TYMRHBDES Chapter 157

Pei Yu stopped half a step away from him, raised his chin, and gestured toward the phone screen.

Jiang Luoluo snapped out of his daze and frantically waved his hands, signaling him to stay back.

‘If Pei Yu appeared in his room this late at night, the livestream would explode.’

‘Trending searches were guaranteed, followed by a barrage of online hate.’

‘He could already imagine the headlines:’

[Pei Yu Comes Out]

[You’re Just a Clickbait Streamer, You Don’t Deserve Him]

[We Were Supposed to Be Friends, But You Secretly Became His Sister-in-Law]

Pei Yu’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Out of the camera’s view, he clasped his hands together and bowed in his direction, pleading with him to stay away.

Then he gazed at him with wide, teary eyes, looking utterly pitiful.

Like a little fox caught by a hunter’s snare.

Pei Yu chuckled softly, his handsome face tinged with helplessness, the corners of his lips curving into an indulgent smile.

He obediently halted, abandoning his original plan to show himself.

Meanwhile, the comment section erupted:

What’s going on? Who is the streamer looking at?

Holy shit! Does my wife have a husband?!

What?! Jiang Luoluo has a boyfriend?!

***

At that moment, a hand suddenly reached into the frame from off-screen, offering a bowl of washed grapes.

The fingers were long and slender, the knuckles evenly spaced, exuding an air of pampered elegance. Even the curve of the wrist bone was perfectly balanced, combining beauty and strength.

It was clearly the hand of a young, adult male.

The comment section instantly exploded.

— “!!!! What’s going on?!”

— “There’s a wild man in my wife’s house!!”

— “Hand fetishists, rejoice! I’m in love!”

— “With fingers that long, my wife must be having the time of his life! (Not really)”

— “Holy shit! This hand also has a small mole—how much does it look like Teacher Pei’s?!”

— “++!!! Could it be Pei Yu?!”

— “ Pei Yu???”

— “PEI YU!!!”

***

Jiang Luoluo quickly accepted the bowl of grapes, tilting his snow-white face upward and saying “Thank you” to Pei Yu, who was off-screen.

Pei Yu didn’t linger. He mouthed “Get some rest” before leaving, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Jiang Luoluo picked up his phone and glanced down at the livestream screen, which was now flooded with Pei Yu’s name.

His sword-like eyebrows arched slightly in satisfaction as he departed.

Meanwhile, on the other side…

Jiang Wei had felt a growing sense of unease ever since Jiang Luoluo abruptly stopped his livestream and began looking off-screen.

When another man’s hand finally appeared on the screen, that unease reached its peak.

He stared at the screen, now filled with speculation about Pei Yu.

Then he glanced at the fan rankings, where “Little Fox” trailed him by a narrow margin.

Just minutes earlier, “Little Fox” had been relentlessly competing with him, showering the stream with gifts in a fierce battle for dominance.

But in the minutes before and after the hand appeared, “Little Fox” had abruptly stopped sending gifts.

Jiang Wei had assumed it was some wild-card millionaire.

Turns out it was his arch-rival, Pei Yu!

Jiang Wei pressed his lips into a thin line, his jaw tightening.

That morning, when Pei Yu had offered to drive Luo Luo home, Jiang Wei had dismissed it as mere courtesy, given their proximity…

He never imagined they were living together!

Pretending to be straight, yet already bent like a screw!

* Fuck !*

The entertainment industry is so damn hypocritical!

Furious, Jiang Wei cursed Pei Yu under his breath before resuming his gift-giving spree.

***

A few days later, Jiang Luoluo received a call from * Taste of Time *, a top-rated variety show in the industry, inviting him to be a guest on their season finale.

Jiang Luoluo was surprised. How had a relatively unknown streamer like himself caught the eye of such a major show?

But the offer was too tempting to resist. He wouldn’t have to do anything special—just eat, play, and enjoy the local scenery.

In addition to the standard compensation, the show promised to showcase his culinary skills, helping him boost his reputation as a food streamer.

Jiang Luoluo happily accepted.

“Yes!” The show’s contact person pumped his fist in the air to the office full of planners. “We got him!”

“Quick, quick! Now we can contact Pei Yu and Jiang Wei!”

“Will Film Emperor Pei even agree? He’s so high-profile—he never participates in variety shows!”

“Don’t worry. Once we secure this deal, he’ll be on board!”

As Jiang Luoluo went to check on his plum wine in the storage room, Pei Yu’s manager and assistant, Zhang Hao, received a call from the show.

He was about to decline, citing scheduling conflicts, when the caller said just one sentence that made Zhang Hao hesitate. He handed the phone to Pei Yu instead.

Pei Yu listened to the voice on the other end of the line and glanced at Jiang Luoluo, who was hurrying over with a bottle of wine in hand. He hummed in acknowledgment.

“I have time. Contact Zhang Hao about the contract.”

As soon as he hung up, Jiang Luoluo rushed over, holding up the large glass bottle with a beaming smile. “Pei Yu! My wine is ready!”

Pei Yu lowered his gaze to study the person before him.

A flawless, delicate face framed by long, fluttering eyelashes. His eyes sparkled with a captivating allure, as if they could steal a person’s soul. Petal-soft lips, rosy and glistening like a peeled peach, beckoned with an irresistible urge to bite.

Beautiful yet fragile, innocent yet pure.

How could he ever let Jiang Luoluo go out alone?

Without his watchful eye, those who coveted his would surely go mad.

Seeing Pei Yu’s silence, Jiang Luoluo assumed he hadn’t heard clearly. He raised the bottle again, his small face tilted upward in excitement. “Pei Yu~ Let’s have barbecue with plum wine tonight~”

Half an hour later, Zhang Hao had set up the grill on the rooftop. The pretty little streamer emerged from inside, brimming with enthusiasm, followed by their pampered Brother Pei, who carried a tray of prepared meat in both hands, listening attentively to his instructions.

Zhang Hao neatly arranged the skewered meat and garlic vermicelli scallops on the grill. Soon, the distinctive aroma of barbecue filled the air, and Zhang Hao sniffed appreciatively.

Jiang Luoluo leaned in, his small head peeking over, his eyes wide with anticipation. “It smells so good!”

Pei Yu picked up a skewer, bypassed Jiang Luoluo, and handed it to Zhang Hao first.

Zhang Hao accepted it, feeling both flattered and surprised.

‘ I’m getting better treatment than the little streamer!’

‘Brother Pei really knows how to treat his friends!’

‘This is great!’

Pei Yu’s voice was cool and composed. “Try it.”

Zhang Hao took a grateful bite and immediately gave a thumbs-up. “Delicious! So fragrant!”

Then he noticed Pei Yu and Jiang Luoluo exchanging a glance.

The little streamer’s smile was radiant as he exclaimed cheerfully, “It’s done!”

Pei Yu’s handsome face also softened into a smile as he looked at him with evident affection. His voice deepened as he said, “Let’s wait a bit and see if he gets a stomachache.”

Zhang Hao: “……”

A gentle breeze carried the faint scent of flowers across the rooftop.

Zhang Hao, who didn’t get a stomachache, sat there munching on a stack of skewers, occasionally sipping green plum wine, and stealing glances at the pair on the other side.

The small streamer named Jiang Luoluo held up a scallop larger than his palm, beaming as he showed it to Brother Pei.

From this angle, they couldn’t see Brother Pei’s face, only his hand gently wiping a smudge of sauce from the corner of Jiang Luoluo’s mouth.

Even without seeing his face, they could feel Brother Pei’s happiness—a genuine joy that no actor, no matter how skilled, could ever feign. It radiated from every movement, every gesture.

Since being with this streamer, Brother Pei had truly transformed.

From the Pei Family’s pampered young master, who had never lifted a finger in the kitchen, he had begun learning to prepare ingredients and grill meat.

From the highest-ranking Grand Slam Film Emperor who disdained variety shows, he had accepted invitations he had previously rejected countless times, all for the sake of his partner.

From a cold, aloof figure who kept everyone at arm’s length, he had become gentle and patient, caring tenderly for the person he loved.

Zhang Hao silently chewed on a skewer, watching the streamer and inevitably thinking of Miss Xia in her red dress.

If she hadn’t run away, all this affection would have been hers.

He wondered if she would ever regret betraying Brother Pei’s feelings.

*Sigh.*

‘ What a shame.’

A burst of cheerful laughter carried on the night wind. Jiang Luoluo pulled out the skewer he had been hiding behind his back, his eyes sparkling with mischievous delight like a little fox.

“Pei Yu! You guessed wrong again~ This one’s beef!”

He tilted his delicate, jade-like chin upward, his eyes curving into crescents as he grinned. “You have to honor your bet, you know~”

Pei Yu chuckled, picked up the plum wine beside him, and drained it in one gulp.

As he tilted his head back, his Adam’s apple slid up and down his throat. After finishing the wine, he turned to look at Jiang Luoluo, who was enveloped in his shadow.

“Come on, keep guessing.”

***

After three rounds of drinks, Pei Yu’s eyes remained exceptionally clear as he gazed at the person nestled against his arm.

The wine he had brewed himself was too strong; his companion was already drunk.

His soft, tender cheek pressed tightly against his arm, the plump flesh warm and yielding.

Even the breath he exhaled against his arm felt hot, burning his heart with its warmth.

Pei Yu scooped him up in a horizontal carry. His small face nestled obediently against his chest, his entire being shrinking into his embrace.

As he walked, his little arms swayed gently, stirring ripples in Pei Yu’s heart yet somehow maintaining an extraordinary sense of peace.

He suddenly felt that holding him like this for the rest of his life wouldn’t be so bad.

His shoulders were broad enough, his arms strong enough.

He could protect him for a lifetime, shielding him from wind and rain.

At the top of the stairs, the hallway forked. To the left lay his own room; to the right, the room of the person in his arms.

Pei Yu paused for a moment, then resolutely carried him to the left.

When he opened the bathroom door, his Adam’s apple bobbed.

‘ Just a bath.’

‘Just to take better care of him tonight.’

‘He wouldn’t do anything else.’

‘He would control himself.’

The bathtub was filled with deep crimson rose petals, their rich fragrance filling the air. Pei Yu frowned imperceptibly.

This scent wasn’t as pleasant as Jiang Luoluo’s natural fragrance.

After a moment’s thought, he reached in and scooped out all the rose petals.