Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Cheng Yuan shook his head.

"He's so young, how can you bear to let him leave you?"

"How can you bear..."

How can you bear to leave me?

The words were on the tip of Pei Qingji's tongue, but he held them back.

Perhaps to him, he himself was the greatest source of hurt.

"You don't trust me..."

Pei Qingji's tone was tinged with sadness, but his words were certain.

Cheng Yuan went silent.

A shadow flickered through Pei Qingji's eyes.

"If you really leave, what will happen to the baby? People will say he's from a single-parent family."

Pei Qingji's eyes gradually reddened. "He was just born. Let's wait until this period passes, and then we'll talk, okay?"

Regarding this matter, he was indeed being selfish, not wanting him to leave, but it was also the truth.

Cheng Yuan averted his gaze, pressing his lips together.

After a pause, he spoke in a low voice.

"I..."

Pei Qingji cast his eyes down.

He knew Cheng Yuan would leave sooner or later; he just didn't know when.

Whenever Pei Qingji thought of him leaving, he couldn't bear it.

"Don't leave, okay..."

No matter how many times he said it, Cheng Yuan remained unmoved.

It wasn't that he didn't trust him, but the pain from the past was too deep. Even though he knew Pei Qingji hadn't meant to hurt him and had done so much for him.

Cheng Yuan was afraid of being hurt again, and afraid that everything would fall apart...

Even though he knew being afraid was pointless, and perhaps if he tried, they could live better together.

But he just couldn't do it.

He lowered his gaze, lapsing into silence.

Pei Qingji saw this and didn't bring up the topic again.

He knew that once Cheng Yuan decided something, it couldn't be changed.

Cheng Yuan appeared weak, but he knew he was stubborn.

When he truly wanted to do something, no one could change it, not even he could stop himself.

Cheng Yuan suddenly felt the atmosphere in the hospital room was oppressive.

"I want to go outside for a walk."

Pei Qingji immediately stepped forward. "Let me help you."

Cheng Yuan withdrew his hand, shook his head, and then walked out of the room.

"No need."

He wasn't in a good mood right now, even somewhat heavy.

To accept or not? To forgive or not?

The door to the room closed, and Pei Qingji stood in place, watching his retreating figure, casting his eyes down.

In the corridor, Cheng Yuan saw a family of four.

It seemed like the younger brother and sister were playing hide-and-seek, and their parents were joining in.

"Oh, you kids, I can't see anything."

"Haha, Mom, I'm over here." The brother and sister popped out, both hugging their parents.

There were also others like him, who had just had a baby, a family of three, holding the baby and playing with him.

A warm, everyday scene.

Cheng Yuan's fingertips curled slightly, and he lowered his gaze.

Could these simple moments exist between them as well?

A moment later, he shook his head again.

So much had happened between him and Pei Qingji; it was hard to go back...

Perhaps if he just said one sentence, the two of them could put the past behind them and start over together.

But that one sentence, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't say it. It was like a great mountain blocking his way forward.

Even though the other man was giving it his all, he didn't dare take another step, afraid it was a trap.

Because of this incident, Pei Qingji had already lost nearly a million fans. For someone as career-obsessed as him, it should be a major blow.

But wasn't his dream to perform on the international stage?

After something like this, it was probably impossible...

Yet every time he was with him, he never let it show.

Cheng Yuan took out his phone and played the new song.

This song is dedicated to the one I love.

He remembered when he wrote this song.

Cheng Yuan had known all along that every night after he fell asleep, Pei Qingji would leave and not come back until early morning.

Once, when he couldn't fall asleep, he suddenly heard a rustling sound nearby.

Then when he opened his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Pei Qingji's back as he was closing the door, and a little while later, the door was pushed open again.

This song told their story.

It had a lighthearted tone, expressing sweet affection for a lover.

But back then, he hadn't thought of it that way.

Cheng Yuan was so tormented by pregnancy symptoms back then that he had no mind for anything else.

And at that time, all he wanted was to give birth to the baby, and then he could leave.

Then the two of them could finally make a clean break...

But things weren't that simple—he found himself growing attached to the baby.

Now most people across the internet are talking about Pei Qingji. Some don't see it as a big deal and support them.

But even just making this public has already met with so much resistance.

Some fans were so disappointed that they threw away all of Pei Qingji's albums.

He could tell Pei Qingji was actually upset.

Because Cheng Yuan knew how much he loved his career—he'd skip meals and go without water just to make music.

So he figured the two of them didn't need to hold each other back.

He should live his life, and I should live mine.

Because of his own personality, he felt Pei Qingji was too good to him now—so good it felt unreal.

He didn't believe it, always feeling that this kindness would be taken away one day.

Because people's hearts change, and there's no telling how he'll be in the future.

Even though saying this was cruel to the other person,

But when he saw Pei Qingji's red-rimmed eyes, he still hesitated.

Cheng Yuan stood by the window in the hallway, looking out at the scenery.

It was a bit chilly outside, and he felt cold, just about to turn back.

Pei Qingji had walked over at some point and draped his jacket over Cheng Yuan's shoulders.

"It's windy outside."

Cheng Yuan was a little startled.

He smelled faintly of cigarette smoke.

When Pei Qingji saw Cheng Yuan's furrowed brow, he paused for a moment, then went to change his clothes before speaking.

"Sorry, I've been in a bad mood. I won't smoke again."

He looked too humble, as if he'd do anything for him.

"You don't have to do this..."

Cheng Yuan looked up and said.

He stopped mid-sentence.

He couldn't understand why the other's expression looked like he was about to cry when he said that.

There's no need for us to be like this.

Xingyao Company was already swamped, with calls constantly coming in.

The staff looked at Sister Yan, who was standing in front.

"What should we do?"

The studio's backend was flooded with private messages—many people cursing them out, and quite harshly.

Sister Yan's head was about to explode. She had anticipated this situation, but she hadn't expected it to be this troublesome.

Everything was quiet.

Pei Qingji's phone kept ringing.

Cheng Yuan pursed his lips. "You should answer the phone first."

These past few days, Pei Qingji had personally taken care of everything for the baby.

At first, he didn't even know how to mix formula, but now he'd learned, and Cheng Yuan was only responsible for playing with the baby.

He thought of even the smallest things very thoroughly.

The phone rang again and again, making it hard to ignore.

Pei Qingji quickly apologized and answered the call.

It sounded serious—his brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

Cheng Yuan knew he rarely frowned; if he did, it meant things were already serious.

"Is doing this really worth it?"

Cheng Yuan's fingertips curled slightly, and he suddenly looked up to ask him.

Pei Qingji paused mid-call, then nodded.

"It's worth it."

At that moment, Cheng Yuan seemed to stay silent for a long, long time before speaking.

"Okay."

He wouldn't leave for now—he'd leave once the baby was a little older.

Pei Qingji's eyes lit up for a moment, and then he broke into a smile.

Suddenly, a baby's cry came from the hospital room.

"The baby's awake. Do you want to go see him?"

Cheng Yuan nodded.

They opened the door to the hospital room.

The baby was crying hard, seemingly reaching for Cheng Yuan, stretching his little hands toward him and babbling.

Cheng Yuan felt his heart melt again.

"He's probably hungry."

Pei Qingji poured formula into the bottle, put it in the bottle warmer, and then held the baby in his arms to feed him.

The baby took a few sips and sure enough calmed down, stopped crying, and started giggling again.

There were still tear stains on his face.

Pei Qingji got a basin of water and carefully wiped the baby's face.

The water was just right—not too hot, not too cold, warm and comfortable on the skin.

Cheng Yuan watched Pei Qingji, who once couldn't even do household chores, now handling everything with such skill, and he felt a mix of emotions.

"Come feel the baby's little hand."

Cheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then reached out.

The baby grabbed his finger, held on tight, and giggled.

The scene looked just like an ordinary family of three.

Pei Qingji lowered his head and sniffed the diaper. "A little stinky."

Cheng Yuan asked, "Did the baby poop?"

The baby seemed to get it and started giggling again.

He laid the baby on the bed, took out a fresh diaper, and changed his diaper.

Yep, he had pooped.

The baby probably thought they were playing with him, so he kept giggling.

He was actually very well-behaved—he rarely cried unless he was hungry or needed his diaper changed.

The baby opened his chubby little hands, opening and closing them, and no matter what he did, it was adorable.

Both of them looked where the baby was looking.

Cheng Yuan then realized the baby was looking at him, and he froze for a moment.

Pei Qingji's eyes were gentle. "The baby really likes you..."

"Do you want to hold him for a little while?"

The baby seemed to know Cheng Yuan was about to hold him and got all excited, kicking his little legs.

He babbled even more excitedly.

Cheng Yuan hesitated, then nodded.

Every time he held him, it felt amazing, and his heart always softened.

This little body was his own flesh and blood.

He was his child, the baby he had carried for ten months and given birth to.

"Baby, Cheng Yan."

The baby seemed to hear his name being called and eagerly reached out with his little hands, looking desperate.

Pei Qingji seemed to notice and said, "Baby, make him lower his head."

Cheng Yuan was startled, then lowered his head.

The baby stopped babbling.

The next moment, he felt a warm touch on his cheek.

Author's note:

None