Marrying the Male Lead’s Disabled Uncle – Chapter 03

Pei Lang’s behavior today was completely out of character. Not only was he home during the day, but more importantly, he had abandoned his usual brightly colored, flamboyant outfits for a crisp white shirt and well-tailored suit pants. His entire appearance had undergone a drastic transformation. His hair had been cut and professionally styled to complement his face shape and natural temperament, fully revealing his features. His refreshed look, combined with the sharp fit of his clothes, accentuated his slender waist, long legs, and well-defined backside. His wrists and ankles exuded a subtle allure, and his long, distinct fingers were as smooth and translucent as polished jade.

A faint smile played on his lips, and with his hair now shorter, the red teardrop mole at the corner of his eye was fully exposed, adding an extra layer of charm. Yet, his overall demeanor remained both languid and pure, a contradiction that made him even more intriguing.

How could one describe it?

Perhaps, like a fox spirit newly transformed into human form—still untouched by the world’s corruption yet carrying an innate, bewitching charm. When it first arrived in the human realm, it had unknowingly been tainted by filth, but now, having been washed clean, its true appearance was finally revealed.

The assistant silently evaluated Pei Lang in his mind but quickly snapped out of it. Remembering Pei Lang’s past behavior, he shook his head in frustration, reminding himself not to be deceived by appearances. After all, a dog would always return to eating its own filth.

Yan Han, having put down his chopsticks, silently watched as Pei Lang treated the villa as if it were his own home—calling in a team of workers to haul in various items and then overseeing another group as they carried out a pile of things to be loaded onto a truck.

“Boss, have you noticed that something’s… off about him?” The assistant finally voiced the suspicion that had been gnawing at him as he observed Pei Lang personally seeing off the movers.

Yan Han’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

After bidding farewell to the workers, Pei Lang turned and headed back upstairs.

He had bought a variety of daily necessities, including an entirely new wardrobe. He simply couldn’t stand the original owner’s tacky fashion sense. The gaudy furniture had also been replaced, and he had the old, unwanted items removed. Now, he had to organize everything himself. Unfortunately, being new here and without allies, there was no one to lend a hand. Although there were many servants downstairs, he doubted any of them would be willing to help.

Pei Lang immersed himself in unpacking, paying no attention to anything else.

Meanwhile, Yan Han silently took the elevator to the second floor. His wheelchair came to a stop at the doorway of Pei Lang’s open room, where he gazed inside without a word.

Pei Lang was in the middle of changing the bedsheets. He had taken off his shoes and was kneeling on the bed, stretching over to smooth out the fabric. As he worked, he arched his back slightly, his hips tilting up, and the gentle movement of his toes tapping against the mattress made his exposed ankles look almost tantalizing—so slender and delicate that one might instinctively want to grasp them firmly.

Pei Lang suddenly paused.

Why did he hear strange humming and chirping noises?

He turned his head slightly, puzzled.

Only now did he register the presence at the door. Earlier, he had only caught a glimpse of someone standing there, but now, he focused on the tiny figure floating on Yan Han’s shoulder. The chibi version of Yan Han was furiously throwing punches and kicks at a wall that had materialized out of nowhere, letting out agitated noises. Eventually, the wall cracked.

What the hell? Is my golden finger just free anime screenings?

This… doesn’t seem useful at all.

“What do you want?” Pei Lang asked in a calm, gentle voice.

The moment he spoke, the little figure immediately froze, standing at attention with wide, wary eyes.

Pei Lang felt oddly embarrassed, being stared at by two identical pairs of eyes—one large, one small.

“What are you scheming?” Yan Han’s voice was as steady as ever, devoid of any emotion, yet carrying an undeniable sense of authority.

“Huh?” Pei Lang blinked, confused.

“Yan Xiuyuan is getting engaged to your brother soon. You’d do well to abandon any foolish ideas. The Yan family has its reputation to uphold.”

The man’s words were colder than ice—sharp and decisive, as if spoken by someone utterly devoid of sentiment.

Pei Lang instantly understood. His abrupt change in behavior must have made them suspicious, leading them to assume he was plotting something.

A mischievous glint flickered in his eyes as he slowly approached Yan Han with a devilish smile.

“Yan Xiuyuan is certainly a good-looking man,” he mused lazily. “A nose, two eyes—so symmetrical, so perfectly in place. Isn’t it amazing? But, you know, after staring at them long enough… they’re just like anyone else’s. Boring.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Pei Lang noticed the chibi Yan Han flailing wildly, as if trying to shoo him away. Meanwhile, the real Yan Han remained cold and composed, his expression unreadable.

Could this tiny villain represent his true thoughts?

Pei Lang made a bold guess.

To test his theory, he took a confident step forward, closing the distance between them.

Standing directly in front of Yan Han, he bent down slightly, leveling their gazes. Reaching out, he grasped the man’s tie and gave it a firm tug.

Yan Han didn’t react.

Undeterred, Pei Lang leaned in closer—only twenty centimeters apart now—completely ignoring the murderous intent in the other’s eyes. His voice lowered to a teasing drawl.

“I’ve found someone far more interesting,” he murmured. “A man who’s cold and detached on the surface, yet inside… lively as a child. Don’t you agree, Mr. Yan?”

His gaze flicked toward the tiny villain.

As expected, the little figure was livid—his face puffed up in fury, tiny fists trembling with anger.

After holding it in for a moment, two words finally popped up above his head:

“Bad guy.”

Pei Lang couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing.

His laughter was filled with mischief and provocation, and it thoroughly enraged Yan Han.

“You’re courting death.”

Yan Han narrowed his eyes dangerously and, without hesitation, grabbed Pei Lang’s wrist. His grip was crushingly strong, completely engulfing the slender joint. The sheer pressure made Pei Lang wince in pain, his smile faltering slightly.

“Boss Yan, I was just joking,” Pei Lang said, his tone softening in feigned innocence. “You’re holding me so tightly, I might start to think you like me.”

Still as shameless as ever.

Yan Han’s gaze flickered with disgust. With a swift motion, he shoved Pei Lang aside and pulled out an expensive silk handkerchief, wiping his palm as if he had touched something filthy.

Damn, that actually hurt.

Pei Lang rubbed his sore wrist, regretting his earlier provocation. He had really gone out of his way to confirm his theory, but at least now he was certain—this little chibi figure floating over Yan Han’s shoulder was a direct reflection of the man’s inner thoughts. Remembering the system’s final instructions, it was clear that his golden finger had been bound to Yan Han the moment they made physical contact. But what was the point of this ability?

He couldn’t see other people’s inner thoughts, only Yan Han’s. That hardly made this golden finger impressive.

As he grumbled to himself, he glanced at the little figure again, only to see it suddenly produce a doll out of nowhere. With an angry puff of its cheeks, it tossed the doll to the ground and stomped on it furiously.

Ah, I get it.

This man despised him so much that he was imagining throwing him to the ground and stomping on him.

Though Yan Han clearly hated him, he hadn’t actually acted on it—probably because he found the idea of dirtying his hands too revolting.

Knowing that Pei Lang was as stubborn as ever, Yan Han saw no reason to linger and simply turned to leave. Pei Lang, unbothered, went back to sorting out his room. Two hours later, he finally finished.

Standing in the newly renovated, blue-toned minimalist bedroom, he admired his work with satisfaction before pulling out a contract he had found while cleaning. He read through it carefully, but there was nothing particularly surprising—just the standard agreement outlining the terms of their marriage: no interference in each other’s lives, occasional public appearances for the old man’s sake, and a financial settlement in the event of a divorce. But then, he noticed something interesting—within the contract, there was a clause stating that Yan Han could grant Pei Lang a personal request, as long as it was within his power and beyond the terms of the contract.

Now this… this might actually be useful.

Pei Lang wasn’t sure if this clause had already been used, but it was worth keeping in mind.

For now, though, his bigger concern was figuring out his future plans.

In truth, the conditions outlined in Yan Han’s contract were incredibly favorable. So why had the original owner been so obsessed with pursuing someone who had never even given him a chance? Without Yan Xiuyuan, he could have lived a comfortable, privileged life under Yan Han’s protection. Sure, Yan Han was in a wheelchair, but if he had just latched onto him properly, he would have reaped all the benefits. Instead, he had managed to ruin himself to the point where everyone in the world despised him.

If Pei Lang were still just a reader, he would have dismissed it as nothing more than lazy writing—an over-the-top character created solely to push the main plot forward. But now that he had become this person, he couldn’t help but wonder: What had actually driven the original Pei Lang to act this way?

Half a day had passed, and his phone had yet to ring once.

No calls from friends. No messages from colleagues.

It was clear the original owner had no real social connections.

But more importantly, there hadn’t even been a single call from family.

It was common knowledge that he had been detained, and with today’s paparazzi reports, it was impossible that his parents hadn’t heard the news. Yet, they hadn’t reached out at all.

There was only one conclusion—his own parents didn’t care about him either.

This is rough.

He was completely alone.

The novel itself had been a predictable, cliché-filled romance, where the focus was entirely on the protagonists’ love story—their breakups, reconciliations, and endless misunderstandings. There had been barely any background on the cannon fodder characters. All he knew was that Pei Lang and Pei Ziqing weren’t blood-related, that they didn’t get along, and that Pei Lang was jealous and selfish, always trying to steal from his younger brother.

But now that he had become this character, he needed to know everything about them. Otherwise, he risked exposing himself. Pretending to have amnesia would be the easy way out, but that was far too cliché.

After considering his options, Pei Lang decided to take action.

Using his remaining funds—just a few tens of thousands—he anonymously hired a private investigator to dig into his background. The more detailed, the better.

As for the two protagonists, there was no avoiding them entirely. Blood ties guaranteed they would cross paths eventually, but that didn’t mean he had to be involved in their drama. As long as he distanced himself properly, he wouldn’t get caught up in their mess.

They had protagonist halos—they could figure things out on their own.

Yan Han, on the other hand…

Pei Lang scowled. Why the hell did my golden finger bind to him?

Wouldn’t it have been better to bind it to someone actually useful?

But after thinking it through, Pei Lang realized there wasn’t really anyone worth binding it to.

He definitely didn’t want it linked to Yan Xiuyuan—he had no interest in watching the male lead fall in love in real-time.

He seemed to have conveniently forgotten about the time he stayed up all night reading the novel, cursing at the characters while being fully invested in their story.

“Damn system,” Pei Lang muttered under his breath. “This golden finger is useless.”

No wonder 007 had disappeared so quickly without explaining anything. It had obviously run away before he could complain.

But since there was nothing he could do about it now, he had no choice but to accept it.

“Whatever,” he sighed. “At least… his inner thoughts are kind of cute.”

If he ignored Yan Han’s permanently icy expression—like the world owed him a fortune—then yeah, the contrast was amusing.

Still, he had definitely pissed Yan Han off earlier. His wrist still ached from where the man had grabbed him, a painful reminder of how close he had come to getting his bones crushed.

After finalizing the investigator and spacing out for a bit, Pei Lang suddenly realized he was starving.

He had grabbed a small bite to eat earlier while shopping, but after hours of moving furniture and cleaning, he had burned through all of it.

Opening his door, he headed downstairs.

Outside, the sky was streaked with vibrant hues of sunset. The villa was eerily quiet—the servants had all disappeared, leaving a peaceful atmosphere. Pei Lang didn’t have time to admire the scenery, though. He made a beeline for the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and his eyes lit up at the sight of the fully stocked ingredients.

Rolling up his sleeves, he immediately started cooking.

In his past life, he had enjoyed making meals whenever he had the time, and his cooking skills weren’t bad. He had no idea if meals were included in his current arrangement, but he wasn’t about to test his luck—better to just handle it himself.

It didn’t take long to prepare a meal for one. Within thirty minutes, he had two simple dishes ready.

Just as he was serving them, he saw Yan Han returning from outside.

Recalling how he had provoked him earlier, Pei Lang immediately decided to play it safe.

“Uh… I checked the contract, and it says my scope of activities includes the kitchen,” he said, clearing his throat. “So I just made something for myself. That’s not a breach of contract, right?”