Wu Hui looked down at his phone. The bad news was that the other three people in the team chat had heard everything. The good news was that they were all students from the same school, so he had not embarrassed himself to the outside world.
The other two students unmuted their mics. “Hahaha, we did not hear anything!”
“Right, right! We absolutely did not hear that you two sleep without clothes!”
Wu Hui muted his mic and shifted the blame. “You cannot blame me for this.”
“Senior, the entire school is likely going to know that you are an exhibitionist who refuses to wear clothes to bed.”
Pei Huaiye remained completely unbothered. “What do I have to fear? They will just assume it was you who took them off.”
Was that even logical? The rumor mill at Alistair University never disappointed. Even while everyone was buried in exam week, the students possessed an incredible amount of energy for gossip.
Breaking News: Secret late-night conversation between the Prince and his Consort leaked! Unlock the full process for fifty cents!
I heard it is true: the Consort strips the Prince’s clothes off every night.
They sleep naked in each other’s arms every single night.
I am haggard and exhausted from studying, so reading this is what I deserve.
After finishing the posts, Wu Hui logged into the game and reported Jiang Liexing’s account. Feeling it was not enough, he had Jian Qiu manually ban him. That evening, Jiang Liexing posted the sad news to his social media for the whole world to see. He still did not study, turning instead to play card games. He even messaged Wu Hui for a link. “What was that vegetable-growing game you were playing before? It looked fun.”
Wu Hui: “.”
The chaotic exam week finally passed. Nian Zhi, who had returned from her internet blackout, sent a shrill, frantic message. “Baby! Is what they are saying true!”
At the time, Wu Hui was considering whether to go back to his client’s home for the break.
Wu Hui: “Has the outside world already heard this much?”
Nian Zhi: “Ah! I am so excited! So excited!”
Nian Zhi: “You are staying for the break, right? Right? I cannot bear to see the Prince pining for his wife and weeping tears of blood day and night.”
Wu Hui: “The way you put it, I kind of want to see that.”
It did not matter to him where he stayed; he could just give some vague excuse to his parents, as they were never home anyway. However, Pei Huaiye had not stated his position yet. After Pei Huaiye finished his exams, Wu Hui waited by the bed, feigning disappointment.
“Senior, school is out. I should head home.”
Pei Huaiye walked toward him. “Did you buy your ticket?”
“Not yet. Are you going to buy it for me?”
“If you have not bought it, then do not go back yet,” Pei Huaiye said. “Are your parents urging you to return?”
Not really. They probably did not even remember their son was on break, given the photos they had posted of their vacation in Bali. Pei Huaiye was clearly aware of this. “When the New Year comes, I will accompany you back.”
He did not need to return to the Pei family home for the holiday anyway, though there were matters he could not step away from in the short term.
“You will accompany me back?” Wu Hui played with the beads on his wrist. “How should I introduce your identity to my parents?”
Pei Huaiye knelt on one knee before him, as solemn as if proposing. “If you are willing, you can introduce me as your boyfriend.”
Boyfriend. Wu Hui silently chewed on the word.
“Would that be enough? If I tell them you are my husband, that might be more intimidating.”
“That works. So, what is our relationship now?”
Wu Hui had not answered for more than a second when Pei Huaiye tackled him onto the bed. His hand brushed against Wu Hui’s lips. “We have kissed, yet you called it a platonic friendship.”
Pei Huaiye’s movements were forceful, but his tone was inquisitive. “What must I do to become your boyfriend? Do we have to?”
Wu Hui was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered beneath him, his loosened black hair spread across the bed. He was not afraid of this version of Pei Huaiye and looked him straight in the eye.
“I am so wronged.”
“You are not wronged; you are doing this on purpose.” Pei Huaiye judged him instantly, brushing the hair from his face with the tenderness of the most intimate lover. “In front of me, you can play however you like. Will you promise me?”
He said Wu Hui could play however he liked, but he would not even let him move an inch. Wu Hui looked pitiable. “I do not seem to have a choice.”
“Of course you do,” Pei Huaiye whispered in his ear. “You can stay in my house until you are expecting our second child.”
Pei Huaiye had never hidden his dangerous nature. One had to be prepared to be bitten back if they wanted to survive alongside a wild beast. Wu Hui’s eyelashes fluttered as he pouted. “Brother, be gentle.”
Pei Huaiye exposed him. “That will not do. You like it rough; the rougher, the better.”
“Fine.” Wu Hui gave up, his eyes bright. “It is just a boyfriend title. As long as you asked, I would never disagree. You make it sound like I have been toying with your feelings all along.”
He finally relented, and Pei Huaiye let go. He scooped Wu Hui up into his lap in a child-like embrace and smoothed down the hem of his shirt.
“I am wronged, though.”
“Do not be,” Wu Hui said. “Is that enough now? There is nothing else you can blame me for, right?”
Pei Huaiye thought of one thing—there actually was. “Can you sleep without clothes with me tonight?”
“…” Men truly cannot be spoiled; if you spoil them, they will take advantage of you.
Wu Hui decided not to go home for now and messaged his father, saying he was staying behind to manage the coffee shop and learn management from the ground up. The news reached the coffee shop manager’s ears: This is incredible; he is planning a coup.
As it turned out, Wu Hui did not set foot in the coffee shop for several days during the break. His father called to warn him. “I am telling you, I do not care if you mess around out there and spend money, but you are absolutely not allowed to start your own business!”
Wu Hui had no interest in entrepreneurship. “Understood.”
His father: “Also, you are not allowed to get a girl pregnant!”
Wu Hui: “What if someone gets me pregnant?”
His father: “? Are you speaking Chinese?”
After being catered to with good food and drink for a few days, Wu Hui’s stomach had indeed grown a bit rounder. Pei Huaiye asked if he wanted to go on a trip abroad or if he wanted to dabble in investments; he would support anything.
“Forget starting a business,” Wu Hui said, pulling out his English CET-6 exercises. “I am going to pass my CET-6 exam during the break.”
But there are always stumbling blocks on the path to learning. A drunk Jiang Liexing called. “Woooo, my goddess left. She left right after rejecting me without even saying goodbye.”
Wu Hui flipped through his test questions. “My condolences.”
Jiang Liexing: “No! Love must be pursued! I am going to go find her!”
A man’s voice interrupted in the background. “Little brother, drinking alone? How boring. Let big brother drink with you.”
“Who are you! Go away! I am going to find my goddess!”
“What is so great about a goddess? Big brother will show you a big treasure.”
There was a sound of scuffling and entanglement. Wu Hui rubbed his temples. Jian Qiu, what is going on there?
Jian Qiu displayed the footage. “Your former roommate is being dragged by a sleazy guy in a leather jacket who looks like he wants to drag him into the restroom.”
Wu Hui: He went to a bar alone?
Jian Qiu: “Currently, it appears so.”
Wu Hui paused for two seconds, resigned himself to his fate, stood up, and left, bringing his CET-6 exercises with him. Pei Huaiye was out handling family matters, so Wu Hui sent him a message and flagged down a taxi. After getting in, he said, “Jian Qiu, location of the bar.”
His black-framed glasses emitted an electronic sound. “Lanwine.”
The taxi driver chuckled. “What kind of high-tech thing is that? It talks; is that glasses?”
Wu Hui: “Yes, it is AI.”
Jian Qiu: “I am here.”
Driver: “Cool, do you have a link?”
There was no link; they were mass-produced by the Spacetime Alliance, and every employee had one. They were internal products not for sale. The driver felt a deep sense of loss.
The car stopped a block away from the bar. Wu Hui had finished one page of exercises by the time he arrived. Following Jian Qiu’s instructions, he burst into the restroom just in time to drag the leather-jacketed man out.
Jiang Liexing was struggling with the man, and a button had already popped off his shirt.
“Who is that meddling in other people’s business!” The sleazy man was furious that his fun had been interrupted.
Wu Hui grabbed Jiang Liexing from the stall and did not look back. “Get lost.”
Jiang Liexing, hazy and confused, saw Wu Hui and burst into tears. “Woooo, goddess.”
“Still thinking about your goddess? She is not from the same world as you,” Wu Hui said, telling him to stand up straight. “Do you realize you were almost acquired just now?”
The man in the leather jacket focused his eyes, and his interest piqued. “Oh, a student? Bringing test papers to a bar to have fun?”
Jiang Liexing managed to lean against the wall, but he was still too drunk to be fully coherent. Wu Hui let go. He did not even put the man in his eyes, viewing him as a mere ant, not even worth a second glance.
The man was incensed by Wu Hui’s dismissive look. “Little brat, you are looking for a beating, are you not?”
Wu Hui looked around. “Smart. You knew to choose a restroom without surveillance.”
The man’s lecherous gaze roamed over him. “Yes, as long as you are obedient, I will make sure you are comfortable. Ah!”
Wu Hui delivered a swift kick. The man crashed to the floor, screaming as he felt his ribs break. Wu Hui brushed off his wrinkled test paper.
“Let us go,” Wu Hui called out to Jiang Liexing.
“Ah, let us go!” Jiang Liexing was still out of it, stumbling over the man writhing in pain as he followed Wu Hui out. He likely would not remember the bar when he woke up.
Wu Hui: Delete the surveillance footage of me being at the bar.
Jian Qiu: “Deleted.”
After saving him, Wu Hui did not intend to stay at the bar, but Jiang Liexing was not about to behave, shouting about wanting to find male models as soon as they left.
“You are my brother! Chu Yu, you saved me today. I have nothing to repay you with. I am going to order you a few male models. If you cheat, do not tell the Prince!”
Wu Hui: “…” Thank you.
Jiang Liexing was persistent, and Wu Hui could not stop him. The bar owner was a schoolmate who knew Jiang Liexing, so the male models arrived quickly, each with their own charms. They were very perceptive, immediately crowding around Wu Hui, pouring drinks, and lighting his cigarettes.
“I do not want any male models.” Wu Hui had a headache and broke free from the crowd. “Behave yourself and go back on your own.”
Jiang Liexing stubbornly held his ground. “I am not going back! I am going to find my goddess!”
“Suit yourself.”
After struggling with him for so long, Wu Hui looked down and stopped. “Where is my test?”
He pushed aside a few people sitting nearby. “Did you see my CET-6 exercises?”
The lighting in the bar was dim, with colorful lights adding a filter to everything, making it impossible to recognize things at a glance. The music was loud enough to give Wu Hui a headache, and Jiang Liexing was still shouting.
“CET-6? I have not even passed CET-6; I failed CET-4,” Jiang Liexing fumbled around. “I will help you look for it.”
“Found it!”
Jiang Liexing returned the test paper. Wu Hui walked into the normal lighting to confirm it was his, but—
“Who finished my CET-6 exercises for me?”
“The Prince’s Consort visits a bar, hires male models, and suffers a scam resulting in his CET-6 exercises being completed by others.”
That night, Pei Huaiye stood before Wu Hui, holding the phone and reading word for word. After finishing, he set the phone down and smiled slightly.
“Your life was very exciting today, my dear Consort.”