Bai Tao noticed that Pei Shi’s expression quickly became complex and subtle to the naked eye. Immediately, alarm bells rang in her mind. Damn Pei Shi and his lecherous look—surely he was thinking about *that* kind of evening!

Feeling she couldn’t let him misunderstand any longer, Bai Tao decisively interjected, “Yes, tonight, let’s plant the fruit of our love together!”

Pei Shi furrowed his brow, his voice rising slightly, “What?”

Bai Tao shook her head, avoiding Pei Shi’s gaze, “I just had a runner buy me a shovel. It’s arrived outside. Go fetch it. Look, a long night without sleep—why not dig a hole?”

“…”

Rejecting sleeping with Pei Shi and demanding him to plant a peach tree in the dead of night, Bai Tao’s actions were met with a resounding denial from Pei Shi. He was almost exasperated, “You want me to dig a hole and plant a peach tree in the middle of the night?”

Bai Tao blinked pitifully, “But honey, you always said no matter what, you’d love me forever, watch me fuss, watch me laugh, and even jump around.”

“…”

Bai Tao pressed on, “Moreover, didn’t you say before that the peach tree symbolizes me? Planting it in the forest behind your family’s house, it’s like hoping to feel I’m always by your side. The peach tree is like our little baby, right? With the weather so hot now, if we don’t plant this peach tree into the yard quickly, what if it dies overnight? Wasn’t that what you said? As long as the peach tree stands, our love will never wither… I can’t just lie in bed and watch this peach tree wander homeless and holeless…”

“…”

Sure enough, at the mention of love, cracks began to appear in Pei Shi’s hardened expression, and his struggle showed through.

The battle horn was sounded!!! It’s a life-or-death moment for the Chinese nation!!! We absolutely cannot fail now! It’s now or never!

Bai Tao decided to up the ante. When Pei Shi wasn’t paying attention, she pinched her thigh hard, tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at Pei Shi with a tearful gaze, full of sorrow, “Honey, please help our little baby! I’m begging you! Save our child!”

…

*****

Fifteen minutes later, in the pitch-black yard, Bai Tao held a flashlight in one hand, vigorously waving a fan with the other, occasionally sipping iced milk tea, and directing operations:

“Bigger! It needs to be bigger! Our house is so big, how can we let our peach tree baby live in a tiny hole?”

“Honey, deeper! Otherwise, our peach tree baby’s roots won’t be able to stretch!”

“More reinforcement! Deeper! Bigger!”

…

In the villa’s yard, Bai Tao acted like a foreman overseeing the job, while Pei Shi played the role of a diligent “laborer.” The summer night was far from cool, hinting at an imminent downpour. Therefore, despite the small lights along the pathway in the yard, they were inadequate for the midnight digging and planting. In fact, they attracted a cluster of mosquitoes. Bai Tao’s “helpful” lighting seemed to provide a clear path for the mosquitoes straight towards Pei Shi’s exposed skin.

Properly attired in his most casual and affordable clothing, Pei Shi somehow managed to look like he could step onto a runway at any moment, even while digging a hole with a shovel and sporting a displeased expression. He still appeared remarkably handsome…

Resting her chin in her hands, Bai Tao watched Pei Shi, growing more satisfied with each passing moment.

As Pei Shi sweated through his nighttime activities, and Bai Tao cheered on from the sidelines, could there be a more loving scene? Working together, tirelessly—truly, they didn’t deceive each other!

An hour later, Pei Shi finally dug out a super-sized deep hole that satisfied Bai Tao. She directed him to place the peach tree inside and then proceeded with the backfilling. With this back and forth, their entire night was spent.

After planting the peach tree and watering it, even Pei Shi, a seasoned participant in nocturnal activities, showed visible signs of exhaustion. He didn’t even want to speak, perhaps still resenting Bai Tao for forcing this nocturnal activity upon him instead of the usual one. His face was dark, and he didn’t bother acknowledging Bai Tao as he abandoned the shovel and went upstairs to shower before heading straight to bed on the second floor.

*****

From the video conference to planting trees in the middle of the night, Pei Shi thought this was perhaps the most absurd experience of recent times. However, he didn’t anticipate an even more ludicrous situation awaiting him the next day—

A neighbor in the villa area anonymously reported Pei Shi for digging a large hole in the middle of the night, suspected of burying a body…

It was initially a minor misunderstanding and a funny incident. However, some busybody neighbor, possibly exploring a hobby in amateur live broadcasting, had recorded the entire process of Pei Shi digging the hole. Early the next morning, the company’s public relations officer urgently sent Pei Shi a report.

Pei Shi glanced at it and sighed. He had managed to trend with #PeiShiDiggingHoleAtNightSuspectedOfBuryingBody.

Yuan Mu was somewhat nervous, “CEO Pei, we’re already trying to mitigate the trend, but…”

Pei Shi cut him off, “Issue a statement.”

Yuan Mu was puzzled, “What kind of statement?”

“Clarify the situation.”

Yuan Mu dared not say more and waited for his boss to continue.

Pei Shi pursed his lips, his expression grim, “I was digging the hole at night to plant a peach tree for Bai Tao.”

Yuan Mu was touched, “You personally planted the peach tree that was delivered to your villa yesterday night?”

Yuan Mu had been with Pei Shi for many years, from Pei Shi’s marriage to Bai Tao until now. Despite the widespread news about the couple’s affectionate relationship, Yuan Mu hadn’t really seen any intimate moments between them. Thus, he harbored some doubts about Pei Shi’s marital life. Now, he felt ashamed of his ignorance.

Now, CEO Pei was personally proving his affection!

What is true affection? This is true affection!

On such a hot night, with so many mosquitoes, in such dim lighting, and doing such exhausting work, what motivated CEO Pei to dig the hole overnight?

It was love!

—

**Author’s Note:**

**Mini Theater**

Bai Tao: Pei Shi, want to do some nighttime activities?

Pei Shi: Nighttime activities are fine, but underworld activities are up to you.