PHM chapter 9

The interaction with VIC only caused a brief wave of excitement among the fans and did not create much of a stir. If there was anything worth mentioning, it was probably that Pei Yuxing liked the Weibo posts where they interacted with each other.

Not only Ren Xiao’s, but Yan Xi’s as well.

Fortunately, VIC was a boy group that Stairway Studio was heavily invested in cultivating. It wasn’t difficult to understand why their boss would check his employees’ Weibo posts during his free time and casually help promote them.

Still, Yan Xi was left with lingering apprehension. “Don’t ‘accidentally’ like anything again.”

Pei Yuxing glanced sideways at him. “You followed me.”

And he couldn’t even follow his own husband.

Yan Xi smiled.

When he thought about it, there was probably no one in the entertainment industry who could make him feel wronged. In the end, he had simply stumbled when it came to marriage.

However, thanks to this variety show, Brother Feng managed to get them onto a Chinese-culture-themed variety show called Chinese Poetry and Culture Conference, which was organized by the government.

Yan Xi was surprised. “How did we even get a spot on something organized by the government?”

“Although the government is spearheading it, it’s being broadcast online, and the production team isn’t entirely government-run. There’s plenty of behind-the-scenes stuff going on,” Brother Feng said. “And don’t be picky. It’s only the final two episodes of this season anyway. Just get your faces out there and let people remember you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even make it onto the Spring Festival Gala someday.”

He really would promise them anything.

Yan Xi didn’t mind. Chinese traditional culture was one of his strengths, so he probably wouldn’t embarrass himself too badly.

Lin Yi flipped through the page introducing the judges, his brows furrowing tightly. “This one’s a university professor, that one’s the dean of a literature department, and there’s even a scholar specializing in history and culture… Help, isn’t this basically going to school?”

Xia Zefan laughed mockingly. “Dream on. Do you think you could meet these people just by going to school? Did you even score 600 on your college entrance exam?”

Lin Yi retorted, “I’m taking the college entrance exam next year!”

Then he looked at Yan Xi. “Bro, isn’t your grandfather a university professor too? Does he know any of the teachers on the show? Could you contact them and ask them to go easy on us when they make the questions?”

“Give it a rest. If he really knew someone, would we still be stuck at this level?” Xia Zefan’s mocking skills remained undiminished. “Why don’t you go back and dig out your Chinese textbook and read it a couple more times? Maybe you’ll get lucky and hit the answer by accident.”

Yan Xi looked at the guest list and honestly said, “I don’t know.”

Besides practicing calligraphy and tending to his flowers, Old Mr. Yan Peili also enjoyed playing a little mahjong. He had enough mahjong friends to fill several tables, but unfortunately, Yan Xi didn’t know any of them.

Brother Feng couldn’t stand listening anymore. “Stop overthinking it. It’s a small variety show, but their main purpose is to promote traditional Chinese culture. All the judges are impressive figures. Don’t make things difficult for your brother.”

Yan Xi smiled and didn’t say anything more. He asked, “When is the filming?”

“Next week.” Brother Feng looked at him. “Don’t stay away too long to visit family. Come back early and don’t let it interfere with your schedule.”

Yan Xi said, “Got it. I know what I’m doing.”

After Pei Yuxing posted that WeChat Moments update last time, Madam Yin Shanglan had asked the two of them to come home and stay for a couple of days. Pei Yuxing had ignored her.

As a result, she called Yan Xi instead. He wasn’t as thick-skinned as Pei Yuxing, and after she said only a few words, Yan Xi gave in.

Besides, the two of them had only met their parents once since getting together. They hadn’t even gone home after registering their marriage, so Yan Xi couldn’t think of a reason to refuse.

He turned to Pei Yuxing for help. The man put down the script in his hands and looked up at him, a pair of plain glasses resting on his face.

Yan Xi clasped his hands in a pleading gesture and bent at the waist, looking completely helpless.

Pei Yuxing placed the script aside, rested his elbow on the armrest, and propped his chin up with his middle finger. A soft chuckle escaped his throat.

He watched his young husband floundering helplessly with amusement.

He understood perfectly well that Yin Shanglan had seized upon Yan Xi’s soft spot. Taking advantage of the fact that she was his mother, she knew Yan Xi simply couldn’t refuse any of her requests.

The young man was still too thin-skinned. He didn’t know how to politely deflect people.

In the end, Pei Yuxing didn’t make Yan Xi wait too long. How could he bear to let him remain anxious?

“Go home if the timing works.”

……

Madam Yin Shanglan and Pei’s father did not live in Jincheng. Once her career had stabilized, she moved out of the Pei family home with her husband and returned to her hometown, Licheng, where they settled down. The climate there was springlike all year round, making it an ideal place for rest and relaxation.

The moment he stepped off the plane, a chill washed over him.

It had been nearly forty degrees in Jincheng when they left, and Yan Xi had only been wearing a short-sleeved shirt. He had left his jacket draped over a chair in the living room and forgotten to take it, so his arms were a little cold now.

To avoid being photographed, he and Pei Yuxing had traveled separately. The man was on the noon flight and wouldn’t land for another hour.

Wearing a white baseball cap and mask, Yan Xi went to collect the luggage by himself.

Licheng Airport was bustling. Tourists heading here were everywhere, and Yan Xi waited in line for a long time before finally getting their luggage.

He then dragged both suitcases to a fast-food restaurant to rest and ordered a cup of coffee. The restaurant was currently holding a VIC collaboration event, and a staff member gave him a card.

Yan Xi scratched it open and found a chibi version of Ren Xiao.

He smiled and couldn’t resist taking a photo and sending it to the man.

Of course, he wouldn’t get a reply. He was just bored.

The airport they had landed at was a new airport that had only begun operating the previous year. Its design was highly modern, with an extremely high domed ceiling decorated with materials Yan Xi couldn’t identify, giving the entire place a strong futuristic feel.

The new airport housed many luxury stores, and with one casual glance, Yan Xi spotted a familiar face.

On a poster nearly three meters tall, Pei Yuxing wore a custom-made suit. His eyes were cool and his bearing elegant, his short hair neat and sharp, every cufflink fastened perfectly.

He looked like someone who wasn’t particularly easy to get along with.

Even though the real person was gentle and easygoing.

He stood beneath warm sunlight, with a European castle behind him. A section of his wrist was exposed, displaying an international luxury watch.

The brand came from a famous overseas watchmaking family. The model Pei Yuxing wore was its most classic design. It was said that customers needed to spend at least eight figures before being qualified to purchase it. The design was elaborate and luxurious, with a strap covered in diamonds, and not everyone could pull it off.

Pei Yuxing wore it beautifully. It accentuated the strength of his palm and the distinct definition of every knuckle.

Yan Xi couldn’t resist taking a picture.

The fast-food restaurant wasn’t exactly quiet. The screen on the wall was playing an advertisement for the restaurant, featuring VIC as its endorsers. The members were gathered together eating fries and burgers and drinking cola, with a segment of their dance performance inserted in the middle.

They looked handsome and flamboyant.

Yan Xi was actually a little envious. He hoped it wouldn’t take them too long to reach such heights.

“Hello.”

A shadow appeared beside him. Yan Xi looked up and saw two girls wearing JK uniforms.

Since he had been eating, Yan Xi had already removed his mask. The two girls froze for a moment when they saw his face.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

His voice was also very pleasant to hear, vaguely familiar somehow, but the girls didn’t have time to think about it. Their eyes were fixed on the card beside Yan Xi’s hand.

One of the short-haired girls blushed. “Excuse me, do you need this chibi Ren Team card? I can trade you another character for it, or I can buy it from you.”

Seeing Yan Xi looking at her, the girl couldn’t help but feel her palms sweat. She never would have expected him to be so handsome.

He looked very gentle. Hopefully, he would be easy to talk to as well.

The short-haired girl gathered her courage and continued, “I’m only missing the chibi Ren Team card from the collaboration set, but I just can’t get it. I was hoping you could help me out, or you could name a price…”

The phone on the table vibrated several times, interrupting their conversation.

The short-haired girl instinctively glanced at the phone screen. She only saw a single character—

Pei

—before a hand covered the screen.

“You don’t have to pay. I’ll give it to you.”

Yan Xi stood up and handed the card to the girl with a bright smile. “Keep supporting them, okay?”

The short-haired girl froze.

It wasn’t until Yan Xi had walked far away that she finally came to her senses. She turned around and screamed at her companion, “Aaaaaah! I actually forgot to ask such a handsome guy for his contact information!”

Her companion thought for a few seconds before suddenly saying, “Don’t you think he looks familiar?”

The short-haired girl said, “Huh?”

Her companion said, “He looks like that team leader who competed against VIC on the variety show. The one who did that classical dance that was super beautiful. His name is Yan, Yan…”

She suddenly got stuck and couldn’t remember his name.

The short-haired girl filled in, “Yan Xi?”

“Yes, yes, that’s it.”

The short-haired girl widened her eyes. “Then… he just told us to keep supporting Ren Team.”

Her companion said, “Handsome guy and handsome guy’s brotherly friendship?”

The two stared at each other.

After a while, they both seemed to think of something and covered their mouths, letting out quiet screams.

—

After hearing that her son and Yan Xi were coming, Yin Shanglan waited for them at home. She had already instructed the auntie to clean the house thoroughly. Fresh flowers had been arranged on the dining table—orchids and carnations, accented with a few sprigs of baby’s breath and complemented by eucalyptus leaves. It was her favorite combination.

Fresh fruit and chilled drinks had also been prepared in advance. Afraid that something might have been overlooked, she personally checked everything once more.

Pei’s father sat on the sofa reading the news, but he hadn’t absorbed a word of it.

Helplessly, he said, “You’ve been pacing around all morning. Take a rest. They’re family. Even if something isn’t perfect, it doesn’t matter.”

He was immediately met with a glare from his wife and promptly fell silent.

In her younger years, Madam Yin Shanglan had also dreamed of being a princess.

She had started out as a model and wasn’t particularly well educated. Grandma Pei had looked down on this daughter-in-law, but her son loved her and insisted on marrying her no matter what.

Pei’s father was the third son in the family. He wasn’t as valued as his eldest brother, nor as doted on as his youngest brother, and his abilities were fairly ordinary among the siblings. The only rebellious thing he had ever done in his life was marry Yin Shanglan.

Their relationship as mother-in-law and daughter-in-law hadn’t been harmonious in the early years. It wasn’t until Pei Yuxing was born that Grandma Pei finally treated her daughter-in-law better. After all, he was her own grandson, connected by blood.

Yin Shanglan was a tough woman. After experiencing the warmth and coldness of a wealthy family, she had seen through it all. Even when her son was still a nursing baby, she chose to return to school. Later, she founded her own brand and established a name for herself in the luxury fashion industry. Only then did the Pei family finally take her seriously.

After that, she moved out of the Pei family home without hesitation.

Returning to her hometown had always been one of her wishes. More importantly, she no longer had to deal with all the troublesome affairs of a wealthy family.

Compared with the other daughters-in-law who still had to watch their mother-in-law’s mood every day, Yin Shanglan could already hold her head high and speak her mind in the Pei family.

She was considered rather bold among wealthy-family wives. After all, there wasn’t much left for her to covet or care about.

Even Grandma Pei admitted that Pei Yuxing’s spirit and intelligence came from his mother.

Unfortunately, because he had lacked his mother’s companionship while growing up, their mother-son relationship had always remained lukewarm. It finally broke down completely after Pei Yuxing entered the entertainment industry and publicly declared that he would never marry.

Yet he was still her only son, and she continued to worry about him, quietly thinking of every possible way to repair their relationship.

It wasn’t easy.

Pei Yuxing had been gentle and polite since childhood. In the eyes of their relatives, he had always been the child everyone else’s parents wished they had. He smiled and behaved with perfect courtesy.

Even when rejecting something, he always appeared calm and indifferent, as though he didn’t particularly care.

Madam Yin Shanglan had tried many methods, but none of them had worked. Pei Yuxing would answer her calls and listen to her complaints about life and work, but he wouldn’t come home.

Even when the topic came up, he never avoided it. He would simply say lightly, “I won’t go back.”

Again and again.

It was enough to make anyone despair.

Yin Shanglan had met plenty of difficult customers, but compared with her son, what were they even?

……

After leaving the terminal, Pei Yuxing went directly to the parking lot. Although this was a private trip, his appearance was too striking, and he was a universally recognized actor. It was inevitable that people would recognize him.

He wore a pair of oversized black sunglasses and carried a long-sleeved jacket in one hand, striding forward with such presence that he looked even more dazzling than a runway model.

A fan who happened to run into him covered her face in excitement, so thrilled that she didn’t know what to do. In her moment of panic, she blurted out, “Husband, husband…”

The man placed his index finger against his lips, signaling her to keep quiet, and said gently, “I don’t want to be disturbed, okay?”

The female fan’s face flushed bright red. She was so happy she nearly fainted and could do nothing but nod.

He walked quickly, but someone still managed to take a picture and upload it to social media.

Since it was merely a private trip, it didn’t attract much discussion. At most, people gossiped about whether the film emperor had gone to visit his mother.

Yin Shanglan also had a Weibo account. She was Pei Yuxing’s mother and also ran her own women’s fashion brand. She often interacted with young girls online and was quite well-liked among younger people.

Some people went to her Weibo comments to ask questions, simply wanting to know a little about their male god, hoping it might at least fill the empty space left by their longing.

They knew it wasn’t particularly polite, but they had no choice. After the variety show ended, Pei Yuxing had once again seemed to vanish from the face of the earth, leaving no news behind.

There had been no new news regarding his film and television work either. They had heard several directors mention in interviews that they had contacted him, but he seemed to have politely declined.

His fans waited anxiously, but still received no response.

When they arrived, Pei Yuxing led Yan Xi through the wrought-iron gate. They crossed the garden outside the little Western-style house. Even in the middle of summer, the place was still filled with the freshness of spring, with flowers blooming everywhere. It was all tended by Yin Shanglan herself.

He still remembered the first time he had come here.

The two of them had only been together for a short time when, on impulse, they went and registered their marriage. Yan Xi’s parents were unreachable in the laboratory, but his grandparents considered meeting the parents extremely important and insisted that they inform them.

Pei Yuxing had smiled and readily agreed.

Yan Xi knew that his relationship with his parents wasn’t good. He had heard many rumors about it in the media when he was younger. Although some of them were exaggerated, even if only one of those stories were true, it would have been painful and frightening enough.

He straddled the man’s waist, cupped his head, and pressed their foreheads together.

“If you don’t want to go back, it’s okay.”

Pei Yuxing tightened his grip around his waist and let out a low sound from his throat.

Yan Xi didn’t know whether that meant he agreed or disagreed.

He only felt that the man must have been somewhat upset.

He kissed the corner of his husband’s lips. “Let’s secretly hide away.”

Like naughty children skipping school because they didn’t want to go.

It was rare for him to show this side of himself, and Pei Yuxing found it delightful.

His hand slipped beneath the hem of the other man’s clothes. “Grandpa and Grandma will be sad.”

“I’ll take good care of them,” Yan Xi said. “You only need to be responsible for being happy.”

A man over thirty could still be treated like a child.

Pei Yuxing slowly closed his eyes, feeling the soft, moist touch against the corner of his lips. His smile never faded.

However, the very next day, he packed his bags.

Old Mr. Yan Peili was old-fashioned in his thinking. Parental approval and a match arranged by the parents were indispensable. The civil affairs bureau’s official seal had already been stamped, and yet the family only learned about such a major matter afterward.

Registering their marriage had essentially been a case of getting on the bus first and buying the ticket afterward.

He was more or less a little unhappy about it, but since they were both children he loved, the old man could at least find some comfort in that. Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little regretful.

How could Pei Yuxing not see it?

The old man would never say anything to him, but Yan Xi would always feel sorry for him.

When they arrived, Yan Xi only then realized that Pei Yuxing hadn’t informed his parents beforehand.

The two knocked and entered the house. Madam Yin Shanglan was still wearing a pearl-finish face mask and dressed in a snow-white silk nightgown, seemingly having only just gotten out of bed.

When she saw her son casually walking in with an unfamiliar young man, she froze in place.

He was an exceptionally handsome young man, with neat black short hair and a white shirt revealing an elegant neck. His posture was straight, and he had a quiet, serene air about him.

Yin Shanglan took a shocked step backward.

Yan Xi hadn’t expected to encounter such a scene either. Their eyes met, and he felt a little awkward.

Pei Yuxing, however, didn’t seem to care much. He introduced Yan Xi, “This is my mother.”

Yin Shanglan finally came back to her senses. For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether she was happier to see her long-absent son or angrier at her unfilial son for acting so recklessly.

Before she could reprimand him, she heard the young man greet her.

“Hello.”

Pei Yuxing said, “That’s not right.”

The young man then greeted her again.

“Mom.”

His voice was slightly hoarse from nervousness, but his expression remained calm.

Pei Yuxing said, “This is my partner, Yan Xi.”

Yin Shanglan completely short-circuited on the spot.

Her mind went completely blank.

When she finally recovered, both hands were trembling uncontrollably, and the beauty tea she was holding spilled from the exquisite porcelain cup.

She must have done too many wrong things in her life. That had to be why the heavens were tormenting her like this.

She tore off the face mask, revealing a beautiful face. Time had left surprisingly few traces on her, and her figure remained much the same as before, only now carrying the mature charm of a married woman.

Yin Shanglan smiled at Yan Xi.

“Good child, A-Xing didn’t tell me beforehand, so I didn’t prepare anything. You must be tired from the journey. Go back to the room and rest with A-Xing for a while.”

Yan Xi looked toward Pei Yuxing.

The man neither agreed nor disagreed and simply led him back to his old room.

Perhaps because he hadn’t been back for so long, the room was empty. There wasn’t even a duvet cover on the bed.

The two of them hadn’t brought much luggage, so there wasn’t anything to organize. Yet after putting everything away, they were strangely reluctant to go downstairs.

Yan Xi found it a little strange.

Pei Yuxing took his hand. “There’s no rush. Do you want to sleep for a while?”

He shook his head. He hadn’t even spoken properly with his future mother-in-law yet. How could he possibly sleep?

Pei Yuxing didn’t force him.

Half an hour later, Yin Shanglan came to knock on the door.

She had already changed into a floor-length teal gown. Her black hair was meticulously swept up at the back of her head, adorned with a jeweled hairpin. Her makeup was elegant and refined, and her red lips were vivid.

A complete set of diamond jewelry adorned her neck and hands, sparkling with extravagant elegance.

Yan Xi opened the door.

Yin Shanglan looked at him, unable to suppress the smile in her eyes.

“Auntie made some fruit tea. Come downstairs and have some.”

Once they went downstairs, they discovered that things had become even more extravagant.

From the sofa to the carpet, everything looked brand-new. The dining table had been covered with a fresh blue-striped tablecloth, and the vase held fresh flowers picked from the garden, carrying the scent of sunlight.

He had no idea how she had managed all that within half an hour.

But there was no denying it.

Madam Yin Shanglan liked him.

……

Yan Xi couldn’t help laughing.

Pei Yuxing asked, “What are you laughing about?”

Yan Xi said, “I was remembering the first time I came here. I was a little flustered.”

With his sunglasses on, Pei Yuxing’s expression was impossible to read.

He said casually, “It won’t be like that this time.”

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