The question completely woke Pei Lang up. He propped himself up, but the sudden pain and numbness in his legs nearly twisted his face in discomfort. “Taking care of you… consider it a way of thanking you for helping me yesterday.”
“Who needs you to take care of me!” Yan Han was very angry. The little chibi on his shoulder had fiery eyes, glaring at Pei Lang viciously.
Pei Lang had expected Yan Han to be upset upon waking up, so he remained calm.
“Yes, yes, yes, you don’t need me at all. I don’t know who was calling out about leg pain last night. My hands, you know, I massaged you for several hours straight. Now, my arms are still sore.” His legs were numb and aching, his arms were sore. Overall, he felt terrible.
He had stayed up late and was woken up before getting enough sleep. Pei Lang didn’t have a bad temper, but he did feel a little dissatisfied and wronged.
“Last night, was it you?” Yan Han’s tone was cold, showing no sign of gratitude.
Half-dreaming and half-awake, his legs had felt uncomfortable last night. He remembered a pair of cold, soft hands massaging him. He had thought it was a dream.
“Of course it was me, who else could it be? The Lady of the Snails1The “Lady of the Snails” (田螺姑娘, Tián Luó Gūniáng) is a character from Chinese folklore, often associated with the theme of kindness, magic, and transformation. The story has variations across different regions of China, but the most common version is a tale about a kind-hearted, mysterious woman who helps a poor man. or the Boy of the Scallops2The “Boy of the Scallops” (扇贝少年, Shànbèi Shàonián) is a lesser-known counterpart to the “Lady of the Snails” in Chinese folklore. While not as widely popular, the “Boy of the Scallops” has similar themes of kindness, transformation, and magical intervention, often explored in modern retellings. In this version of the story, a young girl or woman, instead of the usual snail, encounters a boy who has been transformed into a scallop (a shellfish). The story’s central theme mirrors the “Lady of the Snails” but with a male figure instead. Often, the boy is in trouble, either cursed or in need of help, and the woman finds and saves him, showing kindness and compassion. As a result, he transforms back into a human.? You don’t mean to say it was your assistant, do you?”
Mentioning Su Jia made Yan Han furrow his brows, remaining silent.
“I heard your assistant picked you up from the bar. What happened? Not in a good mood?” Pei Lang changed the subject, rubbing his arms while smiling as he asked.
Yan Han didn’t answer, but the little chibi on his shoulder had already betrayed him.
Pei Lang sighed. “Mr. Yan, I’m taking care of you just to thank you, nothing else. I know marrying me wasn’t your intention. You must have been nagged when you got home yesterday, right? Don’t worry, I’ll keep my promise. When the contract expires, I’ll leave without causing any trouble.”
This was all Pei Lang could think of.
Maybe marrying him didn’t help with his legs and he had been nagged when he went home yesterday. Yan Han probably had someone he truly cared about in his heart. Not only did he marry a man he didn’t like, but one covered in mud at that. It must have hurt his feelings. After leaving his old house, he probably went to drink to drown his sorrows. After getting drunk, he called Su Jia, who then sent him back home.
“During this time, you can have me cooperate with your act however you like. If you meet someone you truly like, I can help cover for you with your father. After all, we are in a business relationship.”
“Hmph~ At least you know how to behave.”
“So, Mr. Yan, what did you have for dinner yesterday?” Pei Lang’s mind was quick to jump from one thing to another, leaving Yan Han struggling to keep up. They had just been talking about one topic, and now it had shifted to another.
Yan Han refused to cooperate. “None of your business. Stop prying into my affairs.”
“Oh~ I see!” It seemed like no answer would be given. Pei Lang’s gaze landed on Yan Han’s shoulder, where the little chibi was already counting the food it had eaten on its fingers. It couldn’t speak, but one by one, different dishes seemed to float above its head, looking incredibly cute.
Though he refused to answer, Yan Han was already replaying the thoughts in his mind. Mr. Yan was so contradictory.
Unconsciously, Pei Lang’s eyes softened and he wore an affectionate smile. That expression again. Yan Han didn’t like it at all. It was the kind of look a mother would give her son. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll gouge out your eyes.”
“Uh~” Yan Han’s fierce expression startled Pei Lang, but he had already found the answer. He had seen something that looked like bamboo shoots earlier. “Mr. Yan, did you eat bamboo shoots last night? They’re a trigger food and can easily aggravate old injuries. You should be careful next time.”
Yan Han had never expected Pei Lang to guess so accurately. For a moment, he stood frozen.
“I’m going to my room to sleep. I won’t disturb you anymore, Mr. Yan.”
Yan Han didn’t respond, still lost in thought about the bamboo shoots. It seemed like he had remembered something and a cold glint flickered in his eyes. By the time he snapped out of it, Pei Lang was already gone from the room.
Yan Han didn’t like having Pei Lang in his room, but that night’s sleep was the deepest and most restful he’d had in a long time. He guessed it was probably because he had been drinking.
Because Pei Lang had massaged him, he didn’t feel as angry, just uncomfortable. His legs had been touched by someone other than a doctor.
It seemed like he didn’t mind.
He had missed the morning meeting, but surprisingly, Su Jia hadn’t called.
Yan Han used voice command to bring the wheelchair over, struggled to sit in it, and found some clothes to wear. After freshening up, he called Su Jia.
On the other end, Su Jia was feeling anxious since it was the first time Yan Han had been late. He feared that Pei Lang might have done something to their boss. If that was the case, he’d be an accomplice.
It was over. He was going to get fired.
After being on edge all this time, Su Jia almost dropped his phone when he suddenly received a call from the boss. After a flurry of frantic movements, he finally answered, and it felt like something in his head snapped. He blurted out a string of words in a panic. “Boss, it wasn’t me who handed you over to him! He picked you up in a princess carry, and after that, I left. I don’t know what happened after that, boss, please, spare me, boss…”
Yan Han zeroed in on the keywords. “Princess carry?”
“Uh… well…” Su Jia hesitated, unsure how to explain. Did the boss not know? Yan Han, being so clever, had already figured it out. His face turned cold and dark instantly. He gripped his phone so tightly it seemed like it might break.
Through gritted teeth, he said, “Take me to the company.”
With that, he hung up the phone. Su Jia was left feeling anxious but also relieved to have narrowly escaped disaster. Yan Han sat in his wheelchair, lost in thought. The sensation of Pei Lang massaging his legs seemed to linger. He was angry at Pei Lang for acting without his consent, but it also felt… a little awkward. However, the strength and technique of Pei Lang’s massage were undeniably good—it felt strangely pleasant.
What was even stranger was that he had slept so deeply last night.
He had always been independent. After his legs were disabled, he had proven time and again that he could still stand tall without them. He had also shown that even with his legs useless, he didn’t need anyone’s care.
But when Pei Lang had taken care of him, there wasn’t the anger or humiliation he had imagined. He simply felt annoyed and angry that Pei Lang had entered his room without permission.
After becoming disabled, the most common thing he heard was pity or disdain.
Yes, even though he was now a powerful businessman who called the shots, there were still people who looked down on him.
What did it matter if he was capable or wealthy? He was still a cripple who couldn’t stand up. Yan Han admitted that there was jealousy in these voices—jealousy because he was still more capable than others despite his disability. But even though these voices were like insignificant grains of sand, the more they piled up, the more they caused pain in his heart.
Pei Lang seemed different.
He never pitied him for being disabled, nor had he ever looked at him with disdain. Although sometimes his gaze seemed a little strange, there was more love in it than anything else.
It was as if… the kind of look someone would give when they saw a child or a small pet they liked.
Pei Lang didn’t look down on his disability at all; in fact, he had massaged him all night. He could have easily ignored him. In Pei Lang’s eyes, his disability seemed as ordinary as a common cold. He wouldn’t laugh at someone with a cold, so naturally, he wouldn’t laugh at someone with disabled legs. To him, the two seemed no different.
Thinking about it this way, Pei Lang was actually quite nice. But just the thought of being princess-carried by him made Yan Han’s face darken. His thin arms and legs—carrying him, with his own body, in a princess carry—was just an unbearable sight. Even Yan Han himself couldn’t stand it. What was even worse was that Su Jia had actually witnessed the scene.
It was enough to drive him crazy! Here he was, a cold, domineering CEO, not only being princess-carried but also seen by his subordinate. Where was his authority supposed to go?
When Su Jia picked him up, Yan Han’s face was stormy, which scared Su Jia so much that he didn’t dare to make a sound, afraid that even breathing would earn him a punishment. He spent the entire day on edge, his nerves nearly snapping.
As for the culprit, Pei Lang, he slept in until late morning, then had breakfast downstairs, followed by a workout session before finally heading back to his room.
Finally having some free time, Pei Lang logged onto the website. As soon as he did, he was bombarded with notifications from the comment section.
It wasn’t the first time he had experienced such a thing when he was popular for his acting, so he simply ignored it. He waited until the notifications finally stopped before checking what had happened. The song he had posted yesterday had received tens of thousands of comments, along with many private messages. His fan count was skyrocketing.
The comments were full of praise for his beautiful voice and the healing power of the song. Some even shared their own troubles in the comment section, using the song to ease their inner stress. The people on the site seemed to have an unspoken understanding: when one person shared their struggles, others would respond with uplifting and positive words, even though they themselves were likely on the site for the same reason—because of their own mental health issues. It was then that Pei Lang realized that everyone was encouraging each other, struggling together to live on.
Seeing so many people love his song made Pei Lang genuinely happy. The existence of this song had taken on a significant meaning.
The song went viral on the website, was shared on other platforms, and gained even more attention, climbing the trending charts. Because it was anonymous, the platform protected the singer’s privacy so well that no one managed to uncover their true identity.
Netizens compared it to the well-known singers and actors in the entertainment industry, even going through the network singers, but they still couldn’t figure out who it was. In the end, they concluded in the comments that the singer was a newcomer and this was their first song, which had been given to a mental health website.
Big data is truly strange. Those who want fame often can’t make much of a splash, no matter how much effort they put into marketing, while those who quietly earn money anonymously somehow end up attracting attention. It could be said that Pei Lang’s voice is genuinely healing—whether he’s singing or speaking, it’s soft and gentle, like reciting poetry or reading a literary passage. This distinctive voice, combined with the fact that it was anonymous and the song was original and beautiful, piqued the curiosity of netizens. The trending charts soared. The website, which was already well-known, became even more popular. Many people registered for the site, some with mental health issues, others not. Soon, the site was filled with chaos.
However, no one blamed Pei Lang, because the song was truly wonderful. Everyone looked forward to his future works. The website certainly couldn’t blame him either, so the system team worked overtime, creating a “real-name exam” where only those who scored full marks could register for the site.
The “real-name exam” was basically a test of online communication etiquette. This wasn’t a place for celebrity worship; the website was originally created for mental health patients. Those who idolized stars would ruin the atmosphere.
Of course, even if someone successfully registered, if they violated the rules and disrupted the atmosphere, the website would investigate. If the accusations were proven true, their account would be permanently banned, with no chance of re-registration.
So, those who registered were extremely cautious. In fact, some users who joined just for Pei Lang’s song didn’t even dare to post comments, afraid of saying something wrong and ruining the vibe.
Watching the clicks on the backend statistics rise steadily, Pei Lang felt like he was about to make his first bucket of gold here. He was very happy. “I wonder what kind of reaction people will have when they find out it was me singing?”
If his identity were uncovered, it would definitely cause a storm. This website might turn into a gathering place for haters. “I should probably stay hidden. I hope the hype dies down and things can return to the peaceful way they were.”
Even though the website had made timely corrections, Pei Lang still felt that this site belonged to those who were healing and those who were being healed.
Once the temporary heat faded and his voice was no longer a novelty, those who didn’t belong here would gradually lose interest, leaving behind a pure and harmonious space.
