Pei Yumian’s answer was to mercilessly end the video call. Fortunately, this unexpected flare-up was not as severe as the night before. At least he did not need to deal with another sudden blooming of the grapefruit flower. A shower and a change of clothes would be enough.
When Pei Yumian came out of the bathroom, his phone screen was flashing nonstop. Someone was sending him message after message.
Pei Yumian did not even need to think about who it was. It had to be He Qingye.
After checking in the mirror that his robe was tied properly, he answered the video call.
He Qingye picked up almost instantly.
“Wife, are you feeling better?”
The flush had not completely faded from Pei Yumian’s face. The moment he opened his mouth, he remembered how embarrassing he had sounded earlier and deliberately lowered his voice.
“I’m fine. My heat is probably irregular, so the suppressant didn’t take full effect.”
The furrow in He Qingye’s brow finally loosened, though he still looked tense. He coughed lightly and let his gaze drift to one side.
“The doctor is already on the way. It’s still better to get checked.”
Pei Yumian did not object. A doctor’s examination would put his mind at ease too.
Someone knocked on the bedroom door. Pei Yumian got up and let the doctor in.
The doctor was a beta and could not perceive pheromones, so Pei Yumian would not affect him.
As soon as he entered, he directly asked Pei Yumian about the details of his heat: how long it lasted, his reactions, the color of his secretions…
Pei Yumian knew these were routine medical questions and answered them one by one.
Finally, the doctor looked over the data from Pei Yumian’s monitoring bracelet and said helplessly:
“The best solution is still to have your alpha accompany you through your heats. After a few times, your cycle should stabilize.”
“The side effects of medication are too significant. There’s really no need for it.”
“This irregularity happened because the interval since your previous heat was too short, so the suppressant couldn’t take full effect. You’re not ill. There’s no need to worry.”
Pei Yumian had expected this result and was not disappointed. He politely saw the doctor out.
Only when he was about to message He Qingye with the diagnosis did Pei Yumian remember that he had never ended the video call.
In front of a doctor, Pei Yumian could discuss those things with a perfectly straight face. But the thought that He Qingye had heard everything made him want to crawl back under the blankets and never see him again.
Still, what was done was done. Pei Yumian had no choice but to face it. Pretending to be completely calm, he stepped back into the camera’s view.
He Qingye looked dazed and was red from head to toe. That only made Pei Yumian more embarrassed. He simply ended the call before He Qingye could say anything.
A few minutes later, another video-call request from He Qingye popped up. Pei Yumian accepted. The two stared at each other, both still carrying traces of embarrassment.
In the end, He Qingye cleared his throat and said:
“Wife, it’s time for my rehabilitation.”
After saying that, He Qingye actually started taking off his house clothes right in front of Pei Yumian.
Pei Yumian did not know whether to laugh or be angry. He Qingye’s intention was far too obvious. It was only five buttons, yet he took two whole minutes to undo them, practically begging Pei Yumian to watch every detail.
Although He Qingye had spent three years lying in bed, he still had a good foundation: broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and eight-pack abs. But what truly caught Pei Yumian’s attention was not the muscle. It was the scars across He Qingye’s body.
Because He Qingye still could not go outside, he had not yet undergone procedures to remove the scars. Under the high-definition camera, they were especially obvious.
Pei Yumian remembered their wedding night three years ago, the only time they had ever been intimate after marriage. He remembered that He Qingye’s body had been completely unmarked then, until Pei Yumian’s nails dragged red streaks across it, some even bleeding.
Even afterward, although He Qingye’s face remained stern and cold, he had shown no dissatisfaction at all.
He Qingye seemed to realize what Pei Yumian was looking at. He quickly put on his exercise clothes and said regretfully:
“Sorry. I forgot about the scars.”
Pei Yumian did not want him to overthink it, so he shook his head and explained:
“It’s fine. They’re not ugly. Your chest is just smaller than it used to be.”
He Qingye’s eyes widened in disbelief. Apparently, that was even harder for him to accept than becoming ugly.
In the end, he became angry out of embarrassment, snorted, and for the first time took the initiative to end the video call.
As the call disconnected, Pei Yumian heard He Qingye mutter:
“I’ll train it back sooner or later. It definitely won’t be smaller than the later me.”
The sentence sounded strange, but Pei Yumian understood what he meant. He Qingye was actually competing with his future self.
Pei Yumian laughed softly and regretted not screen-recording it.
While He Qingye went to rehabilitation, Pei Yumian did not stay idle. He opened Fight the Landlord on his phone.
Happy Beans poured into his account in a rush, and Pei Yumian’s eyes curved with delight.
That was exactly the scene He Qingye saw when he called by video.
Pei Yumian answered almost on reflex. They had only video-called a few times, yet it had already become a habit. Realizing that irritated Pei Yumian, so his tone toward He Qingye became somewhat impatient.
“Done exercising?”
“Wife, you can’t stop wanting me just because my chest got smaller.”
He Qingye huddled close to the camera, looking pitiful.
Pei Yumian had originally felt guilty. It had clearly been his own problem, yet he had taken his irritation out on He Qingye. That truly was unfair.
But He Qingye’s train of thought had somehow wandered all the way back to his chest. Pei Yumian immediately felt speechless. He could not possibly tell He Qingye the real reason, so when he noticed the game pop-up, he found an excuse.
“Your video notification made me play the wrong card.”
He Qingye instantly came back to life and blinked ingratiatingly.
“Wife, then let me play with you, okay? Playing by yourself is so boring!”
Pei Yumian hesitated for an instant. It did seem as though playing with He Qingye might be more fun, so he sent him an invitation link.
He Qingye cheered and chose the username “pym’s husband.”
Pei Yumian stared at the ID that entered the room and felt a little speechless, but he did not stop him. Whatever his username was, winning was what mattered.
The two readied up, and a random player was matched into their room.
After the cards were dealt, He Qingye immediately tried to tell Pei Yumian what he had.
But Pei Yumian refused. Apart from accumulating Happy Beans, the reason he liked Fight the Landlord was the satisfaction of planning, calculating, and then winning.
If He Qingye simply told him the hidden cards, what fun would be left?
So Pei Yumian said with righteous seriousness:
“Right now, you have to treat me as an opponent. Understand?”
Five minutes later, Pei Yumian began regretting those words.
Pei Yumian, who normally won every match, lost the first game. Then he lost the second and the third. The only time he could win was when He Qingye happened to be his teammate.
Pei Yumian stared at his rapidly shrinking stash of Happy Beans and muttered:
“Why…?”
He looked at the small video window showing He Qingye. It was only a card game, yet He Qingye wore the expression of someone managing assets worth billions.
The moment he heard Pei Yumian mutter, however, He Qingye’s expression instantly turned ingratiating again.
“Wife, I’m impressive, right? I didn’t know I was this good either.”
The corner of Pei Yumian’s mouth twitched. This was his mistake. How could he think that just because He Qingye had amnesia, it was safe to play Fight the Landlord against the president of the He Corporation? Wasn’t he practically begging to lose…?
Before the amnesia, He Qingye had been famous for being especially skilled at turning a small advantage into a huge one.
Pei Yumian took several deep breaths and exited the game. It was only a few million Happy Beans. He could win them back himself next time.
He Qingye on the screen still had not figured out what had happened.
“Wife, why did you leave? Aren’t we playing anymore?”
A false smile appeared on Pei Yumian’s face.
“No. I’m tired. I want to rest for a while.”
“Goodbye.”
After ending the call, Pei Yumian buried himself in a pillow and punched it several times before finally calming down. He should never have played with He Qingye.
Only after finishing his sulk did Pei Yumian struggle upright and lie flat on the bed.
The light overhead was soft and gentle, neither harsh nor overly dim, giving the room a very comfortable feeling.
In fact, the bedroom had originally contained an extremely ornate crystal chandelier, the same kind still hanging in He Qingye’s room.
More precisely, the two bedrooms had originally been prepared for the villa’s two owners. Apart from being on opposite sides, there had been no real difference between them.
When they married, Pei Yumian had stayed in He Qingye’s room. Later, after He Qingye’s accident and return home to recuperate, Pei Yumian moved into this one.
From then on, the two bedrooms became more and more different.
He Qingye’s room accumulated medical equipment until it looked like a hospital ward.
Pei Yumian’s bedroom filled with his own things, then Xiaopang’s toys and little bed, becoming more and more like a warm little home.
Pei Yumian lifted the back of his hand over his eyes and silently warned himself.
He and He Qingye were like their bedrooms. At first glance, the layouts looked the same, but they had become two completely different styles.
He Qingye had only lost his memory. Sooner or later he would recover it and become the decisive, ruthless president of the He Corporation again.
At that time, perhaps He Qingye would divorce Pei Yumian. Then Pei Yumian would take the enormous fortune he had accumulated over the years and go live his own life, decorating a home that truly belonged to him.
He just did not know whether He Qingye would allow him to take Xiaopang away…
Pei Yumian moved his hands away and blinked up at the light, silently praying that He Qingye would recover just a little faster.
Just as Pei Yumian was about to drift to sleep, someone knocked on the bedroom door. Yawning, he climbed out of bed. The instant he opened the door, he was engulfed in an embrace that lunged inside.
The fright woke Pei Yumian completely. The faint sense of melancholy in his heart vanished too. His mind contained only one question: who was this tall man hugging him?
“Wife~ I missed you so much~”
A muffled voice reached his ear. Pei Yumian suddenly realized who it was and shoved the person away, trying to drive him back outside.
“He Qingye, are you insane?! Do you know that pheromones this concentrated could completely ruin your gland?”
“Wife, don’t worry. Look what I’m wearing.”
Only then did Pei Yumian realize He Qingye was wearing a protective suit. Under Pei Yumian’s stare, He Qingye lifted his arms and turned in a circle, then scooped Pei Yumian up again and carried him into the room.
“I should’ve thought of this sooner. I can wear protective clothing too. Then your pheromones won’t affect me. The accident really did knock my brain stupid.”
By the time Pei Yumian recovered, He Qingye had already set him on the sofa and was half-kneeling in front of him to put slippers on his feet, muttering nonstop:
“Wife, why do you always hate wearing slippers? You’re in heat right now. How can you walk barefoot? Even if there’s carpet on the floor, it’s still not okay…”
“But it’s fine. I can put your shoes on for you for the rest of our lives.”
After saying that, He Qingye smiled happily.
The special material of He Qingye’s face shield was nearly transparent, so Pei Yumian could very easily see his embarrassingly delighted smile.
Putting shoes on him was actually enough to make He Qingye feel satisfied?
Pei Yumian understood the amnesiac He Qingye less and less. Maybe he should record all this and use it to blackmail He Qingye after his memories returned. Though would He Qingye treat him the way he treated competitors and have him dumped into the sea…?
While Pei Yumian sat on the sofa lost in wild thoughts, He Qingye had already disinfected his hands and begun setting tableware in front of him.
Like a waiter, He Qingye announced the name of each dish as he brought it over:
“Peach Blossoms on a Fan!”
“Boat Sailing on Emerald Water!”
“Flowers in Full Bloom Beneath a Perfect Moon!”
“…”
Pei Yumian smiled in speechless resignation. They were only a few ordinary home-style dishes, yet He Qingye described them as if they were part of an imperial banquet. No wonder the later He Qingye became so formidable. Not everyone possessed this ability to talk nonsense with such confidence.
Once all the dishes were served, He Qingye immediately picked up food with his chopsticks and held it to Pei Yumian’s lips.
“Wife, hurry and taste what I made~”
Pei Yumian opened his mouth to refuse, but He Qingye seized the timing and put the food directly into it.
Pei Yumian had barely managed to swallow when he opened his mouth again and was met by another bite.
Pei Yumian tried to dodge, and He Qingye immediately stared at him with wounded eyes.
“Wife, do you dislike me?”
Taking advantage of the pause, Pei Yumian finally got a chance to explain. He snatched the chopsticks from He Qingye.
“Not disliking you and not wanting you to feed me are two different things.”
He Qingye simply continued staring at Pei Yumian with an aggrieved expression.
He looked exactly like a big dog that had failed to beg for a meat bone. Realizing what he had just compared He Qingye to, Pei Yumian felt vaguely guilty. How could he think of He Qingye that way?
Pei Yumian forced himself to clear those thoughts from his mind and met He Qingye’s eyes.
“To thank you for putting my shoes on and feeding me just now, you can have one reward and make a request. But nothing excessive.
