Chapter 81
By the time Second Uncle rushed to the old house, Pei Huai had already ignored the tenants and sat down in the living room. Seeing them enter with the cat, the woman in front of the bathroom was slightly startled, but quickly calmed down, brewed a pot of tea for the guests, and moved a stool to listen to their explanation of their visit.
The previously arrogant tenant's hands were now tied and pinned to a low towel rack, his face bruised and purple. His wife, Lin Qing—or, more accurately, his ex-wife—had come today specifically to discuss their daughter's child support, only to stumble upon this incident.
After discussing the doubts about the house rental with them face to face, she put down her teacup and said, "In other words, my ex-husband actually owns nothing. The house is rented, and the lessor doesn't have the property certificate yet."
"That's what I mean." Xiang Mingqi echoed.
"Don't listen to their nonsense. Isn't it just about Yuanyuan's piano lessons? I have a house, so I have this little money. Don't believe them, they are just looking for trouble..." After being glanced at by Lin Qing, the man turned his lips and dared not say anything.
Lin Qing was clearly a reasonable person. She sat upright, her index fingers clasped together on her knees, intending to discuss the matter further. Just then, the entrance door was hastily flung open by someone from outside.
"Ah Huai, look at what you've done." Uncle Er, sweating profusely from anxiety, barely had time to take off his shoes upon entering the house. He hurried into the living room to examine the tenant's injuries. He bent down, helping to untie him, and offered a few flattering words. "Old Hu, don't take it personally. My nephew is a straightforward person, and I'm sorry. At worst, I'll ask him to apologize to you later. Look at this..."
"What kind of trip is this!" The knot loosened, and the tenant waved him away, yelling, "Your nephew? Your nephew is acting like this? I'm going to give you face? Little Peach came in and said this is his house, and I just said a few words, and he directly pushed me to the ground. How do you want to compensate me? My wife is still here laughing at me!"
"It's my ex-wife." Lin Qing frowned.
When he heard "his house," his second uncle's eyes hesitated between the few people, flicking left, right, and then to Pei Huai. After a while, he finally fixed his gaze on the angry tenant's forehead. A smile spread across his cheeks. "There must be a mistake. My nephew hasn't been home in over ten years and isn't familiar with the situation here. He must have forgotten that it was his parents who asked me to help rent out the house. Don't worry, don't worry. I'll take the child over to talk and help him prepare himself."
As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled Pei Huai to the small utility room in the south, and Xiang Mingqi forced his way in, holding the door open. His face looked quite ugly, and the small muscles from his eyebrows to the corners of his mouth were cramping, and his masseter muscles were bulging.
If Pei Huai hadn't been there, his punch would have already landed.
After entering the house, Pei Huai broke free and looked at them coldly: "They won't let you do this."
Second uncle didn't dare to glance at him. "Yes, I know. What you did wasn't very decent. But I've been diligently taking care of your brother for so many years. If he goes to live at school, won't this house be empty? This, this house can't stay empty forever." He observed Pei Huai's gloomy face and tried to make amends. "Anyway, I didn't charge him much money, only 800 yuan. He used to have a wide network of contacts, and many debt collectors in this area are happy to give him face. Plus, I owe some money recently... With him here, the creditors won't come to my door."
“This is my home.”
"I know, I know." He turned his eyes to the side, glancing at Pei Huai's eyebrows, "Don't be impatient. If you ask him to move now, he won't be able to vacate the house for a while. Besides, I drafted a contract with him before, and the deadline hasn't arrived yet. If I really kick him out, not only will I have to pay him for breach of contract, but my house will probably be smashed and robbed by creditors. Ah Huai, you can't bear to see me like this, right?"
"Where's the property deed?" Pei Huai was too lazy to talk nonsense with him.
Who would have thought that after this question, the second uncle hesitated for a long time before answering: "Burned, burned. I burned the things your brother left behind."
Before Pei Huai could frown, he slammed his elbow on the table with Ming Qi: "Do you know that you are now occupying someone else's house, taking their parents' things, and burning their house deeds in an attempt to destroy the body?"
"I didn't, I didn't mean that! Please don't frame me."
"I'm not accusing you, just asking. I bet you didn't know you could reissue a property deed." He slipped his fingers into his pocket and pulled out his phone, looking nonchalant. "I'm not as efficient as my brother, and I don't speak with as much authority as he does. But getting the procedures done isn't difficult. Just wait, I'll make sure you and that guy out there get the hell out, along with your belongings. And I'll have to hand over the rent you stole."
"No, no, no, oh please don't do that." The second uncle winked at his nephew beside him several times, asking him for help but to no avail. He had no choice but to step forward and pull the pieces. "What am I going to do if you're doing this? Old Hu has helped me fend off more than ten or twenty people. I can't do it without him."
"I'm really impressed by you. Your nephew has been helping you pay off your debts for fourteen years, supporting you, and never saying a harsh word to you. Logically, you could never repay him even if you worked like a slave in your next life. But why, when someone comes along and offers to fend off your creditors, you're so grateful you wish you could be their grandson? What's the logic behind this?"
"That's because I've been taking care of them since they were little. It's only natural for Ah Huai to be nice to me."
Xiang Mingqi threw his phone onto the table, slammed his fist on the back of the chair beside him, and roared in anger, "Don't play dirty with me!" He lifted the man's collar with both hands and stared at him closely. "I saw everything he did for you and how you repaid him. My brother isn't that good at debating. He's a man of action and will help you out of responsibility, but I won't. And I won't allow anyone to think of putting him at a disadvantage."
After saying that, Xiang Mingqi loosened his greasy yellowed collar, cursed, and took Pei Huai's hand and walked out of the house.
"There won't be a next time," he said.
They didn't stay long; the tenant's smug expression was truly irritating. But as they passed through the living room, Lin Qing slipped them a number and told them they could contact her if they needed anything. She didn't want her husband's foolish actions to affect their daughter, so she would do her best to help them. Pei Huai nodded slightly.
Xiang Mingqi was still fuming, so as soon as he left the yard, he navigated to a nearby bar and invited him to have a drink together, intending to talk about this matter.
He took a mojito from the tray, pressed a lemon slice under his tongue, smacked his lips, and complained to his elders, saying his second uncle was a complete double-edged sword. Not only was he ungrateful for supporting his own nephew, but he even expected the victim to repay his kindness. Besides, that old man, in his entire life, hadn't brought anything good to them, and he kept demanding money like a life-threatening tyrant.
When borrowing money, he would make them kneel down, weep, and promise to change their ways and never do it again, all in sweet words. But once he got the money and felt more confident, he would say that it was a gift of filial piety.
Xiang Mingqi spat the lemon slices into the trash can and commented sullenly, "You're just short of getting the words 'I have no shame' tattooed on your forehead."
Pei Huai remained silent throughout. The warm light from above highlighted his prominent nose and clean, clear profile. His face was pale, with a calm, intellectual air that made it look even more attractive.
He thought that it was not because of the good looks that were revealed on the outside, but because of the nature and temperament that made people surrender from the inside out.
Xiang Mingqi, immersed in the pleasure of defending him, muttered to himself for a long time. Only after he had said the few words left in his mouth did Pei Huai put down his cup.
"I know," he said.
He knew his second uncle wasn't a good person. He was greedy and loved to take things from others. But after his father and stepmother died unexpectedly that year, Pei Huai had no choice. He had left home to work, and it was impossible for him to work and take care of his younger brother at the same time. And Yu Mingrui needed a place to stay.
He said that regardless of his motives, his second uncle was the one who was willing to take them in without hesitation in the early years.
"Then why is he like this now?"
Xiang Mingqi wanted to find a topic to talk to him, but Pei Huai was drinking and looking away as if thinking.
Pressing his index finger against the wine seat in front of his eyes, he licked his soft palate and said, "If you don't know, you can just answer me 'I don't know'."
"I just did my duty."
"That's the reason, brother." He raised his chin and took another sip of wine, swallowing it slowly. "You're too reliable. So reliable that everyone wants to rely on you. And you ask for too little in return, and you feel responsible for the people around you. So he can shamelessly rely on you."
After taking a sip of wine, he took another sip from the rim of his glass. His finger figure walked straight to Pei Huai's glass and stole a cherry. "Who doesn't like someone like you? You always keep your word and are a perfectionist. You need help to get things done, and even if your partner is slacking, you can still drag him to get a perfect score at the end of the semester. There's really nothing wrong with you. But someone as outstanding as you can't handle a scoundrel. He's really going to suck your blood to death."
Seeing Pei Huai counting the water drops on the square-necked cup with his index finger in circles, he didn't answer. Xiang Mingqi stretched out his arms and leaned over the table to look at him.
"But leave the matter of your house to me. I know you're clueless in this area, but I promise to take care of it for you." He put his arm around Pei Huai's shoulders and leaned closer, breathing in the sweetness of the cocktail from their noses. "As a reward, brother, how about giving me a kiss in advance?"
Without giving him a second thought, she put her hands on the back of Xiang Mingqi's head and dug them into his slightly curly brown hair. She bit his lips, licked his loosely closed teeth, and entangled their tongues, sucking each other's.
Xiang Mingqi loved kissing him; it was thrilling and wild, bringing him more than just sensual satisfaction; it also brought him the satisfaction of releasing his skin's thirst for possession. He loved the feel of his brother's lips; they were not thick, but soft, and when he bit them, they felt like ripe peaches, tempting him to go crazy.
"That's enough." The kiss made their lips swollen when they separated.
Xiang Mingqi stared at his lips and said, "Brother Pei Huai, can I sleep with you tonight?"
No one answered. Pei Huai took the wine glass from him, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. His eyelids drooped slightly at the bitter taste. His Adam's apple was exposed, and he swallowed with a trembling sound.
"Brother...don't ignore me."
"I'm thinking."
"Oh so what are you thinking about?"
"Should I promise you?"
"Promise me, brother. Such a handsome brother Pei Huai." He looked at him pitifully from below. "I love you, I love you, I really, really need you. I will die if I can't touch your beautiful body, I will die if I can't kiss your collarbone and chest and abdominal muscles. In short, I will definitely die without you. Please promise me."
“…You’re so weird.”
When the hug was about to replace the kiss, Pei Huai felt someone pat his shoulder. He turned around instinctively, and Zhuangzhuang's aggrieved face suddenly came close to him, and his nose was forced to touch his lips.
Han Shaochen held the pear-shaped fat cat and looked at him, then tilted his head to look at Xiang Mingqi who looked unhappy.
The smile finally turned to Pei Huai.
"Long time no see, handsome guy."
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