PHM chapter 6

Yan Xi took the opportunity to hold his hand, one of his fingers accidentally brushing against the cold silver ring. He couldn’t help gently rubbing it.

“Not tired.”

Although the filming had lasted a long time, they hadn’t participated in many activities. His feet just hurt a little.

The man didn’t rush to start the car, letting him play with his fingers. Yan Xi turned his head and chatted with him.

“Did I make things difficult for you today?” After all, there had been so many people asking for autographs after him, and Pei Yuxing had basically refused no one, completely breaking his usual rules.

“How could you?” Perhaps because he was wearing glasses, Pei Yuxing’s features looked especially gentle. “Your matters aren’t a bother.”

It was only a few autographs, and he didn’t take them to heart. Although fans often discussed how difficult it was to get his autograph, perhaps treating it as a symbol of status, considering his achievements, he certainly had every right to be aloof.

But Pei Yuxing himself didn’t think that way. He simply felt there was no need to.

When he was young, he had participated in quite a few album signing events. Back then, he was unruly and rebellious, often signing far more autographs than the company allowed, much to the delight of his fans. The company could do nothing but watch helplessly as he did whatever he pleased.

He had gone through a rebellious phase, but as the years passed and he experienced more, he gradually became more mature and learned to separate the camera from his private life.

Pei Yuxing said, “My autograph isn’t anything precious.”

Yan Xi gave a faint “Mm.” “I don’t have one.”

Pei Yuxing: “……”

Yan Xi wasn’t actually that desperate for the man’s autograph. He just found it a little ridiculous. They were already legally married and had even done the most intimate things together, yet he still hadn’t gotten his husband’s autograph.

“Teacher Pei, this isn’t fair to me.”

His tone was light, and he didn’t tighten his grip on the man’s fingers. Pei Yuxing raised an eyebrow slightly.

Yan Xi wasn’t really angry. He had grown up in a loving environment. Although his parents had been busy with work and rarely stayed by his side, they always kept their son in mind and would contact him two or three times a week. Whenever they finally got a holiday, they would even turn down invitations from relatives and friends. Their son was naturally the most important.

Yan Xi had never lacked love, but in front of Pei Yuxing, he always wanted to ask for just a little more.

The man seemed to have no limits when it came to him, possessing endless patience and tolerance. At home, he would wear casual clothes while experimenting with different dishes, smiling as he watched his young husband taste them. He would water the flowerbeds downstairs and plant the wildflowers Yan Xi casually brought home in little clay pots.

Without the halo surrounding him, he was simply an ordinary, unremarkable married man.

Pei Yuxing suddenly smiled, his eyes deep. “I understand.”

It was already very late when they got home. Their new home was in a villa district on the outskirts of Jincheng. Although it was in the suburbs, it wasn’t actually very far from the city. The environment and location were excellent, surrounded by green mountains and clear waters, with beautiful scenery that seemed completely out of place with the glitzy commercial districts.

The first time Yan Xi came here, he saw several celebrities along the way, including a certain Best Actress and a certain entrepreneur.

Everyone greeted each other when they met. When they saw a young man standing beside Pei Yuxing, they didn’t show much surprise, merely occasionally unable to resist glancing over.

Only later did Yan Xi learn that this was Pei Yuxing’s private residence. Aside from his parents and close friends, no one had ever seen any unfamiliar faces around him.

But everyone in the upper circles was an old hand. What could be said and what couldn’t be said was as clear to them as a mirror.

Once inside, Yan Xi was no longer as reserved as he had been during his first visit. He skillfully opened the shoe cabinet, found his slippers, and changed into them.

The bedroom was on the third floor. He carried his suitcase upstairs when Pei Yuxing’s voice came from behind him. “Rest. I’ll carry it.”

Yan Xi shook his head. “It’s not heavy.”

Once he entered the room, a thin layer of sweat had formed beneath his tank top. He put the suitcase in the corner, took out some clothes, and went to shower.

At some point, he seemed to hear Pei Yuxing come upstairs, but Yan Xi didn’t pay much attention.

When he came out, he saw the man squatting on the floor, organizing his suitcase for him. There were several performance outfits, skincare products, and other things.

The few men in the group didn’t care much about grooming. Only Lin Yi paid attention to it. His greatest dream was to become the number-one male idol in the country, so he cared greatly about his appearance and always wanted to appear in front of the camera in the most perfect image possible. When he first signed the contract and learned that the group wasn’t taking an idol-oriented route, he had been confused for quite a while.

Even now, Lin Yi still hadn’t given up on this great dream.

Brother Feng had earnestly tried to persuade him. “With your ability, why bother being an idol? Isn’t dating freely more enjoyable?”

Lin Yi stubbornly stuck to his convictions. “I absolutely have to win the title of the most perfect male idol in the domestic entertainment industry!”

Brother Feng wanted to persuade him again, so Lin Yi pointed at the other members. “Ask them what’s so great about dating. Isn’t building a career more enjoyable? We’re all single anyway. Come, let’s become the most outstanding idols in the country together!”

At the time, Yan Xi had just gotten into a relationship: “…”

In the end, they naturally failed to form an idol group. Ji Zhou remained silent, Xia Zefan told him to get lost, and Lin Yi placed his greatest hopes on Yan Xi, looking at him expectantly.

Yan Xi smiled gently. “No.”

Lin Yi returned in complete defeat.

Aside from clothes, Yan Xi’s suitcase contained some moisturizing and sun-protection products. They didn’t have a professional makeup team and relied entirely on Brother Feng’s network of favors to borrow a professional makeup artist from another company. Otherwise, they would even have to handle their own hair and makeup when appearing on shows.

Pei Yuxing hung the performance outfits in the room next door. It was a walk-in wardrobe the man had specifically designed. Inside were various high-end suits and formal wear, as well as several precious costumes from productions that had won him a Golden Bear Award.

This wardrobe wasn’t a secret. In an interview, Pei Yuxing had once mentioned it, saying that the clothes inside were a record of his journey through the entertainment industry. Yan Xi had even seen one of the performance outfits the man wore during his younger days in the band. It had an extremely bold cutout design, with a black skull wearing a sinister grin painted across the pure white fabric.

After that interview, Pei Yuxing had shared a corner of the wardrobe on social media. From then on, fans dubbed it “the holy site they most want to visit.”

And now, the place had gradually gained some other elements.

For example, more youthful fashion pieces and long dance robes featuring traditional Chinese ink-wash elements.

As Pei Yuxing organized his clothes, Yan Xi stood outside the door watching. His hair was still dripping wet, and he didn’t dare go in.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair? You’ll get a headache.” The man walked out of the room and casually took the towel from his hand, drying his hair for him. When he didn’t smile, the corners of his mouth looked particularly sharp and aloof.

Although he was mostly refined and easygoing in front of the cameras, the employees under him had seen their boss’s methods. He clearly distinguished between public and private matters and knew when to advance and retreat, never softening toward anyone for the sake of his own personal feelings.

Come to think of it, most people in the industry seemed to be somewhat wary of him.

Yan Xi didn’t understand the reason behind it. As Pei Yuxing dried his hair, his eyelashes were lowered, making him look cold and aloof, the corners of his lips drawn into a straight line.

Yet his movements were gentle and meticulous, clearly showing Yan Xi that he was being cherished.

Unable to hold back his feelings, Yan Xi took a small step forward, then looked up and kissed the man on the lips.

It was a brief, restrained kiss, soft and intoxicating.

Pei Yuxing’s expression didn’t change. He merely stopped the hand holding the towel. When Yan Xi tried to pull away, he calmly held the back of his head and naturally returned the kiss.

The young husband had just finished showering, carrying the clean fragrance of shower gel on his body. It was from a niche brand Pei Yuxing had endorsed long ago, during a campaign in which he had appeared half-naked on camera, showing off a physique that made people’s hearts race.

So when Yan Xi saw it at the supermarket, he had put it into his shopping cart without hesitation.

It was as though he had claimed the man’s scent for himself—a slightly possessive little thought.

In his early twenties, it was easy to be stirred by desire, but Yan Xi’s upbringing made him afraid to be too blatant. Even now, his boldest move was merely to grab the fabric at his husband’s waist, letting him know how much he liked him.

When the two were intimate, Pei Yuxing was usually the one who took the initiative. He liked teasing Yan Xi until he could barely endure it. As he watched his young husband’s restrained yet expectant gaze, he would slowly press down on his shoulder, waiting until the younger man could no longer endure it and called his name before giving him his reward.

Pei Yuxing ended the kiss, but Yan Xi instinctively chased after him, only to be stopped.

“I haven’t showered yet.”

Yan Xi’s entire body flushed red, and he could only force himself to endure it.

Pei Yuxing entered the bathroom. Yan Xi lay on the bed scrolling through Weibo, and at a glance, he saw a familiar name on the trending searches.

#PeiYuxing’sAutograph#

He clicked on it, and the top result was the official Entertainment, Life account.

@EntertainmentLifeV: Lucky! A mysterious guest has arrived! An unexpected big-name guest came to today’s filming location to visit the set and patiently gave the guests his autographs. Not only that, the mysterious guest even agreed to make a brief guest appearance in the recording. It’s the mysterious guest’s variety-show debut!

Little hint: The guest has won the Golden Bear Award for Best Actor [wink]. Can anyone guess who it is? If you can’t, don’t worry. We’ll reveal the answer at 7:00 p.m. this weekend!

The comments section was immediately flooded with question marks and exclamation marks. After all, whenever the Golden Bear Award was mentioned, everyone would think of Pei Yuxing, who had emerged victorious from a year when all the top contenders were battling it out.

Could it really be him?

After two waves of discussion, Pei Yuxing’s fans finally arrived.

【Everyone, please stay calm. Don’t believe rumors or spread them. After all, it’s common knowledge that Pei Yuxing doesn’t participate in variety shows. Over the past two years, there have been plenty of attempts to hype things up as Pei Yuxing’s variety-show debut, only for the actual episode to come out and have nothing to do with Teacher Pei.】

【Same as above. Besides, the production team even said they gave the guests autographs. Haha, I could rule out my idol just by using my toes.】

【You’re an established variety show, after all. How can you still use such shameless tactics? Unfollowed.】

Everyone originally thought this would once again be some insignificant publicity stunt, until Entertainment, Life released a video in its next post.

In the video, when the mysterious guest appeared, every guest showed genuine surprise.

Although his face was pixelated, there were few people in the entertainment industry whose presence could compare to the man’s. What’s more, when the camera turned toward VIC, the members clearly became nervous, and their leader, Ren Xiao, even instinctively stood up.

【It really does look a tiny bit like him, but my idol has always kept public and private matters separate. Does VIC really have that much pull?】

【Damn, don’t even talk about Pei Yuxing’s fans. I’m a VIC group fan and I’m completely stunned. Are my boys really this impressive?】

【Don’t get excited, don’t get excited. Let’s look again, let’s look again, so we don’t get the wrong idea.】

Although the fans’ hands were trembling faintly, they could still hold themselves back. After all, they had been teased and led on too many times.

What if it was another highly respected senior?

That was what they thought, but their hands didn’t stop. They desperately refreshed the page, hoping to find more useful clues.

And then they really did.

Several regular guests of Entertainment, Life posted photos of Pei Yuxing’s autograph. It seemed to be part of the show’s promotion, and the guests’ Weibo posts were right under the official account’s post, making them impossible to miss.

The fans completely lost their composure. In just over ten minutes, #PeiYuxing’sAutograph shot to the top of the trending searches. Not long after, #PeiYuxingVarietyShowDebut followed right behind.

Yan Xi had always known that the man was very famous, but because he wasn’t a fan, he usually didn’t pay much attention. Hearing his name merely gave him a favorable impression and made him willing to support one of his films at the box office. Only after seeing how rapidly this topic had exploded did he truly realize that the man was even more famous than he had imagined.

The marketing accounts moved as soon as they caught wind of it. Unfortunately, they hadn’t obtained any breaking news in time, so they could only go over the man’s previous works and awards again, providing plenty of background information for the newcomers.

Yan Xi scrolled through several posts and liked one that seemed relatively reliable. He was using his main account, after all. He only had a few tens of thousands of followers, and he didn’t even know how many of them were still active.

Pei Yuxing came out of the bathroom and saw Yan Xi leaning against the headboard, completely absorbed in his phone.

The white silk bathrobe clung to his skin, revealing his delicate collarbones. Perhaps because the belt wasn’t tied tightly enough, a small portion of his chest was also exposed.

Because of dancing, Yan Xi was more slender than most men. He looked thin but was full of strength, with beautifully defined muscles in his legs that Pei Yuxing particularly liked holding in his broad palms.

Yan Xi had just been reading the comments under a certain post. Several groups of fans were fighting because among the guests officially announced by Entertainment, Life the previous week, everyone had posted photos of Pei Yuxing’s autograph—even Lin Yi had managed to ride the wave of popularity—but Su Zhi didn’t have one.

He was a currently popular idol, and when his fan club saw that other artists had all posted autographs, they had prepared their talking points and posts early, waiting for their idol to make a post so they could promote him. But they kept waiting and nothing came. His rival fans began mocking them to their faces, and Su Zhi’s fans naturally refused to back down, throwing out some harsh words.

【Hehe, our Zhizhi’s excellence doesn’t need anyone else’s approval. If some people want to suck up, go suck up a few more times, or you might not even get a spot [laughing].】

【Of course Teacher Pei’s autograph can motivate people! If you don’t have one, it’s no big deal, right? It’s just an autograph. You’d think the entertainment industry was about to end [Geez].】

【Who is Pei Yuxing? Never heard of him. We’re taking our Zhizhi away and won’t be engaging. Having us is enough for Zhizhi.】

【I’ve heard of Pei Yuxing, but he’s already that old. Isn’t it a little inappropriate for him to give a junior a hard time?】

After a barrage of comments and mockery, they provoked fans of several artists, turning the comment section into something resembling a battle of the century.

Yan Xi stared at it in shock. Did none of these people sleep in the middle of the night?

It was only when a glass of cold water was held to his lips that he came back to his senses.

The man’s expression were calm. “Is it that interesting?”

Yan Xi lowered his head and only then realized that at some point, his phone had been lying flat on top of the quilt. He had no idea how long Pei Yuxing had been standing there, and the man might have seen everything on the screen.

He took the water and drank it all in one go. When Pei Yuxing asked, “Want another glass?” he shook his head.

Yan Xi was still worried about how the man felt after seeing those comments. Fortunately, Pei Yuxing didn’t seem to care at all, his expression unchanged.

Of course.

At his age, he had already seen too much. He had probably encountered countless situations worse than this. It was said that during his time in the band, his rebellious personality had made him extremely popular while also earning him plenty of dislike. Back then, the internet wasn’t nearly as developed. If people hated someone, they could actually go to events and hold up banners. After seeing one such incident, Pei Yuxing had simply laughed.

It was difficult to imagine that years later, he would become so calm and reserved.

This kind of petty squabble wasn’t worth his attention.

Pei Yuxing got into bed and sat beside Yan Xi without rushing to sleep. Instead, he took out his tablet to deal with some work. His elbow occasionally brushed against Yan Xi’s arm, but he didn’t move away.

Yan Xi felt at ease and continued playing with his phone. When he clicked into the trending searches again, he suddenly couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

Someone had apparently derailed the topic, and people had begun gossiping about Pei Yuxing’s romantic history. Unfortunately, Pei Yuxing was so disciplined that there was practically no romantic scandal to discuss, so the incident when someone had confessed to him publicly back then was brought up again.

That incident had happened many years ago. Several generations of internet users had already come and gone, and the old news was now treated as fresh gossip and discussed with great enthusiasm.

“Forever alone,” “destined to die single,” “single by choice,” and “Pei Yuxing is clear-headed” began appearing frequently. His past remarks about never marrying shocked current netizens, but his longtime fans had already gotten used to it.

There were also some still desperately holding out hope.

【Wuwuwu, although we always joke that as long as our idol doesn’t get married, he’ll forever be our treasure, deep down I still hope he can find someone compatible. I’m genuinely afraid that one day he’ll suddenly retire from the industry in this state of wanting nothing.】

【I feel the same way. Although he hasn’t said it outright, he seems to be taking fewer and fewer acting roles. Even Director Li Kaiqin once said after drinking with friends that getting our male god to come out of retirement was harder than climbing Mount Everest. Male god, please, don’t scare me!】

【Shocked. Has Pei Yuxing really reached the point where he wants nothing this badly? What does he even want?】

【There’s probably nothing left in the entertainment industry worth staying for. And according to some inside gossip, given Pei Yuxing’s family background, finding someone from an equally matched family is extremely difficult.】

【Other people’s stanning: “Oppa, you’re only 30, focus on your career!” My stanning: “Male god, you’re already 30. Please, find someone to spend the rest of your life with.” [crying]】

【Teacher Yuan Yi officially announced her second child last month. Male god, take a look!】

The female star who had been tagged had her name pushed onto the lower end of the trending searches, and she herself was equally bewildered.

@YuanYiVivi: Although speaking up at a time like this runs the risk of being accused of riding the wave of popularity, I still have to say this: I don’t regret being impulsive when I was young. Maybe in some people’s eyes it was just a joke, but who doesn’t love Teacher Pei? [laughing] Not to mention back then—even now, who knows how many people secretly have feelings for him? I’m simply saying what was in my heart.

But looking at things now, what you say when you’re young isn’t necessarily true. For example, when I was young, all I wanted was to marry Pei Yuxing, but now he’s completely not my type anymore. So Pei Yuxing’s fans, don’t lose hope. Maybe one day someone will get proven wrong. Be careful, because one day he might suddenly slap down a marriage certificate and you won’t be able to handle it~

If she had said this back then, it would definitely have been major news. Unfortunately, after Yuan Yi transitioned into being a variety-show personality, she had developed a habit of saying whatever came to mind. She had casually tagged artists from nearly half the entertainment industry. The more nonexistent something was, the more confidently she dared to say it.

Netizens would even occasionally rely on her outrageous comments to judge whether a piece of gossip was true when they weren’t sure themselves.

Thus, the comments were a mixture of happiness and worry.

【I’m actually happy someone is willing to say something nice about Teacher Pei, but unfortunately, it’s you, Teacher…】

【Teacher Yuan, please stop talking. Delete this post right now, ahhhhhhh!】

【Is this a blessing? No, this is the devil whispering. I feel sorry for Pei Yuxing’s fans for one second.】

Only Yan Xi felt his heart pounding with nerves. Yuan Yi had said so much gossip, and she had finally gotten something right for once, but no one would believe her.

He carefully held his phone while reading the comments, afraid that he might accidentally tap the like button.

Of course, there were also extreme comments.

【You stinking woman, did pregnancy make you lose your brain? Pei Yuxing will never get married. Not in this lifetime! He can only be mine! If he really gets married, I curse his partner to die a horrible death…】

【You only dare say this because you know Pei Yuxing could never get married. You’d better pray that this trash talk isn’t true either, or I can’t guarantee what I might post [laughing].】

Yan Xi immediately thought of an incident where an artist’s studio had accused someone of maliciously posting graphic and frightening images.

He had never seen discussions about Pei Yuxing’s marriage online before. This was the first time he had directly faced the malice of netizens. Although he had known that such a day would come sooner or later, seeing it for real still made him uncomfortable.

He switched to his alt account and clicked in again, only to find that the two comments were gone.

As expected, Yuan Yi’s Weibo post also made its way onto the entertainment trending list. Most people were simply there for the fun of it, laughing at the situation and finding the despairing expressions of Pei Yuxing’s fans amusing. Of course, not every comment was harmonious, but the more extreme ones were quickly reported and deleted by netizens.

But before long, another voice appeared.

They criticized Yuan Yi’s behavior under the guise of being objective and rational. Calling it riding the wave of popularity was already a polite way of putting it; most were simply cursing her for being washed-up and shameless. On the surface, those accounts looked completely ordinary. Clicking into their profiles showed peaceful, uneventful lives, as though the grudges of the entertainment industry had nothing to do with them.

But that was precisely what made it strange.

Yan Xi frowned as he refreshed and came across an especially vicious comment, even cursing the baby in Yuan Yi’s belly.

@DidiweiFruitAndVegetableYogurt: This old woman’s post is hilarious too. After your confession failed back then, did Pei Yuxing ever even pay attention to you? Everyone knows what you’re trying to accomplish by talking to yourself now, right? Someone with a brain like yours probably won’t give birth to a child much better than you either. At least the kid will be good at reincarnation. Like mother, like child [laughing]. Don’t mess with my idol. I’m afraid stupidity is contagious [laughing].

Yan Xi took a deep breath and rapidly typed on his keyboard.

@YanZhiqwe: Please watch your words. Attacking a pregnant woman won’t make you noble. Teacher Pei wouldn’t be proud to have a fan like you.

@DidiweiFruitAndVegetableYogurt: Which one of Yuan Yi’s dogs are you?

@DidiweiFruitAndVegetableYogurt: LOL, maybe Pei Yuxing is secretly delighted. He doesn’t have to say a word while someone else fights for him. Who knows whether this trending topic was even bought by him himself?

@YanZhiqwe: Teacher Pei isn’t that kind of person. Please delete your comment immediately. Otherwise, I’ve already taken screenshots of your remarks and will make sure you face the appropriate consequences.

@DidiweiFruitAndVegetableYogurt: ??? Oh my god, what kind of cope is this? Hahahahaha. What is Pei Yuxing to you that you’re so concerned? Don’t tell me he’s your husband too? Yes, yes, your idol isn’t that kind of person. Yuan Yi has been getting attacked for ages—did he say anything?

@DidiweiFruitAndVegetableYogurt: Friend, I advise you to become a fan of mine instead. Pei Yuxing bullying his juniors isn’t worth it [laughing].

Yan Xi frowned deeply.

Arguing wasn’t his strong suit. After all, with Old Mr. Yan Peili and Ms. Bai Wanyi personally keeping an eye on him, he had rarely gotten into conflicts with anyone while growing up. But seeing someone insult Pei Yuxing, he absolutely couldn’t accept it.

Yan Xi was about to leave another comment when his thumb accidentally hit the refresh button. On the homepage, he saw Pei Yuxing’s name. He had reposted Yuan Yi’s Weibo.

@PeiPeiYuxing: Pregnant women shouldn’t worry about so many things. Taking good care of yourself and your baby is what really matters. // @YuanYiVivi: …

He blinked and refreshed again. The Weibo post was still there.

It wasn’t a hallucination.

Within seconds, more than a dozen comments appeared underneath. Many people didn’t even have time to think of witty remarks and simply typed out rows of question marks.

After all, Pei Yuxing had never paid attention to these fan-and-hater disputes. This was practically the first time in his life that he had responded directly.

Combined with the argument he had just witnessed between Yan Xi and the netizen, Yan Xi couldn’t help thinking more deeply. How could there be such a coincidence in the world?

He turned toward the man. “Pei Yuxing…”

Then his phone was snatched away.

Pei Yuxing leaned over. At some point, the tablet in his hand had already been turned off and was quietly sitting on the other bedside table.

Yan Xi was a little confused. Pei Yuxing spoke calmly. “Don’t read comments that are deliberately trying to provoke you.”

Yan Xi knew that he had seen him arguing with someone and flushed slightly. “But they were talking nonsense…”

“They’re not worth our attention,” Pei Yuxing said. “Your career as an entertainer has only just begun. You’ll face more things like this in the future.”

The man’s eyes were deep and gentle. He wasn’t telling him to learn to compromise, but to learn how to face such things with strength.

He still had a long road ahead of him. Pei Yuxing naturally didn’t want him to get hurt, but excessive protection wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

But Yan Xi was a little unconvinced. “But they were talking about you.”

That was why he wasn’t happy.

They could say whatever they wanted about him, but not Pei Yuxing.

Pei Yuxing smiled. “Mm.”

Yan Xi frowned. “And you’re still saying ‘mm’ after they cursed you like that…”

“Someone will deal with this.” Pei Yuxing interrupted him. “Right now, we should do something more meaningful.”

Yan Xi: “What…”

Before he could finish, his eyes widened.

Pei Yuxing’s fingers pressed against his waist. The bathrobe belt came undone, and Yan Xi felt the wedding ring against his skin.

Ever since they got married, except when necessary, Pei Yuxing had never taken off his wedding ring. Compared to Yan Xi’s habit of wearing his wedding ring around his neck, Yan Xi felt that he himself was a little too careless about it.

But soon, he had no energy left to think about such things, completely immersed in all the pleasure the man brought him, and the little unpleasantness he had experienced online disappeared without a trace.

The light above them shone brightly. Yan Xi looked at Pei Yuxing through tear-filled eyes, his vision slightly blurred. He remembered that the first time they had been together, he had been so nervous that he refused to let Pei Yuxing turn on the lights no matter what. The result, of course, wasn’t pleasant, and there had even been a little blood.

After that, no matter how much Yan Xi complained, the man never turned off the lights again.

But now the two of them were already extremely familiar with each other. Even with their eyes closed, they knew exactly what would make the other feel good. So Yan Xi had every reason to suspect that Pei Yuxing simply wanted to watch him lose himself in pleasure.

“What are you thinking about?”

Pei Yuxing held his chin between his thumb and forefinger and gently turned Yan Xi to face him.

“Being distracted isn’t very good.”

Yan Xi wrinkled his nose slightly, not daring to look into the man’s eyes, which held a breathtaking allure.

He simply closed his eyes.

But this only made his sense of smell more sensitive.

Yan Xi smelled the fragrance of Pei Yuxing’s shower gel, along with a faint trace of perfume, probably left over from his clothes earlier.

The two scents mixed together, carrying a very faint hint of hormones.

And there was another scent that made his face flush and his heart race—the unmistakable scent that belonged to Pei Yuxing himself.

Yan Xi inexplicably felt excited. Pei Yuxing released him, then took the ring from around his neck and put it back onto the ring finger of his right hand.

Yan Xi didn’t open his eyes to look, but he could feel it.

Then their fingers intertwined, the two rings pressed tightly together.

“Teacher Yan.” Pei Yuxing called him. “I want to give you an autograph.”

…

Yan Xi lay on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Pei Yuxing held a black marker in his hand, patiently and gently writing his autograph for him on the small of his back.

He could feel the path of the pen tip moving across his skin, along with the cool, damp sensation of the ink.

Afraid of hurting him, the man had specifically chosen one with a rounded tip. Yan Xi had no idea when he had prepared it.

Yan Xi hadn’t expected this was what Pei Yuxing had meant.

Earlier, he hadn’t understood why Pei Yuxing had brought up the matter at a time like this, but now he was unbearably embarrassed.

And the man seemed to be deliberately slowing his movements. He certainly hadn’t been this slow when signing autographs for other people.

“Pei Yuxing…” he pleaded.