The next day was Sunday, and Shen Chuo couldn’t stay idle. As usual, he went to the laboratory early in the morning.

Until evening, Pei Tingyue’s call came in: “Come out now.”

Shen Chuo wasn’t very willing. He had also rejected Pei Tingyue’s offer for help last night: “Forget it, I’ll solve my own problems.”

“How are you going to solve it? Giving up on the house?” Pei Tingyue glanced at the road signs outside, one intersection away from the west gate of Huai University. “I’m almost at your school. Where are you? In the dormitory or the laboratory?”

Shen Chuo was a bit speechless. “Do you always make decisions for others?”

“How so?”

“Just because you suggest meeting up, do I have to meet with you?”

“Do you think I’m too pushy? Alright, I’ll be more careful next time. Sorry,” Pei Tingyue apologized readily, although it was most likely just a casual remark.

“Don’t forget, Professor Shen, you still owe me a meal,” he continued, “Where are you?”

“…In the laboratory,” Shen Chuo could only respond.

“Come down in ten minutes,” Pei Tingyue instructed.

When Shen Chuo came down, Pei Tingyue’s car was already parked outside the laboratory building, with him smoking by the open window.

Shen Chuo opened the car door and got in, expressing his disdain, “You have a serious smoking addiction.”

Pei Tingyue stubbed out the cigarette. “Today, I’m giving you the chance to treat me.”

Shen Chuo had no choice but to buckle his seatbelt. “Let’s go.”

Although their last encounter was unpleasant, Shen Chuo was someone who adhered to principles. If he owed someone a favor, he felt obligated to repay it.

“Relax a little,” Pei Tingyue said just this one sentence before starting the car.

Shen Chuo was somewhat surprised and glanced over at Pei Tingyue, who was driving without looking back. “Why are you looking at me?”

“Nothing,” Shen Chuo withdrew his gaze.

Pei Tingyue lifted his lips slightly but didn’t say anything more, stepping on the gas pedal.

As they drove into the city center, Shen Chuo chose a restaurant in a bustling commercial area.

After sitting down and ordering, Pei Tingyue asked him, “Did you bring the contract? Let me take a look.”

“No,” Shen Chuo hesitated for a moment, holding onto his water glass. “I’d rather not trouble you with this. Thanks anyway.”

Pei Tingyue tapped his fingers on the table, squinting slightly as he looked at Shen Chuo across from him.

Shen Chuo calmly took a sip of water. “For such a small case, you probably wouldn’t be interested.”

“Are you afraid you can’t afford the lawyer fees?”

Shen Chuo admitted frankly, “I really can’t afford your lawyer fees.”

Zhang Tong had said that Pei Tingyue wouldn’t take on cases with fees less than a million. Shen Chuo had only paid a down payment of 700,000 for the house, and the total price was only over 2 million. Normal lawyer fees would only be a few tens of thousands, barely enough for Pei Tingyue to buy a bottle of wine.

“I’m not interested,” Pei Tingyue said. “So, I won’t charge you any lawyer fees.”

Shen Chuo didn’t understand. “You didn’t warn me about the possible risks before, and now you’re saying you won’t charge me for legal fees. Are you doing charity?”

“I’m willing to.”

Rather than willing, Shen Chuo felt that Pei Tingyue was playing with him.

“Let’s forget about it. I can’t afford this favor,” Shen Chuo still refused. “I won’t trouble you.”

——This is not something that could be repaid with a meal, he knew that in his heart, so he didn’t want to take advantage of the situation.

Pei Tingyue leaned back in his seat, staring at his face for a moment.

“Then you won’t get the house.”

“I know,” Shen Chuo took a sip of water calmly, “My friend told me. The chances of me getting the house are slim. I really wanted to move out of the school dorms. Now, it seems I’ll have to wait longer. But encountering such a situation, I can only count myself unlucky. If I can try to recover the loss as much as possible, that’s enough.”

“Quite optimistic,” Pei Tingyue’s tone carried a clear mocking tone.

Shen Chuo didn’t want to engage in his conversation much. The food had already arrived, and he picked up his chopsticks.

“The environment in your dormitory, I wouldn’t last a day,” Pei Tingyue also picked up his chopsticks, casually taking a few bites, “You have quite the tolerance.”

“It’s alright. Mr. Pei, you’re a young master. You’re not used to normal things,” Shen Chuo retorted.

“Young master, that’s a fresh term,” Pei Tingyue said without much care, then asked him, “Why do you think so?”

“Isn’t it?” Shen Chuo said, “You dine in top-floor restaurants at five-star hotels, and just a bottle of wine costs over twenty thousand. Can’t handle the food here?”

In fact, this restaurant was not bad, and the average cost per person was also several hundred yuan. But Pei Tingyue indeed couldn’t handle it and had already put down his chopsticks. “Too spicy, not good for the stomach. You should eat less too.”

“As for the top-floor restaurant you mentioned, with wine over twenty thousand,” he said, “If it wasn’t for clients treating, I wouldn’t bother going to such places. The first time I paid the bill there, it was just for a rare birthday celebration.”

Shen Chuo was stunned for two seconds. “…It was your birthday that day?”

“Yeah,” Pei Tingyue chuckled briefly, “Thanks to your ‘gift.’ It was quite a memorable birthday experience.”

The “gift” he mentioned was undoubtedly referring to that slap. Shen Chuo felt inexplicably guilty, but didn’t think he was in the wrong, so he just stayed silent.

“Do you really not want my help?” Pei Tingyue asked again.

“No need,” Shen Chuo insisted, “I’ll find another lawyer myself. I won’t bother you.”

“Suit yourself.”

After finishing the meal, Shen Chuo paid the bill, and Pei Tingyue went to get the car first.

When the car pulled up to the curb a few minutes later, Shen Chuo was already waiting there, standing under the newly lit street lamp, quietly looking in the direction across the street, with a hint of melancholy in his flickering eyes.

Pei Tingyue followed his gaze across the street, where the Huai City Grand Theater was brightly lit in the night.

As the car drove up, Pei Tingyue lowered the window. “Let’s go.”

Shen Chuo snapped out of his thoughts, looked at him, paused, and said, “You go ahead. I’ll wander around alone for a bit and take the subway back later.”

Pei Tingyue didn’t listen to him, lifted his eyelids to look at the person still standing outside the car. “Do you want to go to the concert in the theater across the street?”

Shen Chuo pursed his lips, but didn’t reject immediately.

Pei Tingyue took it as a yes, found a parking spot on the roadside, and parked the car again.

Until they entered the concert hall, it was too late for Shen Chuo to regret.

It was his first time entering such a place, but his mood was different from what he had imagined.

“Haven’t been to one before?” Before the performance started, Pei Tingyue casually asked him.

“No,” Shen Chuo seemed a bit absent-minded, remained silent for a moment, and said, “No one to go with.”

“Still want to go with someone?”

“No one,” Shen Chuo didn’t want to continue this topic, shook his head slightly, “Let’s not talk, it’s starting.”

As the lights dimmed and the music started playing, first with a piano solo.

Pei Tingyue leaned against his seat, also somewhat indifferent, not very interested in the orchestra’s performance. Several times, he glanced sideways, but his gaze always landed on Shen Chuo beside him.

Shen Chuo seemed to be listening attentively, but in reality, he seemed to be immersed in his own world, perhaps reminiscing about someone or something.

——That person in the phrase “no one to go with.”

After staring at him for a moment, Pei Tingyue reached out and covered his eyes with his open palm.

Shen Chuo blinked subconsciously, his eyelashes brushing lightly against Pei Tingyue’s palm.

When Pei Tingyue withdrew his hand, Shen Chuo furrowed his brow again, his eyes questioning what he meant.

Pei Tingyue took out his phone and typed a line on the memo pad, then handed it over to Shen Chuo to read.

【Concentrate on listening to the concert, don’t think about irrelevant people.】

Shen Chuo turned his eyes away, ignoring him.

Throughout the rest of the concert, he listened wholeheartedly to the performance on stage without getting distracted again.

It was already nine o’clock when the concert ended. They walked out of the theater with the crowd. Shen Chuo glanced at his phone to check the time, about to say something, but suddenly stopped in his tracks, turning back to look behind.

The crowd exiting the theater dispersed at the intersection, and the voices that could be faintly heard quickly faded away, as if it were just his imagination.

His gaze swept quickly through the bustling crowd, but there was nothing there.

“What are you looking at?” Pei Tingyue also stopped and called out to him.

Shen Chuo turned back, paused, and said, “Nothing.”

Pei Tingyue glanced at the direction he had just looked, “Do you know someone there?”

“Stop asking.”

Pei Tingyue stared into his eyes, seeing the evasion in them. “Was the concert just now enjoyable?”

“What do you think?” Shen Chuo impatiently countered, “You suggested the concert, and you were also the one who couldn’t concentrate throughout. Why did you come here anyway?”

“So, you noticed what I was doing. I thought you forgot who you came to the concert with today.”

Without giving Shen Chuo a chance to retort, Pei Tingyue nodded, “This kind of concert is meaningless.”

Shen Chuo frowned, “If it’s meaningless, why did you suggest coming here earlier?”

“If you didn’t want to come, you would have directly refused when I suggested it,” Pei Tingyue asserted, “While we were inside, who were you thinking about?”

“I told you, no one.”

“An ex-lover?”

“Do you think you understand me well?” Shen Chuo didn’t like his tone of completely seeing through him, “What do you think you know?”

Pei Tingyue saw the waves in his eyes and felt somewhat regretful that such beautiful eyes saw someone else.

“Professor Shen, thinking about someone else in front of your husband, do you know what this behavior is called?”

Shen Chuo was momentarily speechless, and even found his statement amusing.

“The marriage that neither the law nor I acknowledge, you still do this alone?”

“What if I pursue you?” Pei Tingyue suddenly asked.

“What a joke.”

“I’m not joking,” Pei Tingyue said, his gaze calm, without a hint of jest, “Give it a try. There’s nothing to lose anyway.”

“No—”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse every time,” Pei Tingyue casually adjusted his shirt sleeve, then said lightly, “I am indeed interested in you. Trying won’t hurt.”

Although he expressed affectionate words, he said them casually, without much sincerity.

“I’m not interested.” Shen Chuo said firmly.

“Because you’re still thinking about someone else?” Pei Tingyue’s gaze returned to him, “Shen Chuo, don’t you think your behavior is hurtful?”

Shen Chuo was stunned.

Meeting his particularly surprised and even innocent gaze, Pei Tingyue’s lips curved ever so slightly. “I said being drunk wasn’t an excuse. Whether it’s getting married or something else, I took that night seriously.

“Professor Shen, you are a role model. You can’t just start something and then abandon it halfway.”

Shen Chuo: “……???”