This kind of arrangement is called being kept

"Aren't we getting married? I can use my resources to make you famous, and in return, you'll have to compensate me."

"We can both benefit from this."

Wu Jiangyuan: "..."

He had mixed feelings now. To some extent, didn't this mean Pei Jinghe was going to become his financial backer?

Thinking about it, in all his years in the entertainment industry, there had been no shortage of people offering him an olive branch, hoping to keep him.

Wu Jiangyuan had never given them a second glance. Given his background, those people were toads lusting after swan meat.

But Pei Jinghe was rather different. This guy was already his fiancé, a settled fact, and he had top-tier resources at his disposal, resources that would be very helpful to Wu Jiangyuan.

Since the marriage was an unchangeable fact, he might as well gain something to his own advantage from the engagement.

Get something out of Pei Jinghe?

Hmm... that sounded pretty tempting.

Wu Jiangyuan suddenly figured it out, and once he did, he felt much better.

He asked, "What do you want to get out of me?"

If it was the benefits of celebrity influence, Pei Jinghe could easily find an A-list star. They could offer him far more than Wu Jiangyuan could.

Apart from that, what else did he have that Pei Jinghe could want?

A hand lifted his chin without warning, bringing Wu Jiangyuan a little closer to the Enigma before him. He could feel the other man's gaze sweep idly down his face.

"Grandpa cares a lot about our marriage. He can't wait for a great-grandchild..."

Before Pei Jinghe could finish, Wu Jiangyuan's face darkened, and he punched him in the abdomen.

"Pei Jinghe, I should beat you to death. What does his wanting a great-grandchild have to do with me? Can I f*cking give birth for you?"

"Keep dreaming!"

This bastard actually dared to entertain that idea?!

Pei Jinghe rubbed his abdomen and chuckled softly. "I hadn't finished. Why were you in such a hurry to hit me?"

Wu Jiangyuan gave a hollow laugh. "By the time you finish, you'll already be a corpse. Believe me?"

Pei Jinghe: "."

He considered his wording before continuing. "I'm not asking you to give birth. I'm asking you to cooperate with me."

"Are you going to keep acting like we're mortal enemies after we're married?"

The corner of Wu Jiangyuan's eye twitched. He replied coldly, "You think far too highly of yourself."

Pei Jinghe said, "I thought we'd already reached an agreement at the old residence last time."

"You call that reaching an agreement?" Remembering that night made Wu Jiangyuan furious. "If you hadn't deliberately brought up that scandal to my mom, I wouldn't have told your mother we'd slept together and made them think we were so in love."

"What's wrong with being in love?" Pei Jinghe said instead. "Giving our elders what they want to see can save us a lot of trouble down the road."

Wu Jiangyuan didn't argue with that. "So this is what you want to get out of me? To play a model, loving couple with you?"

Wasn't it just pretending to be in love in front of those few people at home? How hard could that be?

He'd had that idea himself at the old residence that day.

"That's only one of the conditions."

Pei Jinghe smiled faintly. "There are also a few marital matters I think we need to discuss first."

Wu Jiangyuan raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

Quite a few demands. Was he that afraid he'd lose out by marrying him?

Pei Jinghe said mildly, "For example, after we get married, both parties must live together. No living apart."

Wu Jiangyuan said, "What necessary connection does that have to pretending to be in love?"

"There is one." Pei Jinghe explained calmly, "My mom will visit often. If she finds out we're living apart after getting married, there's no way we'll be able to keep it from Grandpa."

"..." Wu Jiangyuan took a deep breath. "Fine."

It was just living together, wasn't it? He had over a hundred reasons not to come home.

Pei Jinghe said, "Also, no prolonged stretches of staying out all night."

Wu Jiangyuan: "?"

His mouth twitched hard. "Reason."

Pei Jinghe said, "Same reason as above. My mom generally likes to visit in the evening."

"Pei Jinghe." Wu Jiangyuan was baffled. "How did I never notice you were a mama's boy?"

Pei Jinghe blinked innocently and spoke.

"You know how close Auntie Jia and my mom are. When the time comes, my mom might not be the only one visiting..."

Before he finished, Wu Jiangyuan knew what he meant.

"Stop-"

"Don't say another word."

If he kept talking, Wu Jiangyuan wouldn't be able to resist the itch to hit him.

"Every time you open your mouth, you annoy me. Young Master Pei, why don't you just draw up a contract and list everything in it?"

He had only mentioned a contract offhand, but Pei Jinghe took an interest.

"Good suggestion."

Wu Jiangyuan rolled his eyes. Whatever. He was tired.

He turned to leave.

But Pei Jinghe caught him by the collar.

"Are you going out?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "We've said everything we need to. What else am I staying in here for?"

The main thing was that having two grown men crammed in here was particularly stifling.

"Have you forgotten what you came in here to do?"

"To do what?"

Pei Jinghe looked toward the sample outfit tossed to one side and said meaningfully, "Weren't you asking for my help?"

Wu Jiangyuan: "..."

After a few seconds of silent thought, he bristled like a cat. "Your help? I can change myself."

"Then hurry up," Pei Jinghe said. "The designer's been waiting outside for us for a long time. Don't waste everyone's time."

Wu Jiangyuan clicked his tongue lightly. "What are you rushing me for? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the designer."

As he spoke, he crossed his hands, caught the hem of his shirt, and lifted it, exposing a stretch of pale, firm, narrow waist before abruptly stopping.

Wu Jiangyuan realized someone was still standing beside him.

He shot him a cold glare. "Turn around."

Pei Jinghe tilted his head. "Shy?"

His gaze traveled unhurriedly down Wu Jiangyuan's body. "It's not like I haven't seen it before..."

Before he could finish, Wu Jiangyuan lifted a leg and kicked him in the shin.

Pei Jinghe fell silent of his own accord and turned around with a concealed smile on his face.

The rustle of clothing came from behind him, amplified several times over in the quiet space as it reached his ears.

With his eyelids half lowered, Pei Jinghe pictured the Alpha's beautiful body. It was wonderful to look at and felt excellent to the touch...

"Pei Jinghe."

Wu Jiangyuan's sudden call brought him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" Pei Jinghe answered calmly.

Wu Jiangyuan fastened the last button before saying what he had wanted to say all along. "I don't want them to know we're involved."

"..." Pei Jinghe was silent for a moment. "In what respect?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "When I sign a partnership with Tangsheng, I don't want people thinking it's because of my connection to you."

"Especially in the entertainment industry. You might not know this, but in the industry, this kind of arrangement is called being kept."

"Being kept?" Pei Jinghe mulled over the term and chuckled. "That's quite an interesting term to apply to you."

Wu Jiangyuan said expressionlessly, "I don't care if they apply that term to me. The important thing is not to let them discover your existence."

"'The financial backer behind Wu Jiangyuan is Pei Jinghe.' I don't want to see a trending topic like that."