Chapter 77

Chapter 77

"Sis?"

The younger aunt's expression instantly turned guilty as she said weakly.

"Today is the baby's full-month banquet. What's all the fuss about?"

"Why is the baby crying?" Pei's mother sounded concerned.

"I..."

"Sis, I didn't mean to, I just—"

Pei's mother saw the baby crying even harder and ached for him, her tone turning colder.

She recalled how ruthless Pei's mother had been in business back in the day, showing no mercy even to her own siblings.

Pei's mother was the eldest sister among them, so everyone was quite afraid of her.

"Are you done making a scene?"

"Considering you're my sister, I've always cleaned up after you. If you can't listen to a single word I say, then don't come back."

"Sis, how can you side with an outsider? And you, brother-in-law, you're just going to let him talk like that?"

"Let's take this outside. You're upsetting the baby."

Outside the door.

"If you still want to cause trouble, don't blame me for showing no mercy and throwing you out."

Pei's mother's voice was cold and hard.

The younger aunt was getting annoyed and said reluctantly.

"Why does our family have to have someone so poor? It really drags us down. Does someone like him even belong in our family?"

Zhou heard the commotion and walked over.

He scratched his ear and said impatiently.

"Old lady, what are you muttering about?"

"You think being from a rich family means you can look down on people?"

"I didn't expect people from wealthy families to have such poor manners."

Zhou tsk-tsked, his tone somewhat disdainful.

"I'm talking to my sister. What's it to you, outsider?"

The younger aunt felt humiliated and snapped.

Back in the room, the baby was still crying.

Cheng Yuan was heartbroken.

If the baby kept crying, his eyes would get sore again and hurt.

Pei Qingji watched the scene with a pained expression. He comforted the baby while apologizing.

"I'm sorry."

If it weren't for him, none of this would have happened.

But what did it have to do with him? He always took the blame for things that weren't his fault.

Some things just can't be controlled.

Cheng Yuan had always known that people in high society looked down on him.

They thought it was absurd that someone so ordinary, so unremarkable, could be with Pei Qingji.

"Don't cry. If you keep crying, your little dad will be heartbroken."

But the baby wouldn't stop crying.

Pei Qingji paced back and forth in the room, gently patting the baby's back and cooing softly.

His tall frame was hard to miss, and his usually defiant face was now filled with worry.

"Have you thought this through?"

Pei's mother's tone was icy.

"Sis, I don't understand why you'd yell at me about an outsider."

"We've known each other since we were kids."

Pei's mother was tired of hearing it.

"If you're going to keep going on about who's an outsider and who isn't, then there's no point in discussing this."

"I told you last time, he is part of our Pei family."

Hearing the baby's cries from the room, Pei's mother's tone turned impatient.

"I can see you haven't changed a bit. If anything, you've gotten worse."

"From now on, you have nothing to do with the Pei family."

"Please leave."

The younger aunt's eyes widened in shock, never expecting her to go this far.

"Sis, I'm your sister!"

"You still remember you're my sister? Mother passed away early, and I raised you all by myself. How did I raise someone like you?"

Pei's mother's voice dripped with disgust.

"Someone, get her out of here."

She truly couldn't understand. This was her youngest and most beloved sister, who she had raised herself, and yet she had turned out like this.

The bodyguard nodded and immediately grabbed the younger aunt's arm to drag her out.

Before she could say what she wanted, her mouth was covered, and she could only make muffled sounds.

Father Pei noticed he looked a bit off and asked, "Are you alright?"

Mother Pei shook her head, just feeling emotionally drained.

"I'm fine."

"Let's hurry back to check on the baby."

Because the baby wouldn't stop crying, the two people in the room were sweating from worry.

"Is something bothering him?"

Though that reason didn't quite fit, the baby wouldn't stop crying no matter how they tried to soothe him.

Cheng Yu'an was getting anxious.

Then, the next second, the baby reached out for something, crying and babbling, like he wanted something.

"What does the baby want?"

"There's a toy dog from your aunt—do you want to play with it?"

"What about this one?"

Cheng Yu'an handed the baby a bunch of toys, but the baby still kept crying.

Pei Qingji caught on, and he said, "He wants the rattle."

The rattle?

The one Cheng Yu'an had bought for him?

Cheng Yu'an was stunned for a second, then handed the rattle from the crib to the baby.

He could hardly believe it, but sure enough, the baby stopped crying the moment he got the rattle.

He started giggling again.

Cheng Yu'an felt conflicted.

The baby seemed to sense that he was upset, and then reached out again, babbling in Cheng Yu'an's direction.

Pei Qingji handed the baby to Cheng Yu'an.

The baby then stretched out his chubby little hands, trying to reach Cheng Yu'an's face.

Cheng Yu'an was confused.

What was the baby trying to do?

Pei Qingji explained, "The baby doesn't want you to be sad."

The baby babbled, as if in agreement, and even tried to hold up the rattle in his hand.

Cheng Yu'an was a little stunned, then took the rattle from the baby, a smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Thanks, little one."

It wasn't until the issue with the aunt was resolved that Mother Pei pushed the door open and walked in.

Seeing the baby had stopped crying, she breathed a sigh of relief.

She looked at Cheng Yu'an and said, sounding apologetic, "I didn't discipline my sister well enough."

"Don't let what she said bother you."

Cheng Yu'an shook his head and said he was fine.

Honestly, in a big family like this, it was normal for a lot of people to look down on him.

Some just didn't show it, while others openly looked down on you.

Even if you hadn't done anything, as long as you were from a regular background, they'd look down on you.

"It's about time—let's take the baby downstairs to show everyone."

"Wrap him in another little blanket so he doesn't get cold."

"Xiao Yu, you should bundle up too."

As they just came down the stairs, the surrounding noise was buzzing.

Seeing them come out, everyone crowded around to congratulate them.

"This is Qingji's kid—he's really cute."

"He really has Qingji's features."

"Yeah, yeah, this kid's gonna be handsome when he grows up. Is he an omega or an alpha?"

"The doctor said he'll present as an alpha," Mother Pei explained.

"Here, this is a red envelope from your aunt."

"This one's from your uncle."

A bunch of people started playing with the baby.

Seeing that he wasn't scared of people and even giggled, everyone was amazed.

"My little troublemaker gives me a headache—crying all day, fussing all day."

"Yours is so much better behaved."

When it was time for the meal, Mother Pei stood up at the front.

"Today, I invited you all not just to celebrate the baby's one-month party."

"But also to make an announcement."

"Xiao Yu will from now on be a rightful son-in-law of the Pei family. I hope you'll treat him just like you treat Qingji."

Everyone was surprised, like they didn't expect them to make a big deal of it.

"Of course, we've always treated Qingji like our own son, and Xiao Yu is no different."

"How are Xiaoyu and Qingji doing now? Any plans?"

"You two just eloped without a ceremony? Why not? Was it too much hassle?"

Pei Qingji instinctively glanced at Cheng Yuan, and only when he saw no reaction did he look away, then spoke gravely.

"Aunt Chen, I'll make it up to you. You all have to come then."

His tone was solemn, as if the words were meant for someone in particular.

Cheng Yuan hadn't expected that kind of answer.

He thought he'd dodge the question or avoid it entirely.

But he never imagined he'd actually plan a wedding.

The two had eloped, skipped the ceremony, just signed the marriage certificate, and moved in together.

They hadn't even gone through the dating phase that normal couples do; before, it was just a stage of ambiguity, not real dating.

There was no honeymoon after the wedding either.

At first, Pei Qingji hated him and barely came home.

When they were intimate, it was often just going through the motions.

Only then would he be a little gentler.

He knew it was only because he was in a good mood.

Cheng Yuan pressed his lips together tightly, falling silent.

Even though they now had a baby together, sharing the closest bond in the world, they just weren't meant for each other.

He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong, but he felt their relationship was seriously off.

Have a wedding again?

He clearly wanted to leave, so how did it come to this?

After everyone had seen the baby and eaten, they left the Pei residence.

It was already seven in the evening when they left.

The Pei villa was brightly lit, and after the servants finished cleaning, they went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.

The baby had played all day and was worn out, sleeping soundly in the crib.

Pei Qingji had been holding it in all day, and finally finding a chance, he couldn't help asking.

"You... don't want a wedding?"

His voice was tinged with hesitation.

Cheng Yuan was taken aback, not knowing how to respond.

"After the wedding, we'll go on a honeymoon. I'll make up for everything."

"If you think that marriage certificate isn't good enough, we can retake the photo."

Pei Qingji's voice was urgent, as if he was afraid Cheng Yuan wouldn't believe him.

He always felt a sense of panic, as if Cheng Yuan was still going to leave him.

He didn't know what had gone wrong between them, but he just felt their hearts could never be close again.

Last time, it was because he said the baby was too young that Cheng Yuan reluctantly stayed.

But even if he stayed again this time out of pity, what about the next time, or the time after that? Who could guarantee anything?

"I..."

He had never seen the once rebellious and arrogant young man now holding his hand, begging him not to leave, looking utterly humble.

Cheng Yuan didn't know what was wrong with him, knowing full well that none of this was his fault.

But their relationship was just weird.

He needed to clear his head and think about their relationship.

"Can you give me some space to think?"

Cheng Yuan was a bit flustered. He paused, looked up at Pei Qingji, and said.

Author's note:

N/A