Marrying the Male Lead’s Disabled Uncle – Chapter 06

Chapter 6: I can’t tell he’s a stingy guy 

The sky was dotted with stars, and the warm evening breeze carried the faint scent of osmanthus, gently brushing against Pei Lang and sweeping away the stifling emotions in his chest. It felt as if a heavy stone that had been weighing on his heart for years had finally been lifted, allowing him to breathe freely for the first time.

Now that he had discovered Pei Ziqing’s true nature, Pei Lang couldn’t help but question whether the original Pei Lang’s actions had really followed the novel’s plot or if there was another hidden story behind them. The more he thought about it, the more he felt a pang of sympathy for the original owner’s experiences. But in the end, none of that mattered anymore—he had taken over this life, and from now on, things would change.

With that thought, Pei Lang comforted himself and strode forward. His face still throbbed painfully from the slap earlier. The force of that angry old man had been surprisingly strong, and since his skin was fair and delicate, the impact had left a distinct set of red finger marks on his cheek. Now, one side of his face was visibly swollen. On his way back to the villa, he bought some swelling-reducing ointment and applied it before heading home.

When he walked in, he saw Yan Han sitting in the living room.

There was no assistant or servant in sight. The man was casually drinking coffee and reading a book, seemingly indifferent to Pei Lang’s arrival. He didn’t even lift his head at the sound of footsteps, but the tiny chibi figure on his shoulder frowned in Pei Lang’s direction, clearly noticing him.

Having just arrived in this unfamiliar world, the villa was the only place Pei Lang could call home. Whether he liked it or not, Yan Han was technically his “husband,” and it wouldn’t hurt to maintain a good relationship with him.

“It’s late. Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” Pei Lang approached naturally and asked politely. “Can I sit across from you?”

According to the contract, Pei Lang’s permitted activity areas were limited to his bedroom, the kitchen, and the main entrance. Anywhere else required permission. Clearly, the original owner hadn’t been well-liked by Yan Han.

Yan Han finally looked up. “Just this once.”

His gaze lingered on Pei Lang’s swollen cheek for a moment before shifting away, as if he had lost interest.

Pei Lang had assumed Yan Han would remain completely unmoved, but when he glanced at the tiny chibi on his shoulder, he noticed a different reaction.

The little figure’s proud little face was scrunched up with concern. His small hands were balled into fists, and his expression practically screamed: I really want to rub his face better.

Pei Lang, who had always been weak to cute things, suddenly found himself smiling warmly.

Yan Han, catching the unexpected softness in Pei Lang’s expression, furrowed his brows slightly.

Realizing he had been caught, Pei Lang quickly looked away and cleared his throat. “Mr. Yan, can I ask you a question?”

Yan Han said nothing, merely returning to his book.

But he didn’t refuse, so Pei Lang took it as permission.

“You’re Yan Xiuyuan’s uncle, so you must know him well. What kind of person is he?”

Since Pei Ziqing had turned out to be completely different from his original portrayal, Pei Lang couldn’t help but wonder if Yan Xiuyuan’s personality had also deviated from the novel.

Yan Han flipped a page and replied blandly, “He’s the man you’ll never get.”

Pei Lang blinked.

Damn, that was direct.

“Haha~ That’s true,” Pei Lang admitted with a small smile. “We’re not on the same level, after all.”

The little chibi on Yan Han’s shoulder visibly grimaced at the mention of Yan Xiuyuan, looking extremely displeased.

Oh?

Pei Lang raised a brow. Maybe their relationship wasn’t as good as it seemed on the surface.

At that moment, Yan Han’s expression subtly changed—he had picked up on the strong medicinal scent lingering around Pei Lang.

The tiny chibi on his shoulder dramatically covered his nose and fanned the air in front of him in exaggerated disgust, but of course, this was just Yan Han’s subconscious reaction. No matter how much the little chibi flailed, it wouldn’t actually change anything.

“Give up,” Yan Han said coolly. “They’re getting engaged. You have no chance. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

Pei Lang gave him a pointed look.

“Boss Yan, we’re in a cooperative relationship now. We help each other, remember?” Pei Lang smiled. “You probably don’t want your father finding out about our contract, do you?”

Yan Han’s gaze darkened instantly, and an almost tangible pressure filled the air.

Shit.

Did I just shoot myself in the foot?

“Who gave you the courage to threaten me?” Yan Han’s tone was dangerously low.

Pei Lang was instantly drenched in cold sweat. He had nearly forgotten that despite having such a hilariously animated inner world, Yan Han was not someone he could afford to offend.

Realizing he had stepped on a landmine, Pei Lang immediately changed tactics.

“Mr. Yan, you misunderstood,” he said quickly, adjusting his tone to something more flattering. “I meant that we should protect each other’s contracts and secrets. After all, we’re partners. You’re such a charismatic, mature, and powerful man—the national husband, the dream lover of so many—how could I possibly threaten someone as great as you?”

Yan Han cut him off with a cold glare. “Speak like a normal person.”

Pei Lang sighed inwardly. Tough crowd.

“What I mean is that I have no family or connections. Life’s hard,” he said, switching to a pitiful expression. “Since we’re partners, would it be too much to ask Mr. Yan for a small favor now and then?”

Yan Han narrowed his eyes.

A small favor?

Sounds like trouble.

But he was curious about what Pei Lang would ask for, so he played along. “For example?”

“For example… could you check how much money I have under my name?” Pei Lang asked sincerely. “You see, my memory is terrible, and it’d be embarrassing to go to the bank just to ask. Since you’re so powerful, it’d be a small thing for you, right?”

Yan Han: “…?”

The tiny chibi’s expression mirrored his confusion perfectly: My friend, are you serious?

Yan Han had expected some ridiculous, excessive demand—but this?

He blinked, then stated flatly, “No need to check. Your financial app has all your assets listed.”

Pei Lang quickly checked his phone and nearly had a heart attack.

“…What?!”

He was broke.

The app showed he had a little over 10,000 yuan left.

Yan Han had no reason to lie about this, which meant the original Pei Lang had truly been dirt poor.

How the hell am I supposed to live like this?!

Pei Lang frowned, deep in thought.

It seemed he needed to find a way to make money—fast.

And not just that.

His current body was weak. He had a decent frame, but no muscle tone. In his previous life, he had been physically fit, trained in martial arts, and capable of performing intense action scenes. But with this body? He’d probably be gasping for breath after a few punches.

Forget acting for now.

Before stepping into the entertainment industry again, he needed to build his strength.

Right now, priority number one was making money and getting back into shape.

Yan Han had expected Pei Lang to take advantage of the situation—to ask for a large sum of money, at the very least. But to his surprise, Pei Lang actually planned to figure things out on his own.

That… wasn’t what he had expected.

Yan Han found himself momentarily puzzled by the man in front of him.

Meanwhile, Pei Lang was deep in thought about his financial situation when his stomach suddenly growled, pulling him back to reality. He realized he hadn’t eaten for hours.

“Forget it,” he muttered to himself. “Thinking about money can wait. I need to eat first if I want to have the energy to figure things out.”

With that, he stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

“Wait.”

Yan Han’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

Pei Lang turned around.

“My kitchen—are you just going to come and go as you please?” Yan Han’s tone was cold. “There’s no clause in the contract about providing meals.”

Pei Lang blinked.

“Boss Yan,” he said with exaggerated surprise. “I never knew you were such a stingy person.”

He sighed dramatically.

“You know I’m about to be broke,” he continued. “And if you don’t finish the food in the fridge, it’s just going to spoil. If it spoils, you’ll have to deal with the waste. So why not let me eat it in advance? Consider it a win-win. And I’ll even pay you back double once I make a fortune. How’s that?”

Yan Han’s expression didn’t change.

“I didn’t eat tonight,” he stated seriously.

For a moment, Pei Lang didn’t catch the meaning behind the words.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the little chibi figure on Yan Han’s shoulder rubbing its belly, looking pitifully hungry.

Oh.

So you want to eat but don’t want to admit it?

Pei Lang almost laughed.

“You should’ve just said so,” he teased. “I’ll get right on it. Thank you, Mr. Yan, for granting me a meal.”

Since Yan Han had enjoyed the scrambled eggs with tomatoes last time, Pei Lang decided to make something similar—tomato and egg noodles.

As Pei Lang busied himself in the kitchen, Yan Han, despite his composed demeanor, sneakily took out his phone. He turned on the front camera and subtly checked his reflection.

Still handsome.

Still had the aloof look of a powerful CEO.

Then why had Pei Lang given him that soft look earlier?

Yan Han frowned, still baffled.

Thirty minutes later, two steaming bowls of noodles were ready. Pei Lang carried them to the dining table before going back to fetch the chili oil. Since he wasn’t sure whether Yan Han liked spicy food, he served the chili separately.

Taking this brief moment alone, Yan Han snapped a picture of the dish and sent it to Su Jia.

So this is the Summer Sunset I was looking for.

As an assistant, Su Jia was trained to reply within seconds. Before Yan Han could even finish typing the rest of his message, Su Jia’s response popped up.

Su Jia: Tomato and egg noodles? Why would the boss eat this?

Yan Han: “?”

Wait.

Tomato and egg noodles?

Not Summer Sunset?

Yan Han narrowed his eyes.

The moment the question mark appeared, Su Jia panicked.

Did the boss think he had neglected his duties?

Had the boss gone so hungry that he had no choice but to eat something so… basic?

Su Jia: Sorry, boss! I’ll arrange dinner for you right away!

Yan Han: No need.

Still confused, Yan Han did a quick online search.

As it turned out, tomato and egg noodles were a very common dish.

…

No wonder the chefs at the hotel hadn’t known what “Summer Sunset” was.

Yan Han stared at the results on his phone.

Thinking back to how he had demanded the dish at the restaurant, his face darkened slightly.

That was ridiculous.

If Su Jia ever found out that the legendary Summer Sunset was nothing more than scrambled eggs with tomatoes, his dignified image as a CEO would be ruined.

No.

He had to do something.

Yan Han quickly sent another message.

Yan Han: Forget everything about today. If you don’t, your salary for this month is gone.

Meanwhile, at home, Su Jia—who had been lying in bed scrolling through celebrity gossip—suddenly sat up in alarm.

What the hell?!

What did I do this time?!

It was clearly the boss who had said he had no appetite earlier, and now he was sending out threats?

This boss was impossible to serve.

Su Jia grumbled to himself, but after thinking it over, he sighed.

The boss was a difficult person, but over the years, he had been treated well.

Fine. Whatever.

Su Jia flopped back down onto his bed, smoothing out his irritation.

—

When Pei Lang returned to the dining area, he was met with an unexpected sight.

The little chibi on Yan Han’s shoulder was glaring at him with intense hatred, while Yan Han himself was looking at him as if he had committed some unforgivable crime.

Pei Lang hesitated.

What happened?

Had Yan Han somehow realized that Pei Lang’s portion was slightly bigger?

Was he mad that Pei Lang had taken more food?

…

No, that couldn’t be it.

Even if Yan Han was stingy, this amount was nothing to him.

Pei Lang, despite his outwardly composed demeanor, tended to overthink things sometimes. “Mr. Yan, do you want some chili?” he offered, pushing the small bowl toward him.

Yan Han didn’t respond, nor did he add any chili to his noodles.

For him, eating was simply a necessity, nothing more. Having grown up accustomed to extravagant meals, he rarely felt any actual desire for food.

Yet, for some reason, this simple dish of tomato and eggs had inexplicably piqued his appetite.

The faint, comforting aroma made him temporarily set aside his earlier annoyance.

Silently, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating—elegantly, of course.

Pei Lang watched curiously as Yan Han carefully ate only the vegetables, leaving the noodles untouched.

Picky eater.

With an amused smile, Pei Lang added some chili to his own bowl and started eating.

Yan Han never would have imagined that one day, he’d be sitting at the same table as Pei Lang—a man with such a notorious reputation—and eating in such an oddly peaceful atmosphere.

It was almost surreal.

Pei Lang was about to take a big bite when pain shot through his cheek.

Right.

His face was still sore from the slap earlier.

Forced to chew slowly, he eventually finished his meal. By then, Yan Han had already left the table.

After washing the dishes, Pei Lang returned to his room, took a shower, and changed into comfortable clothes.

Then, he began his search for ways to make money.

But no matter how many part-time job listings he scrolled through, he found nothing reliable in the middle of the night.

If I had known the original owner was this broke, I wouldn’t have spent so much money redecorating my room.

Now that he thought about it…

Maybe pink and purple weren’t that bad.

Deep in thought, Pei Lang didn’t even realize when he had drifted off to sleep.