After resolving those dreadful marriage problems, Qiguan Yuan returned to the bedside. Pei Yubai was still asleep, in the same position.
Qiguan Yuan lay down next to him, pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, and turned to look at Pei Yubai's face.
Hmm... Yun Yin is still very good.
Qiguan Yuan watched for a while.
He reached out and touched Pei Yubai's brow with his fingertip, then withdrew the Spirit-Calming Technique he had used on Pei Yubai.
Pei Yubai's brows twitched slightly, but he didn't wake up.
Qiguan Yuan withdrew his hand, closed his eyes, and his silver hair spread out on the pillow and hung down beside the bed.
The ears peeked out, fluffy and soft.
Pei Yubai awoke shortly after Qiguan Yuan withdrew his spell.
He didn't think much about how he was able to fall asleep.
He can fall asleep as long as he's near Yuanyuan.
Pei Yubai didn't make any big movements, afraid of waking Qiguan Yuan.
He lowered his eyes and looked at Qiguan Yuan's sleeping face.
Qiguan Yuan's eyelashes are very long, with the ends slightly curled upwards, casting shadows under his eyes.
Her nose bridge was straight, the tip of her nose had a slight sheen, and her lips were very light, but she was truly very beautiful.
His fingers rested on Pei Yubai's waist, his fingertips cool through his clothes.
Yuanyuan is his now.
The thought popped into Pei Yubai's mind. He lowered his head, resting his chin on the top of Qiguan Yuan.
Qiguan Yuan's hair brushed against his chin, and his ears twitched, tickling him, but he didn't flinch.
He couldn't help but smile.
He stared at Qiguan Yuan for a long time.
Pei Yubai didn't know exactly how long it would take, but glancing at the sky outside the window, he figured it was probably time for him to get up for his morning run.
I need to go for my morning run earlier today.
He carefully withdrew from under Qiguan Yuan and moved his head onto the pillow.
Then Pei Yubai pulled the blanket up to cover his shoulders.
Qiguan Yuan's ears twitched, and he burrowed his head under the covers.
Pei Yubai glanced at the small section of his ear that was showing for a moment, then got out of bed, changed into his jogging clothes, and left the room.
The living room lights were off; the light from the hallway streamed in through the windows, casting a grayish-blue glow.
Meng Xu stood at the top of the stairs, holding his phone. The light from the screen shone on his face, making it clear that he was texting someone.
He heard the door open, looked up, and their eyes met.
A hint of surprise flashed across Meng Xu's face when he saw Pei Yubai come out of the room.
"Why are you up so early?" Meng Xu lowered his voice and turned his phone over, holding it face down in his hand.
Before turning the page, he glanced at the time: 5:35.
"You didn't sleep all night?"
Pei Yubai gently closed the door. "You're awake. Go for your morning run." He didn't explain whether he had slept last night, straightened his cuffs, and walked past Meng Xu.
Meng Xu watched his retreating figure, hesitated for a moment, and said, "You've been getting up earlier and earlier lately. Didn't you used to get up at six? Is your insomnia getting worse?"
"I got up as soon as I woke up." Pei Yubai didn't turn around, took a few steps, stopped, turned around and looked at Meng Xu: "I'm going to make breakfast for Yuanyuan."
Meng Xu was taken aback. "You? Cook?"
He looked Pei Yubai up and down.
Prince, cooking? Are you kidding me?
Although Pei Yubai's behavior these past few days felt unfamiliar to him, his cooking skills still exceeded his expectations.
Pei Yubai can cook? I bet he can't even tell the difference between a plate and a saucer.
"Do you want to call Auntie Shen? Maybe ask her to find you a neurologist?" Meng Xu tentatively asked.
He wasn't joking; he was serious. Pei Yubai's recent behavior was far too abnormal.
Meng Xu suspected that Pei Yubai's insomnia and lack of sleep had damaged his brain; it wasn't uncommon for this to happen to others.
Pei Yubai looked at him for a while, then said in a very calm tone, "Your emotional state has been completely blank, so you don't know what I'm doing. That's normal."
Meng Xu opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.
It took him a few seconds to realize that Pei Yubai was calling him a single dog, saying that he had never been in a relationship and therefore couldn't understand.
But before he could speak, Pei Yubai had already reached the door, his hand on the doorknob, and without turning around, he tossed out a sentence.
Don't wake my Yuanyuan.
The door opened and then closed.
The morning light peeked in through the crack in the door, flashed briefly, and then disappeared.
Meng Xu stood in the corridor, still holding his flipped-over phone. He glanced at the direction Pei Yubai had disappeared in, then at the closed door at the end of the corridor.
"Your Yuanyuan?" Meng Xu said to the air. "When did you get married? Are you dreaming? Are you still dreaming?"
Pei Yubai had already left, and no one answered him.
Meng Xu stood there for a while, then looked down at his phone. The screen was lit up; it was a message from his assistant asking about today's live stream schedule.
He looked down and continued replying to messages.
Ugh, this little show is so hard to make.
Pei Yubai's cameraman was already waiting downstairs, leaning against a pillar of the stilted house with his equipment, yawning.
Seeing Pei Yubai come out, they quickly set up the equipment and pointed the lens at him.
Pei Yubai didn't look at the camera and started running along the stone path.
The moment Pei Yubai appeared on screen, the comments section started flooding with messages.
Those who can stay in the live stream at this time are all die-hard fans.
Of course, there were also some fans from other groups who were waiting in Pei Yubai's live stream because the other guests' live streams weren't open yet.
Good morning!
Why are you up so early today?
[ Pei Yubai, are you in a good mood today?]
Fans keenly noticed Pei Yubai's mood today.
Pei Yubai for a while, then reached up and brushed the hair from his forehead back, revealing his entire face.
His face remained expressionless; those unfamiliar with him would think he was no different from usual.
But those who know him well can see the difference. His eyebrows and eyes are more relaxed than usual, and his chin is not as tense as usual. He looks like he has taken something off his shoulders and is very relaxed.
After running two laps, Pei Yubai slowed down, took out his phone from his pocket, and entered his live stream.
The chat was still scrolling, but the moment he took out his phone and opened the live stream, the chat exploded with comments.
Is he in a good mood?
[How can I tell you're in a good mood?]
I can't quite put my finger on it, it's just a feeling.
[He never used to look at the camera when he ran, but today he clicked into the live stream. Something's not right.]
Pei Yubai watched the scrolling comments on the screen, slowed his pace, and went from running to walking.
He spoke to the camera, his voice not loud, but very clear.
"Yes, I'm in a good mood."
The comments section sped up even more, with fans actively asking him questions.
Why are you in a good mood?
[What good news is there?]
Pei Yubai stared at the screen for a while longer, then his lips twitched slightly.
The curvature is obvious; everyone can see it.
[Did he smile?]
[He actually smiled.]
[Buhou]
[broken]
Pei Yubai's fans had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, Pei Yubai raised his phone a little higher, so that the camera was facing his face.
The morning light shone from the east, falling on his face and gilding his features with a pale gold.
He said something to the camera, his tone inexplicably smug. " Yuanyuan is my boyfriend now."
The comments section froze for a moment.
The words on the screen were still scrolling, but they were all the same thing.
Rows of question marks rolled neatly from right to left.
A few seconds later, the question mark turned into an exclamation mark, and the exclamation mark turned into text.
[What???]
What did I just hear???
[ Pei Yubai, say that again???]
[Boyfriend??? Qiguan Yuan???]
Is this for real?
[Is this just for the show???]
[He wouldn't joke about something like this, would he?]
[Is that really true???]
Pei Yubai's fans were the first to recover.
But strangely, there was no wailing or lamentation, no declaration of unfollowing.
I knew it.
[really]
[To be honest, not surprising at all]
Pei Yubai's fans' reaction surprised fans from other fan groups who were just waiting to see what would happen.
[No, you just accepted it like that?]
[What can you do if you don't accept it? You didn't see how he turned into a complete idiot the moment he saw Qiguan Yuan. [Weary]]
[ Pei Yubai, tone it down a bit.]
[It's too late, he's beyond saving.]
Bystanders and fans from other groups were still in shock.
At this moment, Qiguan Yuan's fans finally arrived and went wild as soon as they entered.
[What happened? What happened?]
[ Pei Yubai, what did you say?!]
[Did Yuanyuan say yes???]
I don't believe it!!!
[ Yuanyuan, have you been kidnapped?]
[ Pei Yubai! The hatred for stealing my wife is irreconcilable! I'll fight you to the death! Aaaaaah!!!]
Qiguan Yuan's fans are devastated.
Pei Yubai's fans watched from the sidelines, their feelings complicated.
Seeing Qiguan Yuan's fans crying and wailing in the live chat, someone couldn't help but post a comment.
[I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a bit good.]
[Me too]
[ Pei Yubai, well done!]
How dare you say such things?
[Sorry, why should we be sorry? We used to be the ones getting scolded, now it's their turn.]
[I get the feeling that you guys are gloating.]
[No, we are just stating the facts.]
Get out of here!
The comments section was divided into several camps: some offered blessings, some questioned, some were devastated, and some were just watching the spectacle.
There was also a celebration.
Pei Yubai stopped looking, moved his phone away from the camera, said to the photographer, "Let's go back," and then sped up, running back towards the stilted house.
Meng Xu was still standing in the corridor, his phone screen lit up with a series of messages from his assistant.
He didn't pay attention to any of them because he had just seen that message in Pei Yubai's live stream.
I'm in a really bad mood.
Why did Pei Yubai manage to find a partner so easily?
Seeing Pei Yubai return, he recalled Pei Yubai's earlier, roundabout boasting to him.
I really don't want to watch it.
He turned and slipped away.
Pei Yubai quietly changed into clean clothes, left the room, walked to Ji Shiyu's door, and knocked three times.
When Ji Shiyu opened the door, her hair was still uncombed, she was wearing a wrinkled T-shirt, and her eyes were half-open, clearly having been woken up by the knocking.
" Yubai?" Ji Shiyu rubbed his eyes. "What's wrong?"
Pei Yubai stood at the door, his expression serious.
He looked at Ji Shiyu, " Teacher Ji, can you teach me how to cook?"
Ji Shiyu's drowsiness dissipated considerably.
He looked at Pei Yubai, wondering if he was still half asleep.
Still dreaming.
Pei Yubai, cooking? That Pei Yubai, that rich kid from the Beijing entertainment circle? He wants to learn to cook?
"Are you serious?" Ji Shiyu asked.
"Yes, I need to make breakfast for Yuanyuan."
Ji Shiyu looked at him for two seconds, then stepped aside. "You come in first, I'll change my clothes."
Pei Yubai entered Ji Shiyu's room.
The room was about the same size as his, the bed was made neatly, and there was a book next to the pillow with a bookmark between them.
There were a few items on the table, not many, but each one was arranged very neatly.
Ji Shiyu took a coat from the closet, put it on, and led Pei Yubai into the kitchen.
"What can you do?" Ji Shiyu asked.
Pei Yubai thought for a moment, "Instant noodles."
Ji Shiyu ran her hand through her hair and scratched it.
"Okay. Let's learn how to cook porridge first." He took a small pot out of the cupboard, filled it halfway with water from the tap, and then scooped a bowl of rice from the rice container and placed it in front of Pei Yubai.
"The rice needs to be washed first, twice is enough, no need to rub it too hard."
Pei Yubai poured the rice into a basin, turned on the tap, and let the water overflow the rice grains. He put his hand in and stirred the rice grains with his fingers.
The water turned white, so he poured it out, filled a basin with clean water, and stirred it again.
He poured it out, Ji Shiyu stood by watching without saying a word.
After he washed the rice...
"That's about it," Ji Shiyu said.
Pei Yubai poured the washed rice into the pot, covered it, and turned on the heat.
Ji Shiyu told him to lift the lid halfway after the water boiled, otherwise the porridge would overflow.
Pei Yubai nodded, stood in front of the stove, and watched the steam slowly rise from under the pot lid.
After a while, the water boiled, and he lifted the lid halfway. Steam billowed out from the gap, white and hazy, blurring his face.
Ji Shiyu took a few eggs and a bunch of scallions from the refrigerator and placed them on the cutting board. He then took a bowl from the cupboard and placed it next to Pei Yubai.
"The porridge needs to cook for a while longer. You should learn how to fry an egg first. The pan is over there. Put in a little oil, not too much. Once the pan is hot, crack the egg in and wait until the bottom is set before flipping it."
Pei Yubai turned on the fire in another burner and poured in oil. Once the oil was hot, he tapped an egg on the edge of the pan, cracking the shell. He then pried the shell open with his fingers, letting the egg white fall into the pan. The egg white quickly solidified in the oil, curling up at the edges and turning a golden brown.
After reminding Pei Yubai to flip the eggs, and seeing that they were almost done, Ji Shiyu said, "That's enough. Turn off the heat."
Pei Yubai turned off the heat and scooped the fried egg into a bowl. The edges of the egg white were slightly burnt, but the yolk remained intact.
Ji Shiyu looked at the fried egg for a moment. "It's alright."
These are the only things beginners should do first.
Pei Yubai looked at the fried eggs he had made, then at Ji Shiyu: "Not good enough."
"That's already very good for your first attempt."
Pei Yubai didn't say anything, and took out two more eggs from the refrigerator.
Ji Shiyu watched his actions without stopping him, took the scallions from the cutting board, chopped them into scallion flowers, and put them in a small dish.
After wasting several eggs, Pei Yubai was finally satisfied.
The porridge was cooked; the rice grains had bloomed, the soup was thick, and the aroma of white rice porridge wafted from the pot, mingling with the steam and filling the entire kitchen.
Pei Yubai turned off the fire, ladled out a bowl, placed it on a tray, put a fried egg on top, sprinkled it with chopped green onions, and took a pair of chopsticks from the chopstick holder.
He picked up the tray, turned to leave, but suddenly stopped and looked at Ji Shiyu.
" Teacher Ji, Yuanyuan is my boyfriend."