Xin Hexue’s palm was slightly cold.
Outside the window, a light misty rain was falling. From the overly high floor, one could see only a vast expanse of gray sky, empty and hollow. Xi Zhengqing patiently waited for the verdict. He couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious, and because of that, his warm palm was slightly sweating.
He wrapped Xin Hexue’s hand around his, and the skin where they touched felt cool and moist.
Xin Hexue had beautiful hands, long and slender with clearly defined joints, but not broad, and the beautiful joints curled delicately in his palm.
This gave Xi Zhengqing a great sense of satisfaction, as if just by circling Xin Hexue’s wrist like this, and going a step further to completely wrap the other person’s fist in his own palm, Xin Hexue would belong to him.
As the rain fell harder and harder, it was accompanied by the young man’s slightly hoarse voice.
“Are you joking?”
Xi Zhengqing was so serious that it seemed as though he wasn’t fabricating a lie.
“I did drink a little last night. You were drugged and not very clear-headed. I should have kept restraint and rationality.”
“But…”
“I’m really sorry.”
Xi Zhengqing lowered his head. “I’m not the kind of Alpha who’s casual like that. I mean, I’ve never even held anyone else’s hand before. It was my irrationality that hurt you. I’ll take responsibility for it. If you’re willing, I think we can get engaged first.”
He lifted his gaze and looked at Xin Hexue with anticipation in his eyes.
“The Xi family has its own in-house jewelry designer. I can have him come this afternoon to measure your ring size. We can discuss the wedding ring design together.”
Xin Hexue: “…”
If he didn’t already know that Xi Zhengqing’s current love value was only 65, he would’ve thought the other party had completely become a love brain.
At this stage, Xi Zhengqing hadn’t yet reached the level where he could make a commitment like marriage.
‘Sure enough.’ Seeing that he didn’t speak, Xi Zhengqing continued to test the waters: “You might feel that things are moving too fast. We could also start by dating, and take time to understand each other step by step.”
He was testing the limit of what Xin Hexue could tolerate.
Xin Hexue watched him act.
‘You’ve already stepped on xx, and now you think just by changing identities you can self-righteously talk about ‘understanding each other step by step’? What a performance.’
Xin Hexue said softly, “Mr. Xi, please show some self-respect. We’ve only met a few times. Besides, Pei Guangji and I…”
He paused for a moment, then said, “What you’re doing is really inappropriate.”
Xin Hexue lowered his lashes. “I hope you can keep this matter a secret and just treat it as if it never happened. Especially, don’t mention it to Guangji.”
Xi Zhengqing had already investigated beforehand. After finding that contract in Pei Guangji’s study, he had even gone to probe Jiang Jing, the assistant who survived the aircraft accident and received both work injury compensation and financial settlement from the Pei family.
He knew Xin Hexue’s background, he was born in the slums and was forced to sign an entirely unequal lover’s contract with Pei Guangji because of his adoptive father’s gambling debts.
To be honest, if he had learned about all this before meeting Xin Hexue, he wouldn’t have shown any interest in him at all.
But now it was different.
Xi Zhengqing had interacted with Xin Hexue. The young man’s gentle yet indifferent contradictory temperament had completely captivated him.
Why should Pei Guangji be the one living happily behind their backs?
Xi Zhengqing stood up and tried to communicate with Xin Hexue with a more forceful attitude, “Is it because Pei Guangji demanded that you be completely loyal to him during the contract period?”
The young man’s face turned pale for a moment. He had obviously thought of that completely unequal contract, like a scab that hadn’t fully healed yet was torn off again. He asked, “He even told you about that?”
Xi Zhengqing guessed right.
He had long suspected that the relationship between Xin Hexue and Pei Guangji wasn’t that good and that their emotional foundation was weak. Xin Hexue might have had some feelings for Pei Guangji, but love wouldn’t start from a contract based on a transaction.
Xi Zhengqing began to slander Pei Guangji. “Can’t you see him clearly yet? He doesn’t see you as an independent person, but as an object. He hasn’t even come to visit you since you were hospitalized.”
Of course he couldn’t visit as Pei Guangji was currently lying in the ICU upstairs.
Xin Hexue gave him a subtle glance.
He felt it was funny. Xi Zhengqing was just the pot calling the kettle black.
Love wouldn’t start from a contract based on a transaction, but clearly, it wouldn’t be built on deception either.
However, Xi Zhengqing seemed completely unaware of that and was overly confident.
Xin Hexue didn’t plan to remind him for now. He saw him off with a weary look on his face. “Mr. Xi, I need to rest now. In any case, I hope you can keep this a secret.”
Xi Zhengqing didn’t plan to push Xin Hexue too hard, so he left the young man with some quiet space and stepped out of the hospital room.
He was very confident he could shake Xin Hexue’s feelings for Pei Guangji. While the other party was heartbroken, he would take meticulous care of him, and Xin Hexue would eventually accept him.
………
After that, Xi Zhengqing truly began his obviously deliberate pursuit, like a tireless stay-at-home husband who got up at four in the morning to cook for his beloved. After consulting the doctors about a nutritional plan, he came every day to deliver nutritious meals to Xin Hexue.
Xin Hexue suspected he made them himself, because the taste was fairly average, and the soup looked like it had a very high purine content.
Xi Zhengqing showed up every morning without fail. Besides the ever-changing nutritious meal plans and a different bouquet of fresh flowers each day, what also changed was his neatly dressed, polished outfits.
Like a peacock spreading its tail, he emitted courtship signals toward Xin Hexue.
They say one doesn’t hit a smiling face.
The young man’s attitude toward him softened a bit.
Only occasionally, while sitting on the hospital bed, Xin Hexue would gaze out the window, his aura seeming a bit melancholic.
Xi Zhengqing knew Xin Hexue was waiting for Pei Guangji to come visit, but he no longer planned to use the identity of “Pei Guangji” to approach Xin Hexue.
Xi Zhengqing: “The doctor said there’s no serious issue, and there won’t be any lasting effects. You can be discharged tomorrow. I’ll come pick you up in the morning?”
Xin Hexue nodded quietly.
After Xi Zhengqing left, it started raining again in the afternoon.
There were no peach trees in this city, so from up high in the building, one couldn’t see scattered peach blossoms being blown down by the spring rain.
After dinner and resting for a bit, Xin Hexue got ready to take a shower. Recently, he had been going to bed earlier. Usually, after showering and reading a bit in bed, he would fall asleep around nine.
Then he would wake up early the next morning.
This regular routine helped his body recover quite well.
Xin Hexue suddenly remembered something and asked: [Is Pei Guangji being treated at Shenglan Hospital?]
Shenglan Hospital was a private high-end hospital in the core zone. Due to numerous investments, it had the best medical resources in the entire Federation.
K: [Mm. He’s upstairs.]
Xin Hexue smiled.
Xi Zhengqing really was overly confident. He didn’t even consider this and arranged him in the room right below Pei Guangji’s.
Outside, the sky grew gloomy.
Dark clouds rolled in, and the thunder rumbled as if shaking heaven and earth, booming from above and below.
As he stepped out of the bathtub, the floor was slippery and wet, and a puddle of soapy water caused Xin Hexue to slip and fall.
Someone rushed in from outside in a hurry, and the moment they entered, what met their eyes was a snow-white body, the finer parts flushed pink from the hot water.
The body lines were beautiful, and it was all a soft white and pink.
The person choked slightly.
Without saying a word, he helped Xin Hexue up, wrapped him tightly in a bathrobe, and picked him up. He stepped over the wet traces and placed Xin Hexue onto the hospital bed.
“Thank you…”
Even though the fall wasn’t serious, Xin Hexue’s tailbone still throbbed with a faint, numb pain.
Xin Hexue looked up to examine the newcomer.
Black hair, black eyes, dressed in a full suit.
He seemed to have come in a rush, with a bit of weariness from travel. His tie was slightly askew.
He asked with a hint of hope in his voice, “Are you… Guangji?”
“…”
The brief moment of stiffness in the Alpha’s body didn’t escape Xin Hexue’s eyes.
However, the other party still tacitly acknowledged it and said, “Mm, I was very busy the past few days. I’m sorry I didn’t come to see you.”
Xin Hexue smiled, “It’s okay.”
Even the speaking style was imitated very well.
Xin Hexue had already guessed the person’s identity.
Pei Ying’s palm gently lifted Xin Hexue’s chin. “You’ve lost some weight.”
The Klein blue highlights had been covered back with black, and the silver spiked earring had been removed.
He and his older brother Pei Guangji had the same parents, and their features were very similar. The time spent in the Pei family had smoothed out a lot of Pei Ying’s earlier impulsive sharpness. So now, even if Jiang Jing were here, he might have mistaken him with just a glance.
Soft as a kitten’s nudge, Xin Hexue’s cheek rubbed lightly against Pei Ying’s palm.
His eyelashes were long, with slightly upturned ends, carrying a subtle and ambiguous allure.
While Pei Ying was momentarily stunned, Xin Hexue asked softly, “Are you staying the night? The rain outside is really heavy, so it might not be easy to go back.”
[Pei Ying love value +5]
Pei Ying washed up and got ready at the fastest speed of his life.
When he lay on the bed still fully dressed, he was stiff as a hardened corpse.
The hospital bed in the VIP ward was very large and could indeed fit two adult men.
Pei Ying could smell Xin Hexue’s cold fragrance that filled the entire bed. It was very pleasant, a scent that made people feel at ease.
Even the small nightlight by the bed had been turned off.
Xin Hexue moved closer and leaned against the Alpha’s shoulder, his voice especially light in the night. “Guangji.”
Pei Ying: “Mm?”
He knew Xin Hexue wasn’t sensitive to vocal tones, so it was enough just to imitate Pei Guangji’s style of speaking.
As Xin Hexue spoke, his breath lightly touched Pei Ying’s neck. “No goodnight kiss?”
The young Alpha’s body stiffened, and he couldn’t control his arousal.
Hot blood surged, and Pei Ying’s mind was full of messy, chaotic thoughts.
Pei Ying murmured vaguely, “Mm.”
He half-propped himself up, slowly sought out the other person’s lips, and leaned down with a shadow pressing over.
The moment their lips met, it was like a spark igniting the fuse, a numbing, electric pleasure shooting straight to the brain. In Pei Ying’s vision, it was as if fireworks exploded.
The Alpha, who was barely past adulthood, had almost zero self-control in front of the one he liked.
He lost all restraint. His Adam’s apple rolled up and down visibly as he pried open the young man’s teeth, invading and conquering like a siege.
Xin Hexue sank into the soft pillow. He couldn’t handle such urgent kisses and started breathing faster, wrapping his arms around the Alpha’s neck.
The Alpha’s hand slipped under his clothes, the palm hot and rough like coarse gravel, rubbing against Xin Hexue’s waist.
Xin Hexue was highly sensitive to pain, and that carried over to strange touches too, with every sensation magnified.
When the large hand moved up and the fingers brushed across his chest, Xin Hexue shivered as if startled and the Alpha’s fluffy head tried to burrow in from under his clothes.
The young man steadied his breathing and pleaded, “It’s late… don’t do this, Guangji…”
He didn’t know that the softer his voice sounded, the more it made people want to press him down on the bed hard, to violate him until he cried, then lick away those tears like a dog.
The Alpha kissed him deeply again.
Outside the window, the rain fell like the white noise of lust and desire.
The thunder grew louder and louder. A flash of white light split the night sky and, for a moment, illuminated the room. In that instant, the young man saw the Alpha’s earlobe.
“Pei Ying…?”
Cool fingertips brushed against Pei Ying’s ear, and Pei Ying instantly froze in place.
With the next bolt of lightning came a loud slap.
The small night light at the head of the bed turned on.
The young man leaned against the headboard, his chest heaving with breath. “Pei Ying, you…”
‘Xin Hexue must be furious.’
Pei Ying observed him under the light. When Xin Hexue got angry or embarrassed, his usually pale face would flush faintly, like a spreading misty haze, and the sickly beauty would instantly come alive.
Pei Ying was hopelessly worried about Xin Hexue’s body, and wondered whether his palm hurt after slapping him.
[Pei Ying love value+5]
Xin Hexue leaned against the headboard, coughing uncontrollably. He coughed until his eyes were watery and his tightly clenched hands showed bulging veins.
Only after a long while did he lift his head and say to Pei Ying, “You really disappointed me, Pei Ying.”
Pei Ying straightened up and stood at the bedside. “I just like you. Why can my brother, but not me?”
The young man’s face became colder. “Get out, Pei Ying. Get out.”
………
When Xi Zhengqing heard that Pei Ying had gone to visit Xin Hexue the night before but got kicked out, he couldn’t help gloating a little. What kind of stupid thing did Pei Ying do this time?
The next morning, he went to the hospital as scheduled to pick up Xin Hexue for discharge.
But the hospital room was completely empty.
Had Xin Hexue gone to complete the discharge procedures himself?
Xi Zhengqing frowned. Suddenly remembering some, his heart sank and he immediately ran up the stairs.
Fortunately, Pei Guangji’s hospital room was at the end of this floor.
The young man was just standing blankly in the hallway outside the elevator. When he saw Xi Zhengqing, he asked tentatively, “Mr. Xi?”
Xi Zhengqing stepped forward. “It’s me.”
Xin Hexue’s expression visibly relaxed. “So I pressed the wrong floor.”
He said that he was originally going to handle the discharge procedures, but forgot something halfway, and ended up pressing an extra floor on his way back.
Xi Zhengqing felt the weight lift from his chest. “Then let’s go get your things first. I’ll take you home after the paperwork is done.”
Xin Hexue nodded silently.
Xi Zhengqing asked, “Did Pei Ying come to see you last night? I heard from him that things didn’t go well between you two. Did something happen?”
Of course, Pei Ying didn’t confide in Xi Zhengqing, he simply had informants in the hospital.
Xin Hexue lowered his lashes. Xi Zhengqing couldn’t read the emotions in his eyes, but for some reason, his heart skipped a beat.
Xin Hexue: “He… disguised himself as Pei Guangji.”
He didn’t elaborate on the details, but just stated that one short sentence.
As if having sorted out his emotions, Xin Hexue spoke slowly, “I hate deception, so I had a fight with him.”
“Mr. Xi, you’re my friend too.” Xin Hexue turned his head slightly, his words soft and gentle. “There should be honesty between friends. You won’t lie to me, will you?”
Xi Zhengqing’s gaze swept to the end of the hallway. He thought of the lies he told Xin Hexue at the beginning, and his back instinctively tensed up.
But he still kept a calm face as he entered the elevator behind Xin Hexue and pressed the button for the right floor. “Of course. Honesty is the foundation of any relationship. Pei Ying really went too far.”
