Creak creak, rustle rustle.
“Woof! Whine…”
Pei Yan: “……”
It sounded like a little mouse causing chaos downstairs.
Pei Yan thought Shen Ju would leave first.
He also thought he’d be able to fall asleep.
But the door was left ajar, and he couldn’t sleep a wink!
He should’ve closed the door earlier.
Yet Pei Yan didn’t want to get up to shut it—he was just mad at himself.
He’d put on such a show coming upstairs, but now he couldn’t even settle down.
Pei Yan nearly laughed at his own frustration.
This kid is my kryptonite, huh.
Pei Yan flipped over, then flipped again.
Fine, Little Stone hasn’t been fed yet. Even though he stuffed himself this morning, another meal now wouldn’t hurt.
Pei Yan convinced himself and got up to head downstairs.
Only about ten minutes had passed since he’d gone upstairs.
But ten minutes was plenty of time to get a lot done.
In the living room downstairs, Shen Ju held their family dog’s muzzle with one hand while pressing a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture with the other. Then he let go and ruffled the dog’s head.
Pei Yan clearly saw their dog’s tail wagging happily.
It opened its mouth to bark again—obviously just teasing.
Pei Yan sniffed, catching another whiff of rice fragrance drifting from the kitchen.
He paused involuntarily.
“Woof!”
“Hey, no barking.”
Shen Ju hurriedly shushed again: “Mr. Pei is resting, Little Stone. No barking…”
“Didn’t I tell you not to be so formal? Why are you still calling me Mr. Pei?”
Shen Ju jumped, looking up to see Pei Yan coming down from upstairs.
He stammered a bit: “Mr. Pei… P-Pei Bro, did I wake you up?”
Pei Yan glanced at their dog: “Even if you did, it’d be Little Stone waking me.”
“But what are you doing?”
Pei Yan eyed the kitchen: “Cooking? Hungry?”
Shen Ju shook his head: “It’s for you, Pei… Pei Bro. I simmered some porridge in the clay pot.”
He really made it for me.
“Sorry, Mr. Pei. I used your kitchen without asking.”
Shen Ju seemed to be gauging his expression carefully, so Pei Yan cracked a wry smile: “Am I that scary?”
Host! Stand tall!
996 was exasperated too: What’s going on? How come you can’t stand up straight in front of Pei Haochuan’s little uncle?
Shen Ju touched his nose and glanced at Pei Yan again.
By now, Pei Yan couldn’t help wondering if this kid really found him that intimidating.
996 Bro…
Yeah?
He’s so handsome.
996 hesitated: ……Huh?
“……”
Pei Yan nearly made a weird face himself: He’s so handsome?
Shen Ju’s voice carried a shy note: What do I do, 996 Bro? Looking at Mr. Pei, I just can’t help but respect him.
Plus, I yanked him into the pond yesterday, and today I smashed him with a pomegranate. He seems so unlucky and pitiful…
996 paused again: So you… can’t help but feel a little sorry for him?
Shen Ju fell shamefully silent.
Pei Yan: “……”
Pei Yan took a deep breath and turned toward the kitchen.
He was afraid that facing Shen Ju would give away the look on his face.
Pat pat pat.
Little Stone circled around and squatted in front of him.
Pei Yan flicked the dog’s ear hard.
“Woof!”
Little Stone admired the expression on Pei Yan’s face, then pat pat pat ran off again.
Pei Yan nearly laughed in exasperation again.
So all that careful caution from Shen Ju wasn’t because he didn’t know how to act around him or was afraid of him—it was because…?
A few minutes later, at the dining table in the restaurant.
Pei Yan took a few sips of porridge, and his irritation melted away.
It wasn’t plain congee; it had crushed salted duck egg, chopped greens, and egg drop from a regular egg—perfectly savory, no sides needed.
Pei Yan usually only made simple meals at home by himself.
He didn’t like others coming over. Aside from the hourly cleaner who tidied periodically, he wasn’t picky about food.
If he ate at home, it was whatever was easiest—as long as it was edible and wouldn’t kill him, it was fine. After all, he wasn’t alive just to satisfy his appetite.
But something tasty like this made even his headache ease up.
As he ate, Pei Yan eyed the backpack Shen Ju had brought.
Qichen issued new study supplies and seasonal uniforms every quarter; he had them too. But aside from the daily-wear uniform, Pei Yan never used the rest—especially not this backpack. Even if he wasn’t fussy about what he used, he had no intention of slinging that thing over his shoulder.
Qichen students from every class called it the “ancestor bag.”
Rumor had it the first principal designed it personally when the school was founded, and it hadn’t changed style since—truly an antique among antiques.
No wonder it was so “rustic.”
He hadn’t expected Shen Ju to be perfectly happy carrying it.
But…
“You’re out playing, but you brought your backpack?” Pei Yan asked casually.
Shen Ju, sipping porridge across from him, paused and said sheepishly: “I have some problems I can’t solve myself…”
He’d originally planned to ask Jian Yi about them.
But he hadn’t gotten the chance.
Thinking of that, Shen Ju felt a pang of disappointment.
Who knew when he’d go back next—maybe Auntie wouldn’t even welcome him anymore.
“After we eat, I can take a look.”
“Hm?”
Shen Ju looked up.
Pei Yan set down his spoon with a clink and smiled at him: “Didn’t I mention it before? If you want, I can tutor you.”
As soon as he spoke, Shen Ju stared straight at him.
Pei Yan’s heart skipped.
Had he given something away?
Was this kid that perceptive?
Then he heard two synchronized sighs:
996: Host, Pei Haochuan’s little uncle is actually this nice.
Shen Ju agreed wholeheartedly: Yeah, total good guy.
Total good guy material.
Shen Ju added earnestly: 996 Bro, use his name.
996: Fine, we’ll both call him Pei Bro.
Pei Bro looks unapproachable—like a high mountain flower or whatever you call it—but he’s actually so easygoing and kind!
Pei Yan: “……”
Pei Yan reconsidered carefully: Did he really need to find a way to keep this kid around?
This 996 System didn’t sound all that reliable.
What if he invested time and effort, only to get nothing in return?
Still, after dinner, Pei Yan took Shen Ju to the study.
The study was on the first floor, combining two rooms, so it was huge. Besides a long row of bookshelves, there was a solid redwood table five meters long and a meter wide.
Shen Ju was stunned.
He could probably roll around on that thing.
Once he decided Pei Yan was a good guy, Shen Ju relaxed a lot around him, warming up noticeably.
Like a kitten finally trusting someone.
The shift was blatant, naturally catching Pei Yan’s notice—like a soft paw pad tentatively brushing against him.
Pei Yan had always thought cats were hard to raise.
Much harder than dogs.
Cats didn’t need walks—just food and a litter box—but in his mind, they were tough to bond with, so they took more effort.
Even with dogs, Pei Yan stuck to breeds like border collies.
His first dog had been Little Stone’s mom, Xingxing—smart, well-behaved, sensible. She’d had a litter, and he’d kept Little Stone.
Though maybe that was a mistake.
Little Stone was smart too, but never used it properly.
Needed hand-feeding and loved drama.
Still, it was way less trouble than Gao Chuanbai’s similar-colored husky.
It met Pei Yan’s pet standards, at least.
So he’d never been curious about raising a cat.
But right now, he oddly felt what it was like.
With a tiny milk kitten, no less.
Turns out, when a cat warms up to you, it’s impossible not to notice.
Shen Ju had brought his pre-holiday mini-test papers and wrong-answer notebook. Pei Yan flipped through them and figured Shen Ju had just transferred recently—from a public school. Public schools weren’t bad, but Qichen was elite education, lavishly funded “flowers and brocade,” with sky-high standards.
So Pei Yan knew Shen Ju’s struggles weren’t from stupidity, but from jumping levels too fast.
Offering to tutor had hit the nail on the head.
They tutored straight into the afternoon.
Not nonstop, though.
Pei Yan only explained problems occasionally; the rest of the time, he handled work in the study while Shen Ju sorted errors and read alone.
Quiet, obedient, well-behaved—he could sit still the whole time.
Little Stone was let in midway, romped around the study, then pat pat pat slipped out, dragging its luxury dog bed in. It plopped the bed by Shen Ju’s feet, curled up, and gnawed on a chew toy, making occasional noises amid the page-turns. When Pei Yan snapped out of it, he realized this was a rare, indescribable atmosphere.
His mood grew complicated; he felt a strange novelty toward Shen Ju.
Later, Shen Ju cooked dinner.
After eating, Shen Ju packed his little backpack and looked at Pei Yan with sparkling eyes: “Pei Bro, want me to walk Little Stone for you tomorrow morning?”
“I can come super early.”
In his mind, he told 996: Though my role shouldn’t like dogs, taking responsibility for Pei Bro means looking after his dog too, right?
Totally should.
Having kept Shen Ju there all day, 996 finally remembered something it forgot to mention…
But host, I told you to get close and butter up Pei Haochuan’s little uncle—Pei Bro—for the endgame: making him despise and loathe you.
You’re the vicious true young master.
Your approach should repel people. Your fawning should annoy them.
