Chapter 28

On the way back with his senior, Xiang Mingqi felt that the inside of his mouth was torn again. He pressed his tongue against the mucous membrane and it still hurt.

Everything in his field of vision was a jumble of overlapping pixels—the situation wasn't good. The punch he'd taken was heavy, and the lack of signs of a concussion was a blessing.

But without these cracks, butterflies wouldn't have come to roost on his wounds. This was a small reward he had risked his life for.

His tongue licked the wound from below, peeling the membrane away bit by bit, seemingly unaware of the pain. A fishy, ​​salty smell filled his mouth, choking him to the point of vomiting.

This was a foolish and dangerous act, a provocation to Shan Li. Not only would he attract trouble, but he would also leave himself isolated and helpless. Once Pei Huai knew about his relationship with Jingshan Real Estate, all his efforts so far would be in vain.

But he had nowhere to go. Pei Huai was always the center of attention, the one who wanted to be noticed by him, or the lucky few who were noticed by him by chance. Among them, no matter who it was, they all outshone him. So, in his brother's eyes, he was probably nothing more than ordinary.

dislike.

Don't like this.

It is precisely because of the existence of other men that he is willing to kiss the butterfly's thin wings at all costs.

Just like the injustice he suffered this time, he actually won a date.

To this end, he knew how to fight for it next.

-

The next step was clear. They returned to the company and handed the boy they had helped to medical care. On the way back, the boy also fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss. The doctor promised to extract some useful information from him as soon as he woke up.

Pei Huai originally wanted to ask for leave to go home and sort out his thoughts, but before he even reached the elevator, Xiang Mingqi came to him, waving his arms and spinning, and fell to the ground with a thud, like a ballet dancer who failed in the splits.

After listening to Pei Huai's description, the doctor said that the first half was similar to a peacock spreading its feathers, except that the tail feathers were bald, making people mistakenly think he was performing a shaman dance. The second half was true anemia.

Pei Huai was not present when the wound was being treated, but was called out by Zhu Zhiyang.

"Are you hurt?" The first sentence he asked when they met was one of concern.

"It's okay." After a brief greeting, Pei Huai went on to give a work report. It was rare for him to speak more than a few words. "Jingshan Real Estate Company has a large sphere of influence. This matter may involve organ trafficking and payment fraud. Be careful."

"We can't deploy specific actions until the kid wakes up. I've already granted you three days of leave, so get some rest." A low laugh mingled with the warm, woody notes of men's perfume, and her thumb gently rubbed beneath his eyelids. "There's a little bit of a blue rim around your eye."

Pei Huai slapped his hand away: "I will."

Knowing his character, the man knew when to stop and slowly brought the topic back on track: "I heard that you had a fight with one of them. How was it?"

"Not bad." He said without hesitation.

This answer caused Zhu Zhiyang to laugh. He raised his hand out of habit, wanting to rub the other person's ear bone, but surrendered under the frosty gaze.

"It's not based on you." He had to say.

Pei Huai lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. "He's probably an experienced fighter in both armed and unarmed combat, with muscle density being his strong point. He has thick calluses from gunshot wounds and an old chop wound on his left shoulder. He's very submissive, a Marine."

The person who was questioning listened to his analysis calmly and frankly, and at the end he did not forget to give him a few words of praise: "I will take it into consideration. However, I didn't expect you to complete this commission so well. The instructions from above were issued hastily, and there were too many variables. Not only did you extract the key information, but you also brought back extra joy." He was referring to the child.

"……besides."

"What's wrong?" Zhu Zhiyang was surprised by his first initiative.

"Xiang Mingqi's work-related injury was a mistake within my duties." His expression remained unchanged, like a sharp blade unsheathed, its hilt gradually showing a flaw. "I'll bear the loss..."

"No, there's no need. I'm in no position to hold you accountable." Zhu Zhiyang smiled understandingly and patted him on the shoulder. "I know that even if we don't break up with Jingshan Real Estate now, there will inevitably be a conflict in the future. You've done a great job."

"Well, excuse me."

Seeing him about to leave again, Zhu Zhiyang stepped forward and grabbed his wrist: "There is one more thing." He leaned over to Pei Huai's ear, and his breath tickled his earbone as his lips opened and closed. "We've found accommodation for the newcomer. Let him pack it up and move in tomorrow." - As soon as he finished speaking, his wrist was grabbed.

"Thank you. But next time." Pei Huai maintained his original stance, his eyes slightly turned towards him, and his fingers tightened. A little more force would have crushed his bones. The pain made Zhu Zhiyang's mouth twitch. "Please don't touch me like this."

When his grip strength reached the limit of the human body, he let go, nodded, and walked silently towards the infirmary.

Before he could push open the half-closed door, he was suddenly shoved onto the shoulder by a figure rushing out of the inner room, and the warm body pressed against him intimately. The laughter ringing in his ears made his head buzz.

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'm resurrected. Let's go on a date now! It's up to you to choose an amusement park, a zoo, or an oceanarium. It hurts, and you're pinching me..."

After being carried on his shoulders for only a dozen seconds, Pei Huai developed an inexplicable and extremely strange feeling.

If Xiang Mingqi really moved out of his home, then the situation would not develop in a good direction.

The meeting place was a cat cafe. It was the only place Xiang Mingqi could find.

Before making a plan, he took a look at the ticket purchasing hall in the WeChat official account. Whether it was an amusement park, a zoo or an oceanarium, there were no spots for online ticket purchases and the number of reservations was full.

Looking at Pei Huai's silhouette leaning against the bridge pier and smoking, Xiang Mingqi secretly clenched his fists and vowed to make him remember him - and thus the date began.

Before arriving, he'd browsed the cat roster on an app. There were as many as 30 cats selling their bodies here, of all breeds and personalities. The cat cafe has three floors: the first is for attracting customers, the second is for dining and private rooms for one-on-one interactions with the cats, and the third is a rest area for staff.

They arrived at a lucky time, as there weren't many customers today. A few Garfields had finished their lunch and were lying boneless on the cat climbing frame behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, yawning and licking their fur. When they saw the guests coming, they turned their backs and slept in a position with their butts facing outwards.

"Cat?" Pei Huai paused.

"Yeah, yeah, bro, do you like cats? Even though I'm a dog person, it feels so good to serve cats and force them to love me."

Pei Huai ignored him.

"So, are you a cat person or a dog person?"

"Think for yourself."

"Woo woo woo, you're like that again. Isn't a dog nice? Isn't a dog nice that purrs every day and blinks its cute blingbling eyes at you, wishing it could just grow out of you." - After walking into the store and taking their reserved seat, Xiang Mingqi couldn't help but pat a certain orange cat's big butt. This cat had a very large cross-sectional area, and when it rolled up on the table, it even took up the space for the drinks.

The "pop" sound was particularly loud.

The orange cat jumped up, looked at him with its eyes half covered by nictitating membranes, then stretched out its front paws with a look of contempt and continued snoring.

"Brother, his butt is so wide, even bigger than my palm." Xiang Mingqi looked at his palm in shock, "Wow, my hand hurts from the shaking of his butt."

"Ah, pickled cucumber, stop occupying other people's tables! It's rude." The girl on duty came running over with a plate in one hand and reached under the pickled cucumber's plump belly with the other. After several unsuccessful attempts, she said, "Oh, have you been eating it again recently? Why... Wow!"

When the girl almost sprained her ankle because of her heel, a slender and strong hand gentlemanly supported her from behind the waist.

"Be careful." The voice was so steady that it made people's spines shiver.

——Plop.

Suddenly, there was a sound of something falling to the ground opposite. Looking up, Xiang Mingqi was sitting upright in his original position, deliberately pulling up the corners of his mouth with his index finger, with a perfect smile.

"Sorry brother, I can't hold my phone steady."

Pei Huai didn't have time to care about him. He took the plate and stood up to hug the cat. When his arm went around the furry armpit of Pickled Cucumber, it also stretched its legs in cooperation, its paw pads blooming, and its front legs stretched straight.

After landing, it raised its hind legs high and began to lick the base of its tail regardless of the occasion.

Pei Huai let go of the other person's shoulder and distanced himself.

"Thank you, handsome." She quickly bent down and picked up the cat, feeling a little embarrassed. "Jiangua is always like this, likes to get in with people, especially likes to pretend to be asleep, and looks for opportunities to kick other people's drink cups. We have suffered a lot of losses because of him, wicked Jiangua."

The girl poked the orange cat's pink nose with her finger.

It reluctantly hid its face under its claws, kicked off with its hind legs, and fled from her arms.

"Drinks for you two, kumquat lemon tea and Hong Kong-style milk tea." The girl shook her head and handed the drinks to the guests with a smile.

Soon, a few roaming street bullies, who were known for beating up cats and extorting money from people, spotted their new target on the first floor. The leader limped over and nudged Pei Huai's trouser leg. One of the long-haired tabby cats even raised its paw to hook his shoelaces.

He had no choice but to bend down, pat the cat's tailbone, and turn it sideways.

The broad, plump Lihua stood up with a jerk, swaying his belly, and scurried back to Pei Huai's feet. He pressed his paw pads against his calves, his butt raised in a seductive arc, sharpened his claws a few times, then leaped up onto his knees to push against his chin. His throat grumbled non-stop.

"His name is Zhuangzhuang, the kind that can't lose weight. But he was really skinny when he was little. When our boss found him, he said his butt was covered in insect bites." The little girl looked at Zhuangzhuang sitting on Pei Huai's lap, squinting his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings, and teased him with a smile, "Zhuangzhuang is usually very lazy. He'd rather lie down than stand, and he never takes the initiative to talk to others. Today is the first time he's done that."

"That's because my brother is handsome, okay? You don't even need to look closely at his face. He eats everything, regardless of gender, age, or whether it's flowers, birds, fish, or insects." Xiang Mingqi was almost humming with pride beside him.

"That's right." The little girl laughed, "When he first came in, I thought he was a model and was shocked."

"You have good taste. I'll give your store a five-star rating later. Four and a half stars is a waste."

Pei Huai, tired of hearing people talk about him, turned his face away. At that time, Xiang Mingqi was being treated like a slave by a white cat that looked like an adult. After the cat licked its paws and smacked its lips with relish, his hands were sore.

Soon, a colorpoint ragdoll cat came over, staring at them with its bright blue eyes. It arched its back, nudged Pei Huai's calf, and with its tail cocked, gave a soft meow, then sat down and waited obediently to be petted.

"Suansuan became a cat mother this year. We plan to take her for sterilization after this litter grows up. The kittens are about to be weaned, and our boss is still looking for adopters for them." The little girl squatted on the cushion and drew arcs with a cat teaser.

The cats all jumped up, spread their limbs and scratched around, wrestling together.

"Brother, have you ever thought about getting a cat?" Xiang Mingqi reached out and rubbed the cat's flabby belly. "I've thought about it. If I had my own house and lived alone, I'd definitely have to get a pet to help me out. Otherwise, I'd suffocate to death every day."

Pei Huai tilted his neck to the right, trying to avoid Zhuangzhuang's rough tongue.

But no matter where he went, the fat cat would push him back with its head. Not only that, it also didn't allow other cats to get close.

"No." He pushed Zhuangzhuang but failed.

"But you're so popular with the little animals. Are all you fairies like this?" A drooping feather pointed at Zhuangzhuang's nose. He widened his almond-shaped eyes, shook his butt, pounced on him, and took the feather in his mouth, his chest puffed out.

Just as Pei Huai was about to pull the cat off him, the doorbell rang. The little girl wiped her hands on her apron, stood up, and looked toward the door.

"The part-time student is here. I have to go back to school this afternoon, so if you need anything, just ask him." The automatic door swung open, and a young man in an old-fashioned cotton jacket walked in. He looked thin and had a dark complexion.

The cats immediately scattered and fled, while Zhuangzhuang hid in Pei Huai's clothes in fear.