Chapter 21: Are You Trying to Stack Buffs on Me Here?

Pei Qiaonian’s surging anger abruptly fizzled out. He even found it a bit unbelievable. “What? All you want is for me to go to sleep?”

Xu Yunzhu glanced at him, puzzled. “Yes, what else did you think I meant?”

Pei Qiaonian fell silent.

He’d spent all this time imagining things, only to discover she was just urging him to rest.

So after all this talk, they hadn’t even been on the same wavelength.

“Heh.” He snorted coldly, brushing off Xu Yunzhu’s hand. “You can go now. Stop interrupting my work. Instead of worrying so much, you’d do better to spend some time practicing my signature. Don’t mess up when the time comes.”

Xu Yunzhu frowned, a little troubled. “Can’t we just use a fingerprint instead? Your signature is really hard to imitate.”

Pei Qiaonian shot her a look. Xu Yunzhu touched her nose, a little sheepish. “Alright, I’ll practice. But you have to put face masks on me every day, and use hydrating skincare products. Also, when you go to the office tomorrow, don’t wear what you’re wearing now. Female celebrities are meticulous down to every strand of hair—wear a dress!”

Before Pei Qiaonian could reply, she stretched with a yawn. “I’m so tired, I’m going to bed.”

Sneezing, she asked, “Where am I sleeping tonight?”

“There’s a guest room next to the master bedroom upstairs. Sleep there. I’ll come up after I finish these files, so don’t disturb me in the meantime,” Pei Qiaonian replied without even looking up.

His hands moved swiftly, flipping through the documents almost at a glance.

Xu Yunzhu genuinely wondered if he was even reading them properly.

“I’ll take a shower before bed, then.”

With her back to Pei Qiaonian, Xu Yunzhu didn’t notice his ears slowly flush red.

It was only after she left that Pei Qiaonian stared at the files in front of him, feeling a bit vexed. He tossed them aside and pinched the bridge of his nose.

If she wanted to shower, what could he do? It wasn’t as if he could stop her. Better that than letting his body develop a permanent smell.

But understanding was one thing; accepting it was another.

What exactly would it take for him to switch back?

He forced his attention onto his work again.

Reaching into his pocket for a cigarette, he found nothing.

Xu Yunzhu didn’t even let him stay up late; would she allow him to smoke in her body?

Pei Qiaonian immediately gave up the thought and drank two glasses of water to clear his head.

Before he knew it, it was eleven o’clock.

He was a little tired too.

He put down the files and, passing the guest room, saw through the crack beneath the door that the lights were already out.

It was remarkable.

Xu Yunzhu could apparently cure his years of insomnia.

In the past, he’d work until three in the morning, then take sleeping pills, and wake up promptly before seven. Such a routine had only worsened his migraines.

But judging by Xu Yunzhu’s state, she wasn’t plagued by these ailments—which was a relief.

After washing up, Pei Qiaonian followed her skincare instructions, smoothing on a generous layer of hydrating lotion. Surely she’d be satisfied now.

He fell asleep within minutes of his head hitting the pillow.

If it weren’t for the sudden crash and a scream of pain from outside, he wouldn’t have woken at all.

Hearing Xu Yunzhu’s voice, he immediately slipped on his slippers, flicked on the light, and hurried downstairs.

There, he saw her slumped against the wall, a cup rolling at her feet. Only when the lights came on did she look his way.

“Wuwu, Pei Qiaonian, the lights were on, so why did I suddenly go blind? I missed a step and fell.” Tears shimmered in Xu Yunzhu’s eyes as she rubbed her backside. “Ow, my butt, it’s going to split open.”

Standing at the top of the stairs, Pei Qiaonian breathed a sigh of relief to see she wasn’t truly hurt.

Just as Xu Yunzhu cared for her own body, he cared for his as well.

He went down and stood beside her. “Are you alright?”

Xu Yunzhu sniffled, wincing in pain. “I must be cursed this year. Why am I having such bad luck lately? I only wanted a drink of water.”

Seeing his own face covered in tears—a look he usually despised—he said nothing. Instead, he turned on every light in the living room and looked back at her. “How about now? Can you see?”

Enveloped in brightness, Xu Yunzhu blinked and nodded. “It’s fine now. Everything suddenly got blurry and then dark. I don’t know what happened.”

Pei Qiaonian glanced at the night light above the stairs—enough for people with good vision, nothing more.

He bent to pick up her cup and helped her up, her weight nearly making him stumble.

Was his body really this heavy?

He settled Xu Yunzhu on the sofa and brought her a glass of water. “Here, drink this.”

Xu Yunzhu was surprised by his kindness, but her thirst overcame her hesitation. She drank it all in one gulp, smacked her lips, and sheepishly held out the glass. “More, please...”

Pei Qiaonian’s face darkened.

Xu Yunzhu quickly rubbed her sore backside. “Ow, my butt... Is it broken? It hurts so much...”

He snatched the glass and went to refill it, grumbling all the while.

Xu Yunzhu beamed as she finished the second glass, letting out a sigh of relief. “That’s better!”

Then she remembered to ask the important question. “What’s wrong with your eyes?”

“Don’t tell me you not only have stomach trouble, but might also go blind at any moment?”

Pei Qiaonian scoffed. “Not blind, but I do have night blindness. In the dark, I’m no better than a blind man. So next time you get up for water, turn on every light in the house.”

Xu Yunzhu was speechless.

Sometimes, when words simply failed, all one could do was laugh. Xu Yunzhu’s voice was squeezed out through her teeth. “Are you stacking all the debuffs for me? Stomach problems, night blindness, and from your mother I heard your past isn’t exactly rosy either.”

And according to the novel, he was prone to rage and had a volatile personality.

Wasn’t he the classic tragic beauty—strong yet miserable?

He said nothing.

“Can night blindness be cured?” Xu Yunzhu asked.

Pei Qiaonian replied indifferently, “I don’t know.”

“You’ve never tried to treat it?”

He sneered. “No need. I just endure it. If you don’t want to suffer, find a way to switch us back as soon as possible.”

He eyed Xu Yunzhu up and down, stroking his chin. “Looks like falling down the stairs won’t do it. We can cross that method off the list.”

Xu Yunzhu stared at him, speechless.

After all this time, was he still hoping a tumble down the stairs would switch them back?

If not for her robust body, that fall would have left her bedridden for days, if not in the hospital.

She tried to stand but winced in pain—her backside simply wouldn’t let her.

So, looking pitiful, she tilted her head up at Pei Qiaonian, beckoning him over. “Come on, help me up and take me back to my room. I’ll be fine after a night’s rest.”

Pei Qiaonian looked at her coldly. “Hmph, you really are getting used to ordering me around.”

Xu Yunzhu felt wrongly accused. She wouldn’t dare order him around, not even if she had a hundred times the courage.

She launched into flattery. “This isn’t ordering you around—it’s my humble request. Besides, who else can I ask in this house? You’re the only one I can rely on. I’ve always heard you’re a wonderful person, so you’ll help me, won’t you?”

Pei Qiaonian: “?”