The figure paused for a moment, slowly coming up from the fourth-floor corner. Pei Hengzhi turned his face away guiltily, “Who’s eavesdropping?”

“You and I, we came one after the other,” Luo Yunqing said with certainty.

As soon as he entered the dormitory building, he noticed someone following him. He even deliberately slowed down, but the person never came forward. If it wasn’t eavesdropping, then what was it?

“I just… didn’t want to see you.” Pei Hengzhi said with a sullen face, striding around him back to the dorm.

You Jianan was just coming out of the bathroom, got startled, and instinctively covered his chest, only to realize he was already dressed. He put down his hand and wiped his head, casually asking, “Why are you back so late, Brother Pei?”

Pei Hengzhi: “What, do you have to manage whether I come back or not?”

He seemed like he had taken gunpowder.

You Jianan quickly waved his hands, turned around, and saw Luo Yunqing coming in from outside. He hurried over in two steps, “Xiao Luo, did you see the message I sent you?”

“Sorry, I was just on a call.” Luo Yunqing said while changing his shoes, “What’s up?”

“Nothing major.” You Jianan smiled sheepishly, “I just ran out of shower gel and forgot to buy a new one. Can I borrow yours?”

“No problem.”

“Thanks, it’s used up now.” You Jianan lifted his arm and sniffed, “I have to say, this lime scent is quite nice. Where did you buy it? I’ll get some next time…”

Bang!

Before he could finish, the sound of a book slamming onto the table echoed in his ears.

The dorm room fell silent.

Luo Yunqing glanced at the person sitting at the desk with his back to him, a playful smile on his lips. He picked up his change of clothes and, before heading to the bathroom, broke the silence that seemed like it would last forever, “I’ll send you the link later.”

You Jianan squinted and smiled, nodding.

After lights out, he climbed into bed and sent a message to Cheng Xu, who was playing games with headphones on across from him: “What’s up with Brother Pei?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Oh.”

*

At 2:30 in the morning, You Jianan was already snoring, but Pei Hengzhi was still wide awake. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the scene from the stairwell not long ago.

Moonlight bathed half of a jade-like face, eyebrows and eyes filled with a tender smile, the voice soft and almost… almost coquettish! Unlike Xiao Xue’s coquettishness towards him, it was more innocent.

“Miss you~”

Pei Hengzhi suddenly opened his eyes, turning his head to look at the bed across from him with blackout curtains.

He was being coquettish with Second Uncle?

Ha.

What a waste of a flirtatious look on a blind man.

Second Uncle, that weirdo, only ever thinks about work. This car accident, they said it was just a broken leg, but in reality, his whole body was severely injured. Even if he were to stand naked in front of Second Uncle, he probably wouldn’t react.

Besides, how long have they known each other… Pei Hengzhi suddenly remembered that he knew he had been following him all along.

Maybe it was all for him to see!

Yes, that’s it.

“Miss you~”

Not long after closing his eyes, Pei Hengzhi opened them again, staying awake until dawn.

“Brother Pei, didn’t sleep well, huh?”

In the morning, You Jianan noticed the two very obvious dark circles under his eyes.

Pei Hengzhi was in a bad mood: “It’s your snoring that’s too loud!”

“Me?”

Before You Jianan could react, Pei Hengzhi had already slammed the door and left.

He pointed at himself, calling out to Luo Yunqing who was passing by: “Xiao Luo, do I snore loudly?”

Luo Yunqing looked outside the door and shook his head, “I slept well.”

“So it’s not that bad? Then why is Brother Pei…”

“Fatty, don’t think about it.”

Cheng Xu put on his shoes, hooked his arm around him, and pulled him away.

Even from a distance, you could hear You Jianan’s aggrieved voice asking, “What’s up with Brother Pei lately? Why does it feel like he’s targeting me?”

“It’s not you, you just happened to be in the line of fire.” Cheng Xu sighed, giving a reminder, “Just stay out of his way for now.”

…………

There were only three days left until the welcome party.

Everyone else had rehearsed enough, except for Pei Hengzhi, who played the second young master, and his scenes with Luo Yunqing.

“Stop, stop, stop, Pei Hengzhi, what are you acting?” Xia Lin rolled up the script, pointing at him forcefully, “Here you’re supposed to be questioning, your eyes should be incredulous, why are you avoiding? Do it again.”

“No, do it again.”

“No!”

……

After dozens of NGs, even the most patient person would run out of patience, let alone Xia Lin.

She directly exploded: “Pei Hengzhi, can you even act? If you can’t, step down! You’ve been dragging this out, and now your scenes are the only ones not ready.”

Everyone in the club wasted an entire afternoon.

They still needed to go through the whole thing again, and everyone had classes the next two days. Who could afford to waste this time?

“One last time, I can definitely do it this time.” Pei Hengzhi took a deep breath, trying to erase the scene from last night from his mind.

The emotions were there.

But Xia Lin was still not satisfied, and after two more NGs, they barely got through that part.

“Young Master Pei, Vice President, please pay more attention to the club.” During the break, Xia Lin handed them two bottles of water to soothe their throats, then turned her head and lowered her voice significantly, “Yunqing, this is your first time on stage, are you nervous?”

Luo Yunqing thanked her, took the water, and took a sip, wiping his mouth, “It’s my first time on stage, so there will be a little bit of nervousness, but don’t worry, Senior Sister, I’ll do my best to overcome it.”

“That’s not what I wanted to say.” Xia Lin blinked, changing the topic, “Will your family be coming to support you?”

“Don’t tease.”

Before Luo Yunqing could reply, Pei Hengzhi laughed first, “My Second Uncle isn’t that free, and he can’t come. It’s quite a hassle, especially for a small play like this.”

Xia Lin retorted without thinking: “Small play, and you NG’d so many times just now.”

Pei Hengzhi: “…”

Xia Lin’s strength was unknown, but she was strong when faced with strength, “I’m asking about your Second Aunt, not you, big nephew.”

Pei Hengzhi’s face turned completely black, and he walked away, feeling embarrassed.

He was unhappy, but Luo Yunqing was happy. He immediately took out his phone, “I’ll ask him.”

【AAA Luo Luo】: Will Mr. Pei come to the school welcome party in three days? (Chin resting) (Expectant)

“Mr. Pei.” Xia Lin was right next to him, hard not to see, and couldn’t help but tease, “Isn’t that supposed to be ‘husband’ in the notes? Why still call him Mr. Pei?”

“President, you don’t understand.” The club’s scriptwriter, Yang Ying, popped out from some corner, pushing up her black-framed glasses, “This is called ‘fun’.”

“You know everything?” Xia Lin retorted, “Have you written the script for the next play? Have you set up the characters?”

“I’m working on it.” Yang Ying rested her chin on her hand, observing the person next to her.

Xia Lin blocked her view, “Have you got it figured out?”

Yang Ying: “I…”

Xia Lin: “If you’ve got it figured out, go write it for me.”

Yang Ying’s mouth twitched.

Luo Yunqing tilted his head, watching them bicker, and soon his phone vibrated twice.

【Husband】: There’s a meeting that day, I’ll come after it’s done.

【AAA Luo Luo】: Great! I’ll wait for you~

【AAA Luo Luo】: (Kiss)

After sending the message, he turned around and almost bumped into the two people looking at him.

Xia Lin didn’t hold back her voice at all: “You two have a good relationship, huh, already kissing!”

“Senior Pei!” As soon as she finished speaking, a wail came from afar, “You sprayed water all over my face.”

Luo Yunqing glanced over, then quietly withdrew his gaze, “We’ve always had a good relationship.”

“Oh my.” Xia Lin held her face, her smile gradually becoming perverted, scaring You Jianan, who had just entered the auditorium, making him shiver, his arm faintly aching.

But fortunately, the smile quickly faded.

You Jianan let out a sigh of relief, standing five or six steps away, “Senior Sister, the costumes have arrived.”

You Jianan’s mother was a well-known fashion designer in the country. When she heard that her son’s club needed to buy costumes and props, she took on the task without a second thought.

“Great.” Xia Lin immediately restrained her nature, stood up, and clapped her hands at everyone, “While we still have some time, everyone try on the costumes and let’s do a full run-through.”

…………

Three days passed in a flash.

After dinner, the freshmen who had just finished military training headed to the grand auditorium in groups, filling the first and second floors to the brim.

Even ten minutes before the start, people were still coming and going, including not only sophomores and juniors from the school but also many from other schools, like… the Yanjing Drama Academy Drama Club.

The presidents of the two major drama clubs were long-time friends, and when there was a need for collaboration between the two universities, they would practice together, so inviting them over was understandable.

Luo Yunqing was putting on makeup with the club members in the preparation room when the Yanjing Drama Club arrived first, bringing lots of gifts and bouquets.

Through the crowd, Luo Yunqing’s eyes fell on the boy wearing a baseball cap at the back. Even though his head was down, his walk, posture, and figure gave him away, not to mention Pei Hengzhi was with him.

He was wondering where Pei Hengzhi had gone just before the start, turns out he went to pick up Song Xuechen.

Not sure what Pei Hengzhi had said to him, but he seemed to have completely forgotten about the previous incident, walking over with a bouquet, “Xiao Qing, this is your first time on stage, congratulations.”

Luo Yunqing glanced at the bouquet but didn’t take it.

“Xiao Xue came specifically to see you.” Before Song Xuechen could say anything, Pei Hengzhi exploded, “Luo Yunqing, what’s with your attitude!”

Xia Lin, who was chatting with a friend, suddenly had her smile freeze on her face, squinting her eyes at Pei Hengzhi.

Everyone around also fell silent, except for the girl doing Luo Yunqing’s makeup, who opened her mouth, “Well, he actually…”

Before she could explain, Pei Hengzhi snorted coldly again, “The club’s been pampering you, and now you’re getting arrogant. How does your acting compare to Xiao Xue’s?”

“Don’t talk about Xiao Qing like that, Xiao Qing… is good-looking, so his acting can’t be that bad.” Song Xuechen forced a smile, “It’s okay if you don’t want my flowers, I just won’t bring them next time.”

Better acting than him, really?

Luo Yunqing said nothing, just slowly extended his hand filled with various makeup from his costume.

The makeup artist weakly spoke up, “I asked him to help me test the colors, it’s hard to take things.”

Song Xuechen: “…”

Pei Hengzhi: “…”

With a candy in his mouth, Luo Yunqing couldn’t help but laugh, “Senior Sister asked me to hold a throat lozenge to clear my throat, how did it get twisted with you guys?”

“We, we were just in a hurry.” Pei Hengzhi avoided his gaze, turning to take the flowers from Song Xuechen’s hands, “Alright Xiao Xue, the party is about to start, go find a seat with your classmates on the second floor.”

After such a big misunderstanding, Song Xuechen’s face had already turned pale, but he was still unwilling to give up, ignoring Pei Hengzhi’s attempts to stop him, and loudly asked, “Xiao Qing, aren’t you a stutterer? Is it really okay for you to go on stage?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Xia Lin quickly walked over, directly blocking in front of Luo Yunqing, scanning him up and down, “Since we let Yunqing on stage, we’ve already considered it.”

“Is, is that so.” Song Xuechen smiled, “That’s good then.”

A small episode quickly passed.

Everyone continued with their makeup, occasionally interspersed with a few sarcastic discussions:

“He really mistook him for Yunqing.”

“Look at his tea-like words and actions just now, and acting, I didn’t see it at all.”

“After all, he’s just starting college, still needs practice.”

……

Even if the discussions were quiet, Pei Hengzhi could still catch a glimpse from their eyes.

He quickly sent a few messages to Song Xuechen, paused, glanced at the person putting on a wig, and asked, “Have you seen my Second Uncle?”

The party had already started.

The singing performances went on stage first.

After finishing his makeup, Pei Hengzhi waited for a while, not needing to open it to see Song Xuechen’s brief two words “no.”

He hadn’t come, which was good.

Pei Hengzhi got up and left the preparation room, dialing a number:

“Butler Zhang, it’s me, Xiao Heng, is Grandpa there?”

“Nothing much, just suddenly remembered that at noon, Second Uncle mentioned something about chest pain or heart pain.”

“Yeah, he went to the company for a meeting again, and it seems like he hasn’t had a check-up in a few days, I’m worried for him.”

……

Near 7:30, the meeting ended.

Pei Yanli tiredly pinched his brow, glanced at his watch—now was just the right time to head to Jing University.

“Chen Zhao, tell the driver to get the car ready.”

As he maneuvered the wheelchair from behind the desk, the door was knocked on urgently a few times, and an elderly man with a head full of white hair pushed the door open, still panting heavily.

Pei Yanli was puzzled, “Uncle Zhang? Why are you here?”

““Second Master, didn’t I tell you to pay more attention to rest?” The butler stepped behind him, pushing the wheelchair, “After receiving the call, the old master was almost scared to death, and coincidentally, Old Tang came to play chess with the old master, so he asked him to take a look at you.”

“Wait, what call? Who called?” Pei Yanli urgently stopped him, “Uncle Zhang, I have something more important to do right now…”

“No matter how important, it’s not more important than your health.”

Without giving him a chance to say more, the butler directly pushed the wheelchair to the elevator, just in time to meet Chen Zhao, who was returning after delivering materials.

“Uncle Zhang, where are you taking the boss?”

“You said it! I told you to take care of Second Master’s health, and this is how you take care of it!”

Chen Zhao: ???

*

Close to 8:00, the program was about to start.

Luo Yunqing first ran to the back of the stage, sneaking around looking for a wheelchair, but found none on the first or second floor. Even after finding Song Xuechen, he still didn’t see anyone.

Could something have happened on the way?

He quickly sent a message, and when there was no reply, he called Chen Zhao.

Chen Zhao answered quickly, “The old master arranged for Old Tang, an old Chinese doctor, to give the boss a consultation. Sir, please wait, we’ll come as soon as it’s done.”

Luo Yunqing hurriedly asked, “How long will it take?”

“Twenty minutes, no, fifteen minutes, it will be over in fifteen minutes.”

“Even getting here will take twenty minutes. By the time…” Luo Yunqing didn’t continue, pausing for a moment. “Forget it, his health is more important, don’t trouble him.”

“Sir, the boss is in a special situation.”

“I understand, I understand.” Luo Yunqing put away his disappointment. “It’s okay, there will be a next time. Next time, he must come.”

“Sir…”

“Senior Sister is calling me, I have to go.”

After hanging up, Luo Yunqing stood there in a daze for a long time, until applause came from the stage. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

“What? My Second Uncle didn’t come?”

Turning around, Pei Hengzhi was leaning against the stage with his arms crossed.

Luo Yunqing put away his phone and walked towards him.

“Looks like my Second Uncle didn’t…”

His collar was suddenly grabbed and pulled close, all in one swift motion. Luo Yunqing leaned in with a sneer, “Is this the only trick you know?”

“What evidence do you have to say it was me!”

Luo Yunqing pushed him away forcefully, took two steps out, and looked back with a sidelong glance, “Self-incrimination.”

Leaving those words, he returned to the preparation room without looking back.

Pei Hengzhi staggered back, barely catching himself on a support pillar, breaking out in a cold sweat.

That cold, ruthless, murderous look—was that the real Luo Yunqing?

…………

Back in the preparation room, it was only three minutes before the drama club’s program “Summer Tide” was announced on stage.

Luo Yunqing first appeared in costume, with long hair draped down to his waist.

As soon as he appeared, the audience erupted in applause.

Xia Lin was worried he might get stage fright, running to the edge of the stage, tightly gripping her hands, but fortunately, he wasn’t affected by the audience, and his emotions were even more intense than during rehearsals.

To highlight the character’s aloofness, she boldly cut the lines in half, which turned out to be the right decision.

With shorter sentences and his acting, even if there were slight flaws, the audience’s attention wouldn’t linger on the lines for long.

Simply perfect!

But Pei Hengzhi’s performance wasn’t as good as the last rehearsal. What was going on? After all this time, still stage fright?

What was supposed to be a balanced scene gradually became Luo Yunqing’s show, and in the end, Pei Hengzhi almost couldn’t keep up with his eye acting.

Especially after accidentally stabbing the other person, his legs felt like they were filled with lead, and he was a step too slow to catch the person slowly falling.

“He Yue!”

Luo Yunqing clutched his bleeding wound, sneering as he pushed him away. In the background of thunder and lightning, with his back to the roaring sea, he spread his blood-soaked wound and then resolutely leaped.

Just like in a past life.

Thus, the stage play “Summer Tide” came to an end.

After several seconds of silence, applause erupted in the auditorium, far more enthusiastic and intense than at the beginning.

“Baby, you were simply amazing!” Xia Lin couldn’t find words to describe her feelings at the moment.

No regrets, she had no regrets for her entire college life.

“Let’s go, let’s go, after taking off the makeup, we must celebrate.” Xia Lin generously patted her chest. “My treat.”

“Free supper?”

As soon as they heard she was treating, everyone gathered around Xia Lin, “President is generous today.”

“Are you kidding? When have I ever been stingy?” Xia Lin, in a moment of heat, raised her hand without care. “Order whatever you want.”

“Then I want… skewers!”

“Beer!”

“Karaoke!”

“How about we go to Moonlight? Student ID gets a 15% discount!”

And so they went.

After tidying up the props, a group of people either drove or took a taxi straight to Moonlight Bar, booking a super large private room.

Beer came in case after case, skewers and snacks were served one after another, and even someone as tone-deaf as You Jianan, with a squid in his mouth, was making noise.

Fortunately, he was quickly pushed off the stage.

“I sing so well.” You Jianan, after two drinks, was already tipsy, dizzy and disoriented, randomly finding a place to sit.

In front of him, one, two, three, four empty beer bottles quickly piled up, his speed of emptying bottles almost matching his water drinking speed.

Who was this?

He shook his head, following the black pants of the person next to him, slowly looking up, eyes widening, “Yunqing!”

Looking at the fifth empty beer bottle on the table, then at the person, You Jianan was so shocked he could only point with his hand, “You, you…”

“Junior has a good tolerance!” Cheng Xu, after losing three or four rounds of ghost cards, had Xia Lin take over and sat over, completing his sentence.

At this point, the sixth bottle was already empty.

He exhaled, turning his head, “What are you… talking about?”

“Luo Yunqing.” Cheng Xu looked him up and down. “You can’t be drunk, can you?”

Luo Yunqing suddenly gave him a sweet smile, “I’m not drunk.”

Cheng Xu: Great, he’s definitely drunk.

The real Luo Yunqing would never smile at him.

Seeing him reaching for another drink, he quickly stopped him. “Don’t drink anymore. Do you all want me to carry you back?”

One You Jianan was enough.

“Don’t touch me.” Luo Yunqing raised his hand to swat him away, mumbling, “I have a husband, don’t touch me.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t touch.” Cheng Xu raised his hands, half-jokingly saying, “Call your husband to pick you up.”

“Hah!” Pei Hengzhi came over with a beer bottle, sneering from above, “My Second Uncle won’t come to pick you up.”

“You’re lying! He will definitely come to pick me up.”

Luo Yunqing glared at him fiercely, took out his phone, and shakily opened the pinned contact, putting it to his ear.

The ringtone lasted no more than five seconds before a clean “Hello” pierced through the noisy environment and reached his ear.

“Xiao Luo.”

Pei Yanli called out, and Luo Yunqing came back to his senses, nodding repeatedly, completely forgetting that the other person couldn’t see him.

“Will you come to pick me up, please?”

“Where are you?”

“At… at the bar, moon… moonlight!”

“Okay, I’ll have Chen Zhao go.”

“Not him!” Luo Yunqing curled up on the sofa, “I want you, you come to pick me up~”

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

Pei Yanli spoke again, “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Okay!”

Luo Yunqing immediately smiled with his eyes curved.

It was the same smile as that night—was it really Second Uncle on the other end?

“Just wait.” After hanging up, Luo Yunqing raised his chin at him, smugly, “Pei Yanli is coming to pick me up soon.”

“Alright, I’ll wait.”

Fifteen minutes passed quickly.

Luo Yunqing sat back on the sofa, smoothing his messy bangs and straightening his collar. If you didn’t look at his flushed cheeks, no one would think he had already been to the bathroom to throw up once.

“Yay! I won.” Xia Lin reshuffled the cards, glancing over casually, pointing at the person sitting like a jade Buddha. “How long has he been like that?”

“Not long, just about ten minutes.”

Cheng Xu sipped his whiskey and placed it on the table.

The “jade Buddha” finally moved, waving his hand at him, “I don’t drink, thank you.”

Cheng Xu: “…”

“I’ll drink, I’ll drink.” You Jianan hiccupped, grabbing the cup, “I’m just thirsty.”

Cheng Xu: “…”

Two drunkards.

By this time, the agreed time had already passed by two or three minutes. Pei Hengzhi glanced at the time, couldn’t help but laugh and ask, “Fifteen minutes, where is he?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the private room was knocked on and then pushed open.

Luo Yunqing immediately looked up, his eyes full of hope dimming bit by bit when he saw the legs of the person standing on the ground.

Chen Zhao cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt your fun.”

The room instantly fell silent as a chicken.

A pair of drunken eyes looked over.

After speaking, he stepped aside, revealing a wheelchair behind him.

Following the thin blanket draped over the legs all the way up, the man’s eyes were deep, slowly scanning the surroundings.

The smile on Pei Hengzhi’s face hadn’t completely faded, and he was already ashen-faced. “Second Uncle.”

Pei Yanli nodded, then looked at the person next to him.

A white figure swayed left and right, rushing over. “Pei Yanli!”

Pei Yanli reached out to catch him. “Have you been waiting long?”

“No, no waiting.” Luo Yunqing shook his head, hugging him.

Everyone: “…”

“Why did you drink so much? Can you still walk?”

“Yes!”

Luo Yunqing wobbled, took two steps out, and waved at the people in the room, “I’m going, going home now! Bye-bye~”

Until the door to the private room closed again, everyone felt like they were dreaming.

“Oh my! Was that the junior?”

“The cold beauty suddenly changed!”

“I’m not saying, guys, I’ve never seen him smile so happily.”

……

The noise grew louder and louder, and someone even imitated Luo Yunqing’s last unusually soft “bye-bye.”

Struggling to get him into the car, Chen Zhao broke out in a sweat, cautiously asking from the front seat, “Boss, are we going back to the Old Residence?”

If the old master knew, he’d come over in the middle of the night to see his future daughter-in-law—no, son-in-law now.

“No, go to Four Seasons Cloud Top.”

The Maybach immediately changed direction, heading to the seaside villa on the outskirts of the city.

After getting in the car, Luo Yunqing quietly leaned against him and closed his eyes. Chen Zhao occasionally glanced back, sighing, “I guess it’s because you didn’t get to see his performance, he’s feeling down.”

The phone call before the performance—he could hear how disappointed he was.

Pei Yanli slightly turned, carefully cradling his cheek in his arms, and when they returned to Four Seasons Cloud Top, he said to Chen Zhao, “Look into what happened tonight.”

“Do you think it was intentional?”

Pei Yanli nodded, covering him with a blanket. “Ask Uncle Zhang.”

“Okay.” Chen Zhao responded, pointing at the person on the bed. “Then… sir, you’ll have to take care of him yourself.”

With that, he left quickly.

Not giving Pei Yanli a chance to speak.

Pei Yanli had no choice but to drive himself to the bathroom, wet a towel, wring it out, and bring it back—only to find that the person who had been lying quietly suddenly sat up.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable? I’ll call a doctor…”

The wheelchair was stuck at the edge of the bed, and Luo Yunqing suddenly threw off the blanket and rushed over to hug him. “Why did you take so long to come!”

Pei Yanli was stunned, gently patting his back.

“Sorry.”

“For so long, you didn’t know how to enter my dreams— is it hard to get in?”

“Enter your dreams?” Pei Yanli took his hands off his neck, patiently wiping his face, following his words, “Okay, it’s my fault. Next time, I’ll enter your dreams earlier. Let’s wipe your face and hands first, okay?”

“Will you still be here after wiping?”

“Yes, always here.”

Luo Yunqing obediently leaned his face against the towel, wiping once, then raising his head.

After two times, he stopped.

“Why don’t you miss me at all? Is there someone else over there?”

Over there? Someone else?

What is all this?

Pei Yanli chuckled, shaking his head, coaxing, “No one else, only you.”

“I don’t believe it!”

He asked good-naturedly, “Then what will make you believe?”

“Kiss me.”

“Like you usually do.”

“…Forget it, I’ll do it.”