Expressing gratitude

Only after returning to his room did Chu Xinghui realize his suitcase was still in Pei Hanmo's room.

But it was already eleven at night. After much hesitation, he knocked on Pei Hanmo's door anyway.

The door opened at once. Pei Hanmo stood in the doorway, his head resting against the frame as he looked down at Chu Xinghui.

"I haven't brought my suitcase over yet."

Pei Hanmo blocked the entire doorway, leaving Chu Xinghui no way in.

"Don't you have any thanks to offer me for today?"

Regret was written all over Pei Hanmo's face:

"I thought I'd get to hear a word of thanks from Young Master Chu~"

His rising lilt was full of teasing. Chu Xinghui certainly couldn't hear any regret in it.

He stood before Pei Hanmo, at something of a loss.

It was true that Pei Hanmo had helped him today. At least he hadn't embarrassed himself in front of everyone.

"Go get it."

Pei Hanmo was in no hurry to receive his thanks. He stepped back, leaving enough room for Chu Xinghui to pass.

Dragging his suitcase, Chu Xinghui returned to his room without looking back and shut the door with a slam, leaving Pei Hanmo staring at it.

"Ungrateful." Pei Hanmo shook his head with a laugh, murmured his reproach, and closed the door, ready to work for a while.

Gu Chupei had sent over some recent documents and told Pei Hanmo he would be coming over tomorrow.

Lan Xiangxian had actually been slipped into the show by Gu Chupei. Pei Hanmo knew that.

He was Gu Chupei's new kept lover.

As both his boss and his friend, Pei Hanmo had once advised him against keeping lovers, but Gu Chupei had dismissed it, claiming that this was a form of devotion too.

He had an unattainable love. Pei Hanmo didn't know the details, but he knew that this Lan Xiangxian definitely looked very much like that supposed unattainable love.

Otherwise, he couldn't possibly have spent his own money promoting Lan Xiangxian.

How could an actor who played corpses possibly be known to everyone?

It was simply because someone was promoting him.

His visit tomorrow was most likely also a chance to see this little lover of his.

Hmm. Looks like he still doesn't have enough work.

He looked at the documents in his hands, considering whether to assign Gu Chupei a few more tasks.

He was handling company documents when Chu Xinghui's knock came from outside.

He got up and went to open the door. Seeing Chu Xinghui's flushed face, he thought he was hyperventilating again and reached out to cover his face.

Unexpectedly, Chu Xinghui tilted his head to dodge his hand, then grabbed his tie and gave it a hard tug.

Caught off guard, he pitched forward, his head knocking against Chu Xinghui's shoulder.

Chu Xinghui's breathing sounded beside his ear. Unlike earlier, he wasn't hyperventilating.

His lips brushed against Pei Hanmo's earlobe with extreme intimacy, barely touching, leaving him a little restless, though he had no idea what Chu Xinghui was trying to do.

"Th... thank you."

The soft voice sounded beside his ear. Pei Hanmo immediately straightened, covering that ear with both hands. His expression froze for a second before he put on a cheeky grin:

"So this is your thank-you~ Why not say a little more so your little brother can hear it properly?"

Seeing that Pei Hanmo hadn't reacted much, Chu Xinghui's face burned even hotter.

He had spent ages thinking up this way of thanking him!

Embarrassment turning into anger, he threw the electric blanket in his hands at Pei Hanmo's face:

"Get lost! You damned snake! I worried about you for nothing!"

With that, he raised his foot and kicked Pei Hanmo into the room, then slammed the door shut.

Once the door closed, Pei Hanmo abruptly crouched down with his back against it. He lowered his head to look at his two very lively little brothers, a wry smile on his face.

Luckily, Chu Xinghui hadn't noticed. Otherwise, he would probably have been even angrier, and it wouldn't have ended with just a kick.

In the past, Pei Hanmo had only heard that voice from Chu Xinghui on certain particular occasions.

For instance, when Chu Xinghui gave in, or... when the two of them comforted each other.

Because they had been about the same height back then, Pei Hanmo couldn't see Chu Xinghui's face when they held each other. He could only hear the clear sounds beside his ear.

But Chu Xinghui found making noise terribly embarrassing, so he always bit his lips tightly shut.

When he truly reached his peak and couldn't hold back anymore, his mouth would part slightly, letting out restrained gasps. Once he noticed, he would do his best to cover his mouth again.

That thank-you from Chu Xinghui just now had brought all those past moments back before Pei Hanmo's eyes.

His expressions, his voice, how much he trembled...

I can't keep thinking about this!

Pei Hanmo wanted nothing more than to slap his two little brothers.

What good is this right now?

Because he was a snake, he couldn't even take a cold shower.

Pei Hanmo rather regretted teasing Chu Xinghui earlier. Now he had left himself burning with desire.

He picked up the electric blanket Chu Xinghui had thrown at him, put it on the bed, and sat by the window to wait for himself to calm down.

Meanwhile, the culprit lay on his bed, completely unaware, chatting leisurely with Gu Kai.

[Gu Bear: How was your first day? It looked like you were hyperventilating. Are you okay, Xinghui?]

[Chu Xinghui: Nothing serious.]

[Gu Bear: That's good. You scared me to death! My whole family and I camped out in front of the TV all day. But seriously, Xinghui, you sing really well.]

[Chu Xinghui: Yeah, thanks.]

Pei Hanmo had said the same thing before. A lot of people had said the same thing before.

[Gu Bear: There's something else I need to tell you, Xinghui. The company wants detailed information about the environment you grew up in...]

Because of today's trending topics, Chu Xinghui's entertainment company had only just discovered that his family background hadn't been reported to the company when he signed.

Even Chu Xinghui's manager, Gu Kai, didn't know. Chu Xinghui's parents had never contacted either the company or Gu Kai.

Gu Kai knew this demand was undoubtedly going too far, but the company had become rather alarmed after discovering it couldn't uncover Chu Xinghui's background.

After the executives discussed it, they decided to force Chu Xinghui to reveal his origins.

[Gu Bear: I know this demand is way out of line, but there are some really serious rumors going around the company now.]

Gu Kai had privately told Chu Xinghui about the company's previous rumors, and Chu Xinghui hadn't particularly cared.

But this time, it really was serious. It had escalated to allegations that he was being kept, and they were spreading rapidly.

Reading Gu Kai's messages, Chu Xinghui pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek.

[Chu Xinghui: Gu Kai, how much do you have in savings?]

He hadn't known his information couldn't be uncovered. He had thought, at most, that videos featuring Pei Hanmo would disappear from the internet.

He hadn't expected Pei Hanmo to save himself the trouble by wiping all of it.

He couldn't stay at this company anymore, either.

They had intended to shelve him in the first place. Now it seemed they also wanted him to stir up another scandal so they could make money.

Chu Xinghui would barely receive any of the money from appearing on this variety show.

If Gu Kai was willing to leave with him, he would of course agree.

After all, Gu Kai had been helping him ever since his debut, without a single complaint.

[Gu Kai: Xinghui, do you mean... I'll go count my money right now!]

Gu Kai was thrilled. Finally, I can get away from this fucking company!

As if constantly making empty promises wasn't enough, they also required employees to clock in. Missing even one day meant not only losing the perfect-attendance bonus but also having a hefty amount docked from their pay.

And they did so little.

Chu Xinghui checked his account. The money he had saved over the past two years was enough to cover a third of his contract termination penalty.

A manager's termination penalty was a little cheaper. It should be half of Gu Kai's.

He could only find someone else to borrow money from.

But he hardly knew anyone.

Scrolling through his phone, his gaze settled on Wen Liangtian's and Pei Hanmo's names.