What Should I Do if My Best Friend Is a Green Tea? [Transmigrated Into a Book]

"Be careful, don’t let anyone see you!"

Feng Meiyu playfully pushed Pei's Father. Though she was the Pei family’s housekeeper, no one dared to make her do chores. She usually took care of Pei's Father and Pei Yubai, occasionally using Pei's Father’s supplementary credit card for spa treatments, keeping her skin and figure impeccably maintained.

Pei's Father was completely smitten with Feng Meiyu. Even after twenty years, she still had him wrapped around her finger.

He pinched her waist teasingly, "This is a five-star hotel. What paparazzi would be here?"

"I’m just worried!" Feng Meiyu cooed.

But Pei's Father couldn’t wait. He tightened his grip around her waist. Even though their suite was just a short walk down the hallway from the elevator, he was already impatient.

"Darling, slow down… slow down!"

The two were lost in their own world, oblivious to the stunned onlooker lurking in the shadows.

Song Zhile swore he was just curious. He could hardly believe his eyes—Pei's Father was flirting with his own housekeeper? At first, he thought he must be mistaken. To confirm, the second young master of the Song family followed them upstairs.

Hairui Hotel’s glass-walled observation elevators made it easy to track which floor they stopped on. But when he caught up, the sight that greeted him was downright scandalous.

Pei's Father came from a wealthy family—how could he be so desperate as to prey on his own housekeeper?

If this was the kind of man his father was, what did that say about his son?

Song Zhile was tempted to share this juicy gossip with Zhou Qingyu, but when he turned around, he saw Pei Hanli had arrived as well.

Standing at the corridor’s corner, they overheard the intimate murmurs between Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu before the couple disappeared into their suite.

Silence fell.

Song Zhile glanced at Pei Hanli, surprised by his calm demeanor despite witnessing his father with another woman—his own housekeeper, no less.

"You already knew about them?"

Pei Hanli remained composed. "Not only do I know about their affair, I also know that woman is Pei Yubai’s birth mother."

Song Zhile’s eyes widened. Pei Hanli was 25, and Madam Pei had passed away three years ago. That meant… Pei Yubai was an illegitimate child?!

Holy crap, this was a bombshell!

The rivalry between the Pei brothers was no secret in elite circles. Song Zhile had never understood why Pei Hanli and Pei Yubai, supposedly full brothers, competed so viciously.

Now, it all made sense.

"If that’s the case, why not just expose Pei Yubai as a bastard? Then he’d have no leverage against you—at most, he’d get a small share of the Pei family’s assets."

Pei Hanli lowered his gaze, his tone indifferent. "At the time, Qingyu still loved Pei Yubai."

Song Zhile froze.

Pei Hanli let out a self-deprecating laugh before continuing, "Song Zhile, don’t overestimate yourself. I don’t care about you, nor do I worry about how many rivals surround Qingyu. The only one I care about is her."

Everyone else was irrelevant.

Zhou Qingyu was the only one who mattered.

Song Zhile was taken aback. "But how could you tolerate this for so long?"

If it were him, he wouldn’t have let an illegitimate heir stick around this long!

Pei Hanli’s gaze was steady, unreadable.

"I could."

…

A sudden phone ringtone echoed through the hallway.

Both Song Zhile and Pei Hanli pulled out their phones to see a Weibo notification on their lock screens:

"Shocking Scandal! Pei Family’s Second Young Master is an Illegitimate Heir! Doubts Surround Pei Yubai’s Birth Mother!"

They exchanged startled glances.

Song Zhile instinctively turned to Pei Hanli. "Did you leak this?"

Now that Zhou Qingyu no longer loved Pei Yubai, it made sense for Pei Hanli to strike.

"If I wanted to ruin Pei Yubai, would I resort to tabloid tactics?"

In Pei Hanli’s eyes, media exposure was the least threatening method. To truly destroy someone, you had to strike where it hurt—leaving no room for retaliation.

Song Zhile conceded the point. Pei Yubai wasn’t a celebrity; there was no need for a smear campaign. That was the entertainment industry’s game.

He immediately clicked the link to see what was going on.

The page redirected to Ye Luoyi’s livestream.

The one exposing Pei Yubai’s illegitimacy… was Ye Luoyi herself!

.

Ye Luoyi hadn’t wanted to expose Pei Yubai either.

After Yan Xi’s warning, she had her suspicions but took no action.

But then Pei Yubai sabotaged her auditions—even for minor supporting roles! He wouldn’t let her leave Tianhui.

As long as he remained influential, no production team would dare cast her. Even after his lies about Feng Yinyin’s pregnancy were exposed and Tianhui neared bankruptcy, studios still feared the Pei family’s shadow.

If Pei Yubai wouldn’t give her a way out, she wouldn’t give him one either!

Ye Luoyi hired a private investigator to dig into Pei Yubai’s background. Obtaining his DNA was easy—he’d left traces on her eyebrow razor during a stay at her villa.

The challenge was finding a comparison sample. Unsure of Pei Yubai’s birth mother, her only option was securing Pei Hanli’s DNA.

It cost her a fortune, but she succeeded.

The results didn’t disappoint.

After much hesitation, Ye Luoyi decided to expose everything herself via livestream.

With her tarnished reputation, she knew controversy would draw viewers. By the time the Pei family tried to shut her down, it would be too late.

Tearfully, she addressed the camera:

"When Pei Yubai pursued me, I didn’t know he was engaged. Even after learning about his betrothal to Zhou Qingyu, I couldn’t bring myself to cut ties immediately."

"Only now do I realize how wrong I was. To Miss Zhou Qingyu, I offer my sincerest apologies!"

She bowed deeply.

"But I don’t shoulder all the blame. I never understood why Pei Yubai claimed to love me and promised to break up with Zhou Qingyu, yet kept stringing us both along."

"Now, I finally know the truth!"

Ye Luoyi held up the DNA test results for the camera.

"This report proves Pei Hanli and Pei Yubai are half-brothers! Pei Yubai isn’t Madam Pei’s son—he’s a bastard! That’s why he clung to Zhou Qingyu, why he needed the Zhou family’s resources!"

"I admit my mistakes, but I never crossed moral or legal boundaries. If I had, my scenes in The Journey wouldn’t have made the final cut."

"Now, I’m ready to start anew. I only ask for one chance from casting directors!"

"And I hope everyone sees Pei Yubai for what he truly is—a fraud, a gold-digger, an illegitimate heir the Pei family will never back!"

Ye Luoyi chose to go live at 8 PM. At this hour, most office workers had already clocked out, leaving them free to browse the internet.

Her livestream quickly caught the attention of netizens. As a celebrity already mired in scandals, any move she made would inevitably attract gossip accounts—let alone when she dropped such a bombshell.

[OMG OMG OMG!]

[No wonder Pei Yubai couldn’t get into the Pei Group and had to start his own company!]

[Look at how Tianhui’s stock has plummeted, and the Pei Group didn’t lift a finger to help! Confirmed: he’s the illegitimate son!]

[Or maybe Pei Hanli is the illegitimate one, lol.jpg]

[Hahaha, that’s not impossible, but isn’t Pei Hanli already the CEO of the Pei Group?]

[But no matter how I look at it, Pei Yubai being the illegitimate son makes more sense! Ye Luoyi’s right—he’s clinging to the young miss because he needs her resources!]

[This is juicy! Ye Luoyi, spill more! I’m loving this!]

In the room, Ye Luoyi finished her exposé and ended the livestream.

The livestream was just a tactic. To ensure netizens dug deeper into Pei Yubai, she also posted a written version along with the DNA test report on Weibo.

Su Lingling was trembling with fear. "Yiyi, if we go head-to-head with the Pei Group like this, won’t they just delete everything and blacklist us?"

"Maybe," Ye Luoyi’s voice shook. "But I’m betting on it. I’m betting Pei Hanli will side with us this time. I’m betting Star Glory will push this with their PR army. And I’m betting Pei Yubai will lose!"

.

Hairui Hotel

Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu were lost in passion inside the hotel, completely unaware of the storm brewing outside. A sudden knock at the door interrupted them.

Pei's Father was furious, but the knocking persisted. Wrapping a towel around himself, he stormed to the door.

"What the hell is so urgent?!"

The moment he opened the door, camera flashes erupted, nearly blinding him.

Pei's Father panicked. "What are you doing? Why are there so many reporters?!"

The cameras clicked incessantly as the reporters surged past him, flooding into the room and snapping photos of everything.

Feng Meiyu, still lying on the bed, gasped and yanked the sheets over herself.

The reporters were electrified by the scene.

"So the affair is real!"

"This is wild! Is this Pei Yubai’s mother? Or just Pei's Father’s new fling?"

"If she’s Pei Yubai’s birth mother, and he’s 25, that means you’ve been cheating for 25 years!"

"Madam Pei was still alive back then—this is straight-up marital infidelity!"

Pei's Father was stunned. How did these reporters know about him and Feng Meiyu?

And why were there so many of them? He was just a board member of the Pei Group—hardly front-page material.

Even at his age, he’d never faced such an ambush. With only a towel around his waist—and nothing underneath—he was completely exposed.

The reporters bombarded him with questions. Terrified, he covered his face, forgetting even to grab his clothes, and dragged Feng Meiyu (also barely covered) into a frantic escape down the hallway.

The reporters gave chase.

In the corridor, Song Zhile and Pei Hanli had just finished watching Ye Luoyi’s livestream replay.

Ten minutes had passed since the initial broadcast, and the scandal had already exploded across Weibo’s trending topics.

As the reporters chased Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu, Pei Hanli swiftly pulled out a mask to hide his face.

Song Zhile grabbed one of the reporters. "How did you know Pei Zhiyuan and his mistress were here?"

"Someone tipped us off! Let go—I need to get the scoop!"

The reporter wrestled free and sprinted after Pei's Father.

A tip-off?

Song Zhile frowned. What were the odds? They’d coincidentally caught Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu during dinner, Ye Luoyi had exposed Pei Yubai’s illegitimacy at the same time, and now reporters had been tipped off about the affair at Hairui Hotel…

Pei Hanli smirked. "Since when are there so many coincidences? Do you think Star Glory’s VP is just for show?"

Song Zhile had been too busy fawning over Zhou Qingyu to notice, but Pei Hanli had spotted it the moment they entered the banquet hall.

—Yan Xi hadn’t just invited Star Glory employees to dinner. She’d also invited friendly reporters and paparazzi.

Otherwise, how could a five-star hotel like Hairui let reporters waltz in? They’d been dining there all along, which was why they’d moved so fast.

When Pei Hanli had revealed his relationship with Pei Yubai back at Empress City, he’d guessed Yan Xi planned to leak the story. But he never imagined she’d get Ye Luoyi to do it.

Honestly, Ye Luoyi’s exposé hit harder than any tabloid ever could.

"The Pei family won’t have a peaceful night," Pei Hanli told Song Zhile. "I need to go back. Make sure Zhou Qingyu gets home safely after dinner."

Song Zhile straightened. This was his chance to be alone with Zhou Qingyu.

"Obviously! I’ll take care of her!"

.

Furui Hotel Lobby

Pei's Father was learning firsthand how brutal a media frenzy could be. He’d managed to cover his face with a mask, but the camera flashes were relentless.

Only four or five reporters had chased him upstairs, but now, the lobby was swarming with them, blocking his escape.

Pei's Father squirmed like a rat in a trap. "What’s the big deal? I’m dating my girlfriend! I’m a widower—am I not allowed to have a girlfriend?"

"Just a girlfriend?" a reporter pressed. "Not Pei Yubai’s mother?"

Pei's Father’s heart skipped a beat, but the reporter’s uncertain tone meant they didn’t have proof. He puffed out his chest. "Just my girlfriend! Keep harassing me, and I’ll sue for invasion of privacy!"

"Uncle? What are you doing here?"

A clear, bell-like voice cut through the chaos. Everyone turned to see Zhou Qingyu and the Star Glory staff walking over.

Zhou Qingyu, pleasantly full from dinner, was leaving with Yan Xi. Her gaze landed on Pei's Father in his bathrobe, then on the woman beside him, who was desperately trying to hide her face.

"Auntie Feng? You’re here too?"

Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu’s minds went blank.

They were doomed.

"Oh ho!"

"Oh ho ho!"

"Oh ho ho ho ho!"

While Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu despaired, the reporters were ecstatic. Two immediately peeled off to interview Zhou Qingyu.

"Young Miss, this is Pei's Father’s girlfriend—you know her?"

"What girlfriend?" Zhou Qingyu looked utterly baffled. "This is the Pei family's housekeeper, Feng Meiyu. She's taken care of Pei Yubai since he was a child. She's always been good to him—and to me too. I’ve even had her homemade soup before, right, Aunt Feng?"

Feng Meiyu shuddered.

She never should have met Zhou Qingyu. Never should have served her that soup!

The reporters grew even more excited. "A housekeeper? Pei Zhiyuan had an affair with the family’s housekeeper? Now that’s juicy!"

"And she raised Pei Yubai? Are we sure she’s just a housekeeper?"

"Could she actually be Pei Yubai’s birth mother?"

The frenzy escalated. One journalist even reached out, yanking a strand of Feng Meiyu’s hair straight from her scalp!

Feng Meiyu winced in pain.

Neither she nor Pei's Father could explain their way out now. Staying would only make things worse.

Security at the Hairui Hotel finally intervened, dispersing the reporters and giving the two a chance to flee in disgrace.

At the lobby entrance, Zhou Qingyu watched their retreating figures with satisfaction before turning to Yan Xi. "No wonder you picked this hotel for dinner! You already knew about Pei Zhiyuan and Feng Meiyu, didn’t you?"

Yan Xi smirked. "After Pei Hanli called Pei Yubai a bastard, I hired a private investigator to dig around."

"Besides, isn’t it more thrilling to catch them red-handed and enjoy the drama live?"

Zhou Qingyu nodded eagerly. "Thrilling!"

……

Online, the scandal about Pei Yubai’s illegitimate status had exploded.

Footage of Pei's Father and Feng Meiyu’s encounter with Zhou Qingyu in the hotel lobby had been leaked, fueling the fire.

[LMAO, what’s with rich men these days? So desperate they’ll sleep with the help?]

[Maybe he wanted free labor? As if the Peis can’t afford better!]

[Is Pei Yubai really that housekeeper’s son? I need answers!]

[Who cares? Illegitimate or not, he’s a bastard either way.]

[Tianhui’s doomed. With Pei Hanli as CEO and Pei Yubai exposed, the Pei Group won’t lift a finger to save them.]

[Should’ve seen it coming. Tianhui’s basically bankrupt already—has the Pei Group stepped in? Nope!]

[A bastard’s company deserves to fail!]

.

Pei Family Residence

Old man Pei’s face was stormy, his silver beard trembling with rage.

Pei's Father, Pei Yubai, and Feng Meiyu stood with heads bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Family ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍shame should never be aired in public! Look at the mess you’ve made!"

The old man’s cane struck Pei's Father’s back with a heavy thud, sending him stumbling to his knees.

"When you married Qingru, you should’ve treated her right. Instead, you learned nothing—sneaking around with another woman! And you hid her in our home! What worthless trash have I raised?"

He kicked Pei's Father viciously, showing no mercy.

Next, the cane came down on Pei Yubai, who buckled under the blow, dropping to one knee.

"And you! Zhou Qingyu adored you, yet you played with her feelings! You claim to love another girl, but you ruined her career instead of cherishing her. Pei Yubai, is this how I raised you? You’re no better than an animal!"

Pei Yubai burned with humiliation. He never expected Ye Luoyi to be the one to expose him.

Did she always know he was illegitimate? Did she look down on him too? Was that why she refused to come back?

After everything he’d sacrificed for her—was she just like those gold-digging women after all?

Finally, Old man Pei turned to Feng Meiyu.

Though technically the family’s housekeeper, Feng Meiyu barely worked. Well-maintained and delicate, she was the epitome of a pampered mistress—hardly suited for the Pei family’s discipline.

Before the cane could land, she collapsed to her knees.

"Please, Old master! I was wrong! I just couldn’t bear to leave Yubai! I swear I’ve learned my lesson!"

Old man Pei had no intention of striking her—she wasn’t family, just an employee. Besides, he never laid hands on women.

His cane pointed accusingly at the trio. "Kneel here and reflect on your actions!"

He stormed off to his armchair, too furious to sit still. After a moment, he snapped at Steward Cheng, "What’s the company’s status?"

Steward Cheng: "Young master Pei Hanli has stabilized things. It shouldn’t be a problem."

As if on cue, Pei Hanli strode in.

He approached Old man Pei with a composed report.

The Pei Group’s stock remained largely unaffected. As the current CEO, Pei Hanli’s leadership shielded the company—Pei's Father was merely a board member, and boardroom scandals rarely impacted share prices.

Moreover, Pei Yubai’s exposure only solidified Pei Hanli’s position as heir. Few corporations would prioritize a bastard over a legitimate son without inviting ridicule.

Old man Pei exhaled in relief. The company was safe—online rumors could be scrubbed by the PR team.

"One more thing," Pei Hanli added coolly. "Father recently sold a significant portion of Pei Group shares. I took advantage of the turmoil to buy them back. It’s best to keep control within the family. Diluting our stake would weaken our grip in the long run."

Old man Pei’s eyes bulged. Seconds later, his cane smashed into Pei's Father again.

"You fool! You dared sell our shares? Who gave you the right? Where did the money go?"

Pei's Father stayed silent. So did Pei Yubai.

Pei Hanli answered for them. "Likely to cover Tianhui’s losses."

Old man Pei nearly fainted. "For that worthless company?"

These two were beyond hopeless!

Steward Cheng hurriedly handed him medication, patting his back as he swallowed the pills.

"You think you’ll ever set foot in the Pei Group again? With brains like yours? Forget it! If I handed the company over, it’d be ruined within a year!"

Pei's Father and Pei Yubai seethed.

Especially Pei Yubai. "Grandfather, you’ve never given me a chance. Who’s to say I wouldn’t outperform my brother?"

Old man Pei scoffed. "You couldn’t even manage Tianhui, and you think you’d best Hanli? Just declare bankruptcy and sell the damn thing!"

"Grandfather!" Pei Yubai protested. "That’s my life’s work!"

"Then fix it yourself. The Pei Group won’t bail you out. Don’t even dream of it!"

Pei Yubai’s eyes burned with resentment, but he was powerless. He could only glare at Pei Hanli.

Yet, he refused to accept defeat. As a Pei descendant—illegitimate or not—he still had inheritance rights. There was still a chance.

Pei Hanli caught his brother’s defiance and smirked.

Did he really think a scolding from Grandfather was the end of it?

Tonight would not be so simple.

The wail of police sirens echoed from outside, growing louder as they approached. The deep autumn night was illuminated by flashing red and blue lights, the shrill sound piercing through the silence, shattering the tranquility of the late hour.

Old Man Pei was startled by the commotion and hurried to the main gate, where he saw several police cars parked outside the Pei residence.

The old man paled. "Why are the police here?"

He immediately turned to Pei's Father and Pei Yubai. "Did you two do something illegal?"

Pei's Father and Pei Yubai shook their heads frantically. "No, no, no!"

It was just some scandalous gossip—how could they dare break the law?

Old Man Pei frowned as an officer in uniform stepped forward.

The young policeman greeted him politely. "Good evening. We’re officers from the Shenpu District Police Department in Haicheng."

He pulled out a pair of gleaming handcuffs and snapped them onto Feng Meiyu and Pei Zhiyuan’s wrists.

"Feng Meiyu, you have been implicated in a child trafficking case. Pei Zhiyuan, you are an accomplice in this crime. Both of you will accompany us to the station for questioning."

Feng Meiyu and Pei Zhiyuan were stunned. "Child trafficking? There must be some mistake!"

"There’s no mistake," Pei Hanli said coldly as he stepped forward.

His gaze was icy as he stared at them. "Twenty years ago, to ensure Pei Yubai could return to the Pei family, you pretended to be Pei Zhiyuan’s secretary, infiltrated our home, and handed me over to human traffickers. Have you forgotten?"

Feng Meiyu trembled. That was two decades ago! She had lived in the Pei household all these years, and Pei Hanli had always treated her with indifference—she thought he had long since moved on.

"Nineteen years and eleven months. Just one month short of twenty years. Not a single day of what you did to me has been forgotten."