Song Zhe walked beside Pei Yan, limping and holding his phone. “Qi Feng? Found him, it’s him! Oh, this little celebrity doesn’t have a good reputation. The whole internet is scolding him. He looks like a troublemaker!”
As Song Zhe turned his head and saw Pei Yan’s cold face, he took two steps back, hobbling on his leg and chuckled, “Good-looking is good enough for an artist. You can’t avoid being scolded.”
“But…” Song Zhe browsed through his phone for a while and frowned. “Why do I feel like there are internet trolls intentionally attacking him?”
Pei Yan paused in his steps. “Let me see.”
Song Zhe quickly handed him the phone.
On the screen was Qi Feng’s Weibo profile, with his latest post being a video of a boy playing the guzheng. He had a calm and elegant demeanor, exuding an indescribable air of grace.
In just a few seconds, the image of the boy was etched in Pei Yan’s mind once again, as if it had always been there, stirring up inexplicable memories and emotions.
What made him even more restless was that the boy was wearing his shirt, just like last night, carrying his scent.
Pei Yan’s fingertips turned slightly white as he took back his phone, muttering under his breath, “Let’s go, let’s go to A City Restaurant.”
“Now?” Song Zhe was surprised. “It’s still too early. Why are you in such a hurry? Afraid he’ll run away?”
Seeing Pei Yan’s firm determination, he couldn’t help but be puzzled. “Pei Yan, what’s wrong with you? Why are you so anxious to see him? You couldn’t have fallen in love at first sight, right?”
Song Zhe had intended to help his good brother settle the trouble with “4191slang for “for one night” or “one night stand”. Song Zhe calling Qi Feng “one night stand” lol“. He didn’t expect Pei Yan to return in a rage, kicking him hard and demanding that he find the person immediately.
Despite knowing Pei Yan’s explosive temper after so many years, Song Zhe had never seen him this angry before.
So they hurriedly came here to find Li Junzhuo. They learned that the boy from last night was named Qi Feng. In order to avoid making this matter bigger and reaching Pei Yan’s father, they borrowed Li Junzhuo’s name to meet the boy.
Pei Yan pressed his hand on his heart which was hurting slightly and closed his eyes deeply. He didn’t know what was happening to him. The feeling of uneasiness and fear of losing control was so intense that it even triggered his heart condition.
It seemed that if he couldn’t see him, his heart would continue to ache.
Right now, he just wanted to see the boy quickly, hold onto him and keep him within his control.
Qi Feng.
Pei Yan silently repeated this name in his heart, and the pain in his heart suddenly intensified. “I always feel… that I’ve seen him before.”
“Saw him before? On TV? Do you watch entertainment shows?”
Song Zhe thought for a moment, suddenly realizing, “Is it because Qi Feng looks like Su Qiao?”
“Brother, you are too sentimental. It’s been so many years, and a person who looks like Su Qiao can still make you so impatient. By the way, Qi Feng also has a beauty mark, and it’s in the same location as Su Qiao’s.”
Su Qiao was a boy that Pei Yan liked in high school, and he had a mole just under his lip.
At that time, they joked that it was a beauty mark and called him “Su Qiao’s Beauty”. Later, everyone knew that Pei Yan liked Su Qiao and joked even more by calling him “Pei Yan’s Beauty”.
Su Qiao?
Pei Yan vaguely remembered this person, “Does he look like Qi Feng?”
After last night, he could only see Qi Feng’s face every time he opened or closed his eyes.
But he no longer remembers what Su Qiao looks like.
Song Zhe didn’t distinguish the importance of Pei Yan’s question about whether Su Qiao looks like Qi Feng2Stupid sz did not realize that py does not remember sq anymore, and blurted out, “Yes, they do. Go back and check our high school graduation photo and yearbook.”
“Don’t talk about useless things. Let’s go wait for the others.”
The increasingly intense pain in his chest made Pei Yan more restless. He pulled Song Zhe into the car and left.
—
Qi Feng had tossed and turned all night, leaving him exhausted. After forcing himself to eat a few bites of takeout, he slept through the afternoon, feeling even worse when Fang Cheng woke him up to go to the banquet. He was weak, his muscles ached, and his head was pounding.
Pressing his temples, he asked hoarsely, “Fang Cheng, what time is it?”
“Why does your face look even worse after sleeping?” Fang Cheng was startled by Qi Feng’s condition and touched his reddened cheeks, exclaiming, “You’re so hot! Xiao Feng, you have a fever!”
“I’m sick?” Qi Feng remembered he was supposed to meet Li Junzhuo, struggled to sit up from the bed, but the movement caused a severe headache, ringing in his ears, and dizziness.
Fang Cheng held him and asked uncertainly, “How about…I’ll tell Mr. Tang that you’re sick, and we can apologize to Mr. Li another day?”
Qi Feng sneered, “Will Li Junzhuo believe that I’m sick? If I break the promise again, he will retaliate even more fiercely.”
“But you’re like this…” Fang Cheng hesitated.
Qi Feng shook his head, “Go ahead. He won’t bother me too much if I look like this. Mr. Tang is also coming, so nothing will happen.”
Fang Cheng could feel Qi Feng’s burning body even through his clothes. He felt sorry for the artist he was taking care of, who was now so weak but still had to apologize to someone. If Li Junzhuo had any intention of making things difficult, he didn’t know what kind of injustice Qi Feng would have to bear.
He was distressed and held Qi Feng’s wrist, saying softly but firmly, “Xiao Feng, get better soon. When you become a top star one day, we won’t have to suffer like this again.”
—
A City Restaurant.
When Qifeng appeared in the lobby wearing a mask and a cap, his agent Tang Jun had already been waiting for him in the lounge for more than ten minutes.
The famous agent in his thirties frowned and asked, “You’re late, do you still want to make Mr. Li wait for you?”
Fang Cheng cautiously replied, “Mr. Tang, Xiao Feng is sick. I went to the pharmacy on the way here.”
Tang Jun’s frown deepened, “Sick?”
Qifeng looked at the rigorous and capable man and said slowly, “Sorry, I drank something unclean last night, which affected my body.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, you’re such a grown man, but you don’t pay attention to what you eat? Look at your current reputation, it’s a mess! The entire PR team is busy suppressing hot searches and handling negative comments for you.”
“When I brought you and Ning Yufei to debut together, he’s almost an A-lister now, but you can’t even keep an endorsement. Do you really want to rely on scandals to gain popularity?”
Tang Jun didn’t understand what he meant by “drinking something unclean”.
It seemed that Tang Jun didn’t know about the bottle of water he had drunk before seeing Li Junzhuo. So who wanted to harm him?
After pondering for a while, Qi Feng replied, “I got it.”
He was wearing a loose-fitting outfit and looked even weaker with his pale and sickly appearance. Tang Jun couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic when he thought about what had happened to him recently.
“If you don’t have the guts to handle the consequences, then don’t ask me for shortcuts in the future. If you want to rely on your ability, you have to work hard and take it one step at a time.”
“That’s how the entertainment industry is. As long as you are caught with a little bit of scandal, everyone will join in and attack you. It’s not easy to turn around the negative situation on the internet. You can only prove your worth and show people that you are not that kind of person by your ability. Do you understand?”
Tang Jun was known to be a tough agent, but it was also because of this kind of agent that he and Ning Yufei were quickly popular in the entertainment industry and stood firmly on their feet.
If it hadn’t been for the original owner’s initiative to meet Li Junzhuo, he wouldn’t have taken the initiative to provide “shortcut” resources to his artists.
Qi Feng pondered his words and replied, “I understand. Thank you for the guidance, Mr. Tang.”
“Alright, sit in the reserved private room and wait for Mr. Li. I’ll try to cover for you, but you also have to do what you’re supposed to do and face the consequences of your actions. Regardless of whether or not his endorsement can be saved, you cannot afford to offend him.”
As Tang Jun spoke, he pushed open the door to the reserved private room and looked up to see two men already seated inside.
He was taken aback. “Pei, Pei Yan?”
He quickly apologized with a smile. “Oh, sorry sorry, I came to the wrong room. I’ll leave you to it, President Pei and Master Song.”
“It’s fine.”
When Pei Yan saw the boy behind Tang Jun, his deep pupils suddenly contracted.
He walked over quickly and grabbed the wrist of the boy wearing a mask and a cap behind Tang Jun with his strong and powerful hand.
Qi Feng was an artist and always wore a full set of equipment to avoid being recognized.
But Pei Yan could recognize the boy’s figure at a glance. It was Qi Feng from last night.
He lowered his head slightly, and his black eyes reflected the startled eyes of the boy. He said, “I asked Li Junzhuo to make the call. He will explain it to you.”
Why was Pei Yan here?
Qi Feng struggled with his wrist, which was being tightly grasped and causing pain, while Pei Yan held him even tighter.
Fang Cheng quickly came over and forcefully pulled Pei Yan’s arm. “What are you doing? Let go of Xiao Feng!”
Tang Jun was taken aback. “Mr. Pei, what do you mean by this?”
“Come in.”
Pei Yan grabbed Qi Feng and pulled him inside the room.
Li Junzhuo was not someone to offend, and Pei Yan was even more untouchable. The young master of the Song family, who was sitting in the chair like a spectator, was also not someone to mess with.
Tang Jun didn’t know what was happening, but he sensed that something was wrong.
He quickly followed and closed the door. He smiled and said, “Mr. Pei, we agreed to meet with Mr. Li tonight. I don’t know why you’re here, and do you also know Xiao Feng?’”
There were five people in the room, and Song Zhe was trustworthy, while Tang Jun was Qi Feng’s agent and had to be present.
Pei Yan looked at Fang Cheng and pushed him out. He whispered a command, “Wait outside.”
“Eh, I-”
Fang Cheng didn’t even have a chance to shout before the door was slammed shut.
Fang Cheng: !!!
Pei Yan sneered and looked at the boy. “Mr. Tang, your artist slept with me last night. But this morning, he ran off without taking any responsibility. What should we do about this?”
Qi Feng took a deep breath and tried to struggle free from Pei Yan’s grip on his wrist.
Pei Yan pulled him into his arms and warned through gritted teeth, “Don’t move around. This matter is not over yet.”
Tang Jun was shocked. ‘Xiao Feng, you… he, is what Mr. Pei said true? You, you slept with him last night?”
Qi Feng’s body was unstable as Pei Yan dragged him, and his face turned red, with his breathing becoming rapid. Pei Yan saw him like this and thought of the boy in his car last night.
His eyes were cold and cloudy, and he sternly questioned Tang Jun, “Is this how your company treats artists? Giving them drugs and sending them to investors? Do you want Li Junzhuo to do something to him like this?!”
Tang Jun: ???!!!
Qi Feng gritted his teeth and said, “Pei Yan, I didn’t…I have a fever.”
Pei Yan’s hand suddenly loosened, and his voice became hoarse, “You…are sick?”
Tang Jun showed some rare signs of anxiety and asked, “Xiao Feng, did you leave with Mr. Pei when you met Li Junzhuo last night? What drugs, what happened?”
Qi Feng replied, “I drank a bottle of water before meeting Li Junzhuo last night, and that water had a problem.”
Tang Jun was stunned for a moment, and his brows suddenly furrowed, “So, when you said ‘drank unclean things and got sick’ just now, were you implying something to me? Do you suspect me?”
When he saw Qi Feng say this, he felt that the boy’s eyes were sharper than before. At the time, he didn’t think much about it, but if he were a little guilty, it would confirm that he was the one who did it.
Thinking about this, Tang Jun couldn’t help but feel chills down his back.
He only now realized that Qi Feng was such a calm young person.
Qi Feng met his gaze with clear eyes, neither confirming nor denying.
Tang Jun laughed out of anger, “I, Tang Jun, couldn’t do such despicable things. But if my artist was taken advantage of, this matter cannot be left alone. Where did the water come from? Don’t you remember?”
Pei Yan snorted, “Now is not the time to discuss this matter. Mr. Tang, don’t you understand what I want to ask?”
Tang Jun suppressed his anger and put on a smile, “So, Mr. Pei, what kind of compensation do you want?”
He didn’t think Pei Yan was at a disadvantage. Seeing how sick Qi Feng was, he knew who had suffered more last night. But in the end, it was Qi Feng who had suffered in silence.
Pei Yan was taken aback by the question. He didn’t know why he was so desperate to see the boy.
Now that he had seen him, what more could he do?
Song Zhe, who had been sitting and watching the show, burst into laughter and said boldly, “Take responsibility for this. You thought you could sleep with my brother for free? He’s still a virgin, you know?”
Qi Feng: …
Pei Yan: …
Tang Jun: …
Song Zhe laughed and said, “I think you should either let my brother sleep with you again or be his boyfriend for a year as compensation.”
Boyfriend.
Pei Yan’s face remained cold and calm, but the fingertips hanging from his suit sleeve trembled slightly.
It was simply unreasonable.
Tang Jun forced a smile and tried to suppress his anger as much as possible when he heard Song Zhe’s words. When Li Junzhuo called him, he only said that Qi Feng had left with another man and asked for Qi Feng to apologize to him personally. But he never expected that he would have to apologize to another person who was even more untouchable!
Pei Yan was the eldest son of Pei Junhai, the chairman of the financial giant, Donghai Group, and the vice president of the company. Not to mention that their company’s artists were sponsored by Donghai Group, but the family’s wealth could easily buy out an entertainment company.
Offending Pei Yan was worse than offending Li Junzhuo!
Tang Jun calculated countless plans in his mind and said with a gentle smile, “Mr. Pei, we can discuss anything. Xiao Feng was also harmed last night and it caused trouble for Mr. Pei. Don’t worry, I will find out who did it and give Xiao Feng an explanation on your behalf.”
“This matter is already in the past. What about the next time?” Pei Yan sneered. “Will you let him meet some other shady men again? Your entertainment company relies on artists to make money.”
Tang Jun quickly understood that Pei Yan was defending Qi Feng. However, he was also secretly angry and said, “Mr. Pei, you are biased. What do you see artists as? I, Tang Jun, am not that kind of person just because I work in the entertainment industry.”
Seeing that Tang Jun could no longer maintain the politeness, the atmosphere in the room became more and more tense. Qi Feng had a splitting headache and stood unsteadily, but he was clear in his mind that he could not let Tang Jun offend Pei Yan because of him.
He asked in a hoarse voice, “Pei Yan, what do you want?”
Pei Yan grabbed his hand and said in a low voice, “You!”
His voice was low and powerful.
Song Zhe: Wow!
Tang Jun’s brow furrowed. Just as he thought.
Qi Feng chuckled lowly and sarcastically repeated what Song Zhe had said, “Do you want me to sleep with you again? Or to be your boyfriend for a year?”
“Come with me first, we’ll talk about the rest later.” Pei Yan lowered his head and whispered in the boy’s ear, “Compared to someone like Li Junzhuo, I can give you more. And between us, I won’t let anyone else know.”
Pei Yan wanted him to be his “Pillow Consort3枕上卿 (zhěn shàng qīng) – a term used in ancient China to refer to a male lover who shared a bed with another man.“, and he couldn’t let others know about it.
Qi Feng’s body swayed weakly: Indeed, even if the two of them were reincarnated, this was still their fate.
During his time at the Qi residence, he considered Pei Yan as a friend, even a brother. However, after he was banished to the Yong’an Music Hall, because of his identity as a musician, his relationship with the young general of the Pei family began to grow complicated.
Pei Yan, like those nobles, wanted to use a fortune to buy his freedom, and secretly keep him hidden from his uncle.
Qi Feng grew increasingly exhausted, his mind becoming more and more hazy. Memories from the past flooded his mind, replaying scenes he had with Pei Yan.
He saw the young Pei Yan calling him “little one” and urging him to ride a horse. He saw the young and energetic Pei Yan, holding a chair and smashing it onto the head of the frivolous little prince.
He saw Pei Yan pinching his chin, crimson eyes staring at him as he said, “Why do you smile at those people?”
He heard the last sentence, “When I return, can you play ‘Feng Qiu Huang’ for me?”
For a moment, he couldn’t distinguish if the Pei Yan before him was the young general from the Pei family in the pleasure house, or the person who held him against the carriage.
He murmured to himself, “Pei Yan, am I… not given a choice?”
Pei Yan’s suppressed voice rang in his ear, “Come with me, I won’t let you suffer.”
“Fine.”
Qi Feng’s vision went completely black, and before he lost consciousness, a pair of strong arms embraced him, carrying him horizontally.
Author’s Note: Pei-ge, you started off on the wrong foot in your pursuit for a wife.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. If you want to show your support, you can buy me a coffee. It would make my day! For every five coffees I get, I will release a bonus chapter. You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.
