Ch 34: How To Be A Good Lackey

Steward Liu asked for instructions, “Sir, should we send someone to visit him?”

“No need. I’ll go personally when I have time,” Pei Fangyan replied. He turned his wheelchair and continued deeper into the residence.

On the way, he asked again, “Do you think my elder brother has been a bit too idle lately?”

Steward Liu had no idea what was on his mind and didn’t dare respond.

But Pei Fangyan didn’t seem to need an answer. He murmured to himself, “Maybe I should send him to Africa. The company does have some business there recently.”

Africa? Mauritania, or Madagascar? Neither was exactly nearby. Steward Liu wondered what Pei Tiancheng had done to anger his master. Was he implicated because of Shao Ye? But everything had seemed fine when the master left.

The more he thought about it, the less he understood. His master was becoming increasingly difficult to read.

Just as they were about to enter, Pei Fangyan suddenly added, “Have someone find out where Shao Ye is going on blind dates—and which family the girl is from. As his uncle, I should at least help screen her, so he doesn’t get deceived.”

That didn’t sound like helping at all, Steward Liu thought to himself. Still, as a competent steward, he stuck to his principle of speaking little and doing more, and quickly passed on the instructions.

The girl meeting Shao Ye today was a PhD graduate from a top domestic university. She had a neat short haircut, light makeup, and an air of confidence that bordered on assertive.

She was the daughter of one of Pei Tiancheng’s mahjong friends. Having seen Shao Ye’s photos, she had been quite interested. After all, his looks, physique, and family background were all impressive. Though he had graduated from a questionable overseas university and might not be as intellectually sharp as her academic peers, perfection was rare.

Unfortunately, the two had little in common. When she talked about her academic work and professional challenges, Shao Ye mostly felt lost, unsure how to respond. He could only sigh inwardly—if she had asked how he built his fiery, well-defined biceps, he might have had something to say.

Her interests were experiments, publishing papers, and managing finances. His were working out, working out, and more working out.

Sensing that he couldn’t keep up, she changed the topic and brought up stock market trends, since he had studied finance. Looking at his still-clear, slightly blank expression, she couldn’t help thinking that his overseas university must have been very questionable indeed.

Soon, a waiter in a tailcoat served their dishes. The girl was debating whether to bring up biceps just to keep the conversation going when Shao Ye—who had been on the verge of dozing off—suddenly lit up.

Startled by the sudden change, she thought perhaps a stunning beauty had appeared. She followed his gaze and instead saw a man in a wheelchair approaching them.

The man was strikingly handsome, clearly well put together. His medium-length hair was neatly styled, and he wore a smog-gray casual suit. Translated on Hololo novels. The gemstone cufflinks gleamed brilliantly under the restaurant lights.

Looking back at Shao Ye, she saw him jump to his feet and practically jog over, asking, “Seventh Uncle, when did you get back?”

Seventh Uncle? The girl didn’t know much about Shao Ye’s family, only that they were wealthy. But this man didn’t look that much older than Shao Ye, and they didn’t resemble each other at all. Was he really his uncle?

Pei Fangyan gave a small nod. “Just got back yesterday. I heard you were here, and since it was on the way, I came to take a look.”

Then he glanced at the girl and said apologetically, “I didn’t interrupt you, did I?”

Actually, you did—but before she could answer, Shao Ye cut in, “Not at all! Seventh Uncle, have you eaten? What would you like? I’ll order for you.”

“No need. I don’t have much appetite,” Pei Fangyan said. He lowered his head and coughed lightly into his fist, his already pale complexion appearing even weaker.

“Seventh Uncle, are you sick?” Shao Ye asked with concern.

“No, just got back in a bit of a rush yesterday. Didn’t rest well last night—my head aches a little today.”

“Then why didn’t you stay home and rest!” Shao Ye exclaimed.

His Seventh Uncle’s health wasn’t great to begin with—he should be taking care of himself. What was Steward Liu even doing? Completely neglectful! He should be reassigned!

“I just wanted to see you,” Pei Fangyan said.

The girl was stunned. Didn’t he just say he happened to pass by?

She glanced at Shao Ye again. He didn’t seem to notice anything strange about that statement—but his face was actually a little flushed. “If you wanted to see me, you could’ve called,” he said.

Then he realized they hadn’t even exchanged contact information. But Steward Liu must have it, right? Without hesitation, he threw the steward under the bus. “Steward Liu really doesn’t know how to take care of you.”

It had to be him.

What kind of “uncle” was this exactly?

Tilting her head, the girl’s mind filled with questions. Looking between the two of them, a new theory suddenly formed in her mind. If it were true, everything made sense.

After all, what kind of uncle would interrupt his nephew’s blind date like this—and not just briefly, but seemingly intending to fully insert himself into the situation? He might as well have said, “I’m not here to break you up—I’m here to join you.” How bold.

Heh.

Shao Ye, completely carried away by excitement, had entirely forgotten why he was there in the first place. His attention was wholly fixed on Pei Fangyan. Picking up the menu, he said, “Seventh Uncle, I’ll order you a soup. Have a little first.”

Pei Fangyan nodded. He still looked listless—no appetite for food, yet plenty of energy to disrupt someone else’s date.

Watching their interaction, the girl quietly took out her phone and began venting to her best friend.

Soon, the waiter brought over the mushroom soup. Shao Ye reminded him, “It’s hot—be careful.”

Pei Fangyan hummed but didn’t move, still not seeming interested in eating. Shao Ye then recommended his dessert. “Seventh Uncle, want to try this mango pudding? It’s pretty good.”

“Mango pudding?” Pei Fangyan glanced at it. “No need. You eat it. I know you like it.”

The girl: “…”

So what if he knew? And he had to say it out loud too—what was he showing off for!

Shao Ye could barely get a word out in front of her earlier, and now he was chatting and laughing so easily.

The girl took a deep breath. Watching the two of them talk about desserts on the menu as if no one else existed, she really wanted to ask—had they forgotten there was still another person here? Was her presence really that negligible?

After struggling for a while, she decided not to humiliate herself further. Instead of sitting here as a third wheel, she might as well go back to the lab and run a few more experiments.

Picking up her bag, she stood and said, “You two carry on. I have something to do.”

Only then did Shao Ye seem to remember he had actually come out today for a blind date. But he didn’t try to keep her. He waved and said, “…Then goodbye?”

“Let’s not meet again,” the girl replied with a stiff smile. She turned and walked off quickly, but after a few steps, she suddenly came back and said to Shao Ye, “Don’t go on blind dates with girls anymore.”

Shao Ye: “?”

After she left, Shao Ye turned to Pei Fangyan and asked, “Was she angry?”

Pei Fangyan stirred the soup slowly with a spoon. Hearing the question, he smiled faintly. “Maybe she just had something urgent to deal with.”

“Oh,” Shao Ye said. Then he heard Pei Fangyan add, “When I got back and didn’t see you at the residence, I thought you were angry.”

“Angry about what?” Shao Ye asked, confused.

Pei Fangyan explained, “That day was sudden. I left in the early morning. You were still asleep, so I didn’t wake you.”

Oh, that… At the time, he had been a little upset—mostly jealous of Steward Liu. Translated on Hololo novels. But that had been days ago. He had already forgotten about it. Shao Ye said, “Next time, you have to wake me. Steward Liu is getting old—his legs aren’t good, he can’t go on business trips with you. But I can.”

Seeing him pat his chest so confidently, Pei Fangyan nodded with a smile. “Got it.”

He took a sip of the mushroom soup, set the spoon down, and asked, “Was that girl your friend?”

“No, my dad arranged the blind date,” Shao Ye said helplessly.

In truth, as soon as he returned to the country, his father had tried to set him up on blind dates, saying he had already picked several potential marriage candidates for alliances. He wanted Shao Ye to meet them and see how things went.

What “see how things go”? In Shao Ye’s opinion, his father was just being overly anxious. He was only twenty-three, fresh out of college. He had no interest in girls—and no interest in guys either. He simply had no plans for romance or marriage.

At his age, he believed he should be focusing on working hard by his Seventh Uncle’s side and building his career. As for relationships, when the time came, they would come naturally.

But his father didn’t think that way. At first, he wanted to match him with a wealthy heiress to form a powerful alliance and expand his small company. But after actually spending time with his son, he gave up on the idea of marrying into wealth. Instead, he preferred finding a highly educated and capable daughter-in-law to take over the family business in the future.

After finally finding a PhD graduate from a top university, he seized the chance while Pei Fangyan was away and tricked Shao Ye into coming home by pretending to be seriously ill.

Shao Ye had no intention of going on a blind date and wasn’t good at interacting with girls. The moment he realized his father wasn’t actually sick, he wanted to go back to the residence. But his father threatened him—if he didn’t come today, his allowance for the next month would be cut off.

The date went pretty much as he had expected the night before. He didn’t know how to start a conversation, and most of what the girl said went over his head. There was simply no way to keep the conversation going.

Still, running into his Seventh Uncle here made the whole trip worthwhile.

After hearing the full story, Pei Fangyan said, “When you get back, give your account number to Steward Liu and have him transfer you some money.”

“Seventh Uncle, you’re the best,” Shao Ye beamed instantly, then, without the slightest restraint, asked, “How much can Steward Liu transfer me?”

“How much do you want?” Pei Fangyan asked with a faint smile.

“My dad gives me twenty thousand a month,” Shao Ye said.

Pei Fangyan nodded. “Alright. I’ll give you a supplementary card.”

He was even getting his Seventh Uncle’s secondary card—this really meant that important work was coming his way. Shao Ye felt his future was bright. His appetite improved instantly, and he focused on eating his pudding. After a couple of bites, he remembered something and said, “Oh right, Third Uncle’s son—his car exploded and he’s in the hospital. Do you know about that?”

Pei Fangyan nodded. “I just heard as well.”

“How does a car just explode like that? What brand was it?” Shao Ye asked, puzzled.

“I’m not sure,” Pei Fangyan said.

Shao Ye said with a hint of schadenfreude, “Guess the heavens just didn’t like him.”

“Perhaps,” Pei Fangyan replied with a smile.

Just as Shao Ye finished his pudding, his phone rang. He glanced down and said, “It’s my dad.”

“Answer it,” Pei Fangyan said.

Shao Ye picked up. Soon, Pei Tiancheng’s face appeared on the screen. He was wearing a straw hat, apparently fishing somewhere. His face was flushed with anger.

“Shao Ye! I think you’re asking for it—playing around with men now? No allowance for you next month or the month after!”

“What do you mean ‘playing around with men’? I came on a blind date—why wouldn’t I get my allowance?” Shao Ye was completely confused. He had obediently come to the date—what more did his dad want?

Across the table, Pei Fangyan raised an eyebrow slightly at the words “playing with men” and took another sip of his soup.

Pei Tiancheng snapped, “The girl said you’re gay—getting all lovey-dovey with a man in public!”

In reality, the girl had been polite. She hadn’t said it that bluntly—just that their orientations weren’t compatible and that Shao Ye likely already had someone he liked. Translated on Hololo novels. She even advised Pei Tiancheng to be more open-minded and stop forcing his son into blind dates with women.

But Pei Tiancheng had been so angry that his head buzzed. He even let a fish slip off his hook, which made him even angrier. In his mind, he had already imagined some seductive man clinging to his son—a horrifying scene.

“Just tell me—did it happen or not? Are you still with that man right now?” he demanded.

“I am with a man, but—” Shao Ye tried to explain.

Pei Tiancheng cut him off and continued, “But what ‘but’? Where did you meet this vixen? If you’ve got the ability, why don’t you bring him in front of me so I can take a look!”

Pei Fangyan reached out his hand toward Shao Ye. Shao Ye hesitated for a moment, then handed over his phone. On the other end, Pei Tiancheng was still loudly demanding to see what this “vixen” looked like.

Hearing him repeat “vixen” over and over, Pei Fangyan calmly turned the camera toward himself and, with a smile, asked, “Big Brother, what do you need with me, this ‘vixen’?”

The cursing on the other end abruptly stopped. Shao Ye looked up and asked in confusion, “Why did it go silent?”

“Your dad’s phone probably fell into the water,” Pei Fangyan said with a smile.

Shao Ye let out an “ah.” “He’s so careless.”

Author’s Note:

【Please, let the female lead choose Seventh Uncle. He’s really too pitiful. He’s given so much for her. Can’t he get even a bit of her sincerity in return?】

(No mentions of No. 6 allowed in this thread)

: Why is No. 6 banned? Feeling guilty?