Chapter 74 [VIP]
Before leaving Chu Ling's house, Pei Xingzhi was pulled aside by Chu Ling for a long talk, who tried to dissuade him from bringing Huo Miao back to his home. However, Pei Xingzhi brushed it off with the excuse that "Huo Miao is just a child." In Pei Xingzhi's view, Huo Miao was just a slightly willful child, and there was no need to describe him so harshly.
However, the very night Pei Xingzhi uttered those words, he began to regret it.
Huo Miao is really different from other children.
He wasn't the traditional mischievous type; Huo Miao was just... just a little too clingy.
Like a little puppy, he followed Pei Xingzhi wherever he went, and stopped whenever Pei Xingzhi stopped, not giving Pei Xingzhi even a moment of freedom. And his clinginess was the quiet kind; he wouldn't say a word, just stare at Pei Xingzhi with his dark eyes. If Pei Xingzhi told him not to follow him, he would tilt his head, pretending not to understand, pause for a few seconds, and then continue to pester Pei Xingzhi.
Not only that, letting Huo Miao come to Pei Xingzhi's dessert shop was like a mouse falling into a rice jar. Pei Xingzhi's own reserve of desserts wasn't nearly enough for Huo Miao. After just two days, Pei Xingzhi's dessert shop received no fewer than twenty reviews accusing them of employing some kind of scarcity marketing tactic. Pei Xingzhi didn't care about the small profit; he was worried that Huo Miao might be developing a vengeful mentality and binge eat. How could a mere Omega possibly eat so much? What if something happened to Huo Miao while he was there? How would he explain this to Chu Ling and Kuro?
But Huo Miao didn't care about any of that. He seemed to have forgotten about his previous insistence on attending offline events and was having a very comfortable time with Pei Xingzhi. He helped out at Pei Xingzhi's shop during the day and waited for Pei Xingzhi to finish work in the evening to pick him up and take him home.
There were only two rooms on the second floor of the shop that could be lived in. After Huo Miao arrived, Pei Xingzhi went back to the house assigned to him by his work unit, leaving only Uncle Ge to look after the shop.
After getting off work that evening, Pei Xingzhi went to the store to pick up Huo Miao as usual. Before even entering, he heard a commotion inside. Pei Xingzhi stood at the door and looked through the glass door. A group of people were gathered in a circle, and he couldn't see what they were doing. Pei Xingzhi instinctively thought that Huo Miao was up to something again, but then he felt that Huo Miao didn't seem to have the guts to do anything in front of so many people. He hesitated at the door for a moment, but ultimately his curiosity prevailed, and he pushed open the door and followed them in.
Pei Xingzhi's shop isn't very big. Saying there were a whole circle of people was just an exaggeration. If you look closely, there are only about a dozen people in the shop. It only seems like there are more people because they are all crammed together.
The circle was divided into three layers. The outermost layer was for customers, the middle layer was for shop employees, and the innermost layer was obscured by Pei Xingzhi, but judging from the voices, it should be Huo Miao and the protagonist of this incident. Pei Xingzhi, believing that as the boss he had the right to the best viewing spot, pushed his way through the outer layer of customers. Just as he was about to squeeze into the area for the shop employees, Huo Miao, surrounded by the crowd, saw him.
Huo Miao excitedly stood up, called out Pei Xingzhi's name, and clapped. As if they understood something, the people around him automatically stood up and made way for Pei Xingzhi.
Pei Xingzhi looked at the strange group of people, puzzled, and nervously touched his ears. He had gotten off work early today, so he had rushed to the restroom to change his earrings. Was he too trendy, and the people here couldn't accept it? Surely not.
Pei Xingzhi was being stared at by a group of people. He smiled awkwardly and turned his pleading gaze to Huo Miao, who had put him in this predicament.
But the moment his gaze fell upon them, the awkward smile on his face froze on his face.
Pei Xingzhi had always thought it was ridiculous that the main characters in TV dramas could be in the same space but could never see each other. But just now, Xie Nanyi was sitting in front of him. His gaze swept over everyone, but he overlooked the most conspicuous Xie Nanyi, which left him stuck here and lost the best opportunity to escape.
"Brother Xingzhi, you're finally back." Huo Miao grinned and ran to Pei Xingzhi's side, seemingly oblivious to his embarrassment, and pulled him in front of Xie Nanyi.
"You...how could you..." Pei Xingzhi tried to speak, but under the watchful eyes of those around him, he turned to Huo Miao and asked, "What are you all doing? Why are you all gathered here?"
Huo Miao seemed to have been waiting for him to say that. As soon as Pei Xingzhi finished asking the question, Huo Miao quickly answered it.
"Brother Xingzhi, it's the Pumpkin Party! The Pumpkin Party is here to see you!"
"..."
If Pei Xingzhi were wearing a heart rate monitoring ring right now, the beeping sound would definitely be deafening.
"Okay, I understand." Perhaps unsure of how to respond, Pei Xingzhi was actually calmer than he expected. He even had time to think about whether his cold expression was particularly handsome, and if someone secretly took a picture of him at this moment, it would definitely go viral online.
"Huh? And then?" Huo Miao, who was still expecting what would happen next, turned to look at Pei Xingzhi in confusion when she saw that there was no follow-up.
This wasn't the scenario he envisioned. Shouldn't he be panicked and shy, covering his face and running away after learning that the handsome guy in front of him was from Pumpkin Party? At the very least, he could have shown some signs of shyness! He had specially called everyone in the store to tell him his love story with Pumpkin Party beforehand to create the right atmosphere, so why was Pei Xingzhi's reaction so indifferent?
"What do you mean, 'then'?" Pei Xingzhi glared at Huo Miao indifferently, giving him a look that said, "I'll settle the score with you later." He then put on a standard smile, apologized to the onlookers, and had the staff give each customer a 50% off coupon. Afterward, he pulled Xie Nanyi upstairs. Huo Miao stood there stunned for a moment, then ran up after them, only to be scared back down at the top of the stairs by Pei Xingzhi's gaze.
Pei Xingzhi pulled Xie Nanyi into his room, locked the door, and carefully examined this "old friend" he hadn't seen in a long time.
Xie Nanyi's face was still very handsome, so handsome that he couldn't find a single flaw. The last bit of anger in his heart was swallowed up when he saw Xie Nanyi's face, along with the words he wanted to say.
Xie Nanyi was thrown onto the bed by him. Pei Xingzhi stood in front of him, looking down at him. His long hair was hastily tied up and draped over his shoulders, softening his features. His star-like eyes cast a sharp scrutiny at Xie Nanyi, as if he could see right through him with just a glance. This was probably why Pei Xingzhi, despite his good looks, was never mistaken for a girl.
The two looked at each other, saying nothing, yet it was as if they had said everything.
"How did you find your way here?" Someone always had to break the silence between them, and Pei Xingzhi didn't want to waste any more time, so he spoke first.
"Finding your information wasn't difficult." Xie Nanyi reached out to take his hand, but unsurprisingly missed. He chuckled and withdrew his hand, grabbing Pei Xingzhi's pajamas lying on the bed and sniffing them like a pervert. His imprint and his heart longed for Pei Xingzhi every day. He had just broken free from drug dependence and begun to rely on Pei Xingzhi when Pei Xingzhi left his side.
In the days immediately following Pei Xingzhi's departure, Xie Nanyi tried to bring him back more than once, but in the end, his reason prevailed, and he gave up the idea.
He didn't want to trap Pei Xingzhi with the mark. His feelings for Pei Xingzhi were far more than just the influence of the mark.
"I've wanted to come find you for a long time, but I only recently finished dealing with those troublesome matters." Xie Nanyi said casually, as if he wasn't the one who was going crazy from the torment of the imprint.
Pei Xingzhi felt a chill run down his spine from his disgusting behavior. He put his hands behind his back and took an awkward step back.
Pei Xingzhi looked at his face, wanting to say something, when suddenly a sharp pain shot through his chest. The pain subsided very quickly; if it weren't for the lingering panic in his chest, Pei Xingzhi would have almost thought he had just hallucinated.
He pursed his lips to suppress the emotions that were about to surface, then pulled out the chair next to him and sat down.
"Huo Miao just said you're from Pumpkin Party, don't you have anything to say?" Pei Xingzhi didn't care about this matter; it didn't matter who Pumpkin Party was. However, his intuition told him that if he continued with that topic, he would experience the same state again.
“Yes, I am indeed from Pumpkin Party, but I didn’t buy the account, nor did I plan to deliberately approach you. Whether you believe it or not, this was a complete accident.” Xie Nanyi’s answer was extremely frank. Compared to other things, this was indeed a pure accident. This coincidence could only prove that he and Pei Xingzhi were destined to meet.
When did you find out I was Peipei?
"A long time ago, probably before you left? I can't remember exactly. It's normal to want to get closer to you because I like you. I couldn't suppress this feeling, so I just did it all. I don't think I was being unscrupulous. It just proves that God didn't want us to be separated, which is why He gave us such a deep connection, right? You really like 'Pumpkin Party,' don't you?"
“Then…” Pei Xingzhi suddenly hesitated. Xie Nanyi’s words sounded reasonable, and he couldn’t seem to find any reason to refute them. “But I don’t like you.”
“But you said you liked ‘Pumpkin Party,’ and ‘Pumpkin Party’ is me, so you like me.”
"That's because I didn't know you and 'Pumpkin Party' were the same person. If I had known, I wouldn't have liked 'Pumpkin Party'."
"But you still like pumpkin parties, and you can't deny that."
“That’s because I thought he was an independent individual.” Pei Xingzhi was a little dizzy from Xie Nanyi’s words. “Even if I like Pumpkin Party, I like that virtual image, not the real you. You and ‘Pumpkin Party’ have absolutely nothing in common. Don’t you feel uncomfortable liking a fake version of yourself?”
"But that's still me. Even if it's just me pretending, you still fell for me, didn't you? Since it's all me, why should I be conflicted?"
"What do you want from me?" Seeing that he couldn't win the argument with Xie Nanyi and that he had no chance of winning if he continued on this topic, Pei Xingzhi quickly changed the subject.
"Of course I want to marry you," Xie Nanyi answered frankly. He propped himself up on the bed, tilted his chin up, and looked at Pei Xingzhi with a nonchalant smile, as if to say, "You're all in my shoes." "Our engagement is still valid. Since you don't want to go back, I have no choice but to come here and marry you."
"Are you kidding me?" Pei Xingzhi was so taken aback by Xie Nanyi's words that he didn't know what to say for a moment. He wasn't a particularly eloquent person, and when dealing with an unreasonable rogue like Xie Nanyi, he was always at a disadvantage. Pei Xingzhi didn't want to continue this pointless conversation with him. It had been like this for a long time; Xie Nanyi would only be immersed in his own world and would never seriously listen to his thoughts. He knew that Xie Nanyi was a very capable person, but that was just Xie Nanyi's own strength, and it wouldn't bring him any benefit.
He always felt exhausted being with Xie Nanyi.
Pei Xingzhi stood up, straightened the wrinkles in his clothes, composed himself, and adopted the demeanor of a master. He didn't dislike Xie Nanyi, but he also couldn't accept her.
“If you’re here for fun, you can stay for a few days, but if it’s for something else, I’m afraid I can’t agree.” Pei Xingzhi had never considered romance; it was never an option in his life plan. He couldn’t imagine another person appearing in his world, living and dying with a stranger. He couldn’t tolerate such a person’s existence, nor could he believe anyone would tolerate him. Even his parents couldn’t give him selfless love; how could someone without blood ties give it to him?
"You can sleep here first. If you need any necessities, just ask Uncle Ge. He won't lock the door at night, so you can just go in." Pei Xingzhi said as he walked to the door, trying to unlock it to leave. But for some reason, the lock, which was usually easy to open, wouldn't open today.
"I'm not joking." Xie Nanyi stopped smiling, walked over to Pei Xingzhi, and brought him back.
"I really want to marry you, but it doesn't matter if we don't get married, as long as I'm with you." Xie Nanyi, taking advantage of his Alpha nature, pinned Pei Xingzhi to the bed, his lips pressed against his ear. Pei Xingzhi, who had been still, felt a tingling sensation in his waist from this extremely ambiguous action, and his strength instantly vanished. Xie Nanyi, of course, didn't notice the change in the person beneath him. He gently kissed Pei Xingzhi's ear and continued, "See, you reacted too."
"This is just a normal physiological phenomenon," Pei Xingzhi said through gritted teeth. Shouldn't he be leaving now? Why was he being pinned down on the bed by Xie Nanyi?
"Even if it's a physiological reaction, you need to relieve it, right? Let me help you, okay?" Xie Nanyi stuck out her tongue and licked Pei Xingzhi's cheek. Her gentle voice, like alcohol, continued to entice Pei Xingzhi. "Xiao Zhi, I don't need a title. Even if you treat me as a tool, that's fine. Just let me stay by your side, okay?"
“Xie Nanyi, our relationship hasn’t reached the point where we can do this.” Pei Xingzhi seemed immune to Xie Nanyi’s seduction. Even though he was physically weak, he still verbally resisted. “Your obsession with me is only because of the imprint. Instead of going crazy over me, you might as well take some medicine!”
Pei Xingzhi's words were meant to provoke Xie Nanyi into leaving, but somehow they touched a nerve with Xie Nanyi. He bit Pei Xingzhi's neck hard, like an Alpha in heat trying to mark an Omega as his own. Unfortunately, Pei Xingzhi was a Beta and could not be marked by him.
But his bite only energized Pei Xingzhi. Taking advantage of Xie Nanyi's distraction, he bent his knee and thrust hard into Pei Xingzhi's groin. The expected scream did not come. Xie Nanyi released Pei Xingzhi a second before he could lift his leg.
Pei Xingzhi's legs were raised in mid-air. Xie Nanyi pressed down on his legs, picked him up, and placed him on the edge of the bed. She then knelt in front of him and slowly took off her coat, before lifting the hem of her hoodie as if to take it off as well.
Seeing Xie Nanyi's actions, Pei Xingzhi thought he was about to do something bad. He swallowed hard and then assumed a running away stance. As a Beta, he could never possibly resist an Alpha. His phone was still in his bag downstairs, and he didn't know if the door lock could still be opened. If Xie Nanyi wanted to do something, he wouldn't be able to escape now.
"What are you going to do?" The only thing to do was to calm Xie Nanyi down first.
He didn't want to die here.
Seeing his nervous expression, Xie Nanyi released her grip on the hem of his hoodie and ruffled his hair.
Do you know what an imprint is?
Xie Nanyi suddenly posed such a profound question, and Pei Xingzhi really didn't know how to answer it. He wasn't a researcher of human evolution; how would he know the answer to this kind of question?
"What are you going to do?"
“I don’t know what the mark is. I thought it was something like a gland, so I tried to cut it off, but it was no use. Even if my tendons were severed, the mark would still grow back along with the new flesh. I’ve tried to resist this instinct with my willpower, but I can’t get rid of it. Just like how I feel aroused when I see you, although I don’t know how you suppressed the appearance of the mark, it won’t really disappear. This instinct will always exist in our bodies, accompanying us throughout our lives until we die in agony.” Xie Nanyi’s voice was very soft, as if these words carried some kind of taboo, as if each sentence would cause him immense pain.
Pei Xingzhi frowned, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
“I don’t want to talk to you about this.” Pei Xingzhi wanted to escape. He was afraid of this place, afraid of this kind of conversation that would completely dissect him, which would make him confused and waver. So he could only choose to escape.
"Didn't you ask me why I didn't use medication to suppress it?" Xie Nanyi pressed Pei Xingzhi's shoulder, pulling him into her own space. She pulled down the collar of his hoodie with her right hand, forcing Pei Xingzhi to look at Xie Nanyi. His disgusted gaze instantly turned to shock when he saw Xie Nanyi's chest.
Above his heart, his once clean and smooth skin was now covered with scars, and beneath the scars, a few words could be vaguely seen—Pei Xingzhi.
“This is…” Pei Xingzhi looked at him with a solemn expression, a bad feeling creeping into his mind. “Isn’t your mark on your wrist… how could it be… how could it be on your heart?”
"I don't know." Xie Nanyi seemed to have experienced immense pain; her voice was weak, her lips were pale, and her face was completely bloodless. "I tried to run away, and I also wondered if my feelings for you were truly due to the imprint. I didn't dare answer you before, but now I can answer you..."
“Pei Xingzhi…” Xie Nanyi took a deep breath, “I love you, simply because I love you.”
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