After Pei Yanchu’s measurements were taken and the buttons, cufflinks, and other accessories were confirmed, Wen Qi double-checked the order details, proceeded to the front desk to settle the payment, and added a rush fee.

Pei Yanchu sat on the sofa, having changed back into his casual hoodie and sweatpants. A few strands of black hair fell over his forehead, softening the sharpness in his features, making him appear harmless and gentle from a distance.

On his phone, the chat screen displayed a friend mercilessly teasing him:
[Do you finally understand what it means for a tiger to be bullied by dogs when it’s out of the mountains? That CEO Wu hitting on the campus god^[1]Wen Qi right in front of you—he’s got guts.]

Pei Yanchu gritted his teeth:
[I haven’t even gotten his attention yet! Who does he think he is?]

His friend continued pushing:
[You better hurry up! If you still can’t win him over after all this effort, I won’t even admit I know you. You’re out here playing the charming lover while we’re left cleaning up your mess back here.]

Pei Yanchu felt awkward. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to make progress…

“Wen Qi, let’s go.”

A cool, jade-like voice called from across the room.

Pei Yanchu raised his head, a smile appearing in his eyes as he stood up and walked over.

As he approached, Wen Qi casually asked, “What were you so focused on just now?”

Pei Yanchu, keeping a straight face, replied, “I was buying a maid outfit. The shop owner said they don’t have my size in stock, so they need to order it from another store.”

Wen Qi stopped in his tracks, feeling a bit dizzy, blinking in disbelief. “Why are you buying a maid outfit?”

Pei Yanchu answered sincerely, “I just thought about it. The clothes you bought me earlier were so expensive. It’d be a waste to do chores in them. It’s better to buy a proper work uniform instead.”

The shop owner, who had just been about to escort them out, overheard the conversation and froze, his pupils trembling.

A maid outfit? A work uniform?

Was this really about proper chores?

The shop owner, thinking to himself how wild young people could be, hesitated but finally spoke up timidly, “Take care, both of you. If you need to try on more clothes, I’ll contact you later…”

Seeing the shop owner’s expression, Wen Qi immediately realized they’d been misunderstood again. He quickly nodded to acknowledge the comment and then grabbed Pei Yanchu’s wrist, pulling him out of the store in what could only be described as a hasty retreat.

Pei Yanchu, being led away, glanced down at his wrist, his eyes lighting up with delight. ‘Wow, the power of a maid outfit! I haven’t even worn it yet, and Wen Qi is already holding my hand?’

Once they were a bit further from the store, Wen Qi found a quiet spot, released his grip, and asked, slightly out of breath, “What maid outfit?”

Pei Yanchu, completely unfazed, handed over his cracked phone screen. Wen Qi looked down, his expression turning odd as he took in the image— a black-and-white classic maid dress, floor-length, advertised as a replica from a certain male internet influencer’s livestream. The model’s face was pixelated, but his broad, muscular chest filled out the tight fabric, and the narrow waist was cinched with a small white apron, giving off an oddly domestic vibe. Though fully covered, it somehow felt… inappropriate.

“This influencer has a similar body type to mine,” Pei Yanchu explained seriously. “I searched for his exact model on purpose. Unfortunately, it’s out of stock. Luckily, the shop owner said he’d keep an eye out since I mentioned it was for work.”

Wen Qi, struggling, asked, “You… didn’t already place an order, did you?”

Pei Yanchu nodded naturally. “Of course! I had to.”

He even stared at Wen Qi expectantly, as if waiting for praise for his dedication.

Wen Qi was silent for a long moment before muttering, “As long as you like it.”

‘At least it’s better than being shirtless,‘ he consoled himself.

Reminding himself to respect Pei Yanchu’s… unique tastes, Wen Qi led him to the supermarket to buy daily necessities.

The store happened to be hosting a promotion, and couples were pushing carts together, whispering sweetly and discussing what to buy with obvious affection. Wen Qi and Pei Yanchu walked side by side, sharing an empty cart. The crowd was so dense that their arms occasionally brushed, making Wen Qi feel awkward and fidgety.

‘Why did I even follow him in here? Couldn’t he shop on his own?’

Fortunately, the aisles soon widened, and the crowd dispersed, allowing Wen Qi to subtly step away and create more space between them.

Pei Yanchu, noticing the increased gap, glanced over with a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

When they reached the towels section, Pei Yanchu started tossing items into the cart while browsing. He paused in front of the bath towels, stuck between a navy blue and a dark gray one. Holding one in each hand, he turned to the dazed Wen Qi.

“Which one looks better?”

Wen Qi, distracted, randomly pointed at the navy blue towel.

Pei Yanchu beamed. “What a coincidence! I thought the navy blue looked better too! Do you think this means we’re totally in sync?”

Wen Qi lazily retorted, “Is that how you use the phrase? Your language scores back in high school were terrible—150 points total, and you barely scraped an 89. Now I see why.”

Pei Yanchu, unfazed, asked seriously, “Then what would you call this? Fate? Love at first sight?”

Wen Qi deadpanned, “Are you falling in love with the towel?”

Wen Qi countered with a question, the corners of his lips carrying a faint smile he didn’t seem to notice himself. Just then, a familiar ringtone sounded. He pulled out his phone, and upon seeing the name displayed on the screen, his smile gradually faded.

Pei Yanchu noticed the shift and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Wen Qi replied. “You keep picking out your stuff. I’ll take this call.”

Pei Yanchu nodded, and Wen Qi stepped away, finding a quieter corner. As the call connected, his eyelashes lowered slightly, concealing the emotions stirring in his eyes. He spoke softly, “Mom.”

“Xiao Qi,” came the gentle voice of Wen Ruochan from the other end. The sound of lively celebrations echoed faintly in the background. Her tone shifted slightly, hesitant. “Are you out somewhere?”

Wen Qi responded with a quiet hum, his gaze falling on Pei Yanchu in the distance. His voice remained soft. “I’m at the supermarket…with a friend.”

Wen Ruochan seemed surprised. Knowing Wen Qi’s reserved nature, she found it unusual. Aside from occasional meet-ups with his two or three close friends, he rarely left the house voluntarily. Most of his shopping was done online—he almost never chose crowded places like a supermarket.

Wen Qi asked, “Mom, did you need something?”

Snapping back from her thoughts, Wen Ruochan replied, “Xiao Qi, do you remember what I mentioned last time?”

Wen Qi remained silent, not responding.

“You know that your Uncle Song and I have a blended family. He helped me a lot with my comeback. Now that I’m tied to the Song family’s company, our success and failure are linked.” Her voice softened. “The company is facing difficulties, and he turned to me for help. I couldn’t bear to refuse.”

Wen Qi questioned, “Uncle Song wants me to enter a business marriage with the Shen family? Doesn’t he have a son? Why not send his son instead?”

Wen Ruochan gently chided, “Xiao Qi, you’re also associated with the Song family business, and your brother is the one managing the affairs.”

Wen Qi’s lips pressed into a thin line, heat rising in his chest, burning with frustration.

“I’ve looked into it carefully,” Wen Ruochan continued softly. “The Shen family’s patriarch saw your photo and heard you’re a graduate of B University. He was impressed by your clean relationship history and agreed to the marriage proposal. Don’t think of it as a blind date—just meet the youngest Shen son, consider it making a new friend, alright?”

Wen Qi let out a soft laugh. “Sure.”

“You…agree?” Wen Ruochan sounded surprised, her voice brightening. But before she could finish, Wen Qi interrupted.

“But I want to terminate my contract with the company.”

Wen Ruochan paused, startled. “Xiao Qi, you want to terminate your contract?”

“Yes.”

Wen Qi waited silently.

The call fell quiet, the person on the other end seemingly weighing the pros and cons. After a while, a voice finally sounded. Wen Ruochan said, “Xiao Qi, if staying with the company makes you unhappy, then terminate the contract. I’ll speak with your brother about this matter.”

Wen Qi’s tone turned stiff. “He’s not my brother.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line before Wen Ruochan softly asked, “Xiao Qi, are you angry with Mom?”

Wen Qi didn’t reply. He directly ended the call, his grip on the phone tightening as heat seemed to burn beneath his skin with every slow breath.

When he lifted his gaze, his eyes met Pei Yanchu’s dark ones from across the aisle. Pei Yanchu had been standing there for who knows how long, waiting quietly. Upon making eye contact, he gave a gentle smile and waved a plush toy in his hand.

It was a cute little white dog plushie, looking remarkably like Yuanbao. When he shook it, it even resembled Yuanbao hopping around to greet Wen Qi.

Wen Qi walked over slowly and asked, “Why are you holding a dog plushie?”

“The plushie section over there is having a sale. I saw this one and thought it looked a lot like our Yuanbao,” Pei Yanchu said with a smile, then stuffed the plush toy into Wen Qi’s hands. “It’s really soft. Touch it—it feels nice.”

Wen Qi gently ran his fingers over it. The plush felt incredibly soft, soothing in a way that calmed the storm brewing inside him.

Pei Yanchu asked, “Should we buy it?”

The corner of Wen Qi’s lips curved slightly. “No need. Yuanbao’s a jealous little thing. If he sees a plushie that looks like him, he’ll get upset, chew it up, and hide it in a corner.”

“Yuanbao is that petty?” Pei Yanchu raised a curious eyebrow. “The plushie section has other types too. Do you want to check them out?”

Wen Qi was briefly tempted but then glanced at their already full shopping cart. “Next time. I don’t think we can carry any more. Are you done picking everything?”

Pei Yanchu nodded.

Wen Qi’s brows relaxed, and a smile spread on his face. “Then let’s go home.”

The two returned home with several bags. The moment they stepped through the door, their little white dog dashed over, barking and circling around their legs, clearly upset.

Wen Qi crouched down and stroked the fluffy dog, speaking gently to soothe it. “I know, I know. I’ll bring you along next time. The place we went doesn’t allow dogs—it wasn’t on purpose.”

The dog quickly forgot its anger, grabbed a small ball in its mouth, and wagged its tail eagerly, wanting to play fetch.

Wen Qi stayed in the living room, playing with the dog, while Pei Yanchu started unpacking their groceries. Noticing the time, he headed toward the kitchen, intending to prepare dinner when Wen Qi called out.

“Shuishui just messaged me. He’s downstairs and brought some rice. Let’s use his rice for dinner.”

Pei Yanchu blinked, confused. “We already have rice in the kitchen. Your friend brings his own rice when visiting? Is that… some new trend I don’t know about?”

Wen Qi replied lazily, “Yeah, that’s just how it works at my place. Problem?”

Pei Yanchu shook his head quickly. “No, no. Bringing rice—so civilized!”

Wen Qi chuckled softly.

Before long, the doorbell rang. Wen Qi opened the door to find Xu Qianjun, whom he hadn’t seen in a while, standing outside with a paper bag.

“Xiao Qi! Long time no see!”

“Long time no see.”

Wen Qi curved his eyes in response, stepping aside to let him in. “You were with the crew for three months this time. Must’ve been exhausting, right?”

“Totally! Three months with the crew was bad enough, but when I finally got back, I had to see a master to change my name, visit a hospitalized relative… I’ve been running around like crazy!”

Xu Qianjun stepped inside, mid-complaint, when he suddenly froze, eyes wide in shock. He stared at the tall man emerging from the kitchen, wearing a pink apron, and stammered, “Pei… Pei…”

“Pei Yanchu,” Pei Yanchu reminded him, taking the initiative to grab the bag of rice while politely saying, “You didn’t have to bring anything—it’s really too kind of you. Huh? Where’s the rice…?”

Xu Qianjun, still a bit dazed, lifted the paper bag and pulled out a small mesh pouch containing only a few grains of rice—five or six at most.

Pei Yanchu froze mid-step, his brain glitching for a moment. Wait… Bringing rice meant just *this few grains*?

Awkwardly, he blurted out, “This rice must be… very precious?”

Xu Qianjun nodded dumbly. “Yeah, I guess? It’s blessed rice. If you mix a few grains with regular rice when cooking, it’s supposed to bring good luck and ward off bad fortune…”

Wen Qi, unable to hold back, burst out laughing.

Pei Yanchu finally understood—Wen Qi had deliberately set him up to misunderstand. With a resigned sigh, he accepted the pouch. “Got it. So, you’re staying for dinner, right?”

Xu Qianjun waved his hands. “No, no, I—”

“You and Xiao Qi haven’t seen each other for months. Stay for dinner, catch up properly,” Pei Yanchu said warmly, already taking on the host’s role without noticing. “Do you have any dietary restrictions?”

Xu Qianjun, looking a bit overwhelmed, stammered, “N-no, nothing special… But wouldn’t I be disturbing you two?”

“Not at all, not at all.” Pei Yanchu settled the matter with a firm nod. “It’s decided then! Stay for dinner. You two chat, and I’ll get cooking.”

With that, Pei Yanchu returned to the kitchen, still holding the tiny pouch of rice, and began clanking around with the cookware.

Throughout the entire exchange, Wen Qi hadn’t gotten a word in.

Xu Qianjun blinked in confusion and then whispered, “So… is Pei Yanchu your servant, or the man of the house? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you two had been secretly married for years…”

Wen Qi choked. “You do know better. He’s obviously my servant!”

Just then, the kitchen door opened slightly. Pei Yanchu peeked his head out, half-hiding his phone, and said cheerfully, “Xiao Qi, the maid outfit store just messaged—they have new stock! There’s even a short blue version. Should I get the black one or the blue one?”

Xu Qianjun stiffened like a rusty robot, neck creaking as he turned to Wen Qi, eyes full of shock.

Wen Qi opened his mouth but felt his brain short-circuit, unable to form words.

Pei Yanchu, looking slightly troubled, added thoughtfully, “Or maybe black is better? If you make me kneel again, the blue one’s too short to cover my knees. If I get hurt, you’ll feel bad, right?”

Xu Qianjun’s lips twitched uncontrollably as he whispered in disbelief, “Xiao Qi… Are you serious? When you said you had him as your servant, you meant the kind where he kneels in a maid outfit, scrubbing the floor?!”

Wen Qi: “…”