Some things, when they are about to happen, come with a sign.
Shen Xianning’s heartbeat was sometimes fast, sometimes slow. His heart was suspended in mid-air, uneasy. The cold and harsh wind blew against his heart.
Not long after Pei Yingchen arrived home, it started to rain outside.
It was a light drizzle, soft and steady, falling on the clear glass window and leaving visible streaks of water.
The two sat at the dining table in silence. The atmosphere was strangely tense.
Shen Xianning raised his long lashes and looked at him in confusion. “Is there something you want to say?”
Pei Yingchen’s Adam’s apple moved slightly. He turned his eyes away. “Eat first.”
Just as he said that, there was a knock at the door. Shen Xianning got up to open it, but Pei Yingchen stopped him. “I’ll go. You eat first.”
Shen Xianning gave him a strange look, then nodded and sat back down.
Pei Yingchen walked over and opened the door. His assistant stood there holding a folder. “Young master.”
Pei Yingchen reached out and took the folder. “Wait for me downstairs.”
“Yes.” The assistant gave Pei Yingchen a worried glance before leaving.
Pei Yingchen returned to the dining table. Shen Xianning had already finished eating and wiped his mouth with a napkin. His beautiful blue eyes quietly watched Pei Yingchen.
The expression in his eyes was clear.
He wanted Pei Yingchen to just say what he needed to say.
Pei Yingchen threw the unfinished breakfast into the trash and cleared the table. Then he opened the folder the assistant had brought and took out a red property deed.
“A-Ning, I bought this apartment for you.” He opened the deed and placed it by Shen Xianning’s hand.
Shen Xianning glanced down at it. Pei Yingchen then took out a bank card. “This card has no password.”
“You can use it.”
Shen Xianning looked at Pei Yingchen even more strangely.
“Why are you giving me these?” Shen Xianning asked.
Pei Yingchen took a deep breath. “Our relationship started because I made that kind of request to you, and you only agreed because of your mother’s illness. That’s not right.”
His voice was low and steady, without much emotion.
Shen Xianning’s blue eyes flickered. After a pause, he asked, “So this is compensation?”
“It’s not compensation. It’s something I wanted to give you,” Pei Yingchen shook his head.
Shen Xianning said, “I don’t want these.”
Pei Yingchen said, “Then what do you want? Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.”
Shen Xianning said, “You’ve already given me a lot. I don’t need these. I just want to know…”
He paused, then continued, “I want to know if you like me. Like how I like you.”
If Shen Xianning had said that before, Pei Yingchen would have been the happiest person.
But now it was different. He didn’t want to respond to Shen Xianning’s words at this critical moment.
He was about to get engaged to someone else.
How cruel that would be for Shen Xianning.
“A-Ning, we were only together because of the contract,” Pei Yingchen didn’t answer him directly.
Shen Xianning frowned and nodded. “I understand.”
Pei Yingchen was silent.
Shen Xianning looked at him, calm in both expression and voice. “Is there anything else you want to say?”
There was a lot he wanted to say. He wanted to say none of this was from his heart. He wanted to ask Shen Xianning to wait for him. But he was going to get married and leave Shen Xianning waiting. He couldn’t say that.
After a moment, Pei Yingchen stood up. “I’m leaving.”
“You’re not coming back anymore?” Shen Xianning grabbed his hand.
Pei Yingchen paused and gently pulled his hand away, leaving only his back to Shen Xianning. “I don’t know.”
A deep, unspeakable bitterness spread from his heart, making it hard for Pei Yingchen to breathe.
Shen Xianning looked at his back. The blue in his eyes seemed to ripple with water. After a long time, he lowered his head and said in a low voice, “I understand. Goodbye.”
They weren’t breaking up.
Because they had never really been together from the beginning.
The door to the room was gently closed.
Pei Yingchen left that home.
Shen Xianning stood in place, quietly staring at the closed door.
The scent belonging to Pei Yingchen still lingered in the air. Pei Yingchen was a beta, without pheromones, so he had someone design a custom fragrance. one that only he had, just to leave his scent on Shen Xianning.
Was this really the right thing?
Shen Xianning’s eyes dimmed.
---
Pei Yingchen didn’t know how he walked out of the apartment building.
It was drizzling outside.
The rain was soft and steady.
Assistant Li hurried over with an umbrella to shield him from the rain.
Assistant Li knew about Pei Yingchen’s situation. From his perspective, the two of them clearly cared about each other.
“Young master, you could actually explain things to Young Master Shen. I think he would understand,” Assistant Li said.
Pei Yingchen’s expression was indifferent. He knew very well that Shen Xianning would understand him, but should he really let Shen Xianning stand in place waiting for him?
What if Old Master Shen never passed away? Would he let Shen Xianning keep waiting like that? While he went and got married to someone else, gaining reputation and status, leaving Shen Xianning in this cramped little apartment?
How was that any different from raising a pet?
He knew Shen Xianning better than anyone. To keep him like a lover, to keep him and not give him anything more, was no different from humiliating him.
Pei Yingchen didn’t say anything. He got into the back seat of the car. Assistant Li, understanding, dropped the topic. After the car had driven some distance toward the villa, Assistant Li spoke again, “Young master, the Shen family has sent an invitation. They hope that before the engagement party, the two of you can meet.”
Pei Yingchen leaned back and closed his eyes. “No.”
“Alright,” Assistant Li replied, glancing at Pei Yingchen’s tired face in the rearview mirror.
Pei Yingchen never took out his anger on others. He knew that the boy brought back to the Shen family was probably forced to accept their arrangements too.
He agreed to the marriage because he didn’t want his mother to suffer.
But that decision would only hurt Shen Xianning.
Young Master Pei, who had never really been troubled in life, was now encountering one difficult problem after another.
“As for the wedding… according to the Shen family, they want to hold it as soon as possible. Most likely, you and Young Master Shen will be engaged next week,” Assistant Li continued.
What could Pei Yingchen do?
He raised his arm to cover his eyes. After a long while, he finally spoke, “I understand.”
The rain outside got heavier.
Large drops hit the car windows, making a dull tapping sound. The atmosphere inside the car became unbearably oppressive.
---
The weather hadn’t improved in the days that followed.
Since that morning, the chat between the two had gone completely silent.
When Pei Yingchen sent a message in the group chat suggesting they get together, Lu Yang was the first to reply:
[Lu Yang: ??!!]
[Lu Yang: Am I seeing this right? Yingchen, aren’t you with… that person?]
[Pei Yingchen: Which person?]
These four words already revealed his stance. He didn’t want to discuss Shen Xianning. Lu Yang knew about their relationship, so if Pei Yingchen didn’t want to mention him, there was only one explanation.
They had separated.
Maybe they broke up naturally, or maybe Pei Yingchen had finally grown tired of him. Either way, Lu Yang was clearly the happiest about it. The next was Wei Chengzhuo, who re-added Pei Yingchen with a new account.
He didn’t mention anything from before and simply said:
[Yingchen, let’s get together like the old days. My treat. Invite our friends too.]
Pei Yingchen was indeed in the mood for a drink, so he didn’t refuse. Standing on the balcony, he lit a cigarette and lazily typed after exhaling a white smoke ring:
[Sure.]
So this group of friends, who hadn’t had a proper gathering for nearly half a year, finally met again that day.
When Pei Yingchen arrived, everyone else was already there. He wasn’t late; they just arrived early.
Lu Yang quickly pulled out a chair for him with a smile. “Yingchen, how have you been? You don’t look too great lately.”
Pei Yingchen sat down lazily, crossed his legs, and only after glancing over the dishes said, “I’m alright.”
“That’s good. How about we play cards after dinner? Or billiards?” Lu Yang suggested, then quickly added, realizing he might’ve touched a nerve, “Or we could go drink instead.”
Luckily, Pei Yingchen didn’t seem bothered. He said casually, “Let’s go drink.”
“How about at Chengzhuo’s bar?”
“Right, a new batch of wine just arrived from New Zealand. Top quality, great taste,” Wei Chengzhuo jumped in after hearing his name.
The friends each pitched in with suggestions.
Pei Yingchen tapped his wine glass lightly. After a moment, he said, “Let’s go to Chengzhuo’s place.”
“Great, I’ll call ahead and let them prepare.”
Everyone could see that Pei Yingchen was in a bad mood. As Lu Yang suspected, it probably had to do with his love life.
Because he didn’t want to upset Pei Yingchen, Wei Chengzhuo had never dared investigate Shen Xianning. But seeing how this proud young master had been reduced to such a mood, he finally became curious about who Shen Xianning really was.
—
Dinner was far from enjoyable.
Everyone could tell Pei Yingchen had no appetite.
After the meal, Wei Chengzhuo personally drove him to his newly opened bar.
All the VIP rooms had been cleared out, and the atmosphere was quiet.
Watching Pei Yingchen drink glass after glass of wine, everyone exchanged glances but no one dared stop him.
He could hold his liquor well, but the alcohol only made his agitation worse.
Damn it.
He thought.
He reached into his pocket, and someone nearby quickly understood, handing him a cigarette. As soon as he put it in his mouth, three or four lighters appeared at once.
He leaned down and lit it with one of them.
The faint aroma of the cigarette filled his mouth. He leaned back on the sofa, tilted his head up, and exhaled a cloud of white smoke. In the haziness, he felt he might finally be getting a little drunk.
“Yingchen, if you’re really unhappy... how about we take a trip abroad for a while?” Lu Yang suggested.
Pei Yingchen frowned. The cigarette had burned halfway down. He replied lazily, “I’m getting married.”
The moment those words came out, not a single person in the room wasn’t stunned.
Wei Chengzhuo was the first to react. “Married? To who? That person you mentioned before—the one you liked?”
But the truth was already obvious.
Judging from Pei Yingchen’s gloomy attitude tonight, he was getting engaged, and clearly not to someone he was happy about.