After Amnesia, I Learn I'm a Scumbag Top?! - Chapter 56

Chapter 56

“You’re already downstairs?” Pei Ji asked, surprised.

He distinctly remembered Chu Tinghan’s car driving in the opposite direction from his own when they left the hotel.

When did he turn back?

Pei Ji didn’t believe he could have gotten back so quickly. He crept to the window, cautiously pulled back a tiny corner of the curtain, and peered through the sliver of a gap, searching for Chu Tinghan’s figure below.

The moment his gaze lowered, it locked onto a familiar silhouette.

He’s actually downstairs?!

Pei Ji stared in disbelief, completely forgetting to let the curtain fall. Only when Chu Tinghan’s voice came through the phone again did he snap out of his daze.

“I wasn’t lying. I’m really downstairs. See for yourself.” As he spoke, Chu Tinghan even took a few steps back to ensure Pei Ji could clearly see him.

The phone line remained eerily silent. Chu Tinghan, receiving no response, tilted his head upward and asked, “What are you doing right now? Giving Lucky a bath?”

Seeing this, Pei Ji quickly dropped the curtain, rushed to the bathroom, and turned the faucet on full blast. The roaring water drowned out his calm voice as he said, “Yeah, Lucky’s really busy today. Why don’t you come back another time?”

The moment he finished speaking, a soft chuckle echoed through the phone.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Chu Tinghan’s laughter sent a chill down Pei Ji’s spine. Pei Ji steeled himself, cleared his throat, and feigned composure. “Of course. Can’t you hear the water? It’s quite loud.”

“Are you giving Lucky a bath?” Chu Tinghan asked the same question again, inexplicably.

Puzzled, Pei Ji gave an uncertain “Mm.”

“Then who’s waving at me from the floor-to-ceiling window right now?” Chu Tinghan asked, even waving back at the large, fluffy white ball by the window. “Lucky’s siblings? They look so alike.”

At that exact moment, Pei Ji distinctly heard a frantic fluttering coming from the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window.

Tiny paws pattered wildly, first on the floor, then against the glass.

By the time Pei Ji finally realized what was happening, it was too late.

As soon as he stepped into the living room, he saw a small dog leaping frantically by the window. Even the closed curtains couldn’t contain its boundless enthusiasm.

Lucky had somehow become incredibly clever, figuring out to duck under the curtains, circle behind them, and then lift the hem with his head. Instead of draping to the floor as intended, the curtains now rested on his back, allowing Lucky to easily overcome Pei Ji’s first obstacle.

Pei Ji could only see the back half of Lucky’s body, the front half hidden by the curtains.

From Chu Tinghan’s perspective, he merely had to tilt his head slightly to spot Lucky’s fluffy head peeking out from the curtain folds.

He beckoned to Lucky, who grew even more excited, jumping up and down and even letting out a couple of playful barks.

But the moment was fleeting. Before Chu Tinghan could call out to him, Lucky’s furry head suddenly vanished back behind the curtains.

The curtains fell back to the floor, and the room returned to silence.

Pei Ji finally managed to drag Lucky back after considerable effort.

In his panic, Lucky even dared to let out a soft bark at him.

Pei Ji froze, thinking, How dare Lucky defy me? He frowned, tugged at the corner of his mouth, then squatted down and cupped Lucky’s head in both hands. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

At that moment, Lucky reverted to his usual goofy, clueless self, eyes darting left and right, anything but meeting Pei Ji’s gaze.

The call hadn’t ended; Pei Ji had casually set his phone down while dragging Lucky back.

Releasing the dog, Pei Ji stood by the curtains, blocking its path. Defeated, Lucky collapsed into a sullen sprawl at his feet.

Having dealt with the disobedient pup, Pei Ji picked up his phone again. To his surprise, Chu Tinghan was on the other end, fiercely defending Lucky: “Where did you hide Lucky?”

“I didn’t hide him,” Pei Ji replied. As soon as the words left his mouth, Lucky, sprawled at his feet, lifted his head, gazing up with droopy-eared, pitiful eyes, radiating profound displeasure.

Seeing this, the fragile peace in Pei Ji’s heart began to crumble.

Was he being unfair to Lucky?

What if this clever, spirited dog held a grudge? Would he come home one day to find his house in ruins?

Uncertain whether Lucky was capable of such mischief, Pei Ji thought for a moment and then asked Chu Tinghan: “Are you really coming?”

Chu Tinghan replied with an unwavering Hmm.

One dog and one man stood firmly against him. Pei Ji, alone and outnumbered, reluctantly conceded, “Fine, I need help bathing the dog anyway. Come on up.”

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Pei Ji wiped his hands clean and headed to the door, but before he could reach it, Lucky shot past him like lightning.

Lucky pawed at the door, then turned to look at him with pleading, puppy-dog eyes.

Pei Ji had long since deciphered Lucky’s body language: Hurry up and open the door!

Just moments ago, he was listless, now he’s bursting with energy. Even dogs have their Best Actor moments.

Speechless for a moment, Pei Ji reluctantly quickened his pace, turned the handle, and cracked the door open.

The moment the door cracked open a sliver, Lucky twisted through the gap with astonishing agility and bolted outside.

Before Chu Tinghan could even catch a glimpse of the dog, Lucky was already weaving between his legs, rubbing against his ankles, and expressing his excitement and longing through exuberant body language.

As Chu Tinghan stepped inside, Lucky trotted obediently behind him, wagging his tail. With each lift of Chu Tinghan’s foot, Lucky’s paw followed in perfect synchronization, sticking to him like glue.

Pei Ji’s forehead creased in exasperation. This dog is hopeless, he thought with a wry smile as he closed the door.

When he turned around, Lucky was already putting on a show for Chu Tinghan, performing a series of begging tricks like shaking hands and rolling over, his tail wagging so furiously it was a blur. He looked utterly worthless, yet desperately eager for attention.

Pei Ji stared in silence. Is there any point in keeping such a greedy, disobedient dog?

Then he watched as Chu Tinghan pulled a mountain of pet treats from the two bags he’d brought.

Lucky sat obediently before him, his eyes never leaving the treats, practically salivating so hard stars seemed to sparkle in his gaze.

Pei Ji stood nearby, watching Chu Tinghan unpack the bags, unsure what he was waiting for.

Soon, a small mountain of pet treats piled up beside Chu Tinghan, and the bags were finally empty.

From top to bottom, it was all pet treats—all for Lucky.

Chu Tinghan hadn’t lied—he really had come to see the dog.

Pei Ji sneered and strode into the bathroom to prepare the bathing supplies, ignoring the pair.

Lucky was having a blast playing with Chu Tinghan in the living room, his ears perked up, when a cold, icy voice suddenly pierced his brain.

—”Lucky, come take a bath.”

Clang! The chew stick Lucky had been gnawing on clattered to the floor, and his signature grin vanished instantly.

Pei Ji didn’t hear the soft pat of Lucky’s paws hitting the ground and raised his voice again, calling out sharply.

This time, the pat sound finally came, but it sounded hurried and seemed to be growing fainter, as if Lucky was moving farther away.

Forced to take matters into his own hands, Pei Ji went to drag Lucky into the bathroom himself.

Hiding under the bed, Lucky whined pitifully, practically begging with his eyes, “No bath!”

Pei Ji wasn’t having any of it. He yanked Lucky out from under the bed by the scruff of his neck.

Chu Tinghan stared in stunned silence, wanting to say something but holding back.

Does bathing a dog really require such brute force?

Feeling sorry for Lucky’s miserable state, Chu Tinghan followed them into the bathroom and asked, “Does he really have to be bathed at home? Can’t we just take him to a nearby pet groomer?”

Pei Ji had the showerhead turned on full blast, trying to wet Lucky’s upper body first. “We took him to a pet groomer before, but he’s so hard to wash that the owner blacklisted him.”

Hard to wash? Chu Tinghan thought. How hard could he be? We’ve taken Lucky to the groomer before, and they never blacklisted him. Why would they blacklist him here?

Suspecting Pei Ji was just making up another excuse to brush him off, Chu Tinghan was about to defend Lucky when, without warning, Lucky suddenly shook his head, spraying water droplets in every direction.

Caught completely off guard, neither Pei Ji nor Chu Tinghan had time to dodge. They were instantly drenched by the water Lucky flung.

Chu Tinghan, standing further away, fared slightly better. Though some water droplets landed on his dark-colored clothes, the dampness was barely noticeable.

Pei Ji, however, stood right next to Lucky and bore the brunt of the spray. Nearly two-thirds of the water on Lucky’s body splattered onto him, leaving his shirt completely soaked.

Of all the days, Pei Ji had to wear a white shirt this morning. He’d already dirtied it pulling Lucky out of the flowerbed, so he figured he might as well wash the shirt after washing Lucky, saving himself the trouble of getting another one dirty.

He had no idea Chu Tinghan would come, let alone that the man would help him bathe the dog. And then Lucky, at the most inopportune moment, shook water all over him, soaking his shirt completely. The wet shirt clung tightly to his body, and light-colored fabrics tend to become transparent when wet.

Now, the white shirt clung to him like a sheer veil, clearly outlining the contours of his abdominal muscles. Lower down, the faint hint of his mermaid…

“Ahem… Chu Tinghan,” Pei Ji cleared his throat. The intensity of that burning gaze was impossible to ignore, and he could clearly feel it slowly drifting downward. Increasingly uncomfortable under that inexplicable scrutiny, he snapped coldly at the blatantly staring man, “What are you looking at?”

The gaze finally stopped its downward slide.

Reluctantly, Chu Tinghan slowly raised his eyes to meet Pei Ji’s. Pointing to his upper body, he said with feigned seriousness, his face betraying no blush or racing heartbeat, “Your clothes are wet.”

Pei Ji watched helplessly as Chu Tinghan’s gaze began to drift downward again. Forcing a calm demeanor, he snapped his gaze back with a firm, “I know that. I’m not stupid.”

Chu Tinghan instinctively glanced up to meet his eyes, then responded with a perfunctory, “Oh.”

The two remained locked in a silent, awkward stare for an indeterminate number of seconds. The longer their gaze lingered, the clearer the other’s subtle changes became. Chu Tinghan unexpectedly noticed that Pei Ji’s ears seemed slightly flushed, and his lips moved as if he were about to say something, then stopped himself.

Chu Tinghan seemed to guess what Pei Ji wanted to say. “You… you don’t want me to close my eyes while you wash the dog, do you?”

“Or do you just want me to leave?”

Pei Ji remained noncommittal.

If I leave now, I’ll never get back in, Chu Tinghan thought, certain Pei Ji would immediately lock the door the moment he stepped out.

If that happens, this whole trip will have been a waste.

Chu Tinghan, of course, didn’t want to leave. Putting on a brazen face, he began to ramble nonsensically, saying meaningfully, “What kind of relationship did we have before? I’ve seen it all.”

Pei Ji’s expression froze, his face flushing crimson and then paling. He took several heavy breaths, and even as he lowered his gaze, his eyelashes trembled.

But after a moment, he seemed to have convinced himself. All the complex emotions vanished from his face, leaving it blank and devoid of color. He lifted his eyes, giving Chu Tinghan a dismissive glance, and said tonelessly, “Fine, then come help.”

Chu Tinghan had expected to have to argue about their past, but Pei Ji didn’t doubt him at all. Oh, wait—given his current attitude toward me, he probably just couldn’t be bothered to think about it.

It’s fine, it’s okay, Chu Tinghan reassured himself. Who told you to mess up first with the kid? Pei Ji’s letting you stay—be grateful and don’t ask for more.

Quickly regaining his composure, Chu Tinghan walked over to the bathtub and looked at the man and dog inside. “How can I help?”

“You hold Lucky down, I’ll pour water on him.”

Lucky’s thick, dense fur acted like a waterproof cloak, making it nearly impossible to saturate quickly.

And Lucky kept trying to escape, shaking his head and kicking his legs in a desperate attempt to run, making bathing him even more challenging.

Pei Ji finally lost patience and gave Lucky’s wildly shaking head a sharp smack.

Sensing the sudden surge of danger radiating from Pei Ji, Lucky finally settled down and sat obediently in the tub.

After a moment, Lucky’s fur was finally soaked through, transforming him from a fluffy Samoyed into a sleek little seal.

Pei Ji squeezed a few pumps of puppy shampoo into his palm and rubbed it into a lather.

Lucky remained remarkably docile, sitting quietly and waiting.

Just as the lather was ready and Pei Ji was about to apply it, Lucky’s hind legs shot out with explosive force, launching him out of the tub in a single leap.

Pei Ji: ???

An athletic prodigy? Was he just storing up energy the whole time?!

Lucky darted wildly around the bathroom, creating total chaos.

Neither Pei Ji nor Chu Tinghan could manage to restrain the little dog. Lucky was as slippery as an eel, always managing to slip through their fingers.

Sandwiched between them, Pei Ji thought, This time, there’s nowhere for it to run. I’ll definitely catch it.

But before he could move, Lucky pivoted with a nimble twist, deftly freeing itself.

Meanwhile, Chu Tinghan, who was about to step forward to catch Lucky, suddenly slipped. He lunged straight at Pei Ji, who had no time to dodge and found himself pinned against the wall.

Chu Tinghan squeezed his eyes shut, thinking, Lucky seems to have accidentally done something good for once. If things go as planned, I should be in Pei Ji’s arms right now.

Though the scene was rather dramatic, he found himself quite enjoying it.

Chu Tinghan suppressed a grin, calmly opened his eyes—and immediately lost all composure.

Why was there still nearly thirty centimeters between him and Pei Ji?!

It seemed the unexpected had indeed occurred.

His lips, which he’d been desperately trying to keep from curving, finally drooped. He glanced down and saw Pei Ji’s right arm pressed firmly against his chest, creating a perfect defensive barrier that maintained a safe distance.

Thirty centimeters—not too close, not too far—just enough to see the other man’s beautiful peach blossom eyes. But those eyes, which should have been full of passion, now held only coldness.

Yet Chu Tinghan seemed oblivious to this chill, still captivated by Pei Ji’s allure. He tilted his head slightly, leaning in closer, his gaze sliding downward from those peach blossom eyes to the bridge of his nose, and finally settling on his lips…

Pei Ji watched his movements without a flicker of emotion.

When their lips were mere inches apart, almost touching, Chu Tinghan was abruptly stopped by a forceful hand.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Pei Ji asked, his left hand pinching Chu Tinghan’s chin, tilting his face slightly upward. “Hm? Did you think we were filming some sappy romance drama?”

Forcibly pulled back, Chu Tinghan froze, his thoughts exposed. He showed a rare hint of embarrassment and shyness.

Pei Ji released his grip, raising an eyebrow with a smirk that was neither entirely amused nor entirely mocking.

Caught red-handed in his attempted kiss, Chu Tinghan wanted nothing more than to dig a hole and bury himself.

But, unwilling to lose face, Chu Tinghan straightened up with feigned composure, acting as if nothing had happened.

He feigned ignorance, but Pei Ji wasn’t about to let him off the hook.

“Lucky’s still here,” Pei Ji said, his real meaning being: Lucky’s here. Aren’t you here to wash the dog? Why are you trying to kiss me?

But Chu Tinghan misunderstood. He thought Pei Ji was implying, “The child is still here. One shouldn’t witness such indecencies,” and replied earnestly, “Lucky’s over two years old. In dog years, that makes him a full-grown adult.”

At this, Pei Ji’s thoughts suddenly veered off course, as if he’d been yanked astray by a stray thread of thought. He even retorted, “Full-grown? Weren’t you just calling him ‘baby’ a moment ago?”

Chu Tinghan didn’t immediately grasp what Pei Ji was implying.

Full-grown? Baby? What’s the connection between these two words?

He asked, puzzled, “…Baby?”

“Does the esteemed lord have a poor memory? Shall I remind you?” Pei Ji’s expression turned quite dark.

Staring at his increasingly displeased face, a sudden flash of insight sparked in Chu Tinghan’s mind. Pretending not to understand even though he did, he pressed the matter with feigned seriousness: “Why can’t I call Lucky ‘baby’? If not him, then who should I call ‘baby’?”

You?

But that was too direct. Chu Tinghan wasn’t bold enough to ask outright, so he changed his approach: “Then how should I use ‘Baby’?”

He deliberately paused before the word “Baby,” drawing out and emphasizing the syllables. Even an idiot could understand his meaning.

Where does he get all these strange, twisted ideas? Pei Ji wondered.

“Sweet-talking and pestering won’t work on me, baobei,” Pei Ji said calmly, raising an eyebrow. He reached out and smeared a bubble he’d blown in his palm across Chu Tinghan’s cheek. After studying him for a few seconds, he curled his lips into a satisfied smirk. “You might as well give up now.”

The words sounded exceptionally magnetic and pleasing to Chu Tinghan’s ears. He’d never heard Pei Ji call him by such an intimate name before, and he was momentarily stunned, his heart racing wildly.

He sluggishly raised a hand to touch his burning-hot cheek.

Pei Ji just called me that… does that mean I’ve succeeded? Or failed?

Does this mean we don’t have to divorce after all?

By then, Pei Ji had already circled around him to the other side of the bathroom. Chu Tinghan lifted his gaze, observing him with studied indifference.

At that moment, Chu Tinghan’s vision seemed veiled by a pink filter, making everything he looked at feel radiant with joy.

He watched as Pei Ji bent down, leaned over, and grabbed the little white seal again. “Struggling won’t help, Lucky darling. Time for your bath.”

The moment those words left Pei Ji’s lips, the pink filter vanished from Chu Tinghan’s eyes.

What the hell?

L… Lucky darling?

Fuck…

Chu Tinghan instantly felt like a giant lemon had been stuffed into his stomach, endlessly seeping acidic juice that made his teeth ache.

He couldn’t tell if this was Pei Ji repaying him in kind or simply wanting to pair his “baby” with a companion.

After all this fuss, the family’s most affectionate nickname had been reserved for Lucky.

Meanwhile, Chu Tinghan remained a stiff “Chu Tinghan” in Pei Ji’s mouth.

Chu Tinghan’s mood plummeted and soared like a roller coaster.

He wiped the foam from his cheek, rinsed his face under the faucet, and finally felt a sliver of calm return.

So, soft persuasion doesn’t work, huh? I’ll show you.

After all, he only loved this one person in his entire life. He had all the time in the world to wear him down with gentle persistence—or resort to relentless persistence if necessary.

I refuse to believe I can’t win him back.