Pei Yumian sat bolt upright in fright.
“Are you crazy? Do you even know what you’re saying?”
He Qingye tugged Pei Yumian back down by the arm, then continued with a perfectly serious expression.
“It’s just a gland. If cutting it out means Mianmian can sleep beside me without worrying, then I’d be getting an incredible deal.”
Pei Yumian could not find even the slightest hint of a joke in He Qingye’s expression, and that discovery sent panic surging through him.
To put it bluntly, the two of them were husbands in name only. If He Qingye really had his gland removed, then once his memories returned, he might very well hate Pei Yumian enough to kill him.
The thought of that cold alpha, so austere he had seemed almost devoid of human warmth, made Pei Yumian shiver. So what if they had Xiaopang between them? It would not change anything.
He Qingye naturally did not miss his reaction. He moved closer, nearly gathering Pei Yumian into his arms.
“What’s wrong?”
Pei Yumian knew he could not put this off any longer. He had to make He Qingye take their relationship seriously.
He pressed down on the hand He Qingye had laid across him.
“He Qingye, the truth is, there isn’t really any affection between us. Do you understand?”
As Pei Yumian spoke, he stared fixedly into He Qingye’s eyes. After all, He Qingye was still suffering from amnesia. If this shock somehow restored his memories, perhaps everything could finally return to the way it was supposed to be…
But He Qingye’s gaze did not change the way Pei Yumian hoped. After several shifts of emotion, all that remained in his eyes was heartache. He Qingye murmured,
“So that’s how it is. No wonder we don’t sleep together. No wonder you don’t like me calling you my wife…”
“Because Mianmian isn’t really my wife…”
“Then what about Xiaopang?”
He Qingye’s tone was very calm, without even the slightest hint of interrogation.
Even so, Pei Yumian quietly clenched his fists, his gaze falling on the pattern embroidered across the pillowcase.
“Xiaopang was just an accident.”
This was not the first time Pei Yumian had said that to He Qingye, but in the past He Qingye had never taken it to heart. In the blink of an eye, he would be grinning again and teasing Pei Yumian as usual.
This time, however, He Qingye finally reacted differently. He unconsciously repeated the word “accident.” His tone was still light, but Pei Yumian suddenly felt as though the bedsheet beneath him had sprouted needles. He did not dare move at all.
Even though the child had been conceived perfectly legitimately, Pei Yumian suddenly felt, for no reason at all, as though he had stolen something.
“I’m sorry.”
He Qingye seemed to be apologizing all the time. In the dim light, his eyes were filled with guilt.
“I keep making you go through things that make you unhappy, so it’s perfectly normal that you don’t like me.”
“You’ve had a hard time lately too, haven’t you?”
Pei Yumian had never imagined He Qingye would react like this. He stared blankly as He Qingye sat up and tucked the covers around him.
Then He Qingye carried his own quilt over to the sofa.
“We should sleep separately tonight after all.”
With that, He Qingye lay down. In the enormous room, only two quiet sets of breathing remained. Pei Yumian was at a loss, and now he was even less able to sleep.
It was not until faint gray light began to seep through the curtains that Pei Yumian finally forced his eyes closed and fell asleep.
When Pei Yumian woke, his head throbbed with the dull ache of having stayed up all night. He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, but it did nothing to help.
Just as he was about to get out of bed, he heard He Qingye’s voice coming from the room next door. There was pain and strain in it. He was probably doing rehabilitation exercises.
He Qingye, who possessed only his memories up to age eighteen, was a very strange person. He called Pei Yumian “wife” at every opportunity, yet ever since rehabilitation began, he would not let Pei Yumian accompany him.
Pei Yumian had once patiently asked whether He Qingye wanted him there, only for He Qingye to hem and haw before ultimately refusing.
Now, hearing those sounds, Pei Yumian felt he ought to take a look anyway.
He walked quietly to the door of the room next door. It had not been shut completely, so Pei Yumian peered through the gap.
He Qingye was dressed in close-fitting, quick-dry workout clothes, performing a series of complicated movements with the assistance of several medical staff members.
The next second, his leg seemed to spasm. Before he could grab the handrail, he staggered and fell to the floor.
The medical staff beside him hurried to help him up. His attending doctor said,
“President He, your rehabilitation is already progressing very quickly. There’s no need to rush this much.”
He Qingye shook his head.
“It’s not enough. By the time my gland recovers, I want to be able to go walking and shopping with Mianmian.”
Pei Yumian had thought that after what happened last night, He Qingye would have given up. Why was he still holding on to ideas like that?
Unable to make sense of it, Pei Yumian could only slip away quietly, not daring to let He Qingye discover he had been there.
——
After returning to his room and washing up, Pei Yumian called Qin You.
“Mom, has Xiaopang been causing trouble for you again lately?”
“Xiaopang’s been very good.”
There was obvious exhaustion in Qin You’s voice. Pei Yumian knew his mother-in-law was lying. If Xiaopang was not disciplined soon, the little brat was going to tear the roof off.
Pei Yumian exhaled slowly, not even daring to imagine what Xiaopang had done. Grinding his molars, he decided he had to teach Xiaopang a lesson before school started.
“Mom, I’d better come see Xiaopang.”
And so Pei Yumian made plans to visit Qin You’s residence.
After eating and changing clothes, he was about to head out when he ran into He Qingye, who had just finished rehabilitation.
He Qingye had originally looked merely solemn, but the moment he saw how Pei Yumian was dressed, grievance immediately crept into his expression.
“Mianmian, are you abandoning me?”
Pei Yumian had no time to argue with him about this. He waved a hand.
“I’m going to beat your son. Whatever you want to say can wait until I get back.”
With that, Pei Yumian hurried downstairs and got into the car waiting outside.
Qin You currently lived in a high-end residential complex beside the He Group headquarters. The place was somewhat smaller, but it made commuting to work much more convenient.
The moment Pei Yumian stepped out of the elevator onto her floor, he heard faint howling in the distance. He did not even have to listen carefully to know it was Xiaopang.
Pei Yumian entered the code and pushed open the door.
“He Yaoyuan!”
At the angry roar, Xiaopang, who had been bouncing around on the sofa, instantly turned into a lump of dead weight, squatting there without moving an inch.
What followed was simple. Pei Yumian never bothered preaching grand principles. Spare the rod and you might not necessarily raise a filial son, but at least you would not raise a little bastard.
A while later, Xiaopang stood in the corner sniffling as he confessed everything he had done recently, then tearfully apologized to his grandmother, the neighbors, and Pei Yumian.
Only when Qin You came home did Pei Yumian’s expression finally soften.
Qin You was a mother-in-law who knew her boundaries. The moment she saw Pei Yumian disciplining the child, she did not interfere at all. She merely asked whether Pei Yumian had eaten and how He Qingye had been doing lately.
Pei Yumian answered her questions one by one, but when the conversation turned to He Qingye, he still could not help feeling guilty.
“He Qingye is recovering very well. Recently, it seems like he’s already able to secrete a little pheromone again.”
Hearing this, Qin You tugged Pei Yumian away from Xiaopang.
“Then you and Qingye…?”
Pei Yumian lowered his eyes and shook his head.
“Still the same as before.”
That gentle hand settled on Pei Yumian’s head again. By now, Pei Yumian could accept the gesture without awkwardness.
Qin You understood the relationship between the two of them better than anyone. After all, they had a child but no permanent mark. That alone made the problem obvious.
Pei Yumian had expected Qin You to try persuading him, but instead she said,
“Yumian, as long as you call me Mom, then I’m your mother. So don’t worry about too much. What you want matters most.”
The anxiety hidden deep in his heart slowly settled. Pei Yumian pressed his lips together, revealing a shy little smile.
“Mom, I understand.”
Pei Yumian stayed to have lunch with Qin You and Xiaopang before Qin You finally let him go home.
All the way back, images of Xiaopang and He Qingye kept flashing through Pei Yumian’s mind.
The father and son actually did resemble each other in some ways. They had the same large, double-lidded eyes, and both hid their little schemes behind them.
When the car stopped at the house, Pei Yumian saw He Qingye sitting by the entrance with his chin propped in one hand, watching the car enter the courtyard with unconcealed delight.
Before Pei Yumian could even get out, He Qingye hurried over in a few long strides.
“Mianmian, you’re back.”
The afternoon sun was scorching. Even sitting in the shade, He Qingye had sweated quite a bit. When he saw Pei Yumian’s gaze land on his forehead, he hurriedly wiped away the beads of sweat, looking somewhat annoyed with himself.
But to Pei Yumian, even the blazing heat of the sun could not compare to the look He Qingye had just given him.
Qin You’s words echoed in his mind: What you want matters most.
He Qingye’s feelings were obvious. Then what about Pei Yumian’s?
After wiping away his sweat, He Qingye reached toward Pei Yumian’s hand, only to pull back again. In the end, he awkwardly rubbed his palm against his own clothes and said,
“Mianmian, come inside. I made ice cream. Let’s eat it together!”
Pei Yumian dug his nails into his palm. Faced with such ardent affection, very few people could truly keep their hearts untouched.
“Mianmian?”
Pei Yumian came back to himself and walked inside with his eyes lowered.
“Don’t wait outside for me anymore. It’s not as if I’m not coming back.”
As soon as they entered, Pei Yumian hurried He Qingye off to shower and change. While He Qingye was bathing, Pei Yumian gave both the medical staff and the housekeepers a stern lecture.
He Qingye had not fully recovered yet, and not one of them had stopped him from running outside. What if he suffered heatstroke?
After scolding them, Pei Yumian dismissed everyone back to their work. It was not that he did not know they probably could not stop He Qingye. But if they could not stop him, why had no one notified Pei Yumian? In the end, they were simply in cahoots with He Qingye, helping him make himself look pitiful.
Once he was done with everyone else, Pei Yumian headed straight for He Qingye’s room.
The biggest troublemaker had not been dealt with yet. Pei Yumian was in no mood for ice cream.
He Qingye had just changed clothes and was preparing to go find Pei Yumian.
Pei Yumian pointed at the corner where Xiaopang had once stood.
“Go stand over there.”
He Qingye did not understand, but he obeyed.
“Mianmian, I was wrong.”
Pei Yumian felt as though he were looking at Xiaopang all grown up. Apparently, compared with ordinary naughtiness, this kind of shameless resilience was even more headache-inducing.
But now that the performance had begun, Pei Yumian had no intention of stopping. The guilt and unease he usually felt around He Qingye vanished.
Pei Yumian sat down on the sofa beside him, crossed one leg over the other, and demanded, “Tell me. What did you do wrong? ”
