Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Oh no...

He really knew how to hit a nerve.

Pei Haochuan let out a couple of dry "ha, ha" laughs: "Little Uncle, I'll go check on Mu Lin first, alright?"

Then he darted off.

But he was genuinely worried about Guan Mulin, wondering if he was feeling a huge sense of disappointment.

Pei Haochuan thought about the new ski resort his family had just opened—maybe he could take Mu Lin out to relax? It was winter break anyway, no cram classes, so heading out for some fun and relaxation would be great.

—The idea was perfect, yes.

But the mistake was that Pei Haochuan didn't mention it to Guan Mulin privately.

"A chance to go out with the main couple! Go, go, go!"

996, previously downcast, was now amped up like he'd had an adrenaline shot: "Host! Don't be shy and go tag along!"

Guan Mulin lowered his head and rubbed his temples.

What third wheel?!

As if he and Pei Haochuan were involved.

But he couldn't say no anyway.

Before Shen Ju could get a word in, Han Chengfeng, who'd overheard from nearby, came over and chimed in that he wanted to go skiing too.

Pei Haochuan tsked.

Han Chengfeng held two fingers up: "I treated you guys to two meals, two, remember?"

"Skiing costs more than meals, right?"

"You just said it's your family's new ski resort."

"Are we that close?"

"You still owe me two meals."

"...You're the one who blabbed about my uncle tutoring us, aren't you?"

"............"

That ended the discussion.

Han Chengfeng guiltily rubbed his nose and, under the watchful eyes of Shen Ju, Guan Mulin, and Jian Yi, cleared his throat, saying, "Well, I, uh, I might've let it slip one day. I mean, that month of exams almost drove me crazy, and my dad kept yelling at me for my poor grades. I regretted it, you know? I should've joined you guys for tutoring..."

Pei Haochuan scoffed: "As if you could just join? My uncle might not even want you."

Han Chengfeng tsked: "Hey, aren't we at least classmates?"

Suddenly, Guan Mulin remarked quietly from the side: "You two actually are quite a match."

Pei Haochuan and Han Chengfeng: "???"

996 was horrified: "No!!! Please, take back what you said!!!"

Shen Ju: "...996, where'd you learn that phrase?"

He also raised his hand, saying he wanted to go.

He also asked: "Will Brother Pei be going?"

Pei Haochuan instinctively replied: "Why do you always bring up my uncle?"

Shen Ju tilted his head: "Do I really?"

"Of course you do!"

"Oh, okay."

Pei Haochuan: "..." That's all you have to say??

Aren't you even a little weirded out?

Shen Ju thought, why would it be weird? Brother Pei is amazing, of course he wants to do everything with him.

Pei Haochuan was about to say his uncle wouldn't go.

This time of year, his uncle was especially not someone to bother, and after what he'd let slip earlier, he didn't dare ask anything now.

"Then I'll go ask Brother Pei."

"You ask—"

What good would you asking do!

Pei Haochuan was about to snap back at Shen Ju, but Shen Ju had already turned and happily trotted off toward Pei Yan.

"I bet he's just setting himself up for disappointment."

Guan Mulin also looked over, wondering why Shen Ju was so fond of this member of the Pei family—was it like an elder or more like a brother?

He did a quick count—tsk, how many brothers was that now...

Pei Haochuan was amused and waited with crossed arms for Shen Ju to come back disappointed.

But then—

He saw that after Shen Ju finished speaking, his uncle not only smiled but also nodded.

Nodded! Once!

Did that mean he agreed?!

Why!

"It's settled then, Brother Pei!"

Pei Yan gave a faint "en."

"But have you all decided how many people are going?"

"I don't know."

Shen Ju shook his head and said, "Pei Haochuan said he also sent the coupons to their class group chat, so maybe some of his classmates will go too."

"Brother Pei, if you feel uncomfortable, I'll keep you company then."

Shen Ju added, as if worried that Pei Yan might feel he didn't fit in with them and decide not to go: "Actually, I can't ski at all, I’ve never been..."

Pei Yan teasingly raised an eyebrow: "Want me to teach you?"

Shen Ju felt a bit embarrassed: "Is that okay?"

"No, it’s not. I won’t teach you."

"Ah?"

Pei Yan reached out and pinched Shen Ju’s cheek—the same spot Guan Mulin had pinched earlier—then deliberately put on a stern face and asked: "Are you really trying to keep me company, or are you just keeping me company so I’ll teach you how to ski?"

"Little one, your intentions aren’t pure."

Shen Ju’s face flushed red immediately.

He never expected Pei Yan to call him that so bluntly...

He barely registered 996’s exclamation that the mission energy gauge had risen again.

"*Brother Pei*..."

Pei Yan gasped in response, then added: "Did you change my pet name in your phone to this?"

"......!!!"

Shen Ju was terrified—how did he know?!

Pei Yan thought to himself, with a face that gives everything away, how could anything be hidden? It was obvious at a glance.

But seeing Shen Ju’s wide-eyed look of shock, Pei Yan took pity and mercifully decided not to tease the kid further: "Alright, since it’s your first time skiing, you’ll need to prepare all your ski gear and stuff in advance. If there’s anything you don’t understand, remember to ask me."

Shen Ju immediately breathed a sigh of relief and responded with eager 'mm-hmms'.

He completely didn’t even notice that for things like ski equipment and preparations, why bother going out of his way to ask Pei Yan when he could just ask Qin Suxi, Guan Mulin, or other closer options?

Even if Shen Ju didn’t think of it, Pei Yan should have.

But he apparently seemed not to have noticed either.

............

Shen Ju did privately ask Jian Yi if he wanted to go, but he asked tentatively.

In the past, they never had the opportunity to go skiing—even if they did, though, it wouldn’t have been appropriate. But this time, the Pei family’s ski resort offered many activities. If Jian Yi was willing to go, there were plenty of other suitable entertainment options to experience. Plus, with Pei Haochuan there, they could get special treatment and a taste of what it meant to be part of the "privileged class." Overall, the experience would be much more comfortable.

But Jian Yi still wouldn’t commit to going.

"Why not, *elder brother*? I can take care of you."

Jian Yi sighed helplessly, thinking that was exactly why he was even more unwilling to go.

If he went, these people probably wouldn’t be able to relax and enjoy themselves.

Especially Shen Jiujiu—he’d likely spend all his time and energy looking after him.

What was the point?

Even if Shen Ju didn’t mind, Jian Yi didn’t want Shen Ju to constantly worry about him.

"I don’t want to leave Mom alone at home. You go have fun with the others."

Jian Yi tsked: "Besides, do you think staying ranked first is easy? Don’t bother me—I need to study at home and prepare to quietly amaze you all next semester."

Shen Ju chuckled but didn’t press further.

Still, after hanging up, he felt let down and upset.

996 chimed in: "It’s okay, host! We’ve already made it through the toughest period. Haven’t we entered a stable phase recently? Look! Ta-da—the mission energy gauge is steadily rising!"

"Yes! 996!"

Shen Ju perked up too.

And most importantly, even though the mission energy gauge was rising, it didn’t seem like he was all that disliked. Shen Ju sometimes giggled under his covers at night before bed—how could he be so lucky? Hehe.

996 also giggled to itself while logging work notes and digging into work metrics.

—This time, it looked a bit deeper.

Huh?

There were even work suggestions and performance guidelines??

996 extended two little nubs, rubbing its "hands" somewhat guiltily as it read the work suggestions:

—For playing the role of the vicious true young master, refer to the fake young master’s persona and reverse-engineer from it.

Well, that’s exactly what it had been doing.

996 gave itself full marks—of course it knew the host was meant to be a contrast and foil to the protagonist shou.

—The vicious true young master persona should act as a relationship catalyst between the protagonist gong and shou, focusing on driving wedges in the early stages.

Reading this, 996 nodded seriously.

It fully approved of itself.

This was exactly what it had been asking the host to do!

—Later, when the relationship between the protagonist gong and shou becomes more established and stable, switch strategies and mount external challenges.

(It is advised to come onto someone of higher status than the protagonist gong and shou, attempting to use their influence against the protagonist couple, but without actually genuinely seducing them. Please maintain the "universally hated vicious true young master persona.")

My circuits are spinning, so convoluted.

996 tried to understand.

It meant it should pick fights and stir up trouble, but without actually accomplishing anything.

It should try to use others to create problems for the protagonist gong and shou, but in the end, only end up becoming the laughingstock??

Huh, so that's how it is?

Thinking about it now, the relationship between Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan seems a lot more stable and smooth, so it might be time to change tactics.

But where would you find someone like that?

............

While 996 was still pondering, Shen Ju was already heading out to have some fun.

Oh wait, no—to do a task.

On the surface: look for every chance to sabotage the relationship between Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan.

In reality: using sabotage as an excuse, actually provide support.

This is a fine line to walk.

But lately, the tasks have been going so smoothly it feels like a dream, and Shen Ju is feeling more and more confident.

The newly opened ski resort by the Pei family is also a high-end vacation destination. It features diverse ski terrain, top-tier hardware facilities, and plenty of luxury services, aiming to create a winter vacation spot. It offers not just a skiing experience but a comprehensive lifestyle and entertainment experience, striving to become a top-tier integrated mountain resort in the country. So when the promotion was announced, it undoubtedly attracted a lot of attention.

Pei Haochuan sent discount coupons in the class group chat, and many people responded.

Even students from the honors class came.

Some even planned to stay for a week or two to fully enjoy the entertainment.

So Pei Haochuan simply waved his hand and reserved a whole hotel—stay however long you want, with plenty of rooms to go around.

"Let's all stay on the same floor."

"How many rooms are on that floor?"

The speaker was Xu Sisi, the class rep for the arts in the elite class.

Very pretty, at the level of the school beauty.

Xu Sisi was asking Ke Cheng, but she was glancing over at Pei Haochuan.

Pei Haochuan didn't notice and was talking to Guan Mulin.

Although they had reserved an entire hotel, there were only a few top-tier rooms. They would definitely have to give one suite to Pei Yan, and Pei Haochuan wanted to keep the rest for their group. He was quietly discussing with Guan Mulin how to allocate the rooms. As for everyone else, they could stay in the other rooms for free if they wanted, or if not, they could stay elsewhere—after all, he'd already been plenty generous.

Shen Ju stood next to Pei Yan, not paying attention to the room assignments, but he did notice Xu Sisi kept looking over at Pei Haochuan.

Not just Shen Ju—996 immediately went on alert too: "Host, this is..."

996: "A love rival!"

Shen Ju: "A love rival!!"

The two spoke in unison, almost made Guan Mulin jump.

Love rival? What love rival?

Guan Mulin looked confused, glancing around but finding no one.

Pei Haochuan noticed and looked up to ask: "What are you looking at?"

"Hey, Mu Lin, some of these rooms are suites with multiple bedrooms. Why don't we just stay together?"

Pei Haochuan said this casually.

He was thinking back to the time Guan Mulin had rejected him before and was testing the waters now.

It's not like they'd be sharing a room—surely he wouldn't refuse this time, right?

But before Guan Mulin could respond, someone cut in suddenly—

"You two are such good friends, but what will you do when you get girlfriends in the future?"

Xu Sisi joked: "Girlfriends might get jealous, you know."

"And Pei Haochuan, are you Guan Mulin's sidekick? Even when we're out you have to stay together. Does Guan Mulin even want you tagging along? Don't mess it up for him finding a girlfriend."

Alert! Alert! Alert!

996 sounded the alarm directly in Shen Ju's mind.

Guan Mulin wanted to cover his ears.

Why was he the only one who had to put up with that noise?

So the love rival was Xu Sisi?

Who did Xu Sisi like? Pei Haochuan?

Why was the system worried about Pei Haochuan liking someone else—

996 exclaimed indignantly: "Host! Someone's trying to take over the task!"

"It's not the love rival I'm afraid of—it's the fear that the one who brings the main couple closer might not be you!"

Guan Mulin: "..."

Okay, he'd read too much into it.

"So host, you must stay close to Pei Haochuan and Guan Mulin. Don't let anyone else steal your 'credit'!"

"Got it!"

Shen Ju replied to 996 while leaning into Guan Mulin.

"Let me see, how many rooms are there in total?"

Shen Ju leaned on Guan Mulin, lifting his chin: "Mom said before we left that you have to take care of me!"

Actually, she told them to look out for each other.

Pei Haochuan couldn't help but tsk, pointing at Shen Ju and looking at Xu Sisi: "This one's the real tagalong!"

"Yeah, Shen Ju—"

Pei Haochuan turned as if it just hit him: "How did I only just notice that every time Mu Lin and I are talking, you show up? Are you a groundhog?"

Shen Ju's way of thinking was pretty odd: "Because I want to get hit?"

Pei Haochuan: "..."

You would know!

Han Chengfeng also came over to join the conversation: "Hey, so how many suites are there? Staying together is actually pretty good, isn't it more convenient?"

"That's true."

Ke Cheng immediately chimed in as well.

The group started whispering among themselves, discussing how to assign the rooms.

Xu Sisi felt ignored and was getting annoyed.

She was about to say something else—

Just then, someone cut in before she could.

Pei Yan grabbed Shen Ju by the collar from behind.

"Huh?"

Shen Ju turned around with wide eyes.

Pei Yan was holding the first assigned suite key card: "Let Pei Haochuan and Guan Mulin stay next door. You and I will share a suite—didn't you say you wanted me to teach you how to ski?"

"Skiing requires sharing a room?"

Shen Ju paused for a moment, then stretched out both arms and mimicked a skiing motion: "Should I practice the key moves in the room beforehand?"

Pei Yan: "...Right."

"Oh!"

Okay, that works!

It just so happened that he wasn’t too keen on sharing a suite with Pei Haochuan anyway.

Ke Cheng and Han Chengfeng exchanged a glance. Since a suite could accommodate up to three rooms, the two of them...

Before they could even finish the thought, Pei Haochuan directly tossed them a suite key card: "Perfect, you two can stay together then."

"............"

They started to say they weren’t willing, but then again, three people would be too crowded. Ke Cheng didn’t want to squeeze in, and Han Chengfeng wanted to room with Shen Ju but didn’t dare share a suite with Pei Yan—he wasn’t as brave as Shen Ju.

So in the end, they reluctantly agreed to room together.

Fine, they’d just make do...

As for the remaining key cards, Pei Haochuan glanced at Xu Sisi: "Weren’t you just asking how many rooms there are per floor?"

Xu Sisi’s face lit up: "Yes, I—"

"Perfect timing then."

Pei Haochuan said, shoving all the key cards in his hand to Xu Sisi.

"You can count them yourself by the room numbers. Each floor has a different number of rooms, and I’m not sure either. You all can figure it out among yourselves."

After saying that, he called the others over—

"Come over here and pick your own rooms, but our floor should already be fully assigned."

After all, they were all staying in top-tier suites, and the rooms were quite spacious—three suites were enough to take up an entire floor.

With that, he waved off the remaining people and headed off with Guan Mulin and the others, pulling their luggage toward the suites.

Even though they were all classmates, some even from the same class, Pei Haochuan had no intention of sticking together as a large group. With too many people, it wouldn't be any fun, so it was better to just let everyone do their own thing.

If anyone wanted to hang out with someone, they could work it out themselves.

He didn’t want to manage all that.

Seeing Pei Haochuan acting like a bull being played music for, both Shen Ju and 996 couldn’t help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

But since they would be here for a few days, they still couldn’t let their guard down too much.

The mission energy bar was finally growing steadily—they couldn’t afford any unexpected setbacks now.

Shen Ju decided he still needed to stick with Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan.

But what Shen Ju didn’t expect was—aside from him, the others were all advanced skiers who would take the cable car to the mountaintop. Only he would be practicing on the beginner slope, "summiting" via the magic carpet.

The "divergence" arose here, and Shen Ju suffered a crushing defeat!

Pei Haochuan, on the other hand, was thrilled.

He had called Shen Ju a follower, and after saying that, Shen Ju really did start acting like one—following him and Guan Mulin everywhere they went!

As soon as they had unpacked their luggage, Shen Ju came knocking, saying they should all go eat together.

Of course, in Pei Haochuan’s eyes, Shen Ju’s attitude was terrible—he kept insisting that Guan Mulin take care of him, always trying to boss Guan Mulin around, and after saying so, he’d look over at Pei Haochuan smugly, pure provocation!

Guan Mulin did know how to retort once or twice, but after rebutting, he’d actually go along with it?!

Pei Haochuan really wanted to say, "Don’t compromise like this," but every time he saw the expression on Guan Mulin’s face, the words would get stuck in his throat.

He genuinely couldn’t see any reluctance on Guan Mulin’s part...

He really didn’t get it...

What kind of dynamic was this?!

It was almost driving Pei Haochuan crazy!

"What should I do, 996?"

Shen Ju agonized: "Maybe after they go to the advanced slope, I can sneak up there after them? I don’t have to ski down—I can just take the cable car back down, right?"

Absolutely not!!

Both Pei Yan and Guan Mulin tensed up.

Pei Yan even looked dangerously stern.

Disobedient kid.

Needs to be taught a lesson.

"You’ll stay with me on the beginner slope. I’ll teach you how to ski," Pei Yan said directly.

"But..."

Shen Ju hesitated. Earlier when they were leaving, Xu Sisi had come over and said she and her friends were heading to the advanced slopes, inviting them to join. If he hadn’t intentionally dragged his feet...

"There are no buts."

Pei Yan narrowed his eyes dangerously, cutting him off.

After changing into his ski suit, Shen Ju had become noticeably rounder, especially since he’d chosen one in a vibrant orange-yellow color. He didn’t resemble an orange so much as a chubby, round orange tabby, he stood with his hands tucked into thick gloves in front of him. It seemed like he still wanted to sidle up to Guan Mulin and Pei Haochuan—just as he had been doing all along. Pei Yan had been silently tolerating it until now.

Sneaking around like a guilty dog, thinking no one would notice.

Guan Mulin didn’t want Shen Ju coming along either.

For one, Shen Ju hadn’t even been on the beginner slopes yet—how could he handle the advanced ones?

Even if he didn’t plan to ski, safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

Besides, there was no need.

Thinking this, Guan Mulin turned and slapped Pei Haochuan. "Let’s get into an argument."

Pei Haochuan, who had been glad to finally get away from Shen Ju, was taken aback. "Huh???"

He couldn’t process it—

"A fight? What kind of fight?"

"She seems to have a problem with me."

"What???"

Pei Haochuan was even more confused. "Really?! Seriously?!"

"But Xu Sisi likes me—that’s not my fault, is it? And also—"

Pei Haochuan asked doubtfully, "Guan Mulin, are you mad?"

Guan Mulin: "...Yes."

"Huh?" Pei Haochuan widened his eyes, studying Guan Mulin carefully.

Guan Mulin was genuinely annoyed now. "I’d never embarrass a girl, but every time she comes over, she manages to take digs at me. When it comes down to it, isn't it all because of you?"

And it wasn't just today; it had been happening.

Guan Mulin had originally thought Xu Sisi just didn't like him, but it turned out it was because of Pei Haochuan...

If he hadn’t heard 996 and Shen Ju drop that "love rival" comment, he wouldn’t have realized.

"But Xu Sisi also told me not to get in the way of you finding a girlfriend."

Pei Haochuan muttered, "I remember that part clearly."

Guan Mulin: "............"

This is getting shady, man!!

Hearing 996 shouting excitedly that the task energy meter had jumped up again, he pressed his lips together and turned to leave—looks like picking a fight did the trick. Shen Ju probably didn’t need to worry about the "mission" being snatched away now. By bringing this up, Pei Haochuan should also understand to stay clear of Xu Sisi, since Pei Haochuan had no interest in her and wasn't about to string her along.

"Hey, Guan Mulin! Wait for me."

Pei Haochuan tsked. "Why aren’t you answering? Got a guilty conscience?"

As if!

Guan Mulin walked even faster.

Shen Ju stood where he was, no longer agonizing about following them.

It’s just...

He couldn’t help but stroke his chin. This "plot twist" was a little too convenient, didn't it?