AFAILIAST CHAPTER 4

Chapter 4 — Then Let’s Get the Certificate and Get Married

On the thirteenth floor of the office building, Guan Nan recounted the strange encounter word for word to Chu Tinghan.

“He really said that?” Chu Tinghan set down his work and lifted his eyes in surprise.

“Yeah.” Standing a step away, Guan Nan cleared his throat with great ceremony and reenacted the scene. “He said, ‘I… I’ve changed. I want to… live a good life with him.’”

To keep it accurate, Guan Nan even imitated how Pei Ji had stuttered from nerves.
He did not quite capture the expression, but the tone was identical. When he finished, he straightened his back, clearly waiting for praise.

Chu Tinghan studied him for a moment, then suddenly let out a quiet laugh and arched a brow. “Have him come up.”

Come… up???

Weren’t they done with Pei Ji for good?

He had already sent the man away exactly as instructed…

He had even told Pei Ji, righteous and stern, that Chu Tinghan never wanted any ties with him again and that they would never meet in this life.

He had been so firm about it that he had nearly grabbed a stick to drive Pei Ji off.

So why agree to see him now?

Seeing Guan Nan frozen in place, Chu Tinghan prompted, “Why are you standing there? Go get him.”

Guan Nan turned to stone, his face about to crack. He forced a bitter smile. “Um… Pei Ji… already left.”

The instant he said it, his ramrod-straight posture sagged. He even retreated a few steps without drawing attention to it.

“Weren’t you the one who did not want to see him?” he asked, swallowing hard.

“When did I ever say that?” Chu Tinghan’s expression did not change, but his voice could freeze bone.

Guan Nan hunched his shoulders and lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes. He mumbled like a mosquito, “He was so cold to you before. I figured you definitely wouldn’t want to see him…”

Chu Tinghan was speechless, anger rising inch by inch.

But the man was already gone. Getting mad would change nothing.

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he thought for a moment. “Tell Aunt Zhang I’m going home tonight.”

For days he had slept in the company lounge to save time while preparing for the concert. But now this had come up out of the blue, and he could not focus on work at all. He only wanted to hurry home and see Pei Ji.

It was the first time in years he had seen Pei Ji lower his head and soften, saying he wanted to live a good life together.

The surprise felt like a pie dropping from the heavens.

There was no way he was missing a chance like this.

Just thinking about it put him in a good mood, his lips lifting on their own.

Then, right before his eyes, Guan Nan took another step back, so far he was about to do the splits.

A bad sign.

Sure enough, Guan Nan stammered, voice shaking, “Um… right after he was discharged, Pei Ji moved out. He probably isn’t staying at that house now.”

The smile on Chu Tinghan’s face froze. “He moved out?”

He stood up and stepped in front of Guan Nan, urgency in his tone. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?”

He had been minding his career and neglected his home, and in the blink of an eye his beloved had slipped away.

Guan Nan swallowed and coughed. “I… didn’t have time to tell you yet.”

Chu Tinghan ground his teeth and stared at him for a long while, at a loss for how to vent his anger.

Guan Nan’s brain whirred as he searched for any way to save himself. “He left today, yes, but I have a feeling he’ll be back to see you.”

Chu Tinghan glanced at him, a cold, self-mocking smile tugging at his lips. “He won’t come.”

“He will,” Guan Nan insisted, neck stiff with determination to survive. “He’ll come.”

Chu Tinghan looked displeased and baffled by this confidence. He sighed, indifferent. “He is proud to the bone. He would rather break than bend. After the way you spoke to him, with his personality, he will never come back.”

Guan Nan still said the same thing: “He’ll come.”

The Pei Ji he saw today was nothing like before. His eyes were clear, his attitude sincere, even his temper seemed gentler. The gloom that used to cling to him had brightened into youthful energy, like a newcomer filled with hope.

And he had said it himself, he would take responsibility. He had sounded serious, not like he was joking.

So Guan Nan had a hunch that even if he hit a wall, Pei Ji would return.

---

The next afternoon, Guan Nan went downstairs to buy medicine for Chu Tinghan. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he spotted a familiar figure.

Pei Ji stood with the light at his back, the warm sun outlining his tall frame.

To Guan Nan, it looked like a hero making his entrance in a movie.

He dashed over in a few long strides, nearly crying with relief.

His savior had finally arrived!

Someone popped up in front of him so suddenly that Pei Ji froze for a second.

Before he could process it, the man grabbed his hand and shook it enthusiastically.

“What a coincidence, Brother Pei. We meet again.” Guan Nan was smiling so hard it looked like he had flowers blooming on his face.

The “Brother Pei” stunned Pei Ji.

Yesterday this same man had told him not to act familiar, and today he was calling him brother.

Pei Ji curved his lips into a pleasant smile. “Brother Guan—”

Before he could finish, Guan Nan cut in, patting his shoulder with flattering cheer. “Hey, don’t call me Brother Guan. Too formal. Just call me Guan Nan.”

Pei Ji’s expression tightened slightly. He had no idea what had made Guan Nan’s attitude do a full three-sixty.

“You’re here to see Mr. Chu, right? I’ll take you up.” Guan Nan squeezed his hand with all his might, afraid he would run.

“Oh. Okay.” Pei Ji nodded, still a bit dazed.

After a couple of steps, he noticed the plastic bag in Guan Nan’s other hand. Inside were what looked like medicine boxes.

He pointed. “What’s that?”

“Mr. Chu’s medicine,” Guan Nan explained. “The pharmacy messed up and gave me the wrong one. I was just going to exchange it.”

“He’s sick?” Pei Ji asked, surprised.

So he could worry about someone now. This alone shocked Guan Nan. He waved a hand. “Nothing serious. These days he has no appetite and keeps dry heaving. Probably his stomach acting up. Don’t worry too much.”

“…Dry heaving?” Pei Ji stumbled, his left foot tripping over his right.

In his mind, dry heaving usually came along with pregnancy.

Which meant… could Chu Tinghan—

He did not dare finish the thought.

A two-year-old child was already hard enough to accept. If there was another baby in Chu Tinghan’s belly, he might actually want to die.

His future self was really a piece of work…

Pei Ji felt his spirits collapse.

So was he sent seven years ahead to stop the damage and atone?

Heaven help him. He was just a high school graduate!

“Ding—” The elevator reached the thirteenth floor.

Head down, feet heavy, Pei Ji followed Guan Nan forward.

He did not raise his head until they stepped into Chu Tinghan’s office.

Pei Ji stood at the door and looked at the handsome man only five steps away.

It was as if the man had not heard them come in. From the moment Pei Ji entered, he did not even lift an eyelid. His attitude was icy, as if Pei Ji did not exist.

They remained like that for a while. Pei Ji stood there, unsure what to say, and the moment turned awkward.

The air felt strangely tense.

Frowning, Guan Nan shot a look at Chu Tinghan, who was still calmly flipping through a stack of paper files. A whole line of question marks marched through his head.

So we’re acting now???

Who was it, again, who almost ran out the door yesterday the second he heard Pei Ji had left? And today he was playing it cold?

Unbelievable…

Snark aside, his boss’s public persona in the industry was that of a cool, aloof god of song.
As an assistant, Guan Nan could only play along.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice. “Mr. Chu, Pei Ji is here.”

Mr. Chu still did not look up. He leafed through the documents at an unhurried pace. Only after a long moment did he close the file and respond with a distant, noncommittal hum.

Guan Nan: “…”

With acting like this, it was a shame he was not in film.

The office was so quiet it was unnerving. Since Chu Tinghan did not speak, Pei Ji felt pins pricking his back. His heart had climbed right into his throat.

After a while, Chu Tinghan finally lifted his gaze and looked over coolly. His long, slender fingers tapped the desk, one beat at a time. His tone was flat. “Do you need something from me?”

Those narrow phoenix eyes revealed nothing. Unable to read him, Pei Ji chose his words carefully. “We should talk about what happened between us.”

A moment later, he heard a soft, cold laugh, followed by a voice without inflection. “Didn’t we already fall out long ago? What is there to talk about?”

“The past is the past. Now is now,” Pei Ji said, eyes clear and sincere. “I’ve changed. Let’s start over and live a good life.”

He glanced toward Chu Tinghan, wanting to see his reaction.

But most of the man’s face was blocked by the laptop screen. He could not see the whole expression, only the hair falling across his shoulder.

With each movement, those strands brushed against the suit jacket, swaying like the tail of a small animal. It made Pei Ji’s heart itch.

At this terribly inappropriate moment, a ridiculous thought drifted across his mind, at least his sugar daddy was not some bald, middle-aged boss.

If he looked like Chu Tinghan, then maybe having a rich patron was not the worst thing in the world.

“Live a good life?” Chu Tinghan lifted a brow, clearly skeptical.

“Yes.” Pei Ji nodded, solemn. “I will be responsible to you and to the child.”

The child?

At those words, Chu Tinghan paused, then curved his lips. His smile did not reach his eyes. “Didn’t expect you to take responsibility for a child.”

To Pei Ji’s ears, it sounded like mockery.

But considering everyone said he was an irresponsible jerk, he could not say Chu Tinghan was wrong.

So he did not get angry.

After thinking a moment, he said seriously, “A child’s environment matters a lot, especially having a complete family. He is only two and will not remember much yet. This is the right time to fix things.”

He spoke from the heart. He had been mulling over this for days.

When he was little, he had wished for a warm, happy family. He had finally gotten one, only for it to break apart again.

Because he had been a child without a home, he did not want his own child to be the same.

He would not let his child repeat his mistakes. He would take responsibility and give the child a home.

Besides…

He and Chu Tinghan had been passionately involved for two years in secret. He could not just say “got bored” and throw the man away.

That was outrageous. He could not stomach it.

He had to be responsible to Chu Tinghan, who had given two years of genuine feeling, and to himself, who refused to be a scumbag.

Clearing his throat, Pei Ji stepped closer and lowered his head to meet Chu Tinghan’s eyes. “Can we live a good life from now on?”

Maybe because he was nervous, his long lashes trembled as he spoke.

Chu Tinghan leaned back slightly, watching him at leisure. After a moment, a meaningful smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Alright.”

Hearing the agreement, Pei Ji’s eyes lit up and his lips curved before he could stop them.

The next second, a tug sent his upper body tilting forward.

Chu Tinghan had caught him by the tie, smiling with a hint of mischief.

Pei Ji wobbled and braced a hand against the chair back by Chu Tinghan’s head, barely keeping himself from falling into his arms.

Warm breath brushed his face, and the calm mask he had struggled to keep shattered in an instant.

Unruffled, Chu Tinghan slowly straightened and leaned in. The corner of his mouth tipped upward, his voice low and coaxing. “Then let’s get the certificate first. We’ll get married.”

He narrowed his eyes and smiled like a fox who had just gotten his way.

Pei Ji stared into those beautiful eyes and felt his heart skip a beat.

They were too close. Their warm breaths mingled. The mood turned inexplicably intimate.

He could not stand the directness of Chu Tinghan’s gaze. He looked away, murmuring a quiet “mm.”

The room was even quieter with no one speaking, until he could almost hear both of their hearts pounding like drums.

His palms grew damp. For the first time, he realized how clearly he could hear his own heartbeat.

Along with it came a strange sensation…

Almost like the feeling of having walked into a trap.

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