MMLDU Chapter 5

“Brother, you’re back, are you alright?” The scar on Pei Ziqing’s forehead was so faint it was barely visible, only revealed when the wind blew his bangs aside.

When reading the story, Pei Ziqing and Yan Xiuyuan were characters the reader really liked. They were devoted and loyal, never doubting each other’s sincerity despite all the misunderstandings and hardships they went through. This was also the reason why the cannon fodder could never break them apart.

Now, the main character stood before him. Pei Lang unexpectedly felt a motherly sense of concern for his brother, a strange sense of fondness.

Pei Lang kept looking, his gaze filled with observation and admiration, watching as Pei Ziqing’s eyes slowly reddened, tears brimming. “Brother, are you still upset with me for not speaking? I’m sorry, brother, I’m sorry. I can give up everything else, but not Xiuyuan. We truly love each other. When you were arrested, I begged Xiuyuan to let you go. But after he saw me hurt, he was firm in his stance. He said you needed to give up, so… brother, how have you been these last two weeks in the detention center? I wanted to visit, but Xiuyuan kept a tight watch on me, and the fans were constantly keeping track of my movements. I just calmed them down, and now you’re out.”

Listen to that gentle, tearful tone, that exquisite, beautiful face, and the words, so pleasing to the ear. Pei Lang’s heart almost melted, and he smiled faintly. “He did the right thing. I’ve given up. Ziqing, I wish you both a lifetime of happiness.”

Pei Ziqing was stunned, his gaze on Pei Lang filled with curiosity and doubt. After meeting Pei Lang’s calm eyes, he awkwardly smiled. “Brother, with your haircut and the way you’re dressed, I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“Where’s Dad?” Pei Lang started inspecting the unfamiliar house.

Both brothers were quite good-looking. Pei Lang was curious about what their father looked like, considering they were both such handsome sons. He wondered if this world’s Pei Lang’s father looked like the one who passed away in his world.

Pei Ziqing closely followed behind Pei Lang. “You haven’t called him Dad in so long. If Dad knew, he’d be so happy.”

His response didn’t answer the question. Pei Ziqing’s tone was innocent. Pei Lang glanced at him without explaining further.

When he stopped, Pei Ziqing bumped clumsily into his back. The force wasn’t strong, but the fragile Pei Ziqing fell to the ground. There was a dull thud, and Pei Lang was stunned. Turning around, he saw Pei Ziqing crying, his pale face and reddened eyes—truly fitting the role of a main character, making one feel an overwhelming urge to protect him.

Just as he reached out to help, a shout came from the door. “You worthless brat, what are you doing?!”

The newcomer was a middle-aged man, slightly plump, dressed in a stiff suit, with wrinkles on his face that hinted at his once charming youth. He was carrying groceries, his murky eyes full of fury, as he clenched his teeth and charged toward Pei Lang, suddenly delivering a slap. “You ungrateful son! How could I have given birth to a shameless person like you? You seduced your own brother’s boyfriend, doing such disgraceful things, even ending up in detention! You’ve disgraced the Pei family! You coward who can’t stand up to outsiders, only daring to bully Ziqing. Ziqing is kind-hearted. If I hadn’t happened to catch you today, would this have ended up like all the other times, with no one knowing anything about it?”

The middle-aged man’s slap was forceful. Pei Lang staggered two steps before managing to steady himself. The slap struck his face, but it hurt deeper inside—an overwhelming sense of disgust surged through him. It wasn’t entirely his own emotion but a reaction of the body he now inhabited. He remembered the investigations he had made with the detective and felt sympathy for the original owner. The body’s innate resistance to men made Pei Lang, who was usually calm, react with uncharacteristic force.

Once steady, the man tried to strike again, but Pei Lang grabbed his father’s wrist with one hand, twisting it. A sharp crack echoed, and the older man’s face contorted in pain.

Pei Lang’s father despised him, especially after the scandal involving Yan Xiuyuan. The rumors had spread. Wherever he went, people would stare at him with disdain. His anger had not dissipated, and now, his youngest son had finally come home after such a long time. But while he had been out buying groceries, this ungrateful son had returned and knocked Pei Ziqing down.

“Ziqing, aren’t you going to explain?” This is a misunderstanding. Pei Ziqing had fallen on his own.

Pei Lang ignored the older man’s red, pained face and calmly asked Pei Ziqing, who was still sitting on the ground.

“Brother, wuwuwu~ I’m sorry, but Xiuyuan and I truly love each other. No matter what happens, I won’t give up on him. Please, support us, don’t make it hard for Dad. He just got diagnosed with high blood pressure and shouldn’t be emotionally agitated.”

As soon as Pei Ziqing spoke, Pei Lang furrowed his brows. How was this character so different from the one in his memories?

In his memories, the original Pei Ziqing was kind, smart, and had a clear sense of right and wrong. No matter how much Pei Lang had erred before, today, it was clear that Pei Ziqing had simply fallen by accident. The original Pei Ziqing would have explained the situation clearly, not uttering vague and half-hearted words.

The more he heard, the more it sounded like a white lotus act.

In his moment of doubt, Pei Lang’s sharp gaze caught the calculation and satisfaction in Pei Ziqing’s eyes. He couldn’t believe that the character he had admired had turned out like this. Trying to reassure himself, he thought, This isn’t the original, this is fanfiction. The main character wouldn’t be so manipulative and scheming. Damn it! Why didn’t the system explain this clearly?

Irritated, Pei Lang released his grip on the older man’s wrist, flicking his wrist dismissively. Pei Ziqing tearfully stood up and helped the older man, who was still groaning in pain. “Dad, are you okay? Wuwuwu~ It’s all my fault. I made Brother angry. I’ve caused trouble for Dad.”

“Ziqing, don’t blame yourself. If anyone’s to blame, it’s this shameless, ungrateful son of mine. If I’d known you’d turn out this way after growing up, I should’ve let you and your mother die together back then, so you wouldn’t bring shame to the family for generations to come.” Over the years, he had hit Pei Lang more than once, but this was the first time Pei Lang had fought back. The man trembled with rage. Comparing him to Pei Ziqing, Pei Lang seemed even less human. If this were ancient times in a time of chaos, Pei Lang would surely be the type to kill his father.

And now, he had the audacity to bring up his mother. Pei Lang grew angry, sneering. “You’re wrong. The one who brought shame to the Pei family isn’t me, it’s you. How did mother die? I’m sure none of you have forgotten that, have you? Back then, you cheated, betrayed your marriage, kept a mistress, and even brought her and the illegitimate child into our home. What? Do you think moving to a new city would wash away your sins? A filthy person is still filthy no matter how they try to disguise themselves. Your body’s skin may have changed, but your heart was tainted the moment you cheated. All these years, you’ve paraded around in a new skin and acted like you were still human?”

Perhaps these words were something the original owner always wanted to say. Although Pei Lang also felt anger, for these two people before him, it didn’t matter. But for some reason, he just couldn’t hold back. Sure enough, the expressions of the two people changed immediately, their faces filled with anger and shame. Pei Ziqing’s face went pale, his gaze toward Pei Lang changing—no longer pretending, but filled with more shame, anger, and unwillingness. The label of an illegitimate child, no matter how accomplished he was, he couldn’t shake it off. Especially hearing it from Pei Lang, the lowest of people, it was the greatest insult, one he couldn’t accept.

From his eyes, Pei Lang could tell that Pei Ziqing was not as innocent as he had thought. As a top-tier actor in the entertainment industry, understanding the subtleties of expressions was a basic skill.

“Brother, I’m sorry, Mom didn’t mean it. Mom and Dad really loved each other.” Pei Ziqing cried as he tried to defend his mother, but was interrupted by Pei Lang.

“Stop crying, be good~” Pei Lang’s tone was soft as if comforting him, but if you ignored the coldness in his eyes and the mocking curve of his lips, it almost seemed genuine. “As the victim here, I haven’t cried, so why are you crying? If you didn’t know better, you’d think you were the one who lost your mother.”

“What did you say?!” The man, furious, raised his hand to strike again, but was frozen in place by Pei Lang’s gaze.

“Did you forget the pain from earlier?” Having played several deranged characters, Pei Lang’s current glare was perfect—like an underworld judge ready to tear apart the injustices of the world, making everyone shiver with fear. “To be honest, it’s still your double standards. Back then, your affair with Aunt caused quite a stir in the town, and now you’re blaming me for bringing shame to the family? Back then, I was just a kid. But now, I want to ask you: did you seduce her first, or did she seduce you? Since it’s all about seduction, am I shameless now for doing what Aunt did? Both of you were unfaithful, and you brought a bastard child into our house. Now, Pei Ziqing here is playing the role of a devoted, single-minded lover? Tsk, tsk~~ It’s rare that this couple managed to raise him so well. How about this—since you’re retiring soon, why not start a parenting class after retirement? You could make a lot of money teaching how cheating men and their mistresses manage to raise illegitimate children into virtuous, deep, and devoted people. If you two can succeed, I’m sure other so-called perfect couples will do better after attending your class.”

The man was a stereotypical high school teacher, aging and completely meek. The original owner had lost his mother at a young age and never received a good education. When he argued, he could only yell and curse. Today, with sharp words and quick wit, Pei Lang caught them off guard, leaving the man furious but unable to do anything.

“Brother, how can you say that about Dad? No matter what, we are still family, on the same boat…” Being called an illegitimate child and with the man being so weak, Pei Ziqing was dissatisfied.

“Family? When did you ever treat me as family?” Pei Lang smiled, though he was clearly agitated. Pei Ziqing truly wasn’t simple; he was just a low-tier white lotus. “Pei Ziqing, listen carefully. I won’t interfere in your matters anymore. I used to want to compete with you, but now I’m clear-headed. What you’ve got is garbage. Why should I compete for it? Once it’s in my hands, it’s not garbage, right? As for Yan Xiuyuan, there are many men in this world. I’m not interested anymore. I wish you the best in tying him down.”

“Dad, woo woo woo~~ Brother must be sick. Don’t be angry with him. It’s all because of me that he ended up in detention. He must have been mentally stimulated in there.” The father and son supported each other, looking like the perfect picture of filial piety. “Dad, I have money now. Let’s send brother for treatment.”

Pei Lang had changed so much; it felt like a dream. That was the only explanation. Growing up, he had been spoiled and favored by his parents, but today, he had suffered great humiliation and wished he could kill Pei Lang. As for treatment, sending him to a mental hospital—whether he was sick or not, only the doctor could decide. Pei Ziqing considered himself smarter than Pei Lang and was calculating in his mind. Unfortunately, the person before him was no longer the Pei Lang they knew.

“Listen to this, Ziqing is still thinking about how to get you back on track. Back then, Ziqing was still young and innocent, yet you even hate him now.”

“Enough. He’s not innocent anymore.” Pei Lang’s smile, one that saw through the scheme, made Pei Ziqing feel guilty.

“Simply ungrateful!”

“I’ve come back today to tell you that from now on, I’m completely moving out of here. It’s what you wanted. Don’t bother me with anything from now on.” Trusting his instincts, Pei Lang found the room where the original owner had stayed, rummaged through it, and found the original owner’s ID, which was always carried with him. There didn’t seem to be anything important to take. As he left, he passed by the father and son. “I don’t need anything from the room. If you want to throw it away, go ahead. I’m leaving now, won’t disturb your meal.”

On his way out, he coincidentally ran into the returning woman—Pei Ziqing’s mother. The look in her eyes was venomous and terrifying when she saw Pei Lang. Pei Lang ignored her, only regretting that she had returned too late; otherwise, he would have cursed her as well.