On How To Defeat Dr. Qing Leng Chapter 33

Chapter 33 Chapter 33 His Childhood

The door lock made a light sound, and Pei Yan walked in first, put the bag on the entrance cabinet, and bent down to change his shoes.Wen Yelan followed and lowered his head to change into his slippers.His eyes swept across the living room habitually, and then he paused.

Not quite right.

The living room that was still spacious and simple when I left in the morning now has many things… that don’t belong in this space.

The sofa where I sat yesterday was carefully covered with a cashmere blanket.On the corner of the coffee table, there is the dark blue thermos cup that he often uses, and next to it is a geological journal he brought.Next to the lounge chair near the balcony, stood his small suitcase. The mouth of the suitcase was not completely closed, revealing the folded corners of clothes inside.Even the originally empty corner next to the TV cabinet had a simple vertical bookshelf at some point, with a few of his professional books and folders placed crookedly on it.

There are not many of these things, and they are not cluttered. It is just because they appear here that they appear so abrupt and eye-catching.

Pei Yan changed his shoes and was sorting the things he bought into categories to move to the kitchen. He didn’t seem to notice Wen Yelan’s stunned look.

Wen Yelan stood there, unconsciously squeezing the cake box with her fingers, making a slight rustling sound.His throat was a little dry, and a mixture of uneasiness and a hint of offense slowly rose up.What is this?He only stayed for two nights, but Pei Yan placed his things everywhere as if he was declaring his sovereignty?

“Pei Yan.” He said, his voice drier than usual.

“Huh?” Pei Yan poked his head out of the kitchen, holding a box of strawberries in his hand with a natural expression, “What’s wrong? Put the things down first, I’ll crush what you’re eating later.”

Wen Yelan did not move. He looked at Pei Yan and tried to sound calm, but the meaning behind his words was clear and clear: “My things…did you ask someone to prepare them? I will stay here for two days and go back before the Chinese New Year.” He paused and added, “You don’t have to go to such trouble.”

The air was quiet for a few seconds.

The smile on Pei Yan’s face faded a little. He walked out with the strawberries and stopped a few steps away from Wen Yelan. His eyes scanned the extra items in the living room and then fell back on Wen Yelan’s hard-tightened face.

“Trouble?” Pei Yan repeated, twitching the corners of his mouth, but it was not a smile, “Do you think this is trouble?”

Wen Yelan pursed her lips and did not answer.He felt that Pei Yan should understand what he meant.People like Pei Yan naturally have their place to go during the Chinese New Year, with a huge family, lively gatherings, and a gathering of friends.As a temporary guest with an unclear relationship, I really shouldn’t leave too many traces, and I shouldn’t let the other party spend their time making arrangements that seem thoughtful but are actually out of bounds.

Pei Yan looked at him for a while, then suddenly turned around and returned to the kitchen.Wen Yelan heard the sound of water running, followed by the sound of opening the cupboard and taking out a cup.Not long after, Pei Yan walked out with two goblets and an open bottle of red wine.

Dark red liquid sloshed in the transparent cup wall.He picked up one of the cups, walked towards Wen Yelan, and handed it over.

“Take it.” Pei Yan’s tone refused.

Wen Yelan hesitated for a moment and then took it.The cold wall of the cup is held in the hand, carrying the unique mellow flavor of red wine.

Pei Yan held another cup, but did not drink it. He just slowly turned the stem of the cup with his fingers.He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, turned his back to Wen Yelan, and looked out the window at the slightly gray afternoon sky.

“Wen Yelan,” he said, his voice was low, different from the usual publicity, teasing or doting, with a rare helpless calmness, “Do you think it is normal for a rich second generation like me to have to gather with a whole family or a group of friends in a splendid place during the Chinese New Year to exchange glasses of wine with false affection?”

Wen Yelan’s fingers holding the wine glass tightened slightly.He didn’t deny it because this was indeed his subconscious thought.

Pei Yan chuckled, a little helpless.”Then you may be wrong. At least, my family is not like that.”

He turned around, leaned on the low cabinet by the window, and looked at Wen Yelan calmly.”My parents have a very good relationship. Too good… too much. As long as I can remember, they have valued the world of two people more than anything else. During the New Year and holidays, unless it is an important family banquet that cannot be postponed, they will just show up and leave. At other times, they are more willing to go out by themselves. Travel around the world, go to a small island, or just find a quiet place to stay. In my mother’s words, the brat is old enough, and it is time to learn to have fun on his own, so don’t disturb our relationship.”

Wen Yelan was stunned.He never expected this to be the case.In his opinion, for a so-called wealthy family, no matter how many internal disputes there are, reunion and excitement on the surface are always necessary rituals.The picture Pei Yan described was completely different from what he imagined.

Pei Yan took a sip of wine and said, “So, I have been very independent since I was a child. I am not forced to be independent, but they have the consciousness to cultivate it. I arrange my own time and handle basic life by myself, including learning to cook.” The corner of his mouth curved, with a real arc this time, “It was out of interest at first, but later I found that it feels good to be able to take care of myself. At least I won’t be hungry.”

“As for friends,” Pei Yan swung his wine glass, “You have met Lin Mo and the others. The excitement is lively, but to put it bluntly, getting together is just for entertainment. Whether they are there or not is not that important to me.”

He paused, his eyes falling on Wen Yelan’s face, observing his reaction.”So, it really doesn’t matter to me how we spend the Chinese New Year. We can invite a few people to come out and have fun, or we can just stay by ourselves and be quiet.” He took two steps forward, narrowed the distance between the two of them, and lowered his voice, “Of course, if…if you want, it’s fine just the two of us.”

He said the last words very softly but firmly.

Wen Yelan’s heart was pounding.He lowered his eyes and stared at the wine in the glass, not knowing how to respond.Pei Yan’s words disrupted all his established impressions.It turned out that this person was not the typical playboy he had imagined who grew up in the family’s shadow and glitzy society.Not to mention the gangsters who bullied him when he was a child. The background of his words made Wen Yelan feel strange and vaguely touched.

He thought of Pei Yan’s skilled back in the kitchen, of those perfectly cooked breakfasts, of those newly prepared plush toys in the guest bedroom that suited his liking… These details suddenly had a more specific origin.

“You…” Wen Yelan raised his head, wanting to ask something, but didn’t know where to start.He found that his understanding of Pei Yan was indeed pitiful.In the past, what he saw more was the side of Pei Yan who intervened forcefully in his life, the Pei Yan who was aggressive in the business and emotionally straightforward and compelling.But the man standing in front of him now, calmly talking about his family and past, seemed both familiar and strange at the same time.

Pei Yan saw the flash of inquiry and hesitation in Wen Yelan’s eyes, and the sullenness in his heart dissipated a lot.Wen Yelan is trying to understand him, even if it’s just out of curiosity, this is progress.

He walked back to the bar, put down the wine glass, took out the decanter, and poured the remaining wine into it, taking his time.”Do you think I’m…different from what you thought before?” He asked, his tone returning to his usual lazy tone.

Wen Yelan nodded honestly.

Pei Yan smiled, picked up the wine glass again, walked back to the sofa and sat down, patting the place next to him.”Sit down. Drink the wine slowly, and the story… can be told slowly.”

Wen Yelan hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down at the other end of the sofa.He took a sip of the red wine, and the mellow and slightly astringent taste melted on his tongue.

Wen Yelan organized his words, his eyes falling on his intertwined hands, “The reason for being tough is because of the environment. Is this what shopping malls are like?”

“Yes.” Pei Yan leaned on the sofa and stretched his long legs. “The Pei family’s business is not small, and there are many people watching it. I took over early, and was thrown into the most complex department of the group by my father in my early twenties to train. There are many old foxes there.Yes, you are greeted with a smile on the surface, but there are endless ways to stab you in the back.If you are not cruel enough, fast enough, and decisive enough, you may be eaten to the bone tomorrow.In that kind of place, talking about tenderness and giving in is asking for death.”

He turned the wine glass, his eyes a little vacant, as if he was recalling the not easy past.”As time goes by, this way of doing things becomes a habit. When encountering a problem, the first thing I think about is how to solve it in the most effective and direct way and clear the obstacles. It may… indeed seem unreasonable.”

He looked at Wen Yelan and his eyes became serious: “But Wen Yelan, you have to know that those are the rules for outsiders, competitors, and the market. For you…” He paused, as if he was considering his words, “I don’t want to use those methods against you. I’m just… used to that way of thinking. ThisIt was the first time I fell in love with someone, and when I saw you being bullied, I wanted to immediately clean up all the people and things that made you uncomfortable and give you a clean environment.Maybe the method was a little too intense and didn’t take your feelings into consideration, which made you feel scared or offended.This is my problem.”

“I don’t… feel offended.” Wen Yelan whispered, more like explaining to himself, “I’m just not used to it.” He’s not used to someone standing up for him regardless of the cost or consequences, and he’s not used to this kind of almost arrogant protection.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not used to it.” Pei Yan’s voice softened, “We can take it slow. You can tell me which ways you don’t like and which things make you uncomfortable. I will try to change them.”

Wen Yelan suddenly realized that his sentence of “go back before the Chinese New Year” just now might have been a temptation, leaving a way out for him.Pei Yan was not angry, and did not force him to stay. Instead, he used this method to be honest with him.

The living room fell silent again.

Pei Yan saw that Wen Yelan was no longer as nervous as before, so he started talking again, with a lighter tone: “What else do you want to hear? For example… the embarrassing things that happened when I was a child?”

Wen Yelan raised her eyes to look at him, with a hint of expectation in her eyes that she didn’t even notice.He did become curious about Pei Yan’s past.More importantly, his own childhood was as pale as a piece of paper, leaving few bright and interesting colors except loneliness, neglect and occasional malice.

Hearing other people talk about a completely different and lively childhood had a strange appeal to him.

“…Hmm.” He responded softly.