The butler took the contract back. “I will go back and redraft it immediately.”
Pei Huaiye said, “Come back.”
The contract was a legitimate document. The butler added with regret, “This is the contract for your contact therapy with the young master.”
Wu Hui looked at Pei Huaiye in confusion.
Pei Huaiye rested his clasped hands on the table in a posture typical of a superior in a negotiation. “I have thought about it. If I ask you to hold my hand, hug me, and sleep with me, it is not fair to you. This contract is compensation for you.”
It was inconvenient for Wu Hui to eat fruit, so the butler took the liberty of flipping through the contract and explaining it.
“During the term of the contract, Young Master Chu is required to accommodate the young master’s needs for intimate contact, including but not limited to holding hands, hugging, and sleeping in the same bed. During this period, we will be fully responsible for all expenses regarding food, clothing, housing, and transportation. In addition, you will receive a monthly compensation of twenty million.”
Twenty million a month; the Pei family was truly wealthy.
Wu Hui was intrigued. “Including but not limited to?”
The butler answered diligently, “Yes, the young master may engage in any activity within the scope of intimate contact.”
Wu Hui asked, “Does sex count as intimate contact?”
The butler remained expressionless. “Yes.”
Pei Huaiye glanced at the butler.
The butler added, “Adhering to the principle of mutual consent.”
Wu Hui chuckled. “Is there an end date?”
“The contract is for six months. Every six months, a new contract will be signed based on the situation. Both parties are free to choose whether to renew.”
Wu Hui asked a few more questions, then stopped and signed his name: Chu Yu.
Jianqiu felt envious: [I cannot even imagine how great the client will feel when they return and find a nine-figure deposit in their bank account.]
Compared to the emperor who was left with nothing in the previous world, the treatment was significantly better. In a sense, it was a very pleasant indenture contract.
Once only Wu Hui and Pei Huaiye were left in the dormitory, Wu Hui held out his hands to Pei Huaiye. “Senior, you can use me as much as you want now.”
This was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Wu Hui wondered, “But why do I feel like I have fallen into your trap?”
If he reviewed the process from the very beginning, Pei Huaiye’s goal was exposed quite clearly. He wanted physical contact with Wu Hui and, by inviting him to dinner and accompanying him to early morning classes, he had walked into his life bit by bit, making it impossible for Wu Hui to remain indifferent or refuse.
He had never tried to hide his skin hunger, though he had not expected to be exposed so quickly. But it did not matter. It was more suitable for playing the victim and making harmless little requests.
Previously, he had made strange demands for hugs, and once Wu Hui learned he was a patient, he figured that one hug would not hurt, so his boundaries were lowered. Now, this contract seemed meticulously designed.
Pei Huaiye did not answer his question. He gripped his wrists and pulled him into his arms, causing Wu Hui to sit on his lap.
He still said the same thing, “You are here voluntarily.”
Wu Hui wrapped his arms around his neck, his slender body like an exquisite doll in his arms. “Yes, I am voluntary.”
Pei Huaiye was satisfied and pinched his cheek.
No sooner had Wu Hui moved into Pei Huaiye’s dormitory than he became a trending topic at Aliston University.
[Since they are already living together, can having children be far behind?]
This comment received tens of thousands of likes from alumni.
In reality, their cohabitation was limited to daily cuddling and sleeping. Whenever there were no classes, Pei Huaiye would keep Wu Hui in his arms, inseparable.
However, that rumor spread far and wide, and every so often, people would update the campus wall in real-time.
[Ran into the Prince Consort tonight, his stomach is bulging! Is he pregnant?]
[Don’t make a big deal out of it; he just ate too much hot pot.]
[It is not just me, the Prince Consort’s stomach has been getting bigger lately. It is definitely not from eating too much.]
[It is cold, he is just wearing too much.]
[He gave birth! The Prince Consort gave birth!]
Wu Hui arrived at the classroom wearing a down jacket, wrapped up like a soft, sweet marshmallow because he was afraid of the cold.
The classroom heater was on high. Right in front of his classmates, he pulled a pink hand warmer out from under his jacket, right at his stomach.
The butler had prepared it especially for him.
This immediately debunked another rumor.
Once winter arrived, early morning classes became even more detested by everyone.
“Damn, I was almost late,” Jiang Liexing said, sitting down next to Wu Hui. “Chu Yu, it is my blessing to have you save a seat for me.”
More and more people were showing up just in time for class, so Wu Hui did not even need to save seats anymore.
“Why are you late every day?”
As the heater in the classroom warmed him up, Jiang Liexing unzipped his jacket. “Don’t ask. I could not wake up; I almost shoved my toothbrush up my nostril.”
“I just do not understand why teeth have to be white. They are not dirt-resistant, forcing me to brush them every day. How much better would it be if they were black?”
Wu Hui was still diligently gardening; his vegetable plot was covered with a layer of snow, making it a beautiful sight.
“Following your logic, would it not be better if they were blue? You could even connect your phone to listen to music.”
Jiang Liexing realized, “That is right!”
Wu Hui turned his head. “Have you found your dance partner for the ball?”
Jiang Liexing’s heart was pierced deeply, and he silently buried his head.
That meant no.
“Your goddess has not agreed yet?”
“She said we have no possibility.”
Wu Hui comforted him, “You have money, right? Try using the power of cash.”
“But,” Jiang Liexing wailed, “she is even richer than I am.”
How pitiful.
Wu Hui did not even look up. “Change to someone else; she is not the only one.”
Jiang Liexing wiped his tears. “Would you be willing to trade the Crown Prince for someone else?”
“Hard to say,” Wu Hui said, half-jokingly. “After all, it is hard to find someone more handsome and richer than him.”
Jiang Liexing was so stunned by his simple and unadorned reasoning that he forgot what to say.
As the time for the ball approached, the people who had not yet found a dance partner were essentially the same group as those who left their homework until the very last day. They went from happily anticipating the event to panicking.
The formal wear custom-made by the Pei family arrived.
Wu Hui and Pei Huaiye tried them on to ensure they fit before keeping them. In addition to the formal wear, there were two matching star-gemstone brooches.
Wu Hui’s was a ruby, and Pei Huaiye’s was a sapphire.
“There is something going on at home on the day of the ball, so I have to go back,” Pei Huaiye explained in advance. “But I will be back before seven.”
The ball would start promptly at seven.
Wu Hui did not ask why he had to go back and played with the brooch. “Alright.”
The red of the ruby was close to the color of the beads on his wrist, a beautiful, pure, dark red that could transmit light in the sun.
Pei Huaiye stared at his hand. “Do you want me to pick you up when I return, or will you go yourself?”
Wu Hui was indifferent. “Either way works.”
“I will go by myself. It is too much of a detour for you to return to the dorm and then go to the grand auditorium.”
Pei Huaiye had no problem with that. “Alright.” After a while, he thought of a question. “You know where the grand auditorium is, right?”
Wu Hui tossed the brooch back. “Of course I do. I have passed by it before.”
Pei Huaiye was still a bit worried.
But since it was on campus, he could always ask for directions if he did not know where it was. He should not end up failing to find the place.