Chapter 30: Okay, It Doesn’t Hurt

A soft voice sounded from behind, a little muffled.

“No.”

As if afraid of being misunderstood, the person quickly added,

“I just didn’t expect that someone as powerful as Mr. Pei would also get injured like this.”

The man chuckled lightly, his voice deep.

“Perhaps back then, Pei Heng wasn’t worthy of being called ‘Mr. Pei’ yet.”

It sounded like a joke, as if he was trying to comfort her.

Jiang Yaoyao habitually pursed her lips. Dipping her fingers into the medicinal ointment, she carefully applied it to his wounds.

She stood behind the man, so focused on applying the medicine that she didn’t even lift her head.

If she had, she would have seen his reflection in the amber-colored glass opposite them.

The man whose voice carried a smile had an expression as cold as the snow-capped mountains that never melted, his lips pressed into a tight line.

In his dark eyes, a storm of gloom and ruthlessness was almost tangible.

But in the blink of an eye, that expression vanished. His sharp, narrow eyes regained their usual calm.

That breathtakingly handsome face returned to its noble and refined state.

The white ointment melted little by little between her fingers, carefully applied to the man’s back.

The medicine seemed to promote blood circulation and reduce bruising. As she massaged it in, the originally dark bruises gradually turned red.

The delicate beauty frowned slightly, her beautiful eyes misted with concern, unable to bear the sight.

Her touch was cautious, and every time she moved to a new spot, she would gently ask, her soft voice tinged with worry,

“Is this pressure okay? Does it hurt?”

She didn’t realize that as she continued, her soft, fair face was getting closer and closer to his. Her warm breath brushed against his ear, as light as a feather swaying in the wind.

Pei Heng’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

The fingers resting on his lap curled tightly. He heard his own voice, seemingly unaffected, but with an unusual tension,

“Okay, it doesn’t hurt.”

Hearing his response, the little beauty obediently lowered her head and gently blew on the scabbing wounds.

At that moment, Pei Heng felt a rush of heat surge through his entire body.

His narrow, phoenix eyes darkened even further.

Through the amber glass not far away, he could see his Yaoyao leaning forward slightly, lowering her head.

From this angle, their proximity was almost—

Like a pair of entwined, affectionate mandarin ducks.

A strand of her hair slipped down, brushing against his shoulder and neck.

The faint, tingling sensation spread across his back along with her touch, like tiny, fluttering wings of an insect.

As her fingers moved, the sensation grew stronger. Pei Heng’s arms tensed even more.

His usual rationality was slipping. Every thought in his mind was controlled by her, following the movement of her fingers.

A long, long time ago, he had dreamed of his little fairy countless times. He had also—

Countless times—

Had that absurd dream.

In the dream, the young girl’s cheeks were flushed, soft and pink. She sat in his lap, her delicate arms wrapped around his neck, her slender fingers grazing his back.

Her voice was sweet and soft, calling his name over and over again.

“Pei Heng… Pei Heng…”

He wanted to turn around, to hold her delicate hands in his own, to tighten his grip just slightly—

And pull his precious Yaoyao into his arms.

To bring that absurd dream into reality…

“Mr. Pei, do you feel a little hot? Or is it too painful?”

The soft voice sounded in his ear, laced with concern.

“You’re sweating a lot, Mr. Pei.”

Pei Heng swallowed, his deep voice laced with restraint and hoarseness as he gave a vague “Mm.”

His strikingly handsome face, usually sharp and cold, now had his phoenix eyes half-lidded, the harshness softened. His ears were tinged with a faint red.

This kind of restrained and disciplined demeanor—

Like a devout monk practicing abstinence—

Made people want to tease him.

Jiang Yaoyao silently scolded herself for being shameless again.

Her fingertips lightly touched the man’s ear.

“But, Mr. Pei, your ears seem a little red…”

Each of her touches made Pei Heng’s body grow even more rigid.

The beast lurking inside him was barely restrained, held back only by sheer willpower.

Pei Heng turned his face slightly, trying to steady his voice.

“It’s nothing. Probably because it hurts a little.”

But he didn’t realize—

His voice at this moment was incredibly seductive.

Low and husky, every syllable slipping directly into her ears.

The little beauty’s eyelashes trembled, and she, too, blushed slightly.

She didn’t dare tease Pei Heng anymore, only obediently continued applying the medicine.

Thankfully, there was only one spot left. As soon as she finished, she hurriedly screwed the lid back onto the ointment and made a beeline for the door.

As if staying even a second longer—

Would make her think even more outrageous thoughts.

Almost the instant she left—

The man who had been sitting upright silently lifted one long leg and crossed it over the other.

Adjusting his posture.

His little fairy had no idea. Her cheeks were still tinged with pink as she gently placed the ointment aside and asked softly,

“Mr. Pei, do you feel a little better now?”

Pei Heng responded, “Much better.”

His gaze fell on the delicate beauty with her jade-like skin, his dark eyes unreadable.

“Thank you, Yaoyao.”

—

The situation that nearly spiraled out of control was suppressed.

Other than the director, no one else in the crew was aware. Everyone was still diligently learning to ride horses.

The manor’s gates had been locked, with burly bodyguards stationed at the entrance, preventing anyone from leaving.

While Pei Heng was applying medicine, surveillance footage of the area had been retrieved. Multiple screens displayed the footage simultaneously as a group of people reviewed it.

Not long after Jiang Yaoyao left Pei Heng’s room—

Someone else entered.

The intercepted footage was displayed to the man with an icy expression.

“Sir, there was a stranger at the stables today.”

On the screen, a woman dressed in luxurious clothing was moving stealthily.

The video was paused, zooming in on her face.

Pei Heng narrowed his eyes, a chilling, bloodthirsty smile curling his lips.

That afternoon, when Gu Jinling took everyone away, they counted the crew members—

And found that Yan Leyao was missing.

After questioning everyone, they received the same answer.

Yan Leyao had left hurriedly around noon, seemingly in a rush.

Gu Jinling frowned in displeasure but said nothing.

He waved a hand and instructed the driver, “Let’s go.”

—

Perhaps it was because of everything that had happened that day—

Or the lingering fear she had felt—

That night, Jiang Yaoyao fell asleep almost instantly.

The moment her head touched the pillow, her eyelids grew too heavy to lift.

Before her consciousness faded, she felt herself sinking, as if she were falling into a deep dream.

On the other side, Pei Heng also had a dream.

He once again found himself watching from an omniscient perspective, seeing a familiar room appear in his dream.

Then, he saw himself standing there, face calm and expressionless, in front of Jiang Yaoyao.

And then—

One by one, he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Jiang Yaoyao covered her face with her hands.

Then, through a tiny gap between her fingers, her bright eyes peeked at him—

Full of curiosity.

Pei Heng: “…”

I don’t know why, but in my dream, as I took off my clothes, the coldness on my face gradually faded, and I became unbelievably cool and domineering.

My shirt was casually tossed onto the floor. I took a few steps forward, pressing Jiang Yaoyao against the wall, my arm propped up beside her shoulder, enclosing her in a narrow space.

Lowering my head, I lifted her chin with my fingers, my thumb gently caressing it.

Then, bit by bit, I forcefully pulled down her soft little hands.

Her beautiful face bloomed like a peach blossom.

I heard my own voice, exceptionally seductive and arrogant:

“Why won’t you look at me?”

“Woman, are you trying to attract my attention?”

Pei Heng: “…”

What kind of terrible dialogue is this?

Is this really how Yaoyao sees him in her heart? Like some tacky, overbearing rogue?

The delicate beauty trapped in his arms blushed deeply. Her soft voice carried a helpless tone, like a maiden being forcefully taken away.

“Mr. Pei, please don’t do this…”

But instead of restraining himself, the man who held her seemed even more excited by these words.

He pinched her chin, pressed his large hand on the back of her head, and pulled her closer.

His voice was playful, reckless.

“What is it?”

“Is it that I can’t touch your chin, or that I can’t kiss you?”

“Jiang Yaoyao, open your mouth.”

The next second, Pei Heng saw his own hand move, his head lower, and he forcefully claimed those soft, rosy lips.

The sensation in the dream resonated with him deeply.

At that moment, Pei Heng’s body felt slightly restless.

He watched this long kiss unfold as if he were experiencing it himself.

When he finally let go, his little fairy’s eyes were tinged red, teary and dazed from the kiss.

But instead of showing her any pity, the dream version of himself even threw out a cold remark:

“Jiang Yaoyao, next time I tell you to open your mouth, you do it.”

He lowered his head, his handsome face suddenly enlarging in the beauty’s vision, his sharp features carrying a hint of aggression, overwhelmingly dominant.

“Otherwise—”

“Be careful, I might kiss you to death.”

And the delicate beauty, her lips damp and reddened from his kiss, raised her glistening eyes and obediently reached out her arms—

Tucking herself into his embrace.

The dream ended abruptly.

Pei Heng opened his eyes, touched his lips, and thought about the exaggerated dream.

Lost in thought.

—

“Ahhhhhh—!”

Inside a small apartment, Jiang Yaoyao jolted awake, her cheeks burning as red as a cloth.

Her heart pounded like a revving motorcycle, thudding relentlessly.

She had no idea why she would have such a bizarre dream.

What kind of nonsense was that!!!

She covered her face, feeling too embarrassed to face anyone.

It was bad enough that she had been thinking about Pei Heng during the day.

But now, she was so bold that she even harassed him in her dreams?!

It must be “what you think of during the day, you dream of at night.”

It was all Pei Heng’s fault for taking off his shirt in front of her.

He clearly knew how stunning he looked, yet he wasn’t reserved at all, insisting on acting like a male seductress.

Damn it.

Jiang Yaoyao got up from bed, wandered into the living room to eat two cherry tomatoes, rinsed her mouth, then slowly climbed back into bed, snuggling under the soft covers.

Soon, she drifted off into sleep again.

This time, her consciousness hovered between dreams and wakefulness, a little hazy.

She was aware that she was in a dream.

But she didn’t try to wake herself up.

Because she saw, in her dream—

A young Pei Heng, from his tragic childhood.

The boy in the dream was only about four or five years old, fair-skinned and chubby with baby fat, looking soft and adorable.

But unfortunately, little Pei Heng didn’t look happy at all.

He was locked in a damp, dark basement. The room was pitch black, and the silence made it even eerier.

Only the rhythmic drip-drop of water echoed in the space.

He seemed afraid of the dark, curling his small body into the corner of the room, his face pale, his limbs cold.

Jiang Yaoyao’s heart clenched.

She blinked her stinging eyes slowly, suddenly unable to tell how many times Pei Heng had been locked in there.

The books said that the Pei family of the imperial capital was full of men deeply devoted to love.

Pei Heng’s grandfather, Old Master Pei, married his childhood sweetheart and loved only his wife all his life.

Back then, movies had just started to emerge—black-and-white films, mostly stylish Western productions.

His childhood sweetheart loved movies, so Old Master Pei spared no expense to establish the largest film company in the country.

She adored historical dramas, so he generously built five massive film studios across the country.

But mere favoritism wasn’t enough to be called a “true lover.”

According to the books, in the eighth year of their marriage, Pei Heng’s grandmother was diagnosed with leukemia.

A few years later, she passed away, leaving behind her husband and their young son.

At the time, Old Master Pei was only in his thirties. He turned gray overnight and entered a monastery.

Devoting his life to her memory.

For the rest of his days, he lived under the glow of oil lamps and Buddhist scriptures, seeking solace in solitude.

Pei Heng’s father was no exception.

He, too, had a deep love—but his affection was reserved for the woman who came after.

At the time, Pei Heng’s mother was already pregnant. His father had accompanied her to a prenatal checkup—only to experience “love at first sight” with a young nurse at the hospital.

As Pei Heng’s mother’s belly grew bigger by the day, those two carried out their secret affair under the pretense of hospital visits.

At eight months pregnant, she accidentally walked in on her husband and the nurse embracing in the pharmacy room.

She was so shocked that she went into premature labor, collapsing against the wall, sliding down inch by inch.

And her husband—afraid that his pregnant wife would harm his mistress—instinctively shielded the other woman behind him.

He knelt on the ground, shamelessly begging his wife to “let them be.”

As compensation, he was willing to hand over all his assets to her.

Leaving the marriage with nothing.

When the news spread, high society was in an uproar.

Pei Heng’s mother was decisive. She took what was rightfully hers.

And agreed to the divorce.

She believed she could raise their child on her own.

But she never got the chance to watch Pei Heng grow up.

On the day of his birth, a rare complication—amniotic fluid embolism—struck her.

Despite every doctor in the hospital rushing to save her, they failed.

That poor, strong woman barely had the chance to kiss her newborn baby’s soft little cheek before she closed her eyes forever.

And the pitiful little Pei Heng was sent to live with a father who barely cared for him—

And a stepmother who resented his very existence.