HPDBC Chapter 14: Little Aunt.014
Chapter 14: Little Aunt.014
Chapter 14
After a little while, Song Linchuan came back with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. He poured a glass and put it in front of Pei Kuang.
"Thanks." Pei Kuang didn't even lift his head, still looking down at his phone.
Song Linchuan glanced at him: "Busy with work?"
Pei Kuang shook his head, "No, just looking at some things online."
Then, he held up his phone to Song Linchuan: "See, your auntie is much more popular than you now."
Song Linchuan looked at the screen, which was searching Song Anan's webpage, and raised his eyebrows arrogantly, "Of course, my auntie is loved by all."
Pei Kuang chuckled softly and put his phone on the coffee table, then picked up the glass of red wine in front of him.
In the past, hearing this, he would have made fun of Song Linchuan.
But at this moment, he had to admit it made sense, little auntie was quite likable.
"I didn't get a chance to ask, why did you suddenly bring your auntie to participate in a variety show?" Pei Kuang asked.
The last time they met, he still stubbornly refused to do it.
Song Linchuan shrugged, "No particular reason, my auntie was quite interested in it, so she came along."
Pei Kuang was not surprised by this answer.
From his understanding of Song Linchuan over the years, this was consistent with his auntie's usual style.
"What about you?" Song Linchuan asked, "Now that this drama has finished shooting, what's next on your schedule?"
Pei Kuang leaned back lazily on the sofa and lazily replied, "What else could there be? I have some commercial engagements this week, and next week I'll start shooting a new drama, so I'll keep working on set."
"Still so hardworking?" Song Linchuan glanced at him, "If I'm not mistaken, you've been shooting this drama for half a year, why don't you take a break?"
Pei Kuang chuckled softly, "I'm used to it after so many years. If I suddenly have free time, I definitely won't feel comfortable."
Song Linchuan thought about it and realized it made sense. It seemed like ever since he met Pei Kuang, he had always worked at this pace, in an almost year-round uninterrupted state.
He thought about it and suggested, "You rarely appear on variety shows these years. After finishing shooting this drama, why not have your agent get you a more relaxed variety show? It would maintain your exposure while giving you a chance to relax."
"Let's forget it," Pei Kuang waved his hand, "Li Dong had the same idea before, but when we looked through variety shows, none seemed very suitable."
"Oh?" Song Linchuan raised his eyebrows, "How come?"
Pei Kuang replied, "Nowadays, the more relaxed variety shows on the market that could come to me generally fall into two categories - one is your current type of family life variety show, and the other is dating variety shows."
He lowered his eyes, with a hint of a strange smile at the corners of his mouth, "Family variety shows, I don't have a chance anymore. I can't go on a dating show, can I?"
Hearing this, Song Linchuan was taken aback for a moment.
Having known each other for so long, although he didn't know Pei Kuang's family situation very well, he had some understanding and vaguely understood the implied meaning behind his words "no chance with family variety shows".
He patted Pei Kuang on the shoulder, "What's wrong with dating shows? Flirting around is just your area of expertise, perfect for you."
Pei Kuang glanced at him, seeming to laugh and scolded, "Get lost!"
The two chatted intermittently while drinking, and unconsciously, most of the bottle of red wine was already gone.
As if suddenly recalling something, Pei Kuang paused abruptly and looked at Song Linchuan, "Six years ago when I terminated my contract with my former company, your auntie was only 11 years old, right..."
Song Linchuan was startled, then immediately understood the implied meaning in Pei Kuang's words.
Six years ago, at that time, he and Pei Kuang had both participated in a talent show, with both entering the top five and debuting together in a group, but belonging to different management companies.
However, the difference was that after entering the finals, Song Linchuan was signed by a well-reputed major management company in the industry,
But Pei Kuang had already signed with a management company before participating in the talent show, a small workshop-type.
His boss had short-sighted vision, and seeing that Pei Kuang had gained some popularity, began exploiting him in all ways, arranging schedules that were extremely packed, with no consideration for the artist's long-term development, only thinking of taking advantage of his bit of popularity at the time to make money.
Although Pei Kuang had just come of age at that time, he was a very ambitious person, and for the sake of long-term development, he naturally wanted to terminate his contract, but faced with a termination fee of several million, he was also helpless and could only continue to endure and look for the right opportunity.
However, his company became more and more excessive, and later actually wanted him to attend private dinner parties, intending to go down the path of trading sex for roles.
Pei Kuang was also at his wits' end, and could only turn to Song Linchuan, with whom he had a good relationship in the group at the time, to borrow money.
Although Song Linchuan had never publicly spoken of his family background, his words, actions, clothing, and possessions indicated a well-off family background.
However, Pei Kuang was right in not misjudging him. At that time, the Song family business was flourishing, a nouveau riche in the city's wealthy circle.
But the problem was that at that time Song Linchuan didn't have much money himself. Because he had dropped out of school on his own to participate in the talent show, angering his parents, they had even cut off his living expenses, let alone suddenly asking them to borrow millions.
Later, Song Linchuan had no choice but to turn to the only person in the family who unconditionally supported him at that time, Song Anan. Sure enough, as soon as Song Anan heard that Song Linchuan needed money, she took out her entire piggy bank without even asking why.
It was this money that helped Pei Kuang resolve his dilemma at that time.
However, Pei Kuang had long since repaid this debt in full with interest over the past few years, but he always kept this favor in his heart.
"Right, my auntie was a rich lady since she was little, otherwise how could she give me pocket money?" Song Linchuan said.
Pei Kuang still looked incredulous. For a little 11-year-old auntie to be so generous, even if their family was wealthy, this was still a bit excessive.
Song Linchuan naturally knew Pei Kuang's thoughts, but glanced in the direction of Song Anan's room, his eyes involuntarily deepening.
"It's a long story, there were indeed some reasons behind it. I'll tell you another time when there's an opportunity."
Pei Kuang nodded lightly, roughly guessing that there might be some inconvenient matters, so he didn't continue asking.
Just then, the bedroom door suddenly opened.
Song Anan walked over.
As soon as she came to the living room, her gaze fell on the bottle of red wine on the coffee table that was already more than half empty.
Song Linchuan was startled, and the alarm bells started ringing in his mind.
Crap!
They had just agreed to develop healthy eating and living habits this morning, yet were drinking alcohol late at night. His auntie must be upset again.
Song Linchuan's mind raced as he considered countermeasures.
A few seconds later, he suddenly sat up straight, pointed at Pei Kuang and said righteously, "It's late at night. I said drinking is not good, but he insisted on drinking. As the host, I couldn't refuse a guest, so I could only reluctantly drink a little with him."
Pei Kuang was stunned and looked at Song Linchuan, his eyes full of disbelief.
But Song Linchuan had no time to care about him at the moment. He smiled ingratiatingly at Song Anan, "Auntie, I only had a few sips."
As he spoke, he made a tiny gesture with his hand.
"The rest was all drunk by Pei Kuang. I tried to dissuade him but he wouldn't listen. I don't know how he can drink so much." Song Linchuan said.
Pei Kuang: "..."
He suddenly felt a little confused. If he remembered correctly, wasn't it Song Linchuan who proposed drinking, and he was the one drinking one glass after another?
However, Pei Kuang was no fool either. Seeing Song Linchuan's reaction, he roughly guessed the reason and supposed the little auntie didn't allow Song Linchuan to drink alcohol.
Pei Kuang thought about it, whether for Song Linchuan or to defend himself, he offered an excuse, "Drinking a little red wine is good for your health...right?"
Song Anan looked at him, seeming to ponder for a moment, then lightly hmm-ed, "It's fine in moderation."
However, she glanced at the nearly empty bottle on the table. This amount could hardly be considered moderate.
Following Song Anan's gaze, Pei Kuang gave an awkward little cough.
Luckily Song Linchuan timely changed the subject, "Auntie, did you need me for something?"
Song Anan shook her head, "Not looking for you."
Then she turned to look at Pei Kuang.
Pei Kuang was startled, somewhat surprised, "Looking for me?"
Song Anan lightly hmm-ed.
Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows, looking at Song Anan, waiting for her to continue.
Song Anan pursed her lips, organizing her words a little, before revealing her intention, "It's that one of my friends is your fan. Could you sign an autograph for me?"
Pei Kuang did not expect this.
He paused for a few seconds, seeming to think of something. His sidelong glance at Song Linchuan, he suddenly smiled at Song Anan, "Out of nothing, something?"
Song Anan blinked, a little confused, "Out of nothing, something?"
What does that mean?
Was he doubting she was lying?
The corners of Pei Kuang's lips quirked up, looking gently at her, "Don't worry, Linchuan is not such a petty person. Even if he knew you were my fan, he wouldn't be jealous."
As he spoke, he deliberately nodded towards Song Linchuan, "Right?"
"Like hell!" Song Linchuan directly elbowed him back, "You wish."
Let alone his auntie not chasing stars at all, even if she did, she would only be his fan.
Song Anan was stunned for several seconds before finally figuring out the implied meaning in Pei Kuang's words.
He was teasing her again!
Song Anan glared at Pei Kuang, her little face full of dissatisfaction with him.
The corners of Pei Kuang's eyebrows lifted, and he almost laughed out loud.
But he also knew to quit while he was ahead. Holding back his laugh, he said gently, "Is an autographed photo okay? If so, I can have my agent..."
"Wait, isn't your roommate my fan?" Song Linchuan suddenly interrupted Pei Kuang's words and turned to ask Song Anan.
Song Anan was startled.
Not good, she had forgotten about this.
She looked at Song Linchuan, opened and closed her mouth, a little embarrassed as she spoke, "I didn't say that, you assumed it yourself."
Song Linchuan: "..."
Song Anan was not someone who liked to shirk responsibility either. She self-reflected for a moment and said, "But it's not entirely your fault either. I didn't explain it clearly then, leading to your misunderstanding."
What Song Linchuan cared about was clearly not who was responsible. What he cared about was...
"No, what kind of taste does your roommate have?"
After speaking, he glanced at Pei Kuang, his face full of indignation.
At this moment, Song Anan was still holding a grudge, and uncharacteristically childishly chimed in, "Right, her taste has always been bad."
Pei Kuang: "..."
Hearing Song Anan's words, Song Linchuan immediately became all smiles.
Seeing the uncle and niece teaming up to make fun of him, Pei Kuang couldn't help but laugh.
Thinking of something, he raised his eyebrows playfully, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, "Are you sure, liking me means bad taste, hmm?"
He was born with a pair of captivating eyes that could seduce anyone. Even just staring at you expressionlessly, they could make one fall deep. Let alone when he smiled, the charm flowing between his brows was simply electrifying, unconsciously bewitching.
Song Anan suddenly froze, stunned for several seconds before slowly coming back to her senses.
Staring at this handsome face right before her, she could clearly feel her heart pounding rapidly in her chest, to an unbelievable degree.
Could this be what Li Sirui often mentioned - a 'fatal attraction' from his looks?!
Pei Kuang stood behind Song Anan and saw her like this. He couldn't help laughing out loud.
Hearing the voice, Song Anan looked back.
Out of an artist's self-awareness, Pei Kuang wore a duck bill cap and mask before getting off the car, making simple disguises.
Seeing the person behind her, Song Anan suddenly widened her eyes and was stunned.
Pei Kuang and Song Linchuan were not much different in height and figure. Coupled with the nervousness of a guilty conscience, Song Anan's first reaction was to recognize the person as Song Linchuan, and she was so frightened that she even dropped the chocolate in her hand.
Pei Kuang was also obviously stunned that he had frightened the person.
He bent down to pick up the chocolate on the ground and handed it to Song Anan, then took off his mask.
"Am I that scary?" Pei Kuang said with a light laugh.
Seeing that it was not Song Linchuan, Song Anan subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief: "No, I just didn't expect someone behind me."
Pei Kuang put the chocolate back in Song Anan's hand, and a trace of apology flashed across his face: "I'm sorry, I scared you just now."
Song Anan quickly shook her head. After all, she couldn't blame Pei Kuang for this. It was mainly because she was too nervous.
Her eyes couldn't help but be a little evasive. She stammered: "It's not your fault. Mainly because I was thinking too seriously."
Pei Kuang smiled and naturally saw the uneasiness of the little auntie. Although he didn't know why, he didn't continue on this topic.
He casually changed the subject: "How come you're alone, where is Linchuan?"
Song Anan answered truthfully: "He went to work. We don't have a show to record today, so I didn't go with him."
Speaking of this, she suddenly looked up at Pei Kuang, seeming to realize something.
She realized a very important problem.
Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows, "What's wrong?"
He was suddenly a little confused about Song Anan's train of thought.
She lowered her head to look at the chocolate in her hand, glanced at Pei Kuang again, and her mind raced.
How could she convince him not to say anything about her sneaking snacks?
Seeing her staring at the chocolate in her hand with a very tangled look, Pei Kuang casually asked, "Don't you like this chocolate?"
Hearing this, Song Anan's eyes lit up. "I like it!"
The next second, she handed the chocolate to Pei Kuang: "Do you want to eat it?"
Pei Kuang was stunned for a moment. "No need, you can eat it."
Song Anan seemed surprised that he refused. She blinked and asked, "Don't you like chocolate?"
After that, she didn't wait for Pei Kuang to reply, and directly took out all the other snacks,
"Then I have other snacks here that are also very delicious. Do you want to try them?"
Song Anan pushed all the remaining snacks in front of Pei Kuang, and then looked at him expectantly.
Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows. Faced with the little auntie's sudden enthusiasm, a trace of puzzlement flashed across his face.
He usually didn't like to eat these things, but in the end he couldn't bear to reject the little auntie's kindness, and picked up a half bag of potato chips from among them.
"Okay, thank you then."
Song Anan was stunned for a moment, with a trace of reluctance flashing in her eyes.
This was the half bag of potato chips she had deliberately left behind earlier. She was going to eat them after finishing the sweets, so she could get rid of the greasiness.
Alas, she should have bought another bag earlier.
Song Anan was silent for a few seconds, trying to struggle: "This is what I had leftover."
The little auntie's emotions were all over her face. Pei Kuang naturally didn't miss it, and couldn't help feeling amused.
He pretended he hadn't noticed the little auntie's reluctance, and started eating the potato chips directly.
"It's okay, I don't mind," he said with a low laugh.
Song Anan pursed her lips and gave a muffled "oh".
Forget it, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. Now the two of them could be considered accomplices, so it would be much easier to handle next.
There was a smile at the corner of Pei Kuang's mouth. He didn't even know what madness had come over him. A person who usually didn't eat snacks at all was actually on a whim in this pavilion, "snatching" snacks with the little auntie.
And what's more, he unusually felt that the taste of these potato chips...didn't seem to be bad.
Due to Pei Kuang's identity as an artist, after the two finished the snacks in the pavilion, they did not stay long, for fear of being recognized.
After walking around the community, Pei Kuang sent Song Anan to the entrance of Song Linchuan's building.
Song Anan was in no hurry to leave. She looked at Pei Kuang and kicked the toes of her feet embarrassedly, "About what happened today, can you...can you not tell Linchuan?"
Pei Kuang was startled. "What happened?"
Song Anan looked up at Pei Kuang. "That is... about you meeting me today."
Pei Kuang raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Why?"
He suddenly couldn't keep up with Song Anan's train of thought.
The two of them meeting in the community was not something to hide. Why couldn't Song Linchuan know about it?
Song Anan looked at him for a moment, wanting to speak but hesitating for a long time, before saying, "Recently I've been managing Linchuan's diet, and he can't eat snacks, so...so I have to lead by example."
Her earlobes turned slightly red, but she still had to grind her teeth and continue, "So I have to lead by example."
Pei Kuang paused for a moment, and finally understood why Song Anan was so enthusiastic earlier.
So it was to seal his mouth!
And no wonder she was so nervous when she first saw him, it turned out to be the guilty conscience of being caught red-handed.
Pei Kuang thought for a while and asked uncertainly, "Are you afraid of damaging your image in Linchuan's heart?"
"It's not about image," Song Anan subconsciously retorted, but after saying it, she realized it really was about image.
Pei Kuang lazily asked, "Then what is it?"
Song Anan pursed her lips, looking at Pei Kuang with her dark eyes, and said seriously: "It's the dignity of an elder."
Pei Kuang: "..."
Afraid of damaging her dignity as an elder?
The corner of his mouth subconsciously hooked. The little auntie was quite cute, she actually had this elder burden!
Pei Kuang forcibly held back his smile and pretended to be embarrassed: "This is a bit difficult. After all, Linchuan and I are friends. If I hide something from him, I always feel a little disloyal."
Song Anan's eyes flashed with astonishment and unease, as if she had not expected at all that Pei Kuang would refuse her after eating her snacks.
But she thought about it and felt that since the other party had already said so, she shouldn't insist anymore, and could only droop her head dejectedly.
Seeing this, Pei Kuang stopped teasing her: "But you helped me so much before, I can't forget kindness and justice..."
Song Anan stared blankly at Pei Kuang's leaving figure, her face full of confusion and puzzlement.
That day when Pei Kuang left, he insisted on making up for the gift, saying it was some kind of reward.
At that time, Song Anan was a little puzzled, but didn't take it to heart, thinking it was just a slip of the tongue.
But what did he mean just now?
When did she ever help him?
-
After returning, no matter how Song Anan thought about it, she couldn't remember when she had helped Pei Kuang, which made her a little bothered.
Theoretically speaking, the two of them had never met before, and they didn't have any connections. Did Pei Kuang misunderstand something?
After dinner, Song Anan decided to go to Song Linchuan to ask about the situation. After all, if she and Pei Kuang really had some connection before, then the only person who could have created a connection between them was Song Linchuan.
If it was a misunderstanding, it would be good to let Song Linchuan explain it clearly to Pei Kuang, she thought.
When Song Anan went to find Song Linchuan, he was packing luggage for a long trip tomorrow in his room.
The bedroom door was not closed. Song Anan still stood at the door and knocked on the door.
Hearing the sound, Song Linchuan looked up at the door, "Little aunt, why did you come over? Have you packed your luggage? Do you need my help?"
Song Anan waved her hand, "No need, I've packed it already."
Song Linchuan responded with an "oh", and didn't say anything else, just looked at Song Anan quietly and waited for her to explain her intention.
Song Anan pursed her lips and was silent for a few seconds: "Linchuan, do you know why Pei Kuang said I helped him before?"
When he heard this, Song Linchuan waved his hand and said, "Oh, you mean that... Eh, no, little aunt, you met Pei Kuang again?"
After saying this, he stopped what he was doing and looked at Song Anan in confusion.
He had been there the last time Pei Kuang came over, and didn't remember Pei Kuang saying this at all.
Song Anan was taken aback, met Song Linchuan's inquiring gaze, and suddenly felt a little uneasy inside.
But at the same time she couldn't help feeling a little annoyed. How could she have forgotten this? She had finally asked Pei Kuang this afternoon not to tell Song Linchuan that they had met, but she had let the cat out of the bag herself.
Song Anan's gaze dodged, and she vaguely responded with an "umm": "Yes... this afternoon, I walked around the community for a while and happened to run into him."
Fortunately, Song Linchuan didn't think much of it. He casually said, "Oh, so you two were quite a coincidence today. Come to think of it, Pei Kuang and I bought houses in this community one after the other, but we've never run into each other in the community before."
Song Anan nodded lightly. She really didn't expect that she had gone to such a hidden place to sneak snacks, but still managed to run into Pei Kuang. It really was quite a coincidence.
After reminiscing for a while, Song Linchuan didn't beat around the bush anymore, and said directly, "Do you still remember five years ago when I borrowed money from you?"
Song Anan replied, "I remember. At that time, didn't you say a friend of yours was in trouble and needed..."
Speaking to this point, she looked up at Song Linchuan, seeming to understand something.
Song Linchuan nodded, "That's right. The friend I mentioned at the time was Pei Kuang."
Song Anan was stunned for a moment. So that was what he meant by helping out!
But she really didn't know what Song Linchuan had borrowed the money for specifically. At that time, he said a friend of his had run into trouble, but she didn't know the person being helped was Pei Kuang. She only did it for Song Linchuan's sake.
So one thing is unrelated to another. He didn't need to thank her for it.
Song Anan thought for a moment and said, "But wasn't the money paid back long ago? I remember he even paid interest, right?"
If she remembered correctly, the interest was quite high.
Song Linchuan naturally understood Song Anan's meaning, and waved his hand helplessly.
"Little aunt, don't bother with him. That guy is just like that, he takes things to heart. I don't know how many times I've told him to stop dwelling on this matter, but he just won't listen. Just let him be."
Hearing this, Song Anan didn't know what to do either. Or maybe the next time they met, she could explain it clearly to him?
But she thought again that she and Pei Kuang didn't have any real connection to begin with, and didn't know if there would be another chance to meet again.
Let nature take its course, Song Anan thought.
The most pressing matter was tomorrow's group recording.
Thinking of the person she would see tomorrow, she couldn't help feeling a little uneasy in her heart.