The two people on the bed quickly adapted to the light and looked up simultaneously.

Two pairs of big, watery eyes stared up at Pei Xi. Their cheeks were faintly red, their lips slightly open, and their eyes blinked from time to time, looking at him amorously.

“……”

Pei Xi looked at them in silence.

The young man on the bed leaned closer to him. He blinked for a long time with no response, so he simply twisted his body and leaned on the edge of the bed, trying to rub his head against Pei Xi’s legs.

As if facing a formidable enemy, Pei Xi swiftly took half a step back, finally remembering where that strange sense of familiarity came from.

Wasn’t this young man the one who followed He Chuzhou out of the hotel that morning?

Beep—

The sound of the door lock opening to a room card sounded again.

Pei Xi reflexively frowned when he saw the person he least wanted to see push open the door and come in.

And the latter was equally surprised to run into him here.

Flipping the room card in the palm of his hand, He Chuzhou leaned against the door without rushing in: “Old friend, why are you in my room?”

Pei Xi saw the room card in his hand and then glanced again at the lively and fragrant bed. How could he still not understand what was going on?

If he was just slightly nauseated at the elevator door earlier, he was well and truly sickened by everything in front of him now.

The sound of rapid footsteps came from afar, and the attendant who had just taken Pei Xi upstairs ran over panting: “President Pei, I’m extremely sorry. The situation was chaotic just now and I mistakenly gave you that room key—”

His voice cut off abruptly when he caught sight of the current situation in the room, and his expression froze at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The number of onlookers had increased inexplicably, and the two mostly naked people on the bed flushed with embarrassment. They turned over and tried to creep under the quilt piled to the side.

Faced with everything before him, Pei Xi tried his best to calm his emotions and breathing, then walked out without saying a word.

Unexpectedly, as he passed the door, a sudden wave of dizziness hit his head.

He almost lost his balance and fell down, but a hand fortunately held his arm in time: “Hey, are you okay?”

“Don’t touch me!”

Pei Xi shook him off with a composed expression. He held onto the wall to suppress the turmoil in his stomach, and strode away with frosty features.

The attendant who caused the incident stood there helplessly.

“Okay, go send him off.”

He Chuzhou waved his hand, seeming to have no intention of complaining: “I don’t need any help here.”

As if he had received amnesty, the attendant thanked him repeatedly before hastily chasing after Pei Xi.

He Chuzhou flicked his wrists and straightened up, walking into the room.

When he was at the door just now, his line of sight was blocked. He could only vaguely see someone on the bed, but didn’t know the specific situation.

When he drew closer and clearly saw the boldly dressed man and woman on the bed, he couldn’t help but bite his cheek with a sour expression.

Thinking back to the man standing beside the bed in a dilemma just now with a look of incomprehension on his face, he was suddenly unable to restrain his laughter.

Tsk, what a pity that he was late.

He was rather curious as to what the serious man’s reaction was upon lifting the quilt.

As He Chuzhou approached the bed, the young man recognized him. His face was obviously more confused than that of the woman’s.

Wasn’t this the person he gave money to find a place to eat hot and sour noodles that morning? Why was he bumping into him again?

Just when the two of them couldn’t figure out what was happening now, He Chuzhou leaned down and tore off the tape on their mouths and pulled the quilt back over them.

“You two…..” He Chuzhou said these two words leisurely.

The two people were holding the corners of the quilt, four eyes exposed as they rolled, deer-like, to look at him.

The faint blushes on their cheeks because of Pei Xi had not yet faded, and deepened once again due to He Chuzhou’s appearance.

Wancheng. Wancheng was truly a getaway paradise.

He Chuzhou: “Isn’t it embarrassing to be dressed like this and squeezed into the same bed for so long without being able to chat?”

The young man: “……”

The young woman: “……”

“I’m just joking.” 

He Chuzhou smiled and set the room card on the bedside table: “Here, I’ll put it here for you. You can rest for the night and then check out tomorrow morning. I’m going.”

Having said this, he turned and left the room, not forgetting to conscientiously close the door for them before leaving.

The two were left alone on the bed, looking at each other in dismay.

*

*

It was already after 11 o’clock when Pei Xi returned to Wancheng.

Before going back, he went to the company to pick up documents, and when he got home, he ate something casually and took some medicine. He just barely fell asleep in the early morning.

At 7a.m. the next day, his assistant sent a message saying that he had already connected with Mr. Zhang’s assistant. The meeting time was approximately 10 o’clock, and the location was still the hotel where the auction was held last night.

Because they had to run back and forth, the other party specifically included an apology in the email. It was just that Mr. Zhang had already arranged to stay abroad for a time after the auction.

He had a flight ticket for around 1 o’clock this afternoon, and feared he wouldn’t be able to catch it if he made the trip to Wancheng.

Pei Xi expressed his understanding, and as soon as the morning meeting concluded, he took the documents and rushed to the neighboring city for the appointment.

The car passed through the city and drove steadily onto the highway.

Somehow, after taking medicine and resting for a night, Pei Xi’s condition had not improved. On the contrary, there were faint signs of it worsening, the strength in his body slowly declining.

He just hoped that victory would come quickly. He really didn’t have enough energy to sustain himself in this state and deal with matters.

Dong Han, who was sitting in the passenger seat, kept taking frequent looks in the rearview mirror. After several times, this finally caught Pei Xi’s attention.

“What’s wrong?”

Pei Xi looked up from the documents and tiredly adjusted his glasses.

Belongings had similar qualities to their owners, and so did the glasses placed on Pei Xi’s face. Even the lenses and silver frames seemed to reflect a calm, cold light.

“President Pei.” Dong Han sounded a little uncertain: “The car behind us seems to have been following us since we left the city.”

Pei Xi didn’t take it to heart: “Perhaps it is just going the same way.”

Dong Han: “But that’s President He’s car.”

Pei Xi: “…….”

Pei Xi immediately turned his head. Sure enough, a black car was driving behind them not too distantly.

Pei Xi: “Are you sure that’s He Chuzhou’s car?”

Wasn’t he supposed to have rested at the hotel last night after the auction? Why had he appeared in Wancheng at this time?

“En, the license plate number is correct.”

Dong Han guessed: “Is it possible that President He is also going to see Mr. Zhang?”

This possibility could indeed not be ruled out.

And if this was the case, the situation was not very optimistic for them. He Chuzhou had been laying low during this period, and no one could tell what preparations he had made in secret. 

Pei Xi closed the document: “When you made an appointment with Mr. Zhang’s assistant, did he reveal that he had made an appointment with someone else at the same time?”

Dong Han answered in the negative and took out his cellphone: “President Pei, would you like me to contact Mr. Zhang’s assistant now and ask?”

Pei Xi stopped him: “No need.”

At this point, no matter what the other party’s answer was, he still had to go.

He was the one asking for something from the other party, and there was no point in asking too many questions. If Mr. Zhang was to misunderstand and think he meant to condemn him, it would do more harm than good.

But if He Chuzhou really……

Pei Xi: “Contact He Chuzhou’s assistant.”

Dong Han was a little surprised: “President Pei, what do you mean?”

Pei Xi: “Ask them directly if they are going to meet Mr. Zhang.”

Dong Han understood and immediately opened his cellphone to contact He Chuzhou’s assistant.

The call connected quickly, but after Dong Han said “Hello” at the beginning, there were no further words.

After a couple of seconds, he turned back to glance at Pei Xi, looking troubled.

Pei Xi: “What’s wrong?”

“President Pei, President He answered the phone.”

Dong Han held the phone lower: “He says there is no need to go to such trouble. If you want to know anything, you can ask him personally.”

A bit of impatience showed in Pei Xi’s eyes, and he reached out to take the phone, putting it to his ear: “It’s me.”

“I hear that. Morning.”

He Chuzhou’s voice came through the connection as casually as if this was a chat between acquaintances. It was no exaggeration to say that it was pleasant to the ears.

It was just that the voice that fell into Pei Xi’s ears was somewhat sarcastic.

It couldn’t be helped. Pei Xi’s negativity filter on him was too thick. No matter what he said or did, Pei Xi found him objectionable to see or listen to.

Uninterested in talking nonsense to him, Pei Xi asked straight to the point: “Are you going to meet Mr. Zhang?”

He Chuzhou was also very direct: “Yes.”

Sure enough.

Pei Xi suppressed his annoyance: “Mr. Zhang’s flight leaves at 1 o’clock today.”

He Chuzhou: “So our time is around 10a.m.”

Pei Xi was stunned. His was also at 10 o’clock, so Mr. Zhang actually planned to see them both at the same time.

How could they still discuss like this?

Lay their cards on the table and bid in person?

If He Chuzhou had expected that the meeting would be like this, based on Pei Xi’s understanding of him, he must have prepared to overwhelm him by surprise.

At this thought, Pei Xi’s expression turned even worse: “You knew I would make an appointment with Mr. Zhang today. Did you do this on purpose?”

He Chuzhou gave a brief laugh: “President Pei, you overestimate me. How could I know that you had an appointment today? It’s just a coincidence.”

Pei Xi didn’t believe a word he said: “What do you intend to do?”

He Chuzhou: “Discuss the land, of course. What else can I do?”

Pei Xi’s voice grew even colder: “You know that isn’t what I’m asking.”

“How can I know?”

He Chuzhou said in a relaxed tone: “President Pei, don’t forget that we have a fair, competitive relationship. Putting it this way, can I also ask you why you deliberately made an appointment on the same day as me?”

Pei Xi gripped the phone tightly, saying nothing.

“By the way, has President Pei had breakfast?”

He Chuzhou yawned, endlessly changing the topic: “We should have plenty of time when we get there soon. Do you want to go have a bowl of noodles together?”

Who wanted to eat with him?

Pei Xi suppressed his displeasure and was just about to hang up the phone.

“Pei Xi!”

But at this moment, He Chuzhou suddenly burst out with a loud shout: “Lower your head!”

Pei Yi was startled by him.

However, just as He Chuzhou finished speaking, there was a loud sound of friction from the front and bottom of the car simultaneously, and what followed was a sharp pain that exploded from the corner of his eye and the side of his head.

He had no time to react, and completely lost consciousness amidst the thunderous impact.

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Chapter 2 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 4