Hearing his voice, Luo Yunqing’s heart settled back into his chest, and he let out a long breath. 

What the heck, isn’t he right here? 

But—”Why does your voice sound so, so soft? Are you feeling unwell?” 

Two deep breaths came through the phone. 

It seemed like he had been waiting for a long time, or maybe it was just a moment of distraction, and then he heard a “No.” 

Nothing different from usual. 

“Don’t, don’t lie to me, okay? If you’re not feeling well, you must, must go see a doctor.” 

“Mm, I know.” 

After a few seconds of silence, Luo Yunqing still felt something was off, “Just now, Chen Zhao said last night, what happened last night?” 

“Last night…” Pei Yanli glanced at the person by the hospital bed, who was silent with their head down, and used all her strength to smile, “I stayed up late for a while last night, and I was so tired I fell asleep just now.” 

“No wonder Chen Zhao was stammering.” 

He probably didn’t plan to tell me in the first place. 

“You can’t stay up late, it’s really bad for your health.” Luo Yunqing, with his still prominent dark circles, said unconvincingly. 

Pei Yanli responded with another “Mm,” and then asked, “At this time, is there something going on?” 

Luo Yunqing held his face, tilted his head, and blinked twice. 

He had just advised him not to stay up late, yet he was about to become cross-eyed from lack of sleep himself, which was really hard to justify. 

“Nothing major, just…” Suddenly remembering Yang Ying’s words, Luo Yunqing mumbled softly, “Isn’t it almost, almost time for the wedding? I’m nervous, so I wanted to chat with you for a bit… If you’re tired, you can sleep some more, I won’t disturb you.” 

Pei Yanli responded twice and hung up. 

She leaned heavily back, and fine sweat seeped from her neck. 

Chen Zhao looked over, just about to speak. 

Pei Yanli: “Telling him about this will only make him worry, don’t tell him.” 

Putting down the phone, she asked again, “What’s going on?” 

Her health wasn’t great, but it wasn’t so bad that a breeze would knock her over. 

Chen Zhao sighed, “The old master sent people to investigate overnight and found that reed fluff had blown into the room. The respiratory specialists said that inhaling this kind of plant can easily trigger coughing, asthma, and in severe cases, exacerbate inflammation and even… endanger life.” 

This time, it was lucky that she had a strong constitution and could immediately call in so many authoritative experts, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. 

“That window.” 

Chen Zhao hurriedly said, “Boss, I remember that window was clearly…” 

“Didn’t you close it?” 

Chen Zhao was stunned, nodding repeatedly, “Yes! I closed it.” 

“The southwest wind last night was only level 4.” Pei Yanli took the towel he had been holding and wiped the sweat from her neck, “Blowing open the window isn’t a simple task.” 

Not just that. 

Chen Zhao went to pour her a cup of warm water, saying, “And the reed fluff that blew into the room, I clearly instructed the flower house yesterday not to send those flowers and plants recently.” 

The yard was also cleaned every half day. 

“Who brought it over?” There were only so many people in the Pei family, Chen Zhao didn’t even need to think much, “It was the main house, the eldest master!” 

Pei Yanli took a couple of sips of water to moisten her throat and closed her eyes, “Don’t say things without evidence,” 

“But it’s obvious it’s them, there’s no one else but them!” Chen Zhao got angrier the more he thought about it. 

Causing that car accident wasn’t enough, now they’re pulling this trick. 

“I’m going to tell the old master right now.” 

“Not so fast.” Pei Yanli stopped him, “Let’s see what Uncle Zhang finds out first.” 

… 

Every courtyard in the Old Residence had more than two surveillance cameras installed near the gate. 

The security department spent half a day, watching the surveillance frame by frame, and finally found a shadow sneaking into the second master’s courtyard around 11:30 last night. 

Wearing a black T-shirt and walking very carefully along the bushes, it wasn’t easy to spot without looking closely. 

The butler immediately gathered all the servants, asking them to compare with the blurry image one by one. 

They found about five people with similar features. 

“Are you going to come forward yourself, or do I have to drag you out?” Butler Zhang’s sharp gaze swept over everyone. 

Everyone looked at each other, completely confused. 

No one moved. 

“No one, huh.” He waved the image in front of them forcefully, “Then I’ll notify the tech department to restore the image from the surveillance, and once it’s restored, I’ll hand it over to the police!” 

As soon as he finished speaking, one of the boys visibly turned pale. 

Butler Zhang locked onto him directly, “Xu Qi, why are you shaking? Is it you in the surveillance? What were you doing in the second master’s courtyard in the middle of the night!” 

Just as he was questioning, Chen Zhao returned from the hospital to check on the situation, “Uncle Zhang, how’s it going?” 

Butler Zhang pointed with his hand. 

“This one?” Chen Zhao remembered clearly, “Isn’t this the gardener who was holding the reed fluff yesterday!” 

He stormed over to the person, “Why did you do it!” 

“Why?” Since he was discovered, Xu Qi wasn’t afraid anymore, staring up at him with a sinister look, “My dad is still lying in the hospital unconscious, why should he be fine!” 

Chen Zhao: “Your dad?” 

“This is Old Xu’s kid.” Butler Zhang explained immediately, “He was the driver who picked up the second master when he returned to the country, wasn’t he in the car accident too?” 

“What does that have to do with the boss? The boss was a victim too!” Chen Zhao was so angry his chest heaved, grabbing Xu Qi by the collar, “Are you out of your mind! Instead of finding the other party responsible, you blame the boss?” 

At only 170 cm, Xu Qi was like a little chick in his hands, lifted up, his face turning red from lack of oxygen, “If my dad hadn’t gone to pick him up, that wouldn’t have happened!” 

“You hold a grudge against the boss just because of that?” Chen Zhao snorted coldly, shoving him away, “Was it just you who did this? No one else?” 

Xu Qi was pushed to the ground with great force, instinctively glancing towards the door on the left front, Chen Zhao followed his gaze, and the madam came over with Pei Hengzhi. 

Sure enough, it was the main house! 

“No one else, just me.” 

Chen Zhao slowly turned back, frowning, “What did you say!” 

Xu Qi met his fiery gaze defiantly, stiffening his neck, “I said it was just me, take me to the police station, whatever, as long as my dad is suffering, Pei Er Ye won’t have it easy either!” 

“Your father was employed by the Pei family, it was an employment relationship.” Butler Zhang took two steps closer, pressing his eyes, “During the period of employment, the car accident occurred, and it wasn’t caused by the Pei family, it was considered a work injury. According to the regulations, the Pei family has already provided appropriate compensation, and the second master even covered all medical expenses and gave you an additional two million, and also made an exception to hire you at the Pei family when you couldn’t find a job.” 

He paused, his voice suddenly rising, “And you! Not only did you blame this on the second master, but you also deliberately tried to harm him! Now, the Pei family officially dismisses you, take him to the police station!” 

… 

“I’m very sure, he glanced at Pei Hengzhi, there’s definitely his handiwork in this!” Chen Zhao brought the results back to the hospital, looking frustrated, “But that kid went to the police station and insisted it was his doing.” 

What kind of spell did Pei Hengzhi cast on him? 

After measuring his blood pressure, Pei Yanli put down his rolled-up sleeve, remained silent for a long time, and then turned to ask Tang Yajun, “Can I be discharged?” 

“You can, but…” Tang Yajun handed him a mask, “You still need to be careful in the autumn.” 

“Thank you.” Pei Yanli took the mask and put it on, then said to Chen Zhao, “Let’s go to the company.” 

In the vice president’s office. 

Seeing him come in, Pei Wenxian was momentarily stunned, then smiled and walked over, “Why are you here at this time? How’s your health, are you okay?” 

“Much better.” Pei Yanli turned his head, “Chen Zhao, you can go out first.” 

Once there were only two people left in the room, the atmosphere became noticeably tense. 

Pei Wenxian laughed a couple of times, neither warmly nor coldly, “You… can’t drink coffee, how about some warm water?” 

Pei Yanli looked at him and nodded. 

He drank one cup of water after another, still not intending to speak, and Pei Wenxian couldn’t sit still, “What brings you here today?” 

“When mother passed away, I was only five.” Pei Yanli lowered his eyes, slowly rubbing the edge of the paper cup, “I remember that time, I had nightmares every night, and it was big brother who braved the wind and rain to come to my room to comfort me.” 

Pei Wenxian sat on the sofa opposite him, chuckling softly. 

Then he heard him say, “Big brother used to care for me a lot, even after having Xiao Heng, he still treated me the same, even better than Xiao Heng… When did it change?” 

Pei Yanli put down the cup, his fingertips interlocked on his lap, “Was it when I finished high school courses in elementary school, or when I went abroad for over ten years, winning countless awards, or… when father planned to let me manage the Pei family?” 

Did Pei Hengzhi do all this without him knowing? 

Or was it tacitly approved long ago? 

The hand on the sofa moved slightly. 

Pei Wenxian didn’t answer, only asked, “Did you come here today just to say this?” 

Pei Yanli: “Does big brother really hate me now?” 

Hate him so much that he wishes he would just disappear. 

After the words faded, the room returned to silence. 

Without an answer, Pei Yanli turned his wheelchair to leave. Just as he turned, he heard a very faint “Mm.” 

… 

“Wow! A grand prize!” 

“I heard it can count for two credits.” 

“Such a happy thing…” 

“Are you thinking of celebrating again?” 

In the afternoon, with only two classes, Luo Yunqing caught up on over three hours of sleep, waking up refreshed, with his dark circles much lighter. 

As he stepped into the drama club’s activity room, he saw everyone excitedly discussing where to celebrate in front of the trophy in the display case by the wall. 

“Junior’s here!” Yang Ying parted the crowd, running over in a few steps, “We’re discussing the celebration, renting a villa for a party, barbecue!” 

“Sounds good.” Luo Yunqing had no objections. 

“But your alcohol tolerance isn’t great.” Yang Ying worried, then quickly added, “But it’s okay, just drink soda.” 

Luo Yunqing nodded, looking around, “Where’s Senior Xia Lin? Is she coming?” 

“Her?” Yang Ying opened her chat with Xia Lin, covering her mouth and giggling, “She’s in the dorm working on her thesis proposal.” 

[Strong Sailor]: Got sent back again (sob sob sob) 

[Strong Sailor]: You guys go ahead, remember to pack me some leftovers, barbecue or whatever, just pretend I was there (crying) 

After replying, Yang Ying went to count heads, casually adding, “Pei Hengzhi isn’t coming either, said he’s still recovering.” 

Luo Yunqing: “That’s great.” 

Her fingers paused on the phone, Yang Ying glanced around, whispering, “You don’t like him either, do you?” 

Luo Yunqing raised an eyebrow in surprise, “You too?” 

Yang Ying nodded vigorously, venting, “He keeps saying my character settings are bad, then complains about too many lines, making me revise each script a dozen times, and then… tells me the first version was the best!” 

If it weren’t for the fact that he’s a rich kid, Yang Ying would’ve slapped the script in his face out of anger. 

Luo Yunqing patiently listened to her rant, commenting, “That really is, quite annoying.” 

“Right, right.” Yang Ying thought darkly, “In a few days, aren’t you getting married, becoming his second aunt? You should really put him in his place, let him know what it means to be wary of people.” 

“Sure.” 

Luo Yunqing agreed with a smile. 

Once everyone was ready, they set off together. 

Some went to the supermarket to buy ingredients, while those who could cook went to the villa to set up. 

Luo Yunqing, along with three or four others, was picking and choosing in the fresh produce section when his phone rang. 

He took it out and saw it was Pei Yanli! 

He smiled and answered. 

“Junior, should we buy more shrimp? This little bit will probably be gone in no time… Are you on the phone? Oh, okay.” 

You Jianan moved away with a plastic bag. 

“Xiao Luo, who was that just now?” 

“A senior from the drama club, also my current roommate.” The loudspeakers in the fresh produce section were blaring discounts, hurting his ears, so Luo Yunqing quickly left the area before saying, “The program from the gala won an award! And it’s a grand prize. After receiving the award today, everyone decided to celebrate, rented a villa for a party, and I’m with a few classmates at the supermarket buying ingredients.” 

“Mm.” 

“The club president didn’t come today, she’s busy with her thesis, and Pei Hengzhi didn’t come either, which is really, really great.” Luo Yunqing giggled, “No one in the club likes him.” 

“Xiao Luo.” 

“Mm?” 

There was a two-second silence on the phone. 

“Nothing, have fun, and drink less.” 

“I’m not drinking today.” Luo Yunqing shook his head, “I’m having juice.” 

“Good, then that’s it for now.” 

Pei Yanli put down the phone, looking out the window. 

Until Chen Zhao came in. 

He said, “All the reed fluff and fluffy flowers in the flower house have been removed, and the old master has added extra security around the courtyard, with patrols every two hours. Also, he agreed to let you move out after the wedding.” 

“Even if I move out…” Pei Yanli smiled wryly, “The rift between brothers… is truly irreparable.” 

“You still have the lady boss!” Chen Zhao quickly took two steps forward, “From now on, the lady boss will be the closest person to you.” 

Pei Yanli: “You’re right.” 

It’s good to think that way. 

Chen Zhao let out a long breath. 

The boss’s demeanor earlier was really off, worse than after the car accident, but thankfully, thankfully now there’s the lady boss. 

“Thankfully, that confession wasn’t spoken.” 

His smile slowly faded, and Chen Zhao stared incredulously at his back. 

“Boss?” 

“He now has friends, classmates, things he likes to do, everything is moving in a good direction, he’s no longer… that isolated boy at the birthday party.” 

“Boss, what are you talking about?” 

Pei Yanli thought for a long time, now that he’s basically at odds with his big brother, how long can he hold on with this body? 

It’s better… not to drag him down. 

“Help me draft a divorce agreement.”