22 – vol.1 Hazelnut Latte
Time can indeed take away many things.
But not necessarily the memories of certain people.
Three months later.
On a Friday night.
Huari Capital, CEO’s office.
Pei Zhixiu and his assistant Ding Yan had attended two consecutive business dinners. By the time they returned to the city center of Beicheng, it was already late at night.
The man pushed open the office door and entered, his tall figure coming to a stop in the center of the room. He reached up, his long, well-defined fingers loosening his tie. With a simple one-handed motion, he pulled the tie from around his neck and casually tossed it onto a corner of the leather sofa.
After a tiring day, he could finally relax for a moment.
The office was designed with clean, sharp lines. Located hundreds of meters above ground, it featured floor-to-ceiling windows. The silver-gray background wall exhibited extreme precision in texture, touch, and light reflection. The highly stylish geometric design conveyed a sense of steady, understated confidence.
The lights were bright, illuminating the man’s tall and slender figure.
Ding Yan pushed open the door and entered the CEO’s office.
Holding documents in hand, he stood a few steps behind his superior, ready to report on the upcoming schedule.
Pei Zhixiu was walking toward the desk while simultaneously unbuttoning the top button of his shirt with one hand.
The button of the black shirt was undone by his cool, pale fingertips, revealing a glimpse of his delicate collarbone. Even this simple gesture carried a restrained, sensual allure.
He sat down in the black office chair, clasped his hands, and placed them steadily on the desk. Then, he asked his assistant calmly:
“What’s the schedule for next Monday?”
Ding Yan also took a few steps forward toward the desk.
Without flipping through the schedule in his hand, he answered methodically from memory: “Mr. Pei, next Monday, there are two merger and acquisition meetings, one for the consumer group and the other for the smart industry group in the second investment department.”
“In addition, in the afternoon, there is a supplier focused on female entrepreneurship to inspect. The inspection itinerary has already been arranged.”
As he spoke, Ding Yan stood straight in front of the desk, his tone steady, like a flawless robot.
“What supplier?” Pei Zhixiu frowned slightly.
“It was recommended by the first investment department. They believe the project has some value and it has already passed the meeting.”
“That project focused on female entrepreneurship?” He remembered now.
“Yes.”
As the person closest to his superior, Ding Yan was adept at observing changes in his expression. Noticing Pei Zhixiu’s momentary hesitation, he cautiously asked, “Should I cancel this inspection trip?”
To be honest, the project wasn’t particularly outstanding. There were plenty of excellent projects that reached the CEO’s desk, and he didn’t understand why this one had caught his attention.
Pei Zhixiu: “No need.”
Perhaps due to a busy day, his voice sounded deep after the fatigue.
Such an intensive workload would tire even someone as exceptionally capable as his superior.
Pei Zhixiu closed his eyes, slowly pinched the bridge of his nose with his long fingers, and added to Ding Yan: “Send me the information about this startup. I’ll review it over the weekend.”
“Understood, Mr. Pei,” Ding Yan replied.
As he prepared to leave, the chief assistant, concerned about his superior’s well-being, said:
“Mr. Pei, you didn’t eat much at the banquet table tonight either. I had the hotel prepare dinner, and it’s already on the table.”
Pei Zhixiu responded with a faint: “Mm.”He then picked up the mouse and began browsing through other files, showing no intention of going over to eat.
Ding Yan gave up on persuading his boss to eat.
Pei Zhixiu had always been like this.
Work came first. Nothing else could compare to work.
Ding Yan shook his head and turned to walk out of the office. As he pushed the door open, he caught sight of a figure approaching from the elevator lobby. Pausing briefly, Ding Yan leaned back in through the doorway and called out, “Mr. Pei.”
Pei Zhixiu’s gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, and he only responded absentmindedly upon hearing the call. “What is it?”
Ding Yan reminded him, “Mr. Qi… he’s on his way over. Do you need me to stall him for a bit?”
Aside from a barely noticeable furrow of his brow, Pei Zhixiu showed almost no expression. His gaze hardly shifted as he simply said:
“No need.”
“Let him in.”
When Qi Mingjun pushed the door open and entered, he saw Pei Zhixiu sitting at his desk with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. A faint trace of weariness was visible on his refined features.
On the desk, a neatly stacked set of food containers bearing the logo of a five-star hotel remained untouched.
Qi Mingjun raised an eyebrow.
He closed the door behind him and slowly walked over to the desk.
Leaning forward with both hands resting on the desk, Qi Mingjun looked down at the cold-faced man before him and called out:
“Ah Xiu.”
Pei Zhixiu didn’t respond.
With his eyes closed, he acted as though he hadn’t heard.
Qi Mingjun leaned in closer, tapped the desk with his knuckles, and raised his voice to call out again, “Ah Xiu.”
The spacious room amplified Qi Mingjun’s clear voice, making it particularly distinct.
Pei Zhixiu slowly opened his eyes.
He looked as though he had no desire to speak, his expression icy.
After a few seconds, his thin lips, which had been tightly pressed together, finally uttered a few cold words:
“I’m not deaf yet.” After a pause, he added in a low voice, “I can hear.”
Pei Zhixiu lifted his gaze, leaned back in his chair, and looked lazily at Qi Mingjun, his tone carrying a hint of sharpness.
Even as a longtime acquaintance, Qi Mingjun found it difficult to withstand the intimidating force of that gaze.
The man with peach blossom eyes and a carefree demeanor awkwardly smiled, then straightened up. With his hands in his pockets, he grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, and said:
“I was just afraid you didn’t know I was here.”
Qi Mingjun’s tone carried a half-joking attempt to save face, typical of a frivolous wealthy heir.
Pei Zhixiu glanced at him indifferently. “Ding Yan told me you were here five minutes ago.”
Qi Mingjun rubbed his nose and said, “Really?” After a pause, he teased, “Ding Yan really doesn’t get it. Doesn’t he know I wanted to surprise you? We haven’t seen each other in so many days. As brothers, we should make things a bit more interesting. He shouldn’t always tell you in advance whenever I come…”
Pei Zhixiu’s expression grew visibly displeased.
He raised a hand, making a gesture to stop Qi Mingjun’s rambling.
Qi Mingjun immediately fell silent.
He and Pei Zhixiu had been close friends for many years, and their families had been long-time acquaintances. They met frequently, and over the years, Qi Mingjun had come to understand Pei Zhixiu’s temperament thoroughly.
Outwardly cold and aloof, he was actually quite strong-willed.
If Pei Zhixiu showed displeasure on his face, it meant he had already reached the limit of his patience.He simply doesn’t casually reveal this side of himself in front of ordinary people. Those without a discerning eye wouldn’t easily notice it anyway. To be more precise, ordinary people never even get the chance to stand before him, so they have no opportunity to witness this extremely impatient side of him.
Qi Mingjun, with his hands in his suit pockets, turned around somewhat awkwardly and walked toward another table.
Upon reaching the table, he spoke up at just the right moment:
“Hey, Axiu, haven’t you had dinner yet? No matter how important work is, you can’t neglect your stomach.”
He reached out and flipped through the exquisite food containers. Seeing the labels on the boxes, he unconsciously read them aloud: “Huh, there’s even dessert? Sea salt almond slice cake?”
Reading this, Qi Mingjun immediately exclaimed in surprise: “How come you’re eating cake now? I remember you never used to eat it.”
He ended with a remark: “Axiu, have you changed your ways?”