Chapter 27

Under the threat of that punch, Xiang Mingqi did not dodge, nor did he think about dodging. He just sat on the ground and burst out laughing.

His mouth was filled with blood, and a faint fishy smell escaped from between his teeth. Perhaps his teeth had torn the inside of his mouth; the wound was quite large and painful. Two-thirds of his facial bones were numb with pain.

He pushed his arms back, his waist pulling his neck back. He laughed until tears welled up in his eyes and he was out of breath. If the blood hadn't trickled down his forehead and into his mouth, he guaranteed he could have laughed even more freely.

Xiang Mingqi pressed one side of his nose to blew away the blood clot, frowned, and looked around.

"You really care about your reputation." Blood almost covered half of his face. He bit the fleshy thorns on the edge of his nails and tore them. "As long as you use a little trick, you will treat me like a dog whose bone has been taken away. What are you angry about? Is it because my brother likes me more? Or is it because you have tried so hard, but he is still as cold to you as before?"

"It does sound a bit difficult to expect you to be sane." Shan Li felt sick just looking at him. "You came just in time. I really need to talk to you about some recent events."

"Okay." Xiang Mingqi smiled so hard that his teeth were visible. "What do you want to talk about? Do you want to know about Brother Pei Huai? Do you want to know why he smells so good? Especially behind his ears, on his neck and wrists. That dry and clean scent of soap is simply incomparable. Every time he uses that, I want to replace his hands and lick his skin inch by inch, starting from his calves." He showed an expression that was almost trance-like, almost intoxicated, and his tone was sweet and sticky. "You know, just standing there, he almost evaporated all the blood in my body."

"...If you, a madman, were here." Shan Li gestured to the guard and only said half of his words.

"Yes." Xiang Mingqi grinned, blood gushing from his nose. "He's here too. Your dear princess, too." His fingers traced the edge of the mutilated wound, then traced down to the jawbone. He pulled down his left eyelid with his index finger and stuck out his tongue. "...Now, who will be the one who gets his favor?"

From the corner of his eye, Xiang Mingqi saw his senior standing there motionless, taking off his hat and throwing it aside, then unabashedly removing his janitor's coat that was in the way. Without the hat, the simple hair tie that had been tied untied, revealing a head of white hair draped over his shoulders.

He tied the long hair back with one hand, fiddled with the ponytail, and patted the boy on the back after making sure the knot was no longer undone.

"Don't let go," he said.

The latter leaned over his chest and nodded. Pei Huai held his breath for a moment, twisting his wrist outward and diagonally. The blade was so fast that it left an afterimage. He grasped it in his palm, raised his fist to shoulder height, and assumed a standard Sanda stance.

——When the second punch hit his face, Xiang Mingqi closed his eyes reflexively.

But the pain did not show up.

He first heard a teeth-grinding cutting sound a few centimeters away. By the time he reacted, Pei Huai had already stepped in front of him. His speed was so fast that he could hardly see his movements.

Before Xiang Mingqi had opened his eyes for long, a black shadow came straight at his face, and it was quite heavy.

He rubbed his nose miserably, his hands covered in blood. He looked down and saw that the person who pounced on him was a ragged little boy.

Looking closely, I saw the burly Latin man standing there in a daze. On his right arm, a wound ran from elbow to wrist, curling outward. The blade had penetrated deeply enough to reveal the deep red tissue underneath.

Pei Huai still maintained a widened stance, with his center of gravity on his toes, his scorpion claws held in reverse, and his arms bent in front of his chest with little movement.

He glanced at the stunned Shan Li, then looked at his opponent again. His posture was like a stag with broken prey stuck in its horns, chilling and captivating.

"His body belongs to the Bangkok Hotel. Whether it's a work-related injury or a vacation, it will cause serious losses to the company." He glanced at the crowd, his tone filled with his usual courtesy, "If my junior has indeed misbehaved, I don't mind taking the blame for his mistakes. But the prerequisite is—" After a pause, his oppressive gaze suddenly locked on the target, "beat me."

Xiang Mingqi seemed complacent at first, but the more he listened, the more he felt that something was wrong, and his expression became more frozen.

He muttered quietly, "So my value is just work injury insurance..."

Even without Shan Li's interruption, Pei Huai would have easily defeated Cink: this battle-hardened giant was truly formidable. He was well-trained and could react quickly. Conventional tactics couldn't effectively contain him.

But this is only "usually".

Whether it was hand techniques, foot techniques, or even a combination of both, Pei Huai could mobilize his entire body to coordinate. If one strike failed, he would reverse and step forward to create a second semi-arc, leaving a bloody mark with each cut. Furthermore, the claw knife was a cutting weapon, requiring certain skills and control.

A user who perfectly meets the operational requirements can push it to its limits. No one can sustain this attack of speed and control for long.

Xiang Mingqi ignored the crying child and pushed him away, saying that his head was too round and blocked his view of the handsome guy. But when he really saw Pei Huai, he was stunned by his swiftness and speed. Regardless of his own bleeding head, he turned his phone sideways, pointed it at his senior and started recording a video.

"What are you doing?" The child wiped the blood off his face and looked at him speechlessly.

"Hey handsome guy, don't you think those moves just now were ridiculously handsome?"

"But your nose is bleeding."

"It's okay, my mouth is dripping too. Do you want me to pass you some later?"

"No……"

The video only lasted less than five minutes before Shan Li had to call a halt. He knew that if he continued, Pei Huai would slit Cink's carotid artery.

In fact, in the first few seconds of the confrontation, the Latin man was already covered in wounds. It was obvious that Pei Huai had a trick up his sleeve.

The cuts were deep, distributed across various vital areas. If the movement became more severe, it could kill him at any moment. Upon receiving the order, the latter quickly retreated behind his boss, regaining his usual docile and calm demeanor.

Pei Huai had no intention of pursuing him and held the sheath in his hand. "You're curious why he and I are here, right?"

"Since Mr. Pei and his colleagues appeared inside our company, I am naturally curious. I remember you mentioned earlier that the company had an emergency recall." Shan Li still smiled at him. "Then, I would like to ask, why is Mr. Pei here?"

"It's beyond my responsibility to explain to you." Pei Huai walked towards him step by step, "But soon, you will receive the relevant email. And..." Seeing the situation, several bodyguards were about to step forward to stop him with nervous expressions, but were stopped by Shan Liyi by raising his hand.

Pei Huai stopped a few centimeters in front of him, his claw blade swung one last time before retracting. His free hand grabbed Shan Li's tie and pulled it towards him.

The two of them were very close, their eyes locked, scanning each other's faces.

He reached into his pocket and put the broken rose back into the outer pocket of Shan Li's jacket. At the same time, he pinched the man's chin with two fingers as if rewarding him, leaned forward slightly, and bit his lower lip with such ferocity that blood was drawn.

“—This is a return gift.”

He let go of his tie, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, pushed him away, and turned to walk out. When he passed by Xiang Mingqi, he realized that the boy was still staring at him absent-mindedly.

Pei Huai couldn't help but kick him. The latter came back to his senses, picked up the boy and quickly followed.

"Brother, why did you get a kid in that company?" he asked rapidly, chasing after me. "He's been around for over a hundred months, right? He's heavier than the pigs I used to catch at the farm."

"Oh, and one more thing: can he and I walk down the street like this? Look at me, there's blood all over my face and body. If I go out, I hope the police will call and arrest me... Hey, don't walk so fast!"

The two men disappeared around the corner. The secretary pushed his glasses up and looked at his boss. "Are you just letting them go? They took away a lot of our secrets."

"It doesn't matter. Since he wants it, I'll just give it to him as a gift." His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of his bright red lips, his eyes darkening. "It's just that this breakup came faster than I expected." Shan Li picked up the rose between his index and middle fingers, completely severed below the receptacle. He examined it with a slight sense of regret, then smiled helplessly. "Cink, have you figured out the princess's level?"

"Very strong," the man said in a low voice. "His strength, speed, and reflexes are all top-notch. There's no flaw at all. If we really want to deal with that company, we must control him first."

-

Once outside, Pei Huai remained silent, leading the way. No matter what Xiang Mingqi said, he refused to respond. Without his orders, the latter didn't dare let go of the almost thirteen-year-old boy, his elbow aching terribly.

The two people, one big and one small, looked at each other humbly.

"He's angry," the child reminded him.

"I know, but what can I do? I don't have the courage to ask."

"Then can't you think of a solution?"

"Whoever dares can go. Didn't you see how he dealt with that mighty man just now?" Xiang Mingqi put on a "you don't understand" expression and leaned close to his ear, his voice low. "If he had pointed that weird knife at me, I guarantee I wouldn't have lasted a second. My whole body would have been chopped to the bone."

"But aren't you two in a relationship? Why doesn't he listen to you?"

"I never ordered him around. I didn't dare. I was afraid of getting beaten." Even so, his fighting spirit seemed to be sparked by those three words, and he raised his chin with a smile. He lowered his voice even lower, afraid Pei Huai would overhear, "It's mainly because handsome guys of his level are quite individual. If you don't speak when you're angry, don't start a fight. He won't have any excuse to deal with you, so he'll just sulk."

The child looked at him with contempt.

“…You’re so useless.”

"You're useless and rude, kid! You still have the nerve to criticize me? Forget it, I'll risk my life to help you ask." Xiang Mingqi put the child on his neck to make it easier for him to escape, then took a few steps forward and asked tentatively, "Brother, hello?"

Pei Huai stopped.

The person who approached me took a step back, seemingly nervous, and stood up straight. "Hey, I just wanted to ask how our urgent commission went. And by the way, I'd like to ask if you could possibly give me a compliment, brother."

The senior turned around and faced him without saying a word, the emotions in his eyes still as unpredictable as ever.

Was the atmosphere a bit... awkward? Pei Huai rarely chose to do that, especially staring at someone's face for a long time. It was considered impolite, and since he didn't think highly of his juniors, the chances of earning his attention were few and far between. Xiang Mingqi had never been stared at like this before, and he was sweating with nervousness.

Pei Huai first replied, "It has been sent, and the data is being analyzed. The results will be out soon."

"Well, that's good, that's good. But please don't mind my further comments. Um, brother, why are you staring at me? It makes me feel creepy. Look here, here, and here, I'm getting goosebumps."

Pei Huai looked away and clenched his wrist stiffly, as if he didn't know how to answer: "Just now, you did very well."

“Hmm…”

"If you want a compliment, I can personally grant you a request."

"Oh wow, then I won't be polite. I want to have a love date with you..." He tilted his shoulder and made a heart shape with his fingers in front of his cheek. "I choose the location, I choose the duration, and I choose the content of the date."

Pei Huai was silent for a long time, his lips did not move for a long time.

"Of course it doesn't matter if you don't agree. I can keep this opportunity until I think of it next time. But you can't deny it, brother."

After another unbearable stare-down, the senior slowly spoke: "...Okay."

"Ahaha, I knew you were going to... huh?" - What? Was I hallucinating? Did I hear it wrong?

Xiang Mingqi blinked for a long time before he reacted.

This "yes", rounded off, means, means, means agree, right?

In other words…

——My brother agreed to go on a date with me?!