CH 63

The dome light cast a dim yellow glow, covering the entire inside of the car in a hazy gloom.

Pei Yi, who was wrapped up in a blanket, was quietly leaning back in the seat. There was still a red tint that didn’t fade away with time, and he looked well-behaved and pitiful.

Because of gripping the utility knife too hard, Pei Yi’s ring and middle fingers both had slanted cuts. After the previous blind rinsing, the edges of the wounds were white.

Bo Yueming was upset and anxious, but couldn’t bear to say one harsh word. “Your wounds need to be debrided before they can be medicated and bandaged. Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

Pei Yi shook his head and attempted to withdraw his hand. “I said there’s no need.”

It was caused by his loss of control. The wounds looked a little deep, but didn’t hurt too badly. Going to the hospital in the middle of the night would bother others and cause trouble for himself.

Bo Yueming squeezed his wrist tightly. “Don’t move.”

He looked at the medicine bought by driver Lao Fu, and had no choice but to help with it first. “Then I’ll help you deal with it before going home.”

The bleeding from the wounds had not yet stopped, so there was no time to delay.

He could see that Pei Yi’s emotions were still on edge, and he was reluctant to force him, so he would have to find another private doctor tomorrow to check on the injury.

Pei Yi nodded slightly, the remaining panic fighting against his reasoning.

Bo Yueming carefully wiped the half-dried bloodstains on him with a medicated cotton swab, and only made a few movements—

“Hiss!” Pei Yi suddenly withdrew his hand in pain, and there was a trace of grievance in the pained sound that came from his mouth.

Bo Yueming’s breathing grew tight. “Hold on, I’ll try to be as light as possible.”

Pei Yi suppressed his pain in time, and pretended to be calm. “It’s fine, it’s not very painful.”

“……”

The more Pei Yi insisted on putting on a brave face, the more Bo Yueming dared not breathe.

While handling the cotton swabs, he didn’t forget to rub and pat Pei Yi’s wrist, so as to distract him and reduce the pain of applying medicine.

Time stretched along minute by minute.

After just a few minutes of treating the wounds, Bo Yueming’s back was covered in a thin layer of sweat. He just felt that in the past, commercial projects costing hundreds of millions were not as frightening as giving medicine to the kitten.

“It’s done.”

“En.”

Pei Yi’s forehead was also covered in sweat. “Er-ge, I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Bo Yueming heard him trying to be brave, and handed over a thermos of water. “Thirsty? Try some.”

The warm water in this thermos was prepared by Lou Yang.

Pei Yi obediently drank a few sips of warm water. The warmth of the water slowly lingered in his stomach, and his pain-torn spirit finally revived a little bit.

“I, I must have caused trouble for Sister Yang and Li Yuan just now.”

It was obviously kind of her to give him a gift, and also a kindness to hand him a utility knife. Pei Yi had originally wanted to hold it, but really couldn’t—

Bo Yueming took the small gift from the back seat of the car, comforting him, “Look, Director Lou sent it with us.”

The incident had happened suddenly, and after Bo Yueming clearly confirmed that Pei Yi’s mood had eased, he took him to the car to rest temporarily.

Lou Yang and the other two had Pei Yi in their hearts, so they asked Lao Fu to bring the thermos of water and this unopened gift.

Bo Yueming didn’t want Pei Yi to use his fingers, but also wanted to divert his attention, so after a look of agreement, the exquisite small black box—

It was a pin in the shape of a big-headed cat with a sleek and cute YWY in the middle.

A burst of warmth filled Pei Yi’s bleak eyes. “Does our studio’s logo look good?”

Bo Yueming’s heartstrings loosened slightly. “It looks good. Who designed it?”

Pei Yi touched the pin with his uninjured left finger. “Sister Yang personally designed it. I……”

Words of confession came to his lips, but were blocked by another, more important matter. “Er-ge, who opened the door for you just now?”

Only a very small number of people knew about Bo Yueming’s recovered eyesight. If he rushed in directly to find him, wouldn’t he have revealed himself?

“It doesn’t matter. If the secret is revealed, then it’s revealed. I didn’t intend to hide it.”

Bo Yueming answered easily, without giving Pei Yi any additional psychological burden. “They are all people you trust, so I can trust them because of you.”

Half an hour ago, Bo Yueming had gone upstairs to pick him up after receiving Pei Yi’s message.

He quickly reached the fifth floor and got out of the elevator, but there was no reply to the next WeChat message he sent, only a few faint noises from inside calling Pei Yi’s name.

Bo Yueming felt that something was wrong, so he simply pressed the doorbell. He got the jist of the situation from Li Yuan, and then took long strides to find Pei Yi hiding in the bathroom.

“Is it better?” Bo Yueming checked the time. It was eleven o’clock. “I’ll have Lao Fu drive. Let’s go home.”

Pei Yi’s temples were still throbbing. “En.”

. . . . . .

The night was deep and dark.

Hearing the sound of the door being opened, Inspector poked out of its cat nest, saw that it was its two masters, and lazily shrank back inside.

Pei Yi didn’t disturb the sweet dreams of his beloved pet. His eyes were unspeakably tired. “Er-ge, I want to take a shower before sleeping.”

Bo Yueming replied, “Okay. You have to pay attention to your right hand, don’t bump it and hurt it.”

“Don’t worry, ba. I’m not a child anymore, I’ll be careful.”

Pei Yi didn’t waste too much time showering. When he came out after changing into his pajamas, Bo Yueming entered his small room again. 

“Er-ge?”

After washing up, Bo Yueming had also changed into pajamas, and was holding a small mahogany utensil in his hand. “It’s incense for sleeping. Will you try it?”

He was afraid that Pei Yi wouldn’t sleep well tonight after such mood swings.

This sleeping fragrance was formulated by a perfume maker who was invited by Old Mrs. Bo after she got old, so the effect should be pretty good.

Bo Yueming could easily see through Pei Yi’s exhaustion. “Lie down first. I’ll leave after I fix it up for you.”

“En.”

The throbbing pain in his head had not yet dissipated.

Physically and mentally exhausted, Pei Yi no longer tried to hold on, but lay down quietly under the quilt.

Bo Yueming lit the sleeping incense and placed the incense device beside the bed. He leaned down and took the initiative to tuck in the quilt around Pei Yi’s body. He wanted to ask something, but didn’t dare speak—

He actually wanted to sleep with Pei Yi, but was afraid of touching the bottom line in the other’s heart.

Bo Yueming restrained his selfishness. “Go to sleep. Good night.”

Pei Yi didn’t speak, but silently met the eyes of the person beside him—

Those dark blue eyes were no longer like ice-cold seawater until the moonlight, but instead revealed a cherishment and affection that was unique to him.

In that instant, the already loose defenses around Pei Yi’s heart completely disintegrated, allowing the sense of security brought by Bo Yueming to continue to drill deep into his heart.

“Bo Yueming.”

Pei Yi grabbed the sleeve of the person in front of him and asked in a whisper, “Can you stay with me?”

It was an active invitation, but also a fragile plea.

Bo Yueming grasped his slightly cold fingertips, replying with extreme gentleness, “I can, that’s exactly what I wanted.”

Under the low light of the desk lamp, the fragrance of the sleeping incense released wispy smoke that spread to the surroundings, injecting a faint scent into the air.

Pei Yi turned his gaze back from the smoke to Bo Yueming’s face and asked, “Er-ge, don’t you want to know why I did that tonight?”

Bo Yueming placed his hand lightly on the quilt. “I want to, and also don’t.”

Pei YI didn’t understand for a moment. “Huh?”

“I want to know, but I don’t want to force you to answer.”

“I want to know, but I don’t want you to be forced to relive that pain.”

Pei Yi heard Bo Yueming’s answer, and his eyes became sore. “I, I don’t know what to say.”

He knew that his behavior tonight was strange and abnormal in the eyes of outsiders, but this could not be explained clearly in just a few words.

Pei Yi had been adopted by a couple when he was a child, and after a period of happy and carefree days, his two nominal adoptive fathers experienced relationship problems, and the trouble was near hopeless.

Finally, when Pei Yi came home one day, he found Father Rong in the art room—

The painter who was once so good and gentle tore up his works one by one in front of him and condemned his former lover with fanatical desperation.

Pei Yi was strangled by that mad Father Rong and almost suffocated, and then, in front of him, the other party picked up a utility knife and stabbed himself in the heart and cut his wrists.

Everything happened so suddenly that Pei Yi, who was still in “survival mode,” had no time to react.

He had never seen so much blood, and couldn’t stop it.

Every time he dreamed late at night, he felt that he could hear the sound of the utility knife piercing through skin, and he could see patches of blood—

Since then, Pei Yi had developed an inexplicable repulsion toward such things.

He had originally thought that as he grew older and time passed, all of this would heal by itself, but today, he realized that some scars had already become entrenched in his heart.

It had not become old and faded, and was not something that could be erased through extreme suppression.

Seeing Pei Yi’s brow furrow again, Bo Yueming made the choice for him. “Then don’t say it.”

Pei Yi thought for a moment, then said in a whisper, “Give me a little more time.”

“Okay.” Bo Yueming could only coax him into his arms. “Sleep early, I know you’re really tired.”

Pei Yi didn’t show the slightest aversion, and unconsciously pressed himself closer.

He tried closing his eyes, and in his mind was Xu Rong’s bloody hand holding the utility knife. Before the fear had time to occupy his body and mind, the sound of Bo Yueming coaxing him to sleep met his ears.

“I’m with you tonight, don’t be afraid.”

“Good night.”

Pei Yi didn’t open his eyes, but took the initiative to touch Bo Yueming’s fingers, holding them lightly as if searching for a sense of security.

Xu Rong’s heart-wrenching and desperate exhortations still lingered in the back of his mind. In the past, Pei Yi didn’t dare to face it, didn’t dare to think too much about it, but this time he suddenly had a burst of courage, and heeded his own voice—

Father Rong, I’m sorry.

I seem to really like Bo Yueming, and I don’t want to be obedient anymore.

. . . . . . 

The breathing of the person in his arms gradually smoothed out.

Bo Yueming clearly confirmed that Pei Yi was in a deep sleep, then silently got out of bed and left the room.

He picked up the cell phone that had been left in the living room and thought for a moment before finally making a call.

Ring—Ring—

Within two seconds, the call was picked up by the other party. “Hello?”

Afraid of waking Pei Yi up, Bo Yueming lowered his voice. “Professor, I’m sorry to keep you up by calling at such a late hour.”

Tong Xing on the other end of the line was a professor of psychiatry, and was well-known in the industry.

“Mr. Bo, not at all. What is the other party’s situation, can you tell me carefully?”

Bo Yueming had already firmly imprinted everything that happened tonight in his mind. When he explained it to Professor Tong, he recounted it in great detail, and not even a single element that might affect her judgment was spared.

“According to what you’ve said, there is a high probability that it is post-traumatic stress disorder.” This was Professor Tong’s preliminary judgment.

He explained the symptoms in detail to Bo Yueming, and then said, “Psychological reactions like this basically have a point of origin.” 

Bo Yueming’s brow was tightly furrowed. “A utility knife?”

According to what Lou Yang said, Pei Yi saw her handing over a utility knife, and his mood changed suddenly.

“Yes, post-traumatic stress disorder is basically caused by a patient experiencing or witnessing a serious life-threatening event, such as……”

Bo Yueming guarded Pei Yi very well, and Professor Tong didn’t know Pei Yi’s real identity. “In the case of this patient, either someone once threatened his life with a utility knife…..”

“……or a person with a utility knife may have hurt someone else in front of him.”

“It is possible that this person was very important to the patient.”

“…….”

Bo Yueming’s gaze re-locked on Pei Yi, who was sleeping peacefully in bed, and his mind was a storm of thoughts—

Did Pei Ruzhang and his wife threaten Pei Yi with a utility knife? Or did Shu Wan do something in front of Pei Yi?

No.

He had long suspected that Pei Yi was not the original “Little Young Master Pei,” so his psychological trauma would most likely not have been caused by these people.

Bo Yueming thought of something and asked uncertainly, “Professor Tong, if he has been holding pessimistic thoughts about relationships, could it be related to this matter?”

“If the patient has been hurt emotionally, or if a former lover threatened him with a utility knife, they could possibly be linked, but this is just speculation, after all—”

And doctors could never just rely on guesswork for patients.

Professor Tong gave his own suggestion, “Mr. Bo, it is best to take the patient to the hospital for a formal examination, and then apply medication or physiological treatment after the situation is determined.”

After all, there was still a certain difference between the situation as reported by others and the patient’s own account.

Bo Yueming replied calmly, “I understand. Thank you, Professor Tong. I will contact you another time, excuse me.”

“You’re welcome.”

Bo Yueming hung up the phone. He returned to the room, lay down on the bed, and wrapped Pei Yi in his arms, still emotionally entangled by the conversation just now—

Post-traumatic stress disorder.

Most likely by a former lover? Or someone important to him was hurt?

Bo Yueming’s heart overflowed with a sharp, uncontrollable pain. He tilted his head and kissed Pei Yi’s hair, his head full of thoughts.

. . . . . . 

Dawn came quietly.

When Pei Yi awoke, Bo Yueming was still lying in bed with him.

“Good morning, did you sleep well?”

Realizing their posture of embracing each other, Pei Yi’s sleepy face became red again, but there was no uncomfortable aversion.

The other party’s embrace was very warm and steady, as if extending an indestructible barrier to prevent his dreams from being disturbed.

Pei Yi chuckled and regained his former spirit. “Good morning, Er-ge.”

Bo Yueming pulled over his injured fingers. “Does it still hurt? Shall I have a private doctor come to the house today and take a look?”

Pei Yi shook his head. “No need, I have to go to the studio today.”

Bo Yueming frowned. “You’re still going?”

“En, how can anyone give themself a holiday after working for one day?”

Pei Yi sat up, trying to dispel his drowsiness. “Besides, if I don’t go today, I’m afraid it will make Li Yuan and the others even more worried.”

Bo Yueming asked back, “You’re not afraid of me worrying?”

Pei Yi was taken aback, and turned to look at him.

Bo Yueming’s gaze was still focused on his fingers, his worry palpable.

“It’s just fine, look!” Pei Yi bent his knuckles slightly. “I’ll just come back at night and apply medicine regularly. Will you help me?”

The last four words were obviously a bit coquettish and flattering.

Bo Yueming had no choice but to say, “You still have to pay attention, don’t bump it and don’t get it wet. I’ll pick you up tonight.”

Pei Yi smiled back. “Okay.”

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi had just arrived at the studio’s office when Li Yuan, Lou Yang, and Xiang Nansheng crowded in behind him, hesitating to speak or probe.

Pei Yi answered before they could say anything, “Li Yuan, Sister Yang, and Brother Xiang, I’m okay now.”

“When I was a child, I was a bit leery about utility knives. I’m really sorry for making you worry about me last night.”

Lou Yang asked, “You’re really okay?”

“If I wasn’t, how could I come to work at the studio on time?” Pei Yi nodded and pointed to the pin on his clothes. “I like this gift. Thank you, Sister Yang.”

Li Yuan was the first to breathe a sigh of relief. “It’s great that you’re fine.”

Pei Yi glanced over the three of them one by one with a hint of guilt. “Then I have one more thing I want to ask you to keep secret. Bo Yueming’s eyes……”

Lou Yang was the first to react. “Done. The three of us are not loose-tongued people, so we won’t talk about it.”

Li Yuan and Xiang Nansheng nodded.

If Bo Yueming hadn’t arrived in time yesterday to comfort Pei Yi when he was about to collapse emotionally, the three of them still didn’t know what they would have done.

“Thank you.”

“Since you’re fine, me and Nansheng will go back to work first.”

The closer the time to launch, the more intense the work was in each department, and as the people charge, they must not take it lightly.

Lou Yang and Xiang Nansheng left together, and the office door closed again.

Only then did Pei Yi and Li Yuan meet each other’s eyes again. “Pear Garden, too many things happened at once yesterday, and there is one thing I haven’t had time to ask for your thoughts on.”

Li Yuan was curious. “What do you need to ask me? Teacher Will.”

“Speak seriously.”

Pei Yi leaned against his temporarily arranged desk, considering his words. “Have you ever thought about completely separating YWY from Dawn Games before the launch of The Last Fog?”

“…….”

The look in Li Yuan’s eyes changed slightly.

Seeing his reaction, Pei Yi sighed. “You should know what I mean.”

He had checked the public shareholding data of Dawn Games. An Yang and Li Yuan were the major shareholders, and the proportion of the former was slightly greater than the latter.

As for other investment shareholders, they accounted for a small percentage.

If it were three days ago, Pei Yi might not have asked this question, but it was different now—

Four years ago, An Yang was able to “gift” Li Yuan’s competitive investment plan to Pei Huan.

What about now, four years later? What about in the future? Would she transfer the Dawn Games shares to Pei Huan?

If this was the case, what about YWY Studios, which was affiliated with Dawn Games?

Pei Yi dared not say that he completely understood An Yang, but he was really worried about Pei Huan—

He was willing to work with Li Yuan, but he didn’t want Pei Huan to interfere in his career, not if there was even the slightest possibility.

Li Yuan looked directly at Pei Yi. “Of course I understand what you mean.”

Pei Yi was afraid that it would weigh on his mind, so he explained, “According to what we discussed before, I don’t really have the right to meddle in decisions about the commercial operations of The Last Fog 1.0.”

“Where can you meddle? The Last Fog was originally your idea and your hard work. I was lucky to meet a partner like you.”

Li Yuan felt that his friend’s consideration was not unreasonable. 

He had already put in enough energy for Dawn Games, and now it was time for him to plan for himself.

YWY and The Last Fog were the starting points for his new career, and at the same time, he had gathered the hard work and painstaking efforts of many people. He could not and should not work hard for other people in vain.

Li Yuan considered further, “It still involves the investment with GM, which I’m afraid will be difficult to deal with.”

“The subject of GM’s investment has always been The Last Fog, and the connected account also belongs to the studio. We only need to separate the studio, explain the situation to their senior management, and make an additional agreement.”

Overall, it was not difficult to do, and just needed someone to make contact.

Li Yuan was thoughtful. “The senior management of GM?”

Pei Yi raised his eyebrows and suggested, “How about this, each of us will persuade one person. I’ll talk to Bo Yueming, and you go to Yan Cen. As long as we can convince the two of them, the rest of GM should not be difficult.”

“……”

When Li Yuan heard the name “Yan Cen,” there was a trace of nervousness in his eyes, and he used teasing to cover it up, “You found yourself the easiest person to connect with.”

“Really? Is it difficult for you and Mr. Yan to discuss this?” Pei Yi snorted with a smile. What was he thinking, was Yan Cen not easy to deal with?

Li Yuan stabilized his expression, and said in a businesslike tone, “I’ll try.”

. . . . . . .

In no time at all, it was three o’clock in the afternoon.

Seeing the egg tarts and other desserts that were suddenly brought to the office, Pei Yi couldn’t help but send a WeChat message with a photo to Bo Yueming: “Er-ge, you ordered these?”

Bo Yueming on the other end replied: “It’s time to feed the kitten.”

Pei Yi took a bite of crispy egg tart and muttered to himself, “How am I like a kitten?”

In the blink of an eye, Bo Yueming sent another WeChat message: “I have a project meeting. I’ll pick you up later, wait for me.”

“Okay.”

Pei Yi didn’t want to disturb him, so he answered briefly.

He distributed the afternoon snacks delivered by Bo Yueming to Li Yuan, who also had a sweet tooth, and then huddled at his desk to enjoy them.

While eating, Pei Yi suddenly thought about the decision he made when he was half awake and half asleep the night before. But one small question mark after another popped up in his mind—

He had never been in a relationship before, so how should he respond to Bo Yueming? The other party didn’t seem to have said words like “I like you” or “together” exactly.

He couldn’t acquiesce to the marriage relationship by default, right?

No good! That was too casual. There must be some actions and verbal promises. He had to find a strategy!

Pei Yi quickly stuffed the remaining half of the egg tart into his mouth, picked up his cell phone, and clicked on the search bar.

He quickly glanced at the opposite side, and after confirming that his friend was enjoying his afternoon snacks, poked with his uninjured left hand to type in—

“How to confess to the person you like.”

As he typed this line, Pei Yi thought of Bo Yueming’s appearance and figure, and couldn’t help but add conditions, “Tall and handsome, that kind of person!”