Chapter 32.1

By the time Pei Yu had seen the three drunkards—Lu Lin, Qi Ye, and Xu Jingyi—safely back to their hotel, it was well past midnight. He had to work the next day and initially considered staying at the hotel himself, but after much hesitation, he decided to return to Cloud-Veiled Lake.

When he arrived at the villa, it was completely dark except for the nightlights in the hallway. Pei Yu didn’t turn on any lights. He casually tossed his coat on the sofa and went straight upstairs.

The bedroom door wasn’t locked, and he easily pushed it open.

The room was dimly lit, and the person in bed was sound asleep, seemingly unaffected by the events of the evening.

Forget it. Why be angry with her?

Heartless, clueless, understanding nothing.

From beginning to end, only he had cared, only he had tossed and turned in anguish.

Perhaps this was for the best.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as an indescribable desire churned within him. His hand, hanging at his side, clenched into a fist. He lowered his gaze, silently studying her sleeping face.

After a long while, he closed his eyes briefly, did nothing, and turned to leave.

…….

The next day.

As dawn began to break, Yun Yin woke up. But once awake, she couldn’t fall back asleep, so she decided to get up.

It was only eight o’clock, and Pei Yu usually hadn’t left for the day by this time.

After a quick wash, Yun Yin went downstairs.

She scanned the living room but didn’t see the familiar figure she was looking for. For a moment, she stood motionless.

Aunt Lin emerged from the kitchen and spotted Yun Yin at the foot of the stairs. She quickly set down the plate she was holding and hurried over. “Miss Yun, why didn’t you call me? Your foot still isn’t healed.”

“It’s fine,” Yun Yin replied, shaking her head. Still hoping, she asked, “Where’s Pei Yu?”

Aunt Lin helped her to the sofa. “I haven’t seen Mr. Pei since I woke up. I don’t even know if he came back last night.”

Aunt Lin had only been working at Cloud-Veiled Lake for a little over six months, mainly responsible for preparing meals and light cleaning. Before that, Mr. Pei rarely returned, and Miss Yun only stayed for two or three days a month. As a result, Aunt Lin seldom saw either of them.

Ever since Mr. Pei returned a few months ago and Miss Yun fell ill, she had seemed like a different person. She rarely left the villa, and Mr. Pei began returning more frequently as well.

Just when their relationship seemed to be flourishing, how could things have suddenly turned sour like this?

Yun Yin’s gaze drifted to the dark gray suit jacket draped over the nearby sofa. She immediately recognized it as the one Pei Yu had worn yesterday.

Aunt Lin noticed it too. Pei Yu had left the villa wearing that same jacket last night.

Pei Yu had returned last night.

But why had he left so early this morning?

Yun Yin couldn’t help but wonder if he didn’t want to see her.

“Miss Yun, breakfast is ready,” Aunt Lin said softly, drawing her attention.

“Thank you, Aunt Lin,” Yun Yin replied, allowing herself to be guided to the dining table.

She stared at the lavish breakfast spread, her appetite completely gone. Her mind remained fixated on why Pei Yu had been so angry.

After forcing down a few bites, she lost her appetite completely. She told Aunt Lin she was done and asked to be helped to the recording studio.

Noticing her subdued mood and recalling Mr. Pei’s instructions, Aunt Lin asked worriedly, “Miss Yun, are you alright?”

“It’s nothing,” Yun Yin said, her eyelashes lowered, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips, her voice slightly hoarse. “I just didn’t sleep well last night.”

Having spent some time with Yun Yin, Aunt Lin knew she was prone to morning grumpiness, and that a restless night would leave her out of sorts all day.

Aunt Lin accepted her explanation without further questions, carefully closing the recording studio door as she left.

The studio was quiet. Yun Yin cradled her guitar and strummed for a few minutes, but an inexplicable restlessness prevented her from focusing.

She set the guitar aside and gazed out the window at the lake. A gentle breeze rippled across its surface, sending concentric circles of waves spreading outward.

Like the turbulent emotions churning within her.

Unsure what was wrong, she turned on the computer to distract herself.

The Weibo backend flooded with notifications. Most were comments on her second video, while others were private messages from agencies seeking to sign her.

Ignoring the private messages, she dove straight into the comments section.

Last week, she had a fever and was strictly forbidden from leaving the house while she recovered. Bored, she recorded the full version of her song and uploaded it to Weibo.

The entire song, self-composed, self-written, self-performed, and titled “Cong Cong,” featured her upper body as she played the guitar, her fingers plucking the strings. After a leisurely, melodious introduction, her clear, pure, and deeply emotive voice filled the air.

Behind her, the window framed a drizzly rain and the vast expanse of Cloud-Veiled Lake. The video and song were profoundly soothing, transporting listeners to a lush summer landscape brimming with vibrant life.

Nearly a week after posting the song, she finally remembered to check the feedback. She was astonished to find her follower count had surged from a few hundred to tens of thousands.

Ahhh, I’ve listened to this song on repeat a hundred times!

Who gets it? This song is stuck in my head now.

You’re all focused on the song, but am I the only one mesmerized by her beautiful hands? slurp

I’ve discovered a hidden gem! Mrs. Dark Cloud, when will you release another song?

Yun Yin’s nickname wasn’t actually “Dark Cloud,” but a “cloudy day” emoji. Her fans affectionately called her “Dark Cloud” in the comments.

Reading the comments lifted her spirits considerably, but suddenly, Pei Yu came to mind, and her mood plummeted again. The corners of her mouth, which had just begun to lift, tightened into a firm line.

Yun Yin genuinely couldn’t understand why he was so angry.

Since she couldn’t figure it out herself, perhaps asking others would reveal the answer.

As if struck by an idea, Yun Yin’s usually dim peach blossom eyes lit up instantly. She tapped her fingers on the keyboard.

A moment later, she hit send.

What should you do if you’ve made someone really angry?

After waiting a while, Yun Yin refreshed the page. Several new comments immediately popped up:

I thought I was following a singing blogger, not a relationship advice columnist?

Before clicking, I thought Mrs. Dark Cloud had released a new song.

Who is he? Your boyfriend?

Yun Yin was taken aback by the comment. For a moment, she didn’t know how to define her relationship with Pei Yu.

After a long pause, she replied with two words: Sort of.

The same user responded: Sort of? So he’s just a casual fling then.

A casual fling?

Before she could delve deeper into the meaning of those words, more comments flooded in:

Mrs. Dark Cloud, ignore this for now and update your video!

If all else fails, just sing him a song.

If he’s your boyfriend, just act cute and he’ll forgive you.

It depends on whose fault it is. If it’s yours, just act cute like the others said. If it’s his, he has no right to be angry. Don’t let him get away with it.

You could buy him a small gift and say something sweet. Guys are easy to win over.

No one could resist the way you act cute, Mrs. Dark Cloud.