My Ex-Boyfriend is Obsessed with Getting Back Together - Chapter 8

The car fell into silence once more. Pei Ran leaned his head gently against the window, the glass reflecting Gu Lincuan’s profile and his distinct, slender fingers gripping the steering wheel. Pei Ran stared, lost in thought.

He rubbed the tip of his nose, trying his best to suppress the urge to cry. It was a lie to say he wasn’t sad. The Gu Lincuan of their youth had been less gloomy and more radiant than he was now. Back then, he always seemed to shine, like a warm little sun full of vitality.

But when Pei Ran thought about how this current gloominess might have been caused by his own departure, he felt a deep sense of despair and helplessness.

“Are you crying?” At some point, Gu Lincuan had caught his eye in the reflection of the window, noticing the shimmer of tears on his cheek.

Pei Ran was startled and instinctively touched his face. Feeling the moisture on his fingertips, he was instantly hit with a wave of shame. He took a deep breath, quickly wiping away the tears and forcing his voice to stay steady. “I’m not crying. You saw wrong.”

Gu Lincuan’s face darkened as he tilted his head slightly. “Do I look that easy to fool?”

Pei Ran waved his hands, explaining in a panic, “No, it’s not that. I just… I don’t know how to tell you.”

Gu Lincuan narrowed his eyes and, after a long moment, lowered his voice to scold him, “You’re a chronic liar.”

Pei Ran’s voice shook uncontrollably. “I’m sorry…”

“Tell me, why are you crying?” Gu Lincuan pulled the car over to the curb, unbuckled his seatbelt, and turned to face him. “Don’t lie to me again.”

Pei Ran didn’t know how to describe the desolation he felt at that moment. His eyes were watery, making him look like a lost little deer. “I just thought of some sad things…”

Gu Lincuan stared at him intensely, as if trying to confirm whether he was lying. After a while, he looked away and asked with feigned indifference, “Does it have to do with me?”

Pei Ran didn’t want to lie anymore. He nodded honestly and then looked at Gu Lincuan’s reaction. Fearing that he would look displeased again, Pei Ran quickly explained, “Not entirely. It’s only a little bit related.”

“I didn’t even say anything, why are you so nervous?” Perhaps because Pei Ran’s attempt to cover it up was too obvious, Gu Lincuan let out a rare, soft huff. “Fine. Wipe your tears. You’re making it look like I’m bullying you.”

Having finished “bullying” him, Gu Lincuan felt much better. He buckled his seatbelt, released the handbrake, and started the car, remembering why he had been annoyed with Pei Ran these past few days.

Pei Ran had promised to return the wallet as soon as possible. Because of that, Gu Lincuan had spent every morning dressing up like a peacock before work. Every time his secretary knocked on the door, a secret sense of anticipation would rise in his chest.

But after two days, there was no sign of him. If Song Yanyi hadn’t used a group dinner as an excuse to get him out of the office, he had no idea when he would have seen him again.

He’s always lying to me, that heartless little liar, Gu Lincuan scolded him silently in his head.

When they reached Pei Ran’s apartment building, Gu Lincuan parked the car and looked at Pei Ran’s hand. “Can you manage on your own? I’m leaving.” As soon as he spoke, he unbuckled his belt and pushed the door open.

“Wait a minute.” Before Pei Ran could react, Gu Lincuan was already out of the car. Pei Ran scrambled out to stop him. “Do you want to come up for a bit? I can return your wallet while I’m at it.”

Gu Lincuan paused mid-call and turned around. Pei Ran’s face was flushed, the cold wind blowing his bangs across his forehead. His lips were moist and parted unconsciously.

He’s inviting me to his home late at night. What does he mean by this?

Logic told him he should refuse. Getting him home safely was already his limit; there was no reason to go inside.

Gu Lincuan gritted his teeth. To hell with logic.

“Sure.”

A smile touched Pei Ran’s eyes, making them crinkle. He let out a relaxed laugh and took two steps forward to stand beside him, signaling for Gu Lincuan to follow.

Once inside, Pei Ran settled Gu Lincuan in the living room before heading to the bedroom to get the wallet. He had kept it on his nightstand next to the lamp, so he saw it every night before he went to sleep.

He held the wallet in his palm, stroking it unconsciously. He didn’t want to go back out too quickly, wanting to stall for as long as possible.

It had only been two days. He had originally thought that since they had just seen each other, there was no need to rush. At least having the wallet gave him a legitimate reason to ask to see him again. So, he had stayed away from Gu Lincuan, thinking he would wait until the longing became unbearable before reaching out.

Pei Ran let out a soft sigh and finally left the room with the wallet.

Gu Lincuan was sitting on the sofa, a glass of grapefruit juice in front of him. While Pei Ran was in the bedroom, he had taken a sip. The sweet taste of honey mixed with the tart grapefruit was his favorite.

When Pei Ran came out and saw Gu Lincuan taking small sips from the glass, his heart softened instantly. It felt like they were eighteen again.

He walked over and placed the wallet on the coffee table. “Do you like the taste? I specifically added osmanthus honey. It’s what you used to like.”

“Tastes change,” Gu Lincuan replied flatly, putting the glass down.

Pei Ran’s smile faltered. Thinking he didn’t like it, he felt a wave of disappointment. Still, he asked, “Then what kind of flavors do you like now?”

Gu Lincuan stared at him, his lips parting slightly. “Guess.”

How could Pei Ran possibly guess? He simply assumed Gu Lincuan didn’t want to tell him. Thinking that since Gu Lincuan didn’t like it, he should take the glass away and replace it with plain water, which was a safer bet.

As soon as Pei Ran’s hand touched the glass, Gu Lincuan stopped him warily. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to get you a different drink.” Pei Ran was stunned by his intervention, his fingers hanging awkwardly in the air as he looked up at him.

Gu Lincuan picked it up and took another sip. When he put it back down, he placed it further away from Pei Ran. “Don’t bother. I never said it was bad.”

The way he was being stubborn was too obvious. Pei Ran saw right through him, and his disappointment began to fade.

Gu Lincuan stayed until he finished the grapefruit juice. Then, he stood up, grabbed his wallet, and began walking toward the door while flipping through it.

Pei Ran didn’t know when the next time they would meet would be. After thinking it over, he decided to grab an apple from the table and chase after him.

Once he caught up, Pei Ran suddenly didn’t know what to say. Looking at the simple apple in his hand, he steeled his nerves and thrust it into Gu Lincuan’s arms. “Wishing you an early Merry Christmas.”

Gu Lincuan almost collided with his hand. He took a step back before reaching out to take the apple. “I’ll accept the gift, but I won’t accept the blessing yet.”

Pei Ran’s eyes widened. He wanted to protest, Who does that? Accepting the gift but not the well-wishes?

“I don’t like celebrating early. On Christmas Eve, you have to tell me again,” Gu Lincuan said, looking down into his eyes. “Can you do that?”

Pei Ran nodded frantically. “I can.”

Gu Lincuan nodded in satisfaction. He decided that for the sake of this apple, he wouldn’t hold a grudge against Pei Ran for not looking for him these past few days.

“Did you ever open it?” Gu Lincuan shook the wallet, thinking of the photo inside, and asked him thoughtfully.

Pei Ran followed closely behind him. When Gu Lincuan suddenly stopped, Pei Ran almost crashed into his back again. He rubbed his nose. “No, I just kept it on the cabinet.”

Pei Ran sounded worried. “Why? Is something missing?”

“No.” Gu Lincuan stood at the door, waving his hand casually in farewell. “But you really should take a look.”

Pei Ran’s heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat. Unfortunately, the culprit had already walked away, leaving only his back. Pei Ran quickly ran to the balcony. After waiting a moment, he saw Gu Lincuan’s figure emerge.

Pei Ran rested his chin on his hand, leaning over the balcony railing. He watched Gu Lincuan walk further and further away, not even wanting to blink. Only when the figure had completely disappeared into the night did he rub his dry eyes and turn back inside.

After several days of winter snow, the temperature in Nancheng plummeted. However, Christmas Eve brought a rare few days of clear weather.

Leo landed in Nancheng on one of these sunny days. Met with a blast of cold north wind, Leo respectably put on his scarf and hat, yet he was still shivering.

When Pei Ran came to pick him up, he almost didn’t recognize the bundled-up Leo. On the other hand, Leo spotted Pei Ran from a distance and shouted his name at the top of his lungs.

Seeing Pei Ran looking elegant and wearing only a single overcoat, Leo was shocked. “Ran, do all you Easterners know magic? How are you not cold at all?”

Pei Ran acted mysterious, putting a finger to his lips and gesturing for him to be quiet. “Of course. Do you want to learn this magic? I can teach you.”

Leo cooperated by looking around to make sure no one was watching them, nodding frantically with a thirst for knowledge.

Pei Ran pretended to shield him from view and told Leo to lean in closer. After fumbling around for a while, he finally pulled a heat pack out of his pocket.

Leo’s heart was racing, but the moment he saw what it was, he went dead silent. “…”

Having successfully pulled off his prank, Pei Ran laughed and draped an arm over Leo’s shoulder, leading him toward the car while still teasing him, “This is my secret technique. Don’t tell anyone else.”

While a heat pack wasn’t Eastern magic, it was very effective against the cold. Leo opened one and stuck it to his clothes, feeling warm almost instantly.

Seeing Pei Ran’s hand injury, Leo firmly refused to let him drive. He pushed Pei Ran into the passenger seat, much to Pei Ran’s helplessness. “It’s just a minor injury. It’s already healed.”

“A minor injury is still an injury.” Having said that, Leo sat in the driver’s seat, looking confused. “Eh? Ran, did you lend your car to someone?”

Pei Ran was buckling his seatbelt and looked up. “What’s wrong?”

Leo reached out to adjust the seat, sliding it forward a bit. “This seat is set so far back. It definitely wasn’t you driving.”

Leo and Pei Ran were almost identical in height and build. If they wore the same clothes and had the same hairstyle, it would be difficult to tell them apart from behind.

Pei Ran felt guilty and rubbed his nose, saying vaguely, “I think so. I can’t quite remember. I haven’t driven in a long time.”

The seat had been adjusted when Gu Lincuan was driving. Pei Ran had been staying at the studio lately and hadn’t had time to drive, so he hadn’t noticed anything wrong when he drove over.

Leo didn’t ask further. Once he adjusted the seat, he drove off.

Leo was back in the country for a week and would be staying at Pei Ran’s place. Pei Ran had prepared a room for him and stocked up on daily necessities.

As soon as Leo pushed his suitcase through the door, he saw a beautiful Christmas tree in the middle of the living room. He dropped his luggage and rushed forward, circling the tree and letting out exclamation after exclamation.

“Ran, I love you so much! I absolutely love this tree!” Leo rushed to Pei Ran’s side, saying excitedly, “It’s going to be even more beautiful once the lights are on tonight!”

Pei Ran walked to the window and pulled the curtains shut. Then, under Leo’s expectant gaze, he lit up the tree. Leo was so excited he picked Pei Ran up and spun him around, nearly speechless.

After Pei Ran went in to put his luggage away, Leo was still sitting by the tree, carefully touching the ornaments. When Pei Ran came out, Leo said with some regret, “It’s just a shame I can’t take it back to the UK.”

Pei Ran promised him that he would make one for him in the UK next Christmas. Leo excitedly threw his arms around Pei Ran’s neck. “Ran, you’re the best to me!”

Then, Leo stood next to the Christmas tree with a bright smile, flashing a peace sign and asking Pei Ran to take a Polaroid of him.

When the photo was developed, Leo couldn’t stop looking at it, wanting to show it off to the whole world.

Watching Leo holding his phone and showing off like a fool, Pei Ran felt a stir in his heart. He thought of the phone number Gu Lincuan had left in his phone, which he hadn’t had the chance to call yet.

Gu Lincuan had said to contact that number if he needed him. Was it his private number? Or his assistant’s? Could he call that number in his spare time? Would it be a bother?

Pei Ran’s mind was racing. He held his phone for a long time, typing the number and then deleting it, unable to make the call in the end.

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