MMLDU Chapter 52

“Here, daughter-in-law, eat more,” Elder Yan said kindly while watching Pei Lang, who had an excellent appetite.

Yan Han had always had a poor appetite. One cook after another had been replaced, yet he would feel full after just a few bites. As a father, watching this poor appetite pained him. Dining with someone like that often dampened his own appetite as well.

Pei Lang was different—he hadn’t stopped eating since he sat down at the table.

The fact was, there were no annoying people around today. Just the three of them shared a meal and the food was exceptionally delicious. Naturally, his appetite had been piqued.

However, when he heard the elder address him as “daughter-in-law”, Pei Lang was so startled that he choked on his rice, coughing uncontrollably in a moment of rare embarrassment. “Sorry… cough cough cough… let me catch my breath.”

“Eat slower, there’s plenty more,” the old man said, not realizing his words had startled Pei Lang. He simply assumed Pei Lang had eaten too quickly and gotten choked.

Yan Han, sitting beside Pei Lang, could tell his father truly liked Pei Lang. Perhaps it was an extension of his affection for his son, or perhaps he genuinely saw something different in Pei Lang compared to the rumors. Gently, Yan Han patted Pei Lang’s back to help him recover. Soon, the coughing subsided.

“Han’er’s temper isn’t great. I was worried you two wouldn’t get along. Seeing how loving you are now, I can finally put my mind at ease.” The old man had been observing the couple across the table the entire time. His son didn’t seem to be faking anything, though Pei Lang still appeared a bit oblivious. But since they were already married, anyone Yan Han liked wouldn’t get away easily. It was only a matter of time before Pei Lang fully caught on. “Xiao Lang, he hasn’t been bullying you at home, has he? If he ever does, just come to me, and I’ll set things right for you.”

“No, he’s wonderful. He’s the best person in the world to me,” Pei Lang finally replied after swallowing, making sure to avoid choking again.

He wasn’t exaggerating. Since coming to this world, Yan Han was indeed the only one who had treated him so well.

Though Yan Han wasn’t particularly expressive, whenever something happened, he would always be the first to step in and resolve it. Regardless of his reasons, Pei Lang was deeply grateful, which was why he had decided to help Yan Han heal his legs.

“That’s good to hear, that’s good to hear,” the old man said with a pleased expression. Yan Han glanced at Pei Lang, who was entirely focused on his meal. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

It was subtle but didn’t escape the old man’s sharp eyes.

At over thirty years old, Yan Han had finally found someone he truly liked. The old man silently thought to himself how rare and precious this was.

“Father, we’ll stay overnight tonight,” Yan Han suddenly said, catching the other two at the table off guard.

Pei Lang looked over in confusion. He had assumed they wouldn’t be staying the night so he didn’t bring a change of clothes. On the other hand, the old man was overjoyed. How long had it been since Yan Han last stayed overnight at the old house? This was truly a rare occasion.

Delighted, he immediately instructed the butler to tidy up Yan Han’s room again. It wasn’t just the old man; even the chef and butler were all smiles, their faces full of wrinkles from grinning so widely.

Pei Lang didn’t think much of it—they’d slept in the same room before, after all.

As they continued eating, the sound of a car pulling up came from outside. Not long after, Yan Xiuyuan strode in energetically, carrying some gifts. “Grandpa, I happened to have some free time today, so I came to see you!”

He greeted his grandfather first, then pretended to notice Yan Han by accident. “Oh, Uncle, you’re here too.”

Yan Han nodded slightly without replying. Pei Lang also smiled faintly, a look that clearly said he knew what was going on but wouldn’t expose it.

“We’re all family; why bring so many things?” the old man said as he ordered someone to set an extra place at the table. Taking advantage of the moment, Yan Xiuyuan shamelessly sat down next to Pei Lang.

“What happened to your face? Did someone hit you?” The old man noticed the faint handprint on Yan Xiuyuan’s face, a remnant of the slap Pei Lang had given him earlier that day. Despite applying ointment to reduce the swelling, it was still slightly noticeable.

Yan Xiuyuan lied without batting an eye. “Ziqing hit me.”

The old man, unwilling to meddle in the affairs of young couples, said nothing further.

However, Pei Lang, who knew the truth, put down his chopsticks. “Isn’t Ziqing known for being mild-tempered? Why would he hit you? Did you do something to wrong him?”

Yan Xiuyuan’s expression faltered.

He had rushed over as soon as he heard that Yan Han and Pei Lang were at the old house, intending to make himself more visible in front of Pei Lang. He was well aware of the discord between Pei Lang and Pei Ziqing, so he deliberately blamed the slap on Ziqing.

He hadn’t expected Pei Lang to speak up for Pei Ziqing.

“How would I know why his temperament suddenly changed? If you can change, then so can he,” Yan Xiuyuan retorted, his tone defensive as he rattled off excuses. Pei Lang, however, continued to smile faintly, unbothered by the outburst.

“Sigh, have you heard of pre-wedding anxiety? Maybe your engagement is making him a little nervous. You should be more understanding. Spend more time with him and comfort him.” Pei Lang spoke with the air of an elder, which irked Yan Xiuyuan to no end. “Another way to deal with it is to hold your wedding soon and enjoy a nice honeymoon. That should take care of his pre-wedding anxiety. Don’t you agree, Father?”

Caught off guard, the old man quickly nodded. “That’s right. Since you’re both in love, marriage is only a matter of time. Holding the wedding sooner would be good. I’ll talk to your father about this.”

“No need!” Yan Xiuyuan suddenly burst out, clearly agitated. He had been planning to call off the engagement. However, Pei Lang’s casual words seemed to push the wedding date forward. Was Pei Lang that desperate to shake him off? Realizing his outburst was inappropriate in front of the elders, Yan Xiuyuan quickly regained his composure. “Grandpa, I’m not a kid anymore. I can handle my wedding plans myself. There’s no need to trouble you with it.”

“Did you have pre-wedding anxiety too, Uncle?” Yan Xiuyuan retorted, referring to Pei Lang as “Uncle” with barely concealed reluctance. Still, under his grandfather’s watchful eye, he managed to feign politeness.

Pei Lang was quite satisfied with the title and, with a smile, took Yan Han’s hand in his. He noticed Yan Han’s fingers stiffen slightly but soon relaxed as Yan Han returned the gesture. Both of their hearts raced, though outwardly they remained calm—Yan Han continued eating, while Pei Lang kept talking. “Of course, I was anxious. I worried about being on set while my husband was busy with work, living apart and growing distant.”

At this, Pei Lang turned to look at Yan Han with eyes full of emotion, their gazes locking shamelessly. “But then I realized that when two people truly love each other, distance won’t weaken their feelings. It will only deepen their longing, and under the weight of absolute longing, all obstacles become trivial.”

Even though Yan Han knew Pei Lang was acting, those words still made his ears turn red. He cleared his throat and played along. “When you wrap up this project, let’s go on a trip.”

Yan Xiuyuan glared at them with eyes that seemed to blaze with fury, wishing he could rip their joined hands apart and sever their overly affectionate gazes. When had his cold and aloof uncle become this nauseatingly sentimental?

In stark contrast, the old man’s face was practically glowing with delight, his smile stretching from ear to ear.

Throughout the rest of the meal, the couple didn’t let go of each other’s hands, much to Yan Xiuyuan’s annoyance. His appetite was utterly ruined. After a few bites, he gave up on eating altogether.

After dinner, they moved to the sitting room to chat with the old man. Though the conversation seemed polite on the surface, the undercurrent of hostility was undeniable. Yan Han, who had always disliked his nephew, spoke in a manner that carried the weight of a senior admonishing a junior. Pei Lang chimed in occasionally, further irritating Yan Xiuyuan to the point where he couldn’t bear to stay a moment longer.

He had come to see Pei Lang on a whim, hoping to get closer to him and make himself more noticeable. But instead, he was completely overshadowed by the shameless display of affection from this pair of men.

It was only then that he realized the truth: they were genuinely in love. Pei Lang truly had no feelings for him—not even hatred. Even the faintest trace of animosity was gone, which was perhaps the most heartbreaking realization. When love and hate are both absent, what remains is pure indifference.

To Pei Lang, some of his actions were simply disgusting, nothing more.

Since he had arrived late at the old house and with dinner and the subsequent chat, it was already quite late. The old man, whose health required ample rest, bid them goodnight and retired to his room.

That left just the uncle and nephew in the hall. Yan Xiuyuan, simmering with both anger and frustration, didn’t dare to confront Yan Han directly, even though he looked down on him. What hurt more was when Pei Lang defended Yan Han—it made his chest ache. “It’s getting late. When do you plan to leave, Uncle? Is your assistant coming to pick you up?”

Even though his grandfather had gone to bed, these two showed no signs of leaving, so Yan Xiuyuan asked offhandedly.

“We’re not leaving. We’re staying the night,” Yan Han said calmly.

“What!? You’re staying? Together?” Yan Xiuyuan shouted, visibly shocked.

He couldn’t believe it. When Yan Han nodded in confirmation, Yan Xiuyuan nearly exploded with anger. “Uncle, don’t you have a cleanliness obsession? When I entered your room as a kid, you nearly killed me!”

Yan Han sneered. “Cleanliness? What’s that in front of my wife?”

Yan Han was a shrewd man. He could tell that Yan Xiuyuan’s attitude toward Pei Lang had changed. The fool wasn’t even trying to hide it—or perhaps he hadn’t thought to. His blatant display was nothing less than a provocation.

If only he could get rid of this insolent nephew.

“As a legally married couple, of course, we’ll sleep together,” Pei Lang chimed in, perfectly in sync with Yan Han.

Yan Xiuyuan, with no regard for decorum, stormed up to Pei Lang and demanded, “How could you let him touch you? You… weren’t you…” Weren’t you madly in love with me? “Hehe~ I didn’t realize your love was so cheap and easily transferable. Is it just the Yan family’s genes that attract you so much? After leaving me, you immediately fell into my uncle’s arms?”

“Wait a second,” Pei Lang rubbed his ears, looking perplexed as if he’d misheard. “What do you mean by ‘after leaving you’? We’ve never been together in the first place. Don’t slander me in front of my husband. Besides, we’re already married—doing what husbands do is perfectly normal. Not doing it would be the weird thing, don’t you think?”

Pei Lang’s words completely rattled Yan Xiuyuan. He snapped, disregarding the possibility of waking his grandfather, and growled in disbelief, “I don’t believe it. You must be putting on a show! Uncle has both physical and psychological cleanliness obsessions. Even Grandpa doesn’t have special privileges, let alone you!”

At the mention of “putting on a show”, Yan Han’s gaze turned icy, a dangerous glint flickering in his eyes. His aura grew oppressive as if he were ready to tear the barking fool in front of him to pieces.

His hands gripped the armrests of his wheelchair tightly, veins bulging on the backs of his hands.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance filled the air, followed by a soft and warm sensation brushing against his cheek. Startled, Yan Han froze. It wasn’t until he saw Yan Xiuyuan’s dumbfounded, almost defeated expression that he realized—Pei Lang had kissed him.

In front of Yan Xiuyuan.

Pei Lang had kissed him to prove that their relationship wasn’t an act. It was a calculated move to crush Yan Xiuyuan’s lingering hopes and push him to accept reality—marry Pei Ziqing and move on with his life.

Yan Han, notorious for his cleanliness, didn’t react with anger after being kissed. Instead, the coldness in his eyes melted, replaced by a warmth that was visible even to others. A gentle smile gradually curved his lips. He truly liked Pei Lang—this kiss brought him joy, and Yan Xiuyuan could see it clearly.

“So, you’re really in love.” Yan Xiuyuan’s voice was filled with anguish. If it had been an act, he might have had a chance. But now, how could he possibly compete with his uncle? Unless…

Yan Han’s ears turned red from the kiss. He reached out and pulled the smug Pei Lang into his lap. The sudden movement left Pei Lang unsteady, causing him to fall into Yan Han’s embrace with a startled yelp. Strong arms wrapped securely around his waist from behind.

“It’s late. Let’s go upstairs and sleep,” Yan Han declared.

Yan Xiuyuan could only watch, helpless and dumbstruck, as Pei Lang sat in Yan Han’s lap and the two of them went upstairs together.

He stood frozen in place for a long time. Eventually, the housekeeper approached and asked if he needed anything. Yan Xiuyuan, making up his mind, decided to stay the night as well and instructed the housekeeper to prepare a room for him.

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