Ch 41: How To Be A Good Lackey

Shao Ye’s birthday fell on August 25th by the solar calendar, and the nearest wheelchair football match was scheduled for mid-September.

Aside from promising to accompany Shao Ye to the match in September, Pei Fangyan also prepared a birthday banquet for him.

He had instructed Steward Liu to begin preparations early on. Not quite understanding his intentions, Steward Liu specifically came to ask how large the banquet should be.

After considering Shao Ye’s personality, Pei Fangyan told him directly to make it as grand as possible, inviting everyone who could be invited.

Steward Liu had not expected such an answer. Having served by Pei Fangyan’s side for years, he knew his employer was not someone who enjoyed lively occasions. Yet now he was going to such lengths for Shao Ye’s birthday, which struck him as unusual. It seemed the master truly held Shao Ye close to his heart.

Thus, for the next two weeks, Steward Liu was so busy his feet barely touched the ground. Still, he was quite pleased. Translated on Hololo novels. As an excellent steward, who didn’t secretly dream of organizing a grand banquet?

The larger the event, the more it showcased his abilities, so he worked with particular enthusiasm. Though time was tight, their master had money, and that made such problems irrelevant.

Occasionally, during breaks, Steward Liu would mention the matter to Doctor Zhou, still feeling that the scale was somewhat excessive. It was only a birthday for Shao Ye, after all. Anyone unaware might think the master had found a long-lost son.

Though admittedly, this “son” was a bit large, both in height and age.

Doctor Zhou slowly sipped his cooled boiled water and, after listening to the complaint, offered his own opinion. “Better a son than a steward, isn’t it?”

Steward Liu fell silent.

That… was true.

That wasn’t just an opinion, that was insight.

If Shao Ye still wanted to be a steward, with his old bones, he really might not be able to compete.

A nephew who doesn’t want to be a steward isn’t a good boyfriend. With so many eyes in the old residence, Shao Ye still had some sense of propriety and didn’t dare let others know about his relationship with his seventh uncle. Yet he still wanted to stay by Pei Fangyan’s side at night, so each time he waited until Steward Liu and the other servants had gone to sleep, then climbed up the outer balcony and slipped in through the window.

It felt a bit like sneaking around… and, well, it was kind of exciting.

Tonight, Shao Ye arrived a little late. Earlier, he had taken his three “little brothers” and chased a drunken cousin who had been causing a scene among the servants for three kilometers, which at least helped sober him up.

Satisfied that he had done a good deed, Shao Ye rewarded his dogs with a late-night meal. Then, after dusting off his hands and making sure no one noticed, he climbed up to Pei Fangyan’s balcony again.

Pei Fangyan was reclining on the bed. Hearing the movement outside, he knew Shao Ye had arrived.

Turning his head, he saw Shao Ye already hop through the window with ease. “Seventh Uncle, I’m borrowing your bathroom for a shower,” he said.

He was drenched in sweat and didn’t want to keep his uncle waiting, so without even waiting for a response, he rushed straight into the bathroom.

Sitting on the bed, Pei Fangyan listened to the sound of running water. The book in his hands was impossible to focus on. Once again, he regretted that his legs could not carry him. Still, he had heard there were new treatments recently developed domestically. Perhaps he could look into them when he had time.

After more than ten minutes, Shao Ye pushed open the bathroom door. He had only wrapped a towel around his lower half, his bare feet stepping onto the soft carpet. His hair was half-dry, and droplets of water slid down his honey-colored chest, disappearing beneath the towel.

Pei Fangyan felt a sudden thirst. He reached for the cup on the bedside table, only to find it empty. Noticing immediately, Shao Ye turned and poured him another glass. As he bent down and straightened up, the towel hanging loosely around his waist slipped slightly.

A pity the distance was too far, otherwise Pei Fangyan might have “accidentally” tugged it loose.

Carrying the glass, Shao Ye came to the bedside. Glancing at the book, he asked, “Seventh Uncle, what were you reading just now?”

Pei Fangyan handed the book over directly. In exchange, Shao Ye passed him the glass.

Shao Ye flipped it open casually, only to be overwhelmed by the dense technical jargon on the page.

Ah. He’d forgotten. He was allergic to knowledge.

The more advanced the material, the worse his symptoms. Another glance and he felt like he might pass out.

He quickly tossed the book aside and climbed onto the bed, sitting cross-legged beside Pei Fangyan. As usual, he prepared to give him a half-hour massage before sleep.

After drinking the water, Pei Fangyan’s gaze settled on Shao Ye’s chest. “Have you finished buying all the equipment for your gym?”

“All of it,” Shao Ye nodded enthusiastically. With his uncle’s supplementary card, not only had he bought everything, he had chosen the most expensive options.

“Your chest looks well-trained. It seems a bit bigger than when you first arrived.”

“Really?” Shao Ye looked at himself in the mirror every day, but hadn’t noticed much of a difference.

Pei Fangyan raised his hand, measuring briefly. Then, as if to be more precise, he pressed his entire palm against it.

Although he had touched it countless times while Shao Ye was asleep, he still preferred watching him become flustered under his touch while fully awake.

The muscle was firm yet soft, making it hard to let go.

Shao Ye indeed felt something from the touch. He had been sitting, but now shifted into a kneeling position, though there was still a noticeable reaction.

Did his seventh uncle like his chest that much? Should he take him along to train together?

Meeting Shao Ye’s slightly dazed gaze, Pei Fangyan shamelessly thought to himself that if it was trained this well, wasn’t it meant for him to touch?

The moon was bright, the stars sparse, and the night stretched long.

The next day, after a busy morning, Steward Liu came to report on the arrangements for the birthday banquet. Just as he reached the doorway, he saw Shao Ye coming out of Pei Fangyan’s bedroom, yawning.

Shao Ye waved at him. “Morning.”

Steward Liu paused, then replied, “Morning.”

After a moment, he asked, “When did you get here?”

“Just now,” Shao Ye said with a grin, then slipped away.

Just now? Steward Liu had been outside the whole time, so how had he not seen him?

He didn’t dwell on it. Knocking on the door, he entered the bedroom. After finishing his report, he couldn’t help but ask, “Sir, when did Shao Ye come over this morning?”

Pei Fangyan had no sense of boundaries whatsoever and no intention of hiding the relationship. He replied directly, “He came last night.”

He stayed here overnight?

Curious, Steward Liu asked, “What did he come over for?”

“To sleep with me,” Pei Fangyan said.

“Oh, I see, to keep you company—”

Wait, what do you mean “I see”? Sleep with him? At his age, did he really need someone to accompany him to sleep?

Steward Liu tried his best to interpret the statement with a pure mindset and cautiously asked, “Have you not been sleeping well these past few days, sir? Should I call Doctor Zhou to take a look?”

“No,” Pei Fangyan replied. “With him here, I sleep quite well.”

Steward Liu: “……”

So how exactly was he keeping him company? Steward Liu felt he shouldn’t pry into his employer’s private life, but somehow it felt like the master was actually expecting him to keep asking.

He opened his mouth a few times, but couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Forget it. Judging from this, Shao Ye clearly wasn’t going to become a steward anymore. Whatever he wanted to be instead… let him be.

…

August 25th finally arrived, Shao Ye’s birthday.

The entire old residence was decorated with lights and festive ornaments. Translated on Hololo novels. Every servant wore new clothes. Renowned chefs from across the country showcased their skills. A band played lively music on the lawn, and behind the fountain, a dance troupe performed. The entire estate looked completely transformed, even more lively than during the New Year.

The guests arriving at the estate were stunned by the scene. Even the so-called “future heirs” who lived there were bewildered. They knew a grand banquet had been in preparation, but had never imagined it was for Shao Ye’s birthday.

It was just a junior’s birthday, and he didn’t even share any blood relation with Pei Fangyan. Was this level of extravagance really necessary?

Speculation spread quickly. What was Pei Fangyan planning? Was he grooming Shao Ye to become the next head of the Pei family?

He was still so young, so how had he already lost his mind?

Or was Shao Ye being used as a decoy? But if so, wasn’t he a rather strange choice?

Even Shao Ye’s own father, Pei Tiancheng, was completely baffled. Was all this really just for his son’s birthday?

If it was, could he at least have been told in advance? When he received the invitation, he had been stunned for a full three seconds.

Well, at least Pei Fangyan remembered to invite him.

For the occasion, Shao Ye wore a finely tailored suit. He didn’t know what the fabric was called, but under the sunlight it shimmered brilliantly, as if he were draped in a piece of the night sky.

There were many guests, but few had truly come to wish him a happy birthday. Pei Fangyan didn’t make him stay to entertain them and instead told him to go find his friends.

As soon as Shao Ye stepped out of the main hall, he saw one of his third uncle’s sons standing at the path ahead, looking disdainful as he spat in his direction.

Shao Ye raised a brow. “Looking for a fight?”

This cousin was the same one he had chased down with his dogs the other night until he’d practically vomited. After sobering up, the cousin had told the others about it, only to be mocked instead of comforted. Naturally, he pinned all the blame on Shao Ye.

Now, seeing Shao Ye basking in attention and glory, his resentment only grew. Egged on by his friends and with a bit of alcohol still in his system, he had actually come over to pick a fight.

He sneered, “Even if you put on a dragon robe, you still wouldn’t look like a crown prince.”

Shao Ye rolled his eyes at him. What nonsense, who even wants to be a crown prince!

Seeing him actually roll his eyes, his cousin grew even angrier and cursed, “You think you’re so great? You’re just a lapdog by Pei Fangyan’s side!”

Shao Ye scratched his ear. Even though he was being insulted, he didn’t really feel that angry. What was going on? His cousin’s insults really needed some improvement.

His cousin continued threatening, “Just you wait. When the next head of the Pei family takes over, you won’t have it easy!”

Shao Ye’s gaze instantly turned dangerous. The cousin felt uneasy under that look and took half a step back, but still forced himself to act tough. “What? Want to hit me? Go ahead if you’ve got the guts!”

Shao Ye’s fists itched a little. He really did feel like hitting someone, but everyone had gathered here to celebrate his birthday. If he started a fight, it wouldn’t look good for his Seventh Uncle either.

Shao Ye snorted. “I’m going to tell Seventh Uncle.”

With that, he turned and walked back into the banquet hall. His cousin was stunned. Seriously? Over something this small, he was going to run and complain? What kind of elementary school behavior was that!

But his cousin wasn’t afraid. Ever since they moved into the old residence, Shao Ye had complained to Pei Fangyan countless times. Had Pei Fangyan ever done anything about it?

Hmph, he was probably just playing around with that fool.

Inside the banquet hall, Pei Fangyan saw Shao Ye return and asked curiously, “Why are you back?”

Shao Ye pointed at his cousin by the door and immediately said, “Seventh Uncle, he called me a dog.”

A few old foxes standing beside Pei Fangyan glanced at the birthday boy and thought to themselves… well, he kind of did resemble one.

Before Pei Fangyan could speak, the cousin’s parents hurried over from the crowd, smoothing things over. “Oh, it’s just kids joking around. Little brother, don’t take it to heart.”

Pei Fangyan smiled. “Of course I won’t take it to heart.”

Hearing this, the third uncle and aunt immediately relaxed, even turning to scold Shao Ye. “Xiao Ye, honestly, coming to your Seventh Uncle over such a small matter. You’re always bothering him.”

Shao Ye pouted and lightly pinched Pei Fangyan’s arm.

Pei Fangyan caught his hand and squeezed his fingertips, then said, “The Pei family recently started some new business ventures in Africa and is short on manpower. I think Third Brother, you’d be quite suitable to go.”

What? He was suddenly being sent off to Africa?!

“Little brother, what do you mean by that?” Third Uncle asked urgently. Then he quickly reacted and shoved his son in front of Shao Ye. “Apologize to your cousin!”

“It’s just kids joking around, no need to apologize,” Pei Fangyan waved his hand. “It’s getting late. Third Brother, you should go pack your luggage.”

Was he serious? Third Uncle still wanted to argue, but Pei Fangyan had already instructed Steward Liu to escort their entire family out.

Everyone present had different thoughts watching the scene unfold, but Shao Ye only felt extremely satisfied. He happily went outside to find his friends.

After that, no one dared to talk nonsense in front of Shao Ye anymore. They all addressed him respectfully as “Brother Ye.”

Shao Ye felt even better. Borrowing someone else’s power really was delightful!

As night fell, there was also a pool party at the old residence. After changing, Shao Ye had just arrived when he heard a wave of exclamations.

He knew he had a good physique, but weren’t they overreacting a bit?

Louder!

Just as he was enjoying it, a cousin beside him suddenly said, “Whoa! Brother Ye, which girl is that? She’s hot!”

Shao Ye looked around in confusion. “What girl?”

His cousin gave him a look. Following it, Shao Ye looked down and saw that his chest was covered in marks of varying depths, with even a couple of faint bite marks visible. It had been a bit dark when he changed earlier, so he hadn’t noticed at all.

These were… done by his Seventh Uncle?

When did he bite him?!

Actually, this all dated back to a week ago. At that time, when Pei Fangyan saw the plan submitted by Steward Liu, he asked, “Why is there a pool party included?”

Steward Liu replied, “Young people seem to like this sort of thing, so I arranged it.”

“Does Shao Ye like it too?” Pei Fangyan asked.

Steward Liu nodded. “He likes it quite a bit.”

He had done his research and even asked Shao Ye about it. Shao Ye said he had never attended this kind of party before and wanted to broaden his horizons, so he added it to the plan.

Seeing that Pei Fangyan’s attitude seemed a bit off, Steward Liu asked, “Sir, should I cancel it?”

“No need. Leave it,” Pei Fangyan said. Since the birthday banquet was prepared for Shao Ye, it should naturally make him happy. If he wanted it, then he would have it.

But the night before, when Pei Fangyan thought about Shao Ye going to this pool party, he couldn’t sleep in the middle of the night, so he used Shao Ye’s chest muscles to grind his teeth a bit.

He slept so soundly that even after being bitten like that, he didn’t wake up.

As night fell, lights lit up all over the old residence. Pei Fangyan came to the poolside in his wheelchair. The water shimmered with rippling reflections. Translated on Hololo novels. Shao Ye was sitting by the edge of the pool, surrounded by several young men and women, all reaching out trying to touch his chest. Shao Ye covered himself with both hands, refusing to give in no matter what.

Seeing how tightly he guarded himself, they got even more excited and cheered louder.

From a distance, Pei Fangyan watched this scene. His lips moved slightly as he said two words.

Steward Liu vaguely heard something but couldn’t make it out clearly, so he bent down and asked, “Sir, what did you say?”

“Nothing,” Pei Fangyan replied.

Steward Liu felt a bit puzzled. Really nothing? It sounded like the master had said the word “deserved.”

---

Author’s Note:

【Bad news—No. 1 has been eliminated again】

He got accepted into a prestigious overseas university and is going to pursue a master’s degree. My academic prodigy stock! My academic prodigy stock! The one I’ve been dreaming about day and night!!!

: No. 1’s genius persona is rock solid, not a single crack, respect

: My ten thousand points!!!

: No. 5, the young lady, is probably getting eliminated too

: What happened to her?

: She fell into romance brain and wants to elope

: Why would eloping get her eliminated? Is she eloping with No. 1? That shouldn’t work, the streams don’t connect

: She’s eloping with her cousin

: ……

: Did she get scammed?

: No. 2 and No. 4 don’t look like they’ll get the inheritance either. No. 3 doesn’t seem like a match for the NPCs. As for No. 6…

: What about No. 6?

: The NPCs aren’t his match, but the outcome still depends on Seventh Uncle. If he wants to ruin the Pei family, he could just hand it over to No. 6

: Speaking of which, Pei Tiancheng is kind of miserable. His No. 1 son ran away, No. 2 and No. 4 are useless, No. 5 daughter eloped, and No. 6… he made a decision that goes against the ancestors

: No. 6: The ancestors never said I couldn’t date Seventh Uncle

: Ancestors: smiling

: Seventh Uncle really went all out. Just look at No. 6’s birthday banquet. All I can think is, that’s a lot of money

: There’s even a pool party, so many handsome guys and beautiful girls. My eyes are very pleased, give me more

: At this level, you don’t even need koi scenes, but the moment No. 6 and Seventh Uncle make eye contact, the koi pop up instantly

: Stop, they’re about to look at each other again

: What is Seventh Uncle muttering over there?

: Probably something like “he deserves it”

: ……

: But I feel like all the guests forgot that Pei Tiancheng is actually No. 6’s real father

: Even more tragic

: Pei Tiancheng: Why does the later one surpass the earlier one~

: Because the earlier one didn’t fight for it?

: By the way, why is no one saying this time that Seventh Uncle is just playing with No. 6 and will dump him once he’s bored?

: Maybe because with that leg, he can’t kick him away

: 111111111

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