520.5

Pei Jinghe drove him home.

Wu Jiangyuan's brain was a little frozen the whole way.

He had turned his head toward the window and never turned it back.

It was as though his brain had finally recovered its ability to think.

Just thinking about what he had said earlier made him break out in a sweat. Running his mouth had felt great at the time, but now that he had come to his senses, he wanted to die.

What the hell had gotten into him, actually daring to agree to what Pei Jinghe had said?

No, he had to make it clear to Pei Jinghe that he had only been joking.

But despite thinking about it the entire way, he never managed to open his mouth.

Not until the car pulled into the apartment complex's underground garage.

"We're here."

Wu Jiangyuan abruptly snapped out of his daze. Taking a look around the familiar garage, he opened the car door without a word and made to leave.

"Wu Jiangyuan."

Pei Jinghe called his name from behind him.

Wu Jiangyuan stopped and turned back, disgruntled. "What?"

In the end, he still hadn't explained himself.

He found the whole thing too awkward to put into words.

It would be better to tell him on WeChat once he got home.

"You forgot this."

Pei Jinghe held out the document envelope.

"..."

Wu Jiangyuan didn't really want to take it, but thinking of everything that had happened today, he accepted it anyway.

He also asked, "What if I can't keep the agreement?"

Pei Jinghe gazed steadily at him. "Whether you keep it or not, I won't take back what I said."

Wu Jiangyuan's throat went inexplicably dry. "Which part do you mean?"

Pei Jinghe said, "I'll make you a star as your husband. It has nothing to do with profit."

"Since you married me, I'll do what a husband should."

Suddenly, Wu Jiangyuan couldn't figure him out. It was too contradictory.

Just hours ago, he had called himself his financial backer, and now he was talking about acting as his husband.

He decided he might as well ask for clarity. "So even if I don't abide by the terms on this paper, you'll still make me a star unconditionally."

"Then what was the point of drafting this?"

Pei Jinghe asked softly, "Do you want to know?"

His expression was earnest, so earnest that Wu Jiangyuan saw tenderness in it.

Wu Jiangyuan pressed his lips together, unsure how to answer for a moment.

Then he heard Pei Jinghe say, "Because I hoped this piece of paper could help you see me as your husband, rather than someone you hate."

His words surprised Wu Jiangyuan.

Why did that sound so much like Pei Jinghe wanted to build a proper life with him?

Unable to understand, he asked, "But don't you hate me?"

Pei Jinghe looked puzzled.

"There's something I've wondered for a long time."

His fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel as he said thoughtfully, "Why do you think I hate you?"

Wu Jiangyuan said, "Because you were always giving me nasty looks when we were kids."

"Nasty looks?" Pei Jinghe was even more puzzled.

"You forgot?" Wu Jiangyuan snorted. "Whenever I went to your house as a kid, you were always cold to me. You barely bothered responding when I talked to you."

Pei Jinghe's brow immediately furrowed. "Are you sure?"

Wu Jiangyuan rolled his eyes hard. "Absolutely. I clearly remember going to your house one year to share some gingerbread candy with you, and the moment you saw me, you turned around and ran upstairs without a word."

That incident had hit him hard and left a very deep impression.

Pei Jinghe: "..."

Gingerbread candy?

He seemed to remember now.

That had indeed happened. That year, Wu Jiangyuan had made a special trip to the Pei family home with gingerbread candy Aunt Jia had just made.

He had stood before him excitedly, holding the gingerbread candy, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Pei Jinghe had indeed run upstairs then.

But he hadn't run upstairs to avoid Wu Jiangyuan.

He had wanted to get something he liked to give him in return.

But by the time he came back downstairs, Wu Jiangyuan had already left.

Pei Jinghe's expression grew complicated. So this had actually left such a deep impression on him.

Feeling a headache coming on, he pinched between his brows. "I wasn't trying to avoid you then."

"Who'd believe that?" Wu Jiangyuan gave a dry laugh. "I'll remember that sour face of yours for the rest of my life, Pei Jinghe."

Every time he saw him, he looked utterly unapproachable, and he hadn't even acknowledged the gingerbread candy Wu Jiangyuan had offered as a friendly gesture.

He had been so angry that he put the gingerbread candy away and left on the spot.

From then on, he had begun to realize that this kid, Pei Jinghe, couldn't stand him.

Wu Jiangyuan was rather straightforward: If you don't like me, there's no reason for me to like you.

And that was how their grudge had begun.

Pei Jinghe understood now. Back then, he had been baffled too, wondering why Wu Jiangyuan had suddenly become so hostile toward him.

Though their relationship hadn't been particularly good before that, they had at least been ordinary classmates.

He hadn't expected this incident to be what had turned their relationship into what it was today.

Pei Jinghe couldn't help laughing, entirely out of exasperation.

How was he supposed to explain to Wu Jiangyuan that he hadn't deliberately been giving him nasty looks?

He just naturally had a sour face.

He hadn't deliberately refused to talk to Wu Jiangyuan either. He simply hadn't known how to express his delight.

Pei Jinghe could only repeat himself. "I wasn't avoiding you. I wanted to give you something."

Wu Jiangyuan raised an eyebrow. "Isn't it a little late to cover for yourself now?"

Then he asked, "Give me what?"

But Pei Jinghe found it a little hard to say. "..."

It was a little embarrassing to mention that thing now.

Seeing his troubled expression, Wu Jiangyuan scoffed. "Forget it. If you can't make something up, don't bother. I'm heading home."

Pei Jinghe said to his retreating back, "Wu Jiangyuan, I don't hate you."

Wu Jiangyuan paused without turning around, merely waving to show he had heard.

Only after he had disappeared from the garage did Pei Jinghe leave.

Back home.

Wu Jiangyuan flopped onto the couch and raised the document envelope in his hand.

After hesitating for a while, he opened it anyway.

He could accept most of the terms inside.

Except for the clause stating, [During rut, both parties are obligated to help the other find relief]...

And another clause: [Neither party may engage in any form of infidelity during the marriage.]

Wu Jiangyuan had no objection to that last clause, but there was something he didn't understand.

Was Pei Jinghe planning to spend the rest of his life with him as a pretend married couple?

Light shone through the paper, and at the bottom was a name signed in pen: Pei Jinghe.

Wu Jiangyuan brushed his fingers over Pei Jinghe's signature, thinking of what he had said before they parted.

He didn't hate him?

Had he misunderstood him as a kid?

Wu Jiangyuan pondered for a long time, then sat up and went to the study to get a pen.

He signed his name at the bottom of the paper.

It didn't really matter whether he signed it, but seeing that Pei Jinghe had signed, he figured he might as well sign too.

He opened his chat with Pei Jinghe.

3Q: [How much did today's meal cost?]

3Q: [You didn't take my money for the meal last time. It wouldn't be right not to take it this time, would it?]

He had thought it would take him a long time to reply.

To his surprise, a message popped up immediately after he sent those texts.

The guy with the sour face who's asking for a beating: [You insist on paying?]

3Q: [Yeah. You know me. I, Wu Jiangyuan, don't take things I haven't earned.]

The guy with the sour face who's asking for a beating: [520]

3Q: [?]

The guy with the sour face who's asking for a beating: [Didn't you want to pay for the meal?]

3Q: [Are you sure that's the amount?]

The guy with the sour face who's asking for a beating: [I threw away the receipt. Believe it or not, your choice.]

Wu Jiangyuan silently ground his teeth and immediately moved to transfer him 520 yuan.

But entering that number felt awkward, so he added another fifty cents.

That made it 520.5 yuan.

The typing indicator on Pei Jinghe's end stayed up for quite a while, but he accepted the transfer anyway.

After accepting it, he didn't reply again.

Wu Jiangyuan didn't send him any more messages either. Instead, after discussing tomorrow's filming location with Aji, he washed up and went to bed.