Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The shabby rental was pretty cramped, and the bedroom was pitifully small—the floor space was just barely big enough for one person to lie down.

There were no extra pillows or blankets here, so Pei Qingji had to go back to get them.

He was about to wash up when he realized he'd forgotten his toothbrush and toothpaste.

Pei Qingji felt a bit awkward and was about to head back to get them when he was stopped.

Cheng Yuan said flatly, "There are a few spare toothbrushes in the drawer under the bathroom sink. You can use one."

Pei Qingji whipped his head around, stunned for a second.

He was still in a daze, his heart brimming with joy. It took him a beat before he let out an "oh."

Pei Qingji walked into the bathroom, pulled open the drawer, and sure enough, saw a few spare toothbrushes.

He dropped his gaze and suddenly smiled.

Pei Qingji brushed his teeth as fast as he could, walked over to the bedroom door, took a deep breath, and turned the doorknob.

A small cactus sat on the bedroom windowsill. Outside, rain was hammering down, and the green leaves on the big tree were being pounded by the rain, turning even cleaner and shinier, almost dripping with freshness.

Cheng Yuan was sitting on the bed reading—it was that pregnancy guide Brother Zhou had given him.

His belly was noticeably bigger now, even under the blanket, rising up like a little hill.

The soft glow of the nightstand lamp fell across his face, giving his whole look a gentle, filtered quality.

Hearing the door, Cheng Yuan just glanced up at him briefly, then looked away, then closed the book and set it on the nightstand.

"Let's sleep."

The light clicked off right after, plunging the room into darkness.

At this time of year, even with a blanket down, the floor was still cold. Pei Qingji lay on the floor and pulled the blanket over himself, unable to keep from furrowing his brow slightly.

Then he glanced up at Cheng Yuan, who was lying in bed with his back to him.

Cheng Yuan's head was on the pillow, his whole body curled up under the blanket, wide awake.

This was the first time they'd been in the same room together since that incident—though not in the same bed.

The room was so quiet you could only hear the rain outside, and the air was thick with awkwardness.

Pei Qingji couldn't sleep either. He lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling. Even though the floor was cold, the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide.

He'd been living here for almost half a month now, and every day he had to leave right after cooking. He'd never once set foot in Cheng Yuan's bedroom.

He kept thinking, and it wasn't until the middle of the night that he finally drifted off.

Cheng Yuan woke up thirsty in the middle of the night. He forced himself to sit up in bed and reached for the cup of water on the nightstand.

Suddenly, the lamp clicked on, and Pei Qingji handed him the water from the bedside.

He was a light sleeper and had gotten up the second he sensed movement.

Pei Qingji touched the side of the cup—it was ice cold.

His brow furrowed slightly, but his gaze softened when it landed on Cheng Yuan. He said softly, "It's a bit cold. Hang on a sec."

He walked to the kitchen, grabbed the kettle, poured in some hot water, and tested the temperature a few times until he was sure it wouldn't burn, then carried the cup back to the room.

Cheng Yuan took the cup from him, took a few sips, and then stopped.

Pei Qingji saw he'd stopped drinking and wondered if it was too hot.

"Is it too hot? Want me to add some cold water?"

Cheng Yuan shook his head, lowering his gaze, feeling complicated.

Before, he'd always been the one pouring water for Pei Qingji. Now the tables had turned.

Pei Qingji's brow furrowed even deeper, his tone worried. "Then what's wrong? Are you feeling sick? Should we go to the hospital?"

"I'm fine. Let's sleep."

Cheng Yuan pressed his lips together, set the cup on the nightstand, pulled the blanket up, and turned his back to him.

Pei Qingji swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. After double-checking that everything was fine, he lay back down to sleep.

But he was still really worried, sleeping lightly, checking on Cheng Yuan in bed every now and then to see if the blanket was still tucked in.

Cheng Yuan never slept still. Even though he moved around less now because of the pregnancy, he'd still sometimes kick the blanket off.

Pei Qingji heard the movement, got up, and walked over to the bed. He lowered his gaze, looking at Cheng Yuan, who was sleeping soundly with his eyes closed.

A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He carefully tucked the blanket around him, then lay back down to sleep.

Meanwhile, at some private hotel.

Li Ning was so furious he was trashing the room, smashing just about everything in it.

His assistant was trembling in the corner, too scared to say a word.

Li Ning looked at the message on his phone and was so mad he was shaking.

"Xiao Li, let's not see each other anymore."

Li Ning forced down the panic rising in his chest and quickly sent a reply, his tone all sweet. "Brother Yu, why? I know I've been ignoring you lately, but I didn't mean to."

"Book a room tonight. I'll come to you."

"Do you even know what you did? Don't drag me into your mess."

Li Ning was shaking with anger.

"What did you say back then? Didn't you say you'd stay by my side no matter what?"

"You actually believed that? It was just talk."

"Aren't you afraid I'll leak this?"

"Leak it? If you actually leak it, you're the one who should be panicking. I'd advise you to know your place."

Li Ning's face turned pale, and he slammed his phone face-down on the table in anger.

Yes, he was the one who had secretly egged on those sasaeng fans to hurt Cheng Yuan back then, but so what?

Why the hell does he get to have Pei Qingji's affection?!

He just couldn't stand him. Back then, they were both just extras—so why did Director Lin have to pick him?

So he worked some shady angles, seduced the investor behind the drama, and stole the spot that should've been Cheng Yuan's.

He even paid for online trolls to smear him, claiming Cheng Yuan stole his spot just to get close to Pei Qingji and get into Star Glory.

His plan worked. Director Lin was deeply disappointed in Cheng Yuan over it, and netizens hated him too.

He figured that after this, Cheng Yuan was doomed to stay at the bottom—but then... when the hell did he manage to get tangled up with Pei Qingji?!

And after that last incident, Pei Qingji actually went so far as to blacklist him—anyone in the industry who gave him any resources would be going against the Pei family.

Just then, his phone buzzed—a message from a junior at his old company.

"Brother Li, did you hear Cheng Yuan's contract got terminated?"

Li Ning's mind raced, a flash of malice in his eyes as a slow smile curled his lips.

Cheng Yuan, just you wait. I'm not gonna let you have it easy.

Before long, a post from a gossip account quietly made it onto Weibo's trending list, and the comment section was buzzing.

"So I heard—is Cheng Yuan really leaving the company?"

"Leaving? You mean he's quitting on his own? No way."

"Even if the Star Glory branch isn't as good as the main company, it's still got decent resources. Even a D-list nobody like him could get a little taste."

"And he's such a clout chaser—you really think he'd leave on his own? More likely the company kicked him out for some reason."

"It's gotta be because he's a scumbag and even the company couldn't put up with him."

"Didn't they say he stole someone's spot? Or is he just trying to leech off another trend? He knows exactly what kind of person he is. @Li Ning"

So everyone started tagging Li Ning, demanding to know what really happened.

Not long after, Li Ning posted his response on Weibo.

"I'd rather not dwell on the past. I hope everyone can stay rational. An artist should put character first."

The moment he posted that, the internet went nuclear.

"See, I told you—Cheng Yuan's character is trash, the company couldn't take it anymore, so they cut him loose. And there's been no news about him lately. He probably knew he was in the wrong and slunk off in shame."

Li Ning watched the online discourse shift, thoroughly satisfied, and curled his lips with malice glinting in his eyes.

Why do you get Pei Qingji's affection while I get dumped by my sugar daddy?!

This time, I'm gonna destroy you. If I can't be happy, neither can you.

_

The next morning, Cheng Yuan slowly opened his eyes. The pillow and blanket on the floor had been put away, and the person who'd been lying there was gone.

But there was noise coming from the kitchen—he must've gone to make breakfast.

He was just about to get up and wash up when there was a knock at the door. Pei Qingji said, "I'm coming in," and pushed it open.

Then he came over to the bed, crouched down, picked out a pair of new slippers, and gently took Cheng Yuan's ankle, carefully slipping them on.

Cheng Yuan froze for a second.

His old slippers had been worn for ages—the fur inside had been flattened into a thin layer, no longer warm, and even a little cold.

Cheng Yuan snapped out of it and tried to pull away, but his ankle was held tight. He couldn't move, so he just turned his head.

Afraid Cheng Yuan might get upset, Pei Qingji quickly got the slippers on him and stood up.

"I... made breakfast. Come eat."

Stir-fried zucchini, a glass of warm milk, corn on the cob, some fruit, and a goose egg—that was breakfast.

Once Cheng Yuan finished washing up and sat down at the table, Pei Qingji sat down too. He still had his apron on, and the cartoon pattern clashed with his cold, aloof vibe.

His gaze drifted to the slippers on Cheng Yuan's feet—the size was just right. Perfect fit.

Pei Qingji had noticed last night that Cheng Yuan's slippers were too thin, so he'd gone out early that morning to buy a new pair.

Since he was short on time, he could only grab them from a small convenience store nearby, which had limited options—just pink and brown.

The pink ones had a bunny, the brown ones had a bear—they were a matching couple set.

After picking out the pink pair for Cheng Yuan, he somehow ended up buying the brown pair too.

The pink slippers had a cute little bunny munching on a carrot.

Cheng Yuan stared at the pink slippers, frowning hard: "Why'd you buy slippers in this color?"

It wasn't that he hated pink—it was because the slippers Pei Qingji was wearing right now were a matching pair with his.

Pei Qingji explained, "The store said two pairs were cheaper."

That was technically true—two pairs were cheaper. But he definitely had ulterior motives.

That brown pair was something he genuinely wanted for himself.

Cheng Yuan stared at him coldly, trying to catch any crack in his expression, but found none, so he dropped it.

Just then, his phone buzzed—a message from Assistant Lin.

"Boss, something big happened! Someone's stirring up trouble about Mr. Cheng online again! They're saying... his character is trash, which is why the company cut his contract!"

Author's note:

N/A