When Shen Chuo saw those two words, he was momentarily stunned, but his mind quickly caught up, and he glanced outside the restaurant. Sure enough, he saw the Mercedes he had seen before, parked by the roadside.

He didn’t know what this person wanted, but pretending not to know was definitely not an option.

“Um, I have something urgent and need to rush back to school. I’ll leave now,” Shen Chuo said.

Zhang Tong was somewhat surprised by his sudden departure. “Is it that urgent?”

“Yeah,” Shen Chuo replied. “A student just messaged me about something last-minute.”

Zhang Tong didn’t insist on him staying. “Alright, Senior Brother, be careful on your way. I’ll go settle the bill.”

“Okay, after you’ve paid, make sure to head back to your place soon. I’ll treat you next time,” Shen Chuo said as he got up and walked out of the restaurant, striding towards the Mercedes. He opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat—just before Zhang Tong came out and saw.

“Drive forward,” he instructed.

Pei Tingyue had just finished a call with a client and glanced at him before driving. Seeing Shen Chuo looking straight ahead without a word, he didn’t say anything either and started the car.

Neither of them spoke as the car moved along. Pei Tingyue had deliberately called Shen Chuo out but didn’t rush to speak first.

Technically, they were strangers, but there was a hint of unspoken complexity between them.

Shen Chuo couldn’t quite read the person beside him. After hesitating for a while, he took the initiative to speak up. “Let’s not mention what happened abroad before. It was just a one-night stand. I assume, Mr. Pei, that you’ve had your share of such encounters. There’s no need to dwell on it.”

“Are you afraid I’ll bring it up?” Pei Tingyue asked teasingly. “Why did you run away when you saw me at school before?”

Shen Chuo sighed and tried to remain calm. “I’m not used to bringing my personal life into work, nor do I make appointments with people I know. I just don’t want trouble.”

“The night you arranged to meet me, you told me it was your first time,” the other person exposed him with a single sentence.

Shen Chuo hesitated. Did he say that? He couldn’t remember.

The events of that night were fragmented in his memory—too much alcohol mixed with a bad mood, leading to indulgence. He regretted it afterward, and now even more so.

“Whether it was or not doesn’t matter. I just don’t want trouble,” Shen Chuo insisted. “You know the nature of my job. I hope you understand.”

“Okay,” Pei Tingyue casually nodded, but whether he really understood or not remained unclear.

Shen Chuo assumed he did and felt there was no need to say more. “Please pull over to the side now.”

“Now that you’re done, it’s my turn to speak,” Pei Tingyue said, showing no intention of stopping the car. He maintained the speed. “You seem to have forgotten that we’re not just a one-night stand. We got married in Las Vegas.”

Shen Chuo hadn’t wanted to bring up this matter, but since Pei Tingyue did, he could only respond, “Mr. Pei, you understand the law better than I do. Our country doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages, so a foreign marriage certificate is worthless here.”

“So?”

“So, there’s even less reason to bring it up, isn’t there?”

“Where’s that ‘worthless piece of paper’?” Pei Tingyue asked him. “You provided the address at the time, and it should have been sent to you three months ago.”

“No,” Shen Chuo didn’t want to admit it. That piece of paper was going to end up in the shredder sooner or later; there was no need to complicate things. “I haven’t received it.”

The car stopped at a traffic light, and Pei Tingyue pointed the steering wheel in a direction, then glanced at him. Shen Chuo kept his eyes fixed ahead, resolutely refusing to admit it.

Pei Tingyue found it somewhat amusing and kept his gaze on him for a moment longer.

Shen Chuo felt uncomfortable all over. “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Pei Tingyue withdrew his gaze, and when the traffic light turned green, he stepped on the gas again.

This Professor Shen seemed quite different from the one he remembered.

The intoxicated laughter, bold teasing, and willingly offered kisses from that night, contrasted with the restraint he now exhibited.

Pei Tingyue continued to drive slowly, no longer in a hurry to say what he originally intended.

“The person you just had dinner with seems to be an assistant from our firm. Girlfriend?”

“No,” Shen Chuo immediately replied. “Just a regular friend.”

“Understood. Professor Shen should be a gentleman, wouldn’t want to deceive a young girl.”

Shen Chuo wasn’t in the mood for banter. He still couldn’t figure out what this person was up to.

“Foreign marriage certificates are useless in China,” Pei Tingyue continued, “but who knows if there might be trouble in the future? And you can’t guarantee you won’t go abroad for the rest of your life.”

“What trouble could there be?” Shen Chuo didn’t believe it. “Unless, Mr. Pei, you’re a foreign national or have assets overseas.”

“Not a foreign national. Foreign nationals can’t practice law in China, but I do have a condo over there and some stock investments,” Pei Tingyue didn’t shy away from the topic of his wealth.

If it were anyone else saying this, Shen Chuo might have thought they were showing off, but Zhang Tong said this Pei Lawyer earned a seven-figure legal fee from just one case.

“Aren’t you worried I might want a share of your overseas assets?”

“Could you get a share if you wanted?” Pei Tingyue chuckled lightly. “If you could find a way to get a share, I might as well quit being a lawyer.”

Of course, Shen Chuo didn’t think he could get a share, nor did he want to. He had just signed a housing purchase contract, and he himself was a homeowner; there was no need to covet others’ possessions.

“Since I can’t get a share, then this marriage certificate is indeed just a worthless piece of paper.”

“Are you afraid of people finding out you got married to a man abroad?”

“I’ve already told you about the nature of my job. Unlike you, I can’t act as freely.” Shen Chuo didn’t feel he was familiar enough with this person to discuss these matters and didn’t want to continue this topic.

But Pei Tingyue asked, “Knowing that, why did you take the initiative to strike up a conversation with me that night?”

Shen Chuo was momentarily speechless.

That night, he was the one who initiated the conversation, suggested going to a hotel, and proposed getting married.

Being drunk wasn’t an excuse; he wasn’t so intoxicated that he didn’t know what he was doing—it was all premeditated.

Shen Chuo was helpless. “I thought a one-night stand implied that we would part ways after getting out of bed. Mr. Pei, dwelling on these matters seems rather uncouth.”

“I just said, we’re not just a one-night stand,” Pei Tingyue reminded him. “And besides, my actions probably don’t qualify as ‘uncouth’.”

“So what exactly do you want?” Shen Chuo’s patience was wearing thin.

Pei Tingyue turned to look at him again. Shen Chuo actually looked quite good, especially his eyes, which bore a hint of impatience reminiscent of that night. Beneath his scholarly appearance lay a restless and intriguing heart.

“Not much,” Pei Tingyue returned his gaze to the road ahead calmly. “After all, we’ve met, there’s no need to be so guarded. I won’t harm you.”

Shen Chuo wanted to ask him to stop the car, but suddenly realized they seemed to be heading back to his school.

“I’ll drop you off,” Pei Tingyue said.

“No need, just stop at the subway entrance ahead.”

“I can’t stop here; I’ll get fined if I’m caught. Plus, there’s nowhere for you to get onto the sidewalk,” Pei Tingyue gestured to both sides of the road. “There’s no space for pedestrians.”

Shen Chuo kept silent. Forget it, the school wasn’t far anyway.

Pei Tingyue continued to drive. A call came in, and he answered it on his Bluetooth headset.

Whatever was said on the other end, all Shen Chuo heard was Pei Tingyue’s indifferent voice saying, “Tell the police station I suspect he has mental issues. Let them do a forensic evaluation; if they deem it necessary, have him hospitalized. Don’t let him shift blame after any future incident.”

Shen Chuo felt uncomfortable hearing this and glanced aside.

Pei Tingyue hung up the phone. Fifteen minutes later, he drove the car into Huai University campus and parked it below the faculty dormitory building.

“Thanks,” Shen Chuo said, wanting to get out of the car, but the door was locked and wouldn’t budge.

“I still have something to tell you,” Pei Tingyue assessed the surroundings outside the car and continued, “You asked me what I wanted earlier. Originally, I wanted to ask you for that marriage certificate, arrange a time to go over there and get the marriage annulled. Even though it’s just a worthless piece of paper, it’s better to tie up loose ends to prevent potential trouble in the future.”

Shen Chuo agreed with this point and was about to speak up, but Pei Tingyue didn’t give him a chance. “But now, I’ve changed my mind.”

Shen Chuo didn’t catch the underlying meaning. “What?”

“Consider this: become my long-term companion,” Pei Tingyue’s gaze returned to him. “How about it?”

“Not interested,” Shen Chuo refused without hesitation. Besides the potential risk of exposing his sexual orientation, he had even less regard for this person’s personality. “No thanks.”

“Really not interested?”

“I have no interest in turning a one-night stand into a long-term relationship,” Shen Chuo shook his head firmly. “Mr. Pei, find someone else.”

“Are you really afraid of people finding out about your sexual orientation?”

Shen Chuo frowned, not understanding why he brought this up again. Pei Tingyue continued, “I can help you keep it a secret, on the condition that you comply with my wishes.”

“…And if I refuse?”

“Then I can’t guarantee that our affair won’t be exposed. After all, it’s not a big deal for me, and one day, I might casually mention it to someone,” Pei Tingyue said casually but blatantly threatening him.

Shen Chuo’s face darkened. “Do you think others would believe you?”

“We got a marriage certificate,” Pei Tingyue reminded him again. “You claimed you didn’t receive it, so we’ll just say it got lost. Applying for a replacement isn’t difficult.”

“You’re insane!” Shen Chuo couldn’t take it anymore. He thought this hypocritical lawyer should be admitted to a mental hospital!

Being scolded, Pei Tingyue’s face showed no displeasure. He just said the same thing: “Think about it.”

“I refuse.” Shen Chuo didn’t want to deal with him anymore. He pushed the car door hard, and this time it finally opened. He got out and slammed the door shut.

Pei Tingyue stepped on the gas, and the car surged forward, then abruptly stopped under braking.

Shen Chuo was startled and took a step back. The Mercedes had reversed out, and he instinctively turned to look at it under the bright headlights. The person in the car was holding onto the steering wheel with one hand, looking at him through the windshield.

Shen Chuo felt uneasy, then saw Pei Tingyue mouthing something: “Professor Shen, goodbye.”