Ch 43: How To Be A Good Lackey

Shao Ye chose a mango flavor and climbed onto the bed. Pei Fangyan reached out his hand and said, “Let me help you.”

Although Shao Ye had made up his mind to let his uncle see the results of his training, when it came down to it, just imagining his uncle helping him made him feel a bit nervous and embarrassed. He said, “I think I can handle it myself.”

Pei Fangyan didn’t insist. “Alright, do it yourself then.”

Shao Ye glanced over the instructions and tossed them aside. Taking a deep breath, he knelt on the bed, hands already gripping the waistband of his pants. After hesitating for a moment, he looked up at Pei Fangyan and said, “Uncle, maybe I should go to the bathroom to do this.”

“Hm?” Pei Fangyan looked at him. “Can’t you do it here?”

Shao Ye shook the bottle in his hand. “I’m worried this might spill on the bed.”

“It’s fine,” Pei Fangyan said indifferently. “We’re going to sleep in the next room later anyway.”

Seeing that Shao Ye still wanted to go to the bathroom, Pei Fangyan added, “If you don’t do it well, I can help you. But if you go to the bathroom, it’ll be more troublesome for me to help.”

Shao Ye thought it over seriously, then his eyes lit up. “If I need help, I can just come back and ask you.”

He felt like he could handle something like this on his own.

Pei Fangyan sighed inwardly. So he wasn’t completely clueless after all.

Since that was the case, Pei Fangyan looked up into Shao Ye’s slightly rounded, innocent eyes and said sincerely, “Xiao Ye, I want to watch.”

Shao Ye’s face flushed as if it might drip blood. What was there to watch? And his uncle said it so matter-of-factly that… he couldn’t refuse at all.

He lay on the bed, his fingers coated in mango-scented oil, glistening under the light like they’d just been pulled from a jar of honey.

Pei Fangyan’s gaze darkened as it settled there.

Working this hard, even soaking the bedsheet, and still saying he didn’t need help. Lying again, wasn’t he?

Pei Fangyan raised his hand and slapped him lightly, the crisp sound echoing in the room.

Caught off guard, Shao Ye jerked, spilling most of the liquid in his hand. He turned back, confused. “Uncle, why did you hit me again?”

“Couldn’t help it. Sorry,” Pei Fangyan said, without any real trace of apology. “Did it hurt?”

It didn’t really hurt, just startled him.

“Then… try to hold back a bit, Uncle,” Shao Ye said. “If you hit me again, I won’t even be able to finish preparing.”

“Alright, I’ll try,” Pei Fangyan said with a faint smile.

After that, Shao Ye wasn’t hit again. Once he felt he was about done, he was about to put the bottle back.

But Pei Fangyan took it from his hand instead. “Come here. Let me check.”

“You still need to check?” Shao Ye asked, puzzled. Was he going to be graded next?

Even as he complained internally, he obediently moved closer. Pei Fangyan tapped lightly, then reopened the cap Shao Ye had just tightened.

Shao Ye buried his face almost entirely into the soft bedding, like an ostrich. His uncle’s fingers were cooler than his own, and seemed longer too.

The faint, sticky sounds filled Shao Ye’s ears. They were doing the same thing, yet somehow it felt completely different when his uncle did it.

After an unknown amount of time, his ears felt like they were about to burn. Finally, he heard Pei Fangyan’s slightly hoarse voice say, “Alright.”

Shao Ye turned around, glanced at his phone, then shifted forward.

“Xiao Ye, you’ve worked hard,” Pei Fangyan said softly, watching him.

“Not at all, not at all,” Shao Ye replied, taking a deep breath and trying to relax.

Although Pei Fangyan couldn’t use his legs, he was very good at encouragement. Every bit of progress Shao Ye made was met with praise.

“Xiao Ye, you’re amazing!”

“Xiao Ye, you’re incredible!”

“Can you go a little further?”

His praise never seemed to stop. Gradually, Shao Ye lost himself in it. Even when he felt like he had reached his limit, one compliment from Pei Fangyan made him feel like he still had more potential to push further.

Pei Fangyan watched the scene before him with quiet appreciation. Sweat slid down Shao Ye’s long neck, his chest glistening under the light.

At some point, Pei Fangyan even found himself thinking that perhaps it wasn’t so bad that his legs didn’t work.

Finally, it ended.

Shao Ye collapsed onto Pei Fangyan’s chest, breathing heavily. Pei Fangyan wrapped an arm around his lean waist, as if he could feel the rapid beating of his heart.

After catching his breath, Shao Ye pushed himself up slightly and asked, “Uncle, how long was that?”

“What?” Pei Fangyan didn’t quite follow.

Shao Ye didn’t answer directly. He reached for the phone by the pillow, the screen lighting up. After doing a quick calculation in his head, he lifted his chin proudly. “I told you it was more than ten minutes! It’s been forty-three minutes!”

Pei Fangyan: “……”

It was hard to say whether this competitive streak of his was a good thing or a bad thing.

At least for now, Pei Fangyan was very satisfied.

So he asked, “Then… want to go for another forty-three minutes?”

Shao Ye sensed something was off and glanced down. I mean, even in the gym you get water breaks, right?

Pei Fangyan’s eyes shone with excitement, unusually bright. He praised sincerely, “Xiao Ye is this capable, you can definitely do it.”

Not that capable… Shao Ye was once again carried away by the praise, feeling lightheaded. It was just another forty-three minutes, what was that? He could do ten more without a problem!

He didn’t make it to ten. His spirit held strong, but his body absolutely did not. At one-thirty in the morning, Shao Ye finally completed this “major project.” He collapsed onto Pei Fangyan’s chest, mouth half open as he gasped for breath. So tired. Really, really tired.

Pei Fangyan stroked his back, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

After resting for a while, the two of them went to the bathroom to wash up together. When they returned, they moved to the bedroom next door. The moment Shao Ye’s head touched the pillow, he lost consciousness. He slept straight through until noon the next day.

When he first woke up, his memory was still a little muddled. Lying on the bed, he stared blankly at the chandelier above as fragments of the previous night replayed in his mind. He lifted a hand to cover his face, which was already starting to flush.

“You’re awake?” Pei Fangyan asked.

He had noticed the moment Shao Ye moved.

Shao Ye lowered his hand and turned his head. It was rare to see Pei Fangyan still lounging in bed at this hour. Though, he was holding a freshly printed document, which was very much in character.

Shao Ye gave a small “mm,” grabbed his phone from the bedside table, and checked the time. Then he saw that his father, Pei Tiancheng, had sent him a flood of messages. First a video call, which went unanswered because his phone was on silent, then message after message asking if he had gotten up, whether he had eaten, what he had eaten, whether he was short on money lately, and so on.

It was clear his father was genuinely worried that he might start calling his uncle “dad.”

That was one thing his father really didn’t need to worry about. Shao Ye replied casually with a couple of messages, then set the phone down. After thinking for a long moment, he called out, “Uncle.”

“What is it?” Pei Fangyan set down the document and reached over to touch Shao Ye’s forehead. “Feeling unwell anywhere? Or are you hungry?”

Shao Ye shook his head. “Neither. I was thinking… do we have to keep this from my dad forever?”

“Why would we need to hide it?” Pei Fangyan pinched his cheek, his hand gradually sliding down under the covers. If Shao Ye hadn’t stopped him last night, Pei Tiancheng would have known the “good news” already.

Hadn’t Pei Tiancheng always wanted to find Shao Ye a highly educated partner? Now his wish had come true. What was there to be dissatisfied about?

Don’t need to hide it? Shao Ye tried putting himself in his father’s shoes and felt like getting beaten up would be the least of it.

He turned onto his side and voiced his concern. “I’m worried my dad will break my legs.”

“I’ll go talk to him,” Pei Fangyan said.

Shao Ye nodded. “You don’t have to worry about your legs getting broken, Uncle. But I’d still have to run away with you.”

Pei Fangyan thought about his older brother’s temperament. It seemed unlikely he would actually lay hands on him. But since Shao Ye was worried, he offered another suggestion. “Then tell your father that by being with me, you’ll inherit the entire Pei family.”

“Huh?” There was such a good deal like that? He hadn’t even taken part in their whole inheritance battle!

Shao Ye didn’t hold back. His eyes lit up as he asked, “Then what about my cousins?”

“Send them to Africa?” Pei Fangyan suggested, as if all it would take was a nod from Shao Ye to exile them immediately.

“That’s kind of far, isn’t it?” Shao Ye said, astonished.

Pei Fangyan chuckled softly. “Then what do you suggest?”

Shao Ye didn’t really know. Aside from occasionally setting dogs on them at night, he hadn’t had much interaction with his cousins. A few had invited him to train at the gym before, but lately their luck hadn’t been great. Some had gotten injured in accidents, others were caught up in lawsuits for leaking company secrets.

“Let’s see how they behave?” Shao Ye said. He wasn’t completely unreasonable.

“Very well, head of the family,” Pei Fangyan replied.

Shao Ye tried to suppress the grin tugging at his lips. But could his uncle maybe remove his hand from the “head of the family’s” chest? Hadn’t he had enough yet?

Shao Ye was a man of action. That very afternoon, while Pei Fangyan was in a meeting with his subordinates, he drove straight home.

Pei Tiancheng had just returned from fishing. The moment he pushed open the door, he saw Shao Ye sitting on the sofa playing games. He froze for a second. Ever since Shao Ye moved to the old residence, he had hardly come back on his own.

Setting down his fishing rod, Pei Tiancheng said in a slightly sarcastic tone, “What wind blew you back here today?”

Hearing his voice, Shao Ye immediately put down his phone and ran over. In a low voice, he asked, “Dad, if I had a way to inherit the Pei family, would you support me?”

Pei Tiancheng paused mid-step while changing his shoes, then looked up at his foolish son. “Are you still dreaming from last night?”

He had a way to inherit the Pei family? What way could he possibly have? Was he planning to kill off everyone else in the family?

His son could fight, sure, but not to that extent.

“I’m serious,” Shao Ye said.

Pei Tiancheng snorted, walked inside, and sat down on the sofa. “If you can inherit the Pei family, I’ll take your surname from now on.”

It wasn’t that he looked down on his son, it was just that he had a very clear understanding of both Shao Ye’s and Pei Fangyan’s intelligence.

Shao Ye walked over and went along with his father’s words. “Shao Tiancheng? Not bad, doesn’t sound unpleasant.”

Pei Tiancheng’s eyes widened. He had only put the idea out there, and Shao Ye actually dared to climb right up on it!

He slapped the coffee table in front of him. “How are you going to inherit it? Come on, tell me.”

“Well… my Seventh Uncle said the Pei family will all be mine,” Shao Ye said, scratching his neck, a little embarrassed.

“Your Seventh Uncle said that? On what grounds? What are you to him?” Pei Tiancheng sneered. He didn’t believe for a second that Pei Fangyan would be that generous.

And this wasn’t just about generosity, it was about whether he had gone completely insane!

Shao Ye set a condition. “If I tell you, you’re not allowed to hit me.”

Pei Tiancheng snorted. “If you really can get the Pei family, I’ll kneel to you.”

“That won’t be necessary, it’ll shorten your lifespan—” Meeting Pei Tiancheng’s fiery glare, Shao Ye swallowed the rest of his words.

He said, “My Seventh Uncle actually has a partner.”

“What?” Pei Tiancheng was confused. “Yesterday you told me he didn’t have a girlfriend.”

“I said he doesn’t have a girlfriend, but I didn’t say he doesn’t have a partner,” Shao Ye argued.

“A girlfriend isn’t—” Pei Tiancheng suddenly realized something. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Your Seventh Uncle is gay?”

“Mm-hmm.” Shao Ye nodded.

“Haha! Hahaha!” Pei Tiancheng’s anger instantly turned into delight as he burst out laughing. “Pei Fangyan is actually gay! Good, good! Ah! Our Pei family ancestors must be smoking with joy!”

After saying that, he realized something was off and corrected himself. “No, he doesn’t count as part of our Pei family. Good, good! Well done! No need for the ancestors to smoke anymore.”

“The ancestors… can still smoke a little,” Shao Ye muttered.

Pei Tiancheng looked up at him warily. “What do you mean?”

“Well… I’m also gay,” Shao Ye said with an awkward laugh.

“You’re also gay?” Pei Tiancheng’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Then, forcing a strained smile, he said, “Xiao Ye, you’re joking with Dad, right?”

Shao Ye quietly took two steps back, putting some distance between them, then said, “No… it’s just that my Seventh Uncle’s partner… is actually me.”

The mix of joy, anger, confusion, and bewilderment on Pei Tiancheng’s face was instantly replaced with blankness.

Now he didn’t think Shao Ye was dreaming. He thought he himself hadn’t woken up.

He pinched himself hard, the pain almost making him cry out. Pei Fangyan’s partner was his son? Had he gone crazy, or had the world gone crazy?!

Hah, now he finally understood why Pei Fangyan had made such a big deal out of celebrating his son’s birthday.

If his son hadn’t reacted quickly yesterday, would he have announced to everyone that he was dating his own nephew?! How could someone be so shameless!

The more Pei Tiancheng thought about it, the angrier he got. “Shao Ye, are you trying to kill your father?”

Shao Ye shook his head.

“Then break up with him,” Pei Tiancheng said.

Shao Ye kept shaking his head.

Pei Tiancheng slammed the table so hard it shook. “That’s your Seventh Uncle! Being together is incest!”

Shao Ye blinked innocently. “But you just said Seventh Uncle doesn’t count as part of the Pei family.”

Pei Tiancheng cursed under his breath. This unlucky kid suddenly knew how to argue now. “That still doesn’t work. You two can’t be together.”

Shao Ye protested, “Why not? You only said I can’t call him Dad, you didn’t say I can’t be with him…”

Under Pei Tiancheng’s murderous glare, Shao Ye’s voice got quieter and quieter, but after finishing, he couldn’t help adding, “You can let Seventh Uncle call you Dad now.”

Although his Seventh Uncle might not agree, his dad could at least try.

Pei Tiancheng grabbed a cushion and threw it at him. “I’ll beat you to death!”

Shao Ye caught it and said, “You just said you wouldn’t hit me!”

“I take that back!” Pei Tiancheng, seeing he missed, got up and chased after him.

Going back on his word and still being so confident about it.

As he ran, Shao Ye said, “Let’s talk this out, violence won’t solve anything!”

“Then break up with your Seventh Uncle!” Pei Tiancheng shouted behind him.

“No!” Shao Ye refused outright.

Running around the sofa twice, he added, “My Seventh Uncle even said he’d give me the Pei family. Why aren’t you happy?”

Pei Tiancheng snapped, “Do I look like the kind of person who sells his son for glory?!”

Shao Ye retorted, “That’s still better than selling and getting nothing in return!”

Pei Tiancheng: “……”

That actually made sense. But it made him even angrier.

After chasing Shao Ye for a while, he couldn’t keep up anymore and finally stopped, leaning on the sofa and panting.

Shao Ye stood by the door, ready to bolt back to the old residence if his dad kept chasing him.

After catching his breath, Pei Tiancheng suddenly cleared his throat and asked, “Your Seventh Uncle really said he’d give you the Pei family?”

Shao Ye: “……”

Was this some kind of magic? How did his face change so fast?

Author’s Note:

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【Pei Tiancheng’s expressions perfectly illustrate: “Let me see whose house collapsed → oh, it’s my own house collapsing”】

Curious.jpg / schadenfreude.jpg / frozen.jpg / shattered.jpg / cursing.jpg / raging.jpg

: Pei Tiancheng: I won’t bend for five bushels of rice

: Pei Tiancheng: But fifty thousand bushels? Sure

: What Pei Tiancheng? He’s Shao Tiancheng now!

: Between taking the father’s surname and the mother’s surname, he chose to take his son’s surname

: You could say he’s taking his wife’s surname

: Good news, No. 3’s car also exploded today, another elimination

: Seventh Uncle… you… me… President…

: What? Fill in the blanks? Where are the options?

: Seventh Uncle, your No. 6 is great, our President wants him

: More like: Seventh Uncle—how much do I resemble the President?

: Respect

: No. 2 and No. 4 are just background characters, no hope

: That’s what you all said about No. 6 before too

: No. 6 is the chief eunuch, can they even compare?

: At this point, the winner is probably No. 6. Seventh Uncle really doesn’t care about the fate of the Pei family

: He doesn’t even care about the koi, why would he care about the Pei family?

: Don’t be so pessimistic. There’s still time. Maybe Seventh Uncle can “train” No. 6 to be smarter

: Train… in bed?

: Passing down years of “experience” in a very hands-on way, huh

: That’s a very “inspired” way of putting it

: Experience?

: You sure that’s what you meant?

: A whole truck just ran over my face

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