Volume One, Chapter Four: On My Mind

Pei Jingmo sat down on the sofa, crossing his impossibly long legs, lighting a cigarette—a mix of roguish charm and striking handsomeness. Compared to how he acted in front of Song Qingyu, he was like a completely different person.

"Don’t ask. If you ask, it’s a secret."

Fu Linhan leaned in beside Pei Jingmo. "Since you’ve returned, all sides are restless. Many people can’t sit still anymore. Honestly, do you already have a plan?"

Pei Jingmo lazily lifted his eyelids. "I never fight battles I’m not certain to win."

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian exchanged glances and laughed.

The three of them had grown up together, practically naked as children, brothers who knew each other inside and out. Pei Jingmo was rebellious as a boy, a frequent guest at the police station, growing more wayward by the day, until Old Master Gu kicked him into the military with a single shove.

Oh, and Pei Jingmo hadn’t always been called that—he used to be Gu Yuandong.

The Gu family had been soldiers for three generations. Old Master Gu, worried he’d be given special treatment in the military, had him adopt his wife’s surname and change his name altogether. Aside from the Gu family and a few close friends, no one knew about this.

Everyone had assumed Pei Jingmo would soon bow to Old Master Gu and return home. Unexpectedly, not only did he not come back, he climbed higher and higher, gaining real power in less than ten years.

Now, after the eldest son of the Gu family had become a vegetable in a car accident, with outsiders coveting and insiders anxious, beset by internal and external troubles, only Pei Jingmo could be called back.

Fu Linhan stared at the ashtray, shocked. "How long has it been and you’ve smoked this much already? Aren’t you afraid of lung cancer?"

Bai Yinian, equally speechless, poured Pei Jingmo a glass of wine. "You smoke more fiercely every time. Haven’t you considered quitting?"

Pei Jingmo stubbed out his cigarette and took a sip of wine. "I’ve tried. Can’t quit."

Pei Jingmo was a man of immense willpower. There seemed to be nothing he couldn’t accomplish. Smoking was the only exception, a habit he’d tried countless times to break, but never succeeded.

"Then at least smoke less! At this rate, you won’t make it to middle age."

Pei Jingmo frowned impatiently. "Enough nagging."

Suddenly, there was a commotion downstairs. From their private room, the three could see what was happening below.

"Qingyu, I want Qingyu—bring my Qingyu baby to see me..."

"Tsk." Fu Linhan shook his head in disbelief. "It’s been almost a week, hasn’t it? Just a woman, and he’s drunk himself into a puddle every day—what a mess."

Bai Yinian: "Just a woman? Do you know who she is? Song Qingyu, the Song family heiress. They’ve been together since high school, childhood sweethearts, and were set to marry in a month. Then she caught him cheating."

Pei Jingmo’s indifferent gaze swept over the man throwing a tantrum downstairs. He spat out four words, cold as ice: "Childhood sweethearts? Ha—"

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian shivered at Pei Jingmo’s sneer.

Bai Yinian: "Hey, Jingmo, remember him? Chu Xingzhi, heir to the Chu family. He used to idolize you as a kid, wanted you as his big brother, but you never showed him much kindness."

Fu Linhan snorted. "Plenty of people want to cozy up to Jingmo. Who does he think he is?"

Pei Jingmo was the crown prince of the capital. Despite rarely mingling with the crowd, his power and formidable background meant every return was a magnet for visitors. But Pei Jingmo disliked such gatherings, always leaving Fu Linhan to handle them.

Suddenly, Pei Jingmo stood and walked out.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"My wife’s name keeps being shouted downstairs. It’s disgusting."

Both men froze.

Wife? What wife? When did Pei Jingmo get married?

—

When Pei Jingmo descended the stairs, Chu Xingzhi was still in a drunken frenzy, sweeping bottles off the table. Glass and liquor littered the floor, the smell pungent.

He grabbed a waiter by the collar. "Did you call Qingyu? Why won’t she see me?"

"I said I know I was wrong! Why won’t she forgive me!"

"She’s blocked me on WeChat and on her phone! How could she do this!"

The waiter dared not offend him, trembling as he endured the abuse.

Chu Xingzhi shoved the waiter away, collapsing onto the sofa, clutching his face and sobbing in anguish. "Qingyu… I want Qingyu..."

Suddenly, his nape was gripped with force. The unexpected pain made Chu Xingzhi break into a sweat, and he scowled in anger.

"Who the hell—"

Just as he tried to turn, his neck was twisted again, the grip so strong it felt as if it might snap at any moment.

A powerful sense of oppression pressed from behind, thick with danger.

"Stop with the Qingyu, Qingyu—she’s no longer yours—"

A cold, chilling voice hissed in his ear. "She doesn’t want you anymore!"

"You—let me—"

Before he could finish, his face was slammed against the table.

"Don’t think about her. If you do, every time I see you, I’ll beat you."

The pressure on his neck vanished. Chu Xingzhi whipped around in fury, only to find behind him a gaggle of terrified waiters—no one else.

"Damn! Who the hell was that?"

He resembled an enraged leopard, face flushed, neck thick with fury.

The manager scrambled over. "Ch—Chu Young Master…"

"Check the surveillance! Find that bastard for me! I’ll kill him!"

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian were stunned by Pei Jingmo’s actions.

Fu Linhan moved quickly, having already ordered the surveillance in that area shut off as soon as Pei Jingmo started beating someone.

"What’s going on with you?" Bai Yinian asked incredulously. "That wife you mentioned—could it be Song Qingyu?"

Pei Jingmo snorted, pulling a marriage certificate from his pocket. "From now on, she’s your sister-in-law. Don’t let me hear you linking her to Chu Xingzhi again."

Fu Linhan and Bai Yinian stared at the red booklet as if they had never seen a marriage certificate before, flipping it over and over.

Fu Linhan: "Holy hell, it’s real! You move fast—got married without a word?"

Bai Yinian: "Wait, didn’t you say you had a one-and-only white moonlight you’d never marry anyone else? Is—damn, is your white moonlight actually Song Qingyu?"

Fu Linzhou wore the same stunned expression. "Beast! When you went into the army, how old was Song Qingyu? You were already thinking about her back then?"

Bai Yinian rolled his eyes. "Who carries a marriage certificate around with them?"

Fu Linhan: "Does your old man know about this marriage? He probably wouldn’t approve—"

Pei Jingmo gave them a chilly glance. "Mind your tongues."

He took the certificate back and waved his hand. "I’m off."

Fu Linzhou: "Hey, leaving already? We barely drank!"

"My wife is strict. There’s a curfew."

Pei Jingmo paused halfway, turned back with a bright smile. "Forgot—you two don’t have wives, so you can’t understand how eager I am to go home."

The two watched Pei Jingmo’s retreating figure, gritting their teeth.

Bai Yinian clenched his fist. "I really want to punch him!"

Fu Linhan held him back. "Don’t be rash—you can’t beat him!"