Chapter 45: I'm Finally Going to Fall in Love
As soon as Lu Shangyan saw this line of text, he immediately closed his eyes as if he had been attacked.
He originally didn't want to pay any more attention to Pei Yumin, but when he turned around, he saw Jian Guo looking distraught. He was afraid that something might have happened to Jian Guo, and besides, he did feel responsible for her current state.
So he patiently explained again:
[S: I told Jian Guo about Tang Suichen's marriage, and he's very sad now. I don't know how to comfort him.]
Pei Yumin leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply, realizing he had been happy for nothing.
During this period, Tang Suichen would brag to him almost every day, saying that he and Song Yuxin were a match made in heaven. He would post those stupid Moments all day long, saying that Song Yuxin gave him ties, tie clips, this and that... He would see the clothes that Song Yuxin picked out for him when he woke up in the morning. All this made Pei Yumin so angry that he would block Tang Suichen's Moments every day, and then unblock it at night, deliberately showing it to Lu Shangyan, wanting Lu Shangyan to taste his bitterness.
When Lu Shangyan texted him just now, he thought that Lu Shangyan was about to start an epic, wonderful, and sweet romance with him.
To everyone's surprise, it was all because of that little mess in Tang Suichen's family!
He gritted his teeth and complained to Dai Qin, "Why is that Tang Suichen so persistent!"
Dai Qin turned around and looked several times before finally coming to his senses: "Is it President Tang? I'll go downstairs to greet him now."
Pei Yumin's face darkened: "No need! From now on, Tang Suichen is forbidden from entering my company!"
"Make a sign right away and hang it at the company entrance!"
Dai Qin withdrew. Of course, he couldn't do this. He just didn't know what Pei Yumin was going crazy about. He had to run out first and wait until Pei Yumin had calmed down before going back in, so as not to get caught up in it.
Seeing that no one was around, Pei Yumin angrily lay down on the table again, twisting his body and pounding the table. His limbs were long and slender, and his tantrum was both cute and, no, very strange.
Having vented his anger, he pounded the keyboard again:
[m: You'd be better off trying to comfort me. I'm feeling even worse right now. At least Jian Guo had a relationship, but I haven't even had one yet!]
[m: Little shark looking aggrieved.jpg]
[m: Little Shark Collapses.jpg]
[m: The little shark is angry.jpg]
-The other party retracted a message-
[m: Little shark crying.jpg]
Lu Shangyan couldn't bear to watch, but he knew that if he didn't reply, Pei Yumin would send hundreds of messages, making things even more difficult when they met.
So he chose a trivial question:
[s: What was withdrawn?]
[m: I love you.]
Lu Shangyan: ......
He actually saw it; it was [Little Shark Assassinating You.jpg]. He originally wanted to change the subject, but now he really didn't know how to reply.
He held his phone, staring at the screen for a while:
[s: I understand.]
[m: What's the use of knowing? Just reply to me!]
[m: You said you'd get back to me after the case was over, but a month has passed and you haven't said a word.]
[m: My heart is pounding with pain.]
[s: Why is it "pfft pfft"?]
[m: Because a knife has been inserted; the knife is stabbing.]
[m: Don't try to change the subject, answer my question!]
[s: I'm trying really hard to think about it, please give me a little more time.]
[m: How long is "a little bit"? Isn't a month long enough?]
[m: But since I like you, I'll accept it even if you play me.]
Lu Shangyan looked at these words and couldn't say a word for a long time. He could imagine how aggrieved and disappointed Pei Yumin must have felt when he said them.
However, he did not arrive at the final answer to the problem as he had hoped, and he always wanted to escape, so things were not resolved as smoothly as he had imagined.
Actually, when Pei Yumin sent the message, his lips were practically pointing to the sky. He now knew exactly what he had to say to manipulate Lu Shangyan's heart.
He stared at it for a while, but no message came from the other end. He knew that his act of feigning grievance had worked again.
So he very generously said:
[m: Never mind, I knew you wouldn't figure it out.]
[m: Even without a formal title, I'll accept it, because I love you so much.]
Lu Shangyan vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that Jian Guo nudged him with her elbow: "Hey, I'm feeling really bad right now, okay? And you're still in the mood to talk about love in front of me!"
Lu Shangyan quickly flipped his phone face down on the table. He was in a real bind. Being in love was so hard, and being heartbroken was so hard. Pei Yumin needed comforting, and Jian Guo needed comforting too... but he... he didn't know how to do either!
He glanced at Xia Li across from him, but she completely ignored his gaze, only looking around aimlessly with her juice in hand.
Jian Guo sniffed, her eyes red-rimmed, but she still pretended to be relaxed and said, "He hasn't given me a breakup fee yet! He said if we broke up, he would give me a substantial breakup fee!"
He grabbed Lu Shangyan's hand, desperately holding back his tears: "Were you just flirting with Pei Yumin? Send him a message now and ask him to ask Tang Suichen for a breakup fee for me!"
Lu Shangyan knew that what he wanted now was not money; it was just an excuse for him to vent his frustrations.
But I did it anyway.
Jian Guo leaned closer: "I'll watch you send it, hurry up, I need it now!"
Lu Shangyan reluctantly unlocked his phone, regretting that he hadn't chatted with Pei Yumin for so long!
Fortunately, Jian Guo was still immersed in her grief and had no interest in reading the contents above.
After sending the message, he worried that Pei Yumin might say something inappropriate in front of Jian Guo.
So he quickly added:
[s: Hurry up, he's right next to me watching!]
But Pei Yumin completely failed to grasp the metaphor in his words.
[m: You rarely order me around like that; you really value others.]
Lu Shangyan quickly answered his phone: "Let's wait a bit."
In just three minutes, Lu Shangyan's bank account had an additional 500,000 yuan.
He turned on his phone and received a message from Tang Suichen.
[A Little Orange: This is all my savings. You can give it to him. After all, I'm married now, unlike you single guys who aren't married or even in a relationship. I have a lot more things to consider.]
[A Little Sweet Orange: I promised my husband I wouldn't spend money recklessly anymore, so this is all I can give him. If he feels it's not enough...]
[A Little Sweet Orange: This is more than enough if you feel it's not enough!]
Lu Shangyan looked embarrassed and didn't dare to make a sound.
Jian Guo, on the other hand, was holding back tears, her nostrils trembling, but she still pretended to be nonchalant: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and transfer it to me, it's what I deserve."
At this moment, Xia Li realized what was happening and said with a firm look in her eyes, "That's right, it's because this scumbag played with your feelings! You can't let him off so easily even if he took the money!"
It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because once she did, Jian Guo completely broke down and started crying while biting her spoon. This caused the guests outside to pretend to be passing by and peek into the private room.
At this moment, Lu Shangyan sincerely felt this way.
Comforting people is indeed an art.
Fortunately, he didn't break down for long before he started eating like crazy. Lu Shangyan gave him a lot of tissues and placed them in front of him so that he wouldn't be able to swallow and would vomit.
Xia Li, biting her straw, focused her attention on Lu Shangyan: "I feel like you've changed a bit this summer."
Lu Shangyan looked down at himself: "Really? I don't think so."
Xia Li shook her head: "Absolutely. I feel that you've become much gentler now. It's like... like maternal radiance!"
Lu Shangyan almost couldn't hold it in, and finally coughed a few times: "No."
With her mouth full of food, Jian Guo looked up at the words, her eyes swollen, and mumbled, "How could he possibly have maternal instincts!"
After saying that, he narrowed his eyes and started humming again: "At most, it's the sour smell of being immersed in love!"
Xia Li quickly smiled and agreed, "Yes, yes, I misspoke, he's in love."
Lu Shangyan's face flushed: "Not yet."
Xia Li raised an eyebrow: "If it doesn't exist yet, it will!"
Lu Shangyan couldn't deny these words, and their back-and-forth banter made it impossible for him to deny them. In the end, he could only eat quickly and try to end the dinner party as soon as possible.
-
Pei Yumin has been working much harder than before to support his family lately, and he often says, "After all, raising children is very expensive."
He couldn't reveal Lu Shangyan's pregnancy, but he had a few people around him who knew about it, including Qi Min, who had done a lot of things for Pei Yumin.
"But you don't have a wife or children, so you won't understand. Dai Qin should understand how I feel, after all, he has a very lovely daughter."
Upon hearing this, Qi Min simply chuckled.
With Qi Min and Dai Qin hanging around under his nose every day, how could he not see what was going on?
Pei Yumin said, "I heard that you gave him a bracelet with the bonus I gave you a couple of days ago?"
Qi Min nodded: "He gave it to his daughter. He couldn't bear to buy it for himself. He's such a straight man. The style he picked was particularly ugly."
Pei Yu sighed, his words carrying a deeper meaning: "The task is arduous and the road ahead is long."
But soon, he regained his smug expression: "Unlike me, I already have a wife and kids so quickly."
He usually gets fed dog food at Tang Suichen's place, and he finds it unbearable, so he can only bragged about it to Qi Min.
When he returned, he felt completely relieved after showing off.
Lu Shangyan was tidying up his things in the bedroom. He changed his shoes and was about to go over to see if there was anything he could help with when he turned around and saw something shiny on the coffee table.
The pale yellow base is made of ceramic and is surrounded by a circle of small stars. A moon stands on top of the moon, and next to the moon is a cute little elf that looks like it's floating in the air.
Pei Yumin was startled and immediately ran over to take the thing in her hand. Lu Shangyan usually didn't like cute things like this, let alone buy them.
Therefore, this could only be a gift from Lu Shangyan.
Moreover, he had just told Lu Shangyan today that he was cruelly toying with his feelings and was not taking responsibility.
Sending him something like this now must mean that Lu Shangyan wants to...!
He stared wide-eyed and discovered that the base seemed to be hollow, making it the perfect place to hide the ring. He examined it from all angles, and just as he was taking the base apart, Lu Shangyan came out carrying a change of bed sheets and blankets.
Seeing what he was holding, her eyes softened: "Is it pretty?"
Pei Yumin was so moved he almost cried: "It's beautiful."
Lu Shangyan thought he was excited because he was going to be a father, but this excitement was too much. If you didn't know better, you would think you were in an exaggerated TV drama.
But the next second, he knew why.
Pei Yumin tried for a long time but couldn't open the base. He was too excited and afraid that if he waited any longer, he would smash it open.
But this was a gift from Lu Shangyan, and he couldn't do that.
Finally, she could only hand the little elf to Lu Shangyan: "Where did you hide the ring? I can't open it."
"What ring?" Lu Shangyan looked bewildered, and Pei Yumin was even more confused upon hearing this.
In the end, Lu Shangyan was the first to react, freeing one hand to point to his stomach: "This is the little night light I bought for him."
“After lunch this afternoon, Jian Guo was in a bad mood and asked us to go shopping with him. I happened to see this little night light and thought it was pretty, so I bought it.”
He tried desperately to explain, but to no avail. Pei Yumin's expression stiffened, and finally he forced a smile: "Oh, is that so? I was wrong."
He put the nightlight back in its place: "It's quite pretty, he'll definitely like it." Then, he added quietly, "I like it too."
Seeing his expression, Lu Shangyan didn't dare to approach him casually for a moment: "If you like it, you can take it and use it first, and I'll buy him another one."
Pei Yumin shrugged, took his bed sheet and stuffed it into the washing machine: "No need, I don't fight with kids for things."
Lu Shangyan sensed something was off about his expression: "Are you angry?"
Pei Yumin quickly denied it: "How could I get angry over such a small thing?"
Lu Shangyan looked at him suspiciously: "Then I'll go to work?"
Pei Yumin nodded: "Go quickly, I'll wash and hang up your clothes for you later."
After Lu Shangyan left, Pei Yumin collapsed onto the carpet like a boneless chicken claw, his eyes empty and desperate, unable to get up for a long time.
He was on the verge of tears, muttering softly, "How shameful Pei Yumin is, how disappointed Pei Yumin is, how devastated Pei Yumin is, how unappreciated Pei Yumin is."
She glared at the doorway again: "Lu Shangyan is such a stingy guy, he won't even give me a nightlight."
No matter how upset she was, she still had to pick up Lu Shangyan from get off work that night.
When he arrived at the destination, he found that Li Xiaorui was the only one there.
Pei Yumin was too preoccupied with her grief to even ask, "Where is Lu Shangyan? Where is he?"
Li Xiaorui was also bewildered: "He left an hour early, didn't he tell you?"
"No." Pei Yumin felt her fingers getting cold, fearing that something bad might have happened to Lu Shangyan.
He took a step back, turned around, and ran outside, afraid that if he was even a step too late, he wouldn't be able to save Lu Shangyan.
When he reached the door, he remembered to call Lu Shangyan. The call went through, which reassured him a little, but no one answered. He had to keep calling one after another.
When he thought of calling Tang Suichen to ask him to help find the person, Lu Shangyan replied with a message.
[S: Are you coming to pick me up now?]
Pei Yumin's legs went weak, and only after seeing this message did he dare to breathe deeply.
Undeterred, he called again, but the other end still didn't answer.
[m: Call me back! I'm terrified!]
He wasn't joking. From the moment he met Lu Shangyan, Chen Shuo, Lu Lin... none of these people were good people.
Moreover, Lu Shangyan is definitely not the kind of person who would easily take leave and give up a few hundred yuan in attendance bonus!
Most importantly, Lu Shangyan knew he would come to pick him up from get off work, so leaving early without telling him in this situation is definitely suspicious!
Lu Shangyan sent a voice message: "My phone just fell and I can't answer calls now."
The sound coming from the receiver was a bit noisy, and Pei Yumin assumed it was because his phone had broken.
He gritted his teeth and replied, "I told you long ago, you should get a new phone. Where are you now? Are you getting your phone repaired?"
"Don't bother fixing it, I'll take you to buy a new one later."
Lu Shangyan sat in a chair, watching the employee packing his things at the counter not far away.
[S: No need, I'll be back in a bit. Just sit in the hotel lobby and wait for me.]
[m: How long?]
[s: Approximately twenty minutes.]
[m: You scared me to death this time. If you don't come back, I won't let you off the hook.]
Lu Shangyan didn't realize that he was only away for a short while, so what was there to be afraid of? He was an adult, not a child. But then he thought that only Pei Yumin would worry about him to this extent over the slightest disturbance.
[m: Little Shark Going Crazy.jpg]
Lu Shangyan couldn't help but laugh out loud. He stood up and went to the counter to urge, "Please hurry up."
-
As time went by, Pei Yumin gradually relaxed.
He was indeed a bit flustered just now. He sighed and asked Li Xiaorui, "Does he often secretly ask for leave like this?"
Li Xiaorui inexplicably felt like she was caught in the act of cheating, and Pei Yumin was asking her about the situation. For a moment, she didn't know what kind of expression to make, and in the end, she could only wave her hands frantically with an embarrassed look on her face: "No, I guarantee this is the first time he's taken leave this month! He hasn't taken leave often before, and even when he occasionally took leave, you were the one who picked him up!"
Pei Yumin was certain: something was definitely fishy. Given Lu Shangyan's personality, how could he possibly leave his lucrative workstation so easily!
Just as he was thinking this, he heard someone calling him from outside.
Lu Shangyan has been eating and sleeping well lately, his complexion is much rosier, and he has a smile on his face. His hair is much more disheveled than when he left home, and his breathing is still a little unsteady, so he must have run a distance.
Pei Yumin walked over: "Where did you go? You were so mysterious, you couldn't even tell me in advance."
Lu Shangyan said, "How was I supposed to know you'd come to pick me up so early today?"
He used to arrive early, but at most half an hour, unlike today when he arrived more than an hour early.
Pei Yumin was momentarily speechless: "It's almost time to get off work, are you still going to continue working?"
Lu Shangyan shook his head: "Let's go home, I have something to give you."
Pei Yumin realized what was happening: "You gave up your perfect attendance award just to buy me a gift?!"
This is a major discovery! In Lu Shangyan's heart, he is now more important than work and the perfect attendance bonus!
Pei Yumin was so happy she almost forgot how to walk, and started running forward little by little: "What did you buy for me?"
Once in the car, Lu Shangyan took out a blue, chibi-style shark, a little bigger than his palm, round and chubby, with a silly expression.
Pei Yumin held it in his palm, staring at it from front to back for a while, then suddenly turned around and said, "Can you hold it? I want to take a picture."
There's nothing wrong with that. Lu Shangyan took it back and thoughtfully turned on the lights. Pei Yumin didn't take a picture of his face, only his upper body. He took pictures from every angle before stopping.
"Thank you, I like it very much." After saying that, she quickly took it back, afraid that Lu Shangyan would snatch it away or say that he wanted to save it for the child after it was born.
Lu Shangyan sat up straight and started fiddling with his phone. Finally, he pasted all the photos he had just taken and posted them on his WeChat Moments.
[A favorite gift from someone I like.]
Lu Shangyan: ...........
Lu Shangyan looked at the glowing little shark and silently gave it a thumbs up.
Pei Yumin then asked, "Can it be charged? Or do I need to replace the battery?"
If he needs to replace the batteries, he'll buy a hundred now, so that he won't be caught without time to replace them when the power runs out.
Lu Shangyan pointed to its bottom: "It's rechargeable; there's a charging port here."
Pei Yumin picked it up and looked at it: "Where's the charging cable? Aren't you going to give it to me?"
Lu Shangyan took it out of his pocket again, and seeing that Pei Yumin was only holding it in his palm, he was a little troubled for a moment.
He found it strange; it was so bright, hadn't Pei Yumin discovered what was inside yet?
Just now at home, Pei Yumin almost took apart that little elf nightlight, so why didn't he take apart this one?
Lu Shangyan regretted it a little. He should have gone to buy another night light of the same model. But it was too late now, and he left in a hurry. He didn't have time to pick out a better night light. He bought this one at a nearby stationery store.
As Pei Yumin was about to start the car, he saw Lu Shangyan with his head down, looking rather uninterested: "What's wrong? Don't you want to give it to me?"
Lu Shangyan bit his lower lip. At this point, the gifts had already been delivered, and he had no way out.
So, I reluctantly reminded him, "This night light is easy to take apart."
Pei Yumin said, "Don't worry, I will definitely protect it."
"That's not what I meant." Lu Shangyan continued to remind him, "There's something else inside, do you want to open it and take a look?"
Pei Yumin was stunned, his pupils dilated instantly. Then he turned the little shark over, looked at its round white belly, and slowly pried the little shark apart.
Inside, there was a cheap yellow light bulb wire wrapped around it.
But amidst that tangled mess of light wires lay a not-so-cheap response, one that he alone had been waiting for.
It's a ring.
Pei Yumin's nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes: "You...you...!"
"Don't say it!" Lu Shangyan turned his head away. He was calm when he was giving it to him, but now he was burning up and panicking.
He always tried to follow his own plan, but his plans were always disrupted. Last time, he thought he would give him an answer after the case was over. Later, he thought it would be best to wait until he bought a house. But what if he bought a house? Maybe new problems would arise. He took a step back, while Pei Yumin took a step forward. This was not fair to Pei Yumin.
No matter what, he has to take the first step.
Pei Yumin nodded emphatically: "Okay, I won't say anything."
But the next second, the car window rolled down, and Pei Yumin leaned half his body out: "I'm finally going to be in love!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Pei Yumin: I've waited so long, and today has finally come! I've waited so long, and my dream has finally come true! [crying emoji] [cheering emoji]
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