Pei Huaiye said, “…”
He really brought a hand warmer with him wherever he went.
Pei Huaiye took it. “My son is already cold.”
There were not many people around them, as they were not in the prime dining area and the spotlights did not shine there. Pei Huaiye turned to the side, using his broad frame to block the view of others. He reached his hand under the hem of Wu Hui’s formal wear and whispered, “Still cold?”
His palm was warm, and it felt rather comfortable pressed against Wu Hui’s stomach through his clothing.
Wu Hui felt it for a moment, then sighed, “Even if you touch me, I will not have a child.”
Pei Huaiye said in a low voice, “If you truly want one, I can satisfy you.”
Wu Hui looked at him with pity. “How can I make you understand that sleeping alone does not produce children?”
Pei Huaiye replied, “Perhaps it is because you did not take off your clothes. Taking off only mine is not enough. You should try taking yours off tonight.”
Wu Hui thought for a long time but could not figure out how to respond.
The change in Pei Huaiye from the beginning was too drastic. Perhaps due to the contract, he had started to resort to blatant coaxing and manipulation.
“Hey!”
Nian Zhi’s voice came from behind them. “Wen Tanyi, stop right there!”
The two turned their heads to see Nian Zhi, dressed in a gorgeous gown, chasing a tall woman in a black spaghetti-strap dress toward them. Nian Zhi, wearing high heels, was clearly trying her best to keep up, but the woman was significantly taller, making her impossible to catch.
Nian Zhi gritted her teeth, then suddenly heard her ask, “Who is that person next to Pei Huaiye?”
Nian Zhi was confused. Wen Tanyi’s tone was so unfamiliar that Nian Zhi almost did not realize she was the one speaking. Who else could be next to Pei Huaiye? Nian Zhi glanced over and, seeing their matching outfits, felt satisfied. “The Crown Princess, of course. Have you not heard of him?”
She had never gotten along with Wen Tanyi, mainly because she could not stand Wen Tanyi’s obsequiousness toward the Pei family, nor the way she shamelessly followed Pei Huaiye, acting as if she were destined to be the mistress of the Pei household while being bossy to everyone else.
Wen Tanyi narrowed her eyes as she looked at Wu Hui. “The Crown Princess?”
Nian Zhi was happy to see her thwarted. “That is right. The whole school recognizes it. They are already living together. You still expect to marry into the Pei family?”
Wen Tanyi’s brows furrowed. Suddenly, Wu Hui turned his head and met her gaze. Their eyes locked in the air.
Wen Tanyi’s expression was complicated, clearly unhappy, but her gaze dropped, and she suddenly caught sight of the red beaded bracelet peeking out from Wu Hui’s cuff.
Nian Zhi continued, “Give up. He does not even like women, and if you dare try to break up my ship, I will not be polite.”
Before she could finish her sentence, Wen Tanyi turned and left.
Nian Zhi was left stunned. She fled without a fight?
“Senior,” Wu Hui recognized her identity and teased, “What should we do? Your childhood sweetheart has left. Was she unhappy to see me?”
Pei Huaiye pursed his thin lips and pointed out several directions to him. “Those people over there, were they the ones who invited you to be their dance partner before?”
The nature of this ball was essentially like a large-scale mixer. Being invited to dance was an excuse to develop further relationships. Those individuals were all people Wu Hui had met in his elective classes and clubs, and Pei Huaiye had happened to run into them when they invited him.
Wu Hui admired his ability to draw inferences and stood up. “I am going to the restroom.”
Pei Huaiye watched him stand up. “Do not get lost.”
In front of the washbasin, Wu Hui turned on the faucet, and warm water flowed out. He lowered his head to wash his hands, not turning around when he heard the sound of high heels clicking on the floor behind him.
“Is Pei Huaiye your target?”
Wen Tanyi stopped not far from him. The music outside was blocked by the walls, making their conversation clear. She leaned against the wall, fiddling with her nails. “That is right.”
Wu Hui turned off the water. “That is not allowed.” He tilted his head, smiling beautifully. “You should pick someone else.”
Wen Tanyi was expressionless. “But I want to be the mistress of the Pei family.”
Wu Hui suggested, “You could marry his grandfather.”
Pei Huaiye’s parents had passed away long ago, leaving only the old man as the direct lineage of the Pei family. You did not have to marry Pei Huaiye to become the mistress.
Wen Tanyi was silent for a moment before saying, “Damn it. System, you handle this matter.”
System: [Contacting the main system.]
Wu Hui had recognized Wen Tanyi at first glance. Unlike him, a “relation hire,” Wen Tanyi was a powerhouse, a gold-medal employee of the Quick Transmigration Group and one of the individuals with the highest authority.
Jianqiu: [I wondered why I felt the aura of one of our own. I thought I had just been watching too many movies lately.]
As a system, the fact that he had not realized it sooner meant he was on the verge of being reformatted.
“Buddha-child,” Wen Tanyi brushed back her hair, “are you not afraid that the Boss will destroy this world in a fit of rage after finding out you are cuckolding him in a small world?”
The entire space-time alliance knew that the Boss’s little lover wore a string of red beads on his wrist. He had never taken them off, making him extremely easy to identify.
Wu Hui retorted, “I just love the thrill of cuckolding him.”
“Recorded,” Wen Tanyi smiled faintly. “If you do not want me to send this to the Boss, do not let him help you cheat next time we are one person short for mahjong.”
The losses always came from the same place; the Boss would squeeze the lower-level employees whenever he was in a good mood after coaxing his little lover, and they lost miserably every time.
Wu Hui was fearless. “That is his own doing.”
Wen Tanyi caught a hint of something strange, but this was not the time to discuss it.
Wu Hui asked, “Your task is to be the mistress of the Pei family?”
Wen Tanyi was in the “Vicious Female Lead” group, where the task was to transform the souls of vicious female characters. Such characters were usually psychologically twisted and had done terrible things, leading to miserable ends. To transform them, one had to fulfill their deepest wishes. Her current character’s wish was to be the mistress of the Pei family.
System: [A message from the main system; the wish fulfillment task is canceled.]
“Fine.” Wen Tanyi did not bother asking how it was canceled; every industry had its share of shady dealings. Since she did not need to complete the task, she would just treat this world as a vacation.
“Actually, I have only seen Pei Huaiye twice since I arrived in this world. He gives me a feeling quite similar to the Boss. Could it be…”
Wu Hui: “Hmm?”
Wen Tanyi: “Are you treating him as a substitute?”
“Who is a substitute?”
Jiang Liexing, who was coming to the restroom, saw Wu Hui at the sinks from a distance and was just about to say hello when he heard the word “substitute.” He vaguely felt he had heard something he should not have. “Uh, I am just here for the restroom.”
Wu Hui and Wen Tanyi looked toward him.
Jiang Liexing, who was quietly backing away, saw Wen Tanyi and widened his eyes. “Goddess!”
Wu Hui: “?”
Jiang Liexing stepped quickly toward Wen Tanyi, excited. “Why are you here?”
Wen Tanyi: “…”
Wu Hui looked at him with a complicated expression. “The goddess who rejected you is her?”
The world was truly small.
“That is right!” She was the goddess he had fallen for at first sight at the banquet.
Jiang Liexing was bursting with excitement. He was the prodigy who had used the ball’s desserts to lure the stray cat, and he had come to find an unexpected surprise. “What are you two doing here? Wait a minute, the substitute you mentioned, could it be…”
Jiang Liexing’s mouth dropped open in disbelief. “You guys, Chu Yu, you are using the Crown Prince as a substitute for my goddess!”
Wu Hui: “With an imagination like yours, you should be participating in a talent reality show.”
Wen Tanyi sighed at the tangled web of fate.
At this moment, Nian Zhi popped up from a corner. “What substitute? How dare you, Wen Tanyi, do not tell me you stopped liking the Crown Prince and have started liking the Crown Princess instead!”
Wen Tanyi held her forehead. “Did they put diuretics in the ball’s drinks? Everyone is coming to the restroom.”
Nian Zhi: “I am warning you, you are not allowed to like the Crown Princess!”
Wen Tanyi rolled her eyes. “Who likes him?”
“Even a secret crush is not allowed!”
“Am I sick? Why would I have a secret crush on a coworker?” Trying not to assassinate him was already enough.
Jiang Liexing looked at her with starry eyes; even when the goddess rolled her eyes, she looked so good. “No, wait, Goddess, do you actually like the Crown Prince or Chu Yu? Look at me, is there still a chance for me!”
The scene became chaotic.
Wu Hui said nothing from the back, letting Wen Tanyi take all the heat. As he stepped out, he slipped away from the battlefield and exited the restroom, bumping straight into Pei Huaiye.