Chapter 154: Stealing Fragrance (9)
Pei Yinnian had truly only intended to simply invite Xiao Ji to be a guest, have a meal, and talk today. He had hoped to finalize the tutoring for Pei Xinyun and Xiao Ji’s pay.
Unfortunately, plans can never keep up with changes.
Pei Yinnian hadn’t expected that after drinking, he would become so obsessed with a man, unable to stop himself from doing such a thing.
But since he had kissed him, he dared to take responsibility. If Xiao Ji agreed, he would have Xiao Ji follow him. If Xiao Ji disagreed, he would force Xiao Ji to follow him.
He had expected that upon hearing this, Xiao Ji would act with that “half-dead” attitude again and tell him, “Then go ahead and shoot.”
But Xiao Ji didn’t. He didn’t just respond with his mouth; he responded with his hands as well.
However, when Pei Yinnian tried to make a move on him, Xiao Ji took advantage of Pei Yinnian’s lapsed concentration. He freed a hand, disarmed Pei Yinnian, and pressed the muzzle against Pei Yinnian’s chest as a sign of refusal.
Pei Yinnian was too wild. Xiao Ji was afraid that if he let him continue, the man would dare to actually “go to battle” with him right here in a hotel room where someone could walk in at any moment.
Xiao Ji wasn’t afraid of anything else; he just feared that without proper preparation, he might hurt Pei Yinnian.
Things had already reached this point. Even with the alcohol in his system, Pei Yinnian knew not to push too far. He stopped forcing Xiao Ji and, seeing that Xiao Ji hadn’t flipped out, he simply enjoyed the moment.
A long time later, Pei Yinnian was still holding the gun, but his gaze had become scattered under the influence of alcohol. He leaned against the sofa armrest, breathing heavily.
He watched as Xiao Ji, right before his eyes, used a handkerchief to meticulously wipe his fingers, one by one.
Xiao Ji tossed the handkerchief into the trash and said calmly:
“Was that response sufficient, Young Master Pei?”
Pei Yinnian’s skin was thick enough that he didn’t show any embarrassment in the face of such a scene. He simply adjusted his state and lit a cigarette.
“Do you find it repulsive?”
Xiao Ji was calm. “I don’t.”
In truth, while Pei Yinnian appeared flawless on the surface, he had felt a hidden unease when asking that question. Hearing Xiao Ji’s answer, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t look at Xiao Ji’s eyes, only saying:
“Follow me. I won’t mistreat you. I’ll find someone to treat your sister’s illness.”
Xiao Ji remained silent. He sat beside Pei Yinnian, his long lashes drooping obediently, his back still as straight as a spear.
He seemed to be contemplating, struggling with whether to use this lack of repulsion toward Pei Yinnian as a reason to bow to life and reality.
But in fact, he was just spacing out.
First, a less important point: agreeing too quickly would be illogical and inconsistent with his identity as a lofty scholar.
Second, a very important point: Xiao Ji didn’t much like the word “follow” (跟 – gēn). It was ambiguous, without status or a proper name.
Xiao Ji felt that the current Pei Yinnian only had a subconscious fondness and curiosity toward him. The man hadn’t yet considered what he truly wanted.
However, the two of them had known each other for too short a time, and their interactions were too shallow. Xiao Ji wouldn’t throw out such a question to force Pei Yinnian into deep thought just yet. All relationships were progressive. Xiao Ji wasn’t in a hurry; he had plenty of time and patience to wear Pei Yinnian down.
Pei Yinnian also knew that Xiao Ji might not necessarily like men. That “I don’t” wasn’t necessarily from the bottom of his heart.
But he didn’t regret it. He just wanted Xiao Ji. He had the thought since the first time they met; he wanted him before the kiss, and he wanted him even more now.
Seeing that Xiao Ji remained silent, he began to increase the stakes:
“Ask for whatever you want. As long as I have it, I can give it to you.”
Xiao Ji looked at him, testing the waters. “What if I refuse?”
Hearing this, Pei Yinnian’s gaze toward Xiao Ji turned threatening, like a predator watching its prey.
“You can try.”
Xiao Ji wouldn’t go head-to-head with Pei Yinnian, but moving from a proper old-married-couple status back to the initial state of being “kept” didn’t make him very happy.
If Pei Yinnian said “follow,” then he would simply play that role well. After all, he had plenty of experience with that.
He didn’t say whether he agreed or not. He simply stood up and said to Pei Yinnian:
“It’s late…”
Before he could finish, a commotion broke out outside the private room. Vaguely, Xiao Ji heard someone crying, and the voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Frowning, he walked toward the door. As soon as he opened it, he saw a woman pulling the proprietress’s sleeve, tears and snot streaming down her face as she wailed:
“Proprietress, please be kind. I really didn’t break those plates. Old Zhang pushed me, and that’s why I lost my footing…”
“I can’t afford this money! I have a sick daughter at home. Please, have a heart…”
The proprietress also had a headache. She pulled her sleeve from the woman’s grasp and said with difficulty:
“Auntie, it’s not that I’m making things hard for you. If you broke one or two plates, I wouldn’t hold it against you. But that stack of dishes we just counted wasn’t small. We’re running a business here; we can’t afford to take a loss, can we?”
That stack of dishes was indeed not small. Given the grade and specifications of the Peace Hotel, the porcelain they used wasn’t cheap. All told, it was worth several months of a dishwasher’s wages.
The woman, upon hearing this, immediately went to drop to her knees.
However, before her body could bend, someone supported her elbow and pulled her up.
“How much?”
Xiao Ji supported Mother Xiao with one hand and looked at the hotel proprietress.
The proprietress was stunned. Thinking the noise had disturbed Xiao Ji and Pei Yinnian, she quickly said with a smile:
“Oh, isn’t this Master Pei’s distinguished guest? It’s just a small matter in the shop; there’s no need for you to trouble yourself…”
Mother Xiao also hadn’t expected to run into Xiao Ji here. A few days ago, when Xiao Ji asked where she worked, she had been afraid he would come looking for her and told him not to worry about it.
She had wanted to speak to Xiao Ji just now, but hearing the proprietress, it seemed Xiao Ji had connected with some formidable person.
The crying immediately stopped. She didn’t say a word. To Mother Xiao, paying the money was a small matter—at worst, she would work for free for a few months or borrow from someone. But delaying Xiao Ji’s proper business or affecting his prospects was absolutely a catastrophic matter.
Mother Xiao didn’t dare make a sound.
Soon, Pei Yinnian, who had been left alone in the room, also walked out, his expression grim.
“What’s going on?”
Seeing Pei Yinnian, the proprietress acted as if she had seen her own ancestor.
“Master, I am truly sorry. Look at this—someone in the shop was clumsy and caused a bit of trouble, disturbing your mood…”
“Get to the point,” Pei Yinnian interrupted with a frown.
The proprietress quickly explained the matter of Mother Xiao breaking the dishes.
When she finished, Pei Yinnian looked at Xiao Ji’s hand supporting Mother Xiao and asked:
“You know her?”
Mother Xiao had been washing dishes at this hotel for a while and had some discernment. Looking at Pei Yinnian’s aura and the proprietress’s attitude, she knew this was absolutely no simple character. Her son must have spent a lot of effort to be able to eat and discuss business with such a person; she must not cause trouble for him.
So she secretly pinched Xiao Ji from behind, signaling him not to mind her.
But Xiao Ji seemed not to notice. He merely glanced at her and said to Pei Yinnian:
“My mother.”
Recommended Reads
![The League’s Hei Yueguang Has Fought His Way Back [E-sports]](https://beereads.space/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/hei-214x300.jpg)