CH 58

In the blink of an eye, it was the evening of the next day.

Pei Yi opened the car window and gazed up at the domineering gold-letter sign board of “Haodu,” feeling a little uneasy about the impending storm—

In the original storyline, a cannon fodder character was not qualified to be involved in the core plot, but facing Bo Yueming’s invitation last night, Pei Yi was only stunned for two or three seconds before agreeing.

In addition to being curious about the development of the next plot trajectory, he also cared about Li Yuan, who was already a partner of his.

According to the development of the original plot, the other party was likely to suffer the first wave of major blows tonight, which would subsequently affect his mentality.

Pei Yi was selfish. 

He didn’t want to see Bo Yueming blacken himself for those scumbags and bring about his own tragic ending, and he also didn’t want his partner Li Yuan to meet his fate from the original text.

Bo Yueming noticed that the person next to him was lost in thought, so he asked in a low voice, “Pei Yi, what’s wrong?”

Pei Yi turned to the side. “Huh?”

Bo Yueming said, “You seem restless today. Are you uncomfortable?”

“No.”

Pei Yi shook his head, and couldn’t help but reveal a little bit, “Er-ge, do you trust my intuition? I just feel that something big is going to happen today.”

Hearing this mysterious murmur, Bo Yueming immediately grabbed the kitten’s paw. “En.”

Pei Yi lowered his eyes. “Just ‘en?’”

Bo Yueming tightened his grip on his hand. “No matter what happens, you just need to obediently stay by my side, and don’t run around without my permission.”

He didn’t care about “something big happening,” he just cared about Pei Yi himself.

“The bruise on your arm is doing well. You only need to eat a meal tonight, and not get hurt again. It makes me worry.”

Pei Yi felt heat on his palm, but couldn’t tell if he belonged to Bo Yueming or himself.

“I can take care of myself.”

Pei Yi unconsciously shook his tightly held hand, and said inexplicably, “Let’s get out of the car, it’s a little hot in here.”

“Okay.”

Bo Yueming responded with a smile, and motioned for Lao Fu to drive to the entrance of the hotel.

The two got out of the car through the same side door.

Pei Yi looked at Bo Yueming’s face and asked in a surprised whisper, “You’re not wearing the glasses?”

Bo Yueming explained in a low voice, “The tea-black lenses are uncomfortable to wear for a long time. You and Yan Cen are both aware of my situation, so I won’t wear them the few times I go out to eat.”

The Imperial Capital was so large, so how could it be easy to meet acquaintances? Even if he encountered them, he could still pretend carefully.

Even though this was what he thought to himself, Bo Yueming still leaned down and deliberately asked, “Little Sir, you keep an eye out for me.”

“……..”

His lips were nearly pressed against his ear, and warm ambiguous breath floated across, bewitching the mind.

Pei Yi dodged sensitively and said with restraint, “You, you don’t stick so close.”

Bo Yueming caught a glimpse of his red earlobes and said knowingly, “Why?”

Pei Yi feigned ignorance. “No reason.”

Bo Yueming chuckled and didn’t ask any more questions.

He just wanted to subtly get Pei Yi used to contact. Of course, if the other party showed any “discomfort,” he would stop at once.

As soon as the two of them entered the hotel lobby with a waiter’s guidance, they heard a familiar greeting, “Yueming, Little Mister Pei, this way.”

Bo Yueming and his friend shared an understanding look, and then looked away before the attendant could notice. “When did you arrive? How long have you been waiting?”

“Ten minutes ago.” Yan Cen cooperated with his acting. “I was afraid your eyes would be inconvenient, so I sat in the rest area to wait for you.”

Then, he gave Pei Yi another friendly nod.

Even if it was not the first time the two had met, Pei Yi had to admit that Yan Cen was indeed the same as in the book—he could always show his most gentle and elegant side to outsiders.

“Is it settled? Which floor?” Bo Yueming took the initiative to ask, and intentionally or unintentionally held up their joined hands. “Pei Yi is hungry.”

“…….”

Pei Yi was taken aback. When did he say he was hungry?

Yan Cen lowered his eyes slightly. Having been friends with Bo Yueming for over ten years, he saw through his friend’s little act of showing off and smiled with a casual hum. “I suddenly regret inviting you to dinner.”

Some people, ah, how could they be so childish when they had a wife?

Bo Yueming pretended not to understand his friend’s complaint, and lightly rubbed the back of the kitten’s hand with his fingertips, feeling satisfied.

“We’ll just go up now, you stay here, ba.”

Yan Cen dismissed the waiter who had led the way, and “led” Bo Yueming and Pei Yi to the elevator. “I booked the farthest seat away by the window on the seventeenth floor. Aside from the waiter serving food, there will be basically no other guests walking around.”

Haodu was the earliest star-rated high-end restaurant in the Imperial Capital. It had three floors, including a restaurant for small gatherings and a banquet hall for large events.

Pei Yi understood Yan Cen’s considerations when choosing a seat, and subconsciously said to Bo Yueming, “This is good, so you don’t have to be too cautious when eating.”

When Yan Cen heard Pei Yi’s fluent and flowing speech, a trace of uncontrollable surprise overflowed. “Little Mister Pei, you’re…….”

Pei Yi realized that he had fallen into a pit, and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bo Yueming.

If anything were to blame, it would be his fault for getting too used to being freely himself in front of Bo Yueming and saying anything he wanted. 

Bo Yueming understood, and took the lead in explaining briefly to his friend, “It’s a long story. Pei Yi’s situation is similar to mine. Before, he had to pretend in front of outsiders.”

Pei Yi acquiesced to Bo Yueming’s forthrightness.

Although later on in the book, “Bo Yueming” and “Yan Cen” had an ugly fight, when facing the current Yan Cen, he instinctively felt that the other party could be trusted.

It took Yan Cen a few seconds to accept this sudden reality. He thought about everything that had happened in the past, and after making a sound of acknowledgement, he didn’t ask any more questions.

Everyone had their own way of doing things, and this Yan Cen didn’t ask what shouldn’t be asked, care about what he shouldn’t care about, or say what shouldn’t be said.

He trusted Bo Yueming, a friend of more than ten years, and was willing to extend a little trust to Pei Yi.

Ding-dong.

Yan Cen saw the duo “change their faces,” and pushed up the frame of his glasses with a smile—

Seriously, it was really a match made in heaven!

The elevator door opened slowly, and the two parties inside and outside saw each other clearly. The atmosphere suddenly stagnated for a moment.

Pei Yi looked at Pei Huan and Deng Xiuya who he hadn’t seen for a long time, and a gleam of clarity flashed in his eyes as he lowered them again and outwardly played the fool once more.

“…….”

Pei Huan had come up from the underground parking lot, never expecting to meet someone he knew on the first floor.

His eyes swept across the faces of Pei Yi and Bo Yueming, and finally met Yan Cen’s gaze. “Senior, Mr. Bo, and Xiao Yi, what a coincidence.”

When speaking, he used his most commonly-used smiling expression, and took the initiative to press and hold the open button of the elevator. “Would you like to come in?”

Yan Cen calmly avoided eye contact with Pei Huan, and made a decision. “Yueming, let’s go up.”

He checked the other two elevators, but they were stuck at the top without coming down.

“Okay.”

The three of them entered the elevator.

Pei Yi couldn’t be bothered to look at the Pei Huan and Deng Xiuya mother and son, so he just shrank beside Bo Yueming and didn’t speak.

When Deng Xiuya saw this little nephew whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, the unhappiness of the past remained in her heart.

She had originally thought that within a few days after entering the Bo residence, Bo Yueming would despise him and leave him at home, communicating indifferently with him. Unexpectedly, several months had passed, and they were still going in and out together?

Deng Xiuya noticed their clasped hands and gathered her expensive shawl, feeling even more disdainful—

In the entire Imperial Capital, only a blind man would treat a fool as a treasure!

Pei Huan, who was closest to the elevator buttons, said, “Senior, which floor are you going to?”

Yan Cen replied, “The seventeenth floor.”

Pei Huan pressed the button before reaching out in active invitation, “It just so happens that I have a birthday party on the eighteenth floor today. Since we’ve met by fate, do you want to go together, Senior?”

“Birthday party?”

Yan Cen’s eyes flickered slightly. “Today is your birthday too?”

Pei Huan finally met his gaze, and his smile deepened unconsciously. “En! Will you come?”

Yan Cen looked at Bo Yueming and Pei Yi beside him thoughtfully.

It was Pei Huan’s birthday, but Pei Yi, a young master of the Pei family, didn’t receive an invitation in advance? Didn’t this show that the relationship between the two parties was not very good? Including everything he had seen and heard before—

Yan Cen regained his composure, and declined. “No need, Yueming, Little Young Master Pei, and I are just getting something to eat.”

When Pei Yi heard the changed address of “Little Young Master Pie,” a hint of understanding appeared in his eyes.

Sure enough, he was the male protagonist in the original novel who could compete with Bo Yueming. His words not only left people with sensitivity to their feelings, but also quietly gave some pointers.

Pei Huan heard the implication, and his smile froze slightly.

Before he could say another word, the elevator reached the seventeenth floor.

Bo Yueming, who couldn’t be bothered to speak the entire time, led Pei Yi out “cautiously,” and Yan Cen followed, ending the brief exchange.

The elevator doors closed again.

Pei Huan’s smile instantly disappeared, and Deng Xiuya couldn’t help but say, “Xiao Huan, what were you thinking inviting them? What if that little fool Pei Yi went crazy at the banquet and made your grandfather unhappy?”

“Mom, who said I wanted to invite him, I wanted……”

Pei Huan hesitated to speak.

He thought of Yan Cen’s indifference toward him, and felt an indescribable sense of frustration. “Forget it, it’s nothing.”

. . . . . .

Bo Yueming watched the elevator panel go up to the eighteenth floor, and looked at his friend. “I thought you might agree?”

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows. “Me?”

Taking advantage of the lack of outsiders around, Bo Yueming whispered teasingly, “You’ve talked about this junior more than once in front of me.”

Yan Cen’s eyes shifted slightly, and he said calmly, “That was before.”

Even if he recognized Pei Huan’s professional ability, that didn’t mean he fully agreed with his private conduct.

Yan Cen’s impression of Pei Huan was no longer that of a capable junior. Some people and impressions could only remain at the preliminary stage, and if you understood someone in depth, your opinion could change.

Pei Yi silently listened to the conversation between the two, thoughtful—

According to the romance in the original text, the protagonist gong and shou should already have a deep affection for one another at this juncture, but if he understood correctly, now Yan Cen had no interest in Pei Huan at all?

Yan Cen met Pei Yi’s gaze. “Little Mister Pei, why are you looking at me like that?”

Pei Yi came back to his senses and said tentatively, “I was just thinking, is there any other friend you know of celebrating his birthday today?”

Yan Cen was taken aback. “What?”

Bo Yueming glanced at Pei Yi, and added, “When you heard about Pei Huan’s birthday in the elevator just now, you asked if he was ‘also’ celebrating his birthday.”

Didn’t the word ‘also’ represent the birthday of another acquaintance?

Yan Cen raised his eyebrows. “Is the brain circuit of this husband and wife becoming one loop?”

Pei Yi was shocked by the sudden “husband and wife,” and then heard Yan Cen say, “I remembered that Xiao Li has his birthday today.”

Bo Yueming recalled such a person. “Li Yuan?”

Yan Cen repeated his cell phone number to the waiter for his reservation, and said while walking, “En, we added each other on WeChat some time ago because of investment work. I remembered the string of numbers behind his WeChat ID is 1116, which should be his birthday, right?”

Pei Yi sensed something out of the ordinary, and couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Bo Yueming—

It was not surprising that he added a friend for work, or that he happened to know his birthday, but wasn’t there something different about calculating his birthday through a WeChat ID number?

Yan Cen caught the eye contact between the two, and suddenly felt a little depressed that he had come alone. “The two of you restrain yourselves a little. If we really meet someone we know, I may not be able to cover for you in time.”

After confirming Yan Cen’s reservation information, the waiter at the front desk said, “President Yan, other gentlemen, please follow me.”

The seventeenth floor of Haodu occupied a large area. However, the restaurant only retained all the window positions, and there were stairs in the hallways on both sides that went directly to the banquet hall upstairs.

Before the waiter brought them to the designated table, the sharp-eyed Pei Yi was the first to spot an acquaintance.

Sure enough, those who should come still came.

Pei Yi spotted the target, and pretended to be a little excited as he trotted over. “Hm!”

A simple hum immediately drew Li Yuan’s attention, and he looked up.

It was still the familiar wolf tail, but it was dyed in a cool brown tone. Instead of the formal attire he had seen before, he had put on a neat beige sweater, which made his temperament even colder. 

Their gazes met.

A trace of surprise flashed through Li Yuan’s eyes. “Little Young Master Pei, what are you doing here?”

Pei Yi was used to the teasing and mocking between him and his friend online, and when he heard this polite and distant greeting, he almost couldn’t keep himself from laughing out loud. 

Fortunately, Bo Yueming and Yan Cen reacted in time and followed. The latter took the lead to greet, “Mr. Li, long time no see.”

Li Yuan rubbed his fingers in an inexplicable panic, and stood up slowly. “Mr. Yan, Mr. Bo.”

Pei Yi noticed his friend’s reaction, shifted his gaze, and saw the middle-aged woman sitting opposite Li Yuan. 

As described in the original text—

On Li Yuan’s birthday, only his mother, An Yang, accompanied him. The other party wore light makeup and had curled her hair. She looked gentle and virtuous, but there was a deep fatigue hidden in her cold eyes.

At the same time, Yan Cen asked politely, “Is this Mrs. Li?”

An Yang smiled slightly, and said in an unhurried manner, “Hello, Mr. Yan. I didn’t expect Xiao An to meet friends when celebrating his birthday.”

“Mom, Mr. Yan and the others are investors in my work.”

Li Yuan introduced them to his mother, with an unnatural avoidance in his eyes. How could they be friends, ah? The gap was too big.

Pei Yi approached Li Yuan and tried to invite him. “Together?”

If the plot of the original text was destined to happen today, he didn’t want Li Yuan to face it alone.

“No.”

Li Yuan glanced at An Yang opposite him, trying to suppress the worries in his heart. “We’re just going to eat and go, we won’t bother you.”

Bo Yueming was unaware of Pei Yi’s little plan. “Pei Yi, don’t disturb these people.”

The two parties had just met suddenly, and it would be embarrassing to join tables temporarily in unfamiliar circumstances.

Yan Cen also understood this, and looked at Li Yuan again. “Then we’ll leave you be. Mr. Li, happy birthday.”

Li Yuan paused. “T-thank you.”

. . . . . . 

A minute later.

Pei Yi sat at the reserved table and couldn’t help but take a look back—

Li Yuan lowered his head as he ordered food, while An Yang opposite him just watched silently, without the joy and excitement that a “child’s birthday” should have.

How could Bo Yueming fail to see Pei Yi’s concern for Li Yuan? He questioned intentionally, “Yan Cen, how much do you know about the Li family’s affairs?”

“I remember that the Li family has been focusing on the game industry, and I heard that it was considered one of the best companies in the domestic game industry back then.”

Yan Cen thought for a moment, and could only come up with a general idea, “Li Xiao, the former Executive Director, passed away three or four years ago. I don’t know the exact cause.”

Pei Yi took a sip of water, saying nothing.

There were also distinctions from industry to industry. 

It was normal for Yan Cen and Bo Yueming, who were from a younger generation, to be unclear on this, but it was clearly explained in the original text—

Li Xiao, the former Executive Director, was Li Yuan’s nominal father.

In Li Yuan’s sophomore year, when the company’s projects were failing one after another, Li Xiao was suddenly diagnosed with acute leukemia. He was a high-risk patient.

The situation was urgent, and everyone close to Li Xiao was identified for a possible bone marrow donation, including his son, Li Yuan.

It should be known that one of the bone marrow transplant matching tests was also a paternity test.

At that time, Li Yuan was busy with his university studies, and it was his mother, An Yang, who learned the result of the test first.

Therefore, An Yang not only learned about the matching failure, but also received a bolt from the blue—

Li Xiao and Li Yuan weren’t biologically related! In other words, Li Yuan was not Li Xiao’s son.

An Yang was stunned upon receiving the news, and assumed that the hospital had made a mistake.

In order to avoid complications and suspicion, she secretly checked two more paternity test reports without telling her son, who was still in school, and her husband, who was seriously ill.

The results were obvious.

The son who had been raised for over twenty years was not their own? What about their biological son? Where was he?

An Yang didn’t even have time to digest this fact. On the other side, Li Xiao, who couldn’t wait for a bone marrow match, passed away due to his high risk condition and could not be rescued.

This series of events caused An Yang to collapse completely, but she persisted in secretly having the relationship investigated—

Back then, there were not many wealthy people who chose to go to that private maternity hospital in the Imperial Capital, and even fewer who gave birth on that same day.

At the end of the investigation, there was the one and only Pei family who lived in the Imperial Capital.

An Yang tried her best to confirm that Pei Huan was her own son, and unexpectedly discovered that the two children attended the same university and had the same major.

The only difference was that Pei Huan was still a pampered young master from a wealthy family, while Li Yuan, who was with the Li family, had to face the predicament of family collapse and company bankruptcy.

Her husband died, her son was not her own, and she wanted to recognize her biological son but dared not.

An Yang suffered from schizophrenia for a time, and her condition fluctuated from good to bad, but what could be confirmed was that she concealed all this without authorization—

For nearly four years, Pei Huan and Li Yuan, who had been switched at birth, continued on their different destinies.

Until their twenty-fifth birthdays.

With apologies, Li Yuan informed An Yang of the bankruptcy of Dawn Games, and the other party unexpectedly lost control of her emotions. She was so agitated that she began to curse and go crazy, and even broke into the birthday party upstairs by mistake.

After a series of farces, the completely out of control An Yang publicly revealed the truth of the two children’s switched backgrounds.

. . . . . .

Pei Yi recalled the plot of the original work that he knew so well, but was still a little uncertain—

Because of his accidental transmigration, he entered the game early and Li Yuan became his partner. Therefore, the Dawn Games that the other party took over did not go bankrupt, but started again under the name YWY Studios with a new look.

That being the case, shouldn’t there be no reason for An Yang to go crazy?

But the “main characters” of the book had already arrived, so why did it feel like it was still going to happen?

While he was thinking, Bo Yueming suddenly handed a peeled shrimp to his mouth and whispered, “Kitten, what’s going on with you today?”

Pei Yi instinctively took the bait and ate the shrimp, his thoughts sluggish. “Huh?”

Bo Yueming was helpless and indulgent. “You’re not concentrating on eating. From the very start, you’ve been eating whatever I feed you.”

Yan Cen opposite them was stuffed full of dog food, and couldn’t help but complain, “It’s a good thing we didn’t meet any acquaintances from the Bo family today. Otherwise, with him feeding you this way, your secrets would be revealed in the first minute.”

“……..”

Pei Yi blushed as he belatedly realized this.

He hastily took a few sips of water and let out a muffled cough. “Sorry, I got a little lost in thought.”

Bo Yueming knew that he couldn’t get any answers from him, so he could only scoop him up a bowl of soup. “Eat a little more and think less.”

Pei Yi nodded, glancing sideways—

Li Yuan was the only one left at the dining table diagonally behind them. An Yang was nowhere to be seen.

Startled, Pei Yi blurted out, “Why is Pear Garden the only one over there?”

Pear Garden?

Hearing this address, Bo Yueming frowned uncertainly.

Yan Cen was the first to react, and answered, “Young Mr. Li greeted a waitress, who led Mrs. Li to the restroom. He has been sitting alone for nearly ten minutes.”

Hearing his friend’s answer, Bo Yueming said speculatively, “It seems it isn’t just Pei Yi. You’re also not thinking about the food on our table?”

Yan Cen took a sip of warm water and didn’t deny it.

Suddenly, a waitress hurried back from the hallway. “Mr. Li, it’s not good!”

When Pei Yi and the others heard the urgency that she failed to suppress, they swung their gazes over at the same time.

Li Yuan realized that something was wrong and stood up suddenly. “What is it?”

The waitress could barely catch her breath, and just picked the key point first. “Ms. An suddenly ran upstairs to the banquet hall. I couldn’t stop her at all. Now she’s making trouble with the guests up there!”