Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Pei Qingji stood frozen in place, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

He looked like he'd been hit square in the face by surprise, his eyes locked straight on him, as if he hadn't yet snapped out of it.

Cheng Yuan, stared at like this, felt a wave of irritation rise up. He raised his eyes to look at him and said coldly.

"Are you going to eat or not?"

But he was still just standing there, zoned out, and he said with a hint of impatience.

Only then did Pei Qingji snap back to reality, his voice full of surprise.

"What did you say?"

"Go grab your own chopsticks and scoop yourself some rice."

He scurried off to the kitchen to grab chopsticks, filled a bowl of rice, and pulled out a chair and sat down.

Pei Qingji couldn't help but curl his lips upward, his eyes and brows practically glowing with a smile he couldn't hold back.

Then he went back to staring at Cheng Yuan, and when Cheng Yuan shot him a cold look back, he quickly tried to wipe the smile off his face.

But he still couldn't help raising the corners of his mouth, looking very happy.

He never learns.

Cheng Yuan shot him another cold glare, annoyed, but just let him be and stopped bothering with him.

The TV in the living room was on, playing some cartoon. The voices of the cartoon characters filled the room, the background noise soft and cozy.

Sometimes, he'd put on cartoons for the baby. The doctor said his baby had already grown ears, and Cheng Yuan was worried he'd get bored in there.

The doors and windows were sealed tight against the cold wind outside, and the soft light inside spilled over the two of them at the dining table, casting a warm, gentle glow.

Cheng Yuan kept his head down and quietly took a bite of rice, then picked up a shrimp and dropped it into his bowl.

But that shameless, blatant staring was impossible to ignore.

Cheng Yuan watched as that guy kept staring at him while he ate with his head down, and then, right before getting caught, would guiltily duck his head and shove a hurried bite of rice into his mouth.

He gripped his chopsticks, then slammed them down on the bowl with a "bang," and shot Pei Qingji a cold glare.

"If you don't want to eat, you can leave right now."

Pei Qingji froze for a moment, his ears turning red, his face full of embarrassment.

Cheng Yuan: "..."

The room finally quieted down, but this silence didn't last long.

Pei Qingji suddenly raised his eyes to look at Cheng Yuan, his voice hesitant as he cautiously said, "The weather's pretty nice today, don't you think?"

Cheng Yuan watched a bolt of lightning flash across the window, with rain clearly on the way, and went silent.

How the hell did he see that as nice weather?

"..."

Pei Qingji seemed to realize that wasn't a great topic to bring up. He glanced at his belly and asked carefully.

"Um... has the baby been giving you a hard time lately?"

This was the first time either of them had brought up the baby.

Cheng Yuan's face immediately went cold at that.

Just then, a phone started ringing out of nowhere.

He stopped mid-sentence and looked over.

Pei Qingji, annoyed at the interruption, barely held back the vein bulging on his forehead and shot a cold glance at the phone screen.

Lu Mingzhe.

The phone on the table buzzed a few times, then got ruthlessly hung up on.

Pei Qingji turned his gaze back to Cheng Yuan, ears reddening as he hesitated and asked, "You..."

But before he could even finish, the phone rang again, buzzing nonstop.

Pei Qingji: "..."

The fist at his side clenched tight. He gritted his teeth, glaring at the caller ID.

Lu Mingzhe again. He better have a damn good reason, or else...

Cheng Yuan said flatly, "Go answer the phone first."

The hard-won mood was ruined just like that. Pei Qingji dropped his gaze in disappointment, muttered a quick apology, and headed to the balcony to take the call.

He immediately switched gears, his voice low and impatient. "You better pray you've got a good reason, or you're dead."

Lu Mingzhe's grumbling voice came through.

"Where are you? Why aren't you home?"

He'd planned to swing by his place to hang out, but found the villa completely empty.

"You're not over there with him, are you?"

Pei Qingji gave a faint "mm" in response.

"So what exactly did you call me for?"

Lu Mingzhe's voice carried a hint of urgency. "Damn, I almost forgot! Did you know he's about to terminate his contract with his company?"

Pei Qingji's heart tightened, and he said in a low voice, "What's going on?"

"It's just that I happened to have dinner with his boss today, and he let it slip."

Pei Qingji was slightly taken aback.

"Alright, I got it."

He hung up the phone and walked back inside, sitting down across from Cheng Yuan, his thin lips pressed tightly together, saying nothing.

The atmosphere grew even more tense and awkward.

Cheng Yuan vaguely sensed that he seemed to be in a bad mood, but he didn't know why.

After a few minutes, Pei Qingji finally spoke.

"I heard... you're... canceling your contract."

Cheng Yuan was taken aback, a flash of coldness flickering in his eyes: "How did you find out? Did you have me investigated?"

Pei Qingji quickly explained: "Lu Mingzhe told me. He bumped into your boss."

Cheng Yuan had no choice but to hold back his anger.

"Can I ask... why are you canceling your contract?" he asked tentatively.

Pei Qingji pressed his lips together, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, as if awaiting a verdict.

Was it because he didn't want anything to do with him anymore that he decided to cancel his contract?

Cheng Yuan said icily: "No."

At the Xingyao branch office, people were gossiping in the group chat.

"Hey, did you hear? He's canceling his contract."

"Why would he cancel it out of nowhere? Is he planning some trick again?"

"What a relief, he's finally leaving. I've been sick of him for a long time."

"Who knows if he's just trying to ride some wave of popularity."

"If you ask me, he's probably cooking up some big move. Our company might not be as good as the main one, but the benefits are pretty good. Who would poach some nobody like him?"

"Is he thinking of quitting the entertainment industry?"

"Look at how much he loves attention—there's no way he'd give up such a good opportunity."

Cheng Yuan's face turned pale. He pressed his lips together, stared at the screen for a long time, then turned off his phone and set it aside.

Pei Qingji noticed and frowned deeply. He typed a few words on his phone, asking Assistant Lin to look into the matter.

"So, have you thought about what you'll do in the future?"

Cheng Yuan's tone grew even icier: "It's none of your business."

The dishes on the table were nearly finished by now. Usually, at this point, it was time for him to leave.

Pei Qingji asked tentatively: "Can I stay here a little longer?"

Cheng Yuan said mockingly: "Don't you already spend enough time here every day?"

He stood up, about to clear the dishes, when the next second his shoulder was pressed down.

"I'll take care of it."

Cheng Yuan didn't want to deal with him, but the next second he was suddenly picked up.

His expression changed, and he said icily: "What are you doing?"

Pei Qingji said: "I'll clean up. You go rest."

Cheng Yuan glared at him in exasperation, struggling to get down: "Don't touch me."

"Don't move, be careful not to hurt the baby," Pei Qingji said gently.

Cheng Yuan didn't dare move even though he was angry, only turning his head away coldly, refusing to look at him.

Pei Qingji set him down on the sofa and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Washing them took nearly ten minutes, and he still wasn't done.

Cheng Yuan knew he was deliberately stalling for time, and his tone grew even icier: "The water bill is due."

Pei Qingji's movements froze. He had no choice but to quickly finish the dishes, and under Cheng Yuan's watchful gaze, reluctantly walked to the door.

He suddenly stopped and looked back at Cheng Yuan.

"Can I... stay a little longer?"

He was pushing his luck. If he agreed now, who knows how long he'd linger next time.

Cheng Yuan said icily: "No, you can't."

Just then, the light flickered suddenly, and the entire room plunged into darkness.

Cheng Yuan's pupils contracted sharply, a trace of panic flashing through his brows. Instinctively, he reached out to grab something nearby.

But he grabbed at empty air, and just as he was about to fall, someone caught him firmly.

"It's okay, don't be afraid, I'm here."

Pei Qingji had somehow come to his side. He grabbed Cheng Yuan's hand, his voice full of concern.

He frowned deeply: "What's going on?"

Cheng Yuan wasn't as scared as before. He took a deep breath and explained.

"This light does this sometimes. It'll be fine in a moment."

Even though he knew the light had issues, it would flicker at random times and still startled him.

The room suddenly became very dark. It took a while to barely adjust to the environment, and with the moonlight, he could faintly make out the room.

He steadied his breathing, his fingers no longer trembling. He could vaguely see Pei Qingji's face, his eyes full of worry.

Cheng Yuan was momentarily stunned.

A few minutes later, the light came back on. The moment it did, he instinctively closed his eyes, but before he could, a large hand covered them.

"Wait a second, then open your eyes, it's too bright."

"Okay."

Cheng Yuan slowly opened his eyes, his heart, which had been pounding, gradually calming down.

He took in the situation and quickly let go.

Most of his body was leaning against him, and he was still clutching the other's sleeve.

Pei Qingji looked disappointed as he pulled away.

His brow furrowed tightly as he thought of that lamp that was always broken.

Chen Yuan watched him stand there, his voice flat as he reminded him, "You can leave now."

Pei Qingji pursed his thin lips, brow furrowed. "It's not safe here. I'll keep watch over you tonight."

Chen Yuan turned him down flatly. "No need. It's not a big deal."

Pei Qingji said, "Just one night, alright? I'll crash on the floor. I won't bother you."

Chen Yuan still refused. "If it's that big a deal, stay in the room across the hall."

Pei Qingji thought that staying across the hall was too inconvenient—there was a door between them, and without a key, he couldn't just come in whenever he wanted.

The thunder outside grew louder, and rain hammered against the window, making his anxiety spike.

His voice thick with worry, Pei Qingji insisted, "What if you get up to use the bathroom at night and slip and fall?"

"If anything happens to you or the baby, I..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his voice laced with lingering dread.

Chen Yuan saw the raw concern in his eyes. He went quiet for a moment, feeling annoyed and restless.

The rain outside seemed to be picking up, and with a loud crack of thunder, it turned into a full-on downpour.

After a long pause, he frowned and said, sounding thoroughly annoyed.

"...Fine, do whatever you want, but you have to leave tomorrow morning."

Author's note:

None