Chapter 45: Do You Have Some Kind of Peculiar Fetish?

Jiang Yaoyao stood up, clutching her phone.

“I was just scrolling through Weibo while waiting for you to pick me up.”

Tonight was the banquet that Pei Heng had mentioned earlier.

Since Jiang Yaoyao finished work early today, she decided to wait for Pei Heng at the set.

He was dressed quite formally today—his dark gray suit accentuated his tall, well-built figure, and his long, straight legs seemed almost impossibly proportioned.

The silver-gray suit had subtle patterns, softening its inherent seriousness and giving him an air of refined artistry.

Every movement exuded elegance and noble charm.

A hurried set of footsteps approached, and Gu Jinling waved at them.

“Wait for me! I’ll go with you guys—no need to call another driver!”

After picking up Gu Jinling, they dropped Jiang Yaoyao off at her apartment, where the stylist was already waiting. Once she changed outfits and finished hair and makeup, she’d be ready to go.

Downstairs, inside the car, Gu Jinling nudged Pei Heng’s shoe and waggled his eyebrows.

“So, are you two officially together yet?”

The cold and reserved man looked over, lips curling into a faint, ambiguous smile.

“What do you think?”

“I think you two are still in the ambiguous stage, but your looks—damn, it’s like there are literal sparks flying between you—”

“Tsk!”

Gu Jinling exaggeratedly shivered, rubbing his arms.

“Pei Xiao Heng, the way Yaoyao gazes at you with those affectionate eyes is like a masterpiece of art! And you? You gave me such intense goosebumps I almost shed a whole layer of skin!”

Pei Heng let out a cold chuckle.

“Then brace yourself for more.”

Gu Jinling lazily crossed his legs, using his phone screen as a mirror to fix his hair. The screen lit up with countless notifications piling up.

Suddenly, his eyes gleamed.

He abandoned his attempt to fix his hair, leaned closer, and rested his arm on the console. Raising an eyebrow at Pei Heng, he smirked.

“Guess what I just saw?”

Pei Heng glanced over, his gaze sweeping past Gu Jinling without much interest.

Gu Jinling, like a fisherman teasing his catch, drew out his words deliberately.

“I saw Yaoyao—”

Pei Heng checked his watch, his tone calm.

“There’s no way it’s that fast.”

“Not the real Yaoyao?”

Gu Jinling, impatient as ever, didn’t wait for a response and revealed the answer himself.

He handed his phone over.

“Look at this—they’re already shipping Jiang Yaoyao and Wei Changze! They even have a couple name: ChangJiang!”

“Check this out—it actually sounds pretty convincing.”

Gu Jinling scrolled through the images.

“No way, these pictures are ancient! How did they even dig these up?”

“Man, when someone is about to get famous, even the dustiest corners of their past get dragged into the spotlight.”

“But looking at these photos…”

The image in the center of the screen seemed to be from last year, as the background featured a movie that had been released then.

In the picture, Wei Changze, wearing sunglasses and a cap, had a faintly impatient expression as he spoke to someone.

The person standing in front of him had an extremely submissive posture, eyes brimming with unshed tears.

At first glance, it truly looked like a couple having a lovers’ quarrel.

Gu Jinling sneaked a glance at Pei Heng and, without a word, quietly turned off his phone screen.

The man across from him raised an eyebrow, his face questioning.

“I feel like showing you this is kind of like stirring up drama between you two,” Gu Jinling muttered, looking slightly guilty as he put his phone away.

He honestly hadn’t expected to stumble upon that photo.

“You’re awfully quiet. Are you mad?” Gu Jinling nudged Pei Heng’s arm.

Pei Heng’s expression remained exceptionally calm—there wasn’t even a hint of jealousy. His voice was equally steady, without the slightest fluctuation.

“I’m not angry.”

“I don’t care about things like this.”

It was a simple statement of fact.

After all, the person in that photo wasn’t his Yaoyao.

Whatever entanglement existed between Wei Changze and the woman in the picture had nothing to do with him or his Yaoyao.

However, Gu Jinling saw Pei Heng’s indifferent reaction and interpreted it quite differently.

“Sometimes, I really don’t get you. Do you actually like Jiang Yaoyao or not?”

“If you don’t like her, why are you so invested in her? When that accident happened last time, you were willing to risk your life to save her.”

“But if you do like her, why aren’t you even the least bit bothered when she’s being shipped with another man? I really don’t understand…”

As he spoke, Gu Jinling’s expression gradually turned more and more peculiar.

“Pei Xiao Heng… you don’t have some kind of kink, do you?”

“For example…”

Gu Jinling lowered his voice, making sure the driver wouldn’t overhear. But in such a confined space, even at a whisper, his words were still crystal clear.

“You wouldn’t happen to have a cuckold fetish, would you???”

The driver, who had been trying to pretend he heard nothing, couldn’t hold back and let out a startled hiccup.

A cold, bone-chilling voice came from the backseat, as if dipped in ice.

“Gu Jinling, if you’re that bored, you can run to the banquet on foot.”

Gu Jinling shut his mouth immediately.

Turning away, he stared out the car window in silence.

But he couldn’t hold it in for long. After just a short while, he turned back around, giving Pei Heng a big thumbs-up.

“A man who dares to steal his nephew’s girlfriend… truly impressive.”

“Pei Xiao Heng, Mr. Pei, this time, I really respect you.”

—

By the time Jiang Yaoyao got into the car, changed and ready for the banquet, she immediately sensed that the atmosphere inside was a bit… odd.

The driver was hiccupping non-stop, awkwardly apologizing between each hiccup.

Jiang Yaoyao didn’t think much of it.

Instead, she turned to Pei Heng. He looked at her with warmth in his eyes, a soft smile rippling beneath the surface.

“You look beautiful. This dress suits you well.”

No one dislikes receiving compliments.

Jiang Yaoyao’s eyes curved into a bright smile, her gaze sparkling.

Sitting in the front seat, Gu Jinling turned around as if he wanted to say something. But after hesitating, he made a zipping motion across his lips and shut his mouth.

“What’s wrong with Director Gu?”

Pei Heng’s smile remained unchanged, his voice rich and teasing.

“He was secretly badmouthing someone just now and accidentally bit his tongue.”

Gu Jinling immediately glared at him with wide eyes.

Pei Heng’s long, narrow phoenix eyes swept over him lazily.

Gu Jinling, wearing a deeply aggrieved expression, gave a reluctant nod—like he was enduring great humiliation.

Jiang Yaoyao’s delicate lips curved into a playful smile.

“Then Director Gu won’t be able to enjoy the feast tonight.”

Gu Jinling patted his chest and mumbled stubbornly,

“I will eat. I’m definitely eating Pei family’s food tonight!”