Chapter 63 Disappeared. Pei Yunzhou, how could you leave him alone...

By evening, the sky was dotted with stars.

When He Zhiliao woke up, there was only a dim candlelight in the bedroom, as if afraid that he would not be able to see clearly. Pei Ji was sitting in the outer hall, reading a book with a lit candle.

Every time he moved, the bell at the bedside rang.

Pei Ji immediately put down his book and walked towards him, his voice soft and gentle, "I thought you'd wake up soon, so I hung up the bell. It's almost time, do you want to get up and go see the lantern festival?"

He Zhiliao sat up suddenly, swaying a little dizzy.

I slept from daytime to dusk, and always felt empty in my heart, but now that Pei Ji was with me, my heart instantly settled down.

"The clothes are ready, come and get dressed."

The room was exceptionally warm. Pei Ji helped him sit down at the table and poured him a cup of tea. Holding the hot cup of tea, He Zhile felt much more awake.

Pei Ji helped him put on his clothes and cloak with fur collar, and then took him out of the house.

The Pei family's house was very large, and one could not hear any noise outside from the backyard. It was not until the carriage left the street of the Pei Mansion that one could fully feel the hustle and bustle outside.

Even if you don't look outside, you can hear the laughter and joy.

The temple fairs during the day are mostly attended by ladies, but the lantern festivals at night are mostly attended by young men and women.

The people of Tianqi are open-minded, so lovers can naturally go to the Lantern Festival together to have fun. Many girls also want to take advantage of the Lantern Festival to meet other men. If they can meet their lovers, it would be great.

Therefore, in those laughters and joyful chatter, it was mostly the men talking and the girls laughing, so joyful.

He Zhiliao, who had just woken up, was also driven away by this atmosphere. When the carriage could no longer move, he pulled Pei Ji to get off the carriage. He also wanted to buy those beautiful lanterns.

【ah! 】

He stood on tiptoe, pointing his finger at the lantern vendor in front of him, and did not forget to look back at Pei Ji, indicating that he should look with him.

Pei Ji was not in the mood, but he still smiled when he looked at him, letting him hook his belt and lead him into the crowd.

Everyone has a love for beauty.

He Zhiliao struggled to lead Pei Ji through the crowd. Although they were only a few steps away, it felt like there were thousands of mountains and rivers between them.

"Which one do you want?" Pei Ji lowered his eyes and looked at him.

In his opinion, these lanterns are all the same, except that they are made in different molds.

He Zhiliao immediately pointed to a lotus lantern, fearing that if he was a step slower, the lantern would be snatched away by someone.

And the flower lantern. As the name suggests, it's a lotus-shaped lantern. However, each petal of this lantern is a different color. A closer look reveals that the petals are made of different fabrics and colors. Each petal is adorned with a round bead at the tip, creating a vibrant and colorful effect when illuminated by candlelight.

Pei Ji immediately gave him the silver and let him take him forward.

He Zhiliao was holding the lantern, seemingly reluctant to let it go.

I only saw He Ruman and He Ruxi with lanterns before, and I wanted some too, but they were expensive, and it was hard to afford them on a daily basis, so I naturally didn't dare ask for them anymore.

"Then what?" Pei Ji asked softly.

Then Harumi secretly went outside to ask the master for advice. We made the lanterns ourselves... but everyone has their own specializations. We couldn't even fix the candles.

Speaking of the past, it's not that I miss it, but I just feel that the time I spent alone with Harumi wasn't all malicious.

Pei Ji held him in his arms, isolating him from the crowd. He didn't say a word, but his broad and warm shoulders had already expressed all the love words.

He Zhiliao raised his head and smiled at him. What was there to be sad about? From now on, it would be all good times.

"Look, who is this?"

He Zhiliao and Pei Ji looked up following the sound and saw Pei Su and Pei Ding standing on the bridge not far away, looking at them with smiles.

Only then did he remember that his two brothers were not allowed to return home too early and had been outside the whole time. It seemed that they had just come from the other side.

Pei Ji smiled at them, "I'm a lonely man."

Pei Su chuckled as he approached, his eyes landing on He Zhiliao's lantern. He deliberately said, "This lantern is quite nice. I think it's quite beautiful. I've looked at many just now, but I haven't found anything that suits my taste..."

Having said that, the meaning becomes very clear.

He Zhiliao suddenly felt that the lantern in his hand was getting difficult to handle. This was also the lantern that he liked at first sight, but if his second brother wanted it, it would be awkward for him to refuse.

Thinking of this, he slowly handed over the lantern in his hand with difficulty.

Pei Ji raised his eyebrows, grabbed his wrist, and held the lantern in his hand. He tutted softly, "Why do you have to tease him? When did you like lanterns?"

I've been cheated. He Zhiliao pursed his lips and looked at Pei Su with a slightly accusing look.

Pei Su bent his finger and flicked his forehead lightly, not applying much force, with a hint of laughter in his words, "Qing Yan and I were both kicked out of the house by our mother, and we're not allowed to have some fun?"

After hearing what he said, He Zhiliao felt that it was indeed excusable. He immediately raised one hand, made a small circle with his thumb and index finger, stretched it forward slightly, nodded, and gently pointed at the other person with his index finger.

Pei Su raised his eyebrows slightly, "What does this mean?"

"Hearing what you said about your pity, I think I'll forgive you." Pei Ji sneered and wrapped He Zhiliao's cold hand in his palm, and his fingertips soon warmed up.

"Thank you." Pei Su bowed his head and thanked him, "You'd better take good care of such a silly child. If he gets separated by the crowd, he will be lost."

He Zhiliao's expression was a little salty.

Pei Ding's voice was as cold as the weather. "He knows the way home."

"Just a joke." Pei Su said, shaking his shoulders and laughing.

Pei Ji was too lazy to argue with them. "Do you want to go together or wander around separately? It depends on the time. You can go home in a while."

Pei Su chuckled softly, his gentle voice like intoxicating wine. "Now that we're out, it's time to go for a walk. Qing Yan and I are going to buy Madam Pei a lantern. I hope she can calm down."

After all, they wouldn't be bringing her a daughter-in-law tonight.

"Then we'll go first." Pei Ji said, "We need to go over there and take a look."

Pei Su nodded slightly, "It's still early, let's meet at Songhexuan later."

Pei Ji: "I understand."

The four of them separated again, and Pei Ji handed the lantern to the servant, leaving the two of them with much more free time.

I hadn't had dinner before leaving the house, and I felt a little hungry after a short walk. I thought it would be time to have dinner when we got to Songhexuan.

"Have some other snacks to fill your stomach, and we'll have dinner at the restaurant later." Pei Ji said as he took him to the stall and bought a red bean paste pancake and a bag of freshly fried chestnuts.

He Zhiliao looked around and opened his mouth from time to time to eat the sweet and soft chestnut kernels. Even the crowded crowd did not hurt him at all.

I heard that there will be iron flower making tonight. I wonder when I can see it. Standing on the bridge and looking over there, the open space is still full of people!

He opened his mouth, but the chestnut kernel didn't enter his mouth for a long time. He Zhiliao quickly turned his head and saw Pei Ji stuffing the chestnut kernel into his mouth.

【ah……】

"You don't even want to eat one?" Pei Ji chuckled, gently bit a chestnut kernel, and raised his chin towards He Zhiliao.

The meaning is self-evident.

He Zhiliao's heart was pounding, and he looked around like a guilty thief. Seeing that no one passing by was looking in their direction, he mustered up the courage to tiptoe and approach him with his head raised.

Pei Ji suddenly grabbed his hat and covered him tightly. Their lips and teeth touched, and the round, plump and sweet chestnut went directly into He Zhiliao's mouth.

He placed the chestnut kernel on his cheek, but pursed his lips with a hint of satisfaction, just a little bit!

Pei Ji pinched his cheek and poked his bulging face, "You should eat less and save your stomach for proper meals."

He Zhiliao nodded very obediently.

The chestnut kernels were fragrant and glutinous but a bit dry, so Pei Ji asked him to stay where he was and went to the tea stall to buy some hot tea.

"Sir, here we not only have hot tea, but also freshly brewed milk tea! You can try it, and if you don't like it, you can buy more tea!"

His family didn't like milk tea, usually drinking plain tea. He was afraid it wouldn't suit He Zhila's taste, so he took a sip. It tasted just fine, with a slightly more milky flavor than regular tea, and a slightly sweeter taste.

He ordered a cone, paid the bill quickly and turned to leave, but his eyes were suddenly filled with people about to run away. Without thinking, he immediately gathered his strength and chased after them.

He Zhiliao was originally staring at the direction where Pei Ji left, but there were crowds of people in front of him, and he just blinked a few times before Pei Ji disappeared before his eyes.

【ah! 】

The person is missing!

Chun Jian frowned and protected him with Yuanhua Xixin, "Don't worry, young master. My son-in-law is so powerful, he must have suddenly seen some friends. We just need to wait here, he will definitely come back."

He Zhiliao's hesitant heart finally settled down, and he nodded as if he was persuaded. Just like what his third brother said, it's not like he doesn't know the way back home!

Harumi said, "Then I'll go buy some more tea. The two girls, please keep an eye on the young master."

"I'll go." Yanhua stopped him, "I'll let you stay here with Zhengjun."

Yanhua had her own plans. Since her master could refuse the reunion of the young masters of the Song and Yan families, she would definitely not be the kind of person who would abandon Zhengjun and leave just to meet a friend. She must have discovered something if she suddenly left at this time.

Harumi knew the young master best, and if he left at this moment, Zhengjun would surely be nervous.

It didn't matter who went, so Chunjian supported He Zhi again and let Yanhua go buy it.

Yanhua didn't notice anything unusual, and she learned from the stall owner that Pei Ji bought the milk tea and was about to leave, but suddenly ran to the other side.

She looked in the direction the stall owner pointed and didn't find anything unusual, but it must be no small matter for the master to leave Zhengjun behind.

He Zhiliao drank the hot milk tea and felt more and more thirsty and a little tired.

I don’t know where Pei Ji ran to. He actually left him like this. Could it be... He thought about his dream again. Could it be that he went to be with that man... No, no, no, he can't think like that.

No one was suspected of stealing the axe.

"It's not a good idea to keep waiting here. We should go to Songhe first—"

"There's a thief!"

"Someone fell into the water!"

"Someone can help me get my purse back!"

"Help!"

On the crowded bridge, the crowd suddenly became excited. No one was afraid that they would be accidentally squeezed into the incident. They ran and dispersed, but due to the crowded bridge, they could only stand on tiptoe.

Yanhua and Xixin protected him tightly, each holding one of his arms, fearing that he would be pushed off the bridge by the crowded crowd. Although it was the first month of the year, it was still winter. If he fell into the water at this time, he would probably suffer from a permanent illness.

Seeing this situation, He Zhiliao couldn't help but become nervous. Their position was not good at the moment, and they must not let everyone fall into the river.

He pulled his arms on both sides, indicating that they could walk slowly, at least to get off the bridge and go to Songhexuan.

“Make way, make way, make way!”

A male voice sounded, and then a tall pink figure squeezed in front of He Zhiliao.

"Come, follow me." The pink figure couldn't pull him, so she could only lead the way in front, throwing out anyone who squeezed in, and soon they left the bridge with his help.

Harumi bowed to him and thanked him, "Thank you very much. If it weren't for you, our Lord, we would have been squeezed in here today. I wonder which family you are from? So that our Lord can also express his gratitude?"

The pink figure smiled and said, "No need to thank me. Where are you going? I have to go to Songhexuan. If it's on the way, I'll take you there."

"What a coincidence, I'm just about to go there." Haruhi smiled hurriedly, not noticing in time that his young master was not in a good mood.

"Well, let's go together."

The people in pink clothes were still leading the way, and He Zhi and a few others followed silently from behind. The crowds were surging everywhere, so they avoided the crowds and tried to go to places with fewer people.

He Zhiliao followed him silently, but he didn't really want to contact him because that dream made him feel that he was getting worse and worse.

When they reached the entrance of an alley, He Zhiliao continued forward without noticing anything, but was protected by Yanhua and Xixin behind him.

He looked up and saw several figures standing vaguely in the alley on the other side. Just from the actions of Yanhua and Xixin, he could tell that they seemed to have bad intentions.

The pink-dressed girl laughed, "What should I do? You seem to have been implicated by me, so just stand aside."

Um?

Before He Zhiliao could move, Chun Jian and the other two took him away.

The man in pink looked at the figures. The moonlight shone on the ground, and occasionally some silver light flashed. He knew that it was the long swords in their hands.

Even after all these years, he's still haunting me, even after so many attempts by him to get rid of them... He's always been like a thorn in my flesh.

Then don't blame him for being rude.

Should we just run?

He Zhiliao, who was pulled aside, asked Xixin why they were waiting here. It was obvious that they were not coming for them!

"That makes sense. Let's go then?" Harumi said as he supported him. The four of them were about to leave quietly when they were suddenly stopped.

"Stand there!"

"I'm not done showing off yet!"

He Zhiliao trembled all over and quickly stopped, but he dared to keep his eyes closed.

Even if he didn't look, he could smell the heat and fishy smell floating in the air...

The other side.

Pei Ji watched the chasing figure disappear completely, and his heart skipped a beat. If he was not mistaken, that person was clearly the guard who framed Pei Mansion in the previous life and placed the letter in the study!

But the man seemed to have noticed it long ago and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

He let out a long sigh and tightened the bamboo tube in his hand.

Bamboo tube?

Pei Ji lowered his eyes and suddenly remembered what he had forgotten - he actually left He Zhiliao behind!

He immediately turned around and ran towards the water bridge. Before he got close, he saw that the crowd there had almost dispersed, and everyone was in a daze, patting their chests with a look of fear.

"What's going on? What happened here?" Yuan Rong quickly grabbed a passerby and asked.

"There was a thief just now, and during the commotion, someone fell into the water! He's been taken to a nearby clinic!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji immediately ran away. The cold wind ravaged his face, and his handsome face became even colder and harder.

He had never thought of abandoning He Zhiliao, but he had to chase after the guard. If he could catch him, he might be able to unravel the mystery and find the mastermind behind the Pei family's past life's conspiracy. He had no choice but to...

He had never been so nervous as he was tonight, until he pushed open the door of the clinic and saw the man who fell into the water.

...Yes, man.

His heart finally calmed down a little, but he was still a little uneasy.

He took a deep breath, thinking he should calm down.

Yanhua and Xixin are not fools, and Chunjian only cares about He Zhiliao, so they will not let him run around on the streets in such a dangerous situation.

Thinking about what they had said before about having dinner, Pei Ji instantly knew where to find them.

Songhexuan.

He Zhiliao was respectfully welcomed into the restaurant. Before Chun Jian could say anything, Pei Su's followers who were guarding downstairs came to greet him.

"Lord Sizheng, the two masters are already waiting upstairs, but... where is the Fourth Master?" The follower said this while looking at the pink-clothed person very vigilantly. He could smell the blood on the other person.

Chun Jian said, "We just lost contact with the Fourth Master, so we came here first. The Fourth Master might arrive later."

"Who is this..." The attendant had to ask a few more questions. After all, this man who was taller and stronger than him looked a little weird.

"He helped us get through the crowd."

"Please follow me."

He Zhiliao was brought up like this, but Pei Ji didn't know it, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. After all, his brother loved to play tricks on people, and facing such good intentions, he was a little at a loss.

As soon as he went upstairs, he saw Pei Su coming out to check the situation.

Pei Su's gaze fell on him, looking him up and down, then slowly frowned, "Where did you go to get food? Where's Yun Zhou?"

"We got separated." Harumi quickly replied in a low voice.

Pei Su said nothing, his eyes swept across the girl wearing even crazier pink clothes. Why did he see this man who was even more muscular than a man?

It looks weird, like a monkey.

"Let's go into the private room first." Pei Su didn't say anything else and led them inside.

Pei Ding was originally sipping his tea carefully, but when he saw who came in, he suddenly stood up. This action scared Pei Su, who thought he was going to hit someone.

"So you all recognize me." The pink-dressed woman chuckled, "It seems I haven't met you all yet. I'm Qi Guan."

Pei Su raised his eyebrows slightly, "A branch of the Qi family? I vaguely remember that the male leader of the branch family was weak and sickly since childhood. He doesn't seem to be very similar to the one in front of me..."

His stature has caught up with him, and he is even a little taller than Pei Ding. He doesn't look like a king at all, it's not an exaggeration to call him a man!

Qi Guan smiled and said, "Our branch has already been defeated, so we should keep it a secret. I hope you will forgive me."

He Zhi suddenly realized, no wonder he vaguely heard what he said when he solved those problems. He was chased and killed all day long, so it was better to stay at home safely!

Pei Su didn't say anything more. Guests are welcome. Besides, he heard that it was he who brought He Zhiliao to squeeze through the crowd, so he just invited them all.

"Take a seat first."

Qi Guan immediately sat down next to Pei Ding without any hesitation, and did not forget to smile at him with his face which was slightly made up but had already faded.

Pei Ding coughed lightly, handed over his handkerchief, and said calmly, "Wipe it."

"Thank you." Qi Guan met his eyes and slowly took the handkerchief. His bony hand inadvertently brushed across the other person's face, causing even the calluses on his hands to warm up.

He lowered his head while wiping the sweat off his face, clenching his back teeth.

Pei Ji hurried to Songhexuan. Before he even went upstairs, he saw Chunjian. He immediately hurried over and asked, "Where is your young master?"

"The young master is in the private room. He was afraid that you would be anxious, so he asked me to wait downstairs." Chunjian said.

He more or less understood why the young master asked him to wait here.

Pei Ji immediately strode towards the private room, pushed the door open, and saw the person sitting quietly drinking tea.

He walked over quickly, snatched the teacup from his hand with one hand, and hugged him in his arms with the other.

"I'm sorry, I was delayed by something and didn't mean to leave you behind." Pei Ji apologized in a deep voice, "Are you injured? Are you cold? When did you come here?"

He Zhiliao's eyes were curved with laughter, and his clothes felt cold.

【It doesn't matter.

[No injuries.]

It was a little cold, but I wasn't freezing.

【I just arrived a short time ago, so it's a bit crowded. 】

Pei Ji touched his hands that were warmed by the teacup, and was relieved to know that he was really not cold.

His heart finally settled, he heaved a sigh of relief and sat down beside him, drinking up the water in his teacup without hesitation, showing his full intimacy.

"Eat first, I'll tell you something later." Pei Su glanced at him indifferently.

Pei Ji only had the mind to look at this private room at this time, and suddenly he saw Qi Guan, and that strange feeling of incongruity came to his mind again.

He Zhiliao tugged at him somewhat unhappily. Zheng Jun was right here, how could he keep staring at another man?

"Don't get me wrong, I'll explain it to you later." Pei Ji leaned close to his ear and whispered in it, and after that he didn't forget to kiss his earlobe.

The food was served quickly.

Everyone strangely and tacitly kept silent, just eating their meals, occasionally glancing at Pei Ding, whose behavior was even stranger.

Because he was picking up food for Qi Guan.

Although they used serving chopsticks, it was still enough to make people terrified.

"Thank you, Third Young Master." Qi Guan was also very generous and kept picking up food for him.

Pei Su frowned as he watched. What was this for?

The legitimate couple next to them weren't as affectionate as they were! They were like a married couple!

The meal ended in such a strange way. Qi Guan naturally didn't want to stay any longer, so he stood up and prepared to leave.

"I'll take you there." Pei Ding stood up.

He Zhiliao and the other two immediately turned their heads to look at him with such force that it seemed as if they wanted to knock their heads off.

Qi Guan lowered his eyes and looked at him, a smile flashing in his eyes, but he bowed to him and said, "Thank you, Third Young Master."

Pei Su watched them leave but couldn't even say a word to stop them.

You don't like ordinary noble ladies, but you insist on finding a big and strong man? He's even taller than you!

"Third brother, this is..." Pei Ji didn't finish his words, "But I always feel that there is something wrong with that person. He clearly looks like a man."

"...It really does look like it!" Pei Su looked at him suddenly, and couldn't help but get nervous. "What should I do if it's true?"

Pei Ji chuckled, "Even if it's true, who would know with his appearance? Besides, it's difficult for a male monarch to have children. Who would think there's something wrong with not having one in his lifetime?"

Pei Su felt upset when he heard his nonsensical words.

But then I thought of other things.

"It's inconvenient to say too much because there are outsiders here. Pei Yunzhou, how could you leave him alone?" The smile on Pei Su's usually gentle face now disappeared.

"Qi Guan is full of fishy odor, how dare you pretend to be dead and not smell it!"

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Author's Comment: Pei Su: "My head hurts. He's so ugly!" [covering his face with laughter and tears]

Pei Ding: "It's just a strange appearance." [Glasses]

Pei Ji: "Yeah, yeah, a big, burly guy in a pink dress, smeared with rouge and powder, scares a bunch of people away!" [Cracks]

Little Zhiliao: What are the brothers mumbling about? [Spread flowers]