Chapter 23 [VIP]

Perhaps it was this act of heroism that made Pei Xingzhi feel a little closer to her. When Xie Nanyi invited Pei Xingzhi to live together again, she was surprised to receive a reply that he needed to think about it.

Xie Nanyi was prepared to be rejected outright. After giving a soft "hmm," she habitually turned and walked away, only realizing what Pei Xingzhi had just said after taking a few steps.

"Xiao Zhi... has agreed?"

"I haven't agreed yet." Pei Xingzhi's voice hadn't fully recovered, and his words were still a bit unclear. In Xie Nanyi's words, his voice sounded like a hoarse version of Donald Duck.

As soon as he spoke, Xie Nanyi turned away and chuckled. Pei Xingzhi couldn't say anything to him, so he could only hide under the covers to cover his blushing face in embarrassment.

"I didn't agree to your request, I just said I needed to think about it." Pei Xingzhi's voice came indistinctly from under the covers.

He knew Xie Nanyi probably didn't mean any harm; after all, given how frequently he changed dorm rooms, choosing to live with Xie Nanyi was probably the best option.

However, he still couldn't accept the idea of ​​living with an Alpha who had once threatened him with pheromones without any reservations.

Pei Xingzhi has been in the hospital for almost a week since the incident. He didn't suffer any physical injuries, but he has more psychological problems caused by excessive shock.

Pei Xingzhi wanted to be discharged from the hospital immediately, but Xie Nanyi refused to allow it. Not only did she forcibly confine him to the ward without his consent, but she also confiscated all his communication devices, allowing him only one hour a day to contact his family.

Pei Xingzhi's previously filmed videos were still on the device. He used the excuse of needing to call his parents to retrieve the device, checked that the videos were intact, encrypted them, and stored them in the cloud. After doing all this, he deleted the videos from the device.

His devices had been in Xie Nanyi's hands for a while. Although the devices were password protected, it was possible that someone as mentally unstable as Xie Nanyi might do something strange while he was unconscious.

He didn't trust Xie Nanyi enough to tell him this directly. He still had a vague memory of what happened; it was already strange that he had wandered into that place by mistake, and it was even stranger that Xie Nanyi had found it.

Everyone knows Xie Nanyi comes from a wealthy family, but no one knows what his family actually does. If this matter is related to the Xie family, wouldn't handing over the evidence directly to Xie Nanyi be like walking into a trap?

No matter how Xie Nanyi inquired about what had happened that night, Pei Xingzhi's answer remained the same—he couldn't remember.

Pei Xingzhi was unwilling to talk about it, and Xie Nanyi knew that pressing for answers would be useless, so the two tacitly chose to forget about it.

Xie Nanyi took very good care of Pei Xingzhi, being considerate in every way. She even watched over him when he went to the toilet and took a shower, claiming that she was afraid something might happen to him.

Pei Xingzhi felt less like he was in the hospital and more like he was being imprisoned by Xie Nanyi. Xie Nanyi's actions clearly restricted his personal freedom, and if Pei Xingzhi wanted to, he had every reason to call the police to arrest him, but the thought only existed in his mind for a moment before disappearing.

Xie Nanyi was also doing it for his own good. After all, he was in the wrong, and Xie Nanyi had even saved him this time. Pei Xingzhi would never do something like repaying kindness with enmity.

Pei Xingzhi's indulgence only emboldened Xie Nanyi, who clearly sensed that Xie Nanyi was becoming increasingly invasive of him. At first, Pei Xingzhi tried to resist, but after it happened repeatedly, he simply let Xie Nanyi have his way.

Anyway, it wouldn't be a big deal for two grown men to be touched, so let him touch them if he wants. It's just that being touched on the hand is much easier to bear than being chased around looking at the marks on his wrist.

Xie Nanyi seems to have changed his tactics recently. Pei Xingzhi has never heard him mention the mark even though they have been together for so long. It seems that he is only being so nice to him because he simply likes him.

If Xie Nanyi hadn't revealed her intentions from the beginning, Pei Xingzhi might have actually been tempted.

But he was already prejudiced; no matter what Xie Nanyi did for him, Pei Xingzhi always felt it was all for the so-called imprinting. This internal conflict always managed to pull Pei Xingzhi back from the brink of collapse.

He had been in the hospital for so long that Pei Xingzhi felt his limbs were about to atrophy. He hadn't been able to concentrate on his classes much this semester because of Xie Nanyi's harassment, and now he had taken two weeks off. All in all, he hadn't really learned anything properly this semester.

His major has a very demanding curriculum, and now that he's fallen behind so much, he doesn't know what kind of torture he'll face when he gets back.

Thinking of this, Pei Xingzhi's head suddenly started to ache again. He felt like he needed to stay in the hospital for a few more days to recuperate.

Are you feeling unwell again?

As soon as Xie Nanyi entered the room, she saw Pei Xingzhi slumped on the bed, rolling around with his hands covering his face. His oversized sweater had rolled up as he moved, revealing a small section of his fair skin. Xie Nanyi's eyes flickered slightly, and she walked over and quietly helped him pull the rolled-up sweater down.

"I suddenly don't want to be discharged from the hospital anymore." Pei Xingzhi swung his legs in the air and grabbed Xie Nanyi's clothes with both hands, acting coquettishly towards him.

"Didn't Xiaozhi want to be discharged from the hospital before? Why doesn't she want to be discharged now?"

Xie Nanyi grasped Pei Xingzhi's hand and gently rubbed it against her cheek. Pei Xingzhi felt a tingling sensation, as if he'd been electrocuted, where Xie Nanyi's lips had brushed against his hand. He met her gaze, and Xie Nanyi narrowed her eyes slightly, her voice filled with boundless affection.

"That's right, that's right... my dorm bed hasn't been replaced yet!"

Words spoken in a relaxed state are not thought through. Pei Xingzhi's words just now had no meaning, but Xie Nanyi's question made him unsure how to answer.

It would be too embarrassing for Pei Xingzhi to tell Xie Nanyi that he had developed a dislike for studying because he was afraid of falling behind in the course. His brain was working at lightning speed, and somehow he came up with this strange-sounding reason.

"Chu Ling told me yesterday that my bed hasn't been replaced yet. The school's procedures are too slow. It's been so long and they still haven't replaced it. I can't possibly sleep on that broken bed board!" Pei Xingzhi felt more and more convincing as he spoke. He had been hospitalized for two weeks, and there was still no sign of his bed being replaced. He knew that the school's efficiency was low, but it was still a bit beyond his imagination.

"Why are you still in contact with Chu Ling?" Hearing Chu Ling's name from Pei Xingzhi again, Xie Nanyi clicked his tongue in disgust. Not only had he failed to get the job done, but he was also secretly contacting Pei Xingzhi behind his back. It seemed he needed to find Chu Ling something to do.

“He’s my roommate, isn’t it normal for me to keep in touch with him? You’ve done so many terrible things to me, and I’m still in contact with you, aren’t I?”

Pei Xingzhi was unaware of their previous complicated history and thought Xie Nanyi was simply angry with Chu Ling because his machine had broken her bed. His tone of voice softened unconsciously.

“I’m not like him. He treated you so badly.”

"How is it different? Speaking of going too far, what you did to me was far more outrageous than what he did!"

"I did it all for Xiaozhi."

"If you're doing this for me, please urge the school to change my bed as soon as possible. I don't want to go back home without a bed to sleep in."

"Replacing damaged public property requires the student's signature. If you don't sign, the school can't replace it. This is a fixed procedure and cannot be changed because of you."

Along with Pei Xingzhi's complaints came a stern male voice from outside the ward. Upon hearing this voice, Pei Xingzhi, who had been sickly, suddenly sat up with a jolt.

Xie Nanyi, who was standing close to him, was jolted by his movement and lost her balance, falling back onto the bed, pulling Pei Xingzhi back with her.

"President...what brings you here?" Pei Xingzhi greeted Xie Nanyi awkwardly while sitting on her lap, his face turning bright red when he stood up.

Aside from medical staff Xie Nanyi and Assistant Qin, few people usually come to the ward. The air conditioning in the ward is on full blast, and Pei Xingzhi, who is sensitive to heat, is dressed extra coolly today.

The sweater he was wearing was just put on him by Pei Xingzhi. The overly long hem hung down and completely covered the shorts that Pei Xingzhi had rolled up, making it look as if he wasn't wearing anything on his lower body.

His hospitalization was an unexpected event, and Xie Nanyi had his assistant buy him clothes after he arrived. His assistant was clearly less efficient than Assistant Qin; all the clothes were made to Xie Nanyi's measurements, a size larger than Pei Xingzhi's.

Pei Xingzhi didn't think much of what he was wearing normally, but he realized how awkward it was today because there were outsiders around.

He pulled down his rolled-up trouser legs, a move that made Fang Chaoming shift his gaze downwards to his legs.

Xie Nanyi sat crookedly on the bed, coldly staring at Fang Chaoming, almost unable to control himself from releasing pheromones. Fortunately, Pei Xingzhi turned around in time, interrupting his angry outburst, and stood up next to him.

"You've been sick for so long, I've come to see you on behalf of the school. How are you feeling now? How much longer do you need to stay in the hospital?" Fang Chaoming pushed up his non-prescription rimless glasses, stood up straight, and spoke in a very stereotypical manner.

"I was almost ready when you finally showed up. Isn't this like taking off your pants to fart?" Pei Xingzhi tried his best to restrain himself, but he still couldn't help but mutter a complaint under his breath.

Perhaps it was because he and Fang Chaoming were incompatible, but Pei Xingzhi didn't like him much from the first day they met. He thought Fang Chaoming was hypocritical and pretentious, and that he was still acting so old-fashioned in this day and age; Fang Chaoming thought he was too unconventional and always impractical, and that important tasks would never fall to Pei Xingzhi if he was in charge.

Pei Xingzhi was extremely annoyed by him, but since they were both in the student council and Fang Chaoming was the student council president, their interactions were inevitable.

Where there is interaction, there will be conflict. The deeper their relationship, the more disagreements they had, until it almost escalated to the point where they would argue every time they met. If Fang Chaoming were really as hypocritical as Pei Xingzhi thought, that would be fine, but unfortunately, Pei Xingzhi knew best that Fang Chaoming was indeed as he appeared on the surface. This left him with no reasonable reason to be angry, so he could only deliberately stay away from Fang Chaoming to avoid getting into all sorts of trouble for himself.

Xie Nanyi was close by and clearly heard what he said, so she looked down at him.

He originally thought Pei Xingzhi was good-tempered to everyone, but it turns out there was an exception besides him?

"If you're here to offer your condolences, Xiaozhi is being discharged today. You seem a bit late. We're packing our things. If you have nothing else to do, you can leave now."

"Are you being discharged?" Fang Chaoming spoke a little faster than before. He ignored Xie Nanyi's dismissal and looked at Pei Xingzhi behind him to ask.

"Hmm." Pei Xingzhi tried to hold back, but couldn't help rolling his eyes in disgust. If Fang Chaoming's official rank wasn't higher than his, and if the two weren't going to have other interactions in the future, he wouldn't bother to pretend to respond to him now.

"Then I'll help you pack. As for the accommodation issue you just mentioned, I can help you apply for a dormitory room to stay in." Fang Chaoming rarely offered to help so enthusiastically, and stepped forward to take the things from Pei Xingzhi's hands.

Pei Xingzhi couldn't figure out what Xie Nanyi was thinking, so he subconsciously looked up at Xie Nanyi.

Xie Nanyi lowered her head to meet his gaze, then pulled him behind her to shield him from Fang Chaoming's pulling.

"Isn't your senior here on behalf of the school to offer condolences? It's one thing to come empty-handed, but how could I ask you to do this again? Xiaozhi will be discharged from the hospital soon, so you don't need to worry about him so much. After all, Xiaozhi is my boyfriend, so I'll take care of his affairs."

Xie Nanyi's words were merciless. Fang Chaoming glanced at him, then looked at Pei Xingzhi, who was hiding behind him.

Pei Xingzhi chuckled secretly behind Xie Nanyi, giving her a silent thumbs-up. Xie Nanyi had said everything he couldn't say himself; if Fang Chaoming still had the nerve to stay, he'd be incredibly shameless.

Fang Chaoming, of course, didn't have that kind of thick skin. He clenched his fists behind his back, secretly regretting that he had been so focused on seeing Pei Xingzhi that he had forgotten the most important gift.

He was not good with words to begin with, and those words had already exhausted all his courage. Pei Xingzhi's attitude was undoubtedly a silent rejection, and it would be too tactless for him to continue.

"Alright then, I won't bother you any longer. But if Pei Xingzhi needs help with his dorm situation, he can come find me..."

"No need," Xie Nanyi interrupted Fang Chaoming. "Xiao Zhi lives with me, so there's no need for you to trouble yourself, senior."

"When did I..." The long training had made Pei Xingzhi accustomed to it, and when he heard this, he subconsciously wanted to refute it. But before he could open his mouth, Xie Nanyi grabbed his neck and turned his head towards Fang Chaoming.

When Pei Xingzhi met Fang Chaoming's eager gaze, his mind snapped back to reality. He hurriedly nodded in affirmation of Xie Nanyi's words, and even hugged Xie Nanyi back, adding a few more words of embellishment. Each sentence made Fang Chaoming's expression darken further, and his expression didn't return until he left.

As soon as Fang Chaoming left, Pei Xingzhi immediately released Xie Nanyi, pounced on the bed, and burst into laughter. He hadn't seen Fang Chaoming look so humiliated in a long time. Rank matters, and every time the two had a conflict, Pei Xingzhi had been the one to give in. This stubborn old man had only ever embarrassed him. This time, he had finally gotten his revenge.

"So happy?" Xie Nanyi sat on the edge of the bed and picked up a lock of Pei Xingzhi's hair, twirling it in her hand. Pei Xingzhi seemed to really like this hair color. Ever since he dyed it, he had been constantly touching up the color, so the color had never faded. He was already quite handsome, and with that mischievous smile, he looked even more like a cunning little red fox.

“You have no idea how annoying he is. I’ve really had enough of his oppression!” Once this was mentioned, Pei Xingzhi started talking again. He sat up straight and started pointing and talking non-stop. Xie Nanyi listened from the side and nodded in agreement from time to time.

Pei Xingzhi was talking enthusiastically until Assistant Qin knocked on the door and came in to tell the two that all the formalities had been completed and they could leave, which made him stop.

"What's wrong? Have you developed feelings for the ward, or for me? You don't want to leave me?" Xie Nanyi couldn't help but tease him, seeing him looking at the hospital bed with such a nostalgic expression. If it weren't for the fact that extending the hospital stay too long would be noticed, he really would have liked to let Pei Xingzhi stay here a little longer.

"No, that's not it." Pei Xingzhi raised his hand and punched him. Xie Nanyi caught his movement and used a bit of force to pull him into his arms.

Pei Xingzhi was already used to him like this. From the initial panic to now calmly getting out of Xie Nanyi's arms and giving Xie Nanyi a second punch with his other hand.

Assistant Qin was already used to the two of them like this. Perhaps the flirting of the wealthy was always different from what he expected. As an assistant, he only needed to pretend not to notice. After delivering the message, Assistant Qin sensibly went downstairs to the car to wait. More than forty minutes later, the two of them finally came downstairs, looking rather dawdling as they got into the car. It was clear that something unusual had happened.

"Where are you taking me? I've already said I want to walk by myself, I don't need you to see me off. What will happen to my reputation if you keep bothering me like this?" Pei Xingzhi was practically carried into the car by Xie Nanyi, but he valued his freedom and his reputation even more, so at first glance, it would only look like the two were holding hands, and there was almost no sense of coercion. He only shouted these words after they were inside the car.

"Hasn't Xiaozhi's reputation already been tied to mine? The school has been spreading rumors that Xiaozhi is my boyfriend." Xie Nanyi, the culprit behind the rumors, said innocently, while helping Pei Xingzhi fasten his seatbelt.

"How dare you say that? Who caused all this?! I already said I wanted to go back by myself. Chu Ling has already applied for a new dormitory for me. I have a dormitory to live in. I don't want to live with you!"

"Chu Ling is a low-quality Omega, how could he be qualified to apply for a new dormitory? He has only submitted an application, and the school may not approve it even next semester."

"It's all because of you! Why did you submit the transfer application without my consent? I haven't even agreed to live with you yet, so why are you making decisions for me? Doesn't the school know it's dangerous for Alphas and Betas to live together? What if you have ulterior motives towards me? I'm going to complain about the school. I don't want to live with you!"

"It's no use for Xiaozhi to submit an application now. The school has already approved my application, and Xiaozhi has already changed dormitories twice. This is the third time. Do you think the school will process your application again?"

"Even if you don't accept my application, it's none of your business. I've already said I don't want to live with you! It's none of your business if I go out and stay in a hotel!"

The two argued fiercely in the back. Neither of them mentioned driving. He sat quietly, watching the crowds passing by outside the window to pass the time, and silently timed it in his mind. After the two had been arguing for five minutes, he finally found an opportunity to speak.

"Young Master Pei, I think you may have misunderstood something."

"What misunderstanding!" Pei Xingzhi had just finished arguing with Xie Nanyi, and his tone when speaking to Assistant Qin was unconsciously a bit harsh. After realizing his tone, Pei Xingzhi awkwardly pursed his lips and whispered an apology.

Assistant Qin was already used to his unpredictable boss, and Pei Xingzhi's words were of no concern to him. He maintained a polite smile and brought up the issue that the two had been arguing about for so long without reaching a conclusion.

“Young Master Xie’s dormitory is a little different from Young Master Pei’s. Young Master Xie’s dormitory has three rooms, and he is currently the only one living there. No one else will be moving in. There are enough rooms, so the two of you don’t need to sleep together.”

Three rooms?

“That’s right. Young Master Xie’s dormitory is an apartment-style unit. As long as Young Master Pei locks his room door, there’s no need to worry about Young Master Xie climbing into his bed in the middle of the night.”

Upon hearing Assistant Qin's words, an awkward embarrassment enveloped Pei Xingzhi.

If that's the case, why didn't Xie Nanyi make things clear beforehand, causing him to believe that Xie Nanyi was trying to do something bad to him, making him worry for so long for nothing?

"Does Xiaozhi want to live with me?" Xie Nanyi felt his wrist, which hadn't reacted for a long time, start to ache again. He sighed and finally asked this question.

"Then how much dorm fee will you charge me? Make it clear first, I don't have much money left."

"free."

"I'll go!"

Before Xie Nanyi could speak again, Pei Xingzhi readily agreed. After spending so much time with Xie Nanyi, he had come to a conclusion—he should take advantage of Xie Nanyi whenever possible.

A note from the author:

Fang Chaoming

I initially thought I could ride the wave of a successful V-sign, but now it looks like I'll probably get a reverse V-sign instead, and I still haven't made it onto the charts.

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