Chapter 51 Foster Brother [VIP]

The sweet and sour aroma of strawberries lingered around the two of them.

The young man feeding the baby seemed oblivious to his actions: "Aren't you afraid that your brother will steal the spotlight from me at the wedding?"

"You think your brother is gold, that everyone likes him?"

"Gold holds no appeal for me."

The young man laughed, but refused to elaborate on what was even more attractive, leaving it to the imagination.

"Ranran, come back!"

Pei's mother's shouts came from outside the kitchen.

The two bodies that had been too close together in the kitchen were separated.

Qingran picked out a strawberry to eat and said to Pei Xu, "Brother, you can go out first. I'll come out after I finish my fruit."

Pei Xu glanced at the number of strawberries in the fruit plate; there were about ten left.

"The strawberries were just taken out of the refrigerator and are a bit cold, so don't eat too many."

He grabbed a handful, about four or five pieces, and ate them one by one as he left the kitchen.

He was incredibly strict about the blue dyeing process, maintaining this level of discipline for a decade.

Qingran frowned slightly as she looked at the plate in her hand, which was half empty.

It wasn't that I felt sorry for the fruit, but rather that Pei Xuhui's behavior still seemed somewhat restrained after the two had confessed their feelings for each other.

Is it his imagination?

"Was I not clear enough last night?" he asked the strategist for his opinion.

System: [Given Pei Xuhui's intelligence, it's super obvious~]

Since it's obvious enough, where does the problem lie?

Qingran fell into thought.

Unless he takes the initiative, Pei Xuhui doesn't seem to be willing to take things further. Isn't this similar to their previous way of getting along?

The system urgently searched the internet for information: [Here's the thing, host: is it possible that Pei Xuhui wants to get his parents' consent first?]

Do you need your parents' consent?

Qingran smiled slightly. If his parents disagree, does Pei Xuhui intend to just pretend nothing happened?

However, he finally understood the reason behind the other party's restraint.

Pei Xuhui wanted to clear as many obstacles as possible for him, so that the relationship would face fewer obstacles and criticisms after it began, and not give him a chance to regret it.

But for Qingran, there's no need for that.

Would he care about criticism? As for his parents, he never lets others make decisions for him, even if it's his so-called parents who make the decisions.

Once he understood the crux of the problem, he was no longer in a hurry and slowly ate his fruit.

[Who says you always need your parents' permission? Isn't it fun to do things secretly?]

The system was ashamed; its host really did like anything that was stimulating.

It doesn't really matter, but given Pei Xuhui's personality, it would be hard for him to accept being secretive all the time, right?

After Qingran finished eating the strawberries, she casually washed the fruit plate. When she went to the living room, Pei's mother was no longer there. Only the tall, handsome man was standing in front of the French windows, making a phone call.

He walked to a spot not too far away, stopped, crossed his legs, and lazily leaned back on the sofa armrest.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the autumn scenery is brilliant and intense, just like the golden leaves falling freely on both sides of the door.

His tall figure was vaguely reflected in the French windows, visible through the brilliant autumn colors.

The call ended shortly afterward, and the man turned around, his gaze finally landing squarely on the young man.

As the gaze drew closer, he restrained himself and stood still.

He explained, "He Anzhou called and asked me to make time next month to try on the best man's outfit."

Qingran: "Which day exactly?"

Pei Xu replied, "It's not decided yet, but they'll contact me when the time comes."

Qingran nodded. It was only the end of October, too far in time to talk about anything else.

Where is Aunt Pei?

Pei Xu replied, "I went out with Dad on something and told us to pack our things and wait for her."

Qingran straightened up: "Then I'll go upstairs and pack my clothes first."

After taking a few steps, a voice suddenly came from behind me.

"You can always back out before the end of this month."

Qingran didn't reply, but silently thought about how she wanted to give Pei Xu a tough push.

*

The horse farm is not far from Gyeongsang City; it takes about two or three hours to drive there.

The family went out by car. Pei Xuhui drove, Qingran sat in the passenger seat, and Pei's parents, who were older, sat in the back seat so they could rest whenever they felt sleepy.

On the way, Qingran and Pei Xuhui didn't talk much, only occasionally exchanging glances through the rearview mirror, which were fleeting.

Unaware of the unspoken tension between the two, Pei's mother sensed something was wrong and asked, "What's wrong with you two? You haven't said a word since you got in the car. Did you have a fight?"

Qingran denied it.

"No, my brother said I can change my mind at any time before the end of this month, and I'm just seriously considering it."

The man driving next to him tightened his grip on the steering wheel upon hearing this.

Mother Pei asked curiously, "What is it that makes you all so serious?"

Qingran smiled, "It's a secret~"

"Okay, your little secret." Pei's mother wasn't angry. It's inevitable that children will be unwilling to tell their parents things when they grow up.

Instead of pressing for details, she asked Pei Xuhui, "Does Xuhui regret it now?"

Pei Xu replied, "To be honest, I regret it, but if I had to do it again, I would still give Qingran the chance to choose."

Qingran smiled: "I'm different from my brother in this respect. I never give others a chance to regret it."

"Are you two filming an idol drama? You're talking in a very confusing way," Pei's father, who had been listening for a while and was getting a headache, interjected speechlessly.

The last time he was this confused was when he was watching some lovey-dovey TV series with Pei's mother!

Pei's mother suppressed a laugh and shoved him, saying, "You roughneck."

Around 12:00, the group arrived at their destination.

The person in charge at the racecourse, who had received the news early on and was to entertain the distinguished guest, came forward with his assistant to greet him warmly.

While shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries with the group, the person in charge explained that their Chairman Hu was temporarily unable to leave due to other matters, but would definitely come over as soon as he was done.

Pei's father spoke on behalf of everyone: "It's alright, we're just here for fun. Old Hu has important business to attend to."

They are currently in the accommodation area outside/around the horse farm. Because it is a private horse farm, the accommodation area is very beautifully built.

Looking out, the first thing you see is a lush expanse of vegetation that reaches above your ankles, with pale yellow and light purple wildflowers blooming among the vegetation, swaying gently in the wind.

Two-story villas were built in succession among the grass and wildflowers.

The Pei family of four had more than enough room in the villa. The couple shared a room on the second floor, while Qingran and Pei Xuhui each had their own room.

After lunch, everyone went back to their rooms for a short nap. At 3 p.m., they put on their protective gear and went out horseback riding.

"Can you ride a horse, brother?" Qingran asked as they rode the shuttle bus to the horse farm.

Pei Xu replied that he did: "I learned a little bit when I went out with friends while studying abroad."

Qingran squinted: "Is your extracurricular life exciting?"

Pei Xuhui rubbed his head, swallowing back the rest of his words.

Once they arrived at the horse farm, professional coaches who had won competition awards guided them in selecting the horses they wanted to ride and explained the precautions for riding.

Mr. and Mrs. Pei listened attentively, without raising their hands to ask any questions.

Qingran picked out a bold red mare that caught her eye.

A moment later, after listening to the coach's explanation, he announced that they could begin to try it, and gave the man a wink.

Pei Xuhui understood, stepped forward, and led the horse a little further away: "Do you need any help?"

Qingran: "You underestimate people."

After saying that, he nimbly mounted his horse.

The mare was momentarily flustered by his aura, but quickly became docile again under the soothing influence of his spiritual power.

Qingran, looking down at the person on the ground, raised an eyebrow: "I don't quite remember what the coach just said, aren't you going to teach me?"

Pei Xuhui understood that he was talking nonsense, but still indulgently pursed his lips in agreement.

The two riders rode together, with the man in the back gently shaking the reins, controlling the horse to slowly stroll around the riding arena.

The weather is lovely today, with thin clouds, a gentle breeze, and the air filled with the fresh scent of earth and grass.

This was the first time the two had been so close since their embrace by the river, and also the first time they had been so close since they had almost confessed their feelings to each other.

Their bodies were pressed together, close enough to feel each other's warmth and heartbeat.

Aren't you going to ask for my answer?

The man did not speak.

"So you allow me to regret it, and you also allow me to be with other people?"

Pei Xuhui really wanted to say yes, but the truth was—

"cannot."

He could be Qingran's older brother for life, but he couldn't accept Qingran being with someone else, especially after he found out that person could have been him.

Qingran snorted: "Then why are you pretending to be so generous?"

Pei Xu rubbed his chin against his hair: "Okay, I'm being generous because I'm poor, I'm giving your brother some face."

Qingran: "Okay, as long as you pay me hush money."

Pei Xu replied, "What do you want?"

Qingran turned around, raised her chin, and kissed the man's lips, then smiled like a fox who had stolen some fish.

"I said, it's a 'sealing fee'~" The last three words were drawn out in an ambiguous tone.

Startled by his bold move, Pei Xuhui unconsciously tightened the reins, knowing that his parents were still nearby...

As a result, the horse beneath him received the signal and suddenly raised its upper body.

Qingran bumped into the man's arms due to the sudden movement, and Pei Xu hugged her back and quickly regained his composure.

Wow! Beautiful!

Behind them, Pei's parents, who had struggled to mount the horse with the coach's help, saw this scene and immediately exclaimed in admiration.

How did these two brothers end up riding on the same horse?

It must be that the previous chapter was relying on his experience to teach the true way of dyeing!

The carefree couple had no doubts whatsoever, and under the coach's guidance, they even gently squeezed the horse's belly to get closer to them.

"Ranran, look! Your dad and I have learned to ride horses too!"

Pei's mother gripped the reins stiffly, but greeted Qingran excitedly.

Qingran sat in front of Pei Xu, waving in response while teasing the person behind her in a low voice.

"Brother doesn't seem like he only knows a little bit."

Despite the frightened horse and the near discovery of his parents' secret, he showed no fear whatsoever.

He acted willfully and maliciously, showing no remorse whatsoever.

But Pei Xuhui still loved his willful demeanor.

"Are you calling me 'brother' very fluently?" I've never seen him call me this frequently before; now it's obvious he's doing it on purpose.

"Hmm, I can say it even more fluently now~"

Unable to win an argument with him, Pei Xuhui chose to surrender.

Afterwards, Qingran rode independently for a while, and also tried a short race with Pei Xuhui.

He has an amazing talent for this, commanding his horse with ease, and even the coach praises him for his talent.

Spirituality is natural; one will soon attain enlightenment and transcendence.

The group played outside until evening.

As dusk fell, Mr. and Mrs. Pei gradually felt their legs were tired and sore, so the group headed back home, saying they would take a bath and rest before going to the restaurant for a meal.

When Qingran came out after taking a shower, Pei Xuhui was in his room looking at the instructions for use of the medicine.

A thin slit was opened in the sheer curtain beside him, and the beautiful sunset light poured down onto the man, bathing him and the entire log cabin in the warm colors of autumn.

"What is this?" Qingran asked as she approached.

At the same time, Pei Xuhui also looked up and asked, "Are there any cuts or aches on your thigh?"

Did you bring him medicine for his injuries?

Qingran remained expressionless: "It hurts a bit after taking a shower. I don't know if the skin is broken."

A note from the author: