I don't care

Pei Yang turned his head, giving Wu Rui quite a fright.

"M-Mr. Pei Yang," Wu Rui asked, stunned, "what happened to your face?"

More than one person had asked him that today, and Pei Yang was tired of answering. "An allergic reaction."

"Oh..."

"Did you need something?" Pei Yang asked, a little impatiently.

Hurry! Take him! To see! Feng Wanting!

Wu Rui said hesitantly, "Director Feng asked you to come upstairs, but since there's something wrong with your face, I'll let him know..."

"Let him know what?" Pei Yang said. "I'm fine. Take me upstairs."

Wu Rui offered considerately, "Would you like me to get you a mask?"

"Surely your Director Feng won't drop dead from fright at the sight of my face?" Pei Yang said, displeased.

"That's absolutely not what I meant." Wu Rui gestured for Pei Yang to go ahead.

Pei Yang put down what he was holding and left the shared office with Wu Rui.

Gu Xin, who had just returned from slacking off in the restroom, spotted Wu Rui and hurriedly ducked against the wall. Watching Pei Yang get into the elevator with him and head upstairs, she frowned. "Pei Yang...? How does he have anything to do with Secretary Wu...?"

Pei Yang followed Wu Rui, an indescribable nervousness tightening his chest. He secretly took several deep breaths.

When they reached the door to the Chairman's Office, Wu Rui respectfully knocked three times. "Director Feng."

"Come in."

Having delivered him, Wu Rui immediately turned and left, fleeing faster than a rabbit.

Pei Yang's heartbeat reached its peak. With his head lowered, he practiced the look he would give Feng Wanting: disdainful, contemptuous, cold and heartless. Once he had it down, he confidently lifted his eyes, but the person in front of him wasn't Feng Wanting.

"Young Master... Wei?" Pei Yang vaguely remembered that being his surname.

"Holy shit!" Wei Ziyun recoiled a full step. "Pei Yang, is that you? What happened to your face? Were you disfigured?!"

"I..."

Pei Yang had barely gotten out a word before Wei Ziyun darted aside, revealing Feng Wanting seated behind an imposing, elegant desk. "Feng Wanting! Look what happened to your Pei Yang's face!"

Feng Wanting paused, then frowned. One of Pei Yang's cheeks was unnaturally flushed, as though stained by a burning sunset, the redness spreading out from his cheekbone. A closer look revealed a fine layer of rash across his skin.

The moment Pei Yang met Feng Wanting's eyes, he reflexively looked down. Only afterward did he remember that he had come here specifically to show Feng Wanting how ugly he looked, so he raised his chin a little.

"What happened to your face?" Feng Wanting finally asked.

"An allergic reaction."

"To what?"

"Mangoes."

"Have you always known you were allergic to mangoes?"

The exchange was so quick that Pei Yang failed to catch on in time and blurted out, "Yes."

"Then why did you eat them?" Feng Wanting's gaze darkened.

"..."

He'd walked right into that.

Pei Yang awkwardly looked away. "I was craving them. Are you going to police that too, Director Feng?"

Feng Wanting said nothing.

Feng Wanting had a strange feeling that Pei Yang's sudden decision to eat something he was allergic to might have something to do with him, but he had no proof.

A deathly silence filled the spacious office. Caught between the two of them, Wei Ziyun barely dared to breathe as he silently went over the lines Feng Wanting had coached him on before Pei Yang arrived.

None of the three spoke. In the end, Pei Yang ran out of patience and couldn't hold back any longer. "Was there something you wanted Secretary Wu to bring me up here for, Director Feng? If not, stop keeping me from going home."

Feng Wanting sat as still as a pine, his expression unruffled, and gave a barely perceptible sigh.

Pei Yang turned to leave.

Only then did Feng Wanting frown. He gave Wei Ziyun a look. "Wei Ziyun, talk."

"Oh, right, right!" As though someone had suddenly released him from paralysis, Wei Ziyun stepped in front of Pei Yang. "P-Pei Yang! Please don't get the wrong idea. Wanting told me you're angry because he asked for someone's WeChat, but-but-but it's a misunderstanding. It was me. I asked him to do it."

Pei Yang was stunned. "You?"

"That's right, me!" For his friend's sake, Wei Ziyun threw his dignity to the wind. "To tell you the truth, I... I saw Wanting's Moments post, and that guy looked just my type, so I asked him to help me get his WeChat. As for the photo, Wanting really just took a random shot and happened to catch him in it. He has absolutely no improper intentions toward the man in that photo."

Feng Wanting added, "I deleted both the Moments post and the photo."

Pei Yang gave a cold snort and glanced at Feng Wanting, who sat stiffly upright behind his desk. It was impossible to tell whether he believed them.

"And another thing! That day at the club, it was all my doing too. I dragged Wanting there for drinks, I ordered the male escorts, and I found the stand-in! Wanting hardly ever goes to places like that unless it's for work." Wei Ziyun was almost in tears from explaining. If Pei Yang didn't believe him, he would have to apologize to Feng Wanting with his life.

Pei Yang watched Wei Ziyun quietly without a word.

They really were best buddies who went picking up men together. He was even willing to shoulder this much blame for his friend.

Seeing that Pei Yang remained unmoved, Wei Ziyun anxiously added, "I promise, I swear! The only person in Feng Wanting's heart is-"

"Wei Ziyun." Feng Wanting stopped him before he could finish. "Leave out anything unnecessary."

Wei Ziyun gave a wounded little "Oh."

Pei Yang turned slightly. "Finished?"

The question was directed at both Feng Wanting and Wei Ziyun.

The two exchanged a look. Wei Ziyun blinked. "Y-yes, finished."

"Then if there's nothing else, I'll be going." Pei Yang had only taken two steps when Feng Wanting called his name. "Pei Yang."

Pei Yang stopped. "Anything else, Director Feng?"

"You don't believe us?" Feng Wanting asked.

"I do," Pei Yang said, with an utterly unconvincing expression. "Every word."

Pei Yang was wearing Feng Wanting down, body and soul. He had spent all of last night thinking of how to handle this. Believing sincerity was his trump card, he had brought in Wei Ziyun, the person involved. Everything had been explained, the truth laid bare, yet Pei Yang was still this cold and indifferent.

Feng Wanting couldn't help wondering exactly how Pei Yang saw him.

"But having Young Master Wei come explain was completely unnecessary, Director Feng." Pei Yang looked straight into Feng Wanting's eyes. "Hiring male escorts, finding stand-ins, adding people on WeChat-that's your business. It has nothing to do with me. I don't care."

Feng Wanting's fingers twitched, a bitter ache spreading through his chest.

"Seriously! You!" Wei Ziyun had never been treated so unfairly. His eyes widened in anger, and he couldn't stop himself from shouting, "Pei Yang, you really don't know what's good for you. We've explained over and over, and this is your attitude? Do you have any idea what kind of status Wanting has...?"

"What status?" Pei Yang shot back. "Is he the emperor?"

"Pei Yang! Don't get too fucking cocky! Believe me, I can make sure you have no future in the Northern Continent!"

"Wei Ziyun," Feng Wanting said wearily, "leave."

"Feng Wanting!" Wei Ziyun had no idea when Feng Wanting had become so mild-tempered. Pei Yang was practically walking all over him, and he was still protecting him.

He nodded, then pointed at Pei Yang's forehead and said cryptically, "Pei Yang, don't think you're such a big deal. Wanting and I only lowered ourselves to explain all this because you're a medicinal catalyst..."