MMLDU Chapter 61

After leaving the café, Pei Lang was supposed to head back to the villa.

Although he had been brainwashing himself that Yan Han’s feelings for him were not love, he knew deep down that it was a form of self-denial. Things weren’t necessarily as simple as he wanted to believe.

The thought of returning to face the pretentious Yan Han left him feeling uncertain.

It was fine when he didn’t understand before, but now that he did, how was he supposed to play along with him and continue pretending not to know?

“Pei Lang! You’re an actor, and acting is a basic skill. If you can’t even pull this off, you should just quit the entertainment industry!” Pei Lang took a deep breath, scolding himself while also motivating himself. As an actor, no matter how active Yan Han’s inner world was, as long as he didn’t express it out loud, Pei Lang could just pretend to know nothing.

Back at the villa, Yan Han wasn’t in the study, probably catching up on sleep.

There was no need to face him for now. Pei Lang sighed in relief, retreating to his own room.

Catch up on sleep… catch up on sleep… Was last night really because his sleep habits disturbed Yan Han’s rest and caused him to need to catch up on sleep? Suddenly, Pei Lang thought of a certain dream he had where Yan Han kissed him. The dream had felt incredibly real. Now that he thought about it, could it be that Yan Han had kissed him while he was asleep?

At this thought, Pei Lang absentmindedly touched his lips. Even after so long, it felt like the sensation was still there. His heart suddenly raced, pounding like a drum. Pei Lang jumped in surprise, patting his face. “It can’t be, right? It’s nothing, really. Acting like I haven’t kissed others before. It’s just that I didn’t steal a kiss… It’s not like I’m in a panic.”

His racing heart couldn’t be controlled. The words of self-assurance weren’t helping at all; he was close to breaking down. He rarely lost control, and when it happened, he would usually calm down quickly. But today, it felt like something was off. And what was making him lose control was simply realizing that someone liked him.

In the past, as a young Best Actor with good looks, a good personality, and countless admirers, he could always politely and gracefully reject confessions without any hint of panic.

The feeling he got from Yan Han was completely different.

The whole afternoon, Pei Lang was surrounded by a mix of sourness, bitterness, and anxiety. His mind kept replaying the days he spent with Yan Han, which seemed uneventful, with nothing particularly special. However, when he dug into the details, he couldn’t help but ponder. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Yan Han had shown his feelings many times already. It was just that Pei Lang, being too carefree, had assumed that the cold and aloof Yan Han wouldn’t like anyone, so he didn’t think about it in that direction.

It wasn’t until the evening that Aunt Lin knocked on his door to remind him to come down for dinner, snapping him out of his thoughts.

When he went downstairs, Yan Han was already up, dressed neatly, and seated. The meal was as rich as ever. After setting the table, Aunt Lin left. Yan Han glanced at Pei Lang, keenly noticing that he seemed different from usual.

“I heard you didn’t eat much this morning?”

Not just this morning—Pei Lang hadn’t had much of an appetite now either.

Pei Lang only smiled and explained, “Hmm, my neck is wrapped in a bandage, so it’s inconvenient to eat.”

He couldn’t exactly say, “I discovered your big secret and got scared.”

“After you’re done eating, come upstairs and we’ll change the bandages,” Yan Han said, his concern evident. The image in his mind was of him gently comforting the fox Pei Lang, holding his head tenderly. But in reality, it wasn’t so gentle. “Dr. Ge’s medicine is good. Just apply it for a couple more days and it’ll be fine.”

Well, that was somewhat reassuring.

“Actually, it doesn’t hurt as much anymore. I can do it myself. How about you just give me the medicine?”

“Did you go to see Pei Ziqing today?” Yan Han ignored Pei Lang’s suggestion and changed the subject.

Looks like the whole “self-applying the medicine” idea was off the table. It didn’t matter anyway—he had already helped with the bandaging before. If I act too strange, it would only raise suspicion. Pei Lang silently encouraged himself. This scene of “I pretend not to know you like me. Besides, with your personality, you wouldn’t initiate it anyway” had to be acted out to the end.

“Yes. In order to completely get rid of Yan Xiuyuan, we can only tie them tightly together. Pei Ziqing is his fiancé, and we need this key person to help. He’s already agreed to cooperate with our plan. What we’re doing is in his best interest, so I believe he won’t be foolish enough to betray us.” Pei Lang went through with this because he knew Pei Ziqing would agree.

“Getting them to marry each other isn’t that difficult,” Yan Han said casually.

“Of course, you’ll be the one to take action, but… I just like watching Yan Xiuyuan knowing it’s my plan and being powerless to do anything. The way to make him give up is to personally send him into someone else’s wedding hall. He disgusts me, so I won’t make it easy for him.” As Pei Lang said this, he looked full of spirit, his confident smile dazzling. His words were very satisfying to hear.

If it were Yan Han’s method, he would take the quickest approach to make Yan Xiuyuan give up, but Pei Lang’s method was different—more prolonged, and more cruel.

This method sounded pretty good.

Yan Han smiled faintly. “If you want to do it, go ahead. I’ll help you.”

“Great, thank you.”

After dinner, Yan Han went back to his study. Pei Lang quickly cleared the dishes and followed him upstairs.

Yan Han brought the medicine and arranged for Pei Lang to sit down. He washed his hands, then used a clean silk handkerchief to wipe his palms as he moved towards Pei Lang. Pei Lang watched as Yan Han’s wheelchair steadily approached, his heart inexplicably tightened in nervousness.

Yan Han’s handsome face grew larger in his vision. His serious, focused expression made it hard to look away. His fingers gently touched Pei Lang’s neck, unwrapping the bandage. With every movement, Pei Lang felt a tingling sensation at the wound, a strange mixture of pain and itch.

The way Yan Han applied the medicine was incredibly gentle, as though he were repairing a fragile porcelain doll. Every movement was cautious, as if afraid of breaking it.

At the same angle, this time the application of the medicine was even more excruciating than last time. Pei Lang’s breathing became shallow. He felt out of breath. His eyes couldn’t help but admire Yan Han’s brows and eyes—those lowered, mesmerizing eyes. The more he looked, the more he liked them, and the faster his heart raced.

The sound of thud, thud, thud echoed, loud enough for anyone with good hearing to catch.

Yan Han’s eyes flashed with confusion. “Are you afraid of me?”

Most people were afraid of him, so it was normal for Pei Lang to be scared. However, with no experience in relationships, Yan Han misunderstood the situation completely. This provided Pei Lang with the perfect opportunity to backtrack.

“I’m not afraid of you; I’m afraid of the pain.” Pei Lang’s face and neck turned a peachy pink as he struggled to explain. “Of course, the medicine you’re applying doesn’t hurt at all. I… I’m just afraid I might move accidentally, and the wound might touch your fingers. That would hurt.”

That’s why he was holding his breath, unwilling to move. He was also slightly short of breath, making his cheeks flush and his heart race.

Yan Han believed this reasonable explanation.

He sped up his movements in applying the medicine. Once he rewrapped the bandage, he finished. “Rest here. I’ll go handle some paperwork.”

Pei Lang understood the implication: he was being told not to leave. As soon as Yan Han went to the desk to work, Pei Lang took deep breaths, slowly calming down. But the intense moment left him feeling weak in his limbs, so he decided to rest on the sofa.

The position was very particular—it allowed him to rest comfortably while still facing Yan Han’s face. He seemed so focused on his work. This man had initially stunned him with his looks. As they spent more time together, Pei Lang found his contrasting charm more endearing. Now, he looked even more handsome—mature, reliable, and charming. The more he looked, the more he liked him.

Wait… liked!?

Pei Lang slapped his face hard, startled by his own thoughts. He did it so forcefully that the sound echoed through the room, catching Yan Han’s attention. Pei Lang quickly explained, “Uh, there was a mosquito.”

“?” The little chibi, with a puzzled look, held the fox Pei Lang in his arms.

There were mosquitoes in the villa? That excuse was too far-fetched. It wasn’t that mosquitoes couldn’t be in the villa; it was that they couldn’t possibly be in Yan Han’s villa. He had extremely high standards for cleanliness. Aunt Lin cooked and other maids strictly handled the cleaning. But Yan Han preferred peace and quiet, so once the maids finished their work, they all went back to their quarters.

Pei Lang realized this and hastily explained, “I mistook it for a mosquito. Please continue with your work. I’ll stay quiet and not disturb you.”

Afterward, Pei Lang decided not to look at Yan Han. He leaned on the sofa. Due to the surrounding silence, or maybe the medicine’s sedative effects, his eyelids started to droop. Before long, he fell asleep.

He woke up half an hour later, having only had a light nap. There was a thin blanket over him and Yan Han was still sitting in the same spot, looking at his phone seriously. Pei Lang initially didn’t want to disturb him, but something in the bubble caught his attention—the two little figures seemed different now.

The little fox had transformed into a human, wearing a red cheongsam with a high slit. Its fluffy ears and long tail made Pei Lang want to grab and play with them. The little chibi had changed into a Qing Dynasty robe, looking like a refined young scholar.

The background was on a night cruise, with the boat gently rocking. A dim yellow oil lamp hung from the bow. Pei Lang had rarely seen such a complete scene inside the bubble. This indicated that Yan Han was carefully imagining his environment in his inner world, so…

Mr. Yan must be reading a book.

Pei Lang instantly became interested. If Yan Han was reading, then by watching the bubble, Pei Lang was essentially watching the same story. He didn’t think much about why in Yan Han’s inner world, they were the main characters of the book.

At first, they were having tea and chatting peacefully on the boat, but gradually, the scene took a different turn. Little chibi pulled the little fox into his arms, nuzzling its neck affectionately, then kissed it on the lips.

The fox in his arms buried its head bashfully in his chest, its tail wagging happily, clearly both happy and shy.

This posture didn’t last long. Little chibi swiped the tea set off the table, laid the little fox flat on it, and leaned over. He started with a kiss, then nipped at its neck. The little fox obediently complied, even cooperating. It wasn’t until they were unbuttoning each other’s clothes while kissing that Pei Lang realized what kind of “book” Yan Han was reading.

It was probably some kind of erotica. He was watching it while mentally inserting Pei Lang into the roles.

Pei Lang was stunned, feeling both embarrassed and angry. His ears turned red and his cheeks followed suit. He stared wide-eyed, wanting to shout and stop it, but was afraid Yan Han would ask why he knew what book he was reading. His legs felt as heavy as lead, preventing him from running. He even forgot to close his eyes until the two little figures in the bubble had stripped and started making out. Only then did he angrily shout, “Old pervert!!”

The shout startled Yan Han, making him flinch. Pei Lang’s legs regained their mobility. Before Yan Han could see his red face, Pei Lang quickly bolted out of the study with a whoosh, running into his own room to hide.

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