Ch 29: How To Be A Good Lackey

After all, they were still father and son. Even if this son of his wasn’t very sharp and constantly got on his nerves, he couldn’t just watch him walk straight into a grave.

“Um… how about we just forget it,” Pei Tiancheng said, forcing a smile, his tone earnest.

Pei Fangyan looked puzzled. “Didn’t you just spend all that time telling me you wanted me to keep Xiao Ye by my side? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Pei Tiancheng hurriedly explained, “It’s not that I’m unwilling. I just suddenly realized that Xiao Ye is clumsy. If he stays with you, not only might he not be of any help, he could even cause trouble.”

“Where am I—”

Shao Ye had just begun to defend himself when Pei Tiancheng pinched his arm hard. In a low voice, he threatened, “Shut up.”

He didn’t hold back at all, as if putting his full strength into it. Shao Ye sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, his face twisting uncontrollably.

Patting Shao Ye’s shoulder, Pei Tiancheng smiled at Pei Fangyan. “Look at this kid, so silly he’s practically drooling.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Fangyan said without changing expression. “I happen to like the silly ones.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

The more Pei Fangyan insisted on keeping Shao Ye, the more Pei Tiancheng felt something was off. He pressed on, “Xiao Ye has never passed math since he was young. Even now, he has to count on his fingers for simple addition and subtraction within ten. He’s really not suitable to stay by your side.”

Shao Ye stared at his “kind and loving” father in shock. Sure, his math wasn’t great, but there was no need to slander him like this!

Pei Fangyan didn’t mind at all. “That’s fine. As long as he’s physically strong. I’d even like to see Xiao Ye play soccer someday.”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

Enough already! How many times had he brought this up? Couldn’t the man be a little more broad-minded?

At this point, Pei Tiancheng was almost certain that Pei Fangyan had no good intentions toward Shao Ye.

Pei Fangyan smiled and asked, “Big brother, you’re not worried about leaving Xiao Ye with me, are you?”

“No, of course not,” Pei Tiancheng said, forcing out a strained smile. Seeing that Pei Fangyan was determined to keep Shao Ye, he didn’t dare object further. Who knew what unpleasant methods this man might resort to otherwise? “Since you think so highly of him, then let Xiao Ye stay. If he becomes annoying, just throw him out. No need to be polite.”

The smile at Pei Fangyan’s lips deepened. “You worry too much, big brother. Xiao Ye is so interesting. How could I bear to drive him away?”

Hearing this, Shao Ye proudly puffed out his chest. It was June, the weather hot. Translated on Hololo novels. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt, slightly damp with sweat after running around with He Jiahui. The fabric clung faintly to his body, half-transparent.

Pei Fangyan’s gaze drifted downward, landing on his strong, well-built legs.

Pei Tiancheng felt like crying. His foolish son—sold off and still helping count the money.

All he could do was pray that if Pei Fangyan was going to “sell” him, it would at least be to a decent place. “Then I’ll have to trouble you to take good care of Xiao Ye.”

“Of course,” Pei Fangyan replied. He turned to give the steward a few instructions, then pivoted his wheelchair and left at an unhurried pace.

After parting with his father, Shao Ye followed the old steward further inside. Along the way, he kept trying to ask about Pei Fangyan’s preferences and daily routine, but the steward was tight-lipped and refused to reveal anything.

Shao Ye pouted, thinking to himself, Fine, sooner or later I’ll figure it out.

…

After meeting Su Yuexiang, she was immediately elevated from an ordinary maid in the old residence to its most honored guest. Yet she felt no joy at all—only pain and guilt. She had previously heard servants say that Pei Fangyan’s legs had been injured while protecting his “white moonlight,” but she had never imagined that person would be herself.

She went to ask Pei Fangyan if it was true. Lowering his head, he told her it wasn’t.

But Su Yuexiang didn’t believe him. She felt she owed him far too much. At this point, she could only choose to stay at the old residence and look for a chance to repay his kindness.

…

In the ornamental pond, the koi, full and content, lazily swished their tails as they drifted along. A gentle breeze brushed through the treetops, casting dappled shadows through the windows onto the pale carpet inside, like bamboo leaves embroidered across its surface.

Including Shao Ye, there were thirteen young people gathered at the old residence today. Among them were top students from prestigious universities, but also a few who had merely gone abroad to polish their resumes—Shao Ye being one of them.

Seated in his wheelchair, Pei Fangyan set down the neatly compiled list the steward had just handed him and asked, “Now that you’ve come here, what kind of work do you want to do?”

What they wanted, of course, was to inherit the entire Pei family business—but saying that now would be no different from courting death. Most of these young people had only just graduated and lacked experience. They glanced at one another, unsure how to answer.

Shao Ye’s dark eyes turned slightly. He already had an idea.

Pei Fangyan’s gaze settled on He Jiahui. “Jiahui, you go first.”

He Jiahui stepped forward. “Seventh Uncle, I’m still young and unfamiliar with the company’s operations. I’d like to start at the lowest level, gain a deep understanding of how things work, and build practical experience.”

Pei Fangyan nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Good. You have a plan and are willing to endure hardship. That’s very good—you’ll be capable of great things in the future.”

With He Jiahui setting the standard answer, the others quickly followed, all expressing their willingness to start from the bottom.

Pei Fangyan agreed to each in turn. Finally, his gaze fell on Shao Ye. “And you, Xiao Ye?”

Shao Ye had long prepared his answer. After waiting so long, it was finally his turn. His eyes lit up as he asked, “Seventh Uncle, can I choose anything?”

As soon as he spoke, the others couldn’t help turning to look at him. So there was someone with a different answer among them. They thought, This fool isn’t about to say he wants to be general manager, is he?

Pei Fangyan didn’t answer directly. “Go ahead.”

Shao Ye grinned brightly, rubbing his hands together with anticipation. “Then I want to do Steward Liu’s job.”

The old steward, who had been standing behind Pei Fangyan with a polite smile, along with everyone else: “?”

Pei Fangyan didn’t seem particularly surprised—though he was someone who rarely showed his emotions. After a brief silence, he smiled and asked, “And why do you want to be a steward?”

With full confidence, Shao Ye said, “I think I’m perfectly suited for it.”

Everyone looked at him, silently disagreeing. If anything, he looked far more suited to being a bodyguard.

Pei Fangyan asked again, “But if you take Steward Liu’s job, what will Steward Liu do?”

Shao Ye answered as if it were obvious, “He can retire and go home.”

Steward Liu: “……”

Was this revenge for him not sharing information that morning?

Everyone silently complained. They had all come here to compete for the position of heir to the Pei family, yet somehow someone had slipped in aiming to inherit the role of steward. The situation was so absurd they could barely make sense of it.

Pei Fangyan still wasn’t willing to give up Steward Liu. “After all these years, I’m used to having Steward Liu by my side.”

Without a trace of modesty, Shao Ye said, “Seventh Uncle, I can do the job even better than Steward Liu.”

Steward Liu continued to smile.

Pei Fangyan said, “Habits aren’t changed overnight. How about you follow Steward Liu first and learn from him?”

“…Alright,” Shao Ye agreed reluctantly. He wasn’t very satisfied with the arrangement, but he also knew Rome wasn’t built in a day—he’d just have to give Rome a couple more days.

The others looked at Shao Ye as if he were some kind of odd creature. They truly wanted to know what went on in his head. Translated on Hololo novels. Even if he knew he had no chance of being named heir, there was no need to lower himself to becoming a steward, right?

They couldn’t help but think, if only all their competitors were this foolish. When Pei Fangyan said he would let him learn under Steward Liu, wasn’t that just handing him over to be dealt with? And yet he was still grinning like an idiot!

Soon, Pei Fangyan had arrangements made for all these younger relatives. They would stay at the old residence for the time being, making it convenient for work and interaction.

Shao Ye was naturally assigned a room as well. Behind it was a kennel. The furnishings inside were no different from anyone else’s; the only drawback was that it was a bit far from where Pei Fangyan lived.

Shao Ye understood immediately. This had to be Steward Liu’s scheme—he was afraid Shao Ye might replace him. But he had underestimated Shao Ye. Did he really think this could stop him from getting closer to Seventh Uncle?

Ever since leaving Shao Ye at the old residence, Pei Tiancheng had been on edge. That evening, when word came from the residence that Shao Ye had already offended Steward Liu on his very first day, he nearly lost his breath on the spot.

He quickly made a video call to Shao Ye. After confirming his son was still alive and well, Shao Ye noticed his father’s pale expression and asked, “Dad, what’s wrong?”

Clutching his chest, Pei Tiancheng said, “I feel like my heart’s not doing so well.”

“Wait for me,” Shao Ye said quickly. “I’ll go ask Seventh Uncle for leave right now and take you to the hospital.”

Pei Tiancheng was a little moved, though not much. “No need. Let it keep hurting. I’ll go buy a grave plot tomorrow—two plots. Maybe the two of us can die together.”

“Dad, at a time like this you’re still joking with me?” Shao Ye protested.

Pei Tiancheng gave a dry laugh and didn’t feel like talking anymore. Seeing that his son was fine for now, he hung up.

That evening, Steward Liu gave Shao Ye his first task in the residence: feeding the dogs. Pei Fangyan kept three Rottweilers there—extremely fierce, recognizing no one but their master. Normally, they were fed and trained by a professional handler.

Shao Ye knew none of this. He simply carried nearly ten pounds of meat to the kennel. The three Rottweilers were in excellent condition, their coats sleek and glossy, full of energy.

At first, they weren’t particularly friendly toward him. But after eating, they sniffed him a bit, then all three suddenly lay down and exposed their bellies to him.

Not holding back, Shao Ye reached out and gave each of them a good rub. His father had said Steward Liu would make things difficult for him, but from the looks of it, Steward Liu wasn’t so bad—just extremely guarded, not giving him any chance to get close to Seventh Uncle.

With nothing else to do, after feeding the dogs, Shao Ye simply grabbed their leashes and took them out for a night run around the lawn.

He hadn’t expected a night run to bring unexpected gains. From a distance, he saw He Jiahui climbing up to Su Yuexiang’s balcony, knocking on the window before slipping inside. Not long after, Pei Jingnan—his third uncle’s second son—also climbed up with flowers in hand. Su Yuexiang seemed even happier to see him and let him in as well.

Shao Ye scratched his head. Should he climb up too and take a look?

He hadn’t fully sorted out his own thoughts yet. He didn’t like Su Yuexiang at all and wanted her as far from his Seventh Uncle as possible, but at the same time, he didn’t want her to be with He Jiahui or the others either. If that happened, Seventh Uncle would definitely be heartbroken.

He Jiahui and Pei Jingnan both knew she was Seventh Uncle’s “white moonlight,” yet they still dared to climb her balcony. Utterly unfilial! Report it—he had to report it!

Shao Ye immediately returned the three Rottweilers to the kennel, created a distraction to draw the old steward away, and successfully made his way to Pei Fangyan’s bedroom. He knocked on the door. “Seventh Uncle, Seventh Uncle.”

“Come in,” Pei Fangyan said from inside. Sitting in his wheelchair, he looked up as the door opened a crack. A head peeked in first, then Shao Ye’s whole figure squeezed through. “What is it?”

Shao Ye immediately reported, “Seventh Uncle, I just saw He Jiahui and Pei Jingnan climbing Su Yuexiang’s window.”

“Understood,” Pei Fangyan replied.

That was it?

Shao Ye asked, “Aren’t you going to do anything? Not even go take a look?”

“Did Su Yuexiang call for help?” Pei Fangyan asked.

“No,” Shao Ye shook his head.

“Then what is there for me to manage?” Pei Fangyan said, sounding almost regretful. “Climbing windows is the romance of young people. I can’t take part in it—does that mean I should stop them from doing so?”

Shao Ye scratched his head. “…But two people climbing up—doesn’t that exceed the acceptable level of romance? Seventh Uncle, why don’t you just kick both He Jiahui and Pei Jingnan out?”

Pei Fangyan said softly, “And what would that accomplish? In my condition, how much longer can I even stay here in the old residence?”

Inside, Shao Ye cried out: just as he thought, his Seventh Uncle’s mental state really did need some healing!

With seriousness, he said, “Seventh Uncle, you really should’ve gone with me to that soccer match. I think after watching it, your mindset would definitely be much better.”

“Why?” Pei Fangyan asked.

Shao Ye replied, “It was a disabled soccer match.”

He had seen it broadcast on TV—it was incredibly moving and inspiring.

Pei Fangyan fell silent for a long while, then called out to him, “Xiao Ye.”

“Yes, Seventh Uncle?” Shao Ye answered immediately. “Are you interested now? If you are, there’s another match next month—I’ll buy the tickets right away.”

Pei Fangyan shook his head and said, “No. What I mean is, sometimes I think your father’s concerns are actually right.”

Shao Ye disagreed. “My dad is too narrow-minded. I’ve already told him off. Seventh Uncle, don’t take it to heart.”

Pei Fangyan raised a hand and rubbed his temple, then waved at Shao Ye. “Alright, go back and get some sleep.”

Shao Ye hadn’t managed to drag both He Jiahuai and Pei Jingnan down with him, so he felt a bit disappointed. He responded with a quiet “okay,” then left with a dejected expression, closing the door behind him.

The room returned to silence. Pei Fangyan reached out, picked up the tablet on the table, and opened the sports channel on a video site. His finger paused for a moment, then he silently set the tablet back down.

Not long after, a strange noise came from outside the balcony. Pei Fangyan turned his head to look and saw Shao Ye, who had just left, climbing up from below with both hands gripping the edge of the balcony. Translated on Hololo novels. There was even a freshly picked rose clamped between his teeth.

“Seventh Uncle,” he said, taking the rose out of his mouth, “you’re still very young too.”

If you can’t climb out the window but someone climbs in for you, that still counts as participation, right?

Romance, effortlessly achieved.

His neat rows of white teeth reflected the lights on both sides of the balcony, almost dazzling to the eyes. Looking at his proudly puffed-out chest, Pei Fangyan felt a faint itch in his heart. He curved his lips and slowly smiled.

---

Author’s Note:

【Why did No. 6’s livestream data suddenly spike? Did he start romancing Seventh Uncle again?】

: Better hurry and watch. If you don’t, No. 6 is about to get eliminated.

: Other streamers working hard is important, but No. 6’s reckless antics are just too entertaining.

: Seventh Uncle’s temper is really too good.

: Hahahahaha I never would’ve imagined that No. 6 bought tickets for disabled football.

: Pei Tiancheng: I didn’t expect that either.

: Pei Tiancheng: How many more surprises are you hiding from your dad?

: But No. 6 climbed through the window for Seventh Uncle and even gave him flowers.

: Seventh Uncle is even more annoyed with him now. Don’t you think that look he gave him at the end was like he wanted to kill him? That feeling of wanting to skin him alive is already overflowing.

: Wait, don’t say that. This analysis feels kind of familiar.

: Yeah, that micro-expression analysis expert who quit the internet used to talk about the president and No. 6 like this too.

: …

: Saying it like that somehow makes the “skinning him alive” part sound kind of suggestive.

: I kind of want to ship No. 6 and Seventh Uncle now.

: You might get torn apart by the female lead’s fans, Seventh Uncle’s fans, and the female lead–Seventh Uncle shippers.

: If they can’t tear me apart, they’ll only make me stronger. And now I already have a countermeasure.

: What?

: I’m going to bring in outside reinforcements.

: What kind of reinforcements could beat those three groups?

: Xi Wang Tian Ye.

: Are you crazy?! You should be grateful they’re not already dragging you.

: Heh, I’ve already found five reasons why Seventh Uncle is the president.

: ??????

: Seventh Uncle is the president???? Where did you get that from??? Is it reliable? If it is, our Xi Wang Tian Ye group is charging in.

: Trust me. Absolutely reliable.

1. They’re both men.
2. They’re both important NPCs in Neverland.
3. They both wear black suits.
4. They’ve never appeared together.
5. Their wife is No. 6.

: …

: …

: I believe you my ass!

: The fifth point… questionable.

: Go on then, go get your reinforcements. I’ll stay here tapping my digital wooden fish, accumulating some cyber merit for you.

: Safe travels, no need to see you off.

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