Chapter 24: I Did Not Feel Any Sincerity from You

Pei Baoyuan had begun appearing alongside Huo Yanci at all his social engagements once more. Clubs, racetracks, equestrian centers... at times, she even accompanied him to public events. Within certain circles, it was common knowledge that Pei Baoyuan was Huo Yanci’s girlfriend.

Previously, although Pei Baoyuan had chased after him, only a handful of people knew the true nature of their relationship. Now, however, due to the nature of her work, many online were aware of it as well. Given the intense public scrutiny, Pei Baoyuan was pulled aside by her father for a friendly talk the moment she returned home that evening.

"You and young Huo seem to be getting along well lately," her father probed. "You refused to get engaged to him before, but if you are certain about him now, we could move forward with the engagement arrangements."

Pei Baoyuan shook her head. "No, Daddy. I don't have any thoughts of getting engaged to him yet."

Pei Jianguo hesitated, words catching in his throat. Seeing the sincerity in her expression, he knew she wasn't lying. They had been inseparable lately, joined at the hip wherever they went, yet she didn't want to marry. A thought suddenly flickered through Pei Jianguo’s mind—could his precious daughter be planning to follow in her aunt’s footsteps, choosing to date without ever tying the knot?

"Yuanbao," he asked cautiously, "do you not want to get married?"

Pei Baoyuan, unable to keep up with her father’s erratic train of thought, considered the question seriously for a long moment before answering, "It’s not that I don’t want to get married. I just don’t think I want to marry *him*."

"!!!"

In just a few words, Pei Baoyuan nearly fried her father’s brain. What did she mean, she didn't want to marry him? If she didn't want to marry him, why had she been making such a high-profile display of their relationship lately? His daughter couldn't possibly be... though she didn't look the type.

"Yuanbao," Pei Jianguo stammered, "what do you mean by... you don't want to marry him?"

[What does she mean? Is the supporting character just leading the male lead on?]
[Hey, who are you? Get out of Pei Baoyuan’s head!]
[With the way the male lead is acting, it’s fine if the supporting character doesn’t want to marry him. With her background, wouldn't it be better to find someone else?]
[But isn't her character supposed to be madly in love with the male lead? Doesn't not wanting to marry him completely break her character?]

Pei Baoyuan explained, "It means exactly what it sounds like. I don’t want to marry Huo Yanci."

"Then... then you..." Pei Jianguo was uncharacteristically speechless. He tried again: "What kind of person do you want to marry, then?"

"Someone suitable for me, someone who treats me well, and someone who is good for our family."

"And Huo Yanci doesn't treat you well?"

Pei Baoyuan pondered this for a while. "He treats me well enough, but I don't feel any sincerity from him."

[Wow, has the supporting character finally been cured of her extreme denseness after all these years?]
[The male lead is in bed with the female lead right now—given that, I don't dare say a single bad word about the supporting character.]

Pei Jianguo couldn't find the words either. Finally, he waved his hand, telling Pei Baoyuan to go get some rest. His child was grown and had her own thoughts; as a parent, his job was simply to be her firmest support.

Back in her room, the first thing Pei Baoyuan did was call Huo Yanci. The dynamic between them had completely reversed. It used to be Pei Baoyuan chasing and accommodating him; now, it was Huo Yanci who had to coax her. Pei Baoyuan seemed to have finally realized how powerful her family’s status in the capital truly was, and lately, she had been throwing quite a few tantrums. Twice, she had blocked Huo Yanci’s number when he didn't pick up, and he had to spend a fortune on luxury bags to win her back. Since then, he had never dared to miss her calls.

*Beep... beep... beep...*

On the fourth ring, she heard Huo Yanci’s voice. "Hello, Yuanyuan," he said, his voice low and raspy. "Is something the matter?"

[Help! Of all times for the supporting character to call, it had to be now!]
[The male lead’s flinch just now didn't look like acting.]
[Oh, our poor, sweet Yiren, how miserable her life is.]

Pei Baoyuan replied with a faint "Oh," adding, "Nothing, really. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"..." Huo Yanci fell silent.

After hanging up, Pei Baoyuan lay in bed after her shower. Seeing the commentary stream discussing the situation between Huo Yanci and Song Yiren, she curled her lips into a mysterious smile and called him again. She could sense Huo Yanci struggling to suppress his irritation as he spoke.

"You want to hear my voice again?"

Pei Baoyuan said, "No."

"..." Huo Yanci felt a headache coming on. The audience in the stream was laughing until they could barely breathe.

[How does the supporting character manage to time things so precisely?]
[If she does this two more times, she’s going to scare the life out of the male lead.]

Pei Baoyuan continued, "Yanci, I can’t sleep. Could you tell me a bedtime story?"

Did Huo Yanci dare to refuse? He didn't. As he began to speak, Pei Baoyuan reached out and hit the mute button. The result that night was that every time Huo Yanci thought she had fallen asleep, her voice would ring out the next second. He tossed and turned until the early hours of the morning, finally "lulling" Pei Baoyuan to sleep.

After hanging up, he discovered that Song Yiren, on the other side of the bed, had fallen asleep long ago.

Huo Yanci: "..."