After Amnesia, I Learn I'm a Scumbag Top?! - Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The moment Pei Ji pushed open the door, a wave of floral fragrance rushed out to greet him.

The living room was overflowing with bouquets of every variety. Chu Tinghan, nestled amidst the sea of flowers, glanced up at the sound of the door opening. Seeing it was Pei Ji, he instinctively smiled, a touch of exasperation in his voice as he said, “You really shouldn’t send any more flowers. There are simply too many now—the house and the office are overflowing.”

Pei Ji scanned the room. Every tile of the living room floor was covered in flowers, with clusters of bouquets filling even the corners.

The scene was undeniably magnificent, yet he saw nothing wrong with it. After a moment’s thought, he asked, “Are there really that many?”

In truth, he felt these flowers were hardly enough. Just half a year ago, when a certain actress got married, her husband had decorated an entire island with tens of thousands of fresh flowers for their grand, romantic wedding. Compared to that floral spectacle, his modest display seemed utterly inadequate.

Moreover, his initial intention in sending flowers had been to court Chu Tinghan. Though Chu Tinghan claimed to have already been won over, Pei Ji believed that the proper gestures of courtship still mattered.

He had never been infatuated with anyone before, let alone pursued someone. Chu Tinghan was his first.

In his mind, pursuing someone had to start with a bouquet of flowers, so he did just that.

Lost in thought, Chu Tinghan had already navigated through the sea of blooms and stood before him. “This is really too much,” Chu Tinghan said, his face still radiant with a blissful smile. “Besides, fresh flowers have a limited lifespan. Once they wilt, they’re just dead.”

Pei Ji meticulously replayed each word in his mind.

Wilt… die?

Could Chu Tinghan be rejecting the flowers because they would inevitably wilt and die, considering it an inauspicious omen?

Hmm… come to think of it, that does sound a bit ominous. I really didn’t think this through properly.

Pei Ji gazed at the flower-filled living room and suggested, “How about I get you some everlasting flowers next time?”

Chu Tinghan looked up in surprise, noticing Pei Ji’s slightly furrowed brow. In mere seconds, he understood the younger man’s meaning.

I never thought my little junior could be so thoughtful sometimes, Chu Tinghan mused. But I’m not quite that sensitive yet—I wouldn’t be upset just because flowers wither.

Chu Tinghan couldn’t help but find the situation amusing, and even found Pei Ji quite endearing. He chuckled softly, “I don’t think the flowers are bad luck. It’s just that my apartment is already cramped enough. Besides, I have a mischievous little devil running around here.”

Lucky, the mischievous devil himself, popped his white puppy ears above the sea of flowers. The surrounding blooms swayed violently, and in the next instant, Lucky had knocked them all over.

Lost in his playful frenzy amidst the floral chaos, Lucky remained blissfully unaware of the impending danger.

“Lucky!” Pei Ji strode over swiftly, scooping the puppy up from the floor. Lucky still clutched a rose, mangled into shreds in his mouth.

Pei Ji glared at the furry troublemaker, his voice stern. “Are you staging a revolt? When did you turn into a herbivore?”

Lucky’s tail froze mid-wag, his perked triangular ears drooped, and he lowered his head in guilt, refusing to meet Pei Ji’s gaze.

Pei Ji snatched the rose from Lucky’s mouth. The once-perfect bloom had been reduced to mere fragments by Lucky’s teeth.

Realizing he’d messed up again, Lucky curled up in a corner, tucking himself into a bagel-like shape, looking utterly pitiful and wronged.

Pei Ji chuckled in exasperation, grabbed Lucky by the ear, and tried to reason with him. But Lucky pretended not to hear, remaining motionless in the corner no matter what Pei Ji said.

Pei Ji: “……”

Fine. What was the point of arguing with a dog? Besides, Lucky was, in a way, the fruit of his love with Chu Tinghan.

For Chu Tinghan’s sake, I’ll let him off this time.

Pei Ji released the mischievous Lucky and turned back to Chu Tinghan.

Seeing the gift bag in Pei Ji’s hand, Chu Tinghan assumed it was another bouquet of flowers. He pointed and asked, “Are these the flowers you’re giving me today?”

Pei Ji shook his head mysteriously and pulled a gift box from the bag. Gazing into Chu Tinghan’s bright eyes, he countered, “Guess what’s inside?”

Chu Tinghan ran through a series of guesses, none of which were correct, and grew visibly frustrated.

Pei Ji offered a hint: “It’s something you keep in your bedroom—your absolute favorite thing.”

Pei Ji believed his hints had been obvious enough, but Chu Tinghan still didn’t grasp his meaning, and seemed to have even misinterpreted it slightly.

Chu Tinghan blinked, then hesitantly confirmed, “The kind of… things you use in the bedroom?”

Pei Ji found something odd about that phrasing, and noticed Chu Tinghan seemed to be blushing slightly. But he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was off, so after a moment’s thought, he nodded in affirmation.

Immediately, he saw Chu Tinghan’s eyelashes flutter rapidly several times. He lifted his gaze with an intriguing look, pursed his lips, and asked, “The kind of… clothes?”

Pei Ji: “?”

What kind of clothes?

The kind of clothes?

A sudden realization flashed through Pei Ji’s mind.

Could Chu Tinghan possibly think I’m talking about the kind of clothes people wear in bed???

This misunderstanding is too much!

Do I really seem like such a pervert, so impatient?

A complex emotion flickered in Pei Ji’s eyes as he struggled to steer Chu Tinghan’s thoughts back on track. “What’s the thing you have the most of in your bedroom?”

Pei Ji’s earnest tone startled Chu Tinghan, who then realized he had been mistaken.

He coughed awkwardly to mask his embarrassment, then squeezed his eyes shut to forcibly banish the messy, impure thoughts from his mind. Only when his thoughts returned to normal did he ask seriously, “Are these clothes you usually wear? Or is it an album?”

Pei Ji’s feelings grew even more complicated. Utterly baffled by Chu Tinghan’s train of thought, he decided to simply open the gift box and reveal the answer.

Inside lay a meticulously crafted plush puppy.

Chu Tinghan froze. “W-who said I like this kind of thing?” he stammered, quickly averting his gaze from the plush puppy and feigning disinterest.

Pei Ji chuckled inwardly. After all this time—we’re married, we have a child—and Chu Tinghan is still trying to maintain his image as a sophisticated, mature man in front of me?

Playing along, Pei Ji deliberately dragged out his words in mock regret. “…Ah? You don’t like it? Well, alright. I’ll just put it away for now and exchange it for something else later.”

As he reached to close the gift box, Chu Tinghan stopped him.

“Wait!”

Pei Ji watched Chu Tinghan’s subtle movements and microexpressions with amused leisure.

Chu Tinghan’s peripheral vision kept darting to the plush puppy. He finally spoke, slowly and deliberately, “I like all the gifts you give me. Just give it to me.”

Pei Ji had anticipated this reaction. He retrieved the plush puppy from the gift box and handed it to Chu Tinghan again. “Give it a squeeze,” he urged.

Chu Tinghan hesitantly took the plush puppy, but didn’t dare squeeze it. Pei Ji’s excessive enthusiasm and eager expression made it impossible to shake the suspicion that this was just some childish prank.

“Just a little squeeze,” Pei Ji insisted. “Go on.”

Chu Tinghan held the puppy up, turning it around to inspect it carefully, but found nothing amiss. Under Pei Ji’s expectant gaze, he finally, half-believing and half-doubting, gently squeezed the puppy’s belly.

In the next instant, a familiar, melodious male voice—tinged with an electronic buzz—suddenly filled the living room.

“Chu Tinghan, I love you. Chu Tinghan, I love you. Chu Tinghan, I love you…”

Chu Tinghan’s eyes widened abruptly, and he remained frozen in place for what felt like an eternity before finally snapping out of his daze.

He found himself staring into Pei Ji’s smiling eyes. “…What’s the meaning of this?”

“Isn’t it what you like to hear? That I like you?” Pei Ji stepped closer, tugging on Chu Tinghan’s other hand. “So, what do you think of the gift? Do you like it?”

The plush puppy continued its endless loop, and Chu Tinghan, looking as though he’d found a rare treasure, smiled even more brightly. “Where did you get this?”

Pei Ji puffed out his chest, eager to take credit. “I made it myself. Well, technically, I bought the plush puppy, but I recorded the audio and sewed the player back inside.”

As the loop ended, Chu Tinghan squeezed the puppy’s belly again.

Chu Tinghan, I like you. Chu Tinghan, I like you…

Pei Ji’s voice echoed through the living room. At first, he hadn’t felt embarrassed, but after hearing it repeatedly, his face and ears began to flush crimson.

What’s wrong with me? We’re practically an old married couple! Why am I getting flustered now?

The person being courted isn’t even blushing yet! As the one doing the courting, I can’t lose this battle of composure first.

Despite his thoughts, Pei Ji still regretted not recording a more subtle declaration of love. I like you was just too direct, especially on endless repeat, making him want to shut it off immediately.

But, as fate would have it, disaster struck at the most inopportune moment. The audio refused to shut off.

Pei Ji frantically pressed the button repeatedly, but instead of silencing the world, he only managed to crank up the volume.

The entire villa now echoed with Pei Ji’s heartfelt confession. Even Lucky, who was sprawled nearby feigning deafness to minimize his presence, couldn’t help but perk up his ears to listen.

Ten minutes later, with the help of customer service, Pei Ji finally managed to shut off the audio.

Beside him, Chu Tinghan was laughing so hard he could barely stand straight. This was the most genuinely joyful laughter Pei Ji had ever witnessed from him since they’d met.

As Pei Ji gazed at Chu Tinghan’s eyes crinkled with laughter, all his embarrassment instantly evaporated.

After all, he thought, I made this talking plush puppy precisely to make Chu Tinghan happy.

Now that his goal had been achieved, and the effect was so remarkable, any lingering embarrassment or shyness felt completely worthwhile.

Pei Ji immediately cheered up and began contemplating making another one. This time, the recording would say, Chu Tinghan, I love you.

Wouldn’t that make him even happier?

That evening, Pei Ji emerged from the shower, drying his hair as he checked his phone for messages.

The notification badge showed 99+, with the majority from Lü Yi and the rest from business partners.

He replied to the business partners first, then turned his attention to Lü Yi’s barrage.

Lü Yi had forwarded him a deluge of posts from the Communication University campus forum, along with chat logs from the Dreamcatcher Club’s group chat.

Perplexed, Pei Ji frowned and began clicking through the messages one by one, starting from the top.

The first post, a highly discussed thread on the campus forum, was titled:

“The ship I’ve been shipping for five years has finally sailed!!!”

“???” Pei Ji nearly typed a question mark in the reply box.

When did Lü Yi start caring about gossip like this? I didn’t even know he was into shipping!

With so many messages from Lü Yi, Pei Ji lacked the patience to read them all carefully. After skimming the title, he exited and moved on to the next.

Beneath that message followed a string of at least twenty more, all similar posts about shipping CPs.

Pei Ji grew increasingly puzzled, even suspecting the sender had accidentally pocket-dialed while their phone was in their pocket.

Dozens more group chat forwards followed. Pei Ji simply scrolled to the bottom and randomly opened one.

The chat log came from Dreamcatcher Club’s main group, which boasted nearly two thousand members—every member who had ever belonged to the club since its founding.

I’m a freshman who just joined the club. I was wondering if any former club presidents will be returning for the upcoming anniversary celebration?

Same question here.

Yeah, next month is our club’s 7th anniversary! Surely the former presidents will come back, right?

Which former presidents are you talking about? If it’s the previous president, there’s a good chance they’ll be back. But if you mean the president before that, or the one before that, it’s anyone’s guess.

Isn’t it obvious? They’re talking about the two megastars, Pei Ji and Chu Tinghan!

They’re already booked solid, and as a celebrity couple, their appearance fees must be astronomical. Our school can’t afford them anymore.

Ah? No way! We really can’t get them? I wanted to see them in person, waah…

Are you here to see them in person or just ship their couple? I swear, I’ve seen you in every thread shipping them.

Hehe… Both!

Actually, I want to ship them too. They’re a real couple—married and officially announced! Plus, they were both Club Presidents of our club. This club is where they met and fell in love. Surely they’ll come back for the anniversary, right?

They’re practically a campus legend at this point.

Is Senior Lü in the group chat? I remember he was close to Senior Pei. Could he…?

The rest of the messages were a long stream of Juniors begging Lü Yi to invite the two elusive megastars. To persuade him, they showered him with praise, elevating him to near-divine status—truly the highlight of Lü Yi’s life.

Pei Ji couldn’t help but chuckle as he read this. He never imagined that after completely clearing his name and skyrocketing to fame, he and Chu Tinghan would become a campus legend.

The next moment, Lü Yi sent a new message.

Lü Yi: Our juniors’ enthusiasm is overwhelming, I’ve already passed on all their messages for them. Are you coming?

Lü Yi: Oh, right—I wouldn’t dare invite that person in your family. You should talk to him about it when you have a chance.

While Pei Ji was still pondering, Lü Yi sent another message.

Lü Yi: Wait a minute—aren’t you in the club’s group chat? You should be seeing all these messages! You’ve been lurking without saying a word. Is it because you want to hear the juniors praise you two more?

Lü Yi: Sigh, I just checked again—aren’t you the group admin? Why haven’t you updated your nickname in the group yet?!

Lü Yi: Hello? You there?

Pei Ji thought for a moment. Going himself wouldn’t be a problem, but he’d need to discuss it with Chu Tinghan.

Just as he was thinking of him, Chu Tinghan suddenly pushed open the bedroom door and walked in.

Noticing Pei Ji staring at him thoughtfully, Chu Tinghan asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something you wanted to tell me?”

Pei Ji casually pulled Chu Tinghan into a hug and asked, “Lü Yi said next month is the club’s seventh anniversary celebration. He’s asking if we want to go.”

Afraid Chu Tinghan might misunderstand his relationship with Lü Yi again, Pei Ji deliberately emphasized the word “we.”

Fortunately, Chu Tinghan didn’t dwell on Lü Yi this time. He calmly asked, “What club’s anniversary is it?”

Pei Ji paused, then smiled. “Dreamcatcher, of course. You haven’t forgotten the club you founded yourself, have you?”

Chu Tinghan’s face lit up with realization. “No, of course not! How could I forget something connected to you?”

After all, this place had served as their half-matchmaker. Chu Tinghan might forget anything else, but never this.

“So, do you want to go?” Pei Ji squeezed his palm. This time, Chu Tinghan’s hand felt warm.

Without hesitation, Chu Tinghan replied, “Yes, I’ll go. I happen to be free next month.”

Pei Ji nodded.

Meanwhile, in Dreamcatcher’s group chat, the juniors were still eagerly anticipating the arrival of their two famous club presidents.

A flurry of messages raced across the screen, among them a prominent message marked with a yellow “Group Owner” tag.

This time, Pei Ji had deliberately changed his group nickname.

Pei Ji: Thanks for the invite, juniors. He and I will both be there for the club anniversary.

The messages were flooding in so fast that it took a few minutes for the sharp-eyed group members to notice Pei Ji’s message.

Holy crap, am I seeing things right? Is the group admin Senior Pei himself?!

A flurry of question marks flooded the chat. No one had expected to get caught shipping their CP by the real deal himself. Luckily, they hadn’t gotten too wild with their chat—nothing too embarrassing to show.

Pei Ji: Yep, it’s me. I don’t use this account much and forgot to update the nickname.

After a moment, the group admin added someone to the group and immediately made them an admin too.

Then, the juniors watched in stunned silence as he changed the new admin’s nickname to “Chu Tinghan.”

The group erupted in another chorus of “啊啊啊” screams, the club chat instantly transforming into a massive, thousand-strong fan meeting for Song God Chu Tinghan.

Ahhhh, is this the real deal too?!

I can’t believe I’m sharing a group with Song God Chu in my lifetime. I can die happy now.

Can I just say I’ve been listening to his songs since I was a kid? 😭😭😭

I couldn’t get concert tickets the other day, so I thought I’d never see him. But then my idol showed up at the club’s seventh-anniversary event! Thank you, club, for giving me this chance to meet Song God Chu!

Song God Chu’s songs are my absolute favorites! My annual playlists always include his music. Can I ask when he’ll release a new album?

My idol! The idol I’ve loved since high school!

“My most, most, most favorite idol!” Pei Ji added this line halfway through reading, deliberately raising his voice as if he were truly Song God Chu’s biggest fan meeting him for the first time.

Pei Ji recited all the sycophantic praise with dramatic flair. Chu Tinghan grew so embarrassed that he raised his hand to cover Pei Ji’s mouth, but Pei Ji caught his hand in his own.

Staring at Chu Tinghan’s slender fingers with their distinct joints, Pei Ji suddenly realized something was missing.

They seemed a little bare, lacking something like—a ring.

I didn’t even propose, and I already have such an amazing wife. What a steal!

Still, the proper formalities were necessary. He had to make up for all the things he’d missed.

Should I start with a proposal?