Qi Feng didn’t completely lose consciousness, he heard Pei Yan’s low voice threatening Tang Jun in a drowsy state: “I’m taking him away. You can follow if you want.”
Tang Jun would not just watch his artist being taken away by Pei Yan, so he could only drag Fang Cheng along and followed them.
He vaguely remembered being carried into the car by Pei Yan. In the car, he smelled the same faint smell of cigarettes and leather seats that night. Later on, he was carried out of the car by the same familiar and strong arms. In his drowsy state, he opened his eyes and saw that he was still lying on the big bed in the room he left that morning.
Pei Yan stubbornly stood by his bedside, watching him intently as if afraid he would disappear. Pei Yan didn’t remember him in his previous life, but he could still look at him like he did in the music hall, stubborn and defiant. It was an ill-fated relationship that could still come full circle.
Qi Feng didn’t want to deal with it, and he had no power to do so either. He was too tired, and even if he fell asleep, his feverish and painful body would keep him from sleeping soundly. He furrowed his brow due to the headache and pain.
In the haze, someone took a cool fever patch and stuck it on his hot forehead. The fingertips of that person slid across the side of his face and rubbed his lips.
It was cool and tingly, very comfortable.
In a daze, Qi Feng dreamed of something that had happened when he was a child.
It was that summer when he was seven years old. The Qi family held a banquet to entertain their guests. Pei Yan followed his father to the party and insisted on taking Qi Feng’s hand to play by the pond.
He frowned as he watched Pei Yan take off his heavy formal attire, revealing his strong upper body as he splashed around in the water and shouted at him, “Qi Feng, come down here too, the water is so cold, it’s fun!”
Pei Yan was the eldest son of the Pei family and the only grandson of the Duke of Pei. He had been taught to adhere to proper etiquette since he began speaking and was never allowed to do anything out of line.
He had always wanted to play and frolic in the pond on hot summer days, but he never dared to do so. As he hesitated, Pei Yan grabbed his wrist and forcefully pulled him into the pond. The cool water reached his waist, and after a moment of panic and splashing, he was caught by Pei Yan and held firmly around the waist.
“Qi Feng!”
The boy’s hearty laughter was filled with the cool mist of the water, “Don’t be afraid, the water is shallow.”
The pond water soaked through his luxurious ceremonial robes, but it also washed away the heat and stuffiness, replacing it with an unprecedented feeling of joy and freedom.
It was the most reckless and unconventional thing he had ever done in his life. But his health was poor, and that evening he caught a cold and fever from playing in the water. In his dazed state, he heard the maidservants say, “That devil Pei from the Pei family is too mischievous. He pulled our young master into the pond and made him sick.”
“General Pei himself came to apologize and even gave the young master a beating…”
As he drifted in and out of consciousness, a boy approached his bedside in the middle of the night and asked softly, “Qi Feng, how are you feeling? Where does it hurt?”
In his feverish state, he instinctively replied, “It’s hot, I want something cold.”
“Cold? Just wait, I’ll get you some.”
The boy took a few steps, then came back and stammered, “Qi Feng… you got sick because of me. It’s my fault.”
When it was barely light outside the next day, the boy came again, holding a small bowl with ice in it. Excitedly and in a soft voice, he said, “Qi Feng, look, I got you some ice. It’s really cold, try it quickly.”
Besides the fun they had playing in the water, he always remembered the taste of that ice. The cool water moistened his dry, cracked lips, relieving some of the pain.
As a child, he didn’t know how Pei Yan had managed to enter the Qi residence, or how he had managed to sneak into his bedroom past the guards.
Later, in the music hall, he heard some anecdotes about the noble sons, and someone said: “The young master of the Pei family was very naughty when he was a child. He once dared to steal ice blocks from the Ice Administration1⦁ 冰政处: Ice Administration, a government agency that was responsible for storing and distributing ice blocks for cooling purposes, especially for the imperial palace and court., which were for imperial use only. That was a capital offense.”
“The emperor was merciful and forgave the Pei family for their naughty child, but General Pei was so angry that he almost broke his son’s legs.”
“Why do you think he stole the ice?”
…..
Suddenly, a voice sounded in his ear, “How are you? Where does it hurt?” It was the same sentence, but the speaker’s voice was much deeper now.
The world had changed, and the past was blurred into a helpless smile. Qi Feng sighed softly: “Just take me…that’s it.”
Pei Yan: “What did you say?”
Qi Feng replied, “It’s hot, I want to eat something cold.”
“Something cold?”
Pei Yan frowned and stood up from the bed, “Wait here.”
Not long after, Qi Feng felt Pei Yan holding a spoon to his lips, “Try it.”
The spoon was cold and carried a sweet mist. He instinctively opened his lips and tasted the soft, cold ice cream that slid into his mouth, full of milky smoothness.
It was very delicious, even better than the ice from that year.
Qi Feng couldn’t help but lick his lips and asked, “What is this?”
“Ice cream. Do you want more?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Qi Feng couldn’t help but take a few more bites and felt more awake.
In a deep and low voice, the man asked, “Is there anywhere else that’s uncomfortable?”
Qi Feng opened his eyes and looked at him calmly. “What do you think?”
As he exhaled, his breath was so hot that it couldn’t even be suppressed by ice cream. He leaned over and pressed his hot breath onto Pei Yan’s fingertips.
Pei Yan’s fingertips trembled, and his eyes darkened.
He leaned over and gently touched the mole on the corner of the boy’s lips, his voice becoming cold and hoarse. “That night, if it wasn’t me, who would you be with? Li Junzhuo, that bastard? If you look like this now, and it was another man…”
Qi Feng smiled bitterly, “What are you angry about?”
“From now on, you belong to me, Pei Yan. Remember, you’re not allowed to go to those places and see those kinds of men. Do you understand?”
His tone was low and firm, leaving no room for refusal.
Qi Feng closed his eyes wearily. “What else do you want from me?”
“Give me your phone number.”
Qi Feng recited a string of digits.
Pei Yan immediately dialed the number until he heard the phone buzzing in the boy’s pocket. “Add my number and contact me often in the future.”
But the boy turned his back to him and tilted his head to lie down.
Pei Yan wasn’t sure if he was sleeping or just didn’t want to look at him.
He pursed his lips and hung up the phone.
—
When he woke up again, it was the next morning. Probably because of the fever-reducing medicine, Qi Feng felt much better.
Fang Cheng was sitting on the sofa by the bed, watching him. When he saw him wake up, he quickly asked: “Xiao Feng, are you awake? How do you feel?”
Qi Feng looked around, “Where’s Pei Yan?”
“He went to work. He asked me to take care of you. Xiao Feng…”
Fang Cheng grabbed his hand and asked seriously, “What happened that night? You went to see Li Junzhuo, right? How did you end up…having sex with Pei Yan?
Qi Feng slowly sat up from the bed and asked him: “Where did you get the water you put in my bag?”
Fang Cheng was shocked: “Was there something wrong with that bottle of water?!”
Qi Feng looked at him, “Before I went to see Li Junzhuo, I only drank that bottle of water.”
His hair was messy from sleeping, his face was pale and weak after being sick, but his clear eyes seemed to be icy cold, sharp and intimidating.
Fang Cheng couldn’t help but tense up and stuttered, “Xiao Feng, it wasn’t me…”
A few seconds later, he suddenly remembered the incident yesterday when Jifeng gave him water to drink but took it away.
Qi Feng had already tested him.
Fang Cheng felt like he was struck by lightning, his heart pounding.
On the one hand, he felt dejected by Qi Feng’s suspicion, and on the other hand, he felt guilty for his negligence, allowing someone to use his hand to harm Qi Feng.
On one hand, he felt dejected that Qi Feng had suspected him. On the other hand, he felt guilty for his negligence, and let someone harm Qi Feng through his hands.
More than that…
When Fang Cheng met the boy’s eyes again, which were as deep as ancient tales2The phrase “as deep as an ancient tale” is a metaphor that compares someone’s eyes to a story that has a long history and profound meaning. It implies that the person has a lot of wisdom, secrets, or emotions hidden in their eyes. The phrase comes from a famous Chinese poem by Li Bai, a Tang dynasty poet, called “Drinking Alone Under the Moon”. The poem describes how the poet enjoys drinking wine alone and conversing with his own shadow under the moonlight. , he suddenly felt awe and respect.
If it were anyone else, they would have questioned him after the incident and even severed ties with him. But Qi Feng only tested him silently and continued to trust him.
This was not an ordinary person’s scheming and rationality. At this moment, Fang Cheng felt a surge of passion that he had never felt before.
He was Qi Feng’s assistant, and Qi Feng’s ability and future also affected his own career prospects.
And such a talented and handsome artist who was also smart and calm, how could he be trapped by a temporary scandal?
He had a premonition that this 19-year-old boy in front of him would surely reach the top position in the entertainment industry in the future.
“I’m sorry, I will be more careful in the future.” Fang Cheng didn’t say much nonsense and tried to recall what happened that day. “I took that bottle of water from the rest area in the company’s training room. I remember that only Xu Ran came to the rest area that afternoon.”
“She once said something sarcastic to me about you wasting company resources because you don’t make much money. Could it be… her?”
Qi Feng got out of bed, picked up his own clothes, and said, “Don’t make a fuss. Just check it secretly.”
Fang Cheng walked over to help him put on his clothes, lowered his head and said hesitantly: “Xiao Feng, about that bottle of water…it’s my fault. How about you…you deduct three months’ salary from me.”
“How much is three months’ salary? Is it enough to compensate?”
Was Xiao Feng going to fire him?! Fang Cheng’s hand that was buttoning up Qi Feng’s shirt froze for a moment, and he took a deep breath, looking at the boy anxiously.
Qi Feng glanced at Fang Cheng, the person who had taken care of him for so many years, and said in a low voice, “Find the person behind this and make him pay double for you and me.”
Fang Cheng slowly let out the breath he held.
He straightened his back and clenched his fists: “Don’t worry, I will definitely find him.”
Qi Feng patted his shoulder to relax him and asked, “Is there training today?”
“There is a fitness training, but…you just recovered from your illness and Pei Yan said to wait for him here. Why don’t you take a day off today?”
“Let’s go to class. As for Pei Yan’s words…”
The boy chuckled, “Whenever he wants, he can find me anytime.”
“Actually, that night was also…”
Fang Cheng hesitated: “Also a blessing in disguise, right? I think Pei Yan likes you a lot. He took care of you all night. If you really follow him, we won’t have to worry about resources and connections in the future.”
“Like?” Qi Feng laughed lightly: “Then what do you think, will Pei Yan marry me?”
“Huh?” Fang Cheng was speechless, with a how-could-that-be expression: “This kind of thing is…”
Qi Feng finished the sentence for him: “It’s just a whim, a fling. How can it last a lifetime?”
Pei Yan’s ‘like’ for him was the same as General Pei’s ‘like’ for the musician Qi Feng. He was a pretty thing and a moment of pleasure that money could buy.
He would eventually have someone who could spend his life with him.
“Let’s go.”
Qi Feng left the bedroom and walked out of Pei Yan’s house for the second time.
—
Pei Yan had to deal with the backlog of work from yesterday, and he was busy and stressed in his office. Song Zhe sat next to him and helped him look through the documents and said, “Pei-ge, when you first said you liked men, Uncle Pei almost broke your legs and cut off your contact with Su Qiao.” “If he knew that you raised a little male star with no background, he would surely ban him from the industry and make sure he disappears without a trace.”
Pei Yan raised his eyes and glanced at him. “If you don’t say anything, he won’t know.”
“Uncle Pei is such a powerful person; can you really hide it from him? The little star doesn’t matter, I’m just afraid that you’ll spend the rest of your life in a wheelchair.”
Just then, the office door was knocked twice and then opened. A stern middle-aged man walked in. Song Zhe looked up and saw him. He was so scared that he dropped the documents in his hand and stood up respectfully. He bowed and said: “Uncle Pei, hello!”
Pei Junhai was tall and had a cold expression. He glanced at Song Zhe and then turned his gaze to his son and asked, “What did you do when you left the meeting halfway?”
Pei Yan didn’t even lift his head. “Did I delay my work? Haven’t you said that you won’t care about me after I turn 18?”
“We’re having a birthday party for your sister tonight, and Li Man, the daughter of your uncle Li, will also attend. You’re about the same age, so take this opportunity to get to know her.”
Pei Yan smiled mockingly and looked up. “Dad, if the Li family had a son, I might consider whether he’s to my taste or not. As for their daughter…I’m busy today and can’t go. I’ll give Wenwen her birthday present another time.”
Pei Junhai doesn’t speak and just looks at his stubborn son with a cold eye, and the suffocating sense of oppression fills the large office.
Song Zhe raised his hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Pei Junhai snorted after a long time: “You do as you please.”
After Pei Junhai left, Song Zhe still had cold sweat on his head. “Pei Ge, aren’t you afraid that Uncle Pei will kick you out of the Pei family and give all your family’s assets to that little girl Wenwen?”
Pei Yan didn’t care. “Before that, I’ll take control of the company’s board of directors and sideline that old man Pei Junhai.”
Song Zhe knelt down and hugged his thigh. “Pei Ge, I didn’t choose the wrong person. I’ll follow you from now on.”
Pei Yan kicked him away, “Get lost, go back to your Song family. You’re not allowed to stay at my house anymore!”
Song Zhe rolled on the floor next to his feet, “Brother, you can’t forget your friends for love, let me stay for a few more days… ”
“Wait!” Pei Yan took out his phone and his expression turned cold. “He…left again.”
“Who? Who left?”
Pei Yan lived on a floor dedicated only to him, and the elevator is exclusive to him. The high-end community has a high degree of privacy and strong security. Whenever someone goes out from his floor, the surveillance will automatically send a message.
Pei Yan could see through his phone that his door opened and Qi Feng walked out with his assistant. They walked out of his house briskly, walked through the corridor, entered the elevator, and left his sight.
“Where does he want to go again?”
Pei Yan suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, “He woke up and left without saying a word.” He pounded his chest in frustration and presses Qi Feng’s number on his phone, gritting his teeth and saying, “This kid, how can he be so disobedient…”
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.
