Jingche Group Office.
Xie Qingyun sat on the office sofa, leisurely playing with her phone. Seeing that the person behind the office desk remained silent, she turned off her phone and spoke first: “Big brother, if you have something to say, just say it. Don’t delay me from chasing men.”
Pei Yanzhou stood up from his office chair and walked over to sit on the sofa opposite her: “Any plans recently?”
“What plans?”
Xie Qingyun didn’t quite understand what Pei Yanzhou meant by his question. She had a vague feeling that his inquiry was related to a certain person.
She curled her lips: “No particular plans, but…”
“I have plans with someone on Wednesday, going out to have fun. Do you want to come?”
Pei Yanzhou replied coldly: “No.”
Xie Qingyun pretended to be nonchalant: “Alright then, it’ll just be me and Jinci.”
“President Pei, focus on your work. Having fun is something for us girls.”
Xie Qingyun silently counted to three in her mind.
Just as she reached one, Pei Yanzhou spoke: “What time?”
Indeed, it took the sister-in-law to step in.
Pei Yanzhou was a workaholic. He would never put aside work on a weekday to do something trivial. No one could be an exception for him.
No one could be, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one. Now, there was such a person.
She teased: “Didn’t President Pei say he wasn’t going? Why the sudden change of mind? Could it be…”
Even if she didn’t spell it out, Pei Yanzhou knew what she wanted to say.
He shot her a cold glance, and Xie Qingyun, who was about to say more, immediately fell silent out of fear.
She quickly put on a flattering smile, after all, she still needed Pei Yanzhou to help her chase men: “Brother, just tell me, is Jinci the person you’ve been looking for?”
Having been by Pei Yanzhou’s side for so many years, he treated them like family. She had never seen Pei Yanzhou care so much about someone, and not long after arriving in the capital, Jian Jinci appeared by his side.
Pei Yanzhou replied calmly: “Yes.”
She didn’t know what Pei Yanzhou had experienced or what his identity was before going abroad. She had a vague feeling that those were unpleasant experiences, but Jian Jinci was a very important person to him.
They all had an unspoken understanding. If Pei Yanzhou didn’t say anything, they wouldn’t ask. Regardless of his identity or what he had been through, they only knew that they had already endured those difficult times.
“Brother, you help me set up a date with the guy. He’s your employee, so he wouldn’t dare disrespect you. How about I create an opportunity for you and sister-in-law then?” Xie Qingyun would never miss any chance to chase men.
“Fine.” Pei Yanzhou looked at her: “I feel the need to remind you, Han Ji isn’t suitable for you. He doesn’t like you.”
Xie Qingyun rolled her eyes at Pei Yanzhou: “Who says things like that?”
Deep down, she understood that if Pei Yanzhou could say such a thing, the possibility of her and Han Ji being together was very slim, if not nonexistent. But she refused to believe it. She had to give it a try.
“But I just like him,” she said. “Even if I hit a wall and end up bruised and battered, I won’t regret it.”
This was the first time she had liked someone so much. She couldn’t just give up because of a simple “not suitable.” Besides, she wasn’t someone who gave up easily.
Pei Yanzhou: “Try looking at the people around you.”
Xie Qingyun left the office. Standing in the elevator, she racked her brains but couldn’t figure out who Pei Yanzhou meant by “people around you.”
She only knew a few people, and Pei Yanzhou was excluded.
Chi Yang is still abroad, even colder than Pei Yanzhou. If he can say one word, he’ll never say two—like a walking refrigerator. Just hearing his name makes you feel a chill. Eliminated.
Chu Ye has been back in the country for about a month. She hasn’t seen him once; he spends all his time in pleasure spots. There’s no tragic story of being hurt by a white moonlight—he’s just plain lustful. If you had to describe him with an animal, it would be a poodle. Definitely eliminated.
The other is Jiang Zhi, who grew up with her. Occasionally, they’re as close as siblings, but most of the time, they’re at each other’s throats. So, that’s even more impossible. If you asked Jiang Zhi to list her flaws, he could go on for three days and three nights without stopping.
Basically, whenever they meet, they’re fighting. Out of 365 days a year, 360 of them are spent bickering.
Based on her analysis, Chi Yang and Chu Ye are impossible, and Jiang Zhi is absolutely impossible. Even if the Earth exploded and there were no men left in the world, the two of them would still be impossible.
She doesn’t like men who are flirtatious, shameless, and sharp-tongued. She prefers someone gentle and considerate like Han Ji.
Since she couldn’t figure out what Pei Yanzhou meant, she simply stopped thinking about it. Instead, she focused on how to win over Han Ji.
She, Xie Qingyun, is an unyielding cockroach, already prepared to be rejected countless times.
She won’t turn back until she hits the wall.
On Wednesday, after waking up and washing up, Jian Jinci applied light makeup. She had agreed to meet Xie Qingyun at a specific location at ten o’clock today.
At nine in the morning, Xie Qingyun sent her a message saying she was on her way.
Jian Jinci changed into a wine-red hooded sweatshirt jacket, paired with loose-fitting jeans and black British-style leather shoes. Shedding her usual cold elegance, she now looked lazy and much softer.
The wine-red sweatshirt made her skin appear even fairer.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and left the house. Just as she locked the black front door and turned around, a familiar Maybach pulled up in front of her. The car window rolled down, and she was momentarily stunned to see Pei Yanzhou.
He lazily rested one hand on the window frame, the other on the steering wheel, and slightly turned his head to look at her.
She stared blankly at Pei Yanzhou. Just then, the rear window rolled down, and Xie Qingyun leaned out, waving at her: “Sis—”
As soon as she spoke, she realized she had misspoken and immediately corrected herself: “Jinci.”
Actually, it wasn’t wrong—it was bound to happen sooner or later. One day, she’d have to change how she addressed her. She was just afraid of making her feel awkward.
After all, girls are thin-skinned.
Jian Jinci looked over at Xie Qingyun, who said, “Jinci, can my brother come with us? If you mind, I’ll make him leave right now.”
Seeing Jian Jinci, Xie Qingyun felt a pang of guilt. She had made this deal with Pei Yanzhou to pursue a man, and now she regretted betraying her friend for a guy.
When the opportunity arose today, she would definitely confess everything to her and beg for her forgiveness.
Jian Jinci’s gaze met Pei Yanzhou’s. On Sunday, Pei Yanzhou had carried her back to her room and tucked her in—an intimate and ambiguous gesture between them. The memory made her cheeks flush slightly.
Uncomfortable, she averted her eyes and looked at Xie Qingyun: “I don’t mind.”
For some reason, she even felt a little happy about it.
What puzzled her was: Doesn’t he work? How can a CEO go out to have fun on a weekday?
“It’s good that you don’t mind,” Xie Qingyun called out. “Get in.”
She intended to sit with Xie Qingyun, but as she approached, she noticed a man sitting beside her. The man gave her a slight nod, and in response, she smiled politely.
“Sit in the passenger seat.” Pei Yanzhou’s cool voice rang out.
“…”
Xie Qingyun looked at her and smiled apologetically, “Jinci, sorry to make you sit in the passenger seat. I want to be next to the man I like.”
Sorry?
Jian Jinci glanced at Pei Yanzhou—his expression shifted slightly, his dark eyes growing even colder.
If not now, then when? Should she wait for him to lose his temper?