Finally Being Snatched Away at My Wedding by My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Appeared then Departed

Su Yuan opened his eyes and slowly turned his head, looking timidly at the person by the door. “I’m thirsty. I want water.”

Pei Xing let out a cold snicker.

His arms and legs work fine, can’t he get it himself? Am I a dog? Is he really just going to order me around like this?

One minute later

“Don’t drink too much,” Pei Xing said. “Don’t blame me when you wake up with edema tomorrow.”

Su Yuan held the glass with both hands and nodded obediently.

After finishing the water, Su Yuan lay flat on the bed. The high pillows made his breathing much smoother. He pulled the blanket up with both hands, resting them on his chest while staring at Pei Xing without blinking.

Pei Xing took the glass away and switched off the bedroom lights, leaving only the light from the master bathroom on.

“It’s already nine o’clock. Sleep now.”

He closed the door and left.

Pei Xing stood in front of the water dispenser. The water overflowed from his cup before he finally released the button.

He moved everything from the study to the desk by the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window; from there, his peripheral vision could just catch the bedroom door. His fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long while. Even as the screen went black, reflecting his own face, he couldn’t type a single word.

Pei Xing let out a soft “tch.” He stood up and went back into the bedroom to place a thermos on the nightstand and check the ventilation system, doors, and windows.

Having done all this, the chaotic marbles in his chest finally rolled into their designated tracks. But he got “stuck” again upon leaving.

Pei Xing gripped the doorframe, looking at Su Yuan’s face. His chin was buried in the duvet, making his already small face look even smaller. The pure white bedding didn’t outshine him in the slightest; if anything, it lost to him for being too monotonous.

Pei Xing reached out, pressing two fingers into the bedding to feel for Su Yuan’s slender wrist.

The steady pulse put him at ease or perhaps it was the confirmation of Su Yuan’s actual presence.

“Buzz”

Pei Xing frowned. Seeing that Su Yuan hadn’t woken up, he stepped out of the bedroom.

He pulled open the front door. Sya stood there holding a satchel. “Boss, the items have been delivered. The Chu family was watching quite closely, so it took some extra time.”

Pei Xing glanced at the extremely ordinary black athletic satchel. “This is his?”

Sya nodded. Pei Xing’s expression wasn’t great. As he took it, he asked, “How are things being handled?”

“Very smoothly,” Sya glanced at Pei Xing. “After all, the conditions you offered made the Huaicheng government very satisfied.”

Pei Xing’s attention was entirely on the bag in his hand; he didn’t seem to notice Sya’s underlying meaning.

“He wouldn’t possibly wear this kind of bag. If you haven’t made a mistake, then go and get me his most recent files.”

After receiving Sya’s confirmation, Pei Xing closed the door and placed the satchel on the coffee table. He sat on the sofa, elbows on his knees, staring intently at this personal object belonging to Su Yuan.

A work call interrupted his moral struggle. Finally, he placed it back in the bedroom, untouched.

Pei Xing sat at the desk and began processing the work he had postponed over the last few days. Two laptops were open on the desk one for a video conference, the other for replying to the hundreds of emails he hadn’t handled today.

“Keep your voices down. You’re being noisy.”

Pei Xing looked at the Marketing and R&D departments arguing mid-screen. He pursed his lips, put on his headphones, and signaled for them to continue.

…

Inside the bedroom, Su Yuan’s breathing became labored. A fit of dry coughing woke him up.

He instinctively reached for the nightstand. Just as he realized where he was and started to pull back, his hand brushed against the thermos filled with warm water. Stunned for a second, Su Yuan quickly took several gulps.

Once the coughing stopped, Su Yuan rubbed his chest, frustrated that he hadn’t had time to buy medicine.

But the black athletic satchel on the bed-end stool was lying there quietly, like a hot meat pie falling from the sky.

Without thinking, Su Yuan crawled over, pulled out a pillbox from inside, and swallowed the medicine with water. He collapsed back against the headboard, drained of strength. After an unknown amount of time, his energy returned.

He sat up, put the pillbox back, and got out of bed. He cautiously cracked open the door, watching Pei Xing as he worked. Su Yuan watched for a long time before dragging his heavy, groggy head back to the bed.

Half an hour later, having finished listening to the argument, Pei Xing went in once more to check Su Yuan’s pulse.

Everything was normal.

As normal as the files his assistant had sent.

Pei Xing stood by the bed, unable to find his train of thought. Perhaps it was because Su Yuan hadn’t said that sentence to him: “I’m doing very well.”

It was a contradictory sentiment; he both wanted to hear it and didn’t.

Su Yuan might lie to him again.

Just like back then, while Pei Xing was planning their future, Su Yuan was like a little ant, taking advantage of his absences to slowly empty the house of his personal belongings. It was only when he heard the word “breakup” that Pei Xing realized there was nothing of Su Yuan’s left in the house.

And now, Su Yuan didn’t even have to say goodbye to his face; he could simply leave without looking back, as if tonight were just another one of Pei Xing’s overconfident dreams.

Pei Xing didn’t dare sleep.

Yet the awareness of sharing a roof with Su Yuan was like a hazelnut wind chime hanging on the balcony, beautifully coaxing him toward slumber. On the living room sofa, Pei Xing fell into the deepest sleep he’d had in two years no dreams, just pure rest.

…

He woke up at 8:00 AM.

For the first time in two years, Pei Xing had overslept—just like the first time he and Su Yuan had slept in the same room. He looked at the closed bedroom door and went to the guest bathroom to shower.

Dressed and ready, Pei Xing planned to take Su Yuan out for a meal once he woke up. It was a “wedding snatching,” not an affair; there was no need to hide.

He sat back down at the desk to continue his video meetings. Lacking his little ibis plushie, he held an apple in his hand, squeezing it. It was better than nothing.

“Maybe you should go eat breakfast,” the technician on the screen reminded him. “The breakfast options where you are aren’t as boring as they are here.”

Pei Xing smiled a rarity outside of public view. “True. But without travel plans, some people won’t get out of bed before brunch.”

The bedroom door was pushed open.

Pei Xing put down the apple and turned his head. “You’re up?”

Pei Xing froze.

Su Yuan stood at the villa door, fully dressed. He wore a pure white cotton T-shirt under a pink button-down, with loose dark-brown trousers and a black belt that perfectly accented his slender waist.

“Percy?”

The technician waved at the person on the screen who seemed turned to stone, only for Pei Xing to hang up the call without a backward glance.

Pei Xing walked slowly toward Su Yuan, his eyes frantic, unsure whether to land on the thin arm exposed by the rolled-up sleeve or the fair curve of the ear where hair was tucked back. So easily, Pei Xing was transported back six years to their first date.

Su Yuan tilted his head. “You’re awake?”

His logic returned, and Pei Xing realized Su Yuan was coming in from outside the villa.

“Where did you go?”

“Home,” Su Yuan lifted the bag of fruit in his hand. “Thank you for yesterday. It felt impolite to just leave like that, so I brought you some fruit.”

This was the opening line Su Yuan had practiced for a long time, but the effect wasn’t as good as he’d hoped. Pei Xing’s expression was terrible.

“What’s wrong?”

Pei Xing’s chest heaved for a moment. He gave an inexplicable smile and took the bag. “Nothing. You’re welcome.”

Su Yuan rubbed his fingers, which were red from the bag’s weight, and nodded. “Then, I’ll head out now.”

Su Yuan turned to walk out. The overconfident Pei Xing stood in the backlit entrance hallway, staring at the crisp persimmons in the bag, falling into a long silence.

…

On the shaded stone path, Su Yuan lowered his head and smoothed the wrinkles at the hem of his shirt. At the shuttle bus stop, he pressed the call button.

But what arrived before the white shuttle was that black sports car.

Pei Xing rolled down the window. “Get in. I’ll drop you off.”

Su Yuan stared, motionless, looking a bit cramped and nervous like a bird that had forgotten how to fly away. Pei Xing got out of the car, caught him, and none-too-gently stuffed him into the passenger seat.

“Where are we going?”

Su Yuan didn’t give a specific address; he named an arts district.

Pei Xing remained unmoved, locking the doors and staring back at the security guard saluting at the gate.

Su Yuan was forced to give the name of a gallery.

Pei Xing’s interest in art was shallow after four years with Su Yuan, he was still called a “block of wood.” Plus, having been away for two years, he had to ask Su Yuan to open the navigation.

Su Yuan looked at Pei Xing’s phone, but eventually pulled out his own.

“You haven’t changed your phone in over a year?” Pei Xing asked out of the blue.

Su Yuan’s heart tightened. He said casually, “I’m sentimental.”

In the rearview mirror, Pei Xing looked up, searching his face deeply.

One traffic light away from the gallery, Su Yuan spoke up. “Stop here.”

He unbuckled his seatbelt early, as if certain this would force Pei Xing to stop. As soon as the car halted, Su Yuan pushed the door open and ran off with small steps like a rabbit.

Pei Xing “tsked” and leaned out: “Su Xinxin, what are you running for?”

Just as he unbuckled to give chase, he locked eyes with a traffic officer at the intersection. Helplessly, he had to find a parking lot first.

Once parked, Pei Xing followed the GPS to the gallery Su Yuan had mentioned. It wasn’t open; in fact, there were hardly any pedestrians on the street.

Pei Xing had long known Su Yuan was a liar, but he hadn’t expected him to have improved so much in two years. Knowing Su Yuan couldn’t have gone far, he began searching the district bit by bit.

Finally, he saw someone sitting on a narrow staircase passage.

There was a man beside Su Yuan, holding his hand. It was none other than the familiar Chu Fei, whom Pei Xing had seen just yesterday.

Pei Xing stopped at a distance, hands clenched into fists.

Upon learning Su Yuan was marrying Chu Fei, he had used excuses to numb himself: Chu Fei isn’t gay; Su Yuan just treats him like a younger brother. Su Yuan leaving the church with him without hesitation had given him a sense of luck thinking perhaps the marriage wasn’t based on love.

But the reality before him was this: Su Yuan left him as soon as he woke up, ditched him again after being caught, and couldn’t wait to meet Chu Fei.

Chu Fei was crying. Su Yuan smiled and touched his face with intimate gestures and a smile Pei Xing hadn’t seen in two days.

Pei Xing’s body went rigid. The sculptures inside the glass wall behind him, those ridiculous sculptures he didn’t know how to appreciate, weren’t as ridiculous as he was right now.

Incredibly, he still wanted to walk over and ask Su Yuan.

Pei Xing shifted his foot, but before he could move closer, Chu Fei took Su Yuan’s hand and stood up. Su Yuan, like an obedient bird, hooked his arm through Chu Fei’s and flew away without looking back.

Pei Xing backed away.

Su Yuan had only briefly landed by his side.

And then, he easily tore him to pieces.

Once again.

How utterly laughable.

…

On the flight to San Francisco, Sya confirmed the work tasks with Zhou Wei (who remained in Huaicheng) and began reporting the post-landing schedule to Pei Xing.

Pei Xing’s face was grim. He stared at the clouds outside the window in silence, unable to see a single bird.

Just as she had understood the reason for Pei Xing’s sudden return a few days ago, Sya guessed why they were suddenly taking the nearest flight out.

It turned out that even someone like Pei Xing who became famous overnight yet didn’t lose himself to extravagance and flattery — would still struggle with love, trapped in this harbor city.

She stopped talking, closed her laptop, stepped out of the first-class suite, and closed the door to give Pei Xing some private space.

Outside the window, the sky darkened. The snow-white fuselage was like a migratory bird that had left the flock, flying lonely through the dark night.

Pei Xing closed his eyes, wanting to end reality and hoping the Su Yuan from his dreams would come quickly.

Not too much, just stopping at that summer of birdwatching would be enough.