Pei Rong spoke those words for the first time and was completely ignored. He coldly nibbled on the purple cabbage leaves, feeling that this meal was not at all appetizing.
Lu Qin noticed that Pei Rong had stopped talking and was
continuously eating the vegetable leaves. The eel skewers and lamb chops on the
side remained untouched. Lu Qin asked, “What’s wrong? Is it not to your taste?”
Ignoring the picturesque scene of two handsome men sitting
together, this was quite a high-end lunch. A semi-open white classical round
table, a blue sky, and a charming large grassy lawn where several spirited
horses leisurely grazed beyond the wooden fences.
Everything was serene and delightful, but Pei Rong’s demeanor
while eating his vegetables seemed despondent. Even Lu Qin could tell.
In reality, Pei Rong didn’t enjoy this kind of dining
atmosphere. The served food was too exquisite, and the diners had to assume an
elegant posture, taking small bites delicately. Chicken bones and fish bones
were treated as mortal enemies.
He preferred the insulated container that Lu Qin had given
him last time. He would sit comfortably on a sofa, using a large plastic spoon
to scoop out generous helpings.
Lately, his appetite had been poor, sometimes he was
ravenously hungry and didn’t have the time for pretenses.
But Lu Qin had signed him up for so many cultural lessons,
and today could be considered a midterm evaluation. He had to put forth his
most elegant side, lest Lu Qin thought he hadn’t been learning and add more
lessons.
Lu Qin inquired, and Pei Rong decisively tossed his silver
fork aside, saying, “Eating is too bothersome. Bring me white rice and
chopsticks.” He usually opted for a low-carb diet to maintain his figure,
seldom consuming an entire bowl of rice.
But today, he had a special craving, a full bowl of
Northeastern rice; not a single grain less would do.
When Lu Qin asked him, Pei Rong strangely felt that his
cravings must be satisfied, otherwise he might unconsciously blame Lu Qin for
it.
Was he being spoiled? No, he simply wanted a bowl of rice.
Lu Qin momentarily froze, his eyes showing something on the
verge of crumbling, but he quickly patched it into a calm facade, like
disguising an abyss as a lake.
The clutter that had been creating an atmosphere was removed
from the table, leaving only two dishes. A large pot of cabbage and crab was
added, along with two bowls of plump white rice, two stir-fried vegetable
dishes, and several other meat dishes.
A smile tugged at the corners of Pei Rong’s mouth. He lifted
a scoop of rice, picked up a few pieces of braised pork and vegetables, and
piled them on the rice. The broth trickled down the gaps between the long and
plump rice grains, lightly tinting the rice while carrying the fragrance of the
stir-fry, not overly thick like a heavy sauce.
Holding the bowl when hungry, with both vegetables and meat
inside, a sense of satisfaction spread from the warmth of his palm against the
bowl’s surface.
Pei Rong ate heartily and quietly. Anyone could see he was
thoroughly enjoying his meal.
Lu Qin noticed that he was eating only the boneless parts and
put on disposable gloves. He sat down beside Pei Rong and helped him remove the
eel bones.
The braised eel was tender and juicy, without any bones to
worry about. He could enjoy each bite with a mouthful of rice.
There was no dish with chili on the table, which pleased Pei
Rong. He said to Lu Qin, “You should eat too.”
Lu Qin, as if receiving permission, picked up his chopsticks
and started eating. The two of them sat there as if they were at a small table
at home, sharing food with each other. Soon, their stomachs were full.
This meal was probably the most delicious one Lu Qin had
eaten since becoming an adult. He wasn’t sure if it was because the dishes were
so good or because Pei Rong was sitting across from him.
After a satisfying meal, Pei Rong touched his neck. Since it
was not easy to meet President Lu, he needed to come up with a way to convince
Lu Qin to cancel the practical class set by his secretary.
He thought to himself, the purpose of this meal was to
discuss business. If the first objective failed, the second objective must be
achieved. So, this meal they had today was not in vain.
Looking at the class schedule, there were three horseback
riding classes per week, which was quite intensive.
Pei Rong touched his neck and had a sudden inspiration. He
said calmly, “I don’t want to attend the horseback riding class.”
Lu Qin raised an eyebrow, indicating his confusion.
Pei Rong continued, “My thighs get rubbed painfully by the
saddle. It’s not suitable for me.”
He got bruised very easily, and after a shower, his skin
turned all red. The other should understand this.
Pei Rong went on, “My neck is sensitive. I don’t like wearing
helmets. They’re heavy.”
He should understand this, too.
When Pei Rong took off his helmet, he also unraveled a small
coil of hair at the back of his head. He casually touched it a couple of times,
and now it swayed from side to side.
Lu Qin indeed understood. His breath became erratic for a few
moments, and he blurted out, “Do you want me to check?”
Pei Rong: “...”
Pei Rong wanted to lie down after he finished eating. He
didn’t want to risk the possibility of triggering intense physical activity, so
he said, “No need, I’m fine.”
“Can I skip the horseback riding class?”
Lu Qin closed his eyes slightly. “Sure.”
Pei Rong’s eyes lit up, like warm sunlight had softened the
cold snow.
Today was truly worthwhile. When Pei Rong and Lu Qin bid
their farewells, they both had smiles on their faces. Pei Rong personally
opened the car door for him.
Lu Qin hesitated for a moment before getting into the back
seat.
As the vehicle started moving, the side mirror elongated Pei
Rong’s silhouette into a graceful outline, blending into the splendid spring
scenery.
Lu Qin pressed on his stomach; he had an important meeting in
the afternoon and didn’t want to eat too much. A full stomach could lead to
drowsiness.
However... the dishes were just too appetizing.
President Lu frowned thoughtfully. One shouldn’t be
controlled by desires, whether it’s appetite or anything else.
Whenever he sensed his willpower giving in, he would increase
his workload.
He had Secretary Gao send cars, watches, and film contracts
to Pei Rong, just like how young people recharged and bought skins and levels
in games they loved.
For him, Pei Rong was a game worth recharging. If he really
liked it, he could even acquire it.
But it’s best not to create an account and play personally.
According to the report from his secretary, Pei Rong didn’t
attend classes properly, didn’t upgrade voluntarily, and didn’t accept mission
rewards.
This game had some serious bugs, Lu Qin thought. He needed to
take a closer look.
Indeed, there were major bugs, but they might not be in the
game itself.
Perhaps writing code more seriously could salvage the
situation.
The staff in the president’s office were already in agony.
Upon hearing Secretary Gao say that Lu Qin went to see Pei Rong, they secretly
prayed for President Lu to be distracted for a day, but that didn’t happen.
After the meeting in the afternoon, President Lu worked late into the night
again.
While the capitalist worked overtime, the ‘salted fish’
enjoyed a laid-back life. It was quite comfortable to have days without
equestrian lessons.
Pei Rong noticed that Lu Qin’s thoughts seemed to differ from
his own speculations. After some consideration, he decided not to let the other
influence his thinking. Ultimately, the desired result might emerge.
Equestrian lessons had been replaced with investment
management. After finishing a lesson, Secretary Gao gave Pei Rong an investment
advisory book. It listed sixteen stocks with optimal entry times, some for
quick buying and selling, others for medium to long-term holding.
Pei Rong had no interest in stocks.
In front of Secretary Gao, he registered a securities account
and bought one lot of each stock.
The origin of this securities account was his anchor of
shame. (T/N: It’s probably the stock codes that ends with 419.)
Pei Rong: “To test the waters.”
Secretary Gao: “…”
Believe it or not, this piece of A4 paper could sell for a
sky-high price on the market.
Considering that Pei Rong might not trust unfamiliar listed
companies, Secretary Gao’s words held a deeper meaning: “Buying shares of the
Lu family would also be a good choice.”
Especially since they had a composed and restrained
workaholic CEO. Mr. Pei should easily understand Lu Qin’s focus at each stage
of work. Just follow and buy.
Pei Rong nodded. “I will consider it.”
A week later, Pei Rong looked at golf on the new class
schedule, wanting to rekindle the past, and asked Lu Qin to cancel.
But he didn’t have Lu Qin’s contact information.
Pei Rong sighed, wishing he had remembered that string of
numbers before he flushed the personal business card of a certain righteous
gentleman down the toilet.
There’s still some time before he could leave the
entertainment circle. Zhou Hang treated Pei Rong like an ancestor, but Luo Qun
no longer revered him, relying on discipline to maintain his figure.
Pei Rong overcame his laziness. Golf was relaxing and didn’t
require too much physical effort. He walked the first half of the course
himself and used a golf cart for the second half. After playing three rounds a
week, his chin became slightly more defined, but the disappeared abdominal
muscles didn’t return.
Pei Rong felt a bit frustrated. To regain his abdominal
muscles, he probably needed to do the kind of exercise where one did sets after
sets, sweating profusely each time.
As a big star, he had to adjust his condition at all times
and not disappoint his fans. On a rainy day, Pei Rong didn’t want to go out.
After getting Secretary Gao’s approval, he turned “Etiquette for Banquets” into
an online course.
Who would know if he’s actually attending the class through
the internet connection?
Diligently, Pei Rong took out his dusty fitness equipment,
lowered the volume of the online class to the minimum, and started with a set
of push-ups.
He persevered, sweating heavily and gritting his teeth. The
buzzing sound in his ears was filled with the fervor of determination, so he
naturally didn’t hear the online teacher’s reminder—to apply what was learned
immediately after class.
It wasn’t until Secretary Gao knocked on the door that Pei
Rong realized he had to accompany Lu Qin to a high-profile banquet that
evening.
His forehead was wrapped in a sweatband, his cheeks were
flushed from exercising, giving him a peach blossom-like complexion. His lips
were redder than vermilion. The natural beauty exuding from him made Secretary
Gao cautiously take a step back.
Pei Rong: “Ah, do I really have to go?”
Why was he going out so late at night? After exercising, he
just wanted to take a bath and sleep.
Secretary Gao handed him a set of suits: “Cough, President Lu
is waiting downstairs.”
Pei Rong had no choice but to go to take a shower and wash
his hair.
Lu Qin waited in the car for five minutes. Secretary Gao
called to apologize, saying he didn’t inform Pei Rong properly, and Pei Rong
didn’t know he had to go out. Now he’s only starting to shower and wash his
hair, so it might take about half an hour.
Lu Qin’s face turned cold. “Then why are you still upstairs?”
Secretary Gao hung up the phone in a panic, quickly went
downstairs, and met up with Lu Qin. Lu Qin was the least patient when waiting
for someone. If a business partner was late, the deal for the day would
definitely not happen.
It seemed that Mr. Pei had annoyed President Lu. Secretary
Gao felt a bit sorry for Mr. Pei.
He only knew that Pei Rong was absent-minded in class. How
could he have imagined that Pei Rong didn’t listen at all? The professor
mentioned at least six times within an hour that there was a banquet in the
evening.
Secretary Gao got into the front passenger seat and was about
to tell the driver to start the car when the rear door suddenly opened.
Lu Qin, exuding with displeasure, exited the car and went
upstairs to wait.
“...” Secretary Gao suddenly realized that the displeasure
was directed at him and not at Mr. Pei.
He decided to keep his distance from Mr. Pei in the future.
When Secretary Gao left, he closed the door, and it locked
automatically. Lu Qin had to stand at the door, waiting.
After 15 minutes, he heard movement inside, so he rang the
doorbell.
Pei Rong, wearing a bathrobe and drying his wet hair, opened
the door without greeting him and hurriedly took a couple of steps to blow-dry
his hair.
Lu Qin expressed dissatisfaction. “Are you close with
Secretary Gao?”
Pei Rong didn’t hear clearly, turned off the hairdryer, and
asked, “What?”
Lu Qin said, “Don’t casually open the door when you’re
dressed like this.”
Pei Rong smiled. “Like this? Didn’t I only open the door when
I saw that it was President Lu?”
Lu Qin suddenly turned around.
With a stern tone, he said, “I’ll wait for you in the car.”
Secretary Gao saw Lu Qin went downstairs, but there was no
one following behind him. Once again, he thought that Lu Qin had grown
impatient and decided to just leave.
In the past, when he worked in the marketing department of
the Lu family, he would interact with some celebrities. The more famous the big
stars were, the more elaborate the process of makeup, styling, and outfit
coordination before they went out. It was normal to start preparing half a day
in advance, starting from applying face masks.
Even with his own wife, it’s rare for most men to have such
patience.
However, their President Lu, after getting in the car,
remained silent, and the car door wasn’t closed, clearly still waiting.
There were three people inside the car, and the silence was
eerie. Secretary Gao’s professional composure was once again put into practice.
Fortunately, after another 10 minutes, Pei Rong came down
after changing clothes.
This time, more business people attended the banquet. When
Pei Rong followed Zhou Hang, he would compliment the people he met a couple of
times, but it wasn’t necessary when following Lu Qin.
If he acted too courteously, wouldn’t it be embarrassing for
Lu Qin?
He didn’t know much about the Lu Group, and the content of
their conversation was hard to understand. Pei Rong felt bored, holding a glass
of red wine and only taking a very small sip after a while.
The previous anniversary party left him with a shadow. It’s
better not to drink if he could avoid it.
It was Lu Qin’s first time bringing someone to such an
occasion, and the person he brought was a well-known beauty from the
entertainment industry. With two focal points converging and self-contained
lighting, many people looked in their direction. Among them, some offered olive
branches to Pei Rong. Like stones thrown into the sea, there was no response.
Before arriving at the banquet, Lu Qin knowingly asked, “Did
you take etiquette lessons?”
Pei Rong’s expression remained unchanged. “I did.”
With his years of experience in the world of fame and
fortune, he could avoid mistakes even without attending classes.
This confidence swelled to its peak halfway through the
banquet. Pei Rong decided that after it ended, he would propose to Lu Qin that
he had exceptional talents and didn’t need to take any lessons.
Thinking about this, Pei Rong felt delighted, as if he had
already gained Lu Qin’s approval—judging from the equestrian class, Lu Qin was
quite agreeable.
Realizing he was becoming too complacent, he brought the
wineglass to his lips and tactically drank water to cover it up.
The next moment, as if out of thin air, Jiang Tian appeared,
standing behind the dining table three meters away from Pei Rong.
Jiang Tian, chili peppers, stir-fried conch meat, chicken
innards, the smell of blood... a series of keywords automatically unfolded like
a derived formula inside his mind.
A chill ran down Pei Rong’s fingertip, realizing the
situation wasn’t good. Sure enough, a strong wave of nausea surged up his
throat, his Adam’s apple tightened, the taste of alcohol in his mouth couldn’t
go down, and the feeling of disgust in his stomach welled up.
Pride came before a fall.
Pei Rong felt that if he was to vomit in front of everyone,
both he and Lu Qin would lose face.
If he withdrew now, it would be as if nothing had happened,
but Lu Qin would have to deal with these businessmen’s scrutiny with a forced
smile for a lifetime.
In the blink of an eye, Pei Rong embraced Lu Qin, closing his
eyes and burying his head in his neck.
A faint sound of surprise echoed in the venue.
This was blatantly showing off, attaching himself to
President Lu—the little enchanting creature! Even a peerless beauty wouldn’t
dare to be so audacious!
Lu Qin’s body stiffened, and countless thoughts flashed
through his mind in an instant.
Then he felt a warm liquid flowing down his collar.
