“But I don’t like you,” the boy said. Pei Yan was stunned. He seemed unable to digest these words.
He had always thought Qi Feng liked him, which was why he agreed to the conditions he proposed at the beginning and stayed with him. Hearing such a blunt rejection now left him at a complete loss. Especially seeing the calmness in the boy’s eyes made his heart ache sharply.
“That night…” In a low voice, Pei Yan asked: “Why did you come to me?”
This was a question he had asked Qi Feng many times. Every time, Qi Feng did not give him a definite answer.
This time, Qi Feng answered him.
The boy smiled and uttered the most hurtful words.
“You!” Pei Yan was so angry at his answer that a nameless fire raged and churned in his heart and lungs. He felt something was wrong but didn’t know what exactly.
But the sense of being deceived and toyed with gradually took over.
Yet Qi Feng added at this moment: “It turns out I chose right. I did get a lot from you. You even helped me get rid of Ning Yufei, who was harming me.”
Unable to restrain his anger anymore, Pei Yan grabbed Qi Feng from the floor and pressed him onto the bed, forcibly holding down his hands and kissing his neck and lips heavily, “Then let’s continue. I can still give you whatever you want. I can give you anything…”
Qi Feng closed his eyes without any resistance.
Pei Yan stopped abruptly. His hands were clenched so hard that the knuckles turned white and the veins bulged. He looked at the boy under him with bloodshot eyes and said hoarsely: “If I say it isn’t over… It can’t be over… Think about it carefully tonight.”
He couldn’t keep calm in front of Qi Feng, and he didn’t want to continue to lose his composure.
It was like chasing shifting sands in a desert – the tighter he grasped, the more it slipped away.
He resisted the urge to closely observe the boy, and instead chose to hide his emotional turmoil by acting aloof. He walked away coldly to the study next door.
Qi Feng lay on the bed for a long time, slowly raising his hand to cover his eyes.
—
The next day, when Fang Cheng arrived, Pei Yan was no longer at home. It was Pei Wenwen who opened the door for him.
The young girl had seen Fang Cheng when Qi Feng was live streaming and playing the guzheng. She greeted him joyfully, “I know you. You’re Qi Feng’s assistant. Please come in quickly.”
Fang Cheng looked surprised at this underage girl and asked, “You’re…”
“I’m a fan of Xiao Feng-gege.”
Fang Cheng was so shocked that he almost dropped the breakfast he brought. “How come Xiao Feng’s fan is here?! How did you get in?”
Pei Wenwen happily teased him, “I can come in to see Xiao Feng-gege, what’s wrong?”
Qi Feng came out of the room and glanced at Pei Wenwen helplessly: “He’s Pei Yan’s sister.”
Fang Cheng, in relief, patted his chest, “You scared me. Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
He really thought an underage fan had snuck into Qi Feng’s house for him. It turned out to be Pei Yan’s sister, the little princess of the Donghai Investment. No wonder she was so outspoken.
Pei Wenwen gleefully skipped to the kitchen to look for something to eat.
Seeing Qi Feng’s not-so-good expression, Fang Cheng remembered last night and quietly asked him, “Did you not sleep well? Did you talk to Mr. Pei about it?”
Qi Feng replied calmly, “I did.”
“And you….”
“I’m fine. Get ready for the live broadcast.”
“Okay.”
Fang Cheng, noticing that something was wrong with the boy, didn’t dare to ask further for fear of upsetting him. He said softly, “I’ll go prepare the lights.”
Pei Wenwen brought two glasses of milk from the kitchen and, upon hearing their conversation, her eyes lit up. “Are you going to livestream playing the guqin and guzheng? Can I watch it live?”
She handed the milk to Qi Feng, “I promise not to say a word while you’re streaming.”
The young girl’s bright eyes bore a resemblance to Pei Yan’s dark ones.
Qi Feng, distracted by her, asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be at school?”
“It’s the senior high school entrance exam today. Our lower grades have a day off.”
Pei Wenwen pouted and coaxed, “I’m living with you now; I don’t want to watch the live stream on my phone anymore.”
Qi Feng had no choice but to give in, “Alright, come inside.”
“Thank you, Xiao Feng-gege! You’re so nice!”
Pei Wenwen happily went into the bedroom and headed for the balcony where Qi Feng usually livestreamed.
While Fang Cheng was preparing the equipment, she diligently served Qi Feng breakfast and handed him the chopsticks, saying, “If the fans found out you have a boyfriend, many of them would be heartbroken. My brother is really lucky to have such a good boyfriend like you!”
Qi Feng said softly, “Don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Don’t worry, I understand the severity of this matter. I won’t say a word to anyone. It’s just…” Pei Wenwen started worrying, “I’m afraid my dad will find out one day.”
Qi Feng’s fingertips that were strumming the guzheng strings paused as his eyes darkened slightly.
The young girl didn’t have much on her mind as she leaned on the desk fretting over her brothers: “I’ve known since I was little that my brother likes boys, but my dad is old-fashioned and unwilling to accept it. In the past, he even forced my brother to see a psychologist. My poor brother has suffered so much.”
Qi Feng lowered his head silently.
“Also, my dad has a dying wish – my mom. My mom used to like a woman named Li Man. She once told my dad that it would be great to have a daughter-in-law like Li Man. After my mom passed away from illness, my dad kept thinking about her words. He wanted my brother to marry the Li family. They fought several times over this.”
The Li family. Li Man.
Qi Feng sharply inhaled.
In his music hall in the capital city, he would often hear rumors about the affairs of powerful families, including the Pei family.
Rumors said General Pei’s eldest son, Pei Yan, was engaged to marry Li Man, the eldest daughter of Minister Li’s family who had served three dynasties. Although Pei Yan was over twenty years old and still unmarried, it seemed the entire capital city knew the Pei family would form a marriage alliance with the Li family.
It looked like even in this life, they shared the same fate.
Pei Wenwen spoke freely, and when she saw the look Fang Cheng couldn’t help but give her, she realized that these words should not be said in front of Qi Feng.
Pei Wenwen quickly tried to remedy the situation: “Don’t worry, Xiao Feng-gege. My brother has no interest in any of the Li sisters. He deliberately avoids attending gatherings between our families. Moreover, we don’t live in feudal times anymore. No one has arranged marriages now.”
She leaned in closer to Qi Feng and whispered, “My dad can’t really do anything to my brother. Time will resolve this issue, and I try to persuade my dad bit by bit.”
“But…” Qi Feng’s fingertips pressed on the guzheng strings, “Your father will be very angry and heartbroken over this matter.”
The taut strings cut deep marks into his soft fingertips.
“That’s true,” Pei Wenwen sighed in frustration. “He’s too stubborn.”
Fang Cheng typed into the livestream chat under his username to check who was online. He whispered, “Xiao Feng, Passerby…is online too.”
The username Passerby belonged to Pei Yan.
Pei Yan was not at home, but he was waiting in Qi Feng’s livestream chat for his broadcast to begin.
“Deputy Gains Proper Status is also here. Your top fan chart—first place, second place, third place—they all entered early…”
Fang Cheng said with a smile. Suddenly, he asked curiously, “Why isn’t Flying Downstream, who’s usually third place, online today?”
Pei Wenwen proudly pointed at himself, “That’s me.”
The fan ranking chart was organized by how much fans gifted to the streamer. Pei Yan, who had gifted tens of thousands, was always in first place. Second place was Deputy Gains Proper Status, who had requested Qi Feng play “Phoenix Seeking Phoenix.” After them was Flying Downstream. Although Flying Downstream did not gift as extravagantly as the first two, she had still gifted at least tens of thousands.
Qi Feng furrowed his brows and said to Pei Yan seriously, “Pei Wenwen, you can’t do this. Don’t randomly send gifts in livestream chats anymore.”
Pei Wenwen: “I only gift because of you. I’ve never gifted any other streamer before. If I wasn’t so lacking in spare change, I would have beaten those first two to become your number one fan!”
“No,” Qi Feng strictly educated her, “Kids should not be spending money on any livestream chat. You’re only in the first year of high school —this is an important time to focus on studying. Don’t waste time chasing stars.”
If Pei Junhai and Pei Yan lectured her like this, Pei Wenwen would just walk away defiantly humming. But when her beloved Xiao Feng-gege lectured her, Pei Wenwen felt terribly guilty.
She quickly promised, “I understand, Xiao Feng-gege. I won’t gift you anymore. You definitely can’t refund me for the gifts I’ve already given either! I would feel awful.”
Qi Feng: “Don’t you want an autograph and to take pictures together?”
“Yes! Yes!” Pei Yan nodded his head vigorously like a hungry chick pecking at rice. “I won’t gift anymore. Will Xiao Feng-gege reward me with a personalized autograph and pictures together?”
Qi Feng shook his head. He vaguely remembered what Pei Junhai said about Pei Wenwen.
He taught this rebellious teenager earnestly, “Don’t go to bars or waste time chasing stars. Focus on studying hard, and I’ll reward you.”
“I’ll have Pei Yan ask about your grades at school. If there’s improvement after a month, I’ll give you an autograph.”
“Ah!” Pei Wenwen cried out, “That’s too harsh. Not even my dad demands that much of me.”
Qi Feng said, “If you improve tremendously, I’ll take you out for a meal.”
Pei Wenwen’s eyes brightened a bit, unable to resist the temptation of dining with his idol.
Qi Feng added, “If you can rank first in your grade, I’ll accompany you to the amusement park for a whole day.”
“Really!” Pei Yan’s eyes lit up completely.
Going to the amusement park with her idol all day long!
She had always wanted to happily go to the amusement park, but her father wouldn’t accompany her, and her brother thought it was childish. Every time, she could only go with the family’s nanny and bodyguards, and it was not fun at all. If she could spend a day at the amusement park with her favorite idol, it would make her happy for the rest of her life.
The young girl readily agreed, “Okay, I promise Xiao Feng-gege that I will study hard and strive to rank first in my grade this year.”
“Also, you should not…” Qi Feng hesitated for a moment and said, “Do not anger your father all the time. He is getting old, and being angry is not good for his health.”
“Okay!” Pei Wenwen was overjoyed at the thought of going to the amusement park with Xiao Feng-gege. She couldn’t wait to hug her textbooks and start studying.
So, after Qi Feng ended his livestream today, the little girl ran back to her room to do her homework.
Pei Junhai got off the plane, and the first thing he worried about was whether his rebellious daughter had run off somewhere to play around. After entering the VIP lounge, he immediately initiated a video call to Pei Wenwen.
As soon as the video connected, he saw his headache-inducing daughter leaning over her desk, chewing on her pen with her brows furrowed in dissatisfaction, “Dad, I’m doing my homework. You interrupted my train of thought with your call, now I don’t know how to do it anymore.”
“You’re studying at home?! Where’s your brother?!”
Pei Junhai’s travel fatigue was swept away in an instant, surprised and delighted.
How could his daughter have become so well-behaved all of a sudden?! Did Pei Yan beat her up?
“My brother went to the company,” Pei Wenwen said gloomily, “Dad, don’t disturb me doing my homework. I want to study hard and get first place in my grade next month.”
First place in her grade. Pei Junhai was so shocked he almost knocked his head. “You, you, did Pei Yan threaten you? Did he beat you up?”
Pei Wenwen: “What are you talking about? It was my Xiao Feng-gege who said that if I can rank first in my grade, he will take me to the amusement park.”
Pei Junhai was instantly on alert: “Who is Xiao Feng-gege?”
Which punk?! Is he trying to abduct his daughter?!
“My idol, Qi Feng!” Pei Wenwen knew she had to hide things for her two brothers, so while revealing some facts, she also concealed others: “When Qi Feng was doing his livestream earlier, he promised me that if I could be first in my grade, he would take me to the amusement park.”
Qi Feng.
Pei Junhai immediately thought of that gentle boy and felt a warmth in his heart.
He knew no celebrity would casually promise a fan to go to the amusement park. Moreover, not just anyone could make a date with his daughter.
Qi Feng was probably just trying to encourage his daughter to study well by saying something like that. This kid is definitely not bad.
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.
