Chapter 41 Taking Him Home

Chapter 41: Bringing Him Home

For Chinese people, the most important day of the year is the New Year.

So even overworked drones like Lin Xishan and his colleagues got a week off before New Year's Eve.

On their last day at work, Professor Chen, in a very amiable mood, handed out red envelopes to everyone.

The moment he received his, Lin Xishan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Oh, not bad—roughly felt like nine or ten bills thick.

Nice.

"Then let me take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy New Year in advance, and may you all make big money in the coming year." After Professor Chen said this with a smile, he instructed them to lock up, and that was it—vacation time.

The entire office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"Finally on break." Shen Zhiyi practically sprawled over her desk.

"Then we'll leave the final tidying up to you two." The upperclassmen who were rushing off to catch trains and flights hurriedly said their goodbyes before taking off.

"Go on, go on." Shen Zhiyi waved her hand listlessly, telling them to hurry along.

Lin Xishan also smiled and waved at them: "See you next year."

Before long, only Shen Zhiyi and Lin Xishan—the two whose families were local—remained in the office to do the final cleanup.

Not that there was much to do; they just needed to close the windows and cut the power, since it wasn't exactly a chemistry lab or anything.

After tidying up and locking the door, as they walked out together, Shen Zhiyi asked in passing about Lin Xishan's holiday plans.

"Just staying home, dropping by people's houses, visiting relatives, and bumming around at home." Lin Xishan smiled.

"Lucky you. I've got a tough fight ahead this year." Shen Zhiyi said dejectedly.

"Oh, what's wrong?" Lin Xishan asked.

Shen Zhiyi, who was rarely embarrassed, looked a bit sheepish: "I'm bringing my boyfriend home to meet the parents."

Lin Xishan: "Isn't that a good thing?"

Shen Zhiyi let out a long sigh: "Ugh, my family isn't too happy about my boyfriend's family background."

Lin Xishan recalled her boyfriend's attire: "Is he poor? He didn't seem like it."

"It's the opposite—he's too rich. They think I'm punching above my weight and it won't work out. How am I not good enough for him? We've been together since high school. I don't get their logic." Shen Zhiyi vented.

Lin Xishan could only offer a wry smile and a few comforting words. When they reached the campus gate, her boyfriend was there to pick her up. Shen Zhiyi waved at him: "See you next year."

"See you next year." Lin Xishan pulled one hand out of his pocket and waved back.

Watching Shen Zhiyi throw herself into her boyfriend's arms, get into the car, and have her boyfriend buckle her seatbelt—that lovey-dovey energy—Lin Xishan smiled and shook his head.

No need to worry at all; those two are happy as can be.

Just as he was feeling wistful and a little lonely, he felt a tap on his back. Turning around, it was Pei Zhi.

His gaze was a bit ominous: "Jealous that your senior classmate can be so close with her boyfriend?"

That was Pei Zhi's idea of a joke.

Lin Xishan smiled and pulled the man into his arms: "Yeah, I want to be close with my boyfriend too, but I don't have one—only a sugar daddy."

Checkmate.

Pei Zhi turned his head away, flustered.

Every time Lin Xishan used that line to get under Pei Zhi's skin, it never failed.

But he also knew when to quit while he was ahead. Tucking Pei Zhi's ice-cold hands into his own pocket, he asked: "How did you get here? Don't tell me it was the motorcycle again."

If so, he'd have to call a van service to haul the motorcycle home—he really couldn't deal with that in this freezing weather.

"No, Zhou Yan drove me here. He happened to come by today to discuss the new album, and after we finished, he was driving home on the highway, so I asked him for a ride." Pei Zhi coughed twice as he spoke.

Actually, knowing him, he would've ridden the motorcycle even in the snow. But he remembered that Lin Xishan disliked the cold.

If Lin Xishan minded the cold, then he wouldn't ride.

It was a simple logic.

Lin Xishan was about to pull the man securely into his arms and call a cab when a thought struck him.

A topic they'd never discussed before.

Pei Zhi's family.

Lin Xishan could more or less tell that Pei Zhi's family situation was definitely a tangled mess—after all, he'd never seen Pei Zhi contact his family in all this time. Add to that the things Pei Zhi had mentioned about his childhood, plus his own gut feeling.

After all, a loving or normal family wouldn't raise someone as prickly as Pei Zhi.

But today, he really had to bring it up.

Because there was a very important question—when he went home for the New Year, would Pei Zhi be alone?

Lin Xishan definitely had to go home; his parents had been urging him. His original plan was to head home once the project let out today. But what about Pei Zhi? Was he going home, or staying alone in the rented apartment?

"What are you doing for the New Year?" Lin Xishan tried to keep his tone casual, but the moment he said it, he felt the body in his arms stiffen.

"Nothing much." Pei Zhi's tone turned stiff again. "Just... when you go home, I'll stay alone in the rental, write some songs or whatever, and call you."

Sure enough, Lin Xishan let out a long sigh. He knew it.

He didn't plan to press him on why he wasn't going home. When Pei Zhi was ready to talk, he'd bring it up himself. The most pressing thing now was finding a way to keep Pei Zhi from spending the New Year all alone.

Well, if he did say so himself, he was clever—the moment he thought about it, a great idea popped into his head.

Pei Zhi probably wouldn't agree, but he'd just have to keep at him. Even if Pei Zhi said no, Lin Xishan would make him say yes.

Or maybe he'd just act first and ask for forgiveness later.

So, while Pei Zhi watched, Lin Xishan casually made a phone call: "Hey, Mom, I'm off today and coming home. I'm also bringing someone with me. Yeah, the one I told you about—my sugar daddy..."

Pei Zhi's eyes widened in shock.

Huh?

By the time Pei Zhi came to his senses, Lin Xishan had already hung up.

"You've lost your mind." Lin Xishan had never seen Pei Zhi's eyes get this wide. "Your family agreed? You're just bringing a stranger home for the New Year like that?"

"He's not a stranger, he's my sugar daddy." Lin Xishan corrected him seriously, then tucked his phone back into his pocket and tugged Pei Zhi by the wrist toward the school gate. "My mom said it's no big deal—just an extra pair of chopsticks. Come on, the car's almost here."

Pei Zhi let himself get dragged a few steps before he thought to pull away.

But Lin Xishan had a tight grip.

"I never agreed to this." Pei Zhi's voice rose half a notch.

"You didn't say no either."

"Well, I'm saying no now."

"Too late. My mom's already prepping the guest room."

Pei Zhi planted his feet and refused to budge. Lin Xishan stopped too and turned to look at him.

Pei Zhi's expression was caught somewhere between panic and irritation, his lips pressed into a thin line, the tips of his ears red enough to bleed. Those phoenix-shaped eyes glared at him, but there was no real menace in them—more like a cat that had just been scooped up, all stiff, not knowing what to do with its limbs.

Man, Lin Xishan realized he really loved thinking of Pei Zhi as a cat, because he was literally a little kitten!

"I didn't bring anything." Pei Zhi's voice was a little tight. "Change of clothes, toothbrush—I didn't bring any of it. And with my hair like this, what are your parents gonna think."

Lin Xishan gave him a once-over. Pei Zhi was wearing a black turtleneck under that dark gray wool coat, his pale gold hair catching the winter afternoon light, standing out like crazy.

"Looking good." Lin Xishan affirmed.

"That's not what I meant." Pei Zhi, embarrassed and annoyed, swatted at Lin Xishan.

Of course, he didn't put any real force into it—it was basically like a cat scratch, just a tickle.

"We've got new toothbrushes at my place. You can wear my clothes—we're about the same size. And your hair's even less of an issue," Lin Xishan reached up and brushed aside the stray strands on his forehead. "My mom was into visual kei bands when she was young. There's no color she hasn't seen before. And it's looking good."

Lin Xishan said it again for emphasis.

Pei Zhi opened his mouth, about to say something. Lin Xishan spoke first, his tone shifting from playful to serious: "Pei Zhi, if you don't want to go, I won't force you. But I don't want you spending the New Year alone. If you're sitting there all alone, I'll be distracted. If you really don't want to come, I'll cancel the car right now and take you back to your apartment. And I'm not going home either."

Pei Zhi looked at Lin Xishan's face and suddenly realized this wasn't up for discussion.

He'd already made up his mind: they were spending this New Year together.

It was a strange feeling. He should refuse—he clearly should—but the words just wouldn't come out.

The taxi pulled up to the curb, hazards blinking.

Pei Zhi lowered his eyes, lashes casting a small shadow on his cheeks. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath, walked to the taxi, opened the door, and got in.

Lin Xishan got in after him and gave the driver the address. As the car pulled away, Pei Zhi kept staring out the window, giving Lin Xishan a cold shoulder and one completely red ear.

Mission accomplished.

Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of that familiar luxury villa.

Pei Zhi clearly hesitated as he got out. He stood in front of the black wrought-iron gate, looked up at the house, then down at the scuffed patch on his old Doc Martens.

Lin Xishan noticed his gaze and gave him a gentle push on the back. "Come on. My family's not that strict."

Uncle Li came to answer the door. The old butler paused for a moment when he saw the young master bring home a stranger, but his professional composure kept him from asking any questions. He just took Lin Xishan's coat, then gave a slight bow and extended his hand toward Pei Zhi.

Pei Zhi stared at that hand for a moment, then silently took off his coat and handed it over.

"Thank you," he said, his voice a little dry.

He knew Lin Xishan's family had money, but a butler at this level...

He'd only ever seen that kind of thing on TV.

Uncle Li smiled, hung both coats on the rack by the door, and raised his voice a little toward the living room: "Ma'am, the young master's home. He brought a guest."

There was a quick patter of footsteps from the living room, then Mother Lin's voice: "Xishan's home?"

Lin Jinyao walked out quickly from the living room, wearing a cream cashmere cardigan, her hair loosely pinned up, looking way younger than she actually was. Her gaze skipped over Lin Xishan and landed on Pei Zhi, lingering there for about two seconds.

Pei Zhi stood in the entryway, back ramrod straight, like he was being tested.

"Hello, Auntie," he said, his voice steady, but Lin Xishan noticed his fingers curl slightly at his sides.

Completely nervous.

Lin Xishan couldn't help but smirk off to the side.

Lin Jinyao's eyes lit up. She stepped forward and naturally took Pei Zhi's hand, looked him up and down, then turned to Lin Xishan and said, "This kid is way too good-looking. Why didn't you bring him home earlier?"

"Isn't he here now?" Lin Xishan said.

Pei Zhi, with Mother Lin holding his hand, had gone completely stiff as a stone.

He didn't pull away, but he didn't know what to do either. Lin Jinyao's hand was warm, her grip neither too firm nor too light.

How long had it been since an older woman had held his hand like this? He couldn't remember.

"How long have you had this hair color? The texture's damaged." Lin Jinyao frowned slightly, reaching up to gently touch the ends of Pei Zhi's hair, her tone like she was scolding her own child. "I'll get you a bottle of hair oil later. Remember to put a little on after every wash."

Pei Zhi opened his mouth, trying to make his voice sound natural: "Thank you, Auntie."

"Don't just stand at the door, come in and sit." Lin Jinyao released his hand and turned toward the living room. "I've been going on and on about wanting to see what Xishan's precious sugar daddy looks like—he just wouldn't show me. Finally getting to see you today."

Lin Xishan let out a laugh.

Pei Zhi turned to look at Lin Xishan, his eyes screaming "how is everyone in your family like this."

Precious sugar daddy. That title was absolutely mortifying.

And besides, Lin Xishan, as the heir of the Lin family, didn't need any sugar daddy. Half embarrassed and half annoyed, he simply stomped on Lin Xishan's foot.

In short, when in doubt, blame Lin Xishan.

Lin Xishan shrugged, wisely choosing not to grab him, and just led the way into the living room.

The living room was large. Lin Yuanzhou sat on the sofa, a document spread out on the coffee table in front of him.

Lin Yuanzhou looked up, his gaze passing over the top of his glasses, pausing on Lin Xishan's face for a moment, then landing on Pei Zhi.

The look wasn't exactly scrutiny—it was calmer, more objective.

"Dad," Lin Xishan called out, introducing him. "This is Pei Zhi."

Pei Zhi gave a slight bow. "Hello, Uncle."

In front of a man like Lin Yuanzhou, he felt even more ill at ease than he had with Lin Jinyao.

Lin Yuanzhou nodded, took off his glasses, and placed them on the coffee table, speaking in a casual tone: "Take a seat."

Pei Zhi sat down on the sofa. He picked the seat at the very end, his back straight and his hands on his knees.

Lin Xishan sat down next to him, casually picking up a tangerine from the coffee table and peeling it.

After peeling it, he popped a segment into Pei Zhi's mouth. Pei Zhi wanted to refuse, but the tangerine segment was already at his lips, and he was too embarrassed to say no, so he opened his mouth and ate it.

He was so nervous he didn't even taste the tangerine.

Luckily, the awkward moment didn't last long before someone broke the silence.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs, growing closer.

Lin Jichuan came down from the second floor, wearing a baggy hoodie with his hair a little messy, as if he had just crawled out of bed.

He yawned as he walked into the living room, and upon seeing Lin Xishan, was about to say something when his gaze landed on the person next to Lin Xishan.

Pei Zhi looked up at him.

Lin Jichuan stopped dead in his tracks and rubbed his eyes.

"Pei Zhi?" His voice came out all wrong.

He must still be half-asleep—why would Pei Zhi be in his house?