Marrying the Male Lead’s Disabled Uncle – Chapter 21

Su Jia went out to drive, and Pei Lang hadn’t paid yet. He went to the cashier to settle the bill, then ran back to the private room to grab his guitar. After putting on a mask, he obediently stood beside Yan Han, waiting.

“Why is Mr. Yan here?” The atmosphere between them was a bit tense, so Pei Lang tried to find something to talk about.

Yan Han’s gaze lingered briefly on the guitar strapped to Pei Lang’s back before he shifted his eyes away without a word. “Work.”

After accidentally discovering that Pei Lang and Yan Xiuyuan were in the same city, Yan Han had been keeping an eye on Pei Lang’s movements. He had followed him all the way from the orphanage and had seen the confrontation between Pei Lang and Yan Xiuyuan with his own eyes.

He had selfishly wanted to witness their reunion. The way Pei Lang reacted made the corners of his mouth curl slightly. It seemed Pei Lang’s dislike for Yan Xiuyuan was genuine. He hadn’t expected their grudge to run so deep. Pei Lang, who used to be conflicted and hesitant, now regarded Yan Xiuyuan with complete indifference. His attitude had changed so drastically—it wasn’t just dislike anymore; it was outright disregard.

As for Yan Xiuyuan, his face was practically murderous.

Today, Pei Lang had once again defied Yan Han’s expectations.

Yan Han had investigated him before and concluded that Pei Lang was nothing more than a jealous fool. But what he saw today contradicted that impression. Pei Lang had gone to the orphanage to spend Children’s Day with the kids. The guitar on his back was an actual instrument—he could play music. Not only that, but his skills were also remarkable. Just now, Yan Xiuyuan hadn’t even been able to touch the hem of his clothes. If Pei Lang hadn’t held back that final kick, Yan Xiuyuan’s neck might have been broken.

Pei Lang was clever but reckless, naive yet audacious. He even dared to tease, deceive, and threaten him. But the person he had provoked was Yan Xiuyuan. That was no small matter. Their feud was already deep, and after that kick, it had escalated into something irreconcilable.

Yan Han was clearly upset. The little figure on his shoulder—a visualization of his emotions—had its arms crossed, a tiny face full of displeasure, occasionally glaring at him with adorably large eyes.

Pei Lang found his reaction both irritating and amusing. “Did Mr. Yan just call to complain? Aren’t you afraid that doing this will expose our relationship?”

Yan Xiuyuan still hadn’t figured out why Yan Han had intervened for Pei Lang, even going so far as to alert their grandfather. He was so furious that he had lost all rationality and hadn’t noticed anything suspicious yet. But once he calmed down, he would surely start piecing things together.

In the past, Pei Lang could have used this as leverage to threaten Yan Han, but now, Yan Han was unfazed. He merely said indifferently, “It’s only a matter of time.”

“What?” Pei Lang thought he had misheard and blinked in confusion, waiting for Yan Han to repeat himself.

But Yan Han wasn’t one to repeat his words. He shot Pei Lang a cold glance and turned to leave. “Let’s go.”

Pei Lang followed him outside. Su Jia had already pulled the car up in front of the restaurant. Yan Han got in first, leaving the door open, obviously intending to give Pei Lang a ride. Without hesitation, Pei Lang climbed into the back seat and settled beside Yan Han.

The back seat was spacious, and even with Pei Lang inside, Yan Han didn’t feel crowded. Just then, the driver he had originally scheduled called. Since Pei Lang was already in Yan Han’s car, it wasn’t convenient for him to get out. He briefly explained the situation to the driver, transferred the fare, and then sat quietly.

Su Jia’s driving was smooth, and the city roads were even. Pei Lang had stayed up late the previous night, woken up early, and spent the afternoon playing with the children without taking a nap. The rhythmic passing of bright and shadowed streetlights made him drowsy, and after half an hour, he drifted off to sleep in the back seat.

His breathing was soft and steady. His face and clothes were neat and clean, and in his sleep, he looked like a well-behaved little fox—completely defenseless against Yan Han.

Yan Han had been born into an extraordinary background, his nature cold and ruthless. After becoming disabled, he had grown even more callous. People either respected, feared, or pitied him, always careful with their words and actions around him. But Pei Lang was different.

Or rather, Pei Lang had recently become different.

Because of him, Su Jia had become livelier, even losing his usual composure in front of him. Thinking of this, Yan Han shot a glance at Su Jia, who was driving. Su Jia felt a sudden chill down his spine, assuming that he had turned too sharply earlier and displeased his boss. Immediately, he straightened up and focused entirely on the road.

Yan Han didn’t say anything. His eyes, along with the tiny figure on his shoulder, remained fixed on Pei Lang. The dim lighting softened Pei Lang’s features, as if even the streetlights favored him. A beam of light filtered through the car window, falling precisely over his eyes.

Thick black lashes. A small, red teardrop mole at the corner of his eye.

The sight of it sent ripples through Yan Han’s cold and composed heart.

Pei Lang, still fast asleep, seemed to be having a pleasant dream. The corners of his lips curled slightly, and he shifted his head against the back seat, unconsciously finding a more comfortable position to continue sleeping.

That small, unconscious movement made something in Yan Han’s chest soften.

By the time they arrived at the villa district, it was already late. Su Jia parked at the entrance, got out, and opened the door. Just as he was about to wake Pei Lang, Yan Han stopped him with a silent gesture.

“Give me the keys. You can go home.”

“Huh?” Su Jia had always been the one to escort his boss inside. His large eyes were full of confusion, but he obediently handed over the keys and left quickly.

Lately, the boss had become harder and harder to read. For the sake of his salary, it was best to leave as soon as possible.

Yan Han’s car was equipped with a conveyor belt for easy wheelchair access. However, Pei Lang was blocking the way, sleeping soundly. Yan Han didn’t want to wake him. So—he maneuvered his wheelchair, leaned down, and lifted Pei Lang into his arms, holding him horizontally as he descended onto the conveyor belt.

Even with the weight of two grown men, the wheelchair didn’t feel burdened. After getting out of the car, Yan Han pressed the lock button and slowly wheeled himself into the villa.

The house was empty. Aunt Lin had left the lights on, so though the villa was quiet, it wasn’t dark.

Pei Lang was light, and because Yan Han had little sensation in his legs, he barely felt the weight of the man sitting in his lap. Each breath he took carried the faint, slightly bitter scent of willow leaves from Pei Lang’s body—perhaps from standing under a willow tree waiting for the bus too long.

Yan Han suddenly had an impulse—an idea that startled even himself.

He wanted to keep this cunning, mischievous, and clueless little fox by his side.

The thought shocked him. He had never expected to be so thoroughly captivated by someone in such a short time.

It must be because of the way Pei Lang’s massages helped him sleep better. Because Pei Lang trusted him, relied on him. Because he was obedient—just a little bit.

That had to be it.

And yet, that terrifying idea refused to fade.

Though the idea was somewhat terrifying, Yan Han had no intention of suppressing it.

After all, there was nothing in this world that he couldn’t obtain if he truly wanted it. Now that he had finally found someone he liked, why should he hold back?

As a single man in his thirties, Yan Han looked down at Pei Lang, who was still fast asleep, and thought—keeping a little fox like this around, spoiling him from time to time, didn’t seem like a bad idea at all.

The next morning, Pei Lang woke up early. He sat up in a daze, looking around in confusion, only to realize that he had fallen asleep on the sofa in Yan Han’s bedroom. In the distance, Yan Han was still sleeping soundly on his bed.

Pei Lang had no idea how he had ended up here. He only remembered dozing off as soon as he got into the car. Surprisingly, Yan Han hadn’t woken him up last night to demand a massage. Hmm, that was actually somewhat considerate.

Since he was already awake, Pei Lang didn’t lie around any longer. He got up and picked up the quilt that had been covering him, intending to take it back to his own room—only to suddenly realize that the quilt wasn’t his.

Whenever he stayed over, he always brought his own bedding. So…

Did Yan Han take out an extra quilt from the closet and cover him with it after he fell asleep last night?

“So he does have an extra quilt, huh? And yet he still made me carry mine up and down the stairs every time…” Pei Lang muttered under his breath. Shaking his head, he folded the quilt neatly and went back to his room to wash up.

After taking a shower and changing into clean clothes, he headed downstairs. Aunt Lin was still busy in the kitchen, so he greeted her with a cheerful good morning.

When he turned around, he spotted his guitar resting in the living room and quickly went over to put his things away.

By the time he returned to the dining area, Aunt Lin had already finished preparing breakfast. The aroma of freshly stewed seafood porridge filled the air, making Pei Lang’s stomach grumble. He was eager to dig in, but Aunt Lin reminded him to wait for Yan Han. She might dote on Pei Lang, but she still had to follow the rules in front of Yan Han—otherwise, there wouldn’t be much she could do to protect him.

Pei Lang nodded in understanding. However, the temptation of the fragrant porridge was too much to resist. While Aunt Lin was back in the kitchen, he quickly scooped up a spoonful and stuffed it into his mouth.

Just as he was struggling with the porridge’s heat, Yan Han stepped out of the elevator.

Caught off guard, Pei Lang’s eyes widened in shock. The sudden panic made him swallow awkwardly, and he immediately choked—coughing violently as his face turned red. He quickly turned his back to the table, struggling to suppress his coughing fit.

His breathing grew ragged as the coughs worsened, and soon, his eyes were brimming with tears. Aunt Lin rushed over, patting his back in concern while handing him a cup of warm water.

“Thank you, Aunt Lin—cough, cough, cough—I’m fine… really… cough, cough…” Pei Lang gasped, still struggling to recover.

Meanwhile, Yan Han walked to the dining table at an unhurried pace. His gaze swept over Pei Lang’s reddened eyes, still misty from coughing, before he calmly began eating his own breakfast, completely unaffected.

“Little fox?” Pei Lang muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible.

Yan Han, possessing sharp ears, immediately caught it and shot him a cold glance. Pei Lang instantly shut his mouth. Having nearly choked himself to death just moments ago, he decided to quietly focus on his meal instead.

But what had startled him wasn’t just Yan Han’s sudden appearance—it was the fact that next to the little figure on Yan Han’s shoulder, a tiny, well-behaved red fox had appeared.

It looked so adorable that Pei Lang instinctively wanted to reach out and pet it.

Unfortunately, that fox was a part of Yan Han’s inner world. He had no way of touching it.

When did that little fox appear?

Damn it! Mr. Yan, can your inner world get any weirder?!

The answer, apparently, was yes.

While Pei Lang tried to compose himself, his curiosity got the better of him. He stole a few more glances in Yan Han’s direction—only to see that the tiny figure on his shoulder had pulled out a small book titled A Guide to Raising Foxes.

The little man carefully stroked the fox’s head as he read, looking utterly focused.

Pei Lang resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Seriously? Is raising a fox really so complicated that it requires a manual?

Just as he was mentally complaining, the little man on Yan Han’s shoulder seemed to have an epiphany. He closed the book with a determined look, then reached into his pocket, pulled out some food, and offered it to the tiny fox.

Pei Lang nearly burst out laughing. So the first step in the guide must be feeding the fox, huh?

How ridiculously simple. And yet, Yan Han was taking it so seriously. He really was a man of precision.

While Pei Lang was still lost in thought, Yan Han suddenly pushed a plate of food toward him and said in an expressionless tone, “Eat this.”

“???”

Pei Lang was stunned.

Yan Han was… feeding him?

Shouldn’t he be feeding his little fox instead?

Pei Lang glanced at the dish—it was something Aunt Lin had prepared specifically for Yan Han, and he wasn’t particularly fond of it. Smiling politely, he shook his head and declined. “Thanks, but I’ll just stick with what I’m eating.”

Pei Lang wasn’t picky about food, but that didn’t mean he lacked preferences. There were things he liked, things he really liked, and things he absolutely loved. Since he already had something he loved, why would he settle for something he merely liked?

Yan Han remained expressionless at the rejection and continued eating his meal.

However, at that very moment, the tiny fox on his shoulder also refused the food offered to it. It turned its little head away in disgust.

The little man looked utterly heartbroken. He pouted, his expression full of disappointment, before hurriedly reopening A Guide to Raising Foxes to study it more carefully.

Pei Lang watched this unfold with a bewildered expression.

It was at that moment that he reached a realization—Yan Han must be thinking about getting a pet.

Alright then, Pei Lang thought. Once I save up enough money, I’ll buy Mr. Yan a real fox as a thank-you gift.