Finally Being Snatched Away at My Wedding by My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 21.2

Chapter 21.2: Old Desires Reignited

Su Yuan sat back in the car. Zhou Wei stood by the roadside guarding all his belongings, waving goodbye.

Pei Xing spoke first. “It won’t fit. He’ll send the things over in a bit.”

“Where are we going?” Su Yuan asked.

The mottled wallpaper of the living room and the rusted stove in the kitchen were still before Pei Xing’s eyes, making his temples throb with pain. “Throw them into Tingfeng Lake.”

Su Yuan’s eyes widened.

Pei Xing used his curled thumb to rub his temple and opened his eyes to look at him. “You took it seriously?”

Su Yuan sniffled, turned his head away, looked at the changing street scenery, and shook his head. “I didn’t…”

The car entered a tunnel. Occasionally, he would see Pei Xing’s profile in the glass. The silhouette was rugged, seemingly no different from two years ago. The white shirt suited Pei Xing well, but the eighteen-year-old Pei Xing always wore black clothes.

He wasn’t the twenty-year-old Su Yuan either.

For no reason, Su Yuan’s eyes began to sting.

The car emerged from the tunnel, and the bright daylight made tears suddenly fall. He didn’t move, hoping the tears would dry on their own. Fortunately, Pei Xing didn’t notice.

Ridicule or comfort both would embarrass him.

Pei Xing leaned his face on his hand and kept looking out the window. His hand resting on his leg tightened every time Su Yuan’s shoulder occasionally twitched.

The quiet and suffocating silence was finally broken as the car slowed for a security guard’s salute and the automatic barrier rose.

When Su Yuan spoke, his voice was a bit raspy. “This isn’t a hotel.”

Huaicheng Red Mountain Lake District the autumn maples all over the mountains were reflected in the lake. Only a dozen villas occupied the entire lake area; it was Huaicheng’s top-tier lakefront villa project.

During a Halloween date, they had seen the promotional poster on a large LED screen in the city center. He remembered saying it was beautiful. Pei Xing was picking out the green onions, ginger, and garlic from his bowl, looked up casually, and said nothing.

He looked at Pei Xing, whose expression was calm as if he remembered nothing.

“This isn’t a hotel,” Su Yuan repeated.

The car stopped in front of a villa. Pei Xing finally spoke, “Why stay at a hotel when there’s a home?”

Pei Xing got out of the car, went around to Su Yuan’s side, opened the door, and waited for him to get out voluntarily without hurrying him.

Su Yuan sat there quietly, finding that he understood Pei Xing’s actions less and less. Helping an ex-boyfriend who once abandoned him could be understood as “repaying a debt,” but why bring him to his own home?

Pei Xing had a girlfriend.

If he moved into Pei Xing’s home, then what?

The suffocating feeling of being gripped by the throat by Chu Xiao and being forced to accept “kindness” enveloped him again. He didn’t want to equate Pei Xing with Chu Xiao, but he really couldn’t find the difference between the two.

For the past year, he had been like someone holding oars in a boat going upstream. If he stopped for a second, the river’s power would push him into the abyss. He could only row desperately. But the wind and waves were too big; he was overturned and crushed. The feeling of weightlessness made him wake up from sleep with a start.

Pei Xing’s appearance seemed to calm the storm, but he began to fear if he would be dragged into another abyss.

“What do you mean by bringing me here? Isn’t this your home?”

Pei Xing smiled. “Do you want to see the property certificate?”

Where is your girlfriend?

One abroad and one in the country is that what it means?

“Pei Xing, I can’t stay in your home.” Su Yuan pressed his hand to his chest. “Thank you for your kindness and benevolence. Please lend me another sum of money; I’ll find a house myself. I will slowly pay all this money back to you.”

In the few seconds of waiting for an answer, Su Yuan thought of the reactions Pei Xing might have.

Walking away in anger and never appearing again; throwing a bank card at him and mocking his self-importance; dragging him into that villa regardless of anything… but no matter which one it was, he could only accept it; he had no choice.

The tall figure shadowing him approached. Su Yuan clenched his hands.

Pei Xing slowly crouched down to be at eye level with Su Yuan, pretending not to see the tears falling from fear. His voice was calm. “Su Yuan, I won’t force you to do anything.”

Su Yuan looked up, his gaze timid, like a fledgling bird unsure if the one returning to the nest was a parent bringing food or a falcon tricking him.

Pei Xing maintained a safe distance and a calm tone. “Don’t treat all this as a transaction. Even without those four years, we still have that summer. Right?”

After a long silence, Su Yuan’s heart slowly calmed, and blood returned to his limbs.

He leaned on the car door and stepped out, following Pei Xing into the front yard step by step.

The wind brought the fragrance of flowers and grass. A large patch of snow-white jasmine almost occupied the entire front garden. An irregular stone path wound its way to the main entrance of the villa.

Su Yuan’s hand pinching the collar of the trench coat slowly loosened as he looked at the empty villa.

Chestnut brown floors, black door and window frames, and cream-white walls. In the middle of the spacious living room, there was only a square green rug and no other furniture. This allowed the view of the red-leafed lake to be reflected before his eyes without obstruction.

Pei Xing walked to the dining area, picked up a bottle of water, loosened the cap, and handed it to him. ” I don’t have that aesthetic sense; I couldn’t pick out the soft furnishings, so I didn’t buy furniture.”

He took the glass bottle and took a very small sip. “It’s a very beautiful house.”

It was beautiful like a new house prepared for a wedding, just waiting for the mistress to move in and decorate it according to her preference.

Su Yuan lowered his eyes and stopped looking at the burning Red Mountain outside the floor-to-ceiling window. “Where do I stay?”

“The master bedroom is on the third floor; the elevator is behind the stairs…”

“That doesn’t seem right,” Su Yuan gripped the sparkling water bottle. “Is a guest room okay?”

Pei Xing’s tone was firmer than his. “No.”

Su Yuan looked at him, said nothing more, and followed Pei Xing to the third floor.

The master bedroom suite was extremely spacious, with a study, walk-in closet, bathroom, and shower. However, it was just as empty. The only furniture in the master bedroom was a large bed already made with baby-blue bedding.

In the bathroom, there were many brand-new daily necessities, all in colors and brands familiar to Su Yuan, as if they had been prepared long ago.

He looked at Pei Xing behind him, opened his mouth, but still didn’t ask.

Pei Xing put away his phone. “Your things will be sent over soon. The maid has already arrived downstairs. Do you want to take a bath first or eat something?”

“I don’t have clothes to change into.”

“There are pajamas in the closet.” Pei Xing gripped the door handle. “Don’t wash for too long. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

…

After bathing, Su Yuan changed into that set of light purple silk pajamas and went downstairs, shaking his half-dry hair. A crisp and faint sound came from the dining area.

Su Yuan’s footsteps were light, and the person busy in the kitchen didn’t notice.

Pei Xing stood before the counter wearing a black apron. He quickly cut the shrimp meat, seasoned it, and soon wrapped several shrimp dumplings and put them in the pot.

He glanced at Pei Xing’s white shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of tanned, sturdy arm. He turned and quietly went upstairs, then deliberately stepped heavily when he came back down.

The corners of the man’s mouth, with his back to him, curved slightly.

Su Yuan was agonizing over an opening line when a middle-aged Eastern European maid carrying a pot of jasmine flowers entered through the small garden door, smiled, and bowed to him. “Su, hello. I am Melanie.”

Hearing this name, Su Yuan was stunned. “Hello.”

“These are the best-blooming jasmine flowers in the yard. Would you like them in the bedroom or the living room?”

Su Yuan looked at the empty living room. “By the rug would be good. The wind will spread the fragrance throughout the whole house.”

Pei Xing had prepared the meal avocado salad, shrimp dumplings, pan-seared cod with asparagus, and lobster soup lit by a bright crystal chandelier on the marble island, making one’s mouth water.

Su Yuan picked up the chopsticks and looked at Pei Xing.

“No rice,” Pei Xing said.

“Why?”

Pei Xing untied the apron, leaned against the counter, and looked at him. “Because you don’t need to do things just to fill your stomach anymore.”

Su Yuan lowered his eyes and ate the shrimp dumplings in small bites.

On the other side of the chandelier, Pei Xing watched him finish eating slowly, just like before. When his eating speed slowed further, Pei Xing picked up his phone and went to the side to take a few calls.

Melanie appeared again carrying silver-white small flowers of bridal wreath spirea and placed them on one side of the island. Su Yuan called out to her.

“Melanie?”

“Yes.”

Su Yuan hesitated, “Is this your original name or a work name?”

Melanie seemed to have guessed he would ask and smiled. “I am Polish; this is my original name. Per… Mr. Pei told me that the maid who took care of you when you were little was Polish like me and also had this name, so it’s fate.”

Su Yuan also smiled and nodded.

The rose pattern at the bottom of the plate was revealed. His home used to have this set of tableware too.

Su Yuan looked around and indeed found similarities to the Su family villa in many places, including that lonely rug in the living room, which was the one from his original bedroom.

Su Yuan fell into silence.

He didn’t understand Pei Xing’s intention. Was it because the reason for the breakup back then was so hard for him to accept that he remembered these details so clearly?

The person you once looked down upon now possesses everything you once had.

Su Yuan didn’t understand.

Pei Xing returned from the backyard, put the dishes from the island into the dishwasher, and picked up a peach soaking in the sink to peel it. Su Yuan suddenly spoke up.

“Pei Xing, thank you. But we should keep some distance.”

Pei Xing could take him in, but he couldn’t cook and cut fruit for him like before. This was too overstepping for their current relationship. He couldn’t pretend not to know about Pei Xing’s girlfriend.

Morality and poverty were like two walls slowly moving in a closed room, about to squeeze him until he couldn’t breathe.

Pei Xing’s hand holding the fruit knife paused, but he quickly and deftly peeled and sliced it, put it into a frosted glass bowl, mixed it with honey and passion fruit, and finally placed a silver fruit fork in it before putting the bowl in front of him.

“Any other requests?” Pei Xing asked.

What? Su Yuan was stunned.

Pei Xing didn’t look at him, his hands propped on the island. “If this is your request for staying here peacefully, I can accept it. Anything else?”

His toes inside the flip-flops moved rapidly. “Let’s try to meet as little as possible. If you and… if you’re moving back in, please tell me in advance, and I’ll move out.”

The word “girlfriend” was still so hard to say.

“No problem. I rarely return to the country and have no plans to settle here.” Pei Xing’s masseter muscle bulged for a moment. He stared at Su Yuan, trying to see something on his face.

He found nothing.

Pei Xing raised his hand to glance at his watch. “Melanie and her team will take care of your life. Zhou Wei will stay here to handle your father’s medical matters. If anything happens, tell… them.”

“My flight is in three hours. I’m leaving.”

Su Yuan stared at Pei Xing blankly, not having recovered from the shock of kicking the owner out of his own home and moving in himself. Pei Xing pulled open the door, then suddenly spoke at the doorway.

“Come here,” Pei Xing’s chest rose and fell for a moment. “See me off.”

“Oh.” Su Yuan got off the high stool and walked quickly to Pei Xing’s side.

Pei Xing stared at him. Su Yuan thought for a moment and said, “Bye-bye.”

“Where are your puppy ears?”

Su Yuan’s face was dyed with a faint blush in the autumn sunset. He let out an “ah” and looked at him blankly. “What puppy ears?”

Pei Xing gritted his teeth. “Never mind.”

He’s not even pretending to be cute anymore. This is Su Xinxin.

…

Pei Xing walked away, and Su Yuan suddenly thought of something, telling him to wait. Soon, he ran out of the villa gate with that black trench coat.

Halfway through, he was hoisted back by Pei Xing.

“Why are you running?” Pei Xing frowned and looked at the flip-flops on his feet. “Didn’t you see it’s windy outside? Go back and change your shoes, or go back to the bedroom.”

“Don’t be fierce.” Su Yuan was stunned after saying it himself.

“You’re allowed to take a ruler and draw a boundary line, making things clear and separate, but I’m not allowed to say a few words?”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Su Yuan lowered his head and pinched his fingers. “Then be fierce.”

Pei Xing closed his eyes in anger and took the coat. “Go back. Go upstairs.”

Su Yuan turned around, just as he was about to

“Su Xinxin, try running again.”

Su Yuan’s outstretched foot retracted very slowly. He looked back at him and took a series of tiny steps with his knees together.

…

In the car, Pei Xing looked at the little crested ibis sitting on the black trench coat beside him, flicked it over with his finger, and the little ibis was jolted by the speed bump, rolling twice, looking at him pitifully.

Pei Xing picked it up and put it in his lap.

The car stopped at the apartment complex where Su Yuan had lived. Pei Xing opened three locks, and the more he opened, the more his heart sank.

Entering the bedroom, the windows were covered with neat newspapers, with burrs left by the utility knife on the edges. The wardrobe was dusty and unused. The wooden bed was wiped very clean and made a creaking sound when he sat down.

He lay down on it, looking at the ceiling stained yellow by accumulated water. Lying on his right side, there was a patch of green mold in the corner behind the yellow wooden door.

Slowly sitting up, he pulled open the nightstand, and a small hammer was lying inside.

Pei Xing lowered his head, his hands propped on his separated knees, and then wiped his face heavily.

The landlord’s son was waiting in the hallway. Suddenly, the sounds of chopping and heavy objects falling came from the house, giving him a huge shock. Just as he pulled open the door, Pei Xing had already walked to the doorway. He grabbed the knife on the cabinet and thrust it into the cabinet surface with a “thud.”

“Refund the remaining rent and deposit to the original tenant. For liquidated damages and damage compensation, contact the person on the business card.”

Pei Xing strode past him and went straight downstairs.

…

In the office of the Director of Neurosurgery at the Third Hospital, Pei Xing held “Xia Liren’s” pathology report. The attending physician was talking about the patient’s condition.

“…Mr. Xia had a high-altitude fall injury. When he was sent here, he already had no spontaneous breathing. The diagnosis was severe traumatic brain injury accompanied by brainstem function impairment, which is the root cause of his persistent deep coma state.”

“For over a year, everything that could be done has been done. Early on, it was craniotomy, and later anti-infection… but the current situation, as you have seen, life is maintained entirely by equipment.”

Pei Xing put down the report and asked in a low voice, “How much did the treatment cost?”

“Mr. Xia’s surgery was not done in our hospital, but the surgical costs and the first week’s ICU fees would not be less than 500,000. Since being transferred to our hospital, equipment such as the ventilator and ECG monitoring cannot stop for 24 hours. The fixed daily expenditure is around 6,000. If ECMO is used, the daily cost is around 20,000. Oh, this doesn’t include rehabilitation treatment and surgical costs like today’s.”

Pei Xing nodded. “Have the family members always been delayed in paying?”

“That’s right. That’s also why he was transferred from a private hospital to our hospital.”

“One last question,” Pei Xing looked at the dean on the side. “Why is this patient called ‘Xia Liren’?”

The dean had expected this but was still shaken by Pei Xing’s overall aura. His expression changed. “This… it’s not convenient for our hospital to answer. It was all instructions from above.”

Pei Xing knew he couldn’t get anything out of them and left the hospital.

Su Yuan definitely had the answer, but now he couldn’t even stand being in the same room with him, and he wouldn’t expect him to tell an ex-boyfriend anything.

He called Zhou Wei, and after arranging the relevant matters, he went to the pet park and headed for the airport.

After boarding, Zhou Wei sent a photo. It was Su Yuan’s back. He was sitting on the rug in the living room with his legs hugged, watching TV. With the lights off, the light from the screen outlined his silhouette and hair like a plant.

Pei Xing smiled.

The exhaustion of not closing his eyes for two days and one night was finally allowed to strike at this moment.

Huaicheng beneath the plane sank into a sweet dream just like him.

…

Su Yuan didn’t wake up with a start in the middle of the night again. When he opened his eyes, the soft morning light had passed through the red maples and the shimmering lake surface, landing by the bed.

He lifted the quilt, jumped out of bed, and stepped barefoot on the dividing line of sunlight on the rug. His toes were soon warmed by the light, feeling itchy as if a little person were dancing on tiptoe on top.

Su Yuan washed up and went downstairs. No one else was seen in the quiet villa.

Breakfast was on the terrace. Melanie and other maids in the garden waved and greeted Su Yuan. Su Yuan was thinking of what to say, but they just continued tidying in the garden and didn’t come over to disturb him. Su Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

While eating breakfast, Su Yuan began to daydream. He looked up and saw a tree bearing fruit overhead. He froze for a moment, put down the seafood porridge, stood up, and circled around this tall persimmon tree.

The persimmon tree was planted at the corner of the terrace and the back garden, and there were signs of transplanting by the roots. The tree was much taller than the one in the yard in Fu County.

How tall was it?

At this moment, he caught sight of a small handmade wooden plaque hanging on the trunk: I am five meters taller than the one in the yard in Fu County.

Su Yuan was stunned. “But how tall was the one in Fu County?”

He casually flipped the small wooden plaque over: It was seven meters.

Su Yuan pinched the small wooden plaque and silently put it down, pretending he hadn’t been here.

He slung on his bag and went out to work. Melanie waved to him again. Su Yuan nodded and walked out of the front yard. Just as he was thinking of which direction to take, Zhou Wei ran toward him with a smile.

“Su Yuan, why did you get up so early? The malls haven’t even opened their doors yet.”

Su Yuan tilted his head. “I’m not going to a mall. I’m going to work.”

Zhou Wei was stunned. “Work? Didn’t you and the boss agree? The boss won’t let you go to work. He said you should take care of your body first.”

“But if I don’t work, how will I earn money to pay him back?”

Zhou Wei thought to himself, the boss really is clairvoyant. He gestured for Su Yuan to wait a moment and played a voice message the boss had sent him earlier:

“Su Yuan, I’m not in a hurry for you to repay the money, and I won’t charge you interest. So you are not allowed to go work for others outside. Paint by yourself at home. If you want to sell to others, or sell to me, either is fine.”

Su Yuan forgot this was a voice message and hurriedly said, “But I have a job outside.”

Zhou Wei marveled again and clicked the next voice message:

“Quit. It’s bitter, tiring, and the pay is low. What’s the point?”

Su Yuan: “Pei Xing, you said you wouldn’t force me…!”

Zhou Wei continued to play the voice message:

“Fine. If you really want to go, go to the hospital for a full physical check-up first. Bring me a report proving you can work from nine in the morning until nine at night, seven days a week. Otherwise, no discussion.”

“…”

Su Yuan remembered the time he lied to him about having heart surgery and instantly lost his fire.

“Fine then,” Su Yuan said to the phone screen.

Zhou Wei clicked: “Su Xinxin!”

Su Yuan blinked: “?”

Zhou Wei was flustered. “I clicked the wrong one; it’s this one!”

“Mm, be good.”