Pei Kangnian glanced over first and spotted his own son.
Pei Haochuan stood next to Guan Mulin, the two of them huddled together talking.
Xu Yun: “Doesn’t Young Master think Second Young Master and that Guan Family kid are being a bit too brazen?”
Pei Kangnian: “……”
“When have we ever seen Second Young Master so close to anyone else?”
Pei Kangnian: “……”
After saying those two lines, Xu Yun sensed something off: “Young Master?”
“Mm.”
Pei Kangnian finally snapped back to attention. His gaze shifted subtly at last, landing on Pei Yan and Shen Ju.
Sure enough, those two were also huddled together, heads bent low as they whispered.
Just like… his son and that other Guan kid…
Pei Kangnian felt like he’d discovered something…
And it might not be just one thing.
“Young Master, as you know, President Pei led the Pei Corporation to where it is today, always hoping it would continue to develop steadily.”
“Of course, the premise is that the Pei Corporation must remain the ‘Pei Corporation.'”
Pei Kangnian withdrew his gaze and turned to Xu Yun: “What is Uncle Xu trying to remind me of?”
Xu Yun smiled: “It’s not exactly a reminder—just that some necessary measures should still be taken when needed, right?”
Pei Kangnian said nothing.
Shen Ju felt a bit nervous.
Though he’d made up his mind long ago, now that the moment had arrived, he couldn’t help but tense up.
This was confessing puppy love to the parents, after all.
And the guy he was dating was four years older.
And it was a guy.
God, all the tension stacked up.
So when should he come clean to the family?
Shen Ju had originally planned to wait until the birthday banquet ended, then keep Jian Yi behind and just spill it all at once—formally introduce Pei Yan.
How should I say it?
Grab Pei Yan’s hand, stand in front of the family, and go, ‘Hi everyone, this is my boyfriend’?
Ugh… sounds kinda awkward.
Or, ‘You all know Pei-ge, right? Well, he’s my boyfriend now’?
Er… still pretty embarrassing.
Just thinking about it had his toes curling in embarrassment.
So how should I even start…
What topic should I use to bring it up?
He couldn’t just blurt out, “Dad, Mom, Big Bro, Grandpa—I started dating early, and the guy is Pei Yan.”
Ahhh, no way!
Even though his family had probably known or suspected something for a while, he couldn’t lead with that—it’d just get Pei Yan beat up.
Better to just parade around with Pei Yan in front of his parents and see if they’d ask first.
He was being so obvious; they’d have to say something, right?
Yeah, that’s the plan.
Shen Ju made up his mind and started dragging Pei Yan around to flaunt their presence.
Pei Yan just went along with it, watching Shen Ju tie himself in knots. He really wanted to laugh, but he held it back.
Truth be told, he wasn’t so eager anymore to stake his claim on Shen Ju in front of the Guan Family. After all, Shen Ju had given him a private “chat channel,” openly sharing his innermost thoughts without reservation. That gesture had greatly soothed Pei Yan’s dark urge to tie the boy down completely, enough to confirm he was special—unique—in Shen Ju’s eyes.
So he was content to wait for their relationship to gain natural acceptance from the Guan Family.
The task guaranteed it anyway—the final success required Shen Ju to get engaged to him.
Once marked with his label, it could never be torn off.
Pei Yan felt utterly secure.
But if Shen Ju wanted to give him even more reassurance by taking the initiative to confess, what reason did he have to stop it?
He couldn’t ask for more.
Even just watching Shen Ju fret over how to come out to the family filled him with satisfaction.
Flaunting it in front of the Guan Family—especially Guan Muya—pleased him even more.
Only…
The spotlight seemed to be getting stolen.
Shen Ju had just picked up a piece of pastry, about to place it on Pei Yan’s plate right in front of Qin Soxi and the others…
“Ah, Mulin, let me feed you this.”
Pei Haochuan held up a small cake to Guan Mulin’s mouth: “This one’s delicious—try it.”
Pei Yan tsked softly under his breath.
Shen Ju perked up his little ears, his gaze inevitably drifting over.
Guan Muya’s face was expressionless, pulling a long one.
Qin Soxi leaned against Guan Lifeng, feeling like her eyes weren’t enough to take it all in.
Guan Jianshan… the old man was bent over scrolling his phone.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Fine, the kids would have their own blessings.
He couldn’t manage it all.
Better to quietly scroll videos of sutra chanting.
Jian Yi, meanwhile, glanced left and right, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, lost in his own thoughts…
Guan Mulin’s face flushed with embarrassment. He elbowed Pei Haochuan hard backward.
“Cough…”
Guan Mulin shot him a look: Are you trying to get us killed?!
Pei Haochuan pretended not to notice.
Just as Guan Mulin opened his mouth to speak, Pei Haochuan shoved the little cake right in…
“……”
Guan Mulin really wanted to punch him!
Shen Ju’s eyes darted around, then back to Pei Yan. He glanced down at the pastry in his own hand.
He’d meant to put it on Pei Yan’s plate.
Now…
Shen Ju lifted his hand higher.
Suddenly, a large hand shot out from the side and snatched the pastry away.
Guan Muya popped the snack straight into his mouth—crunch crunch—chewing with unusual force.
Shen Ju stared, dumbfounded.
“Ah, Big Bro…”
Guan Muya kept his face cold: “Big Bro likes snacks too—how come you never bring any for Big Bro?”
He then shot a look at Pei Haochuan and Guan Mulin.
He wanted to say “And the cake,” but Pei Haochuan was the one holding it… whatever.
Guan Muya still snorted coldly: “The Guan Family prepared plenty of food. Just eat your own.”
The implication: Why feed each other? There’s tons of cake.
In an instant, Shen Ju and Guan Mulin both shrank like quails.
Pei Haochuan let out a dry laugh, not daring to speak.
Pei Yan was just about to say something…
Qin Soxi suddenly chuckled and patted Guan Muya’s shoulder: “Oldest, come on.”
Guan Muya: “?”
“Does it hurt to watch?”
Guan Muya: “.”
Qin Soxi tsked twice: “Of course it does.”
“Your two little brothers are out here showing off affection, and you’re a grown man still single as hell—who wouldn’t feel bad?”
Guan Muya: “……”
Shen Ju’s eyes lit up: “Mommy…”
“Alright, alright.”
Qin Soxi waved her hand: “It’s all out in the open anyway. Your dad and I have been mentally prepared for a while—no need to spell it out. It’s a free world these days. As long as you take responsibility for your own lives, walk upright and sit straight, your dad and I won’t meddle. Even if we did, you might not listen, and it’d just stir up more drama. Not worth the hassle.”
Guan Lifeng nodded beside her.
He still had the eldest to count on, anyway. The little ones could do whatever.
The eldest…
Guan Lifeng glanced at Guan Muya. Mm… reliable enough.
At least the eldest handled the company without any headaches for now.
Should be fine.
As he watched, Guan Lifeng couldn’t help sighing at Guan Muya.
Guan Muya: “……”
What now?
After Qin Soxi stated her position—and seeing the old man had no objections—she waved them off, telling the young ones to go play elsewhere. No need to torment their house’s lone bachelor anymore.
And she’d had her fill of the show anyway.
Pei Haochuan and Shen Ju were both thrilled.
Once Pei Haochuan dragged Guan Mulin away, Shen Ju stood up—and locked eyes with Jian Yi.
Qin Soxi’s stance represented the Guan Family, but not Jian Yi.
Jian Yi pulled Shen Ju aside alone.
Once they were by themselves, Jian Yi stared at Shen Ju for a long moment.
Shen Ju grew uneasy under the scrutiny and softly called, “Bro.”
“Though I had my suspicions before, you’re serious about this?”
Jian Yi pressed his lips together: “I just feel like if it weren’t for me…”
“Bro, even without you, I might’ve met Pei-ge, might’ve fallen for him. Or maybe not—he might not have noticed me. All possibilities.”
Shen Ju cut him off: “But even because of you, meeting Pei-ge doesn’t mean he’d like me, or I’d like him. That’s possible too, right?”
“So nothing’s set in stone. Bro, don’t take it all on yourself.”
“And the Task Energy Bar is almost at 100%. See? Everything’s going great for me now. If you keep dwelling on it—on how I took the task for you—it’ll hurt me too. So don’t think about the ‘what ifs,’ just look at how smoothly it’s progressing now, okay?”
Shen Ju grabbed Jian Yi’s hand and shook it: “You never used to draw lines like this with me. Can’t have you pulling away just ’cause I rejoined the Guan Family.”
“I get it—I feel it. I know you’re doing this for my own good. But if you keep it up, I’ll be really sad. Super sad!”
Jian Yi fell silent for a beat, then let out a sudden sigh: “You’re always the one with all the words.”
“Shen Chirp, since when did you get so good at this?”
“Heehee.”
Shen Ju grinned: “Because it’s all straight from the heart.”
“You’re such a charmer.”
Jian Yi tsked, then suddenly asked: “You don’t pull this with Pei Yan too, do you?”
Shen Ju touched his nose.
Oh, I pull it even harder with him.
Seeing that look on Shen Ju’s face, Jian Yi nearly tsked again.
Felt like the little cabbage at home had been rooted up by a pig.
“Is he good to you? You really like him that much? It’s not just the task?”
“He’s good—really good to me. I like Pei-ge a ton. Super like.”
Shen Ju thought for a second: “Can’t say it’s entirely unrelated to the task. At least it started with the task—well, no, precisely, a task bug at first ramped up our interactions. Later, it was Pei Yan himself. I can’t pinpoint when I fell for Pei-ge, but I know I just… like him.”
“Alright, alright—so much ‘liking.’ I know you really like him.”
Jian Yi paused, then remembered something crucial and asked…
“You’ve come clean to your family and me, but what about Pei Yan’s family? Do they know about you two?”
“Uh.”
Jian Yi’s eyes suddenly narrowed: “Shen Chirp!”
“Don’t tell me you’re the one putting in all the one-sided hot-blooded effort—confessing to your side while that guy hasn’t breathed a word to his family?!”
