CH 69

Qin Yishun immediately understood what Pei Yi wanted to express, and his long, narrow eyes sharpened.

“Pei Huan! Let me ask you, when Pei Yi was ten and  fell into the swimming pool, was it accidental or not?”

The question was simple and straightforward, with the answer almost pinned down. 

Bo Yueming frowned slightly. His focused gaze fell on his lover’s face as he quietly waited for the situation to develop.

When the Pei couple and An Yang heard this sudden question, their faces showed disbelief—

Looking at the entire wealthy circle of the Imperial Capital, there was no one who didn’t know that the young master of the Pei family, Pei Yi, accidentally drowned at the age of ten, and after being rescued, he became a fool and a public laughing-stock.

No one had ever suspected that it was not an accident, but man-made!

Pei Ruzhang didn’t expect that this old incident would come up today. He was already in a state of confusion, and immediately said, “Yishun, that is enough!”

“You’re the big brother, and instead of trying to be good, you’re always provoking conflicts!”

First, he suspected that Pei Huan had hurt the old man and blamed Li Yuan, and then he suspected that Pei Yi’s drowning was caused by Pei Huan? How old were they then? How could it be possible?

Pei Ruzhang glanced at Bo Yueming, who had nothing to say, and spoke a little more politely, “Xiao Yi’s mind is limited, just listen to this nonsense, how can it be taken seriously?”

Qin Yishun entered “brother protection mode” again and retorted coldly, “It is because you’ve always treated Xiao Yi as a fool that even if he tells the truth, you will treat it as a lie.”

“Pei Huan!”

Qin Yishun ignored Pei Ruzhang’s attempt to stop him and called him out again. 

He asked relentlessly, “Let me ask you, did Pei Yi’s drowning back then have anything to do with you!”

Qin Yishun’s aura had been tempered in a rain of bullets, with real guns and knives, and when he moved for real, few people could withstand his questioning.

“…….”

No matter how well Pei Huan disguised himself, his breath still shook for a moment.

Pei Yi noticed the softening of the person in front of him, and a cold light flashed in the depths of his eyes. As a transmigrator, he had never thought about this matter carefully—

Firstly because there was no detailed description in the original text, so there was no way to analyze it;

And secondly because it was so far in the past, and the original owner didn’t retain his memories of before and after the drowning.

Therefore, Pei Yi took it for granted that the original owner accidentally fell into the water by himself until he learned about the past from Qin Yishun just now—

Pei Huan dared to push the six-year-old original owner down the stairs when he was a child?

His bad roots had clearly developed since childhood!

Since there was a first time, there was no guarantee that there wasn’t a second time!

Pei Yi’s intuition told him that this was a possibility, and he took the opportunity to ask a tentative question. Pei Huan’s silence just verified his guess.

Things had come to this point, and there was no possibility of turning around.

Pei Yi had never thought of himself as a good person in the strict sense, and he also had a bit of stubbornness in his bones.

Now that he had the opportunity, he didn’t mind adding some more information to this undecided “fact.”

“It’s you, push me!” Pei Yi got closer to Pei Huan, and said face to face, “I’m uncomfortable, you watch, don’t help.”

Ten words were enough for everyone to make up the storyline.

When everyone heard Pei Yi’s brief but affirmative accusation, their expressions varied.

“…….”

Pei Huan, who was in a storm of public opinion, was calm on the surface, but his heart was wrapped in deep fear from the past. He never thought that the old accounts from four years ago had just been turned over, and now there were old accounts from twenty years ago—

Although the recent paternity test had confirmed his identity, in the eyes of Pei Huan as a child, both he and Pei Yi were grandsons of Old Mr. Pei.

He was also one year older than Pei Yi, and was the rightful eldest grandson!

However? For as long as he could remember—

The attention of Old Mr. Pei and Old Mrs. Pei had always been on Pei Yi. Every time they went out to a banquet, they would let the other party follow them and never pay too much attention to Pei Huan. 

Pei Yi could get countless compliments no matter what he did, but he himself was always asked by Pei Ruzhang to become better and surpass the other boy in everything!

Pei Huan remembered when he once asked Pei Ruzhang aggrievedly: Why have I worked so hard, but Grandpa and Grandma still like Little Brother?

Pei Ruzhang answered him: Because you are my son, and because you are not good enough. If you want your grandparents to pay attention to you, you have to be the only one.

The only one?

What did being the only one mean?

Just like when Uncle passed away, and Father became Grandfather’s only son?

No one knew that Pei Ruzhang’s simple, casual words had planted a seed of evil in Pei Huan’s heart, which quickly took root.

The first time Pei Huan acted on this evil was when he pushed Pei Yi down the stairs and was caught by Qin Yishun.

Under the strict education of the other party, his guilty conscience and fear caused him to cry and beg for mercy, inhibiting the growth of his evil thoughts.

But it was just education without punishment, and if seeds weren’t pulled out by the roots, there would be a day when they rose again!

When Pei Yi was ten years old, he won first place in the elementary school mathematics competition, while Pei Huan, who also participated, only won third place. After the news reached home—

Pei Ruzhang closed the door and scolded him for being worthless, saying that he was no match for Pei Yi.

The old Pei couple said that the two children were both excellent, but their preference for Pei Yi was still obvious.

Jealousy gave birth to the evil thoughts that had not been expressed for many years, and Pei Huan once again thought of what Pei Ruzhang had told him—

Only when Pei Yi disappeared could he be the only one!

Strictly speaking, Pei Yi had fallen into the water by himself, but Pei Huan witnessed all of this with his own eyes next to the pool.

During that long minute, Pei Huan, who was hiding behind the swimming pool’s decorative pillars, ignored his little brother’s cries for help.

His feet seemed to be fixed, his mouth sealed, and his eyes just watched the other person lose his strength little by little as he sank.

Later, Pei Yi was rescued by a passing housekeeper.

Pei Huan was terrified afterwards, fearing that the other party would accuse him of not helping after he woke up. He was afraid of the disappointed and disgusted eyes of the adults falling on him.

But God favored him after all—

After waking up, Pei Yi had become a fool, and no longer possessed his former cleverness!

The disappointed Old Mr. Pei began to turn his attention toward Pei Huan, and he finally became the only outstanding young master of the Pei family, just as he wished!

Over the years, Pei Huan was always afraid that Pei Yi would recover, so he would make insinuations and tell Pei Ruzhang and Deng Xiuya in private that the other was a potential threat. 

No parents wouldn’t think about their own son, and that was why they continued to beat and scold the other boy out of sight, stimulating Pei Yi to go crazy and become more and more reticent.

Pei Huan knew all of this, but looked on coldly, feigning ignorance.

Breaking free of his memories, Pei Huan denied it, “Pei Yi, don’t talk nonsense here! I didn’t do it! How can you blame me for your own mistakes?” What the other party said was not completely true to the facts.

What’s more, twenty years had passed, so what evidence was there to pursue now?

“Is Pei Yi talking nonsense, or are you just guilty?” Qin Yishun caught his target accurately. “Pei Huan, don’t forget, you are no longer the young master of the Pei family.”

“……”

Qin Yishun asked rhetorically, “If the old man finds out that you hurt Pei Yi, what do you think he will do to you? Do you think you can remain in the Pei residence?”

These few simple sentences directly hit Pei Huan’s vital point.

Before he could figure out a solution, the quietly watching Bo Yueming said, “No need to wait for Old Mr. Pei to make a decision.”

Everyone’s eyes moved away one after another.

Bo Yueming’s eyes hidden under his glasses were very calm, and spoke volumes. “DIrector Pei, from now on—”

“If Pei Huan remains in the family for one more day, the Pei family will never receive any benefits from Bo Group.”

Regardless of whether the truth of their childhood could be revealed one day, Pei Huan did try to do something to Pei Yi for profit before.

This alone was enough for Bo Yueming to not tolerate him!

Pei Ruzhang was not intimidated.

Hearing Bo Yueming take things to this level, he choked up. “Mr. Bo, what do you mean? Our Pei family and Chairman Bo signed a contract!”

Bo Yueming sneered. “You signed a contract? The contract based on my marriage to Pei Yi?”

“…….”

Pei Ruzhang was speechless.

Bo Yueming wore guide glasses for the blind as a disguise, but his powerful, superior aura could not be resisted. 

“Do you think that a contract signed by someone like Bo Guancheng can still be counted?”

“Of course, Director Pei can continue to guard his imposter, as long as he can bear the consequences.”

Bo Yueming threatened outright, “It would not be difficult for me to bring down the Pei family.”

Pei Ruzhang’s expression froze.

He had almost forgotten that the one standing before him was not the Bo Yueming who had been forced to abdicate half a year ago!

Bo Yueming’s method of handling affairs was very similar to that of Old Mrs. Bo back then. He was vigorous and resolute, and was still doing well in Bo Group. Even Bo Lihui was afraid of him!

If the other party took over Bo Group one day, it was really possible for him to do as he said and bring down the Pei family!

At the same time, the stubborn Pei Huan also became flustered—

Having lived in the Pei family for the past twenty-five years, he understood the selfish natures of Old Mr. Pei and Pei Ruzhang.

Half a year ago, the father and son forced Pei Yi to marry for the benefit of the Pei family. What about now? In order to protect the Pei family, they would give him up, a person who had no blood relationship!

Pei Yi took in the expressions of the two of them, and his heart rejoiced.

He let out a sigh of relief not only for himself, but for the original owner!

Pei Yi unconsciously turned to look at Bo Yueming, and seeing him standing behind him like a solid backer, he felt an indescribably excitement and admiration. 

He even foolishly thought—

Ah!

So handsome!

I like him so much!

I really want to kiss him!

Bo Yueming’s eyes hidden under the lenses had already met his lover’s shining gaze. His heart warmed, and he didn’t want to waste time in this sort of place.

To him, it didn’t matter if Old Mr. Pei was okay or not. What mattered was sleeping with the kitten in his bed.

. . . . . . . 

The atmosphere was silent once again, and the lights in the emergency room finally went out.

A nurse came out. “Is Pei Yangsheng’s family here?”

Pei Ruzhang immediately rushed forward. “Hello, that’s me!”

“The operation was successful. You family members can pay first and go through the hospitalization process, and wait for the patient to be transferred to the ward later. There will be a special doctor there to discuss the details with you.”

Qin Yishun and Pei Yi, who had not come forward, also heard the report and breathed sighs of relief—

For the former, out of a slight concern for an elder and family member.

And for Pei Yi, out of happiness for his friend. Fortunately Old Man Pei didn’t encounter any major misfortune, and Li Yuan could be relieved of an unnecessary burden.

Pei Ruzhang took the report from the nurse and thanked him twice.

When he was about to go downstairs to pay the fee, Pei Huan followed him and volunteered, “Dad, leave this to me.”

Pei Ruzhang thought of what had happened just now, and after noticing Bo Yueming’s figure from the corner of his eye, he tactfully pushed away Pei Huan’s assistance. 

“No need, this husband and wife will be responsible for the old man’s affairs.”

“…….”

Not parents, but husband and wife.

It was a seemingly ordinary change of address, but the change it represented behind the scenes was huge.

Pei Huan gazed after Pei Ruzhang’s unsentimental departing figure. His expression twisted for a second, and he tugged Deng Xiuya’s hand hard.

“Mom, do you believe me?”

His eyes reddened again with grievance, unwillingness, and pleading. “You watched me grow up, you should know what kind of person I am, ah!” 

Could it be that just because there was no blood relationship, his existence and all of his actions had become mistakes?

“Yes, ah, I watched you grow up from a young age.” Deng Xiuya’s tears were about to fall, and her heart was in a mess. “How could I not understand you?”

It was precisely because she knew him so well that she could tell whether Pei Huan’s defense was true or false.

In the past, Deng Xiuya always looked at her child through a filter. Even if there was something wrong, she would automatically find a reason to excuse it.

But today was different—

Pei Huan “stole” Li Yuan’s grades as early as in university, and today he still tried to use Old Mr. Pei to frame Li Yuan.

Deng Xiuya’s mind still lingered on the image of Li Yuan’s back as he left. She couldn’t imagine it. How much grievance and suffering had her own son gone through all these years that he no longer had the slightest hope for familial affection?

In contrast, under the support of their husband and wife, when had Pei Huan not had a smooth life?

A mistake was a mistake. She and all of them needed to reflect!

Deng Xiuya couldn’t just abandon the child she had raised for more than twenty years, but she could no longer favor one over the other as she had before.

She painfully pulled away from Pei Huan’s grasp, and forced herself to ignore his emotions. “Xiao Huan, ah, don’t run to the hospital for the time being these few days. We will take care of Grandpa.”

“You’re tired today, go back and rest early.”

“…….”

Deng Xiuya followed closely in her husband’s footsteps.

Pei Huan laughed miserably. He didn’t say anything, but understood everything.

Qin Yishun sighed unnoticeably and took out his phone to check the time. “It’s getting late. Xiao Yi, let’s leave too.”

“En.”

In front of Qin Yishun, Pei Yi ran back to Bo Yueming’s side and habitually held his hand. “Er-ge, let’s go.”

Qin Yishun took in this scene, and his eyes darkened slightly.

The footsteps gradually faded away, taking with them the tension in the atmosphere.

Pei Huan took half a step back unconsciously, but his legs went weak out of nowhere and he fell to the ground. He covered his face and laughed wildly, his emotions already on the verge of collapse—

After twenty-five years of living in a wealthy family, he never knew what it was like to fall from heaven into the mud. Could it be this difficult?

Why?

Why was it that in just one afternoon, he was left with nothing?

This was the only question left in Pei Huan’s mind, and his heart was even more terrifyingly hollow.

An Yang narrowly emerged from the information overload. “Xiao Huan!”

Seeing Pei Huan alone and pale, she rushed forward to help him, but was pushed away—

“Don’t touch me!” Pei Huan stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar An Yang, and the accumulated resentment in his heart these past few days finally broke out.

“If you hadn’t suddenly gone crazy and ran into my birthday party to make a big fuss, I wouldn’t have ended up where I am today!”

“Why? Why couldn’t you have told me in private?”

“Why did you insist on making all of this known! It’s your fault, it’s all your fault!”

An Yang’s blood surged up, and she said tremblingly, “Xiao, Xiao Huan?”

In the past, whether at home or outside, Li Yuan would never yell at her in such a tone or be fierce toward her. Even when her illness got out of control, Li Yuan would give her the most meticulous comfort and companionship he was capable of.

“I am your mother, ah!”

An Yang thought for a long moment, but could only choke out this powerless sentence.

Pei Huan recalled everything he was about to lose, and mocked this ridiculous remark, “You used these words to kidnap Li Yuan all these years, right?”

An Yang’s face paled.

Pei Huan got up on his own, looking at An Yang coldly. “Mother? How much is that title worth? What can your Li family bring me?”

“Based on the low worth of Dawn Games, that idiot Li Yuan may be willing to work hard all over the place, but I’m not!” 

If it was the past, Pei Huan would have still been willing to do some superficial work—

After all, as long as he took advantage of the more than twenty years of getting along with each other and found a way to hug the relatively thick tree of the Pei family, he could still live the life he wanted.

As for “Dawn Games,” as long as he relied on the title of “Young Master Pei” and his connections, he could support himself with just a single investment.

But now? He was about to lose everything!

“I don’t care about being your son! The farther away you are from me, the better!” Pei Huan left behind these cold and heartless words, exiting the corridor without looking back.

An Yang was left on the spot, staring blankly at his figure disappearing around the corner. However, Li Yuan’s disappointed eyes suddenly appeared in her mind.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

An Yang finally couldn’t help but cover her face, crying bitterly as she belatedly realized—

What she had done in the past four years had lost her the most precious and most sincere child!

. . . . . . .

Pei Yi took Bo Yueming’s hand and walked to the parking lot with Qin Yishun.

“Are you hungry?” Bo Yueming asked Pei Yi in a low voice, and then extended an invitation to Qin Yishun ahead of them. “Mr. Qin, do you want to get something to eat together?”

Qin Yishun paused and turned around to look at the two people in front of him with a complicated expression. After some thought, he chose to use the most straightforward way. “Both of you, stop pretending in front of me.”

In the hospital corridor just now, Pei Ruzhang and the others were all preoccupied and didn’t have time to observe too many details, but as an outsider, Qin Yishun could see clearly—

“Mr. Bo, haven’t your eyes healed a long time ago? And Xiao Yi, you’ve already recovered your mind and can communicate with us normally, right?”

“…….”

“…….”

Qin Yishun’s straightforward words caused Pei Yi and Bo Yueming to fall into a brief silence as they faced each other.

Bo Yueming knew that the other party was a clever person, and that there was no point in pretending.

He took the initiative to remove the obstructive guide glasses, and admitted, “Mr. Qin, apologies. We didn’t mean to hide it from you.”

It was only that he needed to maintain a certain level of vigilance against Pei Ruzhang and the others, lest the other party and the Bo family collude against him in secret again.

Hearing Bo Yueming’s frankness, Qin Yishun fixed his eyes on Pei Yi again.

Pei Yi panicked. “Brother, I’m sorry, I…..”

Qin Yishun interrupted him, calling Pei Yi’s full name for the first time, “Pei Yi, come with me.”

“……”

Pei Yi took a tight breath, and inadvertently glanced at Bo Yueming.

Bo Yueming whispered, “Go, I’ll wait for you in the car.”

The way he saw it, Qin Yishun wouldn’t do anything to hurt Pei Yi. It was just that with this candid and forced reveal, there would definitely be fluctuations in the other party’s emotional acceptance.

Thud.

The car door shut.

Pei Yi sat in the passenger seat, carefully observing Qin Yishun’s expression. “Brother, I was wrong.”

“I, I really didn’t mean to hide it from you, it just that I’ve been too busy lately. I thought I’d confess to you around New Year’s Day or the Spring Festival.”

Among the two groups of people who now knew of Pei Yi’s true character—

Bo Yueming uncovered his disguise early on, and living under the same roof, Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong also found out by the way.

Li Yuan knew because of their partnership and friendship, and since if he wanted to advance his career, he had to be honest and follow up on the project.

Pei Yi’s “playing the fool” had initially just been to maintain his character, but later, it was for convenience and to avoid any unnecessary trouble.

Pei Yi never felt sorry, but towards Qin Yishun, Su Wan, and Pei Yuan, he had a strong guilty conscience.

Not only because he was forced to replace the vanished original owner, but also because he truly cherished this belated familial love and care.

“When did it happen? Why did you keep it from me?”

Qin Yishun took a deep breath, trying to suppress his depression and confusion. “Xiao Yi, do you not think you can trust me?”

“That’s not it!”

Pei Yi lowered his head, regret and guilt intertwined in his heart. “Before marrying into the Bo family, I escaped and fell into the river. After I was rescued, I recovered a bit.”

Qin Yishun frowned upon hearing this.

“At that time, my ID card was in the hands of Pei Ruzhang and the others, and I didn’t have enough money to escape, so I had to go to the Bo’s first.”

“In the beginning, I was more defensive toward the people around me. It was also at that time that you rushed back to find me and I deliberately smashed a wound into Sun Yelong’s forehead, for self-defense and to teach him a lesson.”

Pei Yi had no way to tell the entire story of his transmigration, so he could only be as frank as possible about his own experience.

He included that he was going to stay at the Bo residence temporarily, but then developed true feelings for Bo Yueming after spending so much time together.

And his game partnership with Li Yuan, their careers that were in their infancy.

By the end, his face had lowered so much that it almost couldn’t be seen.

“Brother, I’m sorry.”

Qin Yishun looked at Pei Yi’s head, and for a moment, he felt that the person before him was far removed from the little brother in his memory.

After some thought, the picture of the two getting along after they met appeared in his mind again—yes, the closeness that Pei Yi showed to him was true.

Time passed minute by minute.

Pei Yi suffered in silence. He usually appeared confident and decisive, but he was most afraid of hurting those he trusted or was close to.

“Will you hide it from me next time?”

Pei Yi shook his head like a rattle, and murmured a few beats later, “Brother, you…..you’re not angry, ah?”

Qin Yishun asked back, “Is anger useful? Should I simply deny that you’re my little brother? Or give you a spanking?”

When he heard the second part of that sentence, Pei Yi subtly moved his body to the side of the car. “It’s great that you’re not angry.”

And also great that there was no spanking.

Qin Yishun saw his cute behavior, and the displeasure in his heart was washed away. “You’re really with that Bo Yueming?”

“En.”

Just as Pei Yi answered, he suddenly saw Qin Yishun frown again, and his heart skipped a beat. “Brother, what’s wrong?”

Qin Yishun clenched his back molars and picked up the airs of a big brother, “He’s cheap!”

“…….”

Pei Yi was stunned for a couple of seconds, then instantly smiled.

Seeing him smile, the corners of Qin Yishun’s mouth softened slightly. “I still have some business to deal with tonight, so I need to hurry back. Let’s forget about dinner.”

“Next time there’s an opportunity, bring Mr. Li with you.”

Qin Yishun’s first impression of Li Yuan was not bad. Although the other party was unwilling to return to the Pei residence, that didn’t mean they couldn’t get to know each other.

Pei Yi nodded. “Okay, I’ll go and talk to him!”

The two of them exchanged a few more words. Afraid of delaying Qin Yishun’s important business, he hurriedly got out of the car.

But after getting out, he walked around the front of the car to the driver’s side door and knocked on the window. “Brother!” 

Qin Yishun rolled down the car window. “What is it?”

There was still a trace of guilt in Pei Yi’s heart, and he felt like he had to do something. “Why don’t I find you at the company tomorrow? I’ll bring you coffee?”

“…….”

When Qin Yishun heard the word “coffee,” he felt that he could taste the bitterness on the back of his tongue. He hadn’t told anyone, but the last time he drank the cup of coffee his little brother brought him, he almost didn’t sleep the entire night.

Qin Yishun revealed a rare trace of hesitation. “It’s fine for you to come, just forget about the coffee.”

If he had time to drink something so incredibly bitter, it was better to eat dessert with his little brother.

. . . . . . .

When Pei Yi got into the car again, Bo Yueming was the only one there.

He glanced at the empty seat in front of him and asked, “Er-ge, where is Lao Fu?”

Bo Yueming put down his work tablet. “His wife came to the hospital with their child and said she had a sudden fever. Since you hadn’t come back for a while, I asked him to take half an hour to check on the situation.”

Bo Yueming had always been tolerant toward his trusted subordinates.

“You’ve cleared things up with Mr. Qin?”

“En.”

Taking advantage of the fact that there were no outsiders in the car, Pei Yi directly straddled Bo Yueming’s lap.

Bo Yueming was surprised by his lover’s initiative, but didn’t refuse, and instead put his arms around his waist. “I just called Yan Cen. Mr. Li should be fine for the time being.”

“I also sent a message to Uncle Kai and asked him to prepare something for us to eat when we get home. Are you hungry now?”

Pei Yi listened to Bo Yueming explain everything in detail, and his heart warmed. “I’m fine.”

He remembered the other party’s domineering defense of him in the hospital just now, and couldn’t help but compliment, “Er-ge, the way you defended me just now was very handsome!”

In the past, Pei Yi didn’t like to rely on others and was self-reliant in everything. However, he gradually discovered that being protected by the person he liked was also a very fortunate and happy thing.

Bo Yueming chuckled, and then saw the kitten in front of him get closer and closer, their breaths mingling, desire rising.

“What are you doing?”

“Don’t move.”

Pei Yi kissed him lightly on the tip of the nose, ready to make trouble, and said, “I’m going to kiss you to tears tonight!”