Marrying the Male Lead’s Disabled Uncle – Chapter 09

Chapter 9 The CPI was supporting collapsed

The night sky hung low, stars scattered across the vast expanse. Even the summer solstice wind carried a sticky heat, making people restless. But for the bustling city, the night had only just begun.

At Lingyan Bar, Yan Xiuyuan’s patience had been completely drained. His eyes were dark with rage, fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The longer he sat there waiting, the more humiliated he felt. He, the young president of Yan Entertainment, had deigned to call that useless lunatic, Pei Lang. He had generously invited him out, yet Pei Lang neither arrived early nor showed up at all. It was now nine o’clock—an entire hour past the agreed time—and the bastard still hadn’t appeared.

Pei Lang had dared to stand him up.

Yan Xiuyuan was furious, his handsome face twisted into something almost beastly.

Pei Ziqing, seated beside him, pretended to be anxious. Inside, however, he was delighted.

Pei Lang had clearly offended Yan Xiuyuan. If things escalated, Yan Xiuyuan would handle Pei Lang for him. Whether Pei Lang had genuinely given up or not didn’t matter—what mattered was that he had dug his own grave.

Yet, despite his glee, Pei Ziqing couldn’t help but be wary. Yan Xiuyuan’s temper had been shifting lately, and this was the first time he had seen him this angry.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yan Xiuyuan picked up his phone and called Pei Lang.

The dial tone rang over and over.

Just when he was about to lose it and smash his phone, the call connected.

A lazy, soft voice came through the speaker, sounding dazed and still half-asleep.

“Hello~ Who is it?”

That casual, drowsy tone sent Yan Xiuyuan into a blind fury.

“PEI LANG!” He roared, his self-control snapping. “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?! YOU DARED TO BREAK YOUR PROMISE?!”

The sudden shout nearly burst Pei Lang’s eardrum. He flinched, jerking the phone away from his ear. What the hell? Who gave this guy the right to scream at him in the middle of the night?

Frowning in annoyance, he pressed the phone back to his ear, voice dripping with irritation.

“Oh… It’s you.” His tone was sluggish, as if he had only just realized who was calling. “Didn’t I already say I wasn’t going? You hung up before I could finish, and now you’re mad at me?” He let out a slow exhale. “Why are you bothering me in the middle of the night? Do you know how good my dream was?”

Yan Xiuyuan nearly smashed his phone.

Was Pei Lang messing with him?!

“You think I don’t see through your little tricks?” Yan Xiuyuan sneered, his voice filled with disdain. “Hard-to-get tactics? How pathetic! There is no one I can’t make an appointment with. And yet, you… you dare to make me wait?!”

Pei Lang, now fully awake, was even more unhappy.

“You make it sound like I should be grateful you invited me.” His voice was laced with sarcasm. “So what? You wanted to punish me, and I was supposed to obediently show up for my beating? Do you think I’m stupid?“

No. In their eyes, the original Pei Lang was stupid.

“One more thing—” Pei Lang continued leisurely, “I don’t even like you.”

Yan Xiuyuan froze.

“Do you know why I did all those things before?” Pei Lang mused. “Because I like taking things from Pei Ziqing. It wasn’t about you. I was just playing a game.” He chuckled softly. “But now? I don’t care anymore. You’re not interesting. If I did take you from Pei Ziqing, I’d probably get bored and throw you away in a day.”

Yan Xiuyuan’s mind blanked.

He…

He had never been spoken to like this before.

He was Yan Xiuyuan. The proud son of the entertainment industry. The man countless people dreamed of getting close to.

Yet, Pei Lang—a disgraced social outcast—was telling him he wasn’t worth stealing?!

His chest heaved, rage swirling inside him. Just as he was about to lash out, Pei Lang’s voice suddenly softened, almost as if he were giving kind advice.

“Yan Xiuyuan, you’re getting engaged soon,” he said lightly. “You should be more careful. Keep your distance from single people like me. Ziqing is sensitive. He might get jealous.”

Then, before Yan Xiuyuan could respond—

The call ended.

Blocked.

Phone turned off.

Yan Xiuyuan lost it completely.

That night, the private room at Lingyan Bar was destroyed.

Everything that could be smashed—was smashed.

Pei Ziqing had never seen him this angry. He shrank back in fear, unsure whether to intervene.

Yan Xiuyuan was always composed, always confident.

But tonight, his self-control was gone.

The worst part?

The one who had broken him was Pei Lang.

Pei Lang, whom he had never taken seriously.

Pei Ziqing’s fingers tightened around his sleeves, his expression shifting.

Pei Lang had truly changed.

He wasn’t the same fool who used to throw himself at Yan Xiuyuan’s feet.

And that…

was dangerous.

Pei Ziqing had never seen Yan Xiuyuan like this before. He didn’t dare step forward to comfort him, nor did he know how to react. The only thing he could do was shift all the blame onto Pei Lang.

Meanwhile, Pei Lang, after hanging up the call, realized something.

He had walked straight to the edge of a cliff.

According to the original novel, if he seduced the male lead, he would die. But if he avoided the male lead, he would offend Yan Xiuyuan—and still die anyway. This was a lose-lose situation.

What was he supposed to do? Try to please him?

Yeah, right.

Not only did Pei Lang have zero interest in trying to please Yan Xiuyuan, but even if he forced himself to act submissive, Yan Xiuyuan would just take it as another attempt at seduction. Either way, he was doomed.

Before, he had only suspected that the two male leads’ personalities had changed, but after today’s two phone calls, he was completely certain—the characters he had once liked no longer existed.

The CP he had supported had collapsed!

Now, just seeing their names together made his brain short-circuit.

What was even worse was that offending Yan Xiuyuan would make entering the entertainment industry incredibly difficult.

In his previous world, Pei Lang had no background. He had struggled for years, enduring setbacks and rejections before he was discovered by a famous director, starring in a breakout drama that finally brought him success. But in this world?

Before he could even take his first step into the industry, he had already offended one of the most powerful CEOs in the field.

Not to mention, the original owner had already ruined his reputation.

It would be impossible for Pei Lang to get into the industry without help.

And now, Yan Xiuyuan wanted him dead.

And Pei Lang? He had only stabbed the thorn deeper into his side.

Yan Xiuyuan would not let him off.

But then… Pei Lang had a thought.

“Yan Han is his uncle. No matter how powerful Yan Xiuyuan is, he wouldn’t dare go against his own elder, right?”

A plan formed in his mind.

If he clung to Yan Han’s thigh, would he still have to fear Yan Xiuyuan?

Lying flat on his bed, Pei Lang suddenly sat up, thinking it through carefully.

But…

“Yan Han is cold. Would he even accept my flattery?”

Even though his inner world was lively and expressive, he was still a mature businessman. If Pei Lang tried too hard, he would definitely see through it.

After all, someone in Yan Han’s position had dealt with countless people trying to cozy up to him.

But then Pei Lang thought of something else.

“I just need to do things that he likes.”

At this moment, for the first time, Pei Lang felt his golden finger was actually useful.

Yan Han appeared cold and indifferent, but inside, he was like a child.

Using the golden finger, Pei Lang could figure out what Yan Han actually enjoyed, and by catering to those preferences, he could subtly win his favor.

Since he needed time to rebuild his career, he could use that time to secure his position in the villa.

As long as he remained here, Yan Xiuyuan wouldn’t dare make a move.

Decision made, Pei Lang changed into a clean set of loungewear and went downstairs to eat the leftover dumplings he had saved in the fridge.

Then, after eating, he sat in the living room and waited for Yan Han to return.

Yan Han was busy with work, so it was more than an hour before he finally came home, accompanied by Su Jia.

Seeing Pei Lang half-asleep on the couch, Yan Han’s eyes flickered with confusion.

Su Jia walked over and nudged him awake.

“Why are you here?”

Pei Lang yawned as he woke up, blinking lazily.

“I’m waiting for you,” he replied matter-of-factly.

Su Jia, hearing this, immediately narrowed his eyes and looked him up and down.

His neatly styled hair, his clean and comfortable loungewear, his lazy but seductive posture—all of it screamed intentional charm.

And worst of all, his eyes were focused entirely on his boss.

Su Jia immediately scoffed.

“Hah! You’re not waiting for me, are you?”

Pei Lang smirked. “Good, you already know.”

Daring to admit it openly, Pei Lang’s words made Su Jia bristle with irritation.

“You’re really trying to seduce the boss?!” Su Jia accused. “I advise you to give up now!”

But Pei Lang simply raised an eyebrow.

“Why are you so nervous?” His voice was slow and teasing. “Could it be… you like Mr. Yan?”

Su Jia choked.

Yan Han frowned slightly.

“You—what the hell are you saying?!” Su Jia exploded, flustered. “How could I possibly like the boss?!”

Pei Lang tilted his head.

“But you seem really worked up about it.”

“I—I respect the boss!” Su Jia stammered, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized he had fallen into Pei Lang’s trap.

Sure enough, Pei Lang laughed softly.

“If that’s the case,” he said, amused, “why don’t you explain it to Mr. Yan instead of me?”

Su Jia was furious but had no comeback.

Just as he was about to protest again, Yan Han finally spoke.

“Enough.”

His cold voice cut through the conversation, and Su Jia immediately fell silent.

Yan Han turned his gaze back to Pei Lang.

“You were waiting for me?”

Pei Lang nodded, his expression sincere.

“Yes. Mr. Yan, have you eaten yet? Are you hungry?”

As he spoke, his gaze flickered to Yan Han’s shoulder—

—and saw the miniature version of Yan Han rubbing its stomach pitifully.

Pei Lang understood immediately.

Yan Han had only been drinking tonight. He hadn’t eaten much.

Though he wasn’t someone who normally cared about food, Pei Lang’s home-cooked meals had unexpectedly awakened his appetite.

Pei Lang’s lips curled slightly.

“Mr. Yan, I can smell the alcohol. You must have been drinking.” He smiled. “How about I cook something for you? I did eat your dinner today. Consider it compensation.”

Before Yan Han could respond, Su Jia scoffed again.

“You? Cook for the boss?” His tone was filled with disdain. “Are you kidding? Do you think the boss eats random home-cooked meals? His meals are all specially prepared by a professional nutritionist!”

But Pei Lang didn’t get mad.

He just sighed dramatically and shook his head.

“Su Jia, you really don’t understand, do you?” He gave a knowing smile. “Eating isn’t about nutrition—it’s about enjoyment.”

Su Jia was speechless.

And as Pei Lang spoke, Yan Han, who had eaten Pei Lang’s cooking before, suddenly felt… tempted.

Su Jia was completely amused by Pei Lang’s boldness. “You’re something else! The boss has been going on about wanting to eat Summer Sunset for days. That’s a famous chef’s masterpiece. Even Nanjingzhai couldn’t make it! If you can actually cook it and satisfy the boss, I’ll admit defeat.”

Hearing the name of the dish, Pei Lang froze for a second, then suddenly let out a carefree laugh, flashing a set of perfectly straight, pearly white teeth. “You said it yourself.”

Neither of them noticed the growing displeasure in Yan Han’s expression.

Especially Su Jia, who was oblivious to everything and was even dragging Pei Lang toward the kitchen, insisting that he had to watch him cook in person before he’d believe it.

But then—

Yan Han: “Su Jia, go home.”

Su Jia stopped mid-step.

What?

If Su Jia ever found out that his mighty, cold, and untouchable boss had once passionately demanded a dish called Summer Sunset, and that this highly sought-after dish turned out to be just scrambled eggs with tomatoes—

And if he knew that Yan Han had even gone so far as to send him a photo of it, but had been too embarrassed to explain further—

If Su Jia found out all this… how would he even react?

But before that could happen, Yan Han’s icy voice rang out again.

“I told you not to bring up those four words again. Your bonus for next month is gone. Get out.“

Su Jia was completely dumbfounded.

Huh?!

Why doesn’t the boss ever follow the rules?!

Why am I getting fined again?!

Wait, when has the boss ever played by the rules?

Realizing this was a battle he couldn’t win, Su Jia could only shut up and leave immediately.

At this point, he had no idea that his salary had been docked three times now—all because of Pei Lang’s cooking.

Now, there were only two people left in the villa.

Yan Han’s gaze locked onto Pei Lang.

Even the mini version of himself on his shoulder had a serious expression, arms crossed, clearly displeased.

The entire atmosphere turned tense.

Pei Lang held back from moving, knowing better than to speak first.

The silence stretched on for a long time.

Finally, Yan Han spoke.

“I wasn’t yelling.”

Pei Lang was caught off guard for a moment, then quickly realized what he was talking about—

Su Jia had said he was ‘clamoring’ for Summer Sunset.

And now, Yan Han was trying to save face.

Oh.

Damn.

Pei Lang almost laughed out loud.

Even with his cold exterior, this guy was actually kind of cute.

No, no—

I must be hallucinating because of that tiny chibi version of him on his shoulder. Yeah, that’s it.

Still, Pei Lang kept his face serious, nodding with complete sincerity.

“I understand, Mr. Yan is not that kind of person.”

He made sure to look fully convinced, totally respectful, and absolutely non-confrontational—

After all, if Yan Han got mad at him now, it would completely ruin his plan to win favor.

Yan Han, still feeling the need to justify himself, continued explaining.

“You claimed it was a famous dish. I merely wanted to verify if you were lying or not. I don’t eat dishes from unknown sources.”

“Of course, of course,” Pei Lang nodded enthusiastically, blinking his bright eyes like he was soaking up every word as gospel truth.

“Then, Mr. Yan, may I go cook now?”

Yan Han paused, then finally responded with a simple:

“Mm.”