CH 27

The next day.

Pei Yi sat at the dining table, and his eyelids were so heavy that he could barely open his eyes.

Uncle Kai handed over the freshly prepared sandwiches. “Little Sir, do you want to eat shrimp sandwiches?”

Pei Yi saw that they were full of shrimp, and his hunger and sense of taste finally recovered. He slowly took them and started to eat, but there were still signs of drooping eyelids.

Seeing Pei Yi’s appearance, Uncle Kai couldn’t help but smile, “What did Little Sir stay up for last night? How did you become so sleepy? There are dark circles under your eyes.”

On the opposite side, Bo Yueming heard this and frowned slightly. “You stayed up late?”

Pei Yi pretended not to understand, and ducked his head to take a bite.

He really stayed up all night.

Ever since talking about the ‘eye’ problem with Bo Yueming last night, Pei Yi felt that his money-making plan was urgent.

The cooperation with Li Yuan was still moving along slowly, and if there were no results yet, he could still make money with the small game projects he had thought of before.

Pei Yi wrote game scripts until four o’clock in the morning last night, and slept for less than five hours. In the end, Inspector woke up early and howled next to his head, patting his cheek with its little paws from time to time—

What bad thoughts could a kitten have?

It was only that it wasn’t sleeping, so it didn’t want its master to sleep.

Pei Yi was baffled by Inspector’s mischievous stubbornness, and had to force himself to get up and open the door. Then he was called downstairs by Bo Yueming, who had gotten up at the same time.

After Pei Yi finished eating a sandwich, he drank another half cup of soy milk to moisten his throat. Probably because his stomach was warmed up, his sleepy mind finally regained a trace of clarity.

Uncle Kai glanced at the time and asked, “Little Sir, do you want to go up and sleep some more?”

Bo Yueming, who had finished breakfast as well, wiped his hands with a wet napkin and stopped him softly. “He just finished breakfast, so he can’t just go lie down and sleep. It isn’t good for his health.”

“……..”

Pei Yi hummed and said nothing.

He always felt that Bo Yueming seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally controlling him.

At least, it was especially obvious when it came to that “tiny bit” of liquor!

Uncle Kai smiled and mentioned, “I was thinking, if Little Sir is not sleepy, he can tidy up a bit and I will ask the driver to take him to see Ms. Shu?”

Pei Yi heard the last few words and turned to look at Uncle Kai.

“I received a call from Ms. Pei last Friday, but there was that celebration dinner on the weekend, so I didn’t mention it at the time. They said that they are settled in their new home,” Uncle Kai said, taking a special look at Bo Yueming.

“If Little Sir wants to, he can go play at any time.”

New home?

Pei Yi’s eyes brightened slightly.

He had the identity of the original owner and needed to pretend all the time, so it was not convenient for him to come forward to help with the physical work, but fortunately, Uncle Kai helped to take care of it.

“Go.”

Pei Yi spoke concisely.

He knew that Shu Wan had spent more than twenty years waiting in torment for her son. Now, since he broke free from the shackles of the Pei family, it would be good for him to spend more time with his relatives on behalf of the original owner.

Hearing Pei Yi’s decision, Bo Yueming asked casually, “Lin Zhong, I remember that this afternoon’s conference call has been moved to tomorrow?”

“……”

Lin Zhong, who had just stuffed the last bite of poached egg into his mouth, was stunned for two seconds and said vaguely, “Boss?”

When was the conference call moved?

Why didn’t he remember, ah?

Bo Yueming remained calm. “Hasn’t it?”

From the corner of his eye, Lin Zhong saw Pei Yi who was diagonally opposite. He suddenly realized, and quickly swallowed the food in his mouth. “Yes, it has been moved to tomorrow. Mr. Bo, you don’t have anything on the schedule today, so you can rest.”

Bo Yueming got the answer he wanted, and tried to locate Pei Yi again amidst the blurred light and shadows.

Pei Yi met Bo Yueming’s gaze, and his sleepy mind was slow. “I, I’m full.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming stared for a moment.

Uncle Kai, who witnessed the entire process, didn’t understand the true thoughts of his Second Young Master, but he quickly assisted, “Little Sir, since the Second Young Master is resting today, do you want to go together? I remember Ms. Shu mentioned before that she wanted to meet the Second Young Master.”

After all, he was the nominal partner of her youngest son. As a mother, Shu Wan would want to see him in person before she could rest assured.

Pei Yi also thought about this matter.

Last time at the entrance of Baiyang Alley, he had the idea of inviting Bo Yueming, but taking into consideration the hygienic conditions in the alley and the crude layout of the old house—

He feared that the high-born Bo Yueming would not be accustomed to it, and was also afraid to scare the unprepared Shu Wan and Pei Yuan, so he had to give up.

However, maybe this time, he could try?

After all, Uncle Kai came forward to help find the new house, and it was likely that Bo Yueming gave a nod in the middle. The most important part of letting the two parties meet in the name of “saying thank you” was to let Wan Shu feel completely at ease.

Pei Yi remained silent for a long time, and it was not certain whether he understood.

Uncle Kai saw Bo Yueming’s expression gradually fading, so he couldn’t help but prompt, “Little Sir?”

“En.”

Pei Yi turned to look at Bo Yueming, and after making up his mind, he pretended to extend a cautious invite, “Er-ge, will you……”

Before the last word “go” came out of his mouth, Bo Yueming simply answered, “I’ll go.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was momentarily startled by the speed of his answer, and felt there was something wrong with his tone. But before he could think about it, Bo Yueming across from him couldn’t be calmer as he stood up.

“I’ll go upstairs and change my clothes before going out.”

Bo Yueming’s eyes avoided Pei Yi’s direction, and he coughed. “Uncle Kai.”

Uncle Kai saw through him without saying anything and helped lead the way upstairs.

Pei Yi watched the two of them go up, and then looked at the assistant who was sitting diagonal to him.

Lin Zhong, who had perceived something special during the “meeting,” pretended to be confused. “Little Sir, why don’t you also go upstairs and change your pajamas? Aren’t you going out in a moment?”

“…….”

Pei Yi lowered his gaze and stared at the little bear pajamas that he had specially picked out two days ago in order to “stay in character.” His ears turned red in a rare moment of shame, and he stood to go up without a word.

. . . . . . 

The master bedroom on the second floor.

Uncle Kai gazed at the neatly arranged clothes in the cloakroom. “Second Young Master, which would you like to wear out today?”

Although Bo Yueming’s eyes were inconvenient, he was never perfunctory when dressing. He remembered most of the clothing styles he had personally selected in the past, and only had to ask Uncle Kai to help him find them each time.

“…….”

Bo Yueming was always quick when deciding on clothes, but today he hesitated for a long time and still couldn’t make a decision.

Uncle Kai was puzzled. “Second Young Master?”

Bo Yueming leaned against the door with a rare look of indecision on his face. Unsure but cautious, he asked, “Uncle Kai, does this count as meeting the parents?”

Although he and Pei Yi were wrapped up in a simple marriage “shell,” and there was no real relationship, he was about to meet the other party’s biological mother, so didn’t he have to pay more attention to the way he dressed?

At the least, he couldn’t let Shu Wan misunderstand that he was an unreliable person.

As someone who had been around the block, Uncle Kai chuckled in surprise, hiding a bit of teasing. “That depends on what Second Young Master thinks.”

Bo Yueming asked, “What do you mean?”

Uncle Kai spoke bluntly, “If you are the same as before and only treat Little Sir as an indifferent marriage partner, then you can do things according to your own mind, and you don’t have to worry so much.”

After all, according to outsiders, in this marriage relationship of “a fool and a blind man,” it was Pei Yi who lived by relying on Bo Yueming.

Uncle Kai’s detached remarks changed, and he smiled a little more like family. “But if Second Young Master treats Little Sir as a ‘spouse,’ then this is the first time meeting his parents, and of course you must not treat it casually.”

“It isn’t only about clothes, but even gifts must be prepared accordingly.”

“…….”

Spouse?

Bo Yueming silently recited this word that used to be far away from reach, and didn’t even notice the duplicitousness of his reply, “Not to that extent.”

The warmth and encouragement that Pei Yi gave him had softened his heart, but that was all.

Before the eyesight in both eyes was restored, and before he dealt with Bo Guancheng and the others, Bo Yueming didn’t intend to explore other aspects of extending his feelings for the time being.

Uncle Kai frowned slightly when he heard this calm, unexpected answer, but he didn’t ask further.

He saw Pei Yi obediently changing clothes outside the small living room through the crack in the door, and specially notified him, “Little Sir is wearing aqua blue casual clothes today, and looks very upright.”

Bo Yueming was silent for a few seconds before making a choice.

. . . . . .

In the small living room, Pei Yi was crouching down to play with Inspector with a cat teaser.

Footsteps sounded from the master bedroom next door. Pei Yi glimpsed the color of Bo Yueming’s clothes from the corner of his eye, and couldn’t help but look up to look twice more—

Bo Yueming wore an icy silk shirt with a drape effect, which further showed off the superior width of his shoulders. The dark blue fabric occasionally reflected a glimmering luster almost identical to his eyes.

It was obviously a simple design, but on him, it was like the most charming and extravagant luxury brand.

Within the blurred light and shadows, Bo Yueming tried his best to locate the crouching figure on the ground. “Pei Yi?”

Pei Yi secretly admired him from the bottom of his heart and got up, saying simply, “Er-ge, it looks good.”

Coincidentally, the two wore clothes of the same color, one light and one dark, and there was a clear distinction in temperament.

The figure that moved closer to him finally became a blurry outline in his field of vision. Although he couldn’t see clearly, this change was enough to make Bo Yueming feel better. “Let’s go.”

Pei Yi tossed the cat teasing stick to the eager Inspector. “Good, take care of the house.”

Assistant Lin Zhong stayed in the villa and didn’t go out, so he didn’t have to worry about Inspector being maliciously hurt by bad people.

Inspector responded, “Meow~”

Bo Yueming silently smiled.

He didn’t know when it started, but he thought it was interesting to listen to the cross-species dialogue between a person and a cat every day.

. . . . . .

The area where Wan Shu and Pei Yuan moved into their new home was called Wangjiang New Villas, and it was only a twenty-minute drive from Bo Manor.

This villa space was built a long time ago. The wealthy people who originally lived here either moved or left them empty, but very few of them rented them out.

Fortunately, the property was carefully managed all year round, and the community had a nice green environment with good security.

Uncle Kai looked at Pei Yi, who was looking around curiously after coming here for the first time, and asked with a smile, “Little Sir, what do you think of this place?”

Pei Yi expressed his satisfaction with one word: “Good.”

Compared with Baiyang Alley, which was distant and remote, the family moved here for the same price.

Hearing his satisfactory answer, Uncle Kai glanced covertly at Bo Yueming. The latter didn’t speak, but there was a hint of pleasure on his face.

In fact, what they didn’t tell Pei Yi and the mother and daughter of the Shu family was—

This villa was one of Bo Yueming’s assets, but it had been vacant and unoccupied for many years.

A while ago, he heard Uncle Kai mention the situation of the Shu Wan mother and daughter, and after some consideration, he asked Uncle Kai and the intermediary agency to help with this ready-made vacant house.

As for the rent paid to the account every month, Bo Yueming didn’t care about the spare money. He only asked Uncle Kai to save it on a bank card, and then return it either to the Shu Wan and Pei Yuan mother and daughter, or give it to Pei Yi as pocket money.

The car soon stopped at the gate of the villa.

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi got out of the car on the left and right, followed by Uncle Kai who pushed open the fence gate. “Second Young Master, Little Sir, this is the place.”

The group of people walked to the security door of the main house.

Uncle Kai rang the doorbell, but nobody answered for a long time.

Bo Yueming frowned. “Is no one here?”

“There was no reply to the WeChat message I sent to Ms. Shu  before we came here.” Uncle Kai frowned, and said solemnly, “Second Young Master, Ms. Shu told me the password of the electronic lock a while ago.”

It was also for the convenience of him bringing Pei Yi back.

Pei Yi recalled the dangerous situation he saw at the entrance of the alley that day, and only said, “Uncle Kai, open the door.”

Bo Yueming nodded in agreement. “Open it, ba.”

He was the real owner of this villa, and Pei Yi was the son of the current resident. Not to mention these two points, they didn’t come here to do bad things, so there was nothing to worry about.

Uncle Kai quickly entered the electronic password, which was the birth dates of Pei Yuan and Pei Yi, 01120616.

The electronic anti-theft door opened in response.

Inside the villa, the strong smell of tobacco and alcohol hit their faces, making it difficult for them to get used to it.

“…….”

“…….”

Pei Yi and Bo Yueming frowned simultaneously, feeling that something wasn’t right—

How could there be such a smell in the place where Pei Yuan and Wan Shu lived together?

Uncle Kai, who had come here once when they were moving, was also surprised. “Is this the wrong place?”

The mother and daughter had always been fastidious. 

They could keep such a dilapidated house tidied up before, let alone such a good villa? It was even more impossible to ruin it, ah!

Bo Yueming said bluntly, “The password was correct, how could it be the wrong place? Let’s go in and have a look.”

Before the lingering echo could fade, Pei Yi, who had felt that something was wrong from the beginning, pushed the door open first and went in to find—

Nut shells and food scraps were piled up on the floor of the spacious living room. Upon closer examination, there were a lot of cigarette butts scattered all over the floor, and wine bottles cluttered the coffee table.

At this moment, three ordinary-looking young men were sleeping on the sofas, and judging from their postures and expressions, he could tell that they were alcoholics who were utterly drunk and hungover.

Although Bo Yueming couldn’t see clearly, he could already imagine the chaos in the house just by the smell.

“…….”

What was going on here?

It had been less than half a month since the Shu Wan and Pei Yuan mother and daughter had moved in, right? Where did these three people come from?

Uncle Kai explained what he saw to Bo Yueming, but he was also baffled. “Second Young Master, Ms. Shu was expecting Little Sir to come here to stay last Friday. It’s been less than a week, and she wouldn’t sublet without telling us.”

It was simply impossible!

How could someone who insisted on waiting for their son to come back to an old house where the landlord illegally raised the price sublet to someone without saying anything?

Pei Yi notice something strange and walked straight over.

Uncle Kai was taken aback. “Little Sir?”

As soon as the words fell, Pei Yi directly picked up an empty wine bottle and purposely smashed it down.

—Crash!

The huge cracking sound frightened a man in black to suddenly wake up. He accidentally turned over and fell to the floor with a muffled thud.

“Fuck, what idiot did that? See if I don’t beat you to death!”

The man in black hadn’t yet fully opened his small eyes before the rude curses came out.

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly. He was afraid that Pei Yi would be hurt, and for a moment, he didn’t care how unfamiliar the environment was. He simply walked over through the chaotic light and shadows using his intuition.

“Pei Yi, come here, I’ll take care of it.”

Seeing this, Uncle Kai hurriedly followed. “Second Young Master, be careful.”

The man in black got up from the ground and sat on the sofa again. He looked at Pei Yi and the others who had suddenly appeared in front of him, and said in an arrogant tone, “Who are you, ah?”

“You……”

Before Pei Yi could voice his question, the collar at the nape of his neck was tugged precisely. He was unprepared, and stumbled two steps back into Bo Yueming’s arms.

“Huh?”

There was a small question mark in his tone.

Bo Yueming, who had grabbed the kitten, loosened his collar and lightly pinched the back of Pei Yi’s neck with slightly calloused fingertips. “Be obedient, don’t make trouble.”

Pei Yi shrunk his neck sensitively, and stopped talking with a hum.

Seeing the ambiguous behavior of the two, the man in black showed an expression of disgust. “I’m asking you guys, what are you doing casually breaking into my house?”

Bo Yueming scoffed. “Your house?”

The man in black spoke boldly. “What? If this isn’t my house, is it yours, ah?”

Knowing the inside story, Uncle Kai frowned and said directly, “This gentleman, the current tenant should be Ms. Shu Wan, so who are you? What is your relationship with her?”

“…….”

When the man in black heard the name “Shu Wan,” his self-righteous face became less confident.

He glanced at his two friends who were still in a drunken stupor, then looked again at the unfamiliar faces of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming. Gradually, his drunken brain came back online. “You are Pei Yi?”

“Tsk, tsk, after so long, it turns out to be my family?”

The tension eased from the man in black’s eyes, and he became arrogant toward Pei Yi. “Me, ah, I am your cousin.”

“…….”

Pei Yi heard this term of address and fell silent.

Cousin?

The only cousin the original owner had an impression of was Qin Yishun. What kind of cousin was this person?

“Oh, I almost forgot, I hear you’ve been a fool since you were a child?”

Seeing that Pei Yi didn’t speak, the man in black looked at Bo Yueming and Uncle Kai next to him and muttered, “Is that person blind, ah? Why is there still an old man with you?”

There was no trace of respect in his casual tone, which caused Bo Yueming’s eyes to darken.

“It’s settled, I live in this house now and I have the final say.” 

The man in black assumed the majesty of the “owner of the house” and looked toward the second floor. “Pei Yi, your mother seems to have left early in the morning, right?”

“You just find a place to sit and wait, don’t stand in front of me and my friends and make noise, disturbing peoples’ sleep!”

Bo Yueming and Pei Yi’s expressions changed at the same time—

The former because he had never been chased away like this since he was a child, while the latter just wanted to punch this idiot in the face.

While the atmosphere was somewhat frozen, the sound of footsteps and conversation came from outside the door.

“A-Wan, we don’t treat family members as strangers, so I want to say, your Xiao Yuan is a useless girl. She just needs to get married early in exchange for a bride price before she gets old, and her grandfather can take care of Xiao Yi so that he doesn’t have to worry about food and clothing.”

“Our family is at the age of success, and it’s a good time to start a business. If you, the paternal aunt, don’t help us, can you justify it?”

“Look at this big house, it’s wasteful for your mother and daughter pair to live in it. Why not let your nephew succeed in starting a business and marry a wife!”

Each sentence was more thick-faced than the other.

Soon, the familiar voice of Shu Wan sounded, “Sister-in-law, what do you mean! Xiao Yuan’s marriage and such important matters are not for you to talk nonsense about!”

“If you can’t find a house temporarily, it’s fine if you insist on staying for a few days, but it will definitely not work long-term……”

The unlocked door was opened.

Standing outside the door, Shu Wan was taken aback when she saw her youngest son who had appeared in the house. “Xiao Yi, Senior Housekeeper, when did you get here? Why didn’t you notify me in advance?”

Shu Wan seemed to have just returned from the vegetable market, and was carrying bags of various sizes that contained fresh ingredients.

And beside her was a tanned middle-aged woman with dark eyes and clear dissatisfaction on her face.

“Ms. Shu, I sent you a WeChat message but didn’t receive a reply, so we came directly.” Uncle Kai finally met a familiar face, and opened his mouth to ask on Bo Yueming and Pei Yi’s behalf, “This, just what is going on here?”

There was a clear warning in his restrained tone, “Little Sir happily came to see you today, and the Second Young Master also took the time to accompany him, but the house is full of smoke, and how many people of unknown origin are here?”

The middle-age woman immediately objected. “Ai! What people of unknown origin? I say, don’t talk nonsense if you don’t know the situation, brother! We are close relatives!”

“I’m her own sister-in-law, and that handsome guy standing behind you is her own nephew! Family doesn’t treat one another as strangers, and if we eat and drink in our own house, what does it matter to you?”

With this repeated mantra of the dove occupying the magpie’s nest, you still feel that you are the reasonable one?

Pei Yi could roughly guess the reason, and glowered, unable to bear it any longer. “You shut up!”

Taken aback by the fierceness of his gaze, the middle-aged woman stuttered twice and stopped talking.

Shu Wan next to her panicked, and quickly threw the vegetables to the ground in order to approach and comfort him, “Xiao Yi, don’t be angry, listen to Mom’s explanation.”

Bo Yueming remained silent this time, letting Pei Yi vent his unhappiness.

To be honest, he couldn’t see the current  circumstances clearly, and felt extremely annoyed at this inexplicable situation.

As an older generation, Uncle Kai had some experience, and hit the nail on the head, “Ms. Shu, when it is time to break ties, it is time to break them. You and Little Sir finally broke free from the situation with the Pei family, and now you want to be tied up with others?”

Shu Wan’s heart suddenly constricted. “How is that possible?! It was this shameless mother and son who came here together!”

The middle-aged woman did not dare to shout at unfamiliar faces such as Bo Yueming, but when she heard Shu Wan’s heartfelt words, she seemed to have found a reason to attack.

“Shu Wan, what do you mean by that? Tell me clearly!”

Shu Wan was no longer tactful, but there was still a slight tremor in her voice. “Yes, sister-in-law, I was originally going to make it clear!”

She took a deep breath, and personally tore away the facade of family relations that no longer existed—

These two were indeed her nominal sister-in-law and nephew, named Chen Yuyin and Shu Youcheng. As for the two people who were still lying on the sofas and sleeping, they were friends brought over by the latter last night.

Back then, Shu Wan’s family background was very ordinary, and her parents from a rural area favored their eldest son to the extreme.

It was through her own efforts that she made her way to the Imperial Capital and took root, and then she met her husband Pei Ruye by chance.

After Pei Ruye passed away, the heartbroken Shu Wan tried to contact her natal family, but her parents had been gone for many years at that time, and only her eldest brother and sister-in-law remained among her relatives.

Having learned of her recent situation, Chen Yuyin immediately turned her face and hung up the phone, and also gave repeated instructions to not allow her husband to secretly help Shu Wan, his own sister.

Since then, the gentle-looking Shu Wan who was actually strong, never contacted her again.

Until three years ago, when Chu Yuyin suddenly approached her through some unknown channel—

Shu Wan’s elder brother was accidentally injured on a construction site, and passed away after two weeks of treatment. The 500,000 yuan in compensation was quickly squandered by her son Shu Youcheng, and he even owed a gambling debt.

Chen Yuyin, who was adept at playing tricks, had no choice but to find a way to shamelessly seek out Shu Wan.

When Shu Wan was studying and making a living away from home in those days, the only family member who supported her was her deceased brother. For the sake of her elder brother’s wife and children, she secretly gave some savings to help them without telling her daughter.

At that time, the mother and daughter were still living in Baiyang Alley, and their living conditions looked very ordinary. Having gotten the money, Chen Yuyin feared that she would have second thoughts, so she slipped away faster than anyone.

When Shu Wan and her daughter moved away half a month ago, she deliberately left the address of her new home for her close neighbors, but she never considered that—

The first person to come to the new home was not the youngest son Pei Yi, but this shameless mother and son!

Three days ago, Pei Yuan led a group to another province for a painting competition, and the mother and son came to the door with the address given by a neighbor.

When Chen Yuyin and Shu Youcheng saw this villa, they froze, and decided that the mother and daughter had spare money!

Knowing that Shu Wan was resistant, they just came in crying and fussing, and she couldn’t drive them away no matter how hard she tried!

After residing there for only two days, Shu Youcheng promptly assumed the identity of the ‘master of the house’ and invited his friends, drinking and making noise all night long the previous night.

This morning, in order to save face for her son, Chen Yuyin forcibly dragged Shu Wan to the vegetable market to buy ingredients. She picked out the best ones, but when it came to the critical moment of payment, she played dumb.

No only that, but on the way back from the market, Chen Yuyin was still trying to brainwash Shu Wan—

When all was said and done, she just hoped that Shu Wan would take good care of Shu Youcheng for the sake of him being “the last lifeblood of the Shu family,” and had crooked ideas about this villa!

Shu Wan was so annoyed that she almost tore her face away—

The mother and son were just minor relatives, as thick-skinned as could be! They were the fattest and filthiest blood-sucking leeches!