ARBW Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The old mansion was bustling with activity today. Not only had Second Sister and her family returned, but Eldest Brother and his family were also back.

As Pei Yuhuai arrived at the entrance of the old mansion, Cai Cai came bouncing over to greet him.

Pei Yuhuai glanced at her and smiled.

“What’s the occasion today? Why are you back too?”

Cai Cai immediately laughed, “Hehe, Uncle, don’t tease me. I’m not a big shot in our family.”

“You used to be always on the move. I’m just surprised.”

“Lately, my mom has been keeping a tight rein on me. I’m out of money, so I had no choice but to come back.”

“Didn’t I just give you 500,000 last time?”

“I’ve been playing this niche otome game recently. I really like one of the characters, so I spent all the money to get more of his storylines.”

In the past, Pei Yuhuai wouldn’t have understood her.

But now, having met his lover Lin Mian through gaming, he could somewhat relate.

“Well, how about this? Call Xiao Su tonight and have her transfer you some pocket money.”

Cai Cai was overjoyed and quickly pulled Pei Yuhuai inside.

Halfway there, Pei Yuhuai said to Cai Cai, “Since you like those romance games so much, have you thought about starting your own company after graduation?”

Cai Cai was stunned for a moment, then excitedly asked, “Really? Would Grandpa and Grandma be okay with it? They always think playing with anime stuff is a waste of time.”

“Just playing around is indeed a waste of time. But if you can make money from it, then it becomes a job.”

“Hahaha, that’s great! It’s settled then. After I graduate, I’ll start a game company specializing in romance games.”

As the uncle and niece chatted, they entered the main hall of the old mansion.

Pei Yuhuai noticed that not only was the family all present, but there were also a few guests.

When he saw a young girl among them, he had a vague idea of what was going on.

He glanced helplessly at the old lady, not wanting to embarrass the girl later.

While the guests were chatting with his father, he quietly sat down beside the old lady.

“Mom, I don’t want to go on a blind date.”

The old lady’s face darkened, looking like she was about to scold him.

Seeing this, Pei Yuhuai quickly took out his work phone.

“I don’t want to go on a blind date, not because I’m unhappy with your arrangement, but because I already have a lover.”

The old lady was stunned, then looked suspiciously at Pei Yuhuai’s phone.

Pei Yuhuai found a photo of Lin Mian.

He had taken a few photos of Lin Mian and wanted to find a more decent one.

But before he could, the old lady snatched the phone from him.

Pei Yuhuai’s eye twitched.

Especially when he saw the old lady’s reaction to the first photo of Lin Mian, his expression was quite something.

The old lady stared at the photo for a long time, then slapped Pei Yuhuai twice.

“You little rascal, I didn’t know you had such a twisted taste. No wonder you couldn’t find a partner before. You better not let your father see this photo, or he’ll definitely beat you to death.”

With that, the old lady handed the phone back to Pei Yuhuai, looking at him with a mix of exasperation and resignation.

Pei Yuhuai wanted to explain. He had always been his parents’ pride and joy.

Seeing such a photo must have been a huge disappointment for the old lady.

But before he could explain, the old man came over to introduce him to the girl.

However, this introduction was doomed to fail, as the old lady already knew Pei Yuhuai had a boyfriend and wouldn’t force him into a blind date.

The Pei family was indeed a super wealthy family, but not the kind you see in dramas.

There would be no forced separations or arranged marriages for business purposes.

They had tried to set Pei Yuhuai up before because he had been single for so long.

Now that they knew he had a lover, they wouldn’t interfere with his love life.

All they wanted was for Pei Yuhuai to have someone by his side.

Now that they had their wish, they wouldn’t force their child into anything.

However, after the guests left, the old lady still felt she needed to have a talk with her youngest son.

She called Pei Yuhuai aside and asked about his little lover.

“What’s the kid’s name? How old is he? Did he agree to wear those clothes? We may be rich, but we can’t do anything immoral. If the kid doesn’t like it, you better change your bad habits.”

Pei Yuhuai’s face showed a hint of embarrassment. He wanted to say it was a misunderstanding.

But since he had taken the photo and indeed thought Lin Mian looked beautiful in those clothes, he couldn’t shift all the blame.

“He’s in his twenties, named Lin Mian. I was wrong about the clothes. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

The photo was of Lin Mian in women’s clothing. A man taking photos of another man in women’s clothing wasn’t exactly a commendable habit.

“In his twenties, huh? That’s not too young. How about this, bring him over to meet me sometime. No matter how far you two go, meeting the parents won’t hurt him.”

Meeting the parents isn’t always a good thing in other families.

But meeting the Pei family would be beneficial for the kid.

At least it would be official, and the Pei family wouldn’t let him be mistreated or allow Pei Yuhuai to bully him.

True wealthy families value face and integrity. Only those who are half-baked would use their wealth to bully others.

“Alright, I’ll try to bring him over to meet you as soon as possible.”

Having passed the old lady’s test, Pei Yuhuai returned to his room.

He had been gaming for a long time today, so he didn’t log back in that night.

It wasn’t until the next afternoon that Pei Yuhuai had time to log in.

He logged in after his nap and, not finding Lin Mian, headed straight to the town square.

He planned to complete the day’s time-limited task before looking for Lin Mian.

Lin Mian had gone out early in the morning to familiarize the patrol robots with the town. He also needed to find Cheng Xiaowan and the others to check on the farmland they had been cultivating.

Now, their town had four Ability users: one with an Earth-based Ability, one with a Water-based Ability, one with a Plant-based Ability, and Lin Mian with a Taming-based Ability.

Four Ability users might not seem like much compared to other places.

But for their small town, it was quite impressive.

Previously, they hadn’t dared to leave the town, but now they ventured out.

While Lin Mian was checking on the farmland, several townsfolk were discussing Cheng Xiaowan and the others’ Abilities.

When Qin Yueming had an Ability, some had guessed it was related to Mr. Pei.

But back then, they had no proof and didn’t dare approach Mr. Pei.

Now, with two more—Cheng Xiaowan and the polite middle-aged man—both close to Lin Mian, they were even more convinced it was connected to Mr. Pei.

Seeing Lin Mian, someone couldn’t help but ask, “Lin Mian, you’re Mr. Pei’s person. They have Abilities, so you must have one too, right?”

Lin Mian nodded, knowing it was pointless to hide it and decided to admit it outright.

The person was clearly envious but, remembering Lin Mian represented Mr. Pei, didn’t dare offend him.

He said sarcastically, “I’m so jealous. You can get an Ability just by being good-looking. If I were as handsome as you, maybe I’d have one too.”

Lin Mian didn’t respond, aware that many envied him because of Mr. Pei.

He didn’t want to escalate things or let his emotions get the better of him.

Just then, a teenage boy ran up to Lin Mian.

He smiled ingratiatingly, “Lin Mian, I’ve always liked you. Can we be friends?”

Lin Mian looked down at him, remembering that during Song Yuli’s trouble, this boy had sided with Song Yuli.

Now, seeing Mr. Pei could grant Abilities, he was quick to curry favor.

Lin Mian didn’t like such people and frowned slightly.

“Sorry, we’re not suited to be friends.”

“Why not? I’m very obedient. I can be your sidekick. I can even cook. Would you like—”

Before the boy could finish, Cheng Xiaowan, who was in the field, had had enough.

“Are you deaf? He said he doesn’t want to be friends. Why are you still pestering him?”

The boy glanced at Cheng Xiaowan, knowing she was tough. If he angered her, she might hit him.

He forced a smile and obediently left Lin Mian’s side.

After the boy left, Cheng Xiaowan walked over to Lin Mian, clearly annoyed.

“You, you’re too nice, that’s why people bully you. The world is like this. The more you tolerate, the more bullies will target you. Even if you die, they won’t pity you; they’ll defile your grave. When dealing with shameless people, you have to be even meaner and more vicious. Only then will they fear you.”

Lin Mian sighed, “It’s not that serious. There’s no need for life-and-death struggles.”

Seeing Lin Mian so soft, Cheng Xiaowan wanted to continue lecturing him, but then she spotted Pei Yuhuai in the distance and swallowed her words.

Lin Mian wasn’t truly weak. When facing oppression from the Nobles, he had stubbornly resisted through hunger strikes.

He wasn’t afraid of death and was quite stubborn, clearly not a weak person.

Lin Mian was so gentle with the townsfolk because they were all once oppressed Lower Class People, and he didn’t want Pei Yuhuai to see his bad side.

Like now, he didn’t want to be caught in an argument when Mr. Pei arrived.

Seeing Pei Yuhuai, Lin Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Good thing he hadn’t lost his temper or said anything harsh.

Otherwise, if Mr. Pei had seen it, even if he wouldn’t blame him, Lin Mian would have felt it was unbecoming.

Lin Mian walked over to Pei Yuhuai and smiled, “Mr. Pei, you’re here?”

Pei Yuhuai: “Yes, what are you all doing?”

Lin Mian glanced at the busy people behind him, “They’re clearing land for farming. I’m just here to watch.”

“Do you want to farm with them?”

“No, I’m just watching. I don’t know how to farm.”

Besides, now that Mr. Pei was here, Lin Mian preferred to stay with him rather than farm with the others.