The Man in the Black Sweater - Chapter 13 – Exactly the Same

In the courtyard, everyone had rolled up their sleeves and gotten to work. According to Luo Xu’s “design,” the doghouse was supposed to look like a miniature villa — a two-story structure, complete with a cozy interior and an American country-style exterior.

The planks Uncle Cui had brought over were of excellent quality. They painted them a soft sky blue inside and out, and honestly, the finished result looked nothing like a kennel — it looked better than the house Luo Xu had lived in before she turned eighteen.

“Dogs relying on their humans to show off” — that saying had never felt truer.

Aunt Chen even found some cotton batting to stuff into a tiny quilt, making a proper bed for the little dog. As for Luo Xu, she grabbed a hammer and started nailing the boards herself — three strikes and a job done — leaving even the bodyguards quietly impressed.

Everyone had the same thought:
So Young Master Tang Huang’s girlfriend is just as weird as he is.

From the study window upstairs, Pei Yan stood watching with a cooling cup of coffee in his hand. His gaze lingered on the woman who had taken off her jacket and was working harder than any of the men below.

If before he’d suspected that her sudden appearance in their lives had ulterior motives, he no longer thought so. After spending this much time around her, he could finally understand why Tang Huang had fallen for her.

There were so many young ladies of good families — elegant, educated, and well-matched — yet Tang Huang had chosen this scrappy girl who’d clawed her way up from the bottom of society.

Why? Probably because she had something they didn’t — a kind of raw, unbreakable vitality.

She always pushed forward. She never gave up.

“Ah—!” a sharp cry rang out. Luo Xu dropped her hammer and jumped up.

“Let me see, did you hit your hand?” Uncle Cui hurried over.

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing — one person grabbed the medicine box, another fetched ice.

Sweat beaded on Luo Xu’s forehead as she shook her head. “I’m fine, just hit it a little bit…”

Upstairs, Pei Yan sighed. He’d almost forgotten how impulsive and clumsy she was — or how misfortune seemed to follow her around.

“Actually… it does hurt a little,” Luo Xu admitted, clutching her hand, her face pale and glistening with cold sweat.

Uncle Cui frowned. “Of course it hurts — it’s already turning black and blue.”

Aunt Chen came over with ice, gently pressing it against her hand and pulling her aside to rest while the others finished the work.

“Don’t tell Mr. Pei, okay? He’ll just call me brain-dead again,” Luo Xu said weakly, still managing to complain between winces.

“How could Mr. Pei be that mean? You’re overthinking it,” Aunt Chen said with a smile.

“I’m not! Every time he looks at me, it’s with that pitying the village idiot expression. It’s infuriating!” Luo Xu said breathlessly, collapsing onto the sofa while Aunt Chen tended her hand.

Aunt Chen couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, alright, I won’t say a word. Don’t worry.”

Up on the second floor, Pei Yan leaned against the railing, a faint, unreadable smile playing at his lips. Then, with a turn of his heel, he decided not to go downstairs after all.

…..

All day long, Pei Yan acted as if he’d gone blind — he didn’t notice Luo Xu’s swollen, sausage-like fingers, nor the layer of bandages wrapped neatly around them.

Luo Xu felt disappointed. She even started to miss the times he’d called her stupid — at least back then, it meant he was paying attention to her.

Now, he sat across from her at the dinner table, eating in silence, his expression calm and unreadable — like a deep pool of still water.

“I’m done eating,” she said, setting down her chopsticks and pulling her chair back.

“Mm.” He gave a short response and said nothing more.

Luo Xu trudged upstairs, dejected, followed by the dog that now lived in the Pei household as an “honorary resident.”

“Huh, she barely ate today,” Aunt Chen said as she came to clear the table, noticing the untouched dishes.

Pei Yan thought to himself that it was probably because her hand hurt — she couldn’t eat properly.

“Make a little supper later, just in case,” he said casually before heading upstairs.

Aunt Chen murmured softly, “Miss Luo ate so little, and now even Mr. Pei barely touched his food. Don’t tell me he’s not feeling well either…”

Upstairs, Luo Xu sat by the window, resting her head against the wooden frame as she gazed at the moon outside.

She wasn’t the type to be poetic, but sometimes, she still had feelings like any normal woman — she could feel joy when someone liked her, warmth when shown kindness, disappointment when ignored, and quiet restlessness when her heart wavered just a little.

After a while, she got up to wash and prepare for bed — but then, the sound of a car engine drifted in from outside.

She leaned forward and peered out the window. The headlights illuminated the courtyard — it was his usual Porsche, slowly rolling toward the gate.

Something urgent? she wondered.

The night passed quietly. He didn’t come home.

The next morning, Aunt Chen said the company had run into a sudden issue, so he’d rushed off to deal with it.

“So being a big boss isn’t all about sitting around sipping tea, huh,” Luo Xu said sympathetically.

“Sipping tea? If only you’d seen him when he’s busy. Sometimes he doesn’t even have time for a single bite of hot food.” Aunt Chen clicked her tongue. “People as capable as him — they have to work twice as hard as everyone else.”

“What about Mr. Pei’s father? Doesn’t he manage the company anymore?”

“The old master retired nearly ten years ago. He hasn’t involved himself since.”

“Ten years? But he’s only in his sixties, isn’t he? Retiring that early is pretty rare for someone in power,” Luo Xu said, surprised.

Aunt Chen sighed softly, shaking her head. “That’s a long story… it all goes back to Young Master Pei Heng’s mother.”

Pei Heng didn’t have the same mother as Pei Yan — which meant his mother was… the old man’s mistress?

Realizing that she was treading into private matters, Luo Xu wisely shut her mouth.

Aunt Chen turned away to bring out some side dishes, clearly not planning to say more.

That night, Pei Yan still didn’t come home — he was probably staying overnight at the company.

Luo Xu carried the little dog upstairs, pausing on the staircase to glance around the dimly lit living room.

It was strange — just one person gone, and somehow, the whole place felt lifeless.

…….

Early in the morning, Luo Xu was chattering non-stop beside Aunt Chen, pointing and gesturing so much that Aunt Chen was about ready to kick her out of the kitchen.

“You have to add the herbs I listed — it’ll make it smell really good,” Luo Xu insisted, clinging to the doorframe, refusing to leave.

“Mr. Pei doesn’t like chicken soup. Even if you make it, he won’t drink it,” Aunt Chen said with a helpless smile.

“Who doesn’t like something that’s good for them? You just make it — I’ll make sure he drinks it.” Luo Xu was stubborn.

“Fine, fine, I’ll make it! Now go on, get out. There’s too much oil and smoke in here — you’ve got a baby in your belly.” Aunt Chen pried her fingers off the doorframe and shut the door before she could argue.

Luo Xu rubbed her nose. Great… now I have to figure out how to make him actually drink it.
She sighed. Honestly, a grown man, still such a picky eater.

Aunt Chen spent the entire morning simmering the chicken soup carefully. Finally, she poured it into a thermos.

“Are you sure you can handle this?” Aunt Chen asked.

“I’m the only one who’s free anyway. Can’t just eat his food for nothing,” Luo Xu said with a grin, bundling up in warm clothes with a big white scarf around her neck.

“Did you eat enough? You didn’t have much dinner last night,” Aunt Chen said with concern. She’d just watched her shovel down breakfast much faster than usual.

“I ate plenty! I’ll be back soon,” Luo Xu said brightly, picking up the thermos and food box before heading out.

By now, the secretary recognized her, so the “gate of convenience” opened easily — she went straight into Pei Yan’s office without issue.

“What are you doing here?” Pei Yan looked up from a pile of documents, surprised but not unkindly.

Luo Xu shook the things in her hands. “Aunt Chen said you sometimes get so busy you skip meals, so I came as a special envoy to bring you food.”

The secretary, who had been standing nearby, added, “President Pei, the meal you ordered earlier—”

“Cancel it.”

“Yes, sir.” The secretary nodded, smiled politely at Luo Xu, and slipped out.

“Oh right, I forgot, you have a secretary who can order food for you.” Luo Xu lightly smacked her forehead. “Wow, I’m so dumb.”

Pei Yan ignored that comment, rolling up his sleeves as he came over. “So, what’s this gourmet meal you brought all the way here?”

“Just a few home-style dishes you like… and oh, one cup of chicken soup.”

As expected, his brows creased slightly at the mention of chicken soup.

Luo Xu quickly added, “You work so hard, you need to replenish yourself! Don’t worry, I had Aunt Chen add some Chinese herbs like dang gui — it won’t be greasy at all.”

“Dang gui? Isn’t that for women?” Pei Yan said, deadpan.

“Men and women are both human, aren’t they? It’s good for everyone!” Luo Xu unscrewed the lid and pushed the thermos toward him. “Drink up — I promised Aunt Chen you would. If you don’t, I’ll lose face!”

Pei Yan picked up the cup. The aroma that rose was light and fragrant — no oily smell, just the gentle scent of herbs. It wasn’t bad, actually, so he didn’t refuse.

Seeing that he wasn’t rejecting it, Luo Xu exhaled in relief.

Then the office door opened. Pei Heng walked in — and stopped short when he saw her there.

“Brother, the people from the U.S. branch just called—” he cut himself off, his eyes landing on the woman sitting on the sofa.

Luo Xu stood up, smiling and waving. “Long time no see.”

“Long time no see. What’s this — bringing lunch?” he asked, glancing at the food container on the desk.

“Yep. Thought I’d reward someone who works hard.”

“I work hard too. How come no one rewards me?” Pei Heng joked, shrugging off his coat and revealing the thin black sweater underneath.

“You? You’ve probably got plenty of people spoiling you—” Luo Xu started to tease, but then her face froze mid-sentence, her voice nearly catching in her throat.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Heng asked. He’d noticed the sudden change in her expression.

“Your sweater… looks nice,” Luo Xu said, her throat tight, as if she’d swallowed a handful of nails — sharp, dry, painful.

Pei Heng chuckled, picked up Pei Yan’s cup of chicken soup, took a sip, and said approvingly, “Aunt Chen’s cooking has really leveled up — this soup is great.”

Pei Yan didn’t stop him. His eyes, however, were fixed on Luo Xu — just as hers were fixed on Pei Heng.

Luo Xu had once said she didn’t remember the face of the man she’d spent that night with.
But she did remember — the black sweater he’d been wearing.

And the one Pei Heng had on now — was exactly the same.