Let's make a deal, superstar

Traffic had held him up for a while, and Wu Jiangyuan arrived half an hour late.

He saw no sign of Pei Jinghe when he walked in.

The owner immediately came forward to greet him. "Young Master Wu, you're here."

"Hasn't he arrived?" Wu Jiangyuan asked.

The owner knew whom he meant and replied, "Mr. Pei is already trying on clothes inside."

Wu Jiangyuan met the designer's eyes and gave him a meaningful smile. "All right, got it."

He walked over to the designer and asked quietly, "Did he react at all when he saw the clothes?"

The designer gave a light cough and explained, "The garments haven't been dyed at this preliminary fitting stage. Only the mock-ups were sent over."

"We invited you both in for this fitting to finalize the fabric colors as well."

"I see." Wu Jiangyuan deliberately glanced at the fitting room and lowered his voice further. "Then he hasn't seen what color it'll be yet, right?"

The designer said, "No. I thought we'd decide together once you were both here."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "There's no need. Just go with what I told you last time. You don't need to show my partner, either. It's a surprise, after all."

The designer looked troubled. "But there are so many shades of pink. I'm not sure exactly which one your partner likes."

Wu Jiangyuan considered this. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted flowering branches outside the window. An idea struck him, and he pointed.

"That one. My partner likes that kind of flower."

The designer followed his finger and saw lush pink bougainvillea trailing over the wall outside the window, an ethereal, romantic sight in spring.

Understanding dawned on him. "I understand."

Wu Jiangyuan's lips curved in a satisfied smile, his gaze lingering on the wall covered in pink bougainvillea.

Wouldn't such an ethereal color look especially flamboyant on Pei Jinghe?

Just thinking about it made him unable to suppress his smile.

"Bougainvillea?"

Pei Jinghe's calm voice came from behind him. Wu Jiangyuan turned to see him leaning against the fitting room doorway, with no telling how much of their conversation he had heard.

The undyed mock-up fit him perfectly, showing off every advantage of his figure.

Wu Jiangyuan walked over unhurriedly and raised his hands to straighten Pei Jinghe's collar in front of the designer.

From the designer's perspective, the gesture was intimate. What a loving couple they were.

In reality, Wu Jiangyuan tightened his grip on Pei Jinghe's collar, forcing him to bend slightly and meet his eyes. "Cut the crap. I have something to ask you."

Pei Jinghe glanced at his roughly seized collar and raised an eyebrow slightly. "Aren't I your partner?"

Wu Jiangyuan's hands froze.

Pei Jinghe deliberately looked toward the designer watching them, then feigned confusion. "Isn't it bad to let people see you treating your partner like this?"

Noticing the designer's nosy gaze, Wu Jiangyuan let go and picked up another mock-up from beside him, then turned to Pei Jinghe with a bright smile.

"That's right, darling. I can't quite figure this outfit out. Help me, would you?"

Before Pei Jinghe could speak, he shoved him into the fitting room and locked the door with a click.

Behind them, the designer clicked his tongue in admiration. They were so close they even had to change together.

Inside the fitting room-

Wu Jiangyuan's expression darkened the instant the door closed. Folding his arms across his chest, he tipped up his chin. "Go on, explain."

Pei Jinghe asked, "Explain what? Aren't we trying on clothes?"

"Stop playing dumb, Pei Jinghe," Wu Jiangyuan said. "The Tassilo endorsement."

Silence filled the fitting room for a few seconds.

Pei Jinghe slowly leaned forward, planting his palm against the wall beside Wu Jiangyuan's ear. His movement made the already cramped space feel stifling.

"Don't like it?"

"What do you think?" Wu Jiangyuan scoffed. "A slap in the face, then a sweet treat. You've really outdone yourself, Pei Jinghe."

Pei Jinghe said, "What slap in the face?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "You could've explained right there in the livestream that you were sending those gifts on Tassilo's behalf. But you didn't. You used my identity to get yourself all that publicity, then got away clean with one casual announcement."

"Meanwhile, my comments are still full of people mocking me."

There was no complaint in his tone. He was simply stating the facts fairly.

Pei Jinghe lowered his eyes to study him. From this angle, looking down, Wu Jiangyuan's brow was haughty and cold, his lashes thick and curled. Something stirred in him, and he said softly, "At first, I sent them as your fiancé."

Wu Jiangyuan froze, looking up at him in surprise. "What did you say?"

"Wu Jiangyuan."

Pei Jinghe drew closer and closer, as though tempting him with promises right beside his ear. "Aren't we getting married? Why not think about how much you'll benefit from marrying me?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "Benefit?"

"You want to climb higher in the entertainment industry, but you don't want to use the Wu family's influence. In your current situation, relying on yourself alone... do you think that's possible?"

With one simple remark, Pei Jinghe struck straight at Wu Jiangyuan's weak spot. His lips parted, but for a long while, he couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

It wasn't possible. On his own, it was absolutely impossible.

Wu Jiangyuan's brow furrowed, then relaxed. He also picked up on something amiss in Pei Jinghe's words.

"So you weren't messing with me when you said that last time?"

Pei Jinghe said, "Last time?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "The day I went to Tangsheng to see you. You said you were backing me up as my fiancé."

Pei Jinghe's gaze was strange and puzzled. "I never said I was messing with you. You're just too guarded around me."

The corner of Wu Jiangyuan's mouth twitched. "That's because you're always opposing me at every turn."

A sudden act of kindness would only make him think a weasel was paying a New Year's visit to a chicken: nothing good could come of it.

Pei Jinghe felt a headache coming on. "When have I ever opposed you at every turn?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "Still denying it? Do you really need me to list everything you've done before, one by one?"

Seeing him still looking so innocent only made Wu Jiangyuan angrier.

Before he could list the things that bastard Pei Jinghe had done, he received a flick to the forehead.

Wu Jiangyuan hissed and glared at him. "Pei Jinghe, I swear you're deliberately trying to piss me off!"

"I'm not." Pei Jinghe calmly withdrew his hand. "I'm trying to get you to calm down."

Wu Jiangyuan said expressionlessly, "I am calm. Very calm. I couldn't possibly be calmer."

Calm enough to kill a Pei Jinghe with a single punch, even.

Pei Jinghe smiled. "Let's make a deal, superstar."

Being called superstar gave Wu Jiangyuan goose bumps. Why did it sound so strange coming from this guy's mouth?

"Don't call me something so disgusting. What kind of deal do you want to make?"

Pei Jinghe said, "Tassilo isn't the only brand under Tangsheng Enterprises. So far, none of them have ever signed a long-term contract with a celebrity. As long as you sign an agreement with me, you'll be the only celebrity Tangsheng Enterprises works with from now on."

The offer was tempting, but Wu Jiangyuan hadn't been completely drawn in.

"What kind of agreement do you want me to sign?"