Chapter 21

That night, Pei Qing didn’t leave; he stayed in Mo Yin’s room overnight.

This wasn’t particularly unusual; both of them were boys, and their relationship was normally quite good. Pei Jingyou didn’t even ask, he left after breakfast for some other business. Pei Mingshu sat across from them, his expression neither good nor bad, sipping his coffee lightly.

Pei Qing put down his utensils, and Mo Yin quickly followed suit.

Without a word, Pei Qing pushed Mo Yin’s wheelchair out of the room. Mo Yin kept his head low, seeming afraid to look at Pei Mingshu.

After the two left the dining room, Pei Mingshu put down his coffee cup.

The sound of the ceramic cup hitting the table made the servants shudder, and they realized that the atmosphere in the dining room today seemed particularly cold.

Pei Qing dropped Mo Yin off at school and kissed him goodbye in the car.

The relationship between the two had changed again. Mo Yin could feel that Pei Qing was reluctant to leave him, but there was also a much stronger possessiveness than before.

Indeed, Pei Qing held his hand and kissed his finger, saying, “I’ll come pick you up after class.”

“No need, you’re so busy with work.”

Pei Qing didn’t respond, he got out of the car to open the door for Mo Yin.

Today’s weather was colder than yesterday. Mo Yin wore the scarf Pei Qing had given him last New Year’s, quietly taking notes in class.

The classroom was on the third floor, a trapezoidal room with windows on two sides in the shape of a cross. The sunlight streamed into the classroom, shining brightly and warmly on the desks. Mo Yin’s pen tip glided across the paper quietly, his expression calm. Because he didn’t show much expression, he seemed gentle with a hint of coldness. However, his eyes were slightly swollen, and suddenly, it seemed like he noticed a scrutinizing gaze behind him and turned to look at the back door.

Pei Mingshu stood at the back door of the classroom, hands behind his back, wearing a dark coat, looking elegant and tall. He stood in a concealed position, and the professor in the classroom didn’t notice him, only Mo Yin, diagonally across, saw him.

Their eyes met, and Mo Yin lowered his head in panic, his hand trembling, causing the pen tip to slide off.

It was as if he heard the sound of paper being torn.

Mo Yin noticed him but didn’t look at him again. He turned his head back, but this time, he couldn’t resist looking back again.

This time, his gaze was even shorter, and he quickly turned back.

When he looked back for the third time and saw that Pei Mingshu was still standing outside the classroom, he turned his head down again.

He pushed his wheelchair to the back door of the classroom. Mo Yin kept his head down and whispered, “What are you doing here?”

Pei Mingshu looked down at the two buns on top of his head and said, “I’m here to pick you up after class.”

Mo Yin clenched the armrest of the wheelchair, his tone a bit harsh, “Pei Qing will come to pick me up.”

“So I came early.”

“…”

Mo Yin raised his head, looking a bit angry, and Pei Mingshu leaned over, his face handsome and gentle, “I want to talk to you alone.”

“We… have nothing to talk about…”

Mo Yin’s expression and tone became even more subdued.

“I don’t think so.”

Mo Yin looked at Pei Mingshu again, pursing his lips, “You can go. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Pei Mingshu remained silent for a moment, speaking gently, “Since you don’t want to talk to me, why did you come out then?”

“You—”

Mo Yin’s cheeks flushed, seemingly angry and annoyed. He furrowed his brows, seemingly struggling. Pei Mingshu patiently waited, and eventually, Mo Yin reluctantly said, “Okay.”

There was still more than half an hour before class ended, and Mo Yin went back to tidy up his books.

A University is quite lenient, with students often leaving or entering the classroom mid-lecture, and the professors generally don’t mind.

Mo Yin pushed his wheelchair towards the elevator, and Pei Mingshu went down with him. After reaching the ground floor, Pei Mingshu took over pushing Mo Yin’s wheelchair, and Mo Yin silently let go of the control, allowing Pei Mingshu to take him to a secluded spot.

Underneath two giant crimson maple trees, the bench was covered with fallen leaves. Pei Mingshu brushed off the leaves and wiped the surface of the bench with a handkerchief before sitting down. Mo Yin sat beside him, gazing quietly at the brick-red building not far away.

Pei Mingshu crossed one leg over the other, placing his palm on his knee, adopting the same posture as he would in his study at home. He turned his shoulder slightly towards Mo Yin’s direction. “I’m sorry. I hurt you.”

Mo Yin stared ahead, unaffected.

Pei Mingshu looked at him with a mixture of affection and pain.

Mo Yin couldn’t bear it after being looked at like that for a while. He turned his head and said, “Please don’t always pity me like this.”

Pei Mingshu was taken aback.

Mo Yin’s face tensed up, his hands tightly gripping the wheelchair. Rarely, he showed a strong and calm side in front of Pei Mingshu. “From the beginning, you’ve been pitying me.”

“In your eyes, am I just like an injured stray cat or dog on the street? You’re just taking care of me out of sympathy. Our status and identity are worlds apart. Even if you don’t say it, I should already understand. So, you have nothing to apologize for. You’re just speaking the truth. It’s me…” Mo Yin paused, facing Pei Mingshu’s gaze. “You don’t need to feel sorry for me anymore. Even if you don’t mention it, I’ve moved on.”

Pei Mingshu quietly watched him. Although Mo Yin’s expression seemed flawless, Pei Mingshu sensed that he was just pretending to bid farewell.

He decided to give up.

Give up on the thoughts that shouldn’t have existed.

As he made this decision, he realized it was partly because of Mo Yin’s own courage and self-esteem, but also because Mo Yin had stimulated him to the point of complete despair.

“Do you really move on?” Pei Mingshu said lightly.

Mo Yin’s expression seemed to crack for a moment, but then he quickly composed himself, pretending as if nothing had happened. “I’m doing well with Pei Qing now.”

Before, he never mentioned Pei Qing in front of Pei Mingshu.

Now, he seemed to be deliberately reminding himself.

“He’s good to me, and I’m satisfied. He’ll take care of me for a lifetime. He’s not just pitying me, he… he likes me…” Mo Yin’s voice lowered, his expression becoming somewhat confused as if he were trying to convince himself rather than dissuade Pei Ming Shu.

Pei Mingshu saw him like this, feeling indescribable emotions.

He felt as if something was being destroyed, and this destruction was like,”I didn’t kill Beren, but Beren died because of me.” He had stimulated Mo Yin to the point where he wanted to self-destruct.

“What about you?” Pei Mingshu asked lightly. “Do you like him?”

Mo Yin’s lips parted slightly, his gaze somewhat vacant as he looked ahead. His Adam’s apple rolled slightly as if he were about to respond, but even a simple “yes” couldn’t come out.

An unspoken silence spread between them.

After a while, Mo Yin seemed to come back to himself. He forced a smile and said in a hazy voice, “What’s it to you?”

Pei Mingshu placed his hands on his knees, his fingers curling and uncurling. Unlike Pei Qing, he wouldn’t act impulsively. He wouldn’t make a decision until he had considered everything carefully. Coming to the school today to find Mo Yin had already violated his usual way of doing things.

Because he was really worried, he couldn’t let go of Mo Yin.

Was it really just out of pity?

If that were really the case…

Where did those strange feelings and intense heartbeats come from?

Pei Mingshu focused his gaze, but Mo Yin seemed unable to bear being looked at like that. He pushed the wheelchair towards the path.

Pei Mingshu silently watched Mo Yin’s thin figure getting farther and farther away, a strong sense of loss gripping his heart. Before he could think, he had already put down his long legs and walked towards the direction Mo Yin was leaving.

The wheelchair stopped.

Mo Yin looked up at the person blocking him, his expression somewhat lost and a bit desolate.

He seemed to be tormented, his brows furrowed lightly. “Pei Mingshu, can you please stop doing this?”

Pei Mingshu looked down at him, his gaze sliding from Mo Yin’s beautiful eyebrows to his high nose bridge and thin lips…

Mo Yin gently turned his face away, avoiding Pei Mingshu’s gaze.

But Pei Mingshu’s gaze stopped at the exposed side of Mo Yin’s neck.

Pei Mingshu bent down, his finger lightly touching Mo Yin’s neck. Mo Yin hesitated for a moment before belatedly covering his neck with his palm. It was where Pei Qing had left a kiss mark last night.

Pei Mingshu turned his face to look at him, his gaze questioning.

Mo Yin’s face flushed red and then turned pale in turns. Finally, he calmed down and said calmly, “This is none of your business.”

His phone alarm went off.

Mo Yin quickly picked up his phone, glanced at Pei Mingshu, and then let go of his hand as if he had given up. “Pei Qing is coming to pick me up. I’m leaving,” he said abruptly, then glanced at Pei Mingshu again and said coldly, “I don’t want Pei Qing to know that you came to see me.”

Similar words, but a completely different tone.

Pei Mingshu watched Mo Yin leave.

The autumn wind was bleak, and the winter chill was slowly creeping in. Even though the sun was shining brightly, the coldness couldn’t be dispelled.

Pei Mingshu had always been decisive and never hesitated. He had left his father and lived abroad alone at a young age. He was someone who always followed his heart and never went against his own will. If Pei Qing was burdened with guilt, he was the opposite. He had never owed anyone anything.

But now, he owed Mo Yin.

He owed him a heart that had been offered to him but inadvertently overturned by his own hand.

Unruly emotions gathered in his chest. Pei Mingshu sat back on the bench heavily, his expression calm yet disturbed. He felt both troubled and strangely real, making it hard to let go.

*

As soon as Mo Yin saw Pei Qing, he nervously told him, “Pei Mingshu came to see me.”

Pei Qing’s entire face darkened instantly.

Mo Yin tugged at his sleeve, speaking softly, “He said strange things, some of which I understood, and some I didn’t. Pei Qing, what does he mean?”

Pei Qing said, “Don’t pay attention to him.”

Mo Yin nodded, still looking worried.

Pei Qing held his hand firmly. “Don’t worry, I’m here. Nothing will happen.”

The deed was done, and further dwelling on right or wrong was meaningless.

After all, right and wrong depend on one’s perspective. To Pei Mingshu, Mo Yin had done something wrong, but to him, Mo Yin had done it out of love.

Pei Qing drove calmly, appearing unaffected compared to Mo Yin’s restlessness. Unlike his previous icy and indifferent demeanor, he now exuded a mature and self-assured aura.

Mo Yin hadn’t visited Pei Qing’s office for a while. There were some new faces outside the office, and Mo Yin even ran into some people from Pei Mingshu’s side. When those people saw him, their gazes changed. Mo Yin lowered his head in avoidance, and when Pei Qing glanced over, they all quickly looked away.

After closing the office door, Pei Qing cupped Mo Yin’s face and kissed his cheeks, forehead, and every other spot on his face, as if comforting him. Mo Yin smiled at him, but it was still somewhat forced.

Perhaps cooperating on the case had been impulsive. After doing it, he might have been restless and anxious alone.

Pei Qing wanted Mo Yin to stay by his side to calm his mind.

What’s done is done, and there’s no need to worry about it.

Ultimately, it was also Pei Mingshu’s negligence. He had never been wary of Mo Yin. Thinking of this, Pei Qing felt uncomfortable. As a bystander, he saw everything clearly, and Pei Mingshu treated Mo Yin differently from ordinary people.

They were about to have a meeting soon. Pei Qing instructed Mo Yin, “Call me if anything happens. I’ll come.”

Mo Yin murmured in agreement, reluctant to let go of Pei Qing’s hand. Pei Qing also held his hand until he got up to leave.

After the office door closed again, Mo Yin sat for a while before reaching for the folder Pei Qing had left on the table.

There was a knock on the door. Mo Yin said, “Who is it?”

A middle-aged man with a very proper appearance entered when the door was opened. He looked surprised when he saw Mo Yin. “Isn’t Mr. Xiao Pei here?”

“He’s gone to a meeting.”

“Oh, then I’ll come in and wait.”

Mo Yin nodded.

The man entered the office, closed the door, and sat on the sofa at a distance from Mo Yin.

Both remained silent. The office was very quiet. After about three to five minutes, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but smile and looked at Mo Yin. “You really have good composure.”

If Mo Yin hadn’t contacted him recently, Zhang Huachao would have thought they were strangers.

Mo Yin lowered his head and flipped through the documents. “I’ve always been a patient person. Didn’t Mr. Zhang know that already?”