Chapter 44: Pei He: Good Person Card, and There’s More?

Pei He used his hands, still steaming from the hot shower, to gently wipe away that tear stain. The eyes beneath his bangs held unfathomable emotions.

Zhou Zhuoyuan loved XX Brand Biscuits, stubbornly clung to his pride and loved putting on a strong front, studied diligently as if harboring grand ambitions, and was quite the charmer in romance—yet even he had moments of vulnerability.

Just as Pei He was about to scoop him up and carry him to bed, his hand brushed Zhou Zhuoyuan’s shoulder, and the other man woke with a murmur. “Mmm… you done washing up?”

Oblivious to the tears he’d shed in his sleep, Zhou Zhuoyuan yawned and stood to grab a fresh change of clothes.

Pei He decided it was best not to mention it.

~~~

They arrived in North City the following afternoon, worn out from the long journey. Zhou Zhuoyuan’s plan was for them to rest at the hotel that afternoon while he went off alone in search of Aunt Wu.

Pei He wasn’t happy with that arrangement and insisted on tagging along. The two of them wandered around East City three times over, only to return to the hotel empty-handed.

Zhou Zhuoyuan’s stamina wasn’t up to the task. He’d even taken the time to point out local specialties to Pei He along the way, and by the time they got back, he collapsed in exhaustion.

North City wasn’t large. If they’d simply asked around, they probably could have found her quickly. But Zhou Zhuoyuan worried that two unfamiliar faces showing up out of nowhere and grilling people might frighten Aunt Wu, who still owed some money here and there.

Her cancer wouldn’t strike for another three years. Even if they tracked her down now, there was no way for Zhou Zhuoyuan to warn her to change her lifestyle or she’d get cancer in three years’ time—for the sake of her child’s future, she should forgo treatment and endure less than two years of suffering before dying in agony.

If he said something like that, he’d probably get chased out as a lunatic.

Besides, cancer had many triggers, and it wasn’t always something you could dodge just by tweaking your habits. Zhou Zhuoyuan had no burning obsession with finding her this trip. He just wanted to catch a glimpse of her. Meeting her and offering some help would be even better.

Sprawled on the bed in total exhaustion, Zhou Zhuoyuan called He Qinglan. For some reason, now that they were abroad, He Qinglan refused to video chat.

He grumbled indignantly, “Both my suitcases got wrecked! I’m never flying with that airline again. Service is slow too.”

He Qinglan sounded a bit distracted. “Mm. I won’t fly with them either from now on.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan rolled halfway across the bed, flipping from prone to supine. “Is your family stuff tough to sort out? Need my help?” Not that he had much to offer beyond a few hundred thousand in savings.

He Qinglan let out a soft chuckle. The furrowed brow he’d worn these past days finally eased. “Thanks, Little Yuan. Nothing too tough. I’m just a bit tired today.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan was ever considerate. “Same here. Let’s chat tomorrow. Sounds like Pei He’s knocking.”

Pei He was indeed pounding on the door. “This egg burger’s way better than the one from earlier.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan opened up, a mix of shock and envy on his face. “How do you even have the energy to go out?”

Unfortunately, after all the snacking they’d done that day, he wasn’t hungry. He broke off a small piece to taste, then handed the rest to Pei He.

Stuffed to the gills, Pei He cradled his belly. “Night. I’m heading out.”

Truth be told, who knew where he’d found the place, but the food was incredible. No wonder he’d gone overboard.

Zhou Zhuoyuan stared at Pei He’s bangs, now long enough to cover his eyes, and a thought struck him. “Pei He, have you noticed your eyesight getting worse lately?”

Pei He: “?”

~~~

Meilian Hair Salon in West City welcomed its first customer bright and early.

Pei He had been adorable as a child—not bragging, but every adult who’d seen him said so. The praise multiplied after his mother took him for a trendy set of bangs. Even back in elementary school, girls confessed to him. Unfortunately, he’d already fallen for the gentle and dependable He Qinglan, so nothing came of it.

Once middle school started, the compliments tapered off. Pei He chalked it up to people becoming more reserved with age, never once suspecting his prized hairstyle.

His mother was a university professor, his father a doctor at a top-tier hospital—both walked the straight-and-narrow path to success. Influenced by them, Pei He hated change. That’s why his affection for He Qinglan had endured to this day… and so had his hairstyle.

The barber chattered on, pushing a particular style. Pei He gritted his teeth and gave the nod.

“Does this really look better?” The first three days after a haircut were always the ugliest. Not used to his new look, he asked skeptically.

The boss heaped on the praise. “Handsome as hell, kid! Handsomer than that hottest celeb right now!”

Pei He: “…” The hottest celeb right now was a stand-up comic.

Pei He didn’t expect the boss to give him a straight answer, so he went looking for Zhou Zhuoyuan, who was crouched in front of the TV chatting with the boss’s husband. “Am I really handsome like this?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan looked up at him and froze for a moment.

The Pei He whose eyes were now visible gradually merged in his mind with the Pei He he’d seen on TV in his previous life.

This was their Gaokao Top Scorer from this batch. Back then, as Zhou Zhuoyuan choked down a bowl of egg fried rice that was so burnt it was bitter, he’d never imagined that one day, on a quiet morning bathed in perfect sunlight, inside a rundown street-side barbershop, the future Gaokao Top Scorer would grab his shoulders and ask if he was handsome.

Seeing that Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t saying anything, Pei He’s confidence began to crumble. “No way? Am I really that ugly? Even you can’t bear to tell me…”

Zhou Zhuoyuan snapped out of it, his eyes curving into a smile as he looked at the extremely nervous Pei He. “Handsome. I was stunned by how handsome you are.”

No wonder the Zhou Zhuoyuan who’d misunderstood it as a compliment back then had been so shy. Praised like this, Pei He’s entire face flushed bright red, as if he were steaming in the warm room.

~~~

That afternoon, Zhou Zhuoyuan took Pei He to the largest park in the small city. To be honest, it was too cold, and there wasn’t much to do in the park.

The river surface had frozen over. Pei He ventured cautiously onto the ice, shuffled around for a couple of laps, and made it back to shore with Zhou Zhuoyuan’s help.

He huffed out a cloud of white breath. “It’s pretty fun. You wanna give it a try?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan shook his head. “I’ve walked on it enough already.”

Pei He had already thought he seemed overly familiar with North City. “Did you used to live here?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan replied, “Sort of. I lived here for five years.”

What did “sort of” even mean? Pei He couldn’t make sense of the cryptic guy.

Dinner that evening was again at the snack street in East City, but they still didn’t run into Aunt Wu. Back at the hotel, Zhou Zhuoyuan clutched his phone and prayed silently: Let it snow big tomorrow. He really had nowhere else to take Pei He for fun.

He didn’t want to leave Pei He with the impression that North City was boring, because North City had given shelter to a homeless man like him.

For once, the heavens heard his prayer. The next morning, Pei He—carrying takeout breakfast—frantically rang Zhou Zhuoyuan’s doorbell. He’d been politely scolded by a passing hotel cleaner the previous time he’d pounded on the door.

His voice brimmed with excitement. “It’s snowing! Let’s go build a snowman and have a snowball fight right now!”

Zhou Zhuoyuan blinked in surprise, then his eyes lit up. “Sure!”

The snow was still falling after breakfast, blanketing the simple little city in a pristine white expanse.

Pei He, sporting his new haircut, wanted to film one of those atmospheric videos that were trending online. Filming himself wasn’t enough; he had to film Zhou Zhuoyuan too.

Pei He instructed, “Make your gaze a bit more melancholic. Pretend you’re the male lead in a K-drama.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan replied, “But I’m really happy right now.”

Pei He thought for a second. “Fair enough. Then smile gently, like your leading lady is walking toward you. Gotta be gentle about it.”

So Zhou Zhuoyuan imagined He Qinglan walking toward him.

After messing around for half the day, they finally got one atmospheric video that wasn’t very atmospheric. It lacked vibe, but since the star was so good-looking, the overall effect was decent.

Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t great with the cold, so Pei He had him wear gloves while rolling the snowman’s body, while he handled the detailed head.

But Zhou Zhuoyuan rolled the snowman’s round body until it was as tall as his own belly, and Pei He was still meticulously sculpting tiny bits of snow.

Zhou Zhuoyuan stared. “…”

He offered guidance to Pei He, who had probably grown up in the south and rarely played in snow. “Roll it. How’s it gonna be round if you keep sticking on clumps like that?”

Pei He followed his advice, rolling and shaping as he went, and sure enough, he produced a decent head.

Zhou Zhuoyuan didn’t hold back the praise. “Nice one.”

Turns out even the Gaokao Top Scorer had things he wasn’t good at.

Zhou Zhuoyuan smugly raised a brow and went hunting for twigs to make the snowman’s arms.

Pei He even gave the snowman his scarf and gloves.

Zhou Zhuoyuan couldn’t stop him. After snapping photos with the snowman, Pei He started sneezing. The snowball fight that followed was promptly canceled by the hard-hearted Zhou Zhuoyuan. “You said you came to take care of me, but now I’m the one taking care of you.”

Maybe it was because he’d kept getting sick after his rebirth, but it really bruised Zhou Zhuoyuan’s fragile pride. Pei He, who figured a few sneezes and a runny nose were no big deal, was forced to stay in the hotel and accept his care.

Zhou Zhuoyuan brought over a steaming mug of cold medicine. “Drink this and sleep it off. You’ll be fine.”

Pei He, already sweaty from being cooped up in bed, took it. “Thanks. You’re such a good guy.”

With Pei He stuck in bed recovering, Zhou Zhuoyuan headed to East City alone.

Still nothing.

He figured that at this point in time, Zhou Zhuoyuan wasn’t meant to meet Aunt Wu yet. In a few more months, after she moved, that would be the right moment for them to cross paths.

Disheartened, Zhou Zhuoyuan returned to the hotel. To his surprise, Pei He had snuck out despite his warnings. The proof was in the two egg burgers Pei He handed him. “Good thing you didn’t come back too late—they’re still hot.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan frowned. “Why didn’t you listen to me? What if your cold got worse?”

Seeing that Zhou Zhuoyuan was upset, Pei He hurriedly explained, “I took the medicine you brewed for me this morning, and by noon I was completely better. See? I don’t have a trace of a stuffy nose left. It’s all thanks to your care.”

His emotional intelligence hit its peak in that moment.

Zhou Zhuoyuan felt a little embarrassed. “It was nothing. Just a small favor.”

As he munched on the egg burger, he mumbled to Pei He, “Will your parents be mad that you’re coming home so late?”

They had originally planned to head back the day before New Year’s Eve.

Pei He shrugged. “Dad gets off from the hospital the day before New Year’s Eve, and Mom’s a total workaholic who never takes a break all year. When would they even have time to chew me out?”

Zhou Zhuoyuan sighed. “That’s so tough. If I become a doctor someday, I guess I’ll need to steel myself for that now.”

Pei He eyed the longing expression on his face. “Then you can come over to my place sometime and chat with my dad about it.”

Zhou Zhuoyuan was profoundly touched. This romantic rival of his wasn’t just willing to play matchmaker between him and He Qinglan—he’d even generously praised him for the help he’d given. “Pei He, you’re truly one of the best people I’ve ever met.”

Pei He: “?”

A good guy card… and one of them?