this situation wasn't exactly "something a decent person would do."
"Jiang Han got it wrong. Actually, I don't like that girl. I like Jiang Han. I just wanted to make him jealous."
Yu Mei: "Pfft!"
Pei Yucai: "…Agh!"
He was so agitated that he took a sudden step forward and slammed his knee into the coffee table.
Pei Ran continued: "Jiang Han actually knows too, but he's worried you won't approve and wants to break up with me. That's why he's pushing me toward other women. If you go cause trouble for her, I'll definitely help her because I don't want to involve an innocent person. The more we interact, the more likely it is that real feelings might develop. After all, men tend to sympathize with and protect the vulnerable."
Within half a minute, Pei Yucai and Yu Mei's emotions went from zero to sixty, then onto a rollercoaster ride. Their blood pressure nearly hit 250, almost sending them straight to the emergency room.
Just as the couple managed to recover from the shock and were about to persuade their son to get back on the right path,
Pei Ran abruptly shifted gears again: "If I were afraid you wouldn't approve of a girl I liked, wouldn't this method be even more effective? You'd even end up feeling grateful to her."
Pei Yucai & Yu Mei: "…Huh?"
What did that mean?
The two were clearly short-circuiting.
Pei Ran said: "I don't like men, and I don't like that female employee either. I just realized the company has been having some operational issues lately. If things don't improve, the company might change hands. In case that happens… you should start getting used to this kind of life early, so you won't be too overwhelmed by the shock."
The matter seemed clear enough, and Pei Ran had subtly thrown some shade at Jiang Han without even realizing it.
As long as one wasn't too foolish, thinking back and forth would bring certain questions to mind.
And suspicion was inherent in human nature.
If the company changed owners, who was the most likely candidate?
Why was Jiang Han so certain when he told them Pei Ran liked Shen Mianmian?
If Pei Ran really ended up liking that girl because of this…
The information overload was too much, and there were too many things to think about. That night, they thought they'd be up all night.
Unfortunately, Pei Yucai and Yu Mei were so exhausted from working all day that they quickly fell into a deep sleep.
They were woken up early the next morning by the family's Auntie.
"Sir, Madam, it's time to get up and do the housework."
The Pei couple: "…"
No, their son had already explained everything to them last night, and now they understood his good intentions. They were mentally prepared for the possibility of bankruptcy in the future—wasn't that enough?
The butler waiting nearby: "The young master said it's not enough. You must experience it firsthand."
The Pei couple were handed rags and mops: "…"
No, they really thought it was enough! More than enough! Absolutely enough!
At the company.
Pei Ran arrived at the office early. Today, Jiang Han didn't come to bring him coffee.
Jiang Han had gone to wait for Shen Mianmian.
He guessed that after what he said last night, Pei Yucai and Yu Mei wouldn't be able to sit still.
Early this morning, he had meticulously instructed the receptionist and security guards to let them in without stopping them when they arrived.
Jiang Han wasn't just the second-in-command; everyone knew what kind of relationship he had with Pei Ran, the boss.
Moreover, Pei Yucai and Yu Mei were, after all, Pei Ran's parents. When the receptionist and security guards heard this, they assumed the "family conflict" had been resolved.
Without giving it much thought, they agreed.
But after waiting and waiting, it was almost lunchtime, and the Pei couple still hadn't shown up.
That shouldn't be the case.
Since when had this couple become so patient?
In such matters, the more Pei Ran explained, the less the parents should listen. Otherwise, Jiang Han wouldn't have let them go home and risk Pei Ran noticing something was off.
Pei Ran's explanations were like pouring oil on the fire.
Finally, Jiang Han couldn't hold back and called Pei Yucai.
Unfortunately, Pei Yucai didn't answer the phone, and neither did Yu Mei.
Among all the guesses that crossed his mind, none involved the couple scrubbing toilets in the bathroom, arguing furiously over who should do the dirty work.
Left with no choice, Jiang Han had to go find Pei Ran himself.
Why not go find Shen Mianmian? He knew better than anyone that Pei Ran probably didn't like her—you could tell just by looking at his eyes.
Pei Ran had been busy in his office since early morning, working nonstop until almost noon without even taking a bathroom break.
The new hires for the company hadn't all been finalized yet, and the few who had been recruited couldn't immediately perform at their best, still adjusting to their roles.
Several ongoing projects were also behind schedule. While employees could work overtime, there had to be limits. As a fellow office worker, he didn't want to risk anyone collapsing from overwork.
With no other options, he had to negotiate with the clients.
Then there were the projects still in discussion, each with its own pile of issues to resolve.
On top of that, the live-streaming business he wanted to shut down involved numerous contract termination matters. It wasn't something that could be stopped with a single announcement.
The company was still too small, and the team needed time to grow.
If this were the male lead's company, he probably would have just given the order.
Come to think of it, tears of envy were practically dripping from the corner of his mouth.
Jiang Han knocked and entered.
"Going for lunch?"
Pei Ran glanced at the time on his computer—it was indeed noon.
He also took a moment to check the countdown reflected on his screen.
The numbers hadn't gone back up.
Mood: terrible.
Pei Ran: "Japanese food?"
Sure enough, Jiang Han's expression stiffened for a moment.
Well, needling people really did help lighten the mood.
In the end, they didn't actually go for Japanese food. Instead, they chose a restaurant nearby.
Jiang Han deliberately mentioned Pei Yucai several times, seemingly having been entrusted by someone to plead on his behalf.
Had Pei Yucai been fired without reason?
Pei Ran easily brushed it off with the excuse that he was getting old and should go home to enjoy his retirement.
Jiang Han then found it difficult to say anything more.
If the biological son felt sorry for his own father, what right did he, an adopted son, have to object?
In the end, Jiang Han realized he couldn’t probe anything further and had no choice but to muster the courage to bring up Shen Mianmian.
He didn’t mention whether he liked her or not, only praised her excellent work abilities, mentioning that she had taken over Pi Qiu’s team leader position and was working diligently every day.
“Oh, you mean that female employee. She does seem quite clever. She probably can’t do worse than the previous one, who only had dirty thoughts in his head.”
Pei Ran allowed him to probe, but in reality, he was also observing Jiang Han, trying to figure out what he really meant.
Both harbored ulterior motives, beating around the bush, speaking half-truths and hiding the rest. Little of what was said was genuine, and the meal ended up tasting rather bland.
Returning to the company in the afternoon, work had to continue.
Another uneventful day as a corporate drone ended when Pei Ran received a call from Pei Jie’s school teacher.
That brat had bullied someone at school.
Pei Ran sensed the matter seemed serious, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out of the office.
At the company entrance, he nearly collided with Shen Mianmian, who was also rushing out.
Shen Mianmian was genuinely in a hurry, not even noticing she had bumped into the big boss as she dashed out.
Pei Ran fell behind her, and a sense of foreboding rose within him.
Could they be heading to the same destination?
He remembered Pei Jie attended the same school as the female lead’s precious younger sister.
He made his way down to the parking lot, and as he drove out of the intersection near the company, he unsurprisingly saw Shen Mianmian standing anxiously by the roadside, trying to hail a taxi.
“Where are you going? If it’s on the way, I can give you a ride. I’m heading to Liu Xi Road.”
He rolled down the window and called out to Shen Mianmian, who looked visibly distressed.
Upon hearing the big boss’s offer and seeing no taxis on the road, Shen Mianmian immediately got into the car.
“Thank you, President Pei.”
Shen Mianmian was too worried about her sister to engage in conversation with the big boss during the ride.
Pei Ran, for his part, had no intention of explaining his own destination. Since he didn’t yet know what was going on, it was better to say less and avoid mistakes.
When they arrived at their destination, both of them—one genuinely and the other pretending—looked equally surprised.
This surprise accompanied them all the way to the teacher’s office.
Before Pei Ran even reached the door, he could hear Pei Jie, that brat, shouting inside.
“My brother is a big boss! Just tell him to give her money! What’s the big deal? Stop crying, it’s so annoying!”
“!!!”
Pei Ran didn’t even need to look at Shen Mianmian’s expression. A brat like this deserved a beating first.
Without waiting for Shen Mianmian, he strode into the room, grabbed Pei Jie from behind, laid him across his lap, and gave him a firm spanking.
[Author’s Note]
Is Pei Ran into men or women?—
Pei Ran: I’m only into money~