MMLDU Chapter 17

The alarm clock rang, and Yan Han’s eyes snapped open. He reached out and turned it off.

The villa’s landscaping was impeccable. The morning sun gleamed on dew-kissed leaves, radiating a vibrant green glow. Accompanied by the chirping of birds, the refreshing air and his exceptional sleep left Yan Han feeling reinvigorated, both mentally and physically. He hadn’t felt so at peace in a long time.

It confirmed his suspicion: having Pei Lang in the room indeed helped him sleep.

His gaze shifted to the sofa, where a figure lay curled up quietly. Pei Lang’s hair, soft and smooth, peeked out, tempting Yan Han to imagine its texture. As usual, Yan Han went through the arduous routine of getting up, dressing, and freshening up before maneuvering his wheelchair over to Pei Lang. He looked down at him.

Sleeping, Pei Lang resembled a little fox. The red tear mole at the corner of his eye gave him a blend of purity and allure. Even the curve of his closed eyelids was aesthetically pleasing, hinting that opening his eyes might steal someone’s soul.

As if on cue, Pei Lang’s eyes fluttered open.

Completely unguarded, his drowsy, dazed expression struck Yan Han. It contrasted sharply with Yan Han’s own habit of waking fully alert and tense. Pei Lang’s relaxed demeanor, so trusting and carefree, felt strikingly brilliant. Yan Han had never encountered anything like it.

“Mr. Yan, you’re up so early?” Pei Lang yawned, stretching his arms out from under the blanket as he greeted Yan Han.

“Now that you’re awake, you can go back to your room,” Yan Han said, his gaze fixed and tone distant.

Pei Lang, now fully awake, slipped on his slippers, neatly folded his blanket, and picked it up. “Got it. I’ll head back and catch another nap.”

“You’re not going for a morning run?”

“Not today. I’ll rest this morning and work out in the afternoon.” Pei Lang had already stepped out of the room by the time he finished speaking.

Yan Han headed downstairs for breakfast while waiting for Su Jia to pick him up for work. To his surprise, he found Pei Lang already at the dining table.

Pei Lang explained, “It’s better to eat before sleeping. Otherwise, I’ll just wake up hungry in no time. There’s nothing worse than waking up starving.”

Yan Han listened without commenting but noted one thing: Pei Lang had a strong love for food and a fear of hunger. Could it be that he had lacked food growing up? Yan Han, who had never experienced such scarcity, couldn’t quite fathom the feeling.

Actually, Pei Lang wasn’t exactly afraid of hunger. As a child, he had trained in martial arts under his father’s strict supervision, which meant many foods were off-limits. Later, when he began singing, he had to follow his manager’s dietary restrictions to protect his voice. When he transitioned to acting, the rules became even stricter.

But now, things were different. He no longer had to listen to his father or a manager. He could eat whatever and however he pleased. Besides, with this body that refused to gain weight no matter how much he ate, what was there to worry about?

Given his daily martial arts training and workouts, it was only logical to eat enough to sustain his energy levels.

After breakfast, Pei Lang went back to catch some extra sleep, while Yan Han headed to the office. Su Jia drove the car, noting along the way that Yan Han’s expression wasn’t as cold as usual. Summoning his courage, Su Jia asked, “Boss, how about some music? I recently found a really good song.”

The typically silent Yan Han didn’t reply, which Su Jia took as tacit approval. Knowing his boss’s temperament, Su Jia cautiously played the song.

The unfamiliar tune began, with a soft and melodious accompaniment paired with a soothing, healing voice. The lyrics were beautifully crafted and empowering. Listening to it felt like being transported to a serene forest, where sunlight streamed through the leaves in golden threads, falling onto the bubbling creek below. It was a song that seemed to cleanse the soul, leaving one refreshed and uplifted.

After a restful night’s sleep, with the car driving under gentle sunlight and the music playing softly, Yan Han finally spoke. “The composition is good.”

It was rare—so rare—that his boss shared the same taste in music. Thrilled by the successful recommendation, Su Jia enthusiastically praised, “Right? I’ve been listening to it for days now. Whenever I feel overwhelmed by work, this song reminds me that life is truly worth living.”

But Yan Han was the kind of person who never missed a key point. From the backseat, his voice turned cold. “Overwhelmed by work?”

“Ah… no, no, not overwhelmed by work. It’s just me overthinking things, hehe…” Su Jia smiled nervously while crying internally.

“The voice… it sounds familiar.” Yan Han had felt that way from the very first note.

“I think so too! For a moment, I even thought it was one of my uncles secretly recording a song.”

“Uncles?” Yan Han frowned in confusion.

“Yeah, boss, you wouldn’t know unless you pay attention. This song has been trending on the website for a few days. The singer is a man in his fifties.” Su Jia paused, then added, “Though now that I think about it, even though the voice sounds familiar, I can’t think of any relatives who have this kind of voice.”

“By the way, boss, there’s a meeting in another city in a few days. Do you want to attend in person?”

Yan Han, with his limited mobility, had left the company’s daily operations to others. He tried to avoid business trips whenever possible. However, this particular meeting was important, which was why Su Jia had brought it up.

“Let Yao Shuo handle it.”

“Understood, boss.”

In the following days, Yan Han seemed to have more free time. He got home earlier than usual. The two of them often ate dinner together. With Pei Lang around, Yan Han’s appetite improved significantly. He started eating more than before.

After dinner, they would tacitly return to their rooms to get some work done. When it was nearly bedtime, Pei Lang would bring his blanket and go find Yan Han, offering him a massage, chatting casually, and then they’d sleep.

This routine continued for several days. Pei Lang felt like a pampered concubine, the kind who always brought her own blanket to bed.

Yan Han, on the other hand, was so stingy that he wouldn’t even bother to prepare an extra blanket on the couch. Every day, he watched Pei Lang carry his blanket up and down the stairs, completely indifferent.

While Pei Lang was posting songs on the platform, he received a special private message.

The message was from the dean of an orphanage.

【Dean: Hello, I’m the head of the Tianguang Orphanage. Your song is beautiful. The children really like it. The upcoming Children’s Day is just around the corner. Could we invite you to perform for the children at our orphanage?】

Pei Lang stared at the message, lost in thought.

An orphanage…

This platform values mental well-being. It was only natural for the orphanage head to play music for the children who grew up in such an environment. Without parents or relatives, the Children’s Day celebration was something the head of the orphanage would organize for them. The kids enjoyed his music, so it made sense for the head to send the invitation.

But Pei Lang had an elderly identity online; he had originally chosen this to remain anonymous. If he performed, wouldn’t that expose his true identity?

However, if he refused, the children might be disappointed. If such a simple wish for Children’s Day couldn’t be fulfilled, their childhood would lose its significance.

Just as he was caught up in the dilemma of whether to go or how to refuse, the orphanage head, seeing that he had read the message but hadn’t replied, understood his concerns and sent another message.

【Dean: Don’t worry, our orphanage is quite small and won’t attract much attention. Apart from the children, it’s just me here. The other caregivers aren’t around. We’ll take care of the confidentiality. You won’t have to worry about your identity being exposed.】

【Dean: I sincerely invite you. However, if you really don’t want to come, that’s fine too. Although the children are all looking forward to it. If you have any other concerns, feel free to let me know. I will do my best to accommodate you.】

Looking at the profile picture, the dean of the orphanage appeared to be an aunt. Her message was sincere and she didn’t make things difficult for Pei Lang. He clicked on her profile, where he could see a photo of the orphanage’s gate and the detailed address. It didn’t seem like a scam.

The internet is a useful tool. Pei Lang looked up the orphanage’s background online. Tianguang Orphanage had been around for eighteen years, and the dean’s name and photo matched those in the private message. There were also various posts from people who had volunteered or participated in social practices there, with evidence proving that this orphanage was real and the dean was genuinely inviting him.

He had kept the person waiting for a long time. Pei Lang finally replied. 【Sorry, I need to think it over. Can I give you an answer tomorrow?】

【Dean: Okay. Thank you so much for agreeing to reply. I’ll wait for your answer.】

Pei Lang was also worried about one thing—Yan Xiuyuan.

Yan Xiuyuan wanted to take revenge on him. Recently, he had been lurking around the villa where Yan Xiuyuan couldn’t find him, but the hatred still remained. Going out risked exposing him. In this world, isolated and helpless, Yan Xiuyuan was the male lead. He not only had a strong background but also a powerful aura. Pei Lang couldn’t compete with him. Yan Han had already been kind enough to offer him a place to stay. Yan Han wasn’t obligated to protect him. In fact, everyone knew about the entanglement between the original person and Yan Xiuyuan. Even Yan Han’s father was aware. If anything were to come out, at most, Yan Han would just be seen as having been cheated on. It wouldn’t be a major loss for him.

Yan Han had helped him so much. Pei Lang didn’t want to use the shame of a scandal with the Yan family as leverage.

He had to give the head of the orphanage an answer tomorrow. As for his identity, he believed the head would keep her word. But Yan Xiuyuan was a different matter—it was a bit tricky to handle.

This matter had been on his mind until the evening when Yan Han returned home for dinner. As they sat at the dining table together, Pei Lang casually brought it up.

“Mr. Yan, what has Yan Xiuyuan been up to recently?”

Yan Han, who had been quietly eating, suddenly froze. His expression darkened, and a sharp glance shot toward Pei Lang. Pei Lang pretended not to notice.

Had their relationship soured to the point where they couldn’t even mention each other’s name? With how foolish Yan Xiuyuan was, it was understandable that Yan Han, as the elder, didn’t like him.

Pei Lang silently thought over the situation. Recalling the things Yan Xiuyuan had said to him, he realized that Yan Xiuyuan couldn’t even tolerate a few phone calls from him, let alone someone like Yan Han, who had been like family for over twenty years and knew him inside and out. It was no surprise that he didn’t like him.

“His matters, I’m not interested in.”

Pei Lang felt a bit disheartened and fell silent for a while. As he ate, he noticed the little chibi on Yan Han’s shoulder. Ever since hearing Yan Xiuyuan’s name, the figure seemed increasingly unhappy, poking at the rice in its bowl with chopsticks as if venting its frustration.

“Mr. Yan, I just wanted to ask if Yan Xiuyuan is still looking for me. I’m planning to go out in a few days,” Pei Lang explained, unsure why. But seeing how angry Yan Han seemed, he felt the need to clarify.

“Where are you going?”

“Uh… just going out for a walk.”

Pei Lang paused, not expecting Yan Han to press further. Yan Han didn’t expect it either. “He hasn’t given up, but it’s not so urgent. If you want to go out, then go ahead.”

Pei Lang trusted Yan Han, and when he said he could go out, that meant he could. He breathed a sigh of relief and finished the last bit of his meal. “Okay, thank you, Mr. Yan. I’ll go back to my room now. Take your time eating.”

Just as Pei Lang stood up, Yan Han also finished.

Although eating with Pei Lang had improved his appetite, Yan Han’s food intake was still small. He hadn’t left the table because he wanted to stay with Pei Lang. Now that Pei Lang was leaving, there was no need for him to stay behind.

Pei Lang felt confused but didn’t think much of it as he went upstairs. Yan Han watched him go, his eyes flickering between light and darkness. It wasn’t until Pei Lang disappeared around the corner that he looked away and took the elevator back to his room.

---