Chapter 158: Stealing Fragrance (13)
In Pei Yinnian’s mind, his current relationship with Xiao Ji was something he had obtained through force.
He had expected that while Xiao Ji might deal with him lukewarmly in private, in front of outsiders, he would surely avoid him at all costs. Everyone knew that two men being together was not a “pleasant” thing to hear.
A man of high rank and power like Pei Yinnian might not care, but Xiao Ji was different.
Therefore, when Xiao Ji’s ambiguous words were spoken, even Pei Yinnian was momentarily stunned.
He grabbed Xiao Ji by the wrist and yanked him into the car, leaving the dazed and confused Zhou Hui—who hadn’t even had time to react—standing there.
Pei Xinyun wasn’t in the car today; Lin Shu was the one driving.
The car had traveled quite a distance before Pei Yinnian finally spoke:
“Aren’t you afraid of others misunderstanding?”
It was true that he wanted to have Xiao Ji. If Xiao Ji wasn’t obedient, it wasn’t as if he couldn’t bring himself to lock the man up.
But since they had shared that kind of intimacy last night, and Xiao Ji wasn’t as repulsed by him as he had imagined, Pei Yinnian’s heart had softened a bit. He thought that as long as Xiao Ji was willing to be obedient, he would try his best not to interfere with Xiao Ji’s normal life or harm his reputation.
A perfect solution where everyone is happy.
He hadn’t expected that Xiao Ji himself seemed to care even less.
Hearing this, Xiao Ji spared Pei Yinnian a glance.
“It is not a misunderstanding. it is the truth.”
Pei Yinnian was speechless. After a long silence, he said to Xiao Ji:
“Restrain yourself. I will try to keep things low-profile so that people won’t gossip about you.”
Xiao Ji didn’t care about gossip at all.
But he could tell—Pei Yinnian had no intention of going public for the time being.
On one hand, Xiao Ji didn’t deny that Pei Yinnian might be considering his well-being, not wanting to affect his normal life. On the other hand, according to Pei Yinnian’s personality, he was doing this because his view of Xiao Ji was still stuck on that concept of “following.”
In other words, the current Pei Yinnian had likely not yet made plans to spend the rest of his life with Xiao Ji.
Consequently, for the remainder of the journey to the Pei Residence, Xiao Ji didn’t speak another word. He simply leaned against the back of the seat with his eyes closed to rest.
Back at the Pei Residence, dinner proceeded as usual.
Just like the night before, Pei Yinnian kept placing food on Xiao Ji’s plate and refilling his bowl.
Today, Mother Pei had learned her lesson. She didn’t even come to the table, claiming she wasn’t feeling well and had her meal brought to her room. Only Xiao Ji, Pei Yinnian, and Pei Xinyun were left at the table.
Pei Xinyun’s gaze darted back and forth between Xiao Ji and Pei Yinnian surreptitiously. She felt something was strange, but she couldn’t say what.
It wasn’t until Xiao Ji inadvertently unbuttoned the top button of his shirt collar that Pei Xinyun caught a glimpse of two faint scratch marks on the side of his neck. Her heart instantly grew cold with realization.
Pei Xinyun didn’t dare make a sound.
However, during her lesson tonight, she was somewhat distracted, her eyes occasionally sweeping toward Xiao Ji’s collar.
Noticing Pei Xinyun’s lack of focus, Xiao Ji asked her:
“What part do you not understand?”
Pei Xinyun jolted and shook her head repeatedly.
Tonight, Pei Yinnian didn’t act as he had the previous night, bringing tea, water, and snacks. He didn’t enter the room at all.
As soon as nine o’clock arrived, Xiao Ji let Pei Xinyun go. When he stepped out, he didn’t see Pei Yinnian anywhere.
System 037 let out a yawn and suddenly appeared:
[I really didn’t expect him to grow tired of you so quickly. As expected, what one cannot have is always the best. You’re worthless now.]
Xiao Ji asked: [Have you ever been in love?]
037 cursed: [You’re better off when you don’t talk.]
Xiao Ji ignored 037. He stood at the study door for a moment before walking toward Pei Yinnian’s room.
The door was cracked open, and a dim light shone through the gap.
Xiao Ji gently pushed the door open. There was no one on the sofa. He locked the door behind him and walked into the bedroom area of the suite. He saw Pei Yinnian lying on the bed, curled up inside the soft blankets with only the top of his head visible, as if he were asleep.
Xiao Ji frowned. He walked to Pei Yinnian’s side, sat down, and reached out to touch his forehead.
As expected, it was burning hot.
And Pei Yinnian wasn’t actually asleep.
He was feeling a bit awkward. He didn’t want Xiao Ji to see his vulnerable side, yet he had been secretly hoping Xiao Ji would come.
He had originally prepared himself for the possibility that Xiao Ji would leave immediately after the lesson. After all, given their current relationship, Xiao Ji should be avoiding him if he could.
With his eyes closed, his voice was raspy:
“Why didn’t you go back? I told Lin Shu to send you.”
Xiao Ji didn’t answer the question, only asking:
“When did the fever start?”
Pei Yinnian thought for a moment. “I felt it a bit this morning.”
He had been running a low fever since he woke up, and his state had been poor all day. When he went to pick up Xiao Ji in the evening, he had forced himself to stay sharp so Xiao Ji wouldn’t notice.
Xiao Ji slid his hand under the blanket. His slightly cool hand touched Pei Yinnian’s burning back, causing Pei Yinnian to jolt involuntarily. He said with some irritation:
“Go back. I’m fine.”
Xiao Ji then stood up and left the bedroom without saying a word.
Pei Yinnian wasn’t just being stubborn; he truly didn’t want to interact with Xiao Ji in this state. But seeing Xiao Ji leave just like that, he couldn’t stop the anger from rising to his head.
He sat up abruptly in bed, glaring at the closed bedroom door, and cursed under his breath:
“You little bastard. I tell you to leave, and you f*cking leave that quickly?”
After cursing, he felt the drowsiness he had while waiting for Xiao Ji vanish completely. If he let Xiao Ji leave like this, he was definitely going to suffer from insomnia all night.
If Xiao Ji were truly a young master from a prominent family, he could at least call him up and harass him for a while after Lin Shu dropped him off to vent his anger.
But Xiao Ji’s home didn’t even have a telephone. Even the mailbox was at least two hundred meters away. Pei Yinnian couldn’t exactly write a letter to scold him at this hour.
The more Pei Yinnian thought about it, the more stifled he felt. Just as he was about to get up to drag Xiao Ji back and mess with him, he heard the door click open again.
Xiao Ji was carrying an enamel basin filled with some fresh water. He walked to Pei Yinnian, placed the basin on the nightstand, put a towel in the water, and asked:
“What are you getting up for?”
Pei Yinnian was stunned. “What did you come back for?”
Xiao Ji looked at him while rinsing and wringing out the towel.
“I didn’t leave.”
Once he finished speaking, he folded the towel into a small rectangle and frowned at Pei Yinnian.
“What are you getting up for?”
Since Pei Yinnian was the one who told Xiao Ji to leave, it would be rather embarrassing to admit he was planning to go downstairs to catch him and bring him back.
So Pei Yinnian cleared his throat and simply said:
“I have an urgent need (to use the bathroom).”
Xiao Ji put down the towel. “Do you need me to help you?”
Pei Yinnian froze. “Help me with what?”
“Help you hold it.” Xiao Ji said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Honestly, if Pei Yinnian had been the one on top last night, he might have actually agreed to Xiao Ji’s suggestion at this moment. But he wasn’t, so hearing those words made him feel awkward. He shot Xiao Ji a look and cursed softly:
“Bastard.”
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