Pei Yan had actually dug up his dirt!
Shen Ju hurriedly reached out to cover Pei Yan’s mouth. “Wasn’t that just me talking to Brother 996? You eavesdropped, fine, but why remember it so clearly, Pei Ge?”
Pei Yan first pulled Shen Ju’s hand away to catch his breath. What grip strength.
A little more precise, and it would’ve covered his nose and mouth—he might not have been able to breathe.
“Everything you say, I remember.”
Pei Yan held Shen Ju’s hand and pinched his palm. “Sometimes, I even like listening to you muttering privately with 996. Because I can know what’s on your mind.”
Shen Ju looked closely at Pei Yan. “Pei Ge, actually… do you not want to fix that bug where you can hear me talking to Brother 996?”
Pei Yan paused. “Why do you say that?”
Shen Ju pursed his lips. “Just a feeling… And didn’t you just say you like it? Because you can know what I’m thinking?”
Pei Yan gazed at Shen Ju for a long moment before suddenly lowering his head, forehead pressing against Shen Ju’s. In a low voice, he said, “I thought you wouldn’t notice.”
“Yes, I don’t want to fix that bug. I want to always know what’s in your heart.”
Shen Ju ventured carefully, “Because it makes you feel secure?”
Pei Yan let out a wry chuckle. “That obvious?”
“Not really…”
Shen Ju scratched his cheek. “It’s just… sometimes you stare at me so intensely, Pei Ge.”
“You don’t like it?”
Pei Yan asked softly, his eyes flickering.
He’d thought Shen Ju wouldn’t notice anything, but it turned out Shen Ju sensed everything.
Still… not everyone liked that.
“Wait for me a sec, Pei Ge.”
Shen Ju didn’t answer directly. Instead, he stood up from Pei Yan’s lap.
Just then, a server knocked, seeing they hadn’t ordered. She checked if they needed anything else.
“No, we’re about to order.”
As he spoke, Shen Ju slid into the seat next to Pei Yan and picked up the tablet to browse.
The server retreated.
But Shen Ju fell silent.
It was as if telling Pei Yan to “wait” had just been an excuse.
Pei Yan lowered his gaze to his hand, emotions flickering uncertainly in his eyes.
If…
【Pei Ge, what do you want to eat?】
Even lost in those unspeakable thoughts, Pei Yan instinctively started to speak—but as his mouth opened, he realized something was off…
A faint current tingled from his fingertips, the voice in his mind crystal clear.
He whipped his head toward Shen Ju.
Shen Ju winked at him: 【Try speaking out loud, Pei Ge.】
This “speaking” definitely didn’t mean aloud.
Pei Yan stared at Shen Ju: 【Anything’s fine. You order first.】
【Okay!】
Finally unable to hold back, Pei Yan reached to pull him close.
996: 【Haha! Pretty cool, right?】
Pei Yan: “…”
Shen Ju couldn’t help curving his eyes in a grin, a bit smug and thrilled. “It actually works! Brother 996!”
996: 【Of course! I’m pretty capable, you know.】
【Am I awesome or what, Host?】
【Yes, yes, you’re the best, the absolute best Brother 996.】
996: 【Hehe.】
Pei Yan: “What exactly is going on?”
Shen Ju explained, “Just like the connection between me and Brother 996, I had Brother 996 open one for you too, then link the two channels together. So now we can hear each other—but Brother 996 can hear us too.”
As he spoke, Shen Ju shook Pei Yan’s hand lightly. “But now you can know what I’m thinking too, Pei Ge.”
Pei Yan stared at Shen Ju without blinking, as if he could never get enough.
He didn’t know what mood he was in right now, but it was probably the first time in his life that his heart pounded like it wanted to leap out of his chest. In his twenty-odd years, he’d never been so wholly depended on, trusted, and… liked like this.
No, he didn’t just want Shen Ju to like him.
He wanted Shen Ju to love him.
He wanted Shen Ju to be his for life—body, heart, everything, completely and utterly his.
What to do.
This little fool probably can’t escape me in this lifetime.
Pei Yan sighed lowly, pinched Shen Ju’s chin, and suddenly leaned down to kiss him.
“Mmph…”
Shen Ju’s waist was pressed, pulling him into Pei Yan’s arms. His lips and tongue were thoroughly invaded in an unprecedented assault, nearly swallowed whole. His breathing couldn’t keep up with the ferocity of Pei Yan’s kiss.
It went on for ages until Shen Ju was on the verge of suffocating before Pei Yan released him.
Pei Yan wiped the tears welling at Shen Ju’s eyes and murmured, “Poor thing. Why do you cry every time I kiss you?”
Panting, Shen Ju rubbed his eyes. “It’s just physiological tears. I’m not crying.”
Then, in a small voice: “I wouldn’t cry.”
Pei Yan raised a brow. “You cried last time.”
“That time… that time you went too far, Pei Ge!”
By the end, his mouth had gone numb, and switching positions had made the insides of his thighs ache.
Could he help it?
It was just too intense.
“What if I go even further next time?” Pei Yan asked lowly.
Shen Ju thought for a moment. “Then I’ll… practice more?”
Pei Yan’s gaze darkened. “If you want, we can do it right now.”
With that, he moved to grab him.
Shen Ju quickly begged for mercy. “Let’s eat first! Food first!”
Ever since Shen Ju could communicate with Pei Yan through the connection channel, their bond felt even tighter. It wasn’t an illusion—sometimes Shen Ju felt Pei Yan relied on him more, like suddenly confessing one day that when he met Wu Tingyu, he could’ve stopped him from spilling secrets or changed the subject.
But because Guan Muya had discussed it with him earlier, Pei Yan had let it play out.
Having someone else expose it would make Shen Ju feel more heartbroken for him.
It put him in a stronger position.
When Pei Yan finished explaining, Shen Ju had thought, Wow, Pei Ge is so scheming.
Probably not the first time.
Who knows how many times Pei Ge’s ‘tricked’ me like this.
Even now, as Pei Yan confessed, Shen Ju wanted to stroke his face, thinking he’d been hurt and provoked by Guan Muya—otherwise, why let someone else rip open his scars?
Sigh.
I’ve been totally done in by Pei Ge.
“I’m the one who’s done in by you.”
Pei Yan nipped Shen Ju’s finger and murmured, “From love arises sorrow, from love arises fear.”
The words struck Shen Ju’s heart softly.
He realized once more that the mature, reliable Pei Ge in his eyes also had moments of insecurity.
And it was because of him.
Now the Task Energy Bar had broken past 90%, hitting 93.5%. Maybe…
“Pei Ge.”
Shen Ju hooked Pei Yan’s hand. “Grandpa’s birthday is in a few days. I want to tell the family about us.”
Pei Yan froze.
Shen Ju rubbed his nose tip, a bit shy. “They probably… maybe… already know, but I think formally introducing you is better.”
He wrinkled his nose. “If Big Bro gets mad, I’ll definitely protect you.”
“And Jian Yi too—I want Bro to know.”
“I hope Bro understands that because of this task, I found the person I like. Everything feels good now, happy. I don’t regret taking this task at all.”
Pei Yan’s throat bobbed. “Baby, you’ve thought it through?”
“No regrets?”
“Yeah, thought it through. No regrets.”
Pei Yan gripped Shen Ju’s hand. “Then I’ll go with you.”
The day of Guan Jianshan’s sixtieth birthday arrived.
Shen Ju had only recently learned that Guan Jianshan could hear his talks with 996 too.
But Guan Jianshan stayed at He Yuan, mostly communicating remotely with Qin Soxi and the others… Right, they had a little group chat. Though it was disbanded now, thinking back made Shen Ju cringe so hard he wanted to curl up in embarrassment. Qin Soxi wouldn’t show him, and when he asked Guan Mulin, Guan Mulin hemmed and hawed before brushing him off.
The more they hid it, the more curious Shen Ju got.
They must’ve talked about stuff I and 996 couldn’t know.
But since Guan Jianshan knew so much, Shen Ju felt more confident about his “coming out mission.”
He decided to parade Pei Yan around the family more first.
It was Guan Jianshan’s big sixtieth, with plenty of guests. From the Pei Family, not just Pei Yan and Pei Haochuan came—Pei Kangnian showed up too, Pei Haochuan’s father. This was Shen Ju’s first real look at him; even at the last Pei Family banquet, he hadn’t paid close attention. Now he did.
Xu Yun, Secretary Xu, represented Pei Tai.
Shen Ju secretly wrinkled his nose. Can’t think like that, but this Mr. Xu is Pei Tai’s secretary, working by his side for decades. I really can’t like him.
All four were from the Pei Family.
But oddly, while Pei Yan and Pei Haochuan stuck with Shen Ju and Guan Mulin among the Guan Family, Pei Kangnian and Xu Yun ended up “together” at the banquet.
Pei Kangnian glanced distantly at his son and tsked lightly.
“Not in a hurry, Young Master?”
Xu Yun suddenly said.
Pei Kangnian paused. “Hurry for what?”
“Uncle Xu, I’m not young anymore. Don’t call me Young Master.”
Xu Yun smiled. “I’ve watched you grow up. What else should I call you?”
Pei Kangnian: “Fair enough. After all, when it comes to ‘President Pei,’ it’s still my father.”
Xu Yun glanced at Pei Kangnian.
Pei Kangnian met his gaze naturally.
Xu Yun lowered his voice. “If Young Master doesn’t want such misunderstandings, no need to worry. President Pei has been thinking of retiring behind the scenes lately. But it’s a big matter—he needs the right successor. With Young Haochuan, you’re more stable than Second Young Master, who’s still unmarried. ‘Found a family, build a career’—that’s the saying.”
Pei Kangnian arched a brow. “Uncle Xu, that sounds pointed.”
Xu Yun smiled, indeed pointing. “Don’t you think Second Young Master is getting too close to that Guan Family kid?”
With that, he gestured for Pei Kangnian to look in a certain direction.
![Rebellious Disciple, Don’t Pluck Master’s Fur! [Transmigration]](https://i0.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/chu.jpg?resize=151,215 "Rebellious Disciple, Don’t Pluck Master’s Fur! [Transmigration]")
