The Flower Of The High Mountain Is Pregnant With The Son Of The Sand Sculpture Ceo Chapter 43
byChapter 43: Tonight, I’ll Let You Touch Him
Lu Shangyan’s mind went blank, losing the ability to think independently for a moment.
Especially when he saw Pei Yumin inching closer to him, he forgot how to breathe. In the cramped space, Pei Yumin pressed forward relentlessly until he had nowhere left to retreat, his back hitting the wall.
Pei Yumin’s voice continued, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Though they were practically nose to nose, Pei Yumin stared at him as if he absolutely needed an answer.
All his life, Lu Shangyan had been asked countless questions by teachers, and he had always been able to answer every single one. But now, faced with this simple “yes or no” question, he couldn’t find the words.
His eyelashes trembled slightly, and his lips quivered. A sound escaped his throat, but it was indistinct.
Pei Yumin leaned in a little further, their noses almost touching. Lu Shangyan’s eyelashes began to flutter violently, finally closing completely.
Pei Yumin understood the unspoken answer. He chuckled lightly. Just as their lips were about to meet, a knock suddenly sounded on the door.
Lu Shangyan snapped his eyes open, instantly becoming sober. The hand hanging by his side pressed against Pei Yumin’s waist, pulling their nearly touching bodies apart.
Pei Yumin, who had been leisurely testing him moments ago, now seemed impatient, eager to seal the kiss. “It’s fine. No one can get in.”
Lu Shangyan pushed him again, his eyebrows knitted together.
“Are you two in there?” Tang Suichen’s voice called out, followed by a worried tone a moment later. “You didn’t start fighting in there, did you?”
He suddenly raised his voice and began frantically twisting the doorknob.
Lu Shangyan shoved Pei Yumin away, paused before opening the door, and then stepped aside, gesturing for Pei Yumin to open it. He didn’t want to appear before anyone right now, sensing that his expression would surely betray his inner turmoil.
Pei Yumin rubbed his temple, holding his breath as he pulled the door open.
Tang Suichen had been ready to kick the door down. The moment he saw Pei Yumin, he instantly relaxed, but after seeing his expression, he pushed past him to look at Lu Shangyan. “Did you really fight?”
Lu Shangyan quickly lowered his head the instant their eyes met.
Tang Suichen wasn’t convinced and tried to rush over, but Pei Yumin blocked him. “We didn’t fight.” He then gave Tang Suichen a meaningful look. “But you came at a very inconvenient time.”
Lu Shangyan pursed his lips, afraid Pei Yumin would say something inappropriate. He couldn’t remain silent any longer. “It’s nothing. Let’s go back.”
As he walked past Pei Yumin, he tugged on his sleeve and exchanged a look with him.
Tang Suichen was sensitive enough to realize something was off, no matter how slow he was. He nudged Pei Yumin’s arm suggestively.
Pei Yumin dodged him, gritting his teeth as he whispered, “When I get back, I’m going to find a way to make Song Yuxin divorce you.”
Lu Shangyan cleared his throat and quickly walked past Tang Suichen as well.
Tang Suichen lamented that this was undeserved trouble, realizing why Zhao Jian had insisted he come check on them.
Back at the table, the three of them wore varied expressions. Halfway through the meal, Zhao Jian scanned the group and spoke again. “I’ve found that Cui County has a lot of fun places and good food. Since we can’t leave anytime soon, why don’t we find opportunities to hang out more?”
Pei Yumin glanced at him. “We’re staying in the same hotel; we can see each other just by turning a corner. How much more do we need to hang out?”
Zhao Jian used the serving chopsticks to put a piece of fish on Zhou Keling’s plate. “I was talking about him.”
Zhou Keling accepted it. “Sure, I can be the tour guide.”
Zhao Jian quickly said, “I saw there’s an ancient city in Cui County where you can take a boat ride around it, and there’s a whole snack street inside. How about we go tomorrow night?”
“Sounds good.” Zhou Keling looked at Lu Shangyan. “When do you want to go?”
Lu Shangyan hadn’t fully recovered from the earlier situation. Only when he sensed the intense gazes around him did he slowly raise his head, realizing something was amiss as everyone stared at him.
Zhao Jian suspected something was going on between him and Pei Yumin because they had been sitting unusually close since they returned, and Pei Yumin wore an indescribably happy expression.
He had looked the same when he first started dating Shi Yu and she sat next to him.
So, he was even more eager to find an opportunity to probe and enjoy the show.
Zhao Jian said meaningfully, “Zhou Keling will be the local guide. Are you two going?”
Pei Yumin was generous now. “Of course, why wouldn’t we go?”
“He hasn’t properly explored the city he was born in for years. It’s a good chance to spend a few more days playing around.”
Zhao Jian drew out a long “Oh,” his goal achieved. He then lowered his head and remained silent.
Lu Shangyan hadn’t fully processed things, yet everything was already arranged. Zhou Keling lowered his head and fiddled with the fish in his bowl, not eating it.
He then added, “Then I’ll make a detailed plan tonight and visit all the places Lu Shangyan used to like.”
Pei Yumin said, “Then I can take the opportunity to create new memories for the two of us, right on top of his old ones.”
Zhou Keling gritted his teeth, smiling without speaking.
Zhao Jian leaned over and messaged Tang Suichen:
[Has Pei Yumin always been this much of a drama queen?]
Tang Suichen replied:
[This is the first I’ve seen of it too.]
[Also, stop stirring up trouble, or I won’t be able to protect you.]
Zhao Jian was unconcerned:
[I’m helping him.]
Pei Yumin continued to diligently serve Lu Shangyan, even separating boneless fish into small, easy-to-eat pieces before placing them on Lu Shangyan’s plate.
Now, even if Zhou Keling intentionally said something, he could handle it well. At least he wouldn’t flare up easily, especially since his standing in Lu Shangyan’s heart was completely different compared to Zhou Keling’s.
Even though it was just a brush earlier, it was still a kiss!
Lu Shangyan and Zhou Keling were just friends—friends who couldn’t kiss.
He adopted the posture of the legitimate partner, doing everything appropriately and gracefully.
–
However, once they returned to the hotel, Pei Yumin shed his generous, legitimate partner demeanor. He suddenly became incredibly bold and unrestrained, like a spoiled, seductive consort—though this consort was a man.
After showering, he climbed onto Lu Shangyan’s bed, adopting a particularly alluring pose, strategically exposing his firm abdominal muscles that looked capable of working all night.
A flicker of panic crossed Lu Shangyan’s face. He quickly propped himself up and scooted away. “Your bed is right next to mine.”
Pei Yumin seized the chance to touch his stomach, stating righteously, “The baby needs me.”
Lu Shangyan pushed him again. “He’s fine right now. He doesn’t need you.”
Pei Yumin had already settled down with a pillow. “You’re not him. How do you know what he needs?”
Lu Shangyan didn’t speak, just stared down at him. Pei Yumin then realized he had inadvertently trapped himself with his own words.
But since there were no outsiders, his thick skin quickly returned to its original state. He scooted closer, pressing his face against Lu Shangyan’s side waist. “You kissed me today. You have to take responsibility for me.”
Lu Shangyan blushed. “I didn’t kiss you.”
Pei Yumin looked up. “So you don’t want to take responsibility for me?”
Lu Shangyan quickly covered his mouth. “Can you stop saying such strange things?”
Pei Yumin licked his palm with the tip of his tongue. “Then can we kiss now? Let’s make up for what we didn’t finish during the day, and then you can take responsibility for me. Can we?”
“No!” Lu Shangyan felt awkward about suddenly kissing now, unsure where to put his hands. “Are you getting up or not? If you don’t, I’m sleeping in the other bed.”
He started to stand up. Pei Yumin sat up too, then realized that moving to the other bed wouldn’t help, because Pei Yumin would just follow him.
So Lu Shangyan sat back down. “Seriously, booking two rooms would be much more convenient right now.”
Pei Yumin’s heart jumped. That would be a huge loss!
He could always sneak onto this bed after Lu Shangyan fell asleep and sneak back before he woke up.
But if they slept in separate rooms, he wouldn’t even be able to manage that small, secret touch!
He had no choice but to pick up his pillow and lie down on the other bed. He sulked, turning his head away, unwilling to look at Lu Shangyan. But less than five minutes later, he decided to generously forgive the cold, heartless Lu Shangyan who was toying with his feelings!
When he turned back, he saw Lu Shangyan chatting with someone on his phone, a smile he couldn’t suppress on his face. He was itching to know who it was.
He took a deep breath and craned his neck to peek.
Lu Shangyan jumped when he turned around, realizing for the first time that a human neck could actually stretch that far.
Caught, Pei Yumin sheepishly shrank back. “What are you doing? You can barely stop smiling.” Then, afraid Lu Shangyan would suspect him, he intentionally added, “Are you watching those so-called ‘educational films’ again? Actually, if you want to learn, you don’t need to watch them. I can teach you firsthand.”
As expected, Lu Shangyan, eager to prove himself, practically shoved his phone screen in his face. “I’m talking to my advisor. He said I got the scholarship again this time.”
He looked relaxed. “I thought I wouldn’t get the first-class scholarship this time because I wasn’t feeling well on the last day of the exam and didn’t perform well.”
Pei Yumin’s jaw dropped. “First-class scholarship? No one in the Pei family, going back three generations, has ever gotten one! Shangyan, how are you so amazing! You single-handedly raised the academic standing of our entire old Pei family!”
Lu Shangyan was embarrassed by the praise and momentarily forgot to refute the phrase “our old Pei family.” He lowered his head and chuckled softly, then returned to his usual demeanor. “It’s alright, actually.”
Pei Yumin said seriously, “What do you mean, ‘alright’? You’re super amazing!”
Lu Shangyan pursed his lips, making a great effort not to let the corners of his mouth curl up too much.
Pei Yumin said, “I wish I had met you in high school. Maybe I could have gotten into a key university too.”
“We probably wouldn’t have met,” Lu Shangyan calculated carefully. “Because when you were in tenth grade, I was probably still in elementary school.”
Hearing this, Pei Yumin deeply felt how terrifying a six-year age gap was.
If he had clung to Lu Shangyan back then, someone would definitely have called the police on him.
Pei Yumin quickly changed his tune. “Well, this is good too.”
Then he felt that wasn’t right. If he had known Lu Shangyan back then, he definitely wouldn’t have let Lu Shangyan struggle so much.
But he shouldn’t dwell on the past, or Lu Shangyan would keep remembering it. So, he decided to keep those thoughts to himself.
For every day of the future, he would find a way to make Lu Shangyan’s life less difficult.
–
The next day, when Lu Shangyan woke up and went out for breakfast, Lu He was waiting for him in the hotel lobby. The moment he saw him, he rushed over.
Lu He looked like he hadn’t slept well for days; his complexion was much worse than before, but his eyes instantly lit up when he saw Lu Shangyan.
Lu Shangyan instinctively wanted to avoid him, but Lu He blocked his path first. “Shangyan, I have something I want to say to you.”
Lu Shangyan took a step back, not wanting to get too close. “There’s nothing for us to talk about.”
Lu He’s expression was difficult. “I’m not here to ask for your forgiveness.” He then pulled a bank card from his pocket. “This card holds the money I saved working outside for over ten years. I saved it just for you. There’s two hundred thousand in it.”
“I know I failed you. I knew everything that happened back then, yet I still walked away. But I couldn’t help it. They are my own brothers, and Lu Lin is my own son.”
“But I couldn’t bring myself to do what they did to a child like you… I couldn’t choose. Running away was my only option.”
“Although I know whatever I say now is too late, I hope you can accept this money, if only to ease my conscience a little.”
Lu Shangyan didn’t want to ease his conscience. He didn’t want the money; he just wanted his own money back.
But Pei Yumin was quick. He reached out from behind Lu Shangyan, snatched the card, and stuffed it into Lu Shangyan’s pocket. “Take it, why wouldn’t you? This is what you deserve.”
“No matter what, he’s Lu Lin’s dad. How many bad things has Lu Lin done to you over the years? The compensation for emotional distress alone is more than this.”
He then thought it made sense. “I’ll contact a lawyer later and raise the emotional distress compensation. You were just a child back then; what they did counts as abuse!”
Adding all those things up, Lu Shangyan suddenly felt that those people might not be able to pay it back even if they sold everything, considering those lazy people didn’t know what regular savings were.
Lu He sighed in relief when he saw him accept it. The heavy stone that had been pressing on his chest for so many years finally felt a little lighter.
He didn’t say anything else, giving Lu Shangyan one last deep look before turning and leaving.
His back was hunched, and he raised a hand to wipe his eyes. Lu Shangyan’s throat bobbed, and the hand clutching the bank card grew warmer.
–
The scholarship covered the tuition, so Lu Shangyan’s remaining money could all be used for renovating the house.
He didn’t want to touch the money Lu He gave him yet. He wanted to wait until everything settled down before making new plans.
Fortunately, repainting and rewiring the old house didn’t cost much, and he could easily afford it.
Pei Yumin drove him back and forth between the old house and the hotel every day. Lu Shangyan even considered checking out of the hotel and staying at the old house, which was his original plan, so he had only booked three nights.
However, the moment he voiced the idea, Pei Yumin strictly rejected it. “Those paints and materials are bad for the baby! Think about it, you’re so brilliant, what if the baby turns out to be a failure who only scores three points in math?”
Lu Shangyan couldn’t believe anyone could actually score only three points in math. He had gotten full marks almost every time since he was a child!
He turned his head in surprise and saw Pei Yumin looking equally anxious. He suddenly realized, “In that case, he probably takes after you.”
Pei Yumin gritted his teeth. “Actually, I only scored single digits once, in third grade. My scores were pretty high after that.”
Lu Shangyan raised an eyebrow, neither believing nor denying it.
Pei Yumin changed the subject. “Don’t move back there. You’re rich now. Do you need to save this little bit of money?”
Lu Shangyan nodded. “Raising a child is very expensive.”
He wanted to give his child everything he never had when he was little, even if he turned out to be a dummy who only scored three points in math.
Of course, this was just a beautiful fantasy known only to him before the child was born.
Pei Yumin smelled the pungent odor and quickly ushered Lu Shangyan into the car. “Forget it, don’t come back here anymore. I’ll monitor the work for you. The smell is too strong; it’s bad for your health.”
Before Lu Shangyan could refuse, he quickly added, “If you dare to disobey, I’ll immediately call Ms. Yuan Qingyu to lecture you.”
Yuan Qingyu’s competition was over, and she had repeatedly offered to help Lu Shangyan figure things out. But since she was an elder, Lu Shangyan felt it was wrong to make her travel again and insisted she shouldn’t come.
Moreover, to some extent, he listened to Yuan Qingyu. Perhaps it was because he had lost his mother so early, so he deeply craved and cherished that kind of maternal care.
As expected, Lu Shangyan agreed immediately upon hearing that threat. Pei Yumin’s tactic was always effective. He spoke to the workers, then happily drove Lu Shangyan away.
“Actually, I think you don’t need to be so nervous. They’ll work well even if you don’t watch them, since the final payment hasn’t been made yet. If anything is unsatisfactory, you can ask them to fix it anytime.”
Lu Shangyan acknowledged this and touched his stomach again.
It seemed a little bigger. He started calculating what he should do after school started.
Pei Yumin was relieved that he didn’t argue. “But this old house is your property. I don’t even have a legitimate reason to supervise the work. What if they think I’m an outsider and don’t listen to me?”
Lu Shangyan turned his head, too lazy to respond, because he vaguely felt Pei Yumin was about to say something shocking again.
Pei Yumin didn’t disappoint. “If you agreed to date me right now, I could supervise the work openly.”
Lu Shangyan simply closed his eyes this time.
Pei Yumin sighed. He and Lu Shangyan had kissed, they had slept together, and the baby would be born in a few months. Besides, he felt Lu Shangyan definitely liked him, so why wouldn’t he agree to date him?
Pei Yumin couldn’t help but say, “Besides, the baby needs a father when he’s born, right?”
Lu Shangyan said, “I am the father.”
Pei Yumin couldn’t deny his biological role, so he changed tack. “Then I’ll be the mother.”
He then pretended to whine pitifully. “Honey~ Let’s give the baby a complete family. You said you want to give the baby the best of everything, and a complete family is very important.”
Lu Shangyan naturally understood this, but he had his own considerations.
Although the case was nearing its end and he would receive the corresponding compensation, and his money would return to his pocket, this didn’t mean he could stop running to catch up with Pei Yumin.
Through his time with Pei Yumin, he felt that Pei Yumin had a happy, stable family, a steady job, and a considerable income, and his family background was certainly good. Compared to that, the gap between him and Pei Yumin was growing wider.
He didn’t have parents—that was something he couldn’t change—but a stable job and a home were things he could decide.
Growing up, nothing had ever truly belonged to him. A relationship might end in a breakup, and even marriage could end in divorce. Would Pei Yumin still completely belong to him in a few years?
He didn’t dare to gamble. He always thought of the worst-case scenario. He was afraid that the gap between him and Pei Yumin would widen, and they would gradually cease to be on the same path.
He had thought about these things countless times. Sometimes, when Pei Yumin acted spoiled and demanded they date, he had considered agreeing. But what good would agreeing do? He still had nothing.
He had no house, no job, and was still burdened by an unfinished legal case. His future was not bright, but Pei Yumin was different. His future was paved with flowers; no matter which path he took, it would be much smoother than Lu Shangyan’s.
He didn’t want to drag Pei Yumin down, but he also didn’t want to make him wait too long. So, after much consideration, the answer he could finally give was, “Let’s talk about it after the case is over, okay?”
If he could truly afford a house, a home for himself and his unborn child—a home that was theirs, a home they would never be kicked out of, a home where Pei Yumin could also live—only then would he dare to properly date Pei Yumin.
He felt that only then would he not be unilaterally taking, nor would he be dismissing Pei Yumin with small favors like a meal. Only then would they be equals, because he would be providing Pei Yumin with shelter from the wind and rain.
A smile appeared on his face. “I really won’t make you wait too long, don’t worry.”
Looking at his expression, Pei Yumin was momentarily captivated and couldn’t press the issue further. “It seems I really do hold a place in your future plans.”
Knowing this was enough for him now. Lu Shangyan had been forced to do many things since childhood. If he couldn’t even control his own relationship now, what was the point?
He had already said he wanted Lu Shangyan to be completely happy and free.
Pei Yumin felt the atmosphere was too heavy and tried to say something nice to coax Lu Shangyan. “Actually, I think you could rely on me a little more, appropriately.”
Lu Shangyan felt he was already relying on him a lot. He wondered what more reliance would look like.
Pei Yumin sighed. “After all, I’m the baby’s father now, but you won’t let me do anything for him. You won’t let me tell him stories at night, or talk to him, or even touch him. I feel like I’m failing as a father.”
Lu Shangyan understood the deeper meaning in his words. After a long silence, amidst Pei Yumin’s dramatic sighs, he buried his head low and whispered through gritted teeth, “Then tonight… you can touch him, but you really can only touch him once.”