Chapter 124
Notes: Early release, thanks to Sakuradahl's support on Ko-Fi! ◟( ˃̶͈◡ ˂̶͈ )◞
After just shooing away the annoying Lin Ling, Pei Jingyun received another call from Pei Congliang right before boarding.
Behind him, his four assistants noticed their boss glance at his phone, then quickly look at his wife standing next to him.
Mu Cai was stepping onto the airplane. His jet-black hair fluttered in the wind, revealing his smooth full forehead and pale face. He didn't understand what had happened, but sensing his partner's gaze, Mu Cai turned his head back. His shiny black eyes showed a hint of confusion, "What's wrong?"
Seemingly nonchalantly, Pei Jingyun turned off his phone and slid it into his trench coat pocket. One hand reached around to hold Mu Cai's slender waist and the other took Mu Cai's arm. His face showed a nice smile, "Nothing, I just don't want you to trip."
Hearing this, Mu Cai also smiled, revealing his cute little canines, sweet and obedient, "I'm already an adult, you don't need to worry so much for me."
Pei Jingyun gazed at the dimple on his cheek, unable to resist smiling, "No matter how old you get, I will always worry about you."
This was the time for boarding the plane, people were before and after them. Mu Cai wasn't that comfortable publicly flirting, but he didn't decided not to nag Pei Jingyun and stopped talking. The blush on his cheeks was like a drop of blood-red ruby, catching everyone's eyes.
The assistants behind them just stood and watched their boss flirting in front of them. He held his husband and sweet-talked him, skillfully handled the phone call from the rival with ease. The whole vibrant scene made the air they breathed feel slightly polluted.
It's all the smell of sweet romance!
In ancient times, when the scholars were angry, they would slay two people and trail blood for five steps — the world around them stunned. But when the assistants were angry, they could only dare to be angry but not to speak out. They vented their ugly jealousy by tapping on their phones furiously in a group chat!
By the time the plane arrived in Orly, it was the local dawn, with golden sunlight enveloping the earth. The lifestyle assistants had already arranged for local transportation to pick everyone up, taking them to their pre-booked hotels.
The Queen's International Violin Competition organizing committee provided free host families for each contestant. However, Mu Cai didn't come to the competition alone. He was there with his family for their honeymoon, so it wasn't suitable for him to stay with a host family. Furthermore, his family entourage was quite long. Therefore, he explained the situation to the host family and left his contact information for the organizing committee before going to the hotel with Pei Jingyun.
Over the next three days, Mu Cai spent the entire day in the hotel, adjusting to the jet lag. Pei Jingyun had already taken this into account, deciding to arrive in Orly a week early.
Once Mu Cai adjusted to the time difference, he would go out with Pei Jingyun every morning to watch and enjoy the exotic atmosphere of Orly. In the afternoon and evening, he would practice the violin in the hotel.
Orly is internationally renowned as a musical sacred ground, and Mu Cai is an outstanding violinist. Combined with his relaxed mentality, his violin music is melodious and enchanting, light and joyful. He always finished practicing before nine o'clock each day. The other guests in the hotel were not disturbed by the music, but were instead very admiring of the mysterious violinist.
On the eve of the first round of the competition, Mu Cai and Pei Jingyun went for their usual post-dinner walk by the shimmering Blue Fruit River. As they exited the elevator and walked into the central lobby of the first floor of the hotel, an international friend stopped them, even speaking with a stiff Chinese accent: "Wait, wait!"
Hearing the voice, Mu Cai, holding Pei Jingyun's hand, stopped and turned, waiting for the other's questions.
The international friend was a young man with blond hair and blue eyes. He looked excited, his eyes locked tightly on Mu Cai standing in the middle of the hotel lobby, barely suppressing the trembling in his voice, "Is it you who plays the violin every night?"
Seeing the excitement of the other, Mu Cai thought this person was not here to protest his noise, so he revealed a smile and nodded, "Yes, it's me."
The chandelier hanging high on the dome cast a warm yellow light on his face, casting a soft glow on Mu Cai's soft hair and fair face. Standing there, impeccably dressed, with a slender waist and long legs, his demeanor graceful, the gloss in his eyes seemed as though stars were twinkling in them. He looked like an angel descended from heaven.
The blond and blue-eyed international friend praised the man in front of him wildly in his heart like a bard, and the zeal in his eyes became more intense. He continued asking, "The Queen's International Violin Competition is about to start. Are you here to participate?"
His gaze was so focused and passionate as if the man standing beside Mu Cai simply didn't exist. Although Pei Jingyun kept a cold face, Mu Cai noticed his partner tightening his grip around his own hand, indicating his irritation.
So, Mu Cai planned to resolve the situation quickly: "Yes. If the gentleman doesn't have anything else, I plan to go with..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the blond young man swiftly intervened: "I am also participating in this music competition. Your fingers must have been kissed by God, they play tunes that touch my heart. If you don't mind, can we exchange contact information? I know you use WeChat, I also have a WeChat account..."
This time it was Pei Jingyun who interrupted: "An encounter by chance need not be this formal. Besides, he is my lover."
Feeling as if a fire was burning inside, Pei Jingyun's grip on Mu Cai's hand was inevitably a bit rough. But very quickly, he softened his grip, held Mu Cai's face with devotion, and gently planted a kiss on his forehead.
After the kiss and seeing Mu Cai gently allowing his gestures with his eyes wide open, Pei Jingyun's heart softened even more. His fingers couldn't help but gently caress Mu Cai's cheek. However, he hadn't forgotten about the sudden and offending love rival, so he turned his cold face back and said in a low voice: "Understood? He is already mine."
The blond young man showed a look of unwillingness on his face, but Pei Jingyun didn't want his treasure in this man's sight even for another second. He hugged Mu Cai's shoulder, held his slender white fingers, and whispered, "Let's go."
Mu Cai turned around following his movement, lifted his long eyelashes, and looked at him gently with those eyes holding a shining galaxy: "Let's go."
Pei Jingyun tightened his fingers, feeling oddly reassured inside. Nonetheless, he remained a bit gruff.
Next time something like this happens, buying out the entire hotel would be the best course of action.
________________________
After that night, Mu Cai's focus shifted to the competition.
The Queen's International Violin Competition participants, having passed preliminaries, had to go through four rounds in Orly's National Opera House: first round, semi-finals, finals, and grand finals. No matter how many people qualified in the preliminaries, only twenty-four would remain after the first round. The numbers would decrease with each round until only ten were left for the grand finals.
The audience seats at the competition venue were mostly filled with invited dignitaries from the music field. Pei Jingyun managed to find a way to appear among them. Mu Cai was a bit surprised when he first saw him there, but then realized that such matters were feasible for someone controlling a vast business empire. As a result, he gestured towards Pei Jingyun from backstage.
Pei Jingyun responded with a smile and a wave.
The moment Mu Cai turned around, Pei's expression turned cold, his eyes warily fixated on Lin Ling with an unhappy expression, and the blond young man not far away.
Thankfully, Pei had already arranged for his assistant to make arrangements to watch Mu Cai's performance. This allowed them to promptly pick up and drop off Mu Cai for the competition, leaving no opportunity for potential rivals!
Mu Cai, who had several years of experience as a violin soloist, found participating in the Queen’s International Violin Competition to be quite easy due to his extensive stage experience and consistent practice over the past year. Over nearly a month, he smoothly progressed through the competition and eventually won the gold medal with ease.
On stage, Mu Cai shone. The judges of the Queen's International Violin Competition highly praised him, describing him as the "hand of God" and the "light of the violin," and invited him to participate in the Winners' Concert.
As per tradition for the international event, the top five winners would have an open concert for the world, sponsored by the organizing committee, alongside the Orly National Symphony Orchestra.
The night the finals concluded, Mu Cai and Pei Jingyun celebrated together with a box of beer and late-night snacks, relishing in the evening breeze as they returned to their hotel.
The small table in their room was filled with an assortment of foods: roasted sausages, cheese bread, fruit salads, and steaming hot beef stew. Beer cans were placed on and under the table. With the gold-medal victory in his grasp, Mu Cai was exhilarated, hungrily devouring a few small sausages before slowly enjoying the bread and beef stew.
Cross-legged in front of the table, Pei Jingyun opened a can of beer and handed it to Mu Cai. Orly's high latitude meant that the weather remained cool even in May or June. A thick woolen blanket covered the floor, keeping them warm. Combined with the air conditioning, they felt cozy in their room, clad in just a thin sweater on the upper body.
Mu Cai took the beer and drank a few mouthfuls. He wasn't a huge fan of drinking alcohol; beer was bitter, hard liquor was spicy, and while wine tasted somewhat better, it still had a strong astringency.
However, considering the day's worth of celebration and the amount of great food available to serve as a base, Mu Cai didn't mind much.
The two chatted about everything under the sun as the amount of alcohol consumed gradually increased. Upon noticing a blush spread across Mu Cai's cheeks, Pei Jingyun promptly and discreetly hid away the remaining beer bottles. He always knew that Mu Cai's alcohol tolerance was average but didn't expect him to get drunk after just a few cans of beer.
Unable to locate any more beer cans and engrossed in the fun, Mu Cai simply plopped onto the table, murmuring his dissatisfaction. His cheeks were flushed, making him look like a ripened apple. With his delicate white hand supporting his chin, his enchanting eyes added more brilliance due to the drunkenness. Under the illumination, his eyes gleamed like brilliant diamonds as he gazed at the person across the table.
Pei Jingyun's heart pounded in his chest as if it were running a high-speed marathon. The sight left his brain warm.
Unaware of his influence, Mu Cai pouted his lips, drawing a resemblance to both a wronged child and an affectionate cat begging for attention. "I want a drink, why is there no more alcohol?" he meowed.
Pei Jingyun's heart fluttered at the sight. Suppressing his own desires, he gently stroked Mu Cai's soft black hair and gently said, "There is none left, no more drinking. Too much isn't good for your health.”
Upon hearing this, Mu Cai lowered his eyelashes, casting a shadow under his eyes, covering those dazzling orbs. He puffed up his cheeks and grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Pei Jingyun felt like he was sinking into temptation, his head spinning. He was almost tempted to pile up all the hidden beer cans beside the man seeking them, but his remaining sanity was able to stop him just in time.
His heart was pounding so hard it seemed as if it would leap out of his chest, as if carrying a devil inside. Pei Jingyun lowered his head and bent down, concealing his selfish desires. He softly asked the person, who was lying drunk and obedient on the floor, "Cai Cai, do you like me?"
This question had been circling in his mind for a long time. What Pei Jingyun really wanted to ask was whether the other person truly liked him or was just using him as a substitute for someone else. However, he was afraid that the answer might be more than he could bear, so he chose to deceive himself instead.
As long as Mu Cai answered that he liked him, Pei Jingyun would no longer be troubled by it.
No matter why the other person liked him, liking him would be enough!
The person on the table laughed, their eyebrows curved and red lips partly revealing two tiny canines, exuding a childish innocence. Mu Cai looked at him, his eyes bright, "Like! Of course, I like you!"
Pei Jingyun's heart raced even faster.
It wasn't just his heart, a surge of warmth flowed through his limbs, rushing down his body, making his pants suddenly feel tight.
Standing in front of the person he loved, who was confessing their feelings and gazing at him with such a seductive expression, how could anyone not react?!
However, he didn't cross any lines. He simply reached out, lifted Mu Cai, and intended to put him on the bed for a good night's sleep. Taking advantage of Mu Cai in this state would seem opportunistic, and with Mu Cai's muddled mind, Pei Jingyun didn't want to leave a bad impression.
However, he didn't transgress any boundaries. He gently picked up Mu Cai, intending to put him to bed for a good sleep. Taking advantage of Mu Cai under these conditions would inevitably seem predatory, especially in Mu Cai's inebriated state. He didn't want to leave a bad impression.
Pei Jingyun was full of gentle feelings, but the person beside him suddenly said, "I like Claire, I like Qin Zhongjin, I like Li Yu, and I also like you."
Mu Cai's voice was soft, his body weak from alcohol, pressed against Pei Jingyun as if whispering in his ear. However, this one sentence was like a heavy bomb falling into Pei Jingyun's heart, causing a huge wave of shock.
He could hardly believe his ears. Holding Mu Cai, he sat them down on the bed, positioning Mu Cai straddling his legs, looking directly into Mu Cai's eyes. His lowered voice held a hint of impending insanity, "What did you just say? Who do you like?"
Mu Cai, propped up uncomfortably, wrinkled his brows.
Pei Jingyun despised himself, hated that he was trying to deceive himself even after hearing the truth. He resented being considered a substitute but couldn't help feeling heartache the moment he saw Mu Cai's furrowed brow. He hugged Mu Cai, making him sit closer to him, and even rested Mu Cai's head on his shoulder to make him more comfortable.
Only then did Mu Cai smile. He stretched out his slender, pale fingers and tickled Pei Jingyun's chin, "I said I like you!"
Pei Jingyun took a deep breath, his body was already reacting strongly, "Who else do you like?"
Without hesitation, Mu Cai answered, "I also like Claire, Qin Zhongjin, and Li Yu."
As he spoke, he lifted his head and looked at Pei Jingyun with bright eyes. He stretched out his slender, pale fingers and gently stroked Pei Jingyun's cheek, "You all look alike. You are them! I like you, I like all of you!"
After finishing, Mu Cai let out a small hiccup. He always felt that there was something wrong with what he was saying, but he couldn't figure out what was wrong. Frustrated, he furrowed his brows and said again, "I like Claire, Qin Zhongjin, Li Yu, and you!"
"Um, that's not right. I mean, I like all of you. No, I mean...um..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he felt his mouth being covered, and he had trouble breathing. Mu Cai felt uncomfortable and tried to push the person making him uncomfortable away.
However, Pei Jingyun was already going mad!
The person he loved, the one on the tip of his heart, the one for whom he went crazy, was viewing him as nothing more than a substitute!
Pei Jingyun felt as if his heart was a piece of meat on a cutting board, and Mu Cai's words were like a dull knife, slicing into his heart repeatedly!
His eyes were bloodshot. He pressed down on Mu Cai tightly, seeking comfort and love from his lips, attempting to fill the gaping hole in his heart. The more Mu Cai resisted, the more painful it was for him. The force of the blows landing on his body felt akin to tickling, but the force landing on his heart felt like a thousand pounds!
Why was Mu Cai resisting him so much?! How did he not measure up to those others?! Did Mu Cai truly love that person so deeply? Going so far as to find so many substitutes for his love?!
How did those substitutes treat Mu Cai? Did they kiss his lips and caress his skin like this? Did they lie on the same bed and explore uncharted territories together?!
As soon as Pei Jingyun thought of the person beneath him once belonging to others, ever-loving someone else, his heart grew unbearably pained, and his rationality nearly burned away!
He gripped Mu Cai's slender wrists with one hand, pressing them above his head, while his other hand began to undress him.
He could no longer hear Mu Cai's kitten-like protests. Pei Jingyun's eyes were red, and he had lost his sense of reason.
Today! He would make the person before him completely his!
From now on, no matter how much Mu Cai thought about others, he would belong solely to him!
________________________
Author's Note:
The pitch-black carrot spirit Pei Jingyun roars, raging: "Which other carrot spirit is as thick and large as me?!"
Although rough in words, when Mu Cai cried out in pain, he eventually became gentle =w=.
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