Chapter 74: Wish
The cheers and streamers were at their peak.
Wen Yan instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Pei Zhouye held him even tighter.
“Get lost.”
Pei Zhouye’s voice wasn’t loud—it even carried a hint of laziness—but his gaze was cold enough to make one’s skin crawl.
The faces of the two who had been gossiping changed instantly. They tried to mumble an apology, but Shen Yao shot them a look.
“Sorry, Brother Pei…” They apologized dryly, wishing they could vanish on the spot.
Pei Zhouye didn’t bother with them. Instead, he tilted his head toward Wen Yan and rubbed his thumb over the back of Wen Yan’s hand, a gesture that was both teasing and comforting.
His tone was casual, yet every word was crystal clear:
“My wife’s previous relationship was open and above board. I pursued him after they broke up. Is there a problem?”
The room went silent for a few seconds.
“Anyone who continues to spread rumors can go join Gu Yulan inside.”
The two rushed to apologize and left, and the atmosphere became lively again.
“Ignore them.” Pei Zhouye lowered his head, his thumb gently rubbing Wen Yan’s pale face. “No one is spreading rumors anymore. Be happy.”
Wen Yan didn’t speak, just stared down at their interlaced hands.
Just rumors.
Only a few words had pushed him into such a state.
The warmth coming from Pei Zhouye’s fingertips made his heart flutter with unease.
Shen Yao pushed the cake forward as if to break the tension. “Don’t just stand there! Cut the cake, cut the cake! We’re going to miss the time.”
Wen Yan finally snapped out of it and saw the time on his watch.
There was less than half an hour left before the day of Pei Zhouye’s birth passed.
Pei Zhouye led Wen Yan to the cake and handed him an exquisite silver knife. “You do it.”
Wen Yan didn’t take it. He reminded him softly, “You need to make a wish.”
Pei Zhouye pulled him close. For once, he was obedient, clasping his hands and closing his eyes.
Shen Yao led the group in singing the birthday song. Since he’d known Pei Zhouye, the man had never celebrated a single birthday; that he’d agreed this time made Shen Yao incredibly happy.
“Happy birthday to you…”
Pei Zhouye’s eyes were closed, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
He heard Wen Yan softly singing along beside him.
His birth hadn’t been a happy one, and his mother hadn’t looked forward to his arrival. Every birthday during his childhood was a day when Mrs. Pei’s mental health collapsed.
Once his wish was made, he opened his eyes and blew out the candle on top.
The cheers were merely background noise; Pei Zhouye looked into those eyes that held a faint smile.
He picked up the silver knife, pressed it into Wen Yan’s right hand, and guided his hand downward.
The tracking bracelet on Wen Yan’s pale right wrist was particularly conspicuous, but at this moment, it just looked like a piece of jewelry.
The blade sliced through the soft cake, revealing the layers of cream and fruit inside.
The cake was distributed.
The group hung out for a while longer before Pei Zhouye and Wen Yan left.
Everyone understood; many big shots from various circles had attended Pei Zhouye’s banquet today. As the protagonist, several rounds of socializing were enough to exhaust anyone.
“Get some good rest.”
Shen Yao called out again, then looked down at his phone.
Someone was condemning Gu Yulan for using unscrupulous means to spread rumors, saying no wonder they thought Wen Yan didn’t look like that kind of person, and that Gu Yulan almost ruined them all, etc.
Whether sincere or not, it was all “hindsight” talk—people were worried they had been a link in the chain of spreading those rumors.
Lin Seran sent a bomb emoji in the group chat.
Wang Shu looked at his phone from beside him and saw the emoji. “Why didn’t Lin Seran come today?”
Reasonably, given how long the three had known each other, Lin Seran should have been present for Pei Zhouye’s birthday.
“How should I know what’s going on in his head?” Shen Yao’s face was sour. “As soon as I mentioned Wen Yan would be here, he refused to come. We’ve known each other so long, and Brother Pei has helped him so much—is it really worth being this disrespectful?”
“Don’t be angry. You see Brother Pei didn’t even notice or care, right?” Wang Shu comforted him in a low voice.
Shen Yao was always complaining about Lin Seran being delicate and throwing tantrums, but he actually treated him quite well—at least he sincerely considered Lin Seran a friend.
He was a man of great loyalty. Lin Seran giving them the cold shoulder in public today and then not showing up in private had definitely made Shen Yao angry.
Shen Yao’s mood improved, and he opened a private chat with Lin Seran. “You’re right. If I tell him this, he’ll be fuming.”
The screen was filled with messages from Shen Yao asking Lin Seran to come. Eventually, Lin Seran had stopped replying altogether.
[Shen Yao: Come or don’t come, my brother didn’t even notice you weren’t here today.]
After sending it, he felt much better. He blocked and deleted the contact in one smooth sequence before the other side could reply.
Suite Living Room.
Pei Zhouye held Wen Yan’s right wrist and pressed his thumb against one side of the bracelet.
Click.
The lock released, and the circumference doubled.
He took the bracelet off Wen Yan’s wrist and tossed it onto the table.
Wen Yan looked at his bare wrist, feeling a sense of surreal daze.
“Don’t talk about being ‘kept’ anymore. In my eyes, that was just a normal relationship.”
He suddenly brought up the subject.
Wen Yan opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Pei Zhouye guessed what he was about to say and said carelessly, “What’s wrong with giving my wife a little pocket money while we’re dating? If word got out that I only gave fifty thousand a month, people would look down on me, Pei Zhouye.”
The money he had deposited into Wen Yan’s card had never been used. Fearing he would mix the funds, Wen Yan had even opened a separate bank account.
Wen Yan swallowed his words. He lowered his eyes, his voice soft and muffled.
“But I don’t want to date you.”
Pei Zhouye choked.
“Thank you for helping me pay back the money and for clearing the rumors,” Wen Yan said, his voice slow and thick. “Happy birthday, Pei Zhouye.”
Pei Zhouye gave a soft “Mhm.”
His birthday wish was for Wen Yan to be happy by his side.
A silence spread.
Wen Yan thought of Mrs. Pei—her gentleness when she was calm and her madness when she lunged at him with the vase shard.
He used to think Pei Zhouye and Mrs. Pei didn’t look alike at all, and their temperaments were different too—one was gentle and elegant, while the other was difficult and unscrupulous.
Now, it seemed they were very much alike.
They treated people with extreme inconsistency—when they were good, they built up beautiful hope and attachment; when they were bad, they were paranoid and crazed.
For the first time since being in the same building, they slept in separate rooms.
The next day, Pei Zhouye kept his promise and accompanied Wen Yan back to Nan City.
It had actually been arranged several days ago.
When they landed in Nan City, Pei Zhouye wanted to continue following him, but Wen Yan stopped him.
Wen Yan said seriously, “My whole family dislikes you. I’ll take a taxi home myself.”
“The whole family” included Wen Yan’s parents and Wen Yan himself.
The corners of Pei Zhouye’s mouth twitched into a cold smirk. “You’re kicking me out the moment we land? You really have no conscience.”
He had just finished his birthday and taken over family affairs; he had many social engagements to attend. He had originally planned to return as soon as he dropped Wen Yan off.
“I’ll take you to the entrance of your neighborhood and then leave, alright?”
The assistant took the opportunity to prompt, “The car is ready.”
Wen Yan finally relented.
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