The silence in the lounge was so heavy that even the sound of a pin dropping would have been audible.
Pei Jin did not respond immediately. He left the room, returning about three minutes later carrying a first-aid kit. Faint, noisy sounds drifted in from the corridor likely people asking curious questions.
Wu Yan was just about to peek out and eavesdrop when he saw Pei Jin return. He quickly retracted his thoughts and called out softly, “Brother…”
Pei Jin’s expression remained unchanged as he placed the kit on the bed. He opened it, found a medicinal plaster for promoting blood circulation and removing stasis, and spoke: “Turn around.”
Wu Yan obediently turned his back to him. He couldn’t see the man’s face, but he could hear his slightly erratic breathing.
Seeing the bruise on the youth’s waist, Pei Jin’s brow furrowed slightly, a flash of heartache crossing his eyes. He dipped out some ointment and carefully applied it to the bruised area. The cool, white medicinal paste met the warm skin, melting slightly under the contact.
“Mhm, it hurts… Brother, be gentler…” Feeling a slight itch, Wu Yan couldn’t help but shrink his shoulders, his voice trembling.
Hearing this, Pei Jin’s hand paused. He gave a quiet “Mhm” in response. He resumed his movements, his touch significantly lighter than before, as if the skin beneath his fingers were fragile porcelain.
Yet, Wu Yan still felt the sting, and his body continued to shiver. Like a startled small animal, he called out softly, “Brother…”
Pei Jin looked at Wu Yan as the youth suddenly turned around. His jade-like face featured red-rimmed eyes, and his shimmering orbs were filled with tears. Crystal droplets hung on his lashes, looking as if he were about to cry at any second.
Pei Jin recapped the ointment, put it back in the kit, and pulled the youth’s clothes back down. His fingertips brushed against the skin as he explained, “The bruise has to be rubbed out to heal.”
“Then Brother, kiss me. If you kiss me, it won’t hurt anymore.” As Wu Yan spoke, he leaned forward to ask for a kiss, biting his lip with a pitiful expression.
Even though Pei Jin knew Wu Yan rarely said anything proper, looking at the face so close to his, his heart still skipped a beat. He leaned in slightly and placed a light kiss on Wu Yan’s forehead—a touch as brief as a dragonfly skimming the water.
Feeling that gentle contact, Wu Yan felt his heart rate accelerate. He blinked his lashes. “Brother, you’re cheating…” he murmured.
“I kissed you,” Pei Jin said, his eyes deepening as he stated the fact.
“Fine, let’s just say I didn’t make myself clear. Next time I’ll emphasize that I want a kiss on the lips.” Wu Yan put some distance between them. Sitting in his chair, he looked up at the man standing over him. “Brother, hurry back. There are many people out there waiting for you.”
“Wait for me here. I’ll come find you once it’s over,” Pei Jin nodded, noting the time and giving his instructions.
Wu Yan nodded obediently as Pei Jin lingered to nag him a bit more. In truth, the advice went in one ear and out the other.
The Intruder
Once the door closed, Wu Yan leaned back in the soft chair. His lower back still throbbed. He bit his lip and began idly browsing his phone.
He opened Weibo and clicked on Pei Jin’s profile, only to find that the man’s “following” count had jumped from 8 to 9. Wu Yan, who was exceptionally sensitive to numbers, tried to see who the new person was, only to find that Pei Jin had set his following list to private.
He frowned, feeling a flicker of unease, but eventually closed his phone.
Creak—
The door was pushed open. Half of a figure peeked in, bundled up tightly with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. One might mistake her for a major celebrity. Wu Yan looked over, a flash of surprise in his eyes as the intruder slipped inside and shut the door behind her.
“Um, excuse me, are you also a guest for this event?” The person removed her sunglasses and pulled down her mask, letting out a breath. She looked around, quietly observing the room.
Looking at her face, Wu Yan felt a sense of familiarity. “Wen Luo?”
“You know me?” The girl was stunned for a moment before smiling. “Um, I’m looking for Brother Pei—Pei Jin. Do you know which lounge he’s in?”
“…” For a rare moment, Wu Yan didn’t know what to say.
No wonder the original owner’s ending was so tragic. It turns out Wen Luo was part of the reason.
Complex emotions flashed in his eyes as he shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“I should have asked Brother Luo (Luo Xia) beforehand,” Wen Luo sighed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear with a regretful look. She sat in a chair diagonally across from Wu Yan. “Um… Little Brother, what’s your name?”
If possible, Wu Yan didn’t want to speak to her or have any association with her, but the plot wouldn’t allow it. Forced by necessity, he gave a vague reply: “I’m a staff member for this event.”
“A staff member?” Wen Luo murmured. She suddenly thought of something and moved to stand up and leave, but she was tripped by a prop on the floor. Instinctively, she lunged forward.
Before Wu Yan could even reach out to help, she had fallen to the ground. In that exact moment, the door burst open.
The Confrontation
Jiang Jingning’s angry roar echoed in the lounge: “Wu Yan! What do you mean by this!”
Wu Yan let out a helpless sigh. He hadn’t expected to run into Jiang Jingning all the way in Qishan, but it made sense: wherever the female lead was, this “idiot” male lead followed.
“If you don’t need your eyes, you can donate them. I’m sitting all the way over here; how could I have pushed her? Do I have the power of teleportation?”
Wu Yan sneered, watching Jiang Jingning anxiously help Wen Luo up. He looked at Wen Luo and said softly, “Tell him. Did I push you?”
Wen Luo rubbed her knee, her teary eyes flickering between Wu Yan and Jiang Jingning. She remained silent for a long time.
“You’re still making excuses! Would A-Luo lie? This is her first time meeting you!” Jiang Jingning’s brow was knit tight, his voice full of impatience and rage.
Just as he looked ready to get physical, Wen Luo grabbed his sleeve, her voice trembling: “Don’t… it wasn’t him. I tripped by accident.”
Hearing her explanation which clearly implied otherwise Wu Yan was almost moved to laughter. “What a perfect match. A broken pot truly finds its lid. Have you two read too many ‘Overbearing CEO’ novels?”
He turned to Wen Luo: “You: you come in saying you’re looking for someone, try to chat me up, and then trip over something while leaving and act all fragile.”
Then to Jiang Jingning: “And you: you come in accusing me of pushing her. Do you have evidence? No wonder your father won’t hand the company over to you. With a brain like yours, you’d give away the family fortune in days. Did you hide while the rest of humanity was evolving?”
Wu Yan’s mouth opened and closed in a rapid-fire verbal output. Seeing the two of them stunned into silence, he sneered and prepared to continue.
“You’re lying, I didn’t…”
Wen Luo was standing near the door. Held by Jiang Jingning, she suddenly spotted someone entering. Her eyes turned red instantly. “Brother Pei, please don’t blame Young Master Wu.”
Ah, so she finally changed her tune because she realized who I am.
But if it was a contest of acting like a “Green Tea,” Wu Yan wasn’t afraid. He bit his lower lip, his eyelashes trembling. As Pei Jin walked up to him, Wu Yan reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
“Brother Pei, it’s my fault for not supporting this lady; that’s why she couldn’t stand steady and fell. Her health must be even worse than mine if she needs someone to hold her just to stand…”
Wu Yan had been so worked up during his rant that his face was now flushed a magnificent shade of red. Hearing his words, Wen Luo immediately pulled her hand away from Jiang Jingning and took two steps back to maintain a safe distance.
Pei Jin looked at Wu Yan’s red-rimmed eyes, then at the two people at the door. “Wen Luo, why are you here?”
Seeing that Pei Jin didn’t even ask about the fall, Wen Luo’s face paled. She gripped the hem of her shirt, stammering, “I… I wanted to give Brother Pei a surprise, but an accident happened…”
The “accident” clearly referred to Wu Yan.
Wu Yan turned to Pei Jin, his tone full of innocence and confusion: “Brother Pei, when did you get a sister? I didn’t know.”
Even though he himself used the title “Brother,” he made it sound as if Pei Jin had gone out and “found” a new sister. Yet everyone knew Pei Jin was an only child.
“Wu Yan,” Pei Jin said helplessly.
Wu Yan shut his mouth and lowered his head, his silver-gray hair covering his expression. Jiang Jingning, now a mere background character, watched Wen Luo stare at Pei Jin. He called out unhappily, “A-Luo.”
Wen Luo whispered back, “Jiang Jingning, can’t you stop bothering me?” Her voice was so soft only Jiang Jingning heard it. His face shifted; he was clearly losing face.
“Brother Pei, can we talk in private?” Wen Luo asked, not wanting to say more to the others.
Pei Jin’s gaze traveled between Wen Luo and Wu Yan, eventually settling on the latter. He frowned. “Does it still hurt?”
“It hurts. Not just my waist, but my heart hurts a little too…”
Wu Yan covered his chest, looking wounded, before looking up at Pei Jin with resolve: “But it’s okay. Brother, you go ahead.”
His act of “generous broad-mindedness” made Pei Jin feel guilty. He turned to Wen Luo: “Go back for now. We can talk over the phone if there’s anything.”
The faint smile on Wen Luo’s lips froze. She stared in disbelief, her face turning red with anger. She turned and left, with Jiang Jingning hurrying after her.
Watching them leave, Wu Yan allowed Pei Jin to reach into his pocket for his medicine. Looking at the pill and warm water handed to him, he blinked.
“Brother, I’ve found that the better you are to me, the more I can’t leave you. What should I do?”
Pei Jin stared at Wu Yan’s flushed face and frowned slightly. His tone became firm: “Take your medicine.”
“But I took it this morning…” Wu Yan mumbled.
“Xu Yike said you take it whenever you feel unwell. You can take it up to three times a day,” Pei Jin said concisely.
Wu Yan looked at the pill. “My waist hurts too much to lean forward. Brother, you feed me, okay?”
His wheedling tone was full of enchantment. He expected a refusal, but the next second, the white pill was pressed against his lips.
After the medicine, the atmosphere in the lounge became quite peculiar.
“Brother Pei,” Wu Yan whispered, leaning into the man’s ear while he remained silent. “Why can’t we leave yet?”
“There are too many people,” Pei Jin replied. Too many people Wu Yan will feel uncomfortable.
Wu Yan nodded with feigned understanding. His warm breath fanned against the man’s ear as he slowed his speech, his tone taking on a teasing quality.
“You care about me so much. But since I’m already with you, Brother…
Shouldn’t I change how I call you? ‘Brother’ doesn’t sound close enough. How about ‘Ah Jin’? Or maybe… Hubby?”