Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Shen Ju was stunned.

Pei Yan's words echoed in his mind repeatedly, and it took him considerable effort to grasp their meaning.

Pei Yan liked him?

Pei Yan called him "baby"?

Pei Yan kissed him...

He still couldn't quite believe it.

Pei Yan chuckled softly, kissing the tear at the corner of Shen Ju's eye. "Still going to scold me?"

Shen Ju pressed his lips together.

"996 has been locked in a dark room. I don’t know if the tasks are still being evaluated as usual, but they probably are. This scene, this setting—it’s quite suitable for advancing your task progress."

"Then should I say the opposite?"

"If it’s the opposite—"

Pei Yan’s smile faded as he spoke seriously, "Shen Jiujiu, I did not like you from very early on, and I never found you cute. I certainly didn’t go to great lengths to keep you by my side. What I said about getting engaged with you wasn’t sincere. I never wanted to watch you every moment, nor did I want you to see only me. Of course, I also don’t care whether you like me or not."

Shen Ju’s face flushed crimson as he listened, his toes curling tightly.

What Pei Yan said, when reversed, meant...

He had liked him from very early on.

He always found him cute.

He went to great lengths to keep him by his side.

What he said about getting engaged was sincere!

He thought about him every moment.

He wanted him to see only him.

And also...

Shen Ju was blushing all over.

But after hearing Pei Yan’s words, he didn’t hesitate at all. Instead, he eagerly grabbed Pei Yan’s wrist—

"Brother Pei, I... I also like you."

Just as Pei Yan was about to say something,

he saw Shen Ju shaking his head vigorously. "No, no, no—"

"Brother Pei, I don’t like you!"

"I really, really don’t like you at all!"

Pei Yan: "............"

He nearly choked on his breath.

That’s not how you’re supposed to say the opposite, you little fool.

Pei Yan said softly, "Mm, I believe you don’t like me at all. You’re about to push me away."

"!!"

"Now, if I help you, wouldn’t it be reasonable?"

Shen Ju couldn’t bring himself to speak.

In fact, he didn’t need to.

Because although Pei Yan posed the question politely, his demeanor was assertive. He held Shen Ju tightly in his arms, not allowing him to move an inch. Taking advantage of Shen Ju’s weakened state, he lifted Shen Ju’s legs and rested them on his other thigh, making Shen Ju nestle in his embrace with his toes barely touching the ground.

Emotions were once again overpowered by physical sensations.

Shen Ju could no longer focus on anything else. He could only grip Pei Yan’s hand tightly, feeling the sensations Pei Yan was giving him.

Gradually, even his fingers lost their strength.

It wasn’t until after two rounds that Shen Ju began to regain some clarity.

He looked down at Pei Yan’s hand—the long, slender fingers were coated with his release, making it seem both dirty and indecent.

"Are you disgusted by your own release?"

Pei Yan murmured, pretending to move his hand toward Shen Ju’s face.

Shen Ju, frightened, quickly turned his head and buried his face in the crook of Pei Yan’s neck. Almost immediately, he heard Pei Yan’s low chuckle, followed by the vibration of his chest.

Further down, certain areas were also very noticeable.

With the slightest movement, their presence became impossible to ignore.

Shen Ju blinked and secretly glanced at Pei Yan.

He realized Pei Yan looked far more disheveled than he did.

Not only were his clothes soaked, but they were also stained with his own release. What Shen Ju felt against his inner thighs was a far cry from Pei Yan’s usual composure.

Shen Ju felt embarrassed but still twitched his fingers slightly.

As if reading Shen Ju’s thoughts or intentions, Pei Yan reached out with his freshly washed hand and grasped Shen Ju’s wrist.

It was a clear signal to stop.

Shen Ju blinked. "Brother Pei?"

Did Brother Pei not need it?

Pei Yan sighed. "If you really start, it’ll be hard to stop."

"I don’t finish in just a few minutes."

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

Though it was the truth, but... but still—

"I was drugged!"

No strength, but his voice was loud.

Clearly, he was flustered.

Still not convinced deep down, he wondered just how long Brother Pei could last.

"Don't worry, you'll find out for yourself eventually."

Pei Yan reached out and gently held Shen Ju's chin. "Tired? Let me help you wash up, then you can get some real sleep."

He was tired.

He felt completely drained.

His mind was foggy too.

Must be the drug and the alcohol.

He wished he hadn't drunk so much earlier.

Wait, no—actually, he hadn't drunk that much.

But both he and Guan Mulin couldn't hold their liquor.

Thinking of Guan Mulin, Shen Ju blinked, wondering how his Second Brother was doing. The mission energy bar seemed to have risen quite a bit.

Hehe.

Pei Yan watched Shen Ju spacing out, lost in thought, and couldn't help but feel both amused and fond.

What a gem.

If not for worry about Shen Ju's state...

Pei Yan lowered his gaze, rinsed Shen Ju off, dabbed him dry, wrapped him in a bath towel, and carried him out of the bathroom.

By now, Shen Ju was already getting sleepy.

His eyes were heavy, his body spent.

Pei Yan laid him on the bed, removed the towel, pulled the covers over him—every step meticulous and attentive.

"Time to sleep."

He leaned down and kissed Shen Ju's forehead.

"You'll see me when you wake up."

Only after hearing this did Shen Ju release his grip on Pei Yan's pinky finger, too exhausted to hold on any longer, and instantly sank into a deep sleep.

Once he was sure Shen Ju was out, Pei Yan sent a text message, then cleaned up in the bathroom.

When he emerged, he opened the door to find a tray outside, carrying the clothes he'd asked for—some for Shen Ju, and some for himself.

Pei Yan got dressed and headed back to the main room.

Han Chengfeng and Ke Cheng had already pieced together what happened.

When they saw Pei Yan arrive, they filled him in.

"Goddammit, Wei Tianxi knew our party was here, so he came early, bribed the security guard in the surveillance room, and had the hallway cameras disabled for twenty minutes. Even if someone checks later, the earlier footage was looped over it. The guy who showed up with Wei Tianxi is a loan shark—a sleazebag who’s used to this kind of shit. No clue how Wei Tianxi found him—"

Han Chengfeng was cursing up a storm, furious. After all, he was the one who had reserved the place and the room, giving Wei Tianxi the opportunity to take advantage.

He had reserved the entire bar so the two classes could have a good time, not to make it convenient for Wei Tianxi to pull something like this!

Wei Tianxi’s actions had pushed every one of Han Chengfeng’s buttons.

And it wasn’t just Han Chengfeng—Ke Cheng was also fuming: "That security guard has already been corralled. He’s with the bar manager."

Not only that, the bar owner had also arrived.

This was no small matter, given Pei Yan and the others’ status, and it was clear they weren’t about to let this go.

Fortunately, although the incident happened at their establishment and involved some of their staff, the main perpetrators weren’t closely tied to them. So after the owner arrived, he immediately pledged full cooperation and heavily implied that whatever Han Chengfeng, Ke Cheng, or the others did privately, they’d look the other way.

So not only had Pei Yan come over, but Pei Haochuan also showed up shortly after.

The two exchanged a look, noticing that each had changed clothes.

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

Actually, Han Chengfeng and Ke Cheng had noticed earlier but pretended not to see.

Pei Haochuan was hot-headed. As soon as he arrived and understood the situation, he stepped forward and kicked Wei Tianxi.

He aimed for a spot that would hurt badly but leave no visible marks.

With that one kick, Wei Tianxi immediately vomited.

He snapped out of it.

When he came to and saw the people standing in front of him, his face instantly changed.

"You..."

Han Chengfeng knelt down and patted Wei Tianxi’s face: "I mean, were you born stupid or something? Huh?"

"You fucking dared to drug someone?! And you brought someone to take photos? What the hell were you planning? What did Shen Ju and Guan Mulin ever do to you? Are you out of your mind?!"

"I, I..."

Wei Tianxi’s lips trembled, and he stammered uselessly without managing to say another word.

Ke Cheng "tch"ed: "Why waste words on him? Search him and see if he has any more of that drug. The guy next to him might have some too. Let’s just feed it to both of them."

Han Chengfeng stood up and gave a dark laugh: "Yeah, that’s right. Then we can just bar the door—"

"No!!"

Wei Tianxi’s face went even paler, and he yelled loudly: "You can’t do this to me—"

Pei Haochuan, impatient, stepped forward, grabbed Wei Tianxi by the collar, and actually hauled him to his feet: "Then how could you do this to Shen Ju and Mu Lin?!"

Wei Tianxi's face contorted, and in his panic, he spoke without thinking: "I just wanted to make a fool of the two of them—after all, they're not even related by blood! And Guan Mulin is just a fake young master, while Guan Shenju grew up poor. They don’t belong in our world at all. Why do they get to hang out with you all now?!"

Pei Haochuan was so disgusted that he didn’t even want to touch Wei Tianxi through his clothes, and flung him back to the ground.

Han Chengfeng sneered coldly: "So you’re just jealous of Shen Ju and Guan Mulin, can’t stand seeing them doing well, right? If they don’t hang out with us, do you think you’re worthy?"

Wei Tianxi’s face flushed bright red, and he stammered "I..." for a long time.

Finally, he decided to go for broke: "I’m not worthy! I am jealous of them, and I can’t stand seeing them doing well! And Jian Yi too—I can’t stand him either! Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin’s harmony is just an act, isn’t it?! If I could ruin them, I’d love to see if you all could still stick together! Yes, I was waiting to see you all become a laughingstock!"

"I just regret not giving them a stronger dose—Guan Shenju actually managed to stay conscious! If I’d known, I would’ve doubled it, and then I’d have captured all their shameful moments on camera!!"

By the end, Wei Tianxi was practically shouting at the top of his lungs.

He was red in the face, his neck thick, and his expression twisted—it was downright nauseating to look at.

Ke Cheng let out a "tsk" and pointed to a nearby table: "Well, it seems you’re out of luck. But your own shameful moments have been captured perfectly."

That camera was the very one Wei Tianxi had ordered someone to bring.

Realizing what Ke Cheng meant, Wei Tianxi’s eyes widened in shock, and he lunged toward the table, only to be blocked by Pei Haochuan.

Pei Yan hadn’t moved or spoken until now, when he finally said: "If you have anything to say, you can take it up with the police. Besides, I’ll also get your parents involved to deal with this."

"No..."

Wei Tianxi’s face turned even paler than before.

The last thing he wanted was for Wei Jing to find out about this!

"If you don’t want this video to spread, after the semester starts, you’ll voluntarily make a public apology. Also, I want you to withdraw from school."

There was no need for him to apologize to Shen Ju and Guan Mulin in person.

He didn’t want Wei Tianxi to disgust Shen Ju all over again.

But a public apology in front of the entire school would be acceptable.

"No—"

Wei Tianxi tried to say more.

Pei Yan looked at him expressionlessly: "You’ll be grateful you withdrew."

Pei Haochuan scoffed: "Wei Tianxi, you don’t actually think that even if we let this slide, the Guan family will too, do you?"

"And what about your mother? I wonder if she’ll regret giving birth to a useless son like you. If the Wei family goes bankrupt someday, you might just be the one to blame."

Wei Tianxi wasn’t stupid; he understood Pei Haochuan’s implication.

Suddenly, he was overwhelmed with fear and disbelief—

Why?!

Why was it that just because he drugged Guan Shenju and Guan Mulin, these people would go to such lengths for them?!

And the Guan family...

Could it be that the Guan family really...

In an instant, Wei Tianxi felt his scalp go numb, and cold sweat broke out layer by layer on his back.

A wave of deep regret washed over him.

He regretted it.

He really shouldn’t have acted on impulse...

How could he have been so blind?!

He shouldn’t have provoked these people!

Thinking of the consequences he might face, and how his mother might see him, Wei Tianxi immediately wanted to beg for mercy—

But when he looked up and met Pei Yan’s gaze, he found himself unable to say a word.

"Begging won’t help. Cooperation will."

Pei Yan said coldly: "The demands we’ve given you are already the most lenient outcome you could hope for."

With that, he leaned down slightly, looking straight into Wei Tianxi’s eyes: "So, you should be grateful. Understand?"

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

The next day.

As Shen Ju gradually regained consciousness, eyes still closed, he felt something gently tracing his face.

Moving from his eyebrows to his eyelids.

From his eyelids to the bridge of his nose.

Shen Ju thought subconsciously, thankfully the bridge of his nose was quite perfect—was it like sliding down a smooth slope?

Suddenly, he heard a low chuckle.

Who was that?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when memories of the previous night flooded back.

"!!!"

Honestly, being fully awake was completely different from how he’d felt last night.

Yesterday, he’d been both drunk and drugged. No matter how clear his mind had seemed, all his actions, feelings, and senses had undoubtedly been affected.

To put it plainly—

his sense of shame and boundaries had been... considerably lowered.

But now, the alcohol and drugs had worn off.

He really...

Ahhhh!

Without even opening his eyes, Shen Ju buried himself under the covers.

A few seconds later, Pei Yan’s voice came from outside the blanket, faint and teasing:

"What’s wrong? Now that you’ve sobered up, are you trying to deny everything after having your way with me?"

Smack!

Shen Ju threw the covers off again, exclaiming in disbelief: "Who had their way with whom?!"