Chapter 9: Fate?

Thinking of how she had just scolded Ke Xianbai, only for him to respond with that beaming smile, Pei Baoyuan suspected he might be a masochist.

Recalling the Samoyed that Ke Xianbai kept, she felt a strange sense of familiarity. Could the comments in the live stream be right? Was there some sort of special connection between her and Ke Xianbai?

Pei Baoyuan’s mind was a whirlwind of questions. As she headed upstairs, she happened to run into her older brother, Pei Zongnian, on the second-floor landing.

Pei Zongnian stopped her and asked, "Don't you like Huo Yanci anymore?"

"...Huh?" Pei Baoyuan was caught off guard.

Although there was a significant age gap between them, Pei Zongnian considered himself well-acquainted with his younger sister. It was true that Pei Baoyuan wanted to advance her career, and it was also true that she had long chased after Huo Yanci.

However, since returning from London, Pei Baoyuan had stopped actively pursuing him and had become much colder in her attitude. Just tonight, she had made Huo Yanci drive all the way to the west side of the city to buy her chestnut cakes—something she never would have done in the past.

Pei Zongnian attributed this change to the two years they had spent apart, assuming the feelings had simply faded.

Looking into his sister’s evasive eyes, Pei Zongnian said, "If you don't like him, you should cut ties as soon as possible. You can find someone more suitable."

Pei Baoyuan raised an eyebrow. "Brother, you’ve thought Huo Yanci wasn't right for me for a long time, haven't you?"

Pei Zongnian didn't deny it.

[If the 'Humanoid Brother' doesn't like the male lead, does that mean the supporting female character won't marry him? Our Yiren won't marry a man who's been married before, either.]
[The 'Humanoid Brother' is one thing, but Pei Baoyuan is another. She’s chased the male lead for so many years; how could she give up so easily?]
[Pei Baoyuan is truly wicked. If it weren't for her, my Song-Ci CP would have been together by now.]

"There's worse to come," Pei Baoyuan thought to herself.

Pei Zongnian added, "You are an adult. You have your own judgment."

Pei Baoyuan was used to her brother’s habit of speaking as if every word cost a fortune. "Got it, Brother. I'll keep that in mind." She blinked and teased, "By the way, I heard Mommy is looking for a blind date for you. What kind of person do you like? I can go help you screen them."

When it came to his own life affairs, Pei Zongnian remained as detached as ever; Pei Baoyuan couldn't even detect a flicker of expression on his face.

Pei Zongnian pondered for a moment and replied, "Good character."

"......"

"And? Is that it? Just 'good character'?"

"......" Pei Zongnian didn't say another word for a long time.

Pei Baoyuan was defeated. Calling her brother a "humanoid" was truly an accurate description.

Pei Baoyuan didn't actually want the chestnut cakes, and she certainly wasn't going to wait for Huo Yanci to deliver them. When Huo Yanci returned to the Pei residence, the housekeeper informed him that Pei Baoyuan had already gone to bed and thanked him on her behalf.

***

After leaving the Pei estate, Huo Yanci sat in his car. There were over a dozen missed calls from Song Yiren on his phone, and he had received two speeding tickets on his round trip.

The pain in his injured leg began to flare up again.

"Damn it!" Huo Yanci slammed his fist against the steering wheel.

In the past, his leg wouldn't have taken two weeks to heal, let alone remain unhealed after spending ten "Luck Points" on it.

Huo Yanci parked his car on the side of a deserted street. In the silence of the late night, he sat in the cabin and suddenly muttered to himself, "011, why isn't my leg fully healed even after I traded ten Luck Points? And on the way back, I clearly took a different route, so why did the police catch me for speeding again?"

"......"

A static buzzing sound echoed in Huo Yanci's mind. After a long pause, a mechanical voice responded: "...That question is beyond my capability; I need to query the database to reach a conclusion."

"Search for it! I need the answer immediately!"

"......Apologies, the database is too complex. It will take at least forty-eight hours."

"......" Huo Yanci laughed in anger and threatened, "You don't want to be wiped out, do you?"

"I will do my best to assist you in completing the mission."

For a long time, the strange voice did not return to his mind. Huo Yanci seemed to calm down, restarted the car, and headed toward the house he had prepared for Song Yiren.

On the other side, Pei Baoyuan wasn't actually asleep. From the moment Huo Yanci’s car pulled into her front yard to the moment he drove away, she had seen and heard everything. The comments in the live stream, which she couldn't see, were broadcasting real-time updates to her.

[I’m still curious how the male lead’s leg healed so fast. Less than three weeks and he’s already walking and driving. A medical miracle.]
[What is he muttering about in the car? Something about 'luck'? Does he have some kind of invisible mental illness?]
[Rejoice, everyone! After 41 hours, my CP is finally back together!]
[A bit boring. I think I'll go check on the supporting female character.]

*Luck?*

Pei Baoyuan, like the live stream audience, was puzzled by the term. Why would Huo Yanci use the word "luck"? And his leg...

Ever since she stopped caring about Huo Yanci, Pei Baoyuan had subconsciously ignored the details, almost forgetting that he had broken his leg in a car accident a while back.

For an adult with a leg fracture, a cast should be worn for at least two months. Huo Yanci had removed his cast in just three weeks and could walk independently. Pei Baoyuan didn't think the live stream was lying to her, nor did she believe the car accident was faked—Huo Yanci couldn't possibly have bribed his friends to lie about something involving his own safety.

So, where was the problem?

Could it be... luck?

Having received too much information in one day, Pei Baoyuan’s brain felt like mush, and she drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

***

The day of the program recording arrived quickly. Pei Baoyuan sat in the dressing room, letting the makeup artist work on her hair and makeup.

To be honest, Pei Baoyuan was in a pretty good mood today because the makeup artist kept complimenting her skin.

"I heard Xiao Lin say that Teacher Pei has great skin, but I didn't believe it until today. You weren't kidding; your skin is just incredible!"

"Thank you," Pei Baoyuan smiled.

"Is that birthmark by the corner of your eye?"

Pei Baoyuan nodded. "Sorry, I’ve increased your workload." She had a crescent-shaped birthmark the size of a fingernail near the corner of her eye. It was faint, but it needed to be covered with concealer for the camera.

"No worries at all. The shape of this birthmark is lovely; it’s the prettiest one I’ve ever seen."

After her makeup and hair were done, Pei Baoyuan waited for over an hour before the director's team informed her that the recording would be delayed by another hour. The reason was that today’s guest star had just arrived at the set and needed time for hair and makeup.

[Cough, cough! Male lead, show some restraint! Look at how you’ve delayed Yiren’s work.]
[Hmm, covering that concealer seems like a huge project. Good thing the baby brought her own makeup artist, or she'd be so embarrassed.]

Pei Baoyuan’s fists tightened.

She was being told that because Huo Yanci and Song Yiren were messing around in broad daylight, Song Yiren was late for work, which in turn forced her to work overtime?

A nameless fire surged within her. What was worse, Song Yiren even sent an assistant to deliver a gift as an apology.

Could Pei Baoyuan take this?

Pei Baoyuan took out her phone and started typing.

*Since you like to show off so much, let’s do it openly and honestly!*