After choosing his dessert, Qi Ji carried the tray to a quiet corner.
From where he sat, he could see Pei Yusheng, back turned to him, and across the hall, Qi Mingyu. Qi Ji nibbled on his Black Forest cake while occasionally stealing glances at them.
Though he couldn’t hear their conversation, it seemed to be going far more smoothly than he had imagined. Even his usually impatient brother was showing a rare smile to an outsider.
Watching for a while, Qi Ji couldn’t help but marvel.
It seemed that the CEO really could charm anyone, anywhere.
Still, Qi Ji felt a subtle unease. In his mind, his brother and Pei came from such different worlds that he never expected to witness them engaging in such amicable conversation.
Deep down, his reaction stemmed from the same thought that Pei and he existed in two separate worlds.
Before their conversation ended, another group drew Qi Ji’s attention.
It was Old Master Xue.
Having taught at F University for decades and later re-employed post-retirement, he had even been granted a lifetime honorary title. Among a hall full of scholars, he still commanded respect—arguably among the very top.
Many present were his former students, and upon his arrival, a wave of greetings naturally followed.
Qi Ji’s spot near the entrance made it convenient to catch the attention of those approaching, and beside Old Master Xue, he also spotted Madame Yu. Both were longtime professors at F University, and they drew greetings from multiple attendees.
Qi Ji originally planned to greet them quickly and move on, but Madame Yu stopped him.
“Xiao Ji, do you have a moment to help me?” she asked.
“I do, ma’am. What do you need?” Qi Ji replied.
They moved to a slightly less crowded area. Madame Yu pulled two lunch passes from her small bag.
“Could you take these to the hotel front desk? If a guest named Xue Zhongqi arrives, please let them in.”
Qi Ji asked, “Uncle Xue is back in the country?”
Xue Zhongqi, Madame Yu’s son, had been met by Qi Ji twice when accompanying Qi Mingyu to Madame Yu’s home. His nickname was also “Qiqi,” which is why Madame Yu had affectionately called Qi Ji “Xiao Qi” instead.
Madame Yu smiled, her eyes showing faint delight. “Yes, he and his partner just arrived, slightly delayed from their flight. I didn’t wait for them.”
“Their passes were with me. I meant to leave them at the front desk earlier, but ran into acquaintances in the hall and completely forgot,” she continued. “I thought I’d find a student to help deliver them, and it just so happens you were here. Could you help me?”
Qi Ji took the passes. “Sure, I’ll deliver them right away.”
“Thank you, Xiao Qi,” she said. “Once you’ve delivered them, you can return here. They won’t arrive for a little while.”
Indeed, after Qi Ji delivered the passes and returned, having nearly finished his dessert, he finally saw Xue Zhongqi arriving.
Xue Zhongqi was a refined man with glasses, exuding scholarly elegance. Though in his forties, he looked no older than thirty, inheriting Madame Yu’s family looks. While Qi Ji called him “Uncle Xue,” visually he might as well have been considered a brother.
Having grown up on F University’s campus and knowing many professors present, Xue Zhongqi was busy exchanging greetings, so Qi Ji refrained from interrupting.
But what caught Qi Ji’s attention most wasn’t Xue Zhongqi—it was his companion.
When Madame Yu handed Qi Ji the passes, she mentioned Xue Zhongqi would be arriving with his partner. Yet alongside Xue Zhongqi appeared not a young lady, but a tall foreign man.
He had a strikingly high, straight nose and deep-set, handsome eyes. His tall, lean figure rivaled Pei Yusheng in stature. At first, Qi Ji thought perhaps Xue Zhongqi’s partner hadn’t arrived yet, but seeing them together repeatedly, he realized they were inseparable. The more he looked, the stranger it seemed.
Moreover, the foreign man wasn’t treated as an outsider; many interacting with Xue Zhongqi politely greeted him, indicating prior acquaintance.
Interestingly, the first to approach and shake hands with the man was a Xinghai manager accompanying Pei.
Qi Ji’s curiosity grew, and he asked Madame Yu:
“Ma’am, didn’t you say Uncle Xue was coming with his partner?”
“Yes, why?” Madame Yu replied.
Qi Ji hesitated before saying, “But the man next to him…”
Madame Yu smiled calmly. “That’s Qiqi’s partner, his name is Midov. He’s Russian.”
Perhaps noticing Qi Ji’s surprised expression, she added, “Xiao Qi, are you not accepting of same-sex relationships?”
“No, no,” Qi Ji quickly shook his head. “I just didn’t expect it… and I noticed him talking with our company’s manager, which puzzled me.”
“Midov is the owner of MLS. Perhaps he’s discussing business with Xinghai?” Madame Yu explained.
Qi Ji realized: “Yes, they recently finalized a new collaboration.”
MLS is Russia’s largest mobile operator and Xinghai’s key partner in Russia. No wonder they were talking.
Yet learning that MLS’s owner was Xue Zhongqi’s partner shocked Qi Ji further.
The Midov family—one of Russia’s top ten conglomerates—stood before him in real life. That someone of such status would be romantically involved with Uncle Xue felt like a scene straight from a TV drama.
Respecting privacy, Qi Ji didn’t press further. He simply helped Madame Yu carry a few more plates. But before placing them on the outdoor terrace, he noticed Pei Yusheng.
Pei, having finished speaking with Qi Mingyu, now stood with Midov. To Qi Ji’s surprise, the two seemed very familiar with each other. Upon seeing Pei, the usually stern Midov broke into a genuine smile and even embraced him.
From afar, Qi Ji worried for Pei’s still-healing injuries.
The two conversed with ease, but Qi Ji had already stepped onto the terrace and couldn’t observe further.
The terrace, more like an open garden, offered a good view of the surroundings. After placing the trays and sitting with Madame Yu briefly, Qi Ji couldn’t resist asking about Midov.
“Ma’am, is Mr. Midov… really part of the Midov family?”
Sipping her tea, Madame Yu said, “Yes.”
Qi Ji hesitated, and she smiled knowingly. “You’ve heard of the Midov family before, right?”
“Yes, a bit. Forbes rates them in the hundreds of billions. Knowing Uncle Xue’s partner belongs to such a family… well, it’s surprising.”
Madame Yu sighed. “We were equally surprised when we first learned.”
Initially, Xue Zhongqi didn’t know Midov’s background. Only after confirming their relationship did Midov reveal his status.
“My husband and I initially opposed it—not because of gender, but we wanted our child to be happy. Family background aside, it was hard for the relationship to continue,” she explained.
Qi Ji remained silent—her words resonated with his own feelings.
“We’re ordinary people. Should anything go wrong, it’s only Qiqi who would get hurt. Even if it were a woman, we’d have concerns,” Madame Yu said, placing the teacup down.
Such worries were natural. Yet looking at her now, she no longer opposed Midov.
Qi Ji hesitantly asked, “How did Mr. Midov convince you?”
“Through actions,” she said with a smile, tinged with emotion. “They’ve been together fifteen years.”
“Fifteen years?” Qi Ji exclaimed.
“Yes. He’s Russian, Qiqi lives in Northern Europe. Though we can communicate in English, he still took the initiative to learn Chinese for us. And every Spring Festival, no matter how busy, he returns with Qiqi.”
“Russia has strong prejudice against homosexuality, but Midov ignored it, even proposing to register their marriage. Qiqi didn’t want to change nationality, so they had only a wedding ceremony.”
Qi Ji realized, “Midov truly cares for Uncle Xue.”
Madame Yu shook her head. “Marriage registration or ceremony is just ritual. As parents, what matters most is having an emergency contact you can rely on in real life. Social ties matter more than ceremonies, and same-sex couples find that difficult.”
“Later we learned Midov did set himself as Qiqi’s emergency contact,” she added with a laugh. “We don’t know how he managed it.”
Qi Ji nodded. “He’s thoughtful.”
“Yes. That thoughtfulness is what truly moved us.”
She reminisced: “When we first learned his status, we asked Qiqi if Midov had ever given him expensive gifts, reminding him not to take advantage. Qiqi always said no, just ordinary gifts he could easily return. Later, Midov visited a few times, bringing only modest presents, which reassured us.”
Qi Ji realized: no pressure, just considerate.
Yet he didn’t expect Madame Yu’s next words.
“Not giving expensive gifts? That’s just that we didn’t know. The low-cost island trip they took together was actually Midov’s private beach. Even the new bus line Qiqi uses was opened by Midov’s family company just for him.”
“Even the massage therapist my husband occasionally sees—Midov arranged that.”
Madame Yu sighed.
“He constantly found ways to give gifts, but never let us know.”
Qi Ji finally understood. With that level of care, it was no wonder they were won over.
The terrace offered a nice view, but the wind was strong, and the elderly had low resistance. After sitting a while, Qi Ji accompanied Madame Yu back inside.
Returning to the hall, his gaze naturally scanned the room.
Uncle Xue was nearby, Mingyu beside Eric, and Pei…
Qi Ji paused. He couldn’t resist the pull to look for him.
He saw Pei Yusheng standing beside Eric.
Their conversation seemed to be going smoothly—probably already at the stage of discussing cooperation.
Mindful of Pei Yusheng’s sensitivity to being watched, Qi Ji didn’t linger. Once reassured, he averted his gaze.
Just then, Xue Zhongqi nearby noticed him.
“Xiao Ji!”
“Uncle Xue,” Qi Ji greeted. Alongside Xue Zhongqi was, as always, the inseparable Midov.
It had been a long time since they last met. Qi Ji and Xue Zhongqi embraced briefly and exchanged a few words. Then Xue Zhongqi introduced his companion:
“This is Midov, my partner.”
The introduction was straightforward, and since Qi Ji had already heard it earlier, he wasn’t particularly surprised.
But seeing the tall Russian man up close, Qi Ji suddenly noticed something striking—the man’s eyes were a pale gray.
Qi Ji had seen this eye color only once before.
It was the same as Pei Yusheng’s.
He couldn’t help recalling his previous speculation—Pei’s facial features were unusually sculpted. Could he really be mixed-race?
But Pei’s uncle was a lieutenant general. If there really were foreign blood in their family, how could Pei’s uncle have reached such a position?
Qi Ji continued to speculate silently until Midov’s gaze fell on him, bringing him back to reality. “Hello,” he said.
Xue Zhongqi then turned to Midov: “This is Qi Ji—Xiao Qi. His younger brother is the math prodigy my mother has known since childhood.”
Hearing the name, Midov’s expression shifted slightly.
“Qi Ji?”
His Chinese carried a slight accent, but was fluent—clearly someone who practiced often.
Qi Ji was about to nod when Midov asked, “Are you Pei’s partner?”
Qi Ji froze. “……??”
Seeing Xue Zhongqi glance curiously, he hurriedly shook his head. “No, I’m not. I just work at Pei’s company.”
He didn’t understand why Midov would think so. “Are you sure you’ve got the wrong person?”
But Midov wasn’t convinced. His voice was deep, bearing a faint resemblance to Pei’s:
“A while back, Pei just set up a new trust fund—quite a large one. Many managers are interested in handling it, and lots of people are paying attention.”
A trust fund is a pool of capital that remains unaffected even if the investor goes bankrupt, typically released in installments over the years. Wealthy families often use them to provide a growth fund for their children.
Qi Ji still didn’t understand what this had to do with him.
Before he could ask, Midov continued: “The fund is called… Wonder.”
Xue Zhongqi’s eyes brightened. “Oh, right—Pei’s mother is the Fourth Miss of the Xu family, isn’t she?”
The Xu family had a longstanding legacy and was well-known internationally.
“I heard it’s Xu family tradition to name trust projects after the owner,” Midov said.
He nodded. “When Pei first established the fund, some thought he might break from tradition. But I asked him, and he said he wouldn’t.”
Midov looked at Qi Ji. “Seeing you now, I understand what he meant.”
“Chinese really is profound,” Qi Ji muttered, utterly stunned.
Wonder…?
In that instant, a flood of realizations struck him all at once, overwhelming his thoughts.
The trust fund. The Xu family tradition. That dessert factory named Wonder…
And what Madame Yu had said earlier.
“To reduce our stress,” she had said, “he always found ways to give valuable gifts, but never let us know.”