Chapter 19
A magenta sports car sped along the silver-white road of Yǎyuán, meeting no obstacles, and finally stopped next to the little angel fountain.
Qin Chudong took off his sunglasses, grabbed a bottle of red wine from the back seat, and got out of the car with the Omega beside him.
As he stepped up the stairs, he pressed the corners of his mouth down, a cold snort escaping his lips. He casually tossed the wine bottle to Pei Tingyu.
The tall Alpha casually ran a hand through his hair. His thick eyebrows and large eyes were strikingly handsome, and a deep blue sapphire was set in the wedding ring on his ring finger.
He raised a thick eyebrow, his tone feigning casualness but with an underlying awkwardness: “Here, I heard you got married. Brought this for you, a treasured bottle of Romanée-Conti from the winery.”
Qin Chudong tugged at his collar and deliberately bumped Pei Tingyu’s arm with his elbow, complaining, “You’re really something, huh? You didn’t even tell me you were getting married. I wasn’t the last one to know, was I?”
Pei Tingyu gestured for a servant to take the red wine to be decanted and nonchalantly smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes.
He said coolly, “How could you be the last to know? I didn’t inform any of the media in Haicheng.”
The Alpha immediately grumbled, “Am I the same as those people?”
Seeing the servant take the wine away, he added worriedly, “You’d better not tell my dad I went to the winery, or he’ll beat me up for sure.”
The Omega beside the man glanced at him. “You deserve it. You didn’t even go see your parents after coming back.”
Qin Chudong wasn’t annoyed. He wrapped an arm around his lover’s shoulder and gave him a smiling kiss.
His tone immediately turned cloyingly sweet. “Honey, don’t expose me. If they knew I was back, they’d definitely make me go to the company. Who would be here to keep you company then?”
The two of them were showing off their affection as if no one else was around. Bai Yan was secretly astonished, clicking his tongue in his heart. So all that stuff online about wealthy families having arranged marriages, with couples who are only together in appearance, is fake.
Then he felt ashamed. If they’re fake, then he and Mr. Pei are as fake as fake can be.
As he was thinking this, Qin Chudong had already taken the Omega’s hand and walked over to him. “Hello, you must be Old Pei’s partner, right?”
Qin Chudong extended a hand to Bai Yan and said with a grin, “I’m Qin Chudong, Pei Tingyu’s middle school classmate. Probably the only one who can stand this guy’s foul temper, we’ve been playing together since we were kids.”
“This is my lover, Wen Yue, Haicheng’s foremost artist. You must have heard of him.”
“Hello, Mr. Qin, hello, Mr. Wen. I’m Bai Yan.” Bai Yan also offered a friendly smile, gave the Alpha’s hand a light shake, and quickly let go.
He then turned to Wen Yue, his smile much more sincere. “I’ve long admired Mr. Wen’s name. Your ‘Spring of Art’ series is truly deserving of its reputation.”
This was no lie. Last night, Bai Yan had stayed up late specifically to research the two of them. When he saw Wen Yue’s paintings, he was stunned at first sight.
A thick layer of green algae spread out, and the goddess Aphrodite lay in the lake, sleeping peacefully, her serene face as if she were real.
The painter’s dedication to his work was evident, even to a layman like Bai Yan.
Wen Yue’s gaze softened. He also extended a hand to Bai Yan and said softly, “You’re too kind. Just call me Wen Yue.”
Bai Yan’s eyes curved into a smile as he readily shook his hand. “Brother Wen Yue.”
Thank goodness I did my research beforehand. Bai Yan’s tense nerves relaxed. He hadn’t made a fool of himself, nor had he embarrassed Mr. Pei.
Pei Tingyu’s eyebrow raised. He hadn’t known Bai Yan had any interest in painting. He had never given the avant-garde artist’s works in the reception room a second glance.
Glancing at the dark circles under the young man’s eyes, a slight curve touched the man’s lips. He understood. It was probably the result of staying up all night to do last-minute research.
Qin Chudong’s gaze darted back and forth between Pei Tingyu and Bai Yan, and he smiled mischievously. “Old Pei, you’ve really been hiding a lot from me!”
He winked at Bai Yan and teased, “Bai Yan, you don’t know, with Old Pei’s personality, I used to worry he’d be a bachelor for life.”
“Every time I came across a place to pray for marriage, I’d go and pray for him, begging the heavens to grant him a good marriage. I have such a good wife myself, it would be a shame if my brother didn’t!”
Qin Chudong’s expression was exaggerated. “Fortunately, the heavens answered my prayers and weren’t biased. They gave him a celestial Omega too.”
Even though Bai Yan had done his homework, he couldn’t handle someone so overly familiar.
The young man gave a stiff smile. The news hadn’t said that Young Master Qin was this kind of person.
Pei Tingyu pinched the bridge of his nose and said with a warning tone, “You’re married and still not acting properly. No wonder Uncle Qin wants you to go back to the company for training.”
Wen Yue also had a look of disdain on his face. “That’s enough out of you.”
Qin Chudong scratched his head and muttered, “I was just happy for Old Pei.”
His gaze fell on the green lawn in the distance, and his tone changed. “The weather is good today. Let’s go change and play some golf, shall we? I’ve been abroad for so long, my hands are getting rusty.”
“Bai Yan, do you want to go?”
Bai Yan pressed his lips together in embarrassment. “I don’t know how to play golf. I might hold you back.”
“Hey, we’re just playing for fun,” Qin Chudong said, waving his hand dismissively, enjoying the show. “If you don’t know how, you can have Old Pei teach you, right, Old Pei?”
Pei Tingyu ignored his teasing and turned to the Omega beside him, asking softly, “The sun is strong today. Will that be okay?”
The Alpha’s gaze was as dark and profound as ever, but Bai Yan read the gentleness in it.
Mr. Pei is telling me that if I don’t want to, I can go back now.
The Omega’s heart softened, but how could he leave the guests aside while the host himself left?
It’s just golf. He’s seen it on TV. You swing the club, hit the ball into the hole, and then you get a score.
Even for someone who’s bad at sports, it shouldn’t be too hard, right…
“It’s fine,” Bai Yan said after thinking for a moment, a beautiful curve appearing on his soft lips. “Pei—xian sheng, I put on sunscreen today. It won’t be a problem.”
“It’s just that I’ll have to trouble you, xian sheng.”
A hint of panic flashed in the young man’s eyes, but it was quickly covered by a smile.
That was close. I almost let it slip.
It seems I still need to get used to this form of address.
Last night, he had not only looked at male model photos and researched the Qin family, but he had also consulted online about his contract marriage situation with Mr. Pei:
How to increase the credibility of “pretending to be a couple” in front of friends.
After looking through the replies online, he found that their situation was actually not uncommon.
Mm, on the famous emotional forum, Green River website.
The netizens there had provided many methods, and “intimate forms of address” was one of them.
But things like “husband,” “darling,” and… and “Daddy”…
He couldn’t bring himself to say them at all. After much thought, only “xian sheng” (a term that can mean ‘mister’ but also ‘husband’) was barely acceptable.
Mr. Pei (Pei xian sheng), husband (xian sheng). Only one word’s difference, but the meaning was completely different.
Pei Tingyu’s eyes were dark, a curve playing on his lips. “Good. But if you feel unwell, you must tell me right away.”
What does Mr. Pei take me for?
Bai Yan frowned helplessly, a look of embarrassment in his eyes. “I’m not a snow doll that will melt in the sun. I’ll be fine, xian sheng.”
The soft end of the young man’s voice tilted up slightly, giving it a strange hint of coquettishness.
The golden sunlight poured in from outside, making the Omega’s cherry-pink eyes shine with moisture. Pei Tingyu’s gaze darkened for a moment, his fingertips suddenly itching.
After a long moment, the man finally averted his gaze and grunted softly.
Qin Chudong let out a sound of amusement, his smile teasing. “Old Pei, you say I’m bad, but you’re just the same.”
Before coming, he had guessed that his asexual friend might have just found a random Omega for a fake marriage to deal with the pressure from above, like others in their circle.
But now, it seemed his worries were completely unfounded.
Qin Chudong stroked his chin in thought and sighed to Wen Yue, “Who said the wise don’t fall in love? I think he’s clearly drowning in it.”
Having finally gotten through it, Bai Yan was busy lowering his head to breathe a sigh of relief and didn’t notice the look in the other Omega’s eyes.
Wen Yue smiled without speaking. The observant young man had taken in both their expressions and calmly lowered his gaze.
