Chapter 14 The Cowardly Tutor and the Arrogant Young Master

About an hour later, Luo Yan was feeling a bit tired. Her throat was dry, so she called out to the maid. Though slightly embarrassed, she expressed her desire to rest for a moment.

The maid curled her lips into a faint smile, glancing around. The trees formed a canopy overhead, making it difficult for anyone inside to discern the direction. Not far off, the occasional rustling of leaves could be heard, as if small animals were moving through the brush, a reminder of how isolated this place was.

The maid took a few steps back, increasing the distance between herself and Luo Yan.

Luo Yan fanned her face with her hand. Even though it was summer, the woods weren’t too hot; in fact, they were somewhat cool. Still, due to thirst, a few beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

She wanted to suggest to the maid that they could return now.

But the maid had different ideas, assuring Luo Yan that there was a rest area nearby where they could get supplies.

“Miss Luo, please rest here for a while. I’ll be right back, but don’t wander off.”

“Huh?” Luo Yan’s eyes showed confusion as she tried to stop the departing maid. However, the maid left so quickly that her figure soon disappeared.

Luo Yan had no choice but to sit in the shade under a large tree. A light breeze swept by, carrying a faint hazelnut-scented floral fragrance. Luo Yan sneezed, rubbing her nose. “Hazelnut flowers in this season? Impossible… My nose must be playing tricks on me.”

As for the maid, she didn’t go to any supply point—because there wasn’t one. She headed straight back to the Pei residence.

On her way back, the maid felt a pang of anxiety, her heart pounding. She clutched her chest, trying to calm herself: “It’s fine. All I did was leave her to get bitten by mosquitoes for an hour. I’ll go find her later and say the supplies were out, so I had to return to the residence. Worst case, I’ll claim I got lost. With Luo Yan’s personality, she won’t overthink it.”

Thinking of Luo Yan’s meek personality, the maid couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Tch, such a pushover—what is she even pretending for? How did Young Master Pei Yao ever take a liking to someone like her? Ridiculous!”

A wave of jealousy washed over her, and she thought bitterly, “Maybe I should just leave her on that mountain. She can find her own way down, right? Hmph.”

…

Pei Yao drove his newly bought silver sports car, feeling utterly bored. His mind wandered back to thoughts of his soft little tutor.

It wasn’t until he arrived at the club his group of friends frequented that he reluctantly let one of them pull him out of the car.

A friend draped his arm around Pei Yao’s neck, teasing him, “Well, well, if it isn’t the busy man himself, Young Master Pei! Word is you’ve been caught up with a little lover lately, drowning in sweet bliss every day?”

“Get lost.” Pei Yao swatted away his friend’s hand. “What lover? She’s my wife, alright?”

“Oh, wow, that’s new.” His friend clicked his tongue. “And you don’t bring her out to show us? Come on, let the boys see what kind of beauty has tied you down so tight!”

Walking along with them, Pei Yao replied nonchalantly, “Show my wife to you lot? In your dreams.”

Laughing and joking, the group swiped their cards and made their way to the private room they’d reserved earlier.

“Surprise—”

As soon as Pei Yao pushed the door open, a bunch of people rushed up, holding beers, clearly ready to punish him for being late. Pei Yao instantly felt his stomach churn.

“Shit, you lot! First thing you do when we meet is try to drown me in booze?” Pei Yao cursed, though he still grabbed a drink, raised his neck, and downed it in one gulp.

He pushed away a scantily clad girl who tried to get close, scolding the group of spoiled rich kids around him, “Don’t try to drag me into your sleazy games. You guys can play your own fun, but leave me out of it.”

“What’s up with you?”

“Has Young Master Pei really been tamed?”

“What kind of lover could drain all of Young Master Pei’s energy?”

“Exactly, exactly…”

The private room was a cacophony of voices, filled with smoke and the usual rowdiness. Pei Yao’s old gang of troublemaking friends hadn’t seen him in a while, and they were all overly enthusiastic about his sudden romantic involvement. Their banter and questions swirled around him like a storm, making his head throb.

Annoyed, Pei Yao pinched the bridge of his nose and repeated the line he had used before to brush them off: “She’s my true love, okay?”

“We’re definitely getting married. I’ll bring her around someday, so stop gossiping. Now, let’s drink.”

Pei Yao had no desire to discuss anything further about Luo Yan. Joke’s on them—she was his wife, and there were some things he wasn’t about to share with outsiders. He picked up a glass, deciding to drown their nosy questions in alcohol.

But just then, an unwelcome voice cut through the chatter.

“Oh? True love? Young Master Pei is so young—how could he possibly know what true love is?”

The moment those words were spoken, the entire room fell silent, as if someone had hit the mute button. Everyone exchanged uneasy glances, quickly trying to laugh it off, clinking their glasses and making jokes, hoping to sweep the awkwardness under the rug.

But Pei Yao wasn’t having any of it. His gaze darkened as he fixed his eyes on the person who had spoken.

The man in question was lounging with a young boy in his arms, his hand idly slipping into the boy’s V-neck shirt. He was a figure of some prominence in their circle, the second son of a wealthy family, and had recently gotten engaged. His relationship with Pei Yao had always been lukewarm at best.

Pei Yao narrowed his eyes, feeling the alcohol surge through his system. Just as he loosened his collar, someone tugged at his arm—his close friend.

“Pei Yao, let it go…” his friend whispered. “Don’t bother with him. His parents just set him up with a fiancée, you know the deal.” Leaning in closer, his friend added in a low voice, “It’s a business marriage—they forced him to break up with his boyfriend.”

“He’s probably feeling pretty miserable right now, so let’s not stir things up.”

“Hmph.” Pei Yao snorted after hearing the backstory. He shot a cold glance at the man and sneered, “Is the guy he’s groping now not his little boyfriend, though?”

“Playing around like this—what kind of man does that?” Pei Yao made sure everyone in the room could hear his remark.

“You!” The man released the boy and stood up, his face contorted with anger. “You don’t understand anything! You have no idea what I’ve been through!”

“Oh? I don’t understand?” Pei Yao set down his glass and stood up too. “If you had any guts, you’d break off the engagement and elope with your boyfriend.”

“The world’s a big place—run off to the ends of the earth where no one can control you. But you don’t have the balls. You’re too attached to your family’s money, and now you’ve got the nerve to talk about love? What I don’t understand is whether you’re whining about abandoning your so-called true love to come here and drink with boys, or whether you think I don’t get how you have a fiancée but still act like a scumbag in your private life.”

“You’re the ultimate coward. A champion among losers. Stop making excuses. If you’re mad, take it out on your parents and your in-laws.”

Pei Yao cursed under his breath, shoving aside anyone who tried to stop him as he stormed toward the door.

Damn it. He knew he shouldn’t have come to this gathering.