MMLDU Chapter 29

Yan Han cares about his position in Pei Lang’s heart, comparing it to that of Aunt Lin. From this perspective, it seemed he didn’t even measure up to her, which made him feel quite uncomfortable.

Anyway, Yan Han was used to putting on a dark face, and no one would bother questioning the reasons behind his bad mood.

After finishing breakfast, Su Jia came to pick up Yan Han to go to the company. As soon as he entered, he was met with Yan Han’s murderous gaze. Su Jia hesitated for a moment, feeling a lump in his throat. But he forced himself to walk forward.

What was going on with the boss so early in the morning?

Su Jia, clearly unaware that his actions had been exposed, thought that his temperamental boss must have had another episode of bad mood.

He was already in a bad mood. Thinking about Su Jia’s evaluation of him made Yan Han even angrier. Pei Lang could see the little chibi on his shoulder, puffing up and stomping around in anger, expressing dissatisfaction. “Go home. I’ll give you a day off.”

The words were a surprise. Su Jia thought he misheard. He… could have a day off?

It was hard to believe, but the boss was someone who was firm when he said something, never joking around. So, it really was a day off! Su Jia couldn’t help but feel joy inside, though he kept his face neutral. However, his eyes inevitably showed excitement. “Then I’ll hand over today’s schedule to Ruan Cheng.”

“Not just today. From now on, all your work will be handed over to him. Handle the handover today.” Yan Han spoke like a robot, emotionless and rigid.

Su Jia was stunned, and so was Pei Lang. This meant he wasn’t going to be working anymore. Why? Wasn’t Su Jia doing well?

Just moments ago, Su Jia had been feeling happy, but now his face turned ashen, his lips trembling. He dared not ask why and could only accept the order. “Okay.”

Seeing Su Jia like this, Pei Lang genuinely felt sorry for him.

This matter wasn’t his to handle, but since Su Jia couldn’t bring himself to ask, he decided to do so on his behalf.

Pei Lang: “Mr. Yan, did Su Jia do something wrong?”

Yan Han: “Nothing, it’s my fault.”

Pei Lang and Su Jia: “!!?”

Yan Han actually admitted it was his fault. This was even more shocking than Su Jia being fired because Yan Han was the type of person who never made mistakes. And even if he did, he would never admit it was his fault.

Yan Han ignored their shock and slowly moved toward the door. “I’m temperamental and heartless. Assistant Su has suffered by my side for all these years. Some people have advised you to change jobs, but you didn’t dare to speak up. Now, I’ll take the initiative to dismiss you, so you don’t have to feel awkward.”

Su Jia felt like he was going to cry.

Last night, during the live stream in Dad Lang’s channel, who would’ve known the boss would find out and take it seriously? He was going to fire him. But even though he was venting, he didn’t want to be fired.

It was true that he was temperamental and heartless, but it was also true that he was decisive and fair in rewarding and punishing, and quite talented too.

If he had known the boss was watching the live-stream, he wouldn’t have dared to speak the truth, even if they tortured him.

And, last night, everyone in the public chat was comforting him and encouraging him to vent. Later, he listed most of his boss’s merits and said that despite the pressure, he still wanted to work for him.

Boss, you can’t just focus on the complaints from earlier and ignore the praise that followed!

Su Jia caught up to Yan Han, wanting to say something but not knowing what to say. Pei Lang, behind them, couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same time. Seeing the conflicted and proud look in Yan Han’s inner world, he realized Yan Han wasn’t really angry. He just wanted to scare Su Jia.

So now, he needed a way to ease the situation, or things might really end up with Su Jia being fired.

The one who could provide that way out was only this outsider—Pei Lang.

Yan Han walked ahead, with Pei Lang and Su Jia following on either side. Pei Lang looked at Yan Han’s lips pressed into a line, and couldn’t help but smile at the corner of his eyes.

Mr. Yan, who clearly disliked being disliked, was still putting on an indifferent, cold expression. Hmm, Su Jia had been with him for so long. While he didn’t care about other people’s opinions, he clearly cared about the opinion of his good assistant. It made sense—when someone close to you dislikes you, it’s naturally something you feel.

 

Wait… I remember once teasing Su Jia, saying that he liked Mr. Yan. His eyes darted around as he hurriedly tried to explain. Could it be that I was right? And Mr. Yan cares so much about his opinion, so… is this mutual secret admiration?

Look at what I’ve discovered.

I’m totally shipping these two leads. I can’t handle it—this cold-faced CEO vs. the innocent, fiery little assistant combo? I’m all in, I can ship it up close and personal.

Pei Lang seemed to have discovered a treasure, his eyes glowing with excitement. Just look at Su Jia’s ashen face—how terrified must he be of not working with Yan Han anymore?

“Who said that? Mr. Yan is so great, how could he be temperamental? Right, Assistant Su?” Pei Lang steered the topic toward Su Jia. Finally, Su Jia, who had been a bit slow in understanding in front of Pei Lang, picked up on his look. He immediately launched into a stream of praises, saying every compliment he had ever heard in his life.

He didn’t care whether the situation was appropriate or if the compliments were even accurate—Yan Han was worthy of every good word.

Pei Lang continued to chime in from the side. Compared to Su Jia, Pei Lang’s praise was cultured, smooth, and pleasant to hear. Even though everyone knew it was flattery, it still put a smile on the face.

Watching Yan Han’s expression gradually soften, Pei Lang was even more certain: Yan Han had a crush on Su Jia. To support this ship, he had to do his part.

The back-and-forth praise continued. Yan Han understood their intentions, though he was slightly surprised that Pei Lang would actually help Su Jia.

Flattered by Pei Lang’s praise, Yan Han felt quite pleased.

However, when the compliments came from Su Jia’s mouth and were directed at him, Yan Han couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed. To stop Su Jia from continuing, he could only compromise with a stiff command. “Today’s morning meeting is very important. Take me to the company.”

This could be considered as not firing Su Jia after all.

 

Su Jia let out a long sigh of relief and gave Pei Lang a grateful look.

Pei Lang, in his eagerness to ship the couple, unknowingly followed them to the car. He watched as Yan Han got into the car and Su Jia sat in the driver’s seat. When Pei Lang didn’t head back, Su Jia asked, “Are you heading out?”

“Ah, yes, I have some things to do,” Pei Lang replied, though that was a lie…

“Get in the car.” Yan Han’s voice came from the backseat. In the end, Pei Lang climbed into the car and sat next to Yan Han.

Su Jia asked for Pei Lang’s destination and drove him there. Pei Lang casually mentioned a location. After what had just happened, Su Jia was much more cautious, not daring to speak recklessly. He turned on the car’s music, and by chance, it started playing the song Pei Lang had sung the night before.

This was like courting death. Su Jia cautiously glanced at Yan Han’s expression through the rearview mirror, reaching for the button to change the song, but Yan Han stopped him. “Just leave this one on.”

 

Su Jia: “Alright, boss.”

It just so happened that he liked it too. Su Jia obediently drove. In fact, he liked it so much that he had stayed up last night to extract the song and add it to his playlist.

Pei Lang, listening to the familiar melody, didn’t dare to speak.

Yan Han’s gaze was fixed on him, and suddenly he asked, “Do you like it?”

Realizing the question was directed at him, Pei Lang smiled and answered, “It’s quite nice.”

“I think so too,” Yan Han replied directly. Pei Lang was confused. He also noticed that the other’s gaze seemed a bit strange. “Don’t you think the voice sounds familiar?”

Su Jia felt the voice was familiar too.

Pei Lang was caught off guard, suppressing his surprise, and smiled while shaking his head. “No, maybe it’s someone you know, Mr. Yan.”

“Is that so?” A trace of mockery flashed in Yan Han’s eyes. “But why do I feel like that voice sounds a bit like yours?”

Pei Lang: “…” Early in the morning, being shocked multiple times, Pei Lang was struggling to process it. He still tried to stay calm, though his smile only barely stretched across his face. “Mr. Yan, you’re joking, how could it be me? Hehe~~”

“Boss, now that you mention it, I really think it sounds like him. I thought it sounded familiar the first time I heard it but couldn’t quite place who it was. Now that I compare it, the tone is exactly the same.” Su Jia, who had been silent until now, spoke up, almost like he was trying to make Pei Lang shut up. Unfortunately, since he was driving, Pei Lang couldn’t see his expression. “When he was singing, I thought it sounded like him. Last night during his livestream chat, even his tone and mannerisms were so similar. His name even has ‘Lang’ in it.”

The more Su Jia talked, the more absurd it seemed, but also surprisingly coincidental.

This couldn’t be kept a secret any longer. Both Su Jia and Yan Han weren’t fools, especially Yan Han—since he brought it up, that meant he had figured it out. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so probing.

 

Pei Lang, helpless, had no choice but to admit it. “I thought this alias would last a long time, but I didn’t expect it to be exposed so quickly.”

“It’s really you!!” Su Jia exclaimed in shock.

“That’s right, I’m the ‘Dad Lang’ you’ve been talking about.”

Su Jia was embarrassed. Was his username really that obvious? Everyone had figured it out. “I didn’t know it was you, and didn’t you call yourself ‘Old Uncle’?”

“If I didn’t do this, the public opinion would never stop,” Pei Lang sighed, mocking himself. “You know I’m quite famous, and that website is special. The ongoing public opinion would affect the user experience. If they knew the person singing was me, the website would turn into a gathering place for haters. It would be chaotic, and I’d become a sinner. No one would like my songs anymore. So, I had to use an alias to make my comeback. To quench their curiosity, I had to destroy their idealized fantasy.”

“Since you’re afraid of being recognized when singing, then why bother acting?”

You can’t remain anonymous in acting. All the things Pei Lang feared would come true.

“Because acting is my lifelong passion. No matter what obstacles I face, I’ll always push forward. It brings me joy, and I’m ready to face criticism and rejection,” Pei Lang said, his entire being glowing as he spoke. His eyes sparkled, making Yan Han’s gaze flicker a bit.

“Singing was because I was too poor. I needed to earn some money, and by chance, I found that website. I realized my songs could give off a different kind of energy. Singing is no longer just about making money. It’s gained a different meaning now.” As long as there was acting, he wouldn’t give up the website. It was just that his updates weren’t as frequent.

Pei Lang’s words left Su Jia speechless.

Over this period, Pei Lang’s actions had completely changed his perception of him. He no longer resembled his old self. This version of Pei Lang was perfect from the inside out and truly deserving of admiration and praise.

“Mr. Yan, you really are sharp. How did you figure it out?” Pei Lang turned to look at Yan Han.

“You didn’t hide it.”

 

“I see, I exposed myself.”

Indeed, he hadn’t hidden it. If it weren’t for being familiar with Pei Lang, Yan Han wouldn’t have noticed. The tone of his voice, the singing style, the guitar he carried when going to the orphanage, and his microexpressions when asked earlier—these were all pieces of evidence.

“Then, Mr. Yan, you’ll have to keep it a secret for me. I don’t want to reveal my identity to the whole internet so soon.”

“Depends on how you behave.”

Pei Lang was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Inside, he wanted to shout: Mr. Yan, saying things like this in front of your crush won’t help you win their heart.

---