At Kennedy International Airport, Pei Jingchen waited in the VIP lounge. When he received Chen Cancan’s call, he briefly inquired about her recent life, mostly about her studies.
Just as he was about to say he was busy and hang up, Chen Cancan suddenly asked, “Did you know Su Qingci is sick?”
Pei Jingchen froze. The English letters on his documents suddenly blurred. He picked up the speakerphone and removed his Bluetooth earbuds, pressing the phone to his ear. “What?”
Chen Cancan replied, “I was accompanying a friend to an art exhibition and ran into him. He had a lot of different kinds of medicine in his car.”
Pei Jingchen: “What illness?”
“He mentioned it, but I didn’t catch it clearly and didn’t remember. Something about high pressure… high blood pressure, maybe?!”
Pei Jingchen: “…?”
Chen Cancan sighed. “So many illnesses are hitting younger people these days. Don’t be surprised that Su Qingci has hypertension and coronary heart disease at just twenty-four. Anyway, enough about him. You gotta take care of yourself, bro. And don’t ignore mental health either—your line of work makes anxiety disorders all too common.”
Pei Jingchen retorted, “It’s none of your business, kid. Just focus on your studies.”
Chen Cancan had promised not to bring up Su Qingci, yet as she hung up, she muttered, “I wonder how serious Su Qingci’s hypertension really is.”
Pei Jingchen didn’t respond.
He wasn’t being malicious. He simply knew Su Qingci only showed vulnerability to him, while maintaining a tough exterior around others—especially Chen Cancan, with whom he had history. Meeting without a fight was already a win; why would he confide his health issues?
Besides, revealing such personal vulnerability to an adversary would only make the enemy gloat triumphantly. It served no purpose whatsoever.
So, was Su Qingci telling Chen Cancan this information actually meant to reach him indirectly?
Pei Jingchen’s tense fingers instantly relaxed. He said into the phone, “Don’t bother with him.”
Even if he really was sick, the Su family had the best medical team in the capital, with an authority like Wen Mengmeng on call around the clock. It wasn’t his concern.
Pei Jingchen suddenly recalled half a month ago at home, when Su Qingci clutched his chest as if in excruciating pain. That wasn’t something he could fake. Su Qingci said it was stomach pain, caused by overindulging in the debauchery at Shuimu Fanghua.
Pei Jingchen rubbed his temples wearily and called his assistant: “I’ll send you an address. Go check on her. Don’t mention I sent you.”
*
Assistant Xu was about to call security for an internal line when he coincidentally ran into a familiar face who lived in the same complex—someone he’d briefly met at a cocktail party with Pei Jingchen.
Xu’s distinctive appearance made him easily recognizable. The acquaintance escorted him through the compound without issue.
Xu straightened his tie before the villa, brushed snow from his shoulders, and pressed the doorbell with utmost respect. After an agonizingly long wait, he finally had to announce his name before the door opened.
The man who stood at the doorway was the same strikingly handsome, melancholy-looking gentleman from his memory.
Assistant Xu smiled and said, “Good afternoon, Mr. Su. President Pei specifically instructed me to come see you.”
Su Qingci froze. “Pei Jingchen?”
Assistant Xu: “Yes.”
Su Qingci snorted derisively.
Assistant Xu was like the chief eunuch caught between an emperor and his concubines, navigating both sides with equal skill, appeasing one after the other. He used his sharp wit to subvert his superior’s intentions, conveying entirely different meanings—a master at being the lubricant that kept the household harmonious.
Assistant Xu deliberately tried to cheer him up, sending warmth and care in Pei Jingchen’s name, acting like a perfect wingman. Su Qingci knew full well what was going on, but he still chose to believe this was Pei Jingchen’s intention. After all, Assistant Xu was just an employee—how could he dare disobey his boss’s orders and blabber nonsense?
Thus, Assistant Xu had maintained his position as Lingyue’s top assistant for three solid years. Despite spending every waking moment alongside Pei Jingchen, he remained deeply cherished and trusted by the CEO’s wife!
Su Qingci said, “Save your act. It won’t work.”
Assistant Xu: “?”
Su Qingci said with a mix of laughter and exasperation, “Everyone else thinks I’m some obsessive lunatic, desperate for Pei Jingchen to escape this misery. But you? You keep trying to set us up like you’re afraid we’ll never end up together.”
Assistant Xu chuckled, “What’s wrong with lovers ending up together? Mr. Pei may not say it, but he’s thinking of you. Otherwise, how could I dare to act on his behalf?”
Su Qingci merely smiled. “What brings you here?”
Assistant Xu handed over the items he was carrying—some fruit and desserts.
One doesn’t strike a smiling face, especially when it’s accompanied by gifts. Su Qingci stepped back slightly. “Care to come in?”
She’d expected Assistant Xu to say, “I’m busy, won’t bother you,” but instead, he stepped right inside.
Su Qingci had neither the leisure nor the energy to entertain guests, so he told him to make himself at home. Assistant Xu was indeed not one to linger; after just five minutes, he rose to take his leave.
Leaving the residential complex, Assistant Xu made a call while driving: “Rest assured, Mr. Pei. Mr. Su seems to be doing quite well.”
Pei Jingchen: “What is he doing?”
Assistant Xu: “Watching TV. Piggy Hero on the kids’ channel.”
Pei Jingchen: “…”
Pei Jingchen: “Is there medicine on the coffee table?”
Assistant Xu replied: “Some common household remedies—cold medicine, painkillers, and digestive aids. The Guaikangling is out in the open; four capsules are missing.”
It was just a stomach issue after all. Pei Jingchen felt a slight sense of relief. He then asked Assistant Xu if he had seen any blood pressure medication, to which Assistant Xu replied no.
Upon arriving at the airport, he was met by the CEO of Narui Games, who had personally come to greet him. Having flip-flopped earlier, the CEO now wore a fawning expression. Pei Jingchen neither frowned nor put on airs, instead offering a warm smile and remarking on the other’s hard work. This attitude of repaying malice with kindness did not bring relief to the CEO, but rather sent a cold sweat running down his spine. Sure enough, during his seven days in Seoul, Bae Jingchen made him experience firsthand what it meant to be dealt with in kind, using his own tactics against him.
Wasn’t Lingyue’s CEO Bae renowned for his temperance? How could he be so vindictive! Capitalists were all scoundrels, as the saying went.
“How could Cool Universe and Soya compare to Lingyue? We genuinely seek a win-win partnership with Lingyue. The mainland China distribution rights are yours for the taking.”
Originally, Lingyue had been competing with two rivals for the domestic distribution rights to Nari’s game. Now, Nari was begging Lingyue to take them on. When Pei Jingchen returned to China, confident of victory, the industry was already buzzing. Seniors praised his youthful talent and decisive tactics, while peers marveled at his foresight and strategic brilliance.
Another fortnight passed in the blink of an eye. Pei Jingchen returned home bearing gifts. With the New Year approaching, Pei Haiyang’s bakery was bustling. She worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk baking cakes, and even after closing, she’d chat with customers on WeChat about tomorrow’s orders.
Finally finding a moment to relax, Pei Haiyang reclined in her massage chair and said, ” Bring Xiao Ci over on New Year’s Eve. I mentioned it to him a while back.”
Pei Jingchen paused, “When?”
Pei Haiyang briefly recounted their chance encounter when Su Qingci had low blood sugar and how he’d brought him back to the shop to rest: “It’s the holiday season. He’d be so lonely all alone. I always asked you to bring him back, but you never did.”
Pei Jingchen replied, “He didn’t want to come back with me.”
“Couldn’t you have insisted on bringing him back?” Pei Haiyang shook his head, thinking to himself that his son was usually quite sharp in dealing with people, yet whenever it came to Su Qingci, he turned into a complete airhead.
Seeing Pei Jingchen staring blankly at the fruit platter, Pei Haiyang sighed softly. “Xiao Chen, I know you’re reluctant, but you know, finding someone who loves you wholeheartedly, pours out their heart without expecting anything in return—that’s incredibly rare. Even if you don’t like it, don’t hurt them. Learn to cherish it, understand?”
Pei Jingchen disliked sharing the intricacies of his personal life with others, and the tangled emotional knot between him and Su Qingci was too messy and painful to articulate—especially awkward to discuss with his own father. Pei Jingchen changed the subject, but Pei Haiyang wasn’t ready to let it go: Don’t let some petty awkwardness in your heart push you to do something you’ll regret for the rest of your life. By then, swallowing a ton of regret pills won’t be enough.”
Pei Jingchen instinctively replied, “Dad, Su Qingci and I…”
Pei Haiyang: “Remember what you told me when you were fifteen? ‘Dad, I don’t want to study computer science anymore. I want to go to the police academy and become a cop.’ When I asked why, what did you say?”
Pei Jingchen’s hand, peeling an apple, froze.
Pei Haiyang chuckled, “You said, ‘I’m gonna slap handcuffs on Su Ge and lock up every bully who ever picked on Xiao Ci!’”
Six months after he uttered those words, Su Ge died, Jiang Seru ended up hospitalized, and Su Qingci was taken to the ancestral home to live with his grandfather.
Before Pei Jingchen could don a police uniform to fight crime, Su Ge met his own downfall. Well, so be it. The police academy lost an elite recruit, while the nation gained a pillar of its economy.
As Pei Jingchen prepared to leave, Pei Haiyang called after him, “Stop being stubborn with Xiao Ci.”
Pei Jingchen thought to himself, it wasn’t him causing the trouble—Su Qingci was the one who ended things. Of course, how long this “breakup” would last, Pei Jingchen didn’t know. To be honest, three months had already passed, which was beyond his expectations. He’d assumed Su Qingci would last three days at most.
Su Qingci had his own pursuits—her father mentioned she’d been sketching outdoors—while he remained occupied. After the New Year, he’d fly to Japan to acquire a company and oversee an IPO plan, a year in the making, slated for completion within the next two years.
Lost in thought, Pei Jingchen noticed the convoy had been stationary for ages. Horns blared ahead—apparently a traffic accident had occurred, someone struck.
Leaning out the window, Pei Jingchen saw the Koenigsegg sandwiched in the traffic jam, stuck in place. The weight of work and his own gloomy mood made him crave a cigarette. Taking advantage of the gridlock, he opened the door, crossed the street, and entered a nearby tobacco and liquor shop. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Any flavor except mint. Whatever you have.”
The shop owner stretched his neck to peer outside while reminding customers to scan the QR code. He asked his wife, who’d returned from watching the commotion, “Is it serious?”
“Blood everywhere—terrifying! I squeezed through to take a look. It’s a young guy, twenty-three or twenty-four, clutching an easel. Pretty handsome, too. Such a shame.”
Pei Jingchen’s heart lurched. He bolted from the tobacco shop, sprinting past the long line of cars in his dress shoes. Ahead, the ambulance’s red lights flashed blindingly, illuminating a sprawling pool of blood winding across the asphalt.
His breathing instantly became ragged. Pushing through the crowd, he saw an unfamiliar young man lying on the ground, covered in blood, clutching a skateboard.
It was a skateboard, not an art board.
In that instant, a cold sweat broke out on Pei Jingchen’s back. The winter night wind sent shivers down his spine, making him tremble uncontrollably.
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