Xiao Gu: “President Pei, is there any additional work that needs to be done today?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Xiao Gu: “Then…..are there any departments whose recent work must be corrected and optimized?”

Pei Xi: “No.”

Xiao Gu: “Could it be that something is wrong with last quarter’s financial statements—”

“Don’t waste time beating around the bush.”

Pei Xi closed the document and raised his head. He bent a finger to touch the glasses that had slipped slightly down his nose, the silver frames reflecting a cold light: “If you have questions, just ask.”

Xiao Gu immediately shut up and shook his head.

He couldn’t just come out and say “You haven’t come to the company for two consecutive days, and we’re not used to it.” He wasn’t a fool.

Pei Xi: “If you don’t, then go and get busy.”

Xiao Gu gave an ‘oh’ and started to leave despondently, but halfway through, he remembered that he had something important to do.

“By the way, President Pei, the final bidding proposal for the development of the southern tourist area has been sent to your email. Please see if anything needs to be corrected. The planning team has been working overtime recently, so they can be contacted at any time to make changes.”

Pei Xi had read the email long before this report: “No need, there aren’t any big problems, and I will make additional revisions to the rest. Tell them to wait for my notification.”

“Okay.” 

Xiao Gu expressed his understanding and stopped disturbing Pei Xi’s work, hastening out of the office with the message.

The bidding proposal had been revised several times before, and was continuously approaching Pei Xi’s standard of perfection. However, as other competitors joined in, the data needed to be modified accordingly.

This wasn’t a difficult task for him. After all, he had rarely met his opponent when it came to psychological warfare.

Other than He Chuzhou, of course.

At this thought, he opened his phone to take a look.

Still no messages.

The content of the chat box was still a photo of Pei Yueliang eating that He Chuzhou had sent him.

He Chuzhou had taken it after he changed his clothes in the morning. He had no work to do, and happily spent the morning playing with the cat and dog at home.

Did he squeeze all of his work into the afternoon?

Perhaps that was why several hours had passed and he still hadn’t found time to send him a message.

He put the phone down unhappily and refocused his attention on the data changes in the file.

He scrolled down to the end, deleted the original data, and was about to re-do it, when he suddenly thought of something. His fingertips briefly paused.

Two seconds later, the deleted numbers were filled back in and he exited the page. He logged into WeChat on his computer, dragged the file to the chat bar of a certain someone, and clicked send.

Pei Xi: [/file]

Pei Xi: [There seems to be something wrong with the data in the final plan. Several competing companies intend to take risky measures. What do you think are the most important changes?]

At the same time, in the President’s office at He Group headquarters.

It was time to get off work. He Chuzhou bit his cheek. He had struggled for most of the day, but still couldn’t come up with a legitimate reason to send Pei Xi a message.

Everyone knew that Pei-calico was a walking work machine once he was in his right mind. What if he took the lead to send one and disturbed him, making him unhappy?

He’d heard that this was the biggest taboo when pursuing someone. It would limit his favorability.

But it was already this late. As roommates, it wouldn’t be too much to ask to have dinner together, would it?

It made perfect sense, right?

But the question was this: how could he explain that today’s dinner was a little bit special?

Ai, it was really hard to move forward without a status.

He was so distressed that he even considered asking Wu Qing for advice, when the computer dinged as someone sent a file to him.

He casually clicked the file, and when he saw the sender, he immediately perked up and sat up straight.

What a coincidence. That person had sent him just what he wanted in his time of need.

He Chuzhou: [They’re just a few small companies and can’t compare to Pei Group. As long as the price and the dominant position are slightly raised, they’ll be unable to survive.]

He Chuzhou: [/picture/picture]

He Chuzhou: [These ones have competed with He Group before. They love to bluff and spread false information, so their actual strength should be cut in half for reference.]

He Chuzhou: [/Document]

He Chuzhou: [I modified it for you. Use this data and you’re sure to win. If you don’t, I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket.]

Pei Xi watched the dialogue box fill with white bubbles again. When he saw the guarantee in the last sentence, he couldn’t help the way his lips rose and his face turned from cloudy to sunny.

Pei Xi: [En. I understand.]

Pei Xi: [Are you busy?]

He Chuzhou: [No, I’m done. I’m leaving soon. Want to get dinner outside tonight?]

Pei Xi: [Sure.]

He Chuzhou: [Okay, I’ll pick you up to celebrate your successful bid.]

He Chuzhou: [/little rabbit setting off fireworks.jpg]

Could they celebrate so far in advance?

This was out of the ordinary.

Pei Xi narrowed his eyes. Based on his understanding, this person was holding something back.

*

*

“There wasn’t too much work today, was there?” He Chuzhou handed Pei Xi a bottle of water when he got in the car.

Pei Xi took it: “It was fine.”

He Chuzhou started the vehicle and opened the navigation system: “Mine was fine today too. I’m thinking about giving Yun Ji a big red envelope and bonus at the end of the year. He gets things done quickly, and then I’m responsible for confirming and signing off on them…..”

They chatted casually on the way, mostly with He Chuzhou talking and Pei Xi listening.

It was all trivial things that could help someone relax after a day’s work without making the atmosphere dull.

“I’ve hired a lawyer.”

Pei Xi spoke up when they were almost there.

He Chuzhou: “Hm? What did you hire a lawyer for?”

Pei Xi: “To divide the property and equity.”

He Chuzhou was taken aback, and raised his eyes to look at him in the rearview mirror: “You’re going to give shares to Pei Zhen? Then what will you do?”

Pei Xi: “I’ve acquired a lot from other shareholders, so giving him some won’t have much of an impact. The right to speak on the board of directors will still be in my hands.”

A smile flashed through He Chuzhou’s eyes: “Not bad.”

It seemed his Pei-calico wasn’t someone to be trifled with. There was no need to worry about him getting hurt because of impulsivity: “Do you need my help?”

“No,” Pei Xi said. “It’s not a problem. I can handle it myself.”

He Chuzhou nodded and asked: “Does your father have high blood pressure, heart disease, or anything like that?”

Pei Xi: “A bit of high blood pressure. Why?”

He Chuzhou gave a short chuckle: “If he finds out you’re dividing the property before he’s even dead, won’t he be so angry that he faints on the spot?”

Pei Xi was silent for a moment: “There’s nothing for him to be angry about. In any case, we won’t have much contact going forward, so it’s best to settle the matter clearly.”

He Chuzhou: “You’re really not upset?”

Pei Xi: “I feel very at ease.”

He Chuzhou turned into a parking space. Tilting his head to look at the other’s expression, he smiled and said nothing.

Very good. He was confident.

The rest could be left to time. At that point, it would all be over.

The restaurant He Chuzhou had chosen was different from the other times. It wasn’t a high-end restaurant with a VIP system, nor was it a private restaurant where reservations depended entirely upon identity. It was a theme restaurant located in the bustling city center.

The first thing they saw upon entering the door was a digital starry sky that occupied the ceiling. The Milky Way flowed through it slowly, and the farther they went inside, the more they felt as if they were within the vast universe.

Blue light squeezed into the shapes of overlapping silhouettes of whales and jellyfish, and particles of blue light floated through every inch of air, as if one could catch a star just by reaching out a hand.

You could tell at first sight that this was an internet-famous spot where someone could get tens of thousands of likes just by taking a photo and posting it on a social platform. Most of the customers were young people, and half of those were couples.

“How is it? Does it look good?”

He Chuzhou raised his hand with a casual flick, and several points of light spread from his fingertips: “My friend recommended it to me before, saying it’s very unique and the dishes are tasty. We happened to be free today, so I thought we’d come and try it.”

Pei Xi knew what He Chuzhou was up to from the moment he stepped inside.

A person who never did anything garish had suddenly brought him to such a showy place to eat. There was no other possibility that he did this for any reason but to please him.

He gave a hum and didn’t expose him, raising his head to carefully appreciate the starry sky.

Even though He Chuzhou had forgotten that he was 26 this year, not 16, he really did enjoy the feeling of his sweetheart giving him a surprise.

The restaurant didn’t have private rooms, so they sat in the lobby under the same starry sky as the other customers. The waiter brought out the menu, which was uniquely made into a three-dimensional shape of the ocean and starry sky.

It was He Chuzhou’s first time here, so to be safe, he ordered a few signature dishes that couldn’t go wrong. As for the drinks…..

He glanced around with composure and saw that most of the colors were blue, so he chose a blue drink.

Handing the menu back to the waiter, he looked back toward Pei Xi again. The latter was quietly admiring the quicksand vase on the table. There were a few blue roses in it, which complemented the surrounding scenery.

He seemed to like it very much.

Relieved, He Chuzhou looked around again—

Two young girls to the left were enthusiastically taking selfies with their faces close together, the couple to the right were holding hands and whispering their feelings to each other with emotion, and a boy behind them gave his wide-eyed boyfriend a passionate kiss on the cheek.

“……”

Retracting his gaze, he looked back at Pei Xi, who had a dull reaction and dull expression, and was even so uninterested that he had begun to look down at his phone.

He seemed…..to not like it very much?

What was he not satisfied with?

He thought for a moment, then took out his phone. Wu Qing had just sent him a message: 

Wu Qing: [How is it?]

He Chuzhou: [Thanks a lot. Not very good. He doesn’t seem very satisfied.]

Wu Qing: [How is that possible? Every time I take my boyfriends there, they love it.]

He Chuzhou: [Can your boyfriends be compared to Pei Xi? I knew you were unreliable.]

Wu Qing: [If I’m not reliable, then who is?]

Wu Qing: [Let me ask, did you not prepare a gift?]

He Chuzhou: [No.]

Wu Qing: [What the hell! If you don’t give him a gift in such a nice place with such a nice atmosphere, what’s the difference between that and eating tofu pudding without adding any spicy ingredients?]

He Chuzhou: [ . ]

It wasn’t that he didn’t think about getting him a gift, but what excuse did he have to give it?

It was already difficult to lure this person to the restaurant with a legitimate reason, so was it appropriate to suddenly give him a gift?

Tsk. In the end, it was because he had no status.

There was nothing to be done. The favorability points given by Pei-calico couldn’t be shared with the sober Pei Xi. The gap in progress was too big.

Although he knew that Pei Xi hadn’t rejected him, he was still powerless to speed up the progress bar.

This person still wanted to be his little brother!

He sighed with some disappointment, not noticing how fast Pei Xi was typing at the moment.

He Chuzhou had guessed correctly. He was indeed not very satisfied.

In such a romantic place, people were hugging at the door, holding hands on the left, and kissing on the right. And he could only sit opposite He Chuzhou without any physical contact, wasting the good atmosphere.

Why?

Was it just because he wasn’t Pei-calico right now?

Was it because they hadn’t verified their status?

Xie Ling: [You finally showed up!]

Xie Ling: [What do you have to say to me?]

Xie Ling: [It just so happens that I have something to talk about with you. There will be a charity auction at the Lanshan Villa Club the day after tomorrow, and there are a few items that I want. Will you go with me?]

Xie Ling: [When those people see you there, they’ll definitely give you face and not compete with me like last time, and I’ll purchase at a low price.]

Pei Xi: [Not going.]

Xie Ling: [Why?]

Pei Xi: [I have something to do.]

Xie Ling: [Busy with work? You can’t spare one evening?]

Pei Xi: [It’s not work.]

Pei Xi: [Did you catch your girlfriend?]

Xie Ling: [We’ve already celebrated our first anniversary. I’ve realized you really don’t care about me, ah.]

Pei Xi: [Sorry. Congratulations.]

Pei Xi: [When will you teach me.]

Xie Ling: [Ah? Teach you what?]

Pei Xi: [How to pursue someone.]

Xie Ling: [……Huh? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Wait, who are you pursuing?]

Pei Xi: [He Chuzhou.]

Xie Ling: [? ? ? ? ?]

Xie Ling: [Why are you pursuing He Chuzou?! Don’t you hate him?]

Pei Xi: [Not anymore. I like him now.]

Pei Xi: [When will you teach me.]

Xie Ling: [………]

Xie Ling: [Brother, this is too sudden. I’m not prepared at all. _(:з」∠)_ ]

Xie Ling: [Okay, let’s find some time to talk later and you can tell me what’s going on.]

Pei Xi: [Why later? Can’t it be a little sooner?]

Xie Ling: [……Are you in a hurry?]

Xie Ling: [Why does this feel so magical? I didn’t think I had that many drinks tonight.]

Xie Ling: [How about tomorrow night? If you go with me to the auction, I’ll teach you all of my skills!]

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Chapter 53 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 55