“He is my…”
Min Zhuozhou felt a sudden sting from both the paper heart and Pei Che’s aggressive gaze. The casual word “friend” died on his lips, and he confessed instead, “Ex-boyfriend.”
The three words instantly wiped the expression clean from Pei Che’s face. In the night, the sharp lines of his jawline carved out an exceptionally cold and stern profile.
“Oh,” Pei Che said, his chin slightly lifted as he looked down at Min Zhuozhou. “So am I interrupting your reunion?”
“Mr. Pei,” Min Zhuozhou picked up the paper heart from his palm, “you see, I don’t want it anymore.”
Pei Che closed his fist, trapping Min Zhuozhou’s two fingers that held the paper heart. He yanked the man into his embrace with sudden force, then clamped his cold fingers around Min Zhuozhou’s neck. He traced the throat with a slow, deliberate motion, as if he wanted to tear through the flesh and kiss the trembling vocal cords beneath.
A flash of undisguised scrutiny crossed his pupils. “Is there a single truth in your mouth?”
Min Zhuozhou allowed Pei Che to keep his hand clamped around the most vulnerable part of his body, then smiled at the man. “It seems Mr. Pei doesn’t believe me.”
Pei Che remained silent, his clenched teeth grinding together.
What kind of ex-boyfriend calls someone “babe”? And to do so with such ambiguity, such intimacy, such natural ease, such utter familiarity? This blatant display of closeness was like a red-hot steel needle piercing his nerves, stirring a surge of fury beneath his icy exterior.
Pei Corporation had been struggling with a critical case lately. Pei Che had personally stepped in, his entire day packed with meetings of all sizes. After working overtime and returning home, he opened the door to find a cold, empty house, exactly as it had been when he left that morning.
He’d promised to be back in the afternoon, but instead, he’d gone off to drink with his ex. Now, in the dead of night, they were acting so intimate, their gazes so entwined.
Pei Che looked at the man before him, who was steeped in the scent of alcohol and weariness. A dark, suffocating impulse suddenly surged within him, a desire to tear him apart piece by piece, to melt him into his own bones and blood, so that Min Zhuozhou could never escape his sight again.
The thought flashed by for a mere instant before Pei Che’s long-cultivated moral compass ruthlessly crushed it. His fingers trembled as he abruptly released Min Zhuozhou’s neck. Looking down, he saw faint finger marks on the other man’s pale skin.
“I didn’t know you had a talent for this…” Min Zhuozhou panted, catching his breath. He leaned in, pressing his lips, slightly purplish from the lack of oxygen, against Pei Che’s ear. “Do you like it like this?”
Pei Che seemed offended by the blatant words. Without a word, he tried to pull away, but Min Zhuozhou was quicker, grabbing him. His hand slid down to wrap quietly around Pei Che’s waist. Pei Che struggled for a moment, then stood there in silence.
“Alright, don’t be mad,” Min Zhuozhou said, his tone no different from someone coaxing a child.
Pei Che gave him the cold shoulder for a long while before finally deigning to speak. “Why did you come out with him?”
“We broke up on relatively good terms back then,” Min Zhuozhou replied. “Even if he is an ex, there’s no need to act like mortal enemies who can’t stand the sight of each other.”
This was the truth. Although Xiao Qi did whatever he wanted and often displayed a noble arrogance that disregarded others’ well-being, Min Zhuozhou could always see a reflection of himself in him. Such a rare resonance in character was a precious find; if they could maintain a civil friendship, he truly felt at ease.
But this was clearly not what Pei Che wanted to hear right now.
Pei Che sneered coldly and grabbed Min Zhuozhou’s wrist, trying to shake him off. “Fine, then go ahead and keep ‘maintaining’ that friendship.”
“Alright, I was wrong,” Min Zhuozhou conceded readily. He gently wrapped his arms around Pei Che, resting his slightly groggy head against his back. “Next time I see him, I’ll definitely draw a clear line. I’ll stifle any embers that might reignite right in the cradle.”
Whether it was Min Zhuozhou’s words or this dependent gesture that pleased him, Pei Che’s expression softened slightly. He released Min Zhuozhou’s wrist and let him embrace him. Only after a long pause did he say coolly, “There won’t be a next time.”
“So domineering,” Min Zhuozhou sighed softly, but he was tactful enough not to dwell on the matter. Instead, he asked, “Are you done with overtime?”
Pei Che had no intention of answering such a pointless question.
Min Zhuozhou could only ask again, “So, are we going home now?”
Pei Che remained silent but walked to the driver’s seat and got into the car. His gaze swept across the back seat, whether deliberately or not.
Min Zhuozhou followed his gaze and also glanced at the back seat, only to see a neat row of plush toys, all adorable little animals.
“…?”
This doesn’t look like something that would be in Pei Che’s car.
Min Zhuozhou’s eyebrows rose slightly, a hint of genuine curiosity flickering in his eyes. He leaned back and grabbed a plush sea otter, poking its soft, fluffy fur with his finger. Suddenly, a realization struck him, and he looked up. “Did you get these for Min Hua?”
Pei Che started the car, his eyes fixed straight ahead. “You said he likes them,” he replied in a flat tone.
Min Zhuozhou had only mentioned it in passing, never expecting Pei Che to actually prepare them. He stared at the eclectic assortment of plushies on the back seat, arranged side-by-side in a manner that bore the distinct hallmarks of an adult’s aesthetic: each adjacent toy was either the same color or a complementary shade.
The once-adorable stuffed animals, now arranged with such meticulous skill and unwavering precision, created a bizarre visual effect: they looked innocent, yet were all standing in a collective punishment line.
Min Zhuozhou smiled helplessly, thinking to himself that only Mr. Pei, who was born without a childish bone in his body, could achieve such a result.
Pei Che asked, “What’s so funny?”
Min Zhuozhou leaned forward to put the little sea otter back into the “formation” and asked in an incredibly serious tone, “Mr. Pei, are you planning to enlist them in the army?”
Pei Che gave him a cool, sidelong glance without saying a word.
Min Zhuozhou held it in for a moment before finally losing his composure and bursting out laughing. “It’s just… they look a little strange.”
Pei Che had initially intended to ignore the mood-ruining man in the passenger seat. But a moment later, he finally cracked. He tapped his finger on the center console, a tiny, fleeting smile touching his lips. “So much trouble.”
“I’m sorry, haha! It’s just that I haven’t reached the level of aesthetic sophistication required to appreciate their arrangement yet…”
Min Zhuozhou’s words trailed off, and he fell silent. He rarely saw Pei Che smile; the man’s expression was always monotonous, coldly refined and utterly unremarkable. But when he did smile, a glimpse of the youthful vitality suppressed beneath his tailored suit finally broke through.
The passenger seat fell quiet. Pei Che turned to look and met Min Zhuozhou’s gaze. In those eyes, hazy with alcohol, a river of tenderness flowed steadily forward, erupting into a nearly brilliant radiance the moment their gazes locked.
It was a quality that no one else could replicate, imitate, or even vaguely resemble, like a rose blooming defiantly in the wild amidst the deep autumn chill, standing tall against the wind, waiting to be plucked.
Pei Che’s heart suddenly felt empty, a roar echoing in his ears. It felt as if a wild wind had swept through, leaving him to find a single feather in its wake.
His mouth went dry.
His grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, and the speedometer on the dashboard ticked up a notch.
Min Zhuozhou, also momentarily lost in that fleeting gaze, suddenly rested his hand on Pei Che’s leg, palm slightly open.
Pei Che glanced down, then kept one hand on the steering wheel while the other gently pinched Min Zhuozhou’s finger pad. The pressure was light at first, then suddenly tightened, a retaliatory press against his fingertip.
Before Min Zhuozhou could speak, Pei Che withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. His voice was huskier than usual. “Not next time.”
Not next time what? Not coming home this late? Not going out drinking with others? Or not leaving his sight… Min Zhuozhou wasn’t entirely sure, and neither was Pei Che himself.
But the mood was too good for Min Zhuozhou to refuse. He simply replied softly, “Okay.”
This hazy yet intensely affectionate atmosphere lingered all the way home. A short absence is better than a new marriage, Min Zhuozhou thought, half-expecting something to happen tonight. Yet, after changing into loungewear, Pei Che merely helped him arrange the plush dolls, then reopened his tablet to work. Under the pressure of the case, his self-control was remarkable.
After showering, Min Zhuozhou found Pei Che still working on the bedroom sofa. He grabbed a blanket from the cabinet and draped it over him, then stood silently by his side for a moment. Feeling tired, he kicked off his slippers and snuggled up against him on the sofa.
Pei Che glanced at Min Zhuozhou, pulled him closer by his hair, and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
“Is it that same business case from last time?” Min Zhuozhou asked, allowing Pei Che to keep his arms around him. “Is the situation not going well?”
“It’s acceptable, just troublesome.”
Pei Che briefly explained the general situation to Min Zhuozhou. Recently, the higher-ups had granted a quota for a coastal city free port and simultaneously issued a pilot plan favoring imports and exports related to biological sciences. However, Ningcheng was not a port city, and the Pei Corporation’s existing geographical cooperation with New Port was limited. Their network of contacts was sparse, making it much more difficult to smooth over relations.
Furthermore, as the head of the Pei Corporation, Pei Che was ultimately still too young. Although the corporation had a solid foundation in Ningcheng, Pei Che’s ambition was to expand their reach even further. This was bound to attract the wariness and envy of many, and facing resistance was to be expected.
Where there was risk, there was opportunity. Pei Che’s temperament was extremely steady, but he was not the type to shrink back and hesitate to take action. He kept his sights set on the long term, and while he usually kept a low profile, he didn’t bother to hide his true nature from Min Zhuozhou. A faint light glinted in his dark pupils, revealing his fierce ambition.
Min Xing would never have allowed Min Zhuozhou to get involved in business matters, so he knew only a little about this subject. He didn’t offer any opinions, merely snuggling into Pei Che’s embrace. “Mr. Pei, don’t work too hard.”
“I won’t,” Pei Che said, idly twirling a strand of Min Zhuozhou’s hair, his voice unusually gentle. “You go to sleep first.”
Min Zhuozhou was indeed exhausted after two days of nonstop activity. Hearing this, he nodded and was just about to get up from the sofa when a hand pressed him back down.
He looked up, slightly puzzled, only to see Pei Che staring straight at the glowing laptop screen without even glancing at him. His tone was flat, as if devoid of any coercion: “Go to sleep. I’ll carry you to bed in a bit.”
Min Zhuozhou murmured a soft “You’re such a handful,” then simply leaned back into Pei Che’s embrace, letting the surging waves of sleepiness overtake his nerves. Deep slumber cleared all stray thoughts from his mind, leaving only the sound of his steady breathing and the faint tapping of the keyboard to complement each other.
Pei Che was wrapping up his final tasks for the day. Despite working at high intensity all day, his mind remained sharp. He efficiently revised the proposal submitted by his subordinate. Just as he finished saving a backup, he saw a notification light up on his phone.
He picked up the device and opened the message. It was from his father, Pei Yudong, telling him to find a time this week to have a meal with the Min family. He specifically mentioned that the agreement between Pei Che and Min Zhuozhou was about to expire…
Back then, the Min family had been the ones to climb the social ladder to marry into Pei Che’s family. Pei Yudong’s message implied that they should save face and maintain courtesy, ensuring a clean and amicable break.
Pei Che stared at the lines of text on his phone screen, his brow gradually furrowing.