Chapter 2: He didn’t ‘love’ Ai Jing
Ai Jing sat beside Pei Ziran calmly. But he was already angry to the point that he could explode at any time. In order to distract himself and keep his sanity, he looked around.
It was at that moment that a familiar face entered his eyes. He was wearing a caramel-coloured half-sleeved shirt which he paired with navy blue trousers. A cloud of gloom covered his eyes even though there was a smile pasted on his lips.
Ai Jing’s pupils shrank.
He quickly made an excuse and walked towards the young man whom he hadn’t seen for a year.
“Why are you here?”
Fu Xueren didn’t expect to hear this voice here. He raised his eyes and looked at the man who appeared before him. It felt like he had received a bolt from the blue.
“… It doesn’t concern you in any way.” He tried to reply coldly, but his shaky voice already gave him away.
“I’ll decide whether it really concerns me or not.”
Ai Jing stared at Fu Xueren fixedly.
He looked at the shock in the gloomy young man’s face, feeling a fire beginning to burn somewhere inside him.
Ai Jing suddenly grabbed Fu Xueren’s arm and pulled him towards the washroom. Slamming a hand beside the former’s head, Ai Jing successfully trapped the other man between himself and the wall.
“Answer me.”
Fu Xueren remained quiet. He neither looked up nor did he open his mouth, but only he knew how fast his heart was racing. The familiar breath that surrounded him made him unable to decide if he should give in to it or escape: ‘This can’t go on. I’ve got to escape.’
He tried to push his way out but he didn’t stand a chance against Ai Jing.
“You are still as stubborn as before.” Ai Jing muttered before lowering his head. He brought his face right before Fu Xueren’s and said every word while gnashing his teeth.
“Fu.Xue.Ren. Don’t even think of testing my patience. You already know ve~ry well how I am.”
Fu Xueren’s eyes turned red. He sighed lightly and his body relaxed as if he had no more energy left to resist the furious man before him.
“What more do you want from me, Ai Jing? Isn’t it enough for me to accept the fact that you don’t love me? Why are you trying to entangle me again?!”
The last question was loud. It was filled with accusations and grievances. Fu Xueren was trying hard to hold in his tears in order to not show any weakness in front of this scummy man.
Seeing his pitiful face, Ai Jing suddenly felt flustered. Though he was angry, he didn’t really want to hurt Fu Xueren in any way.
He distanced himself from Fu Xueren and stood still, not knowing what more to say.
As soon as he moved away, Fu Xueren grabbed the opportunity and ran towards the exit.
“Dang it!”
“What happened, A’Jing?” Pei Ziran asked as he walked in. “Who was that?” He looked back interestedly.
“How would I know? Anyway, don’t think of turning your eyes to another man while I’m still here!” Ai Jing felt nervous.
Never in his wildest dreams would he want Pei Ziran to know Fu Xueren.
“I see. But why would you even think like this, sweetheart?” The thick sweetness in his voice seemed to wash away all his worries. Ai Jing sighed. Yes, they had decided to be loyal to each other. He shouldn’t keep being suspicious of his partner at every turn.
Probably, the earlier incident with Si Qibei and Rong Wen was also his mistake. Maybe he had read too much into Pei Ziran’s usual teasing.
“I’m sorry, A’Ran.” Ai Jing apologised.
“Mmm, no worries. Should we go back now?”
Ai Jing nodded. He stepped forward and gave Pei Ziran’s hand a squeeze before holding it and walking towards the exit.
When they went out of the washroom, they noticed everyone looking at them.
‘What happened?’
“My eyes! What did I see! This newly-wed couple has already started showing off their love!” Rong Wen screeched dramatically as he said these words. Bai Qing, who was sitting just beside him, plugged his ears.
“Shut up, Gege.”
“Uh… I’m sorry, Xiao Qing.”
Pei Ziran glanced at them. He didn’t know what to say or do. On one hand, it was true that he was quite fond of Ai Jing, but on the other hand, it was also true that he didn’t ‘love’ Ai Jing.
***************
After the party, both of them drove back to Pei Ziran’s parents’ house. Pei Ziran was adopted by the Pei couple when he was 3 years old. Though they had a child later, they kept taking care of Pei Ziran like their own child.
Pei Ziran’s relation with his brother Pei Ziwei was also good. They were like a real pair of brothers who had shared the same womb. All of Pei Ziran’s usual narcissism and confidence were nothing in front of his adoptive parents, especially Mrs Pei, Bing Mi. She was a loving and caring mom, but at the same time, she was very strict.
As soon as Pei Ziran and Ai Jing walked into the house, they saw Bing Mi sitting on the sofa with a book in her hand. A pair of glasses rested on the bridge of her nose as she raised her head when she heard the movement.
“Ah… A’Ran, A’Jing, you are here!”
“Hello, Mom.” Ai Jing greeted awkwardly. He wasn’t used to the feeling of addressing Mrs Pei as ‘mom’.
“Are you tired? Do you want to rest? Are you hungry? I will let Aunt Li make super no….”
“Mom. Mom, relax.” Pei Ziran hurriedly stopped her, “We are not hungry. We ate a lot at the party. We are a bit tired, so we’ll go upstairs to rest. We can talk tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah… Yeah… Ok… You should rest.”
“Good night, mom.” Pei Ziran lightly dropped a kiss on Bing Mi’s cheek.
The next morning, the family of five, consisting of Mr and Mrs Pei, Pei Ziwei, Pei Ziran and Ai Jing gathered together to have breakfast.
“A’Jing, A’Ran, take this.”
Bing Mi handed over an envelope. Mr Pei and Pei Ziwei also raised their eyes to look at them. Ai Jing tore the envelope and found that there were two tickets inside.
“These are…”
“Tickets to Switzerland, we didn’t know what else to give you as a wedding gift. The flight is for this evening. We hope that you’ll both enjoy it.”, Bing Mi said. Her voice was soothing.
Pei Ziran couldn’t refuse his mother and accepted the tickets.
“Mom really cares for us.” Ai Jing commented after they returned to their room.
“Yeah, she loves me a lot.” Pei Ziran, the mama’s boy, agreed immediately. “This gives us a good chance to be alone, babe.”
‘Thump’. Ai Jing felt his heartbeat increasing.
Pei Ziran’s confident aura attracted him very much. He knew that this man was devilishly charming, yet he couldn’t help but step into the sweet trap of his words.
Pei Ziran grinned. He liked this shy Ai Jing better. He approached Ai Jing and wrapped an arm around his waist. In a seductive voice, he continued: “Then, we should try our best to enjoy our honeymoon.”
‘Honeymoon….’
A dull ache spread in Ai Jing’s heart. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking of that person but his heart didn’t listen to his mind. The image of a gentle yet brave young man popped up before his eyes.
‘Xiao Ren…’
