Chapter 25: · Rosewood

That night was stiflingly hot in the earlier hours. Then, in the dead of night, a “BOOM” sounded, a sudden change in the weather.

June and July in S City were always the hardest to endure, the plum rain season at its peak. But the series of pattering showers perfectly matched the “season of ripening plums in Jiangnan.” The misty, endless rain beating down carried a fruity, rich fragrance. If you thought about it carefully, there was something romantic about it after all.

Pei Zhen often imagined what it would be like if he could one day skip the umbrella and just go for a casual walk, soaked through by the rain.

Close his eyes, breathe in the fresh sweetness of green plums, the fragrance of beaten-down green grass, and gardenias in the rain…

If only it weren’t for these old, aching, cold-sensitive legs of his. Courting death by going for a walk in the rain? Even with just this slight change in weather, under his warm blanket, they were already starting to ache with a faint, dull soreness.

But he wasn’t particularly restless.

Because at that moment, within the heavy, moonless, pitter-pattering sound of the rain, though the scent of rain-beaten plums wasn’t present, the damp air was brimming with a faint, sweet citrus fragrance.

Very sweet, carrying a milky scent of shower gel, which secretly stirred an appetite to pounce and take a bite.

That was the milky scent of the little wolfdog beside him.

It was a bit… derelict of purpose, wasn’t it? When he’d first brought him home, he’d clearly given him his own room.

Since when had it started? He’d gradually gotten used to them sleeping together.

On a stormy, rainy night like this, just having him nearby made him feel at ease, grounded. He had such an urge to reach out, to pull him close, to stroke that fur.

But he couldn’t wake him. Tomorrow, the little wolfdog had to get up early for his competition…

Just as he was thinking this. In the darkness, the bedding suddenly shifted. His body was abruptly hauled over and held tight, pressed against that warm, fragrant body.

A shudder that swept over him entirely.

His mind went completely blank for a moment—just thinking dumbly, Han Fu always seemed to be like this. With intent or without, he could always perceive with crystal clarity what he needed, hitting the mark precisely and without fail.

Outside the window, the wind grew louder; their breaths, impossibly close, mingled like silk. An ambiguous tension hovered in the air, thick with the feeling that something was about to happen. A hand held his waist tightly, and the other… slowly reached downwards.

He held his breath, his body tensing up.

His blood vessels throbbed; he had no strength to struggle.

“…”

“…”

The little wolfdog’s fingers were gentle, stroked over his rigid waist and abdomen, his thighs, finally settling on his knee, where they began to knead with practiced skill.

A very professional technique.

After seeing him in pain once before, he’d bought massage manuals the next day. Testing it out later during weather changes, it had proved very effective. The logic was simple—when the swelling first started, quickly rub the stagnant blood warm and disperse it, and it wouldn’t hurt. By the next day, the swelling would slowly subside on its own.

With his knees receiving such careful attention like this, there was naturally no more blood stasis.

Pei Zhen, however, silently, without quite knowing why, felt a little bit… like spitting blood.

…

A calm heart naturally finds coolness. Mm.

He strove to steady his mind, enjoying the conscientious massage. Just as he was drowsily drifting off to sleep again, amidst the sound of rain, something unusual suddenly mixed in, startling his eyes wide open again, all drowsiness gone.

It sounded like suppressed weeping, low and faint, mingled among the wind and rain.

He reached out his hand. The little wolfdog instinctively dodged slightly.

“What are you crying about?”

“I’m not crying.”

Not crying? With that tearful tone of yours, even thunder couldn’t hide it!

His shoulder was pressed against. The little wolfdog trembled slightly, his forehead rubbing against Pei Zhen’s hard collarbone. Pei Zhen was instantly panicked and bewildered—it couldn’t be, right? Surely he wasn’t so worried about his leg injury that he was… worried to tears?

“What’s wrong? Why so suddenly… tell me what you’re thinking. Worried about tomorrow’s match? Don’t overthink it, sweetheart. No one’s demanding you definitely have to win.”

His fingers stroked the back of the little wolfdog’s head. The person in his arms choked back a sob and shook his head.

Not the competition, then… it really was about his leg?

“My leg’s fine. It doesn’t hurt anymore, I promise, truly not lying to you. Okay, okay, you too. Can’t you think of something sensible every day for a change? Hurry up, wipe your tears, go back to sleep. You still have your competition tomorrow.”

But the little wolfdog in his arms suddenly tightened his arm, sobbing even harder.

“If only, back then…” he said brokenly, “someone could have helped you…”

“If I had been… back then…”

Pei Zhen then smiled, feeling both heart-warmed and heartbroken: “Even if you’d known me back then, you couldn’t have helped me, could you?”

How old would you have been then? Not to mention, you didn’t have any money.

Being able to meet you now, that’s already so good.

No matter what the future holds.

At least in this moment, all of this is real. You truly felt heartache for me. And that is enough.

…

…

The next day, light rain continued to fall in a steady patter.

Because the Fifth Phase Class competition had many participants, Han Fu was directly scheduled into the afternoon session. And Pei Zhen had been waited upon all morning like he was an emperor—with blankets, medicine, and fruit plates all served up. It really was rather overwhelming.

The little wolfdog was overprotective! He’d urged him to go early to watch the opponents compete, but he wouldn’t listen. And now that he finally had to hurry out the door in the afternoon, he insisted on bringing him along too?

Pei Zhen: “Who was it last time, blocking the doorway, refusing death or life to let me go watch a competition?”

“Today’s different,” the little wolfdog said, helping him put on his coat and fastening the buttons, his dark eyes heavy with seriousness. “Today the barometric pressure is so low. If you fainted again like last time, what would happen if there was no one home? You expect Little Orange to save you? On a rainy day, I don’t want you going out and suffering either. But I need to have you where I can see you, or I won’t be at ease.”

Pei Zhen: “…”

“I’m not. I’m only paper-mâché occasionally. It’s not the norm!”

Han Fu narrowed his eyes. “If you don’t come with me, I’m not competing.”

Pei Zhen: Heh. Who do you think you’re threatening?

…Fine, fine, fine. Threat’s effective. You’re the one competing, you’re the boss! What you say goes!

…

Although Han Fu had always known Pei Zhen had a stubborn streak, he hadn’t expected him to be this stubborn.

The car drove all the way to the Grasse parking lot, parked, and yet the man refused to get out!

“Alright, you go compete. I’ll wait in the car. It’s warm in here, I can listen to some music.”

Han Fu: And how is that any different from me leaving you at home?!

“Absolutely not! What if something happens to you while you’re sitting in the car…”

“What of it,” Pei Zhen cut him off with a single ferocious and sharp glare. “What could possibly happen? Can’t you think of something good for once every day? How about using this time to think about how to win?”

Instantly silenced, looking all wronged and pitiful.

“Han Xiaohua, let me tell you something. In negotiations like this, both sides have to give up half their position. It can’t just be you calling all the shots, right?” The man in the car casually pulled open the car’s little snack box, took out a Pocky, and chewed it slowly. “I came all the way with you. That’s me making my compromise. Now I want to wait in the car. This half—isn’t it your turn to compromise?”

Han Fu: “…”

Twisted logic! What kind of twisted logic was this!

However, facing a mature man six or seven years his senior, experienced and unreasonable, could he win an argument?

The match time was approaching too. In the end, he had to give in, miserably turning the car’s internal circulation to max, shoving a phone set up for quick livestream access into his hand. “If anything happens, make sure you call me. I’ll have it on me during the competition. For sure! Definitely! Absolutely no powering through, you hear me?”

…

Pei Zhen sat quietly, watching the rearview mirror until the little wolfdog’s back had disappeared into the distance.

Only then did he open the car door and get out, unfurling his big black umbrella.

The Circular Tier for the competition was at the westernmost end of the academy, but the classrooms where students took their lessons were at the exact opposite, the easternmost end.

The Sixth Phase Class was on the third floor. The classroom was easy to find. It was past two in the afternoon, and by chance, there were still a few minutes until class started. Pei Zhen randomly stopped a tall male student.

“Hello, sorry to bother you, but could you find Yi Changkong for me?”

“Yi Changkong, someone’s looking for you!” The guy turned his head and bellowed inside. Very quickly, someone inside hollered back, “He went to the Ruijing Hotel to see his brother! Did you forget?!”

“Oh yeah, oh yeah, right,” the guy scratched his head. “Yi Changkong isn’t in class today. His brother’s been on a domestic tour representing Belle at various major perfume brand flagship stores recently, right? He came back to our city yesterday. Yi Changkong finished his morning class and got leave to go to his brother’s.”

“…”

The reason he’d stubbornly refused to get out of the car just now—Pei Zhen naturally had his reasons.

Since he was already here, he wanted to come find the kid and have a chat.

Last time, he’d been a bit impulsive, spouted a bunch of useless crap. Better to sit down properly, talk it out, draw a clear line amicably, and from then on, well water not mixing with river water.

He could stop badmouthing his brother from now on.

But that kid also had to learn his lesson. In the future, he better not spout nonsense in front of Han Fu about some matched set of bottles and jars!

As it turned out, he’d missed him.

Forget it. The little white rabbit was lucky today. Next time, then.

Since there was nothing to do, should he go to the west district to watch the little wolfdog compete? If he really went, would Han Xiaohua be happy, or would he be distracted the whole time, his hands shaking?

If he lost the match because of shaky hands, wouldn’t the blame fall on him?

Thinking this, Pei Zhen smiled softly. He realized he really wasn’t feeling any useless nervousness at all.

Very Zen. Completely devoid of the need for success or the desire to save face. He genuinely didn’t feel Han Fu had to win this time or had to win him glory.

There would be plenty of time ahead.

…

His phone suddenly rang.

Thinking it was the little wolfdog worrying about him, calling so soon to check in, he looked down and saw it was a landline number, an unfamiliar one.

He answered. The voice on the other end was a very cold, female tone: “May I ask, are you the contact for student Han Fu of Grasse Academy?”

When he’d registered at Grasse, the contact number left had indeed been Pei Zhen’s.

“That’s me.”

“Hello, this is Belle headquarters. We very much regret to inform you that student Han Fu’s qualification for the Grasse Recommendation Competition will be revoked. He will also not be permitted to participate in the subsequent PA Open Audition. Please be advised.”

“…”

Torrential rain roared, shaking the corridor eaves in a burst of clatter. Pei Zhen halted in his tracks. “Why?”

“Because, we recently received a report that this student is closely associated with a perfumer who was expelled from the industry for using ‘Gas Opium.’ Our company believes that if the media were to sensationalize this matter, it would greatly impact the overall reputation of Belle and the PA Competition.”

In truth, even without her stating the reason.

In just a single instant, Pei Zhen had already guessed seven or eight parts of it.

His eyes instantly reddened. “Do you know that he is currently competing?”

“He has a talent others don’t possess. He should be able to win today. And afterward… possibly win even more!”

The person on the other end paused briefly, then continued in a mechanical, official tone: “In any case, regarding this matter, our company is first notifying you by phone. The academy and the organizing committee will also be informed immediately, and an official written notice will be issued thereafter. If there is any dispute, the contact information for Belle’s legal department is…”

Another string of thunder boomed, deafening.

The knuckles gripping the phone turned white. Breathing was difficult. Fury, unwillingness… and a heart-stopping, overwhelming pain.

Lister had said before: his very existence would drag Han Fu down.

He’d heard it, but hadn’t believed it.

And the result? Just being by his side, and he had to suffer this kind of injustice for no reason?

…No.

How could that be.

He forced himself to stay sharp—a huge corporation like Belle, where everyone was frantically busy, how could anyone be so idle? So persistently, still picking at him, someone who’d already vanished from the industry, still refusing to let go of the “Bamboo Millet Incident” from so many years ago?

There couldn’t be anyone so bored.

Unless…

Unless.

When a person goes mad, they really can ignore many everyday rules and restrictions. Like him right now—directly so angered he threw away his umbrella, having long since forgotten his promise to Han Fu to obediently wait in the car. By the time he realized it, he was already speeding wildly down a rainy suburban road.

His mood was terrible, incredibly irritable.

But that was good. Other people’s performance exploded when they were in high spirits; he was always the opposite. The more despondent he was, the fiercer he became!

Ruijing Hotel in the city.

The Sixth Phase Class guy had said Yi Changqing was staying there right now.

But even without him saying so, Yi Changqing always stayed at the Ruijing whenever he returned to the country. Soaked through but carrying an aura of ferocious momentum, he strode into the lobby. Near the front desk, a few chattering young girls were gathered.

“Please, miss! You don’t even have to tell us Qing-Bao’s room number. Just… when he’s leaving, can you help us give this little present to him?”

“Miss, we’re begging you, okay? Just agree to pass it on to him, and we’ll leave immediately, right away, okay?”

Without a single word, Pei Zhen brushed past the gaggle of Yi Changqing’s fangirls, went straight into the elevator, and pressed the 13th floor.

Whenever Yi Changqing came to the Ruijing, he always stayed in 1301.

Because the floor-to-ceiling window in that room looked out on the most winding, meandering stretch of river in S City. Once, he’d been especially lucky—blazing fire-clouds had appeared above the river. From the same room, he too had seen the most beautiful red of the sunset illuminating the city.

Too bad. Today was a rainy day, gray and hazy everywhere. Certainly no clouds to look at.

He reached out and pressed the doorbell. A harsh buzz, once, then again.

“Brother, are you expecting someone?” From inside came a somewhat youthful, boyish voice. “Or is it some lucky fan randomly pressing the bell again?”

A familiar timbre replied: “I’m not expecting anyone.”

Pei Zhen lowered his gaze and gave a thin smile, then pressed the bell crazily again.

He’d promised the little wolfdog that all obstacles appearing on his path to the pinnacle, he would stand in front of them and sweep them away, one by one.

He would do it.

Even if it meant facing someone he didn’t want to see at all.

Inside, no one opened the door for a long time. Pei Zhen was losing his patience considerably. Even though his leg wasn’t in great shape, he still kicked the door with several loud bangs.

“Room service! Open up!”